Collective

• Published: 9 months ago •

Only beings who pique the interest of magical powers can absorb more magical power. In other words, beings who absorb magical power are those who have proven themselves worthy.

But what would happen if magical power were forcibly pushed into something?

The result was one of two possibilities.

Either the subject would be destroyed, or by some slim chance, it would overcome the magical power and evolve into a being worthy of it.

Yes. I named this phenomenon, which I discovered by chance, “evolution.”

The risk was substantial. If I failed, I would lose important materials and magical power for nothing.

I couldn’t even be certain of success.

Just because something succeeded in [Simulation] didn’t guarantee it would succeed in reality.

This was the first time I’d encountered such a damnable situation—it seemed that the very act of activating [Simulation] itself affected the outcome of evolution.

Seeing [Simulations] with identical conditions yield different results, I was as shocked as Einstein when he first encountered the uncertainty principle.

[Simulation] couldn’t predict the results of evolution.

All I could do was practice as much as possible to increase the chances of success. But even practice time was insufficient.

The condition burden was so enormous that practice was limited to twice per day.

Nevertheless, on a day shortly before my fifteenth birthday, I decided to attempt evolution.

“Phew…”

I took a deep breath.

As if I were standing on a stage, magical powers watched me intently.

‘This won’t do…’

Until now, I had tried to attract the attention of magical powers to absorb more of them, but now things were different.

I whispered.

‘Don’t look at me.’

Of course, the magical powers ignored my request. They stared at me endlessly, urging me to fulfill my covenant.

‘I am the Divine Mage, Baek Jun-woo. The one you have been searching for. The name that will sweep away the ashes of destruction and regenerate you.’ Just as I had promised, they wanted me to revive their remains, which were all that was left after their death.

I muttered again.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll keep my promise. But… don’t look at me now.’

My weak body cannot handle your intense attention.

Instead…

‘Look at this.’

In my outstretched palm lay a purple metal fragment. It was the essence of the ‘Iron Blood Sword,’ the original source of Kasha’s ‘iron blood magic.’

At first glance, it was just a unique metal fragment, but its essence was an ancient mystery yet to be fully understood.

I clearly remembered the incantation Kasha recited when summoning the Iron Blood Sword.

-We first met at the relic site of the ancient ones with large ears. You were sleeping, holding great glory within. I made a contract with you through my blood…

According to that incantation, the Iron Blood Sword was a being that held great glory while sleeping, and could form a contract through blood… a being that possessed even a shred of consciousness.

Which meant it had a high possibility of overcoming magical power and evolving!

Whoosh.

The change began from within me.

The magical powers that had been quietly watching me started to murmur among themselves.

Crunch! Crack!

I forcibly tore out my magical power and pushed it into the ‘essence of the Iron Blood Sword.’ Just as I had practiced in [Simulation], I processed the magical power into a form that would settle best and transplanted it.

Tremble-

The purple essence shook as if it might shatter.

[@&%#!!]

An unintelligible mental wave pierced my head. The faint consciousness contained in the Iron Blood Sword had awakened in pain and was screaming wildly.

Crack!

Unable to withstand the influx of magical power, frost-like cracks spread across the surface of the essence.

[#@@…!!]

The mental wave gasped as if about to die.

If things went wrong here, the essence would be destroyed and I would lose my magical power. But…

“Endure…!”

This was not just a command to the ‘essence of the Iron Blood Sword,’ but to myself as well.

Drip, drip…

Blood fell ceaselessly from my nose.

The price of forcibly tearing out magical power. Despite shuddering from pain and loss, I instead gripped the essence tightly and cut my arm with it.

Grind! Grind!

[!!##$%%??]

The essence, which had been cracking as if about to break, let out a mental wave like a scream and clung to my arm. Like a leech, it sucked up my blood. Along with the blood, the magical power mixed within was also consumed.

Ping-

Dizziness struck my head. But I stood firmly on both feet. Yes. Eat until you burst. And then evolve beyond your limits!

Bubble bubble

[……]

Having consumed plenty of blood, the essence gradually became quiet.

The mental waves subsided, and then it finally melted and boiled. The purple metal brightened to burgundy, then turned crimson and swelled greatly.

Boom!

The essence, which had bubbled up and grown to reach the ceiling, finally exploded.

It evaporated, leaving nothing behind.

I was bewildered.

‘…Did it fail?’

Had I lost the essence and wasted my magical power?

As I anxiously scanned the empty space, a fingernail-sized crimson droplet of blood gradually materialized before me.

“Ah…”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. Even in [Simulation], I hadn’t seen such a dramatic effect… should this be called a ‘great success’?

As if entranced, I watched the blood droplet slowly descend.

The droplet fell gently onto my left palm, then was absorbed with a slithering motion. Like a wound pierced by a nail, it became a deep red dot. I could feel powerful magical power emanating from within it.

I clenched my left hand. Perhaps because it had consumed my blood and magical power? I felt only a faint pulsation, with no sense of foreign matter at all.

“The mana pattern has changed.”

I marveled.

The change in mana pattern meant that the ‘essence of the Iron Blood Sword’ obtained from Kasha and the crimson blood droplet now absorbed into my palm had become fundamentally different substances.

A miracle surpassing nuclear fusion that turns hydrogen into gold. A tremendous event worthy of the name ‘evolution.’

“Good. Your name is Iron Blood(鐵血). You’re a new substance that has never existed in the world before!”

Whoooom-

As if praising this achievement, magical powers swarmed around. They formed a small vortex and were drawn into my left hand.

The newly born Iron Blood(鐵血) was granted magical power befitting its status.

My magical power hadn’t increased. In fact, it had decreased.

Instead, the Iron Blood(鐵血) residing in my left hand had gained considerable magical power.

Just as I had intended.

[~~~]

A pleasant mental wave flew from my left hand. The Iron Blood(鐵血) creature wriggled and spread throughout my entire arm via my blood vessels. Following its movement, my arm muscles and fingers moved of their own accord. I could feel it drinking my blood as it pleased.

“…Well, look at that?”

I regained control of my arm by clenching and unclenching my fist.

[krrr++!!]

The Iron Blood(鐵血) growled as if demanding I surrender my arm again. Having undergone evolution, its consciousness seemed much more distinct than before.

Well, it’s kind of cute, like a small beast.

So…

“Don’t get cocky.”

I needed to establish the hierarchy clearly.

Crunch.

I easily suppressed its rebellion by moving the magical power of my Ki-blood.

The Iron Blood(鐵血) that had spread throughout my left arm was helplessly pushed back. It ended up confined to the small dot on my left palm.

[…T$%… TT]

Only then did it whimper and become docile.

It still seemed to covet my blood and flesh… but, well, I could tame it gradually.

For now, let’s rejoice in this first achievement.

I clenched my fist tightly.

The small life residing in my left hand, Iron Blood(鐵血). I closed my eyes and savored its pulsation.

Thump.

+ – + – +

Pan-Dalus examined the Iron Blood(鐵血) hovering above my palm with wide eyes.

“…Enhancement magic…? No. No, that doesn’t bring about such permanent and dramatic changes. Then it must be combination magic? The original purple metal fragment has become a red liquid that seeps into the body… it changes its form and volume freely… Yes, this change seems closer to combination magic. But still, I’ve never seen anything like this before. What kind of magical power does it contain…?”

[[email protected]#[email protected]!]

“My goodness. It even possesses quite a sophisticated consciousness?”

After repeatedly admiring, experimenting with, and observing the Iron Blood(鐵血), Pan-Dalus finally reached a conclusion.

“The process you call ‘evolution’ can basically be classified as combination magic. However, the special materials you used and your Ki-blood magic synergized to produce a completely new result.”

Having grown closer over time, Pan-Dalus had switched from formal speech to a more comfortable tone. He even insisted I drop the honorifics when speaking to him, so we had both become less formal with each other.

“Here, take these.”

Pan-Dalus waved his hand, and three books floated over.

“Those books will give you the modern magical world’s knowledge related to the phenomenon you call ‘evolution.’ Of course, it will differ greatly from your theory… but at least you can gain insights from that knowledge.”

This was invaluable help for someone like me who had original theories but lacked knowledge and experience.

I gathered the books and nodded respectfully.

“Thank you, Pan-Dalus.”

Pan-Dalus smiled. Then he changed the subject.

“By the way… Ki-blood magic seems to have more extensive effects than I thought. Perhaps I should develop my own Ki-blood magic too?”

“That’s what I’ve been telling you, Pan-Dalus. I’ve mentioned it countless times.”

“Hmm… I should seriously consider it this time.”

“Please do. I know you’re strong, but you need to become even stronger. Set aside some time for training even when you’re busy. We don’t know when the great cataclysm will begin.”

Pan-Dalus nodded at my bitter words.

“I will.”

“Good. It won’t take much time if I help you.”

Pan-Dalus smiled at my bold claim.

“You mean that cheating Gift of yours, [Simulation]?”

“Yes. I’ll find the perfect training method for you. In the process, I can also deepen my understanding of Ki-blood magic, so it’s beneficial for both of us.”

“That sounds good… Oh, by the way, since we’re on the subject, how do you plan to test the power of your Iron Blood(鐵血)? Will you try it in simulation?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Well, about that…”

Pan-Dalus spoke with a suggestive tone.

“Instead of simulation, how about testing it in real combat against Lytol?”

Suddenly, why Lytol?

“Actually, the boy has some trauma. He used to always be successful… but after experiencing terrible fear on the 91st floor, he developed a strange complex. He’s normally fine, but when he finds himself in a situation where he might lose, he loses his composure.”

Now that I think about it, Lytol did behave shamefully during our last duel. I had thought it was because he grew up like a greenhouse flower, but if it was trauma from the 91st floor… I could understand why. Even just seeing it through the recording device… those rifts were too terrifying.

But Pan-Dalus was not the type to raise his disciples gently.

“So I was thinking, why not give him an even bigger shock?”

“So… you want me to test the power of Iron Blood(鐵血) by beating Lytol again?”

“Yes. It’s a win-win situation. You’ll gain practical experience too. Practice in [Simulation] is good, but real combat where you might actually get hurt is also good stimulation. At the very least, it’s muscle training. Haha.”

It’s certainly not a bad proposal. But…

“Hmm… what if Lytol loses more magical power again?”

Lytol had already lost considerable magical power from his defeat in our previous duel. Though not enough to lose his Circle, he had wasted about 1-2 years’ worth of training.

But Pan-Dalus was a harsh master.

“It’s fine. Lytol is still young. If he wants to go far, this kind of tempering now is good for him.”

And so, my second confrontation with Lytol was arranged.

Crunch.

Facing me at the same place as before, Lytol immediately gritted his teeth.

“What are you thinking? Last time I was merely caught off guard…”

Since he had sworn to become my subordinate, Lytol was currently my underling. He reluctantly added honorifics when speaking to me.

“I don’t know what happened, but you seem to have lost even more magical power… You’ve weakened more than I have. Do you expect me to defend against your attack in this state? My defense spells are special. If you get hurt from your own rashness, I won’t be responsible.”

Though his words expressed concern for me, a ferocious smile played at Lytol’s lips.

I stepped forward, tightly clenching my left fist.

Today’s confrontation was simple. I would attack using the Iron Blood(鐵血) residing in my left hand, and Lytol would block it. If I broke through his defense, I win. If not, I lose.

“I understand, so get on with it.”

At my calm reply, Lytol bit his lip and scrutinized my fist.

“Is that the new spell you created? I can vaguely see concentrated magical power. A type of Ki-blood magic… <Bolt>, was it? But this time, even if grandfather <Bolt> himself came, it wouldn’t work. Let me show you clearly why I’m called the Flash Mage…!”

Displaying excessive enthusiasm to avenge his previous humiliation,

Lytol vigorously rotated his Circle.