**#296. The Spring of Mana (2)**
—
*Gurgle.*
Though there was no actual water, as Ray descended deeper into the spring, he couldn’t shake the sensation of hearing such a sound.
*‘The deeper I go, the denser the mana becomes.’*
How such density could even exist was a mystery
—an utterly enigmatic environment.
Ray focused his senses on the circles surrounding his heart.
*Voom!*
Four circles, each filled with colored mana.
Above them, the point of mana orbiting to form the fifth circle was spinning nearly dozens of times faster than usual.
*‘…The speed is insane.’*
The friction from the mana was so intense it made his chest burn.
If he chose to stay in this place, he felt he could reach the 5th Circle within just a few weeks.
But what was even more astonishing was the fact that he was still only at the beginning of the spring.
There was still plenty of room for that orbital speed to accelerate.
Ray reversed his body using wind from his equipment and focused solely on descending.
*Fwoosh!*
Slowly
—though not too slowly
—his vision began to sink downward.
The mana of the spring surged with his falling body, and the deeper he went, the darker it became.
The light emitted by the spring’s mana wasn’t enough to fully dispel the darkness.
It was then that the mana density around him suddenly spiked.
*Crack!*
It felt like being crushed in the grip of a giant hand—an overwhelming pressure engulfing his entire body.
Prepared, Ray quickly responded, amplifying the strength of the mana distributed along his skin.
The pain was deflected and failed to penetrate his body.
*‘If I’d reacted just a little slower, it could’ve been dangerous.’*
Thinking this, Ray floated a globe of light to examine his surroundings.
Fragments of equipment and human skulls caught on the outcroppings of the wall revealed themselves from the darkness.
They were likely the remains of those from the Harmony faction who had failed to escape long ago.
Refocusing, he continued his descent.
*Crack!*
The crushing pressure from the mana intensified at an alarming rate.
*Vwooom!*
The mana point forming the fifth circle began to spin at a velocity that felt like it would tear his chest open.
His body was under immense strain, but he could not stop descending.
From deep within the spring—beyond the bottom—something was calling to him.
How far had he fallen by now?
Suddenly, his field of vision began to brighten.
Objects resting at the bottom were glowing with light.
*‘One’s a tablet… and the other… I can’t tell yet, it’s shrouded in light.’*
Halting his equipment and landing on the spring’s floor, Ray first approached the tablet.
Brushing away the hardened gray mana settled into the carved letters, old characters tinged with violet mana were revealed.
> “Redran is attempting something unthinkable. Creating and removing emotion—trying to imitate divine authority as a mere creation.”
> “Returning to the beginning, to a time devoid of emotion. Living a purely rational and efficient life—he calls that evolution and progress? No, that is regression. No matter how peaceful or comfortable such a life may be, if we cannot feel emotion, our lives will hold not even a sliver of meaning.”
> “But Redran will never succeed. One day, *He* will return, and Redran will pay the price for all he’s done.”
Just like the previous tablets, the content appeared to be inscribed by the Violet Guardian.
*‘Rael said that after their conversation about the cult, even he didn’t know where the Violet Guardian had gone.’*
Two facts became clear from the tablet’s content:
First, the Violet Guardian had infiltrated the city afterward and observed the Doctor’s actions, attempting to stop him.
Second, the Doctor’s ambition to erase the world’s emotions went back an unimaginably long time.
……
Ray found himself wondering:
Where was the Violet Guardian now?
Was she still alive—or had she perished?
According to Rael, the Doctor and the Violet Guardian had both used ancient alchemy from a bygone era, sacrificing something precious to gain a near-immortal lifespan.
However, they were still vulnerable to illness and injury—it wasn’t true immortality.
*‘…I hope the Violet Guardian is still alive, like the Doctor.’*
This was already the fourth tablet he’d found. Who knew how many more preparations she had left behind across the world?
Her effort to pass on the events of the ancient era to the Reincarnation of the Rainbow could be felt with each discovery.
*‘There might be more tablets hidden elsewhere in the city.’*
He thought it best to commission an additional search through Nila, just in case.
Ray bent down and picked up a small, glowing object next to the tablet.
*A compass?*
Its geometric shape was odd, but the glass-covered needle gave away its identity.
As he examined it carefully—
*Vwoom!*
The compass’s light suddenly shot straight into Ray’s head.
Along with the absorption of light, the compass’s purpose and how to use it played in his mind.
Ray realized it was a memory implanted by the Violet Guardian.
The compass’s function was simple:
*‘A compass that can track the Doctor’s true location.’*
However, perhaps due to age, the device was broken—the needle didn’t react even when mana was infused into it.
Ray tucked the compass into his coat to show Rael later, then closed his eyes and focused his mind.
He had confirmed both the tablet and the light.
Now, there was one task remaining.
The trajectory forming the fifth circle began to radiate a scorching light from his chest.
*
*
*
The researchers watched Ray disappear deeper into the spring.
“How far do you think he’ll go? That boy Ray—he’s all anyone talks about lately.”
“Well, based on his known accomplishments, we can expect him to reach at least 30 meters, no?”
“Even just breaking the 30-meter mark is well beyond average. But what concerns me is his lack of experience—he’s still so young.”
Their analysis was impassioned—a textbook discussion among researchers.
While opinions varied on how far Ray would reach, everyone agreed he wouldn’t surpass 40 meters.
Withstanding mana pressure depended on more than circle level or magical skill.
This kind of abnormal mana density could be experienced nowhere else. Most first-timers barely reached 10 meters before surfacing or signaling for rescue.
No matter how gifted the rumored boy was, they thought he’d be no exception.
That’s why they had already prepared for a rescue.
Then, one researcher spoke boldly:
“I think he has a high chance of exceeding 60 meters. Didn’t we all see the measuring device explode earlier? That’s proof he holds unimaginable potential—he’ll surprise us again.”
The once-settling mood flared up again.
“It’s unclear if that explosion was due to his unique constitution or if his potential truly exceeds the 6th Circle. Further study is needed.”
“But I can’t help but be excited. If Ray breaks 60 meters on his first attempt…”
A hush fell over the room.
Everyone turned cautiously to glance at Khan.
The deepest dive on record in the school’s history belonged to Chief Khan: 57.4 meters.
If Ray broke 60, it would mean the first new record in decades.
They knew their chief wasn’t petty about such things, but it still felt inappropriate to mention it outright.
Khan closed the discussion with a calm tone.
“If he manages to reach 60 meters on his first attempt… that would mean his mana control is truly superhuman. Don’t you agree?”
“Y-yes, sir!”
The tension eased, and the researchers gathered in front of the panel, watching the numbers.
“He’s passed 11, 12… 13 meters.”
“Still smooth sailing.”
With each rising number, Ray’s figure vanished from view, becoming a mere dot.
“He’s adapting far better than we expected.”
“Now 27, 28… and 29 meters.”
When he broke through 30 meters, everyone let out quiet sighs of relief and admiration.
That part had been somewhat expected—but now, the real challenge would begin.
35 meters. *He’ll probably have to come up now.*
40 meters. *Now, for sure.*
45 meters. *Really—surely now.*
But the numbers continued to climb as if mocking their expectations.
All conversation ceased. Only tension and nervous energy filled the room.
And finally—
When he broke through 57 meters—
“A new record has been set!”
“A new record, finally…!”
The researchers erupted into cheers without realizing it.
At the same time, they felt chills in the face of the boy’s overwhelming talent.
But their excitement didn’t last.
“59! 63! 67 meters! T-the fall rate is increasing rapidly! I think the equipment is malfunctioning!”
“Everyone prepare for rescue! Move now!”
At Khan’s swift command, the researchers geared up and lined up at the spring.
But in that brief moment, the numbers stopped entirely.
\[102.8 meters]
The presumed bottom of the spring.
The senior researcher asked in a frantic voice:
“Chief, what do we do? Ray has fallen to an unrecoverable depth. Not only is the chance of rescue nearly zero… we can’t even guarantee our own survival…”
“……”
Khan looked down at the spring with a pained expression.
Guilt tore through his chest—he should have been more cautious, should have prepared more thoroughly before making the offer to the boy.
Because of his old curiosity and fleeting interest, a young potential had ended up dead.
“I’ll go in. All of you, stay here. Hand me the equipment.”
“Chief, you can’t! It’s best to give up on this. Not only would you be throwing your life away for nothing, but Sir Ray likely doesn’t even have a body left due to the pressure of the mana!”
“Give it to me right now! That’s something we won’t know until we go down and see for ourselves!”
“Please, think logically!”
As the heated argument continued, Khan suddenly sensed something.
“Wait! Quiet, just be quiet for a moment!”
Everyone fell silent.
Khan focused his mind and faintly detected the vibration of mana from the bottom of the spring.
It was a pattern he couldn’t possibly mistake.
It was the resonance that occurred when mana nodes orbited to form a circle.
‘…He’s accelerating the orbit of the circles? In that place, where the mana pressure is so high it could crush a body?’
For a moment, it felt like his thoughts had come to a halt.
Because it made absolutely no sense.
And yet, the phenomenon he was sensing confirmed that this impossible situation was, in fact, reality.
“Haha… Ahahahahaha!”
Soon after, Khan burst into laughter that sounded as though he had completely lost his mind.
The researchers could only stare at him in confusion.
Eventually, wiping away tears, Khan stopped laughing and spoke.
“We’ve made ourselves into fools. Our worry was completely pointless.”
“Pardon?”
“What do you mean…?”
The answer to the researchers’ confusion came from the panel in front of them.
“T-the numbers are starting to change again!”
