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 waiting

with 36, and now

there would be about 30 left near the end,

a

mostly focused on the first two levels in the

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

What happened?

of the extremely rare group trials with

open for Peak Ancestral Mages that had been in the

only left one other

had killed a lot

But who?

Early Ancestral Mage couldn't

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

the end, it came out that two of the three Initial Ancestral Mages had been at that level

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 discount for purchasing any of the trial

which was why everyone

second Initial Ancestral Mage was a notorious

and he specialized

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

to find certain extremely rare materials in the

no sense for him to kill so many other Clouds since that

the first two Clouds, they were not happy about

third

light-blue hair,

Cloud that had asked the leading

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

Ice Affinity, but they hadn't seen

still held

had seen her fight in the

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

that they had traveled

if they could earn more by combining their