It's So Easy, Right? (2)
It's So Easy, Right? (2)
Amid the cool air of the café, Merlin spoke with a calm demeanor.
"The reason magical scholarship declined over time is simple. It was because the role of a 'teacher' was essential."
He had launched into the explanation abruptly, out of nowhere, but I listened attentively.
Perhaps his throat was dry despite all the talking, as Merlin kept sipping his Rainbow Flavor Cola.
"Fwoo...."
The hiss of carbonation faded.
Setting the empty glass down with a thud, Merlin wiped the foam from his beard and continued.
"Even if you wanted to learn, you couldn't without talent. But even if you had the talent, you couldn't learn without a 'teacher'. That was the reality of magic."
I had learned it just by watching videos.
But the very person who had dismissed those video lectures as 'trash' was Merlin. I chose not to bring that up.
"In short, it was a discipline you could only learn if you had the right connections. That was magic."
I simply looked at Merlin, urging him to go on with my eyes.
As if reading my thoughts, he tapped his empty glass with his fingers and resumed.
"It didn't just end once you knew mana existed. You had to learn everything — how to move mana, how to cast spells, and so on."
Letting out a short, dry cough, Merlin added.
"Ahem. Yes. It's more accurate to say you have to learn the sensation of moving a 'third limb' you never had in the first place. That's how difficult it was."
The preamble was dragging on.
I felt a wave of boredom as I listened.
"If you could wield magic with a mere thought, anyone could have become a Mage. But reality wasn't so forgiving. It was so difficult and intricate that even net hackers who used magic said it 'had a lot in common with program coding.'"
Merlin lifted his empty cola glass, realized it was still empty, and set it back down.
Clicking his tongue, he went on.
"My point is, no matter how outstanding your natural talent, it usually required a proportional amount of hard work."
Hmm.
What on earth was he trying to get at?
I briefly stopped Merlin as he kept trying to speak.
"...Excuse me."
"Well—. Mm. Go ahead."
Merlin paused and waited for what I had to say.
We had already been in the café for several hours.
I voiced the question that had been on my mind for a while, mustering the most respectful attitude I could manage.
"Then what about me...?"
Having spoken up, I opened my palm and manipulated external mana.
The process felt as natural as breathing.
Soon, 'flames', 'lightning', 'water', and 'wind' flickered into existence at the tips of my fingers.
Coding. Effort.
I genuinely couldn't grasp Merlin's point.
The established theory Merlin laid out was that you couldn't use magic through thought alone—yet I actually could.
Was it a player's privilege?
"I just... could."
"......"
Merlin, who had fallen silent at my words, soon replied with a blank stare.
"...I don't know either."
He looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, 'I don't know... what even is that. It's terrifying.'
Side EP. Easy, Right? (2)
It was so damn simple.
I should have just said I'd learn when we first met.
The content I learned from Merlin wasn't much. In fact, it was rather little.
Gathering mana inside the body.
Honestly, the concept itself was something I had thought of long ago.
Typical Mages stored mana within themselves.
That was common sense even in other RPGs.
But there was a vast difference between knowing a concept and actually attempting it.
For one, it was something the 『Real Mage of the Machine Age』 channel never covered.
And the memory of my first time casting magic had also made me hesitate.
Let me recall that day in the sewers.
I had only conjured a small 'light'.
And what was the result?
Of course, even though I didn't know how to cancel the spell, my small magic returned to Four-eyes as immense grief.
I mentally offered my condolences to Four-eyes, who had to scrub the room spotless after my magic exploded like a bomb.
Anyway, having witnessed the process of mana detonating so vividly with my own two eyes,
I couldn't just gather mana inside my body without any valid reason.
Plus, thinking it over, I had the feeling of 'Why even bother?'.
Even now, with a little time, I could rain fireballs from the sky and call down lightning strikes at will.
"......"
Anyway, it was fine as long as I learned it now.
With that thought, I circulated the mana within my body.
"...Heoheo."
After watching that entire process, Merlin's reaction added several years to his face.
Merlin had explained it 'could take years,' but honestly, it didn't even feel like a few minutes.
With utter disbelief on his face, Merlin cautiously asked me.
"...May I hold your wrist briefly?"
Letting someone take my pulse was a massive risk as a martial artist. But if it was my teacher—revered like a king and a parent—it could be accepted under the sacred bond of king, teacher, and father.
I spouted such nonsense in my head while extending my wrist to Merlin.
Merlin slowly closed his eyes and concentrated, as if reaching out with some inner sense.
"...No, what is this."
Had it been a few seconds?
In that brief span, a whirlwind of emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure—flickered across Merlin's face. It was a flamboyant display, like watching a third-rate slapstick comedy.
"How on earth is this possible?"
"Is something wrong?"
Since Merlin was horrified by something concerning my body, I asked straight away.
If I had stored the mana incorrectly, Merlin's response would have been like this:
- 'It looks like it's about to explode, roughly in 3—.'
- 'In 3 days?'
- '2, 1....'
Then my name would be immediately entered into the NCPD bomber database.
But fortunately, that wasn't the case.
Merlin continued in a tone of utter disbelief.
"...A Mage's constitution is incredibly important."
I'd asked if there was a problem, but he suddenly started speaking in riddles again.
Since Merlin was elderly, I could fully understand. With a mindset of respecting my elders, I took his words to heart.
Constitution, huh.
'Heavenly Martial Constitution' or 'Single-Profound Body'.
The kind of thing that only showed up in martial arts novels, right?
"The same principle applies to gathering mana. There are vast differences depending on a person's constitution. Some gather mana in the heart, the navel, the head, or even the extremities. This facet could also be seen as a realm of 'talent'."
"?"
I tilted my head at his words.
Because the mana entering my body didn't feel like it was pooling in any single spot. It simply remained whole and intact from the instant it entered.
"Then I...?"
"From what I can observe, your entire body is like that."
'Heoheo,' Merlin let out a chuckle.
"...I thought it was just a baseless rumor when they called you the 'Only Wizard'."
Now wearing an expression of enlightenment, Merlin gently stroked his beard.
"Honestly, I never thought I'd say this, but for you, simply gathering and using mana directly might actually be more fitting."
"...Excuse me?"
This was the same person who had grabbed my ankle and thrown an enormous fit, demanding I learn magic.
Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Merlin spoke calmly.
His expression was deeply cautious, like someone watching a child gripping a loaded pistol.
"...I don't know how many seconds you've been storing mana in your body, but the amount I just sensed inside you was immense."
Merlin subtly pushed his chair back.
He edged away from me inch by inch.
"Could you try creating a 'very small flame' using the mana within your body now? Ah, and please aim it upwards."
"Sure."
It wasn't hard.
Instead of drawing mana from the outside, I tapped into the reserves inside my body.
.......
Wait.
Something felt strange.
The sensation was different from usual.
The quality of the mana was denser, richer—.
Then.
From the tip of my index finger, aimed at the ceiling, erupted a baptism of flame worthy of a 'flamethrower'.
"?"
Perhaps because he had set up a defensive mana barrier around himself, Merlin evaded the heat with an expression that practically screamed 'I knew this would happen.'
- Fire alarm. Fire alarm.
Since we were still inside a café, the ceiling sprinklers activated.
"Kyaaak!!"
"Wha—What the?! Terrorist?"
I extinguished the flames immediately, but it was inevitable that my entire body got drenched in a rain of water and white foam.
Merlin retrieved an umbrella he had concealed with invisibility magic and casually opened it over his head.
"See?"
"......"
"You no longer need to learn magic, but you will have to learn how to regulate it."
I stared at Merlin, soaked to the bone.
"......"
No, if he knew this would happen, he could have just told me. Why ask me to cast magic?
Merlin, having read my expression, offered an excuse.
"...I didn't expect it to be this severe."
"......"
Perhaps because it came from someone who immediately whipped out an umbrella,
his excuse wasn't very convincing.
* * *
Ugh, so gross.
Showing my corporate ID to the NCPD officers who showed up, giving my statement, asking Eve to wipe the security footage...
Handling all of that while drenched.
It was just unbelievably gross.
Merlin quietly left after the incident.
He mumbled something about figuring out a new magical framework he could teach me, or the like.
Honestly, I said I was satisfied as things were and that it was enough—but nothing could stop an over-enthusiastic old man.
Still, it felt somewhat novel.
Truth be told, it felt rather good.
Getting stronger was always a joyous thing. Even more so in a cyberpunk world where bullets traveled faster than the law.
So I headed home with a lighter step than usual.
I opened the door, ready to tell my housemates what I had learned.
But oddly, I saw my housemates clustered on one side of the room.
Looking closer, they were all standing as if encircling Maya at the center.
Was Maya fully healed?
I walked over to where they were.
But then.
I heard Maya's voice, and instinctively muffled my footsteps, stopping in my tracks.
"I'm telling you. It felt a little fishy, but at the same time, it was like lightning was striking my head."
What on earth were they talking about?
I eavesdropped on their conversation.
"...Really?"
"I didn't know my tongue could move that well. It was my first kiss too..."
""......""
Hm.
I couldn't figure out 'what' or 'what kind' of explanation this was.
Anxiety brushed past my brain, sending a chill through my entire body.
I moved with extreme caution, as if facing a pack of fearsome beasts.
Without a sound, as slowly as possible—.
"Oh? Si-un-ssi is here too."
Oh, crap.
Everyone's piercing gazes flew at me like frigid daggers.
It was like a scene straight out of a horror movie.