I swiftly excused myself from the situation, carefully avoiding any actions that might cause fear or discomfort among the people around me. With a determined resolve, I closed the door to my abode, hoping for a moment of solace. Placing a sand clock beside me, I observed the steady flow of sand as a reminder of the passing of time.
Thoughts raced through my mind as I reflected on the recent confrontation. It struck me as peculiar that I had managed to cast the barrier without the usual catalyst of a sound or the snap of my finger.
Magic spells usually required such catalysts, like verbal incantations or physical gestures, to manifest in the environment. However, this particular instance seemed to defy those conventions—I cast the barrier effortlessly, almost as if it was carved within the depths of my being, allowing for an unconscious reaction similar to Ailith's remarkable abilities.
The rate at which my magical skills progressed was astounding, exceeding any normal expectations.
Accepting the fact that I could cast the barrier silently was a significant advancement, yet I couldn't help but wonder about the possibilities of casting illusions without an external catalyst.
But first, can I really cast the barrier without any catalyst?
Embracing curiosity, I silently concentrated on manifesting barriers. To my astonishment, a barrier materialized before me, solid and impenetrable. I marvelled at its presence and the implications of my newfound ability.
However, the question remained—could I cast illusions without the aid of a catalyst? I focused on shaping an animal phantom in the air, envisioning its form with all my might. Despite my efforts, the illusion refused to materialize, leaving me with a sense of disappointment and a long road of practice ahead if I wished to master silent illusion-casting without any catalyst.
Sighing, I acknowledged the need for perseverance and dedication in refining my abilities. Perhaps patience and repeated attempts were the keys to unlocking this particular skill. It became clear that my path was full of obstacles, but I wouldn't let them deter me from my quest to silently create illusions.
My thoughts then drifted to the possibility of casting illusions through the snap of my fingers similar to how I was able to make a barrier with my snap. Infused with determination, I flicked my finger, and a torrent of mana surged within the air, taking on the form of intricate and mesmerizing runic symbols. Although they came together in a compelling display, they abruptly halted, failing to transform into recognizable figures. Nonetheless, I sensed that progress had indeed been made, even if I still felt a glimmer of success, an indication that it could work with time and refinement.
Taking a moment to ponder, I decided to experiment with shaping mana particles into different forms using the snap of my finger.
As I snapped, the particles swirled and danced in the air, gradually forming the outline of a floating blue shape. Excitement bubbling within me, I continued my attempts, snapping again to create another line, parallel to the previous one.
On the third snap, the lines transformed into a rectangular structure. Eager to explore further, I ventured into shaping the mana differently with each snap. The particles moved, intertwining and arranging themselves to form a square, followed by a triangle, and then a circle.
I meticulously attempted various designs and shapes, starting from 2D forms and progressing to 3D structures like cubes and pyramids. Lines transformed into squares, which eventually came together to create a solid cube. I then experimented with overlapping triangles, resulting in the formation of majestic pyramids. Different shapes and sizes tested my abilities and imagination.
Inspired by curiosity, I decided to try crafting illusions of weapons—swords, bows, spears, chakrams, tridents. However, each time I created them, they appeared hollow and lacked substance from within. Nevertheless, I recognized that every snap of my finger brought an improvement in my proficiency and understanding.
While I marvelled at my progress, a suspicion arose within me. It seemed that I possessed a unique ability to rapidly learn and grasp new magical concepts. Achieving in days what would typically take others years was surely remarkable.
Dismissive of these thoughts, I shifted my focus towards making illusions of words. By channelling my thoughts towards the English language, the alphabet started to materialize in the air before me. With the letter "G" forming as I thought about dogs, words began to manifest. I excitedly experimented with various words, visualizing the corresponding letters and witnessing them floating in space—cat, elephant, ball, run, truck…fuc…k an accidental slip of the mind.
Although I didn't fully comprehend the extent of what I was doing, it was an exhilarating experience to see floating alphabets, making me wonder if I could use them for communication.
A realization struck me abruptly—I could potentially communicate using illusionary words, akin to the interface of a game. The possibility of creating a window-like illusion with floating letters enthralled me.
Eager to test my newfound idea, I was about to snap my finger to create a line of words in the air. However, before I could proceed, the heavy door of my abode swung open, interrupting my train of thought.
"Hey Onver, it's time for the raid and the prince is asking you to meet him," the person interrupted.
I glared at them, feeling my anger rise. "HOW DARE YOU interrupt me," I began, but then took a deep breath and calmed down. It wasn't their fault, after all.
I nodded my head, acknowledging that he had entered my abode without knocking or asking permission.
—--
I found myself standing amongst what appeared to be an army, ready to embark on a raid. I wasn't entirely sure why the prince had chosen me to join them, but I did recall him asking if I was the chosen one during my interrogation. However, he quickly dismissed the idea.
As I stood there, I noticed that the group of humans I was with were an adventure party from the Bhumi continent's adventure guild. They were all incredibly strong, with the strongest having an A-rank and the weakest having a D-rank.
I also learned that there were restrictions on the power level of individuals who could enter specific legacy battlefields. This particular battlefield had a restriction that only those below an A-rank could enter.
. The prince had summoned me to his carriage, which was the first of three carriages. The middle carriage was for the princess, and the third carriage belonged to my dear candy house, which made me wonder who could be riding it.
"Don't worry I'll bring you back! "
I climbed up into the carriage and found myself face-to-face with the same man who had interrogated me earlier. He was none other than Prince Gustin Ryonart, with his red hair, green eyes, armour, and sword by his side. He gestured for me to sit in front of him, and we began our journey.
After about ten minutes of silence, Prince Gustin began to speak. "I heard that you made the core," he said. I didn't answer him as I couldn't talk. He then attempted to read my mind using his ability to sense intent, but nothing happened.
He tried again and again, each time increasing the tension inside the carriage. I realized that he was trying to determine my power level, which made me anxious.
I closed my eyes and tried to sense my core. The vibrant red was proof of my rank.
At this point, I remembered the restriction on this legacy battlefield. It's A-rank only. A-rank humans can enter it, according to classification.
The black core represents the D-rank, the brown core represents the C-rank, dark red represents the B-rank, and vibrant red is proof of an A-rank. The orange core is for the S-rank, yellow for the SS-rank, blue for the SSS-rank, and white for the very limited L-rank.
I have a red core, which means I am an A-rank. Similar to the restriction on this battlefield, that means the prince's maximum rank can be... My thoughts were dancing around when I sensed danger in my life.
Boom! Clash! Seemingly, Prince Sword made his way towards my neck, but the barrier that I could generate unconsciously was manifested and blocked Gustine's incoming sword which had sparks of fire generating from it. My blue illumination barriers blocked the intensity of the sword, the clash between the sword and my barrier was generating a spark and making it look like the inside of the carriage had lost its light. Only the blue barrier and fire-induced sword could be seen from time to time releasing sparks of blue and red.
"You know," he said. "My empire had invested too many resources in this battlefield. Every year after the resting period of the battlefield, we come here to wipe out the horde of undead. After years of investment and planning, this year we finally are going to make it to the castle where the final legacy is meant to be."
He said without moving his sword or without shifting his gaze from me,
"In the initial year, we cleared the periphery. After that dozen years, we cleared the middle. And after a dozen more, finally this year we are going to make it to the castle where the final legacy is meant to be," he said without shifting his gaze from me.
"But you," he continued, the weight of his words increasing the force of his attack, they were beginning to break the barrier around my neck. "Your presence is variable in our calculation."
Both of us were staring at each other, eyes like we'd kill each other with just a single glance. The more seconds passed, the more the tension between us increased.
"Make a choice," he said further, his sword breaking my barrier. "Be my slave."
The moment those words escaped from his mouth, an innate pressure generated from my very being, reinforcing my barrier further up and suppressing his sword. A momentary hesitation passed through his eyes. He changed his offer, maybe intimidated by my pressure.
"Or be my subordinate!"
The moment this word echoed, it seemed his blood boiled like a prince. How could he back down?
His voice turned cold, all the previous worry disappearing from his being.
"Or die!!"
Finally, the barrier around my neck broke. His sword was fast-paced and-
Splash!
His sword made contact with my neck, but at the time another barrier appeared like a layer on my skin.