Chapter 40: Inheritance (4)

The process of inheriting the Eternal Factor wasn't all that complicated.

First, Professor Rapens disabled the final security measures on the factor repository.

"Here it is—the Eternal Factor. As I explained earlier, it's a spell circuit that embodies the essence of our school."

He introduced the pillar of blue light rising from the center of the repository.

The training factors bubbled within it like flashes of light.

He pulled a glass cup from his pocket and scooped out a generous amount—

"Now, come forward one by one. It's best to suppress your mana as much as possible. Otherwise, it could be quite painful."

"……."

"Hm? Why isn't anyone coming up? Should I assign an order? Let's see... Libiel, as a second-year, you'll go first."

"Professor, wouldn't it be better for the elder Mihaden oppa to...?"

"I never knew you called Mihaden 'oppa.' Come on up quickly."

He began grabbing the trainees one by one and pouring it onto the backs of their hands.

The process of absorbing the factor into their bodies.

With each cup poured, pained groans escaped the children's lips.

"Ack! It hurts! Professor!"

"Hnnngh......"

"Kuhak!"

It was Libiel, Mihaden, and Lorang in that order.

Professor Rapens observed their reactions and adjusted the amount slightly, ensuring no one exceeded ten cups.

And when it finally came to my turn, I couldn't help but feel puzzled.

What was supposed to hurt so much?

'Still, it would be nice if he could absorb at least ten cups.'

That was what Professor Rapens thought as he held Kirian's hand.

Inheriting a unique factor was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠truly a game of luck.

Rejection reactions could occur depending on the trainee's compatibility.

In truth, the kids who had screamed earlier were on the tame side.

'There were plenty who passed out midway through the process.'

The average was five cups, and the three just now had each taken around seven.

It was a perfectly respectable result.

But the professor hoped Kirian could take a bit more.

He was a disciple with that kind of talent, after all.

"Kirian, tell me if you can't handle it."

"Yes."

He sensed something different after pouring the second cup.

Normally, there would be a flinch at the stinging sensation, but Kirian was utterly calm.

He simply entrusted his hand and stared blankly at the pouring blue light.

"……."

The third cup was the same.

No matter how well one suppressed their mana, it was hard to be completely unaffected.

As he accepted the fourth cup without a hint of discomfort, the professor spoke up.

"Kirian seems fine, doesn't he?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, it looks like our school's factor suits your constitution well. That's rare."

That also meant the Eternal Factor didn't suit most trainees.

The very existence of the "training" version was proof of that.

It was a method devised by the Eternalism school to make inheritance easier, which had naturally spread to other schools.

'It's that hard to transmit. For him to take it this easily...'

It couldn't even be explained by innate talent.

The Eternal Factor was the power to manipulate the "flow of time."

Unlike other factors whose compatibility rose simply through accumulation of experience, this one required comprehension and enlightenment of the cosmic concept of "time."

It was inevitably difficult for young trainees.

'That's six cups now...'

The moment he surpassed the school's average.

Yet Kirian showed no rejection, steadily accepting the factor.

As if he already understood "time."

'The more I learn, the more astonishing he is.'

Whatever the case, it was welcome news.

High compatibility with a unique factor meant a completely different starting line.

For someone with Kirian's unbelievable talent, this would be the icing on the cake, allowing him to surge ahead even faster.

As he poured the seventh cup, the professor suddenly noticed Kirian's expression.

"……."

His nose scrunched up, as if displeased by the blue light seeping into him.

Professor Rapens paused with the seventh cup, gauging his reaction.

"What's wrong? Did the pain suddenly start?"

"No, it's nothing. Pour more."

He was evading the question.

It happened occasionally.

And in such cases, homeroom professors typically halted the transmission immediately.

'Pushing past the limit could cause mana backlash...'

The results could be worse than death.

A shattered mana heart couldn't be healed by any means.

Expulsion would be inevitable.

But Professor Rapens decided to pour at least the cup he was holding.

The mana fluctuations from the grasped hand remained calm, and above all—

'It's Kirian.'

Since the hunting practicum, Professor Rapens had placed full trust in Kirian.

That's why he'd decided to pour the seventh cup.

But the next moment—

"...Professor."

"What? Can't take it? Shall we stop?"

"It's not that..."

Kirian hesitated briefly before pulling his hand away slightly.

Then he pointed at the factor pillar and said,

"Couldn't I just take as much as I need?"

"Pardon? What do you mean?"

"It's too slow, dripping in bit by bit."

"...!"

Whether my constitution suited ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Eternal Factor perfectly, I couldn't say for sure.

It was just seeping in on its own.

Perhaps the mana heart formed through the Origin of All Things accepted it easily.

Either way, by the time I'd taken the fifth cup, I'd broken through Stage 1.

[The other kids would need at least a month of training for that. Training factors grow quickly, but they still need to first grasp the feel for handling them.]

Training factors grew fast but had clear limits.

They were just a stepping stone before the true factor, and rapid growth had no real side effects.

So, it was best to think simply.

'I should absorb as much as possible here to advance my progress.'

[Not a bad idea.]

But I could feel Professor Rapens hesitating.

He was scooping it out as cautiously as possible, which felt agonizingly slow to me.

Of course, his concern was appreciated, but at this rate, dawn would break before we finished.

And judging by his attitude, he'd call it done without even asking my opinion.

That's why I spoke up.

"...It's too slow, dripping in bit by bit."

The look he gave me was like he'd spotted a madman.

Professor Rapens shook his head as if it were obvious.

"Impossible. There's no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠precedent in our school's history."

"Couldn't I be the first?"

Since things had come to this, I decided to be shameless.

The professor sighed.

"I know full well how exceptional you are, Kirian. But that's exactly why I can't allow it. If the factor runs rampant or your mana heart shatters...!"

"Then I'll set up a safety measure."

"Enough!"

Professor Rapens nearly shouted in refusal.

But I couldn't give up.

I summoned the spell I'd prepared in advance.

Threads of mana unraveled from my fingertips, forming a spell circuit.

Only then did the professor's eyes waver.

"This is...?"

"It's a 'Transmission Halt' spell that stops the process if there's even slight overload. I adapted the 'Shock Prevention' spell."

"Ha."

He hadn't expected me to go this far and let out a hollow laugh.

And when I added one more line, even his stern expression softened.

"Aren't you curious too, Professor? Just how much factor I can absorb."

"Kirian."

"Trust me, Professor."

"Haa..."

In the end, he nodded.

He permitted it on the condition that he personally cast the Transmission Halt spell on me.

In truth, I'd anticipated that and built in a vulnerability to flick it off, so I could do as I pleased.

[For some reason, I'm starting to think you really are a madman...]

I stood facing the surging pillar of blue light.

It was like an upside-down waterfall.

"Pull your hand out at the first sign of anything wrong."

"Yes, Professor."

"Begin."

The moment Professor Rapens stepped back, preparing the Transmission Halt spell—

I plunged my hand deep into the pillar.

A prickling sensation hit, followed by dizziness.

The factor poured in, rocketing me to Stage 3 in an instant.

Professor Rapens, standing beside me, swallowed dryly.

But as the concentration of the unique factor thickened, a strange sense of familiarity crept in through my hand.

The overall structure of the circuits formed by each factor.

This...?

'It's Ulfrik's.'

500 years ago, on the last night of the Kirchheis expedition.

While talking with Iphril about Ulfrik's magic, I'd said something like this:

"...Lately, when I look at Master's spells, I feel some kind of deficiency. The power is immense, but I can see gaps."

It was the exact structure of the mana deployment where I'd spotted those gaps.

What I'd seen with the Transcendental Eye was replicated perfectly in the Eternal Factor.

So, of course it felt familiar.

And there was one more reason for the déjà vu.

'Unique factors that handle the flow of time inevitably require understanding time to control them.'

In other words, insight was needed.

But I was a being who transcended a 500-year time gap.

No human understood the "flow of time" better than I did.

That's why the width of my acceptance differed.

"Hmm..."

"Kirian, pull your hand out now. Let's rest a bit. ...Kirian?"

Professor Rapens's voice reached me, but I didn't stop.

Rest? Now?

I had something to do right away.

For a moment, it felt like space warped.

The blue pillar where my hand rested exploded outward, engulfing everything around it.

[Wh-what? Did the factor repository explode?]

"Kirian!"

"Wh-what is this?!"

Flustered, Hierniorn flapped its wings and took flight.

Professor Rapens shouted that the Transmission Halt wasn't working, and the kids nearby grew noisy.

In such a situation, yanking it out recklessly wasn't an option.

I continued absorbing the Eternal Factor.

With the factor's structure updated, the influx changed completely.

It poured in like a burst dam.

Shwaaaaa—

At that instant, the light pillar receded on its own.

As the tension released, dizziness slammed into the back of my head like an old master.

My head burned hot.

I steadied my blurring consciousness and staggered back.

Professor Rapens rushed over and pressed his hand to my forehead.

"Where did you learn such a reckless trick? Obri! Assist me with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your mana! We need to cool the overheated circuits!"

A cold energy flooded my forehead, and I lost consciousness.

When I woke again—

"You're awake."

"……."

The repository was empty, and only one pair of eyes watched me.

Obri, looking slightly annoyed, chewed on something while staring this way.