I Became an Ancient All-Host Lifeform - Chapter 33

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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033 Into the Black Forest

Good heavens, what sort of farce is this in the dead of night.
Elina bowed her head repeatedly, apologetic for having roused the elderly couple from sleep.

“I’m truly sorry for causing such a disturbance at this hour. Please, don’t worry yourselves—go back to rest.”

The Village Chief and his wife nodded at Elina’s apology.

“Think nothing of it. Should you need anything at all, do let us know.”
“Holy Maiden, please rest well.”

The couple bowed to Elina and turned to leave.
Just as they were about to step out of the room—

Crackle!
“Oh my!”
“Eek!”

Oh, what a start! Right, of course—Gyusik was still here.
When the Village Chief’s Wife spotted Gyusik in the corner and shrieked, Elina cried out in alarm as well.

“What on earth—a rat?!”

As the Village Chief moved to chase Gyusik away, his wife stopped him.

“My dear, wait a moment. Look at the jewel on its head!”
“Ah. It must be the Divine Beast that helped us during the day. For a moment I thought—”

Gyusik and Bokgu, who had protected the villagers that afternoon, had by now come to be revered by the townspeople as Divine Beasts.
Thanks to this, both had undergone an overnight transformation in status—from subjects of vampire ghost rumors to venerated Divine Beasts.

“My goodness, what a fright. In any case, please rest comfortably.”
“Yes. Sleep well.”

Only once the Village Chief and his wife had withdrawn did Elina return to a reverent posture to face me.

‘Ahem. Blessed angel… I must beg your pardon for such an unseemly display. I’m afraid exhaustion got the better of me and I nodded off without realizing.’

It’s true—there was much to contend with today.
Beyond that, she must have expended considerable holy power healing the injured. It would be strange if she weren’t weary.
I am a merciful angel, after all; I shall forgive her momentary lapse in vigilance.

‘No matter. Now then, do you understand why I sought you out?’

An answer came that I had not at all anticipated.

‘Yes, of course. I believe you have come at the Goddess’s Divine Revelation.’

Divine Revelation? What revelation?
I was startled inwardly, but I let nothing show on the surface.
In the ways of the world, one’s best wisdom lies in appearing to know what one does not, and appearing ignorant of what one does.

‘Ahem! Indeed. I have come to heed the exalted Divine Revelation bestowed by the Goddess of Light. Tell me—are you well versed in its contents?’

She answered my shameless inquiry with utmost earnestness.

‘Of course, Blessed One. We came to this place to investigate the Revelation. To be honest, we were at a loss as to where to begin our inquiry, and now that you have graced us with your direct aid—’

What? I thought you were here to capture me and Gyusik?

‘Right then. I should test whether you’ve truly grasped the contents of that Divine Revelation. Recite it for me.’

At that, Elina spoke each syllable with deliberate precision.

‘In the Black Forest, new life shall take root.’

Hm? What’s that supposed to mean?

‘…And?’
‘That is all, my lord.’

That’s it? That’s all there is?
What kind of Divine Revelation is so short?
It’s shorter than a luxury brand advertisement slogan.

‘Ahem! Yes. Clearly you understand it well.’

I managed to bluff my way past the moment, but doubts wouldn’t leave my mind.
The Black Forest? Was it figurative language? Or an actual place name?
New life taking root there—but forests are always sprouting new life. Trees, grasses, so much of it already.
In any case, I’d need to discuss this Divine Revelation with Morgul later.
So, shall we move on to the main matter?

‘I now bestow upon you a sacred mission. From this moment forward, you shall spread word throughout the world of the miracles I have performed and my descent. This is the noble duty granted to you.’

At that, Elina’s eyes glistened with emotion as she spoke.

‘Yes, I understand! I shall dedicate my very life to fulfilling this mission entrusted to me!’
‘Excellent. A most admirable resolve.’

At my praise, Elina hesitated before asking.

‘Thank you. But… what should I call you? Other angels each have their own titles…’

My name? I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
And I couldn’t exactly give my real name to an angel.
But come to think of it, my species did have a name.

‘Ahem. Yes, angels have names too. So I am Pal—’

The moment I tried to give my species name, my words failed again.
What was my species name again? I remember it started with ‘Pal’, but—
Palantir? No, that wasn’t it. It was longer, starting with ‘Pal’ something.
That long, complicated alien name I’d seen in my status window while trapped in the corrupted ancient dragon’s corpse.
Pal… Pala… o…? What was it?
Ah, forget it. I’ll just make one up.

‘Palaeo. I am Palaeo.’

Upon hearing my new name, Elina tilted her head.

‘Pala… eo…? Hmm… I’ve never heard that before.’

Of course you haven’t.
I just made it up.

‘Then should I call you the Pharaoh…?’

Wait, did you get confused in the meantime?

‘No, it’s not Palaeo—it’s Palaeo!’
‘Oh! My apologies. Ahem. From now on, I shall follow the angel Palaeo!’

Sigh—should I really be entrusting the future of our order to this scatterbrained saint?

* * *

The next day.
The effects of the newly acquired Achievement “First Milestone” proved remarkably satisfying.
The fervent, blind devotion of the people of Debris Village converted in real time into mana for my true form.
So despite not practicing formal mana cultivation, I was able to gather enough mana to form a Mana Circle in short order.
Confirming this, Morgul began his formal magical instruction.

– Imagine your mana circling around your heart like a perfect circle. Then gradually, a Mana Circle will take root.
‘Hmm….’

I closed my eyes and visualized the image of a circle.
Then I felt the mana near my heart beginning to rotate slowly.
The mana, at first diffuse and hazy as mist, grew progressively sharper as it spun in a perfect ring.
And its speed quickened steadily.

Whoooosh?!

As the rotation accelerated, a fierce recoil swept through my entire body.

‘Ugh!’
Whoosh!

In that instant, I felt a distinct ring of mana complete itself around my heart.
The Circle spun violently—like a fan mounted on a CPU. Come to think of it, its function is pretty similar to one too.

‘Done it!’

As I cried out in delight, Morgul responded with evident satisfaction.

– Ahem. Yes. Now you have become a 1-Circle Mage. Ah, should I call you a Magic Parasite instead?
‘…Come on, I’m not a parasite.’

What’s a Magic Parasite anyway? Here I am, thrilled to finally be a Mage, and he’s needling me like this?

– In any case, if you properly master the incantations I teach you from now on, you’ll be able to cast instantly without chanting. Come to think of it, you said only the fire attribute awakened? Let’s begin the lesson at once!’

According to Morgul’s explanation, in this world, simply possessing a Mana Circle doesn’t grant you access to all types of magic.
Chantless Casting through a Mana Circle is possible only for the attributes a Mage has awakened and for neutral magic.
For attributes you haven’t awakened, you need a proper magical array and an incantation, he said.
In my case, I can only perform Chantless Casting with the attributes I applied to my true form using the Essence slots.

– Now then, shall we begin learning magic one spell at a time?

Morgul became the very embodiment of passion as he began teaching me.

– Listen, memorize the incantation I draw exactly as I draw it. When casting, you move your mana as though inscribing this incantation into your Circle. Do you understand?
‘Yes, I understand, sir.’

I did my best, in my own way.
Even in my school days, I’d always been fairly confident with memorization.
But trying it now, magic turned out to be something entirely different from that kind of studying.
It wasn’t a matter of theory or learning.
Of course that matters, but the most important thing is execution.
If we’re comparing it to the K-curriculum, this is “practical application”!

– Completely wrong! Again!

Ugh, he’s like those condescending piano teachers who screech at you every time you hit the wrong key.
I quit piano lessons in elementary school because that teacher wouldn’t stop nagging me about every mistake!
This feels pretty much the same.

– What are you doing now? Aren’t you concentrating? Heh heh… so you really do deserve to be called a Magic Parasite!

Every time I failed to cast Ignition, Morgul would launch into another round of nagging.
I still can’t believe he agreed so readily when I asked him to teach me magic.
This stubborn old man seems bent on using me as a stress relief for three thousand years’ worth of frustration.

– What do you mean by scattering the mana flow like that? You need to concentrate it on a single point and cast it with a bang! Good grief, you mindless creature!

But why is this geezer teaching so intensely? Anyone watching would think he’s a cram school instructor for entrance exams.
Thanks to the cantankerous old man’s brutal one-on-one coaching, I was able to master Ignition magic in no time.

Whoosh! Crackle!

Finally, a small flame bloomed before me.

– Ooh! Yes! That’s it!
‘Is that enough now?’
– The power’s still not enough for real combat use, but for a first attempt… it’s excellent!

What? So all that criticism was just because I hadn’t managed it yet?
Well, that means I’ve earned this petty old man’s approval, doesn’t it?
Hmm, maybe I have real talent for magic after all.

– Hmph, a day comes when even a parasite casts magic. Truly, long life shows all wonders. That’s enough for today.
‘Thank you for your time.’

Now that my magic lesson is done, I should ask Morgul about the Black Forest and the Divine Revelation.

‘Say, Elder. Do you know where the Black Forest is?’

– The Black Forest? That’s a vast forest located to the north of here. But why ask about the Black Forest all of a sudden?
‘Oh, the priestess mentioned Divine Revelation earlier. It was…’

I told Morgul about the Divine Revelation.
After hearing its contents, Morgul fell silent for a moment, then murmured.

– A Divine Revelation, you say… By the look of it, it’s not a fake.

According to Morgul’s explanation, Divine Revelations have descended at pivotal moments throughout human history.
They’re always vague and sweeping in their language, but when time passes, they prove eerily accurate.
So they shouldn’t be dismissed lightly.
Morgul continued.

– The Black Forest mentioned in the revelation is a vast woodland that sprawls across the northern reaches of the Magic Tower Territory. It’s always been a dangerous zone, teeming with grotesque and powerful monsters.

Powerful monsters swarming about? That’s actually good news for me, isn’t it? If I go there, I could secure even stronger specimens and genetic traits, couldn’t I?

– Not only that, but a very thick mana fog blankets the entire forest. Ordinary people would suffocate the moment they set foot inside. But for mages and monsters, it’s an ideal environment.

After that, Morgul rattled off his sales pitch for the Black Forest as if possessed by an insurance agent.
He said there were plenty of strong monsters there, and ancient ruins and treasures hidden away, too.
But why are you pushing so hard to get me to go?

– So let’s head to the Black Forest right now! Once I’m resurrected, I’ll give you everything you desire!

Ah, there it was. A mountain of reasons, but they all boiled down to one thing—his own resurrection.
No wonder this cunning old fox had been so enthusiastically pushing the Black Forest on me.

– My altar lies in the deepest part of the Black Forest. Once we reach that place, I can resurrect myself immediately.
‘Resurrect? Before, you said it would take at least ten years to manage that.’
– That was because I had to gather magical power from scratch! But if we go to the ruins where my altar stands, there’s no need for that. I have artifacts and treasures for use as sacred vessels, plus high-purity Mana Stones stacked like mountains!

Mana Stones? Probably a means of storing magical power.
The explanation was certainly tempting, but with him pushing so hard, I couldn’t help feeling suspicious.
What if this crazy old geezer backstabs me the moment he’s resurrected?

Still, there was genuinely a lot to gain from going to the Black Forest.
Gyusik and Bokgu had leveled up considerably lately, so hunting even low-level monsters had stopped being worthwhile.
And with all those Mana Stones and treasures just lying around… Well, it could all be exaggeration from that cunning old bastard, but still.

– What are you deliberating about? Of course we should go to the Black Forest for my resurrection! Didn’t you promise to help me come back?
‘Yeah, yeah. Resurrection, resurrection—I’ve got it hammered into my skull by now.’

When I gave my consent, Morgul repeated himself in an increasingly excited voice.

– Splendid! So we’re really going?
‘Yes! Let’s go! Absolutely, let’s go.’

I’ll play dumb and move on for now.
If Morgul does try to betray me later, I’ve got an ace up my sleeve—no problem there.
That settled it. Our next destination was decided: the Black Forest.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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