The Frugal Mage

Miki's hand instinctively tightened around her sword hilt.

Rayven, of course, noticed the shift in her posture. It seemed as if she had noticed a problem just now.

However, he just cast his Detect Mana Source, but there wasn't any threat so far.

"You sensed something?" Rayven asked curiously.

Miki was also unsure as she looked around. "Hmm… Just a gut feeling. Something's wrong."

Rayven didn't question it. Miki's instincts were rarely off.

The corridor ahead was dim. The blue glow from their talisman had barely illuminated the walls of this cave.

Then, there was a faint sound that echoed through the corridor.

Skrrt… Skrrt…

Claws against stone.

Rayven raised his hand. "Hold."

From the shadows ahead, four four-legged beasts emerged.

Wolves? Dogs?

Rayven mused… Soon, they confirmed that their bodies were thin with yellow eyes. Their snouts were long and their pungent saliva was dripping from their mouth.

Thyruz narrowed his eyes. "Those are Spinejackals. Lesser-tier classification. Their mana flow's quite unusual. They're definitely affected by an unstable mana."

Rayven nodded. "They've absorbed too much of that mana I guess. Are they mutating?"

Miki stepped forward. "I'll take the front."

Nara flanked right with her blades already drawn. "I'll keep the second one busy."

Rayven extended his hand. "I'll suppress the rear two."

Thyruz raised his staff. "I'll shield Miki if they break formation."

The Spinejackals didn't wait.

In just a few moments, they pounced on the group!

Miki met the first with a sidestep and slashed upward…

Whoosh~

Her blade slashed through its shoulder, and the beast staggered but didn't fall… It actually twisted unnaturally and snapped at her leg!

Miki turned, avoiding the bite, and drove her sword into its spine.

Thud!

Nara, on the other hand, used her speed around the second…

She struck low, then high, using her dual blades, forcing the beast to retreat, but it didn't flee. It circled, waiting for an opening.

'Ho~ It's not just attacking on instinct…' Nara mused.

Rayven, on the other hand, focused on the rear two.

"Mana Pulse."

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. ]

A shockwave burst from his palm, disrupting their footing and scattering loose dust across the corridor.

Stun…

One of them stumbled, and Rayven followed up.

"Telekinesis."

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. ]

Rayven controlled his dagger and struck the Lesser Beast through its eye to pierce its brain…

Of course, he could still control the dagger for some time and maximized it to deal with the second beast.

He actually wanted to use Fireball for stronger firepower, but their current tight space told him that it was not a good idea.

Thyruz raised his staff just as the second Spinejackal tried to leap past Nara.

"Oh veil that shields the brave…

Minor Shell!"

A translucent barrier shimmered around Miki, absorbing the impact as the beast collided with her side.

Nara didn't flinch. She always knew that Thyruz was there for her…

With a sharp breath, she twisted and drove her blade through its throat.

Nara finished hers with a clean cross-cut, slicing through its ribs.

Just like that, silence returned.

Thyruz observed the lesser beasts that were killed so easily… Still, it doesn't mean that the beasts were weak.

"They were stronger and faster than expected."

Rayven nodded. "The unusual mana is probably affecting their instincts. But not completely… They don't feel pain. But could still act on instinct. They're not mindless."

Nara agreed to this. "That's true! That jackal knew to dodge my attacks."

***

Rayven crouched beside one of the fallen Spinejackals, inspecting the faint blue veins beneath its fur. The mana residue was still active. It was unstable, but not toxic.

He tapped the stone floor lightly with his knuckle. "The mana here is leaking from somewhere. It's not natural."

Thyruz nodded. "Agreed. The distortion mentioned in the report might've been a misread. This is raw, unstable mana, no signs of spatial warping like what the Dungeons have."

Miki glanced down the corridor. "Then we're close to the source."

Before moving on, Nara pulled out a short dagger with a hooked tip and crouched beside the corpses.

"I'll extract the cores. Might be small, but they'll add up."

She worked quickly, slicing through the base of the skull and chest cavities with ease.

Each core was faintly glowing, not even the size of a fingernail.

Rayven watched silently. He wasn't here to conquer the ruin or clear it out. His mission was simple… Investigate the mana anomaly, confirm the report, and return.

Still, every detail mattered.

He noted the coloration of the cores… Slightly darker than usual. That confirmed the mana instability was affecting internal flow, not just behavior.

Nara handed him one. "Want to keep a sample?"

Rayven nodded and tucked it into a small pouch lined with a cloth. "Could be useful for the Guild's analysis."

They moved forward, deeper into the ruin.

The corridor narrowed slightly, forcing them into a tighter formation.

As they continued walking, Thyruz paused and held up a hand. "Wait."

He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small charm. It was a mana thread detector.

He held it out. The thread twitched.

"Trap line," Thyruz muttered. "It's thin… It probably triggers a barrier or alarm."

Thyruz stepped forward and examined it further… "Old design. I can disable it."

He raised his staff and began a slow chant.

"Oh seal that binds the reckless…

Mana Severance."

A faint energy of mana passed through the corridor. Soon, the mana thread snapped silently.

Rayven nodded. "Good work."

They continued on, and soon the corridor opened into a wider chamber.

It seemed like they were exploring a dungeon, but Rayven felt that they were just entering a bunker or an evacuation shelter or some sort of escape route established many years ago…

However, the wide chamber or maybe a cavern that they entered changed his mind. They saw a platform in this chamber, and it seemed to have another purpose.

Miki scanned the edges. "No beasts… yet."

Rayven approached the empty platform carefully…

He placed a hand near the edge.

"Detect Mana Source…"

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. ]

A faint pulse responded.

Rayven stepped back. "It's not alive. But it's not dead either. Something's powering it from below."

Thyruz frowned. "Could be a sealed guardian. If it's Lesser-tier, we can handle it… even a Greater beast is possible. But if it's Elite…"

Rayven didn't answer. He was already calculating.

'Tsk…'

He wasn't here to fight everything. He wasn't here to conquer.

He was here to complete the mission and confirm the anomaly, retrieve evidence, and report back.

He turned to the others. "Let's check the perimeter first. If it activates, we need space to maneuver."

Everyone nodded. "Understood."