Chapter 18: Rai's free trial tutorial

"Alright," Rai said, crossing his arms, "do the fireball again."

Lylia blinked. "Huh? Why?"

"Just do it," he replied with a grin. "I wanna see that painful-to-watch fireball again."

"Wahhh, if you’re just gonna make fun of me then no thanks! I’m not obligated to perform for your entertainment!" she snapped.

"You sure?" Rai raised a brow. "Fine then. I was thinking of judging your spell so I could give you some advice… but since you don’t want to, I guess there’s nothing I can do."

Lylia’s eyes sparkled instantly. "Wait, you’re going to teach me magic?”"

"Ahaha, I didn’t say anything like that," Rai replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Your fireball was just… too pitiful to ignore. So I've decided to help you with that."

"Guh," she groaned, clutching her staff in embarrassment. "Well, fair enough." Then, looking up with hopeful eyes, she asked, "So… I’m going to be your disciple?"

"No, girl," Rai said flatly. "I don’t take disciples, no matter how much you beg me."

Lylia’s expression dropped. “E-even if I do 'this'?"she said with exaggerated pitiful eyes. "I’m just a poor girl who wants to be more magical! To become the most magical, I need the guidance of Sir Rai, the greatest!"

Rai placed a hand on his chin, pretending to think. "Hmm… hmm…"

Then, with a sharp clap, he said, "No."

Lylia deflated. "…You’re so heartless."

Still, she lifted her staff. "Fine, but don’t laugh this time, alright?"

She took a deep breath and chanted,

"O radiant heat of the crimson blaze, gather in my palm, spiral forth, and ignite the path before me!"

Just like before, her fireball fizzled midair before even touching the ground. She was left panting, her face red from exhaustion.

Rai stared silently for a second. "It really is… fascinating-"

But before he could finish, laughter burst out of him.

"Oy!" she snapped, glaring.

He tried to suppress it, clearing his throat. "Ahem! Anyway. From what I can see, you wouldn’t even survive against a slime at this rate."

Lylia laughed awkwardly. "Hehe… yeah, I uh… know that." She still remembered how she got bullied by one yesterday.

Rai tilted his head. "Is this your first time using magic or what?"

She gave her default excuse. She already started it, might as well be consistent. "... well, yeah. I lived in the mountains, y’know. Not a lot of people to teach me there."

"Oh, is that so?" he said aloud, but inwardly thought, 'What a load of crap. Only idiots would buy that. But hey, not my business.'

"Alright," Rai said at last, "try agai. However, this time, keep your eyes open."

"Ehehe, honestly, I still don’t know how to do that. I can’t see mana with my eyes yet," she admitted.

Rai rubbed his chin. "I figured as much. You really are a complete beginner." He sighed dramatically. "Still, just do as I say. Inhale deeply, as if you’re gathering the flame itself in your lungs, feeling its weight, its pulse! Let it spiral from your core to your hand, and then, release!"

Lylia blinked. "Wow, dramatic much. But alright…"

She obeyed without much thought. As she chanted again, she felt that same cooling in her chest, the slow pull of energy to her palm. 'This... will actually work?' she thought.

Then, she saw it. A faint, blue, scentless fog escaped her lips, swirling toward the tip of her staff. It circled, condensed, and there, a spark. A red orb the size of a tennis ball. It shot forward and hit the ground.

"So that's how it actually looks like..." She stared, mouth open. "…It actually touched the ground."

Rai smirked. "What do you think? Still hilarious though. But hey! at least it didn’t fizzle midair this time."

Lylia didn’t respond. 'Why didn’t the book tell me I could do that? Don’t tell me… God, are you a bad teacher?' she thought impulsively.

Immediately, she panicked, shaking her head and pressing her palms together. "I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean that!" she whispered to the sky.

Rai blinked. "...What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

He sighed and continued, "Anyway, that’s not an efficient method. It’s good for learning mana flow, but not for actual casting. Since you can’t see mana yet, using this you can’t tell how much you’ve gathered. Sometimes your spell will be weak, sometimes just right, and sometimes, it’ll turn into a forbidden explosion."

"Ehhhhh," Lylia groaned. "That sounds way too random."

"Which is why," Rai said, lifting a finger, "you need to awaken your mana eye."

"Mana eye?"

"Yep. It’s a state where you can actually see mana. And yes," he said, smirking, "you do it with your eyes open."

"Ohhh," she said, nodding like a student.

"Downside is, it’s pretty distracting," he continued. "You don’t want to walk around seeing glowing blue orbs everywhere, right? Anyway, when your Mana Eye is active, your eyes will glow blue. It's like blue flames in your pupils."

"Mhm, mhm," she nodded eagerly.

"Unfortunately," he added, gesturing to himself, "I can’t really demonstrate it. This body’s just a mech powered by a mana core. Not a real one. Though I don't expect common people to understand such terminology so in one way or another, they are clones."

Lylia tilted her head. "So you’re a mech, huh? Like… just a puppet."

"Oh? You actually get it." Rai said, impressed.

Lylia gave a sly grin. "Then surely, you get a lot of compliments that you’re hot, right? Such a high-quality body…" She glanced down playfully. "So, do you have a rod down there too?"

Rai froze, eyes narrowing. "...Hold it. What are you thinking, girl?"

She burst out laughing while waving both hands. "Ahahaha! I’m kidding! I’m kidding!"

He stepped closer, his expression shifting into something teasing, predatory. "I’m not really into young girls, but… you’re pretty cute. Are you provoking me?"

Lylia smiled awkwardly, stepping back. "Eh-heh… umm… I-I was just kidding, man, okay? Not ready! Wahhh!"

Rai laughed loudly. "AHAHAHA! You’re brave when teasing, but when it’s turned back on you, you’re surprisingly a coward!"

She scratched her head, laughing weakly along. "Hehe… yeah, yeah…"

'That was close' she thought. 'But honestly, since he’s not really a person, I guess I wouldn’t mind if my first ‘that’ was with him. One of the experiences of being a girl, I guess… or wait, if he's technically not human, it should not count? Yeah, it should be the same as using toys.'

"Anyway," she said out loud, quickly changing the subject, "how do you do that mana eye thing?"

Rai rubbed his chin again. "Hmm. That’ll take a while to teach. Maybe next time." He looked up at the sky, then stepped back slowly. "I need to return now."

"Ehh? So soon?"

"Aww, you gonna miss me?" he teased. "Just visit my shop! I’ll give you a special discount just for you. My items are leagues above your shabby equipment. Aren’t I generous?"

Lylia’s eyes sparkled. "Really? Discount?"

"Mark my words!" he said, flashing a peace sign. Electricity crackled across his form, and with a grin, he added, "So long!"

Then, he vanished into thin air like a flickering ghost.

Lylia blinked, awe-struck. "Another damn sick move I wanna learn..."

After a few seconds, she muttered to herself, "Wait… how did he even know I was an all-rounder? His connections must be crazy. Huh. Does he even know my name though? Well… if he knows that much, probably."

She let out a sigh, gripping her staff again.

"Whatever," she said, eyes lighting up with determination. "Time to do magic again."