Chapter 76 - The Cards on the Table
The clearing through which the carriage passed was silent, enveloped by the morning freshness and the scent of the forest. Rygar took a deep breath, feeling the flow of mana around him, the subtle energy of nature intertwining with his own essence. His golden eyes fixed on the sturdy tree ahead, and he raised his hand, invoking the sacred power he had been trying to master for some time.
"Then our God grants grace to Mother Earth! I do this against the law of nature and give the foolish one the vengeance of Heaven! Exorcist's Rate."
A white light shone in his palm, condensing before shooting toward the tree. The beam struck the hard bark... and nothing happened. No cracks, no burn marks, not even a sign that anything had occurred.
"Hey, boss," Geese called from the side, leaning against a rock with a mischievous smile. "Isn't Divine Attack Magic only effective against spirits and incorporeal beings?"
Rygar lowered his hand and turned to him, crossing his arms. "That's what they teach, but I've been told many things about magic that were considered 'true' and turned out to be just theories from people too lazy to try new things. So, it doesn't hurt to test."
Geese let out a nasal chuckle. "Heh, fair enough."
Rygar's training never stopped for a single day, but he had many skills; if he wanted to improve, he had to dedicate time to specific ones. He had well-defined goals, and after listing his priorities, he set up his short-term training plan.
He was focusing his efforts on four main points: control over barrier magic, mastery of lightning, his problem with Touki, and, of course, Divine Attack Magic.
Lightning and barrier magic were progressing little by little. Lightning was naturally very difficult to control, and he had less talent in barrier magic compared to other magic classes. But he knew these two would be crucial if brought to an extremely high level.
As for Divine Attack Magic, so far, he had only managed to cast these spells without incantations after days of exhaustive attempts, and even then, only the most common elemental ones. Perhaps this meant his aptitude for Divine Attack Magic was also limited, but he was progressing. A small advance was better than stagnation. And this magic might be his only weapon against the Human God.
The most important thing, however, was the enigma of his Touki. Something inside him seemed blocked, preventing him from accessing his full potential. He had made countless notes, exploring different possibilities based on what Ghislaine had told him about his Touki—that it felt like that of a puppet.