17 Peculiar Teaching Method

Making dumplings is an art. That I am sure of. I sadly wouldn't know the order or the steps to follow to realize such a thing. I am however sure that the end product is supposed to have all the filling contained by the exterior. You can then eat it easily, in a single huge bite if you so desire.

Why am I reminiscing about dumplings at a time like this? What happened to me learning magic with the scary spider lady? Well, at first, I didn't want to follow her at all. Then one thing led to another and I'm now a human dumpling.

How do we go from step one to now? Lots of silk thrown at me expertly. I cannot move. I cannot even breathe. I'd be dead right now if this wasn't a magical vessel.

We are also quickly heading toward her lair. On a scale of one to 10 how screwed am I?

Well, I'd say 42.

Not only because of how awesome that number is, but also because I am actually scared shitless right now.

Still, I am not begging for my life. I am doing a pro-move called putting on a brave front! I wonder why the hell the other old dudes didn't even try to stop her! Alright, one I just insulted and the other doesn't seem to enjoy talking to people.

The worst is that if she does decide to kill me, there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop it. I think she won't do it, but a part of me still dreads whatever is to come. It seemed we reached her lair and ….oh wow.

In front of me seems to be some kind of really sweet 2-floor house. Not at all what I was expecting. No giant web in sight. No creepy cocoons that may or not be filled with various humanoids.

It has a chic and ancient style that makes me think of the word regal for some reason. She puts me down and removes the silk binding me. That's it? Perhaps she just looks intimidating?

"Alright, follow me to the courtyard we'll start right away."

She brings me to a small training area where the soil seems pretty hard. In the middle is a training dummy. It looks to be made of some metal alloy.

"I am a huge fan of this place. I usually come here whenever I want to blow off some steam. The training dummy was personally made by that grumpy dwarf. It is so resistant that nothing can destroy it. It is perfect to have fun. I will show you some magic and then I will let you practice by yourself until you get it."

[Couldn't you teach me step-by-step instead? I feel like it would help me progress faster and…]

"Denied! If you can't even figure it out after seeing it a few times it just means you have no affinity towards that magic."

I feel like that sounds pretty harsh, but I'm no magic expert either.

"We'll start with fire magic. First, you want to picture the heat, then the power and finally you want to visualize how it will explode on its target and consume everything in a torrent of flames. Like so…."

*Sound of forming a fireball and throwing it then …EXPLOSION !!!*

I can almost hear EXPLOSION screamed in broken English. I might have watched too much anime.

That explosion is relatively small in size, but it does feel archmage level. I get the feeling that no matter what used to be there, it is now gone.

It takes a while for the smoke to clear out. The heat is extremely intense even from far away I don't want to imagine at the epicenter.

Surprisingly, while the ground itself is destroyed to oblivion the training dummy is intact. Completely intact. What is that thing made of?! Is it made of Nokkias?! Wow.

The spider is looking really smug right now, but I'm not even mad. This is straight-up impressive!

"Alright, I'll be back later. Do master it! Cya!"

[What?! That's it?! Can't you show me a few more…]

"Nope. Don't feel like it."

And she heads inside the house. How the hell am I supposed to go about it?

Focus. Concentrate. Visualize... Appears in my hands …nothing at all. I try to go nearby the dummy to try and figure it out. I can't discern anything noteworthy sadly.

Okay, let's try again. I sit on the ground and close my eyes in a meditating stance. Feel the fire. Feel it engulfing my body and soul. Feel it becoming stronger and stronger!

I can feel it this is amazing! I can almost … FUCK! I'm seriously on fire! I shake and roll myself until I finally extinguish it.

You know how some forest fires happen sometimes in time of draughts? Well, this place right now is still really hot from the previous spell. This body of mine is very much made of nature magic. Plants are flammable. I really doubt putting myself on fire is the best way to go about it.

I retreat backward until it is cool enough. I sit down again and concentrate on visualizing the fire. Some fire. Visualize the heat. See the heat.

I wonder what the spider is doing while I am sitting in this courtyard. Also, why did she speak like an onee-san earlier? This doesn't make much sense. Don't tell me the culture is somewhat similar between the two worlds?

Perhaps all worlds share some similarities on a fundamental level. That would be an interesting theory.

In most stories, the main character gets a cheat to become stronger quickly. In some cases, it is an old grandpa contained in an old family heirloom. This grandpa always turns out to be some godly magic teacher from ancient times. It seems mine is that sexy spider lady.

Yes, I would still rather have the wise one instead! Can I reroll? I'm kidding there is no way my prayers would be answered.

Guess I better keep working hard. With enough effort, I'll definitely succeed! Well, either that or I'll put myself on fire yet again….

Anonymous: Urgent! My magic teacher is a lazy spider-lady that won't properly do her job. What do I do?!

I just hope she won't be pissed once she realizes my lack of progress.