[Book 1 Completed] Industrial Mage: Modernizing a Magical World [Kingdom Building LitRPG]
B2 | Chapter 49 – Progress

Your class, [Runic Mage], has leveled up – Lvl 3 > Lvl 4!

Your class, [Runic Mage], has leveled up – Lvl 5 > Lvl 6!

Your class, [Runic Mage], has leveled up – Lvl 6 > Lvl 7!

[Rune Inscription] has leveled up! – Lvl 5 > Lvl 6!

[Mana Control] has leveled up! – Lvl 13 > Lvl 14!

With satisfaction, Theodore gazed at the string of notifications. There was nothing like a productive workday to remind him why he had initially developed an obsession with runic crafting.

In his workshop, the refrigerator prototype was like a metal monument to his aspirations. As far as he was concerned, it was still not finished, but he had to admit that it was progressing quite steadily.

Each rune he'd carved into its frame had been a lesson in precision, and that was quite the understatement if he said so himself.

Why? Because he'd spent hours on end on every inscription!

For every inscription he added, there were bugs to fix and more things to add, and so precision was really important with what he was doing here.

The runes with an ice affinity were especially picky; if you used too much power, they would freeze everything solid; if you used too little, they would hardly cool a bottle of water.

However, that was tomorrow's problem. It had been a productive enough day as it was, and he needed to get out today. He had been holed up in his workshop for days now.

Feeling the mental exhaustion of hours spent bent over intricate runework, he flexed his fingers.

The levels were proof that he was on the right track. In the days he'd spent here, he'd gained three class levels and leveled up two of his skills as well!

All the bloodshot eyes and tight muscles were worth it for that kind of progress.

Still, he couldn't spend all his time in the workshop. After all, Varyndross's Quest nagged at the back of his mind like a splinter under his skin.

After sitting for hours, Theodore's joints protested as he pushed back from his workstation and stood up. Time to switch gears. It was high time he figured out how to merge [Sever] with his skills.

His sparring match with Freya had left more than a crater in the training field behind the manor. It was incredible how much harm two people could cause when they truly set their minds to it. Holden, however, had other training facilities as well, and he could use them.

First things first, though.

"Opie," Theodore called softly, placing a hand over his chest. "Come out, little guy. Time to stretch your scales."

His call was answered by the well-known feeling of his Soul Familiar stirring. No matter how many times it happened, the process of Opie emerging from somewhere deep inside Theodore's chest still felt strange. In a flash of silver light, the little snake appeared and instantly coiled itself like a live necklace around Theodore's neck.

"Miss me?" Theodore asked, scratching under Opie's chin with one finger.

The Soul Viper's reply was a soft squeeze around Theodore's neck and a satisfied hiss. Just enough to say hello, not enough to impede breathing.

Ever since Opie had evolved, the snake had taken his soul-guarding duties seriously. Perhaps too seriously.

Theodore wanted his Familiar to get stronger, but he also valued the protection, particularly after his experience with Lyra.

However that was also why he wanted Opie to grow stronger. And that meant getting him out of Theodore's soul once in a while.

"I've got something for you," Theodore said, raising his free hand.

Mana responded to his will. With [Mana Control] at level fourteen, shaping it was as natural as breathing. He compressed the mana into a sphere dense enough that it glowed like a miniature sun in his palm.

Even a Rank 3s would have been impressed by the amount of mana contained in that tiny sphere. For Theodore, however, it was pretty normal.

Opie's eyes fixed on the sphere immediately. His tongue flicked out, tasting the air, and Theodore could practically feel the snake's excitement.

"All yours," Theodore said, offering the condensed mana.

Opie struck faster than thought, unhinging his jaw to swallow the sphere whole. The glow traveled down his throat like a coal sliding down a chimney, and Theodore felt a rush of satisfaction through their bond.

There's nothing like a good meal to make a Familiar happy.

Opie turned into a scarf and wrapped around Theodore's shoulders as he walked through the streets of Holden. The snake had become content after his meal, periodically nuzzling Theodore's cheek in its scarf form.

Built specifically for military drills, magical training, and so much more, the training facilities were located on the outskirts of the town, which was slowly turning into a very small city these days.

The facilities were just sturdy architecture and adequate room for soldiers to train without unintentionally setting someone's home on fire.

Back home, he still had another training room in the training grounds, but it wasn't suited for the amount of things he was about to let loose and play around with.

As for these facilities, Theodore had commissioned them himself, and with Derrick's help—the man had connections—he'd gotten them built quite quickly for his men. When your guards and soldiers were properly trained, it was amazing how much easier it was to keep the peace.

The main building was a squat stone structure, all function and no form. But it was inside that the real magic happened. Immediately after pushing through the hefty wooden doors, Theodore saw a number of troops relaxing close to the entrance. They all noticed him at the same time, and suddenly everyone snapped to attention.

"My lord!" one of them barked, nearly dropping his weapon in his haste to salute.

Theodore waved dismissively.

"At ease. I'm just here to use the main training room."

The soldiers relaxed slightly.

"Actually, my lord," one of the soldiers spoke up. "Lady Freya is currently using the main training room."

Theodore raised an eyebrow.

"Is she now?"

"Yes, my lord. Been in there for the past hour."

Fascinating. When Freya wasn't following him around asking for spars or giving him cryptic advice, Theodore had been wondering what she did with her time. The response seemed to be pretty obvious now.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind the company," Theodore said. "Besides, I could use a sparring partner."

That was partially a lie. He needed some time alone with his skills, but he could definitely use some sparring afterwards.

The soldier's face flashed through a series of expressions simultaneously: surprise, worry, and possibly pity though he quickly schooled his expression.

"Are you... certain, my lord? Lady Freya can be quite... intense in her training."

Theodore chuckled. "I think I can handle it."

"The main room is down the hall, my lord. Third door on your right."

After thanking him, Theodore went farther within the building. As he got closer to the training room, the sound of steel hitting steel intensified, broken only by the occasional grunt of effort. He could see Freya moving through a complicated sword form through the doorless entrance, her blade singing through the air with deadly accuracy.

After tapping on the doorframe, Theodore entered. There was no mistaking the excitement in Freya's eyes as soon as he stepped through the door.

"Theodore!" she said, immediately lowering her sword. "Perfect timing. I was just thinking I needed a sparring partner."

Without even looking at her, Theodore was already looking around the room for a peaceful spot where he could work without being interrupted.

"I'm not here to spar."

"Come on," Freya pressed, following him as he moved deeper into the training room. "It's been days since we've had a proper match. I promise I'll go easy on you."

"I said no."

Theodore located a good location next to the distant wall, away from the weapon racks and practice dummies. With Opie still hanging around his neck as a scarf, he sat down cross-legged.

"Hey, don't ignore me!"

Theodore turned and gave her a dry stare.

"The last spar left my training field wrecked. I don't want to wreck this one as well."

"Oh." Freya deflated, her shoulders sagging slightly. "Sure, whatever."

Shaking his head, Theodore reached up to pet Opie. The little scarf turned back into a snake and nuzzled against his fingers before Theodore began forming another dense sphere of mana. This one was even more concentrated than the first.

"Here you go, little guy," Theodore murmured, offering the sphere to Opie.

Unhinging his jaw to swallow the compressed mana whole, the Soul Viper enthusiastically welcomed the gift. As the mana sank into his Familiar's system, Theodore experienced a surge of fulfillment from their bond.

With Opie fed and content, Theodore closed his eyes and turned his attention inward. He needed to understand how [Sever] worked, really understand it, before he could hope to combine it with his other abilities.

The innate ability was always there, lurking in the background of his consciousness like a blade waiting to be drawn.

But what was [Sever], really?

Theodore had already used it a few times. In combat, mostly, and even then, he had primarily utilized it in conjunction with [Swordsmanship], but he wasn't here to consider that.

He wanted to use it with his caster skills.

So, what did it mean to sever something?

The obvious answer was to cut, to slice through, to separate one thing from another with force and finality. A blade through flesh. An axe through wood.

But that was just the surface, wasn't it?

Theodore's brow furrowed as he followed that thought deeper.

There was more to his usage of [Sever] than merely the actual blade of his sword. The ability improved the cut, sharpened it, made it more definitive, and—above all—made it more than just a physical one. It gave the weapon a feature that it had not had before. A cut that goes beyond the physical.

So what if he could do the same thing with magic?

The idea was familiar to him, and he was fairly sure he could use it in his magic too.

His skills were already weapons in their own right, but they lacked that cutting quality. That decisive separation that [Sever] provided.

What if he could use the same severing characteristic to wrap his skills with? Make them cut in ways they weren't intended to, not just hit harder?

A [Mana Bolt] that didn't just impact, but sliced through whatever it hit. Lightning that didn't just shock, but severed the connections between a target and their mana, perhaps, or struck and cut something more than the physical.

Like Freya's flames, in a way. Back when they'd sparred, her flames had had a cutting quality to them, which was something no fire should possess.

So it was definitely possible, and given his Innate Ability came from a strong Constellation, he was pretty sure whatever he came up with would be pretty strong.

His mind was beginning to form the concept of a new skill. Developing something that could be used on anything, rather than merely applying [Sever] to specific spells. An expression of the idea of severance that he may apply to his other skills, spells, or whatever he desired.

An aura.

That was the word that came to mind.

Theodore's eyes snapped open, and he found Freya watching him with curious eyes.

"You've been sitting there for half an hour," she said. "Making progress?"

"I think so," Theodore said, already turning his attention back inward. "Give me a few more hours."

Freya shrugged and went back to her own training, and the sound of steel on steel resumed as Theodore delved further into his work.

The concept was clear now. The execution, however, was going to take time.

A haze of experimentation and improvement filled the hours. As he experimented with various strategies and navigated the intricacies of what he was trying to create and learn, Theodore lost himself in the process. Opie waited patiently around his shoulders, nuzzling him occasionally, asking for some mana, which he provided.

The breakthrough came just as the sun was setting outside.

Theodore learned a skill.

***

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