It wasn't easy.
“Thuderbolt! Goddammit! Fuck!” Ark cursed, stomping his foot repeatedly.
His frustration made him swallow words, only leaving an incoherent sound.
Besides the target, there was a board that showed numbers for every attempt. The last Thunderbolt spell set a new record of over 1000, but that wasn't nearly enough to clear the goal.
The test was meant to test the firepower of a mage. Damage done by spirit and physical strength was thoroughly ignored. Moreover, the score wasn't cumulative, so even an instant of delay resulted in two different scores. A single power spell—that's what's needed here.
“I'm fucked.” He gritted his teeth.
An illusion; this space wasn't reality, but an illusion constructed through superlative magic. Thus, there were limitations that made this test particularly challenging for Ark.
Firstly, he couldn't use Mana Drain. Stuck with his original capacity, he was only able to use intermediate magic with a below-average output, even after depleting all his mana.
Secondly, it was impossible to amass mana. Magic power was automatically restored upon use, but the restoration effect took place only after the mana that left the body escaped his control and dissipated. It's a restriction that puts those like Ark at a disadvantage that is impossible to overcome.
And finally, rituals didn't work.
“Basically, I'm screwed.”
Ark sifted through his memories, trying to find a way to increase his firepower in any way possible.
He considered himself knowledgeable regarding magic. And in reality, he truly was. Knowledge of rituals was only briefly introduced to mages, even on a superficial level, but Ark could perform several types of rituals. The number of spells he memorized exceeded a thousand, and those weren't simply offensive spells but various types of auxiliary magics.
Yes, Ark was confident his was second only to the Sage, but that didn't help him right now as all the knowledge of magic he studied for years was proving itself futile.
“This is a joke. Are you racist against people with low mana levels?”
No reply; his voice echoed in the room.
"Oh, please, save me the cold treatment, you old man stalker. Did you use that fake omniscience to peep on the girls? Also, you fucking bastard, did you have fun watching me struggle? If you don't come out, my next attack will destroy that ass illusion.” Ark raised his sword and mustered his focus.
Was it risky?
Hell yeah.
Were the odds of it bringing a disaster that may endanger everyone high?
Almost certain.
Would he still do it?
(Fuck yeah!)
His intent sharpened like a sword, and his muscles tensed and bulged. The slash close to a concept had the potential to cut even intangible illusions; all that was needed was to concentrate on the target.
Before the motion was even executed, the space around Silverstar rattled and crackled erratically.
The moment that slash was used, the illusion would shatter.
“Stop! Just stop it, you maniac!”
Ark grinned wildly as he dropped the sword, and his body spasmed. It was quite a disturbing sight, and the man couldn't help the contortion of his expression.
“Crazy guy...”
“Isn't this an illusion?” Ark ignored the man's mumbles and asked. He rubbed his trembling body. “This hurts like heck.”
Stopping himself from executing the slash resulted in terrible physical and mental backlashes. However, in front of an unknown person, Ark remained sharp, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
“This is a special subspace, so of course the pain is real.”
“But my abilities don't work properly, and my magic power is infinitely restored.”
“Yes, it's because I imposed rules on the space, so it won't work like the outside. I'm afraid the complexity of this phenomenon is beyond the comprehension of modern mages,” he boasted.
Ark rolled his eyes. “An incomplete, honestly pathetic, pocket realm but a web of spells... no, this is one super complex array.”
The twitch in the man's face revealed his lie, but Ark still couldn't detect any hostility. However, he did not lower his guard, as the intent the man emitted was like nothing he had ever seen.
“You are smart; I will give you that, but this sort of knowledge is something even seven-year-old children know by heart.”
“Another lie.”
“Goddamn lie-detection skills!” he cursed. “Always hated those. Yours seems worse since you can read more than just lies.”
The atmosphere between two strangers may seem like friends jesting around, but their eyes were cold and calculating. Neither made the probing they wanted to, but they examined the other and used their abilities to find the tiniest information.
Ark deliberately shared wrong conclusions, which the man answered with half truths at his own convenience.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
(He couldn't be trusted.)
“How about we speak honestly from now on?” Ark concealed his distrust and operated Phantom to the fullest in order to carry out a successful deceit. “I assure you, the both of us have plenty to gain from sharing information.”
“Indeed, I have been thinking the same. However, this is not the ideal place to hold such a conversation. I apologize for creating such a test that does not measure your abilities properly.”
“Of course, that much is normal. My capabilities are beyond...”
“Though it's unfortunate since you could pass if not for your incompetence.” The man interruped, his smile radiating mockery. “It can't be helped for someone like you, who relies so much on others' mana, to not be able to bring something to the table on your own.”
An arc of silver passed through the man in a flash, to no avail.
“Are you messing with me? Next time my attack will land, so watch it.” Ark sheathed Silverstar, making his hostility obvious.
“Relax; I was just joking.”
“We aren't necessarily on the same side, let alone friends. Beware not to cross the line,” he warned.
The man's expression stiffened. Clearly, he was afraid for his life, even though his body wasn't present. Smiling awkwardly, he muttered words of apology.
Elizabeth had the tendency to diss Ark for his consitution and general ineptitude, even as she tried to compliment him. But the only reason he took it down lying was his respect and admiration for her, who was the Sage.
He might tolerate it to some extent were it to be comments made by comrades and people from his side.
But mysterious strangers? Fuck them.
Ark smirked. “If you understand, then get to the point already,” he urged.
“The only way to leave this space without damaging it is by passing the test. That's how I built this place, and I can't change it in my current state. Since you want out and I want my dungeon not destroyed, let me teach you a way to increase the potency of your spells.”
“Sure.”
An instant reply.
“What are you waiting for? Come on.”
Stupefied by the arrogant Ark accepting easily, the man's chin fell to the floor. The word shameless naturally flashed in his head, but he said nothing and continued.
“As you know, the power of spells may vary based on the volume and quality of the soul's element. That is because the core of a spell, which is also the medium, is the soul. That said, this method has plenty of drawbacks. One is that although it is possible to artificially obtain other elements, building them up and maintaining them is a rare talent in itself.”
“Skip the useless parts. This method doesn't apply to me anyway.”
“No, this isn't useless,” the man argued. “This is so you understand the core of spells. It is the power source, but there is waste. We draw power from our souls, but the majority of mages only utilize 40% of the possible output.”
“The majority?”
“From the group you brought.”
Ark ruminated over that information. His group had mages from the second order, trained by an S-rank mage. Only the talented could join, and talents were measured by element volume and magic power; both were ranked B at the minimum.
But if even those talents failed to bring half the possible power, then it might really be something to learn.
“What's mine?”
“A decent 100%.”
(What the...?)
Ark unsheathed his sword again and slowly posed it against the man's neck.
“I get it.” His intent sharpened again. This time, he targeted both the space and the man. “You waste time keeping me here. Guess I will kill you.”
The man shuddered at Ark's amplified killing intent. This emotion greatly disturbed him, especially as he was present as a mere projection. Curiosity and fear mixed together as he rushed to speak.
“You use elements in your body and synchronize with them! Amazing! Others only use it to boost their spells by 1% or even less! But you can go beyond 100%, and I know how!”
Even as the man so frantically praised Ark, he didn't drop his sword until he heard any concrete information. His intent was loosened once more, but this time there was no physical drawback.
“Go on.”
The man breathed in relief. “It's all about the circulation of magic power within the body. Go through the mana veins as fast as possible, and make sure to use dense magic power. Only after enough power is built can you direct the magic power to your hands and run the formula. The spell will exhibit an output beyond the limits.”
Ark dissected the words as he followed the instructions. His own knowledge supported their credibility.
Sinking deeper into his own conscious mind, his focus was elevated to a superhuman level.
Everything was dedicated to condensing and rotating mana inside the mana veins.
Once before, Ark experienced his mana veins expanding after channeling Liliana's overwhelming fire mana. However, as Elizabeth dissuaded him from further cultivation of his veins, he left it at a simple level, an untrained muscle.
The results were natural. Searing pain coursed through the veins, and Ark's body screamed at him to stop.
His spirit unfolded, strengthening his durability.
No Phantom was infused. There was no concentration to spare. It was a show of a low-leveled spirit.
“Amazing. Such a diamond in the rough—no, he is more like a coal that can compress itself. He is certainly my ideal...” The murmurs of the man reached Ark's ears but weren't recognized, echoing in vain.
Mana amassed in the palms of his hands. The formula of the spell shaped it into the form of a crackling blue lightning arrowhead.
“By the way, the swords only take those with an extreme attribute to the test. Normally, you use the swords to open paths to the door in the corner of the room.”
“What?”
A Thunderbolt pierced through the ionized air with a roar, grazing the target in the corner.
1116.
Both the man and Ark made incredulous expressions.
“Sorry, don't let me bother you.”
With these words, the man left the space.
(Too fucking late for that!)
“Fuck him, I'm doing this.”
It took three more tries before finally succeeding.
◇◇◇
Appearing out of the subspace, the first thing Ark did was confirm the passage of time.
“It's been two minutes. We were starting to worry.” Scarlet smiled charmingly, flustering all the men.
(Poor guys, don't fall for someone like her. She has a scary demon ready to slice necks at the slightest glance.)
Interestingly enough, Ark alone was unaffected, not batting an eye. When he put his mind to it, even the greatest beauty could go unnoticed.
“I collected some information. There should be a door... about that way.” Ark pointed at the area the new intent sprung from, possibly reacting to the pulled-out red sword.
The scouts went to investigate. They found a key whole, wide enough to take in the sword.
“What about the other swords?” Barkus asked.
“Let me check if I can pull them.”
Instead of activating a Potentia spell, Ark fed his magic power directly to the green sword. Inscriptions glowed, this time with a subdued light, and the key hole appeared out of the wall right next to the other one.
(Such a simple solution...) He lamented the troubles he went through.
While Silverstar was in the scabbard hanging on his waist, Ark held the green and red swords, admiring the ancient technology used.
(Yup, can't understand shit.)
Or, more accurately, gawked at it cluelessly while trying to look smart.
“Okay, channel mana to the swords, take them out, and place them in the holes. We are advancing.”
He inserted the red sword. The mages took out the remaining swords one by one, only the white sword remaining steadfast. Hesitating over the green sword, Ark felt a tap on his shoulder.
“This dungeon is all about testing our abilities as magicians,” Silvia said sharply. “What exactly happened while you were gone?”
Ark pondered how to answer for a brief moment. “I got stronger.”
As if expecting this, she smiled and took the green sword. “You want to take the other tests, don't you? Let's do that. We have time.”
“You don't even know how to deactivate Ventus Potentia yet.”
“Teach me.”
It's risky.
You could get stuck in there forever.
The dungeon master cannot be trusted.
These words formed a lump in his throat, but instead of letting them out, Ark swallowed them quietly. Confusion erroded his face.
“I will even teach you things about it that I myself can't do, but you have to teach me your family's secret technique,” Ark finally said.
“Deal.” Silvia patted the sword with caring eyes and placed it back on the pedestal as she stopped the extraction of the other swords.
Ark grabbed the white sword and poured his mana.
The scenery of the room was replaced by a deafening darkness.