Chapter 142

To be honest, I was often frustrated.

What was the point of explaining anything? They wouldn’t understand anyway.

I always started my explanations with the premise of mana’s existence, but not a single mage could actually perceive mana. They demanded proof for something as obvious to me as opening my eyes and seeing, calling my insights “bold theories” or “leaps of logic.”

At first, I was frustrated and even angry… but at some point, I guess I just resigned myself to it.

Right. It’s natural that they can’t see it. I’m the strange one. It’s not other people’s fault. I just need to try harder.

I already had mountains of research to do, and unwittingly, I became exhausted from the added burden of having to explain everything.

Was it okay for me to be so far ahead alone? Could I push through to the end with theories no one else understood? Would it ultimately be no different from climbing the tower by myself? How far could I continue conversing with these people? Like having an iron chain wrapped around my chest, locked with a solid padlock. Perhaps I had unknowingly become heavier bit by bit.

That’s why,

I never dreamed the Wizard of Refinement would achieve such results.

Mana stones floated above the Wizard of Refinement’s head, their surfaces flickering with various runic languages.

The Wizard of Refinement explained each of the incredibly complex symbols one by one.

“Hwion’s wind line. Ganda’s mandala, Pan-Gea’s vortex, Hayuhua’s crystal, even Samagong’s vibration phenomenon is visible.”

A complex discipline that would take a lifetime to study. These modern magical studies had been like shackles to me. In contrast, the Wizard of Refinement had spent his entire life honing just this.

“As you know, these runic languages were systematized by our ancestors to identify the elements constituting magic. I’ve been pondering ways to reverse engineer mana through these runes.”

The Wizard of Refinement reached into his coat pocket.

His hand emerged clutching fistfuls of magical materials.

“Now, showtime.”

Powder made from ground whistling buffalo horn was thrown into the air. Before it could fall, golden sand harvested from the Tower of Covenant’s golden desert was scattered.

Whoosh!

As the Wizard of Refinement snapped his fingers, all the thickly scattered magical materials burst into flames at once.

Each time his hand went in and out of his pocket, expensive magical materials were scattered in the air, blooming with red, yellow, and purple flames. The flames and smoke shooting through the mana stones piled up like clouds and became as colorful as a bouquet of flowers.

Though I still wasn’t quite sure what the Wizard of Refinement was doing…

“It’s beautiful…”

Lytol muttered blankly. It seemed Lytol didn’t understand what was happening either. He was just staring up at the sky where flames were accumulating with vacant eyes. Hey, would you look at that? He’s sneakily standing next to Erina? Doesn’t he feel bad for the Wizard of Refinement who’s sweating profusely?

Regardless of what Lytol was doing, Erina was completely absorbed in watching the sky, and the vampire Kaisel standing behind them frowned as if disgusted by the sight.

The romantic spectacle that lasted about three minutes finally reached its climax.

The runic languages that had appeared on the mana stones changed shape like neon signs, and eventually spewed light like lightning. The light pouring from the mana stones gathered at a single point in the air, forming a hologram.

The final form the hologram took was three curves and five ovals.

‘Huh?’

“Phew, hu hu hu…”

Sweating so much that his hair was drooping, the Wizard of Refinement’s forsythia-yellow eyes gleamed. He was holding out a staff with a large crystal embedded in it that he had produced from somewhere. No, to be precise, he was pointing it toward the cup of stabilized water.

“Stabilized water. Calculating with the Mana Catastrophe probability distribution formula: Hayuhua’s crystal 0.3, Pan-Gea’s vortex 0.4, Posedon’s wave line 0.2, Samagong’s vibration phenomenon 0.1. Applying my conversion formula… Haha! Three curves and five ovals emerge! This result matches the Divine Mage’s statement. And if I move this test wand to the side…”

This time, the Wizard of Refinement’s crystal staff pointed at the degenerated water.

The hologram floating in the air changed. One curve broke into two pieces, and one oval was half erased, becoming a semicircle. Only then could I be certain.

‘He’s succeeded in observing mana!’

Good lord. He really did it!

“Ta-da~ Once again, this matches the Divine Mage’s statement. Now then…”

The Wizard of Refinement turned his staff around and pointed it at his own chest.

The hologram that had been tracing the air scattered and wobbled. It dispersed like fog without forming any shape. In that state, the Wizard of Refinement muttered all sorts of calculation formulas. He furrowed his brow and concentrated.

Hum-hum-

The Wizard of Refinement’s Circle groaned. The fog-like scattered hologram gathered again to form a shape.

First, it showed only seven curves,

Then only three ovals,

Finally, three curves and five ovals were completed. It was the perfect mana pattern for water.

[MUULLL!!]

The Wizard of Refinement’s Circle shouted loudly. With perfect pronunciation.

Splash-

The degenerated water that had been floating in the air stabilized and poured down.

“Proof complete.”

Only then did the Wizard of Refinement wipe his sweat. His black hair fluttered, and his forsythia-yellow eyes smiled.

“The conversion formula between runic language and mana. From now on, please call it the Baek Jun-woo-Oh Si-jin conversion formula. Well, I did create the entire formula, but without the Divine Mage, verification would have been impossible.”

The Wizard of Refinement looked at me challengingly.

And my feeling upon seeing this was… this ticklish sensation throughout my body…!

“You’ve still got a long way to go!”

I shouted without realizing it.

“Is that all? You had to consume such expensive materials and put in so much effort just to see what I can see naturally? You’ve still got a very long way to go!”

Originally, I had intended to shower him with praise. To express admiration. But what came out of my mouth instead was harsh criticism. It was as if my mouth was speaking on its own, beyond my control.

Why? Why was my heart beating so fast? Why did I feel so feverish, breathless, as if something was welling up inside me?

The Wizard of Refinement looked at me and smirked.

You’re smiling? I said you’ve still got a long way to go!

“How long will it take for you to have magical discussions with me at this rate? Quickly! Improve it faster! Stop being lazy!”

As I shouted like a child, the other mages looked at me with fond expressions.

Huh? Why are they looking at me like that when I’m being so harsh? I’m telling them to work harder!

“Heheh! Senior Elder, you seem to be in a good mood.”

Ak-hu let out a hearty laugh.

What? Good mood? Me?

Only then did I realize.

My cheeks were burning.

The corners of my mouth were pulled up so high they wouldn’t come down.

It was a beaming smile.

Yes. They’ve finally observed mana. We can now talk about the same things.

* * *

At our next destination, the Sand Plateau, I didn’t have much to do.

“Hehe- Leave the soil improvement to us!”

The mages who had only been listening to my explanations until now took the initiative.

“Come on, let’s start with the spell first. Senior Elder, if you please.”

The Wizard of Refinement, having already summoned numerous mana stones, urged me.

“Sowing!”

[Soooowing!]

Wind reeds popping up across the Sand Plateau. But this time, no one was paying attention to the wind reeds. They were all fixated on the hologram created by the Wizard of Refinement as he burned expensive materials and sweated profusely. Bright lightning-like light poured down, and a hologram took shape within it. A triangle surrounded by a square, surrounded by a pentagon, topped with a hexagon. It almost perfectly reproduced the mana pattern of <Sowing>.

“Hmm… this one is extremely complex. I don’t dare try to imitate it yet.”

The Wizard of Refinement wiped his cold sweat and stuck out his tongue.

“Wizard of Illusion, would you be able to do it?”

When the Wizard of Refinement asked, Hedric looked at the hologram with burning eyes.

“I should be able to. Guide me.”

His face was etched with firm resolve. <Sowing> was originally a primordial spell discovered by Hedric. He seemed to feel the responsibility that if even he couldn’t do it, no one would be able to learn this spell.

“Right, let’s begin.”

The Wizard of Refinement pointed his crystal staff at Hedric’s chest.

Thus began the difficult struggle between Hedric and the Wizard of Refinement.

“No, no. Just a bit more of Agri’s horizontal movement.”

“Hmm-I think Tumkin’s subtle sand movement would be better.”

“Ah, that could work too. Add Hwion’s rotational movement to it.”

“Good.”

“Hmm… and then… and then… Oh no. I can’t go further. The existing Circle operation method doesn’t work.”

“Hmm! I’ll have to rely on my instinct from here. I’ll have to recall when I first discovered the primordial spell.”

Technical terms related to Circle operation were exchanged between the Wizard of Refinement and Hedric, and finally!

[Sooouing!]

Hedric succeeded in properly manifesting <Sowing> with quite accurate pronunciation. Wind reeds grew all around.

“Ha… hahahahaha! Success! It’s a success!”

The primordial spell <Sowing> originally belonged to Hedric.

But Hedric had never been able to make plants bloom. In fact, he didn’t even know that <Sowing> was a spell that made plants grow. All he had been able to pronounce with his Circle was an awkward sound like “Hoohiiing!” And he didn’t even know it was wrong.

But in this moment, Hedric had succeeded in drawing out the unique power of <Sowing>.

An achievement made possible by observing mana!

“I did it!”

Hedric turned to me and shouted.

“It worked!”

The Wizard of Refinement also shouted at me.

“The path to strengthening primordial spells has opened!”

“If we research the Circle operation method more, even passing down primordial spells to others is no longer just a dream!”

“It really is true! The world is made of mana! You were right! Human magical studies might have advanced by a hundred years! No… perhaps a thousand years!”

I couldn’t tell who was shouting what.

They all came running to me, squawking in unison.

Everyone was beside themselves. They hugged each other with me at the center.

“We did it! Aaaaah! This is… this is… incredible!”

“A great advance! No! History! No, legend!”

“To think that I’m here at this moment… sniff… why am I suddenly crying…”

It was a strange moment.

Six wizards and ten outstanding mages were tangled together, shouting without even knowing what they were saying.

Even the vampire Kaisel, who hadn’t completely opened her heart yet, reddened her cheeks and couldn’t hide her excitement.

A collective state of trance. But it wasn’t just madness.

For mages of this caliber, even their unconscious was not meaningless, and magic dwelled in each of their words.

The words that had been pouring out randomly started to take shape and gain meaning.

Someone shouted.

“Mana has come to humans!”

Immediately, someone else followed.

“Humans go to mana!”

And it continued.

“The Divine Mage opens the path! We follow behind!”

“Mana will guide us!”

“We will guide mana!”

“We push forward! The Divine Mage breaks through!”

“Pathfinder! We are the ones who find the path to truth!”

It was a covenant, a spell.

The magical powers filling the sky and earth watched this moment.

Rumble!

Thunder cracked, and snowflakes fell from the sky.

It doesn’t make sense. Why is snow falling when it’s not even cold? And such beautifully formed snowflakes at that.

But something similar had happened before. A moment when rules were broken.

The group that had been jumping around like madmen all stopped quietly.

They looked up at the sky where snowflakes were falling.

“Is this…?”

Yuria asked, and

“I think so… it seems to have been engraved in the Tower of Covenant…? Again?”

Lytol answered.

This time, the name “Pathfinder” had been engraved in the tower.

Just as my name engraved in the tower had allowed Yuria to use <Saíl>, now magical power would also dwell in the name “Pathfinder.”

Click.

Suddenly, it felt as if the padlock constricting my chest had fallen away.

Would it be okay to sprint at full speed now?

Would these people… follow behind me?

My cheeks cooled by the falling snow, and my heart pounding warmly in my chest.

With one day left before my seventeenth birthday,

I really… received an unexpectedly wonderful gift.