Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 36

"...Hoo."

Thud, thud.

I slowly caught my breath and started walking.

My mind was still filled with the lecture I had just heard.

-This is an area that can be easily achieved if you have a proper understanding of the principles of each attribute.

-The most important thing in attribute combination is to prevent the attributes from overlapping.

-The principle is the same for higher attributes, although the formula is a bit more complex. But mastering them comes first.

I had learned enough theory.

But theory and practice were completely different things.

Would I be able to do it?

'I think I can combine lower attributes.'

Fire, water, earth, electricity, wind, cold, and so on.

Combining these, which were called lower attributes, shouldn't be too difficult for me with the [Prodigy of Magic] trait.

In fact, even the academy students with ordinary talent had succeeded in combining attributes.

The problem was...

'Higher attributes... I'm not sure.'

Even I couldn't guarantee that I could combine higher attributes like light and darkness.

But right now, I was in a place where a professor from a prestigious academy was directly observing me.

Therefore, it was better to try a combination that was difficult to master alone.

Well, it did sting a little to think that Roan's ego would get inflated...

'Growth comes first.'

I decided to try and master the attribute combination with this opportunity and stood up.

"Let me know if you need any help."

I nodded at the professor's words and held up the [Holy Staff].

And I carefully floated a sphere imbued with the light attribute.

Whoosh!

The light was just bright enough to be dazzling when looked at directly.

It was a mythic-tier light, but I deliberately lowered its level, considering the repercussions it could cause.

Whoosh!

Next, I floated a sphere imbued with the water attribute.

Water, along with light, would become my main attribute.

"It's a combination of the water attribute, which is free in form transformation, and the light attribute, which is difficult to transform. Interesting, isn't it?"

"I'm not sure if it will work."

With those words, I closed my eyes.

Since this was my first time attempting a combination, I needed to concentrate.

Moreover, I needed even more concentration because I couldn't let the level of light magic increase in the process.

'Combine... combine...'

I brought two images to mind.

Water and light.

At the same time, I continued to picture them merging into one in my mind.

'I need to recreate what I achieved in the game.'

The most important thing was timing.

So...

'Now.'

With a strong feeling that the time had come, I opened my eyes.

Crackle!

I clashed the water sphere and the light sphere.

However, it wasn't as easy as I thought.

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Crackle!

A strong repulsion began to occur, just like with the students who had failed earlier.

But instead of panicking, I instinctively analyzed the cause.

Like a [Prodigy of Magic].

'The mana is losing its way.'

The professor had said that the most important thing in attribute combination was for the mana with different attributes to move along a designated path.

It seemed that wasn't happening now, causing the collision.

'In that case...'

I immediately diverted the tangled path to a different route.

As a result...

'It's working!'

The two spheres were gradually merging.

But it still didn't feel smooth.

Flutter!

The mana was fluctuating violently.

The mana path, the image of the two attributes, and the suppression of the light attribute.

I had to stabilize the fluctuating mana while paying attention to all three of these things, but it wasn't working.

No, it felt like the spheres would explode if my concentration wavered even a little.

Perhaps the professor also sensed the danger.

"This... I need to lend a hand."

Swoosh!

The professor suddenly grabbed both of my shoulders and channeled her mana.

I didn't resist and accepted the mana she was sending.

The professor's mana control and mine felt quite different.

'It's much more delicate and smooth.'

Unlike me, who handled mana roughly, the professor controlled it with a practiced hand.

Of course, that didn't mean the professor's magical talent was superior.

'...It must be the difference in experience.'

Such skillful control could only be achieved with time and practice.

At that moment, I keenly felt what I lacked.

Flash!

Finally, all the mana that had been sputtering found stability, and the two spheres completely absorbed each other.

The appearance was not much different from the sphere of light I had initially created.

I silently examined the sphere and then asked the professor,

"Was that a success?"

The professor, who had narrowed her eyes for some reason, slowly nodded.

"...Yes, you succeeded. Congratulations. That was an excellent combination."

So, I succeeded.

Although it was a bit disappointing that I needed the professor's help.

'Good.'

I had taken another step forward.

***

Click, click, click....

Honorary Professor of Asion Academy, Jyren Renata.

Click!

The red-haired woman, who had been pacing in the same spot, suddenly stopped.

"...Hmm."

She was feeling incredibly uneasy.

It was as if she had missed something important.

It was all because of a student who had observed her class today.

"Strange. It's strange."

It was a feeling she could only have after working at the academy for over a decade.

She had experienced countless types of mana firsthand.

"It definitely felt like he was hiding something..."

Judging from the student's mana control, although a bit rough, he was by no means someone who would fail.

But it was as if he was suppressing something, and the focus on that suppression seemed to be hindering the combination.

A divided mind meant that the difficulty of the combination was much higher.

If it weren't for that factor, he would have surely succeeded in the combination on his own.

The question was...

'What was he trying to hide?'

She had no idea what he was suppressing and trying to hide.

Was it some forbidden magic that he shouldn't touch?

"It didn't feel like that... Hmm."

In the end, unable to find an answer to her question, she knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

"It's Jyren."

"Come in."

Jyren opened the door and entered, bowing her head.

Dean Asion Gale was organizing his desk, seemingly having finished some paperwork.

Jyren spoke first.

"I've come to report on what you requested the other day."

"About Mr. Yuhan?"

"Yes. As you expected, he observed my class, and I experienced his mana firsthand."

"Hmm."

Asion Gale, who had been exhausted from intense work, his eyes became noticeably sharper.

Even though it was just an evaluation, Yuhan was the person Asion had been paying the most attention to lately, since there were rumors that he had surpassed his own protégé.

"So... how was he?"

"He was quite skilled in handling mana. With a little guidance, he'll quickly reach perfection."

"Does that mean?"

At Asion's question, Jyren slightly nodded.

"Yes, he certainly has the potential to surpass Roan."

"Huh..."

Asion Gale involuntarily opened his mouth.

"To think that would be true."

He had heard it directly from Roan, but he couldn't easily believe it.

Roan had the most outstanding talent among all the students he had seen since founding the academy.

It was natural that he wouldn't think there would be someone more skilled than him at a similar age.

But now he had no choice but to believe it.

Jyren Renata, the most competent professor at the academy and the one he trusted the most, had seen it with her own eyes.

'This century will be dominated by magic.'

Two geniuses born in the same century.

Perhaps their existence would break the stalemate in the tug-of-war between those with supernatural abilities.

Just as he was thinking that...

"Wait a minute."

Asion Gale's eyes widened as if he had remembered something.

"You said there was no problem with his mana handling?"

"Yes."

"Not even the slightest problem?"

"...That's right, isn't it?"

"That's impossible!"

Thump!

Asion Gale slammed his hand on the desk, unlike his usual demeanor.

"That child's circuit was a complete mess!"

"...Excuse me?"

Jyren also had a bewildered look on her face at his words.

"A messed up circuit... I didn't notice anything like that at all. In fact, he handled mana at a level that wouldn't be out of place among children his age, no, even compared to Roan."

"...This is truly unbelievable."

This conversation meant only one thing.

That child's talent was far superior to Roan, who was called a genius of magic.

To an extent that even Asion Gale couldn't have imagined.

And that meant...

'I need to recruit that child to the academy... by any means necessary.'

It was sufficient grounds for him to decide that he must bring Yuhan into the academy.

***

Meanwhile, after the professor left.

The lecture hall quickly became noisy due to the combination Yuhan had shown.

"Hey, where are you from? Bultan? Freze?"

"I'm not really affiliated with anywhere. If I had to say, I guess it would be Aldeon."

"What? Aldeon? So that's why the light magic..."

"When did you learn the combination process? You didn't look like a beginner. If you don't mind, could you teach me the method..."

After answering countless questions...

"...Let's go, Roan."

Yuhan pointed outside the lecture hall with an exhausted expression.

However, Roan just silently stared at him.

Actually, he couldn't even hear Yuhan properly.

All his thoughts were focused on the combination he had just witnessed.

'...He succeeded in the end.'

Honestly, Roan was curious too.

Just how far did this man's talent extend?

How big was the gap between them?

And with the combination he just witnessed, Roan realized everything.

'I guess I was no match for him from the beginning.'

Roan once had this thought.

'I want to meet a rival who can compete with me in magic.'

And he thought Yuhan would be that person.

He might fall behind in the manifestation of magic, but he was confident in his theoretical knowledge.

Of course, this thought wasn't wrong even now.

Roan's knowledge was far superior to Yuhan's.

However, the problem was that the difference in their skills was large enough to make up for the difference in their theoretical knowledge.

Now, there was only one option left for Roan.

"Yuhan, I think I have to go now. This is where I end the tour."

"What?"

Leaving Yuhan behind with a bewildered expression, Roan left the lecture hall.

He hurriedly moved towards the carriage managed by Jeff.

"You called for me."

"Jeff, let's move right now."

"Yes, where to?"

"Please take me to my clan."

"...Excuse me?"

Jeff asked back with a look of disbelief.

He knew that Roan had severed ties with his family long ago.

"...Are you serious?"

But Roan had no choice.

This was the only way to surpass Yuhan.

"It seems I have to accept my father's offer."

Roan made up his mind.

To inherit the secret techniques of the Vilgef, the greatest magic family of this era.

The techniques that Roan had rejected, saying he didn't want the easy path.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]