Baker wondered how strong Ketal was and where the limits of his power lay. Ketal was powerful—so much so that he could defeat formidable opponents with nothing but his physical body, without resorting to even a single shred of Myst. On this continent, it was a truth, a longstanding axiom, that one without Myst could never overcome those who wielded it. Yet Ketal was a being who shattered that truth, overturning the very foundation of what was considered possible. If that was the case, then where exactly did his limits lie? Baker gulped hard, feeling a weight in his throat as he turned the question over in his mind. “The monster we fought was strong,” Baker said. Whitie was, without question, a force to be reckoned with. As someone who had faced many powerful individuals at the Mage Tower, Baker could say with confidence that Whitie could be counted among the highest level of Transcendents. But Ketal hadn’t simply beaten Whitie—he had utterly overwhelmed it. It had been a one-sided show of power so overwhelming that Baker and Aquaz had almost felt pity for the creature. Watching Ketal toy with a being at the very top of the Transcendent ranks, it was hard to fathom what level his strength actually reached. “The ancient emperor once said it—he claimed that there was a being in the White Snowfield even more dangerous than the monsters themselves. That being was the Ashen-haired Barbarian,” Baker continued, his voice trembling slightly. Some researchers had dismissed this as nothing more than the emperor’s delirium. No matter how strong a mere barbarian might be, it was simply unreasonable to believe a single man could defeat the giant serpent said to connect heaven and earth. There were many who argued the emperor, driven to madness by the White Snowfield’s horrors, had simply imagined it all—and this explanation had become the mainstream, a plausible consensus among scholars. However, now, standing before them, was the Ashen Barbarian himself. Both Baker and Aquaz found themselves waiting in silence, unable to hide their curiosity, eager to hear Ketal’s own answer. Ketal let out a small sigh, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Well, as you’ve guessed, I’m not weak.” Baker pressed on, his curiosity not yet satisfied. “How do you compare to the monsters of legend?” Ketal’s brow furrowed as he remembered those times. “They’re a nuisance, really. Big, strong, and every time we clashed, everything nearby got reduced to ruins. I never really wanted to fight them if I could avoid it.” Baker let out a hollow laugh, almost deflated. With just those few words, he understood—the barbarian before him had not only faced, but defeated, the legendary monsters. What kind of person is he, really? Baker wondered. Did a mere human really beat the legendary serpent that connects the heavens and the earth? Even among Transcendents, it was a feat that defied reason. As he mulled over that thought, a new possibility started to form in his mind. “Is he in the realm of Heroes...?” he muttered. However, Ketal simply shook his head, looking thoughtful. “Even if you say that, I don’t really have a frame of reference. I’ve never actually seen one of the so-called Heroes fight for real.” He had met the Master of the Mage Tower once, and had witnessed some of his magic. The Tower Master had conjured a barrier that could shield the entire city with a mere flick of a finger, a barrier so strong even Ketal’s forceful attacks could not shatter it. The Tower Master had also cast a spell that put every soul in the capital to sleep, all in an instant. From that, Ketal had gotten a glimpse of what Hero’s power might be, but he had never actually fought one in earnest and couldn’t say for certain. “If Whitie fought a Hero, what would happen?” Ketal asked Baker. “It would be similar to fighting you, I suppose,” Baker answered with a small nod. There was, after all, a clear and insurmountable gap between the highest Transcendent and a true Hero. “I can see that,” Ketal said. Ketal had heard that in the past, there had been an incident where four top-tier Transcendent demons had descended at once, and it was said that a passing Tower Master had taken care of them all by himself. That was enough proof of the difference in class. “Those called Heroes can twist and exploit the very laws of the world,” Aquaz mused. “It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they exist outside the bounds of what we understand as life.” Baker nodded, still deep in thought. “But in the past, when the emperor led Heros into the White Snowfield, not a single one of them returned.” Of course, it was said that many of the Heroes who accompanied the emperor were not the absolute pinnacle, but rather those the emperor could personally command. After all, a true Hero stood above even the continent’s greatest rulers, and the emperor could only bring those who were within his power to control. They certainly possessed abilities that defied explanation, but there was a definite difference in rank among Heroes. Ketal stroked his chin thoughtfully as he listened. “I’m not sure what happened to them, honestly. I did encounter someone I suspected might have been the emperor, but he was all alone by then.” He recalled meeting a broken man in the White Snowfield long ago, someone who wandered alone and aimless. Ketal couldn’t say for sure if the man was really the emperor, but when they crossed paths, there was no one else by his side. The White Snowfield was vast—there was no way for Ketal to know everything that happened within it. If that really had been the emperor, then everything had to have already been settled long before their meeting. Maybe he wasn’t just a madman after all, Ketal thought. He had written off the man’s raving shouts as the ramblings of a lunatic, but in hindsight, perhaps he should have listened a little more closely. “Wait, what?” Baker’s eyes went wide. Ketal had just implied he had met the emperor from legend. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken? That’s a legend—a story from long, long ago!” Ketal shook his head slightly. “I can’t say for certain. In there, the concepts of morning and night are hazy at best. I have no idea how long I was there.” “No way, you couldn’t have met the emperor himself, right? That was so long ago, before even the Tower Master founded the Mage Tower! Are you saying you’re older than the Tower Master?” Baker pressed. Aquaz agreed, looking equally skeptical. “He must be mistaken. It’s just not possible to meet someone who exists only in legend.” However, rather than argue, Ketal simply steered the conversation away from the topic. “Well, I think I get the idea. So what do you two think about all this?” Ketal asked, turning to Baker and Aquaz. “We’re just Transcendents, nothing more,” Baker replied, almost whispering. “The level you’re talking about is so far beyond us... but, maybe, just maybe, it feels like we could touch it.” Baker gulped again, his voice trembling with hope and uncertainty. Ketal stroked his chin, lost in thought. Hero-class.The strongest beings in the world. ...I’d like to fight one, just once, Ketal mused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he considered the possibility. At that moment, both Aquaz and Baker felt a chill run down their spines. As their conversation drew to a close, the merfolk who had descended into the deep sea began to return. All of them wore expressions of shock and disbelief. Kukulitan stammered as he approached. “Ah, th-that... I... um...” Ketal tilted his head. “You must have seen it for yourself.” “The corpses... of the apes...” Kukulitan finally managed to say. There had been nearly a thousand of them. If even a fraction of those monsters had surfaced at once, the City of Merfolk would have been wiped out without a trace, leaving not a single survivor. Just the thought sent chills through all present, and the merfolk, realizing how narrowly they had avoided the worst, felt an immense wave of relief. That sense of relief transformed into deep gratitude for Ketal and his companions. “If it were not for all of you, even if we had somehow driven out the apes, we would have been slaughtered by that white monster. We owe you our lives, truly. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⚑fire.net With the city’s restoration nearly complete and the blocked passages now open, Kukulitan was finally able to present them with the rewards he had promised. “First, please accept these,” he said, handing each of them a necklace with a blue gem that glimmered like the ocean’s heart. “These are relics of the merfolk—gifts bestowed upon us by the kingdom when we built this city, to be given to benefactors in times of great need. If you wear this, you will be able to move freely underwater even without our blessing.” “Ooh... Can I put it on now?” Ketal asked him, curiosity evident in his voice. “As much as you like,” Kukulitan replied. Ketal fastened the necklace around his neck, releasing the Veil of Deceit that he had used to protect his body from the water. Instantly, he could breathe and speak underwater without difficulty. “It works,” he said, nodding in satisfaction. The necklace was designed to synchronize with the wearer’s body, activating its power automatically. Ketal, therefore, had no trouble using it. He smiled, clearly pleased. Until now, he had relied on his divine power to operate underwater, but it required him to periodically deactivate it to recharge, which was a hassle. Now, with this relic, he could freely roam the ocean depths without worrying about expending his power. For Ketal, it was a truly welcome gift—a tool that would let him enjoy the underwater world to its fullest. Aquaz and Baker seemed just as satisfied, their faces lighting up with relief and excitement. However, the rewards did not end there. Kukulitan, a touch of reverence in his posture, produced a blue gemstone the size of a clenched fist and handed it over with both hands. “Please accept this as well.” “What is this?” Baker asked him, his eyes widening as he stared at the gem. He could feel an overwhelming surge of mana radiating from within. “This is a catalyst formed in the most extreme depths of the ocean, where stone is compressed for hundreds of years. After hundreds more years soaking in the sea’s depths, the gemstone absorbs mana naturally, and after yet another span of centuries, it becomes a true catalyst .” It was a catalyst forged by the pressure and magic of the deep for a thousand years. Baker gulped hard, awestruck. “Amazing...” He had seen and handled many catalysts in the Mage Tower—items that were both prohibitively expensive and nearly impossible to obtain, coveted by every mage on the continent. Yet the blue gem before him made all the others seem like imitations by comparison, so saturated with pure mana that he could not even begin to estimate its value. Even Kukulitan’s hands trembled as he handed it over. Among the merfolk, this gem was regarded as a priceless treasure, a true family heirloom. Selling it alone would allow the city to be rebuilt twice over. Yet, in this moment, Kukulitan offered it freely to his people’s saviors. “There is only one, so...,” Kukulitang began. “That settles it,” Aquaz said gently, her expression calm. “Ketal should receive it.” Baker gazed longingly at the gemstone but could not bring himself to object. It was clear that the one most deserving was Ketal. “Thank you. I’ll accept it gladly,” Ketal said with a bright, genuine smile as he took the gem, feeling the intense mana swirl in his hands. With this, maybe I could actually wield Myst... he wondered. Though he had acquired a fragment of Myst, his unique physical nature still made it impossible for him to control it. According to Arkhemis, the key was to amass enough Myst, and this gem could be what he needed to bridge that gap. He tucked the gem away, resolved to try using it when the time was right. Their debt to the merfolk had been repaid. As time passed and the city’s repairs neared completion, Aquaz and Baker began to prepare for their departure. “So, you’re heading back now?” Ketal asked them. “It seems so,” Aquaz replied. “The pilgrimage ends here.” “And I’ll have to return to the Mage Tower,” Baker added. With the emergence of a monster from the White Snowfield, it was critical that their organizations receive this information as quickly as possible. There was no time to waste; they needed to return home at once. Aquaz hesitated, then spoke with sincerity. “If you’d like... I can keep your identity a secret, Ketal.” “That would be best. I really don’t want any unnecessary attention,” Ketal replied. All he wanted was to journey through the fantasy world, unburdened by interference or fame. If word got out about who he truly was, all sorts of trouble would surely follow, something Ketal found deeply distasteful. “What about you, Ketal? What will you do now?” “I’ll stay here a little longer,” Ketal answered. He had not yet fully enjoyed life in the City of Merfolk, and he intended to take his time exploring the underwater world and learning about their culture. “Then, this is farewell,” Aquaz said. “Baker, would you like to travel together until our paths part?” “Uh—sure! That sounds good,” Baker replied, startled by her sudden invitation, then nodding enthusiastically. “It’s been a good journey,” Ketal said with a smile. “Yes. And if fate allows, let’s meet again someday,” Aquaz agreed. “If you ever come to the Mage Tower, come see me!” Baker added. With that, the two set off together, leaving Ketal alone in the City of Merfolk. He gazed out over the rippling waters, lost in thought. Was it really an enjoyable journey? he wondered. It was difficult to say for sure. The early days had been full of excitement: conversations with a mage from the Mage Tower, encounters with pirates, sailing across the fantasy sea, and finally meeting the merfolk. All of it should have been deeply satisfying. However, Ketal could not claim to be entirely happy. “That thing... is unpleasant,” he murmured to himself. Whitie—the monster from the White Snowfield—had appeared before him. The moment he saw it, Ketal had felt a wave of intense revulsion. How dare that thing—how dare a creature from that wretched place set foot in my fantasy world and taint it with its presence? Ketal thought. This was his world. He could not accept such an intrusion. The emergence of Whitie suggested that other monsters might also be able to escape the White Snowfield. Although there still seemed to be some kind of restraint in place, since the monsters had not appeared in full force, there was always the chance that more would follow. “It’s better for you all to stay where you are,” Ketal whispered softly to the empty sea. His words were swallowed by the water, leaving only silence behind as Ketal watched the gentle currents swirl.