C165 - Risky Transaction (2)
“Huh? The government is controlling access? But Galliant's government and the indigenous autonomous district have different administrative bodies, right? If we insist on going in, can't they do nothing about it?”
“Of course, that's true. It's just nominal control. But I think there must be some reason for such strict measures. Sorry if I said something unnecessary.”
“No, it's okay. We didn't know about it either. But our decision to go remains unchanged. Of course, if you, Jis, could guide us.”
“Of course! Who else if not this Jis for guiding?”
Jis, confidently thumping his chest, gasped in pain. It took a while for the pain to subside before he could continue.
“Well, anyway, I don’t know if I can walk around properly with my physical condition like this.”
“Don’t worry about that. Tomorrow, we’re going to visit the healing mage that Mr. Freeman introduced. Most external injuries can be treated there.”
“Wow, a healing mage? That must be incredibly expensive?”
As Jis widened his eyes in surprise, Amy looked at him sleepily and said.
“It’ll probably be cheaper than the guide fee you proposed.”
Jis scratched his head. That made him realize just how much he had tried to overcharge.
“Haha, why are you doing this all of a sudden? It’s all in the past.”
Shirone sunk into the soft sofa.
“Anyway, it’s best to rest today. Mental strength will recover after sleep, but Rian and Tess will be uncomfortable until they receive healing magic.”
“Huh? No, I’m fine. My wounds are already healed.”
At Tess'words, everyone in the group turned to look at her. Indeed, the cuts on her cheeks and arms had healed cleanly.
“Wow, how did you do that? Something similar to what Mr. Freeman did?”
“Yes. I chose Mitochondria for my second Schema.”
“Mitochondria?”
“It’s a cell organelle that produces energy. Using Mitochondria Schema, basic physical abilities such as agility, regeneration, and endurance increase dramatically. That’s why swordsmen without exceptional talent often choose mitochondria as their basic build. Probably kingdom soldiers and mercenaries use Mitochondria build a lot.”
“I see. But what's this about a second build and a basic build?”
Shirone, who had been lynched numerous times by swordsmen during the recent skirmish with the Parrot mercenaries, wanted to know more about schemas.
The nature of magical combat was certainly different. Unless they know what dangers there will be at the archaeological site in the future, it was better to collect as much combat-related information as possible.
“A build refers to a technique tree. People often say to imagine a virtual body when explaining a schema, but the actual learning sensation is different. It's like expanding clarity as the cells that make up the body awaken. So here’s the question. How do swordsmen overlap various builds?”
Amy and Lian knew the answer but didn't answer. They thought it best to let Tess, who had the deepest understanding of Schemas among them, explain.
“Well, if it’s a virtual body diagram, wouldn’t it be developed by dividing it into parts, such as arms or legs?”
“People usually think that way. Of course, it’s not impossible. But you can’t tune the body’s balance that way. For instance, if you keep developing only the nervous system, your muscles could burst. Conversely, if you only develop muscular strength, your fist could shatter when swung.”
“There was such a problem. Actually, I've always wondered about that. I knew it involved enhancing the body but wasn't sure how balance was maintained.”
“It’s probably similar to magic. You must have a systematic way of handling mental power. Some special pattern, perhaps.”
“Yes. It’s called the Four-Way Zone. There’s also something like Sequencing.”
“It’s the same for swordsmen. That’s what a build is. You can think of it as creating several virtual diagrams and continuously overlapping them. For example, something like this. Put Mitochondrial Schema at the bottom as a base, then put Muscle Strengthening Schema on top of that, and then the Eye Technique, and so on. Because you start the technique tree with the base completed, the risk of your body being destroyed due to loss of balance is significantly reduced.”
"Ah! There was a method like that.”
“The most efficient one is the base Schema. If the efficiency of the schema laid at the bottom is 100, the second layer is 50, the third is 25, and so on. You can change the order, but it’s hard to apply it in real combat unless you’re a master of the technique tree. However, there are some exceptions to this, most notably a technique called Reversal.”
“Is this the technique that Mr. Freeman used that Amy mentioned? How do you do that? Is it like the Four-Way Zone, creating a specific pattern?”
“No, Schema don’t work that way. To explain it in an easy-to-understand way, the reason Reversal is possible is because you can change the point of experiencing the schema.”
Tess extended her hand towards the table and mimicked the action of lifting and moving a piece of paper..
“For example, let’s say we stack three transparent papers here. When we look down, our gaze will pass through the papers in order. If we call this 1, 2, 3, then Reversal means inverting the viewpoint, making us look from below to above. 3, 2, 1. Like this. Besides this, there are many techniques related to the technique tree, like Exit, Permeation, Folding, and Crossing. Taking all of these things into consideration and building up Schema is called Build.”
Shirone was amazed. He had thought swordsmen were simply about physical prowess, but now he realized they were as technically adept as mage.
“I see. So, Tess, you’ve put Mitochondria Schema in your second technique tree. Its efficiency is half compared to the first one.”
"That's right. In fact, Mitochondria Build is popular, but concentrating physical activity in a position where schema efficiency is 100% feels like a waste, unless it's a literal physical confrontation. Therefore, those who properly wield swords choose the schema best suited to their technique. In my case, I chose Nervous System Build. Precision is the most important thing in handling rapier."
Now Shirone understood. In a fight involving the same rapier and Schema abilities, Nervous System Build would overwhelm Mitochondria Build.
“The thing about the mercenaries we met in the Room of Achievement and Sacrifice was that they didn’t choose the mitochondrial build. The warrior seemed to be in the muscle-strengthening category, and the archer, in the sensory system build."
"Huh? Are the nervous and sensory systems different?"
"They are similar, but the enhanced parts are different. To put it simply, think of it as the difference between internal and external senses. For nervous builds like mine, it's internal sense. So, I can perform physical movements more precisely than anyone. On the other hand, the sensory system build is external sense. It involves primary senses like eyes, nose, ears, and close senses like taste and touch. It’s natural for an archer to train primary senses. That’s why their vision, smell, and hearing are several times more sensitive than others. Of course, I also adopted the sensory system for my third build."
“Hmm, that’s why you said it would be difficult to follow if there was an archer.”
"Right. Anyway, the important thing is to find a Build that suits you. Of course, it is basic to diligently refine each Schema. Even if you adopt Mitochondria Build, if you don’t train enough, your physical abilities might be inferior to a swordsman who chose Mitochondria for their third technique tree."
"Now I get it, what a Schema is. Why it’s called a body diagram."
“In the end, you can think of it as another form of self-image. For example, there is a phenomenon called phantom pain. Even if a person has an amputated arm, they unconsciously feel pain when an object is placed in the space where the arm used to be. That's the essence of Schema."
As they listened to the story, Amy realized that, like Shirone, she was learning a lot. At first, she left it to the swordswoman to explain because she thought it would be easier to understand, but as the story progressed, even she discovered things she didn’t know.
"So Tess, how many Schemas did my father overlap? I remember he had a lot of techniques when I was little. If the efficiency drops with each layer, isn’t it pointless to build up from the fourth layer?"
"That's right. That's usually the case. But there is a way too. A method to make the efficiency of the second technique tree 100."
Shirone, now utterly fascinated by schemas, asked with interest.
"Oh, really? How?"
"Swordsmen call it Assimilation. As I said before, to explain Schema, you can think of a shadow depicting your own appearance. To open Schema means to clear the black parts transparently. But honestly, how many people have perfectly understood their bodies? I mean, someone who has completely cleared every black part of Schema."
"Yeah, that does seem tough."
"That's right. It requires immense training and exceptional talent. But there are people in the world who have achieved it. Perfectly transparent, eventually merging with their own body. Thus, a person who has assimilated a specific Schema is as if they don’t have that layer. For someone who has assimilated five Schemas, the efficiency of the sixth Schema becomes 100. But this is a matter of time and effort. Talent can shorten it, though."
"Wow."
Shirone let out the breath he had been holding. Although he dreamed of becoming a mage since he was young, he realized the infinity of the sword when he had a real sword battle with Rian.
Mage and swordsman. Spirit Zone and Schema. Indeed, there was a reason why they were called the dual forces dividing this world.
"That’s really amazing, Tess."
Tess blushed at Shirone's sincere compliment.
“Ei, it's nothing. I just know it because I’ve been learning it since I was young. Actually, I explained it in detail hoping it would be helpful to you, a mage."
"Yes. It was really helpful. Now, even if a situation like today's arises, I think I can handle it better than before. So Tess is already healed, and tomorrow it will just be Jis and Rian who need to receive healing magic."
Shirone spoke casually, but Tess's face suddenly became serious as she realized something.
Now that she think about it, even though they were talking about swordsman and Schema, Rian didn't interrupt even a single word.
Tess discreetly glanced at Rian. He seemed indifferent as usual, but his gaze was fixed on his own body.
His body was in a total mess.
Though he had overwhelmed Falkoa with an Imaginary Schema last time, his inability to master Schemas was a significant weakness.
Even now, he felt as if his wounds were not healing but worsening.
‘Damn it! Why can't I...’
Tess looked at Rian with pity, but at the same time, her heart raced with tension. She felt guilty as if she had inadvertently hurt him.
'He must be wounded in his pride. The most upset person must be you.'
When Rian realized that his friends were looking at him, he hastily adjusted his expression. He pretended as if nothing had happened and smiled brightly, thumping his chest.
"Haha! I’m fine. Without any healing magic or anything. Because I am tough.”
Indeed, even though Rian was pounding his body with tremendous force, his expression did not change, let alone showing pain.
But everyone knew. He was enduring only through superhuman patience.
Of course, that mental strength itself was remarkable, but if the wounds were not healed, his combat ability would be significantly reduced.
Nevertheless, no one insisted again that Rian should receive healing magic. They understood the misery of having to show weakness against one's will.
But Shirone was different. On this journey, Rian had earnestly fulfilled his duties as a guardian knight. If Rian was serious, Shirone thought he should also approach him with the same resolve.
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)