Chapter 547: An Obvious Signal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 547: An Obvious Signal
Magia Lida (Магия льда).
In Russian, it means "magic of ice.”
The name had a distinct "thrown-together" feel to it, but that wasn't particularly important.
“The essence of Elemental Magic is to wield the power of the elements. And all elements are derived from what are called the four great elements: fire, water, earth, and wind. But light and darkness are the exceptions. They have such a unique system that it's hard to even call them Elemental Magic.”
The one-on-one lecture with the Tower Lord, which began on a desolate plain devoid of any sign of human life, surprisingly started from the basics.
Her personal philosophy—that you can't achieve anything if your foundation is weak—was similar to Master Vajra Divine Monk's.
“Concept Magic varies from one extreme to the other depending on the user, and the situation isn't much different for Spirit Magic or Summoning Magic. Elemental Magic, on the other hand, allows a mage to pull their own weight, even at just the 1st Circle.”
“You mean it has a high floor and a high ceiling.”
“Correct. But there is one misconception that most Elementalists fall into. They believe they are dominating the elements.”
Shhh-
An ice crystal bloomed above the Tower Lord's palm.
It reflected the sunlight like a beautifully cut gem, glowing softly.
“A mage is merely borrowing the power of the elements. A truth that must never be forgotten. But mages of the modern era, lost in their arrogance, have forgotten that fact. No, I suppose the mages of previous generations weren't much different.”
The Tower Lord's magic power hadn't moved in the slightest.
And yet, the ice crystal—no, the element of ice—that bloomed on her palm was manifesting its presence in reality.
Elements, by nature, have no physical form.
To give them form, a supply of magic power from a mage is indispensable.
That was the fundamental premise of Elemental Magic, the common knowledge I had learned until now.
As if reading the question on my face, the Tower Lord continued.
“The elements are the source from which nature is formed. How deeply one can share senses and emotions with them is the most important virtue for an Elementalist. This is called 'Resonance'.”
“Resonance...”
“It's something all Elementalists do unconsciously. But the difference between one who does it consciously and one who doesn't is like heaven and earth.”
“Um... but if it's that important, why have I never learned this at the Magic Tower?”
Resonance with the elements.
It was a concept I'd never heard of, not in the regular classes or anywhere else.
Of course, since Iris is a Spirit User, it's possible she didn't know and thus couldn't teach me.
But wouldn't Grandma Choi Young-ok, the head of the prestigious magic family Seongbuk Choi, or Hyena, who's practically the successor, have at least given me a hint?
Just as I was starting to feel a little resentful...
“You ask the obvious. Have you ever seen a parent teach a baby to run before it can even take its first steps?”
“...Ah.”
The Tower Lord looked at me as if I were pathetic.
“This is information that would normally only be taught to a mage who has reached the 6th Circle, but I've judged you to have talent, so I'm teaching you early.”
“Oh... So what do I have to do?”
“It's simple.”
Vrrrrroooom-!!
At that moment, the ice crystal on the Tower Lord's palm began to vibrate violently, as if it would shatter at any moment.
Whoooooosh-!!!!!
The temperature in the surrounding area plummeted, and soon a blizzard raged so fiercely you couldn't see an inch in front of your face.
I couldn't feel any flow of magic power.
This meant it was a phenomenon created purely through resonance with the elements.
In terms of sheer power, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was comparable to a 4th Circle spell.
So this is resonance...
Genuinely impressed, I drew upon my Geumgang Ki and lowered my body as much as possible.
Impressiveness aside, it was seriously cold enough that anyone else would have frozen to death long ago.
It feels like it's well below minus 30 degrees Celsius...?
Just when I was wondering if the Tower Lord was determined to kill someone today, the blizzard thankfully began to subside.
But the chill that had seeped deep into my bones didn't fade easily.
In fact, it seemed to worsen with time.
My not-so-high level of Immunity to Cold and Heat and my remaining Yang energy were not enough to withstand the frigid environment an Archmage had deliberately created.
While I shivered in the cold, the Tower Lord dug out a person-sized hole in the snow that had piled up to her thighs and sent me a meaningful look.
“Resonance ultimately means getting closer to the elements. In other words, becoming one with nature.”
“...Don't tell me.”
“Take it all off.”
The moment I heard the Tower Lord's words, a cold sweat started to run down my back.
“...We don't have to do it this way—”
“Stop talking and get in. And this is actually quite mild.”
“What? What do you mean...”
“How do you think you'll train with the other elements?”
“...”
There was no mirror, but I was certain my face had gone pale.
“Didn't I tell you repeatedly? To give up on the other elements.”
“...”
“This is your karma. Deal with it.”
At the Tower Lord's reaction, which seemed to say she found this refreshing, I screamed internally.
I didn't know back then!
But it was too late for regrets.
I let out a heavy sigh and slowly took off my shirt.
It was fucking cold.
*
Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack-
In front of a warm fireplace.
A quiet sound echoed, like a duet between a grandfather with dentures and a woodpecker pecking at a wall to find a new home.
Naturally, the performer was me.
I-I really almost froze to death...
Even though I was wrapped in a thick blanket and drinking piping hot chocolate, the chill left deep in my bones wouldn't go away.
Part of it was being buried naked in the snow for nearly half a day, but the Tower Lord bore greater responsibility for constantly lowering the temperature, saying I had to get closer to the elements.
As a result, my hands and feet got frostbitten.
I wanted to circulate the Formless Vajra Art to warm my body, but the Tower Lord forbade it, saying I had to learn to accept even this level of cold.
So here I am, reminiscing about things I never expected to.
I thought I was done shivering in the winter after my days in the slums... It's just bringing back useless old memories.
Flop-
Placing the mug on the table, I lay down on the sofa.
To be honest, I was used to the cold.
Before the head nun took me in, I had managed to scrape by and survive among friends who would literally freeze to death every winter.
As everyone knows, Korean winters are murderous.
The biting, blade-like winds are even fiercer than in Siberia, where it easily hits minus 20 degrees Celsius. Even when seven or eight of us crammed ourselves into a clothing donation box to sleep, there would always be one or two kids frozen to death by the next morning.
Of course, the fact that we had nothing to eat was also a factor.
As proof, only the girls, who had more body fat than the boys, survived particularly well.
Me?
I was lucky.
There's no other way to explain it other than I was just really lucky.
There were a fair number of other boys who scraped by like me, but every single one of them had to have a finger or a toe amputated.
But I was fine.
Of course, it might be because my time in the slums wasn't that long.
But even considering that, the fact that my organs weren't harvested, my limbs were intact, and even my virginity and hymen(?) were safe could only be described as heavenly luck, no matter how you looked at it.
They say only the good memories remain, but maybe it's because I don't have any? All I can remember is the shitty stuff.
Just thinking about that time still makes me grind my teeth.
Not wanting to sour my mood further, I deliberately changed the subject.
Anyway, I can endure it because I've learned martial arts, but how on earth do other mages withstand such a brutish training method?
According to the Tower Lord, for the fire element, you have to meditate in flames; for the water element, you have to spend half a day underwater; and for the earth element, you literally have to be buried alive.
And for the wind element, it seems you have to bungee jump from hundreds or thousands of meters above sea level without a parachute.
It was nothing short of insane.
Seriously, it would be normal for nine out of ten to die in the process.
The more I thought about it, the more I was sure the reason the Magic Tower didn't teach about resonance wasn't because it was an advanced course, but simply because it was crazy.
They wouldn't kill off all the talent they'd painstakingly nurtured.
“Then again, it's not like this insane act was completely meaningless...”
I furrowed my brow and held my palm up toward the ceiling.
Crack-k-k-kle-
Frost slowly began to spread from where my gaze landed.
I hadn't used any magic power.
It was the element responding to my will.
I knew instinctively.
It had only been half a day of training, but just from that, the path—the connection—between the element of ice and me had grown much stronger.
– Resonance is something all Elementalists do unconsciously. But the difference between one who does it consciously and one who doesn't is like heaven and earth.
Now I could fully understand the Tower Lord's words.
A 5th Circle mage who can perfectly perform resonance versus a 6th Circle mage who can't.
In terms of simple combat power, the latter would be much stronger, but you couldn't say the gap would be overwhelming.
It was a story that defied common sense.
I can create a chance of winning against mages of a higher realm because I have the help of martial arts and the app, but other mages couldn't even dream of it.
“It's definitely good, but...”
The problem was that to train the other elements, I'd really have to put my life on the line.
I cursed the decision my past self had made and let out a long sigh.
Creek-
Just as I was feeling completely drained, the door suddenly swung wide open.
When I lifted my head, my eyes met the Tower Lord's, just as I'd expected.
I grunted and pushed myself up.
“You're here.”
“Yes.”
The Tower Lord, who had been looking down at me with her usual expressionless face, sat across from me and crossed her legs.
There was one small difference from usual, however. On the table was a tray she had brought in.
It was clearly dinner.
It even had a cover enchanted with preservation magic to keep the food from getting cold.
When she pulled me out of the snow, she scolded me for making a fuss over nothing, yet here she is bringing a meal directly to my room... Is this what they call a tsundere?
I was a little touched.
“...I don't like that look in your eyes.”
“It's because I'm moved by your sincerity, Valentina.”
“Stop with the nonsense and just eat.”
While the Tower Lord blushed slightly, I lifted the cover with a broad smile.
But the moment I saw what was on the tray, I couldn't help but tilt my head in confusion.
“...Eel over rice?”
It was a dish rarely seen in Russia.
While they do eat a lot of eel in Russia, it's usually smoked, in soup, grilled, or steamed, not served over rice like in Korea or Japan.
In other words, this was a dish the Tower Lord had made specifically for me, a Korean.
Up to this point, you could see it as a wife's supportive care for her hardworking husband, but—
The clear magic power faintly emanating from the eel and its subtly different appearance from a normal eel made me swallow a dry laugh.
I'd seen it on TV once.
This had to be the Ugori breed of eel, which could only be caught in a rare Gate called "Ugori's Riverside.”
If I remember correctly, it was an aphrodisiac that cost tens of millions of won per eel.
...Can a person be this transparent?
This menu choice, brimming with impure intentions, made me stare intently at the Tower Lord.
As if she had anticipated my reaction, she had already turned her head to avoid my gaze.
Though she couldn't hide her bright red earlobes.
Clatter, clatter-
Without a word, I started eating the eel.
She must have noticed I was a big eater, because it looked like a portion for six.
“Thank you for the meal.”
I cleaned the plate in the blink of an eye, but I deliberately didn't compliment the food.
That wasn't what was important right now.
After chewing on the mint candy that came for dessert, I got up and approached the Tower Lord.
Swoop-
I slid my arms under her legs and lifted her into my arms.
She said nothing, simply blushing as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
I immediately turned and headed for the bed.
