Chapter 18

It had been about ten days since Mika completed the magic of the four elements.

“Gurrrr...”

On a scorching afternoon, Mika sat in the grass beside his house, concentrating hard.

Considering that eating lunch would lower his concentration, he only took a little water and repeated the same task for hours.

Despite the profuse sweating, he continued to visualize it intensely.

The beautiful, golden figure.

“...Why can’t I do it...!”

He slumped, his head hanging low.

Tears welled up in his eyes from the frustration, but they fell to the ground along with his sweat.

“This is ridiculous! It’s wrong! It doesn’t make sense!”

Mika clenched his fists in anger and pounded the ground.

“Damn it...!!!”

The story goes back to the morning of that day——

“Alchemy, you say?”

Mika’s words were met with a nod from Ninetiana.

Duel was sound asleep in Ninetiana’s arms, looking very comfortable.

Recently, Mika had been cutting his magic practice short and visiting Ninetiana to listen to her stories more often.

The main reason was that his magic development had reached a certain stage, and he had more time to think about how to effectively use magic.

Ninetiana’s stories were very useful for this, as she taught him about various things in this world.

Although, to the people living in this world, these were just common knowledge.

Even now, they were having such a conversation.

“It’s a fairly well-known story among adventurers. They say there’s a book somewhere that contains this secret technique.”

“Really...?”

“Ah, you don’t believe it, do you? Actually, there have been many requests to the guild. They’re all incredibly high-paying jobs, you know?”

“Really...?”

He couldn’t help but give a half-hearted response.

If requests were piling up, it meant no one had found it, right?

(There were similar stories in my original world too. Buried treasure, a gold train loaded with valuable artworks and treasures...)

No matter the world, there were always such tales, he mused. But then, Ninetiana got defensive and started explaining.

“Hey, Mika-kun? The Great Secret Book of the Saint really exists! It’s not just alchemy; it contains various secret techniques. If you get your hands on it, you could even become a king!”

“Okay, okay, I get it. ...But you’re scaring Duel with your loud voice.”

Duel, who had been sleeping comfortably in Ninetiana’s arms, was startled, his face contorted, and on the verge of crying.

Ninetiana hurried to soothe him, but it was too late.

Duel cried out in a voice so loud that Mika couldn’t help but be impressed.

Mika hopped off his chair and headed for the door.

“Well, since you’re busy with Duel, I’ll take my leave. See you.”

“Wait, Mika-kun!? Help me soothe Duel!”

“It’s entirely your fault. Take good care of him.”

With a casual wave, Mika left Ninetiana’s house.

His attitude towards Ninetiana had become quite relaxed, but in truth, Mika respected her like a teacher.

She answered each of Mika’s questions with care, and he tried to show proper respect in return, but she found it creepy.

She even suspected he was up to something, so he stopped being so formal.

Mika wasn’t used to formal settings, which made him tense, so he decided to interact normally while still showing respect.

“The Great Secret Book of the Saint, huh.”

As he walked, he recalled the conversation.

It was probably just another treasure legend.

The idea of striking it rich or turning one’s life around was something Mika could understand to some extent.

While he wouldn’t go as far as to risk his life for it, it might be an important trait for an adventurer.

However, such excessive curiosity could be dangerous.

“Still, a saint becoming a king and alchemy... What a greedy guy.”

And the “Great” in the title made it even more suspicious. What’s with the Great Secret Book?

He didn’t know what alchemy was in this world, but in his original world, it had existed.

Whether it was successful or not, the concept was real.

It was supposed to turn base metals into precious metals or create elixirs of immortality.

He remembered these elements from fantasy games, where philosopher’s stones and elixirs often appeared.

(A secret technique somewhere in the world? There are more certain things in this world.)

Mika found the potential of magic, which held immeasurable power, more appealing than the uncertain alchemy.

This power could potentially bring in a fortune, depending on how it was used.

With the right application, it could be as valuable as a mountain of gold.

To achieve this, he needed to learn more about this world, both in quantity and accuracy.

“I want to know more about magic... more than the location of treasure.”

A sudden idea struck Mika, and he stopped in his tracks.

He crossed his arms and rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

(Is this even possible?)

He muttered, “But...” and pondered further.

(There’s no reason it can’t be done. If so... it’s possible.)

He stared at his left hand and clenched it tightly.

“Magic can create gold!”

After hours of struggle, Mika was utterly defeated.

“...Why... Why? Why!?”

He repeated, “Why, why,” like a mantra, repeatedly pounding the ground.

No matter how much he concentrated his magic, he couldn’t produce even a single speck of gold.

“I can create stones and water! Why can’t I create gold!!”

It was the same process of materializing magic.

The stone in “Stone Bullet” seemed to be composed of multiple atoms.

Creating gold, which is made of a single atom, should be much easier.

“...Damn it...!”

Mika collapsed on the spot.

The figure there was not that of a seven-year-old boy.

It was that of a forty-seven-year-old man, driven by desire.

The hope that had seemed within reach made the despair even deeper.

Those who delved into alchemy must have experienced the same cycle of hope and despair, leading them deeper into the abyss.

After a while, Mika slowly stood up.

His wobbly body and intense fatigue were not just due to the lack of magic.

He had been in the scorching sun for hours, and he was on the verge of heatstroke.

He muttered, “‘Water Ball’...” and created a basketball-sized ball of water, dunking his head into it.

After washing his face and head in the water, he emerged and let the water fall to the ground.

He ran his fingers through his hair, casually shook off the water, and stumbled back into the house.

He poured a cup of water from the water jar and drank it in one go, then refilled it.

Sitting in his usual spot, he sighed deeply.

“Why...”

He faceplanted on the table and sighed again.

The failure to create gold through magic had deeply disappointed Mika.

It wasn’t just for his own selfish reasons that he had tried alchemy.

While his personal gain was a significant factor, he had intended to give the gold to Amelia first.

He needed to think carefully about how to give it to her without causing a commotion, but he wanted to help Amelia, who always took care of him.

Considering the current financial situation of the Noisheim family, he hoped this would make their life easier.

He didn’t understand why their life was so hard despite working so hard every day, but he wanted to improve the situation even a little.

When Mika asked about the family’s financial situation, Amelia always smiled and said, “It’s not that bad,” but he could tell she was putting on a brave face.

Mika, being a child, couldn’t work yet, and in the rural village of Rish, he couldn’t even earn pocket money.

He had casually asked Kifurod if he could earn money by fishing, but it seemed that people only shared the catch and didn’t charge for it.

It was rare to catch more fish than the family could eat, and if they did, they gave it to the church or close friends.

The spirit of mutual aid in the countryside.

As a result, Mika had no means of earning money and could only rely on others.

“I guess I’ll have to keep relying on others for a while.”

Mika sighed deeply again.

■■■■■■

In the evening after Mika’s failed alchemy attempt, he ended up with a fever.

It was heatstroke.

By the next morning, his fever had subsided, but he had worried Amelia and Loretta a lot.

Despite Mika’s repeated assurances that he was fine, Amelia took the day off work to take care of him.

Mika’s actions had caused Amelia additional stress and financial loss.

(What am I doing?)

A week ago, he had deeply reflected on his actions.

Now, Mika was in the forest for the first time in a while.

He had been avoiding the forest for practice due to the danger, but today, he had convinced himself to come just once.

“Really, what am I doing?”

He was amazed at his own recklessness, but since he was already there, he had no choice.

He would finish his business quickly and return to the village.

The place where he usually practiced magic was in front of him.

The log he used to sit on for lunch was still there.

Even though the village was currently collecting wood, this log had been left untouched.

It seemed to have been forgotten.

“Well, I’m glad it’s still here.”

Today, he needed this log.

While he was bedridden with heatstroke, he had come up with a new magic spell.

It wasn’t just a whimsical idea; he had thought about it quite seriously.

He had come to the forest today to conduct an experiment.

He had spent the past week preparing and practicing the preliminary steps, and today was the day for the actual experiment.

“...It’s more than I thought.”

The log had many holes drilled by insects.

There were likely more holes on the opposite side that he couldn’t see.

“To include the whole thing... I guess it’s just barely possible?”

Standing about two meters from the center of the log, Mika turned his back to it.

“‘Limit Release.’”

A clear, ringing sound could be heard faintly.

He concentrated his mind and spread his magic.

Until now, he had focused on concentrating his magic, but now he needed to spread it outward from his body.

This was extremely difficult, as magic easily dissipated into the air if not focused.

Expanding the range while preventing dissipation required a lot of concentration.

For the magic to be effective, he wanted to spread it to a radius of about ten meters around him, but that was impossible for now.

Since this was just an experiment, he limited it to the area behind him, extending his magic in an oval, rugby ball-like shape to include the entire log.

He closed his eyes, concentrated, and slowly spread his magic backward.

Some of the magic he couldn’t control dissipated, but he continued to expand the range.

After a few minutes, he managed to include the log within the range.

It would have been easier if he were at the center, but for safety, he needed to keep a distance from the log.

As a result, the magic took on a very distorted shape.

But now came the main part.

He further concentrated his mind and sent magic into the holes drilled by insects.

Even without seeing them, Mika could sense these holes.

This was the source of the discomfort he had noticed while fishing.

It seemed that the expanded magic became his perception range.

Not a physical sensation, but a “sense of feeling magic.”

It was similar to the sensation of moving magic inside his body, but more like the early stages when he couldn’t control it well.

It was a very faint, almost imperceptible sensation, but Mika could feel the holes in the log.

Following this sensation, he sent magic into all the holes and muttered,

“‘Wind Thousand Blades.’”

Bits of sawdust-like material spurted out from various parts of the log.

Mika broke his concentration, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

He felt a slight headache from concentrating too much but turned to look at the log.

On closer inspection, sawdust had come out of many holes, and some areas had bark lifting or splitting.

There were also some holes that were unaffected.

“...There are quite a few misses.”

He had intended to send magic into all the holes, but he had either missed some or the magic hadn’t activated.

It was also possible that the number of holes was more than he had anticipated, and his magic had been insufficient.

Mika had counted over a hundred holes.

When he checked the other side of the log, the situation was similar.

“Still, it’s quite difficult.”

As expected, it would take more time to make this practical.

“Well, in actual use, it won’t be that many.”

In the scenarios he envisioned, he wouldn’t need to activate it for as many holes as in the log.

The experiment had helped him identify the immediate challenges.

Mika was satisfied with the results of the experiment, despite the risks, and returned to the village.

He prayed for the souls of the insects that had been sacrificed.

“Wind Thousand Blades.”

While bedridden with heatstroke, Mika had plenty of time to think and came up with this magic.

It wasn’t much different from “Wind Blade.”

It simply created many smaller blades simultaneously.

Despite their small size, the magic required was more than “Wind Blade” and even exceeded “Earth Wall.”

The need to spread it over a wide area might have increased the required magic.

The experiment had consumed more than half of Mika’s total magic.

In its completed form, he intended to use it over a range dozens of times larger, which would be impossible to use practically for now.

...For now.

What was the purpose of this magic that consumed so much magic?

It was a trump card against magic beasts.

He had developed various magics like “Fireball” and “Stone Bullet,” but he still had doubts about whether they would be enough.

They might work against Ag Bear, but what if there was a magic beast with a developed exoskeleton?

If there was a magic beast with such strong protection that even hundreds of “Stone Bullets” couldn’t penetrate, Mika would be at a loss.

He wondered if there was a magic that could deal a fatal blow to most, if not all, magic beasts.

That’s when he came up with “Wind Thousand Blades.”

Except for the exceptional tardigrade, most living beings need to breathe.

Even if it didn’t cause immediate death, depriving them of breath would gradually shut down their functions and eventually lead to death.

He considered creating a toxic gas, but it would be dangerous for himself and difficult to experiment with.

The same applied to manipulating thermal energy. “Burning at 10,000 degrees would kill any creature,” he thought, but it would be dangerous for himself and cause significant damage to the surroundings.

He wanted a magic that he could use now and minimize the impact on the surroundings.

After much consideration, he arrived at “Wind Thousand Blades.”

The concept was as follows:

Send magic deep into the nostrils, mouth, and ear canals of the target magic beast.

Create many small “Wind Blades” there.

No matter how tough the opponent or how strong the exoskeleton, being destroyed from the inside would leave them helpless.

As living beings, they can’t be as solid internally as they are externally.

Send the magic quietly so the opponent doesn’t notice and destroy the respiratory system, such as the trachea and lungs.

Aiming for the ears is an additional insurance.

If the semicircular canals are nearby, like in humans, they would be destroyed as well.

This would prevent the opponent from moving properly.

It’s a rather cruel magic, but he was desperate.

It was designed for situations where failure would mean death for himself and those around him.

There was another scenario he envisioned.

For example, if the opponent was not a magic beast but a wild dog or wolf.

Even if there was a magic that could instantly kill a wild dog, it wouldn’t be advantageous in certain situations.

When surrounded by a pack.

One-on-one might be manageable, but one-against-many would be impossible.

If attacked by a pack, he might be able to take down two or three, but that would likely be the limit.

So, the target radius of ten meters.

He had turned his back to the log for the experiment.

To suppress a pack or before they could complete the encirclement.

When talking to Ninetiana, she often shared stories from her time as an adventurer.

Among them were stories of battles with magic beasts and monsters.

While the party didn’t have to face everything alone, being surrounded was a common occurrence.

She vividly described how terrifying such situations were.

The specific injuries and the pain from poison.

Even when Mika said, “That’s enough,” she continued to describe them in great detail.

It was almost abusive.

Mika hoped Ninetiana wouldn’t do the same to Duel.

While it might be to restrain Mika, who was on the top of the “people to watch” list, it seemed a bit excessive.

Even with his high tolerance for graphic images from online forums, Mika didn’t particularly enjoy hearing such detailed accounts of pain.

Who would want to hear, “The bone was visible from here to here on my arm. Blood was gushing from here and wouldn’t stop. I really thought I was going to die”?

“Well, it turned out as I expected. The lack of magic is nothing new.”

Mika washed his hands with a “Water Ball” and went inside.

He had used half of his daily magic limit, so he couldn’t practice magic today.

He decided to think about the issues with “Wind Thousand Blades” that he had discovered in the experiment.

Sitting in his usual spot, he crossed his legs and arms, resting his chin on his hand.

Leaning back and closing his eyes, he recalled the results of the “Wind Thousand Blades” experiment.

First, the magic required was too much.

There was nothing he could do about this for now.

Since it was possible to use it on a smaller scale, he would have to go in that direction for now.

It would resolve itself as his magic increased, so he just had to wait.

Second, there were quite a few misses.

One reason was that there were too many holes to keep track of.

Another was that the magic was insufficient to activate “Wind Thousand Blades” in all the holes.

For the former, he needed to hone his senses.

The perception from the magic range was very faint, so it was difficult to grasp everything at once.

He might need to think of a way to train his senses.

Just identifying the problem was a significant achievement from the experiment