Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Episode 13
After leaving the Headmaster's office, as I walked back to the dormitory, a thought suddenly struck me.
"...Cold?"
I was cold. Of course, it was still early March, so it was natural to feel cold. But that wasn't the issue. How was I feeling cold?
I looked at my fingertips gripping the scroll, and they were trembling slightly from the cold.
Basic Magic:
[Fireball]
Whoosh-
I cast the spell, and a small flame appeared in my palm. It was a somewhat useful offensive spell among the basic magic spells.
"Warm."
I could definitely feel the warmth. Of course, the spell's formula included a protective aspect for the caster, so it wasn't dangerous. However, it couldn't block everything. If a spell detonated at close range, I would also suffer significant damage.
Then what about [Mana Dominator], which was a skill, not magic?
[Mana Dominator Lv. 1]
As soon as I finished confirming the basic magic [Fireball], I used the skill to deploy another spell. While feeling a chill from the large chunk of mana being consumed, I checked the shape of the magic that appeared in my hand.
[Stun Gun]
A basic lightning-attribute spell used by N-rank mages. It inflicted weak lightning damage and had a low probability of causing paralysis.
"Phew..."
Crackle--!
I steeled myself and fired [Stun Gun] at my other palm. There was a loud noise and sparks flew. However, it didn't hurt, and I wasn't paralyzed.
"Then, lastly..."
Basic Magic:
[Stun Gun]
I deployed the basic magic [Stun Gun] with my own ability, not through [Mana Dominator], and cast it at my palm like before. I couldn't make an accurate judgment unless I used the same spell.
The results of the experiment were astounding. I proved that the magic created by [Mana Dominator] didn't harm me. To be precise, it blocked anything considered "damage." It was very similar to a game system. Even if the magic in games had flashy and powerful effects, they didn't harm the caster or their allies.
It was the same with [Curse of Perpetual Snow] and [Petit Breath]. I wasn't sure about the criteria for "ally," but at least I wouldn't be harmed. This was more useful information than I thought. It meant I could completely shatter the common sense that mages couldn't cast large-scale magic at close range.
I also gained some other minor information. Perhaps because it was detonated at close range, the effect of [Stun Gun] wasn't as bad as I thought. It tingled. Besides the pain, my body was paralyzed. It seemed like even basic-level probability effects couldn't be completely ignored. Or maybe I was just incredibly unlucky. ...It was probably the latter.
Well, it depended on how I utilized it in the future.
"...What is Master doing?"
As I lay sprawled on the cold floor, someone approached me. As you could tell from the address, it was our attention-seeker, Eleanor.
"Experiment."
"A human experiment? That mad scientist side of you isn't bad. It'll attract a lot of attention. But you should stop using yourself as a test subject."
"If you're saying that, then I should probably stop."
My body currently had durability somewhere between N-rank and R-rank. However, my magic power coefficient was too high. Even N-rank magic had the power of R-rank magic. I would have to experiment on a more durable friend in the future.
"Heave-ho. Get up, Master. I'll help you."
"Why is even your way of helping so unique...?"
"Ahem!"
That wasn't a compliment. Eleanor slung me over her shoulder like a freshly hunted prey. Perhaps because she was close to an R-rank warrior, I didn't even feel a wobble. She was reliable.
"What classes are you taking, Master?"
"Why do you want to know? Unless it's a common class, we won't overlap anyway."
"Judging by the way you talk, Master, you don't seem popular with girls."
"That's harsh..."
Scientia's curriculum varied depending on the field each student applied for. Despite wearing uniforms, the curriculum was like that of a university. Of course, you could learn subjects from other fields, but compared to your major, they were less specialized and more basic. It was literally just general education.
"You're not taking the Close Combat class, Master?"
"No, I'm planning to learn Basic Combat."
The final boss of Chapter 1 of the main story was Gerard Oren, the Basic Combat instructor. It would be beneficial to learn Basic Combat to gain information about his fighting style in advance. And there was also the information I just gained. Even though the visible effects might not be much, I could maximize the variable of [Mana Dominator].
"Since you're aiming to be a mage, Master, you can only learn Basic Combat, right? Then how about learning from me?"
"Do you give out credits?"
"No..."
"Then I'm good."
The paralysis seemed to be wearing off. It still tingled, but I thought I could move.
"Noah, put me down now."
"Huh? Why should I?"
"...?"
It wasn't a considerate statement. It was a very self-centered choice of words.
"Why...?"
"If I put you down, you'll go back, right? Play with me a little longer. I'm lonely."
"I won't go back, so put me down..."
"...No."
"Why not?"
"..."
Say something!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
On the second day, all classes started normally. Considering we only had orientation on the first day, it was quite tiring. Still, I would get used to it if I did it long enough. I always did.
"Then, that's all for today's class..."
It was already the fourth period of common classes. Common classes mainly consisted of simple subjects like math and literature. Classes unrelated to combat, unlike magic or combat skills.
"Any questions?"
At that question, everyone's gaze focused on one spot. Where Eleanor was sitting. As expected of an attention-seeker, Eleanor was sitting in the front row. I, on the other hand, was in the back row where I could easily observe everyone.
Whoosh-
With less than five minutes left in class, Eleanor raised her hand in response to the professor's last question.
Thud!
Lucia, sitting next to her, grabbed her hand and pulled it down. Eleanor had raised her hand for every single question during the previous three classes. Not because she was curious. She just wanted to draw everyone's attention to herself. And she achieved that goal perfectly. As long as she didn't care if it was negative attention, it was a success.
"Ugh, Lucia. How could you betray me...?"
"...Noah? I want to enjoy my lunch break in peace."
"Oh... Okay..."
Lucia's serious expression seemed to reveal her true self, not an act. Was she really okay? Or perhaps she was incorporating her true self into her act. The students' anxious gazes suddenly shifted towards Lucia.
"Uh, ugh?!"
Lucia lowered her head. But her tail, in contrast to her head, twitched and shot straight up. Was she uncomfortable with the attention? This... she was a surprisingly timid cat.
"Hmm?"
I briefly made eye contact with Eleanor. She was looking around, seemingly dissatisfied with the attention shifting away from her. But when our eyes met, she immediately looked forward. Was she angry? Perhaps it was because I managed to escape from her and returned alone last night. But I couldn't help it. If I kept clinging to her in that cold, I would have become frozen meat. Since she was surprisingly cunning, she might just be pretending to be angry.
"Then, for now..."
Well, either way, I didn't have time to play with Eleanor or Lucia right now. I had already asked to be excused from the Intermediate Magic class, my major class, this afternoon. Seeing Professor Aira's happy expression made me feel a bit sorry, but considering what I had done, I decided to understand.
The robe I was wearing, reflected in the mirror, resembled the night sky.
[Starry Sky Robe]
A black robe with constellations drawn in white. The only constellation I recognized was the Big Dipper. I didn't know the rest.
"Am I 6-star now...?"
That thought suddenly occurred to me after I returned to the dormitory and put on my personal robe, which I had brought with me when I escaped Spellerge. Oz, being SSR-rank, had a base rank of 5 stars (★★★★★). However, in the game, if you leveled up a character and equipped them with exclusive equipment, they gained an additional star. When that happened, the character's illustration changed to a more detailed version, and student characters like Oz changed their clothes from the school uniform to something that matched their character's atmosphere.
Incidentally, even the background changed to match the atmosphere. And I was currently wearing the clothes of a 6-star Oz. In other words, these clothes represented a one-star difference.
"Hmm..."
Oz's exclusive equipment was quite excellent. It significantly increased defense and magic resistance, and added a coefficient to all magic spells. One star? No, considering the current state of [Mana Dominator], it deserved at least three stars. The probability couldn't have been this bad... I wished they would disclose the actual probability.
"Damn game company."
The Daily Dungeon looked exactly like it did in the game. Since fire-attribute monsters appeared on Tuesdays, the background also glowed like a lava zone.
"Not hot, though."
I lightly touched the wall with my fingertip, but it was just for show. It wasn't hot at all. As I was thinking that, [Contemplation] detected something approaching me. Convenient. There wasn't an assassin class in Broken Sky, but if there were, Oz might not have been treated like a joke.
"What appears on the first floor again?"
It was rare for the materials and resources needed in the game to be unified. The materials varied depending on their use, and even the currency was divided into free and paid. But the more the in-game currency was divided, the more tedious it became to acquire them. Some resources were easy to obtain, while others felt difficult. In a simple RPG, even that could be considered content, but in a collectible RPG where you had to raise multiple characters, it only added to the fatigue. In such cases, the solutions game companies came up with were usually similar.
One was to temporarily distribute the resources through events. This was usually just a temporary measure. Another method was to prepare another means of acquiring the resources. A typical example was the Daily Dungeon. In Broken Sky, you could obtain different materials from Monday to Friday. Gold was given out on weekends.
Basic Magic:
[Water Ball]
"Fire Lizards, right."
"Keeek!"
I subdued the Fire Lizard rushing towards me with basic magic. The difficulty was exactly as I expected. However, the difficulty would increase exponentially as I descended to the lower floors of the dungeon. The rewards would also increase accordingly, but my current limit was probably the third floor. Of course, if I pushed myself, I could reach the fifth floor. That meant the third floor was the limit I could clear without taking any damage.
Basic Magic:
[Freeze]
The Fire Lizards approaching me were all frozen. Due to the attribute correlation, the duration was shortened, but the probability of inflicting the status ailment was higher.
"It's absurd that these creatures, whose bodies are made of fire, are frozen by a mere [Freeze] spell..."
[Erosion Rate 4%]
It was probably because [Freeze] was classified as a water attribute. Ridiculous physics were being applied here.
[Mana Dominator Lv. 1]
Flutter-
A pure white fan unfolded in my hand. The nine ribs of the fan were shaped like fox tails, and blue will-o'-the-wisps flickered at their tips. It was [Azure Flame Fan], an intermediate-level magic spell. In the game, it was an offensive spell used by the SR-rank character [Blue-Eyed Fox Spirit]. Since Fire Lizards were also fire attributes, the damage would be halved, but the level of the magic was different.
"...It doesn't suit Oz, perhaps because it's Eastern-style."
If the Empire had a fantasy setting, the Federation had an Eastern setting. It was fascinating how distinct the characteristics of the countries were, despite being separated by only a single border. It made me realize once again that this was a world inside a game. They were right next to each other, they should interact more.
Whoosh!
I swung the fan at the Fire Lizards swarming towards me after the [Freeze] status ailment wore off. As the name of the fan suggested, blue flames, instead of wind, erupted and turned the Fire Lizards into ashes.
"Good firepower."
Click!
I folded the fan, and it disappeared like an illusion. I had checked with [Contemplation] many times, but I still couldn't understand the mechanics of [Mana Dominator].
"It's probably time for the boss fight..."
I had defeated all the Fire Lizards loitering around. Even a party consisting solely of N-rank characters could defeat the monsters that appeared on the first floor.
"Keeeeeek----!!!!"
The boss appeared soon after. It was a slightly larger Fire Lizard. As I said before, the difficulty of the first floor of the Daily Dungeon was quite low. Even a party of N-rank characters could clear it.
"So noisy."
And my strength was higher than that of an R-rank warrior.
"Keeek..."
Crack!
I stomped on the head of the frantically crawling Fire Lizard, crushing it.
"Should I go to the second floor?"
I stepped towards the next floor, leaving the corpse of the giant Fire Lizard behind. I hadn't obtained any material items so far. Unlike the game, materials might not drop, or maybe t
he drop rate was just low on the first floor.
So, I would check the second floor and then go back. The monsters that appeared on the second floor were...
"Keeek."
"They're all so noisy."
...Fire Lizards. Typical monsters you'd find in grinding quests.