A Royal Magic Tower (2)
Chapter 60
Ropheiren, a professor at the Royal Magic Tower, stood in place for a long time even after Ray had disappeared. His current location was near the entrance of the Obelisk, where the spatial distortion field’s intensity was relatively weak.
If Ray were a high-ranking mage or possessed a powerful artefact, it would be entirely possible to break through the spatial distortion field.
However, using magic or an artefact inside the Obelisk would inevitably trigger detection.
Had Ray recklessly attempted any tricks, he would have been caught by now.
‘Really, what is his true identity?’
It was conceivable that a specific faction amassed capital and information to bypass the Obelisk’s security system and infiltrated Ray as a spy.
Yet, recalling how calmly Ray strolled down the corridor despite the evident signs of presence, this seemed like an unlikely assumption.
‘He truly acted as if he had no idea what he’d done…’
Unless this was a deception, then what exactly was going on?
It was possible that Ray was unknowingly used as someone else’s experimental tool, or perhaps he possessed an unusually strong resistance to spatial distortion.
Both hypotheses were hard to believe, but Ropheiren had already witnessed the ‘phenomenon.’
‘I must… obtain it.’
Desire arose within him.
If Ropheiren, an insider, could acquire the means to deceive the spatial distortion field like Ray, he could freely access most areas of the Obelisk.
Perhaps, he might even gain access to the “Resina Record,” tightly guarded by those in high positions.
Ropheiren slowly calmed himself after a slight tremble of his shoulders.
For now, he needed to suppress his excitement and investigate this squire.
He had to understand Ray’s background and skills and confirm the nature of the technique that deceived the spatial distortion field.
Intimidation or persuasion would come afterward.
Ropheiren felt his body tense up.
He needed to claim this advantage before others took notice.
It was an extremely risky move, but the Resina Record was worth risking his life for.
‘Even if I raise the stakes, what difference does it make when my life is already precarious?’
Between the heavy dark circles under his eyes, a glint of greed flickered.
Renowned for his obsessive dedication to the study of magic, Ropheiren began tracking Ray.
Several days had passed since Ray visited the Obelisk.
Contrary to Ray’s concerns, Alesya quickly expanded her social circle and immersed herself fully in her studies abroad.
Ray frowned as he observed Alesya mingling with noble young misses.
Alesya seemed unusually adept at befriending other girls.
Had the noble ladies, with their gentle dispositions, readily accepted Alesya?
‘That’s unlikely.’
Would other nobles view Alesya favorably just because she arrived wielding two rare spirits, immediately drawing the professors’ attention?
Absolutely not.
What inducements had she offered to attract so many peers?
Shaking his head, Ray decided it was best not to question it further.
For now, everything was fine.
Clearing his thoughts, Ray entered his quarters and slumped onto the floor.
Over the past few days, he managed to supplement his knowledge about Circles through magical texts.
Before reinforcing his theories further, Ray intended to evaluate his own condition.
“Alright, let’s focus and give this a try.”
Ray wiped his face with both hands.
Recalling the memory of nearly dying several years ago while attempting to slightly increase the mana capacity of his Core, Ray grimaced.
It was a painful experience he never wanted to repeat.
“Grr…”
Regulating his breathing, Ray prepared himself.
The Core resides within the heart. One cannot simply expand the Core to increase its mana capacity.
To increase the internal mana volume, the Core must be compressed to a higher density.
Clutching his teeth, Ray forcibly compressed the Core within his heart.
Crack!
The Core compressed.
If Ray wished, he could compress it to such a degree that it would disappear like a mouse tail, achieving an incredibly high density.
The problem arose afterward.
Creak!
The compressed Core became unstable.
Typically, the higher the density, the more stable the Core should be, but Ray’s Core behaved contrary to this norm.
Its unique properties became more pronounced as the density increased.
Zzzt!
The boundary of the dimension containing the Core blurred.
The Core, touching the deeper dimensions, distorted the surrounding space, transforming it into a kind of A-Space.
With all this chaos happening inside his heart, there was no way his body could endure.
“Khh!!”
Spitting out blood, Ray immediately released the compression on his Core.
His chest throbbed painfully, each heartbeat sending waves of excruciating pain through his body.
“Ughh….! I feel like I’m dying, really…!”
Though he tried, Ray barely managed to prevent himself from collapsing backward.
He rotated his Core, circulating mana throughout his body to gradually stabilize himself.
Once stabilized, Ray began concentrating the circulating mana into his right forearm, strengthening his muscles with it.
However, as the mana density continued to increase:
Whoosh!
The glowing boundary of his forearm suddenly blurred.
Boom!!
His skin tore open, spraying blood everywhere.
Clutching his bleeding arm, Ray gritted his teeth against the agony.
“What the hell is wrong with this mana?”
This was akin to living with a bomb inside his body.
Should he accidentally concentrate too much mana in one part of his body, it would explode instantly.
Of course, achieving a density close to Sword Energy was necessary, but it remained unsettling.
‘Some say if I can infuse high-density mana throughout my entire body simultaneously, I might withstand it…’
But with the small amount of mana he currently possessed, attempting such a feat was unthinkable. Failure would mean a one-way trip to the afterlife.
For years, Ray pondered over the peculiarities of the Core within him.
Could creating a Circle around his heart serve as a controller to regulate the Core?
If successful, it would mark a significant advancement.
However, if side effects occurred, his lifespan would drastically shorten.
‘Do I really need to take the gamble of creating a Circle?’
Risking his life was familiar to Ray.
But endangering his life solely to become stronger did not align with his standards.
Ray’s goal was to guide talented individuals, destined to be heroes or villains, onto the right path—not to directly defeat the Demon King by risking his life to grow stronger.
While Ray was lost in thought, the door burst open.
Jenkins wrinkled his brow upon seeing the room transformed into a bloodbath.
“Were there intruders?”
“No. Just practicing.”
“Why practice inside your room?”
“The Royal Magic Tower doesn’t seem to have private training grounds available for knights.”
“At least practice more carefully. There’s not a single spot without blood. How do you plan to clean this up?”
“There’s nothing we can do. Let’s call the servants.”
Ray replied nonchalantly.
Since all this was for the sake of saving the world, Ray felt no guilt in utilizing the servants.
“Ice, ice magic…”
Returning once again to the Obelisk, Ray visited the library housing numerous magical texts.
Historical records described Harshia as carrying coldness wherever she went.
‘Was Harshia’s affinity for cold merely due to her frequent use of ice magic…’
Or was there another reason?
Seeking clues, Ray looked for a basic text on ice magic.
“There it is.”
The book was just out of reach.
Stretching his hand upward proved insufficient.
As Ray prepared to jump, someone behind him extended their arm and pulled the book out for him.
“Looking for this?”
Florya handed the book to Ray.
With a somewhat awkward expression, Ray nodded and took the book.
“Thank you.”
“You don’t look very grateful.”
“It’s just my naturally harsh expression.”
Ray silently cursed his delayed growth spurt.
Since most ice magic books were shelved high in corners, Ray continually required Florya’s assistance.
After enduring the humiliation of completing the borrowing procedures, Ray exited the library with Florya.
“Can I transcribe some of these and take them with me?”
“Surely not. But if they’re absolutely necessary, you could ask for help from either me or Alesya. They might overlook a few basic books being transcribed.”
“That’s good to know.”
If he couldn’t find Luna’s mentor, he’d have to transcribe a few books.
Noticing Ray’s contemplative demeanor, Florya inquired.
“You seem curious. Isn’t this knowledge irrelevant to a knight like you?”
“I’ve always been interested in it. Magic is a mysterious and powerful discipline, isn’t it?”
“Hmm…”
Smiling lightly, Florya offered to carry one of Ray’s books.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Despite appearances, I am quite knowledgeable about magic.”
“Hmm…”
After a brief moment of thought, Ray pointed to a dusty book and asked.
“Does freeze magic belong to a less popular category?”
“Among elemental magics, it’s less favored compared to others…”
“Because of its inefficiency?”
“Wow, correct! How did you know?”
Ray shrugged.
Based on memories from his previous life, he guessed correctly.
From a thermodynamic perspective, cooling consumes significantly more energy than heating.
Although Ray didn’t intend to delve deeply into engineering aspects of magic, reminiscing briefly brought a smile to his face.
Seeing Ray’s joyful expression, Florya continued.
“To cool down fire magic using freeze magic requires relatively much more mana. When attacked by fire magic, countering with the same type of fire magic is more efficient.”
“I see.”
“In a water-covered battlefield, freeze magic can be more potent, but ultimately, it remains limited by environmental conditions.”
“Understandable why it’s unpopular.”
“People ignorant of magic often mistake freeze magic for ‘ice magic,’ assuming it only creates ice. However, its essence is…”
“Stillness, right?”
“Exactly.”
Florya was slightly surprised.
She knew Ray was capable and intelligent for his background, but he was penetrating the essence of magic far more acutely than expected.
Had he learned magic theory from someone else?
Shaking her head, Florya dismissed the thought.
Ray didn’t seem like someone who would pretend to have deep insights based on borrowed knowledge.
As Florya fanned herself with her fan, Ray asked.
“Miss, may I ask one more question?”
“Of course.”
“Can freeze magic also ‘still’ a Circle or Core?”
“…That’s a difficult question.”
After a moment’s thought, Florya nodded.
“It’s possible. Mana has different properties from ordinary matter, and Circles and Cores especially so. But fixing them in place might be achievable.”
“I see…”
Rubbing his chin, Ray fell into deep thought.
The reason Harshia left trails of coldness wherever she went.
Perhaps Harshia didn’t use freeze magic primarily to harm enemies.
Maybe she needed to control her unruly Core and forcibly stabilize her mana, necessitating the application of Circles and magic.
As Ray became increasingly absorbed in his thoughts, Florya’s voice snapped him back to reality.
“Ray! Where did you go?”
“…?”
Confused, Ray turned his head.
Florya, who had been right beside him moments ago, was now wandering around 10 meters away, unable to find Ray.
Narrowing his eyes, Ray observed the other people walking down the corridor.
They appeared to walk in straight lines, but periodically, their bodies twisted awkwardly at odd angles.
‘What is this…?’
Turning around, Ray saw an empty corridor stretching endlessly behind him.
