CH 12

Magic Energy Manipulation

I took the Adventurers plate and turned around.

“Mister Gein! Mister Ajifu! It’s been awhile!”

It was two boys who had left Ruyana village in order to become Adventurers in Powarso. They were the ones that killed my old rival.

“Loyd, Shitte, it’s good to see you again. You look well.”

“Aye, we just went up to F-Rank! Look at this.”

They showed me their bronze Adventurers plates.

“That’s amazing! You must be working hard!”

“Indeed! But, I see you’ve become an Adventurer too now. What happened?”

“Yes, I decided to go on a journey.”

“So you’re leaving… The village will be sad.”

I couldn’t be an Adventurer here. There would be people who knew me, including those who visited from the village regularly.

“Maybe a little. But you two should visit the village some time. They’ll be glad to see your faces again.”

“Well, Ruyana is our hunting ground! We’ll annihilate the goblins!”

“Hey, hey. It’s too dangerous for just you two to go deep in the forest. You better tell me and Zuky if you’re going.”

“We know! We’re not that reckless.”

“I don’t know about that. Have you two eaten yet? You could accompany us.”

“Your treat, Mister Gein?”

“Your treat, Mister Gein?”

“Seems I have no choice.”

And so surprisingly, I was able to leave the guild without any trouble. And the four of us ate together.

“I thought it would be a little more eventful.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Well…I thought maybe some drunk Adventurer would harass me. ‘Oi! An old man like you has no business being an Adventurer.’”

“You might hear people saying such things in other places, but not likely from a youngster who makes a living as an Adventurer. Also, they get very angry if you go to reception while drunk, so you should be careful.”

“Well, I suppose so.”

Gein bought them food that was filled with meat. The kind that youngsters were sure to like, and then we parted ways with Loyd and Shitte.

“We’ll go to the Sorcerers Guild next!”

I pulled Gein, who looked a little sick after eating too much, and headed towards the Sorcerers Guild. It was his fault for trying to compete with the appetites of those much younger than him.

The Sorcerers Guild was in a large mansion-like building. When I opened the door, there were two reception counters in front of me.

A young man with a serious expression and blue hair was sitting behind the counter. He called to me as I approached.

“Welcome to the Sorcerers Guild. What business are you here for today?”

“I want to learn everyday magic.”

“It will be based on aptitude, so you cannot choose what magic you will learn.”

“That’s fine.”

Hurry up! Magic! Come on!

“You will be informed of the price after the examination. And then you can make your decision.”

“Hmm? It’s not one gold coin?”

I turned to look at Gein.

“It was one gold with me.”

“There is a tendency for those who are older to require more materials in order to gain the skill of magic manipulation. Younger people generally only need one gold coin.”

“I see. Well, please start the examination then.”

“Mister Fiyu! It’s everyday magic!”

The young man called, and a tall, thin man who wore a coat that reached the ground stepped out. He looked rather sleepy. He even carried a staff which made him look like a typical Sorcerer.

“I’m Fiyu. It’s nice to meet you. First, there will be a magic manipulation acquiring examination. Please come this way.”

He guided me across the room to where there was a magic circle drawn on the floor. It was about a meter in diameter.

“Please stay in the center of the magic circle. You can stand or sit if you prefer.”

I stood in the center of the magic circle and then Mister Fiyu stood behind me and put a hand on my back.

Hmm? Was it just me, or was there a tingling sensation?

“Very stiff… Could you please move over to this magic circle?”

He directed me over to a slightly larger magic circle…and then passed it and stopped at a much larger one that was two and a half meters in diameter.

When I stepped in the center, he put his hand on my back again.

“It’s still too stiff. Use of the largest magic circle will cost two gold coins. What will you do?”

T-two gold coins!? That was rather severe, but I wanted to learn magic no matter what. Do it!

“I-I’ll do it.”

I could see Gein’s exasperated expression in the corner of my vision.

“Very well. Then I will begin. If you feel the movement of magic energy in your body, focus on it.”

Said Mister Fiyu as he started to place magic stones in different spots within the magic circle. Each one was about twice the size of the stones from goblins. Once he had placed all of them down, he moved around to my back and placed his hand on again.

Clink.

It was probably the sound of his staff hitting the floor. And the magic circle unleashed a blinding light which caused the magic stones to emit a black smoke before vanishing.

Ohh!? I could feel something stirring and rumbling outside of my body. Was this magic energy?

“Wh-what is!?”

Behind me, Mister Fiyu sounded alarmed.

Huh!? What!? Was the magic energy so immense that he was surprised?

“The magic energy is so stiff that it will not move! You must cooperate and try to move it as well!”

This wasn’t like stiff shoulders. Still, I tried to focus on the tingling sensation and move it.

“N-no! It’s no use! Kijiki! Help me! I need some support!”

I could hear all kinds of noises coming from reception. Someone was coming down the stairs. Then I saw an old man rush into the room and thrust his hands out so that they were on my chest.

Cracks appeared on something that was inside of my body, and then it shattered. Just as I thought that my insides were breaking, I felt something in my stomach start to spin as it spread out.

(What is this!? It’s hot! It spins… I feel sick…)

“Alright! It melted! It’s the magic energy that courses through you! You must focus so that you can feel the flow and control it.”

(It swirled around in my stomach and then flowed out to every corner of my body before returning and swirling. Yes, just like blood. It went round and round and round…)

The light of the magic circle slowly started to fade, and the magic energy that had been moving like water started to become thicker. And then stickier and tougher. Then it hardened again.

However, I felt that just a small portion of it was still soft in my stomach.

Before I knew it, the magic circle had stopped glowing entirely.

“How do you feel? Have you acquired magic manipulation?”

He asked. And so I checked my status.

Magic Manipulation Lv1

Improves the manipulation of magic energy.

I had acquired the skill.

“Thank you! I was able to acquire it.”

I couldn’t help but grab his hands and thank him.

“Uh, oh. I’m glad. You should continue to focus on it and move it until it feels familiar to you. By the way, I am Merat. The Guild Master.”

“Master. Oh, I’m sorry for bothering you.”

“Ah, it could not be helped. It is rare to see such stiffness. With such cases, it is better to go in quickly and with force, instead of slowly from the outside. I’m sure it was very educational for you.”

Gein. That bastard was laughing again.