Chapter 18: Four Months Later
Since then, I have spent much of my time researching magic alongside my master, incorporating the principles of Earth science into our studies. As a result, I have developed not only Lightning Magic but also Ice Magic, Gravity Magic, and Magnetism Magic. While I’ve successfully learned Magnetism, I still can’t quite figure out how to utilize it effectively.
Additionally, we discovered that existing Fire and Water attribute magic can manipulate the weather to some extent. This concept is likely something that doesn’t exist in this world.
However, such trivial matters are of little concern. The significance lies in the discovery of new attributes. I intend to continue pouring my efforts into the development of these new powers.
“Shuu, you’ve been acting more like Master lately,” Rio interjected, her tone teasing.
“Wait, what do you mean by that?”
How could I possibly resemble that eccentric master of mine? It’s utterly outrageous! I protested, but all I received in return was a look of exasperation from Rio.
“Limited to attribute magic, but you’ve become a bit of a skill fanatic, haven’t you…?”
Her words struck me like a thunderbolt, making me forget my earlier indignation.
“W-What did you just say…?”
There’s no way I could be like Master, who would stop at nothing for new skills.
“What time did you stay up until last night?” she pressed.
“Uh…?”
I recalled that I had been contemplating potential uses for Magnetism Magic. Since I had developed it, I wanted to find at least one practical application, but it was proving to be quite the challenge. If the enemy wore metal armor, I could probably immobilize them with Magnetism, but unlike Gravity Magic, it reacts to metal rather than the surrounding area.
“See? You’re deep in thought again,” Rio pointed out, looking up at me from a slight angle.
“Ah… Haha…”
I realized that it wasn’t worth disrupting my daily rhythm over this. Maybe I should hold back a little…
“Alright, how about I go hunting solo this time?”
It had been four months since I had been staying at Master’s place. It seemed he had come up with another idea.
By now, Rio and I could roam not just around the house but also deeper into the surrounding areas. So, going alone shouldn’t be a problem.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve never wandered the Forest alone,” I mused.
“Exactly,” Master said, puffing out his chest with pride. Going solo might lead to new discoveries.
“But isn’t that just going hunting alone? It doesn’t sound all that different,” Rio replied, unimpressed.
“Ah, but here’s the twist. Let’s limit the hunting time to one hour and see who can hunt the strongest monster! Since speed and accuracy will be required, it might lead to the emergence of new skills!”
I couldn’t help but agree with Master’s enthusiastic declaration. Seeing my eagerness, Rio sighed, as if resigned to the idea.
“Well, if there’s a time limit, it might not be too advantageous for you, Master.”
“Exactly. The monsters around here are mostly weaklings. You could venture deeper in search of stronger monsters, but the places you can reach in an hour are limited.”
“Well, I suppose that makes sense…”
Rio seemed to reluctantly accept the idea, but it’s worth noting that Master’s whims are rarely dismissed. It’s usually futile to oppose him.
“Alright then, let’s disperse!”
With Master’s rallying cry, we took off.
I wrapped my body in magic power to enhance my physical abilities and sprinted toward the wall surrounding the house. Just as I reached it, I activated Gravity Magic to lighten my weight and leaped over the wall effortlessly.
When it came to utilizing new attribute magic, I was confident I wouldn’t be outdone by Master. Combining it with Wind Magic, I soared into the sky, heading straight east into the depths of the Forest.
While Master ran along the ground, he was impressively fast. Rio, who had a slower start, was trailing behind me but gradually closing the distance, propelled by her abundant magic power.
Eventually, both of them disappeared from my sight, and I was left to continue my journey solo.
“Now then, let’s remember my roots,” I said to myself.
From the sky, the trees obstructed my view of any potential prey. I was using Presence Detection, so I had a general idea of what was around, but it was still tricky.
I descended and landed on the ground. When I first entered the Forest of Enchantment, I was constantly battling fear, unsure of what might attack me. Looking back, I realized just how much I had grown since then.
“Oh, a stamina mushroom!”
I spotted a red and black speckled mushroom growing between the moss in the shade of a tree. I never would have guessed that this was an edible mushroom. Yet, I had nearly died after eating Desmeg Fruit.
“Hmmm? There’s something ahead…”
I suppressed my presence and approached stealthily, careful not to make a sound. This presence… could it be that creature? As I got closer, I spotted a bird resembling an ostrich in the distance. It was a Rock Bird, its forehead and neck covered in skin as tough as rock.
While it couldn’t fly, its sharp beak and powerful kicks were not to be underestimated.
After confirming that there were no other monsters around, I closed the distance and swiftly struck its neck. Its skin was no tougher than that of any other creature.
I continued to hunt several more monsters, storing them in my Dimensional Box.
“Oh no, I should be getting back soon!”
Though there was no clock in the house, I knew that time existed in this world. An hour was merely a subjective measure, but it served as a useful guideline.
I hurried back home, but it seemed no one had returned yet. I jumped over the wall and landed in the garden, but there was no sign of anyone.
“Guess I’ll wait while I bleed them out.”
I created a bloodletting table using Earth Magic and retrieved my prey from the Dimensional Box. While I waited, I accelerated the bloodletting process with Gravity Magic.