Chapter 640 - Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Evil sprouts from weakness. It seeps into the cracks of those struggling to survive, presenting itself with a masked hand when the abandoned flail for help. Looking up at the shadow cast in the sky from the abyss, anyone might see an angel. The chosen weak will devote their body and soul to the evil that lifts them. Thus, evil offers attention and affection to the forsaken, using them as hosts to operate in secret. This is why evil grows in weak and dirty places, and why order struggles with handling the weak. But even if one were to call it evil from the perspective of order. Is it truly evil even for those abandoned by order? *** The bio-terminal of the military is a remarkably complex device. It interprets bodily information as magical data, processes it into an arcane avatar that can be inscribed, and grants the right to enjoy various magical benefits offered by the military. By "magical benefits," it essentially means using someone as a living source of mana. In truth, compared to the many functions of the bio-terminal, formulaic magic is almost an afterthought. Even in the military, which implements universal education, those who can properly wield formulaic magic are few. What the military needs is magical personnel, not ordinary individuals wielding dark magic. The proportion of formulaic magic within the bio-terminal is slight. Therefore, by removing all potential misuse from the bio-terminal. If one were to pursue 'formulaic magic' with pure intentions, unlocking its path becomes quite simple. The basic principle of formulaic magic is to liken the five fingers to the five elements, then form a simple magic circle using incantations and hand signs. Despite its non-uniform structure, magic resides within the human body, making it easier to handle compared to external natural magic. Although it's challenging to construct a systematic structure with non-uniform internal magic, the bones, blood vessels, and nerves of the fingers inherently possess a tower-like structure. Building a structure with magic on bare ground is difficult, but if a structure is pre-formed, it's much simpler. First, form a hand sign to block some blood vessels and nerves. Then, with slight mental focus and recitation of an incantation, magic flows through specific blood vessels, forming a structure within the finger. In other words, it's akin to using nerves and blood vessels as a magic circle and initiating it with innate magic, making it an almost white magic-like form of dark magic. At the very least, knowing how to channel magic through nerves and blood vessels is essential, necessitating a procedure to open the path for direct magic flow. In the military, they bore a hole in the wrist, but I find no need for that. Using the Magic of Blood and Lightning suffices. It allows for the creation of a clean path without side effects. The foolish magicians of the old kingdom. The spell created by Prelvior for the foolish is formulaic magic. It shall grant the wishes of those in the arcane federation, who aspire to become part of it. Missionary Casas did not report Richard. He was compassionate enough to suit his role as a missionary. During this time, I continued my education shuttling between the academy and the outskirts. My teaching was exceptional, and regardless of which educational district reached out, every talented child awakened to magic detection. Achieving in mere two weeks what others failed for years. The praise for my accomplishments grew louder by the day. Yet, the brighter the light cast, the deeper some fell into despair. "Teacher...! C-Could I have a moment of your time...!" There is no room for doubt regarding my ability. It is a fact, proven by numerous successes. Then, what of those who haven't awakened yet? The underachievers who couldn't grasp it even after my teachings? Does the method not fit? Unlucky? Not in the best condition? Such excuses were countered by my presence. "Our child couldn't detect magic. Both the neighbors, Saturn and Neal, sensed magic! But our child has attended your classes from the first day!" Ah, what an unfortunate matter. Yet, all people differ, and talents truly vary widely. Some have sharp minds and quick absorption, yet fall short in magic detection. T1NrUTkreFYvQUZ1VEE0bGdJSWROMVducFR2VEdlVXJnZTg4NVlJK0JHYVdqSVpnT1A1U0Z6dzJYQW9HT2ZpQQ Some can vaguely detect magic but don't align with any system, causing them to drift. Some have awakened to magic detection but, purely due to low intelligence, fail to grasp the principles. And then, there are the underachievers, with no pure talent. Unable to comprehend anything. "How is our child different from those children? Why can't they manage...?!" For them, environment is no excuse either. Perhaps they'll envy the irrelevant. The irrelevant are like unscratched lottery tickets. These underachievers... they came up empty. I responded with an indifferent look. "You should already know why, do I need to explain?" Your child lacks talent. Even with my ability, they can't be awakened. I conveyed the cold truth through my expression. "Sniff!" For a moment, the parent's gaze turned backward following my cold words. Behind them stood a child, huddled in. It's not as if they did anything wrong, yet guilt fills their heart. For being incapable, for failing to meet expectations, for not compensating their parent's investment. Behind the pleading eyes of the parent, the child silently apologizes for being born this way. But the apology from the heart doesn't reach them, and the parents, overwhelmed with despair, cry out. "How... How can it be that despite having seven, not even one! Not even a single one could do it! They're all like dolts, just wasting food...!" The mother wails. The border district. Outside of the irrelevant, it's the poorest and most struggling population. The only way to elevate their status past these hardships is through winning the lottery. A man and a woman of appropriate age meet and, after ten months of waiting, receive a single lottery ticket. Scraping it for nearly a decade, only to find it empty. Having drawn seven such tickets. It was an end of greed that mismatched their means. "No, there's still hope with the youngest!" "Teacher, I'll bring the youngest to the institution! There's still a chance with the youngest!" The parents, recalling the one remaining lottery ticket, approached me once more with desperation. Although I wasn't particularly interested, I asked out of politeness. “How old?” “…Eight, eight years old! She can even read and write!” In truth, she's six and they've added two years. She hasn't even fully grasped reading. How could she possibly manage? “I don’t have that kind of time. I need to return to the floating city in two weeks.” As I turned away after leaving those words, the mother roughly grabbed my shoulder. “That, that can’t be! We haven’t seen any results yet…!” A newly born child in the Arcane Federation is an unscratched lottery ticket. A ticket where the prize corresponds to their magical talent. Reminding myself of this, I glanced at the hand gripping my shoulder. “Take your hand off me.” Not letting go? Ready to use force if necessary? Well, it doesn’t matter to me either way. No magic is needed to shake off a human hand. With a simple motion, I brushed off the hand. With just that, the mother’s hand sprung back. A sharp scream pierced the air, drawing the attention of onlookers. Despair, resignation, fear, disdain. A vortex of negative emotions swirled around. I dusted off my clothes and turned back to look at the sobbing mother. The fervor, tenacity, and obsession with magic are what this order has instilled. I don’t deny it. It’s natural for societal goals to become one's personal dreams. “I cannot teach the slow to master white magic, but I can teach them simpler formulaic magic.” So I will make their dreams come true. “Do you wish to learn magic?” The parents nodded desperately, a sight of utmost urgency, as if they realized this was their final chance. Not wanting to be cast out as irrelevant, the parents pleaded with me, and I fulfilled their wishes. Similar scenarios played out dozens of times. The 'irrelevant' surprisingly didn't seek me out. Having already given up on magic, they neither knew what formulaic magic was nor did they wish to try. A few young individuals, including Richard, who still held dreams and hopes, came to learn formulaic magic from me. Instead, it was the inferior students of the district who were more fervent. Out of fear that once I disappeared, they'd never have another chance to learn magic, they embraced formulaic magic or anything else I offered. A short incantation, simple hand signs, and an immediate manifestation of the phenomenon. Formulaic magic was easy to handle, and even useful. The fact that it could replace the starting magic of artifacts was particularly highlighted. Even the most ignorant could significantly reduce mana consumption with just formulaic magic. The military's technology, which gathered the best of everything worldwide and honed it solely for efficiency, was stripped of its malice by me and turned into a pure tool. The commoners, having obtained this tool of magic, rejoiced. Magic was magic, whether formulaic or not. What they gained was precious and invaluable knowledge. The commoners flaunted it. Foolishly so. Although the news hadn't yet reached the magical houses preparing for the descent of the floating city. But it will, soon enough.