Chapter 98
Chapter 98. Preparation
Yul checked the sorted interpretations of the Black Card that Lucian had organized.
-Strength Enhancement Formula
-Magic Amplification Rune Formula
-Reconfigurable Rune Infusion
-Phase-Shift Gloves
-Self-Repair Circuit
-Magic Circuit Open/Close Function
.
.
.
The rune frame inside the Black Card had its entire structure revealed.
“There’s only one technology we don’t understand. It’s the rune formula that creates this core.”
According to Lucian, there was a single line of code that simply could not be understood on a conceptual level.
-???
Even Yul couldn’t make sense of the code. It only contained a strange phrase that made one doubt whether it could even function.
“There’s a rune formula that could be omitted without issue. Could it have some hidden intent?”
“Who knows. Maybe it really is unnecessary.”
“Would the geniuses who created the rune frame leave such a flaw?”
Yul shrugged. What he didn’t know, he could leave unknown.
It might be something dangerous, like a kill switch to remotely remove the rune frame or a backdoor to extract information. But it might truly be useless code.
“Anyway, if we have the funds, can we manufacture it?”
“Yes. Trading magic materials at the academy is relatively easy. I’ve also preselected substitute materials.”
Considering how countless merchants carried special goods in and out of the academy every day, making transactions wouldn’t be difficult.
“But I think it’ll be hard to complete it before winter break. We could probably manage the upper body, though.”
“Then let’s do that.”
If the technology written in the rune frame was accurate, even just an upper-body armor would provide more than sufficient protection.
“Oh, and Yul, would you like to hear about The Gray Barrang?”
“The Gray Barrang? You mean the book that wrapped around the Black Card?”
Lucian explained about The Gray Barrang. The circumstances surrounding the birth of the first mage, and the ‘apes’ who could not use magic.
It said that the old world and its entire history had been exiled to The Gray Barrang together with the apes.
It also contained the method to reach The Gray Barrang.
“…Is that ‘apes’ part a metaphor?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know whether it simply refers to humans who cannot use magic, or actual apes that resemble humans.”
Yul rested his chin on his hand. In a sense, this was the ancient history of humans. It was clearly different from the history of the sea.
But metaphor or truth, the beings within The Gray Barrang seemed dangerous.
And there was another question. Something this history book did not explain.
“It said all humans went to the Sanctuary.”
“Yes.”
“Then where did the present-day humans—who are neither Designated Humanity nor apes—come from?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Anyway, the book seems extremely dangerous. Especially since it’s not just a history book—it contains the method to reach The Gray Barrang.”
“Yes. As far as I know, this is the only book that describes how to travel to another realm.”
“That’s dangerous.”
It didn’t matter to Yul and Lucian, but if someone else learned how to enter The Gray Barrang, there was no telling what might happen.
“There’s a good place to hide it in the basement of my family’s estate. No one would be able to find it easily.”
“Even the people living there?”
“Yes.”
“Do that.”
And so they decided to hide The Gray Barrang.
“And can you tell me where my workshop is?”
“…What? Yul, you’ve never even been to your workshop?”
“No.”
I should finish my assignments there. Winter break isn’t far off now.
* * *
The workshop issue was resolved not by Lucian but by an assistant professor from the Department of Magic Engineering’s administrative office. A short woman in her thirties wearing glasses guided Yul to a workshop he hadn’t even known he possessed.
“It’s here.”
Though it was called a tower, the building was practically the size of a high-rise. Naturally, inside were administrative sections where multiple workshops were gathered.
“There’s no dust on the nameplate.”
“The outside gets cleaned regularly. Of course, no one is allowed to touch the inside of the workshop. Please authenticate your magic. Only the first registered user is allowed entry.”
Yul placed his hand on the panel beside the door and authenticated his magic, claiming ownership.
As the door slid open and he stepped inside, a stale smell of mold and dust billowed out.
Cough, cough.
The assistant professor behind him began coughing.
“Ugh, it’s only been left unused for about a year—why is there this much dust?”
“So I can use this place?”
“Of course. The workshop usage fee is charged separately and collected independently, so please contact the administrative office to pay any outstanding fees. If you pay annually in a lump sum, you’ll receive a discount.”
“I’ll do that.”
Yul looked around the interior. Various devices, carving knives, writing tools, shelves, and more were visible deeper inside.
“Please refrain from storing explosive items. And, ah, if anything is legally problematic, we can’t cover for you, so keep that in mind.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. I only plan to bring in magic stones. I’ll pay four years of contract fees at once.”
“Thank you!!”
After paying the workshop fee to the assistant professor, Yul slowly began organizing his space.
Once he had roughly finished cleaning, he immediately brought in magic stones. Then he carried in carving knives, energy coral, Aether fiber, and other materials he had previously taken interest in, along with a large number of books filled with rune formulas.
“The coding of this world is almost the same.”
After reading through the books and acquiring enough understanding to grasp the overall structure, he began development again.
“Hm.”
The IDE (Integrated Development Environment) was a tool that allowed magic engineers to execute magic engineering more easily.
It wasn’t an entirely new concept—someone had already created something similar. He was merely restoring it in a form suited to this world.
First was the visual interface. For this, he planned to implement illusion magic.
He retrieved the formula for the common magic 「Illusion」 from the Department of Magic Engineering’s rune archives.
Runes and magic circles floated in the air in a hologram-like form.
Rune formulas were arranged, and errors were indicated through color and vibration.
During this process, he also developed a typewriter. Not a modern mechanical one, but something like creating a pad in midair—connecting magic circuits to characters so they would manifest when input.
Second was virtual execution.
It would allow simulation before activation, showing in advance how a rune circuit might explode. In the process, rune formulas would be automatically completed, with errors marked in red.
Third was collaborative functionality.
Multiple magic engineers could edit rune formulas simultaneously. Through magic synchronization, even those far apart could share the same information.
Lastly, a safety device.
If an error in a rune formula was detected during execution and the resulting magic wave exceeded a certain threshold, a shutdown device would immediately and physically remove the magic stone.
This process consumed an enormous number of magic stones. And the device itself became massive.
“I didn’t design it for mass distribution from the start.”
This device wasn’t meant for personal use, but for institutional use at the academy.
As he inserted the necessary magic materials one by one, the artifact was completed.
Time was tight, but Yul possessed something others did not: overwhelming stamina. He could work for nearly a month without sleeping.
And so, about a month later.
Yul gazed at his first magic engineering creation.
“It’s not much to look at.”
A long panel resembling a vanity mirror, with countless magic stones arranged behind it.
Below was a steel main body, making it extremely heavy.
“Well, someone else can decorate the exterior.”
Four days before winter break, Yul called for the fastidious Professor Quentin.
“Ha. Ha. It’s finished?”
“Yes.”
“Ha. Ha. Ha. I heard you applied to rent a workshop……. I had expectations, but I didn’t think it would be this fast.”
Professor Quentin appeared unusually excited.
“So, what kind of artifact is it?”
“Over there.”
After entering the workshop, Quentin repeatedly exclaimed in admiration as he examined the artifact.
"Look at this frame filled with efficiency... H-how do you write with this? How!!"
Once Yul explained how to input formulas, Quentin mastered the ‘typing’ almost instantly.
"Th-this is an interesting layout. Right, if I press this button, then this happens...".
Stammering as he wrote a rune formula, Quentin then looked at the result.
The 「Fireball」 spell he had completed was being similarly manifested through illusion magic.
He grabbed his head.
“Oh…….”
“Oh?”
“Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
As Yul carefully explained the remaining functions, Professor Quentin broke down completely!
“Automatic execution! Error correction! Automatic shutdown in case of danger! How convenient is this? This is not a masterpiece of the century, but it possesses great convenience. You are a genius! Oho! Ohohoho! Ohohohoho!”
Professor Quentin decided to take the IDE device with him. It felt as though Yul had finally repaid a long-standing debt.
'They'll figure the rest out themselves, right?'.
It was time to stop worrying about it.
Winter break had arrived.
* * *
In the first winter of Weimar Wigma, snow fell, yet the sea of the Kingdom of Britain did not freeze.
Professor Schmidt stood gazing at the strange scenery beyond the window: a sky filled with falling snow and a sea rolling with waves.
“This is important.”
After relocating to the sea, he had believed there would be no forces capable of threatening Weimar Wigma.
However, unknown beings lived within the sea, and a fragment of them had revealed itself in the form of Sea Horrors.
The Seaborn were capable of Communion, and most maintained a neutral or even friendly stance toward humans.
But the Sea Horrors were different. They bore no gem on their foreheads and were monsters that moved for their own purposes.
They had become a clear threat to Weimar Wigma.
Many professors within the academy and their patrons regarded the Sea Horrors as a serious danger and had requested exploration and extermination.
Recruiting university students for exploration posed no issue.
The students of Weimar Wigma were all mages, adults with abilities befitting their status. Each had the right to decide for themselves.
“We cannot let this end in failure.”
The matter had been entrusted to the Department of Communion. Professor Schmidt had taken charge of the exploration and extermination of the Sea Horrors.
How he handled this would determine whether he could rise to higher positions.
‘Perhaps I could even aim for Headmaster.’
The key was how to eliminate the Sea Horrors while minimizing student casualties.
“You still live in this musty place, Schmidt.”
“You’re here, Carmen?”
A beautiful woman with an eyepatch over one eye burst through the door roughly.
“Hand over the liquor.”
“Here.”
She had no left arm. In its place was a hook.
A hook shaped like an open shackle.
Striding forward, the woman spotted the bottle of liquor on Schmidt’s desk and brightened.
The hook had a tightening function, and she lifted the bottle straight to her lips, gulping it down.
“You’re still using that hook? I told you to switch to a prosthetic.”
“If it can grip, does it matter whether it’s a hand or a hook?”
Carmen manipulated her left arm and clenched the hook tightly. The hook bit inward with force.
“If things go south, I can slice off the lower halves of any bastards who get in my way. Heh, brat, your complexion’s gone pale. Scared?”
“I-I’m not scared.”
“Still full of bluster. So, why did you call me?”
“I’d like you to be the captain. The goal is to find the Sea Horrors beneath the sea.”
“You’re dragging a pirate like me into that kind of job?”
“You’re a state-certified privateer captain. Among the captains I know, no one is as capable as you.”
“That’s what a pirate is, isn’t it? Ha. Good liquor. So, what’s the pay?”
“I’ll make it worth your while. If you can locate their base, the reward increases.”
Carmen tapped the table with her hook as she pondered.
“The deadline? And how do you plan to deal with the monsters beneath the sea?”
“Three months. The creatures will be handled by Sinkers who possess Seaborn.”
“And if they lose?”
“Don’t look back—run. Bring the students back alive, and I’ll pay accordingly.”
“Well, well. As expected of a Wigma Academy professor, you have plenty of money.”
“And your Seaborn……”
“I know. Don’t bring it out, right?”
As Carmen turned to leave, Schmidt called after her.
“There’s one more thing to be careful about. There’s a Seaborn in the academy known as the strongest.”
“Oh? The strongest?”
“Yes. But it has the form of a human.”
“…?”
“It consumed a Polymorph Skill Fruit.”
“Even if it did, out of countless creatures, why choose a human form?”
“No one knows. But don’t touch him.”
“Hehehe. We’ll see. I’ll think about it.”
Watching Carmen leave, Schmidt let out a sigh. He trusted her, but a trace of unease remained.
“Well, it should be fine.”