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.

the one they were

started with 36,

about 30 left near the end,

was quite a devastating

on the first two levels in the

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

What happened?

one of the extremely rare group trials with a

were only open for Peak Ancestral Mages that had been in the Wilderness

left

killed a lot of

But who?

was probably one of the three remaining Initial Ancestral Mages. After all, an Early Ancestral Mage couldn't possibly kill that many Initial Ancestral

talked to each other via voice transmission, trying to find

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 in the Wilderness Hunt, they would get a

which was why everyone was quite certain that she

Initial Ancestral Mage was a notorious

first Ancestral Mage's biggest customer, and

completed one trial after the other, earning a lot of stuff which

requests to find certain extremely rare

to kill so many other

judging from the auras of the first two Clouds, they

third Initial

was a woman with light-blue hair, and they

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

had joined just a couple of

had an Ice Affinity, but they

that still

a single Cloud had seen her fight in the

two Initial Ancestral Mages also noticed all of this, and they

that they had traveled mostly together

if they could earn more by combining their