Turning

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Chapter 183

The only clue pointing to the reason for his awakening in this life was a single fact: Alik had been working close to the Red Stone, roaming around underground all this while.

Yuder recalled the soldiers who had been guarding the mountain where the Red Stone had fallen, a far higher proportion of them had awakened compared to other places. He had a creeping suspicion that a similar cause and effect could be behind Alik's current situation.

"It's fascinating. I've always wanted to learn elemental magic, but my inherent magical power was insufficient. Who would've thought I'd get to experience it this way... haha. I can't wait to show it off to those haughty colleagues at the Pearl Tower!"

While Yuder was lost in his thoughts, Alik kept summoning droplets of water. He had never used elemental magic before, but perhaps thanks to what he had seen and heard over someone's shoulder, he adapted quickly. Watching Alik test his abilities in a variety of ways, Yuder could sense how thrilled he was.

'The amount of water he can summon isn't much... but he's a mage. He'll certainly find a way to use it effectively.'

In any case, the mages who received respect were those who could use fancy elemental magic. After all, every one of the legendary archmages had done so.

Yuder glanced at Alik's mentor sitting next to Alik's bed. Unlike the excited student, Thais Yulman had a somewhat subtle expression.

He hadn't said anything for about an hour. Yuder, who thought he might be dispirited, realized he was wrong when Thais rushed to his side the moment Alik got up to go to the bathroom. The emotion brimming in his wrinkled eyes was the surprise of someone who had realized something different from before.

"Yuder. A new hypothesis about an aspect I previously overlooked popped into my head. Can I get your opinion on it?"

‘He won't ask about yesterday's incident at all, will he?’ A hint of the madness from when they had been conducting the experiment yesterday flickered across his rapidly whispering face. Yuder nodded at him and got up from his seat.

"Of course. Go ahead."

"After seeing my student awaken, I had a sudden thought."

The old mage who had blocked the surrounding eyes with a curtain, perhaps worried that Yuder might change his mind, sat firmly on the chair next to him and opened his mouth very covertly.

"We've been taking it for granted and not thinking deeply about it, but didn't you all awaken after the Red Stone fell from the sky? Therefore... it must be because the power emitted by the Red Stone spread across the whole continent."

"Yes."

"Yuder. Do you know how many Awakeners there are in each country currently?"

"Is there anyone who would know that accurately?"

"Indeed. But what is certain is that the most Awakeners occurred in this empire where the Red Stone fell. I have a friend living far north, on the edge of Kham. He said there's only been one Awakener there so far. Kham might be a small island nation, but it's populous enough to form a kingdom. And not just Kham, the nearby countries are also known to have few Awakeners."

After saying this, Thais Yulman swallowed as if his throat were burning.

"My apprentice and I were at the same place as the Red Stone for several days while preparing for the experiment. So, wouldn't it not be a strange assumption that the closer one is exposed to the stone's power, the higher the probability of turning into an Awakener?"

The words had been in the form of a question, but there already seemed to be certainty within Thais. Yuder kept silent for a moment before responding to Thais' anxious anticipation with a nod.

"Actually, from what I saw and heard when we got that stone, I too was thinking there's a high possibility."

"What you heard and saw? What was it?"

Currently, aside from Yuder, only Kishiar was aware of the report that an unusually large number of Awakeners had emerged among the soldiers guarding the vicinity where the Red Stone had fallen. He could tell Thais Yulman, who might be able to pierce through something unexpected, but he was somewhat dubious if it would be okay to trust him and tell him based on his own judgment alone.

Whether he noticed Yuder's pondering expression, the old mage quickly grasped Yuder's sleeve and made a desperate face.

"I've already pledged to not mention what happened here anywhere else. You know, don't you? I'll keep it a secret, so tell me. I'm ready to devote the rest of my life to this research."

"...Alright."

In the end, Yuder briefly summarized and told him what had happened at that time.

"It's not much, but I heard a story from the soldiers I met when I went to get the stone..."

Among the regular soldiers searching the mountain range where the Red Stone had fallen, an astonishing number of Awakeners had continually emerged. But the upper ranks of the Imperial Army didn't pay any mind, and the soldiers themselves didn't think much of it, so there hadn't been any reports on it for two years. He told him this, leaving out the fact that Yuder himself had heard and investigated it, and vaguely added that Kishiar had found it unusual after learning about it.

Thais Yulman, who had been silent for a while, suddenly started laughing.

"I knew it. I knew my thoughts were not mistaken."

"..."

"Change. That stone has the power to change humans."

Even without Yuder's response, he continued speaking rapidly, as if obsessed with something.

"I wonder what determines the change. The main cause would be how closely, and how much power is received. I wonder what the difference is with children born with magical power. Perhaps the reason most Awakeners are young is because they are accustomed to change and growth. I wonder how it changes the body, how it induces change! I really want to know, I can't stand it. Could we separate the powers already dispersed in the air and contain them in our bodies like magic? If that's possible... ah, I don't have time for this."

The old mage who stood up from his seat, unable to sit still, had a gleaming look in his eyes that showed a desire even greater than when he was experimenting yesterday.

"If it works out, we might be able to use the power we've separated to turn anyone we want into an Awakener, or give more power to those who are already Awakeners! Just like the magic revolution of Archmage Luma a thousand years ago, when magic first appeared, I, no, we might be able to do it!"

As he muttered on, making sense of his own words, his excited breath couldn't be concealed. He finally opened the curtain and ran outside. In place of the absent Enon, Lusan and Alik, who had been trimming herbs, were startled and looked at him.

"M, Master? Where are you going?"

"I need to see the Commander! Right now!"

Leaving only those words, he disappeared, leaving Alik who was blankly staring at his retreating figure to turn towards Yuder, as if asking what on earth was going on.

"Why did Master behave like that? He mentioned something about Luma's magic revolution just before... Did I mishear?"

"No, you're correct. He was discussing his research and then suddenly rushed off."

"He must've jumped into his own thoughts and skipped over a lot of details again."

Alik sighed with a face that suggested he had expected such behavior. Yuder, reclining on the bed, pulled the blanket over him and faced Alik, opening his mouth to ask, "But, what is this magic revolution?"

"Ah, that."

Seeming relieved to have a topic he could explain, Alik began his exposition.

"It's an incident that cannot be separated from the research Master and I were conducting on early magic and magic powers. There are so many legends about Luma that many people, including myself, are skeptical about whether they're real."

Just then, Enon returned to his place, paused his steps upon hearing Alik's words. Yuder noticed his reaction to the name 'Luma'.

Regardless of Enon's return, Alik, who saw no reason to stop speaking, continued his tale.

"It's said that a thousand years ago, when Luma was active, magic was treated like devil's sorcery. The mages of that era were few, dealing with immense power without a systematic method, making it difficult to train successors. Luma, having overcome ten trials, proved that magic and magic powers can be harnessed by human strength and spread magic throughout the world as we know it now."

"If that's true... it's incredible."

Yuder replied while observing Enon's expression. Enon, sitting quietly next to Lusan and trimming herb leaves, didn't look much different from usual.

"Indeed. But for this story to hold up, one must assume that magic did not exist at all a thousand years ago, which is hard to believe. Hence, Master and I have been researching the unique, unexplored properties of magic, believing that magic and magic powers existed in the world before, but the records have been lost."

"Ah, Enon! You can't tear the herbs like that."

Just then, Lusan, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, suddenly cried out in surprise. Yuder saw the leaves in Enon's hand, which were now harshly torn compared to their previous state.

"...I see."

"In fact, if you look at the ancient records before the establishment of the Orr Empire... well, of course, it's hard to be sure about their authenticity. Anyway, there's no record of mages or magic then, which is why many people believe in Luma's magic revolution."

"There must be at least one, surely."

"No, there really isn't a single one among those discovered so far."

"Could it be due to the great destruction a thousand years ago?"

Lusan, who had taken back the torn herb leaf and was trimming it, interjected unexpectedly.

"It's mentioned in the Scripture of the Sun God. The part related to that great destruction."

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