Chapter 40

Chapter 40 (40/324)

40

What Adolph demanded.

It was eight low-grade mana stones and two mid-grade mana stones. In fact, I would have liked to ask for more than five mid-grade mana stones, but since that would likely be rejected, I asked for a quantity that this guy would readily agree to.

I plan to conduct some research on mana stones.

Of course, it's not a study to directly infuse mana into the body. When I roughly explained this, Adolph nodded readily.

"Sure. Supporting you with that much isn't difficult. If it's necessary for your research, it's only natural to provide support."

"Thank you, Brother."

The guy then looked at me and said casually,

"I fully understand your position, Kyle. With the proposal from your eldest brother, it's only natural that you find it difficult to choose me right away. Even I would be torn between the two options. However, I hope you understand that I have a very high opinion of your potential."

Well, whether he thinks highly of me or not.

I nodded at him, letting his words go in one ear and out the other.

"Thank you. I will think positively about it."

"Right. It will be a tough decision, but I hope you make a wise choice."

"Yes. This conversation has given me a better understanding of you. I will continue to strive in magic and work to improve my skills."

It was a safe and standard response.

What can I say when he says he'll work hard?

"Right. Get some rest. I'll send the mana stones over soon."

"Yes. Please take care."

With that, Adolph left the room.

'Phew.'

From the way he acted, it didn't seem like he was in a hurry to win me over.

Even if he tried to win me over right now, he probably doesn't think it would significantly boost his strength.

'And, he must be a bit worried, too.'

His current power base is quite solid.

Over a long period, he has gradually won over the people under him, building a level of loyalty that would make them readily join him when the time comes.

But what if I suddenly joined him just before the coup?

It could be a variable, and if I don't side with Abel, he might think this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Thanks to this, I was able to easily obtain the mana stones.

After waiting for a while, a knight came to the annex with the mana stones.

"These are the items Adolph asked me to deliver."

"Please tell Brother I received them."

"Yes."

Eight low-grade mana stones and two mid-grade mana stones.

Well, while they aren't particularly expensive, they are quite hard to come by.

Thanks to Adolph, I should be able to easily draw the magic circle.

The reason I brought two mid-grade mana stones is simple.

I intended to use them to extract mana. The amount of mana required to decipher the ancient text was enormous, so there was no need to block the mana flow as I did when achieving the 2nd Circle.

If I just let the mana be absorbed as I saw earlier.

The mana stones would allow me to absorb a large amount of mana, and the Third Eye would suck it up like a vacuum cleaner.

'Come to think of it, my head is quite dizzy.'

Perhaps because of the deciphering process in the library, my head was quite hot.

After a short nap, I should try deciphering the ancient text again.

After closing my eyes,

I opened them again after a full three hours.

Thanks to the nap, my head had cooled down considerably.

After washing my face with cold water,

I began preparing to decipher the ancient text.

'With this, I should be able to decipher it in one go, right?'

Eight low-grade mana stones.

And two mid-grade mana stones.

If I extract mana from these ten mana stones, it should be enough to cover the mana required for deciphering the ancient text.

Typically, a mid-grade mana stone contains about five times more mana than a low-grade one, and the quality of the mana is naturally higher.

I still had a considerable amount of catalysts left from the ones I bought at the magic tower.

There was no reason to hesitate.

After drawing the magic circle I used when achieving the 2nd Circle, I placed the mana stones.

Next,

I infused mana along with the catalysts to activate the magic circle.

Gently.

As I watched the mana slowly approach me, I opened the ancient text.

Now it was time to activate the Third Eye.

The mana inside the circle began to evaporate rapidly again.

The only difference from before was that

the mana flowing into my right hand continuously replenished the circle, keeping the Third Eye active.

'Gulp.'

As the mana flowed in and out like a tide, the deciphering ratio gradually increased.

The color of the low-grade mana stones around me faded almost instantly.

The amount of mana consumed was truly astonishing.

If this level of investment is required, the reward must be incredibly sweet.

?To increase the temperature of the flames, a slight change in the activation method is needed...

?The most efficient method is...

Knowledge kept flooding into my mind.

As the low-grade mana stones turned white, my understanding gradually increased.

Perhaps due to the continuous influx of information,

my head started to feel dizzy.

It was as if my brain was overloaded.

Gritting my teeth,

I bit my lip to stay focused.

This is a magic circle that uses two mid-grade mana stones.

If I lose consciousness here, the mana stones will evaporate without being used.

Once a magic circle is activated, the mana stones inside cannot be reused.

Perhaps the ancients didn't understand the virtue of recycling?

When the deciphering reached 63%, all eight low-grade mana stones had faded.

Now, only the two mid-grade mana stones remained.

I had to rely on these.

Soon, mana began to flow out of the mid-grade mana stones, rising toward the circle through my right hand.

The mana was much purer than what I had received earlier and began to be consumed in the circle.

Thanks to this, the deciphering speed increased significantly.

My dizzy head.

And the cold sweat on my forehead.

I focused all my energy on staying conscious.

How much time had passed?

My senses gradually returned.

The two mid-grade mana stones.

The mana inside them had been completely used up in the deciphering process.

"Phew..."

Was the deciphering complete?

Just as I was about to check the ancient text with the Third Eye,

a single phrase appeared before my eyes.

'Wow.'

It was a phrase that made me smile with pleasure.

* * * * *

After deciphering the ancient text,

the knowledge that had been floating in my mind felt like it had firmly settled.

I sat on the bed for a moment to organize my thoughts, then went outside.

Now it was time to see how powerful the magic I deciphered from the ancient text could be.

'A quiet and secluded place.'

I had no idea how powerful the magic would be.

So, I thought it would be better to leave the castle and try it out.

Fire Arrow.

Since it's a fire spell, it's quite difficult to erase the traces.

'It will also be quite noisy.'

Given that the effect was enhanced by the deciphering, this was a natural assumption.

So, I left the outer castle with Leonhardt.

After moving to a place with almost no people outside the outer castle, I looked at the sand around me.

If I cast the fire spell on a tree, it might cause a forest fire, so it seemed better to try this magic experiment on the sand.

There were two major differences between the ancient text and the copy.

One was the method of increasing the power of the flames by colliding rotating mana at intervals, and the other was the technique of firing the Fire Arrow as quickly as an arrow.

Otherwise, the activation method was the same as a regular Fire Arrow. It felt more like a personal touch added to a standard spell rather than a completely new Fire Arrow spell.

'If I combine the activation method from the game with Henderson's secret techniques...'

It was hard to imagine what kind of powerful magic would be unleashed from my hand by combining these two.

I would see when I tried it.

After moving the mana according to the activation method I knew,

I began to incorporate the teachings from the ancient text.

Like pulling a bowstring, I stretched the mana taut and caused the rotating mana to collide a few times as described in the ancient text.

These processes seamlessly integrated with the activation method I knew.

The knowledge from the game and the teachings from the ancient text.

Now was the time to show the results of the lessons from these two tutors. The moment I silently activated the incantation in my mind,

Whoosh!

A giant flame arrow formed above my right hand.

It looked like a scorching hot fire arrow, but it felt warm to my body.

Since I had activated it using the mana that makes up my body, this was to be expected.

"...Done."

"Fire Arrow, huh?"

"Yeah, I tried it using the method described in the ancient text."

"Definitely much hotter than a regular spell. What kind of heat is this..."

I smiled at his words and added,

"Probably, it's not just the heat that's different."

Now, it was time to see the power of the arrow.

The sand on the ground.

I threw the arrow at the sand without hesitation.

'Gulp!'

Just like the first time I used Magic Missile, a massive amount of mana consumption and dizziness hit me.

The activation method from the game.

This was the sensation I always felt when using it.

Whoosh!

A sharp whistling sound echoed as if a real arrow had flown.

Bang!

The fire arrow plunged into the sand, sending it flying in all directions. The sand rose more than 7 meters, like a wave.

"Ugh... How was it?"

I asked the guy, holding my dizzy head.

An Expert-level knight.

If he evaluates it, it should be reliable.

After a moment of silence, he slowly replied,

"...It was really as fast as an arrow. A mid-grade knight or lower would find it hard to dodge. The explosive power... it's incomparable to a regular arrow."

"So, it's good, right?"

"...I don't know. It's definitely beyond just being good or not."

As the sand settled, a deep hole began to appear.

Fire Arrow.

My magic had not only penetrated the sand-covered ground but also created a hole about 4 meters deep.

"..."

We started examining the hole. Not only had it penetrated the ground, but it had also shattered the rocks beneath.

What would his evaluation be?

Naturally, I looked at Leonhardt, and I saw the knight's face quietly whistling.

Power evaluation.

It was a perfect 100 out of 100.