CH 239

“Huh? Isn’t this Starting’s Guardian Tower?”

Quiet Heaven, who had teleported with Merlin, spoke in a confused voice. What made Quiet Heaven more confused was the fact that Merlin, who had to avoid other users as much as possible to fly under the Noblesse’s radar, had chosen to appear in the most public place possible, Starting’s central square. However, before Quiet Heaven could express this thought, Quiet Heaven realized that Merlin, as well as itself, were hidden behind concealment and invisibility spells. Realizing this, Quiet Heaven shut its mouth. It seemed that the spell was used immediately after they teleported into the square.

“I blocked all outgoing sounds as well, so there’s no need to fret over your voice leaking out but be careful; we might need to leave immediately if our connection is discovered. Although, whether or not our access records are truly not being recorded is another matter…”

Merlin flew through the air without even stepping on the ground and approached the Guardian Tower. Then, Merlin took out his newly made jeweled dagger.

The Guardian Tower controlled the entire DIO system. It was such an important physical construct that, if it were ever to be destroyed, DIO’s service would be shut down for 24 hours; hence, the Guardian Tower possessed defenses that didn’t allow users to come within 3 meters of it.

“Oh, you can enter the Guardian Tower’s restricted space. Are you immune to the restriction defenses?”

“It must mean that the system doesn’t recognize me. The defense spread around this Guardian Tower isn’t a magic barrier… however, it’s a bit strange and interesting that you, who can stay in DIO even if I log out, are immune.”

“That’s because I’m a member of the Noblesse. Though, it’s true that most high-ranking beings within Noblesse don’t even acknowledge hybrid existences like me…”

Merlin, who looked at the grumbling Quiet Heaven, opened his Enhanced Eyesight. His jeweled left eye couldn’t be utilized for Enhanced Eyesight, but Merlin’s mastery of Enhanced Eyesight had gradually increased, so his right eye had transformed into a Golden Eye, specialized for Enhanced Eyesight. Through his Enhanced Eyesight, Merlin was able to peer into and peel back the various defensive layers surrounding the Guardian Tower and recognize the location of the Guardian Stone within the tower.

After concentrating his mind on the stone and the surrounding defense system, Merlin raised his jeweled dagger and stabbed the Guardian Stone.

Slash!

“Operate Editor Blade.”

With a whisper, Merlin’s thoughts and consciousness were fired into the central system through the jeweled Anyform blade of his dagger. Soon, Merlin began to acquire information and interpret the massive amount of content within the central system.

Tan underestimated Irregulars.

No, it was more accurate to state that transcendents tended to underestimate Irregulars.

Though these transcendent beings knew that a considerable number of Irregulars had appeared throughout history, only a few of those Irregulars had reached the realm of transcendence.

In addition, from the point of view of those who had already reached the [arrival point] of transcendence, no matter how great a genius an Irregular may be, they thought that an Irregular would always be catching up to them and never meeting them at the top.

However, being a genius did not necessarily mean someone who learned and acquired knowledge quickly. If one’s learning was just fast, wasn’t the difference between a genius and a normal being only the time it took to learn something?

A true genius could see something that someone else couldn’t see, no matter how much effort was expended by the other. A true genius imagined new things and made novel approaches that others could never think of.

Merlin was undoubtedly a lower level being than most in the Noblesse, including Tan, but in special cases, Merlin could perform miracles that they couldn’t even wish to imitate.

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Wasn’t the production of the magic stone, which even the great mage Leighann was so surprised at that he instantly partnered with Merlin to seek a patent, and Merlin’s weightless controlled movement, which even Tan was surprised at when he first saw Merlin deploying the skill in the bus, things that weren’t discovered or created by these transcendent beings?

New ideas that even those with more wisdom and knowledge couldn’t think of and the ability to absorb everything were the true strengths of an Irregular.

And at this very moment, Merlin succeeded in accessing the central system that even many Noblesse had never been able to access.

“Data patch.”

Merlin’s new Editor Blade, which was made of Anyform Stone, which formed the fundamental basis of the DIO system, had the power to access all of DIO’s programs, analyze them, penetrate them, and modify them.

As a master key and an ultimate hacking tool that could open all doors, the Editor Blade possessed formidable features, such as allowing Merlin to data drain, data patch, and data delete. Of course, even with this access power, it was impossible to edit the entirety of DIO’s system with a single slash of the Editor Blade. Above all, Merlin’s level was too low, and the power contained in the Editor Blade had its limits.

Even so…

“It needs to be reinforced. Still… I can still do a lot.”

Clunk!

No sound was heard from the outside; however, Merlin felt the satisfaction of opening a door. Of course, there was more than one door, and the thickness of the various doors, or layers, the system protector contained was unimaginably thick.

Moreover, if one couldn’t open all the doors in one go, the system protector’s defenses would become fortified, causing the system protector’s thickness to increase, so if Merlin made one mistake, he’d have to start all over from the beginning and face a reinforced defensive system.

Since the system protector was a layered barrier that even the leadership of Noblesse, who had influence over the entire material world, couldn’t break through, how difficult would it be for Merlin, a single user?

“Analyze and unlock. The whole construct is… Oh, this is tremendous. The being who made this must have been a genius.”

Merlin forgot all other circumstances and thoughts as he focused his entire mind on releasing the system protector layers.

DIO’s system, which Merlin read through his Editor Blade, was a truly phenomenal construct. Just the act of interpreting and peeling away each layer, even Merlin, who had the talent of an Irregular, couldn’t afford the slightest distraction.

Ting!

Merlin’s left jeweled Magic Eye flashed a red light, and his golden Enhanced Eyesight right eye scattered divine light. His eyes were working in tandem to read and interpret all the information that he could lay his eyes on. And that wasn’t all.

The ‘heaven’ mark, hidden behind Merlin’s bangs, started to operate.

A powerful spiritual power began to swirl around Merlin. All his magic circuits began to operate under the optimal route for the most efficient operation of his left jeweled Magic Eye, and all his internal energy was being concentrated to operate his golden Enhanced Eyesight right eye. Because of this, the concealment spell that he had been utilizing to protect and shroud himself and Quiet Heaven were naturally lifted, but…

“Tsk! You said you had to avoid others’ eyes and not get caught… yet you’re showing a gap at the most important moment.”

Quiet Heaven, who had been watching Merlin quietly work, clicked its tongue before using its powers to cover itself and Merlin. Of course, the ability to conceal wasn’t Quiet Heaven’s specialty, as Quiet Heaven was more specialized in utilizing Dao-based abilities.

Therefore, Quiet Heaven’s concealment spell didn’t perform at Merlin’s level, nor did it have a diffracting effect like Merlin’s concealment spell. If someone approached them, they would crash into the concealment field and know of its existence, but the Guardian Tower was basically an area where users couldn’t access, so this concern didn’t matter.

Clank!

The second, third, fourth and fifth layer of the system protector opened. The deeper Merlin delved into the system protector, the higher the level of the system protector’s defensive layer, but Merlin’s cracking ability also increased each time he broke through a layer.

Whoosh!

Momentarily, steam formed around Merlin and then disappeared. Merlin was unaware of this phenomenon, as he was concentrating to the fullest on peeling back the various system protector layers, but Quiet Heaven was so shocked by the scene that it momentarily forgot to breathe.

Quiet Heaven was overwhelmed by the sight of the bursting auspicious aura.

“Hey, what is this? This isn’t even a divine land, so how was he able to project such divine aura?”

Quiet Heaven looked around in surprise, but the auspicious burst of energy that had momentarily appeared had disappeared just as quickly. It was a kind of aura energy that couldn’t be created through training or ability, so Quiet Heaven couldn’t understand how it appeared or came about.

“That aura isn’t something that can be made artificially… did this guy get his hands on and consume a Philosopher’s Stone from somewhere?”

That was an impossibility. This was because the Philosopher’s Stone, which reproduced all materials in the world and emitted infinite energy, was a kind of material that even high-ranking gods couldn’t get their hands on.

Even if there was only a small, little-finger-sized Philosopher’s Stone, it would be impossible for Merlin, who was under the constant watchful eye of DIO’s system, to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone. Such a small stone could allow a mixed-race species like Quiet Heaven to instantly turn into a transcendent level being that could be comparable in power to a fairly decent old dragon.

Since the Philosopher’s Stone was such a precious material, even for the Noblesse, Quiet Heaven was certain that such an item would be taken away by the Noblesse at all costs once they sensed its existence.

“Besides, isn’t it absurd that such a substance would appear in the form of vapor? If it could appear as a vapor, what would it even be called? It’s a liquid that can make one’s dreams come true, so would it be called Dream Water?”

Whether Quiet Heaven was bewildered or not, Merlin, who had fallen into a state of high concentration, was releasing the various system protector layers without lifting a physical finger.

It was a scene that made Quiet Heaven, who was excellent in magic and knew the meaning of what Merlin was doing, stunned, and since there was no sign of the steam that had appeared and disappeared earlier, Quiet Heaven also dismissed what it saw as an illusion and focused its energy on maintaining the concealment field.

Crackle.

Sweat evaporated and steam rose above Merlin’s head. This phenomenon meant that his brain, which was completely different from that of a normal human’s, which was materialized within DIO through an Anyform Stone, was consuming an excessive amount of nutrients as well as mana and energy.

“Amazing. Spectacular. I see!”

Merlin mumbled incomprehensible words and sounds while immersed in his endeavor. Merlin’s eyes, which glowed brightly with gold and red light, were not looking at DIO’s system surface but what lay deep within the system.

“… Oh my goodness… how many hours is he planning on doing this?”

Quiet Heaven groaned while maintaining the concealment field. Surprisingly, Merlin had been completely still and focused for nearly 20 hours.

The DIO access limit for users was 12 hours real time. That equated to 6 days in DIO time, so Merlin didn’t face any problems from this restriction, but how could Merlin maintain such a high level of concentration for so long?

However, Quiet Heaven did not know that Merlin’s reasoning and comprehension power had accelerated to 100 times his normal level. In addition, Quiet Heaven did not know that during this long period of time, Merlin had only been able to read and analyze a large portion of what he was looking at; Merlin hadn’t even attempted to release the system protector layers underneath.

For an ordinary mage, no, even a great mage with strong mental power, maintaining such concentration levels was an impossibility. Overcoming all hardships with an indomitable will or hot-bloodedness sounded plausible, but it was absolutely impossible in practice.

Mental power was a concept that was based on consuming.

There was a limit to the effort that even the owner of the strongest mental power could achieve. This was especially the case if what one was doing didn’t produce clear results.

Endless effort consumed one’s mind, so if one were to take a break or there was no spark or event to motivate oneself, one would eventually give up.

For this reason, this focused mental power pursuit was expressed as a process of [cutting down one’s soul] in order to ascend to a higher level.

But now, for Merlin, no such concept applied. He may have started the entrance into the DIO system out of necessity, but once he was in, he became fascinated by the construction of DIO’s system and the lofty theories that supported and permeated throughout it. Interpreting the system was entertaining for Merlin, and the process of opening various doors provided an indescribable sense of accomplishment, achievement, and reward for him.

Regardless of whether this characteristic came about as a result of the process of one’s growth or an innate personality trait, those who possessed such strong mental power and could make endless efforts were often referred to as possessors of a [talent to work hard].

Of course, this had nothing to do with real talent, so the phrase was no different from a pun, but the underlying message was that mental strength was an important quality when training and developing oneself.

However, what was more important to mages was the ‘disposition’ to feel pleasure and reward in the process of exploring and acquiring knowledge. Curiosity, to want to know something that one didn’t know, and the desire to pursue and possess knowledge…

Those who studied endlessly without getting anything worthwhile, or those who spent their entire lives to learn only one more truth, were beings who possessed this tendency, this character trait.

And for those who possessed this character trait, training and learning were no longer actions that were interpreted as hard work. Merlin, who felt a sense of achievement and reward in the process of unlocking and acquiring knowledge from the system protector, delved deeper and deeper into the system without rest or giving up. He was like a gamer who played a game for three days and three nights without feeling any passage of time.

This wasn’t something that someone could teach another. Even though modern educators agreed that a child with a strong desire and curiosity for knowledge could learn on one’s own without being taught, the reason why many parents dealt with children who couldn’t do exactly this was because this character trait was a somewhat innate temperament. If the disposition of [putting in effort] was a talent, then the disposition of [enjoying] was also a talent separate from the other talents one possessed.

Moreover, Merlin was an Irregular.

“This guy… he’s a freaking monster.”

Quiet Heaven, who had to maintain the concealment field for three days straight, looked at Merlin with a tired expression. Surprisingly, Merlin, like a lifeless skinny skeleton, remained motionless the entire time.

Merlin wasn’t a life force user who could consume his own vitality, so Merlin consumed his body’s nutrients to cover his excessive brain activity. Even with the help of his magic power and internal energy reserves, Merlin couldn’t avoid this constant consumption of his physical body.

Clank!

Finally, Merlin released the 99th layer of the system protector and pulled the Editor Blade out of the Guardian Stone. And at the same time, an urgent notice popped up all over DIO.

/[Emergency! Emergency! Dynamic Island’s self-operated program is running! To repeat, Emergency! Dynamic Island’s self-operated program is running! All external interference is being blocked until authorized by the special management operator!]/

Merlin, who had obtained various bits of information from the Grand Masters and even Quiet Heaven, knew… the special management operator referred to in the notice was Jenica, the Empress of Magic and the creator of DIO.

‘However, she’s dead.’

And Merlin, who knew that this meant that the Noblesse had completely lost control of DIO, laughed out loud despite his utter physical exhaustion.

“And now, the counterattack begins.”