WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: Ryuu
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INFINITE MAGE
Arin cast the Might of Darkness. Now that the giant was wounded, it was the perfect opportunity to see if her ability would work.
The Might of Darkness that Arin used took the form of shadowy tendrils extending like branches of a plant. The tendrils climbed up the giant's shadow, wrapping around its ankles like vines.
Arin then cast Mental Shock, a spell designed to deliver a psychic jolt.
If telepathy was akin to theft, Mental Shock was like a full-on robbery. While it couldnât induce trauma, it could certainly instill a phobia-level shock.
The true strength of Mental Shock lay in its ability to link into Mind Control.
Mind Control, one of Arcaneâs specialties, was a spell that allowed the caster to manipulate the targetâs body, though it was difficult to succeed. To achieve near 100% success, it required concentration twenty times greater than the targetâs mental strength.
Ultimately, this meant one couldnât dominate a stronger opponent.
However, with the right strategy and tactics, it was occasionally possibleâespecially if Mental Shock succeeded.
If they could control the giant with Mind Control, they would have nothing to fear in the forest. Knowing this, Canis watched the outcome without intervening.
Mental Shock failed.
The giant, with its face aflame, lunged at the group with even more ferocity.
Arin bit her lip. Telepathy, Mental Shock, and Mind Control, the so-called three great psychic skills, were ineffective against the giant.
For Arin, it was her first time experiencing such powerlessness. Her gentle temperament burned with frustration.
âWhy? Why isnât it working? Itâs just a giant human, isnât it?â
âArin! Move!â
Canis stepped in front of Arin and cast Shadow Wall.
As the shadow rose, the giantâs fist crashed into it. The Shadow Wall disintegrated like dust. The impact exceeded the spellâs absorption capacity.
But the giant also seemed to lose some of its strength and couldnât push further.
Harvest climbed up the giantâs arm, using its claws to slice at a likely blood vessel.
If the giant had mastered Schema, it would have a physiology similar to a humanâs.
Blood spurted from a severed vessel in the crook of the giantâs elbow, but the wound quickly healed. Instead of slowing, the giant rampaged even more violently, spurred by the pain.
âItâs incredibly strong. That such a creature exists in the worldâ¦â
Shirone used teleportation to bait the giant while Rian slashed at its Achilles tendon from behind.
Canis cast the Might of Darkness. Though the toothed shadows were specialized for attack, they couldnât cut through the giantâs muscles even while wrapping around its ankles.
All Canis could do was shout, âItâs incredibly strong! Do something, quick!â
Amyâs Flame Strike bombarded the giantâs face. Yet, adding more fire to an already burning giant made little difference. While the added wind enhanced the effect, it was physically weaker than the Photon Canon.
Shirone compressed photons. Contrary to everyoneâs belief that he was preparing another Photon Canon, it took longer to activate than expected.
Noticing the light mass wobbling, Canis yelled in frustration.
âDamn it! What are you doing? Focus!â
âNo, itâs not that,â Arin said.
âHeâs altering the form of the photons.â
Unable to bring it down with brute force, he was converting the photons into a cutting force. If neither heat nor impact worked, then sharpness might.
It was the right decision in the current situation.
But Canis doubted its feasibility. Altering the shape of light was beyond common sense.
Shirone felt it too. Suppressing the light he intended to release was tough. He believed it possible by varying the direction of the compression force on the photons, but the mental effort required was enormous.
A groan escaped through his teeth. Tightening his fluctuating mind with an iron will, he increased his concentration until the photons flattened.
The Photon Canon, now in the form of a disc, surged towards the giant.
The giant, breaking free from the Might of Darkness, twisted its body. As the light blade sliced through its side, the wound opened a handspan wide, blood gushing like a waterfall.
It was a critical hit.
Realizing this, the groupâboth swordsmen and magesâcharged with newfound intensity.
They stabbed with sabers and pummeled with greatswords. They burned with flames and sawed with shadowy blades until the giant toppled over.
The assault continued, but it felt like trying to carve up a dragon with a pocket knife. Each muscle fiber was as tough as steel.
Panting, Amy said, âHa⦠ha. Itâs dead, right? It must be dead, right? Isnât it?â
âI donât know. Should we hit it one more time just to be sure?â
Tess shuddered.
âNo, I canât do it anymore. Thereâs a limit to how cruel we can be.â
âI tried to cut its neck with the Might of Darkness, but it wouldnât cut. How about peeling off its skin?â
Canisâs suggestion made everyone turn pale. Since the giant wasnât moving, and Shironeâs wound hadnât healed, it was best to leave it alone.
Tess gave Shirone a thumbs-up.
âNice job, Shirone. Another new spell, huh?â
âI was lucky. If the giant had dodged, there wouldnât have been a second chance. Just thinking about it is terrifying.â
Canis wasnât pleased. The Photon Canon was meant for impact. Altering its form for cutting? The idea was impressive, but as a dark mage, he couldnât help but feel his territory was being encroached upon.
âHmph, it worked out, but it was a gamble. Since we operate as a team, individual mental strength converges with the partyâs. Failure would have left us combat-ineffective. If a mage withdraws from the front line, even their body becomes a shield. Itâs dangerous.â
âI know. The efficiency surprised me too.â
Canis snorted and turned away. Though he snapped at Shirone, he acknowledged that the insight to change strategies in that situation was a talent.
Arin seemed to share the sentiment. Watching Shirone rest through her Insight, she spoke.
âAs Iâve felt before, that kid really thinks freely.â
It was a gamble, but one with high odds.
Insight to choose what to give up and what to keep to reach victory. If even one or two out of ten choices had been wrong, they wouldnât have achieved this result.
âTch, heâs always had good instincts,â Canis added. They were a team now, and denying Shironeâs talent was just a sign of Canisâs own inferiority.
âGrrrrâ¦â
The giantâs groan made everyoneâs heart skip a beat. Although it showed no signs of rising, its fingers were twitching.
Without needing to discuss, they sprinted into the forest.
They still didnât know what kind of world heaven was, but they werenât planning to fight another giant.
With Amyâs keen eyes, Tessâs senses, and Arinâs ability to distinguish natural from unnatural, they navigated without much trouble.
They arrived at a rocky area.
The abundance of shadows pleased Canis and Arin. While Shironeâs magic was unaffected by the environment, dark magic was maximized in darkness.
âThis place feels safe. In a pinch, we can use Dark Port to move.â
âBut Dark Port canât transport multiple people, can it?â
Dark magic lacks the theoretical foundation for effect transference like Photonization magic. Thus, only dark mages can travel through shadows.
Canis shrugged as if it didnât matter.
âAt least itâll be tactically useful. Here, I can lure enemies alone if necessary.â
Tess, taking the water bottle being passed around, said, âA giant using Schema. Isnât this place too dangerous? And the fact that Arinâs mental magic doesnât work is worrying.â
âIâm sorry. I wasnât any help.â
As Arin lowered her head, Tess waved her hands.
âNo, itâs fine. Even I couldnât handle the giant. The important thing is that we won. We all worked together to win. Heaven isnât so bad after all, haha!â
Though Tess tried to lighten the mood, the magesâ faces darkened.
Unlike warriors who were used to improvisation, mages disliked unexpected situations. They needed to control all variables to feel secure.
The magic of altering the shape of photons wasnât part of their strategic plan for the party.
Knowing that adding variables to variables led to disaster, they werenât happy about a victory gained through improvisation.
âIn the last battle, we didnât have complete control over the situation. Itâs early to say this, but we might need to reconsider our return. What do others think?â
As Shirone opened the discussion, Amy responded.
âFor a first attempt, I think it was okay. We shouldnât overlook the fact that we won. I mean, Shirone found a solution, and we can apply that solution in various situations going forward. We can avoid a repeat of the same situation.â
Amy had a point.
Canis, though not inclined to return, wasnât foolish enough to lie out of greed.
âItâs not that simple. Shirone probably wonât use the same strategy again, right?â
âRight. Itâs too risky. The time it takes to compress photons is long, and the efficiency is low. I wouldnât try it unless it was absolutely necessary.â
âThe idea was clever. If photons can have mass, they become more like matter, making shape alteration possible. Thatâs what you thought, right?â
Canis could read Shironeâs thoughts because the method he tried was typical of dark magic.
âBut itâs a miscalculation. Shaping mental energy isnât your strength. Itâs a trait of dark magic. Dark magic has less impact but achieves mechanical force through shape alteration. For me, itâs gears; for Arin, itâs vines.â
Arin demonstrated with the Might of Darkness. The shadows rising from the ground formed an intricate apple tree, adjusting the size to create a three-dimensional effect.
As Shirone marveled, Arin smiled and explained.
âMages use the Four-Way Formation, but dark magic, specialized in mental shaping, doesnât need it. We call it modeling. While stable elements like ice or darkness are easy to shape, fire or light is too active to model easily.â
Amy agreed.
âNow that I think about it, I canât control the shape of flames either. Thatâs why I incorporate air attributes into my magic.â
âExactly. But light is even harder than fire. In theory, modeling light is impossible. You can add light attributes to other elements, but not the other way around. Shirone did it with the Particle of God, but it was a special case. Though he succeeded to some extent, itâs impractical for combat.â
Shirone sighed.
âThen how should we fight giants in the future? Laser might work, but considering the giantâs movements, it wouldnât be easy.â
A laser could destroy matter regardless of durability, but its energy buildup time made it less effective against fast-moving targets.
It was a new type of magic, and if Harvest had known about the laserâs properties beforehand, they wouldnât have been caught off guard.
âThe problem is we only encountered one giant. How strong are giants in this world? If we knew that, it would help in our exploration.â
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