Arlo's gaze fell upon the grimoire he held, a sense of certainty washing over him. He believed that within its pages lay countless spells that could compensate for his weaknesses. With that thought in mind, he switched to the next tab on the screen before him.
[Shop.]
[This section is locked.]
"...Alright then," he muttered, moving on to the second-to-last tab.
[Quests.]
[You do not have any quests available.]
"O-Oh... I see..."
[Mail.]
[You do not have any mails available.]
"...Seriously, nothing at all?"
Finding nothing else of interest, Arlo shifted his focus from the screens and back to the closed grimoire.
"Well, now that that's over, I can finally explore the spells you have to offer," he mused, a hint of anticipation in his voice. "It's not like I have anything better to do..."
With that thought, Arlo opened the book to the first page and began flipping through, his eyes scanning the contents as he walked. To his surprise, the second page bore a new, unfamiliar header.
[Elementary Class Magic.]
Arlo's gaze traveled down the page, absorbing the information from top to bottom. The first elementary class magic spell fell under the category of [Fire Magic.] It was a spell named [Ignition.]
According to the spell's description, it had the power to manifest and shoot out arrows of flames. Arlo noted that the chant for this spell was significantly shorter than the ones he had used for the dimensional magic.
Intrigued, Arlo turned to the following pages, all of which were grouped under the same [Elementary Class Magic.] header. He discovered a wide array of spells spanning various elements and attributes.
The temptation to try out each spell one by one tugged at Arlo's curiosity, but an even greater desire to uncover the grimoire's full potential urged him to keep flipping through the pages.
As Arlo turned to the next section, the header at the top of the page changed to [Intermediate Class Magic.]. Upon reading the description of the first spell, he immediately noticed a significant difference.
Compared to the elementary class magic spells, intermediate class spells were far more potent, requiring longer chants to successfully cast.
"Oh, this is the class the translation spell belongs to," Arlo realized. "Come to think of it, the spell that brought me to this world was a Divine Class spell. It seems that the higher the class, the stronger the spell... I wonder how many classes there are..."
Driven by curiosity, Arlo continued flipping through the pages, eager to uncover more secrets hidden within the grimoire.
After a considerable amount of page-turning, the header finally changed once again, this time displaying [Advanced Class Magic.]. It was precisely what Arlo had been hoping to find.
Just as he had anticipated, the spells in this section were in a league of their own, far surpassing the power of the previous two classes.
Some of the advanced class magic spells were so formidable and dangerous that the accompanying notes included reminders to exercise caution when using them.
The more Arlo read, the more excited he became at the prospect of trying out these spells. However, a sense of restraint also grew within him. Unleashing an advanced class magic spell in the middle of his room would undoubtedly cause considerable damage.
For a shut-in like Arlo, his room was his kingdom, and he had no intention of destroying his fortress, especially given his financial constraints. He shuddered at the thought of the repair costs such damage would incur. If he were to experiment with these spells, it would have to be in a safe or secluded location.
With that thought in mind, Arlo continued to flip through the pages, his curiosity piqued about what the next magic class might entail.
However, after turning a dozen more pages, the pages suddenly stopped turning, as if an invisible force prevented him from proceeding further.
"Huh?"
Arlo, who had not even reached the halfway point of the book, found himself unable to turn the page. No matter how much strength he exerted, it was as if an invisible force was preventing him from flipping to the next section.
"I can't turn the page... it's as if the book itself is resisting me," he groaned, struggling against the mysterious barrier. "Argh, but that just makes me more curious about what could be next..."
After a few more futile attempts, Arlo finally conceded defeat. Instead, he turned back to the [Elementary Class Magic] section, flipping through the pages in search of spells he could safely try out.
"Hm... these ones aren't as dangerous as the intermediate and advanced spells. I should be fine casting them in my room," he muttered, carefully considering his options. "Alright, let's try the first spell I saw."
Arlo flipped to the very first [Elementary Class Magic.] spell, the flame spell known as [Ignition.].
Without a hint of hesitation, he began chanting, "Oh flames that dance and flicker bright..."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
The chant was significantly shorter than any other spell he had cast, and within seconds, he neared its end.
A vibrant red magic circle with a star at its center materialized above Arlo's outstretched hand.
"Heed My Call... Ignition!"
As the final word left his lips, a large flame the size of a basketball burst forth from the magic circle. Arlo stared at it in awe, feeling the heat emanating from the flickering orb.
[Fire Magic Unlocked.]
"It's hot..." Arlo marveled, mesmerized by the dancing flames, their warmth caressing his skin.
[MP: 80/100%]
Glancing at his MP bar, Arlo noticed that despite casting the spell, his magic power hadn't decreased at all. Intrigued, he turned his attention back to the grimoire, seeking an explanation for this peculiar occurrence.
"According to the grimoire, the size of the flame depends on the amount of magic power supplied to it," Arlo mused. "I wonder how I can provide more magic power?"
The grimoire didn't come with any instructions on how to accomplish this, so Arlo decided to rely on his instincts instead. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused on the sensation of magic flowing within him.
He could feel it—a warm current of energy emanating from the hand that held the flame. It felt somewhat similar to the flow of energy he experienced when manipulating the 'Evolution Energy' that surged from his core, yet it was entirely different at the same time.
A key distinction was that the magical power sustaining the flame originated from the grimoire he held in his other hand. Arlo could sense himself siphoning magic power from the ancient tome.
As he concentrated on this sensation, an idea struck him. Why not draw more magic power from the grimoire and channel it into the flame hovering above his hand?
"I think I might be able to manage it," he muttered to himself, excitement building within him.
Wasting no time, Arlo focused on transferring more energy from the book into the flame, eager to test his theory. Unsure of whether it was working, he slowly opened his eyes.
To his delight, his suspicions were confirmed. The flame began to grow in size, just as he had hoped.
However, Arlo had miscalculated. Within seconds, the flame had quadrupled in size, and the heat emanating from it became intense.
"O-Oh shit! H-How do I stop it!?" Arlo yelled, frantically swaying his arm around in an attempt to extinguish the flames while keeping them at a safe distance.
But his efforts were in vain. The flame continued to expand, scorching the furniture in his room. Panic gripped Arlo, causing him to accidentally drop the grimoire in his frenzy.
The instant Arlo released his grip on the grimoire, the flame dissipated, vanishing without a trace. Witnessing this, Arlo collapsed to his knees, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.
"Ha... Any bigger and my room might've caught fire," he muttered, his gaze shifting to the grimoire. "The flame disappeared when I dropped the grimoire... If I remember correctly, I need to be holding onto it to use magic. The magic supply to the spell must've been cut off when I let go."
[MP: 0/0%]
A quick glance at his MP bar confirmed his theory. It appeared that Arlo himself possessed no inherent magical power, meaning that without the grimoire in his grasp, he would be unable to cast any spells, not even those of the elementary class.
Arlo finally understood the significance of the [Mana: 0] stat. It was a measurement that had not been assessed during his hunter physical evaluation, as magic power did not exist in his world.
However, the fact that he lacked innate magical power didn't faze him. Arlo was simply relieved to have avoided a catastrophe. With a smile, he picked up the grimoire and surveyed his room.
The walls bore slight scorch marks from where he had aimed the flames upward, but fortunately, the damage was not too severe.
"This much from an elementary class spell... and here I thought they were harmless," Arlo mused. "Ah... I really want to try out an intermediate or advanced class spell..."
[MP: 80%]
Glancing at his MP bar, Arlo noticed that it still hadn't decreased at all.
"So even that wasn't enough to bring it down, huh? The world transportation spell easily took 20%," he pondered. "I wonder how much magic power this book contains and what happens when it runs out."
[MP: 80% -> 81%]
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the number on the MP bar suddenly increased by one.
"Eh? You're kidding, it just went up? Don't tell me it recharges itself automatically over time... that's awesome!" Arlo exclaimed, lifting the grimoire into the air as if it were a precious treasure.
With a joyful grin, he sat back down at his desk and opened the grimoire, eagerly scanning the other elementary class spells within its pages. After reading the chants, Arlo began to cast them one by one, his excitement growing with each successful incantation.
The second spell he cast was an elementary class water spell called [Water Ball.]. Just as the name implied, it conjured a sphere of water the size of his head. Arlo discovered that he could freely manipulate the water, making it float and dance through the air. The size of the water ball increased in proportion to the amount of magic power he supplied.
[Water Magic Unlocked.]
The next spell allowed him to summon a strong breeze. It was a wind spell known as [Gale.]. The more magic power Arlo poured into it, the more powerful the gust of wind became.
[Wind Magic Unlocked.]
The fourth spell was an earth magic incantation called [Create Earth.]. It enabled Arlo to manifest a piece of rock out of thin air. The size of the rock was directly linked to the magic power he infused into the spell.
[Earth Magic Unlocked.]
Finally, the fifth spell Arlo cast created an orb of light that illuminated his dark room with a brilliant radiance. The spherical orb hovered in the air around him, its brightness intensifying as he channeled more magic power into it.
[Light Magic Unlocked.]
After experimenting with these five spells, Arlo noticed a pattern. The colors of the magic circles corresponded to the attributes of the spells being cast.
With a thoughtful expression, Arlo placed his hand beneath his chin, pondering his next move.
Arlo leaned back in his chair, his hand resting thoughtfully beneath his chin as he contemplated his next move. A grin spread across his face as he muttered.
"Testing these spells is incredible! Even if I return to the other world, I should be able to defend myself now. Although, learning some stronger spells wouldn't hurt, just to be on the safe side. Let's see if I can find any intermediate or advanced class spells that are safe to use..."
With a determined nod, Arlo began flipping through the pages, searching for something more useful than the elementary spells he had discovered, which wouldn't be very effective in a real fight.
As he browsed the [Intermediate Class Magic] category, Arlo read a few of the spell names aloud, his voice filled with excitement.
"Fire arrow, lightning spear, water cannon, earth bullet, wind slice... Wow, these sound incredibly cool but also dangerous. I'd love to test them out, but I can't risk trying them in my room." His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as he stared at each page.
Suddenly, his gaze landed on a particular spell, and a triumphant grin spread across his face. "Ah, this one is perfect for what I need!"