Chapter 632: 90% of Humans are Right-Handed
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 632: 90% of Humans are Right-Handed
It wasn't a thrust meant to kill. Lankart had no intention of killing me, and I had no need to kill him, either. My skewer was merely a means to reach him.
But I wouldn't reach him unless I gave it my all.
No, even with my all, I couldn't reach him.
The World of the Right-Handed controlled even the flow of mana. My cards were like intricate blueprints, transforming into a skewer the moment I infused them with the slightest bit of mana. But in this right-handed world, even that small amount of mana was subject to interference.
My skewer, which should have been straight, curved to the right. Instead of piercing Lankart’s cheek, it merely grazed it. A drop of blood flew, pshhk, then scattered, swept away by the World of the Right-Handed.
He analyzed me? Me, by a conceptual being?
That was my one and only chance. The pain in his cheek made Lankart raise his arm reflexively.
Right arm.
The World of the Right-Handed was centered on Lankart’s body. He was the nucleus of the world’s most fickle and impulsive storm, and it was now being swung at me.
In the World of the Right-Handed, only rightward rotation exists, centered on Lankart. Any movement or magic originating from him is amplified as it rides this rightward current. In contrast, any movement approaching Lankart from the outside inevitably possesses a leftward current, which is nullified before it can ever reach him.
The Green Tower Master’s Unique Magic was a conceptual one-way street, but Lankart’s was a consequential one. Hundreds of storm tendrils, with his fist as their epicenter, warped violently before wrapping around my body, just barely grazing me.
Just before the storm hit, I lifted my feet from the ground and curled into a ball.
Even the Unique Magic I’d stolen was useless. The tangled storm compressed rapidly between Lankart and me before being unleashed in an instant, sending my body flying. I spun through the air and slammed onto the floor, back first. I gritted my teeth against the shock that coursed through my entire body. With my mind-reading ability, I didn't feel dizzy, but I couldn't stop my body from staggering.
He floated in the air to avoid resisting the current, then rotated his own body to offset the rightward spin? That’s not all. He jumped in the same trajectory as my right fist, the nucleus of the World of the Right-Handed. He completely understands my power!
A fight with Lankart would end like this a hundred times out of a hundred. The power gap was this immense even when I stole and used his own Unique Magic. If Lankart were to add a dash of white magic to the mix, I wouldn't even be able to resist. Fighting him seriously would only lead to losses.
But I had to fight now. Because that’s what Lankart wanted!
The one solving the problem has the advantage over the one who poses it. With just a single clue, you can unravel even the most complexly woven cloth. But why? Huey has analyzed me, so why haven’t I been able to analyze him yet?
“Is the test over? Or is this for real? Spit it out. I need to decide how to react.”
Just as I was getting back up to glare at Lankart, the shock of my countermove made him reconsider.
Is it because he’s the King of Humans? That can’t be…! A conceptual being is the World of the Right-Handed itself! It can’t be a left-hander!
“…Uh, sorry. Huey. I think I was mistaken for a moment.”
Lankart deactivated his Unique Magic, and the storm he had unleashed dissipated into wisps. Mages screamed at the sudden tempest in the Floating Castle and cast wind magic, but Lankart paid them no mind as he approached me.
“Of course. That’s right. There’s no way you, the one who beat me, would be the one being analyzed.”
“What are you talking about? You were right.”
“The King of Humans is that woman. It was my mistake to jump to conclusions and assume you were the King of Humans just based on your word.”
Technically, ‘Noona’ was closer to being the King of Humans than I was. But hey, I’m a King of Humans, too!
Well, that wasn't important. To Lankart, this was all just a means to an end. I growled.
“A mistake? You mean intentional, you son of a bitch.”
A flicker of guilt crossed Lankart’s face as he watched me cautiously. I aimed my skewer at him, my eyes burning with rage.
“You found one little thing to latch onto and immediately threw me into your right-handed world? What, since tests and knowledge didn't work, you decided to test my emergency response capabilities? Did the meta change or something?”
“Huey, Huey. Calm down. It’s not exactly like that.”
“How can I be calm? The guy who sticks to me calling himself a friend is acting like an examiner, trying to measure my abilities one by one. You were the same way in the Military State, weren't you? You said it was unpleasant to be evaluated by someone dumber than you. You think you’re better than me?”
“That’s not it. I guess being around the self-proclaimed elites of the Floating Castle has rubbed off on me a little. I forgot your personality and just kept….”
Would you look at that. Now he’s blaming the environment. I felt a headache coming on as I looked at my troublesome peer.
Why was he doing this? The reason was simple.
He couldn't accept his own defeat without periodically reaffirming my superiority. He was deliberately testing me to place a higher value on me, the one who had defeated him. To put it another way, he was like a lover who constantly tests their partner to reaffirm their love.
If he were a woman, it might have been cute. But seeing a hulking man act like this was just pathetic.
“I took your words about being the King of Humans at face value, that’s all. Anyway, let’s put trivial matters aside for later.”
“He says, after causing all the trouble himself. You live an easy life.”
“More importantly, the King of Humans has appeared. Does our policy remain the same?”
No. If this guy had been a woman, he would have been a far more difficult person to deal with. Thanks for staying my friend, you bastard.
I wiped my face and said.
“It’s changed a little. I’ve decided to climb the Gateway to Success.”
“The Gateway to Success? It’s not a big deal, so why bother?”
“I need to meet the Mage King. I’m receiving instruction from the Blue Tower Master for that purpose.”
Lankart tilted his head and asked back.
“That woman has nothing to teach you.”
“The Floating Castle has its own formalities and rules. I have to learn them. Even I don’t know much about white magic.”
“She might know white magic, but you don’t. I could teach you better.”
“You just focus on your own business.”
There was no merit in learning from her when I had Avant-garde and the Blue Tower Master.
“It’s much better to learn at the Crystal Tower and build connections. What was Noona doing?”
“She was gathering people.”
Gathering people? More likely, people were gathering on their own.
Noona wasn't the type to gather people herself, nor did she need to. However, the Great Forest had no proper nation, and it was full of tribes who longed for the days of Manguo. To them, Noona would seem like their only hope, a worthy object of their loyalty.
“I wonder what Noona plans to do.”
“Why do you ask? The King of Humans is a conceptual being. Not a right-hander, but the very concept of ‘right’ itself. Her actions will be no different from the other trite Beast Kings.”
“Let me put it another way. I wonder what humans will make of Noona.”
My words seemed to give him a great deal of inspiration. Lankart fell into thought, having found a rather enjoyable topic for contemplation. I’d thrown him a mental chew toy; he’d probably gnaw on it for a few days. I ran a hand through my hair, which had been messed up in the commotion.
“You clean up the mess you made. I’ve already got a mountain of things to do. I don’t want any more trouble because of the ruckus you caused.”
“Yes. Of course, Huey. I’ll never cause you any trouble.”
Lankart nodded eagerly, then immediately amplified his voice with magic and barked at the onlookers.
“Did you hear that? Fix this. And make sure no one knows.”
That son of a bitch. That’ll just make the rumors spread faster.
*
There was no need for Lankart’s threats. A far more important matter had arisen than the common story of the mad mage Lankart running wild with his Unique Magic.
The King of Humans. News of the representative of all humanity sent massive shockwaves through the Floating Castle.
What kind of being was the King of Humans? What abilities did they possess? Could they use magic? If they could learn magic, what level could they reach? A Tower Master? The Mage King? No, surely not.
The Floating Castle wasn't that small, but being a closed society, news traveled fast. In just one day, word of the King of Humans had spread throughout the entire castle, and the topic filled every tower and street.
The King of Humans. The King of Humans. The King of Humans.
Mages walking down the street, sitting at tables, surrounding avatars made of light with serious expressions, visiting the Magic Towers to seek advice from more distinguished masters.
There was no arrow that could be shot infinitely, but there was gum that could be chewed infinitely. The King of Humans became a fine topic for contemplation, passed from one mage’s mouth to another. In this way, too, ‘Noona’ was a true king who served her people.
“I must write a thesis on the King of Humans! This will be the topic for the next conference!”
Even the Crystal Tower, which prided itself on its immutable and solid scholarship, could not escape this atmosphere. Dozens of mages stopped their research and gathered in small groups to search for data on the King of Humans.
It was hardly an atmosphere for teaching or learning anything. The Blue Tower Master closed the grimoire crystal and looked at me intently.
“Come to think of it, you came from the Tree of Genesis, didn't you?”
“Yes, I did. Didn’t Shei-ssi explain?”
“He did. But if his explanation had contained even a single grain of information about the King of Humans, I don’t think I would be this surprised.”
So Shei didn't mention the King of Humans either. She has some discretion, I guess… no, that’s not it.
I had seen Noona, but Shei hadn't seen her awaken. She knew she would be revived someday and that it was imminent, but she wouldn't know that she had opened her eyes and stretched. She probably didn't feel the need to mention something she wasn't sure about.
“All I saw was a two-thousand-year-old druid growing a tree, claiming she would revive the King of Humans. I was trapped there with Shei-ssi, but I don’t know if the King of Humans was actually revived.”
The Blue Tower Master narrowed her eyes and asked.
“Really?”
The Primordial Druid imprisoned you for no reason, and then, by coincidence, the King of Humans appeared in the world…? To tell me a lie that anyone could see through. It’s a little unpleasant.
Clever. Looks like I’ll have to reveal a certain amount.
“We were sacrifices for the revival of the King of Humans. We were kidnapped by Nevida on our way to Manguo. We couldn't just wait to die, so we set fire to the Tree of Genesis to escape safely. After that, we were rescued by Lankart.”
“And you just happened to be Lankart’s friend. Isn’t the world a small place?”
“That was a genuine coincidence. It’s not like I specifically called for Lankart, right? The Floating Castle is unfamiliar to me, too. I was lucky enough to meet a good person like you, though.”
Why would I reveal everything in a place that’s still foreign to me? My eyes met the Blue Tower Master’s for a moment. I gave her a slight smile.
Even if he’s treated poorly in the Floating Castle as a commoner, Hughes must have been a fairly renowned talent in the Lower World, right? To have reached Nevida’s tree, he must be a big shot. I should look up information on him.
The Blue Tower Master picked up her jacket and stood. It was originally time for my lesson, but she, too, had become busy with the news of the King of Humans.
“I’m sorry, my student. The Advent is in three days, so I should be focusing on teaching you. But I’m quite busy, so I must leave. We probably won’t see each other often from now on.”
“It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. The King of Humans is an issue big enough to summon all five Tower Masters.”
“…Who told you there was a meeting of the Tower Masters?”
“You had a curriculum planned right up until the Advent, so if you suddenly became busy, it must be because of a new issue that’s come up, right? It must be because of the King of Humans. And there’s no way they’d summon only one Tower Master for such a meeting.”
You’re not the only one who can make deductions. Well, I just read her mind, but still.
That’s true. With his intellect, a deduction of this level would be easy. I’m always the one analyzing; it’s been a while since I’ve been on the receiving end. I was caught off guard.
A faint smile touched the Blue Tower Master’s lips. Before leaving the room, she left me with one last remark.
“The world is changing. It’s time for the Floating Castle to change its attitude a little. I want you to climb the Gateway to Success. If a commoner like you rises in the Floating Castle, perhaps the castle itself can change.”
As I saw the Blue Tower Master out, I was lost in thought for a moment.
She’s been like this from the beginning. She’s interested in people from the outside, helps them stay in the Floating Castle, and even teaches them. This isn't the behavior of someone who doesn't dream of change.
But the Floating Castle itself is very stable and seems peaceful. Even I found it to my liking.
Then the problem must lie outside, right?
The Floating Castle, a sublime city that only chosen mages can ascend.
It’s time to look not here, but at the Mage Federation, where the majority of the population resides.
Three days until the Advent.