Chapter 594: Form Change (2)
The cybernetic spirit had transformed its attribute system from lightning to cryokinesis.
Following the fox that had changed into an ice-encased form, the foxfire wisps circling Davi like satellites also transformed.
Crackling…!!
The foxfire, which had been ceaselessly emitting intense thunder and lightning, froze on the spot, turning into cold, spherical ice masses that exuded a chilling aura.
Upon seeing this, the gorilla spirit’s veins bulged, and it roughly slammed the destructive traces that had stopped right in front of its nose.
“Grrrooar!!”
Boom!!
Shattered train fragments and seat screws flew, turning into a storm that ground everything around them.
But the two foxfire wisps that enveloped Lennok and Priscilla acted as sturdy ice shields, protecting them.
Whoosh!!
The remaining foxfire wisp stretched out, transforming into a slick ice path, and at that moment, Davi leaped from Lennok’s shoulder and began to run.
Pat-pat-pat-pat!!
The tiny fox cub vigorously scampered across the frozen ground with its adorable four paws.
Davi’s form slid rapidly through the icy patch, quickly approaching the gorilla spirit’s feet and surging upwards.
Whoosh!!
“Hmph…!!”
The gorilla spirit stumbled backward, flustered by the freezing cold that covered its toes.
As Priscilla wore an indescribable expression watching this, Lennok continued to speak.
“I told you that for elemental mana transformation, it’s recommended to use associative imprinting methods through specific objects or memories, didn’t I? But once you get accustomed to mana transformation, you can easily change the nature of your mana without relying on internal imagery.”
The gorilla, gripping the half-shattered train car, snorted forcefully and swung its arm as if to crush Davi’s tiny back.
CRASH!!
The impact flipped the ground, and the broken train rails rippled and rose like waves.
But Davi, as if unaffected by such impact, instantly absorbed itself into the icy path, as if seeping in, and rapidly darted across the ground.
It was as if it had transformed into the very essence of ice, hiding within the cold.
Lennok watched Davi’s movements and explained again to Priscilla.
“Assimilation of elemental mana.”
“Guh?!”
The flustered gorilla hastily slammed down on the icy path to stop Davi’s approach, but Davi’s agile body had already reached the end of the icy path and surged up behind the gorilla in an instant.
Leap!!
The ice fox appeared in the sky above the library courtyard, where the back of the gorilla’s head was visible.
“Concealment.”
The moment the gorilla arched its back and tensed its shoulder to strike Davi, Davi’s body melted away like ice water and vanished.
Shhhwaak!!
“Acceleration.”
Davi’s body reappeared as if flickering, lightly landing on the gorilla’s body, and then sprinted wildly across its massive form.
Wherever the fox spirit ran, cold frost seeped out, covering the gorilla spirit’s body in white and freezing it.
“Slowing, suppression, superposition, repulsion.”
“Gghhhuuuhhh!!”
A pale, cold breath swirled around the gorilla’s shaggy body, freezing and binding it entirely.
The gorilla thrashed about, unable to catch Davi, who was darting across its house-sized body.
Priscilla, listening to Lennok’s explanation, stared blankly at Davi freely transforming and using cryokinetic mana.
Lennok watched the dying spirit with an expressionless face and said,
“Originally, that spirit wasn’t this size. Its combat power increased as its body grew, but it doesn’t quite know how to control its expanded physical form. The fact that it tried to swing a train car like a club is proof of that.”
When the gorilla spirit confirmed Davi’s presence, it unnecessarily tore off a train car and tried to swing it as a club.
For a being of such size and stature, using the weight and bulk of a train car as a weapon was inefficient.
Given the overwhelming strength it displayed when it first stopped the train, why would it even need a weapon?
However, the very act of seeking a weapon at that moment proved that the gorilla spirit was not accustomed to using its own body.
It was proof that the spirit’s power and physical size had been forcibly enhanced through a Spirit Growth Promotion Ritual.
“The rituals that sorcerers speak of don’t enhance all of a spirit’s advantages. They focus on forcibly developing only one aspect of the spirit’s essence or specialized strength. Considering that…”
At that moment, the foxfire surrounding Lennok’s body spun in place, transforming into a colossal circular shield.
CRASH!!
A sorcerer, holding a crimson blade, stood still before the foxfire shield.
The moment the sorcerer, gripping the blade with both hands, twisted his body to somehow plunge it into Lennok’s neck.
Spirit Hierarchy Common Magic
Property Transformation: Attribute Conversion
“Frost Horn!”
A sharp ice spear, jutting out from the shield made of ice, pierced directly through the sorcerer’s belly.
Thwack!!
At the same time, the gorilla spirit, engulfed by the wave of cold air Davi unleashed from behind, froze solid and stopped abruptly.
“Freeze Order!”
“Cough!!”
Lennok nodded, watching the sorcerer cough up black blood from the recoil.
“A spirit’s abilities and characteristics tend to resemble the practitioner’s inner image and spells. Considering that, it’s highly likely this sorcerer is a superhuman specialized in close combat.”
Despite convulsing from the gut-wrenching pain, there was not a shred of composure left in his desperate attempt to reach out and kill Lennok.
“Thus, in applying elemental mana transformation in real combat, quickly recognizing and predicting the abilities and tendencies of your opponent is a tremendously important skill. Most mages have a somewhat fixed range of mana attributes they can transform into.”
Lennok stood nonchalantly beside the gorilla spirit and, without hesitation, tapped its shoulder.
“You must assess whether the mana you can transform is suitable for the battlefield and consider the means necessary for victory. And all this thought process must be completed within 10 seconds of facing the enemy, to determine if combat is even possible.”
“Let go, you damn…!!”
“…”
Priscilla said nothing, only staring blankly at Lennok.
“Should I give you one more example? The sorcerers I’ve met so far, when wearing their animal masks, their voices echoed, and they had to remove their animal masks to summon spirits.”
Lennok looked at Priscilla and grabbed the gorilla mask the sorcerer was wearing.
“But this sorcerer is wearing his animal mask even after summoning his spirit, and there’s almost no voice modulation. The conclusion you can draw from that is…”
Even though Lennok was just holding the gorilla mask without pulling it off, the mask’s form gradually faded, revealing the face of a bearded man underneath.
Lennok spoke, looking at the sorcerer’s bare face, his eyes bloodshot crimson.
“The animal mask he was wearing was a mere illusion, almost a hallucination.”
“I see…”
“Do you know why I’m telling you all this right now?”
Lennok said this, then dismissed the gorilla spirit, let Davi settle on his shoulder, and turned to Priscilla.
“The abilities I’ve just described are the basic qualifications a mage must possess to participate directly in the field.”
“…”
“Even if you have the necessary abilities and are thoroughly prepared for combat, the mercenary world is a place where it’s difficult to guarantee a survival rate of more than half.”
Only then did she realize that Lennok was pointing out her rash actions, and she lowered her head.
“Milla wasn’t wrong. Simply understanding your aptitude and lineage, and mastering spells of related attributes, is not enough. The curriculum that Rebatenon University aims for is also far from that.”
“I know.”
Priscilla bit her lip slightly and replied.
“But I didn’t become a mage for magical research or technological advancement. I became one for my sister…”
“…”
He knew what she wanted to say.
Priscilla’s university tuition came from Milla’s work in the mercenary industry.
It wasn’t strange that she felt indebted because of that fact.
It was also natural for Priscilla to wish for a future where she could work alongside Milla in the field someday.
But conversely, he also needed to let her know that it was still far too premature.
“Cough!! You’re having fun…”
The sorcerer listened to Lennok’s words and sneered with a blood-stained mouth.
“Yes. The one we should have aimed for wasn’t the spirit user, but that one, kh-kh…!! Blinded by the scent… I misunderstood…”
Priscilla’s shoulders twitched at the sorcerer’s glaring, glossy gaze.
But instead of losing her composure and backing away, she quickly calmed her agitation and stared intently at the sorcerer.
To be able to maintain rationality in front of an opponent threatening her. For now, this alone was enough.
Lennok thought so and asked the sorcerer, who was bleeding profusely from his belly,
“You said you smelled my spirit.”
“This gorilla is the one that stinks, Master?”
Davi, who had returned and perched on Lennok’s head, quietly protested, tapping his hair with its tail.
But the sorcerer, seeing Davi exchanging thoughts with Lennok, wide-eyed even as he was dying.
“Th-that’s right… The form we desire for spirits… is…”
“To smell spirits is to pursue the synesthesia of inspiration. It’s impossible without violating the taboo against the materialization of the soul.”
Lennok said, looking at the sorcerer,
“Sacrificing humans for the Spirit Growth Promotion Ritual wouldn’t merely be to grow spirits. It’s about a higher level of transcendence beyond established norms, meddling with the spirit’s soul and body, ultimately to make them similar to humans, isn’t it?”
“Y-yes…”
The sorcerer struggled to keep his closing eyes open, grinning with his bloodied face.
“I stopped midway… but my other comrades… are still moving forward.”
“…”
“Our answer lies not in this world… but out there…”
His breathing grew faint, as if it could cease at any moment.
But even knowing he was dying, the sorcerer showed no fear of moving beyond.
In his eyes was only a strong conviction in his own answer.
“Not in the material realm, but in the garden of the Spirit Realm, where souls reside… my daughter…”
He couldn’t finish his words, and the focus disappeared from the sorcerer’s eyes.
If he had conserved his breath and chosen his words, he might have lived a little longer. But he didn’t choose that path.
Lennok quietly murmured, looking at the sorcerer who had died speaking only of his fervent wish until the end.
“The Spirit Realm, you say…”
“…”
It was the name of a dimension that all spirit-employing practitioners had heard of at least once, yet whose existence had never been officially confirmed.
Where do spirits come from, and what is the talent that allows one to employ spirits and coexist with them?
Where do they derive their qualification and origin for existing as non-material beings, yet engaging in life-like activities and possessing intelligence?
Because no one has yet properly defined and theorized this, the study of spirit arts remains a power based strictly on talent.
Could the Ghost God Palace’s objective through this incident be an ideal that transcends mere spirit growth?
Priscilla, her face complex, looked at the dead sorcerer’s corpse and asked,
“Is it always like this?”
“What is?”
“To become a high-level mage, do you have to believe in your answer that much?”
“…”
“I don’t know. If such a truth exists that you can blindly and fanatically follow something to that extent…”
Priscilla seemed somewhat confused.
Perhaps it wasn’t just because she felt something through this sorcerer.
It was probably because she had also overheard that everyone would have to come up with their own answer someday.
Therefore, instead of telling her whether her words were right or wrong, Lennok chose a different response.
“An answer, wouldn’t it be something that can even lead someone who hasn’t decided their answer?”
“…Yes?”
“I don’t know the details either, but ultimately, the truth that high-level practitioners seek must mean something like that.”
Lennok didn’t wait for Priscilla’s reply, stood up, and turned his gaze.
“We don’t have much time. First, we should check the Central Library.”
The massive lobby leading into the Central Library, which the gorilla spirit’s sorcerer had been blocking.
“Milla will be waiting.”
Rebatenon University Central Library.
In terms of sheer scale, it was one of the top three buildings on campus, known as a treasure trove of knowledge said to house ten million books.
It was known to have existed even longer than Rebatenon University itself,
And when the educational institution was established under the official approval of the Vulcan City Government, it played a crucial role in selecting the university’s site.
Its prestige was such that one could even say Rebatenon University was built in this location because of the library’s existence.
Having undergone countless reconstructions and constructions over its long history, rumors were rampant about hidden rooms or reading rooms that had disappeared in the process.
Rumors that hidden rooms were piled high with grimoires and artifacts, and that vengeful spirits released from grimoires wandered at night, were among the famous ghost stories Lennok himself knew.
‘That’s why, if the Dean is captured, the library, not the main university building, is likely to be the stage.’
Lennok thought as he carefully opened the library’s glass door and stepped inside.
‘If there was someone who conspired with the Ghost God Palace from within to orchestrate all this, they would undoubtedly have known about the hidden rooms and reading rooms in the library.’
In this world where magic and mystery are alive and well, surprisingly few rumors or ghost stories are baseless.
No matter how absurd an urban legend or rumor may seem, most of them originate from a real entity or truth and are then exaggerated.
Lennok believed the Dean was likely confined in such a hidden reading room or similar space.
Creak!!
The scent of books wafted through the air as soon as the door opened.
The unique, calm aroma created by countless volumes of aged paper piled up together felt like it settled one’s mind.
“Priscilla. Do you know the structure of the Central Library well?”
“I come here often during exam periods to study, so somewhat…”
Priscilla said, a tense expression on her face.
“Should I guide you, Assistant Professor?”
“No, it’s fine. I only asked in case you didn’t know the layout.”
Lennok himself had visited the Central Library several times in the process of researching and reading various theses.
It was enough to know that this massive library boasted over 10 floors and even had storage rooms for books deep underground.
“We don’t have much time, so I’ll explain it simply. The books in the Central Library are protected by powerful preservation spells cast within the building.”
Lennok pulled a book from a nearby shelf, opened it, and said,
“It’s a type of ancient magic for book protection that has existed for a very long time, and through it, most damage is immediately restored if a book is harmed or lost.”
He gently pressed and folded a page of the open book in half, then closed and reopened the book. The folded crease had completely vanished.
“Minor damage like this is immediately restored, but it’s different if a book suffers severe damage enough to be destroyed. In such cases, the damaged book is recreated by manifesting backup book data from the library’s basement.”
Since he couldn’t tear the book on the spot, Lennok calmly placed it back on the shelf and said,
“The time it takes for a damaged book to be restored is approximately 5 hours. That’s a short time to some, and a long time to others. Do you understand what this means?”
Priscilla immediately understood the meaning of his words and nodded.
“You mean if the Dean is trapped here, there might be a large number of books piled up nearby that haven’t been restored yet.”
“It’s just a hypothesis, but the Dean sent his spirit to me to inform me that something had happened to him.”
Lennok’s eyes sharpened.
“Wouldn’t he have tried his best to leave traces of where he was trapped?”
If the Dean had resisted as much as possible during his detention, there would still be enough time for those traces to remain.
“I understand. Then, perhaps…?”
“…?”
Priscilla looked at Davi with expectant eyes, then quickly averted her gaze when Davi tilted its head.
Davi, finally realizing her thoughts, whispered quietly to Lennok in an exasperated tone.
“Master, I think this young organic entity considers me some kind of convenient, all-purpose tool.”
“…”
It seemed the side effects of using Davi’s abilities to resolve and deal with all sorts of situations were starting to show.
Davi, oblivious to Lennok’s thoughts, continued to tilt its head, still exuding a chilling aura.
Lennok cleared his throat and tried to change the subject.
“There are some things that even spirit arts alone can’t solve. For now, it would be best to look for a book reading room.”