It took me around three months to get a basic grasp of the runic language. I had a lot of help from Laendrif, and it was a great opportunity for him to learn more about the language of his ancestors. Laendrif is a descendant of ancient druids who arrived on this land about 1600 years ago. I was considering the possibility that these druids came from my old world, but I realized that it didn’t have any form of magic to begin with, and certainly not to the extent of what these druids seemingly possessed. Their potential was so high that this potential was passed on to their offspring, as Laendrif is proof of that.
Laendrif told me more about this. Whenever a visitor from another world would produce offspring in this world, their children would inherit at least part of that power, and when both parents are otherworlders this could result in a bigger potential. But this wasn’t just limited to otherworlders. Even those who have raised their potential sufficiently through natural ways could create strong offspring. In this world, heroes didn’t need to come from another world, they could just be born, or even bred.
What I’ve also learned was that the druids didn’t create the sigils, they merely were taught how to use them, and recorded them in their books. They’ve done a lot of research on them, research that a lot of magicrafters benefit from even today.
Finally, I learned a bit more about the 【Language】 skill. Any language in the language skill is graded, depending on the knowledge and understanding of the individual. If someone was fluent with a certain language, it was graded the highest level of five, and if one was a beginner, it was at level one. My native language naturally was at level five, as was English and Ebda, the language commonly spoken in Arvarva, while the ancient language, Svallte, was only at level one, since all I was able to do was read simple words and sentences, though the druid language, Nuruvellte, was at level two, as I was able to hold very simple conversations with Laendrif. It was hard, but also fun to learn a new language. It wasn’t something I was able to do in my original world, though I did have a lot more time, since all I did was raid the dungeon or hang out in the city.
Speaking of hanging around, this city was great for the sisters. It was the closest to what they could remember from their old life. Of course it didn’t have all the conveniences they were used to, but they learned to live with it. Gilian already found a substitute for manga in the form of books.
The apartment was also great, it had a good view over the city. Even Jeanne was excited to live here, which at first did strike me as strange, since in our original world she had acrophobia. I didn’t really think much of it though.
The apartment was spacious, and a lot nicer than the inn we stayed in. Not that there was anything wrong with the inn, it was just nice to have a place of our own with separate rooms, though in the end, the girls shared one room while I got a room for myself. Originally, the plan was to all get our own rooms, but Rya insisted that the twins slept in the same room as hers.
“Boss, I don’t think it’s a good idea to let them sleep alone,” she said.
“Why’s that?” I asked
“Well, maybe you haven’t noticed, but they’re pretty restless when they sleep.”
“You mean, like, nightmares?”
“Yeah. I mean, so far it ain’t serious, but I wanna make sure they’re okay. At least for the moment.”
“If you think that’s the best for them, but you’ll need to discuss this with them as well.”
I think I knew that whatever happened to them had left scars, it was just hard to really accept it. I had it easy, like, really easy. I didn’t have to become an adventurer, but even as an adventurer, my life wasn’t hard, and I was free to pick a more easy profession if I wanted to. They didn’t have that freedom, they were forced into this. I guess I felt a bit of guilt, and at this point, I wasn’t sure what I could mean for them.
From what I’ve heard from Rya, Gilian was relatively calm whenever she woke up. Every now and then she’d go to the balcony to get some air, and she’d return back to bed once she was done. Jeanne however had it a lot worse. Sometimes Rya would hear her sobbing, silent enough that most humans wouldn’t hear her. I don’t think it was just the trauma, though. The one time I woke up in the middle of the night and heard her, I could hear those words that haunted me for a long time. “I wish I was home again.”
Home… what was home like again?
“How are things going?” I asked Frederick.
“All’s going well,” he replied. “They’re quick learners.”
Jeanne and Gilian have been training under Frederick when we weren’t exploring the dungeon. I figured out that it was a necessity, as while they were able to learn spells at a quicker pace, they didn’t have the fundamentals of magic. One of the results was that they’d leak additional mana after casting a spell, leading to their mana depleting much quicker. Rya also noticed that they needed quite a bit more time to cast their magic compared to other magic casters. From what she told me, in order to cast magic more quickly, using it should be an instinct. Beginners often have to actively concentrate spells to be able to cast them, especially spells they just learned, but in time, casting magic becomes a second nature. But because Jeanne and Gilian were already a fair bit older than most magic casters who begin their magic training at the age of five, they were lagging behind. This is actually true for most otherworlders who arrive in this world at an older age.
It’s also why chant magic isn’t really popular in this world. While chant magic has its own advantages, most people prefer to use chantless magic, as relying too much on chant magic will make learning how to cast magic on instinct a lot harder, and there are times you need to instantaneously cast magic on instinct.
“Rivers, I need to talk to you in private,” Frederick said. “Without the twins.”
I wondered what Frederick wanted me to talk about, but based on his eyes I knew it was a serious matter. I followed Frederick to a private room, where we sat down.
“Is there something wrong?” I asked.
“Not necessarily wrong, I guess. No, I think it’s more accurate to say that I’m a little bit concerned.”
“How come?”
“As you know, the twins have specialized in certain types of magic. Gilian’s specialization is white magic, while Jeanne’s is dark magic.”
“Yes, I am aware.”
“Before I continue, I need to ask you about how they are in their private life.”
“Gilian I think is adjusting to life in this world, I think. She does seem to have trouble sleeping, but other than that she seems normal. Jeanne, well, I don’t know for sure. She’s changed since she got here, since I found her in this world. From what I heard from Rya, she’s not doing well.”
“What you just said aligned with what I’m thinking.”
“And that is?”
“There is darkness inside Jeanne. Not a physical darkness or something tangible. It’s her state of mind.”
“How could you tell?”
“The way she speaks, the way she looks at things. It’s even in how she looks. I assume you’ve already noticed it yourself, but I can see she hasn’t been sleeping well. Do you know what exactly happened to them during their time in captivity?”
“I’ve talked about it with the one who took them in, Elincia Celwind. Aside from what she told me, I don’t know a lot, and I really don’t want to open wounds.”
“Eventually you will have to ask either one of them, and if you’re going to ask someone, maybe it’s best to ask Gilian.”
We went back to the training room, where Jeanne and Gillian were still practicing. Rya was also there, doing some physical exercises. She’d usually just do it to blow off some steam on an easy day. Sometimes she’d also spar with other adventurers.
“I am glad Rya has found companions,” Frederick said.
“Yeah, I’ve heard she had a hard time getting by before.” I said.
“Rya has a set of qualities that are underappreciated, at least for adventurers, and I’m not talking about physical strength or combat abilities. She has a good heart, which is good, but not as useful when you’re in a fight.”
“Not everything is about fighting, though. I mean, sure, Rya’s more skilled than me, but the reason I’m glad she’s still with us is the fact that she’s also a great friend.”
“Exactly, Rya is like the adhesive that keeps a group together. Most adventuring groups you’ll find here only form a temporary bond. There are only a few that stay together until the end.”
“What about you?”
“I have already reached my end. I’m not as young anymore. I’m mostly here as a mentor, occasionally helping out the odd group with their requests. While I do have a regular group of adventurers I go with, it’s mostly because they need me for something, either my skills or my knowledge.”
“What happened to your old group?”
“Nothing too special. Most of them retired from adventuring, some became guild masters. There are a few who are still out traveling. There comes a point in life when you’ll reach your limit.”
Even though the lifespan in this world is longer than in my previous world, most adventurers quit when they’re still relatively young, some in their thirties, others in their sixties. Only very few remain active when they reach their 200th year.
“Anyway, is there any news about their collars?” I asked.
“Unfortunately not,” Frederick replied. “Most of the work in removing the enchantments have already been done, but there are quite a few that we just can’t get rid of without causing them harm. I don’t think they’ll ever get off.”
“There has to be a way, and I’m confident I’ll find it.”
“And what makes you so confident?”
“She told me.”
“I don’t doubt you when you say she exists, but the gods have abandoned us once before, how can you be certain you can trust her?”
“It’s not about me trusting her, it’s about her trusting me. And aside from that, if there’s anything I know, it’s that nothing is infallible. I will find the solution to this.”
“I’m glad you have that resolve, and I hope you will find it one day. But in the meantime, these girls need better guidance, one that’s more focused on their specialization, which is why I wanted to suggest a tutor.”
“You already have one in mind.”
“Yes. She specializes in light, dark and nature.”
“Nature is a magic type?”
“Yes, though it’s mostly a classification of what sort of magic it is. It’s like what you call elemental magic, like fire, water, earth or air. We too group them as elemental, though mainly because they’re the easiest types of magic to learn. You know what they look like, how they feel, what they can do. Abstract concepts like light or dark are harder to grasp, which is why not everybody can learn these types of magic. It’s not so much an inability to use said magic as it is a lack of understanding of the things it represents. People who have an affinity for these kinds of magic already have an understanding of light or dark. While everybody has the ability to learn light magic or dark magic, not everybody has the mental capability to visualise it.”
“And nature?”
“Nature is a more advanced kind of magic. It isn’t as abstract as light or dark, but it also isn’t as easy to grasp. Nature is about life. Certain kinds of elves are born with this kind of magic, as they’re closer to nature, but anybody with magic potential can learn it.”
Aside from practicing my magic, I worked a lot on my condition. Sometimes I’d do strength training, other days I’d just go out jogging to increase my stamina. There weren’t a lot of places I could train, but for the most part, the training grounds at the guild were good enough. Whenever I wasn’t doing exercises, I’d create small things, mostly ingots of rare metals. I’d save them up to either sell them or to use them later. It’d also allow me to increase my mana reserve. I also learned a few things from doing this.
There’s this thing called magic fatigue, which is when you’ll feel tired when performing magic above a certain grade, which is dependent on the user. Basically, it depletes your magic stamina, similar to how you’d get tired if you ran for a while without proper training. To combat magic fatigue, you need to train yourself, mostly mentally, but it does help if you’re physically fit as well.
I also noticed that increasing my reserve didn’t require me to completely drain myself of mana. It just had to be significant enough. In fact, the main factor was the usage of mana. This actually has been tested, by draining somebody of mana using spells. Through this it had been proven that this didn’t actually raise the mana reserve. What does get increased is the person’s mana recovery rate.
“Hey boss,” Rya said, “are we going to the dungeon again?”
“I mean, if you guys want to,” I said.
The girls nodded. Most of the time, we’d do a request or two or explore the dungeon. Because of our lack of experience, we didn’t go beyond the fifth floor. The only one who had enough combat experience to go further was Rya, which is why she’d sometimes go with Arethea and her party.
“What’s the plan this time?” Rya asked.
“There are a few things I want to try,” I said. “I’ve cleared it with the guild, but I wanted to do some small experiments inside the dungeon.”
“Sounds like fun, what’re we gonna do?”
“I wanted to disassemble a few mechanics of the dungeon, things like doors or puzzles.”
“Is it really okay to do that?” Gilian asked.
“Sure, apparently the dungeon automatically repairs itself if we break something.”
I needed to know the inner workings of everything. I could perfectly scan most things, but that alone was not enough to make things work. There was something powering them, something that would make everything work, and I guessed that they were powered by magic circles. Since 【Analysis】 doesn’t map out writings and certain other kinds of details, I figured that it also wouldn’t map out magic circles. I decided that my first target would be a door, as that would be the easiest to map out.
Before I began disassembling a door, I had to jam it open, in case I messed up and got the door permanently stuck. After that I used 【Analysis】 to do a basic analysis of the door. The door itself was just a simple door that would slide open by the push of a button. This was a two-way door, which means there was a button on either side. Some small mechanical parts were used to allow the door to slide sideways.
Now it was time to pry open the console, or rather, I had to take out the button. The button wasn’t easy to take out. It was completely made of stone, and was completely recessed inside the wall. The only option for us was to take out the bricks around the button as carefully as possible, which also exposed the insides, a bonus for me.
Behind the button was a magic stone encased in a sort of ring. When the button gets pressed, it converts linear motion into rotational motion, which would make the magic stone rotate inside the ring. Once the magic stone aligns with a sigil, an activation circle, the mechanism would get activated, in this case, it would control the opening and closing of the door. This rotation was precisely calculated, which meant the button had to be fully pressed in order to activate.
After this brief analysis, I noticed that my 【Analysis】 rose to level 2. Generally, raising your levels doesn’t mean you instantaneously get better at using said skills. It only means that you have a better understanding of your skills, and leveling them up can be through various methods. A sword skill doesn’t just level up by repeated use, you need to actually understand why the technique works, and how to improve yourself so you can more efficiently use it.
While I was busy studying the door, Jeanne and Rya were out hunting. Gilian decided to stay with me.
“Looks like you’re having fun,” Gilian said.
“Yeah,” I said. “You know, it’s funny, in my previous world, I wasn’t really that good with hardware.”
“Maybe this world has changed you.”
“Could be.”
Actually, there was no denying it. I did change, and I wasn’t the only one. Both Jeanne and Gilian were different from who they were in my previous life. Maybe it’s because we’ve been given a second chance at youth, or maybe it’s the different environment.
Anyway, it was time for me to reassemble the door. For that, I decided to use a skill I haven’t used before, 【Magitech Creation】. I didn’t really need to use it, since the dungeon would eventually fix itself, but it was the perfect opportunity, since there would be no harm if I messed up.
I focused my thoughts on the button and the door, on what the end result would look like. It only took a split second, but in that moment, I could see a clear picture of the door. At that point, the button flew off my hand and the door assembled itself. I unjammed the door, and tried the button out.
I pressed the button, and the door slid open, though, it did feel different. The button felt a bit more smooth compared to before, and the door seemed to slide open much more smoothly. Even Gilian appeared to notice it as well.
“Did you change anything about the door?” Gilian asked.
“I don’t know.”
“It seems different, at least in the way it opens up.”
“It does appear to be that way.”
I did a quick 【Analysis】, and the 【Crafting Catalog】 recorded a new entry, just below the old entry. It was exactly as I thought. In that split second I was imagining the door, I already implemented some small improvements in my head. I remembered these improvements, I even compared them to the previous design. These were deliberate changes I made. One of these improvements was adding a range limiter. That way, the magic stone would still need to align with the activation circle, but the button didn’t have to be pressed as deep as before, and if you overpressed, it wouldn’t overshoot.
It at least showed me that 【Magitech Creation】 was working as intended. Content, I decided to close the status screen, but not before I noticed something.
【Technopath Lv. 1】
Once we got back to the apartment, I got motivated to understand the compendium, as well as the other reading materials Laendrif recommended me. Each sigil is essentially a magic circle on its own, but by combining them, one would be able to make more advanced circles, or even magic circuits.
The first thing I did was create a lightning magic stone. This would allow me to power any magic device that would require electricity. I wasn’t sure if magic lightning would actually convert to electricity, but I wouldn’t know if I didn’t try.
My device was simple. A button would slide a metal place with an activation sigil in front of the magic stone, and the magic stone would reside in something resembling a cartridge holder, making it easy for me to replace the stone. The device itself would be made with a hard rubber casing. This material wasn’t widely used in this world yet, but the base components did exist. All wiring was done with a simple magic conductor.
The device was simple. If you press the button, the sigil will activate the magic stone. The sigil was also enhanced with a limiter, so that only a bit of magic would be used when activated. The magic would then be led to the wires sticking outside the device, where the lightning would arc between two wires. Basically, what I made was a simple electroshock weapon.
The first thing I did was draw out a schematic. This would allow me to better visualize the shape of the device, and make it as compact as possible. I wasn’t sure how expensive the ingredients for rubber were, and aside from that, it had to be portable. I also wrote down a basic schematic for the circuit, naturally with a voiding sigil so that I wouldn’t accidentally activate the magic circles.
Then it was time to create the components using 【Item Creation】. Creating the rubber casing was hard, as I wasn’t exactly sure how to create rubber. All I did know was that it required sulfur and latex, but because of my lack of understanding, it required quite a bit more mana than I anticipated, but in the end, the casing was complete.
After that I had to engrave the magic circles and sigils where I needed them to be. After that, I assembled it all using 【Magitech Creation】. This made assembling it easy and quick. All I had to do was test it out.