Chapter 116
Chapter 116
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Guest (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The first semester of the magic academy was over.
It had been a semester full of twists and turns, but as it came to a close, the mood was warm and pleasant.
The teachers, too, were joking with their students, waiting for the time to head home.
At sword academies, where physical training was paramount, rest was taught to be as crucial as practice. The magic academy, focused on training the mind, was no different.
The mind, though invisible, was a tangible faculty of a human being. Even the most tenacious students needed a break to cool their overheated heads.
However, to ensure they didn't lose their edge completely, Alpheas Magic Academy required students who hadn't given a presentation to submit a paper on a topic of their choice.
Of course, this didn't apply to Shirone. Having received the highest score for his presentation on 'The Unseen' hosted by the Paranormal Research Society, he was free to enjoy his vacation without a care.
On the day vacation began, as students left one by one, Shirone found himself at the empty Third Training Ground.
The place, usually bustling with the sound of chants and magical explosions, was now filled with a serene silence.
The Third Training Ground was one of the larger ones. A 1,600-meter track ran along its perimeter, and the area, divided into eight sections, was equipped with various devices for testing magical effects.
Shirone entered the movement magic training area. There were countless movement spells a mage could use: Teleportation, Fly, Dark Port, Air Walk, and more. A desolate, open space was the perfect environment to practice them all.
There, Shirone reflected on his progress over the past half-year.
*First, movement magic.*
Shirone's primary movement spell was Teleportation. He had developed it further, mastering Rainbow Drop for curved movement and the Patrol technique for rapid lateral shifts.
His achievements in photon output were also significant.
At first, it was merely a spell for transmitting information, but after understanding the God Particle, it transformed into the powerful offensive spell, Photon Cannon.
Thanks to this, he easily mastered Flash magic, which sustained light for an extended period.
Not satisfied, Shirone continued to evolve his magic. He mathematically reversed the Photon Cannon to develop the Laser.
While the Photon Cannon had a higher single-impact force, the cumulative damage of the Laser was nearly infinite. It was a terrifying spell capable of destroying any solid object, unless the material was immune to its waves.
*Come to think of it, I've worked pretty hard.*
Shirone smiled, pleased. What felt best of all was that his proficiency in his specialized magic had taken a significant leap forward.
Currently, Shirone's photonization theory had surpassed the near-light speed level and entered the realm of sub-light speed. The reason he had come to the training ground was to attempt Spatial Jump, a feat said to be impossible for anyone less than a sub-light speed mage.
"I wonder what it feels like."
It was on a different level from Teleportation. He had heard that with Spatial Jump, one could clearly experience the unique property of light that folded spacetime.
As he deployed his Spirit Zone, the surrounding scenery became vivid through his synesthesia. Focusing his consciousness on a single point, Shirone unleashed his photonization magic at a sub-light speed level.
The moment he combined omniscience and omnipotence and shifted his center, his body evaporated into light. A flash shot high into the sky, then plummeted back to the ground in an instant.
Arriving at his destination, Shirone gasped for breath, his face pale.
"Hah! I... I did it!"
His heart pounded from the sensation, something he had never experienced before. The view that entered his eyes was completely different from Teleportation.
When using Teleportation, the world felt like it was crumpling and rushing toward him. But Spatial Jump felt as if the world itself had folded, sending the sky and earth spinning.
*So this is Spatial Jump. It's so disorienting. I can't use this in a fight.*
He'd heard that even Etella, a certified Grade 6 mage, had relied mainly on Teleportation during her duel with Arcane. It was proof that Spatial Jump wasn't effective in combat.
Spatial Jump truly shined not in combat, but in travel.
When covering long distances, using Teleportation carried the risk of colliding with obstacles. Thus, no matter how wide the Spirit Zone, most mages limited their jumps to within ten meters.
But Spatial Jump allowed one to literally leap through space, regardless of obstacles.
Of course, for it to be tangibly effective, his Spirit Zone's radius needed to be incomparably larger than it was now.
Currently, Shirone's Spirit Zone had a diameter of about fifty meters. It was a respectable size among students, but it felt insufficient for handling advanced magic like Spatial Jump.
In the end, his magic level had far outpaced his Spirit Zone. Normally, magic developed in step with the Spirit Zone, but Shirone, an Un-locker, had overcome theoretical barriers with his exceptional insight.
*The balance has become asymmetrical. Should I be happy about this?*
Of course, the growth of his Spirit Zone wasn't insignificant. While its size was similar to when he first enrolled, its durability was on another level.
If he were to deploy his Zone at the level he was half a year ago, a diameter of 100 meters would be no problem.
But casting high-level magic in that state would shatter the Zone. Therefore, it was more reasonable to consider his Zone's radius to still be fifty meters.
*Haha, people would laugh if I told them I could use Spatial Jump with a Zone of this size.*
By a rough calculation, for Spatial Jump to be effective in a real situation, the Zone's diameter needed to be at least 200 meters.
If a mage on an urgent mission needed to travel ten kilometers, it would take a thousand Teleportations. But a mage with a 200-meter diameter Zone could cover the distance with just fifty Spatial Jumps.
In a real-world scenario where every second counted, saving the casting time of 950 spells was an immense advantage.
"Learning powerful magic isn't everything. You can't become a great mage if your Spirit Zone can't support it."
Moreover, when training the Spirit Zone, simply expanding its radius wasn't the only goal.
One had to increase its size while maintaining enough durability for key spells to function. On top of that, to improve magical accuracy, one also had to consider its density.
"Good heavens..."
Shirone stood with his mouth agape. It felt as if the path ahead of him stretched to the very edge of the horizon.
The qualities a mage had to master were endless: Zone radius and durability, omniscience and omnipotence, application and proficiency, combat experience and judgment.
What thrilled Shirone most was the realization that all these qualities had to be developed simultaneously, rising in a balanced harmony.
As he grasped this, the shape of the path he pursued, the very nature of magic, began to come into faint view.
Shirone felt a thrill of joy.
To perceive even a faint substance in the near-infinite world of magic was proof of his growth.
It was the same for Shina, Etella, and Arcane. They had all reached their positions through immense training. The path would be arduous, certainly, but it didn't feel like a broken bridge he could never cross.
*I can do it. I can climb higher.*
Having successfully promoted to Class Four, he could apply for the graduating class anytime from the next semester. And when he finally graduated, he would become the mage he had always dreamed of being.
"Me, a mage..."
Shirone's heart pounded at the mere thought. There was a time when he thought he would have to live his whole life in the mountains. But things were different now. The dream he had longed for was becoming a reality.
"Come to think of it, so much has happened."
When he first entered the academy, his classmates had picked on him for not being able to handle a single spell. As a result, hadn't he taken an unprecedented Teleportation exam?
"Haha! Looking back now, it was pretty pathetic."
Shirone left the movement magic training area and entered the cutting magic training ground in the fourth section.
It was a place for testing magical cutting power, where a cylindrical target with high viscosity floated above a magic circle.
Shirone approached the target and held out his hand.
"Wind Cutter."
With the chant, a strong wind whipped up. A sharp gust slashed at the target, and with a wet slap, the cylinder split in two.
While those specializing in the Air element trained with the viscosity set to maximum, Shirone, trying it for the first time, was satisfied just by the fact that the spell had worked.
"Hehe, this much is easy."
Shirone's current omniscience was incomparably stronger than when he had first enrolled.
Having passed all his subjects with scores of 80 or higher, a basic spell like Wind Cutter was no problem.
Of course, knowing the omniscience didn't mean everyone could achieve omnipotence. The reason he could manifest a spell on his first try was because his disposition leaned more toward insight than analysis.
Mages could be broadly divided into theoretical types and sensory types. Each had its pros and cons, but when attempting something for the first time, the sensory type inevitably learned faster than the theoretical type.
Shirone's tendencies were especially pronounced. This was why Arcane had once described him as the type who learns through practical application.
Reviewing his progress over the past six months, Shirone smiled with satisfaction. Even to himself, he seemed to have become quite the mage.
"Hey, Shirone!"
"Huh?"
He looked toward the track and saw Nade and Iruki waving at him.
About to run over to them happily, Shirone had a fun idea and stopped.
He then converted his Spirit Zone to a target-type, calculated the distance to his friends, and cast Spatial Jump.
With a sharp, metallic screech, Shirone's body instantly dropped in front of the two of them.
"Whoa! What was that? What did you just do?"
Nade jumped back in surprise. Iruki's eyes widened, clearly not expecting it either.
"Don't tell me... Spatial Jump? You were practicing right up to the last day of the semester?"
Shirone laughed sheepishly and replied.
"Not really. We can't practice in the training grounds for a while, right? I just stopped by for a final review."
"But you only just succeeded with Spatial Jump today, right? It's so cool. Do it again."
As Nade made a fuss, Iruki clicked his tongue.
"What's so cool about it? It's not like you've never seen it before."
"No, I think this is the first time I've seen someone our age do it. When the teachers did it, I just thought, 'oh, okay,' but seeing Shirone do it feels different."
"True, Spatial Jump is a difficult spell even for the graduating seniors."
It wasn't called a specialization for nothing. While Teleportation was a basic skill for mages, Spatial Jump was closer to a specialized field.
Of course, like Teleportation, Spatial Jump was also classified as 'Over Power,' so it was a required skill for a certified Grade 6 mage.
But even for a specialist, using sub-light speed at a student level was much harder than one might expect.
"But it's not really useful yet. The travel distance is too short."
"What do you mean, not useful? You at least surprised Nade."
"What? When was I surprised? I can use Plasma too. Want me to show you right here?"
Nade retorted, but his cards were already on the table. Iruki waved his hand dismissively and spoke to Shirone.
"Forget it. Anyway, to sum it up: you were here all alone, casting amazing spells and getting lost in self-admiration, right?"
Shirone blushed. He was only reviewing his progress over the past six months, but in a way, Iruki wasn't wrong.
"No, it's not like that..."
"Well, you've earned the right. You're the one who showed the most growth this semester. Anyway, if you're satisfied now, let's go pay our respects."
"Oh, right. I didn't realize it was so late."
Most of the students had returned home, but a few, like Shirone's group, remained at the academy. They wanted to thank the teachers for their hard work during the semester.
The three of them left the training ground and headed for the building where the faculty stayed. The dormitory doors were all open, and cleaners could be seen tidying up each room.
Shirone headed for the conference hall. As expected, many teachers were there, chatting over cups of tea before leaving for their hometowns.