Chapter 31 - Magic in Practice

⌈Now... for the payment side of things.⌋

I could practically hear Seth shaking in his boots at the mention of 'payment'.

I sighed and began to dig out my coin pouch. Thankfully, for naught, as the dwarf stopped me midway through.

⌈Wait, wait! Haha! Got ya good, didn't I? Oh, don't ya worry, there's no way I'd make the fecking Nameless Rogue pay, much less someone who's buddies with my lass. Besides, you've given me the materials to work with, and it ain't like I'd be doing anything else anyway.⌋

⌈Pheeew... I almost had to rely on you again, kiddo!⌋

Seth was relieved.

Not that I'm surprised... In the slightest.

⌈Yeah. How long do you think I'll be paying for your stuff? Until the end of times?⌋

⌈Works for me!⌋

⌈Hah! Of course, it does!⌋

⌈Now... before I put my smithy mitts on, I have a request for ya, Light. If that is indeed what yer called nowadays...⌋

The dwarf turned to me, as he picked up the Blade of Spring still laying on the table and began his careful inspection process.

⌈Yes?⌋

⌈Can I use this as materials for the weapon cores?⌋

⌈Are you sure? Didn't you just say it wasn't worth much?⌋

⌈On it's own, aye. Cypress Springsteel is an impure metal, but it's a good material for a softer core.⌋

⌈Eh?⌋

⌈Ach, ya probably don't understand. Let's just say that if I layer the two metals, I can make the weapons better, while saving up on the better materials.⌋

⌈Sure? That should be fine, right?⌋

⌈You could've made good money by selling an artifact from the Trails, though.⌋

And though my question was rhetorical, Seth voiced his opinion regardless.

⌈I think I'd rather have a good weapon, thank you very much.⌋

⌈Right! I should be able to make some good stuff now! Ach, it's been so long since I was able to forge something other than fecking iron or bronze! Laddie, can your eye see if I have my blacksmith class back? I've been feeling that old spark since morning...⌋

Oh right! I didn't even think about that! Apart from the adventurers, nobody had any classes... But perhaps this is what the 'Universal Classes' meant? Nah, this is definitely what it meant.

【Dagda – Dwarf Male – Age: 53 – Class: Initiate Blacksmith】

【Equipment: Workshop Apron, Blacksmith's Mitts, Triple-Layer Crystalline Magnifying Mono-Goggle】

⌈Oh, so smithy mitts wasn't just a saying... And a 'Triple-Layer Crystalline Magnifying Mono-Goggle'? That's a mouthful.⌋

⌈Ach, stop looking at my gear, laddie! What's my blacksmith class?⌋

⌈Oh, right. It's uh...⌋

How do I break the news?

⌈I ain't got all day.⌋

⌈It's Initiate.⌋

⌈No fecking way! God darn it!⌋

Uh oh... Yeah. I was kind of expecting this.

⌈No good?⌋

⌈No good!? This is the best darn day since my daughter was born!⌋

⌈What!?⌋

⌈Laddie... I've been stuck for two god-forsaken decades without making any fecking progress no matter how hard I tried. I know twenty or so years might not be much for yer ancient arse, but for me, it's nearly half of my fecking life! Now? I can advance again. That's all I dare ask for.⌋

I understood the weight behind the words of the dwarf from his tone alone.

Despite the overwhelming familiarity, I wouldn't exactly say he's a person I care deeply about. But from person to person perspective, helping people through my actions and receiving gratitude in return, really makes me feel an unknown, yet very welcome warmth.

⌈That red shard of yours sure had an impact, kiddo. I never even realized.⌋

⌈Yeah, it's beginning to sink in for me too. I kinda understand why the Arch Sage was so keen on appointing me as a hero. Though... I still think I don't really deserve it. I guess I'm gonna have to grab the title by the balls and start acting the part. I'm not too keen on going around disappointing people.⌋

⌈Haha! Right you are. To be honest, you're the last goddamn person I'd appoint as a hero too, but since you're supposedly one now, there's no need to be so modest about it, is there?⌋

Seth chuckled.

⌈Laddie... Was it really you that brought the classes back?⌋

⌈Yeah. It's a long story, but that would be me, yes.⌋

⌈This series of events... Fecking unreal, once again. First, ya came back, and then, ya brought us hope before I even realized it. Though I wouldn't like to admit it, the Arch Sage was right this time. Maybe the Gods havenae forgotten us after all.⌋

⌈I didn't do– I... uh... Thank you.⌋

I stumbled in my words trying to respond to the praises of the dwarf.

⌈Hah! Never change. But aye, enough ramblin'. Ya wanna see an old master, turned an initiate at work?⌋

⌈Hell yes.⌋

——————————

I sat down beneath an old willow, with my legs crossed..

⌈So.. I start by sensing the flow of Mana within?⌋

I inquired.

⌈Correct. If you begin to cast without properly controlling your Mana, you will most likely waste far more Mana than you should've, which may result in passing out from over-expenditure. You wouldn't want that to happen if you want to surpass him now, would you?⌋

⌈N-No.. He would never make such an elementary mistake so neither can I.⌋

⌈True, true. I guess he wouldn't.⌋

Violet giggled.

⌈Which is why you practice. Now, begin by closing your eyes, and focus on the flow.⌋

And so I did.

My mind quickly began to wander around, as the chirps of the bird sang to the rhythm of the gentle breeze rustling the leaves of the trees, however, I couldn't let my attention waver.

I shouldn't pay attention to what was happening around me, but rather what takes place within. The beat of my heart, the blood flowing throughout, down to the breath in the depths of my chest as I deeply inhaled. My skin began to shiver..

A cold, foreign feeling began to radiate from the tips of my toes, up my shins.. Passing the knees and reaching my hips.. Finally gathering around my chest, and from thereon, flowing to the far reaches of my body.

Still keeping my eyes closed, I raised my left arm as Violet did once before, and tried to redirect the anomaly towards the tips of my fingers.

A deep purple visage burned its image on to the canvas of my mind, obstructing my thoughts.

⌈Lumi..!⌋

A voice called out to me from distances far beyond.

⌈Open your eyes!⌋

The voice called out once more. Approaching at an alarming rate.

A sharp and searing, yet piercing sensation, finally brought me back to my senses. I slowly opened my eyes. The verdant grove now bore a resemblance to an amethyst cove painted purple by the light of the glowing geodes, as a sparkling ball of dark electricity far larger than what the beastman had conjured lit up my surroundings..

Witnessing the sight, I began to hesitate.

⌈W-What's happening?⌋

⌈Oh my... I knew snow elves were proficient at magic, but... This is something else...⌋

Though she tried her best to hide it, her hesitancy was clear as day, which in turn added but fuel to the fire of my worries.

⌈W-What do I do with this.. thing!?⌋

The mass of crackling amethyst thunder only kept expanding within my grasp.

⌈I-I don't know either. What you just did was similar to my thunder manipulation, but that purple tint... It's clearly something else. If it was anything like my thunder, it should disperse, however...⌋

My panic didn't show any signs of calming down, and neither did the miniature storm, the sleeve of my white tunic was burnt black as night. So much for my favorite garment...

⌈What did you even teach me!?⌋

⌈I don't know either.⌋

⌈Then who does!?⌋

⌈I don't know! It was supposed to take you fifteen days, not fifteen minutes! Oh my... Let me take care of it. 【Magic Absorb】⌋

Violet extended her hand towards the orb, and her caressing voice suddenly echoed throughout the leafy grove.

The purple light began to slip out of existence, as though stolen by the sorceress right from my grasp. With my view no longer obstructed by the eerie electric menace, I noticed the turquoise gemstone on my ring glowing brightly, as did the orchid quartz on Violet's ring.

How curious..

⌈Oh my. S-So... This is what magic of the Void element feels like.⌋

She stuttered in amazement, with a wide smile on her face.

⌈Hold on..! What did you do? What did I do!?⌋

Taken back by my confusion, Violet came back from her personal heaven and raised her voice to scold me...

⌈Easy now, Lumi... What you just conjured forth was what we call magic. And what I just did was absorb said magic, because your first attempt was just a little bit overboard for a first attempt. You best be careful with that in the future. You wouldn't want to hurt anyone close to you, would you?⌋

I could sense no malice in her words.. Perhaps she truly does care..?

⌈But when it comes to why your magic was so powerful with no prior experience, I'm still quite unsure.⌋

⌈Could this ring be the cause? And yours too...⌋

⌈I doubt it... No matter how exquisite the relic is, for it to elicit this kind of reaction would be against all known laws of magic.⌋

【Fission Ring – Rank: Peculiar – Rarity: S – Effect: Fission】

【Fission: Able to fission Mana】

⌈Able to fission Mana..? If only I knew what fission meant..⌋

I looked down at the draconic ring wrapped around my finger and sighed.

I never thought how depressing it would be to find myself defeated in the face of the unknown word. No books I've read ever mentioned fission, especially as magic specific ones were few and far between..

Regardless, Violet was far more experienced with magic than I was. Arguing against her wouldn't be smart. Yet even then, I can't seem to shake the feeling that the arcane powers of my ring were behind the phenomenon.

⌈Oh my... You sure are adamant about the ring. You know, we're only just beginning our training. Perhaps we'll find more about it later on?⌋

⌈Perhaps..⌋

⌈But how about we go shopping first? Just the two of us. It was my fault your clothes were burned, so I should at the very least pay the repercussions, no? Oh my, it'll be so much fun~!⌋

——————————

The scent of burning coal immersed me within its rusticity as rhythmic clanks echoed across the smoke-filled interior, lit up only by the fire in the forge.

Though repetitive, to be sure... Heating the metal, and smacking it to shape over and over again... The hours the dwarf had poured into his work were apparent by his carefully placed strikes. I found myself unable to look away from the enchanting act.

He folded the chunk of metal and sandwiched the separate core between the two sheets, and the hammer swung once more.

The etched runes flashed blue every time the mallet met the metal, reshaping it again and again. The chunk of brightly glowing layered steel gradually took the shape of a blade. Though this blade wouldn't shape up to be the one I would wield, as it's tang extended far longer than the blade itself.

Though the veins on the forearm of the dwarf were bulging to the point of bursting and sweat was rolling down his forehead, I don't think I saw him blink once. His focus was unshakeable to the point of nearing tangible.

⌈Lassie! Prepare the quench!⌋

He shouted out loud enough to overpower the sound of the metallic clatter.

Brigid, showing the same determination in her eyes as her father did, as she brought out a tub far bigger than her tiny body was. Seth and Grace both offered to help her, but she insisted on doing it on her own. If only I had a piece of their family's 'I'll do it myself' temperament...

Dagda inspected the blade one last time before thrusting it into the liquid.

To my utmost surprise, not only did the metal hiss as it cooled down, the bath in which the blade was quenched in began to faintly glow. Instead of water turning into steam, magical essence akin to what I saw in the dungeons of the Chapel surfaced and filled the air.

⌈Ahh... Nothin' quite like a proper quench in Mana.⌋

The dwarf drew the blade out of the bath. The glowing golden blade now took a warm earthy tone.

Mana, eh? That sounds ridiculous, but who am I to judge.

⌈Hah! Turned out proper, didnae it?⌋

Seth didn't know what to say. From what I gather, he's lived a humble life up to now... It's probably about as amazing to him as it was to me.

⌈I-I'm gonna wield t-that!?⌋

⌈Aye, laddie. How's it look like? Satisfied?⌋

⌈Fuck yes, I am! This is amazing! Ah, I can't wait!⌋

⌈Eh? But you're gonna wait! You can't have your weapon before I will! It's not fair!⌋

⌈Umm... I hate to break it to you, but neither of you is going to have any weapons before we finish the work on the hilts and the shafts on them.⌋

Brigid pointed out.

⌈⌈Oh...⌋⌋

⌈Ach, right. Speaking of which, lassie. Would ya mind starting work on the wooden bits? I think we have some fresh wood lying within the storages. It should work nicely after a good treating.⌋

⌈Yep! Will do.⌋

⌈Great. I'll get workin' on the greatsword.⌋

Dagda reached for another chunk of metal...

Even if it did look quite amazing, it would be a long day if I stood here and watched as all of our weapons took shape. I guess I just feel like my time could be spent better...

⌈Oi, Dagda! When do you think the weapons are going to be ready for use?⌋

I interrupted him before he lost himself in his arts again.

⌈Let me think... Since they're the utmost priority at the moment, I'd say you'll have them by tomorrow. I could probably get one ready today, but I'd rather make 'em as a batch. Ya get me?⌋

⌈A day? That sounds great!⌋

⌈I'll probably need to go and buy some leather for the handles though... So they'd be ready for pickup around tomorrow evening.⌋

⌈*Master! Y'know?*⌋

⌈Oh right! Would this suffice?⌋

Lime spat out the sheets of Bloomhide on a table.

⌈Huh? Is that, uhh...⌋

⌈Bloomhide. I got it from the Trails.⌋

⌈Oh! That should be great! But I'll admit, it's kind of expensive to use for wrapping when any ol' leather would suffice.. Are ya sure?⌋

Seth looked at me with his signature glint.

⌈What if I sold these sheets off and went to pick up some leather from the tailor?⌋

⌈That'd work, aye. If you go to the shop on the end of this street and tell the clerk Dagda sent ya, she'll know what to give ya.⌋

⌈Isn't that Emerald's place?⌋

I recalled back to my first day in the capital, when I sold the unusable wyvern rags I wore for a sizeable sum.

It's only really been a couple of days, but it feels like an eternity.

⌈Ya know her? Great! Everything should work swell!⌋

⌈Right. I'll be off then!⌋

⌈Haha! Don't get lost, kiddo!⌋

Seth gave few last words of wisdom before I departed.

⌈Oh, fuck off! Worry about your own ass. See you!⌋

The bell on the door rang once more as I stepped out to the fresh air. Oh, how I missed my time alone.

Maybe I'll take a detour and explore the city a little? It's not like I'm in a hurry, anyway.