Marshar couldn’t close his mouth at the sight unfolding before him.
“A-A real Dragonian…?”
A lifeform said to be created with the blood of dragons.
My master should have seen this.
What on earth was happening inside that mage’s body?
Had he truly gained the power of the dragon spoken of only in legends?
Countless questions rose in his mind.
If he could uncover the secret behind that power, he might be able to create an artifact of legend or achieve alchemy to rival it.
What a shame. That I can’t wield that power myself!
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t jealous… but through years of studying countless artifacts and delving into archaeology, Marshar had come to understand one truth:
Excessive greed only invites death.
Still, just witnessing this is satisfying enough. These past years weren’t wasted after all.
Just having seen this moment would propel his research several stages forward.
“…It’s about time we move.”
And so, to survive, he had to give it his all.
After all, the future he dreamed of could only be realized if he stayed alive.
Recalling the plan he had devised with the others, Marshar sprang into action.
***
A few days prior—
Back when there was still time before Jun’s complete mutation, the group used the spare time to devise a strategy.
“It’s just a theory, but if your leader succeeds in becoming a mutant, the other mutants will probably start swarming here.”
“Why would that happen?”
Aiden who had calmed down somewhat asked the question, and Marshar answered.
“Because once you become a mutant, you start being influenced by the Mind Channel.”
“You mentioned before that the final stage of mutation is the appearance of scales, right?”
“That’s right.”
With that, Marshar’s reasoning made sense.
From the mutants’ perspective, it must have seemed like their final form had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Naturally, they’d swarm to confirm it.
It’s even possible that Mage could take control of the Mind Channel…
But that was far-fetched.
To do so, one would need a complete understanding of the Mind Channel. Something alchemists had poured their lives into creating.
“Isn’t Senior in danger then?”
“That’s not something to worry about. Mutants are extremely vulnerable to magic.”
After saying that, Marshar spread out a map.
“The path isn’t too difficult. I’ve got a map of the sewers I recovered.”
While Jun bought time, they would be moving through the underground of the city.
***
Back to the present—
Jun felt the mutation extend to his heart.
And with that, the transformation rapidly accelerated.
It felt like alien flesh was forcibly piling itself over his own body.
Then—
“……!”
Something suddenly invaded his mind.
Immediately, [Steadfast Will] and [Unwavering Heart] fiercely repelled the intrusion.
But Jun quickly calmed the two skills.
He had realized what was invading his mind.
The Mind Channel.
As he entered it, a sea of information unfolded before him.
Standing on the surface of that sea, Jun looked down below.
Thousands of pieces of information absorbed by mutants flooded into him all at once.
“Urgh…!”
A wave of dizziness washed over him.
The price of suddenly encountering such a vast influx of data.
Jun immediately closed his eyes and blocked out the incoming flood of information.
According to Marshar, I was only supposed to hear voices…
But what Jun was experiencing was entirely different. It likely had something to do with the final evolutionary stage Marshar had mentioned.
Did I cross the line?
The “certain threshold” Marshar had warned about.
He had said once you crossed it, there was no turning back.
No. My mind is still intact.
With that conviction, just a short time later…
Jun felt something invade his mind once again.
What is this…?
An unpleasant yet familiar sensation.
It was the feeling that came when unfamiliar knowledge seeped into him uninvited.
The knowledge of the alchemists…
Complex formulas and a long, arduous history flashed through his mind.
In the process, Jun was able to grasp the concept of the alchemists’ “mind channel” with complete clarity.
Why is this so easy? It’s just like when I acquire a skill book… Wait. A skill book?
Could it be?
In that moment, Jun quickly grasped what was happening to him.
The final evolutionary form. I’ve come close enough to it. And now I hold the command authority over the mind channel.
And this wasn’t a coincidence.
It was a kind of mechanism deliberately created by the alchemists.
A system designed so that if a mutant in its final form appeared, it would naturally take the lead.
That’s what this was.
I thought they were just fools who gave up being human and turned themselves into monsters.
But clearly, there was a reason someone like Marshar spent so long tracing their footsteps. Their level of technology was beyond anything Jun had imagined.
This could well be called an artificial skill book.
But it’s still… too much to use right now.
The true control was still tightly held by the named beings.
At best, he might be able to sow confusion within the command system…
But once I use that trick, I won’t get a second chance.
Right now, his priority was escaping the tidal wave of information.
Fortunately, that part was easily done.
“…It worked.”
Looking down at his hand, he saw rough, dragon-like scales and fingertips that had turned sharp.
He cautiously raised his hand to his face. Everything except the center of his face had also transformed.
“Hmm.”
But the transformation didn’t end there.
“The circle…”
The mana circle was still unstable and flickering, but it no longer put a strain on his body.
His physical form had been strengthened through the mutation.
He summoned his mana.
“……!”
The mana, tainted by a purple mist, moved according to Jun’s will.
Corrupted mana… But still.
Mana was mana.
Though it had been corrupted, the mana clearly retained its essence.
However, the corrupted mana could not contain anything else. It served only to maintain the mutation.
In other words, using this mana to cast magic was impossible.
That was because the mana and the force that had corrupted it were thoroughly intermingled.
It’s like water mixed with paint.
If the water was mana, then the paint was the force that had corrupted it.
It was impossible to separate the two by ordinary means.
But Jun was an exception.
It’s not that I can’t use the mana. It’s just that I can’t use it to cast magic. If that’s the case…
It meant he could still undo the seal.
[Deciphering the spell…]
[Deciphering complete.]
[The influence of the spell, ‘Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim’, is reduced by 25 percent.]
The circle still creaked and shuddered.
But unlike before, it no longer caused excruciating pain.
First, I’ll purify the mana dispersed in the air.
Once the seal was undone, the essence of pure mana within the corrupted energy became clearer.
He could now distinguish the water from the paint.
With the mutant’s power, he concentrated the corrupted energy in his right hand.
With [Mana Body], he gathered the purified mana in his left.
However, the corrupted energy still refused to fully release the mana.
Jun gripped both forces tightly in each hand and forcibly tore them apart.
―――――!!!
A silent wave of power rippled outward.
Jun repeated the process again and again.
And each time he did, the amount of mana successfully separated increased exponentially.
“Phew…”
Then, he channeled the purified mana into the circle all at once.
He expelled the previously twisted mana and spun the new mana within it.
It was a method no ordinary mage could attempt.
Only Jun was capable of handling mana with such delicate precision.
And finally—
“……”
After confirming that the circle was spinning properly, Jun began the next task.
Separating the attributes of the circle.
***
– There are always idiots like that. The ones who say, “Do we really need to imprint emotions into magic?”
Jun thought of his so-called master as a disgusting hypocrite, but he had never rejected the man’s knowledge.
– It’s a foolish notion. If half of magic is mana and the magic pattern, then the other half is imagery. In other words, imagination.
The stronger the imagery, the heavier and more unshakable the manifested magic becomes.
That was what his master Damian had said.
Among mages, metaphor wasn’t merely a figure of speech; it played a vital role in shaping imagery, serving as a form of power.
Magic. And the most essential component that makes up magic is the circle.
Jun had long compared the core of magic—the circle—to the sun.
A rotating form that absorbs ambient mana from nature.
Wasn’t it remarkably similar to the sun, which forms a solar system around itself through immense gravitational pull?
The way it emits thermal energy also resembled how the circle releases the mana it absorbs.
Then what should the attributes within the circle be compared to?
No clear answer came to mind.
Instead, Jun decided to assign a new “form” to the attributes.
Planets.
Planets orbit the Sun, pulled by its gravity, thereby maintaining the Solar System.
So the attributes shouldn’t exist alongside the sun, but rather orbit around it, playing the role of planets.
Jun closed his eyes and focused inward.
Within the rapidly spinning circle dwelled the fire attribute.
From now on, he would begin to separate it from the circle.
Naturally, the attribute would resist fiercely, and since the circle had already accepted fire as part of itself, it too would rebel strongly.
In the process, his heart would feel as though it were being torn apart, and his mana would undoubtedly surge out of control.
But Jun judged that this was his only chance.
Right now, he could suppress the resistance of both the circle and the attribute.
With [Mana Body] and the mutant’s physiology, it was possible.
[The influence of the spell, ‘Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim’, is reduced by 30 percent.]
***
The group, ready for battle as they set out to retrieve the key, regrouped faster than expected.
Surprisingly, not a single mutant remained behind to guard the mansion and the key.
“Looks like all of them moved toward your leader.”
“…Let’s hurry.”
Aiden’s face hardened instantly, and he took the lead.
It had already been quite some time since the mutants had started moving toward Jun’s location.
Sounds of battle could already be heard in the distance.
Aiden wanted to rush to the battlefield where Jun was, but he pushed down that urge and ran up the stairs.
“Turn here!”
On the way, Marshar who had found a map of the tower’s interior led the charge up the huge structure.
“There! That’s the room!”
Marshar pointed toward a huge iron door located in the center of the tower.
“The door’s closed?!”
“May I destroy it?!”
“It doesn’t matter!”
It seemed the alchemists had meddled even here, far beyond the confines of their laboratory.
Aiden unleashed his aura in an instant.
Creaaaak—!
At first, the aura sliced through the iron door like tofu, but it gradually weakened against a powerful resistance.
Too weak!
This wasn’t enough.
Even though Aiden poured all his magical power into it, breaking through the thick iron door still seemed impossible.
“Kh…!”
Once again, rage surged within him.
Jun was risking his life in a desperate gamble to save their comrades, while he was being held back by this damned door, threatening to ruin everything.
His thoughts began to fade, and something else—something other than himself—started to fill the void within.
[Light of Life]
A golden divine power enveloped Aiden.
“Get a grip! I told you not to use that power!”
Startled by Eleanor’s shout, Aiden came to his senses and looked down at his hands.
They were bloodied, torn open despite the calluses built up from endless hours of sword training.
“Ah…”
That energy again.
Aiden instinctively knew that the power within him was dangerous.
But—
“We don’t… have a choice.”
Aiden muttered as he looked at the iron door, now collapsed in the shape of an X.
“This isn’t the time to hold back.”
It was rare for Aiden to assert his opinion so strongly, and Eleanor, seeing the despair on his face, couldn’t bring herself to argue.
“…Let’s talk about this later.”
Aiden nodded quickly at her words.
It was Marshar’s shout that broke the heavy silence.
“There it is!”
A staircase and a door floated in midair, suspended in the abyssal darkness.
But instead of a black void beyond the door, the other side was clearly visible.
For some reason, the floor structure that was cracked and unstable was unable to exert its usual power.
Still, Marshar pointed in one direction as if he had expected this.
“That’s it. Just insert the key there.”
Eleanor approached the mechanism Marshar had indicated, inserted the key, and turned it.
Wooooooooooooong—!!!
The entire tower shook as though it were about to collapse.
Something immense surged up through the tower’s pillar, heading toward the floor structure.
Black energy oozed into the tiered floor, and soon a dark space rippled across the once-empty door.
At that moment—
Craaaaaaaaaaash――!!
A deafening roar shook the tower.
Parts of the wall crumbled, and through the gaps, the outside world came into view.
Outside the tower, a massive mushroom cloud billowed up into the sky.
“…Senior.”
“Aiden?!”
“I’ll be back!”
Before anyone in the party could say a word, Aiden dashed out.
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