The path back to the surface from the dungeon was much easier than the way down.
Erich walked at the very front, firing off Ice Spears one after another. The magical beasts along the way were pierced through before they could even react. Marcus and the others followed behind, barely able to lend a hand, only cleaning up the stragglers. It wasn't that they wanted to slack off; Erich had requested this himself. He had only just touched the threshold of the second-tier, and the few second-tier spells he had were newly learned, with pitifully low proficiency. He wanted to take this opportunity to level them up.
They killed quite a few magical beasts along the way, but the levels of his second-tier spells barely budged. Aside from Ice Spear, which barely reached level two, his spells of other elements remained stuck at level one. Erich wasn't in a hurry, though. Proficiency wasn't something that could be rushed; he would take whatever progress he could get.
While his proficiency hadn't improved much, they had amassed several large bags of magical beast materials. Erich estimated that even if they split it evenly, his share would be enough for him to live comfortably for a while.
There was no teleportation array between the second and first floors; they were directly connected. The second floor was a winding system of caves, while the first floor was a massive, open-air rift. Following the path up through the rift led straight to the surface, and Rift City lay not far from the opening.
It was a notch smaller than Radiant City and had no city walls, only a wide road leading straight to the mouth of the rift. Carriages and pedestrians bustled along the road. Erich and the others hired a large magical beast carriage and soon entered the city.
The Adventurers' Guild branch was located not far from the city entrance, housed in an imposing three-story building. Erich followed Marcus inside. Before they could even hand over their materials, he spotted a piece of paper pinned to the very top of the commission board in the center of the hall.
Printed on it was Erich's face.
Erich wanted to curse. What was going on? Was he wanted again? What had he even done? For the past few days, he had been doing nothing but fighting magical beasts in the dungeon. Where would he have found the time to commit a crime?
Before he could sort out his thoughts, Marcus quietly sidled over, blocking him from the view of others. Grace and Nasha also drew near, chatting with apparent casualness but effectively shielding him from sight.
Marcus shot him a look and walked quickly to the counter, handing over the petrified serpent egg commission along with the pile of materials. He completed the transaction in just a few words. Once their business was done, the group didn't linger. They crowded around Erich as they left the guild, turned down two streets, found an inconspicuous inn, and rented a room.
The moment the door closed, Lilith couldn't hold it in any longer. She leaned in and asked, “Erich, that was you, right? The one on the wanted poster.”
Erich nodded. “It's me, but I didn't do anything.”
Marcus nodded. “We believe you, but others might not. What do you plan to do next?”
Erich didn't hesitate much. “I need to return to Radiant City to see what's going on. Something must have happened there that I don't know about.”
Grace took over the conversation. “We know a caravan that happens to be heading to Radiant City soon. We should be able to squeeze you in. If you blend in with the guards, you can avoid a lot of identity checks.”
“Then I'll leave it to you.”
Marcus and the others discussed it briefly and decided to head out first to gather information, check how widely the wanted posters were distributed, and see if there were any checkpoints. Before leaving, Grace warned Erich not to wander off. She shot a glance at Lilith, who stayed behind.
Only the two of them remained in the room. Lilith leaned against the window, tilting her head to look at him. “What exactly happened in Radiant City? I looked at your charges, and it seems to be... assassinating the princess.”
Erich thought for a moment and gave her a brief rundown of his experiences in Radiant City—the sudden barrier, the assassins with a clear target, his dramatic appearance at the end, and then how he was swept away to this godforsaken place by the teleportation array.
After listening, Lilith blinked. “So you're actually the princess's savior. But looking at things now, it seems the princess doesn't really like her savior very much.”
Lilith's words were casual and unintentional, but they stabbed right into a spot Erich hadn't dared to touch.
Originally, he hadn't thought about it from this angle at all, assuming someone else was pulling the strings behind the scenes. But with Lilith bringing it up, he suddenly began to wonder: could this wanted poster be related to the young princess?
No way, he quickly suppressed the thought. She isn't that kind of person... probably. But what if she really did order this? If I just run back like this, wouldn't I be walking right into a trap?
The more Erich thought about it, the more uncertain he felt. Ultimately, he decided to stop dwelling on it. If he couldn't be sure, then so be it. Last time, it was because they hadn't communicated properly that a whole mess of trouble had started. No matter what, he had to go back this time to find out what was really going on.
Since Marcus and the others hadn't returned yet and he had nothing else to do, Erich sat cross-legged on the bed and began to study healing magic.
He had asked Grace about third-tier healing magic on the way back. At the time, Grace had hesitated for a long while before speaking: “This is a heritage of the church, and by rule, it cannot be casually taught to outsiders. You can use it, but absolutely do not say you learned it from me. Just say you learned it at Morningstar Academy.”
Erich had nodded rapidly; he indeed had no intention of publicizing it.
However, when his mana flowed to the node of the third-tier spell, it got stuck again. That familiar sense of blockage was even more pronounced than when he practiced second-tier magic. This time, though, Erich had a vague inkling of the cause.
There was an eighty percent chance that something was wrong with this body. Something was locking down the upper limit of his natural attribute growth. If his attribute points didn't meet the standard, he wouldn't be able to learn higher-tier magic.
And combat could help alleviate this. Especially tough, fist-to-flesh battles—the fiercer the fight, the faster the blockage cleared.
Having figured this out, Erich stopped worrying. If he couldn't learn third-tier spells, then so be it. He would first thoroughly master the few second-tier spells he had. Once one reached the second-tier, a spell's power wasn't solely dependent on its level. One could figure out ways to use them that exceeded the tier itself, just like that Lightning Strike in the dungeon. If he had relied solely on his own mana to achieve that kind of power, he would probably need to be at the fourth or even fifth-tier.
Thinking of it this way, the path of magic was still very long.
As Erich was pondering what other dirty tricks he could use, Marcus and the others returned, looking relaxed.
Marcus, walking at the front, said, “We've gathered enough information. The city gate checks aren't strict. It just so happens that a caravan heading to Radiant City tonight is run by some acquaintances of ours. What do you think?”
“Sounds good.”
No sooner said than done. Grace pushed Erich into a chair and grabbed a box of otherworldly cosmetics, applying them to his face. With deft movements, she altered the contours of his facial features in just a few strokes. Then she chanted a short incantation, turning his conspicuous silver hair into a deep black. Marcus produced a dusty gray cloak from somewhere and draped it over his shoulders, pulling the hood low. With that, his disguise was complete.
Once he was ready, Lilith walked up to him and suddenly reached out to hug him.
“Will you come back in the future?”
“Of course.”
Lilith released him, pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from her pocket, and stuffed it into his hand. “Once you're safe, call me.”
“Call you?”
Erich was stunned. This world had phones? How did he not know about this?
Seeing Erich's completely bewildered face, Marcus and the others ran out to buy a compact magic communicator, stuffed it into his hands, and taught him how to use it. Erich quickly accepted this convenient invention, remarking, “In the end, magic is still the best.”
As dusk fell, Erich blended into the caravan's guard unit, setting off toward Radiant City alongside the flow of people and carriages.
The lights of the city gate gradually receded behind him. Sitting on the edge of a cargo carriage, he felt the cold communicator in his pocket. Lilith's words, “It seems the princess doesn't really like her savior very much,” echoed in his mind, causing his heart to sink for some reason.
As for what exactly had happened in Radiant City, the only way to find out was to return.
Rate on N.U.
