Chapter 9

Kududuk—!

The sound of collapsing stone rang out repeatedly behind us.

I kept running without even the time to glance back at the entrance, and at some point, the sound of falling rocks grew distant.

[Sufficient distance from the collapse site has been secured.]

[The risk of collapse at your current location is low.]

Looks like we’re safe enough here.

I stopped and turned around.

Iris was leaning against the wall with one hand, gasping for breath.

“Hah…… hah…….”

“Are you alright?”

“You have…… impressive stamina. Whew…….”

“Let’s rest a bit before moving on.”

Instead of answering, Iris leaned her back against the wall.

I took the chance to look around.

Faintly glowing moss clung to the walls.

It was enough to make out the passage, but not enough light to see each other’s faces clearly.

Iris raised her hand.

A pale blue light bloomed, brightening the dark cave slightly.

“Leon.”

Iris looked at me.

“……Why did you try to save me?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“When we fell from the stone path, you were the only one who grabbed my arm.”

Iris’s voice dropped a little.

“If you hadn’t grabbed me, you could have stayed up top. So why…….”

I don’t get what she’s asking.

Was I supposed to just stand there and watch while someone fell right in front of me?

It’s not like I made some grand decision and threw myself in.

My hand moved before I even thought about it, and by the time I realized what was happening, I was already falling with her.

“It’s not like I saved you because you’re Iris.”

“……What?”

“I would have grabbed anyone who fell.”

Of course, if they weighed around 200kg, the story might’ve been a bit different.

Why would I grab that.

I’d dislocate my arm.

“I just grabbed without thinking and this is how it turned out. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“…….”

Iris’s expression stiffened slightly.

Maybe I worded that a bit wrong.

But it’s not like I could lie either.

“I see.”

She slowly lowered her gaze.

“I was mistaken.”

“Yeah.”

“I wasn’t even a rival to you. Just one ordinary mage among many.”

“What are you talking about now?”

“Still, I won’t give up.”

Iris looked at me again.

“Someday, I will earn your recognition.”

“W-wait a minute.”

Our conversation keeps going in the wrong direction.

I’ve been confused since yesterday, and now I think I need to ask properly.

Does she hate me or something?

“Why do you keep trying to compete with me?”

“…….”

“I’m telling you, I’m a beginner mage who doesn’t know anything. I’ve only been learning magic for three days. So why have you been like this since yesterday?”

“……Lying again.”

“No, why won’t you believe me? It’s the truth.”

Iris still had a face that said she didn’t believe me.

“Then why did you say all those flattering things back in the lower floors?”

“Flattering things?”

“Saying I’m capable, saying you feel comfortable with me…….”

“You asked me to, Iris.”

“When did I ever?”

“Ha. You said, ‘Well? How was it?’ every time.”

Every time she took down a monster, she’d deliberately glance back at me to check my reaction, and if I didn’t say anything, she’d ask for my thoughts first.

She asks for it herself and now she’s complaining.

“So I said what I felt, and then you got angry.”

“……The tone was sarcastic…….”

“I’ve been speaking my true feelings from the very start. It’s you who took it as mockery.”

Iris stared at my face for a long while.

I had no reason to look away, so I held her gaze.

After a moment, she pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a long breath.

“If you’re really a beginner mage, then how do you explain the Continuous Trajectory Formula you used yesterday?”

“Huh? Explain what?”

Iris’s eyebrow twitched.

“Your abnormal formula calculation speed.”

“Formula…… what?”

“I’m talking about the Homing Bullet you used at the Training Grounds. To pierce through eight targets in succession with the Continuous Trajectory Formula, you need to constantly calculate coordinates, trajectory directions, internal mana rotation, and output loss.”

Her voice lowered.

“Over 50 per second.”

“……50?”

Iris took a step closer to me.

“You calculated over 50 different formulas every second. Ordinary mages can barely manage 5, and even most archmages can’t handle 20.”

I blinked.

What is she talking about?

“AI. What is she saying right now?”

I asked in a lowered voice.

[While operating the Homing Bullet and Continuous Trajectory Formula, you processed an average of 52.7 formulas per second.]

I was doing that?

I just asked it to hit all the targets.

“……Why didn’t you tell me?”

[You did not request it.]

“Leon?”

Iris approached and examined my face.

“Who were you talking to?”

“Ah, that’s…….”

How do I explain this?

Even if I explained in detail, she probably wouldn’t understand anyway.

Hmm…….

There must be something similar in this world, right?

“……It’s like a Spirit.”

“A Spirit?”

“Could be a god, could be a demon. Either way, it doesn’t matter.”

“A god……?”

“Anyway.”

I tapped my temple with my finger.

“There’s something inside here that’s really good at calculations. It did it for me.”

Iris’s eyes slowly widened.

“There’s a god…… in your head?”

“Roughly, yeah. You can think of it that way.”

I’d said it casually because I didn’t feel like explaining properly.

But Iris just stared at my head without moving for a long time.

“Anyway, I’ve really only been learning magic for three days. I don’t even properly know what a formula is.”

“……Let me see your wrist.”

“Suddenly?”

“I need to check something.”

I held out my right arm.

Iris wrapped her fingers around my wrist.

Her fingers were colder than I expected.

Soon, faint mana seeped through my skin and into my interior.

[External mana has entered your Mana Circulation Path.]

[Risk to biological tissue is low.]

It felt like a thin thread tracing along the inside of my arm.

A little ticklish too.

Iris remained still with her eyes closed for a while.

Her expression, doubtful at first, gradually hardened.

“……How is this possible.”

“What’s wrong?”

She gripped my wrist a little tighter.

This time, the cold mana rose up past my elbow.

“Your Mana Circulation Path is almost completely unrefined.”

“Could you explain?”

“When you use magic for a long time, the pathways where mana repeatedly flows naturally widen. But yours…….”

Iris’s gaze lingered on my wrist.

“The microscopic damage from your first mana flow is still there.”

“How long does that last?”

“Usually about a week…….”

Her voice trailed off.

“……Unbelievable…….”

“So I told you, it’s been three days.”

Iris slowly released my hand.

She looked between my arm and my face like she was looking at a completely different species.

Guess she finally believes me.

Anyway, glad that misunderstanding got cleared up.

“You…….”

Iris’s gaze shifted to my temple.

Her expression was a little strange.

If she confirmed I was a magic beginner, she could just accept it and move on. Instead, she looked even more confused than before.

Well, I guess she needs some time to process it.

Clatter.

That was when.

Clatter. Clatter.

A sound like bones rolling around came from deeper in the passage.

Iris immediately turned and positioned herself in front of me.

“……Step back.”

“What’s there?”

“I don’t know yet.”

The blue light drifted slowly into the passage.

Something was walking toward us from beyond the faint darkness.

Clatter.

Yellowed bones.

A worn black robe.

In one hand, it even held what looked like a staff made of bone.

A skeleton wearing clothes, huh.

Guess the Tower really has all kinds of monsters.

At least this one knows how to keep some basic decency in dress.

[Unregistered Undead entity detected.]

Iris raised her staff.

“……A Skeleton Mage. Not a strong one.”

Blue mana gathered at the tip of her staff and instantly transformed into an ice spear.

“Ice Spear.”

Crack!

The ice spear shot across the passage.

Before the skeleton could even raise its staff, the spear pierced dead center through its skull.

The cranium shattered into pieces as the black robe crumpled to the floor.

“Fast.”

“This much is—”

“Kahahaha.”

Iris’s words stopped.

The jawbone of the fallen skeleton was clattering as it moved.

Half its head was blown off, yet its laughter was perfectly intact.

“It’s been ages since I’ve seen humans.”

The skeleton propped itself up with its staff and slowly rose.

The bone fragments scattered on the floor floated into the air.

They attached to the shattered skull one by one, and within seconds, it had restored its original form.

“Looks like you fell from up above.”

Two violet flames ignited inside the robe.

Where its eyes should have been.

The skeleton slowly scanned us from head to toe, then clacked its jaw.

“Lucky day for me. I was just in need of a decent head.”

The color drained from Iris’s face.

“That’s……!”

“Oh. So these Skeleton Mages can talk?”

“……Get behind me.”

Iris gripped her staff with both hands.

Her expression was completely different from moments ago.

“That’s no ordinary skeleton.”

“Then what is it?”

“……A Lich.”

Her voice trembled low.

“That’s a Lich.”

[High-density Death Mana reaction detected.]

[Unable to calculate entity threat level.]