NOVEL FROG Chapter 23: There’s more?!
Upon hearing the words of her young disciple, a smile of understanding escaped Eleonora's lips, but she quickly responded with a serious expression.
“That is precisely why Desmond called him a monster. He is really only 15 years old, and you will see for yourself when you reach the revealed level. Now let me explain a bit about how he achieved what he did without using a single spell.”
Liliana and Desmond watched their master closely, as the latter took out a notebook and a beautiful pen from his storage ring, intending to take notes on what Eleonora was about to say.
“First of all, that distant slash he sent was a very creative combination of several techniques. As you can imagine, that slash is a combination of intermediate techniques of emission and shape control.
But if it were just that, it wouldn’t be so powerful. What really made it powerful to the point of seeming like a spell was that Erik also used Essence Transformation and Mystical Confluence, where he used his mana to influence the Myst and applied essence transformation to the set, making them incredibly sharp, also known as magical edge.”
Liliana and Desmond stared at their master with their mouths wide open, struggling to believe what they were hearing, especially Desmond. Unlike Liliana, he mastered all those techniques, or so he thought until now, because he definitely couldn’t replicate what Erik did.
Despite being much stronger than Erik, Desmond was fully aware that in 'technique' or perhaps 'talent,' the star-haired young man had far surpassed him. After all, even if his new younger brother had trained since his mother’s womb, in just 15 years, he had mastered techniques that took Desmond decades or even centuries to master, and he was even better at them. But Eleonora didn’t stop and continued.
“Secondly, there are those ‘arrows’. Although it may be even harder to believe, that is solidified Myst.”
“IMPOSSIBLE!!”
Desmond and Liliana exclaimed at the same time, completely incredulous. After all, something like the solidification of Myst was well-known, although it was very complicated to do. In the end, it involved using Mystical Confluence and Applying Essence Transformation to solidify the whole, but besides being terribly difficult to achieve, it was something they could understand, unlike moving it, which was almost impossible.
At the moment Myst solidifies, something very curious happens that still confuses mages today. For some reason, the mana user loses almost all connection with the solidified Myst, making any attempt to move it futile.
However, it was said to be ‘almost’ impossible because one of the properties of solidified Myst is that it maintains relative position with the planet once formed. This could be changed with a spell by linking the relative position of the formation to an object. Moving the object would then move the Myst structure with it.
But that didn’t mean it was easy. Not only was the spell to link the position of a solidified Myst formation to an object quite complex and advanced, but perfect timing was also required. If applied a moment too soon or too late, it would be useless.
“Fufufufu, yes, it’s crazy, but it’s real. Although we are still unsure why Erik can do that, we believe it is an ultra-rare affinity. But let’s continue with what Erik did in the fight.”
“There’s more?!” * 2
Eleonora laughed, amused by her disciples’ stunned, incredulous, and exhausted expressions, and continued explaining.
“Fufufu, yes, although just a couple of very simple things, actually. The way he could read Liliana like a book was due to Ethereal Projection, which you should already know about.” Eleonora looked at her students, who nodded like chickens, before continuing, “But what really allowed him to reach a level of power sufficient to face Liliana’s barriers was [Communion with the Myst].”
Desmond and Liliana, who thought they could no longer be surprised, now felt dizzy from the new information. Communion with the Myst was a master-level technique, something that could take thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years for a normal person to master.
Although geniuses occasionally appeared who could master it in a couple of centuries, they were super geniuses of a generation, and even then, it took them centuries. Someone like Erik could only be called a monster.
Despite the monstrous difficulty, communion with the Myst was the dream of anyone who used mana. After all, it meant having a near-total fusion with the Myst, allowing for an almost uninterrupted flow of mana, along with a profound understanding of the Myst, elevating their abilities several levels above those who didn’t master it.
“Master, how can someone like that exist?”
Desmond looked up at the sky, heartbroken and on the verge of depression at the sight of someone so extraordinary. After all, he, who was called one of the greatest geniuses of this generation, a title that made him proud, now seemed nothing more than a joke.
“Don’t be discouraged, Desmond. It’s true that Erik is undoubtedly a unique genius, greater than you, but that doesn’t mean you are any less or that you don’t have a chance. After all, look at me.
I am the sworn sister of the greatest genius in the galaxy, someone who shattered my records one by one by an insurmountable margin and managed to reach my level and become a master at an age when I was merely a peak sage, making it clear that surpassing me is only a matter of time.
But you know what? It doesn’t matter if she ends up surpassing me because, no matter what, she is still my younger sister, just as Erik will always be your junior disciple.”
Eleonora smiled softly at Desmond and Liliana, who looked at her in surprise, but she didn’t stop and continued speaking.
“So, don’t worry about Erik’s brilliance. Live your lives at your own pace, and don’t forget that you yourselves are geniuses above the vast majority. You will still achieve great things and be the future pillars of our galaxy.
And if all that is still not enough for you, think of him as a young version of Sigrún, someone who will one day stand at the top of the galaxy. You can help Erik now with all you can, learn a lot from him, and he might even return the favor in the future. And even if he doesn’t, you will still be able to tell your descendants that you contributed to the rise of a star. It will be a great anecdote.”
Eleonora looked at her disciples with almost maternal affection, who seemed lost in their thoughts, deeply reflecting on many things.
...
...
...
When the flash of light faded, Erik found himself in front of an imposing Victorian-style mansion, with pointed towers and steep roofs intertwined with pulsating runes embedded in the brick walls, while the chimneys emitted a soft red glow, as if a fire dragon resided within.
The mansion’s doors and windows seemed to be made of rare living wood, rooted in the foundations and twisted into exquisite and symbolic shapes, while the perfectly maintained gardens were filled with flowers that seemed to burn with a soft fire of different colors and wooden trees carved into shapes of various magical animals.
“Hehehe, what do you think of your new home, Erik?” Sigrún asked with a small smile, looking at the astonished Erik, who could only respond in a low voice.
“Your house is truly impressive, Master.”
“Now it’s our house.”
Erik turned to look directly into Sigrún’s eyes for a few seconds, almost as if trying to see through the stunning woman, but shortly after, he withdrew his gaze and sincerely thanked her.
“Thank you, Master.”
“I already told you, Erik, I am now like your older sister. You don’t need to thank me.”
“I understand, Master.”
“Well, follow me now. I’ll show you the house and your new room.”
Sigrún entered the beautiful mansion with Erik at her side, looking around with interest that quickly turned into surprise when he found two rows of men and women in elegant maid and butler outfits standing on both sides of the main lobby.
As the perfectly lined-up people saw Sigrún, they quickly bowed respectfully. While an incredibly beautiful woman, in no way inferior to Sigrún or Eleonora, who appeared to be around 25 years old, with ink-black hair and white skin, approached with an elegant and dignified step.
“Welcome back, young lady.” The beautiful woman bowed formally in front of Sigrún, wearing a beautiful Victorian maid dress with exquisite details, which gave her a dignified and elegant aura.
“Hello, Sera. Let me introduce you to my first disciple. His name is Erik, and from now on he will live here. Consider his orders as my own.”
The beautiful Victorian maid looked at Erik for a moment, then commented with an elegant smile on her lips while bowing respectfully.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, young master Erik. My name is Seraphina, and I am the housekeeper of the young lady’s mansion. I will be at your service from now on.”
“Mmm...” Erik looked at his master doubtfully, but she just nodded with a smile, so he decided to continue. “Then I will be in your care from now on, Miss Seraphina.”
“It will be my pleasure, young master. Do not hesitate to ask me for anything you need.”
Erik only nodded, looking incredibly uncomfortable as he reflected.
(Although I was quite wealthy in my past life, no one ever called me something like ‘young master.’ What an uncomfortable feeling…)
After laughing for a while at Erik’s reactions, Sigrún proceeded to show him the interior of the mansion herself. It was a labyrinth of alchemy labs, spell libraries, and elegant quarters, with each room filled with incredibly interesting magical artifacts.
Meanwhile, the high ceilings were decorated with magical frescoes depicting scenes of humanity’s conquest of the galaxy, with stars and planets that seemed to move and shine with their own light.
“Well, Erik, this will be your room.”
Erik:
Sigrún Eldurdóttir:
Eleonora Silverwood:
Warning: AI-generated images as reference