Chapter 1093: Level 9 (11)

Woo-woo-woo-woo-woong!!!

Above the transparent glass ceiling, through which the darkness of the Outer Sea was visible, starlight intensely rotated.

Countless meteor showers poured down like a bombardment onto the thick darkness that carpeted the hollow space.

[Kiiieek!!!]

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa!!

Silver starlight, falling diagonally at immense speed, tore through the corridor.

The thick bulkhead blocking the front ripped apart like paper and vaporized.

Beyond the Ninth Tribulation, existing outside the Outer Sea: the Ninth Tribulation.

It had been thirty minutes since they began exploring the outer sector of the Ninth Tribulation, which was isolated by bulkheads.

In the outer areas of the Ninth Tribulation, designed like a space station, withered Long-lived Beings roamed as Maleon had described.

Yet, Lennok hadn’t participated in any proper combat since entering the Ninth Tribulation.

Before the roaming, undead creatures could even lunge at the party, Maleon’s Primitive Magic activated.

[Uuugh…!!]

[Kweeeek!!]

Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu!!!

With each wave of Maleon’s hand, colossal starlight rotated, sweeping away the Long-lived Beings that had been roaming everywhere, accompanied by their monstrous shrieks.

Powerless, they couldn’t even resist the falling meteor shower and vanished within the sea of starlight.

[I’ve roamed through countless hellscapes, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had guidance like this.]

Even Olivera Ron Maize merely sneered, seemingly dumbfounded by the overwhelming bombardment.

[I can’t deny that the lifeline you grasped was far more useful than I imagined.]

“I’ve been feeling it for a while now, but the raw performance of this spellcraft is just absurd.”

Lennok, watching Maleon fight beside her, shook his head with a bewildered expression.

“Even if it’s Primitive Magic used by Dragon-kind, can it really be this convenient?”

The Star-Linking Eight Extremes Style, the Primitive Magic used by Maleon Gnosis.

A magic, the pinnacle of arcane arts, that processes Dragon-kind’s unique magic as a heat source to give birth to ‘stars’.

It’s astonishing enough that it can easily create intense heat sources capable of vaporizing impact points.

But the fact that such ‘stars’ can be created at any coordinate, regardless of the caster’s location, is simply miraculous.

Originally, spellcraft is completed through a series of processes: incantation, hand seals, and chanting.

It’s impossible to completely disregard the caster, who is the subject of the chant, during the spell activation process.

Activating above the caster’s head. Activating a few meters in front. Activating after a few seconds’ delay post-chant. Setting conditions like these is possible.

But a spellcraft like Maleon’s Primitive Magic, where the activation coordinates are completely independent of the caster, was virtually unprecedented for Lennok.

And it’s not even a characteristic specially adjusted using a Geas; it’s an inherent property of the spellcraft itself.

Even for the blessed Primitive Magic of Dragon-kind, there’s a limit.

“Hmm, hearing such praise from a wizard like you makes me blush.”

Maleon, who was leading the way and clearing out the roaming entities in the Ninth Tribulation’s outer corridor, replied.

With a casual wave of his hand, sweeping away the corpses of Long-lived Beings that charged forward, Maleon said,

“However, Primitive Magic isn’t a spellcraft full of only advantages. As an ancient power, its mana efficiency is poor, and it’s difficult to control before it reaches full trajectory.”

Puh-buh-buh-bung!!

The corpses of Long-lived Beings flew like toys from the explosion of starlight falling vertically.

“Although you can freely designate the spellcraft’s activation coordinates, the output is so strong that it’s difficult to change them once set.”

“……”

Kwaaaaaah!!!!

Leather and limbs, torn off by the wave of starlight sweeping the ground, burned black and vaporized.

“Intense yet careful. Overwhelming yet ponderous. Covering the battlefield without taking any decision lightly.”

Maleon turned back to Lennok and smiled.

“Don’t you think there are similarities to the game of Obaekro that you and I play?”

“……”

With a single wave of Maleon’s hand, the bulkhead blocking their path shattered, instantly opening the way.

A massacre so effortless it was hard to believe he was simultaneously expounding on the weaknesses of Primitive Magic.

“For a Grand Spell Master like you, a quick glance would reveal its limitations.”

Maleon smiled and turned his gaze away.

Even while explaining his spellcraft and its weaknesses, Maleon seemed to have no reservations.

“Once we arrive at the vault, I will teach you the oral tradition of the Star-Linking Eight Extremes Style. You, a wizard of your caliber, will grasp its essence simply by hearing the core principles.”

“……You’d teach me the oral tradition of Primitive Magic?”

“I have already entrusted my birth and death to you once, and you changed my fate.”

Maleon said, stroking his chin with satisfaction.

“Now, what reason would I have to hesitate in revealing the core principles of my spellcraft?”

“……”

It’s obvious that the caster’s ability is as important as the spellcraft itself.

But the Primitive Magic wielded by a Level 9 Ascendant feels like nothing less than divine authority.

Poor mana efficiency. Enormous mana consumption. The limitations of difficult control – these aren’t even drawbacks in the face of the overwhelming concept of an Ascendant.

Perhaps because Maleon himself is gentle, the overwhelming violence of his spellcraft felt even more intimidating.

Perhaps the other Long-lived Beings of Kundara followed Maleon so readily not just because of his character.

“I expected it, but the spellcraft’s output is dropping significantly. The bulkheads were stronger than anticipated, so I had to expend more power.”

But Maleon didn’t seem particularly pleased with his own skill, having scorched the outer regions of the Ninth Tribulation.

“I wanted to preserve the internal spaces of the Ninth Tribulation as they were, without damaging them, but it seems that will be difficult.”

“It was absurd from the start that the Ninth Tribulation’s space could physically exist outside the Outer Sea.”

Lennok said, raising his gaze.

“What materials did they use to make it endure perfectly even beyond that sea?”

The dark sea existing beyond the Boundary Line of the World is a space where the laws of physics do not apply.

Ordinary matter cannot maintain its form intact outside the Outer Sea.

It wouldn’t be strange for it to be strangely altered, for inorganic matter to gain life, or to vanish, drawn by an unknown force – a true hellscape.

Yet this colossal glass hollow has perfectly maintained its form and endured for decades outside the Outer Sea.

A miracle impossible unless the materials used to construct the Ninth Tribulation were extraordinarily special.

And Maleon’s answer transcended even Lennok’s thoughts.

“Indeed. Most of the Ninth Tribulation’s internal facilities are made from the body parts of ancient Long-lived Beings.”

“……The entire facility of the Ninth Tribulation is the result of using the remains of Long-lived Beings?”

“They carved bones to erect pillars, skinned hides to drape around, and then painted them with blood.”

Maleon replied calmly.

“Because without getting that close to the forbidden, they couldn’t construct a physical space capable of enduring outside the Outer Sea.”

“……”

“It’s no lie that the founders completed this place with their deaths. They literally offered their flesh and blood to complete the Ninth Tribulation and then fell into eternal slumber.”

Lennok knew that there were colossal monsters among the Long-lived Beings, reaching hundreds of meters in size.

If they used the remains of dead Long-lived Beings, constructing such enormous facility structures wouldn’t be impossible.

But as soon as Lennok heard that, he thought of something slightly different.

If the entire spacetime of this Ninth Tribulation was a structure made from the remains of Long-lived Beings,

then wouldn’t that mean this space itself was essentially an artifact made from the remains of Long-lived Beings?

“Ah, we’ve arrived. According to the texts, this must be the place.”

Maleon, who had been erasing everything in their path, stopped walking.

“The vault containing the founders’ treasures, located somewhere in the outer sector of the Ninth Tribulation. This is it.”

Unlike the other gateways that crumbled under Maleon’s meteor shower, a colossal barrier completely blocked one outer wall of the corridor.

Five gemstones embedded in the barrier connected to form a giant pentagram.

[Krrrrrrr…!!]

Five colossal corpses, as if waiting for them, rose and approached the barrier.

Among them were a lizard, a fox, a frog, and two species whose original forms were indiscernible.

But Maleon paid no mind to the approaching Long-lived Beings’ corpses, turning his gaze instead to Lennok.

“What I received from you today was a blessing so immense that it cannot be repaid simply by fulfilling our promise.”

“……”

“Therefore, today, I shall, in the name of an Ascendant, present you with a treasure from the Ninth Tribulation’s vault.”

“You succeeded in the Promotion Ritual because you were already prepared.”

Lennok said, looking at the approaching corpses of Long-lived Beings behind Maleon.

“My role was simply to adjust the magic circle to ensure the ritual didn’t fail. There’s no need to obsess over the cause of success.”

“I witnessed the boundless intuition and the totality of inspiration residing within you.”

Maleon shook his head firmly.

“Within it, I learned what I lacked and what I should pursue. For me, that was a serendipitous encounter worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.”

Pah-baht!!

The moment Maleon raised his thick, cauldron-lid-like hand above his shoulder, the corpses of Long-lived Beings charged simultaneously.

The moment the corpses, devoid of reason and intellect, moved as if alive, targeting Maleon’s back and accelerating.

Maleon, with five fingers outstretched, simply clenched his fist.

Bwaaaahng!!!

Immediately after, an intense silver radiance burst forth from between the eyes, noses, and mouths of the Long-lived Beings that had charged at Maleon.

The moment Lennok realized it wasn’t mana emanating from the Long-lived Beings’ corpses, but starlight imbued by Maleon,

Puh-buh-buh-buh-bung!!

Five stars exploded inside the Long-lived Beings’ heads, dazzlingly illuminating the glass hollow.

Lennok, realizing how Maleon had dealt with those corpses, immediately wore a dumbfounded expression.

“No way, did you activate the spellcraft inside their bodies and make them explode?”

“A new sensation I acquired by witnessing a fragment of unreachable genius and imitating it.”

Maleon, lowering his hand nonchalantly, said calmly,

“An intuition that boldly skips intermediate steps and reaches a conclusion when manipulating mana and spellcraft.”

“……”

“Though it doesn’t even come close to your level, by imitating it, I’ve become able to handle spellcraft a little more flexibly.”

Maleon, raising his chin with his arms crossed, said,

“With this much, wouldn’t it be alright to boast that I learned by watching you?”

“……”

His manipulative abilities improved to the point of forcibly activating Primitive Magic inside an opponent’s body, all stimulated by Lennok’s talent?

Forcible designation of spell activation coordinates for the Star-Linking Eight Extremes Style Primitive Magic.

Not just using it like a bombardment, but precise spellcraft manipulation capable of targeting and detonating an opponent’s head as they charge.

Was it intuition gained upon becoming an Ascendant, or purely due to Maleon’s exceptional talent?

Either way, it seemed clear that Maleon wanted to return what he had received to Lennok.

“This way.”

Clunk!!

Maleon, stepping over the exploded corpses of Long-lived Beings, stood before the colossal barrier blocking their path.

The Ascendant, standing before the barrier where five pentagrams fiercely shimmered, pressed his hand into a crack in the firmly closed barrier.

With a low rumble, the barrier, towering far above Maleon’s height, slowly began to open.

Koo-roo-roong…!!

Beyond the wide-open crack in the barrier, a dazzling gemstone radiance, enough to sting the eyes, shone forth.

Only then did Lennok’s complexion subtly change, realizing what lay within the vault Maleon had opened.

“This is……”

Every visible space was made of mountains of gold and jewels.

Gold coins of unknown origin. Crown embedded with jewels. Bracelets, necklaces, and artifacts of luxurious design.

Within all that treasure, mana was thickly congealed and tightly compressed.

A vault so opulent it was beyond lavish, unlike the archives or storages Lennok had seen in the Thorben War-Mage Tower.

Even Olivera Ron Maize, who had been silent until now, seemed intrigued by the extravagant scene, gazing into the vault with her Mystic Eye beyond the veil.

“According to the texts, everything here was arranged for those who gained qualification and entered the Ninth Tribulation.”

Maleon said, stepping among the myriad gold and treasures.

With each step, the gold coins piled everywhere jingled and poured down.

But Maleon didn’t even glance at the surrounding jewels or gold, asking Lennok instead,

“But if everything here is mine, what problem would there be if I transfer a small portion of it to others?”

“……”

“Follow me. What I want to show you isn’t merely this.”

Passing over mountains of gold, they entered the deeper parts of the vault.

The dazzling gemstone radiance, enough to hurt the eyes, vanished, and beyond them, marble shelves were tightly packed.

Elixirs on the shelves, test tubes filled with crimson blood. Or bloodshot eyeballs, or the forms of poisoned eyeballs.

As Maleon passed by, he casually read their names.

“Silver Blood. Ironclad Dragon’s Breath. Dendroz’s Bodily Fluid. Uvia’s Eye.”

“……”

“All of them are relic-grade treasures, made by detaching parts of Long-lived Beings’ organs that have continued their lineage for hundreds of years.”

Everything stored on the shelves was an artifact made from detached body parts of Long-lived Beings.

Equipment akin to superior versions of what Lennok had seen in Olber’s Workshop in the past was piled up here.

[…Uvia’s Eye, you say.]

Olivera Ron Maize, reacting for the first time to Maleon’s words, turned her gaze.

[A Long-lived Being born with Saint Wizard-level innate abilities. Did you extract the eye of one who awakened a Mystic Eye among them?]

“It wasn’t done by force. The Mystic Eye wielder did it willingly.”

Maleon replied.

“His Mystic Eye had a drawback: every time he used it, it would show him the hallucination he least wanted to see.”

[….]

“Only by giving up and donating his innate ability just before going mad, he barely escaped the madness.”

Lennok felt her gaze linger on Uvia’s Eye even after that.

Olivera Ron Maize had collected all sorts of rare Mystic Eyes in her lab, so it wasn’t strange for her to feel a surge of collector’s desire upon seeing a Long-lived Being’s Mystic Eye.

“If there’s any equipment or relic you desire, just say the word. Currently, no one in Kundara holds higher authority than myself.”

Maleon thumped his chest and chuckled.

“Right now, bypassing complex export procedures and handing you gifts is no difficult task.”

“I know that artifacts made by processing Long-lived Beings’ organs hold high value.”

Lennok replied.

“However, you must know that for spellcasters like us, the abilities of most artifacts don’t hold much significance.”

“Perhaps.”

Maleon nodded and turned around.

“But what I intend to give you is a treasure possessing abilities not merely confined to the realm of artifacts.”

“Not confined to artifacts…?”

Maleon did not reply to Lennok’s words.

Instead, he simply walked past the densely packed shelves, heading towards the deepest end of the vault.

The glittering gold and treasures, and the equipment made from processed Long-lived Being body parts, all disappeared.

Stepping past the intricate shelves into a wide, open clearing.

“……”

Lennok stopped, seeing a colossal skull placed in the center of the clearing.

The skull of a dragon, many times larger than Lennok.

Having lost its body, only its head remained, emitting light in the center of the clearing.

A strange sight, as if the bones making up the skull themselves were faintly glowing.

Lennok, feeling a sense of déjà vu from the somehow familiar gemstone radiance, turned his gaze towards Maleon.

“No way……”

“A Gemstone Dragon, born once every thirteen generations among Dragon-kind. And among them, the remains of an Adamant Dragon that existed centuries ago.”

Maleon said.

“Its entire skeleton is made of adamantite, possessing incredible durability and hardness, but that is not the true value of these remains.”

“……”

“A mystery from hundreds of years ago. A relic-grade artifact created by processing the skull of a Gemstone Dragon.”

Maleon slowly approached the dragon skull, pointing at it as he spoke.

“The one who possesses this can temporarily acquire the ability of Draconification.”

“……The ability of Draconification?”

“Literally, the user themselves can temporarily transform into a top-tier Long-lived Being.”

Having said that, Maleon turned to Lennok and grinned.

“Don’t you think it would be a perfect gift for a wizard like you?”

So, by using that skull, the artifact’s owner could temporarily turn into a dragon?

An artifact with similarities to Anathema’s Dragon Sorcery, which Lennok had faced before.

“You can set aside concerns about physical transformation. It supports the caster and grants Dragon’s Authority in a far more refined manner than that.”

Maleon explained.

“If specific power is infused, flesh and skin will grow from the skull to envelop the user, granting control from the cerebral region—”

“I understand that this dragon skull is the most valuable item within the Ninth Tribulation’s vault.”

Lennok interrupted Maleon, saying,

“However, an item like this isn’t something one can simply use at will, even if gifted.”

“Hmm?”

“To use equipment made from processed Long-lived Beings’ body parts, one needs a Ruyi Orb as a power source.”

Lennok said with a cold expression.

“Furthermore, this Adamant Dragon’s remains, if your words are true, must have belonged to a Long-lived Being with True Blood.”

“……”

“Not just an ordinary Ruyi Orb, but one from a True Blood lineage would be needed to use these remains.”

If Maleon himself was explaining and recommending it to Lennok, then the ability of Draconification must indeed be a power of immense value.

But Lennok didn’t forget that these remains were, remarkably, crafted from the corpse of a True Blood Long-lived Being.

To use a treasure made from the remains of a True Blood lineage, a True Blood Ruyi Orb would be required as a power source.

But now that they had arrived at the Ninth Tribulation, where would they obtain a Ruyi Orb containing the life force of a True Blood lineage?

Without a power source, it would be nothing more than a white elephant, impossible to use.

Lennok was indeed interested in the Draconification ability Maleon mentioned, but it was fundamentally pointless.

“Don’t worry about that part.”

However, Maleon remained unperturbed even after hearing Lennok’s words.

He merely spread his hand with a calm expression and began gathering mana above it.

“Because the Ruyi Orb for you was prepared from the very beginning.”

“……What?”

Woo-woo-woo-woo-woong…!!

Instead of replying, the Ascendant closed his eyes and exerted his full power, channeling mana.

Dazzling silver star clusters emerged from all corners of the enormous vault, beginning to glow intensely.

Ku-gu-gu-gu!!

Starlight that fiercely flared by its mere presence, flickering as if it would shatter the vault at any moment.

But Maleon did not allow the stars he created to burn down the vault.

Moving his will-thought and mental image, he adjusted dozens of star clusters to converge in one place.

Following his gesture, the star clusters rapidly condensed in Maleon’s hand, beginning to transform into a small sphere.

Kiiiiiiiiiiing!!!

Starlight collided and fused, emitting a sharp, ear-splitting resonance.

Just as he had used spellcraft to cleanse the darkness of the Outer Sea immediately after becoming an Ascendant.

However, the super-nova chant that melted everything was not there.

Instead, a silver Ruyi Orb, glowing with an infinitely clear aura, rested in Maleon’s hand.

Maleon, massaging his brow with a fatigued expression, then gazed at the Ruyi Orb he had created.

“It was my first time creating a Ruyi Orb, but thankfully, I succeeded on the first try.”

“……You.”

“What I intended to gift you was not merely one of the relics stored in this vault.”

Maleon said, holding out the Ruyi Orb.

“The spacetime of the Ninth Tribulation, created from the body parts of Long-lived Beings, is an artifact in itself, so it can be powered and controlled through a Ruyi Orb.”

“……”

“Today, you will receive the key to directly utilize all the facilities of the Ninth Tribulation, in my stead.”