Chapter 32 - Beastlands Quest (1/2)

I make a comment about reading comments and suddenly there's comments.

This story felt 5x longer than usual. But sorry to disappoint, its not.

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Sitting in silence staring at the screen, I mentally began to go over what I knew about the spell and its construction. Most of it was new to me, but I could begin to see underlying similarities to other spells I knew. Nothing big or groundbreaking, but the basics of how it worked. Just like that a nest should be built on a branch, I could dimly catch a glimpse of the way this spell would prevent itself from collapsing the second this specific spell was cast. Nothing helpful that could allow me to create my own spell, but still promising.

Fourteen circles in a complicated array, centered on a focal point with a stream of formless mana running directly through the focal point. I can kind of see how it'll works to create an effect, the way the spell formation meshes to form the spell. Though how the lightning actually comes into play, I just can't see it.

How does it go from formless mana to lightning? And shouldn't it be light mana that's transformed into electricity? Am I missing something? Light mana from what I've seen is connected to light, and a relation to lightning as well if I'm reading this spell right. It certainly contains elements of light mana. And yet, I don't understand how this spell could work. I see how it works, but not how it-

Arod coughed, catching my attention and losing my thoughts. I almost groaned at him.

He apologised oblivious to my dismay, I could feel myself approaching a breakthrough..

”Jon. I'm sorry if I brought up bad memories”

Ah, he seems to think I'm still caught up over a memory of cake baking dead parents.

I waved him off with a light smile ”Don't worry about it”, his expression clearing I tried to resume my train of thought, but failed. I just couldn't slip back into the groove I had going, the thoughts that was leading me into a new direction.

Its simply too noisy, the low murmurs as the others talked to their instructors and the grunts as they move through their motions. Arod watched me patiently, watching and waiting silently for me to continue reading. He seems really invested in my wellbeing, even though we met like a hour ago. Seeing me looking at him, he smiled rea.s.suringly.

Giving up on it for the time being, I turned my attention back towards the cookbook. It looks pretty normal even if a little messy. Stains and blots as ink dripped from the author's quill, smudges where his hand had rested. Scrawled words when the author grew lazy, scratched out words as he corrected his mistakes.

Really, if I didn't know what the book contained I would have completely missed the way some of these mistakes connected together forming words and sentences, telling me of a secret contained within using broken grammar and roundabout words. It was interesting to see it in work, the words describing the spell as a bolt of lightning from the casters fingertips, the caster's mouth shouting words into the air.

'Cracking the air, striking the sky. Folding thunder lightning strike!'

As Arod had stressed and the books had focused on, the author had placed a lot of importance on every sound you make, the feeling of mana in your throat and the way you formed this to mesh with the words. I really need to test it, do specific words matter in voice spells? Later tonight perhaps.

Their language was certainly different from English, more emphasis placed on throaty noises.

Spending the next half hour going through the books, I pretended to be interested as the books were proved useless.

Written Language: Sanien has been learned

Unable to learn Minor Heat (Voice). You do not have affinity for this element

Unable to learn Light Rain (Voice). You do not have affinity for this element

It didn't really surprise me, those spells were not of my alignments. I still had to read through the books though, didn't care to explain that the spells inside them were useless to me.

The most interesting book of the four was 'Races of the Beastlands'. Inside it contained sketches and descriptions of multiple types of monsters, wings and fangs outlined in vivid detail even as it pointed out their habits and weaknesses with the defining characteristics listed besides the monster.

Again, there was no new skills to be gained from this. No free stats, but I didn't mind. The contents were interesting and the quest was something I couldn't help but look forwards to.

QuestRaces of the Beastlands!DescriptionDiscover and meet all 22 races of the Beastlands!

Races Meet: 0/22

Potential to discover a new skill

Potential to receive a new t.i.tle

Its not so much I looked forwards to carrying out the quest, a few of the monsters listed inside that book were very difficult to find. But that skill and t.i.tle..

Reminds me, if that t.i.tle is something like increased relations with non-humans; would that G.o.d count as a non-human?

Pleased with how fast I had picked up reading, skimming through the pages and absorbing their contents with ease. Arod once more determined to ask for permission for the library or to seek out new books I could learn, neither of us suffered under the illusion he would have much luck.

But he was determined, dissatisfied with the way my talent was being wasted. I had made it clear that I was going to stay here while I wait for the others to finish their training, he was unhappy with it and worried that I can't fight, but I rea.s.sured him that the others could protect me. I could even learn from Rob his Ice Magic on the trip.

I wasn't staying with them out of loyalty or anything, just wanted to lower the chances of the quest failing for abandoning the team. It will also gives me more time to give a favorsome impression on the team and to break into their library.

This 'topple the kingdom' quest hasn't seemed to tell me the truth either, despite stating there were immediate rewards I'm still lacking that 1,000 gold and I have not received training in a cla.s.s of choice. Unless Arod's three spells qualifies for that..

Is the 'cla.s.s' even an official cla.s.s recognised by gamer or just a way of training?

Would be sort of nasty if gamer had a cla.s.s system I guess, limited to one path in the way of skills and spells even if the usable ones are easily trained up.

What would my current behavior even fall under? Magic Clubsman? Spellsword? Magician/Warrior? Gravitational Warrior?

Sigh, I wish. Even as I thought my body moved through motions as I attempted to use the spells in the books, yelling the corny chants only doable because no one was laughing at me. Messages of failing to learn continuously popping up like spam as I robotically obeyed Arod's optimistic encouragement.

Finally I had enough, sat down as I wanted to rest. Arod saw I was no longer willing to train and took his leave, meaning to talk to other mages on my behalf. I only watched the others for a few minutes before I got up and left the courtyard behind, seeking out my new room as I followed behind a old maid, when we arrived I frowned in disapproval as she showed me in.

The bed was fine, as was the table in the middle. The thick richly decorated tapestries hanging off the walls tastefully were also fine. But what I didn't like, what I really really didn't like was that ma.s.sive window which exposed half the room to daylight.

It's interesting they have gla.s.s here, in such high quality too but that's not the point. The window overlooks a large area of the palace being on the second story, and while it looks extremely fancy I couldn't help but feel this room offered little in the way of actual privacy.

How many peekholes are there in the walls hidden in the decorations? How many spies watching hidden outside the window looking inside? My mage sight doesn't see anything, but it doesn't mean they don't have spells that can't do that. It doesn't comfort me that the others had their rooms next to mine, I could already predict the way they would excitedly and happily exclaim over their new rooms.

But guys, can this even compare to home? Do you not worry about being spied on?

I guess not, its just me that they hate.

”I'd like another room” I turned to the maid, ”One without windows”