The element PYRALUMINA (FIRE AND LIGHT MAGIC) consists of various subcategories.
For example - Beginner Magic consists of:
· Pyromancy
· Flame Manipulation
· Fire Shielding
And I have already learned the first two. Pyromancy - feeling and accumulating the fire particles into fire mana within the mana vessel, and flame manipulation - controlling and bending the fire elements to obtain various forms like fireball, fire spear, fire sword, etc. With each form, one encounters a new kind of difficulty. Sustaining the fire elements in that form and utilizing them in battle is another hurdle one has to overcome.
A small orange-red fireball danced on the palm of my hand and soon enlarged in size, disappearing when it reached the size of a basketball. In its place, a two-foot-long glowing fire lance appeared, burning with flames. Next, I created a flame ring with a one-foot radius and slowly rotated it in a clockwise direction. "PUFFFF," I sustained it in motion for 3 minutes, and that was the extent of what I could do with fire magic for now. It was already a miracle that I was able to learn this much in a short period of 40 days. Don't even mention that I am not compatible with the fire element when I started. No, I was not compatible with any of the elements. I am a genius; yes, my genius genes from my previous life should have carried over to this life. What can I do? I am always a genius; I cannot stop my talent wherever I go.....Before I could drown in more self-praise, the old hag's words struck me like thunder.
"Huh! Why did God give me this stupid student! How dumb can you be?" she said, as if disgusted by my whole presence.
"What… Old hag, I thought you would be surprised by my improvement. Tell me, has anyone other than me shown this much improvement in a few days? Not only did I awaken an element but also…"
"Will you shut up?" interrupted Gia.
"Just because you can learn magic fast means nothing when you are just an E-rank. Remember, kids from some races are born as C and B ranks. At your age, they will be A or even A+ ranks. Do you still have time to boast about how great and genius you are? Remember, there is always a talent that can surpass another, and geniuses are born every minute. Don't let success go to your head."
[This old hag's tongue is as sharp as ever. But I cannot deny the truth. Just my slaves and disciples are enough examples of geniuses in this world.]
"Old hag, why did you call me dumb?"
"It's because you do not know how to utilize your magic properly. Think about what you did. Why do you use new fire elemental particles when you conjure new forms? If you want to change from a mana ball to a mana spear, isn't it better to change the ball itself into a spear than to create a new one? This way, not only will you save your mana, but you can also change the elemental forms in a short period of time," she said.
"Ah! Yes, that can be done," I said, realizing. "Why didn't I think about that?"
"Look here, little brat, magic is not just learning and replicating what you have learned; it's about understanding the workings of nature. You must have a vivid imagination and a constant urge to make your magic better than it already was. Don't rely solely on your skills, but on your intuition."
I nodded my head, realizing. I must dedicate more time to magic in my already hectic schedule.
"Okay, now get ready. I will teach you your second element," said Gia, satisfied with my progress in fire.
[Great, this is what I was excited about. Now that I have mastered fire, I can easily learn the light element, which has the same characteristics. What the old hag is going to teach me will be the water element.]
I sat in the lotus position, starting to cultivate using Nova's technique. As usual, Gia sat in front of me and touched my hand to inject a minuscule amount of water mana, enough for me to sense.
I felt a sharp pain in my mind. If the fire elemental mana was like burning me alive, then water mana was like drowning me as a whole. I thought it would be gentle this time, but I was massively wrong. It was harder to control than the fire elementals. These water elemental mana were like slippery eels that escaped whenever I tried to control them. They put more pressure on my soul than on my body. With severe pain, I lost consciousness.
After a few minutes, I woke up, feeling the sweet taste in my mouth – Gia's healing pills.
"This time it was your mind getting damaged rather than your body. If it had been a bit more severe, your soul would have been completely damaged, causing your death," the old hag stated abruptly, without sugarcoating her words.
Before I could ask anything, she said, "Don't you dare ask me for another training method. This is the fastest one," leaving no room for questions.
After that, my torment of sensing water mana and losing consciousness repeated in cycles. It was like déjà vu, similar to what I experienced while learning my first fire elemental.
After cycles of near-death experiences, I finally managed to string those water mana particles into a straight line and guide them through the cultivation route.
As usual, the old hag left me, throwing another bag of healing pills beside me.
"My god, I should be the one worrying about why I got such an irresponsible teacher, not her. She really doesn't care if I die, huh? Well, whatever. Now that I can feel the water elemental, I will soon awaken my second element."
"Master, master!" I was disturbed from my thoughts by my cute little pet bird.
"What is it, Casper?"
"I delivered the letter to Xander, as you said."
"Good. What did he say?"
"He said that he would do it."
"Really?"
"Yes, he said he believes in you."
"Surprising. He believes me, huh? Good, let's see what happens. Keep an eye on him for now and tell me what's happening over there."
"Yes, master. I will call you when the time comes."
_________________
---Bliss Tavern in Aswalt Square, 4:00 PM----
"Brother Xander!" the young cheerful youth Jessi called out joyfully upon seeing Xander enter the door.
(A/N if you forgot who Jessi is, he is another guard in night patrol working along with Xander. Refer ch 37- Magic of Grimesphere )
"Hey, how was your day?" Xander sat on the chair opposite the table where Jessi was sitting.
"As usual, brother. I'm happy without a girlfriend and stuff. But my parents want me to settle down early. Tell me, brother, who in the world gets married before 23 at this age?"
"True, even then you should start thinking about those things soon. What if your soulmate finds someone else in the meantime?" Xander teased.
"Ah, come on brother, not you too."
"Haha, just kidding. Said Xander looking at Jessi's embarrassing face.
Okay, why did you call me here? It was so sudden; I thought you had a problem."
"Yeah, there's a problem I've been facing recently." Xander became serious.
"Really? Tell me, whatever it is, your younger brother will stand beside you."
"I know, Jessi, that's why I called you. But I need some booze before discussing stuff like that. Let me order some first." Jessi nodded, and Xander got up and went to the reception to order some drinks. Soon, he returned to the table with two large wooden beer jars.
"Now, this will be easier," Xander said, taking a sip of the beer.
"Is it that serious? You need alcohol and all."
"Yup, you'll be shocked when you hear it."
"Really?" asked Jessi tilting his head.
"There's going to be a theft today at Sodar's house in the north. And it will be done by the Raven gang," Xander said, looking straight at Jessi.
Jessi was taken aback by the sudden information. "Sodar? Isn't he the largest wholesaler of wheat in Aswalt? He's loaded, isn't he?. How did you know about this.?"
"One of the raven gang members was talking about it. I heard it accidentally. Sodar is really influential in Aswalt. That's why we'll have to prevent it at all costs. And don't you think it's a good chance for us to catch those Raven thugs?"
"Brother, do you want me to join you?"
"Yes, just you and me. I heard there will be two of them, both E-Ranks from the Raven gang. I have some ignition balloons, but I'm not confident in doing this by myself. That's why I want you to partner up."
"But why didn't you let the department know? They could send a whole team to support you?" Jessi asked, confused.
"Jessi, don't be so foolish. Who would want to share the prize money and fame with others? Not me. If the two of us are enough for this mission, why not have everything to ourselves? I'm only calling you because you always call me 'big brother."
"Jeez, brother, I really want to learn a lot from you. Thank you for giving me a chance. Soon, I will also become famous like you, right?"
"That's right. Fifty-fifty from what we gain in this mission. We'll take down those Raven gang bastards and take all the prize money for ourselves," Xander said, smirking.
"Yes, yes, all the prize money will be ours," Jessi replied, happily gulping down the beer.