Published at 20th of November 2020 09:25:10 PM
Chapter 15: 15
Seven days have passed since Cleria’s foot got completely restored .
Her arm has also nearly healed up as well, and all that remains to be regenerated are her fingertips . It should be fully restored by tomorrow .
After discussing with her, both of us decided to finally leave this makeshift base tomorrow .
Yep, my language proficiency has improved to the point where I can talk with Cleria normally . There are still some words I’m unfamiliar with, but I have no problems with the vocabulary often used in daily conversations . Cleria even said my pronunciation was impeccable .
I’d like to gather more data by talking to people other than Cleria, but that would have to wait for the time being .
I asked her about the reason why she was being chased the moment I became able to converse normally .
After pausing to think for a bit, Cleria requested that I give her some more time before she tells me the reason and assured me she would divulge it when she’s good and ready .
It seems her circumstances really were complicated . I’ve stayed with Cleria for quite a bit now and I really do think she isn’t someone who would commit wrongdoings . She’s no criminal, that’s for sure . So I don’t really mind if she doesn’t want to talk about her circumstances .
As for the number of her pursuers, she told me they definitely wouldn’t be just a few but their numbers won’t exceed a hundred . But there’s also a chance they won’t be able to catch up .
That’s rather vague . So is it alright to expect their numbers to be about fifty men strong? I think I’d be able to deal with that amount of targets with my rifle somehow, but those kinds of numbers still warrant utmost caution . And I’m still uncertain if it would be fine to shoot first and ask questions later if and when we do manage to encounter them . I’m still considering it as of now .
It’s also been seven days since I began learning magic, but my research hasn’t progressed at all . Well, not exactly . It’s progressing in some areas, but I haven’t really developed any new applications of fire spells and the like . This is because of something I requested Nanom to prioritize developing .
I wanted to produce the so-called multi-sensor – a standard piece of equipment of the Galactic Army Corps . As its name implies, it is able to detect anything within scanning range – terrain, the internal layout of buildings, the presence or absence of living life-forms and the like . Even if you’re not wearing active camouflage, you’d never be taken by surprise if you have a multi-sensor handy .
When I first came to this planet, the thing I wanted first was a multi-sensor .
I was honestly amazed at the wide applications of magic in this planet and asked Nanom if it could develop a magical version of a multi-sensor .
Due to that, there was no point in wasting magicles with aimless magic experiments . However, I was able to learn more about magicles as a result .
Every living creature on this planet is able to contain magicles within their bodies; whether it’s something as large as a Big Boar or as small as a tiny insect . Even plants have magicles inside them . It’s a rather surprising discovery, but the amounts of magicles present in a majority of creatures aren’t enough to construct a simple fireball spell .
Living things attract magicles, and the magicles gradually builds up inside of them . However, the amount of magicles will not continue to increase indefinitely . Once a certain amount gathers inside of a creature’s body, the inflow of magicles comes to a halt and the surplus magicles get expelled back outside . I don’t know the exact cause of this phenomenon .
It seems the amount of magicles an organism is able to contain greatly differs from species to species . In other words, creatures of the same species are able to contain the exact same amount of magicles inside them . As an example, Cleria and I have the same magicle count inside each of us .
The reason for the difference between the numbers of fireballs I and Cleria are able to cast stems from the efficiency of magicle use . According to Cleria, if one is able to improve their rate of magicle consumption, the number of times they can cast spells would increase accordingly . I just rely on Nanom for these sorts of things so it’s possible I won’t be able to improve this aspect anymore .
I and Nanom prioritized collecting this sort of data every day because it would enable us to determine what kinds of life-forms are present in an area from long range by determining the amount of magicles contained within them and creating a corresponding database .
We’ve also discovered that magicles have properties similar to normal particles and energy waves to some extent . They were particle-ilke, but also had properties like reflection, interference, and diffraction .
Upon discovering this fact, we were able to determine that it was possible to release raw magicles outside of the body instead of spells .
The magicles could be released outside of the body in the form of waves . There’s no noticeable effect if you only release a small concentration of waves out, but if you increase the output, the magicle waves get reflected back whenever they hit another mass concentration of magicles .
Utilizing this characteristic, we were able to develop a radar-like function using magicles . The detection range depends on the intensity of the output of magicles . If a strong wave is released, a wide range of information can be acquired .
Unexpectedly, Cleria was able to notice when I released a magicle pulse as part of my on-going experiments . When Nanom directed me to release a high output wave, she came over and told me she felt I emitted some magic power and asked me what I was up to .
It looks like the people of this planet call the movement of magicles as “magic power” . I was told one would be able to sense the build-up of magic power before a spell gets released, but somehow, I wasn’t able to feel a thing . Would I be able to do so with time?
It seems Cleria was told that her talent for detecting magic power is several times greater than most people, according to an experienced mage she knew .
After knowing this, I immediately enlisted Cleria’s help with my experiments . It seems whenever I use this form of “scanning magic”, there’s a danger of the other party becoming aware of my presence and position . I’d like to be able to obtain information unilaterally if possible .
We later discovered that Cleria’s ability to sense magic power was not only affected by the strength of the waves released but also the total distance from the emission point . I sort of expected this kind of outcome .
If that’s the case, would it be better if I increased the range and intensity of the magicle waves being released gradually instead of emitting something high-output all at once? I managed to arrive at such a conclusion .
For example, I’d first release a magicle pulse weak enough for Cleria not to notice from fifty meters out . If I found nothing worth noting, I’d proceed to widen the range to seventy-five meters, a hundred meters and so on .
Using this method, I’d minimize the risk of being noticed by the other party .
If this method isn’t effective, then I’ll just have to improve it step by step .
The nice thing about this “scanning magic” is that I can leave its activation entirely to Nanom . This is probably because I didn’t need to focus on a concrete sort of image for it .
Once it gets invoked, Nanom would automatically display the search results on a virtual display . It’s roughly the same display method as the multi-sensor, so it’s quite intuitive .
The amount of magicles used up when using scanning magic is about equal to one fireball per one hundred magicle pulses . It’s very cost-effective . It should prove quite useful from now on .
In the end, we weren’t able to quite re-create the functions of a multi-sensor, but the results were plenty satisfying enough .
When I declared the completion of my scanning magic method to Cleria who cooperated in its development, she first responded by staring at me with a wooden stare again . But she eventually snapped out of her stupor and immediately asked me to teach her the method .
But y’see, it’s kinda impossible for others to use this method without the aid of a sensor able to accurately detect magicles and the information processing ability of Nanom . I somehow skirted around the issue by telling Cleria she had to improve her magic control more . And then the conversation somehow moved to her tagging along with me on today’s hunt . I wonder why?
As we’ve used up a lot of time doing magic experiments, it’s already almost noon when we finished up . I decided to go hunting after we’ve had our lunch . Today’s dishes include grilled fish and stir-fried Big Boar meat – a classic but delicious menu selection .
“Guess it’s time for a hunt . ”
“Yes! Let’s depart immediately Alan . ”
Cleria seems quite eager to go hunting .
At first, Cleria was still somewhat embarrassed whenever she addressed me by name, but she seems to have gradually become accustomed to it . I think she looks to be more relaxed about it compared to before .
My preferred hunting spot was about an hour’s walk from the base . For some reason, this part of the mountain was rich in edible plant life and wild animals . I immediately had Nanom activate scanning magic while heading deeper into the mountains .
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Since I was relatively free until we reach the hunting grounds, I ended up teaching Cleria about the standard hand signs I learned back in the military academy . I didn’t have a lot of chances to use them before because we just communicated through the Nanoms in live combat situations, but I guess these would prove useful in the situation we’re currently in .
I managed to get a reaction from the scanning magic after walking for about thirty minutes . Three o’clock . There’s two of them, about two hundred meters away . I immediately conveyed the info to Cleria via hand signs . She looks to have understood and displayed a serious expression .
The other party is heading towards our general direction, but they’re not moving in a straight line . They probably haven’t noticed us yet . Judging from their movement patterns, I assumed them to be Gray Hounds .
I’ve often encountered Gray Hounds during my hunts . I usually met one or two of these guys; three at most . I’ve always eliminated them whenever I encountered some . Dangerous pests like these need to be promptly exterminated .
“There’s a good chance these guys are Gray Hounds . ”
“Would it be alright if I fight them instead Alan?”
Oh, Cleria seems to be raring to have a go! Well, she has her armor on and all . Fine, let’s see what she’s got . I have my rifle with me, so I can just intervene if she ever gets into a bind .
“Alright then, engage them in a composed manner . They’ll be arriving on our position in about thirty seconds . ”
Oh, and by the way, the method of time measurement in this planet is roughly the same as what’s used all throughout the empire – one minute is sixty seconds, one hour is sixty minutes, one day is twenty-four hours and one year is three hundred and sixty days . And similar to my home planet, they also divided the day into twelve hours each .
The reason for it is unknown, but the method of time measurement on almost all planets which housed the human race is roughly the same . The most promising theory is that the third-party responsible for spreading humanity all throughout the cosmos somehow taught all of mankind how to count time . Other theories proved lacking .
Furthermore, the period of revolution of each and every human-inhabited planet is around 365 days . Again, the most promising theory is that a third party selected planets that fulfilled this criterion and brought humanity to them .
Cleria pulled out her sword and stared at it . It was a thin one-handed sword inlaid with detailed engravings . After about ten seconds, the blade began to glow . Whoah! Can Cleria use Final Blade too!? Alright then, let’s follow suit .
I drew my sword and activated Final Blade as well, making the sword glow brightly . It seems the Gray Hounds finally noticed something . The glowing icons representing their position on the virtual map were approaching us rapidly .
I thrust my palm out in front of Cleria and started counting down . …Five . Four . Three . Two . One . The Gray Hounds finally came into view . One of them headed straight towards me . I jumped off to the side as usual and swung down my sword . I lopped off the Gray Hound’s head without any resistance .
Cleria moved forward after I finished one off . The second Gray Hound froze on its tracks for a bit after witnessing the other one getting killed . It pounced toward Cleria instead, probably because it thought she was the easier one to bring down .
Cleria swung her sword but the creature somewhat avoided the slash . Too shallow! However, Cleria immediately followed up with another slash . This time, she was able to land a fatal hit . The Gray Hound’s throat was split open and it thrashed about on the ground, but Cleria soon finished it off .
Did she just use the basic combo I taught her? That looked quite good by the way . Cleria also seemed elated at her performance . I put away my rifle .
“How did I do, Alan?”
“I think you did pretty well . But I sensed a slight gap before you unleashed your next sword slash . It would be best if you practiced your ability to unleash successive follow-up attacks in case one slash fails to finish off your enemy . ”
Corinth-style Swordsmanship was a style that aims to overwhelm opponents with multiple successive attacks . It’s better for Cleria to form a habit of performing continuous attacks and always thinking of the next move . Oops . It’s not like Cleria’s my disciple or anything . What am I getting all worked up for anyway?
Cleria seemed convinced with my teachings and did a few practice swings .
Alrighty then, since the pests have been exterminated, let’s continue on .
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“Aren’t you going to extract their magic stones, Alan?”
Hmm? Magic stone? What’s that?
“What’s a magic stone?”
Cleria seemed taken aback when I asked such a question .
“Magic stones are materials located inside the body of monsters . ”
“What’s a monster? How can you differentiate between normal animals and monsters?”
“A creature with a magic stone inside its body is a monster and a creature without one is an animal . ”
You serious? I got to learn something new again . Now that I think about it, I did find a round stone inside the body of one of those disgusting green creatures a while back .
“What do people do with these magic stones?”
Are these stones really useful or something?
“You can exchange them for ***** in any city or town . But the stones from these Gray Hounds aren’t worth that much ***** though . ”
An unfamiliar word appeared . It’s been a while . I’ll try updating my language database again .
I played back Cleria’s reply .
“You can exchange them for money in any city or town . But the stones from these Gray Hounds aren’t worth that much money though . ”
I was shocked silly . It wasn’t due to the low value of Gray Hound magic stones, but about the fact that I completely forgot about the issue of money!
It’s the form of currency this planet is using . Money! I think I saw some several small and round metallic plates while I was sorting out the luggage back then . Argh! Dammit! I failed to take note of it because it wasn’t a concept I was familiar with . I was even wondering why there were several pouches containing those things when I was sorting out the items .
For thousands of years, the empire has used electronic currency to process transactions . I was not familiar with this world’s money because what I’d used ever since I was a kid was e-currency .
(Hey Nanom, you also missed out on the money man!)
[We did not determine them to be particularly necessary at the time . ]
I’m in the same boat . I only managed to secure a few pieces . This is bad . Once we arrive at the city of Gotania where Cleria was heading, I bet we’d need some money .
Should I go back to where the carriages were? Nah, it would be too risky . Cleria’s pursuers might be hot on our trail after all . They might have already found the carriages too .
Wait, maybe Cleria brought some with her .
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“By the way, Cleria, do you have some money on you?”
Ugh . I sound like a deadbeat good-for-nothing asking for some dough .
“No, I, unfortunately, do not . ”
Looks like Cleria was broke too .
In that case, our only choice right now is to earn some . If these magic stones can be exchanged for cash, then I’ll have to gather a bunch of em right away .
(Display the position of the magic stone inside the carcass . )
[Here . ]
A cross-section of the Gray Hound was displayed on a virtual window . The magic stone was located near its chest . I see . So magic stones get formed in the area of the body where magicle concentration is the densest .
Should I open the body up with a knife and thrust my hand inside? Naw, I ain’t doing that . Might as well just split it open with my sword .
I activated Final Blade again and slashed the carcass while being careful not to damage the magic stone in the process . I finally retrieved a magic stone after poking around the carcass with my sword .
It was a cloudy white ball about three centimeters in size . I secured both stones from the two carcasses . Cleria didn’t know how much they were exactly worth for .
Ok, let’s resume the hunt . After walking around the hunting grounds for twenty minutes, I finally got a couple more reactions from the scanning magic . It was in the two o’clock direction and was stationary . It was located two hundred meters away .
I relayed this info to Cleria with hand signs and approached the target slowly and soundlessly . I somehow had a hunch about the identity of our stationary target .
As expected, it’s a Blackbird . These guys almost never budge from the tree they were roosting on unless they sense danger .
Cleria asked me to allow her to hunt it as well . I agreed and approached the target with her until we came within forty meters . Cleria closed her eyes and prepared to cast a spell .
“Flame Arrow!”
Cleria released her spell . Three flaming arrows hurtled towards the Blackbird, but it was disturbed by Cleria’s shout and was about to fly away to escape . One arrow managed to barely hit its wing and the pudgy avian fell down from the tree . I started running towards it along with Cleria .
The Flame Arrow hit its wing but the Blackbird still seemed energetic . It couldn’t fly, but it started running on the ground . It’s fast!
“After em!”
I started chasing it around together with Cleria . The running speed of the bird was somewhat slower compared to humans, but it was using the trees as cover, making catching up to it a challenge .
We split in two directions and pincered the damn bird . We chased it around for about three minutes until Cleria finally managed to fatally wound it with her sword . Man, that was tiring .
Cleria laughed heartily . It seems she really enjoyed the chase . Well, two people chasing a fat bird around did paint a silly picture . I laughed along with her .
We returned to the base after I finished draining the bird’s blood . Since this bird’s liver was the vaunted “white liver”, it was, of course served as sashimi .