Chapter 66
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Gathering of Human Transcendents
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Once you become a Transcendent, you won't have to worry about getting ambushed easily.
The surrounding mana you can control will react sensitively first.
However, a Transcendent of higher realm than you will have an even larger range for controlling natural mana, so sensitivity won't matter. They'll just erode the surrounding mana you control.
The chat room members assumed I'd opened my heart and accepted mana since I hadn't said much.
At the time, I'd panicked and put a stop to it momentarily, but then we got sidetracked talking about the great being, and it fizzled out.
Not even blurting out a power whose nature I didn't know myself was probably the right call in the end. A power that the great being might have used. The moment I spilled it, they'd get curious, and I wouldn't have any explanation to give.
But after mulling it over...
It wasn't a big deal.
I could just say I didn't know.
'Anonymous 4 can get away with it.'
That's how it'd been from the start.
Don't dismiss playing dumb as a strategy.
I really didn't know.
So it wasn't a strategy.
'0' acted like they knew everything, while Anonymous 4 acted clueless. If it ever got out that it was all one person, it'd be impossible to clean up.
'As long as it doesn't get out.'
I had no idea how I'd ended up here—the guy who'd always been called out for wearing his emotions on his sleeve.
Revealing what set me apart from others could draw unwanted attention, but these chat room folks might be okay.
They might be surprised, but I was fairly certain they weren't the type to grill me or corner me over it.
Honestly, even if I spilled my peculiarities, they'd probably just think, 'That explains why '0' brought you in...'
Maybe it'd be better to come clean and brainstorm together.
About the opening location, or experiencing both an expanded perception range and a strengthened body at the same time.
That said, the advice they were giving was helpful regardless, so I'd been listening for now.
Lifespan... I'm not sure about humans, but usually, after the first opening, it extends by about half your original lifespan.
In other words, a normal lifespan of 100 years would stretch to 150.
And it keeps extending with each opening, so living to 200 might actually be possible.
Those who handle mana tend to have long lives anyway.
Adding my past life... whew.
Guess you could say my life expectancy overflows.
Of course, that's just lifespan—get on the wrong Transcendent's bad side, and you could get gruesomely killed, so I had to protect my long life well.
Natural mana depends on how you wield it. Weapon users typically reinforce their weapon's mana, and bare-handed fighters do the same to showcase their physical might. Mages... well, Anonymous 2 would know best.
Let me explain: Mages...
Mages handled natural mana in various ways.
Auxiliary methods like weaving natural mana into pre-set spells or completely blocking the surrounding mana flow.
The former was akin to memorization—Transcendents could chantless cast by default, so it was mainly used for simultaneous multi-spell activation. The latter was commonly employed to neutralize traps.
Now I understood why Philip Deran was obsessed with fortress and large-scale trap magic. Without that setup, anything caught in a Transcendent's control range would be effortlessly disabled.
Of course, those are just auxiliary uses. The prime example is domain magic.
Domain magic?
It's crafting the ultimate spell within the range you can control.
Probe Rank Transcendents have small domains, so it's usually perfected around Dragon Rank.
It's that difficult to create.
It's not too late to start pondering it now.
Could blending into the background for stealth count as domain magic?
It felt similar since it fully harnessed natural mana.
Plus, I could make trap orbs invisible, so their inherent power felt no different from domain magic to me.
'Is it too underwhelming...?'
From Anonymous 2's tone, it sounded like an ultimate technique.
Maybe it felt that way because I wielded it so naturally.
'Domain magic...'
That was worth considering further. I couldn't whip one up on the spot anyway.
And natural mana isn't without attributes.
Right, I already knew that. That's why I'd gone through hell creating neutral mana. Though it ultimately led to discovering primal mana.
So typically, you can cast stronger spells in environments matching your mana attribute.
While getting advice via manaphone, I'd unknowingly reached the area Merin had mentioned.
Actually, I'd already reverted to my own appearance—not Cedric's—near the nearest city. From here on, people were scarce, making traces easy to spot.
Now I was really close; time to stow the manaphone.
'Oh, right—gotta say it first.'
And there's something I didn't mention.
What is it?
The first opening happened above the navel, not the heart.
Pardon?
Intense pain hit with the opening, and at that moment, my body changed and my perception range expanded.
...What the hell is this now?
So two things happened simultaneously with your first opening?
I don't know why either.
Anyone know about this?
First time hearing of that.
I'm just dumbfounded.
Maybe you're not human—some hidden ancient race that even you don't know about?
If you don't know, it'd be great if we could find answers together.
????
That's your conclusion?
Ah, now I really had to hide the manaphone.
Vibrations kept coming—ideas were probably bubbling up already—but no helping it.
'Feels good to get it off my chest.'
I hummed idly as I walked, then suddenly held my breath upon reaching a deep spot.
This was a completely deserted path. I'd entered the mountain range proper a while back.
As described beforehand, the scenery was no different from scouting ancient ruins.
The difference? I had precise coordinates from Merin.
And the reason I'd held my breath was an inexplicable ominous feeling.
With natural mana feeling like an extension of my body, I sensed subtle environmental shifts far more acutely.
Of course, visually, the natural mana showed no influence from me. I'd converted it to hide my Transcendent status.
'Is it safe to go in...?'
As doubt lingered, an unfamiliar voice pierced from afar.
"Sharp instincts."
The echoing voice was followed by something hopping toward me from ahead, closing in instantly.
To reiterate, not hopping like a frog—bouncing like a rabbit.
I looked down at the red-haired woman who'd appeared before me. No, gazed down.
Red hair tied short in the back. Short stature, youthful face.
"You're the kid Merin mentioned?"
...Kid? I'm no geezer, but that stung my conscience a bit.
But knowing Merin meant she was a Transcendent.
"...Yeah, that's me."
"Oho, not easy getting here before becoming a Transcendent. Whoever your folks are, you're a tough one."
Her speech was rough. Clearly not matching her apparent age.
The woman eyed me intently before speaking.
"Not elf blood, huh."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, I'm dwarf hybrid. Joat once said you might be elf mix, so I wondered, but nope."
No wonder—a dwarf hybrid.
I'd thought she was a prodigy S-rank talent who'd Transcended young.
"So your age is..."
"Me? Over fifty."
"..."
"Name's Gabina."
"I'm Ivan. Ivan Vieirn."
I politely took her hand.
Dwarves. A race with considerable power in the south.
From past life memories, they seemed tied to artifacts, but as someone who'd delved deep, I knew they weren't.
What were they exceptional at? Innate strength, or so I'd learned at the Academy.
"So why were you hesitating here?"
"Uh... gut feeling. The vibe's off."
"Suck it up—it's fine. Totally fine..."
Just an excuse, but what was fine about it?
Anyway, she led me inward, gruffly uncle-like in speech.
Her destination: a dim cave. Unadorned, just as described—like an old warehouse.
Inside, a lone table stood empty, with Merin lounging in a chair ahead, legs crossed.
Good news: no other unfamiliar Transcendents besides Gabina.
Noticing my glance around, Gabina added from the side.
"Perfect timing. If the others were here, you'd be wiped out. Normals get crushed by Transcendent presence if they're around too long."
I got it. Natural mana under Transcendent control suppressed the surroundings.
That explained why I hadn't felt drained around Merin all this time—her consideration.
"What, you got here quick?"
Deeper in, Merin spotted us and turned.
...But hadn't she known since I was outside?
She had the ability—why play dumb?
"I figured you'd just arrived and I'd have to wait ages."
Then Gabina whispered beside me.
"She's been waiting a while."
Merin's eyebrow twitched.
Whisper or not, Merin's ears would've caught it.
She rose and approached.
"Reached the 7th Hierarchy, right?"
......Just brushing it off, huh.
"Yes. Thanks to you."
Truth was, I hadn't even dipped into her so-called 7th Hierarchy.
My face-to-face acting had improved. Though I'd hastily changed topics.
I scanned the barren cave interior.
"We meet here?"
She grinned sheepishly.
"Not like we're living together—just chatting briefly."
Merin led me to the solitary table.
"Joat's still busy."
"Because of that task you dumped on him last time?"
"Didn't dump it... He took it on himself."
"Not going well?"
"Tricky."
Merin pondered briefly before continuing.
"Elves have become a headache lately. Unlike our duty-bound group, they're Transcendents who've always lived clustered together. Personality clashes kept friction low till now, but a recent incident has us clashing head-on."
"...I see. Something about the covenant?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Gabina chimed in incredulously.
"What, you already know that stuff?"
Merin added flatly from the side.
"Joat spilled everything."
"Don't blame Joat—you're spilling too."
"..."
Gabina stared piercingly, then propped her chin and tilted her head.
"What charm you got? How'd she fall for you?"
"Pardon?"
"Merin, sure—young guy, could happen."
"Fall for what? You nuts?"
Merin bristled cat-like beside her, but Gabina ignored it.
"Joat blabbing freely is the weird part."
"That's just how he is."
"Nah, he's brutally cold to strangers. Especially non-Transcendents..."