Chương 66: The Floor Claimed Its First Victim

Sieghart waited until the pain behind his eyebrows faded before experimenting with the mana channels he discovered through meditation. Protection had already demonstrated the value of his new awareness. The spell activated faster, distributed mana more evenly, and became stronger without requiring greater concentration. There was no reason the same principle would apply only to White Magic. Every spell required mana to move through his body before becoming an element.

If Sieghart understood that movement, he should be able to improve his other abilities even before they gained another level. He began with Earth Magic because the basement provided no shortage of stone. The floor, walls, and ceiling consisted almost entirely of heavy bricks. Sieghart sat near the center of the room and placed one palm against the floor. He circulated mana through his arm and directed it toward the brick beneath his hand. The material responded faintly, but he could not make it move.

Sieghart increased the mana output. The brick vibrated slightly before the surrounding mortar resisted his control and forced everything back into place. He attempted to influence several bricks simultaneously. That accomplished nothing except making the floor produce an unpleasant grinding sound. Moving a complete section would require breaking the mortar or overpowering the weight of the surrounding structure. Either result would damage the room Mira had just given him.

Sieghart changed his target before someone upstairs noticed that the basement floor had begun protesting. The room had accumulated a thin layer of dust around its edges. Most remained behind the desk, beneath the bed, and near the door. Ordinarily, Sieghart barely sensed such small particles. Sand Control worked best when enough material gathered into a single visible mass. His awareness of mana channels changed that. Sieghart directed earth-attuned mana through the smallest pathways in his fingers.

Instead of pushing power outward as a broad wave, he divided the flow into hundreds of thin threads. Dust stirred beneath the bed. More particles moved behind the desk. Every speck within the room gradually rose from the floor, furniture, and cracks between the bricks. Sieghart could sense each collection separately. The dust did not become part of his body, but the mana touching it created enough feedback to reveal its position. He moved one finger.

The particles gathered above his palm and formed a rotating sphere. Sieghart increased the speed until the dust stretched into a narrow column. Within seconds, a small tornado spun above his hand. The funnel remained barely half a meter tall, but its shape held perfectly. Sieghart moved it across the room without allowing any particles to escape. He guided the tornado beneath the bed, around the desk, and across the empty carts. It collected whatever dust remained in those areas.

Sieghart eventually compressed everything into a small ball and dropped it inside a waste container. The room had probably never been cleaner. No system notification appeared. The result did not surprise him. He improved his control but had not created a technique with a defined purpose, structure, or limitation. Dust Tornado could become a spell if he developed it deliberately. It might blind enemies, enter their lungs, conceal movement, or gather dangerous particles from the environment.

For now, Sieghart merely appreciated that he possessed complete control over material too fine for his previous senses. He turned toward Fire Magic next. Flame and Fireball depended upon anger, expansion, heat, and controlled combustion. Sieghart always gathered mana through his palm before forcing it into a spherical structure. Meditation revealed that most fire-attuned mana traveled through two large channels along his forearm. Smaller pathways controlled direction and surface stability.

Sieghart activated Fireball slowly while observing every stage. Mana flowed through his shoulder, divided near the elbow, and gathered around his palm. His emotional state transformed the energy once it crossed the final channels in his fingers. A familiar orange sphere appeared above his hand. Sieghart prevented the Fireball from expanding. He redirected mana through the smaller channels and applied pressure to the sides of the sphere. The flames stretched.

One end became narrow while the opposite side widened slightly. Sieghart continued refining the shape until the fire resembled a glowing arrow. The pointed front remained unstable. Flames naturally attempted to spread outward, forcing Sieghart to maintain constant pressure along the edges. He added a rotating motion similar to the one used for Earth Bullet. The fire stabilized as the entire structure began spinning. Sieghart held the completed projectile above his palm. It was no longer a proper Fireball.

The new shape sacrificed explosive area for penetration, speed, and concentrated heat. A target struck by the point would receive most of the energy in a much smaller location. Against armored opponents, that difference could become decisive. Sieghart moved the Flame Arrow toward the metal shield resting on the nearest cart. He stopped before releasing it. The shield was enchanted to absorb physical impacts, not concentrated fire. Testing the projectile might destroy guild property on his first day.

Sieghart reduced the mana flow and allowed the arrow to disappear. He then created another, trying to shorten the shaping process. The second attempt required half as much time. The third formed almost as quickly as an ordinary Fireball. Sieghart summoned four Flame Arrows simultaneously and arranged them around his body. Their narrow points followed his attention as he changed imaginary targets. The system remained silent. Sieghart focused on Black Magic and examined its branching structure.

Fire Magic contained Flame, Fireball, and Giant Fireball, but no new entry appeared. The technique worked despite lacking official recognition. Sieghart could use Flame Arrows during battle, but they would not level independently or grant additional attributes. He suspected another restriction within the system. Black Magic had reached Level Five before Giant Fireball and new elemental spell creation became possible. Perhaps creating another recognized fire spell required Black Magic to reach Level Ten.

Individual branches might possess similar thresholds that remained invisible until achieved. The theory annoyed him, although it also explained why effective techniques sometimes failed to produce notifications. His control could exceed what the system currently allowed him to formalize. Sieghart dispersed the arrows and recorded the result mentally. Once Black Magic reached its next milestone, Flame Arrow would become one of his first experiments. Wind Magic responded even better to his improved awareness.

Breeze had always required vague releases of mana through both hands. Most power spread in unintended directions before leaving his body. Now Sieghart could identify the channels controlling direction, pressure, and rotation. He created a narrow current capable of circling the room without disturbing the papers on his desk. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The wind passed beneath the bed, climbed one wall, crossed the ceiling, and returned to his palm.

Maintaining the loop required less concentration than his previous attempts. Sieghart increased the speed until the current produced a quiet whistle. He then divided it into two separate loops moving in opposite directions. His control had improved enough to make each strand feel distinct. He could weaken one, strengthen the other, or make them intersect without collapsing. Wind Blade also became sharper. Sieghart formed a tiny crescent above one finger and compressed its edge until it became nearly invisible.

He dismissed the spell rather than risk cutting through his new furniture. The basement limited practical testing, but the improvement remained obvious. Water Magic came next. Sieghart created a sphere of water above one palm and moved it between his fingers without spilling anything. He stretched it into a thread thinner than a needle. The thread separated into droplets, each one following a different path around his hand. Sieghart recombined them before allowing the water to fall into the washbasin.

Every element responded with greater precision because he no longer treated mana as one enormous current. He could assign different channels to separate portions of the same technique. The discovery immediately brought elemental combinations to mind. Before meditation, combining elements required him to maintain different emotional states while manually preventing their mana from interfering with one another. Fire and wind became manageable through repetition.

Water and earth also cooperated easily when creating mud. More advanced combinations failed because Sieghart could not control the exact point where two types of mana met. One element usually overwhelmed the other. Now he could guide separate flows through specific channels and combine them after they left his body. Sieghart considered attempting lightning. Fire and wind might reproduce heat, pressure, and movement capable of creating an electrical discharge.

The idea remained dangerous without a proper mental image. Lightning moved too quickly for experimentation inside a stone room containing enchanted equipment. Ice seemed safer. Sieghart understood the result physically. Water needed to lose enough heat to become solid, while controlled wind could carry that heat away. He raised his right hand and activated Breeze. A gentle current began circling the basement. Sieghart then released water-attuned mana through his left palm without producing liquid.

He spread the elemental influence through the moving air. The temperature dropped. At first, the change remained slight. Sieghart continued circulating both flows while ensuring that wind did not scatter the water-attuned mana. Cold air gathered around him. Moisture condensed on the stone walls, and the metal equipment produced quiet sounds as it contracted. Sieghart exhaled. A pale cloud appeared before his face. The basement suddenly felt like an outdoor field during winter.

Every breath became visible, while cold settled through his clothing. Sieghart looked toward his hands and sensed the combined structure. Wind removed heat, while water mana provided moisture and directed the change. He could push the combination farther. A notification might unlock the Ice Magic branch if the effect became distinct enough. That possibility made Sieghart stop. He dismissed both elements and allowed the room to warm gradually.

Unlocking Ice Magic sounded useful, but the system often granted the first spell based upon the action responsible for discovering an element. Creating Flame produced Flame. Making water produced Water Creation, while moving air unlocked Breeze. If Sieghart continued lowering the room's temperature without a purpose, he might receive something called Cold Air or Chilly Breeze. Such a spell could preserve food and make summers more comfortable.

Neither benefit would help him survive assassins or defeat experienced Aura users. Sieghart already possessed several direct attacks. Earth Bullet offered fast projectiles with physical force. Fireball delivered explosions and heat, while Wind Blade provided speed and cutting power. Water Cannon created sustained force and controlled large areas. Giant Fireball remained his most destructive option, although using it near allies was dangerous. Ice did not need to become another projectile.

Ice Arrow, Ice Bullet, and Ice Blade would merely repeat functions already covered by existing spells. Sieghart needed control. The Firian commander almost killed him because closing the distance became too easy. His wind propulsion helped, but an experienced opponent adapted quickly. A spell capable of slowing movement would create time for additional attacks. It could also disrupt charges, separate groups, and transform narrow passages into traps. Sieghart looked toward the floor.

Frozen ground offered exactly that function. The spell would not need enough power to injure opponents directly. It only needed to remove traction beneath their feet. Aura users possessed excellent strength, speed, and balance. Those advantages became less useful when the surface suddenly changed during a charge. Sieghart imagined a thin layer of ice spreading across the ground. Water mana would collect moisture, while Wind Magic removed heat and carried it away.

He moved toward the door because that area provided the largest section of floor unobstructed by furniture. Sieghart extended both hands. Wind gathered along his right arm, while water-attuned mana flowed through the left. He directed both streams through the exact channels discovered during meditation. The elements met beyond his palms. Cold spread across the floor. Moisture gathered between the bricks before freezing. A transparent layer expanded outward from Sieghart in a widening fan.

The ice reached the door and covered several meters of the basement corridor beyond it. Its surface remained thin but perfectly smooth. Sieghart maintained the spell until every gap disappeared. White mist floated several centimeters above the frozen ground. He felt the system beginning to respond. Footsteps approached from the corridor. Sieghart turned his head toward the sound, but Ronan reached the doorway before he could warn him. The tracker opened the door without knocking and stepped directly onto the ice.

"Hey, kid, how are—" Ronan's sentence ended when his right foot shot forward. His left leg attempted to recover, found even less traction, and followed the first in the opposite direction. Both arms began moving wildly. Ronan possessed enough physical ability to leap between rooftops while carrying Sieghart. Apparently, none of that training prepared him for a basement floor becoming ice. He twisted his body and nearly caught the doorframe. His fingers missed by several centimeters. Momentum carried Ronan forward.

He crossed the frozen section with increasing speed before his feet disappeared behind him. His face struck the opposite wall with a heavy thud. The impact shook dust from the ceiling. Ronan remained against the wall for several seconds before slowly sliding down. One hand covered his nose. A translucent notification appeared before Sieghart. Ice Magic branch unlocked. New Spell Created: Frozen Floor. Frozen Floor reached Level 1.

Magic +1 Sieghart read the messages while Ronan rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. The system had apparently waited for a successful practical demonstration before recognizing the spell. Ronan removed his hand from his face and checked for blood. His previously broken nose remained intact, although the surrounding skin had become red.

"You did that on purpose."

"No."

"You froze the floor directly outside your door."

"I didn't know you were coming."

"You heard me walking."

"You opened the door before I could warn you." Ronan attempted to stand. His foot slipped again, forcing him to sit against the wall. Sieghart deactivated the spell. The ice stopped spreading but did not disappear immediately.

"You should knock." Ronan glared at him. Sieghart looked toward the fading notification and nodded in satisfaction. Frozen Floor had already proven effective against an experienced Aura user. Its first victim simply happened to be Ronan.