Chapter 65
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Mutant Transcendent
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The saying that a mage's heart opens was probably due to the existence of Circles.
The expression of inheriting powerful mana likely meant that mana flows in from behind the mirror.
Anonymous (1)'s words made perfect sense.
After all, I was a mage too.
But for me, it wasn't my heart that had opened—it was inexplicably above my navel. And what flowed out from there wasn't mana, but something whose nature I couldn't even identify.
I carefully examined my reflection in the mindscape mirror once more.
The hole above my navel wasn't that large. But whatever flowed from it—something streaming like wind from the dark depths beyond the mirror—was the source of the pain that felt like it was tearing my body apart, and an inexplicable, bizarre power.
‘Could this be primal mana?’
I considered it, but if it were primal mana, there's no way I wouldn't recognize it. No matter that I could only handle diluted primal mana, I'd seen the real thing through ancient hero relics and Rozelin.
So what exactly had I inherited to endure that agony, transform my entire body as if undergoing a complete rebirth, and become a Transcendent?
Even my Circles had formed into eight perfect rings, making me a proper 8th Circle mage.
‘Inheriting powerful mana is accurate enough...’
Though it encompassed mana and more.
Hold on, what?
Why aren't you saying anything?
Something might have come up in the real world.
Let's wait.
You think I don't have anything better to do?
Coming from the one who always jumps in first to reply no matter what anyone says...
That's because the stele is wrapped around my tail, so I feel the vibrations right away.
Isn't that the same thing...?
Anyway, I got a good look at Anonymous (1) again.
The way you composed yourself when I asked if you'd been chosen as an apostle.
It was impressive.
Are you teasing me?
Why would I tease you over something like that?
I'm saying it because I was genuinely impressed.
I pondered what to ask first, then typed a message.
Didn't Anonymous (1) say you're not a mage?
Yeah.
...You're not suspecting me, are you?
No, if you're not a mage, where does the first opening happen?
In my case, it was the dantian. Below the navel.
This was different from me too.
If the opening happens in the dantian, is the inherited power different too?
You mean mana?
It probably depends on what power you wield. But fundamentally, the difference is in how that power operates.
For mages, the heart usually opens first, expanding the scope of perception.
For those who cultivate martial prowess, the dantian opens, transforming the body. It becomes tougher, a vessel suited to hold martial power.
I considered pausing with "hold on" again but ultimately swallowed the words.
...Both happened to me this time.
At this point, I had to wonder if something was wrong with me.
As your openings increase, more and more things will change. Mages' bodies will transform too, and martial types will expand their perception range.
Which meant both had happened to me right from the first opening.
At my level, you've gone beyond even that—beyond all openings completing, body toughening, perception expanding.
What level are you at?
Formless.
Formless...?
I'd never even heard of it.
Probe Rank, Dragon Rank, Venerable Rank, Heavenly Rank—I'd heard of all those at least once. But Formless was completely new.
It had to be above them. A realm too exalted to even mention casually.
As expected, Anonymous (1) is... a mighty Transcendent.
Mighty?
That's not even close to describing it.
Fair enough.
The Saintly Rank is ascending to the great pantheon. So being right below that, "mighty" falls short.
Feeling some respect now?
Respect? ...Not quite. There's a "(0)" in this room.
?
That's obviously an exception.
...He really is ridiculously strong.
I'd already guessed from how casually he crushed Venerable Transcendents, but hearing he was just below the great pantheon made it hit home.
Without this chatroom, I'd probably never cross paths with someone at the Formless level.
But my admiration was short-lived. No, as "(0)", knowing the members' exact strengths was important, but right now, the sparks were flying elsewhere.
Are there cases of openings in places other than the dantian or heart?
...
Yeah, what can you expect from a newbie Transcendent?
You probably can't even fathom it.
Of course there are other cases.
I can explain that one.
I'm that case. My first opening was near the tailbone, called the Sea of Qi. I inherited a power called Azure Abyss. It's a type of mana, but a bit different.
It's the power that rules the deep sea.
The location of the opening varies based on the power you wield.
And since races tend to wield specific powers, the locations differ a lot by race.
Mages, regardless of race, mostly open at the heart first.
Confirming that much, I peered back into my mindscape.
A hole gaped above my navel, with some unknown power flowing in and out.
Either way, this power had been passed down to me.
Shouldn't I be able to wield it, then?
The hint came from Anonymous (3)'s Azure Abyss.
A type of mana, but slightly different.
Maybe the power I'd inherited was the same kind.
‘Could I grasp it based on mana?’
I'd reached 8th Circle, and it seemed to encompass mana, after all.
...But that thought proved arrogant.
No matter how I groped for it, I couldn't get a feel. It was like trying to grab water slipping through my fingers.
‘It's definitely a powerful force, though.’
Because it had let me skip steps others take gradually across multiple openings.
Normally, after a first opening, I'd be called a Probe Rank Transcendent, but now I was in some bizarre state beyond that.
Yet at the same time, I couldn't actually use the power from the opening.
If even Anonymous (1)—the strongest among Transcendents not in the great pantheon, at Formless—found it perplexing...
‘I've become a mutant in the Transcendent ecosystem...’
My worries shifted elsewhere.
The opening location changes based on the inherited power?
That meant the "inherited power" itself was key.
So where did that power come from?
The inherited power... who does it come from?
This was probably the question I should've asked first, back when they guessed I'd inherited powerful mana initially.
So who grants that power? Where does it come from?
That power comes from those who hold this world's laws and absolute authority, of course.
Gods?
Yes. More precisely, great beings who have reached the Divine Rank.
When Anonymous (3) said great beings who can pass on power are rare, they meant those at Divine Rank. Or close to it.
Even among great beings, there seemed to be Saintly and Divine distinctions.
So a great being at Divine Rank was literally a god, or the closest thing to one.
And opening was the process of inheriting power directly from that god.
‘If opening is approaching a god's power directly, then heroes... were pre-selected and granted power?’
In simple terms, parachuted in. Being a hero meant being picked as a parachute by a god.
Anonymous (1) saw Sephirot as an absolute at Divine Rank... or nearly there. Even "(0)" thought so. Or even higher.
‘The scale is too massive...’
A sense of awe washed over me, but I grasped the rough framework.
Why "(0)" had to act like a Divine Rank being. And why these upper Transcendents treated "(0)" with such caution.
‘They must think they've been selected as parachutes by the absolute "(0)".’
Since I'd declared them apostles, I had to meet those expectations.
Which meant I needed power to pass on to them.
‘Is that the power drilling into my gut right now?’
Then what about primal mana? What was primal mana?
A hypothesis surfaced. Primal mana was just one authority held by Divine Rank beings.
When granting power to heroes, they might've only used primal mana, or given it because they saw them as mere tools.
Why would such mighty beings need successors, then?
‘Ah, my head hurts.’
In the end, there was only one way to unravel this riddle.
For me to ascend the creation hierarchy.
I needed to reach the origin first and wield true primal mana to learn more.
The power flowing from above my navel was beyond my control anyway. No need to agonize over unusable strength.
To reach the origin, I had to surpass the principle stage.
Ascending the principle stage was simple.
I just needed to deepen my understanding of various attributes and properties.
No different from the path I'd walked so far.
Did that mean holing up in the training hall again? ...
‘Still, I need time to adapt.’
I'd skipped 7th Circle, and becoming a Transcendent brought new abilities needing adaptation.
I needed info, and preparation to become a Transcendent.
The preparation I mentioned is refining your mindscape.
I thought you asked because you felt frustrated.
Usually, before becoming a Transcendent, stagnation hits. No progress despite pondering and insights.
That's when you refine the mindscape.
But you skipped that.
So we could skip that part.
Beyond that, you need to sort all karmic ties from before becoming a Transcendent.
Well, I didn't need to.
Come to think of it, Anonymous (2) and (3) probably didn't need it either.
This was something I'd considered myself.
Usually, Transcendents sever worldly ties and become independent. They lose interest in mortal affairs.
Compared to that, Anonymous (2), who ignored pacts and lived among Transcendents.
And Anonymous (3), said to rule the seas as king, likely far from such severing.
‘But how does Anonymous (1) know?’
Clinging to lingering attachments only brings trouble.
I'm telling you this because I've watched a hero before.
If you ascended in a year, you're probably lacking here.
You'll need time.
I felt anew that Anonymous (1) had lived since ancient times, with vast encompassing experience.
‘Though with plenty of gaps in between.’
If bugs swarm you in the meantime, we can help.
Provided it fits under "(0)'s" stated cause, of course.
Was this Anonymous (1)'s way of comforting me?
‘Got a bit of a tsundere side.’
I decided to leave the training hall.
I'd laid bait before becoming a Transcendent, after all.
‘I said I'd go see Merlin.’
A chance to learn about the Oracle Stele and the being treating heroes like slaves.
Slipping out the city gates and hiding in the forest shadows, my form shifted to Cedric's in an instant.
Soon, my toes left the ground. Not only that—the ambient mana warped, blurring my figure. Like blending into the background.
‘It's a ways off, so I can adapt on the way.’
I soared up through the dense canopy and cleaved forward through the air.