Chapter 21: Ant Cave — Interlude
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21: Ant Cave — Interlude
[Status]
Name: Isaac
Lv: 50
Gender: Male
Year: 1st Year
Title: First-year
Mana: 605/605
Potential ❰❰Details❱❱
[Combat Skills]
Elemental Series 1: Ice
• Elemental Firepower (C+)
• Elemental Efficiency (C+)
• Elemental Synergy (C+)
Elemental Series 2 (Locked)
[Owned Skills]
Active
• (★1) Ice Generation (C-) / (★5) Black Ice (C-)
• (★2) Ice Curtain (C+)
• (★1) Cold Divergence (C+)
• (★1) Basic Protection Magic (E)
• (★4) Frostfire (D)
• (★4) Ice Wall (D)
Passive
• (★7) Psychological Insight
Skill Tree ❰❰Details❱❱
[Unique Attributes]
• Hunter
*
I had jumped fourteen levels in one go.
In Magic Knight of Märchen, mana growth accelerated significantly once a character hit Level 50, and I had just reached that threshold. If I gained even one more level, my mana pool would start to skyrocket.
It wouldn’t be long before I could finally learn [Frost Explosion].
I hadn’t expected it to be this easy.
It was a sunny afternoon. As usual, I had claimed a secluded corner of the Butterfly Garden. Sitting on the grass, I stared down at the Sheath of Disaster in my right hand. Unwilling to waste a single second, I conjured [Frostfire] in my left hand, maintaining the flickering cold flame as I focused.
As long as I kept the sheath—which was engraved with a specialized magic circle—infused with mana, I could trigger its stored effect at any moment. All I had to do was charge it and release.
The sheath could store spells of 5-stars or below, though the output would scale to my current level. Furthermore, when my [Hunter] trait was active, I would need to pump even more mana into it to compensate for the power boost.
I can’t wait to test this out.
However, I couldn't test the Sheath of Disaster just yet. The moment I engraved a magic circle onto it, the sheath would assimilate that specific spell. Once set, the circle couldn't be replaced.
The most efficient choice was to engrave [Frost Explosion] onto the Sheath of Disaster. In other words, this trump card would stay tucked away until I mastered that specific spell.
Not yet.
I slid the Sheath of Disaster back into my pocket. Next, it was time to distribute my accumulated stat points. I stood up and opened the [Potential ❰❰Details❱❱] window.
[Potential]
Stat Points: 38
◈ Growth Rate
• Physical Training Efficiency (C): 26/100 [UP]
• Magic Training Efficiency (B+): 55/100 [UP]
• Learning Efficiency (D): 12/100 [UP]
◈ Elemental Resistance
• Fire Resistance (E): 0/100 [UP]
• Water Resistance (D): 6/100 [UP]
• Ice Resistance (C-): 24/100 [UP]
• Lightning Element Resistance (C): 29/100 [UP]
• Rock Resistance (E): 2/100 [UP]
• Wind Resistance (D): 13/100 [UP]
• Neutral Magic Resistance (D): 8/100 [UP]
◈ vs. Race Combat Power
• vs. Human Combat Power (E): 4/100 [UP]
• vs. Other Races Combat Power (E): 1/100 [UP]
• vs. Heavenly Beings Combat Power (E): 0/100 [UP]
• vs. Demon Combat Power (S): 100/100 [MAX]
I had 38 points to spend, and I was close to maxing out my [Magic Training Efficiency].
Regardless of Isaac’s original mediocre potential, reaching 100 in [Magic Training Efficiency] was the equivalent of being a heaven-sent genius. My growth rate would become explosive. However, as ranks climbed, the time required to reach the next level increased exponentially. Even with a maxed efficiency stat, pushing my actual combat stats beyond B+ would take a considerable amount of time. If it were any easier, the "Hell" difficulty of Magic Knight of Märchen would be a joke.
To eventually obtain Hilde’s Frostscythe, my [Ice Elemental Resistance] needed to be at least 60, but I could grind that out over time.
For now, I wanted to bolster my [Physical Training Efficiency]. It went without saying that superior physical stats provided a massive advantage in combat. If I didn't match Ian’s athleticism, I’d eventually find myself in a lethal bind. Besides, considering the "work" I had planned for the future, peak physical fitness was mandatory—especially if I wanted to wield certain ultimate weapons.
Finally, since I had points to spare, I decided to bump up my [Learning Efficiency]. The higher this stat, the faster my individual magic proficiency would grow. It differed from [Magic Training Efficiency], which focused on raw elemental power like [Elemental Firepower] and [Elemental Synergy]. As a bonus, it would also help me keep up with my actual schoolwork.
Decision made.
I invested 13 points into [Physical Training Efficiency], 16 into [Magic Training Efficiency], and the remaining 9 into [Learning Efficiency].
[Potential [Physical Training Efficiency] has been upgraded from C to B-!]
[Potential [Magic Training Efficiency] has been upgraded from B+ to A!]
[Potential [Learning Efficiency] has been upgraded from D to C-!]
No matter how hopeless the original Isaac was, with potential like this, he wouldn't have to bow his head to anyone. Now, all that was left was training, training, and more training.
“Haa.”
I exhaled a cloud of frost and conjured [Frostfire] in both hands.
*
Greung.
The mysterious monster that had appeared during the class assignment evaluation.
Luce Eltania, the top student of the Magic Department at Märchen Academy, had spent the last few days obsessively searching for the creature's identity. But she had found nothing.
There was no easy way to check the elemental affinities of every student, and since the evaluation ended, Greung had vanished without a trace. She had even scoured the Delphine Forest for lingering mana signatures, but the trail was cold.
If I had known this would happen, I would have paid more attention during the mana capacity evaluation.
If she had, she would have known exactly which students possessed the ice element. It was the first time she truly regretted her habit of ignoring everyone around her.
She was walking through the academy grounds, basking in the sun with a troubled expression, when—
Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!
The distinct sound of ice magic echoed from nearby. It carried a crackling roar similar to flames, but Luce could hear the subtle, sharp chime of ice crystals colliding. It was definitely ice magic.
“…?”
The monster Greung had also used the ice element.
Driven by the memory, Luce headed toward the corner of the garden where the sound originated. She moved past the towering flower beds and through the rows of trees until an open lawn spread out before her.
There, she found a male student. He was drenched in sweat, focused entirely on practicing the 4-star ice spell, [Frostfire].
He had silver hair with a faint bluish tint and eyes as red as fresh blood. His gaze was icy and fixed, staring coldly into the void as he concentrated. In both hands, frigid flames roared. The white frost and ice mana swirled into a blaze, surrounded by a halo of beautiful, floating crystals.
“Haa!”
The man exhaled sharply and dispelled the [Frostfire].
Luce recognized him instantly. Thanks to her photographic memory, she could recall his face as clearly as a printed picture. He was the student who had panicked upon seeing her during the evaluation and fled.
He came from the same direction Greung escaped... and he uses ice...
“…It can’t be.”
For a split second, Luce doubted him, but she quickly shook her head. Greung had been an overwhelming, terrifying force of nature. That monster wouldn't be out here alone, sweating through his clothes just to practice a 4-star spell. Moreover, judging by the short range of his [Frostfire], his proficiency was mediocre at best.
He was a world away from that monster.
“Ah, ahhh…”
The silver-haired man’s nose began to bleed, the crimson matching the color of his eyes. He groaned, doubling over in pain.
It was clear he had overdrawn his mana. Luce had never experienced it herself, but she knew that mages who pushed past their limits suffered violent physical rebounds. In that state, even standing was a chore, let alone casting.
Despite the pain, the man wiped the blood away with his sleeve and immediately conjured the cold flames again.
Once more.
And then again.
The man unleashed [Frostfire] over and over.
“…”
Luce watched in silence. She didn't know why she stayed.
On the day she had signed her contract with the Thunderbird Galia, the ten-year-old Luce had turned her back on humanity in skepticism. But now, she couldn't take her eyes off this man. Was it just because of Greung? Had that monster awakened a dormant curiosity in her?
“Haah, haah…”
The man stopped to catch his breath. He slumped to the ground, head hanging low as he panted.
Is he finished?
No. He forced himself up again. He repeated the casting of [Frostfire]. When his mana finally failed him, he switched to physical conditioning—push-ups and squats—pushing his body to the breaking point.
For some reason, she couldn't stop watching. Luce stared at the man in a state of quiet disbelief.
*
Every day, the silver-haired man returned to that corner of the garden.
Luce began watching him from the roof of Charles Hall, the dormitory for the elite students. From that vantage point, she had a clear view of his training grounds.
On a moonlit night, Luce leaned against the roof railing, her long rose-gold hair and silk nightgown fluttering in the breeze. She watched him with her hawk-like vision.
The man spent most of his time on basics like [Cold Divergence] and [Ice Generation], but he was also diligently refining [Ice Wall] and [Frostfire]. Whenever he had a spare moment, he would clasp his hands together, trying to compress ice mana into the gap between his palms.
Luce, who possessed a fundamental understanding of almost all elemental magic, realized his goal immediately. He was trying to learn the 5-star spell, [Frost Explosion].
“You’re working so hard.”
The night wind carried her whisper away. She didn't know what drove him, but she found herself unable to look away.
Actually, perhaps she did understand.
Luce had turned her back on her own lightning magic. She funneled all her lightning mana into her 8-star familiar, Thunderbird Galia—even now. As a result, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't cast lightning spells properly. She had spent her life relying solely on her water element.
She looked down at her right hand. With a sharp crackle, sparks danced across her palm.
「Lightning Generation (Lightning Element, ★1)」
Hard work. Effort.
The concepts felt foreign, breaking apart in her mind as she watched him.
“…”
Luce clenched her sparking hand into a fist, her breath hitching. Her chest throbbed with a strange sensation. The image of that man practicing through the pain was a stark, stinging contrast to her own habit of running away from her lightning magic.
*
The next day passed, and the day after that.
The silver-haired man remained in his corner. Even when his nose bled and his limbs trembled with exhaustion, he continued. He didn't look like someone merely seeking self-improvement; he looked like a man driven by a desperate, singular purpose. He looked like a man with a secret he could never let go of.
The more she watched, the more he occupied her thoughts. His silhouette, bathed in the glow of cold flames, was burned into her mind.
*
A week later.
Based on his progress the previous night, it looked like the man was finally on the verge of mastering [Frost Explosion]. Luce sat on a distant garden bench, her eyes fixed on him.
He was at it again. He pressed his fingers together, leaving a small gap, and began condensing his ice mana. When a pale blue magic circle finally flickered into existence in front of his hands, his eyes went wide.
“…!”
Luce instinctively leaned forward, her heart racing. The appearance of the circle meant the conditions had been met.
Is it happening? Now?
The man thrust his right arm forward. A dense, swirling sphere of ice mana hovered before his palm, the magic circle tracking his movement perfectly.
And then—
He released it.
「Frost Explosion (Ice Element, ★5)」
Kaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh───!!
A violent, freezing detonation.
In an instant, a massive, jagged spear of ice erupted forward, stretching over ten meters long.
“Oh…!”
Luce let out a small gasp, her fists clenched in excitement.
Surprise flashed across the man’s face, followed immediately by pure, unadulterated ecstasy.
“Ahhhhhh…!”
He squeezed his eyes shut, his entire body trembling as he pumped his fists. He threw his head back and let out a wild, beastly cheer, even shadow-boxing the air in a frantic celebration.
“Pfft.”
Luce quickly covered her mouth with her hand, unable to stop a soft, genuine laugh from escaping.