On the last day before the presentation, time was creeping toward midnight.
The warehouse where Shirone was training was as bright as day, thanks to the photon output.
Blood dripped from his lips as he squeezed his eyes shut.
No matter how hard he tried to hold on, his body twisted in pain, his legs flailing as though he were on a hot stove.
The limit of limits. If this continued, he might lose his mind.
"Ugh!"
Shirone poured every ounce of his mental power into the effort.
Then, the flash of light disappeared, as though someone had turned off a faucet. A thud echoed as someone knelt down in the now-dark warehouse.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
Shirone crawled to his knees, pressed the button on his time clock, and checked the time.
10 minutes, 32 seconds.
"Ha…"
The photon output had lasted over 10 minutes.
This was the result of attempting thousands of mental rebounds in a month.
His Spirit Zone had become much stronger, and the power of his specialty magic had increased to surpass Class Five.
The iron door opened, and Neid, whom he hadn't seen in several days, walked in.
He looked worse than before, clearly having had to sneak around the school wearing an invisibility cloak.
"It's midnight, Shirone. Let's rehearse."
Neid, aware of Shirone's lofty goals, didn't ask about his performance.
Shirone, gasping for breath, tossed the time clock aside.
Neid's eyes widened when he saw the time.
"You… really did it?"
Shirone smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Mission accomplished. Let's make it a great show."
Alpheas Magic School, Lecture Hall 7.
Though the presentation wasn't until 5 pm, students were already gathering outside the lecture hall.
As rumors spread and curiosity built, interest grew quickly.
Seriel looked at the long line, impressed.
"Wow, there are so many people. I've never heard of the Paranormal Psychic Research Society. The stars are different, after all."
Since Seriel had advanced to the graduating class after the speed gun test, she hadn't had time to hear about the study group.
Amy also looked surprised.
It was amazing that Class Five—a study group with just three members—could attract such a crowd.
"There must have been some incidents. But at least it's a box office success."
"I didn't know Shirone and Iruki were so close. He looks like he's done for, though, always saying he's dead."
As the two stood in line, upperclassmen began to stir.
The graduating class had arrived.
Just seeing the Class Three badge on their lapels was enough to inspire awe.
"Wow, it's Senior Amy! Are you really attending a presentation like this?"
"You idiot, Amy's Senior Shirone's girlfriend. Senior Seriel's always been with you, too."
"That's true, but... what about those seniors over there?"
The students' eyes shifted to where someone was pointing.
Amy and Seriel turned around, surprised.
"Oh my? Amy, is that Kayden?"
Kayden from Class Two stood with his hands in his pockets.
Surrounding him were powerful Class Two students, like Richard of Alchemy, Lichen of Electric Monster, and Hersi of Sonar.
Even the seniors in Class Two played minor roles compared to the new students who had just joined the lineup.
A handsome young man with neatly slicked-back hair and a confident smile stood out. He was wearing a tailored suit that was unusual for a student.
This was Ardino Fermi from Class One.
The murmurs quieted as Class One, the top students of the magic school, made their entrance.
Seriel whispered to Siana, her expression serious.
"Even if that's the case for us, isn't it odd that we had to come all the way to Fermi when we didn't even have enough of our own class?"
"I didn't come here because of Shirone. What do you think the graduating students who just arrived have in common?"
"Well, I guess? It's hard to get close to them?"
"Exactly. Those students—they must be part of a secret research group. Something like the Black Magicians. But they're far more powerful than those guys."
"Oh, right. I heard the research group Shirone joined is quite infamous too. But Fermi is still a shock. He's really popular, and he's kind, too."
"That's what makes it worse. He always gives off this feeling like he's hiding something. But let's ignore him for now. There's no seniority among the graduating class."
The graduating class of thirty was all treated as equals.
Every year, 10 students graduate, and the class is reorganized based on test scores. Therefore, the current class consists of those who didn't make it into the top 10 last year.
Even though they hadn't made it into the top ranks, they couldn't be dismissed as dropouts. The gap between students shrinks as they move up in levels.
Along with basic skills, there are many factors that influence victory, such as the condition of the day, strategy, compatibility, concentration, and decision-making.
None of the students could ignore Fermi. In fact, they were shocked that the number one student in the school hierarchy had come to watch a simple Class Five presentation.
As news of Fermi's appearance spread, long lines formed outside the lecture hall, far beyond its capacity. By the time the presentation was about to begin, there were still many people left waiting outside.
Finally, the doors opened, and the students rushed in.
The front row was reserved for teachers, and the students filled the seats in order of arrival.
Amy, who had arrived early and waited, sat next to Seriel near the stage.
"What on earth are they trying to show us?"
It was strange, this level of attention. Not only the top graduates but also the number one student from the rankings…
This isn't just a regular presentation.
In the tense atmosphere, Amy waited for Shirone to step out.
The lights in the room went out.
A beam of light shone down into the dark room.
The spotlight swept across the stage, focusing on a boy standing in the center before moving away.
"Hello, everyone. Thank you for attending the Paranormal Psychic Research Society's presentation. I'm Neid, the president of the Society. Today, we will be discussing the topic of the soul. Let's begin."
The spotlight faded, and the applause quieted.
As the stage brightened, an eerie mountain scene appeared behind the curtains.
"The kids have really prepared well."
Alpheas smiled in satisfaction.
There was one reason he had come to see it—his curiosity had gotten the better of him.
On the other hand, Siana didn't feel much emotion.
Using holograms in the set was a good technique, but it would all be in vain if the content didn't live up to expectations.
From the far end of the stage, Neid began speaking.
"520 years ago, before Alpheas Magic School was founded, this place was a small farming village. It was a time when people who had lost their homes in wars wandered around. Today, we will share the story of a woman who fled the war and found herself in this village."
As the stage brightened, Iruki, dressed as a soldier, hobbled onto the stage, dragging one leg.
"Ugh, ugh. I'm... I'm so hungry."
The students, who had been watching seriously, suddenly burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha! What is that?"
"Geez, Rani. What kind of play is this?"
Neid continued narrating.
"Soldiers also fled from the wars. But they were not alive. They were ghosts, possessed by evil spirits. These ghosts wandered the world, seeking out villages filled with life and death."
While Iruki caught the audience's attention, Neid, now dressed as the main character, appeared on stage.
"Ah, my beloved Olia! Why must someone of noble blood like you suffer in these mountains? If only I could, I would sell my soul to restore your glorious past, but alas, I cannot."
The speech was quite loud, but the students who had come expecting a recital were bewildered as they watched the play unfold.
And then Shirone appeared on stage, dressed as a woman, leaving everyone shocked.
"Noah! Noah!"
The students couldn't hold back their laughter.
Shirone, with long blonde hair flowing down to her waist, really looked like a woman. Her waist was cinched tightly, and her chest was exposed under her clothes, making her appear as if she was wearing something underneath.
"Uh, Amy…"
Seriel turned around with a complicated look, and Amy wore a similar bewildered expression.
Neid and Shirone exchanged lines, setting up the scene.
It was a simple story.
Noah and Olia were promised a future together as children of noble families, but their family was torn apart by war. They ended up in a farming village, continuing their love despite their hardship.
"I missed you, Olia. My love. My everything. I truly love you."
"I love you too, Noah."
The students, who had been watching with half-lidded eyes, suddenly became fully engaged with curiosity. This was because the two actors looked at each other and embraced each other's waist.
What happened next was entirely predictable.
"It's a kissing scene! It's definitely a kissing scene!"
Seriel stamped her feet in excitement.
"Oh my, is this really happening? What should I do?"
The audience watched in suspense, wondering whether the kiss would really happen, driven by pure curiosity.
"Olliah."
"Noah."
The moment when their lips were about to meet, tension filled the air, as the two slowly got closer.
"Kuaaaah!"
Suddenly, Iruki appeared from behind and bit Neid's neck, knocking him to the ground.
Gyaaaahhhhhh!
The students jumped in shock as the loud scream echoed through the sound system.
What a surprise.
No one had expected this. It was impossible to create such a dramatic scene with just stage props.
Shirone had written the script with this unexpected twist in mind, planning to use an invisibility cloak to grab everyone's attention.
The audience was now fully absorbed in the play.
"Agh! Agh!"
Iruki, having defeated Neid, pretended to eat flesh as bone-crunching sounds, flesh being chewed, and screams mixed together from the speakers.
"No! Noah! Noah!"
As the ogre disappeared, Olia held Noah's dead body in her arms and screamed in grief.
The play ended tragically.
Olia, driven mad, cursed and then killed herself with a dagger.
The students fell silent, moved by the sight of the two dead lovers holding hands.
The lights went out, and a woman's scream pierced the darkness.
"Hahahahahaha! I won't forgive you! I'll kill you all! I'll turn you into demons too!"
A woman's voice echoed through the dark auditorium, sending chills down everyone's spine.
When the lights returned, Neid, now a commentator, spoke.
"It was six months ago when we uncovered this story, thanks to an old diary we found while researching the history of the magic school."
Neid pulled out an ancient notebook.
A 520-year-old note buried in the ground.
Of course, it had been hastily put together just a few days ago.
"Our paranormal science members immediately started investigating. And they discovered a shocking secret: the ghosts from that time still haunt the school."
Dong. Dong. Dong.
The familiar sound of a bell echoed through the auditorium—it was midnight.
"Every night at midnight, hungry ogres roam the dark corners. We thought this was proof of the existence of souls."
The students frowned, confused.
They had never seen any ghosts or anything suspicious, despite being at the school for years.
"I know. You haven't seen a ghost yet. But according to paranormal studies, souls can only be seen by those who are mentally open to them. It's a matter of aligning mental frequencies. That's why we're holding this presentation. Now that you've heard the story of the vengeful spirit, your frequency is aligned. You'll be able to see the ghosts wandering the underworld when the midnight bell rings."
Neid winked and made his final remark.
"Of course, if you're lucky. This concludes the Paranormal Psychic Science Research Society."
When Neid left, a heavy silence filled the room. No applause, only coldness.
"What? What did he just say?"
The students were shaken, feeling betrayed and disappointed.
They had been told it was a presentation to prove the existence of souls, but all they had seen was a bunch of ghost costumes.
"Was it just a joke? We thought you'd show us something amazing."
"We were fools to expect that. How can you even prove ghosts exist? We've been totally fooled."
It was also mentioned in Class Four.
"This is the level of Class Five anyway. There's been so much talk about Shirone and Iruki, but it's really nothing. Hey, let's go. We just wasted our time."
The voices of frustration filled the air.
These were students who had worked hard and saved time for this play, only to feel like they'd wasted it on a fake presentation.
As the students filed out of the auditorium, Mark and Maria walked down the line.
They wanted to find Amy and Seriel.
"Hello, senior!"
"Yeah, it's been a while."
"Seniors, what did you think of this presentation?"
Mark looked equally confused.
Knowing Shirone's genius, he found it even harder to accept what had happened today.
Amy didn't know what to say.
There was no excuse to make, no way to sugarcoat it. What had been shown was exactly what it was: the end of the presentation.
Seriel tried to defend Shirone.
"Maybe something went wrong or they were under time pressure. Right, Amy?"
"Well, it's true that it didn't go well. I should've guessed when I heard you were hanging out with those weird kids. Let's go, too."
Seriel grumbled as Amy coldly walked away.
"How can you be so indifferent to your lover?"
"Haha! That's Amy-senpai for you. She might be the most frustrating person around."
Seriel followed Amy, agreeing that Mark's words weren't wrong.
Even after the students left, the teachers remained seated.
To be honest, they had no idea what to write on the evaluation forms.
Especially Siana, who was deeply shocked.
Why on earth would they do something like this?
It was absurd to put on such a childish performance, especially in front of the principal.
Siana was at a loss for how to handle this situation.
Siana gave up trying to write anything on the evaluation sheet and apologized to Alpheas.
"I'm sorry, Principal."
"Haha, that was a tough task. Isn't that what paranormal science is all about? Don't worry about it."
"I'll make sure to pay close attention next time."
Alpheas waved it off, as if it were nothing, and walked toward the door. Just before leaving, he turned back to look at the empty stage, a faint smile appearing on his face.
'If it was going to end like this, you wouldn't have even started, right, Shirone?'
Ignoring the reactions of the audience, Shirone and his group rushed to the research center.
"Alright. You passed the first stage easily! Now the real challenge begins."
"Do you think it worked?"
"Yeah, I could tell just by looking at your eyes."
Though the presentation had ended quietly, what mattered to Shirone and his group wasn't the outcome but the small seed of doubt they had planted in the audience's minds.
"Neid arrived at the lab and took off his clothes," he said.
"Shirone, from now on it's up to you. You're the engine of this operation."
"Got it. I'll meditate for a moment."
While Neid and Iruki's results were clear, Shirone's situation was filled with uncertainty. All she could do was rely on her month of training and believe in herself.
Six hours left.
To get into the best condition, Shirone started her sequence.
'One, two, three...'
Her friends carefully stepped away, knowing what it meant to maintain photon output for more than 10 minutes.
Their work wasn't finished either.
Iruki had to set up the hologram's control device, and Neid needed to fix the central device that transmitted the photon signal.
As midnight approached, Shirone slowly opened her eyes after five hours of training. Her mind was sharp, like a sword.
The door opened, and Neid spoke.
"…It's time to go."
Shirone didn't move for a moment. Then, suddenly, she stood up and followed Neid out, like a warrior heading to battle.
The central device was set up at the junction of the sewer system beneath the park. Thick optical fibers stretched above ground, split into hundreds of strands, and distributed throughout the school, powering 300 holographic devices.
Shirone was impressed by Neid's work but also felt the pressure. This was their first real-life test, and no one knew what unexpected problems might arise.
With just 10 minutes left until midnight, Shirone approached the massive central device. It was ten times larger than the prototype and resembled a multi-legged monster.
As Shirone waited, holding the crystal ball-shaped output terminal, Iruki checked the time. They had to hit midnight exactly.
"It was 5 minutes ago. Let's start."
Shirone took a deep breath, her expression blanking as her mind focused.
"Now."
When Iruki gave the signal, Shirone's sequence began, moving at an incredible speed.
'Photon output!'
Light burst from both Shirone's hands as if from an explosion. Iruki and Neid watched in amazement. They had achieved their goal, but it was the first time they had seen it in action.
'More, stronger!'
As Shirone reached maximum output, Neid rushed to the device to check the transmission efficiency. His eyes widened in shock.
"This… this…"
Iruki asked, frustration clear in his voice.
"Why? What percentage?"
It took Neid a long time to respond.
"17 percent."
"What?"
The efficiency was much lower than expected, and they had no idea where things had gone wrong. But there was no time to figure it out. If they didn't act now, it would all be over.
Shirone had a gut feeling from the start.
'The radius is too wide.'
The moment she cast the photon output, it felt like pouring water into a bottomless jar.
'There's no way the calculations were wrong. I can only assume the problem is with the product stability…'
The optical fiber used was cutting-edge, but still in development and not yet commercialized.
"Eeeeeee!"
Even though Shirone continued to output photons, the efficiency didn't increase past 17%.
Iruki shook his head.
"It's a failure."
If they tried to operate the device now, the hologram would fall apart.
Three minutes later, Neid smiled, despite the failure. He admired Shirone for giving her best, even though the problem wasn't hers to solve.
"Shirone, that's enough. We've done well enough. Let's stop here."
Shirone didn't respond. Honestly, she was so angry she could hardly contain it.
This was a project where everyone had worked hard together, and now, it was over.
"You want me to admit defeat without even trying? I'm not giving up yet."
Shirone closed her eyes tightly. She still hadn't used all of her power.
The light emanating from her hand grew, spreading to engulf her whole body.
"Shirone, no!"
Neid recognized what she was about to do.
"Stop! Don't go any further! You'll lose everything!"
But even as Neid and Iruki rushed toward her, Shirone's spirit was unstoppable. The light enveloped her completely, and the entire sewer lit up.
The light grew, and Shirone's consciousness began to fade, her mind expanding infinitely.
Face it.
This was something Armin had taught me.
The vast flood of information from the infinite realm had turned into a terrifying monster.
A monster named Miji.
Though it may be a personal interpretation, it felt like the fear I was experiencing right now was beyond anything I could have imagined.
The monster gnawed and swallowed Shirone. His memories scattered, torn apart in a sensation as if everything he had lived for up until now was meaningless—like something that had happened 100 million years ago.
No. I must remember.
Who I am, and where I came from.
The moment you lose your sense of self, you can never return from the infinite realm.
Huhhhh!
Shirone clung to his resolve, struggling desperately.
If this had been during the speed gun test, he would have already lost his will to fight. But now, his mind had been trained through rigorous mental exercises, allowing him to rebound.
Just a little more…
The immortal function was powerful, but it was a tightrope walk—one tiny mistake could cause everything to fall apart.
As most of his memories faded and his will to live slipped away, Shirone's eyes suddenly widened.
This is the moment!
The spirit zone, which had been swelling endlessly, returned at a terrifying speed. His photon output surged, as if all his power was being unleashed.
Shirone shouted.
"Output power!"
"Shirone, are you okay? How do you feel?" Neid asked, looking worried.
"Check the output first!" Shirone barked.
Neid quickly glanced at the dashboard.
Output efficiency: 22 percent.
The efficiency had barely moved, not even by 0.1 percent, but it was starting to rise.
"Okay! It's going up, Shirone!"
"Ugh!"
Shirone, overcoming the mental pain with sheer determination, poured more powerful light into the crystal ball.
Output efficiency: 36 percent!
Shirone's spirit zone vibrated violently. Even his endurance couldn't handle the overwhelming mental power pouring in from the infinite realm.
"Ugh!"
Output efficiency: 59 percent.
Even Iruki, usually so calm, couldn't hide his excitement.
"Shirone! Just a little more!"
The needle on the instrument fluctuated wildly, reflecting the intense mental state Shirone was in.
It's hard to stay focused!
Shirone gritted his teeth and changed his spirit zone to a four-way defensive formation. He could hear the sounds of the frame tightening, like a knot pulling tighter.
As the pressure mounted, the intensity of the light began to grow exponentially.
Output efficiency: 87 percent.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Shirone's entire body trembled, and his brain felt as though it were vibrating.
He realized just how incredible a magician Armin truly was. The concept of infinity was so powerful that it could crush someone's life under its weight, as if it were more intense than entering nirvana itself.
"Ugh!"
Just as Shirone summoned the last of his strength, the lamp in the core turned red.
100 percent output efficiency.