Chapter 11
Fwoooosh!
Fireballs flew from three directions. I expertly calculated their trajectories and used Remote Casting to deploy Shields and block them.
[Magic has increased by 1.]
Baphomet tried to use the opening to cast another spell, but I wasn’t about to let that happen. I quickly fired a Mana Arrow to keep it in check and, in turn, destroyed the one magic circle it had managed to create.
[Accelerated Casting has reached Lv.3.]
[Proficiency with Mana Arrow has reached 100%.]
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
As the battle wore on, Baphomet’s patterns became familiar, and I grew stronger and stronger. The wound on my shoulder throbbed, but my mind was dominated by the intense pleasure that came from becoming stronger. Drunk on the euphoria of the battle, I shouted.
"Are you already out of patterns? Try something else, boss!"
Thwack!
Even as I was saying this, my Mana Arrow was piercing Baphomet’s thigh. By now, it must have been getting anxious. The challenger who had been unilaterally pushed back had grown and grown until he had nearly caught up. But my own condition wasn’t exactly perfect either.
Mentally, I was at my peak, but my body was struggling to keep pace. Relying solely on my infinite mana, I had been casting spells nonstop, and the fatigue was building up in my body. Above all, the fact that I still hadn’t landed a single decisive blow on Baphomet was making me anxious.
Stay calm. An opening will come. I just have to keep the pressure on, force a mistake. If I can land just one clean hit with the Gauntlet, I can turn the tables.
I kept my composure and continued to deploy magic circles. Just as our fierce magical duel was unfolding, Baphomet suddenly lifted its halberd and slammed it into the ground with a loud thud!
That’s a new pattern. What is it?
Vwoooom!
The orb at the tip of the halberd glowed brightly as a large magic circle spread out from it. Then, shimmering green orbs of mana began to form around it. Sensing something was wrong, I began to remotely cast a Shield, but the fully cast orbs of mana flew toward me first.
…Huh?
For a moment, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The orbs of mana weren’t flying in a straight line; they were soaring through the air in irregular patterns, spinning and zigzagging.
That was the problem—there was no way to read their trajectory. My Shield was complete, but the mana orbs mocked it, soaring past in bizarre, unpredictable arcs.
“…Ugh!”
BOOOOM! CRACK!
A series of massive explosions erupted simultaneously, scorching the earth. I barely avoided a direct hit, but the blast still launched me into the air before slamming me violently back down. Every bone in my body screamed in protest.
“Agh!”
The impact left me so rattled I could barely push myself up. Lying facedown, I managed to lift my head just in time to see Baphomet already preparing its next spell.
As fast as possible!
If there was one thing I’d learned the hard way in that cube, it was that defense wasn’t everything. I cast a Mana Arrow, sending it streaking toward the magic circle on the halberd.
Swoosh!
At that exact moment, Baphomet lunged forward. The claws on its arms lengthened into swords, which it swung to swat my Mana Arrow aside.
So much for a surprise attack. It had blocked it all the same. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but it almost looked like the corners of Baphomet’s mouth were turning up in a smirk.
Fwoosh!
All the while, green orbs formed around the halberd embedded in the ground, rapidly inflating. From experience, I knew those things packed a devastating punch. A direct hit from even one would be the end of me, and even if I somehow survived, my stamina would be completely depleted. The pattern would just repeat until I lost.
How was I supposed to defeat a monster like this with just the three basic magic spells? As I desperately searched for a weakness, my gaze fell upon the magic circle on the halberd. My eyes widened as its structure snapped into focus, suddenly crystal clear.
Wait a minute, I thought. This… I can at least imitate this, can’t I?
While my brain raced, Baphomet’s mana orbs finished forming and began flying toward me in their unreadable trajectories. I bit my lip and threw myself out of the way.
BOOM! BOOM! R-R-Rumble!
Once again, the explosions left the ground a scorched wasteland. Baphomet gazed with satisfaction at the billowing smoke, then leisurely began casting its next spell.
As if I’d let it.
Fwish!
The Mana Arrow I fired tore through the smoke, heading straight for Baphomet. The creature tried to swat it away again with its elongated claws, but…
Swooosh!
The Mana Arrow’s trajectory twisted bizarrely as it spun through the air. Baphomet’s claws sliced through nothing, and in that instant, my arrow hit its mark. My target, of course, was the magic circle on its halberd.
“This is how you do it, right?” As the smoke cleared, I stood in tattered clothes with one arm extended, a grin spreading across my face.
Baphomet couldn’t hide its shock. It tried to activate the magic circle again, but the circle only sputtered with sparks, failing to function.
“Of course it won’t work. I severed the line connecting the rune to the formula.”
I slowly rose to my feet. When I first saw that magic circle, I was truly astonished. It deliberately placed resistance on the output rune, creating an overload that sent the spell into a rampage, making the projectile’s trajectory impossible to read. I was studying magic myself, but this felt like glimpsing a whole new world.
“Thanks. Seeing your magic circle was a real eye-opener.”
I didn’t know if the creature understood me, but I felt the need to say it anyway. I opened my right hand.
Vwoom!
The base was laid. The field was drawn. The runes were set, and the formulas wrapped around them. Just as blood flows through veins, mana began to course through the magic circle, creating its own small ecosystem. This was my first original magic circle.
WHISH!
The mana arrow shot from the circle spun so violently its trajectory was impossible to read. It dodged the claws Baphomet swung in desperation and embedded itself right in the center of the monster’s magic circle.
Shatter!
Baphomet’s magic circle disintegrated. Messages appeared before me.
[You have created your own original magic circle.]
[Magic has increased by 5.]
[Intelligence has increased by 2.]
I examined the magic circle I had created with my Sage’s Eye.
[Spin Guide Arrow ]
Magic Circle Value: C+
Order: Second-order
Classification: Offensive
Special Effects:
-Guidance Function. -Output Overload.
Understanding: 45
Sustainability: 12
Operability: 97
Output: 140
For the first time, I had created my own magic. I remembered my surprise when I first read The Fundamentals of Magic and drew a magic circle that was an exact replica of the one in the book. This, I now realized, was the true power of the Sage’s Eye: the ability not just to see magic, but to reproduce it perfectly.
However, at my current level, it was impossible to understand Baphomet’s magic circle perfectly. I couldn’t simply copy a spell whose principles I didn’t understand. So instead, I isolated the necessary components and applied them to Mana Arrow, my only long-range attack. It was a reinterpretation that went beyond mere imitation—a level I had to reach to win this fight.
“It’s too early to be surprised.”
I immediately began drawing the next magic circle. I floated a central circle in the air, and behind it, I sketched out the first ten percent of a Spin Guide Arrow circle. Then, I activated the central one.
Five Spin Guide Arrow magic circles unfolded as if copied.
“This time, your magic circle was too complex, so I added more of my own ideas.”
First, I laid down a magic circle centered on the Rune of Binding. Around it, I placed five Guide Arrow circles, each drawn only ten percent complete and left on standby. By activating the Rune of Binding, I could simultaneously trace the processes of all five circles. Normally, multi-casting multiplies the number of formulas required. But for me, with the Sage’s Eye and my copying ability, it was about as difficult as writing with a pen in each hand. That made this a truly original spell only I could wield.
“Here it comes.”
SHWAAANG!
Five Spin Guide Arrows scattered, painting the air with bizarre trajectories. A horrified Baphomet swung its claws frantically, but…
Thwack!
One to the chest.
Fshnk!
One to the thigh. Then the waist and the elbow. Having managed to parry only one of the five shots, Baphomet leaned against the altar, blood streaming from its body.
“Thanks,” I said, walking leisurely toward the fallen boss. “For teaching me a good formula.”
[You have created your own original magic circle.]
[Analysis has reached Lv.2.]
[Magic has increased by 5.]
[Focus has increased by 2.]
[You have perfectly grasped the designer’s intent.]
[Copy Magical Position ]
Magic Circle Value: C+
Order: Second-order
Classification: Offensive
Special Effects:
-Multi-Copy Function
Understanding: 68
Sustainability: 55
Operability: 127
Output: 12
Now I finally understood the designer’s intent—the previous Tower Master. The rules here were as follows:
[The ‘rules’ of this trial will be applied. – All currently held magic, other than the 3 basic magics, will be sealed.]
At first, I thought this meant I could only use the three basic spells, but that wasn’t it. The magic I possessed upon entering was sealed, but any original magic I created within the trial could be used freely. The message wasn’t to stick to the basics, but to draw inspiration from the trial, develop new magic, and overcome the crisis.
KIIIEEEK!
Baphomet squeezed out its last bit of strength and charged.
I unfolded the Gauntlet magic circle, overlaying it on my hands. The creature swung its weakened halberd, but I easily blocked it with my left arm. Then, I raised my waiting right arm.
Haaa!
I exhaled the breath I’d been holding and threw a straight punch with every ounce of my strength.
CRACK!
Blue sparks flew as Baphomet’s body was sent flying.
Thud!
With a sickening crunch, it slammed into the wall and slid lifelessly to the floor.
Huff…! Huff! Do I need to hit it again?
Contrary to my fears, Baphomet didn’t move. Soon, its body slowly disintegrated into dust and vanished into the air.
[Congratulations! You have cleared the boss room.]
[The Magic Tower’s 2nd Floor, the ‘Great Library,’ is now unsealed.]
[You will acquire some of the Great Library Scribe’s traits.]
Finally…!
I had unlocked the second floor of the Magic Tower with my own power. Along with the player message announcing the trial’s end, I felt a strange buoyancy as my feet lifted off the ground. My vision went black for a moment, and then the scenery changed in an instant. I was back inside the Magic Tower.
When I looked up, the spatial distortion that had blocked the path to the second floor was gone. In its place, a door leading upward was visible. I’d done it. Only after seeing the door did the reality of my achievement sink in. The indescribable sense of accomplishment was fleeting, however, as the release of tension brought on an unbearable wave of fatigue.
…I’ll check out the second floor later.
I collapsed on the spot, and my consciousness faded away.
* * *
Name: Kim Yusin
Unique Ability: Sage’s Eye
Personal Traits: [Child of Mana Lv.2], [Master of the Magic Tower Lv.10], [Magic Engineering Lv.10], [Spell Lord Lv.10], [Over-immersion Lv.7], [Potion Brewing Lv.5], [Accelerated Casting Lv.3], [Multi-Casting Lv.3], [Analysis Lv.2]
Basic Stats: [Magic 99], [Agility 12], [Strength 7], [Stamina 7]
Special Stats: [Focus 12], [Intelligence 6], [Willpower 3], [Endurance 2]
Total Stats: 148
New Traits: New! [Remote Casting Lv.1], New! [Information Processing Lv.5]
* * *
