WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Inept Mage’s Infinite Regression

Chapter 12

The wild boar circled Rivielton a few times, testing him.

"In the north, there are quite a few giant boars. The hunters of Ruure hunt these beasts with only a single sword and no magic. In those conditions, you must gather all the mana in your body into your lower abdomen. It won’t be easy at first, and it is very dangerous, so when practicing, you should only gather a small amount. If you mishandle this concentrated mana and it flows into your heart, brain, or other organs, it can cause severe damage."

It didn’t take long for the boar to realize there were no openings in Rivielton’s stance. When it did, it scraped the ground with its front hooves, preparing to charge. Despite Rivielton’s large frame, even he looked precarious compared to the giant boar, which stood nearly four meters tall at the shoulder.

"Once you’ve gathered enough mana, follow this next movement to channel it. The explosive mana will flow through your muscles in sequence, allowing you to swing your sword with a force you normally could never muster. Now, like this…!"

The boar charged, and Rivielton met it head-on, limiting its momentum.

Ethan saw Rivielton swing his sword in a large motion while narrowly dodging to the boar’s side. However, Ethan couldn’t make out the exact movement. In the blink of an eye, Rivielton had already returned to his standing position.

The boar, seemingly unaware of what had happened, turned around to the sight of its tusk falling to the ground. Blood gushed from the cut through its snout and skull, and it collapsed to its knees—the blade seemed to have reached its brain. The boar, unable to use one of its legs, struggled to rise before toppling over and ceasing to move.

"This technique is called ‘Tusk Breaker.’ It’s one of the Hunting Sword techniques."

Even the demons hesitated to approach Rivielton after seeing him cut down the giant boar in a single strike.

"Let’s go,” Rivielton said. “There should still be horses left."

"Ah, right!"

As Rivielton stepped into the stables, a massive green beam shot out from the shadows and engulfed him.

Boom!

The beam shattered several trees and sent Rivielton flying into the forest beyond.

"Professor!" Ethan shouted right before he was grabbed by a long, thin red tentacle that shot out from the shadows.

"Tch."

Following the tentacle, Investigator Sirund Zen emerged.

As Ethan reached into his pocket, a second tentacle shot out and quickly grabbed his hand. Then a third and fourth tentacle seized his remaining limbs, gripping them tightly enough to break.

Sirund walked over and took the Glock 45 from Ethan’s hand.

"As expected."

"What’s expected?"

"I know about this device. It’s called a ‘handgun.’ It’s magic from Terra, and from what I recall… it seems to be of a type called ‘Glock.’ "

To Demi, Ethan said, <This is unexpected. It seems they got information from a Terran who remained in the Empire.>

Sirund said, "There’s no need to struggle or hesitate to speak. Your will isn’t important. →Maraina Masara."

Sirund’s hand touched Ethan’s head…

And nothing happened.

"Hmm."

"Huh?"

"I see. A ‘Dreamless One,’ are you?"

Ethan wanted to ask what that meant, but this wasn’t the time—and more importantly, Sirund didn’t give him the chance.

"Well, I take back what I just said. It would be better if you spoke willingly. Hurry and move him before the other professors become a nuisance."

Ethan’s mouth was quickly gagged and he was bound.

Demi said, <If you are interrogated and tortured, they’ll discover my contract with you.>

Ethan’s dark magic, particularly the most crucial aspect—the power to return to the past even after death—was maintained through his contract with Demi. If the contract was broken, Ethan’s life would be set in stone. He would die without being able to return.

Ethan said, <In that case, it’s better to just kill myself.>

The demons were hurriedly preparing a carriage, and in the distance, Sirund was receiving a report from another demon. The atmosphere was chaotic, fueled by the intoxication of having completed their mission. The soldiers holding Ethan didn’t seem to understand what he might be capable of.

Ethan squeezed out as much mana as he could from every part of his body, and he condensed that mana into his lower abdomen. There, in his lower abdomen, the mana grew to a size that the circuits in his body could barely contain.

Next, Ethan slowly drew the mana upward. As his circuits burst and snapped, excruciating pain surged through him. Ethan endured the pain, however, preventing it from even showing on his face as he directed the mana toward his heart. Blood could not seep from Ethan’s gagged mouth, and so it began to dribble from his nose, eyes, and ears.

One of the demons noticed Ethan’s strange condition and called out, "Sirund, sir!"

…But Ethan’s vision was already darkening. The swirling mana inside him tore through his blood vessels and shredded his heart.

In the final moments of his vision, Ethan saw a window appear.

[Achievement unlocked!]

[Achievement: Skill Creation]

[Reward: Skill—Heart Rupture (D)]

[Reward: 12 Experience Points]

[Reward: D-rank Lottery Coupon]

This was the first spell Ethan had created on his own.

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"…What’s an achievement?"

"What are the conditions for a skill?"

"Suicide is useful?"

…She was right.

Ethan also received three new quests.

[Quest generated!]

[Quest: Survive for 90 Days (C)]

[Reward: 60 Experience Points]

[Reward: C-rank Lottery Coupon]

If Ethan’s calculations were correct, then he had survived more than 90 days in his previous life. It seemed the quest was suggesting he survive for a similar period "one more time."

However, the next two quests were what really caught his attention.

[Quest generated!]

[Quest: Defeat Sirund Zen (B)]

[Reward: 480 Experience Points]

[Reward: B-rank Lottery Coupon]

'I don’t really want to see Sirund Zen again,' Ethan thought.

It was followed by another quest of the same rank…

[Quest generated!]

[Quest: Why Does the Empire Want to Kill Terran Dark Mages? (B)]

[Reward: 480 Experience Points]

[Reward: B-rank Lottery Coupon]

While it was publicly known, experiencing it firsthand had made it clear that Terran dark mages were treated differently than other dark mages. Ethan found it strange, though; while it made sense that dark mages were treated poorly, he couldn’t think of any reason Terran dark mages should be treated any differently.

"I know, I know."

As Ethan tried to pass Demi and exit Limbo, Demi asked, <But what is your plan for the next step?>

He needed to gather information about the Inquisition and the Empire, but expecting Boen to become a friend or even an ally seemed like a poor choice.

Ethan turned to Demi as he opened the door. "I guess I’ll have to take a different path, right?"

∞

After passing the test with the firecracker and enduring Arca’s grumbling and belated congratulations, Ethan headed to Boen’s room. In his pocket was the Glock 45, wrapped in cloth.

When Ethan knocked on the door, Boen frowned. "Who is it…? Ethan?"

"Isn’t this the first time we’ve spoken? Do you know me?"

"Even if I didn’t want to, how could I not hear about the infamous troublemaker?"

"Ah, is that so?"

As Ethan tried to step into the room, Boen got in his way. "What do you want?" Boen asked.

"I want to talk to you."

"Do it here."

Ethan looked around. He already knew no one was around, but he was making a show of it for Boen.

"Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Ethan, under Sirund Zen of the Mage Court. Dark magic was discovered at the school."

"…What?"

Ethan handed the Glock 45 to Boen.

Boen stared at the handgun, startled, and let Ethan into the room.

Boen said, "What’s going on?"

"I should be asking you that. What’s going on? Isn’t your mission to monitor the existence of dark mages?"

"That’s true, but… this kind of thing…"

Ethan pushed Boen into a chair. "You’re a prime suspect. You need to tell me everything you know."

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