Chapter 63 - Beyond New Horizons [2]
“Hehe, hehehe~!” I giggled helplessly like a girl.
This little ring, capable of storing an entire room's worth of items?
A few days ago, before our departure, Eshana gave me a gift called the Spatial Ring.
As the name suggests, it’s essentially a magical storage ring, albeit with some limitations.
However, the possibilities this ring offers are endless.
It took me a while to figure out how to use it because I was initially unsure of its functions, but eventually, I learned on my own.
—Shaaa…!
As I channelled my mana into the ring, it gleamed a violet hue, creating ripples in the palm of my hand.
I couldn’t see what was inside, which posed a problem since it took time to find what I needed.
—Voowmp!
"Mmmm..." I shuffled my hand inside the portal, which pulled my arm in like a vacuum.
In that moment, I pulled out a magazine, a peculiar sigil, and the gifts I had received back in Kleinford.
I had to rely on touch to identify the items I wanted.
Thankfully, the ring was consistent enough that I could easily grab ammunition in the heat of battle.
“Hehe… hehehe...!” I kept giggling, unfazed by Scarlett’s discreet gaze.
Did it take world annihilation for some mad genius to invent something like this?
I had Spatial Magic at the top of my list of ‘Magic Arts I Want to Learn.’
When I saw the overcomplicated storage units in Eclecia, it sparked my creativity.
Hell, I even still have the pictures I took with my phone.
My overall goal for learning magic has already been fulfilled: to learn as much as I could so that if I lost the ability to use magic in my daily life, I'd spiral into an existential crisis.
"..." Scarlett was silently driving, leaving me in the backseat, shuffling around.
She probably had a lot of questions for me, but I don’t think common sense applies to what I do.
But that’s okay—
I think it’s funnier that way.
“○■●■●■■!!!” The grotesque, eldritch monsters screeched, rushing at us with relentless vigour, trampling over their own kin in the process.
Those that Rot—or the Rottens—are Eldians that emerged after the 2nd Cardinal Sky.
Remember when I mentioned that there wouldn't be a 3rd Cardinal Sky?
The final arc of the novel takes place after the destruction of every Pylon, and at that point, the Eldians hadn't had the opportunity to evolve into higher beings.
However, six years have passed, and circumstances have changed drastically, giving them the time they need to evolve.
The weakest among them are the Rottens, who are even weaker than the Eldians back in Arcadia.
Their strength doesn’t rely on individual power but instead on their vast numbers, forming a supermassive colony.
Unlike the Eldians from Arcadia, who tried to mimic human life, the Eldians outside learned to imitate animals.
These Rottens made countless attempts to adapt with the limited resources they possessed, becoming a disoriented and decayed entity.
Researchers eventually gave up trying to classify the Rottens by their characteristics and instead measured them based on their overall capabilities.
To make things clear, the Eldians in Arcadia are also classified as a high-ranking Rotten—
The weakest of the three threat levels imposed by the collective decision of the world alliance.
“Scarlett, there are too many of them!” I yelled, remembering the gimmick Eldians tend to have, a never-ending stampede.
“Have no fear, Mistress; this is nothing for me,” she replied confidently.
As they began to close in on me, I readied myself to eliminate the Rotten using Libera, the magic handgun I had carried since the start.
—Kachick…! Bang Bang Bang!
I fired relentlessly, one shot after another, using only 5% of the mana compared to an <Overcharged Bullet>.
With the new formula I developed—highly focused on efficiency—I can produce ammunition much faster than before, even making bullets from scratch in seconds if I use less mana for weaker bullets.
The usual formula I used for <Overcharged Bullet> required four elements, which I could manipulate from 5% to 100%:
<Wind> and <Fire> served as substitutes for gunpowder, while <Earth> and <Ice> created a firm and strong base.
I also had <Ice Bullet>, which I used to immobilize and encase the target, and <Earth Bullet>, which served a similar purpose but was less efficient in exchange for a focused effect.
Then there was <Gale Bullet>, which I utilized to propel myself or blast enemies away, depending on the input.
Lastly, I had <Fire Bullet>, which I avoided using unless I intended to cause arson.
Since I rarely utilized <Fire> Magic Art, I decided to learn a new Magic Art while in Kleinford—one that could change everything.
—Crackle...!
Under intense focus, aided with <Heightened Senses>, I created bullets in real-time, enough to eliminate the Eldians without using excessive mana.
With that in mind, Libera crackled as mana was stored, utilizing a new Magic Art that allowed me to cut the mana consumption for each bullet in half.
—Ving!
<Fire> underwent a transformation into something more profound.
Rather than merely envisioning the act of conjuring flames, I chose to twist and warp the essence of fire to its very limits.
I could sense my mana surging within me, bubbling and churning with an insatiable intensity.
I embraced this overwhelming force, cycling through the process repeatedly, each iteration shaping it further, until the energy coalesced into a radiant fuse, crackling with potential and anticipation.
<Fire> evolved into something new:
—Kachick…!
<Explosion>, Scarlett's signature Magic Art.
“■●○■●■—”
—BANG BANG BANG!!!
With Ichor’s increased durability and the improved bullets, it became much harder to break.
I can now use three magazines before it overheats and fails.
With these newfound abilities, the me from Arcadia and the me right now are like night and day.
...
...
...
That's what I would say, I'm still weak as hell compared to the current threats, dammit.
“They just keep coming, don’t they!?” The enemy numbers continue to increase with no end in sight.
And because the blast radius is much smaller with this output, sometimes one shot just isn't enough.
It took me a while to realize that being cost-efficient wouldn’t work, but that’s fine;
I have to resort to brute force anyway.
—Vrrr...!
I grabbed a magazine from the Spatial Ring I had, one that I had used against Eldians for a long time.
I used to store them in a backpack and sometimes in my pocket, so something like this helps tremendously.
“If that much isn’t enough for you…!" I tightly gripped my gun. "EAT THIS!!!”
—BOOOM!!!
With a single <Overcharged Bullet>, it pierced through countless Eldians at once.
—BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOM!!!
But I didn't stop there.
I continued firing to reduce their numbers—not to kill them all, but to buy time for Scarlett to do her magic.
As much as I wanted to, creating an <Overcharged Bullet> magazine was still a hassle.
It takes five minutes to make one, which was better than the usual ten minutes, but it still requires a lot of mana, so not much has really changed.
“Scarlett! Are you okay… oh.”
Worried that Scarlett wasn't saying anything, I looked over at her to see how she was doing.
—Shirrk! Splat!!!
With a single cleave from her greatsword, she killed a Rotten with just a graze, as if she were cutting through butter.
What caught my attention was how proficient she was at doing so.
‘…Huh?’ I tilted my head in confusion, noticing something was off.
...How did she manage to discern where the core was?
“Bah, why did I even ask?” I scoffed, reminding myself that she was a monster at the pinnacle of strength.
—Vooom…!
I constructed a barrier made of Ichor to prevent them from advancing any further.
Rather than covering everything around me, it was more of a barricade, built with thin strands.
Not only does this method conserve mana, but it is also faster and more efficient.
“Scarlett!” I shouted her name.
Hearing my voice, she dashed toward me with impeccable speed, entering the Ichor barrier just in time.
“○■●○■●●!!” The Rottens attempted to break in, but the Ichor was strong enough that they could do nothing but swarm like moths to a flame.
“Now’s a great time to ask, but why aren’t you using magic?” I told Scarlett.
She could wipe them out of existence if she tried.
“…I,” she looked away, embarrassed to share her reason.
"I… don’t know how to hold back.”
…
…
Baffled, I stared at her, emotionless.
What do you mean she can’t hold back?
Are you saying that if she used magic, she’d blow everything, including me, to smithereens?
“Besides, Mistress, if I use my magic, I'll attract more Eldias and end up revealing our location.”
‘Scarlett, I already used Libera. What makes you think yours is worse?’
—That’s what I wanted to say.
What choice do we have in this kind of situation?
The Eldians, crushing each other, coated the gold barricade with dark, murky blood and limbs, seeping into the barrier as they tried to break through.
Despite the grotesque sight before me, I was astonished that I remained sane until now.
“Sigh… Scarlett, do you trust me?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
As expected, Scarlett replied without hesitation.
“Then that’s good. You’re worried about damaging the car and harming me in the process, right?”
“…”
Unable to argue, she nodded and looked at me without a trace of shame.
For someone who desires to serve me with such loyalty, Scarlett certainly has a few screws loose.
What the hell is up with this family and their servants? God.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I said with a smile, giving her a thumbs-up.
—Vooom…!
“If it’s me, nothing will penetrate my barrier.” I reinforced the barrier with more Ichor, wrapping us completely in a giant golden orb.
It was dark, so I used my phone as a light source instead of relying on fire magic.
I can’t forget that I am still concealing my pure mana core from everyone except Camellia and Erina.
As for how these two sisters discovered my secret…
Erina was bound to piece together the truth eventually, so I decided to tell her about my abilities without asking too many questions afterward.
Camellia witnessed me using various types of magic back in Arcadia, so she likely suspected something was amiss, but that was the extent of her knowledge.
For such immature individuals back then, their personalities have changed so much that it sometimes scares me.
“I understand. Mistress, may I go outside and take care of them?” Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“…Just make sure not to cause a mess, alright?” I replied, jolted by the same anxiety I felt when I handed weapons to two specific individuals before her.
“Twenty… no, ten seconds, and it will be over by then.”
As soon as I created a gap in the barrier, Scarlett leaped out and turned the Eldians into mush.
—Shwoop!
Worried about getting caught up in her antics, I quickly closed the gap, leaving myself safely behind in the enclosed space I had created.
…
…
Letting the beast (Scarlett) out of her cage, I heard the constant screams of agony fade away, as if they were chasing something instead.
“Is it over…?” I asked myself, unable to see what was happening outside.
...
...
...
…That is, until my curiosity got the better of me.
“Hmm, just a little peek wouldn’t hurt, right?” I nodded to myself and made a small hole to see what Scarlett was up to.
To my surprise, it was merely the beginning of the destruction that shook the earth itself.
—BOOOOM!!!!
“Ugyaaah!!!” In an instant, a giant explosion occurred.
Before I got affected, I quickly blocked the gap and created handles to keep myself stable.
—Vroom…
…As if a volcanic eruption had occurred, the tremor finally stopped, and I regained my balance.
“Is it finally over this time?” I asked myself, feeling a bit hesitant.
Scarlett wasn’t kidding when she said she didn't know how to hold back.
Pumping my chest in reassurance, just in case she wasn’t finished, I made an even smaller gap in the floor, bending down into a position I wasn't familiar with.
“…What the hell?” I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Surrounding me were numerous giant craters, as if the entire area had been carpet-bombed, destroying everything in its wake.
The Eldians are all dead, gone without a trace.
The only thing that remained was the ground I had protected with the Ichor.
…
…
...I’m really glad I have the Ichor.
“Mistress! Are you alright?” She ran toward me with a refreshing smile.
She usually wore a stoic expression, but the heat of battle revealed her true self.
Another battle junkie.
“A-Ahaha…” I laughed, trying to act normal, but the guts and blood covering her clothes stood out, so I chose to ignore them.
Deep down, I swore to myself that no matter what I went through, I would promise one thing:
—To remain sane, at least.
