The Five Attributes and Sinat's Perilous Contract
Nature, Manufacturing, Combat, Contract, Academic. In modern times, these are the five major attributes that form the grand framework of magic.
Nature Attribute is literally just that—nature. It seeks to manifest in the world forms resembling nature through magic: fire, water, or things like the sky and earth. It most closely resembles the foundational 1st Hierarchy, which is why it corresponds to the greatest number of mages.
Manufacturing Attribute is rooted in alchemy. It blends magical materials or techniques into the world's pre-existing alchemical laws. This gives birth to far more powerful magical weapons, or convenient items that bring magic into everyday life.
Combat Attribute is the most straightforward. Its ultimate goal is killing—the attribute most closely tied to magic's original purpose. Compared to the others, it boasts markedly superior lethality and destructive power.
Contract Attribute belongs exclusively to spirit mages. They commune with spirits of the Spirit Realm, forming a kind of bond with them. The spirit accompanies the contractor to experience the world, while the contractor learns the spirit magic the spirit wields.
Academic Attribute is the most theoretical. It aims for contemplation of magic itself, through ceaseless research and inquiry. It is the attribute that unveils the many unresolved mysteries of "magic," one by one.
Each attribute truly takes shape from the 2nd Hierarchy onward, with characteristics growing ever more pronounced in the higher tiers. It was something Blamia had mentioned when Kalen first attempted 2nd Hierarchy Combat magic.
Naturally, each comes with its own risks, generally ranked from safest to most dangerous: spirits, academic, manufacturing, nature, combat.
What Sinat was attempting now was the breakthrough from 1st Hierarchy to 2nd Hierarchy. The moment when the Contract attribute first shines through—and her very first contract with a spirit.
"...I'm nervous, Kal. Can't you hold my hand?"
"You're the one who convinced me earlier."
"That's that and... this is this. I'm still shaking."
"..."
She'd pushed forward so boldly when convincing him to let her try, yet here she was, scared out of her wits. It was certainly an odd trait.
Unthinkingly, Kalen recalled the first time he'd met Sinat.
—Huh? Pfft! Friends don't use formal speech with each other. Dummy. Calling someone a friend right off the bat.
He'd sensed it even then: Sinat was definitely unusual. But now, such quirks felt familiar to Kalen.
He said nothing, simply taking her hand in quiet reassurance.
"Eek."
"...Focus."
Kalen turned his head away, embarrassed by her playful giggle. Memories of that sunset-dyed hill kept surfacing.
He hurriedly shook them off, turning his thoughts to the procedure for the Contract Attribute.
Diving deeper, it was quite intricate. Not that any attribute was simple—the world of magic was vast, after all.
When someone suited to the Contract attribute attempts to manifest the 2nd Hierarchy, their consciousness blacks out in an instant. Unlike fainting, though, the body doesn't collapse. Only the mind connects to the Spirit Realm.
There, the caster meets spirits drawn to their mana. Usually, it's a spirit connected by a master's guidance or pure intuition...
"Sinat."
Recalling that far, Kalen softly called her name. Her mind had calmed; now he checked for anything amiss.
No reaction from their clasped hands, her eyes still closed. Her consciousness had fully settled in the Spirit Realm.
"I wonder what spirit it'll be."
Blamia had taught them that projecting one's consciousness into the Spirit Realm was easy enough. Success in reaching the 2nd Hierarchy was marked by the pattern appearing on the wrist. When consciousness returns and the pattern glows vividly, it means mastery of the 2nd Hierarchy.
Spirits were said to take cute animal forms. That was why, upon first hearing of Sinat's aptitude, he'd thought, It suits her perfectly. Her lively nature would pair well with a cute spirit.
And so, Kalen waited quietly for Sinat to awaken. It was a bit boring, yet somehow not tedious at all.
"Sinat!"
"..."
"Sinat!!"
Something was wrong.
Kalen sensed it soon enough. Blamia's disciple and granddaughter—names that suggested no shortcomings in magical aptitude. Indeed, both he and Sinat were exceptionally strong in theory.
For the two of them, attempting a mere 2nd Hierarchy Contract seemed low-risk.
But they were just children. A boy and girl, still young.
The world doesn't always follow theory. Like a protruding stone on a path, unexpected variables always lurk.
This was one such moment for Kalen and Sinat.
A situation Blamia had never mentioned. In his lessons on the Contract attribute, he'd never described anything like this.
Kalen urgently called her name, gripping her shoulder—but he didn't dare try to wake her.
Sinat's brow furrowed deeply, cold sweat beading on her skin. Her eyes remained shut.
Was it just taking longer than usual? No, that didn't explain the ominous aura rising around her.
Spirits were sacred beings, or so they'd been taught. Such a sinister energy during a contract made no sense.
"The pattern..."
The faint unease he'd ignored ignited fiercely.
Kalen seized her wrist to check. Ssszzzt—where a sacred pattern should form, a faint black stripe was etching itself instead.
Kalen possessed genius talent beyond his years, acknowledged by Blamia himself. Undeniable.
But stripping away age, he could barely wield a single 2nd Hierarchy spell. And in a different attribute, no less.
He knew next to nothing about Contract magic. Maintaining composure in this unforeseen crisis was no easy task.
Thankfully, his calm nature aided his judgment—but no solution came to mind.
"Listen well. Especially you, Sinat. Contract attribute magic must never be interrupted midway. It puts immense strain on the body, and if mishandled, you might never use magic again."
That lesson burned in his mind like a brand. In his hopeless past, sunk in despair's pit, an old man had extended a saving hand.
Kalen could never defy Blamia's words.
Was the trembling he felt Sinat's... or his own?
His benefactor and mentor's command. His only friend's life—Blamia's granddaughter.
Two irreconcilable extremes gnawed at his brain.
"..."
The endless moment ended with a drip—blood trickling from Sinat's nose and mouth.
And in that instant, Kalen's trembling stopped.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Hyperventilating? Kalen clung to his squeezing, dazed mind, sifting through memories.
"Master. You said I have no mana, right? Am I unusual?"
"Not unusual. People without mana are more common than you think."
"Then..."
"Among non-mages, that is. Kalen, no mage lacks mana entirely. It might be scant, but using magic without any like you? Impossible."
His hand moved to his body, recalling when Blamia had stimulated his mana.
"Then to become a mage, mana is absolutely required."
"Obviously. Magic can't exist without mana."
Magic cannot exist without mana. Thus, magic always requires mana.
Kalen muttered it like divine revelation.
The mental image world was proof of a mage. He knew his own was abnormal.
Another abnormality: wielding magic without mana.
A baseless hypothesis—but if the irregular mental image and mana were linked somehow, perhaps he could forcibly sever someone else's mana using his mental image.
Sinat's stalled contract was magic, too. Per Blamia, normal magic can't manifest without mana.
"Never able to use magic again..."
The warning echoed. Life versus magic—no comparison.
Kalen steadied his breath, preparing the 2nd Hierarchy Combat spell "Explosion." His hand remained on his body.
A body that ejected his mental image when mana was stimulated. He didn't know how to stimulate mana himself, nor how to summon his mental image.
But he remembered what Blamia had done. Magic to disrupt the body would suffice.
Blamia's mana stimulation was magic. His mana-less body spat out a mental image instead.
Kalen's eyes burned with eerie calm. It was a common phrase, but no justification for the madness he planned. The crater scarred into the training yard still lingered vividly in memory.
Gripping Sinat's hand tighter, he spoke.
"Wanna make a bet, Sinat?"
There had been a time when Blamia dragged him around for experiences. One day at a gambling den, he'd oddly taken to wagers.
Having lived by bets and gambles, he'd react to them instinctively for a while. Blamia curbed it, but the habit of saying "Wanna make a bet?" had stuck long ago.
"Whether I succeed or fail at this insane stunt."
He didn't notice his own hollow chuckle leaking out. Could he survive using a 2nd Hierarchy spell on himself? Would Sinat be harmed? Was the mental image-mana link just his delusion?
Questions bundled into the habitual phrase.
Doing nothing meant Sinat's doom. With blood pouring from nose and mouth, it was clear.
Better to seize even slim odds than wait for death.
Thus, he staked everything on the absurd hypothesis. His betting habit ran deep.
"—!!"
At last, from Kalen's hand erupted the 2nd Hierarchy Combat spell, "Explosion."
Boom!!
A massive blast rocked the air, the surroundings dyeing in inky gray.
Sinat's eyes snapped open, and she collapsed.
"Hic... sob... hic..."
Her legs gave out.
"Kalen... Kalen...!"
She looked around: all was darkness. But different. The terrifying void she'd just left was gone; this gray was familiar.
"Kalen...!!"
Finally, she faced forward. Kalen slumped, still holding her hand. Burns and torn flesh marred his body.
Had he used a 2nd Hierarchy spell on himself?
Sinat recalled entering the Spirit Realm for the contract. Nothing like Grandpa described—just horrifying darkness. The "spirit" she'd met was monstrous, grinning eerily at her.
Terror-stricken, she'd called for Grandpa and Kalen endlessly, but she was alone. No sacred spirit.
It felt like death loomed. Then vision flipped, gray flooding in.
Relief buckled her legs. No need to overthink—Kalen had done something.
"Kalen...?"
A brief squeeze from his hand, then he lifted his head with his usual impassive gaze.
"You okay...?"
"Kalen!!"
And then—beyond him, the monster from the Spirit Realm.
How could a spirit manifest without a contract? Panic aside, instinct drove her hand to the magical tool Blamia had given her for emergencies.
The monster noticed, thrusting a spear-like claw. Aimed at the tool—but it would impale her too.
In that instant.
Rip—
The monster's claw pierced Kalen's back.
And Blamia arrived—nearly simultaneous.