Chương 22: The Bow That Drank Mana

The bell above the entrance produced a tired metallic ring as Edric opened the door. Sieghart stepped inside after his grandparents and immediately understood why the establishment hadn't appeared particularly busy from the street. The shop looked as though it had survived several wars but hadn't profited from any of them. Dust covered the shelves, the wooden floor creaked beneath every step, and the air carried a mixture of old leather, metal, and oil.

Sieghart had expected to find walls crowded with enchanted swords, glowing spears, farming equipment, and mysterious devices. Instead, only a few weapons rested on wooden racks. Several tools occupied one shelf, while a collection of tarnished lamps gathered dust inside a glass cabinet. Behind the counter, an old man rested his elbow against the wood and supported his head with one hand. His gray hair had been cut short, and a thick scar crossed his left eyebrow.

He looked bored enough to welcome an armed robbery merely for the entertainment. The old man raised his eyes when the bell rang. He recognized Edric, but his expression barely changed. His gaze moved toward Elara before eventually settling on Sieghart.

"Hey, you really came," the shopkeeper said.

"And you brought the kid."

"I said I would," Edric replied.

"You say many things. Most of them become less reasonable after I think about them."

"That has never stopped you from listening."

"It should have." The exchange lacked any genuine hostility. These two had probably been insulting each other for decades, and politeness would only convince them that something was wrong. Sieghart remained silent while Edric approached the counter.

"This is my grandson, Sieghart," Edric said.

"We call him Sieg." The old man looked him over without leaving his chair.

"So this is Lord Emberhart's boy." Sieghart noticed the slight pause before the word boy. The shopkeeper knew enough about the Emberhart family to understand why the lord's firstborn son lived on a distant farm with his maternal grandparents.

"Yes," Sieghart said.

"At least he can speak for himself."

"He does considerably more than that," Elara said.

"Sieg helps us maintain the farm. His mana alone is enough to tend the fields every day." The shopkeeper grunted. That information didn't seem to impress him. He leaned back, folded his arms, and examined Sieghart with the same expression someone might use when evaluating a suspiciously advertised farming product. The old man's hands were thick and covered in scars. Several fingertips bore dark marks produced by burns or magical accidents.

Whatever he did inside the shop, he possessed more practical experience than his bored appearance suggested.

"Using magic isn't the same as charging merchandise," the shopkeeper said.

"The boy might be able to water fields all day and still fail to put enough mana into a weapon."

"He has already charged a practice charm," Edric replied.

"A practice charm will draw mana from a sleepy chicken. That proves nothing." Sieghart decided not to ask why anyone had attempted to extract mana from a sleepy chicken. Based on the condition of the shop, the experiment might have occurred recently. The old man tapped two fingers against the counter. His attention returned to Edric rather than Sieghart, making it clear that he considered the test a favor between friends instead of a serious job interview.

"My merchandise doesn't use mana stones," he said.

"The enchantments need energy transferred directly from a person. That takes control, and control requires practice."

"That is why he came here."

"No one wants to practice anymore. They would rather purchase a stone, push it into a slot, and pretend convenience makes them skilled. That is why I don't have much left to sell or rent." The old man gestured toward the nearly empty shelves. Sieghart suspected there might be another explanation for the shop's lack of merchandise, but announcing that the owner possessed terrible customer service probably wouldn't improve his chances of employment.

"How fast does someone need to charge the equipment?" Sieghart asked.

"That depends on the item. Lamps are easy. Farming tools are harder. Weapons are the most troublesome because their enchantments require stable mana. Put too little inside, and the effect won't activate. Put in too much at once, and you can damage the runes." That represented an important complication. Sieghart possessed an unlimited supply, but unlimited mana wouldn't help if he destroyed every item by filling it carelessly. His greatest strength could become a liability without sufficient control.

The old man finally stood. He wasn't as muscular as Edric, but he remained broad-shouldered despite his age. A leather apron covered his clothes, and several small tools hung from his belt.

"I told you this would be a waste of time," he said to Edric.

"A child can't understand the difference between pouring mana into an object and allowing an enchantment to draw the correct amount."

"Then test him," Edric said.

"If it doesn't work, no one loses anything."

"I lose time."

"You were sleeping against the counter."

"I was thinking."

"You were drooling." Elara covered her mouth, hiding a smile. Sieghart maintained a neutral expression, although he could already understand why Edric remained friends with this man. Both of them treated stubbornness as a competitive profession.

"Fine," the shopkeeper said.

"I'll test him." He disappeared through a narrow doorway behind the counter. Sounds of wood scraping against wood came from the back room, followed by a metallic crash and several muttered words that Sieghart's grandparents had never taught him. Sieghart glanced around while they waited. Even if the shop wasn't successful, its merchandise offered his first opportunity to examine genuine enchantments.

Thin runes had been carved into every weapon and tool, forming patterns that seemed to connect different sections of each object. The designs reminded him of magical circuits. Mana entered through one group of runes, traveled through narrow channels, and reached the enchantment responsible for producing an effect. If he could understand those structures, he might eventually create tools of his own. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The problem was that the runes appeared impossibly complicated. Sieghart couldn't determine where most patterns started or ended. Several lines overlapped, while others disappeared beneath metal plates or continued along the opposite side of an object. Perhaps the old-fashioned design would help him understand the basic principles. Modern tools concealed their mechanisms inside protected compartments and relied on mana stones.

These older items needed to receive energy directly, making their channels easier to identify. The shopkeeper returned carrying a longbow. It was nearly as tall as he was and considerably taller than Sieghart. Dark wood formed its limbs, while metal reinforcements covered the grip and tips. Pale runes ran along both sides before connecting to the bowstring. Despite its age, the weapon had been carefully maintained. No dust covered its surface, and the string remained tight.

Sieghart could sense faint traces of mana inside it, although the reserve was far too weak to activate anything. The shopkeeper placed the bow across the counter.

"This should be simple enough."

"What does it do?" Sieghart asked.

"It stores magical arrows." Sieghart moved closer. The bow had no quiver, and the shopkeeper hadn't brought any ammunition from the back room. Apparently, the enchantment created its own projectiles.

"The user can summon an arrow by pulling the string," the old man explained.

"They only need to draw it a little. The bow recognizes the movement and materializes one of the arrows stored inside its enchantment."

"How long do they last?"

"Ten seconds." That was a rather strict limitation. The user needed to summon the arrow, aim, and fire before the projectile dispersed. Fortunately, most competent archers probably didn't spend ten seconds reconsidering their life choices after drawing a bow.

"Materializing the arrows requires more mana than maintaining them," the shopkeeper continued.

"That makes the weapon inefficient. Most archers would rather carry ordinary ammunition and save their mana for Aura." Sieghart studied the runes along the bowstring. The enchantment sounded useful despite its poor efficiency. An archer carrying this weapon would never run out of arrows as long as someone kept it charged. He thought of a certain fictional archer from his previous world who created magical projectiles and somehow became trapped in one dangerous conflict after another.

Sieghart couldn't remember whether that man ever received a peaceful retirement, but considering the stories he appeared in, probably not.

"Why use this bow instead of ordinary arrows?" Sieghart asked.

"The magical arrows are lighter, faster, and capable of damaging monsters resistant to common weapons. The bow can store a lot more than twenty of them when fully charged." That explained why the weapon remained valuable. The efficiency was poor, but magical ammunition provided an advantage against dangerous targets. An archer could carry ordinary arrows for weaker enemies and reserve the enchanted projectiles for emergencies. Or the other way around.

"The problem is charging it," the old man said.

"Once mana enters the arrow enchantment, it begins creating the projectile. If you transfer energy too slowly, the mana disperses before the process finishes." Sieghart believed he understood. The bow couldn't gradually store incomplete arrows. Each projectile needed to receive its full magical cost within ten seconds, or the gathered energy would disappear and the charging attempt would fail.

The shopkeeper's explanation could have been clearer, but Sieghart decided not to criticize the person controlling whether he received a job. Translating vague instructions into functional magic was already becoming one of his specialties.

"If you can put mana into the bow faster than the enchantment loses it, you can help me," the old man said.

"If you can't create one arrow, there is no reason to continue."

"How will I know when it is finished?"

"The string will glow." Sieghart reached toward the weapon, but Edric placed one hand on his shoulder. His grandfather's expression remained calm, although the pressure of his fingers carried a clear warning. Don't reveal everything. Sieghart gave him a slight nod. He couldn't charge the bow too quickly without creating suspicion. At the same time, he needed to succeed before the ten-second limit expired. Pretending to struggle would require careful timing. He touched the bowstring with two fingers.

The material felt warmer than expected, and the runes nearest his hand responded with a weak silver glow. Sieghart closed his eyes and searched for the sensation he had experienced while charging the practice charm. The bow possessed a much stronger pull. The moment Sieghart gathered raw mana inside his hand, the enchantment tried to drag the energy away from him. He resisted instinctively, preventing the weapon from taking more than he intended.

"Don't fight it," the shopkeeper said.

"Guide the mana and let the runes pull." Sieghart relaxed his control slightly. Mana flowed from his palm into the bowstring. The sensation resembled water being drawn through a narrow pipe, except the energy belonged to him and the pipe seemed determined to drink everything it could reach. For the first time since his reincarnation, Sieghart felt his mana being drained by something outside his body. The sensation should have been alarming. Instead, curiosity immediately overcame his uneasiness.

His reserve didn't decrease. Mana continued pouring into the bow, yet the infinity symbol on his status remained unchanged. The weapon pulled harder as its runes awakened, but the pressure inside Sieghart remained just as vast and incomprehensible as before. Then the familiar blue light of the system appeared before him. New Magic Type Unlocked: Arcane Magic Transmission Path Unlocked New Skill Acquired: Mana Transfusion — Level 1 Mentality +1 Sieghart nearly lost his concentration.

He had expected to learn a technique, but he hadn't anticipated unlocking an entirely new form of magic. Arcane Magic didn't appear to change mana into an element. Instead, it allowed him to manipulate magical energy in its original state. The Transmission Path governed the movement of that energy between himself and another target. Mana Transfusion gave structure to something he had previously accomplished through instinct.

Sieghart could feel the new path forming inside his mind, clarifying how much mana left his body, how quickly it traveled, and where it entered the bow. His control improved immediately. The chaotic stream became smooth, and the amount of mana leaking from the runes decreased. What had felt like forcing water through a cracked pipe now resembled pouring it through a carefully shaped channel. The improvement made him want to release more mana. Sieghart restrained himself.

Edric's hand remained on his shoulder, and the shopkeeper was watching the bow closely. One second passed. Then another. The runes along the lower limb brightened before the glow climbed toward the grip. Silver light spread through the bow's carved channels, gradually approaching Sieghart's fingers. He allowed the process to continue at a believable speed.

If the arrow required ten seconds, completing it in eight would demonstrate talent without immediately revealing that the bow could probably drain him until the building collapsed from old age. At the seventh second, the bowstring emitted a clear silver glow. A small symbol shaped like an arrow appeared near the grip. One of the twenty empty markings had become illuminated. The shopkeeper's bored expression disappeared.

"It worked," Elara said. Edric removed his hand from Sieghart's shoulder and smiled. Sieghart released the bowstring before the enchantment began creating a second arrow. The flow of mana stopped immediately, and the newly unlocked Transmission Path became quiet inside his mind. He opened his status screen long enough to confirm the change. Arcane Magic — Level 1 Transmission Path Mana Transfusion — Level 1 Mentality increased by 1 Sieghart wasn't disappointed that Mentality had increased instead of Magic.

Mental focus remained the true limitation on his infinite mana, making every additional point valuable. Better Mentality meant more spells, finer control, and longer training sessions before exhaustion. More importantly, he had obtained a way to transfer raw mana. The skill could become useful for far more than charging outdated weapons. He might eventually supply mana to barriers, activate unfamiliar enchantments, restore magical tools, or even support another person's spells.

The shopkeeper picked up the bow and examined the illuminated arrow symbol. He checked the runes, touched the string, and turned the weapon over as though searching for hidden damage.

"How much mana do you have left?" he asked. Sieghart considered the safest answer.

"Plenty." Edric coughed into one fist. Elara suddenly became very interested in a dusty lamp on the nearest shelf. The old man narrowed his eyes.

"And you're not tired?"

"A little." That was technically true. Sieghart had spent two hours inside a carriage, and the constant shaking had become annoying. He simply neglected to explain that his exhaustion had nothing to do with charging the bow. The shopkeeper placed the weapon in front of him again.

"Charge another arrow." Edric raised an eyebrow.

"You said one would be enough."

"One proves he can do it," the old man replied.

"The second tells me whether the first was luck." Sieghart touched the bowstring again. Mana gathered inside his palm, and the newly acquired skill responded immediately. The shopkeeper leaned closer, no longer looking bored. Sieghart smiled faintly. His first job interview had become a test. Fortunately, he had enough mana to keep taking it forever.