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.

one they were waiting

36, and

would be about 30 left near the

was quite a devastating

focused on the first two

still within expected parameters, but 80% of

What happened?

rare group trials

open for Peak Ancestral

only left one other

had killed a

But who?

After all, an Early Ancestral Mage couldn't possibly kill

each other via voice transmission, trying to find

that two of the three Initial Ancestral Mages had been at

had several deals with other Clouds. In exchange for her safety in the

why everyone was quite certain

was a notorious serial trial

Ancestral Mage's biggest customer, and he

one trial after the other, earning a lot of stuff

find certain

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

auras of the first two Clouds, they were

third Initial Ancestral

a woman with light-blue hair, and they all

new Cloud that had asked the leading Bolt about the Deep

she had joined just a couple of decades

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

still held

single Cloud had seen her fight

other two Initial Ancestral Mages also noticed all of this, and they moved closer to

had traveled mostly together this

earn more by combining