I spent the next few days learning new magic and experimenting with ways to utilize my golems. Since I didn't want to force everyone to tag along every day, I let the others act freely after the first day. Today, only Shiroru was with me.
The first things I learned were two new spells: Power and Speed. Both were Non-Elemental Magic and served as a form of Body Enhancement Magic. Since they were low-level spells, their effects were modest, but they consumed very little mana. I kept them active even while walking around the city. At first, I had to recast them every time the effect wore off, but that quickly became a hassle. I eventually modified them so that the effects would automatically refresh as long as I had mana remaining. I likely only succeeded in that arrangement thanks to my 【Creativity】 trait.
This allowed the magic to refresh even while I slept, significantly increasing the number of times I'd cast the spells. Thanks to that, my Non-Elemental Magic level had risen quite a bit in a short amount of time. While maintaining the spells drained a good portion of my mana—limiting my ability to use other magic—it served as excellent training while I stayed in the city.
Next, I decided to get serious about training my Earth Magic to bolster my golems. The spell I picked up for practice was Stone Wall. It generated a wall made of stone. Rather than just blocking attacks, its primary use was controlling the battlefield by limiting the directions an enemy could strike from. Additionally, if I cast it directly beneath my feet, I could ride the rising wall upward. By tweaking the spell to generate a room-sized square wall, I could easily seize the high ground. It seemed like a very advantageous way to fight against monsters that couldn't fly.
The final spell I learned was the Wind Magic spell, Air Jet. Its effect was simple: it forcefully ejected air. It had no actual killing potential, but the force of the jet was tremendous. It was strong enough to make it impossible to keep one's eyes open, and a small person would likely be blown away by the gust. Whether it would be effective against monsters was still a bit questionable, but if I aimed it correctly at a bird-type monster, I might be able to knock them off balance.
What made Air Jet so interesting was that it didn't seem to suck in the surrounding air to blow it back out; it seemed to literally create new air from nothing. Even when I used it underwater, it would eject air with a forceful bubbling sound.
"And now, for the Air Jet experiment."
『Muu? What’s so interesting about air coming out?』
Apparently, Shiroru couldn't grasp the appeal of this magic. Well, I was sure she’d understand soon enough.
"I’m going to use a modified version of Air Jet now. Could you bring this close while it's active? Oh, but make sure you stay back yourself, Shiroru."
『Understood!』
"Okay, here I go. <Air Jet>."
When I activated the magic, gas shot forcefully from my extended fingertips. Shiroru used Telekinesis to bring a magic tool close to the stream. It was an Ignition Magic Tool.
『Fuooh! What is this?! What happened?!』
The moment the gas touched the flame emitted by the tool, it ignited. It looked exactly like a flamethrower.
Indeed, what I was ejecting with my modified Air Jet was a flammable gas. I’d visualized methane. Just as I’d hoped, I was able to change the type of gas generated through the use of my 【Creativity】.
"Wait, hot!!"
I hurriedly cut off the Air Jet and cast Create Water. The fire had been way too close, and it felt like I’d suffered a light burn.
『Hey, are you all right?』
"Yeah, I'm okay. It’s just a small burn. First Aid should be enough to fix it."
『Be careful! If it was going to do that, you should have said something beforehand!』
Ahaha... I’d meant to surprise Shiroru, but that had definitely been a bit dangerous.
"Sorry, sorry. But the experiment was a success."
As for the burns, it wouldn't be an issue if I just activated it from a further distance next time. If anything, the fact that I couldn't light the fire by myself was the real inconvenience. Maybe I could do something about that once I learned Fire Magic.
『So, what exactly was the trick?』
"How should I put it... I just released air that catches fire easily."
『Hoh? I didn't know air like that existed! What other kinds of air are there?』
Others, huh? I wasn't an expert on the subject. If I used hydrogen, it would probably explode.
...No, maybe I could do something more interesting than just making things explode. Hydrogen is lighter than air. If I could collect it properly, I should be able to gain buoyancy.
I decided to test the theory immediately. Since hydrogen was dangerous, I opted for helium instead.
I grabbed an empty bottle from the ginger ale I’d made—essentially, the empty shell of Petit No. 1. I held it with the mouth facing downward.
"I wonder if I can spray it directly into the bottle?"
I decided to give it a shot. I adjusted the pressure to be weak and activated the magic. It felt harder to control than usual, but I managed to spray the helium gas directly into the bottle.
"Now, that should be enough. Here goes."
『O-oh?』
When I let go of the bottle... it simply fell to the ground.
I guess that was asking too much.
『What was supposed to happen?』
"Sorry. Nothing happened. I injected 'floating air' into it, but it seems there wasn't enough force to actually lift the bottle."
To make it work, I’d probably need to inject a massive amount of helium into a much lighter container. Heating the air like a hot air balloon might also work. Then again, finding a container that was truly airtight was the real hurdle...
『What is this 'floating air'? Isn't air already floating?』
"Well, yes, but..."
It was hard to explain without a visual aid. If only I had a balloon.
Hmm. As long as I could prevent the helium gas from dispersing, it should work... I wondered what would happen if I turned the gas itself into a golem?
Name: Tort Race: Commoner Age: 12 Level: 23 Vitality: 158/158 [5up] Mana: 143/143 [5up] Strength: 76 [2up] Stamina: 85 [3up] Agility: 99 [3up] Dexterity: 128 [5up] Magic Power: 124 [4up] Spirit: 101 [4up] Luck: 131 [1up]
Divine Protection: 【Divine Protection of the Job God: Dungeon Explorer】
Skills: 【Destiny God's Smile】【Dagger Skill Lv21】 [1up] 【Shadow Strike Lv20】 [1up]【Throwing Skill Lv10】 【Lockpicking Skill Lv11】【Trap Disarming Skill Lv11】 【Sense of Direction Lv14】 [1up] 【Sense of Balance Lv7】 [1up] 【Cooking Skill Lv17】 [1up]【Medicine Making Skill Lv15】 [2up] 【Light Magic Lv14】 [1up]【Water Magic Lv13】 [2up] 【Dark Magic Lv17】 [1up]【Non-Elemental Magic Lv14】 [5up] 【Wind Magic Lv11】 [2up]【Earth Magic Lv7】 [5up]
Traits: 【Cooking Talent Lv1】【Great Luck】【Dexterous Fingertips Lv1】 【Magic Aptitude Lv2】【Creativity Lv3】
Magic: 〈Clean〉〈First Aid〉 〈Create Water〉〈Dehydrate〉 〈Decomposition〉〈Night Vision〉 〈Shadow Hiding〉 〈Shadow Leap〉 〈Breeze〉〈Wind Cutter〉 〈Shredding Storm〉 〈Air Jet〉 [new] 〈Stone Wall〉 [new] 〈Detect Magic〉 〈Create Golem〉 〈Power〉 [new]〈Speed〉 [new]