abcnovels
Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Chapter 26 – The Victor of the Wager
Hector’s face hardened.
It hadn’t been like this at first.
Not when Ruin defeated his disciple, not even when he manifested the Wind Cutter.
He never imagined that the convictions he had held for so long would be shaken.
It was simply a situation he couldn’t comprehend.
He had wanted to test Ruin himself, to see how he could have done it.
But now, the intense yearning emanating from Ruin, his unwavering determination, made Hector uncomfortable.
It was just a naive boy acting out, yet watching him made Hector feel like he was missing something.
Ruin’s resilience wasn’t just youthful bravado.
What Ruin was showing now was… an unwavering conviction, the source of which was unfathomable.
Where, where did it come from?
‘Where does such conviction come from?’
A single pebble thrown into a calm lake creates ripples that turn into waves.
A 7-Star Mage.
The firm beliefs and common sense he had built up while achieving that lofty realm were being shaken by a mere boy.
Watching Ruin talk about Circle magic and other unbelievable things, even stubbornly insisting on the Final Expedition, a tale so unrealistic it was considered a myth, as if he had experienced it himself…
It felt like his heart was being pierced.
A mage surpassing knights.
Words that even Hector himself hesitated to utter, Ruin spoke them as if they were nothing.
“And among all those mages,”
“What?”
“Samael was the strongest.”
‘This kid really… Ah!’
Upon hearing those words, Hector unconsciously drew a 3-Star Beast.
It was a clear mistake. No matter how disturbed his mind was, it was something he shouldn’t have done.
Boom!
As expected, Ruin took a direct hit and tumbled through the air before crashing to the ground.
As Hector rushed towards him, Ruin surprisingly raised his head. His forehead was broken and bleeding, but he glared at Hector.
“You said you didn’t know Ifrit?”
Hector suppressed his displeasure and said,
“You still cling to superstitions. This has to end now.”
His heart pounded. He felt that if he listened any longer, he might make an even bigger mistake because of this fledgling’s words.
Hector shook his head vigorously and turned his gaze towards the spectator’s box.
‘…Like father, like son.’
Kazen, too, had once shown the same determination as his son was now.
Hector thought Kazen’s face would be contorted. Ruin’s actions were a direct refutation of Kazen’s philosophy.
But Hector’s expectations were once again wrong. Kazen’s face looked shocked.
At that moment.
“What?”
A powerful surge of mana made Hector turn his head involuntarily.
The form of a flame bloomed at Ruin’s fingertips.
It was clearly a 1-Star ‘Fireball,’ but Hector couldn’t shake an ominous feeling.
“Langrish Ifrit, source of blazing rage and cold wind.”
At the unfamiliar incantation, Hector’s heart sank.
His composure shattered, and his heart began to race. He opened his mana core, but the ominous feeling remained.
In fact, it intensified.
“I, who have faced the end of the Land of Death, show the qualifications of one who has witnessed it. Bestow upon me, who seeks to wield your name, the essence that dwells in this world. A fleeting flame, here and now.”
[TL/N: The raws change the incantation here not my fault ;-;]
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
All the mana in the air gathered towards the Fireball in Ruin’s hand, then slowly flew towards Hector.
‘What kind of incantation is this absurd…?’
Hector felt his heart twist and squeeze. A sense of unease he had never experienced before.
He hadn’t felt this way even when facing the Giant King.
It wasn’t a matter of strength.
This was like…
An overwhelming pressure, as if something immense he couldn’t fathom was crushing his entire body.
‘Could this be the White Magic Tower’s… No. That’s impossible.’
Something flashed through his mind, but Hector couldn’t continue the thought.
Instinctively, he had to open his mana core completely. Whoosh— 4-Star, 5-Star, 6-Star, all the way to the 7-Star core. Then, he quickly crossed his hands and formed a seal.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, Ruin’s Fireball dissipated…
And Ruin, spewing blood, collapsed onto the training ground.
“…”
A brief silence, then shock.
“Young Master!”
“Commander!”
As Lihan and the apprentices rushed towards Ruin, he twitched, knelt on the ground, and slowly raised his body.
His entire body trembled as if it was a miracle he could even stand, but his eyes were still burning.
His gaze fixed on Hector. A translucent, giant shield was spread in front of him, cracked in the center with smoke rising from it.
A 6-Star spell. Reflection Shield.
Crack— Crackle—
As cracks spread across the shield, Ruin, his face covered in blood, lifted his chin and glared at Hector.
“You’re not going to claim that was a 3-Star spell too, are you?”
“…”
“I won the bet, Hector.”
Hector couldn’t refute him.
Not just Hector, but everyone who witnessed the duel was speechless.
Thud—
As Ruin collapsed, unable to endure any longer, everyone felt the common sense they had held onto crumble.
* * *
A cool breeze blew through Mount Khaoto.
“Haaaah!”
A loud shout echoed through the air.
It was still early morning, the dawn light just beginning to break, but the apprentices were already swarming the training ground as if it were their own living room.
It was their usual training, but something felt different.
Their shouts were filled with confidence, and their shoulders were held high as they walked around, not caring about anyone else’s opinions.
“Trembling earth, Earth Shock!”
“Not a chance!”
The ground beneath Palge shook in response to Makan’s incantation.
Palge firmly planted his short legs on the ground to stabilize his center of gravity, then chanted the Fireball incantation towards the approaching Makan.
Crackle— Makan was pushed back as cracks appeared in his Wind Barrier.
“Mwahaha, you’re still no match for me!”
“Impressive. I’ll try again.”
Makan’s face contorted slightly. But the result was the same this time too. Palge, despite his appearance, demonstrated surprisingly efficient mana control.
“Move aside, Makan. It’s my turn now.”
“Hmph, bring it on!”
This time, Zion stepped forward.
“Sharp flame, Fire Arrow!”
“Not a chance!”
Palge created a Wind Barrier and leaned forward. At the same time, he lowered his head and secretly began chanting.
He planned to launch a Fireball as soon as he blocked Zion’s magic.
Bang!
“Ack?”
Palge was flung into the air and landed hard on his backside. It was a completely unexpected situation. Zion’s incantation had disrupted Palge’s Wind Barrier and directly hit his body.
“Hehe.”
“What the, Zion? How did you do that?”
“You don’t mean…”
Makan jumped up in surprise, and Palge’s eyes narrowed.
“Did you destroy his mana core?”
Zion nodded. His fingertips trembled slightly, a movement only he could barely sense.
The power of magic created with a mana circle was definitely different, even to his own surprise.
Makan looked at Zion with a curious expression.
“Why did you do that?”
“I did what my heart told me to. Just like you said.”
Ten days ago.
The day everyone remembered.
Watching Ruin’s fight with Hector, Zion had a realization. It was an intense experience that could change his entire way of life.
Zion had always made rational decisions based on endless doubt. Of course, there were times when his emotions took over, but there was a line he never crossed.
For example, creating a mana circle.
He thought there was no reason to follow such an absurd act.
However.
The moment Ruin coughed up blood and glared at Hector.
The moment a strange, unheard-of spell flowed from his lips.
Zion realized.
He could never reach his desired goal with his confined way of thinking.
To become stronger.
To surpass knights.
He needed a different approach.
The desire for strength and competitiveness overcame Zion’s inherent skepticism.
Zion understood why his heart had pounded and why he had cheered for Ruin.
It was his admiration for a person who proved his strong will in his own way, a will that Zion lacked.
And the moment he realized this.
Zion decided to discard his mana core.
It was a complete upheaval of his values, but somehow, at this moment, it felt like the right thing to do. So he followed his heart.
Ironically.
Zion, the most skeptical of them all, was the first among the apprentices to destroy his mana core and create a true mana circle.
The surge of mana overflowing from the destruction of his heart’s core led Zion to the 2nd Circle.
“So, how does it feel?”
Palge leaned in close, his eyes sparkling.
Seeing that, a good idea popped into Zion’s head.
“How about we make a bet, Palge?”
“What kind of bet are you talking about?”
“The loser of a fight becomes the subordinate. What do you think?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Why should we do that?”
“We haven’t established a hierarchy among ourselves yet, have we?”
“I don’t want to. I’m a pacifist.”
“Come on, let’s do it. You don’t know how convenient it is to have a subordinate.”
“No.”
“The winner gets to tell the loser to run, fetch water…”
“Absolutely not!”
“And gets the meat dishes when they’re served.”
“Deal!”
Zion’s lips curled into a sly smile. There was no better opportunity than this. Palge was still more comfortable with seals than incantations.
That meant…
He could do to Palge exactly what Ruin had done to him.
Bang!
As soon as Palge’s magic was dispelled, Zion slapped Palge’s butt cheeks.
“Ack! Th-this is absurd! What in the world is happening?”
“My first order.”
“Wh-what?”
“No ‘neungs.'”
[TL/N: This is basically a sound effect which Palge tends to add after his sentences]
“‘Neungs?’ What are ‘neungs’?”
“Don’t add ‘neung’ at the end of your sentences, you little…”
“That’s going to be difficult. It’s a dialect of our region, so it comes out naturally even if I don’t want to.”
“Damn, is that a dialect? Then use it as little as possible. Got it?”
“Got it.”
Time flew by.
Occasionally, groups from the Red Magic Tower appeared at the training ground, but they only glanced at them and didn’t say anything. They even seemed intimidated.
As the sun began to set, the apprentices naturally wrapped up their training and gathered at one end.
“Let’s go see the Commander now.”
“I wonder if he’s awake today.”
“He seemed to be getting better, so I’m sure he’ll be fine soon.”
Zion led the apprentices. It had been ten days since Ruin lost consciousness, and Zion was a little worried.
He wanted to brag about discarding his mana core.
“Huh?”
But to his surprise.
Ruin was nowhere to be found in his bed.
————