<890 – The Unqualified (13)>
The enormous undead beasts brought by Himbeopsa Richi filled Noah’s Ark to its maximum capacity in an instant.
[Ding!]
[You’ve met the maximum reward conditions for [Noah's Ark].]
[However, until the end of the apocalypse, it cannot truly be called an ark.]
[Protect Noah’s Ark until the weekly event is over.]
Thanks to that, the quest took on a new twist.
It was no longer about collecting animals, but about defending the pirate ship.
“Could you just stay until the event is over?”
“I can feel the powerful entities of the Abyss awakening. I can’t afford to lose the promising student of the Himbeopsa sect, so let’s put off shedding this old body for a while.”
Himbeopsa Richi decided to stay.
Once ready to face the end, Jiang realized how reassuring the presence of this ally was when there were no bonuses for being on his side.
“Here’s an empty magic stone!”
“Oknodie pulled out a new magic stone container. Everyone, gather at the mana concentration area and start channeling mana!”
“Sandkooker, it’s a new magic stone. Hurry up and make some projectiles!”
“Sigh. When do I finally get a break?”
“I have to avenge Rosgini!”
“Damn, if I keep this up, I’ll drop dead from overwork and end up standing beside Rosgini!”
Using too much mana in a short period of time, Sandkooker’s body was enveloped in a blue aura of energy, while Himbeopsa Richi chuckled as he picked up one of the earth constructs Sandkooker had made.
“Practicing passive magic allows one’s body to adapt to frequent mana usage, yet here you are, obsessed only with active magic, look where it got you.”
“You’re not throwing any constructs either, relying solely on my earth creation magic, aren’t you, senior?”
“Don’t you understand that as a successor of the Himbeopsa sect, Oknodie’s influence has expanded even to summoning magic using force?”
Himbeopsa Richi wasn’t merely teasing Sandkooker.
“The advancement of one’s skills signifies an expansion of thought for one who has reached a certain level. It means being able to handle what you possess in a broader and more creative manner.”
“…”
“Keep this in mind. Training in passive magic is one way to expand your limits.”
While Himbeopsa Richi’s advice was understood, Sandkooker could not fathom the reason behind it.
“Why are you offering me such valuable advice?”
In this world, there is no such thing as pure goodwill. Students who have experienced the pains of professors who let them skate by in midterms and finals while begging to be allowed to take exams learn this truth.
Himbeopsa Richi chuckled as if dealing with a barking puppy while Sandkooker remained on guard.
“Because you are a companion cherished by Oknodie, the successor of the Himbeopsa sect.”
“…!”
“The strong are lonely. If those who follow are too far behind to walk alongside, it becomes even more so. If I had had comrades with whom I could stand shoulder to shoulder in my lifetime, I wouldn’t have become a lich. I wouldn’t have been called Great Evil after graduating from the Academy.”
Seeing the regret manifest even through the empty sockets of his eyes, Sandkooker recognized Himbeopsa Richi’s sincerity.
Sandkooker spread his robe and bowed gracefully.
“I, a junior walking the path of magic, will be grateful for the senior’s teachings.”
Even in the most wicked souls, there are things to learn.
Sandkooker felt he had become a bigger person.
Stripping away prejudice, he found himself questioning whether Himbeopsa Richi’s actions were as evil as believed.
“You resent the humans who dragged you far from your habitat and committed torture and murder, yet isn’t what your kind does back home simply exploiting innocent spirits and stealing honey? If you become undead only to live like you did before, preying on the weak, isn’t that just repeating the same mistake?”
Himbeopsa Richi lectured the undead animals he had summoned with stones he had thrown.
The content of the lecture was quite reasonable and logical.
Do not complain if you have oppressed and exploited others.
Only those who have not committed oppression and exploitation can throw stones at oppressors.
Using those who have made mistakes as examples, he urged them not to lead such lives themselves.
“You seem to possess a good character, senior. How could someone like you end up graduating from the Academy and being called Great Evil?”
“What? Hahaha! You little rascal, did you just get attached to your mentor by receiving a teaching? You’ll be in for big trouble if you keep roaming around without caution like a reckless fool.”
“Surely, a person like you wouldn’t do that.”
“That’s true.”
“Please tell me. I’m truly curious.”
Himbeopsa Richi, seeing the effort Sandkooker put into producing solid ground for throwing, generously offered a piece of his wisdom.
“There are several options available to graduates from the Magic Department. One can become a member of the Multicolor Magic Tower, serve as a royal court magician of any kingdom or empire, entrust one’s research to an organization, or create one’s own organization.”
“Where did you end up working, senior?”
“I didn’t go anywhere. My goal was to stand against the powers of the world that force mages into servitude and the Multicolor Magic Tower that acts as their puppet.”
Strong power does not necessarily lead to excellent character.
Four hundred years ago, that was the case.
“There were those who pressured mages by forcing them into affiliations, marking those who do not comply as ‘illegal sorcerers’ or ‘dark sorcerers.’ That’s why I specialized in a build focused on [Killing Mages].”
“So there was such a trigger at the beginning of the Himbeopsa sect.”
“The pressures came not just from the Multicolor Magic Tower but from the countries of the world. They designated the magic stones necessary for mages as strategic materials, prohibiting their handling to anyone except those affiliated with the Multicolor Magic Tower, royal magicians, or organizations with the kingdom’s permits—artificially controlling the growth speed of mages and the progress of their studies.”
“Couldn’t it also be an attempt to stop dangerous research and support studies beneficial to the world?”
“Hmph. You’ll have quite a hard time after you graduate.”
“…Was my guess wrong?”
“Wrong doesn’t even begin to cover it. It was completely opposite.”
“What?!”
“The state will do whatever it takes to protect the interests of the powerful. Transforming the development of healing spells that could steal influence from a favored church into dark magic that shortens lifespans is nothing.”
“How could such a thing happen?!”
“It’s all about drafting magical dissertations to suit the tastes of the powerful, intellectually enslaving experts. Standing before the sycophants that rob opportunities to make the world better while bowing and scraping to feed off royal budgets. Guess who that is? The Multicolor Magic Tower.”
Sandkooker could hardly conceal his confusion in the face of shocking revelations that undermined the identity of the organization he belonged to.
“I can’t just distrust the organization I’m part of based solely on your words, senior.”
“Of course. A mage should do just that. Only by exploring and contemplating can spells and incantations truly become one’s own. But as for me, I’d rather gain the strength to demand the truth than go boldly to the tower and end up accused and killed.”
The Himbeopsa sect was the most realistic response in a situation where they couldn’t use many magic stones and still demanded the strength to oppose the Multicolor Magic Tower.
By gathering and improving easily learnable body-enhancement passive magic, they could weave it together to achieve combat power comparable to that of a Grand Magician without the need for magic stones.
For Richi, the Himbeopsa sect wasn’t a luxurious game or mere show-off; it was the single method to stand against harsh realities.
The only secret to gaining the strength to demand the truth.
“Do you know? Once upon a time, there weren’t five towers in the world, but seven.”
“What? Is that really true?!”
“Now do you understand who turned the seven-colored tower into the Multicolor Magic Tower?”
Sandkooker looked at the skeletal figure in front of him, radiating blue energy, and felt sincere respect.
“Thanks to the reduction of towers in the world, the metal magic of the Silver Tower became widespread. People were able to freely build structures or fortresses and forge weapons or farming tools.”
“Why wasn’t this history passed down to our generation?”
“Go check the [Forbidden Book] in the Great Library. You can still find it there, provided that those pathetic Multicolor Tower folks could overcome the curse placed on historical texts.”
“!!”
“The Principal protects and cherishes the world, but it doesn’t necessarily translate into the protection of humanity. While knowing what the right history is, instead of breaking the curse of the forbidden books, they’d rather classify and store them as forbidden.”
The awakened wisdom of the lich from ancient times illuminated the young mage about the truths of the world.
“The Principal would respect the choice of humanity even if they chose their own demise. Contemplate why the transcendental race remains here on earth while refusing ascension. Just as there are desires in the Multicolor Magic Tower and the nations of the world, the Principal has desires too.”
As he gazed at the countless undead of the Death Zone surging towards the pirate ship, Himbeopsa Richi mused,
“I guess my revealing secrets made the Principal angry. For such strong beings to appear so swiftly…”
On the other side of the horde of undead that Himbeopsa Richi watched was the [Numbers Tombstone] of instructors and their master, Professor Sadako, awakened from the catacombs for the event.
As they approached the end of the week, the dawn heralding the start of Saturday accelerated the passage of time, rising numerous times faster.
The many undead students and instructors that had died in the Academy drew clear hostility towards the Jigoku Pirate Ship.
Sandkooker stood up, weary but resolute, once again clutching the magic stone.
The mana consumed in forming the solid ground that Himbeopsa Richi threw was considerable, and that burden accumulated heavily on both his soul and body.
But Sandkooker no longer voiced any dissatisfaction.
There was now something he wished to protect.
A slightly special ancient being who would reveal the secrets of the world and many more secrets to come.
