Chapter 158: Expiration Date
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 158: Expiration Date
After the request ended, I spent about two more days resting at the shrine, enjoying some wild nights.
It was incredible.
The Comedy Duo and Bukgeuk-jwa were a bit of a nuisance, but sneaking around to have sex with the priestesses right under their noses was surprisingly thrilling.
I’ve returned after enjoying myself, but… there’s one thing weighing on my mind.
‘The girls want to see you too, Yeon-woo, but meeting the provider while carrying the seed is forbidden. Do you have any words you’d like to leave for them?’
The priestesses carrying my children…
To be honest, back then, I enjoyed it like I was playing a game, having irresponsible pregnancy sex. But it’s different now.
They aren't NPCs; they’re people. They bleed when hurt, they feel pain, and they experience joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure just like I do.
So, hearing that my children were growing inside the priestesses' wombs left me with complex, subtle emotions.
I have no way of knowing which ones are my kids.
Neither I nor the children are told who the father is or whose child they are.
Every child born into the Clan is considered a daughter of the Clan, and they are simply divided into generations of parents and children.
That’s why priestesses around Teresa’s age are sometimes called "Mother" by younger ones like Mint.
Am I a father now?
Technically, I’m just a sperm donor, so I’m not exactly a "father," but my genes are being passed on.
Hmm… Teresa told me not to overthink it, but I can’t help the complicated feelings.
"Focus."
"Ah, uh… it’s just not sinking in as well as I thought."
I made a clumsy excuse to avoid Frey’s murderous glare.
What now… are you going to scold me again?
Perhaps my excuse was poor, because Frey just stared me down in silence. Even Turk, who had been messing around in the corner, looked over with surprised eyes.
What? What is it?
"You’ve realized it."
"Huh?"
"It’s not that you can’t focus because your magic acquisition is slow. It’s that you can’t focus because your acquisition speed has slowed down."
…What is she talking about? Isn't that the same thing?
As I stared blankly, Frey sighed and continued.
"When did you notice that the speed at which you learn magic is abnormal?"
"Ah! Right, why didn't you tell me about that? Were you afraid I’d brag? Worried I’d get cocky and piss you off? Hey—well… honestly, I probably would have bragged, but how could you not tell me something so important?"
"Sigh… because you weren't supposed to know."
"…Why? Didn't you say you need to know yourself better than anyone?"
"That and this are differ—"
"Ah… is it because my talent is too incredible? Like the Government might use me as a test subject?"
"It’s not that—"
"Maybe some secret about my birth? Like I have the blood of an Ancient Dragon—"
"Shut up and just listen!"
When Frey raised her hand in anger, I reflexively curled up and shielded my head with my arms.
She always tries to solve things with violence whenever she’s unhappy.
While I grumbled internally, Frey remained silent for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts, before speaking.
"A long time ago, a certain mage conducted an experiment."
"Keep the intro short and tell me why you didn't teach… No, sorry. Please continue. Phew, I thought you might get thirsty if the story got long, so I was thinking of grabbing you a coffee."
Seeing mana gather in Frey’s fist, I became polite and stopped interrupting.
How the hell does she use Magnum while sitting down? I can’t do it no matter how much I practice. Is there a separate magic circle for it?
As if sensing the story would be long, Turk brought over water bottles, placed one in front of each of us, and returned to his spot.
He acted cool about it, but his eyes never left me, showing his intense interest.
"The experiment was to teach a baby that fire is cold."
"Can a baby even learn that?"
"You teach them continuously from infancy. And if you interrupt me one more time, I’ll kill you."
I shut my mouth and mimed zipping my lips.
Frey looked at me with pathetic eyes, sighed, and continued her explanation.
The mage’s experiment was a total mess that threw human rights out the window.
From infancy until the child was fully grown, they were told fire was cold.
The child was raised in a completely controlled environment, like a lab rat. Whenever fire was needed, the mage would show them magically created "cold fire," making it common sense that fire was naturally cold.
That means the experiment lasted at least seven or eight years. They really put effort into violating human rights.
The Truman…? What was it? There was an old movie with a similar premise.
"Then, the mage tried to teach the child fire magic. What do you think happened?"
"..."
"..."
"...?"
"You can speak."
"...Did cold fire come out?"
"No. They couldn't learn fire magic at all. Even though it was a basic mana manipulation technique so simple an elementary schooler could use it."
I guess that makes sense.
The magic formula is fixed, so if they followed it exactly, there’s no way it would turn out cold.
Just because you don't know what a gun is doesn't mean the bullet won't fire when you pull the trigger.
But why couldn't they learn it? All they had to do was adjust the mana as instructed.
"Magic is heavily influenced by the user’s perception. Especially things learned as common sense during childhood; people accept them as natural even as adults and never even think to question them."
"That’s interesting, but why are you telling me this now?"
Frey and Turk stared at me in silence.
Ah, it’s about me?
"Is it because my perception is weird that I learn so fast…? Hey—what are you talking about? It’s because I’m a genius."
"If you’re a genius, then more than half the population are geniuses."
"You’re my master, but you really don't hold back on the disses, do you?"
"Enough. You’re literally proving it with your own body right now. Your magic acquisition speed has slowed down."
"..."
Just as Frey said, the magic I was currently learning was at an intermediate level.
It wasn't a particularly difficult theory, nor was it a tricky spell to master.
In the past, it was a spell I would have mastered within an hour, but an hour had already passed.
"Uh… then what do I do? Is my character bricked? Does my life go to ruin just because I realized a fan won't actually kill me in a sealed room?"
"…I don't know what you mean by the fan thing, but as your perception changes, it will gradually get slower."
"Is there a solution?"
"There isn't. Your common sense is already aligning with the common sense of this world. Right now, you still have perceptions rooted in your subconscious, so your pace is only dropping slightly, but even that will be replaced within a few years. It was bound to happen eventually."
So that’s why the Geezer noticed and didn't say anything.
This isn't Frey’s fault.
How would you even explain this?
‘Your common sense is a bit weird, but it’s helpful to you, so stay that way. Don't fix it, okay?’
the moment you say that, I’d realize I was weird, and my incorrect common sense would start to correct itself.
And it’s not like they could ignore my human rights and isolate me from the outside world like that mage’s experiment.
But… what do I do now?
In the end, my perception came from the game. The common sense that you just give a character a skill book, click, and they learn it.
What happens when that disappears?
It’s not just a matter of things getting slower.
To begin with, I lack the common sense of this world, and the only magic theory I know is what Yggdrasil taught me.
I understand a bit more these days, but I still can't fully grasp the theories written in magic books, so I usually learn by having Frey or Turk master them first and then pass the knowledge down to me.
That means even this won't work anymore.
I knew it~ I felt like things were going too well~ There’s no way it would be this easy for someone who isn't Akito. Where would the world's forced misfortune go? Well, it’s not exactly misfortune; I’ve actually been receiving benefits until now, but…
Shit, I’m screwed.
There are still mountains of magic I want to learn, but there’s an expiration date on my learning.
No, the expiration date has already passed. It’s just a question of how long I can keep eating before I get food poisoning.
As I stood there dazed by the bleak future ahead, Frey let out a smirk.
"Is this the time to be wallowing in despair?"
"No. I was organizing what to learn within my terminal talent."
Frey’s lips curled up, seemingly satisfied with my answer.
Since it’s come to this, I’ll complete the "M-leaning HP Tank Ver. 2" with Frey’s advice within the time limit.
And I’ll learn every useful spell regardless of the build.
I’d gotten a bit lax lately because I felt I’d grown stronger, but now the tension is rising again.
I need to grab all the magic I was planning to get slowly according to the story progression.
And I’ll learn every useful spell unique to this world that wasn't in the game.
Before my perception fully aligns with this world.
Frey gave a rare smile at my expression and then looked toward the training ground door.
"Come in."
"Huh? Can we come in now?"
"When Big Sis calls, you gotta get in here stat—Gah! Who kicked me?!"
"Don't block the entrance, just get in."
Frey’s teammates, whom I’d seen during the base reclamation mission, came in chatting noisily.
They all looked at me with eyes full of curiosity, as if observing me.
Leaving them behind, Frey looked at me and smiled again.
"Let’s start by having you learn all of their magic. You should learn at least a thousand spells before the end comes."
"…Is that okay?"
All of them were mages talented enough for Frey to trust them with her back.
Even if they weren't 12 Zodiac-class, they had the skills to be treated well and hold high positions anywhere.
Mages like that usually have their own original magic or spells that are difficult to pass on to others.
Frey… well, I found her heirloom, the Crimson Blossom of a Hundred Echoes, and her affinity is at max, so it makes sense for her to teach me Magnum.
But these people have nothing to do with me.
"Everyone agreed. Don't worry, there was no coercion involved."
"Why?"
At my question, faint smiles appeared on the faces of all of Frey’s teammates.
Frey glanced at their expressions and finally looked at me.
"Is there a rule saying we can't create the strongest mage?"
That’s not an answer.
I’m not even part of Greyhound; what if I stab them in the back later?
It’s not like she’s becoming the strongest mage, or even Frey—why do they trust me enough to hand over magic they gathered with blood and sweat?
And the strongest mage… with Akito around, I’m not so sure about that.
"It’s a congratulatory gift for Big Sis, so you don't need to feel burd—Guh!"
"..."
"Ahahaha, Big Sis, I mean, what I meant was, uh—not a wedding, but like, uh… an engagement celebration?"
"..."
"I’ll be quiet now."
Was his name Brandon? Turk is cool because he maintains himself, but Brandon, with his unkempt beard, looked menacing yet couldn't withstand Frey’s murderous gaze and looked away.
So they’re passing it on not for me, but because they trust Frey.
The teammates' loyalty is incredible.
As for the marriage… I’ll think about that later.
"Ah, by the way, how long does this kind of magic usually take?"
"For a skilled mage, within a week. If it’s outside your field, it takes longer."
Since there was nothing left to hide, Frey taught me nonchalantly.
If "skilled mage" by Frey’s standards means her teammates' level…
"There’s nothing to worry about. I told you, it’ll slow down gradually. You can learn everything before then."
"No, I’m not worried about that, but…"
"Is there anything else to worry about besides yourself right now?"
"Setsuna… I mean, the girl I’m teaching."
Frey already knew I was tutoring Setsuna.
Since I needed to verify user-made builds like the M-leaning HP Tank, I had consulted her and received advice.
"Why her all of a sudden… Hm? Come to think of it, you’ve been teaching her for quite a while. Why did your warped perception only break now?"
If you teach magic to someone else, you naturally become aware of the acquisition speed.
Frey’s question was logical.
Because I had never taught Setsuna magic.
"You didn't teach her magic…? Why?"
"Well… because I had a warped perception?"
"You idiot! She has so much magic to learn as it is, and you haven't taught her a single one yet?!"
"No, I didn't know either! I thought no matter how slow she was, she’d learn one every two or three days!"
"What the hell have you been teaching her?! Are you trying to ruin her life?!"
"I taught her the basics! You said those were important!"
"Argh! I shouldn't have trusted this guy. You should have been teaching her bit by bit. I went around bragging that she’d surprise everyone, so what does that make me?!"
"Why are you going around bragging about the kid I’m teaching? Brag about me instead!"
Every build has minimum stats, right? I mistakenly thought magic would be learned quickly, so I focused on the stats and mana manipulation suited for the build.
But how was I supposed to know learning magic took this long?
And you teammates? While I’m getting pummeled by Frey, could you please stop smirking like you’re watching a happy couple?
I’m not Frey’s husband or her boyfriend; I’m just a pitiful disciple getting beaten up.
Don't just laugh, save me!