Starting Out with an Infinite Skill Tree!

Ch. 23



Chapter 23. A Duel of ‘Knowledge’ — The Manifestation of Knowledge!

“No way… that’s impossible, no matter how you think about it!”

Rare books from another world… and forty thousand of them at once?

“M-My apologies… that was… quite unsightly of me.” Cidy blushed slightly, embarrassed after accidentally spraying Yan with tea.

“…How messy.” Yan wiped the tea off his clothes with a sigh.

“Even if you say that, f-forty thousand!? How could that even be possible!?” Cidy’s eyes gleamed as she began examining him up and down.

Wait a second—

That Vaporization Freezing Technique from before… was that also knowledge from another world!?

Yan's peculiarities forced her to consider this. If he truly possessed forty thousand books from another world!! Hiss~!!

Just imagining it made her swallow hard.

On the other side, Yan was already strategizing.

He suddenly recalled No Game No Life—that match between Blank and Flügel Jibril, where they wagered the entire human library in a word-chain game.

If that’s the case—

“Earlier, you said it yourself. For a mage, knowledge is equivalent to life, right?” Yan said calmly, setting his teacup down.

“That’s right…” Cidy frowned slightly.

“I have no way to prove that I own so many books—because they all exist inside my head.”

“…”

The girl's face looked like, Are you pulling my leg?

Are you sure you're not messing with me?

Forty thousand books—and he’s claiming they’re all in his head!?

“If you can’t prove it—” Cidy began with a sigh.

“That’s why, let’s use something of equal value to life as our wager for this game. If you win, I’ll be yours to do with as you please.”

“Sell me, use me for experiments—whatever you like. If you win, you’ll know soon enough whether or not my mind truly contains forty thousand books.” Yan said this with unnerving calm, tapping his temple lightly with one finger.

“—What…!?” ×3

Giselle, Restia, and Cidy all cried out in shock.

None of them expected Yan to say something so outrageous.

The eyes staring back at them now—radiating power, aggression, and composure—made Cidy feel as though she was no longer facing an ungrown wolf cub…

…but a full-grown lion, ruler of the plains.

Her bright blue eyes widened as she locked onto the boy’s calm, unshaken gaze, staring deeply—as if she could bore through his soul.

He claims to hold forty thousand books from another world… and is staking himself in a gamble.

Such madness—she had never seen before.

Was he truly unafraid? Did he not even worry about what would happen if he lost!?

What Cidy didn’t understand was—

A true gambler isn’t reckless. Yan had already decided on his victory before he made the bet.

He was fundamentally different from the kind of fool who acted on impulse.

The reckless may be bold—but they always pay a heavy price.

Those like Yan, however, act only after everything is in place. The process may seem dangerous, but the result is nearly assured.

You can call it courage or confidence—

But this confidence was never arrogance!

“Can I at least ask—what kind of books make up those forty thousand volumes?” Cidy finally spoke after a long silence.

“Encyclopedias, medical texts, philosophy, science and mathematics, chemistry, biology, and even quantum mechanics. Nearly all the knowledge accumulated by humanity in another world. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for magic, I can only say—there’s none.” Yan replied with an easy smile and a shrug.

Hearing that, Cidy’s doubts actually faded.

All those titles—completely unfamiliar to her.

If what he said was true, then an ocean of unknown knowledge lay before her!

She unconsciously wiped the corner of her mouth, just to make sure no drool had escaped.

Her gaze sharpened.

“Interesting. Tell me what kind of game you have in mind first—then I’ll decide whether to accept your wager.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t deny the value of Yan’s offer.

That alone made him blink in mild surprise; it saved him quite a bit of talking.

What Yan didn’t realize was—

The more a mage pursues truth, the more they understand that life—no matter how small or grand—is immeasurably precious.

In the world of magic, to stake one’s life for something is considered sacred.

That was why Cidy didn’t immediately reject his proposal.

Besides—

She didn’t believe she could lose to a ten-year-old child.

“You just said that ‘knowledge is a mage’s life,’ right? Then let’s have a game—a duel of knowledge!”

Remembering his happy times watching No Game No Life before his transmigration, Yan couldn’t help but smirk slightly.

“Knowledge, huh? And how exactly do you plan to compete in that?” Cidy looked genuinely surprised.

“Are you really the owner of this vast library of knowledge? Or are you just some talkative monkey pretending to be?” Yan teased with a grin.

There was no malice in his tone—but the words were cruel enough to sting.

Having already grasped much of her personality, Yan no longer bothered to hold back.

Before him, this Seventh-Tier Saint Magus had completely lost her dignity.

“Oh my! How rude! To say such things to a beautiful lady!” Cidy pressed her hands to her cheeks and smiled with crescent-moon eyes—though Yan could still feel a faint killing intent.

He quickly continued:

“Anyway, you said earlier that even magic capable of rewriting reality exists, right?”

“That’s right~!”

“Then could you easily create a consciousness space—a realm of thought?”

“!? You… want to connect your mind with mine?” Cidy’s eyes widened in surprise.

“In a consciousness space, no matter what we imagine, it won’t affect the real world, right?”

“That’s true. Such a spell is quite simple—it doesn’t require any magic from the forbidden books. With a bit of practice, even you could learn it.”

Understanding where Yan was going with this, Cidy’s eyes began to shine with growing excitement.

“Then let’s base the competition on Word Chain. We’ll each say one word, the next must connect to the last—and it must describe something that truly exists within our knowledge.”

“It must be real? Then I’ll need to add a few rules to the consciousness space.” Cidy frowned slightly, but didn’t seem to mind.

“Anything we name that exists will vanish from the space; anything that doesn’t exist will manifest. If one of us fails to respond within thirty seconds, that person loses.”

“Also, if someone dies within the consciousness space, they lose as well. But direct interference with each other’s bodies isn’t allowed,” Yan said, raising a finger with each rule.

“Materialization of imagination!? No, it’s not that—it’s the manifestation of knowledge itself!” Cidy’s eyes gleamed brightly.

A duel of knowledge—the manifestation of knowledge!

Whoever failed to quickly find a valid connecting word would lose.

And if what the other conjured became too dangerous, leading to one’s death within the consciousness space, it would also be a loss.

Only the one who survived to the end, or forced the other into silence, would be the winner.

It was a battle that tested not only one’s mental library, but also their speed of thought.

“This sounds delightful! I accept! But if you die in the consciousness space, you’ll suffer real mental backlash. With your current mental strength, you might be weakened for quite some time.”

“That’s fine. But what about you? You sure you’re not worried? I only have forty thousand books—but you have over one hundred and seventy million. If I win, that’s quite the loss for you.” Yan said casually, still smiling.

“No need to worry—it’s an impossible scenario anyway. Even if you add more conditions, it wouldn’t matter.”

“Oh? You’re talking as if you’ve already won,” Yan chuckled.

“Mhm~!” Cidy replied confidently with a smug little smile.

She was, after all, a mage of vast knowledge. How could she possibly lose!?

In her eyes, even if Yan used “words” within the consciousness space to imagine himself with equal power, her vast magical experience would easily overwhelm him.

Besides, she had encountered countless “imaginary creatures.” If she manifested even one, she could end the game instantly.

How could a ten-year-old like Yan possibly imagine something powerful enough to stand against her?

The rules were clear from the start: only things that truly exist within one’s knowledge could be manifested.

Even if he wanted to conjure a “Demon Lord,” that would be impossible—

He’d have to have seen one first!

(Yan: “Actually, I have.”

Restia: “…!? Why are you looking at me? And why would you even want to imagine me!?”)

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