Stuck As A Dungeon Mob

After Ed was kicked out of the cottage, he made his way back to his new home. Once there his assimilation had gone off cooldown so Ed simply assimilated a piece of grass. He wanted to hurry up and increase his mana capacity so he didn't want to waste time looking for something to assimilate.

It was also worth mentioning that the orcs didn't have any sort of smithy to replace any weapon he was to assimilate. All of the weapons they own are hand me downs from their ancestors. This was never really an issue since the orc population could be said to have reached their carrying capacity, In particularly bad times there are even weapons to go around.

'Those were probably from when the dungeon first spawned the orcs' It was similar to how some skeletons were spawned in with a sword in the catacombs even though there wasn't a weapon supply.

'I wonder how long it has been since then...' All of the weapons were in a rather good condition so too much time couldn't have passed. That is unless dungeon spawned weapons had magical properties of course.

'Now that I think about it... I do remember gathering the enemy's weapons was in the post-battle effort' Still if he started assimilating weapons the orcs would eventually have to do fistfights.

'That might be kind of entertaining to watch...' Ed then shook his head and dismissed the thought, he had lost focus.

'I should get to it' He had to increase his mana capacity anticipating the new spells Vorgarag would teach him the next day.

Ed sat down on his bed and exhausted his element-less mana, he replaced it with the mana of the four different elements and then proceeded to exhaust that mana as well. He continued that process all the way until the next morning until he heard a knock on the door.

Just as expected, it was Shel. She said a few words of greeting and then took Ed back to the training area where she reminded him about which techniques he had to practice. After a while, she left to do her own things and let Ed train on his own. A couple of hours later Ed could be said to have finally succeeded.

[Axemanship lvl. 0]

Ed let out a satisfied smile and finally put down the borrowed ax. He then left to get something to eat before finally making his way to Vorgarag's cottage. He assimilated some of the pristine green grass near the cottage before finally knocking on Vorgarag's door. He heard a dissatisfied grunt from the inside and then the door opened up.

"You are here again." He was met by Vorgarag's exhausted expression.

"You don't sound very happy" Ed said while awkwardly scratching the back of his head. Vorgarag just ignored him and invited him in.

Vorgarag let out a yawn while speaking, "The research hasn't gone according to plan." Ed couldn't help but get curious after hearing Vorgarag's words.

[Magical Array (Incomplete)]

A Hexagonal formation filled with magical jargon. It relies on four elements.

[Deduction has leveled up]

'That didn't do much per usual. At least the skill leveled up...' His deduction skill was now level 8 so he couldn't help but anticipate its advancement. Maybe then it would exhibit magical properties and not rely on his currently lacking knowledge.

Vorgarag noticed that Ed was looking at his research and promptly shifted Ed's attention, "That isn't very important, let's teach you some spells" He let out another yawn.

Ed felt that if someone gave Vorgarag a cup of coffee the image of a restless researcher would be very fitting. Of course, that is if you ignored his lean muscles and tusks.

"Did you not sleep at all?" Ed couldn't help but feel apprehensive of Vorgarag's situation since after all, he wasn't like himself. Although mana can help recover fatigue and revitalize the body it isn't omnipotent. Given Vorgarag's state, it is clear that this isn't the first night he skipped.

"That doesn't matter, let's start with the fireball spell." Vorgarag waved his hand dismissively before starting to chant some words. A contained ball of fire appeared on his palm brightening up the messy room. The ball went out after a few seconds leaving Ed confused.

"I will start explaining now so pay attention" After saying so Vorgarag cleared his throat and began his short speech on the fireball spell.

"The fireball incantation does indeed spawn a ball of fire. It however relies on the magician to be fired and controlled. The reason it went out was that I only provided a small amount of fire mana. If I want to launch the spell further ranges I would have to naturally provide more mana and also be aware of the fact that as more time passes the flying ball of fire will get weaker." Vorgarag then paused waiting to hear Ed thought.

"I see." Ed nodded internally after thinking things through for a bit. It makes sense why some might be able to bring out more of the power of the spell if its firing mechanism relies entirely on the caster rather than the spell chant. it reminded him of how the first magician he encountered was able to detonate the fireball in mid-air.

"What would it take to detonate the fire elements mid-flight?" Since it was the only specific example inside of his head at the moment he naturally felt it necessary to ask.

Vorgarag stopped to think for a second before replying, "It would require the magician to calculate many factors, especially distance. As you have probably experienced, you are able to exert less influence on mana the further away it is. That is to say, it is impossible to blow up the fireball from a distance on the spot. The caster must first manually rouse the fire elements inside of the spell to detonate at a precise moment based on their calculations before firing"

'He is right' The resistance of the other naturally floating mana elements would stop anybody from exhibiting long-range control. That meant that the magician he first met was rather formidable as he was able to accurately calculate the distance between himself and his enemy in a matter of seconds to detonate the fireball at the ideal moment.

"That aside, you should try to learn the chant for the fireball spell. Past that point, it would rely solely on the amount of control you can exert over it." Vorgarag then slowly repeated the chant after making sure Ed was paying attention.

With his passive assimilation in play, it didn't take him very long to learn the basic incantation since all it did was summon a ball of fire. Once Vorgarag made sure Ed knew the chant he kicked him out of his house.

"Come back when you are done firing the spell" Vorgarag then shut the door.

Still, Ed didn't hold a grudge over it. As a matter of fact, he would much rather Vorgarag took the time to get some rest while he learned the spell.

'Nothing to it, I better get started' Ed chanted the incantation many times before finally managing to arouse the fire elements he had collected into forming a ball of fire. The small ball however quickly extinguished.

Not discouraged, Ed continued to practice the spell a couple more times. It took him no more than an hour to master the basic casting and firing of the spell at which point he could confidently declare he had learned the spell. While he couldn't detonate the fireball spell at will he couldn't really complain. Vorgarag had already explained that the process would require precise calculations which he was obviously incapable of doing at his level.

'I also need to learn the other spells' With that thought in mind Ed knocked on Vorgarag's door. He heard a small crash before Vorgarag opened up the door unperturbed.

"Are you done?" Vorgarag asked Ed doubtfully.

Ed replied by casting the fireball spell into the air, the fireball spell reached quite high before finally going out. Vorgarag solemnly nodded after verifying that Ed had indeed learned the spell. He then let out a sigh and moved on to the lawn.

"This is the incantation for water spurt, pay close attention." Vorgarag calmly and slowly chanted a few words before water fiercely gushed out from the air in front of him.

"You might be able to tell that unlike with the fireball spell, the water spurt spell requires little control. The only thing you can control is its intensity and direction." Vorgarag gave a brief explanation of the spell which Ed gratefully took in.

"I will repeat the chants a couple of times until you get it. The spell might seem simpler but it is similar in complexity to the fireball spell. Don't get confused." Vorgarag then repeated the chant a couple of times while Ed mimicked him.

Vorgarag went back inside to do who knows what while Ed patiently experimented with the water spurt spell. An hour later he once more knocked on Vorgarag's door and showcased the spell. Vorgarag was about to showcase the earth shot spell but Ed told him he already knew it. Vorgarag then shrugged helplessly.

"That's all I can teach you for today then. I only have 3 affinities so I don't know any wind spells. There are no records of previous shamans who were attuned with the wind either" Vorgarag looked just as upset as Ed over the matter once he told it.

Ed couldn't do anything about it however and simply bid Vorgarag farewell for the day.