2.4 - truth

Entering the small shop, I noticed there were hardly any items on the shelves. Silica walked up to the desk and rang the bell, causing silence to spread throughout the shop. This is the only magic shop around, and it barely has any magic items. Looks like I will have to go to a major city to find some items. “Sensei must be in the back. Let me go and get him," Silica disappeared into the back of the shop, leaving Kendra and me alone for the first time since we arrived.

"That woman was so mean to me, don't you think?" Kendra exclaimed. "Telling me to give up adventuring."

A smirk formed on my face as I replied, "Haha, no need to be so mad. She was only looking out for what she thought was best for you."

"I guess," muttering back, seemingly calmed by my response. In silence, I commented, "This town feels almost like a ghost town with only 26 adventurers.". What are we going to do in such a small town? It's going to be hard to settle down in such a small town.

After about five minutes, Silica returned, accompanied by an elderly man who appeared to be in his 70s. He carried a long wooden staff and looked like a typical old wizard; one would encounter in online games. However, the most noticeable thing about him was the two gold and 1 silver clip on his collar.

"Master, this is Mackenzie, the person I've been talking about," Silica introduced.

"I see, I see. He does seem to be a Nephilim, and you say he has greater magic than you. Impressive indeed. Do you wish to learn magic, son?"

I gulped before responding, "Yes, but how did you know I'm a Nephilim?"

The man pointed to the ring on my right hand and explained, "Only Nephilim have rings that appear on their hands after arriving in this world. Let's start with the basics. It seems I might have many students coming to see me thanks to you." With a smirk. He did the same thing Silica did. Must be well known that Nephilim has rings. But what exactly is a Nephilim I wonder.

The man loved to talk and went on and on, explaining that magic could be summoned in four main ways: through drawing by using circles and symbols; through chants by reciting specific words and phrases; through items, which release stored energy; and through instant magic, the most advanced type that takes the longest to master but is often the weakest due to the fast mana build-up. He walked behind the desk, opened a dusty box, and pulled out a wooden stick with a small clear gem inside. He tossed it to Silica.

"Now, Silica, demonstrate by drawing a magic circle," Silica caught the wand, and a nostalgic expression crossed her face. "Wow, this brings me back to when I first started using this wand," Stepping back, she held the wand parallel to her shoulders, and a red light emitted from it. In a matter of seconds, she drew a complex masterpiece of circles, pentagons, and symbols that floated in the air by swinging her arms in a circle. The magic circles disappeared, and a red flame suddenly ignited.

"Stop! Stop! Cancel the spell!" yelled the old man in a panic.

In a state of panic, Silica re-aimed the spell toward the open door through which she and the old man had entered earlier. A large blasting fireball materialized and shot through the doorway. Bang! The sound of wood crumbling and breaking echoed through the room.

"Ahhh!" Silica screamed. "Sorry, master. I put too much mana into the drawing, and it was too late to cancel it."

"If you weren't showing off to your new boyfriend, this wouldn't have happened. But oh well, what's done is done," the old man said in frustration. "That's what I get for letting you cast spells in the shop."

It was the first time I had seen President lose her cool and appear so frustrated and embarrassed. I had barely known her for two years and never heard or seen her so agitated. She has always been calm and prepared for anything whenever I see her.

"Well, now you know the gist of it. Miss Silica will teach you the magic diagrams as her punishment for breaking my back door. Once you can draw an attack magic diagram within three seconds and shoot a spell, you will be eligible to take the magical test," the old man explained.

Silica turned and handed me the wand, her face bright red from embarrassment, avoiding eye contact with me for the first time. "Let's head to the warrior guild next for Kendra. Follow me, I know a shortcut," Silica said.

We walked towards the back of the shop and encountered a massive hole that used to be a door. The door was barely hanging on its hinges, so we had to crouch to squeeze through the burnt opening quietly. Without exchanging any words, Kendra looked at me with a mischievous grin.

We noticed seven people engaged in training as we entered a square battle arena with a dirt base. Approaching the group of six men and one woman, I recognized five out of the seven individuals. However, the older gentleman, who was larger than Senpai Luke. Luke is the guy giving his speech during the student council speech. The one who called everyone maggots. seemed to be either a trainer or another adventurer. Ryota and Daiki approached me. Ryota and Daiki are part of the jock group.

"What was that attack that broke the wall?"

"That was Miss President's fireball," I replied.

“What? No way! So cool! Can you do it again?" Ryota asked excitedly.

Silica blushed with embarrassment and replied, "Maybe later."

Pointing to the lone girl among them, he continued, "Look here." Ryota and Daiki struggled to hold back their laughter.

"This girl is Steef."

Steef is the ginger in a class that often gets bullied for the way he acts and talks. The annoying one.

"What? No fucking way!" Kendra responded in disbelief. Everyone was shocked as Kendra swore, as they have never heard of swear. Kendra has always played the role of being very polite in public and rarely swears. making her reaction all the funnier for everyone to hear.

"Yes, it is," they replied, laughing even harder after hearing Kendra's reaction. "He must be a hermaphrodite."

"What's a hermaphrodite?" they questioned.

"It's a person that has both male and female reproductive parts," Kendra explained.

“He…uhm she must have transformed during the soul transfer into a girl, ” Silica mentioned “That could explain it.”

We continued talking among ourselves, expressing our excitement about being here and making a name for ourselves. Silica went to speak with Daichi, the unnamed instructor. Once they finished their conversation, we regrouped and prepared for training.

"This is Kendra. She wants to become a close combat fighter," Silica introduced Kendra to the instructor Daichi.

Kendra stepped forward taking a short bow, and the instructor examined her with a deep tone, staring deeply into her eyes and assessing her slender physique. He closely examined every inch of her body. His eyes and body were up and down scanning her. Waist 55 bust 8@. Before he could finish her measurements, Kendra swiftly smashed her fist into his face, causing blood to trickle from his nose.

"She is a fighter, all right," the instructor remarked, holding his bleeding nose. "And the most critical factor is her fist. Just by looking at it, you can tell she has been trained to strike without injuring her thumb and wrist. You see how she holds her thumb and clenches it into a fist. That’s a way not to break your thumb when punching someone. Give me ten days, Miss, and I can teach you any weapon skill you seek. Call me Daichi."

"I want to learn the art of the sword and shield," Kendra responded firmly, her voice carrying a hint of anger at the insult about her body.

"I understand. Go grab a sword and shield from over there, and we can start," the instructor instructed.

Kendra hurriedly ran off to gather a wooden training sword and a round wooden shield. Silica and I retreated to the other side of the yard, where chairs, a bench, and a table were set up. From there, we watched as Kendra swung her sword against the instructor, beginning her training. It was rather entertaining to watch her swing her sword. Looked like she was having fun.

For the first time, Silica and I were alone. After watching for a few minutes silica spoke "To begin our magic training, point the wand to where you want to write and try to channel energy into it, The best way to do it is to visualize the energy or mana as blood in your body, circulating and pushing it towards the wand."

I followed her guidance, pointing the wand and focusing my energy. After a few seconds, the wand began to emit a soft blue glow.

"Impressive," Silica said in her mind. "I can't believe he mastered that technique in only seconds. It took me a few days to grasp it."

"Next, drag your wand and maintain the glow where you started," Silica continued. I dragged the wand, but the glow where I started disappeared as I moved around leaving a screaking line of blue.

"You must maintain the flow of mana," Silica explained. "Think of it as a single connection and constantly keep adding mana. Soon, you'll be able to draw without moving the wand an inch. This wand is only a tool, and you'll soon no longer need it. Staff may be used to boost the effects, the stones have different attributes some amplifies the mana, and other increase its destructive power."

Shortly after, Steef and Sora approached us, seeking guidance with their wand techniques. They were still struggling to make their wands glow and wanted our assistance. Time started passing, and I observed Kendra progress from performing 100 swings to 100 strikes against a training dummy. After two hours, my hands and weary soul began to ache. Kendra's training session also came to an end, and we decided to grab some food.

We went to a restaurant recommended by Silica, but on our way there, we spotted a young lady covered in a familiar black, thin blanket that I recognized earlier today. We quickly recognized her as our teacher, Dr. Yuuki. our homeroom teacher! Silica and Kendra rushed over to her, providing her with a set of clothes and accompanying her to eat with us. We explained the situation and shared everything we knew about this world. She couldn't believe what had happened. Later, we returned to the temple and relaxed inside the hall of house Silicas.