Chapter 212: An Old Story (9)

Chapter 212: An Old Story (9)

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

The sound of singing mountain birds.

Drip~!

The moist sensation of the falling water droplets.

"Ugh..."

And then, a throbbing headache.

Baek Yu-Seol felt a terrible nausea which made his stomach churn, and he forced himself to sit up. Although he wanted desperately to lie back down, he couldn't stay still because the recent memories kept flashing through his mind.

"Remember! You must never change the fate of the past!"

The voice of New Moon Silver still seemed to echo in his ears.

How much power did he use behind the telepathy for the lingering effect to still exist?

Even his ears were buzzing.

"Ugh..."

Baek Yu-Seol’s head hurt so much that he couldn't help but groan. However, first, he quickly surveyed the surroundings.CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m

Trees, grass, rocks. And a squirrel.

"Ah! Damn..."

It was a forest.

And he was right in the middle of it.

No matter how versatile Sentient Spec were, without a satellite, he couldn't determine his exact location. He was practically lost.

**[You have traveled to a timeline 3649 days, 23 hours, 17 minutes, and 47 seconds prior.]**

**[Some functions of the Sentient Spec are not working.]**

**[Some systems have shut down.]**

**[Loading the Constellation Project....]**

As expected, it appeared he had traveled back in time.

He should be grateful he didn't get sucked into a space-time rift.

"Ten years ago..."

*‘I think there was? I do vaguely remember it. Although time travel content appeared very occasionally, but...’*

Still, it was really rare, and there were no proper strategies or descriptions. Baek Yu-Seol had no idea how to navigate in this era.

Fortunately, New Moon Silver had imprinted the way back into his mind, so he didn't have to worry about that, but the waiting time was the problem.

There probably weren’t many things that would kill him in this timeline, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful.

As he stood up with that thought in mind, for some reason, his body felt lighter.

"Huh?"

**[To help you drift through the past, New Moon Silver has bestowed upon you a mystical blessing.]**

**[Strength increases by 4 stars.]**

**[Agility increases by 4 stars.]**

**[Senses increase by 4 stars.]**

**[Willpower increases by 4 stars.]**

**[Endurance increases by 1 star.]**

**[The skill 'Mana Accumulation Retardation’ is enhanced by three stages.]**

**[The skill 'Flash’ is enhanced by one stage.]**

"Wow... What’s this."

An enormous increase in abilities.

Baek Yu-Seol felt he had become a completely different person.

**[The above blessings apply only while drifting through the past and will disappear when you return to the present.]**

Of course, such an overpowered blessing wouldn't last forever, but it was fine.

With all his abilities increased by 4 stars, even if his skills were a bit lacking, he could more or less handle a one-on-one fight with a Class 7 mage.

Thanks to the temporary enhancement of Mana Accumulation Retardation and Flash, he had a solid combat ability.

"Wow."

When he clenched and unclenched his fist, he could feel the surge of immense power that he had never felt before.

Baek Yu-Seol’s senses had also become extremely sharp. He could accurately feel the trajectory of the blowing wind, and he felt that if he jumped right now, he could... not exactly reach the sky, but becoming a world long jump champion would be an easy task.

"Anyway, where am I?"

Even though he had fallen in the middle of the forest, he wasn't too worried due to his enhanced abilities, but he still needed to find a safe place.

He needed somewhere to stay until he returned to the present.

"Can I use the shortest safe navigation function to find the exit?"

**[Impossible.]**

"Can you track mana alpha waves to identify danger zones?"

**[Impossible.]**

"How about situational analysis?"

**[Impossible.]**

"Is there any registered information about this place?"

**[Information access is not possible.]**

"Sigh."

As expected, most functions of the Sentient Spec were nearly unusable.

While it was possible to view recorded information, it couldn’t handle vague questions like ‘Where am I?’

The only saving grace was that he could figure out directions by following the stars and the angle of the shadows.

This was achievable even without the help of the Sentient Spec.

He felt a sense of accomplishment and pride to possess such survival skills.

**[※Info: The compass function of the Sentient Spec is completely functional.]**

... Holy Shit.

Anyway, before he started walking, he made the bare minimum of preparation.

Nothing much.

He just used the shape-shifting function equipped into Stella’s coat to slightly alter its appearance.

There was a reason behind it. In case he encountered a stella student from this era, it was better not to attract unnecessary attention.

Stella's students stood out wherever they went.

*‘Time to disguise myself.’*

[First rule of time travel!]

[Do not encounter people from the present while in the past!]

Even now, countless problems that would require dozens of ordinary mages to solve were swirling in Haeseongwol's mind.

Among those, the one that occupied the most space was, undoubtedly, Baek Yu-Seol.

"... They say the rainy season on the Hawol Plain is tough due to the incessant downpours, but this year seems particularly severe. Don't you agree?"

Haeseongwol spoke without even turning his head to look at Jeliel, who was sitting next to him, but there was no response.

Given that she wouldn't suddenly doze off in such a situation, the reason was clear... She was ignoring him.

If you think daring to ignore a Class 9 mage is audacious, then you aren't a Class 9 mage.

Those who had shed all lingering attachments and impure emotions were in a state similar to that of an immortal or sage.

"Jeliel. Do you resent me?"

At those words, she finally turned her head to look at Haeseongwol. Still, she did not respond.

Jeliel’s recent memories were still vividly clear.

Standing on Carmen Set's chessboard, she witnessed Baek Yu-Seol disappear along with the collapsing space and time.

It kept appearing in her dreams.

Why did he make that choice?

They could always revisit the ancient ruins of Carmen Set later.

But... He only had one life.

"Lady, Magic Tower Lord, we have arrived."

The knight whispered quietly.

The place they arrived at was 'StarCloud Merchant Guild.'

This city, which had been formed by the gathering of numerous merchant guilds including the StarCloud Merchant Guild, was now completely dominated by the StarCloud Merchant Guild.

And in the center of this city stood a large mansion, which was the headquarters and heart of the StarCloud Merchant Guild.

It was also the hometown which witnessed Jeliel’s childhood.

"Wow!! Hurry! Hurry! Let’s go!!"

As they arrived in the city, people of numerous different races were quickly running through the streets.

Something was definitely happening, but it wasn't serious or dangerous.

Because the faces of everyone on the street were blooming with smiles.

Jeliel no longer looked out the window.

*'No way.'*

Thump! Thump!

Her heart pounded violently.

*'Not yet, I can't let my guard down yet....'*

She still didn’t know why they were cheering with joy?

If you have high expectations, the disappointment will be great.

*‘Calm down.’*

But the closer they got to the mansion, the louder the cheers became, and the crowd grew so large that it seemed the entire city had come out, making it difficult for the carriage to move forward.

"Waaaaaaa!!!"

"... These are people who have been graced by your father's kindness."

Chairman Melian was famous not only for being the world's richest man but also for bestowing countless favors.

While Jeliel carried out dirty and foul deeds in the dark without hesitation, Chairman Melian performed shining good deeds behind the scenes.

Most of this city had been graced by Melian, and they were able to survive thanks to him.

What could make these people so happy?

Obviously.

"It's the young lady's carriage!!"

Someone recognized Jeliel’s carriage and shouted, and the crowd parted like the Miracle of the Red Sea, making way.

It was truly a scene straight out of a movie.

Click!

As the carriage door opened, Jeliel gracefully extended her slender leg and alighted elegantly.

However, it was just a façade, a defense mechanism against her wildly beating heart.

All the surrounding noise quieted down.

Jeliel lifted her head and faced the person standing in front of her.

It was unmistakably her father.

Chairman Melian was smiling at her.

But why did her father's image keep getting blurrier?

"Ah..."

Only then did she notice her disheveled appearance. "Go on."

Only after Haeseongwol's words did Jeliel manage to take a step towards him. Then, suddenly.

*'Huh...?’*

Even though she faced her father, she realized the mana stored in her heart hadn’t evaporated.

*'No, wait, wait...'*

She had previously made a 'Magical Oath' with Baek Yu-Seol.

**[First. Do not meet your father within three years.]**

The moment she broke that taboo, all the mana in her heart would evaporate and disperse into the air.

But now, despite having her father right in front of her, her mana was intact.

“My daughter, I'm sorry for worrying you.”

Chairman Melian's warm embrace reassured her that he was indeed real.

“Ah, ah....”

But because of this, she became aware of the horrifying reality. The Magical Oath, which seemed perfect, had another rule.

*'If the contract partner ceases to exist, the oath becomes null and void.'*

Not death, but extinction.

Only if the existence itself disappeared would the rule come into effect, which was practically an inexistent clause.

Why had it activated?

Thud!

Unable to even maintain the embrace with her father, Jeliel collapsed to the ground. Hot tears streamed endlessly from her eyes, and she could no longer hide her emotions.

“Ah! Ah....!!”

The emotion she felt at this moment was not happiness or anything else...

It was despair.",