Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Another Genius (4)
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“Huh? Wh-what?”
As Shirone stood there, too stunned to speak, Nade explained with an awkward laugh.
“Haha! Sorry about that. Our research society is a bit infamous, so it can be tricky revealing who's a member.”
This explained why the eccentric Iruki was friends with Nade. The problem, however, was the nature of the society itself. It was hard to understand why someone as rational and level-headed as him would be part of an unscientific research group.
“Iruki is interested in this kind of stuff?”
“Quite the opposite, actually. He approaches it from a critical standpoint. Iruki believes that nothing in the world is illogical. So, what better prey could there be than this?”
Iruki, seemingly unaware of Shirone's presence, was pacing around, muttering something to himself. Then he glanced toward Nade and approached with a surprised look on his face.
“Oh? Shirone!”
Before he could even reply, Iruki strode over, grabbed Shirone's shoulders, and started shaking him.
“You're just in time. I've just come up with something incredible! So, listen, it's about splitting the smallest possible particle of matter. You're probably thinking, how can you split the smallest thing? That's exactly my point! If you split it, it's no longer matter! So what is it? I've been running the calculations for three days. And believe it or not—unbelievable!—there's an immense amount of energy stored inside. What if this were possible? Huh? What do you think would happen? Tell me, quickly.”
He spoke so fast that Shirone couldn't catch all the details. But faced with that burning gaze, he felt he had to say something.
“W-well... The energy would be released, right?”
“Exactly! A massive explosion! The kind that could wipe an entire city off the map! Can you imagine it? Huh? You, of all people, should be able to!”
Shirone was dumbfounded. Wipe out an entire city? Regardless of whether it was possible, the idea was horrifying.
“But people would die. Everyone living in the city would be killed.”
“What are you talking about? It's an explosion, an explosion! The city would be blown away!”
“Exactly! What happens to the people living there when the explosion goes off?”
“Huh? The people living there?”
Iruki tilted his head as if he didn't understand. Shirone finally realized and asked again.
“You... Don't tell me you never even considered it?”
“Of course not. What's important is how much explosive power can be generated. Do I have to think about things like that?”
Shirone felt a chill. If Iruki had said he didn't care if people died, it would have been somewhat understandable. But he truly hadn't even thought about it.
“How could you not? Does it make sense for a mage not to consider the consequences of their magic?”
“You're being foolish, Shirone. That's for anthropologists to think about. A genius's duty is to push the limits of what they can do.”
“If a genius can only cause harm, it's better to be a fool.”
“A few geniuses feed the masses of fools. History proves it. It's the reality we live in. Shirone, I despise it when people bring up idealism.”
“No, your logic is steeped in defeatism. Ideals can absolutely be realized!”
“That's why they're called ideals.”
As Shirone and Iruki snarled at each other like mortal enemies, Nade stepped in with a troubled smile.
“Alright, alright! Let's stop. Debating is good, but clashing isn't. Let's sit down calmly and talk about this matter.”
“No. I have nothing to say. Nade, I'm leaving!”
Shirone spun around and stormed out of the society room. Nade hurriedly chased after him, shouting.
“Shirone! We have to go together! How will you find your way back alone?”
“Leave him be. It's not like the layout has changed. He should be able to remember the way he came. If he can't even do that, then he really is a fool.”
By the time Nade got outside the door, Shirone was already gone. Nade returned, frowning.
“Why did you have to do that? You could have explained it in a way he would understand.”
“Who knows. I'm not sure myself. Maybe it's because we're rivals. One of us has to fall.”
It was extremely rare for the word "rival" to come from Iruki's mouth. His arrogance was part of it, but more than that, he was a boy who had no interest in competition itself.
Women, wealth, and honor could not move him. The only thing he was engrossed in was equations.
“Shirone is your rival? Are you serious?”
Iruki sat down on the sofa. As his weight sank into it, a cloud of dust puffed up.
“You saw it too, right? The teleportation test. The uncrossable bridge.”
“I saw it. That's why he ended up in our class.”
“For someone who just learned teleportation to clear Level 10, the Dragon's Maze at that, how fast must he be thinking?”
Iruki tapped his head and said.
“According to my calculations, the unit of time Shirone split in that fleeting moment was at least one ten-thousandth of a second.”
“One ten-thousandth of a second...”
Nade felt dizzy. Just trying to imagine that gap of time, expressed as a number, made his head feel like it would explode.
Iruki let out a metallic, cackling laugh.
“That's the mystery of insight. It's faster than effort and more accurate than knowledge. No conscious calculation can match the speed of intuition. But you know, Nade.”
A storm of madness swirled in Iruki's eyes.
“I wonder... what about me?”
“...”
Shirone's insight versus Iruki's calculation. Which was faster? Recalling the clash between the two, Nade felt a chilling thrill and swallowed hard.
Limitless (1)
At Shina's summons, Shirone went to the faculty office. She was reading a book and led him to the teachers' lounge. Offering him tea, she said.
“Here. You treated me last time, so it's my turn to treat you.”
“Haha! Thank you.”
Since moving up to Class Five, Shirone's social skills had improved considerably. She had heard that he even joked around with his classmates frequently these days.
“So, what did you want to see me about?”
“I saw your report card. You're maintaining your growth momentum. It's especially encouraging that your highest score is in chemistry, which I teach.”
“Hehe, it's only a one-point difference, though.”
Even Shina, his dedicated instructor, hadn't predicted that Shirone would maintain this upward trend for so long. The fact that his scores varied by less than two points per subject, even while averaging in the mid-40s, meant he could continue to improve for the foreseeable future.
“If you keep this up, you'll be able to secure a spot in the upper-middle ranks starting next month. When that happens, the school administration will start paying attention to your study methods.”
“Oh, it's not like I was trying to get attention.”
“Of course, I know. That being said, the reason I called you today is to make a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“You know there's a practical exam every two months, right? This month, it's a targeting exam. Do you know what that is?”
“Yes. I saw it when Amy was in Class Four. It's a test where you have to hit targets within a time limit, right? Amy was especially fast because she's a targeting type. It was really cool.”
Shina smiled as she watched Shirone, his eyes sparkling.
“Yes. It seems Amy is doing well in the graduate class. You must be sad to be separated from your girlfriend.”
The advanced and graduate classes had different curriculums, making it difficult for them to meet. They could go on dates on the weekend, but they weren't actually dating, and even then, finding the time was hard.
“As long as I know she's working hard, I'm fine. I have to support her as her boyfriend.”
A couple as wholesome as Shirone and Amy was rare. If they continued like this, the school would almost want to encourage dating.
“Alright. That's enough of an introduction. The reason I called you today is because of the practical exam. Do you have any other magic you've learned besides teleportation?”
“No. As you can see from my grades, I haven't met the standard yet... Ah! That's right!”
Shirone realized it belatedly. To take the practical exam, he needed to be able to use an active magic. It didn't have to be an offensive spell, but the only magic Shirone had learned, teleportation, was a passive magic with a continuous effect.
On the other hand, active magic had single-use effects, with various types like Fire, Wind Cutter, Healing, Ice Sword, Lightning Bolt, and Atomic Bomb.
Didn't he need at least one spell that could hit a target to take the exam? Shirone was now in a tight spot.
“What should I do? I was so focused on my studies that I didn't even think about it.”
“Don't worry. Someone like you, who has mastered Rainbow Drop, should be able to handle a simple active magic.”
“But my average theory score is 45. You said it's difficult to cast spells without a score of at least 60.”
“That's right. But there is one, isn't there? A subject where you scored close to 100.”
He hadn't scored over 50, let alone 100, on any theory exam he had taken so far. But Shirone immediately realized. Just as Shina said, there was indeed one subject left.
“Ah! Photonization Theory!”
“Yes. Teleportation is a practical skill, so it's easy to overlook, but you've studied Photonization Theory enough that you should be able to apply it as an active magic.”
“I see! Thank you, ma'am.”
“It's just advice I should give as your dedicated instructor. No need to thank me. If you have any difficulties in the future, feel free to come and talk to me anytime.”
“Yes, ma'am. In that case, I'll consult you right now. What kind of active magic can be developed from Photonization Theory?”
Shina smiled as if she had expected this.
“Have you ever heard of Photon Output?”
“I've read about it in a book. It's shooting photons, right?”
It was a phenomenon called 'Photon Emission.' However, since it had no physical force, shooting them out didn't really do anything. It could illuminate one's surroundings if lost in the mountains, but it was much simpler to just cast a light spell. Even Photonization Theory, called a great discovery, had its efficiency starkly divided between active and passive applications like this.
However, the ivory towers leading the magical society currently held the view that Photon Output was the future of magic. Nothing is faster than light. Furthermore, the analysis was that by using its property of traveling in a straight line, it could lead to innovations in the field of information.
Shina persuaded Shirone based on this latest trend.
“The future of Photon Output is bright, you could say. By the time you graduate, there might already be some initial achievements. It wouldn't be a bad idea to learn it in advance.”
“Okay. I'll practice it then.”
Shirone answered that he would without hesitation.
He needed an active magic to take the practical exam anyway, and the only one he could master right now was Photon Output.
After the meeting, Shirone headed to the training grounds. The exam was not far off, so even starting now, time was tight.
Shirone held out his hand and focused his mind. Since magic was a phenomenon that occurred in the Spirit Zone, there was no need to take any specific action, but reinforcing consciousness through an act had the effect of increasing concentration. Mages called this a 'Magical Action.'
He activated the magic in a photonized state, but the emission phenomenon did not occur. Just as teleportation was easy for him because he was a defensive type, Photon Output was a magic specialized for offensive types.
'I need a much higher level of concentration than when I teleport.'
After dozens of failed attempts, Shirone collapsed to the ground. While passive magic was a matter of how strongly one could maintain their mental state, active magic required a momentary condensation of the mind.
The Spirit Zone didn't actually shrink, but it felt like applying immense pressure to squeeze something out. However, his Spirit Zone's durability was so strong that it was difficult to get a feel for it.
'So this is why aptitude is so important.'
Etella had once mentioned in passing that there was a way to technically strengthen the Spirit Zone, but at the time, he had just enrolled and hadn't attended the detailed classes on it.
'The Spirit Zone is an extremely sensitive mental state. It's the limit of one's concentration, so how can it be strengthened even more from here?'
Burdened with these various questions, Shirone trudged back to his dorm.