8 Volume I - Chapter 7: End of the Presentation

*(A/N: I rewrote this chapter on 12.08.2023, so the paragraph comments before that date have unfortunately been lost. For your information.)*

"As I just said, the meaning of this motif is 'plasma', but on its own, it has no meaning when we transfer mana to it. Because there is no matter in the universe that has no properties other than 'plasma' alone."

Frustration could be seen in the eyes of some, as they began to realize where the presentation was going.

"Let's take the flame again. As I said at the very beginning of the presentation, the flame attribute has a lot of chemical and physical properties of its own. It's hot, it's diffusive, it's 'plasma'... So in short, these runes that transform mana into quality actually add properties to mana with this 'filter' and imitate the matter, energy or form in the universe that has this property when the necessary conditions are met."

I paused, inhaled slightly, and continued.

"So within the flame rune, there are many different 'meanings' that contain information like the 'plasma' I just showed you, and the sum of these meanings constitutes what we call flame. So I'm sorry to say that it's impossible to cast spells that limit us only to our imagination, as everyone used to imagine."

A great disappointment was the expression that could be read on all of their faces.

"Because when we cast spells, everything that comes out using mana is something that already exists in this universe from the very beginning and is 'imitated'. So if you replace the meaning of 'hot' in the flame rune with the meaning of 'cold', then what you get is nothing. The rune doesn't work because there is no flame in the universe that absorbs heat and cools its surroundings instead of radiating heat. Mana cannot imitate something that does not exist."

So, I had nothing more to tell these adults. My presentation was over, and the only thing I could do now was to take questions.

As silence descended on the stage, everyone knew that my presentation was over, and soon I saw a woman in her thirties with short blonde hair raising her hand from the seats. I then gave her my approval to speak.

"What you have just told and presented us is truly the beginning of a new era in the world of magic..."

She narrowed her eyes but didn't focus on me. She wore an expression as if something was really bothering her.

"But one thing I'm curious about is that you just told us that motifs such as the meaning of 'plasma' on the board are not made up of letters, but have a meaning of their own. So, even if we divide the runes into countless 'meanings' with the method you used to break down the runes in the first place, how do we know what these 'meanings' really mean? If there are only 'meanings' and not a letter in the language of mana, then how do we know what the rune we have really means?"

Well, that was the biggest flaw in my theory. In short, we couldn't know it, it was impossible because, as she said, the language of mana is not composed of letters. So we couldn't define it.

"Unfortunately, this is the only flaw of the theory. It is simply impossible to know. We can only discover it through certain similarities with other attributes, so there is no other way but trial and error."

I was trying hard not to grin as I said this because I had learned so many 'meanings' of the language from the game's forum page that it was almost impossible to take an attribute apart and not be able to explain it.

Actually, when you think about it, that might sound a bit like cheating too. I would like it to be, but unfortunately, it's not. Because even if I know what the meanings are for, I don't know how to connect them. The connection points are self-explanatory, but an attribute has so many meanings in itself that it's really hard and time-consuming to connect them.

And even if I manage to do that, the runes I just drew on the board are too primitive and simple. Even if I tried to start a small fire with them, it would be very inefficient and it would probably go out after a short time. So, unfortunately, I can't use it as a cheat that easily.

It's a big loss...

"Are there any other questions?"

I said that looking at the whole conference hall. Of course, a few other people asked me questions.

I took questions for another half an hour, and explained them in an explanatory way, with examples from the papers I had prepared.

After the last question... that was really the end of the presentation, or rather the end of the 'oral defense'.

"That concludes the presentation of this theory then. Thank you for listening to me."

I bowed slightly to them, and after a short silence, there was a single applause in the lecture hall. Then someone else joined in and soon the whole lecture hall was filled with loud clappings.

As the applause continued, my eyes stopped at a certain point and a slight smile appeared on my face. I had accomplished what I had set out to do in this presentation with this little check, in fact, I seemed to have progressed so well that I could hardly keep my eyes from meeting his and grinning.

"Thank you."

I simply thanked them, sighed, and then, noticing a group coming toward me, my gaze returned to them from where it had just been fixed.

"You're a student of the Academy, right? I'm Liara Ther, a senior Mana Researcher."

These people who had looked at me with disdain at the beginning of the presentation were now communicating with me using the suffix respect. This was exactly the effect I was expecting.

"Aiden Tenebra, and yes, I am a student of the academy. I'm also a first-year."

I introduced myself briefly, which brought a smile to Ms. Liara's face as she asked the first question of the presentation.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, just to be sure, but you discovered this on your own, didn't you?"

"Yes, no matter how much you search, you won't find anyone working on this theory. Though... Maybe there are some people who think like me, but I'm sure they haven't gotten this far, because if they had, the world would have heard about it by now."

I emphasized my words in a way that didn't make the woman in front of me too uncomfortable. Even though I had other intentions, the smile on her face widened when she heard what I said.

"Would you like to join our team, Mr. Tenebra? We would love to have geniuses like you among us."

Yes, that was exactly what I expected to hear.

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept."

I rejected the offer without a second thought, and the reason was simple.

"Because my first priority is not theory, and unfortunately I don't plan to be a scientist or a researcher, although I would love to do that. Still, if I have theories like this one, I wouldn't hesitate to present them to you."

Technically, I wouldn't be a scientist as my main profession, but if I 'discovered' things, I would continue to make money using them.

I could certainly make a lot of money from this, given what I had at my disposal. In fact, with the theory I've just presented, I'll probably make enough money to support my seven generations or so. What I've just presented is no small thing, they'll even want to put my name in history. Still, no one would say no to more money, right?

"I understand... It's a shame, but if you change your mind, our team is always open to you, Mr. Tenebra. Your presentation has just been recorded and will go directly to the kingdom's magic committee for approval. Of course, given the importance of the theory, we will keep your identity anonymous, but that won't stop you from getting your money. I don't think the Magic Committee will be idle with such an important theory."

"Thanks for the information, I would like to remain anonymous too. So it was very good... Thank you again for listening to me, I would like to go to my room and rest for tomorrow."

"Sure, our employee will escort you out of the building."

I thanked her with a slight bow of my head and then, just as she had said, an employee came to me and led me out of the lecture hall. Thus, we went back through the same corridors we had come from.

When we finally arrived at the lobby, the employee bowed respectfully and saw me off, and I left the building smiling.

Yes, I was going to have more money than I could ever spend in my lifetime, as long as I decided to live a normal life, but this was only the first step. Because no matter how much money I had, I had no background and I was just an ordinary extra.

Actually, I could have solved this background problem with the offer Ms. Liara just made, but if I did that I would have had to spend all my time in that laboratory.

As I said, I'm not really interested in theories. What I want to do... What will allow me to fully enjoy this fantasy world is to become a strong person, as the main character is, of course. Isn't that a cliché dream? Yet this is what I really want in my heart.

With my dreams of the future in mind, I started walking along the walkway toward my room, happy as the fresh air I breathed in with the sweet breeze of the soft wind made me feel like I was in paradise.