Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: Transcender (9)
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The Transcender summoned from the 'Tome of the Transcender' appeared to be a woman in her mid-twenties, with hair and eyes as red as crimson flames.
But she was someone who had lived through ages incomparable to what her visible form suggested.
After all, Transcenders were said to have existed since the emergence of the Abyss.
...What immense mana.
The mana radiating from her the moment she appeared was chilling to the bone.
It felt like confronting mana itself.
The mana pulsed and surged, making it hard even to breathe.
Never in his life had anyone but Dragon God Sepiro given him this sensation.
That made it all the more wondrous and mysterious.
―How are you still alive?
...And the Transcender felt the same wonder and mystery.
She had been sealed within the 'Tome of the Transcender' for an eternity.
Not sealed by someone else, but by her own choice.
There had been no other way to complete the tome's magic.
Thus, she had set conditions that could never be undone.
The seal would only break for one who had ascended the 'Hall of Fame'—and only when all their stats were at 1.
......Conditions that should be impossible to meet.
Ascending the Hall of Fame naturally meant possessing tremendous power.
It signified overcoming countless trials and achieving the impossible countless times.
The Hall of Fame was unattainable for anyone with all 'pure stats' at 1.
And not just that.
No such living being could even exist.
Pure stats were the essential, fundamental elements of any lifeform.
No curse could reduce all stats to 1.
More precisely, no 'living' thing could exist in such a state.
They would die the instant they did.
...Yet here he stood, perfectly alive.
Standing on his own two feet, staring straight into her eyes.
"I'm alive because I didn't die."
Park Chan-woo smirked as he replied.
He himself was astonished to be alive, after all.
―This surpasses my understanding. I'd love to dissect you. May I?
Even her manner of speech resembled Dragon God Sepiro's.
Sepiro had said the exact same thing upon seeing him.
At this point, it felt like a common trait among those at the pinnacle of magic.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but no thanks."
Park Chan-woo shook his head, half-joking.
―How disappointing.
Her response sent chills down his spine.
No change in her expression, but she genuinely seemed regretful.
The Transcender continued.
―Mortal who undid the tome's seal. I am Lil. I shall test whether you are worthy to learn the magic of the tome.
Magic. Magic, she said.
But the conditions to unseal the tome were far from any test.
It was the epitome of weakness.
He couldn't fathom what kind of test she had in mind.
As he waited silently, Transcender Lil spoke.
―I pose a question. You are a standard Mage class at level 10. Intelligence 4, mana 50. If you cast a common-grade 'Fireball' chantless, how long does it take for the mana to convert into the spell?
It was a real test.
She meant to probe his knowledge as a Mage.
It seemed like basic knowledge at first glance, but it was profoundly advanced.
Not the casting time itself, but the time for 'mana to manifest as phenomenon.'
Few Mages would calculate that while casting.
"......No titles, equipment, or status effects?"
―None.
"1.8 seconds."
―Correct.
Park Chan-woo was one of those rare few.
He was a Mage who had delved into the depths of basic spells.
Intelligence has little impact on mana conversion.
High mana alone didn't make for good spellcasting.
A decent Intelligence stat was needed to wield proper magic.
―Second test. Using only your pure mana, discern what's inside this stone.
Thud!
A pebble materialized in Transcender Lil's hand.
An utterly ordinary stone, devoid of any distinguishing features.
Meaning something else was inside it.
I could smash it open, but with only 1 mana, that's impossible.
Surely that wasn't the intent of the test.
Probably, she wanted him to sense the contents with mana.
But without x-ray vision, how was he supposed to know what was inside?
A mana penetration test.
The intent was clear.
Confirm the shape of the contents by permeating mana through it.
It sounded simple, but it was exceedingly difficult.
Even those highly sensitive to mana couldn't finely control and perceive mana detached from their body.
Not even the Magic Tower gave such tests.
Interesting.
......It was quite intriguing.
He closed his eyes.
Then, he extended his scant mana like threads, splitting it into dozens of strands.
Of course, that alone wasn't enough.
I need to color the mana.
He had to make the threads of emitted mana more vivid.
Like sword aura or blade energy.
But shaping a mere 1 mana was impossible.
If it were, he'd just smash the stone with mana.
What he aimed for was to tint the mana.
Once vivid, it should be easier to observe the contents upon penetration.
Mana is sorely lacking.
The problem was that even achieving that required more mana than he had.
With only 1 pure mana, it seemed impossible.
Misjudgment.
In the end, he reverted to a single 'thread.'
Then, he tinted the transparent mana and slowly extended it toward the stone.
The thread is too thin to discern anything inside.
To probe the stone's interior, hundreds of strands were needed.
Though called threads, they were far finer than silk.
With just one, discernment was no easy task.
He focused his entire mind on that single mana thread.
About three hours passed like that.
"There's a Coin inside."
Park Chan-woo answered, his face pale from exhaustion.
He'd concentrated so intensely that fatigue crashed over him.
―......Correct.
Transcender Lil spoke after a pause.
She hadn't truly expected him to succeed.
The first test checked magical concepts; the second probed mana-handling aptitude.
Wielding magic required more than talent.
It demanded understanding of and effort with mana.
The mortal before her had passed every aspect.
Especially that concentration he'd just shown...
Transcendent focus.
Mana naturally dispersed when emitted outward.
The best was to convert it swiftly into spells.
Yet he'd held it for three hours, discerning the contents.
Even for Transcender Lil, no small feat.
Ting!
Lil extracted the Coin from the stone and flicked it.
Park Chan-woo instinctively snatched the floating Coin from the air.
Park Chan-woo's eyes twitched slightly.
Solving two problems and getting 100 Coins?
Could there be a better deal?
―Now, the final question.
Lil said.
A remarkably talented mortal, but this test he shall not pass.
Those 100 Coins were her parting gift.
Passing the third and final test was impossible, even with complete mastery of mana.
The worst ordeal no one could overcome.
―The final question requires your consent. Hear it first, then decide whether to proceed.
"...Already sounds thrilling."
―I will stop your heart. Using only the frozen mana then, make it beat again. That is the final test. Fail, and you die.
"......"
Park Chan-woo was speechless for a moment.
Did she just call that a question?
He wondered if he'd misheard.
Restart a stopped heart with only 1 mana?
When the heart stops, blood flow ceases, and mana freezes solid.
Even a few seconds of cardiac arrest would mean losing consciousness and collapsing.
...In other words, she was saying she'd kill him right now.
Choose to die or not.
―Take your time to think. But dawdle too long, and the 'Transcendent Abyss' will vanish. I will return to the tome.
"Do it."
―......You'll do it?
"A Mage manifests mana into phenomenon. True magic is achieved by discarding the notion of impossibility."
There was no such thing as impossible.
To wield magic, all possibilities must remain open.
Failure?
Impossible to know until attempted.
―Mortal. Failure means death. Even a delayed heartbeat leaves permanent damage. You have mere seconds. Still, you challenge it?
"You wouldn't pose it if it weren't possible, right?"
―...Reckless. Yet, a splendid spirit.
Transcender Lil nodded.
Theoretically possible.
But only in theory.
Realizing it required transcendent mental fortitude.
And forcibly moving all frozen mana.
Even rallying the primordial mana to restart the stopped heart.
The final test was whether one could command the 'primordial mana.'
...Among mortals, only a handful could manipulate primordial mana.
And even those few would struggle if their heart had stopped.
In short, an ordeal utterly impossible to succeed.
Worthy of the Hall of Fame.
That indomitable challenge.
Utterly reckless, yet truly honorable.
However, distinguishing the possible from impossible was vital for a Mage.
Only by knowing one's limits could mana be wielded at full potential.
But words once spoken couldn't be retracted.
Transcender Lil raised her hand.
At that instant.
"Gah...!"
Park Chan-woo's heart stopped.