Chapter 29
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 029
Chapter Title: Fire Mana
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"Here. The fire magic book you requested, Mr. Andy."
The next day around lunchtime, Mayor Dietrich visited the inn where Andy was staying once more.
He had come to the inn personally to deliver the reward. Andy looked surprised as he spoke.
"You got it pretty quickly, huh? I figured it'd take at least a few weeks..."
This was a remote, underdeveloped frontier region.
There wasn't even a magic tower around—no libraries or bookstores, for that matter. Magic books were one thing, but even ordinary books were hard to come by.
To procure a book related to magic in a place like this in just one day...
How on earth had he managed it?
Andy stared at him curiously, and the mayor gave an awkward smile.
"I got lucky. A merchant group I'm on good terms with happened to have it in stock as surplus. The other books will take a bit longer, though. As you know, magic items are..."
"Hard to get. I know."
"Thank you for understanding."
Magic-related items weren't easy to obtain. They were controlled by mage families and Federation institutions.
To get them on the open market required exceptional connections.
Fortunately, the mayor seemed to have the right contacts for magic books. Bringing one this quickly proved it.
"I'll do my best to get the rest as soon as possible."
"No rush. It's not urgent."
Andy hadn't asked for just the fire magic book.
He'd requested books on the four basic elements: fire, water, earth, and wind.
They'd secured the fire one quickly, but the others were still out there somewhere.
Right now, the only one in Andy's hands was the fire magic book. The rest would take considerable time.
Andy didn't mind at all.
'I planned to learn fire magic first anyway. Even if the others are late, it doesn't matter.'
He'd always hated the biting winter chill and had wanted to master fire magic for ages.
Now the key to that was right in his hands. No way his eyes would wander to other books.
Andy brimmed with anticipation.
He pictured himself wielding fire magic, flames dancing at his command. No longer fearing the cold winter season.
The boy gazed at the book in his hand with eager eyes.
'I can't wait to read this.'
Andy was itching to open the book and dive into fire magic. Impatience flickered in his eyes.
Seeing the boy's excitement, the mayor chuckled softly.
"Well then... I'll be off, Mage. Have a good day."
Click.
The mayor closed the inn door behind him. As if he'd been waiting, Andy flipped open the book.
His sparkling eyes scanned the pages.
[Fire. The first power humanity ever tamed.]
[Ever since humans gained intellect, our history has been intertwined with fire.]
[Fire allowed us to conquer harsh nature, advance technology, push back the darkness of night, and forge civilization.]
[Human history is the history of fire. That's why it symbolizes our civilization and progress. Wherever humans went, fire followed.]
[Thus, fire is the most familiar element to mankind...]
'The intro's pretty grandiose. Wonder if all magic books are like this?'
Andy scratched his head as he read.
Unlike the 'special' magic book he'd read first, this one was full of verbose passages for some reason. The early sections were mostly history and praise for fire.
The author was clearly obsessed with fire's power.
Otherwise, they wouldn't wax poetic about the attribute like this.
Andy kept reading. The praise dragged on for a while.
How many pages did he turn?
[...Wielding 'fire' through magic is what we call fire magic. Not primitive ignition or combustion, but manifesting the purest flames via mana.]
[First, form mana of the fire attribute.]
Finally, the explanation of fire 'as magic' that Andy wanted. What followed was a dense array of complex rune letters.
The page detailing the fire attribute's mana formation.
"So this is the fire attribute mana array."
Andy meticulously deciphered the runes in the book. He memorized the mana array in his mind.
He grasped how the arranged mana interacted to manifest as 'fire'.
After focusing intently for a while...
He nodded.
"Got it."
Just over ten minutes after checking the mana array, the boy spoke with full confidence.
This was absurd.
Mana arrays in rune language were incredibly complex and varied. Even the quickest learners took days; most needed weeks.
Yet Andy had fully understood and memorized it in ten minutes.
Unbelievable intellect. At least when it came to magic, his intuition and thinking outstripped ordinary humans by leaps and bounds.
'Way easier than lightning. No wonder it clicked so fast.'
His talent let him mimic Spirit Beast Kurt's lightning magic just by watching.
Having mastered the tricky electric attribute in a flash, fire was child's play.
Andy closed his eyes.
Having 'understood' fire attribute mana, now it was time to test it.
"Hoo."
The boy steadied his breath and focused his mind.
His will expanded slowly.
Wmmm...
The circle began to spin, amplifying his will. Soon, his spiritual senses fully seized and dominated the surrounding mana.
Andy was quietly pleased.
'Having a circle makes this so much easier.'
He could now move mana particles far more smoothly, quickly, and precisely than before.
With the circle's aid, Andy began arranging mana as memorized.
Gathering particles at his fingertips, he drew the specific pattern. Soon, the complex mana array took shape in his right hand.
The instant it completed...
Andy snapped his fingers.
Fire Mana Array
Small flame sparked!
A small flame burst from his fingertip.
He'd arranged mana particles into fire attribute and manifested it, creating the phenomenon of fire in the physical world.
Any other 1-circle mage would need weeks for a new attribute. For Andy, mere minutes sufficed.
Only possible with his staggering talent.
The boy stared fixedly at the flame on his fingertip.
"Fire mana."
Not as wild as lightning, but brimming with fiercer power.
Andy examined the fire mana closely. He observed the flame meticulously, analyzing its properties.
A pleasant warmth. The flickering light was mesmerizing.
He felt his soul and will growing attuned to fire bit by bit.
He smiled faintly.
"This is fun."
It was just plain fun. Gaining new knowledge, mastering another mystery.
Wielding mana with a human body to unleash supernatural feats—it was endlessly captivating.
Fire Magic
Room temperature rising...
Andy spent some time casting fire spells.
The somewhat chilly inn room warmed gradually from the heat radiating from the flames.
Before long, the boy's room was filled with cozy warmth.
It was the first day he'd wielded an attribute beyond lightning.
Day by day, Andy grew more accustomed to handling fire.
Today, too, he opened the book.
[Arrange and combine mana to conjure flames in various forms. Sometimes weak and vast, sometimes narrow and fierce. Fire takes endless shapes. Experience countless fires, wield them. Understand fire with your soul.]
The pages showed various application formulas.
Andy replicated them perfectly. Flames of different shapes bloomed from his fingertips.
Fire Magic Variations
Sometimes narrow and intense.
Sometimes weak and expansive.
By tweaking the mana array slightly, he uncovered diverse ways to wield flames.
Magic variation.
This was familiar territory for Andy. He'd been modifying Kurt's lightning magic too.
Kurt's original lightning was for wide-area suppression—spreading electricity to fell groups at once.
But Andy used it as a single-target strike, narrowing the range to boost lethality.
The same went for these flames.
He adapted the book's formulas, growing comfortable with fire magic on his own terms.
Now adept at flame variations...
The boy enjoyed a remarkably pleasant routine.
Slam!
Andy flung open the window.
Whoooosh!
Midwinter's icy wind howled in, sweeping through the room.
The temperature plummeted. Biting cold assaulted Andy in his thin clothes.
Enough to make anyone shudder.
But Andy didn't shiver. Instead, he grinned broadly.
"Not cold at all!"
The frigid gusts pouring through the window didn't feel chilly in the least.
He had fire-attribute mana thinly spread over his body.
It blocked the cold and radiated warmth.
As if he were in a toasty room, Andy felt no chill.
He nodded in satisfaction.
"Fire magic was definitely worth learning."
Just not shivering through winter made it invaluable.
The boy gazed out the window with wistful eyes.
Outside lay the usual white landscape.
Snow poured thickly from the sky.
A winter scene.
'Winter.'
Andy hated winter.
Every year, he'd endured brutal cold and gnawing hunger.
Winter brought scarcity. As an orphan, his winters were harsher than most.
To him, it was a cursed season—falling snow signaled the start of hell.
But now, with fire magic mastered and cold conquered, winter held no terror.
He could finally behold its scenery without hatred or fear.
And in the boy's eyes now, winter was...
"So... winter landscapes are this beautiful."
Utterly beautiful.
A world blanketed pure white. Houses, ground, sky—all painted in pristine snow.
A winter without cold was a breathtaking vista of immaculate white.
A beauty he'd never noticed amid his dread. Only after overcoming fear did he see it.
Andy admired the view for a while. A contented smile played on his lips.
This winter would be a warm one.
He savored the winter panorama a bit longer.
Hundreds of soldiers marched across the snow-swept plains.
Fluttering banners. Clanking armor with every step. The lead soldier's flag bore the Empire Army emblem.
Three hundred Empire infantry. They'd been marching a week toward their target.
Their commander, Captain Hartmann of the three hundred, gazed ahead and spoke.
"There it is."
Far off, a modest town ringed by crude log palisades.
Their frontier target. The Empire soldiers had finally arrived.
Hartmann eyed the town. He spotted guards at the distant main gate.
He smirked.
"Pathetic as expected."
The town guards looked utterly sloppy.
Worn leather armor, flimsy spears. Their stance lacked any discipline, and their bored glances reeked of laziness.
Slovenly soldiers. No surprise. You couldn't expect regular army rigor from frontier town guards.
No need to look further. If the gate—the town's face—was this bad, the rest would be worse.
Hartmann felt confirmed. Easy prey indeed.
"The plan is simple."
He addressed his subordinate captains quietly.
"Blitz the main gate. Seize the central town hall. Capture the mayor alive, suppress the guards and militia. Questions?"
"..."
"None. Move out!"
The frontier town had been peaceful that morning.
It plunged into chaos in an instant.
The Empire Army had invaded.