I Won't Pay!

Comat felt like someone had punched his gut. "Just how the hell you broke them?! No, first of all, you broke all of them at once! Did you smash them with your magic Energy?"

"Of course not!" Linfel quickly shook his head. "I just drove my Magic Energy into all their channels at once. Part of the test was to see how much Magic Energy I could pass through them while using as many channels are possible, right? That's why I went all out. Weren't they supposed to be very resistant?"

Comat quickly went to the back and grabbed another rune. He carefully installed it on the plate that Linfel was using, connecting it to the sensors of the terminal on the side. "Alright, let me see it then! I'm sure you must have done it the wrong way."

Linfel scratched the back of his ethereal head and nodded. He sent his Magic Energy downwards and enveloped the rune with it. Through his Magic Sensitivity, the channels of the Rune became as clear as day to him. Well, the Runes being used here were expensive, but they weren't anything complicated to start with. They were there just for the test. 

'Compared to Primordial Energy Runes, these runes are a lot more intricate since Magic Energy is much gentler and easier to control. But it is exactly because Magic Energy is easier to control that the full picture of the channels of the Runes is also easy to see. If I had to use Primordial Energy in these Runes, it would have been impossible for me to see anything,' Linfel thought. 

Right after, he drove his Magic Energy into all the channels of that rune, making the terminal shine as a result. On the screen, there was a huge picture of th rune several hundreds of times bigger than the rune itself. It depicted the channels and their paths, as well as the Magic Energy flowing through them. There wasn't a single path that wasn't illuminated by the color of Magic Energy.

"This..." Comat didn't want to believe, but he had no other choice other than to do so.

Linfel then commented. "I'm only driving my Magic Energy inside. I'm going to increase the flow as much as I can. Watch."

The color of the channels depicted on the monitor immediately intensified in the next second. Yet, another second later...

*Crack... Poof!*

The Rune wasn't able to resist the enormous flow of Magic Energy and broke apart, turning into several specs of colored light infused with Linfel's Magic Energy. "See? I only did what you told me? I can't be blamed if you did a poor job with the Rune's resistance."

Comat's mouth twitched. Poor job? The rune was very simple, so there was no way you could do a poor job in a place like the Vaxwel Researching Famility. It's just that Linfel's Magic Energy Control and Sensitivity were absurd! 

Seeing Comat's expression, Linfel decided to turn around to leave. "Well, I'm not paying! I did nothing wrong! I'm out!" Since he destroyed the runes, there is no way he passed the test, right? There was no reason to wait there anymore. Above all, he truly didn't want to pay. Just how much would these things cost? He didn't know, and he had no intention of finding out now.

"Wait!" Comat quickly stopped Linfel. "You passed. There is no need to pay for anything."

"Eh?" Linfel was taken aback. "But I broke the runes."

"Forget that," Comat said as he pointed at the Terminal. There, Linfel's score was shown. The score you could get on this test was between 1 and 100. Linfel's result... was 83 points. That was far, far above what Comat could possibly expect. In fact, if Linfel had controlled his Magic Energy flow to not destroy the rune, he probably would have gotten over 90 points. Perhaps... 100? "Your score is more than enough. Besides, we truly said nothing about paying for the runes."

Comat couldn't possibly let Linfel go now. Sure, the runes would be expensive to pay, but Linfel's Control and Sensitivity were bound to help in their tests from now on. It is not that the Vaxwel Research Facility can't find others capable of doing the same as Linfel. It's just that such individuals have already graduated from the Academy and are all at least Level Four Maguses and Familiars.

Let's not forget that the academy gets its missions from other companies and organizations by charging a lot less than others do. That's how the students get so many missions available. Someone like Linfel... the Vaxwel Research Facility would need to pay a fortune to employ from other places. 500 Academy Credits was definitely a lot for the Students, but that was nothing compared to the real value of someone like Linfel. If Comat lets Linfel go, he might even lose his job.

"Is it true? I don't have to pay?" Linfel was ecstatic. "Great! Then I'm definitely signing for it."

Comat nodded. "Alright, just wait by the side. I still have the other Maguses and Familiars to test. We need five of you, after all."

Comat calmed down and returned to his position at the front. "Ahem... Well, as I was saying, it is impossible for you to break the runes... as long as you are not a freak like that guy. But, if, for some miracle, there is another freak here, don't worry about the rune value. Now, go ahead and use as many channels in the runes as possible while using as much Magic Energy as possible, too."

'He didn't need to call me a freak, right? That's disrespectful...' Linfel thought to himself. But then again, it is 500 Academy Credits for a single day of work. He better not cause trouble.

The others looked at Linfel on the side, feeling bitter. Linfel was only a Level One Familiar, but there is no way they can get his results. In the end, the highest score after Linfel came from a Level Two Familiar called Rantie. She managed to score 31 points, which was already a great result. Her master was nowhere to be seen, though.

Around an hour later, all the Familiars and Maguses who passed the exam were brought deeper into the Facility. However, when they got to the area where they would carry out the tests for the Vaxwel Research Facility, Linfel was separated from them.

As Comat brought Linfel away, Linfel asked him. "Am I not supposed to do the same tests as them?"

"Initially, yes," Comat nodded. "However, your Magic Energy Control and Sensitivity will be much better employed in another research. Don't worry, though. We will pay you according to what was stated in the details of your task back in the academy."

Linfel didn't need to hear more. "Well, then I'm fine with it."

Comat and Linfel then entered another building where other runes were being researched before Comat brought Linfel to meet someone. "Senior Wosley, this is him."

Wosley was the one in charge of the research going there, a Level Two Magus. He seemed to be already in his fifties or sixties, although you couldn't take a Magus appearance seriously. They usually lived much longer than normal people. "Oh! Wait! A Level One Familiar?!"

Wosley quickly expressed his doubt. "Comat, are you sure you did the test correctly? You told me you got a student with a score of 83. I was expecting at least a Level Three Magus or Familiar instead."

Comat quickly nodded. "I did test him and had the same doubt, so I tested him a second time. There is no mistake. Even at Level One, his Magic Energy Control and Sensitivity are that high."

Wosley knew that Comat wouldn't joke about it, so he nodded. "Alright, then, we can give it a try for now." He quickly turned to Linfel, still a little skeptical. "The runes we are working on here are being used in a new type of Magic Channeling Circuitry Runes. Their Channels are a lot more numerous and intricate since they will be responsible for hundreds of different parts of energy distribution."

Wosley brought Linfel closer to a glass where the rune was being manipulated. Inside the glass contained, several delicate needles seemed to be doing nothing. However, Linfel could tell with his Magic Energy Sensitivity. The needles were moving. It's just that the Runes were so small that it was hard to tell. "Such a beautiful rune..."

Wosley's impression of Linfel immediately improved. "Right?! This is my baby. If it works as expected, we can reduce the consumption of Magic Energy by as much as 4%!"

Linfel quickly understood. "That's incredible indeed. 4% might look like a small number. But when you put it in the context of the countless Magic Energy Equipment it will be used, it would be a huge difference. We are talking about a fortune that can be used in other areas instead."

"Hahaha!" Wosley nodded vigorously. "Seems like we have an enthusiast in Magic Diagrams here. Are you studying magic Diagrams in the Magus Academy?"

Linfel shook his head. "No. I do intend to join the Magic Diagram Hall later, though. It's just that with all the training and the Field Exams, I haven't had the chance."

Comat quickly saw an opportunity. "Well, if you want to learn more about Magic Diagrams, our Vaxwel Research Facility is definitely one of the best places in the country. We have an unlimited amount of content in our databases that is free for all members to use for their own research."

Wosley hadn't even seen Linfel's ability yet, so he was surprised about how much Comat seemed to regard Linfel's abilities. "Alright, we can talk about that later. Linfel, come here."

Wosley brought Linfe into another room where a few other people could be seen. There were even two familiars, although they didn't seem to work on the project like the people. 

One of the people there was a Level One Female Magus who seemed to be working on one of the equipment. She noticed Wosley's arrival and quickly got up. "Wosley! Did you manage to convince someone to come? You should try to talk with the Lambel Magus Family. Perhaps one of their elders wouldn't mind helping."

Wosley shook his head. "There is no way they would accept the payment we can offer with our budget, Philia. But you don't need to worry. I think we found the perfect subject. Linfel here seem to have enough Magic Energy Control and Sensitivity to carry out the test."

Philia looked at the Familiar and especially his yellow color. "Is this a joke?"

"Who knows?" Wosley shrugged. "Comat says he can do it, so I brought him here to test it out."

Philia narrowed her eyes and looked at Comat. "You aren't the type who likes jokes, so I hope you aren't trying to change your personality now."

"Hmph!" Comat obviously had no intention of doing such a thing. "I won't. Just get him to try the first prototypes already. They were a failure, so they will be destroyed in the end anyway. Nonetheless, they are more than enough to show Linfel's abilities."

Comat and Philia had always been triyng to outshone the other, so the other people around didn't even care about their antics anymore.

"You two seem to be very close," Linfel commented with a smile, completely failing to see the big picture.

"Your ass!" Comat and Philia answered at the same time.

"Enough!" Wosley stopped them as he pulled out a tablet. He then put it in front of Linfel and spoke. "Alright, use your Magic Energy so that we can get your signature on this NDA. Remember, there are huge repercussions if you disclose the contents of this research outside."

Linfel quickly released his Magic Energy, and his Magic Energy Signature was recorded in the agreement. "I'm aware of the rules."

"Come with me," Philia didn't waste time and brought Linfel to another machine. It was very similar to the one Linfel saw in the previous room. An almost invisible Rune was placed at the center while extremely thin needles were all around it. 

During the next hour, Philia explained to Linfel how the equipment worked and how he could channel his own Magic Energy into the rune. Only then did she allow Linfel to give it a try. "Alright. That should be pretty much it. As long as you can use at least 300 channels in the rune, we will consider it a success and will allow you to truly help us with our latest prototype."

Linfel quickly used his Magic Energy in the receptor and felt it moving through the needles inside the glass container. He slowly injected the Magic Energy into the rune and commented. 759 channels in total... No, they are in a Three Dimensional Structure. If I count the connections between the different parts, there are almost a thousand channels. This is truly incredible."

Back in his time, it would be a miracle if you could create as many as one hundred channels, and such runes weren't considered any good since Primordial Energy was too powerful. The common knowledge said that at most fifty channels should be used, and more than that would only give you an easily breakable rune. Here, however, Linfel could see almost a thousand, and Magic Energy could still be used on all of them without issues as long as the control was just right.

Wosley, Comat, and Philia were impressed with Linfel's account. They hadn't told him anything about the number of channels, and yet he nailed it in just a few seconds of probing. Of course, what mattered was whether he could use at least 300 of them at the same time so that they could carry out the tests later with the real runes.