Chapter 90

“Fel. I’ve been curious about something for a while.”

The inside of the demon’s relic site was in ruins as expected. The corridor that once ran along the windows had collapsed walls, making it difficult to even call it a corridor anymore. Wooden desks, blackboards, and other items were scattered across the floor. A desolate place, first wrecked by the lich that had chased us, then completely destroyed by the newly born magical beast.

The magical powers that had been so noisy were now quiet.

We were carefully searching every corner of the relic site for any valuable artifacts.

“I’ll answer anything.”

Fel, who had been bending over and sifting through the collapsed debris, straightened his back with a groan. He smiled warmly, his gray eyes twinkling.

“Your signature spell <Spear Ghost>… I’m curious about its principle and history. Is it possible for you to teach it to me?”

I asked cautiously, thinking it might be a sensitive topic, but Fel answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Of course. Should we start right now?”

“Huh? Is that okay? Then I’d love to. I’ve been wondering about it…”

Tap! Tap!

Fel picked up a blackboard that had fallen to the ground and was covered in dust. After wiping it clean with his hands, he hung it on the wall. Lytol found a pen somewhere and handed it to him.

Having finished his preparations, Fel slightly bowed his head, placed his hand on his chest, and delivered a somewhat exaggerated greeting.

“I return what I have received. May this knowledge serve as another step toward humanity’s victory.”

Lytol, who had approached my side, whispered:

“That’s the greeting Academy mages use when sharing knowledge. Not concealing knowledge—that’s one of the Academy’s principles.”

So that’s why he was willing to share <Spear Ghost>, which could be considered a secret technique…

Fel, actually excited, began writing on the blackboard.

“<Spear Ghost> is a type of necromancy.”

“I usually use it as a memorized spell, but here’s the original incantation.”

He set down his pen for a moment and gripped his spear.

“According to the ancient covenant, I, the humble disciple of Mage Jo Hee-ryong of the Plum Blossom Spear, dare to request instruction. Please reveal the spear that your unworthy disciple must follow.”

Yes. This was what had caught my attention.

Like a shadow cast over water, a mana pattern from a higher place gradually descended upon the space below.

I had seen a similar scene before.

When summoning the bow of light through Saíl, I had also witnessed a higher-dimensional mana pattern descending to this place.

When the magical beast and <God-Slaying Lightning> were newly recorded, it was even more vivid—I could even see how all the mana patterns of the world were connected through higher mana patterns.

Come to think of it,

‘Unlike those who live in the upper layers, we lower-class citizens lack weapons to break immortality.’

That’s what the magical powers had said.

Higher places and lower places…

Perhaps that was the fundamental structure of this world?

Changes given and received, from above to below, from below to above.

If the recording of the magical beast and <God-Slaying Lightning> was a change from below to above,

This change was from above to below.

The mana pattern constituting Fel momentarily transformed to resemble someone else’s, and his posture holding the spear visibly changed, instantly emanating a master’s aura.

Fel began his explanation with a proud voice.

“The origin of the Jack family’s spear technique and magic begins with the ancient mage Jo Hee-ryong of the Plum Blossom Spear. It is said that when he swept his spear once, its trajectory was as intricate and powerful as plum blossom branches, earning him the title of Plum Blossom Spear. Legend has it that at the pinnacle of mastery, one could even emit a subtle fragrance like hidden plum blossoms, though truthfully, no one in the Jack family has witnessed such a level. We merely suspect it might be an exaggeration from ancient records. Anyway, he had many disciples, among whom was an ancestor of the Jack family. What’s particularly noteworthy is that Master Jo Hee-ryong of the Plum Blossom Spear was actually not a Circle mage but a Ki-blood magic practitioner. The magic inherited by the Jack family was likewise Ki-blood magic.”

“Ah… so it’s a case of transforming Ki-blood magic into Circle magic? That’s quite rare.”

Finding it interesting, Lytol muttered. Fel nodded.

“The ancestors of the Jack family spent centuries transforming the spear technique and Ki-blood magic inherited from the Master into Circle magic. In the process, they discovered a method to summon the Master’s spirit. From that point, the Jack family’s magic developed significantly. They reduced the long, tedious time devoted to spear technique and found leisure to learn various spells. After all, they could display the ancient Ki-blood mage’s spear skills and combat sense with just the single spell <Spear Ghost>, without needing exhaustive training. That’s also why Jack family mages prioritize auxiliary spells over attack spells in their training.”

Fel’s explanation continued.

From the introduction to summoning spirits to the practical methods of moving the Circle.

After explaining absolutely everything about <Spear Ghost>, Fel bowed respectfully once more and concluded.

“That’s all. May this knowledge flow endlessly to new places and continue to develop.”

It was the Academy’s customary greeting of courtesy.

But as I mulled over what Fel had told me, I ended up making a slip of the tongue.

“Hmm… is this incorrect knowledge the reason there’s been no progress?”

Fel’s face, which had been respectfully bowed, froze awkwardly, and Lytol jumped in surprise, looking at me anxiously.

I only belatedly noticed this strange atmosphere. At first, I wondered what was happening, but then…

‘Oh, no.’

Realizing I had dismissed a family’s secret technique to their face, I awkwardly scratched my head. I was sorry, but…

“Ah, I apologize. But… I couldn’t help it.”

I didn’t feel I had done anything wrong.

“That’s not necromancy. It’s something even more incredible. It’s a very special spell that reads the upper-level records of the Akashic Record.”

“…The Akashic Record?”

With wide eyes, Fel and Lytol asked simultaneously.

I nodded firmly.

“Yes. The Akashic Record. Thanks to Fel, I’ve found a clue. Please gather everyone once we’ve finished exploring. I’ll share the magical theory I’ve gained.”

Eight members of the Baek Jun-woo Research Nomad.

Fifteen members of Jack Caravan.

All gathered in one place.

They had filled their arms and carts with items found in the ruined relic site.

From unidentified meat fragments that remained in broken capsules to relatively intact biological tissues in test tubes, unidentifiable metal chunks, clothing, and broken instruments that looked like miscellaneous items.

Their unprepossessing appearance made one question whether there was anything useful among them.

Thump.

But standing before that pile of trash, my heart was racing.

The people who had gathered the items before me stepped back to form a circle. Everyone quietly watched my mouth.

I looked down at the book open in my hands. The ink had not yet dried on the words I had just written.

————————

<Baek Jun-woo’s Magic Book>

-Definition of the Akashic Record: The Relationship between Mana, the Essence of Things, and ‘Records’

In ‘Reflections on [Simulation] and the World,’ I posed the following question:

[Perhaps somewhere in the world, there exists a database where everything in this world is recorded?]

If so, the questions that must be asked are:

1. What is this record? Do past, present, and future all flow according to what’s recorded?
2. Can the records be modified?
3. And most importantly… where are these records kept?

Now I can answer these questions.

The database exists. Its name is the Akashic Record.

The record known as the Akashic Record is made of mana. This world is a book written with mana as ink.

The reason I happened to obtain [Simulation] as my Gift is because I can see mana.

Since [Simulation] is the ability to access the Akashic Record, and mana is the component of the Akashic Record.

The records can be modified. I witnessed the magical beast and <God-Slaying Lightning> being newly recorded, and I also saw my own record changing.

Additionally, the records exist everywhere in the world. However, there seem to be higher records and lower records, and all records appear to be connected to each other.

This observation reminds me of the hierarchical relationship proposed by the Earth philosopher Plato in his Theory of Forms.

The question that remains is: What is the difference between upper-level mana patterns and lower-level mana patterns? What is their structure?

————————

Until I closed the book,

People were still watching me without making even a cough.

I imitated the greeting Fel had shown earlier.

“I return what I have received. May this knowledge serve as another step toward humanity’s victory.”

It was a gesture of gratitude for Fel willingly sharing his secret technique.

And then I began my story.

“The world can be said to be the Akashic Record itself, a vast record. Right here, myself, all of you, and all natural and magical phenomena can be considered records written in mana.”

Confusion and interest crossed in people’s eyes.

I didn’t expect them to accept this concept immediately. But I felt a sense of mission to reveal the true nature of the world, so I didn’t stop. Not just me alone, but ‘we’ must pioneer new magic. It was an almost religious sense of mission.

But perhaps the concept was too unfamiliar? Even Monggu and Yuria, who had been with me the longest, tilted their heads in confusion.

Though they had now grown accustomed to the fact that mana and magical power are different, they had difficulty accepting the claim that the world is the Akashic Record and that mana, the source of all things, is the ink that writes that record. When I further explained that these records are not equal but divided into upper and lower levels, that the upper and lower are connected, and that I didn’t yet know exactly what structure they had or what function they served, they looked completely dumbfounded.

Only Lytol seemed to sense something, falling deeply into thought.

‘Well, that’s enough for the introduction.’

I decided to stop the theory here. For students who couldn’t grasp the concept, experiential learning was necessary.

“So… if you know how to access the Akashic Record, you can perform tricks like this.”

I picked up a test tube from the pile of artifacts (trash) in front of me. Inside was an unidentifiable biological tissue. It was impossible to even guess what it was used for.

Holding it in my hand,

As I activated [Simulation],

Woong-

I drew the mana pattern extracted from Fel’s <Spear Ghost> with my Circle.

And then…

Upper-level mana descended, and everything before my eyes went dark.

[Simulation] was running.

But it was different from usual. Instead of showing future events, it replayed past events. The past experiences of this object flowed like a dream.

……

Even after ending [Simulation], I was momentarily speechless.

I stared blankly at the biological tissue in the test tube. I swallowed hard.

“…Wow, this is actually something really good?”