How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 88: Flame Ring (3)

"......"

After blinking in silence for a while, Karl slowly reached out and picked up the manual.

The dark-colored cover was bordered with ornate gold trim.

He activated more detailed information and began reading the explanation for [Flame Ring].

To figure out just what the hell was going on.

<Flame Ring> A unique circle-ring created by the founding monarch of the Marhargel Kingdom, 'Raskalia Marhargel'. Unlike ordinary circle-rings, its most distinctive feature is that the circle is formed in the lower abdomen (danjeon).

When activated, this circle-ring converts mana into an extremely pure fire attribute...

With a serious expression, Karl continued reading the lengthy explanation.

He had thought it might be the case—but it was real.

The very symbol of the Marhargel royal family. The founder’s technique that no one had ever mastered.

Flame Ring wasn’t an aura cultivation method—it was a circle-ring.

But there was something even more surprising.

"...It forms the circle in the danjeon?"

Mana circles go in the heart. Aura cultivation centers in the danjeon.

That was a truth taken as law in this world.

Yet this Flame Ring formed the circle not in the heart—but in the danjeon.

It sounded impossible, but there was no way the system would distort the information. That meant it had to be true.

Naturally, the questions followed.

'Why has no one realized this until now?'

Countless members of the Marhargel family had attempted to master the original Flame Ring, only to fail and become crippled.

If they had known that Flame Ring wasn’t an aura technique but a circle-ring, none of that would’ve happened.

And yet, for all those years, everyone had been blinded by a misconception and missed the truth.

"......"

Then again, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Who would’ve even imagined a circle-ring could be formed in the danjeon?

By the existing standards, it simply couldn’t be accepted.

So it was no wonder they mistook a circle formed in the danjeon for an aura cultivation method. And besides...

Flutter.

Karl flipped through the pages of the manual, even though he had no expectation of understanding the actual contents.

The condition of the book was remarkably clean.

The paper wasn’t worn, and the script written inside was sharp and unfaded.

‘If the previous king was the 11th...’

Assuming this book dated back to the time of the founding monarch, then it was easily over a hundred years old.

Even so, for it to be in such good condition—it must have been recopied many times over with great care.

Still, across that long passage of time, some distortion or omission in the contents was likely unavoidable.

‘And wasn’t the founder known as a martial artist?’

There are rare individuals born with a body type in which aura and mana don’t conflict.

Most likely, the founder of Marhargel was such a person.

He obviously must have mastered the circle-ring he created—but if he wasn’t naturally suited to it, there’s no way he’d be remembered as a martial artist and not a mage.

Marhargel had always been a kingdom where each king, starting from the founder, was famed as a warrior.

So which descendant would’ve even dreamed that the founder’s legacy was not an aura technique but a circle-ring?

All those factors combined likely explain why no one had discovered the truth behind Flame Ring until now.

But that wasn’t the issue at hand.

"This is so damn ridiculous..."

Karl let out a dry laugh and continued reading the Flame Ring’s information.

He skipped the long-winded introduction and went straight to the effects.

<Flame Ring> — Increases destructive power of fire-type magic by 100% — Reduces mana consumption of fire-type magic by 20% — Highly purified flame energy burns away toxic substances within the body, granting ‘complete immunity’ to poison — The effects increase or evolve as the circle level rises (Currently: 6th circle)

Boosts damage and reduces mana cost for fire magic.

Aside from the attribute difference, the effects were generally similar to the Arzak-type circle-ring he was currently training.

Actually, since it didn’t have a total mana amplification effect, it might be slightly inferior overall.

But one effect definitely stood out.

"Complete poison immunity, huh..."

Is that why it’s so expensive?

Whatever the case, it was a very tempting effect.

Karl had just about everything else—but no countermeasures against poison so far.

Sure, there were cure spells. But if he were hit by a poison that suppressed mana, he wouldn’t even be able to use magic. What good would it do then?

‘If I learn this, I won’t have to worry about poison anymore—wait.’

Karl’s expression suddenly turned sour.

You could only train one circle-ring at a time.

In other words, if he learned Flame Ring, he would lose the Arzak-type circle-ring he’d already been training.

That poison immunity was tempting, but giving up his current ring for it felt like a waste...

"...Hold on."

This ring forms in the danjeon, not the heart, right?

Then couldn’t he possibly learn both at the same time?

Feeling a surge of hope, Karl dug deeper into Flame Ring’s detailed information.

And before long, he found exactly what he was looking for.

— Can be learned in parallel with other circle-rings formed in the heart.

A grin spread across Karl’s lips.

He’d only come into the secret vault to see if there was any useful magic—and ended up finding a circle-ring that could be learned in tandem. A completely unexpected jackpot.

[Would you like to spend 350,000 SP to learn 'Flame Ring'?]

"Of course I would."

Karl was about to confirm without hesitation—but suddenly paused.

Wait. How much SP did he have left again?

[Current SP: 170,000]

"......"

Karl pressed his palm to his forehead.

"Goddamn Polymorph."

He had originally set aside a comfortable reserve, but forgot that he’d spent a huge chunk of it on Polymorph.

He was getting ahead of himself without even checking his funds.

He would need more than twice his current SP to acquire Flame Ring.

Karl bit his lip, sinking into thought.

Now what?

It’s not like there was any immediate way to earn more SP...

* * *

Late at night.

Outer edge of the Third Prince's Goldstream Palace.

"It is an honor to be invited, Your Highness."

The Third Prince, Kaivern, looked at the two people before him with displeasure.

A young man and an old one.

They were representatives sent from Aranhel.

Though he had been expecting a response, their visit had been sudden and unannounced.

And the fact that they had entered the royal capital without permission left Kaivern somewhat irritated.

"An invitation, you say... While it's true I initiated contact, I don’t recall telling you it was acceptable to barge in here as you pleased."

At his cutting tone, the young man chuckled slyly.

"We had to exercise some caution on our end as well. Surely, you understand. I’m not saying it would happen, but if we moved strictly according to your terms and got stabbed in the back, that would be a problem, wouldn’t it?"

Not a trace of solemnity. His attitude was flippant, bordering on playful.

The woman standing behind Kaivern glared sharply at the man.

He glanced at her and smiled faintly.

"In any case, I ask that you not be offended. It might sound strange coming from me, but we don’t usually move this lightly. The fact that we came here at all should tell you how important we consider this meeting, and how much effort we made to observe decorum."

"Hmph. As if terrorists who blow up cities would know anything about decorum."

"Haha. And yet, Your Highness came rushing out here to meet with those very terrorists, didn’t you?"

"You insolent bastard."

The woman reached for the hilt of her sword.

Kaivern raised a hand to stop her, then continued.

"Let’s just talk business. I want to confirm the terms here and now. Don’t tell me you came all this way without the authority to make decisions?"

At that, the young man let out a small laugh.

Kaivern had no idea.

He didn’t realize just how high-ranking the two before him were within Aranhel—the worst terrorist organization on the continent.

"The deal will be concluded here and now. Whatever Your Highness desires."

"Then that’s good to hear. But still..."

"...?"

"You came so suddenly because you don’t trust me. In that case, shouldn’t I also be granted some assurance of your credibility?"

As Kaivern gave a slight nod, the woman standing behind him stepped forward.

The young man, catching on to the implication, smiled as if amused.

"Ah~, I see. You’re doubting our abilities. Was slipping into the capital undetected not proof enough?"

"Your tongue’s getting long. Don’t tell me you’re scared?"

Provoked, the man’s lips curled upward.

It was a condescending smile, like watching a child play.

"If that’s what you want."

Clang!

The woman unsheathed her sword like lightning and thrust at the man’s neck.

Or rather—she tried to.

"..."

The woman remained frozen mid-thrust, unable to move an inch.

Shadows, like tangled brambles, had sprung up and wrapped around her entire body.

And next to her, the man stood at ease, arms crossed.

"For a mere bodyguard, she’s rather skilled. Did Your Highness personally raise this one with care?"

"......"

Cold sweat rolled down the woman’s back.

Even though she had struck first, she had been completely restrained in the blink of an eye.

Kaivern also looked on, visibly shaken.

Though not publicly flaunted, this woman was among the top martial experts within the palace.

The man teased, tapping his finger against her throat.

"If you'd gone after the old man over there instead of me, you'd have lost an arm. He may pretend to be calm, but he’s got quite the temper. Just recently, he killed everyone at an auction for failing to secure a single item he wanted. Haha."

"Enough with the pointless chatter, Herild."

At the gruff interjection from the old man—Gerok—Herild grinned and pulled his finger away.

"If you want a proper test of strength, you’ll have to bring the Royal Guardian Commander."

"......"

"So, was that enough to satisfy you?"

Kaivern stared blankly at the two.

Whether that was bravado or not, he had no doubt now—their level was far beyond what he could gauge.

"...I’m satisfied."

Dangerous as hell—but it seemed he’d acquired a powerful card.

More than enough to take on the Second Prince.

"Let’s get to the terms of our deal."

A thrill surged in Kaivern’s eyes.

* * *

Several days passed after Karl accessed the palace’s secret vault.

Since leaving, Karl’s mind had been consumed with only one thing—Flame Ring.

‘...Where the hell am I going to get more SP?’

180,000 SP.

That’s how much more he needed to learn Flame Ring.

But there was no clear source.

Karl scratched his head and grimaced.

He muttered testily into the air.

"Hey, give me a quest or something."

Of course, no reply came.

The damn quests only ever went quiet in moments like this.

"Just give me anything, come on."

It was already annoying being stuck in the capital for clues—shouldn’t there at least be a reward for enduring it?

But as usual, the system remained silent.

"You damn bastard..."

Sephiel, standing next to him, gave Karl a weird look as he mumbled to himself.

Karl ignored her and leaned against the tree.

As always, Jurein had gone into the royal vault again, and the two of them were waiting for him to come out.

As always, it wasn’t until after sundown that Jurein appeared at the entrance to the central chamber.

Karl approached—but behind Jurein, a squad of knights marched past in formation.

"What’s that about?"

Karl asked, and Sephiel answered in his place.

"That’s the Rompel Knights, under the royal palace."

There wasn’t just one knight order in the palace—the Royal Guardians.

The full Royal Order consisted of seven knight corps.

They didn’t usually guard the palace directly. Their main role was external operations outside the royal capital.

Of course, their power and authority were considerably lower than the Royal Guardians, and unlike the Guardians, their loyalty was highly influenced by political shifts.

"The Rompel Knights belong to the Third Prince’s faction. But I wonder where they’re all heading together like that..."

Jurein spoke up, apparently aware of the situation.

"They’re preparing to head to the small city of Kermandel."

"Kermandel?"

"A horde of Minotaurs has been attacking merchants traveling in and out. The local lord apparently couldn’t handle it with his own forces and requested reinforcements..."

At that moment, a message appeared in Karl’s mind.

[A sudden quest has occurred.]

< Sudden Quest: Minotaur Subjugation >

Subjugate the Minotaur horde that appeared in Kermandel.

Uninvited guests may interfere. Eliminate them all and protect the Fifth Prince.

Quest Reward: 200,000 ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) SP

Karl blinked as he read the quest.

Then he looked back at Jurein and asked,

"You said the Rompel Knights belong to the Third Prince’s faction, right?"

"That’s right."

"And the Fourth Prince is basically working under the Third Prince, too, correct?"

"Yes. But why do you ask—"

"Then if we offer to join the subjugation, the Fourth Prince is going to blow a fuse and try to bury His Highness, isn’t he?"

Jurein stared at Karl in confusion.

Karl grinned.

"Go and submit the request. Tell them we’d like to accompany the knights outside the palace to assist with the subjugation."

A perfect chance had landed in his lap—to earn SP and cripple the Fourth Prince’s faction in one go.