Chapter – 4

With a tired yawn and a quick stretch, Aman Sol stepped out of his tent and into the light of the rising sun.

After washing his face with some water and forcing down a bland breakfast of travel rations, Aman dismantled his temporary camp with some difficulty before continuing along his journey.

As he traversed the long dirt road cutting through the endless sea of green that was the Emerald Forest, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings for danger, he couldn’t help cursing his master and those pompous mages at the capital for what felt like the hundredth time.

Just a week ago, the Arcane Tower of Brislin—the largest city on this side of the Kingdom of Mati—had detected unusually large fluctuations of anomalous mana signatures within the Emerald Forest during one of their routine scrying operations.

Naturally, they had immediately escalated the matter to their superiors in the capital city of Aereston.

The location of the disturbance fell well within the borders of the kingdom, which meant they couldn’t simply ignore it and pray that whatever was causing the fluctuations didn’t eventually wander toward the nearest settlement.

Unfortunately, the old fossils sitting comfortably in their fancy chairs in the capital were too lazy to send one of their own all the way to the edge of the kingdom over what could very well be a false alarm.

So instead, they did the next best thing.

They dumped the responsibility onto the nearest Tier III mage.

Which just so happened to be his master.

Now, Master Aenul Sol was many things.

A powerful mage. A competent foster parent. Even the head of their local arcane branch.

But he was absolutely not a man who enjoyed following orders.

The primary reason he had settled in this distant corner of the kingdom in the first place was to escape the endless politics of the capital and enjoy a peaceful retirement.

Unfortunately, orders from the Capital Tower were not something even he could casually ignore.

So when the time came to find a convenient scapegoat to handle all the tedious work…

Every single member of the guild had collectively pointed at Aman.

Because apparently he was the best among them, the personal disciple of Master Aenul.

Surely this would be an easy task for someone of his caliber.

Just a quick little journey to the edge of the Emerald Forest to confirm that nothing was actually wrong and that the scrying device had simply malfunctioned.

Then he could return home.

What a load of crap.

Aman kicked a random pebble off the road in frustration.

He wasn’t even that good of a mage.

The only reason he had ended up in the guild at all was because the old man had taken pity on a starving orphan during his travels and decided to adopt him.

Being a mage required two important things.

First, above-average mana capacity.

Thankfully, Aman had that.

Second, and arguably more important, one needed a mind that was just slightly insane yet still disciplined enough to spend entire days reading books written by long-dead scholars explaining the fundamental forces of reality in the driest tone imaginable.

Aman had fallen asleep during his very first lesson within the first hour.

That time had not significantly improved over the years.

And even if he was as talented as his position implied, there was no way this journey would be as simple as they made it sound.

No matter how incompetent the scryers at Brislin Tower may have been, they simply couldn’t make this large of a blunder.

Which could only mean one of two things.

Either an Apex Beast had relocated into the region and established a new territory.

Or…

The world had decided to spawn a new dungeon.

Aman honestly couldn’t decide which possibility was worse.

On one hand, an Apex Beast meant facing some gigantic, fiercely territorial magical monster capable of flattening entire villages.

Thankfully, most Apex Beasts were smart enough not to attack random travelers unless provoked.

Dungeons, however, were an entirely different matter.

They ranged anywhere from being harmless and cooperative to horrific death traps capable of producing endless hordes of abominations.

The Kingdom of Mati currently possessed three dungeons within its territory.

Four, if one counted the dungeon they shared with their neighbors.

The Silver Mine.

A dungeon overflowing with precious metals, magical crystals, and untold riches hidden within its depths. It was so valuable that the founder of their kingdom had built the capital itself nearby.

It was the primary reason Mati remained one of the wealthiest kingdoms on the continent.

On the opposite end of the spectrum existed the Crypt of Syrilia.

And if the name itself wasn’t enough indication of why people avoided it, Aman would simply like to mention that the kingdom had erected an enormous barrier several kilometers away from its territory and only permitted Tier II adventurers or higher to periodically enter and cull its monsters.

Their newest addition, the Dungeon of Aros, was barely over a decade old and situated somewhere to the east.

While not nearly as famous as the others, it was heavily utilized by the Adventurer’s Guild to train elite recruits.

Lastly came the Garden of Fae, currently controlled by the Church of Narelia.

Thankfully, their neighboring theocracy graciously allowed them limited access to it in exchange for yearly shipments of rare metals and precious gems.

It was a forest dungeon inhabited by strange and dangerous creatures like pixies, trolls, and nymphs, but it was also overflowing with rare magical plants that the Alchemist Guild purchased without fail every single time for absurd prices.

The point was—

No matter what waited at the end of this road…

It was absolutely not something poor little Aman was qualified to handle.

---

Even though his journey so far had been fairly uneventful, Aman never allowed himself to relax his vigilance against the dangers lurking within the Emerald Forest.

Which was exactly why the sudden dash of red amidst the endless sea of green immediately caught his attention.

He narrowed his eyes and focused on the distant shape.

At first, he thought it might simply be an unusual tree canopy reflecting the sunlight strangely. Then he realized it looked more like the roof of a building peeking through the forest.

A building.

In the middle of the Emerald Forest.

Aman immediately frowned.

Now why, exactly, would there be a building all the way out here?

More importantly—

Which esteemed lunatic of a mage did it belong to?

Because of course this was the work of a mage. Only they were insane enough to willingly build a residence inside one of the most dangerous forests in the kingdom.

Aman groaned in annoyance.

He had absolutely no desire to lose a limb to whatever security measures the owner had undoubtedly installed around the property.

Unfortunately, he also knew he couldn’t simply ignore it and leave.

Master Aenul—and by extension the capital Tower—expected a thorough report when he returned. Which meant he had no choice but to investigate.

So, with great reluctance, Aman cautiously made his way toward the strange structure.

However, once it finally came fully into view, he stopped in his tracks.

Aman had witnessed plenty of strange architecture during his travels with Master Aenul.

The floating Arcane Towers of Aereston.

The giant book-shaped Grand Library of Nox.

An entire mansion filled with twisting, upside-down staircases because its owner claimed gravity “limited creativity.”

Compared to those, the structure before him wasn’t particularly strange in shape.

What made it bizarre was the material.

It wasn’t stone or lumber. Nor any metal Aman recognized.

Instead, the walls were made from some smooth white substance resembling polished marble while simultaneously possessing the rough texture of granite.

The roof was somehow even stranger.

A bright red dome curved over the top of the structure, its surface gleaming beneath the sunlight like polished metal.

The entire thing stood roughly the size of a two-story building.

At the center rested large panes of opaque glass serving as doors, while above them was etched a strange circular emblem Aman didn’t recognize.

In that moment, the structure transformed in Aman’s mind from random mysterious building into hidden residence of a wealthy mage.

Aman knew exactly how expensive stained glass was and whatever this building was made of looked significantly more costly.

With cautious steps, Aman slowly approached the entrance.

He briefly debated whether the glass doors needed to be pushed or pulled while unsuccessfully searching for handles.

Then the doors suddenly slid open on their own.

Aman immediately jumped backward. However, when nothing else happened, he slowly relaxed.

“…Right,” he muttered nervously, “Automatic doors.”

Which unfortunately meant he now had to worry about active traps as well.

Automation magic fell under the domain of Artificers guild, and Aman had met enough of them during his travels to know exactly how their minds operated.

Keeping a close eye out for suspicious mana fluctuations, Aman cautiously approached the doorway once more.

When doors magically opened again, he stepped inside.

Immediately, a wave of cool air brushed across his face like a refreshing spring breeze.

Aman nearly stopped on the spot.

Temperature regulation spells.

Of course, because apparently their mysterious host wasn’t just wealthy, they were also quite powerful.

Temperature control was one of Master Aenul’s favorite spells, which meant Aman knew exactly how difficult it was to get it right.

Under the glow of artificial lights emanating from no visible source Aman could identify, he slowly surveyed the room he had entered.

The place resembled the typical laboratory of a mage.

But only resembled.

Because unlike any mage tower Aman had ever visited, the room lacked clutter. No shelves overflowing with scrolls. No loose papers scattered everywhere. No bubbling alchemical equipment threatening to explode at any moment.

Everything was unnaturally… organized.

The floor itself was made from marble tiles smooth enough that Aman could faintly see his own reflection staring back at him.

The left side of the room was dominated by some kind of strange metallic contraption.

It resembled a large metal box with glowing markings running along its surface and several circular indents at the top radiating soft light from within.

Aman had absolutely no idea what it did. Which likely meant it was expensive.

The opposite side of the room wasn’t much better.

Shelves and desks filled the area, covered in countless magical devices and strange apparatuses that Aman couldn’t identify even after several careful glances.

And that wasn’t even the strangest thing in the room.

That honor belonged to the pair of stairs located at the farthest corner.

One continuously moved upward. The other downward. On their own.

Aman stared at them for several long seconds.

“…Why?”

Who in the world looked at perfectly functional stairs and decided they needed improvement?

Aman slowly took in all the bizarre sights surrounding him, the image of some eccentric and absurdly powerful mage becoming increasingly solidified in his mind.

Eventually, however, his gaze landed upon the only normal object present within the room.

A map.

More specifically, a map of this section of the Emerald Forest remarkably similar to the one he himself carried.

Only…

There was one rather suspicious detail.

A section of the forest had been altered in this version of the map. And that altered portion corresponded exactly with the location of the anomalous mana fluctuations detected by the Arcane Tower.

Aman immediately narrowed his eyes. Now that was something.

He wanted to move closer and inspect the map properly, but first things first.

“Hello?” Aman called out cautiously, “Anyone here?”

Truthfully, he wasn’t expecting a response.

So imagine his surprise when strange noises suddenly echoed from above him. Something clattered loudly, followed by hurried footsteps. Then more clattering.

Aman instinctively took a step backward and subtly gathered mana into his palm as a figure suddenly appeared at the top of the moving staircase before rapidly descending toward him.

“Hello young man, welcome to the Pokécenter,” the man greeted cheerfully as he stepped off the moving stairs. “My name is Samuel Oak, though most people simply call me Professor Oak or the Pokémon Professor.”

He gave a warm smile and lightly adjusted the strange white robe he was wearing.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Aman blinked in surprise.

He had been expecting an enchanted construct or perhaps an irritated old mage yelling at him for trespassing.

Not…this.

At least Aman had gotten the old part correct.

Though admittedly, that didn’t mean much when dealing with mages. His own master was over a hundred and ten years old and could still beat his ass in a duel without breaking a sweat.

Aman’s eyes subtly swept across the old man.

All things considered, he looked surprisingly ordinary. Square face. Blue eyes. Graying hair. Slight wrinkles around his temples.

He wore a red shirt and brown trousers beneath the strange white robe draped over his shoulders.

Not wanting to appear impolite, Aman gave a respectful bow before formally introducing himself.

“Aman Sol, disciple of Master Aenul Sol, Tier III mage under the Arcane Tower of Aereston.”

He straightened himself slightly.

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“I apologize for disturbing your rest, Master Mage.”

“Oh nonsense. Come, come, it’s been a long time since I last met a fellow human.”

Professor Oak enthusiastically waved him over toward an empty table near the center of the room before motioning for Aman to sit.

A moment later, two cups filled with steaming liquid floated off one of the nearby shelves and gently settled onto the table.

Aman blinked.

His eyes remained fixed on the floating cups for several seconds.

“It’s tea,” Professor Oak supplied helpfully with a warm smile as he took a seat across from him, “Or at least a local variation of it. I found the leaves growing somewhere in the forest and thought it tasted pretty good.”

When Aman still didn’t make any move toward the drink, Professor Oak suddenly hesitated.

“…You do have tea here, right?”

“Ah, yes,” Aman answered quickly, “We have tea. My master likes his special blends imported from the capital, though personally I prefer the local cinna leaves.”

Even as he replied, however, his attention remained fixed on the shelf the cups had floated from.

Professor Oak followed his gaze before suddenly realizing the issue.

“Ah. Right,” The old man scratched the back of his head awkwardly, “Magic floating cups. I apologize. I’ve lived alone for so long that I may have forgotten what normal looks like anymore.”

Aman immediately shook his head.

“Ah, no, that’s not it. I understand the appeal of simple comforts powerful mages like to enjoy. My master himself commissioned an enchanted ice box simply so he could have chilled drinks available whenever he wanted.”

He paused slightly before adding, “I was merely surprised by your level of control.”

Professor Oak tilted his head.

“The way you manipulated the mana…” Aman continued carefully. “It was one of the most refined displays I have ever seen.”

And Aman genuinely meant it. The mana had moved so naturally and efficiently that he hadn’t even sensed any active spell formation. It was as though the mana itself had willingly obeyed. Even his master likely couldn’t replicate such effortless control.

Which meant the man sitting before him was almost certainly a Tier IV mage, possibly even a legendary Tier V.

Aman immediately resolved to be on his absolute best behavior and avoid offending the terrifyingly powerful mage in any conceivable way.

Professor Oak pretended not to notice how stiff his guest had suddenly become, nor the way Aman’s eyes subtly flickered around the room while cautiously sipping his tea.

Instead, the old man let out a hearty laugh in an attempt to dispel the awkward atmosphere.

“Well, your master certainly understands life’s true priorities. I have a feeling we’ll get along splendidly if we ever meet.”

Then, after taking a satisfied sip of his own drink, he added with a mysterious smile,

“As for my skill in mana manipulation… let’s just say I’ve had quite a lot of practice.”

Professor Oak let out a content sigh before leaning back in his chair.

“So then, Apprentice Mage Aman,” he asked pleasantly, “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

Aman’s eyes instinctively shifted toward the large map hanging on the wall before he cautiously explained his purpose.

“The nearest Arcane Tower of Brislin detected strange mana fluctuations appearing within this part of the Emerald Forest around a week ago during one of their routine scrying operations. The capital Tower believed it could either be an Apex Beast relocating into the area or perhaps a newly formed dungeon appearing within the kingdom borders, so I was sent to investigate.”

Aman hesitated briefly before adding, “I simply happened to stumble across your residence while following the road.”

Truthfully, the only reason Aman was revealing so much classified information to an unknown and unaffiliated mage was because he hoped to somehow convince Professor Oak to assist him. The old man clearly knew something about what was happening in this region.

What Aman had not expected, however, was the sudden excitement that appeared in Professor Oak’s eyes.

The old mage immediately leaned forward across the table.

“You people can do that?” he asked eagerly. “How?”

Aman blinked in confusion.

How long exactly had Professor Oak been living in isolation?

Granted, the modern scrying devices distributed throughout the Arcane Towers were relatively recent inventions, but according to Master Aenul, the art of divination itself had existed for centuries.

Or perhaps that was exactly what interested him. Maybe Professor Oak simply hadn’t expected the technology to become so widespread during his isolation.

“In the last decade,” Aman explained carefully, “the capital Tower has distributed scrying devices among the major Arcane branches throughout the kingdom.”

“They are primarily used to monitor atmospheric mana fluctuations in surrounding regions and provide early warnings for natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, dangerous beast migrations, and similar phenomena.”

Professor Oak suddenly frowned and quietly muttered something beneath his breath that sounded suspiciously like—

Sufficient technology my ass.

Before he could think further about it, Professor Oak’s expression had already returned to its previous calm and pleasant demeanor.

“I see. I see.” The old man slowly nodded, “Well then, you’ve certainly come to the right place.”

Aman immediately perked up slightly.

“I had a feeling that might be the case.”

Reaching into his satchel, he removed his own map of the Emerald Forest and spread it across the table. Pointing toward a specific region, he continued, “This is the area where the scryers detected the anomalous mana fluctuations.”

Then he gestured toward the larger map hanging on the wall.

“And I noticed that the corresponding section on your version of the map appears to have been… altered.”

Professor Oak followed his gaze silently.

Aman took a careful breath before continuing.

“If I may be slightly presumptuous, Master Mage, I would like to formally request your assistance.” He straightened himself slightly. “I do not know whether you possess any affiliation with the Kingdom of Mati, but a mage of your apparent caliber likely already knows far more about the situation than I do. If there is anything you would desire in return for your aid, please feel free to state your conditions.”