In the dimly lit interior of his old boat, Adam sat cross-legged on his worn-out bed, surrounded by the remnants of his meager meal—wraps of a sandwich and an empty water bottle. Before him lay a book filled with pencil drawings and arcane symbols, a testament to his ongoing exploration of magical possibilities. In his meditative state, he entered the sea of consciousness, observing the 6 white tendrils protruding from the boundary, tirelessly drawing mana particles into the bubble.
A serene smile graced Adam's face as he contemplated his next endeavor. "If I want to create a spell model that absorbs mana, I have a pretty good idea of what to do." With this realization, he allowed the remaining six minutes to elapse, letting his sea of consciousness absorb as much mana as it could. As the minutes passed, he pondered the advice he had received from Goldie, likening mana to different states like water. "Once I gather a thousand of them and it feels cramped, I should probably start doing that."
With this strategy in mind, Adam continued his routine—practicing spells, stockpiling mana, and venturing out in the afternoon to pickpocket and gather groceries. Another week passed, marked by his dedication to honing his magical abilities.
[One week later]
In a bustling dock filled with small fishing boats tethered to the pier, one boat stood out. Adam could be seen on its deck, maneuvering what appeared to be a wooden chair into the vessel. Stepping inside, the surprisingly spacious interior revealed a well-furnished living space. Towards the back, a bed with a brand-new mattress and bedding invited comfort. A storage compartment beneath the bed provided practicality.
The right wall featured a small bookshelf, a table with a chair in front of it, and a larger table holding kitchen utensils. Several boxes leaned against the wall, and adjacent to them stood a cupboard stocked with pots, plates, and cups. A metal stove, fueled by wood, occupied a corner, and a sink completed the compact kitchen space. Satisfied, Adam marveled at his newly decorated home. "This feels nice and normal. Sure, there's no toilet, but the public one isn't far off."
Closing the boat doors behind him, Adam settled back at his makeshift office desk. However, the book containing his spell model ideas lay on his bed just out of reach. Unwilling to exert himself after achieving 7 spiritual force, he lazily conjured a small, white hand construct—toddler-sized—to pick up the book without leaving his seat, causing to glance at his floating screen.
[ Name: Adam ]
[ Mana (plain): 1,001 (particle) ]
[ Spiritual-Force: 6.01/7.01 (1 spiritual force lasts for 1 minute; 1 spiritual force can be recovered in 1 minute) ]
[ Created spells:
Unstable-Mana-Ball(Tier: 0): a very unstable and small mana ball that explodes due to its instability. It doesn't do very much damage due to its small size, but it does release bright flash light when it explodes, Lv:2 (114/500) cooldown: 5 seconds ]
Mana-Ball(Tier: 0): a condensed ball of mana that is structurally stable and is the size of a marble. It constantly emits white light that illuminates a 12 feet radius, Lv:2 (154/500) cooldown: 25 seconds]
Spinning-Arrow(Tier: 0): 3 spinning arrows made completely out of mana that spins as it flies towards its target, giving a high piercing damage, Lv:3 (903/1,000) cooldown: 10 seconds ]
Mana-Plate(Tier: 0): a plate made completely out of mana, it's durable as steel and can withstand most physical and mystical forces. It's capable of floating, with measurements of 400x400x30mm, Lv:3 (201/1,000) cooldown: 1 minute and half ]
Mana-String(Tier: 0): a thin and invincible string made out of mana that is 15 feet long, it can be attached to medium-sized objects to be controlled by the caster, Lv:3 (890/1,000) cooldown: 50 seconds ]
Mana-Bomb(Tier: 0): a mana bomb the size of a tennis ball, it was made by compressing several mana particles in a way that makes highly unstable and volatile, causing it to explode in fiery explosion and deal a lot of damage, Lv:1(14/100) cooldown: 3 minutes ]
Magic-Hand(Tier: 0): a hand construct made purely out of mana, its the size of a toddler's hand, the hand can be controlled by the caster to pick interact with corporeal or incorporeal beings and has a range of 30 feet , Lv:1 (54/100) cooldown: 1 minute and 30 seconds ]
Inside Adam's new boat, a sanctuary of magical possibilities, he sat at his office desk, surrounded by the tangible excitement of unlocking his potential. Opening a massive brown leather book—the manifestation of his very own grimoire—he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. "Every sorcerer has their own grimoire, so I'm glad I finally have mine," he mused with anticipation. The hefty tome, comprising five thousand pages, promised a dedicated space for each spell.
As the toddler-sized magic hand floated above him, it brought a glass of water—a testament to the practical applications of his creations. Grasping the glass from the ethereal hand, Adam's face lit up with a smile. "I can just imagine this hand the size of a building punching monsters," he remarked, envisioning the immense potential. "I can even give it weapons." With the myriad possibilities at his disposal, this spell had become a cornerstone in his magical repertoire. Adam recognized that reaching 7 spiritual force wasn't the end; therefore, he diligently cast spells to level up and increase his spiritual force.
While the magic hand gracefully floated around the boat house, Adam immersed himself in the task of transcribing the seven spell models into his grimoire. Each page bore intricate details about the spells, serving as both a reference and a form of misdirection in case the grimoire fell into the wrong hands. An evil chuckle escaped him as he contemplated the safeguard.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note: Another chapter (although a short one, but hey, even short things deserve some love). This chapter serves as the calm before the storm—a nice and peaceful day before he finds himself in a hospital with a large amount of pills that no amount of pickpocketing could solve.
ps: just a questions, if adam were to have an infernal machine in avernus, what form should it be in.
A: a small bike
B: small fishing boat with a cabin