2.10
And now we're back at the guild, eating at the ground floor restaurant. I've already reserved two rooms at a nearby inn for us to sleep in... It was nice to meet you 5000 goddo...
In the meanwhile, I told red hair about what I learned of the guild and also showed her my guild card.
I also told her about the other shops, such as the equipment, enchanting, potion, general store and the tents of the plaza.
In the enchanting shop there were many books about mana for sale. And the owner explained to me that their main service was to enchant items and equipment brought to them, that is, to power them up with 'mana gems' and give them some sort of magical attributes. I was told that many adventurers used their services to power up their gears. But it seems that common citizens would also use them for things such as water heating, lighting and for cooking… They even have refrigerators.
In the potion shop they sold potions for stamina and mana recovery, wound healing, antidotes to cure all sorts of ailments, and some other 'things' to cure curses. They even had some sorts of poisons to coat on weapons.
The general store had food, clothing and other daily life products. I was relieved to know they have some forms of soap and shampoo… And toilet paper. They have toilet paper in here.
Lastly, the bazaar stands had a mix of everything, plus weapons and armors.
Now is red hair's turn to speak. By the way, I should ask for her name later.
"That`s what I`ve gathered so far. How about your end?" I say, while drinking my soup, made of frog meat and some sort of vegetable that tastes like carrots.
I'm not a big fan of soups, but it was the least expensive meal. I should save my funds for now… Besides, I`d never tasted frog back in my world before, so I was kind of curious, since people said it tasted like chicken… I don`t know if it`s because this is a different world and the frogs here simply taste different, but even though it has a chicken like texture, it tastes very much like fish…
I`m not a big fan of fish either… Nor of carrots…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, red hair, who asked for an expensive plate of rabbit meat, seems to be enjoying herself...
"I spoke with some people from some sort of magic academy and with some adventurers here at the tavern."
Oh, so they have some schools for magic in this world. Would they let me in if I got a scar in my forehead?
Also, she came to the guild as well, then…
"And… Where to start? It would seem people in this world have mana inside their bodies."
Well… Duh…
"Don't make that face when I haven't even finished my explanation…"
Oops, my bad… Please do go on.
"There are two main ways of using said mana: first, conversion. Which closely resembles what we would usually refer to as magic."
Which I can't do, apparently…
"And second, expression. That is, to circulate your mana through your body or equipment and reinforce them temporarily."
"Like using haki as a sort of invisible armor? Or using ki to fight against aliens trying to destroy the planet!? Making your cosmos burn to infinity!!??"
"Yes… Essentially any of those would do, while with their own particularities, it's a concept well popularized in games and modern fiction. However, in order not to stray too far from the topic at hand, you should consider conversion as a sort of spell casting based purely on mana; while expression is used to enhance physical matter."
Caham, my bad. I got too excited…
Ok, I got it.
"People here seem to fight by using a combination of them. Monsters are also said to do the same, so we should pay attention to this during fights."
Fights… We're really doing this, huh…
The book has notes on many monster species, whether they use conversion and what kind, such as fire or water, etc. It also states the minimal levels adventurers should have in order to face them. If a monster has intermediary expression, then you can't just punch it if you're a beginner. Though that can be mitigated if you use a weapon or such.
"And how do we even use these abilities?"
"Simply put, practice." She says, plainly. "Your status already shows you the things you're capable of doing, 'advanced' or 'intermediary', etc. You simply have to learn to put them into practice." She compliments, after seeing my unconvinced face.
I see.
"Both my expression and conversion are in advanced levels, so I was easily able to use them once I tried. I should be able to manage it somehow if I tried it on some monsters."
Is she being serious right now? She managed to just mambo jambo magic just like that? Without even learning any basic notions or anything first?
"Truly, it's not as complicated as it might seem. You simply need to understand that your body can now do things it couldn't before. Also, while I might have simplified it as the sort of magic you see in movies, it is much simpler. You don't have to chant or conjure anything. I can't properly explain it right now, so I'll just show it to you later. It just feels very natural."
Let's hope it's as easy as she is making it out to be…
"I understand… While my expression is also of advanced level, it says 'incapable' for conversion. Have you heard if it is possible to increase it with training or some other way?"
Is there any chance I could use magic- I mean, conversion? I-it's not like I wanted to fly or anything too over the top… It's just that having absolutely no capability is just a little depressing. It might even be somewhat dangerous from an adventurer's point of view.
So, what I need to know is if I'll be able to shoot lightning from my fingers if I train enough, or stop time! And of course I want to fly too, sorry I lied!
Red hair doesn't hide her mocking smile as she answers.
"Incapable…? What sort of hero are you then? Now it makes sense you decided to leave and were so adamant on forming a party with me. Well, I can't complain since you're paying for my expenses, for now."
I understand she is trying to make her own importance clear, that way I'll be convinced that investing in her was a good decision, and so I won't just suddenly change my mind. And I agree, putting her personality aside, having someone who can use conversion seems to be essential in an adventure.
However, I don't think she understands I grew up watching H@gw@rts, and then I came to a world where everyone can use magic except for me! It's not often I feel this burning anger inside me. So congratulations to her, she managed to seriously piss me off!
We all know how things go when someone angers an isekai protagonist!
But let's keep this professional. I swallow my anger and continue the conversation.
"I understand. Now please, proceed to the main topic." I say in a dead tone.
"Hmph. From what I heard, it would seem that usually people are born in the beginner level, and slowly evolve with practice, until they reach their own limit. Specifically in your case, I haven't heard anything about a complete absence of compatibility, so it would be too soon to assume anything. However, as explained earlier, our 'raw potential' is significantly better than that of those born in this world, as it is shown in our improved status, even though we never had any training. So, in my understanding, if your status is already showing you have 'no compatibility' even with that boost, then it would seem that your limit has already been exposed. Of course, that is only my own analysis, but you might find it to be a waste of time to train in something you're simply not good at, when you could improve your other abilities."
That's… A fair point…
No conversion for me, I guess… Magic is the best part of an isekai, but ok… At least, it is already impressive enough we have all of those cheats without having to train or anything.
"That said, to be summoned to a fantasy world and not be able to use any magic at all, when even so many random mobs can do it… 'Unlucky' can't even begin to describe such a hero." She compliments with a provocative look.
Is she trying to pick a fight? It's better than if she were looking at me condescendingly, but it was also completely unnecessary… Best to simply ignore.
"But, I digress. Complementing with what you said, the levels go like this: 'no compatibility', 'beginner', 'intermediary', 'advanced' and 'master'."
What about Godly level? Didn't my status say: ' Spirit Affinity: Godly'?
"What about 'Spirit Affinity'? Does it receive some different kind of ranking?"
"Most people in this world don't have much compatibility with them, so they haven't done much research on the subject. Otherworlders seem to be an exception, so we would have to look into it by ourselves. That woman might know more about it, but I have no intention of going back to ask." She avoids calling her 'Goddess'. "That being the case, not that it matters much, but mine is also advanced in this aspect."
Oh, this arrogant girl... She's trying to humiliate me in everything... Ok, I was going to let it pass, but right now she just raised my revenge flag!
"Oh, so you're like one of those all-rounder characters in game, right? A jack of all trades, but ace of none. Well, I might not be able to use conversion, but it would seem you're the one who has nothing in special."
Her eyes just got sharp. War accepted!
"Hmph, is that so? Would you care to elaborate, then? How great could your spirit affinity be that it would compensate for your inutility in conversion?"
"Heh!" I put on an evil grin. "Godly."
"Does such a level even exist?"
"It is written so."
Her eyes slit in contemplation, and she makes a similar frown to the time when she was arguing with the normie and the Goddess back at the throne room. Touché!
But she quickly pulls herself together.
"That must be the reason why you specifically mentioned the spirit affinity as soon as I mentioned the levels…" She says, while smiling to herself.
The whole point of this conversation hasn't been to agitate me and force me to reveal more information, right?
Instead of assuming I was lying or being confused by the sudden revelation, she quickly accepts the situation.
"Leaving aside the veracity of such information. It's an empty critic from someone who excels at something of no importance but lacks at something utterly necessary."
Things just got personal.
I flash her my guild card (debit card). But she simply smirks.
"And what do you plan to do with that? Pay for the guild requests? What will you do when you`re facing a Troll in a Dungeon?"
Huh… Punch it?
"Demons in the dark?"
Punch them!
"Ghosts in the graveyard?"
Punch trough them!
"Goblins in a cave?"
Ora! Ora! Ora!
"A Dragon in the sky?"
Flying punch!
"A dark knight?"
Super pun---! Not! I pretend to punch them as I kick their privates!
Wait, but what about the armor…?
…
"O-Ok, I see where you`re trying to get at…"
A mage is necessary for magic dps… It's like that in any game…
"Don't worry, I'll help you out. At least until I pay you back for what I owe you."
"Oh, thank you so much, you're a lifesaver--- Wait a minute!"
What the hell is up with this "you`re welcome", when I'm the one who helped her!?
"If you don`t need my assistance, then I`ll be on my way. I`ll pay you back after clearing some quests."
I don't know in which point of the conversation she did it, but she had already finished her plate and was ready to leave.
…
She handled the situation so that the result wouldn't turn out badly for her whatever happened… Either I agree to what she just said and request her help for now, or I say I'm capable enough by myself and she leaves. Either way, she can just pay me back later since the costs weren't too high…
I shouldn`t have told her so readily that I couldn`t use conversion. Though it was the best option if we were going to party up.
There`s only one thing to be done then.
"Please help an useless non-mage on the missions!!!"
Pride? Saying that I forgot it in the other world would be a lie to cover something I didn`t even have in the first place… Hahaha…
Wars... Are not my specialty...
"Don't worry, since the 'ace' is in such desperate need, this 'jack-of-all-trades' will lend you some help, for now. Think of it as my return for the assistance you have provided so far."
Ugh, I shouldn`t piss her off again, she`s dangerous…
"What were your current plans? I want to explore this world, get to know more of where we're at. You can follow me, for now." She continues.
No time even for me to recover the broken pieces of my heart, huh?
"Sounds like a plan… I didn't have anything immediate in mind so far…" I just wanted to leave the capital as fast as possible… "We should start from registering you to the guild as well, buying some equipment and choosing a quest…"
"Good, we should rest for tomorrow then, good night."
Red hair elegantly stands up and leaves the tavern.
"Yeah, bye…"
After that, I finish my half-cold soup and head for my room at the inn…
In the end, I didn't even get to hear her name…
This is the last time I ever order a frog soup.