"What is D&D?" Nora befuddled by the new found word
"Well, D&D is actually called 'Dungeons and Dragons'..." Percy responded before being cut off by Great Mage Mirlie, "How did a spell come from this 'Dungeons and Dragons'?"
"It's doesn't really have Dungeons nor Dragons. Well... It kinda does. It's a type of tabletop game, games which are played in groups of people on tables. Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing game, a game which focuses on playing characters in an overall story. Everyone plays it slightly differently but it allows people to experience going on fantastical quests and heroic journeys. Letting the mundane turn fantasy."
"Then, why didn't you just go on an actual journey or quest?" Nora spoke, "Wouldn't it be far more enjoyable?"
"Nora, unlike your cultivator world, people of my world had no supernatural abilities. Without power, our people turned to intellect. With this intellect, they tamed the world and in turn tamed themselves. The most the average joe could expect to attain in life was a nice home and a quiet life."
"What about people not called Joe?" Great Mage Sev curiously inquired.
"Ughh, that's just an expression..." Percy's hand striking his face, "average joe means the average person"
"That's a rather odd turn of phrase... I wonder how all the Joe's felt..." Great Mage Sev still slightly missing the point.
"Anyway, can I go back to reading the cultivation manual?" his gaze peered at the people around him, the consensual nod, cueing his leave.
-
Nora attempted to analyze the magic formula on the board in front of her. The lack of knowledge in the regards of magic formula's really showed it's head. Nora could only grasp that magic formula's were in fact somewhat similar to arrays.
She could only wish that she had more magic formula to compare, but for now, she would settle with what she was given and she would try to grasp 'Mage Hand'.
"Great Mage Mirlie, what is the incantation for Mage Hand?" the absence of the incantation finally dawning on Nora as she had been far more interested in the magic formula itself.
"Whoops... I completely forgot. I guess old age really does catch up with you..." Great Mage Mirlie replied in a mutterance, more to herself than anyone else.
In a moment of curiosity, Nora asked a question which had been lingering in her mind, "Great Mage Mirlie, how old are you really?"
Immediately turning defensive, Great Mage Mirlie hurridly spoke, "Twenty-five and not a day older..." the dragging of the sentence giving far more away than the actual answer.
"Nora, Mirlie here is actually..." Sev was immediately cut off by Great Mage Mirlie as she threw a small blue fireball in his direction. As if Sev's response was innately apart of him, he once again turned into a black incorporeal form as he dodged the blue fireball. Rematerializing a few feet away.
"Mirlie is actually 1..." getting to pronounce the first digit of Mirlie's age before another small blue fireball was flung in Sev's direction.
"Mirlie is 18...." a far larger blue fireball sped towards Sev. Although dodging, the fire slightly singed the black incorporeal form of Sev. "Fine, fine, fine... I won't say but did you really have to burn my robe?"
"Twenty-five and not a day older..." Great Mage Mirlie told herself one more time, Nora couldn't tell if she was even trying to convince herself or others.
-
Nora driven by her curiosity began to study the incantation on the board. She could only agree with Great Mage Mirlie's statement, if one had to say the full incantation in battle, it would be literal suicide.
Nora looked over the magic formula and attempted to manipulate Mana to follow the specified instructions. She wanted to avoid the incantation step in its entirety. She didn't think it'd be too hard of a feat. It was a rather simple spell, a Level-0 nonetheless. She tried to follow the formula but due to the new foreign nature of magic formula's in general, she failed. The second that the spell failed Nora felt the Mana which had been used in the attempt, recoil and backlash towards her. The backlash was beyond minute but her powerful soul assisted in detecting it.
Nora now realized why people didn't outright skip the incantation stage. For a Level-0 spell, the danger was minimal if not non-existent, but for a far more powerful and complex spell, Nora already began to dread the idea of such a spell backlashing towards her.
Not wanting to admit defeat to what seemed like a simple spell, she decided that she would power on and try again. To Nora's surprise, the second attempt failed. Determined she tried once again and managed to succeed. A blue hand appeared in front of Nora. To Nora's surprise, the blue hand felt like an extra limb. Although quite sluggish and possessing bad motor controls, the Mage Hand defied what Nora had known in her previous world. It was vaguely similar to how a flying sword from her previous world would control once one became one with their weapon, if not for the sluggish nature, Nora would've believed it to be the very same. Once again magic had defied her expectations as only once someone had travelled far on the path of weapon cultivation would one be able to accomplish a similar feat. Yet, a measly Level-0 spell could already mimic something that would take decades to accomplish.
Nora began to feel out the Mage Hand and its control's. Moving the Mage Hand around instantly brought the attention of the two Great Mages.
'I can't believe it... It took her less than a day when it had taken me months...' Great Mage Sev couldn't help but marvel at Nora's accomplishment.
Unbeknownst to Sev, Nora had already begun contemplating to herself, "What would happen if I modified the magic formula?"