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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 176: Sirin’s Afternoon (3)
The moment the lid was barely cracked open, a fragrant aroma seeped out, filling the entire room.
Oscar sniffed the air, tilting his head slightly.
‘What is this? I’m sure I’ve smelled this somewhere before.’
Unable to resist, he threw the lid open, revealing a massive fruit inside the box.
The fruit was about the size of an adult’s head.
Its color was a luscious shade of orange, and its surface gleamed as if it had been polished with oil.
“Wait, this is…”
Oscar’s eyes trembled as he immediately recognized the fruit.
After all, he had eaten it in his previous life.
Back then, however, it wasn’t the emperor who had gifted it to him—it was the elves.
‘The Fruit of the World Tree.’
The vast forest covering the southwestern part of the continent was the territory of the elves.
At its heart stood the colossal World Tree, also known as the Divine Tree.
This fruit was a rare treasure that grew on the World Tree only once every ten years.
‘Once in ten years.’
One might think that sounded fairly common, but it was anything but.
The elves, being an insular people, rarely interacted with humans.
Even when they did, it was extremely uncommon for them to offer such a precious gift as the World Tree’s fruit.
Moreover, due to a “special reason”, it was difficult to preserve for long.
‘If I remember correctly, there were only two of these fruits left in the imperial treasury.’
Unless they had somehow acquired more during the twenty years he had been asleep, this was surely one of the remaining two.
“Hmm.”
Oscar gazed at the fruit with a conflicted expression.
Its effects were simple yet profound.
‘It enhances both the quality and quantity of one’s mana.’
The fruit purified the mana one possessed, making it more refined, and drastically increased its volume.
A fitting power for the fruit of the Divine Tree.
However, it was utterly wasted on a mere fourth-level mage.
While consuming it wouldn’t be harmful, it was simply far too valuable.
‘Even if I eat this now, I won’t be able to absorb all the mana it contains.’
The sheer amount of mana packed into the fruit was absurd.
At the very least, it would take a high-level mage—level six or higher—to fully absorb it.
In his previous life, he had only eaten it after reaching level seven.
‘What a waste… I’m grateful, but it’s too soon for me to consume this.’
The reason the emperor had gifted such an incredible treasure to a mere fourth-level mage was obvious.
It was surely because he had heard that Oscar had inherited spatial magic.
‘Everyone knows that spatial magic consumes an enormous amount of mana.’
In fact, throughout history, the mages with the largest mana reserves always included Ado Vail in their ranks.
The emperor must have worried that Oscar, despite possessing spatial magic, would be unable to use it due to a lack of mana—and this was his way of showing consideration.
‘I’m sure the emperor didn’t think this was wasteful at all.’
Because that’s the kind of person he was.
A man who lacked nothing.
If he needed more, he would simply obtain it.
But from a mage’s perspective, eating this fruit now would be wasteful to the point of madness.
“Agh.”
Oscar wanted nothing more than to close the lid and save the fruit for later.
The problem was that he couldn’t.
‘No matter what, I have to eat it within a week.’
That “special reason” mentioned earlier was the cause.
The World Tree was called the Divine Tree because it truly possessed god-like powers.
The fruit, having grown from that tree, contained a faint trace of divine energy.
‘As the dragons would say, such potent power cannot remain in the mortal realm for long.’
That was likely why the World Tree spent thousands of years in slumber.
In short, the fruit’s effectiveness would gradually diminish over time.
That was why the elves, upon harvesting it, typically gave it to a predetermined recipient within a day.
‘Of course, this particular fruit was gifted by the elves, so it must have undergone special preservation treatment.’
But since he had opened it, the clock was now ticking.
The luxurious wooden box should have clued him in—it was clearly the work of the elves.
Yet he had carelessly opened it without realizing.
Now, he found himself resenting the emperor for the first time.
‘If you’re going to give me such a magnificent gift, you could at least make a bit of a show about it.’
Would it have killed him to include a note or something?
With a heavy sigh, Oscar crossed his arms and stared at the fruit for a long while.
After a moment of contemplation, he slowly nodded.
‘There’s no helping it.’
He had to eat it.
That was no longer a choice.
And Oscar was a greedy man.
‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I can’t consume more than one of these in the same body.’
His body wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
That was why he had to extract the maximum benefit from this single fruit.
Taking a deep breath, Oscar made his decision.
‘It’s a little earlier than I planned, but… I’ll do it. I’ll create my fifth mana circuit.’
With the massive surge of mana he would gain from the fruit,
he planned to forge a brand-new mana circuit in one go.
Otherwise, his body would either explode from the excess mana or he would have to let it all dissipate into the ether.
And, of course, dying was not an option—nor was letting this golden opportunity slip away.
“……”
Without further hesitation, Oscar brought the fruit to his lips.
He bit into it.
The fruit melted in his mouth like cotton candy.
At the same time, his heartbeat quickened.
‘It’s coming.’
A massive wave of mana, far greater than what he had previously possessed, surged through him like a tidal wave.
Oscar sharpened his focus, pouring all his attention into the incoming power.
Not a single drop of this refined mana could be wasted.
‘Hngh.’
The sudden influx of mana caused his circuits to swell painfully, as if they were about to burst.
But no matter how excruciating it was, he couldn’t afford to let it slip away.
‘I’ll absorb every last bit of it.’
Fighting through the agony, Oscar carefully stabilized his circuits, guiding the mana through his body in a steady, controlled flow.
But despite his efforts, there was still far too much mana left over.
‘From here on out…’
There was no turning back.
As planned, Oscar began engraving his fifth mana circuit.
The design and layout had already been thoroughly planned out long ago, so there were no obstacles during the process.
“…….”
As the overwhelming magic surged, clamoring for direction, Oscar installed a new circuit.
If another mage were to witness this scene, they would have been shocked beyond belief at the sheer recklessness of such an act.
However, Oscar completed the task without a single moment of hesitation.
Had it not been for the unwavering resolve he had cultivated as an archmage in his previous life, he would have wavered and suffered dire consequences.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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“Phew.”
He barely had time for a sigh of relief.
The rampaging magic instantly filled the fifth circuit to capacity.
It was then that Oscar’s expression changed.
“……!”
Even after installing the fifth circuit, there was still a significant amount of magic left.
There was no choice but to contemplate his next move.
‘What should I do?’
The fifth circuit had already been successfully installed.
Even if he were to release the remaining magic back into nature, he would still have profited significantly.
‘…….’
But he was a mage.
An archmage who once stood at the pinnacle of magic, revered by all.
That was a position that could never be reached through half-hearted effort or moderate satisfaction.
‘Should I try something crazy?’
A powerful impulse struck him.
Of course, he knew.
Whenever a new magic circuit was installed, the stabilization process was essential.
It was the very thing he repeatedly emphasized to his students during lectures.
‘But…….’
No matter how he looked at it, this was an incredibly rare opportunity.
If he let this chance slip away, it would take at least a year before he could reach level six.
Oscar bit down hard on his lip.
Even in the midst of his contemplation, the magic surging inside him continued to rage.
At this rate, he would either explode or be forced to release the magic into the atmosphere.
‘My master once said……’
When faced with hesitation, it’s better to simply go for it.
After all, if something truly shouldn’t be done, the doubt itself wouldn’t even arise—it would simply feel wrong.
‘Phew.’
Oscar took a deep breath.
To be honest, he was trembling.
His once fiery blood felt cold, and his mouth was parched.
Attempting to carve two magic circuits at once was a feat he had never dared in his previous life.
No—he had never even heard of anyone attempting such madness.
“…….”
Oscar slowly closed his eyes.
He halted the operation of his five senses and instead relied solely on his sixth sense, observing the universe within.
In the cosmos of swirling magic storms, he began to map out new constellations.
The dots connected into lines, and the lines formed pathways.
“……Ugh.”
The problem arose almost immediately.
Magic began to leak from the unstable fifth circuit.
‘Should I give up?’
Should he abandon the new circuit and focus solely on restoring the fifth one?
Fear crept into his mind, planting seeds of weakness.
But Oscar bit his lip even harder.
The sharp pain and the metallic taste of blood stung his senses, sharpening his focus.
‘……I’ll restore the fifth circuit and install the sixth one. I’ll do both simultaneously.’
It was a suicidal decision.
It wasn’t something that could be achieved through mere dual casting.
It required mental fortitude beyond that of any ordinary person.
Anyone could speak clearly under normal circumstances.
But could they do so when staring down the barrel of a gun?
Without trembling?
“…….”
Oscar did it.
Calmly, as if nothing were amiss, he carried on with the restoration and installation.
For two hours, he maintained his superhuman endurance and focus.
‘The last…… one.’
The moment he placed the final celestial dot, as if the reprieve had reached its limit, Oscar lost consciousness.
* * *
“…….”
Oscar slowly opened his eyes.
A foul stench assaulted his nostrils.
“Ugh…….”
As he sluggishly scanned his surroundings, his gaze landed on a mirror.
The small face of Oscar stared back at him, unchanged.
However, his skin, usually flawless, now glistened with a noticeable sheen.
“Ugh.”
He got up and moved his body cautiously.
After confirming that there were no issues, he gulped and examined his internal state.
‘One, two, three, four…….’
Four circuits, glowing more brilliantly than ever.
And alongside them, two fainter but clearly connected magic circuits.
‘I did it.’
It was a success.
A mage who had installed two magic circuits in a single night.
Even he found it hard to believe, chuckling at the absurdity of it.
‘Of course, the fifth and sixth circuits are still unstable.’
The circuits had a long way to go before stabilizing.
In other words, despite technically being a level six mage, he was effectively still at level five.
In fact, he had to be even more cautious than most level five mages.
A single mistake could cause both circuits to explode simultaneously.
‘Still…….’
There was no denying it—he was significantly stronger than before.
A smile he couldn’t suppress tugged at his lips.
Then, suddenly, he sniffed the air.
“……That smell.”
It was likely due to the impurities expelled from his body.
The physical reconstruction that occurred when a mage reached a higher rank.
It wasn’t a full rebirth, but the toxins and waste in his body had been purged, leaving him healthier and stronger.
He could feel his vision had improved as well.
‘Alright, first things first, cleaning up……’
Oscar glanced at the empty wooden box and licked his lips.
‘Sasha is going to scold me, huh.’
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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