Genius Gamer Reborn into a Family of Heroes

Chapter 48

The Magic Tower, Golem, and the Test

Natalen, the advisor to the legendary Hero Kaladan and the Great Sage of the Ten Stars.

If he had one unique ability, it would undoubtedly be ‘Summoning Magic.’

However, it wasn’t the kind of magic that summoned spirits or demons.

“My magic brings a ‘story’ to life within the mind and manifests it into reality. It seems quite simple, doesn’t it?”

“…It looks complicated and troublesome to me.”

“Kuhuhu, yes, yes. You’re right about that. So far, not a single person has successfully inherited my magic.”

“Is it that difficult?”

“Difficult, yes. But it would be more accurate to say that it doesn’t suit the human body.”

Harang, who was sitting cross-legged with his hands overlapping, focused on the flow of mana. He noticed something different about Natalen’s mana and concentrated further.

‘What’s this?’

Typically, when performing hand seals, both hands move symmetrically. If the left hand draws a circle upward, the right hand draws a circle downward.

There were times when the left hand remained still while the right hand moved, or when different shapes were drawn by each hand, but this was the first time Harang had seen hand seals where both hands moved completely asymmetrically.

Clang!

Finally, Natalen completed the violet-colored magic circle. As he sent it floating into the sky like a balloon, it turned into a dark cloud, and raindrops began to fall.

Creating water droplets with magic was the most basic of basics, but summoning a thundercloud filled with lightning like this was something Harang had never seen before.

“Are you starting to understand?”

“…The movement of your left hand seems familiar, but I don’t understand the right hand at all.”

“Huhu, as expected, huh? That’s natural. With my left hand, I was casting water-type magic, and with my right hand, I was casting summoning magic. At the same time, I used both hands to ‘draw’ the story. A story about a dark cloud pouring down rain.”

“You mean you were multi-casting completely different types of magic with each hand?”

“That’s right. But that’s just the basics of the basics. The most crucial aspect of my magic is creating a story.”

Good grief.

Summoning magic and elemental magic are entirely different types of magic.

Simply drawing a triangle with the left hand while drawing a circle with the right is just the first step of dual casting.

If casting fire with both hands is level one, and casting opposing elements with each hand is level two…

‘That… is level five? No, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it level ten.’

How could this even be possible unless he had two brains?

Only now did Harang understand why Natalen never took on an apprentice.

And he also understood why the power of Natalen’s magic far surpassed that of a five-star mage.

‘…Until now, he was going easy on me. Even in yesterday’s intense confrontation, Natalen-sama was holding back.’

As Harang’s expression hardened, Natalen burst into hearty laughter.

“Ha-ha, don’t worry. If you have no talent, even ten years of teaching won’t allow you to master even a single-star level magic. But if you have talent, with my guidance, you’ll be able to grasp the basics within a year.”

“Within a year…?”

“If I were to continue teaching you, it might be different, but didn’t you say you have limited time?”

“…I genuinely feel like defying the family’s orders.”

“Haha! You’re really amusing. Are you sure you’re a child of a knightly family? Has the era changed? If kids like you were common, the world would indeed be interesting.”

“In my limited experience, I’ve never seen someone like me.”

“Ha, I bet. In any case, even a short time will be enough, so don’t worry. I see talent in you—something very similar to mine! Have confidence.”

Confidence. That was the area in which Harang was most assured. In his life, no matter the field, he had never forgotten his confidence.

“That’s a good look in your eyes.”

At first, he had to study the basics of ‘Summon Magic.’

This magic, which primarily dealt with spirits or summoned creatures, required anywhere from three months to half a year, unless one had a special affinity.

“…You have an unusual affinity.”

“Seems like it.”

Harang managed it in just one day.

He stared blankly at the water spirit he had summoned (a droplet with wings).

‘Should I become a Spirit Swordsman?’

Unlike magic, being a Spirit Swordsman had the advantage of not needing busy hands, but it was a profession that didn’t exist in the world, unlike Magic Swordsmen.

This was because summoned creatures periodically drained mana, making it impossible to meticulously control aura, and if they were dispelled due to a hit, a temporary mana backlash would occur.

If, in close combat, one hesitated even slightly due to a mana backlash, they’d lose their head instantly. If Spirit Swordsmen existed, their opponents would solely target the summoned spirits.

“I’ve never seen affinity like yours before. It’s like you’ve swallowed an entire deity… Anyway, this makes things easier. We can significantly shorten the period.”

From then on, Harang continued to steadily acquire basic knowledge. Studying the theory of Summon Magic alongside the ‘Divine Descent’ theory of Natalen was extremely difficult, but he burned with passion, even reducing his sleep.

The superhuman stamina of a four-star knight shone in moments like these.

As the time spent not battling but learning from Natalen increased, so did their conversations.

When Harang experienced mana backlash while practicing magic and had to rest, Natalen would share his stories.

The tales of the legendary mage Natalen, whose true identity was never fully revealed to the world, were incredibly intriguing, prompting Harang to ask various questions.

“Come to think of it, there was a story about someone summoning a meteor and wiping out an entire region… The culprit was never identified, though.”

“Ah, that…?”

Natalen cleared his throat.

It seemed that the meteor summoning back then was a spell so large that even the caster struggled to control it, causing extensive damage that annihilated an entire city. It was something Natalen seemed a bit hesitant to discuss.

“Well, yes, that was me. At that time, summoning a meteor was really too much, even for me. There was no other way to subdue the ancient giant war machine that had awakened, so I forced myself to use it… But was that truly the best choice? I fought with Kaladan a lot because of that incident.”

“Is that so…?”

If it weren’t for this magic, the ancient colossus would have caused even more damage, or so they said. But what if innocent victims had still suffered? How would you take responsibility for that?

The arguments with Kaladan, which were once heated, had now, after many years, become fond memories.

– “Ah, right. Ahem, it’s an embarrassing story from my past. At that time, I was so focused on summoning the meteor that I forgot to retrieve the staff I had fixed at the designated coordinate system.”

“You mean the famous staff, right?”

The staff known as Mityel, which Natalen was said to have used to summon the meteor.

There wasn’t a single magician who didn’t know about it.

– “Although I fixed Mityel at the coordinates, it would be released if a user meeting certain conditions appeared. Do you know what happened to it now?”

“Well… I believe there were a few wizards who used it, but as far as I know, it’s sealed again since there’s no current user.”

– “There was a user? Hmm… But nothing happened?”

“Well? Not really, except for the fact that all the users left their names in history as great archmages.”

– “Heh, those guys must have been wise. Or maybe too stupid to uncover Mityel’s secret.”

“Pardon?”

– “I’m just saying this out of caution, but don’t go looking for Mityel out of curiosity later, alright? Besides, you’re not even qualified to wield it. The staff itself is rather… unimpressive, despite its reputation. It was just a staff I used back when I was a novice, and its fame grew along with mine.”

“…Is that so?”

Although his curiosity deepened at those words, he responded with a simple “understood.” Of course, despite his reply, he was definitely planning to search for it later.

As he got to know more about Natalen, Harang also began to share his own stories with him. Though their time together was brief, Harang suddenly realized that this was the first time since coming to this world that he had shared such personal stories with anyone for so long.

Even though they were master and disciple, it felt as though he had gained his first friend…

And so,

Time passed.

By cutting down even his sleeping hours and using divine blessings to forcibly enhance his concentration, he studied relentlessly.

On the 89th day, late in the evening,

[Eltreen’s Illusion Cube]

A tiny, translucent, purple square formed in Harang’s palm. Natalen was even more astonished than the caster himself and let out a loud shout.

– “Whoa!!”

“Ah?!”

Startled, he accidentally dispelled the magic, but Natalen clapped his roughly on the shoulder and laughed heartily.

– “Wahahaha!! This kid, he’s the real deal! I can’t believe you actually learned this in less than a month. Is it just that kids these days are on another level?”

“….”

That last remark about the kids being on another level pricked at her conscience a little.

The reason he could cast the spell in just 30 days was largely thanks to borrowing the “Revelation of Mythic Descent” from Natalen and tearing out one of the spells, which he then used with the [Skillbook Acquisition] system.

In other words, the other spells from the Revelation of Mythic Descent were still far out of her reach.

Moreover, he had to rely on the [System’s Blessing] to the point where his mental strength was strained with each spell he cast, just to barely manage to produce a single 3-star spell.

‘This is the first time something like this has happened. Even after using the skill book acquisition feature, I still can’t successfully cast the spell in one go.’

Although he clearly understood the principles in his mind, a strange phenomenon occurred where his body couldn’t follow through.

To overcome this, Harang had to endure efforts that felt like they were carving into his very bones.

Drip…

—“Oh my, a 4-star swordsman is even getting a nosebleed. This is quite the scene, huh?”

Harang wiped his nosebleed with a handkerchief and gave a sly smile.

Indeed, due to the severe lack of sleep, dark circles hung heavily under his eyes, but his mind wasn’t tired at all.

There would be no other time as joyous and rewarding as this, when the results proved the value of his hard work.

—“Of course, you’re not perfect yet. How many minutes does it take you to cast just one spell? Besides, cube magic is a spell that expands the range to trap the opponent and then compresses it to attack. With your current skills, you wouldn’t even be able to trap a mosquito properly with it.”

“…Yes.”

Seeing Harang look somewhat downcast, Natalen patted him on the shoulder.

—“Still, you succeeded. That’s what matters. Until now, no one could ever understand this magic of mine, which contains all of me…”

Natalen’s voice seemed to quiver subtly as he finished his sentence, but Harang didn’t show any reaction.

—“…Thank you, Kaladan kid. Really, thank you. I’m sure you can make my magic, which was on the verge of being lost forever, shine brilliantly in this world.”

Natalen, who was known to have never taken a disciple even until his dying breath, had an alias: “The Wizard Who Paints Stories.” However, he was also known as the unfortunate wizard who couldn’t finish his own story.

No one in the world would know.

That the story of Natalen, who met such an unfortunate end, was about to begin anew in a small hidden magic tower deep within a forest.

—“Well then… tomorrow is our last day together, isn’t it?”

“…Yes.”

—“Heh, you’re already my disciple, so there’s nothing stopping me from opening my flower tower to you, but the system engraved on this golem won’t allow it.”

“It’s alright. I’d feel more at ease entering the magic tower through a proper trial.”

—“Haha, yes, that’s the spirit.”

Natalen turned around and went back to his seat, speaking in a calm voice.

—“For now, go back and rest. Let’s meet tomorrow in perfect condition.”

Harang bowed his head in farewell and left the magic tower.

Whooosh…!!

A downpour was drenching the world.