Class 9.

The pinnacle of magic.

The ultimate level.

The limit of human capability.

This level had a distinct resonance. It was not something that could simply be judged by a number.

An ordinary person who knew nothing might say, ‘Isn't Class 9 just after Class 8?’ but that was far from the truth.

There was a significant wall between Class 8 and Class 9. To illustrate the difference in their levels of magic, it was akin to the gap between the Class 1 and Class 7.

The difference between a Class 1 mage, who had just started on the path of magic, and a Class 7 mage, who had reached the highest point in the magical world... It might seem like an exaggeration, but it was an accurate depiction.

A Class 9 mage... was a transcendent being.

It felt embarrassing to even call them mages felt embarrassing.

They had glimpsed fragments of the 'truth' that existed in this world and gained special enlightenment.

They no longer manipulated magic like a skill or mathematics but managed it as a natural phenomenon.

There were fewer than ten Class 9 mages in Aether World.

Why was the number expressed so vaguely? Because no one in the world knew exactly how many Class 9 mages existed.

A Class 9 mage could defy the laws of nature to the extent that the lifespan of their physical body becomes meaningless.

Some of them had secluded themselves in the shadows of the world and could no longer be found.

Therefore, no one knew the exact number of Class 9 mages.

The Master of the Sanwol Tower, Archmage Haeseongwol. He was one of the few Class 9 mages actively working in the magical world alongside Eltman Eltwin, and he was a living legend.

The story of how he suddenly erected a massive magical tower in the middle of the deadly Saryeon Desert and created a vast oasis, laying the roots of life, was already so famous that it had been included in textbooks.

Although he was much younger than Eltman Eltwin, Haeseongwol prided himself on having accumulated countless achievements like a towering edifice and having had a wide variety of experiences.

But even for him, this was a first.

"... So, you're saying you want to entrust the command of the expedition to that boy?"

"Yes."

Haeseongwol genuinely couldn't understand Jeliel's judgment.

Her father was missing, and she wanted to delegate the command of this important mission to a mere teenage boy.

"You're out of your mind."

"No. I am more rational now than ever."

"Fine. You mentioned Baek Yu-Seol, right? I've heard his name recently because of his rather interesting activities. But so what? The mages present here are as competent, if not more so, than Baek Yu-Seol."

"I know that too."

"No, you don't. Baek Yu-Seol may seem impressive, having achieved accomplishments comparable to those of genius mages despite being so young. But in the end, he’s still just a teenage magic apprentice who hasn't even graduated from academy."

Haeseongwol's words were reasonable. Anyone would think the same.

Baek Yu-Seol was undoubtedly smart. Many mages had said that in ten years, he would leave a significant mark on the magical world as a genius.

But... Baek Yu-Seol still lacked experience.

Despite his deep knowledge and intelligence for his age, he had no substantial experience outside of academy.

Though he had repelled dark mages multiple times as a student, it had only been a few times.

Most of the magic warriors present here had a record of defeating dark mages at least dozens of times.

They were experts in handling various mysterious cases, including disappearances.

To delegate the command to Baek Yu-Seol in such a situation... could be seen as an insult to the careers and pride of these experts.

"I understand your intention. But I cannot agree with it."

When Haeseongwol concluded firmly, Jeliel lowered her gaze.

A brief silence.

Then, she slowly lifted her head again and met Haeseongwol's eyes.

"... Tower Lord."

Her eyes were lifeless and empty, devoid of any emotion.

Haeseongwol met her gaze and suddenly felt a chilling sensation.

"Speak."

"I know that much."

"... Yes, you would."

Overshadowed by Baek Yu-Seol, Jeliel also possessed a genius mind that could be called one of the century.

Not only was she outstanding in the academic field of magic, but she had also entered the business world at a young age and achieved tremendous results, proving her intellect.

"I am more calmly assessing the situation and thinking more clearly now than ever. To find my father... I would even sacrifice my soul."

Wrong.

In fact, it was a misconception that…. Jeliel's eyes were devoid of any emotion.

She was now appealing with her emotions.

Calm judgment?

Ridiculous.

Jeliel was currently overwhelmed by emotions and unable to make a proper judgment.

Therefore, Haeseongwol's heart sank. 'This child is appealing with emotions?'

It was hard to believe.

Though her father might not know, Jeliel was a child who had no emotions.

No matter how much she hid it and acted like an ordinary person, she could never deceive the eyes of a great sage.

Haeseongwol, who had watched her since childhood and knew she had no emotions, found this moment incredibly hard to believe.

What on earth had caused her to change?

Was her father's disappearance such a huge shock to her?

No, something was different.

Something... very intense had been stimulating her slowly over a long period.

And recently, it had exploded, finally granting emotions to Jeliel, who was more machine-like than any machine.

"... If that is your will, I will relent this one time.”

Seeing Jeliel pleading so earnestly, as a friend of Melian, he couldn't refuse her request.

And so.

A bizarre phenomenon occurred where a mere student of Stella commanded the elite 'Dark Team' of magical investigators from the Sanwol Tower.

Naturally, the mages of the Sanwol Tower would have had every reason to complain, but none showed any signs of discontent.

It wasn't because they had no complaints.

They completely trusted Haeseongwol's judgment, and as mages, they knew how to control and hide their emotions.

'This is quite burdensome.'

Baek Yu-Seol desired this situation, but now that he was actually in command, he felt a slight pressure.

Moreover, with the Class 9 archmage Haeseongwol directly observing the situation, who could easily speak up with ordinary courage?

However, Baek Yu-Seol had the blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamweol, and even without that, his shameless personality made it not much of an issue.

"So what are you planning to do now?"

The mage who originally led the Dark Team asked.

Baek Yu-Seol glanced at the prepared magical heavy equipment and said.

"We need an alpha version of the Spirit Rate. The MPM value needs to be over 3 stages, and the injection rate should be above 300,000."

"Why do we need a Spirit Rate? If you plan to track back through the magic circuit, you should give up."

Baek Yu-Seol’s suggestion was quite novel, but it wasn't as if the mages of the Sanwol Tower hadn't thought of 'novel ideas that ordinary people couldn't think of.'

They were mobilizing all possibilities without regard to means and methods.

"We have also tried that, but we couldn't achieve any results."

Melian's annihilation.

It was undoubtedly a magical phenomenon.

The investigation team from the Sanwol Tower focused on magic and set up various magical devices for analysis.

They examined the flow of mana over the past month; what kinds of magic were used; which attributes were in flux, and what traces were left.

The flow of mana always left traces, and the investigation team from the Sanwol Tower had the advanced technology to catch all of them.

However, no matter what magical devices they used, they couldn't obtain any information. It was as if a higher-level mage had tampered with things.

"We won't attempt things like magical energy backtracking, which senior mages have probably already tried."

"So then?"

"Can I tweak the spell code of the Spirit Rate just a bit?"

"... Go ahead."

Every time Baek Yu-Seol tried to do something, objections immediately arose, but it wasn't because they didn't like him.

It was a reasonable question about whether it was truly necessary to mobilize the entire precious team.

"As you all know, every human has a unique wave in their soul."

"That's just a hypothesis. Measuring the soul's wave directly is almost impossible."

"It may be impossible for other mages. But with the technology of the Sanwol Tower, it should be theoretically possible."

"... What?"

There were very special and highly functional magical devices that existed only at the Sanwol Tower.

However, they had not yet fully utilized their capabilities.

Thud! Whirrr!!!

"... What's going on?"

As Baek Yu-Seol manipulated the devices a few times, strange sound effects began to hum, indicating that the machines were operating.

The emitting bright blue light was proof that they had successfully detected something.

Finally, he slapped the machine with his palm and said.

"From now on, we will trace back the location of Carmen Set, who disappeared with Chairman Melian's soul."

——-

Eisel and Edna.

The two girls ventured out to find New Moon Silver’s divine artifact and successfully joined the Karakoram Mountains exploration team led by Gerrwin.

Although both were Class 4 mages, their young age and unproven experience made the exploration team members a bit uneasy, leading to some complaints.

But after a few days, those complaints subsided.

"Alright. Get ready for action in five minutes!"

As Edna banged a ladle against a pot and shouted, the exploration team members lined up with their trays.

Eisel watched this and opened her mouth in astonishment.

"Wow. She’s really amazing in so many ways..."

Since the members of the exploration team were basically veterans, Edna and Eisel were treated as mere porters. They didn’t have any proper roles being assigned to them.

However, Eisel did not complain about the situation at all.

In the event of demon attacks or when entering dangerous areas, she actively took the lead in resolving issues that others were reluctant to handle.

Moreover, Edna showed an even higher level of camaraderie by using various skills to mend the explorers' clothes, fix light equipment with a wrench, and take full responsibility for cooking during meals.

Not only was her stamina and dedication impressive, but it also raised the question of where she learned such skills.

Normally, students from prestigious magic academies like Stella only knew how to use magic.

"Hey. You’re good at cooking too, right?"

"What? Yes, that’s right?"

Thanks to Eisel’s inherent characteristics of being [all-rounder] and [versatile], she handled those tasks very well.

Although Edna’s cooking was so exceptional that it overshadowed Eisel’s skills.

"Wow. Those Stella kids are surprisingly useful?"

"Exactly. Bringing them was a good decision."

"I still can’t believe I’m eating proper meals while out on a mission."

The meals prepared by Eisel and cooked by Edna were of such high quality that it could be believed to be from a professional restaurant.

Although many of the ingredients were foraged from the wild, making them slightly inferior, compared to the thin gruel or jerky they used to eat, it was a real feast.

Even after the meal, Edna’s role didn't end.

"Hey, Stella kid. I think there's a problem with the contact circuit in my robe. The mana shield is crackling..."

"It's a circuit connection error. Just a moment. Eisel, can you fix this? I have to carve this."

"Sure..."

Both Eisel and Edna studied alchemy as a minor. Perhaps thanks to observing the genius alchemist Baek Yu-Seol up close, such small tasks were not difficult for them.

"Haha! Thanks! I’ll definitely protect you guys if anything happens!"

"Oh, thank you."

They were versatile, skilled, and greatly helpful to the exploration team. Furthermore, their outstanding looks, which were rarely seen elsewhere, brightened up the atmosphere of the team, making their presence grow more significant day by day.

Although, to build such camaraderie, they had to run around busily when others were resting.

"Hey, kids. You look good?"

"Sister Kayla, do you need something fixed?"

"No. How about a beer?"

"Uh, we’re still in the middle of an expedition."

A faint light seeped out from the campsite which was temporarily set up halfway up the mountain.

Magically, a barrier was set up so that the smell and light hardly leaked outside, minimizing the risk of demons finding them.

Still, drinking alcohol without precautions was quite dangerous.

"Then I’ll drink alone."

"No. Please refrain from drinking during the expedition."

When Eisel snatched the beer from Kayla’s hand, Kayla smacked her lips in disappointment.

"I didn't raise you to be like this..."

"When did you ever raise us?"

With most of the cleanup done, Edna and Eisel started getting ready for bed.

Since they handled so many odd jobs, the two girls were not assigned night watch duty.

However, Kayla appeared to dislike night watch and complained.

"Ah. At least it's the first watch."

She plopped down on the ground and looked up at the sky. "Hey kids. Do you see that constellation?"

Eisel and Edna looked up at the sky simultaneously.

The constellations shone exceptionally brighter than they did in the city, filling their vision. It felt like they were floating on a sea of starlight.

"It's beautiful."

"... That's not the issue."

Noticing something, Edna frowned deeply.

At Stella, they were taught numerous survival skills, including how to use the stars to determine their current location, coordinates, and time.

Therefore, something felt off.

"Uh... Huh...?"

"Did you finally notice?"

With a baffled look, Eisel covered her mouth with both hands and slowly uttered the unbelievable reality.

"The constellations in the sky... are rotating in reverse?"

"Yes, that's right."

With a chuckle, Kayla said, "As we go deeper into this mountain range... We might be walking towards the past."

Her words sounded like a beautiful line from a poem, but unfortunately, it was the reality.

Eisel and Edna couldn't even muster a response.