Body Enhancement Magic – as the name suggests, it is magic that enhances one’s physical prowess.
By converting magic power into pure strength and absorbing it, one’s physical prowess is strengthened and improved, leading to a clear change in strength and keenness that could not be achieved normally – or so it is said.
It is considered magic that cannot be reproduced in modern times, so its details are not known.
“Why hasn’t the magic most used in the past been passed down to modern society?”
The answer is simple. It was used too frequently and became too much a part of daily life. Because of this, there is a theory that it wasn’t even necessary to pass down usage methods.
It is unclear when or for what reason Body Enhancement Magic fell out of use, but what was once commonplace is now gone, and its method of reproduction is unknown, leaving only its name behind in the modern era. This was Body Enhancement Magic.
Modern magic can be used by converting magic power into Elemental Magic. Besides Elemental Magic, there are other magics such as magic barriers and healing, but the basics are still Elemental Magic.
To be more precise, Elemental Magic borrows the power of spirits, regardless of whether their presence is acknowledged or not.
Jared Murphy can not only see spirits but can also communicate with them. By deliberately engaging in communication with spirits, which ordinary magicians unknowingly omit, he can cast more powerful magic without the need for incantations.
However, this is rare.
Even among Court Mages, ordinary magicians cannot perceive spirits, let alone communicate with them.
Magic that can be cast by such magicians is called Spirit Magic, not Elemental Magic. While the actions are the same, the results differ vastly whether one consciously communicates with spirits to borrow their power or not.
While Jared Murphy’s ability to wield multiple elemental magics due to his affinity for the Earth attribute often draws attention, those who understand the value of Spirit Magic as a magician would place more importance on his innate talent to communicate with spirits rather than his multiple attributes.
The person himself does not consider his conversations with spirits to be special, so those around him may not realize his rare value. However, today, in this moment – he reproduced a magic and further increased its value.
“Urgh!”
Feeling a sense of unprecedented power and exhilaration as the force coursed through his bloodstream, Jared threw a punch.
His body, which had felt so heavy, was now as light as if it were a lie. His punch, unable to be caught by the eyes of Luzer Fischer, who he was confronting, sent him flying.
His body, which had felt solid, seemed to have returned to that of an ordinary human, but that was not the case. Jared’s strength had simply increased.
With just one blow, Luzer coughed up blood and fell to his knees, gasping for air. Then, after a fleeting expression of astonishment, his face contorted into rage, and he disappeared with a crackle of lightning.
Luzer moved with a speed that Jared would have been unable to perceive before, but now he could.
“I can see you!”
A backhand strike, swung as if to level him, caught the face of Luzer, who was attacking from his right rear, and slammed him to the ground.
Luzer bled profusely, his face a mask of utter confusion.
“Why, why can you see my movements!”
“Who knows? But it’s strange. I was about to break mentally, thinking I was going to lose – but now, I have no doubt I can defeat Luzer.”
He kicked off the ground and closed the distance.
“I don’t have enough power, give me more,” he continued to absorb magic power into his body.
The tables turned, and Jared’s attacks began to land on Luzer.
Fists, kicks, and sometimes even a headbutt dealt damage to Luzer, draining his stamina. He was not allowed to escape or retaliate with the power of lightning, and the relentless barrage of attacks was hard to believe given how helpless Jared had been before.
But Luzer was not defeated either. When he was sent flying and distance was created, he immediately scattered lightning and vanished.
The punch delivered from his invisible speed possessed enough power to be fatal to Jared – yet, the fist imbued with such power was caught far too easily.
His power dissipated, and Luzer sank to his knees.
It was here that Luzer finally reached his limit.
Luzer Fischer was indeed strong. Even if he was brainwashed and hated Jared due to a false animosity, he was a formidable opponent using the power he had cultivated. Moreover, the constraint of not being allowed to kill prevented him from using the Petrify Magic he had employed in his previous battle with Balbanas Kalif. Therefore, Jared had half-given up mentally, expecting to lose.
The difference in basic human physical capabilities, such as stamina and strength, was too great.
However, at this point, a change occurred in Jared. He absorbed magic power as strength. He did not understand the principle, and it was an unconscious act done in desperation, but the result was that Luzer’s stamina and magic power ran out before Jared’s magic power was depleted.
“It’s over, Luzer.”
“Kill me.”
“You idiot! What good would killing you do!”
“Don’t mock me, you betrayed me! You, you – what? Why? Why, even though I hate you so much and want to kill you, can’t I think of a reason!”
As Luzer realized the contradiction in his own emotions, Jared also lowered himself to one knee, clenching his fist tighter.
“Luzer, listen carefully. Your mother, Rosina Fischer, is alive.”
“You’re lying!”
Luzer’s free left arm swung at Jared, but he accepted the blow without evading it.
“Mother is dead! She died because you didn’t save her!”
“No. She’s alive. It took time, but I found her as promised. I healed her illness, and now she’s in hiding. She’s doing very well.”
“No! No, no, no! I was told Mother was dead!”
“By whom?”
When asked, he replied with a punch instead of words.
A dull thud echoed, and Jared spat out a broken tooth.
“Luzer, pull yourself together! I don’t know what you’ve been told or by whom, but why won’t you believe me? We’re brothers, aren’t we?”
He firmly grasped Luzer’s face, making eye contact to convey his feelings.
“Didn’t you tell me yourself, that we’re brothers? I was happy. So, I’m truly glad you’re alive.”
The punches no longer came. However, Luzer seemed stunned and stopped reacting.
“Wake up, Luzer Fischer! You’re not that weak a man!”
“Ugh… Ugggh, ugh, UAAAAAaaaaaaah!”
Luzer suddenly cried out, shoved Jared away, and clutched his head, writhing in pain. His agonizing screams continued, so intensely that one feared his soul might be expelled from his throat.
“Luzer!”
Mia, who had been steadfastly watching the battle until now, rushed to the suffering Luzer and embraced him.
“It’s alright now. Please stop suffering, you don’t have to think about anything anymore.”
Her desperate attempts to calm him with a gentle, loving voice, as a mother would soothe her child, brought a slight measure of calm to Luzer. She stroked his back and kissed his cheeks and forehead, tears streaming down his face.
“Jared Murphy, thanks to you, Luzer has begun to question his hatred. However, the brainwashing magic, originally cast by Dolf Ein and maintained by me, has his heart bound.”
“What must be done to free him?”
“With him in his current state, I might be able to forcibly remove it if I sacrifice myself. I feared the side effects, but now that he’s questioning his hatred, I believe it might be possible.”
“That won’t do. Even if Luzer is saved, it’s meaningless if you sacrifice yourself.”
Luzer would undoubtedly blame himself. He would then live his life bearing the burden of being saved at the cost of one girl’s sacrifice. That could not be called salvation.
“I will not accept a future where you are not saved together!”
For Mia’s sake, and for Luzer’s, they must both be saved.
The moment Jared declared this, the light in Luzer’s eyes, which had been shedding tears of pain, vanished.
