At dusk, using his night watch as an excuse, Rhode came alone to a spot not far from the camp.
Standing beneath the moonlight, he carefully sensed the changes in his body.
His vitality had always been abundant, so even if it increased, it was difficult to notice. Fortunately, he had prepared for this long ago.
A Magic Circle formed. Using this improved version of Detection Magic, Rhode began observing the changes inside his body.
"So it really worked?" Rhode murmured, his tone carrying an indescribably complicated emotion.
He recalled what Serie had once told him.
There was a special kind of Monster capable of seizing the magic power of other races and making it its own, somewhat like the Star Absorption Technique from martial arts novels.
That had led him to a question: could other things be seized as well?
Such as lifespan.
He began with the most basic experiment, transferring the life force of a healthy blade of grass to a withered one beside it.
Rhode had been extremely discreet; even Serie had failed to notice.
There were always times during an adventure when he was alone. Whether hunting or scouting the way ahead, he had plenty of opportunities to secretly conduct his experiments.
He was also fortunate that magic in Frieren's world was a power of the mind—or rather, of imagination. With imagination and his own talent for creation, he could develop magic like this.
After many experiments, Rhode had shifted his test subjects from plants to animals. Today, he had even acted on a sudden impulse and used this magic on Erik.
Because the contact had only been brief, Erik merely showed signs of depleted vitality and would not suffer any serious effects.
Yet this already indirectly proved that his magic was viable.
However, it also