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.

in total, and with the one they were waiting for, they would be

started with 36, and now they were

would be about 30 left near the end, but there were

a devastating

on the first

other three levels were still within expected parameters, but 80% of Early Ancestral Mages and 70%

What happened?

of the extremely rare group trials with a chance of

of trials were only open for Peak Ancestral Mages that had been

only left

killed a lot of

But who?

Mage

via voice transmission, trying to find out who it could

out that two of the three Initial Ancestral Mages had been at that level

a lot of money. She even had several deals with other Clouds. In exchange for her safety in the Wilderness Hunt, they would get a discount for purchasing any of the

her business, which was why everyone was quite certain that she hadn't

second Initial Ancestral Mage was a notorious serial trial

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

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

requests to find certain extremely rare materials in the right

to kill so

the auras of the first two Clouds,

the third Initial

a woman with light-blue hair,

Cloud that had asked the leading Bolt

Clouds concluded that she had joined just a couple

she had an Ice Affinity, but they hadn't seen her

still

a single Cloud had seen

noticed all

that they had traveled mostly

earn more