Chapter 48

"Are you really going to spread the secret of your abnormal rank-up to the whole world!?"

Nakita-sensei let out a scream.

It was only natural. If such a thing existed, one could have honor and wealth as they pleased. It would be shocking to hear that it would be released for free.

"Yes, that's right. The only way to ensure my safety is for everyone to know."

However, my goal is to ensure my safety. I have no hesitation in revealing the details of the [Purification]. Secrets are valuable because they are secrets.

If everyone knows, no one will try to eliminate me to keep me quiet.

"Are you really going to publicly disclose knowledge that could change the world for free?"

"Yes, well, even if they know, it's the kind of thing that can't be done anyway."

I smiled and took out two items from my pouch: a magic stone before [Purification] and a scroll with the magic formula written on it.

"Sensei, the two main problems with magic stones are that using a stone of a higher rank than yourself will kill you, and even if you can use a magic stone, it puts a strain on your body, so you can't use more than one a day."

"I know that too."

"I'll explain the reasons. Magic stones contain miasma. The higher the rank, the stronger the miasma, and people cannot withstand the miasma of a magic stone of a higher rank than their own. It's the same as drinking the water from the dungeon. The reason you can only use one a day is also due to the miasma. Even if you don't die from using a low-rank magic stone, you will definitely suffer miasma damage."

These were the words I explained to Kuna and Anne. I will explain them here.

Nakita-sensei and the surrounding students are focusing all their attention on not missing a single word I say.

Good, now at least everyone in the class knows the secret.

"Once you understand the reason, the rest is simple. You just need to remove the miasma hidden in the magic stone. If you do that, you can use any magic stone, and you can use as many as you want in a day."

"Is it really that easy to remove? A lot of research has been done to make it possible to drink the water from the dungeon, but no one has succeeded yet. Let alone the miasma in magic stones, it's impossible."

"Let me show you the proof. Watch this."

I spread the scroll with the magic formula written on it so that Nakita-sensei could see it.

"I will execute this magic formula now. Please watch carefully."

Once you become a top-class magician, you can follow the magic formula being executed by others with your eyes.

What I said was a warning to carefully check if there were any differences between what was written on the scroll and what I was executing.

"[Purification]"

I deliberately performed the calculation at about one-tenth the normal speed to make it easier for Nakita-sensei to understand.

Nakita-sensei watched me closely, checking for any differences between the scroll I gave him and the magic I was executing.

A few minutes later, the purification of the magic stone was complete.

"As you can see, I used the magic written on the scroll. Was there any mistake in the magic formula written there?"

"Not a single word, it was exactly as written. You executed the magic formula as written."

"In other words, if anyone executes the magic on this scroll to remove the miasma from the magic stone, they can achieve the same rapid rank-up as we do."

I threw the magic stone to the sensei.

"Try it. You'll see if what I said is true."

Nakita-sensei used the magic stone cautiously. The magic stone was absorbed into his forehead.

"Indeed, I don't feel the usual discomfort when using a magic stone. It seems you're telling the truth. But, is this magic formula really possible for humans?"

"I just showed you, didn't I?"

[Purification] is a grand magic with 700 steps.

Furthermore, the scroll I showed today has been padded with dummy code to make it difficult to analyze, bringing the total to 1,100 steps.

Typically, a beginner's magic has about 50 steps, and even advanced magic has only about 200 steps.

Magic is established by constructing a magic formula in your head and performing the calculation.

Calculation ability increases with rank, but the construction of the magic formula depends on the individual's aptitude.

To hold 1,100 steps in your head without a single mistake and to keep the entire magic formula in your head until the calculation is complete is extremely difficult.

Moreover, this magic formula includes conditional statements, loops, repetitions, function and variable references, and complex calculations, making it highly difficult as you have to go back and forth multiple times during the calculation.

In short, it's an impossible magic for humans.

"I will release this scroll for free. So, if this magic is used, anyone in the world can rank up dozens of times more efficiently, just like us. Of course, that's only if they can use this magic."

"…Hmm, I see. I'll believe you. I'll tell the principal about this. Can I keep this scroll?"

"Yes, I'll give it to you. I made it for that purpose."

This will significantly reduce the risk.

While I still have high value as someone who can purify magic stones, I have a limit to the number of magic stones I can purify. Accelerating the rank-up of one or two people won't upset the balance of power between nations.

It's more constructive to analyze the scroll I wrote and increase the number of people who can use it rather than trying to capture me alone.

I believe Nakita-sensei will understand and act accordingly.

"What you do from now on, I'll let you know later. Still, this magic is meaningless if anyone else knows about it. I'm afraid of you. I'm afraid of someone who can execute such a thing. Just thinking about what you could do if you rank up and gain computational power is terrifying."

Nakita-sensei smiled wryly, so I smiled too.

"I'm looking forward to it. Right now, there are too many things I can't do."

If I reach Rank 2, I can use a lot of the magic I used to. I'm practicing now, and I should be able to control the silver dragon's roar.

"Let's end this conversation here. I'll tell everyone here that what happened today is to be kept confidential. …Let's get back to class. I'll teach you how to enhance close combat weapons with magic. It's a basic technique that can also become a secret technique. If you can't do this, you might as well give up being an explorer."

And so, today's class began.

◇

The next day after school, I was at the Colosseum where the entrance exam took place.

Just before the match, I was already on the stone ring, and in front of me was Clanel Feilarte.

His equipment included a famous sword made of mithril, which he was proud of, and a mithril chest plate. The item had magic runes carved into it and was worth as much as a couple of mansions.

"Commoner, why are there so many spectators? Did you do something?"

"I wonder why."

In the stands, hundreds of spectators had gathered.

An unusually large crowd for a mere student duel.

This was due to several reasons.

One, Clanel Feilarte's vanity. He used the power of the Feilarte family to mobilize people he could control and humiliate me in front of a crowd.

Two, almost everyone in the knight academy had gathered to see me, a Rank 1, defeat a Rank 2.

Three, I gathered people. I used the connections of a merchant who made a fortune betting on my Rank 2 battle to gather people.

Thanks to this, there were even standing-room-only spots, and betting had started.

The people Clanel called were all rich, and the people I gathered through the merchant's connections were also wealthy and fond of betting, so a huge amount of money was being wagered.

Since Clanel Feilarte was nearly a Rank 3 and the heir of the strongest sword family in the Kingdom of Coline, the betting odds were 1.2 for Clanel and 5 for me.

I bet all my two million bars on my victory. The fact that the odds remained even with two million bet on my victory suggests that few people believe in my victory. However, if I win, I'll instantly have ten million bars.

The reason I called for this was to make some pocket money, to leave Clanel no excuse if he loses, and to put psychological pressure on him.

"If you lose to a Rank 1 in front of such a large crowd, the Feilarte name will be ruined."

I taunted Clanel with a nasty look.

"There's no way I can lose. If I win, you'll keep your promise! Stay away from Annelotta!"

"Of course, you must keep your promise too. If I win, I'll take your sword. That family treasure of the Feilarte family."

"Do you know the value of this sword and still make such a bet?"

"Of course, even if it's a flawed sword compared to Kval Best, it's still a good sword."

"You, not only are you insulting me, but you're also insulting this sword!?"

Clanel and I glared at each other.

The audience's anticipation grew. It wouldn't be good to keep them waiting any longer. Let's start soon.

"[Mithril Alchemy: Second Form - Sword: Slash]"

I transformed the mithril into a sword. The blade was about 60 cm long, a one-handed sword, but I made the hilt longer so I could hold it with both hands, a sword to my liking.

I chose a sword instead of a spear, which I'm good at, because the purpose of this match is not only to win but also to help Anne study.

"Anne, I'll definitely win for you. Believe in your teacher."

"Soji, do your best."

I declared my victory to Anne in the stands with a loud voice.

The audience cheered at this dramatic moment.

Such love stories are always the best entertainment in any era.

"Commoner, I'll make you regret your arrogance in front of me."

However, Clanel didn't seem to like it, and a piercing killing intent was directed at me.

As expected, this is much more effective than a normal provocation.

"Anne, Kuna, two minutes. For two minutes, I'll fight as a swordsman. It will definitely be a good study for both of you, so don't blink for two minutes. …After that, you can sleep if you want."

When I said this, Clanel's face twisted even more.

"Are you saying that two minutes are enough for me!?"

"Let's see. Shall we start? I'll flip a coin. When it hits the ground, the match begins."

"Alright."

I flicked the coin with my finger.

Clanel and I readied our swords... and the coin hit the ground with a sharp sound.