The Library: Casting and Enhancing

"Hey everybody!" The Librarian greeted with a cheerful wave. "I hope you've been well this past week. Now, let's get to learning about magic, shall we?" He clasped his hands together, his green eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. We're still in the field with the wooden practice dummies, by the way. "Now, let's begin with the categories of magic. You're already familiar with a few, like Casting, Enhancing, Infusing, Summoning, Ritual, Word, and Rune magic—these have all been discussed in the story." The Librarian paused to adjust his glasses before continuing. "But there are others that haven't been touched on yet: Holy, Unholy, Angelic, and Demonic magic, which, yes, are different from one another," he explained with a knowing smile.

He turned to face one of the practice dummies. "Today, we'll focus on Casting and Enhancing—the most basic and easiest to understand of the magical categories." The Librarian extended his right hand toward the dummy about 20 meters away. "First, Casting," he announced, and with a simple motion, a bolt of fire shot from his open palm, streaking across the field and obliterating the dummy into a shower of singed splinters. He lowered his hand, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. "How does it work?" he asked rhetorically, snapping his fingers to bring forth the image of a man's anatomy, crisscrossed with glowing lines representing the flow of mana.

"We know that mana is generated and flows through the body," he explained, as the image's lines pulsed with a gentle light, tracing the pathways of energy within. "What Casters can do is take that mana within their bodies and expel it outward," he continued, as the image of the man extended an arm, releasing a burst of flames. "Now, you may be wondering how one does that exactly," the Librarian said, dismissing the image with a wave of his hand.

"Well, it's similar to crying on command. Most people can't do it unless they train themselves to—go ahead, try it if you want," he encouraged with a grin, a single tear welling up in his own eye before slipping down his cheek. "It's not easy," he admitted, dabbing the tear away with a handkerchief. "But if you focus, you can feel your eyes start to tear up."

Turning back to face another practice dummy, The Librarian extended his hand once more. "Now, the power of your magic is determined at birth by your affinity. For example, someone with a low affinity for, say, gravity magic might be able to do something like this." As he spoke, small rocks surrounding the dummy began to tremble and lift into the air, hovering momentarily before being launched toward the wooden figure. Most of the stones bounced off harmlessly, though a few managed to dent the surface slightly.

"On the other hand, someone with a high affinity could do this," he continued with a smirk. He clenched his fist, and the dummy suddenly buckled under an unseen force. The wood groaned as it splintered and shattered into countless pieces, the fragments suspended mid-air as if held by invisible strings. The Librarian gave a subtle flick of his wrist, and the fragments shot upwards at high speed, disappeared into... they just went out of view, okay? What do you want me to do?

"Ha, ha, you're a lot more active today, aren't you, narrator?" The Librarian chuckled.

Well, given how meta this is, I figured I should make more appearances. Anyway, go on with your lesson.

"I will," he replied, turning his attention back to the lesson. "You see, no matter how hard you train, you won't be able to surpass the natural limit of your affinity. While you can get creative with a low affinity, your talent as a mage will never exceed that inherent boundary." He placed his hands behind his back, offering a slight shrug and a smile. "It's a sad fact, but what can you do? That's how it works in the real world, and that's how it works in this reality."

"Besides that, Casting is also limited by the spells you know. Not everyone is an Amara who can create her own spells, after all." The Librarian pointed his index finger at another dummy, a small bolt of fire slowly forming at its tip. "Take fire bolt, for example—a simple fire spell that even those with the tiniest affinity for fire magic can use. However," the small fire bolt at his fingertip suddenly flared up, engulfing his entire hand in flames, "it isn't as simple as it seems. You have to learn how to manage the amount of mana you put into a spell. If you're not careful, it could combust like mine just did, or..." He shook his hand, extinguishing the flames, revealing his hand completely unharmed, "it could just fizzle out if you don't use enough mana."

He paused for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "The people you see using mana in the story have significant experience with magic, or they're prodigies who can wield it without much effort—like Even's late brother, Matthew."

Clearing his throat, The Librarian continued, "Enhancing, on the other hand, can be trained more extensively compared to Casting. Well, Casting requires training too, like I explained, with only a few able to do it naturally, but Enhancing stages isn't as limited by birth." He shook his hand slightly before pausing, "Sort of. You're still bound by your mana capacity, as higher stages of Enhancing demand more mana to sustain. Speaking of which, I've mentioned stages but haven't explained what they are yet, so..."

With a snap of his fingers, two images appeared: one of a thin boy, the other of a burly man. "Enhancing has five stages. The first stage involves Enhancing what you already have. For instance, let's say this boy," he gestured to the image of the thin boy, "can use the first stage of Enhancing. Even with that, he still wouldn't stand a chance against," he pointed at the burly man with his other hand, "this man. The reason is simple: if the boy has a strength of 1, Enhancing it to 2 won't be enough to match the man's strength of 5. The first stage only boosts what you already have, so if your baseline is low, the enhancement won't make a significant difference." He finished with a shrug.

"The second stage of Enhancing involves enhancing your organs," The Librarian continued, his tone steady as he explained. "It follows the same principle as the first stage: if your baseline is low, you won't see dramatic results. However, it can be useful in specific situations. For instance, if you're running away from someone, you could enhance your lungs to run longer, or if you're hunting, you could enhance your eyes to spot prey more easily."

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, a hint of excitement in his voice as he continued, "Now, the real fun begins when we get to the third stage and beyond. Let me explain." He pointed again at the image of the thin boy. "The third stage of Enhancing allows you to create a layer of mana over your muscles, which your body then uses instead of your normal muscles. These muscles, made of pure mana, are significantly stronger than regular ones. So instead of enhancing his strength from 1 to 2, it's more like going from 1 to 10, dramatically boosting his capabilities and making it possible for him to easily overpower the man."

He paused for effect, then added, "But what if the man can also use the third stage of Enhancing? You may ask. Would he just beat the boy again?" The Librarian shook his head, dispelling that notion. "No. At this point, it's no longer about raw physicality but rather how skillful each of them is in Enhancing themselves. Even with the same stage of Enhancing, their skill levels can differ, and that difference now determines the outcome." As he finished, he allowed the images to dissolve, leaving his words to linger in the air.

"Now for the fourth stage of Enhancing," The Librarian announced, a hint of anticipation in his voice as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. "This stage is similar to the third, as it also involves creating a layer of mana," he explained, lifting the knife into the air. "But this time, the enhancement is external."

In a swift motion, he flipped the knife and drove it directly toward his heart. Instead of the expected outcome, the sound of metal bending echoed through the air as the blade met his chest. The Librarian stood there, unfazed, a smile spreading across his face. "The mana forms a protective layer above your skin," he clarified, pulling the knife away to reveal the blade now bent at an awkward angle. "And just like in the third stage, your skill in this technique is crucial."

"Now, the fifth and final stage of Enhancing goes even further." Slowly, starting from the center of his palm, his fist began to transform, turning into a sleek, metallic substance. With ease, he clenched his transformed hand around the knife, crushing it into a small, twisted ball. "This stage allows you to alter the very material your body is made of," he said, casually tossing the crumpled knife, which promptly vanished from... well, existence, I suppose. Sure, let's go with that.

"Well, that's it for today's lesson," he declared with a wide grin. "You now know about Casting and Enhancing." The Librarian's expression brightened even more. "Now! Narrator, roll the outro!" And just like that, he disappear- Wait what!? Hey! What outro are you talking about!? You already left!? Uh, um, thank you all for reading and, uh, happy learning! Goodbye!