LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 48
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Episode 48
After-Party (4)
[…Now you understand?]
“Yeah. To some extent.”
I wanted to drop the explanation, but it seemed too important a task to ignore.
Eventually, after quite a bit of explaining, Riley succeeded in understanding the principle of early awakening.
Basically, all that mattered was this.
The work of bending causality.
Creating the result first to guide the process afterward.
That was the principle of “early awakening.”
“But is this really possible?”
[Of course.]
Didn’t I already say it before?
Nothing is impossible.
It’s just that the process is ridiculously difficult.
“So, how long does early awakening usually take?”
[Well.]
I think it’ll take about five weeks.
“…Five weeks?”
[Well, that’s the fastest time under ideal conditions.]
The shortest time with no variables at all was five weeks. So in reality, it would take much longer than that.
In fact, the process for early awakening is quite complex.
[There’s a lot to do.]
Building barriers in your body through mana manipulation, increasing the amount of mana your body can handle momentarily, drawing in external mana for a certain period while the mana heart recognizes the body’s changes, and so on…
[And then there are dozens more processes to go through.]
“…”
I listed out everything we needed to do for Riley from now on.
Each task was exhausting and painful.
Hearing my explanation, Riley made a disgusted face.
“This is going to be really tough.”
[Yeah.]
I wasn’t exaggerating; it was going to be hellishly difficult.
Perhaps the hardest task we’ve ever faced.
As a magician who has lived for tens of thousands of years, I have only succeeded in this task with four disciples.
So, of course, the success rate was that low.
[But traditionally, the size of the fruit is proportional to the pain endured, isn’t it?]
“….”
They say after hardship comes happiness, right?
It’s the way of the world.
Riley, who understood this better than anyone, took a deep breath and nodded with a determined look.
“I understand. Let’s get started right away.”
Good.
With her resolve firmed up,
It was time to truly begin the “early awakening.”
Vwoom─!
As soon as it began, Riley frowned.
“Ugh…”
[Hang in there, even if it’s painful.]
The next five weeks were going to be like hell.
*
“…Didn’t you say that?”
Vwoom─.
“I think I’ve already succeeded.”
[…….]
I stared at Riley, dazed.
She had a proud smile on her face.
Incredibly, the presence of the “Seed of Attribute” that had been dormant in her mana heart was now vividly recognizable.
[…What?]
Hellish five weeks, my foot.
Riley successfully achieved “Attribute Awakening” in just five days.
Is this a joke?
It couldn’t have been this easy, could it?
“I was really worried you’d scare me with how tough it’d be, but that was part of the motivation, wasn’t it?”
[Nope.]
“Thanks to that, I think I finished early awakening faster. Thank you.”
[…Not really.]
To be honest, I felt a little flustered.
It was a matter worth celebrating that she had successfully completed “Attribute Awakening,” but everything had progressed so smoothly that it felt unreal.
It was because the method Riley used to finish this task in five days was really out of the ordinary.
[…How on earth did you even think of cramming all that pain into such a short time?]
Riley took on five weeks’ worth of pain in just five days.
Pain that was seven times heavier than the original task.
What a foolish method. It certainly reduced the time, though.
“I managed just fine, so I thought I could push it forward. I figured there was no need to wait the whole five weeks.”
[Umm…]
Hearing Riley’s answer, I couldn’t help but be stunned again.
[You managed just fine?]
“Yeah.”
[… ]
The heavy mana pressure weighing down on her body, the burning sensation as if her organs and veins were aflame, and countless other indescribable types of agony.
All of that must have been magnified seven times.
It should have been that way…
And yet, she said it was just manageable.
Other disciples often lost consciousness from that level of pain.
Does that even make sense?
“It does.”
Riley continued.
“In the Thieves’ Guild, I endured training even tougher than this.”
[Oh.]
“Now, this pain is nothing.”
Hearing her reply, I could only let out a disappointed sigh. A complicated sigh escaped me.
That damned Thieves’ Guild was the problem.
Sigh…
What kind of torment did that insane group put Riley through for such a young girl to be so numb to pain already?
“I suffered through horrific torture disguised as mental training.”
As expected, Riley began to explain the horrific torture she’d endured in a flat tone.
“They tied me to a pillar and ate chicken legs in front of me. I begged for just one bite, but they wouldn’t let me have it.”
[…?]
Something seems off.
“They only gave me dry chicken breast for an entire week. They didn’t even give me a drink, only water…”
[Hey, wait a second.]
“Yes?”
Riley paused her story, and I quickly interrupted her.
[…You mean to say that was more painful than early awakening?]
Being tortured by eating dry chicken breast for a week—I don’t even know if that counts as torture… Anyway, you say that’s more painful than “early awakening”?
“Um.”
After a moment of contemplation, Riley nodded nonchalantly.
“Yes.”
[… ]
Yes.
The lunatic was Riley, not the Thieves’ Guild.
I sighed and wiped the conversation from my mind.
My head felt a little hazy.
[Well, let’s just set that nonsense aside for a moment.]
What mattered now was that Riley had successfully completed “Attribute Awakening.”
“Now all I have to do is inject a bit of mana into this seed, right?”
[Yep.]
Riley pointed to the spot on her chest where the seed of attribute was resting.
If I inject mana there, the seed will sprout.
With that, all the tasks would be complete.
Before the flowering stage, I decided to ask Riley about her thoughts.
[What kind of attribute do you hope to get?]
There are several types of mana attributes.
Water, fire, wind, earth, lightning, mysticism, and so on.
There are also holy and dark magic attributes, but we’ll skip those as they’re specialized cases.
I was really curious which of these options Riley preferred.
“Um…”
After some thought, she finally answered.
“I hope it’s a rare attribute, if possible.”
[Oh?]
“Yeah, something like the mystic attribute.”
Mystic attribute.
An extension of the null attribute, it possessed powers that could not be understood by general knowledge.
More akin to a supernatural ability than magic.
Becky’s “Illusion Magic” and Dorothy’s “Shadow Magic” also belonged to this mystic attribute.
[Why’s that?]
“Just because. It sounds cool.”
True, mystic attribute magic is indeed cool.
Mystic magic is characterized by being highly personalized according to the magician. There isn’t a standardized style, making it quite tricky to counter.
However, mysticism also had significant downsides along with its advantages.
There aren’t many people with a mystic attribute, making it even harder to find a magician from the same faction.
With limited interaction, development becomes restricted.
Thus, mystical attribute scholars always remained outliers.
“But with the Magician around, don’t those downsides become meaningless?”
[Well, that’s true.]
My disciples and I create our own independent systems without joining any factions.
So as long as I’m here, those downsides were all rendered meaningless.
[So just check it out without any burdens.]
“Understood.”
Regardless of which attribute would emerge, I was confident I could lead Riley to the peak level.
After hearing my explanation, Riley comfortably infused her mana into the seed.
Hwaah─!
A bright golden light spread out around her.
Simultaneously, Riley’s mana heart began to absorb the attribute.
The scene of the seed sprouting.
I observed the process closely.
Crackle, crackle──!
Mana was rushing frantically in all directions.
Agile speed and rapid expandability.
And the destructive nature emanating from the mana.
I was able to identify the attribute immediately.
[It’s lightning attribute.]
Lightning.
An attribute characterized by a chain-like effect.
With destructive power rivaling fire and agility that comes right after wind, it’s among the most preferred attributes for combat magicians, “Battle-Mages.”
“Is it a good thing?”
[Definitely.]
Lightning attribute is both versatile and unique.
Offensive, defensive, supplementary.
It’s reliably effective in any aspect.
You can use its swift characteristic to focus on single-target attacks or take advantage of its wide properties for area attacks.
Even though they’re both “lightning attributes,” the training direction completely changes depending on how it’s approached.
And naturally, I planned to teach Riley all of these characteristics.
In other words, I would cultivate her as a well-rounded “Lightning Magician” without any shortcomings.
[By the way…]
I once again closely examined Riley’s mana heart.
The sparks were bouncing around wildly.
Confirming that again, I asked Riley a question.
[Riley.]
“Yes?”
[Did you get struck by lightning or something in the past?]
“…What?”
With a baffled voice, Riley asked back, so I added additional explanation.
[It’s because the attribute’s power is surprisingly strong.]
The mana attribute isn’t just randomly decided.
It’s shaped by one’s personality, disposition, memories, past, growth environment, and even traumas.
All of that accumulates in the “seed” until it evolves into a clear “attribute” during the second awakening.
For example…
A magician who lost their family to fire magic often gains strong fire attributes.
A magician who almost drowned develops water attributes, and a magician raised in a windswept highland comes out with wind attributes.
Similar to how Chrome Bell Stingwood, who loved plants, developed “Vision Magic” in the “Plant” faction through the earth attribute.
[That’s why I was asking what that connection between you and the lightning attribute might be.]
“….”
[Given its overwhelming strength, I thought maybe there was a connection like you having an encounter with lightning or electricity.]
Even as I continued speaking, sparks kept jumping around in Riley’s mana heart.
This meant that her rate of affinity with the lightning attribute was incredibly high.
There must surely be some connection between her and the lightning attribute.
“I haven’t even seen lightning in my entire life, let alone got electrocuted.”
[…….]
But contrary to my expectations, Riley unexpectedly responded.
[So there’s no connection at all?]
“Yeah. At least, not that I can recall.”
[Hmmm…]
Well.
Even if there hasn’t been any direct encounter, I could certainly find a reason elsewhere.
For example, it could be that Riley’s aspiration to pursue a “silent and swift” style while being active as a thief activated the “Seed of Attribute” for lightning.
But even that reasoning seemed too flimsy.
Could just that one factor lead to such a strong attribute manifestation?
[…….]
I still didn’t understand.
There were still doubts lingering.
That level of affinity couldn’t just arise without any connections.
“But having a high affinity for the attribute isn’t a bad thing, right?”
[Right.]
The higher the affinity, the stronger the power of the attribute.
And the stronger the attribute power, the greater the potency of “attribute magic.”
[Why don’t you try demonstrating it?]
“Should I?”
Riley, having just gained a new ability, would be itching to try it out.
As expected, upon hearing my words, she promptly spread the magic circle.
It wasn’t anything fancy; just a spell to weave mana into a physical shape.
Vwoom─!
The sphere containing lightning attribute flickered in Riley’s hand.
That was the moment when the mundane ball of mana transformed into “Electric Bolt.”
[How’s that?]
“I’m satisfied.”
Riley smiled lightly.
“It feels like the magic itself has become stronger. Plus, I’m noticing subtle changes in my body gradually.”
I was relieved to hear she was satisfied.
The subtle changes in her body were probably due to the effects of “Attribute Awakening” leading to the second awakening.
This phenomenon would continue for the next few weeks—growth with tangled causality. Ultimately, Riley’s body would transform into that of a magician who had completed the “Second Awakening.”
Yes.
Soon, I would bid farewell to the lowly realms.
[…….]
I had never seen such rapid growth.
This achievement came in less than a year of knowing each other.
Perhaps.
With this kind of talent and growth rate, my long-cherished desire…
“Huuh.”
[…….]
It was then.
Riley’s sigh interrupted my thoughts.
“Now that I’ve got a new ability, I want to put it to the test.”
[Hmm.]
She wanted to test her ability, huh…
Well, I felt the same way.
Now that Riley had completed her attribute awakening, I wanted to encounter a new foe to test her abilities.
[Should we go out into the city?]
I was wishing for a fake guide like on our first day in Wilhelm.
But that wasn’t an easy feat either.
I felt a bit lost.
*
“I challenge you to a duel.”
“……?”
[……?]
Just as I was about to open the door to head out, a rather stupid-looking magician came forward to challenge me to a duel.
[…What is this?]
I scanned the person up and down.
For some reason, their face looked familiar.
Oh, was that guy’s name Gilbert?
[What is this nonsense?]
He looked just like a practice scarecrow.
No need to involve myself in the hassle of going out to the city.