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

had started with 36, and now

be about 30 left near the

quite a devastating

more, the deaths mostly focused on the first two levels in

within expected parameters, but 80% of Early Ancestral Mages

What happened?

rare group trials

these kinds of trials were only open for Peak Ancestral Mages that had been in the Wilderness Hunt several

only left one

killed a lot of

But who?

of the three remaining Initial Ancestral Mages. After all, an Early Ancestral Mage couldn't possibly

to each other via voice transmission, trying to find out who it could

the three Initial Ancestral Mages had been at that level for quite

deals with other Clouds.

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

Mage was a notorious serial

Mage's biggest customer, and he specialized in a wide variety

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

requests to find certain extremely rare materials in the

would make no sense for him to kill so many other Clouds

judging from the auras of the first two

third Initial Ancestral

light-blue hair, and

that had asked the

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

knew that she had an Ice Affinity,

still

seen her

Mages also noticed all of this, and they moved

thankful that they had traveled mostly together

wanted to see if they could earn more by combining