Chapter 82
As his graduation approached, Marshall finally raised his Spatial Magic to Level Four.
And this time, he hadn’t spent a single point of Inspiration.
He had ground out every last bit of experience through sheer effort.
Manipulating space now felt as natural as moving his own limbs.
Within the area surrounding him, even the slightest spatial disturbance could no longer escape his senses.
Erza also knew Spatial Magic, though hers was probably only around Level Two.
Mest’s was stronger, roughly equivalent to Marshall’s former Level Three.
But now, neither of them could draw upon the power of space at all while standing inside Marshall’s domain.
That was how overwhelming Level Four Spatial Magic had become.
It allowed him to seize complete control over the space within a given area.
Marshall was now capable of developing techniques on the level of Kamui, Spatial Slash, Shattered Space, and even something resembling the Limitless Technique.
His resistance to spatial forces had also increased dramatically.
He could punch directly into a spatial rift and have his fist emerge somewhere else, striking an opponent from a distance.
Placing one’s body between two disconnected sections of space was normally suicidal.
The slightest mistake could slice a limb—or the entire person—in half.
For Marshall, however, it no longer caused any trouble.
His combat strength had undergone a genuine qualitative leap.
Most of his earlier Level Four skills—Telepathy, Meditation, Body-Conditioning, and Script Magic—were primarily supportive abilities.
Their effects on direct combat weren’t nearly as obvious.
Now that Marshall had Level Four Spatial Magic, however, he felt powerful enough to start ignoring rules meant for ordinary people.
For a brief while, his confidence swelled so much that he considered challenging Makarov to a serious match!
Then he realized that even with nearly thirty thousand magic power, he still couldn’t determine the true depth of the Master’s reserves.
Marshall quietly abandoned the idea.
Ever since opening his Second Origin, the speed at which his magic power grew had continued increasing.
He had already surpassed Erza and was steadily closing the distance with Laxus.
If he wanted, Marshall could probably become an S-Class Mage this year.
Unfortunately, poor Cana had failed the trial two years in a row.
Marshall decided to leave this year’s opportunity to her.
He wasn’t in any hurry.
After all these years, he still disliked leaving the guild to complete jobs.
Nearly every mission credited to him had been one he tagged along on with his female companions.
He was far too lazy to move unless absolutely necessary.
If Makarov hadn’t tempted him with the promise of seeing Fairy Tail’s Three Great Magics, Marshall might never have bothered becoming S-Class at all.
Since finishing the Naruto novels, he had poured nearly all his spare time into research.
And what exactly was he researching?
After mastering more than a hundred different types of magic, Marshall was attempting to become a true master artificer.
Ordinary magical cards could no longer satisfy his need for inspiration.
His current minor goal was to create a magical doll with a simulated soul—or, in simpler terms, a magical robot.
After studying Loki for so long, Marshall had already begun making progress.
But those projects could wait.
The most important matter right now was—Hanna Marshall was finally graduating!
...
"...For three consecutive years, she led her class to victory in the Academy Cup."
"Throughout her enrollment, she maintained the highest grades in every subject across the entire academy."
"In three years, she published a total of one hundred and twenty-one papers, fifty-six of which received formal academic awards..."
"Her achievements during her enrollment stand unmatched by any student of the past century."
"Please give your warmest applause to the Magic Council Academy’s most outstanding graduate—Hanna Marshall!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" came the collective battle cry.
"HANNA, WE LOVE YOU!" countless girls screamed.
"..."
After barely surviving the chaotic award ceremony, Marshall followed the academy headmaster away from the crowd and released a long breath.
At last.
The moment had finally come to claim the reward for all his work!
"Hahaha. You don’t seem very comfortable with that kind of attention, Marshall."
The headmaster was a white-bearded old man who looked exactly like the stereotypical image of an ancient Mage.
He was also the person who had taught Marshall most of what he knew about crafting magical items, and the two had developed a fairly good relationship.
"With so many people cheering for you, don’t you feel happy?"
"Please spare me, Professor."
Marshall rubbed his temples.
"Right now, I only want to receive my Archive Magic."
"I’m not interested in anything unrelated to magic."
"What admirable dedication to learning."
The headmaster smiled warmly.
"Marshall, you are the finest student I have taught in all my years here. I’m truly proud of you."
"Ahaha... Let’s not dwell on that."
Marshall changed the subject immediately.
"Who will be teaching me Archive Magic? I’ve been looking forward to this for years."
"There’s no need to rush. We’ve almost arrived."
The headmaster led him into a building that resembled some kind of scientific research facility.
The sudden change in atmosphere was jarring.
One moment, Marshall was walking through a magical academy.
The next, it felt as though he had stepped into a world of advanced technology.
Glowing screens filled the rooms, each displaying streams of constantly changing data.
For a moment, Marshall genuinely wondered whether he had transmigrated again.
"Professor... What is this place?"
"This is the Magic Council’s Continental Bureau of Magical Records."
The headmaster smiled.
"What you’re seeing now is one part of Archive Magic."
They eventually entered a vast chamber.
A gigantic projection of the planet floated in the center, while endless streams of information moved across layers of surrounding light.
The headmaster spread his arms toward the entire room.
"All of this—every screen, every stream of data, every magical structure you see—is part of Archive Magic."
He turned toward Marshall with a solemn expression.
"Listen carefully. What I’m about to tell you is one of the true secrets of this world."
"Super Archive Magic is not actually an independent spell."
"It is an artifact of divine origin—a fragment of authority left in the human world by the ancient God of Knowledge."
"It contains nearly all magical information recorded by humanity from ancient times to the present."
"Almost any knowledge you seek can be found somewhere within Super Archive."
The headmaster raised one hand.
A complex magical sigil appeared above his palm.
He offered it to Marshall.
"The Magic Council of the Eastern Continent was fortunate enough to gain control over this divine artifact."
"The existence of Super Archive is one of the primary reasons the Council possesses such overwhelming influence."
"The reward granted to you, Marshall, is authorization to access and operate most of Super Archive’s functions."
"This is recognition of your talent, your relentless effort, and everything you have contributed to magical research over the past several years."
"The magical world thrives because of gifted and energetic young Mages like you."
He smiled.
"Please accept it."
Marshall was genuinely stunned.
The power controlled by the Magic Council appeared far greater than he had imagined.
And Super Archive... why did it look so much like an enormous network server?
Was learning Archive Magic really just a matter of obtaining an interface that allowed someone to connect to it?
"You mean... once I accept this magical sigil, I’ll be able to use Archive Magic?"
"Hahaha. Of course not."
The headmaster shook his head.
"Authorization is authorization. Magic is still magic."
"Even if you possess access rights, you must still learn how to operate the Archive."
"It is not an easy spell to master."
"An ordinary person would require roughly one year to learn basic Archive Magic. Super Archive would take at least three."
"So, Marshall, you should remain at the academy and continue your studies—"
Marshall had already stopped hearing him.
The moment he accepted the sigil, his System panel underwent an astonishing transformation.
[Telepathy Magic LV4: 11.2% (Super Archive Magic LV0)]
[Super Archive Magic LV0 → LV1]
[Telepathy Magic EXP +1,000]
[Telepathy Magic LV4 (Super Archive Magic LV1)] → [Information Magic LV4]
[Information Magic LV4: 11.5%]
’What?!’
Marshall stared at the panel in shock.
"...In short, the academy remains the place best suited for your future development."
The headmaster continued speaking before finally noticing Marshall’s vacant expression.
"Marshall?"
"Marshall, are you listening?"
"Did you understand what I just explained?"
"Professor..."
"Yes?"
Marshall slowly raised his head.
"I think... I’ve already understood it."
"?"