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Chapter 106: Mystery (3)

“It’s finished.”

Arkamis spoke with a tired face.

Her eyes were hollow, but they shone more brightly than ever.

“Oooh!”

Ketal reacted with excitement.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“I gained a lot too.”

The grain of omnipotence, almost akin to the Philosopher’s Stone.

Understanding its peculiarities and limits had greatly aided her alchemy.

It provided a stepping stone to a higher level.

“This is what remains.”

Arkamis took out a pouch to show them.

The pouch, once filled with iridescent grains, was noticeably depleted.

“Quite a bit less.”

The iridescent grains had originally been twice the size of a human torso.

Arkamis had said that the amount needed was about the size of one human torso.

But the remaining quantity was less than a quarter of that.

Arkamis explained defensively.

“No, I tried to stick to that, but as I researched more, new properties kept emerging. To ensure stability, it couldn’t be helped. I didn’t siphon off any, really.”

“I’m not suspecting you of that. I trust you.”

“R-really?”

Arkamis scratched her cheek with an embarrassed look.

Ketal asked with a nervous face.

“So, what do we do now?”

“It’s simple.”

Arkamis began explaining.

“We’ll use these grains to create a magic circle. Then, using a catalyst, we’ll link it to the magic circle and alter the properties of the grains.”

Arkamis showed a tiny catalyst, no larger than a fingernail.

Despite its size, it was worth several times its weight in gold.

Its rarity had made it extremely difficult for Milena to acquire.

“And as the altered properties imbue themselves within your body, it will pave the way to mystery. The details are too complex to explain, but that’s the general plan.”

“I see.”

“It will feel quite peculiar as the path to mystery forms within your body.”

“Understood.”

Ketal nodded.

Arkamis took a deep breath before speaking again.

“Then let’s begin the preparations right away.”

Arkamis started creating the magic circle using the grains.

The alchemy was so intricate that Ketal, in his current state, couldn’t understand or analyze it.

As he watched in a daze, Arkamis spoke up.

“Once the alchemy is properly completed, the grains won’t be needed anymore. So, Ketal.”

“I know.”

Ketal replied calmly.

“You can use the leftovers as you wish.”

“R-really?”

“That was our agreement from the start, wasn’t it?”

“But…”

The grains were extremely special and valuable, even in the small remaining amount.

It was almost impossible to put a price on them.

But Ketal spoke as if it were the most natural thing.

“I made a promise to you.”

The promise to give Arkamis the remaining grains.

“A promise must be kept. If the alchemy is successfully completed, all the remaining grains will be yours, Arkamis.”

“…”

Arkamis stopped in her tracks.

She looked at Ketal with a face full of genuine emotion.

Alchemy required many materials and funds.

Naturally, it was difficult for her to manage alone, and she had to find a sponsor or enter into contracts.

But she was, after all, an elf.

To humans, she was merely a stranger.

She had been betrayed by sponsors and had countless experiences of not receiving the agreed rewards.

She had spent about a hundred years outside.

During that time, she had faced much oppression, contempt, and deceit.

The reason she had maintained a long relationship with Milena was that Milena always honored her contracts perfectly.

Ketal was not someone she had a formal contract with.

Even if he refused to give her the grains, no one could say anything.

In an era where even written contracts could be easily ignored, verbal promises meant even less.

In truth, she hadn’t expected to receive all the grains.

She thought she would be lucky to get half of them.

But Ketal had promised to keep his word.

That simple statement meant the world to her.

“K-Ketal…”

Her voice was half-choked with tears.

A strange light glowed in Arkamis’ eyes as she looked at Ketal.

She clenched her fists.

“I will succeed. I will definitely succeed.”

And a few hours later, the magic circle was completed.

* * *

“Now, sit at the center of the magic circle. Be careful not to disturb its form.”

“Understood.”

Ketal moved to the center of the magic circle and sat in a lotus position.

Arkamis tilted her head.

“That posture…”

“I’m used to it, it’s fine.”

“Uh, well, if you say so.”

Arkamis took a short breath.

A serious light shone in her eyes.

“Even if it feels uncomfortable, please endure it for a bit. I need a lot of concentration, and any disruption could cause failure.”

“I won’t move.”

Ketal remained perfectly still.

If someone saw him, they might mistake him for a statue.

Arkamis spoke hesitantly.

“No need to be that still, but….”

In any case, everything was ready.

Arkamis began to recite with her breath.

[Behold. Meaningless catalysts formed with a definite shape. Listen. Things shaped without their own will.]

It was an incantation.

[I will become your master.]

Kiiiiing.

The magic circle started to glow.

Arkamis’ golden eyes sank into a deep abyss.

Her soft brown hair swayed.

[Move according to my will.]

Kiiiiiiing!

The light from the magic circle filled the room.

It slowly rose and began to envelop Ketal.

[Move, move. Fulfill the will of your master. Change your form and alter your structure.]

The iridescent grains contacted the catalyst and began to change their properties.

The swirling grains started to form a vortex around Ketal.

This was an incantation possible only for an alchemist who had reached a pinnacle.

A great alchemy of an alchemist who had reached a superhuman level, among whom only the truly extraordinary were called such.

[Thus, you shall become tools.]

The swirling catalysts slowly began to embed themselves into Ketal’s body.

Ketal suppressed the groan that threatened to escape.

He started to feel an entirely unknown sixth sense.

Arkamis concluded the incantation.

[Fulfill your role as tools.]

Kuuuuung!

A wave spread out.

The catalysts and tools hanging on the walls shook.

The dust on the floor was swept away.

“Huff, huff.”

Arkamis collapsed to the floor, cold sweat dripping from her face.

“D-did it work?”

It was such a high-level alchemy that she couldn’t be sure.

She looked at Ketal with an anxious face.

Ketal remained in place.

There seemed to be no visible change.

Arkamis asked anxiously.

“K-Ketal?”

Ketal didn’t respond.

He stayed like that for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

“Ha, hahahaha!”

“Kyaa!”

A burst of wild laughter.

Arkamis instinctively covered her ears.

The house trembled under the force of his laughter.

Crack.

No, beyond just trembling, small cracks appeared on the walls.

Arkamis couldn’t believe her eyes.

Was he causing physical effects just by laughing?

“Phew.”

Ketal managed to stop laughing.

Normally, he would have restrained himself to avoid causing damage, but he couldn’t help it this time.

If a human could have wings and fly in the sky, would it feel like this?

He felt an entirely new sensation within him that he had never experienced before.

It was mysterious and profoundly moving.

Ketal trembled with emotion and clenched his fists.

He had now obtained mystery.

* * *

“Judging by your reaction, it worked.”

“Of course it worked! Thank you! Arkamis, it’s all thanks to you!”

Ketal rushed over to Arkamis, grabbed her, and lifted her into the air.

He spun her around, expressing his joy with his whole body.

“K-Ketal, put me down!”

Arkamis screamed.

Ketal laughed and set her down.

“Ah, sorry. I was so happy I couldn’t contain myself.”

“No, it’s okay. I understand.”

Arkamis’ face turned oddly red as she landed on the floor.

She cleared her throat to calm her heart.

“How does it feel? Any sense of instability or anything?”

“None. It seems like a complete success.”

The mystery had settled within him.

Being able to wield the mysterious power of fantasy was incredibly gratifying.

Arkamis smiled.

“That’s a relief. I was a bit worried.”

“So, I can use the mystery now?”

“Exactly. Try focusing your mind. It should feel similar to when you attempted it before.”

Ketal immediately sat in a lotus position again.

He closed his eyes and concentrated.

‘Move.’

He willed it to move.

Then, the mystery began to respond to his will.

His heart pounded rapidly.

“How do I control this?”

“Normally, you’d need to raise your level….”

Simply sensing the mystery didn’t mean one could immediately control it.

Naturally, one had to gradually elevate their level to manifest it.

“But in your case, you obtained the mystery through unconventional means, so you should be able to manifest it right away. Just think about bringing it out.”

Arkamis was an alchemist who had turned someone ignorant of the mystery into a superhuman.

Given Ketal’s current state, he should be able to manifest the mystery immediately. Considering the materials invested, this was to be expected.

“I see.”

Ketal immediately put it into practice.

He focused his mind and tried to draw out the mystery.

“…Hmm?”

But Ketal realized something was off.

The mystery, which had been slowly rising, failed to emerge and dissipated.

It was the same no matter how many times he tried.

“Arkamis, something’s wrong.”

“What is it?”

Ketal explained the anomaly with the mystery.

Hearing this, Arkamis frowned.

“…It dissipates as you try to manifest it? What do you mean by that? Such a case usually happens if the amount of mystery is significantly insufficient, but that shouldn’t be the case for you.”

To draw out and manifest the mystery from the path of mystery, the mystery itself had to be consumed.

Unless there wasn’t enough to consume, it wouldn’t dissipate like this.

Arkamis paused as she considered this.

“…Wait a moment.”

She combined some catalysts hanging on the wall and quickly made a potion.

“Try drinking this.”

“What is it?”

“A potion that increases the amount of mystery. It’s not very efficient, but we need to check something.”

“Understood.”

Ketal drank the potion.

As Arkamis had said, the amount of mystery increased.

However, it was just a tiny amount, like a grain of millet.

Without his heightened senses, he wouldn’t have noticed.

When he explained this, Arkamis frowned.

“…I think I understand.”

“What’s the problem?”

“It’s not so much a problem as it is the sheer capacity of your body.”

Ketal’s body was unique.

It was difficult to find the path of mystery through ordinary means.

That’s why they used the iridescent grains to barely create the path of mystery.

And this uniqueness persisted even after discovering the mystery.

“It seems that with the amount of mystery you have now, you can’t use it within your body.”

It was a simple issue.

The vessel that was Ketal’s body was too large.

To handle the mystery in such a vast vessel, a very large amount of mystery was required.

It was purely a matter of quantity.

“But, the amount of mystery you have now isn’t small.”

Even conservatively, it was at a first-rate level.

Despite having that much mystery, he couldn’t even achieve a simple manifestation?

‘What kind of body is this?’

It was beyond comprehension.

“So, it’s just a matter of the amount of mystery.”

“Yes. Since you can at least attempt to manifest it, that part seems fine.”

That simplified things.

He just needed to increase the amount of mystery.

Ketal asked,

“How do I increase the amount?”

“Hmm… By training or consuming things filled with mystery. One of the two. The problem is, given your body, ordinary methods probably won’t work.”

Arkamis joked,

“Want to eat a dragon heart? That might work instantly.”

Of course, it was a joke.

Dragons were closer to natural disasters than living creatures.

Even heroes couldn’t easily handle such monsters.

There was no way he could obtain their hearts.

“A dragon heart, huh.”

But Ketal muttered seriously.

“If that would work, then that’s what I need.”