Chapter 161: Asahi on Stage (1)
“What is magic?!”
With a bang that seemed to echo, Asahi shouted, her enthusiasm palpable.
“Asahi, lower your volume.”
“Asahi, you’re too loud.”
On stage, Asahi nodded vigorously, waving her hands to display the slides.
“First, let me introduce the magical phenomena we have observed so far!”
Ignoring the heckling from the audience and, of course, not lowering her volume, Asahi continued.
“Asahi is so energetic!”
“Yes, I’m full of energy, big sister!!”
The first slide displayed the initial Threat Creature, the Rain Kroin.
“Now! As you all know, I haven’t seen it directly, but through our battle with that gigantic Threat Creature, we received a baptism of sorts in this world!”
Footage of the battle played on the slide, showcasing the Rain Kroin wrapped in a mysterious light, deflecting cannonballs.
“Ah, I wish I could have been there! I wanted to see it live!”
“Asahi, please stay on topic.”
At RINGO’s admonition, Asahi reluctantly moved to the next slide.
“The Rain Kroin was a formidable enemy! This Defense Membrane that unconditionally blocks all attacks!”
The footage showed an armor-piercing shell striking the Defense Membrane, shattering into liquid fragments.
“And despite its massive size, its mobility is astonishing! It clearly defies the physical laws that bind us! No matter the material properties, swinging such a heavy object at that speed would shatter its joints!”
The Rain Kroin splashed seawater as it thrashed about. The stress on its joints, given its expected weight and speed, would easily destroy even the structures crafted by The Tree. Yet, the Rain Kroin moved about energetically.
“Moreover, we discovered that its muscle output far exceeds what would be calculated from the cross-sectional area of biological muscle! This means that the Rain Kroin is likely enhancing its biological structure and increasing its muscle strength through some means!”
The next slide displayed a massive Worm.
“This is an unnamed giant Worm! It exhibited a strange hardness! Even after examining its digestive organs, we couldn’t gather much information, and it’s unclear how it could thrive in such barren land!”
The Worm leaped from the ground, arcing through the air before burrowing back into the earth.
“I don’t even understand how it can enter the ground so smoothly! While its head is indeed hard, at this speed, it shouldn’t be able to penetrate the ground! It should simply crush itself under its own weight!”
That was certainly true. The scene was set in the middle of a wasteland, with dry, hardened ground extending several meters underground. The composition was mostly lava rock, and no matter how hard it struck, the living creature would have no chance against it. Typically, the living would lose in such a scenario.
“Furthermore, we encountered a Threat Creature, the Hyena! These creatures also displayed a significant disparity between expected muscle strength and actual performance!”
The Hyenas living around the East Gate city were classified as Threat Creatures by The Tree for the reasons Asahi explained. Their performance was clearly beyond that of normal biological limits.
“The Selket has not been directly engaged, so details are unclear, but at the very least, a fuel vapor bomb couldn’t inflict a single scratch on it! Additionally, for a crustacean of that size to function on land, its legs are far too thin!”
Crustaceans need to contain their muscles within their shells, making them unsuitable for large sizes. Since muscle strength is proportional to the cross-sectional area, to grow larger, limbs must thicken, which simultaneously increases weight and worsens fuel efficiency. Moreover, to cover the thicker muscles, a heavier shell is required. Thus, the Selket is assumed to embody an extraordinary phenomenon.
“Finally, we have this Silver Dragon! In addition to the known Defense Membrane and physical enhancements, it achieved accelerated flight through a mysterious power, even converting shock into acceleration! This is a technology we won’t be able to realize for the next twenty years!”
The technology known as vector conversion or inertial neutralization was stored in the library as information. However, realizing it required large devices and rare compounds not obtainable on the ground, making it impossible for The Tree to manufacture at present.
“Also, it employs sonic attacks and breath attacks using charged particles! Yes, when it comes to dragons, breath attacks are a given! This is undeniable!!”
“Asahi, you’re too loud.”
“I believe this breath attack is likely air that has been super-pressurized and plasma-formed in its mouth, then shot out with added acceleration! There are no organs equivalent to a particle accelerator, making it truly unscientific (fantasy)!”
Asahi bounced with excitement, advancing the slides. Complaints from her sisters fell on deaf ears; she was completely unfazed.
“Now, let’s move on to the people living in this land! We have samples from the Afrasia United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Repuitari, though it seems they aren’t particularly skilled in magic!”
The slide displayed a blazing ball of fire shooting from a pointed right hand. It was footage of the training of magic warriors, a class found in the Port Town of Terek within the Afrasia United Kingdom.
“Here, individuals can summon flames in a location where only air is observed and even project them forward! Furthermore, upon contact with any substance, likely one with a certain mass, this fireball explodes with a certain degree of power, scattering flames!”
The fireball flew almost in a straight line, striking a target set up ahead, resulting in an explosion that scattered flames. The wooden target was charred, and the flames that fell to the ground ignited it, scorching the earth.
While it didn’t seem to produce enough heat to engulf the target, it could cause severe burns over a wide area if it struck a person.
“Additionally, this messenger bird used in the Kingdom of Repuitari! Regardless of the type of bird, it flies back to its destination like an ancient messenger pigeon! Tireless, it continues to fly with almost no breaks! It seems to be classified as a type of enhancement magic, allowing it to fly for several days!”
A recording of a drone chasing a messenger bird appeared on the slide. Although The Tree had not conducted the experiment itself, it seemed they had gathered a fair amount of data through interviews and observations of its operational status.
“Any bird will do, but the flying ability of that bird takes precedence, so species that can fly faster seem to be more suitable for this messenger bird! The reasoning is completely beyond me! It’s truly extraordinary (fantasy) and wonderful!!”
Next, the slide displayed a knight in armor charging toward them with a sword.
“This is a knight who sliced through our Multi-legged Tank! The sword he wields is well-crafted, but it’s merely made of bronze! Regardless of its sharpness, its strength is utterly insufficient! Even if the blade is perfectly aligned, striking the composite armor of the Multi-legged Tank would only leave surface scratches! There’s no way it could slice through like this!”
The Multi-legged Tank, far longer than the length of the sword, was cleanly sliced in half. Clearly, some form of enhancement was at play, boosting the sword’s functionality. Asahi speculated it was an energy blade capable of adjusting its blade length at will.
“However, it doesn’t seem to be melting through with heat; rather, it appears to be physically sliced cleanly! As if a properly pressurized single-molecule cutter were pressed against it! But a single-molecule cutter would lack the strength and would fail, so it must be fantasy!!”
Asahi displayed a magnified cross-section with a beaming smile, explaining with enthusiasm. She was full of life, and even her big sister, Eve, was smiling back.
“Next, we have tools used by the local inhabitants! We secured a flamethrower and a Konro (magical stove), which, when set with a mysterious substance called Magic Stone, can emit flames from the front!”
“Oh, I remember those!”
“Yes, big sister!! And then there’s Redstone, another mysterious substance! It generates heat when pressurized, but it doesn’t burn, leaving no residue behind! Please preserve the law of conservation of mass!!”
The size of the Redstone and the amount of heat that could be extracted from it were remarkable. Strict measurements indicated that the heat extracted was proportional to the square of its weight.
“This heat extraction is also baffling! When you cut a large chunk in half, the heat output decreases! Where does the energy go? Where does the energy come from? It’s truly, truly fascinating!”
Asahi, now fully animated, huffed excitedly as she advanced the slides further.