Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Bonus Stage (5)
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Just like in the Oclane Ruins, the moment he acquired Territorial Advance, he had partially grasped the ruins' defense system and pinpointed the captain golem's location.
Something similar happened the instant he learned Spiral Vortex here.
Galen suddenly became aware of how the intense currents of wind pierced through the water and extended outward.
'Incredible.'
The first emotion he felt was pure admiration.
The more you know, the more you see. He had already been perceiving it through the senses of Water Flow Manipulation, but now, blended with the senses of Spiral Vortex, it became even clearer.
The power to create rapids even underwater, and ultimately to stir waves across the entire lake—it was analyzed in detail and etched vividly into his mind.
'But...'
The second emotion was a subtle twinge of jealousy.
No matter how the ruins' ancient magic rivaled Gem-rank power, it wasn't even wielded by a person.
In the water, his home turf, to be pushed back by wind magic through sheer force?
'No way.'
Even without any magical effects, the mere weight of natural water could collapse a building brimming with wind power.
How much more if one wielded that much water with magic? It would crush wind resistance without a second thought.
Could a tsunami that swallowed cities fail to sweep away a single building?
'Ah, I see.'
In that moment, Galen understood.
What Daimus and Radica had meant by absolute self-confidence.
The unshakable confidence of a Water Flow Manipulation mage who had reached the pinnacle of Gold—"completion."
'I reign supreme in water.'
A truly flawless belief. Ironclad confidence without a shred of doubt.
All a fully qualified mage needed was that final piece to complete the foundation.
And the moment it fell into place...
Tzzzzing!
The mage's pure will, embodied in the Gem, colored the world.
Genesis Realm.
A unique Water Flow Manipulation surpassing the Oceanis Family's arts, belonging solely to Galen.
Feeling that he had crossed the wall, Galen slowly opened his eyes.
Lilia, the priestess who had no idea what had transpired, just blinked in confusion, but Radica the mage stared with wide eyes and her mouth slightly agape.
Galen chuckled softly and bowed gracefully.
"Thank you for waiting."
"...Seeing it right in front of me is a first."
Radica barely regained her composure and asked again.
"You've crossed the wall, haven't you?"
"Yes."
"Huh?"
Lilia tilted her head. Radica murmured in a somewhat hollow voice.
"It means Galen has become a Gem."
"...Huh?"
"The presence is faint, but this is unmistakably a Genesis Realm. No, it's an intentional subtlety. Even right after awakening, the range feels excessively vast... Is this the form you desired?"
"It seems so."
"No, no, no! Hold on!"
Lilia hurriedly jumped into the conversation. She had thought—though calling it "just" was unfair—that copying the ruins' magic was the best outcome, so this floored her.
"B-Brother has become a Gem?"
"It just sort of happened."
Galen scratched his head. He had only meant to fill Water Flow Manipulation level 69 to 100% progress, never expecting it to hit level 70 right here.
Lilia's dazed expression soon bloomed into a radiant smile. She threw her arms around Galen and shouted brightly.
"Congratulations for real!"
"Th-Thank you."
For some reason, Lilia seemed happier than Galen himself. Not that he minded the reaction.
Galen patted Lilia to gently pry her off, then bowed to Radica without forgetting.
"Your advice was a tremendous help. Thank you."
"I'm glad it helped."
Radica gave a wry smile and added,
"Though no matter how I think about it, it's because you're exceptional, Galen. You're the first to reach Gem after hearing my advice."
"It was just luck. That's what the Gem realm is, isn't it?"
"And that 'luck' only comes to those with the effort to reach Silver and the talent for Gold."
It's all thanks to the status window, Galen couldn't say, so he just offered an ambiguous smile.
Lilia chimed in with an innocent grin.
"Exactly! Brother's a total genius and works super hard too!"
"That describes Lilia more than me."
"I'm not an archbishop yet."
"If I made it, you can too."
That much, Galen could say with certainty.
Even he, with his status window cheat, had gained something akin to enlightenment. There was no way a genuine genius like Lilia couldn't.
Watching the two go back and forth praising each other, Radica shook her head.
"Anyway, Galen."
"Ah, yes."
"Is your mana okay? Genesis Realm consumes a hefty amount."
"It does. Is this normal?"
"It is."
To sum up Radica's explanation:
Phantasmal Domain was a "passive" effect—a subtle buff making magic easier to cast around the mage.
The upgraded Genesis Realm was an "active" one, occupying a vast space and granting powerful effects that could reshape magic within it.
Since it required massive mana to activate, it was like an ultimate technique used in situations where the output exceeded the cost.
"Of course, the details vary wildly between Genesis Realms. Mine has a narrow range and simple effects, so low consumption lets me toggle it easily."
"So it's not something you must use?"
"Right. A wide-area shockwave from afar is needed in specific cases, but usually, you can just punch up close."
"Fair enough."
Come to think of it, his spar with Daimus had been the same.
Daimus had only shown Miracle of Selection once. Even without nullifying magic, he could handle Galen with room to spare.
"Anyway, Galen, you've just awakened, so your Genesis Realm is still rough around the edges. Refine it, and mana cost will drop."
"Good to know. If it drained this much every time, I might've sealed it away seriously."
"Running low on mana?"
"Fortunately, enough remains to clear this place. Lilia, nothing more to see here?"
"Ah, no."
"Then let's wrap it up."
Galen stepped onto the wyvern wing. Lilia and Radica followed.
Right then.
Kugugugugu!
The entire building groaned ominously, creaking.
At the same time.
Kwagwagwagwa!
A flood burst through the entrance.
The wind still pushed back fiercely, so the water hovered midair momentarily, but it was visibly forcing its way in with greater power.
Lilia flinched, then asked upon seeing Galen's calm face.
"Did you do that, Brother?"
"Yes. I increased the water pressure a bit."
"Water pressure...?"
"Water pressure is just the force of the water pressing down. It grows stronger the deeper it gets."
"Right?"
"I'm adding to that force."
Within the Genesis Realm, he could reshape magic for special applications.
But the fundamental control—"kneading water in his sensory range with invisible hands"—remained unchanged.
Unlike spells like Earth Bind that constrained only the body, Water Flow Manipulation had always allowed diverse applications.
The limit was liquids beyond his "invisible hands," like blood in bodies, but that wasn't standard water magic anyway, so he didn't consider it.
In short, Water Flow Manipulation's core functions hadn't changed.
Only the "output" had.
"...Could you always do that?"
"Not before."
Galen smiled at the puzzled Lilia.
"Now I can."
The enlightenment he gained was an ocean that swallowed all obstacles.
Not the waves he could already summon, but a far greater, more violent tsunami.
Galens Genesis Realm was exceptionally vast, even compared to Radica's.
It granted control over every drop of water within that expanse.
In essence, Galen had crushed all the water in the ruins downward.
The building, unable to withstand the pressure, began crumbling with creaks, and water forced its way through the sole opening.
"Hmm, but if the building collapses, it just makes Radica work harder pointlessly. Not the best idea."
"I'm fine."
"No, our goal isn't destroying the building— just breaking the staff."
Galen casually flicked his hand, shifting the method.
The force on the whole structure concentrated at the entrance, unleashing an incomparable torrent.
Kwagwagwagwagwagwa!
The water shoved in harder than the wind could repel.
Water Flow Manipulation's range had expanded vastly, gathering all the water within and jamming it through the entrance.
"If plain water was balanced by wind magic, adding more water magic would naturally break through."
Water the wind couldn't repel began seeping across the floor.
The spirit supporting the wyvern wing bobbed to the surface.
The forefront of the distorted, churning flood advancing against the wind looked like a monster with jaws agape.
The water level in the chamber rose steadily, weakening the wind's resistance as it filled.
And finally.
The current reaching the central altar whipped out like a blade.
Kaaang!
Something shattered.
"Huh, it just broke?"
Lilia, with the sharpest eyesight, relayed the scene to Galen in real time, puzzled.
He could unleash lake-shaking magic, but the staff's durability itself was shoddy. Perhaps rotted from age.
At that instant.
Puwaaaaak!
With the wind's desperate resistance vanishing, the torrent poured in like a ferocious waterfall.
"Just in case, should we grab it?"
"Better to."
The water level surged in seconds, but no one panicked.
Galen gestured calmly. Unhindered, the water carried the broken staff right to him.
Placing it on the wing.
Swooo!
The spirit swelled back into its round capsule form.
The submersible slipped out the entrance effortlessly. The incoming water's momentum was a mere tickle compared to the wind's earlier fury.
No more turbid rapids obstructed the smoothly ascending submersible.
Unimpeded, it reached the surface.
The wing glided leisurely across the water and safely reached the lakeshore.
"Wow."
Lilia turned back, awestruck.
The once-turbulent lake surface now gleamed smoothly, beautifully reflecting the sunlight.
"So that's why it's called the Sky Mirror."
"Exactly."
Radica said with a pleased expression.
"A perfect success."
"Excellent."
Galen grinned.