Chapter 200
Chapter 200
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: A Special Meeting at the Association Headquarters (6)
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Looking back, it was a pretty risky move.
I'd given it a fittingly childish name... Psychokinetic Forehead Flick MAX.
In truth, it was nothing more than psychokinetic energy compressed to its absolute limit at a single point.
It had enough power to shatter concrete with ease, but to think I'd placed it on my palm.
That was practically the same as clenching a grenade and throwing a punch.
Of course, I could use my psychokinesis to transfer the entire impact to my opponent.
But when my concentration broke, the energy exploding right then and there was a predictable disaster.
‘Was I too focused on landing one good hit? To make a mistake like this!’
Thankfully, I didn't seem to have passed out, but I couldn't muster any strength in my body...
Lying sprawled on the dirt floor, I stared blankly at the sky and a thought occurred to me.
The technique exploding was entirely my own doing, so I wasn't particularly upset.
But for such a spectacular self-destruction, it didn't hurt as much as I expected...
“Yuria!”
Someone called my name, rushing over to where I lay on the ground.
Unsurprisingly, it was none other than Raven, who had been watching my fight with Luke.
I don't remember the exact details, but I must have tumbled quite spectacularly, enough to lose consciousness for a moment.
From his perspective as my guardian, his heart must have skipped a beat. I felt sorry for making him worry.
“Are you okay? You flew nearly ten meters, you know?”
“Ack...”
Did I really fly ten meters?
My face flushed just imagining it, and I clamped my mouth shut.
Luke hadn't attacked me once; he'd just stood there.
A wave of shame washed over me at the thought of going wild on my own only to end up tumbling backward.
However, while I had my eyes closed, sweating profusely, he must have checked my condition.
Carefully probing here and there with his fingertips, he muttered in a puzzled tone.
“But for someone who went flying so spectacularly...”
“Raven, Miss Yuria won't be seriously injured. I cast a defensive spell in time.”
Luke had strode over at some point.
He spoke with a relaxed demeanor, as if to resolve Raven's confusion.
It seemed that the moment I lost control of my psychokinesis,
Luke had managed to cast a defensive spell on me, similar to the one he wore.
It was a dangerous situation where I wouldn't have been surprised to suffer full-body fractures or lose an arm.
The fact that I'd only ended up with my strength drained meant I had received tremendous help.
I have the Tesseract to help me recover, but it's always better not to get hurt in the first place.
I struggled to sit up and bowed my head deeply to Luke in thanks.
Did my gratitude get through to him?
With his arms crossed, he let out a faint chuckle and replied.
“Hmm, no need to thank me. In fact, I should be the one thanking you.”
“Huh? H-huh?”
What does he mean?
I tilted my head, utterly baffled by Luke's statement.
It would make sense if I were the one thanking him, but did anything happen just now that he should be thankful for?
He then caressed his abdomen and continued, as if what happened was truly unexpected.
“I never imagined my Absolute Defense could be pierced. Pain... it's a sensation I haven't felt in a very long time.”
“Y-Yuria pierced Sir Lukserion's Absolute Defense?”
“Well, the Absolute Defense itself remained intact. It wasn't that she pierced it, but more like she bypassed space itself. Magic would have been blocked by my mana, making it impossible. This must be a phenomenon unique to psychic powers. Hahaha, to think my Absolute Defense still has room for improvement... could there be any greater joy!”
“Uh, umm, that's great...”
“...”
Aha... so that's how it is.
After all, Luke's defensive magic boasted a sturdiness that could block any single attack, no matter what.
For someone as driven as him, discovering a flaw in his magic seemed to be a source of great pleasure.
Of course, this method was only possible because psychic powers aren't affected by mana.
By the next time we meet, he'll probably have devised a countermeasure, so the same trick won't work.
‘...Not that I plan on fighting Lukserion again anyway. If he ever has to fight a psychic, it'll be one of the Invaders, not me. In fact, eliminating a weakness in his Absolute Defense against psychic powers is a very good thing. Huh, did I accidentally do something significant?’
One day, the Invaders will surely bring the fight to Earth, seeking to drive it to ruin just like the other world.
This wasn't just a guess; it was a definite, predetermined future. Those guys aren't in their right minds, after all.
And if, at that time, some psychic had managed to pierce Lukserion's Absolute Defense like I did...
Well, it might have turned into a real headache.
But... that future has already been eliminated.
I could clearly picture a future where the Invaders despair before an Absolute Defense that cannot be pierced, no matter what they do.
Heeheehee. As I let out a rather sinister chuckle inwardly at how dependable Luke was,
he seemed to have gathered his thoughts and looked down at me, sitting on the ground, to speak.
“By the way, I have a question. That giant hand you made from the earth earlier, what's its usage cycle?”
“Nyeh?”
A cycle? It's just a somewhat brutish application of psychokinesis.
As long as I can maintain my focus, I can use it anytime...
What on earth is his intention behind this question?
As I struggled to decipher its meaning, I soon realized the intent behind his question.
‘Ah, right. Large-scale magic requires a pretty long preparation time, doesn't it?’
Typically, large-scale magic required a long preparation time for a single use.
The reason for this was none other than Earth's environment, where the mana in the atmosphere is quite sparse.
The principle was simple. Most large-scale magic from the other world was designed to reduce the user's burden by absorbing ambient mana.
But what if you can't reach the desired scale no matter how much ambient mana you absorb?
Inevitably, the user's own mana would be drained away.
Because of this, most large-scale spells were effectively unusable, even if one wanted to cast them.
Far from absorbing ambient mana, the user would likely die from mana exhaustion.
‘That's why there was a lore point that mages who came to Earth, unless they were an anomaly like Tempest, mostly used large-scale magic by storing it in mana-absorbing scrolls and using them as consumables rather than casting directly.’
This is also why vampires, who can substitute blood for mana as I've mentioned before, are particularly dominant.
And it's no wonder that Tempest, who can generate his own mana, is considered an unrivaled powerhouse.
So, large-scale magic can't be used freely whenever one wishes.
It's usually employed as a trump card at truly critical moments.
Still, there's no need to use large-scale magic just to kill people.
So it's not usually seen as a particularly noticeable problem.
‘So Luke... he probably saw the giant's hand and asked if there were similar restrictions on it.’
But psychic powers, unlike magic, don't really have anything like that.
I waved my arms around vigorously, as if to say just that.
However, perhaps because Luke couldn't understand my gestures as well as Raven,
Raven, who was watching from the side, somehow interpreted and conveyed the meaning to him.
Luke then stroked his chin, his eyes widening in a display of disbelief.
“Hoh, so psychic powers have such an advantage... Perhaps I can give you a slightly higher evaluation than I thought. Roughly... it would be fair to say you possess the capabilities of a mid-tier Double Number Fixer.”
“A mid-tier... Double Number Fixer?!”
“Hiek...!”
I gasped at Luke's incredibly generous assessment.
A mid-tier Double Number Fixer is a powerhouse who can certainly have a significant impact on any faction.
It seems I'm still clearly lacking compared to top-tier Double Number Fixers like Raven or Greg.
But considering I was trembling before Double Number Fixers just six months ago, this was truly remarkable growth.
Of course, the basis for this high evaluation is likely the variable of psychic powers, which leave no trace of mana.
He didn't seem to notice me grabbing his leg until the very last moment, and there's also the fact that I can freely use techniques comparable to large-scale magic.
He's probably giving me a high rating with the idea that... I'd win in a prolonged fight.
In reality, I still have no confidence that I could beat one of the Seven Extremes without the Tesseract.
‘Yes, but this is still a good thing. After all, drawing power from the Tesseract only lasts for a moment. I need to be able to defeat most enemies in my current state.’
Heehee, hearing from someone else that I've gotten stronger makes me a little happy.
A wide grin spreading across my face, I placed my hands on my knees and struggled to my feet.
I couldn't just lie on the dirt floor and chat forever.
And strength was slowly returning to my arms and legs, so I needed to get up.
Looking around, the hill came into view, a complete mess, testifying to the intensity of our fight.
Parts were scorched by light, others were torn up by rotating rock bullets.
The area where I'd gathered material for the giant's hand and where it had crumbled was a scene of such utter chaos it was staggering.
“...”
“Hmm, worried about the mess? This is all a scene created by an artifact. No need to take it too seriously.”
I-is that so? That's a relief, but...
I felt a brief sense of relief at the good news that I didn't have to clean up.
However, it seemed it was still a bit too soon to get up properly.
The moment I let my guard down in relief, my legs gave out, and my body tilted toward the ground.
Was it because I hadn't expected it at all?
Without even thinking to use my psychokinesis, I was about to fall face-first into the dirt.
Just then, something from my side gently caught my waist, stopping my fall.
A thick forearm, firmly and perfectly supporting my body.
Even without looking, I was becoming all too familiar with it—it was Raven's arm.
“Geez, I knew it. This is what you get for overdoing it.”
“Heehee...”
“What are you laughing about? Do you have any idea how startled I was watching from the sidelines? What kind of dangerous stunt was that in a light spar, you little brat...!”
“Hgyagyagyak!”
He looked quite angry as he mercilessly pulled on one of my cheeks.
Unlike all the times he'd teased me before, this grip was painfully serious, filled with genuine emotion.
Unfortunately for me, I had no room to make excuses.
It was so clearly my fault that even a hundred mouths wouldn't be enough to defend myself.
The last technique I used was certainly too dangerous for a place like this.
If Luke hadn't cast his defensive spell in time, I could have been in a world of hurt.
Therefore, all I could do was beg for forgiveness and wail in agony.
I-I really, truly won't do anything this dangerous again...!
“Kuhuhu, it seems the child genuinely regrets her actions. Perhaps it's time to forgive her?”
And at that moment, a familiar old man's voice came from nearby.
A voice with such a powerful presence that it was impossible to forget who it belonged to.
Raven's hand, pulling my cheek, froze in surprise, and my gaze naturally shifted toward the source of the voice.
“Grandpa Tempest!”
“Wha-?!”
Tempest, the former Dragon Mayor, who had retired from the market and vanished.
There he stood, smiling, dressed in a light hospital gown.