Chapter 43: Gate Debut and a Hidden Power

Group eight entered the gate after group seven. A lurching sensation, followed by a brief dizziness, then…

They found themselves in an ordinary forest, much like the area outside the gate.

“I expected to see scattered monster corpses and blood, but it’s surprisingly clean in here.”

This was Melkine, the young master of the Melki Count family, wielding a greatsword.

“It’s a managed area. There’s no need to leave it messy and unpleasant.”

Allar, equipped with a one-handed sword and shield, spoke next. He seemed familiar with Melkine, suggesting they knew each other.

“I-I’m a little nervous…”

And then there was Mitt, a commoner boy, nervously clutching a shield and mace.

The boys were all Reinforcement Magicians from a different class, so Sayo hadn’t met them before. She wasn’t particularly interested in them, but as they were in the same group, she figured she should remember them for the day.

“Sniff, sniff. Hmm~ The smell is normal. The sky is blue! The forest is green! It’s not that different from outside, which is kind of disappointing~”

“Didn’t we learn in class that the environment inside a gate is similar to the location where it was generated?”

“Hmm~ Maybe. I don’t really remember~? Studying is boring, so I don’t pay attention~”

“I see.”

Leia declared her lack of academic interest without a hint of shame.

Leia’s academic performance was among the lowest in the academy – the lowest of all the main characters. She had no interest in things that didn’t pique her curiosity, hence her complete disregard for studying.

“Group eight, go this way and then circle back around.”

An instructor waiting at the entrance pointed out their route. It seemed simple, but it was an important task, ensuring the groups didn’t cross paths.

The five of them started walking.

“Hum hum hum~♬”

Leia, humming cheerfully, held Sayo’s hand and swung it back and forth as they walked. Her childish behavior seemed to suit her pretty, youthful appearance. ‘I wish she’d let go of my hand, but she probably won’t if I ask.’ ‘And why is Leia so interested in me? I haven’t done anything to attract her attention. This is the first time we’ve properly met face-to-face…’ Sayo was puzzled.

‘It’s about time we encountered some magical beasts.’ It had been over twenty minutes since they entered the gate. Sayo had heard the route was designed to take about three hours, including walking, resting, and combat time, so she expected three or four encounters.

Growl

“Here they come!”

As Sayo predicted, several magical beasts appeared. Since this was a managed gate, their appearance was precisely timed.

There were about ten of them, and being from a low-level gate, their size, the miasma they emitted, and the aura they exuded were weak, posing no significant threat to anyone present.

“First, mana.”

Sayo closed her eyes, and mana threads spun out from her body, spreading into the air. Though the battle lacked any real tension, it was still a real combat situation. Sayo wanted to test something she’d been practicing.

The three boys at the front engaged the magical beasts. The ten beasts attacked ferociously, but the boys held their own. They were a bit tense and stiff, but they hadn’t forgotten their objective: not to kill the magical beasts, but to get accustomed to them. They focused on repelling them, not eliminating them.

Spirit Magic was characterized by its swift casting through communication with spirits, its low mana consumption, and the ability to summon multiple spirits simultaneously, casting several spells at once. Leia, a master of Spirit Magic, skillfully summoned the four basic elemental spirits to aid the three boys at the front.

Walls of earth rose to block the beasts’ claws. Gusts of wind pushed away those that tried to bite the boys, revealing their sharp teeth. Flames restricted the beasts’ movements. The ground, soaked and frozen, hampered their ability to charge.

Thanks to Leia’s support, the boys easily defended without attacking, protecting Sayo as she prepared something with her eyes closed.

And before long…

“I’m ready. Let’s begin.”

Sayo opened her eyes, raised her hand, and pointed at a magical beast.

Bang

The targeted beast collapsed, its head exploding.

‘Next.’ Another beast froze solid from the waist down and fell.

‘Don’t miss a single one.’ With every flick of Sayo’s finger and shift of her gaze, a spell manifested instantly, taking down another beast. Within seconds of Sayo joining the fight, all the magical beasts were either dead or incapacitated.

“…Amazing. So this is what you were trying out.”

“How did you do that? Instant magic from a distance, without even using spirits.”

“With magic like that, magical beasts and even Majin will be no match for you, Miss Sayoreinne.”

“Wow~! How did you do that? You just look and point, and boom! So cool! That’s so awesome!”

While the others expressed their admiration, Sayo felt she was still far from perfect.

What Sayo had demonstrated was a technique the ‘old’ Sayoreinne used in the late game. Normally, magic required a turn to cast before taking effect in a designated area. With skillful control, a fast and mobile character could dodge all magic attacks. Even Sayoreinne, with her powerful, wide-range magic, was no exception. But that changed in the late game.

Getting close to Sayoreinne would trigger a random, instantaneous magic attack. While weaker than her regular spells, it was still powerful enough to be a threat, especially considering her title as the strongest magician. With bad luck, one could be hit by ice or lightning magic and become trapped within the range of her next casted spell, leading to instant death. It was a nasty tactic.

‘It was so annoying!’

Sayo had suddenly remembered that technique, unique to Sayoreinne, and spent months training to replicate it. It sounded simple, but the process had been anything but smooth. It wasn’t simply a matter of increasing her skill level through training. The challenge began with figuring out how to train.

Sayoreinne wasn’t the type to explain her methods or techniques, so Sayo knew nothing about the technical aspects. Still, it was a huge advantage to know such a technique existed and was achievable, even if she had to start from scratch. Walking a path in complete darkness was vastly different from walking towards a distant light.

And then there was another clue:

‘Something’s strange.’

‘Sayoreinne’s mana feels… off. Like there’s something mixed in…’

‘Everyone, be careful. Don’t approach her rashly. Stay alert.’

If the player chose the magician route, Emelly would warn them not to approach Sayoreinne before battles. Only Emelly, who eventually surpassed Sayoreinne to become the strongest magician, could detect the subtle anomaly in her mana. This warning had given Sayo a hint, and she began by training to spread her mana around her.

After weeks of seemingly fruitless effort, the original owner of this body, Sayoreinne, who had been dormant within, took an interest. Though she claimed to be merely an observer, she loved magic and was intrigued by Sayo’s attempts to learn something new.

‘Whenever you’re awake, you feel more like the ‘real Juseong.’ It’s quite strange after all this time.’

‘Skip the small talk. I want to go back to sleep, so I’ll just give you some advice.’

Sayoreinne’s guidance accelerated Sayo’s progress, and soon, she saw results.

‘Circulate your mana throughout your body, draw out the mana threads, and embed the magic formula into the mana.’

‘Attach the formula to the drawn-out mana threads and scatter them around you. When severing the connection from the mana threads, maintain your will and consciously hold onto the mana.’

‘The scattered mana will mix and flow with the ambient mana in the air.’

‘Hold onto the mana with your will, and wait. Because the connection to the mana threads has been severed, this mana becomes indistinguishable from the ambient mana. Magical beasts, Majin, and humans cannot perceive it.’

‘When a target approaches the mana you’re holding, activate the magic formula to cast the spell.’

It sounded simple enough, but maintaining control over the severed mana and using it to cast spells was incredibly difficult. Even just now, Sayo had to close her eyes, meditate to maximize her will, and carefully release the mana, which took a considerable amount of time.

The resulting magic was weak, barely enough to kill a low-level beast, because she wasn’t confident in holding a larger amount of mana. The mana consumption was high for the low output, and another drawback was that she could only cast the spell embedded in the formula, not any spell she desired.

It was mentally and emotionally draining, weak, mana-intensive, and restrictive in terms of spell selection. It had many drawbacks.

But… the ability to unleash magic from thin air without warning more than compensated for all of that. Mental fortitude and will could be trained. Power would increase with practice.

Sayoreinne possessed immense mana reserves. And with careful maneuvering, the stored spells could be used effectively. Eventually, she could become a final-boss-level magician like Sayoreinne. Perhaps even stronger.

After a short rest and regrouping, they continued their exploration of the gate.