Chapter 248: The Path to the Heart (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 248: The Path to the Heart (5)
The mana that filled this world could be broadly classified into three types.
The mana that flowed through the mana circuits in my body and belonged to me; the mana in its natural state, belonging to no one; and, like the first, the mana that flowed through another's circuits and had become theirs.
Typically, the use of mana involved the first two types.
Physical-type Hunters used the mana within their bodies to strengthen their flesh and weapons, while mages drew upon natural mana, centering it with their own, to manifest magic.
You could not interfere with another person's mana.
This was the established theory in the Hunter world, but that didn't mean it was entirely impossible.
There were traits that worked by interfering with an opponent's mana flow, and mages with a vast difference in skill level could meddle with that flow to a certain extent.
But that was the limit.
While you could disrupt an opponent's flow to make it difficult for them to use mana, there was no known method, not even a trait, that allowed you to use another's mana as if it were your own.
But then, ta-da.
"I guess there are no absolutes in this world."
The new name for the Mana Absorption skill, which had changed to '???', was Gluttony.
The moment its sealed ability awakened, the mana flowing toward the creature's heart came into sharper focus.
And then.
A certainty was etched into my mind: I could interfere with the flow of mana that was so clearly not my own.
"Let's share a little."
The moment I decided to take it for myself, the torrent of mana that had been rushing relentlessly toward one point split into two streams.
"Oh...!"
A dark, gloomy mana, completely different from my own, seeped into my body.
I didn't know if this was because it was monster mana or if it was simply a characteristic unique to the Kraken.
But I knew one thing for sure.
"...The amount is insane."
A disaster-class monster.
And an immensely large one at that. It was impossible for my current body to handle the Kraken's mana.
"Hoo."
With every exhale, black mana flowed out with my breath.
The overflowing mana began to put a strain on my body.
At this rate, my body would break down from the inside, or in the worst-case scenario, it might just explode.
There was only one way to resolve this.
"I'll have to use as much as I'm pulling in."
I pulled out the spells that came to mind.
「Fire Rain.」
A torrent of flames, incomparable to the one before, poured down.
「Frozen Bird.」
Screeeech-!
A bird, four or five times larger than the previous one by size alone, flew through the air.
「Hurricane.」
Multiple whirlwinds, looking as if they would tear everything apart, caused the clone's body to shudder.
「Shock Wave.」
Crackle-!
When lightning that coursed through the ground was added to the mix, it truly became a picture-perfect scene.
The end of the world.
It was like the desperate struggle of a survivor trying to overcome it all, with a single blue bird flying through the chaos.
"...You're still gathering mana through all this?"
Even after being hit by several high-level spells, the creature merely glared at me as if to kill me, maintaining its defensive posture and continuously gathering mana.
Its appearance, enduring and absorbing all sorts of attacks, seemed to say it all.
Once this is complete, you're dead. No exceptions.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The three hearts, pounding as they sucked in mana, let out an even louder noise.
"......"
It looked like its preparations were almost complete.
Defending... seemed rather meaningless.
The amount of mana was comparable to the creature's, so I could probably offset it, but the aftermath was the problem.
[Time Remaining: 01:11]
In one minute and eleven seconds, my stats would be cut in half.
It was already a struggle for my current body to handle this much mana; if I got weaker, the result was obvious.
I would be devoured by my own power and die before the beast even did anything.
Therefore, what I needed to prepare now was not a defense, but an offense.
An attack that could pierce through the breath weapon it was so confident in and shatter its tough body.
Simply spamming high-level magic wouldn't be enough.
That meant I had to load up a spell from a higher tier....
Suddenly, I remembered the collective magic manifested by dozens of mages from the Magic Tower, who had gathered their mana as one.
I would need something of at least that scale to resolve the strain on my body and break through its breath.
"Hmm."
As I recalled the magic I had seen before entering the Kraken, the corresponding mana arrangement and spell formula appeared vividly in my mind.
The Spear of the Thunder God, was it?
For the immense amount of mana invested, its destructive power was worthy of its name, but its form was incredibly crude.
Well, I suppose it was a reasonable compromise on their part.
It was collective magic that required a great number of mages to be in sync.
To pay attention to the details, they would all have to envision the exact same form in their minds, which was practically impossible even if all the mages were twins born from the same mother.
The overflowing mana was gradually becoming painful.
At the same time, a sense of omnipotence surged within me, a feeling that I could do anything with this mana.
The ice bird, Bing-dak-i, which had shown a degree of autonomous behavior, and the Spear of the Thunder God.
The two most impressive things I had seen recently, combined with the overflowing mana, brought a single image to mind.
Not the spear held by the thunder god, but the thunder god himself, holding a spear made of lightning.
"...This could be fun."
I remembered the time before my marriage, when Han Ju-hee and I were still getting to know each other.
Back then, she was crazy about magic and would talk my ear off until she was exhausted, simply because I was a good listener.
The most memorable story she told me was about the time before magic became established as a law or a field of study like it is today.
"She said magic was... something close to freedom, or creation."
She admired the mages of that era.
Come to think of it, back then, mages would often showcase their own unique magic or forms that others didn't know.
I don't know why she's now become a mage who pursues only efficiency, no different from any other.
Anyway.
The magic system before everyone started recording and following the most efficient forms—created through delicate mana arrangements and magic circles drawn with lines, each holding a distinct meaning—was said to be quite different from today's.
Squares, triangles, circles, stars, and so on.
In the past, even a single Fireball would have a different shape for every user.
Modern magic pursues ultimate efficiency through a unified method.
So, what was past magic like? It had more room, here and there, for the caster's creativity to shine.
"Romanticism."
Yes.
Weren't the mages of that era people who were overjoyed just by using magic, whose hearts pounded just thinking about what kind of magic to use and what form to shape it into?
"Well, I might as well give it a try."
Let's borrow the romanticism and wisdom of the ancient masters and create something magnificent.
A waste of mana?
Why would I worry about something like that?
I've got a straw stuck in the Kraken; I'm overflowing with mana.
"The first thing to do is..."
I gathered the mana filling my body and converted its attribute.
Since I needed to shape a thunder god, the attribute naturally had to be electricity.
Crackle!
Zap!
An enormous mass of golden mana shot out sparks, brightly illuminating the surroundings.
The lightning-attribute mana swelled even larger than the three-meter-tall Kraken clone.
"This isn't enough."
I continuously pushed mana into the core, which, despite its size, was utterly flimsy inside.
Rumble-!
After compressing it again and again, beyond its limits, to the point where it felt impossible to hold it together any longer, the massive lump before me finally started to look satisfactory.
"The ingredients are ready..."
Now it was time to shape this thing, which felt like it would explode and release a tremendous electric current if touched.
The form I would shape it into was already decided in my head.
The god of lightning.
A single form that naturally came to mind whenever I heard that title.
Abundant hair and a beard, dignified eyes, and arrogant pupils set within them.
A massive build.
A thin cloth draped over a muscular body so chiseled it was hard to believe it was human.
A cloud that carried him anywhere in an instant, and finally, a long spear in the shape of a lightning bolt in his hand...
"Oh, it's identical."
The Greek and Roman mythology comic books I enjoyed as a child.
Zeus, looking as if he had just popped out of one of those books, was lying on a cloud in an arrogant posture, as if looking down on everything.
Using a mere comic book as a reference for the form of a god?
Some might think that, but I'd like to ask them in return:
If gods exist in this world, is there anyone who has met one face-to-face?
Even the Saintess of the Vatican, who serves God, said she had only heard his voice, never seen his form.
"The form isn't that important."
In the first place, if a god exists, binding it to a single form is an insult in itself.
To an omnipotent god, a form is merely a shell for passing a fleeting moment.
What's important is whether the characteristics of the god within are properly alive and breathing, isn't it?
And so, I imagined it.
The majesty of Zeus, the supreme god of Olympus, and the nature of a lecher who went crazy at the sight of a woman.
Even his fickle heart, which changed from moment to moment.
The instant I perfectly manifested the inner and outer aspects of the thunder god, Zeus, that I was picturing in my head...
My vision began to turn red.
[Warning! Warning!]
A red message window appeared, spamming the word "Warning."
What is this?
[An abnormal divine descent has been detected.]
It was then.
『The scent of the human realm is as foul as I remember. However, it is also true that a flower that blooms so beautifully in such a foul place is all the more satisfying to pluck.』
"......?"
The magic in the form of a god began to babble on its own.
Zap!
With a small noise, the magic in front of me disappeared.
『You are more noble than any flower I have plucked thus far.』
The voice was now heard from behind me.
The lightning magic, Zeus, had arbitrarily approached Ju-yeon and was now appraising her face.
"...What in the world just happened?"
As I was thinking that this was just like the god I had imagined, I was filled with confusion at the words and actions that a mere spell should not be capable of.
"Kahahahahakak-!"
Along with the Kraken clone's mad laughter, a tremendous wave of mana washed over me.
"Dammit...!"
I hurriedly turned around to see a torrent of dark blue mana being shot this way.
A massive mana cannon that looked like it would erase anything it touched without a trace.
Biting my lower lip, I gathered as much mana as I could and raised a shield before me.
「Aegis.」
A shield of ice instantly materialized.
The wave of mana crashed down upon it.
Kwoooosh-!
The sturdy shield seemed to block the wave of mana for a moment, but...
Crack!
It soon began to shatter, unable to withstand the raging force.
"...I'm fucked."
Because I had poured all my mana into the previous spell, I was desperately short of mana to maintain the shield.
Crack!
Craaack!
BOOM!
The shield that had been barely holding on finally shattered into pieces. Just as I was about to raise a new one to buy even a fraction of a second...
A chilling voice, one that made every nerve in my body stand on end, came from behind me.
『How dare a vermin like you attempt to harm my flower.』
Zap!
A single beam of golden light grazed past my right ear.
"......"
A single ray of light that looked like it couldn't even kill a mouse.
The result it produced was astonishing.
It wasn't enough that it had completely erased the mana rushing in like a raging wave; it had also pierced straight through the Kraken clone's chest.
"Geeeeeeek!"
The creature's pained scream, having suddenly lost one of its hearts, filled the entire hall.