Dalian(2)

Upper Helios.

Skadi’s office.

The open door greeted the owner.

“Egogo…”

I trudged through the luxurious interior and slumped into a chair.

I was exhausted and didn’t want to do anything.

She hugged her bountiful tail and buried her face in the soft fur.

“ruined···.”

lost.

lost

Not a single effective hit hit, and the magic prepared for the decisive blow was shattered with a single bullet.

I didn’t just lose, I was punished.

Skadi Polaris, an Archmage of the 8th Circle, and an SS-class Hunter.

I couldn’t even write a side to the new professor, and I was blown away.

“What? Why didn’t I know someone like this?”

If he had that kind of power, he would have been involved in academic activities or made achievements on the battlefield.

Why had he never heard of the name ‘Kang Yu-jin’?

Have you ever fallen from a star?

“It’s so strange…”

She once again reviewed her fight with Kang Yu-jin.

The appearance of instantly reading all of her attacks and avoiding them with the least amount of movement.

It’s not easy to dodge an attack like that.

Humans have a defensive instinct, so even if you try to reduce your movement, your body first tries to get away from the attack as much as possible.

Even so, the fact that he avoided it means that he was at least a veteran who rolled as he should on the battlefield.

‘And…mind control.’

One of the most mysterious abilities she has ever seen.

‘I didn’t feel like reading the ritual.’

Of course, what he read was only the surface consciousness corresponding to ‘intention’, but since it is the ability to interfere with the mind, it is normal to feel it somehow.

However, Kang Yoo-jin’s mental control… I couldn’t feel anything.

Is this what it feels like to open your eyes and cut your nose? It gave me goosebumps that the act of avoiding anything was actually possible because he read all of his thoughts.

Besides, he showed me at the end…

“Perhaps… the second step.”

The power that burrowed into the mind and gave orders that could not be refused.

It was such a terrifying power that it paralyzed even the strong spirit of her shining SS rank.

I don’t know how long it lasted, but given that relaxed attitude, it wouldn’t have been a chore to stop for an hour or two.

Maybe if I just wanted to do it, I could have done anything else.

‘If it wasn’t for Dalian… I’d be dead.’

That feeling of fear when you couldn’t move a finger even in front of the enemy.

Recalling the sensation of that time, Skadi trembled and shuddered.

“Does that mean it’s only step 2?”

If it’s stage 2, there are stages 3 and 4, but I couldn’t even imagine a stronger effect than this.

This is absolutely impossible with normal abilities, and even if it were possible, it would not be possible to even attempt it without a vast amount of mana.

‘There’s no way that’s possible.’

Skadi had never seen or heard of such magic.

At least when it comes to magic, he is more confident than anyone else and can trust his knowledge.

Then all that remains is that he made it himself, which makes no sense.

Is it possible for a human to create magic like that? Unless it’s a constellation…

“Wait, a constellation?”

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind and my eyes flashed open.

What if he is a Constellation?

He pretends to be a human being, but if he is a god who has already risen to the position of a star…?

“It might be possible…”

The fact that he stopped the 8th circle mage with just one word.

The ridiculously vast amount of mana that sustains such a technique.

And at the same time, the skill that created that ability was covered in a veil.

All of these things could be explained if he was a Constellation.

“Come to think of it, you said you were the most holy apostle of heaven, right?”

That noble constellation has never chosen an apostle.

Numerous heroes hoped for her selection, but the lofty star always remained silent.

The existence that did that suddenly picked up an apostle?

‘Actually, isn’t that a smoke screen?’

This is the so-called camouflage transfer.

It would certainly be out of place for a constellation to be treated as someone’s apostle, but it’s a different story if it’s an apostle of the most holy sky.

When I put each one together, the mouthpiece fits tightly.

It was a reasoning that gave me admiration even when I thought about it myself.

‘If Yujin Kang is really a Constellation…’

What did you come here for?

‘It’s probably because of the Witchbeast.’

I heard that the number of monsters invading Helios has increased recently.

Didn’t you go up to the upper middle class a while ago and make a fuss?

If the elders hired him for that, the extraordinary support of the elders would explain it.

“Ah… did I go too far…?”

I said that, but my thoughts are increasingly focused on ‘Kang Yu-jin’s theory.

Then, an anecdote came to mind when he read his textbook and even praised it.

‘If this is real, did the Constellation say that it liked my research?’

The mouth that was buried in the tail became wide.

“Hee hee…”

Also I’m great

Maybe it’s because of my mood, it doesn’t seem to hurt that much even from a blow to the forehead.

It seems that the Constellation’s stark night is different even if it’s something different.

*

A winter forest where silence descends over the white snowfield.

In that place where the pure white silence descended, the exhaled breath turned into white mist and shattered.

One hour after the sparring with Professor Skadi.

I went straight to the winter forest without even having time to look elsewhere.

The circle’s magic was empty, so it wouldn’t be strange if it collapsed right away if it stayed as it was.

I needed a place to recover and purify my magic, and there was no better place than the Winter Forest for such a place.

“I’ll live for a while.”

Magical energy pulled up from the leyline filled the circle and began to rotate smoothly.

As magical energy began to circulate through her body, which was like an empty can, the tiredness that had consumed her entire body began to wash away little by little.

‘They say he’s a core subject professor, but he’s definitely strong, but he’s filthy strong.’

The solidarity of the mental structure was so strong that even reading the intentions in the first stage required a tremendous amount of mana.

Ordinary magicians and students had a soft mental structure, so it was easy to scratch the surface consciousness, but Professor Skadi felt like scratching steel with a fingernail.

Moreover, when the second stage was used…

‘That was really close to death.’

I only stopped for a moment, but my mana was completely gone.

That dizzying sensation at that time…

It’s a pity that Skadi declared defeat at the right time, even if it was just a few seconds later, it would have been me and not her who lost.

‘It’s still impossible to be in the SS class.’

This time, I only gained the upper hand due to the difference in information, but if I fought head-on in an equal state, I would definitely lose.

It wasn’t just Skadi, it would be the same for Roshua and the other two professors.

“You must be diligent.”

There is no time for idleness.

It’s already an image that doesn’t even have room for boredom, but I posted another promise on top of that.

Take today as a lesson and be more mindful.

I managed to control my troubled mind with such a promise.

“Huh…”

“·······.”

“Ehehehe.”

“Come down.”

I took care of my mind seriously, but I couldn’t stand this sound from behind.

I pushed away Ensia, who was rubbing her arms around my back.

“Ahhh. What’s wrong! I was in a good mood!”

“Go away.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to have a cute girl like me around?”

“I feel bad.”

“Are you sleeping?”

“no.”

I did everything I could to push it off, but Encia didn’t fall.

Rather, the more I tried to shake it off, the stronger it clung to me.

“Oh, it’s healing…”

“·······.”

A deep sigh rose from within.

This leech is also annoying, but the problem is that it is not the only one that gets tangled.

Encia’s doing this is all because of the characteristics of my magical power, and this is a problem that applies to spirits as well as Encia.

So, it means that there are many other spirits attached to my body besides Ensia.

-healing···.

– Healing…

-Walking healing spot…

-Kang Yujin, you are…

“·······.”

I want to kill them all…

I sighed for the number of times and picked up the book I brought from school.

In any case, it was difficult to meditate any longer.

Fortunately, these guys just stick around and don’t be mean, so I thought it would be possible to read a book.

Grasping the thick cover with gloved hands, I read through the title along with the title.

‘Artifact Advanced Theory’

This book is a book in which the definition of artifacts, that is, magical weapons, and theories on how to produce them are written.

It was published about 15 years ago, and it is known as the most famous book in terms of the theory of creating high-level artifacts.

I started to read the printed letters with the spirits whispering in the background.

-Artifact can be said to be a magical organ outside the body that the user acquires postnatally, in other words, a second heart.

The contents of the book are concise without any unnecessary.

The quality of the content is excellent, but the delivery of intuitive expressions is imbued with meticulousness that considers the fatigue of the readers.

Although the contents were difficult and esoteric, I went into the waves of letters without missing a single type.

His sharply opened eyes captured the black-and-white knowledge, organized it, and carved it into his head as a piece of knowledge in the past.

‘The connection point of magic and the parallelization of formulas, is that the key to artifacts?’

that day.

I carefully recalled the formula for putting a circle on a revolver.

He began to systematize his intuition and contrast it with what had been written.

Hands and eyes move busily, and the pages of the book become parallel.

Around the middle of the process, a sentence caught my attention.

-Circle’s magical power rotates. However, Artifacts can only use linear magical power. The limit of the efficiency of artifacts comes from this innate difference.

Beneath the poignant sentence, countless formulas were written stating that the efficiency of an artifact could not exceed a certain limit.

In the calculation formula, which seemed to have been calculated by the author himself, the frustration of not being able to overcome the limit seemed to be buried in gloomy handwriting.

The bookshelves turn over, and the contents run toward the end.

The author concluded by summarizing the contents so far and commenting on the excellence and limitations of the artifact.

-Finally, I dedicate this book to a genius who will one day break these limits.

“·······.”

Was it too bad that I couldn’t cross the wall?

It couldn’t have been a solemn ps.

“I’m not a genius.”

He took out his revolver and channeled his mana.

The chamber containing magical energy began to rotate, and soon a ring wrapped around the chamber and materialized.

After the first discovery, the creation of circles has become much smoother and easier after some practice.

Adding the knowledge gained from books to that, the efficiency rose dramatically.

The sloppy magic formula was reorganized and the unnecessary flow of magical power was reduced.

The circle of the revolver, which was neatly trimmed as if pruning, rotated smoothly with a cleaner and purer color.

“It’s fine.”

It seemed that this was not enough to be submitted as evidence for the thesis.

You just need to learn how to write the rest by reading other papers.

For the lacking part, you can use Professor Skadi.

Since she has the right to wish anyway, she is willing to use her as an assistant.

I tried to close the book I had read.

By the way.

“This···.”

a corner of the book.

When I saw the place where the author’s name was written, my thoughts stopped.

[Maria Lawrence]

The name of an old colleague, too familiar to me, was there.

“Professor. Why do you keep looking at that page?”

Encia questioned whether it was strange for me to stay still, but I didn’t answer.

“professor?”

Without answering, he took off the gloves he had been wearing all along.

Under the cold winter sunlight, a rough hand covered in scars was revealed.

“Professor… your hand…?”

“quiet.”

I stopped Ensia from opening her mouth.

Right now, I wish you would be silent.

“Be quiet.”

I swiped the author’s name with the tip of my finger.

She who accepted me, who shared the years of scars on this hand, and who had carved the same number of scars on her hand.

The memories of that day, which can no longer be returned, were chewed with the fingertips that touched the bookshelf.

The memory of that difficult but brilliant day seemed to resemble the texture of a rough yet soft bookshelf.

Ensia’s hand gently gripped my shoulder.

The light that flowed from her hand gently wrapped around my body.

“I feel very sad.”

“·······.”

“It must be a sad memory.”

This time, I swallowed the answer and closed the book.

And, I remembered the words of Laniakea I heard the other day.

That all of my colleagues were once students here.

“I have to go.”

“oh.”

When I stood up after shaking off my seat, the hanging ensia and the spirits tumbled down.

I pushed her away with one hand and headed straight to the school.

Right now, it was a little hard to stay still.

*

The winter forest where Yujin Kang left.

Encia quietly looked at the empty seat he had left.

“Is there a story?”

For some reason, the sight of her staring at the name written in the corner of the book caught my eye.

Feelings of sadness that were conveyed through his fragrant energy.

Recalling the feelings of that time, I put my hand on the white snowy field.

“Yeah. It’s the same…”

The energy of the winter forest.

Not only pure magical power, but the image that only Encia can feel, dwelling in this forest.

It was a calm, cozy, faint reverberation of nostalgia.

And today, the energy I felt from Yujin Kang was similar to the energy in this forest.

“Did I find it?”

7 years ago.

The day the endless winter came to this forest.

When she was young, she set foot in this forest, and to this day, she was looking for the owner of this white image that had stopped.

-Ansia…

“yes.”

The spirits gathered around her surrounded her.

As she wrapped her arms around the little white spirits, she finally came to a conclusion.

“I’m going to Helios.”

He took out an old piece of paper from his pocket and held it.

childhood long ago.

It was the admission letter from Helios, who had been invited to enter several times and had also refused.

Looking at the still empty signature line, Encia took out a pen.

‘professor. Is the professor the person I was looking for?’

Nothing is known yet.

So, now I’m going to check it with my own two eyes.

To find out the secret of this winter.