Chapter 2178 – 2178. Dark Moon
I entered the Raysun Power Plant, guided by an employee at the entrance.
The size of the Raysun Power Plant was beyond my expectations. It was about the size of two university campuses combined.
The comparison to a university wasn’t accidental. It was called a power plant, but in reality, it was the headquarters of the Raysun School, with an atmosphere similar to a university.
I looked at the massive building in the center of the power plant. Above the building, a blue sphere was constantly rotating in the air, generating electricity.
‘Is that the Great Coil, the essence of the Raysun School and the heart of the Raysun Power Plant?’
I had seen it while playing the original game. But seeing it in person was a completely different experience. Especially for a mage like me, who could feel the power of the elements, the Great Coil felt even more special.
‘They say it’s a great legacy created with lost magical engineering technology.’
I wanted to disassemble it and examine every single tiny part. I wanted to know what kind of magic was imbued in it to emanate such elemental power.
‘If I did that, I’d become an enemy of Neo London.’
I calmed my excitement and tried to be satisfied with just looking at it.
‘The Great Coil rotates, generates electricity, amplifies it, and then it goes back into the coil….’
“Ugh.”
I grabbed my head without realizing it. Unfamiliar knowledge flooded my mind at once, causing a headache. The knowledge that surfaced wasn’t magic. It was a concept closer to a martial art called Brain Heaven Style. Among them, the technique called Manrai (卍雷) particularly caught my attention.
The employee who was guiding me approached me, flustered.
“Baron Meyer?! Are you feeling unwell?!”
“It’s nothing. I was just shocked by the sight of the Great Coil.”
“I understand. I also felt a dizzying shock when I first saw the Great Coil. The Great Coil is the core and treasure of the Raysun School. I’d love to explain the Great Coil in detail, but… the people from the Magic Association are waiting.”
“I can’t keep them waiting. I’m fine, please guide me.”
I was led to a conference room. The guide opened the door and bowed. I walked calmly into the room. Eleven men and women were sitting in the conference room chairs. I could sense mana from all of them. More than half were Rank 7, and the other half were Rank 6 like me. In terms of rank alone, there wasn’t a single mage who was inferior to me.
Their gazes fixed on me. Most of them showed interest in me.
“So, the independent mage who’s been making waves lately has arrived. Welcome, Baron Eugene Meyer. I am Ansing, the Vice President of the Magic Association.”
A middle-aged man with piercing eyes spoke. I had heard of his reputation. There were three Vice Presidents in the Magic Association, and among them, Ansing was said to be the fiercest, a fire-type mage.
Was the rumor just a rumor? Ansing’s first impression wasn’t fierce but rather cold and calculating. The other ten mages didn’t seem to have any intention of introducing themselves. They were just observing.
“I am Baron Eugene Meyer. I run a business in Neo London.”
“Rank 6 mage. Nickname is Sun Cold. The elemental magic you use is lightning and ice. An uncommon battle mage.”
A woman next to him stated my information matter-of-factly. There was no deep information. Sun Cold was a nickname I had jokingly thrown around, but… it had become one of my nicknames.
“Baron Meyer. The Magic Association wants a mage with your skills and talent. Would you like to become a member of the Magic Association? The Magic Association welcomes non-school mages. Or you can even establish your own school. There will be many other benefits as well. Mages are rare and often become targets. Shouldn’t we mages stick together?”
Honestly, being affiliated with any organization didn’t sit well with me, but… the Magic Association’s umbrella was necessary for me. If I had been determined to refuse, I wouldn’t have accepted the invitation in the first place.
“I was also interested in the Magic Association. I was wondering how I could become a member. I’m grateful that the Magic Association has offered me a proposal.”
“Hmm. It’s good that things are working out easily.”
Ansing smiled contentedly, then his expression turned serious.
“It may be rude to you, but our Magic Association would like to verify your skills and talent. I would like to say that it is related to your treatment.”
“It’s not difficult for me to show you my skills.”
“That’s good. Is there any school you’re interested in? Continuing as a non-school mage is very inefficient. If you join a school, you can access the research materials they’ve accumulated. It’s tempting for a mage.”
“I’m personally interested in the Raysun School, but I don’t know what the Raysun School thinks.”
A young man with blue hair, wearing a suit, jumped up from his seat.
“Our Raysun School welcomes Eugene Meyer! Ah, I am Ambrak Raysun of the Raysun School!”
Ambrak Raysun. As you can tell from his surname, he was the official successor of the Raysun School. Only the head of the school and their top disciple could use the Raysun surname.
Ambrak was so excited because I was a Rank 6 and a battle mage. Both were rare talents.
“Ambrak Raysun. Calm down. The reason we’ve gathered here is to see the skills and talent of the rising star of Neo London with our own eyes. We’re all busy people. Since he has agreed, let’s move on to the next schedule.”
• • •
The mages of the Magic Association watched Eugene Meyer standing in the training ground. They were sitting in the safe viewing area outside the training ground.
“Eugene Meyer. His origins are unclear. There are no records of him before he started operating in Neo London. He’s likely a refugee.”
“Well, that’s not important. 15% of this city are refugees.”
“That’s right. His background as a refugee isn’t particularly important. Who in this city doesn’t have a story? What’s important is his skill and talent. Well, he’s a genius for reaching Rank 6 on his own without belonging to any school.”
“You’ve been too excited since earlier. I understand that a new talent is joining the Raysun School, but… I’ll say it again. Calm down.”
Ansing spoke firmly, and Ambrak nodded and closed his mouth.
“You don’t have to be completely silent. This is the Raysun School’s training ground, so your explanation is needed. What is that can in front of Eugene Meyer?”
“That’s a volt meter. We call it a volt gazer. In our Raysun School, we used to determine superiority by the volts of lightning magic. Of course, it’s impossible to judge a mage’s skill and talent with just that. It’s like a fad. Lightning mages use it for fun.”
“Lightning mages have fun.”
“…I heard fire mages play by burning down buildings.”
“Haha. That’s not playing, that’s training. You’re Rank 6, aren’t you? What’s your highest record?”
“Me? 225 billion volts. It’s the highest record among Rank 6 mages in the Raysun School.”
“Hoo.”
They were having a relaxed conversation, but soon the atmosphere changed.
As excellent mages, they noticed the change in mana concentration. The mana soon turned into lightning elements and soared into the sky. As befitting the training ground of the lightning-specialized Raysun School, the sky was open.
A blue magic circle was drawn in the sky. It was an incomplete magic circle, but the mages here could see through it at once. That was because it was one of the widely known common magics.
“Is that the Rank 5 magic, Thunder Bolt? Even if it’s Rank 5, Thunder Bolt is a large-scale magic. To cast it so quickly and stably. There’s no doubt about his talent.”
“Wait a minute. The magic circle of Thunder Bolt is a bit different. It seems he has modified and transformed it. If he modified the Thunder Bolt magic himself… his level of magic theory is also considerable.”
The magic circle was completed, and lightning gathered at its center. The gathered lightning was compressed and began to rotate.
Originally, Thunder Bolt compressed and then struck down. But the lightning in front of them was rotating in a clump. It even looked like it was sucking in lightning as it rotated. It was in the shape of a swastika (卍) gathering towards the center.
The mages stared blankly at the sky. That wasn’t the Thunder Bolt they knew. It had evolved to the next level. It wasn’t just a modification of a part of the magic circle that made it change like that. It was the result of adding additional processes and the mage’s special will to the magic circle.
Mages usually call such special and unique magic by this name. Arcane magic.
“Manrai (卍雷).”
Right after Eugene Meyer’s calm incantation ended, a huge lightning bolt struck the volt gazer from the sky.
The lightning momentarily overwhelmed the sunlight. The mages, worried about the aftermath, unconsciously deployed barrier magic. It was a useless act. Eugene had perfectly calculated the aftermath and cast the magic.
Even though the lightning flashed and disappeared in an instant, the area around the training ground was filled with lightning elements. As if to prove it was a mage’s training ground, the ground and the volt gazer were intact.
The mages looked at Ambrak as if urging him to do something. Vice President Ansing was the same.
“Ambrak. What’s the result? How many volts?”
Ambrak, who had been staring blankly at the training ground, snapped out of it and took out a terminal from his pocket.
“I’ll check now, just a moment….”
Ambrak suddenly closed his mouth. Conversely, his eyes widened as if they would tear. Soon, his pupils trembled.
“375.1 billion volts….”
He barely read the number on the terminal. 1 billion volts is the voltage of lightning. Even with a simple calculation, it was 370 times the power of lightning.
“Hoo. A new record has appeared. Let’s cancel the next test and move directly to the final test, the magic battle. It seems that Eugene Meyer’s capabilities have already been confirmed. Does anyone object?”
A blonde woman with glasses stood up from her seat as if she had been waiting for it. She did not object to Ansing’s words.
“I will fight him.”
