The next day.
After spending the night at the Village Chief's house, we were guided by Violet, the Village Chief's daughter-in-law, towards the 30,000-pyeong farm located near the village.
"We draw agricultural water from the river flowing in front of the village by building a weir. Then, whenever the water level rises due to rain, it automatically flows into the long ditches dug alongside the fields."
She gave a simple explanation of the field structure for Barnessa and Camilla, who knew little about farming, and also told us what crops were mainly grown.
"As our village is home to many different races living together, our food culture is quite diverse. So, besides barley and wheat, which are staple foods, we also grow quite a bit of rice, beans, and potatoes."
"Then it must require a lot of hands-on work to cultivate them."
"Still, if you want to eat what you want to eat, there's no helping it, is there?"
I found myself agreeing with her words to some extent, so I nodded and gazed at the golden wheat field stretching out before my eyes.
"I heard you were quite short on labor, but thankfully, it seems like this year's harvest is bountiful."
The grains packed inside the husks were so plump that they were all bowing their heads deeply towards the ground.
"Yes. Everyone who sees it says the same thing. It's all thanks to the Goddess watching over us."
Violet smiled proudly as she said that, then hopped over a small stream along the path and showed me where the land needing harvesting was.
"Alright, the land the Mage-nim will be harvesting today starts from here and goes up to the spot where you see that tree. In terms of area, it's a little under 10,000 pyeong, but is that okay?"
I nodded upon hearing her words.
"This is my first time using my magic in a place like this, but it doesn't seem too difficult."
Honestly, using the magic I had honed through sleepless nights for the purpose of harvesting grain was something I couldn't have imagined in the past.
Back then, the profession of Mage was considered such high-level expertise that I would never have been called upon for something like this.
However, there's a distinct difference between 'not doing' something and 'not being able to' do something.
"Hoo-"
I took a deep breath with my arms spread wide.
Generally, in this world, the way mages use magic is by absorbing the mana flowing through the atmosphere into their bodies, converting it into natural elements within a virtual mana furnace called the 'Core', and then maximizing its effect by combining or stacking them in various ways.
Naturally, the power of the same magic varied immensely depending on the caster's skill level.
And what I was about to use now was Scouting Magic.
It's one of the most commonly used spells in daily life, providing a third-person aerial view of a fairly wide area, making it quite useful.
It was also a mandatory spell for any military mage, as it was incredibly helpful for commanders when devising strategies during large-scale military operations.
I stroked my stubbly chin, lost in thought.
'First, I shouldn't use magic that's too powerful.'
Even if it wasn't my intention, a slight miscalculation in power control could damage the grains, rendering them inedible after all the harvesting effort.
To avoid such accidents, it was best to have a thorough plan from the start.
'30,000 pyeong is approximately 99,173.5537 square meters, so I should divide it into sections based on that.'
Using Scouting Magic, I calculated the land area, made a rough estimate through mental calculation, and then figured out how much mana I would need to expend to complete the day's work.
"Hmm. Is it about this much?"
The calculation process didn't take nearly as long as I expected.
To share the results with the others, I quickly sketched on a piece of paper I took out of my pocket.
Violet, who was watching me from the side, tilted her head and asked.
"What are you doing now?"
As if it hadn't been used in a while, I shook my fountain pen, which wasn't writing well, up and down, and said.
"Ah, I was just calculating how to harvest the grain more efficiently."
As I spoke, I showed them the diagrams and formulas I had drawn on the paper.
Since the 30,000-pyeong land was simplified into straight lines and curves, anyone seeing it for the first time could probably understand it easily.
However, Violet, holding the paper, kept tilting her head as if she couldn't comprehend the content even after seeing it.
"Um… wait a moment."
Impatient, I snatched the paper and showed it to Barnessa or Camilla next to me, but received the same reaction.
…They can't even understand this simple calculation?
'Sigh, I guess there's no other way.'
Giving up on making them understand, I decided to demonstrate it in practice.
"Then let's go prove whether my calculations are correct."
In the magic towers scattered across the continent, the academic achievement level of magic is expressed through a ten-tier sequence.
The higher the number preceding the rank, the higher the mage's level. Reaching the 6th rank, where Hexa Spells can be used, means you are one of only 17 people across the entire continent.
The highest level ever reached by a mage in history is the 8th rank, so ranks 9 and 10 are purely in the realm of theoretical fantasy.
As I mentioned earlier, all magic originates from the mana existing in nature.
Among humans, only a very select few chosen individuals can see or feel the mana floating in the atmosphere. They must then successfully perform the secondary processing of converting it into the elements required for magic construction within their internal virtual mana furnace to be qualified to stand at the starting line.
The definition of basic elements existing in nature varies by school of thought, but usually, they are defined as the 4 Great Elements or the 5 Elements.
Those who advocate for the 4 Elements are the conservatives who recognize only Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, commonly referred to as Elementals. Those who include Aether, a relatively newer element, as the 5th Element are typically younger mages who are open to adopting new knowledge.
My magic system follows the latter approach.
It's not necessarily because I'm young, but because mixing Aether, which has properties that counteract the existing four elements, allows for the maximization of magic's destructive power.
Regardless of tradition, when your life is on the line with every spell, higher lethality is always better.
The older mages naturally scoffed at me, asking what I thought tradition was, and I always responded to those narrow-minded old folks with, 'So, what's your rank?'
Ultimately, since the number preceding the rank represents the absolute measure of magical achievement, it greatly helped in settling disputes during such childish arguments. In the magic towers, most mages were lower in rank than me, so when I used that retort, their babbling mouths had to shut.
Anyway-
My explanation got a bit long, but the reason I'm rambling about my greatness isn't for any particular reason.
It's simply because I.
I, who was even mentioned as the next Tower Lord of the Emerald Tower, one of the four great magic towers on the continent, an authority in academia.
Have become the spectacle for the entire village.
I had merely asked the Village Chief to gather people because I needed someone to pick up the fallen grain, but somehow, everyone from the elderly folks to the middle-aged women, the village maidens, and the little children had gathered, their faces filled with anticipation, waiting for me to use magic.
Honestly, the pressure is immense.
Receiving gazes filled with anticipation like that is, I swear, the first time for me. I've always only received expressions mixed with fear, jealousy, and awe.
'This sort of thing is usually the Hero's specialty.'
I felt grateful for the fact that I was wearing the mask I had made for disguise.
If I hadn't, Barnessa or Camilla next to me would have noticed my agitation due to the unexpected crowd.
'Get a grip.'
The task I had to perform hadn't changed.
It was to prove that the calculation I had obtained before coming here was correct.
I decided to focus solely on that.
"I am about to use magic, so please step back."
After warning Violet, who had volunteered as a guide in place of Barnessa, I spread both my palms sideways.
The magic I am about to use is one rank higher than the 'Spinning Wind Bone' I used yesterday; it is a 5th-rank spell.
"Hoo…"
Kooooo-
My virtual mana furnace began to spin furiously, greedily sucking in the mana from the surrounding space.
The mana, flowing down my blood vessels with a faint breath, transformed into elements of entirely different properties within the virtual mana furnace, and I continuously held it within my body, stacking the elements.
Wind × Wind × Wind × Wind × Wind
A Penta Spell, stacking pure wind elements five times.
Once the preparation was complete, I extended both arms forward, forming a triangle shape with my palms.
"One gust of fierce wind"
At that moment,
A sharply honed blade of wind silently sliced through the air.