Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 97

# 97

An Unprecedented Incident 2

Count Persimmon quietly got out of bed.

His wife was sound asleep. Once she fell asleep, it was hard to wake her. Unless someone made a loud noise by mistake, she wouldn’t even know if he went out and came back.

The lich had invaded the mansion, turning everything upside down.

He barely managed to defeat it, but it seemed it would take quite some time to repair all the damage.

“Hoo… How on earth did a lich get here?”

The Knights were mobilized to investigate the path the lich took. He would receive a report by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.

More important than anything was the reason it appeared.

Count Persimmon got out of bed and put on his clothes.

He hadn’t told anyone, but the thing the lich was after was most likely the ‘Thunder Zircon.’

*That* bastard, how did he know that jewel was here?

Well, liches were known to love shiny things, just like dragons. Maybe it instinctively knew the ‘Thunder Zircon’ was here.

Blue Lion Knight Commander Sekom returned empty-handed.

He had ultimately failed to catch the lich. That meant there was a high possibility it would return.

The magic corps mages spent all day resetting the defensive magic. But it wasn’t perfect.

They needed to take their time and reset it meticulously.

The number of guards was doubled. The knights were on high alert. This state would likely continue for the time being.

After all, the opponent was the infamous lich.

If it led an undead legion to attack the territory, there was a significant chance of large-scale chaos.

In other words, it seemed like it was time to take action.

Count Persimmon left the room. Two soldiers were guarding the entrance. He had told them that they were fine and to guard the outside of the mansion, but Heinz insisted that the lord’s safety was the top priority and stationed soldiers in front of the door.

“Where are you going, Lord?”

The soldiers asked the Count with utmost courtesy.

“I have a place to go.”

“Shall we escort you?”

“No. Protect my wife here. I’m going to the basement.”

“Understood. We will guard this place.”

The soldiers didn’t ask any further.

Count Persimmon nodded and took a torch, heading to the basement.

* * *

Count Persimmon picked the lock and entered the basement room where the treasure was kept.

It wasn’t just a lock.

He had also set up triple barrier magic. It was like locking the stable after the horse was stolen. He had secretly locked it so that no one would know there was treasure here. If he had set up the barrier magic earlier, this problem wouldn’t have happened….

“Hoo.”

Count Persimmon took a short breath.

He carefully lifted the treasure chest.

A treasure he had obtained with great difficulty. He had spent as much as 500,000 gold and spent three years before finally getting his hands on it.

But it was worth it.

A jewel with the power of electricity, containing the strongest power of nature.

It had already been well over seven years since Persimmon had remained at 6-star. He had risen to 6-star so quickly that it was called a natural talent, but after encountering a wall at 6-star, he couldn’t see a way to overcome it.

*So this was the extent of my talent.*

It was a high level that others praised, but Persimmon couldn’t be satisfied. Only those who climbed the mountain could know the scenery below.

And he could estimate even higher mountains.

He wanted to break through the 7-star wall at all costs. The difference between 6-star and 7-star was like heaven and earth. He knew very well that 6-star was merely a firefly under the moonlight when viewed from the perspective of a 7-star.

That’s why those who reached 7-star were called ‘Masters.’

Since he mainly used a sword, he would become a ‘Sword Master.’

Sword Master.

The dream of all knights!

Count Persimmon had also worked tirelessly to break through the 6-star wall, but all his efforts had failed.

‘It seems I am destined not to reach 7-star.’

Just when he was about to give up, the kingdom’s great sage ‘Michael Jordan’ grabbed his hand.

“The Count needs a special magic power.”

His ears perked up.

“Special magic power? What is it?”

“The Count’s power is harmonious in both yin and yang. That’s why you’ve developed smoothly up to 6-star. However, from 7-star onwards, you need reverse compatibility. A power that rejects the world. To fill that, you must possess the strongest energy of lightning in the universe.”

“The energy of lightning? How can I get that?”

“With effort, it may take 10 years, 15 years, or even 20 years if you’re unlucky… But the Count is lucky. You have the ability to carry out a method that ordinary people would find difficult to dream of.”

“Give me your teachings.”

“Thunder Zircon. Obtain the jewel with the strongest energy of lightning in the world. It will lead you to the path of 7-star.”

“Thunder Zircon….”

It was a jewel he had never heard of before.

He had no interest in jewels. At most, he had only heard of diamonds, sapphires, and rubies.

“That jewel will break your wall.”

Michael Jordan!

A living being who was enlightened in the celestial realm. Why else would they call him Air Jordan? Such a person would never say anything absurd.

Thunder Zircon.

Count Persimmon searched for the jewel for three years and was able to acquire it by paying a whopping 500,000 gold.

Count Persimmon sat cross-legged.

He gathered mana as calmly as possible.

He opened the treasure chest.

“Woo-oh-oh! It’s truly beautiful every time I see it.”

The Count’s mouth dropped open. It was so sacred that he was afraid to touch it. Lightning surged inside the jewel.

“You’re saying I have to eat this.”

A sigh escaped him.

500,000 gold would be gone in an instant. 500,000 gold was an amount that wouldn’t even be covered if he combined all his personal assets.

But it didn’t matter.

If he could just break through the 7-star wall!

Count Persimmon held the ‘Thunder Zircon’ with both hands and raised it above his head.

“God! Please grant my small wish!”

After speaking, Count Persimmon swallowed the ‘Thunder Zircon’ whole.

It was so small that it went down his throat in one gulp.

“Hmm.”

Count Persimmon quietly moved his magic power.

And he was taken aback.

He swallowed a 500,000 gold jewel, but no effect occurred.

It was the same no matter how many times he tried.

He felt a little impatient.

“Should I poop it out and take the jewel out again?”

He couldn’t cut open his stomach to take out the jewel, so he had to take it out that way.

Surely it wasn’t all digested in his stomach?

That’s when it happened.

-Tring!

Letters and sounds appeared on Count Persimmon’s retina.

He was startled and looked around. No one was there. It was as if magic was unfolding from his body.

-Congratulations. You have acquired the ‘Iron Head Version 2’ skill. Skill upgrades are now much faster than Version 1. Your head has become as hard as a rock.

We recommend using your head instead of a hammer.

You can upgrade the Iron Head skill by dismantling high-quality iron and using magic power together. However, there is a disadvantage. The harder your head becomes, the lower your intelligence will be.

“What, what is this?”

Count Persimmon rubbed his eyes. It seemed like something unbelievable had happened. Iron Head skill? What is that? What does this even mean?

-Tring! You have eaten SSS-grade steel.

“SSS-grade steel? What are you talking about? What I ate was a ‘Thunder Zircon’!”

-Dismantling SSS-grade steel.

Instantly, he felt something grinding in his stomach.

Count Persimmon felt an immense sense of foreboding. Something was seriously wrong.

-The ‘Iron Head Version 2’ skill allows for faster leveling, but your intelligence decreases by -2. Please be aware of this.

“What? Why is my intelligence decreasing?”

Count Persimmon’s words gradually slowed down.

“Wait a minute! Stop for a second! What is this?”

-The SSS-grade steel you ate is the hardest steel in the continent. It is 100 times more effective than ordinary steel. Congratulations. The Version 2 Iron Head skill has instantly reached MAX. Your head has become the hardest on the continent. Your intelligence has decreased by 55. Your intelligence is 76.

Count Persimmon could no longer answer.

His eyes were already blank and empty.

Turning back time.

When Legion cast illusion magic on the highest-grade steel, Mark also implanted nano-molecules.

Legion had no idea about that.

* * *

“Haa… Do I have to keep doing this?”

Legion felt a sense of self-disgust as he looked at the golden little crystal in front of him.

*It’s so beautiful.*

*I made this.*

But it wasn’t like a dwarf or a blacksmith who hammered away with unwavering effort.

“I feel like a hen.”

-But it’s worth it.

Mark comforted him. But it wasn’t comforting at all.

Legion quietly stared at the crystal he had laid this morning. The crystal he laid this morning was made by dismantling a jewel called ‘Gatt,’ a sacred jewel often used to make statues in temples.

The effect is to enhance divine power.

He laid it to increase Lich Mamon’s resistance to divine power.

Since Mamon was undead, he was vulnerable to divine power.

Until now, he had been active in the outskirts, but usually, a 6-circle undead couldn’t use his full power against a 4-circle priest or a 4-star paladin.

He had taken the trouble to raise him, so it would be troublesome if he got stabbed by mediocre paladins, so he made it to strengthen that.

“Eat this.”

Legion summoned Mamon and held out the crystal.

Mamon bowed his head. His luscious bobbed hair flowed down, covering his skull.

“What is this, Master?”

“Can’t you just eat it without asking?”

Legion didn’t want to lie about the labor pains he felt. But if he told the truth… he somehow didn’t feel like eating it again himself.

“It feels a bit sacred, so I’m uneasy.”

“That’s right. It’s made of Gatt [a jewel that enhances divine power].”

“Heh! Gatt!”

Mamon suddenly stepped back. Gatt was a jewel that was not compatible with the undead.

“It’s okay. I refined it well, removed all the divine energy, and left only what would help you. Just eat it.”

“But, but… Master.”

“Mamon.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Would I feed you poison?”

“Of course, I know you wouldn’t. But… Gatt is….”

Legion looked at the ‘Gatt’ in front of him.

It was a jewel he had barely managed to extract with the heart of giving birth. He couldn’t just throw it away. Legion nodded and took out the Bidet Staff and placed it on the table.

“Eat it! If you don’t want to die.”

*This psycho master is acting up again.*