The change began in the control room, situated behind the final gate, deep within the Trial of Ordeals.
Sssss...
A black fog that devoured space.
The ominous aura spread slowly but steadily, like dark clouds pushed by the wind.
It was a collection of impure mana, known as maky (魔氣).
Recalling that natural mana is invisible to the naked eye, one could gauge how thick the maky was.
So thick that even the monsters adapted to the Makyo (魔境) couldn't endure it and died instantly.
However, a life emerged within that maky.
Or, could it be called life?
Its form was like a shadow.
Gurgle, gurgle...
It made strange sounds, writhing continuously and growing larger.
It was forming a body by absorbing maky, and this wasn't just one or two.
Like the heat haze on a summer day, entities took shape within the maky mist.
They were not monsters.
These creatures, born from maky, were called masou (魔獸).
Though hard to find now, they were once cursed beings that plunged the continent into terror a few hundred years ago.
What damage did the continent suffer from the sudden appearance of these masou?
Renowned families disappeared into the annals of history, and several kingdoms lost their names due to irreparable damage.
The disaster had returned.
But there was someone who laughed at the appearance of these masou.
"Heh, hehehe! Success! Success! Masou have appeared! Masou! The Makyo has been constructed, you say? Yes? Success, I say!"
Laughter filled the control room with madness.
How could he not be happy?
After discovering the lost ancient artifact, he had poured everything into its restoration.
Time, money—no, from the day he found the ancient artifact, he had devoted his entire life to this.
But, it was always a half-success.
'I managed to generate maky, but that was all. But, but...'
The maky had completely infiltrated the space.
The appearance of masou was proof of that!
But the hound couldn't join in the celebration.
"Success? You... Did you deceive Vimar with an uncertain method?"
"Heh, listen. Generating maky alone is enough to meet your conditions. Academy students poisoned by maky, all wiped out. Isn't that a thrilling event, I tell you. I'm saying the construction of the Makyo was a success."
"Hmm."
The hound looked at Prezen and nodded.
"But, is this place really safe? With that level of maky concentration, even the arena master can't be at ease..."
"Heh, don't worry. Would I let myself die with the artifact I created? I've set up a solid defense mechanism."
Constructing a Makyo (魔境), an artificially created cursed land, is a great achievement.
But, no matter how great it is, what good is it if you die?
After obtaining the artifact, the most meticulous work Prezen did was to create an exception zone.
"Hmm, by the way. Is it just a Stage 1 Makyo?"
"Stage 1?"
The hound's question made Prezen nod.
"Not all Makyo are the same. See those masou? They don't have a fixed form, right?"
"That's true."
Indeed, the masou visible on the screen had no specific form.
How to describe it? They writhed like tentacle creatures, constantly changing shape.
Prezen elaborated.
"They are amorphous (不定形) creatures. They appear in the lowest level of Makyo. ...Hmm, perhaps this level of output is the limit for Stage 1."
Having said that, Prezen soon took out a notebook. He intended to record everything derived from this research without missing a thing.
'Maybe... I can develop it further.'
Prezen's eyes gleamed with a chilling light as he recorded his research.
In fact, the ability to construct a Makyo artificially is already a remarkable achievement.
Think about it. The Makyo scattered across the continent.
Even though they are only half-complete, with the concentration of maky gradually thinning and eventually disappearing, they remain dangerous.
Monsters adapted to maky pour out of the Makyo periodically.
What sacrifices do the nation, noble families, and the entire continent make to stop these monster waves?
All for a mere half-complete Makyo.
'This is the power to change the continent's landscape. Heh.'
Of course, there were still many aspects that needed improvement.
'The area that can be infiltrated at once is too small. The artifact is already creaking just to infiltrate this small area...'
He needed to improve stability. The materials required for a single use were also a problem. In other words, the efficiency didn't match the effort put in.
There was still a long way to go.
But, it was fine.
Prezen looked at Vimar's hound with a sinister smile.
'The minor activity fees and experimental sites will be provided by the Vimar family.'
The real sponsor Prezen was after was not them.
The Kinma Ketsu (禁魔結社)
Salvatiun
A guild formed by forbidden mages.
Prezen, who had learned forbidden magic, was a member of this guild.
The Makyo was a core element in forming the guild's secret garden, so he was sure to receive full support from the guild once he announced the success of the experiment.
"Hehehe! Hehehehehe!"
Prezen laughed maniacally, celebrating the success of the experiment.
Now, there was just one thing left.
'Heh. There's a biological reaction.'
Prezen looked at the screen with anticipation.
The maky mist covered about 10% of the Trial of Ordeals.
It would take about thirty minutes to engulf the academy students.
This was the first time Prezen had seen such a thick maky mist, so he was filled with anticipation.
What reaction would the academy students have when exposed to maky?
At their level, they couldn't possibly avoid it.
Even if they tried to resist, they might barely last a minute. Only someone like the young master of Blando or the third son of Dina would have a chance.
It was natural for them to flail in despair.
What Prezen was curious about was how humans would transform when exposed to such thick maky.
'Low-concentration maky contaminates the body and causes madness. But with this level of concentration, perhaps...'
Prezen recalled old documents, his anticipation burning.
At that moment.
"Ah! Hehe, the first test subject has appeared!"
Prezen pointed at the screen.
The hound looked at his finger in confusion.
"That one..."
On the screen was a student.
It was the gray-haired boy who had approached the control room at a fierce speed earlier.
The boy was staring at the approaching maky mist, and Prezen said,
"Heh, aren't you curious? What happens when a person is exposed to maky of this concentration?"
"They'll go mad, or perhaps die from rapid maky contamination."
"Yes, that's what's generally known."
Prezen smiled.
"Old documents say this. When the maky in the Makyo was thicker than it is now. These are records from that time."
It was not a widely known fact.
Prezen knew this because forbidden magic was closely related to the Makyo and maky.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't magical engineering knowledge.
According to the document:
"Human masou-ization (魔獸化)."
"Masou-ization?"
"Heh, yes. Humans transforming into masou. Of course, it's not just any human. They need to have mana or ether."
'Well, it's unproven...'
It was an ancient document, but not everything in it could be trusted.
Occasionally, there were garbage-like contents.
Anyway.
'What will he do? There's no place to run. Might as well come in now, right? Of course, it's good for me. Heh.'
Prezen looked at the screen with a pounding heart.
But then.
"Hmm?"
The gray-haired boy's eyes met his at that moment.
No, the boy was looking at the magic eye, but Prezen felt as if he was looking directly at him.
It was more than just that.
Smile.
The boy's lips moved.
"Hey, hound. It's like he's saying something."
"Hmm, let's wait and see."
The hound narrowed his eyes and focused on the boy's mouth.
He slowly mimicked the boy's mouth movements, using the lip-reading skills he had learned as Vimar's hound.
And just as he was about to interpret the message.
Sssss...
The maky mist, which had expanded, engulfed the boy.
At the same time.
Crackle—
The screen went black.
"What, what is this?"
Everything else was fine.
Just one place.
The magic eye that was showing the boy had malfunctioned.
The magic eye, which had maintained its performance even in the maky, had broken at this moment?
Prezen frowned at the coincidental situation.
Most importantly...
'What? What kind of face...'
The smile on that face.
It was somehow eerie.
At first glance, it was a pleasant expression on a good-looking face, but upon reflection, it was like a smile forced by someone who had forgotten how to cry.
As Prezen felt an inexplicable chill.
"Hmm."
The hound looked at Prezen with suspicion.
"Have you seen that boy before?"
"Why, why do you ask suddenly?"
Prezen thought hard.
But he had never seen that boy before.
"No, I haven't!"
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, why? What did he say?"
Prezen was flustered by the hound's question.
"Strange."
"Don't beat around the bush, just say it!"
"The meaning I interpreted is this."
The hound recalled the boy's mouth movements.
He wanted to make sure he hadn't misinterpreted, but the message remained the same.
So, the words of the gray-haired boy were...
- It was you, Prezen.
"What, what?"
"Do you understand? That's why I asked. Do you know that boy?"
Prezen was greatly alarmed by the hound's words.
How did that boy know his name?
All sorts of questions swirled in his mind.
Then.
"Ah!"
Prezen suddenly shouted.
The hound turned his gaze to the screen.
On the screen, the gray-haired boy was moving through the maky mist at an incredible speed.
The speed was so fast that the magic eye's frame rate couldn't capture it all.
It was a speed that the newly born masou couldn't even hope to stop.
And then.
"Stop him! You, hound, stop him!"
Just as Prezen was panicking.
Bang!
The control room door was broken, and an uninvited guest rushed in.
The gray-haired boy.
His mouth opened.
"Prezen, it's been a while."
A heartfelt voice.
"Once, I even went to the Makyo to kill you, and now you finally appear before me."
Aster smiled.
The strange, alien feeling that had been nagging him.
When he faced the maky mist, he realized the nature of that feeling.
Anger, sadness, nostalgia... Why were these emotions swirling in his mind?
Prezen.
Known as a dark mage engineer, but Aster knew his true identity.
He was a mage who had learned forbidden magic, known as a black mage.
And...
The teacher who taught forbidden magic to the young master of Deculan.
If the young master's hand was the one that stole the lives of his comrades, the mind that moved that hand was Prezen.