Chapter 42
“In the realm below Metamorphosis, there are mainly three aspects to focus on: Fill, Tuning, and Breakthrough.”
As luck would have it, while following the Red Tower Wizard, I learned more about the realms from Pink-Haired Lesbian. It’s said that the realm beneath Metamorphosis isn’t clearly divided, but rather evaluated based on how much one has achieved in these three areas.
Fill. Do you possess enough mana to completely fill your body?
“Only after achieving Fill can one finally release mana externally. A prime example of this would be Sword Energy.”
Tuning. Have you attained a certain standard of mana manipulation?
“It’s about whether you can enhance your physical body with mana or not. If your manipulation skills are lacking, you might just pop a joint!”
Breakthrough. Have you awakened the sense to read the flow of mana?
“It’s about techniques like reading the signs of magic casting or predicting an opponent’s attack trajectory. Usually, it’s a skill developed through actual combat.”
“And how is that related to mercenary ranks… and what the Red Tower Wizard mentioned about ‘stars’ and such?”
“Achieving one of the three gives you a 1-Star rank, two gives you a 2-Star, and so on. It’s pretty straightforward.”
It felt like a gaming mechanic in a gacha system, which made it easy to remember.
“A 1-Star is Fourth-Class, a 2-Star is Third-Class, and a 3-Star is Second-Class among mercenaries.”
Nope, that wasn’t it.
“… Do you think the Mercenary Association would change my class name if I submitted a petition?”
“Apparently, petitions have been flying in every year for fifty years. They keep begging to standardize the ranks, like why 1-Star is Fourth-Class and Bronze and why 3-Star is Second-Class and Gold—seriously, come on!”
For a moment, I entertained the thought of printing a high-resolution picture of Bunny Girl Centra and presenting it to the Second Prince as a bribe, imagining the Mercenary Association would somehow standardize the ranks.
But the moment I sent that lewd image of Centra, I could picture only a future where the Second Prince showed up with an army to hunt me down. Certain thoughts are truly best left unthought.
“How about that crazy wizard? What level are they at?”
“Above average.”
“I meant their realm.”
“I’ll give it a shot and let you know.”
First, Fill.
Just lightly drawing up mana sent a stream gushing out onto my palm. Well, since I had it out, I twisted it into a rose shape, then transformed it into a dove to send flying.
Daily sips of the Tower Master’s yawns really paid off; it seemed I had long shattered the mana meter.
“This… you’ve also achieved Tuning, it seems.”
“You said it was about physical enhancement?”
“When does a wizard ever need to enhance their physical body? I heard there’s a special Tuning Measurement spell for wizards, but you should be more than capable with that.”
“Then finally, how do I achieve Breakthrough?”
“Want me to show you?”
“Give it a shot… ouch!”
Before I even finished, Pink-Haired Lesbian’s fist came flying and thudded against my forearm. Ouch! I was completely stunned, staring at Pink-Haired Lesbian.
“You asked for it, right? It seems you haven’t achieved Breakthrough, judging by your slow reactions.”
Without a backward glance, Pink-Haired Lesbian took off running. This was the first time I’d ever boosted my body with mana for physical enhancement, and with a grip of 100x Sensitivity Magic, I chased after her.
The Red Tower Wizard watched this fiery pursuit with a look of utter disdain, as if we were the most pathetic sight ever.
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In the end, they concluded my realm was below Metamorphosis but above 3-Star.
If converted into that convoluted, filthy, mercenary class system, it meant I was on par with a Second-Class Gold mercenary—basically like Tears of the Thunder Guy.
I might’ve failed to read the punch from Pink-Haired Lesbian, but the mana flow from the Red Tower Wizard was clear as day. It’s probably true that flows and precursors from those with higher realms aren’t easy to perceive.
And Pink-Haired Lesbian herself remarked, “It’s not embarrassing if you can’t read stronger opponents’ attacks.”
Amidst the chase, I also managed to scout around. I checked every potential hideout for mercenaries, but they were nowhere to be found, just evidence that a few people had passed through.
So, as I rejoined the Red Tower Wizard, we were right by the goblin tribe.
The Red Tower Wizard welcomed us brightly.
“Why didn’t you just leave? And why on earth are you being carried?!”
“The Young Master can’t run for more than ten minutes a day.”
What a defamation!
The critical flaw in my judgment was that I didn’t realize mana-enhanced physical training would put such strain on my muscles. I thought I could survive it with Mana Control, but with a body only marginally better than an anchovy, I totally failed during that exhilarating chase and scouting mission.
Thus, here I was, pitifully draped over Pink-Haired Lesbian’s back.
The goblin tribe was situated in a wide plain bordered by a forest.
The goblin buildings were constructed simply from wood or animal skins, decorated in their own rough style, like patterns made with primitive dyes.
Their appearance was exactly what you’d picture upon hearing their name: green-skinned dwarfs with sharp noses. The weapons they wielded were unimpressive; just pointy sticks and big rocks.
They were truly no big deal… unless there were more than a hundred of them.
“That’s why the village youths couldn’t drive them away, huh?”
With about ten, a furious swing of a hoe might just do the trick, but once it crossed a hundred, calling for mercenaries became inevitable. I glanced at the Red Tower Wizard, wondering if she had jumped in knowing how many there were.
“… Looks like she’s kinda chickening out.”
“She seems a little on edge.”
“I’m NOT chickening out, got it?!”
Maybe I had hit a nerve; I had to quickly stop her before she shot magic directly into the crowd of goblins. Traditional hunting has its order—draw them in first and then unleash firepower, right? You can’t just shoot at them like that!
“It’s the Illusion Wizard’s time to shine.”
Besides, I wanted to test myself a bit in real combat. The weaknesses of Illusion Magic are as follows:
1) It lacks direct lethality, so it usually doesn’t lead to death.
2) There are variables, much like that blinded ogre who home-runned Beauty Mark Guy.
3) As experienced with my bitter defeat against the Cleaning Golem, if the magic gets blocked, then you’re in deep trouble.
“But if it goes through, it’ll have tremendous suppression power, won’t it?”
“Do you even comprehend the pain and disgrace of losing to a Cleaning Golem?”
I hadn’t thought of a way to counter the first weakness yet. Sure, I had some rough ideas like giving a sensation of death or inducing a heart attack with sheer terror, but that was closer to begging them: “Please die!”
However, I had mitigated weaknesses two and three.
The goal of Illusion Magic is to penetrate the mental barriers of the target. The mental barrier fundamentally aims to exclude anything harmful to the self, working much like a vaccine program.
Just think about the eternal struggle between viruses and vaccines—I drew upon that age-old conflict to weave my magic.
“Trojan Horse, Spell Dispersion, Reverberating Echo, Reassembly.”
This layered the malevolent information of Illusion Magic to appear harmless. I then split it into numerous parts. The aspect that anticipated the opponent’s movements and implanted suggestions was altered into an area spell due to current circumstances, ensuring any harmful information underwent reflection from terrain features.
Splitting and camouflaging the magic made it lose meaning in itself. However, when it hit, the divided information would reassemble. A somewhat tedious process, but the penetrative power of the magic would increase tenfold.
Those who weren’t prepared for Illusion Magic or had weak psyches would definitely be affected.
And as for the variables with Illusion Magic, they respond proactively. Controlling players or triggering unexpected events is part of a GM’s toolkit, after all.
“Shaking Heart, A Single Inauspicious Omen, Mental Domination, Marionette.”
I was crafting a story. One day, Goblin A suddenly realized he had a very plausible idea. To reform Goblin society into a new structure, he began gathering other goblins for a discussion…
Goblin B had feelings for Goblin A. She planned an elaborate surprise event to make her long-held love come true. Her audacious plan was to gather as many goblins as possible for a public confession, but…
“Looks like they’re gathering.”
“Yeah, they’re clustering well.”
“W-What did you just do?!”
The Red Tower Wizard stared at me, eyes wide in shock. It was hard to tell what specifically had her so surprised. Was it the fact that it took eight spells to gather those goblins so neatly?
“No, just a moment ago, you split magic and… how can a person do that without having ten heads?!”
Huh, looks like it was pure admiration. I unconsciously puffed out my chest. Naturally, I cheerfully yielded the finishing blow, the most delightful moment of battle, right over to her.
“I gathered the goblins. So go blow them up.”
“…Okay, whatever your identity may be, the goblins come first. Fierce Breath of a Fire Spirit!”
Click.
The air heated up and became intensely hot as a jet of flame shot straight into the midst of the goblin horde, who were all cuddled together spinning around. The nauseating stench of burning protein wafted through the air as the flaming goblins shrieked and scattered in every direction.
I struggled to hold onto as much control as I could until I finally let go.
“…Fire magic really is absurdly overpowered.”
“Seriously? You say that after gathering all those goblins in such a remarkable way?!”
Even while taking care of the remaining scattered goblins, the mercenaries were nowhere to be found. Maybe they had the good sense to flee when they realized we were the stronger party. Thank goodness for that!
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Selvier. Hailing from Swallowtail Village. 19 years old. Virgin. Affiliated with the Red Magic Tower. 2-Star realm. Admitted to the Academy.
It was a dazzling anthology of titles. Entering a Magic Tower at such a young age suggests remarkable genius, after all. This was punctuated by her successful admission to the Academy.
The Academy guarantees unconditional growth.
That’s why the Empire continues to operate the Academy, even while bearing the risk of gathering such prestigious individuals in one place. Even if a talentless dimwit were to enroll, at least one step of growth is assured.
Selvier had already achieved both Tuning and Breakthrough. The Academy would help her find the missing piece needed to attain Fill.
With a 3-Star realm practically secured, her emergence as an elite wizard of the Red Magic Tower seemed inevitable. Should luck be on her side, a leap toward Metamorphosis could even lead her to become a disciple of the Red Tower Master.
Her stop in her hometown before enrolling was merely to let go of lingering attachments.
She was tired of potato farming. She didn’t like the villagers who looked down upon her. Since entering the Magic Tower, she hadn’t even turned her head back toward home. But if there was one lingering attachment, it was her childhood friend.
The only boy in the village who acknowledged her and supported her dream of becoming a wizard.
The boy who suddenly vanished from the village one day.
When she pressed the village elders for answers, they said he’d been sold to some Magic Tower.
For some reason, whenever she tried to recall the boy’s face, his features became fuzzy, and it was hard to remember his name…but somewhere in her past, he remained a precious memory.
Perhaps.
Just perhaps, maybe—out of sheer coincidence—that boy, gifted with exceptional talent, grew up pampered in the Magic Tower he was sold to, blossoming into a splendid wizard and returning to his hometown.
But as expected, that was not the case.
She disliked the village. However, her frustration directed towards the mercenaries attempting to swindle the village’s money stemmed from a desire that, when her childhood friend eventually returned, there should still be some semblance of a village left.
Meeting the bizarre duo was rather unexpected.
While heading back after dealing with the goblins, the mentally quirky Illusion Wizard moved ahead toward the village. Walking beside her was a formally dressed beauty who acted as his maid.
Even upon taking another look, she couldn’t read anything from the Suit Beauty. At the very least, she was someone who had achieved a higher realm than herself. One who had no reason to step foot in a rural village.
Curiously, Selvier asked directly.
“What are you two doing here?”
“As mentioned, we’re the Young Master of a Barony and his maid.”
“If you’re going to impersonate nobility next time… how about showing some sincerity and dyeing your hair?”
Suit Beauty smirked, as if she had no intention of putting on any pretense. The idea of “So what can you even do about it?” seemed to emanate from her, which irked Selvier.
That blatant audacity had momentarily fooled her, no doubt.
Pink Hair had been bold too, but how could a wizard with dark hair so shamelessly masquerade as a noble? During the moments when he grandiloquently spoke, she almost found herself believing him without even realizing it.
She finally recognized the awkward aristocratic charade as mere disguise when she saw the Illusion Wizard’s magic in action. The scene where he split, twisted, and utilized magic consecutively to manipulate the goblin horde.
To put it metaphorically, it felt like casting numerous puzzle pieces onto different trajectories to assemble them from a distance of 100 meters. There was a palpable reason as to why he overwhelmed her with that Overflow Magic, even with mental barriers in place.
“The Red Tower Master often laments, you know? So much so that my ears could bleed. Always complaining about how the Red Tower lost a talent with the potential of an Archwizard to the Purple Tower. Is it him?”
“Who knows?”
“The world is truly vast. I too am somewhat recognized as a genius in my own right. But…”
She felt convinced that against all odds, she wouldn’t stand a chance; not merely because of the realm difference but also due to the immense disparity in calculation speed. Perhaps, that wizard could even hold his own against someone from a higher realm.
Something that transcends the realms.
“… That must be what they call the talent of an Archwizard.”
“Have you developed any romantic interest in the Young Master?!”
“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”
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While wandering around the village, it seemed I had found my dad.
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