Infinite Mana - Chapter 207: Not Boring, At Least (Thank you for your support, Raoul Bataclan!) (Patreon)

Sieghart put as much distance between himself and the golem dungeon as reasonably possible before allowing the carriage to settle into a steady traveling speed. The road remained almost completely empty beneath the moonlight, which gave him plenty of time to think.

Rest should have been his first priority after spending so long underground, but sleeping while driving remained inconvenient even with the relatively straightforward road ahead. Instead, Sieghart occupied himself with something requiring considerably less concentration than controlling several tons through Telekinesis.

He raised one hand from the steering wheel while keeping the other against the mana contact plate, maintaining enough continuous energy to power the carriage. A faint mixture of red and brown mana gathered above his free palm. The spell responded much more easily now that the System had recognized its structure. Sieghart no longer needed to carefully force Fire and Earth Mana together while hoping neither component destabilized before the combination reached the desired state.

A small Lava Sphere formed above his palm, its surface glowing orange-red while darker material rotated beneath the molten exterior. Heat distorted the air immediately, forcing Sieghart to extend his arm farther outside the carriage window.

He compressed the sphere, held it stable for several seconds, and then launched it toward an exposed section of rock beside the road. The projectile struck with a wet splash before glowing material spread across the stone. The attack was much smaller than those he had repeatedly fired against the corrupted Guardian. That was intentional, since burning down the surrounding countryside merely because he wanted additional spell levels would probably qualify as unnecessary stupidity.

Sieghart created another sphere while the first slowly cooled behind him. The second formed faster, requiring less conscious correction as his control improved and the spell’s magical structure became increasingly familiar.

He fired again. Then again.

The carriage continued rolling through the darkness while small molten projectiles periodically flew from the window and struck isolated rocks far enough from vegetation that Sieghart did not accidentally start a forest fire.

It did not take long before the first notification appeared.

[Lava Sphere has reached Level 2.][Dexterity increased by 3.]

Sieghart raised an eyebrow at the second line. He had expected Magic from something belonging to Magma Magic, but apparently maintaining stable control over constantly moving molten material counted differently from simply generating destructive power.

The difference became noticeable almost immediately. His fingers felt slightly more precise while shaping the next sphere, and controlling the rotating layers of molten material required less deliberate attention than before. Sieghart continued practicing. He varied the size instead of mindlessly repeating identical casts. Some Lava Spheres became barely larger than marbles, while others approached the size of his head before he compressed them enough to maintain cohesion during flight.

He changed their speed as well. Slow spheres allowed more time to examine their stability, while faster projectiles tested whether the spell could remain intact when accelerated hard enough to become genuinely useful against mobile enemies.

Another notification appeared before much time passed.

[Lava Sphere has reached Level 3.][Dexterity increased by 3.]

Then another followed after several dozen additional casts.

[Lava Sphere has reached Level 4.][Dexterity increased by 3.]

Sieghart smiled faintly as another molten projectile disappeared into the darkness beside the road. Compared with some of his more troublesome spells, Lava Sphere seemed almost absurdly straightforward to train.

All it apparently wanted was repeated creation, control, compression, and successful release. None of those requirements involved finding another person, entering dangerous combat, or convincing magic to perform something fundamentally opposed to its normal behavior.

By the time the moon had shifted noticeably across the sky, Sieghart had become capable of creating the spell with one hand almost casually. The process that originally required both palms and nearly all his concentration now felt increasingly natural.

[Lava Sphere has reached Level 5.][Dexterity increased by 3.]

Sieghart flexed his fingers afterward and immediately noticed the cumulative difference. Dexterity was not merely movement speed; it affected precision, coordination, fine physical control, and how efficiently his body translated intention into motion.

That made the parameter considerably more valuable than he had originally assumed. Better Dexterity improved delicate runic work, steering, spell shaping, weapon handling, and potentially the close-range movement Fury had recently encouraged him to attempt.

The next two levels arrived before sunrise.

[Lava Sphere has reached Level 6.][Dexterity increased by 3.]

[Lava Sphere has reached Level 7.][Dexterity increased by 3.]

Sieghart finally stopped when the roadside terrain became less rocky and increasingly covered in dry vegetation. Training Magma Magic while traveling remained convenient, but explaining a line of mysterious fires stretching across several kilometers would be considerably less convenient.

Seven levels already represented an enormous gain from one spell. Including the first level acquired during the Guardian battle, Lava Sphere had now granted twenty-one permanent points of Dexterity beyond what Sieghart possessed before creating it.

He summoned his Status while the carriage continued along the road. Enough had changed since he last examined everything properly that the display had become considerably more crowded than he remembered.

STATUS

Name: Sieghart EmberhartRace: HumanAge: 10Level: 17

Health: 300 / 300Mana: ∞Stamina: 300 / 300

Strength: 23Endurance: 30Vitality: 32Dexterity: 46Magic: 279Mentality: 128Resistance: 59Perception: 14

Sieghart stared longest at Dexterity. The parameter had climbed dramatically compared with its old value, largely because Lava Sphere offered an unusually generous increase for something he could practice almost anywhere.

He moved his fingers again, testing tiny adjustments while maintaining the carriage’s mana flow. The improvement was obvious enough that even his steering corrections felt smoother whenever the wheels encountered uneven sections of road. The magical portion of the Status opened beneath the parameters, requiring considerably more space than when Sieghart had first discovered that casting Flame repeatedly could permanently alter his abilities.

BLACK MAGIC — Level 18

Fire Magic├── Flame — Level 12├── Fireball — Level 30├── Giant Fireball — Level 13└── Flamethrower — Level 12

Water Magic├── Water Creation — Level 14├── Water Cannon — Level 23└── Water Jet — Level 111

Wind Magic├── Breeze — Level 12├── Wind Blade — Level 23└── Impulse — Level 4

Earth Magic├── Sand Control — Level 13├── Earth Bullet — Level 24└── Earth Creation — Level 13

Ice Magic├── Frozen Floor — Level 19├── Ice Shuriken — Level 18└── Glacial Fist — Level 7

Lightning Magic├── Spark — Level 11└── Thunder Arrow — Level 6

Poison Magic├── Poison Sphere — Level 6└── Fatigue Dart — Level 9

Magma Magic — Level 3└── Lava Sphere — Level 7    

The existence of Magma Magic still pleased Sieghart more than he wanted to admit. Fire and Earth had become something meaningfully different instead of merely producing two elemental effects simultaneously.

That raised obvious questions about other combinations. Water and Wind might produce mist or pressure phenomena, while Lightning combined with something conductive could potentially create entirely different branches if Sieghart discovered the correct conceptual approach.

His Status continued.

WHITE MAGIC

Support Magic└── Protection — Level 17

Reinforcement Magic└── Muscle Reinforcement — Level 16

Healing Magic└── First Aid — Level 18

Enchanting Magic└── Elemental Imbuement — Level 12

Barrier Magic — Level 1└── Mana Barrier — Level 1   

Mana Barrier remained embarrassingly low compared with most of his older White Magic, although the Guardian battle had proven that even a barrier incapable of surviving powerful attacks could still become extremely useful when employed for timing rather than defense.

Stopping something for half a second could matter more than blocking something for ten seconds. Sieghart had learned that rather thoroughly while alternating barriers with Glacial Fists and Fireballs.

SUMMONING MAGIC — Level 11

├── Mana Sword — Level 17└── Mana Shield — Level 13

ARCANE MAGIC — Level 14

├── Mana Transfusion — Level 40├── Mana Rune — Level 13└── Phantom Image — Level 12

PSIONICS — Level 1

└── Telekinesis — Level 8

PERCEPTION MAGIC

└── Enhanced Smell — Level 14

OCULAR MAGIC

└── Magic Vision — Level 12

ALCHEMY MAGIC

└── Concoction    └── Potion Refinement — Level 1

NECROMANCY MAGIC

Undead Creation└── Zombification — Level 1 

SIN MAGIC — Level 3

Wrath└── Fury — Level 5

Gluttony└── Magic Resistance — Level 1

ASSIMILATION MAGIC — Level 1

Combat Adaptation 

Property Consumption — Level 1.]

Sieghart’s expression flattened when he reached Assimilation Magic. Unlike Magma Magic, nothing about that branch made him feel uncomplicated satisfaction, especially after discovering exactly what temporarily borrowing material properties could do to living tissue.

He dismissed the Status and returned his attention to the road. Morning light had started appearing beyond the horizon, revealing enough of the landscape that the distant route markers became visible again.

His next destination was considerably different from the golem dungeon. Goblin dungeon. Sieghart had chosen it partly because the route moved him farther from the capital and partly because fighting actual living opponents would let him test abilities that metallic constructs made almost completely useless.

Fatigue Dart immediately came to mind.

He had created the Poison spell specifically as a potential answer to Aura users. Rather than directly damaging an opponent, it sabotaged physical stamina and reduced the efficiency of recovery.

Using it on golems would have accomplished approximately nothing. Goblins were another matter.

They breathed. They possessed muscles. They became tired. More importantly, dungeon goblins provided hostile biological targets that Sieghart could study without needing to fire experimental Poison Magic into random bandits and hope his understanding of the effect was accurate.

He tapped the steering wheel while imagining several possibilities. A Fatigue Dart hitting a goblin once might simply weaken it slightly, while repeated applications could reveal whether the effect stacked or merely refreshed its duration. That information would matter enormously against Aura users. If multiple darts compounded the stamina disruption, then someone relying heavily on physical enhancement could become weaker with every exchange while Sieghart remained effectively unlimited on the mana side.

Sieghart watched the road ahead and muttered while another milestone marker passed beside the carriage.

“This should be interesting. Maybe not even boring, assuming the goblins don’t spend the entire dungeon running at me with rusty knives and making me question why I bothered coming.”

The thought brought another problem to mind.

Equipment.

Sieghart possessed his carriage, runic tools, ordinary weapons purchased for resale, clothing, armor pieces, and numerous magical solutions for combat. What he lacked was equipment deliberately built around his own absurd advantages. That seemed increasingly stupid.

Infinite Mana meant Sieghart did not need to obsess over efficiency the way ordinary mages did. It did not mean carrying weapons, armor, automated spell systems, or specialized tools somehow became pointless. If anything, unlimited mana should make magical equipment more valuable.

Most enchanted equipment needed to ration stored energy. Sieghart did not. A defensive device designed to consume enormous amounts of mana continuously could remain active as long as he kept feeding it. A weapon limited by mana costs could fire until the physical components overheated.

A complicated runic tool could sacrifice efficiency for raw performance because Sieghart cared far more about output than conservation. He glanced around the interior of the carriage, mentally cataloging the materials and books stored behind him. Enough tools were already available to begin building something once he stopped traveling.

The question was what.

A sword seemed almost boring.

A staff made practical sense because runes could be arranged along its length, but carrying around a fancy stick after learning to throw molten rock felt strangely underwhelming.

A wand offered precision but little mechanical utility. Then Sieghart remembered the Guardian’s cannons. His expression changed. A rotating barrel system could solve several problems at once. Instead of building a magical weapon that created its own attack, Sieghart could create a device designed to shape, stabilize, accelerate, and repeatedly release spells he already knew.

Several rotating chambers. Runic cooling. Mana-fed firing sequence. Alternating spell formation points. Maybe mechanical rotation powered directly through the same principles used in his carriage engine.

Sieghart slowly smiled.

A Gatling gun.

Not for bullets.

For Fireballs.

The idea became increasingly ridiculous the longer he considered it, which unfortunately made it increasingly appealing. Individual barrels could hold runic spell-shaping structures optimized for Fireball. Rotation would allow one chamber to cool while another fired, avoiding some of the stress produced by repeatedly forcing heat through one location.

He could potentially build larger versions for Giant Fireballs. That sounded unsafe inside the carriage. Lava Spheres were even more interesting. Magma Magic required combining Fire and Earth principles before compression. A properly designed weapon could potentially perform part of that shaping automatically, reducing the amount of active concentration Sieghart needed for every projectile.

He pictured himself holding a rotating magical weapon while molten spheres fired continuously from different barrels. Then he pictured what happened if one chamber jammed. The image included a considerable amount of lava moving backward toward his face.

Sieghart’s smile faded slightly.

“Maybe prototype with Fireballs first. Explosions are easier to survive than accidentally pouring molten rock into my own hands, which is not a sentence I expected to become relevant.”

The concept still had merit.

More importantly, designing equipment around Infinite Mana represented something Sieghart had barely explored. Until now, most of his engineering had focused on replacing mana cores or creating practical conveniences.