The basic conduit of reality is mana, and it has been used for almost everything. It makes the life of humans better by a wide margin as jobs such as bulldozers can be handed to humans instead of relying to machines, it applies to other jobs as well. Out of all the amazing capabilities of magic, the most basic and common ability is to simply strengthen oneself.
"Once we return, I'll teach you a new spell for body strengthening."
Michael was moving with superhuman speeds along with the other magic users of the junkyard.
"Hmmm why? Is it defective?"
"No, but it doesn't have a next level unlike the solar and void manipulation spells. When you're mana pool is larger, it'll be extremely inefficient to keep using this spell."
Michael nods as his senses sharpens, while his body is filled with his measly mana. Despite the small amount of mana, his purity makes up for the majority of his power.
Michael reaches the large open area where the ships are dropping their load. Some people were already there, and all of them were magic users. The first to come were always magic users, after all non-magic users are fearful of the power of magic users. Even the weakest magic user can enhance their strength to the extent that they can contest with body builders, without sacrificing speed.
A minute hasn't even passed and magic users are already battling it out in the large area. Most of them are using basic level magic and some of them are using simple body enhancing magic. In another area, a lot of junk is untouched, and the majority of the scavengers is ignoring that area.
"That area is empty. We should go there." Demiurge points at the empty area.
Michael shakes his head. "Take a careful look."
After taking a closer look, Demiurge sees three figures moving in the area.
Michael chuckles as he notices them as well. The 3 strongest magic users in the trash district. Even the weakest student in the noble circle is stronger than these 3, but these 3 are just like Michael, ruthless and unforgiving.
Michael remembers them very well, these 3 were some of his most infamous clients. They all had grand titles, that they decided to give themselves. 'Pretentious if you ask me'
"Apparently you call yourself the master tinkerer?" Demiurge commented after sifting through some of Michael's memories.
"..."
Michael couldn't forget these 3, other than Jordan, they had the gall to threaten him into giving them free items. He didn't give in to their threats, but Eric was the most annoying out of the three. He had to endure the pain of electricity for 2 days straight. Lisa only threatened Michael to show him she wasn't someone to be taken lightly, but in the end they talked about a fair price. Jordan properly asked him for items without even threatening him, and when Michael increased the price by 50% and Jordan simply agreed. Michael felt guilty about that so he reduced the price by 60% and sold it to Jordan.
Eric 'the lightning thief', uses the low level magic 'lightning arc' and while it is low magic, compared to the other trash that inhabit the district, he produces shocking results.
Lisa 'the soundplosion', uses the low level magic 'sound blast', compared to other low level offensive magic, 'sound blast' lacks offensive power, but Lisa's fighting style makes it one dangerous spell.
Jordan 'the stone monk', uses the low level body magic 'stone body', and while he doesn't use any powerful offensive magic, his nigh-impervious skin combined with his body enhancing magic, is enough to defeat anyone in the district.
"Hmmm they're using such low class spells, yet they managed to push back the majority of the district? I fail to see, how the human race could've defeaten the demon race."
"You mean your race?"
"Yes, I mean my race."
Michael chuckles as he charges headfirst into the battlefield, following behind him were the weak magic users and the pitiful non magic users.
Immediately people see him and some of them charge to attack him. Michael is famous for his inept talent and pitiful mana pool, so people see him as an easy target, but right now Michael was smiling, after all he wanted revenge.
"Michael! Finally, you show your ugly mug!" an ugly thin man charges Michael, his hand glowing with the heat of fire.
Michael wasn't stupid, when he knew he couldn't win, he would run. But right now, he knew the clear difference between trash like this and the current him. He hasn't mastered the spells given to him, not by a long shot, but right now his strength was larger than the trash in front of him.
Michael charged the man with his hand outstretched forward. With magically enhanced speed, Michael charged with his fist. The man smiles and immediately releases a small frontal blast of fire. Michael releases the smallest blast of ice possible. The fire was hot and large compared to the small bit of ice Michael released.
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"You're dead!" The man screamed at Michael for the stupidity of attacking him. The moment the ice and fire connected, all the fire died, as if the ice sucked everything in. The ice made contact with the shocked man, freezing his entire hand all the way up to his arm.
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!"
Michael replied by raising his magically enhanced foot and kicking the man straight on the chest, sending him flying. While power is the rule of the current era, killing is still a crime, and Michael would rather not have any loose ends.
The weaker ones immediately back away in fear, but some of the brave scavengers meet him head on.
Michael catches the wrist of a man punching him and he twists it, then proceeds to throw him towards the other scavengers. Another one puches Michael, but Michael ducks backwards while his other foot immediately rises kicking the man's face with magical enhanced force, knocking him out cold.
"You seem well-versed in martial arts, yet you have no memories about training, unless it's part of the forbidden part of your memories."
"Yes, yes, I was taught when I was younger. It was krav maga, judo, and boxing." Michael countered another enemy and twists their arms that are too painful to be described.
An enemy casts a fire spell similar to the one earlier, but Michael coats his hand with his ice, blocking it, to the surprise of the everyone near them. Ice was a counter to fire, but not something this radical. Michael only coated his hand with a thin sheet of ice and he used that to douse a thick gout of fire.
While countering the dangerous enemies around him, Michael noticed that most of them are not carrying magical weapons or any doodads that'll help them. 'Weird, none of them have anything to boost their combat strength.'
"They're all attacking you with abandon. They have a different motive."
'I can see that, but why?'
"I don't know." Another poor victim attacks Michael, but he's immediately countered and knocked out.
Michael finds an opening and he bursts through, leaving the others alone. 'I want to beat the shit out of all of them, but I doubt I'll be able to last. I won't have time to find any treasures.'
"A sensible choice. I think the reason for their attack is because of that." Demiurge points a garbage pile in the distance. On top of it, is a young boy, probably around 13 years old, looking around from the higher position.
'I haven't seen that boy before, who's that?'
Michael immediately charged the young boy. The young boy sees Michael charging at him, and suddenly five other men block his path.
*Slash*
Michael backs away at the last moment, as an extremely fast movement almost beheads him. One of the men blocking him is wielding a sword, engraved with magical runes and enhanced by magical circuits. Michael recognized them; he knew how to create basic weapons like these easily.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a weapon right now. Michael noticed that he was surrounded. The young boy dropped down from the pile of trash and spoke.
"You're the master tinkerer, correct?" The teenager had an intelligent voice, borne from constant speaking and honing. 'This child was either a young genius or a good speaker, considering everything, probably both.'
Demiurge chuckled a little at Michael's proclaimed title.
Michael furrowed his eyebrows. 'I had that title when I was 16, I was in a phase okay.'
"I don't take that title anymore." The teenager stares at Michael with serious eyes.
"My father recently moved here, and his first order is that everyone here will submit to him, or die."
Michael looks at the empty area far away from him, noticing the trio magic user.
"What about those three?"
"They... are currently being convinced." Michael notices that some of the men guarding the children have wounds, such as lightning marks, black bruises, and bleeding ears.
"Well, it seems those three said no. I'll have to say no, as well."
"My father will be able to support you, young talents."
"I'm 20, I'm too old to be considered a talent."
"Those three over there is different though, they're all below 17 years old."
The young man frowns.
"All talents... and if they refuse, die but... if you offer tribute, my father might let you go. The magical items you created, that we confiscated, were of top quality."
"You mean steal?" ice starts to form behind Michael's hand.
"Yes, the weak will perish, while the strong will survive."
"This teenager has talent." Demiurge commented.
'What? How can you tell?'
"His mana pool is relatively large, be careful."
'Why is someone like him, here?'
"I wouldn't know, humans tend to have the weirdest ideas."
Michael was about to reply but the young kid cut their discussion.
"I dislike being ignored, do you join or no-"
"No" Michael smiles brightly. Maybe a few days ago, he would've joined but right now, he's backed by an ancient being and being held down would not be something Demiurge would like.
"Thank you for the consideration." Demiurge says, as if knowing this would be Michael's choice.
"I see... kill him."
Michael's eyes go sharp and he immediately creates a huge cloud of icy fog. The child's order reverebrate through the area, and the men scatter. When the fog disappears, and only the child's close guards are there, the child sighs.
"Who of these people have your companion?" The child speaks to himself.
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"My deity Paragon, these people are persistent." Michael was hiding behind a large pile of worthless junk, gasping for air. "I really can't continue casting spells over and over. That fog cloud almost depleted my mana, thankfully there was enough to strengthen my body for the escape."
"Try not to mention his name, he hears it. It's mostly because you have really shitty talent. You're 20 and yet your mana pool is so small, despite your near perfect meditation style. The child earlier had a mana impurity of 28%, which means he doesn't have a meditation style as good as yours but his mana pool was at least four times larger than yours."
"Yes yes, but criticizing me won't change anything. Maybe I shouldn't have come here." Michael calms himself and focuses on regenerating his mana. "But it is nice to know, that my new spells is monumentally stronger than my past spells."
"Someone is here." Michael immediately jumps forward and rolls away as his last position was suddenly bombarded by arcing lighting.
A cocky and annoying voice sounds from atop the disgusting junk. A young man walks atop of it as lightning swivels around his hands. His green eyes, brown hair and relatively above average clothing, shows that he's quite a big shot in these areas.
"Hey Michael... you're in my spot."
Michael narrows his eyes. 'I haven't regenerated my mana.'
"Hi Eric, nice to meet you again."
Eric chuckles as lightning jumps from his back, heading straight towards Michael.
Michael immediately drives his measly mana into his body, speeding him up, and then immediately dodges.
"Hmmm, eight times your mana pool and can cast low level magic with ease, all at the young age of 14. A little arrogant but can be curved by a show of true power and if it becomes too annoying, a few drops of nightmare fuel will calm him down." Demiurge was talking to himself, while studying Eric's capabilities.
'Hey, do you mind not fantasizing about my death so you can find a better host, will you try to help me prevent my death!' Michael screams at Demiurge while constantly dodging Eric's barrage of arcing lightning. 'Fuck... Even with my pure mana, I can't make my body strong enough to survive one lightning bolt.' Michael shivers, as he remembers the last time when Eric shocked his body with a weakened 'lightning arc', it took him two days to get rid of the pain.
"Hey! Killing is illegal!' Michael screams at Eric futilely, as Eric continues to barrage him with arcing lightning.
Michael dodges another bolt of lightning as he hits a solid figure.
"Ahh..." Michael immediately notices his mistake and he rolls forward dodging the lightning by the smallest of margin.
A scream resounds as Michael sees what was hit. A tall muscular man with an air of like a monk turns around to face Eric.
"ERIC!" Eric shudders in surprise as a huge monk with a monstrous body stares at him.
"Jordan that was an accident, get over it." Jordan 'the stone monk', stares at Eric angrily. Michael is in between the two monsters, so he immediately moves but Eric shoots another lightning bolt preventing his escape.
"How dare you! I am a reasonable person! but I will not be pushed around so easily!" Jordan's body suddenly becomes gray in color as he charges Eric.
Eric shakes his head, but his arrogance prevents him from apologizing, so he charges forward and the two engage in combat.
"Hoooo.... Finally that psychopath is gone." Michael releases the strain of his mana pool. Before he could fully relax, a knife slips on his neck, just stopping before the skin.
"Hi Michael!" A nice cheerful voice greets Michael from his behind.