Chương 266: Close

The auto-mapper proved to be more capable than Damion had imagined. Once he began reviewing his scans he found it was able to accurately map a region for five kilometers in every direction from the artifact. There were of course some limitations, the artifact's ability to scan through solid objects was limited, and the ability to scan through magically shielded objects was nonexistent. But those were by design.

He did not need to show off a device capable of revealing the insides of people's homes, he wanted to map the world, not living rooms. Damion's artifact could still map through some solid objects, more by the scan going around them than through. For instance, forests. The auto-mapper was able to accurately map a forest for two kilometers when the user was at ground level. However, if the person was in the air, then the artifact's mapping was capable of capturing data up to nearly its maximum five-kilometer range.

This breakthrough made Damion confident people would want the artifact once they knew what it could do. Once he completed a few new prototypes, one design to be worn on top of a helmet and another that could be attached to a chest plate or shoulder, Damion contacted the Cromsdales. He was sure they would be interested in his invention, and he needed them to allow his artifacts to make use of whatever network of maps they had already created.

"Mage Wells, my wife told me how enthusiastic for exploring you were during the Silver Spire career day some months back. To what do I owe the honor today?" Everitt Cromsdale greeted.

"I have created an artifact that should help your guild map areas much faster and safer. I would like to share it with you."

"I would be happy to take a look at what you have created. Do you have a summary or something you can send to me?"

"I'll transmit to you the design. Feel free to make as many as you want. I would like to ask for your help in allowing these artifacts to synchronize their maps with your own maps," Damion told him as he transmitted the schematics and his summary of what the artifacts could do.

"That should not be a…." Mage Cromsdale froze when he read through Damion's summary.

"This is accurate? I mean you have tested these artifacts?"

"Yes. I have tested thoroughly and found the range and mapping to be accurate. The materials are not the cheapest, but the artifacts themselves are not hard to construct."

"Yes, I can see that. This is phenomenal. If we can get these widespread, it will advance our mapping efforts by decades. Even centuries."

"I've also sent my design to a couple of artificer friends in Saung. They know a good thing when they see it, so I suspect they will start making them and spreading the word to generate sales. I have a few that I have already made, along with some excess materials, if you could send someone to Silver Spire to collect them, that would be great."

"How much is some?" Mage Cromsdale asked.

"It would be best if the person has a spatial artifact or is a Spatial mage, otherwise they will need a good-sized ground car."

"Understood. I will make arrangements for pickup. And Mage Wells, thank you. With this contribution, I am officially declaring you an honorary member of the Explorer Guild. I will send over credentials so you can connect your artifacts to our tablet network. Since your design shares information between tablets, it should not be an issue connecting them all together." Damion's credentials for the Explorer Guild came through a short time later and he made the necessary updates to his artifacts.

His auto-mappers were now part of a larger network that would continue to grow as more and more people bought and started using them. The next day Damion had two visitors, one was from the Explorer Guild, collecting the promised supplies and artifacts and the other was Mage Teft, who was making a delivery.

"Here it is," Mage Teft said, pointing to a cargo container nearly as large as his dormitory.

"That is a containment unit?" Damion questioned. He knew they were large, but this was rather ridiculous. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"C Rank and capable of self-deploying," Mage Teft confirmed.

"What does that mean?"

"It means, you won't need a dozen people and a few hours to set it up and contain a Breach. Set this near a Breach and just hit the button. It will do everything else."

"That is convenient, but wouldn't I have been able to get a higher Rank one if it was a manual deploying one?"

"Sure, you could have gotten a B Rank, but like I said, you need a dozen people to set it up. This one is better. Besides, you need to find a labyrinth that hasn't had a chance to grow, and a C Rank unit is enough for that." Damion pulled the containment unit into the Magic System Inventory and headed back into his dormitory. Mage Teft unexpectedly followed him.

"I saw that you turned your new artifact in for the class assignment," Mage Teft said.

"Yes. I thought it best not to advertise I did more work on my body scanner, so I turned in my auto-mapper instead."

"The Crimson Order has already expressed an interest in equipping their scouts with the artifacts. Apparently, they had a demonstration of one from the Explorer Guild."

"Great. I shared the design with the Explorer Guild. I thought it would be useful for their goal of mapping the world."

"And your goal of seeing the world?"

"I'll get there eventually. As I get closer to B Rank I can feel it, my body slowing down, or something like that."

"C Rank is where the change begins to accelerate. At B Rank it becomes even more pronounced. Growing stronger in magic can't rewind time, unless you have a Time affinity or Holy affinity, but it slows the process of aging to a crawl. That is why mages can live so long, especially S Rank, though many S Ranks take so long to get there, they don't gain as much time as you might think."

"I understand," Damion told her. He had already given a great deal of thought to the matter. And considering that he could watch his Vitality increase on his System status, he was well aware of the changes.

"You think you do, but crossing over to B Rank, and eventually A and S Ranks, is not as easy as simply increasing your magic power to the right level. Many mages get stuck on the cusp, unable to push themselves through."

"I don't understand what you mean. Is there something that will stop my magic power from increasing?"

"Yes and no. You have to not only increase your magic power, but your body has to be strong enough to contain it as well. That last part shouldn't be a problem, but the world itself doesn't like to let people advance to B Rank or above. To actually get that push in magic power, you need to be exposed to mana that is dense enough to accommodate your growth."

"You mean I need to be in a B Rank Breach and feel what B Rank mana feels like to be able to get myself over that last hurdle."

"Precisely, which is why I was willing to let you go into the Holy Forest dungeon for the exam. Even though you had already been on the B Rank floors of the labyrinth, the more exposure you have to that level of mana, the easier it will be to advance when the time comes."

"Is that why there is no one that has reached S+? Because there aren't any S+ Breaches?"

"Maybe, but I think it more likely that no one has reached the amount of magic power required to be considered S+. Even the deepest floors of the labyrinths don't read as S+. Many scholars had started to believe that there simply was no limit to S Rank and that S+ was just a myth."

"Until I tested at S+ affinity and talent."

"Precisely."

"Well, since I have already experienced B Rank mana levels, will I have any difficulty reaching B Rank?"

"No, you should not have any difficulty. I just wanted you to be aware of the requirements for the future. Once you reach B Rank, you will find it grows increasingly difficult to pull in mana and compress it to increase your magic power. That is why A Rank and S Rank dungeons are so important."

"Because of the mana density there."

"Yes. The density of mana in higher Rank Breaches makes it easier for mages to pull in mana and advance. Do you know how close you are to breaking through? I would really like it if you reached B Rank before you graduate. It would really set a record no one will ever break."

'System, status,' Damion asked the Magic System. He was curious how close he was as well. The school term was coming to an end, and he felt he was quite close to B Rank. Aside from his two new passive spells each advancing a Rank, No Resistance and Instant Channeling, none of Damion's other spells had risen in mastery, which was no real surprise, since it was difficult for him to practice his other affinities.

Even if he could, active spells needed practical experience to advance and even with the use of the battle simulator, the Ice spells he could freely use had yet to advance further.

[Magic System] [System Level: 3] [User: Damion Wells] [Age: 18] [Magic Talent: EX] [Magic Affinity: Ice EX, Water E, Poison D, Spatial D, Fire A, Earth A, Shadow A, Holy C] [Mana: 4, 215/4, 215] (5%) - 4, 425 [Magic Power: 9, 878] (5%) - 10, 371 [Mana Recovery: 106 P/S] (5%) - 111 [Strength: 116] [Dexterity: 120] (5%) - 126 [Vitality: 241] [Intelligence: 146] [Experience: 3, 700/20, 000] [Store Credits: 399, 414] Damion looked at how close he was to B Rank and suppressed his desire to go out and train more.

With the help of artifacts his magic power had crossed the threshold, but that was not the same as having actually reached B Rank. His journey so far had been the result of consistent training for years. Keeping with that steady pace he would get there in a matter of weeks. Though, if he actually got there before he graduated was still up in the air.

"I'm very close. A few weeks of training as I have been, maybe a month."

"Good. Don't forget about the message I gave you."