2nd Volume, 4th Chapter 【The Zealous Heart】 1st Part
——6th month, 4th week, the day of Earth.
Ever since I started going to my princ.i.p.al magic training ground – the Paudal Wetland Belt – about a month had pa.s.sed.
The Prism Slimes, possessing Origin Magic, gave me more delightful surprises than what I had expected.
Those guys can coalesce with not just the Prism Slimes, but other Slimes as well.
On the days of Origin, the Slimes belonging to six other elements sprang out, too, and those guys coalesced with all.
What of the skill points?
Let’s a.s.sume a Slime possessing 《Origin Magic Lv1 (2/50)》 coalesced with a Slime holding 《Fire Magic Lv1 (2/10)》… a Slime possessing 《Origin Magic Lv1 (4/50)》 would be born.
Although I’m glad, the rate of encountering a Prism Slime is in itself quite low. What’s more, it doesn’t show up on any other day but the day of Origin. Hence, I’m unable to acc.u.mulate skill points to my liking.
By the way, when I acquired Origin Magic, I was already in possession of Light Magic. For some reason, the two didn’t merge.
It must a phenomenon characteristic to a Prism Slime.
Nevertheless, the last day of Origin was a memorable day.
Although the rate of my growth isn’t lacking, the time needed to master Origin Magic will be considerable when the maximum skill points required are taken into account.
I directed my consciousness and checked the skill.
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Name: Seiji・Agatsuma
Race: Human
Age: 18
Job: Adventurer (Rank D+)
Unique: Scholar’s Knowledge
Skill(s)
・Thief’s G.o.dly Skill (Riot Grasper) Lv3 (6/150)
・Physical Ability Enhancement Lv3 (6/150)
・Sword Arts Lv3 (20/150)
・Abnormal Status Resistance Lv2 (38/50)
・Vitality Enhancement Lv2 (32/50)
・Light Magic Lv2 (34/50)
・Origin Magic Lv2 (2/150)
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Finally, Origin Magic has reached Lv2.
Speaking of which, Thief’s G.o.dly Skill has reached Lv3, too.
Is the number of times it can be invoked still favorable? The number has decreased to six; however, since the success rate has increased, I have no right to complain.
Although Light Magic is redundant in the presence of Origin Magic, it has a special significance. It’s my inaugural magic skill. It can be used for both attacking and healing, so I have decided to keep it in reserve.
It has already been confirmed that the magic skill with higher Lv and skill points takes precedence.
The day of Origin is spent in the wetland belt; the day of Fire is a day off; the days of Water and Earth are spent in the South Forest practising magic while hunting Caterpillars and Smagobs… or undertaking a joint quest with the beastkin family; the day of Dark is spent at the library; the day of Light in the wetland belt.
That’s the result of this cycle.
That today was the day of Earth, where would I be…? In the forest south of Merville.
After having played with the Caterpillars, with the objective of raising Abnormal Status Resistance to Lv3, it was now early afternoon.
Well then, shall I kick my magic practice off?
If the imagined magic is strong, an enormous quant.i.ty of mana in the atmosphere must be converted in order for the magic to manifest.
The convertible quant.i.ty increases with Magic Skill Lv. I have now increased the skill points to some extent.
For a large 《Ball of Light (Light Ball)》, albeit being the simplest, the quant.i.ty of mana that I could convert was insufficient. With Lv1, it would only be the size of a fist.
Now that I’m a Lv2, I can make one the size of a basketball.
The power need not even be mentioned.
By the way, it’s magic practice only in name. It’s more about sharpening the (mental) image.
As the mana required to be converted to manifest magic is controlled by the Magic Skill Lv, when I say 『my』 magic training, I mean sharpening the image or simply creating a new image.
If I were an ordinary person, I would be repeatedly refining mana according to the Caterpillar series book. It’s necessary to improve the magic skill.
Earlier, I said that Light Magic can be used for both attacking and healing. The images of 《Ball of Light (Light Ball)》 and 《Light of Healing (Light Healing)》 have already been sharpened.
What’s left is for the Light Magic Skill Lv to rise and the power to increase.
By the way, while imagining the Light of Healing, I recalled the time when Arnold-san’s injury was being healed.
Healing isn’t particularly the effect of Light Magic, it’s possible through image. Through an image of Fire Magic, albeit disturbing, the wound can be burnt to stop the bleeding.
As for the healing image of other magic skills, how about the Water Magic?
However, now that I’m able to use magic myself… I’ve realized that magic is disadvantageous in close quarters combat.
Even if I a.s.signed a name to the magic in order to sharpen the image, it would take time for it to invoke. If I leisurely tried to invoke the magic while the enemy was within a few m (meters), I would only end up torn into pieces.
A mage is fundamentally suited to be a rearguard.
Oh well. Since I have Sword Arts as well, I can adapt to the situation.
So then, during the practice, I tried to imagine magic.
Inside my mind, I willed for 《Optical Camouflage (Light Hide)》.
Optical Camouflage――I thought I would try it if possible via Light Magic.
The so called 『Invisibility』.
Something I have always longed for.
Don’t misunderstand. I don’t intend to abuse it.
If you’re a man… don’t you agree?
What’s known as Optical Camouflage can either be Image Projection or Light Penetration. I understand the theory somewhat.
Image Projection, in simple terms, is photographing of the surroundings and projecting those photographs in real time through an optical membrane wrapped around the body.
For example, an octopus.
As for Light Penetration, it’s literally light penetration.
When an object is exposed to light, it reflects it. Through the reflected light, the object can be visually recognized.
What if the light completely penetrated the object?
The object would become transparent.
Although that is pushing the limits, it is what it is.
However, with the image of Light Magic, it’ll be easy.
I imagined light penetrating my body.
I imagined the beams of sunlight, shining overhead, pa.s.sing completely through my body.
「Alright, I’m able to turn transparent quite smoothly now… however, if I move my body, it’ll get fairly blurred~」
I tried to move my body.
As transparency flickered here and there, my body could be seen.
Through Light Magic, I have to reduce reflectivity to zero. However, while moving, the difficulty seems to increase exponentially.
By the way, if my eyes became transparent, I wouldn’t be able to see, but that’s where the quality of magic lies.
Constant regulation of such a continuation type magic requires a precise image, and the precision seems to increase with the increase in the Magic Skill Lv.
It’s quite difficult…
When it was much needed, it turned out to be difficult.
Let me say it again. I don’t intend to abuse it.
――After repeating the Optical Camouflage exercise several times, I switched to practising Origin Magic.
In the end, creating a composite element with Origin Magic is merely a gimmick which only serves to give birth to dreams.
I’m glad, of course, that I have access to the magic of six elements via only one Skill Slot.
What I initially thought of was to produce Lightning.
If I managed to produce Lightning, I was thinking I would fuse it with Sword Arts and create a finishing move, like a certain hero whom I was a fan of.
However, I don’t understand the principle of Lightning in depth.
When the atmosphere heats up, water vapours rise to the sky and form clouds.
I know it comes from there.
Water in the clouds freezes which forms ice crystals. Intense air current results in friction which generates electricity.
My memory is shabby about it.
Having given up on imagining the principle, I imagined a thunderbolt generated by a thundercloud. Even though I had shot Fire, Water, and Wind magic up in the sky, nothing happened.
I’ll retry it when my Magic Skill Lv has increased.
In such fashion, I worked hard at fusing Sword Arts and magic in order to create my finishing move.
Then, I created one.
The greatest and strongest finishing move.
In my head…
However, when I tried to manifest the image, it didn’t go so well.
Why is that?
「Conflicting elements… no, it’s not that――」
――――Thus pa.s.sed my first day.