Chapter 144

Nick didn’t mind being used to annoy a neighbor. Considering the unkempt state of the field, he was nearly certain that the beef was one-sided. But who could say with stubborn old men?“The first thing you need to know about lightning,” Arthur began abruptly, “is that it is not like the other elements.” His tone was one of finality, and Nick didn’t bother replying that it was the same thing every specialist said about their chosen element.

Giving the man his full attention, he nodded. Arthur lifted a hand, and a spark of electricity crackled between his fingers. “Most people believe that lesser spells like are a good starting point. That is incorrect, and continuing down that path is likely to end up in failure.”

Nick felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. He knew that the effect he could produce with the spell was insignificant compared to what having an affinity for the specific element would allow, but to claim that it wasn’t even a good baseline felt excessive.

“Fire might be the closest to lightning in danger, but it is still not the same. Humans have a natural instinct to stay away from heat; they understand deep within their primal brains that coming into contact with flames will result in burns. Lightning, however, is too quick for that. A mistake could lead to permanent damage unless one is fortunate enough to have skilled healers nearby.” Arthur continued, and Nick cocked his head, beginning to understand. Still, he remained quiet, knowing that interrupting now would only irritate the man.

The arcs of lightning contained within Arthur’s hand grew brighter, emitting snapping and hissing sounds. He flicked his index finger, releasing all the stored power at once. One moment, it was in his hand; the next, it struck a stone twenty feet away, shattering it and sending shards into the air. “This is a very basic application of . If you cannot do this, the System will not acknowledge you.”

Although the attack had been extremely fast, Nick had been able to track its movement purely through instinct. It felt strange to realize that he wasn’t quick enough with his eyes, yet he still felt its movement.

“If this were a school of magic, you’d get several weeks of preemptive lessons. You’d have to write papers about what an element is and how mages typically employ it. But we don’t have time for that, and even if we did, I wouldn’t bother with that nonsense.” As he spoke, Arthur took a couple of steps away from Nick before turning back. When the lightning crackled around his hand again, Nick got the impression he was about to undergo a much more practical lesson.

“Instead, I will instill in you a deep understanding of what this spell can achieve. By the time we finish here, you will be able to describe it in your sleep.” With that, he attacked.

Being struck by lightning was unlike anything Nick had felt before. It was painful, yes, but the way he lost control of his limbs for a moment, the way electricity consumed his thoughts as his mind blanked out… Yeah, he could see why Arthur would consider this a quicker method.

A few seconds of blessed peace passed as Nick tried to gather his wits. His chest heaved, and his limbs spasmed. Slowly, he regained control, using telekinesis to pull himself up.

“Defend yourself, or you’ll have to spend another week in bed,” Arthur chuckled merrily.

snapped into place just before another reached Nick, and he was treated to the sight of a dozen arcs of lightning crackling across the sphere, searching for weak spots to reach him.

Warily, Nick sighed, “You couldn’t even give me a warning?”

“It would have been much less effective,” Arthur grinned evilly, and even more power built up around him.

Soon enough, Nick was forced to recognize that while his defensive spell was more than capable of defending against a single , that was only true as long as Arthur held back, because the hits started coming hard and fast.

Thus began a game of cat and mouse, with Nick increasing his speed using and gusts of wind while sustaining a constant around himself, as Arthur relentlessly pursued him, testing the strength of his defense and punishing any mistake.

That he was doing all of this without ever moving from his chosen spot, and merely by using , should have been humiliating, but Nick wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could stand up to a Prestige Class. Still, he refused to lay down and accept defeat, so he continued to increase the distance and speed of his dodges, even though he was still caught by crackling electricity more often than not. Every time that happened, however, he felt his instinctive understanding expand.

Yes, lightning was destructive and direct, but it was also relentless; it struck several senses at once and left its mark wherever it passed. Though Nick already had a loose understanding of the element, partly thanks to his practice with , he felt that even with just this much, he’d be able to produce a good of his own.

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Eventually, Arthur ceased his assault and motioned for him to return. Nick obliged with some hesitation, receiving a grin from the old man. “I applaud your vigilance, but you should come back.”

When he cautiously returned to his starting point, where the earth was charred a deep black from constant exposure, Arthur scratched his head and said, “I can see this isn’t working as well as I hoped.”

Nick made to explain that he was actually learning something, but he was stopped by a raised hand. “This is the method my teacher used with me, but I had no way to defend myself back then. The pain and humiliation forced me to grow quickly indeed, but I realize now that you aren’t the same as me.”

Uncertain whether it was an insult or praise, Nick chose to stare pointedly. Arthur grinned, indicating it was a bit of both. “I imagine you are confident that your lightning might be better now, but that is not the goal of this lesson. is a basic spell, yes, but it is also one that harnesses true lightning. It’s not the diluted electricity that comes with . It is raw and demands an iron will and deep understanding to wield as anything more than a double-edged sword.”

“Isn’t that something that requires an affinity? Advanced wind manipulation only became possible when I increased mine.” Nick asked, tilting his head. He was quite sure he could have cast even without it, but he would never have managed to transform it into what it currently was, much less use it as a foundation for his greater spells.

Arthur looked at him oddly for a moment before chuckling, “You really are a little monster, huh?” He continued before Nick could respond, “It’s simply a fact. I think you have a distorted understanding of affinities and how common they are.”

That made Nick stop. Nodding, Arthur gestured at the field behind them, where signs of their brief battle could be seen. “Most mages your age wouldn’t be able to do that, even with preparation. Some of this might be attributed to you being forced to grow and adapt inside the dungeon, but your father would have never taken you along if you weren’t already strong enough. And I know that you were skulking about, hiding from almost everyone with your magic shortly after your Class Ceremony.”

“Affinities are earned through a lifetime of dedication to the element. Achieving one takes years, and advancing it requires even more time. Unless you are willing to change your class and join a temple, people need to study and train for a long time before they can claim any mastery.”

“But I know at least two people who had an affinity from the start,” Nick said, thinking of Elia and Ingrid. While the first’s affinity for fire might be a racial trait, the latter had developed hers without any effort, at least according to her diary. Although Nick was often skeptical about such claims, he had studied it enough to know that wind magic truly came naturally to her.

“I’m not saying that prodigies don’t exist,” Arthur amended with a chuckle, “but they are just that: prodigies. It took me a month of training to develop my Lightning Affinity and a year to enhance it the first time.”

That was surprising. Nick had imagined that Arthur, being a Prestige Class, would have immediately demonstrated his potential, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“As I was saying, affinities are quite rare, and people usually have just one. Two, if they devote their lives to nurturing them. But finding someone who has pursued this path and achieved any success... Well, you might encounter one or two people like that in a city like Alluria, but no more.”

Nick pursed his lips. He hadn’t had much trouble with his Wind Affinity, but he was starting to realize having gotten his second one would set him apart from normality even more.

“You probably don’t want to spend years gaining the affinity, and even if you do it faster, it will take you a while to bring it up to par with your wind,” Arthur continued, “With that in mind, I should teach you in a manner that’s more suited to your needs.”

He then stomped his foot, causing two cylinders of packed earth to rise from the ground. He gestured towards the one closest to Nick, “Sit down; this will take a bit.”

Once Nick had done so, Arthur dramatically lifted his hand slowly, as if Nick was a deer he didn’t want to spook. “I’m going to summon again, but I won’t attack you.”

Nick rolled his eyes but still felt relieved. “Go ahead.”

Lightning bloomed once more around Arthur’s hand, though this time, it stayed there, forming a cage of electricity. “The first thing you should know about lightning magic is that it wants to go somewhere. After some time, you will be able to do as I do and have it follow a specific path. But you must aim far away from yourself during your first few attempts, as it can easily escape your control.”

Nick nodded, feeling as if he should be taking notes. Nonetheless, he gave the explanation his full attention, feeling almost hypnotized by the constant crackling.

“Lightning is a force of nature. You should never forget that. It is not something to be tamed; if you attempt to do so, you will only weaken yourself. It is like a fierce bear. You might be able to come to an understanding with it, but you will never be certain it is under your control. If you lower your guard, it will eat you.”

Nick tilted his head, remembering the battles he’d seen Arthur fight in. “You seemed very much in control to me. You even have a whole suit of armor made of lightning that you can cast whenever you need it.”

The old man pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is why you don’t take brats to the battlefield; they think they have seen everything.”

After a moment to compose himself, he continued, “What I wield is not tame lightning. My mastery over the element comes from the understanding we have with each other.” His eyes flashed with power, and for a moment, Nick was reminded just how dangerous this man was. It passed quickly, but the sensation didn’t fade entirely.

“That comes at a much higher level, however, and trying to muddle your head with it will only result in lesser outcomes. I can see that you are the type to twist and turn every word to gain understanding. Very well, we shall see if you have learned anything.” He gestured with a hand to the open field, dismissing his own spell.

Taking it as the challenge it was, Nick stood up.

Conjuring images of crackling electricity after being put through the wringer was not hard at all. Adding his mana to the mix and feeling its slightly different texture was surprising, but Nick had enough control that it did not escape his grip. Instead, he carefully gathered it around his right hand, lifting it as if he were shooting a .

The budding spell failed immediately, forcing him to reevaluate.

Feeling strangely as if he were interacting with a wild animal rather than an inanimate element, Nick made sure to keep his mana and mind free from any wind-related influence, even going so far as to disperse .

The memories of Arthur smashing a wyvern from the sky with his lightning sword, of watching thunderstorms roll by from the window of his childhood home, even of charging his appliances and watching a tiny spark dance the moment he plugged them into the socket all melded into one. His mana took shape almost on its own, guided by his instinctive understanding.

When he opened his eyes, Nick saw crackling power.

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“What the fuck?!” Arthur muttered.