Chapter 129: Aslan Seminar (3) |
Just before stepping onto the podium, while Eisel was being challenged by the Dromian mage, Baek Yu-Seol also garnered attention from above.
"Is that him?"
"Yeah, it seems so."
"He’s been showing up in various media outlets recently."
"What's the big deal about catching a few Dark Mages..."
Though Baek Yu-Seol had just entered his first year, there were many elite mages in their 20s who even had official magic warrior certifications.
They possessed considerable practical combat experience, and they had likely faced Dark Mages numerous times.
To them, someone like Baek Yu-Seol, who had only hunted Dark Mages a few times and was gaining attention from the public, wouldn't sit well.
"Leave him be. Have any of you hunted Dark Mages at seventeen? Just ranting about facing a Level 6 Danger Dark Mage when you've never actually encountered one."
It’s human nature not to feel comfortable with younger, more capable geniuses.
"Hi, you're Baek Yu-Seol?"
"Yes, hello."
After stopping the gossiping people around him, a young man in his early twenties approached Baek Yu-Seol, and offered a handshake.
Baek Yu-Seol accepted it somewhat reluctantly.
"I'm Cheongparam Aidun. We might not meet often, but I still wanted to exchange greetings."
"I'm Baek Yu-Seol."
"They're all envious of you, so don't feel pressured."
"Not really."
Even though it was known as the world's most prestigious Stella Academy, several prestigious academies existed inside Aether World.
Even within Arcanium alone, there were five prestigious academies, including Stella.
Each academy boasted talented individuals who took pride in their respective academy, family, and magic skills.
Everyone believed that they could easily crush a first-year Stella student from a commoner background.
"Well, you seem genuinely relaxed... You're quite unique. Even the smartest and most successful mage might feel a bit pressured when so much attention is on them. But you seem entirely unfazed."
In truth, Baek Yu-Seol’s expression remained as calm as a tranquil lake.
The reason lay in the protection from the ‘Blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamweol,’ but Cheongparam remained unaware of it.
"Anyway... I wish you luck. You'll become a public target. Most likely, many mages won't refrain from using 'Intellectual Contours' on you."
"Yes, I need to be careful."
"Then I'll be on my way."
As Cheongparam left, Baek Yu-Seol let out a deep sigh.
*'Intellectual Contours'*
... In the Aslan Seminar, there were over 200 mages who would each discuss their thesis.
If they constantly point out the other’s thesis, and endlessly critique, then there would be no end to it.
At the Aslan Seminar, each attending mage was given five chances to critique.
They could use these chances to discuss and challenge others' thesis.
If one failed to answer, there was no penalty.
However, it was just a bad line would be drawn on his career as a mage.
Only five chances.
Mages didn’t frivolously use those chances; they waited for crucial moments to make their critiques.
*‘When they can penetrate the core of the opponent's argument.’*
*‘When they discover a perfect flaw in the opponent's thesis.’*
*‘When they can utterly demolish the opponent.’*
*And, ‘... When they absolutely want to ruin the opponent.’*
Because of these critique opportunities, Edna had a tough time in the original game.
At that time, she possessed various elemental magics that no other mage could wield, and attracted attention from society.
Countless mages including Stella’s extra villain Cellyn used those critique chances against her.
In the game, the player had to refer to the ‘spec’ and choose the correct response each time.
If they gave a wrong answer, they had to return to a ‘save point’ and restart, making it a frustratingly infamous part of the game.
Here, in reality, there were no ‘save points.’
You have to get it right from the beginning.
*‘Can she do it…’*
He was a little worried.
The playable Edna in the game had various external help, but real-life Edna didn't.
*‘No, rather than worrying about Edna, should I be more concerned about Eisel?’*
As the child of the traitor Morph, she was already on the radar of many mages, and could be fiercely trampled by them.
Moreover, Eisel hadn’t fully absorbed her thesis yet.
According to the original game storyline, Eisel ultimately couldn't complete her thesis, leading to a mental breakdown under the intense pressure brought by the Aslan Seminar.
To prevent that in advance, Baek Yu-Seol helped complete the thesis… but even then, it was uncertain if she would withstand the attacks of countless geniuses.
Even if he wanted to help, he couldn't.
From now on, she would truly have to figure it out on her own.
"There will be a presentation by Eisel Morph from Stella Academy."
The noisy audience suddenly fell silent.
Finally, that name was mentioned.
'Traitor Morph.'
It couldn’t just be a coincidental placement.
Of all the people gathered here, why choose the eldest daughter of the Morph Family as the first one to step forward?
It was blatantly obvious that they intended to use her as a cannon fodder.
The hall was in a U-shaped design with a stage in the center. The audience sat in tiered seats, facing the presenter in the middle.
Eisel stood there, and appeared somewhat tense despite trying hard to conceal it.
"... This is Eisel Morph."
"Yes, Eisel. I've read your thesis. It showcased a very unique understanding of ice magic. It was intriguing."
Whether or not others looked at Eisel with hostile eyes, Chairman Jiaryumon spoke in a soothing voice.
“Th-Thank you!”
Although Jiaryumon might be suffering from an illness, being one of the top 10 mages in the world with Class 9 strength, his praise felt like a good start.
Some mages seemed uncomfortable with the praise for the magic of the Morph Family, but no one dared to mock in front of the Archmage.
“Well then, can we expect an impressive presentation?”
“Of course!”
After Eisel replied energetically, she promptly began her presentation.
The magic she had researched was very unique.
“Every ice has its 'crystals. They are sometimes shaped like poles, sometimes pillars, or even tree branches... Occasionally, they take the shape of stars or flowers.”
Normally, cryogenic magic aimed to rapidly cool the temperature of a target to freezing point.
However, Eisel delved into the phenomenon which occurred after freezing, the 'ice crystals.'
Every mage knew about them, yet no one had attempted to study and implement them magically.
“By studying the patterns of ice crystals, I've discovered that cryogenic magic can unlock new possibilities in another form.”
A magic circle formed at the tip of Eisel’s wand. It wasn't the usual circular magic circle but a hexagonal one.
Baek Yu-Seol knew about the theory. Every future cryogenic mage would adopt the hexagonal magic circle developed by Eisel here today.
Since it was the most ideal and perfect form for cryogenic magic.
However, today's mages were still unaware of this fact.
In their eyes, Eisel’s magic circle was just... somewhat pretty and peculiar, yet it exhibited the pinnacle of inefficiency since a thousand year old belief that magic circles must be 'circular’ was deeply entrenched in their minds.
As if to prove that stereotype, someone seized the opportunity to comment just as Eisel was about to start her thesis presentation.
Cellyn from Stella Academy.
Sitting quite high in the tiered seats, she pressed a button, and a microphone rose in front of her.
Cellyn grasped it and inquired, “It's quite intriguing that magic can manifest not just in the form of a circle but also as a hexagon. However, did our ancestors fail to draw such magic circles because they weren’t pretty?”
“Well…”
Eisel had firmly braced herself, but she didn't expect to be such a direct attack right from the beginning, and her expression hardened.
“The Records of Ligram’s Magic documents successful manifestations of various forms of magic circles, including hexagons. However, Ligram eventually didn't choose another magic circle. Why do you think that is?'
“... Due to the inefficiency of mana circulation.”
“That's right. When mana travels through curved paths, it can efficiently and rapidly transmit its energy. Hexagon magic circles? Beautiful, honestly, I'd want to draw them and hang them at home, but apart from that aesthetic value, they don't seem to offer much else.”
Hahaha!
Laughter erupted as she jokingly mocked Eisel’s thesis.
In reality, there was nothing wrong with Cellyn’s words. She had already perfectly analyzed and deconstructed Eisel’s magic, and prepared how to critique it.
While most mages circulated mana within their minds to achieve immense computational abilities, Cellyn had an ability called [Information Processing Ability].
"That's..."
Clearly, it was a question already predicted by Eisel. It could be easily refuted with a little effort, but the moment she tried to recall the related theory, she got stuck somewhere.
Eisel’s thoughts froze as if her mind had been paralyzed.
When Eisel couldn't respond, Cellyn's successful attack was immediately followed by another 'opportunity to comment.'
Once the initial comment opportunity was used, there was a five minute window during which the speaker could choose not to respond.
"Eisel Morph, your magic seems to have a significant flaw."
Once a rival of the Morph Family, Keika of the Dromian Family spoke up.
"In cryogenic magic, it's essential to construct a formula by specifying the freezing point. Because each substance has its own freezing point. However, your magic has no links to freezing points. Are you just pouring mana to cool without considering the freezing points?"
"Th-The freezing point..."
Eisel opened her mouth as if trying to come up with an excuse, and Dromian pretended to spare her a moment.
But seeing Eisel confused and unable to speak for a few seconds, he quickly struck again.
Here, it was not just about undermining the opponent's magic; it was more about highlighting oneself to stand out even more.
"As an example, let's talk about the Dromian Family’s magic circle."
So, he deliberately brought up the proud cryogenic magic of his family.
During the thesis debate, displaying magic circles was quite acceptable, so no one criticized Keika for waving his wand and creating a blue ice magic circle.
"Do you see this magic circle? To efficiently designate freezing points, Dromian Family inserted as many as eighteen freezing points into a single magic circle equation."
"Wow...!"
"It's impressive…”
Since it was a type of magic which froze the target, the number of freezing points inserted into that complex magic circle became the main task of cryogenic magic and a benchmark for superiority.
Yet, in the magic circle of the Morph Family, which reappeared after a decade, there was not a single freezing point.
*‘How do you feel?'*
Keika shrugged his shoulders and his smile feigned victory, while Eisel’s expression progressively hardened.
With that momentum, one by one, mages started seizing the opportunity to comment against her.
"While adopting this hexagonal magic circle, you attempt to rewrite the old 'Ordon's Theory of Temperature Changes.' What's the connection between this magic and that theory?"
"I have doubts about the mana consumption formula at the moment of freezing. Why is the mana consumption only this much? Proper scrutiny is needed..."
"Erasing the freezing points and creating a hexagonal magic circle decreases the efficiency..."
Despite being bombarded with numerous questions, Eisel appeared frozen and couldn’t answer.
Baek Yu-Seol soon understood the reason.
She wasn't just speechless because she forgot the theory; despite just starting her presentation... The indiscriminate barrage of criticism and ridicule had unnerved her, leaving her mentally shaken.
She was a woman who had been enduring insults for a lifetime.
Yet, at that moment, everyone was blatantly stripping away her foundational magic, and making a joke out of it. Even Eisel’s mental fortitude was significantly shaken.
*'Everyone hates me, huh.'*
*‘No matter what magic I use, no matter what logic I present, they have no interest at all.’*
*‘They simply take delight in suppressing me, demeaning me, and mocking me as trash.’*
Amid blatant criticism, Eisel painfully realized this fact.
At that moment, Baek Yu-Seol thought: *‘In the midst of the Aslan Seminar, it's impossible to teach or advise Eisel. She has to figure it out herself.’*
*'How?'*
Eisel’s magic and reasoning were flawless, to the point where there was no need to teach or assist her anymore.
So then... the only option left was to point out that flaw.
"Eisel, I've found a weakness in your thesis."
Hence, Baek Yu-Seol used the 'opportunity to comment' against her.",
