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Yet, the Phantom Griffins currently dominating the skies above Repenhardt and his group were no ordinary beasts.

“Squawk!”

As the Phantom Griffin screeched, circling in the air, it looked no different from a regular griffin. The problem, however, was the four identical griffins mimicking every flap of its wings surrounding it.

All five griffins moved in unison, swooping down simultaneously. Russ leaped into the air, swinging his sword.

“Begone, beast!”

With the agility typical of an aura user, Russ soared over ten meters into the air, scattering a blade of aura. A whip of blue light swiftly sliced through one griffin, causing it to vanish into thin air. At that moment, the others simultaneously spewed venom from their beaks.

“Screech!”

Four streams of venom shot towards Russ, who used the recoil of his aura to dodge them all. The misfired venom fell accurately across the ravine, corroding only one particular spot.

“Fzzzt!”

Repenhardt also clenched his fists, releasing his aura.

“Chain Burst Shot!”

Golden orbs of aura targeted the Phantom Griffins. Each hit caused a griffin to disappear into the ether. Some staggered and screamed when hit, but they were just a few among the many.

“Nihillen!”

Siris also activated the magic bow Nihillen and continuously shot arrows of light. Indeed, Siris’s archery had reached such a mastery that hardly any arrows missed their mark, but the result was not much different from that of Repenhardt. Most of the arrows struck the ‘illusory clones’ of the phantom griffins.

Among the magical beasts, there were those born with magical power who, without any reasoning, could instinctively use magic that was imprinted in their blood. The phantom griffins were such monsters, capable of using illusion magic, Mirror Image, by utilizing their innate magic.

The Mirror Image was impossible to discern even with the heightened senses of aura users. Unlike Eusus, the phantom griffin instinctively activated its magic without a specific magical pattern. Since there were no incantations, there couldn’t be a pattern. This left Repenhardt without any way to identify the real body.

Flap! Flap! Flap-flap-flap!

With the loud flapping of their wings, the phantom griffins continued to assault Repenhardt and his group. Repenhardt, Russ, and Siris kept attacking, driving the creatures back. Tilla, unable to attack from a distance, clung closely beside Sillan to protect him.

Suddenly, Repenhardt shouted.

“I’ll use magic! Russ, cover me for a moment!”

Startled, Russ hesitated for a second, then nodded and responded.

“Yes, hyung!”

Russ blocked in front of Repenhardt and sent blades of aura in all directions. Seizing the moment, Repenhardt stepped back and began to chant a spell while forming hand signs.

“Getella de Passid Form. O mirror that reflects the truth, cast forth your light! Illusion Annihilation!”

Above Repenhardt’s head, a light green mirror of light formed. The mirror rotated in all directions, shining on the phantom griffins. Each time it did, the illusions around the griffins disappeared like morning dew.

“Ke, keack?”

“Krak! Kraralack!”

The Phantom Griffins began to break their ranks in confusion, suddenly left unprotected as their illusions vanished. Russ muttered to himself, observing the scene.

“Every time I see it, it feels awkward, that thing.”

It was when he first entered the Setellad Mountains. Encountering a demon of the spirit type, Russ had been swinging his sword when he was shocked. Suddenly, Repenhardt began to unleash fire magic on the spirits. How astonished he had been! A warrior exceptional enough to awaken his aura was also skilled in magic!

Sillan nodded understandingly.

“I was surprised too. He used to cast magic so poorly before…”

The ‘Illusion Annihilation’ that disrupted the illusion magic was a fourth circle advanced spell, which only a fully qualified mage could cast quickly in real combat. It had been less than two months since they had struggled just to open a door in the ruins of Elucion.

“Suddenly he casts magic as if he’s a full-fledged mage?”

Then Sillan suddenly smirked and shook his head.

“But it’s still premature…”

Sure enough, Repenhardt was shouting angrily as he cast his magic.

“Hey! What are you all doing? My mana is running out! Hurry up and attack!”

It had only been a few seconds since the magic was cast, and the mirror of light was flickering on and off, threatening to go out. Although his casting speed had increased tremendously, his mana hadn’t improved much. Russ quickly moved into action. Siris also chuckled and picked up Nihillen. The scene was like children stomping their feet in frustration.

‘Sometimes he does something cute, that man.’

Of course, now was not the time for such leisurely thoughts. Siris returned to a serious expression and repeatedly pulled the bowstring.

Once the illusions were gone, the Phantom Griffins were no different from ordinary griffins. They were easily dealt with. After knocking down about three or four, the rest of the Phantom Griffins began to flee in fear.

Watching the receding flock of phantom griffins, everyone sighed in relief. They then looked at each other with grim expressions. Indeed, this land was not easy. Even with Siris’s divine protection, battling consecutively without proper rest was exhausting.

Everyone found spots to sit and rest. As Siris transformed Nihillen into a stick, she asked Tilla in a weary voice, “How much farther do we need to go?”

“At least another fortnight,” Tilla replied, her face somber. Although chosen as the guide, Tilla had never been to the Grand Forge herself; she only knew its location and the route from stories. The journey was tougher than she had anticipated.

At the mention of another fortnight, even Russ looked pale.

“Do we have to endure more attacks like these for another fortnight?”

Just then, Repenhardt shook his head.

“No, we won’t be going that way.”

“What?” Everyone looked puzzled, even Tilla.

Repenhardt flicked his finger and continued, “There’s a shortcut. Just about a day more to go, so keep your spirits up.”

* * *

No longer following Tilla’s guidance, Repenhardt boldly took the lead and guided the party through the valley. After being ambushed about half a dozen times, they somehow managed to fend off the beasts. A day later, they arrived at a large cliff. Pointing to a cave at the base of the cliff, Repenhardt announced,

“Here we are, we’ve arrived.”

The cave did not look natural at all. Its walls were smooth, and it was perfectly diamond-shaped, with even signs of things having been hung from the ceiling. It would be foolish to not realize the identity of this place.

Russ muttered as he looked inside the cave,

“It’s a relic from the Silver Age.”

“Yes, it’s definitely a relic,”

Siris looked up at Repenhardt, fascinated. She had always felt that her ‘unusual master’ was different from other relic hunters. It was as if he knew everything and explored relics in such a manner. Typically, finding a relic involved gathering all sorts of information, combining it, and searching various places just to pinpoint the location. However, Repenhardt had not wandered at all on their journey here. He ran straight to this spot, certain that there was a relic.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Siris cautiously asked,

“How did you know about this place, Lord Repenhardt?”

Tilla seemed to know nothing about this place either. It wasn’t information from the dwarves then. So, where had Repenhardt obtained such information?

“Oh, I just picked up bits and pieces of information here and there.”

But it seemed Repenhardt had no intention of telling her the truth. As always, he simply evaded giving a straightforward answer.

It was slightly irritating. Why was it that he could be so affectionate at times, confusing people, and yet at times like this, he would never share anything important?

‘I don’t know…’

I don’t know.

What this person is thinking.

Why he is so affectionate yet reveals nothing, keeping secrets to himself.

Siris stared at Repenhardt with wide eyes. Repenhardt tilted his head and then grinned broadly. What could possibly be so amusing?

I really don’t know.

‘What does this person think of me?’

And…

‘What do I think of this person…’

* * *

Standing at the entrance of the ruins, Russ drew his sword.

“I’ll take the lead. Please cover the rear, hyung.”

It was common knowledge that the strongest should be at the forefront and rear when exploring ruins. That Russ would say this as they were about to enter the ruins was only natural.

However, Repenhardt scratched his cheek.

“Well, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but…”

Repenhardt walked over to the wall at the entrance of the ruins and fiddled with something. Suddenly, the wall slid open, revealing a passage.

“We’re not actually going inside the ruins; we’re supposed to head to the outskirts.”

Russ was astonished and asked, “What, how did you do that?”

Everyone looked at Repenhardt, clearly flustered. Repenhardt knew this reaction was coming and calmly fabricated a story.

“My master explored this place when he was young. He didn’t explore everything, but he knew quite a bit about various ruins. He told me about this passage.”

Everyone seemed to accept his explanation. Gerard, the Fist King, was once renowned as an explorer of ruins, so it was natural for him to pass on such knowledge to his only disciple.

‘I guess I just need to blame everything on the master when I pretend to know something in the ruins.’

Of course, Siris was still puzzled.

‘Just something he heard? He seemed to know too much for that, as if he had been here before…’

But Repenhardt was oblivious to the change in Siris’s expression as he pointed towards the outer passage and gestured for the group to follow.

“Alright, this place isn’t completely safe either, so don’t let your guard down. Let’s go in.”

The party cautiously entered the passageway. Similar to Elucion, various monsters emerged from the secret passage, but their strength was inferior compared to those they had encountered in the Setellad Mountains. The creatures were no match for a group that included two aura users.

After about half a day of effortlessly dispatching the monsters while walking down, the passageway ended, revealing a large hall. Dim light leaked from several spots in the ceiling, barely illuminating the interior. Numerous pillars were lined up, but curiously, the tops of the pillars were separated from the ceiling, meaning they were not meant to support the ceiling.

Sillan looked around and asked,

“Is this the Grand Forge?”

Tilla shook her head.

“No, this isn’t like the place I’ve heard about.”

Everyone was perplexed when Repenhardt walked confidently towards one of the pillars. Observing ancient inscriptions on it that read “Hockril,” he seemed contemplative for a moment before suddenly channeling his aura and delivering a powerful punch!

Boom!

The pillar collapsed in a single strike. Everyone rushed to him in surprise.

“What, what is it? Hyung?”

“What’s going on, Mr. Repen? Why did you do that all of a sudden?”

As everyone was bewildered, Sillan’s eyes widened.

“What’s this?”

A faint light seeped out from the broken pillar. Just as everyone’s eyes widened in unison, a dazzling light suddenly enveloped them.

“Kyaa!”

“Hoek!”

Screaming, they all took defensive positions. The light quickly filled the room and then disappeared. Tilla blinked and murmured,

“What was that, what have you done…”

Suddenly, Tilla’s words stopped short. The surroundings had transformed. They were no longer standing in a large hall.