Chapter 33 - Eyelids (6)

Plop!

Sleep turning farther away. The water surface is lit by a faint candle far out, and the pitch black darkness surrounds one.

‘This is a bottomless well.’

The outer surface is now starting to look like a dot. Professor shook his tied legs. There was no sign of going up.

‘Then, I really have no choice but to wait until they take me up…’

But how long should I wait? No, what is the point of holding my breath at all? I would be lucky if I would not go crazy here.

Bubble

‘78, 79…’

As I stand still in the water, my pulse begins to be unusually loud. The blood flowed fast, and while being conscious, I imagined my heart beating slowly—

My pulse gradually slowed down. Amid the silence, small red eyes like lanterns and a sweet scent floated up. It felt instinctive. The guy had been singing disgustingly in my ear for the past few days.

The eyes shining in the dark drew an arc as if they were smiling.

‘We… meet again?’

Fucking brat. The annoying infection. No, this wasn’t an infectious cell? Is it possible for such a thing to even talk? Or was this all an illusion caused by a lack of oxygen?

‘Keke…’

That laugh made me feel bad. What is so funny here?

‘You… you always have a lot of useless thoughts.’

What?

‘Whether I am in your head… or your illusion… does this matter? Whatever it is, you have no choice but to talk to me…’

This mama boy, who is just one month old, speaks well.

‘Because I was born and raised in your head… I will speak as well as you… with my mother… it has been too long since I fell… I am originally made to work alone… Now, I, who has been whipped around a long… cannot feel my mother’s calling… It doesn’t… feel bad…’

This is deep. The deeper I sank, I could see him face to face at the border of losing consciousness. Slight black smoke waving in and bright red eyes.

‘To be free is something… good… you think… same, right? Being free… is good?’

… That disgusting words. Right, at any rate pretending to know the subject data chunks in the game.

‘Kekek…’

The black mass shook violently. Eyes smiling. Between that smokey body and small mouth, the mouth had no lips and a mouth that showed the teeth smiling.

‘Gege… still… those useless thoughts… be it… data or illusion… it doesn’t matter… I am in your consciousness… in your memory… I saw everything… in your subconsciousness…’

Professor knew right away. What he thought of as memory. And the fact that it reminded him of that feeling: joy.

Creak

‘Disgusting.’

The whisper kept coming up with bright red emotions.

‘You know better… than all… You think your brother’s death is your deepest darkness… but there is something… deeper than that… now that we have come this far… let’s do it. How about going?’

Father, who died for me, and mother, who died because of me. And in that guilt… the two people I managed to meet… I…

‘Did you miss me? I missed you so much! I don’t know what to do! See that? Reak, fake, is that even important?’

I had to kill this. I need to pull out those eyes, twist the tongue, and get him out of this world.

‘Keke… if you live in pain like that… what is left? A life where death feels like rest? Where in life is there a sense of self-doubt, like a tag every time you think of happiness… does it have a meaning?’

Bubble!

Water began to gush in. the little consciousness present was shrinking.

‘Time is up…’

I will kill you! I will kill you…!

‘Even if you don’t rush… I know your body will fall into my hands… hehe.’

Bubble!

My heart burned with sore throat and chest paining at the sign of being dragged through my lungs, and the light, which was like a tiny dot, grew bigger—

Swish!

Threw me into reality.

“Kuak! Cough! Cough!!”

“3 minutes 52 seconds. Almost close? I listened to the heart sounds transmitted through water and calculated them, so you don’t have any after-effects. Ah, I will open your mouth. You need to spit out the water.”

“Cough! Cough!”

“In order to be strong in the world and have a will strong enough to change the world’s logic, you need to have unshakeable belief. To do that, you need to look back on your darkness. That deep, cold darkness is a great environment to look back on yourself.”

“Kuak! Cough! Huhh—”

“Professor? What did you see?”

What did I see?

Professor took a deep breath as he remembered. Right. I saw something, memories that I don’t want to recall again, the existence that he looked into.

“Never…”

Professor coughed up the water inside and growled at Roman.

“Never… put me… through that… again…”

What dug into his mind was far worse than expected.

The 6th day at the mansion of Count Mandalius.

“Puak!”

“4 minutes 45 seconds. You were there for a lot of time!”

Roman looked at Professor, leaning against the wall, gasping for air. Of course, just because he said things like ‘don’t put me through it,’ it didn’t mean that the Count would say stop.

From that day on, he was constantly thrown into the well at lunchtime every day, and fortunately, ‘that guy’ didn’t speak anymore…

“Kuak! Stop! Stop! Let me live! I did wrong! I don’t know what I did wrong, but stop!”

This allowed Professor to focus on the pain of drowning.

“Hahaha! Increased time is an important indicator! It proves that your body is getting acquainted with the water before enlightenment! The results of the training are starting to show!”

“Training? You say that is training?! I almost died each time! I saw a pole land! Was this what the other 30% saw? The lamp to death! The winged people looking at me and seriously discussing something about immigration to their side!”

“Well, to some extent, I do understand. When I was first put through it, be a mage or not, I wanted to run. Hahaha!”

“It is already the 3rd day! What is this?! Mana? I cannot feel anything; all I learned about water is that it is cold, dark, and scary! I only know that!”

At Professor’s fierce words, Roman shook his head.

“That is more than enough. It is training for that. I said that to become a mage who deals with water mana, you first need to treat the water as familiar. When training with a drowning body, didn’t there suddenly be a moment where the mind felt relaxed, and your body turned more comfortable despite losing strength?”

Professor nodded. It was there. The moment he desperately struggled to climb up and as ‘ah this is the end…’

“That is the phenomenon that occurs when the fear has reached the deepest part of the heart and reached the end and is disorganized. Basically, fear comes from the unknown. The understanding takes place when you accept the fear so deeply that you do not know it.”

“Uh… Can you simply say it was the moment ‘just before death’?”

Isn’t death always responsible for the unknown fear? The moment of facing death.

“Exactly—just that! Before death! This training aims to eliminate the fear of water from your mind and familiarise it by moving along with water back and forth on the state of death. Well, it is dangerous. But aren’t you alive?”

Professor was at a loss for words at the brazen attitude of Roman.

“Let’s rest for a while and then go right back in.”

“?!!!”

“The key to this training method is to roll around harsh, so you get used to it.”

“Yah fuuuu—”

“Ahahaha! It is fine if you want to curse! The rule is to pretend you didn’t hear the curses and continue doing it. Happening in training too!”

“Uhhh…”

Watching the well water approach, Professor shut his eyes tightly.

Day 8.

There was no longer any need for experimental materials, and there was no need to cut limbs. Instead, the time to recover was replaced with drowning. Now he had well training in the morning.

“Do not refuse the water! Humans build their bodies from the amniotic fluid of their mothers before they are born! Water is the origin! So do not refuse it! The moment you feel the water that touches the body, it should feel like skin! You are being taught by the Reed Flow Academy of Mages!”

“Roman! Wait! Anyway, 10 minutes is too much! People need to breathe to live!”

“Don’t hold your breath! Just take in the water!”

“W—wait! Actually, when I enter narrow and dark spaces, I start to get cold sweats, and my hands and feet tremble—”

“Aha! I used to say the same thing when being trained! This is a good thing! We have only a few goals left to touch!”

“N-No! not that!”

“Now, go—”

“Roman! Mage Roman! Bubble-”

Plop!

Thrown into the endless water. And this wasn’t some water mixed with extraordinary things, but regular well water. Whenever I came back up, I always thought that they weren’t making me a mage but a unique experiment!

Tring!

[Talent - Water Mana Affinity (47% in progress)]

In this work, it is a pain in the ass… but it is more unpleasant to be with soaked clothes all day. As long it came to water, being here was cold and now having thoughts is also—

‘Ack! What am I thinking!’

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Shit! Water got into my brain.

2 PM.

After drowning to train my body which starts in the morning, safely dizziness, hallucinations, and puking fall into the category of unharmed and safe, I get to have lunch with Roman.

Today’s lunch menu includes sashimi, freshwater eel, chilled jelly, and seaweed.

“Uh, Roman?”

“Um? What is it?”

“Were we eating together for the past 4 days?”

“Correct.”

“Then I want to know why we are getting the same menu daily!”

It was fine at first. I wasn’t the kind to ever get to eat freshwater sashimi. But it happened twice and then three, and now I tremble from cold water to come up and eat cold fish again? I could see the other mages eat steak and hot soup, so why do I get fish?!

‘Fish? Water? Wait. No…’

“Is… this because of water-based mage…?”

“Do you want to ask something obvious? Water-based mage like water. Wouldn’t it be too bad… if you had something which didn’t come from water? That is why we don’t eat grains or meat. We eat our meat from water. Ah, of course, uncooked, so the fire doesn’t reach it.”

Insane. This guy—no, all mages are insane.

“Is it not bad? This? Had this been proven? Does it have negative effects on mages eating different food?”

“Um… not exactly proven.”

“Then why?!”

“Because we are mages. As soon as the thought of ‘I think’ is established, it already becomes a law to be followed by mages. Asceticism is the easiest way to justify beliefs and actions. It wasn’t proven, but the mage who started this diet felt like it, and the mana flow seemed to have softened a little.”

“@#)(*&!$&(*)!!!!”

Professor voiced to spit out the dirtiest words he could imagine in his head. If he escaped from here, he would visit Magic Tower and find the one who developed this training.

I will go there and bury the bastard who spread this madness!

Day 9, morning.

Bubble!

“Ready?”

“Do not ask me that. Aren’t you already craving this? Don’t you know that being hit is scarier even when informed?”

“Hahaha! You look pretty confident now! See. Isn’t it easy once you’ve already done it?”

“I just learned to adapt to it!”

“Um! Nice words!”

Swish!

Plop!

How many times is this? Gradually, I got used to this. Seeing that I am in the water almost half the day, my boated body, and the diet of bland food, I did think that human beings are creatures with high vitality.

As long as one gets used to the work, they have time. After the drowning training, there was almost no need for a break, so I had some time to look around.

‘The hinge of the iron door has been corroded to the extent that it cannot be worked anymore. Even the hacksaws were rusted. Quantity is surely good. The question is escaping…’

Countermeasures against infected people were probably considered by them. If he tried, he would likely still be infected when going out.

Bubble!

Professor was sinking into the water, drawing on the status window the internal structure of the mansion, which he had managed to see in the past few days. It was comfortable to be in the water. Now, the time outside the water is feeling more inconvenient.

‘My room is in the first basement, and the well is two blocks away. The diner is one more block next to it. It seemed like Count Mandalius was mostly staying in the lab in the innermost part. The problem is… the door reached the ground.’

After training yesterday, I pretended to have panicked and ran outside looking for a way.

‘The direction of mages moving after dinner time which is usually very brief. If I move in the direction where the mages are going late at night…’

I found stairs going down to the first basement floor and an exit blocked by iron bars.

‘It’s not difficult to get out of the room. There are weapons prepared. The problem is that the iron bars… does… Isaac have the key?’

He was stuck there. No matter what he did, he couldn’t think of a way to subdue the Count. How can he defeat a mage who could be in 6th level and stable with water-based magic?

Tring-!

[Talent - Water Mana Affinity (95% in progress)]

‘Am I going to become a real mage like this?’

Water-based mana affinity rose from a particular moment and stopped at 95%. The other 5% could be done through enlightenment, which Roman spoke much about.

‘Enlightenment… I am not so sure of it just yet. What is water?’

In Roman’s words, it comes naturally, but even now, the water was familiar to the body, yet he couldn’t understand it.

’… tch. If I escaped, I wouldn’t be able to get a private class like this. When I go out, maybe I should try to swim.’

—Kwang!

While Professor was enjoying swimming and checking his plans, he heard a loud sound enough to resonate on the wall of the well.

‘Um? What? The shock was enough to make the waves in well. Was it an explosion in the lab?’

Kwang!

Bubble!

He heard it again. A weighty thudding sound. It may be an accident or a mistake if it was one, but if it is repeated, it is a different story, so Professor moved up. From the moment water affinity reached 80%, he could move his body the way he wanted.

Chak!

“Puah! Roman? What is happening—”

“Get down!”

“What…!”

Without even listening, Professor was pushed back down into the well.

Splash!

On the front resembling a mantis, the top of the well got cut off at a weird angle.

‘A mute. And it isn’t just an infected individual but a level 7 or higher which combines genes!’

Duk

Roman created a seal, and his hand, which created it, turned into a mute’s, and the other hand was put into the well.

“Droman Baldanis Breaking Wave!”

Chak!

Part of the water sprang up, split into four, and poured down towards the mantis like Mute.

“Kieke!”

‘That is a real magic spell.’

He never had much chance to see one as Isaac would only chant sleep. The water rushed wildly, pierced a hole in Mute’s body, and continued digging deeper. The Mute struggled and calmed down.

Wheik!

A familiar dull pain. And the feeling of being forced to some information.

‘Doors, ceilings, footsteps, lots of footsteps. All the mages are moving. And this unique magic…? Did a battle happen? This couldn’t be the only one coming in!’

Professor hurriedly looked around. The mental weakness that had been concentrated only in his head gave him information from all around.

Slash!

“Kuak! Actually, magic is not my specialty. This is hard.”

With a small dagger, Roman cut off the rope that bound Professor and spoke with a worried expression he never showed before.

“Professor, I don’t have time. You will have to hurry.”

“What happene—”

Thud!

With the sound of the ground vibrating, raindrops of dust fell from the ceiling of the building.

“Kuaaak!”

“There is no time! They have dug into the ground! The city itself is in chaos!”

Kwang!

The noise kept getting closer to Roman and me. Roman rummaged through the pocket as he held something and pushed it into my hand.

“I want to help you, but I have to go up and join them. Here is the facility key. You can get into the room where the anesthetic is. The Mute’s blood or any other experimental drug is kept there. Do not go out and hide inside to contain the infection. Even if this place gets taken over, I will come to rescue you once the outside is cleared!”

“W-wait! Roman! Wait a minute!”

Roman ignored my calling from behind and ran straight out. After a while, the sound of the water tank exploding was added to the noise of the fierce battle.

Clack!

Professor turned to the key for a moment, got out of the well, and began to run to the room with the bathtub.

‘He said they dug a hole inside. It is hard to stop if Turan doesn’t have an army. Even if the mages fight with their best, they will be able to break through the siege and escape.’

As if confirming his guess, the sound of magic being cast was getting farther away, but the screams of Mutes were getting closer.

‘I cannot leave, anyway. I still need the things here to stop the infection from spreading.’

As soon as Professor arrived in the room, he immediately jumped into the solution, closed the wooden lid next to it, and immersed himself in it.

‘I heard the other cities are also fighting, so it will be difficult for reinforcements to come. Turan is captured. For now, I will… have to hide here.’

Hearing a thumping sound coming closer and closer, Professor held his breath quietly.

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