Phantastus readily accepted RichardвЂTMs condition. Fortunately, he had a week before his next adventure and promised to personally teach Simon the Sleep curse during that time.
The very next afternoon, the lesson began.
Simon was climbing a mountain path alongside Phantastus.
вЂTMTo think IвЂTMm about to learn President PhantastusвЂTMs original technique!вЂTM
His fatherвЂTMs behavior had been mortifying, but the result was this: a chance to learn the legendary Sleep curse from KizenвЂTMs strongest student. HeвЂTMd be lying if he said he wasnвЂTMt excited.
"This place should be good! Hmm!" Phantastus said, looking around. "A fine mountain! The mana concentration is high, the trees are thriving, and there are no deadly monsters."
"IвЂTMm glad you like it."
After some small talk, they got straight to training. Phantastus could only stay in Leshill for a week—a tight schedule to learn his original technique.
"The black magic I will now teach my successor is вЂTMSleepвЂTM."
He pointed a finger, and something dropped from a tree with a soft thud. It was a squirrel, fast asleep.
"As you know, itвЂTMs a sleep curse!"
The casting was instantaneous, the execution flawless. Simon turned to him with sparkling eyes.
Phantastus let out a hearty laugh and clapped his hands lightly.
With a start, the sleeping squirrel awoke and scurried away.
"ItвЂTMs a bit much for me to say it myself, but I became the strongest in Kizen with this one curse alone! Hmm!"
Simon blinked.
"WerenвЂTMt you an innate ability user?"
"Haha! I hear that a lot. But itвЂTMs all a misunderstanding! I am a student who survived from beginning to end with only this Sleep curse! Hmm!"
In Kizen, necromancers with innate abilities had a clear advantage. Lorraine Archbold and Serne Aindark both relied on their innate abilities as their main strength. And they werenвЂTMt the only ones; other innate ability users also tended to perform well. Just having a weapon that others didnвЂTMt was an advantage, and most who enrolled in Kizen had abilities that were highly compatible with Jet-Black. Their strength as necromancers was directly linked to the strength of their innate abilities.
ThatвЂTMs why some pessimists claimed ranks were determined by innate talent rather than effort, but the person who shattered that prejudice and forged a new paradigm was none other than Phantastus. He had entered Kizen without any prior learning and, by honing only the sleep-type curse to its absolute limit, had beaten down all other innate ability users and reigned supreme.
"For the next week, I will pass down my original Sleep technique and all my know-how to my successor!"
"Yes, sir!" Simon nodded vigorously.
"IвЂTMm already looking forward to the third-yearsвЂTM reactions! Hmm! The look on their faces when those third-years, who look down on you for being a second-year, see you use вЂTMmyвЂTM Sleep! Mwahahaha!"
Though he was teaching the curse under pressure from Richard, it seemed Phantastus had his own reasons for agreeing. After a loud laugh, he crossed his arms and looked at Simon.
"Then, before we begin, a question! What do you think an original black magic technique is?"
Simon answered immediately.
"A black magic technique that I developed myself."
"Almost, but incorrect! In truth, the definition varies, but the concept that I, Phantastus, consider the correct answer is вЂTMa black magic that only вЂTMIвЂTM can useвЂTM!" He held out his palm. "Now! First, I will show you the runic language and formula of my Sleep curse."
Simon focused his gaze intently.
вЂTMFinally, the main skill of KizenвЂTMs strongest!вЂTM
He concentrated, intending to absorb every last detail of the formula.
However, that resolve crumbled in an instant. On PhantastusвЂTMs palm, a bizarre, three-dimensional magic circle unfolded, a construct that seemed to defy the very laws of space.
"What the...!"
He felt a wave of dizziness. He couldnвЂTMt comprehend the entire magic circle, but as a necromancer, he was utterly dumbfounded.
"Is... such a state even possible?"
It was filled with impossible combinations of formulae that mocked conventional wisdom, and even mysterious equations that shouldnвЂTMt exist in reality. There was no way he could learn something like this in just a week.
"Hahahaha! DonвЂTMt be too discouraged, successor! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! You can take your time to examine it carefully."
Simon closed his eyes for a moment to gather his concentration. Once the dizziness subsided, he opened his eyes wide again and examined the magic circle.
"Here, why did you make the right circuit wind like a spring? IsnвЂTMt a straight line more efficient?"
"Ah! That was from the duel evaluation in the second semester of my first year!" Phantastus was more talkative than he looked. The story was long, but in short, it had become that way because heвЂTMd had to use Sleep while breaking through an opponentвЂTMs calculation-debuffing curse.
"Why is this formula here cut off, as if itвЂTMs unfinished?"
"Hahaha! That was a mistake! I tried to use the Kona formula, but it didnвЂTMt work out, so I switched to another. I lost focus for a moment, and before I knew it, this flawed formula had become a habit!"
"Then what about this part?"
"For this part, I have to tell you about my dispatch evaluation! I was attacked by a monster while preparing a magic circle, and it clawed right through my formula. I just patched it up on the fly and cast the spell as it was, and surprisingly, it worked out quite well..."
The story was long, but one thing was clear. This curse was the culmination of countless trials, errors, and unforeseen variables.
"Do you understand now?" Phantastus said seriously. "Why I said an original is вЂTMa black magic that only I can use.вЂTM
"Yes. And the reason the magic circle is so convoluted is..."
"Because of Jet-BlackвЂTMs tendency to remember!"
Jet-BlackвЂTMs tendency to remember was the essence of a necromancer. If you repeatedly used a magic circle with specific runes and formulas, your Jet-Black would memorize the process. Eventually, one need only think of the magic circleвЂTMs name and focus on the initial stage for the runes and formulas to complete themselves automatically. Once this tendency solidified, it became quite difficult to modify, which was why Kizen, in principle, forbade the modification of magic circles.
"The tendency to remember is a double-edged sword!" Phantastus extinguished the complex three-dimensional black magic and then unfolded it once more. It was exactly as Simon had seen before.
The circuit coiled like a spring, the unfinished formula, and so on. All the inefficient and messy remnants remained.
"We necromancers can use this for fast casting, but it also leaves behind such unnecessary flaws." He clenched his fist, scattering the magic circle. "But thereвЂTMs no need to despair! Think of black magic as the scarred body of a warrior! It constantly changes and evolves to fit the situation and conditions."
"...Oh, thatвЂTMs a rather romantic metaphor."
"Hahaha!" Phantastus laughed heartily and turned his head. "You will have scars of your own soon enough, successor! Now, letвЂTMs start with the basics. One builds their craft from the fundamentals, step by step, adding variations to make it their own."
Phantastus closed his eyes and muttered as if performing a ritual, then opened his left hand. A magic circle appeared instantly.
"This is the most basic Sleep curse you will learn in your second-year curriculum. And!" This time, he opened his right hand. "This is it! The original Sleep curse I propose for you, my successor!"
SimonвЂTMs eyes widened as he examined the two magic circles.
"Do you see the difference?"
"The textbook Sleep curse uses the Rune of Sleep. And your curse..." SimonвЂTMs eyes grew larger. "...is just the Rune of Calm?"
"Precisely!"
Simon didnвЂTMt stop his analysis there.
"The Sleep curse that uses the Rune of Sleep has a simple composition. The formulas used are focused on drawing out the runeвЂTMs power to its fullest potential."
SimonвЂTMs head turned to the right.
"On the other hand, the one that uses the Rune of Calm is several times more complex. And for good reason. One cannot induce sleep with a calming effect alone; the supplementary formulas must work that much harder to produce the desired effect."
"Hmm! Your assessment is quite accurate!" Phantastus nodded vigorously, clearly satisfied with the answer. "Then, a question! Why do you think I would give up the efficient Rune of Sleep and choose to create and use a Sleep curse with the Rune of Calm?"
Simon stroked his chin, lost in deep thought. Phantastus waited quietly, letting him ponder.
"A thousand points out of a hundred if you get this right."
"Sleep induced directly by a curse is artificial, but..." A bright light of intelligence flickered in SimonвЂTMs eyes. "I believe the difference is that the Rune of Calm creates an effect more akin to natural sleep."
A tempest of emotion washed over PhantastusвЂTMs face. He clenched both fists and threw his head back.
"Perfect!"
The sudden shout sent nearby mountain birds scattering into the sky.
"ThatвЂTMs it! As expected of my successor! The makings of the next Kizen Student Council President!" He was so excited he was practically spitting. "Sleep! Sleep! What do you think sleep is! It is вЂTMa periodically recurring physiological state of unconsciousnessвЂTM!"
"...Ah, yes. Right."
"Humans spend about a third of their lives in this state! From a CursologistвЂTMs perspective, itвЂTMs as if most living creatures cast a curse on their own bodies to maintain their life activities! IsnвЂTMt that interesting? The Sleep curse is something you must clearly recognize and take note of that very point! In fact, humans are always waiting to be put under the curse of sleep."
"I-I suppose so." Simon smiled as if to calm him down, but PhantastusвЂTMs explanation didnвЂTMt stop.
"Of course, using a curse with the Rune of Sleep would be fast! But there will be resistance! Necromancers are wrapped in curse resistance, and priests have purification magic! So we donвЂTMt need to force our opponents to sleep! Humans are always ready to sleep, and we need only gently scratch that itch. We relax the muscles, stabilize blood pressure, and slow the tempo of the heartbeat and breath!"
He continued his explanation with various exaggerated gestures.
"Sleep must be of a different caliber from other curses! While other curses focus on viciously gouging the opponent, the performance of a Sleep curse depends on how comfortable and at ease it makes the target feel!"
A Sleep curse that makes you toss and turn, struggle, and sleep lightly is trash. A Sleep that helps the enemy fall into a satisfying, deep slumber is a good Sleep—that was PhantastusвЂTMs personal theory.
"By lulling the opponent into a satisfying deep sleep, rendering them completely defenseless, and then..." Phantastus drew a finger across his throat. "What you do next... well, thatвЂTMs up to the curse-caster."
"Th-ThatвЂTMs terrifying."
On the battlefield, sleep meant death.
вЂTMBut this is definitely a beneficial lesson.вЂTM
Simon was satisfied. Perhaps it was because the lecture came from someone who had dedicated himself solely to the art of Sleep, but the know-how, the philosophy—everything was different. This was a lesson he could never learn in a classroom—a lesson he couldnвЂTMt buy at any price.
"You will start with this," Phantastus said, showing the curse that used the вЂTMRune of CalmвЂTM. "Memorize the entire magic circle, formulas, and circuits. When youвЂTMre first learning, the fastest way is to simply cram it into your head through rote memorization!"
"Yes, sir!"
This was the power that had made Phantastus the strongest Student Council President in KizenвЂTMs history. Simon vowed to make it his own.
"I only need an hour."

Comments

Loading...