Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 501

Episode 501 From the Past (2)

There is a saying, "good competition."

It literally means competing to get ahead of the opponent, but rather than putting each other down, it is about helping each other out and thus promoting positive development.

This is truly an ideal fight.

A wizard with pure passion would be more than welcome. Who would turn down the time and resources that would have to be spent on slander and could instead spend them on themselves?

Of course, the other person also grows together, but it is only a minor factor.

'But the world is complex.'

The same goes for humans.

Not everyone believes in themselves and runs forward without looking back.

Sometimes it's easier to pull someone else down than to climb the stairs yourself. In fact, that's usually the case.

Greed is sweet.

Slander is impulsive, frustration comes out of nowhere, and jealousy is instinctive.

If you connect these appropriately… … .

In the end, in order to win the competition, they end up belittling and oppressing their opponents, causing them to become frustrated. From there, they transform their jealousy into a sense of accomplishment───which is what the world calls competition.

This is not an extreme assumption.

It is so common that you can find it if you look around carefully.

Like cheating to get a better grade on a test.

In order to win in a duel, you should try to get your hands on your opponent's weapon or injure them beforehand.

Examples such as disguising a successful person in the same industry as someone who died in an accident and then taking over their role… are countless.

If that's the world, can a huge group like Matap really compete amicably without anyone suffering losses?

'Of course not.'

Verden firmly denied it in his heart.

The amount of money that is moved simply by the involvement of the Magic Tower is astronomical, and the influence based on its powerful forces shakes the political situation of the continent.

The scale is too large for friendly competition.

Putting aside the fact that they don't trust each other, the more they try to bring down the other party, the more they can create overwhelming profits.

So much so that it's worth taking the risk of being dragged out in reverse.

'The ranking of the magic towers set by the magic world represents this competition.'

The hierarchy is a macro indicator, and therefore a real threat.

For example, when the 6th and 8th ranked Magic Towers on the same continent reach out at the same time, it is natural to choose the former.

If the 8th place team offers better contract terms, the result could be different… … but considering that the 6th place team might harbor a grudge and retaliate, it would be unavoidable to groan.

Ultimately, there are two choices.

Either accept the offer from the 6th in the hierarchy, or join the 8th in the hierarchy but pay a huge bribe so as not to upset the 6th in the hierarchy.

The power of hierarchy.

Just by being in a high ranking position without taking any specific action, it becomes possible to force actions on the opponent.

This is one of the many factors that causes the Magic Tower to rise in rank, and while it inevitably contributes greatly to the development of the magical world, it also causes malicious competition.

'In that sense, Ostea Matap is clearly behind.'

10th in overall ranking, 10th in military ranking.

The absolute lowest level magic tower.

A position where you can't even try something in the competition between the magic towers.

However, as a part of the Magic Tower, it has great potential and other forces do not treat it lightly… … but to other Magic Towers that do not need to be careful like them, it is nothing more than a loser.

'Of course, it's not that Ostea Matap didn't try to avoid being treated like that, but it all went down the drain.'

Despite the decline, it tried not to lose its essence of exploration and exploration, but later, one of the old Ostea Matapjus, who had just completed their inauguration ceremony, underwent a major reorganization to break away from reality.

Like other magic towers, they changed their policy to place importance on ranking.

But the gap has already widened and cannot be narrowed.

Not only were there no results, but it also had the negative effect of causing confusion and conflict among the leadership of the Tower.

The Ostea Tower, which had unintentionally set itself on fire, had no choice but to revert to its original form in order to resolve internal strife, and the incident became a laughing stock for the other towers.

however.

'I can confidently say that no one has ever underestimated the power of the Ostea Tower.'

Among them, the magical field related to ancient times is truly unrivaled, to the point where it even gives a leg up to Artesian Magical Tower, ranked second in the hierarchy.

Therefore, Ostea Tower uses its unique technology and knowledge accumulated over a long period of time as its weapon, and focuses on receiving requests from various forces, including other towers.

It is rare to find a being in power on the continent who is not interested in ancient times.

In fact, Ostea Matap was not pleased with this situation, but there was nothing he could do about it.

In today's world, isolation only leads to self-destruction.

In order to survive as a magic tower, you must accept others' wishes.

This was the dilemma faced by the Ostea Matap of the past and present.

If so───

“In order to escape from this unreasonable situation, you decided to organize a society and change the magical world?”

“That’s just one of the reasons.”

The guardian sage, Medrant, slowly closed and opened his eyes.

However, the right eye with the prosthetic eye has no eyelid, so the field of vision is always open.

The same thing happens when you fall asleep.

“Holy, why do you think the magical world has become like this?”

“In short, it’s because of selfishness.”

“I believe that this endless selfishness is the result of a wrong direction. The eyes of the magical world are focused on one place, so they cannot see anywhere else. That is my judgment.”

Medrant recalled the ancient knowledge he had accumulated throughout his life.

“……The first magic tower, which is the origin of all magic towers, was created by magicians who gathered together to overcome the difficulties of the times. Each of them freely studied magic and created a diverse magic world.”

Ostea Matapju spoke softly.

“What I wish for is that free magical world.”

By changing the reality where everyone is obsessed with running on narrow roads and getting ahead of each other, it is a manifestation of the magic world where people are respected even if they take a different path from others───in other words, a reform of the times.

Learn from the past, act on the present, create a better future.

It was one of the ideologies that Medrant Keden took as the foundation of the Society.

* * *

Immediately after Medrant's story ended, it was Osgar's turn.

“Berden. Do you remember what happened last year, when we got involved with each other?”

“You mean the Midloth Dominion?”

A city where the Volcanic Island Tower and Larian Tower worked together to eradicate the influence of the Bohemian Tower.

The place where the Bohemian Tower sent its brainwashed assassins in retaliation.

And the land where Verden met Society and Adrian.

“The number of people who died at that time is estimated to be 132. Only the number of people killed by the Volcanic Island’s Magic Tower and the Larian Magic Tower and those touched by the Bohemian Magic Tower is that number. Even though they received funds from the Bohemian Magic Tower, they were still ordinary people.”

Osgar frowned.

“Even ordinary citizens who had nothing to do with it died together. It is easiest to deal with it by completely keeping their mouths shut. Also, the property damage is not insignificant. Yet, not only was no one punished, no one was even compensated.”

“Punishment for the Magic Tower… I’m not surprised. That’s impossible unless it causes considerable damage to the magical community. You’ve been in the Empire for a long time, so you should know that, right?”

“To be honest, the old me didn’t care about the implicit immunity of the Magic Tower. All I knew was what I knew. But the difference between simply knowing and actually seeing it is huge… much more than I thought.”

Osgar pressed his nails into the skin of his fingers.

“When I was appointed as one of the mages of the Arnak Empire and a war lord a few years ago, the magic towers were running wild to increase their influence. I was dispatched to the central continent by order of the Empire to prevent any conflict between the magic towers.”

For the Tower, extending positive influence is directly related to hierarchy.

As with the development of the magical world, eliminating negative elements from the world and making a name for yourself is evaluated as a performance.

Talking about side benefits is just a pain in the butt.

“Thanks to you, the criminal forces that were rampant in the Central Continent have been largely eliminated. After all, the fastest way to gain fame is to get rid of notoriety. But as always… crime is closely related to the innocent.”

In a certain baron's territory, there was a group of bandits that were difficult to subdue with the lord's power alone.

There were a few guys who could manipulate qi or magic, which was annoying, but it was especially so because they actively used hostages.

As a result, he became the target of a wizard dispatched from the magic tower of a nearby volcanic island.

Naturally, the bandits, as always, used the hostage as an ethical threat.

What would the result have been?

“The wizard looked around, then cast <Fireball> without any warning. Most of the bandits and hostages were reduced to ashes. When I arrived later, only the hand of a woman who had been a hostage remained.”

Meaningless prisoners are annoying.

It's a hassle to try to trick your opponent, and investing time and effort in that way doesn't bring any real benefits.

Matap chose to increase performance efficiently.

“In addition, while the criminal who murdered a third-tier wizard of the Zentir Tower was being dealt with by the Tower, all the residents of a small village in the countryside died. It must have been an accident, but they didn’t handle it properly. They covered up the traces so cleanly that if they hadn’t figured out the circumstances, they wouldn’t have noticed. In such a situation, what part of the Tower is truly hiding? You, of all people, would know better.”

Osgar rubbed his forehead.

“Of course, such an impersonal wizard is not common. There are many sane people in the Magic Tower. But that does not mean we can ignore these problems. I collected all the evidence I could, and as a war lord of the Empire, I reported this to the magical community. But do you know what happened?”

“Well, I guess it was just glossed over.”

“Yeah, they were a little loud at first, but that was it. Some of the magic towers pretended not to know and kept quiet, and some of them simply admitted it was a mistake and gave a light warning, that’s all. Magic towers, you bastards. They were so arrogant that I couldn’t stand it.”

“Ahem.”

Ostea Matapju coughed in vain, but Osgar pretended not to hear.

“So, just as I was about to step forward, the Empire stopped me. They said they didn’t want the emotional rift between the Magic Towers and the others to deepen. The damage couldn’t be ignored, and the Empire didn’t have a good reason to step forward. I understood that in my head. But my heart didn’t.”

He kept nodding his head.

“Certainly… yes, certainly the Magic Towers have grown too powerful over the years. Ever since they acquired the Magic Tower power source about 180 years ago, they have been uncontrollable. Of course, given the times have changed, it would be even more so. I can completely understand the Empire’s attitude. However, due to my personality, I couldn’t just sit still, and I thought deeply about it for a long time. Eventually, I concluded that this evil, the magic world itself that has become entrenched in the Magic Tower system, is the problem.”

The gaze of the Sage of Power became intense.

“The goal is to overthrow the current system and create a magical community where every wizard is held accountable for their actions.”

Osgar exhaled.

“Of course, there are only a few forces on the entire continent capable of such an attempt… but the Arnak Empire can be considered one of them. That’s why I was looking for a reason to change the current magic world. To persuade the Empire.”

“That’s when I approached him.”

Osgar moved cautiously in his own way, but he was a man of few words. He did not hide his contempt for the Magic Tower openly.

Medrant, who had been keeping an eye on this, met with Osgar secretly.

In that shabby winter cabin, with snow falling outside and a fireplace lighting the inside, the two wizards talked long and hard.

“When Medrant opened up, I did the same. I couldn’t help but agree with the fact that Matapju was so critical of the Matap system.”

anyway.

“To conclude, I thought that a few decades would not be enough to change the magical world. I decided that it would be impossible for our generation. That’s why I decided to create a group that would carry on the ideology for our next generation and the generations after that.”

That was the beginning of the anti-Matap forces that took the first Magic Tower as their ideology… … before it was even called a society.

“And to create an organization like that, you need people more than anything else. My top priority was to find unknown talents in the magical community, possibly somewhere on the continent.”

“Haha, that’s how you met me.”

After escaping from the Great Hall of Black Hour and witnessing the death of his friend, Melad lived like a loser in a small town.

His heart was filled with sadness, despair, and hatred, and his lower body was crippled.

As time passed, one day, when the rain was pouring down, she was absentmindedly walking down the street when her wheelchair broke down and she gave up on life.

It just collapsed.

I didn't even have the energy to take my life, so I sat down on the side of the alley and waited for the end.

The one who discovered Melad slowly dying in the midst of days of torrential downpours was… … the war lord Osgar himself, who had been on a long vacation from the Arnak Empire and was roaming the continent.

“Hehehe. I picked up the newborn Yunia and Cain, as well as the old Melad. It seems like he had a talent for this kind of thing.”

Medrant shook his head.

“It must just be luck.”

“What difference would it make if it was luck? Either way, it’s a good thing since we’re destined to be together. That’s how the three of us came together.”

Osgar, who immediately recognized Melad's realm, attempted to engage in conversation.

At the time, she was weak in body and mind and confessed her past with an empty heart.

Darkmoon, one of the original eight members who founded the Black Hour, a group renowned for its magical research until its usurpation by Dahith Wesroel.

Osgar made his decision.

He said that he would somehow convince this battered wizard to give him a reason to live and make him a comrade who would share the same goals.

“……And here we come.”

Osgar looked at Verden.

“Verden, it is true that we are not in a position to intervene deeply in the matter of what to do with the ownerless lands as you said. However, the reason we brought it up to you was purely out of concern, so please do not take it too badly.”

and.

“The bad relationship between you and the Bohemian Tower… Ha, a test subject. We have not experienced it ourselves, so we dare not say that we understand how you feel. We also have no intention of hastily imagining what kind of life you have led.”

“…….”

“I just hope that someday, when you have the chance, you will tell the story yourself. Like we are doing now.”

* * *

The three wise men of society.

Yeah, they're good people.

Personally, I think he pursues a cause rather than selfish desires… … .

If you cannot achieve something in your own time, it is impossible to lay the foundation for it to be achieved in future generations with ordinary determination.

These are altruistic wizards who were not around in the past, but whom Verden was able to meet only after gaining power.

“…….”

Instead of answering, Verden sat up straight.

Then he asked.

“What are your future plans?”

He changed the subject, but no one could fail to notice the positive reaction.

The meeting was held again.

Melad answered, leaning back in his chair.

“The previous divinity expressed concern that there was a lack of elements that would make your presence felt within the Black Hour. And I said that I had already prepared a countermeasure, so a focal point was needed.”

“That’s right.”

“The measures I mentioned are the people who were with our first members in the past.”

Melad closed his eyes.

“The day the Black Hour was taken away… Many of the wizards who were very close to the original members were physically purged while helping us. However, there were definitely survivors.”

Dahit captured him for the sole purpose of persuading him. It was too much of a waste to simply kill him in terms of his abilities.

Some survivors refused to surrender and were killed.

The rest accepted the invitation and remained in the new Black Hour, and they were internally divided into two groups.

Those who truly surrender and those who pretend to be false.

If Dahit had insight similar to Berden, he would have deeply penetrated his mind through interrogation and then executed him… … .

Just as each individual has a different appearance, each transcendent being has different insight.

Dahit is a transcendent being who is good at intuitively observing phenomena, but not good at understanding the inner thoughts of others.

So, Melad's group was able to use their improvisation to fool Dahit's attention and escape through an escape route secretly created by the former leader of Black Hour.

“The wizards who still harbored resentment toward Dahit waited quietly, holding their breath, until Dahit destroyed the kingdom of Ailan, and they attempted to escape. They immediately dispersed in all directions and persistently evaded the pursuers, and after suffering several casualties, they succeeded in saving their lives.”

Melad's voice was laced with sorrow.

“I founded the Society and stabilized it as an organization… and then I investigated the Black Hour. As a result, I obtained information about the Black Hour defectors and quickly searched for their whereabouts.”

“Well, it took quite some time because there wasn’t enough information.”

“Thanks to Medrant, I was finally able to track down each of their locations one by one. The lives of each of the friends I found that way were… different.”

Over time, some people died and others lived.

The living were divided into those who overcame the pain and started a new life, and those who lived as wrecks like the old Melad.

“I personally went to the latter and contacted him. I couldn’t help but help him. I thought he would vent his resentment because we were immoral… but he was genuinely happy. We are currently in regular contact and moving separately. Just like Cayman.”

“Are you going to use them as a base to support me?”

“If they are members of the old Black Hour, they cannot be ignored even if they are the people who remained by Dahit’s side. In terms of justification and power. And they are not the only ones.”

Melad moved the wheelchair gently.

“I didn’t want to ruin my new life… That’s why I’m going to call the people who just watched and didn’t contact me. I can’t bring myself to reclaim Black Hour while ignoring my friends. Even if I’m rejected, I want to at least ask for their opinion. And if they come… I’m sure it’ll be a great help.”

She smiled.

“Because among them are two former high-ranking executives of Black Hour.”

* * *

After a serious meeting with the Society, Verden returned to the ownerless land.

A situation where it is necessary to wait until the wizards who were in the past Black Hour are summoned.

In the meantime, Verden had work to do.

“Charging is finally finished.”

[Eternal Hourglass.]

It's time to dig into what research Dahit has done in the past.