Chapter 12: Introduction to Magic
by fnovelpia
I read the introductory book on magic.
‘Hmm…?’
The first chapter is about how to handle <Mana>.
I tried using mana.
‘Gather mana in my hand.’
Wooong!
A clump of blue energy formed.
‘Compress it.’
I compressed the energy, increasing its density.
From a blurry, smoke-like mass, it transformed into a clear, liquid-like lump.
‘Spin.’
I spun the liquid-like mana and compressed it even more strongly.
And then—
It started to look like that technique from those ninja anime.
‘Oh…’
‘Is this… the power of the spiral?!’
I wanted to experiment with it.
I was curious just how strong this spinning mana lump I made was.
So I tried.
I drew my sword and smashed it into the spinning mana lump.
Boom!
“Huh?”
The mana clump burst apart so easily, it felt almost pathetic.
Its power was practically zero.
In anime, you’d see a huge shockwave when it explodes, but in reality, none of that happened.
There was only a breeze-level impact.
…Which already shows that it had absolutely no real combat value, but the real problem was something else entirely.
‘The sword got enhanced.’
Some of the mana seeped into the sword and strengthened it.
‘So then what?’
‘If I used this on an enemy?’
‘Is this a spell that strengthens the enemy?!’
What a stupid magic.
‘Well…’
‘The basic property of mana is enhancement, after all.’
When it enters the body, it strengthens the body.
When it enters a weapon, it strengthens the weapon.
That’s the fundamental trait.
So, using raw mana as an attack was just plain dumb.
…With that in mind, I tried using it in a different way.
‘Strengthen the body.’
I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined it.
Imagining myself becoming stronger.
Filling each and every muscle cell with mana, visualizing my physical strength increasing.
‘It’s a scene you often see in battle anime.’
Reinforcing the body with mana.
Raising your energy to enhance your physique.
Strengthening your body with chakra.
Fortifying your body with armament haki.
I referenced anime scenes as I imagined strengthening my body.
And then—
My body actually got stronger.
I could feel the increase in strength.
‘Oh…’
‘This is nice.’
With just a bit of practice, I could probably use this in real combat.
‘It’s easier than I thought.’
Magic.
A technique that uses energy called mana to manifest what you imagine into reality—a miracle.
What matters most is imagination.
The more vivid your image, the more powerful the magic.
But—
That’s not easy.
To vividly imagine a magic you’ve never even seen before? That’s no easy feat.
…Or so the book says.
Ah…
But it’s ridiculously easy for me.
‘Vivid imagination?’
‘All I need is to picture some anime or game scenes.’
Thanks to all the anime I’ve watched, this was a piece of cake.
‘Ah.’
‘So this is what it means to dominate the Middle Ages with modern knowledge.’
“Hahahahahaha!”
“Yeah!”
“This is how a protagonist should be!”
“A main character who becomes a powerhouse even after possessing a D-rank trash character!”
…Thinking that, I moved on to the next part.
***
[Imagine wind.]
[If you have a talent for wind attributes, you will be able to manifest the basic wind spell <Wind>.]
I imagined it.
But—
No wind came out.
[Imagine lightning.]
[If you have a talent for lightning attributes, you will be able to manifest the basic lightning spell <Spark>.]
I imagined it.
But—
No lightning appeared.
It was the same with the others.
I imagined them, but nothing happened.
Even though I fantasized about dominating the Middle Ages with modern knowledge, I hit a massive wall called “talent.”
But—
There’s still hope.
‘I have fire and water magic.’
The two basic spells Kain learned from reading the introductory book on magic.
That’s right.
Kain had a talent for fire and water attributes.
Thanks to that, now that I’m in Kain’s body, I can use fire and water magic too.
…Thinking that, I created water.
‘Since I’m inside a carriage.’
‘It’s safer to practice with water magic.’
Bubble bubble—
The lump of water forming in my hand bubbled and changed shape.
Into a ball.
Into a star.
Into an arrow.
Into a dragon.
Just by imagining it, the shape changed rapidly.
‘Oh…?’
‘At this level, I could even try that.’
Like the “Water Breathing” style that wraps water around a sword during an attack, or “Aqua Jet” that surrounds the whole body with water to charge forward—
Stuff like that.
I could imitate techniques from anime.
‘Heck yeah!…’
‘This is what dreams are made of!’
Suddenly, my body started itching with excitement.
I wanted to try it.
I wanted to actually use techniques from anime.
…Just as I was thinking that—
“We… we’re in trouble!”
“A horde of monsters has appeared!”
The test subjects had arrived.
“Thanks for this, but…”
“What kind of monster is it?”
“It’s a goblin!”
“That’s not a big deal, then.”
“Stop the carriage.”
“Yessir!”
The coachman brought the carriage to a halt.
“Ria.”
“Let’s get to work.”
“Okay!”
Ria and I stepped out of the carriage together.
“Grk!”
Blocking the road were ten goblins.
Nice.
That’s the perfect number for a test run.
Shing!
I drew my sword and water swirled around it.
“Water Sword Technique, First Form.”
Wait.
That’s not right.
I may be starting off by copying an anime technique, but eventually, it might become my original move.
Better rename it now.
“Water Blade Style One – Fox Rain.”
Like a light drizzle on a clear day with no clouds in sight.
A gentle sword swing paired with a soft stream of water.
Perfect for a first strike.
Slash!
I sliced through a goblin’s neck cleanly and slipped between them.
“Water Blade Style Two – Downpour.”
Like a sudden, violent rainstorm.
A fast, heavy sword paired with wild torrents of water.
Shrrraakkk!
Using Strength Boost, I shredded all the goblins at once.
“Whew…”
Test complete.
“Wowwww…”
“Master’s sword technique is so prettyyy…”
Even Ria was awestruck by the beautiful swordplay—Water Blade.
Yeah, it did look pretty.
Every swing sent water whirling through the air, and when it passed, it left behind rainbows.
‘Visually?’ A total pass.
But…
There was another issue.
‘There was barely any difference in power.’
Even if I wrapped water around the blade, it didn’t deal any elemental damage.
Well…
That makes sense.
Water element is notorious for having weak offensive power in the first place.
So yeah.
That part was expected.
The real problem was something else.
“Uurgh…”
Me.
***
After using just two techniques, I was completely out of mana.
The pathetic D-rank adventurer, Kain.
‘I mean… seriously…’
‘If I run out of mana after just two flashy skills, what am I even doing…?’
I had way too little mana.
‘What?’
‘You expected a modern-knowledge MC who steamrolls through a medieval fantasy world?’
No such thing.
Thanks to anime, I could vividly imagine various types of magic and enhance their power, but I was still just a guy with barely any mana—the foundation of magic.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get past C-rank mage at best.
Yup.
At this point, I’m just an extra.
…That’s what I was thinking as I started heading back to the carriage.
“Is it like this?”
“Second Form – Downpour!”
Ria imitated me, swirling water around her blade and swinging it.
Shrrrakkk!
A torrent of water burst forth like a sword slash.
BOOOMMMMM!
It was like a natural disaster that destroyed everything in its path.
“GYAAAHHH!”
“SKREEEEE!”
Even the monsters in the forest got wiped out.
Whoa…
That was insane.
‘You’re telling me that’s the same technique?’
If my water flow was a gentle stream, Ria’s was a full-on tidal wave.
‘So this is what a mana difference looks like…’
Ria and I were probably around the same level.
‘But the gap in mana?’
Absolutely overwhelming.
This was the difference between D-rank and S-rank.
Even at the same level, stat differences could be like heaven and earth.
‘Haa…’
‘How am I supposed to be a cheat-level protagonist with someone like her around…’
I suddenly felt all my energy drain away.
But still.
That was it.
From the start, my goal was to recruit my first companion and then run away.
To live happily ever after with my favorite character.
And that didn’t require strength.
Just enough strength to avoid getting killed by bandits or monsters on the way to town.
Once I meet my favorite character, I won’t need power anymore.
So…
There’s no need to get greedy about strength.
Being able to imitate anime techniques as a hobby is good enough…
“Master!”
“A bracelet fell out!”
Ria picked up a bracelet dropped near the monster that probably died in confusion.
[Bracelet of Mana]
MP +500
MP Recovery +10
“This… this is?!”
It’s a trash item you’d throw away after early game, but for a D-rank adventurer, it’s a dream-tier item.
Considering my current mana is only around 100–200, this thing would boost it 3 to 4 times—a literal miracle item.
Gulp.
I want it.
With that, I could imitate even more anime techniques, use magic more efficiently, and even get stronger.
But…
That was Ria’s loot, obtained through her own efforts.
There’s no reason to split it.
‘Still…’
‘Maybe if I word it just right, I could—’
“Master!”
“You can have it!”
“Y-You’re giving it to me?!”
“Yup!”
“This is a good item for you too, though?”
“It’s okay!”
“I’d rather see you get stronger, Master!”
“Ri… Ria!…”
Ria…
‘Is she a goddess?’
Even if it’s an early-game item, it was still a good one for her too—yet she gave it up so easily.
Thank you.
But…
I’m still gonna run.
‘Just a little farther to the city.’
‘Once I reach the hidden warp gate to <Gleisia>…’
I’ll officially recruit my first companion today.
And then it’s over.
Alright.
Tonight, I make my escape.
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