[Name: Lee Hyeonseung (zl존☆Heavenly Demon★)]
[Strength: 50]
[Agility: 50]
[Stamina: 50]
[Mana: 420 (+45)]
[Spiritual Power: 45]
[Divine Power: 10]
[Main Trait: Genius of Mana Sensitivity]
[Sub Trait: Can’t Live Without Style!]
[Auxiliary Trait: Everything Is Double!]
[Hidden Trait: No Violence! (Patience: 0 / 1000)]
[Trait: Ghost’s Eyes]
[Trait: Spirit Form]
[Skill: Thunder Emperor (雷帝)]
[Skill: Blue Flame (靑炎)]
[Skill: Summon Death God (死神)]
[Skill: Heaven (天上)]
…….
[The tale of the “guardian knight who defeated the villain” is spreading.]
[The tale of the “guardian knight who protected Imenia” is spreading.]
[The tale of the “mage who wields lightning” is spreading.]
…….
His fame points were rising slowly, but steadily.
If the fame of the outside world was of a lighter sort, the kind that surged overnight and then barely rose afterward,
then the fame of this world was thick and constant.
The quality of the fame was high.
Rumors spread from mouth to mouth, and some were exaggerated or inflated, unfurling wings of imagination in people’s minds.
“A mad mage who stood against the Sword Saint for a single girl.”
“A dark mage who cleared the monster wave in the East all by himself.”
“A mage who wields lightning.”
“A knight who defied death.”
“A mage who, in the end, placed a delicate princess upon the emperor’s throne.”
“The emperor’s guardian knight, the guardian knight who protects the empire.”
“A hero who brought down a symbol of terror.”
Such stories gathered together and tangled, becoming rumor.
As they spread far and wide, that tangled mass transformed into many names and lodged itself in people’s minds.
It was admiration, or envy.
At times, it became someone’s dream, and at others, someone’s goal, until in the end, it was unified under a single name.
The name was “hope.”
Fame built up step by step in that way was of high quality and steady.
In other words, Hio’s fame points were rising quickly.
“I’ll be able to raise my mana stat to the limit soon.”
Since he invested in mana the moment he earned anything, his mana had already surpassed the 400s.
It had become enough to reach the 4th Circle.
—You should make it to the 5th Circle without much trouble. The problem is after that. You know that, don’t you?
“Of course.”
Speaking coldly, his current realm of magic was not particularly useful.
In a manner of speaking, it was for the sake of evolving his skills.
Top-tier attack skills and defense skills.
Even Kkingkking, who could exert power in situations on the scale of war.
Amid these tremendous skills, magic of a mere 3rd Circle was meaningless.
However, if he reached the 5th Circle, and beyond that the 6th Circle, things would clearly change.
From that point on, it was said to be a realm one could not reach through sheer quantity of mana alone, but required some kind of enlightenment.
If he had to guess, perhaps it was something similar to will.
—As I always say, it is an astonishing speed. Has it been about two years since you first entered the path of magic? To think you can challenge the 4th Circle in that time.
“I was lucky.”
—I know that your effort was remarkable as well.
He could not deny that luck had been on his side.
But it was also something that could not be accomplished by luck alone.
From the moment he encountered the old mage struggling alone in the kobolds’ territory.
The final conversation he shared with him beneath the Blue Flame, which at the time was still marked by falsehood.
I will complete the ultimate magic.
I will make it so no one can ever disregard magic again.
What expression had that old mage worn before him when he made that vow?
With what feelings had he shed a single tear beneath those wrinkled eyes?
Why had his final expression been so peaceful?
The dream he had failed to fulfill, his passion, was now together with him.
For that, Hio had gritted his teeth and worked hard.
“Anyway, the decision they reached is unfortunate.”
The meeting had continued since early morning.
He had even pulled off a nationwide con with the Illusion skill to prove he was a mage, but the result was rather disappointing.
—They would not enter the Abyss Gate.
That was the decision they reached.
It was a decision that ran counter to Hio’s argument.
What the Abyss Gate was, and why it had to be conquered.
The continent must be preparing for it as well, but Arilleia had to make preparations in its own way too.
They had to try entering the Abyss.
That was what he argued, but precisely because of that, they ended up concluding that they would not go in.
If they had no information at all, that might have been different.
But now that they knew this was not an anomaly that had appeared only in Arilleia, but one that had appeared everywhere, they chose to defend.
Just as they had for a thousand years.
Because that was their mission, one that had continued for an extremely long time.
To protect the dragon, and one day awaken it to face the destruction that would come again.
That was the reason for Arilleia Island’s existence, and the task their distant ancestors had devoted their lives to carrying out.
“It’d be hard to force it there.”
In that situation, it was difficult to insist that they absolutely had to enter the Abyss Gate.
He was an outsider who had only arrived here a day ago.
On the other hand, they were Arilleians who had lived solely to protect.
It was true that the continent would be making thorough preparations to conquer the 51st floor, so Hio’s wish for them to enter the Abyss Gate was closer to needless worry.
Moreover, many still half-doubted him.
The possibility of magic, that was.
They too had continued to attempt it, and because magic was something that had not succeeded even once over an extremely long span of time,
their distrust of it was rooted deep in their consciousness. Showing them a skill once with a click was not enough to earn their complete belief.
That was why, after the meeting ended, the situation had become like this.
“Hio Pavlenko.”
An elf came to find Hio, who was resting alone.
“We are ready. Let us go.”
What Hio had to do was clear proof.
“To the Mage’s House.”
And, along with that, a complete entry into the 4th Circle.
He was to become an advanced mage.
* * *
A gigantic tree stood at the center of Arilleia Island.
No one knew the precise origin of this tree, also called the Divine Tree.
There was a theory that it was the origin of the elves, the race of nature, and there was also a story that it was a tree created by a god.
Though the exact identity of the enormous tree could not be known, there was one thing they could be certain of.
This tree formed the foundation of the island.
As tall as it rose upward, its massive roots stretched downward into the depths of the sea, and all manner of soil had accumulated upon them, forming the island.
The place where those roots began.
Hio was standing before it.
Around him were the high elves of Arilleia from before, along with several humans led by Mutins.
Of course, Freya and Legarda were also present.
“Please enter.”
The enormous roots of the tree split into several branches.
The entrance was sealed shut, as if blocked off.
It looked as though the tree itself was preventing anyone from entering.
Two of the elves stepped forward and pulled apart what appeared to be the entrance on both sides, and soon the passage inside was revealed.
They were not entering the trunk of the tree, but the roots.
Entering there meant descending underground, not remaining on the surface.
And the moment they headed inside, what embroidered his vision was a procession of sparkling lights.
“…Ha.”
When Hio let out a short exclamation of admiration, Freya, who was beside him, grinned and brought up words.
『It’s pretty, right? I’m surprised every time I come too. Hehe.』
Usually, when one spoke of a mage’s house, it was fundamentally gloomy.
That was unavoidable, since they were hidden or had been abandoned for long years.
But this time was different.
First of all, it was well maintained, and as Freya had said, sparkling clusters of light flew about like fireflies, illuminating the surroundings.
That was true, but the reason Hio was surprised lay elsewhere.
—The mana… is tremendous.
The moment they stepped from outside into the roots, he felt an immense quantity of mana.
He had sensed it before as well.
The flow of mana from the enormous tree itself.
But what he detected inside the roots was tens, hundreds of times greater than that.
If he had to compare it…
‘It’s a quantity of mana comparable to the Tetradia Magic Tower.’
That was how extraordinary the amount of mana he felt was.
In Hio’s eyes, that enormous flow of mana was clearly visible, and that was why he had exclaimed in admiration, but…
“To be impressed by scenery of this level… are all mages like that?”
The ignorant Mutins looked at Hio and spoke in a mocking tone.
From the very first impression, had he not been marked as a fraud?
He did not know what trick the man had used, but there was no way he could be a mage.
Thinking that his pathetic lie would soon be exposed made his words come out all the sharper.
“Mutins.”
“…Yes.”
At Isidore’s short, reprimanding word, he quickly fell silent.
After rebuking Mutins with dignity, Isidore turned her gaze to Hio.
“This is the root of the Divine Tree, and also a place built very long ago called the ‘Mage’s House.’”
“So this is the Mage’s House.”
“Yes. And Hio Pavlenko, what you must do is prove yourself. Find the path leading downward in this empty space.”
A broad space that was hard to believe was inside the roots of a tree.
But if this truly was a Mage’s House, it would not be greatly different from the others.
“Understood.”
Finding the passage leading to the basement of a Mage’s House was not particularly difficult. Had he not gone in and out of countless such places?
There was only one minor problem: the mana he could feel around him was far too immense.
Because of that, finding the small flow of mana required a little time and concentration.
When Hio answered and then merely stood still without taking any action, Isidore seemed to think he had not understood, and added an explanation.
“It is not about using some mechanism or moving an artifact. Of course, we use mana stones to go underground, but according to what has been passed down, a mage can open the passage on their own without any other assistance. That is what we wish to see.”
“Yes.”
This time as well, Hio merely answered and stood still, looking around.
He was clearly using the trait “Genius of Mana Sensitivity” to find a single small stream that connected to the passage amid the immense waves of mana.
But how could mere ordinary people understand the thoughts of a genius?
To the eyes of others, he only seemed to be looking around, unsure of what to do.
“Ha……. I knew this would happen.”
Mutins sighed and stepped forward once again.
“I have never met a single proper person among those who claimed to be mages. Even in a situation where he will soon be exposed like this, he is still looking around as though there is something here, raising his staff… and the door is opening……?”
Ignoring Mutins’s words, Hio lightly tapped one spot with his staff.
Swaaa— With a rushing sound, the wall of roots split apart.
What was revealed beyond it was, as expected, a space sparkling like stars.
A staircase leading downward had appeared.
“Let’s go.”
Hio calmly walked past Mutins, whose mouth hung open as he was struck speechless.
“You really… opened it.”
Isidore and the other elves followed behind him.
Mutins also came to his senses and hurriedly followed after them, descending below.
“Impossible…….”
Had something impossible not just happened?
In truth, opening the underground passage was very easy.
If one had the help of a mana crystal, that was.
The Mage’s House was something that opened simply by inserting a mana crystal into the designated device.
But without a mana crystal, it could never be opened.
They could not understand the principle, nor could they control it.
And yet how had Hio Pavlenko done it so easily…
Could he truly be a mage?
“…There’s no way.”
No.
There was no way.
Magic was a field of study that neither he, nor his father, nor anyone in the world beyond Arilleia had ever succeeded in.
Shaking his head violently from side to side, he arrived at the floor below.
And at the sight he saw there, he had no choice but to open his eyes wide once again.
At the staff Hio brought to bear as if in play,
swaaa— the underground stairs opened wide with a clear sound.
It seemed he had gotten a rough sense of it, and his speed in opening the passages had become even faster.
On the floor below that, there was no longer even the slightest hesitation.
The moment they arrived, he swung his staff and opened the passage.
“This… makes… no sense…….”
After stubbornly following all the way down to the very lowest floor on his own two feet, Mutins collapsed onto the floor.
The premise he had believed without doubt his entire life had completely crumbled.
Magic was a field of study that could not be revived.
That deeply rooted thought had been denied before his very eyes.
“You truly… found it.”
Though not as intense as Mutins, the reactions of Isidore and the other elves were also quite fierce.
Even the greatest elf, always calm, had her eyes rounded, so it could be said that her surprise was immense.
“Yes, well… it’s a place I’m fairly used to.”
Even so, for Hio, this was a result that had been plainly expected, so he felt no particular emotion about it.
Mutins sat on the floor, trembling all over.
The slight sarcasm he had uttered earlier was merely cute.
As a master of patience who had heard all manner of nonsense to his face—jester, fraud, and more—and had filled that absurd patience value of 1000 a full four times, Hio was not even bothered.
And from the start, Hio’s mind had been occupied elsewhere.
“You are truly remarkable. To be honest……”
“What kind of magic did you use? If you could explain even a little of the principle……”
“So mages truly did exist! Ahh……”
“At long last, even Arilleia’s thousand-year mission……”
Even amid the praise, admiration, emotion, and astonishment coming from around him, his expression had sunk gravely.
The reason was what he had seen while descending through the Mage’s House to the third underground floor.
The books neatly arranged on the first, second, and third basement floors.
He had grasped the meaning of the ancient language written there.
That was why he had sunk into thought so deeply that he could no longer hear the voices around him.
—Heh heh… I had wondered, but to think it truly existed.
Furnel’s voice murmured quietly, as though genuinely surprised.
Hio strode forward and picked up a book.
The title written on it was—
—Draconic Magic.
A demigod.
It was the magic of dragons.