Chapter 61: The Mysterious Magic Tool

Looking closely, there was something like a small stone pillar standing among the tall grass in front of the building.

After a brief hesitation, Ren slowly approached and peered in.

A faint glimmer.

A soft, blinking kind of light. Somehow, the feeling of that light seemed familiar.

“…Is that… mana?”

It was like the sparkles Ren sometimes saw around his eldest brother Ryan’s arms and shoulders when he shot arrows. Or the glow that appeared when his younger brother Lewis used earth magic.

Ren had always thought it was mana leaking out.

And now, the same kind of light was coming from the small stone pillar.

There was a tiny hole at the top of the pillar. The light seemed to be coming from deep inside it.

Ren picked up a branch and poked the stone pillar. No reaction.

He carefully reached out and touched it with his finger. It was just stone.

Pulling away the tangled vines, he noticed the top part of the pillar seemed like a lid, separated from the base.

Gripping it with both hands, Ren tried to lift it.

Heavy—but it shifted slightly with a scrape.

“…Hup…”

Putting strength into it, the stone lid came off with a dull thud.

Carefully, he moved it aside.

Inside was a rusted metal cylinder-like object.

And several stone-like pieces wrapped with thread.

Some of the threads had snapped, leaving a few of the stones barely hanging.

Something about their shape felt familiar.

“…Magic stones?”

The dull, whitish stones peeking from the broken threads were indeed shaped like magic stones.

The central larger stone flickered faintly.

Ren suddenly remembered reading about tools that used magic stones in the study room.

“…Is this… a magic tool?”

It didn’t match what he had imagined from books, but the arrangement of multiple magic stones bound with thread definitely looked like some kind of magical device.

“If it’s a magic tool… what does it do? Is it broken?”

He picked up one of the pale, cloudy stones hanging by a thread.

He felt no mana from it at all.

Comparing it with the deep green magic stone of the Azure Wind Swift, he examined them side by side.

The Azure Wind Swift’s stone seemed to swirl with internal mana, like something flowing inside it. But the cloudy stone felt completely empty.

The central stone that had occasionally flickered only had a faint trace of mana.

“Maybe if I replace the magic stones… would it work? But if it’s something dangerous, I don’t want to…”

Imagining it suddenly bursting into flames made Ren grimace.

He carefully placed the stone lid back where it was, then turned his attention to the hunter’s hut covered in moss and vines.

It was obvious at a glance that it hadn’t been used in a long time.

And yet, it didn’t feel completely abandoned. The walls were still intact.

Inside, it looked like it could still barely protect someone from rain and wind.

Ren stood at the entrance and listened closely.

Only the sound of wind.

(…No one seems to be here… but if someone is living here…)

It didn’t look like a completely ruined building. The moss-covered stone walls seemed sturdy. Maybe someone was still using it.

If he went in without permission, he might get scolded.

Ren pressed his lips tightly together.

(Should I… knock?)

He stood in front of the vine-covered door for a while, hesitating.

The forest wind rustled the vines softly. A dry, rustling sound.

“…I-is anyone there?”

He called out.

His voice came out smaller than he expected.

No answer.

He took a breath and tried again, a little louder.

“Hello! Is anyone there?”

Still nothing.

Only the sound of trees swaying—shaa, shaa—made Ren flinch.

(…No one seems to be here…)

He slowly placed his hand on the door.

The wood felt damp and cold.

“Just… checking inside a little…”

As if making an excuse to no one, he gently pushed.

Creeeeak.

The door groaned open.

At that moment, Ren’s heart jumped.

What if something dangerous was inside?

That thought flashed through his mind—but curiosity pulled him forward.

He cautiously leaned in and peered through the gap.

Dark.

But no immediate sense of danger.

The stale air of the interior drifted out—earth, wood, and long years of stillness.

“…Just a little excuse me…”

Half anxiety, half curiosity.

Ren swallowed hard.

And slowly pushed the door open further.