Chapter 81 - Plans for the Future 1

'Interesting...'

That was Rynold's first thought when he turned the page.

The visuals that were depicted in the book were ancient. Truthfully, Rynold could barely understand what any of it really means, but, for some reason, this image spoke out to him.

Descriptions of the man were lacking, especially to one who couldn't even read the language. However, Rynold could tell that the man was presenting Augment magic. That was because in the man's hands were Mana Gauntlets.

It was different compared to Rynold's but it was unmistakable. The Mana Gauntlets that the man had were similar to his own. Albeit, there were some key differences.

Rynold's Mana Gauntlets had attachments while the one that the man didn't.

He couldn't comprehend how his Mana Gauntlets severely lacked power compared to the man in the picture. It was certainly unquestionable that the man had years more experience in Augment magic than Rynold did. But still, the gap seemed too huge.

With those thoughts of self-awareness that he could still get stronger, Rynold turned the page.

From there, Rynold saw the same man performing different moves using his Mana Gauntlets. In appearance, these moves were simple but profound all at the same time. It was as if these moves were the fundamentals of Augment magic. Well, Augmented Fist-fighting.

Even then, Rynold was still curious. There were no clear instructions as the entire book was written in a different language, but Rynold got the gist of it. Probably, that is. After all, he was basically a child looking at a book and getting entranced by the pictures than the words that he couldn't understand.

Regardless, he decided to give it a shot.

First, Rynold had to try and interpret the images in the book. From a neutral stance with no Mana, the man slowly shifted into forming his Mana into different shapes and sizes as Rynold turned the pages. Emitting from the man's Mana Gauntlets, Rynold should be able to do the same.

With a stern expression, Rynold placed the book at a nearby table and began to will his Mana.

'In theory, this should work.'

That was what Rynold thought to himself as he started to will Mana onto his Mana Gauntlets. The first goal he had in mind was to form a simple Mana Infusion and go from there.

Traveling through his Mana Channels, Rynold's Mana Gauntlets started glowing with a dim light. Using the very weapons in his hands, he started to shape it into a simple one that was depicted in the book.

Normally, using Mana Infusion on his Mana Gauntlets would make it appear as a small veil. A thin layer that would emit from the gauntlets and look like smoldering flames. What Rynold was trying to do now was to shape it. From the original smoldering flame appearance to a smooth surface.

It was one of the most basic forms of Augment magic; and, in theory, Rynold shouldn't have a hard time learning it.

[Attempt failed!]

The Mana Infusion instantly dissipated from Rynold's gauntlets as soon as the window appeared. Rynold sighed as he lowered his hands. Well, what happened was within expectations. Nobody said that learning something, in theory, would mean that they would get it to work just like that.

Rynold lost focus and decided to try once more. Until he noticed that the people in the room were staring at him due to his failed attempt. Rynold never really thought that doing something like that would capture people's attention. Perhaps, it may be due to something else entirely.

"Uhhh... what's going on?" Rynold asked, clueless.

There was an air of awkward silence for a second until Margareth broke it.

"My Lord, you shouldn't emit your Mana carelessly like that. Especially within a contained environment such as this one," the elf casually explained before turning her gaze to her paperwork once more.

Rynold was taken aback. He was unaware that using Mana Infusion and trying to learn a new skill would cause a reaction like that. He shouldn't be able to produce power so unwillingly and uncontrollably from such a simple skill.

"Yeah, dude. Can't you just sit still for a bit?" Jack sarcastically added.

"Okay, okay. I get it," Rynold waved his hand in agreement. "You guys done with the report yet?"

"Yes, My Lord. Please, sit over here so we can go over it," Margareth pointed to a chair that was in the center of her study.

Rynold slowly walked towards the center but ultimately chose to stand.

Margareth, unimpressed, decided to get on with the explanation.

"My Lord," she started with a serious tone. "Essentially, there were no serious casualties that had occurred during the siege of the enemy. With the exception of the assassin, there were barely any damages or injuries.

Naturally, there are several minor damages to certain facilities, but we can quickly repair these with no problem. This report details out all of the damage and reports from all across the Tree."

The elf handed Rynold a small stack of papers in which accurately explains the aftermath of the battle. With the report not mentioning the disappearance of the Mana Crystal for obvious reasons, the aftermath of the battle was negligible at the very least. Apart from what happened to Oliver, that is.

"Suffice to say," Rynold spoke as soon as he finished skimming through the papers, "we were lucky. The attack of the enemy easily overwhelmed the defenses of this place and attack. Even if we are in between dimensions, they still manage to find us. It's clear what we should do moving forward."

Rynold and Margareth both had serious expressions while the rest...

"What do you mean we're in between dimensions?!" Jack enthusiastically asked Rynold who was nonchalant at mentioning this crucial piece of information.

"Calm down. I'll explain later. First, we need to discuss what our plans are from this point forward."

Rynold had some thoughts as to what they should do next but none of them were concrete plans. He knew that the Association won't try to attack again any time soon. But, that doesn't mean that they could slack off.

"We need to look into the defenses of the Tree. Some early detection systems should easily work," Rynold started to explain his plans. "Apart from that, we can add another layer of defense. I can take care of that," he said with a confident smile.

"My Lord, I agree that we need to increases our defenses. However..."

Margareth hesitated to continue. She then approached Rynold and whispered silently, "do you think it's a good idea to discuss this in the presence of an outsider?"

"It's fine," Rynold dismissed the idea of excluding Neana. "Continue with what you were saying."

"Ehem. Yes, My Lord," Margareth still held her reservations about including Neana in the discussion. Rynold was okay with it, though, so she had to at least trust her new Lord's decisions.

"As I was saying, we are in need of strengthening our defenses. I can take charge of handling an early warning system. As per the defense itself, we have the Rogue Elves Division for that."

"Pssh," Jack interrupted, "Some defense. They were all unconscious during the battle! The enemy was using their headquarters even! They're a bunch of usele-"

Rynold raised his hand to stop Jack from continuing. Insults were uncalled for even if Rynold wanted to spit out a few of them. During their battle, the Rogue Elves Division was incapacitated. There really was nothing they could do at the time.

"No," Rynold spoke in a deeper voice. "We couldn't deal with one of the enemies individually, so we aren't any better. I don't want to admit this, but we need to get stronger. All of us. I'm set on how I want to proceed from this point on. Besides, adding another layer of defense would only give benefits."

Margareth nodded and respected Rynold's decision. Meanwhile, Jack was surprisingly determined at the mention of getting stronger. Neana, on the other hand, was still indecisive.

"Good," Rynold continued. "Jack, I suggest you go to the Rogue Elves Division and start training there. As much as I want you to continue studying Enchant magic, I get the feeling that being behind books would only be detrimental to your growth."

Jack scoffed and arrogantly raised his arm and pointed at himself with his thumb. Smugly, he proclaimed, "Hehe. I'm gonna get stronger and beat all who try to attack us. You can count on me!"

Rynold, unimpressed, immediately slapped the back of Jack's head.

"Cool it, man. Don't make any promises you can't keep. And don't do anything stupid, either," Rynold warned before pulling a sword out of his inventory. "You keep saying that you want to fight in the front lines. So, don't make me regret this decision. Are we clear?" he said as he handed Jack the sword.

Jack eagerly accepted the sword and inwardly swore not to disappoint. With a serious look on his face, Jack turned to Rynold and nodded in agreement. This was his first Mana Bond equipment and, with it, the first time that Rynold had explicitly trusted him for something important.