Chapter 85 26. Learning Magic from the Returnee
Learning Magic from a Returnee
Episode 86
Just like The Tower, the Holy Sword, or the Lord of Corpses, it was possible to directly impart skills into one's body.
However, that was only achievable under specific conditions.
I had cleared the Tower's quests,
overcome the trials of the Lord of Corpses,
and earned the recognition of the Holy Sword.
That was why I had acquired skills without any training process.
But this wasn't so easily done between humans.
The Lord of Corpses and the Holy Sword of Sacrifice were beings of mystery and transcendence in their own domains, which was why the Tower granted them such authority.
Of course, Tirpe could also create a Skill Book and hammer skills directly into my head. But even for a beginner-level skill, crafting a Skill Book required considerable time, effort, and materials.
So, what about directly transmitting the enlightenment of a skill into someone's mind?
For the current Tirpe, that would be no different from telling her to commit suicide.
She would have to sacrifice a significant part of herself, transferring it like an Inner Pill.
When Tirpe had raised the leader, deputy leader, and members of the Great Peace Sect, she hadn't been able to teach them many skills for no reason.
It was because she couldn't create a Skill Book using the mundane materials of Earth, which lacked any mystical essence.
Nor did she have any reason to slowly kill herself by nurturing others through an Inner Pill transfer.
That was why Kang So-eun and Hayase were extraordinary.
They had mastered high-tier skills entirely on their own.
And as for me... I was struggling to learn magic that had no connection to me whatsoever.
'Damn it, why is magic so hard?'
My head felt like it was about to explode from cramming all these unfamiliar theories into it.
In other words, I was failing to achieve Skill Manifestation, the phenomenon where a skill appears in the Status Window.
"The basic theory ends here."
"..."
Honestly, I thought it would be easy because of Read. Since Read was always active, I could grasp the principles and imagery behind skill activation.
But roughly understanding the theory wasn't enough. I had to apply that theory to reality and manifest it myself.
That was the core of Skill Manifestation.
Which was why, while many people could perfectly understand the theory, very few could actually use it.
Strictly speaking, my Read didn't fall under the domain of Comprehension.
Even if you read a book, there are times when you don't understand the content—and this was exactly one of those times.
"..."
Her sharp, dangerous aura flowed like thorns, but her gloomy eyes rolled toward me.
"...Is it difficult for you? You were able to pierce through the core of a magic circle and dismantle it, so..."
'That... was just reading the flow of mana and destroying the critical functional parts of the magic circle, you idiot.'
Tirpe.
This girl had an exceptionally solid foundation in magic.
It was almost as if she had received professional training from the Magic Tower, an organization of mages.
The only problem with her was...
'I'm not a prophet... She skipped over way too much, assuming I'd already know.'
Suppressing my irritation, I looked at the Basic Magic Theory textbook she had handed me as a reference. It was an overwhelmingly thick volume, over a thousand pages long.
Human memory wasn't perfect to begin with. How was I supposed to memorize explanations based on complex theories after just one listen?
Naturally, whenever I looked at the pages crammed with intricate formulas and patterns, my head started to ache.
'Magic really is a brain-bursting discipline, huh.'
No wonder professional mages were something you couldn't become even if you wanted to.
'I thought having the legendary-grade subclass Sage of Impurity would give me a bonus in learning magic, but was this just some perverted bastard's class...? I'd love to just hammer it in with a Skill Book. Ugh.'
I wanted an easy way out, but the world wasn't that kind.
What could I actually do with mana?
Not much.
Without any theoretical foundation, I could only rely on instinct, imbuing mana with will or intent. That was how I gave it kinetic energy.
But magic didn't end at just granting mana movement.
Following predetermined rules, you had to fix or move mana, precisely altering it within the framework of a magic circle.
That was how you twisted reality to create phenomena.
A different sensation from converting mana into Sacred Power.
Nor was it as simple as gathering and firing mana like with Mana Transport.
It was literally about engraving a clear image into reality through intense will and visualization.
But while that sounded easy in theory, actually doing it...
'What the hell is this?'
All I could do was move mana with a vague, uncertain feeling.
'I don't get the theory, but I should at least try.'
Memorizing all the skill theories overnight was impossible. For now, I decided to test the magic I had focused on learning the most.
I channeled mana into my palm.
The intricate magical formulas interlocked in my mind like gears meshing together. I had no confidence in rotating my mana to match them.
Kiiing—
Yet, to even my own surprise, my mana operation flowed without hesitation. It felt as though each mechanical part was assembling with precision.
The air above my palm became overlaid with a blue hue. Vivid lines of mana streamed with meticulous accuracy, sketching a circular magic circle and filling its interior with geometric patterns.
At that moment.
Fwaaaah!
A spark-like flash erupted in my mind like lightning.
Almost instinctively, I uttered that single phrase.
As if the mana in my hand was whispering the word to me.
Truly, like magic.
"Sparks."
Uuuuung!
The magic circle brightened further, spewing forth a new phenomenon.
The magic circle, now one with the light, melted into my hand, and—
Pabababak!
Sparks—the kind that fly when steel grinds against steel—were born above my palm.
"......"
Even I was left dumbfounded by how effortlessly I had achieved my first spell.
For a while, I just stared blankly at the sparks dancing in my palm.
『Skill Sparks has been acquired.』
The reality that I had succeeded in casting magic was confirmed by the message.
"...?"
I hadn't clearly grasped the theory behind the spell.
But I had succeeded.
With a slightly bewildered gaze, I turned to Tirpe.
Tilting her head, Tirpe looked at me as if to ask what was wrong.
"...Is something the matter? There's nothing lacking in your Sparks, so is there some issue...?"
It seemed even Tirpe hadn't noticed the strangeness.
The fact that this was my first time casting magic.
I flipped open the textbook and focused on reading another spell.
Then, I spread my palm and rippled forth mana so pure it couldn't be cleaner.
Uuuung—
Moving it roughly as I understood from the book, I drew the formula. Even that completed itself flawlessly, forming a beautiful circle without any noticeable flaws.
"Dew Gathering."
Hwaaak—
The glowing magic circle flickered and transformed into a distinct phenomenon.
About 10 centimeters above my palm—
Grrrgle—
Dew-like droplets of pristine water formed and hovered in the air.
『Skill Dew Gathering has been acquired.』
The moisture swirled as if forming a sphere, but the quantity was insufficient, leaving it slightly hollow as it rotated.
"......"
"...Given how vividly you've grasped Sparks and Dew Gathering, you must have an affinity for fire and water attributes as well. Since you've never used magic before, I had no idea... B-but why are you chanting? At your level, Miss Si-hyun, you should be able to cast without—"
The output of my spells far exceeded the amount of mana I had expended. So, Tirpe seemed to think I had an innate talent for fire and water.
Of course, her assumption was roughly correct.
Without responding, I turned the page of the textbook.
One after another, I unleashed spells.
"Discharge."
A faint spark crackled across my hand.
"Gentle Breeze."
A light gust of wind lifted Tirpe's skirt.
Her cheeks flushed instantly, though the stockings tightening around her thighs and her panties remained uncovered. Thanks to that, I got a nice eyeful.
"Soil Mound Creation."
I angled my palm downward, held the magic circle in place, and slowly chanted.
Fwaat!
After a faint glow dissipated,
a clump of soil—fertile enough in appearance—formed and hovered beneath my hand.
"Frost Aura."
I created another magic circle in my left hand, then directed it toward my right.
Jjeojeok—
A chilly aura erupted from my left hand and seeped into the earthen mass.
The clump of soil froze faintly, forming a thin layer of frost with delicate ice crystals.
"...Six-element affinity...?"
No, not six-element affinity.
I dropped the frozen soil to the ground and extended both hands.
"Glimmer, Dusk."
The incantation was input first, and mana bloomed from both palms.
Faint heat haze gathered into distinct circular shapes. The movement was so fluid that not even a single stutter interrupted the formation of the two magic circles.
The result?
Fwaaang! Uuuung!
A sphere scattering faint light across the surroundings, and a pitch-black mass dimming the area.
Two incompatible attributes coexisted in my hands.
Even for beginner spells, their colors were vivid, their forms unmistakably clear.
『Skill Glimmer has been acquired.』
『Skill Dusk has been acquired.』
Tirpe, her mouth slightly agape, muttered under her breath.
"...Omni-element... affinity?"
The shock in her trembling eyes was palpable.
Fire, water, wind, earth, ice, lightning, light, darkness.
A natural-born wielder of all eight elements.
A genius so rare that even in The Tower, which draws in the entire universe, there are only five.
As if being a smoking-hot, sexy pretty boy wasn't enough—
"Ha. Insane."
I had two more elements than the original protagonist.