Chapter 9

"Hey, what were you doing here?"

"Well, despite the extra tutoring, I ended up repeating the year."

"Huh, trying to act dumb, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

It's unclear what criteria are used to evaluate magic armor candidates, but repeating a year means he must have fallen behind. I remember he said that the only effect of the magic armor was to prevent his death, and that he couldn't use magic. As a magic armor candidate, he would be considered almost useless. His magic power is apparently high, but if he can't use it, it's like having a treasure and not knowing how to use it.

"So, why are you back in the Eldera Forest?"

"Well, I was looking for you, Shu."

"Me? Why?"

"Actually, I want you to teach me magic."

"......What?"

Shu tilted his head in confusion. If she wanted to learn, the best option would be to ask one of the school teachers.

Seeing his attitude, Iris began to explain.

"The teachers at the academy are D-rank magic armor users. The strongest among them can only use up to fourth-tier magic. However, you used sixth-tier magic the other day. That's why I want to learn from you!"

"Even if you say that... my magic is self-taught. I have no intention of teaching it."

"Self-taught!?! Indeed, unlike magic armor, anyone can learn magic. But to learn such powerful magic on your own..."

Hearing this, Shu was about to say "Huh?" He learned for the first time that magic could be used even by non-magic armor users. Moreover, it seemed that it wasn't unusual for ordinary people to learn magic on their own.

Thinking that he could use Iris as a source of information, Shu asked a question.

"By the way, what kind of system do magic armor users use for their magic? I don't know much about it."

"Huh? You don't?"

"Yeah, I'm self-taught."

"Then I can't blame you. I'll explain a little."

It seemed he could get the information he needed without arousing suspicion.

Shu listened intently to Iris's explanation with a serious expression.

"Magic can be divided into four elements and two poles. There are the elements of fire, water, wind, and earth, and each element has a yin and yang pole. Fire has 'destruction' and 'activation,' water has 'corrosion' and 'healing,' wind has 'rupture' and 'protection,' and earth has 'collapse' and 'birth.' These are extracted using magic power and interfere with the laws of nature, which is what magic is."

"Interesting. So, four elements and two poles, huh?"

"Basically, you can use any attribute, but most people have a preferred one. In my case, it's wind."

Shu found it questionable that magic could be used with such vague concepts. However, since it actually worked, it must be possible.

"Chanting is necessary to activate magic. By completing the magic array through chanting, the magic is activated. There is also a technique called 'silent casting,' but it's beyond me!"

"Something to brag about?"

"Not just me, but most people can't do it! You used silent casting the other day, didn't you? That's really impressive!"

Come to think of it, the people using magic were muttering before activation. Shu recalled this and realized that must have been the chanting.

In Shu's understanding, magic relies heavily on magic power and mental power.

It seemed that human magic was a bit different from what he knew.

"Are there only those four attributes?"

"Yes, the basic elements are these four. However, some people can use the two poles of magic."

"Two poles of magic? What does that mean?"

"For example, yin magic has the properties of 'destruction,' 'corrosion,' 'rupture,' and 'collapse.' These are strong in curses and destruction, and are commonly called yin magic. Yang magic has the properties of 'activation,' 'healing,' 'protection,' and 'birth,' and is strong in recovery and barriers, and is called yang magic. Only those with rare talents can use both."

"I see. So, that's how they classify it."

This was probably due to how humans interpreted nature. Instead of observing natural phenomena with laws and numbers, they understood them conceptually. For example, fire gives warmth but is also a symbol of destruction. Water heals and nourishes but can also cause decay.

In this way, they applied a dual nature to nature.

To these four attributes, humans added the two poles of yang (good for humans) and yin (bad for humans), which is what human magic is.

Since the methodology was completely different, it was natural that Shu's and human magic were different.

"Then, what about the tiers?"

"That's the rank of magic. Only magic armor users really care about it, so ordinary people don't pay much attention. First and second tiers are low-level magic, third and fourth tiers are mid-level magic, fifth to seventh tiers are high-level magic, and the eighth tier is the ultimate magic."

"Is there nothing above the ninth tier?"

"There is, but the ninth tier is tactical-level magic, the tenth tier is strategic-level magic, and the eleventh to fourteenth tiers are military-grade great magic, also known as forbidden spells. Even S-rank magic armor users can rarely activate them alone. I've heard that sacrifices are needed to activate forbidden spells, so it's a waste of time to worry about them."

"I see. So, there's a fourteenth tier?"

"According to legend, there's a fifteenth tier called divine spells, but no one knows what kind of magic they are, and some people even say they don't exist. I believe they do, though."

"Hmm."

Honestly, Shu wondered if such classifications had any real meaning. While they made things easier to understand, what mattered most was whether they could be used in actual combat.

Iris had previously said that Shu's *Zankū Ryōiki* was sixth-tier, which, according to this, would be high-level magic.

The size of the magic array corresponded to the scale and strength of the magic.

It was probably correct.

"At the academy, you can only learn up to the fourth tier. To learn more, you have to investigate on your own or ask a current magic armor user for help. For me, who can't even consistently activate the first tier of wind, it's a distant dream."

"So, don't brag."

Despite her age, Iris, who boasted about her somewhat developed chest armor, gave off a somewhat clumsy vibe. It was all the more disappointing because she was quite pretty.

"Hmm... Well, do your best. I appreciate you telling me all this. See you. Be careful on your way back."

"Yes, be careful, Shu."

Shu turned his back to Iris and tried to head deeper into the forest.

But Iris, who was waving to see him off, suddenly shouted as if she remembered something.

"Wait a minute! Teach me magic!"

"Damn, you remembered."

"Tsk! You just tsked, didn't you?!"

"It's just your imagination. See you."

"Wait a minute!"

He had tried to listen and then leave quickly, but Iris wasn't fooled. She ran up to Shu at an incredible speed and firmly grabbed his arm.

"Please! I don't want to repeat the year again next year!"

"Well, just try harder."

"I am trying!"

Seeing Iris on the verge of tears, even Shu found it hard to refuse.

No matter how clumsy she was, she was a cute girl.

Shu decided to compromise a little.

"Alright, alright. I'll give you a hint. The rest is up to you."

"Really?!"

Iris released Shu's arm and her eyes sparkled. It made him wonder if she had been faking her tears, but it was probably just her being simple.

"So, what kind of magic do you want to use?"

"The first tier of wind, *Shock*. It's a technique to send an invisible strike over a distance! It's the basic wind attribute."

"Probably a shock wave... You need to compress the air. It can be done with spatial setting and acceleration magic."

Shu visualized the spell's structure in his head, extended his right hand, and drew a magic array.

Since the acceleration magic had already been analyzed, he could draw it immediately just by visualizing it. All he needed to do was channel his magic power. This time, the target for acceleration was a gas, not a solid. However, since the only difference was the intermolecular forces, it was not a problem as long as the target was defined at the molecular level.

"Like this?"

The air molecules were accelerated in one direction, reaching the speed of sound. This caused a sudden compression of the air, which generated a pressure wave. The shock wave was then released, shaking a tree he had chosen as the target.

There was a slight dent on the surface of the tree.

"That's it! Silent casting is amazing!"

Iris was excited, but Shu had only shown it to explain. This was where the hint came in.

"Do you understand what just happened?"

"You gathered the power of the wind and released it!"

"Then, what is wind?"

"Um, well..."

"What is wind made of?"

"I don't know."

"Figures."

"Then why did you ask?!"

The question was just to confirm. It seemed Iris didn't understand the mechanism of how the shock wave was generated. So, how did she activate *Shock*? She was probably just visualizing the result.

Magic power transmits the caster's thoughts.

The caster's visualization of the result is transmitted to the world, which then constructs it, activating the magic.

To put it simply, it's like knowing the answer '2' and the world constructing '1+1'.

If the answer is '10', the world can construct '2+3+5' or '2×5', and so on. The incantation exists to correct this construction. In other words, the more complex the result, the longer the incantation needs to be.

Conversely, if the caster constructs '2+3+5=10', no incantation is needed.

This was the general mechanism as Shu understood it.

"Magic is more about the process than the result. In other words, you were trying to use wind magic without even knowing what wind is. No wonder you couldn't activate it."

"Ugh..."

"The incantation isn't just words; it has meaning. If you visualize each word in your mind, even a beginner can activate magic. Probably."

"Probably?"

"Probably."

Shu's advice was based on his interpretation of what Iris had told him. If this helped Iris use magic, it would prove his hypothesis.

Iris followed Shu's advice, visualizing each word of the incantation and thinking about its meaning as she began to activate the magic.

As she muttered the incantation softly, the magic array gradually formed.

"*Shock*!"

The magic activated, and a slightly strong wind blew.

Iris's eyes widened.

Shu sighed and pointed out the flaws.

"That was due to a lack of visualization of the result. Don't lose focus."

"Yes..."

In the end, Shu stayed with Iris until she could consistently activate *Shock*.