Chapter 60

The professor of magical studies had fine particles of ice floating in his hands.

The particles transformed in various geometric shapes for a while before disappearing.

“Magic, and magical engineering, is an inseparable relationship in the life of humanity today.”

“However, you will know if you try using magic yourselves, but for humanity, magic is not an innate talent.”

“It is a discipline established and created by someone.”

The professor walked slowly around the students attending the lecture, glancing at their faces.

“Then when did humanity begin to use this magic? There are various theories about this.”

The professor raised a finger.

“The first is the theory that humanity discovered it themselves and began using it around 4,000 years ago.”

“In the Takla Desert, primitive forms of ceremonial tools and artifacts have been found in a female-centric tribe. However, there were hardly any traces of proper mana in the artifacts, and since primitive religious beliefs were quite common in the western continent, which had long been touched by humanity, this is not a strong hypothesis.”

Another finger was raised.

“The second is the theory that the first method of handling mana was conveyed to humanity by El Araya.”

The professor demonstrated with his other hand in front of the students.

A blue energy covered his hand.

It was a powerful energy that could be used only in the realm of a Battle Master.

With a follow-up gasp, the energy in the professor’s fist vanished.

“Fundamentally, martial arts and magic are not two different things, just the methods of using mana differ. In modern times, there are over 1,000 branches derived from El Araya. She was the incarnation of nothingness and a genius, so the question arose whether she could not use magic. This is considered one of the more credible hypotheses.”

Next, the professor extended his ring finger.

“The third is the theory that all theories and methods that constitute modern magic were spread by magical practitioner El Saraswati. Unlike El Araya’s account, there are numerous records to verify this one. Many records about the high elves vanished due to an event 2,000 years ago, making it difficult to know the exact details. However, most scholars believe that even if El Araya was the first to use magic, it was only when El Saraswati documented and disseminated the foundational theories of magic that has lasted from ancient to modern times, leading elves into the human territory, that magic truly began. In fact, this is regarded as the established theory.”

Finally, he extended his pinky.

“The fourth. Unlike the other theories, this one is recorded solely in written form. However, because the recorder was the magical practitioner El Saraswati, all scholars are baffled. There is no substantial evidence of existence, merely grandiose and inaccurate accounts like those found in epics.”

The professor continued speaking with an animated expression.

“Long before El Araya was born, there was Elder Roa, said to exist at the location of the current Proic Saxon Kingdom. Gal Visan, or dragons. The name of the dragon race, now a myth, is derived from Elder Roa. It is, quite literally, a myth within a myth. However, like the first hypothesis, it is not a strong hypothesis. There are very few records, and the first appearance record is unexpectedly late. The first recorded instance was… with El Araya and… so-…”

◈ ◈ ◈

The ceiling was unfamiliar.

The thought came to mind as I first focused on the ceiling in my sight.

At the same time, I quickly remembered the last situation before I lost consciousness.

‘I crashed into the breath of a dragon and lost my senses.’

I thought I had died upon colliding with the power contained within the dragon’s breath.

‘No, I might have actually died.’

In my previous life, I had a terminal illness and passed away before I turned twenty. Did that mean I died two years earlier this time?

Still, I wasn’t inexperienced when it came to death.

I surveyed the current situation.

‘I was reborn, as expected.’

As I opened my eyes, I was born from a flower bud, facing my siblings and the gigantic World Tree.

…It wasn’t a memory I particularly wanted to think about.

I didn’t feel cold, but a gentle breeze tickled my body as I moved.

Even if it wasn’t because of the wind touching my skin, I could tell from merely lifting myself slightly that I was in a completely uncovered state of rebirth.

A slightly raised chest compared to the past.

The small limbs visible were in a familiar shape.

‘I don’t seem to have died… this is something.’

I thought as I looked around.

‘No wonder everything around me is dazzling.’

Gold, gold, gold, gold.

No matter where I looked, it was a mountain of gold.

I was at the peak of this mountain of gold.

‘Am I truly not dead?’

What an unreal sight it was, being born from a gigantic flower bud.

The ceiling was filled with glowing jewels, and the area illuminated by the jewels was filled with reflective gold.

It wasn’t orderly gold like gold bars or golden coins.

Various forms of gold were scattered around haphazardly.

Yet some of the gold ranged from pieces the size of my upper body to chunks larger than my torso.

‘…There’s even a golden statue.’

Amidst the haphazard gold, there was a large golden statue shaped like a dragon.

The dragon’s form was very familiar to me.

Of course, it made sense. It resembled the form of the Gal Dragon I had fought before losing consciousness.

I wasn’t particularly greedy, but I couldn’t help but be astonished by the mountain and sea of gold filling this massive space.

‘…The quality looks very pure. Is it real gold?’

In truth, I had no clear memory of seeing real gold in either my previous or present life.

In my past life, I didn’t need money, and in my current life, elves and humans hadn’t yet mastered the techniques of refinement, and gold was scarce.

The only gold circulated among humans that held high value was probably the electrum mixed with silver.

Most were low-purity gold mixed with little metals.

I vaguely recalled a method of discerning gold by biting it, but that seemed too vulgar, so I applied some pressure on the gold instead.

It felt remarkably soft compared to other metals.

I withdrew my hand from the gold without resistance.

A hollow laugh escaped me.

‘Just taking some of this gold outside would flip the value of gold and silver in Pohlernian upside down.’

Is all of this real pure gold?

If this was a gold-based economy, merely releasing this gold into the market would lead to its collapse.

With this amount of gold, even if I took a bit every now and then, it seemed I could live in luxury for three generations if measured against elven lives, not just human ones.

‘…But where exactly is this?’

I shook my head and started to look around.

I stopped my steps as I passed by a gold nugget larger than my own body.

On the mirror-like surface of the clear gold, a young elf of my rebirth was reflected.

‘…My protective amulet, and the bracelet made from my mother’s branch are gone.’

It was a familiar sight, yet one that felt foreign.

My physical form was as it had always been, without any visible marks.

However, I had lost the protective amulet and bracelet that I had never removed since leaving the forest.

I also lost the clothes that Atira lovingly made for me from precious Telania thread.

The things I cherished had disappeared, and for a moment, tears almost welled up, but I held back and thought.

‘Still, maybe those things helped me survive.’

They had fulfilled their original purpose, and because of that, I was alive now.

I forced myself to accept this rationale.

As I strolled through the cool gold, other gemstones emerged besides the gold.

‘…The gems are truly large.’

Gemstones the size of my fist were gathered like small mountains.

Out of the various colored gems, I picked up a transparent one and examined it.

‘Is this a diamond? I can’t accurately assess gem value… but ordinary jade can’t compare to this.’

In the central continent, jade is considered the best among gemstones, but that doesn’t mean other gemstones have low value.

Though I’d never seen it before, I had heard that high-quality clear diamonds were traded for higher prices than jade.

The gemstones stored here were haphazardly strewn about and not without scratches, but they were generally vibrant in color.

Even the scratched ones, if reworked, may not have consistent liquidity like gold, but if they encountered the proper owner, they would fetch an enormous price.

‘…I wonder if humans can afford gemstones like this currently.’

I carefully set down the vibrant fist-sized diamond and continued to survey the immense treasure trove.

As I passed through the treasures filling my sight, I found a singular, gigantic passageway.

As I shifted my steps toward the passage, a ceiling so high it was hard to estimate its height and a colossal pupil appeared.

And in the pupil, a familiar energy spread.

It was the energy of the Gal Dragon.

Despite the energy in that massive pupil, the Gal Dragon, the source of that energy, was nowhere in sight.

‘…Has it gone outside?’

If the Gal Dragon had left its post, could I possibly escape?

Just as I thought to find an exit, a golden dragon suddenly appeared from the previously blocked ceiling.

“Looks like you have awakened.”

The dragon landed before me, one paw stained with blood and the other clutching a massive chunk of gold.