Chapter 66 Wonderful Phenomenon, Beginner-level magic foundation
[A/N: Ahem, this chapter is big and wonderful, and I've tried to simplify the magic stuff, so I hope you can tell me your thoughts in the comment section once you finish this chapter ^.^ Thank you, and happy reading.
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At the island's seashore, Erix stood with his Iron Flower skill activated beside him while his gaze was transfixed on a floating octahedral-shaped metal shard.
'No way... Did it work?'
Excitement danced in his eyes as he willed, and another tiny iron shard was conjured as he consumed his Mana.
Unlike Rin and Isabella, who could produce lightning and fire by consuming Mana after gaining their affinity, he couldn't produce metal by consuming his Mana.
But when he used his Iron Flower skill, his Mana was surely consumed, and an iron flower was produced.
It essentially produced iron by consuming Mana.
So, Erix thought he also should be able to do that, but he didn't know where to start, so he checked inside his Origin Region.
The metal affinity's visible form was the dreamy metal shard in his Origin Region, and he started studying it.
There was no written knowledge, so he had to make do by feeling, sensing, and understanding it in his way.
After spending twenty minutes on it just trying to pierce through its structure with his consciousness and attempting to understand it, he glimpsed something and understood a vague thing.
As such, he stood up and arrived at the seashore before carefully studying the iron he formed from the ground by gathering iron elements.
He also studied its structure and tried replicating it since he had the Metal Affinity.
At that moment, he felt a closer familiarity with metal elements that he couldn't describe, and he managed to produce iron by consuming Mana.
Naturally, he was not going to do that during fights just to waste Mana, but to create a skill like Iron Flower, he needed to transform his Mana with his metal affinity.
'Now that I can produce iron using mana, how to create a skill?'
Erix waved his hand and used his Iron Flower skill again.
Since he did not worry about consuming his Mana in the Limitless Plane, he produced ten Iron Flowers while carefully understanding how they formed.
He then used the flower petals and saw how they magically transformed into barriers and powerful seeds.
'Wow...'
Erix was amazed when he looked closely at how the skills actually took form!
He was amazed at the magic, and his thirst to understand it grew exponentially.
The Mana was already transformed into a beautiful iron flower, so how could those flower petals contain such power to further convert into barriers and blasting seeds?!
He had always thirsted for power ever since he had to fend for himself on the streets after being homeless at the tender age of ten when his mother died. This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com
On the streets, he had to fight for everything down to the smallest things, like working for a day's worth of food at a young age.
Weakness, especially a weak mentality, was fatal. If you were weak, your hard-earned food would get snatched. If you were weak, your shoe-polish customer would get snatched. If you were weak, your place to sleep would get snatched.
So he lived like a mad dog and bit everyone that messed with him. Even if he couldn't physically match with older kids, he would still ferociously fight in a destructive way that would injure both him and the other party.
The general government hospital for the poor was helpful to him at that time because a poor old nurse who knew his mother would treat him. But she was also poor and abused, so that was all she could do.
That was why he thirsted for power. To him, Might was respectable! Might was justice!
Rin was studying her lightning-attributed skills: Thunder Blitz and Lightning Charge, and also looking at other skills while Isabella was studying her Flame Whip and other projectile skills.
But before he could finally start getting serious about creating nodes to shape and conjure his first self-created Metal-attributed skill, the scenery changed before him as he was kicked out of Limitless Plane.
Rin and Isabella had also studied and even attempted to create a skill, but it was just raw power and no skill form. It wasn't even recognized as a skill, so they were in the middle of studying their skills and how they formed when they were kicked out.
Rin was studying her lightning-attributed skills: Thunder Blitz and Lightning Charge, and also looking at other skills while Isabella was studying her Flame Whip and other projectile skills.
They didn't reach the depth that Erix reached, but their progress was good.
When they opened their eyes outside after their consciousness returned from Limitless Plane, they saw Erix's frustrated expression as he cursed, "Damn it! I was about to finally start it."
"Eh? It's rare to see you this frustrated," Rin was surprised. "What happened?"
"Did you guys find out about the skill's formation and nodes?"
"Nodes?" Isabella revealed a confused expression.
Rin blinked and said, "I saw the formation of our skills, but I don't know anything about nodes."
"Same," Isabella nodded.
"Nodes are the most important and are the foundation of a skill's formation" Erix rolled his eyes. "When you imagine your lightning taking the form of a dragon, you have to create nodes for your mana to travel such that they end up forming the lightning dragon!"
With shining eyes, he continued, "You put more layers of nodes in the formation if you want your skill to have more additions and variations of effects! The amount of Mana a skill takes also depends on nodes, which also decides the skill's power in offense, defense, or other uses depending on the skill."
"And your complete formation's shape should look like the skill you imagined with proper nodes in it if you want to create a projectile skill! And to have additional effects and changes after the skill is executed, you can form layers of nodes!"
Rin and Isabella were stunned.
Rin immediately used her Lightning Charge and Lightning Blitz skill as she finally glimpsed at the clear formation of the skills right before they took form!
Isabella also conjured her Flame Whips and glimpsed at the same thing!
They managed to gain such insights into magic, Mana, and skill thanks to Limitless Plane and their Spiritual Art: Way of the Unfettered.
Of course, Erix managed to uncover the foundational depth of beginner-realm's magic and skill due to his ability on top of Limitless Plane and spiritual art.
Even now, Rin and Isabella didn't know how to properly arrange nodes since they would have to practice with it later after entering Limitless Plane the next day. But Erix... he had even understood that, so he was raring to finally start creating a bonafide skill before reality slapped him and sent him out of Limitless Plane.
"Sigh, we'll continue this tomorrow. For now, I actually need a nap since my mind is heating up," Erix wryly smiled as he rubbed his temples.
"Come here. Sleep on my lap," Rin lovingly smiled and patted her thighs.
"Ah, great. My favorite pillows," Erix grinned and put his head on her thighs before closing his eyes.
It didn't even take a few seconds for Erix to sleep. That was how much he exerted his will in the Limitless Plane while trying to uncover how skill and magic worked!
"He slept so fast," Isabella exclaimed. "It looks like he exerted himself greatly in the Limitless Plane."
"Hehe, Erix is awesome, isn't he?" Rin giggled with a pridefully smug smile. "Thanks to him, we also got a flash of insight and will understand the foundation when we enter Limitless Plane next time."
"That, I can't deny," Isabella smilingly nodded. "The competition you wanted will truly start after that, but I don't think we would be able to beat him, haha."
"If I understood it correctly, the formation made of nodes depends on our imagination and how well we can build the nodes and their layers in formation to bring out their true potential in the form of magic," Rin smugly smiled as she also understood the crux. "Of course, we haven't seen and felt it ourselves, so we don't know how hard it will be."
"But ultimately, it will depend on our creativity and control."
Isabella nodded before she stretched her limbs.
"We should also take some rest," she said before she leaned against a board behind her and looked at the sky, losing in random thoughts while resting.