Skill Maker In A New World: Start By Creating A 10x SP Skill-Chapter 72: Magical Map

(Darien Seaborn)

(Talent: ???)

(Mage Rank 1: Apprentice)

(Knight Rank 1: Expert)

Vynsera turned when she heard the whooshing presence of someone arriving.

Darien's arrival brought a wave of relief because she had begun to think she was wasting her time.

Subconsciously, she inspected him.

Vynsera already knew he wasn't just a Swordsman, so Darien didn't mind her noting his progress in magehood.

There was more to notice about the warrior than just that.

First and most obvious was his physique.

Somehow, it had undergone an unconvincing growth in every area within such a short time since Vynsera last saw him.

Now standing equal in height with her, Darien remained lean but carried a broader build and an almost arrogant, solid poise.

His hair was slightly longer, though Vynsera could tell he had tried cutting it short himself.

'What has he done to himself?' she wondered, glancing down at her own form as if to see how much she matched him.

After recognizing each other, the two met halfway before moving to a quieter part of the ruin.

Darien couldn't help but immediately ask how she had managed to survive everything without revealing her secret.

But Vynsera showed little interest in talking about her experiences.

She only spoke briefly about her new affinity, explaining that she had begun to study and practice it.

She hadn't expected to wield such power, and according to her, the mystic force was overwhelming—and, more importantly, influencing.

Darien tried to speculate what Vynsera's part was. Would it unfold soon, or much later?

He needed to find out quickly because he could already sense she possessed the capability to be the end of him.

He wondered if her Darkness had bloomed as a consequence of slaying her brother, or if it had always been within her, and its traits were the proprietor of the murder.

It made sense—nonidentical twins being Light and Darkness, opposing each other.

Maybe Vynsera's Darkness would eventually override her Light, and she'd prove to be Darkness incarnate after all.

Darien preferred that, as the combination of both forces made her a far greater threat, which he didn't like.

He knew he had to keep a close eye on her and watch the woman carefully.

But he didn't know Vynsera was thinking exactly the same about him.

He was a bigger threat to her than she was to him. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

When she noticed him staring deeply into her face as if searching for something, she frowned.

"You pervert… is this how you greet every woman you miss?"

Darien recovered. He smirked lightly, turned his head away, and leaned against something.

"Guilty as charged," he replied.

Vynsera felt momentarily thoughtless at his reaction.

She expected him to be embarrassed, then protest to defend himself.

But Darien was utterly shameless, accepting the label like it was a compliment!

"Have you… joined a guild for your safety?" the girl asked finally, folding her arms.

"And I'm asking this as partners, who fight together and need each other safe and sound, not because I care… or worry… or whatever ridiculous thing you might be thinking."

Darien glanced at her after her cold words, but he saw a glint in her eyes that betrayed the curiosity she was trying to suppress.

"Safety?" he asked, slightly confused.

Vynsera wondered where the brat had been hiding all this time to be so unaware of what was happening in the real world.

She brushed a loose strand of golden hair behind her ear, regarding him with disappointment.

"Let me explain to you, since you clearly don't keep up with the world anymore. My brother's death is being treated like an omen of world destruction," she said.

Darien's smile slowly fell to a frown. He stood upright while she continued.

"He was the Hero of Light, the heir to the dukedom. His fall is being seen as the first sign of imbalance and proof that the forces of the Primordial World are stirring again.

The priests and scholars believe a second descent is coming, and that this time, it won't be merciful.

So yes, being in a guild isn't just a formality anymore. It's survival. The upheaval that's coming will demand warriors to stand under banners, not alone.

Many will die even before things become actually significant.

Even an entire province might be wiped away when multiple bridges begin opening at once.

So, tell me, Darien… are you still planning to face what's coming on your own?"

Darien was pale by the time she finished, the weight of her question pressing against him.

He was staring again.

Vynsera had a poker face, pale and simple, with a small nose and thin lips that barely moved when she spoke.

The faint circles under her eyes were the only visible traits of darkness on her otherwise flawless complexion.

The other traits were invisible: sharp tongue and impolite attitude.

Darien used her face as a canvas to envision everything she said, letting the pieces assemble in his head.

'It only begins when I join the story, doesn't it?' he thought grimly.

He was standing before the very person responsible for starting the chaos, which made the entire situation feel even more absurd.

Darien hadn't directly confronted Vynsera about her actions in the Sanctum. He knew too well that her revelation with Darkness had something to do with it.

All he needed to understand now was why she had acquired such a deadly element.

The how was already gone.

"I can suggest you to a gu—" Vynsera began, noticing the lost look on her partner's face.

But he interrupted her smoothly. "I already have one in mind," he said, recalling Harwin and that mad blood user, Alyx.

Then, turning to the ever-annoyed noble, he asked amusedly, "What about you? What's your guild?"

"I don't need protection," Vynsera replied flatly.

Darien chuckled, shaking his head. "Haha. I'm sure you don't."

He happily enjoyed his joke until she slammed his chest with a parchment.

Darien winced at the pain but grabbed the paper, looking down at it in surprise.

Vynsera's cold eyes glared.

"I'm doing my part," she said. "I found a Pathfinder in Silver City—of House Lightfoot, one of the most powerful families there. With his help, we might locate the Eclipsera Plane… hopefully. But we'll have to tread carefully with anyone who's not us."

Pathfinders were rare individuals with the magical ability to locate places in the Primordial World while still in the real world.

Darien knew what Pathfinding, Pathweaving, Pathforging, and Pathmending were.

But he hadn't heard of Silver City, meaning it wasn't in Eldermead.

He studied the parchment, realizing it was a magical map.

"What's this supposed to be?" he asked, noticing that neither Silver City nor House Lightfoot was marked anywhere on it.

"It's a magical map with a week before defunction," came her reply. "It reveals the locations of rift openings for the dungeon bridges. If you're lucky, you'll find Rank 2 dungeons or higher, so try and clear as many as you can."

Vynsera was very proud of herself.

This felt like a fitting repayment and even more to Darien. It meant she was no longer in his debt.

Darien could use the map to locate dungeons within the week and clear them for experience.

By the time he was done, he would be ready for his Rank 2 breakthrough.

It was highly likely that the Eclipsera Plane trial would serve as that very breakthrough for both warriors.

Breakthroughs were often infuriating at the start since the system never gave clear instructions for mortals.

Storing the map, Darien gave Vynsera a single wave before turning to leave, tossing his compass like a yo-yo as he walked.

There was nothing else to discuss.

But Vynsera felt as if some words were still left unsaid when there truly weren't.

A half-formed sentence lingered on her tongue just as Darien activated his compass, opening a shimmering portal and stepping through it without looking back.

'Pervert,' she thought again.

~~~~~

Darien returned to his inn room for the night, his mind occupied with a thousand thoughts and Vynsera.

He unfolded the magical map she had given him, watching its faint glow slightly brighten the dark room.

The map was incredibly useful, but Darien refused to let himself feel grateful to her.

His week with it was bound to be interesting.

The map was intricately calibrated, densely inscribed with sigils, but still easy enough to interpret for someone who understood keys and runes.

A total of eight potential Bridges were marked across its surface.

The darker the glow, the more stable and ready the rift was, while empty glows meant other warriors had already entered.

Darien traced his finger along the parchment and marked the next manifestation.

It was distant, but still within Eldermead.

He would enter the dungeon.

And he promised himself to use only Water spells this time, treating it as a form of elemental priming.

This sparked his idea to use every dungeon this week as personal training grounds for mastering his elemental repertoire.

True mastery was both knowledge and battle experience.

However, dungeons were unpredictable; rifts could open anywhere, anytime.

Darien might still be inside one while another was already being raided by other warriors, parties, or guilds.

But that was also the good part, too.

Since rifts tore open at random intervals, eight wasn't a fixed number for the week's Bridge count.

Darien watched with intrigue as another faint glow pulsed to life on the map.