[Your intelligence has risen by 0.5]
Half an hour passed like water under the bridge and Lucifer forced Stone to shut the children's book to learn the spells from the looted wizard's spellbook.
"What do you mean that it doesn't work?"
"I can't use elements! That's what the Universum said!"
"How in the hell… Everyone can use elements!"
"Apparently, not me!"
"Haaah," Lucifer exasperatedly sighed, "does it never end with you? Everyone can use elements!"
"Wait… the Universum says something…" Stone stopped arguing with his teacher and read the messages aloud, "it's because I am an unattuned Mana Crystal."
"When I think about it, that actually makes sense. You can use heat and mana, but still did not create a spell out of it..." Lucifer's mind spun. "This is bad. Most basic spells are using elements to increase efficiency and output. Wait…" A certain thought occurred to him. He tried to cast a small fireball, but it fizzled. A realization struck him like a mace into Dafur's face; he should have learned spells by instinct as a Monster. His non-existent head began to badly hurt. This did not make sense at all. What was going on?
Meanwhile, as Lucifer was gathering his shivering mind, Stone read the rest of the spellbook. He found two unattuned spells he could learn.
[You have learned a spell Mana Missile]
The blue missile floating around him looked like a [Mana Bubble] but without swirling mana. Also, no matter how Stone tried he could not compress it. It was small, mere 5 centimetres in diameter. When Stone focused, he could sense the lines of celestian language holding the mana together.
"Luci?"
"You are going to tell me something insane," Lucifer flatly foresaw, inwardly praying that it was something good or at least something that would not immediately kill them.
"I can cast the spell Mana Missile! Look!" Stone proudly levitated the missile around.
"Nothing insane?" Lucifer was hopeful, yet careful. The boot still did not drop.
"Hmm… Is it normal that I can sense the lines holding the spell together?"
"Ah… Here we go. No. It is not, Stone. It's the most unusual thing. Can you read them?" Lucifer deadpanned.
"Hmm… I will show you! Look!" Stone sent him an image through their mental connection.
A quiet rustle echoed as the missile hit the crate and the mutating goblin twitched.
Lucifer's mind hurt. It was too much.
Lucifer never thought he would see something like that. This trumped everything that had happened to this day. Including his mindscape and joining the Universum. Including the sole existence of that miserable pebble.
Stone focused on the other spell and conjured an extremely slowly expanding sphere of mana.
[You have learned a spell Mana Expulsion]
As the sphere expanded, the spellbook before him was forced away from him by around 10 centimetres. Stone reflected for a bit and asked, "is every spell this weak?"
"These spells are weak only for now, but still can make a difference in battle. Remember this and remember it well: there is no weak spell. It just matters how you use it. Also, don't forget that you have refined mana already… If you train it properly, this expulsion can diverge even a maxed first-tier spell or skill. Now, start training them. I will do the same."
"But, I want to read those stories!"
"Do you want to feel good?" Lucifer used his ultimate weapon and the Stone's biggest weakness; level ups!
Stone said nothing and immediately conjured many [Mana Missile]s one after another.
Lucifer, satisfied, nodded and joined the pebble.
The whole session took around eleven hours and both were considerably rewarded.
[Your spell Mana Missile gained a level 3 times]
[Your spell Mana Expulsion gained a level 3 times]
[You have learned a technique Weak Manakinesis]
[Spell: Mana Missile
A ball of mana able to float around according to its caster wishes.
A beginner's spell that is considered as a true spell. It is the first step towards the Path of Wizard. *Sob* I am happy… Nothing strange… *Sob*
2(+0.52 / lvl) times more powerful than Mana Bubble.
Spell: Mana Expulsion
Another simple beginner spell. You expand your mana beyond your body, pushing away everything in the way.
The more mana you use, the stronger the spell is.
Range: 1 cm (+ 1 cm per lvl)
Technique: Weak Manakinesis
Use mana to move things around, even yourself, because telekinesis is bullshit! Also, it is available to beings who can refine mana… Who are mostly 3rd-tier/4th-rank and above!
1 RM / sec for 100 grams (+50 g / lvl)]
"Luci?"
"What?"
"Mmm… I have learned a technique called Weak Manakinesis."
"… Weirdo," Lucifer absentmindedly replied as he was fully immersed in his own exercise. It took a moment for the information to battle into the forefront of his mind. "What did you say?"
Stone patiently repeated it.
"… You know what? I am no longer surprised… This technique? Even though it's a 'weak' version, it is part of the 3rd-tier Monsters' or 4th-rank [Class] mana manipulation set."
"Is that good?"
"Yes, so train it properly!" This technique was an integral part of the wizards' expertise set. It was a prerequisite to flying!
"How?"
"Hover yourself!"
"How?"
"Create a link with the ground and push."
The spell was easy and Stone did a few rounds around the room, fluctuating around half a meter above the ground.
"Luci, I don't like this."
"You don't like flying?"
"No."
"Deal with it."
"Fine," Stone dropped, not making a sound as he was only ten centimetres high and conjured two souls.
"I didn't mean to drop!"
"I don't like flying!" Stone stubbornly repeated.
"It would be easier and faster to move around! Why must everything be so difficult with you?!"
Their argument was interrupted by the goblin who finished twitching on his bed and the glow slowly fading. There were no changes on his body, but Stone could see that he had substantially more mana than before.
"Luci?"
"WHAT NOW!?"
"The goblin…"
"What's with the goblin?"
"He is waking up!"
Stone hastily hid behind the crates. The goblin was silently laying while smirking as he checked his status. "Success! I am in the 4th-rank Class! It feels good!" The goblin cheerily stretched himself and called for guards. They promptly rushed inside and he instructed them to go and prepare a feast for the whole camp. Their empty gazes flickered with joy.
"Turn off the regeneration!" Lucifer urged.
"Already done it… I am not that stupid, you know?"
"Ha! That's quite debatable! Now, pray that he won't find us…"
They observed as the 4th-rank goblin cast the same scanning spell as before.
Fortunately, a pair of a goblin and a goblinette rambunctiously staggered into the room, clearly drunk, and slumped on the ground, making out. How they were able to scale the stairs in this state was above Lucifer's understanding.
Their leader first kicked them, but the drunk pair was not even aware of him. So, he conjured a ball of water above them, then he clenched his hand into a fist and the ball burst. That woke them and they slowly looked up with a dread creeping into their eyes.
"Search the place, some weak trash is hiding here! I will go down to celebrate!"
"Gaka…" The goblins replied while attempting to push themselves up.
"Stone, prepare yourselves. We are going to kill them the moment the fourth-ranker leaves."
The 4th-rank goblin conjured a thick mana wall over the entrance as he left, whistling.