IRM Chapter 97

At first, no one paid attention to that wisp of golden light. It flickered ordinarily there, like a spark burning in the most inconspicuous corner.

Gradually, the radiance became increasingly dazzling, and quite a few people followed the light, casting their confused and ignorant gazes toward it, their hearts still filled with bewilderment and curiosity.

Finally, the light shone brilliantly on one side of the arena, like the most gorgeous dawn after ice and snow melted, slowly rising from the horizon, bringing light and hope to the boundless dark night.

Bard, who had been staring intently at Ji Chi’s movements, had at some point shed two lines of hot tears. He hadn’t noticed, only widened his eyes further, and in the soft golden light, witnessed the birth of a miracle. “Legend… this is a legend…”

Linton also stood frozen in place. His mind first went blank, then inappropriately recalled a scene from when he had just arrived in the royal capital:

At that time, filled with excitement and sighs, he had contacted a friend who he’d only met once but who was engraved in his heart. He smiled and gazed into his friend’s black eyes, set down his simple bag and gave Ji Chi a big hug, saying firmly, “Don’t be discouraged. I’ll help you this year. Next year you’ll definitely pass the Engineer Academy test and become an excellent engineer!”

At that time, Ji Chi had stepped back, looked at him rather oddly, then casually pinned an Engineer Academy badge to his chest, his eyes full of amusement. “I’ve already received my admission notice.”

“Though it’s direct admission to second year.”

“If you need anything, you can come find me at the Magic Academy.”

“I’m mainly continuing to attend Magic Academy second-year classes.”

Linton: “……”

In the short dozen or so years Linton had experienced, he had been tormented bloody by money, yet it seemed to be compensation from the divine—his talent had been smooth sailing, never encountering any setbacks. That was the only thing he had worth bragging about.

But today, this sense of pride had petrified in the golden light. Linton became indifferent, settled, and let go. Master Nat’s arrogance and sharp edges were completely restrained. From now on, he was just a humble and low-key engineer student. Genius and such things had nothing to do with him whatsoever.

Linton had achieved enlightenment, but the entire venue exploded!

“What is that! Is it the color of a light magic crystal?”

“No, absolutely not. I didn’t sense any magical aura…”

“Feel it more carefully! If it’s not magic, then could it possibly be… impossible! A youth whose hair hasn’t even fully grown, how could he possibly craft legendary equipment? He must have done something!”

William also couldn’t believe it at this moment. He stared blankly at that radiance, smiled with difficulty, and asked the dwarf beside him. “Master Hess, can you tell what material that is? It’s truly dazzling…”

Hess glanced at him and flatly shattered the fact he was deceiving himself about. “It’s not any material. It’s legendary quality equipment.”

William’s face twisted, gradually becoming ferocious. His entire body emanated an irritable aura as he paced in circles like a cornered beast. “Impossible… impossible, impossible…”

He lost his rationality. The elegant and humble facade was torn away, revealing his violent and selfish nature.

William’s eyes became bloodshot. He suddenly bent down, grabbed the front of Hess’s shirt with both hands, lifted up the calm and composed dwarf, and questioned him through gritted teeth, “Isn’t he a mage! How can he create legendary equipment!”

A trace of cold gold flashed in the depths of Hess’s pupils. A mocking smile curved at the corner of his mouth as he said softly, “Why not? The world is like this. Sometimes no matter what you do, you can’t compare to some people. Your efforts, your unwillingness, your schemes—in their eyes, it’s all a joke. Because here, they are far more powerful than you.”

Hess extended his hand and pointed to where his heart was, then gently raised his hand. Without the slightest effort, he broke free from William’s restraint, landed on the ground, and looked in Ji Chi’s direction, sighing, “A work is like a soul… truly beautiful, the color of his soul.”

Ji Chi seemed oblivious to the external commotion. He focused on the movements of his hands, immersed in a profound and mysterious state. His carving knife began from the limbs of the suit, and flowing, intricate magic patterns flowed from his fingertips, extending all the way to the core at the suit’s chest.

“Thump, thump, thump——” Ji Chi’s fingers reached the area around the core. He seemed to detect a faint heartbeat. The suit seemed to come alive, waiting for him to infuse it with a soul.

For the first time, Ji Chi so clearly felt the power of the [Creation] divine authority—as long as he traced a bit of pale gold from the divine authority into the core, a brand new soul would be born anew here.

The pale golden light in Ji Chi’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. Just as his brush stroke condensed with golden light was about to touch the core—

“Clang clang clang!” Urgent bell sounds called back his rationality. Ji Chi’s pupils instantly returned to ink black. He stopped the knife tip, allowing that thread of light to dissipate in his hand.

The arena fell silent. No one paid attention to the purple or blue glows of the other equipment. All gazes converged on the golden radiance. Even if they were unwilling to admit it, even if they had never seen it before, at that moment they all simultaneously had the same thought—ah, that must be [Legendary].

The suit shrouded in golden light was no longer pure silver. Its smooth, satin-like liquid metal surface was interwoven with golden lines, like a mysterious totem, both magnificent and full of power.

The azure magic crystal at the center of the chest, under the interplay of radiance, revealed a bright red blood color, like a real heart, beating with each flash.

Ji Chi stepped back two paces to examine it, suddenly feeling the suit looked somewhat familiar from front to back. Thinking again of its purpose…

Ji Chi pinched his chin and suddenly asked, “Do you believe in light?”

Bard: “?”

Ji Chi: “How about shouting ‘Tiga’ when putting it on?”

(TL: “迪迦” is most likely referring to Ultraman Tiga, a classic Japanese superhero.)

Linton: “??”

Ji Chi: “Never mind, that’s too embarrassing. Although this body is more or less still in its chuunibyou phase, as expected, the mind has already aged…”

Chloe: “??? Chloe doesn’t understand what you’re saying.”

Ji Chi heard these familiar words and reflexively shuddered, immediately becoming serious. “I mean, how about calling it [Light]?”

No one objected, because it truly was like a domineering yet warm ray of light, illuminating the future of so many people living in the mire.

After today, the entire continent would know that a commoner youth had crafted a piece of equipment that commoners, slaves, and the powerless could all use. It not only brought them physical strength but also nurtured a belief in their hearts—

We are all souls living under oppression. Why can’t I shine with brilliance?

First, a commoner engineer boy who had spent all his savings just to buy an entry pass cheered. The clear voice of a youth rang out from an inconspicuous corner. “Amazing! It’s legendary! And it’s legendary equipment that everyone can use!”

Then, the cheering grew louder and louder, rising like a tide throughout the venue. It was a different kind of voice, surrounding the corners around the arena—usually overlooked by those high above. Only now did people realize they were not weak. Their numbers and resilience were enough to break through any obstacle—

They only needed a ray of light.

On the judges’ platform, the Duke’s expression was extremely unpleasant. He exchanged a few words with the King above, his brow tightly furrowed, unable to relax.

The Marchioness beside him also had a gloomy expression. Today she had changed into a pitch-black long dress. The black feathers by the collar seemed to bare fangs and brandish claws, making her entire person appear particularly sharp and fierce. She set down the pipe that never left her hand, gently exhaled a puff of smoke, and said in a low voice, “There’s still one method.”

“Before the news has time to spread, seal off the arena and the commoners…” The Marchioness’s fingertips in black gloves tapped the table. “In any case, they’re not important people. Even if they die, it won’t cause any waves.”

The ruthlessness in her tone made even the Duke look at her twice.

The Marchioness’s proposed approach was extremely foolish, but for long-term future interests, they might need to bear a period of criticism.

The Duke spoke in low tones with the King for a few sentences. The King remained silent for a long time, then closed his eyes and nodded. “I’ll explain to the monarchs of other nations afterward.”

“Have the Royal Mages seal the entire venue.”

As soon as the words fell, the stands of the arena suddenly erupted with brilliant light. Layer upon layer of intricate magic patterns, infused with magical power, formed a massive magic array that surrounded the entire arena.

The King frowned tightly, a trace of wariness flashing in his eyes. His order had just been issued—even for an Archmage, it would be impossible to instantly set up such a large-scale magic array.

The Royal Knights guarding around the King keenly sensed something was wrong. They quickly surrounded the King, Second Prince, and Princess, drew their sharp swords outward, and searched for anyone with ill intentions.

Chaos erupted in the venue. Many people realized something was wrong and fled toward the exits, only to crash hard into the invisible magic wall. Though the outside world was only a few short steps away, it was impossible to reach.

Brandon’s current position was among some nobles. Under this panic, although those nobles were also uneasy, they still maintained a measure of dignity.

They summoned guards who knew magic and swordsmanship to attack the magic array on the ground. For a time, the sparks of long swords scraping the ground and scattered, spreading magic filled the entire space.

The old butler frowned and flicked iron spikes from his sleeve, covering them with a flowing, radiant sword aura, standing in front of the young master to protect him.

The stands were as chaotic as a pot of boiling porridge. The competitors in the arena stood there with bewildered expressions, neither advancing nor retreating, not knowing what to do next.

William was also somewhat frightened. He looked up at the judges’ platform closest to him, felt it was relatively safe there, and was about to call someone to send him up.

Suddenly, silver light flashed beside him. The Judgment Rack on the second workbench eerily floated up, flickering with malicious intent.

William frowned, thinking the equipment had lost control. Just as he was about to loudly remind them, he discovered that the silver rack now had some shallow grooves that should have been carved during the previous two hours.

He habitually wanted to observe what type of enchantment it was, but quickly saw that they were just some meaningless patterns. Viewed together, they looked like a cluster of blooming….gladiolus flowers.