Chapter 126

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Chapter 126: Artificial Island, Ivemir (3)

In the deep of night, while the rest of the party slept soundly, Oscar quietly slipped out of the inn and began ascending the hill behind the village.

He had overheard at the tavern that the locals rarely ventured into these hills.

It didn’t take long for him to understand why.

‘The whole mountain is frozen solid. There’s no herbs or mushrooms to gather…’

Moreover, the slippery ground made injuries a high probability, and the altitude wasn’t low enough to make it worth the climb.

‘An icy cave behind the village, they said.’

Oscar closed his eyes.

A ripple of mana spread out from him, scanning the entire mountain.

The process took no more than twenty minutes.

‘Found it.’

There were four caves in total, but one of them stood out with an exceptionally high concentration of mana.

‘I was worried someone might have already taken the elixir hidden in the cave…’

That didn’t seem to be the case.

“Phew.”

Exhaling a puff of white breath, Oscar reached the summit and peered down the sheer cliff below.

The cave he was seeking was nestled midway along the cliff face—a spot inaccessible to most.

Without hesitation, Oscar leapt off the edge, using wind magic to slow his descent and gently landed at the cave entrance.

“...This is.”

The cave was covered in massive ice crystals from the entrance onward.

Breaking through them, he ventured inside until he reached a large hollow chamber, where a small flask sat in the center.

As he untied the string around its neck, a sharp chill hit him, making it hard to breathe.

‘Such intense cold.’

The elixir inside the flask exuded a freezing energy so potent it seemed to freeze his lungs with every breath.

For a moment, shock flickered in Oscar’s eyes.

‘I thought it was just another ordinary elixir, the way it was described…’

He never imagined it would be Ice Essence—a substance he had only ever read about in his previous life.

‘An extreme yin elixir that freezes most people solid just by consuming it.’

Typically, it was said to be taken alongside an opposing yang elixir like Fire Essence, to ensure safety.

‘But that’s a misunderstanding.’

The reason for combining opposing elixirs was simple: the pure essence was too potent to consume safely on its own.

‘But mixing opposing elixirs inevitably causes a clash.’

In the process, their respective mana erodes, resulting in significant loss of potency.

Ideally, one should consume the pure essence alone—though few had the capability to do so.

‘And I’m one of those rare individuals.’

In his past life, Oscar had consumed no fewer than 34 types of elixirs.

If nothing else, he had an unparalleled aptitude for absorbing their power.

‘Allan Winterhart…’

Acknowledging the man’s intention, Oscar expressed his gratitude silently and downed the elixir without hesitation.

“Ugh!”

A violent shiver overtook him as his teeth chattered.

It felt like his blood vessels and even his brain were freezing over, his vision turning white.

Gritting his lips until they bled, Oscar forced himself to focus.

‘This is where it begins.’

If the elixir left behind by Allan had been a mere trinket, Oscar would have simply consumed it and moved on.

But with Ice Essence, things were different.

‘I may never get another chance to absorb something this potent.’

Seizing the moment, he resolved to tackle a task he had long postponed.

‘The eight dormant mana circuits in my body—today, I’ll awaken them.’

With a goal firmly in mind, Oscar closed his eyes and focused inward.

His mana surged, generating heat as it traveled swiftly through his frozen circuits, rousing them.

‘Break through.’

The mana charged like a bull, slamming into the sealed circuits.

Boom!

A thunderclap roared in his mind as his body jerked violently.

Blood spurted from his mouth, but he clenched his lips tightly shut.

‘If I lose control now, it’s over.’

To complete the process, he needed absolute control.

Even a single drop of mana escaping through an open mouth could create an unpredictable variable.

“…”

Inside his body, a fierce battle raged.

Harnessing the overwhelming power of the Ice Essence, he assaulted the sealed circuits.

Bang! Bang!

One strike, then another.

Each successive attempt amplified the pain.

With each wave of agony came the temptation to give in—whether to groan, collapse, or surrender entirely.

But Oscar endured it all without so much as flinching.

Time passed, though he had no way of knowing how much.

“…”

With only the final circuit left, Oscar paused briefly to weigh his options.

Should he push through now or save it for another, safer time?

The deliberation didn’t last long.

‘I’ll finish it.’

Mana surged within him, an immense storm spiraling beyond what a 4th-tier mage should be capable of containing.

‘This is a gift for you.’

If unlocking his circuits so far had been for his own growth, this final step was for the memory of the young Oscar who had passed.

The mana storm struck the last circuit, and with that, Oscar’s consciousness faded into darkness.

* * *

A hazy vision and a dreamlike state.

Oscar found himself standing in a musty space filled with thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of books stacked like towering spires.

‘…When is this memory from?’

Had he ever been to a place like this?

As he instinctively scanned his surroundings, Oscar’s gaze caught sight of someone’s back.

“…”

The figure stood upright, engrossed in reading a book.

From his back emanated an air of loneliness and solitude that struck deeply.

Unconsciously, Oscar’s eyes welled up, and he reached out instinctively.

Had the man noticed the gesture?

Just as he began to turn slowly toward Oscar—

“—!”

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Oscar’s eyes shot open.

He found himself staring at the icy ceiling of a cave filled with frost crystals.

Slowly, he sat up.

“Ah…”

A strange, inexplicable sense of unease and hollowness filled him.

It was like reading an engaging book only to find the ending torn out and unreadable.

With a faintly bitter expression, he shook off his thoughts and checked his physical condition.

‘At least I achieved what I wanted.’

He had successfully unlocked all eight physical circuits.

Thanks to this, casting intermediate-level spells would now be far easier.

‘And then there’s the mana.’@@novelbin@@

The energy gained from consuming the Ice Essense was about 40% of his previous mana reserves.

Even before, his mana had been excessive for his level, but now he was essentially a walking calamity for intermediate mages.

‘In terms of raw mana reserves alone, I could rival high-ranking mages.’

Most significantly, the elixir he consumed was an Ice Essense.

Beyond increasing his mana reserves, it also granted him a unique ability.

Oscar stared at his palm with eyes that seemed colder than before.

“Wind.”

With a soft murmur, a small vortex formed in his palm.

As he focused on it, the vortex became increasingly frigid, freezing the air around it.

‘I’ve gained a powerful weapon.’

He could now wield a cold wind akin to an arctic gale, something impossible with mere temperature control.

To enemies, it would feel like a blade slicing through flesh.

Satisfied, Oscar smiled faintly and flew toward the distant village visible from the cave entrance.

* * *

The group had a simple breakfast before getting back in the car to head toward Silverin Lake.

“Whoa, they’ve really sealed it off.”

They saw a thick 2-meter-high iron fence encircling the area as they approached the lake.

Not just the artificial island, but access to the lake itself had been completely restricted.

Getting out of the car, Oscar read the notice posted on the gate.

[Warning: This area is the private property of the Imperial Family.]

[Unauthorized access is strictly prohibited and will result in punishment by the Imperial Court.]

Staring at the sign, Oscar couldn’t shake a vague sense of unease.

‘Why would they go to such lengths to block even basic access? What’s the reason?’

Next to him, Fran seemed to have similar thoughts and cautiously asked,

“What now? Should we keep going?”

“…We have to. The Imperial Family directly requested us to clean up the artificial island.”

Oscar destroyed the padlock on the gate, opened it, and got back in the car.

The vehicle drove overgrown paths for another 20 minutes before stopping at the edge of a vast lake.

“Wow…”

“Not bad.”

As if they had rehearsed it, everyone got out of the car and let out their own expressions of awe.

Oscar was no exception.

‘This is impressive.’

Even with all the breathtaking views he had seen in his previous life, this was one he’d never forget.

In the center of a frigid, serene lake stood a stunning fortress, framed by a background of dense trees and crimson mountains.

The entire scene resembled a masterpiece painting.

“…I can see why the late Emperor was captivated by this view.”

“It’s almost a shame that a place like this was locked away for so long.”

“This sight deserves to be preserved in photographs—or at least a painting—for future generations.”

The group crossed the bridge connecting the lakeshore to the artificial island.

The bridge, ancient and worn, seemed too fragile to support their car, so they decided to walk.

“This definitely hasn’t been maintained.”

“Well, it’s been abandoned for centuries.”

“Considering that, it’s actually in decent condition.”

“That’s probably thanks to the natural environment.”

No wind stirred on the artificial island, and its pristine waters surrounded it.

The extreme cold kept wildlife away, leaving it free from external contamination.

“After centuries, it still hasn’t collapsed. They built it well.”

“Although you can see signs of aging—like discoloration—on the structure.”

The fortress on the artificial island consisted of five main sections: four large towers on the outer edges and a massive hall in the center.

“…It’s said to have been built for harmony and peace, but doesn’t it seem overly focused on the Four Great Towers?”

“They probably had no choice. That was during the height of the conquest wars when the Four Great Towers dominated.”

Indeed, despite its title of “Harmony and Peace,” some believed the event called the Night of the Mages was the Imperial Family’s attempt to subdue the mages.

As the group entered the grand central hall, they nodded in agreement at the sight.

“Other than the dust and cobwebs, there’s not much cleaning to do.”

“There’s a bit of trash scattered on the floor, though.”

“Well, for a place abandoned for centuries, it’s remarkably preserved.”

After checking his watch, Oscar spoke.

“Let’s split up and clean our assigned areas. Meet back here tonight. I’ll take the central hall. Fran, you handle the Red tower. Killian, take the yellow…”

The moment everyone began moving toward their respective zones—

[…….]

One of the crystal spheres embedded in the chandelier above blinked with a faint red light.

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