Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Myriad Aspect Dragon
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I scribbled the spells of the Infinite Archive School into an empty notebook. This magical system still had plenty of room for growth. I left wide margins on every page. It looked a bit messy at first glance, but there was no helping it. Compiling a proper magic tome would have to wait for the distant future.
‘Gotta think about theft prevention too.’
I'd written the Erkamons in a way anyone could easily get started with them. The nature of the spells was straightforward too. As long as someone had this magic tome, they could inscribe a Mana Circle in their heart. That made precautions necessary. My hand moved without stopping as I boldly omitted the key sections of the Erkamons.
Those skipped parts would be passed down orally. Once the school had a solid structure and a proper building to operate from, things might change—but for now, this was the only way.
‘Not every disciple can be as sharp as these kids, right?’
I thought as I watched Durel, Shimo, and Olbern. They were kids overflowing with talent and wit. Their keen minds pierced straight through the Erkamons I'd devised in an instant, even though I'd packed them tight with dense concepts despite making them as concise as possible.
Back then, it had felt intuitive. Looking back now, it was like I'd crammed it all in without any consideration.
Detailed explanations would be needed eventually. But not yet. I sorted my tasks in order and noted what came next. A manual for the Erkamons would be essential. My hand kept moving without pause as I thought of the other empty notebooks in my bag.
I didn't neglect overseeing my disciples' training while compiling the magic tome. The sun and moon rose and set several times, stretching our stay in the cramped cave longer than expected. Yet none of us complained. Smiles never left their faces.
I didn't slack on my own training either. I adapted to the dense mana, boosted the rotation speed of my Mana Circles to accelerate circulation. The effects were immediate. My skin grew smoother, my hair took on a healthy sheen.
Even without proper meals, my body stayed robust. It was all thanks to this world's dense mana.
Shifting between my inner world and the outside blurred my sense of time. I couldn't say exactly how many days had passed. Subjectively, it felt like about a week—which also meant the provisional magic tome for my disciples was complete.
Four Mana Circles, the insight-granting eye of Arcana, even Blink that leaped through space. I'd woven in everything I'd created so far. Seeing knowledge that had only existed in my head now take physical form before my eyes filled me with fresh emotion.
“From now on, train using this. I left out the key parts of the Erkamons to prevent theft. I'll teach you the important bits personally...”
Late at night, the three disciples of the Infinite Archive School huddled together and opened the slim magic tome. It was the school's first true grimoire, crafted by their master through sleepless days and nights. Thinner than tomes from other schools, but the knowledge within ran deep.
“This is insane.”
Shimo muttered, his face pale. Durel and Olbern nodded in agreement. Flashes of genius and vast insights leaped from the Erkamons, written as briefly and intuitively as possible.
“Master said we don't need Erkamons, right?”
“Yeah.”
Durel nodded at Shimo's question. No Erkamons needed? Then what was all this in the tome? At first, they'd thought it was just transcribing pre-made Erkamons.
“S-So you mean some of these were created right here?”
“A few, probably. That's how Master always does it.”
Durel, the first to join the school, answered. Shimo and Olbern swallowed dryly, faces mirroring each other. The content went far beyond common knowledge—impossible to grasp without advanced study.
“Blink? Space leap? This is...”
Olbern trailed off, flipping through the tome. No ordinary mage could even attempt such spells. They required prior mastery of spatial magic. Without rune-letter knowledge of space, even starting would be out of reach.
‘This is advanced enough for someone like me...’
It was like the passages were testing the reader's aptitude.
‘Scan the world's surface and set your intent... When will meets the gap and boundaries lose meaning—that means using mana to tear open spatial rifts, right? It relies way too much on intuition, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.’
“Too cramped. Shimo, scoot over a bit.”
“Any further and I can't see. Let me look too.”
“You'll see plenty once you make your second Mana Circle.”
“Soon now. The mana I'm building up outpaces what's getting siphoned by my blood. A few more days and I should manage the second...”
“Congrats in advance, then...”
Bickering ensued as the three crowded over the single book. It was bound to be tight. The crisp white pages flipped constantly. Olbern used her small dwarven frame to claim the center spot, reading steadily.
After memorizing Blink's Erkamon, Olbern glanced at Durel while checking his Mana Circles. Nothing. Not a trace of magic in the boy's body. That meant he'd already completed his second Mana Circle.
A mystery that arrogantly concealed one from the world. It fit.
In contrast, mana roiled palpably from Shimo the Drakain. From their talk, his racial traits were hindering completion, but steady progress was being made.
Mana Circles.
A profoundly strange magic. Each ring around the heart encased its own mystery, circulating in harmony like a single spell without clashing. More rings meant stronger mysteries—and ever-increasing mana capacity.
What if this magic kept evolving, adding rings indefinitely?
‘And this is just the first one...’
Olbern placed a hand on her chest, eyes closed. A blue mystery formed a ring around her heart. Even one ring brought massive gains. She could activate more rune letters at once; casting sped up beyond compare.
Instant-cast spells—once the domain of royal court mages—now within her grasp.
‘What does the world look like through Master's eyes?’
His very existence was a mystery. Overwhelming talent, sparkling spirituality, achievements beyond his years—yet no arrogance. He cherished his disciples deeply.
It went beyond respect to near-worship. Perhaps a god had descended in a young human's body. A plausible theory.
‘So dazzlingly beautiful.’
The dwarf girl's warm gaze turned to her sleeping master.
As Shimo's condition improved, we began our journey. No better training spot existed, but we couldn't linger in this dangerous place forever.
Even lesser monsters brimmed with mana. Encountering a powerful one could spell disaster. Especially with those colossal beings occasionally soaring overhead—we couldn't relax.
“Master, aren't you worried about your golem?”
“No choice. Searching for it would be too risky.”
I glanced back at Olbern's question. Somewhere in the vast forest lay my turtle golem. But combing every inch for it was impossible.
‘Later...’
Someday, when my power grew and I could defend against the colossal beings. I'd return to this mysterious world for new adventures—and retrieve the golem then.
That's when it happened. Darkness fell like night, a massive gust shaking the entire forest. It appeared again. We held our breath, staring skyward.
A colossal body emerged between the clouds—not fully, just a part, yet vast enough to blanket the region.
A colossal being.
This world hosted more than one. Each glimpse revealed different forms. Silver scales glinted on its body as it melted seamlessly back into the clouds.
“Whew...”
“How many is that now...?”
Its mere presence warped the environment. I sighed in relief and urged my disciples onward.
We reached the wide plain where I'd first fallen. There, I began erecting altars—three in total. I channeled mana into the runes on the completed altars.
Woooong—
The activated runes unveiled mysteries to this world. Amid alien noise, space severed in a radius around the altars. A massive hole tore open in the sky.
Kuuung—!
“It's open...!”
A passage linked to another world. Everything inside the isolated space defied gravity, slowly rising. The clear sky darkened again, fierce winds howling.
A colossal being's arrival.
The moment its huge body pierced the clouds. Bright light flashed, and all senses vanished.
Paat—!