Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Change of Pace (6)
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The scene where a Gem-rank archbishop had reset his magic back to nothing was still vividly etched in Galen's memory, even after several months had passed.
The shock had been especially profound because it was a phenomenon of a nature Galen could never comprehend.
Miracles based on holy power were an eternally unknowable realm to any mage.
He hadn't sensed any omen beforehand, and even as he watched his magic vanish in real time right before his eyes, Galen hadn't detected a thing.
The tower he'd painstakingly built up over time had melted away like wax before an unknown monster. How could he not be shaken by that?
"……."
In contrast, this time, he did sense something.
His senses had tingled sharply, if only for a brief moment.
Even if what he'd perceived was just the tip of the iceberg, his intuition told him the rest was lurking beneath the surface.
Of course, this half-baked understanding came with the side effect of spawning new questions.
'Earth Bind…… but it's not quite right?'
Mages were specialists who delved to the extremes in their own field alone, utterly ignorant of others'. They could see other spells but had no clue what they were.
So when clashing with another mage, they might sense the opponent's mana, but that was it. They'd just think, 'That guy's a mage too,' and move on.
But Galen had already learned Earth Fairy magic.
Fellow disciples who had mastered the same spell resembled twins with slightly different styles—you couldn't mistake them.
The nature of the mana clashing with the spirit was unmistakably Earth Bind.
'What the hell. Did I learn the spell wrong?'
He'd only leveled it up step by step, exactly as his status window instructed.
Was it possible he'd completely misunderstood Earth Bind all this time?
No, that couldn't be.
Akanksha, Sachet, and all the other Earth Fairies used the power of the earth in exactly the way Galen knew it.
This had to be Radica being an outlier.
Maybe it was a difference unique to her Gem rank.
"Are you alright?"
Radica's voice snapped Galen out of his reverie. He nodded and replied.
"I'm fine. It wasn't even aimed at me, after all."
"You were so quiet, I worried maybe regeneration was tough and you were just saying it was okay to spare my feelings."
"I haven't regenerated from this level of destruction before, true."
"Oh dear, sorry."
"I didn't mean it was hard. Do you need more? I can make another."
"Did you hold back on defense to conserve power?"
"No."
"And you went all-out on offense?"
"Yes."
"Then no need for more. I've seen enough. Besides……."
Radica pondered for a moment before cautiously speaking up.
"That giant you showed me earlier—was that a spirit?"
"Pardon?"
"It shattered right next to you, but not a drop splashed on you. That's why I'm asking. It looked like the water was avoiding you. Can spirits do that?"
He'd been controlling the spirit with Water Flow Manipulation, and at the moment of shattering, he'd instinctively caught the splashing water to keep himself dry.
Apparently, Radica had caught that.
Galen hesitated for a split second before replying nonchalantly.
"Just think of me as a mage who can handle pretty much any water-based magic overall."
He'd ended up acting like a spirit mage in front of the Earth Fairies by accident.
But keeping it up forever would be too restrictive, and anyway, anyone investigating his past exploits would figure it out quickly. Hiding it was pointless.
Passing it off as general water magic was the same vague excuse he'd used since first acquiring Spirit Creation.
For some reason, Radica looked pleased with Galen's answer.
"Could you maybe show me some other techniques in a bit more detail?"
"Gladly."
With those words, the mana of Water Flow Manipulation surged into action.
The massive volume of water that had scattered everywhere when the giant's body shattered now came under Galen's control.
Shwaaaa!
Waves crashed across the ground.
A wall of water encircled them exactly twice over, maintaining a distance that wouldn't touch Lilia.
Separately, water gathered before Galen. The spirit, shrunken after losing most of its body, slyly rejoined the mass.
"It won't match the raw power from before, but……."
"This is more interesting, though? The giant was strong, but it felt kind of one-note."
"I'm more of a finesse guy myself. Sort of."
Galen smoothly recovered the spirit, reshaping it into gauntlets, then snapped his fingers crisply.
Shwooooooo!
The assault of Water Flow Manipulation began.
It was a literal all-out barrage from every direction.
Enormous blobs of water—big enough to submerge a person whole—flew in like cannonballs from all sides, pounding Radica relentlessly.
From the sticky ground, swirling water coiled like ropes around her legs, yanking her off-balance.
From the sky, blade-like rain poured down. Not figuratively—these were actual pointed water shards.
Each strike carried enough force to threaten a Silver-rank life.
If she kept taking the pressure without counterattacking, waves that could drown even a Gold-rank would crash in succession.
Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!
Yet Radica stood her ground without budging, weathering every attack.
Even Daimus had blocked some and dodged others.
Of course, none were landing solid hits anyway. He'd never penetrated defenses even with Spirit Creation and Water Flow Manipulation combined—Water Flow Manipulation alone was hopeless.
'Still, ending it here would be a shame.'
Galen tweaked his mana flow slightly.
Shwaaaa!
The water wall encircling them like a coliseum rapidly contracted. It shrank to envelop only Radica, sparing Galen.
At the same time, the water on the ground—which had been desperately trying to topple her—surged upward.
"Hm?"
As Radica tilted her head at the sudden shift,
A prison of water erupted around her like a dragon's ascent, sealing her completely.
Qua-qua-qua-qua!
Then, like a dam bursting, water flooded into the prison. The level rose in an instant.
In moments, Radica was trapped inside a massive water tank.
Earth Bind wrapped her body in a tight weave, shielding her like a wetsuit from the erosion.
But unlike a wetsuit, there was no oxygen tank. Earth Fairies drowned just like anyone else without air.
Her mouth moved silently underwater, but her smile deepened with genuine delight.
Zing—
Galen's senses sharpened once more.
Underwater, Radica's palm swept from right to left, as if slapping a cheek.
Paaaaang!
The water prison, squeezed tight by Water Flow Manipulation, couldn't withstand the shockwave exploding from within and burst apart.
"Huuuuh."
Radica inhaled deeply, savoring her freedom.
"That last one was a bit dangerous."
"You weren't trapped for even twenty seconds."
"If I hadn't felt the crisis, I wouldn't have escaped so fast. Honestly, I thought you'd have the elemental advantage, but I didn't expect this approach."
The core of water magic was destructive force from sheer mass.
She'd assumed it couldn't shine against the power of earth, which grew endlessly heavier and harder—like boulders unmoved even in raging rivers.
But to dunk the boulder wholesale and drown it? Even on solid ground.
Radica smiled faintly. What an entertaining human.
"Anyway, that was excellent. Beyond what my sister described. Yes, I'm satisfied."
"If you're satisfied, can I ask one question?"
"You can ask several."
She didn't seem like the type to clap just because water magic was fun, but if she was pleased for whatever reason, Galen was grateful.
He asked point-blank.
"Radica, you're a Gem-rank mage, right?"
"Correct."
"And you learned the same magic as the other Earth Fairies."
"That's right too."
"Then what was that?"
"You mean when I shattered the giant and the prison?"
"Yes. It was completely different from what I know."
"The essence is the same. It's just expressed differently."
Radica answered gently.
"The gap between Bronze and Silver is big, Silver and Gold even bigger…… but the gap between Gold and Gem is far, far greater than you imagine."
"Obviously. You didn't even take a scratch. But that doesn't explain why it looked like an entirely different spell."
"Because I made it that way."
"……Pardon?"
"Gold is the stage of completion. Once you reach the end of Gold, you wield the maximum potential of a single mage."
Galen had heard something similar from Daimus. He perked up his ears, not wanting to miss a word.
"So if it's already perfect, how do you advance further? Simple: stop being a 'single' mage."
"……Split into two?"
"Create allies to assist me."
Radica paused, raising her hand as if greeting someone.
Zing—
The sensation stung again.
This was the third time, but unlike before, it didn't fade—it lingered.
No visible change, but an inexplicable pressure weighed on his heart.
Like facing a wild beast bare-handed up close. The feeling that no matter what you did, it was futile against something overwhelming.
"This is……."
"Revised World."
Before Galen could ask, Radica continued.
"Gold mages have Fantasy Domains, right?"
Fantasy Domain. A Gold mage's home turf, buffing their own magic and debuffing others'.
"Think of this as its evolution. Beyond mere support for my magic, it's an absolute world that resonates and syncs with it—my world alone."
Radica clapped her palm against empty air.
Kwaaang!
A thunderous shockwave boomed from an impossible direction.
"Earth's power, which normally envelops only my body rigidly, can be applied like this within the Revised World. This entire space is essentially 'me'."
"……So it's not wrong to say it's basically a different magic."
"It won't let me wield water like you do."
Radica shrugged and dispelled the Revised World. The pressure on Galen's senses lifted.
He exhaled a long breath like a sigh and asked again.
"Do other Gem-rank mages have something similar?"
"Say, if you reached Gem?"
Radica asked with a smile. Galen nodded, and she went on.
"Probably different. Partly because of different spells, but even among Earth Fairies, it varies. Remember when I said I create 'allies to assist me'?"
"Yes."
"How they assist is up to personal taste. Even with the same spell, that's where the differences arise."
"I see……."
Galen wondered what his status window leveling would bring.
Thought Acceleration and Fantasy Domain had unlocked smoothly at Water Flow Manipulation Lv.30 and Lv.50, respectively.
Well, he'd find out when he leveled up—no need to worry now.
"I've learned a lot. Thank you."
Galen bowed politely. Radica chuckled.
"I've told plenty of other Golds the same. It'd be fun if you had a sudden epiphany."
"Haha……."
"If it helped, return the favor sometime. Alright, time to switch? Lilia, you listening?"
"Ah, yes!"
Lilia, standing at a distance, jumped in surprise. She'd clearly been listening intently with enhanced hearing.
Galen gave Radica a quick bow and walked over to Lilia.
"Have a good one."
"Yes!"
Lilia handed him the mules' reins and scurried off.
Watching the pair converse from afar, Galen summoned his status window.
Radica had indeed shared valuable insights.
But the immediate payoff was probably this.
As their spar kicked off, Galen subtly channeled Earth Bind's mana.
Pang! Paang! Papang!
How long had their fierce clash gone on, the air itself trembling all the way here?
Witnessing the change he'd hoped for, Galen grinned.
Solo-study experience was back.