Liberation of The Slaves

Chapter 108 – Magic Fine-Tuning

After finishing my breakfast—which was still that same old purple stew—I headed outside to resume my training.

It had been nearly three months since my last proper session. I figured it was best to start by refreshing the basics. A few warm-up stretches, a little mana and aura circulation to loosen things up… and I was back in motion.

<“So, Aza, with my stats being how they are, should I focus more on physical training?”>

【Not necessary, Master. Stick with magic from morning to lunch, then shift to physical training after that.】

【You probably won’t get this kind of free time again once your journey starts—so make the most of it while we’re still enjoying luxury meals and fresh air. Especially since those magical ingredients you’re eating act like premium XP boosters.】

<“Ah, true. This is basically a limited-time power-up phase, huh?”>

Once I leave this forest, I’ll have to go back to eating whatever’s available in the city. Any food in local restaurants won’t give me passive stat boosts.

<“Alright then. I’ll start with basic magic practice. One by one, through each of my elements.”>

Despite saying that, it didn’t really feel like “training.”

Creating fireballs, water streams, dark blades—it all came naturally, flowing out like a reflex. Within an hour, I’d cycled through all of them with ease.

<“…Why is this so easy?”>

【Haaa… Setting aside your combat experience, your current magical capability already matches seasoned adventurers in their thirties. I wouldn’t be surprised if you skipped right to intermediate or advanced magic.】

<“Seriously?”>

【...I’m starting to worry you're going to be one of those people.】

I tilted my head.

<“…Those people?”>

【You know. The kind of protagonist who walks into town acting like a clueless newbie, then accidentally obliterates the training dummy and breaks five guild records in a row.】

My expression stiffened.

<“…No. No no no. Please don’t say that.”>

In my past life, I hated characters like that—those anime protagonists who were somehow oblivious to how overpowered they were. Watching them get praised like idiots while pretending to be weak made me want to scream at the screen: “YOU HAVE EYES, DON’T YOU!?”

And now Aza’s telling me I’m becoming that kind of guy?

【It’s kind of poetic, don’t you think? The guy who couldn’t stand overpowered characters who lack common senses… becoming one himself. Karma truly is divine.】

<“Ughhh…”>

Right. I forgot she had access to all my memories!

<“…So what should I do?”>

【Just learn to adjust your output. Scale it back when needed. But… I do recall you saying you hated people who hold back and play dumb.】

<“…Ugh.”>

She’s talking about Sis Esta and Sis Hazel.

They’re ridiculously strong, but they act like harmless civilians. I once told Aza that I hated that fake “I’m so weak, teehee~” attitude.

And now?

Now I’m being told I need to become them.

This is… what people call karma, huh?

【This is delicious. Please continue panicking.】

<“…You really are the worst angel.”>

【Oh please. I’m the angel you deserve.】

<“…I guess it’s about time I learned how to properly adjust my magic output. Can you teach me how to do that, Aza?”>

【Haa… How shameless of you, Master.】

Ugh… I mocked her just a few hours ago, and now here I am, asking her to teach me. The smugness in her voice was practically radiating through my soul.

【I’ll teach you. But on one condition.】

I narrowed my eyes.

<“What kind of condition?”>

【You’re not allowed to change the method of giving her water. No matter what.】

Seriously? She still doesn’t trust my earlier promise?

<“…You’re still hung up on that?”>

【Even if I moan loudly.】

<“Oi!”>

That’s not a condition—that’s a trap!

If she had her own body, then fine, let her deal with the embarrassment. But right now, we only have one body in play here—Selena’s. If I ever slip up and do something weird while she’s moaning like that, it’s Selena who’ll take the hit, not Aza.

<“What if I can’t hold back and something happens!?”>

【Then that sounds like your own problem.】

She said it so coldly, so heartlessly… I think my soul cracked a little.

【And that’s not all.】

<“…There’s more!?”>

【You have to give her water twice a day. Morning and evening. Every day. Without fail.】

This angel was getting bolder by the minute. A pervert with no shame and no room for negotiation.

I sighed and braced myself to argue—

【Don’t even try to beg. The condition is final. If you start whining, I might actually get goosebumps and revoke the deal just out of principle.】

Once more… I lost against Aza.

<“…Fine. I’ll give her water twice a day. Mouth-to-mouth. Moan however much you want. I’ll deal with it.”>

【Heh.】

She let out a victorious snort. A literal snort. I could feel her smug grin even though she didn’t have a face.

Damn it!

But just when she thought she’d won—

Tinkle!

Hmn!

Fia and Nyx chimed in like spiritual snitches from the void.

Fia’s tone practically sparkled: “She just wants to check on the other sisters more often!”

And Nyx added softly, “Lying is bad, Aza…”

【W-What!? I—I wasn’t!】

Her voice cracked. The divine composure shattered in an instant.

Aza, the tsundere angel, exposed by her own little sisters.

So that’s what this was really about.

All that bluster… just to make sure she could check on the souls in Selena more often.

<“…You know there are easier ways to say you care about them, right?”>

【I do not! I mean—I didn’t say I didn’t! Wait—argh! Forget it!】

She retreated into incoherent flailing.

A divine being, reduced to flustered babbling over bottled affection and fake threats.

What a strange way to show love.

What a ridiculous little family.

But… somehow, it didn’t feel so bad.

After a round of shameless bargaining and ridiculous conditions, we finally returned to the actual topic.

Training.

【Alright. Let’s focus. You know that the size and effect of your magic scale with the amount of mana used, right?】

<“Yeah. The skill descriptions mention that, and I’ve experimented a bit too.”>

【Correct. But… it’s not entirely accurate.】

<“Huh?”>

【There are actually two methods to adjust your magic power.】

<“Two?”>

【The first one is simple. Before you fire your magic or aura, just imagine the amount of power you want to release. That mental image will affect the output.】

Wow. That’s it?

So straightforward.

【However—while the power output changes, the mana or aura consumption doesn’t. You’ll use the same amount of energy, even if the result is weaker.】

<“Ah… So it’s more of a visual dampener than an efficiency tool.”>

【Exactly. That’s where the second method comes in. It’s more advanced.】

【You’re familiar with that special storage room inside your body where mana and aura are held, right?】

<“Yeah. The one I use when converting mana into aura and vice versa.”>

【Right. It’s more than just a converter. It filters out foreign energy and helps maintain purity—but it also has another purpose.】

【It lets you modify the properties of your mana or aura.】

<“…Properties?”>

【Since you were a programmer in your past life, think of mana as an object in a class. It has properties you can set—like magic power, elemental affinity, etc.】

Oh no.

I came to a fantasy world to escape code, and here we are talking about objects and properties again.

<“...Yeah, I get the concept.”>

【Good. So you can think of your mana as an object that has a ‘magic power’ property. And you can manually tweak that value before casting.】

<“So if I adjust that property before releasing the mana… I can scale down both the power and the mana consumption?”>

【Exactly. When the mana is still inside that internal room, you can set the output level or consumption level. The room will handle the adjustment automatically—less power, less consumption. Or more power, if needed.】

<“That’s way more efficient…”>

In simple terms—It’s like cooking.

Most people just follow a recipe and toss everything in without a second thought. But if you really understand the ingredients, you can adjust things—make it less salty, more spicy, change the portion size, etc.

Mana and aura are the same. You don’t just use it—you fine-tune it.

【By the way, as far as I know, no one else in this world is aware of the second method.】

<“Really? Not even advanced mages?”>

【Nope. Everyone here learns the first method. That became the standard over generations. Those who want to appear weaker use that method and just underperform intentionally.】

<“But what about otherworlders? Surely reincarnators figured this out?”>

【They learned from the locals too. None of them have a smart and beautiful assistant like you do.】

<“Yes, yes, thank you, o wise and beautiful angel.”>

I muttered, half-sarcastic, as I shifted my stance and got back to training.

I decided to start with the basic method first—to feel the difference.

Focusing, I conjured a Fire Starblade in my palm and imagined halving its power.

Then, I threw it.

A flash of red arced through the air, blazing toward the tree.

Normally, my fire starblades pack about six times the power of a standard version. This one felt like… three times the norm.

A perfect 50% drop—exactly what I visualized.

<“It actually works.”>

【Of course it does. I’m not just a pretty voice in your head, you know.】

<“...Well, you are that too.”>

【Hmph.】

She didn’t deny it.

<“What happens if I imagine the power higher than what I’m currently capable of?”>

【Nothing will happen if you use the first method. But, with the second method, it’s possible.】

<“Really? Isn’t that kind of amazing?”>

With my magic power already over 2,600, doubling it would push a spell past 5,200. That sounded incredible.

【Yes, but the cost would be tremendous. Doubling the magic power doesn’t just double the mana consumption—it could raise it five to ten times, maybe even more, depending on the magic complexity.】

<“Wait—so halving the power cuts the mana use, but doubling it might make it five times more expensive?”>

【There’s a margin of error, of course, but yes. That’s basically how it works.】

I nodded slowly.

So it’s a tradeoff—big power for a big price. Not something I could use recklessly. But still… if I could train it, master it, it might become a trump card someday.

With that thought in mind, I returned to training.