Chapter 134: ㄴㅇㄱ (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: ㄴㅇㄱ (1)
Lately, I've been spending more time in my personal practice room after class instead of heading straight home.
It's because I've started to think more deeply about the magic I used to cast so haphazardly.
Among the various elements needed to complete a spell, the one I'm currently focused on is none other than its form.
Magic fundamentally follows three forms:
Objects, living creatures, and nature.
And in that order, the mana consumption and the scale of the magic progressively increase.
Spells like Ice Shield and Ice Spear are prime examples of magic that takes the form of an object.
「Ice Shield.」
The basic magic, Ice Shield.
It's a spell that's nothing more than a crude block of ice, only vaguely resembling the shape of a shield.
Of course, there's a good reason it takes this form.
You can see the difference just by looking at 'Aegis,' the shield I manifested to block the skeleton's attack at the Yongsan Arms Market.
「Aegis.」
Crrrack!
The massive shield that appeared as the surroundings froze was so different in detail that comparing it to the Ice Shield I made earlier would be an insult.
Because I perfectly replicated the form of Aegis that I'd committed to memory while fighting the Greek hero, it was sculpted down to the finest detail.
And because of that, it was just as hard, sturdy, and even possessed a special function.
When it takes a hit, a powerful blast of cold air erupts from the Medusa head embossed on the shield's center.
“This is a bit unexpected…”
To be honest, this result far exceeded my expectations.
I'd only thought of a sturdy shield because I didn't want the child to get even a single scratch, but I never expected to replicate Aegis's special effect in the process.
It was a lucky break, so to speak.
Anyway.
If you asked which of the two shields I'd rather have in front of me, ten out of ten—no, a hundred out of a hundred people would choose Aegis.
So why do mages try to block attacks with this crude shield?
The reason is simple.
“It’s because the mana efficiency sucks, I guess.”
It's a matter of efficiency.
Assuming the mana required to create an Ice Shield is about 1, Aegis consumes roughly 5.
In fact, that's the bare minimum. If you add more detail and enhance its abilities, the amount increases exponentially.
In other words, the more clearly you define the form, the more mana it drains.
A good analogy would be… an electricity bill, specifically one with progressive rates.
The cost graph climbs gently up to a certain point, and then suddenly—bam!—it shoots up, right?
Magic is just like that.
If you focus on detail, the mana consumption increases. If you give it up, your defense drops, but so does the mana cost.
“Actually, even this is child’s play compared to the next problem…”
Besides the amount of mana consumed, there's another factor to consider when determining efficiency.
And that is the number of strokes in the magic circle required to complete the spell.
If a mage other than me wanted to create an Aegis—with all its detail, sturdiness, and special functions—how many strokes would the magic circle require?
“I’d guess it would be in the triple digits at least…”
I'd say 70 strokes at a minimum, and on the high end, it could easily be in the triple digits.
For an offensive spell, maybe, but 70 strokes for a defensive spell? That's just absurd.
When an attack is flying right at you, who has time to draw 70 lines in the air?
Ice Shield is the result of a compromise that takes all of that into account.
It's the pinnacle of efficiency, created by the collective wisdom of tens, hundreds, thousands of mages who decided this was just enough to block an attack in an emergency.
So, to other mages, Aegis is nothing more than a pretty but useless trinket.
They know it's tough and effective, but its practical application in a real fight is close to zero.
Now.
That's the view of Ice Shield and Aegis from the perspective of a typical mage.
So, what would I use between the crude Ice Shield and Aegis?
The answer is obvious.
“I’d go with the latter, no question.”
Shut up and pick the latter.
For me, who can freely manipulate mana to create magic without the help of a magic circle, a ridiculously complex circle isn't even a factor.
Thinking about it that way gave me a better sense of the path I should take.
A delicate and detailed form of magic that is absolutely impossible for others, but possible only for me: Detail Magic.
I'm certain that this is my path.
Of course, this too is just a waypoint, not the final destination.
That's also why I've been diligently showing up at the personal practice room.
Having experienced the incredible effect of Aegis, I wondered what would happen if I applied the same principle to an offensive spell.
“And as it happens, there’s a perfect weapon to copy.”
The S-rank Russian hero, Boris.
And the weapon he wields, the 'Snow Bringer'.
A terrifying magic sword that drops the surrounding temperature below freezing just by being drawn from its sheath.
I wanted to try and recreate that weapon, which was just as infuriating to face as Aegis.
The past few days were a preparatory stage for this.
Based on my memory of facing the sword, I searched for pictures online and pieced together its form.
And today is finally the day I recreate it.
“Hoo…”
I don't feel like I'm going to fail.
I just hope that a weapon forged from pure, solidified cold energy can even hold a candle to the original.
I concentrate cold energy above my open palm.
Krrk!
Krrrrk…!
The cold energy gathers and gathers, forming a single, tiny crystal.
Not stopping there, I continuously fed the small crystal more cold energy converted from mana, making it grow.
The crystal, once smaller than a fingernail, gradually swelled until it was the size of a grown man's head.
“Alright, the material is ready…”
At this point, it might just look like an Ice Ball, but it's on a completely different level.
Just creating the fingernail-sized crystal took the equivalent of dozens of Ice Balls.
The amount that went into making it head-sized… well, you can imagine it's enormous without me having to put a number on it.
Now, it's time to shape this material into a sword.
Snow Bringer is a rapier, with a long, thin blade.
Based on that, I manipulate the form of the ice, drawing out a long blade as if pulling taffy.
A clear, transparent blade soon took shape.
I meticulously engrave it with otherworldly characters of unknown origin.
Below the carefully crafted blade, I form a long crossguard that protects the back of the hand, and connect a hilt below it, generous enough to fit one hand with a little room to spare.
Finally, I add a pommel that also serves as a stop to keep the hand from slipping off.
“Ooh…”
The transparent blade, absorbing the practice room's lights, scatters the light in all directions, shining brilliantly.
At the same time, a biting cold chills me to the bone.
Befitting its title, 'Snow Bringer,' the once-cozy practice room had turned as cold and bleak as the Siberian plains in midwinter.
Some people call this sword the 'Bloodless Sword'.
It earned that name because it freezes the wound the moment it cuts, preventing even a single drop of blood from spilling.
“Shooting this thing as a projectile would be good, but…”
Looking at this magic, which had perfectly taken the form of a sword, I suddenly saw the next step.
What if, instead of just firing it, I could actually hold it and swing it…?
“Let’s just try…”
I reach out, pushing through the harsh cold.
Since I'm dead serious when it comes to swords, I even made the weight distribution perfect. It should feel good to swing, but I wonder.
The moment my hand closed over the chillingly blue hilt.
CRACK!
The palm gripping the hilt turned black.
Without any warning, I'd gotten frostbite in an instant.
“……”
I stared blankly at my numb hand before dispelling the magic and leaving the practice room.
…Where was the infirmary again?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Thanks to someone's help, I got to the infirmary faster than I expected.
The person who helped was the caretaker in charge of the personal practice rooms.
When I showed him my blackened hand and asked for the infirmary's location, he drove me here in his car.
The world is still a decent place to live…
“Thank you.”
When I gratefully grabbed his hand with my blackened one to thank him, the caretaker yelped and pushed me by the back.
“Forget the thanks, just go get treated!”
“Yes, sir.”
As the caretaker left, I turned and knocked on the infirmary door.
Knock, knock!
“Yes, come in!”
“……”
A familiar voice drifted through the door.
Classes ended a while ago, so there should only be an on-duty healer in the infirmary…
“Seriously, why her of all people?”
As I was scratching my head at this twist of fate,
the infirmary door, which I hadn't even touched, swung open.
“What are you doing just standing there—huh? You look familiar.”
The on-duty healer, Ju-yeon, peeked her head through the open door and broke into a wide smile when she saw my face.
It seemed she remembered our last encounter.
Then again, she always had an excellent memory, just like her older sister.
“Your name is… Kim Do-jin! Right? I heard you’re really famous!”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
“Yeah, hi! Good to see you! So, what brings you here?”
“Well…”
I'm reaching my limit.
For a normal person, this level of frostbite would require immediate amputation.
If I left it like this any longer, I was in danger of having to cut it off, even with a Hunter's body.
I had no choice but to show her my blackened hand.
“I got a bit of frostbite on my hand…”
“……”
The bright smile on her face vanished in an instant.
Ju-yeon threw the door wide open and grabbed my arm.
“Get in here, now.”
I was pulled into the infirmary by her surprisingly strong grip.
The strong smell of antiseptic filled the air.
She forced me into a plush chair, then immediately knelt before me on one knee, her hands glowing with a pure white light.
「Cure.」
To distinguish it from regular magic, healing was given the label of a sacred act and named 'divine magic'.
That warm light enveloped my blackened, frostbitten hand.
As the light began to seep in, the blackness started to recede from the center of my palm, my hand returning to its original color.
At the same time, an immense amount of mana swirled around her.
It was as if she was pouring every last drop of her mana into this single Cure.
“Um, miss…? Aren’t you using a bit too much mana…?”
“Be quiet.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Her tone was so sharp that I decided to just shut up for now.
Ju-yeon wasn't an idiot. She must have her reasons.
“Haa, haa…!”
…Or so I thought for a brief moment.
Nope, she's just an idiot.
No matter how urgent the situation, she could have healed me more efficiently by using less mana over a longer period. Why did she have to push herself so hard?
“Are, are you okay?”
I asked Ju-yeon, who was now slumped over, panting with her head on my lap. She suddenly snapped her head up and glared at me with sharp eyes.
“Can you explain to me just what you were doing to get frostbite like this?”
“……”
What is this? The atmosphere is strange.
It feels like I'm about to get an earful from my wife…
Is this really happening?