My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 48

"So you just jumped in recklessly? Are you out of your mind, wanting to die?"

Professor Carlson, who had never once raised his voice or gotten angry at the students despite his usually gloomy appearance, shouted with rare intensity.

Kneeling before him was Jeon Reidel, who had just leapt toward the black sphere and was barely rescued by Professor Carlson.

"They say ignorance is brave. That fits you perfectly."

As Professor Carlson's rapid-fire scolding continued, Jeon's head lowered deeper and deeper.

Yet, as if that wasn't enough, Professor Carlson's pale face turned red with anger, his breathing ragged.

Just how terrified had he been?

He had been assessing the rules and characteristics of the space and was just about to start his activities when he saw Jeon falling inward from the outside.

That surreal sight left Professor Carlson rubbing his eyes in disbelief, staring blankly for three whole seconds.

"If you'd dived in there, you'd have been crushed instantly by the high pressure, let alone getting addicted to Negative Dimensional Magic Power."

This place was a microcosm created by the culprit.

And the sphere compressed by that magic power was a primitive planet born within this cosmic space.

A world yet to have any earth, filled solely with intangible magic power.

Jumping in there would have subjected one to the overwhelming pressure pulling toward the center, tearing their body to shreds.

In this digital world, where the Reverse World overlapped and added real-world attributes, death meant the complete destruction of the mind.

Even if the physical body in the real world remained intact, it would have been trapped in a coma, never to wake again.

Even after the Black Mage, the culprit, was completely captured.

"To think you'd even consider jumping in there. In some sense, that's impressive."

An ordinary student would have been so overwhelmed by that sight that they wouldn't have dared to jump in.

They had already degraded into fragments constituting this Reverse World via the Magic Boost App.

And that primitive planet made of black magic power was the center of this world.

According to the established rule of this Reverse World, they couldn't even conceive of doing anything that might harm that sphere.

It was a rule akin to powerful brainwashing.

Even Professor Carlson had taken quite some time to resolve himself to destroy it.

Yet here was someone who leapt at it without an ounce of hesitation.

It showed just how deep Jeon's hostility toward the Black Mage ran.

'Well, that's probably why he woke up farther away than I did.'

The Reverse World was a realm reflecting the consciousness of the Black Mage.

The so-called "Polygon" orbiting in this place served as an indicator of how closely one was connected to the Black Mage.

In that sense, Jeon, who regained consciousness even farther from the center than Professor Carlson—who had infiltrated to destroy this world—was an extraordinarily unique case.

"Haah."

Knowing that, Professor Carlson couldn't bring himself to say anything more.

When he first sensed that Jeon had activated the Magic Boost App without reporting to him, he had let it slide.

But seeing this spectacle now, he realized he'd made a grave mistake.

'I must never ask Student Jeon to do anything similar to this again.'

He hadn't expected Jeon to hate the Black Mage to this extent.

To be exact, he'd assumed Jeon would despise them, but not to the point of defying even the brainwashing of the Reverse World.

Resolving to never again involve Jeon in matters related to the Black Mage, Professor Carlson shifted his gaze from Jeon to the black sphere.

"Truly a magnificent sight, that thing."

Its scale was so enormous that it was hard to believe it had been created by a mere 5-star Black Mage.

The unique conditions of the digital realm and the shared space made by intertwining the minds of numerous students must have contributed to this result.

In terms of sheer area alone, ignoring the level of the ritual or the dangers as a Reverse World, it was comparable to that of a 6- or 7-star Black Mage.

"......."

Was his anger subsiding?

Jeon cautiously tried to rise, gauging Professor Carlson's mood.

But Professor Carlson's sharp gaze, more piercing than the numbness in his legs, forced Jeon to kneel again, tears welling up.

"Stay put and watch quietly."

Jeon should be grateful that kneeling until they left this place was all the punishment he received.

If it had been the strict Professor Magnus or Professor Vivaldi, there would have been disciplinary actions or physical punishment even after returning to the real world.

Srrr.

Black magic power began to seep around Professor Carlson.

The wasted mana filtered through his star began to flow.

He channeled it back into the world, something ordinary magicians couldn't handle, imposing his will upon it.

In this Reverse World, overlaid with the opponent's consciousness, such an act was akin to hacking.

In magical terms, it was an act in the realm of Dispel; Professor Carlson began to express his will throughout this vast world, carefully tracing the opponent's ritual.

"If you act recklessly again and put yourself in danger, I don't think I can let it slide with just this level of punishment."

The interference began.

The trajectory of the Polygon, which had moved along a predetermined path around the black sphere, abruptly shifted.

The Polygon slowly approached the black sphere, where magic power was concentrated.

"Well, just sitting around might be boring, so think of this as a special outdoor class. Watch me closely today, and consider how you should handle a Black Mage if you ever have to face one in the future."

Jeon was still far too inexperienced to fight a Black Mage.

For now, this would merely serve as experience for when he grew stronger in the future.

"When entering the Reverse World of a Black Mage, the first step is interpreting and understanding that world."

The Reverse World possessed a power as capricious as the supernatural.

No, it was worse than the supernatural, as it defied the laws and foundations of the world.

Thus, any ability user who couldn't destroy the space through sheer power had to interpret and dismantle the Reverse World.

"In my case, I could just destroy it with brute force, but since the students' minds are intertwined, we're approaching the center to avoid any potential issues."

In this world's case, interpreting it wasn't particularly difficult.

As Jeon had instinctively realized, the black sphere was clearly the core and center of this world.

"The foundation of a Reverse World is naturally guarded. In this world, that means brainwashing to prevent access and the strong pressure of compressed magic power."

Therefore, one must never recklessly jump toward the center like Jeon did.

Always remember that this world is different from the one you know and approach cautiously.

"And one more thing. In the Reverse World, the center typically represents the Black Mage's true form. The closer you get to the center, the more the world warps and distorts."

Thus, it was likely that the most prominent characteristics of this Reverse World could be found there.

In this Reverse World, its greatest feature was undeniably the sharing of magic power and mental states.

"Listen closely for a moment."

At Professor Carlson's words, Jeon tilted his head curiously.

Following his instructions, Jeon listened carefully and faintly heard something strange.

Like the static of a broken radio, accompanied by someone's voice.

It wasn't just a sound; soon, it projected into his mind like a hallucination, transmitting images to Jeon's brain.

"Sharing mental states means sharing all the information within the brain."

That included memories, which was a blatant invasion of privacy.

This was another reason magicians hadn't developed shared magic power.

No other ability users were as sensitive about intellectual property as magicians.

"Since you have been rejecting the Black Mage, you can only now read others' memories at this distance. The other students have likely been sharing memories for quite some time."

Unless one, like Professor Carlson, had established a mental barrier upon entering, there was no way to prevent it.

"Still, it's only been a short time, so at most, you'll only read superficial memories from the last 24 hours."

"That's a relief."

Reading someone's memories.

Their secret shames or absolute secrets they couldn't let anyone know.

Such things could be forcibly exposed.

If it was only for about a day, it shouldn't lead to a major uproar.

"Student Jeon might not find it so reassuring, though?"

But that relief was Jeon's naive assumption.

Professor Carlson looked back at him with a mischievous smile.

"I took a quick peek earlier, and that memory was there. The moment when you met me, Student Jeon."

"......!"

Wh-what?! Wh-wh-what?!

At Professor Carlson's words, Jeon jumped to his feet in shock.

The numbness in his legs was completely forgotten.

The overwhelming panic filled his mind entirely.

Carlson lightly patted Jeon, who had frozen with his mouth agape.

"Yes, just as expected. Everyone here now knows how much Student Jeon likes Student Arina and how much he's suffered from the misunderstanding that he disliked her up until now."

"......."

"Congratulations on your public confession. I'll be cheering from afar for Student Jeon's love to come true."

It was a disaster.

Jeon, disheartened, slumped to the ground on the spot.

"That damned Black Mage."

Then, that despair turned into an even greater rage directed at the culprit, the Black Mage.

I’ll kill him.

That wretched bastard.

"For the record, I'm a Black Mage too, so using 'damned' feels a bit..."

"You wretched Black Mage!"

"......You're not talking about me, right?"

Somehow, it felt like that 'Black Mage' included me too.

Professor Carlson scratched his cheek with an uneasy feeling.

Then, as if it didn't particularly matter, he shrugged and resumed his explanation.

"This level of approach should suffice. Now, for the final explanation. How exactly can the Reverse World be annihilated?"

The simplest method is to kill the Black Mage himself.

The second method is to reverse-engineer the ritual used to construct the Reverse World and dismantle it.

Lastly, if there's an overwhelming difference in power, one could simply destroy the space itself.

"None of the three is an easy method. Whatever you choose, it's up to Student Jeon."

"......."

"However, there's one exceptional way for Black Mages to neutralize the Reverse World."

This method could only be executed by Black Mages.

It was a technique that no ability user specializing in other fields could possibly imitate.

"It's to collide Reverse Worlds against each other simultaneously."

The Reverse World is a technique that contaminates the world with your own will.

Here's the question.

What happens when two Reverse Worlds manifest at the same time?

The answer is simple.

A clash of wills. Among them, only the strongest will, which persists to the end, overlays itself onto the world.

"That's precisely why, unlike ability users specializing in other fields, there's a clear hierarchy among Black Mages."

A 5-star Martial Artist barely managing to defeat a 6-star Martial Artist.

In other fields of study, it was possible to outsmart and triumph over someone stronger than oneself.

But for Black Mages, that was considerably more challenging.

At the same time, it was also the reason why no Black Mage in the world could oppose the Death King.

"Now, the outdoor class is over. Step back a little and pay your respects to the great Death King. This won't take long."

Reverse World, open.

Shadows stretched long beneath Professor Carlson's feet, swiftly consuming the Digital World enveloped by the Black Mage.

The opponent resisted fiercely.

Yet, despite the resistance, Carlson's face remained relaxed throughout.

"You failed to notice even up to this point, so what nerve do you have to resist?"

The opponent was certainly remarkable.

Constructing a Reverse World far superior to his own abilities was by no means an easy feat.

Even if it had been a 6-star Black Mage standing here, it would have taken quite some time.

But their luck was just too terrible.

The one here was Professor Carlson of Benedict Academy.

A strong one who, even among professors, could be considered at the top tier based purely on strength, nearing the level of a Permanent Professor.

Because he was a 7-star Black Mage, officially recognized by President Hounds Mendelstone.

Crack!

It was devoured.

The opponent's established rule was consumed, overwritten with newly imposed rules.

With a sinister smile, Professor Carlson manifested the Reverse World, clenching his fist toward the front.

Boom!

At that moment, the Black Magic Sphere shattered, and the Digital Realm began to collapse, unable to maintain its form.