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Chapter 2: My Master Fell Asleep
"Which race's magic did you just use?"
Serie's voice carried genuine puzzlement.
Most magic from the Mythical Era was designed for killing, brutal, efficient, leaving nothing but ash. She had never seen magic as mundane yet convenient as what Kurtz had just demonstrated.
"I created it myself."
Kurtz's casual response astonished Serie again. Her golden eyebrows rose slightly.
"You created it yourself?"
Creating magic was almost a realm only demigods could achieve. The complexity of weaving new spells from raw mana required power this human clearly lacked. Yet, evidence of his strange magic still lingered: the scent of extinguished flame, dampness where water had appeared from nowhere.
What Serie didn't know was that magic in this era was forged for war between gods and demons. Creating new spells with similar destructive power required immense strength, at least that of a demigod.
However, with time's development, most beings would no longer need such destructive magic. They would research more convenient spells for daily needs. That would herald the true Great Magic Era, when magic became a tool rather than just a weapon.
But for now, only Kurtz possessed this strange gift.
"Yes, but I can't create offensive magic," Kurtz said with frustration. "So I hope you can teach me some."
Serie stared at him. Since this man could cast magic, mana flowed in his veins. The question was whether this power was sufficient for true destructive force.
Her lips curved into what might have been a smile, but on Serie looked predatory.
"Alright, come with me."
Serie led Kurtz out of the forest shadows into a moonlit clearing. Ancient stones were scattered across the open space like bones of some dead titan.
"Watch closely."
At this time, Serie couldn't casually cast the devastating magic she would wield in later generations. What she knew now was the Elves' light and plant-based magic, beautiful, elegant, but no less deadly.
Serie raised her hand with fluid precision. Ambient light responded to her will, particles dancing toward her palm like moths to flame, gathering until they formed a dazzling Light Arrow.
The projectile hummed with barely contained energy, casting sharp shadows across the clearing.
The Light Arrow shot out with a sound like tearing silk, instantly piercing a large rock in the distance. But penetration was only the beginning. The boulder exploded into fragments, stone shards scattering like deadly rain.
Kurtz's eyes widened, his breath caught.
The power was truly terrifying. But what puzzled him was Serie's casting method, no staff, no elaborate rituals, just pure will.
Serie withdrew her hand with casual indifference.
"This is the Elf's primary attack method, condensing light elemental power and releasing it with destructive intent." She fixed those piercing eyes on Kurtz. "How is it? Can you create it?"
This was her test for this strange human. If he couldn't understand and recreate basic Elf magic, then he possessed only clever parlour tricks.
Kurtz took a deep breath. Thankfully, Serie hadn't demonstrated something truly apocalyptic. This fell within the realm of possibility.
Since it involved light elemental power, it aligned with his scientific understanding, energy, wavelengths, and particle physics concepts he could work with.
"I'll give it a try."
He closed his eyes. Serie's casting sequence played back in his mind like a recording. However, his thoughts remained anchored in scientific principles, unable to embrace the mystical nature of this world fully.
If light were condensed, would it behave like a laser? Focused photons achieving incredible energy density? But how would the explosive aftermath manifest? Superheating causing rapid expansion?
Serie's attack incorporated both penetration and detonation. Kurtz wanted to understand every aspect before attempting reproduction.
He raised his hand, mimicking Serie's movements. Magic power gathered at his fingertips, but instead of forming a precise Light Arrow, it coalesced into something resembling a misshapen ball of light.
The construct wobbled uncertainly, lacking Serie's elegant form. The unstable projectile drifted forward like a drunken firefly before exploding mid-flight with an anticlimactic "pop," dissolving into harmless sparkles.
Kurtz smiled awkwardly. "Shall I try again?"
Serie frowned. "Your control of magic power is too crude." But then her expression shifted to puzzlement.
"But why don't I sense any intent to kill from your magic?"
Kurtz blinked. "What killing intent?"
The concept seemed alien to him. How was he supposed to infuse emotional states into magical constructs?
"Magic reflects a person's inner thoughts, their deepest intentions." Serie paused, considering how to explain something so fundamental. "As for killing intent..."
She raised her hand, assuming the same casting position. But this time, something changed in her demeanour.
"Just like this."
A mysterious smile played across her lips.
In that moment, Kurtz felt the temperature drop as bone-chilling killing intent poured from Serie like fog. This was his first time experiencing such focused malice. The intent seemed to take physical form, pressing against his chest, making his instincts scream warnings. His body trembled involuntarily.
A Light Arrow materialised with deadly perfection, grazing past his ear close enough that he felt its heat. It struck the ground behind him with tremendous force, the explosion showering them both with dirt and stone fragments.
"How is it? Did you feel the difference?"
It took Kurtz a long moment to recover, staring at Serie with her deceptively cute smile while cold sweat traced down his spine.
The contrast between her appearance and that terrifying aura was deeply unsettling.
Indeed, in a fantasy world built on will and imagination, scientific principles could only take you so far. He finally understood that magic here wasn't governed by natural laws but by belief, faith, and absolute conviction.
"I felt it," he admitted, voice slightly hoarse. "But asking me to generate killing intent toward a stone feels... unnatural."
"In that case, let me serve as your target for this experiment." Serie's offer was delivered with casual indifference.
"Is that safe?"
Kurtz hesitated. If he somehow made Serie disappear in a burst of uncontrolled magic, the regret would haunt him forever.
"Don't underestimate me, mere human." Disdain colored her voice, though with a hint of amusement.
Serie genuinely didn't believe this weak human could harm her. Even if he managed to cast basic Elf magic properly, her defences should easily handle whatever he produced. Still, caution had kept her alive for centuries. She quietly wove several protective spells around herself.
"Imagine piercing my body with magic," Serie commanded, her tone arctic. "Picture my destruction, my death."
"No, I can't bear the thought of hurting you."
Kurtz's protest was genuine, but he forced himself to follow her instructions anyway. The requirements for Mythical Era offensive magic seemed absurd, demanding visualisations of violence that went against his basic humanity.
Emptying his mind of scientific reasoning, Kurtz abandoned concepts of wavelengths and energy states. Instead, he embraced pure belief, the raw power of conviction untempered by rational thought.
The power of 'I think therefore I am.'
'I believe my Light Arrow can pierce this ancient master standing before me.'
Dazzling radiance condensed before Kurtz, but its intensity far exceeded anything Serie had demonstrated. The light was painful to look at directly, casting stark shadows that seemed to writhe.
Even Serie, who had witnessed centuries of magical combat, felt an unexpected chill of unease.
"Why do I sense fear when his intent is so weak?" she wondered.
But Kurtz had already moved beyond her ability to analyze the situation.
The gathered light didn't form a single projectile. Instead, it split into dozens of individual Light Arrows, each one pulsing with deadly promise. They hung in the air for a heartbeat before launching forward in perfect synchronization.
The volley tore through the night air with such violence that the air itself seemed to protest.
Seeing such overwhelming force bearing down on her, Serie finally understood that this human possessed something far beyond mere talent. This was raw, untrained power on a scale that defied normal standards.
Panic flared in her chest. She frantically layered additional defensive spells over her existing protections, but preparation time was a luxury she no longer possessed.
The Light Arrows struck her barriers in rapid succession, each impact sending shockwaves through her magical defenses. Her carefully woven protections held for perhaps three strikes before shattering like glass.
The remaining projectiles sent her flying backward, tumbling across the clearing before finally coming to rest against a fallen log.
Serie lay still, consciousness fled, breathing shallow but steady.
Kurtz stared at her motionless form, horror and guilt flooding him.
'Did I just kill my Master? NOO!!!'