1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

35. Magic (2)

There are ranks in magic as well.

The lower rank (級) and the higher position (位).

The rank is divided into lower, middle, and upper.

The position is divided into initial and advanced.

Beyond that is the realm only Archmages can enter, the ultra-advanced position.

Carmelo, who had just become an advanced mage, organized the research journals he planned to study here and pulled out a blank sheet of paper.

‘With his level of calculation, he would pass the academy with flying colors, so let’s skip that…’

What he was writing now was a lecture curriculum.

And it was an accelerated course, faster than the standard level.

Just learning the formulas alone usually takes three years to reach the academy’s admission criteria.

But by omitting just that, the time was naturally shortened significantly.

‘All that’s left is theory and practice. If we focus only on that, it should be sufficient.’

And so, the time it took for Hershel to become a mage was astonishingly…

“My goodness, to think it only takes this much to become a mage.”

It was four years.

* * *

I was nervous about being given another difficult problem to solve.

But, was there some incident?

Carmelo said we’re done with formulas, let’s move on to theory lessons.

I didn’t ask why.

I didn’t want to mention it and be given another mind-blowing problem like yesterday.

Well, it must mean I barely made it, so it’s okay to move on from math.

“Normally, the textbooks say you can’t combine opposing elements in a single spell, but I’d like to tell you it depends on the situation,”

Carmelo explained as he drew the spell with his wand.

Intrigued by the theory lesson that considered practicality, I naturally asked a question.

“Because in practice, you can’t always draw the spell perfectly, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Sometimes when using fire magic, if you fail to control the firepower, you might add a water series spell to adjust the power. Ideally, you should erase it and redraw it, but when the enemy is right in front of you, making such adjustments is the right decision.”

As he swung his wand, flames burst forth, soon followed by a surge of steam.

Hiss!

I couldn’t help but gape as the torch-like blaze transformed into a candle of just the right size.

It was then I truly felt I was learning magic.

“Though I’m reluctant to say, this rubbish textbook is the standard for the academy’s entrance exam. Write the answers as they are written here, and feel free to tear it up once you’re admitted.”

It was clear why Aria had described Carmelo as a magician of exceptional skill in her letter.

The lessons he taught were more detailed and broader than the information described in the textbooks.

In addition, I learned efficient structuring of goodwill, along with minor tips on the manifestation and combination of elements.

On the fifth day,

During our casual conversations, I realized Carmelo was no ordinary magician.

“…You’re affiliated with the Mage Tower?”

“It’s surprising, isn’t it? To think you saw me as nothing more than a lowly street magician.”

“Who would have imagined a mage from the Tower would come here to tutor? Even you must find it odd, right?”

“Hmph, research requires a significant amount of money. I have to earn it myself to secure the insufficient funds. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have come here.”

After that conversation, his expression was marred by displeasure for days.

The lessons continued in a prickly tone, but he made sure to fulfill his duties, completing the intermediate theory classes required for academy admission.

It only took three weeks, which was unsettlingly fast…

“Is the pace too fast for you? Worried you might have missed something or need to learn more?”

“Are you bragging about your calculations?”

“Hmm? Speak up. I can’t quite hear your mumbling.”

“I’ve told you every time I taught you the theory, you understood it right there, so it’s fine.”

“Seems like you said less than that?”

“…”

And then came the long-awaited lesson.

‘Practical Application of Magic’ – this was the last subject.

If the previous classes were only about listening to formulas and theories, this one was about creating a body capable of casting magic.

As I managed to calm my excited heart, Carmelo cleared his throat.

It was the beginning of a formal lecture.

“Do you remember the five senses of mana sensitivity well?”

“Of course, I do.”

Mana sensitivity refers to the perception of mana through the five senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste.

If even one of these senses awakens, one becomes a bona fide magician.

“Do you also remember the five talents of magic?”

“No. You glossed over that today, saying you’d explain it properly.”

From what I’ve heard briefly, there are five categories of magic, and each person has a different aptitude for each category.

That’s what they call talent.

“Ah, that seems right. We put off discussing it because there’s a connection between talent and mana sensitivity.”

“Connection?”

When I asked out of curiosity, Carmelo chuckled.

“Yes. Interestingly, the first sense to awaken is determined by one’s talent.”

Thump!

Carmelo placed five books on the table.

“Let’s then explain the correlation between the five talents and mana sensitivity.”

Without even opening the books, Carmelo pointed to one with his finger.

It was a tome of elemental magic.

“For the elemental category, which deals with wind, fire, lightning, and water, those whose touch awakens first are naturally suited. The proportion of magicians in this category is overwhelmingly high, and the developed techniques are the most extensive.”

In short, it seems like a versatile talent.

Common, but perhaps because of its commonality, the number of developed spells is the greatest.

Next, Carmelo pointed to the book of the shaping category.

“The shaping category is the talent of those whose sight awakens first. Illusionary magic is commonly developed, but with mastery, one can create tangible objects or even artificial life. Like this.”

With a wave of his wand, a butterfly emerged from thin air and settled on the book.

Watching the butterfly flutter its wings as if truly alive, I thought it would be nice if sight were the first to awaken.

Could this create gold…?

“The next category is curses. This is the talent of those whose hearing awakens first. It’s rare, occurring in about one in a hundred, but in a world brimming with hatred, even those not naturally suited are pioneering it. Often criminals.”

With another wave of his wand, the butterfly rotted away.

It seemed to have died from a curse.

“The next is the dispelling category. This is the talent of those whose smell awakens first. Among the five, it’s the most valuable talent.”

…I’d bet all the money in my pocket that this man’s smell was the first to awaken.

“In terms of rarity, it’s about one in a thousand. The greatest proportion of recorded great magicians were those whose smell awakened first. It’s such a useful talent that it shines in other professions as well.”

It seems like an innate understanding of dispelling magic.

There’s a saying that knowledge is power.

According to Carmelo’s lengthy explanation, it seemed he was close to being an all-rounder, affecting talents beyond just magic.

No wonder there were particularly gifted characters among the playable magicians, ones who excelled in various fields… such was this category.

“Take, for example, a magic swordsman who nullifies magic, killing the spell itself.”

Carmelo’s eyes sparkled as he performed psychokinesis.

Another wand sprang from his bag, drawing spells on its own without an owner.

Judging by the flickering air and the spell’s geometric patterns, it was elemental, a flame magic.

Whoosh!

Flames surged towards Carmelo like a water cannon.

But with a single flick of his wand, Carmelo made the flames disappear as if they had never existed.

The finesse to observe magic more closely allowed him to revert the spell to nothingness safely, like defusing a time bomb without any backlash.

This was just one of the many true values of nullification.

“Other examples include scholars of the Magic Tower who have made groundbreaking research, alchemists who imbue magic into tools to create magical artifacts, or those who preemptively find and eliminate trap spells in dungeons—”

“Enough bragging. Shall we move on?”

Cutting off his self-praise, Carmelo frowned displeasedly.

Indeed, this guy must have developed his sense of smell first.

“Ahem, lastly, the unique series. The first sense to awaken is taste. This category is a collection of magical concepts that cannot be categorized, briefly including psychokinesis. Others include healing, or making objects lighter…”

Certainly, the psychokinesis and healing magic Carmelo cited as examples did not belong to any of the previously explained categories.

“The rarity is even scarcer than the nullification series, but ironically, it’s currently the least valued talent.”

Carmelo pointed to the thinnest book.

I understood the meaning he wanted to convey immediately.

“Because there are so few, there’s hardly any developed magic?”

“Yes, that’s right. The nullification series is also a minority, but thanks to geniuses continuously pioneering the field, there’s a vast amount of data. However, the unique series is different. The concepts are vague, making research tricky. So far, the only verified practical uses are psychokinesis for convenience and healing magic.”

In short, it was a field akin to undiscovered treasure, yet to shine due to its unexplored nature.

“Research is still thriving, but to truly show its worth, it might take at least until the next century.”

…I sincerely hope it’s not my talent.

Thirsty, Carmelo drained a cup of water and asked me.

“That’s the overview. But sir, when do you plan to enroll in the academy?”

“Haven’t I mentioned it yet?”

“Well… Given your pace, I thought you might reach your decision sooner than expected.”

“Of course, it would be next year, not the year after that.

To align with the narrative of the playable characters, I had to enroll next year.

“In six months.”

“…Six, six months?”

Did I do something wrong?

Camelo’s face twisted in horror before he adjusted his glasses and his eyes flashed sharply.

“Young master. Do you think a wizard is like bread that comes straight out of the bakery?”

“Wasn’t it…?”

As I asked in bewilderment, Camelo slammed his hand on the desk and bellowed.

“What nonsense are you spouting when you’ve just entered the threshold!”

Geez, that startled me.

“Even if we set aside the time for calculations and theory acquisition, it takes at least four years to complete the first bloom. And even more time for the following ones. That’s the normal pace. But six months? It seems your pride is soaring to the skies just because you learn a bit faster!”

Was magic supposed to take that long?

The playable characters seemed to get in just fine…

“If you’re really set on enrolling next year, you might as well find a wizard to take the proxy exam for you!”

“Ah.”

They were the ones brimming with talent, the genius types, so they were the exception.

But not me, damn it.

And so, the situation grew bleak.

If I missed this year’s academy enrollment, I wouldn’t be able to match the timeline of the playable characters.

If I learned magic now and enrolled late, the world would have already ended.

I waited for Camelo to calm down, then spoke cautiously, grasping at straws.

“…You’re a wizard of the magic tower. Anything will do. Make me an intermediate wizard in six months.”

It was a situation where I only needed to achieve one more subject, but this was too regrettable.

But then Camelo shook his head as if there was nothing to say, then let out a significant statement.

“Well, it’s not that there’s no way… But still, this is a bit… Hmm.”

“What way? Tell me.”

“Actually, there’s an old hypothesis called shock therapy, which forcibly awakens the senses. I’ve been researching it recently, but the subjects…”

“Don’t beat around the bush, just tell me.”

“…They all died.”

Human experimentation, you say? That’s a twisted sense of ethics.

Still, the thought that this might be a miraculous chance for revival crossed my mind, so I decided to ask.

“How did it happen?”

“Shock death. Imagine forcibly tattooing 70 magical formulas inside the body; the flesh simply couldn’t cope. Hmm, the longest a subject survived was up to 37, wasn’t it…? But even then, he eventually became one with nature, turning into nourishment… Let’s leave such pointless stories aside.”

Wait, shock death?

“Try it.”

I said nonchalantly, and Carmelo’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Excuse me?”

“Do it. The forced inscription of lines. If that succeeds, it leads to sensory awakening, right?”

“Are you suggesting we use the eldest son of the Tenest family as the subject?”

“That’s right.”

“…If it fails, I too shall perish by the Duke’s sword.”

As he raised an eyebrow in a gesture of refusal, I chuckled and explained why it was worth the risk.

“Even if you die, I’m the only one who knows you’re here. And you know what? I’m the one who survived the breath of a monster. My body, unlike those who perished, is different. How about it? Worth experimenting on, don’t you think?”

Carmelo’s eyes rounded for a moment before he let out a chilling laugh.

There were many eccentrics among magicians.

The Tower of Magic was home to the selected extremes among them.

For a magician of the Tower, consumed by the thirst for knowledge, acceptance was natural.

“Heh, that’s true. But don’t you need time to prepare the surroundings?”

“Is there a need?”

Just for a shock death.

Compared to what I’ve endured, it’s a laughably trivial cause of death.

“I won’t die.”

Somehow, it will work out.

After all, I have ‘1 second of invincibility.’

* * *

It was already evening twilight.

The experiment was set to start tomorrow, and I was on my way back to the mansion.

‘…Isn’t it suspicious that they’re not nagging me to learn swordsmanship lately?’

‘I’ve decided not to say anything more. Your fervent desire to learn magic is so intense, how could I possibly stand in your way?’

When Donatan spoke nonchalantly, it only made me feel more uneasy.

All day, he had dismissed magic as mere trickery, yet now he was oddly quiet…

I suspected he had an ulterior motive, but with no way to find out, I kept silent.

By the time we reached the main gate, my legs were throbbing, forcing me to stop in my tracks.

‘I don’t know why I’ve been feeling so tired lately. I even seem to have some muscle pain.’

‘…’

‘Does going back and forth count as exercise?’

‘Ahem, yes. Your stamina is so low, it must be.’

It was at that suspicious moment that I squinted my eyes.

“You’ve been going out a lot lately, Hershel.”

Aiol approached me with a doubtful look.

I conjured up the kind of exemplary answer Hershel would give and replied casually.

“I’ve been to the red-light district, father.”

Aiol’s skeptical gaze softened, and one eyebrow twitched.

It seemed my explanation was convincing enough.

‘…Ahem, you’re so forthright, I’m at a loss for words. Well, good. Once you enter the academy, you’ll have to lead a life of abstinence, so enjoy yourself while you can.’

“Then I won’t refuse. I’d like to go gambling tomorrow, could you give me some pocket money?”

‘…’

If only I had this cheat-like alibi that convinces without proof, I might never be caught for secretly learning magic.

The important thing was how shameless I could become.