[Natasha PoV- After leaving the game realm]
I got up and walked out of my room to get a drink. Staying in the game realm drains a lot out of me mentally.
"So, you ranked up huh?" I froze at suddenly hearing a voice behind me.
"Natalie? What are you doing here?" I asked her as I carried on walking.
"Nothing just wanted to see who in my squad had just ranked up." Natalie walked forward and came beside me.
"How did you even know I had ranked up?" I asked her in confusion.
Natalie grinned as she pointed at her PCD and SAD. "Wonderful technological marvel they are. How a lonely quiet guy like him managed to think of this and build it on his own is above my thoughts." I frowned.
"I am pretty sure the PCD and SAD aren't equipped to detect magi particles." Natalie smiled hearing that.
"True they aren't. But deconstructing them and studying them managed to give many of our own scientist ideas that could never be thought of before. So, they modified some things to my PCD and here we are." Natalie shrugged.
"So, you still planning to carry on forward as a magi?" I paused for a second.
To be honest the only real reason I hadn't become an award user was that I hated to be bound to anyone. But now with the 'Oath Removal' and award abilities which can be bought from the game realm I had a chance.
"No." I shook my head. If I became an award user the restriction placed on me will be far greater. I can become one after earning enough points in-game realm maybe and hide it from their eyes.
"Oh, not a quitter are we?" Natalie grabbed my arm into her and hugged them while I ignored her antics.
"Well, if you are going to carry on in the path of magi I can tell you the true advantage of a magi if you can kiss me." I ignored her and walked forward only to be slowed down by my arm in her clutch.
"Fine. Fine. I will tell you, just slow down will you?" I slowed down to hear what she wanted to say.
"What rank are you?"
"Rank 5," I replied as Natalie nodded.
"Have you ever noticed how in a magi library are plenty of rank 1 spellbooks but hardly any books at rank 5 or above?" I suddenly thought back to the spellbook library to see what Natalie was pointing out was true.
"Yes."
"Do you know why?"
"Because higher rank spells are secret/ expensive?" I asked her.
Natalie shook her head. "No! Rather quite the opposite." I frowned at her reply.
"Books above rank 5 are extremally cheap that no rank 6 or higher magi can really be bothered to write it and gain money or appreciation from it when they can write other things." I was stunned hearing that.
"You don't believe it right?" Her playful smile annoyed me as I nodded.
"What is the advantage of ranking up as a magi?" I didn't really need to think about this question.
"Higher magi particles for spells which means more powerful spells," I stated the obvious only to receive a burst of mocking laughter.
"Haha! No!" Natalie shook her head.
"Say how is your control over magi particles?" I was confused seeing her change topics so quickly.
"Don't you feel it's higher as you rank up?" My eyes suddenly widened at that. Of course, how could I have not noticed?
"Magi particles are extremely hard to manipulate freely at lower ranks. Hence most spells at lower rank are simple spells like spikes, bolt, physical boosts etc.
As one ranks up their control and manipulation over magi particles increases, and thus allow you to create a diverse amount of spells and combine them with their increased control over magi particles.
Due to this, there are barely any guidebook or spellbook for higher ranks, as most people would have already thought of those spells on their own.
Like for example creating a spell to combine both oil and fire to increase the heat of fire, water and ice to freeze a larger area etc.
There are spell books and guides for lower rank due to the limitation of manipulating magi particles, hence people could only form certain spells at a lower rank. As the rank increases, this limitation is slowly lifted while giving a person more access to more spells to the point they can become a literal manipulator of natural elements." I stopped to take it all in.
"This…" I couldn't believe how strong that was. I could become a deity of creation if I reached rank 10 magi.
"There is, after all, a reason why lord Albert is a commander despite not being an award user." Natalie smiled.
"Then why doesn't everyone…" Natalie interrupted me.
"To rank up as a magi one requires you to have talent along with slowly accumulating it. While an award user requires no talent and just practise and think of new ways to use their award in order to accumulate principle particles.
Lord Albert has one of the best natural talent ever seen in the empire. Not only that he was known to think up crazy ideas and combine them to fight his enemies efficiently including even an award users of the same rank or above.
His only problem was his body that aged over time.
However, with our little brother's food, that problem is solved. It won't be an understatement to state lord Albert as one of the strongest in the empire right now."
"Is that why the research theory about magi head Merlin about training a high capacity user to be like low capacity user was suppressed?" I asked her as I remembered Lawson, to which she nodded.
"It simply is pointless and a waste of time if high capacity users trained to be a law capacity user. The sooner they try hard to be a high ranking magi the sooner they find what they did was pointless and something that could have been easily achievable by being a high-rank magi." Natalie nodded.
"Then why is being a low or high capacity user given any importance?" I was confused as a specialised capacity user was always favoured amongst the magi community.
"This is because of the secret of being a magi." Natalie winked at me.
She suddenly grabbed my arms and pulled me close before biting on my lips. My eyes widened as I felt her tongue inside my mouth.
I quickly pulled back. "Uah! Pah!" I spat out in disgust.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" I shouted at her.
"Collecting my payment." I knew she put up this image as a flirty whore in front of everyone, but I had no idea why she did that.
"Anyway, why do you think a magi is able to easily manipulate magi particle the higher they climb in rank?" She suddenly smiled as she walked forward to me.
I ignored her and grabbed a bottle of water to rinse my mouth with.
Spitting out the water I drank few gulps. "Since you don't want to guess I will tell you. Hehe!" She laughed in a playful manner.
"The reason one is able to manipulate magi particle as they get a higher rank is because as one accumulates magi particle it assimilates into their body to the point their existence slowly becomes converted into magi particles."
"Pfft!" I spat all the water I was drinking on to Natalie's face from too much shock of hearing what she said.
"Why do you think magi's are able to live much longer than others despite ageing and growing frail and old?" Natalie asked as she wiped the water from her face.
"That can't be possible." I shook my head as I leaned onto the table.
"A Magi's body slowly becomes merged with magi particles. This causes them to find it easier to manipulate it as they are controlling part of themselves which integrated into their being.
The sheer energy from the magi particles simply extending the users lifespan well beyond the body is supposed to last."
"Does it have any side effect?" I quickly asked in worry. I didn't want to be a thing of just some magi particles only to be accumulated by other people. If that was even possible that is.
"Other than being extremally old, frail and seeing everyone you know die, none really." Natalie shook her head causing me to sigh in relief.
"How is all this related to having a specialised capacity?" I asked her.
"This is where specialised capacity users are favoured when being a magi user.
Low capacity users are innately adept at controlling their magi particle in their spells easily, because of this their body assimilates magi particle into their existence much quicker than a normal magi. Not just that they find the process of controlling magi particles much more natural and easier than other people.
High capacity users have a much large magi particle pool from which allows them to live longer than most people magi's due to having much greater magi particles. Along with that is the fact that high capacity users also can have more than enough magi particles to waste magi particles to quickly learn to manipulate magi particles than normal capacity users.
Imagine having nearly unlimited resources to practise. That is high capacity users.
While a normal capacity user holds no advantage over quickly manipulating but have to slowly become accustomed to manipulating magi." This was a lot to take in, but I guess this made a lot of sense why one of the commandments preferred being a magi.
"So, are you happy that you stuck with your decision to be a magi?" Natalie asked me.
If I can think of ways to combine different spell and make them stronger then yeah. I nodded along just to entertain Natalie.
I ignored Natalie who seemed to be digging her right hand deep into her cleavage as I walked out. "Also here is your first solo assignment."
I quickly turned around just in time to catch a file. "It seems your friends Ian and Ruby got a job with the R&D.
Try to get everything out of them without inciting suspicion in them or our brother." Natalie smiled before walking while I was too shocked once more to process what she had told me.
I opened the folder to see two photos: one belonging to Ian and one to Ruby.