That night, Rudeus sat cross-legged on his bed, circulating his magic throughout his body to gain a deep understanding of how it felt.
He thought it would greatly improve his control over his magic, so he had been doing it for many days.
When he first came to this world and drew on the magic inside him, he really could not believe it.
How could he describe that feeling?
It was like going through a chūnibyō phase as a child, imagining you had some mysterious power inside you and trying everything you could, feeling as though you might actually be able to bring something out.
But in other people's eyes, all you were really doing was clenching your fists and straining your body... nothing else.
But doing that in this world was completely different. Magic really did exist here!
No, perhaps that was not quite accurate.
He guessed that every world probably had something similar to magic, but because of the diversity of living beings, it simply went by different names in different worlds and places.
Living things changed in response to changes in their environment.
The higher the concentration of this magic-like substance (which he would provisionally call "magic" here), the more local creatures evolved organs that could make better use of it in order to adapt.
In worlds where the concentration was low, living creatures' ability to use this "magic" would gradually weaken or even disappear.
Suppose, for a moment, that the powers in every fictional setting actually came from the same substance.
For example, the so-called "spiritual energy" in cultivation worlds and the "magic" in magical worlds were actually the same thing.
Similarly, in the world of "Demon Slayer," the concentration of "magic" was clearly low.
Members of the Demon Slayer Corps could use their lungs to absorb the meager "magic" in the air and fight with it.
Some people were naturally gifted with greater lung capacity and could take in a little more in one breath, but their bodies, having spent years in a low-concentration environment, could not withstand the impact of a large amount of "magic."
In the end, their bodies were overburdened, something called a "Demon Slayer Mark" appeared on their foreheads, and they died young.
Another example was the existence of Chakra in the world of "Naruto."
Ninjas could train their Chakra and form hand seals to use ninjutsu. That was not so different from magic, was it?
So that was why the Ōtsutsuki Clan had never come to the Blue Planet to plant trees on Arbor Day.
It was because the Blue Planet did not have the "nutrients" they needed!
It all made sense now...
Like hell it did!
Those were all just his own subjective assumptions. He had never experienced any of it, so whatever the truth was, it did not matter...
And as he went on thinking...
Suddenly, a creaking sound came from upstairs-
Whenever that happened, his magic stopped flowing smoothly...
But he did feel like going to the bathroom now, so he might as well go...
...(There was nothing else he could do.)
Early the next morning.
After breakfast, Rudeus went out with Roxy as usual.
Unlike in the original story, he often left home with Roxy to have his magic lessons somewhere more spacious.
After all, he had not experienced those things himself, so he did not mind that aspect.
If anything, he thought practicing magic in an open space gave him more room to let loose.
Naturally, they traveled on Paul's beloved horse, Caravaggio.
For some reason, Caravaggio was very friendly toward Roxy.
Whenever Roxy wanted to ride him, he would offer a hoof as a step to help her mount.
He was such a fine, gentlemanly horse. No wonder Paul liked him so much.
Roxy leaned down slightly from the saddle and held out her hand for Rudeus to take. Once he did, she easily pulled him into her arms.
(...)
After a while, they finally arrived at the familiar spot.
Their magic lessons had now basically reached the intermediate level, though as far as Rudeus was concerned, he was only pretending to learn for appearances' sake.
Every time Roxy taught him a spell, she seemed full of accomplishment. Perhaps it was because Rudeus could put what he learned together so well.
Roxy's teaching process basically went like this...
First, she demonstrated the spell's effect, then explained the principles behind it. After that, Rudeus tried it out, and finally she gave him an assessment and advice.
And as he learned magic, he did not act as though he could master everything the moment he was taught.
Instead, under Roxy's instruction, he would practice each new spell two or three times, going through the stages from unfamiliarity to proficiency and then complete mastery to keep up appearances.
Generally, he took about half a day to completely master a beginner spell. For intermediate spells, he took up to three or four days, and for advanced spells... he planned to take around six days.
"All right, Rudeus, let's get down~ Today we're going to learn the intermediate spell Gust."
Roxy leaped down from the horse, then reached up and lifted her down.
"Is Gust a powerful spell, teacher?"
After Roxy lifted him down, Rudeus straightened his clothes slightly and asked.
Roxy smiled and answered:
"Gust itself isn't very powerful, but it's a wide-area spell for controlling the battlefield, and it can be remarkably effective when used with projectiles."
"For example, it can strengthen arrows or weaken enemy projectiles. In short, under the right circumstances, it's a very effective spell for both attack and defense~"
As she spoke, Roxy walked with her back to Rudeus toward the edge of the clearing and stopped:
"Now then, watch while I demonstrate it first!"
"Great spirit of the wind, heed my call and gather here. Become a gale that tears through all things."
"Roar! Gust!"
A fierce wind sprang up in an instant, roaring forth from Roxy's staff and sweeping across the clearing before her.
The gale raged, crushing the flowers and grass on the ground and bending them out of shape.
Sand and stones rose from the ground in a steady stream, then swept through the low shrubs ahead like blades, cutting them in half.
"A-amazing! That's so powerful!"
Rudeus was already exclaiming in amazement while the spell was still being cast.
This time, his admiration came from the heart. At first, he had not paid much attention to an intermediate spell.
But after seeing it and experiencing it firsthand, he found that a spell he had imagined would simply whip up a strong wind could have this much power. It really left him amazed.
It made him look forward to things all the more!
"All right, Rudeus, did you see that clearly?"
Roxy stopped the spell and stared at Rudeus as she asked.
"Your magic just now was so amazing, teacher! I was completely spellbound!"
Roxy turned her head slightly so Rudeus could not see her expression and said:
"Mm-hm-now it'll be your turn to try. Pay attention to how you direct your magic. The process has to be smooth, understand?"
"Yes, teacher, I'll be careful!"
Rudeus nodded and slowly walked to where Roxy had just stood. He took a deep breath, raised both hands, and recited the incantation he had just learned:
"Great spirit of the wind, heed my call and gather here. Become a gale that tears through all things. Roar! Gust!"
Whoosh-whoosh-
A fierce wind rose, a little weaker than the one before, blowing in gusts.
It too swept sand and stones toward the shrubs, though it was nowhere near as powerful as Roxy's spell.
The shrubs were battered to pieces, as though they had been struck by pellets.
Roxy looked at the mess and gave her assessment in an even tone:
"Hmm-for a first attempt, that was quite impressive."
As she spoke, Roxy bent down to examine the broken surfaces where the sand and stones had struck the shrubs:
"But your magic output still isn't even enough. There's plenty of room to improve your control."
"But if it's you, Rudeus... I'm sure you'll correct it soon enough~" Roxy stood up again and smiled at me.
They continued practicing a few more times afterward, Rudeus making a show of adjusting under Roxy's guidance until the noon sun hung high overhead.
"That's enough for now~ Rudeus, it's time to go home for lunch~"
Roxy called Rudeus over to mount the horse, and he trotted happily over to her.