บท 7: Elemental Division
Unwittingly, Arthur ended up visiting Wilden's slave market, which was as unpleasant as one might expect. The place was clustered with cages and reeked of piss. Arthur didn't stay there for too long, but his brief visit there was enough to give him a general idea about the procedure of acquiring a slave.
Admittedly, there were more females than males, and the reason was obvious and simple. As an underdeveloped world, lacking basic laws and human rights, the wealthy have nothing particular to do, hence they buy slaves to satisfy their twisted desires. As cliché as it looked for Arthur, it nevertheless remained a reality in Astria, and he was in no position to object to their 'traditions'.
It was crystal clear that not all races were equal… Heck! Not even all humans were equal. The nobles were superior to the peasants and they are the de facto rulers. Just because they had golden hair and more wealth than the rest, it gives them the right to oppress the weak and act however they want.
Such shallow principles did not sit well with Arthur, however, he kept his opinion to himself and didn't act out, in any way, shape or form.
Whether it was on Earth or here, humans will always remain malformed creatures, guided by greed and desires, even he was no exception.
He was granted a second life in a new world and desired to start anew and live his life doing whatever he wanted. As much as he wanted to deny it, the inhumane torture and isolation he was subjected to had dramatically changed his demeanor and view on many things. Consequently, he will do anything- literally anything- to keep living and achieve his goals.
It's just like what happened with Latif, whom he had mercilessly killed. He did not feel any guilt or remorse, and that's because his life was on the line. For his survival, he was certain that he won't hesitate to kill people, innocent or not.
The difference between Good and Evil never have been more shrouded. In a world dominated by ridiculous beliefs and outrageous principles, there was nothing such as justice or good, only the winner and loser, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak.
Arthur didn't stay at the slave market for longer than necessary, he soon returned to the library and read even more books. He spent the rest of the day engrossed reading, expanding his knowledge, and learning about the mystical and wondrous things of this world. By the time the canopy turned dark and his stomach started growling, hungry for food, the parasite bought 'History of Magic' and 'Elemental Division', which are two books he particularly liked then returned to the inn.
As usual, the tavern on the first floor was bustling with people, mostly adventurers. The mood was cheerful and the air smelled of ale and garlic. For Arthur, who was imprisoned in a gloomy and cold room for months, this change of atmosphere was much welcomed.
His suspicious attire and Latif's rather ugly face made him unapproachable. Although he wasn't here to befriend people, he still didn't like getting strange gazes… it was because of this that he repeatedly swore to find a better host as soon as possible. However, such a feat was easier said than done.
He could only possess corpses and the chances of finding a fresh one are relatively low, even in such a place. Although the security in Wildsden town was questionable, at best, that didn't mean killings crimes would occur every day. Moreover, if he were to possess someone whose death was confirmed by many people, then it'll only complicate his situation… practically forcing him to either discard said corpse or relocate to another human settlement.
After an uneventful and delicious dinner, Arthur retreated to his small yet cozy inn room. It was warm and illuminated by two old lamps, which provided barely enough light for him to re-read the books he had bought.
Amongst all the topics he read about today, Magic was definitely the most interesting for Arthur. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of books talking about magic and magical beasts, both of which picked his interest.
In Essence, Magic was born from Mana: As described by all the books, it was a type of ambient energy present everywhere, whether within the ground, or the air, or living beings.
Generally, every lifeform, regardless of race, would have Mana in their bodies, automatically allowing them to adapt to Astria's environment. However, not every person could freely wield the exterior and interior Mana… that was where talent and unique genetic bloodlines would come into play.
'Mana has always been present but it was only 30,000 thousand years ago, when the Demons appeared, that the human race learned how to wield it and transform it into what we now call 'Magic'.
Basically, when Mana is converted into one of the basic elements, the result is called Magic, or to be specific, a spell.
Every living being has Mana stored in their body, but it requires inborn or acquired talent to make use of Mana.
By the time I'm writing this (3rd Era, year 9702, Month 11, day 27), 90% of the human population cannot use Magic. It's hard to specify the necessary criteria to use magic but scholars concluded that it's entirely related to talent, however , I think, that's erroneous. Even with the absence of talent, one can always learn Magic, though the process might take longer and be much more difficult.
Anyway, returning to the topic at hand; Magic is split into four main elements(also referred to as attributes) and they are: Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. These four are the most common, but there are others, such as Darkness, Lightning, Light, Spirit, Magma, Metal, Wood, and so on… those are generally labeled as 'Special Elements'. More often than not, they're inherited from one's parents or grandparents, which means it's all in one's genetics. I've never heard of someone acquiring a special element through exterior means.
Then there's the OTHER type of magic, the one used by magical beasts and other races such as Vampires and Fairies. While they are adept at using the basic magic, which I will now refer to as 'Normal Magic', they can also use unique abilities that can be considered magic as they very much resemble it, to a degree.
Now, about the remaining 10% of humans, those lucky and talented ones. My dear reader, I'm so deeply sorry to disappoint you but the reality is vastly different from what's publicly known. It always follows the 80/20 principle, meaning that 80% of that meager 10% is incompetent and lazing around whereas the 20% is a beacon of hope for humanity. It's that 20% of human mages, which amount to less than 10,000 of the current population(which is still dwindling every day), that's exactly what's allowing the humans to battle against the demons and reclaim what's rightfully ours…
Author: Scholar Lamber Du Royaume Bleu.'
Arthur spent the rest of his night in his room, reading the two books and learning about the wondrous thing called Magic. Evidently, it has become more widespread and diverse than in the past, and it surely picked his interest, however, apart from reading about it, he didn't feel like wasting a lot of time learning the very basics.
The thought of being able to cast fireballs and invisible wind blades seemed cool even to a middle-aged man such as himself, nevertheless, it's too much of a sacrifice to do, especially now.
He's still getting to know this new world and- as a parasite- there are alternative ways to get stronger, such as possessing corpses of mages. Frankly, Arthur was still unsure on a clear path for himself.
On Earth, he was a businessman, but there's a difference between businessmen and a merchant. He'll need goods to sell, as well as knowing the prices and how to efficiently profit. Basically, just like learning magic, it'll also take quite a bit of time to get the hang of the mandatory things.
For now, the urgent tasks that he needed to complete were acquiring a better body, earning more money, and, of course, getting stronger.
Latif was neither too poor nor too wealthy and the money he had left will eventually run out. At that time, Arthur would become a beggar.
Arthur wasn't a rash person, so, before he went to sleep, he planned what he'd do for the next couple of days. Only when he was done did he lay on the bed, and after getting lost in thought for several minutes, he fell asleep.
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