Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Tracking Request (3)
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I channeled mana into the concave groove on the artifact's side, coloring its pattern.
The artifact's surface flushed red, visually revealing the nature of its mana.
Red. A pure, highly saturated primary color.
Of course, fire attributes don't always manifest as red. The colors were merely assigned according to my classification rules.
Next, with my free hand, I spread mana outward. It enveloped the entire lab from my fingertips, like a transparent veil draping over the room.
And just like that, the lab transformed into a world of entirely different hues.
Walls, floor, ceiling, desks, debris—everything took on unique shades based on the lingering mana residues.
This wasn't a complex spell for analyzing unique patterns.
It was simply a visualization magic that classified mana residues by hue according to my predefined rules.
Blue, green, yellow, and so on.
Given the nature of a lab, various experiments and demonstrations would have taken place, and visitors with similar mana properties might have come by.
Among them, the red hue matching Vinsen's mana pattern glowed in spots throughout the room.
I carefully isolated just that red shade. Of course, some of those red traces weren't left by Vinsen himself.
But it was far simpler than sifting through everything.
Now for the next step.
I pulled out the second artifact.
Its shape was similar to the first, but its function was entirely different. Rather than just displaying patterns, it analyzed various pieces of information embedded in the mana.
It was the same model I'd installed in the reception room before. This one was just a more updated version.
It could break down the layers of information in mana traces, gauge concentration levels, estimate mana expenditure, and even infer the user's mental state or the spell's nature to some degree.
I touched the objects bearing the red mana hue I'd just collected to the device.
With a quiet mechanical hum, a thin hologram rose from its surface, densely packed with analyzed data.
At that moment, I heard footsteps behind me.
Turning around, I saw Raistel peering down at me from the dark entrance to the basement stairs.
"Any progress?"
"Yes. I've analyzed a few already."
I gestured, rotating the hologram toward Raistel.
He narrowed his eyes at it before speaking slowly.
"...You can tell even this much?"
"It's not that hard. The artifact does all the work."
"And you're the one who made that artifact, aren't you?"
I shrugged, and Raistel patted my shoulder with a satisfied grin.
"So that's why you were so bold in front of the commander."
"Not yet worthy of that praise. Isn't the battlefield most dangerous when you let your guard down?"
"Ahem, true enough."
I pointed to the key figures on the hologram and continued my concise explanation.
"The residues bearing Vinsen's traces all show mana expenditure around 90 percent. That's typical right after casting a high-output spell, and the emotional bias is stable too. No other informative traces. In conclusion, no signs of corruption here."
"So that means..."
"We need to check the whole house. Can you clear it out?"
"Everyone?"
"Yes. Not a soul left behind."
"...We'll do that."
Raistel didn't press further and headed back up the stairs.
Of course, I could have just shared Vinsen's unique mana pattern and let the experts handle the tracking.
They were the professionals for full-scale pursuits, after all.
But knowing the full story would make tracking even easier.
Just like how criminal psychology matters even in modern times. Understanding Vinsen's mindset and state while casting spells here would allow far more efficient pursuit than blindly following traces.
I stored the analysis artifact back in my subspace artifact.
The subspace artifact wasn't one I'd made—I'd bought it for an astronomical sum.
As I headed upstairs, I heard Raistel arguing with someone.
"You want me to leave too?"
"Just for now."
"So you're kicking out the experts on that mage's word?"
He was a man with wavy, thick dark brown bob hair. His outfit was practical, without excess.
"You'll shine once proper tracking begins anyway. Haven't you seen all there is to see inside?"
He shook his head at Raistel's words, clearly not bothering to argue further, and brushed past him.
But why glare at me on the way out?
"Hah, if those traces disappear..."
Muttering loud enough for me to hear, he was clearly pissed.
I watched him go before approaching Raistel.
"What's his deal?"
"A mercenary tracker. Must've bruised his pride telling him to leave."
"Ah... Did he find something?"
"He follows physical traces like footprints or faint marks. Nothing more to see indoors."
"Then why not just chase the traces right now?"
"He hasn't found solid ones yet, so he's still here."
"I see."
What, just throwing a tantrum out of embarrassment?
I ignored it and asked Raistel to step out too.
With the front door clicking shut, silence settled over the house again.
I cast the visualization magic once more. The entire house bloomed in varied colors.
As I surveyed the rooms, something odd caught my eye.
Unlike the lab, there was an unusual lack of red—and even more areas that didn't register as any color at all.
What?
At first, I thought it was just untouched by mana.
Makes sense. This isn't a lab; no reason for much mana use.
But it nagged at me.
The biggest red flag: even spots with clear mana residue weren't coloring up.
Meaning my spell couldn't classify it—an unfamiliar mana type.
I immediately pulled out the artifact and touched it to the mana at that spot.
A unique pattern soon etched onto its surface.
'What... is this?'
Cogwheel-shaped, maybe. Overlapping circles of jagged teeth, tangled with squiggly lines in between.
No regularity, uneven spacing—like a sloppy hand-scribble.
"...Never seen a pattern like this."
Back when I was deep into unique mana pattern research, I'd collected thousands of samples. I could usually gauge attributes and lineages just from the type.
But nothing like this.
The magic world always births the new and unfathomable.
That's its terror—and its allure.
This could be a brand-new magic attribute and property.
The issue: who owned this pattern?
Vinsen?
One person can't have two unique patterns.
Even in the ever-evolving magic world, that's impossible.
Unless... corruption?
If corruption elevated his hierarchy, completely altering his magic?
No, not even that.
Unless he became an entirely different person...
'Is that true corruption?'
A thought flashed through my mind.
The lab.
There'd been uncolored spots there too. I'd brushed it off then, but seeing this pattern changed everything.
'Yeah, it felt off.'
In that trashed lab, spotless of corruption traces? Already suspicious.
I rushed back down to the basement.
The wrecked floor. Especially the area buried under debris and fragments.
I uncovered it. It was covered in mat-like material, as if deliberately hidden.
Lifting the mat confirmed my suspicions.
Mana residue lingered beneath. Denser than anywhere else.
Not just a trace—high-tier magic had been cast here.
The pattern matched the colorless cogwheels exactly.
I tried analyzing it right away...
[Analysis Impossible: Lineage Unclassified / Attribute Undetermined]
This happens with obscure magic not widely known. Unregistered in databases or nonexistent in records.
...Ancient magic, maybe?
I carefully scoured the house, collecting all mana from uncolored areas.
Analyzing each revealed an intriguing trend.
'...Mana fading?'
Mana expenditure in traces varied, steadily decreasing.
The last one near the front door was barely detectable.
Sure, someone could intentionally weaken traces, but not unless expecting analysis.
I compiled and sorted all the data.
Vinsen used unknown magic here in the lab. It triggered corruption... or something akin.
But it wasn't a full success. Unstable, clearly botched somehow.
So he fled in a hurry.
The sloppy traces scattered around were fallout, and trashing the lab a crude cover-up for that bizarre magic.
He's probably rushing somewhere even now.
"...So you figured all that out?"
"Yes. The final trace clearly leads outside. He seems unable to control his mana properly. Plenty more traces ahead, at least for a ways. Should be easy to follow that far."
"Can we... track like you, analyzing traces?"
I nodded lightly.
"I'll make you similar artifacts."
"Artifacts... right now?"
"Yes, mass-producible ones. It's my specialty."