༺ Goblin Hunt ~After~ ༻
“In the level of babies below Metamorphosis, there are three main types to be aware of. 『Fill』, 『Tuning』, 『Breakthrough』.”
While following the Red Tower Wizard truly by coincidence, I heard more about the different realms from Pink-Haired Lesbian. The realm beneath Metamorphosis wasn’t distinctly divided but was evaluated based on how much one had achieved in these three aspects.
Fill. Whether one had amassed enough mana to completely fill one’s body.
“Only after achieving Fill can one release mana externally. A typical example of this would be Sword Energy.”
Tuning. Whether one had attained a certain standard of mana manipulation.
“It judges whether one can enhance their physical body with mana. After all, if their capability in manipulation is lacking, they might end up bursting a joint.”
Breakthrough. Whether one had awakened the sense to read the flow of mana.
“It’s a technique like reading the precursor of magic casting or the trajectory of an opponent’s attack. Usually, it’s a skill built up through actual combat.”
“And how is that related to mercenary Classes……And what the Red Tower Wizard mentioned about Stars and such?”
“1-Star for achieving one of the three. 2-Star for achieving two. It works like that.”
It was easy to remember, since it was like the Star grades in gacha games.
“A 1-Star is a Fourth-Class, a 2-Star is a Third-Class, and a 3-Star is a Second-Class mercenary.”
Nah, this ain’t it.
“……Would the Mercenary Association change the Class names if I submitted a petition?”
“They have been receiving petitions annually for 50 years, though. Begging to standardize the units, like why 1-Star was Fourth-Class and Bronze-Grade and 3-Star was Second-Class and Gold-Grade.”
I briefly considered whether printing a high-quality picture of Bunny Girl Centra and offering it to the Second Prince might equalize the units, even if it was against the will of the Mercenary Association.
But the moment I sent the lewd image of Centra, I could only envision a future where the Second Prince came after me with an army, so I refrained. Some thoughts were most beautiful when kept as thoughts, after all.
“Around what level is Mr. Crazy Wizard?”
“Above average.”
“I meant in terms of realm.”
“I’ll let you know after trying it out right now.”
First, 『Fill』.
Merely pulling up mana caused streams of it to flow out onto my palm. Since it was brought forth anyway, I thought I might as well continue. So, I twisted it into the shape of a rose and then changed it into a dove and sent it flying.
Drinking the yawns of the Tower Master daily had its benefits, it seems. It felt like I had shattered the mana meter a long time ago.
“This is…….It seems you have also achieved 『Tuning』.”
“Didn’t you say it was physical enhancement?”
“Why would a wizard ever need to enhance their physical body? I have heard there’s a separate 『Tuning Attainment Measurement』 magic for wizards, but you should be more than capable of that.”
“Then the last is 『Breakthrough』. How would I go about it?”
“Shall I show you?”
“Show me th……Ouch!”
Before I could even finish speaking, Pink-Haired Lesbian’s fist hit my forearm before whizzing past. It hurt. As I was dumbfounded, I looked at Pink-Haired Lesbian.
“Since you asked. It seems you haven’t achieved 『Breakthrough』. Seeing as your reactions are slow.”
Pink-Haired Lesbian ran away without looking back. For the first time in my life, I coated my body with mana for physical enhancement and chased after Pink-Haired Lesbian, drawing out 100x Sensitivity Magic in both hands.
The Red Tower Wizard watched this chase of burning anger with a look of disdain, as if finding us utterly pathetic.
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Eventually, it was concluded that my realm was below Metamorphosis, but above 3-Star.
If converted into the convoluted, dirty, heinous mercenary Class system, it meant I was at the level as a Second-Class Gold-Grade mercenary, which was the same as Beauty Mark Guy.
Although I failed to read Pink-Haired Lesbian’s punch, I could clearly see the Red Tower Wizard’s mana flow. It seemed right that the flow or precursor of someone with a higher realm wasn’t easily seen.
And also, Pink-Haired Lesbian herself said, “It is not shameful to fail to read the attack of a stronger opponent.”.
During the chase, I also finished scouting the area. I checked all the places where the mercenaries could be hiding, but none were seen. Even though there were signs that a few people had passed through.
As such, by the time I rejoined the Red Tower Wizard, the goblin tribe was already right in front of us.
The Red Tower Wizard welcomed us warmly.
“You should have just lef……Why are you being carried on her back?!”
“Young Master cannot run for more than 10 minutes a day.”
This was defamation.
The decisive reason for my defeat was that I didn’t realize that physical enhancement through mana would put such a strain on my muscles. I thought it would be okay as long as I cooked hard with Mana Control, but with a body only slightly better than an anchovy, I couldn’t withstand the intense chase/reconnaissance.
So, though a bit unsightly, I ended up being carried on Pink-Haired Lesbian’s back.
The goblin tribe was located on a plain bordered by a forest.
The buildings of the goblin tribe were made of simple wood or animal skins, adorned with decorations. Kind of like patterns made from primitive dyes.
Their outer appearance was exactly as one might imagine upon hearing the five letters of their name. Green-skinned dwarfs with big pointy noses. The weapons they carried were nothing impressive. Just sharp sticks or large stones.
They were truly insignificant monsters.
At least, they would have been if their numbers hadn’t far exceeded 100.
“……So that’s why the village youths couldn’t drive them away, huh?”
Around ten could be dealt by angrily swinging with a hoe, but with over a hundred, it was inevitable to call for mercenaries. I peeked at the Red Tower Wizard, gauging her reaction. Did she dive into this while knowing of such numbers?
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“It looks like she’s kinda chickening out.”
“It appears as if she is slightly chickening out.”
“I’m not chickening out, okay?!”
Perhaps because she got a bit triggered, I had to first prevent her from recklessly aiming her staff and shooting magic right at the center of the goblin tribe. Traditional hunting required a certain sequence, right? First, drawing out the mob and then blasting them with firepower, yeah? You can’t just send it.
“It’s an Illusion Wizard’s time to shine.”
Also, I wanted to roughly test myself in real combat. The weaknesses of Illusion Magic were as follows.
1) It lacks direct lethality, so it usually doesn’t lead to death.
2) There are variables, like the blinded ogre hitting Beauty Mark Guy with a home run.
3) As seen in the bitter defeat against the Clean Golem, if the magic was blocked, there was nothing that could be done.
“But if it gets through, doesn’t it exert tremendous suppressive power?”
“Do you even know the pain and sorrow of losing to a Clean Golem……”
I hadn’t yet thought of a way to compensate for the weakness of 1). I had some rough ideas, like infusing the sensation of death or inducing a heart attack with sheer terror, but those were basically just begging them, ‘Please die, please’.
However, I did manage to compensate for 2) and 3).
The goal of Illusion Magic was to break through the mental barriers of the one being casted on. And the mental barrier fundamentally operates like a……vaccine program, seeking to exclude ‘anything harmful to oneself’.
All I needed to do was think of the age-old conflict between viruses and vaccines. That was where I drew inspiration to weave this magic.
“『Trojan Horse』, 『Spell Dispersion』, 『Reverberating Echo』, 『Reassembly』.”
It covered the malicious information of Illusion Magic to make it seem harmless. And then, it split it into numerous parts. The part that read the opponent’s movements and planted suggestions in their mind was turned into a wide area spell due to the circumstances. It made the malicious information split upon reflection from terrain features.
Split and disguised, the magic in itself lost meaning. As such, the moment it hit the target, the divided information was reassembled. The process was somewhat tedious, but the penetrative power of the magic increased tenfold.
For those unprepared for Illusion Magic or with a weak mind, it was a sure hit.
And as for the variables when it came to illusion Magic, it could be responded proactively. Controlling players who caused unforeseen actions was, after all, a trait of a GM, was it not?
“『Shaking Heart』, 『A Single Inauspicious Omen』, 『Mental Domination』, 『Marionette』.”
I was crafting a story. All of a sudden one day, Goblin A realized he had a very plausible idea. In order to transform the goblin society into a new structure, he gathered other goblins and started to discuss……
Goblin B was in love with Goblin A. To make the love she had held for a long time come true, she prepared a surprise event. Her plan was to gather as many goblins as possible and then make a public confession, but……
“It seems they are gathering.”
“Yeah, they’re gathering well.”
“W-What did you just do…….?!”
The Red Tower Wizard looked at me, eyes wide with shock. It was hard to pinpoint what exactly surprised her. Was it the efficiency of the Illusion Magic that needed eight fucking spells to gather the goblins oh so beautifully?
“No, wait, just now, you split the magic and then……How can a person possibly do that without having ten heads?”
Huh, it seemed to be pure admiration. In spite of myself, I straightened out my shoulder and puffed out my chest. And then, I all too generously yielded the final blow, the most delicious part of a battle, to her.
“I gathered the goblins. So that you can blow them up.”
“…….Right, whatever your identity may be, the goblins come first. 『Fierce Breath of a Fire Spirit』!
Click.
The atmosphere heated up intensely as a jet of flame struck right in the middle of the goblin horde, who were cuddling each other and spinning around. The revolting smell of protein burning wafted through the air and the goblins that were on fire screamed as they tried to scatter in all directions.
I tried to compete as much as I could before letting go of my control over them.
“…….Fire magic is so fucking overpowered. What a cheat.”
“Are you seriously saying that after gathering all those goblins in such an original, fantastic way……?!”
Even as we finished off the remaining goblins scattered here and there, the mercenaries were nowhere to be seen. Maybe they at least had a good eye and fled after realizing we were the stronger party. Perhaps?
It was rather a relief.
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Selvier. Born from Swallowtail Village. 19 years old. Virgin. Affiliated with the Red Magic Tower. 2-Star realm. Admitted to the Academy.
It was a continuous series of showy, flamboyant titles. Entering a Magic Tower at a young age signified extraordinary genius, after all. And by passing the final round of the Academy’s admission process, it marked the completion of her immediate goals.
It was because the Academy guaranteed unconditional growth.
That was why the Empire continued to run the Academy, even while taking the risk of gathering such prestigious individuals in one place. Even in the off chance that a talentless dullard was admitted, at least one stage of growth was promised.
Selvier had already achieved 『Tuning』 and 『Breakthrough』. The Academy would find her the missing pieces she needed to attain 『Fill』.
Since a 3-Star realm was all but arranged for her, becoming an Elite Wizard of the Red Magic Tower was already a certainty. If she was lucky enough to take one more step forward and reach Metamorphosis……She might even become a disciple of the Red Magic Tower Master.
Her visit to her hometown before enrollment was to shake off any lingering attachments.
She was sick of farming potatoes. She disliked the villagers who had looked down on her. After entering the Magic Tower, she had never even glanced back in the direction of her hometown. But if there was one thing she still had a lingering attachment to……It was her childhood friend.
The boy who was the only one in the entire village to acknowledge her and support her dream of becoming a wizard.
The boy who had, one day, just disappeared from the village.
When she pressured the village adults into talking, they said he had been sold to some Magic Tower.
For some reason, when she tried to recall the boy’s face, his features were blurry and his name was hard to remember……but somewhere in her past, he definitely remained as a precious memory.
Maybe.
Just maybe. Perhaps that boy, having exceptional talent, was pampered in the Magic Tower he was sold to, grew into a fine wizard, and returned to his hometown. That was what she had secretly hoped for.
But as expected, that did not happen.
She hated the village. But her indignation towards the mercenaries trying to swindle the village’s money was because, in case her childhood friend ever returned, she wanted the village to still exist in some way, shape, or form.
Meeting the weird duo was completely out of her expectations, though.
While returning after dealing with the goblins, the Illusion Wizard, who seemed slightly off mentally, went ahead first to the village. However, the beauty in a formal suit, who posed as his servant, walked alongside her.
Even after scrutinizing her again with a side glance, she couldn’t read anything about Suit Beauty. At the very least, she was of a higher realm than her. She was also someone who had no reason to set foot in a rural village.
Selvier asked directly.
“Who are you people? Both of you.”
“As I have already mentioned before, we are a Young Master of a Barony and his maid.”
“If you’re going to impersonate nobility next time…..how about you show some sincerity by at least dyeing your hair?”
Suit Beauty smirked, as if she didn’t have any intention to even attempt to deceive. A thought that went along the lines of ‘So what can you even do about it’ seemed to be conveyed, which infuriated her a bit.
That very brazenness had briefly deceived her.
Pink Hair was brazen too, but how could a wizard with such dark hair pretend to be nobility that shamelessly? During the moments when he spoke pompously, she had almost believed him without even realizing it herself.
It dawned on her that the awkward nobility act was a disguise when she saw the Illusion Wizard’s magic. That appearance of splitting, twisting, and consecutively using magic to manipulate the goblin horde.
Metaphorically, it was like throwing several puzzle pieces on different trajectories and assembling them from 100 meters away. There truly was a reason why she was overwhelmed by that……‘Overflow’ Magic despite having mental barriers erected.
“Red Magic Tower Master always laments about it, you see. To the point that my ears would bleed. Always saying that the Red Tower lost a talent with the potential of an Archwizard to the Purple Tower…….It’s that person, right?”
“Who knows.”
“The world really is vast. I’m also considered a genius in my own way. But…”
She didn’t think she would be able to win; not just because of the gap in realms, but due to the enormous difference in calculation speed. Perhaps that wizard could even hold back someone of a higher realm than him.
Something that transcended realms.
“…….I guess that must be what they call the talent of an Archwizard.”
“Have you perhaps developed some romantic interest in Young Master?”
“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”
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While wandering around the village, it seemed that I had found my dad.
