Chapter 41

Chapter 4 Eyelid (14)

***

The professor felt incredibly embarrassed.

So embarrassed that he couldn't bear the shame and threw the rock next to him, uprooted a tree, and with one kick turned the uprooted tree into a pile of kindling.

The faces of the thieves watching this scene instantly lost their smiles.

When they saw the professor's foot, which had kicked a large tree, sink halfway and limp, a glimmer of hope appeared on their faces. But when they saw new flesh sprouting and wriggling from the missing part, they wet their pants and began to search for a god.

“Uuuu... It's him... It's the Mute... who speaks...”

“Oh great Roharam, protect me with your light! Oh great Roharam, protect me with your light uuuu...”

“Huhhhh! Uhhhh! Uhhhhh!”

The professor slowly walked toward the trembling thieves who couldn't even think of running away.

Thump, thump, crunch, crunch.

“Grrrr...”

One of the thieves fainted when he saw the professor, who had been limping, now walking perfectly fine.

“Hey.”

“Uuuu...”

“Yes, yes! What... what is it...?”

Only then did they realize how large he was. To think this was a human. To think he could be threatened with a scythe!

The professor, with a beet-red face, said to them:

“Didn’t you hear stories like this when you were young? About how angering a wizard could turn you into a frog or ground meat?”

- SoySauceGuy: He’s about to die and still claims he’s a wizard.

- HighWeinaChomMan: Something seems off in the middle.

- TakeALook: Thinking about it, the professor is a wizard now. It’s normal for wizards to be strange.

“P-please! Please don’t kill me!!”

“Grrrrrr!”

The professor, who had approached them, pulled off his hood and thrust his furrowed face forward. Another thief fainted, foaming at the mouth, at the sight of his monstrous appearance. Only one remained, a cunning-looking thief who had led the other two.

He had intended to just scare them, but now he remembered the annoying words this one had said earlier.

“Hey.”

“Yes, yes! Speak, great one!”

“Just out of curiosity, who is ‘that guy’? And who is the great one?”

Even though this thief is a country bumpkin, he probably knows more about the outside world than I do, having been in the basement of the viscount’s mansion for nearly 40 days. It wasn’t intentional, but getting some information wouldn’t be bad.

When the professor showed interest, a fawning smile appeared on the thief’s face.

“Hehe... No need to test me, sir. Although it hasn’t been long, I have recently joined the Salvation Sect. Hehehe...”

“Salvation... Sect?”

‘This... feels intense.’

Salvation Sect. I’ve never heard of it. It’s common for cults to arise in troubled times, but...

‘Speaking Mute. This is definitely about Edelorna. A sect that calls the Speaking Mute a ‘Selector’...’

It smells. It smells like a big, cancerous mass that will roll over if left unchecked.

In such a situation, the best approach is—

“Hmm. Your posture is commendable, but it’s not enough to convince me. I will test you. How much do you know about our sect?”

Selling the act is the best. They’re so scared, they won’t lie.

The thief, trembling, nodded vigorously. Thinking it was his only chance to survive, he began to explain, using gestures and movements.

“Yes! Our Salvation Sect follows the teachings of the great prophet Andatella. We cleanse our bodies and minds in preparation for the great selection and wait for salvation! Hehe.”

“The great selection... Do you know anything about it?”

“Of course! Didn’t the Selector ‘White Mute’ completely crush Charlotte, the armored harlot, who was a pawn of the corrupt royal family? Andatella said that soon, thousands, tens of thousands of Mutes will sweep through this rotten land, and our mission is to accept their will without resistance and to eliminate those who obstruct it!”

Ding!

[Information Update - Suspicious Group: ‘Salvation Sect’. You have successfully learned about one of their meeting places from a lower-ranking member! / From a higher-ranking member’s servant - Home of the ownerless horses]

‘Yes...’

In GG, if you gather enough clues about an event, the system will sometimes consolidate and summarize them. Of course, this system doesn’t apply to trivial requests like ‘Find my cat’ or ‘Get 900 apples for my child’. This proves that the Salvation Sect is a significant group.

‘But I don’t think I’ll get more information by pressing further. Let’s stop here.’

Such tasks require a proper conclusion to avoid trouble. The professor approached the thief bowing on the ground.

Thump, thump, crunch, crunch.

“Grrrr...”

One of the thieves fainted when he saw the professor, who had been limping, now walking perfectly fine.

“Hey.”

“Yes, yes! Speak, great one!”

“Just out of curiosity, who is ‘that guy’? And who is the great one?”

The thief, thinking his name being remembered was a sign of favor, lifted his head with a bright face.

“The great selection... Do you know anything about it?”

“Of course! Didn’t the Selector ‘White Mute’ completely crush Charlotte, the armored harlot, who was a pawn of the corrupt royal family? Andatella said that soon, thousands, tens of thousands of Mutes will sweep through this rotten land, and our mission is to accept their will without resistance and to eliminate those who obstruct it!”

Ding!

[Information Update - Salvation Sect: Suspicious Mute-worshipping group. You have successfully learned about one of their meeting places from a lower-ranking member! / From a higher-ranking member’s servant - Home of the ownerless horses]

‘Yes...’

In GG, if you gather enough clues about an event, the system will sometimes consolidate and summarize them. Of course, this system doesn’t apply to trivial requests like ‘Find my cat’ or ‘Get 900 apples for my child’. This proves that the Salvation Sect is a significant group.

‘But I don’t think I’ll get more information by pressing further. Let’s stop here.’

Such tasks require a proper conclusion to avoid trouble. The professor approached the thief bowing on the ground.

“Human. State your name.”

“Yes, yes! I am Jescar! I used to process leather in Nodar village...”

“Enough with the irrelevant details. I find your faith commendable. I will give you an important mission. If you perform it well, you too will become a selected one like me, able to crush rocks with your bare hands and run across the earth like a deer!”

“Oh, oh oh!!!”

This thief, if left alone, might share today’s ‘religious experience’ with other believers and expose me as a fake. I need to send him far away and keep him busy.

‘And while I’m at it, it would be good if this helps with what I need to do next.’

“Hey.”

“Yes, yes! Speak, great one!”

“Just out of curiosity, who is ‘that guy’? And who is the great one?”

Even though this thief is a country bumpkin, he probably knows more about the outside world than I do, having been in the basement of the viscount’s mansion for nearly 40 days. It wasn’t intentional, but getting some information wouldn’t be bad.

When the professor showed interest, a fawning smile appeared on the thief’s face.

“Hehe... No need to test me, sir. Although it hasn’t been long, I have recently joined the Salvation Sect. Hehehe...”

“Salvation... Sect?”

‘This... feels intense.’

Salvation Sect. I’ve never heard of it. It’s common for cults to arise in troubled times, but...

‘Speaking Mute. This is definitely about Edelorna. A sect that calls the Speaking Mute a ‘Selector’...’

It smells. It smells like a big, cancerous mass that will roll over if left unchecked.

In such a situation, the best approach is—

“Hmm. Your posture is commendable, but it’s not enough to convince me. I will test you. How much do you know about our sect?”

Selling the act is the best. They’re so scared, they won’t lie.

The thief, trembling, nodded vigorously. Thinking it was his only chance to survive, he began to explain, using gestures and movements.

“Yes! Our Salvation Sect follows the teachings of the great prophet Andatella. We cleanse our bodies and minds in preparation for the great selection and wait for salvation! Hehe.”

“The great selection... Do you know anything about it?”

“Of course! Didn’t the Selector ‘White Mute’ completely crush Charlotte, the armored harlot, who was a pawn of the corrupt royal family? Andatella said that soon, thousands, tens of thousands of Mutes will sweep through this rotten land, and our mission is to accept their will without resistance and to eliminate those who obstruct it!”

Ding!

[Information Update - Salvation Sect: Suspicious Mute-worshipping group. You have successfully learned about one of their meeting places from a lower-ranking member! / From a higher-ranking member’s servant - Home of the ownerless horses]

‘Yes!’

In GG, if you gather enough clues about an event, the system will sometimes consolidate and summarize them. Of course, this system doesn’t apply to trivial requests like ‘Find my cat’ or ‘Get 900 apples for my child’. This proves that the Salvation Sect is a significant group.

‘But I don’t think I’ll get more information by pressing further. Let’s stop here.’

Such tasks require a proper conclusion to avoid trouble. The professor approached the thief bowing on the ground.

“Human Jescar. Lift your head.”

“Yes, yes! Great one!”

Jescar lifted his head with a bright face, clearly delighted that the professor remembered his name.

“I find your faith commendable. I will give you an important mission. If you perform it well, you too will become a selected one like me, able to crush rocks with your bare hands and run across the earth like a deer!”

“Oh, oh oh!!!”

This thief, if left alone, might share today’s ‘religious experience’ with other believers and expose me as a fake. I need to send him far away and keep him busy.

‘And while I’m at it, it would be good if this helps with what I need to do next.’

“Jescar, go to the city.”

“The city... Where exactly? Should I go to Turan where the Mutes gather?”

What is he saying? Is he trying to commit suicide?

“No. You will go straight to Tovrun. Leave your family with the two idiots lying there and go as quickly as possible. Run so fast that your chest might burst. Once you get to the city, spread the word. Make sure as many people as possible hear it.”

“Spread the word? What word?”

A mischievous smile appeared on the professor’s face, as if he was enjoying some dark fantasy.

“To the wizards. To the wizards, the Speaking Mute. The Red Mute is coming for you.”

Holding a grudge in the wasteland for a long time is not a good thing.

‘But just burying it and living is also a foolish act.’

The best way to forget a grudge is to repay it. To the point where it feels like a weight has been lifted.

The professor’s eyes glinted dangerously, remembering Isaac’s cold smile.

***

“Haaaaa~”

After sending Jescar away, the professor walked along the road, flipping through a book.

“Ways to shorten spells... ways to shorten spells...”

He didn’t want to give up being a wizard. It was too alluring a power to abandon just because it was embarrassing.

- SoySauceGuy: That embarrassing? Oh, you should see it as part of the growth process.

- TakeALook: As a streamer, you’re essentially an entertainer. You were hilarious just now. You’re doing great.

“Shut up!”

Absolutely not. I don’t want to go through that again. There must be a way to shorten spells.

‘The sleep spell Isaac used on me initially, and the spell Roman used against the scorpion-like Mute. Neither used such long incantations.’

Isaac used Sleep, Roman used Dorvan’s Piercing Wave. Both spells were cast with just the incantation, without any preparation.

Roman’s incantation wasn’t an origin spell. There must... there must be a way to omit that embarrassing incantation and cast spells!

Flip

[Quick Casting: Omitting, simplifying, and modularizing spells]

“There it is!”

Lord Balanis! Thank you! You are indeed the grandmaster of spellcasting!

The professor hurriedly read the pages, as if someone might steal the book.

[...Therefore, if you are not a reckless wizard, I will now explain how to shorten spells.

The simplest method is to use spells frequently.]

“Huh?”

What? That’s not what I was thinking. This... feels like being told to thoroughly review and preview subjects centered around math, English, and science.

[Tracing spells are ultimately borrowed images. If you continuously use a spell and successfully imprint that image into your soul, from that moment on, the target spell will be no different from your origin spell, and you won’t need the incantation. In this case, not only can you omit the incantation, but you might also get closer to a different level of enlightenment, so it’s best to use spells frequently.]

Hmm. The first method is that. It’s about hard work. I already knew this much. I want a faster and easier way.

[The second method is to use hand seals. Each school has various methods, but in my case, I assigned meanings to each finger and joint, completing a long incantation in a single form and expressing its meaning at once, which I taught.]

‘This is it. Hand seals.’

He had seen videos of wizards playing in the community. For large-scale spells, they recited incantations, but for smaller ones, they used only the incantation. Now that he thought about it, they seemed to make strange hand gestures in those videos.

[In using magic, the more specific the image, the better. However, for familiar spells, recalling the general context is enough to cast them. Hand seals work by imprinting the context onto each finger and joint, modularizing the spell’s conception.

For example, raise your index finger. What comes to mind when you see your index finger?]

The professor raised his index finger with the hand holding the book.

“Index finger? Hmm... pointing?”

[Most people associate the index finger with ‘pointing’. So the index finger symbolizes pointing, and the steps are divided by bending the joints. Straight index finger means pointing. First joint bent means commanding. All joints bent means contracting. By assigning meanings to each finger, you can complete all images by combining the fingers without having to recall them.]

“Oh, that sounds promising.”

Of course, he had no idea how to do it. It seemed to be about expressing spells with hands instead of words.

[The meanings assigned to each finger are up to you. Some feel authority in the thumb, while others feel insignificance. The most important thing in using hand seals is to insert the corresponding image into each finger and joint.

There is no other method. Just relentlessly imprint the images. Select the images you use frequently and recall them thousands, tens of thousands of times a day by looking at your fingers.

If you are reading this in a magic tower, you will have seen many 2nd and 3rd tier wizards constantly muttering and walking around. They are all practicing wizards in this process.]

Thud!

The professor closed the book.

“I thought it would be something else, but it’s just coding.”

He had listened to a long explanation, but it ultimately meant forming images in his mind so that the desired words would come to mind as soon as he saw his fingers, and then combining those words to cast the spell.

The professor looked at his fingers. He would need to choose his words carefully, as he would have to imprint them in his mind like engraving.

“Ultimately, you can only use hand seals after learning the spells you use frequently...”

- TakeALook: The educational process is designed to be followed in order.

“Damn. I have no choice. I’ll just have to learn magic gradually.”

The professor neatly put the book back in his bag and lifted his head. There was no more time to study magic, as the geometric patterns of the city walls were now in sight.

“The city of wizards, Tovrun.”

The professor temporarily cleared his mind of thoughts about magic. Unfortunately, what was needed here was not the power of magic.

In fact, he had already decided what to do here when he chose this direction.

If his memory served him right, the Leadflow school’s magic tower was in the center of this city.

***