Serie's Shock

With Serie's hands-on instruction, Rhode quickly got the hang of plant magic.

He cast a spell, controlling a finger-thick vine and slowly winding it around his hand before tightening it.

After gauging its approximate strength, he loosened the vine again.

Seeing Rhode master plant magic so quickly, Serie's expression turned a little unnatural.

That was far too fast.

She should have realized it sooner.

When she had met Rhode outside the Elf Forest, she should have realized it then.

Why had he been able to cast the Elf race's Light Magic merely by watching it?

Why had he been able to improve and even analyze Arrow Rain the first time he cast it?

Why did he face no obstacles whatsoever when learning magic?

There was only one answer.

This guy's magical talent far surpassed her own!

The tiny bit of pride she had just built up was instantly shattered without a trace, leaving their Little Ancestor unable to accept it for a moment.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Maybe this guy just happened to be good at Light Magic and plant magic. He would not be this efficient with other types of magic.

After barely convincing herself with that excuse, Serie put on an unconcerned expression. "Not bad. A little slower than I was back then."

"Can't be helped. I already tried my best." Naturally, Rhode had no idea their Little Ancestor was putting on a brave front. "By the way, does your elf plant magic have anything more useful? Something that promotes plant growth, for example?"

"How could it possibly have that!"

Rhode was a little dumbfounded. What kind of plant magic did not have Rapid Growth Magic?

That was downright heretical.

He had been hoping that after learning this skill, he would only need to carry some plant seeds every day. When the need arose, he could scatter a handful and solve all his food problems. Maybe the seeds produced by the rapidly grown plants could be used again next time.

An endless, self-sustaining supply.

And there would be no need to worry about genetic limitations. Magic was just that incredible.

Greatness needed no further explanation.

"But you could try creating it, couldn't you? That should be your specialty."

Serie said this in the tone of someone enjoying a show.

From the spells Rhode had created, she had inferred that he needed something to rely on when creating magic—or rather, a foundation.

Illumination magic and Arrow Rain had been based on her Light Magic, while starting a fire seemed to require some sort of medium.

In other words, this guy could not just have a sudden flash of inspiration one day and casually create a new spell. If he could, the laws of magic in this world would be thrown into chaos.

Faced with Serie's teasing, Rhode lowered his head and considered whether it was possible.

"You know, I really do want to give it a try."

"Uh..." Serie was dumbfounded. "You can really create it? Actually, we could find a chance to look for Druids. They have similar magic."

Druids possessed a special kind of plant seed. In battle, they could throw it onto the ground and pour mana into it, causing many vines to grow rapidly.

However, that was not truly magic that accelerated plant growth. It still had to rely on the seed's own properties, so there was still a certain gap between it and the magic Rhode wanted.

Besides, if Rhode really created Rapid Growth Magic with the Power of 'I Reckon,' Serie would be utterly shocked.

Because that would mean he possessed unimaginably terrifying potential.

Perhaps agreeing to his request for an adventure had been the best decision of her life.

"It's fine. I reckon the principles should be pretty similar. Even if they aren't, I should still be able to achieve the same effect. I'll give it a try."

In his previous life, there had been many ways to make plants grow quickly.

The slower methods involved using fertilizer, light, temperature, and other means of intervention.

The faster method was to directly use growth regulators.

Luckily, he understood the principles behind all of them. After all, he had once been a suffering science student in his previous life.

Rhode sat down cross-legged and took out a handful of seeds from his pocket.

These were seeds from edible plants he had collected along the way. He had originally planned to use them to make tea. After all, when traveling outside, no matter how bitter things got, he could not let his stomach suffer.

Flower tea, leaf tea, seed tea—rotating between them was what made a true afternoon tea.

"First," he muttered, "I need to speed up the seed cracking open."

Serie squatted beside him curiously, her golden hair hovering at just the right distance above the ground.

She watched Rhode bury the seeds in the soil and close his eyes as green mana began to flow around his fingertips.

"Accelerate cell division while regulating the seed's hormone levels."

Rhode muttered words Serie could not understand. The glow of mana slowly fell from his fingertips into the earth and seeped into the seeds.

Then, the seeds in the soil gave off a faint green glow, and a tender shoot emerged at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"What?!" Serie's eyes widened.

He actually did it!?

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Rhode's forehead, but a victorious smile curled his lips.

This kind of delicate mana control was no less demanding than adding mana to an attack that had already been released. It tested one's concentration immensely.

One slight mistake could destroy the seed's viability. Rhode had been prepared to fail, yet he had succeeded on his first try.

"Why aren't you continuing?"

Seeing that the seed had only sprouted and showed no sign of continuing to grow, Serie asked in confusion.

"It's nighttime. We have to wait until daytime to promote growth through photosynthesis."

"Photosynthesis?"

Serie tilted her cute little head. Since earlier, this man had kept muttering words she could not understand.

Cells, hormones, photosynthesis—she did not understand any of it!

Were these some kind of knowledge codes unique to humans?

"Uh, it means sunlight. Plants need light to grow. It's knowledge from my hometown," Rhode hurriedly explained.

In response, Serie extended a fair finger, and a tiny Illumination Technique appeared at her fingertip, its radiance exceptionally conspicuous in the night.

"Will this work?"

"No. For plants, that light is too intense."

The Illumination Technique created with magic was different from sunlight.

It was like the artificial sun of the Land of Light and Earth's sun. The former could make the entire Land of Light evolve, while the latter was just a big sun.

"But how exactly did you do it?"

Although he had not made the plant grow to the level she wanted to see, the mere fact that it had broken through the soil already left Serie utterly shocked.

She murmured, "Could it be that you can even create Druid magic from nothing?"

Rhode scratched his head. "Actually, the principle is simple. You just accelerate the division of plant cells and—"

Seeing Serie's blank look, he changed his wording. "Uh, you make the plant think it has already grown for many years."

Serie stared at him in disbelief, looking as though she thought he was treating her like an idiot.

Rhode spread his hands, indicating that was simply how it worked.

"That's too weird."

In the end, Serie forced out that complaint through clenched teeth.