Chapter 89

Swoosh-

The raindrops splashed white. Everything in sight was covered like down feathers. The heat of the battlefield receded, replaced by a pleasant coolness.

In every puddle where water collected, the red, green, and blue lights of the three suns were reflected, dyeing the world in a mesmerizing rainbow.

“Rain…”

Lytol mumbled, slumped on the ground.

“Rain on the 3rd floor of the Tower of Covenant…”

His drooping shoulders looked as if they might sink into the earth.

Yuria tapped his shoulder.

“Why? We won, didn’t we? And isn’t it pretty?”

She spread her arms wide, letting the rain fall on her face.

“The sky is so clear… look at this. It’s like a downpour in the ocean.”

Lytol stared blankly at Yuria’s happy face, then let out a deep sigh.

“Torrential rain when there’s not a single cloud… Rain falling on the 3rd floor of the Tower of Covenant, where not a drop has fallen for thousands of years. Don’t you understand what this means?”

“I don’t?”

With a face that seemed to say, ‘What does it matter as long as it’s pretty and feels good?’, Yuria looked down at him. Lytol clicked his tongue once.

His gaze fixed on Baek Jun-woo in the distance, standing with his eyes closed. Yuria’s gaze followed his.

“Wow… isn’t he amazing?”

Yuria marveled.

Lytol slowly nodded in agreement.

“Is that magical power?”

“…Yes.”

Lytol nodded again.

Around Baek Jun-woo, formidable magical power was swirling. Caught in its momentum, raindrops danced in circles around him, and a circular stream had formed, flowing like a valley brook.

Such magical power, exhibiting clear physical force…

Truly… an unbelievable amount of magical power.

‘How old was he again? Just fifteen?’

He felt an inferiority so deep he couldn’t raise his head…

“At this rate, he might develop magical power addiction.”

Negative thoughts arose.

However,

“No. Jun-woo doesn’t get things like that.”

“But magical power addiction is something that affects everyone…”

Trying to rebut Yuria’s definitive statement with common sense, Lytol eventually found himself at a loss for words.

“…No. No… you’re right.”

Lytol looked at Baek Jun-woo bitterly.

“After all, he is the Divine Mage.”

+ – + – +

The record was changing.

The  <God-Slaying Lightning> had overwritten the record of the magical beast.

Once one thing changed, everything changed.

All the mana patterns of the world made way for the newly inserted pattern and adapted to it. Everything was connected like that.

On the 3rd floor of the Tower of Covenant, the pattern defining the smooth sky also changed. While interacting with the <God-Slaying Lightning>, the sky shimmered with a pattern entirely different from before. And so, rain fell from a sky where rain was impossible.

I felt a strange sense of wonder at the sight.

‘Nothing in the world is fixed.’

Everything is redefined through relationships.

Just as the magical power singularity, merely a calamity, met me and was reborn as powerful magic, and just as I became part of the magical power singularity to overcome the calamity.

Just as the sky where rain never fell met the <God-Slaying Lightning> and showered rain.

…Just as people change when they meet people,

When connected relationships change, things transform.

They behave in ways completely different from before.

Therefore…

[To change fate, one must change ‘relationships.’]

I resolved to inscribe this commandment on the very first page of my magic book.

Flutterflutter-

Transparent flames burned on my skin. Each cell burned strand by strand and grew anew. A pleasant burning sensation.

The record changed once again.

The mana pattern defining me at this moment was fundamentally transforming.

Originally, it was a ginseng shape with roots, with three small protrusions drawn at the head… now those protrusions were gone, replaced by a large circle completely encompassing the ginseng-shaped pattern.

“This is a completely different change from before…”

I thought only making a new Circle or opening Ki-blood channels changed the mana pattern… but this change wasn’t due to an advancement in level, but rather from fulfilling a promise.

The scale of change was actually much greater than when advancing a level.

“Does power begin to dwell in a title?”

Earlier, I had made a promise staking my title.

‘Listen well, everyone. I am the Divine Mage. My lightning! Will burn the sacrifice.’

When I kept that covenant, the name Divine Mage was newly recorded throughout the world.

Could that be why? I had gained an absurd amount of magical power… yet there seemed to be no magical fever.

“I have enough magical power to instantly reach 4th Circle with 4-star and even go for 5th Circle… yet I don’t feel any pain…”

So my current body temperature…

I took out a temperature stone, put it in my mouth, then removed it. The stone, which had been orange, turned bright red.

“…Over 60 degrees?”

Are you kidding? A body temperature over 60 degrees, yet I feel fine?

My hair stood on end. At this temperature, my brain should be thoroughly cooked…

Of course, after completing level 5 physical enhancement at Arsenal #7, I became less susceptible to heat and cold, but that was about maintaining internal homeostasis at 38.5 or 40 degrees even when external temperatures reached 100 degrees. But my internal temperature was already over 60 degrees, yet I was completely fine? Impossible. The only explanation is that the very substance composing me had changed.

“…Is this what it means for the fundamental mana pattern to change?”

It was chilling. Perhaps I could no longer be considered human.

“I’ll have to be more careful about magical power addiction.”

From an ordinary person to a Mana User, then to a Circle mage and Ki-blood magic practitioner, adding physical enhancement on top, and now this fundamental change today… too many major changes in just one year. Growth is good, but excessively rapid growth can degenerate into a tumor. If I’m not careful, endless collapse will be all that remains.

I carefully put away the voice in my mind urging, ‘Let’s just advance to 4th Circle, 5th Circle right now! Let’s go! Let’s do it!’

‘I’ll stick to the original plan.’

No matter how frustrating, there’s no choice. The more you grow, the greater the risk becomes—that’s a mage’s fate.

“Are you alright?”

As I was organizing my thoughts, Hwarin approached from about ten steps away. Concern dripped from her eyes.

“Ah, I’m fine. We… won.”

I smiled lightly as I spoke. Getting too much was a bit of a problem, but there were solutions.

Hearing my answer, Hwarin smiled with relief. But her eyes were still brimming with tears as if she might cry at any moment.

In the pouring rain, with rainbows formed by the red, blue, and green sunlight, her long black hair stuck to her white face. Tall Hwarin captured me in her trembling gaze.

“I couldn’t be of any help…”

She bit her lip tightly and hung her head low.

Ah, so that’s what was bothering her…

Right. At 18, being a 2nd Circle mage is enough to be called a genius… but she hadn’t been able to help, so her pride might be hurt. Especially since Yuria, me, and even Monggu were quite young compared to our abilities.

“Well… you weren’t much help.”

Rather than offering awkward comfort, I gave a straightforward answer.

Hwarin looked at me with wide eyes. I met her gaze directly and listed the facts.

“You’ll need to work much harder in the future. Our goal is far beyond this level. I won’t hold back any support you need… but if it seems like you might die easily or become a burden, we can’t travel together. Do you understand?”

Hwarin’s lips parted slightly. Thinking I might have been too harsh, I decided to offer some hopeful words as well.

“Well, today the enemy was just too strong, so I can understand. But there’s no guarantee we won’t face similar enemies in the future. Please build your strength so you can respond adequately to any enemy we might face. I’d prefer if we could journey together all the way to the top of the tower.”

Hmm… what’s this?

In my mind, I’d mixed stern advice with encouragement, but Hwarin just smiled brightly.

“Yes! I’ll work hard, Divine Mage!”

As Hwarin responded with straight, extended fingers as if making a pledge, I could only blink, unable to understand her thoughts.

Slap-!

At that moment, a small palm landed on my back.

“Hmm?”

I turned around to the stinging sensation and saw Yuria hunched on the ground, clutching her palm and groaning.

“Ugh… what are you… it’s like hitting an iron plate…”

The meaning seemed a bit different, but… her eyes were also filled with tears. My body had been at level 5 physical enhancement already, but this time it had undergone an almost complete metamorphosis, so my body’s hardness must be incomparable to before.

After crouching and nursing her pain for a while, she finally got up and ruffled my hair.

“Well done. That was an amazing spell.”

“Your arrow timing was good too. Thanks to that, I survived.”

Yuria and I didn’t need many words. We clasped hands and gave a firm squeeze. The small weight felt through our hands seemed to sway my body like a pendulum. That warm feeling was pleasant.

“It must have been difficult.”

“Hmm? What was?”

“The battle. Seeing how I’m gaining some strength, it must have been tough.”

“Hmm—that’s just basic. By the way… teach me that spell too! God-Slaying Lightning!”

Yuria has a strong appetite for magic. Her blue eyes sparkled as if she might wag a tail. I chuckled at the sight.

“Alright, alright. Of course. It might be difficult for even me to use right now… but with a bit of research, I should be able to pass it on soon.”

“Really? I didn’t actually expect you would! I thought Saíl and Transportation were hard to figure out?”

“This isn’t primordial magic, so it’s different.”

“Wooaaah!”

Yuria grabbed my shoulders and shook me excitedly.

While feeling troubled by this, I thought to myself.

Though I had boasted to Hwarin earlier, this victory wasn’t achieved by me alone.

“Con, congratulations! You were really amazing!”

Monggu, who was pouring out admiration and emotion without restraint,

“It was an honorable battle.”

The reliable and serious Fel with Del laughing beside him,

“Congratulations… Divine Mage. It seems you’ve already become the master of the spell.”

Lytol, whose tone had suddenly become cautious,

Hwarin with her mysterious smile looking at me,

And Yuria, who was still shaking me vigorously.

All of them were bound together with me in battle and shared in the victory.

I had help from Iron Blood and utilized the power of magical power again.

Because it wasn’t just my power alone, I was able to defeat an enemy far stronger than myself.

‘I belong here.’

Suddenly, I thought about the relationships surrounding me, about fate, and again about collective entities.

The mitochondria that generate energy in cells have different DNA from our cells. Some people say that blood and flesh can have different DNA. Sometimes even viruses that invade the body adapt and become part of us. According to Earth human knowledge, even the firm self that is “I” is ultimately just a collective composed of countless beings.

The unclear boundaries between this and that, me and you.

This is why even if I have limitations, “we” might not.

Born mortal, I struggle to handle the immortal power of magical power… but if I become something greater than my current self, if I connect like a collective entity, ultimately I, no, “we” might be able to handle even immortal power.

Just as I connected with countless magical powers to create the <God-Slaying Lightning>.

[[email protected]#[email protected]?]

Yes, Iron Blood. Like you and me, and like us.

As I embraced and enjoyed the victory amidst the commotion, feeling a deeper bond forming between them and me than before,

Suddenly, I sensed that somewhere, a greater future was approaching.