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#295. Fountain of Mana (1)
The measuring device, whose gauge had been rising at a frightening rate, exploded in a small explosion.
Boom! Thud!
“It exploded.”
Ray said, looking at the debris pouring down around him with indifferent eyes.
Khan, who had been frozen in bewilderment for a moment, came to his senses and asked.
“Hey, are you hurt?”
"are you okay."
“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect it to malfunction all of a sudden. It’s never happened before. I think it might have been due to long-term use, so something went wrong internally.”
After offering a heartfelt apology, Khan took out a new measuring instrument from the desk drawer.
and.
Bang! Thud thud thud──!
“It exploded.”
“… … .”
New measuring instruments continued to be brought out, but they all met a tragic end in Ray's hands.
Khan called the researchers into his office by pressing a button on his desk.
“There’s a problem with the measurement of the circle limit. Could you give me some leeway?”
“Yes, I understand. But this person over here…?”
“This is Chief Secretary Ray of the Imaginary School.”
“Ah, this is the one…!”
The researchers all turned their eyes toward Ray.
After observing the explosions that occurred repeatedly, they had a heated discussion and came to a conclusion.
“I think the problem occurred because Ray’s circle limit was outside the measurement range. I can’t be sure, but that’s the most likely possibility.”
“What…? It’s out of range?”
Khan was dumbfounded.
This was because it was a case that had never been heard of or experienced in the long history of the magical world.
The highest marking on the measuring gauge was 6 circles, which was common to all models made by any school.
There was no need for that comfort.
There are records of the existence of Circle 6, but it has not appeared in the city for nearly a hundred years.
Beyond that, the 7th Circle was treated as a legend, a fairy tale, or a wild fantasy.
But the meter exploded.
‘…Are you saying that this boy has the potential to advance to the 7th Circle, let alone the 6th?’
For a moment, it felt like the world was telling me a huge lie.
A boy who suddenly appeared in the city and advocated an unprecedented theory called imagination.
We have been investigating using every possible means to determine the identity, but so far there has been no significant result.
But now, the unresolved unknown had deepened even further.
“You don’t look very happy. It could be a malfunction of your constitution, but I heard that your growth limit is extremely high.”
“I’m glad.”
“Don’t you usually express it outwardly? Like screaming loudly, or smiling…?”
Ray smiled brightly.
“… I was wrong. Let’s move for now. I’ll guide you to the training facility you requested.”
Khan got into the elevator with Ray, who didn't understand why he was apologizing.
Wheein──
“I just passed a floor with a training area sign, and it didn’t stop?”
“I originally planned to give you a regular training room that the members of the school use, but I changed my mind. If the growth limit is that wide open, there’s a high chance that a regular training room won’t be enough.”
Ray stared at Khan's bowl.
There was no sign of jealousy, but instead a strong curiosity and interest in this direction could be seen.
'Are you trying to test me?'
Thinking that way, I changed the conversation to a different topic.
“I heard that the Harmony School seeks balance and harmony among all elements.”
“That’s right. Magic is a phenomenon that occurs due to the combination of elements. The ultimate goal of our school is to find out what kind of phenomenon will occur when all the elements in the world are harmoniously combined.”
Khan added with a smile.
That is also the reason why he is particularly interested in the theory of imagination.
“If we can ignore the rules of combination between elements, with the help of imagination, our school of research will surely make great strides.”
“… … .”
In fact, Ray already knew what the Harmony School was trying to find out.
'When all the elements come together.'
If it were ordinary mana floating in the air, it would become a pitch-black element of destruction.
If it is the primordial mana that holds light, it becomes a pure white element of creation.
Given his laid-back nature, it seemed like if given a choice, Khan would choose the latter without hesitation.
“Wouldn’t it be possible to gain something like the power to create anything, if I could succeed in combining all the elements?”
“You can create anything. This is truly a miraculous power of God. If I had that kind of power, I could create all kinds of resources.”
“Is there a special reason?”
Khan let out a peaceful laugh.
“The flames of competition that are raging all over the city right now, when viewed from a fundamental perspective, are all due to a lack of resources. If there were an abundance of things to enjoy, this wouldn’t happen. I don’t know how it sounds, but I dream of a society where all schools stop competing and live in harmony.”
Both of them fell silent, and the sound of the elevator operating filled the space.
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A moment later, Ray said.
“Good.”
“Haha, that’s right. The bigger your dreams, the better. Can I ask a question this time?”
“If you can answer.”
“I wonder why you said you would accept exchange students from each school. Isn’t it by no means a common practice to disclose all of your theories?”
“… … .”
Ray thought for a moment.
I will impart imagination to fellow students of all schools.
The reason he made that statement was not simply to get high marks at the conference.
Spreading imagination in the city.
That was Ray's other purpose.
'Once the basis of common magic is integrated into imagination, the experiments conducted in various magic towers will no longer have meaning and will disappear.'
Then, even if the ban on magic were to be issued sometime in the future and then lifted again, the amount of black clouds that would occur would be drastically reduced.
“There’s no need to hide it.”
“That’s an interesting reason.”
While we were talking, the elevator arrived at the first floor.
The two people who got off there went through several security measures and boarded the elevator again in the room they arrived at.
Wheein──
As the view descended, grey rock formations appeared all around.
“Where are you going?”
“There are many things under the city. When you build a building, you may find mineral layers or unearth relics. This tendency is even greater in places that have not been touched by human hands. And the place I am guiding you to now may have a longer history than this city.”
It was at that moment that the elevator stopped.
Before my eyes appeared a huge cavity filled with stalactites, and in the center was a deep hole like an abyss.
Ray approached him, instinctively drawn to him.
“… … .”
Inside the pitch-black hole, colorful mana was quietly swaying, boasting a vivid glow.
Mana of relatively high purity.
However, the density itself felt unusually dense.
It feels like the mana of the entire Sky Island is concentrated in a small space.
Khan, who followed behind, looked down at the hole and said.
“It’s a fountain of mana. Mana of such high purity that it can be categorized is densely packed here. Normally, mana does not collect and instead disperses to places with lower density, which is a characteristic of mana, but I think there is a certain property of the surrounding rocks that holds the mana and binds it to the fountain.”
Khan added:
This is the place discovered by the founder of the Harmony School, and it has been used as a training space for generations by key figures, including the office manager.
“No place I have ever experienced has had a greater density of mana than this spring. In other words, no place can provide a stronger stimulus to the rotation of the ring.”
Ray tilted his head.
“Why are you doing me this favor?”
“I am very curious and interested. I wonder if I would like to see someone break the 5th circle barrier in my lifetime. And the possibility of rapid growth implies a certain amount of risk, so strictly speaking, it is not a complete favor. Rather than a favor, it would be more appropriate to say that I have given you an attractive choice.”
Abnormally high mana density.
It was like saying that if you can't properly control the flow inside the well, your body will just burst and die.
Khan spoke, manipulating a panel at the end of a small stand near the well to bring up a screen.
“The deeper you go into the well, the more the mana density increases. That’s why no one has ever successfully reached the bottom and returned. The recommended method is to use it only to a depth where safety is guaranteed and then return. All of the data from past users is stored here.”
As Khan continued his explanation, Ray's attention was focused on Sam.
Deep down, somewhere unfathomably deep, I felt something that made my heart race.
'…slate?'
A feeling that is familiar yet unfamiliar.
There was something more than just the stone slabs.
There was no reason to refuse Khan's offer, not only out of curiosity, but also because it was an opportunity to accelerate the growth of the ring.
“I’ll go down and take a look.”
“Good. I’ll get it ready right away.”
As Khan pressed the button on the panel, researchers came down through the elevator.
They moved in unison to start up the equipment around the well, and then dressed Ray in gloves, boots, and other equipment.
“These are pieces of equipment engraved with wind magic. By injecting a little mana into them, you can freely move up and down the inside of the spring.”
“In case of emergency, please press this button. We will come down to rescue you as soon as the signal arrives.”
Ray, who had been quietly surrendering himself to their touch, suddenly asked.
“Don’t you know what’s at the bottom of the well?”
“Yes, many investigators have been dispatched so far, but they all came back without even making it to the halfway point.”
“The highest record is 57.4 meters set by Chief Khan. The total depth of the well is estimated to be around 100 meters.”
The researchers had a lively conversation among themselves about the bottom of the well.
Then someone said,
“There must be something unimaginable at the bottom. There was an old script engraved in the middle of the well. Those who are qualified will reach the deepest part and receive a fitting reward.”
The exact meaning was unknown.
However, these words were enough to amplify the boy's doubts and expectations.
Khan spoke to Ray, who was getting ready to enter the well after finishing his preparations.
“If you feel it’s dangerous, you should give up your greed and come up right away. You can enjoy a high growth effect even at a certain depth.”
Ray nodded and jumped into the well without hesitation.
A rapidly descending view.
Colorful mana swaying everywhere.
Hoooow──!
A strong wind from the device lifted the body from its fall.
It feels like swimming in water.
I was able to swim freely through the air at will.
Ray paused for a moment, focusing his senses on the mana that filled the space inside the well without any gaps.
'The pressure is definitely high.'
It is the nature of mana to flow from places of high density to places of low density.
Sam's dense mana was sticking to his skin and trying to flow into his body, and most wizards would not have been able to withstand it and would have fainted from shock.
Ray circulated the ring's mana throughout his body.
After equalizing the inner and outer mana density with the skin as the boundary, it began to head down the spring without hesitation.