Chapter 115

To Prove

Ganda’s Stairs had changed its atmosphere once again.

When I first arrived, it was a crazy neighborhood where 3rd Circle mages held wild parties almost every day.

The second time I came, it had become a meeting plaza where rustic mages gathered and exchanged greetings with each other.

This third return revealed a cold-hearted street where hostile gazes crossed paths. Mages who once got along well were now torn apart by factions, suspicious and wary of each other, with minor disputes never ending.

“What?! You want to fight?!”

These venomous voices heard quite often actually demonstrated that fear ruled this street.

‘Strife.’

As a result, three stairs had been completely wiped out. It was the most tragic incident in a hundred years. Without revealing the exact death toll, caravans from the Magic Tower, Truth Tower, and Society who had recently descended from the upper floors were pointed to as the culprits. There were even testimonies claiming that mages from the cursed Ragnarok had been spotted. Of course, these were all rumors. And so, the 3rd floor of the Tower of Covenant sank into a cauldron of suspicion and fear.

In other words,

The existing order had collapsed, and a new order was needed.

The era of rampant chaos had arrived.

* * *

After taming the sun and returning to Ganda’s Stairs, the first thing I did was open the cube’s workshop and strengthen Iron Blood(鐵血) once more. I poured in almost my entire fortune of 80,000 Morning along with the magical power I had gained.

Afterward, I organized all the powers I possessed and completed the spell research I had been postponing.

I opened [Simulation] and fought again with the vampire woman I had met, with Pan-Dalus, and with the terrifying magical beast. Through these fights, I became more familiar with the new spells I had added. All of this took exactly one month.

As I left the workshop, I fell into thought.

Looking back on how I had lived until now… I had been constantly running away. Running from calamities, running from mages. Hiding my power and knowledge… living just to avoid death.

But now, a new era was approaching.

Should I continue living that way? Was I still not prepared enough to stand proudly?

After a full day of contemplation, I reached a conclusion.

I went to Pan-Dalus and told him my decision.

After a moment’s consideration, he answered like this,

“I will support you with all my power and fully incorporate your opinions regarding the great cataclysm countermeasures… That was the promise I made to you, staking my name as the Mage of Domestication.”

True to his promise, Pan-Dalus accepted my proposal.

And so,

I came to the 3rd floor Ladder Stairs, surrounded by hundreds of Society-affiliated mages.

The Ladder Stairs had a very different form from Ganda’s Stairs.

Unlike Ganda’s Stairs, which was clearly divided into lower, middle, and upper sections through portals, this place consisted of countless pillars stretching vertically upward with flat tops. Each pillar had a different height, and the flat areas on top ranged from space for a small house to enough area for an entire school. Buildings frequented by mages were placed on these flat sections of each pillar, connected by ladders or bridges. Some buildings could also be seen standing alone on pillars without any connections to others.

The pillar used as lodging by Society-affiliated mages was located in the very center and was the largest. That was where we were standing.

Murmur, murmur.

The Society-affiliated mages who discovered us were in quite a commotion.

“What’s this? Why are they here?”

“Could it be… they’ve come to fight?”

“State your purpose!”

The most turbulent period in a hundred years.

In such a time, the Society mages felt greatly threatened by the fact that mages of considerable power had stealthily infiltrated all the way to the front of their lodgings.

So I decided to get straight to the point.

I greeted them in the Academy style.

“Greetings. I am Baek Jun-woo, leader of the Baek Jun-woo Research Nomad and the Divine Mage. I have come here representing the Mage of Domestication Pan-Dalus of the Academy and the ‘Great Cataclysm Emergency Committee’ he leads, to return what we have received. I hope this knowledge will serve as another step toward humanity’s victory.”

The murmuring grew twice as loud.

“What? What is he saying?”

“That greeting… isn’t that what Academy mages use when sharing knowledge? Is he suddenly going to give a lecture after coming here unannounced?”

That was correct.

Today’s lecture topic was ‘The Difference Between Magical Power and Mana, and Signs of the Great Cataclysm.’

Contrary to what one may think, magical power and mana are not the same.

If the world is a book, mana is the ink that forms its letters, and magical power is like the type that imprints that ink.

Carving the type of magical power, applying the ink of mana to it, and printing the book—that is how gods created the world and how we use magic.

But what would happen if one day, the printed letters in the book spontaneously smudged and disappeared, and the newly written letters became incomprehensible scribbles? Yes, that book would lose its meaning and become a pile of garbage. That is exactly what is happening in our world now. The recent anomalous phenomena, such as water rising on its own, are occurring because the letters defining ‘water’ are being transformed.

That was the summary of what I had talked about at length.

The murmuring Society mages watched me with attitudes like ‘Let’s hear what nonsense he’s spouting,’ or ‘Let’s wait until we get instructions from our superiors.’

But fortunately, there were also those who showed the attitude I was hoping for.

“That concludes my presentation. I hope this knowledge will continue to flow uninterrupted to new places and develop further.”

When I finished my lecture,

“Haaah…”

“Hmmmm…”

Some mages let out long sighs. I paid close attention to them. After all, I had prepared this lecture specifically for them.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

However, these low exclamations were soon drowned out by the sound of irritating applause.

“An interesting story indeed, little Academy mage. But Pan-Dalus? I really don’t understand what your intention is. If you have something to say, why not be more direct? As you know, this is Society territory. Don’t beat around the bush—let’s lay it all out on the negotiation table frankly. Then we can weigh our options.”

A thin, gaunt old man with thin lips.

Lytol, who had been standing behind me, approached and whispered,

“He is one of the 50 Mages of the Society. 6th Circle, titled the Mage of Illusion, name Hedric.”

I stared directly at Mage Hedric.

“Mage of Illusion? Did you not hear me? The representative here is me, the Divine Mage. The Mage of Domestication is here to assist me, so if you have something to say, say it to me.”

“What?”

Hedric’s gaunt face twisted hideously. He narrowed his eyes as he looked back and forth between me and Pan-Dalus.

“I don’t know what kind of trick this is. Fine. If you’re going to continue like this, I’ll show my hand first. The reason I’ve come all the way down here is because I heard intelligence that you, Pan-Dalus, and this impudent little mage here have discovered strange spells from ancient relics. How about sharing that with us? If you do so, I’d be willing to help you with whatever you’re trying to do here. As you know, the Truth Tower and Magic Tower are also targeting you. Wouldn’t it be better to join hands with us rather than those unreasonable fools? Especially considering the precarious situation these days… don’t you think?”

He spoke to Pan-Dalus, ignoring me completely until the end.

I moved a few steps to block his line of sight toward Pan-Dalus and said,

“What we’re trying to do is prevent extinction. That’s all. And there are no relics like you mentioned. I simply created special spells with a new theory. And I already explained that theory in my lecture earlier.”

“Ha!”

Mage Hedric snorted.

“A new theory? You mean that insane theory? What? Magic is moving magical power to create letters of mana? Very well. Then let me ask you one thing. All mages possess a special primordial magic called a ‘Gift.’ This is their unique magic that cannot be reproduced through ordinary magic. Now, if as you say, magic is like imprinting ink with type, then where does the type that creates ‘Gifts’ come from? And why can’t ‘Gifts’ be replicated like stamping type?”

With a reddened face, Hedric fired these questions rapidly, then shook his head as if tasting something bitter.

“There’s no way you can answer! Sigh… I got too excited from hearing such nonsense.”

He was making a fuss all by himself, beating his own drum before I could even respond.

But I calmly gave him an answer.

“First question! Where do Gifts come from? I will answer.”

Hedric scrunched up his face again and glared at me.

“Gods are immortal. Therefore, the method gods chose to kill other gods was not to annihilate their existence itself, but to scatter their will. When a god’s will scattered, their body—that is, their magical power—also scattered. That’s why magical powers wander in search of will. And human souls possess such will, albeit weak. Thus, at the moment a soul is born, a piece of magical power is drawn to and attaches to that soul. In this way, we all end up possessing one fingerprint of an ancient god. Yes, that is what a Gift is.”

Hedric laughed loudly, “Hahaha!”

“Gods? Did you say gods? Listen, Pan-Dalus. You’re not seriously considering these words, are you? Haha! Surely a Mage hasn’t been swayed by the superstitions believed by ignorant wilderness folk? Ha ha ha!”

It was truly an irritating laugh. My eyebrows furrowed involuntarily, but I continued at my own pace.

“Second! Why can’t Gifts be replicated? I’ll answer this too.”

“What? You’re going too far. Enough! If you continue with such worthless talk, I’ll have to question why you came here… If you spout any more nonsense, I’ll consider it a hostile act, so think carefully!”

Woong!

The sound of a vibrating Circle rumbled deeply.

A 5th Circle mage standing behind Hedric stepped forward threateningly.

Regardless,

I finished what I had to say.

“Replication. It’s possible.”

“What?”

“I said it’s possible.”

As I answered, I loosened my body.

Having said everything I needed to say, only proof remained.

“You there.”

I pointed at the 5th Circle mage who had stepped forward.

When he frowned and pointed to himself saying ‘Me?’, I nodded firmly and greeted him.

I spread both arms and bent slightly at the waist in greeting. Of course, this was the mage’s formal salute for a duel.

“What? A 3rd Circle challenging me to a duel?”

To this bewildered man, I declared,

“Count for yourself. How many Gifts do you think I use.”

Cling!

For this moment, the saw-toothed third Circle had memorized the primordial spells—that is, ‘Gifts’—that I had researched. Among them were spells so complex that I had barely managed to memorize them with Ari’s help.

[Physical Enhancement!]

A relatively easy primordial spell. This was Fel’s Gift.

“Hmm…? Just a common enhancement Gift.”

Until now, the 5th Circle mage’s face had been confident, but when I used

[Spatial Leap!]

Lanches’s Gift,

“Wh-what?”

His face contorted with confusion.

I swung my enhanced fist at the back of his dumbfounded head.

Are you surprised already? How will you react? I still have eight more Gifts to show you.