Sword God in a World of Magic

"Oh, hey! You're still alive!" One of the Peak Ancestral Mages shouted to a Mid Ancestral Mage with a smile.

The other Ancestral Mage floated over and nodded. "Yep, and I also made quite a bit this time. I completed three trials."

The first Mage let out an impressive whistle. "Impressive," he said. "Anyway, did you get Maruda?"

The second Mage slowly shook his head. "Couldn't find him."

"Huh, he's normally one of the first ones that return. I thought that you got him," the first Mage said.

"Nope," the second Mage said again. "It would suck if he suddenly dies. I wouldn't get my payment and his wealth."

"Speaking of," he added as he looked at the gathered Mages above the surface. "I also don't see my contractor."

The first Mage shrugged. "Maybe they're still in a trial?"

The other Mage just furrowed his brows. Then, he turned to Lucin, who was looking at the ocean. "Lucin, who are we still waiting for?"

"There's one more Peak Ancestral Mage. She's choosing her rewards right now. I don't think it will take longer than a couple of minutes," Lucin answered.

When Lucin said that, several other Mages raised their eyebrows in surprise.

Wait, basically everyone was already here?

They looked at each other and counted.

Twelve Peak Ancestral Mages.

Two Late Ancestral Mages.

Two Mid Ancestral Mages.

One Early Ancestral Mage.

Three Initial Ancestral Mages.

Clouds in total, and with the one they were waiting for,

with 36, and

about 30 left near the end, but

a devastating death

more, the deaths mostly focused on the first two levels in

were still within expected parameters, but 80% of Early Ancestral Mages and 70% of Initial

What happened?

they enter one of the extremely rare group trials

were only open for Peak Ancestral Mages that had been

only left one other

killed a

But who?

Ancestral Mages. After all, an Early Ancestral Mage couldn't possibly kill that many Initial Ancestral Mages

via voice transmission, trying to find out

at that level for quite a time to accumulate power,

even had several deals with other Clouds. In exchange for her safety in the Wilderness Hunt, they

would be detrimental to her business, which was why everyone was quite certain

Mage was

was the first Ancestral Mage's biggest customer, and he

after the other, earning a lot of stuff which he would then mostly

took requests to find certain extremely rare materials in the right

for him to kill so

of the first two Clouds, they were

third Initial Ancestral

with light-blue hair, and

new Cloud that had asked the leading Bolt about the Deep Crevices

the Clouds concluded that she had joined just a couple of decades ago and that her

knew that she had an Ice Affinity, but they hadn't

that still held

even a single Cloud had seen her

other two Initial Ancestral Mages also noticed all of this, and they moved closer to

they had traveled mostly together this

if they could earn more by