Chapter 405: 81st Floor, Advanced Magic (5) |
Wirad realized it: Taesan, this time, was fighting with the goal of victory.
“Then let’s begin.”
According to the rules of the God of Magic, most powers except for magic were sealed. Wirad’s staff moved, and black dots were drawn in midair, soon forming lines that poured toward Taesan.
It was a perfect domination of space, leaving no room to evade.
Taesan responded by manifesting magic.
[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]
[You have activated Magic Concentration.]
The Starlight Arrow was compressed and shot toward the black lines. It couldn’t hold out and was crushed, but thanks to the distorted trajectory, a gap appeared for Taesan to evade.
Boom!
Wirad was not flustered. Rather, he laughed joyfully as he swung his staff.
Screeech!
Dozens of black dots were drawn in the air.
Like divine punishment, hundreds of lines rained down upon the ground. Taesan moved his body.
Boom!
He wielded magic, twisting space to create an opening and using random blink to gain distance. He stacked multiple layers of magic to detonate the incoming black lines and block them.
At the tip of Wirad’s staff, black dots formed as he drew a large semicircle.
“Go.”
Boom!
From the semicircle, a fan-shaped surface erupted, violently swallowing space.
Taesan raised his hand.
[You have activated Magic Overlay.]
[You have activated Distortion.]
The overlapped Distortion activated. The moment the fan-shaped surface touched the twisted space, it began to warp.
And in that instant, Taesan did not miss his chance.
[You have activated Forced Exclusion.]
[You have activated Magic Concentration.]
[You have activated Magic Acceleration.]
Boom!
The power of exclusion concentrated on the distorted space. The surface screeched and halted its advance.
[You have activated Distortion.]
[You have activated Magic Explosion.]
Once more, Taesan activated Distortion, causing the space to explode. The charging surface shattered, creating an opening for evasion. Taesan moved lightly, dodging the attack.
Wirad bared his teeth as he swung his staff.
Black lines filled the space, but none reached Taesan.
Fire and ice covered the world. The perfect execution of magic resisted Wirad’s power.
[Magic Proficiency has increased by 1%.]
[You have acquired Magic Circle.]
[You have acquired Magic Interference.]
[You have acquired Memorize.]
The battle against Wirad was fought purely with magic.
As his magic proficiency continued to rise, it finally reached 80%.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
Crack!
Frozen World was activated. Its contained power was on an entirely different level than before. It froze everything in its path as it raced through space.
Wirad raised his staff. The countless black lines shattered the Frozen World.
“Impressive.”
Wirad expressed pure admiration.
Taesan had almost perfectly analyzed Wirad’s attack patterns and power.
As a result, despite the prolonged battle, he hadn’t sustained a single injury.
Of course, Wirad was an immortal who had lived for an incredibly long time as a mage. There were still many patterns he had yet to reveal.
However, every pattern and action was based on fundamental principles. Taesan had now grasped that.
No matter how much pressure Wirad applied, Taesan would not fall easily.
“But that’s all there is to it.”
He would not fall easily.
But that was his limit.
Wirad’s staff moved, and the black lines poured down all at once.
Taesan responded by manifesting magic.
With 80% mastery, the power of his magic was undeniably strong. The observing mages even doubted whether this was truly the same magic they had learned.
Boom!
However, it could not penetrate the black lines.
It was not as easily nullified as before, and its power had indeed increased.
But it still could not break through.
“I reached the realm of immortality using only this magic.”
Wirad murmured.
“If it were your true power, it might be different. But with magic alone, you cannot reach me.”
Boom…
The black lines densely surrounded Taesan. If Wirad willed it, he could separate the lines and pierce through Taesan’s body entirely.
“Now, what will you do?”
There was no chance of victory.
And Taesan knew that.
“I never thought I could win in the first place.”
Everything he had done so far was merely preparation for victory.
Taesan looked at Wirad through the surrounding black lines.
“Your authority. Dimensional Definition. You manipulate dots, lines, and planes with magic. I was curious about how it worked, but it turned out to be simpler than I expected.”
“And what is it?”
“The balance of forces from the opposition between the external and internal.”
Wirad grinned.
“Correct.”
The fundamental unit of Wirad’s magic was the tiny dot.
An extremely intricate magic that compressed an overwhelming force without releasing any energy waves.
The method to create it was simple.
‘Extreme compression of mana.’
Mana was compressed and compressed again until it took the form of a tiny dot.
That alone was useless. The condensed force would become uncontrollable and explode instantly. After several trials, Taesan realized this.
Thus, he wrapped it in mana externally.
He compressed an equal amount of mana around the compressed dot, encasing it completely.
“But I couldn’t figure out how to do it.”
Even though Taesan had understood the theory and attempted it multiple times, he had failed every time.
Even when he tried wrapping the compressed mana in another layer of compressed mana, he could not achieve the same equilibrium as Wirad.
The double-compressed mana simply exploded every time.
Perhaps it was only Wirad who could make such use of mana.
“So what will you do? Are you planning to experiment in order to steal my magic? I won’t stop you. If you spend a hundred years or so here, you might gain even a sliver of possibility.”
“No.”
Taesan shook his head.
“I can’t do that.”
Wirad was a genius.
When it came to magic alone, he had a talent that Taesan couldn’t even compare to.
It was something that took Wirad decades, or maybe even centuries, to barely achieve.
“From the start, I am not a mage. I have no intention of dedicating all my time to magic, nor do I have the talent for it. Besides, it’s too much of a hassle.”
He was an adventurer.
One who obtained all the power he could and used it to his advantage.
“So, I will just take the strengths.”
The principle of Wirad’s magic was balance through the opposition of internal and external forces.
It did not necessarily have to be mana.
From Taesan’s hand, black energy began to flow.
Wirad, who was about to attack before Taesan could act, stopped his staff.
“……That is—”
Wirad was an immortal.
He had the power befitting such a title and was blessed by the God of Magic. He had even protected worlds from destruction under Zelbando’s command, fighting against the High Gods multiple times.
Wirad had slain countless monsters and saved several worlds.
Because of that, he knew exactly what kind of power Taesan was wielding.
“The power of the High Gods?”
A force forbidden to the beings of this world.
Yet Taesan was wielding it.
“Most skills other than magic are restricted, but this one is not.”
The reason was easy to deduce. The power of the High Gods was beyond laws.
Zelbando’s rules had no effect on it.
Having reached the level of an immortal, Taesan had acquired some control over the black energy.
However, merging it with magic required an absurd level of control that far exceeded Taesan’s imagination.
It was impossible for him at this moment.
Thus, he needed preparation.
Taesan took out materials and placed them in his wrist guard.
This was the Magic Tower, where mages gathered. It was filled with countless alchemical materials.
[You have activated Partial World Reformation.]
What he was reforming was not this space governed by Zelbando’s laws.
It was himself.
Taesan’s mana amplified, and he gained absolute control over it.
Taesan then gathered mana and black energy together.
Would it be possible to merge the black energy with something other than divinity?
No one in this world had ever controlled black energy.
Only Taesan could do it.
The black energy and divinity were naturally opposing forces.
They constantly struggled and raged against each other, seeking to devour everything.
Taesan had to forcibly suppress them to maintain control.
However, magic was different.
Magic could not withstand the black energy.
No matter what he tried, magic was devoured and disappeared.
Taesan had been contemplating a solution—
And Wirad had shown him the way.
Mana compressed into the form of Frozen World.
Taesan wrapped the black energy around the exterior of the mana.
The key was balance through opposition.
The black energy thrashed violently, resisting his will, trying to consume everything.
‘Shut up.’
Taesan forcefully pulled his power together.
The black energy resisted like it had a will of its own.
High power or not, divine force or not—
It did not matter.
This power was his.
It would obey his will.
With absolute intent, Taesan crushed the raging black energy.
His very existence stamped down on it.
The black energy trembled—
Then fell silent.
The internal mana and the external black energy began to balance each other.
Taesan unleashed his power.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
Crack!
A wave of cold surged through the world.
But its color—
Was not white.
It was pitch-black.
Wirad hurriedly swung his staff.
The black lines that had surrounded Taesan split apart, forming thousands of new lines, all aiming to pierce him.
But as soon as they touched the black frost—
Crack!
The lines shattered, scattering in all directions.
For the first time—
Wirad’s magic was broken.
“It’s done.”
Taesan clenched his fist.
At that moment, a system message appeared.
[You have acquired Magic of Negation.]
“.Ha. Haha! Hahahaha!”
Wirad, who had been staring blankly at Taesan—
Suddenly burst into wild laughter.
His long beard shook as his mad eyes locked onto Taesan.
“How in the world are you able to control the power of the High Gods?! I cannot comprehend it!”
He slammed his staff onto the ground.
A powerful shockwave rippled outward.
“Good! Very good! This place is the perfect ground for accumulating magic knowledge, but it is filled with nothing but weaklings! To reach a higher realm, this is not enough! One must fight powerful foes with full strength!”
Wirad pointed his staff at Taesan.
“Come, O Aberrant Immortal! Elevate me to even greater heights!”
His staff trembled violently.
[Wirad's Authority Activation: Dimensional Severance has been activated.]
At the tip of his staff—
A dot manifested.
But its color—
Was no longer black.
It was white.
Though it radiated no power—
Taesan instinctively understood.
That white dot was not merely power—
It was close to the fundamental laws of the world itself.
Taesan gathered mana and black energy together.
He had obtained the skill.
And he knew exactly how to use it.
The black magic manifested into the world.
[You have activated Frozen World [Negation].]
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