Chapter 468: Chapter 465: Grand Prize of the Design Competition
The design competition came to a close. After a strict evaluation by the "expert judges," first place in the Demolition category went to the "Long-Lasting Dizziness Spell." It was a combination of [Sensitive Nerve] and [Dizziness Skill], composed of just two Low Level Spells. Its original components were not particularly impressive on their own:
The [Dizziness Skill] could truly only make a target dizzy for a brief moment. After all, it was just a harmless Zeroth Ring Spell. A Mage with rich combat experience but insufficient damage output might use this spell to interrupt an opponent’s Casting at a critical moment or create an opening. But for most Mages, if one Fireball wasn’t enough, they’d just use two. Why bother with making someone dizzy?
As for [Sensitive Nerve], it was a spell that applied a positive buff to the target, temporarily boosting their senses, motor functions, and reaction speed by increasing neural excitability.
On their own, the two spells were nothing special. But when stacked together inside a Spell Chain, the target’s senses were first amplified. This was the result of fine-tuning the Descriptor for [Sensitive Nerve] so that it no longer enhanced motor functions. Then, immediately after, [Dizziness Skill] would be cast repeatedly on another axis until all the Spell Inscriptions were expended.
Its component spells were simple enough, which meant the Spell Chain itself was simple and had a fast response time. Moreover, it was user-friendly for both the Tower Spirit and the Caster.
As for the effect... it was similar to the old Earth myth about getting a lightbulb stuck in your mouth. No one believed it was a big deal until they experienced it firsthand.
Rorschach was one of those who didn’t believe it. The next moment, he felt like he’d been shoved into a spinning washing machine. Even though he wasn’t moving, the world began to spin violently. All his senses were heightened: sounds became noise, his vision fractured into a dazzling array of light spots, and a sharp sensation shot through his nose as if he were smelling a suffocating mixture of every scent imaginable... Finally, a familiar nausea set in—the debilitating dizziness that comes after Magic Power exhaustion.
Apparently, the design team had also modified the [Dizziness Skill]. Out of 128 Spell Inscriptions, the first eight were dedicated to waiting for [Sensitive Nerve] to take effect. The subsequent 120 inscriptions delivered twenty unique waves of dizziness.
Following the helpful tip in the design manual, Andre immediately cast [Resist Seasickness] on Rorschach three times in a row before helping him up from the vomit-covered floor.
Thankfully, there were only the two of them in the workshop.
"BLEARGH... It’s good... URP... Give it to them."
According to tests, a Caster who failed their Willpower Check would be incapacitated for at least an hour. Even if they withstood the first [Dizziness Skill], they would still have to make checks against the next nineteen. They were bound to pass out eventually; the only difference was how long it would take to recover.
Moreover, it had a particularly nasty feature: it amplified the sensation of one’s internal Magic Circuits, and catastrophically so. The higher the tier of the Mage, the more susceptible they were. This, combined with the dizziness, caused them to lose control of their internal Magic Power. This was precisely what Rorschach had felt at the end.
This made the Spell Chain a rare piece of Magic that, in theory, did not lose its effectiveness against most High Tier Mages. According to the Mage evaluation from the Tower of Secret Techniques, its effect was equivalent to a Third Ring spell.
Other entries in the same category were too focused on raw power. In the judges’ eyes, they were, at best, just permutations of spells within the Third Ring. No matter how powerful, they couldn’t compare to a genuine High Ring Spell. As one judge put it: "No matter how strong that stuff is, it won’t get past my Shield."
Only this Spell Chain used the lowest-level Magic in a simple yet elegant combination to achieve an impressive effect, making all the judges’ eyes light up even as they were crawling out of their own vomit.
What Rorschach valued most was that this creation fully embodied the purpose of a "Spell Chain." Without the Spell Chain mechanic, casting [Sensitive Nerve] on an enemy before casting [Dizziness Skill] would be an act of insanity. By the time you finished Casting, the enemy’s lethal Magic would have already hit you in the face.
But with the Spell Chain mechanic, this concept became viable. The creator had made full use of the "Descriptor" system to bypass the buffing aspect of [Sensitive Nerve] for the enemy and cram in twenty unique instances of dizziness.
In truth, there were also external factors in awarding it the prize. Since ordinary people were participating, the competition was public. The general populace was very curious about what Mages were concocting. If a world-ending spell had been presented (not that there was one), even the "Demolition category" would have to consider public perception and avoid causing widespread panic.
At least, that didn’t happen when the results were announced. Everyone just treated it as a joke, many of them remarking, "That’s it?"
That is, until every member of the Security Team in the Special Zone was issued a "Puke-Till-You-Drop" Scroll, and certain unstable elements in society immediately got a real taste of its power. Getting hit by it once didn’t cause any serious physical harm, but it guaranteed that anyone affected would be incapacitated, allowing the Security Team to enforce the law safely and harmlessly.
As for the countermeasure, [Resist Seasickness], it was a First Ring Spell, and you needed to stack it at least three times to defend against the attack. The cost already exceeded that of the "Puke" Scroll itself. Other calming spells were of an even higher level, making them harder for ordinary people to obtain.
To be honest, many of the Apprentices were unconvinced, as they had presented Spell Chains with far greater power.
That was until the award ceremony, when no one from the winning team showed up. They were all receiving treatment for a series of issues, including cochlear damage, nervous breakdowns, acid reflux, and ulcers.
Apparently, they had used themselves as test subjects. The other competing teams were truly convinced then, left with nothing but silent respect.
The entries in the Application category mainly focused on converting Spell Chains into Magic Circuits to create Alchemy Items. The grand prize came down to a choice between two projects, and there was much debate over which one to pick.
One was the "Accelerated Fermentation Tank." It didn’t use Time Magic for acceleration. Instead, it heated the fermenting mixture inside the tank to 80 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, polysaccharides would Decompose from the heat, which also accelerated the evaporation of carbon dioxide and alcohol, preventing their concentrations from getting too high within the fermentation system. At the same time, a brief Zeroth Ring Spell, [Enhance Resistance], allowed the microorganisms inside to survive the harsh environment.
The team named this process "Boiling Fermentation." It needed to be activated three times within an hour. Upon completion, the yeast itself would burn out and call it quits. After settling, the fermented mixture in the tank would separate into dregs and alcohol.
The only thing to be careful about was that the sudden release of a large amount of gas would cause a sharp spike in pressure inside the tank. It required a well-sealed and pressure-resistant Iron Canister.
The other strong contender was the "Ice and Fire Engine." Rorschach recognized its principle at a glance: a Stirling engine. It was the heat engine with the most potential to approach the thermodynamic limit. In his past life, its upper limit was mainly restricted by the temperature difference:
The engine was driven by hot and cold air. The expansion of heated air and the contraction of cooled air within the chamber both outputted mechanical work. The greater the temperature difference, the more powerful the engine. But in his past life, heating was simple while cooling was difficult. Combined with the heat resistance limits of materials, the achievable temperature difference under operating conditions was bound to be not very high.
Fortunately, this was a world with Magic. Spell Inscriptions allowed for rapid alternation between heating and cooling. The end result was a flywheel that spun furiously as if it had taken a Strength Pill. It was said that the first time a physical model was built, the flywheel spun so fast it shattered its bearings, nearly reducing the five-person team to four.
It was obvious that both creations were inseparable from practical production experience. The team behind the Accelerated Fermentation Tank had partnered not with students, but with an experienced old master from a food processing plant. His deep understanding of the fermentation process was what allowed them to determine the heating temperature and the timing and frequency of the "Boiling Fermentation." As for the latter project, without the support of a technician who had studied thermodynamics, the Apprentices from the Tower of Secret Techniques would have never been able to figure out the engine.
Rorschach leaned toward the engine, but to his dismay, the other judges unanimously chose the "Rapid Fermentation Tank." They even asked if a smaller version could be made for private wine cellars. There was an officially-denied rumor that Bayern’s alcohol regulations were about to be upgraded to full-on prohibition. A Divine Artifact like this would undoubtedly sell like crazy.
’A bunch of drunks!’ Rorschach could only grumble.
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