Leveling Up The World 8: A LitRPG Adventure, page 8
Just the first step, dear boy. The execution was sloppy, to say the least. Besides, this is a very small and conveniently shaped item. In real life, things would be a lot more difficult. You better keep on practicing.
The following day, Dallion was quick to boast about his achievement the first chance he got. He was aware that it was a petty attempt to impress ten-year-olds, and yet it felt so good.
“Not bad,” the fury said. “Everyone, I want you to pay attention. Do it again.”
Dallion stood up, turned to the rest of the class, then repeated the process. What was more, he partially split into six instances, having his hands pull the magic out, then put it back in again from each of the other five sides of the cube.
Half of the children gasped, some frowned, and one—the black-haired noble—copied him, though without the combat splitting.
“Sir, what’s the point of putting magic back into items?” Phoil asked. “Why not use it on the spot?”
“Because there might not be magic where you are,” the instructor explained. “Extracting magic and storing it into a container ensures you get to use it at a later point. More importantly, though, the same method is used for adding magic to yourself.”
Reaching behind the podium, the fury took out a sturdy wooden box. Opening it, revealed a series of small golden disks. Even from this distance, Dallion could instantly tell two things: the objects were abundant in magic, and they were also artifacts from a past age.
“This,” the instructor took one of the disks, “is a magic enhancer. They were used in the past to increase the magic of a person, similar to awakening items. Needless to say, they are rather valuable. They have one drawback: They cannot increase the magic trait of a person above five.” He took a few steps forward, placing the item in front of Dallion. “As novices, you’ll be given one once you manage to achieve what Dal has. Anything else needs to be earned through excellence.”
Now that the item was closer, it became obvious that it was in fact made of crystal. The cold was nothing more than an outside ring, wrapped around the glowing purple core.
Carefully, Dallion picked it up. It was cold and pleasantly heavy. Its flat surface made extracting the magic a lot easier than the cube. However, there was no indication of how to ingest the magic once it was out.
“Don’t worry,” the instructor continued. “The artifact has a safeguard. You won’t be able to exhaust the item without consuming its magic. And please don’t try to eat it. It won’t work.”
I suppose I must figure this out on my own as well? Dallion looked at the other side of the disk.
That goes without saying, dear boy. The only thing I can guarantee is that the results will be a lot more satisfying.
Dallion chuckled, then proceeded to grab and pull out the magic thread from the item. The experience was no different from extracting it from the magic cube. Still holding the end with two fingers, Dallion bent them inwards, so the thread touched his palm, then used his other hand to try and pull it through. Apparently, living tissue reacted differently than inorganic matter.
You’re overthinking things again, Nil said. Just do what comes naturally.
Yeah, right, Dallion grumbled. As a seventy-seven-level awakened, he didn’t want to start from scratch, even if he had to. If he were to progress smoothly, though, he had to let go of all his pre-conceptions and start from a blank slate. It was logical to assume that everything needed to consume magic had already been taught. It couldn’t be finding it since that presented no challenge right now. Pulling out magic was obviously involved, just as was pulling it in.
Dallion let go of the thread. Instantly, it went back into the artifact.
I need to focus my own magic to touch it, he said to himself. And magic to pull it out.
His own magic went up to his fingers, then into the item as he grabbed it. So far, so good. If he were an object, he’d need to find a way to pull it through himself. However, since his own magic prevented it from physically doing so…
“No,” Dallion whispered. Could it be so simple? It seemed absurd, but since this was a child’s task, he decided to give it a go.
SPHERE ITEM AWAKENING
VIXENAIR
The AETHERIZER is level 0 of 3
You are at the START of the AETHERIZER’s first level.
Unseal all levels to fulfill the AETHERIZER’s destiny.
Two purple rectangles glowed in an oval chamber surrounded by Roman columns. The ground was of polished mosaic with lines of magic going in all directions like raw electric currents.
A sphere item, Dallion thought. It almost made him feel nostalgic.
The other good news was that he had returned to being his usual self. While the seal was still on him, glowing like a purple brand, it only remained in effect within certain areas of the Academy, and an item’s awakening realm was clearly considered not to be the Academy proper.
What have you done? Nil asked, his voice trembling in anger to the point that he was having difficulty talking.
“I took the next logical step. Since I couldn’t affect the item in the real world, I thought that—”
Didn’t I tell you that magic is different?! You don’t just enter magic items!
Dallion didn’t see what the big deal was. Just to make sure, he split into instances and looked about using his music vision, then his layer magic vision. There were no creatures to be seen, and certainly no guardians.
Lines of magic continued from the spot beneath him toward the only exit in the chamber. Beyond it, only darkness was visible.
“It’s a sphere item, Nil,” Dallion said as his firebird familiar appeared, surrounding him in blue flames. “It’s not the first time I’ve leveled up one of those. It won’t be the first time I fight a magic guardian, either.”
Dear boy, there is no doubt that you have grown a lot since you left your home village. However, you still have the annoying habit of—
“I have the ability to leave the item at any point I want. Besides, with the seal having no effect here, I’m back to my normal self and can even use magic if I want. Lastly, if things go sideways, I can use spark attacks.”
For over ten seconds, the old echo didn’t respond.
I see you’ve given this some thought.
“Who do you take me for? Some country bumpkin? It’s been a millennium since I made those mistakes. If I didn’t think I could do this, I wouldn’t have tried it.”
Of course, Dallion chose not to admit that he had taken the wrong approach. Hearing Nil’s reaction, he knew that this was not the correct way to consume magic, and now that he was here, he was curious to see what he’d find within the artifact’s realm, not to mention what it would transform into once he fulfilled its destiny.
This isn’t something you should meddle with, the echo insisted. Not yet, in any event.
“Why?”
I’ve said all I’m willing to say.
“Nil, all this time, I never noticed how dramatic you really are.”
Very funny. Don’t expect me to jump in if you get in trouble.
“Petty much?”
It has nothing to do with pettiness. You are dealing with magic. Aside from not being bestowed with all the information of my original, there’s nothing I can tell you until you learn it. And given that you don’t even know how to consume mana to increase your level, that means I’m not able to provide you with any useful information.
“Point taken.” Dallion summoned his harpsisword, then split into a dozen instances.
Stepping through the archway revealed the first level of the sphere item’s realm. Dallion expected it to be a corridor, a cave, or even a maze of sorts. As it turned out, he was both right and wrong. An octagonal tunnel continued forward as far as the eye could see. The only reason it did was because the end was blocked by a giant mirror. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only one. Hundreds of other mirrors were placed on the floor, walls, and reflecting each at different angles, effectively creating a three-dimensional maze in a one-dimensional space. The concept would have been genius if it wasn’t for the glimmering shapes that occasionally made an appearance.
Magic creatures, Dallion thought.
“Nil, if I asked you whether I can walk into a mirror, what would you tell me?”
That it’s beyond my ability to respond, the echo replied.
“Thank you.”
Using one of his instances, Dallion moved to the nearest mirror on the wall and placed his hand on it. The mirror was cold and solid. Forcing his way in would likely only result in it shattering.
Purple markers filled the area like small dots in a coloring book.
SPELLCRAFT skills activated.
Follow the suggested markers for best efficiency
That was all well and good, except that they made no sense whatsoever. To a certain degree, the markers shared the principle of forging, only instead of folding an object from the outside, Dallion was asked to fold reality itself around him.
“There’s no way this is magic,” he said, looking at the hundreds of dots. Some were inches away, while others were on the other side of the tunnel, and judging by the numbers, the sequence didn’t seem to take distance into account.
That’s not magic, it’s spellcraft. There’s a major difference.
“So, I have to use spellcraft to level up the item?”
You don’t have to do anything, dear boy. You can always just give up.
Thinking back, it had taken Dallion months before he learned to use his forging skills. This seemed quite similar. He could have a go and see what happened, but given the vastness of the task, he decided to try something else instead—something he had actually learned.
Placing his right hand on the mirror, Dallion concentrated. The magic within him flowed through, sprouting on the other side as a flower. Then—to his great shock—it continued forward, forming a stick figure version of him. Two realities opened to him: one in the corridor and the one in the mirror. It was like maintaining two instances, only a lot longer and more intense.
Taking a few steps forward, Dallion looked around in his stick figure. A thread of magic continued to connect it through the mirror to his actual body. All actions were a fraction of a second slower, as if he were controlling something by remote control. A few seconds of moving around, though, and he got the hang of it. The only major drawback was that he didn’t have the ability to summon weapons with his “magic projection.”
Okay, so I’m in a maze, he told himself. Does that mean I must find an exit?
The projection continued forward. Not after long, it reached another mirror. This time, Dallion didn’t have to create a projection of the projection. The magic wire frame just walked through the second “mirror” as if it were a normal door. He was just about to look around in the new section of the maze when a purple silhouette of a fox emerged in front of him.
COMBAT INITIATED
A massive mouth appeared throughout the creature, almost tearing the silhouette in two, then bit into the projection’s waist.
MINOR WOUND
Your health has been reduced by 5%
One of Dallion’s realities collapsed, bringing him back into the tunnel of mirrors. Instinctively, he burst into instances, ready to strike the creature that had attacked him, yet there was no trace of it. The most he could see was a twinkle pass through several mirrors then vanish altogether.
“Is this one of those things you can’t tell me about?” Dallion asked, with three instances watching his back. The creature had come way too fast and attacked without warning. In the past, there was always a pause between the combat notification rectangle and the actual attack. With this creature, things were simultaneous.
Sorry. You’re all on your own.
Several minutes passed, and the creature remained nowhere to be seen. By then, Lux had already managed to restore Dallion’s health, bringing him back to a hundred percent.
Taking a deep breath, Dallion focused his magic on the mirror once more. As before, a magic projection emerged, making its way down the mirrored corridor. When it reached the next mirror, Dallion tried to create a new instance, yet that only worked for the physical him. He was going to have to rely on his other traits to get through this one.
Acrobatics, he thought and leapt through the next mirror frame.
There was no sign of the fox. Dallion looked around, both with his projection as well as his physical self. Suddenly, there was a purple blink in one of the mirrors. He couldn’t be certain where the creature was going but, just in case, he had his projection do a three-sixty spin along with a high kick.
MINOR STRIKE
Dealt damage is increased by 10%
The silhouette appeared in front of his projection only to be slammed in the neck, then thrown out of the corridor and the mirror itself.
AETHERIZER LEVEL 1 GUARDIAN
Species: VIXENAIR
Class: MAGIC
Health: 30%
Traits:
- BODY 20
- MIND 20
- REACTION 50
- PERCEPTION 20
- MAGIC 20
Skills:
- ATTACK
- ATHLETICS
- SPELLCRAFT
- SUBLIMATION (Species Unique)
Weakness: UNKNOWN
“Vixenair?” Dallion wondered.
For some reason, it reminded him of Jiroh’s cloud pet, only made of magic. For a while, he almost felt guilty about kicking it, though not enough to let it go. Dropping his projection, he drew his harpsisword and dashed toward the creature.
Seeing him, the vixenair transformed into purple mist, letting the harpsisword slash through without dealing any damage. Immediately after, it darted to the mirror in the ceiling, disappearing again.
“No, you don’t!” Dallion split into instances, pressing his arm on half a dozen mirrors.
He was perfectly aware that he wouldn’t be able to maintain the effect for more than a few seconds, but that was enough time to determine the path the guardian had taken. The moment he did, he let all other instances fade away and continued chasing the fox.
Good thing it doesn’t know more tricks, he thought.
If the guardian was any stronger, it would—
Small footprints remained after the vixenair as it ran. Initially, Dallion hadn’t given it much thought. But thanks to his perception, he soon noticed that the footprints were, in fact, shaped like symbols. Furthermore, lines emerged between several of them, creating an intricate pattern.
“Damn it!” Dallion pulled his hand away from the mirror. His projection vanished, just before the entire “maze” within the mirror world became filled with a series of bouncing lightning bolts. Worse, each time a bolt hit a surface, it split into two.
Layer vision, Dallion leapt forward, tapping the side of his harpsisword against his boot. A split second later, the white glow of a spark lit up the weapon.
There were very few things that could withstand a direct hit from lightning. When it came to magic, however, there were a few things more, and a spike-infused weapon was one of them.
Spinning around, Dallion struck the lightning bolts surrounding him before they could make contact. The moment they impacted with the harpsisword, they crumbled like broken icicles.
For what seemed like minutes, Dallion kept on swinging the harpsisword, like a warrior trying to slice every raindrop in the pouring rain. The impressive thing was that he actually managed. By the time he landed on the floor, all the lightning bolts had gone.
RAIN CUTTER
(+2 Reaction)
Only a master can cut a thousand drops of rain during a storm. If only you were smart enough to avoid the storm to begin with.
A blue rectangle emerged. Normally, that would be a good sign. In the current situation, though, it was only a temporary reprieve. The guardian was still out there and meaning business.
Well done, dear boy. You almost fight like a war cleric.
“Clerics never did anything like this.” Dallion jumped to his feet, splitting into half a dozen instances.
On the contrary. You just haven’t been able to see it.
“If I can’t see magic, how can they?”
There are certain gifts that come with serving the Moons. Better focus on the vixenair for now, though. That is, unless you’re considering giving up.
FARTHER INTO THE MIRROR MAZE
Cones of quicksand twisted, pulling Dallion in every direction. As he had found out, having the spark allowed him to cut through magic the same way he’d cut through void matter. Sadly, it also became quite clear that he wouldn’t be able to manage that for long. Casting spells, it seemed, was very different from what the perceptions back on Earth.
For one thing, there was nothing like “mana” involved. Magic just allowed a person, or entity, to perform the manipulation of reality for as little effort as waving a hand. Given enough time, that would become exhausting, but it was a lot easier than waving about a sword and infusing it with spark. If it wasn’t for Dallion’s high body trait, the situation would be a lot more desperate.
A piece of advice, dear boy. Maybe try interrupting a spell before it’s cast? Nil criticized. I would have thought you’d still remember that.
“I’m trying,” Dallion hissed.
The vixenair had already healed itself several times, all the time casting spells with footprints. To make things more annoying, one of the first spells it had done after the mass lightning bolt attack was to multiply to cast spells faster. A whole pack of vixen would run about the various parts of the mirror maze, creating symbols each time a paw touched a surface.
The process was considerably slower than what a mage could achieve with fingers, although it produced patterns faster than Dallion could interrupt them. It didn’t help that the only way he knew how to disrupt a spell was to kill off a duplicate of the vixenair, causing its respective footprints to fade out.
This would have been a lot easier if I could spell, Dallion thought, while a magic projection dashed along the mirror maze in an attempt to catch up to the guardian.
