Chapter 110 - Infiltration

I Found the Altar

All right. Where to go from here?

I walked around the forest, all the while paying careful attention to my Mana Invisibility so it doesn’t drop in power. Though I already have a rough idea where the altar is.

Since it’s a secret facility, it should be in a place where ordinary people can’t get access to easily. Also to make sure no one spots them as they bring in the slaves, there shouldn’t be any roads nearby. There are only a few places that satisfy these conditions.

As I was headed to one of these places…

A Mana Detection Rod…

A rod stood in the middle of the forest, with a magic gem on its tip. A Mana Detection Rod is a magic item with a basic Magic Search function. If someone gets close, it detects their mana and lets out an ear-piercing alarm. Right now I’m using Mana Invisibility so it doesn’t detect me. Otherwise, I would’ve been busted already.

Magic Search is a spell not included in the public list released by the guild. In other words, someone who knows uncommon Skills – perhaps the Garden of Despair – created this magic item.

A trap like this suggests that I’m close. I advanced once again through the dark.

After a while, I spotted guards. They looked like adventurers, but the look in their eyes was different. Eyes not searching for prey, but watching the surroundings warily.

There were about thirty of them. Not one of them noticed me with my Mana Invisibility on, but they looked to be on high alert.

So security is tight even at this hour…

The Bloodstone Ritual can only be performed during sunset. They shouldn’t be using the altar right now. Yet the place was still heavily guarded. Security is probably much tighter right before a ritual and while it’s ongoing.

Also…

I can see why detectives don’t come back alive…

I gazed at the rod standing in the middle of the woods. It had a magic gem on its tip and looked just like the Mana Detection Rod, but it was actually a different kind of item. This one was called a Magic Detection Rod. It detects spells activated beforehand even a kilometer away and immediately identifies the location.

The spell it’s supposed to detect is probably “Vanish”. Vanish is much more stable than Mana Invisibility and allows for quicker movements. The caster can also use small spells. In exchange, it consumes mana and items like that rod can detect it easily.

Since this world doesn’t know of Mana Invisibility, the detectives most likely use Vanish. And then the Magic Detection Rod is triggered. Quite some security system they got here.

I weaved through the guards slowly, moving a few meters every minute. With this many men, a slight fluctuation in my Mana Invisibility might get me busted. After an hour of moving slowly…

There it is…

I finally found my destination. A heavily-guarded black altar in the middle of a forest. The altar used for the Bloodstone Ritual.

All I have to do now is wait for them to bring in the slaves and perform the ritual. Right now it’s around 1 in the morning. Sundown will be around six in the evening… so I have 17 more hours to go.

I sat down in a cross-legged position to make sure my body doesn’t move. I adjusted my breathing, lessening it just barely so I don’t start gasping for air.

It’s not like I’m resting. To maximize the use of Mana Invisibility, being completely still is necessary.

17 more hours… That’s quite a long wait.

It’s not wise to sneak in right before the ritual when security is tight. Even if I used Mana Invisibility and moved very slowly, the slight fluctuation in my spell while I move will be enough to spot me.

Which is why I chose to sneak in in the middle of the night, when the security is less strict. I’ll just lurk here, waiting for them to perform the ritual. Unlike normal spells, Mana Invisibility barely used up mana. It’s possible to keep this up for 17 hours straight.

Mana Invisibility is a basic spell for a Sage. But depending on how you use it, the result could differ greatly. It’s necessary for a Sage not to just fire flashy spells all over the place. They should also be able to make the best use of normal magic.