Beyond Mere Efficiency
Setting efficiency aside, it was fair to call it an entirely different kind of ability.
This New-Generation Magic still let him cast every spell he had used before. That wasn't quite what he had expected, which, in its own way, was a relief. The trouble was that magic now triggered through a different structure, so the number of spells that needed reworking had exploded. Set that aside, and it was fair to call the experiment a success.
There was one more stroke of luck.
The gem that had been set into Ancient Magic is gone.
Someone might wonder why the vanishing of a gem's effect counted as good fortune. To Yujun, though, it was the best news he could have asked for.
I can socket a supreme-grade skill gem now.
GX rank. The moment the old gem disappeared, the rank above it came within reach.
He had barely settled into his concentration before he shot to his feet and started rummaging through his inventory. Manuela, who had been staring blankly at him, finally opened her mouth.
"What are you doing?"
"Sorry. I kept you waiting a long time."
"Huh? Not really."
"Are you mad? Still, thanks for not stopping me halfway. If you had, the gamble would've failed."
"No, Yujun. Seriously, almost no time passed."
"How long was it?"
"A little over ten minutes?"
"...You're not lying?"
"Nope. Why would I lie?"
"Hmm..."
Why did it feel as if so much time had gone by? Subjectively, it was as if he'd pulled an all-nighter. He was genuinely worn out, too. And yet only ten minutes had passed.
Is it Super Concentration?
Even so, Super Concentration shouldn't drag his sense of time down this hard. It wasn't that he'd been so absorbed he lost track of the clock — it was the opposite.
Experiments like this are worth keeping up.
For an investment of ten short minutes, what he'd gained was enormous. Luck had certainly played its part — insight after insight had come one on the heels of the last — but Yujun drew out the supreme-grade skill gem he had been keeping tucked in a corner of his inventory.
I ended up taking it out sooner than I thought.
It was something he had refused to use, saving it for later. As if patience itself were being repaid, the time had come for that item to shine.
Looking back, it really was the right choice.
If he had slapped it onto some random skill back then, he wouldn't be enjoying a happiness like this.
The skill that would receive the supreme-grade gem was already decided.
New-Generation Magic (GX).
Riding a swell of anticipation, he socketed the gem into the skill at once.
Pabat!
A fine gem going into a fine skill meant a flashy effect. In truth, the light didn't seem all that stronger than before, but whether it was his mood or not, it looked that way.
GX→GX+ ★
Just as I thought. GX wasn't the end!
Of course, it might stop at a plus, with nothing beyond it. But he had a private hunch that it wouldn't end there.
I want to get my hands on one more Fruit of Evolution.
New-Generation Magic had never once received the effect of a Fruit of Evolution. That meant he could draw out everything the fruit had to offer, at a full one hundred percent.
Somehow magic ended up stronger than swordsmanship...
Of course, because of the Planet Destroyer's Sword, if one looked only at raw power, Swordsmanship would still hold a slight edge.
Not certain yet, though.
True New-Generation Magic had been born, and the only way to confirm its strength properly was to use it himself. He started with Fireball, one of the easier spells to compare. Ancient Magic had changed into New-Generation Magic, but he could still cast Ancient Magic. New-Generation Magic had evolved past it, and Ancient Magic was contained within the new system.
Fwoosh!
The fire's intensity is stronger, no question...
Even producing the same spell, the mana cost had doubled — but the power had climbed more than fivefold.
If the simplest Fireball is already at this level...
For area magic, the odds were high that the increase would be even greater.
And the best part...
Any spell whatsoever manifested on the spot. Every spell built on the foundation of New-Generation Magic.
This is insane.
And if the mana cost ever became a burden, he could simply fall back on Ancient Magic. Not that it was likely to come to that.
"Don't tell me you just made a spell? No... it also just looks like a Fireball."
"I made one."
"What's different?"
"The power."
"It looks the same, but the power's different?"
"Items and title effects do the same thing. Of course it's possible."
"...Right."
"I've finally broken out of Yenil's shadow."
"What are you talking about?"
Yujun told Manuela about New-Generation Magic. When she had heard the whole of it, her mouth fell open.
"You didn't make a single spell... you made an entire system of magic? And it took you a few minutes?"
"To be precise, it took over ten."
"How did you do it?"
"All I can say is I got lucky. Because I really did get lucky."
Without Ancient Magic at GX rank, and without his other abilities, luck alone would have made it outright impossible. Even so, it was true that he had been lucky.
Last of all, he checked the random item box he had received as an achievement reward. It was nothing less than Mythic, so high expectations wouldn't have been strange — but the odds of an equipment item were high, and Yujun didn't let his hopes climb too far.
Pat!
This time a brilliant light descended over the box, as if to wrap it. The item that came to rest in his hand had a rather curious shape.
"What is this...?"
He had never seen it before. It looked a little like a computer CPU... and yet a bit too small for that. He checked the item information first.
◈ Physical ability is amplified. The higher the sum of all stats, the more sharply the rate of increase rises.
◈ The effect applies when the chip is inserted into the nape of the neck.
A chip?
Something that looked like an object from the future had come out as an item. The effect was insane, too.
There was never an item like this. I'm sure of it.
He had met three Great Merchants so far, and not one of them had possessed a chip. They might simply not have shown him — but it was hard to believe all three would have held back the same thing.
Should I hold onto it and ask? No. I'll use it now. I'm not selling it anyway.
Yujun inserted the Chip of Physical Ability Amplification into the nape of his neck, exactly as the item's option described.
Vmmm.
Vmmmmm.
The instant the chip went in, every muscle in his body writhed violently. It seemed to be the process of accepting the chip's power, so Yujun didn't resist. He simply stayed still. There was a little pain, but by now he could weather pain of this degree with ease. He had felt the agony of burning alive; this was nothing worth mentioning.
He could feel the change even without moving.
This is huge. If I get more chips, can I keep stacking the effect? Probably not.
Had the increase been small, he might not have noticed. With his stat total as high as it was, failing to feel it would have been the stranger outcome.
"Shall we head in."
Having finished the work successfully, Yujun opened the door without hesitation and stepped inside.
"Master. You have arrived."
"Is the talk already over?"
"Yes."
Paranet rose, wearing a satisfied smile. Yujun was curious what they had discussed, but asking about it here felt rude. He would ask later, once it was just the two of them.
Asilien, by contrast, looked distinctly regretful.
So it wasn't a lie when she said she didn't mind that he was undead.
If that was an act, she deserved an award. And there was no particular reason for her to put on a performance like that.
Yujun decided to get to the point.
"Asilien. I have something to say."
"What is it?"
"You're a Demon God Worshipper."
"...Out of nowhere?"
"I already know, so don't think of hiding it."
"I never denied it."
"You don't have to deny it?"
"Because I know denying it wouldn't mean anything. You go around killing Demon God Worshippers, don't you? That's how you recognized me."
"I have a knack for sniffing out Demon God Worshippers."
"So it seems. Of all the players who have seen me, not one knew who I was."
"Since when?"
"It's been a while. Not ancient history, though."
"You're awfully composed."
"I have no reason to shrink."
"Even knowing how things stand between me and the Demon God Worshippers?"
"It's a cover."
Asilien said it with a smile.
"A cover? What do you mean?"
"That I'm not a real Demon God Worshipper. I'm only attached to the cult here because I have a purpose."
"And what purpose is that?"
"Gathering information, of course. And settling a grudge while I'm at it."
"You said that the wrong way around, didn't you? Revenge is the main thing."
"That's right."
"Against whom?"
"Every Demon God Worshipper."
"...That's a rather large target for revenge."
"The same as yours."
At Asilien's words, a smile settled at the corner of Yujun's mouth.
"Strictly speaking, mine isn't revenge."
"Then what is it?"
"Vermin extermination."
"I can't say you're wrong."
Yujun stroked his chin. He had no sure way to judge whether Asilien was telling the truth. What he could tell was that she carried an air somewhat different from the Demon God Worshippers he had fought until now.
"You said you were gathering information. What did you get?"
"Here... I suppose I can say it. I know two of the cult's branches. I only just managed to learn even that, recently. They don't hand out the higher seats easily. And I thought I'd shown them a fair amount of loyalty."
"Are there separate ranks?"
"I don't know my own rank exactly. The higher-ups judge for themselves and slap on names as they please. It probably isn't very high. They give me almost no information."
"And the chance that the branch information is a trap? They might have suspected you were a plant long ago."
"I don't think so. Unless they read my heart down to the last detail — and they didn't. I've never even met a superior face to face. If they'd used mind-reading on me, there's no way I wouldn't have known."
"I have one more question. What are the branches used for?"
"I don't know. There are piles of documents and the like, but most of it is worthless. Praises of the Demon God, that sort of thing. Or information on the test subjects."
"That's all?"
"They wouldn't write a plan to conquer the world down just anywhere."
"The branch locations. Would you tell me?"
"Of course. You and I share a goal. I don't have any grand notion that I have to smash the branches with my own hands. I just want those bastards gone from this world."
"Good. Are the branches in Heaven, by any chance?"
"One of them. The other is on the Continent."
"That's a relief."
Leaving Heaven right now would have been too much. If there hadn't been a branch here, he would have had to put it off for later.
"I'm going now."
"Where?"
"The branch. Tell me the location, and I'll go at once."
"...With no plan at all? Do you have any idea how many Demon God Worshippers are there?"
"Numbers don't matter."
"R-right. It isn't far from the Sky Castle."
In truth, there was no need for Yujun to move this quickly. Even if he learned the location, the branch wasn't going to flee. But his body itched, and he couldn't sit still. Since the time had presented itself anyway, he wanted to put New-Generation Magic to a proper test.