Chapter 4 – Experiencing magic for the first time

While exploring the new world's flora, Sophia found her first friend, one she clearly never expected. At first, she thought it's over because she met an over two-meter tall, wolf-like boss monster, but the two surprisingly got along very well.

"Hey, Fen, is it really possible for me to learn magic?" Sophia faced her new, slightly oversized, and furry friend. The two currently relaxed under the shadow of a tree, taking shelter from the heat that reached an all-time high during the afternoon. "I'm from a world where magic doesn't actually exist after all."

"Worry not, with magical powers as big as ours, using magic is as easy as breathing."

"I see… man, that guy sure messed with my stats big time…" She mumbled to herself, finding out she had comparable powers to a mythical beast.

"Under my guidance, you'll learn it in no time."

"Quite the confidence you have, Fen."

"That's only natural. I take great pride in my magic!"

"How reassuring. Speaking of which, I don't have to chant super long and highly embarrassing incantations or the likes to use magic, right? I'm pretty shy, after all. There's no way I'll ever be able to do something like that in public. I'm positive I would die from shyness the moment I try."

"…" With his eyes wide open, the wolf looked at the girl next to him in disbelief.

"W-What…?" She didn't understand his reaction.

"…" He simply continued to stare at her.

"Uh…?"

"Sophia," Fen finally spoke up. "It seems like your definition of the word shy differs greatly from its meaning in this world." Thinking the two were facing a language barrier was the only explanation for him. "In this world, being shy equates to being nervous or timid around others, especially when talking to them, uncomfortable even. I don't know what it means to you, but it's definitely something else-"

"That's what I wanted to convey, though?" Sophia tilted her head.

"…" He needed another moment. "I truly fail to see in which possible way you are supposed to be shy, girl. Like, at all."

"…" Sophia awkwardly looked away. "It's true… Well, it used to be, at least? I don't know anymore… When that god guy brought me over to this world, he somehow messed with my personality….Or at least that's what it feels like…"

"This sounds… concerning. Are you alright, Sophia?"

"I'm not… sure? As long as he just made me more confident, I would actually be happy because I was the exact opposite from that before coming here… Then again, I have no idea what exactly he did to me. I have yet to meet another human to see what I'm like in that situation…" Her sample size of one god and a mythical beast wasn't overly representative to see how her personality had changed.

"Okay, I do have to admit that you're a rather enjoyable conversation partner now. While I don't know how you used to be, these changes might really be positive."

"T-Thank you…" A slight blush appeared on Sophia's cheeks because she wasn't used to getting complimented.

"Ah-" Fen got a glance at what she meant about being shy before. "I think it'll be fine." It didn't seem like the overseer overdid it with the personality boosts she mentioned earlier at this point to him.

"Anyway, back to the magic thing." She had enough of her being the topic. "So, do I have to embarrass myself? That would be quite a dealbreaker."

"Right. Chanting, huh? No, only the inferior beings have to resort to chants to get their sorry excuse of magic stabilized."

"By inferior beings, you mean…?"

"Ordinary humans and the likes.

"R-Right…" Sophia immediately felt like she shouldn't have asked.

"Most of the beastfolk use chants as well, though not quite as lengthy and elaborate. Elves, and even more so, races like the dryads, are mostly fine with as little as Activation words. Basically, the more you are connected to nature, the easier it is for you to activate your magic, and the larger your magical powers are. As always, there are some exceptions to these rules, though, of course." Fen glanced at Sophia during the last part.

"Soo, there are even more races than humans, huh? This definitely feels more and more fantasy by the minute. I kind of want to meet them in the future eventually. It sounds fun if you ask me."

"The beastfolk doesn't pose a problem. They're everywhere. Dryads or elves, on the other hand… They usually live secluded, and it's hard to meet them."

"I see…" She was a bit disappointed but quickly shrugged it off. "Well, it's not like I have to. Let's just hope for a lucky accident. Okay… so, ordinary humans have to use chants. What about me, then? You said I have considerable magical powers. Does that mean I'm good with those Activation words you mentioned? I think I might be able to live with that."

"No." He quickly shot her down.

"Ehh…?" She felt cheated.

"For such exceptions like you and me, having a good enough image inside our heads is more than enough to use magic."

"Really? That sounds like cheating." She was glad about not having to chant, but it was becoming more and more like easy mode for her, which was concerning in its own way.

"Look, just like that-" Saying so, a ball of water with a diameter of around one meter appeared in front of Fen, freely floating in the air.

"Amazing!" She was seriously impressed by the spectacle in front of her and looked at it with sparkling eyes.

"This is nothing. You should see me going all out! Ah, but I don't feel like destroying this whole area for a mere demonstration."

"I-It's fine!" She felt truly glad the two didn't end up fighting during their first confrontation earlier.

"How about you give it a try?" Fen let the water disappear and faced her.

"Sure, it definitely seems fun. How exactly do I do it, though…?"

"As I mentioned, just imagine forming a ball of water in front of you and give it a go." Fen made it sound way too easy, or so Sophia had thought, at least.

"Let's see… hmm… water… collecting… forming it into a ball… Hmm~" While she was thinking out loud, the air in front of her was showing some slight distortions. "Okay, here goes nothing!" Closing her eyes, she tried to visualize the image she had formed in her mind.

"Hoo~."

"Hmm?" Hearing the wolf's sound of admiration, she slowly opened her eyes again. "Wow!" In front of the girl, a vast mass of water was freely floating around. It wasn't precisely shaped like a ball, but it was close enough, and for some reason, it was almost twice as big as Fen's demonstration.

"Not bad for your first try, not bad at all."

"Ehehe, thank you very mu- AH!" Losing concentration after being praised, the mass of water stopped listening to Sophia, causing gravity's rules to come back into action. The water hit the ground with a colossal splashing sound and drenched the two from head to toe, or paw in Fen's case as a result.

"…" Sporting a judging expression, the wolf looked at the girl in disappointment.

"So, that happened, huh?" She only scratched her cheek.

"Haa…" Collecting himself after a sigh, he gave her some advice. "Even though powerful beings like us don't require chants and the likes, we still have to properly maintain our concentration while using magic."

"I-I will keep that in mind."

"I hope so."

"…"

"…" The two stared at their hideously drenched partner for a while.

"Fen…"

"Yes?"

"You don't look cute at all!" Trying her best not to laugh after seeing him having shrunk by over half thanks to his fur tightly clinging to him, she voiced her opinion on his new look.

"You… You…" Suppressing his anger, Fen instead took a jab himself at the girl. "You should take a look at yourself, girl. The water quite affected your look, too."

"Hmm?" Being too busy with Fen up until now, she finally looked down at herself. Her hair was still drippingly wet, strands of it sticking to her face. Much like her clothes that were clinging to her body while being a total mess. "Ah, you're right, though not as bad as Fen~."

"Hmpf. Well, at least I know how to fix my appearance." While he looked slightly pouty, a strong wind formed around the pitiful-looking wolf. The spectacle almost looked like a tornado that swallowed Fen whole. A couple of moments later, these winds disappeared again, leaving only a thoroughly dried beast behind. However, he might've overdone it a little.

"You look so fluffy!" Sophia's eyes were sparkling as she looked at the giant furball. Thanks to the wind puffing up his fur, he had gained a lot of extra volume. "Hey, hey, Fen, can I touch you?! It looks really comfy to touch!" Not waiting for his answer, she was already closing in on him, looking forward to the fluff.

"Stop right there, girl!" He took a step back because he didn't like Sophia's expression. "In the first place, dry yourself up first!"

"Don't know how, don't care either." She continued to close the distance while making suspicious movements with her hands in the air.

"I really don't like the look in your eyes!" Feeling ever so slightly creeped out by her, Fen decided to take action himself. Those strong winds formed again, but this time it happened around Sophia.

"Ah-" Snapping back to reality, she quickly realized the pinch she was in, but it was already too late to react. "Aaaahhhh!" She managed to let out a short scream before the tornado-like winds completely swallowed her. A few moments later, a miserable-looking girl reappeared.

"Kukuku, it seems that I'm the one who has the last laugh." Fen snickered while looking at Sophia.  Her hair was all over the place, and her clothes had seen better days as well. They were even more disheveled than before because the wind showed no mercy.

"Grr~! That calls for punishment!"

"Wait a moment! This was my punishment for you."

"Lalala, I can't hear you." Feigning ignorance, Sophia leaped towards the wolf and landed on top of his back. "Ha~, I knew it! You're so damn fluffy, Fen!"

"That doesn't make me happy at all!" Feeling defeated and slightly violated, he shamefully hung his head and let the girl do as she pleased. Their exchange went on for quite a while, and it was more or less how the two spent their afternoon.