Infinite Mage

Chapter 141: The Labyrinth of Time (4)

Translator/Editor: Ryuu

Chapter 141: The Labyrinth of Time (4)

The mage returned with a serious expression and conjured a sphere of fire between her palms.

Unlike Amy's multiple spheres, having just one made it easier to increase its density.

"He's focusing the firepower, isn't he? Desperate to win."

As Amy predicted, the mage was tense. Of course, she had never quantified the power of her magic, so it was uncertain how high she could score.

But it seemed unlikely that she would struggle to triple the output of a Lightning Arrow.

"Ta-ha!"

The mage thrust her hands forward vigorously.

Under the control of the mage's Spirit Zone, inertia was ignored, so there was no need for special motions to cast magic.

Yet, adopting a shooting stance was the mage's flailing attempt to increase her focus even by a bit.

Amy followed the Fireball with her eyes. The fabric of the maze absorbed the fire, creating a whirlwind of flames.

The mage looked at the orb with hopeful eyes, but soon her face fell.

The score was 1,330. Just 310 points higher than the Lightning Arrow.

A significant difference for a swordsman judged solely on physical prowess, but in the realm of magic where phenomena were manipulated, it was much of a muchness.

"How could this be? No! It's because the firepower was dispersed. It should have exceeded 2,000."

No one responded to the mage's voice.

The difference was too great. No matter what, she couldn't surpass Amy's score.

The archer thought it was already hopeless to pass through here. The girl who scored over 3,000 points must be the highest level here.

Even a mage revered as sacred in the mercenary world scored only 1,330. That she exhibited more than double that magical power meant she was at least the most talented of her age group.

Rian and Tess thought similarly.

Not to belittle Shirone's skills, but Amy was his senior at school. If she, an advanced student, failed, it was expected that Shirone would struggle to surpass her.

Amy alone didn't think this was the end.

"Shirone, you need to take this seriously. It might just be a narrow miss."

"Got it. I'll give it my best."

The leader snickered, dripping with sarcasm.

"Ha! What good is giving your best? It's about the results. It's over. Let's pack up and go."

Shirone realized something from the leader's readiness to give up without trying. The fabric of the maze, known as the Eye of the Angel. What was her purpose in creating such an altar?

The fleeting insight had to be shelved for now. The priority was to focus on the task at hand.

Shirone closed his eyes and performed the Sequence Method. A faint point of light emerged in front of him. Then, countless photons swarmed towards the center, increasing in size.

"What, what's this? Photon Output? How is that supposed to make an impact?"

The mage exclaimed in disbelief. Yet, she couldn't take her eyes off Shirone due to the unusual force not typically seen in regular Photon Output.

As Shirone opened his eyes wide, a fist-sized white sphere vibrated as if furious.

Gritting his teeth, Shirone fired the Photon Cannon. The beam of light stretched at near-light speed, striking the fabric of the maze as if to shatter it.

Even the mercenaries, who initially had low expectations, were captivated by the brilliance of the flash, anxiously awaiting the score.

4,783.

The unexpected number made everyone's eyes widen.

Especially the mage and archer, who were appalled, as Shirone had used Photon Output.

Light holds no special firepower. It's defined solely by the product of speed and mass.

Yet, the score was 4,783. To put it in perspective, it was akin to the impact of 20 warriors, each opting for a strength-enhancement build, striking with all their might.

"What in the world are those?"

The mercenaries began to feel uneasy. They didn't know the principle behind Shirone's magic, but it was clear that none among them could withstand it.

However, there was no time to ponder further thoughts. Despite the tremendous impact, the fabric of the maze proudly emitted a red light, indicating failure.

Shirone felt drained. What kind of orb was this?

Perhaps 5,000 points were the passing threshold. But it seemed unlikely that the Photon Cannon could be more powerful than this.

"I wish I could try one more time."

Amy covered her mouth, chuckling as if she had been waiting.

"Ho-ho! Do you understand how I feel? I felt the same. But really, how many points are needed to pass?"

"I don't know. Maybe a laser would work."

"Oh, right! A laser can accumulate energy."

Shirone's laser vibrated molecules, increasing its destructive power over time. Theoretically, it could destroy anything, making it perfect for this kind of assessment.

There's a next turn. We'll have to try after a full round. What about you? Are you not going to try?"

Shirone addressed the leader, but he just stood there, grimacing.

As the scores escalated with each turn, the thought of stepping forward seemed impossible. As a swordsman, his best score might barely reach around 200 points.

"Damn it! It's over! We have nothing left but to go back."

The leader walked towards the entrance with urgent strides, but no matter how much he twisted the doorknob, the iron door wouldn't budge.

The group turned around in confusion to see a man with white tattoos saying,

"You are one. If one receives an assessment, all must be assessed. You cannot leave before that."

Understanding dawned on the group with the archer's translation. The rule wasn't just about unifying will but also about actions aligning.

"Ah! This is so annoying! Why keep insisting on something so obviously futile?"

Complaints poured from the leader's mouth, but to leave, he had no choice but to prove his worth.

'So it is. This rule is truly cruel.'

Shirone felt a chill.

Why hadn't he realized it until now? All the rules explained by the man with white tattoos were based on one premise.

Trust among comrades.

It was a peculiar evaluation method. In terms of firepower alone, mages had an advantage over Swordsmen.

But that didn't mean Swordsmen were weaker than mages. Even if a mage could shatter rocks and cleave the earth, a Swordsman specialized in biological combat could slice through that mage in one stroke.

Moreover, measuring the power of magic was problematic. If Amy, specializing in long-range magic, had attempted Sniper Mode, she might have scored much higher. But this place didn't consider such variables.

The narrow octagonal altar and the eight orbs.

'Why eight? Just for aesthetic balance? But in reality, didn't we all evaluate using just one orb?'

What was most peculiar was the divine language. The fabric of the maze measured impact and displayed it numerically.

Why? What was the meaning behind it?

If it was to distinguish those heading to Kergos, indicating pass or fail would suffice.

The score variance according to one's specialty could be vast. In such a situation, requiring everyone to be evaluated created a single emotion.

'Obsession with scores. Anxiety when a comrade scores higher. Disdain when scoring lower. Without a perfect understanding of each other's roles, discord is inevitable. And what awaits at the end of that rule is...'

The sacrifice of one to send another.

Shirone took a deep breath. What was the maze thinking? This evaluation was designed to pit them against each other.

"Shirone, let's just leave after this guy's done."

Amy whispered, tension evident in her eyes, perhaps sharing the same thoughts.

Rian and Tess also wore grave expressions, sensitive to the atmosphere emphasizing comradeship, and quickly grasped the intention behind the rule, which clearly disadvantaged Swordsmen.

As expected, the leader was at a loss. He could sense a change in his fellow mercenaries' gaze.

"Huff, huff, aaaaah!"

Without pausing to breathe, the leader charged. Although he was sprinting, to Shirone, it seemed as if he was fleeing from something.

Was his Schema fully opened? Where was his sword positioned? How far was the target? Without knowing any of these, his steps faltered, and he stumbled.

Gasping for breath, he swung his sword in a fall, and the imprecise blade struck beside the orb, bouncing off.

"Damn!"

The leader, attempting to escape the maze and the altar, hurriedly regained his balance and turned back.

The number 32 floated there.

But no one laughed. The comrades' expressions were as if they had faced a tremendous humiliation.

"So what! It wouldn't have passed anyway! I did it, so let's just leave!"

The leader exited the altar with a forced bravado, but his steps were directed away from his comrades.

'That party is over. They'll probably disband once they leave here.'

Shirone thought it was time to give up. It was regrettable not to try again, but he couldn't do more with the trust among the mercenaries broken.

"Could you translate for me, please?"

Shirone asked the archer. Even if they were to leave, he wanted to confirm one thing.

The archer, seemingly disillusioned by the current situation, readily agreed.

"Sure. What do you want to ask?"

"Has anyone ever passed through this gate before?"

The man with white tattoos nodded firmly.

"It's a gate meant for passing. Its not a trap."

"How many points are needed to pass through the fabric of the maze?"

"The eight eyes of the angel will judge you."

The man repeated his initial statement. It all came down to the fabric of the maze's decision.

After pondering for a moment, Shirone asked one last question.

"What's the passing rate of those who've come here?"

"I don't know exactly. Sometimes many come, sometimes just one. From what I've seen, about one in ten pass. The rate seems higher when they're alone."

Shirone was startled. The rate was much higher than expected.

He had thought there might be no passers at all, assuming the maze's design by Miro wasn't just about assessing skills.

Of course, that view hadn't changed. But the man with white tattoos clearly stated there were passers, at a significant rate of 10 percent.

Shirone's smiling lips quivered. A shiver ran up his spine.

"Shirone, why the sudden change?"

Headmaster is really a trickster."

"Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

Although Amy was puzzled by his words, Shirone was too absorbed to respond. Alpheas's voice seemed to echo in his head.

-Miro's world can be roughly understood.

Not roughly, but clearly. If one couldn't overcome such a challenge, they weren't meant to learn about Miro.

'Sorry, Headmasterr, but I've come to know.'

Shirone hadn't given up. He was determined to pass through here during the trip.

Amy, noticing Shirone's silence, guessed his thoughts.

'Shirone hasn't given up.'

Then she wouldn't either. Initially, she followed just to aid Shirone, but now she genuinely wanted to know about this woman named Miro.

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