“First of all, Third Rank magic is the most abundant and diverse among all magic ranks. There are so many types that just trying to count them is impossible.
Almost every kind of effect you can imagine exists among Third Rank spells.
There’s something else: unlike the previous two ranks, the time you’ll spend at Third Rank will certainly be far, far longer than the other two combined!
So, even if it takes a very long time before you reach B Rank, don’t get discouraged—that’s perfectly normal.”
After hearing Semilys’ advice, Hulim thought for a moment, then looked up and spoke slowly,
“… …Don’t worry, Semilys. I won’t let something like that happen.”
Semilys smiled, “Seeing you so confident, I almost feel my words were unnecessary. Good! In that case, there’s just one last thing about Third Rank magic—and it’s what you’ll need to learn next: Composite Magic!”
“Composite Magic?”
“What, you don’t know what Composite Magic is?”
“No, I know.”
Hulim shook her head.
Put simply, Composite Magic refers to special attribute magic formed from the fusion and mutation of multiple elemental properties. Only people with multiple attribute affinities can use this special type of magic. Because multi-attribute individuals are rare, Composite Magic is also seldom seen.
The more common types of Composite Magic are Ice Magic and Thunder Magic, formed by combining wind and water elements, and wind and fire elements, respectively.
Among multi-attribute magicians, these two kinds of Composite Magic are the most frequently seen, and the most developed.
As for rare types, the rarest of all is Nature Magic, which is composed of all four natural elements: wind, fire, water, and earth. The bar for use is so high that almost no one can achieve it. If not for records in ancient texts, people probably wouldn’t even know such Composite Magic exists.
Aside from its rarity, Composite Magic is also difficult to learn for another reason: the requirements are high.
To learn Composite Magic, you must be able to manipulate at least two types of elemental mana at the same time. Achieving this takes a very high level of mental power—typically at least C Rank.
In other words, although there are E Rank and D Rank Composite Magics, you can’t learn them until you’ve reached C Rank yourself.
“It’s just a bit surprising, since until now I’ve only focused on the seven main attribute magics, so I never really considered Composite Magic. Now that I think about it, I should be able to learn it too.”
“Heh heh~. ‘Should be able to’? In this world, isn’t there any magic you can’t use? Don’t waste such a rare talent! So, starting today, aside from the seven major attribute magics, you’re also going to study Composite Magic!”
“Oh no~. That means I’ll have a ton more to learn! Brace yourself, Hulim!”
“Mm!”
Hulim nodded firmly.
“Very good! Let’s begin the Third Rank magic lessons!”
“First, the very first one!”
“Since First and Second Rank magic both started with fire, the Third Rank will too. The choice is obvious—”
“——Great Fireball!”
As Semilys shouted, she thrust her right hand forward.
Whoosh!
A massive fireball appeared in midair and then shot at tremendous speed toward a distant stone wall.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed, and the entire stone wall was blasted to pieces.
Though it was still called a ‘fireball’, the power and speed were on a whole different level.
“Well? What do you think!”
Semilys crossed her arms and raised her chin.
“… …If you’re asking me what I think… …”
What was all that about, so suddenly?
Hulim looked at Semilys hesitantly.
“Um… wow, amazing?”
“Right? Pretty awesome, huh? You’ll need to pull that off, too!”
“Eh?”
Hulim’s smile froze.
“Don’t worry, I controlled the magic output. The power was about the same as a C Rank magician!”
“… …”
Hulim glanced at Semilys, then at the distant, ruined stone wall.
That’s… about the same?
What was the book’s description of Great Fireball again?
Definitely not this strong, right?
“Watch carefully—this is how you cast that spell!”
Semilys projected a magic circuit diagram in the air, then began explaining the spell incantation to Hulim.
As for the doubts swirling in Hulim’s mind, Semilys didn’t notice them at all.
Hulim, meanwhile, was quickly drawn in by all this and immersed herself in learning.
… …Time flew by.
Hulim’s life of training in the depths of the Magic Beast Forest had begun. There was one thing she’d unfortunately predicted correctly from the start: Semilys really did mean to include wilderness survival training.
Besides magic practice, she had to spend time every day adapting to life outdoors—safe camp setup, identifying herbs, recognizing edible plants, spotting poisonous insects… Of course, she also saw all sorts of bizarre Simrilian creatures and dangerous magical beasts with her own eyes.
Hulim once asked Semilys,
“Why are we doing all this training?”
“You’ll need it someday… Ah, you just added too much of that herb! If you go overboard, it’ll have a completely different effect.”
Semilys brushed her off, never giving a real reason.
Why was she so sure the day would come to use all these skills? Didn’t she ever consider that in the future, I might join a big Official Organization, sit safely in an office reading books and reviewing documents, and never even leave the building?
Oh, and I also learned some basic potion recipes.
Potions that cause drowsiness, paralysis—these don’t really seem meant for dealing with magical beasts… …
Although there were all kinds of questions, there were also things that felt rewarding.
For example, now she was basically used to ultra-high-speed flights back and forth every day.
At least, she didn’t scream in fright anymore… …
On top of that, her magical studies progressed at an astonishing pace. It was different from Second Rank; back then, Semilys focused more on her mana growth. Only when her mana reached D+ level did she start teaching Second Rank spells.
Now, it was the opposite. Mana growth had become secondary; the priority was learning as many spells and skills as possible.
When Hulim asked Semilys about this, she explained that after reaching C Rank, mana growth slows down significantly. There’s no need to worry about it too much; rather than wasting time on that, it’s better to master as much knowledge as you can.
So that’s how it is. Hulim recalled Semilys saying from the beginning that C Rank would be a very long stage.
She accepted the explanation. Although Third Rank spells now consumed a lot of mana and couldn’t be practiced excessively, Composite Magic was also on the agenda. Practicing low-level Composite Magic didn’t really shorten her training time.
However, there was just so much to learn, it was a bit overwhelming.
Often, after coming home, she’d still have to spend a lot of time practicing in her room to keep up with Semilys’ teaching pace.
These days, Hulim was busier than ever before; her life was packed to the brim with tasks.
Every morning she’d get up at dawn to practice swordsmanship, rush to school just in time, then hurry out of town after class, only to be whisked off by Semilys to train deep in the Magic Beast Forest.
After training and returning home, she’d spend her evenings reviewing everything Semilys had taught her.
The packed daily schedule made Hulim lose track of time.
By the time she realized it, she had already mastered a truly astonishing number of spells.
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