Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 235

#235. Spirit Island (3)

All kinds of speculations and questions poured in.

[How did humans get here?]

[How did you get past the island barrier?]

[Do all humans look like you?]

But the most important concern was elsewhere, and the topic came down to one thing.

[Do all humans have such supreme mana?]

[I wish you could give me one more taste.]

[It was a thrilling feeling I had never experienced before. The mana of the forest was incomparable.]

The leader spirits, who had come close as if possessed, began licking Ray’s entire body.

It wasn’t that the boundaries were loosened.

It was an inability to overcome temptation.

[Look at this. Mana is flowing out of the body.]

[Yeah, that’s what I felt earlier.]

[How wonderful. I could lick this mana for another hundred years.]

Lick. Lick. Lick.

The vessels of the subordinate spirits looking at their leaders were filled with envy.

“Crunch! Crunch!”

“Kook! Kook!”

Her body, which kept flinching and stopping as she tried to come forward, seemed to be desperately suppressing the desire to run over and lick the boy right away.

Ray, who was being pushed around by the giant tongue, felt a sense of crisis as his body was rapidly becoming moist.

I used lightning to escape urgently.

[Huh? It disappeared?]

[That was incredible speed. I couldn’t even keep up with it with my eyes.

[It’s not an important issue right now.]

Ray held out his palm towards the leaders who were closing in again.

[no.]

The leaders who had stopped in their tracks looked regretful.

[This is the end?]

[I couldn’t stand it anymore since I’ve already had a taste.]

[Can’t you give me more mana?]

There was no problem giving it away since the jewel’s mana was literally infinite.

However, the boy’s law was that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

[Mana is mine. I decide whether to give it or not. If you are thinking of taking it by force, I warn you in advance that you should stop. My mana will not move unless I will it, and if we fight, you will be the one to lose.]

Although the message was delivered with strong emotions, the response was a little different than expected.

[You’re taking it by force?]

[Humans are truly savage beasts.]

[We don’t take anything from our opponents unless it’s a duel we agreed upon.]

[Correct such dangerous thoughts.]

[… … ?]

I feel like I’m being scolded for some reason.

Ray realized that there was not a hint of malice in the spirits’ immense desire.

‘It’s pure desire itself.’

The other emotions in the bowl were the same.

Sky Island is a place that only spirits can enter, and it seems to have been isolated from the world for a long time.

…Would such isolation make the island spirits pure beings, unsullied by the world?

Then I think I can come out stronger here now.

[Mana, I can give you some, but there are conditions.]

[Conditions? What conditions?]

[I came to this island because I was looking for something. If you help me with it, I’ll give you mana.]

[What are you looking for?]

[Just say the word and we’ll find it for you.]

[A stone tablet with inscriptions, or a wall with pictures drawn on it. I’m sure it’s somewhere on the island.]

On the ground or in the sky.

The doctor appeared to be preventing us from getting closer to the island.

Ray thought that there must be records of the old times that the doctor wanted to hide here.

[Text? Picture? I don’t know what it means.]

[I think Fluffy Orange Tail would know such a difficult concept. After all, he’s the smartest spirit on the island after Blue Horn.]

[Ah, letters and pictures, that’s it.]

Ray looked down at Philip’s tail as he explained.

Indeed, it looked fluffy.

I continued talking, thinking that I would definitely have to lie down and try it later.

[The explanation is as Orange Tail said just now. First, release your men and search the entire island. You must have lived on the island for a very long time, but there might be places you haven’t discovered or missed.]

[Is mana only given to spirits who discover stone tablets and walls?]

[I will give it to all the spirits belonging to that species, not just the leader. Enough to eat until your stomach bursts.]

When the leaders turned their heads to give instructions, their subordinates were already spreading out at the speed of light.

[I’ll get the report in the evening. Come to the foxes’ den. And don’t fight. Until the day of the duel. I will never give mana to spirits who cause conflict and ruin the forest, no matter what happens in the future.]

The leaders who had been baring their teeth and growling at each other suddenly became calm.

Ray left with the fox spirits.

When they were some distance from the center of the commotion, Philip, unable to contain his excitement, jumped up and down in front of Ray and said.

“Wow! Those three have been known for their temperaments since they were young! Usually, spirits are overwhelmed by their momentum and can’t say anything! Ray, you took them under control in an instant!”

“What the…?”

“This is a human word that is preserved in my head memory! Is it perhaps used incorrectly?”

“No, that’s true.”

It felt strange to hear the curse words I usually heard in back alleys coming out of the fox’s mouth.

“I’ve been wondering for a while now, what is that memory?”

“Do you remember? Do you remember?”

“I wish you would stop jumping.”

“Memory is memory!”

“Honey! I’ll run with you too! Ray! How did you speak to me in the spirit way just now?”

“Crunch! Crunch!”

Ray had to put in a lot of effort to calm the three foxes down.

After some conversation, we were able to figure out that memories are passed down between spirits of the same species.

“Krung! The stronger the spirit, the more memories it can convey, and the clearer it is. Krung, if you give up some of the memory transmission, you may be able to convey the accumulated mana itself.”

Thus, it is said that the spirits seek the prosperity of the species they belong to.

Or pass on memories.

Or transfer mana.

“Kreung, at first the two ratios were similar. However, as time passed, there were many cases where people gave up on the transmission of memories and focused all their efforts on the transmission of mana. The more mana you accumulate, the more memories and mana you can pass on to the next generation.”

Through accumulated mana, the spirits of the island became infinitely stronger.

But there were side effects.

All important memories of the past have been forgotten, and the situation has become one of blindly chasing after power.

After that, the island’s class structure became fixed.

In a situation where all species are running together, rather than just one species, it is not easy to close the gap.

Since the places with abundant mana are being occupied in order of strength, it can be seen that the gap is actually continuing to widen.

“But our fox chose a different strategy. We boldly gave up the inheritance of mana and chose the inheritance of memory.”

To increase your strength, simply absorb the mana of the forest.

Instead, he acquires more knowledge and memories than anyone else on the island.

“That’s why we were able to secure a territory deep inside the forest rich in mana. Everyone was afraid that the memories of the island’s history would be lost while giving up the transmission of memories. It’s like we’ve become a kind of protected species.”

The transmission of memory.

The boy recalled a being he had encountered in the wilderness one day, whose entire body was made of transparent water.

According to Curiosa, its existence is also clearly passed down through the generations.

“But, do all humans emit such supreme mana?”

Ray looked down at his body.

The green and yellow mana of the jewel was gently radiating from my entire body.

‘… I can’t control it very well. It’s not just because of my emotions, but it seems like the jewel is resonating with the mana of this island itself.’

Is it because they both have high purity in common?

Ray thought as he looked at the vividly colored manas swaying in the air.

If this island is a place that existed in ancient times and the scenery from that time is preserved as it was.

Perhaps the mana we are seeing now is a form close to the beginning that was spread out at that time.

Ray brought out the delayed answer.

“There are wizards. They are beings who have rings in their chests that store mana. However, they rarely release mana on purpose. Many people target them if they know they are wizards. Also, even if they did, they would not be able to release mana of this high quality.”

“You’re saying that Ray is a very special case. If you don’t mind, can I lick it a little?”

“no.”

Philip was instantly devastated.

The ears were folded and the tail was curled.

I suddenly felt it.

I think one of the biggest differences between spirits and humans is that they don’t hide their emotions at all.

Still, wouldn’t it be okay to show a little favor by giving directions?

Ray said after pulling the fox family into his arms.

“Only until you reach your treasure trove.”

“thank you!”

“thank you!”

Ray felt the rough texture of her tongue on his cheeks, the back of his hands, and under his chin as he walked briskly.

How much time has passed like that?

Passing through the trees, I was able to arrive at a grassy field bordering a large lake.

Swaaa …

The wind caressed the hair of the plants.

The waves of the lake sparkled in the sunlight.

There were about twenty foxes running around in the grass.

“… … ?”

“… … !”

The guys who had scattered and hidden after discovering Ray gathered around him in an instant after Philip came forward and explained.

Ray said, looking down at the fox cubs chewing on his boots.

“It seems like these guys haven’t become spirits yet.”

“Because they are still young. They usually become spirits around 3 months old.”

Philip explained that because mana is so abundant, you can become a spirit just by breathing properly.

Ray gathered the jewel’s mana into dozens of small balls and threw them far away to chase away the foxes that kept clinging to him.

[The spirit that dances first is the master!]

[It’s mine! Get out of the way!]

[Adults come first! Children step back!]

Ray grabbed Philip by the scruff of his neck as he prepared to leave together.

“You can’t go. I have to guide you.”

“That’s such a shame.”

Phillip, who had released Ray from his grasp and spun around, guided Ray towards the lake.

“This is the place I told you about earlier, where only blue horns can enter.”

“You’re going to the lake?”

“Yes, that’s right. The Blue Horn often disappears into the lake and comes out after a long time. I don’t know what it does inside. I’ve been to many places on the island, but I’ve never seen the stone tablets or murals you mentioned. However, if there are definitely two targets on the island, I think that’s the only place left.”

Ray bent his knees and placed his palms on the lake’s surface.

It was clear and transparent, so the bottom was brightly reflected, but it was so deep that I couldn’t see the end.

Is it because of its depth?

I haven’t felt the heart pounding that comes with being close to the stone slab yet.

However, it was a little bit shaky.

Ray asked, stroking Philip’s tail.

“But how is this lake maintained? There are no clouds above the island. So it wouldn’t rain. How do the plants in the forest survive?”

“It’s all managed by Blue Horn. The water level of the lake has never gone down in the history of the island. The plants are managed by Blue Horn himself, sometimes by making it rain. But why are you touching my tail like that? Have you ever been bitten by a fox?”

Philip bared his teeth and snarled─

“I’ll give you mana in exchange for letting me touch you. It’s a deal.”

“Wouldn’t this position be better for enjoying the feel of the tail?”

─He became quiet.

Ray patted Philip, who was sitting on his lap, and asked him questions about the island.

How long has the island existed?

Was it floating in the sky all along?

What exactly is a spirit?

But not all of my questions could be answered.

“Kreung, I don’t remember everything either. There are quite a few memories that were lost during the transmission.”

In the end, the story was that in order to fully satisfy one’s curiosity and inquisitiveness, one had to wait until the Blue Horn, which was said to have more memories, arrived.

The absolute being of the island that can freely travel above and below the clouds.

“When is the blue horn coming?”

“The cycle is not fixed. Sometimes it takes a few days, sometimes it takes a few months.”

And that was when it happened.

Across the void, far away, somewhere, a dangerous blue dot appeared.