Episode 747
Episode 747
The heartless junior, oblivious to his senior's distress, posed his question.
"By the way, senior. I have something to ask about magic development and 5th Circle Magic."
Lee Han recounted what had just happened to him.
That crazy clone bastard had first cursed at him to learn 5th Circle Magic, then suddenly ordered him to create a telekinesis shield spell.
Of course, the telekinesis shield spell itself might have been 5th Circle.
But an Archmage's choices always carried meaning, even in the smallest details.
Even if it was just a crazy clone, as an Archmage, that couldn't be overlooked.
Why, out of all possible 5th Circle Magic, had that insane clone told him to create a telekinesis shield spell?
"You cast a telekinesis shield spell without an incantation??"
"Senior. That's not the important thing right now. If I don't learn this within a day, I'm in big trouble."
"...R-right."
Diret was about to write 'If that's not important then what is?' but caught himself at his junior's response.
Indeed, that wasn't the important matter right now. Though his second-year junior had cast an unlearned telekinesis shield spell without an incantation, it wasn't that impressive... 'I'll have to ask him about it later.' Diret couldn't help but make a note.
No matter how he thought about it, it was simply too astonishing.
"I think I understand what that crazy clone was thinking."
"Really?!"
Though he'd asked, Lee Han was startled when his senior answered immediately. 'So from 5th year onward, students become more like Archmages?!'
"Generally speaking, from 5th Circle Magic onward, the difficulty spikes considerably. This is also when you begin learning about Small Worlds... Junior, have you heard of Magic Parrots?"
"What's that? Some rare animal?"
"Hmm. So you haven't heard yet."
Magic Parrot was one of those terms students typically started hearing from the Skeleton Principal around third year.
"Are you a wizard or a Magic Parrot?! You must think for yourself to cast magic! If all you can do is parrot memorized spells like a bird, you're unworthy of being a mage!"
'So not a rare animal after all.' Lee Han felt slightly disappointed by Diret's explanation.
He'd wondered if there were actual parrots that assisted with magic...
"Below 4th Circle, you can get by just by learning and memorizing spells. But from 5th Circle onward, you gradually... need to understand them."
"I don't quite follow, senior. Even below 4th Circle, understanding is necessary, isn't it?"
"Yes. That's true. But that understanding isn't complete understanding. Junior, why can a mage who's learned <Fire Arrow> not cast <Fire Spear>? Or <Fire Shield>, <Fire Whip>, <Fire Wall>?"
Lee Han was surprised by Diret's words.
It was absolutely correct.
Since the fundamental principles were similar, the moment a mage learned <Fire Arrow>, they should theoretically be able to cast <Fire Spear> too.
Yet Lee Han and his friends couldn't do that.
Why was that?
"Ultimately, even if you understand fragments, you lack complete understanding of the whole. The enlightenment needed for this—the Headmaster calls it 'sudden enlightenment', but... that's not important. Anyway, with this kind of complete understanding, within a very narrow domain, a mage can cast spells almost as they wish. As mentioned earlier, you could cast <Fire Shield> or various other spells on the spot without having learned or researched them."
'Small World!' Lee Han instinctively recalled the Skeleton Principal's words.
Hadn't he tormented people to learn 5th Circle Magic precisely to master Small World?
Hearing Diret's explanation, he began to see how these two things connected. Learning 5th Circle Magic required much deeper understanding than before, and that understanding would become the foundation for approaching Small World.
How vast an understanding would be needed to reshape the world according to one's will?
"So to even begin learning Small World magic, you need to master 5th Circle Magic!"
"Junior. You're not wrong but... Small World isn't the important thing right now. Your life's on the line here, and you're getting distracted by other magic?"
"..."
"I'm sorry."
Lee Han apologized at Diret's pointed remark.
Come to think of it, the Small World wasn't particularly important right now.
"So junior. In your opinion, which area would be the easiest to achieve that kind of understanding?"
"I think it would probably be form transformation of the water or lightning elements. I've tried all sorts of experiments with the water element, and while the lightning element is still lacking, it's quite..."
"Actually, I was going to say telekinesis."
Diret looked slightly embarrassed at his junior's answer.
To be fair, neither Diret nor his crazy doppelganger had made a wrong judgment.
First of all, telekinesis suited Lee Han, who had abundant mana.
Among the various elements, purely in terms of mana consumption, it was the most demanding.
It wasn't for nothing that mages implemented spells through other methods rather than casting complex magic via telekinesis.
Moreover, since it had to be cast purely through the mage's mind without borrowing the power of other elements overflowing in nature, it was not only mana-intensive but also highly difficult.
But for some people, these disadvantages of telekinesis could become advantages.
For a mage who wielded magic unrestrainedly by pouring out large amounts of mana without fine control...
If one could unconsciously summon a telekinetic shield, they were already in a fairly internalized state. 'Must be from all that brutal training last year.' Diret recalled the magical training his junior had undergone last year.
He particularly suspected that the training from that professor with only one student might have indirectly contributed to this level of internalization.
"Telekinesis, you say?"
"You cast it instantly without incantation."
"Ah. That's true. Maybe my affinity wasn't with water or lightning but with telekinesis after all?"
"Could be..."
While telekinesis didn't have affinities like water or lightning elements, Diret agreed to encourage his junior.
"Anyway, junior. Creating that telekinetic shield magic ultimately means achieving deep understanding of telekinesis."
The telekinetic magic Lee Han currently used frequently was at best <Lesser Manipulation>.
But what if he studied the shield magic he'd unconsciously used this time and achieved complete understanding of that narrow magical domain?
It would be equivalent to mastering dozens of lower-circle spells along with a single 5th Circle Magic.
"Understood, senior. So what I need to understand here is..."
"First... incantationless casting. For telekinesis, you must be able to cast without incantations."
"Incantationless..."
"And compression."
"Compression?"
"It's not just about summoning telekinetic force using mana and concentration. You need to layer and reinforce the telekinetic force. That's how you freely increase output."
To apply a certain level of weight or impact with telekinesis, one also needed to understand the compression attribute.
Just as he'd stubbornly practiced rotation when learning water attributes, this wasn't entirely new information.
"Compression... But senior, how do you know my shield magic incorporates compression principles?"
"To block that level of attack with pure telekinesis, compression is mandatory. Next is obviously form transformation. You know this without me saying it, right?"
"Yes."
"Multi-control."
"Why multi-control?"
"You cast it instantly. You couldn't do that if you had to focus on just one shield. You need to be able to separate your consciousness to do other things while summoning the shield."
"Multi-control..."
As he organized these points, Lee Han cursed his past self.
Why did he have to unconsciously use such complex magic when he could've just taken the hit? 'Still, it's fortunate I've already practiced several of these aspects.' Diret continued to explain several more points.
"..."
"Roughly that's it, junior."
"Yes?"
"Never mind. You can do this. Ask if you don't understand anything."
"Thank you. I'll make it happen."
Diret closed the artifact and immediately prepared to send a paper bird to Yukbel Tire.
No matter how he thought about it, this absolutely couldn't be done in a single day.
Falkrius of the Kitchen Club was leading his juniors up the mountain range.
Though usually full of laughter, today Falkrius was frowning and glaring into the distance.
"This is unusual."
"What's the matter, Senior?"
"There are spells laid out all over the place."
Even without approaching closely, they could sense powerful magical energy emanating from several mountain peaks.
This wasn't something giants or Mountain-Destroying Sheep were capable of.
It was clear that a far more formidable being had descended upon Einrogard.
"...Come to think of it, I did hear a rumor about this."
"What rumor?"
"That the Headmaster's mad doppelgänger has been roaming around Einrogard."
"Hmm!"
Falkrius fell into thought with a cautious expression.
While Einrogard was full of baseless rumors, occasionally some held kernels of truth.
And the magical energies emanating from those mountain peaks made the rumor they'd just heard feel all too plausible.
"It can't be, right?"
"Pfft. That's not the Headmaster's mad doppelgänger. At most, it's probably just some monster that crossed over from another dimension."
"Whew. If that's the case..."
The Kitchen Club members felt slightly relieved.
While creatures from other dimensions were still fearsome, they seemed far more manageable compared to the Skeleton Principal's insane doppelgänger.
'If we're going to rescue him, we need to hurry.'
Falkrius thought to himself.
If it really was the mad doppelgänger, they needed to act as quickly as possible.
Right now, the juniors were still motivated, but he wasn't confident they wouldn't flee upon actually seeing the deranged duplicate.
...But just what had Wardanaz been doing to get kidnapped by the Headmaster's mad doppelgänger in the first place?
-What business do students have here?
"!!!"
The Kitchen Club members flinched at the booming voice that echoed from above their heads.
There weren't many beings who could address them in such a manner.
"It's a giant!"
"Lord Ikurusha! We have no intention of stealing sheep, milk, or cheese! We've brought tribute, so please forgive us!"
True to his experience as a senior, Falkrius swiftly presented the tribute they'd brought and distanced himself along with the juniors.
Ikurusha was among the more reasonable giants to converse with, but a giant was still a giant.
If they were in a bad mood or threw a tantrum, immediate retreat was necessary.
-Tribute... Hmm... Acceptable. It's rare for students to come all the way up here. What brings you?
"We came searching for a junior who got lost."
-Tsk.
Ikurusha clicked his tongue with a sound like thunder.
-What a hassle. I'll accept your gift graciously.
"Yes. Thank you."
"Senior, shouldn't we ask if they've seen Wardanaz?"
"No. Unnecessary contact might just provoke anger."
-Wardanaz?
"!"
Falkrius tensed.
Just when he thought Ikurusha was about to leave, the giant stopped in his tracks and showed interest.
"Is there a problem, Lord Ikurusha?"
-I believe I heard Wardanaz.
"That's our lost junior."
-Is that truly the case?!
Ikurusha seemed astonished.
And so were the Kitchen Club members.
'Why is he acting like this?'
'No idea...'
"Yes. May we take our leave now to continue searching?"
-No. Wait a moment.
"......"
Falkrius began considering whether he'd need to subdue the giant before him.
The atmosphere was turning ominous.
Bwooooooo—
-Ikurusha blew a long note on the horn hanging around his neck.
In response, the distant mountains trembled as giants came swarming in with Mountain-Destroying Sheep in tow.
"......"
"......"
The Kitchen Club members were on the verge of collapsing from fear and tension. Falkrius, bewildered, couldn't comprehend the situation.
'Are the giants preparing for some kind of feast?'
-That human boy has gone missing.
-Wardanaz! Wardanaz got lost in the mountains!!
-We must rescue him quickly! He might starve to death!
-That's unlikely... No, wait. Yes, he might starve, so let's find him fast.
At Ikurusha's words, tears welled up in the giants' eyes.
-Let's find him quickly!
-You mages! Help!
"Huh? Yes! Yes!!"