Chapter 236 Crimson’s Experiment
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After the bakery story got exciting, I found myself at the training grounds late at night, when even the brōtḥels were closing up shop. It was like the middle of the night.
Why was I here at this hour? It was to confirm 2 things.
”Are we good here, Momoka?”
”Yeah, we’re good.”
”…I don’t see anything unusual, though.”
”If it was something you could see, the others would’ve noticed it by now. The fact that it’s not causing a commotion means it’s probably fine.”
Niya-san, Momoka, Diana, and Lewya were talking behind me.
”Well, let’s open it up and see, shall we?”
I said, taking out a wooden plate from my pocket.
It was a plate with an array carved into it, used to open up a different dimension when I escaped from the mansion.
As I infused the plate with a little bit of Crimson, the space in front of me cracked open, revealing the entrance to the different dimension.
”…It’s open.”
I couldn’t help but mutter those words when the entrance to the different dimension opened up.
Why was I surprised, even though I was the one who opened it? It was because I had previously created a different dimension in this training grounds, only to erase it completely myself.
The ‘New-type’ item box that used different dimension magic was interfering with the existing different dimension in the training grounds, so I had to erase it to avoid any conflicts.
If there was no different dimension, I wouldn’t be able to open the entrance, but the fact that I could open it now meant that a different dimension existed here.
”…Let’s go in.”
As soon as I stepped into the open entrance, I was hit with an intense sense of discomfort.
It was like something was being scraped off my entire body, or like a car being washed in a car wash――a weird, unsettling feeling.
Even though I was on the verge of losing my consciousness for a moment, when I opened my eyes, I found myself in the same training grounds where I was just a moment ago.
The only difference was that it was daytime inside the different dimension, but other than that, I didn’t feel any discomfort.
After confirming that there was nothing unusual about my body, I crouched down and touched the ground, feeling a sticky, muddy sensation on my fingertips, mixed with the smell of grass and earth.
”Whoa, this is way different from the fake space I created. This must be the space created by Snow-san.”
This space was created by Snow-san, who had taught me about Crimson when she visited the settlement earlier.
When I heard that Snow-san had taught Momoka how to use Crimson, albeit limited, I had a question.
That was, when exactly did Snow-san teach her that?
Snow-san had left the settlement that day, and Momoka was busy with work, only having time to practice her skills at the plaza, so it was unlikely that Snow-san had taught her anything.
The answer lay in this space, where Momoka had learned from Snow-san. According to Momoka, time didn’t exist in this space, so no matter how long you stayed, time wouldn’t pass in the real world. Momoka had learned in secret, without anyone noticing.
I slowly stood up and turned around to face the entrance of the space.
I saw Diana standing still outside, and after waiting for a few seconds, I realized something.
”Wait, since time doesn’t flow here, Diana and the others won’t come in no matter how long I wait…”
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t realized something so simple, and I felt embarrassed for sending a hand signal to Diana, who was still standing still outside. I quickly exited the space.
”Aah!?”
The moment I stepped out, Diana, who was right in front of me, let out a cute scream and jumped back.
From Diana’s perspective, I must have surprised her by suddenly appearing from the space.
I apologized lightly to Diana, then turned to Momoka.
”How did you and Snow-san enter this space together?”
”How what? We just entered through the entrance like normal.”
”Is this real? Because of the different flow of time, nobody can enter after us, right?”
”Yeah, but… ah, speaking of which, I was pulled in by Snow last time.”
”Let’s try holding hands then.”
So, this time, we entered the entrance while holding hands, but Diana, who was holding my hand, didn’t appear in the alternate space.
I tried to pull Diana into the alternate space, and her body smoothly passed through the entrance.
”Whoa!”
”Are you okay, Diana?”
”Yes… I’ve never been in an alternate space before. Is this what it’s like?”
”No, normally you wouldn’t feel this kind of discomfort. It’s probably because time doesn’t exist here.”
After that, I pulled Lewya, Niya-san, and Momoka into the alternate space, but while Lewya and Niya-san looked uncomfortable, Momoka had a calm expression.
”Momoka seems calm.”
”I’ve already gotten used to it.”
”Used to it? Didn’t you say you’ve only been here once?”
”Yeah, that’s true, but I’ve already gotten used to this sensation. It’s the same feeling Snow taught me.”
You know, that “limitedly deviating from the world’s logic” thing.
So, the discomfort we’re feeling now is probably because “time” has fallen out of our perception.
While talking to Momoka, Lewya and Niya-san also started to get used to it, looking around with curiosity.
”This really is like an unexplored territory, isn’t it? If we came here during the day, we wouldn’t know which one is the real world. How far does this space extend?”
”I think it’s just an illusion, but it’s not that big in reality. What do we do?”
”That’s for another day. Our priority now is the other reason we came here.”
Our purpose for coming here was to confirm the alternate space created by Snow-san, and to conduct a magic experiment using “Crimson”.
Ever since I heard that Momoka created a wall using Crimson and that magic is a diluted form of Origin, I’ve been thinking about it.
Using Crimson as an Origin is still beyond my current abilities, but I thought maybe I could use it to enhance existing magic. That’s why I came here to conduct this experiment.
Initially, I only asked Momoka for the location and planned to come alone, but when I told the others, they insisted on coming with me.
I was worried because of the previous incident where I messed up during the magic tuning test with Wen, using my beloved sword that had undergone magical modifications.
So, with the 4 of them watching, I drew the mock sword from my waist and slowly took a stance.
At first, I infused the sword with magic at an 8:2 ratio with Crimson, and when I activated the magic, a part of the ground rose up, forming a single wall.
”Hmm… I guess mixing Crimson really does mess with my magic control.”
I tried to create a beautiful rectangular wall, but the one that formed was distorted, with missing corners and a slightly warped shape.
I had confidence in my magic control, enough to shape ice into a rose like Scattering Roses, but it seems I need a lot more skill to create complex shapes while mixing Crimson.
I realized that simply pouring magic into the ground or a board is vastly different from creating something with Crimson mixed in. I approached the wall I created and checked its texture.
Momoka’s wall, made with pure Crimson, was a black wall that reflected light with a slight Crimson tint, giving off a metallic sheen. But the wall I made now was a pale pink wall with a texture like marble, somewhere between stone and crystal.
”This wall seems sturdier than an earthen wall, but I wonder about its strength.”
To test that, I took a few steps back, readied my sword again, and cast a weak magic spell to gauge its power.
The spell was weak enough that it wouldn’t penetrate an ordinary earthen wall, only scratching its surface, but the wall in front of me easily deflected it.
I gradually increased the spell’s power, but the wall didn’t budge, and it wasn’t until I used my strongest wind-attribute magic that I managed to inflict a single shallow cut.
”Whoa, this result is kinda disappointing…”
The effect of Crimson was beyond my imagination, which is a pleasant miscalculation. However, as a magician, it’s complicated to think that the skills I’ve cultivated so far aren’t effective in this situation.
I’ll vow to get revenge later, but for now, I’ll prioritize the experiment.
Next, I’ll incorporate Crimson into attack magic, but I’ll instruct the 4 people to keep a slight distance for caution’s sake.
From here on, I’ll carefully select which magic to use.
If I use fire magic, it might get out of control and cause a fire, which would be a joke, so I’ll avoid that. Probably the safest option would be earth magic, but unfortunately, I’m not that skilled in earth magic.
If it’s defense magic, it’s okay, but for attack magic, I should choose an attribute that I can control well to avoid accidents.
So, I’ll choose either wind or ice magic, which I’m good at. But since I’ve already tried wind magic once, I’ll observe the situation with ice magic this time.
I’ll slowly infuse magic and Crimson into my sword.
The ratio will be 9 parts magic and one part Crimson, and the magic will simply shoot an ice block forward.
As I focus, ice starts to form at the sword’s tip, and it’s so thin that it’s almost unnoticeable, with a faint Crimson color.
”Ha!”
With a shout, I release the magic, and it flies straight, colliding with the wall and making a dull sound.
The ice block has penetrated halfway into the wall, and despite the powerful magic, the wall hasn’t received much damage, but it has developed a crack.
I’m amazed that such a simple magic can have this much power just by mixing in a little Crimson, and as a mage, I feel complex emotions about Crimson’s incredible power. At the same time, as a researcher, I’m curious to know how much power it holds.
Next, I need a stronger wall, so I’ll try mixing in 5 parts Crimson to create a wall, but it’s extremely difficult to control when it’s mixed in at that ratio. Although I managed to activate the magic, the resulting object was no longer a wall, but a strange, twisted, and warped object that couldn’t be called a wall.
However, even though the shape is distorted, the strength should be higher than before, so I’ll continue the experiment without hesitation.
I increased the ratio of Crimson to 20% and tried to construct an ice attribute magic again, but unlike when it was 10%, the ice block, which was a beautiful sphere, became difficult to maintain its shape when mixed with 20%.
If I were to release the magic as is, the shape would be distorted, and it wouldn’t fly straight, making it impossible to aim.
So, I decided to be even more cautious than before, pouring more power into it and taking multiple times longer to construct the magic—when suddenly…
”Ah!”
Crack! A sound like something cracking echoed, and in the next instant, the ice block shattered, and the sword snapped in 2.
As I stared at the sword lying on the ground, the 4 people who were a short distance away came running towards me.
”Neil-sama, what’s going on?”
”It seems like the sword couldn’t withstand the Crimson as a medium. It looks like you can’t use Crimson with just any medium.”
”Is that so? But I didn’t have any problems when I used it on the ground before.”
”That’s because you were just flowing it into the hole you dug, not directly into the ground itself. When you pour it in directly like I did, it puts a significant burden on the medium. Normally, it would take decades of use for it to fatigue and break, but…”
I said, gazing down at the sword lying on the ground again.
This sword had been used extensively for a period of time to adapt to my magical power, but after that, I barely used it.
It was still in good condition, with hardly any fatigue, but after mixing in the Crimson, it ended up like this after just a few uses.
Probably, the defensive magic that I activated with 50% Crimson put an enormous burden on it.
The way it broke wasn’t like it was suddenly crushed by intense pressure from the inside, but rather, it couldn’t withstand the load and developed small cracks that spread.
”For now, it seems like we should prioritize finding a medium that can withstand Crimson over experimentation.”
”But what kind of material can withstand it? Isn’t Neil’s sword a good example of a suitable medium?”
”Umm, I can’t really say about that…”
The Melanite used in my sword is a metal commonly used in daily items like lighting, and since it’s designed to handle magical power on a daily basis, it’s a metal that’s resistant to magical fatigue. There aren’t many materials that can withstand fatigue better than this.
However, my sword isn’t made of pure Melanite, and it’s mixed with other metals to increase its strength as a sword, so there’s a high possibility that it’s weak against magic fatigue.
But if I were to ask if a pure Melanite sword could withstand Crimson, it’s probably impossible. And even if I were to think of a material that could withstand Crimson, it would be something rare and precious like Mithril, so it’s not something I could easily get my hands on.
”At the very least, it’s difficult to get something that can easily withstand it.”
”That’s true, so what about the sword Wen fixed? That one’s still broken physically, even if it’s been repaired with magic. Even if the sword itself were to shatter into pieces, it wouldn’t be a problem.”
”That’s true, if it’s that sword, it might be able to withstand Crimson… but I don’t have the confidence to control it, considering I can’t even control it normally.”
I recall the incident that created this clearing by cutting down part of the forest, and I make a bitter face.
Even with my power suppressed to the limit, the result was still that… and if I were to mix Crimson into that… just thinking about it is terrifying.
”Don’t worry, the reason for that was because Wen was by your side and received a strong blessing. Now that we’re in this space, I can’t feel the presence of the spirits at all, so you should be able to use that sword like a normal medium.”
”That’s true, then let’s get started right away――”
”Neil-sama.”
Niya-san interrupts my words that I will give it a try.
”You have the enthusiasm, which is good, but let’s stop for today. Even if time doesn’t pass here, your strength is undoubtedly being consumed. Neil-sama, you tend to get absorbed in things once you start, and you might lose track of time, right?”
”Ugh… you’re right.”
It’s true that if I start doing something here, I won’t be able to stop until I get some kind of result or feel exhausted.
Even if time doesn’t pass, I can still feel the passage of time, so it’s not right to keep the 4 of us confined any longer. Today’s experiment ends here.
By the way, if I were to go solo and overuse Crimson, causing me to collapse, no one would be able to come and help me. That’s why it’s become a rule for someone to always accompany me during experiments, and since keeping someone tied up for a long time is also bad, I’ve started to wrap up the experiments quickly.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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