After finishing the magic power assessment, I was thinking about getting stronger day by day.
During that time, I noticed something.
The rapid growth of my body had stopped.
I wondered if I could obtain a higher-level magic horn, and just like before, I tried to intentionally trigger a growth response, but it didn’t work.
Could it be because I had already left the cultivation tank?
Or perhaps, as it is said that the seventh magic horn level is the highest, there’s simply nothing beyond that?
Regardless of the reason, I feel that it’s going to be difficult to go any further.
It seems I’ll have to continue growing steadily.
However, that’s fine too.
Even if I acquire strength, it won’t mean anything if I don’t develop the skills to use it.
What fulfills that need is time and experience.
As Kurt said, I can consider this an opportunity to practice.
So today, just as I had promised before, I was learning how to use magic from Kurt.
The location was my home’s garden.
Due to the dense environment of the town, it wasn’t a very spacious area, but compared to an average household, it was quite ample.
I’m grateful to have a space nearby where I can learn magic.
“First, we need to start with being able to bring out the magic horn with your own will,” Kurt said.
“Like what Dad was using the other day?”
“No, I think it’s still too early for you to use that. Well, since you have the Eye of Destruction, you can see it, so it would be easier for you to understand if I demonstrate it.”
Kurt extended his right hand forward.
Immediately, a pentagon drawn with a line of light appeared in his palm.
“How’s that?”
“Yeah, I can see it. A beautiful pentagon.”
“Oh, you’ve already remembered the name of the shape. Impressive.”
Well, it’s tough to go through without knowing the shapes, so I’ll just say I learned it during the magic power assessment.
“This is the Magic Horn Foundation.”
“Magic Horn Foundation? Is it different from the magic horn?”
“No, it’s the same. It just means that this is the first magic horn, which serves as the basis for using magic. First, you need to be able to bring this out.”
“I did it!”
“What!?”
Focusing and extending my right hand like Kurt, a shining heptagon appeared.
Recalling the sensation I had when I broke out of the cultivation tank and practicing with the knowledge I had gained over the past few days, I was able to do this naturally.
However, I was struggling to do anything beyond this point.
“Really, you can bring it out already…?”
“Yeah, it’s properly appearing. A heptagon.”
Since Kurt couldn’t see my magic horn, it was completely self-reported, but he had an expression of disbelief.
“To be able to manifest the Magic Horn Foundation… usually takes at least a year at the earliest…”
Kurt shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.
“No, I’ve seen your genius displayed up until now. It wouldn’t be strange for Nero to be able to do it…”
“Dad, what do we do from here?”
“Uh… ah, right. Next, we need to channel magic power through that Magic Horn Foundation. You’ve felt a hot flow inside your body, right?”
A hot flow…
I had felt it since I was in the cultivation tank.
So that was magic power.
“You need to channel that flow into the Magic Horn Foundation in front of you. Imagine opening a dam and directing the river flow that way.”
“Got it, I’ll give it a try.”
Conscious of the magic power inside my body, I changed the flow to head toward the magic horn.
Immediately, I felt like the heptagon’s brightness had increased.
The magic power had flowed through.
“It seems I did it.”
“Impressive, you grasp things quickly.”
“Does this mean I can cast magic like Dad?”
“No, not yet.”
Eh, there’s still more…? This is quite tough.
“If you leave it like that, it’s just raw magic power. If you don’t give it an attribute, it won’t manifest in reality.”
“Attribute…?”
“Ah, more precisely, it’s called ‘attribute bestowal.’ For example, the magic I used on the black ant monster the other day was manifested as magic because I bestowed it with the fire attribute.”
I see, it’s like the four attributes often seen in RPGs.
Once I give it an attribute, it will finally become visible.
“How do you bestow an attribute?”
“The method itself is based on having a strong image, but that doesn’t mean you can just bestow any attribute. This is largely due to genetics.”
Genetics… I’m technically a homunculus, but I should have inherited Kurt’s Diana’s magic genes…
“I have, as you can see, a fire attribute. And Diana has a water attribute. That means Nero, who has inherited our magic genes, will likely manifest either fire or water as an attribute.”
Fire and water, huh…
Both are cool and hard to give up.
And he said the image is important.
Let me try something…
“But really, to actually be able to bestow attributes, you’ll need a bit more practice…”
“Dad, something came out.”
Immediately after imagining fire, a softball-sized flame lit up at the center of the heptagon.
“Whaaa!? You’ve already done it!?”
Even Kurt was astonished.
“What incredible quickness in grasping things… But, a fire attribute, huh… That means Nero takes after Dad. Hehe.”
Kurt seemed very happy to feel his blood in his son.
In the midst of that, I felt a little bad, but I decided to try imagining the other attribute as well.
I had some lingering attachment to that other attribute.
Then, the fireball that had been blazing just moments ago began to transform into a ball of water swirling on the surface.
“W-Water came out too!”
“Wha-what!?”
At that moment, Kurt’s astonishment was incomparable to before.
He frantically moved toward the house and shouted.
“D-Diana! N-Nero is way too amazing!!”
Huh??
