Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Panini Roche.

Standing before the master of Capella, I chose my words for a moment.

“I am human.”

“I wonder. The energy I sense from you is far too ominous for a human. It is difficult to consider you human at all, so how do you intend to prove those words?”

Around him, the energies of fire, water, wood, earth, and metal rose in the shapes of giants.

‘So that is Panini Roche’s Magic.’

[Elemental Incarnation].

A Magic that summoned the power of the Five Great Elements in the form of giants.

He was a 9-Star Mage, and an Elemental Master who freely handled all Five Great Elements.

In particular, he was skilled at granting form and selfhood to elements and controlling them like his own limbs, so his Magic was famous for possessing a degree of precision so advanced that it was indistinguishable from Spirit Arts.

“I will say it again, but I am human. This centipede is more like someone I live with. You will know if you examine my Core.”

“Oh-ho, your Core?”

At my sudden suggestion that he examine my Core, a strange light appeared in Panini’s eyes.

He pierced through not only the Pristine Power, but also Hyeollyeo’s existence wrapped around it, and swept his gaze over my Core.

“This is fascinating as well. To think a Soul had assimilated with your Core.”

“Has the misunderstanding been resolved now?”

“How are you holding something like that in your Core?”

Now he was beginning to show curiosity toward my Core and Hyeollyeo’s existence.

“This is the first time I have seen a soul dissolved so delicately. Did you use Spiritual Medicine as the Catalyst for this Core? I have never encountered such pure energy before……”

After muttering to himself, he suddenly raised his eyebrows.

“A centipede… Pristine Power…… Could it be ‘Dragon Jade’?”

“……You recognized it immediately.”

“Hah. To think that truly existed.”

Panini burst into laughter.

“Would you allow me to dissect you just a little? Looking at this, I am so curious that I can hardly endure it.”

“……Pardon?”

“I will not kill you. I promise there will be no aftereffects.”

What was this now?

Was he saying he wanted to dissect a living person?

It seemed I was not the only one finding this absurd, because the sword at my waist began rattling.

‘At this rate, Ishara will get angry.’

When I firmly pressed down on the sword hilt, Panini asked again,

“That sword does not seem to be an Ego Sword, so why is it behaving like that?”

“It detected your intent to harm me, Lord Panini.”

“I do not particularly harbor hostility toward you.”

“To be precise, it reacts to all kinds of Thought-Force that intend to cause me harm.”

Ishara’s consciousness was asleep, but her instincts were set to react immediately to any harm directed at me.

Whether it was hostility or not, if there was an intention to damage me, the sword would be drawn without hesitation.

“You are…… truly fascinating. Not only has a mere Apprentice reached 3-Star, but your very existence is Mystery itself.”

The giants of fire and lightning he had raised began approaching with heavy thuds.

“Interesting. I want to research you even more now.”

As if proving he was a Mage, he too was a person with very little common sense installed.

At this rate, I would be captured and dissected.

It was a situation where I had to flee at once, but I remained rooted in place and could not move.

It was not because Magic had struck me, but because there was something that bothered me even more than escaping.

I carefully observed the giants approaching me.

[Why are you standing still? Do you want to be captured and dissected!?]

‘That.’

[What?]

‘Those giants. How did he make them?’

[Is that what matters right now!?]

This was an important matter.

How had he granted form and selfhood to elements?

And not merely by hardening a shell, but by reproducing texture and weight as well.

“How did you do that?”

“Hm?”

“You made the elements look just like living beings.”

“Is it fascinating?”

When I nodded, he laughed.

“If you let me dissect you once, I will gladly tell you.”

“I am sorry, but I do not think I can allow that.”

I took one step back and drew my sword.

‘This is probably a test.’

Of course, he was sincere about wanting to open my stomach.

It was probably also true that there would be no pain or aftereffects, but more than that, he likely wanted to see how I would react.

After all, I was both a fascinating existence and someone who had come with a recommendation from “Ortanis.”

“Do you, by any chance, know the Forbidden Name, Master of the Observatory?”

If he had expectations, I ought to answer them.

As explosively as possible.

“How do you know of that? Not even many high-ranking Nobles know it.”

“If those giants come any closer, I will say it aloud.”

“…….”

At that, a crack appeared in Panini’s face, which had been smiling the entire time.

“Observation goes both ways, does it not? I heard that if I say this, several beings ‘above’ will come running with their eyes overturned.”

“You……”

“Send me back. Otherwise, I will say it.”

If the beings “above” came, then not only we, but the entire Observatory might be blown away.

Just like Ishara, who had blown away South Spirit Mountain after appearing only once, and for only a brief moment.

“That is a lie. Is the Young Lady of Ortanis not here as well?”

“I meant I am confident I can take her and leave with me.”

“…….”

“Are you confident, Lord Panini? I can simply leave, but the Observatory cannot.”

It was not as if the tower could move.

At my words asking whether he wanted to become homeless, he narrowed his brow.

“This…… I have been struck once.”

“I will take that as your permission.”

“I lost, I lost. My friend, I was not even serious from the beginning.”

“No, you were serious.”

Ishara would not have reacted if he had not been serious.

Panini, who had shamelessly lied, raised both hands and chuckled.

“Where are you staying now?”

“I am borrowing the Workshop of a Mage named Bernard Cellone.”

“I will give you the best room. Consider it a form of apology.”

“That sounds good.”

He snapped his fingers.

“I will look forward to what you show in the Competition. Somehow, I feel I will meet you again.”

With that sight as the last thing I saw, I was moved back to where I had been, along with a flash of light.

***

After Isran returned.

Panini laughed as he thought back to the bold boy from just now.

“The master of Ortanis has sent something interesting.”

Panini prided himself on having lived quite a tumultuous life, but even among all that, Isran was an especially peculiar fellow.

A mere 3-Star. A fledgling who had not even removed his Apprentice label had descended to the Third Floor, and his Core even housed the soul of a giant centipede monster-spirit.

‘That must certainly be the soul of the Great Mountain Centipede.’

He had heard recently that South Spirit Mountain had disappeared.

Since that boy possessed Dragon Jade, the centipede’s soul would naturally be that of the Great Mountain Centipede.

To think he had obtained the Core of a Spiritual Creature treated as a legend.

On top of that, the centipede was even friendly toward the boy.

‘He even saw my Magic and, instead of being afraid, wondered about its principles.’

Did that fellow not possess anything called fear?

That alone was already fascinating enough to death, but the fellow even knew the “Forbidden Name.”

When that had come from his mouth, even Panini had been genuinely surprised.

He had thought there were no longer many things in life that could surprise him.

Yet it felt as though he had met a very amusing fellow after a long time, so he was rather pleased.

“……Still, he truly will not recite it, will he?”

If he did, the tower really might be blown away.

For now, he had given the boy a good room as an apology, but he felt strangely uneasy.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Along with the knock that broke his thoughts, a young man entered the office.

A Mage wrapped completely in a Robe and Hood.

He was the very person Isran and Persica had encountered in the Boss Room.

“You have returned, Ferma?”

“Yes, Father.”

He removed his Hood.

There stood a young man who looked exactly like a younger version of Panini.

His name was Ferma Roche.

He was the son of Panini Roche, the Master of the Observatory.

“I met a very interesting person on my way here.”

“Ha ha. You tell me an adventure story before even greeting me properly?”

“That is how fascinating he was.”

Ferma’s eyes shone as he recalled the boy he had met in the Boss Room.

“He was a mysterious boy. He seemed younger than me, yet he played with the Second Floor’s Floor Boss, ‘Silver Toad,’ as though it were a toy.”

Bernard and the other Mages did not know his identity.

He had simply disguised himself as an ordinary Escort, and had intended to step in if necessary.

Ferma’s realm was Early-Stage 6-Star.

If he wished, he could have finished off that toad in an instant, but since the cowardly Mages had retreated, there had been no need for him to show his power.

‘It was a little regrettable, but thanks to that, I saw something even more interesting.’

Although the boy’s realm seemed to be only Early-Stage 3-Star, the level of his Swordsmanship had reached a realm far beyond that.

An existence whose combat power exceeded his Star Rank.

As Ferma thought of him, he could not calm the curiosity that made his heart race.

“Judging by your eyes, your competitive spirit has been stirred.”

“You know my realm has stagnated. I want to cross swords with him at least once.”

“In that case, this works out well.”

Panini handed him a piece of paper.

It was a pamphlet containing the application guidelines for the Capella Competition.

“I have already met that boy. He said he was participating in the Capella Competition.”

“Ah! Is that true?”

“Yes. Try participating as well. I think it will be a good experience for you too.”

“Thank you!”

Watching Ferma rejoice as though he might leap into the air, Panini laughed heartily.

The sight of his beloved son rejoicing was always pleasant to see.

‘I am looking forward to it.’

***

Bernard’s Workshop.

When I met Persica again, her eyes widened at the news I had brought.

“What? The Master of the Observatory provided you with lodging?”

“That is what happened.”

Persica was left utterly aghast that I had been summoned by the Master of the Observatory, and that I had obtained the best lodging from him for free.

Her reaction was as if asking how something like that had become possible.

“Nothing much. I went and entertained him a little.”

Though, in reality, I had threatened to self-destruct if things went wrong.

At the level of the Master of the Observatory, he would probably consider that much entertainment and let it pass.

‘Since I met him anyway, should I have asked whether I could use the Secret Archive?’

He likely would have said no.

Still, it was not as if I had gained nothing, so I did not particularly regret it.

“Still, having lodging is a good thing. Honestly, I was not confident I could stay here any longer.”

“……Are you saying that in front of the owner of the Workshop?”

“I said it so you would hear it. Clean up a little when you live.”

Bernard looked a little hurt, but Persica paid him no mind.

Honestly, this place really was extremely dirty.

If we had come here on our own, we never would have thought it was a place where a person lived.

“They said they would send people to move our luggage. We just have to wait until then.”

“What about the Competition application?”

“I submitted it.”

I had been dragged away immediately after submitting the application.

When I checked on my way back, the application itself had been received, and I had also been able to hear about the process.

The Competition was divided into three stages.

Among them, the First-Stage Competition was a “Duel,” where applicants fought one another to determine the winner.

Well, the intention was obvious.

There were too many applicants, so they intended to thin them out beforehand.

[You went through something like that and are not afraid?]

‘If I were scared by that much, I would never have beaten the puppet.’

As for fear, I was not sure.

More than that, the Magic Panini had shown me lingered in my mind.

‘He definitely materialized formless energy.’

Not merely creating a simple shell, but completely turning it into matter and granting it a body.

As I thought of that, inspiration flashed through me.

‘There is no doubt. It is related to the formation of Sword Force.’

I had no evidence.

But I felt it instinctively.

Sword Force, in other words “Force Energy,” was the realm where the energy wrapped around a weapon took on a fixed shape.

Ordinary Sword Aura burned like flames.

However, once it entered the form of Sword Force, the flames hardened firmly and wrapped around the sword.

I felt that Panini’s Mana operation touched upon the same principle as Sword Force.

Though the fields were different, as long as they used the same Magic Power, the principle of all currents returning to one origin would apply.

‘Hyeollyeo. If Mana takes form like the Master of the Observatory’s, would it be possible to materialize you too?’

[My materialization, you say.]

Hyeollyeo thought for a moment before answering.

[No. That would be difficult unless you could handle Aura.]

‘So it would be difficult…….’

It seemed I could not take that convenient a shortcut.

I decided to quietly focus on learning Sword Force.

‘I need to reach Mid-Stage 3-Star quickly.’

I had to master Sword Aura and step into the realm of Sword Force.

I thought it was a good thing I had decided to participate in the Capella Competition.

After all, there was no training ground better than actual combat.