Chapter 1089: Level 9 (7)
“So, the Promotion Magic Circle is a trap left by Jindun…”
Regnus’s answer flatly stated that Maleon would not become an Ascendant.
A cold silence fell between Lennok and Regnus.
After a moment of thought, Lennok spoke first.
“The Jindun I knew was a Transcendent who was wholly devoted to delving into Barrier Spellcraft.”
“……”
“He wouldn’t have been someone to intentionally mix falsehoods and deceptions into the spell formations he designed.”
Regnus Aerom was the administrator of the Eighth Tribulation and the gatekeeper who opened the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation.
If such a being viewed Maleon’s challenge with skepticism, there must be a reason for it.
However, to assert that the Promotion Magic Circle itself was a trap left by Jindun was unexpected.
Jindun was a Transcendent indifferent to everything except the study of Barrier Spellcraft.
Unless he left the magic circle out of necessity, he wouldn’t be someone to put effort into deceiving anyone.
As if answering Lennok’s question, Regnus spoke.
“Jindun, during his lifetime, suffered from a long illness, and in his later years, he had to rely on life support to survive.”
“……”
“He tried to complete all his given tasks before his allotted time ran out. The Trial of the Ninth Tribulation is also one such outcome.”
Regnus, his cold gaze sweeping to the back of the hall’s corridor, continued.
“Jindun never handled things carelessly, but every process was carried out through expedients allowed only to him.”
“Are you saying the Promotion Magic Circle is also part of those expedients?”
“The Trial of the Ninth Tribulation is not merely a gateway designed to test challengers.”
Regnus replied.
“It is also a gateway to prevent what ‘roams’ in the Ninth Tribulation from descending below the Eighth Tribulation.”
“……”
Maleon had said that non-living entities continuously roamed inside the Ninth Tribulation.
Was the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation also serving to prevent such entities from descending below the Eighth Tribulation?
“Jindun created the magic circle to adjust the trials to function both ways, moving between the Ninth and Eighth Tribulations.”
Regnus, looking calmly at Lennok, said.
“Therefore, that magic circle must not be used to activate the Promotion Ritual.”
“Because the moment the magic circle is used, a passage will open to both the Eighth and Ninth Tribulations, I presume.”
What should be sought through the Promotion Ritual is an ascent from the Eighth Tribulation to the Ninth.
However, the moment the magic circle is used, a descent from the Ninth Tribulation to the Eighth also occurs.
Regnus was warning that using a magic circle where ascent and descent were intertwined was extremely dangerous for the ritual.
That was because the magic circle itself was, from the outset, a tool created for the convenience of Jindun, the Ascendant, not for a challenger.
“You know a great deal about the existence of the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation and the magic circle.”
Having thought that far, Lennok naturally asked.
“Is that a conclusion you reached after directly challenging the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation?”
“……”
Regnus did not answer, but Lennok heard the reply.
The two dropouts who abandoned the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation, as confirmed through the Blood-Thought Scribe.
Lennok could naturally understand, as he listened to the explanation, that one of them stood before him.
“He probably didn’t even care how the magic circle he left behind was used.”
Regnus stated calmly.
“But as a result, the act of using the magic circle to challenge for promotion became no different than a trap for the challenger.”
“……”
“An Ascendant of his caliber would have known how the magic circle might be misused. But he thought there was no reason to take action, even knowing.”
The young man’s eyes, looking at Lennok, gleamed quietly.
“Jindun was not an evil Transcendent, but he was never a good being either. He merely immersed himself in Barrier Spellcraft, indifferent to everything, and then simply accepted the end that came when his time was due.”
No, that wasn’t it.
Even Jindun, who seemed indifferent to everything, wished in the end that this world would not perish.
The will he confessed and left behind still remained within Lennok.
But what about Jindun, who designed the Tribulation’s Trial in Kundara before meeting Lennok?
What was Jindun thinking when he designed the trial, and what kind of end did he wish for those who challenged it?
“I understand the danger of the magic circle. I know what you’re trying to say.”
Therefore, Lennok’s words were fixed.
“However, what Maleon desires is a challenge that embraces all those risks. I am cooperating precisely because I understand that fact.”
“……”
“Although I am tied to Maleon Gnossis through a business relationship, I have also received no small amount from him.”
If Maleon had not given him the Elixir of Ascension and expounded on its dangers, Lennok would have considered Nives’s proposal more carefully.
Just as Maleon had opened Aitalon’s Spring and given him an Extra Life Vessel, he did not hold back or hesitate in showing goodwill.
Regardless of Maleon’s true intentions and thoughts, Lennok had received help from him in various ways until now.
Regardless of how his challenge ended, or what fate Maleon met, Lennok intended to watch the process by his side, but…
“I cannot deny the possibility that a problem might arise in the ritual due to the variable you warned about.”
Lennok, rising from his seat, said.
“However, as long as I am here, even if it doesn’t succeed, I will never let it fail meaninglessly.”
Lennok smiled.
“Because I have both the need and the ability to make that possible.”
“……Is that so. Remarkable confidence.”
Regnus gave a bitter smile.
“But if a spellcaster like you accompanies him, even a doomed challenge might turn into a success.”
“……”
“Once Maleon’s preparations are complete, the work to truly elevate his soul will begin.”
Regnus said as he moved.
“I will open all the sanctuaries in the Eighth Tribulation for free use. Come find me when the ritual preparations are done.”
Whoosh!!
With those words, Regnus’s figure completely vanished from the far end of the vast hall’s corridor.
Had his direct walk with Lennok down the corridor been purely for a brief conversation?
According to Regnus, he would be waiting before the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation for Maleon to complete his preparations.
After a moment, Lennok, who had been looking at the spot where he vanished, immediately turned and headed towards Maleon.
Whoooooosh…!!!
Just by approaching, a mighty roar echoed, as if a colossal engine was resonating.
It was evidence that the area surrounding Maleon and the resonance of his mana were repeatedly clashing, reaching a critical point and almost self-destructing.
Amidst the countless bursts of light, Maleon, eyes closed, still wore an utterly serene expression.
The moment Lennok looked at him and took a step closer to Maleon.
Right beside him, the weak voice of an old man echoed.
“Don’t approach.”
“……You were here.”
The aged crane, Heoryeong, had its two wings resting on the floor, looking at Lennok.
Heoryeong, drawing mana with a pale complexion as if he would collapse at any moment, coughed slowly.
“The spellcraft transmission… will be over… soon…”
“……”
“When the time comes, I will entrust Lord Maleon to you… just give me a moment…”
He couldn’t properly finish his words, taking labored breaths.
Lennok, staring intently at Heoryeong’s face, shook his head.
“You were singing about being fine with dying, wanting to die, and now you’re truly sacrificing your life to use spellcraft?”
Heoryeong was currently using his spellcraft to continuously boost Maleon’s luck.
However, the mana that formed the basis of the spellcraft was, quite literally, being replenished by whittling away Heoryeong’s remaining lifespan.
Lennok, observing Heoryeong’s body, could easily understand that he was genuinely sacrificing his lifespan to help Maleon.
“You are completely transmitting your spellcraft to Maleon. Do you want to make Maleon an Ascendant, even like this?”
“I don’t… want to make Lord Maleon… an Ascendant…”
Heoryeong replied, his gaze clouded.
“It is Lord Maleon’s wish… something worthy of this old man’s life…”
“……”
“So, you must… serve Lord Maleon… well…”
“Didn’t you tell me to leave Kundara quickly just a while ago?”
Heoryeong stopped, unable to speak further.
Instead, he merely looked up at Lennok with a hazy gaze, as if wishing for something.
Lennok knew what he was thinking without having to ask.
Heoryeong had no choice but to acknowledge him, especially due to the way Lennok had resolved the Trial of the Eighth Tribulation.
Heoryeong must have recognized that Lennok was the only spellcaster capable of assisting Maleon’s promotion.
“I intend to cooperate with the Promotion Ritual anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
Lennok said calmly, looking at the trembling crane’s back.
“I also plan to confirm what Regnus told me through the Promotion Ritual.”
“Is that… so…”
Heoryeong smiled and slowly lowered his head.
“That’s a relief…”
Unable to properly finish his words, the aged crane slowly bowed its head.
At the same time, the light surrounding Maleon’s body poured into his colossal form.
Fwoosh!!!
“……”
As Heoryeong closed his eyes, Maleon opened his.
While the other Long-lived Beings carefully supported Heoryeong, dazzling silver light descended before Maleon.
Whoosh…
Maleon Gnossis, emanating brilliant silver Will-thought from his entire body.
The tall, dragon-headed giant looked at Heoryeong with an unreadable expression.
“It’s a severe level of exhaustion, but his life isn’t in danger.”
“……”
“Given Heoryeong’s age, his lifespan would have been significantly reduced, but a few months of recuperation should restore him to normal daily life.”
“I see.”
Maleon replied in a low, somber voice.
“You have all worked hard. Regardless of how the ritual ends, I promise maximum compensation for this endeavor.”
“Lord Maleon…”
“From now on, watch the ascension I intend to achieve.”
But Maleon no longer responded to their words and slowly turned away.
Leaving the other Long-lived Beings behind, Maleon stood before Lennok and spoke.
“I’ve kept you waiting. It’s a relief you returned safely from the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation.”
“……Indeed.”
His scales shimmered brilliantly across his entire body, and Maleon’s presence swelled incessantly.
With every breath, Will-thought and mana explosively erupted, engulfing and consuming the surroundings.
The ultimate state of exhilaration reached by a Transcendent who has accumulated hierarchy and received powerful inspiration or enlightenment.
The supreme condition created by pushing that to its maximum and then fixing it.
Standing still, Maleon’s body felt like it had grown at least three times larger.
“Thanks to you opening the Hall of the Eighth Tribulation to my attendants, I was able to complete the adjustments to the maximum.”
Maleon slowly raised his hand, looking down at his glittering body, and spoke calmly.
“I am ready. I couldn’t be more perfectly prepared than this.”
“So it seems.”
“The will of those who trust and follow me remains here.”
Maleon, eyes closed, said quietly.
“While this emotion exists so vividly within me, I wish to begin the challenge.”
“……”
“If you are ready, we will depart immediately.”
Maleon slowly opened his eyes, which gleamed with brilliant silver light.
“Today, in this place, I shall stand among the Transcendents who have transcended the world.”
Lennok arrived with Maleon before the gateway, blocked by the Outer Sea’s darkness.
The entrance to the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation, where Regnus was stationed.
Reuniting with Olivera, Lennok wasted no time explaining what he had seen in the darkness.
[Are you saying the entire Trial of the Ninth Tribulation is composed of a colossal labyrinth?]
“Currently, I suspect it might be a partial imitation of Jindun’s Hanghasa Labyrinth.”
[That’s not an impossible idea.]
Olivera nodded at Lennok’s words.
[Even if Jindun was a great Ascendant, he wouldn’t have known many ways to become one.]
“……”
[If his own successes and failures were the only methods he could embody in the form of a trial, then that wouldn’t be wrong.]
Olivera reached almost the same conclusion as Lennok with a simple explanation.
Maleon, apparently aware of the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation’s form, nodded without surprise.
“That is why only a spellcaster who has delved into Barrier Spellcraft and spell formations to their utmost will be able to properly handle the Promotion Magic Circle.”
“……”
“First, I will activate the Promotion Magic Circle left by Jindun to forcibly initiate the Promotion Ritual.”
Maleon, looking at Lennok and Olivera with a heavy gaze, said.
“If I participate in the Promotion Ritual thus activated, the ritual to become an Ascendant will begin.”
“If successful, you will naturally break through the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation.”
“You must stay by my side during the ritual. Only then can you also pass into the Ninth Tribulation with me.”
Maleon looked at Lennok and slowly nodded.
“But all those assumptions are possible only on the premise that you can manipulate the magic circle and activate the Promotion Ritual.”
“……”
“Can you do it?”
A heavy silence fell.
This was because the other Long-lived Beings watching also knew how difficult a task Maleon was asking of Lennok.
The Promotion Magic Circle left by Jindun in the Sanctuary of the Eighth Tribulation.
It was the act of forcibly manipulating and operating a spell formation directly created by an Ascendant.
However, it was also a clear fact that Lennok was the only spellcaster capable of such a feat.
Had Lennok not already proven he could do so before the Trial of the Eighth Tribulation?
Heoryeong, too, had witnessed it and humbly acknowledged his misjudgment, bowing his head.
If Lennok deemed it impossible, Maleon would have to manipulate the magic circle and participate in the ritual alone.
This would double Maleon’s burden, who already had to exert his full effort in the ritual.
“The question is wrong.”
Lennok replied, standing up.
“You shouldn’t ask if I can do it or not. It’s already far too late for that.”
“Then?”
“The analysis of the Promotion Magic Circle left by Jindun is already complete. And–”
Fwoosh!!!!
At the same time, a brilliant five-colored radiance began to explode from beyond the sphere of darkness.
Lennok said, with the vast, storm-like waves of mana at his back.
“The Promotion Ritual has already been activated. Let’s begin the ritual.”
“……!!!!”
The darkness receded, revealing a colossal labyrinth of unknown extent beyond it.
The Trial of the Ninth Tribulation, designed by the Ascendant Jindun. A giant spell formation wildly glowing, floating above the labyrinth.
However, during his lifetime, Jindun had transferred the right to manipulate the entire Hanghasa Labyrinth to Lennok before his death.
Although the true Hanghasa Labyrinth had collapsed with Jindun’s death, damaged beyond use forever.
The imitation of the labyrinth remaining here was still functioning with Jindun’s will.
Therefore, Lennok used the Hanghasa Labyrinth’s manipulation authority, which Jindun had passed on, to forcibly activate the Promotion Ritual.
He had been able to keep the ritual paused and waiting until just before Maleon’s arrival.
“Wizard, how…!”
Even Regnus, who had conversed directly with Lennok, perhaps hadn’t expected the ritual to be already prepared?
Ignoring Regnus, who looked at Lennok with a surprised expression, Lennok immediately drew forth mana.
The mana light, soaring out of the darkness, drew a colossal circle in the air, transforming into a complex magic circle.
It soared upwards like a spiral pyramid, shattering the ceiling of the Hall of the Eighth Tribulation and rising higher.
KWA-AAAAAANG!!
The Promotion Magic Circle, activated by Lennok’s will, rotated majestically outside the Universe of Mist.
Enveloped in a radiance so brilliant that one could not dare look up, it violently suppressed all existing senses and Will-thought.
Charrrrrrr!!!!
The Promotion Ritual, where an 8th-level Grand Spell Master challenges Level 9.
A miracle of forcibly activating the process required to be reborn as a new Ascendant, using Jindun’s legacy.
While the Long-lived Beings watching were overwhelmed by the majesty of the miracle, Lennok poured mana into the magic circle.
“It begins.”
Whoooooosh…!!!
He placed his hand on the Promotion Magic Circle, continuously channeling mana into it.
He recognized the intricate principles unfolding within the magic circle and adjusted its flow.
‘As Regnus said, there is a section within the spell formation that allows for two-way passage.’
Sweat beaded on Lennok’s forehead as he closed his eyes and concentrated.
Only after hearing the explanation did he realize what the passage from the Ninth Tribulation to the Eighth, existing within the magic circle, was.
The initially perplexing two-dimensional and three-dimensional intertwined form of the Promotion Magic Circle was designed for two-way passage between the Eighth and Ninth Tribulations.
‘I must disable the passage connecting the Ninth Tribulation to the Eighth, and then reconstruct a new circuit on top of it.’
He was deleting one of the magic circle’s original design purposes while simultaneously restructuring its system in real-time to ensure it functioned normally.
Chwarararak!!!
Mana blossoming from his fingertips transformed into an array of complex symbols and characters, rapidly filling the interior of the magic circle.
If the sequence was even slightly off, the magic circle could overheat, and any part of it could collapse without surprising anyone.
He changed directions and speeds thousands of times, meticulously assigning priorities to ensure it operated in the designated order.
A malicious difficulty that seemed to test the full extent of Lennok’s inherited Barrier Spellcraft abilities.
But if Jindun could do it, Lennok could also do it someday.
Jindun had entrusted his legacy to Lennok precisely out of such possibility and conviction.
If he can do it, he will achieve it someday. If he knows he will achieve it someday, he can achieve it now.
Lennok’s Barrier Spellcraft, grown by transcending past and future perspectives, unfolded to its limit, transforming the magic circle.
Clunk!!
With a heavy impact like a lock clicking shut, Lennok, who had changed the magic circle’s function to one-way, looked up.
“The magic circle is ready. Immediately restart the ritual and designate the target–”
Boom!!
Above the magic circle, which had pierced the hall and soared into the Universe of Mist, Maleon’s figure slowly ascended.
Ohhhhhhh!!!
With his hands naturally hanging at his sides, he floated effortlessly in the sky, as if there was no ground to stand on.
Maleon, drawn towards the center of the Promotion Magic Circle, hovered in the air and looked down at Lennok.
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
“……Maleon.”
“All conditions are met. All that remains is the miracle I must achieve through my own actions.”
Maleon, looking at Lennok with a gentle gaze, his expression hardened with resolute determination.
“Leave it to me, Van.”
Whoooooosh…!!!!
Maleon, who had soared to the pinnacle of the magic circle, looked down at Outer Tribulation City from the edge of the Universe of Mist and whispered.
“This challenge, for the fate of Kundara. I will succeed, even if it costs me my life-!!!!!!!”
Fwaaaaaash!!!
The magic circle, spread across the sky, compressed at an immense speed, burrowing into Maleon’s entire body.
Maleon’s figure, enveloped in an immeasurable light, began to melt away on the spot.
An Ascendant is a being who reconstructs themselves in accordance with their answer and, through that, gains qualification.
A challenger, during the ritual, completely reconstructs their existence to be worthy of Level 9.
“It has begun…!!!”
“Oh Heavens. Please!!”
The Long-lived Beings, realizing Maleon’s ritual had begun, knelt and started to pray.
A gamble where success could not be guaranteed, despite decades of preparation and thorough readiness for the challenge.
There was the helplessness of leaving it to fate and accepting the outcome, yet also the yearning for a miracle.
Even Regnus, observing the ritual, turned his gaze away as if he could no longer bear to watch.
“Hmph…”
But Lennok was watching Maleon’s challenge, which had begun at the edge of the sky, as if he couldn’t miss a single moment.
A moment that could only be witnessed in Kundara: an 8th-level Grand Spell Master challenging for promotion.
A fleeting, miraculous moment where a 9th-level Ascendant might be newly born into this world.
He had to observe and remember that entire process, etching it into his inner self.
What he lacked and what he needed for his own future promotion, which he would someday challenge.
To perceive that through Maleon’s challenge now, and to use this moment as educational material, he extended his senses to their limit.
Lennok’s transcendent intuition unfolded beyond his senses, observing everything happening to Maleon without omission.
‘Sever the bodily connections at the cellular level, then deconstruct and reconstruct in the order of mana, Will-thought, and Mental Image.’
Ignoring even the searing pain in his eyes, Lennok thought.
‘The focal point is the spellcraft or martial art that forms the basis of the Mental Image. Float the strongest single primal thought to the surface consciousness.’
He savored every process Maleon underwent through the ritual, without omission.
What it meant to challenge Level 9 beyond Level 8.
What kind of concept allowed a living being to gain the qualification to challenge ascension.
‘Erase the hierarchy accumulated up to Level 8, rebuild it from scratch, then collapse it. Repeat building and breaking, building and breaking–’
He repeated countless acts of creation and destruction, centered on his inner self.
He created and accumulated the causality of life, then destroyed it through acts of breaking.
He preceded the moments of oblivion, where cause and effect connected and severed, circulated and closed.
Whether causality was connected or closed did not matter.
What mattered was to melt the process itself into his inner self and make it a law, allowing it to exist without reliance on anything.
The self becomes the world, and the world becomes the self.
He devoured and forgot, as if possessed, what it meant to become an Ascendant, and what process it entailed.
His eyes, which had stared at the light for a long time, had long since blurred, but Lennok still watched everything with perfect clarity.
‘Yes… that’s what it was…’
What is an Ascendant?
What does it mean to challenge ascension?
All the vague fantasies, hopes, fears, and denials transformed one by one into certainty within Lennok’s inner self.
Yes.
An Ascendant is…
Myself, endlessly connected to the world, and–
CRACK!!!!!
“……!!!!”
An ominous, brain-gnawing crackling sound.
As soon as he heard that chilling sound, Lennok, as if by a lie, returned to reality.
An ominous black lightning bolt flashed before his eyes.
The moment Lennok felt an intense sense of déjà vu from that lightning bolt.
Black lightning fell from the sky, pierced through the spell formation, and dyed spacetime black.
CRACKLING!!!
The entire colossal spell formation, hundreds of meters in size, grotesquely twisted and shattered, a horrifying sight.
[Ah, ahhh…!!!]
Maleon’s shadow, engulfed in the Promotion Magic Circle, which was instantly polluted and corrupted.
The trap within the magic circle that Regnus had mentioned. Even though a complete spell formation, with its two-way function removed, had been perfected.
The being who had been smoothly undertaking the challenge just a moment ago was now writhing in excruciating pain.