Chapter 69
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Preparations of the Transcendent (2)
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I just had something come up and couldn't check for a bit. It's not like I was deliberately ignoring you all.
In truth, the time I was away wasn't that long. Barely three hours or so.
But the topic I'd tossed out there before leaving was so utterly foreign to them that it must have gone up in flames.
Yeah, sure. It has to be.
You've gotta have some grasp of the situation by now. You think they'd pull something that arrogant?
Right. If this chat room were an Academy, I'd be the fresh-faced new student just starting out, and they'd be the upperclassmen seniors.
Except... it feels more like I'm the son of the chairman who founded the Academy.
Anyway, we did reach a conclusion while you were gone.
I checked it out too.
It's about inheriting power from '0', right?
The mystery of their identity remains, though.
If you're really that curious, you'll have to pay the price yourself and ask.
They might tell you if you ask directly?
I have no intention of doing that.
It's something I'm deliberately ignoring, so why shove my neck into the noose?
I'll ask when I'm prepared to pay the price.
You're busy adjusting right now, so we understand.
For now, the important thing is our future direction.
If two abilities manifested at the first opening, even at Probe Rank, it means you can wield power surpassing that hierarchy.
Normal mages don't see physical changes until around their third opening... so you've reached at least the Esteemed Rank equivalent.
What's the range on your control over natural mana?
About 1 meter.
That's Probe Rank mage territory too.
So, in other words, a mutant Transcendent with a mishmash of abilities.
Still, if transformation has occurred, your vessel is complete.
Vessel?
There's a high chance you've inherited '0's power.
They haven't said as much, but there's intent behind it.
...I want to know what that intent is too.
We can't yet grasp the essence of that power, but at least the vessel to hold it is ready. The physical change is proof of that.
And there's a step every mage must go through upon reaching the Esteemed Rank.
It's magical integration.
Magical integration?
It's the process of unifying your expanded perception and newly strengthened body.
More precisely, it's your body adapting to match your mage's expanded perception.
Once integration is achieved, even a mage can wield their body as freely as a martial Transcendent of the same realm.
Well, obviously not as good as a martial Transcendent of the same realm.
Yes, can't deny that.
But it's something you'd normally only attempt after ascending to Esteemed Rank, and Anonymous 4 can start now.
To do that, you first need perfect mastery and control over the natural mana you can wield.
With your expanded perception, you have to naturally accept and command the flood of information and flows like they're your own limbs.
Anonymous 2's emphasis on perfect control of natural mana.
Impossible to attempt in my current state.
After arriving in a nearby city, I immediately left it behind and headed to the sparsely populated outskirts.
And there, I transformed into Cedric's form.
My body floated lightly into the air.
Ironically, it was only as Cedric—in other words, not my true self—that I finally felt true freedom. A sense of liberation, like shedding a shell.
'Well, the real me has to hide my abilities, so no helping it.'
As Anonymous 2 said, natural mana isn't attributeless just because it's "natural." That was basic common sense.
Natural mana takes on attributes depending on the environment. And since its attributes shift with the environment, the mana itself changes with the situation.
Wielding natural mana meant sensing those subtle shifts and reading the delicate information.
With expanded perception came more information to process mentally. I had to adapt to that change.
According to Anonymous 2, elves train their senses by amplifying and dampening attributes to control natural mana.
Elves typically specialize in wood and earth attributes—and rarely stray from them—so it was an effective training method for getting used to natural mana quickly.
I was the same. The environment would constantly shift, but that very fact would make it advantageous training for me. I was confident in handling multiple attributes.
I progressed by gradually trying the methods Anonymous 2 had shared.
I returned to the outskirts of the capital, to Professor Palrez's lab.
There was much to do, but prioritizing, the first thing was updating the Manaphone with photo functionality—something I'd planned long ago.
I'd originally designed the Manaphone with photography in mind.
Though I'd hit a wall before actually fabricating and installing the circuits for it.
Installing the function itself would handle taking photos without issue.
The problem was Professor Palrez.
I'd planned to resolve the promise I'd made him last time by giving him this photo artifact...
But it wasn't as simple as I'd thought.
I had to consider the ripple effects that would follow.
In this era, writing and drawings were synonymous with authority.
If an artifact that perfectly captured moments spread, there'd be no avoiding the fallout.
I didn't care. I'd already risen to a position where I could handle it.
Not fully adapted to the 7th hierarchy yet, but I had more than enough power to protect myself within the Empire.
Professor Palrez was different. Artifact distribution, management, political dealings with people—all the practical headaches would fall on him.
Could he handle it?
Of course, limiting supply to nobles only would avoid major issues. For me, just adding photo functions to the Manaphone was enough; no need for mass production.
But what Palrez aimed for was universalizing such artifacts.
Palrez wanted that. And after all the help he'd given me, I wanted to make it happen for him.
This might be the last gift I could give him before revealing my status as a Transcendent.
'I need to be his backer.'
Cedric crossed my mind briefly. The rumor of him defeating a Transcendent must have spread far by now. Using that would be simple.
The problem: no connection between Palrez and Cedric.
Linking them would only dredge up ties between Cedric and Ivan Vieirn unnecessarily.
The simplest solution was stepping up as his backer myself.
'Reveal that I've reached the 7th hierarchy.'
That alone would make me his backer.
Reaching the 7th at my age meant I was a candidate for Transcendent.
No one would dare treat me lightly.
Preparations before becoming a Transcendent anyway meant getting those around me to accept that I could leave anytime without it seeming strange. I'd have to reveal the 7th hierarchy eventually.
For now, I wrote a letter to gauge Professor Palrez's intentions.
'The semester's almost over anyway...'
Roseline might contact me through Jenjen once the term ended.
Looks like a new function just appeared?
Eh?
What function?
The power of strong Manaphone connections allowed remote circuit modifications.
And since I'd already designed the circuits for photos once before, it didn't take long.
Anonymous 2 was the first to notice the new feature.
It seems we can capture the scene we're seeing right now in a fixed form on this stele and share it with each other.
Needs light, huh... Hm.
Anonymous 3 might have trouble using it.
Come to think of it, Anonymous 3 was a deep-sea race.
No, it's fine.
Making light isn't hard.
Just surprising that it uses light as the medium for this function.
(Photo)
Oh.
So that's the vibe.
The photo Anonymous 1 posted was shrouded in heavy darkness, barely visible. Faintly discernible was a rough stone wall... A cliff?
Where are you?
Up north. Near the border outskirts.
Why there...?
Came looking for the Oracle Stele.
Have to pay the price, after all.
The "price" Anonymous 1 mentioned was from when Anonymous 4—me—had asked if they were a hero. I'd said as '0' that I'd claim the price later, and Anonymous 1 apparently assumed it was via the Oracle Stele.
Well, as long as they found it, no issue.
Anyway, it's a feature we never even dreamed of.
It's like capturing a fragment of time.
Well, carrying on conversations like this without even knowing each other's faces is already amazing enough.
Why did '0' give us a feature like this?
One thing's for sure: the quality of our conversations just went up a notch.
The function seemed to be accepted naturally enough.
I set the Manaphone aside for a moment and picked up the letter on the desk. It was from Professor Palrez.
The contents were as expected. When I briefly explained the photo artifact, he'd responded with eager enthusiasm. Honestly, Professor Palrez would welcome anything I made.
The letter also mentioned another update: the semester was still ongoing, and a request to stop by when I had time.
And the last line caught my eye.
"...Help with lectures?"
I muttered without realizing it, staring down at the letter.
"Me?"