Chapter 236: The Price of Time

The magic of Chronomancy, which controls time to flow faster or slower within a specific area.

The official name of this magic, which I described as manipulating the flow of time, is Manipulation.

It’s been a week since I started researching the ‘Tome of Time’.

I’ve managed to understand the general flow.

“I never thought the inscription for Chronomancy would require the inscription of a Spatial Magician… Surprisingly, that was helpful.”

-“Indeed. I had no idea space and time had so much in common. Magic truly becomes more wondrous the more you learn.”

I expected the Chronomancy inscriptions to be unfamiliar and difficult, taking some time to master, but I was able to find a fair number of surprisingly familiar inscriptions.

None other than the inscriptions needed for Spatial Magic.

Thanks to that, I was able to make smoother progress than I anticipated.

Than I anticipated, that is.

……It doesn’t look easy at all.

“True.”

While engraving the inscription for Manipulation, which controls time to slow down or speed up, I was attempting to understand the very principles of Chronomancy, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.

The reason is the lack of related concepts.

To maximize the efficiency of an inscription, you can’t just blindly engrave it and power it up according to a formula. You need to understand the related concepts and know the principles.

Only then can you freely modify, enhance, and transform magic as I learned from Kreutzvalt.

“Was there an inscription like this? Why does it look so bizarre and grotesque?”

-“I don’t know much about the concepts of Chronomancy either… I’m not much help.”

“Well, that can’t be helped. Let’s keep studying together.”

Unlike with the lower-circle magic before, Furnel can’t provide instruction for this.

There isn’t anyone else who knows Chronomancy well either.

So, the subsequent time had to be spent with Furnel, poring over the grimoire, interpreting meanings, and debating.

-“The third inscription of ‘Prolongation of Life’… How do you interpret it? I think it’s a variant of the ‘Extension’ inscription.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to see it as a completely new concept?”

-“Hmm… Well then, let’s experiment first according to your idea.”

When a debate reaches no conclusion, there’s ultimately no choice but to test it with my own body.

For example, if I couldn’t fully interpret the meaning of a newly appearing ‘Prolongation of Life’ inscription like now, I’d first engrave it on my body.

At the very start, I’d distribute magic power according to the formula written in the grimoire, and after that, I’d try transforming it based on my own interpretation.

It was a simple, brute-force method that an ordinary magician wouldn’t even dare attempt.

[Trait – ‘Genius of Mana Resonance’ is active.]

But Hio had eyes that could see the flow of magic power, so any major errors could be corrected immediately, and problems could be identified as soon as they manifested.

All of this was what I learned from Kreutzvalt.

The first magic written in the ‘Tome of Time’, Manipulation, was completed after two weeks of research.

The reason I could complete it relatively quickly compared to its difficulty was partly due to throwing myself into the research, and partly thanks to Hio’s trait of seeing magic power, but the most significant factor was having already broken through to the 6th and 7th Circles.

-“It was beyond our common sense from the start.”

“It’s magic with an ambiguous concept of Circles… Fascinating.”

Manipulation is magic with an ambiguous concept, neither purely 6th Circle nor 7th Circle.

It is clearly 6th Circle magic, but depending on how it’s used, it crosses that boundary into a mysterious realm.

[You have successfully activated Chronomancy – ‘Manipulation’.]

[‘Manipulation’ is registered as a skill.]

I registered the completed magic as a skill.

Then, the next thing to do was verification.

I needed to check how my first-ever Chronomancy would activate as a skill.

“Go over there and stand.”

The test subject was, of course, Furnel.

-“……You mean me?”

“Well, who else is here?”

-“What about that Psycho Goddess…”

“She hasn’t come yet. No choice.”

Furnel trudged away, pretending to slump his shoulders.

Being a ghost, his drooping shoulders almost flowed down to the floor.

‘But what could I do?’

In this enormous Tower of Mages, the only moving beings were Furnel and Hio.

“That should be far enough. Stop.”

……Understood.

I stopped Furnel at an appropriate distance and slowly raised my staff.

While I had succeeded in manifesting it as magic, I hadn’t yet tried it on a living, moving creature to see exactly what degree of effect it had, so this was effectively its first true manifestation.

Alright!

“I’m starting.”

The skill manifests.

Upon reaching the 7th Circle, my magic power felt endlessly abundant, but I could feel a massive amount of it draining away all at once.

[Skill – ‘Manipulation’ is activated.]

In the center of the training ground, which was close to an empty lot.

What appears above Furnel is a single, enormous golden hourglass.

And grasping it is the ghost’s withered, ancient hand.

A bony arm protruding from tattered robes, with sharp fingernails.

[Dominating the area.]

An area forms in a fixed space centered on Furnel.

To Hio’s eyes, it was clearly visible how the flow of time within that area was being dominated.

-“I shall attempt to move.”

With the skill’s activation, Furnel began to move.

[Suppressing the flow.]

The ghost’s withered hand tilts the golden hourglass to the left.

Simultaneously, Furnel’s movements slow down drastically.

As if someone were pulling him from behind, they stretch out like a slow-motion video.

[Accelerating the flow.]

This time, the ghost’s bony hand tilts the hourglass in the opposite direction.

Then.

Eek! Why is this happening!

Furnel, who had accelerated abruptly, lost control of his body and slammed his head right into the wall.

Bouncing off the wall, Furnel sprang back up, delighted.

-“Success! A proper success, isn’t it! The flow was faster than my perception. I couldn’t control my body at all!”

If the opponent adapts to the accelerated flow of time, it would actually work in their favor.

So, I focused more on accelerating the surroundings relative to the target’s perception, and the result of that research was now showing. I could understand why Furnel was so pleased, but…

[Skill – ‘Manipulation’ is canceled.]

Hio’s expression was not good at all.

“This… It’s almost unusable?”

-“Unusable? Why is that?”

It was because of the magic power consumption.

The magic power consumption was severe, beyond imagination.

“I can already feel the void in my magic power.”

-“Feel the void? You, with seven circles?”

“……Yes.”

The magic power capacity of a 7th Circle magician is incomparable even to that of a 6th Circle one.

That’s because the width and thickness of the circles increase progressively.

Yet, the magic power poured into Manipulation alone was about 30% of my total.

All I did was slow the flow for a moment and then accelerate it again, and that much magic power was consumed.

That means if I actively use this in combat, my magic power will be depleted in an instant.

I won’t be able to use skills or other magic.

That’s why Hio’s expression was so grim.

“Maybe touching Chronomancy was a mistake…”

If Manipulation is like this, the other Chronomancy spells probably won’t be any less demanding.

But I can’t reverse the inscriptions I’ve already engraved either.

“Maybe I should have learned other elemental attack magic instead.”

The time invested in the research was one thing, and the space taken up by engraving completely new inscriptions was quite significant.

If I had used that time and space to learn other, familiar attributes, I could have learned more and more efficient magic.

-“I had a suspicion, but I didn’t know the magic consumption would be to that extent. My apologies. It’s my oversight.”

“Oversight, nothing. We talked about this possibility. I judged it was worth trying and chose to do it.”

It can’t be undone.

Then I must delve deeper into Chronomancy.

‘But what’s the use if using Chronomancy for just a few seconds depletes all my magic power?’

“I need to find a way.”

I need to find a way.

And that way didn’t seem to be too far off.

“Besides, it’s about time I filled it up anyway.”

Excluding skills and magic, Hio had a new path: Divine Authority.

[Divinity Point: 9,887,014]

I also know that the true name of the God of Magic is Drisella.

The Divine Authority of the God of Magic would, naturally, be deeply connected to magic.

Just as the authority of Venus, which Airlights possesses, is.

Surely, there must be an authority that can synergize well with magic.

But the problem is the choice.

In the Authority Window I took time to look through, there were a total of three authorities containing the name ‘Drisella’.

Perhaps because her birth was late, or because she is not widely known, the number of her authorities was significantly smaller compared to other gods.

[Authority – Drisella’s Breath of Origin: 8,000,000 Pt]

[Authority – Drisella’s Endless Tears: 5,900,000 Pt]

[Authority – Drisella’s Silent Ordeal: 9,500,000 Pt]

“At least there are three, which is fortunate… But the difficulty remains the same.”

The most expensive authority is ‘Silent Ordeal’.

But the one that appeals to me is ‘Endless Tears’.

Until just before, I was thinking of choosing that.

After all, doesn’t the word ‘Endless’ sound good?

“That’s true… but something keeps bothering me.”

However, the price is concerning.

An overwhelmingly cheap price compared to the other two authorities.

Of course, there are authorities like Beltesia’s Divine Space whose value cannot be judged by price, but it’s still unsettling.

“And the word ‘Tears’ attached after ‘Endless’…”

-“If it bothers you that much, then push forward with your initial thought. Honestly, it’s frustrating that I can’t see it with you like before.”

Furnel, who had flown over, passed through Hio’s body back and forth.

Seemingly expressing that he couldn’t enter.

“My initial thought was… Breath of Origin?”

-“In my opinion, that’s the decision with the least risk. The price is like that, and the interpretation implied by the name seems the most neutral, doesn’t it?”

“That’s true… Then what about Silent Ordeal?”

-“The most expensive price. The opposite situation of Endless Tears. If you focus on the price, it seems like a plausible choice, but the name is unusual. You excluded it too, didn’t you?”

“It’s difficult.”

Silent Ordeal was the first authority I excluded.

For a simple reason.

The word ‘Ordeal’ was in the name.

What comes to mind with ‘Ordeal’?

Ultimately, isn’t it perseverance?

I guessed it might be an ability where you endure something and then gain something, so despite the highest price, I excluded it.

Of course, it’s just a guess; I can’t be sure of anything.

Still, it’s now time to make a choice.

I’ve pondered for quite a long time, from the moment I learned the true name of the God of Magic until now, and I must decide.

The unique authority, Perseverance of Splendor, which I cannot yet fully wield.

The most fundamental authority, Beltesia’s Divine Space.

The Divine Oath of Lucidria, which bestows sacred splendor upon every word and action.

I already have three authorities, but none of them are immediately helpful.

So.

“……Alright. I’ve decided.”

With a resolute decision, I reach out my hand.

[You have purchased the authority – ‘Drisella’s Breath of Origin’.]

[8,000,000 Divinity Points have been consumed.]

My choice was Drisella’s Breath of Origin, judged to carry the least risk.

The origin of magic and the origin of the God of Magic.

[Drisella’s Origin seeps into the user.]

It was a true authority that showed why authorities are called authorities.