Reincarnated as a Genius Prodigy of a Prestigious Family - Chapter 40

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Reincarnated as a Legendary Talent Genius of a Noble Family Episode 40

 

 

 

17. Garden of Mist (2)

 

 

Ernest Dylan loves exploration.

The reason he visited the Garden of Mist first, putting orientation aside right after enrollment, was exactly that.

Ernest wanted to solve every secret that existed in the world.

That was the reason adventure, exploration, search, and expedition existed, and why the Dylan Baron Family had been satisfied with their tiny territory yet wandered the continent like madmen for generations.

Ernest had also inherited that spirit when he enrolled in the Academy, and like his famous ancestors, he wanted to uncover unexplored territories and mysteries and carve his name upon them.

The Academy was nothing less than his first step.

However, he had almost been blocked from the very start.

Because of this Garden of Mist.

The Academy’s mystery where you get lost the moment you enter, and you must never move until the mist clears.

‘It was right after the founding, wasn’t it. When the mist started covering this garden.’

For Ernest, who had talent as an explorer but still lacked experience, this was a trial.

Getting lost even when there was no mist meant he had taken this garden too lightly.

Meeting Dane in the midst of this was nothing short of luck.

And that wasn’t all.

“Is this really the right path?”

“Yeah. Probably.”

“How do you know? The compass is broken, and my sense of direction hasn’t returned either.”

“I just know.”

Dane was now guiding the way out.

And that was in the mist.

In the mist of this terrifying garden where staying still until it clears is absolutely the best strategy!

‘How is this even possible?’

Moreover, he showed no signs of struggling.

The reason staying still is the best strategy is precisely because of this mist’s nature of draining stamina the more you move.

The mysterious mist that countless mages had tried to analyze but couldn’t even discover the reason for.

In such mist, Dane was moving around perfectly fine.

“Huff, huff.”

Thanks to that, Ernest was dying trying to keep up, but he desperately continued walking.

Then he suddenly witnessed a strange phenomenon.

‘Did I see wrong?’

It felt like the mist was clearing around Dane.

For just a moment, it seemed like the mist cleared where Dane had passed.

But it was very brief, and Ernest just assumed he was seeing things because he was too exhausted, and continued walking while only looking at Dane’s back.

“Wh-when will we arrive?”

“We’re almost there now.”

And finally, the place the two arrived at was the widest location in this garden.

In other words, it was the very center of the Garden of Mist.

“This place is…”

At the garden center, there was a magically operated fountain and several old benches.

The only thing worth seeing was the fountain.

Because this fountain had an interesting legend.

“This fountain…”

Ernest approached the fountain.

The reason he had entered the Garden of Mist.

“Is there something special about it?”

“There is. Most students who enter the Garden of Mist come in because of this fountain. Except for clueless freshmen or kids like us.”

Dane nodded.

“It does look special. Definitely.”

Ernest brightened up.

“You know it too. The legend of this fountain here.”

“No. I don’t really know. Legend? There was such a thing?”

Ernest had a bewildered expression.

What was he talking about being special if he didn’t even know that?

“The legend, you know. The legend that if you reach this fountain before the mist clears, you’ll be united with the person you want. Don’t you know it?”

“Nope. I don’t know.”

If it had been Leila, she would have definitely told him, but unfortunately, Leila wasn’t here now.

By now, she would be heading to a different fountain.

Dane gauged the time. There was still plenty of time. Maybe Leila had arrived first, but that couldn’t be helped.

“Then what’s supposed to be special about it?”

At Ernest’s question, Dane pointed to the fountain.

“This fountain has magic cast on it, right?”

“Yeah. So it’s supposed to spout water at one-hour intervals. Though not many people have seen it.”

“Then how is this fountain’s magic maintained? There are hardly any people who have even seen it, so there would be even fewer people to continuously supply mana.”

Dane’s question was this:

In the first place, there were few people who entered and left the Garden of Mist, and even those all got lost, so how could this fountain consistently spout water at one-hour intervals?

Fountains generally operate on mana or corresponding energy, so they should naturally stop working if such things aren’t continuously supplied.

“You’re right.”

Ernest answered blankly with an expression like he’d been hit.

“It’s one of two things. Either someone is continuously supplying mana, or there’s a power source strong enough that it doesn’t need that sleeping here.”

Power source.

At those words, Ernest’s eyes lit up.

Ancient ruins are often described as ‘alive and breathing.’

It’s a phrase used to describe how the mechanisms and facilities inside continue to operate even after long years have passed.

And those mechanisms and facilities generally operate with power sources that can supply energy despite being very old.

That meant…

“You mean it’s the latter?”

“Probably. Maybe this mist is also related to that.”

Therefore, what was truly special was something else.

It wasn’t the mana that operated this fountain once every hour.

‘It’s certain.’

This feeling.

This texture.

And that thing inside Dane’s body reacting as if meeting an old friend.

It was ancient mana.

What this fountain before his eyes contained was definitely ancient mana. These sensations that came to Dane were proof of that.

“It’s, it’s dangerous.”

When Dane approached, Ernest was momentarily flustered, but he was also curious himself.

What on earth was that?

The explorer’s blood was boiling.

In the midst of this, Dane carefully examined the fountain’s surface.

“This is…”

Dust had settled whitely and it was worn, so you couldn’t tell at a glance, but looking closely, he could see it was writing.

Dane furrowed his brow for a moment.

“This is ancient Secret language.”

That’s when Ernest interjected.

“Ancient Secret language?”

“Yeah. The vanished ancient kingdom, Secret. It’s the language they used there.”

That meant there were no actual users left. Language only has vitality when users exist.

But Ernest was an explorer.

Dane asked just in case.

“Do you know this language?”

“Of course. I’m from the Dylan House.”

Ernest grinned.

“Explorers need to know many things, but among them, languages are essential. It would be frustrating to finally reach ruins only to be unable to read the writing there.”

The fellow looked quite proud.

“Of course, I haven’t mastered every language yet… but I think I know this one. I learned it from Father since I was young.”

In any case, that meant-

“Let me take a look.”

Ernest could decipher this language.

“Hmm… it seems to say this. Let one with qualifications prove their power…”

One with qualifications.

Proof of power.

Dane recalled the unique power he possessed, thinking of the familiarity he felt as he approached the garden center.

Ancient mana.

“Thanks, Ernest.”

Whooom.

That’s when Dane instinctively activated his mana.

“Huh?”

The existing ancient Secret language disappeared as new writing began to appear.

“What is this writing?”

Ernest was confused.

But Dane was smiling instead.

Because this time it was writing Dane knew.

“As expected.”

Dane raised his left arm.

The ordinary bracelet worn on his wrist.

But when he infused mana like this-

Whooom.

It vibrated as letters appeared on the surface.

Letters similar to those now written on the fountain over there.

It was the moment that proved what he was feeling now wasn’t wrong…

Rumble!

The fountain finally reacted to Dane’s power and began to slowly sink down.

“Wh-what!”

Ernest panicked and stepped back.

Whoosh.

First, the water from the fountain drained out.

After the water drained, what had been sinking stopped, and soon the central part began to slowly split open left and right.

And what was finally revealed on the floor was something glowing green.

Hum hum hum…

That orb-like thing was emitting an enchanting light. Should I say it felt like a jewel.

Dane could tell that this was what caused the strange phenomena in this garden and made water continuously spout from this fountain.

Ernest could tell too.

That this was no ordinary object.

But unlike Dane, he didn’t have the courage to approach.

That was…

Instinct.

That thing that looked like a concentration of power was warning him.

Don’t approach if you’re not qualified.

And the one now approaching.

Grab.

Was sufficiently qualified.

“D-Dane!”

Ernest’s scream was brief.

Dane savored the power he felt as what he grasped flowed into him through his hand.

And finally, Dane realized.

“Aha.”

The fact that this green power was identical to what he possessed.

Ancient mana.

Clues that couldn’t be found at all with just one accidentally obtained bracelet.

To think they were right here.

Then should I try looking for other mysteries within the school?

“Dane? Dane? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Dane answered calmly and showed his open palm.

There was nothing in his hand.

Ernest’s mouth fell wide open.

“What on earth just happened…”

“Who knows.”

Two things were certain.

Whoooosh…

One was that the fog that had filled the garden cleared in an instant.

“The fog… disappeared.”

The other was that the ancient language that had been unreadable until then began to enter my vision.

[Arcana existed and perished. This is its legacy.]

Ha. Then I just absorbed the legacy of the Magic Kingdom Arcana.

“Ernest, can you read this writing by any chance?”

“No. I have no idea…?”

And this writing can only be read by me.

Because changes have occurred in my body now.

Specifically, changes occurred near my heart.

Something I deliberately didn’t create to make a core.

Something I had no intention of making in the future since I could use magic sufficiently without it anyway.

But now, as the power hidden beneath the fountain was absorbed, it was finally newly created and settled near my heart.

That was…

A circle.

 

 

Core and circle.

Their roles are opposite, so normally one wouldn’t have both.

Because the efficiency is too poor.

It’s even bad for the body.

This is why magic swordsmen live with heart disease.

That’s why I had no intention of creating circles in the future.

From an overall perspective, unlike circles that can only be utilized in magic, cores greatly influence physical growth, making cores the more rational choice.

Fortunately, I learned that I could use magic sufficiently without circles, so there were no particular worries going forward.

But to think I’d be forcibly injected with a circle like this.

“Are you really okay?”

Thanks to that, Ernest was only worried about me the entire way.

“Yeah. I’m really fine.”

“Something unbelievable happened even seeing it with my own eyes…”

That’s understandable.

Not only did the thick fog clear in an instant, but the entire atmosphere of the garden, which had a mysterious aura, changed to something very ordinary.

Of course, the trees and flowers didn’t all wither, so the garden’s beauty remained.

It would probably take a bit more time for people to realize that fog no longer forms there.

Naturally, the legend tied to the fountain would disappear too, which felt strange, but that wasn’t my concern.

For now, the fact that I had absorbed a mana concentrator, a legacy of the Magic Kingdom Arcana, became important.

Thinking a bit deeper, this legacy probably isn’t just one or two items.

“So was that light just meaningless? Or was it absorbed by you, Dane? And what were those characters?”

Ernest seemed to have many questions.

But he didn’t seem to know much about the true nature of my power, the existence of the bracelet, or those letters.

That would probably be more convenient for me too.

There was no need to unnecessarily make my Academy life busier by talking about it.

“My blood is boiling as an adventurer. Good. I’ve set a goal.”

“A goal?”

“Yeah. I’m going to investigate the mysteries and secret places within the Academy! That experience just now was amazing!”

It seemed like a goal befitting an adventurer.

“How about it, Dane? Want to do it together with me? If you discover any strange phenomena or places here, let me know!”

And thanks to that, the situation seemed to be working out quite well.

Of course I welcomed it.

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

I had just created a circle with ancient mana.

That meant there might be concentrators of such mana gathered in other places too.

“There’s nothing particularly uncomfortable.”

Strangely enough, there was no sense of incompatibility in the coexistence of the circle and core.

In cases of simultaneously operating cores and circles, people always say they feel a distinct sense of incompatibility near the heart.

This is because the circle circulates and filters the mana that the core worked hard to concentrate, drastically lowering efficiency and causing interference in the process.

But no matter how much I try to raise my mana now, I don’t feel anything particularly strange.

Rather, it feels the opposite.

Simply put…

The mana concentrated in the core gets filtered and circulated through the circle, then gathers back into the core.

And the mana gathered in that core was of higher purity than before.

Anyway, it’s a mysterious thing.

I should contact Big Sister about this later.

“But Dane, where are you going now? I have a next class, but it’s orientation so I could just skip…”

“Ah.”

Only then did I remember that I was supposed to meet Leila at the Central Fountain Plaza.

I was already on my way there anyway.

I didn’t seem to be late.

“I’ll go ahead. See you next time.”

“Huh? Oh, okay! See you later!”

I started walking a bit faster.

By the way, the next class was magic, right?

And it was Practical Magic Introduction, a recommended major for second-year students.

If so, this would be a good opportunity to test this newly created circle.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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