Immediately after my question, various murmurs popped up amongst the villagers, who peeked out from their 'safe' hiding spots scattered all around us.

"Below this area? Is he talking about…

"

"It can't be… that place is forbidden!

"

"Our ancestors specifically sealed that place… it cost the entire village's mana in their bloodline… so none of us can even use magic anymore…

"

"This…

" The village elder looked down at the ground, hesitant. As if it was a secret he couldn't speak about, no matter what. Even if he died, it was a secret he would take to the grave.

But well… it wasn't just his life on the line here.

"I'm afraid you don't understand the situation you're in,

" I said, holding up my right hand, in which a powerful red orb of electricity was forming.

"I can destroy this entire village right now, wiping all of you out along with it out of the annals of existence. You either tell me and we part in peace, or I kill you all and then blast open the mountain myself. The choice is yours.

"

"I-I understand, great sir,

" the village head immediately kneeled on the ground, kowtowing before me.

"I will tell you everything… but I dare ask for a condition.

"

I narrowed my eyes.

"Oh…? Considering these circumstances… you still dare to ask for a condition? You have courage, old man. I respect and admire that. Stand up, and speak. What do you want?

"

The old man did as told, rising to his feet, and looked me in the eyes dauntlessly. It wasn't that he didn't fear me. No, he feared me just as much as everyone else in this village right now. But his sense of responsibility, his sense of duty as the village head, propelled him forward and fueled him with the temporary courage needed to speak with me like so.

"The place you are searching for is not as simple as just blasting this mountain open and heading down,

" the old man said.

"It is of a completely different dimension—far, far below the surface. It is still on this world, but it may as well be a new one altogether.

"

"And? Get to the point—what is your condition?

"

"… When you open the portal leading to that place, monsters, beings of pure evil will come leaking out of it. They will terrorize this village, and attack anything and everything they see. When that happens… I want you to protect us.

"

I considered the trade-off for a moment, then gave a nod.

"Very well. You have my word—I will not let any of those… creatures lay a single hand on you all. When I open the portal, just hide well, and don't be seen.

"

"Good. I trust in you, great hero,

" the village head said.

"Since you have agreed to the deal, then I will uphold my end of the bargain as well.

"

"But chief… that is…

" An old woman beside him urged, but he put an end to her words with a finger.

"Worry not. This young man is strong enough to take those beasts on. I am sure of it. All those years ago, when our ancestors used this entire village's manapool to seal that place… they—and all of their descendants, us—were left with barely any mana in our blood. It is not enough to cast any magic, but throughout the years, we have mastered a different technique: mana sensing.

"

"Oh? How curious,

" I murmured.

"What's mana sensing?

"

"Simply put, it grants us the ability to detect how strong someone's mana is, their elemental affinities, and the like,

" the village head explained.

"And you, great hero… possess a power I have never seen before.

"

So, in a sense, this entire village is kind of like how I used to be… I see. No wonder they're using such primitive weapons…

"I'll do my best,

" I said.

"But in any case… lead the way.

"

"Yes. Follow me.

"

*****

The village head led Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Axilia, and I past the village all the way up onto a cliff that acted like a cape. No one else came along, probably because they were too scared of what would happen once the portal opened or they were just eager to get as far away from me as possible. Probably both.

"Here we are,

" the village head said as he came to a stop.

Before him, a massive circular hole lay in the ground, like some sort of excavation pit. It was too deep to see the bottom, but one could definitely say falling in there wouldn't be a good thing. Around the perfectly circular hole, four pillars stood on each diagonal, connected by a ring of stone that was like a bigger halo hovering above the hole in the ground.

"This is… wow,

" Feng Mian breathed in awe, both at the structure and the scenery all around them.

This mountain was on the very border of Human Territory, so out from here, it was all just ocean and sea. This would make for an amazing stargazing spot at night, but unfortunately, they weren't here for stargazing.

"… Down this hole is the portal?

" I asked, and the village head nodded.

"Yes. However, to activate it, you will need two Fragments of Light, and two Fragments of Dark. Our ancestors scattered them around this region, so I don't know where their exact locations are, but… here is a map.

"

Saying that, he held out a sheet of paper to us with three locations marked on it, describing this region.

"Here is the first Fragment of Light—it was left in this village for protection,

" he continued, placing a marquise cut white gem in my hand. It was dull and didn't shine like I expected, but if the village head was giving this to me, it had to be authentic.

"Come back when you have found the rest of the shards,

" he said.

"They should be scattered around this region. Getting to them should be of no problem to you—to us, there are many wild beasts in this area and can kill us easily, but you have the power of magic by your side.

"

I nodded.

"We'll be back soon.

"

The village head bowed..

"May fortune be with you, great sir.

"