84 Nakayama's Talent: Part 1

The number on that stat was way extraordinarily high for someone of his level. He quickly glanced back and forth between the average on the book and his current mana stat a few times before officially reading it out.

"Eight hundred…and twenty!?"

His mana stat was 820 as opposed to the average 100 points. That meant it was 8.2 times higher than the average, and it was so high that even the average level 100 who had placed all their points into mana since level 1 still wouldn't have a stat as high as his.

"What even the hell!?" he said with subtle loudness. "Who did I inherit this from? Mom? Dad?" He almost thought about calling his parents to ask about this, but he figured that would have to wait. Perhaps it had something to do with his parents never giving him any training at home, but he couldn't comprehend why that would be the case.

Looking at this was nothing short of a surprise. He didn't think he'd have a genetic gift such as this, much less one at all. He looked over all his stats one more time and noticed his magic power. That one was a bit higher than the average as well. His stats looked like this:

PD (Physical Defense): 75

PS (Physical Strength): 110

MP (Magic Power): 200

MD (Magic Defense): 90

SP (Speed): 85

MANA: 820

Every other one of his stats was relatively normal. This information dictated that he was, at birth, determined to have an advantage when it came to using magic. Not only could he shoot more spells, but they were also a bit stronger than normal as well. True, just having a much higher mana stat wouldn't just guarantee victory against even a level 10 or 20, however, with such talent in the area of magic, including his naturally high magic power, he'd at the very least hit a hell of a lot harder before he possibly went down (depending on the enemy's ability to evade or their magic defense). But, for that to work, he'd have to learn at least one offensive spell. And unfortunately for him, his parents never made it a point to advance his magic career at a young age. But, surely they wanted him to grow stronger now that they'd enrolled him into the Edgar Brauss Magic Academy. Nothing made any sense.

He didn't know how strong Keegan Vaipa was. And he was sure that none of the traps really knew either. All they could comprehend was that he was dangerous and not to be trifled with. However, if Nakayama could learn at least one good spell, it would not only allow him to level up since learning spells provided EXP, but his chances of survival would be more than zero. Even if Keegan placed all of his points into magic defense, that would render him almost defenseless against all other attacks, leaving him just an average fighter whose only quality was that spells of a certain level wouldn't hurt him. Obviously, if he truly was as dangerous as he appeared, that would not be the case.

Therefore, Nakayama could hit him with a good spell, it would have an effect. No doubt about it.

He closed his magic menu. No longer should he get caught up in theorizing about a fight between himself and Keegan. Currently, there was no way for him to win or even escape. For now, he should focus on studying. He picked up the black book and looked back at the table of contents.

"To hell with basic and intermediate spells, at least for right now," Nakayama said to himself. He completely disregarded those two categories and headed straight for the advanced section. He didn't know what "advanced" truly entailed, but he didn't care for now.

He went to page 437, where the advanced spells began, and started to quickly flip through the pages. Already, he discovered the advanced spells not only started from the easiest all the way to the hardest but were also separated by element. Flame arts, water arts, wind arts, etc.

The first spell was a flame art and the very last of all the advanced spells was a dark art. He didn't like the idea of wasting time trying to learn the most difficult spell in the book considering it'd take way more time than he had, so he stuck with the smaller-difficulty advanced stuff as if it was that much easier.

"I think…I'll learn a flame art," he muttered to himself. "And I can't afford to try and switch up my spells while I'm trying to learn one. I have to stick to one or I'll never learn it quick enough."

After about a minute of flipping through the available flame arts, he decided going for the first one would be the best option. Not only was it an advanced spell, but it was, according to his understanding of the book, one he could grasp the quickest. On average, there were 1 to 3 spells on each page separated into boxes filled with information. It stated the name, origin, mana required to use the spell, the length of time (on average) it would take to learn the spell, a description of what the spell would look like, recommended level of familiarity with the element (optional), how to perform the spell, and more. This was basically what it read:

FLAME ART: FIRE COLLISION

Invented by: Hijiri Noguchi ----- Era of Creation: Days of Old

Required Mana: 310---410

Effects: Boosts magic power by 400 when using the spell. Causes a massive shockwave extending from a center explosion, and can have an area of effect depending on the will of the user. The user may generate a second explosion for an additional 100 mana so long as the required mana exists. The user shall remain unharmed by the effects of the spell.

Average Learning Time: 1 hour (recommended) a day for two weeks may grant the complete acquisition of the spell.

Description: The spell shall start with two large fireballs in each of the user's palms which shall combine with great force and combust in any direction based on the user's desire. The force of the explosion shall create shockwaves. The fireballs themselves can also be used offensively and individually before combining so long as the user possesses the proper control.

Recommended: At least 3 months of experience using flame arts, though it is not needed.

Nakayama nodded to himself as he read through the details of this spell. One thing he didn't like was the average amount of time it would take to learn the damn thing. He went back to the basic spells and checked for their average times and they all seemed to take a few days, so he may as well go ahead and chip days off of this advanced flame art. He got up from his bed and headed to the balcony. He opened up the sliding glass door, stepped out, and shut it behind himself. The reason he did so was that in the event that he managed to conjure up a spark, he wouldn't catch anything too important on fire.

It was a warm late afternoon. The wind blew gently through his hair, but it wasn't enough to extinguish a flame. He sat down cross-legged once again and laid the book in front of him. He read the instructions. To begin the conjuring of the spell, he'd need to hold open his palms on each side of his body, specifically palms up or out. For now, he'd only use one hand and hold it out in front of himself to check for any progress. He didn't expect to see much, but this was where he'd have to begin in order to learn.