It's a Mistake
It's a Mistake
He wasn't the youngest, but Baize had earned the title of mage at a relatively early age.
Compared with other mages, the age gap could span grandparents and grandchildren. That was how outstanding Baize's magical talent was.
"How in the world did you twist the formula like this?"
Question marks practically floated above Baize's head as he examined my spell formula more precisely.
His expression betrayed confusion and disbelief while he scrutinized the formula I had deployed. He kept blinking even after studying it several times.
'Hm...'
Surprisingly, Baize's overall magical skill was... lower than mine. He couldn't interpret parts of the spell formula I had constructed.
'Well, I do have Mana Affinity, and I had to push Observation pretty hard...'
My magical skill was visibly improving. Mana Affinity and the Observation Authority synergized wonderfully. I still wasn't at a satisfying level, but I was standing out enough among the cadets.
Most of all, Baize was the type whose talent hadn't bloomed yet.
"It's so tangled that even manifesting it shouldn't be easy... and because you've lowered the stability so much, the probability of an error during manifestation is high. With luck, it just fizzles. If you're unlucky, you could suffer a backflow. Have you been recklessly throwing something like this around all this time?"
That was a rather scathing evaluation. Politely packaged, but in blunt terms, he was calling it useless, trash-grade magic.
And he wasn't exactly wrong. It was highly dangerous magic.
I had come close to losing my arm against Aerus because I messed up the slash adjustment.
'...But I had no choice but to modify it...'
I didn't regret learning magic.
Having a variety of spells made a lot of things easier. I used them often in daily life, as well as during camping and combat.
But against truly powerful enemies, ordinary magic simply didn't work.
The primary cause was my own lack of skill, but another reason was that my opponents were far too strong relative to my level.
Decent magic didn't help, so I had no choice but to push the output to the extreme.
[Yes, I've been using it quite a lot]
"How...?"
[Um...]
[Good mana manipulation?]
Baize wore a look of utter disbelief. At his stare, as if he were looking at a madman, I quietly swallowed my chagrin.
'Of all people, I don't want to be looked at like that by him...'
The 5th Iteration originally intended to attempt an orthodox mage route.
He started with the Unique Ability "Mana Manipulation" in his origin settings, and he aimed his hidden pieces and growth direction that way too.
When he entered the Tower in the first semester, the hidden piece from the Origin Egg came out perfectly for the build.
The Consumable Artifact — Order of Regression.
Its grade was Top-grade, the same as the Proof of Protection I was wearing, a precious treasure that any faction would designate as a strategic asset of critical importance.
Its effect was the modification of the body's internal circuits. Of course, since it's a human body, there are realistic limits to the modification, but I don't need to explain how insanely powerful that effect is for a mage.
'Something like Total Body Transformation from a martial arts novel? Or washing the marrow? Something similar, wasn't it?'
It's true for any superhuman, but especially for a mage, the circuits are as vital as life itself.
No matter how pure and vast the mana in your core, if the circuits that serve as the plumbing are inferior, only a thin trickle will flow.
No matter how talented you are in magic, if your circuits are poor, the spells you can manifest are limited.
That's why children of well-off families are fed precious elixirs in bulk, and professional mages are brought in to refine circuits that have just begun to form.
From an early age, enormous capital and care are poured into developing the core and circuits.
And even then, the results are often unsatisfactory.
Knowing all that, just how immense is the value of this Order of Regression?
Especially for the 5th Iteration, who had decided on the mage route, it was a truly priceless artifact.
The 5th Iteration had planned to raise his level a bit more, then seek help from a few mage characters to overhaul his circuits drastically.
He had definitely intended to advance along the orthodox mage route. He had a plan in place.
'If only it hadn't been for Baize Dietrich...'
That really was the plan... but then Baize Dietrich handed him a bizarre idea and the plan went off course.
What? If you could freely manipulate your circuits, you could actually make use of the circuits as a spell formula?
Then with a single simple motion, with one punch, magic would pour out at super high speed?
You could use Body Reinforcement Technique and high-output mana emission, and if you even leveraged the repulsion effect, the Body Reinforcement Technique's efficiency would increase exponentially, making you highly proficient in close-quarters combat too?
How could anyone resist that temptation?
And the very man who had dangled that temptation before the 5th Iteration was now looking at me with that expression. It was truly absurd.
[...Anyway]
[How can I raise the output further from here?]
I swallowed my chagrin and asked.
Baize hesitated for a moment and held back his words.
"...Raising the output further from here is really dangerous. It's already sufficiently high-risk."
[I'm not saying I'll apply it right away]
[I just want to keep it in mind as knowledge, since there might be a use for it later]
[Isn't that what study is?]
"That is true."
Baize, who had seemed to waver, nodded at my explanation and accepted it.
Why did he hesitate if he was going to agree so easily? He was a baffling person.
I shook my head again, as if to reassure Baize.
[It's fine]
[I won't die]
I'd tried something similar myself and didn't die.
.
.
.
When the time limit ended, Professor Friedrich moved on to the test without delay.
The test was simple.
First, Professor Friedrich would assess whether the Spell Workshop had been properly constructed and whether it could be maintained smoothly. Then the paired cadets would assume attack and defense roles respectively to confirm the workshop's performance.
"Now then, we will begin the tests in order. Cadet Hanna Brown, Cadet Nael Garcia."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"First, after confirming maintenance capability, we will evaluate attack and defense performance. Please activate your Spell Workshops."
The two cadets faced each other and activated their workshops.
- Whoom!
Mana surged forth around the two cadets. The mana formed spell formulas, and the various formulas interlocked like puzzle pieces, occupying the space.
"Maintenance confirmed. First, Cadet Hanna Brown will take the attack role."
"Okay!"
The named cadet immediately extended a hand.
"—"
- Whoomph!
With a brief incantation, a crimson fireball manifested before her hand.
It was a standard procedure, but the fireball manifested with the workshop's support displayed greater force than usual. Soon, the fireball was launched.
- Kaboom!
The fireball flew fiercely and exploded against a barrier that rose in the air to block it.
The barrier rippled like a disturbed pond. A thunderous roar and black smoke followed.
Without batting an eye, Professor Friedrich observed it and nodded impassively.
"Cadet Hanna Brown, your maintenance and attack are excellent. However, I see a few gaps in your structural formulas. Such gaps are vulnerable to Dispel Magic during an attack, so keep that in mind when constructing your next workshop."
"Yes! Thank you!"
"This time, Cadet Nael Garcia will attack."
- Shhhing!
"...Cadet Nael Garcia. Your defense in particular is outstanding. A very solid construction. However, the absence of a countermeasure is a major weakness for a workshop. I hope you improve this in the future."
"Yes! I'll improve it!"
The evaluations didn't drag on.
The paired cadets deployed their Spell Workshops, each taking one turn to demonstrate a defensive and an offensive spell. That was it. After that, an assessment followed.
It might have looked perfunctory at a glance, but seeing him pinpoint the workshop's weaknesses from just that one exchange naturally gave the impression of a true veteran.
Most cadets received quite a few points of criticism.
Of course, since it was the first lecture, that was inevitable. Both the cadets who were critiqued and the professor who critiqued them seemed untroubled by it.
Everyone here had the talent to enter Siyoram. This attitude was possible because they all had the confidence to improve from such feedback.
"Cadet Baek A-rin... your maintenance, support, attack, and defense are all excellent. I was particularly impressed by how you actively incorporated Azure Sea mana into the workshop's barrier."
"Yes, thank you."
A few cadets heard nothing but praise without any particular criticism.
Baek A-rin was a prime example.
Baek A-rin's Spell Workshop was indeed remarkable.
She seemed to have already built up relevant knowledge, as she had constructed the workshop skillfully and without gaps.
Her workshop perfectly blocked the opponent's attack, and in the ensuing counterattack, the opposing female cadet's workshop was frozen solid, with many of its functions halted.
- V-sign
Baek A-rin, who had been consoling her dejected opponent, suddenly turned this way and flashed a V-sign.
A hand gesture with the fist clenched and the index and middle fingers extended. It brought to mind the one I had made toward Hong Yeon-hwa that day... a rather embarrassing memory.
"......"
She didn't seem to care about the gazes around her in the slightest. Bombarded by odd looks from the surroundings, I quietly swallowed my chagrin and gave her a round of applause.
"Cadet Lee Ha-yul, Cadet Baize Dietrich."
[Yes]
"Yes."
"Please activate your Spell Workshops."
At last, it was my and Baize's turn.
We nodded and each activated our workshops.
- Whoom!
Mana surged in an instant, spreading outward and occupying the space. It wove together at a rapid pace, forming spell formulas. Formulas manifested and fit together like puzzle pieces, rising into the air.
"Hm."
Professor Friedrich let out a quiet hum. The professor's solemn eyes scoured my deployed workshop from end to end in a single sweep.
"...Manifestation was swift, and the deployed workshop shows no issues. Excellent."
[Thank you]
It was a brief evaluation, but no criticism followed either.
I must have built it properly according to the instructions. I felt relief, but no particular joy.
Following a manual. With the Observation Authority, it was an extremely easy process.
"Maintenance confirmed. First, Cadet Lee Ha-yul will take the attack role."
The professor, having also assessed Baize's workshop, spoke.
I was to attack first.
"...I look forward to it."
Baize faced me at a slight distance and swallowed nervously. His manner suggested he was quite tense.
I could understand. This was Baize, who had just examined my spell formula and given me advice moments ago.
He had felt the state of my mana and spell formulas, so he must have had a rough idea of my spell output.
I could feel Professor Friedrich's gaze.
He wasn't the only one watching. Baek A-rin, the cadets who had already finished their tests, and the cadets who hadn't tested yet—all of them were looking this way.
Under that collective gaze, I prepared the spell.
The spell I was preparing was a simple Mana Strike. Of course, I intended to use my modified version, not the original Source Record.
'Hmm...'
The advice I'd just received from Baize came to mind.
His overall magical skill was below mine, but I had gained something from him.
As the saying goes, a true talent can't be hidden. He was already outstanding, even with such unorthodox, fundamentally flawed magic. If I continued interacting with him and gathered more advice, it would surely be a great help.
'Turning circuits into a spell formula, huh...'
Circuits and spell formulas. In the end, both are frameworks through which mana flows. If you could manage to exploit that somehow, you could use your circuits as a spell formula.
I wasn't the only one who had that thought and attempted it. But all of them had shaken their heads, calling it insane.
Because you can't control it.
Mana is always flowing through the circuits, and controlling the conversion of all of it into magic was next to impossible.
And even if you could manipulate it, it would be a hundred times simpler and more efficient to just manifest it the orthodox way rather than taking such a roundabout, troublesome approach.
'Hmmmn...'
Mana manipulation.
For me, with Mana Affinity, it was as easy as breathing. Mana Affinity was a Unique Ability that made the impossible possible for others.
I moved the mana. My right arm extended as if taking aim. Mana traveled along the circuits to my fingertips.
...I didn't expel the mana outside my body. A small experiment. When else would I test this? By nature, such questions demand you test them head-first, through trial and error.
- Crrk!
With the feeling of my circuits twisting, I flicked my fingers.
'Mana Strike.'
- Shhrrk!
'Gh—!?'
The aftermath of the roughly torn wind pounded my skin. The slicing sound was so sharp it raised goosebumps, making my body shudder.
- CRAAASH—!
The slash erupted. A crescent-shaped white slash so immense that both edges gouged deeply into the ceiling and floor.
"Waaagh!"
Baize's Spell Workshop couldn't hold the slash for even a moment. The workshop was torn apart, and as if he had anticipated it, Baize didn't hesitate and hurled his body aside in a single bound.
Reflexively, I even exercised the Authority of Space to yank Baize to the side.
The slash didn't stop and slammed into the wall.
Shhrrk! The wall, reinforced with magical countermeasures, split like tofu. The cutting sound registered first, and then the slash drove deep into the wall.
"......"
The slash vanished, leaving massive gashes in the floor and ceiling. Beyond the torn wall, various severed facilities came into view.
I blinked vacantly.
- Sppplash!
The sound of liquid splattering echoed in my ears.
The horrified stares boring into me from all around.
[Oww]
And an ominous premonition... no, pain.
I swallowed and checked my right arm with Observation.
Flop-flop... my right arm, split into two halves, wobbled with that sensation.
It had been split cleanly in two, from between the middle and ring fingers all the way to the elbow. The cross-sections of the split bone and muscle were vividly visible from the outside.
Blood spurted out, pooling on the floor, and the torn sleeve fragments drifted down onto it, soaking up the crimson...
- !!!
Belatedly, the surroundings erupted into chaos. Soon, Baek A-rin came rushing over in a panic and poured Azure Sea Water Energy over my right arm.
'Ugh, uugh...'
In the middle of it all, I shivered—not from the pain, but from terror.
A flopping right arm. It hurt.
But I barely felt that.
More than that, what truly terrified me was the fury of the people around me, fury that would soon be aimed my way once they heard about this...
* * *
[The Tower Master of Knowledge is horrified!]
[Wha...]