“The village is too empty.”
“This is all because of Maiel’s mountain. Even so, aren’t we also supposed to be far from it?”
“Ey. Why take it to that? There’s nothing different aside from the beasts having hidden themselves. People will also return soon.”
“Ahem. Well, that’s true. But even so I can’t do anything about feeling like this.”
As two old men conversed, they sighed.
It has already been 15 days since strange things have happened in the mountain.
Meanwhile, most of the villagers momentarily escaped to other regions because of their uneasiness.
Because of that, the only restaurant and bar in the village, called Fran Restaurant, has been empty for a couple of days already.
Then, an unfamiliar stranger appeared from the open door.
It was a youth that emanated a wild aura and had a childish face.
It was Roan.
‘Whew. At least it doesn’t seem like i’m late.’
He put down the bag he was carrying and let out a long sigh.
He would be able to reach his destination before that thing happened because of his constant walking.
He stood in front of the counter and looked for the owner.
One of the old men who was conversing approached.
“You lookin fo’ somethin?” (E/N: I’m pretty sure this is on purpose)
“Yes. Water, bread and dried meat.”
“How much?”
Roan made some calculations and then said.
“Give me a small barrel of water, two days worth of bread, and ten for the dried meat.”
“Wait a moment.”
The old man folded his fingers and then went into the inner part of the kitchen.
After a while, the old man came out while holding some things.
Roan put the additional luggage in his big bag.
“You travellin?”
The man that was looking at the sides asked.
Roan smiled brightly and nodded.
“Yes. I’m checking what’s happening on the south.”
“Working so hard when it’s this hot. But…..”
The old man said in a whispering voice.
“If you can, avoid going to Maiel mountain. Some strange things has been happening over there….. Ahem. Anyways, take care.”
“Thank you for worrying.”
Roan bowed deeply and grabbed his bag again.
The heavy feeling was felt on all of his shoulders.
‘With this much the food will be enough……Now, should I go to the mountain?’
After he greeted the old men, he got out of the restaurant.
The sun shone down strongly, but because of Brent’s ring he didn’t feel the heat at all.
‘The place I remember needs to be exact.’
Roan searched through his memories and continued walking.
The memory of a person was a really scary thing.
You wouldn’t know if you didn’t remember at all, but thinking that he remembered clearly could be gravely mistaken.
‘If my memories are wrong……..’
Aside from not being able to get what he wanted, he may lose his life.
But this was one of the most important things that was in his plans.
‘The fire monarch Reid. I must obtain his impaired mana technique.’
*****
Roan set up camp on the entrance of the mountain.
He had left some distance while not being too far either.
He had placed a piece of cloth as the roof and decided to lodge here.
‘Is it already the fourth day since I camped here? It should slowly start……’
Roan chewed on the dried meat and looked towards Maiel mountain.
A mountain where the sound of birds and insects couldn’t be heard.
Because of that, it emanated a gloomy feeling.
‘It should be time for Viscount Potter to send someone to report that Maiel mountain is strange.’
He didn’t remember the exact date, but it was something that had clearly happened in his past life.
‘Now! Maiel mountain, wide grounds. Tremble quickly. Quickly’
He put strength in his eyes.
The speed of chewing the dried meat became faster.
But nothing happened in the mountain.
‘Will today also pass like this?’
Roan looked at the western sky where the sun was already setting, and let out a long sigh.
It was then.
Pruu.
The sunset slightly shook along the skyline.
‘Huh?’
Roan opened his two eyes widely.
The sunset had clearly shaken.
‘No, I’m the one shaking.’
He got down on the floor after he grabbed the ground with his two arms.
Kugugugugugu.
The earth was crying.
And soon, the mountain and the plains trembled like they were dancing.
Kugung. Kugugugung. Kugung.
The rocks that were on the hillside crumbled down and the trees of the forests trembled to the sides and started to fall.
Kugung.
The cloth roof fell and the food rolled onto the ground.
‘It’s here! The earthquake is finally here!’
That thing he wanted to happen that much.
Roan was waiting just for this earthquake.
He looked at Maiel mountain while still lying on the ground.
He could see the landslide sweeping the mountain.
‘My memory isn’t that wrong.’
Fortunately, the landslide fell down, avoiding the place where he was at.
Kugugugung.
The surface of the earth started to split with a weird sound.
Some places surged up, and some sunk down, and holes appeared.
What was fortunate was that the holes weren’t deep enough to put him in danger.
Roan still glared at Maiel mountain while on the ground.
‘One day for the earthquake to end and for the aftershock to come. Meanwhile, I have to locate the cave where the sleeping fire monarch is.’
After the landslide happened because of the earthquake, the hidden caves will appear.
And in that place, there is the mana technique of the sleeping fire monarch, Reid.
‘After the aftershock happens, rocks will cover that place. Because of that, one of the two volumes for the mana technique ends up being destroyed.’
Roan bit his lower lip tightly.
‘In my past life, Viscount Potter obtained quite a fine first volume………’
He suffered an attack from Duke Voiza, who got the news before he could learn it or he got taken by the kingdom, and lost his life.
‘And Duke Voiza gave that mana technique to his son. Although it had only half the volume, that guy…….’
He became one of the strongest guys in Rinse kingdom.
‘The problem was that he betrayed the kingdom and he escaped to Estia Kingdom.’
Roan ground his teeth.
Because he remembered the fierce and cruel war that happened because of him.
‘Anyways, it’s a clear truth that he became incredibly strong just with half of the volume.’
Flames appeared in his eyes.
‘But today, I’m not getting only half of it, but the complete technique.’
His chest beat.
His eyes were fixed on a mountain hillside.
‘There, or there. Somewhere should be the fire monarch.’
Kugugugung.
Maiel mountain trembled roughly just like it was making the last movements.
A weird sound was spread far away through the wind.
And that was just like the sound of announcing a historical fomentation.
As soon as the earthquake stopped, Roan started to climb the mountain.
His face was filled with confidence.
‘For now, everything I remembered is correct.’
As a result, there was a high probability for the location of the cave to be the same as his memories.
‘Right. There’s no way it’s wrong.’
The scandal that shook not only Rinse kingdom, but the entire continent.
The scandal that made Estia Kingdom, which was the homeland of the fire monarch, increases Rinse kingdom’s status as its first enemy country.
It was something impossible for Roan, who was a soldier of Rinse Kingdom.
‘It certainly was discovered at the southwestern part.’
Roan searched through his memories and searched many hillsides.
His hands, clothes, face and hair became a mess with dirt.
Because of the shape of the ground, it wasn’t even easy to walk.
“Whew.”
Even so, Roan didn’t rest.
No, he rather moved even quicker.
Those tenacious steps crossed the mountain.
And finally, it was when he reached a valley after he passed a big rock.
“Ah…..”
A low exclamation came out of Roan’s mouth.
There was a cave on a cliff in the valley.
‘It’s there. I’m certain it is.’
Roan instinctively knew.
Although it was a scene that wasn’t in his memories, his entire body reacted strongly.
‘There’s the mana technique of the fire monarch Reid.’
Roan started to climb the valley with a half absent minded face.
He jumped off and dirt and rocks fell over his head, but he never stopped.
And finally he arrived in front of the cave in the Potter region that he longed for so much.
“Whew.”
Roan let out a long sigh and moved inside the cave.
His heart was beating fast and his ears went numb.
A mana technique he hadn’t even thought of learning in his past life.
But in this life he would be able to learn the mana technique of one of the strongest person in the world titledthe fire monarch Reid.
That chance was right in front of him.
Footsteps filled the entire cave.
How long had he walked?
Roan, who was walking with strength, abruptly stopped.
A skeleton was sitting at a side of the cave while leaning on it.
‘Fire monarch Reid.’
It was certainly him.
Between the torn and disintegrated clothes, three books with a red cover were in it.
Everything had dust and dirt covering it, but only the three books maintained a perfect state.
‘Why is it three books?’
Reid mana technique was certainly a book divided in two volumes.
The truth of a third volume existing was something that wasn’t in his memories.
Roan slowly approached and carefully grabbed the books.
The big letters engraved in the red cover sharply pierced his eyes.
This was the mana technique the fire monarch used.
And it was certainly composed of two volumes.
‘Then this…….’
Roan looked at the third and final book.
(It says boxing, but a bit weird for the time)
“Ah…..”
A low exclamation came out.
‘There was also the art of fighting of the monarch in this place.’
He had a thought.
‘Would the soldiers of Viscount Potter also have discovered this book in my past life? Or did it also get destroyed along the second volume?’
He couldn’t know the answer.
But even until the day Roan died, no one that mastered the monarch’s art of fighting appeared.
‘In the end, did this also get buried in the ground?’
Roan took in a deep breath.
‘Anyways, it will become of great help to me.’
A harvest he hadn’t expected.
He calmed down his excited heart and stored away the three books in his bag.
‘Is this the real start?’
Roan tightly bit his lower lip.
From now on it was time to experience things he hadn’t in his past life.
‘Mana training.’
He took in a deep breath.
‘But now I have to leave the mountain before the soldiers of the viscount come.’
But he wasn’t planning to move far away.
He was planning to study the mana technique in a secluded place.
No, precisely speaking.
‘It would be feeling the mana.’
Roan hit his chest.
‘If Reid was the fire monarch…….’
His mouth rose.
‘Am I the fire spear king?’
But then, he shook his head.
His eyes shone.
‘Fire monarch.’
Roan clenched his teeth.
‘I will become the fire monarch.’
Then, he saw the laid down skeleton of Reid.
‘Ah! When the aftershock ends tomorrow, the soldiers of Viscount Potter will come to investigate.’
Then, a really bad thing happens to the skeleton.
The soldiers break it to pieces saying that they would take it away.
‘I can’ let that happen in this life.’
Roan took out the cloth used to make a roof and carefully stored away the skeleton.
He concentrated to see if he had missed any small pieces.
“Huh?”
Then, something grabbed his attention.
A silver semicircle object the size of a nail.
That was below Reid’s right hand.
In the end of the pondering, Roan extended his fingers.
Tuk.
The thing he thought would be hard, was really squishy.
“Ah!”
Roan instinctively yelled with a surprised expression.
Because an incredible chill was felt from the tip of his fingers.
At the same time the semicircle object that was on the ground disappeared like something washed it away.
“Huh?”
Roan looked everywhere for it but he couldn’t find it.
‘It didn’t get absorbed by my finger, right?’
He looked at his finger and then frowned.
Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with his body.
‘I feel weird for nothing.’
He smacked his lips and after searching the cave once more he shook his head.
‘Well, it won’t be anything.’
He erased his uneasiness and then carefully raised the delicately packed skeleton.
Then.
Kurururu.
His feet trembled.
“Huh?”
Roan frowned and looked inside the cave.
‘Aftershock?!’
Something he hadn’t expected at all.
‘Shouldn’t the aftershock start tomorrow?’
The source of the calamity was that he had dropped his guard because everything happened just like memories.
He looked at the entrance of the cave.
Kugugugu.
The tremor and the sound worsened.
Tududuk. Tuduk. Tuk.
Rocks fell on the entrance of the cave.
“No!”
If the entrance got blocked it would be hard to leave.
Roan hurriedly charged forward and threw himself.
However.
Bang! Baaang!
An amazing sound exploded.
At the same time, the open entrance crumbled.
“Ah…….”
Roan stood at the tightly blocked entrance and let out a low exclamation.
His memories of his past life.
Everything was right until now except for one thing.
The time when the aftershock happened.
Because of that he ended up being trapped inside the cave.
Roan’s mouth twisted.
“Damn it!”
He cursed unconsciously.
< Mana technique (1) > End
Translator’s note: Thank you for reading!
Translator : Subak
Proofreader: st8_lupe.
Editor’s Note: Happy Birthday Comrade