Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: To Do List (1)
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……Same time, Monday evening.
In the Eslo commercial district adjacent to several prestigious magic academies including Endex, there was a place called [Kaislot]. It was a high-end study cafe that occupied the entire 5th through 7th floors of a commercial building.
Today, the upper crust of Endex had gathered at this spot, which magic academy students frequented.
[Everyone come out. Let's take a short break and discuss.]
Elise sent a message in the group chat from the 7th-floor corridor. Immediately, the door to Room 4 opened, and Kain stepped out.
"Oh. Elise. How's your team doing right now?"
Elise shrugged her shoulders.
"I just had them handle the segmentation."
This mana ritual involved quite a few intertwined mana formulas, so to analyze it properly, they first had to break down the ritual into individual formula units.
This process was called 'segmentation,' and since it was straightforward drudgery that didn't require creative thinking or shifts in perspective—simple grunt work, in other words—Elise had left it entirely to her team members.
"I see? I picked a kid with a good head on their shoulders, and they're handling it all right now."
"You're talking about Illingam, right."
"Oh ho, how'd you know?"
"We entered a mana studies contest together. Not much in the way of social skills, but they've got decent talent. Which room is Rae in?"
"She was hanging out in Room 3 down there."
The 7th floor of Kaislot had ten group study rooms, each about 30 pyeong in size. Elise was in Room 1, Kain in Room 4, and Esher, who had just opened his door, was in Room 7.
"Hey, hey, you guys see this? My lackeys sent it to me."
Esher approached with an excited look on his face and showed them his smartphone.
"Fucking idiot making a fuss again……."
Kain, who had started with a curse, suddenly went wide-eyed. His jaw trembled and clenched tight.
It was quite the exaggerated reaction.
"What's got you like that?"
Elise glanced over as well. It was a single photo.
"……High jump, huh."
"Yeah. Check it out. Some crazy bastard hit almost 7 meters in the No-Mana Zone."
The No-Mana Zone high jump rail. The number [687cm] lit up on the scoreboard. A clearly imprinted palm print.
Elise muttered nonchalantly.
"Probably Gerkken."
"……Fuck."
Kain bit his lip. Truth be told, Elise was impressed on the inside too.
At this level, it was on par with a typical knight. No.
Hardening was purely in the realm of talent, so it was superior even to most knights.
Esher chattered on.
"687 is basically a new draft combine record. You guys know, right? Back in '94, Soliet's dad hit 701cm—"
Screeech—
At that moment, the door to Room 6 opened.
The person stumbling out was none other than Soliet herself, as if speaking a tiger's name had summoned it.
Some guy was stuck to her like a servant.
"……Soliet?"
Elise called out to her. Soliet tilted her head with a question mark practically floating above it.
"Did you see this?"
Esher snatched his phone and shoved the screen in her face.
She gave it a quick glance and replied indifferently.
"Yes."
"You saw it?"
"Yes."
"……Do you know who it is?"
"I have some idea. But excuse me, I need to use the restroom."
With that, Soliet headed straight for the bathroom. The guy glued to her back apparently drew the line at following her in there and stayed put.
"Hey, everyone. I ended up as Soliet's vice-team leader somehow."
He gave a slight wave by way of introduction. A familiar face—Kieli. Around 11th or 12th in the rankings.
"Sure. Hey."
Elise greeted him lightly as well.
"Haha…… What were you all looking at?"
Elise silently showed him her smartphone. Kieli asked innocently.
"Whoa. 687cm. Is this you, Kain?"
"……Huh? Uh…… Ahem. Well, it's understandable to think that, but no, it's not me. How'd you do on this one, Kieli?"
"I couldn't do it. I was waiting for one person."
Kieli scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Kain snickered.
"Oh yeah. This guy. When I told him to do it, he said he was waiting for Soliet. Aren't your standards a bit too high?"
"No, it's not about high standards. I just wanted to learn from Soliet……."
"Bullshit."
"Huh? What's this? If it's not Gerkken, then who hit 7 meters?"
Suddenly Esher cut in. He was holding yet another phone.
"How many phones do you even have?"
Elise was dumbfounded. Fitting for a gossip hound.
"About five per brand, but check this out first."
[Gerkken: Not me.]
"Gerkken says it's not him. He wouldn't bullshit about something like this. Maybe that old fart Jedric did it for fun?"
"Oh~ yeah, that's it. Has to be."
Kain laughed heartily, relieved.
"……."
Elise, lost in thought for a moment, headed toward the restroom.
Whoosh——
Soliet was already washing her hands in the women's restroom, apparently done with her business.
Elise asked.
"Smoke a cigarette?"
Soliet looked at her through the mirror.
"……Does it smell? I opened the window."
"Just a guess. Figured you might have."
"Ah. I see."
She went back to scrubbing her hands. With soap, almost like she was trying to scour away her skin.
Elise watched her for a bit, then blurted out.
"Gerkken says it's not him."
"Pardon?"
Only then did Soliet turn around. She looked into Elise's eyes, not the mirror.
Elise said.
"The high jump. Not Gerkken."
"……."
Her expression turned serious. Elise snickered and leaned against the wall.
"You thought it was Gerkken too, huh."
"Yes. Obviously."
"But what's that?"
Elise nodded toward the sink counter. There was a lone button sitting there.
Soliet raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, this…… It's still just speculation at this point, but it's physical evidence to find the owner of that 687cm jump."
"This button?"
"Yes. Found it on the air mat. Probably the only evidence. Unfortunately, no CCTV in the stadium."
"……The way you say it, it sounds like a crime. Even checking CCTV?"
Elise glanced at the button with feigned disinterest. It was a plain uniform button.
"Well. I'll be off then. See you."
"Yeah. Go ahead."
Soliet pocketed the button again and left the restroom.
Elise turned on the sink. Whoosh—— She washed her hands with soap and stepped out.
"……?"
Just then, the men's restroom door opened with a presence.
It was Kieli.
A faint smile on his lips, he bowed his head slightly to her before heading toward Soliet.
"What a creepy guy."
Elise felt an inexplicable contempt.
…….
Study Room 6.
Soliet returned with Kieli. The team members in Room 6 were segmenting the mana ritual.
"Oh, you're back? We've pretty much torn it apart. Looks like a map-related mana ritual to us. What do you think?"
Soliet nodded at her team member's words.
"Well done."
It probably wasn't map-related, but they'd done most of the segmentation, so it warranted praise.
Kieli raised an eyebrow.
"Ooh~ You guys are fast. But man, why's it so hot in here."
"Hot? Should I turn off the heat?"
"Nah, it's fine. I'll just take this off."
Ahem— He cleared his throat and removed his uniform jacket. Soliet glanced indifferently, then froze for a moment.
"……."
She silently stared at Kieli's cuff.
The button.
It was missing.
How long had it been gone?
This was the first time he'd taken off the jacket, so she didn't know. And she hadn't cared to notice before.
"Hm? Something wrong, team leader?"
Kieli, sensing her gaze, asked. Soliet pointed at it blatantly.
"Button. It's missing."
"Huh? What button…… Oh, what's this."
Kieli fiddled with his cuff and chuckled.
"When did it fall off? No wonder it felt a bit empty."
"……."
As he casually fixed it, Soliet fell into brief contemplation.
Kieli wiggled his nostrils and lips, pointing to a photo of some exploration zone landscape.
"Team leader? So we're definitely going here, right?"
Soliet looked at it.
Exploration Zone [A].
A fog-shrouded mountain.
"Yes."
Soliet said flatly.
"Team 2 is heading there."
Endex, Seilen, Devon, Sudeume—the commercial district where the overlapping Venn diagram of elite magic academy territories converged—'Eslo Street'.
[Floors 5~7: Study Cafe Kaislot]
I'd come out here and was looking at a directory board for some commercial building.
"What study cafe takes up three whole floors?"
The ones I knew weren't like this. And it was 30 ren per hour to boot. On the plus side, they maintained optimal oxygen and mana concentrations for studying.
Whatever. I wasn't here to study anyway.
[Floor 3: Mana Bookstore]
Today's destination was the Mana Bookstore, the largest bookstore in the area, occupying the entire 3rd floor.
Sure enough, I needed the textbook for tomorrow's Latynel class. High-end stuff like Latynel wasn't available at the library or neighborhood shops.
I went up to the 3rd floor. From the entrance, there were people in uniforms, training clothes, robes—books everywhere.
"Hm……."
I wandered the 'languages' section first, but I didn't need to search.
The most luxurious, antique-designed shelf. A gold-framed plaque above it reading [Latynel].
"There it……is."
「Latynel I」
The Latynel textbook was displayed like luxury merchandise smack in the center of the flashiest shelf. Price: 1,500 ren.
It was 1,200 last time. Up 300 ren.
Obviously, I had zero intention of buying it. Why burn good money on a book?
Instead, I placed my hand on the cover. Closed my eyes. Focused my mind.
"Hoo……."
Right now, I was attempting to 'memorize' it.
Of course, the contents of this Latynel textbook were already saved in 「Notebook」, but I wanted more than that.
I wanted to memorize not just the 'contents,' but the 'form' as well.
The leather cover of this extraordinary-quality hardcover binding. The grip that clung perfectly to my hand. The sturdy yet supple paper, not too thick.
"——Memorize."
I memorized it all. My dantian and heart twitched, and a solid sensation settled in my palm.
But it wasn't over.
This was just the beginning.
I pulled an old book from the bag I'd brought. Placed my palm on the dusty cover.
Now, I would infuse the 'form' of 「Latynel I」 into this old book.
In 「Notebook」 terms, copy-paste.
But manifesting it into reality—embodying the memory.
"……Paste."
No fancy CG effects. As I intoned mentally, my dantian buzzed, and the mana infused with the memory rose from my palm, seeping into the old book. The worn cover transformed into purple-bound hardcover, golden lettering etched on the front.
「Latynel I」
Perfect.
"Money…… saved."
It guzzled a ton of mana, leaving me chilled all over, but I was plenty satisfied.
I set the former old book—now 「Latynel I」—down next to the original.
Side by side, they were identical. I could pass it off as new and sell it.
If I play this right, I could duplicate money—
"Whoa?!"
Suddenly, the book melted.
Literally melting away. The cover sloughing off like peeling paint……
I snatched it up in a panic. The collapse stopped the instant I touched it.
"Holy shit."
Of course. This 'materialization' only held as long as it was in contact with me.
Not a big restriction. The concept of a 'medium' was basic anyway.
No mana ritual operated independently or permanently. At minimum, it had to connect to a sorcerer or draw power from a mana stone or jewel as a catalyst.
"Then it's useless."
I summoned 「Latynel I」 into the half-melted old book again. The second materialization was easier, but this was awkward. I couldn't carry it tucked under my arm forever. Maybe embed a mana stone or core? But where to get one right now……
Wait.
Mana core?
"Mana core."
I did have one mana core.
Not on me right now, but the ghost's mana core that 「Notebook」 had devoured.
No.
Thinking about it, even that one 「Notebook」 swallowed was just 'memorized,' right?
"……Maybe."
I held out my palm. Focused on 「Notebook」 and glared.
Bring back the mana core you swallowed, the one you stored. Materialize the memorized core to anchor it in reality.
As I muttered internally, a thin strand of mana rose in my palm. It bloomed like a small lotus and condensed into a bead.
A mana core.
"Got it."
I opened the notebook.
24-Hour Capacity Usage: -1
Sure enough, capacity was down. Absorbing the mana core again should restore it.
"Don't need it this big."
I reabsorbed half the mana core. Capacity recovered by 2, and the pebble-sized core shrank to a bean. I attached it to 「Latynel I」's bookmark string like a keychain.
This should suffice.
Plus, mana cores were superior to mana stones. If stones were regular fuel, cores were self-generating—like humans, they could absorb ambient mana and convert it.
"……."
I gently set down the materialized Latynel textbook.
1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes…… 10 minutes passed, but it didn't melt.
I nodded in satisfaction.
"Complete."
Money saved.