Chapter 320
Chapter 320
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Burning Candle (2)
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Damn it!
Was it really just for something like that? All that needless caution, making us anxious for no reason!!!
No one could blame Rishir for it.
At first, they had been perfectly willing to do so—
But the external circumstances they now faced were rapidly changing their minds.
"This is..."
The faces of those who had been pouting at Rishir slowly twisted in horror.
Rooooar—
By the dense aura that filled the entire space and still had plenty left over, swirling fiercely.
They instinctively realized it.
Rishir.
He had torn down yet another wall.
And stepped into the same realm as the tower masters present.
"Rishir, are you—you okay!?"
Lemier snapped out of her daze and hurriedly checked on Rishir's condition.
Palrag, Lunadien, and Karoer followed suit.
"This is serious, so answer carefully! When you broke through the wall, how did you manage the changes happening inside yourself!?"
Transcendence Pain.
The concept flashed through their minds all at once.
It was a phenomenon that struck when one's power reached a level that the laws of the world could no longer fully contain—
A kind of growing pain that everyone who attained the 8th Realm inevitably suffered.
Of course, calling it a "growing pain"—
It was far too vicious and horrific to be dismissed as a mere natural side effect of growth.
Even those who had ascended to the 8th Realm through mastery of self-control often lost themselves in the process.
The agony and torment came with an unprecedented sense of alienation.
It could warp personalities or corrupt one's aura.
In severe cases, it turned people into invalids or madmen.
Historical records were full of such examples.
Thus, those on the cusp of the 8th Realm prepared meticulously.
They mobilized every means at their disposal to protect themselves from the Transcendence Pain.
Organizations like the magic towers even had elaborate systems in place for it.
The archmages present, led by Lemier, were living proof.
They were all victims of that horrific pain and beneficiaries of the systems designed to safeguard against it.
That was why they panicked at Rishir's sudden change.
"W-What?! There's something like that!?"
Fienne's eyes widened as the archmages briefly explained the Transcendence Pain.
The same thought crossed her mind and those of a few others.
—If that existed, you could've mentioned it sooner...!
It was a sentiment they kept to themselves, knowing voicing it would just cause pointless trouble.
But Lemier saw through their thoughts and shouted.
"We didn't know!"
She looked utterly aggrieved.
"We didn't know you'd reach the 8th Realm this fast! If we had, we would've told you!!!"
The doll-like woman flailed her arms dramatically in fervent appeal.
Her display sobered Fienne and the others.
They realized that, in this room, the most wronged person—
Was at least not Rishir.
"Rishir, look me in the eye! Are you feeling any unusual symptoms!?"
"...No, Lady Lunadien! I'm fine right now! Is there something I missed!? I'll follow any instructions you give!"
Rishir immediately grasped the gravity and assumed a ready stance.
Nod.
The archmages exchanged glances and nodded.
"Lemier! Can the Gray Tower prepare 'that' right now!?"
"Lunadien! Isn't time too tight to procure it immediately!?"
"Of course it is! But Palrag, what other options do we have!? No other group is better suited to act this instant than the Gray Tower!?"
"That's...!"
"Everyone, calm down! The Gray Tower already has 'that' secured!"
"Really, Lemier!?"
"How!?"
"I had a feeling a day like this would come for Rishir, so I prepared in advance! I just never thought it'd be this soon!"
The archmages' urgent exchange continued.
And—
Whiiirrr!!!
The vast aura still asserted its presence, weighing down the air.
The room's tension grew by the second.
"For now—..."
Rishir tried to rein in his aura to lighten the mood.
"Rishir!!! No!"
The Gray Tower Master's frantic voice stopped him.
"You have to maintain that state!!!"
"...!"
Rishir startled and obeyed.
It was perfectly timed.
Lemier sighed in relief and continued.
"If you recklessly pull back your aura now, those abnormal symptoms I mentioned could appear!"
"Understood! So I just need to keep this up!?"
"Yes! Not sure if it's the best, but since you're showing no issues, maintaining it seems safest! We'll move like this! I'll go ahead and prepare 'that'!"
Lemier began preparations to head to the tower first.
The other archmages stayed by Rishir, supporting him to keep his aura stable.
Moments later.
After consulting the others, Lemier cast a barrier around Rishir.
To prevent instability during the move.
Thus, conversation flowed as they opened the door and proceeded.
"Rishir! Remember this! The most dangerous moment is after reaching the 8th Realm, wielding that aura for the first time, and then withdrawing it! Until we say otherwise, keep it up! If it gets hard, tell Lunadien and Palrag right away!"
"Got it! Ah, Lady Lemier? You said the first time withdrawing the aura after wielding it is the most dangerous—but what happens if we get past that!?"
"Don't think about that! With us here, it won't happen! Why are you even curious about that!?"
"Oh! It's just— this isn't my first time reaching this realm and wielding the aura!"
Step.
The group's advance halted briefly.
But resumed soon after.
"Unbelievable! As expected of you!? What a relief! Thank goodness it didn't happen on the first try!"
"Did Rishir's power block 'that'!?"
"Not sure the mechanism, but seems like it!"
Rishir nodded in relief like them.
He didn't know the details, but his ability seemed to have protected him again.
By delaying the symptoms that should have appeared.
"Rishir, to confirm—tell us everything you haven't mentioned yet."
"Everything I haven't...? What should I say!?"
"First, explain when you broke the initial wall."
Perk.
The archmages' attention perked up like ears.
Rishir spilling his "reaching 8th Realm" tale.
They felt a strange thrill sharing this intense, unique experience—one of their life's highlights—with the young mage.
Forgetting the crisis momentarily, they listened eagerly.
"It was right when I started destroying the new fragment. After the Fragment of Oblivion, that is. I instinctively knew I'd hit my limit. Felt like it was time to rest."
"That...!"
The archmages' breaths caught in unison.
Ah!
That!
They saw their past selves overlaying Rishir's story.
Sharing experiences.
Sharing thoughts and sensations!
Lemier's gaze drifted far.
"I was pushing myself hard then, wrapping up my clone magic research."
Palrag's gaze drifted far.
"Heart pounded mercilessly, needle stabbing the nape. Ceiling crushing my shoulders. Body screaming nonstop. 'Stop, please. No more.' But—"
Lunadien's gaze drifted far.
"Mind stayed startlingly clear and cold amid it all. Kept commanding. 'Push on. Can't stop here. What you want is beyond this.'"
"...Of course I was scared. One more step, and everything would crumble!"
"'...But the answer was there. Insights piled from the bottom, ignorant. Topple that reckless tower—rebuild it. More refined, calmer! Reviewing what I overlooked!!!"
The archmages' voices rose passionately, passing the torch.
Lemier, receiving it last, had eyes gleaming with light.
The archmage passed the torch of enlightenment to the young mage.
He nodded and said,
"In that state, I sensed it."
"Faced with the limit, the wall—sensed what lay just beyond. Right!?"
"Ah—no, not that. Sensed it was time for my tier to rise and body to fully recover."
The young mage tossed the torch away.
Step.
The group halted again.
"After several tries, I got the sense. Using purification power—sort of 'now, now, now—now!' So I kept going without stopping—and yes—"
Nod.
Rishir nodded confidently.
"That's how it happened."
"..."
Now.
Now.
Now—
Now!
Not a fisherman's mutter hooking fish—
Nor a merchant timing a deal.
The enlightenment of the continent's youngest archmage to reach transcendence.
If that could even be called enlightenment.
The archmages' gazes drifted far.
To a distance they could never return from.
Enlightenment.
The sacred value of archmages was brutally defiled.
Anyway.
They resumed moving.
Transcendence Pain had to be managed, after all.
"Ah, and—I had a somewhat strange experience then. Like the boundary between the world and my existence crumbling—"
"That's—...!"
The archmages, wallowing in futility, leaped up.
He'd suddenly mentioned a Transcendence Pain symptom.
"Like a cramp in my calf, painful. But luckily, lying down and deep breathing fixed it—"
Step.
Rishir stopped mid-story.
The archmages had halted ahead, staring blankly back at him.
"Everyone?"
They turned and headed back to the conference room.
"Everyone!? Where are you going, Lady Lemier!? Lord Palrag!? Lady Lunadien!?"
Moments later.
A sound from the conference room.
"Ugh."
A dirge for the birth of an archmage.
"...So—Master. I'm thinking of heading back soon. Still have things to do in Bondalles."
A voice bidding farewell to the peaceful routine that had lasted some time.
Pamon.
She broached the topic casually during dinner with her master.
"And so, Master~"
Pamon.
She sidled up beside Lavella, poking her elbow playfully.
"When are you going to tell us about our Rishir~? You've only talked about me till now. Isn't it your turn today~? I'm curious. What happened between you and our Rishir."
"..."
The kindly smile on the grand master's face turned awkward.
Lavella recalled Pamon's excited tales of Rishir over the past few days.
The stories' content too.
Pamon's shock at her disciple reaching the 3rd Realm—
Had made Lavella's heart swell with warmth and complexity.
Soon.
As Lavella cautiously began to speak.
"By the way, has our Rishir... been okay all this time?"
Master Pamon.
She was genuinely worried about the disciple she'd had to leave behind.
How could she fathom the depth of that worry?
As Lavella tried to gently encourage Pamon.
"Our Rishir is so diligent and passionate... He hasn't gotten into some weird magic, has he!? Turned into a freak like the tower mages—"
Lavella was speechless at Pamon's vivid(?) imagination.
"That's what worries you?"
"Yes~ Am I overdoing it~?"
Overdoing.
Lavella mulled it slowly.
Soon.
She opened her mouth with a kindly smile.
"Pamon."
"Yes, Master."
"No need to worry. Rishir is still the same diligent boy you remember."
"Ah! Tell me more details~"
"Details?"
"Yes!"
"You might want to reconsider hearing about that."
"Huh?"
"You might not be ready yet."
"?"
Pamon tilted her head at Lavella's solemn demeanor.
Ready for what? Just hearing about her disciple?