Hermit Wizard
chapter-23

Silver Forest under the Purple Sky (4)

According to Ghur, humans were a rare race even before being hunted in earnest. It was said that humans had strong fertility that was incomparable to the Dell Giants, but what was the reason for their small number? It soon became apparent that this world’s environment was too harsh for humans’ physical ability to survive. As the sun rises high, the atmosphere was heated up. Even in the middle of the night, the temperature seemed a little hot. Still, the temperature increased rapidly when the day started. I was under the shade of a tree that had a completely shaded canopy, and yet it grew quite hot.

“Ah…it’s hot.”

I couldn’t bear it, so I chanted a spell that spewed cold, but the three giants, including Ghur, were frightened, so I quickly canceled the spell.

“No, isn’t it hot?”

Ghur said with a straight face.

“It’s natural that the day is hot, right? But I beg you, please do not use that magic again.”

Hickham nodded quickly and said, “Yes, Yoong! I only touched the wind for a moment…but it was tearing my skin apart!”

When the cold created by my magic hit them, it seemed to be perceived as painfulness beyond just cold. Even though I set it to the same temperature as an air conditioner…I eventually gave up, put a little chill around my body, and went into my sleeping bag. The giants also soon laid down and fell asleep. I was tired. It wasn’t because of Mana exhaustion, but Mana tension in my mind and body.

Although it was a one-sided victory, I crossed the dimension and fought three battles with my own body. I was sleepy, but I couldn’t sleep easily. Looking sideways, the Dell Giants, including Ghur, was resting comfortably. They seemed to completely believe in my, a stranger’s, words, and they were sure that this barrier would remain intact until the night comes. What if I lied or had an evil heart?

‘Parvache.’

I called Parvache quietly in my mind.

[What?]

‘How does it look to you? This dimension. And the habitation?’

[First, isn’t the temperature too high? You said you were going to bring your family here if the Earth went down. You can create a suitable environment and live in it…but you are used to living that way? What about your mother and sister?]

‘That’s the problem…no matter how much you look at, it’s not a favorable environment.’

I glanced sideways at the giants who had fallen into a deep slumber. Compared to any primate on Earth, they had long hairs that cover their entire body. I felt hot even just looking at it.

‘Why did the Dell Giants evolve into long-haired species while living in such a hot environment?’

[The composition of body hair is entirely different from life on Earth. The heat-blocking effect is incomparable to the animals on Earth. The trees here look similar to those of Earth, but they are entirely different creatures when you look inside them.]

If it were on Earth, it would be difficult to survive except for desert plants like cactus. The tall trees that fill the forest were similar in appearance to Earth’s trees, but their internal structure and survival mechanisms seemed completely different.

‘But, why are they weak against the cold when their hair is that good for temperature control? They said they were cold earlier and looked very serious.’

[Because of the environment, their endurance for cold is lower than it is for heat.]

Anyway, it was clear that the area where I was now wasn’t a comfortable environment to live in with a human body. I would have to explore more after I got the Enchanted Wood. To carry out my plans in the future, I had to go to and from this dimension as if I were moving in and out of my house. Still, the Mapo Bridge Channel’s current location was outside my barriers’ boundary. It was too much of a burden to be exposed outside the barrier every time I crossed the Channel.

If the Truth-Seeker overturned the Earth to find me, it would become meaningless. But even if that happened, it would be at least a few years later. Until then, I wanted to move only within the boundary as much as possible. So, I decided to expand the barrier and put the Mapo Bridge Channel inside my barrier. For that purpose, the Enchanted Wood was an indispensable factor. And actually, the Enchanted Wood would be useful for other barriers.

‘However, the native Enchanted Wood is in the hermitage of this world’s Truth-Seekers…’

[What wickedness did you have in your previous life that the Truth-Seekers will tackle you in every world you go?]

‘Ah, I don’t know. Damn it.’

As soon as I get the map, I had to decide how to get the Enchanted Wood. I took a deep breath and went to sleep to calm my complicated thoughts.

***

As night came, we woke up and walked several hours again to reach Ghur’s village. And as soon as I got there, I had no choice but to doubt the quality of Parvache’s interpretation.

‘Hey, Parvache. You’ve always interpreted it as a village. How can this be a village?’

[No word in Korean could be adequately translated other than a village. It was also the smallest unit among the Dell Giants’ residential areas.]

Honestly, I reflected on myself. Looking at their clothing style, environment, and magic level, I knew that civilization on this side was far lower than on Earth. So, of course, when I heard that it was the Dell Giant’s village, I imagined that there would be some straw huts gathered like the primitive tribes of the Amazon in the jungle. However, what spread out before my eyes was a vast, tall, circular tower that was too high to measure. The walls were densely decorated with white building materials that looked like short tubes.

The trees kept blocking the view, and suddenly the tower appeared in front of me. I looked up right at the tower in front of me and couldn’t see the top, perhaps because it was a building where the giants of the village lived together. The scale was enormous.

“…Wow, how could such a tall tower not be seen from outside the forest?”

After entering the forest, the sky’s view was blocked because of the trees’ canopy covering everything above the head. But I didn’t see this tall tower while I was walking towards the forest.

“Maybe it’s because you were walking in the middle of the night. Dell’s bones hide in the moonlight.”

“…What? What bones hide?”

Ghur explained in a calm voice.

“Dell’s bones assimilate with the atmosphere and hide their appearance when they reflect the moonlight. It can be seen from up close, but when viewed from a distance, it is difficult to find it as if hiding in the moonlight.”

“No…you mean, that huge tower…”

All of those building materials that look like a white tube were…

“Yes, Dells builds villages out of the bones left by their ancestors. Dell’s fathers and mothers use the blood and flesh of their descendants when they live, and when they die, their bones strengthen the barriers that will protect their descendants’ homes.”

[Actually, Dell Giant’s skeleton is extremely strong. You can say that is similar to a magical metal.]

Parvache gave a supplementary explanation in a voice that only I could hear. Ghur continued explaining with a tone full of pride. Still, I was reluctant to listen and thought of doing anything else. Ghur’s two disciples walked ahead toward the entrance and gestured to me as if to follow them, but I didn’t step forward easily for some reason. Were there any smells in there?

***

All of the giants who found me entering the tower reacted not much differently from the Ghur and his group. They were shocked. Ghur roared as curious giants flocked around us as he walked, including the gatekeeper.

“Stay back! He’s the Elder’s guest!”

No giant in this group broke his word and approached him further, perhaps because of his high status. Ghur handed over his luggage to Palo and Hickham, told them to go home and rest, and led me to the elders’ floors. Contrary to my concerns, not all the interior materials in the tower were made of bone. Apparently, only the outer walls and substantial build were made of bones. In contrast, the rest was made of materials easily found in nature. Ghur and I rode on an elevator made of wood and metal. The area where the elders lived was said to be the top floor. Fortunately, I didn’t have to climb up this tall tower.

-Rattle, rattle

Feeling no Mana from it, I was certain that it didn’t use magical power but pure mechanical power. Whatever the principle was, it didn’t seem to be very sophisticated. The elevator began to climb faster than a person’s walk and finally reached the top floor. After getting off the elevator, Ghur walked a little further through a circular corridor and stood in front of a door.

“It’s Ghur.”

“Come in.”

A voice deeper than Ghur’s replied from inside the door. With permission, Ghur opened the door without hesitation. As soon as I followed him into the room, my Mana circuit sensed strong and deep magic, my nose smelt various kinds of dried plants and old paper, and my eyes were stained with refined, delicate moonlight.

It was the middle of the night. However, it seemed like they didn’t use indoor lights like lanterns. Magenta moonlight, which permeated through the window frame, filled the room with a slightly weaker brightness than what was seen from the outside. Looking closely, the window was covered with translucent minerals, and the moonlight penetrated and lit up the room to a reasonable level. The ceiling in this room was ridiculously high by human standards. Still, I think it was relatively close compared to the size of the giant sitting in front of me. If she stood up, she would be taller than Ghur.

Sitting on a table covered with various giant animals’ skins, an old female giant stared at Ghur with a calm gaze.

“You’re back. Good job. And…”

Her gaze stayed on the Channel on my chest.

“Welcome, to the ascetic of the alien world.”

The ascetic…that misunderstanding should be resolved when the conversation began. As soon as she saw and spoke to me, Ghur, her subordinate, bowed his head and greeted her first.

“Thank you for the welcome.”

Ghur introduced us to each other.

“Elder Kapal, I met him in the forest, and his name is Yoong. As you might have already guessed, he came from another world. Yoong, this is Elder Kapal, the greatest wizard in the village.”

Following Elder Kapal’s gesture, Ghur sat with his legs crossed over the leather carpet in front of her, and I trembled for a moment and then sat next to him, facing Elder Kapal.

“Elder, we have a guest, so I will tell you a little bit about the results of collecting herbs this time. Here’s what Yoong proposed for a deal…”

Ghur took out the barrier artifact he had received from me, handed it over to the Elder, and gave a brief explanation. She tweaked the artifact a little, then infused them with Mana, and in an instant, the barrier spread across the room.

“Sure…it’s a great treasure.”

The Elder admired it as if she immediately realized its value. She felt that the barrier was maintained even if she no longer consciously controlled the magic. While the Elder admired the artifacts, Parvache and I admired the Elder’s way of operating her Mana, having a conversation inaudible to the giants.

‘…They said she was the best wizard here.’

[The spell’s composition is very tacky, and in my dimension, it was used in the primitive era and discarded. However, the way she uses the Mana circuit is very delicate and high-level. It seems like the combination of long experience and genius has come up with the most efficient method.]

I didn’t think she learned that kind of management method from anyone, and maybe she learned it herself. She probably wouldn’t be able to pass it on to someone else. It would have only been optimized for her physical Mana circuit.

“So…did you say you need a map?”

The Elder, who had admired the plastic soju glass in her hand, put it down and asked.

“Yes, as you have already heard, I’m looking for Enchanted Wood.”

“…A wizard as powerful as you need Enchanted Wood?”

She thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

“Well, humans have so many children. A tribe like yours surely would have a large number, right? Unlike the humans who lived here, you must have defeated all the predators, and the size of the tribe must have grown tremendously. Even to protect all those people, you may need Enchanted Wood…”

As if her thoughts went further, she bumped her hands together with a murky touch.

“What’s more, with this artifact, you can permanently maintain any barrier! You’re going to build a barrier that encloses your village!”

She wasn’t logically wrong.