Chapter 49: Cold Energy (1/2)
After the battle, the group swiftly collected the only things the slimes had dropped; their nucleus.
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Designation: Loot Material/Red Slime Nucleus
Rarity: Gray
Description: The nucleus of a slime is the very cause of the monster's existence. It is commonly identified as a mineral that is capable of absorbing ambient mana and store it around itself as a physical substance.
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Rakna casually read the description as they continued to follow the arrow on their map.
”These things are considered loot?” Allan said as he held one of the nuclei between his fingers. ”I expected something more… flashy.”
”Like what?” Rakna asked
”I don't know, man. Like, actual 'loot'. Armors, weapons, skills, money; stuff like that.”
Gray heard him from behind and chuckled. ”I'm afraid you won't get those from mere slimes.”
”Eh?” Allan turned around. ”So, that means other monsters will drop them?”
”Well, the stronger the monster, the better loot. But, for instance, monsters like the hobgoblins you fought in the Tutorial would give much better loot if you fought them now.”
”Seriously? Then why couldn't we just have this unlocked during the Tutorial?!”
Gray shrugged. ”Don't ask me. The System likes to do things progressively. Heck, even I think that there are still features I don't have access to, much less you.”
”I call bullshit,” Allan grumbled and handed back the nucleus to Rakna who stored it for him. The latter was the only one who had a spatial ring and other than him and his companions, every other Host was forced to carry them in bags or small pouches.
”Hey, Clown,” Rakna raised his voice and Gray looked at him. ”How much does a spatial ring go for?”
”Like the one you have?”
”No, the lowest tier.”
”Well, the fixed price for a T.10 Spatial Ring is 7 000 Talys,” he said and the other Hosts who had been listening in winced a bit. ”Granted, it is a bit costly for you at the moment. But, later on, you'll get that amount very easily. You just have to make do with what you have now. Well, other than a certain someone who got gifted a high tier item by his beautiful shopkeeper.”
A few people glared at Rakna who nonchalantly shrugged them off. He waved his hand slightly and focused as a cold mist swirled around it. He waved his finger and started forming something that resembled a small cube of ice in his hand without even looking.
”What are you doing with that ice?” Flavia asked curiously when she noticed.
”It's not ice,” Rakna retorted and made the cube float up from his palm. Flavia took a closer look and understood what he meant pretty fast.
The cube truly didn't look like ice. It did release cold air, the color was also matching, but it didn't have a smooth surface and it reflected nothing. Some small parts would sometimes arise and then disappear at random times. It was almost as if it was a very compact mass of strange icy flames.
”It is essentially pure cold energy given form… I think,” Rakna said hesitatingly. ”With my magic, it's not really possible to make ice. I can solidly liquids and humidity in the air but making ice out of nothing would need me to be able to gather humidity into one place. However, the only thing I can do is release cold. That's it.”
”Cold?” Nyx frowned. ”Your magic just lowers temperature?”
”Sort of. What's special about it is precisely this,” he said while pointing at the cube. A second later, it turned into a pyramid, then into a thin plate, then back into a cube. ”It's something completely contradicting. It's a form of energy that releases cold. In other words, it's an energy that lowers energy inside objects.”
”I don't get it…” Allan muttered.
Flavia mused. ”Cold is the result of a lack of heat. Heat is a form of energy; mainly created through friction, pressure, combustion, light… When Rakna says that it's a contradiction, he means that his magic creates some sort of energy that releases cold, something that is impossible. If we stick to science at least.”
”Well… what's the difference between that and simple ice magic?”
”It's like comparing fire to heated metal,” Rakna said. ”The fire can increase the heat of the metal which will then release energy on its own but only until it's exhausted,” he explained and his eyes glowed a bit before he suddenly increased his mana output.
The small cube in his hand quickly turned into a full-sized glaive made out of pure blue energy. It was releasing the small flame-like particles that the cube had been.
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Ding!
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You have learned a new spell!
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Star Make (T.10 – 1): The ability to create forms and objects based on the user's imagination. By condensing Star Energy, all sorts of constructs can be made. From the smallest of blades to the most complex and biggest of objects.
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Cost: Variable. An unremitting flow of mana is required to keep a construct active. This may or may not apply to sub-spells derived from it.
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