Chapter 2: Zoltraak (or Soul Track)

Narrator's POV

Once they arrived at the emperor's castle, Lilith escorted Adam to his quarters before going off to report to Emperor Belos.

"Any other child might have considered Lilith a bad mother for treating them like this, but I'm different," Adam thought as he reached for his personal journal.

In it, he recorded information about his magical progress and some not-too-dangerous glyph combinations.

He never wrote down anything about the future for safety reasons.

Adam had been cautious since his reincarnation into this dangerous universe. He wanted to minimize risks while enjoying the benefits that his new life could offer.

"Hi, could you guide me to the training grounds?"

Adam wasn't really allowed to move around certain areas of the castle on his own. That was one reason Lilith let him spend a good part of the day in the park with other kids.

The training grounds Adam wanted to use were one of the places he couldn't visit alone.

"Of course, young master Adam," the masked figure politely replied.

The individual wore a mask similar to those worn by plague doctors in the Middle Ages and was dressed in the uniform of a member of the emperor's coven.

Adam didn't know his name, just as he didn't know the names of most of Belos's coven members.

He was simply used to being served by them, just like his cousin Hunter.

It only took a few minutes for Adam and the guard to reach the training grounds, where several guards were already practicing their magic.

"Take care," said Adam's escort as he moved a bit away after these words.

Adam just nodded before approaching a target. He always exhausted his magic before training his body.

He had a look similar to Miquella from Elden Ring. He had specified this in a poll because he found Miquella to be beautiful.

Unfortunately, he ended up with an extremely androgynous appearance, which had caused some minor misunderstandings with the park children.

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Since that incident, Adam had never neglected his physical training.

"Zoltraak," Adam pronounced as he traced a circle with his finger and then posed his hand like a gun.

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It was a simple spell that Adam had managed to replicate. Zoltraak had originally been created by a powerful demon.

This magic was invented with the grim purpose of killing humans. Nowadays, Zoltraak had been repurposed by humans for demon-slaying—a situation both humorous and ironic.

Zoltraak involves shooting either a large burst of mana or several small concentrated mana explosions.

It's really a handy spell for facing multiple opponents or for dueling.

"I just need to learn how to control its power," Adam muttered. He hadn't destroyed the target or caused an impressive explosion with his attack.

The energy beam Adam had fired only left a hole in the training dummy. Adam wasn't aiming for large-scale destruction with this magic just yet.

He just wanted an attack similar to Frieza's on Namek or one capable of piercing the standard magical shield of this island with great efficiency.

Of course, he had already designed a shield that could block his own magic. He didn't want to end up like the unfortunate inventor of Zoltraak.

"What's that magic?" asked the guard who had accompanied Adam.

He had approached while Adam was shooting at the target.

Adam was slightly surprised before regaining his composure. Usually, the coven members didn't talk to him much unless necessary.

They would simply show their admiration for him during his magical demonstrations on the training grounds, hence his surprise.

"… Zoltraak, it's offensive Oracle-type magic," Adam answered honestly.

He had never shown the full power of these original magics on the training grounds; Adam didn't want Belos to know his real strength.

He only displayed enough talent to make his mother proud and maintain his reputation as the emperor's coven genius.

"You can do stuff like that with Oracle magic? Oh, excuse me, I'm Steve," said the man named Steve, extending his hand toward Adam for a handshake.

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Like his mother Lilith, Adam had a good affinity with Oracle magic.

Adam focused on this magic due to its versatility but also because he could easily train with it in his room.

He had already found that he had no trouble using other coven magics. He had just chosen to focus on one for now.

This didn't mean he wasn't studying other magics; he was just limited by Belos and his environment in fully utilizing them.

"You're amazing to have thought of using Oracle magic this way; I always thought it was support magic," Steve said honestly.

Adam couldn't really disagree. This magic wasn't originally designed for direct combat in the Boiling Isles.

It was more used for spying, reconnaissance, defense, and often supporting allies during combat by capturing spirits in crystal balls.

Only Eda and Lilith had used it aggressively during their fight in the original story.

"Indeed, Steve, Oracle magic isn't known for direct combat, unlike Abomination magic," Adam didn't deny this. He smiled slightly at Steve before speaking again.

"But I intend to use it as my main magic."

He wasn't just saying that for Steve; he also wanted to avoid Belos thinking he was practicing wild magic.

Adam knows that Steve is a good guy from his memories of the cartoon, but that's the future Steve, not the one standing in front of him.

….

Adam's POV

After my magic training session, I trained physically for a while before cleaning up and heading back to my room.

I didn't want Lilith to eat alone, and it's not good for my growth to skip a meal. I need to keep taking care of my physique.

"You've been busy, my dear."

Lilith warmly welcomed me at the table. I responded just as warmly.

"Yes, I managed to master a new spell based on the one I showed you last time." I raised my hand and traced a circle to manifest a transparent, hexagon-shaped mirror.

It was a defensive spell, based on the one from Frieren.

It consumed much more magic than Zoltraak and required me to deploy it on a small surface to reduce the energy consumption.

It also had the drawback of struggling with pure physical attacks, but it had many advantages.

For example, it's highly specialized in countering magic, and its magical energy consumption can be significantly reduced by methodically deploying it in a small size.

This defensive magic combined with Zoltraak provided me with excellent defense and offense, but I should improve my physique to fully exploit their potential.

Anyway, I have the glyphs to help me in dangerous situations for now.

"You invented another spell?!" There was joy in Lilith's voice, proving once again that I need to show a bit of my genius from time to time.

"Yes, and I'd really like to have access to more books than just the theoretical ones."

I didn't have access to all the books in the emperor's coven. I don't care too much for now, but it will eventually slow me down in the long term.

"Sigh. You can't have access to those. They're too advanced for you and dangerous." She looked at me with a sorry expression; it seems today isn't the day I'll gain more knowledge.

"It's okay, I can just reread some books, and you could take me to the library more often."

I usually didn't go to the library much due to my age and Lilith's schedule.

I just wanted to take advantage of her current distress to get a little gain. I'm trying to earn the favor of the town library's owner, like the future Amity.

I really want access to that place whenever I want and to have a private space far from Belos's direct influence.

*Bam* Sound of hands clapping.

"I have an idea that will allow you to learn more but also make more friends."

I instinctively have a bad feeling.

"I'll send you to Hexside Academy!"