Chapter 74

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<Baek Jun-woo’s Magic Book>

-Special Application of [Simulation]. Based on the Database Hypothesis.

As one’s magical proficiency increases, their Gift becomes increasingly powerful.

[Simulation]’s capacity grows, allowing more conditions to be maintained for longer durations.

But beyond such quantitative growth, I recently discovered that qualitative growth is also possible.

Let’s assume [Simulation] retrieves information from some database.

If this assumption is true, then conditions needn’t be limited to ‘subjects I’ve observed.’ If the database contains everything in the world, why should I only be able to retrieve information about subjects I’ve personally observed?

In some sense, the facts I learn through simulation already exceed ‘what I previously knew.’

After experiments that began with this question, I discovered a method to alter the initial settings of conditions.

This result supports the ‘Database Hypothesis’ and opens the possibility that beyond altering initial condition settings, I might eventually include ‘conditions I’ve never encountered’ in simulations.

That means, perhaps,

In the future, I might be able to summon into [Simulation] calamities I’ve never faced, such as dragons.

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Subjunctive mode.

This is what I named my new [Simulation] ability.

What if the mage before me shows tremendous greed for my magic? What if a situation arises where one can pursue desires without concern for others?

I inserted such assumptions as conditions and observed the behavior pattern of the 6th Circle mage I would summon.

His behavior in that simulation was quite satisfactory.

Even in a state consumed by greed, he didn’t attempt to steal my knowledge or force my actions.

Compared to Han Se-hoon and Kasha, who immediately tried to take what I had, he was completely different.

This is why I can confidently call him.

“Saíl!”

[S-aah-hiLL!!]

Perhaps because teeth had sprouted in my Circle?

The pronunciation of Saíl became much more accurate.

The magic manifested much more comfortably than when I had used Saíl(射日) last time.

Wooong!

A mass of light that began in the sky formed a long curve in my hand.

Magical power surging from my blood channels created a silver arrow that rested on the bowstring.

I drew the bow about 5cm. Drawing the bowstring was as difficult as before, but the painful recoil that had nearly made my body explode was greatly reduced. The bow summoned with three Circles was much more stable than before.

Finally, I released the bowstring,

Without a sound, the silver arrow crossed the sky.

The silver arrow, almost disappearing into the distance, finally collided with the heavens and exploded magnificently. The sky rippled like water, and the melted fragments of sky fell like multicolored candle wax. The sky, which had revealed its dark innards through a deep hole, slowly recovered while undulating.

The principal, Lytol, and Fel all clung to the window, watching the miracle created by the silver arrow.

“What on earth is…”

Lytol, who had been scathingly dismissive of me, now seemed unable to believe what he was seeing, his mouth hanging open, words failing him.

And then,

A flash of pure white light struck like lightning outside the window.

Soon after,

Thud!

An old man dropped right in the middle of the room. His white hair and beard fluttered. Though his eyelids drooped with age, the gray eyes set within targeted me like spearpoints.

Belatedly, dust fell from the shattered ceiling.

He didn’t bother to ask what was happening.

“…3rd Circle?”

He showed surprise upon seeing me, then immediately introduced himself and took action.

“I am Pan-Dalus, Mage of Domestication. Pardon my intrusion.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a smoky hand appeared in the air, grabbed my face, and turned it sideways. It was a strength impossible to resist.

Through my rotating vision, I saw Pan-Dalus take out a transparent black orb from his chest.

“Everyone, look here for a moment.”

Pan-Dalus gave this instruction, but I couldn’t see him because of the hand gripping my face. However, the others seemed to have followed his direction, and,

Flash!

Suddenly everything before my eyes turned white. It was identical to the white light that had passed outside the window earlier.

Simultaneously, the smoky hand that had been holding my face gently disappeared.

“Ugh…”

I rubbed my stiff neck and blinked my eyes, startled by the light.

As my vision gradually returned, the first sight was Fel, Lytol, and the principal standing with stupidly gaping mouths.

They stood motionless, with vacant, unfocused eyes.

“Hmm. I apologize for my sudden rudeness. But I had no ill intentions. It was for your protection.”

Pan-Dalus, seeing focus return to my eyes, apologized with a solemn expression.

“What was that light? What did you do?”

Though he claimed it was for my protection, it had felt like a hostile act to me.

Pan-Dalus calmly answered my question.

“Don’t worry. The light just now was a mixture of Night Calamity-Memento’s eye-light and Night Calamity-Basilisk’s eye-light. It won’t harm your health. I merely erased some memories and created an environment where we could talk quietly.”

After explaining this much, Pan-Dalus suddenly hardened his expression.

“By the way, what were you thinking, displaying such magic here?”

I answered nonchalantly.

“Well, I wanted to summon you, sir.”

Pan-Dalus contorted his face.

“Are you mad? What if I had coveted that magic of yours! Do you want to be dissected alive?”

The white-haired old man raged fiercely.

Yet what I sensed behind his words was genuine concern for me.

I quietly looked at him before responding.

“But you wouldn’t do that, would you?”

“How could you possibly know that!”

“I have my ways.”

Pan-Dalus paused. Curiosity settled in his eyes.

“Hmm… do you have an insight Gift? You’re excessively confident, aren’t you?”

He shook his head and sank into the sofa, gesturing for me to join him.

“Sit down. I’d like to hear why you called me.”

I sat on the sofa opposite him, glancing at the three people still standing vacantly.

“Why did you make them like that?”

Pan-Dalus frowned deeply and clicked his tongue.

“Your magic was something I’ve never seen or heard of before. If this information were to reach the Magic Tower, those lunatics might come down here and try to kidnap you. I’ve controlled the information. I’ve erased the memories of all the mages outside too, so don’t worry. I’m not sure if it was necessary to go this far… but I’ve erased them anyway. Later it would be impossible to erase them. So all this… is your fault.”

So, he had gone through all this trouble out of concern for a suspicious mage he didn’t even know.

Despite having a general idea of his character through [Simulation], I was still gently moved.

“So, why did you call me?”

Pan-Dalus wiped away his discomfort and his gray eyes sparkled.

The reason I called him.

Originally, I had planned to ask about the Academy’s sponsorship system and decide my future course of action, but facing those curious eyes, my thoughts changed.

I carefully examined Pan-Dalus’s Circle.

The 1st Circle is the mouth, the 2nd Circle is the lips, the 3rd Circle is the teeth, the 4th Circle is the palate and nose.

Pan-Dalus’s Circle had evolved further. An oval, elongated sphere occupied the center of the Circle, moving elastically like a tongue, and thread-thin magical power was intertwined like chains, vibrating. Perhaps it could be called a vocal cord.

So this is what a 6th Circle looks like.

Not just a mage, but a mage of the way. A level only heard of in legends. One who has approached the world’s secrets.

I’m not sure what came over me. I suddenly asked a question out of nowhere.

“Pan-Dalus, what do you think magical power is?”

Pan-Dalus twitched his white eyebrows. If it had been Lytol, he would have told me to stop talking nonsense and just study… but Pan-Dalus showed interest in my question.

A rapid exchange followed.

“Magical power… I think magical power is possibility that hasn’t yet bloomed. What moves is magical power, and what stops and becomes fixed is mana. What solidifies as mana becomes matter or phenomena, but magical power is possibility that hasn’t yet solidified. By processing it, we can temporarily mimic phenomena. That’s what magic is. To put it more professionally… it’s like how the Absolute Nothing becomes yang when it moves and yin when it stops, but ultimately they are one.”

“Magical power is unblossomed possibility… Then why can humans absorb magical power?”

“Because it is possibility. As we prove our potential as humans, that much of the possibility that fills the universe is absorbed into us.”

“Can you see mana?”

“Haha, in the history of mages, no one has claimed to see mana. Even I, born with 1st-level mana sight that allows me to clearly see magical power throughout the world, cannot see mana. That’s only natural. Principles hide within substance.”

You see?

These theories were both fascinating and frustrating.

They explain magical power and mana in a seemingly plausible way.

But to my eyes, these were theories of the blind and deaf.

Those who can see neither magical power nor mana are both blind and deaf.

Those like Pan-Dalus who cannot see mana are deaf.

My definition of Circle magic is moving a mouth made of magical power to produce sounds of mana. Even if one can see the movement of the mouth, if they cannot hear the sound, it’s difficult to fully understand Circle magic.

The sight of someone sobbing at a moving song remains a mystery to those who cannot hear.

“Hmm… so that’s what you think. But what about this theory? This is based on what I’ve seen and heard.”

“Oh?”

Magical power is the remains of gods.

Mana is the foundation of this world. Just as the fancy effects in a monitor are ultimately the hardware’s response according to the program code, this world’s phenomena rise and fall according to mana patterns.

Magical power and mana are different things.

In this world, only gods are not expressed through mana, and gods controlled mana with their bodies made of magical power. They controlled the world.

This is my definition of magical power and mana.

For the first time, I revealed to the world what I had only gradually disclosed to Yuria and Monggu.

“Hooo…”

“But that’s…”

“Hrmmm…”

“…”

As my story deepened, Pan-Dalus’s expression changed from interest to bewilderment.

When the principal, Lytol, and Fel showed signs of regaining consciousness during the conversation, Pan-Dalus waved his hand to place a barrier around us that blocked sound and light.

Our private dialogue continued.

Disbelief finally settled in his eyes, followed by shock, confusion, and something like awe swirling together.

And so, my first meeting with Pan-Dalus was filled with debate.