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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 115
Thanks to the elders who were overprotective of me, the rift closure operation proceeded without a hint of tension.
One hour after inserting the [Rift Closure Device].
Tsss, tssssst!
The open rift began to shrink.
"F-finally...!"
Thud.
The soldiers, who had been desperately fending off the onslaught of demons with us, collapsed to the ground.
It seemed they had poured all their strength into this final push.
Pushing aside the sense of accomplishment that welled up within me, I approached the elders.
"Now we need to hand this over to the next rift..."
I continued, pointing to one of them.
"Would you mind delivering it?"
"What? Me?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
The elder with the cone-shaped hat stroked his chin, seemingly reluctant.
I didn't understand why he was hesitating.
"Then I'll go, and you can stay here?"
The rift was closed, but there were still demons remaining in this area.
Someone had to deal with them, and someone had to go to the next rift and hand over this [Rift Closure Device].
I didn't mind doing either, but if I had to choose, I preferred the former.
I could check if the rift was properly closed and gain experience by hunting down the remaining demons.
Of course, I could hunt demons at the other rift as well, but I was sure the elders would wipe them out before I even had a chance to make a move, just like this time.
"Hmm, no. It's better if I go. That way, the student will be safer."
The cone-hatted elder, who had been looking around, said.
He probably judged that there was no further danger here...
Anyway, why didn't he just say so in the first place?
"Here you go."
I swallowed my complaint and handed the [Rift Closure Device] to the elder.
"Don't get hurt and stay safe. If anything dangerous happens, just run away. Don't fight back."
Fwoosh!
The cone-hatted elder disappeared after leaving behind words filled with concern.
Even though only one out of four had left, I felt a little less suffocated.
"Are you going to interfere again this time?"
I asked, looking at the remaining three elders.
They looked at me as if they didn't understand what I was talking about.
"When did we ever interfere?"
"Yes, that hurts our feelings."
Judging from their reactions, they didn't seem to understand what the problem was.
"No, you keep intercepting every demon I try to fight. I wanted to participate in the war and gain some practical experience..."
"Ah, is that what it was?"
The elders nodded, finally understanding.
"Why didn't you say so earlier! If that's the case, we're willing to help."
"Help?"
"We can't stop a student from gaining experience, can we? Of course, letting you fight freely is a bit difficult for us..."
Swoosh.
The elder stopped talking and pointed to a remaining demon in the distance.
"Try using magic."
"Excuse me?"
What did he mean by suddenly asking me to use magic?
The elder answered my question.
"We'll correct you directly, so try it. Like your posture, application, judgment, and so on."
"Ah."
So that was what he meant.
I think I understood his intention.
'If that's the case, it's fine.'
Shing!
Thinking that these elders might actually be helpful, I immediately created a sword of light.
However.
"No, not that."
The elder waved his hand, signaling me to put away the sword.
"Try sniping it from afar."
"...But this is my main magic."
"I already know that from hearing so much about you. A mage is most fearsome when they are far away."
"Hmm..."
I wasn't keen on it, but...
"Alright."
I decided to just follow his words.
It would be nice if I could develop my standard magic through this opportunity.
It seemed there was a limit to relying solely on the theoretical expert, Ani Persson.
Shhh.
Whoosh!
I put away the sword and summoned a sphere of light.
A sphere much more refined than before, thanks to my training with Ani Persson.
"The magic itself is solid."
It was now a stable sphere, enough to earn praise from the elder.
My pride was short-lived as I immediately shaped the sphere into a beam of light.
And with that...
'I'll set the path in advance with mana.'
I even applied what I had learned from the battle with Dercion.
Shhh.
Mana fluttered, creating a path for the beam to travel.
As soon as the trajectory was set, I fired the beam.
Pew!
Kwak!
The beam, fired in an instant, blew the demon's head off.
It was a mid-level demon, but it lost its life with only a death rattle-like scream.
I looked back.
Clap clap clap.
The elder was clapping with a satisfied look on his face.
"That's excellent. Compared to mages of the same level, your casting is clean and your power is strong."
"Is that so?"
"However."
Clap.
The elder, who had stopped clapping, continued speaking with an indifferent expression.
"It's boring."
"...Boring?"
"Yes, light magic has two major advantages. One is speed. And the other is..."
Fwoosh!
A bright sphere of light appeared above the elder's staff.
The sphere floated towards where the demons were lingering, then burst, scattering rays of light.
Pitter-patter!
It was as if light was pouring down like rain.
Groan!
Kyaaagh!
The demons hit by it screamed in agony.
Dozens of demons were annihilated with a single spell.
I stared blankly at the scene and asked,
"...Did you learn light magic too?"
"A very short time ago."
"This isn't the level of someone who learned it 'a short time ago,' is it?"
"When you reach this level, this much is basic."
Basic...
Only two Circles separated us, or one Circle considering the [Holy Staff], but it felt so far away.
While I was lost in thought, the elder continued,
"Well, did you notice anything?"
"Hmm... the shape changed instantly?"
On the surface, it looked as if the remaining mana after the sphere exploded fell like rain, but that wasn't the case.
The sphere was just a means to transport mana; the true value of the elder's magic lay in what followed.
'He individually shaped each one.'
He gave a sharp form to all the mana generated from the explosion of the sphere.
The result was what I had just witnessed.
"That's right. This is the second advantage of light. It's not restricted by form."
The elder continued, looking slightly surprised that I had accurately grasped it.
"In other words, it can create any variable. Because it's not restricted by form."
Woong! Woong! Woong!
A new sphere of light appeared above the elder's staff, wriggling and changing shape.
As I stared blankly at it, the sphere vanished with a fwoosh!
I looked up to see the elder staring at me.
"But the form of your light magic is too predictable. Beams, swords... those don't suit light. You might as well learn a different attribute if you're going to do that."
"...Is that so?"
His piercing advice made my chest ache.
Indeed, the magic I had been using so far was predictable.
It meant I needed to make a change.
Of course, I couldn't give up the sword.
'I can't just look at it from a magical perspective.'
From a mage's point of view, creating a sword with light magic might seem boring.
But my goal was to defeat demons.
Magical evaluation wasn't my priority.
From that perspective...
'There's nothing more efficient than this for me.'
I had to somehow stick with this method.
After all, I had the [Former Owner of the Sword Saint].
It was only right to make use of everything I could.
Then, what kind of change should I make?
"Use your imagination to the fullest. That's the most important quality for a mage."
As the elder said, I closed my eyes and thought hard.
A form that could utilize light magic most effectively.
A form that no one could easily predict.
It didn't take long.
There was a form that immediately came to mind.
-Magic learning ability increases by 300%.
"Hup!"
Float-! Swish!
The light attribute mana that left my hand flew through the air.
Its elongated shape was reminiscent of a snake.
Kiek?
Kieek!
It leisurely weaved its way through the demons.
Hiss! Hiss!
One, two, three...
It gradually coated more and more demons with mana.
That's when I clenched my open hand into a fist.
Crackle!
Kyaaaaagh!
The demons that had even touched my mana started jumping around.
White smoke rose from their bodies, and their faces were contorted in pain.
Seeing this, the elder said with a slightly surprised expression,
"...Did you use the holy power of light?"
As expected of an expert, he recognized it immediately.
"Yes, I believe the biggest advantage of the light attribute is its effectiveness against demons."
As I said, light is fatal to demons.
Not only can it contain holy power, but the attribute itself also has some degree of holy effect.
Taking advantage of that, I coated their bodies with mana beforehand and activated the divinity all at once.
It was a method I had never used before.
'It's better than I thought?'
It wasn't as fast as a beam of light, but thanks to the accumulated holy power, the effect was better than I expected.
As a bonus, the demons didn't resist much during the process of coating them with mana.
Of course, there was still much to improve before I could use it in urgent situations, but it was worth researching.
Perhaps the elder thought the same, as he said,
"That's quite good. I'll be watching, so try developing it further."
He didn't say anything negative and just told me to practice more.
I nodded without refusing.
"Yes, please let me know if you see anything that needs improvement."
"Alright."
Whoosh!
I immediately channeled my mana and surveyed the surroundings.
'About a hundred demons left.'
I was determined to complete my new magic within this hundred.
***
The Vice-Dean of the Asternon Academy, Antrio Tenor, turned around.
There stood the Research Committee Chairman and the Audit Committee Chairman, who had been observing the situation.
Antrio, looking at the two, spoke with bated breath,
"...Hey, Research Chairman, Audit Chairman. Did you see that?"
Antrio's voice was filled with tension, hinting at the gravity of his words.
And the other two felt the same.
"...Yes. I've heard a lot of rumors, but he's truly a monster."
"I thought the Dean had discovered a hidden talent... but that wasn't it. With that level of skill, he couldn't have remained hidden."
The Vice-Dean, the Research Committee Chairman, and the Audit Committee Chairman.
These three were currently in awe of Yuhan's magic skills.
It was only natural, as Yuhan's abilities, experienced firsthand, were several times greater than they had heard.
"That kid, he surpassed me from the first sphere he summoned."
Antrio still couldn't forget what he had witnessed earlier.
The refined sphere of light that Yuhan had summoned right after putting away his sword.
It was so brilliant that even he couldn't properly evaluate it.
Moreover, Yuhan had perfect control over it.
He had lightly praised it as solid magic to prevent Yuhan from becoming complacent, but it had been a long time since he had been so impressed.
Furthermore...
"...I almost got humiliated by a student."
When he summoned a sphere of light himself, claiming to teach Yuhan magic, he was honestly so nervous that he felt his heart would explode.
Because the sphere of light he summoned was so insignificant compared to Yuhan's.
Fortunately, Yuhan didn't seem to mind, perhaps thinking that Antrio had adjusted his power, but Antrio's back was still damp with cold sweat.
But was that all?
Yuhan had created a new magic spell with just a few words of advice.
A spell that was completely new and quite effective.
Having witnessed this situation firsthand, Antrio, at this moment...
had only one thing to say.
"A monster has entered our Academy."
The Research Committee Chairman and the Audit Committee Chairman nodded in agreement.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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