Chapter 2

A rift appeared in the dark space, and I stepped out from it.

When I passed through completely, the rift closed.

"Finally, I’ve perfected spatial magic..."

I checked my limbs and body. There didn’t seem to be any abnormalities.

Inside the dark space of the Nether Sphere, I had been thinking of every possible way to escape.

The Nether Sphere, a top-tier magical artifact, rejected all physical and magical interference.

All I could do inside the Nether Sphere was think.

After much consideration, I concluded that escape or destruction using existing magic was impossible.

"Where am I? Inside a cave?"

If the Nether Sphere couldn’t be destroyed, I had to develop a magic that could escape without interference.

I fully utilized my talent.

I discarded all the common knowledge I had and recalled the basics of magic, as if learning the magical formulas from scratch.

I tried countless options, one leap after another.

If that didn’t work, I would start over from the beginning.

Reviewing from the basics of magic, it was a mind-numbing process.

This was also the result of my challenge to the limits of my talent as a magician.

Spatial magic. I constructed this future magic, which stands alongside 'Time' and 'Reason,' in my mind.

I believe that the accomplishment of perfecting this future magic will be my greatest achievement as a magician.

But I didn’t complete it just for that.

"It took quite a while. Nether Sphere... You were strong. I’ll keep you safe since you’re dangerous."

When it was sealed, it was large, but now it has returned to a manageable size.

I picked up the spherical Nether Sphere and next checked my surroundings.

It was a dark place, unlike the royal court where I was sealed.

I immediately understood that Ridea had hidden me here after sealing me with the Nether Sphere.

"Low-level light magic..."

I produced a ball of light from my palm to illuminate the dark cave.

After confirming the signs of a cave-in, I sighed deeply.

I was completely trapped.

And the problem was that I had no idea where this place was on the map.

"Spatial Grasp..."

Using spatial magic, I checked the surrounding conditions, including obstacles.

This allowed me to acquire information about the space, including living beings and inorganic matter within a certain range.

Yeah, not bad for a newly learned skill. Good job.

"There’s a monster ahead of this cave-in. I can’t tell how strong it is... Well, no choice, Spatial Transfer."

Within the grasped space, I can transfer freely.

But I can’t apply it to such a wide range yet.

Even though it’s completed, there’s still room for improvement.

The low-level light magic illuminated the monster I transferred to.

"This monster...!"

Every creature has some amount of magic power. The flow, speed, and pattern of magic power can be analyzed to determine the opponent’s strength.

This information, which I collected, is one of my jobs to pass on to the royal army or the adventurer guild.

Thanks to this, the domestic monster extermination has been progressing efficiently.

Name: Dark Serpent

Attack: 21,970

Defense: 19,677

Speed: 33,412

Magic Power: 1,045

Skill: Night Vision

Yeah, this isn’t a monster found within the kingdom.

It lives in the middle layers of the unexplored underground labyrinth 'Tartaros.'

At this level, it’s comparable to the subordinates of the demon king I previously defeated.

The skill Night Vision increases the hit rate in the dark, making it a troublesome skill.

I accepted a request from another country to investigate the discovered Tartaros.

With a first-class adventurer party missing and even the army disappearing, there was no reason to refuse.

But even for an investigation, it was a realm of monsters that made me consider turning back.

Now that I think about it, I was able to train a lot because I completed the investigation of the deepest layer.

"There’s a lot to think about, but first, I need to defeat the snake!"

If this monster gets out, even the entire knight force would be in danger.

It’s a monster that would be designated as a national-scale disaster. Why is it here?

"Kishaaaaa!"

"This... The cave might collapse!"

The snake lunged at me at ultra-high speed, trying to eat me. It left a clean bite mark on the rock and disappeared.

But for me, who has enhanced my physical abilities with magic power, it was easy to dodge. The only worry is the cave!

"I don’t know if this will work... Spatial Cut!"

With a flick of my finger, the head of the Dark Serpent and the background were severed as if by a single stroke.

After the background shifted, the head of the Dark Serpent fell into the darkness.

I can’t relax yet.

This thing is tough, so I need to be extra careful.

So, I divided the wriggling body in the same way.

After everything was done, only the severed background returned to its original position.

All things exist within space.

In other words, all things that depend on space cannot maintain their existence when space is divided.

Just as nothing can resist the interference of time, one cannot escape the concept of space.

And yet, it’s so strong that it makes me tremble, even though I have it.

"Finally, I managed to defeat it... But this is bad."

Here, I checked my status.

Name: Soaris

Attack: 2 + 50,000 (Magic Power Enhancement)

Defense: 2 + 50,000 (Magic Power Enhancement)

Speed: 2 + 50,000 (Magic Power Enhancement)

Magic Power: 1,250,000

Skill: Complete Understanding of Magic Formulas

"The Dark Serpent was fine with this, but maybe I can hold back in normal times?"

I was relieved to check my status after a long time.

I remember that when I was old enough to understand, my magic power was already over 10,000.

Then, my magic power gradually skyrocketed, and when I thought it was really impressive, it was in the tens of thousands.

By the time I entered the magic academy at age 10, it was a little over 200,000. When I graduated, it was around 600,000.

It doubled in just a few years during my time as a saint.

Complete Understanding of Magic Formulas is a skill that allows me to understand everything related to magic, which is not easy to grasp.

I could learn future magic if I spent enough time, and even the coveted non-verbal incantation was easy.

Magic consumption can be suppressed to the extreme, and I can even check status and skills through the flow of magic power.

In fact, I have never fought with my full magic power released.

More than the magic power value, the truly amazing thing is the Complete Understanding of Magic Formulas.

Especially with the acquisition of spatial magic this time, I even thought there was nothing I couldn’t do.

"...Ah..."

I suddenly remembered the royal court.

The acquisition of super magic water, the Nether Sphere, and the sealing technique. That child did all of this.

I thought of my sister Ridea.

"You did it, Ridea. But... Thanks to you, I’m a criminal for possessing super magic water."

Since childhood, I have dedicated myself to magic, even cutting down on sleep.

My worried parents tried to stop me.

I overdid it to make them happy and later regretted it.

What is Ridea doing now, who sealed me and framed me?

Did she become a proper saint?

Either way, I have lost everything. I think my parents are disappointed too.

After all that hard work.

I wanted to make my beloved parents happy.

If everyone could smile, that would have been enough.

"Ridea...!"

Cracks appeared in the cave walls, and a fissure opened.

I thought I had overcome the stage of losing control of my magic due to anger, but I still seem to be immature.

Shaking off the emotions that threatened to overwhelm me, I ran out.

The light shining from the entrance was nostalgic and blinding.