Chapter 65

Chapter 22. Chen Mei's Magic (2)

"Anyway, about that Chen Mei..."

Murakan continued to explain more about Chen Mei. It was quite a long explanation, but in summary, she was a genius who might appear only once in a thousand years.

Throughout the story, Jin's eyes sparkled like a true magic enthusiast, and Gilli looked at him gently.

'Even now, there's still a childlike side to him.'

It was time to leave the countryside and head for the free city of Tikhan.

Although no arrest warrant had been issued, it was out of the question to return to the capital and use the teleportation gate after all the commotion.

The three chose to travel by boat.

After a day's journey by carriage, they arrived at the dock and chartered the best ship available. The captain, upon receiving jewels and precious metals that one could hardly dream of in such a rural area, immediately began preparing to set sail.

"I'll make sure you have a comfortable journey!"

A few crew members, roused from their sleep, had no complaints upon seeing the gold.

"It will take at least a week to reach Tikhan."

About an hour later, the ship set off.

On the first day, they practiced Lingqi Liberation in the pleasant sea breeze. As it was a practice he never missed a day, there was nothing special about it.

What was interesting was the day after Chen Mei's magic book was deciphered.

"I was wondering what kind of light magic Chen Mei used, but hahaha, it might be the magic you need most right now."

"What is it, what is it?"

Jin, who had been sitting in the cabin, rushed to Murakan.

It was impossible to hide his excitement. The magic Murakan described when explaining Chen Mei included many destructive spells that even dragons of the current era would fear.

Spells that could instantly decompose an opponent into particles of light, spells that could penetrate all types of protective barriers to attack the enemy, and spells that could summon an avatar of light.

None of them were anything less than unique.

Murakan, sensing Jin's anticipation, laughed again. Then, he straightened his face and said,

"Chen Mei called this magic 'Flash Cannon.'"

"Flash Cannon! Could it be that it decomposes the opponent into light...?"

"No. It's just a spell that momentarily blocks the opponent's vision by creating a strong light."

"Hmm."

Jin, who had instantly calmed down, nodded.

He then thought about the usefulness of the Flash Cannon for about five seconds. Although it wasn't as impressive as he had hoped, it seemed like something he could use effectively.

"It would be great for using in battle in an unconventional way or when you need to escape."

"Ooh, kid, you don't seem too disappointed?"

"It has its uses, so she must have left it in the magic book. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit disappointed, but it does seem to be the magic I need most right now."

"Indeed, indeed. Plus, it's an easy spell to learn. I tried it out right after deciphering it... Close the cabin door for a moment. And draw the curtains."

It was still afternoon, but the cabin became quite dark.

"It doesn't have to be used in a dark place, but since it's a light magic. I'll demonstrate, so watch closely with your eyes wide open."

Swoosh.

Magic power began to gather in Murakan's right hand. Jin naturally focused on the magic power, and at some point, it turned pitch black.

'Light magic, but why is it black...'

Just as he thought that,

The black mass of magic power emitted a blinding white light, like molten steel. It was very brief, and the moment it exploded, Jin involuntarily gasped.

"Ugh!"

It was due to the sudden bright light.

It felt like staring directly at the midday sun with wide-open eyes. It was as if his pupils were pierced by a needle of light.

'My eyes feel like they've swollen up instantly.'

The duration of the 'Flash Cannon' was only about one second. Even with such a brief exposure, his eyes felt sore. When he opened his eyes again, he experienced an afterimage of floating blobs of oil in his vision.

He wanted to give Murakan a good punch on the jaw for telling him to "watch closely," but the incredible power of the Flash Cannon made his hair stand on end.

'Amazing...!'

If he could use such a spell at will during battle, even a formidable opponent he couldn't defeat with conventional methods would be no problem.

It would also be extremely effective when he had to flee. It was the best magic that could be used both offensively and defensively.

"To my knowledge, this Flash Cannon was the magic Chen Mei cherished the most. What do you think?"

"Amazing. And the power you showed me is probably only about 30% of the real Flash Cannon, right?"

Jin, who understood everything without Murakan having to explain, made Murakan nod in satisfaction.

Just after deciphering it, the 'rough imitation' was this powerful.

Since Murakan described it as an easy spell to learn, he would likely master it before disembarking.

"With your talent, you'll master it in two days. If you absorb the magic book in the remaining time, you'll have another new weapon by the time we reach Tikhan."

For such 'unique magics,' even after understanding the content, the magic book itself must be absorbed to fully unleash its power.

The method of absorbing the magic book was simple. By replacing the cipher system used in the magic book with runes and inscribing them on the body, the process was complete.

"Of course, kid. You're going to make me do the rune replacement, right?"

"Yep."

"How do you plan to repay me for this?"

Jin immediately began to learn the Flash Cannon. Although Murakan said it would take two days, it took less than a day to fully grasp the theory.

'Indeed, she was an incredibly great magician. To create such a powerful magic in such a precise and simple formula.'

However, there was a reason for the simplicity of the formula. Even if the formula was explained to all magicians in the world, not just anyone could use it.

The Flash Cannon required a level of magic sensitivity that only geniuses of the era could possess, and it also consumed a tremendous amount of magic power.

Pfft!

He realized this the moment he tried an incomplete Flash Cannon. He felt a sense of exhaustion and dizziness, but Jin still smiled in satisfaction.

'The caster is completely unaffected by the light of the Flash Cannon.'

This was the reason.

Like all magic, it fundamentally differed from natural light. Even if he stared directly at the Flash Cannon with both eyes wide open, there was no strain on his vision.

"Hey, kid."

Four days later, Murakan, who had completed the rune replacement, asked.

"The magic book of that magician, Schizel Hister or something. I can't decipher it at all. I think it's just ordinary trash. How about using it as kindling?"

"Kindling?"

"Out of frustration. This cipher system is so frustrating, even for me, Murakan."

Jin almost replied that it was a precious cipher with memories attached to it.

Jin smiled.

'Originally, I was considering deciphering it and using it right away... But no matter how I think about it, it's better to find my master later.'

His magic master had dedicated his life to recovering the magic of 'Hister.' Although it was only a deep connection from a past life so far, Jin still felt a debt of gratitude to his master.

"Maybe it will see the light of day when you meet a good decipherer someday. It feels very good. So don't get too attached to what you can't do, and tell Gilli to take good care of it."

"Kid, you said you could burn my precious spring scrolls anytime..."

"Bring them over, Great Black Dragon. Now that the rune replacement is done, inscribe the magic book on my body."

"Ha! I've never seen a slave as obedient as you. Have you never heard the story of a wicked master being killed by a slave with a knife?"

"Unfortunately, I grew up in Runekandel."

Murakan began to inscribe the magic book on Jin's back. The magic book took the form of glowing characters about the size of two fingers.

As Murakan carefully placed the characters on Jin's left shoulder blade, the magic book was inscribed like ink staining. The characters emitted a faint light, making it look like a special tattoo.

"I wanted to inscribe it on your buttocks. Or maybe your—"

"Enough with the lame jokes. Let's try it out."

As soon as the magic book was inscribed, Jin's understanding of the 'Flash Cannon' greatly increased. The runes inscribed on his body were stimulating him.

'Flash Cannon.'

Whoosh!

As he chanted the incantation, the entire cabin was instantly bathed in white light. The intense beams of light cut through the curtains and reached the deck.

Thud, thud, thud. The captain, who was outside, was startled and came to the cabin.

"Sir, is everything alright? What was that sudden light...?"

Jin and Murakan looked at the captain and said in unison,

"Light? What light?"

"Ah, nothing. I must have seen it wrong."

They didn't want the captain to know they had used the 'light magic' that had disappeared since ancient times.

* * *

The ship arrived at the free city of Tikhan on the second day of July, 1795.

Jin paid the captain an additional fee for the satisfactory voyage and passed through the gate using a forged identity. When passing through the gate, Murakan briefly transformed into a cat.

"Meow."

Murakan, nestled in Gilli's arms, turned his head from side to side.

"Tikhan is completely different from Akkin, Master."

"Indeed. It's full of vitality everywhere."

Akkin, with its beautiful scenery, was filled with people in despair due to the Teshing. In contrast, Tikhan offered a view of the open sea from anywhere in the city.

This was due to Tikhan's unique structure. The entire island was shaped like a conical tower, consisting of a total of ten floors.

Although it was closer in form to a 'tower' than a 'free city,' it was a name that carried the wishes of the old power brokers who built it.

"Master, shall we find a place to stay first?"

"Are you going to beat up the innkeeper again, like we did in Jet?"

Boom!

The moment Murakan spoke while transforming, Jin almost fainted.

"Murakan, how many eyes are watching? Don't transform in the middle of the city."

Tikhan had a small population but a very high population density. Transforming in the middle of a busy street would be the perfect way to expose his true identity.

Just as Gilli was about to scold him, Murakan shook his head.

"Humans are less interested in others than you think. Ha ha, no one could have seen it."

Looking around, it did seem that way. People were all busy moving about, and no one seemed to pay attention to the three who had just arrived in Tikhan.

"Hmm."

But it was only "seemed" that way.

"A cat... turned into a person."

Jin and his companions, who were startled, turned their heads toward the voice.

"How did it turn into a person?"

A little girl, hugging a dragon-shaped stuffed animal, was looking up at the three.