A Regressor's Bucket List

Chapter 267 : Orc Mountains (1)

A shrug—

“That’s what happened.”

“…….”

After listening to U-jin’s account of his experiences in the Floating Territory, Ludwig, Louis, and even Kanna Cartier, the leader of the subjugation force, fell silent at once.

They had known it was no ordinary organization due to its sheer size and the unique trait of floating in the sky, but there was a significant difference between making a ‘guess’ and hearing an actual firsthand account from someone who had been there.

The stories U-jin told after returning from the Floating Territory with Kim Satgat were, without exception, astonishing.

The fact that the Floating Territory’s origins date back hundreds of years.

It's a unique characteristic of gathering only talented individuals, excluding those with martial gifts.

The existence of ‘Arts,’ which possessed a different texture from magic, and the existence of the ‘Arc Reactor,’ its core organ.

These were things far too heavy to simply accept in a short amount of time.

Silence lingered for a moment.

As if he had finally organized the information in his head, Louis broke the silence that had briefly gripped the surroundings and muttered.

“…I had heard about it beforehand, but I didn't know it was actually possible.”

He was, of course, referring to the mana supply.

While every part of U-jin’s story about the Floating Territory was surprising, the thing that made them marvel the most was the existence of an ‘independent mana utilization system’ itself.

One didn't need to explain how nonsensical that sounded; the long history of the Order proved it.

During the entire period of the War against Demons, where the Order’s Allied Forces and the Demon King’s Alliance clashed, there had never been a place that could establish an ‘independent mana utilization system.’

…In fact, even the Order, which had researched the system of mana utilization known as magic for that eternal period, could not freely control the ‘Central Satellite Magic Device.’

At most, they had merely continued to utilize the Central Satellite Magic Device that the Messiah had installed in an unknown location in ancient times.

Fundamentally, the Order’s magical technology had not been capable of manufacturing a Central Satellite Magic Device from scratch.

In reality, while the Order grew its power to the point of opposing the Demon King’s Alliance, they had relied heavily on the existence of satellite magic, which could exert influence anywhere on the continent.

The Central Satellite Magic Device, the core of satellite magic, required a level of advanced technology that even the current Order dared not aspire to.

The reason they could maintain the vast Anti-Demon Front for so long without being pushed back, taking appropriate measures as needed, was that the entire territory of the Order was bound by the system of ‘Magic’ inherited from the ancient Messiah.

It wasn't for nothing that the Messiah was counted as a single individual who still wielded immense influence in the modern era.

‘…….’

However.

A group with technology on par with that had suddenly popped out of nowhere.

…No, to be more precise, rather than popping out of nowhere, it was more accurate to say they had been hiding their identity until now.

Regardless.

The Floating Territory that suddenly appeared in the sky went beyond simply supplying mana to the Order’s legion-level magic forces; it had restored them to a state where mana utilization was possible once again.

This was practically a miracle.

It was a situation no different from 25% of the Order’s dead forces being brought back to life after encountering a stroke of luck.

Furthermore, it wasn't as if the systems they possessed were similar from the start.

According to the explanation from U-jin’s mouth, the mana core device possessed by the Floating Territory was an organ of a completely different form from the Order’s ‘Central Satellite Magic Device.’

Yet, they had adjusted such an organ in a short time to make it compatible with the magic circles employed for the Central Satellite Magic Device.

It was a story so absurd that it was hard to believe even until the moment Kim Satgat disappeared into the sky with U-jin.

“Tsk… There’s no such thing as a free lunch, after all.”

“…….”

“…Is it really trustworthy? From what I can see, it doesn’t seem to be exactly the same.”

Ludwig asked U-jin.

Indeed.

Just as he said, even if it had undergone adjustments through Jang Yeong-sil’s hands to become compatible, the ‘Arc Reactor,’ the core organ of the Floating Territory’s Arts, could not perform the exact same role as the Order’s Central Satellite Magic Device.

In the first place, its form and method had a different texture, which was why the term ‘independent magic system’ was attached to it.

『…That ain’t no ordinary task. Calling it an adjustment sounds easy, but it’s not something that just happens overnight just because someone barges in and starts yapping at you to change it. I’m only doing it because it’s me.』

『…….』

『I worked my tail off making it, and now they’re telling me to do this and that… The Great King or whoever, he’d only know if he were in my shoes.』

『…….』

『Ain’t that right?』

『Haha…….』

As Jang Yeong-sil himself had said, it wasn’t a simple matter that could be done in a single day just because someone requested it.

To put it simply, ‘compatibility’ was possible, but ‘optimization’ was not.

While there was no particular difficulty in inputting magic circles and causing mana utilization to occur somewhat plausibly through the ‘Arc Reactor,’ the core organ of the Arts, one couldn’t help but feel a different texture in the process.

In fact, because it was somewhat forced into a mold, mana loss did occur.

A shrug—

“Well, it’s usable for now, isn’t it?”

“…….”

“It’s not like we have any other alternative.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Of course, that didn't mean the output of the magic coming through the Arts device was terrible.

Though there was mana loss, thanks to Jang Yeong-sil’s efforts, the amount of loss occurring in the process was minimized as much as possible.

It was like a 5-star magic exhibiting the power of a 4-star or higher, but falling short of a true 5-star magic.

To put it another way, it felt like it was downgraded to a 4.5-star level.

According to the explanation U-jin had heard before coming down, any further adjustment was a considerably tedious and professional process.

It was stated that without knowing the original form of the Central Satellite Magic Device, it was a part that couldn’t be touched.

…Well, for the subjugation army, even that much was something to be grateful for.

“…Sir U-jin is right.”

“…….”

“This is more than enough; it’s excellent. It’s not as if there are only downsides, either.”

If one had to choose the biggest difference between the magic manifested through the Arc Reactor and the magic previously manifested through the Order’s Central Satellite Magic Device, it was ‘accuracy.’

Because the Order’s magic had undergone precise adjustments over a long period, it utilized mana with a sort of linear accuracy.

However, the magic manifested through the Arc Reactor lacked that sense of perfectly clicking into place.

Compared to before, it was true that the accuracy had dropped slightly, and there was a slight sense of delay.

But every cloud has a silver lining.

While they lost something, they also gained something.

In exchange for a slight decrease in accuracy, the mental burden on the caster implementing the magic was lessened.

And the violent, abnormal reactions that used to occur when different spells collided disappeared, replaced by a ‘harmony’ between the spells.

If previous magic felt like ‘puzzle pieces’ having to fit together to be manifested simultaneously.

Then, the magic manifested through the Arc Reactor was like mixing wine with water.

It merged naturally, giving off the unique, subtle scent of the Arts.

Of course, not all magic achieved harmony.

Just like the principles of the Five Elements that Jang Yeong-sil emphasized, pouring water onto fire would not result in harmony.

Thus, even now, the priests were outside experimenting with the harmony of each spell to get a feel for the unique sensation of the Arts.

They were doing this to make up for the decreased accuracy through that harmony.

“Besides, the supplies have arrived as well.”

U-jin hadn't come down from the Floating Territory empty-handed.

『The magic system is one thing. As for the rest, it’s a matter of supplies. We’ll share some of the materials remaining in our ‘Joseon.’ Would that suffice?』

『…….』

Just as Kim Satgat had mentioned beforehand, they were accompanied by supplies.

Of course, U-jin hadn't carried down enough supplies for an entire legion by himself; through the strange warp technology he had seen when going up, the supplies were showered down into the middle of the camp.

Naturally, those too had a different texture from what the Order traditionally used, but compared to the Demon King’s Army’s supplies, which were all over the place in various forms, the situation was much better.

At the very least, they were made for humans to use, and though they were equally unfamiliar, the speed at which they could get used to them was different because they were designed for human use.

Furthermore.

The quality of the supplies received from the Floating Territory was on a different level from the things rolling around the Demon King’s Territory.

They were high-performance goods, even better than what the Order had previously used.

Of course, if they couldn't learn the exact usage, they wouldn't be able to draw out their full performance, but even considering that, it was enough to help the subjugation alliance.

“…The situation has improved twofold.”

The one who felt the support from the Floating Territory most keenly was, of course, Kanna Cartier.

As the Supreme Commander responsible for the entire subjugation force, she was the one who knew the reality of their situation best.

Beyond simple numerical calculations, the very energy of the army had changed.

The strange sense of despair felt when the curtain of the Black Sea was unfurled and mana was blocked, had faded slightly after the Floating Territory appeared.

By the time they received the supplies they sent, that despair had already vanished without a trace.

The alliance wasn't the only one that sensed the change in atmosphere.

“It seems those dark green scraps are well aware of it, too.”

Whether they had noticed the appearance of the Floating Territory or sensed that the tide of battle was about to change.

The Orcs, who had been hiding deep within the mountains without showing themselves, began to slowly assume a combat stance.

This was in stark contrast to their previous attitude of not even showing a battle line, as if daring the alliance to try and invade.

Since it was a trap directly involving Isaac Einstein, they had expected an easy victory, but now they realized something had changed.

“So.”

U-jin was right. It was usable for now.

The supply line had arrived, and the enemies had noticed the change.

Had he read the message within the series of sentences that came from Kanna Cartier’s mouth?

Ludwig Allegro turned his gaze toward Kanna Cartier and started the conversation.

“Are you going to do it?”

It was an unfriendly sentence with the subject and object omitted, but understanding it wasn't difficult.

The final gateway to concluding the Northern Subjugation War.

A northern stronghold that had grown even stronger through fortification.

The Orc Mountains (★★★☆☆).

It was a question of whether she intended to engage in a total war with that place.

And the answer to that did not come from Kanna.

U-jin, shrugging his shoulders, answered in her stead.

A shrug—

“We have to.”