Chapter 400: Growth and Proof (1)

“Director, over here.”

Cassia, clad in a lab coat, moved about the control room before spotting Bailla and waving.

“Cassia. I told you to greet me properly in front of others.”

“Aw, come on, a project just ended the day before yesterday, so there won’t be any outsiders for a while, right?”

“And that assistant professor you brought isn’t an outsider?”

“Hahaha… Let’s not talk about how we lost that bet.”

Cassia scratched her cheek, laughing awkwardly.

Bailla snorted lightly at the sight but stood behind her without another word.

The associate researcher with impressive ash-gray hair still couldn’t take her eyes off the display on the monitor.

“Is he still repeating the same task?”

“He’s already been at it for well over three days.”

Cassia replied immediately.

“He spent a full day touring the lab facilities, and then from the next day, he completely settled in one spot, focusing on meditation.”

“It’s hard to understand. What possible use could such a process have for magical research…”

Bailla muttered, looking down at the vast, open cavity reflected on the screen.

Inside the Carlyle Research Institute, one of the research facilities directly under the City Council.

In the very center of the underground of this facility, which, in terms of scale, boasts grand and systematic equipment that puts it among the top in this massive city.

A man with an exhausted expression stood massaging his neck.

A spirit in the form of a small fox rested on his shoulder, constantly emitting mana and rotating it around himself.

Fizzz…!!

Some of the mana completely separated from Lennok’s body rotated in the air, drawing a massive circle and spinning rapidly in place.

Lennok, looking up at the expanded mana circle barely large enough to encompass the lean wizard’s body, cautiously brought his hand towards its center.

Whoosh…!!

The moment Lennok’s faintly trembling hand passed through the center of the circle, reaching for what lay beyond.

The rotating mana collapsed like sand, scattering and disappearing in all directions.

Whoosh!!

Along with that, a powerful shockwave erupted, sweeping away the debris accumulated around the cavity from Lennok’s vicinity.

At the edge of the vast cavity, the objects and remnants of shelves Lennok had pushed away had already piled up like trash, forming a massive mountain.

Bailla quietly watched the scene and then asked,

“The research project commissioned by Aegis. When did you say the mobilization date was?”

“Huh? It’s a week from now. We’re planning to schedule full-scale meetings starting then, so all the other researchers are on leave…”

“A week, huh… Fine. Leave him be until then.”

“Are you sure?”

Cassia asked back, surprised by Bailla’s words.

Although Lennok had been granted access to the research facility, it was agreed that his use of the facilities would be monitored for three days.

Given that Bailla held full authority over the research institute, there would have been no problem applying stricter conditions, so Cassia hadn’t expected Bailla to grant Lennok such convenience.

But Bailla, with an impassive gaze, looked down at Lennok in the cavity below and replied,

“Even if he’s Aris’s student, if he intended to misuse the research facility for personal gain, I would have cut him off immediately. But if he needed a place to train his magic without being disturbed by others, it’s not incomprehensible.”

Though she had allowed him to use the research facilities as part of the bet at Rebatenon University, Bailla fully intended to expel Lennok immediately if he tried anything strange.

Every single facility and piece of equipment in the Carlyle Research Institute was built with enormous budgets, ranging from tens to hundreds of billions of cells, and long periods of dedicated effort, existing for the development of next-generation power sources and academic advancement.

Even during a project hiatus, allowing such facilities for private use was undoubtedly a great privilege.

Therefore, they had thoroughly monitored what Lennok was doing, mobilizing all institute staff. However, for nearly three days, Lennok had merely been coming to the underground cavity daily, using his mana, and repeatedly measuring values.

“He said he was going to create arbitrary samples because he couldn’t compare his spirit magic with similar practitioners. As soon as it looks like he’s done, make sure he’s sent out. Strictly manage the main facilities and keep a close eye on him to ensure he doesn’t do anything foolish.”

Despite Bailla’s cold words, Cassia smiled with a knowing expression.

“You say that, but you seem to be giving him quite a bit of leeway, don’t you? It seems Assistant Professor Evan has made quite an impression on you.”

“Hmph… I merely understood why Aris brought that guy in as an assistant professor.”

Bailla snorted at Cassia’s words but didn’t completely deny them.

The dual compatibility of mana and electricity, one of the greatest achievements from Aris’s lab.

Since realizing that this spirit wizard had made the greatest contribution to that thesis, which was now treated as a core empirical theory at the Carlyle Research Institute, Bailla had also been trying to respect Lennok.

“As the institute is still researching the Magical Fusion Engine, there might be progress if that guy helps out.”

Bailla glanced down at Lennok and then decisively turned her head away.

“I’ll consider this a preliminary step for that time.”

“I thought that would be a topic we could discuss only after Professor Richellen’s sabbatical ends…”

Instead of answering, Bailla immediately led her other attendants away to another part of the research institute.

From her position commanding the entire Carlyle Research Institute, there was no rest even after one project ended.

As the director leading a research institute directly under the City Council, it was year-end, a time when she had to manage multiple projects simultaneously and oversee budgets.

In such circumstances, Bailla’s ability to take on a temporary professorship at Aris’s personal request was certainly commendable.

Concentrating on controlling his mana in the depths of the cavity, Lennok sensed Bailla’s fading presence and slowly raised his head.

“Did she leave?”

[She did.]

The small fox, yawning on Lennok’s shoulder, replied.

The day after Lennok’s conversation with Olivera Ron Maize about the Mystic Eye.

Lennok had obtained access to the Carlyle Research Institute as per the terms of their bet and had been staying in this cavity for three days, conducting his personal research.

What had Olivera replied to Lennok’s final proposition back then?

Because he somewhat understood its meaning, Lennok could not neglect his research to readjust his Hierarchy.

Only by accurately understanding and approaching what the Cartel’s Chairman fundamentally desired could Lennok’s own objectives also be achieved in their complete form.

Lennok briefly thought about the Seven Debts Jewels Mystic Eye that glimmered beneath his veil, then shook off unnecessary thoughts and asked Davi again,

“Are you managing the data output to the lab’s database well?”

[Master, it’s been three days. Are you doubting my processing ability?]

“Bailla is as thorough in her work as she is capable. She might say that, but she could come back at any time and notice anomalies in the lab facilities.”

Lennok slowly turned his gaze, looking around as he spoke.

“At least the fact that I’m freely using the Carlyle Research Institute’s large-scale top-secret facility should probably remain a secret.”

He wasn’t foolishly rotating mana alone in an empty cavity.

It was a massive Mana Particle Accelerator occupying several kilometers around the Carlyle Research Institute.

He had merely found and occupied a spot to use the most precious, top-secret facility among all the institute’s installations.

He spent a full day of the pre-agreed three days exploring the inside of the lab, finding a spot compatible with the accelerator buried hundreds of meters underground.

At the same time, using Davi’s system hacking abilities, he infiltrated the closed internal network of the research institute, intercepted packets from the control room’s network, and inserted dummy data, causing errors in the output system.

Even though it appeared as if he was just concentrating on mana rotation in an empty cavity, Lennok’s mana was actually rotating along the vast conduits of the accelerator buried deep beneath the lab.

[It seems they completely blocked external network connections for security, but there’s no big problem if we break through the firewall from the inside.]

“It’s fortunate that Aris didn’t tell Bailla much about me.”

Aris, who had directly researched Davi’s existence with Lennok, was aware that Davi’s abilities were somewhat related to the cyber world.

If Bailla had known what abilities Lennok’s spirit possessed, she wouldn’t have let him into the lab at all.

It was precisely because he maintained the identity of a spirit wizard with limited capabilities that he could so easily utilize the institute’s facilities.

“Shall we continue?”

Cassia’s gaze, still watching him through the camera, was bothersome, but he had confirmed how far he could deceive her for three days.

All that remained was to empirically prove the theories and rules he had conceived beforehand, using the powerful performance of the accelerator.

As he once again raised his mana and drew a mana circle in the air, Lennok’s mana, slowly rotating inside the accelerator, also resonated.

The shape of the mana, twisted twice on his palm and maintaining a gentle curve, was precisely compatible with the mana rotating inside the accelerator.

Whoooooong!!

In response, Davi, as if waiting, whispered various data into Lennok’s ear through his earpiece.

[Mana amplification rate 1435%. Idling 276 degrees. Accelerator activation 32%. Cavity camera screen adjustment 10-second rollback complete.]

“Hmph!”

It wasn’t just difficult because he was drawing a mana circle.

The mana circle appearing before Lennok’s eyes was a simplified diagram of the mana movements flowing between the Mana Particle Accelerators of this very institute.

In essence, it was the act of flowing and manipulating his mana within a radius of thousands of meters, centered on Lennok.

Even if Lennok was a powerful Archmage, a superhuman on the verge of reaching the Peak of Extremes, it was a distance that inevitably put a strain on him.

[If the activation rate exceeds 40%, it will be difficult to conceal by merely falsifying output data. You must be careful with the adjustments.]

“I know…!”

This was only possible because it was a simple repetitive task of merely flowing mana and rotating it through the accelerator; if he were to introduce even a slight variation into this rotation now, it would surely collapse.

The further from the caster’s body, the more mana is consumed, and control weakens.

Even an Archmage who has completed their Hierarchy and imprinted their Mind Imprint can only control things within a few hundred meters at most.

That’s why Lennok had deliberately pushed the limits of the mana distance and range he could control by using the Mana Particle Accelerator located beneath the institute.

Only a Domain encompassing this scale, speed, and range could meet Lennok’s desired conditions.

At the end of the mana circle rotating before Lennok’s eyes, a brilliant blue mana light began to peel away as if discolored, revealing its true essence.

Kiiiiing…!

The outer surface of the ring gradually cracked and turned pure white, with a faint golden mana light shimmering through.

The moment he confirmed that premonition, Lennok immediately stopped the mana rotation.

Kaaang!!

With a sound like breaking glass, the fragments of mana shattered and disappeared once more.

Lennok, his face exhausted and dripping with sweat, raised his trembling hand.

“Again, right away. Get ready…!”

Wheeeeeeng!!!

Following the mana circle that reappeared before Lennok’s eyes, the remaining mana flowing along the accelerator resonated and rotated in a double helix.

Within the institute’s particle accelerator, it rotated as if swimming across a several-kilometer radius in the blink of an eye, slowly raising a diagrammed scene within the circle.

He shook his head, unable to properly wipe away the sweat that poured down like rain.

With that movement alone, Lennok’s body swayed greatly and staggered, and Davi, who was perched on his shoulder, quickly bit onto his coat sleeve.

[Master…!!]

“….!!!!”

Three days of intense work. During that time, he continued without stopping, even though he knew his mind and body had reached their limit, scraping mana from the bottom of his reserves.

Only by voluntarily scraping out mana to its very bottom, recognizing the limits and the size of his vessel, could he then discuss the next step.

In the time he had run without stopping, only the things he still hadn’t grasped remained in his sight.

Nothing was over yet. Lennok’s answer had not changed one bit.

The golden kaleidoscope, now reduced to a local scale before his eyes, was proof of that unwavering conviction.

Whoosh!!!

The scene depicted by the mana circle flowing along the accelerator shrank before Lennok’s eyes, revealing some of its fragments.

And from within the small golden ring that appeared, a different landscape, unlike the desolate scenery of the lab’s cavity, finally began to be reflected.

Kwoooohhhhh!!!!

A sea of lightning where brilliant blue thunderclouds stretched endlessly.

At the same moment he witnessed the sight of a pure white whale swimming within it.

Thud!!

Lennok, completely exhausted after expending all his mana, collapsed to the floor like a puppet with cut strings.

“Haa, haa…!!!”

His entire body was drenched in sweat as if he had just sprinted, and his eyes and cheeks were hollowed out.

A grueling task that went beyond merely testing mental strength, consuming internal energy down to the very last drop.

Nevertheless, Lennok’s expression had changed to one of utmost satisfaction.

“Davi, did you see that?”

[Yes. It’s exactly as Master said.]

The cyber spirit replied with a hint of excitement.

[Mana is being rearranged in a consistent direction within an environment where mana particle acceleration is maintained at its limit. I’ve confirmed it’s a pattern not found in existing databases.]

“Only by rotating and transforming mana on this scale can I perceive the mana arrangement that occurs beyond the Hierarchy.”

This was because he realized that what Lennok had just achieved was a clue to a new concept that didn’t merely end with Property Transformation of mana.

He had constructed a massive barrier array of several thousand meters radius by applying Jindun’s barrier techniques, built it with mana rotation, and then forcefully pulled out a result by embedding his own Mind Imprint into its center.

The golden halo he had arbitrarily created using the residual mana of the labyrinth.

It was through this method that he had been adjusting his own condition and circumstances to reproduce the partial deployment of his Domain.

Breathing slowly, Lennok muttered,

“Confirming the manifestation conditions and arrangement patterns is enough. Now that I know the direction isn’t wrong, I can complete it once the foundation is properly laid.”

Lennok’s Domain, the kaleidoscope that observes possibilities.

He had confirmed that he could partially apply its abilities by summoning only a portion of the Domain without fully deploying it.

That alone would reduce the danger when Lennok deployed the Domain, and the efficiency and power of its deployment would further increase.

Regardless of what was happening around him, Lennok had been continuously preparing and researching to advance further.

“This will be the foundation of a new magic system.”

Lennok slowly collected himself and stood up, pulling out the vibrating phone from his pocket.

The name Panua Velucci was displayed on the screen. Confirming that Dyke Corp. had re-established contact, Lennok muttered,

“Now it’s time to handle some troublesome matters.”

[It’s time to go hunting.]

Davi perked her tail and sharpened her claws.

“…”

Lennok grabbed Davi’s tail, which had clawed at his shoulder coat, and stretched her ear.