Chapter 19: Maybe, I had expected it from the start.

Maybe, I had expected it from the start.

[Protagonist Hunter Lv.2 has activated.]

[The talents and skills of the successfully hunted protagonist will be shown.]

Name

Fiolen

Talents

Delusion of Grandeur (S+)

Memorization (A)

Shamelessness (A-)

Charm (B)

Magic (D)

Study (E)

Calm (F)

Intellect (F)

Speech (F)

Skills

Self Regression (SSS+)

Modified Araceli’s 9th Rank Special Magic Formula (SSS)

Araceli’s Mana Circling 40th Iteration (SS)

Library Mind (S)

Araceli’s Mana Conversion (A+)

Yes.

Fiolen was not a magic genius.

What Seodam needs more than anything else was a magic talent.

In the end.

[You’ve successfully hunted a Level 70 protagonist.]

[Your Level has risen by 5.]

[700 days of lifespan has been rewarded.]

[Remaining Lifespan: 2075 Days, 11 hours, 47 minutes.]

[Fiolen’s skill Araceli’s Mana Circling 40th Iteration (SS) has been absorbed.]

Looking at the slightly disturbing skill window with a bunch of ‘Araceli’ skills, I absorbed the first skill I had seen Fiolen use.

I wish I had gotten the SSS-Rank Special Magic Formula skill.

But, I was positive.

The skill I absorbed in itself was quite good.

No, it was amazing.

The best ‘mana absorption method’ that exists on Earth is only C-Rank.

Although I couldn’t absorb mana very well before, I’ve now acquired an SS-Rank skill that could do so!

Araceli’s Mana Circling 40th Iteration.

This skill, which allows even ordinary people to absorb mana, has the fraudulent effect of allowing the flow of mana throughout the body by filling all areas of the brain, heart, and stomach with mana.

[ Araceli is an extraordinary genius who was credited with advancing the magic of the continent by more than a few hundred years. ]

[ One of her greatest achievements, Araceli’s Mana Circling, will allow everyone 20 years from now to be able to use magic. ]

Araceli will become a Tier 9 mage in the future, a well deserved title.

If her talent was shown, perhaps it would be [Magic (SSS)].

That’s how overwhelming and devastating Araceli’s talent is.

‘By the way, Self Regression.’

This SSS+ Rank skill allowed the protagonist, Fiolen, to return to the past.

It could only be used once, and it allowed a person to return to the point where they were the most vulnerable.

Obviously, if I had gotten this, the acquisition would have been canceled, so I wasn’t really disappointed.

I flopped down on the floor of my lab.

A day had passed since the expedition and death of Fiolen who was declared as a Black Mage.

Seodam, who withheld his return to Earth, was still staying at the academy.

Magic.

To successfully use at least one magic spell.

Having drawn a complex magic circle on the floor, I sat down in front of it and took a deep breath.

This magic circle looks complicated at a glance, but in fact, it was the most basic and easiest magic where even the students attending Vivienda Academy would scoff at the sight of it.

If compared to Earth, it was at the high school level.

However, unfortunately, I had no prior education with magic at all, and I had a feeling that ‘learning’ is also a talent.

Although I studied magic earnestly for nearly two months, I didn’t understand the formulas, and just memorized and imitated it.

Yeah.

My magic circle was crude.

I closed my eyes and reached out towards the magic circle.

I could feel an unknown energy burning from my heart; soon it passed through my brain, then back to my heart again, and finally reaching my stomach in an instant.

The only experience I had with mana absorption was picking up grains of sand on a beach with chopsticks.

Before, I could see and recognize the presence of mana, but surely it was impossible to scoop up sand with chopsticks, right?

However, the SS-Rank Araceli’s Mana Circling skill was like a forklift.

If before I was picking up sand with chopsticks, now that chopstick has become a forklift!

Hwiing…!!

Slowly, the magic circle began to glow.

It was the first time magic has responded to my unique mana.

Magic is truly a very profound subject.

If superpowers are from absorbing aether into the body and taking shape, then magic is the need to mathematically calculate and develop the shape.

That is, whoever studies magic can do something similar to superpowers.

As proof.

The paper that was placed in front of me slowly rose into the air.

The wind was moving in accordance with my will.

Soon the wind lost its strength and the paper fell to the floor, but it was enough.

No, it wasn’t just enough.

It was great.

I wanted to cheer for myself right now.

A person like me, who has no talent for superpowers at all, has succeeded in magic!

With this, I was certain.

Even if I don’t have superpowers, I can learn and use magic.

I only lifted a simple sheet of paper, but I felt as if my heart was full and the whole world was within my grasp.

Geniuses will never know this feeling.

‘Huuu…’

Soon after, I slowly rose from the floor.

Then, I stumbled as I tried to put strength into my legs, so I hurriedly grabbed the desk to support myself.

I only moved a sheet of paper using magic, but this was the result.

If it wasn’t for the Araceli’s Mana Circling, I might have been exhausted without the magic spell even working at all.

Now that I’ve checked my ability to use magic.

It’s time to return to Earth.

With that in mind, I cleaned up my lab.

It was a place we had been together for nearly two months, so I felt a bit attached to it, and now I won’t be able to come back here.

Knock, knock!

“…?”

When I was about to return to Earth, a knock came from the door.

I can just return, but for some reason, I wanted to find out who it was.

“Who is it?”

[Professor, it’s me, Araceli.]

“…Hm? Come in.”

The door opened, and Araceli, with her untied long black hair, entered cautiously.

Somehow she hasn’t fully regained the confidence she had when we first met, and I couldn’t understand why.

Fiolen is dead.

With the fake image he had created, it should have also crumbled with him.

But that didn’t mean Araceli’s image would suddenly improve.

Instead, for the past two months, Araceli’s image continued to fall.

“What is it?”

“You…”

Araceli peeked around the lab when she saw Seodam’s attire.

“…I thought you were leaving. I came to say goodbye.”

“How did you know?”

“That, I just had a feeling.”

I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving.

I had conversations with the professors, but I didn’t get close to them.

I thought I would never meet them again once I left this place.

Likewise, I didn’t get close to any of the students.

Now, and in the future.

I will wander through worlds and dimensions meeting many people.

But if I give my affection every time, I will not be able to hold out.

I’ve already lost many ties, and I’m worn down.

“Before you go, I really wanted to say thank you.”

“Thank me? Thank me for what?”

“Just…Everything you’ve done. Thank you.”

Araceli slightly bit her lips.

Actually, I already knew.

What part of me was she thankful for?

Although it was a short time, one thing I found out about her was that she had a fragile mentality.

She was publicly suppressed by Fiolen and wondered if she should quit magic altogether.

I couldn’t believe she’s so mentally weak that it only took two months of bullying.

I can’t understand her.

Araceli was almost as good as the protagonist, but there were considerable flaws in her mental state.

“Still. Thanks to Professor, I gained confidence. Now I can learn magic with confidence…So, I really wanted to give my thanks before you left.”

Araceli is a supporting character.

A supporting character who lost all her achievements to the protagonist.

So, was it fate that the protagonist took everything from her?

Will she become a villain in the distant future?

I don’t know.

However, there was one important point.

She became a great mage in the distant future with her own strength.

Because she had the self-confidence of someone who is considered a genius and was able to advance the magic of this world rapidly.

But now, her confidence had been shattered.

Perhaps the future of this world has slightly been shaken by the presence of Fiolen.

And, originally, she would have made her name widely known at the Maelka Dungeon, thus gaining the opportunity to interact with the numerous master mages and completing more outstanding magic.

But now even that starting point was twisted.

I didn’t have to be nosy.

But for some reason, I just wanted to.

“The mastermind behind the Hell Sphinx summoning, is in fact, a different person.”

“…Huh?”

“He’s still active behind the scenes at this academy. And I don’t know what he’ll do next.”

I could only say this much.

Just knowing that a villain exists, Araceli will use her brilliant mind to catch the Black Mage.

If she does, the reputation she would have gained, will return.

“Catch him.”

I didn’t say the reason.

Perhaps, she can’t understand it as it is now.

The reason why I was doing this.

However, maybe she will understand it in the distant future.

The countless opportunities that comes by hunting the Black Mage.

“…Then, are you leaving now?”

“Yes. This isn’t where I belong…Maybe this will be my last time here.”

“That…I see.”

Araceli hesitated for a moment, then asked.

“…By any chance, can you tell me where you’re going?”

“Well. It’s a place you’ll never find.”

Nowadays, dimensions were actually fairly common on Earth.

The protagonists with the ‘travelor’ hashtag and the dungeons on Earth had to do with dimensions, and even I, a dimensional traveler.

However, it was not a result from human ingenuity.

Humanity can’t just randomly pick up knowledge of dimensions.

It was just a coincidence, following the course of nature.

So the possibility of Araceli realizing dimensions with human ingenuity is bound to be zero.

For that reason.

As an eternal parting gift, I gave her a present.

It was also a kind of ritual to completely disengage the affection that I almost felt for a moment.

“This is…”

“It’s a bullet.”

“Bullet..?”

A small, dainty, yet destructive thing that can kill a monster instantly.

“Also, let go of your lingering feelings.”

“Huh? What are you saying…!”

After saying what I had to say, I opened the door to the lab and went out.

With the bullet in Araceli’s hand, she followed right after him.

“Huh…?”

No matter where she looked.

She couldn’t see him.

Gone.

Without even saying goodbye.

Like he was never here.

“…What. Are you really gone forever?”

Holding the bullet in her hand, Araceli bit her lips.

The words spoken by Seodam echoed in her mind.

‘It’s a place you’ll never find.’

However, she thought differently.

“Magic…the word ‘absolute’ does not exist.”

All magic prohibits the use of the word absolute.

Everything was possible with magic because it has infinite possibilities.

Therefore, the professor’s words were contradictory.

“The next time we meet, I’ll point out the contradiction.”

Thinking so, Araceli took a step forward.

The road has been carved.

Now, the only thing left to do is to run along it.

For some reason, I had a bittersweet feeling.

Is it okay just leaving like that?

With such a thought, I let go of any lingering feelings.

Because it was for the best.

[Mission Completed. Returning to your original world.]

[Time has returned to normal.]

For a little while, I felt like I was floating in zero gravity.

A familiar smell struck my nose.

My small studio apartment.

The unique smell of an old building built more than 30 years…and beer?

I instinctively placed a hand on my aether blade, and hurriedly looked around my surroundings.

Then.

I saw the TV in the middle of the studio was turned on.

There, sat in their underwear was a person casually drinking a beer.

Only

“…Taylor?”

When our eyes met, the owner of the short silver hair gave a ‘happy to see you after such a long time’ expression.

Her name is Taylor Nine.

A S-Rank superhuman working in Russia.

And an acquaintance I made a pact with 15 years ago to walk the path of a hunter.

Taylor, who had beer stains on the corner of her mouth, soon wiped it off, then blinking her golden eyes, spoke.

“W-what are you doing…?”

…Shouldn’t it be me asking that question?