After a few hours of training, I realized that the recovery time was increasing along with the level of my magics and my magic power.
In the beginning, five minutes was enough to recover, and every time I cast a magic, it leveled up almost instantly.
But as the level of my magic increased, the consumption of magic power also grew. Even though I could use weaker versions, that didn't help much with my progress: they only evolved when cast at their maximum potency or when I repeated the weaker version many times in a row.
Moreover, the increase in consumption doesn't follow a proportional pattern. To recover a magic that grants me just one point of magical power, I spent five minutes; but as my level went up, I started needing much more magic power to evolve, which made the recovery time extremely longer. For example, to gain two levels in the future, I'll need to recover my magic power for about ten hours, due to the amount required to evolve it.
And this is just the beginning. Soon, the weaker versions of my magics will stop giving me any level. Therefore, it's not enough to just spam magic non-stop; it will be necessary to concentrate on one spell for a while to consume a large amount of magic power at once. The only exception to this rule are the magics that become stronger the more power is used.
Therefore, reaching the average magic power of this world will take a very long time. Still, giving up is not an option; after all, I don't even know if there's a way back to my world, and I don't want to live as someone weak in this place.
— This is the difference between someone who just arrived and those who have been living here for years… — I murmured to myself.
I looked at the grass in front of me, untouched, exactly as it was at the beginning of my training. The [Connection] magic had no effect on it whatsoever, which made me believe that perhaps it wasn't the ability used by the carnivorous plant.
— But if that's not the purpose of this magic… what is it for, after all?
With that doubt hammering in my mind, I took a deep breath and decided to check my progress.
— Open Panel.
[Name]: Rafael
[Race]: Human
[Level]: 4
[Magic Power]: 50
[Skills][...]
[Magic]
[Connection]: 16
[Protective Membrane]: 17
[Remembrance]: 16
— Ah, if this leveling speed could last forever… — I murmured, remembering I had skipped lunch, but would soon need to go get dinner. — How long have I been here? About 7 hours? And that's because I spent a good amount of time activating and maintaining the magics.
I stood up with difficulty, feeling my body sore from sitting for so long. While stretching, I took the opportunity to activate [Protective Membrane] again and saw a thin, shiny layer form on my arm. It could now stay on for a little longer, and its resistance was enough to offer me some protection.
Then, I used [Remembrance], a skill that had been storing information in my mind. As its level increased, the duration of my photographic memory also grew; currently, I can keep vivid details for a few hours.
— It's not bad… but it's still a magic that's only useful in very specific situations.
I looked around and noticed there was no one nearby, as if the place were truly abandoned.
— Should I go ask for food? — I thought, glancing at the church just ahead.
Usually, the orphanage connected to the church handles this, so I was in doubt whether to go to the church or head straight for the orphanage.
— You know what? I'd better visit the orphanage. The church people seemed too busy.
Following a stone path beside the church, I came across a relatively large house, probably built to shelter all the orphaned children.
The orphanage isn't very far from the church, surrounded by a low wall of old moss-covered stones. Its structure was simple, made of reinforced wood with thick beams and some stone walls, but time had already left visible marks: the windows were peeling, the paint was gone from almost the entire facade, and the roof creaked at the slightest breeze.
Despite this, there were signs of care. A small garden with wildflowers grew at the entrance, and a makeshift wooden fence separated the vegetable garden cultivated by the nuns and children themselves. The smell of freshly baked bread escaped from the cracks in the chimney, mixed with the soft aroma of medicinal herbs drying in the sun.
Arriving at a double door that was open, I saw some children playing while an elderly woman was taking care of them. As I watched, I was noticed by the woman herself, who approached carrying a child in her arms.
— Good afternoon, what brings you to the orphanage? — she asked with a gentle smile.
— Good afternoon… I just want to know about dinner — I replied.
— Dinner? Ah, you're the person who sought shelter at the church! I see your arm really is broken — she said, glancing at my bandaged arm. — I'll get you some bread and water; just a moment.
— Thank you.
Shortly after, the woman went to the kitchen, probably to ask someone to bring the food. Meanwhile, I continued to watch the orphanage and the children who lived there. Some were very small, about two years old, but others seemed to be around fourteen or a little older.
— Or maybe they just look that age and are younger… — I thought, noticing a girl focused on a book in the distance.
I had no idea what the maximum age was to stay at the orphanage, but it probably didn't go past fifteen, the age at which one can enter high school. Perhaps that was the true purpose of the place: to give children enough education so they could enter a good school and then make their own way.
— Well, setting that aside… do you need something? — I asked a young girl who had stopped right in front of me.
She seemed to be one of the older ones, and for some reason, she was staring intently at my arm.
Her appearance had a slightly somber but delicate air. Her face was expressionless, framed by long black hair that fell like a curtain. Her eyes, a deep pink, almost violet , transmitted a strange sense of distance. She was shorter than me, maybe around 1,55m, and wore a simple dark-blue dress.
Without saying a word, she extended her hand towards my arm, but I immediately recoiled.
— Could you not touch it? It's still quite sore.
The girl blinked slightly, as if thinking about something, and then murmured in a low voice:
— Can I… see?
— Little girl, I don't even know you. Why would I let you see? — I replied, still protecting my arm.
— I can… heal.
— Hmm? Are you a novice or something?
The girl shook her head, denying it.
— If you're not a novice, how will you heal me? — I asked, even more interested in this little somber girl.
— I have… a magic…
— Hey, Estela, what are you doing?! Get back to work! — said the woman who was coming with my bread and water. — Sorry for the delay, here's your dinner. You can go now.
— Right… Thank you — I said, turning to leave.
Just by the tone she used and the way the girl was called, I could tell it was better not to mention her and to look for another opportunity when possible.
— But still… someone who can heal without being from the church… Interesting.
Even in the novel, the characters who used healing spells were all connected to the church. The only exception was the hero, but he was an overpowered case from the start.
— What's going on today? Everyone's working so hard…
With that thought, I returned to my shelter to have my bread and water for dinner.
— I want meat…
As I mused, I lay down on the bed and looked at the worn-out ceiling, noticing that my magic power had already recovered a while ago. I decided to go back to training. But before that, I started to consider how I could use my magics, as I felt that two of them could be used in a better way.
— [Connection] and [Remembrance]… No, wait, maybe I was wrong from the beginning? — I thought, remembering an important detail.
Even though the skills and magics were different, one costing magical power and the other not, maybe they both shared the same principle.
— That is, the better I understand the magic, the better I can use it… That explains why I couldn't use [Connection] correctly: I always tried to use the spell without thinking deeply about it.
Observing the magic again, I first focused on [Connection], a spell that should connect me with something. If that's the case, maybe the carnivorous plant connected to other plants and, by being a plant itself, managed to control them.
— And if that's the case, then I'll never be able to use this ability in the same way…
Going back to the principle of [Connection], maybe I can connect to objects or even create a connection with someone.
— But, if that were the case, I should have felt something when I tried on the plants… Unless the connection is one-way?
If the plant could feel me or hear my thoughts, I would never notice it. And, therefore, this spell would be like a transmitter.
— Connect to someone and pass information to them… That could be interesting in the future.
I haven't tested it yet, but maybe it's possible to pass information in the middle of a fight to people in my group.
— Now, [Remembrance]… Nothing comes to mind besides remembering the past, but its effect is something like a photographic memory… Am I missing something?
I thought about this spell a little more until my thoughts returned to a certain principle.
— If this follows the five senses, then I should be able to record not just the image, but everything I hear, feel, and see, in addition to my own speech.
Upon realizing the true purpose of [Remembrance], a certain idea came to mind, something that the combination of the two spells could result in.
— It wouldn't be possible… right? — I murmured, before letting out a shout while using [Remembrance] — AAHH!
After that, I could perfectly remember my scream, as if I had screamed in my own ear.
— Right, that worked, now… [Connection].
When I used the spell, my body lost all its strength, probably using much more magical power than I had. A huge exhaustion hit me, forcing me to fall asleep.
But before closing my eyes, a slight smile formed on my face as I thought.
— I sent my voice to the planet's core… I wonder if anyone will hear it?
That was my theory: I could become a radio host or even a streamer in the future.
As I closed my eyes, I felt like I heard a girl's scream in the distance.
[To be continued…]
[???]:
— This leveling system is too complex, why don't you make it simpler?
[+++]:
— Why would I do that? It's been like this for so long.
[???]:
— And it's been confusing for just as long…