"Magic?" Both Barry and Gassain were taken aback, staring at Linton in surprise.
"What's wrong? Can't magic be used to find people?" Linton asked.
"Well..." Gassain looked at Barry, having never heard of such a spell and hoping Barry, who was more knowledgeable, could explain.
"I've never heard of that kind of magic either," Barry added.
"Do you understand magic? Are you a mage?" Linton pointed at Barry. "If not, then don't interrupt, okay?"
Barry looked at Linton, speechless. This guy really didn't understand the rules. He'd never met someone so cocky before.
"Hold on a second, you're going to cast a spell to find someone? Give it a try, then," Gassain chimed in.
"Alright." Linton nodded, then picked up a fire poker and jabbed it into the ground, letting it fall over. He pointed in the direction the poker fell. "There, found it. Let's go this way, hurry up."
"Wait a minute!" Barry and Gassain both shouted.
"Now what?"
"Was that magic? That doesn't look right at all!" Gassain yelled.
"Hey, are you a mage? You don't understand magic, so why are you making a fuss?" Linton replied.
"I'm not a mage, but it sure seems like you aren't either," Gassain said.
"How do you know I'm not?" Linton shot back.
"Come on, you just used a fire poker to cast a spell. That's ridiculous!" Gassain exclaimed.
"Whoa, whoa. Are you saying a fire poker can't be used for magic?" Linton asked.
"Of course not! Have you ever seen anyone cast a spell with a fire poker?"
"I haven't," Linton admitted.
"See..."
"But I can."
Gassain was speechless, and Barry was just as bewildered.
"See, I told you, you guys don't understand magic," Linton said. "Don't underestimate this fire poker. In the hands of a true mage like me, it becomes a wand. You know the saying, 'Any plant can be a sword'? For a mage, it's the same. Any plant can be a wand..."
"No, no, that's definitely not right," Barry interrupted.
"Fine, since you don't believe me, I'll show you." Linton pointed to the side. "Look, there's a pig over there."
Indeed, there was a beast that looked like a wild boar. It was larger than the ones they'd seen earlier, probably a level-three beast, as they had ventured deeper into the forest.
"So, you're going to kill it with your fire poker? That seems impossible," Gassain said.
"Just watch." Linton shouted at the wild boar, "Hey, stupid pig, over here!"
The boar noticed them and, being territorial, charged at Linton in a rage.
Gassain was startled and worried for Linton. If this were the Linton he knew, he'd be dead for sure. But he wasn't sure if Linton was bluffing or if he really knew magic.
"Wait, what if I actually kill it?" Linton suddenly turned and asked, as the boar was charging.
"Seriously? Is this the time to ask that? It's coming right at us!" Gassain shouted, drawing his sword.
"Hold on, watch me." Linton turned back to the boar and waved his "wand." "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A red ball of flame appeared in front of Linton and shot forward. However, to everyone's shock, the fireball didn't head toward the boar but flew straight at Gassain instead.
Gassain froze in terror. He hadn't encountered many mages, but he knew that if this fireball hit him, he'd be in serious trouble. At the last second, Gassain dodged by rolling to the side, narrowly avoiding the fireball. The fireball hit the ground behind him, exploding into a sea of flames.
"Huh?" Linton was just as stunned. How did the fireball miss? Luckily, Gassain had dodged, but Linton had forgotten about the charging boar. With a loud crash, Linton was sent flying, spinning through the air several times before crashing hard onto the ground.
The boar, after sending Linton flying, prepared to attack the others, but in a flash of a sword, its head separated from its body. Naturally, it was Barry who had effortlessly taken care of the beast. However, he was even more surprised by Linton.
"Damn..." Gassain, still trembling, looked at the scorched ground behind him. That fireball was no joke. If it had hit him, he'd be seriously injured. He looked over at Linton, shocked that he was already standing up as if nothing had happened, despite being hit by a level-three beast.
"Hey!" Gassain shouted, snapping back to reality. "Were you trying to kill me?"
"No, no," Linton quickly replied. "It was the fire poker... it messed up my spell..."
"That's nonsense! You did it on purpose!"
"Hey, you were the one who said a fire poker couldn't cast magic. Now you're saying something else?" Linton deflected.
Linton had a theory about what went wrong. His fire spell had malfunctioned because, unlike the usual method of blowing the fire out from the mouth, he had skipped both the hand signs and the breath, casting it directly from in front of him. While the spell had worked, he hadn't been able to aim it properly, hence the misfire.
"How did you do that?" Barry suddenly interrupted.
"What?"
"How did you cast a spell with that thing?" Barry asked.
"See, I told you, you don't understand magic," Linton replied.
"I may not be a mage, but I know the basics. That can't be used as a magical medium," Barry said seriously. He had thought Linton was just talking nonsense, but after witnessing it firsthand, he realized this was something else entirely.
"It can, you just don't get it," Linton insisted.
"And you cast the spell without any chanting. Are you a Star-level mage?" Barry asked.
"What?" Gassain was stunned, staring at Linton in disbelief.
"A Star-level mage?" Linton had heard this mentioned before. It seemed Barry had misunderstood, likely because Linton had cast the spell without chanting, which was apparently a sign of a Star-level mage.
"When did you become a mage, and a Star-level one at that?" Gassain asked.
"You guys don't get it. Magic depends on talent. I've got tons of talent, so I leveled up just like that," Linton said, shrugging.
"It's not as simple as you make it sound," Gassain said, though he wasn't sure if Linton was telling the truth. But Barry, who had seen real mages, was harder to convince.
"It really is that simple," Linton repeated. "My magical talent is just that strong, and you can't envy it."
Gassain was speechless.
"Alright..." Barry stopped pressing. He knew Linton wasn't being truthful, but he also understood that everyone had secrets. There was no point in prying.
As for Linton's apparent invulnerability, Barry assumed it was due to some defensive spell, unaware that Linton had merely tanked the damage thanks to his high constitution.
"Anyway, now you've seen that I really can use magic. Are you convinced now?" Linton asked.
"Yeah." Barry nodded. Gassain still had many questions, but seeing Barry's acceptance, he held them back for now.
"Alright then, let's go," Linton said, waving them onward.
**(End of Chapter)**