"—!"
The Lich hesitated, seemingly bewildered that its attack had been blocked, before regaining its composure and unleashing another Death Blade.
It was a wasted effort. The Magic Barrier I had already deployed easily deflected it.
The black blade shattered upon impact with the barrier, crumbling into fragments before dispersing into a dark mist.
"...What exactly did you just do-aru...?"
"It’s magic. I forgot to mention it, but I’m a mage."
I had left all the fighting to Tao since we entered the dungeon, after all. It wasn't that I had been trying to hide my abilities; I had simply been so focused on my Ki practice that I hadn't found an opportunity to show her.
"—!"
Letting out a silent cry of frustration, the Lich began firing a rapid succession of black blades.
Hmm, Darkness System Magic, huh?
Since it was the specialty of monsters, it was a loathed branch of magic, meaning magic books on the subject were virtually nonexistent. Since I had a live specimen in front of me, I might as well take the opportunity to study it.
Let's see... to do that, I'll lower the Magic Barrier's rigidity and crank its elasticity to the limit instead. There. All right, okay—bring it on.
With a heavy thud, a black blade drove into the barrier. This time, however, the blade didn't shatter. Its momentum was completely neutralized, leaving it stuck in the elastic surface.
I reached out, plucked the black blade from the barrier, and examined it. I felt a sharp, prickling numbness. Was this... poison?
"...Huh. So it transforms mana into poison before firing it."
Calling it poison was perhaps a bit of a misnomer. Since it had a more magical property than actual biological toxins, the closest description would be a "mental poison"—in other words, a solidified curse. It was an attack that bypassed the physical exterior to act directly on the life force within.
If someone took a direct hit, it would shave away their very vitality. The offensive power was likely much higher than it appeared. Still, the fundamental concept of the Spell Formula wasn't that different from fire or water magic, so it could be defended against with a standard Magic Barrier without any issues.
"—!"
Perhaps stunned that I had handled its attack so casually, the Lich began frantically kneading its mana. The concentration of energy gathering in its hands was incomparable to its previous efforts. The Lich sharpened the mass of mana, splitting it into upper and lower halves like the serrated fangs of a beast.
"Roberto, that looks dangerous-aru! Get out of the way-ne!"
Was that the Darkness System High Magic, Death Fang?
It shared a similar structure to the previous spell, but it was infused with an amount of mana that dwarfed the Death Blade. I wondered if it had any other secondary effects... My curiosity was piqued.
The Lich smirked at my lack of movement and unleashed the black fangs from above and below. The high-speed blades crashed into my Magic Barrier, but they failed to pierce through. Their momentum died instantly, and I reached down to pick up the fallen blades.
"Hmm. Just a higher-tier version, exactly as it looked. Since it’s called Darkness Magic, I’d hoped for some more exotic curses... but this is a bit disappointing."
I glanced at the Lich. It looked utterly flustered, as if the possibility of its ultimate attack being blocked hadn't even crossed its mind. From the looks of it, the creature didn't have any more tricks up its sleeve. I had nothing left to learn from this one.
Still, thinking back on the Darkness System Magic I had just analyzed, the energy felt remarkably similar to Ki. I wondered if I could replicate it. It was worth a try.
Following Tao’s instructions, I gathered the Ki within my body into my right hand and began weaving it together with my mana. While I was still a novice with Ki, I was quite confident in my ability to control mana. Under my direction, the mixture of energies began to coalesce into the shape of a blade.
"Hmm... Is this technique a bit of a heavy burden?"
I fought back the urge to cough as a sharp pain lanced through my chest. The strain on my lungs was significantly worse than when I used Ki normally. It was difficult, too; the shape-shifting required for the Ki was hard to maintain, and I failed several times. I had to reset my breathing with every attempt, which was quite a tedious process.
—And yet, the excitement I felt far outweighed the frustration.
Despite the repeated failures, the Ki I kneaded gradually took the shape I envisioned. Yes... I could make this work. After a bit of trial and error, I finally manifested a blade of pure Ki.
"—!?"
Seeing the glowing edge, the Lich desperately tried to protect itself by deploying its own Magic Barrier.
Now then, let's see just how powerful a Ki blade can be.
"Hup."
With a short shout, I released the blade. It flew through the air in a shimmering arc, slicing through the Lich's Magic Barrier as if it weren't there and severing the monster’s torso from its legs.
"Ga..."
With a faint, rattling groan, the Lich dissolved.
Huh. So when you finish them off with a Ki attack, they turn to ash. I recalled reading in a book that Undead-type monsters were particularly vulnerable to life energy and holy power. Its demise matched the descriptions perfectly.
"I-I can't believe it-aru...!" Tao whispered, her voice trembling. "That was the Ki Fang, the Secret Art of the Ki Blast... A technique I couldn't master no matter how many years I spent training-ne. And he did it so easily, without any effort at all...! No, that's not it. It wasn't about effort. Roberto was just... having fun. He was enjoying himself as he touched the Ki! Now that I think about it, Gramps used to say that putting in effort is a given—but the ones who can actually enjoy that effort are the strongest of all. Heh... I think I used to enjoy training too, back when I was a kid. Every day felt like I was learning something new. I wonder when I stopped enjoying it... I don't even remember-aru. Good grief. I suppose it’s back to the basics for me. This time, I’ll make sure to enjoy myself to the fullest-ne."
I had no idea what she was muttering about. Tao was looking at me with a strangely enlightened expression, as if she had just reached some profound spiritual realization.
I wondered what had gotten into her... Well, whatever.