Chapter 355: The Hundredth Day
The night of the hundredth day. Before the precise knock on the door sounded again, Kurtz responded. "Come in."
Frieren froze outside the door.
The door opened, and Frieren's figure appeared as expected.
She didn't step in immediately. Her emerald eyes lingered on Kurtz for a moment, as if surprised that he would suddenly acknowledge her, and then, as usual, she walked to her designated spot and stood still.
The room was silent for a moment. Frieren also seemed to be gathering her thoughts.
"Regarding Master Flamme—"
"Come here."
Frieren had just started speaking when Kurtz calmly interrupted her. This reaction was completely different from the past ninety-nine days.
Frieren was visibly stunned, her eyes somewhat confused, but she didn't ask further. She walked a few steps closer as instructed.
Kurtz looked at her, silent for a few seconds, then he reached out his hand, tracing lines in the air with his fingertips.
A magic circle appeared between the two of them. Its structure wasn't very complex, yet it exuded a strange feeling, as if it contained some special power.
"Take this." Kurtz flicked his finger, and the magic circle transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into Frieren's brow.
Using mental magic to implant an entire spell into someone else's mind directly was an extremely difficult feat. In the entire world, perhaps only Kurtz and Serie were capable of such a thing. A large amount of information flooded Frieren's mind. She closed her eyes for a moment, digesting the information.
When she opened her eyes again, her usually calm gaze was noticeably brighter. "This is—"
Her voice was a touch faster than usual, for she sensed the aura of life magic within it. "A magic that can grant Master Flamme immortality?"
Kurtz shook his head. "No."
The light in Frieren's eyes dimmed slightly, but she immediately pressed on. "Then is it a magic that can let her live for a few hundred, or even a thousand, more years?"
Kurtz shook his head again, his tone firm. "It's not that either."
Hope was completely extinguished, replaced by a clear bewilderment, and even a rare hint of displeasure, surfacing on Frieren's otherwise expressionless small face.
"Then what is this magic for?" Her question was blunt, almost sharp.
"This is solidification magic." Kurtz patiently explained, as if he hadn't noticed the dissatisfaction on her face, or perhaps he simply didn't care.
"I know solidification magic," Frieren said. "Teacher Flamme herself knows it. She plans to use it when her lifespan is nearing its end, to freeze herself at the last moment, like falling into an eternal sleep."
Kurtz nodded, then shook his head. "What she described is less solidification and more like creating a specimen. The moment the magic takes effect, it is completely irreversible. It is a one-way cessation, and even I would be powerless to reverse it back to a state of continued life afterward."
Frieren's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, an expression she wore when she was extremely puzzled. "Then is there something different about the one you gave me?"
"I made modifications," Kurtz affirmed. "The core difference is that it can be reversed, meaning the magic can be dispelled at any time, and it won't strip the target of all their vitality the moment it takes effect. Rather than solidification, it's more like a pause, perfectly sealing everything about the caster—their body, magic, and even thoughts—in the state they were in just before casting. The flame of life won't be extinguished; it's merely halted temporarily ."
Frieren carefully processed his words, but she quickly grasped the key point and pouted, an almost human expression of distaste that seemed a little out of place on an elf's face.
"But what's the use of that? Teacher Flamme's lifespan issue still isn't resolved. Once the magic is dispelled, Master will still face death."
Kurtz was somewhat accustomed to Frieren's direct, core-focused questioning, but he still felt a hint of speechlessness at this moment.
Indeed, one couldn't expect elves to think too much. Of course, Serie was an exception.
He said no more, simply turned and walked towards a wall on one side of the research lab, then extended a finger and infused magic into a certain spot.
The wall silently slid open, revealing a stairwell leading downward.
Frieren could sense a faint aura of an older life emanating from deep within the passage.
"Follow me," Kurtz said, stepping into the passage first. Frieren followed without hesitation.
The passage wasn't long, ending in a not-so-spacious secret chamber.
In the center of the secret chamber was a huge magic circle.
It was a magic Frieren had never seen before. She couldn't understand any of its runes, only vaguely recognizing it as related to life magic based on her limited magical knowledge.
At the core of the array, a milky-white halo floated, emitting a warm and vast life aura, which was the source she had just sensed.
"This is the core of that so-called immortality magic, or rather, it's more fitting to call it reincarnation magic," Kurtz's voice echoed in the silent secret chamber, "and it's a major reason why I could live for a thousand years."
He pointed to the shifting halo in the center of the array. "When the lifespan of this human body of mine is nearing its end, and the connection between soul and flesh naturally begins to wane, I will use the authority I wield, derived from the Life Goddess, to reshape a brand new body for myself. Then, I will transfer my soul into the new body. This is my immortality."
Kurtz paused, looking at Frieren, who was listening intently. "Do you understand now? My so-called immortality is vastly different from what people understand as immortality. This requires the authority of the Age of Gods as its foundation, the soul itself must possess sufficient strength and stability, and it further requires the magical knowledge accumulated over countless reincarnations. This is an unreplicable, untransmittable miracle unique to me."
Frieren's gaze shifted from the awe-inspiring array of magic back to Kurtz.
After the initial surprise, a deep sense of loss welled up in her heart.
She remained silent for a long time, then, in a voice softer than usual, with a last hint of unwillingness, she asked, "Can't you use that authority to create a new body for Master Flamme as well?"
Kurtz slowly shook his head, his tone unequivocal. "Impossible. The essence of this authority is deeply bound to my soul. It only responds to my will and serves only me. It's impossible to create a body for anyone else."
Kurtz was not yet a god, unable to use this authority to create bodies for others. To be able to reshape a body for himself alone was already his limit.
Upon hearing Kurtz's words, her last glimmer of hope was extinguished.
Frieren lowered her head, her voice returning to its usual flatness. "Then, what is the relationship between this solidification magic you modified and this magic array?"
Kurtz did not answer immediately.
He gazed at the magic array in the center of the secret chamber and slowly began, "If nothing unexpected happens, then this current body will be my last reincarnation."
"?" Frieren suddenly looked up, an absurd thought flashing through her mind. She almost blurted out, "You—you've lived enough? Are you planning to die?"
In her understanding, for Kurtz to have existed for so long and then suddenly decide to end it, there seemed to be only this one explanation.
"Thwack!"
A crisp thwack landed squarely on Frieren's smooth forehead. The force was neither light nor heavy, yet it was enough to make her cover her forehead with a soft "Ugh."
A mist of tears instantly welled up in her emerald eyes as she looked at Kurtz, who had suddenly struck her, with a bewildered and innocent expression. It stung more than it hurt. This was the first time in years!
Kurtz withdrew his hand. "Who said I've lived enough?" he snapped. "My point is, I no longer need to rely on this method of reincarnation to prolong my existence."
He pointed to the milky-white halo, the central hub of power for the entire array. "What I am doing is continuously researching and attempting to master this authority, thereby completely understanding the composition of human life runes. This is a very long project, progressing slowly, but I have already touched some edges and glimpsed some patterns."
He paused. "Although the path ahead is still blurry, I have absolute confidence that one day in the future, perhaps hundreds of years from now, I will be able to decipher this primal code of life fully."
Kurtz turned around, his gaze burning as he looked at Frieren, who was still clutching her forehead, not entirely recovered from the head flick. "Do you know what this means, Frieren?"
Frieren blinked her watery eyes and honestly shook her head.
Authority, life composition, primal code, she heard every word Kurtz said, but the combination made no sense to her.
She only knew it sounded impressive and complex, but what it specifically meant, she had no idea.
Seeing Frieren's bewildered expression, Kurtz took a deep breath and explained again. "This means I can rewrite my own life composition. I no longer need to change bodies. I can directly allow my body to possess a lifespan as long as an elf's."
Frieren's eyes widened in surprise.
So this was true immortality!
Before she could digest this astonishing information, Kurtz continued. "And once I completely master this technique, the object of rewriting will no longer be limited to myself. Although rewriting the life composition for others requires consuming precious authority and the process will undoubtedly be more complex and difficult, it is theoretically feasible."
Frieren subconsciously held her breath.
Rewriting the life composition for others? Granting others immortality as well? She instinctively blurted out, "Then wouldn't that mean—"
Halfway through her sentence, she abruptly stopped.
"But, Teacher Flamme, she won't be able to wait until then."
Hundreds of years of research time meant, for humans, the succession of several generations. Flamme's remaining life, in the face of such a long time, was as fleeting as morning dew.
Just as Frieren was feeling disheartened, Kurtz suddenly laughed. "Ha-Ha-Ha.."
"That's why," he said, looking earnestly at Frieren, "that's why she needs to use the solidification magic I modified."
After a brief thought, Frieren immediately understood. Her breath caught.
"Could it be that—"
[End of Chapter]