Chapter 21
Kaian first focused on the inferno raging through the Outer Region of his inner world.
...It's still burning with terrifying force.
Before his reawakening, he could only see those flames through the mirror room.
But now, with only a little concentration, he could observe almost every corner of his inner world.
The fire spread farther than I thought.
The inferno had already swallowed the Valentin estate's gardens, the forest along the border region, and two nearby villages.
Fortunately, it did not seem likely to spread any farther.
Thin barriers carrying a cold energy surrounded every route the flames could take.
Ah, this is...!
Kaian immediately recognized the cool energy coming from the barriers.
It was the same energy from the Flame Veil that had traveled through his body and cooled the heat inside him.
So this is how the medicine works.
But Eldarin was right. One dose isn't nearly enough.
It doesn't look like it can extinguish flames that already exist either.
After understanding the situation inside his inner world, Kaian turned his attention to the flow of mana inside the cavern.
Since this was the Silver-White Vein, metal mana naturally dominated the area.
But there was far more earth and water mana than he expected.
The harmony among those three elements seemed to be what kept the Silver-White Vein stable.
If I just recklessly blast fire everywhere, I might disrupt the mana balance here.
Kaian remembered Eldarin's expression when she spoke about the Primordial Age and the pre-Magical Civilization era.
There had been endless sorrow in her eyes for an age that had already been lost.
That expression reminded Kaian of Liana's final moments.
And of himself, the one who had survived alone.
...I don't want to make her wear that expression again.
Kaian clenched his teeth.
I'll need enough water mana to suppress the fire I'm about to release.
And since the metal mana will weaken from the fire, I'll need to draw in extra earth mana to support it.
Kaian immediately began tracing the earth and water mana moving through the cavern, following them back toward their sources.
He found a large amount of earth mana relatively close by.
Water mana was more troublesome.
Fortunately, when he extended his perception slightly eastward, he sensed an enormous presence of water.
Is that coming from Twofold Lake? Perfect.
Then I'll release the inferno while drawing in water and earth mana at the same time.
Kaian steadied his breathing.
"In... out..."
While connected to his inner world, the strange sensation of his inner world overlapping reality remained.
But the vibrations of the two worlds were completely different.
Kaian instinctively understood that he needed to adjust the rhythm of his inner world until it resembled the rhythm of the cavern around him.
Even if the two worlds overlap like this, they're still nothing more than dissonance right now.
He needed a high enough synchronization rate to manifest his will into reality.
Kaian continued controlling his breathing.
"In... out..."
At the same time, he adjusted the vibration of his own world so the two could form a single harmony.
And then...
At some point, they entered perfect resonance.
"...!"
Kaian's eyes snapped open.
The turquoise mana surrounding his body flowed toward his right palm.
And the incantation slipped smoothly from his lips as though pulled out by magnetism.
It was short.
Precise.
Powerful.
"[Ignis Surge, Erupt!]"
Rrrrrrrrrumble...!
The moment the incantation ended, crimson fire spread from beneath his palm in both directions across the ground.
And shortly afterward...
Sitting inside the Silver-White Vein, Kaian witnessed the very sight he had expected to see in the volcanic region.
BOOOOOOM!
It was nothing less than...
A volcanic eruption.
Eldarin quietly watched Kaian.
After changing his sitting position, he had closed his eyes and seemed to be concentrating on his breathing.
The calmer his breathing became, the more steadily the turquoise mana around his body flowed.
Soon, an enormous current of mana began gathering around him.
Shhhhh...
Eldarin frowned slightly.
He's drawing in too much.
Kaian still had no experience with Materialization.
Perhaps he was indiscriminately dragging in every bit of mana around him.
But the amount kept increasing.
Shhhhh...
Is he trying to show off?
If so, he was being far too greedy for his very first attempt.
Eldarin's frown deepened.
But after watching for a little longer, she realized something.
Kaian was selectively drawing in only earth and water mana.
And instead of Materializing that mana, he was simply keeping it gathered around himself.
Eldarin's eyes shook.
Don't tell me...
He's accounting for the mana balance of this place?
Highest-tier mages sometimes used the exact same method.
The larger and more destructive a spell became, the more severely it affected the surrounding balance of mana.
Because of that, Highest-tier mages summoned counterbalancing mana in advance to offset the force of their magic.
But doing so required the mage to build and operate several mana circuits inside their body at once.
A technique known as [Multi-Casting].
Eldarin had not taught Kaian how to build multiple mana circuits.
No.
She had not even mentioned mana circuits yet.
Once any mage awakens, one mana circuit operates naturally.
That was why Eldarin had only explained the basic process of casting magic.
Kaian's inferno was already difficult enough to handle.
She had intended to teach him slowly, one thing at a time.
And yet...
Eldarin let out a disbelieving laugh.
