Volume 2 Chapter 5 Introducing The Members
As for where Ice was, she was sitting alone on a bench in the park.
"Is that the ice magician over there?"
"Yeah, that's Ice. She said she was going to train on her own, but is she on a break now?"
"Or maybe she's just slacking off? I might do something like that."
"Haha. Well, as long as she doesn't bail out at the last minute, it's fine."
Training is basically something you do for yourself. For your own life. In other words, to avoid dying.
As we were approaching her, thinking about this, I noticed that I kicked something on the ground.
"Hm?"
Looking down, I saw something like a snowman rolling near my foot. I picked it up, wondering what it was, and the snowman glared at me.
"Whoa!"
"Oh, Wade-kun! What's going on?"
Even though we were a bit far away, Ice noticed us and rushed over. Wondering when she noticed us, I explained, "We have a new member, so I came to introduce her right away."
"I-I'm Toxy! I'm a poison magician, so, um, nice to meet you."
"...Oh! Yeah, I'm Ice. I'm an ice magician. Nice to meet you too, Toxy-chan."
"~~~~! Yay! Nice to meet you, Ice-chan!"
Toxy shook hands with Ice and did that excited shaking thing. Maybe she's just easily moved by acceptance. Poor girl... I should be nice to her.
"So, what about the other person?"
"Oh, Clay said he's off on a quest alone. He'll be back tonight, so I'll introduce him then."
"I see. Got it, Wade. Then you can introduce him later."
"Yeah. ...Hmm, what should we do then? Since not all the members are here."
So basically, it's not like we can just go on a quest right now. But that's the gist of it. As I was pondering, Toxy said enthusiastically, "Then let's start with joint training!"
"We need to see everyone's skills first before we can coordinate properly. And also, I want to see some gravity magic and solo ice magic in action!"
Toxy smirked mischievously. Ice and I exchanged glances and both smiled at Toxy.
"Alright then, let's move to a place where we can wreak havoc outside the city. Just so you know, we're pretty strong, okay?"
The city we're in is a fairly large fortress city, surrounded by high walls.
Crossing the drawbridge, which is usually left down, leads us outside the city. Peering into the moat, it's surprisingly deep and quite impressive.
Now, we've moved a bit forward from there and arrived at a peaceful plain dotted with gentle monsters. After spending so much time in dungeons lately, it's refreshing to be in such an open space.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road, shall we?"
Toxy, with a smirk on her face and her hand under her chin like a cat, says. She's quite the show-off, I chuckle inwardly.
"Well then, let's start with me."
"Oh! I've been waiting for this!"
I step forward between the two, raising four fingers.
"I've got four spells I can use. Well, technically two sets of spells, if you want to think about it that way."
"Huh? Wade-kun, wasn't it three...?"
"I checked this morning and found an extra one, Ice."
"Magic always seems to show up at the weirdest times."
We all share a wry smile at Toxy's comment before I continue explaining.
"It's nothing fancy really. I can manipulate weights, either making them lighter or heavier, including my own and others'. But because it's so simple, the possibilities are vast."
"Weight, huh? So you could lift up that big rock over there?"
Toxy asks teasingly, to which I reply, "Yeah, I could."
"...Wait, seriously? Can I see it for a moment?"
"Sure."
I used [Weight Reduce] to lighten my weight and swiftly approached a large boulder with my usual close-range attack momentum. Then, I touched it for a second and lifted it up effortlessly.
The boulder floated up as if it were a balloon.
"Wow... that's amazing..."
Toxy stared wide-eyed at the boulder. Feeling a bit mischievous, I chanted "Object - Weight Reduce" and tossed the boulder to Toxy.
"Here, catch!"
"E-eek!"
Toxy barely managed to catch the boulder and muttered, "Wow..."
"Your initial move was super fast too. Gravity magic is incredible... Who came up with Slow Magic anyway?"
"Hahaha. Pretty impressive, right? By the way, I can also return the boulder to its original weight from here."
"Eek!"
Toxy swiftly throws the boulder back towards me with incredible force. I shrug my shoulders and laugh.
"Hey, hey! That joke was too much!"
"Sorry, sorry. Well, that's about it for now."
"I see. For now, I understand your potential is outstanding... But, depending on how it's used, couldn't it become ridiculously powerful? I mean, in extreme cases, lifting mountains and slamming them on enemies, right?"
"Those are more on the extreme side."
"Whoa... so this is what graduating as a full copper is like. Well, I get it now. Wade is seriously strong. I'm convinced."
Toxy raises both hands in a surrendering gesture. Then, Ice raises her hand.
"Okay, then. Next up, I'll show you my magic...?"
"Yeah! I've never seen an ice magician without water magic, so I'm really curious."
Toxy gives a sly smile, making Ice a little embarrassed.
"So... what should I do? It's a bit pitiful, but should I demonstrate with Mr. Cow here?"
Approaching the nearby Winged Cow, Ice begins her explanation. The Winged Cow doesn't seem to perceive Ice as a threat, as it remains motionless.
"My magic consists of two spells: Ice Blow, which produces a very cold wind, and Ice Create, which can create living ice."
"A very cold wind... Is that the one where, when directed towards water magic, ice pillars shoot out?"
"Yeah... That's the version without water magic... Just watch for now."
I think to myself that it's the first time I've heard of her other magic, as I observe. Toxy remarks, "Hmm, but it might be better to have a water magician after all."
However, Ice, unfazed, touches the Winged Cow while saying, "Ice Blow." The Winged Cow, which doesn't move much to begin with, remains as it is, observed from a distance.
"This is Ice Blow."
"...Huh?"
"Toxy, go touch it. Then you'll understand."
Toxy tilted her head at my words and approached the Winged Cow. When she touched it, she was at a loss for words.
"Whoa, it's frozen! The whole thing, completely frozen!"
"Yeah, Ice is our party's biggest source of instant power. She usually applies this spell to her rapier, so even a tiny stab can freeze an enemy."
"Wow... Who was it that said her magic was half-baked?"
"Well, it is kind of half-baked... I'm still pretty weak."
Ice replied modestly, clearly a bit embarrassed. Toxy just nodded, impressed. She then said, "Hey Ice, I don't know the other spell you mentioned earlier. Could you show it to me?"
"Oh, yeah, sure... Let me show you."
With the words "Ice Create," a snowman appeared in front of us. I thought it looked familiar, then realized it was the snowman I had kicked over just a moment ago.
"This kid, you see, can store up a single dose of magic. So if I give it that Ice Blow spell and sneak up on someone, it could be pretty strong, I think."
As she explained, a palm-sized snowman jumped up with a "kippi."
"Wait, you're saying that tiny thing can store up Ice Blow and sneak up on someone?"
"Y-yeah... I th-think so. It can catch them off guard, so I thought it might be strong, but..."
"..."
I locked eyes with Toxy. She seemed to understand the danger too, her face paling slightly.
I turned to Ice.
"Ice... Use it as discreetly as possible, okay? And don't tell anyone."
"Uh, yeah... I got it..."
After getting the provisional consent, I felt relieved and let out a sigh of relief. Then Toxy, with a forced smile, said, "I had my suspicions, but this party is way too crazy."
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