Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Dream On (3)
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“You should’ve kept at it! Don't you know the margin of error decreases the more you try?”
“That’s only if you have the ammo! If we followed your strategy, we would've had to bet the deed to our house!”
“See! That’s what I mean! There's nothing in the world you can consume infinitely! Energy is no different!”
“Why are you suddenly bringing that up!”
“Ahahaha!”
Shirone burst into laughter. Everyone who challenged their dreams was one and the same. That's why success and failure were just secondary issues.
Even if people pointed fingers, calling it a waste of time, or sneered at them as idealists who couldn't even support a family, wasn't it because someone, somewhere, was doing it that humanity had been able to advance this far?
‘It's okay if it's not me. I... I don't mind becoming the stepping stone for someone else.’
Shirone stopped worrying. He was grateful for all the luck that had made him who he was, and all he had to do was keep moving toward his dream.
Iruki asked, puzzled.
“Shirone, why have you been grinning like that? Did you eat something weird?”
Shirone just shook his head without answering. He firmed his resolve and started walking.
“I'm back, guys.”
* * *
Two days remained until his suspension was lifted.
Nade and Iruki had arrived at Training Area 4 at the crack of dawn, waiting for Shirone.
Though it was early, the summer sun had already brightened the surroundings. The two of them kept yawning as they stared at the entrance.
Nade rubbed his sleepy face and said.
“Ah, what is it? Calling us out this early in the morning.”
“Didn't he say he had something to show us?”
“What's he going to show us all of a sudden? What he's shown us so far is already mind-blowing.”
“Who knows. Maybe he got a tattoo on his dick.”
“Puhahaha!”
Imagining Iruki's words, Nade burst out laughing. Just then, Shirone walked into the training ground.
“Oh, you're here already. What's up with Nade?”
“No idea. Probably because he's a pervert.”
“Puhahaha! A tattoo! A tattoo there...! Puhahaha!”
Feeling uneasy, Shirone decided not to press the issue. It was obvious they were just cracking stupid jokes with each other.
“Anyway, let's get started. I'm eager to show you.”
“Show us what? The tattoo? Puhahaha!”
Iruki said, looking at him as if he were pathetic.
“Stop it. It's not funny anymore. Anyway, why'd you call us here? What is it you want to show us?”
“Just wait. I'll do it right now.”
Shirone walked to the center of the training ground and held his hand out toward the rock pile.
“What? Photon Output? Did you increase the output?”
Shirone cast Photon Cannon. A white flash streaked past Nade and Iruki's eyes.
*BOOM!*
With a dull roar, the rock exploded.
Nade and Iruki, who had been indifferent just moments before, now had their eyes wide as saucers. Their jaws dropped as if they were about to come unhinged.
The spot struck by the light was a wide, caved-in crater. Without a word, both of them rushed over to examine the mark.
“W-what? Is this a trick? Or real magic?”
“How strange. To imbue light with impact. I thought photon-type magic couldn't be fused. Shirone, what's going on?”
Shirone said with a triumphant expression.
“This is the new weapon I've mastered. It's not Photon Output, it's Photon Cannon.”
“Photon Cannon, huh. The name sounds plausible. What's the principle?”
“Well... it's a bit of a long story.”
As Shirone hesitated, Nade rushed over. His face now wide awake, he shook Shirone's shoulders.
“Spit it out! How did you do it! For light to have physical force... this is absolutely impossible!”
Since light and electricity were cousins, Nade understood exactly what Shirone had accomplished.
“I'll tell you. So... would you guys come somewhere with me?”
* * *
Shirone's group entered a restaurant in the noble district. While they filled their stomachs with seafood pasta, Shirone explained how he came to master Photon Cannon.
From the whirlwind of dust that had formed over his bed, to the situation where he'd thrown the Ulk off the cliff, and the principle of Photon Cannon he had realized in that moment.
Even without mentioning Armin, he could easily explain it since Photon Cannon was his own unique idea.
Nade and Iruki listened so intently they didn't even notice if the pasta was going into their mouths or their noses.
After an hour-long explanation, Iruki, who had been lost in thought, put down his fork and spoke.
“I've heard about Gauge Symmetry from my father. So this is the gist of it. There's a separate particle that conveys mass, right? And you've become able to control that particle.”
Shirone was once again reminded of how incredible Iruki's father was. To teach his son about Gauge Symmetry of all things. As expected of the head of Yongroe, he seemed to be on top of all the cutting-edge theories being established throughout the magical society.
Nade said.
“In short, the result of the Immortal Function is mass. And by mastering Photon Cannon, your hypersensitivity disappeared too.”
“Yeah. And I don't have nightmares anymore either.”
Iruki and Nade were lost in thought. A particle that conveys mass to matter. Shirone's realization was an incredible discovery.
In particular, Photon Cannon was a unique magic that only Shirone could perform. That was because no one else could achieve omniscience. It wasn't something that could be cast simply by mastering omniscience; one had to have felt it directly in the realm of infinity.
“Amazing, Shirone. This might be a much bigger deal than we can imagine. If you patented this, it's a discovery that could make you rich overnight!”
Countless inventions that could be created with Shirone's theory were already popping into Nade's head.
“So, there's something I want to ask. Could you guys go to the library with me?”
“Huh? The library?”
“The school library is off-limits because of my disciplinary action. So I was thinking of going to the noble library. I want to research Photon Cannon a bit more. But I can't get in, so I was hoping you'd take me.”
“That's fine, of course. It'll be helpful for us too. But why can't you get in by yourself?”
Commoners could not enter the noble library. He could use the school library once his suspension was lifted, but he'd had a realization after visiting the slash-and-burn village. Denying his identity wouldn't change anything. He wanted to be honest, at least with his friends.
“The truth is, I'm not a noble.”
Nade, who was chewing his pasta, stared blankly with his mouth agape. Iruki also seemed shocked, staring intently at Shirone.
“I'm a commoner. I was abandoned in a stable as a child, and my current parents raised me. My father is an ordinary mountain hunter.”
He had entered the world of magic late, but to think he was a commoner. Especially the fact that he was abandoned by his birth parents didn't match Shirone's cheerful, untroubled demeanor at all.
“I'm sorry. For not telling you until now. I'll accept any criticism you have. But I didn't want to lie anymore.”
Nade and Iruki looked at each other. The feelings they conveyed through their gazes were the same.
Iruki turned back to Shirone and spoke first.
“It's a shocking revelation, I'll admit. But to be honest, it doesn't really change how I feel. You're still Shirone, after all.”
“Same here. If we'd known from the start, maybe it would've been different, but hearing it now doesn't change anything. The time we've spent together doesn't just disappear.”
He had thought his friends would understand, but that was just his personal hope. Now that he was actually accepted by them, Shirone's heart felt full.
Iruki lowered his head and chuckled.
“So that's why you were a special admission. And why you learned magic late, because you weren't a noble. I guess talent isn't something you're born with based on your background. That's really amazing.”
“Thanks. For saying that.”
Seeing Shirone's emotional state, Nade waved his hands dismissively.
“Hey, hey. It's not that serious. I actually think it's a good thing. That we became friends without any prejudice. If we'd known beforehand, something like that research presentation a few days ago would've been impossible.”
Iruki dismissed the thought and stood up from the table. Dragging this out any longer would just kill the mood.
“Alright, let's go to the library. I was getting bored of doing nothing anyway, so this is perfect. Let's really burn with academic passion!”
Shirone and Nade stood up and shouted along.
“Yeah!”
Return of the Great Mage (1)
The capital of the Tormia Kingdom, Baschka.
In the Jijeo Mountain Range that flowed around the royal castle, there was a dungeon 70 meters underground, completed 100 years ago. Called the Labyrinth of Darkness, this was the hideout of the great mage Viltor Arcane, who once commanded the world.
An authority on dark magic, Arcane frequently fought with various nations until he suddenly vanished 40 years ago following a certain incident.
At the time, Arcane's mage rank was Unofficial Grade 3.
Once a mage reached Grade 3 or higher, they were given the title of "great mage," regardless of whether they were official or unofficial.
A mage's grade was determined by their achievements and fame, and the Magic Association managed this with a special scoring system.
The score needed to go from Grade 10 to Grade 9 was 1,000 points, combining achievements and fame. And the score needed to go from Grade 4 to Grade 3 was a whopping 280 million points.
In other words, a Grade 3 mage was someone who had accumulated achievements and fame on a scale unimaginable to the average person.
Compared to the 500 achievement points awarded for clearing a Danger Level A monster den, and the 100 fame points for being invited to the royal castle for an audience with the king, one could guess just how much Arcane had stirred up the world.
Forty years ago, at the age of 89, Arcane reached the rank of Unofficial Grade 3 mage. Looking at his score at the time, his achievement points were 100 million, and his fame points were 180 million.
The reason his fame was higher than his achievements was because he was a troublemaker who had turned the continent upside down.
Forbidden experiments were just the beginning; he formed dark organizations that produced anarchists, causing incidents that shook the very foundations of nations—a headache of the era.
The elderly, now over seventy, would shudder at the mere mention of Arcane's name, which showed just how notorious he was, even without bringing up the 280 million points.
*Phew. Phew.*
Inside a crystal tube filled with a green liquid, Arcane opened his eyes. He was completely naked, and as befitting a 149-year-old body, his skin was sagging.
‘Finally... finally, it is complete. The essence of darkness.’
It was the power of darkness he had gathered for a full 40 years. Arcane planned to absorb it and reclaim his former glory.
The reason humans die of old age is that their cells reach the limit of self-replication. However, Arcane had been suppressing cellular division using a life-support system.
His eyes flashing open, Arcane looked at the crystal on the desk. It was an object that had once shone like a diamond, but now it was jet black. This was thanks to accumulating the power of darkness in the crystal once a day with injection magic.
‘Alpheas, you just wait! I will repay this humiliation.’
After suffering a fatal wound from Alpheas, who was in his early twenties, Arcane's magical power had rapidly declined.
But having survived with the sole purpose of revenge, today he would finally regain his former power and be reborn as a great mage once more.
As the green liquid in the life-support system drained away, Arcane's back hunched along with the falling water level. It was a decrepit body that looked ready for the coffin.
The front of the crystal sphere opened as if sliced away, and Arcane crawled out, panting heavily.
“Canis! Arin! Are you there!”
A young-looking boy and girl opened the door and entered. Perhaps because they practiced dark magic, they had a somewhat gloomy air about them.
“You called, Master.”
“Clothes. Bring me my clothes.”