Delçois' Shock

Master, did you add these rules specially for me?

—This thought appeared in Rosia's mind as soon as she saw the highlighted post.

But, she soon rejected that thought.

Wasn't it just a coincidence?

However, why did this "top post" and "highlight" only appear after I quarrelled and debated with someone else?

Rosia began to panic as she remembered how the Master had brought up Sadako, and the two events seemed to prove the same point.

At this same moment, a mage apprentice in white robes also had a storm of confused feelings in the faraway Queville Empire's capital, Willis City.

Anger, shame, pain, joy… All kinds of emotions were surging in his heart, making him feel miserable.

His name was Delçois.

He was a mage apprentice of the Felix School of Magic, an extremely talented student at that.

He had been first place in his grade twice.

He even optimized a 2nd-tier magic during his second year. Although he'd only optimized a six-degree magical engraving, his achievements were still impressive.

And he was just a mage apprentice then!

Of course, many people felt that he already was a fully-qualified mage who simply hadn't passed the assessment procedure for the "Mage Intern" yet.

In conclusion, all of that made him think too highly of himself.

He even looked down on some of the teachers at the school, thinking they were just "human grimoires," people who only knew how to follow rules.

But his recent quarrel had crushed him completely.

This issue was rather outside the norm when he thought about it.

He had heard that a new divine skill had appeared in Willis City recently. Being the star student that he was, he had to find out about it and keep it as backup.

Regardless of the well known "those who used divine skills would be watched by the deities," everyone had to admit that the divine skills did indeed have an inexplicable power, one which couldn't be replaced by other powers.

For example: The Contract Document.

It definitely had a very important status in the history of divine skills.

It allowed many trades to continue and it didn't need to have a third party's guarantee to endorse it. Or one should say that the Contract Divinity was the third party guarantor whom everyone trusted.

Back to the topic.

After receiving the Internet Divine Skill, Delçois quickly realized its practicality.

If it weren't for the disadvantage of "being watched by the deities," it would be the best magical way to communicate and interact.

It was suitable for countless occasions, including mercenary postings, businesses, kingdoms… you name it.

Unfortunately, its disadvantage was too obvious.

He dared to bet that apart from the peasants, the bigwigs in the upper echelons would never use it.

After all, no one wanted their private lives to be voyeured. It would be the end of them if they became enemies with this Internet Deity.

However, Delçois still kept the mithril ring.

Just for the sake of keeping it in his collection!

However, his friend suddenly told him that the Internet had new content two days before.

The Internet Deity had actually released this world's most valuable wealth—knowledge.

There were even certain forbidden magic spells that could only be wielded by magical deities.

That discovery had utterly shocked Delçois to the core. He was even attracted to it!

Even in the schools of magic, all the advanced magical knowledge was treated as a well-kept secret. They could only access that knowledge if they became teachers of said schools, or if they served them in some way.

Just as Delçois pondered about whether this was a temptation from a false god to make the users spread the divine skill on his behalf, he discovered a forum that had popped up on the Internet.

He then realized through this forum that the Internet Divine Skill had long infiltrated the human community, and they had only happened to find out about it recently.

All kinds of people were posting things there.

Peasants, mercenaries, traders, aristocrats, mages, fighters… They were quite a few.

That discovery had swayed Delçois' opinion about the Internet Divine Skill.

The actual event that resolved his remaining doubts was that quarrel that took place earlier.

At first, he saw that someone was asking about a particular magical knowledge and a few people answered it. But their answers were completely wrong.

Tempted to correct them, he replied to the post.

His reply attracted numerous "likes" and "comments" instantly.

As he looked at the constant reminders about the "likes" and "comments" received, not even a star student like Delçois could help but feel smug!

Everyone was frivolous when they were young.

However, someone refuted his theory just as he was relishing his ego trip.

Delçois couldn't stand being questioned.

So, he began to debate with the other person.

He didn't expect for that debate to span over hundreds of posts.

Their debate topic began from the basics of magic and continued to the advanced magic scope, which Delçois had yet to get involved in.

Eventually, facts proved that Delçois was wrong.

His argument was too one-sided and could only support the basic and intermediate magic. His arguments unraveled on their own once they proceeded to the advanced magic realm.

Delçois was dumbfounded!

He couldn't believe the knowledge that the school of magic had taught him was actually wrong!

Using the words of that person whom he had never met before, "The Abis Formula is still too complicated for you guys, so the school didn't teach you that to save themselves the trouble, in case you guys misunderstood the logic and got caught in the paradox. Your teachers would tell you that naturally when you reached the realm of Mage Instructors!"

Mage Instructor?

There were only about 20 mage instructors in their school and less than 1000 of them in the whole country.

They were the Empire's supporting pillars!

Only the Grand Mage Instructors were able to educate Mage Instructors.

Deducing from the tone used in that response, not even mage instructors seemed to impress the other party.

How accomplished was the other party in magic?

Mage Instructor? Grand Mage Instructor? Or… Magical Deity?

Delçois was utterly shocked. His life values had even been crushed and then reconstructed.

He no longer trusted the teachers at the school.

He also could no longer look at the Internet Divine Skill using his previous point of view.

He had discovered for the first time in his life that, apart from the school, he could actually gain magical knowledge from a divine skill. He could also meet existences that far surpassed his teachers!

Yes, he was quite certain the mage who debated with him was more accomplished than his teachers.

He even made up an image of the other party in his mind.

He had a white beard and wore a purple mage robe that indicated his status as a grand mage instructor. He was friendly, kind, knowledgeable and accommodating.

He appreciated the hardworking juniors and was willing to give them pointers.

—Unlike those teachers from the school who always behaved in a profound and affected manner as they said, "That is in a realm which is beyond you." They would also refuse to discuss certain topics. In fact, it was very likely they didn't know the answers themselves.

As he thought of that, Delçois began to have some questions:

Why would a bigshot like me use the Internet Divine Skill willingly?

Wasn't he aware of the mages' common warning, "those who used the divine skills, would be watched by the deities"?

No, he certainly knew this.

But he still decided to use it, so this showed that this Internet Deity was benevolent.

Yes. This Internet Deity had released and shared all the main cultivation systems that included the divine skills of the Five Main Righteous Deities, the main evil gods and the false gods.

How tolerant was he?

And looking back at those so-called Five Main Righteous Deities and false gods who were always out for blood so they could gain more believers, they deemed all other divine skills besides their own as heresies.

When compared, didn't it show the great outlook and magnanimity of the Internet Deity?

At that very moment. Delçois finally understood the meaning behind that weird term, "Internet."

And he was totally unsettled by the Internet Deity's benevolence!

"Delçois! Delçois!"

Right then, an urgent voice sounded and his good friend, Lides, dashed in. He said excitedly with an expression of disbelief, "Is that highlighted post in the forum yours?"

Delçois was stunned, "How… did you guys find out about that?"