<h3 style="text-align:center;font-size:23.4px;">Chapter 47</h3>
Once, I had a conversation with Alter.
He suggested that if I wanted to develop spells, it would be better to read a dictionary instead of magic-related books.
“What do you mean by that…?”
It was incomprehensible.
Studying the essence of spells through books already took too much time and energy, and now a dictionary out of nowhere? Moreover, the Standard Common Tongue Dictionary is not only grotesquely large but also terribly heavy. Someone like me, who isn’t built strong, would likely suffer a wrist injury or even a broken bone by carrying such a ‘weapon.’
“Human thought processes are not all the same. Even twins raised in the exact same environment will differ in how they think, speak, and even in small habits.”
“Yeah… isn’t that obvious?”
Even though it was a banal statement, I nodded encouragingly, urging him to explain further.
“Apple.”
Alter’s sudden statement left me wrinkling my brow as I blankly stared at him.
…What does he want me to do with that?
“What image of an apple popped into your mind just now?”
“Huh?”
“Speak your mind.”
“Just… a red and sweet apple.”
“Unfortunately, the image I intended to convey was green, underripe, and sour.”
“…”
It felt like the old man was teasing me. As a slight unpleasant feeling arose, he stood up, tapping his temple with his wrinkled fingers and continued speaking.
“The point is this: there’s no word in this world that can fully encapsulate human thoughts.”
“…Hmm.”
“Magic is the power of thought, and spell incantations act as lubricants for such thought.”
Alter repeated the phrase he often stressed while teaching me: ‘Magic is the power of thought.’ I had heard it so many times that it occasionally echoed in my ears even while asleep.
To the point that I worried he might ask me to inscribe this phrase on his tombstone when he passed away — it was something he repeated endlessly.
…Which now feels kind of creepy.
“A magician benefits from knowing many words. ‘Fruit of a young apple’ evokes freshness, while a ‘venomous apple’ brings about emotions of darkness and secrecy. ‘The forbidden fruit’ adds a divine element, whereas the phrase ‘red fruit’ offers something more vague yet universally applicable.”
As Alter explained, he wore a concerned expression, gently placing his hand on my shoulder to continue.
“The words a mage verbalizes while calculating magic greatly affect their brain. The sensations or emotions these words evoke have significant influences on the calculations. Hence, when choosing words to construct a spell, one must decide carefully. A poorly chosen incantation can negatively impact the calculation and ruin the magic altogether.”
“Since there’s such a risk, wouldn’t it be safer to use magic without reciting the spell? After all, in the battlefield where every spell could cost me my life, making a mistake with an incantation could be fatal…”
Carefully removing Alter’s concerned hand from my shoulder, I responded.
“Chanting spells comes with risks, but the rewards are equally great. A well-crafted spell can enhance magic performance by at least twice its original power. Beyond that, a truly exquisite and flawless spell can amplify its efficiency nearly tenfold.”
“…Assuming it’s done correctly.”
“You’ll most likely fail the first few attempts. But don’t give up. Even a genius knows that developing spells isn’t easy. The process consists of continuous adjustments through trial and error — and that’s the core of crafting a spell.”
Despite my worried mutterings, Alter smiled gently and responded.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The sound of the giant’s footsteps, resembling a spider’s face, grows louder. The sound of gold cracking envelops all directions, and my arms and legs begin to tremble faintly with fear.
“Phew… damn…”
The first couple tries are always bound to fail, for spells are perfected through continuous adjustments after failure.
As I was about to recite the spell, that warning reverberated in my mind.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared.
After all, I hadn’t yet tested whether the spell I created would function properly or not.
There was also the possibility of overloading the magic while reciting the spell, which could result in me losing consciousness immediately.
If I lost consciousness here, no one would protect me. I would simply be swallowed by the giant and face a terrible death.
My lips felt heavy and numb, eaten away by the fear of failure.
‘…Rex wouldn’t hesitate like this.’
Recalling the melted back of the orc, I steeled my resolve.
Ever since entering the dungeon, I had only been a burden to my party.
I had completely handed over the role of guide to Trian. Rex got fatally injured trying to protect me. Even in the battles that we’ve had, most of the work was done by Lir, and my only contributions were using the Artifact a few times.
When moving quickly, I clung to team members like a cumbersome load of luggage, and after battles, I went into hyperventilation, making my teammates waste hours forcing a recovery room break.
…How pathetic.
That’s right. Until now, I’ve done nothing but burden the team.
I felt ashamed to even look at those who trusted me as a Genius Mage with their lives.
Therefore, this was no time to be cowardly over uttering simple words.
“Storm Mage, huh. Melting gold — not bad. But your firepower won’t be able to pierce my skin…”
“Bud.”
I cleared my mind of distractions and began transforming the current covering my body into ‘blossoms.’
Tiny streaks of lightning erupted from my fingertips, wrapping around my entire body in thin layers, stimulating the massive reservoir of magical energy stored within me.
“Steam.”
The air around me wavered, as if bracing itself for a massive shock, tightly wrapping around each other.
“Egrets and rainy season.”
Bang!
An enormous thunderclap resounded through the room after the delay. A loud ringing sound filled my ears, but my concentration remained unwavering.
“…”
After the thunder, the room was filled with a suffocating stillness, much like the night before a typhoon.
The giant spider seemed momentarily frozen in place from the tremendous shockwave emanating from my body.
…Now was my chance to repay my teammates who had taken care of me, protected me, and trusted me.
Therefore…
“Blossom.”
Just five minutes.
I decided to live as a true genius.
Lir, Rex, and Trian stood with tense expressions, their backs to the golden door, taking deep breaths.
Soon, a monstrous thunderclap would sound nearby, and the area would be swarmed by spider-like monsters.
Rex, axe in hand, focused on steadying his breathing while Trian sensitized his senses, ready to make the most out of his few remaining arrows.
Lir had concentrated her mental energy to the utmost, focusing on the flow of magic within her body. She didn’t need to limit her magic’s power to prevent thunder from leaking out; this was the moment to unleash her full potential.
Swish!
As Lir focused her magic on the tip of her staff, ready to unleash bolts of lightning at any moment, she detected an unusual flow of electricity in the back of her mind.
It was a pressure unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Instantly, a wave of terror surged, and the word ‘death’ flashed through her mind.
Swiftly turning her head toward the source of the strange energy surge, she saw the golden door.
“…Surely not.”
Feeling a foreboding sense, Lir whispered to herself.
“Is something wrong?”
Trian, who had been focusing on the sensations in his fingertips, turned around with a shocked expression at the sight of Lir’s pale face.
“…Get down.”
“What?”
“Cover your ears and get down immediately!”
In an uncharacteristic loud voice, Lir shouted at the two.
“…!”
Upon hearing Lir’s urgent warning, Trian and Rex simultaneously dropped down flat and clamped their ears, though they hadn’t felt the peculiar flow of electricity.
Through long experience, seasoned adventurers like them understood the unwritten rule never to ignore a wizard’s warning.
Lir, too, hastily swung her staff, forming a protective shield around the three of them, and promptly flattened herself on the ground like the others.
The very moment after, an enormous thunder clap erupted, even through the protective barrier.
…Was this the source of that unusual electrical flow she had sensed?
No, whatever it was, it was far more ferocious and sharp than that.
Something was definitely happening beyond the golden door…
Whoosh!
Light.
Pure white light pierced through her eyelids, bathing Lir’s pitch-black vision in pure white. A massive shockwave shattered the protective barrier, shaking her body violently. Even with her ears firmly pressed by her hands, the ringing was overwhelming.
The three were thrown back several meters by the powerful heatwave. Lir groaned in pain, gripping her temples due to the pounding headache. Rex gritted his teeth and suppressed his breathing against the searing sensation of his torn flesh.
“…Crazy!”
With a relatively tougher physique and no major injuries, Trian was the first to regain his vision and glanced back. As his gaze sought the source of the explosion, he saw a boy with white hair, enveloped in lightning within a black robe.
The walls of the room, adorned with gold, were completely obliterated, and chunks of gold rained down from the ceiling.
Opposite the boy stood a spider-faced giant. Even Trian, who had lived for thousands of years, found the grotesque figure horrifying. The 20-meter-tall giant had lost half of its body, turned black as ash.
“…”
The spider giant moved its mouth, as if trying to speak, but with the ringing still in their ears, none could understand what it was saying.
“…Are you not entertained, then?”
The boy, who had demolished all the golden walls, showed not the slightest hint of remorse towards the dungeon’s inhabitants.
“…You insolent, insolent! How dare you desecrate our sanctuary!”
The spider-faced giant roared, clutching its disintegrated left torso with its remaining arm after a flash of light.
Dust filled the air with a yellow tinge from the evaporated gold, and amidst it, the boy smirked.
“I’m surprised myself. I didn’t think it would get this bad.”
Another massive bolt of light formed at the tip of the boy’s slender finger, pointing at the spider giant.
“So, don’t be too angry… It’s embarrassing.”
