“Whoa! Miki, you use light magic? That’s awesome. It’s rare, you know.”
“Really? It’s rare?”
“Yeah, not many people can use light for offense. Light’s the fastest among attack magic. If you master it, it’ll be insane.”
“Fufufu. I’ll master it!”
For some reason, Regress and Sakuragi seem to get along really well. Regress also seems knowledgeable about magic, giving Sakuragi advice on how to fight as a mage. Sakuragi seems frustrated that she only knows the basic light attack magic she learned at the Sky Temple.
“Higher-level magic is all about imagery. Even with light attacks, it’s important to project a strong mental image when casting. Like a sword, an arrow, or anything else that feels powerful to you.”
“Hmm… a strong image… Can it be anything?”
“Yeah. Even with fire magic, it starts with basic fireballs, but some people create spears of fire or even fire dragons. Giving your magic a strong form can make it more powerful.”
Hearing this, I feel a bit envious since I can’t use magic.
“Mmm!”
“Haha. Miki, you just got here, right? You can use images from your original world too. It’s easier to channel power through something familiar.”
“Umm…”
Sakuragi seems to be thinking hard about it, muttering to herself. It doesn’t seem like she’s coming up with a good image. Eventually, she turns to Nishina with a troubled look.
“Takato-kun, what’s your image of light?”
But Nishina answers with a slightly annoyed tone.
“A laser beam?”
“Eh? That’s just like Shining Arrow.”
Sakuragi pouts at Nishina’s unenthusiastic answer.
“Mmm… Got it! I’ve decided!”
“Oh, you’ve come up with a good image?”
“Hihihi. It’s gonna be awesome.”
Soon, Sakuragi furrows her brow as she focuses on her magical image in front of an approaching monster. Nishina and Kimijima step back, letting Sakuragi handle it.
“Magnifying glass!”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Sakuragi’s incomprehensible shout makes Nishina and me react at the same time. But she’s dead serious.
Concentrated magic gathers above Sakuragi, taking the shape of a giant magnifying glass. Then…
“Beam!!!”
…somehow, the light focuses through the magnifying glass-like shape, converging into a cone that pierces the monster. The light’s focal point hits the monster just right.
Gyaa! The monster lets out a scream-like cry as it starts to burn and blacken. It tries to escape, but the light relentlessly chases and burns it.
…Hmm. But that extra step of forming the magnifying glass seems to negate the speed advantage that light magic is known for…
“I did it! How was that, Reg-san?!”
“Whoa! That’s more powerful than Shining Arrow, isn’t it?”
“Right? Right?”
“Keep using it, and you’ll get faster and stronger!”
“Got it! I’ll work hard!”
Well, as long as Sakuragi’s happy, I guess it’s fine.
“Imagery…”
Kimijima seems to be thinking about something too.
Still, this guy…
I watch in awe as Regress seamlessly blends in with the students, acting like an older brother. Is this the difference in humanity? I can’t help but feel my own mediocrity.
At first, even Nishina—who was probably feeling a bit jealous of Regress getting along so well with Sakuragi—had now completely warmed up to him, accepting various pieces of advice on combat basics.
“Sensei, I heard there was someone who used tree magic in the past and fought by embedding seeds into weapons and clothes.”
Kimijima had also grown attached to Regress without even realizing it. Right now, Kimijima can only control plants she touches, but Regress explained that if her aptitude is strong, she’ll eventually be able to control things from a distance. This gave her hope and made her chest swell with excitement.
The depth of his knowledge is incredible.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“By the way, Sensei, aren’t you aiming to raise your rank?”
At some point, even Regress started calling me “Sensei.” After ten years of teaching, I’m used to being called that, so it doesn’t bother me. But this sense of distance might also be part of Regress’s charm.
“No… I’m thinking of raising it with an upper-tier monster.”
“Oh, yeah, with that level of skill. Well, if you’re going for upper-tier, let me know. I’ll tag along.”
“Haha. Thank you.”
I stopped myself from pointing out the flaws in my iaido, but Regress seemed to catch on and smoothly stepped back. His intuition is impeccable.
Who is he, really?
Eventually, Sakuragi complains of feeling unwell. It seems her rank has finally gone up. Last time, I carried Kimijima, but this time, Nishina carries Sakuragi back to where we left the cart.
On the way back, I glance at Regress lying on the Hippod’s back, swaying with the cart. He notices my gaze and our eyes meet. Regress grins when he sees my expression.
“Thinking about who I am?”
“Huh? No, I…”
“Well, it’s natural to be wary when an unknown adventurer suddenly shows up in a place like this.”
“Well… I’ve heard that ambitious adventurers might target me.”
“Yeah, there are tons of people out there who want to reach the Celestial ranks.”
“Haha…”
“But the main reason I came here this time is probably you, Sensei.”
“Me? Reg-san, you want to fight me too?”
“Nah, not really. I was just curious. About twenty years ago, I went to Gallar Blue. It was in a terrible state…”
Gallar Blue? And twenty years ago? He doesn’t look much older than me… Maybe he’s actually quite old.
Stroman, who had been listening, couldn’t help but turn around.
“Gallar Blue? You’ve been there?”
“Yeah, I was curious about how it was. That’s also when I found Genuin. Back then, it was still a cute little thing. You’ve seen Hippods in Gallar Blue too, right, Sensei?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
“If you’re chased by a wild Hippod, you’d naturally panic and try to attack it, huh?”
“Sorry about that.”
“When you travel with monsters, these things happen.”
This man might be a true traveler—the kind who goes wherever his curiosity takes him. Like a backpacker from Earth. To think he’s ventured into places like the deep wilderness where only upper-tier monsters live… He must be incredibly strong.
“Fifty years ago, tens of thousands of people lived there. Now it’s just ruins. When people stop living in a place, it deteriorates at an astonishing speed.”
“Yes…”
“When I went, it had been about thirty years since people left. …It was beautiful.”
“Huh?”
“A deserted metropolis. Inorganic stone pillars overgrown with ivy… just empty ruins… and yet, for some reason, it felt perfect.”
Regress speaks as if reminiscing about something nostalgic, and I’m at a loss for words.
When we reach the town, we leave Sakuragi’s care to Kimijima. Compared to Kimijima and Nishina, Sakuragi’s sleep time is even longer. She probably won’t wake up until tomorrow morning, so we carry her to her dorm room and let her sleep.
In the meantime, we deliver the monster materials and magic stones to the storage.
Regress didn’t hunt any monsters himself this time, but since he taught us so many useful things, we let him take some of the meat he wanted. Apparently, Genuin can devour even a large monster in one go.
Regress left the town after bathing with Genuin in the river that flows near the city.
“That person definitely doesn’t seem like a bad guy,” Nishina said.
I agreed with Nishina, but Regress was still shrouded in too much mystery. He likely had considerable strength, but Stroman mentioned that he didn’t recall any Heavenly Rank with that name. I caught a glimpse of Regress’s arm, but I didn’t see any sign of the Divine Record either.
After finishing our report at the outpost, we returned, had dinner with Kimijima, who had come back, and then stopped by the communal bath before wrapping up the day’s activities.
By noon the next day, Sakuragi had recovered. Considering how long she had been bedridden, it seemed like her power stabilization was progressing dangerously fast. In contrast, Nishina, who was still at the third rank, insisted he wanted to raise his rank by the next day. I didn’t mind, but it was up to Sakuragi and Kimijima.
The next morning, after preparing for the day, the four of us had breakfast together in the dining hall as usual.
“Please let me go first this time!”
“I’m just observing for now, so it’s up to Sakuragi, isn’t it?” I replied.
“Hmm… Miki… She’s probably eager to test out that magnifying glass of hers…”
As Nishina and I started eating, Sakuragi, holding a tray, stood behind us, listening in with a sly grin.
“Hehehe. Sure, go ahead and raise your rank!”
“R-really? Alright, everyone, let me have today!”
As we were preparing to head out, we ran into Regress at the town entrance.
“Good morning, Reg. Aren’t you coming with us today?”
Nishina immediately called out to him.
Regress politely declined. “Sorry, today I’ve been asked to help out with some farm work. You see, there aren’t many magical beasts as strong as Genuin around here.”
“Farm work?” Nishina asked.
“Yeah, yeah. You can’t just eat meat all the time. You need vegetables too, or your body will get out of whack. I’ll be able to join you again the day after tomorrow, so sorry about today and tomorrow, alright?”
“Ah, got it. No problem.”
That made sense. Eating nothing but monster meat would throw off your nutritional balance. In a town like this, with no proper stores, helping out with farm work and sharing the produce was probably the only way to get by.
Later, Nishina, who had been working hard, managed to successfully raise his rank.
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