*Mental Fork*
A 3rd-circle mage technique that splits one's consciousness into two.
I'd originally learned it to equip two artifacts simultaneously, but it also came with the bonus of enabling double casting.
However.
It seemed that successfully pulling off a double cast by drawing two magic circles simultaneously—the way I'd just done—was beyond what Mental Fork was supposed to be capable of.
On top of that, it was supposed to deactivate the moment I lost focus, yet in my case it kept running continuously.
That was what led Seol Ha-rin to conclude that the magic I was performing wasn't Mental Fork at all—
And the Gallery immediately erupted with questions.
ㄴ Anon (384F): Huh?
ㄴ Anon (751F): What are you on about.
ㄴ Anon (432F): Was there something else below 4th circle?
Seol Ha-rin then dropped a bombshell of an explanation.
Seol Ha-rin: Seo-yun… learned a 5th-circle spell…
ㄴ Anon (384F): ?
ㄴ Anon (312F): I'm sorry, what?
ㄴ Anon (643F): What is she talking about…
ㄴ Anon (249F): She learned Persona Divide?? lmaooooooooo
Someone mentioned a spell by that name, and Seol Ha-rin confirmed it.
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: That's right… Seo-yun directly awakened Persona Divide—the higher-tier mind-splitting spell that Mental Fork evolves into…
I was dumbfounded.
To think that what I'd been training this whole time was actually something else entirely.
And a 5th-circle spell, of all things.
ㄴ Anon (710F): Ah, that would explain why it stays active permanently…
ㄴ Anon (431F): But lol the most important part still isn't explained??
ㄴ Anon (351F): Fr, how does a 4th-circle newbie even use a 5th-circle spell…
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: Seo-yun. Are you absolutely sure you only have 4 circles? Check again.
At her question, I focused my consciousness on my dantian.
"Yeah, I'm sure…"
One. Two. Three. Four.
Four circles, spinning away. There was never any room for confusion to begin with.
ㄴ Anon (100F) (OP): It's definitely 4?
At that, the Gallery started doubting me.
ㄴ Anon (248F): No way lol…
ㄴ Anon (650F): Isn't this a fake?
ㄴ Anon (346F): Nah I bet she confirmed it's 5 and she's just too embarrassed to admit it lmaooooo
ㄴ Anon (544F): Maybe she's just been hiding her circles for attention this whole time? Probably actually 10th circle or something;
ㄴ Anon (312F): The audacity of this troll lmao
There was no way to yank my dantian out and show them as proof, so I had no way to clear my name.
But I didn't feel any particular need to get worked up trying to prove it.
Anon (100F) (OP): If you don't believe me, what exactly are you going to do about it.
ㄴ Anon (311F): lmao fair point
ㄴ Anon (544F): Excuse me.
ㄴ Anon (346F): lmaooooooooo
ㄴ Anon (544F): The way she responded… maybe it's real…
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: Seo-yun wouldn't be lying…!
Seol Ha-rin seemed to be on my side.
She immediately pulled out a theory to back up my situation.
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: …I have a feeling about this. 150 years ago, the Blood Demon Sword Sovereign—who was 12th circle at the time—told me about a method for casting 13th-circle spells.
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: It looks like Seo-yun actually succeeded at that method…
ㄴ Anon (346F): No way fr??
ㄴ Anon (544F): What is this now.
ㄴ Anon (321F): You're saying it's possible to use the next circle's spells???
ㄴ Anon (351F): Oh, I think I vaguely remember that.
ㄴ Anon (249F): But didn't that get buried as pure theory because nobody ever pulled it off? lol
So there was apparently a method for using the next circle's spells.
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: …If you force mana beyond the limit into your outermost circle and put it into an 'excited state,' the circle's tier temporarily expands, and you can briefly borrow the realm of the next-tier circle.
*An excited state, huh.*
I reflected on that as I read Seol Ha-rin's explanation.
One attempt before the one that succeeded with Mental Fork—or rather, Persona Divide.
There was a moment when I'd stopped circles 1, 2, and 3 and spun only the 4th circle alone.
It seemed that was when what Seol Ha-rin described had occurred.
But a rebuttal came immediately.
ㄴ Anon (702F): But isn't that only possible temporarily? Wasn't it only doable for active spells—one-shot and done? The newbie's been maintaining it constantly though…
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: …It looks like Seo-yun learned the 5th-circle spell while in the excited state, and then fully internalized it. It might work because it's a passive spell…
When Seol Ha-rin explained it that way, the reactions that followed were:
ㄴ Anon (650F): Doesn't that go beyond even Blood Demon bro's theory?
ㄴ Anon (346F): He'd flip out if he knew lmao
ㄴ Anon (249F): The only person besides the newbie who even succeeded at the concept itself is him, so he'd probably be shocked.
ㄴ Anon (312F): He's been gone from the Gallery for ages, so he might've already figured it out.
ㄴ Anon (461F): If he hasn't, doesn't that mean the newbie just matched the Blood Demon Sword Sovereign's magical talent? lol
ㄴ Anon (248F): Not just matched—surpassed?
ㄴ Anon (351F): Damn…
ㄴ Anon (578F): No, this is genuinely insane.
*Hmm…*
I'd been noticing it for a while, but the Gallery always seemed intensely interested in the concept of 'talent.'
Probably because so many people were parked on a single floor, unable to grow any further.
ㄴ Anon (346F): Newbie!! You absolutely cannot leave the Gallery!! We've helped you so much, doesn't that count for something!!
ㄴ Anon (436F): Where did that come from lmaooo
ㄴ Anon (311F): You were just doubting her like two seconds ago, where's your conscience?
ㄴ Anon (246F): What exactly did we help her with lmaooooo
ㄴ Anon (249F): Honestly feels like she figured everything out on her own… lol
ㄴ Anon (397F): Fr, there's a reason all the veterans left the Gallery.
There was a chance the last few comments were right, but at least for now, they weren't.
I still had far too much left to learn.
Amid the rowdy atmosphere, Seol Ha-rin added with a tinge of bitterness.
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: At this point I can't really claim I helped Seo-yun either…
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: I guess I was never the right vessel to teach Seo-yun. I never could have imagined she'd awaken a 5th-circle spell while still at 4th circle…
The moment she started self-deprecating, someone slipped in with uncanny timing.
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: Tch! Have you only realized this now? Then step aside at once.
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: Furthermore, there is nothing more astonishing in this tower than the fact that she has internalized two Sentences of Death in a single body—so cease your fussing.
*…So the two instant-kill skills were the more remarkable thing, huh.*
It seemed that because there were so few Death God-type users, not many people knew about it, which was why the reaction had been muted.
ㄴ Anon (312F): Wait, a 4th-circle mage learning a 5th-circle spell isn't surprising? lol
ㄴ Anon (431F): Fr, he's a Black Magic user himself so he must be losing it internally lmaooo
ㄴ Anon (643F): Terminal stage of the too-cool-to-care disease lol
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: That a circle leap was achieved is, of course, theoretically remarkable—however, it is merely a stroke of fortune at the lower tiers, not yet past even 6th circle, and thus not something to be truly astonished by!!
At that, someone said:
ㄴ Anon (249F): Newbie let's just show him nonstop 5th, 6th circle right now lol
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: SILENCE!!!!!!!
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: Absolutely not! There is an order to things!
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: You have only just obtained the 3rd and 4th circles—you must first learn the instant-kill derivative techniques befitting that stage!
After that, a debate immediately followed about what I should do next.
ㄴ Anon (741F): Anyway vacation time's almost up, getting another circle now seems like a stretch?
ㄴ Anon (349F): Can't you just leave one consciousness up while you meditate?
ㄴ Anon (100F) (OP): Oh wow, that works too?
ㄴ Anon (349F): Yeah, it's multitasking—you can keep one eye open. If you really did learn Persona Divide.
*So the risk of meditating is gone now…*
The benefits of the mind-splitting technique seemed to be more varied than I'd thought.
That was probably because it was a 5th-circle spell.
But diving into meditation to gain another circle right now felt premature. Vacation time aside, there were things I needed to do first.
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: Disciple! Now that you have studied ordinary spells, have you not come to a realization!
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: I sent you to Seol Ha-rin in order to enlighten you!
ㄴ Anon (461F): Enlighten lol
ㄴ Anon (351F): What exactly did he make her realize?
Honestly, yes.
ㄴ Anon (100F) (OP): You're right, Master. I did come away with something.
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: Splendid!
ㄴ Anon (643F): Look at her playing along lmao
ㄴ Anon (100F) (OP): No no, I mean it…
It wasn't an attempt to flatter Master.
I genuinely had realized something.
Spells that fired missiles, launched spears, generated walls of fire.
After learning those dragon-lineage elemental spells one after another, something became crystal clear.
*Death Mark was a genuinely broken, busted skill.*
All you had to do was stare from a distance and stack charges, and it could instantly kill any mob regardless of tier.
But the dragon spells didn't have that kind of OP feel to them.
And Death Mark was a spell you could learn at a mere 2nd circle.
Seeing how absurdly overtuned the instant-kill-based Black Magic—supposedly exclusive to Death God types—was compared to ordinary spells, the imbalance was viscerally apparent.
That seemed to be the reason Master had sent me to Seol Ha-rin in the first place.
Just then, Seol Ha-rin replied with a slightly stung tone.
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: Seo-yun… dragon magic only gets real from double-digit circles onward…
ㄴ Anon (100F) (OP): Yeah, figured as much.
I'd already anticipated that.
The user with the highest current floor had said they used dragon magic, after all.
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: The Blood Demon Sword Sovereign is a Black Magic user who wields Blood Magic, but he blends in elemental spells from the dragon magic school. So you absolutely cannot neglect elemental magic.
ㄴ Anon (100F) (OP): Got it, don't worry. I'll learn it all eventually!
ㄴ Anon (643F): Are you actually going to do what the Void Hermit said? lol
ㄴ Anon (539F): If it's the newbie, she probably can…
But there's an order to learning things.
I'd always planned to master instant-kill-based Black Magic first.
Dipping into dragon magic had been for the purpose of equipping two artifacts.
In the process, I'd also been able to pick up several utility spells from the 3rd circle.
"Good haul."
I checked the time.
[Guard Duty is temporarily suspended for 00:28:45!]
Only about 30 minutes of vacation time left.
I needed to learn at least one more thing in this short window.
Because once vacation ended, I'd be pushing into floor 101.
I'd need to read the strategy guide before that, too.
The moment I thought about wanting to learn instant-kill-based Black Magic, Master spoke up.
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: Disciple! I shall now teach you the Black Magic derived from the 4th-tier instant-kill skill, [Sentence of Death – Sight]!
"Huh? That order seems off."
I tilted my head at that comment.
ㄴ Anon (100F) (OP): Master, I have a question. Aren't we skipping the 3rd-tier instant-kill-based Black Magic?
At that, the Floor-710 Death God Anon answered in his place.
ㄴ Anon (710F): Nobody in the Gallery knows a Death God who knows that one.
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: By nature, the 3rd tier—Slash—is not awakened; one simply continues training and advances directly to the 4th tier, Sight. That is the orthodox path. Therefore, this one does not know the 3rd-tier-based Black Magic!
ㄴ Anon (643F): The way he says he doesn't know something with such confidence lmaooooo
I remembered now.
Slash wasn't rooted in Black Magic—it was based on direct close-range physical combat with the scythe, which was why Death Gods had abandoned that skill tree entirely.
*I only have Slash left among my instant-kill skills, so it'd be nice if there were something to supplement it…*
I wanted to prioritize learning things related to Slash.
Because right now, Slash was my only finisher. Sight still had a 7-year cooldown remaining.
There had definitely been mention that instant-kill-based techniques had connection points that linked back to their respective instant-kill skills.
In that case, it should help with using Slash too.
But apparently, it couldn't be learned right now.
I was in the middle of lamenting that fact when—
Sword Sovereign Ji-hee: I've been waiting! It seems it is finally this one's turn to step forward!
ㄴ Death Note Grand Canon: ?
ㄴ Seol Ha-rin: ?
ㄴ SSS-Rank Gear Chaser: ?
ㄴ Anon (643F): Three-way diss incoming lmaooo