"A designated mission? Me?" Drake pointed at himself, incredulous.

  He couldn't understand why the Wizard King had chosen him. While Drake intended to participate, the ck of expnation made him uneasy.

  His only interaction with the Wizard King had been in the bck market. Drake hadn't revealed the Wizard King's identity, and he hadn't even used magic when a thief stole the Wizard King's package—Sekke and Asta had apprehended the thief.

  The Wizard King, a magic enthusiast, shouldn't have noticed him. Yet, the Wizard King designated two people for this mission: Asta and Drake.

  Unlike Asta, who was excited about the Wizard King's attention, Drake felt uneasy.

  However, after setting off, Drake understood. He'd underestimated the Wizard King's abilities.

  Julius Nova Chrono was not only powerful but also adept at identifying and nurturing talent. He'd promoted Yami and Vangeance.

  Yami had said Julius saw things differently.

  Drake knew he was unique—his Dragon Syer magic and World Magic were unprecedented. It wasn't surprising that he'd attracted the Wizard King's attention.

  The Wizard King often gave dangerous yet important missions to promising individuals, allowing for rapid growth.

  This mission fit the bill: exploring the Magic Pace.

  The Magic Pace was an ancient tomb containing artifacts—lost ancient magic techniques or powerful magical tools.

  This world focused on Grimoire development; research into magic theory and magical tool creation were stagnant or regressing. The Diamond Kingdom might be an exception, ruled by magic schors.

  Modern magical tools were less diverse and powerful than ancient ones, sometimes capable of changing civilization levels.

  An undiscovered Magic Pace held significant potential. The artifacts were valuable for research or weaponry.

  Ancient civilizations often protected these artifacts with magic traps; exploration was usually done by the Magic Knights.

  This Magic Pace was located on the border of the Clover and Diamond Kingdoms. The danger came from both internal traps and potential encounters with Diamond Kingdom mages.

  The Diamond Kingdom wasn't a friendly neighbor; its resources were limited, leading to militarism. The resource-rich Clover Kingdom was a target.

  Cshes were frequent; a major Magic Knight task was fighting the Diamond Kingdom's army.

  The Diamond Kingdom wouldn't miss this opportunity and would send people to explore the Magic Pace. Defeating them was part of the mission.

  This mission wouldn't be given only to rookies; besides Drake, Asta, and Noelle, Yami assigned Luck Voltia as the leader.

  Luck possessed immense thunder magic, adaptable to various environments. He had exceptional magic power perception, the strongest in the Bck Bulls, making him ideal for detecting enemies and traps. Only he was suitable for this mission.

  If not for his personality, Luck would be highly sought after. His ughter was terrifying.

  Asta and Noelle finally understood how troublesome their senpai was.

  Finral teleported them to the border, where they found the Magic Pace.

  Initially, Luck was reliable, finding the entrance in the dark passage.

  The Magic Pace was awe-inspiring, with altar-like structures. The internal water system still functioned after countless years.

  No lighting was needed; luminous particles illuminated the pace. These were mana particles, visible due to their high concentration. The mana concentration was so high that space itself was distorted.

  The interior was rger than it appeared from outside, like a small city.

  Drake marveled at the mana. Abundant mana aided magic power growth, but excessive mana burdened the body. The Magic Pace's mana concentration was extreme.

  Drake sensed mana fluctuations throughout the pace—like countless vortices on a calm ke—magic traps. Luck likely sensed them too.

  Asta pounded the ground, menting his inability to sense mana. He was standing on a trap.

  A giant earth wall rose; Asta jumped back.

  Asta's five-leaf clover Grimoire opened; he used the Demon-syer Sword to cleave the wall.

  Drake now understood the traps' mechanism: pre-set magic activated by external stimuli.

  The traps themselves weren't remarkable, but the sealing techniques were intriguing. Drake wanted to study them.

  While Drake studied a trap, Luck pushed Asta onto another trap. He wanted to see the Demon-syer Sword's abilities but went overboard.

  He triggered more traps, including one in front of Drake. Luck's ughter and the constant magical attacks left the three exhausted.

  "Following this guy… we'll die!" even Drake thought.

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