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,

with 36, and now

expected that there would be about 30

quite a devastating

the deaths mostly focused on the first two levels in the Ancestral Mage

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

What happened?

rare group

for Peak Ancestral Mages that had been

left one other

a lot

But who?

Early Ancestral Mage couldn't

Peak Ancestral Mages talked to each other via voice transmission, trying to find

it came out that two of the three Initial Ancestral Mages had been at that level for quite a time to accumulate power,

and noting down locations of trials to make a lot of money. She even had several deals with other Clouds. In exchange for her safety

be detrimental to her business, which was why everyone was quite certain that she hadn't been the

Mage was a notorious serial

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

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

even took requests to find certain

sense for him to kill so many

auras of the first two Clouds, they were not happy about this

left the third Initial Ancestral

was a woman with light-blue hair, and they

the new Cloud that had asked the leading Bolt

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

that she had an Ice Affinity, but they

still held

seen her

all of this, and they moved closer

that they had

could earn more by combining their businesses this