Chapter 223

Chapter 223 – I Am a Breeder

To begin with, it was time to organize his thoughts.

Three distinct rings.

The circular structures positioned near his heart were, to put it plainly, somewhat inadequate to properly control the power of transcendence.

‘How many additional ones will it take to wield transcendence without constraint?’

At this moment, he lacked the answer.

There was simply no standard of comparison available to him.

Even so, he could not help but smile, and for a completely different reason.

‘That is simply the nature of transcendence.’

Even upon crossing the threshold into the transcendent realm, not even the most magnificent archmage could maintain such a state indefinitely.

Stepping into transcendence was akin to uncovering a completely new realm of possibility, much like Obern’s overclock technique, yet it carried a definitive time limit.

So, what exactly had shifted compared to his previous state?

‘An immense amount has changed.’

In the past, merely tapping into transcendence for a fleeting second meant absorbing an incredible amount of danger.

To put it another way, the very process of unlocking transcendence placed a massive strain on his physical form, turning every attempt into a perilous gamble.

But things were different now…

‘Let’s test out its current viability.’

Leaving Senior Teheman behind for a moment, Aster attempted to briefly trigger his transcendence. Or rather, that was his intention.

That is, until Senior Teheman’s voice cut through his focus.

“I certainly have a multitude of questions for you, but… do you intend to remain standing there in that state?”

“……?”

“I am asking because your lectures are scheduled to begin quite soon, are they not?”

“Wait, has it already reached that hour…?”

Hearing Aster’s bewildered reply, Teheman reached into his pocket and retrieved a pocket watch.

“This cannot possibly be… 8 in the evening, correct?”

“Does Jenion offer evening courses? That is precisely why I am bringing up your attendance. You have been preoccupied with stabilizing the recoil for quite some time.”

The lectures at the academy officially commenced at 9.

However, students were expected to report for attendance by 8:10.

The morning roll call itself initiated at 8:30, meaning anyone arriving after that mark was officially documented as tardy.

Which meant…

“I am… actually late?”

“You should sprint. I have heard rumors that the instructors occasionally overlook it if the roll call is still ongoing—”

Before Teheman could finish his sentence, a sudden gale whipped through the immediate area.

Teheman blinked against the abrupt rush of wind, only to find that Aster had already vanished from sight.

Gazing blankly at the empty space where the youth had stood just moments before, Teheman reflected on the version of Aster he had witnessed just a second ago.

‘Without a doubt…’

Right before Aster had attempted to unlock his transcendence.

Teheman had unmistakably perceived that sensation.

Even though that pressure had dissipated entirely the moment he spoke, in that single heartbeat, Teheman understood perfectly.

“…Has he truly managed to advance another step?”

No, framing it that way was not entirely accurate.

Aster had crossed into the realm of transcendence long before this. It was simply that his physical vessel had been incomplete, preventing him from utilizing his full capabilities.

To be more accurate, he had finally reclaimed the position that rightfully belonged to him.

In essence, he had transformed into an authentic archmage.

‘…Has such a feat ever been recorded in the past?’

Teheman found himself locked in deep contemplation.

If one were to believe the official academy files, Aster was merely 14 years old.

Given his origins as an orphan from the Black-White Slums, the number might not be perfectly precise, but it was bound to be close.

Had any individual in history ever achieved the heights of transcendence at such a tender age?

After searching his memory for a brief moment, Teheman shook his head side to side.

‘I have no way of knowing.’

Teheman did not possess infinite knowledge.

Yet, within the boundaries of his own historical awareness, no mage had ever grasped transcendence at 14.

This was a monumental milestone that deserved to be etched into historical records—not merely within the chronicles of magic, but across the entire history of the world…

And yet, for some strange reason.

Teheman found himself feeling far more amused than awestruck.

“An archmage of supreme caliber panicking over arriving late to class. That in itself is completely unprecedented, is it not?”

A magician’s magical tier does not dictate their core personality.

And Aster served as the ultimate proof of that reality.

Following the events of that day, Aster found himself confronting a completely separate dilemma.

‘The real issue lies in how to construct the circles.’

As a point of reference, generating the fourth circle itself was a straightforward task.

He had no reason to push his boundaries to the absolute brink as he had done with the second and third; it was merely a matter of concentrating mana and shaping it into form.

But how could he gather mana when he lacked a traditional core?

That answer was equally straightforward.

Unlike the first circle, the second and third structures had been derived by dividing a pre-existing core, which allowed them to retain mana naturally.

Therefore, the puzzle Aster was trying to solve was not the creation of the ‘fourth circle.’

Instead…

‘Correct, the real mystery is how to manufacture the very first circle.’

In truth, this was not a dilemma that Aster technically needed to stress over.

Regardless of the underlying mechanics, he had already successfully formed the initial one, subsequently progressing to the second and third.

So why was he dwelling on it now?

The Magic Tower.

It was his ultimate goal to preserve the hidden methodologies of the circle within that structure.

However, executing that was far from simple.

The initial circle had been hammered out spontaneously in the midst of the sudden enlightenment that accompanied his ascension to transcendence… and to be completely honest, he could not explain the exact methodology behind it.

Consequently, a specific thought crossed his mind:

‘If the second and third circles were generated through that specific mechanism, wouldn’t it be possible for others to form a primary circle using the exact same approach?’

That was precisely where the complication manifested.

Let us evaluate the situation.

Two distinct strategies had been employed during his recent success.

The first was the process of core division.

The second was…

The New Heavenly Origin Art.

That was the crux of the problem.

“How exactly did I… I somehow managed to execute the technique by simply riding the internal current at that moment.”

He found himself entirely unable to recall the specific visualization he had utilized to trigger the New Heavenly Origin Art.

The solution was undoubtedly buried within that particular mental imagery.

It was an incredibly baffling situation.

Consider his current state.

As dawn broke inside his personal training quarters, Aster sat with his legs crossed, attempting to activate the New Heavenly Origin Art.

The actual execution of the technique proceeded without a hitch.

‘The New Heavenly Origin Art operates with perfect stability.’

Did such a phenomenon even make logical sense?

A specialized style that relies on specific mental visualization generally demands that you clearly imagine the concepts to make it function, yet it was operating flawlessly despite him having no inkling of what that imagery actually was.

Even a technique like the Crimson Flame style could never be deployed unless one actively visualized a ‘lone, consuming inferno.’

“Tch, the resolution clearly resides within the New Heavenly Origin Art, and yet…”

What kind of mental imagery had triggered this specific reaction?

There was no way to determine it.

On the flip side, another alternative occurred to him:

Perhaps he could share the details with Parun or Henji so they could analyze the problem as a team…

However, Aster immediately dismissed the notion with a shake of his head.

‘It is far too premature for that approach.’

There was no denying they were exceptionally gifted magical academics, possessing a deeper theoretical grasp of the Heavenly Origin Art than he did… but even their intellects would be rendered useless under these current conditions.

One requires foundational evidence to conduct research, after all.

Which meant that even a joint investigation required him to uncover at least a single thread to start with…

“Hoo.”

Bringing his execution of the New Heavenly Origin Art to a close, Aster slowly parted his eyelids.

“This issue will resolve itself given enough time.”

Constructing the Magic Tower was not a project meant to be completed in a mere year or two.

There was absolutely no reason to move in a frenzy.

Even if he spent the remainder of his days failing to uncover any leads regarding the circles until the moment he passed away, it would not truly matter.

Granted, he had no intention of simply sitting back and doing nothing, but regardless.

Pushing the dilemmas of the circles to the back of his mind, Aster redirected his focus toward another matter.

Specifically, toward the New Heavenly Origin Art.

“This is absolutely the genuine article.”

The capabilities of the New Heavenly Origin Art were genuinely breathtaking.

Running the energy through his own body revealed an unmistakable divergence from the standard Heavenly Origin Art—with the most prominent distinction being this:

‘It is completely liberated from elemental attributes.’

To be fair, the traditional Heavenly Origin Art also possessed the flexibility to alter its elemental traits. Why, then, was this considered a definitive ‘divergence’?

The explanation was tied to its dependence on alternative magical styles.

The basic Heavenly Origin Art relied intensely on them.

On its own, it merely manifested as neutral, unaligned mana; if you desired to utilize alternative elemental traits, you were required to master the corresponding mental visualization.

‘Just look at Crimson Flame, as a prime example.’

To put it another way, you were forced to merge the foundational structure of the Heavenly Origin Art with the Crimson Flame style or other practical systems.

Yet the New Heavenly Origin Art operated on an entirely different level.

Psssh—

Utilizing his internal mana perception, Aster watched a microscopic bead of moisture levitate from the tip of his finger.

‘Pure water-aligned mana.’

Without ever studying the specific Decullan water-based visualization methods, Aster was actively utilizing water elemental mana at this very moment.

And it was not restricted to just moisture—earth, gale, and every alternative mana type functioned in identical fashion.

Granted, the execution was not flawless.

“I can manipulate it easily enough, but the overall output is substantially diminished.”

Naturally, it could not compete with the sheer potency of visualization styles that had been meticulously optimized and perfected for a single element.

Even so, it was an incredible asset.

‘There is no longer any requirement for me to tether myself exclusively to Decullan styles.’

In the past, he had bound himself to them solely to achieve harmony with the Heavenly Origin Art, but now he possessed the versatility to adjust to any style imaginable.

He did not even need to master them completely.

He merely had to isolate and absorb the specific methodology for manipulating that attribute’s mana.

In essence, it unlocked an entirely new tier of potential.

There were various other benefits to consider, but…

Right at that moment.

Ding-ding, ding!

Aster was pulled abruptly from his internal analysis by the shrill ringing of the alarm clock echoing within his private training quarters.

“Is it really that time already?”

The clock had suddenly reached 8 in the morning.

Aster gathered his belongings and exited the room.

He was not heading toward his lectures.

It was currently the weekend.

…Granted, with final examinations rapidly approaching, weekends held very little significance for the students of the academy, but it was the weekend nonetheless.

Making his way outside, Aster walked toward the grand entrance of the academy.

“You’ve arrived?”

Aster offered a lukewarm nod in response to Evelyn’s greeting, his eyes scanning her facial expressions.

“Your dark circles are looking incredibly heavy. Is that a new style choice?”

“…They are literally just exhaustion lines. You are mocking me right now, aren’t you?”

“Pretty much.”

It was the precise sort of comment that typically provoked a physical retaliation, but Evelyn merely let out a weary, accustomed groan.

She had grown entirely desensitized to his behavior by now.

“In any case, the big event is scheduled for today, correct?”

“Yes, it takes place today.”

What exactly was occurring on this day?

[1st Black&White Grand Auction]

The event officially designated as the Initial Black-White Slums Auction.

‘The Black&White Great Auction? The Massive Auction? Tch, the exact title doesn’t change anything.’

Today marked the official date for the marketplace event that the nobility had taken to calling the ‘Grand Auction.’

To put it another way, it was the specific date when the massive endeavor Evelyn had spent the entire academic term organizing would finally yield results.

Perhaps that explained the current landscape.

Stepping beyond the boundaries of Hazen, Aster surveyed the sweeping, azure fields before him.

A terrain that was normally completely deserted and devoid of life was now densely packed with elegant transport carriages and traveling traders.

“Wow, the sheer volume of people is incredible.”

“Isn’t it? The crowd is absolutely massive.”

“Are every single one of them traveling toward the auction site?”

Evelyn offered a gentle shake of her head in response to Aster’s inquiry.

“In all likelihood, only a small fraction are attending specifically to participate in the bidding. The vast majority are here with alternative motivations.”

“Alternative motivations?”

“Yes, well… wherever a massive crowd congregates, capital flows naturally, which explains why all these traders are setting up their tents. Alternatively, there are scouts present to evaluate the overall atmosphere and track how the bidding unfolds.”

“For what purpose?”

“What do you think?”

Evelyn let out a clever, knowing grin.

“You genuinely fail to grasp it, don’t you? This event represents the revelation of a completely unexploited business strategy. High-ranking nobles traveling in droves to participate in a market within the Black-White Slums? It naturally leads people to believe they could pull off identical events in completely different regions.”

“Hmm.”

“To analyze it even further, one would have to calculate validated auction house commissions, the logistics of consignment handling, geographical proximity… though naturally, none of that holds the slightest interest for you, does it?”

As she rambled on with visible enthusiasm, Evelyn suddenly remembered that her conversational partner was Aster, causing her to throw out a dry question.

And just as one would foresee, Aster’s reply aligned perfectly with his character.

“None whatsoever.”

The reason was simple.

‘My role is that of a breeder.’

With a highly trained performing bear under his command, all he had to do was gather the incoming revenue and feed himself.

“I have officially entered the ranks of the wealthy.”

Right at that moment, the telepathic thoughts of the wyvern reached his mind.

[My companion.]

‘…What is it?’

[In that case, purchase a Moonlight Stone for my collection.]

…Aster chose to offer no response.