’The brain isn’t a piece of meat that you can just beat into submission! Trying to brute force your way in there is going to force it to shut down. You’re trying to preserve the Machina’s mind so it won’t tear itself apart when you go in with mana, right?’
Esdath scowled as he asked this question, and Jason nodded.
’Right.’
’Then why are you treating it so roughly!? Even if it’s just for a split second, you have to make sure your control is perfect! The difference between failure and success is in the amount of control you possess over every variable in the experiment. If you throw your Qi out so erratically, then it’s far more likely to fail. Try again, and this time, do it with care.’
Jason was actually shocked by the amount of intensity in Esdath’s voice. Right now, Esdath was talking to Jason like a proper teacher educating an unruly student, and Jason was starting to remember that this man had actually been the highest authority in one of the strongest worlds in the Primordial Expanse once upon a time. Jason decided to listen to Esdath’s instruction, and he closed his eyes and sent his Qi out again. This time, rather than just sending his Qi in without any control, Jason guided his Qi towards the Machina’s meridians, and Jason began to filter it through gently. Jason could feel the Machina’s mind opening up to him, and Jason took in a quick breath before he pulsed his Arcane Art to life!
[Land of Lost Shadows]!
The shadow attribute didn’t manifest fully, but Jason had released enough of it to fill the room with the energy of the shadow, and at the same time, Jason finally touched the Machina’s memories with his Qi! The Machina twitched and shook from the contact, and Jason could feel the moment when the Machina’s brain shut down!
It took only one second for the Machina’s brain to erase itself and all the memories within it, but in that one second, Jason had felt a pulse of energy surge through his [Land of Lost Shadows]! The energy just now was very similar to what Jason felt back when he had been searching for Gillian, but at the same time, it was completely different! Almost like siblings with similar DNA but different looks and personalities! Jason could immediately tell that this was the Mind Arcane Art!
Jason opened his eyes, and he looked down at the reader in his hand to see that the number had risen to ’23hz’. A grin formed on Jason’s face, and Jason asked the system if it could work with this.
’Can you use this to determine the frequency of the Mind Arcane Art?’
[The system is carrying out an analysis. Please hold on.]
[Analysing...]
[Analysing...]
[Analysing...]
[Analysis Completed successfully.]
[After analysis, the system has successfully cross-referenced the frequency measured in this test with the user’s Shadow Arcane Art Frequency, and using the Energy Interference Algorithm proposed by Jucal Varga seven hundred years ago, the system has extracted the exact Energy frequency of the Mind Arcane Art. The user has achieved a grand feat. Congratulations.]
——
Hidden Mission Complete: Discover a way to detect an Arcane Art
Congratulations, the user has successfully carried out the very first recorded analysis of the Energy Density within an Arcane Art, and as a result, the user has discovered a method to detect Arcane Arts.
Rewards:
The user has gained the Unique Passive Skill [Arcane Radar]
The user has gained the Unique Title [Analyser]
The user has gained the Unique Title [Fifth Grade Researcher]
——
[Arcane Radar: This is a unique skill that allows the user to manifest a radial scanner, which can detect the presence of various Arcane Art frequencies in the user’s surroundings. In order to detect certain Arcane Arts, the user must come in contact with someone who either possesses the Arcane Art or someone the Arcane Art has been used on.]
[Radar Range: 500m radius]
[Arcane Arts Registered to Skill: [Shadow] [Mind]]
——
[Analyser: This title grants the user a special boost while carrying out any form of Complex Analysis. This title applies to any form of Analysis, which includes, but is not limited to, Energy Analysis, Skill Analysis, Arcane Analysis, Mineral Analysis, Financial Analysis, and Technique Analysis.]
[During Analysis, all mental facilities will receive a 20% boost in efficiency, and the concept of [Luck] will receive a 50% boost.]
——
[Fifth Grade Researcher: The title of Researcher is an exalted title only granted to those who have made considerable advancements in the field of magic and its related systems. The title of Researcher ranges from the Fifth Grade, a position held by beginner researchers who have accomplished noteworthy feats, all the way up to the First Grade, a position granted to Researchers whose discoveries affect the entire Primordial Expanse. The title of First Grade Researcher has been granted to only one man throughout the history of the Primordial Expanse. As the pioneer who achieved the very first successful analysis of the Energy levels within an Arcane Art, the user has been granted the title of Fifth Grade Researcher, and if the user publishes his findings, the user will be recognized by all researchers within the Primordial Expanse for this feat.]
[Does the user wish to publish his research to the Primordial Library? Yes/No]
——
Jason hummed as he read through the system message, and Jason actually felt happy about his accomplishments. Jason had no idea there was a hidden mission, but the rewards he had gotten for it were perfect! With the [Arcane Radar], Jason no longer had to worry about being blindsided by anyone that the Mind Art’s user had taken under his command!
The Analyser title was also fucking awesome! That title didn’t give him any physical boost, but Jason appreciated the mental boost, and he knew that it would also help him in the middle of fights! Jason was always trying to figure out the attack patterns and techniques of his opponents in a fight, so this skill was perfect for someone like him!
But it was the third reward that really made Jason raise a brow. Jason had no idea that Researchers had such an elaborate ranking system, but Jason realised that he shouldn’t be surprised by something like this. The system already told Jason that the Second Domain under Rak’hael had a lot of Academies, and one of the people who contested with Jason for the position of Overlord had also been the head of an Academy. It was obvious that Academies were a big deal in the Primordial Expanse!
Jason read the prompt where the system asked him to publish his findings, and he actually thought about it for a moment. Did Jason want something like this? The recognition would be good, but Jason didn’t think the headache was worth it. Putting his name out there as someone who discovered a way to trace Arcane Arts would make him a target for other Arcane Art users, and Jason still didn’t want to alert the Mind Art’s user to the fact that he was looking for him. So Jason told the system not to do it yet, and the system accepted.
[The user’s achievement will be archived until the user wishes to have it published.]
’Thanks. But hold on, in the Researcher ranking, you said there was only one First Grade Researcher. Who is it?’
Jason found his curiosity rising when he saw that there was only one man who had reached the title of First Grade Researcher. Jason wanted to know who that person was, and when the system brought up the man’s name, Jason felt a sudden amusement rising from his heart.
[The sole person who has earned the Title of First Grade Researcher in the Primordial Expanse is the mage known as Jucal Varga.]
Jason scoffed in amusement! Wasn’t this the same person who made the [Cage of Eternity] that held Gillian for two hundred years? And it was also the same person who made the Algorithm for comparing the frequencies of various Energies that the system used in its Analysis just now. Who the hell is this dude?