“Build up and compress the air. More and more, compress it until it explodes!”

The wind builds up pressure behind the floating black pellet the size of a pebble. My mana was being drained as the pressure increases.

“Blowback Bullet!”

The bullet is sent flying at incredible speeds towards the yellow boulder. This wasn’t my first attempt but I feel like it's going to be my strongest.

It’s been a week since Tigurka has taught me about magic and I still haven’t destroyed the boulder yet, but I have made considerable progress than when I first started. The first two days were mostly spent thinking of what kind of magic to create and on the third day I was able to create magic that was able to cause a small dent on the gigantic boulder.

By the end of the third day, I was able to create numerous small cracks from Blowback Bullet but I knew that it would take at least a month at this pace to destroy the boulder. I couldn’t stay here for a month so the next two days were used to think of a way to improve my magic. The end result was this brand new bullet I’ve named Exploding Air Bullet.

“Explode!!”

The black bullet imbeds itself within the various cracks and on command, it explodes. A large crack opens up on the side of the boulder. From the explosion, pieces of the boulder were blown off to expose a lower layer.

This was the most damage I’ve ever done to the boulder but its nothing to celebrate over. Even though the top layer was severely damaged, the bottom layer was still perfectly fine. Regular bullets won’t work and the only way to destroy the lower level was to create more Exploding Air Bullets, but that won’t be an easy task.

This exploding bullet was one out of a hundred experiments that have succeeded these past few days. If I was just using the regular bullets then all I have to do is condense earth magic until it hardens to the point where it wouldn’t break from the exploding compressed air.

To create an Exploding Air Bullet requires only a single extra step but that step is incredibly difficult. All I have to do is compress air and cover it in a hardened shell made from the earth element. It doesn’t sound difficult in theory but putting it into action is a different story. There are countless problems with Exploding Air bullets and one of them is being its practical use.

Taking Tigurka’s advice to heart, I’ve decided to think about every possible situation when using my magic. Unlike the regular bullets which I can create within three minutes, a single Exploding Air Bullets takes ten minutes to create. Even the success of it being created is dubious. These few minutes spent on using creating bullets can mean my death or the death of an ally.

In general, Blowback Bullet is a magic that has a lot of problems. Initially, I tried to condense the earth element into a bullet then blasting it away with compressed wind element, but this consumed way too much mana. In a long battle, I would be all out of mana after shooting off four to five bullets. My solution to this problem is to separate my magic into two different processes.

The first process is to create the bullets beforehand when I have free time to use my mana. This would definitely make it less mana consuming during a battle and allow me to concentrate on fighting. The second process is just to shoot the bullets with compressed air. By separating into two different levels, I can have a steady supply of ammo while lessening the consumption of mana during a battle.

But this two-step process only applies for regular bullets. Exploding Air Bullets can’t be stored or created beforehand because the elements will start to destroy themselves within ten minutes. So it must be made during a battle and even then, it is not a safe option.

If I was to compress the earth too much then it’ll cause the compressed air to explode. Even if I was able to create a shell for the compressed air, another problem comes from the strength of the shell. If the shell or the compressed air that is used to send the bullet flying is too weak or too strong then it just shatters.

This is why I’ll only create an Exploding Air Bullet when I desperately need too. Even though there are drawbacks to it, I can guarantee that its power is the strongest in my arsenal that won’t leave me incapacitated.

I finally understand the struggles of Self-Made Magic that Tigurka was talking about. I hadn’t experienced this much trouble when I created Fire Blast because it was really weak and simple magic.

Creating and trying to improve Blowback Bullet has different gained me a lot of Active Experience when it comes to magic. If I wasn’t just restricted to the wind and earth element then I would definitely like to improve the strength and efficiency of Fire Blast.

“I see. I see. Exploding the magic from the inside where the outer shell is much weaker. Nice idea! It won’t be long until you destroy that boulder.”

Tigurka was sitting on his chair sipping on tea again. There were also various fruits on the table that I’ve been eating for the past week. This was a scene that I was already used to. He would watch over me as I continue to practice and wait until I’m tired out before I join him at the table.

Then it would be Tigurka’s time to talk about stories about his past or stories he has heard. Every single tale he told me has been something that I’ve never heard before. Names and beings that have never been recorded regularly appear in his stories. It was an unfamiliar past, but it was fun to listen to these stories.

“Where was I yesterday? Was it the story of Titura or Ganeta?”

“You were talking about Ganeta and how he was a hero who was raised in your village.”

“Yes, that’s right. So Ganeta was such a cheeky brat you know. When he was a youngling he would come around and steal the offerings left for me by the villages around this area. He didn’t have any parents so I can’t blame him for stealing, but you know what he did one time.”

“Yes, what did he do?”

“He peed on me!! That brat peed on one of my roots. He should have known that I was the deity of this area but he still peed on me. Can you believe the nerve of that brat! Since he peed on me I decided to punish him. I brought him into this room and had him fight my wooden statues. Remember that four-armed Taja I showed you?”

“Yes.”

“Heheha, I made him 30 of those Tajas. If he was going to admit his wrongdoings then I would have forgiven him but he didn’t. He cursed me and even began fighting the Tajas. What’s even more surprising was that he was able to defeat 10 of those Tajas! You understand my shock, right!? This kid who was only about ten years old was able to defeat 10 of those Tajas!”

Wasn’t Tigurka supposed to be a diety? Why was he bullying a little kid like that? I know Ganeta peed on him but did it really warrant him having to fight 30 of those Tajas. Tigurka sounds more like the kid than anything.

“O-of course I was holding back! I wasn’t trying to kill him or anything. Anyways, he still defeated 10 of them! That was when I knew that this little brat had the blood of a hero inside of him. No normal kid could do that and I wasn’t wrong. I taught him the basics about magic and fighting because I saw the potential within him. And 20 years later I hear stories about Ganeta the Berserk Hound. He turned into something I didn’t want him to become.”

The aura around Tigurka suddenly turned sorrowful. His joyful tone when talking about Ganeta’s past was no longer there. Even through his expressionless wooden face, I could see the regret in his eyes.

“Ganeta had turned into a mana consuming demon. He was a troublemaker who wasn’t well-liked in the village so he decided to leave the village. I had thought it was a wise decision to let him go off and explore the world, but maybe it wasn’t. I don’t know what he had been through to cause him to earn the moniker Ganeta the Berserk Hound, but it wasn’t anything good. All the stories about him were all bloody and gory while describing him as an uncontrollable wild hound. That wasn’t the Ganeta I knew. He may have been rowdy and caused mischieve but he never crossed the line of being a ruthless murderer.”

Tigurka’s hands were gripping so tight that I could hear wood cracking.

“Never become someone like Ganeta, kid. I don’t want to die knowing that I’ve raised yet another ruthless monster. Promise me, kid.”

“Yeah, I won’t lose my way like Ganeta.”

There was a faint gentle smile on his face but it was weak. In fact, everything about him was becoming weaker as time passes by.

“Hahaha, ok let’s not talk about all that depressing stuff. Let’s talk about your magic, Blowback Bullet. How did you come up with that magic? In theory, it’s still the same as your Fast Hammer or Spear of the Shattering Boulder but its definitely stronger and more efficient.”

Tigurka isn’t wrong when he says Blowback Bullet is similar to my previous magic. I couldn’t really get out of the idea of shooting earth element with wind element so I just decided to go along with this idea. It’s just that I have a clearer image of my magic in mind. Instead of a hammer or a spear, a gun is more familiar to me.

I’ve never touched a real gun before but I do have fond memories of a toy gun that my parents bought for me when they were still alive. It’s such a small and insignificant memory but I’ll never forget it now that they’re gone.

It was a hot summer day that my parents decided that we’ll go to the flea market to look around. My legs were tired and my body was drenched in sweat but as soon as I saw that toy gun, I was rejuvenated. I begged and begged until dad finally agreed to buy it for me. Mom was against it but dad convinced her by saying that the toy gun just shot foam darts so there’s no problem.

That entire summer I would go around the house shooting at every little thing I could. It was only when I broke a light bulb that mom confiscated my toy gun and I wasn’t able to play with it anymore. I was heartbroken but dad would sometimes sneak it out and we would play. I would be the cop and he would be the hero who stole the princess’ royal glass crown. His scenarios were weird but it was fun.

“I had a lot of fond memories with that toy gun so that is why it’s my strongest magic at the moment.”

“Good, you’ve found something that’s special to you. This is your Self-Made Magic that no one will ever be able to copy.”

After telling Tigurka the story behind my magic he was nodding his head in agreement. I’m glad that he accepts that my magic is suitable. Although he isn’t a friend or family, I still don’t want to hear him reject me. I don’t think I’ll be able to bear it if Tigurka said that my magic was terrible.

“Tigurka, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, go ahead. Ask away.”

“Are you going to die if I destroy that boulder?”

Tigurka was silent and that silence was all I needed to confirm my conjectures. Every time I damage the boulder, I could feel his aura become weaker. Even during the times I wasn’t attacking it, he was losing strength.

“I guess you figured it out. Are you still willing to kill me now that you know?”

The answer was obvious.

“Yes, if it’s your wish to die by my hands then I will kill you. I just want to know if there’s no other option besides death.”

“It’s too late for me. Whether it’s you who kills me or someone else, I’ll die in the next hundred years or so. When I woke up from my slumber I had already lost most of my powers and without my powers, I’m just a husk of my former self. I don’t even have the ability to extend my life anymore. I was going to live my remaining years in peace but that’s when your fairy offered me a deal. If you were ever in trouble then all I had to do was protect you and in return, she’ll give me a few drops of your blood. It wasn’t a bad deal on my end, all I had to do was protect some kid and I’ll get some blood of a hero. With your blood, I’ll regain some of my powers and I’ll be able to expand my domain to increase my longevity. The only thing I didn’t expect was for that time to protect you to come so soon and in the worst possible situation.”

So that was the contents of their deal. Fifi wanted Tigurka to protect me and in return, I give Tigurka my blood. I would have been hesitant to give Tigurka my blood before but now it’s different.

“Never did I ever expect the domain I use to control to suddenly have an outbreak of the undead. With the aura of death floating around the entire area, my life force is constantly being sapped away. I roughly only have 50 years left in me before I die so I would rather die by you than these undead.”

“I just need to give you some of my blood for you to be fine, right?”

If I can save Tigurka then I’ll save him. I don’t need to kill him at all.

“Did you even hear what I said? I was protecting you for ulterior motives.”

“Yes, but you did more than just protect me, you taught me everything about magic. I can confidently say that I am a hundred times stronger now than when we first met. You’ve done much more than just protect me.”

“Ahahaha, you’re such a funny kid. You’re worried about someone who had evil intents. If I wanted too, I could have eaten you while you were asleep. I could even eat you right now!”

He was emitting pressure over me but I’m not scared. I know Tigurka, he’ll never do something like that. He’s not some evil spirit or almighty deity, he’s just an old man who acts childish at times.

“But you didn’t. I don’t mind giving you some of my blood, Tigurka. I don’t want you to die.”

Tigurka was silent but I hope my feelings were conveyed. No matter what I have to do, I don’t want Tigurka dying. In this short week, I’ve learned so much from him and so much about him. I care about him as much as I care for Fifi, Lisa, and Mako, maybe even more.

“Haaahh, I don’t want your gosh darn stinky blood! Who’s wants the blood of a little baby like you!”

“But don’t you need my blood to survive!? I’ll give you as much as you need!”

“I don’t want it!”

I don’t understand. Why doesn’t Tigurka want my blood anymore?

“Why, Tigurka!? If I can save you with my blood then let me save you! I don’t want you to die!!”

“NO!!”

His arms were crossed and he was looking away from me. Why is he acting like a little kid who doesn’t want to take their medicine!?

“Take it!”

“No!”

My feelings were boiling up inside of me. I just wanted to help him so why doesn’t he just accept it. I just want to help him live.

“Fine, then I’ll just give it to you whether you want it or not!!”

I use earth magic and create a knife before slashing at my hand. The blood was dripping and my hand was burning in pain but it was fine as long as it would save Tigurka. I scatter the blood all around the room. I know I’m inside of Tigurka so as long as I spread the blood everywhere then it’ll be absorbed into his body.

“What are you doing, you idiot!”

Tigurka grabs my left hand that was bleeding but I’m not going to let that stop me. The wound on my left hand was already healed but I use wind magic to cut my right hand.

“I told you to stop it!!”

“I won’t!! I’ll save you!!”

He grabs my right hand and also heals it. Both of my arms were caught but I still have my legs. I use earth magic to create claws to tear at my legs. From my calves down to my feet, it was bleeding everywhere. All of this blood will surely save Tigurka.

“God damn brat! I told you to stop!!”

“I...won’t!”

I couldn’t speak. Tigurka had me in a chokehold and he was trying to knock me out. Our scuffle continues on the ground. My body was pinned onto the ground with Tigurka’s left arm around my neck and his right arm held tightly onto my right arm. My legs were also pinned down but my left arm was still free.

“F-fire…”

“GO TO SLEEP!”

I was unable to cast magic and my entire world turned dark.