Chapter 3: Quality and Quantity
On the third day, I practiced creating and launching Stone Arrows. In light novels, it’s common for arrows to shoot up from the ground, but not for me. Instead, the arrows float before my outstretched palm and fly toward the target!
A light sound of “thud” echoed as the arrow struck the target ten meters away and fell to the ground. A “thud” won’t pierce a beast, though; I need to imagine the speed of a bullet. I envisioned tracer rounds from a machine gun flying through the air, quickly crafting an arrow and shouting, “Ha!” as I shot it out. The sound of “clang” rang out as the arrow hit the target, disappearing somewhere. Good, good! This is the way!
I changed the target to 10, 15, and 20 meters away, diligently practicing my Stone Arrows, but the familiar feeling of running out of mana was creeping up on me, so I decided to stop. Wait, how many arrows did I shoot? I hadn’t been counting—what a fool I am. Next time, I should set the target even farther away and keep track of how many I shoot; that way, I can gauge my mana consumption.
If I keep pushing myself to the brink of exhaustion, my plan might go awry if my mana increases too much. Well, if that happens, I could always head to the noble’s mansion and play it off as if nothing happened. Hmm… in that case, I don’t necessarily have to stop right before running out of mana; I could just keep pushing myself to see if my mana capacity increases. If I can’t fool the nobles, I can always escape from this town.
As I pondered my escape from the nobles, a question suddenly arose. I had been fixated on mana capacity, but the priest had mentioned mana grade. That old man who claimed to be the noble’s representative said something about having potential even with a mana grade of 40… Perhaps the meaning of mana in light novels differs from its meaning in this world. If mana capacity is about how long one can use magic, then mana grade might refer to the quality of that mana?
Mana grade and mana capacity might be different in that someone with a mana grade of 100 could use all their mana to jump 100 meters once, while someone with a mana grade of 40 could only jump 40 meters. If I could increase my mana capacity, even if I could only jump 40 meters at a time, I might be able to jump multiple times.
With newfound hope, I decided to push myself to the limit and see if I could run out of mana. I had plenty of food, so I could stay in the Dome for a while and use my mana to my heart’s content, eager to see if my capacity would increase.
While waiting for my mana to recover, I wanted to drink some hot soup or warm water. After thoroughly checking for safety, I gathered firewood and cut grass to stockpile in the Dome. It felt a bit like a hamster building a nest, but I didn’t mind. Finally, I set up targets at 30, 40, and 50 meters, fully prepared for my training.
Since the Dome was getting a bit cramped, I dug down to move the remaining firewood and grass below the ground, reserving the Dome solely for practicing magic and sleeping. A large Dome above ground would attract attention, so I planned to make some adjustments later to make it blend in with nature. I used the remaining mana to reinforce the Dome and the underground area before settling down for the night.
When I woke up, I realized I needed to know how long it took to recover after losing consciousness, so I decided to check the price of a clock the next time I went to town. After finishing my meal, I created a slightly elongated gap facing the target and began practicing Stone Arrows.
I lost count after 43 shots in my first attempt, getting knocked out. The second attempt also ended with 43 shots, but in the third attempt, I managed 45—though that was within the margin of error. The margin of error came from retrieving the arrows that had rolled near the target and replenishing the soil I had used with magic.
After about 30 attempts, I was able to shoot an average of 50 arrows, and I could clearly feel that either my mana capacity or mana grade had increased. From there, I changed the distance to 40 meters and confirmed that I could shoot 50 arrows in three tries. Ultimately, I could shoot 50 arrows up to a distance of 50 meters, but the power significantly dropped, and if I wanted to maintain the power, the number of shots would be reduced to less than half. I confirmed that my mana was increasing, but I wouldn’t know how much until I continued to push myself to the brink of exhaustion.
The remaining issue was Transfer Magic, but I felt confident. I had a grasp on how to use my mana from building the Dome and practicing Stone Arrows. Magic manifests by channeling mana into a clear image, and having a distinct image is the key to successful magic.
After confirming the area was safe, I stepped outside the Dome, only to be dazzled by the hot sunlight. Having been cooped up in the Dome for so long, I felt like a mole basking in the sun, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. After checking the surroundings again, I closed my eyes, envisioned the inside of the Dome, and wrapped myself in mana, wishing to return. The brightness against my eyelids faded, and the heat on my skin disappeared. When I quietly opened my eyes, I found myself standing inside the Dome. I might just be a genius!
I repeatedly practiced jumping with Transfer Magic, transferring from outside the Dome to inside. After about 20 jumps, I started to feel tired. I wrapped myself in mana and jumped into the Dome with my eyes open. It took over 50 attempts before I could transfer instantly. The next challenge was to see how far I could jump in one go, but I had to do it while my mana was recovering, as failing would mean being attacked by beasts and potentially dying, so I had to be cautious.
Currently, I confirmed that I could jump 40 meters ten times and 20 meters twenty times. I was able to store a sphere with a diameter of 1.8 meters in Spatial Storage. It was clearly a result of the increase in either my mana capacity or mana grade, but with food running low, I needed to return to town for supplies, so I began gathering medicinal herbs.
By the third day, I had gathered a decent amount of medicinal herbs, but as I headed toward the town, I felt that familiar sense of unease. It was probably a Wolf. Lacking any means to fight, I surrounded myself with a wall of earth, but my practice had paid off. The wall was about 1 meter in diameter and 2 meters high, tapering at the top, with air holes left and firmly embedded in the ground. I thought it could withstand a charge from a Fang Boar or a Wolf.
I called it a fortress, though this was my first real test. Peering through a peephole, I spotted a Rush Wolf, as I had heard. It was a large wolf with a mottled pattern that blended into the grasslands, unlike the usual dark ones. It seemed to stand slightly shorter than me, around 1.5 meters tall, and its body length was just over 3 meters. Its tail was thick and large, stretching from its snout to the tip, probably around 7 to 8 meters long.
I had stumbled upon a formidable foe. With no food on hand, I pondered what to do, but I decided to try the “Pop and Squeeze” technique.
From the peephole, I targeted the largest Rush Wolf, assuming that if I took down the pack leader, the rest would flee. Given its size, I estimated a diameter of 1.5 meters and a depth of 2.5 meters, took a deep breath, and executed the “Pop”—only to fall headfirst, which was unexpected! I flailed around but managed to “Squeeze” it successfully. “Phew…”
Once I calmed down and peeked outside, I saw the wolf that had fallen into the hole twitching its legs, surrounded by other wolves. Worrying that they might settle in and I’d starve, I decided to drive them away. With some mana still remaining, I shot a Stone Arrow at one of the wandering wolves.
“Yelp! Grr!” it howled, and the pack scattered in a panic. What a relief!
Once the twitching subsided, I stepped outside and poked the wolf’s paw, but it didn’t respond. I felt a pang of regret. I couldn’t just leave it there, so I decided to make a cart to transport it to town. I cut two long, thin pieces of wood, attached a crossbar, and bound them with vines, planning to create wheels using Earth Magic.
Since it was impossible to transport the wolf today, I covered it with dirt, built a Dome beside it, and spent the night with my empty stomach. I regretted not securing any emergency food.
At dawn, I removed the dirt covering the wolf’s corpse, lifted it with Earth Magic, and slid the cart underneath. After binding it with vines, I set off toward the town.
I couldn’t help but grin at the unexpected windfall, but the weight and the summer sun made me sweat profusely. By the time I reached the town gate, I was exhausted, but I had to reach the Adventurers’ Guild to turn it into money. Half-crying, I arrived at the guild, where adventurers heading out looked at me and the cart with the wolf in disbelief.
I placed the cart next to the entrance and went inside to report to the purchasing clerk that I had brought in a wolf.
“Kaito, did you bring any medicinal herbs today?”
Fuyusa, the herb-buying lady, asked, her eyes wide as she took in my sweaty, breathless state.
“Fuyusa-san, I have some herbs, but I also brought a wolf. Please call Yahan-san for the purchase.”
In the early morning, there were few people bringing in prey, so Yahan-san was leisurely relaxing in the back.
“Kaito, you caught a wolf?”
“Yahan, I caught a Rush Wolf. It’s out front.”
As Yahan and I stepped outside, a group of Adventurers surrounded us, chattering excitedly.
“Did the kid bring this in?”
I nodded in response to the Adventurer’s question.
“How did you manage to get it? You can’t handle a Rush Wolf on your own.”
“I dropped it into a hole and suffocated it.”
“Suffocated?”
“I dropped it headfirst into a hole and buried it with dirt, cutting off its air supply.”
“Hey! Get out of the way! You’re blocking the work! You lot, hurry up and go earn some coin!”
Thanks to Yahan’s intervention, I was able to carry the Rush Wolf to the dissection area in the back.