Shepherd Wizard

Chapter 95

Translator: Pai_

A few hours after losing consciousness as if fainting, Turan woke up feeling someone tapping his cheek.

Bije was carefully poking him with her beak.

"Bije."

[Does it hurt a lot?]

Bije lifted the stone tablet from the large-capacity pouch, showing pre-written words.

Seeing this, Turan unknowingly burst into laughter.

"Not too much, just a little… Ugh."

As he tried to sit up, a stinging pain spread all over his body, as if he had been severely beaten.

Not only had he repeatedly used high-speed movement by exploding the Spirit of Fire beside his body dozens of times, but at the end, he had also violently slammed his entire body against the walls inside the Great Sea Serpent's skull. There was no way he could be unharmed.

'I didn’t notice while fighting because of the adrenaline… but I must have sprained quite a few places. It’s going to take a while to heal on its own.'

Of course, if he consistently took the healing potion magic artifact, he would recover in no time.

But before that, he needed to treat the serious injuries of his other companions first.

"How are your wings?"

[They're fine!]

"Can you fly?"

At Turan’s concerned words, Bije attempted a quick spin in the air but let out a sharp cry and landed immediately.

"Take it easy. I'll look at your wound again later."

[Okay…]

After that, Turan woke up his two unconscious companions one by one.

Solif, who was only exhausted from excessive magic power consumption and fatigue like himself, woke up quickly. However, it took quite a bit of time for Meisa to open her eyes.

"Where are we?"

"We’re still on the same island. How do you feel?"

"I… I thought I was dead."

"You almost were."

Recalling how her lower body had been completely severed at the last moment, Meisa looked down with a somewhat fearful expression.

Then, seeing her intact legs, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness…"

"Let me check your wound for a moment."

"Okay."

The defensive magic artifacts Meisa used, including her favorite coat, had all lost their power.

It was a huge loss, but considering that those items had saved her life, it was a small price to pay.

After all, no matter what, a lost life could never be recovered.

Carefully lifting the torn clothing, he found a long scar encircling her body just below her navel.

Seeing this, Solif clicked his tongue.

"Wow, it’s a miracle you’re alive. Didn’t we just patch the cut without properly reconnecting the internal organs?"

"That’s actually what I am worried about. Try moving a bit? I checked that blood is flowing, but I don’t know if you can walk."

"Hmm… Yeah, I can't move it at all."

After lightly poking and pinching several spots, they confirmed that Meisa’s lower body was only attached but completely non-functional.

It seemed the nerves hadn't healed properly during the recovery process.

Even after making her drink another healing potion, there was no sign of improvement.

The wound had been sealed, but fundamental healing required a stronger recovery ability.

"I wonder if we should call that girl who fixed me back then? Even at her level, it would take quite a while though..."

"It's fine. I can move using flight magic anyway."

To prove her words, Meisa immediately used levitation and flight magic to lift herself and glided smoothly over the ground.

Indeed, having used these abilities far longer than Turan, her proficiency was exceptional.

"If I practice a bit, I might even be able to mimic walking."

"But you can't live like that forever. And there could be problems with your internal organs, so we need to find a way to heal you quickly."

Turan had Meisa sit down and carefully examined the wound.

Perhaps because a lower-tier healing potion had been used, the joined area didn’t feel very secure.

It felt like a broken mast that had been forcibly patched together.

Since he couldn't be sure her internal organs had fully reattached either, they needed to find a treatment as soon as possible.

"In that case, we need to absorb the Great Sea Serpent’s corpse first. Speaking of which, what happened to it?"

"They said they’d bring it to the beach. I just woke up, so I haven’t seen it yet."

"Let’s go quickly! If some passing magical beast eats it, I’ll be so pissed I might just die from anger!"

Turan lightly waved his hand to stop Solif from making a fuss.

"It’s fine. The merfolk are guarding it."

"Really?"

From about a few hundred meters away on the beach, he could sense the concentrated energy of the Great Sea Serpent's remains and the presence of a merfolk nearby.

It was just one merfolk, but in the middle of the North Sea, the chances of an enemy appearing who could rival a royal merfolk were almost nonexistent.

"They need the corpse anyway. More than that, I’m worried that if Meisa absorbs more magic power, it will become even harder for her to recover..."

She was already too powerful for healing potions to work effectively. If she absorbed the magic power of the Great Sea Serpent and became even stronger, then she might truly be unable to heal without the help of a high-level healer.

"You don’t need to worry about me. It’s not like I’m going to die right away. Besides, if a revived undead spirit's magic power isn’t absorbed quickly, it scatters and disappears, right? After all that effort, we deserve a reward."

Meisa said with a calm smile.

*

After finishing their discussion, the three of them moved straight to the eastern shore.

The area, which had been completely devastated by the Great Sea Serpent's final cries, was now eerily still, with the corpse of the once-revered sea monster lying motionless.

"I can't believe we actually killed something like this..."

"Even seeing it, it doesn’t feel real."

Turan silently agreed with Solif and Meisa’s murmurs.

The Great Sea Serpent's body, now lifeless for the second time, looked similar to when they had first seen it in the ocean. But facing it again after having fought it themselves made the sight all the more overwhelming.

At that moment, someone who had been sitting atop the serpent’s head leaped down and approached them.

"What, you're finally awake? Looks like even powerful humans get weak when they’re exhausted."

"It was a fierce battle, after all. Where are the other merfolk?"

The young merfolk royal guarding the corpse was Kolova, the sea turtle who had once gotten scolded for speaking too carelessly.

"They’re all resting in the nearby waters. It’s better for us to be inside when we’re exhausted. Since I’m the only one still fine, I’m the one stuck out here. Hurry up and absorb that magic power. I’ll go fetch my father."

At the prince’s clearly annoyed tone, Turan nodded and turned to his companions.

He could see the anticipation and desire in their eyes.

"Alright, let’s begin."

"Yeah."

Approaching the massive corpse of the Great Sea Serpent, the three of them and one magical beast immediately began absorbing its magic power.

A vast amount of green energy surged out and seeped into their bodies.

"Ah."

At that moment, Turan noticed that a portion of the magic power was flowing into the Mimic Relic.

Normally, a magical beast’s magic power wouldn’t be absorbed into an artifact while it was being worn. Could it be because the spirit of the god that was mixed in with it?

Realizing this, Turan quickly tried to take off the relic.

The most efficient number for magic absorption was four.

If this continued, not only he but also Solif, Meisa, and Bije would receive less magic power.

However, Meisa and Solif, who were standing nearby, grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Why?"

"Just leave it be."

"There might be some beneficial effect."

Their reasoning was that if the divine magic power from the artifact's origin was infused, it could result in some kind of positive influence.

If it was just absorbing the Wave Rider and Mimic's magic power, it would be a meaningless loss.

Turan was about to argue, but before he could, an immense impact struck his mind, making him lose his chance to respond.

"Urgh."

"Haaah..."

The gasps of shock and groans from the others barely registered in his ears.

The Great Sea Serpent's magic power delivered an indescribable sensation, one beyond anything of this world.

It felt as if his bones, muscles, flesh, and nerves were burning away, only to be reconstructed anew.

Compared to this, all the magic absorption he had experienced before was nothing more than child's play.

Originally, Turan's magic power had been on the lower end among the highest-ranking nobles, but in an instant, it surpassed the mid-tier level of someone like Solif, climbed into the upper tier, and finally reached the absolute peak, matching Meisa’s level at the highest of the high ranks.

Just like when his bloodline had been unlocked in the past, he heard a metallic clank, as if something had reached its limit and then broken free.

Even after that, Turan's magic power continued to rise, eventually surpassing Meisa’s and reaching a level somewhere between the highest-ranking nobles and the heads of great noble houses. Only then did his growth finally stop.

"Ah…"

Turan wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and turned his gaze to his companions.

Solif clenched and unclenched his fists as if unable to contain the overflowing power within him. Meanwhile, Meisa had collapsed to the ground, unable to maintain her flight magic.

Both of them had grown beyond their previous limits, reaching a realm far beyond that of ordinary high nobles.

Meisa was now strong enough to at least put up some defense against Osel Lavitas, the weakest head of a great noble house that Turan had encountered. Solif was slightly weaker than her but still stronger than Turan.

Turan had been worried that one of them might hit their limit during the process. However, as expected of those chosen as vessels of the gods, they seemed to have the potential to grow into house head-level figures.

[Turan! Turan! I felt amazing! So much!]

Even Bije, who was making a fuss, had undergone rapid growth in just a short time.

Now, she possessed the magic power of a highest-ranking noble, similar to the heirs of great noble houses, just like Turan had before this battle.

If a magical beast with this much power appeared, people would undoubtedly declare it a mythical-class beast and panic.

Ordinary noble families would have no means to deal with it and would have to summon the armies of great houses.

‘At this level… I might even be able to fight against Aravion.’

He still wasn’t confident that he could defeat the mighty Thunder Lord, but at the very least, he had reached a point where ordinary nobles who weren’t possessed by gods felt like mere weaklings.

He only had a brief moment to enjoy that realization before noticing a change within his two companions. Turan observed them carefully.

"Why are you looking at us like that?"

"Both of your symbols have changed."

"What?"

"Did you hear any sound from your body?"

"A sound…? Now that you mention it, I heard a sharp snap, like a tree branch breaking."

"For me, it was the sound of glass shattering."

Solif, who originally had a glowing white hand and a fireball as his symbol, now had a shield added to it.

That was undoubtedly the symbol of the Guardian Bloodline, something Turan had seen before from his old martial arts teacher, Haram.

As for Meisa, next to her storm clouds, a white anvil and a black hammer had appeared, the symbols of the Enchanter Bloodline.

If a clenched fist were to grasp and swing those, it would likely show power similar to what he had seen from the head of House Aravion in the past.

When he pointed this out, both of them looked visibly shocked.

"Enchanter…? Me?"

"I have the Guardian Bloodline? But I have nothing to do with it."

"It’s one of the four bloodlines of the Silver Sun. Maybe it's some secret about your birth."

"You bastard, don’t just go talking nonsense about my parents."

Solif grumbled, but he didn’t outright deny the possibility.

Unlike Meisa, who was the daughter of a house head, Solif was born to an ordinary noble couple, making it easier for his origins to have been manipulated.

While Meisa used a magic spell to check the functions of her lost magic artifacts and Solif knocked on his own chest to test his newfound durability, Turan raised a hand toward the sky, now completely clear of clouds due to the disappearance of the storm spirit.

Crash!

A single bolt of lightning struck the ocean, sending a deafening boom across the air.

‘It’s complete… The Storm Bloodline.’

Normally, summoning such powerful lightning from a clear sky would require an immense amount of energy.

Yet now, the amount of magic power Turan used felt no different from calling lightning on a stormy day.

Not only that, but he could precisely control the strike down to a matter of centimeters.

At last, he had fully awakened the final bloodline magic of lightning.

As Turan continued practicing various applications of his new power, wrapping his body in lightning as a protective barrier, shaping it into a serpent to move at his command, Meisa, noticing this, asked,

"You’ve finally mastered lightning too?"

"Yeah. It’s definitely convenient. I can see why Aravion wizards don’t bother learning multiple attack spells."

Compared to wind magic, which was notoriously difficult to use for direct attacks, lightning magic was absurdly powerful and straightforward.

Its only drawback was that, like fire magic, it was weak against defenses created through earth-altering magic.

On top of that, it was ineffective against enemies submerged in water.

"So, did you all check your abilities?"

"Yeah. I can use enchantment magic now. It’s something I’ve never practiced before, so I’ll need some training to use it properly."

"You can contact Ashiz later and ask him for some tips. Solif, what about you?"

"For starters, my strength has increased like crazy. Want to see?"

The moment Solif gripped Turan’s hand and pulled, Turan’s entire body was effortlessly dragged toward him without resistance.

"Wow."

"Amazing, right?"

Solif had always been small but solidly built, with strong magic power, making him naturally a bit stronger than Turan.

However, the sheer difference in strength was far beyond what it had ever been before.

"I still need to test my defensive abilities more, but… yeah, I’m sure it’s improved a lot."

Originally, Solif already had the exceptional offensive power of the Sun Bloodline. Now, with the addition of the Guardian Bloodline, he had gained defensive prowess and close-combat capabilities.

In terms of pure offense and defense, he was undoubtedly the strongest among them now.

His only real weakness was mobility and support abilities or rather, his complete lack of them.

In this battle alone, he had been unable to fly, forcing him to take on a support role in the rear after Bije was injured.

"I wish I had gotten something like that instead of Enchanter Bloodline."

Meisa muttered to herself, then abruptly shut her mouth.

She seemed to realize that complaining about her new power was disrespectful to the mother who had passed it down to her.

Their conversation about their newfound abilities was short-lived, as soon after, they sensed multiple presences rising from the sea.

Moments later, the merfolk, led by their king, surfaced en masse.

"Kind-hearted devil! You survived!"

"Yeah, I made it."

Turan greeted Armania, who beamed at him, and casually scanned the gathered royal merfolk.

The absence of several members was noticeable, particularly the octopus Makun, the king’s eldest son, and a few others who had perished.

Of course, he didn’t feel particularly regretful about their absence.

When he had first staggered onto the island, exhausted and barely alive, the merfolk king’s gaze had been unmistakably calculating, measuring him.

If their forces had remained intact, and if Turan hadn’t planted the suspicion that he was a vessel of some god, he and his companions might have been slaughtered right then and there.

Now, with his usual stoic expression, the merfolk king pressed down on Armania’s head and spoke.

"So, have you finished harvesting?"

"More or less."

"Then it’s time for us to take our share."

Turan carefully assessed the strength of the merfolk king and the royal merfolk, as well as the abilities of his own group.

None of them were in perfect condition, but they had all grown significantly stronger than before, while the merfolk, in contrast, had weakened.

If a battle were to break out here, victory was certain.

However.

"As promised, I’ll yield the corpse to you."

"Hm, fair enough."

The merfolk king gave him a probing look, as if testing him, but in the end, he did not attack. That meant their agreement remained intact.

Besides, allowing them to absorb the Great Sea Serpent's power could work in their favor in the long run.

Led by an enormous whale, the royals transformed into various large sea creatures and began dragging the Great Sea Serpent’s corpse from the beach into the ocean.

Lastly, the young shark, Armania, waved his fin in farewell before disappearing beneath the waves.

"Whew, it’s really over now..."

"More importantly, how are we going to leave this island? The ship got wrecked during the fight, and Bije's wings aren’t in the best shape either. Maybe we should’ve asked them to drop us off at the nearest island?"

"Bije isn’t too badly injured. If she keeps taking the healing potion, she’ll recover soon."

Bije flapped her wings, as if to reassure them, but let out a small chirp when the broken part throbbed with pain.

As Turan patted the whimpering creature, Meisa, who had been watching, suddenly spoke up.

"By the way, what happened to it? The Sacred Relic."

"Oh, right! I completely forgot. I hope it was worth sharing our magic power with it."

Urged by his companions, Turan quickly retrieved the sacred relic hanging from his chest.

At first glance, it looked unchanged. But as he pressed the protrusion to open the lid.

"Huh."

"What is it?"

"The inside... it's different."