Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: The Unseen (3)
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An obsession bordering on madness, and a rush of exhilaration.
Shirone felt a chill. Everyone had been so absorbed in their work they had forgotten to sleep for days. By his calculation, their average daily sleep was only about an hour and forty minutes.
Even at the peak of his own studies, Shirone had never worked this hard. But strangely, he didn't feel any more tired than usual. It was as if his sense of pain had been paralyzed.
‘They were such slackers, but when it came time to work, their intensity was terrifying.’
Seeing them pour every waking moment into their respective fields, Shirone felt a sense of accomplishment he had never experienced before.
“Nade, are you tired right now?”
“No, not at all. Or am I? I honestly can’t tell. My mind feels wide open.”
“Me too. Iruki’s still working, so let’s start on the script. We also need to come up with the text for the poster. These little things take time when you actually get down to them.”
“Ah, should we? Then let’s put up the posters tomorrow.”
“Are you sure? We’re not even at the stage where we can predict our workload.”
“We’ll have to risk it. It’s best to make the announcement as soon as possible. I don’t want to seem desperate. It’s a psychological game, so we have to consider these things, right?”
“You’re right. Then I’ll work on the poster text, you think about the design.”
The two spread paper on the table and began to create the poster. The night was deep, but their minds were still bright.
The next day.
A poster was put up on the bulletin board just as lunchtime was ending. It was an announcement for the Paranormal Research Society’s presentation. Most students reacted with bewilderment. As an underground society, they had never engaged in official activities, so even their name was unfamiliar. The poster, in particular, was so laughably absurd. It depicted a distorted, eerie landscape of the magic academy, looking like something for a circus performance.
The Paranormal Research Society’s Grand Presentation!
A shocking exposé! Anyone who wants to know the true nature of the soul, gather at Lecture Hall 7.
“Paranormal science? What’s that? Are they talking about ghosts or something?”
“So a society like this existed. They must be really bored. Who are they, anyway? The kids who joined such a foolish society?”
“Huh? Hey guys, look at this.”
A female student pointed to the bottom of the poster. The eyes of the students who found the members' names went wide.
“It’s Shirone! What’s going on? Is there someone else with the same name?”
“No way. It’s the real Shirone. Mercodine Iruki and Nade are right next to him.”
“But is it just the three of them? Did they make it for a performance evaluation? Even so, this is a stretch. Why a society like this?”
“When’s the presentation? Should we go?”
“I kind of want to. The fact that Shirone is in it makes it intriguing. What if they really did uncover the true nature of ghosts?”
“We’ll see when we get there. Hahaha! Anyway, it sounds fun.”
The students turned away, not thinking much of it. The atmosphere was more like going to see a play than an academic conference. On the other hand, those who operated in the shadows like the Paranormal Research Society couldn't hide their surprise. They gathered and whispered, avoiding the eyes of others.
“What’s going on? A presentation from the ‘Paranormal Society’?”
“Rumor has it they had a falling out with Ms. Shina. I guess they decided to have it out. But what can they do? They’re not the Paranormal Society of old. Their glory days are over.”
“You can’t be sure. Iruki is a savant, and Nade’s resourcefulness can’t be ignored. The new member, Shirone, also has a record of dismantling the Black Magicians. I don’t think it’ll end like this.”
“Hehehe. The Black Magicians were just a bunch of low-class kids. Anyway, let’s wait and see. If the Paranormal Society disappears, a war will break out. For the position of Istar’s second master.”
“It won’t be easy. The Female Anatomy Research Society has had their eye on it for a while. The ‘Golden Wheel’ Economics Society is also preparing to open the black market. They must think it’s a chance to cash in big.”
“Hmph. Our Doll Collectors’ Society is no pushover either. I swear on my lovely Poko. The ‘upper floors’ of Istar will be ours.”
Their eyes burned as they thought of the legendary upper floors of Istar. Those who knew of the Paranormal Research Society and those who didn't—everyone had their own circumstances, but they all anticipated that this presentation would be a hit.
Meanwhile, the people in question had no time to worry about such things. Only one thought filled their minds.
Why does a day only have 24 hours?
If a day were about 200 hours long. No, if it were at least 48 hours, they could create a perfect result.
But they weren't foolish enough to waste time on fantasies. The three were breaking down the day into the smallest possible units to proceed with their work.
Having succeeded in developing a prototype, Nade held a demonstration in front of Shirone and Iruki. The hologram device was a hemispherical machine, like an overturned bowl, with output terminals lined up along its outer edge. While Iruki set the functions on the device, Shirone waited, holding the fiber-optic crystal ball.
“Shirone, try casting the photon output.”
“Will it be okay? It’s not at a perfect level yet.”
“Neither are we. We need to do a demonstration to find areas for improvement.”
“Alright.”
Shirone, gripping two crystal balls, one in each hand, cast a powerful photon output. Electricity sparked from the hologram device's terminals, and a translucent human figure appeared. There was a limit to the clarity that could be achieved electrically, but Nade saw that as a good thing. This was likely the kind of image students imagined when they thought of ghosts.
“So this is a hologram.”
The ghost was a soldier in ancient armor. Its face was horribly disfigured, and bones were visible in various parts of its body.
“The frame looks okay for now. Iruki, it’s your turn.”
Iruki operated the controller Nade had made. It had only four buttons, but they could be combined to express dozens of patterns. With each button press, the soldier hologram performed various actions. Iruki was satisfied as he watched the soldier walk around the warehouse.
“The functions seem fine. We can proceed with this. Now, all that’s left is you, Shirone. Are you going to be okay? The number of devices will increase dramatically on the day of the presentation.”
Having tried it himself, Shirone was also worried. The power generation could be restored with Nade’s electricity, but the problem was the information transfer rate. Just operating a single hologram device was quite mentally taxing.
“I’ll do my best. It’s hopeful that the duration is increasing. So, Nade will start mass production now. Is your part done, Iruki?”
“No, I still have a lot to improve. If I consider psychological changes, it would take a year to analyze. I'm treating any probability over five percent as a practical variable. Still, I should be able to make it in time.”
“Now that I have a prototype, I have to go all in starting today. There’s no time for rehearsals. Let’s all focus on our roles for the remaining time.”
He said that, but everyone knew Shirone bore the heaviest burden. Even if a few devices broke down, or if Iruki’s functions were slightly off, the operation would proceed one way or another. But if the output weakened, not only would they be unable to even attempt the operation, but they would also become the laughingstock of the students.
‘The limit is ten minutes. If I can’t reach that, the presentation is pointless.’
Returning to the warehouse, Shirone reviewed his training process so far. Mental enhancement occurred in the form of a rebound. It rarely strengthened gradually. It was a zigzag pattern of falling and rising. Moreover, the larger the drop, the larger the rise.
“The more I push my mind to its limits, the greater the strengthening.”
That was the conclusion Shirone had reached. If this method were applied to physical training, the body would break down in less than a month, but the mind had the elasticity to withstand high levels of stress. Especially for Shirone, whose strength was his endurance, there was no better training method.
To push himself to the very brink of his consciousness shattering.
It would be accompanied by immense pain, but this was the only solution to overcome the current challenge.
‘I have to batter my mind more, and more!’
The size of the light source reflected on the wall was gradually growing larger.
* * *
It was the final day he had promised his friends.
The time was approaching midnight. The warehouse where Shirone was training was as bright as day with the light of his photon output. Shirone, shooting photons from both hands, squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip. His body began to twist, and his legs thrashed in pain. It felt as if his consciousness was melting away. If he kept this up, he might just go mad.
“Aaaaargh!”
Shirone squeezed out every last drop of his mental energy. The next moment, the light vanished as if a faucet had been turned off. In the darkened warehouse, the sound of knees hitting the floor echoed with a thud.
“Gasp! Gasp!”
Shirone crawled on his knees, slammed the button on the cogwheel clock, and checked the time.
10 minutes and 32 seconds.
“Ha, hahaha…”
An empty laugh escaped him; the result was unbelievable.
He had maintained the photon output for over ten minutes. It was thanks to experiencing thousands of mental rebounds over the short period of a month. His Spirit Zone had strengthened dramatically, and along with it, the power of his specialty magic had been elevated to a level beyond Class Five.
The iron door opened, and Nade, whom he hadn't seen for days, entered. Having had to move around the school under a cloak of invisibility, his complexion was much worse than before.
“Shirone, training is over. It’s time for rehearsal.”
Knowing that Shirone’s target was incredibly high, Nade deliberately didn't ask about his progress. Shirone, drenched in sweat, threw the cogwheel stopwatch. Nade caught it, and his eyes widened. 10 minutes and 32 seconds. It was an astonishing figure.
“You… you actually did it?”
Giving a thumbs-up, Shirone said with a smile.
“Mission accomplished. Let’s make a splash.”
* * *
Alpheas Magic Academy, Lecture Hall 7.
The presentation was at 5 PM, but an hour before, the area in front of the lecture hall was already swarming with people. The rumor had spread far and wide, and most of the student body had gathered to attend the Paranormal Research Society’s presentation.
“Wow! So many people. I’d never even heard of the society’s name before. I guess a star is different, huh?”
Seriel exclaimed, looking at the long line. Having been promoted to the graduate class after Shirone’s speed gun test, she didn't know much about the society.
Amy also looked surprised. It was remarkable that a Class Five society, with only three members, could attract so many people.
“He’s caused his fair share of trouble. In any case, it’s a success in terms of hype.”
“I never thought Shirone would get so close to Iruki. Weren’t they at each other’s throats just a while ago? Now they seem inseparable.”
As the two got in line, the advanced-class students began to murmur. Seniors from the graduate class had actually shown up. The mere sight of the Class Three badges on their collars inspired a look of awe.
“Wow. It’s Amy. Is this shoddy presentation really something even graduate-class seniors would attend?”
“Idiot. Amy is Shirone’s girlfriend. And Seriel was always with them when she was in the advanced class.”
“That’s true, but… then who are those seniors over there?”
The students' gazes focused on one spot. Amy and Seriel also turned around, their expressions surprised.
“Oh my? Amy, look over there. It’s Kaden.”
Kaden of Class Two stood with his hands in his pockets. Around him were Richard of Alchemy, Lycan of Electric Monster, and Hershey of Sonar—a gathering of many powerful Class Two students, whose names were revered by the advanced-class kids.