Chapter 210
Chapter 210
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 210
Chapter Title: Fire Ball
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“Yawn……!”
After giving Fail another round of training.
Having solidly secured the safety of Eloise’s group, I sat in the lab and stretched.
‘As expected.’
Planting Sun-yi next to Fail had been a stroke of genius.
I knew he’d eventually go and snitch someday.
But I hadn’t expected him to move so quickly.
“You little punk.”
The old man glared at me with narrowed eyes as I grinned contentedly.
“Why do you call, Elder?”
“It seems like these days you’re not using any other techniques and just swinging that club around……?”
“Hmm, well. This is the most direct thing you’ve been teaching me, isn’t it?”
The Supreme Azure Construction and Universal Creation Great Law was still in progress.
The old man’s technique of pounding various acupoints to loosen rigid energy channels.
And forging the constitution to make it sturdy.
Of course, by now I’d built up full immunity to it.
It still hurt a bit.
But after getting hit every day, I’d adapted to a certain degree.
“By the way, when does this Great Law end?”
I asked.
“With my energy channels now, they’re not just loosening smoothly—they’re practically melting away, aren’t they?”
“You punk, don’t you know learning has no end? You haven’t even reached fifty percent of my myriad arts yet.”
“You said it’d take about three hundred days…….”
“Think back carefully. I said it’d improve in about three hundred days, not that it’d finish within three hundred days.”
“…….”
Well.
It didn’t matter anyway.
No matter what, that Great Law had helped me progress tremendously.
It was just a bit of grumbling.
“By the way, about this Great Law.”
I asked the old man again.
“Would it work on Boneo—no, Arin?”
“You rascal!”
That was when the old man bellowed.
“Yes?”
“How dare you ask such a ridiculous question about hitting that child? Oh dear, it seems this master has failed in his disciple’s education by focusing only on skill! To think his character has crumbled away!”
“……Yes?”
No, Elder.
Why do you treat me differently from how you treat Boneo?
This is making me feel a bit hurt all of a sudden.
“Listen here, you.”
The old man crossed his arms.
“That child is a natural genius. Not a manufactured one like you—a true-born genius.”
“……Is that so?”
“Didn’t I tell you before? It’s just psychological factors blocking her growth. Does a child like that need the Great Law? Besides, using it on that little body could shatter her mind first. Geniuses aren’t invincible.”
“Hmm.”
In that case.
If we just remove those psychological factors……
“So go on, then. Go be with her. If she regains her full strength, this dungeon will be over, won’t it?”
“I’m not sure.”
The thing is.
This dungeon’s difficulty is rated as “Unmeasurable.”
With Sun-yi, I had to endure the hatred of the Sun Spear.
With Demir and Eldrin, I had to seal the Giant Dragon Drugen.
With Kaden and Dana, I had to become the Demon King of an entire world myself to minimize sacrifices.
So, with just being there for Arin.
Could I fully awaken her?
“Besides.”
I continued.
“Mental wounds fester deeper and more painfully than physical ones. Just being there won’t cut it.”
This was a hunch.
My intuition, which hits 100% in dungeons.
“For now, waiting seems best.”
“What exactly have you been waiting for since last time?”
“Until Arin comes to me herself.”
Like a kitten from the shelter slowly accepting the affection of a new owner.
“……What?”
“Until she seeks me out on her own. I plan to just help from afar.”
It meant checking if she was ready for treatment before treating her.
* * *
First, I organized the things I needed to learn.
「Fire Ball」
「Water Bomb」
「Healing」
「Sand Storm」
In three weeks, these were the basic spells the students had to demonstrate in the academic evaluation.
The magic I had to teach Arin.
「Healing」 could be approximated by mimicking Dana’s qi manipulation.
「Fire Ball」 was familiar since it was one of Boneo’s skills.
The rest were unfamiliar.
Someone who didn’t even know the “ma” in “magic,” with no skills, couldn’t possibly cast them.
So.
I’d actually spent the last three days subtly recruiting someone.
The most suitable person to help right now.
Silvia.
Slurp, slurrrp!
She was devouring the ramen I’d boiled for her like a woman possessed.
“Wow, seriously! It’s so good.”
Silvia’s eyes shimmered with emotion.
“This taste that never gets old no matter how much I eat……! How can food like this exist? Yes, this is a revolution!”
Slurp! Slurrrp!
Like in a commercial, she spat out her lines without stopping her chopsticks.
Really.
It must be incredibly tasty.
It had to be.
I’d lived in a tiny one-room, so while I couldn’t cook much else, ramen was my specialty.
“Eat slowly. We have plenty of time.”
“Yes, yep! Thank you.”
Appetite is one of humanity’s basic desires.
The great psychologist Maslow ranked it as the most fundamental need.
Slurrrp!
Fulfilling that desire, Silvia polished off even the broth cleanly.
One bowl of ramen.
Full clear.
I smiled brightly.
“Was it good?”
“Yes, yes. Really. How are all the dishes you give me so varied? How can noodle strands be this chewy?”
“Haha, they look similar but are subtly different.”
Of course.
I’d featured products from different companies each day.
“Want some tomorrow? This one’s really unique. Chapagetti…… If it suits your taste, it’ll be amazing.”
“Really?”
Silvia’s eyes sparkled.
“But there’s a condition.”
“……A condition?”
She flinched, her eyes turning wary at my words.
I continued without minding.
“There’s that F-Class academic evaluation magic. Show it to me up close.”
“Huh?”
Silvia tilted her head.
“Why? You’re applying to be a Magic Tower professor—you must know basic spells like that…….”
“…….”
Well.
That’s true.
“Just don’t ask why.”
I opened my mouth with the same smile plastered on.
“If you don’t want to, that’s fine. Can’t be helped. Chapagetti next time, I guess…….”
“W-Wait a sec!”
Silvia jumped to her feet and shouted.
“It’s not hard anyway. I’ll show you right now. Where? The training ground?”
This.
Was the power of great ramen.
* * *
Magic Tower 23rd floor, training ground.
Clunk!
As Silvia approached, the door of the dome-shaped capsule opened simply.
The dark interior was invisible from outside.
She strode in first.
“What are you doing? Hurry and come in.”
“Yes.”
As I entered.
Clunk!
The door closed again.
[The training room is activating.]
[Current occupants: 2.]
Whiiiing!
With the sound, the scene revealed was……
‘Whoa.’
A vast white expanse.
I’d wondered how training worked inside a capsule, but it was processed with spatial magic like this.
As I looked around curiously, probably like a country bumpkin.
Silvia smiled.
“Ah, it’s your first time at the Magic Tower, Professor Hoon, so this training room might be new to you.”
“Yes, well, pretty much……?”
“Hmm, the great thing here is that magic gets more destructive the higher the tier, right? Like Earthquake or Blizzard—they could level a city.”
Earthquake?
Blizzard?
Just the names sounded powerful.
“But here, you can practice completely safely. The space is isolated, so no matter what spell you cast, it doesn’t affect the outside.”
“Ooh, I see.”
Like that time I encountered ‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade).
Similar to the spatial separation that being used in front of the two dragons?
“Alright, as promised, I’ll show you right away.”
Swoosh.
Silvia slowly raised her staff in her left hand.
Woooong!
Mana rising simultaneously.
“…….”
I activated the Supreme Azure Heart Method as well.
What I had to do from now on.
Was to observe and memorize how the energies moved when she cast basic magic.
Rumble……
Silvia opened her right palm.
Above it.
Fwoosh!
A stream of fire ignited and began to gather.
“First up, Fire Ball.”
The compressed flames gathered and gathered.
Fwoomp!
With her gesture, it floated gently through the air.
Target: about 30 meters ahead.
Fwoosh, fwoosh!
The fire traced a parabola and flew.
Soon.
KABOOM!
It exploded with a thunderous roar.
Ahh.
So this is a ‘Fire Ball.’
Slightly smaller than Boneo’s version?
‘Still.’
I focused on feeling the flow of energy she used.
How it was done mattered more than the destructive power.
“Whew.”
Silvia exhaled lightly.
“How was that? Good enough?”
“Yes, that was fine.”
“Next is Water Bomb.”
As expected of someone who’d die before failing as a professor?
She demonstrated from Fire Ball to Sand Storm.
One by one, all four elements.
Water Bomb, forming a water orb and striking with hydraulic pressure, like Fire Ball.
Healing, using the power of life.
And finally, Sand Storm, blocking vision with a sandstorm while dealing continuous damage.
“These are the most basic spells Magic Tower students learn. They usually pick one attribute and master that. Kids who can’t even do these get F-Class and fail.”
“…….”
“Of course, as I mentioned last time, that student Andrew is a special case.”
“…….”
“Hm? Professor Hoon?”
As I sank into thought without responding, she asked.
I opened my right palm.
“Wait a sec, Silvia.”
Fwoosh!
Igniting fire simultaneously.
“Fire Ball. Show me one more time.”
The old man had clocked in his twelve hours and left.
Now it was time for me to figure it all out alone.
“Fire Ball……?”
Silvia raised her staff again to prepare the spell.
Good.
So, move the energy like that?
With Shadow Shepherd and all.
I’d trained in sensing energy before, so grasping mana flow wasn’t too hard.
I substituted it with sorcery.
Fwoosh, fwoosh!
Just like Silvia, streams of fire gathered wildly on my palm.
Fwoooosh!
Because it was my first time, it felt awkward?
The gathering power wouldn’t stay under control.
“Wh-What?”
Silvia’s eyes widened as she stared at the fireball growing on my palm.
“Eek? Wh-What Fire Ball is that big?!”
The startled her canceled her own spell.
Whatever.
I kept gathering the fire streams.
[The ‘Sealed Sevenfold Spirit Essences (4/7)’ activate.]
[You gain the Fire Essence effect.]
[The power of fire strengthens.]
“……!”
Crunch, crunch!
The fire streams.
Somehow compressing and squeezing into the narrow space.
It felt like they were packing in gooey.
The surroundings heated up, and Silvia frowned.
“Wh-What are you doing right now……?!”
Now.
Just throw this thing?
It was starting to feel a bit scary.
Crack, craaack!
No.
If I held on longer, it’d explode right on my palm.
Sweat slicked my hand.
Like holding a grenade with the pin pulled?
“Uh, uhhh…… J-Just throw it quick!”
As Silvia shouted urgently.
“Yes, one moment.”
Fwoomp!
The massive fireball flew with a heavy whoosh of wind.
Soon.
BOOM-KABOOM!
A massive explosion raged.
The endlessly compressed flames finally bursting outward in all directions!
“…….”
“…….”
Silvia squeezed her eyes shut.
Whoooosh!
The explosion’s aftermath whipped through my hair fiercely.
And the vibrations gradually subsided.
“This is…….”
Good thing it was the training room.
If it were outside.
It would’ve left a huge crater in the ground.
“A……Fire Ball……?”
Silvia’s stunned question.