Cain lifted his head proudly, his successful barrage of questions served as a reference to a meme. 'I've always wanted to do that. Who knew all of that information from reading would come in handy like this?' He observed Dresil's reaction, hopeful to the reception that he would normally receive.
Contrary to Cain's expectations, Dresil's blank expression leaked into the atmosphere, the comedic mood chased away by her deadpan face. His attempt to lighten the awkward air around them succeeded, but not in the way he had hoped.
"Master, you're not a detective and that isn't a lamp…" Dresil's outright reproach killed every bit of Cain's momentum. 'Awww, she's no fun.' The dismayed boi thought as he tossed the stick to the side. 'Wait, just how did she-' Before he could finish his surface thoughts, Dresil continued; for he already knew subconsciously she read his memories.
"When adventures rest here, I usually stick my roots into the base of their skull and use my mana to pick out information. This harmless operation helps me stay one step ahead of the Adventurer's Guild so I can change locations before they send adventures to hunt me.
"I am outside the Hellion Forest after all… It would be strange if people didn't find a lone tree out in these meadows suspicious." Dresil paused for a short moment to gauge whether or not Cain could handle more information. He sat attentively, his face telling her he had already processed everything before she even finished speaking, thus she continued onwards.
"After Master appeared suddenly and slowly phased out, I was curious and waited to see if Master would come back. An hour or so later, the Master phased slowly back onto the grass. I used this chance to investigate why you kept appearing out of thin air. While looking through Master's memories, I learned the English language and that you were from a different world."
Dresil paused to push up imaginary glasses while proudly saying, "Only one truth prevails!" Cain observed her reactions, surprised from the sudden reference yet unphased. He subconsciously noted the lies Dresil told, preventing them from surfacing to his memories; lest Dresil catch wind of his doubts and therefore put his life in danger.
'Did she just make a Conan reference? I hope part of my personality didn't get imprinted onto her. She did say she looked through my memories. Depending how that info is assimilated, it can be the same as copying someone's personality or merely reading articles. Understanding what she saw is also different from knowing it.
'Wait, did she even see all of my embarrassing moments too?' Cain's face blushed slightly as he recalled countless moments in which he did stupid things. Dresil noticed his reaction and guess-stimated what was happening. She fell back on the memories absorbed from Cain to find ways that would prevent him thinking about the matter further. The best of which was to not let his thoughts run around and thus she quickly resumed her explanation.
Yet what she couldn't guess was that even the thought that questioned how much Dresil read was a test managed by his subconscious; his passive mind. Depending on her reaction, Cain could determine how much Dresil could read. Whether it was just his memories, his thoughts, or even the subconscious activity that orchestrated all of this behind the scenes.
That's right. Even the setting up of this test was a test in itself. And even the process of setting up the test served as another test. The cycle of tests ended with a trap that ensnared those who overthink into a countless cycle of predicting non-existent tests.
Ah… Remembering this moment took me back so I got carried away… Basically with this simple yet elegant and natural thought, Cain was able to determine the extent Dresil could read his mind and operate accordingly.
Back to Dresil's explanation of the world…
"As for everything pertaining to mana… According to the adventurers that came by over the decades, the average person has about 10,000 mana and can be considered a one circle mage. After every additional circle, the amount of mana that can be stored doubles. A second circle mage can store 20,000, a third circle can store 40,000, and so on.
"The ranks for adventurers are divided into D, C, B, A, and S rank. You need to be at least a second circle mage for a D rank, a third circle mage for C rank, etc. In order to promote, you have to complete 5 requests higher than your current rank with no more than 4 other people helping. One to three people can use the quest to rank up and a party's rank is determined by the average rank of the members, unless proven otherwise using the previous method.
"There is a way to promote without these requirements by directly challenging a guild official. If you beat that official, you get promoted to that official's rank and the fee is waived. However, if you lose, you have to pay the guild 100 gold, or about $10,000 for damages, registration, and wasting time (the fee). The guild officials are in the top 10 of every rank so this method is rarely used.
"The strongest person on this side of the forest should be an 8th circle mage who is currently at a mage tower researching, although most adventurers are only at the 4th circle. I learned this from a party of adventurers a few days ago."
Dresil stopped for a moment to take a breath and looked at Cain expecting praise. She really is like a child… A few moments of silence passed after Cain's thought causing Dresil to pout while looking away. He ignored her fake, cute act and just signalled for her to continue. Disappointed, she continued with her lecture.
"There are seven known basic elements. Fire, water, earth, air, light, dark, and spiritual. The first six are the same elements that Master is familiar with. The spiritual element refers to one's ability to summon spirits from another dimension.
"For every element there exists a type of corresponding spirit. Instead of the spiritual element, there is a space spirit. Although, it has been thousands of years since one was summoned and is now considered an urban myth.
"The spirits follow the same rank as adventurers, with the exception of SS and SSS rank spirits. SSS rank spirits are known as 'Spirit Kings' and rule over their corresponding elements. The last time one was summoned was over a hundred years ago; all of the spirits under its rule were unable to attack the King's summoner despite their summoner's order.
"Spirits stay in this world by using their summoner's mana. Any spirit at S rank or above requires the flesh of the summoner to be sacrificed. According to Master's memories and scientific deduction processes, the flesh is most likely used to stabilize the power of said spirits."
'This girl… Just how much of my memories did she see?' Cain thought then proceeded to fake the motions and expressions needed to show he was processing the info. Dresil gazed at him expectantly, her meadowy eyes begging for something.
After Cain finished his facade, he reluctantly said, "Good job, that's one of the hypotheses I would've come across," all while passively monitoring her reactions and body language, trying to determine whether this childlike innocence was an act or natural.
Dresil's eyes lit up once more, slightly surprising Cain. Ay, she turned on the high beams. He thought to himself, blinded by her happiness. After basking in her moment of glory, she picked up where she left off.
"All mana, except natural mana, contains elemental properties. Humans can have any element. Elves commonly have earth, air, and high spiritual talent. Dwarves usually have fire, earth, and most are able to utilize an advanced form of earth: metal.
"For each basic element, there is an advanced form. As long as one has a decent understanding of the basic element, enough mana, and some understanding of the advanced element, they can cast spells of that advanced element.
"Once again, the elements are fire, water, earth, air, light, dark, and spiritual. Their advanced forms are lightning, ice, metal, sound, holy, and demonic. The spiritual element isn't really a type of element, but a type of talent or affinity.
"Generally, only spirits that share the same element with their summoner can be summoned. For example, an adventurer with fire and air can only summon those two spirits, unless they have an understanding of another element and high spiritual talent.
"The holy and demonic elements appear to be bestowed by the gods or demons to those with high talent for the respective elements. Different advanced elements can be created by combining different elements.
"An example is mixing fire and earth to create lava. In order to use this type of element, decent control over mana and complete understanding or talent of the basics is required. Based on rumors, one can overcome the need to understand with an absurd amount of elemental mana.
"When natural mana is absorbed, it is converted to the elemental mana that the person has inside their body. People with no elements are rare and are considered to be trash. It is also rare for conflicting elements to be inside one person.
"When this happens, there is a violent collision between the two different types of mana as they attempt to dominate each other. The person won't live long due to the backlash unless something intervenes."
As she said this last bit, Dresil looked down again, trying to avoid a certain topic. Cain, pretending to be unaware of his surroundings parsed through the immense amount of information, on the surface. He had already processed everything as Dresil spoke, whether the next flurry of thoughts was out of laziness or for show, I can't really remember either.
'Dresil is getting better at predicting what questions I may have and answering them ahead of time. Guess she doesn't want another barrage of questions…
'So basically, the more understanding of an element you have, the more you can use it. And even without understanding the element you can just brute force it with mana. In other words, aren't I overpowered? I have enough mana after treating Dresil to be on par with an 8th circle mage and great understanding of all elements due to my engineering courses and manga.
'Wait, if you treat mana as an energy source, then natural mana, and maybe non-elemental mages, can derive every element from the elementless mana. Well, I guess others can't since they don't have enough understanding of the elements or science to realize this?
'But aren't elements just a certain arrangement of molecules and internal energy? Then why are there different types of elements that exist and cannot be changed in someone's body? Is it determined by the DNA, and just like the method for reproducing cells is located in the cell, is natural mana converted by the elemental mana existing in the body?'
Cain sighed as he leaned back, feigning exhaustion from overthinking. 'I should probably stop trying to discover the laws of mana and just enjoy the fact that if this isn't a dream, there's a chance I get to see some real elves too.'
Dresil waited patiently as Cain digested all of the information. Once he tilted his head back down and glanced at her, she interpreted it as the signal to continue.
"Spells are usually cast by chanting and a magic circle, silent casting and a magic circle, or visualization with no magic circle. If the chant is altered, the spell will also be altered in different ways.
"The last method is one recorded in the legends and hasn't been seen for a while. As for magic involving the creation of objects, apart from illusions, it's just a myth.
"Magic is used in everything from helping with chores to destroying cities. Mana is used in every typical RPG class, even fighters who use their fists. As for the Master's elemental body and magic circle… you have none of either. I'm afraid you won't be able to do much in the future. Just rely on me!"
Cain sighed once more. A sigh that appeared to be of acceptance and helplessness, yet its true nature relied in the relief the deduction from Dresil's recent action provided. Why did she remind me of a dog when she just said that last bit? 'Ah, whatever… I guess she didn't copy my personality and point of view.
'Otherwise she would understand that trash elements (or non-elements) don't exist, only people who don't understand how to use it or understand it in general. In other words, an elementless body should mean being able to use every element or simply a different force.
'As for the creation of objects… I wonder if I can use mana to force the right conditions of E=mc² to take effect. If mana is really an energy source, then it should work. But how many joules of energy are in a single unit of mana? Hm… let's shelf that for later.
'From what Dresil said, magic circles are like a preset for spells. Does this mean I can create magic circles and program them to do different things? If I can find a way to fine tune the programming rather than just vaguely editing a magic circle, the spells I could make would only be limited by my imagination.'
Cain opened his mouth, his vocal chords prepping to vibrate words into existence, yet they were stopped by Dresil's sudden movement. She pointed over his shoulder, without saying a thing. The curious Cain twisted his head, following the direction Dresil pointed in, and saw a vast, dark forest. It was shrouded in an eerie mist, with several beaten paths leading into it.
Her finger led past the endless treeline that hid the horizon, past the fog, and behind the countless cries of beasts only the most adept of ears could pick up. The setting sun slowly disappeared behind the treeline, its orange and red hue reflecting off the mist. The greeting and farewell of the sun reminded Cain of an unbearable pain; the bloody sky and waves of red trees went completely ignored.
'I didn't get to eat that last pizza!!!' Cain looked up to the sky, seemingly wanting to cry out in frustration, yet his jaw did not open. For it knew no sound would come out anyways. His silent wail was interrupted by a gentle prodding on his side. He looked back and saw the naked Dresil offering an apple.
'Why does this scene look familiar? Oh well, free food. Wait, she's still naked!' I shouldn't need to say this by now, but just in case we're lacking brain cells at the moment of the transfer, here it is anyways: These thoughts were indeed faked to match the scenario. Cain stared at Dresil for a few moments, pretending to be stunned by the sudden realization.
His subconscious once again suppressed questions that would expose his suspicion of Dresil. Questions such as "Why is she offering me this food? Is it poisonous? Why now?" and so on. Before Cain ate the apple, he subtly scrutinized every minute muscle movement on Dresil's body, masking such actions during the moment he feigned his innocence.
Only when the apple was deemed safe to eat did Cain pull off his shirt and hand it to her. He exchanged the shirt for the apple, muttering "Put this on" and looking away the moment the trade was completed. He quickly ate the apple to disguise his embarrassment and nervousness, feelings and actions that were once again mimicked.
Dresil eyed Cain weirdly, wanting to snicker and tease him because of his innocent reactions, yet not knowing how. She opted to focus on putting on the shirt he offered, a task that proved troublesome due to the stiffness of some areas on her body. When the shirt was finally forced on, Cain looked back.
The sight he saw beckoned a true reaction, Dresil's unfathomable beauty catching him off guard for a few moments. 'Dang it, this just looks sexier. Like the morning after with your wife.'
After staring at Dresil once more, he remembered the issue about her evolution. Cain stretched out his hand and spoke in a soft tone, "Take the mana you need, I'd rather you be healthy than having an extra 10 million mana."
Dresil eyed him suspiciously, reading his memories to see if he was actually sincere. I never knew humans could be so kind to monsters. She thought, her cheeks heating up slightly from the situation before her. One she was trained to make happen for impure reasons yet never thought would occur naturally and sincerely.
"Sit behind me and put your hand on the patch of bark on my back, I'll do the rest Master." Cain followed her words, moving to her back and doing as instructed. He observed everything about Dresil, his curiosity boundless. The first of which was the size of the mountains that peaked around her sides.
'Dang you can even see them from behind. They've got to be at least an E cup. Wait no focus…' Cain lifted up her shirt nervously and gently placed his hand on the massive, rough, brown patch on Dresil's back. It appeared as if it was forcibly concentrated here, an attempt to not disturb the view; an attempt Cain subconsciously noted.
The following thoughts were crafted to fit the situation and the mask he showed Dresil. Like all great lies, a sliver of truth remained; a truth that exposed his true personality.
'Man, this is too much stimulation for a shut-in like me. I was fine earlier because I was preoccupied with the knowledge of this world. Now I can even feel her heartbeat. Wait, she has a heartbeat? Dang, this place is so mysterious… So many experiments that need to be performed!'
As Cain thought over the potential experiments, his hand slowly sank into Dresil's back. The sudden movement forced his focus to shift on the anomaly, one that reminded him of a rippling lake that was once still. Vines stretched out from where his hands once were and wrapped around his arms.
Once they were tightly fastened, Cain felt endless amounts of mana being drawn from him, the waves of drowsiness washed over him once more.
'Isn't this what I felt before when I came here? Come to think of it, Dresil said I kept phasing in and out. Did the summon fail or something? That could explain my abnormal amount of mana, a glitch in the system.'
While Cain simulated the different possibilities, an important question came into his mind. Another question whose answer could decide his fate, yet this one's importance trumped all others.
"Dresil, was there anything wrong with my body when you were absorbing my mana the first time? Any drops in my vitals, cellular abnormalities, implants or something that might force me to be compliant towards someone, etc. etc."
Dresil slowed the mana drain as her vocal chords stirred to life. "None of that, Master. Apart from the weird phasing everything was normal." She picked the pace back up as Cain attempted to deduce a solution for his case.
'Interesting… This means that this body can hold 30 million mana with no difficulties. If I make a dedicated organ and pathways for controlling my mana, I won't have to keep strengthening my heart and veins. After all, the 30 million wasn't concentrated in one spot before, it was just… existing…
'There's also no guarantee I can use mana to strengthen my body permanently to withstand continuous use of casting. If that were possible, I would assume there would be more 8th and 9th circle mages, since strengthening magic exists (for the fighters and such).
I can just use mana to carve the dedicated pathways and use my body as a vessel as opposed to using the body's veins and hearts, the traditional method.' As Cain sorted out the specifics to his mana circuit, he slowly drifted to sleep.