The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 227
Attempting ascension.
This didn’t mean merely mimicking an Ascendant like before.
It meant literally becoming a Lv. 9 Ascendant.
“Ha. What nonsense? You’re only a Lv. 3.”
“You know I’m not an ordinary Lv. 3, don’t you?”
“!!”
“It’s not impossible. In fact, it would be strange if it didn’t work.”
The Demon King fell silent.
Indeed.
My understanding of magic was already nearing Lv. 7.
This had been true for a long time.
I was merely held back by my mana insensitivity.
‘Of course, in terms of experience and magical knowledge, there are still some gaps. But my genius passive covers all those shortcomings.’
Accurately speaking, I wasn’t a Lv. 3 wielding Lv. 7 power.
It was more accurate to say that I had reached the level of achievement of Lv. 7 but could only harness mana equivalent to Lv. 3.
However, even with my talents, jumping straight to Lv. 8 would be a stretch.
Reaching Lv. 8 requires a significant amount of ‘quality,’ but my mana is simply too lacking.
With my current mana levels, manifesting the Lv. 8 authority, ‘Boundary,’ is impossible.
‘In other words, if I had enough mana, I could challenge Lv. 8 right away.’
What about the Lv. 9 Ascendant stage?
That was an even easier task.
‘As I can already perform Lv. 9 miraculous magic, it’s clear that casting Lv. 9 magic isn’t related to the amount of mana.’
If my mana is small, the power is proportionally weaker, but still.
The meaning was simple.
‘Even with a small amount of mana, I can attempt ascension.’
Ascension is about the essence of one’s being touching the heavens.
Thus, it grants the authority to interfere with the laws and causality of the world.
In this process, the amount of mana is irrelevant.
The only thing that matters is the ‘qualification of existence.’
‘I already have sufficient qualifications.’
I recalled the sensation I felt each time I mimicked the status of an Ascendant.
It felt as if this level of existence was what my soul was always meant to achieve.
‘The problem is, no matter how much I boast, my current state is still Lv. 3.’
To attempt ascension, I would have to leap over all the intermediate steps.
Advancing levels is like climbing a ladder.
You need to solidify your achievements at the lower levels before moving to the next.
While I might somehow skip to Lv. 7, Lv. 8 was the real challenge.
Even though I have the qualifications to touch the heavens, skipping the Lv. 8 process is impossible.
‘But in this ancient temple, it might be possible. It seems there are methods to aid the ascension process.’
I recalled the conversation between Leona and Duke Roshran.
Using the isomer’s help to temper in the moonlight.
…Honestly, I had no idea what that meant.
If I were to guess, the moon’s surface, “moonlight,” might be a metaphor for ascension.
Tempering could be the process of ascension.
And the isomer might be a means to assist in ascension.
‘Of course, even if a miracle occurs and I become an Ascendant, I won’t be like other Ascendants. My mana insensitivity will remain.’
I continued my thoughts.
‘Still, if I become an Ascendant and join forces with the Demon King, we might be able to deal with Roshran.’
At that moment, Roshran spoke in disbelief.
“You intend to attempt ascension? How laughable….”
The mockery didn’t last long.
Slowly, his expression hardened.
He sensed the quality of my soul.
“…You already possess the necessary qualifications. In fact, one might even believe you once touched the heavens and then fell.”
A tremendous power emanated from him.
“Perhaps you are an even greater threat than the King. I must kill you.”
Swoosh!
The sanctuary was engulfed in his energy.
It was an overwhelming ‘Boundary.’
Now, he could wield transcendent power within this space.
But
“Silence.”
Slash.
His boundary was cut.
The Demon King had stepped in.
“Are you, the Demon King, actually protecting a human?”
“No? Didn’t I tell you? You’re my foolish dog. Born lacking and unable to judge properly, you s**t everywhere. As your master, it’s my responsibility to deal with you myself.”
With a simple flick of the Demon King’s hand, a sword flew out of my magic pouch.
It was the Demon King’s Sword.
Oh… oh… my master…!
“Master, my foot. Didn’t you already switch allegiance?”
This Dark Heaven’s Destruction Sword serves two masters under one sky. That lazy Van is still my master… and so are you.
Despite the insolent tone, I let it slide given the circumstances.
Finally… it’s time to create a bloody legend with you again….
“You’re still noisy. Quiet. Silence.”
Mmph, mmph!
The Demon King pointed the sword.
A powerful aura emanated.
It wasn’t immense compared to Roshran’s. It was modest, around Lv. 5 at most.
However, it exuded an overwhelming presence that no one could easily approach.
It wasn’t about the quantity of the aura but the majesty of a being who had reached celestial heights.
Ordinary Lv. 7 superhumans or Lv. 8 transcendent beings wouldn’t stand a chance against the Demon King.
The problem was that Roshran was not an ordinary Lv. 8 transcendent.
He was a Seeker, one of the beings closest to touching the heavens, alongside Duke Alfonso.
No matter how formidable the Demon King was, in her current state, it was impossible for her to win against him.
“It’s been countless ages since I last fought from such a perfect position of weakness. Even the greatest beings of the other world couldn’t handle me alone; they had to swarm in numbers.”
The Demon King smirked, seemingly enjoying the situation.
“It’s a dog’s duty to entertain its master. Try to amuse me as much as possible.”
“!!”
Roshran’s face hardened, sensing the difficulty ahead.
Swish!
The battle commenced.
Contrary to expectations, it wasn’t a chaotic display.
Both were of the knight class.
Roshran was a pure knight, a ‘Sword Knight,’ while the Demon King was a ‘Dual Knight.’
They clashed swords, their exchanges at a level so high that ordinary beings couldn’t comprehend it.
The significance embedded in the Demon King’s sword strikes was beyond imagination.
‘It’s similar to how I fight. Confronting a stronger opponent with overwhelming insight and achievement.’
However, the limitations of this method were clear.
If you fail to subdue the opponent with insight and achievement alone, there’s no hope afterward.
You’ll gradually be pushed back and eventually be defeated.
‘I need to reach the ascendant’s level before that happens.’
I quickly surveyed my surroundings.
There had to be a means to assist in ascension here.
‘It’s not the Moonstone Altar. They wouldn’t have left it neglected like that.’
However, nothing stood out.
‘There’s no time. I need to figure it out quickly.’
Then, something unexpected happened.
Beep, beep, the communication device rang.
‘This connection code is for family only.’
I said “Ah” and answered the device.
…Brother Van.
“Leona.”
Demon Brain Leona was contacting me!
Are you really in the Demon Realm right now?
“Yes, I came here for something.”
Ha. Why would you do such a thing?
Her reaction was uncharacteristic for the usually indifferent Leona.
I glanced at the situation with the Demon King.
It wasn’t looking good.
This wasn’t the time to dwell on things, so I asked Leona directly.
“What does tempering in the moonlight mean? And what is the isomer?”
……
‘Will she answer?’
I thought anxiously.
If she told me, her plans through Roshran would be completely thwarted.
Not only that, her ultimate goal of destroying Ecclesia would likely be compromised.
If she truly were ‘Demon Brain,’ she would never do such a thing.
…Haa
After a deep sigh.
Moonlight doesn’t just refer to the sky of the demons. It signifies the hidden side of the world reflected in the moon. Tempering means completing oneself within that hidden side of the world.
She was revealing the secret to me!
“Is it alright for you to tell me this?”
What do you mean?
“Well…”
I hesitated, unable to directly ask, ‘Aren’t you the most dreadful villain, Demon Brain, and isn’t this action of yours going to hinder your future misdeeds?’
Haa. Don’t overthink it. It’s annoying.
“…….”
Her response was uncharacteristically curt, quite unlike her usual self.
It meant that her current actions were not what she intended.
The isomer refers to the ancient sanctuary itself. Even though it’s lost its function, the ancient sanctuary originally had the role of harmonizing the moon’s energy with the world.
“I see.”
That’s as much as I can tell you. The rest you need to realize on your own. If I give you more information, it will actually hinder you.
I nodded.
Too much detailed information can indeed become a hindrance when trying to achieve something.
“Thank you.”
Fine, just don’t go to places like that again.
Her tone was a mix of irritation and concern, hard to tell which.
I realized something.
‘…Leona still considers me family, after all.’
It was unexpected to see such a side of Leona, who had already become a monster.
‘But even with her explanation, I still don’t have a clear grasp on it.’
That wasn’t the only problem.
There’s one thing you need to keep in mind. The reason I told Duke Roshran the secret of the ancient sanctuary wasn’t because I wanted him to become an Ascendant. In fact, I set a trap, hoping for his death.
I flinched.
“What do you mean by that?”
If you attempt ascension using the sanctuary’s secret and fail, you’ll face death in the moonlight. So, if you’re going to try, be prepared to die.
I glanced at my monocle.
At some point, its color had subtly changed.
A dark violet.
A 70% chance of death.
‘…This damned monocle.’
