Luke sighed as he gazed at the shards of black space darker than pitch.
While it was possible to produce shadow images, it fell short of the necessary level.
It seemed the magical value contained in this moonlight stone was not substantial enough to meet the standards of the new magic Luke had created.
“What a pity. If I were at the 8th Circle, this moonlight stone would have been sufficient.”
It appeared that since he was not justly granted the authority of a Circle, but rather was using tricks as an unqualified individual, he couldn’t reach the desired outcome.
To change this result, there were two methods.
First, to find a higher quality moonlight stone.
Then, with just this formula and magic circle, he could create sufficient shadow images.
In a way, it was an entirely simple method.
However, that was easy to say but not so straightforward to find such moonlight stones, considering his current circumstances.
Firstly, the high price of moonlight stones was an issue.
Money could be earned, but considering the time it would take to obtain them, it was not something likely to happen quickly.
Then, the second option was to repeat experiments to refine the formula and complete accurate calculations.
But now, even that was difficult.
Although the Rienne Forest had become an area where magic storms commonly occurred, using mana there would definitely alert others to something “strange.”
Moreover, extracting mana now would not have a good effect on the forest.
Initially, he couldn’t meet the required amount of mana to conduct further experiments.
And first and foremost…
“If you don’t buy me ice cream now, I really will be upset!”
The spirit that made that experiment possible had declared a strike.
If he delayed getting ice cream with Meruru for much longer, it seemed like a rebellion would erupt.
His overwhelming spirit sensitivity appeared to be of no help in his relationship with Pyris now.
“Well, I suppose I’ve made her work quite a lot…”
He stepped back a few paces, accepting the computer from Luke.
It was as if she were afraid of having her computer snatched away.
“Sigh…”
Luke shook his head and sighed.
He felt that making shards of space any further was unlikely to go smoothly.
Looking up at the sky that was beginning to glow with the sunset, he said, “Alright, alright, I’m sorry. Let’s eat something first, and then go to the ice cream shop. We can watch Meruru on the computer while eating ice cream.”
“Really!? You promise!?”
Pyris once again extended her pinky, like she was demanding it.
Reluctantly, Luke linked his pinky with hers and said, “Of course. Do you have anything you want to eat?”
“Cheese cutlet! I want to eat cheese cutlet!”
“Okay, let’s do that. That’s quite an excellent choice.”
“Yay!”
Pyris finally smiled brightly at him.
Is eating really that good?
Of course, it must be, as he too was already captivated by the flavors of this era.
——–
Gerard sighed as he looked at the graph showing the daily magic supply.
“Another incident in the Rienne Forest…”
After the incident that occurred a few months ago in the Rienne Forest, he thought it had just barely stabilized, but again there was a magic storm.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a particularly strong storm, and therefore it wasn’t significant enough to affect other supply levels, so it was nothing serious.
The magic in Rienne Forest had greatly decreased due to the impact of the magic storm, but all the facilities that had existed in the Rienne Forest had been inoperable since the first storm.
Moreover, the mana support from the World Tree was sufficiently provided by Luke Forest, so there was no one harmed.
Thinking like that, he decided not to worry about it any longer.
“Well, the Rienne Forest has been like this for days on end.”
Considering the early days of the Rienne Forest incident, it was in a very, very stable condition now.
Besides that, most magic conditions were generally favorable except for the Rienne Forest.
There was no problem with the mana supply from the World Tree, so for now, it was “no abnormalities.”
He already had many things to think about, so he had no energy to spare on such trivial, everyday concerns.
As he proceeded to check the facilities one by one, Gerard’s phone rang.
“Ah, Luke. What’s up?”
– “Gerard, can I ask you one thing? Is the ‘Magic Finder’ installed on the research institute’s computer?”
The Magic Finder was known for being the most outstanding performance magic calculation program among existing research-related programs.
He was asking if that program was on the computer, and where he had heard that name from.
Well, naturally, it was installed.
It was a place managing the World Tree; there’s no way they wouldn’t have such a magic, comprehensive calculation program.
“Of course, it’s installed… but why?”
– “Because I have something to calculate. Would you let me use it if I come over? I’ll brew you the tea you like…”
Luke’s words made Gerard think for a moment.
He didn’t think Luke would need to use such a program at this stage, but he had heard he was preparing for a magic academy, so it wasn’t entirely strange for him to use it.
Rather, it was impressive and commendable that he had studied enough that he needed such a calculator already.
Furthermore, most individuals used such expensive programs through illegal routes, but Luke was willing to endure the inconvenience to use an original was quite admirable.
If he wanted to use it, it wouldn’t be a problem to let him.
…Of course, it wasn’t just about the tea.
“Really? If you need it, I can let you use it. When will you come?”
Then Luke’s voice brightened.
– “Thank you so much. Then, I’ll drop by before school tomorrow! Please prepare it!”
“Oh, that early?”
——–
“Ah, you’ve come.”
Arriving at the power plant, Luke was indeed in his school uniform, confirming he had come before going to school.
Seeing him like that brought a warm smile to Gerard’s face, as it felt like he was witnessing Luke’s growth.
Given the time they had known each other, Luke was now looking like a nephew to him.
They said children grow up quickly.
Hyun children grow up even faster.
Gerard momentarily became lost in memories.
When had he first seen Luke? Thinking back, it was the last winter, so it had been almost a year.
Considering how he walked with a thick coat and a scarf, the change was almost unrecognizable.
When he had come looking to be a mage without any plan, he had thought, “What kind of kid is this?”
At that time, he had seemed so young, but now seeing him in a school uniform gave an overwhelming feeling of pride in his growth.
At that time, Luke was an innocent little boy who would shine with excitement just with a display of magic.
It seemed his passion and mindset had not changed at all.
Luke politely greeted Gerard and said, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t bring the fatigue-recovery tea since I’ve been short on time in the mornings. Instead, I brought some dried tea leaves so it would be easy to drink this time.”
“Oh, how did you know I like these kinds of things?”
Gerard received Luke’s tea leaves with the same bright smile as always.
“Now, where’s the computational computer?”
“Oh, I’ll guide you there right away.”
————
Luke no longer had the capacity to proceed with experiments for creating space.
Firstly, Pyris’s refusal stated “I’m done with that,” and he also couldn’t find a place to covertly gather enough magic without attracting others’ attention.
Thus, he had no choice but to approach it differently.
“Is there a way to consolidate the numerous shards of space that have been created into one?”
In the past, such a task would have been possible albeit with difficulty.
However, creating shards and merging them were two distinct realms governed by different rules, meaning different formulas and laws were required.
Even a genius like Luke would require at least a week for such a task.
But, that was only when it could be done purely by mental calculation and handwritten notes.
As soon as Luke sat down at the computer, he immediately opened his notebook filled with formulas.
“Alright, multi-array automatic tracking analysis. The version used here is possible.”
That was a function that couldn’t be used in the trial version.
When he entered values as a test, the processing speed was remarkable.
Of course, there was a level difference between the computer he owned and the one in this power plant in terms of calculation abilities, and the optimized calculation mechanism was significantly enhancing that speed.
Simulating it directly would require far too much consideration and calculations, and Luke would take at least a week to derive those values through mental calculations. However, using the function of multi-array automatic tracking analysis could cut that down to less than half a day.
One might even say that the previous failures were largely due to the absence of this function.
“Great, I’m really pleased!”
Luke looked at the calculated values, graphs, and drawn circuitry with a satisfied smile.
Wasn’t it enough to rejoice that his theory was becoming even more perfect with this calculation?
It felt like finally finding a friend capable of conversing at the same level after living in a village full of fools.
Gerard, who had brewed tea using the leaves Luke brought, looked at the monitor and questioned, “By the way, Luke, what are you calculating right now?”
The values displayed on the screen were quite unusual.
Even at the Magic Academy, it didn’t seem they would teach something like this.
“It’s just personal study. Don’t mind it.”
“Hmm, really…?”
For a ten-year-old’s personal study, it seemed rather complicated.
In fact, he was calculating magic formulas that were an enormous level even viewed from a global standard, but no matter how skilled a mage was, understanding what the values on the monitor meant just by looking was impossible.
Even after asking several more times, Luke would only give vague answers, so Gerard ceased questioning, standing silently as he observed Luke using the computer.
“By the way, you’re using the calculator really well. That’s a function I don’t use much. Do you know how to use it?”
“Is that so? This feature isn’t included in the trial version, so I was just borrowing it. Why wouldn’t anyone want to use a great feature like this?”
“Haha, it’s just that there aren’t many opportunities to use it here.”
“Hmm. I can see why that would be. I mean, this function wouldn’t particularly be useful for calculating mana production or consumption formulas.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Gerard nodded in admiration inwardly.
Luke seemed to have a sharp understanding of the industry’s circumstances, and to top it off, he had already mastered how to use Magic Finder.
And he was only ten.
He was an incredible talent as a magician.
Gerard jokingly said, “You know, after you graduate from school, be sure to come to our power plant. Then I’ll hire you right away as the wizard in charge of Sephiro-02.”
“Is that true?”
“Of course, really.”
Gerard smiled.
He wasn’t so sure he would still be at the power plant by the time Luke graduated, but it was a sincere promise.
