Dimension System - Chapter 92

“What do you know about Mana?”

Inspector Luca asked me the question after the Don and his men had left the room. He needed to know how much he’d have to explain to me about the recent events. I answered with a combination of my own understanding and the information that the system had gleaned from the introductory magic textbooks.

“It’s a naturally occurring energy source, utilized by magicians, for conjurations, crafting, and casting spells. The amount of ambient energy that can be stored is colloquially referred to as a ‘mana pool’. Some areas are naturally more dense, while other regions are naturally devoid of mana, according to the information I’ve accessed.”

The inspector’s eyes lit up at my response. He seemed very pleased with my answer.

“That is correct! Mana is, to put it in very simple terms, a naturally occurring type of energy. It’s renewable. Magicians, and even some monsters, use the ambient energy in the environment to alter reality in some way. The energy detected during your inspection is not Mana. It’s an entirely different type of energy, one that is much rarer and more powerful, called Divine energy.”

It seems that someone finally realized that I was using Dimensional energy to mimic magic spells. I knew that it would happen eventually, I’m just glad that it was an ally and not an enemy. I was curious as to why previous magicians hadn’t detected anything, so I asked inspector Luca for clarification.

“How did you notice the difference inspector? Everyone else has been unable to notice any difference in the spells I’ve used so far.”

He answered my question and cleared up a few things for me.

“Well, it’s almost impossible to detect the difference between the two types of energy, unless one is extremely well-versed in the type of Mana being used. I’ve studied Spatial magic for many years and even I was fooled by the appearance. The only thing that gave it away was the color. If you’d have used the correct color I wouldn’t have suspected a thing.”

Rummaging through a nearby locker, Inspector Luca removed a few textbooks, handing the entire stack over to me.

“Here, take these introductory books, they’ll help you learn the basics of Spatial magic. Once you’ve got the basics down you’ll be able to use the correct colors to mask any elementary spatial spells.”

I quickly absorbed the entire stack into my spatial world.

*Ding*

[Host has absorbed significant knowledge related to spatial magic. Magic subroutine has begun analysis. Basic Spatial magic unlocked.]

Checking the system revealed a few new spells courtesy of the books I’d just absorbed. Portals could be opened for instant travel, although the cost to maintain them grew exponentially, depending on how far apart they were. A portal across the room would only drain a few points per second, whereas a portal across the continent would drain the entire spatial world within minutes.

The entrance would be blue, while the exit would show up as orange portal. Functionally, they were the same portal, with either side teleporting to the other. Thinking about it any more would only make my head hurt, so I moved on to the next spell that was unlocked. Lesser spatial stasis was the foundation for the higher level spatial stasis spell.

Unlike it’s higher level variant, the basic spell only slowed those were susceptible to spatial magic. I still remember when Xander cast the higher level version and it froze everyone in the area except me. I was slightly disappointed by only two spells being unlocked, but the system noted that the textbooks were mostly filled with the foundational knowledge for spatial magic, and that the spells were used to ascertain a beginner’s progress.

Seeing that I was done reviewing the knowledge within the books, Inspector Luca once again addressed me.

“Study those books closely, whenever you have the time, as we’ll be testing you on them once you’re ready. As for the Divine energy, I suggest you learn to mask it as soon as possible, as it’s typically wielded by those who have reached the apex of power. Very little is known of those who ascend to the next plane of existence, except that the Divine energy is granted by the concentrated belief of their followers.”

Hmmm, it would seem that Dimensional points I’d been using so far are a form of Divine energy? I guess it made sense in a way. Every living thing in the spatial world was contributing points, at it’s own rate, so the cost to do minor things was negligible now. Realizing that I was being rude, I snapped out of my thoughts and thanked Inspector Luca.

“Thank you, I’ll study these books and report back, once I’ve mastered the contents!”

Waving his hand, Inspector Luca signaled I was free to go.

“Mastering them may take quite some time, come back whenever you feel you’re ready.”

With Inspector Luca’s blessing, I made my way back over to the bar area, where I joined up with Vinny and Xander at their table. I noticed that Reed had already left, so I asked Xander about it.

“Did Reed leave already?”

Xander finished the bite he’d just taken, before replying.

“Yeah, he had to take off for some business, probably going to check on one of his brewing stills. Looks like you’re finally all setup? How are liking things so far?”

I showed Xander my official ‘Logistics’ badge as I answered him.

“I’m having a lot of fun so far. Do you know what my next assignment is? They didn’t give me any immediate orders, for now.”

Taking a long swig from his glass, Xander finished his drink and answered my question.

“The probationary period doesn’t really have any hard requirements. The candidates are graded on their academic performance, training missions, and how they fit into the organization. Basically, you have free reign to study, you’re also encouraged to follow senior members and observe how the various departments operate. Speaking of… do ya wanna come with me on a training mission? It’ll be fun, I promise!”

I was curious to see what these spatial mafia mages actually did, so I quickly replied.

“Sure, where are we going and what are we doing captain?”

Chucking, Xander gave me the details of my first assignment. Well.. training assignment that is.

“We’ll be traveling to a remote city on the Norsecan continent. Be sure to bring some winter gear, it snows all year-round over there. As for what we’ll be doing… well, someone busted up one of the shops who paid us protection money. We’re going to track them down, seize their assets to offset the damages, and then leave a nice, permanent reminder to whoever was responsible.”

The glint in Xander’s eyes twinkled with more than a slight buzz, there was a deep-seated rage that told me we were probably going to be breaking some bones, once we got there.

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[Part 2]

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[Part 3]