10 Chapter 10: Sand Magic: Sand Guard

After explaining some things, Kira asked Cairo to follow her outside to properly demonstrate her magic

Kira controlled the sands around her and some of them rose from the ground. The sands don't have a definite shape and creases appeared in Cairo's forehead as it doesn't have 'flashy' effects

"Attack me" Kira said with a smirk when she saw Cairo's 'disappointment'

As Cairo wants to see the power behind Kira's magic skill, he controlled a ball of sand and it hovered above his palm. Cairo decided to use his own skill - explosive sand ball and he threw it to Kira

"[Sand Magic: Sand Guard!]" Kira said and a portion of the sands she controlled went to block Cairo's attack

The sand ball exploded, causing Kira to be shocked as she can see that Cairo's attack have some skills behind it. Although it was still unrefined, but to be able to do that despite the town's situation was already surprising

Not to mention that Cairo is still just a skinny kid

Even after Cairo's attack exploded, it still wasn't able to affect Kira's sands that much. However, Cairo just credited it to the woman being stronger than him and was still suspicious of the sand guard skill

Kira can see Cairo's doubt and she chuckled at that. "This skill is actually simple but it can be used in many situations. For example, I control all these sands but only a small part of it was powerful"

"I only used one part of my sands to block your attack and most of my mana went to that part. As for the other sands, I left a minuscule amount of mana to have them continue floating around me"

"Most people will spread their mana in all the sands they control and that is not practical in some instances. By focusing all mana in one part, that part will be stronger than the other sands I controlled"

"You can use this skill to either attack or defend"

Kira explained with more details and Cairo pondered about it. The woman's words were convincing

Controlling sands to hover around him can be used to both attack and defend. If Cairo can judge where his enemy's attack will hit him he only needs to harden that part unlike most people the made a big sand wall and spread their mana all over it

As for attacking, Cairo can pour most of his mana in the 'head' of his sands and only use that part to hit the enemy. And when Cairo needs more sand, he already has some of them available. Cairo will only focus on a single area and make that part more durable but that doesn't mean he already loses control of the other sands

If a sudden danger appeared, Cairo will have an easier time to control sands and protect himself

The admiration of Cairo towards Kira grew once more and he immediately tried it. What he doesn't know was that it was him that shocked Kira a lot

The woman expected Cairo to have several questions with the specifications of the skill and she never thought that the kid would realize the advantages this skill have

Grains of sands rose from the ground and made a line of them in front of Cairo. The kid tried pouring more mana in a small area while still controlling the other sands. However, he found out that the theory is easy but the execution is hard

It was too easy to spread your mana all over the sands but making an area stronger than the rest while making sure you still have control of other areas is hard! It was very hard!

The sands that Cairo didn't focus on immediately fell to the ground as he loses control over it

"Don't worry, you only need some time to practice. I'm sure you'll be able to do it soon" Kira encourages

Sand Guard might not have the strongest attack power but it was an all-around skill. Cairo can use it to do several things

Cairo was only a bit discouraged that he failed but he did not let that affect him much. Cairo knows that to succeed in something, he needs to put in a lot of effort and hard work

The kid trained the skill for as long as he can and Kira had bits of regrets that she even taught it to Cairo as the kid became exhausted every day

-----

July 5 Year 30,765

Few days passed with Cairo using almost all of his time to train his Sand Guard skill and he eventually succeeded

In front of Cairo was a humanoid shape sand that Kira was controlling. It was the kid's target dummy that can move, block, and even attack

The sand dummy was basically like a real opponent for Cairo and he treated it seriously. Cairo doesn't know until when Kira will help him become stronger and he wants to seize every moment of it

A line of sand was currently being controlled by Cairo. The sand dummy threw a punch on him and he controlled the sands to block

The dummy's fist landed in the area where Cairo made stronger and the kid successfully defended himself. However, Kira's voice entered his ears that made him realize his mistakes

"There is still too much mana on the area you didn't strengthen. If that was a stronger attack, your sands won't be able to keep you safe"

Instead of getting angry for being corrected, Cairo only reflected on his mistakes and jumped back to move some distance between him and the dummy

After that, Cairo controlled his mana again and they gathered at the biggest part or the 'head' of his sands. With a wave of his hand, the sands went to retaliate and the head attacked the sand dummy

Kira controlled the dummy while making a sand wall appear to act as if Cairo was fighting a human. Cairo's sands clashed with the sand wall and he successfully penetrated the "dummy's" defense

This was the edge of the skill that Kira taught to Cairo. Most humans will spread all their mana in a huge wall to protect their whole body

That is alright especially if the attack's range is wide but the skillful ones won't do that as it wasted a lot of mana. The stronger ones will read the enemy's movements and track where the attack will land. After that, they will protect themselves only in that area

A smaller area means the defense would be more concentrated and the sand will be more durable. However, there are of course some risks with this style of fighting like when the enemy suddenly changed the attack's target

Even then, if Cairo is skillful enough, this can be a pretty good skill for him with lesser mana wasted

Cairo's sands hit the dummy's chest but it didn't even leave a hole on it. With Kira's strength, it was easy for her to do that

"Add more power! Your control is not enough, you can still increase your attack's power without using more mana!" Kira shouted and Cairo nodded his head

The kid retracted his sands and readied himself for another clash

This time, Kira had the dummy do the same thing that Cairo does. A line of sands floated in front of the dummy and it attacked using the same skill that Cairo was using

The two sets of sands clashed again and Cairo's sands were overpowered by his enemy. "I'm only using the same amount of mana that you have. If you can block my attack properly or even 'injure' the sand dummy, you will have basic mastery in that skill"

Cairo was pumped up and his hands moved around to control the sands for the nth time. He looks at his target with burning eyes and Cairo wants to win no matter what. Winning means he became even stronger than before!

Lines of sands clashed with each other repeatedly but Cairo was still always at the losing end. His sands were blown away because of the impact and he was forced to replenish it every clash

The kid sweated heavily but he ignored all the negative sensations in his body and only focused on refining his skills

Unknowingly to him, some of the town's kids arrived and watched his training with Kira. After a few days, some of the kids can now do simple magic but they are still not as skillful as Cairo

At most, the kids can control some sands to float but that's all of it. Not everyone was as talented as Cairo that also has access to the memories of him from his past life

As of now, the town is in better condition than before. Some lands can be planted with crops because of the mage supplying water, nutrients, and some magic

However, only the seeds that can grow in sands can be planted, and even then, the yield won't be that high as the lands don't have enough nutrients

But with the mages and townsmen's efforts, there will come a time where they can plant a variety of crops while having a higher yield

The mages are busy making items that will improve the land while the townsmen are responsible for manual labors like the planting itself or helping the mages with menial tasks

The townsmen don't know why these people were helping them but it seems like Kira and the others planned to settle down in this town which will benefit all of them

After some time, Cairo's training session finished as he already used up all of his mana. The kid landed heavily on the ground from exhaustion while panting for breath

Using all of one's mana will tire a person both mentally and physically

Kira let go of her control with the sand dummy and walked towards Cairo. Her hands immediately glowed with a white light that made the other kids stare at it curiously

The woman put her palm not far from Cairo's chest and the kid can feel a soothing sensation in his body. Soon, Cairo's breathing returned to normal as he looks at Kira with some hidden gratitude

As Cairo is awkward when it comes to socializing, he doesn't know how to thank Kira that helped him a lot. Cairo can feel the genuine concern and care from her but he is afraid that he will be betrayed

He knew how weak he is but, despite that, Cairo doesn't want to die because of his carelessness

Thus, as a 'return' to Kira's kindness, Cairo initiated a small talk with her for the first time ever. "What is that white light?" Cairo asked and moved his head to the side as he can't look at Kira because of his shyness

"This is light magic. A type of magic that is both good at offensive attacks and healing" Kira answered with a smile and she can feel that the kid was slowly loosening up to her

Cairo doesn't know what to answer and just nodded his head. "If you want, I can teach you light magic"

Cairo was interested in the offer as he wants to have the ability to heal himself but he refused in the end. "I don't have a high affinity for light magic. It would be unwise if I will train in it"

Kira's eyes flashed with surprise, although she knows that Cairo is smarter than the other kids but knowing one's affinity is not something that one can easily determine

Unless the mage tried all magic in the world to see what they find easier, who knows what hidden attributes they have

"H-how did you know that you didn't have a high affinity for it?" Kira asked in shock and Cairo contemplated a bit before answering. "I-I tested with a crystal ball before" the kid honestly answered

Kira knew how cautious Cairo can be and didn't ask where he tested himself. "Alright, what are your affinities? It wouldn't hurt to train them now. Most experienced mages find it hard to train other magics after gaining a high mastery in one type of magic"

"Sand, blood, body strengthening, and shadows" Cairo answered and Kira nodded her head. "That's quite a lot" Kira answered and from her expression, it doesn't seem that having four affinities are that special