My name is Neo, I'm an engineering student and my best friend's name is Hunt, we are both 22 years old and we are both seniors. We were doing our final project. When it all happened.
If you ask me what our final work was, I can only boast about our creation, a car that runs on hydrogen combustion. We had the full support of the university. Not only to create a computer project, but they also proposed us to make a prototype.
We secured the necessary funds. Plus permission from the authorities to conduct test drives in the vicinity of the university. As long as there was a patrol car nearby.
It was during the seventh test drive. At an intersection a truck carrying gas crashed into us causing an explosion.
I remember perfectly, how the car deformed, just as we had calculated. It was beautiful. But the explosion and the flames covered my view.
The end was imminent, but before I lost consciousness, I could see Hunt who was driving looking at me with a guilty look on his face.
Surely Hunt blames himself for all the pain and suffering he caused our families, because of a driving error.
Both his family and mine became very close as we became best friends. From spending holidays together to family meals, where we would show off our creations. There could no longer be a family plan without involving each other or each other's families.
My only thoughts were: Hunt , Hunt look at that, it's warped just like in my simulations. But when I saw his sad face the emotion I felt stopped instantly to accept my fate. I knew it wasn't his fault. No one could have predicted that truck would run out of brakes. I said goodbye to Hunt with a smile. And everything around me went up in flames.
My next memory is of a room full of flowers. Where a gentleman sitting in the middle of the grass greeted me. I sat down next to him and asked him where we were. He told me about my tragic end and proposed two options, to go to another world where the laws of physics I knew were different. There was something called magic. A medieval world, with kingdoms, dragons, monsters, adventurers, dungeon explorers, peasants, burghers, nobles and kings. The other option was to rest eternally.
I asked him a lot of questions about societies and how magic works, but not all the questions I asked were answered.
Intrigued I accepted his proposal without thinking (not that I had anywhere better to go). He granted me the unique skill [ Evaluation ] normal skill [ Magic Affinity ] special skill [ Inventory ], profession [ No trade ].
I tried to ask him several times about my abilities and my mission in the new world. As he led me to a white circular portal. None of the answers were clear, rather new doubts arose.
Before saying goodbye, I asked him about Hunt, he told me not to worry, we would meet again very soon.
Compared to Hunt, I had the best trip to the other world. He remembers the whole accident. He had the worst outcome, he survived the accident and the firemen managed to get him out of the car and take him to the hospital. It was there that after meeting his relatives and being seriously injured. His flame was extinguished surrounded by the people who loved him most.
He woke up before me, he was in a large room. Where a soft light descended from the infinite ceiling. The floor was strewn with colourful flowers. A shadow came out of the darkness. It was an older man with a grey robe and a long silver beard.
Immediately after making eye contact Hunt was teleported to a small round wooden pergola. He poured two cups of tea.
— My dear Hunt, it is a pity we should meet so soon. I did not expect this moment yet. His voice, deep, calm, echoed through the room.
Tolmas and Hunt had a long conversation about all our achievements. All our failures and all the times we haven't given up. They went over all our projects and our funniest moments.
— My dear Hunt, now that you remember your past, you have to choose your future. You have to choose your future, he said as he stretched his arms out to the sides.
— You have two choices, you can go in peace and rest forever or you can go to another world. Which will you choose.
Knowing Hunt, the moral and existentialist debate they had after that proposal could have been both epic, long and tedious. When we created the engine for our car, he handed over a thousand-page document with the impact our creation could have. Only the poor mentor who had to read that document knows how cautious Hunt is.
The gentleman interrupted him to greet me and talk to me, Hunt witnessed my entire conversation with the gentleman, but could not interact with us.
After saying goodbye to the gentleman, Hunt approached the gentleman to talk to him.
— Do you think sending us to that world is going to change things? (Hunt) He said as he walked in the Lord's direction.
— I am sure of it, my dear Hunt, I have no doubt of it. (Sir) He said as he stroked his beard.
— If I go with him, will you grant me the same abilities (Hunt)?
— Of course not, each of you is different (Sir).
— So, if I go with that fool, what skills would I have? (Hunt)
The lord talked to Hunt for days and after making a decision about his abilities granted him: unique ability [ Calculation ] normal ability [ Map ] special ability [ item box ] profession [ Great merchant ].
You could say that I came to this world on my ass. After passing through the portal I fell from the sky where I could see a large land mass.
The fall was fatal, but after hitting the ground I was able to get up as if nothing had happened.
As I was dusting myself off I heard a scream in the distance. I looked around and saw no one.
Hunt was trying to warn me, but I couldn't hear him and he fell on top of me.
■— You never listen to me. Hunt said as he got up from the floor.—
●— You always say that. I said as I pushed him.—
After we fought for a while because Hunt accused me of being reckless... He reproached me for quite a while.
While he was scolding me I could tell that my vision was not normal. It looked like I had a helmet or augmented reality goggles. At the top, as if it was a video game, I had a life bar, below it a mana bar. At the bottom it had a bar with 10 empty slots. And on the right, another bar with 5 squares.
On the left I had a list of skills where I only had [ Evaluation ].
When I looked up to get a better view of the data, the computer mouse icon appeared. I was able to click on [ Evaluation ].
A pop-up window opened in the middle of the screen or in my vision and through it I could see Hunt's statistics.
[< Name >] : Hunt ****
[< Age >] : 22
[< Trade >] : Large merchant
[< Level >] : 1
[< Life points (HP) >] : 100
[< Magic Points (MP) >] : 100
[< Damage >] : 74
[< Defence >] : 79
[< Agility >] : 78
[< unique ability >] : Calculation
[< special ability >] : item box
[< skill >] : Map
[< Status >] : Angry with Neo : Stressed out
Without having anyone else as a reference I didn't know if their stats were normal, below average or above average. I thought; looking at other people's stats can be a great tool.
When I analysed myself the data were very similar.
[< Name >] : Neo ********
[< Age >] : 22
[< Oficio >] :
[< Level >] : 1
[< Life points (HP) >] : 85
[< Magic Points (MP) >] : 300
[< Damage >] : 110
[< Defence >] : 90
[< Agility >] : 50
[< unique ability >] : Evaluation
[< special ability >] : inventory
[< skill >] : Magic affinity
[< Status >] : Unconcerned : Intrigued
Comparing our statistics he seemed to be more balanced.
I tried looking around, analysed hundreds of plants I had never seen before.
■— Are you sure you're not listening to me? That's when Hunt stopped me by covering my eyes.—
●— If I am listening to you. I felt a heavy headache.—
■— So you're not using the Evaluation ability, are you, that bloody nose of yours is because you're happy to see me? He mocked me as I deactivated the skill and wiped my nose.—
●— How do you know what I was doing?—
■— The Lord warned me that this would happen to you, using the ability the first few times. Besides, we already know
each other.—
■— Now that you are calmer, try opening the menu.—
●— Menu?—
■— If there is a square at the bottom of your field of vision, right?—
First, I learned how to turn statistics on and off. Allowing us to visualise important metrics about the inventory in real time. Also, how to customise the position of each piece of data within the system. It taught me how to open the
inventory, although we didn't know how big it could be. I also learned how to place items in the inventory quick access bar. This allowed me to have access to all the objects without having to search for them in the inventory.
Hunt was very clear on how to use the menus and his skills, I'm sure he has a mini map or something like that in his interface. The item box and inventory skills are pretty much the same. My [ inventory ] skill, only allowed me to store
items and some exceptions. That was not stated in the skill descriptions. As for Hunt's skill I had no problem related to what I could and couldn't put in and what I couldn't put out.
We practised with sticks and stones to learn how to get objects in and out. Both Hunt and I got the hang of it very quickly. It created a mirage made of clouds where if we reached in, we could pull objects in. But if I concentrated on the
quick access holes, I could pull them out and put them in. Hunt on the other hand had to look for the object, inside the item box.
Hunt took the initiative. Using his map skill and thanks to us falling out of the sky he was able to see the world and discover something of the map. Checking our position he discovered a nearby river.
It took us a few hours to get there. We are not used to walking in the forest.
During the hours of walking I tried to make the items on the quick access bar appear in my hand, without having to create the mirage.
I was trying to master the art of manipulating objects when with fluidity and precision I made a few twists of the wrist, as if it were a card trick, and in a single movement I managed to make a stick appear in my hand.
On the river, Hunt sent me out to collect wood to make a fire, while he tried to catch some fish for dinner.
I used the assessment skill again while I was collecting wood. However, I got a small nosebleed, which didn't affect me much and stopped the assessment.
With plenty of wood collected, and the bleeding stopped, I returned to where Hunt was. He was behaving oddly.
I approached him to ask him what he was doing and after he told me to shut up. I could see him moving, knowing how the fish would move. I had them all totally spotted.
He jumped into the water, submerged completely, the river barely covering him, at most reaching his knees. But he dove in flat. When he came out, he had a fish in his hands. He threw it to me and told me to evaluate it.
It was a Bartom, a non-poisonous fish for human consumption. The fact that surprised me the most is that the fish also had the same stats as Hunt and me. It had 10 health and 5 mana. But the skill slots were empty.
After confirming to Hunt that we could eat the fish, he set to work and landed 3 more. While he was fishing, if that can be considered fishing, I tried to make the fire.
It took me a long time to get a small flame. But the wood I got earlier was very dry, and it ignited in a few seconds. We inserted the fish on a stick and cooked them slowly as it got dark.
+Exp, +Exp, +Exp.
Every time we took a bite of that fish we moved up a level. The notifications were annoying so Hunt taught me how to remove or rather mute them.
We dined in the moonlight. The leftover fish we decided to save for another time.
Before storing them I evaluated them, the food had a timer. "Preferential consumption" 2879:35:456. According to Hunt it would take 2 days for them to go bad.
To be on the safe side we stoked the fire and slept in shifts. I offered myself first so that he could rest, as he was the one who had been fishing most of the day.
In the morning after washing our faces, we continued walking down the river, hoping to find some kind of village or town. But we found nothing.
Despite spending a day walking it didn't look like we were anywhere near a human trail. I spent the whole day assessing plants and rocks. I could have assessed over 100 types of new plants and over 23 types of rocks that I had never seen before.
At night, already hungry, we decided to eat the fish from the night before, and it was then that I realised what a great power we had, and how formidable the item box ability was. The consumption time of the fish had not dropped even for a second. Moreover, they were still warm.
Hunt and I asked ourselves hundreds of questions: Is it another dimension, is it in an adiabatic box, is there air inside, what is the pressure inside? As engineers, the analytical vein did not come out and we were experimenting most of the night.
That morning we decided to catch as much fish as we could and cook them so we could move on without worrying about food.
We stocked an immense amount of fish. There seemed to be no end to our inventories. We spent all day cooking and fishing.
As we saw no sign of civilisation we decided to stay in the forest and build a base or camp ourselves.
We went several metres into the forest to make a hut.
We collected sticks and logs, but as we didn't have any tools we couldn't do much. So before we started we went back to the river and rummaged around in the river bed and found a few stones in perfect shapes to make knives.
Our performance as prehistoric craftsmen was not what we thought it would be. We tried our best to create a sharp stone but we didn't succeed.
Defeated, we returned to where our house was to be and arranged the logs in such a way as to recreate a shelter.
But we didn't get the chance to go in when a giant wild boar hit our shelter. It had cost us so much.
It was a huge boar, probably over two metres tall and weighing several tons. It had red skin and a black crest running all the way down its back. Two tusks like two swords had us in their sights.
The Animal stopped after tearing our creation apart and a deep growl paralysed us.
[< Name >] : " Drink crimson demon boar ".
[< Age >] : 5
[< Level >] : 150
[< Life points (HP) >] : 1500
[< Magic Points (MP) >] : 800
[< Damage >] : 1010
[< Defence >] : 900
[< Agility >] : 590
[< unique ability >] : " " [< special ability >] : " [< ability >] : Super
[< Status >] : hungry.
We were lucky because I was able to analyse the Boar. And communicate all the details to Hunt. After analysing it I could only think that the animal was passing us over 100 levels and how it was possible for us to defeat it.
Hunt stopped, facing the boar. Like a toreador he dodged the boar at the last second. Hunt signalled to me, to run in one direction.
The animal charged into a large tree, despite having a large diameter trunk, the boar broke the tree in two and took a few moments to get up.
We ran until we came to a cliff, Hunt had something planned as he probably saw something with his mapping ability.
We were surrounded by the emptiness of the cliff and the dangerous wild boar that followed us at high speed.
Hunt stood in front of me, with one hand outstretched in the direction of the Boar and the other hand pointing into the void of the cliff. And in an instant, Hunt opened the entrance to his item box with one hand, the boar entered, closed the portal, and opened it again with the other hand. The boar exited the inventory at great speed, crashing to the ground in a violent manner that ended its life.
But luck was not on our side, the piece of land we were standing on collapsed and we fell off the cliff.
Imitating Hunt, I opened the portal to my inventory and he fell in. While I was falling, I tried to open the portal at the base of the cliff, but could not.
I felt that the fall was infinite. I felt like I was on a roller coaster. I thought of Hunt, who acted bravely to defend me, I couldn't let him alone look like a Hero.
I was trying to open the gate again and again, the stress I felt was comparable to the minutes before an exam. In the last few metres, I was able to open it. Hunt was coming out slowly, but not completely out. I shouted for him to summon his item box.
I fell into his doorway, inside the darkness was total, I couldn't breathe and I couldn't move and after a few seconds it opened again, I got out gently and lay down on the floor.
We sat on the floor to catch our breath, stared at each other and started laughing. We nearly died several times in less than 10 minutes.
It took us both a few minutes to stand up from the panic we felt.
●— That was amazing, I said as I patted him on the back.—
■— Not as much as your reaction when we fell. He said as he stood up.—
We caught our breath. We decided to perform a macabre experiment as the body of the boar. It seemed to be almost intact. Using item box we dismantled the boar into several parts.
According to our experiment, if an object protrudes from the portal. It was divided into two parts, one inside the inventory and the other part remained outside.
We never spoke about this "technique" again, we decided never to use it against anyone or anything, it seemed too cruel.
Days went by and we were still in that damn forest. Despite walking hundreds of kilometres we found nothing.
When we ran out of fish, we decided to eat the boar meat.
We prepared the meat as best we could, on a small fire. The taste of the meat was strange, it tasted like cardboard and was chewy.
We were so hungry that eating that meat didn't seem so bad. When we finished eating, we cooked the other parts to save them so that we could eat them later.
Out of a spark of curiosity I decided to evaluate myself after eating that meat. An icon appeared on the right hand side.
Altered state speed increased by 10%, I analysed Hunt, and he also had this new state.
●— He, Hunt, by ea ng this meat, we are granted an altered state that increases our speed by 10%.—
■— This means that if we eat another piece, it will increase our speed even more.—
I don't think so, there is also a 10800 second timer. Time of the altered state.
■— Exactly three hours. When the effect is over, we have to test how many grams we have to eat to get the effect.—
We continued to run through the forest, taking advantage of the head start. As we are engineers we don't have a lot of physical capabilities so we had to take several breaks.
I guess every cloud has a silver lining, and just as we were about to despair and return to the river, we found a hut in the middle of the forest.
It was abandoned, filth and an unpleasant smell greeted us.
The hut was small, with only one room. It had three beds, a table with two benches and a single chair. A small fireplace and a wooden cupboard.
In the chair sat what we assume to be the owner. He appeared to be long deceased. Using evaluation, I was able to find out his name and cause of death.
According to the description, he died of an illness.
In one of his hands he held a letter. Hunt picked up the letter to read it and realised that despite being in another world we were able to read that language.
The letter in question had two pages. On one of them we could find a poem for his wife and on the other side, a story for his son.
Both were written with love. Each sentence reminded us of the family we left behind.
The other sheet of paper contained so much text that there were almost no borders or letter spacing.
According to the extensive letter:
-- The fight against the Demor was pointless.
-- All human efforts are futile
-- The suffering of both nations is caused by the ego of their rulers.
-- King Demos II of the house of Demor and King Junius the Fair of the empire are entirely to blame.
-- The hut was a guard post in the middle of the cursed forest, full of monsters and half-humans.
-- Outside are two other soldiers who were killed in a fight against monsters.
-- He did not have much left as he was sick and badly wounded.
-- If anyone found the letter, let us give it to his wife and son.
-- That we give him a dignified burial alongside his comrades.
-- That the iron medal in his hand were his identifiers and that we have to take him to the empire.
-- Finally, there was a funeral prayer.
Hunt was the one who read the letters aloud, determinedly telling me that he wanted to fulfil his wish. In the hut we found tools of all kinds. Shovels, axes, picks, knives and a complete carpentry kit.
Shovel in hand, I set about digging a hole to give the gentleman a rest. Hunt meanwhile wrapped him in a cloak. Hunt read the prayer and we said goodbye to the knight.
We spent all day cleaning the house, removing debris and washing floors, windows and walls.
Neither of us spoke for a long time, we had a lot to process. We knew there were two realms, the half-humans and the monsters. Until we discovered the underground storerooms of the house. In them we could find several weapons like swords and spears. Three bows and about 50 arrows. A general map of the area with key points such as a mine and a river.
In a chest we found two well-protected books, one on magic and the other on military techniques.
Before nightfall we covered the windows and the door. Using my skill, I evaluated all the objects in the house. Despite bleeding a couple of times we could rest assured that there was nothing dangerous.
Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω
Four years later we were still in that hut. We decided to give up. The search for civilisation was not working. We tried many times to get out of the forest, but we always met monsters that did not allow us to move forward.
We decided to stay in the hut. We renovated it, grew our own food and built walls to protect us from the monsters in the forest.
In these years both Hunt and I, we leveled up, both our skills and our attributes. Attributes are skills that all humans have, but of different values.
Exploring the forest I was able to evaluate many monsters, so many that my evaluation skill evolved to [ Analysis ]. This skill was not only a mere upgrade, but I was able to break down the abilities and attributes of the monsters.
We call them mutants instead of monsters, because although they looked like normal land animals, they were bigger, their fur had different colours, depending on their strength. Some of them had very hard scales.
Crimson bears, for example, are like normal bears, but about 10 metres long, and with scales on their back, because of these changes or mutations we call them mutants.
Almost every creature in the forest fell into one of these categories.
-- Group 1: Minors: Animal-like mutants, but with abilities.
Super speed, increased strength, poison, acid, intimidating howl... Levels 0 ~ 35.
-- Group 2: Medium: Similar to above, but with dyed coat and larger sizes. Levels 35 ~ 150 The colours varied according to their level. From the base colour, then followed by yellow, orange, red and white.
-- Group 3: Seniors: These are mutants with a glossy black coat. We call them crimson. Because they were covered with a scale armour. Levels 150 ~ 900.
-- Group 4: Noin: don't try to fight them, they are gigantic mutants with many abilities and great intelligence. They are able to detect traps and possess great magical power. Levels +900.
To summarise, normally one mutant from group 2 can take out 10 mutants from group 1. A group of 3 can take out 5 mutants from group 2. Group 4 can fight hundreds of mutants from group 3.
If we may boast, Hunt and I can defeat a group 3 monster together, but individually we can't defeat many group 2 mutants.
But it was because they were constantly attacking us that we were able to level up.
As soon as my unique ability evolved, we were able to learn how to use magic, copying the mutants. Thanks to the skill [ Magic Affinity ] I managed to copy some spells from the 4 types of magic. Fire, water, wind and earth. And learn some spells from the magic book, which we found in the hut.
(We had some guesses as to how the magic might work, but we didn't know why it worked).
After getting a bit more fluent with magic, we set off in search of the cave on the map.
We left our house at dawn, the fresh air and the first rays of sunshine witnessed the start of another adventure.
The adventure began with a reminder of how alive the forest is. Ten wolves, with speed skills, from group 1. Their fury was overwhelming, their eyes red with hatred, their teeth sharp as knives and their speed was not something new in this forest.
Our speed allowed us to move like ghosts in the dark. Every leap, every movement, was a deadly dance, a frantic struggle against the fury of the wolves. With cunning and speed, we overcame these enemies, without having to rely on magic.
...
The moment we had dreamed of had arrived, the mine was actually a small iron quarry (we found iron!).
As we were going down the quarry, collecting some iron, we came across a mutant from group 3, an iron turtle. It stood like a mountain of metal, its rusty grey iron shell reflecting the sunlight. As for its size, a true beast, 2.5 metres tall, its red eyes glowed with a fury of its own. We approached it fearlessly, our swords almost blunt. Watching its movements and casting a few spells, we realised that its armour was stronger than it looked, but our experience in fighting other mutants in group 3 had given us the cunning we needed to defeat it.
The pace of his attacks was frantic, we were dodging his attacks with difficulty. Observing his attacks, we discovered his weak point. The swords, sliding with precision and speed, slashed into his neck. A roar echoed throughout the quarry, as the iron turtle writhed, fell into the void. The final blow, with a metallic sound that echoed off the walls, left us immobile with the sensation of having survived an incredible battle.
Determined to retrieve our swords, we went all the way down the hole. While Hunt was guarding the remains of the turtle, I found some stairs. They were almost invisible, covered in mud and stones.
As we descended the darkness intensified with every step. A draught of air blew through us, as if the earth were breathing. The cavern was a spectacle of horror and beauty at the same time. A great vault of carved rock.
Small, rudimentary huts contrasted the intensity of the cave. They were filled with worn tools and torn clothing.
A few metres away from the huts we find the remains of dozens of miners who have died, due to the same illness as the gentleman.
In the offices we find the records and accounts of the mining extraction. In the documents, a material called [ Magore ] was named, from which a bluish crystal called [ Magiston ] could be extracted, according to the manuscripts this crystal
was used in the clothes and weapons of the mages. They had to send an order of 500 mr, about 100 kg, to the empire. At the request of King Junius the Beautiful.
Further into the mine we found the warehouses where hundreds of kilograms of this material were stored.
●— You won't believe this, but this, it's like a battery or something, it's got a lot of mana inside it. I said as I analysed the strange crystal.—
■— How can this be?—
●— I don't know, I can't analyse what kind of materials or what elements it is made of. —
The crystal never ceased to amaze us, but the final straw came when we pulled it out of the mine. The crystal absorbed a kind of particle that came from the sun and turned it into mana.
We did so much physical, mathematical and chemical analysis that Hunt' [ Calculus ] ability evolved into [computer]. With this ability, Hunt could materialise translucent, translucent screens where both Hunt and I could interact.
When Hunt activated his ability, two boards appeared: one as a monitor and the other as a keyboard and mouse. The ability simulated an operating system, similar to computers on earth. In this system, we had predefined programs such as text, image, video and sound editors, as well as CAD design software and a code editor. We also had music and video players.
The true power of this ability was not limited to being a simple computer. Hunt's eyes could function as cameras, his ears as microphones and his mouth as a speaker. He literally became a living computer.
It took Hunt several months to perfect his skill and create multiple users or multiple computers at the same time. One of the problems we had was that every time he deactivated his skill, all the stored content disappeared.
As Hunt is a genius he hated to lose projects or files. It took him almost 6 months to find a solution. He managed to fragment his ability into two.
--- The server, a portion of the ability that remained constantly active to store files. Hunt programmed this server so that its screens were invisible and intangible.
--- Computers, a fragment of the ability that allowed to activate or deactivate up to 4 computers.
We discovered that the sun of this world emitted a strange energy. We decided to call it phlogiston after a 17th century theory. The phlogiston was processed by plants, we called Ether, (according to a 19th century theory), particles that
plants emit when photosynthesising. These ether particles are absorbed by the forest mutants and through a process of internal metabolism are converted into manna. A liquid that is stored in the mitobomdria, a new organelle found in animal and plant cells.
Both mutants and ourselves can recover mana by eating the flesh of other mutants or by eating mana-rich plants. The amount of mana points a living being has is defined by the number of mitobomdria it has. Not every cell of a living thing has to have one of these organelles.
It took me several months to be able to analyse animal and plant cells. Every time I tried to see something smaller and smaller. My eyes stung and bled. But the pain and suffering was worth it to be able to see the cells with my eyes.
Mana is liquid energy that has mass, volume, has a pressure as a function of volume and a constant temperature.
It is very strange how phlogiston becomes ether and ether becomes mana.
Even though we had all the variables, we didn't understand why we and the mutants were able to control ether and mana to create spells or magical phenomena.
We do not know how and why we are able to control it, but we have analysed the spells and can deduce several hypotheses for each of the elements.
We start from the idea, that conscious living beings, like mutants and us, can control ether particles at will. We assume it is through telekinesis or something like that.
+-+-+-+
((■ Hunt) Neo we are not physicists or biologists to have to look for all the answers, I remind you that we are engineers, we use everything that is at our disposal to engineer a solution to any problem.
We perceive magic as the ability to create mana capsules encased in ether. Based on this structure, we can develop almost any kind of spell, spending mana in each process or spell.
When mana comes into contact with ether, a fusion called aetherana occurs, which acts as a container for magic.
Fire spells work in a similar way to a regular fire: mana acts as the fuel and oxygen as the combustion agent. However, the ignition of the fire occurs when the mana comes into contact with air, a phenomenon we do not yet fully understand.
To create a fireball, we form spheres of etherana and fill them with our mana using telekinesis. We then compress the sphere to release the mana through a small hole, creating the flame.
The etherana's control is not limited to mana spheres. We can give it different forms to manipulate other elements.
In the case of wind and water magic, both work in a similar way, as in their most basic state they control a fluid. By creating a capsule of aetherana, we can trap air or water inside and manipulate it to generate attacks or defences.
Earth magic is more complex to explain. Basically, we use etherana to move earth, rocks or minerals in the ground and manipulate them to our will.
Etherana is a peculiar compound: it is invisible and intangible, which made it difficult to understand. It took us months to understand how it worked.
Thanks to the theory of etherana, we can create magic without the need to conjure it. The book is based on other theories that explain various phrases and incantations that can be recited to invoke spells.
We kept experimenting and managed to create our own spells and new forms of magic that were not in the book.
If we compile all the types of magic we know, we get the following list.
--- Fire (Combustion)
--- Water and air (Fluids)
--- Soil (Solids)
--- Additional Magic
We only know these 4 types of magic. Being the additional magic, causing the abilities like item box or calculation... But from these 4 natures we can get many combinations of elements:
Each combination can create unique effects and consumes varying amounts of mana depending on the elements involved:
**Air + Water:** Lightning
This magic combines air and water magic to create a lightning bolt. It allows us to generate intense and extremely fast bursts of electricity, capable of unleashing shocking electrical discharges on our targets. This phenomenon is similar to natural lightning.
**Water + Air + Fire:** Icicle icicles
This magic combines water, air and fire to generate ice crystals. (We manage to freeze the water by means of a super absorption cycle.
**Fluid + Combustion + Solids:** Metallurgy
This spell combines the heat of burning mana and solids to generate a molten metal and with fluid magic we can shape it into any form we wish. This type of magic consumes a large amount of mana.
But magic was not the only life-changing discovery. We discovered a material that was capable of making impossible connections.
This material was not natural but produced by mutants.
It was during an attack of yellow bees that we found the amazing material. The queen bee was in control of the others by means of fine magic wires that allowed her to communicate with them and share her abilities. Defeating them was an arduous task; we had to use all kinds of traps and a lot of fire. Although the bees were low level, they posed a considerable problem, as we wanted to get that magic wire.
Once the queen bee was defeated, the other bees stopped working as a unit, colliding with each other. Their attacks were also affected, they were not able to aim with certainty. We defeated them easily and got the magic thread.
+-+-+-+
I had a great idea to connect to Hunt via the queen's cable to share our skills. I put the cable near the back of my neck and like a magnet it connected to me. Hunt did the same. We passed out instantly.
We went into a deep sleep where we heard the voice of the gentleman, the old looking man who welcomed us after the car accident.
— My dears, I am proud of you," said the gentleman as we caught a glimpse of him for a few moments.
— Conditions met, evolution imminent. Do you wish to evolve them? Mr. Tolmas," said a woman's voice.
— Yes, said the gentleman.
— Attempt to evolve. Failed, do you wish to try again?
— Yes," said the gentlem.
— The Hunt and Neo user skills; [computer], [analysis], [Map], [Inventory], [Magic affinity] and [Item box] will be sacrificed.
— We have to... I'll... I'm going to...
The man's conversation with the woman went on, but gradually I stopped hearing their voices, I felt like I was sinking into the sea.
A blinding light woke me up. When I opened my eyes, everything around us looked like the disaster after a bomb. We were in the deepest part of a crater. I felt a push from behind me, it was Hunt getting up.
Standing in awe of the mess around us, a dizzy sensation brought us back to the ground. We seemed to be bowing to someone. Two small stars appeared in front of us. And suddenly we heard the voice of the Lord.
— This is my last gift. He said in a kind and happy tone.
The two glowing spheres entered inside our body and we heard
- [< shared skill >]: Domain
As for our statistics Hunt.
[< Age >] : 26
[< Office >] : Envoy of Tolmas, Great merchant.
[< Level >] : 1 >> 50
[< Life Points (HP) >] : 100 >> 530
[< Magic Points (MP) >] : 100 >> 200
[< Damage >] : 74 >> 700
[< Defence >] : 79 >> 900
[< Agility >] : 78 >> 600
[< Domain >]: Subdimension :
[
[< skill >] : { Advanced Analysis }, {Supercomputer }, {Radar}.
[< Attributes >]: Speed: [ 50 m/s ], Jump [ 3 m ], Lung
capacity [ 12 Liters ], Fall damage [ 10 meters ] (if
distance is less than 10m no fall damage is suffered),
Magic distance [ Ellipsoid ( x^2 + y^2 + 0.5z^2 = 50) ]
(Distance where the user can summon and/or control
magic), Fire resistance [ Tmax 200˚ C ], Poison resistance,
Freeze resistance [Tmin -55 ˚ C]. coating[ 6.4/10 Mohs]
(Protective coating on skin), Regeneration [+ 10 points /
minute] recovers life points, Mana regeneration [+ 50
points / minute] recovers mana points.
My skills also increased significantly.
[< Age >] : 27
[< Office >] : Envoy of Tolmas.
[< Level >] : 1 >> 50
[< Life Points (HP) >] : 100 >> 500
[< Magic Points (MP) >] : 100 >> 400
[< Damage >] : 74 >> 700
[< Defence >] : 79 >> 900
[< Agility >] : 78 >> 600
[< Domain >]: Subdimension :
[
[< skill >] : { Advanced Analysis }, {Supercomputer }, {Cartography}.
[< Attributes >]: Speed: [ 38 m/s ], Jump [ 5 m ], Lung
capacity [ 8 Liters ], Fall damage [ 18 meters ] (if
distance is less than 18m no fall damage is suffered),
Magic distance [ Ellipsoid ( x^2 + y^2 + 0.5z^2 = 50) ]
(Distance where the user can summon and/or control
magic ) , Fire resistance [ Tmax 250˚ C ], Poison resistance,
Freeze resistance [Tmin -45 ˚ C]. coating[ 5.9/10 Mohs]
(Protective coating on skin), Regeneration [+ 30 points /
minute] recovers life points. Mana regeneration [+ 100
points / minute] recovers mana points.
It took us the rest of the day to recover. We had a lot to assimilate, both the menus and the interface that we always saw had changed.
We got new skills, but the price we paid was fair. We also lost all the items we had in my inventory or in Hunt's Item box.
Night was about to fall when we decided to activate the Subdimension ability. We each summoned a door that led us to the same place. A large room 100 metres long by 100 metres wide and 50 metres high.
Immediately, a screen appeared in front of us with room settings such as temperature, brightness, pressure, climate and size. Hunt set to work and configured the room to have the same characteristics as the outside. Inside the room there was nothing but floors, walls and ceiling.
(We had a maximum size of 500,000 m^3)
We rested that night as best we could and in the morning, we found parts of bear claws in front of the gates. Hunt deduced, that a bear tried to break the doors or get in. But it couldn't.
The next few days we discovered how our new abilities worked. With Sharing all the spells I knew or learned transferred to Hunt automatically and all the spells Hunt learned or knew transferred to me. Understanding magic from each other's
point of view opened up many more avenues.
We also learned how dominance worked. Starting with the objects. Outside we invoked a screen, (we called it inventory), made of glass with a list of all the objects that were inside the subdimension.
My art of manipulating objects with fluidity did not disappear. Again with precision I did a few twists of the wrist, as if it were a card trick, and in one move I managed to make a stick appear in my hand. (Hunt didn't know how to do it, so I had to teach him).
Inside the room we built a large warehouse made of steel. We set up the inventory screen to have a list of all the objects that could be inside the warehouse. From the outside we could take objects in and out of the warehouse. We divided it into 4 sections. Red, Green, Blue and Yellow. Each section was divided into cells (Type A1 B1... A2...).
With the [Super computer] skill we had the same problem as with Hunt's [computer] skill, the files disappeared. Hunt had a great idea. If we could use the Share skill it would be very easy to link skills to objects inside the room.
Theoretically you could attach the [super computer] ability to an object. (The [super computer] ability also used parts of your body as peripherals).
Using earth magic I created a solid block of polished black rock. Inside this we place the [Super computer], fragmenting it we get many users or sessions. This monolith of rock, we place it inside a little cabin, just for decoration.
(We tried to bind it to small stones or boulders, but they broke when we finished sharing the skill).
Outside the subdimension we could invoke a session, with its characteristic two screens, one serving as a monitor and the other as a keyboard and mouse. Inside we linked several sessions to rectangular blocks of stone (it was cheaper to use rock instead of steel). We had about 10 computers spread throughout the subdimension, not counting those we could summon for our own use.
We also created a multi-purpose room made of steel. It was divided into 4 sections, manufacturing, laboratory, control room and toilets. In the workshop we had cupboards full of tools. Work tables, with their vises, a furnace, an anvil, a milling machine and a small lathe.
(Although metallurgy magic helped us with small shapes or when creating magical alloys, the more complicated parts, or those that could be machined, had to be made the old-fashioned way, otherwise it would be a great drain on our mana. But even though it was a big consumption, we always used magic to alloy steel bars. We had several types of steel depending on what we needed).
In the laboratory we kept the seeds of various crops (in a box with very low temperatures). We also set up an analyser table which was connected to a computer. The operation was simple but precise. On a highly polished rock we shared the ability to [ Advanced Analysis ], the analysis it performed was sent to a computer and generated a report, which we could retrieve at a later date.
In the control room we had multiple screens with all the data about the subspace, such as a log of the super computer console, a list of the objects in the warehouse, battery charge levels, litres of drinking water... but one big screen dominated the room. This screen had a map with all the parts of the forest we discovered. On the map our position was indicated and we could create key points or markers.
(My mapping skills were very interesting. It allowed me to draw a map from an aerial perspective. But it only worked if I viewed the area from very high up or if I walked the whole area. Hunt's radar ability allowed him to see position vectors, using his perspective as the origin of coordinates, of the mutants we were near).
All the data from the control room could be seen in our field of vision. As if we were in a video game. It should be noted that in this Hub we still had the life and mana bars.
(Using our new abilities, the mutants could not surprise us).
We decided to create a house within the subspace or subdomain. Thanks to the fact that we had several computers we were able to create several plans of the house, simulate the structure, create furniture plans... We swap tasks every 2
days, one for the house and the other for the furniture.
But the white ground, which emitted light, looked very ugly to us. So we put several tons of soil inside to create a layer of earth.
The foundation of the house was very easy to make thanks to the magic of earth or solids. Where we had more problems was when it came to making the planks for the walls, floors and ceilings.
Using magic I created circular blades, using our steel, to cut the wood and make planks. The problem was moving the blades to cut the planks straight. With practice and patience I managed to master the straight cut.
With all the materials, building the house was relatively simple. We divided the hut into 4 rooms, two bedrooms, a common room and a bathroom.
While we were building our home inside that room, we used the supercomputer to analyse the bee wire and the Magiston. The bee wire is made up of super organic compounds. Where the presence of the Magiston was noticeable.
We searched for all the bees in the area to collect the precious cable (this cable is very useful, in the connections between the computers and the super computer, or between the computers and the scanning tables...) In the search for the bees we also found giant ants using the magic cable. We also encountered a family of spiders and several other mutants.
Using the supercomputer with our engineering knowledge and a bit of magic, we developed new spells or as Hunt calls them, super optimised magic programs. To cast them or conjure them, we just had to press a button on the computer. These programs were super optimised, so the mana consumption was very small.
Using the full power of the supercomputer also we managed to model the structure of the Magiston, which is a very complex mixture of metallic, non-metallic elements and alloys coated by compact ether. The internal structure of such a crystal did not seem possible.
Remember that the height of the crystal was that it absorbed energy from the sun. Phlogiston, which subsequently converted it into manna.
We went back to the mine and collected all the crystals from storage. We also went into the mine and using superconjurors or super optimised magic programs allowed us to mine 98% of the [ Magiston ] from the [ Magore ] rock.
Using pressurised water we cut the rock like cheese. (Hunt took so long to develop the mining software that I was able to make a garden with flowers, paths, fruit trees...).
On one of our deeper forays into the mine, someone was throwing at us. We thought it was some kind of monster, attacking us. But what we discovered blew us away. We found carved [Magiston] crystals.
In the depths of the mine, we found a group of miners, deceased, inside a room. They were filing Magiston crystals. Using diamonds, (Magiston had a hardness of 9.5/10 Mohs.), to cut symbols and numbers.
A large cut crystal produced water that escaped through an opening. We discovered a large underground lake. On the other side we found a large hole through which the water came out, causing the waterfall, which could be seen from the forest. Near this hole we found the remains of 5 dead men.
One of them had some loose sheets of paper, poorly written, indicating how to carve the crystals and the meaning of each "rune", or symbol. Both Hunt and I were delighted to find this treasure.
We immediately took pictures, using our eyes as cameras. To send them to the supercomputer. Hunt spent months analysing and testing the runes.
While he was analysing the runes, I was trying to copy the Magiston crystals. A lot of wrong trials and small successes. They gave me the clues to create a magic crystal. It was able to store mana, but not generate it from phlogiston.
Hunt's research was dragging on, in the meantime I created the phlogistic solar panels, these panels looked a lot like photovoltaic panels, but in comparison they generated mana. And by means of a magic cable I managed to pass the mana from the panels to the mana batteries.
We were involved in a lot of projects at the same time and it was when I finished roofing the house that Hunt called me. (Inside Subdimension it didn't rain unless we wanted it to, so a roof was useless, but the house looked ugly without one). He had mastered the art of runes. He created a dictionary on the supercomputer. As was his custom, he explained to me for 3 hours how the runes worked. To tell the truth, I fell asleep a couple of times.
I more or less understood how they worked, but I was more interested in how they were carved and how I could generate fireballs with those stones. But Hunt had better ideas than me. Creating magical devices.
The next months technological leap was based on 4 elements, the runes, the Magiston crystals, the mana batteries and the magic wires.
The functionality, I think the most important, was that we could generate water with the use of mana. Water magic is based on having water in a tank, being near a river... or generating water from the elements in the air. This last option was the one explained in the book.
For example, using a mana battery connected to an artificial Magiston plate carved with the runes of, absorb, then we placed the atomic number of hydrogen and oxygen, then a rune of reaction or fusion and the proportion of each element. Connected in turn with another magic wire to another artificial Magiston crystal: (Battery - instruction board - actuator). We managed to create a water generator, which worked as long as it had mana.
Using this technology we created: air barriers or shields, water taps, cookers, lights or ventilation systems among others. We were also able to design control elements with mini elastic batteries (a great challenge that Hunt proposed to me) that worked like the buttons on taps that stop by themselves after a while. I was also able to make potentiometers and switches (basically they functioned as water stopcocks.
We placed a large mana battery behind the house. With magic cables we connect several smaller batteries. And with all the control elements, switches and magic generators. It looked like the hut was an electrified house with water and internet.
One of the problems to deal with was the waste from showers, sinks or toilets. With several mana batteries, and with carved runes we managed to make water cycles. Where much of the water went back to the tap while the dirty water
drops went to a tank, behind the house, where the water was separated into hydrogen and oxygen. Leaving the dirt and debris in a small steel box. We used the phlogiston solar panels to recharge the house battery. So that the mutants
wouldn't break the panels, we put air shields on them. By the way, the water created by the generators is not suitable for drinking, so next to the warehouse we placed a large tank of drinking water.
Our life after these last two years did not stop moving forward. During these years we also tried to be able to cast or conjure spells, in tiny times. But the forest offered us no more challenges.
We decided, it was time to leave that forest.
With Hunt's new super-optimised magic programme, we managed to get out of that forest without running into the Noin mutants.