Chapter 6- Magic Basics
The class seemed odd yet also very powerful considering the world Edward was in. Getting to turn Zombies into his subordinates that he can control means that at some point with enough work, he can even create a whole army of them that he can freely use to destroy or beat any opponent.
'I could even become invincible at some point with an army of hundreds of thousands or even millions of Zombies under my command. Hahahaha! Maybe I should take another route than the usual 'Hero of Justice' way. Ehem, never mind I can't do that.' Coughing a few times as he ignored his weird intrusive thought, he instead asked Sali a question.
"Mm, Sali…"
"Call me big sister." She said.
"Uh, I don't think I can do that quite yet." He replied awkwardly.
"Oh, it's fine then. What's up?" She replied.
"I-"
Before Edward could ask, the two heard a sound coming from nearby that caught their attention. Considering the situation they were in, the sound could only belong to either a mutant creature or a Zombie, both cases unwanted.
Immediately, Sali pulled Edward to the side and stuck to the wall. Then, she took a peek secretly to check. There, a group of Zombies could be seen moving around randomly could be seen.
"There are 10 Zombies. Wait here, I will deal with them. If we ignore them now they might trace our scent and follow us." She said.
"I understand."
"Good boy." Smiling warmly, Sali stood up and pulled out her giant sword. It's sheer size coupled with the weight of the heavy metal made it look no less than a few hundred kilograms heavy if not more. Yet, Sali was able to somehow pull it out with ease before resting it on her shoulder.
After that, she casually walked out of their hiding place, revealing herself to the Zombies. Almost instantly, the monsters noticed her presence as they shrieked loudly before running at her, all at once.
Meanwhile, Edward watched carefully as this could be a very valuable lesson for him. Besides, he wanted to know how strong Sali actually is.
The Zombies closed the distance between them and jumped on Sali. However, instead of retreating, Sali simply smiled before she grabbed her great sword with both hands and swung it horizontally toward the Zombies.
Instantly, an immensely powerful sword slash flew out of the sword and hit all the Zombies directly, throwing them into complete chaos. In just one single moment, the Zombies were all sliced into two pieces as if they were made out of butter.
"...!!!" Edward's jaw dropped to the ground from sheer shock.
'So strong! What the fuck?!' He thought as he rubbed his eyes.
Even though he thought Sali was quite strong considering the fact that she protected him for over a year in a dangerous, Zombie-filled, monster-packed world without basically any assistance but still, seeing her in action completely shattered his expectations.
"You can come out, Asher." She said as she looked at him. Her expression was so casual as if this was merely another day at the job.
"That was amazing!!!" Edward said with an excited expression. His admiration for Sali increased a lot.
"Fufufu! Thank you but this is nothing."
"No, no! That was absolutely cool! You are quite strong." Edward praised honestly.
"Stop, hehe! You will make me smile like an idiot." His compliments made Sali chuckle awkwardly with a blush on her face.
"I want to learn how to fight like you!"
"Huh? Why would you…"
"I really want to. I know that the old me must've been quite the burden on you but I don't want to stay that way. Can you teach me?"
Squirting her eyes at Edward, Sali seemed oddly hesitant about it. In fact, Edward could swear he saw a flash of fear pass across her eyes before it vanished as quickly as it appeared. But, he didn't understand the reason for such fear.
'Well, maybe she simply is worried about me. I mean, one bite from a Zombie and I will find myself on a fast express to the heavens' gates.'
"I know it's dangerous. But, I don't want to stay weak. I'd rather face danger than end up dead one day because you weren't there to protect me." Edward added at last.
"Ugh, fine. I will teach you. But, on one condition."
"What?"
"If during our journey, we face a strong monster that I can't kill instantly, you must run away no matter what. Even if you see me losing."
"... I understand."
"Good. You better keep that promise or I will punch you. Now, let's go. Tonight, I will start teaching you." She said with a serious tone.
Then, turning around, the two left the place.
***
A few hours passed.
During that time, Edward and Sali walked at least 15 miles or so. It did include breaks or diversions if they found an interesting place like a small market where they could find food and other necessities.
By the time they found a good place to settle down for the day, the sky was already dark and the moon was high up in the sky.
The two ate dinner and then, Sali made Edward stand in front of her.
"Although I'm happy to see that you're motivated to learn something new. I can't simply show you everything at once so the training will take some time, ok?"
When Edward nodded in understanding, Sali continued.
"So, the first lesson is going to cover the basics of the basics… Magic. It's basically the most important weapon a person could have. Without it, you can't face monsters that are tens of times stronger and faster than an average human. Magic comes in many forms that are too hard to count since it's directly linked to a human's imagination. That imagination comes in the form of 'Element Affinity'."
"Element Affinity?"
Even though Edward could vaguely remember these concepts, he still needed to hear the explanation in detail again to completely grasp it.
"Yes, each person has an Element that is derived from nature itself that we are most attracted to. For example, the element I have the highest affinity with sound."
"Oh, you can manipulate sound?"
"Exactly. Whether it is for offensive or defensive measures, it's quite useful if you know how to use it. For example, check this out."
Then, Sali lifted her hand up in the air for a few seconds. Edward watched her with a confused look as he didn't see anything change visibly.
A few seconds later, she put it down and said.
"Now, speak."
"Huh? What do you mea-" Edward spoke out loud.
However, much to his shock, no sound came out of his mouth.
"My voice, I lost it."
"Fufufu! You look funny now. Here, let me disable the spell." She said as she snapped her fingers and Edward could finally hear his own voice again.
"That was cool!"
"I'm happy you liked it."
"What about me? What's my element affinity?" Edward asked excitedly. Seeing these magical powers in front of him, as real as ever, he felt a rush of adrenaline running through his whole body.
'I can't wait to learn how to use magic and become a strong mage. Oh, I'm super excited!'
"None. You have no Element Affinity."