[Name: Xhoarun]
[Position: High Council Member]
[Description: A pragmatic genius. While he had creative ideas, he lacked any drive for innovation. When King Alhamera recruited him, he played a crucial role in solidifying the king's absolute influence.]
[Status: Deceased (executed on charges of treason)]
What a shame.
Lucas shook his head. Even if he were still alive, Xhoarun would have been a wasted candidate.
There's no point in giving power to someone who doesn't desire change.
Besides, even though Alhamera seemed reserved, it's not as if they didn't make breakthroughs.
Aside from anti-magic chains, they had developed intriguing equipment.
Take, for example, the Evaluation Crystal.
The concept had actually been shared by Lucas when he invited Thauren and Veera to his floating house, but he had never taught them how to manufacture it.
The Evaluation Crystal is a device that measures the potential of a person's magic seed, indicating its capacity for utilization.
The evaluation is simple: the higher the number displayed, the greater their potential.
Conversely, a lower number would label them as weak and... frail?
Lucas had considered this before. Prior to the First Extinction, Veera had been an Alhamera woman capable of wielding three spells simultaneously.
However, during the repopulation era, she had become someone who lacked energy.
The constant childbearing might have played a major role, but with modified hormones and reproductive organs, coupled with enhancement magic, it shouldn't have been a significant issue.
But what if it was caused by something else?
Magic seeds could be processed through the magical metabolism of the Alhamera's 'additional organs', but what if not everyone have it?
Just as humans can be born with disabilities, aside from poor genetics, could magic also play a significant role?
Lucas could see how magic seeds might have a devastating effect on those who couldn't tolerate them.
Speaking of magic seeds, it wasn't just Lucas who seemed curious and pursued research on them.
The Alhamera proved that indifference to external circumstances could lead to a sharper focus on controllable matters.
With the Evaluation Crystal, leadership was no longer limited to bloodlines or succession battles.
Those who ascended the throne typically had the greatest magic potential and, alongside the king, were granted the title 'Xuilivinath' — the Grand Sorcerer, who governed through the law of the jungle.
Additionally, magic was now systematically categorized into three types.
The first was enhancement magic, referred to as buffs. This encompassed physical strengthening, sensory enhancement, equipment fortification, and even cellular regeneration. Regarding the latter, Lucas was surprised as its effects mirrored healing magic and might eventually warrant its own categorization.
The energy shield surrounding the Alhamera colonies was also created using large-scale, high-concentration buffs.
The second type was curses. These encompassed the opposite of buffs. A distinguishing feature of curses, however, was their ability to affect anything beyond the caster's control.
For instance, they could make a fresh apple rot, cause someone to suffer a fever for weeks leading to death, or even ... beast taming?
Lucas frowned. Wouldn't that, using the same logic, make it a buff spell with a reversed function?
Lucas had hoped Irzhok's necromancy would fall into this category.
But it was never included in the curriculum.
Yes, curriculum. It was essentially a single handbook stored in the kingdom's largest library, but everyone had memorized it through generational inheritance.
However, since it existed only as collective memory, no one fully utilized it.
Some individuals knew advanced magic techniques, either through restricted knowledge or natural talent.
Certain elite families in the kingdom deliberately restricted access to advanced magic management knowledge.
A seemingly ordinary spell could become incredibly powerful if someone could control its concentration precisely.
The third type of magic was the most flexible in this regard. It dealt with controlling the world's elements and was simply named elemental magic.
For example, a baseball-sized fireball with low concentration would merely produce a brief sensation of heat and sparks that immediately dissipated.
Meanwhile, a fireball of the same size but with high concentration could pierce three layers of steel walls and spread an unquenchable flame.
This had become a key combat strategy for the Alhamera, continuously developed.
There were even rumors that every Grand Sorcerer had the potential to master a pinnacle spell called Alcatraz.
A spell capable of unleashing a massive, ultra-concentrated energy orb that could engulf its surroundings in annihilation.
It reminded Lucas of something. Wasn't that an anti-matter bomb?
Before escalating into a cosmic-scale conflict, Lucas had heard that Earth's civilization had developed similar weapons.
Nuclear bombs.
Apparently, magic bombs would someday be deployed against the Kaovren—a term that initially referred to the Hope race but now included other species deemed a threat to outer civilization— when the skies brought their revelation.
This left Lucas in a dilemma. By 'skies', they meant... me, right?
Lucas wondered. His floating house was currently soaring so high in the atmosphere it was nearly impossible to spot with the naked eye.
But with continually advancing magic capabilities, what if it became possible?
Or was this merely part of the religious propaganda Thauren had spread during the repopulation mission?
Lucas was reluctant to interfere with Alhamera's already developed progress. Yet something intrigued him.
When he choose magic seed as the foundations of world, Lucas expecting progressive, massive advancements.
And this was signaled by ... the dominant species gaining the ability to fly independently.
However, Lucas couldn't find any information about flight magic anywhere.
Even though three other continents remained unexplored, and even with today's technology, I'm sure a million tyrannosaurs couldn't stop them.
Still, Lucas appreciated Alhamera's categorization of magic and chose to adopt it—for now.
So, flight magic might begin... perhaps with elemental magic?
The problem lay in selecting the next worthy candidate.
[Candidate 1: Kaevhoris]
[Position: Commander of the Royal Guard]
[Description: An old sword mage who is serious about fulfilling his duties and obligations. He never questions any orders.]
[Status: Alive (58 years old)]
[Candidate 2: Nhaoruk]
[Position: Outer Fortress Squad]
[Description: A rebellious young man with low magic potential but a firm leadership presence. At just 19 years old, he is projected to become the next commander.]
[Status: Alive (19 years old)]
[Candidate 3: Thyvarun]
[Position: Royal Food Taster]
[Description: A cunning food taster with a silver tongue. His intelligence is matched by an overwhelming ambition to seize the throne through political strategy.]
[Status: Alive (35 years old)]
Lucas stroked his chin. All three had potential, but after careful consideration, he decided the first candidate was too old and conservative, while the third was too selfish.
So his choice fell on the second candidate.
At least, until the notification appeared:
[This candidate has already been chosen as <The Chosen One> by an external party]