CHAPTER 24 - Stealing?

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"Please, teach me how to become stronger!"

"And by that you mean … magic?" A confused Elena asked Rei back, which she confirmed by nodding.

Rei had already seen the Malthan Royal Archives, which had explicitly said 'Forsaken can't become magicians', but Rei didn't really hold it that true to heart partly because of her own hopes but also because of logical assumptions.

After all, it had been hundreds of years since then, and the knowledge behind magic had been much more widely rendered accessible thanks to Traveller contributions especially from the Dungeon and Murim Worlds.

Settings where magic and society hasn't changed even after hundreds of years of it being prevalent in the world were nothing short of poorly-thought abysmal dogshit after all.

The Dungeon World Travellers brought with them the idea of magic that had successfully mixed with modern science, while the Murim World Travellers brought with them new cultivation systems using formulas of potions, elixirs, and pills that riled up one's internal alchemy with newfound strength.

Rei thought that it would be convenient if she could just drink elixirs one after another, basically filling her up with mana seeing as she had none.

'It's a shame really, even before those shitty gods screwed me over I heard them mention I had no mana …'

Rei was especially attached to her image of Elemental-Type Gifted back in her own world, which she had seen personally.

Some Gifted could use magic-like powers without the need for mana, and so Rei thought that maybe she could cash in on some of those stocks seeing as she wasn't just any Gifted, but some of the most prestigious ones back in her world as well.

'So maybe … just maybe!!'

Maybe it could have been uncovered potential, a special Gift from her bloodline, maybe God just screwed up adding some extra numbers on her status sheet.

'Fuck, anything will work!' Rei couldn't see reason here, coping with the fact that the knowledge written down on the Malthan Royal Archives was hundreds of years old, before the Travellers came en masse and with them their innovations.

After all, who hasn't fantasised about the idea of being able to shoot fire and lightning out of their hands, to control the forces of nature itself!?

"Pffft–pfhahahahaha!!" Elena suddenly started laughing uncontrollably as she heard Rei speak.

"A Forsaken rat like you … wants to learn magic? Holy Mother, you really haven't been here long haven't you!" Elena couldn't help but squeeze each word out, looking like she was genuinely struggling not to laugh between each one.

"In the first place, did you think that magic was going to be something that you could pick up after you feel the presence of mana?"

"..." Rei couldn't answer at all, that was exactly what she was thinking.

"You actually did! Look at this fool! Hey, did you not know that it takes years minimum to be a licensed magician!?" Elena's sides at this point started to hurt.

"But … not even a fireball?" This statement only made Elena laugh further as Rei was at this point basically at the bargaining stage of grief, her head hanging low in hopelessness.

"You thought you could have bypassed your lack of physical stats by throwing fireballs at your enemies, I thought you were smart but I didn't know you could be this predictable!"

In the first place, fireballs were a magically impossible spell since it would fade while travelling since the shape it was in, with no physical projectile to attach to even, made it simply unfeasible as a thing that could travel through their air.

It would have been more different if the caster put a rock in the fireball for the flames to have something to actually attach to during flight, but that was besides the point.

"If anything, pyromancy would have set you back at least a year from graduation because of the special permit needed for a magician to freely use it!"

Fire magic was simply too dangerous, both to the user and the environment especially during the times before solidified fire departments and mediaeval fire control doctrines in a time where building regulations weren't as rigid as on Earth.

There had been several cities that have burnt down due to the magician screwing up and burning themselves through the programming process throughout the centuries, and it had thus been unanimously agreed that special classes and tests at the Colleges had to be provided for aspiring pyromancers.

Fires brought about by magicians who screwed up while casting costs the continent millions in Yuleas every year even with the special restrictions brought up in place.

This at all wasn't mentioned in the Malthan Royal Archives, since as per most lost knowledge …

It was simply too common sense among the people that nobody thought of writing it down.

"Hahahahaha! This is too much … you're killing me Rei!" Elena's sides were actually significantly hurting, making her grab at her stomach due to how much she found it all so funny.

Rei at this point was just plain embarrassed, and perhaps sensing that the relationship between them seems like it would be permanently damaged if she continued, Elena took a few seconds to stop herself from laughing, and faced Rei with her usual expression.

"I'm only saying this for your wellbeing, because I see you as someone important to me already …"

"Give it up, Forsaken have a better chance of becoming a god than a magician."

"..."

"..."

A creeping silence ensued as Rei only ate her 'human food' in front of Elena.

"Ah I see, well thank you for giving me your input as a well-seasoned mage." Rei managed to muster up possibly what was the fakest smile she could manifest after listening to Elena tear into her dreams and fantasies for the past few minutes.

"Ah I see, I'm glad I could help! After all, as a Magistrate Degree holder I am nothing but obligated to help aspiring magicians!" Elena seemed to be feeding on Rei's obvious insincerity as she said those words, thinking it amusing.

"..."

"..."

Once again, another silence ensued until Rei broke it with an unrivalled annoyance.

"Fucker. Do you think I'm that desperate for magic? Watch, I'll just become a Sword Master instead!" Rei said as she stormed out of the kitchen after wolfing down her food and hiding her valuable ingredients once more.

"Please don't hurt yourself on the way out!"

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Rei was currently in the training yard of the Red Hilt's complex, donned in training clothes that she could sweat herself in as she immersed herself in training without worries, and a long stick in her hand, shaped to mimic a common sword with it being disposable in mind.

'These things are a lot heavier than I thought they would be …' Back in Rei's world, the weight of something as simple as a sword was of virtual non-importance to her, who only saw it as something she could swing around so easily and inflict death on whomever was unlucky enough to be in its trajectory.

Here was different though, there were many more things to be attentive of especially with the general assumption that she would rarely be physically stronger than her opponent.

She couldn't become a magician because of her unfortunately cursed body, which would have alleviated her worries of future employment.

Rei couldn't only just rely on Elena's weird fondness towards her as an administrator, eventually the chance that Rei would either have to leave Red Hilt or be kicked out of it was far from still quite visible to her.

She especially needed to be able to fend for herself in the case of abandonment, after all Red Hilt was essentially a corporation, and corporations only pursued one thing …

"Value!" Rei said as she struck a blow to the dummy in front of her with all of her strength.

It made a small thud, but in the relative scheme of things it did not really come up to something that Rei could be impressed with.

'... is this a bad dream …? No wait, it's too late for that now isn't it?' Rei held up her hand to her face, and she really didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

Really, she was finding it hard to adapt to the fact that she quite literally lost everything she had built up in her previous life and was thrust into a shitty situation weaker than when she was first made back on Earth.

It was something quite easily glossed over for many lazy isekai writers of the over bloated genre in ancient times, seeing as how nearly all of them were the same copy-paste average joe with nothing really going on in their lives and are then suddenly given the powers of a god for no apparent reason.

"Fuck, the Gods didn't only not give me any powers, but took away my existing ones!" Rei held it in her heart. It was nothing short of daylight robbery as she remembered that shithead god Yuitherceus tying her fate with Reina the asshole demon lord who wanted to take over what little she was left with.

There was no real justice or fair God in this world, nor in any.

She could only simply just make use of what she had on hand.

…

'Sword techniques and martial arts …' Rei was once again trying to gaslight herself into feeling even the slightest bit of hope for her situation.

If one needed to get out of poverty, they would first need to fool themselves into thinking that they could in the first place.

'To work hard in an obviously unfair environment does not guarantee any reward, but to those who don't work at all, the only thing it guarantees is that they would have no reward!' Rei adapted herself to the mindset of the weak, the hopeless, the bottom of the world.

'[Spring Thrust], [Animate Flesh], and [Angel-Slaying Divine Halo] …' Rei thought back to all of the techniques she had witnessed upon fighting first-hand with a taste of it's skilled individuals.

'No, can't do, I only have these three.' Rei tried to think if she could discern any more from memory, like when her body moved on its own to kill several knights before Lionel came to avenge his squire.

Frankly, it was not much to work with.

All three techniques are obviously of the advanced level, with prerequisite techniques needed to achieve the final result needed.

If anything, what Rei did shouldn't have been considered replicating the technique.

Rei only saw the final result, and with the help of her special eyes, responded with movements that could replicate it in full or at least partially.

A prime example was Spring Thrust, which involved Lionel using a magic of metallic nature to unnaturally bend his rapier into a spring before letting it go, extending massively past its normal length at an almost-bullet speed.

She managed to replicate it, but with the special power that formed as a byproduct of being shoved in with Reina, or at least that was the running most likely hypothesis that Rei had conducted.

'... can't I just use that again then?' Rei thought to herself, before deciding that for now that would be too rash to do so, at least in front of others whom she had no plan of killing.

Rei was still quite wary of the religious institutions that govern Yuropa, and had the quite valid fear that they weren't going to be reacting all too kindly when they see a power coming off an individual with no mana, which Gifted Travellers usually used to explain their Gifts to a wary church.

Until she did enough research, practising Aether would have to be reserved for the night and on the hunt … if she ever got around to actually working out how to bring it out and control it in the first place that is.

"Argh!"

'!?' Rei's line of thought was broken when on the far side of the training yard, the loud snap of wood was accompanied with some voices all too familiar to Rei.

"Fuck! Again!" Rei stared at Johan on the opposite side of the field as he tightly clutched a long stick broken in half, meant to symbolise a spear used for training purposes.

With him lying on the ground, spear broken and in his usual bitter state, Rei safely assumed that Johan had once again lost to Alair.

"Are you sure? I think I want a break first … you're improving quite a bit." Alair responded, resting his training sword which itself was quite battered up on his shoulder as he wiped his brow after his usual victory, accepting it with the usual humility and care anyone would expect from a typical nice guy.

"..." An idea had suddenly flashed past Rei's mind as she saw this interaction.

Rei had initially been at a loss at whether to laugh or to cry, but now she was sure.

'Of course, I'm so damn silly aren't I?' Rei thought to herself as she was now trying to hold back her creeping laughter.

What was she doing, really? Banging her head against the wall trying to think of a way to improve herself to be able to fend against the harsh world, it was an admirable effort but pointless nonetheless.

Why did she need to think of what to do by herself, when she was surrounded by such helpful people willing to help her in her current predicament?

"Ah, truly friendship is the strongest power as they say." Rei misinterpreted the meaning of the saying that it became a completely different thing in her head than what it was actually supposed to teach.

Why did she need to think of a way to get stronger herself? After all, Rei wasn't really that good at making new things.

But when it comes to copying someone's homework …? you could say that she was near-uncontested in that field.

If one didn't have anything that worked, then one should just steal something that does!

Honestly, Rei felt like a fool for gaslighting herself into almost working hard without a guaranteed reward in sight.

'It's much easier to steal the idea from someone else isn't it? Ah, truly the heavens have blessed me with such an opportunity!' Rei thought this, but really made sure she was thanking an entirely different set of entities than the shitheads who brought her to the current situation.

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