Chapter 74

Summary of the previous chapter ------------------------------------------------------

They safely returned to town and sold the orc. Everyone's adventurer rank increased to 2.

They continued hunting orcs for about three more days to earn money.

They inquired about the progress of the land purchase from Diora.

The rain that started yesterday afternoon is still falling today.

Naturally, today's work is on hold, and everyone is training indoors.

I, Yuki, and Haruka are practicing magic and alchemy as usual. Natsuki is embroidering magic circles.

The only one with nothing to do, Toya, lay on the bed for a while, but then shouted, "Rainy day training!" and ran outside. We didn't say anything, but it seemed he couldn't bear being the only one doing nothing.

Normally, we would be worried about him catching a cold, but his "Toughness Lv.4" will probably take care of it.

"Today, I want to succeed in 'Lightening' and 'Space Expansion.'"

"I think we can do it since we've become much more stable in casting them."

"I hope so."

Fortunately, we can practice adding enchantments to the magic bag by releasing the magic power stored in the magic circle as many times as we want.

If we just write with ink, the enchantment and release process would degrade the material over time, but the embroidery seems to prevent any signs of degradation so far.

Still, we're practicing with a simple hemp bag, not a backpack. Natsuki is supporting us in this.

While Haruka, as an alchemist, handles the enchantment process, and I and Yuki use time-space magic, Natsuki continues her embroidery diligently.

"I think we're about halfway there."

The magic enchantment process involves maintaining the magic just before activation and then channeling the magic power to complete it.

The current bottleneck is maintaining the magic. It feels like the magic collapses and the power dissipates after about half the power has been channeled.

Haruka seems to be handling it well, which is a bit embarrassing.

"Should we try with a smaller object? If we make the magic circle smaller, the time to channel the power will be reduced."

"Hmm, I don't think that's the issue... It's a bit different from that..."

Initially, channeling a large amount of power into a small magic circle was a complete waste. The key is to channel the right amount of power for the size of the magic circle to achieve the fastest enchantment.

So, if we prepare a small bag and a small magic circle, we can complete the enchantment by maintaining the magic for a short time.

However, I feel that the reason for my current failures isn't just about maintaining the magic. It's more of a gut feeling.

But if you ask me what it is, I'm not sure. It's just a feeling.

"Hey, Naoto, have you read this part?"

"Huh? Is this the second volume of the time-space magic grimoire? I've only skimmed it."

Yuki handed me the second volume of the time-space magic grimoire.

I still haven't fully understood the first volume.

I've only glanced at the contents of the second volume.

"Then, read this part."

"What is it... 'Column—Is Time-Space Magic Profitable?' What's this—"

"Just read it for now."

"O-Okay..."

I protested about the light-hearted title, but Yuki insisted, so I decided to read it.

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[Column—Is Time-Space Magic Profitable?]

Hey, everyone. How's your magic training going?

Or are you feeling discouraged by the high difficulty?

I understand how you feel. Time-space magic is harder and less practical compared to other types of magic.

Fire magic is straightforward with its explosions and blasts. Water magic provides essential water and can be used for attacks with ice. Selling ice in the summer can make you a fortune and ensure a comfortable life.

Earth magic, though a bit dull, is not to be underestimated. You can assist in construction and continue working even as you age, which is not bad.

Light magic is self-explanatory. You're in high demand from level 1. At levels 5 or 6, you'll be respected and can live comfortably if you want.

Wind magic is a bit more relatable. It's not very impressive at low levels, but it's convenient to have.

Dark magic? That's in a different category. It's not about being useful or not.

Considering this, time-space magic is a bit impractical.

The effects are quite subtle up to level 3.

So, weren't you a bit disappointed with 'Sanctuary' at level 4? Who named it? It sounds impressive, but the effect is quite weak.

But in reality, this is the spell I used the most. It's handy for camping because it keeps bugs out. Of course, it's not meant for that, and high-level users can do amazing things with it. My master could deflect arrows and spells with it.

I was thrilled when I could use 'Teleport' at level 6... but then I realized I could only teleport within my line of sight, which was a huge letdown.

Of course, high-level users can do incredible things with it, but only a few can reach that level. It's difficult to even use level 6 spells.

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"...Hey, Yuki, is this just a bunch of complaints?"

"Come on, read to the end."

"Is it worth it? It feels like a waste of time..."

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So, most people give up on time-space magic halfway through.

Even if you're told, "It's amazing if you master it," it's hard to maintain motivation when the spells you can use are weak and don't help you make a living.

Most people can't afford to practice magic all the time.

The first thing such people think of is probably the magic bag, right?

The magic bag is closely associated with time-space magic, and it's a well-known story.

Indeed, if you can make a magic bag, your future as a time-space mage is secure, and a comfortable life is guaranteed. I've made a good living from it.

That's why I have the time to write this book leisurely.

Anyway, making a magic bag isn't that easy.

You might think that a time-space mage who gave up halfway can make one since level 3 spells are enough, but if it were that easy, there would be more magic bags on the market. The fact that they're rare says something.

First, you need an alchemist to work with.

The alchemist doesn't need to be highly skilled, but they need to be compatible, so not just anyone will do.

Also, the time-space mage and the alchemist need to be in sync. If they don't get along, it won't work. Conversely, if it works, it means they have good chemistry. My wife is an alchemist, by the way. Hahaha.

Oops, I got sidetracked again.

Let's get back to the magic bag.

Actually, if you only need to add one spell to the magic bag—'Lightening,' 'Time Delay,' or 'Space Expansion'—it's not that difficult.

A beginner time-space mage could probably succeed.

And I think a magic bag with only one function is still useful, but it doesn't sell.

Not that it doesn't sell, but people expect a magic bag to have all three spells—'Lightening,' 'Time Delay,' and 'Space Expansion.' It's a matter of fixed expectations. I think there could be a market for single-function magic bags, but if merchants won't buy them, the makers are out of luck. I struggled with finances at first.

So, if single-function magic bags don't sell, the only option is to work hard and add all three spells, which is the general concept of a magic bag.

But that's difficult.

You need to activate all three spells simultaneously. It's like writing with both hands while drawing with your feet.

There aren't many tips for this. You just need to practice until you can use the spells almost unconsciously. It's doable with enough practice.

The real challenge comes next. You need to channel the activated spells into the magic circle, but simply channeling them will almost certainly fail. I struggled with this a lot.

I tried channeling the spells evenly, one after another, and in different orders... It was a lot of trial and error. It was tough.

I probably would have given up without my partner's encouragement. Those days of trial and error strengthened our bond, so it wasn't a waste.

In the end, the key was to mix the spells in my mind before channeling them into the magic circle.

What? You don't understand?

Think of the spells as colored water. Mix them in your mind to create a new color, and then pour it into the magic circle.

At least, that's how I managed to do it.

If you can do that, you can make a lot of money and live a comfortable life.

Of course, you need a compatible partner.

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"What the heck is this!! It's mostly complaints and lovey-dovey stuff! The important part is just the last few lines! And for that, it should have been in the first volume!!"

I read the whole thing as Yuki suggested, but most of it was meaningless.

The advice at the end was somewhat useful, but it could have been added to the first volume, which covers magic bags.

"Is this some kind of prank? A prank!?"

"I totally get it. You wanted to stop reading halfway through, right? It's unnecessarily long and doesn't seem related to the main text."

Yuki nodded deeply, agreeing with my frustration.

"And then, the important advice is casually mentioned at the end. It's like the author wanted to make things difficult because they struggled, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I think. Writing it in the second volume is a clear sign!"

At least, if it had been in the first volume, near the section on magic bags, I might have read it. But it's in the second volume.

The second volume covers level 8 and higher spells and more advanced concepts. Mages who haven't reached that level might not even own it.

"I don't get it, but did you find something useful?"

Haruka, who had been watching us, tilted her head and asked.

"Mostly nonsense. But some advice might be useful?"

"Let's try it out. Can you help, Haruka?"

"Sure."

We'll use 'Lightening' and 'Space Expansion.'

Imagine each spell as a color—red and blue, for example.

Mix them together to create purple, and then channel it—wow, it's smooth.

It's much easier than channeling two spells separately.

This might work...

"Alright, done—?"

It went smoothly without any interruptions, but is this a success? After so many failures, I'm still unsure...

"I think it went well, but let's test it."

"Good idea."

The bag we made is about the size of a convenience store shopping bag.

We tried inserting a spear nearby.

"O-Oh, oh, oh! It went in!?"

It's a strange sight. A 2-meter spear slipping smoothly into a small bag.

The bag feels light, definitely not as heavy as a spear.

"Great job, Naoto! This will make things so much easier!"

"Right! Right! Let's start mass-producing them!"

Yuki and I high-fived, having shared the struggle.

Time-space magic is really difficult.

"Wait a minute. First, we need to test how much it can hold, how much it lightens the load, and if it works with larger magic circles. Also, can we add 'Time Delay'?"

"Good point. I think the size is stable. Adding one more spell to make three... I'm not sure."

I can activate three spells, but can I mix them? And—

"I imagined blue and red. What should the third color be, and what color will it become?"

"Considering the primary colors, yellow. Mixed together, it would be black... So, more than four can't be mixed?"

"Is that how it works? We mainly use it for magic bags, so I don't think a fourth spell is necessary."

At least, according to the time-space magic grimoire, there are no spells that would be useful with four enchantments.

If we wanted to, we could replace 'Time Delay' with 'Time Stop,' but that's a level 9 spell. Considering the difficulty and practicality, it would be a waste.

"Let's focus on adding three spells. Let's try it."

"Agreed."

With Haruka's encouragement, I took a deep breath, calmed myself, and slowly activated the spells.

In conclusion, we successfully created a magic bag with 'Lightening,' 'Time Delay,' and 'Space Expansion.'

However, it only works for bags the size of a supermarket shopping bag. For backpack-sized bags, it fails. So, we decided to remove the enchantment from the backpack and use smaller hemp bags inside.

But this size is perfectly practical.

When fully enchanted, the 'Space Expansion' effect increases the space by over 100 times, and the 'Lightening' effect reduces the weight to less than 1/100th.

These are estimated values.

We tried stuffing as much as we could into the bag, and it didn't fill up, leading to these estimates.

This means that the orc meat we used to carry together can now be carried by one person.

We can also carry tents, cooking utensils, and even the dried dindles and jerky left in the inn room.

The only drawback is that items larger than the bag's opening can't be inserted.

If we could distort the space outside the bag, it might be possible, but that's probably impossible or very difficult. If it were possible, there would be descriptions of such magic bags.

If this becomes an issue, it would be that barrels can't be carried.

The dried meat is stored in barrels used for marinating. We can transfer the meat to the bag, but a barrel bath in the wild would be impossible.

We'll set the long-term goal of being able to enchant a bag large enough to fit a barrel.