Asfi took the letter and left, and Shaka was taken by Astraea to the backyard a place filled with many documents and books.
"This place contains information and notes from the children's past explorations. I think it would be better for Shaka to study a little here before starting his adventure."
Following the goddess's gaze, Shaka casually picked up a book. It contained a formula for making gunpowder, seemingly a manuscript by a dwarf elder born in a city of sinners. Then there were magical insights from senior mages and some knowledge about the application of magic.
"They even have maps of the dungeons."
"Yes, that's right." Astraea's eyes sparkled. "It's all thanks to the hard work of your seniors. Shaka, you should absorb all of this well. Don't let their efforts go to waste."
"Um."
Shaka nodded seriously.
To be honest, without these notes, Shaka might not even know how to cast magic or how to mobilize mental energy. Magic in the world of DanMachi cannot be successfully released simply by reciting incantations. Leaving aside extremely short chants and instantaneous types like Bell's, during long chants or even extremely long ones, if there's an accident in the use of mental energy, a massive explosion could occur. Perhaps because of the Falna, the chances of making a mistake have been greatly reduced, but such a possibility still exists. Therefore, parallel chanting is a required course for high-level magician and is considered a high-end skill.
It will be at least a week before Asfi sends the message back to Orario, so Shaka decides to use this week to absorb knowledge and complete his own ideas.
Just as he was preparing to make great strides, Shaka encountered his first problem in this new world.
"We can't let you eat and stay here for free!"
During lunch, Cecil uttered cruel words: "Under normal circumstances, as the 'leader,' I would naturally help you, as a 'member,' with this kind of assistance."
Cecil held up a finger and shook it: "But! We are enemies now! So I will not do anything that would aid the enemy!"
After saying that, her stern face softened slightly, and she added:
"At least, I won't help you until we've decided who's the winner! You have to find your own way to earn Falies, get lodging and food, and even get custom-made gear to go on adventures."
Seemingly ashamed, Cecil blushed and concluded, "In short, before you think about competing with me, worry about how to solve your food and clothing problems first!"
"If you are willing to surrender, I might be merciful and help you out."
Young lady, being arrogant and haughty is outdated... Shaka wasn't angry about this; it was perfectly natural, and that was the advantage of being a young girl. It's quite surprising that she actually considered covering all of his expenses after the competition was over.
However, a huge problem had arisen: Shaka was out of money. Of the 50,000 Falies obtained from Asfi, 10,000 were used for gathering information. The remaining 40,000 Falies were barely enough to acquire a set of basic adventurer equipment.
This wasn't Orario. In this swordsmith city full of blacksmiths, any weapon crafted by even a novice blacksmith was far from trash. There wouldn't be any equipment specifically sold to new adventurers blacksmiths here were obsessed with fame and skill, melting down defective products instead of selling them. The competition was fierce, so it was almost impossible to buy a set of cost-effective armor for 20,000 Falies. This directly blocked Shaka's route to hunting monsters.
But...
"I'm not in a rush to level up."
Shaka was waiting for the moment when Ryu became aware of his existence and provided a basic level of favorability. At that time, even if he was empty-handed, accepting small requests around the city shouldn't be difficult. Before that... he needed knowledge, and further exploration of Mystery.
Three days later...
Asfi departed to return to Orario, and Shaka went to say goodbye. When Hermes learned that Shaka had joined the Astraea Familia, he didn't show any disappointment instead, he handed Shaka a business card with a meaningful look.
"I suppose you're not one to settle for mediocrity, and you'll be heading to Orario sooner or later. Here, this is a business card from a caravan I know well. If you ever want to go to Orario, you can ask them for help."
Shaka took the business card, glanced at it, and then carefully put it away.
"Thank you so much."
"It's alright. Next time you come to Orario, remember to look for me. I'll take you to see some good stuff," Hermes said with a mysterious smile.
After seeing Asfi off, Shaka returned to the blacksmith's shop, where Astraea pulled him aside and warned:
"You declined Hermes' invitation. Although he's not doing anything now, he might play some pranks on you. So, be careful next time you run into him."
Shaka paused, then fell into thought. Indeed, it was somewhat impolite of him to leave Hermes and go straight to Astraea's place without saying hello. Thinking back to how Hermes tricked Bell,no one died, but it was sure to be annoying. He nodded: "I understand, I will be careful."
Astraea smiled: "Alright, let's continue. We should be able to test your magic today."
Yes, in just three days, Shaka had mastered the technique of converting spiritual energy into magic through chanting. That meant he could use magic now.
The two arrived at the backyard, which was Cecil's testing ground. Several wooden targets stood there, looking quite professional.
"Bring it on!"
Shaka closed his eyes, mobilized his mental energy, and gradually formed magic.
"The cornerstone of the world, the end of time and space, the dual destiny is inevitable. Shine, heroes of all realms, heed the call of the Descendant! Stars, gather here!"
As the chant ended, a space the size of a thumb appeared in front of him.
"So small!"
Shaka attempted to probe the portal with a rapier, instantly creating a gash in a distant target. He then moved left and right to test if the portal could cut through objects, but…
"Is that not possible? Magic itself is not offensive. Objects that touch the boundary become ethereal and can't have normal effects."
It was like he could aim the portal anywhere, but to hit the bullseye, he still had to be precise.
As Shaka mobilized more mental energy, the door suddenly expanded for a moment reaching three fingers wide before instantly disappearing. He was panting heavily. It only lasted a moment before giving out; I'm really weak.
Astraea analyzed from the side, "Based on your current mental strength, this is probably the limit. As your Magic attribute increases, the size and duration of the door will also improve."
Shaka nodded, and after resting for a while, said, "Then, let's proceed with the next experiment."
He placed a goblin's finger bone on the ground, then used melted magic stone solution, mithril shavings, and iron to inscribe a magic circle on the ground. With the blessing of Mystery, Shaka used this method to temporarily bestow "magic" upon the area.
Development Ability [Magic]: This allows a mage to create a corresponding magic circle beneath their feet, increasing the power of their magic. Shaka had only temporarily enhanced his magic's effect manually using his Mystery ability.
"I remember that Amid, the Battlefield Saintess, used Mystery to construct magic circles to boost healing magic she could even break down magic for other uses. It's like a position creation skill. Not only that, she assisted the gods in making elixirs without any [Harmony], truly taking Mystery to an extreme."
Having completed the magic circle, Shaka began to rely on Mystery to tamper with the magic incantations, changing the magic mode within a certain range.
"Plain silver and iron. The contract of earth and stone."
"The surging wind was blocked by the four walls."
"Block the gates of the abyss, descend from within the barrier."
A crimson beam of light shone from the magic circle on the ground, and the goblin finger bone already a dropped material underwent a dramatic change. A short, green-skinned figure appeared: the throwing goblin Shaka had defeated, resurrected as a summoned creature.
"It's a success."
Shaka's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he felt dizzy. After catching his breath, he commanded the goblin whose fighting prowess was virtually unchanged from when it was alive. Fifteen minutes later, the goblin vanished into specks of light, and the finger bone medium also disappeared.
"It's a miracle that the dead monster has been resurrected and is fighting alongside us."
"Hmm." Shaka glanced at Astraea and said, "I've completed another piece of my puzzle. Now I can try to move on to the next one."
"Another one?"
Even Astraea was taken aback. Using descent magic to summon a monster's true form from its materials was already quite terrifying with enough magic power and a black dragon's scale, Shaka could even summon the black dragon itself. But now he wanted to take it a step further.
"What are you up to?"
Shaka gave a mysterious look: "It will definitely surprise you."
After resting for a day, his mental energy was fully restored by evening. Under the moonlight, Shaka and Astraea returned to the open space, with Cecil watching nearby.
Shaka slowly approached the magic circle he had built and reached into his robes to pull out a medal with a sword and wings.
"That is…" Astraea's expression went blank: "The captain's badge that Alicia used to wear."
Seeing the goddess's shocked face, Shaka placed the badge in the center of the magic circle and began chanting:
"Be full. Be full. Be full."
...
"I am the one who brings about all good deeds in the world, and I am the one who punishes all evil. You are the guardian of the scales, bound by the three great incantations for seven days, coming from the Wheel of Restraint!"
A flash of crimson light passed by, and Shaka groaned as he fell to the ground.