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“Up until now, the only way I have used magic was pump it into something to strenghten it. And the effect are of course only temporary. I need to know how to create fire or water, move the earth or the air. Or healing. Since I was able to do something like strenghtening with a simple thought, the rules to use magic in this world shouldn't be very complicated.”

He remembered that in most of the thing he read or played, magic was often divided between fire, water, earth and air. Sometimes there was also light and dark. In some other case it was divided between healing, destruction, transformation, summoning and the like. Some systems were even more complex.

“... Hmmm, instead of trying to use magic with some fictional system, I should try it with a concept I'm already more familiar with. Science. The things from my world that were transported here work based on scientific rules. If they still work here, it means those rules also apply here...”

He though about the events of the previous night.

“With mana, I could strenghten my body or an object, so mana must affect these rules one way or another... In my world, it is said that there are 4 fundamental forces that rule everything by interacting on differents scales. Maybe, in this world, mana is some kind of fifth force...”

He started to walk around as he was thinking aloud.

“Or maybe it's just an energy particle that can interact with everything in its own way. An energy particle that can bend the way the 4 fundamentale forces act. Strenghtening a material seem like strenghtening the force that keep the atoms together, thus strenghtening one of the fundamental forces.”

He flexed his biceps and took a few poses.

“As for increasing my strenght, I don't see how it worked. Maybe my body used the mana for the excess power it couldn't exert by itself? Damn, I'm not knowledgable when it comes to biology so I can't have any good ideas in that area... Let's leave the complicated theories aside for now.”

He walked outside and looked at the sky. There was a white sun, seemingly the same size as the one on Earth.

“Fire. Fire need heat and something to burn. 2 things react with each other due to the heat and turn into something else, releasing fire in the process. Usually, it's carbon and oxygen turning into carbon dioxyd, but other things can be used as well. Electricity, it's a large number of electrons moving from point A to point B when there is too much at point A and not enough at point B.”

He started to feel a bit hot under the sun so he went back inside.

“Heat is the amount of molecular activity, molecular movement. The more there is, the hotter something is, the less there is, the colder something is. The transfert of heat is the transfert of movement energy, or something like that... And I guess movement itself is cinetic energy. Damn, if only I could connect to the internet, I could make sure I understood everything right. If I made a mistake in understanding, I'm afraid I have neither the brain nor the tools to make proper research an correct the said mistake.”

Marc berated himself. He wasn't a scientist, he didn't do any deep studies on the topic. Just some thing he read or heard here and there, and checked on wikipedia to see how accurate or innacurate it was.

“Heck, putting aside all the things about science and magic, it won't matter how strong I am if I'm attacked during my sleep. Since the dragon came here, I guess I will have a few days of peace, but things will get busy later since I disturbed the balance of the forest. I need a warning system, and maybe some traps. At time like these, being alone is really a bother...”

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“Hu hu hu! The Darkmoon Forest eh. It will be so much more interesting than everything I've been doing so far. Finally, I'll be able to make full use of all my abilities. I was seriously getting sick of all those people pampering me like that.”

Those words came from a beautiful young lady who was sitting in a chariot. She had bright golden wavy hairs reaching the middle of her back, though since she was in the chariot, she pulled them in front of her. She had a heart shaped face with upturned deep blue eyes, a straight nose and small lips. She was a beautifull girl, desired by many, Wannour Magdelne Balian, third daughter of the king of Anthurium kingdom, Edward Balian The Second.

“The king just got tired of your immature bitching and decided to send you there so you would grow up.”

Those blunt words came from the mouth of the second person in the chariot. She was a young woman with red hairs reaching her shoulders, an ovale face, almond hazel green eyes, a nose with a slightly high ridge, and beautifull full lips. She was very charming, more on the handsome side than the beautiful side.

“What are you saying? I'm an expert mage you know? Someone of my talent shouldn't be kept in the castle most of the time you know! There is so much I could accomplish out there! You're always being mean to me Roheisa.”

“Not at all” replied Roheisa Reinfield, her personal knight and childhood friend. “I'm just opening your eyes to the bitter truth.”

“You always say mean things like that! Talking like what I say isn't true at all. And you always say that with that damn expressionless face. You won't find a husband like that if you continue. You're already 20 you know? You'll turn into an old maid.”

“... It's fine. That means I can babysit you for a bit longer.”

“Hey!”

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“A survey of the Darkmoon Forest you say?” said a tall man with an athletic body and wolf ears on his black haired head. “This isn't a small request. Nope. It's quite the risky one.”

“That's right” said a woman with long black hairs and felin ears on her head. “We are only B rank adventurers. Why aren't you looking for the service of an A rank? It would be less risky. For all of us.”

“My sources sent words about suspicious activity in the forest. I'm afraid those suspicious individuals would have allies keeping an eye on the higher ranked adventurers. And in case of troubles, it would be better to have those higher ranked adventurer at hand to defend settlements” said a woman with long silver hairs, brown skin and pointy ears.

“ Also, you are the best rogue-class adventurers available right now. We don't go there for the sake of fighting, but for gathering informations. We are to move while remaining concealed and avoid monsters. For that, you are indeed qualified.”

“... I see. I don't really want to, but Kyraneth is my home” said the man with wolf ears. “And I have friends and family living near that accursed forest. So, yes, I accept the job.”

“I accept as well” replied the woman with felin ears. “It sounds interesting.”

“Then it is good. In fact, I made preparations on the premise that you would accept, the food, euipment and means of transportation are ready. We can leave at any time. I'd say I would be happy if we could leave today.”

The 2 people with black hairs and animal ears looked at each other for a bit, then nodded at the same time. The woman spoke.

“Then we can leave in 1 hour. That the maximum time we need to go an get our belongings and meet back with you.”

“That fast?” asked the silver haired woman.

“It's our personal rule to be ready to move at any time” answered the man. “Since we are going to the Darkmoon Forest, I guess we can meet at the south gate?”

“Of course” answered the silver haired woman.

“We will see you there then” said the other woman.

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