Ch.285Icarus’s Wings (5)

There are many ways to define a genius.

Some say, “A genius is one who dismisses a common person’s lifetime in a single moment,” while others claim, “A genius is one who steps into uncharted territory.”

And Icarus was a genius.

In both senses.

From age seventeen to twenty, Icarus spent three years developing a magic spell. A magic that had never existed before—Icarus’s unique magic.

“He created his own unique magic?”

“At just twenty years old?”

“Don’t lie. That’s impossible.”

In an era where creating one’s own magic was the ultimate aspiration of magicians, Icarus had stepped into a realm that others dedicated their entire lives to—and he did it in just three years. It was enough to turn the magical towers of the continent upside down.

Magicians who believed themselves to be geniuses denied reality when faced with the real thing. As such people often do, they tried to deny and belittle the genius’s achievements.

‘Creating unique magic is impressive, but it’s probably not very useful, is it? What would a 20-year-old know about magic?’

With such thoughts, magicians came to see Icarus one after another. And the moment they witnessed his unique magic, they could only shut their mouths.

“……”

Icarus demonstrated his magic before them.

It was intuitive and simple.

The kind of magic where anyone, even without knowledge of magic, could immediately understand what it was.

“Wings.”

The magic that would later bear his name as “Icarus’s Wings.” Its effect was simple. It was magic that allowed flight through wings made of mana.

As the magicians watched, Icarus flew through the sky. He demonstrated free flight at an altitude of tens of meters. Some magicians’ jaws dropped, and those who had grumbled that it would be nothing fell silent.

They looked at Icarus with astonished eyes.

Of course, Daedalus wasn’t impressed. Daedalus, who had developed the magic with Icarus, watched him flying in the sky as if it were nothing special… and Najin, who was playing the role of Daedalus, felt the same way.

‘Is that really so amazing?’

-Huh?

Najin gestured toward Icarus as he spoke.

‘Isn’t flying magic common? Even I could probably jump tens of meters if I really tried.’

-No, you’re a Transcendent. And that’s jumping, not flying.

‘Isn’t it the same thing?’

-Ah, this is why swordsmen are…

Merlin shook her head.

-You’re right that it’s common magic now. But this is 980 years in the past.

She said.

-In this era, the sky belonged to witches and dragons, and only a few who had reached Transcendence could fly. For ordinary humans, flying was impossible.

And in such an era, Icarus created it.

-A way for ordinary humans to fly.

Merlin explained that “Icarus’s Wings” became the origin of flight, levitation, and leap-type magic commonly used in the present era.

What seems obvious to you now.

The person who made it obvious is right there.

Najin slowly nodded. Indeed, from that perspective, it was quite remarkable.

‘Then this must be even more impressive.’

-Yes. Even to my eyes, this seems more impressive.

Najin pointed to what he was holding. It was an artifact designed by Daedalus. Najin silently strapped the artifact to his wrist and jumped off the cliff.

The magicians watched with eyes that seemed to ask, ‘Why is he suddenly attempting suicide?’ After a moment, Najin flew back up to the cliff. The magicians’ mouths opened a bit wider.

What Najin had strapped to his wrist was an artifact based on Icarus’s magic. An artifact that allowed flight when imbued with magic. Some magicians showed even more interest in Najin.

It was an invention that could change the paradigm of the world.

An artifact that allowed even non-magicians to fly. If such an artifact were to be commercialized, the world would surely change dramatically. The magicians’ eyes gleamed as they offered all sorts of conditions to recruit the two, but…

“……”

Icarus’s gaze was not directed at them.

He was still looking at the sky.

He silently reached out toward the sky. Despite already flying, he reached out toward the higher sky. As if measuring the distance between himself and Arthur’s Star shining above.

“Ah.”

Icarus sighed.

“It’s high.”

The sky was high.

The star hung at the highest point.

“I have a long way to go.”

Icarus’s body was light because it was bound by gravity, and his world was in the sky, not on the ground, too free to be bound by worldly affairs. There was nothing attractive enough on land to hold him down.

Money, power, fame…

None of these caught Icarus’s attention. His gaze was always directed toward the stars. Rejecting the hands of magicians and those in power, Icarus flew.

Toward an even higher place.

2.

Najin watched Icarus’s life.

Scenery passed by at a rapid pace. Those scenes were Icarus’s memories preserved in the Great Labyrinth. The fragmented memories assembled themselves as Icarus walked, forming a path.

Najin walked along that path.

This was possible because he had been given the role of Daedalus.

‘If I hadn’t been given this role…’

It would have been an extremely complex and difficult conquest.

There’s a reason this place is grandly named the “Great Labyrinth Labyrinth.” Normally, one would have to collect countless fragmented memories one by one, gathering torn map pieces like a puzzle to complete the map.

-It’s not called the Great Labyrinth for nothing.

Merlin pointed at the ground beneath Najin’s feet.

-Finding your way in the Labyrinth is nearly impossible. Of course, I could do it, but guides as capable as me are rare.

Setting aside Merlin’s boasting, her words were true.

The Great Labyrinth, Labyrinth.

Even if one managed to reach this place after piercing through hundreds of thousands of whales, the conquest would not end. One would have to wander through the Great Labyrinth of swirling memories to find the path to the true form of the Heavenly Star.

And most die in the process.

They get lost, wander around, and become worn down until they become food for the sky whales. Merlin said that dozens of Constellations had met such an end.

‘Can’t we just destroy this entire sanctuary??’

-Ah, of course that’s possible.

Merlin shrugged.

-If you’re as powerful as me.

Normally, Najin would have responded with a soulless “Ah, yes, I see.” But having just witnessed Merlin’s magic, he couldn’t say that.

“Hoo……”

Whatever the case.

Najin exhaled and moved forward.

It felt like swimming in the sea. The currents of memory flowed past Najin, but some pushed against him.

The flow of time, which had been rapid, slowed down.

Najin focused on his role as Daedalus. That was necessary if he didn’t want to be swept away by the currents.

Blink.

When he opened his eyes after closing them, Najin, or rather Daedalus, was standing in a field. It was a field in his hometown and also a place where the sky was most visible.

‘And.’

It was also where Icarus always took his naps. Tracing Daedalus’s memories, Najin moved. Sure enough, Icarus was lying down in the field.

“Icarus, so you were here again.”

“Oh. Daedalus.”

Icarus waved his hand.

“The wind is nice here.”

“That again.”

Najin sat on a tree stump. Icarus was still lying down, looking at the sky.

“I think I need to go on a journey.”

It came out of nowhere. There was no context.

But Icarus was always that kind of person. A person whose thoughts were impossible to fathom. Najin asked Icarus a question.

“Where to?”

“I’ve been thinking, to reach the sky, my body alone isn’t enough. It’s time I need a proper vessel.”

“A vessel? What, are you planning to ride a dragon or something?”

Is he planning to ride a dragon?

To Daedalus, who tilted his head, Icarus smiled and said:

“A dragon could be a fine vessel, but it’s not enough.”

Sitting up abruptly, Icarus spread his arms wide.

“Riding a dragon that can naturally fly isn’t that impressive. Anyone could do that. I have no intention of doing something so trivial.”

“Then?”

“I’ll give wings to something that could never fly, and make it soar through the sky. Only then can it be called an achievement, don’t you think?”

Achievement—at that word, Najin realized what Icarus was talking about.

“You’re saying you want to obtain a Star?”

“Of course. To reach the star in the sky, I need to obtain a Star myself.”

“You’re seriously trying to reach Arthur’s Star?”

“I’ve always been serious, Daedalus.”

Icarus’s eyes were shining. As always.

“……”

At that point, Najin felt a question.

And this question was one that Daedalus, the role assigned to Najin, was also feeling simultaneously.

“Why?”

A simple question: why.

“Why are you so obsessed with the sky? What meaning does reaching Arthur’s Star hold for you?”

“Well, that’s…”

Icarus jumped from his spot. After a brief leap, he landed on the ground. After hovering for just a few seconds, Icarus exhaled deeply.

“There are too many things binding us to this earth. Power, status, rank, honor, money… As long as we have our feet on the ground, we’re bound by such things.”

He leaped again.

This time using magic.

“But the sky is different.”

Floating in the sky, Icarus spoke. This time it wasn’t just a few seconds of hovering. Even after tens of seconds, minutes passed, Icarus did not fall.

“Free from gravity, unbound by rank, status, honor, money, and all those useless things, the sky is beautiful. Beautiful and…”

The blue sky stretched endlessly.

Looking at the sky, Icarus shouted:

“Free! More than anywhere else!”

Born in a city filled with garbage, Icarus had always seen only cramped things. A city full of garbage, narrow alleyways, suffocating spaces where garbage piled up so high it was hard to find a place to step.

But the sky was different.

The sky was unobstructed by anything. The first “open landscape” Icarus ever saw was none other than the sky. On a cliff-top field that garbage couldn’t invade, Icarus encountered the sky.

“If the first thing I had seen was the sea instead of the sky, I might have become a navigator.”

He chuckled.

“But I saw the sky first, and I saw the stars.”

“So?”

“I must journey. Through that endless sky. And Arthur’s Star at the edge of the sky is my destination.”

Destination, Icarus said.

“I’ll leave proof that I flew through the sky. Proof that I flew to the highest place where no one else has reached.”

He pointed to Arthur’s Star.

“I’ll inscribe my star at the highest place.”

Pointing at the star, Icarus smiled.

“Here was a fool who tried to fly. A fool who flew to the highest place. So that everyone will remember my name whenever they look up at the sky.”

If a mountain’s peak is the destination for a climber,

And some continent is the destination for a navigator,

Then for Icarus, the destination was Arthur’s Star.

“Let’s go, Daedalus.”

Icarus shouted.

“To the highest place.”

Those who proclaim their dreams tend to shine. And there are countless fools in the world who are captivated by that light and take on foolish challenges.

“Well, alright.”

A smile escaped.

“I’ll join you in that foolishness.”

Daedalus was one such person, and led by Icarus’s dream, he began the journey together.

3.

Daedalus was drawn to Icarus’s dream and admired him. Of course, Najin, who was playing the role, felt somewhat different emotions.

More kinship than admiration.

Najin felt a sense of kinship with Icarus.

-Indeed, he does resemble you.

What Najin felt as he began his journey with Icarus was that he was truly a man without a plan.

“Let’s just go.”

“What about preparations?”

“Well, we’ll figure it out as we travel.”

It couldn’t be called a good start even as a joke. The two were just naive boys, and naturally, the journey was not smooth.

“Damn it.”

“Wait, Icarus…”

From getting pickpocketed, to beating up a man who picked a fight in a tavern only to find out he was a nobleman, to ending up in jail…

“Nothing can keep me caged!”

And then Icarus, suddenly shouting about freedom and smashing the iron bars, forcing them into a prison break—it was a journey that made Najin sigh in many ways.

At first, it was a sloppy journey.

But as time passed, Icarus grew, and Daedalus began to bloom with his own talents. The two traveled around the world, creating various stories.

“Saving a city from drowning. Turning it into a floating city in the sky! Look, Daedalus. We’re even in the newspaper!”

“Thanks to my artifact.”

“Thanks to my magic, Daedalus.”

“Huh, your magic would run out in a day or two at most. It was my artifact that made it semi-permanent.”

They saved a city that was about to be submerged.

“Now, Icarus.”

“Ah, this is it!”

They dropped a massive pile of stones they had previously suspended in the air, stopping a monster attack. They began to make a name for themselves, being called heroes in some villages.

“I want to fly through the sky one last time.”

“That’s not a difficult request.”

They flew with a princess dying from illness.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yes, truly…”

They became benefactors to the king of a small country.

“Is this the floating ruin?”

“The place where the masterpiece is hidden.”

They conquered the floating garden that no one else had managed to conquer, successfully obtaining a masterpiece.

“It’s time to move to a bigger stage.”

“You’re going to the Outer Continent?”

“Of course, because that’s where my vessel is!”

Having accomplished various feats and obtained a Star, Icarus headed for an even bigger stage. As if it had been his goal from the beginning, Icarus headed for the sea of the Outer Continent.

The sea, or rather, the great lake.

Arriving at the great lake, Icarus immediately began searching for a whale. Relying on a single sailboat, Icarus and Najin navigated the great lake and finally encountered the oldest whale.

“Are you the oldest ancient one?”

In front of a whale old and powerful enough to swallow Icarus in one bite, Icarus declared:

“Hey, friend.”

In front of the whale, Icarus smiled.

“Would you like to fly through the sky?”

The mother of all whales had lived for ages and had enough intelligence to understand human language. And she also knew what to do with a human spouting nonsense in front of her.

With a splash, she struck the water’s surface with her tail.

The moment the massive tail struck, waves surged.

Icarus and Daedalus, who had been drifting on the lake relying on their sailboat, were almost swept away by the waves to become fish food, but they managed to avoid that fate by rising into the sky.

-……

The whale became interested in the two humans who didn’t disappear from her sight. She looked at them as if to say, “Go on, tell me,” and Icarus began to speak.

“Did someone say you can only swim in the sea?”

A sailboat flying through the sky.

With his foot planted firmly on the edge of the sailboat, Icarus spread his arms wide.

“Friend, we need to break the mold of our thinking.”

In front of a whale that had lived for thousands, tens of thousands of years, the human spoke:

“It’s not that you swim in the sea. Wherever you swim becomes the sea! The blue sky, the withered land, the desert—anything can become the sea.”

Icarus curled up the corners of his mouth.

He smiled as he spoke of his dream.

“Isn’t it boring to rot away in this small lake? The world is much wider than you think, friend. It truly stretches endlessly.”

Icarus reached out his hand to the whale.

“So let’s travel.”

Journey with me.

“Until we reach the star in the sky.”

Humans who speak of dreams tend to shine. But the whale had lived too long to be led by light.

The whale’s heartbeat echoed softly.

It was almost like a sneer. Go ahead and try if you can. Only the sea can support this massive body, so how will you move me from here?

To that question, Icarus answered:

“Well, I’ll have to think about that from now on.”

He said.

“I promise you, oldest whale.”

Pointing to the sky, Icarus said:

“Before long, I will make you fly through the sky.”

Twenty-six years later.

【The Sea of All Things (萬象大海).】

Having reached Transcendence, Icarus kept his promise.