Requiem Of A Failed Hero



"I will start with the basics of magic." 

"Do we really have to go through all of that? All I want to learn is teleportation magic." 

Raith and Draear stood opposite Slyvia in the gym, the ruined gym. Slyvia was looking beautiful as usual. Her attire today was a workout set, sweatpants, and a tank top. There was nothing much to her front, it was flat. 

She pressed her lips together to resist the vexation that continued to pulsate in her as Raith made suggestions of cutting corners in learning magic. 

"I can't teach you how to use a spell when you don't even know the basics of a spell. You don't know what a magic formula is, you don't know what a spell is. You don't know anything. So shut the fuck up and listen to me." 

'This is why I didn't want to do this. How am I supposed to regain my masterly dignity after this...' 

Raith scratched the back of his ear and sighed. 

"Fine." 

He agreed to save his face from more embarrassment, especially since Draear was here. Indeed, he didn't want to accept Draear as a disciple but having such a cool guy call him master now and then added some sort of importance to him. 

Without even realizing it, Raith was already becoming self-aware of himself. He usually didn't used to care about what he was wearing but right now, he was in a white tracksuit. Zipped to the top. 

Slyvia extended her hands and opened her palms. 

"I will start with this." 

After speaking, silence ensued. 

Raith's eyes stayed on her hands. No one talked. A minute later Raith peeked at Draear with one eye.

'Such focus!'

He quickly turned his eyes to the palm. 

Slowly, light particles gather on Slyvia's hand. 

'I see it!' 

His eyes widened and he was a hair's breadth away from shouting that but swallowed the words right back in. He wasn't about to lose dignity before his one and only disciple. 

"This is mana... it took this long to gather because this world lacks it." 

Slyvia started, looking at the light particles and lifting her gaze to the duo in front of her. 

"I discovered it when I first got to the airport. I don't know what happened, the atmosphere of your world, except Antarctica is overwhelmed by some other form of energy. Although I can group this to be mana but it is not pure mana. I had to take a minute to purify it for this amount of mana to come out. Usually, by just stretching my hand, this whole place should be swirling with mana particles. But there are no mana particles."

"Or you are just incompetent," Raith muttered, pouting to the left. 

She ignored him and turned her gaze to Draear as she continued to explain. 

"But I have also discovered that whatever this energy you have in your world is. It also works with mana. I can't guarantee the quality of the result but the same principles work for this energy."

"Magic energy."

"What?" 

She frowned as she faced Raith. 

"It's what the humans here call the energy." 

Raith completed his statement. 

"Whatever. There are two things that you must be able to do to be able to command mana. The first one is sense mana, the second is manipulate mana." 

It sounded just like [Mana Perception] and [Mana Manipulation] which Raith deleted a few days ago in Antarctica. 

"There is a training you will have to undergo for you to be able to sense mana. Are you guys ready?" 

"How about you just explain it, I'm sure I will be able to get a hang of it." 

"You think magic is something so easy?" Slyvia scowled at him. 

She exhaled and continued her explanation. 

"Mana sensing can be made to sound easy because all it entails is being able to detect the mana in the air. On this earth, however, it is bound to be harder. We dragons are naturally gifted with mana sense. We don't need to train for it. Humans however, have to train hard for it. Starting from within, you need to silence the noise inside you and close your eyes. Hear, feel, see with your eyes closed until you can sense mana."

"Nope, thanks..." 

'Creation'

[You have activated attribute creation]

'Create skill' 

[Input skill info]

'Ability to sense all forms of energy'

[Input skill name]

'High sensing' 

[Passive or Active?]

'Passive' 

[Calculating skill fragment needed to create skill 'High Sensing']

[700 skill fragments needed]

[Available Skill fragments: 3145/700]

[Do you want to create skill 'High Sensing']

'Yes, I'd also love to create another skill after that one'

[Input skill info]

'Ability to command energy' 

[Input skill name]

'High Execution'

[Passive or Active?]

'Passive...'

[It is impossible to make High Execution Passive]

[Passive or Active?]

'Fine, Active'

[Calculating skill fragment needed to create skill 'High Sensing']

[Skill fragments needed: 900]

[Available Skill fragments 2495/900]

[Do you want to create skill 'High Execution']

'Yes'

[Skill High-Sensing has been created]

[Skill High-Execution has been created]

[Skill info]

- High-Sensing(SSR)

- Passive

- your senses can detect all forms of energy no matter how far away they are.

[Skill Info]

- High Execution(USR)

- Active 

- All energies listen to your will. 

Raith grinned and looked at Slyvia.

"If you won't submit to the process then I have no desire to teach you the teleportation magic you want to learn so badly." 

Raith ignored her and closed his eyes. He extended his hand. 

Although many do not know, all forms of energy can be found in the atmosphere, from mana to magic energy, to cosmic energy. They were all available in the atmosphere but it took the sharpest of senses to detect them. 

For humans, it is impossible to sharpen one senses to such an extent. This is why those that are often found in this category are Supreme beings who have given themselves to strenuous training to use whatever form of energy it is they desire, mana, aura, cosmic energy, ether. 

Raith however, created a skill that they would have spent hundreds of years training for... all that in a single moment. 

[Using High Execution]

After being able to tell them apart from each other by colors, Raith was able to pinpoint which was mana all while closing his eyes. 

As Slyvia had said, there was a need to see them using the mind's eyes. Because if he were to open his eyes right now, he wasn't sure if he would still be able to see them. 

Raith slowly opened his eyes as he was tempted by the thought. Unlike what he expected, he still could see the colors of the particles in the air. Red particles were major, there were some blue particles which were fewer than the white particles that were already few enough. 

The white particles began to gather around his hand, unlike before– they came in small quantities when Slyvia summoned them. 

But right now, the particles from around the encampment to the outsides, all of Seoul, white dust began to reveal themselves and flood towards the same angle. It was so visible that people began to take pictures of it. 

It was beautiful, yet was like some horde of white flies rushing towards somewhere. In a matter of minutes, the gym was swept by a throng of white particles that swirled in circles around Raith. 

Slyvia's mouth fell open, despair wrote itself on her face and her eyeballs trembled. 

'How is this even possible? He doesn't even have a mana circle'

Slyvia did tell them to activate mana sensing as a first step but it wasn't even considered to be the first step. After activating mana sensing, they would now work towards activating a mana circle which would be easier because now they can sense mana. 

To activate the mana circle, she needed to open their circuit and consistently pass mana through it. The mana passed through it would then be used to form a circle around their heart. When the first circle is formed, the efficiency of the circuit increases and more channels are created. With the circuit serving as the membrane of mana within the body. 

The higher the number of circles the stronger the membrane and the person's mana. That is why 9 circle mages are often considered to be sages. Not that anyone from this world would know that. They don't have a mage. 

Raith didn't have a mana circle, even now, she couldn't sense any circle wrapped around his heart. Yet he placed a far more stronger command on mana than she could ever. 

Her shoulder shuddered with fear and excitement at the same time. She had overlooked it because of his perverted nature from the first time they met. 

'I am marveled by his potential'

She looked at him and remembered vividly that he was supposed to be a ruler. However, he does not know how to be one. Should he meet a ruler who can teach him, Raith was already dangerous enough. The sin of greed was one of the three strongest. 

Then he has an uncanny control over death, the ability to make armies of darkness. 

And now, an overwhelming affinity for mana? Being able to use mana without a magic circle. 

The universe does not know what is coming for it.