Fanatics of the Magic Academy

Chapter 133 The Price of Recovery: Finn's Death

After receiving Silas's legacy, Rose began to review the conflict and calculate his own damage and costs.

First, there was the financial cost, which immediately consumed 11 marks. Rossellini Jinping would then have to spend six months brewing [Silent Thunder].

All the money I earned was invested.

Of course, after receiving Silas's legacy, Rose acquired cash, extraordinary materials, and other valuables worth a total of 25 marks.

Physically, the cost of "overloading," which allowed her to quickly rise to a high level, was far more severe than Rose had imagined.

Based on records and information in the Dream Library, and combined with her current physical condition, Rose analyzed that her "slump period" should last for as long as a year.

In addition, the damage to the soul was more severe than that to the body. Rose used the [Spell Persistence] of [Soul Compensation] to instantly negate the 97 layers of soul-side damage that Silas had inflicted on him.

Although one's own fanatical materialism exempts one from the cost of rationality, damage to the soul cannot be exempted.

According to his understanding of the Soul School, Rose's soul damage reached 10.8%. According to the Soul School, when the soul damage reaches the critical point of 12%, it will cause irreversible damage to the soul.

Currently, Rose's damage to his soul is in a state that can be slowly recovered and repaired over time.

Even so, Rose could clearly perceive the impact of the damage to her soul on all aspects of her daily life.

Biru said that forgetfulness, slower spellcasting speed, impaired rational perception, decreased perception accuracy, and a slight decrease in the quality of brewed potions, etc.

Of course, aside from these negative factors, Rose's faith was boosted by a full 10 points because it was exempt from the negative effects of sanity collapse.

Faith has reached 64 points, which is approaching the level of the middle of the second ring.

"Perhaps this could become one of the sources of points in the future?"

Rose is considering the feasibility of using the "Soul Compensation" method to obtain points. Essentially, this method involves using damage to the soul to induce a collapse of reason.

Of course, this method also needs to be controlled, otherwise it can easily cause irreversible damage to the soul.

After summarizing her gains and losses, Rose tilted her head back and drank a bottle of prepared nutrient solution. She then lay down on the bed in the basement and entered the [Dream Library].

This nutrient solution, improved by Rose and infused with extraordinary substances, was something Rose couldn't concoct before. However, after trading two new alchemy machines with Finn, Rose now possessed the foundation to improve nutrient solutions. He could use more precise instruments and complex processes to imbue the nutrient solution with extraordinary properties, enhancing its nourishing and energy-boosting effects on the ancient dragon's current.

density.

Normally, this nutrient solution should allow Rose to maintain the time acceleration in the [Dream Library] at around 5 times.

However, the problem is that Rose is currently in a "slump period," and the extraordinary properties of the Ancient Dragon Current have been overdrawn and depleted. Therefore, the best time acceleration that Rose can maintain at present is about 3.8 times.

It was still somewhat acceptable, so Rose entered the Dream Library to continue studying magic-related knowledge.

In his confrontation with Silas, Rose discovered that there was an insurmountable gap between mages who had mastered the art of manipulating magic and those who had not.

When combined with [Super Magic Skills], the mage's power will be exceptionally terrifying.

Time flies, and soon it was time for the next gathering. Rose took a specially made robe from the coat rack in the basement and put it on.

The overall color is black, with a gold belt around the waist. The material is quite special, made of some kind of silk with extraordinary properties.

If you open the robe and look inside, you will find that the inside of the robe is engraved with several words: "[Spell Persistence]".

Rose inscribed several zero-ring storm and fire spells, meaning that even ordinary people with a sanity level below 25 could use them.

The magic of these [Spell Constant] effects allows clothing to be made comfortable with minimal sanity intervention.

However, its most important function is the reverse blurring engraved by Rose, which targets [perception-type] magic and can block other magicians' perception.

Rose wore this robe because she was currently in a period of decline, and the internal circulation of the Ancient Dragon Current within her body had significantly weakened its ability to block the perception of mages.

It's very likely that it won't stop some mages from probing, such as Keaton, who might be able to observe abnormalities in their own bones and organs. The image of a seasoned flesh-manipulation mage that was previously established through these mages' imaginations will collapse, and it may attract unnecessary probing and trouble.

Furthermore, although the robe made by Rose is nothing special in the current materially wealthy and highly industrialized Magic Federation, the technical principles and materials used are quite rudimentary.

However, if this robe were placed more than 4000 years ago, before the War of Dawn, when mages were not as highly socialized and industrialized as they are now, this robe would have another name: the Mage's Robe.

It is a magical item that would be highly sought after and extremely valuable.

Of course, in this era, it's just a roadside stall, but it's perfectly adequate for the scene of a gathering of magic book enthusiasts in the slums.

After donning a long robe and roughly tidying himself up in front of the mirror, Rose headed to the gathering with 20 bottles of [Silent Thunder] and 10 bottles of [Sanity Restorer].

This [Sanity Restorer] is a potion recorded in the notes that Finn gave to Rose. Its effect is to raise the sanity of mages with a sanity level below 40 by 5 points. For first-ring mages with a sanity level of 39 and 38, it can temporarily advance them to the second-ring level.

However, the price is that after the drug's effects wear off, their sanity level will drop by about 7 points within a month, and it also has a series of side effects such as addiction, mental instability, and drug resistance.

However, overall it still has a considerable market, and its effects and side effects are quite acceptable in combination. The price is generally around 2000 marks, and the cost is around 500 marks.

It's more expensive than [Silent Thunder] because [Silent Thunder] falls under the category of sanity stabilizers, which are considered everyday items.

This "Rationality Enhancer" temporarily elevates rationality, essentially a last-ditch effort. It has a market, but not as large as "Silent Thunder," and those who need it are more willing to pay a higher price, resulting in a significant premium.

Soon, Rose arrived at the West Side Gathering in the slums, and Rose was near the gathering.

Rose subconsciously used [Perception Enhancement]. With the rune's enhancement, the purest power of perception expanded rapidly, and all the information around him flooded into Rose's brain like a tidal wave. However, unlike when Rose used [Perception Enhancement] before, the image accuracy of this magic in Rose's brain was significantly reduced, and Rose felt a slight stinging pain in his head, accompanied by a certain degree of nausea.

This negative effect is the result of both the "Decrease in Spirit" and the damage to the soul. Over the past few days, Tianluo Sai has gradually adapted to the significant decrease in the effectiveness of all magic, the slower casting speed, and the accompanying headaches and dizziness.

He observed that there were 36 magicians inside the house, and Rose noticed that they were not making a transaction, but rather seemed to be waiting for something.

This number is suspicious. Even if it's for his [Silent Thunder], there shouldn't be so many people. This is because Rose sold a large amount of [Silent Thunder] to buy extraordinary materials and borrow books in order to fight against Silas.

The market for [Silent Thunder] is already saturated. Mages who need it have already stockpiled some, and the time for a scramble for [Silent Thunder] is over.

This situation is clearly not normal.

Rose frowned, but still pushed open the door and walked into the party.

Rose stepped across the threshold and slowly entered the house. All the magicians inside turned their gazes to Rose, even though Rose was now...

Although he was rather slow to perceive things, he could clearly see the obvious surprise, excitement, and anticipation in the eyes of these magicians.

Rose walked into the room with some doubt and headed to his usual seat. Keaton greeted him with a big smile, seemingly very pleased. He said to Rose, "Oh, Mr. Rose, you've finally arrived! I was worried about you since you didn't come to the last party."

Rose responded in the manner she had previously adopted in this group: "Well, something happened at the last gathering, so I couldn't come."

Keaton, still smiling, said, "I understand, I understand, Mr. Rose. Many of us are like that; sometimes we really can't get away because of certain things."

Rose nodded, stepped forward, and intended to sit in his usual spot.

At this moment, Keaton slightly turned to block Rose, bending down in an exaggerated manner and then extending his right arm to guide Rose to sit in another seat.

Rose frowned slightly, and following Keaton's gaze, he froze.

That was Finn's usual seat, the "main seat" at the long table, while Keaton usually stood next to Finn.

Finn and Keaton would spend the entire day in this room at each gathering, with Finn serving as the unifying force of the party and Keaton as its organizer.

However, Finn is not currently in that position.

A bad but inevitable guess, one that Rose had foreseen, came to mind.

Keaton secretly transmitted a fluctuation of reason to Rose, who used the [Translation] rune to translate and analyze it. Keaton said, "Mr. Rose, Mr. Finn died a month ago. During the last gathering, his reason became unstable, and he couldn't even maintain his mimicry of [Perception] magic. Then, in just 20 days, his reason dropped to the first level. With your achievements in the [Soul School], you should understand that a sharp drop in reason in a short period of time will greatly affect a person's mental state. Under this influence, Mr. Finn couldn't think straight and committed suicide."

Rose was silent for a while. In fact, Rose had long anticipated Finn's death, but he did not expect him to die so quickly.

A year ago, Keaton told Rose that Finn's sanity level would drop to level one in a year and then slowly walk toward death.

According to Keaton's prediction, Finn should first fall to the first-tier level in a short period of time, then struggle by using his past legacy to briefly return to the low level of the second tier, and then his sanity will slowly decline until he dies.

However, Keaton overlooked one problem: a sharp and short-term drop in rationality can inevitably lead to mental disorder and extreme thinking.

Keaton predicted Finn's sanity based on the group of slum wizards.

These magicians were often killed by some uncontrollable factor, yet they still had the energy and resources to try to return to the magical society.

Moreover, most of them were extraordinary in their methods. What brought them down was the overwhelming force of the randomness of the massive system's operation, such as Keaton and Morrison, the magician behind the gang.

Those slum magicians who, after experiencing the magical society, can still endure and accept their current status and maintain a certain level of rationality are all remarkable individuals. Even if their rationality has plummeted to the point of affecting their mental state, they can still endure this mental instability and continue to seek survival and advancement.

But Finn was different.

Finn was a mage who was cut out of the system because of old age; his life was already on a downward spiral, no, it was on a dead end.

He had no future at all; he was only alive because of his superb alchemy skills and that rare and special trait, the Eye of True Sight.

Therefore, when his rationality plummets to the point of affecting his mental state, he will not be like other slum magicians who, even if they abandon their humanity, sacrifice everything, face dire consequences, or have a predetermined ending, still struggle, fight, and try to survive.

This is the resilience that slum magicians have developed from the objective reality of "suffering".

This is something Finn lacks; after his sanity plummeted, his aging body, coupled with his unstable mental state, caused him to lose heart.

They lost all strength to resist, the instinct to struggle for survival, and the courage to face the future.

Perhaps we can use another familiar term to describe this state: depression.

Ultimately, and naturally, he chose suicide.

Rose stood there, recalling the scenes of her conversations, exchanges, and transactions with Finn.

Although Finn and Rosey's relationship could hardly be described as friends, it was more of a friendly and familiar one.

However, the person who had been laughing and joking with him, expressing his appreciation and giving him dark chocolates, chose to commit suicide in despair.

Rose remained silent and sullen.

Rose hesitated for a moment, but eventually stepped forward and sat down in Finn's seat, taking over Finn's previous position as the next core member of the gathering.

This was a deal between Rose and Keaton.

A year ago, Keaton had already laid the groundwork for today, finding Rose in advance to make him the new core of the gathering after Finn's death, while Keaton could also continue to maintain his dominant position in the group.

Keaton, on the other hand, helped Rose to some extent and resolved his household registration issues.

Rose certainly has the ability. In terms of physical confrontation, he can drive away and kill mages who hold prominent positions in the entire slum community. In terms of irreplaceability and resource supply, he possesses the unique [Silent Thunder] and can also brew some other potions needed by many other mages.

In terms of reputation, Rose had already gained considerable prestige among the slum magicians through his numerous transactions and exchanges over the past year.

Even without Keaton as the one who spearheaded this platform, Rose is still able to attract a considerable number of slum magicians to form a new circle.

Therefore, it is only natural and in line with the expectations and interests of all the slum magicians that Rose is the new core of the gathering.

Rose does indeed need this platform to acquire sufficient resources for growth. At this stage, becoming the core of this gathering is entirely beneficial for Rose.

Keaton and the many wizards in the room smiled with delight when they saw Rose sitting in Finn's seat.

Rose placed the box containing the potions on the table. Inside, 20 bottles of [Silent Thunder] and 10 bottles of [Sanity Restoration Agent] were neatly arranged.

He quoted the following prices: "The [Rationality Stabilizer] is the same as before, while the [Rationality Recovery Agent] is 2000 marks per bottle, with the trading rules remaining unchanged."

【Rationality Stabilizer】is 【Silent Thunder】. When promoting and referring to it, Rose certainly couldn't use a name like 【Silent Thunder】, which would obviously reveal the potion's extraordinary properties and evoke associations.

He has always referred to "Silent Thunder" as a "rationality stabilizer".

After a brief silence, the magicians present began to bid, instantly enlivening the entire gathering.

"I'll have a bottle of [Rationality Stabilizer]!"

"I'll take three bottles!"

"I need a bottle of [Sanity Restorer]!"

Thus, a year and a half after arriving in the slums, Rose became a central figure in the entire slum magician community.