I Pioneered Scientific Magic
Chapter 99: The Source of Magic

"Stop!" Lynn cried out.

Radak was in a complete panic. He immediately retracted all his power, causing the enormous magic construct to come to a halt. Following this, a sharp sound wave reverberated continuously within the sealed laboratory.

The nearby magical missiles, just inches away, were also affected by some intense force and soon exploded with a resounding bang.

However, there was no joy in Radak because, after the magical shell had shattered, a searing white phosphorus flame burst forth from within. It quickly reached the azure gemstone.

What was once a sharp, magical sound known as the "Soul's Scream" turned into a painful wail.

The remaining dozen or so coffins in the secret chamber began to shake violently.

Lynn had already conjured a fireball in his hand. Accompanied by the sound of the shattering gemstone, a transparent vengeful spirit materialized in the chamber. Its visage was grotesque and contorted, bearing countless pain and resentment.

Perhaps due to the shattering of its containment, the spirit had suffered severe damage, and its ethereal form was even less substantial than the previous wizard's apprentice. The surrounding air acted like sharp knives, relentlessly draining the meager power Radak had left.

The wailing and screams continued for more than half a minute before abruptly stopping. The ephemeral spirit quickly dissipated before Lynn's eyes.

Finally, Lynn was free from the influence of the "Soul's Scream." He understood that he was right; since all those under control were ghouls, Radak must have stored their souls elsewhere.

Something similar to a Lich's Phylactery.

His chosen target was the azure gemstone used as a light source.

It must be said that Radak had a morbid sense of humor, using his own soul for illumination.

If it weren't for the fact that he had noticed the gem's strong magical response during his earlier experiments, he might never have thought of this use for it.

Under Lynn's control, the blazing white phosphorus fire within the secret chamber gradually died down. All that remained was a ruin; over a hundred coffins had been incinerated, with the only intact ones being the silver golem and the pile of magic books on the bookshelf behind the experiment table.

"Biological Materials and Ethereal Substances," "Comprehensive Guide to Ethereal Magic," "Advanced Alchemical Studies"...

Lynn glanced at the books on the shelf. Besides numerous volumes on ethereal and alchemical magic, there were also many research notes. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NƟvelFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

However, he had no time to flip through them or even tidy up the chaotic chamber. Lynn used a shape-shifting spell to take on Radak's appearance and opened the secret chamber's door to exit.

The castle was now in chaos, but Lynn wasn't surprised given the circumstances.

He didn't want any interruptions while dealing with Radak, so, taking advantage of his assistant status, he had made some preparations in the places where the failed experiments were being held.

Calculating the time, it should have already taken effect.

However, the castle's guards were more formidable than he had imagined. When Lynn arrived in the main hall, several of the rebellious failed experiments had already been subdued.

"Lord Radak... Experiment subjects number twelve, twenty-seven, and thirty-two suddenly broke free from their cells. We are still counting the casualties and haven't determined the cause yet."

Seeing Lynn's figure, Coleman and the others immediately knelt down, trembling, and made their report.

This time, the uprising of the experimental subjects was utterly inexplicable, and no one could be blamed for it. Everyone was deeply concerned that Radak would unleash his wrath upon them.

Lynn cast a cold, indifferent gaze upon Coleman and spoke with a tone that seemed to contain suppressed anger. "It was Themis! He's a spy sent by the Nordland Magic Workshop to steal a crucial research achievement..."

Although Lynn didn't explicitly mention what would happen to Themis, everyone could guess that his fate must have been quite gruesome.

"I knew Themis had to be up to something..." Bock exclaimed, filled with excitement.

Ever since Themis had become a preparatory assistant thanks to his last research success, Bock had been nursing a grudge. He believed that he had put in a lot of effort into that experiment, but all the credit had been stolen by Themis.

Now that he heard of Themis's misfortune, a twisted sense of satisfaction surged within Bock.

But when Bock caught Lynn's gaze, his excited expression immediately faded. He suddenly realized that it was this very Lord who had personally approved Themis as an assistant.

Fortunately, Lynn didn't pay any heed to his thoughts. Instead, he turned to Coleman and spoke once again. "Coleman, you continue your investigation. No one is to be spared. I want to see how many rats are still lurking within this castle!"

"I understand, Lord Radak," Coleman quickly replied.

Hearing this, the apprentices all had a change in their expressions, and there was a subtle air of suspicion in their gazes towards one another.

This was precisely what Lynn intended to achieve - to make everyone in the castle become mutually watchful and distrustful. This way, even if he exhibited some unusual behavior, no one would suddenly lose their minds and start suspecting if the "Lord Radak" before them was genuine.

Following this, Lynn began to arrange for the debris to be cleaned up and the losses to be tallied.

Since Radak had wielded significant authority, Lynn found that he could command things with hardly any obstacles, as no one dared to question his orders.

In other words, as long as his identity remained undiscovered, he could have free rein over everything in the magic workshop.

...

After handling the affairs within the castle, Lynn wasted no time and returned to the secret chamber to sort through Radak's belongings, especially the research notes. Among them, the knowledge of magic was the greatest treasure.

"Rogon Blossom, Soul Soothe Herb, Banshee's Sharp Claws, Magic Elderwood Roots... coupled with Ethereal Essence?"

Lynn sat at the cold experiment table, perusing a research note in his hand. It contained the formula for the "Source of Magic." If the shape-shifting elixirs enhanced a wizard's physical abilities, then the "Source of Magic" was meant to elevate mental strength.

This was the very essence of a wizard's ability to cast spells.

In fact, obtaining the other materials was not too difficult; they could be purchased with magic coins. The real challenge lay in acquiring Ethereal Essence...

Ethereal Essence was found within the minds of powerful magical creatures. It was, however, exceedingly rare, and harvesting it was not a straightforward task. For instance, slaying a Fire Lion would yield enough Ethereal Essence to create only one vial of the "Source of Magic."

This substance also existed within the minds of wizard apprentices and even full-fledged wizards.

Ignoring the full-fledged wizards for now, according to Radak's speculation, it was sufficient to gather Ethereal Essence from the minds of three wizard apprentices to assemble one batch of the raw material. This method had a higher probability of success for advancing...

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