Chapter 314 - Candidates (1)
In this world, there exists such a thing as balance.
That was, of course, a truth that applied even to living beings such as humans.
The body and power might not form a perfectly complete equilibrium, yet within limited specifications, maintaining at least a minimum balance was normal.
"If not, then something terrible would happen. For example, even if one had the power to topple a great mountain, if they could not withstand the recoil, their body would collapse and explode."
The Library Director furrowed his brow.
"The extreme that prevents such disasters is the limit. And beneath that upper line, when one does not lean excessively to one side, but instead the two rise together in synergy, we call that harmony. Yet the Magus named Asher, who came to the Library, is perfectly defying that natural order."
"In what way do you mean?"
"Imbalance, to a severe degree."
His mana circuits pulsed strongly.
As denser mana concentrated in his eyes, a blue ring emerged within his pupils, which had held a faint violet hue.
The 'Ring of Origin', handed down from ancient bloodlines.
A Mage who inherited those special eyes could visually pierce through things unseen by ordinary people.
The Library Director looked beyond objects, observing the man in the distance.
"Overflowing youthful vitality, just as his appearance suggests. Even accounting for error, it's certain he has not passed thirty. And yet, such vast mana…"
It was truly immense.
The total amount of mana slumbering within was difficult to gauge at a glance. It felt like staring into a vast ocean, endlessly spread.
His mana had broken past the 6th tier.
"He has not merely exceeded balance, he has utterly abandoned the realm of harmony. To reach such heights at that age must mean he achieved artificial rapid growth. Normally, his vessel, his body, should already have broken apart and perished without a trace."
"But I did not sense such a sign from Lord Asher."
At the Listener's rebuttal, the Library Director nodded.
"I felt the same. He seemed not only perfectly intact, but even as if he had full dominion over his own power. And that is the problem. He is brazenly violating magical common sense. And furthermore…"
The Library Director's eyes narrowed.
"Deep in that abyss of mana, something slumbers. No, perhaps it is more correct to say it has not yet awakened."
"What do you mean…?"
"Even I cannot tell. It is too deep, even these eyes cannot pierce it. But how should I put it… If I must say, his realm feels ambiguous compared to existing Magi. It's as if he has not pioneered Mado. Yet that presence is unmistakably that of a Magus."
A Magus who is, and yet is not, a Magus…
Mado is the domain of enlightenment.
For Mages above the 5th tier, there are only two paths—whether one has pioneered their own way, or has not. There is no such thing as a middle ground.
Since the concept of Magus was born in the magical world, no such case has ever been observed.
"…That is difficult for me to understand."
"I never asked you to understand. I myself don't know what I am saying. I am merely expressing a feeling, nothing more."
He shrugged his shoulders.
"Through the last meeting, I too agreed to grant Asher the ancient trial. And I thought he would wisely give up halfway. Yet he succeeded. That alone was astonishing enough, but to think he would turn out to be such an existence."
Inexplicable.
That was how the Library Director defined Asher, with a dry laugh.
"Well then, we said to recruit candidates for the Ark… Listener, just who have you brought?"
It was his second question.
The Listener scratched his head awkwardly.
"I do not know either."
"Haha, indeed. In any case, this year's exchange competition will be far different from the norm. This year's two new Mage candidates—one is a Genius who mastered a 'new kind of magic', and the other is a Genius who has reached a realm far beyond the level of a candidate."
"What? A new kind of magic?"
"You haven't heard? Ah, Central Continent was not under your charge, so perhaps you didn't know."
The Library Director chuckled softly.
"Well, you'll see for yourself."
***
Meanwhile, Verden raised his altitude with
When he reached the I-F-48th floor mentioned by the Library Director, perfectly arranged books greeted him.
Every title was unfamiliar.
He picked one at random and skimmed through it, finding theories regarding 6th-tier enchantment magic.
"…Astounding."
The other books were the same.
Not just theory, but practical 6th-tier magic was contained in each volume. It was nothing less than a treasury of knowledge.
He wanted nothing more than to commit all of those books to memory at once.
'But I don't have the time.'
By agreement, Verden was not obliged to fulfill all duties of the Ark, but only to take the trial. In return, he could not use the Ark's information network or members.
'That I can use the Ark's facilities like this must be because of the special nature of the Ark meeting.'
Tomorrow, the Ark meeting would be held.
He could not stay long.
At most a day or two, perhaps leaving right after the meeting ended.
With that in mind, he had to choose magic that would be practical and immediately useful.
Greed was dangerous.
With restraint, he carefully examined the volumes.
Verden's main field was elemental magic.
Secondarily, enhancement magic in the enchantment category, which compensated for a Mage's lacking physical abilities, enabling effective close combat.
He could use mental-type spells, a subcategory of enchantment, but casting those of the 5th tier or higher was very difficult.
If he discarded everything else and secluded himself for several months, he might reach some degree of mastery… but that was not an option to begin with.
Perhaps later, if he had leisure, but changing his entire battle method now would be utterly inefficient.
Most of all, he had finally entered the true course of his journey. Thus, he needed magic that could become combat power immediately.
The range narrowed to 6th-tier enchantment spells that directly affected the caster himself.
After leafing through countless shelves, Verden finally found three spells he sought.
They were composed of theory, practice, and application, making a total of eleven volumes.
Even if he read quickly, even excluding meals and sleep, he would have to stay up all night here, yet it was no big matter.
With
There was no proper place to sit.
Well, it didn't matter anyway.
He simply crouched in a corner, leaned his back against a bookshelf, and immediately immersed himself in reading.
Just like back then, when he used to secretly read books in the magic tower.
***
The Ark had rooms prepared for candidates.
Without exception, all were expanded with spatial magic, so though the entrance was narrow, the interior rivaled that of a decent-sized mansion.
Even without going to a dining hall, if one wished, meals would be delivered, and with the facilities provided inside, one would have no need to go outside.
For those who liked being alone, it was undeniably a cozy and comfortable place.
In such a room, a Mage in a hooded robe sat quietly on a chair.
"To think there was such a thing as a floating island in the world… I wonder what Professor Dale would say if he saw it. Surely he would be shocked enough to faint. Perhaps he might not even get back up again… hmm, most likely."
The Mage muttered, nodding his head.
Of course, he had not the slightest thought of revealing information about the Ark to outsiders. He had promised as much, but also, it was because of the very purpose of the Ark's existence.
A secret organization for the sake of humanity, the Ark.
Not just empty words, but a group with the power to bring ideals into reality. Was that not incredibly admirable?
The mere fact that he could be part of such people made his heart race with excitement and overflow with a sense of mission. He was at an age where he still held his own pure ideals.
The Mage chuckled lightly, then suddenly stopped.
"At last, tomorrow is the Ark meeting… the day of the exchange competition."
The day when a candidate of the Ark proved themselves.
Attendance was not compulsory for all, but for new candidates like him, it was a must to come to the Ark and experience the exchange competition.
He was accustomed to showing magic before many people.
But this time, he would have to display his skills before the greatest figures gathered from around the world. Naturally, it was impossible not to be nervous.
Still, it was a mountain he had to cross.
'Because I am a Genius.'
Since the day he was born, everyone had said so.
The Headmaster, the Professors, seniors and juniors, even classmates. Almost everyone called him a Genius, and he had never once betrayed their expectations.
He had long accepted others' jealousy as a matter of course.
'Come to think of it, they said there was another candidate besides me.'
He had heard that person had subjugated one of Gluttony's branches.
He knew Gluttony was a group of traitors to the Ark, monsters that fed on humans.
But since he had never once faced them directly, he could not quite grasp how great an achievement that was.
Well, it certainly sounded impressive enough.
'They said it was a Mage, didn't they? Just what kind of person could it be?'
Perhaps because the other was also a new candidate.
A faint sense of kinship arose. Maybe, just maybe, that person was also a Genius, like himself.
The Mage took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart.
Then, from within his robe, he took out a strange object.
A flat, brass-colored plate, covered on its underside with countless magical lines, and above it, a rounded ceiling sealed by a transparent barrier like glass—such was the special magic item.
Slowly, he infused mana into it.
His inner imagery was projected. Then, a blue light gathered within, and soon a fierce wolf, formed of pure mana, took shape.
Only palm-sized.
The Mage looked at it and smiled.
"I… I can do well, can't I?"
[Woof, woof!]
The wolf howled.
***
The promised day arrived.
Since the Ark had no natural weather or change of light, the scenery was unchanged. At its center where light and shadow coexisted, it was still dreamlike.
Fully armed, Leira gazed at the city of the Ark.
In the district where the Ark's members resided, there were many people coming and going, while in other places, there were almost none.
Overall, compared to any city on the surface, the population density was extremely low. Most of the buildings were plainly empty.
Even though she had visited the Ark several times, it still did not feel real to her. That was partly why.
Just then, Taila, standing beside her, spoke.
"Lord Locke and Theon are coming."
Leira turned her head.
As she said, there were only two. Meeting them, Leira tilted her head slightly.
"Weren't they supposed to come with Asher? Why are there only two of them?"
"Ah, well, when we went to his room, he wasn't there. We asked around nearby, and they said he hadn't come at all. Lady Leira, haven't you seen him?"
Leira shook her head.
Yesterday, after training her sword and qi, she had gone straight in to rest. There had been no chance to run into him, nor had she seen him nearby.
"Maybe he went ahead of us?"
"I doubt it. But there's still time, so let's wait a bit longer. In any case, to get there, he'll have to pass through here."
About twenty minutes passed.
Then, feeling a familiar presence from afar, everyone turned their gaze in that direction.
Verden and the Listener.
The two they had been waiting for were walking over.
"Brother Asher! We've been waiting so lo— huh?"
Locke, who had rushed forward, blinked, staring at the Listener. Dark circles sagged under his eyes, and he looked utterly exhausted.
"You look really tired. Did something happen?"
"I couldn't get off work."
While Verden had been wholly absorbed in acquiring enchantment spells, the Listener had spent the entire night awake in the Library.
Only after Verden achieved his goal did he notice the man's state.
"…It wasn't intentional."
In any case, it had been entirely Verden's fault.
You can read more chapters in organised way on my website:- https://revengernovel.com