Chapter 630: The Unqualified of the Magic Tower
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 630: The Unqualified of the Magic Tower
“A layered magic circle… The magic circle’s depth has increased by four, yet the amplification is only doubled… Just as I feared. It’s too complex for the amount of amplification it provides.”
“In other words, with a bit of cleverness, I can obtain amplified startup mana.”
The research I’d conducted with Avant-garde had yielded some small results.
My problem was my extremely low startup mana. What good was designing the most magnificent magic circle if I didn’t have the mana to activate and control it?
I could turn existing magical devices on and off with my mana, but casting spells on the fly was difficult. I had to use all my strength just to barely manage combat-grade magic.
Naturally, in this Floating Castle teeming with monstrous mages, that was a failing grade.
“But layered magic circles are too complicated. Supplementing the mana to start a magic circle with another magic circle? To use an analogy, it’s like using chopsticks to pick up a fork, and then using that fork to eat.”
“Oh, I know how to do that.”
I’d tried it when I was bored. It was surprisingly doable.
“…I know you’re a clever junior! But it’s unrealistic and inefficient. You’re supposed to hold a fork with your fingers, not with chopsticks! The responsiveness is much lower, too!”
“But what can I do if my fingers are abnormally short? Some things just can’t be helped.”
What could I say? Mana control and mana sense were apparently not ‘ordinary’ abilities.
My indifferent reply seemed to frustrate Avant-garde even more.
“Junior. Don’t you feel it’s unfair? To possess such intelligence, yet be forced out of the Floating Castle because of your mana?”
“The ordinary people who couldn’t even come to the Floating Castle must have all had their own circumstances. I suppose I was no different from them.”
“No! You’re different…! You, who have reached the pinnacle of knowledge, at least!”
It seemed a mage’s brilliance was separate from their ability to articulate emotions. Avant-garde kept trying to say something, but she would stop just before the words formed a sentence.
As we were walking through the Crystal Tower, someone approached. Avant-garde saw who it was and flinched.
“Hughes. Have you made any progress?”
Lord Johannes, a mage from the 10th floor—a double-digit floor. He was no longer called a disciple, a great mage who explored on his own rather than receiving instruction.
He was one of only five in this Crystal Tower to hold the title of Silver Tower Master.
He had guarded this tower for longer than the Blue Tower Master and possessed deeper knowledge in certain fields. He was a mage in the purest sense, a researcher.
The elderly man was sending me a benevolent gaze. I bowed my head in greeting.
“Lord Johannes. Thanks to your consideration, my research is going well.”
“And the results?”
“I’ve had some initial success, but… to be honest, it’s far from enough. I suppose it’s unavoidable, since it’s a method that tries to patch up my lack of ability with a shortcut.”
“Haha. That’s true. The proper path is called proper for a reason.”
Johannes encouraged me with a gentle smile.
“With an intellect like yours, you may one day find the answer. Continue your efforts.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be on my way. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
‘What a shame, what a shame. That even a genius like him is blocked by the wall of talent, unable to achieve his ambitions….’
They say people grow more generous with age. Mages, however, are the exception.
Mages are beings who must be lost in their own worlds. It was said that one should never associate with an old mage, for they were the genuine article of eccentricity, their crankiness concentrated over the years.
Though the eccentricity of mages was infamous enough for such rumors to circulate, the old mage before me looked like a man of great character to anyone who saw him.
‘If he had mana, he would have been a more difficult mage to handle than Lankart. He’s a skilled speaker and has a good personality… What a waste. He’s smart, so he could have been kept as an assistant.’
Of course, that was pity he could only show because I could never be his competitor.
I had a deficiency. As long as my mana was extremely low, I could not directly threaten their positions. Because I had made this known to everyone, the Crystal Tower had accepted me with tolerance.
What if I were to gain mana? How would they treat me then? At the very least, Lord Johannes would become wary of me. Just as he had been wary of Lankart.
“Junior Hughes. It’s not over yet. There are dozens of mana amplification methods. One of them is bound to help you!”
Avant-garde was genuinely cheering me on, but… I don’t know. I was starting to lose hope. After the Descent, I would have to study on my own in the Lower World. Could I really find a method by myself, without the support of the Crystal Tower?
As I forced a smile, swallowing my gloom, an anxious Avant-garde suddenly hugged my arm tightly. Was this her way of comforting me…? Hmm. Maybe it was because her body was soft from never exercising, but it was actually quite comforting.
It was then that the elevator doors opened and the Blue Tower Master emerged. Striding forward with long, confident steps, she spotted Avant-garde and me and watched with interest. She hesitated for a moment, but Avant-garde’s presence was not enough to stop her. The Blue Tower Master strode over and tapped Avant-garde’s shoulder.
“Hello, Avant-garde. Sorry to interrupt your quality time, but do you have a moment?”
“Ye-Yes? Lady Elisha?!”
“You’ve been working hard, keeping my disciple company. As it happens, an idea just struck me, so I’ve come to take my disciple back for a bit.”
The Master of the Crystal Tower. The guardian who protected the history and knowledge of the Crystal School. At her request, Avant-garde jumped in surprise and let go of my arm. She kept glancing at me as if she was reluctant to leave, but there was nothing I could do for her right now.
“Senior Avant-garde. I’ll see you later. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
“O-Okay…!”
Avant-garde nodded and scurried away. She pressed herself against a nearby corner and peeked at me, but I decided to pretend I didn’t notice.
The Blue Tower Master asked me.
“How are the results?”
“Just as you expected.”
“If there were a no-risk way to amplify mana, every mage in the world would be using it. It’s only natural.”
“Did you come here just to tease me?”
“Of course not. Even when I tease, I don’t come empty-handed. Ta-da.”
The Blue Tower Master held up four gems wedged between her fingers. Gems within which crimson mana swirled. They were the crystal gems I had seen ad nauseam in the Crystal Tower.
“Those are Highcrystals, gems that hold mana, aren’t they? Judging by the type, they look like Bloodstones.”
“Yes.”
“A Highcrystal brought by the Blue Tower Master herself must be special, but… I don’t know. Can it really solve my problem?”
“Looks like my disciple has been through a lot. I can even hear you sighing.”
With a grin, the Blue Tower Master held the gems in her hand and beckoned to me.
“It’s a bit much to show you here. Shall we go to my room?”
“By all means.”
The Blue Tower Master’s room, with its floor and walls made entirely of crystal, still exuded an overwhelming presence. As I, now accustomed to it, took a seat, she poured heated tea into a crystal cup, as always, and handed it to me.
Taking my setting down the cup after a sip as her cue, the Blue Tower Master got to the point.
“Do you know what this Highcrystal is?”
“A Highcrystal is a crystal oversaturated with mana. It requires the design and control of a high-level mage to infuse a gem with mana beyond its limit. Since you, the master of the Crystal School, made this yourself, it must be of immense value.”
Now used to my sudden flattery, the Blue Tower Master responded nonchalantly.
“Anyone can offer praise. You’re particularly good at it, but that’s not what I’m asking. Tell me what features you’ve noticed.”
Tsk. Is its effect wearing off? Pretending to examine the Highcrystal closely, I read the Blue Tower Master’s thoughts and repeated them.
“Its fluidity is unusually high; mana is leaking out even though I haven’t touched it. It’s too unstable to be called a Highcrystal… You wouldn’t have made a mistake, so is there a reason for this?”
“There is.”
The Blue Tower Master reached out and pulled my left hand. She swiftly rolled up my sleeve and removed the bracelet I was wearing. As I gave up resisting her bold touch, she revealed my hidden secret.
The Bio-receptor. The Archaic Avatar that the Military State had engraved on the bodies of all its citizens.
Archaic Avatar was the nice way of putting it. It was a way to magically measure the human body and create a path for injecting mana from the outside. Its main purpose was for identifying and restraining the citizens of the Military State.
“Traces of the black magic ‘Human Catalyst’ procedure. It looks quite inconvenient.”
The Blue Tower Master clicked her tongue in disapproval as she looked at the Bio-receptor, then inserted the Highcrystal into it.
A crystal containing mana was entering my body. I feigned a flinch but didn’t pull my hand away. I had already read what the Highcrystal was for.
The moment the Highcrystal seeped into my Bio-receptor, I could feel an overflow of mana, even with my dull senses.
“Huh? I can feel mana?”
“Bloodstone is the gem with properties most similar to the human body. I imbued the Bloodstone with mana and gave it fluidity, so the mana flowing from the Highcrystal can seep into you. How is it?”
“I can feel the mana… but the gem’s mana isn’t my own, so it doesn’t move as I will it.”
“You can’t have it all on the first try. Not even I can do that. Besides, this hasn’t been fully calibrated yet.”
With a light gesture from the Blue Tower Master, the Highcrystal embedded in my Bio-receptor popped out. After checking the Highcrystal’s state with her mana sense, she scribbled something with a fountain pen.
“I’ve recorded your heart rate and mana flow. I’ll adjust the Highcrystal to match your heartbeat. That should make it easier to use the mana contained in the gem.”
“Oh…! I lack mana, but I’m not completely without it. If the dispersing mana from the Highcrystal piggybacks on my own mana, I’ll be able to enjoy a mana amplification effect!”
“Correct, my disciple. Due to the law of inversion, you won’t be able to increase it by more than double, but I think we can reach an amplification of 1.8 times.”
“Having a brilliant teacher is a stroke of luck in itself! Thank you! I’ll always respect you!”
When you thought about it, it was like doping, and I would return to normal once the Highcrystal’s mana was depleted, but it was better than nothing. It was the accumulation of such small advancements that led to great discoveries.
The Blue Tower Master examined the Highcrystal from various angles before asking casually.
“How’s Avant-garde? You two are always together these days.”
“Senior Avant-garde? She’s a great senior. Her level is lower compared to a sublime mage like my teacher, the Blue Tower Master, but because she teaches me know-how from a lower perspective, I learn a lot too.”
I subtly laid the groundwork that she was my one true teacher. Senior Avant-garde was useful, but she couldn’t compare to the Blue Tower Master, and when dealing with a superior and a subordinate, one must always flatter the superior more.
At that, the Blue Tower Master gave a cryptic smile and said.
“Just as Lankart said.”
“Sorry? What was that?”
“I finally understand what kind of genius you are.”
What was this all of a sudden? What expectations did she have for me when I hadn’t shown anything yet?
As I watched her with a dumbfounded expression, the Blue Tower Master began to explain, twirling her fountain pen.
“Avant-garde is a master of mana amplification through crystal resonance. She’s a mage who focuses on the sheer scale of mana. She’s on the 5th floor, a level that isn’t too high, so it’s easy for her to match your pace. She’s the most helpful mage for you right now, yes.”
“Yes, so I’ve heard. I’m receiving a lot of help from him.”
“How did you end up choosing Avant-garde?”
“I didn’t choose her; Senior Avant-garde challenged me to a duel. She asked me to teach her in exchange for her victory, and she turned out to know more than I thought.”
I was really lucky. It’s not easy for things to turn out that way…
“A rumor spread that you lacked mana. Being unable to control or sense mana is a disqualifying factor. If someone like you were to be taught by the Master of the Crystal Tower, there would naturally be some backlash.”
“You’ll find territorialism everywhere. I don’t mind.”
“Of course, you wouldn’t mind. Because you were the one who spread that rumor.”
I clicked my tongue and averted my gaze. The Blue Tower Master stared at my face and smiled.
“I never mentioned your lack of mana to anyone. What kind of teacher goes around talking about their disciple’s weaknesses? Even if you weren’t my disciple, I don’t point out others’ inferiorities.”
‘Because most humans are inferior to me, and pointing them out one by one would be endless.’
She was so full of herself.
“But the rumor had already spread throughout the Crystal Tower. She must have wanted to challenge you because victory was certain. Among the mages researching mana amplification, Avant-garde, being on the lowest floor, would have been the most eager to step forward.”
“I was lucky.”
“Was that really luck?”
The Blue Tower Master asked with a blue gaze that seemed to pierce through my innermost thoughts. I nodded honestly.
“Yes. It was luck. Even if I designed the plan, I couldn’t be sure he would follow it. Humans are fickle, after all.”