Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength

"Il..."

Despite no other clues around, Ronald immediately recognized the origin of this little tree creature.

After all, he retained a piece of Il's soul fragment here.

It's understandable he missed it at first glance, but now, looking directly at this little tree creature, aided by their exceedingly special relationship, Ronald could discern Il's creation with extraordinary speed and accuracy.

"..."

Il, who usually required careful attention, surprisingly left such information for him in this situation.

Landing on the ground immediately, Ronald's mood was somewhat complex.

He felt both anger at the current situation and surprise at the message from Il.

But all these emotions.

Dissipated the moment Ronald reached out and picked up the little tree creature.

As Ronald lifted it from the ground, the little tree creature made a dancing motion in his hand, then lost its sustaining power and scattered again into a bunch of broken branches.

Simultaneously, Ronald received the only message Il conveyed through this method.

-- No danger, you can enter.

The message wasn't extensive, but in this situation, it was invaluable.

Through his 'intimate' relationship with Il, Ronald confirmed the trustworthiness of this information.

Now entering this relic's scope seemed the most straightforward and quickest option.

Yet Ronald didn't proceed immediately.

Confident his companions were temporarily safe, he first chanted a spell and then headed towards the island's edge.

In the rainy night, he soon saw the campsite where the group had departed from, everything was normal with the Nikos caster who stayed there, unaware of the changes within the island.

Then, Ronald descended to the ground.

He was aware of his current role.

As the leader of this mission, even if he intended to enter the relic to search for his companions, he first had to fulfill his duty.

"This... Lord Ronald?"

After Ronald landed, someone quickly emerged from the camp.

However, noticing Ronald had returned alone, realization struck, and their expression turned serious:

"Did you encounter difficulties at the relic?"

"The relic's scope has expanded." Ronald knew time was of the essence and explained succinctly, "Everyone except me has been engulfed by the relic, but afterward, my companion sent a message indicating it's accessible inside."

The result was the Nikos caster's expression drastically changed:

"Wait!"

"You... You mean Mr. Koraman, Mr. Koraman also..."

Seeing the caster's panic-stricken manner, Ronald had to interrupt their incoherent words sternly:

"Listen—everyone except me has been swallowed inside!"

"Neither the Nikos nor the Greed casters are exceptions in this regard."

"..."

Interrupted in such a manner, the caster finally regained some composure, remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again:

"So, does this mean you want us to also go inside..."

"No, you don't need to enter." Ronald interrupted again, "I will enter the relic alone, attempt to rescue the people and resolve the relic's issues."

"I returned now to ask you to send someone to inform the mainland of what's happening here, and during this time, keep a close watch on the relic to prevent any unexpected changes."

"..."

Ronald's command clearly went beyond what the caster expected.

After struggling to accept the information, their expression turned from puzzlement to disbelief:

"You... you intend to go in personally?"

Regardless of other places, at least in Nikos, the caster hadn't encountered a situation where someone of high status charged recklessly into danger.

Ronald's statement was beyond comprehension.

It even sparked a feeling that this original holder might have some mental issues.

"You heard right, I will enter the relic next." Ronald continued to affirm the inquiry, while his gaze drifted towards the camp behind the caster.

During their conversation, others from the camp came out to check, five or six people gathered around in a short while.

Thus, Ronald took a deep breath and then loudly announced:

"Listen up, this is what just happened at the relic, make sure to remember..."

Next, Ronald informed the group of everything that happened at the relic.

Once he confirmed many had heard his account completely, he patted the caster's shoulder with an entrusted tone:

"These matters, I leave to you."

"We'll meet again after this."

With those words, Ronald reactivated his Flying Spell and headed back towards the boundary of the relic.

This time, concerned with his companions' safety.

He didn't plunge directly into the center but returned precisely to where everyone vanished before entering the relic on foot.

"..."

As his feet touched the moist ground, Ronald clearly sensed the soggy earth and humid air, the sound of raindrops on plants was particularly sharp.

Yet in such clarity.

Ronald felt no magic power invading his being nor any hints of environmental changes.

Everything seemed normal, without the slightest anomaly.

"In that case, no wonder everyone was lost..."

Reflecting on his firsthand experience, Ronald shook his head and sighed.

It was indeed such an inconspicuous event capable of capturing all the casters at once. Il becoming the sole exception truly highlighted his capability.

"Hmm?"

As Ronald pondered, he crossed the relic's boundary three meters, the final threshold.

At that moment.

Everything around him imperceptibly changed in an instant.

An instant ago, Ronald was in the dark rainy night, surrounded by the island's various plants.

But the next moment, it was a bright sunny day overhead.

Underfoot was a straight dirt road, though outdated, clearly leveled by someone purposefully. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

His gaze followed the road ahead.

A fully intact caster city in its prime stood erect on the ground not far away, amidst which human silhouettes moved back and forth.

Confronting this scene.

Ronald froze in place, hesitated for a while before slowly speaking:

"Is this... Lachmont?"