Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Attack Magic

A few days later, in the afternoon, I came to the forest to practice magic.

Instead of the usual outskirts of the forest where Marie and the others usually come, I went a little deeper and chose an open area near the river as my practice spot.

First, where should I start...? Let's start by summarizing the knowledge I have about magic.

First, there are attributes. Magic is divided into six attributes: fire, water, wind, earth, body enhancement, and healing. I'm categorized as a healing attribute, but I can use all the attributes.

Next is the type of magic. Since magic manifests the imagined phenomenon, it cannot be categorized. It changes depending on the power of imagination. However, someone with the water attribute cannot use fire magic, so the range of magic they can use is determined by their attribute. Also, as far as I know, most people vocalize the name of the magic and use it, but that is just a way to complement the imagination. Magic can be used without vocalization.

Lastly, the power of magic. The more magical power you use, the stronger the magic becomes. Therefore, people with less magical power can only use weak magic. However, by having a detailed imagination, it is possible to significantly reduce the consumption of magical power. By training the power of imagination, even someone with less magical power can use slightly stronger magic. However, since I am using Japanese knowledge, it seems that others, except for me, cannot do it at the moment.

Also, when I use magic to the limit, it seems like my magical power increases little by little. Maybe this is also a phenomenon that only happens to me... Anyway, it's better to have more magical power, so I should increase my magical power.

That's about all I know about magic for now... In any case, imagination is important.

First, which magic should I practice? If I assume that I will be fighting against monsters, it would be good to have high attack power magic. Maybe fire magic after all.

It's cool to imagine shooting Fire Arrows! It seems to have more penetrating power and higher strength than Fireball. Let me try it once.

I imagined shooting a Fire Arrow quickly towards a large rock on the edge of the river and used magic. Then, a single Fire Arrow flew straight towards the rock. Amazing! I did it!

However, the Fire Arrow hit the rock and disappeared. There wasn't a single scratch on the rock. Was the power not enough? Let me try again, this time imagining increasing the speed even more. But still, there wasn't a single scratch on the rock.

Why? It's not a matter of speed, and maybe the rock was too hard... Ah! I see, it might be because I'm considering fire as something intangible, so it might be impossible to give it penetrating power.

If that's the case, what should I do? Fireball has the power to burn, but it would yield the same result, right...

...I wonder, if I can use all the attributes, would it be possible to combine magic?

For example, creating a stone arrow with earth magic and imbuing it with fire to shoot it. That seems incredibly powerful.

Alright, first, I'll imagine creating an arrow with earth magic and imbue it with fire. I'll aim it at a rock and shoot it. I want it to be as fast as possible, like a bullet from a gun.

Thunk... Oh, that made quite a loud noise. Clearly, it has more power than before.

Looking at the rock, the tip of the arrow was embedded in it.

Success! However, creating a stone arrow consumes quite a bit of magical power... Maybe I can make a smaller arrow? No, since I'm using magic to shoot it, maybe only the tip of the arrow is enough?

I imagined creating something like a slightly pointed bullet only at the tip of the arrow, and I shot it while imbuing it with fire.

Just like before, it penetrated the rock to the same extent, but the magical power consumption was significantly reduced.

Great success!! This seems to be a versatile magic. What should I name it? Calling it "Fire Arrow" wouldn't be accurate anymore since it's not an arrow...

I think "bullet" is the correct term for a projectile... so how about "Fire Bullet"! Yeah, that sounds cool. Well, the name isn't particularly necessary, but it's a matter of personal preference.

Alright! Next up. Since Fire Bullet is a single-target attack, maybe I should consider an area-of-effect magic.

When it comes to area attacks, maybe wind magic? It seems like I could create a tornado or something!

For now, I'll imagine a smaller tornado and give it a try. I thought so, but despite consuming quite a bit of magical power, the attack power wasn't that strong.

It's true that it's hard to imagine something being cut by the wind... I've never actually witnessed phenomena like a sickle wind in real life.

In that case... What if I create a Fire Bullet within the tornado?

I tried doing that, and it turned into a very cruel attack that indiscriminately shredded everything inside the tornado. The thicker branch I put inside the tornado turned into scattered pieces... W-Well, having high power is a good thing, I guess.

Anyway, it's good that I've created strong magic. But it consumes quite a bit of magical power. Well, I can think of it as a finishing move for dire situations. Let's call it... Rock Tornado, perhaps.

After that, I continued developing and practicing attack magic.

Water magic for Water Jet. Its power is only enough to slightly erode rocks, but its low magical power consumption is appealing.

Fire magic, Fireball. I tried increasing the temperature of the fire to enhance the power of the heat-based attack.

Earth magic, Wall. It's a magic that creates a wall by piling up earth. The more solid the wall, the higher the consumption of magical power, so it can't be made too strong, but it's convenient for defense.

Body strengthening magic, Build-up. It's a magic that increases the muscle mass of specific body parts to enhance strength. It's quite versatile and can be applied to various situations. It might even be useful when using a sword or something.

I think I've had enough of offensive magic. Well, maybe I went a bit overboard.

I looked around and thought so. The rocks were cracked from repeated attacks, and the trees were a mess as if after a storm.

Is this bad...? But I've come quite deep into the forest, and I don't think anyone would come this far. Probably...

More importantly, I want to try using offensive magic for real.

I can't go to the monster forest... They said there are ordinary animals like bears and boars in this forest. Should I try defeating one of those creatures?

Even if it's just an animal, I don't like taking its life, but if I hesitate to defeat monsters because I don't have the experience and end up being killed myself... that would be the worst. I should definitely gain some experience.

I put away the bell to ward off beasts and made sure I could find my way back, then I proceeded deeper into the forest, where I could see a river.

After walking for about thirty minutes, I heard rustling sounds.

I carefully observed my surroundings to be prepared for any direction the creature might appear from, while listening attentively.

...Rustle.

Behind me! As soon as I heard the sound from behind, I quickly turned around and saw a pitch-black bear charging towards me.

I immediately boosted my legs and leaped to the side. I scratched my arms and legs on tree branches, but I couldn't afford to pay attention to that. I quickly stood up and faced the bear.

Wow, bears can be this aggressive!? And they're quite big too. If I had noticed a little later earlier, it would have been dangerous. Maybe training is important, not just relying on magic...

While thinking about such things, the bear charges at me again. I aim for its head and fire a Fire Bullet.

However, the Fire Bullet passes just above the bear's head and hits the tree behind, shattering it to pieces.

Oh no! I missed!

What should I do... It's harder than I thought to hit a moving target!

I jump to the side again to avoid the bear.

To definitely hit it this time, I aim for the torso and fire another Fire Bullet.

This time, it hits the bear but only sinks into its right shoulder area, not causing a fatal wound.

Oh no... I might have angered it instead! The bear charges at me again, so I quickly unleash a Rock Tornado.

When the Rock Tornado dissipates, only the bear should have remained there.

Ugh... It's disgusting...

Rock Tornado is just too powerful after all... I should stop using it unless I'm really in danger.

Or rather, it was quite dangerous. Maybe I relied too much on my own power just because I can use magic. I should practice improving my accuracy and also train myself.

From now on, it's magic practice and building stamina.

As I was thinking about that, I suddenly realized. Oh no... What time is it now? I hope my watch isn't broken!

I hurriedly check my watch, and it seems it's not broken. That's a relief... but it's already past 17:00!

Oh no! I have to get back within one hour!

I use Heal to treat the wounds on myself, use Purification to clean my clothes, and dash back home.