Chapter 142: The Incomplete Research
"They really know how to make things difficult."
Silas returned to his dorm surrounded by his friends, who escorted him so closely that they resembled bodyguards more than companions.
Fortunately, no one dared block their way. Unfortunately, he disliked every second of it.
He didn’t need anyone to explain why they were acting this way.
"They’re worried I’ll see their progress... and sink even deeper into despair."
For the first time, being treated so cautiously genuinely bothered him.
"I should read through these first. Maybe it’ll help me calm down."
Before leaving the dorm that morning, he had planned to meet his friends, clear his thoughts, and perhaps stumble upon the inspiration he had been searching for.
Instead, everything had gone wrong the moment he crossed paths with Montar.
Now his mind was in an even worse state than before he had left his room, and a part of him regretted stepping outside at all.
His gaze settled on the large pile of old papers scattered across his desk. They weren’t organised in the slightest.
One page described the results of a strange experiment, while the next abruptly shifted into part of an unfinished story.
The randomness of it all was strangely comforting, giving his restless mind something simple to focus on instead of the thoughts that refused to leave him alone.
At first, Silas felt completely lost.
The papers seemed to have no order, no connection, and no clear purpose. Yet the longer he read, the more captivated he became. Even when most of the contents made little sense, there was something strangely fascinating about them, as though he were peering into fragments of a forgotten age.
Gradually, patterns began to emerge.
He started sorting the old papers into groups according to their contents.
One section contained historical records, recounting ancient wars, conflicts with other races, dragon invasions, and devastating monster tides. Every page described events so grand that Silas could scarcely imagine them.
Another section focused on human affairs, preserving scattered accounts from the old days of the Elfine Kingdom.
"It seems people never truly felt safe back then..."
Although none of the records told a complete story, Silas pieced together enough fragments to reach his own conclusion. Dragons had threatened the kingdom, the Dark Hunters had spread chaos, and powerful Enhancers had pursued strength with reckless obsession.
The era sounded far more turbulent than the present.
Yet for some reason, he couldn’t convince himself that the world had truly changed. Instead, he had the unsettling feeling that he had only scratched the surface, and that today’s peace was little more than an illusion hiding storms yet to come.
Eventually, he shifted his attention to the final category, the one that fascinated him more than the others: scientific research.
To most students, reading disconnected research papers would have been unbearable, but to Silas, it was exhilarating.
He found himself drawn into the minds of the researchers who had written them. Their curiosity bordered on madness, yet it was precisely that madness that allowed humanity to keep advancing. They had experimented on monsters, studied other races, and even researched human bodies in pursuit of greater strength.
The more he read, the more absorbed he became.
Then one paper caught his attention.
"...This."
The terminology felt strangely familiar.
Silas immediately searched through the stacks until, nearly half an hour later, he found another paper written in the same handwriting and wording style.
Holding them side by side, he realised why they had seemed so alike. They weren’t separate studies; they were fragments of the same research.
Both revolved around a mysterious rune site discovered somewhere within the kingdom.
"If only I could find the rest..."
The incomplete study mentioned Mana repeatedly, discussing Mana circulation, pathways, and several theories whose conclusions were missing.
It was invaluable.
Unfortunately, it was also incomplete.
Silas searched through every remaining pile with renewed determination. Six hours passed before he finally admitted defeat.
He found nothing, not even a single additional page that belonged to that research.
"Agh! Why didn’t I take more time collecting those papers back then?"
He gritted his teeth, feeling regret that he didn’t follow his instincts and instead followed the impatient Cher around.
"I only have these two... the only papers that even mention Mana circuits and circulation."
He stared at them one last time, hoping to squeeze some hidden meaning from the incomplete text, but nothing came.
With a disappointed sigh, he placed both papers on the desk and turned to leave. The movement was so natural that he almost missed it.
One of the papers had been flipped over.
Instead of a blank back, it was covered with dense handwriting surrounding a carefully drawn diagram.
Seeing this, Silas froze.
"After thoroughly examining the rune site, I found nothing of greater value than this diagram."
"Purpose: Unknown."
"Effect: Any human standing at its centre releases an extremely foul-smelling black substance."
"Black Substance: Unknown."
"Activation: Can be replicated using the diagram below together with the listed materials and the corresponding Rune Rocks..."
Silas read the notes once.
Then twice.
Then a third time.
With every reading, his hands trembled a little more until, at last, everything clicked into place.
"Black substance..."
"A diagram that forces it out of the body..."
His pupils shrank.
"They were purifying Mana without ever realising it."
His heart pounded violently.
This wasn’t merely proof that someone else had experienced the same Mana cleansing process he had. It was the answer he had been searching for.
A way to cure his curse.
Then his eyes dropped to the list beneath the diagram.
"...How am I supposed to gather all of these?"
The researcher had listed dozens of materials whose names meant nothing to him. Worse still, the diagram required several specially engraved stones known as Rune Rocks, each bearing a different rune.
"Dammit..."
Silas clenched his fists.
For one brief moment, he had felt like a drowning man finally reaching the shore.
Only to discover that the shore stood at the foot of a mountain, with an active volcano waiting at its centre.
And he was just kicked down all the way to the bottom.