Chương 81: B2 Chapter 3

A small light flickered to life. It floated within Hakon's palm and dimmed to a faint glow as soon as he minimized the amount of mana flowing toward [Mote of Light]. The Skill was nowhere near his most impressive, yet it should count among the Magic Skills mentioned by the human woman.

"I can see no spellweave." He grumbled, looking up at Ava when nothing happened.

"But you said I should see them, did you not?" A shield made of mana coalesced before him, quickly followed by a bolt of mana. Both constructs were made with their respective Skills, but that changed little. There were no spellweaves.

"I do change them like you said. I control the flow of mana within them, shape them as I please, and increase the density of mana by using [Compression] and [Reinforcement] to keep them stable. So why don't I see what you said I should see?" Ava looked at the three magical structures around him and created a magical phenomenon of her own. The air around them twisted and shifted, its weight increasing suddenly.

Mana materialized before their eyes in the same faint azure glow Hakon had created all those nights ago, weaving itself into small intricate lines that came together in a circular structure. The structure, thinner than parchment, vibrated as if alive with anticipation, yet it took Hakon only a moment to recognize that it was not the structure itself that reacted so intensely. It was the mana within, brimming with power and purpose.

Beads of sweat rolled down Ava's temples as she breathed out heavily, but the corners of her lips tilted upward.

"This is a spellweave, or what it looks like before becoming a skill," Ava said in a strained voice. She wiped her sweat-covered forehead while trying to sound as composed as possible.

"At the Academy, we learn to wield mana and improve our control over it to create spellweaves like this. We study them for years, spend months creating even the simplest of structures, and both test and refine them for a long time before we finally integrate them into our skill set." Hakon nodded slowly. Even if he did not understand why she had to study something for years or months, she had at least taught him what those words meant. Cycles and moons.

An unreasonable amount of pride filled him at knowing what the human words weeks, months, and years meant. At least he understood something. Still, understanding the denomination of time did not explain why it was necessary to study spellweaves for cycles and spend moons perfecting their structure. Would it not be easier to follow the Ancestors' guidance and improve through combat? Use Magic Skills to plow through enemies, gaining the experience needed to improve upon even the weakest of Skills.

"We do not allow spellweaves to settle too quickly, for we must learn which Skills our spirits are most compatible with. Testing our Affinities is one way to do so, but possessing a high Lightning Affinity does not necessarily mean a Mage can easily learn the spellweave of [Thunderstorm] or [Lightning Bolt]. It merely makes certain tasks easier; however, it could still be that a Mage's mind is more attuned to another element.

Sometimes, rare as it may be, someone with low Lightning Affinity has an easier time learning and incorporating complex spellweaves of that element. They may add more advanced spellweaves to their skill set from the start, while other Mages with higher Affinities would begin at a lower threshold, incorporating a lower-graded spellweave into their skill set to improve at a slow but steady pace so they may strengthen their Skill later on." Ava let out a sigh, looking sad for no more than two heartbeats.

When she looked up again, the faint smile on her lips returned.

"Since there is a limited number of Skills one can add to their skill set, selecting which Magic Skills to add is very important. Removing Skills damages the spirit, after all." She shuddered.

"I remember a friend of a friend dying because she tried to remove an Uncommon Skill from her Status." That, almost everything Ava had just mentioned. was news to him. He did not know there was a limit to the number of Skills one could have. He certainly had never felt constrained in that regard. If there truly was a limit, Hakon would have to pay more attention. Adding too many unimportant Skills to his Ancient Scripture would harm him if what Ava said was true.

Or he would have to work harder to attain more Skill Fusions. Skill Fusions. Hakon mused, several ideas flashing through his mind. He had already thought of a few, but it was unclear if the Ancestors agreed with his assessment. Enhanced Comprehension seemed to approve of his idea, or so it certainly felt, so he decided to keep going once Ava was done with her explanations. She glanced at him, eyes sparkling.

"There are also physical Skills that affect the senses and other such abilities. You probably know more about those than I do, since I mostly focused on the mind and magic during my time at the Academy." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"That's why you're so fragile." Hakon did not miss a beat in agreeing. Ava shot him an irritated glare, though she appeared more at ease than before. She even looked happy for a moment, a smile playing at her lips as she talked about the Academy and magic.

"Physical Skills do not normally consume mana. That said, they do require other types of energy, most of which the body generates, to produce the Skill's desired effect." Hakon could only agree with that. While [Split Focus] affected his mana, it tortured his mind far more. [Weapon Mastery], on the other hand, affected both his head and his body. [Combat Awareness] focused more on the mind as well, whereas [Evasion] completely focused on his body.

[Dash] was a mixture of mana pushing his body to its peak, yet it also used more than that. It exhausted his body as well. As for [Natural Regeneration], or what had become [Vitality Stream], it used mana to fill him with warmth. It healed him and made him feel more energized. Does it use mana to help the body create the energy required for those Skills? Hakon tilted his head.

"All Skills come in the form of spellweaves, although they are not exactly spellweaves when it comes to physical Skills. Their structures are mostly simple, and they are often etched into the body." He heard Ava explain, which only further confused him. Nobody had ever etched something into him, except for Hoard Impact maybe. His Major Runeskin was etched onto his body. Were his other physical Skills like [Grappling] the same? Were they etched onto his body… inside it?

Curious what that might look like, Hakon reached toward his belt and unsheathed one of his bone daggers. Ava blanched beside him, but that did not stop him from cutting himself. He slashed his thumb lightly and waited for his passive healing Skill's warmth to flow toward it. And it did. Heat spread throughout his body and arm to reach his hand as quickly as possible. Once it neared the shallow cut, the warmth concentrated and rose sharply in temperature. A heartbeat later, his thumb was searing hot.

The shallow cut stopped bleeding, revealing a red line that faded within moments. Hakon could have healed even faster than that, but that had not been his intention. If anything, he had been sure that cutting into his thumb would somehow damage [Vitality Stream]'s spellweave, yet it remained completely unaffected.

"What are you doing?" Ava gasped.

"Please don't tell me you were trying to see your spellweave like that?!"

"Hmm." Hakon grunted.

"Then I won't tell you."

"All your Skills are connected to your spirit. They're not literally etched into your insides. That would be weird, painful, and some idiots would cut spellweaves they no longer want out of their flesh. That'd be grotesque, unsanitary, and–" Ava suddenly shut up. Her eyes widened and a flush rose to her cheeks.

"... Sorry…I-I didn't mean to call you stupid or anything. Y-You are actually quite smart…" She stopped herself once more before saying anything else.

"For a Barbarian?" Hakon completed for Ava. He did not mind, not really. Spirit. That was far more important than a few insignificant insults. It was not as though being smart helped Barbarians grow more physically imposing. Most would not care about being judged by their intelligence, for physical might was all that mattered. Hakon did not agree – not anymore – but Ava's commentary and the way she had repeatedly mentioned the word 'spirit' were far more important.

"Spirit." He repeated loudly enough to drown out the incomprehensible words coming from Ava's mouth.

"I have a Skill called [Spirit Forging], but I don't know what it does. Except inflicting unbearable pain. But what is a spirit? You mentioned it several times."

"The spirit," Ava corrected. Her lips parted, but she did not continue right away. Instead, she nibbled on her lower lip and met his eyes for several heartbeats.

"I can help you with magic, mana, and explain everything you want to know as often as you want," she said before stopping herself.

"In return?" Hakon asked when she did not continue. He may have helped Ava by promising her freedom. She was to teach him more about his Skills and help him improve. What she did not have to do was tell him all the things he did not know. Learning about the spirit and everything related to it was not included in their deal, but that was unacceptable. Hakon wanted the best, so to get it, he would have to give Ava something she wanted as well.

"In return…" She looked around, her eyes dimming before they sparked to life once more as they lingered on him.

"I want better food, meat for example, and…a-and I want you to help me train. Grow stronger. My channels recovered a few months ago, but they've atrophied, and I need to expand them slowly again. Physical training might help, and it would help me learn a Skill like your [Circulation] as well." Some words did not make sense to him, but Hakon understood the gist of her request. It was commendable.

"You train me, and I train you?" There was no reason to reject such a request.

"You can join the warriors on the training ground after I teach you about [Flow Control]." He was about to say more, but Ava shook her head vigorously.

"No, no. Please don't let me train with them. I-I can't do that. That's a hard no." She shook her head even more emphatically.

"Later… maybe? Once I have [Circulation], maybe…but for now I want to learn your version of [Flow Control]. Can you show me what you did and how you modified the Skill to obtain such a potent Skill Upgrade?" That was fine as well. Ava had many questions, but so did Hakon. He had a lot to learn, and unlike most Barbarians, he actually looked forward to it. Magic. He mused, slapping his chest when it started to race. Sounds interesting.