Chapter 172 : Chapter 172

Chapter 172 - Source (2)

The popcorn was delicious.

No, seriously.

I never imagined the Magic Tower would be such a hotspot for snacks.

“Want a bite?”

I offered the container to Cornelius next to me, but he seemed too preoccupied with staring at the Arena with wide eyes to pay any attention to me.

Well, his loss.

Thinking that, I continued to munch away.

“...How you can even swallow anything in a situation like this is beyond me.”

Cornelius said with a groan, pressing his forehead.

“Why? The guy I brought is winning, so of course, I’m relaxed.”

A volcano made of mana erupted, giant spears flew around, and sudden thunderclaps struck. It truly looked like a scene of mages fighting from a fantasy world.

But if you looked a little closer, well. I had no choice but to be relaxed.

It was a situation where Lee Si-yeong was skillfully countering all sorts of spell formations that the Master of the Magic Tower was weaving with all his might.

“...The Revival of La Mancha. The Demonic Spear of Akbarnel. The Judgment of Krisanax. All of them are secret techniques, practically ultimate moves of their respective schools. A normal mage would probably cherish the memory of just seeing them for a lifetime.”

“They certainly look that way.”

Watching the mages who had come out to spectate after hearing the news that the Master of the Magic Tower himself was having a 1-on-1 duel, I could tell that Cornelius wasn't exaggerating.

There were guys crying, guys trembling as if experiencing cognitive dissonance, and guys who had wet their...

“...”

Let's pretend I didn't see that last one for the sake of his dignity.

Amidst all that, the key point in this scene was that even as such insane spell formations raged.

“...That young lady, what kind of monster is she?”

It would have to be Lee Si-yeong, who was countering all those spell formations by ‘imitating’ them.

There were probably the Master of the Magic Tower's own unique spell formations, and numerous secret spell formations that each school had spent decades establishing.

But a person who was clearly ‘seeing them for the first time’ was copying them all and countering every single one.

Among them, some were even more powerful than the original.

As if to say that she could catch up to the time her opponent had accumulated in mere seconds.

As if showing off her overwhelming capability.

“...Well, she is a monster. I’d probably have a hard time winning against her myself, you know?”

My lips twisted into a smile as I watched the girl, with slightly dazed eyes, infusing mana into her staff and establishing super-advanced spell formations in a matter of seconds.

It didn't look like she was doing it in her right mind; it definitely felt like she was receiving someone's ‘assist’.

It must have meant she had accessed the ‘Source’.

The thing called the Source was, so to speak... like having ‘administrator privileges’.

The closest term would be ‘limited omniscience and omnipotence’.

And accessing it to receive an assist meant getting backup from an information source that surpassed my [Observation].

If Lee Si-yeong were to enter that state, even I, with my Observation skill on, couldn't guarantee victory.

“...Hmm.”

Cornelius, who had been studying my expression from the side, let out such a sigh.

“What is it?”

“No. It’s the tone of your voice. It’s the nuance that winning would be difficult, but not impossible.”

I’ve been found out.

I smirked and nodded my head readily.

The reason for that stemmed from the window floating before my eyes.

[Checking information on Target: Lee Si-yeong.]

[Currently open skill slots: 2]

If that girl got stronger, it would all become mine.

Get stronger, pink-haired mage!

So I can reap more rewards!

“...”

I cautiously asked Cornelius, who was staring at me silently from the side.

“...Was my expression hideous again, by any chance?”

“I’m glad you’re at least aware of it.”

“...”

I had been getting that comment a lot lately.

***

[!Notification!]

[The target's skillset is undergoing a massive change!]

['Mana Comprehension' and 'Spell Formation Theory' will be deleted from ‘Lee Si-yeong’s’ skillset!]

[They will be integrated into the ‘Source Breakthrough’ skill!]

[When using the ‘Source’ skill, the effects of all the target's mana and spell formation-related skills will be greatly amplified!]

As soon as that window popped up, I frantically tapped a specific part of my status window.

Yes. I've been waiting for this.

To get this, I had raised Lee Si-yeong like she was made of gold, not even touching her skill slots!

Spit it out!

[Do you want to share the ‘Source Breakthrough’ skill? Y/N]

[This target skill is an integrated unique skill and will consume 2x the slots. Do you still wish to share? Y/N]

There was no need to hesitate. I hammered the Y key with a fearsome intensity.

[Skill sharing is complete. Alterations will be made to fit the player's status.]

[Source Breakthrough / NPC-Lee Si-yeong's Unique Ability]

[Allows for a temporary understanding of the ‘world's truth’, thereby receiving backup from the System. You become able to influence beings made of source code that cannot be affected by conventional skills.]

That's it.

I barely suppressed the urge to cheer and instead clenched my fist tightly.

Yes, this is it.

This is the key card that can stop the damn apocalypse that's approaching by the second.

The characters related to this game's ending are, so to speak, ‘non-combat’ NPCs.

It's impossible for me to harm them, but they are unreasonable beings who can control me as they please.

‘...Come to think of it.’

Conqueror was a game with strongly divided opinions about its ending.

There weren't many endings that gave the player a ‘perfectly happy ending’ feeling.

So, I plan to completely overhaul this game’s entire storyline.

If I can just resolve the King of Flies event that will occur soon, I’ll accumulate enough ‘Alteration Points’, making that route accessible as well.

“...I have lost. I am no match for you.”

As I continued these thoughts, I heard the Master of the Magic Tower's dejected voice from the Arena.

A deep sense of exhaustion, almost bordering on emptiness, was evident on his face.

‘Well, I guess so...’

No matter what spell formations he poured out, they were instantly seen through, dismantled, and then countered.

He must have felt like everything he had worked so hard to build up had been thoroughly negated by something that had appeared out of the blue.

“...The terms of the bet were that I would do anything you say for a certain period. Correct? Very well. Tell me anything.”

As I heard the Master of the Magic Tower say this in a half-enlightened voice, Lee Si-yeong, who seemed to have just returned to her senses from her dazed state as the System's backup disappeared, looked back and forth between me and the Master of the Magic Tower.

“...Huh? Huh? D-did I win?”

“Yes. You won.”

I said as I trudged up to the Arena.

Well, it was understandable to be bewildered when a lifelong aspiration was achieved in the blink of an eye.

So, it was necessary for me to sort things out a bit here.

First, I placed a ring on Lee Si-yeong’s hand.

“I told you I’d give you a reward if you won. It's a ring I prepared for this very moment.”

“...”

“It's absolutely necessary for us to stay connected from now on. Never take it off.”

“...”

Lee Si-yeong’s expression changed through three stages.

Extreme bewilderment, extreme blushing, followed by realization and enlightenment.

Hmm. I wasn't sure what caused it, but it was a truly colorful reaction.

In contrast, the surroundings, which had been expressing their astonishment in their own ways at the Master of the Magic Tower's defeat, fell silent all at once. A silence as if cold water had been thrown over them ensued.

Right. The Jewel of Ruin was a rather hard-to-find item.

With her having obtained a Source-related skill, it was possible to use a trick to make the once single-use luck-stealing effect almost semi-permanent.

“Hey, Master of the Magic Tower.”

And that trick was simply to make active use of the dazed-looking Master of the Magic Tower over there.

“You heard what I just said, right? You'll have to help me a bit. There's a lot to prepare.”

Finalizing the ‘final version’ of the Gnosis’s Heart, maintaining the connection to the Jewel of Ruin, and all that.

And also the fact that I had to personally resolve the tangled story between Lee Si-yeong and the Master of the Magic Tower.

It really meant there was a lot to do.

“...Excuse me, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik.”

“Hm?”

The Master of the Magic Tower, who had been standing still listening to my words, cautiously raised his hand and asked a question.

“Do you happen to have Mr. Seo Jin-seong’s contact information?”

“...Why him?”

“No. Isn't he the only one who has married a spirit that has taken on human form? I thought you could get all sorts of advice from him.”

“...?”

“And I have never officiated a wedding before. I ask for your understanding even if I am a bit clumsy.”

“...???”

No.

Mister.

What on earth are you talking about.

***

So.

After causing a commotion at the Magic Tower.

I was now inside the guild house after a long time.

“...”

I cracked my neck with a crunch and checked my status window again.

[Source Breakthrough / NPC-Lee Si-yeong's Unique Ability]

[Allows for a temporary understanding of the ‘world's truth’, thereby receiving backup from the System. You become able to influence beings made of source code that cannot be affected by conventional skills.]

This skill.

If it had the function I was thinking of, it was a crucial skill that could remain effective right up to the ending.

But the extent of its influence was still an unknown.

In that respect, it meant I needed to experiment.

And there was a perfect subject to test something like that on.

-!

Space tore open. Immense mana pulsed.

It was a common phenomenon when someone revealed their form.

-This is new. You’re the one calling me first?

The robed Guardian of the Tower trudged out from within.

I had called for her through Evangeline, asking to see her.

“...”

-Why are you just staring at me without a word? Are you mesmerized by me?

I nodded at the Guardian, who spoke with a bewitching smile.

“Hm.”

Then I tried grabbing my waist with both hands.

Grasp.

“Oh.”

It works.

“...?”

Her expression wasn't visible, but the Guardian was completely frozen, a massive question mark popping up above her head.

But I paid her no mind and fiddled around a bit more.

Fiddle, fiddle.

Her waist is incredibly thin.

-Wh-wha, y-yo, th...! Wh-what do you think you’re doinggg--!!

At the sight of the Guardian screaming her head off, I nodded seriously and stepped back.

“A test.”

-Th-this, what kind of test is this...!

“This is your spiritual form right now. One that mortals in the material plane can never touch.”

In other words, it meant that originally, it was impossible for us to ‘influence’ each other.

Her and I.

-...!

And it seemed she finally realized what I was talking about.

Astonishment spread across the Guardian’s face.

“So, now that I can do this. Let’s talk.”

A rather important talk.

About the way to go straight to the ‘ending’.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.