Chapter 206: Mage Assembly Part 1

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The sound of a heartbeat echoed like the drums of war.

It was so intense that even Jun, who was deep in a trance, could sense it. Yet it didn’t disturb him.

On the contrary, it felt comforting, like a fetus soothed by the sound of its mother’s heartbeat.

I can feel it.

Water-element mana gathered throughout his body, flowing inward into the circle embedded in his heart.

Not only that, but the energy of the Sea Serpent he had absorbed joined in, creating a massive tidal wave.

It felt as though his circle was adrift in a stormy sea.

Though water is typically associated with stability—

That only holds true up to a point. After all, floods are among the most terrifying natural disasters to humankind.

In that sense, water-element mana when it surges all at once is both heavy and devastatingly destructive.

And yet, Jun’s circle held steady.

Partly thanks to the time he had spent becoming attuned to the water element.

But more importantly, Jun’s circle knew exactly how to respond in a situation like this.

Whoooom—

Faced with the massive wave, the circle asserted its presence.

Jun knew exactly what that meant.

This is…

Mutation.

Just like a dragon’s heart, Jun’s own heart was undergoing hardening.

Not in the physical sense. It wasn’t hardening like stone.

Rather, it was gaining resilience to mana, becoming elastic in its absorption.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart beat harder than before.

Jun’s inner world was undergoing a rapid transformation.

***

And just as his interior changed, so too did his outer form.

“So that’s… the mutated state you were talking about?”

“…It’s a bit different. From what I can see…”

At some point, Jun’s body had begun to float in the air.

His hair now completely white shone brilliantly.

Dark-colored droplets hovered in the air around him.

And then scales began to emerge from beneath his skin.

How is that even possible…?

Laness’s eyes wavered at the sight unfolding before her.

She had lived a long life.

And most of that life had been spent here in Blackout.

To someone like her, “abnormalities” weren’t exactly rare occurrences.

Yet even now, she found herself unable to keep up with the transformation of this young mage, someone who hadn’t even lived half as long as she had.

I already knew his innate control over mana was absurdly high.

The sheer volume of mana being concentrated here. Any normal human would’ve been devoured in an instant, unable to escape death.

But the mage before her was different.

How?

There was a reason.

Damian, the one who had been both Jun’s master and the one who once aimed for his heart, had left behind a seal.

That very seal had served as a limiter, preventing mana beyond a certain threshold from gathering in Jun’s heart.

But not anymore. At least half of that seal has been released.

An unimaginable amount of mana was now converging in this place.

And yet, he was enduring it.

This boy still just a sixth-circle mage was accepting all that power with relative ease.

He wasn’t even close to Laness’s own level as an eighth-circle mage.

And yet, the volume of mana flowing through him rivaled her own.

This kind of mutation… I’ve seen it before. It was something ancient alchemists were capable of.

Sudden, dramatic changes to the body.

And a physique strangely adept at accepting mana.

Of course, there was a trade-off. Those same bodies would often absorb attacks laden with mana as well, making them surprisingly vulnerable and prone to death.

Monstrous beings like that….Laness could sense such power emanating from Jun.

If I remember right, he came down to Blackout just last year.

Which meant, in the span of only a year, he had encountered those beings and beyond that, gained access to their techniques.

Is that even possible…?

Yes, there were many ancient techniques hidden within Blackout.

But could they truly be called “beneficial” to modern humans?

In most cases no.

If anything, they were better described as dangerous.

Why, then…?

The ancient beings….each and every one had perished, regardless of their reasons.

And yet, in the midst of that legacy of ruin, this mage had achieved a level of growth in just a single year that was beyond description.

Should I just call it luck?

No, that wasn’t it.

Sure, luck might have played a part.

But there’s no way that level of stability is solely due to ancient alchemists’ abilities. There’s something else. Something more.

She looked closer.

And that’s when she saw it….something she hadn’t noticed until now.

It’s intricate… and astonishingly stable. How could he possibly maintain this degree of control… Ah. Is it due to his mana reserves? Then…

Ancient magic.

Finally, the hidden secret revealed itself.

So it’s both luck and genuine skill.

He had the eyes to see exactly what he lacked.

And the willpower to act on it.

Was there truly anyone else like this in the world?

At least within the empire, with its centuries of magical history…no, no one like him exists.

A mystery.

At first, she’d thought he was just a brilliantly shining gem. But that had been an arrogant assumption.

And then she recalled the two Tower Masters who had died.

Idiots.

To see someone like him and still be consumed by greed?

The thought even turned inward….to herself, just moments ago.

I was going to show him off like a trophy…

But this mage. He wasn’t someone she could raise.

At first, she had wanted to take him as her disciple no matter what.

But now… she saw it differently.

He wasn’t someone others could lay claim to.

All he needed was the occasional drop of nourishment.

He’s not a tree… He’s an entire forest waiting to bloom. No, maybe even something beyond a forest…

It felt excessive to make such a judgment after just a little over a month…

But Laness, who had reached the 8th Circle, was rather filled with anticipation.

If that being were to fully bloom and create a world of his own—

How would humanity perceive it?

The thought of that scene alone filled her with expectation.

***

Several hours later.

The overwhelming transformation witnessed at the start had long since ceased.

Jun’s body, which had floated in the air, had long since returned to the hot ground.

And then, when Jun opened his eyes—

He felt refreshed, as if he had just awoken from a deep, restful sleep.

“Ah.”

“You’ve finally woken up.”

“I was starting to worry something had gone wrong…”

“There’s no way that would happen.”

“It seems my concerns were overblown.”

“Did both of you stay here and watch over me?”

“We did.”

“Mhm.”

“Thank you for staying with me. Honestly… I didn’t expect it to take this long.”

To Jun, it had felt like only a few hours had passed.

But in reality, hadn’t an entire day gone by?

“First of all, congratulations. You’ve achieved something great.”

A mage’s path isn’t just about raising their Circle.

And Jun….wasn’t he pioneering a path no other mage had ever walked?

“I’m curious if there are any issues. For example… how well it harmonizes with your existing fire attribute.”

“Ah, yes. I was mindful of that as well, and thankfully, there’s no particular problem.”

Normally, it would make no sense for two opposing elements to exist within one body.

But that’s because it’s like forcing two who should live separately into the same house.

So Jun removed both attributes from the “house” of his Circle and sent them off on their own paths.

Thus, the two were aware of each other’s presence, but they understood there was no need to fight over the same territory, and so they calmly held their positions.

“As expected… the reason for the separation is becoming clear.”

“That’s right.”

At that moment, Velles who had been quietly listening nearby asked a question.

“But… I have one thing I’m curious about. Normally, the heart can’t hold any energy other than the Circle. How were you able to do it?”

“Well, that’s because of a misconception created by mages.”

From a more modern perspective,

The Circle isn’t a physical concept to begin with.

Of course.

How could it possibly make sense to place an iron ring inside such a fragile organ like the heart and make it spin?

The Circle is a type of energy formed by condensed mana.

It’s a small mental construct. One that is its own universe.

And just like the vastness of space, it’s entirely possible to place new forms of energy within it.

“That’s absurd… No, wait. You’re standing right in front of me, so it clearly isn’t impossible… But why did no mage in history ever attempt this?”

“Because the system of magic was already well-established. With the concept of a stable circle in place, there was no reason to reject it and take an entirely different path.”

“Ah.”

“But not all humans are born the same. For some, there are better options than the roads already laid out.”

Laness, standing beside him, also nodded and added her thoughts.

“The reason Jun can do what he does isn’t just because of his innate mana adaptability… It’s also because the mana he handles is extremely stable. That’s one reason, among others.”

One of those reasons was his mutation.

If Jun hadn’t experienced the fortunate event of becoming a mutant, it would’ve taken him far longer to get where he was.

“It’s not something others can easily imitate… but if the theory is refined, it might not be impossible for others to follow a similar path.”

“Even I….could I possibly do it, too?”

At some point, Velles’s face had filled with passion.

Though he had devoted everything to the ice attribute—

Ice magic isn’t all-powerful in every situation.

There had been countless times when he was at a disadvantage because of the many types of magic he couldn’t use.

“It’s not entirely impossible. But… not with Jun’s method. It would require far more theory.”

“Ah…”

Naturally, that meant it would take a great deal of time. For Velles, it also meant he would have to remain stuck at his current level for much longer if he wanted to learn it.

Velles let out a sigh of regret.

“But don’t forget. A mage’s knowledge isn’t meant only to make themselves stronger. Our knowledge is also a treasure to be passed down to future generations.”

It was strange to hear something like that from a mage as conservative as Laness.

Still, what she said wasn’t wrong.

In fact, countless mages had learned and improved upon the knowledge passed down to them.

“Anyway… there’s no reason for us to stay here any longer.”

“Agreed.”

“Good timing. The Mage Assembly is drawing near.”

“How much time do we have left, roughly?”

“About two weeks or so.”

“Hmm.”

To be honest, Jun wasn’t expecting much from the Assembly.

He figured he’d just sit next to Laness while she gave her presentation, helping out where needed—

And in the process, she’d probably use the opportunity to show off how quickly Jun had grown.

He had received quite a bit of help from Laness this time around, and there was no reason not to support her in return.

But then…

“Still, I think you’re more than capable of doing it.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“A mage of your level should be able to give at least one presentation at the Assembly. Let’s try putting together a proper thesis.”

“……?”

“Just imagining the look on everyone’s face when the Assembly is thrown into chaos… It’s already starting to make me excited. Hahaha.”

A thesis…

Could you really just jot one down over the course of two weeks and expect it to be presentable?