this infinite world

The world seemed to fall silent here.

Without any warning or spellcasting, a ghostly blue light suddenly shone in the dark world!

A colossal pillar of energy, solidified to an extreme, stretched across the heavens and earth like a raging dragon breaking free from all restraints, transforming into a vast torrent of souls that swept forth. Countless fragments of souls tumbled, howled, and shattered within it, accelerated to their absolute limit. Wherever it passed, space itself seemed to be annihilated, and all things returned to primordial dust. Only when the last wisp of energy had dissipated did this dazzling pillar of light, piercing the heavens and earth, slowly dissipate…

"—A high-level application of soul magic? Well done."

But when the brilliance of the torrent of souls was completely extinguished, carving an incomparably deep ravine into the earth, Yang Yun's figure still stood in place, spotless. Even the ground beneath his feet remained intact, and he looked like an isolated island on the sea, or a reef unmoved by raging waves.

Looking at Andil, who showed no expression but whose demeanor was noticeably colder, Yang Yun nodded and said, "A magic I've never seen before... Did you invent it yourself? The improvement on the 'Powerful Soul Greatsword' isn't just a simple ranged attack; it greatly increases output and even achieves continuous output?"

Yang Yun had never seen Andil use this move before. After all, in Dark Souls 1, even the strongest sorcerer, "Big Hat Logan," only mastered the "Soul Crystal Lance," a spell that indirectly increased in power by incorporating the crystal breath of the white dragon Seath, and could not escape the category of "flying projectiles."

Andil's move just now was different. Not only was it as dazzling as a comet when it was launched, but its power was also truly astonishing, clearly reaching the category of a "light cannon"... Objectively speaking, it was not much different from the Kamehameha in Dragon Ball, and it would be no problem to flatten a mountain.

However... it didn't work.

For Yang Yun, whose entire body is now composed of spiritual light, this kind of pure energy attack poses the least threat. He can adjust his body structure and seamlessly integrate into the attack as it approaches... Just imagine, while a high-pressure water gun is powerful, how could it possibly harm a pool of water that is already there?
"However, I still hope you can come up with something new."

Ignoring Andil's attack, Yang Yun continued to speak to the silent opponent in a mocking tone: "After all, only in this way can your unique strengths be demonstrated. Unlike this torrent of soul light cannons, which, although powerful, are merely the result of your research standing on the shoulders of giants—"

"--Oh."

Suddenly, Andil laughed, a slightly strange laugh: "It seems that you, who have no cause or effect, do not know all the secrets either."

"What did you say?"

Yang Yun narrowed his eyes slightly.

……

—The site for the fire-lighting ritual.

Here, the members of the Arctic team are learning magic from the legendary mage "Big Hat" Logan, whom Chu Hao rescued when he cleared the ancient city of Sien... Of course, it's real learning, starting from scratch. Learning in the real world isn't like in a game; there's no need to worry about proficiency or talent, where you can seamlessly cast spells as long as your attributes meet the requirements and you pay. In fact, every spell requires a lot of practice, whether it's the fire magic Chu Hao learned in the lower levels of Blighttown or the soul magic he's currently learning—

"I've got a new idea!"

Suddenly, a joyful cheer broke Chu Hao's focused thought. The young man reluctantly opened his eyes and looked ahead, only to see Logan, who had been sitting on the ground deep in thought, seemingly trying to solve some incredible problem, suddenly leap up high, his face full of excitement, as if he had finally found the answer after going through countless hardships.

"Let me tell you, I've gained new inspiration from the falling comet in the sky, and I've found a new direction for the future of soul magic. It doesn't necessarily have to be combined with the legendary crystal magic of the White Dragon Heath. We can also work on the output, range, and sustainability. This will allow the magic I cast to be like a torrent in the starry sky, possessing extremely powerful destructive force..."

Logan paced excitedly for a moment, then grabbed Chu Hao, the smartest and fastest learner of soul magic among them, and began to lecture him at length. The other members of the Arctic team initially listened attentively, but the more Logan explained the spell—which he had originally intended to name "Comet Logan," but which he had temporarily named "Soul Torrent" to maintain consistency with soul magic—the more peculiar their expressions became…

...Isn't this just the Kamehameha?
It's no wonder everyone thought that way, since Logan's description was somewhat similar to the Kamehameha... Of course, different worlds have different names for it. Whether it's called the Kamehameha, the King's Flash, or something else, it's definitely a good thing for these students who are learning soul magic from Logan.

Rather, the Arctic team genuinely hoped Logan could have more of these inspirations, as it meant they could learn more and more powerful magic...

Putting everything else aside, look at Zhang Heng over there, he's already laughing so hard he's drooling. Judging from his expression, he's already starting to enjoy the thought of wielding a bow and arrow in one hand and a staff in the other, and when in doubt, unleashing a Kamehameha to obliterate everyone.

...Well, although it seems that Zhang Heng really doesn't have any talent for learning magic, and even the most basic "Soul Arrow" is a bit difficult to control, people always have to have dreams. What if he succeeds one day?

"What are you thinking about?"

The others didn't take it to heart. Logan was a bit eccentric, or rather, all mages have some unique quirks. It was perfectly normal for him to have a sudden burst of inspiration... But Ares, who also didn't take it to heart, suddenly noticed that Chu Hao on the other side had a slight frown on his brow and couldn't help but ask.

"……nothing."

Chu Hao hesitated for a moment, but in the end he did not voice his thoughts.

Chu Hao knew perfectly well that although Logan was hailed by later generations as the greatest sorcerer in history, and it was even rumored that the power of his soul magic was like that of King Gwyn's lightning, possessing extremely strong symbolism—that was all after he had studied the research results of the white dragon Seath and mastered the crystallization magic unique to the gods. With Logan's current level of skill, it was absolutely impossible for him to reach such a level.

Improving one's strength requires gradual progress, and accumulating knowledge is not something that can be achieved overnight. As a spellcaster, Chu Hao knew all too well how difficult it was to create a completely new spell in this world, which was similar to the rules of D&D and required pre-memorizing spells... But then he thought, perhaps it was the butterfly effect caused by the arrival of the Arctic team that prompted Logan to have a flash of inspiration while observing the stars and create this new spell that should not exist in the current timeline?
—I guess I'm just overthinking it. Anyway, just like everyone thinks, if Logan really succeeds, then this will only benefit us, not harm us…

Suppressing the lingering doubt in his heart, Chu Hao thought to himself. (End of Chapter)