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.

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

with 36, and now they were

expected that there would be about 30 left near the end, but

a

mostly focused on the

parameters, but 80% of Early Ancestral Mages and 70% of Initial Ancestral Mages

What happened?

one of the extremely rare

Peak Ancestral Mages that had been in the

only left one

had killed a lot

But who?

After all, an Early Ancestral Mage couldn't possibly kill

Mages talked to each other via voice transmission, trying

three Initial Ancestral Mages had been at that level for quite a time to accumulate power, and they had always been

lot of money. She even had several deals with other Clouds. In exchange for her

why everyone was quite certain that she hadn't been the

Ancestral Mage was a

customer, and he specialized

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

certain extremely rare

no sense for him to kill so many other Clouds

auras of the first two Clouds, they were not happy

left the third

was a woman with light-blue hair, and they all remembered

asked the leading Bolt about the Deep Crevices

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

Ice Affinity, but they hadn't seen

that still

a single Cloud had seen her fight in the Wilderness

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

were thankful that they had traveled mostly together

wanted to see if they could earn more by combining their