The Genius Professor Wants An Easy Life - Chapter 246
I asked in surprise,
“A-Are you okay?”
In fact, I had excluded Sylphin from all of the big problems lately.
She was still in battle with her inner magic, and in the original scenario, she had never played a role in stopping the wave of destruction.
“I’m not okay. I still don’t understand anything,”
She said, her voice still tinged with confusion.
But
“After talking with you, Professor, I just felt this anger. It’s not my fault, so why do I have to keep suffering endlessly?”
Sylphin bit her lip hard.
“Once I’ve taken my revenge, I will find happiness too. That will be the true completion of my revenge.”
My eyes widened.
In all the countless times I had run through the scenario, this was the first time Sylphin had made such a resolution.
At the same time.
Paaaah!
Just as it had with Catherine earlier, something within Sylphin’s soul began to change.
‘It’s an awakening! The key to Sylphin’s growth was breaking free from her obsession with revenge and learning to care for herself!’
Around Sylphin, alchemical substances began to rise and form beautiful shapes.
It was the new Alchemic Arts she had been refining.
Then, the alchemical substances began to emit a brilliant light.
It was the power of the stars.
“You’re not bad,”
Catherine said in surprise.
Sylphin raised an eyebrow.
“If you don’t want to die, stop pretending we’re friends.”
“What are you saying? Did you swallow a rag? Do you want to die?”
Hmm.
Catherine, Sylphin’s “want to die” is on a completely different level than yours, so be careful.
‘Or maybe now, Sylphin won’t recklessly harm herself as she did before.’
“Stop talking and focus,”
I said.
Catherine and Sylphin turned their gazes to the wave of destruction.
Flash.
The Sword of Light cleaved the sky.
Following that, the alchemic art of the stars, Stardust.
Of course, compared to the towering wave of destruction, these attacks seemed insignificant.
But the important thing wasn’t their appearance.
The will of the stars clashed with the wave of destruction, and the towering wave came to a sudden halt.
And then.
Crumble.
Like a sandcastle collapsing, the wave dispersed and fell apart.
A lump formed in my throat.
The grand spectacle shook my heart.
It was as if the scene was telling me that the impending apocalypse would be okay.
* * *
We became the saviors of the otherworldly beings.
Thank you, saviors. We will immediately begin preparations to open the dimensional portal.
“How long will that take?”
We need to wait for the dimensions to align closely, so it will take about a month.
I made a troubled face.
‘That’s a bit long. Won’t everyone worry?’
But there was no other way.
‘At least we left the magical device that shares our physical status with the Education Department, so they should know we’re not in immediate danger. The real concern is if anything happens in that month.’
Even that seemed manageable.
After all, it was only a month, not a year or even half a year. What could possibly go wrong?
I decided to make the most of the time we had.
Do you have any requests? We wish to repay your kindness in any way possible.
“I would like help with training.”
We fear our abilities are insufficient to aid someone of your already lofty skills.
I shook my head.
“I’m not talking about myself. I want to improve the skills of these two.”
Oh, you mean the two saviors? We will provide the highest-grade training package for VVIPs.
“Training package?”
It combines our tribe’s best mentors, the finest elixirs, and the top techniques in a program designed to yield the greatest results in the shortest time.
Their constant talk of “the best” and “top” was somewhat unconvincing, but it seemed worth trying.
The best part of the package was the training location.
You will be training in a time-distorted area, allowing you to train for approximately three times longer than the actual time.
“Are there any side effects from exposure to the time distortion?”
We also cast spells to prevent any side effects. However, the limit is about a month, which aligns perfectly with your schedule.
This meant we could get about three months’ worth of training.
‘This is good. In that time, Catherine can fully reach Level 5 proficiency.’
The will of the stars that Catherine realized this time was, strictly speaking, different from Level 5 sword intent.
However, the similarities would make obtaining sword intent easier, and once she did, the synergy would enhance her star’s will even more.
‘It will be a great help to Sylphin too.’
Is there anything else we can do for you?
I pondered.
‘It would be great if I could reach Level 4.’
Currently, my strength was around Level 8.
I had defeated Jongma, but that was due to various tricks, and strictly speaking, I was a few steps below him.
Reaching Level 4 would elevate me to the level of a sage or a seeker.
‘It’s still too much for now.’
I barely reached Level 3; I had no idea how to advance to Level 4.
‘It’s the stage where the core is completed. How can someone like me, with mana insensitivity, complete the core?’
I had used all sorts of methods to expand my core to its current level.
But it was shoddy work. There were countless gaps.
I had no idea how to perfect it.
Then, High Priestess Anastasia said something unexpected.
Are you looking for a way to lift the curse?
“A curse? What do you mean?”
Don’t you know? Aren’t you afflicted with a curse that blocks your energy flow?
“!!”
I couldn’t understand and asked,
“I’m not cursed. I was born with mana insensitivity.”
From what I can see, it’s not a condition; it’s a curse.
“What?”
It was a ridiculous notion.
I, Van, was diagnosed with mana insensitivity in my youth, but the results indicated it was a condition I was born with.
More importantly, if this was a curse, wouldn’t I have noticed by now?
It’s understandable that you misunderstood it as a condition. It’s not a magical curse, but an anomaly where the laws of the world have been twisted. Moreover, this curse seems to have been determined even before you were conceived.
“Are you saying I was cursed even before I was born?”
Yes, it seems someone foresaw your birth and placed the curse on you long ago.
I swallowed hard.
It was difficult to believe, but there was no reason for her to lie.
If this were true, who on earth could have done such a thing?
‘It would require an ascendant… No, even an ascendant couldn’t do something like this.’
A suspicion crossed my mind.
As if to confirm my suspicion, Anastasia spoke.
The curse imprinted on you is similar in form to the curses left in our world by the Eight Calamities.
“!!”
I frowned.
“The Eight Calamities, the Eight Heroes, are already gone.”
All the Eight Heroes I had encountered so far were mere remnants, like wraiths or lingering thoughts.
Is that so? I don’t know the specifics of your world, so I can’t say for sure. But it’s hard to imagine such dreadful calamities disappearing so easily. The Eight Calamities must persist in some form.
The conversation ended there, and Catherine approached me.
“Please explain in detail. Given the situation, I need to understand what’s happening.”
I nodded.
Until now, I had never told the children about Ouroboros and the apocalypse.
After hearing my explanation, Catherine looked astonished.
“The apocalypse? Why are those guys doing such crazy things?”
“Well…”
I was at a loss for words.
‘Why, indeed?’
The lower apostles.
People like Renius didn’t really desire the apocalypse.
They were enticed by the power they would gain in the new world that would emerge after the apocalypse.
But the apostles were deceived.
No new world would come after the apocalypse.
The apocalypse was sheer destruction.
‘Why? What does Ouroboros desire with this?’
Knowing who the final mastermind behind Ouroboros only deepened the mystery.
The Triumvirate of Ascendants.
As the name suggests, it was a group of three ascendants, including the Empire’s guardian.
These three ascendants were the ultimate backers of Ouroboros.
‘Why would the guardian and other ascendants desire the apocalypse?’
That wasn’t the only enigma.
The Eight Heroes were also shrouded in mystery.
If they still exist.
If they do, what are their schemes?
Were they the ones who cursed me?
And finally,
There is a traitor among our Eight Heroes.
This was something I had heard long ago from the ghost of the Swift Sword.
At the time, I hadn’t paid much attention, but now it seemed like crucial information.
‘…There’s a lot to investigate when I get back.’
I sighed.
‘Let’s hang in there a little longer. Once all this is over, I’ll live a life of true relaxation!’
For now, there was one thing to focus on in this place.
Perhaps the most important task.
I needed to become as strong as possible.
* * *
We had made progress.
Once I grasped the concept that my mana insensitivity was actually a curse, I started to see a faint solution.
I joined the kids in the time-distorted space and spent three months working to lift the curse, managing to alleviate it partially.
Despite putting in all my effort for three months, I only managed to partially alleviate it. It was an incredibly powerful curse.
Regardless, as a result, my strength had increased significantly.
‘I reached Level 4!’
I now possessed the power of an Lv. 8 sage or seeker.
The kids had also become much stronger.
Flash!
Catherine wielded her sword.
An invisible aura rippled around the blade.
It was the sword’s intent.
She had successfully reached Level 5!
Sylphin had also completely mastered the Level 7 realm.
It was time to return.
May the blessings of the stars be with you.
We crossed dimensions, with the otherworldly beings seeing us off.
I held my dizzy head and looked up at the sky.
The sky was blue. We had returned safely.
‘But where are we?’
It didn’t seem like we had returned to the Obelisk.
However, there was a problem.
“Huh? It’s snowing, Professor.”
“Snow?”
“Wasn’t it autumn when we left?”
I connected to the Mirror Board to check the date.
Three months had passed.
