Chapter 112

“Well, now you have the basics. There is really only a little more that I can teach you.”

Said Master Daniela, two meat skewers in her hands.

“I will tell you a little more about attributes then. As it is an attribute, there is something you need to follow.”

“Ah, I know about that. Opposite attributes, right?”

“You are correct, but it is wrong.”

“Eh?”

She was waving the skewers like a pointer, and so I snatched a piece of meat off from one of them and ate it.

“…”

“So?”

“Not opposing, but anti-attribute.”

Daniela said bluntly and with a hateful expression. But I was really only getting some revenge for her insults about my naming sensibilities.

“Not opposing?”

“The weakness of fire is water and ice. The weakness of water is lightning and ice. The weakness of ice is fire and water. The weakness of lightning is earth. The weakness of earth is wind. The weakness of wind is earth. But the dimension attribute can only be dealt with by the dimension attribute.”

“Doesn’t seem very even. And ice’s weakness is water?”

“If the water’s temperature can be maintained, the ice will melt.”

Uh, well, I suppose so. But my gaming brain doesn’t really… But I could see ice being a weakness to water. I thought of it in terms of my own attributes…

“Earth, wind and lightning have fewer weaknesses, huh?”

“Yes. There is no balance there, and so they are not opposing. However, there are some who believe that the triangle of fire, ice and water, and the inverted triangle of earth, wind, and lightning create a hexagram that means balance. And the space of the hexagon that surrounds the triangle and inverted triangle is…”

“The dimension attribute.”

Yes, Daniela nodded. She used her finished skewer to draw the hexagram on the ground, and then surrounded it in a circle.

“And the space that is outside of the circled hexagram. This is the void attribute. Some call this the hexagram theory.”

“This is getting annoying…”

My head was starting to feel quite full…

“Well, none of this is important to remember. Magic is the strongest when you can visualize it well, and charge it with power.”

“But Daniela, ice can’t beat fire.”

“You can, if the amount of power put into it is greater. However, it will usually take up to three times as much.”

“So, it’s basically suicide!”

In other words, magic was a skill that required thought, and there would be consequences to using brute force. I would have to dodge, run or use physical strength.

“But on that note, it is possible to have magic of equal amounts clash and cancel each other out. If one is higher, it will override it and gain control. The volume of magic is the deciding factor.”

“So, it’s just brute force after all.”

“No, this is actually a difficult skill. In the event that you cannot control the overridden magic, the mana within both sides will clash, causing it to run wild, due to the repulsion, and the mana in the area will vanish. This means that the mana inside of your body will also be taken away.”

“What the hell.”

So the mana on both sides repel each other and are both annihilated…and this affects your body as well. Magic was difficult.

“And so there will be no problem if you can crush your opponent with overwhelming magic power, and grab it and control it.”

“I hope you know just how much damage you are doing to my opinion of magic?”

Leaving her meathead advice aside, I start to consider it by myself.

Magic is realized with power, attributes, and imagination. Magic can be created through mana or through the use of a medium. You can deal with an opponent’s magic through an anti-attribute.

That was all I needed to know, I think.

“…Ah, that’s right.”

“What is it?”

“Hitting magic that was created from mana with anti-attribute magic, can cancel it if done correctly, right?”

“Yes. If the amount of power is equal. If it is higher, than it will override it and the mana will combine with yours, enhancing your magic.”

So that’s how overriding works…wait.

“Well, magic made from a medium contains material that isn’t mana, right? So what happens then?”

“You mean like ice made from the moisture in the air or controlling the earth?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t it return to its normal form when the flow of magic is stopped?”

“It does. However, when you are using it for magic, the medium may turn ‘magical.’”

“Magical?”

“It will turn into a state that is very close to mana. In this state, it is possible to cancel each other out. But not override.”

“Because the material will remain after taking the mana?”

“Correct.”

Alright. So if I was fighting while using water magic with a medium, and my opponent used lightning magic in an attempt to override it. When the attempt is successful, and the water molecules are integrated by the lightning magic, it will no longer be actual lightning magic.

“The water attribute mana from the medium will be taken, and the mana integrated into the lightning magic. The result; their magic will be enhanced. The water that was from the medium will be thrown to the side, and then Asagi dies.”

“Why are you killing me! Damn it…well, I think I get how it works for the most part. The only thing I still don’t get is the spirits.”

I leaned back into the bench and pretended like I could see the spirits dancing in the sky with the wind.

“So, what is the relationship between the spirits and magic?”

“Ah, spirits are capable of boosting your magic.”

“Are you serious!”

“They can boost it, but if your magic is depleted, then you will enter a state of hibernation, and be returned to the dragon vein. So it is not something to abuse.”

These spirits were impressive… So, was Daniela’s wind magic enhanced by the spirits?

“I only recently discovered this, but my wind magic proficiency is a 10. I believe that is the maximum level, but the spirits can help you reach one level higher.”

“Damn…”

That’s basically a cheat…

“Well, it will cost you its value in magic, and furthermore, it is not something that I can visualize. The strongest wind magic. Do you know what it is?”

“Hmm…wind, eh? Something scary that involves wind would be a tornado. And nothing trumps a natural disaster.”

“I could create a tornado if I felt like it.”

“Damn…”

That is a cheat…

“See? You cannot think of something that exceeds a tornado, can you?”

“I guess… Seems like a waste of a gift, if only your imagination is stopping you…”

Having a flexible imagination was important in using magic. Legs of the Forest Wolf wasn’t just a means to travel fast, you could create a whirlwind by jumping. Who knows what I would be able to do if I harnessed my ability to visualize.

“Phew… That is about all, I think. I believe I told you everything I know.”

“Thanks. With the basics down, this jack of all trades and master of none will make a great magician of himself!”

“Do not hurt yourself. There are countless stories of magic going out of control, and whole towns disappearing.”

“…”

That afternoon, I decided in my heart that magic should be used while following the instructions.

□ □ □ □

After that, I practiced visualizing with Daniela. Most of the time was spent with me saying, ‘wait, is this the strongest?’ concerning uses for magic, and Daniela shooting me down, but it was very stimulating.

My current methods for fighting were the magic recorded on my status and swords. In combination with my AGI, the question was just how far I could take my own power. With repeated combat, repeated reflection, and lots of training, I wanted to take my unique skill one rank above. Master of none, master of none. It didn’t seem too impressive, but it was just a matter of how I used it. I wanted to believe that I could manage it in a good way.

And so the next morning, we returned to the guild. Daniela looked tired, but I was pumped. I was anxious to try the new techniques I had fantasized about before going to bed.

The front of the guild was filled with hot-blooded Adventurers. But none of them bothered us. This was a civilized place.

“Ho, if it isn’t Asagi.”

“Hm? Ah, Gardo. Morning.”

“Morning…”

As tired as she was, Daniela was at least able to greet people, which was a relief. Gardo raised a hand and casually walked up towards us. Hmm, Ness wasn’t with him.

“Ah, he’s still sleeping…”

“He is? That’s too bad…”

“I wish I could sleep as well…”

You’ve slept enough. As I glared at her, she turned away, stifling a yawn. She had some nerve…

“No domestic quarrels in front of me, now. Look, the guild is about to open.”

“You hear that, Daniela? Let’s go.”

“I want to return to the inn… My bed is calling to me.”

“The quests are calling to you. Let’s go.”

Daniela continued to mumble as I pulled her towards the door with Gardo. We lined up with the others and charged into the door that opened with the rising of the sun. We were headed for the quest board. I wanted a hunting quest. We pushed and shoved our way forward.

It was just another morning in Replant.