I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 826 - Side Story 99: Transcendent (2)

[What in the world is that?]

Lexer witnessed the fight between Rudger and the Spirit Person. He could fully understand the fight they were unfolding—a fight that transcended human capability and was utterly absurd.

However, the magic Rudger was currently using was definitely not like that.

He had vaguely known that Rudger was a mage of a higher rank than himself. But knowing it in his head and actually seeing it were completely different things.

Such was the magic Rudger was using.

Dark Thunder (暗雷).

The name was simple. But perhaps because it wasn't flashy and was refined, it felt even more magnificent.

It was the same principle as a naturally strong person not needing to show off their strength.

Rudger's magic was like that. And in reality, just the aftermath of completing the magic shook the underground cavity, and space itself resonated.

[That guy. Just how did he......]

At that moment, Casey let out an exclamation of admiration from beside him.

"Wow. I never thought I'd see that again in my lifetime." 

[Again?]

Casey turned to look at Lexer.

"I saw it once before. With that, he blew away the Holy Emperor of the Bretus Holy Kingdom."

Lexer stared at Rudger with an even more dazed expression. The magic gathered in his hands was difficult to express in words.

Yes. If he had to describe it, it was too beautiful.

It felt like watching thousands upon thousands of precise mechanical parts being assembled on the spot, fitting together perfectly without a single error.

The fact that this went beyond simply being a functioning device—that the device itself was fulfilling a single purpose.

It was a realm of dreams he felt he could never reach, yet the fact that he was seeing it in reality confused him.

[But with that power?]

With that strike so powerful it could even distort space. Perhaps it could defeat that Spirit Person who used the energy of the artificial sun.

Of course, the opponent must be thinking the same thing.

"That power."

For the first time, the face of the Spirit Person, which had shown no change in expression until now, hardened stiffly. The creature who had looked down on current humans as inferior beings was now tense.

"You, are you planning to blow up this entire testing ground?" 

"For the first question to come from the one who was going to do that first. Don't you think that's funny?" 

"Then let me ask something else."

Rudger gestured with his chin for him to go ahead.

"Are all humans of this era as strong as you?"

Rudger chuckled. The question that clearly contained wariness was quite amusing.

"If there were more guys like me, the world would certainly be quite chaotic."

"......I see. That's answer enough."

There was no human stronger than Rudger. Of course, that was only when grouped together as the single species of humanity. Because other races also lived together in this world.

"That means I just need to get past you first."

As if that was enough, the Spirit Person gathered its power. The light of the surrounding sun burst out like flames, filling the entire surrounding space. The golden rippling distorted the atmosphere and further affected the entire forest.

"Ugh!"

Casey urgently drew water and surrounded the space around Veronica and herself. Even after putting up a water barrier and freezing it all, part of the barrier instantly vaporized and disappeared.

This was the power of just the aftermath, not even aimed at them. Casey frowned.

She wondered how on earth they had come to face such a monster in a place like this—it felt truly fateful.

'But I don't think that man will lose.'

She had grown stronger too, but Rudger was still strong. Though he had a three-year gap, he was still as vigorous as ever, making those blank years seem meaningless.

Because even as the world changed and progressed rapidly, that man was already walking alone in a place far more distant than that.

She thought she had caught up by now. But the distance between them was still far. The gap seemed like it would narrow but never did.

That fact both wounded Casey's pride and simultaneously filled her with competitive spirit.

Back then, she couldn't see it.

'Now I can see it.'

No matter how far away it was, as long as she could see it and as long as she didn't stop, she could definitely catch up.

At that moment, something strange caught Casey's eye.

"I'll end it here. Before the brilliantly burning power of the sun, turn to dust and disappear."

As the Spirit Person raised its hand, a small golden sun rose above its palm. It was a mass of enormous heat energy incomparable to high-tier fire magic.

A single spark that flew from that sun was powerful enough to swallow up 5th-tier fire magic. Looking at pure power values alone, it had already surpassed the 7th tier.

It seemed to nearly rival the Dark Thunder Rudger was using.

And even after using that power, the Spirit Person didn't look particularly exhausted because most of this power was supplied from the artificial sun.

The sun was a symbol of pulsating power. Before that intense violence, even the greatest mage was nothing more than a mere creation.

"I'll end it here along with that fine magic of yours." 

"You seem to be mistaken about something."

Rudger, holding Dark Thunder in his right hand, spoke to the Spirit.

"Since you don't know modern magic, I'll explain. 8th-tier magic is a realm that exists only as rumors in the world. Naturally, magic that has reached that realm is different from what you think." 

"What?" 

"In the case of this Dark Thunder, it possesses very powerful strength and looks strong. That's actually true, but its greatest effect is in completely collapsing molecular structures."

It would grind through entirely whatever defensive means the opponent took. In a way, it could be seen as a spear that pierces everything, where the means of defense itself doesn't exist.

"That's what 8th-tier magic is. It digs down to the smallest particles of mana, the core of all magic, and neutralizes them or changes them in its own way."

Rudger said this while pointing at the sun that had risen above the Spirit's head.

"For instance, that golden sphere you made... I could change it to a different form." 

"What?"

The Spirit Person finally felt something was wrong. The enormous heat that had been felt just moments ago was no longer felt now.

It thought it had adapted to it because it was a power it controlled. But that wasn't it.

Above its head where it looked up, a massive sphere was floating. But it wasn't burning like before, nor was it a brilliant golden color.

Rather, it was a blue color that felt freezing to the bone just by looking at it. Just seeing it with the eyes felt like icicles were piercing from the eyeballs through the optic nerves.

The Spirit was startled and averted its gaze while stepping back.

"What is this? What did you do?" 

"I just showed you magic. One more thing."

Rudger hadn't only used Dark Thunder as his 8th-tier magic. While creating Dark Thunder, he simultaneously prepared another 8th-tier magic.

That frozen sun was the result.

"Freezing and stopping all molecular structures, implementing a perfect world of zero where no energy exists. Magic that makes even the brilliant sun freeze and bestows cold tranquility upon all things."

8th-tier magic Blue Frost Robe (靑霜衣).

The hot sun donned robes of frost and became a complete block of ice.

Casey, Veronica, and Lexer shuddered. That wasn't ordinary ice.

As could be seen from the fact that the Spirit Person immediately averted its gaze and stepped back upon seeing it. Just looking at that affected the opponent with coldness.

If the Spirit Person had gazed at it for more than 10 seconds, everything from its pupils to its optic nerves would have frozen solid. That wasn't all. The surrounding space quietly settled down. It was as if space and time itself had been frozen.

If the power of Dark Thunder distorted space to the point of warping it, Blue Frost Robe was the opposite.

"This......!"

Unable to just take it lying down, the Spirit Person tried again to draw heat from the artificial sun. But the artificial sun remained quiet as if refusing that will.

"Why? Why is the energy......?"

"I told you. It makes even the brilliant sun freeze and bestows tranquility upon all things."

It wasn't that the artificial sun didn't emit energy. It was because the emitted energy was completely blocked in the middle by Blue Frost Robe before it could be absorbed by the Spirit Person.

That wasn't all.

-Crackle crackle crackle.

Starting from the Spirit Person’s fingertips, frost formed and began to freeze. The Spirit Person’s eyes widened at the pain that went beyond cold to throbbing.

Its body that transcended humanity wouldn't get burns even if thrown into a wildfire, could withstand pressure even if thrown into the deep sea, and would be fine even if thrown into extreme cold.

Such a being felt pain beyond the sensation of cold.

The golden energy tried to resist by emanating from the tattoos engraved all over its body. But it was useless. Blue Frost Robe stopped the structure of all particles themselves. No matter how hot the fire, it would freeze in place.

Normally when cold covers fire, the flames go out like a candle flame. But Rudger's magic was different.

When 8th-tier magic Blue Frost Robe covered fire the fire stopped in place.

The form of the burning fire froze as if fixed. The same went for the Spirit Person. The heat emanating from its body stopped, and only that form remained fixed.

The Spirit Person tried to struggle, but the more it did, the colder it became. There was absolutely no escape from this cold.

"This is ridiculous. There's no way a human could use such power." 

"Well, you're not entirely wrong. The person who first invented and developed this wasn't originally human anyway."

It was created by the world's strongest progenitor vampire, Grandel. Naturally, there was no way a human could create something like this.

Rudger agreed. If it had been made by humans, it wouldn't be this tranquil but much more vicious.

"And it's entirely possible to learn what's been created."

The Spirit Person tried to escape its position but it was useless. The movement of the atmosphere had already stopped, and the Spirit Person’s body was caught in it.

Its skin, which it had prided as invincible, froze and cells began to necrotize.

"W-wait! If you kill me! Humanity won't be able to advance to the next stage! You're, you're eliminating the most important means in history!"

The Spirit Person was a form of evolution humanity would advance toward, like magical beasts infused with mana. Being able to create that artificially was very important.

Worries about food would decrease, and they would be free from all kinds of pests and diseases. The world could flow in a better direction.

"I have all the knowledge and data! Information engraved in my mind that wasn't left as records! Are you going to blow it all away like this?! Abandoning the path humanity should take, here?!"

The Spirit Person tried to persuade Rudger. If you truly pursue knowledge and advance toward a better path, killing me here would be foolish.

"What did the guy who acted like he would bestow things upon humanity say as soon as he came out?"

Naturally, Rudger didn't even listen halfheartedly.

"The guy who said he would become a better human by opposing the gods, didn't you try to become yet another god in the end?"

If he had spoken from the beginning about having a great cause and bestowing things, there might have been room for consideration.

But the creature didn't do that. It thought itself superior and regarded current humanity as different beings from itself.

Because it had become a transcendent it harbored the arrogance that it would become a new god.

Perhaps that aspect could be called human-like, but.

"We don't need such evolution."

Rudger aimed the Dark Thunder held in his right hand at the Spirit Person.

"Not everyone in the world is as foolish as you. We will someday advance to the moment you reached. We don't need your help. And when that time comes, we'll produce much better results than when you did it. That's how we'll walk toward the next stage."

Because what makes the world advance is ultimately humanity's good will.

Everyone shares the same intention, the same will. That's how people live.

Not dominated overwhelmingly by any one person, but like countless gears created by the gathering of choices each person made. Sometimes misaligned but interlocking with each other, influencing each other. The future is the result created by the infinite choices and interactions born that way.

The future is not predetermined.

That's why Rudger advances toward the light, hoping for a better future. Together with the people he cherishes.

"You're not needed in that place."

As if he wouldn't listen to the Spirit Person’s rebuttal, black lightning shot diagonally toward the Spirit.

-Kwaaaaaa!

Dark Thunder swallowed the Spirit Person’s body. The Spirit Person’s struggling attempt to cry out something was swept away by the massive torrent and extinguished.