Chương 23: Fifty Arrows, Ten Silver

Sieghart touched the bowstring again and allowed Mana Transfusion to activate. Raw mana traveled through his fingers, entered the weapon, and spread along the silver runes with considerably less resistance than during his first attempt. The second arrow required only six seconds. The shopkeeper examined the glowing symbol, checked Sieghart's face for signs of exhaustion, and then silently motioned for him to continue. Sieghart began charging a third arrow.

Each successful transfer made Mana Transfusion easier to control. Sieghart adjusted the flow until he supplied precisely what the enchantment required, reducing the amount lost through the old bow's inefficient channels. The third arrow took five seconds, while the fourth required slightly less. He stopped deliberately after the fifth arrow and took several slow breaths. Pretending to become tired was more difficult than charging the weapon.

He needed to show enough stamina to obtain the job without revealing that his mana reserve hadn't changed at all. The shopkeeper continued studying him. His earlier boredom had vanished completely, replaced by the focused expression of a merchant who had unexpectedly discovered something valuable inside his neglected shop.

"How many more can you make?" the old man asked.

"I don't know."

"Keep going until you feel tired." Edric cleared his throat.

"Don't push him too far."

"I'm testing his limit."

"You are testing a four-year-old."

"A four-year-old who has already charged five arrows faster than most adults." The shopkeeper had a point, although Sieghart decided not to support him openly. Doing so might encourage Edric to end the test before Sieghart learned how much energy the bow could actually contain.

"I can continue," Sieghart said. Edric stared at him for a moment before nodding reluctantly. His grandfather remained close enough to intervene, but he allowed Sieghart to place his fingers against the string again. Sieghart continued charging. Ten glowing marks eventually appeared near the bow's grip, followed by fifteen and then twenty. The process became almost automatic as Mana Transfusion guided the energy into the correct channels.

According to the shopkeeper's earlier explanation, twenty magical arrows represented the bow's maximum capacity. However, the weapon continued pulling mana after the twentieth marking had been filled. Sieghart almost removed his hand, assuming something had gone wrong. Before he could stop, a second ring of smaller symbols appeared around the grip. The previously invisible runes brightened one after another, revealing additional storage slots concealed beneath the original enchantment.

The shopkeeper leaned over the counter.

"That shouldn't happen."

"Is it dangerous?" Elara asked.

"Probably not."

"Probably?"

"If it were going to explode, it would have done so already." That answer didn't appear to reassure anyone except the shopkeeper. Sieghart maintained a steady flow while watching the new symbols. The twenty-first arrow finished without causing the bow to crack, smoke, or remove the shop from the street. He continued until thirty arrows had been stored. The secondary runes showed no sign of reaching their limit, and the bow still accepted mana without resistance. Sieghart glanced at the old man.

"Should I stop?"

"No." Edric frowned.

"You sounded very confident about the limit being twenty."

"That was the practical limit. No one has ever filled the deeper storage array."

"Then how do you know it is safe?"

"I made the bow." That revelation explained why the old man watched the weapon with more fascination than concern. He wasn't merely a merchant selling old equipment. He was an enchanter examining a feature of his own creation that no previous user had managed to activate. Sieghart charged the thirty-first arrow. The process remained stable, so he continued transferring mana while monitoring the bow for unusual heat or trembling. Nothing changed except the growing number of illuminated symbols.

The bow reached forty arrows. The second ring of markings filled completely, but the enchantment still pulled energy. A final row of ten smaller symbols appeared along the reinforced grip. By that point, even Edric had stopped telling the shopkeeper to end the test. His grandparents watched in silence while Sieghart continued feeding mana into a weapon that was apparently discovering new storage space whenever it became full. The fiftieth arrow required slightly more energy than the others.

Mana spread through every rune before converging at the center of the grip. The entire weapon flashed with silver light, and then the pull against Sieghart's hand stopped. A system notification appeared. Mana Transfusion has reached Level 2. Transfer speed increased. Energy loss reduced. Mentality +1 Sieghart removed his fingers from the string. Fifty illuminated arrow symbols covered the bow, arranged in three different groups.

The weapon had somehow stored two and a half times the capacity its creator considered practical. That was a pretty neat trick. Sieghart wanted to test the arrows immediately, but firing fifty magical projectiles inside an old wooden shop seemed like an effective method of ending his employment before receiving his first payment. The shopkeeper lifted the bow carefully. He turned it over several times, examined the runes, and pulled the string just enough to activate the enchantment.

A magic arrow materialized against the bow. Its shaft was translucent, while pale energy formed the arrowhead and feathers. The shopkeeper immediately relaxed the string, causing the projectile to disappear without being fired. The first illuminated symbol went dark. Forty-nine remained.

"It really stored them," the old man said.

"You made it," Edric reminded him.

"I made the secondary arrays as an experiment. They were supposed to reduce the strain on the primary storage. I didn't think anyone could transfer mana quickly enough to fill them." Sieghart examined the bow with renewed interest. The weapon hadn't possessed a strict capacity of twenty arrows. Twenty was simply the greatest number an ordinary person could charge before dispersion and exhaustion made further attempts impractical. His infinite mana hadn't changed the enchantment.

It had allowed the bow to accomplish what its creator originally intended. That difference was important. Many outdated magical tools might contain functions no one could use because ordinary mana reserves made them inefficient. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. If so, the dusty shop could contain far more than obsolete equipment. It might be filled with inventions waiting for a power source capable of ignoring their greatest limitation.

The shopkeeper carried the charged bow into the back room before returning with three additional weapons. He moved much faster now, displaying none of the laziness he had shown when they entered. The first weapon was a spear with a pale wooden shaft and a broad metal head. Green runes spiraled from the grip toward the blade, and thin leather straps reinforced the sections intended for the user's hands.

"This produces a gale whenever the user sweeps it horizontally," the shopkeeper explained.

"The enchantment is useful for pushing several enemies away, but each activation consumes a considerable amount of energy." He placed the spear on the counter. Sieghart gripped the shaft and activated Mana Transfusion. The weapon drew more power than the bow required for a single arrow, but his improved skill kept the flow stable. Green light spread through the spiral runes. The spearhead vibrated, and a faint wind began circling the blade. Sieghart stopped transferring mana when the final rune became illuminated.

Gale Spear fully charged. Mana transferred: 300 The system hadn't displayed the amount during his previous experiments. Mana Transfusion's second level apparently allowed Sieghart to measure how much energy entered a target. Three hundred mana would have represented a significant portion of an ordinary mage's reserve. Sieghart's status still displayed the infinity symbol without the slightest change. The shopkeeper tested the spear by moving it carefully through the air.

A brief gust swept across the shop, disturbing the dust on several shelves and sending an old receipt flying from the counter.

"It works," the old man said.

"The dust agrees," Sieghart replied. The shopkeeper ignored the comment and handed him the second weapon. It was a heavy battle-axe with a dark iron head and a handle reinforced by metal bands. Brown runes formed thick angular patterns along both sides.

"This one releases force into the ground when it strikes," the old man explained.

"It can unbalance nearby enemies, crack stone, or break defensive formations." Sieghart placed both hands against the handle. The axe required more mana than the spear, and its enchantment absorbed the energy in heavy pulses instead of a continuous stream. He matched the rhythm, sending mana each time the weapon pulled. The brown runes brightened one section at a time until a faint vibration traveled through the counter. Tremor Axe fully charged. Mana transferred: 400 The final weapon was a sword.

Its blade looked ordinary until Sieghart noticed the red runes engraved along its center. The leather around the grip had been darkened by years of exposure to heat.

"It burns," the shopkeeper said. Sieghart waited for a more detailed explanation, but none came.

"That's all?"

"What else do you need to know? Put mana inside, swing the sword, and the blade catches fire. Try not to hold the sharp end." The shopkeeper's teaching methods possessed impressive room for improvement. Nevertheless, Sieghart touched the guard and allowed Mana Transfusion to enter the weapon. The sword accepted mana smoothly. Red light traveled along its center until a thin layer of heat surrounded the blade. Sieghart stopped before the flames activated fully. Ember Sword fully charged.

Mana transferred: 300 Combined with the thousand mana transferred into the bow, Sieghart had supplied exactly two thousand mana points. Despite moving enough magical energy to exhaust several adults, his reserve remained infinite. The shopkeeper tested every weapon before placing them behind the counter. His movements became increasingly excited as each enchantment activated without instability or damage.

"You truly have an unusually large amount of mana," he said. Sieghart had prepared several explanations before coming to town, but most of them sounded unconvincing now. Pretending that his reserve was merely above average wouldn't explain how he had charged four demanding weapons without collapsing.

"Maybe it grew while I used magic on the fields," Sieghart said.

"People can use their Aura for longer when they train, can't they?" Elara hesitated. Sieghart silently hoped she would recognize the excuse and support it. His grandmother instead shook her head with the unfortunate honesty of someone who had never needed to conceal an impossible status screen.

"It isn't like that, Sieg," she said.

"Aura uses the vital energy of the user. It doesn't use mana." Sieghart kept his expression neutral. His attempted explanation had survived for approximately three seconds. That might have been a personal record when speaking in front of honest relatives.

"People can maintain Aura for longer because their bodies become stronger," Elara continued.

"Training also makes their techniques more efficient, so they waste less vital energy while using them."

"What about mana?" Sieghart asked. Elara paused. Her eyes moved toward the shopkeeper before returning to Sieghart. The question had an answer, but it clearly wasn't one she wanted to discuss casually.

"Mana reserves don't increase through ordinary training," she said.

"A person can improve control and reduce waste, but the amount they possess is mostly determined at birth."

"Mostly?"

"Some dungeon guardians possess unusually large mana reserves. There are also people who use other methods to obtain more power." She didn't explain those other methods. She didn't need to. Sieghart remembered the forbidden rituals, consumed monster cores, and physical transformations his grandparents had described. People with impossibly large mana reserves were associated with dungeon monsters or humans who had abandoned natural methods of gaining strength. Neither comparison would help Sieghart live quietly.

Sieghart nodded. He didn't need to hear anything else. His mana reserve wasn't merely unusual in a world dominated by Aura. If the wrong person learned its true scale, they might assume that he had been altered through forbidden means. The shopkeeper looked from Elara to Sieghart. His excitement remained visible, but there was no fear or suspicion in his expression. Edric had trusted this man enough to bring Sieghart here, which suggested the old enchanter could keep a secret.

"How much mana do you have?" the shopkeeper asked.

"I don't know." That was the safest honest answer available. The old man continued staring at him. Sieghart met his gaze without speaking. After several seconds, the shopkeeper laughed and shook his head.

"Fine. Keep your secrets. As long as you don't explode inside my shop, I don't need to know." Sieghart decided against asking for details. The burn marks on the walls and the shopkeeper's hands already provided enough evidence. The old man opened a locked drawer beneath the counter. He counted ten silver coins and arranged them in two neat rows before pushing them toward Sieghart.

"I can pay ten silver for today's work." Sieghart looked at the coins. This was the first money he had earned in either of his lives. Maintaining his grandparents' farm had provided food, shelter, and experience, but no direct payment. Ten silver coins wouldn't make him wealthy. They could, however, purchase several books, practice materials, or inexpensive magical components. More importantly, they represented money that belonged to him. Elara picked up the coins and placed them inside a small cloth pouch.

Letting a four-year-old walk through town carrying visible silver would invite the attention of thieves with exceptionally low professional standards.

"I'll prepare more weapons and tools before your next visit," the shopkeeper said.

"If you can charge everything as quickly as you charged these, I may finally be able to rent some of my better merchandise."

"When should we return?" Edric asked.

"Next week." Edric frowned.

"The carriage costs money, and the journey takes four hours in total." The shopkeeper rubbed his chin. Losing access to Sieghart's mana clearly bothered him more than the idea of leaving his counter unattended.

"I can bring the equipment to your farm every week," he offered.

"I'll reduce the payment slightly to cover the trip." Sieghart considered the proposal. Receiving fewer coins sounded undesirable, but avoiding the carriage fare and four-hour journey would probably leave him with more money overall. Having the shopkeeper visit the farm would also allow Sieghart to charge equipment without drawing attention inside town. The arrangement provided greater privacy and more time for training.

"That is fine," Sieghart said. Edric and Elara exchanged a glance before agreeing. The shopkeeper appeared far too excited about the arrangement, which confirmed that ten silver coins were considerably less than the value his charged merchandise would produce. Sieghart didn't mind. Not yet. Mana Transfusion recorded the exact amount of energy he had supplied. Two thousand mana points had earned him ten silver coins, which suggested a rate of one silver coin for every two hundred points transferred.

That was probably the current market price for charging old equipment. The shopkeeper needed to maintain the weapons, find customers, handle rentals, and accept the risk of damaged merchandise, so his share of the profit wasn't unreasonable. Still, Sieghart intended to remember the rate. If the old man brought more valuable weapons, increased his prices, or began renting equipment more frequently, Sieghart would eventually renegotiate. For now, ten silver coins were enough.

He had earned money without relying on his father, discovered a forgotten category of magical equipment, and unlocked an entirely new form of magic. Mana Transfusion could be trained. Its speed could increase, its energy loss could decrease, and its applications might eventually extend beyond filling weapons. Even if the shopkeeper placed a ceiling on his payment, no one had placed a ceiling on the skill itself. Sieghart looked at the charged bow, spear, axe, and sword behind the counter.

Old-fashioned enchantments had been abandoned because people lacked the mana necessary to use them efficiently. That problem no longer existed. The shopkeeper thought he had hired a child to recharge his merchandise. Sieghart suspected he had just found an entire branch of magic waiting for someone with infinite fuel.