Chapter 170

Come to think of it, that was truly impressive.

‘…Were they always this strong?’

Ak-hu pressed his attack ferociously, as if intending to end the fight before the interest on <Debt> could accumulate.

Whether he had made significant progress during this time, he clung to Shilo de Medissa with strange, mysterious movements I’d never seen before. Even if I used [Simulation] to face him, his movements were so exquisite they would be quite troublesome.

But Shilo de Medissa. They said he was one of the top wizards in the tower, and his combat sense was truly remarkable.

“Hmph! Did you think I’d just play around after getting beaten by my master? Research on Ki-blood magic is already complete! Bad luck!”

Shilo de Medissa was fundamentally a visualization mage, the same type as Pan-Dalus and Lytol.

Therefore, the spells he used were generally sphere-shaped mana projectiles like the <Magic Ball> that Lytol used.

On top of that, he added his gift [Proliferation] and his unique specialty spells to create completely new effects that didn’t exist in conventional visualization magic.

<Bad Luck>

<Tax>

<Liquidity Crisis>

The spells he fired in rapid succession were all ones that interfered with mana flow, particularly deadly to Ki-blood magician.

Once they seeped into the body, mana would become chaotic, evaporate, or solidify, so Ak-hu had to carefully deflect every single spell. But these spells had particularly strong repulsive force, so the moment he struck them away, his body would take minute shocks and his steps would slow.

If he took even one hit, he’d collapse under the subsequent chain attacks, but deflecting them all made it difficult to close in… Ak-hu was caught in a dilemma.

But even amid all this, Ak-hu remained completely unshaken. With cold, sharp eyes, he watched for openings in Shilo de Medissa’s defenses.

The match was decided in an instant.

Ak-hu moved, seizing a momentary gap. He deflected all the spells Shilo de Medissa had fired in one burst and finally closed to melee range. The spells he couldn’t deflect completely, he simply absorbed with his body. There would be no second chance. This was a declaration of his will to end the fight immediately.

Thud! Thud!

The distinctive mana explosion sounds of <Collapse Strike> erupted.

“Evasion!”

Sensing the danger, Shilo de Medissa sharply changed direction to avoid the <Collapse Strike>. However,

Boom!

The <Collapse Strike> had erupted not from his hand but from his foot. The entire room vibrated with a ringing sound, and Ak-hu, using the power of <Collapse Strike> as propulsion, charged terrifyingly toward Shilo de Medissa. It was an unavoidable speed.

<Collapse Strike> manifested in Ak-hu’s fist once again.

‘Excellent mana control.’

Honestly, I was amazed.

Triggering <Collapse Strike> from his foot instead of his hand—this was a technique I’d never seen from the old Ak-hu. But what was even more surprising was his skill at firing <Collapse Strike> twice in quick succession. <Collapse Strike>, which used mana to create explosions for power, was a technique that put heavy strain on the body. To use it consecutively, he would need to control the explosive force with near-perfect precision.

But…

“Kukuk. Spider web!”

“Whoa…”

With those words from Shilo de Medissa, even I couldn’t help but be amazed. I hadn’t noticed either. Because Shilo de Medissa had been firing so many spells. The air around us was thick with mana from the spells Shilo de Medissa had unleashed, and among them was mana that created <Spider Web> spells. What I had thought were missed shots were actually groundwork for laying powerful <Spider Webs>.

Failing to count every single spell amidst Shilo de Medissa’s relentless barrage was Ak-hu’s critical mistake.

“Graaaah!”

Ak-hu let out a roar filled with rage. But the match was already decided. Ak-hu’s all-or-nothing punch ultimately couldn’t reach Shilo de Medissa, and the <Debt> that Shilo de Medissa had attached from the beginning had now accumulated too much interest to avoid any longer.

Whooooom—!

With a violent explosion, the steel doll that Ak-hu was controlling collapsed.

“Damn it! Damn it all!”

Ak-hu roughly pulled off his helmet while Shilo de Medissa leisurely removed his.

The victor, Shilo de Medissa, stepped up one level while Ak-hu stepped down one level.

What? Now that I look at it, these stairs… were they arranged by ranking?

“Oh ho… the Wizard of Debt has won.”

“That makes it 19 wins and 18 losses, right?”

“But in the early days, the Wizard of Extraction won five straight… Recently, the Wizard of Debt has definitely been dominating. His growth is truly remarkable.”

“Hmm… Quick and accurate calculation ability. The reflexes to fire spells without pause. If you can meet these two requirements, lighter spells might be stronger than heavy ones, don’t you think?”

The mages filling the hall buzzed as they discussed and evaluated the match that had just concluded.

Just as the discussion was becoming productive, with everyone supplementing each other’s opinions, a voice poured cold water on the enthusiasm.

“Hmph! Don’t make me laugh! Those rapid consecutive attack spells can be smashed by an even stronger spell!”

It was the white-haired little brat, Beatrice. Surprisingly, she was standing at the very top of the stairs.

“Ahem…”

“Nothing to say, but it’s frustrating…”

“Wow! As expected, Saint…”

“Tch…”

Most of the mages looked at Beatrice with awkward expressions. But among them were those whose eyes sparkled with admiration. I noticed that Ragnarok’s inquisitors were scattered here and there among them. Despite wearing ordinary clothes, they blended in surprisingly well.

‘Wow… it seems the integration policy has shown quite some results in just one month?’

Drawing everyone’s attention in various ways, Beatrice put on her helmet. Then she immediately gestured toward Shilo de Medissa.

“Come at me.”

Shilo de Medissa’s face twisted with rage.

“You little brat…! Today I’ll finally crush that arrogant face of yours!”

However, Shilo de Medissa took off his helmet as soon as he put it on.

Just two spells.

That was all it took. If they fought for real, Shilo de Medissa being 6th Circle and Beatrice being 5th Circle would have made a difference.

Most people expected the experienced Shilo de Medissa to win easily. But when fighting under identical conditions through steel dolls, Shilo couldn’t break Beatrice’s ‘Dragon Speech.’ That’s how much Beatrice’s Dragon Speech was a spell beyond common sense that destroyed compatibility and balance.

To break that, you’d need an absolute primordial spell on the level of <Saíl>.

“Grr… grgh… To lose to such a simple-minded attack…”

To the trembling Shilo de Medissa, Beatrice left a brief sneer.

“Magic strategy. Nice words. But strategy is fundamentally something that should be discussed after you have weapons capable of overwhelming your opponent! Instead of getting too caught up in strategy, why don’t you all invest more time in the ‘Magic Origin Research Institute’? Huhu.”

After throwing out that irritating comment, Beatrice left our room—that is, the ‘Magic Strategy Research Institute.’ Yuria whispered to me from beside me.

“Actually, Beatrice mainly lives at the ‘Magic Origin Research Institute.’ She only drops by the ‘Magic Strategy Research Institute’ once when coming and going, like for mood changes.”

“The Magic Origin Research Institute?”

“Follow me.”

Yuria grabbed my hand with her eyes gleaming like a mischievous child.

* * *

The Magic Origin Research Institute.

This was truly where all of Pathfinder’s geniuses had gathered.

‘Wikipedia…?’

The entire towering structure was the research institute, and the moment I entered the tower, I couldn’t help but think of Earth’s collective intelligence encyclopedia.

The tower, inscribed with <Floating> magic, had countless blackboards floating about in groups according to subject matter. Mages moved freely between the blackboards, contemplating and occasionally modifying the contents.

A treasure trove where countless people participated to build knowledge in real-time.

And there… fistfights were breaking out everywhere.

“You bastard! Who the hell are you to edit what I wrote?”

“That’s because your annotation on ‘covenants’ was too narrow-minded, sir! Think about how most general magic contains the term ‘covenant.’ These are covenants established by later mages. So covenants aren’t just means of increasing mana—they’re also means of adding new commands to this world.”

“Who doesn’t know that? But you’re now discussing the possibility that ‘covenants’ could become new laws rather than magic!”

“Hmph! Go check the latest research by the elders. If you examine those studies, that’s the only conclusion you can reach.”

“Fine! Then let’s settle this properly!”

The mages who had been grabbing each other’s collars as if ready to fight rolled up their sleeves and rushed to a new blackboard. Mages tired from research gathered around them, as if hoping to gain new energy. Words clashed like a magical battle.

Counterarguments led to more counterarguments, creating fierce turbulence.

No matter how viciously they fought, the conclusion was always productive discussion and agreement.

“Hmm… so your argument is ‘covenants have the possibility of creating laws. Follow-up research is needed to find evidence of this.’ That should wrap it up.”

“I agree, sir.”

No matter how fiercely they had fought, in the end they would lean shoulder to shoulder like comrades, nodding together as they finalized the revisions. They bore no grudges from their earlier confrontation.

‘Hah! What a dreamlike research institute.’

There’s a threshold for these things. In peaceful Earth, even a little emotional response from the other party would hurt your feelings and make smooth communication difficult. But Pathfinder’s mages were veterans who had crossed countless battlefields. Having returned alive from battlefields where death rained down, their emotional threshold was very high. They had no hesitation in criticizing each other, yet harbored no resentment in their hearts.

A hall of truth where they clashed with their whole hearts at full strength. Magic was undergoing revolution after revolution, riding the dynamic momentum like a popular sport.

And through that place, a small girl with white hair swam around like a loach stirring up muddy water.

“No. No. This spell doesn’t capture the essence.”

“Huh? Why do you evaluate it that way…”

“I don’t know. It just feels that way. My heart doesn’t go zing.”

With a single word, she dismissed spells that mages had racked their brains to create.

Sometimes she would give lavish praise.

“Wow… this spell is so good! ‘The flames we kindled have all died out, but still the fire does not disappear. For every reed in the world, every tree in the world carries an ember within. The wind blows. Each leaf rubs its ember against another.’ Wow… that part makes my heart go zing.”

“There you go with that emotional talk again… Sigh… but the results are always eerily accurate, so I can’t help but acknowledge it. Haah…”

“You fool! Do you doubt the Saint’s judgment?!”

“I’m not doubting, it’s just… somehow frustrating…”

Whether she criticized or praised, the mages couldn’t help but hold their heads in their hands. Her judgment criteria were always based on the subjective preference of whether her heart went “zing” or not.

It seemed absurd… but surprisingly, that method appeared quite appropriate.

‘What she carries in her heart is none other than a Dragon Heart.’

A spell that could make the dragon’s heart, which had existed since mythological times, go “zing” would surely have appeal to mana and the Akashic Records as well.

I watched with a pleased expression as Beatrice swam around stirring up muddy water. It was muddy water that made the well wider and deeper.

And Pathfinder’s geniuses interpreted her judgments at an even higher dimension.

“Hmm… Beatrice’s recent comment is quite intriguing.”

“Indeed. It opens up a new hypothesis.”

It was Refinement and Pan-Dalus.

Too absorbed in research to notice my entrance, I listened to their conversation.

Hearing that conversation, I felt like I’d been struck in the back of the head.