Chapter 148 - 141

Generally, Nick enjoyed taking his time getting out of bed. He would pet Talbot for a few minutes while contemplating his plans for the day, and then, once it started to feel less like a luxury and more like sloth, he would finally rise. Today was not one of those days. The moment he escaped sleep's grasp, Nick sat up straight, and a childlike giddiness overtook him. I can use magic! I'm healed! Talbot meowed in annoyance at the sudden movement, but Nick ignored him. An extra slice of bacon would earn his forgiveness, while his first true attempt to use mana since the philosopher's stone explosion would demand all his attention. Well, to be honest, this isn't the first time, but those three attempts relied very heavily on external channeling. Now, I should be able to do magic on my own without any pain! Still, despite his enthusiasm, Nick took a moment to gather his nerves. Breathing in and out in the Stalking Gait pattern helped as always, and he could feel a trickle of mana begin to circulate through his channels even without direct input. It made him wonder if, now that he had [Arcane Circuitry], he'd get different results with the same spells he had used so far, but he set his curiosity aside. First things first, Nick focused on the sensation of his own mana, carefully guiding it to flow more smoothly and quickly. Any pain at this stage would indicate that the healer's estimate was incorrect. While it would be frustrating to have to wait longer, he was not willing to seriously injure himself. The discussion of a negative Trait had ensured that, especially since he suspected it would do more than just hinder him. It would likely leave a black mark on my path. No sense in risking that much. Fortunately, nothing twinged—not even a hint of soreness—though he noted that completing a full revolution of mana took more than a minute. "I have much more than when I last had the chance to test myself. More than double the amount I had before entering the dungeon." But that wasn't all. While the amount was greater, now that he could delve deeply into how it felt without being distracted by the constant soreness and pain, Nick noticed that the mana felt thicker, resembling oil more than the water it had once been. Bringing a thread of it to the surface, he dispersed it into the air. Without needing to fully form a thought, he caused a small swirl to appear at the tip of his finger. With a little more concentration, it condensed until it became a sphere of wind. It sat there, seemingly harmless. Nick knew it couldn't compare to his [Vacuum Sphere], but if he let it go, he suspected it would still be enough to blow his door off its hinges. It had taken him less mana than he normally needed to manipulate his voice with the wind, and that was when he was tightly controlling the surrounding air. Now, he barely had to think about what he wanted, and his mana complied effortlessly. It was a heady feeling. In his previous life, mana had been a rare resource, something to be sought after, to be used sparingly, and capable of supernatural feats only in the hands of those who dedicated their lives to its study. It almost felt cheap to wield such power without having to sweat for it, but Nick dismissed that thought. He had worked hard to reach this point. With a flick of his finger, the ball of air dispersed harmlessly. Once more, this required almost no effort, which made him smile. His second experiment was more complex. Bringing his hands together, Nick pooled his mana in his head, tracing the matrix needed for [Wind God's Third Eye]. He opened his eyes as he activated it, and for a moment, he felt a rush of vertigo as he saw much farther than he had ever dared to attempt, before reality reassessed its grip. When he had first achieved this spell, Nick had used it to glimpse what he was fairly certain was the System itself, or at least a manifestation of it. Now, with the increased power he could feed into the spell and the robustness of his channels compared to freeform casting, he knew he could push further. He didn't, as he wasn't a fool. If he ever wanted to learn the deeper truths, he'd have to do it with a great deal of preparation behind him. The System might have ways to punish those who try to interfere. But to know that even without intending to, [Wind God's Third Eye] can look beyond the layers of reality is a very good thing. I'm sure it will come in handy. Reining in that part of the spell, Nick concentrated on the material plane, and the world blossomed to his senses. The house and the nearby fields felt as if they were part of him, and with just a small effort, he looked further toward the town. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. His family home was half a mile from the last cluster of houses. Once, that had felt like an insurmountable distance. Today, Nick could see into a dozen homes before his vision finally faded. This meant his effective range was about two-thirds of a mile—much more than it had been in the dungeon. Improving my wind affinity has really helped, but I'm willing to bet that a significant part of this progress is due to Arcane Circuitry. [Wind God's Third Eye] perfectly fits the definition of "esoteric." If this is the level I can expect from all my occultist-like skills, then I should seriously consider investing more time in developing additional ones. Fortunately, Nick now had access to a new source of inspiration. Dismissing his sensory spell, he grabbed his ancestor's book and hugged it to himself, feeling almost giddy. He had made do with whatever he could scrounge up, and he was sure there was still much to learn from his collection, especially considering Semreh's chronicles. However, possessing something written by another Occultist felt like he would finally be able to develop his innate skills rather than simply contenting himself with what he could. Well, I also have a lesson with Arthur coming up. It should be very interesting, even beyond the utility that lightning magic could provide. I should make a plan before I go to ensure I learn everything there is to learn, not just what he chooses to teach me. "Breakfast is ready!" Nick heard his mother shout, and he put the book down with a huff. There was still much he wanted to do, but now it was time to hear his father's decision. Yesterday evening had been emotionally charged, and while Eugene had eventually seemed open to trying things Nick's way, he still begged off to go to sleep to reflect on it with a fresh perspective. Removing his sleepwear and putting on a simple outfit, Nick hurried downstairs, eager to find out if he would be able to experi— ehm, help his father overcome the last hurdle before Prestige. If my theory is correct, then closing the gap between his two sides will yield a significantly greater amount of Exp than he would normally expect. It would be as if he actually had two different classes, with the Swordsman being at a lower level. It just makes sense that it would require less Exp to progress, at least until it catches up. He found both his parents already dressed and eating, so Nick joined them at the table. He twitched a finger toward the frying pan with the bacon and used a trickle of mana to pull his plate next to it before grabbing the meat with another flex. [Telekinetic Field] had already been tested in the temple, but it was reassuring to know that it hadn't been a fluke. He then levitated the full plate toward himself and paid the cat tax by placing three slices on Talbot's plate. "He'll get fat if you give him that much," Eugene remarked casually, earning an annoyed meow that Nick didn't need to translate to understand was a rather annoyed response. He chuckled, "I woke him up a bit earlier than usual, so I had to pay tribute to his majesty to be forgiven." The spirit cat stretched with contentment, settling in to eat his fill while flicking his tail lazily. "I don't even know if he can get fat," Elena remarked, spooning some eggs onto everyone's plate. "I'd also appreciate it if you didn't use magic to levitate things in the kitchen, Nick. I understand you're eager to dive back into your little experiments, but having flying metal everywhere isn't safe." Nick smiled apologetically, "I'll only do that when I'm alone, then." His mother gave him a look that said that wasn't what she'd asked, but he didn't budge, making her sigh. "Sometimes, you remind me of my mother with how stubborn you can be." After finishing the meal, Eugene stood up and kissed his wife, then took his sword from the wall. "I'll see you all tonight, then." Nick watched him leave with a gobsmacked expression until the man turned around at the last moment with a wide grin. Elena covered her mouth with her hand, but it did nothing to stifle her laughter. "I'm sorry, son, but you should see your face," Eugene chuckled, stepping back into the kitchen. "I have decided to follow your plan. I would like you to take some time to read through the book first to see if there is anything there to disprove your theories. Once you've done that, we should be ready to go." Nick didn't mind the joke too much after that. He had his test subject. While he would have liked to delve into the book or go find Elia's parents and lay down the law now that he finally had his magic back, Nick knew better than to be so rash. It would have been satisfying, no doubt, but the situation was very delicate at the moment. His parents had obviously done some work on the general populace to ensure that nothing like the mob that Sashara had dispersed would form again, and Elia had asked him to trust her and give her a couple of days to work on something. I can only hope she knows what she's doing. The awe of having a Goddess descend should start to fade now, so I expect the rebellious beastmen to begin moving again. They likely wouldn't find nearly as much support as they once had, but the roots of the problem they faced were deep. Even if it took months, Nick suspected they might be able to rebuild momentum if nothing changed. Still, that meant he could give Elia one more day. In the meantime, he had something else to do. The last time he visited Arthur, he was little more than a non-magical child. Now that Nick had regained his mana, he could prepare to fully take advantage of the lesson he had been promised. First of all, he needed to ensure he could quickly learn [Spark]. Although it was rated as a low-tier lightning spell in Ingrid's journal, she still regarded it as one of the more flexible options. She described low-level lightning magic as very direct, consisting of either a single bolt of lightning meant to do direct damage or a series of smaller ones designed to trap or slow an enemy, which sufficed for the battles young mages encountered. But [Spark] served as the gatekeeper of the element. Without access to it, any mage would struggle to cast the greater spells. Nick suspected that Arthur intended to demonstrate it a few times, then provide a brief lecture on its uses and leave it at that. He had no intention of letting him off the hook so easily. I can't go there already knowing it. He could claim that he'd only agreed to teach me that specific spell and get out of the lesson, and he would know immediately if I tried to present it as a new development. So, I need to find a way to ensure I will learn it so quickly that he'll be forced to teach me more. Nick already had some experience using magic to enhance his learning speed. He had performed a ritual to grant himself his wind affinity, after all, even if it had initially been meant only to accelerate his understanding of the Stalking Gait. I bet I can do something similar. Not as powerful, since I don't have a convenient human sacrifice on hand, but I'm sure I can find a monster to use. It just so happened that the nearby grassland was home to a beast capable of channeling electricity through its body and wielding it as a weapon to great effect. "How lucky," Nick chuckled.