Chapter 2426 – 2426. Dark Moon
I sat blankly in my office.
Suddenly, a memory from my past life surfaced.
Gangwon Province.
Yes. That was my hometown. I recalled some of my school days there. Nothing special. At most, which high school I attended. Now, I barely remember which class or number I was.
What was a bit perplexing was how suddenly it came to mind.
‘Even if I wanted to reminisce, I don’t have any memorable memories. Where did we go on our school trip? Jirisan? No. Wasn’t it Jeju Island?’
There were quite a few confusing memories. Still, it was a memory from my past life that I had finally recalled. I sat there blankly, focusing on organizing the memories.
Knock, knock, knock.
The maid’s knock brought me back to my senses.
“Master. Lady Orsia Hytel has arrived.”
“Is it already that time? I understand.”
I had agreed to receive three favors from Orsia in exchange for joining the Hytel School. One of them was learning the basics of spatial magic from Orsia. The second favor was asking for her help in exploring ancient ruins. Now, I had only one favor left.
Usually, I would go to her, but today, due to Orsia’s circumstances, we were meeting at my mansion.
I met her in the study. Her blonde hair was parted in an 8:2 ratio. Her hair reached her waist, with one side tucked behind her ear, and she wore half-rimmed glasses, giving her a cold, beautiful appearance. Upon closer inspection, her ears were pointed, as if to prove her elven lineage.
“Were you at peace, Eugene?”
“Always the same. Was it difficult to come here?”
“You sent a carriage, so it was comfortable.”
I was in a position to learn from her, but it wasn’t quite a master-disciple relationship. It felt more like receiving a lecture.
And she and I were sex partners. Her only interest was her own career. She had no intention of dating men. However, since she had sexual desires, she maintained a continuous physical relationship with me. Though, I was the one who awakened her sexual desires.
“I’ll tell you in advance. Today will likely be our last lesson.”
“Hmm? That’s a bit sudden.”
“I received sudden instructions from the head of the school. I’m to serve as a temporary professor at the Ron Academy.”
As a citizen of Neo London, I couldn’t not know about Ron Academy.
It was the best magic school in Neo London and one of the most prestigious academies in the world. Every year, talented apprentice mages from all over the world gathered at Ron Academy.
“A temporary professor? There’s no way they’d hire a professor at a place like Ron Academy without a reason. Did something happen?”
“Yes. The existing spatial studies professor was in an accident on his way to Neo London.”
“A professor at Ron Academy is at least a 6th-grade mage, right? What kind of accident did they have?”
“It was a common accident. They got caught up in a battle between organizations.”
It was indeed a common occurrence, so I kept my mouth shut. In my past life, it was similar to getting into a car accident.
“It’s sudden, but it’s a rare opportunity, so I decided to accept it. A professorship at Ron Academy isn’t something you can get just because you’re skilled. Even if it’s temporary, a professor is a professor. It will be a great help to my career.”
“I won’t interfere with your choice. If today is the last lesson… it means the basics of spatial magic are sufficiently established.”
“Yes. That’s right. After the lesson, let’s try using subspace magic. I’ll help you.”
Orsia took out textbooks and other materials.
The subsequent lesson was less about learning new things and more about verifying what we already knew.
“Yes. It’s perfect. The basics of spatial magic are firmly in place.”
“That’s a relief then.”
“Before attempting subspace magic… subspace magic is a 4th-grade spell, but even among mages above 7th grade, many use artifacts with subspace magic instead of using it themselves. Rather, simple spatial movement magic is easier than subspace magic.”
“That’s because a medium is needed to use subspace magic. You need to bind the subspace magic.”
“Yes. If you don’t bind the subspace magic, a new subspace will open every time you use it. Using an object as a medium is easy. It’s almost no different from creating other artifacts.”
“But if a mage wants to use magic without an artifact… they have to engrave the formula of subspace magic directly into the mage’s mind, the astral.”
“The astral is not weak. The astral becomes more robust in proportion to the mage’s skill. By the time you’re a 5th-grade mage, you’re not fazed by most mental attacks. Even if the body or mana rod is destroyed by a powerful mental attack, the astral often remains intact.”
“But the astral is vulnerable to internal reactions.”
“Yes. Subspace magic requires engraving the formula inside the astral. In other words, you have to engrave the formula yourself. At this time, the help of a high-ranking spatial mage is needed. They can prepare for any possible mistakes and respond quickly. I’ll help you this time. If you’re not ready, you can postpone it.”
“No, let’s do it now.”
“We need a safe place.”
“We can go to my workshop then.”
She began to organize the materials on the desk. She gathered them in one place and put them into a subspace. It looked really convenient. Then, she found one material just before putting it away.
“What’s that? I haven’t seen that material before.”
“It’s material for the academy students. I’ve organized the basics of space so that even monkeys can understand it.”
“That’s harsh on the Ron Academy students. Aren’t they students who were admitted to a prestigious magic academy?”
“I know because I’m from Ron Academy, but half of the entire student body are students who were admitted with money and power. Of the remaining half, 95% are of average level. Only the remaining 5% can be called genuine.”
“What about me? Teacher Orsia.”
“You are the most talented mage I have ever seen. The word genius is not enough to describe you.”
“……”
Her blatant praise made me feel embarrassed for asking. I looked at her materials for no reason. It was about four pages of A4 paper, filled with numbers and symbols.
“It’s a magic formula.”
It was a magic formula expressed in numbers.
“Yes. These days, mages learn magic formulas from a young age.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Pardon?”
“Is there really a need to use formulas? Trying to calculate this would only make it more complicated.”
I couldn’t understand the content even when I stared at the formula.
It was a formula that had been broken down from a magic circle. But to break down such a formula into a mathematical formula? It was incredibly inefficient.
“…Eugene. Not all mages are experts in formulas. There are far more mages who memorize formulas and only use a few spells. That’s because the formulas themselves are difficult for humans to understand. These formulas were created to make that difficulty a little easier.”
It wasn’t something I couldn’t understand. When I learned magic in the military, the instructor told me to memorize the formulas. Honestly, it wasn’t difficult. Once I saw a magic formula, it was as if it was imprinted on me, and I memorized and understood it instantly.
‘Come to think of it, the others struggled to memorize the formulas. I helped them too.’
At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but now I realized that I was exceptional.
“This formula is the formula for this.”
Orsia took out a new piece of paper from the subspace and showed it to me. It was a picture that looked like strange letters and shapes. As soon as I saw the picture, I constructed the formula with mana and floated it above my palm. A blue magic circle slowly rotated in the air.
Objects around the magic circle floated and gathered.
“It’s a gravity magic that limits space. Roughly, it’s an attractive force magic. Is this correct?”
“……Yes. You’re amazing as always. But at the same time, it’s also absurd. You don’t know the formulas, which are a lower concept of the formula, but you understand the formula as soon as you see it. Have you seen this formula before?”
“No. I’m seeing it for the first time now. There’s nothing surprising about it. A formula is magic itself. You can tell what kind of magic it is as soon as you see the formula, right?”
“It’s usually impossible if it’s not a familiar type. My classmates looked at me like I was an incomprehensible creature… I think I understand that feeling a little now.”
Orsia sighed and organized the materials.
Soon, we headed to the workshop.
“It’s not my place to say this, but you shouldn’t bring others to your workshop without any suspicion.”
“Who do you take me for? I brought you here because I can trust you.”
And there wasn’t anything so important in this workshop that it couldn’t be exposed. Since I couldn’t fully trust the servants in the mansion, the really important things were in another workshop.
I sat cross-legged in the center of the spacious workshop.
“…You don’t have to sit like that. You look like a monk in training.”
“Ah. This posture is comfortable when I’m concentrating on myself.”
“Then that’s fine. Let’s begin.”
She took off her glasses. Her blue eyes shone with a silver-gray light. It was reassuring to have her watch me with her Spirit Eye.
Astral opening.
My senses spread out, and my mana rod was activated. I focused inward, not outward. I eliminated the sensation of the mana rod connected to the astral and poured all my attention into the astral.
I concentrated on the astral and concentrated.
Then, at some point, I felt as if I was standing in the middle of the universe.
‘So far, so good. Next is… to engrave the subspace formula here.’
How should I engrave it? I pondered and then raised my arm. No, I thought I raised my arm. And I wrote the formula. The formula shone and gathered in the form of a magic circle. The more I wrote the formula, the more the inside of the magic circle filled up and became complete.
‘The astral is also called the mind’s eye. Am I unconsciously recognizing the astral as the universe?’
The subspace magic circle was completed, emitting light and exploding.
Just before that, I felt a gaze from the center of the magic circle.
An overwhelming gaze.
A feeling as if some great being was watching me.
My whole body was covered in goosebumps. I opened my eyes wide and escaped from the astral.
Whoosh!
Mana vibrated around me. Unformed formulas popped out and chaotically disturbed the surroundings. They were like starlight.
Formulas?
I looked at the formulas that came from me. I could usually understand or guess most formulas as soon as I saw them. But this time was different. I couldn’t understand these formulas at all.
“Eugene! Use the magic! Use the subspace magic engraved in your astral! The mana concentration is too high! Use the mana before the formulas you unconsciously released activate!”
Following her urgent voice, I used subspace magic.
Whoosh.
The mana around me gathered and formed a single magic. At the same time, the incomprehensible starlight-like formulas that flowed from my body lost their power and disappeared.
[Inventory is opened.]
[Inventory points are required to use the inventory.]
[Inventory points can be obtained by paying a price.]
It wasn’t the subspace I knew.
It seemed like I had awakened another new ability.
