Twilight Alchemist 8.2

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8.2. It's Good To Feel Yourself Getting Stronger, Isn't It?

The hunter asked for directions and proceeded deeper into the forest.

Indeed, it lived up to its name as the Demon Forest, with poor visibility.

First, I have to navigate from the village outskirts into the thick of the woods.

Thinking about that, I cautiously crept toward the location.

"Well, there are twenty... no, thirty of them."

Whether it was from the Marboro adventurer party I used to be part of or the Raidoc party, that seemed like a challenging number.

At least I won't be foolish enough to attack head-on.

"Now, let's give it a try."

There was a reason I took on this dangerous reconnaissance mission alone.

It had to do with the Twilight Alchemist's emblem.

When I had the Magician's emblem, the flow of magic was terrible. I used all my power to suppress myself, and the magic I could release outside was just a fraction.

Fortunately, the magic I learned during my Magician's days could still be used, thanks to the teachings of the alchemist's emblem.

Not only that, but it whispered that I could now use even higher-level magic.

If I could really use advanced attack magic, I wanted to test it thoroughly. I couldn't afford to say, "I couldn't use it in times of need."

"Well, if it fails, I'll escape."

A group of orcs building a primitive village.

They were a race with a reasonable level of intelligence, but they couldn't be friends with humans or demi-humans due to their tendency to attack like madmen when they saw them. 

They were a clear enemy.

"Since we're in the forest, fire magic is out."

The fire magic I used to be able to use might prevent a fire, but it wouldn't even defeat one orc in return.

According to the knowledge flowing from the emblem, even the same basic magic had significantly increased power. 

Still, I needed to test the details.

Earth attack magic has many quirks, so it's ruled out for a surprise attack.

That leaves wind or water.

Since the topic of water came up earlier, let's try water-attack magic here.

Checking the retreat path, I decided to cast the magic from the closest possible distance to the orc settlement.

During my adventurer days, I trained in sneaking a lot to make use of even weak attack magic.

At that moment, the power of the basic magic I had been using flashed through my mind.

Even hitting an enemy's face directly with a water bullet wouldn't do much more than buy time. Things like fireballs were just in the name; they were no more effective than flint.

So, the magic I chose was.

"Abyssal Abyssal Ice Prison!!"

It was the strongest water magic currently available.

Also known as Cocytus.

Even among A-rank adventurer water Magicians, very few could use it.

If I could use this magic properly, I would be scouted as a court magician.

Can I really use such magic?

Despite my doubts, the emblem taught me the magical formula. It whispered that I could use it.

So, as an experiment, I tried using it.

If it could really be activated, it might be possible to wipe out thirty orcs in one shot.

That's how I felt when I unleashed the magic.

"Wh... what is this..."

Before me spread a white landscape.

An area dozens of times larger than the orc settlement froze instantly, and everything living got encased in ice.

The sudden drop in temperature caused the moisture in the air to freeze, creating a white mist.

"It's cold!"

A sudden cold wind blew from the front, chilling my body instantly.

"Um... [Cold Resistance]!"

I quickly cast a spell to endure the cold.

"Well, this is... "

Until now, it took a tremendous effort to produce even a thumb-sized water bullet, but now, the conversion of magical power into the magical formula is smooth.

"Ah... this is true magic...!"

Until then, the magical abilities of the seemingly useless magic, which I couldn't fully utilize, blossomed thanks to the alchemist's emblem.

But!

This is how magic should be!

"Well, I shouldn't revel in it forever."

I joyfully defeated the orcs, collected magic stones, and took out the materials from the monsters. I gave up on the monster materials.

Upon appraisal, they were of sufficient quality to produce Dowsing Teardrops.

Cheap to sell, expensive to buy.

Gathering more than thirty of them at once, I happily headed home.