Encore 29 — New Beginnings (II)

I know I can kill the wolves but that's not my goal. My goal is to kill these wolves with my mana controlled.

There were seven in total.

Two of them took the lead and leapt at me at once. I dodged the first wolf before grabbing the second one, however, when I grabbed it, my fingers sank through the wolf, piercing its insides.

I dropped the wolf.

"Yeah, that wasn't what I wanted."

My control over my mana is shaky. I just wanted to grab the wolf but I ended up killing it. My aura needs to be smaller, thinner and more concrete.

The first wolf came around back at me, snapping at me with its teeth. I caught its jaw and twisted its head, spraying blood.

Now, I'll shrink the aura...

The mana around me shrunk in size but kept its wavy flow.

Five more.

Now, I'll try to perfect it.

The problem now, I would say, is my aura's form. Unlike everyone else's one I've seen, my aura's form is unstable. Meaning that I'm not keeping my mana flow constant.

Another wolf attacked me while I was adjusting my mana flow.

I fired True Flame at it. The wolf's body disintegrated into ashes.

I got it. At least, now, my mana flow is less wavy.

The remaining four wolves edged backwards after seeing me massacre their family members.

"Time to die."

And to each wolf, I mercilessly killed them in a single hit. It was only after I realised...

My stomach groaned painfully.

"Only a single wolf is left intact..."

The one I twisted the head of.

This will be the best I can do. Unless some more wolves show us.

"Now, I just need to find some sticks and I'll cut the wolf apart."

·———·

The next morning, I continued my journey. This time, I was walking while exerting mana in a fixed shape.

I found out the mistake I was making before.

I was using too much mana when making my aura. Too much mana caused the mana flow to become unstable.

I'm using little mana for my aura now and the flow has stabilised. It's still slightly unstable but more on the stable side.

Anyhow, I can walk, run and fight with my aura. It's almost become as natural as breathing.

I've almost perfected mana coating, aura, easily. It is one of the most basic mana arts.

I'm trying something else now. Mana construction. Mainly, constructing a simple weapon out of mana. I can't do that.

"Even using sticks as a foundation base doesn't work."

Whenever I would cloak the stick in my mana, it would simply droop, not becoming solid. After enough tries, I gave up.

"For now, it's useless."

⟨The Singularity, 'Sacred Lightning,' is selected.⟩

⟨Due to physical condition, the effects of the Singularity have weakened.⟩

As I activated Sacred Lightning, I created a knife of lightning with ease.

"I can create a mana weapon with Sacred Lightning but not with my normal mana. That's annoying."

I played with it lightly, swinging it as I jogged.

Then, I got a bright idea.

The knife in my hand dissipated as I created two electric guns. I spun them around my fingers and fiddled with the guns, to get a feel for them.

I shot at a passing tree—it created a burn but nothing more. It had power and heat but no sharpness to it. It'd be better to describe this as a magic BB gun.

I determined that using guns would be useful at times but insufficient.

I retracted the guns and made a sword this time. Slicing at another tree, the whole thing came tumbling down. I felt like shouting, 'Timber!'

Anyway, using a sword would be better but I just need to increase my proficiency with one. Though Siesta-nee told me that I should only be good at wielding a single weapon than many.

She said it would cloud my judgement.

I sighed.

"I still have a little more to go..."

·———·

A day later, before I knew it, I was at the village. The sun had already begun to set. I need to find a place to sleep comfortably. I haven't been sleeping well and have been constantly woken up by wolves, trying to eat me.

Luckily, due to this body, not much sleep is needed but I desire it.

I slowly walked into the village. It was a different sight compared to the city. People were living together, working together with smiles on their faces. It was like they were all one big family.

The houses they had looked decent but more like something from the Medieval age. They looked less developed than something from the city.

"Hm?"

Someone noticed me, peeking at the village from the entrance.

"Ah, we have a newcomer!"

"Eh?"

What?

Suddenly, the villagers, who were still outside, crowded around me with faces of delight. Not what I was expecting.

"Oh, what's your name?"

"Wow, you have white hair!"

"Are you stressed?"

"Your eyes are cool!"

This... is definitely not what I was expecting.

"All of you, calm down!"

A voice shouted from behind the crowd. They made way as someone walked through the middle.

It was a boy. He looked to be my age, if not slightly older. He seemed to have influence in the village. Villages usually have mayors, so...

"Are you the chief's son?"

I asked him.

"No, I am Arthur Daichi, I was the chief's son, but now I'm the chief."

"Oh... I'm... sorry."

I said to him with a sorrowful tone.

"No, don't be. My father is merely on a trip. I'm more like a temporary mayor if anything."

The way he said it was misleading which is why I thought his father was dead. I should never jump to conclusions.

"So, what do you seek here in our village, vagabond?"

"Vagabond? I guess that suits me."

I muttered to myself.

"Is it possible for me to stay here for a little while before setting out again?"

"Can you help us in any way? You work, you eat, you get a place to stay."

"Then labour work will be fine by me."

While I stay here, I'll need to think of my next plan of action.

Arthur reached his hand out for a handshake.

"Then, you are welcome here, ummm..."

"My name is Kazuya Shiba."

I smiled, shaking his hand.

"I'll be in your care."

"Me too."