Danmachi: A Mage's Journey

Taking advantage of the moment when the monsters had yet to react, Ais unleashed a flurry of attacks.

Her blade danced like a gale, silver flashes slicing through the air. The sword light etched fatal arcs across their bodies, spraying blood like crimson petals scattered by the wind.

Against a Level 3 adventurer like Ais, these monsters stood no chance.

If not for Akira needing to adjust to fighting with a one-handed sword, Ais alone could've easily reached the 26th floor.

The reason she hadn't progressed beyond the 27th floor wasn't due to strength—it was because of an unfortunate incompatibility with the terrain.

She couldn't swim.

Once the water rose to her face, panic would set in and Ais would sink like a stone.

And the reason?

Well, it was a peculiar one.

Ais had once jokingly called Riveria "Auntie." In response, the elven mage had flung her into a deep lake out of spite. Since that day, Ais had developed a fear of deep water that she couldn't shake.

After finishing off the mammoth fool, Akira leapt down from its massive corpse and walked over to Ais.

"Ais, do you want to go deeper into the dungeon or head to a safe floor to practice wind magic?" He asked.

Although Ais longed to keep going and fight stronger monsters, the recent battles hadn't yielded much growth in her status. Compared to that, learning wind magic from Akira held far more promise.

She turned her gaze to the exit of the 21st floor and pointed toward it without hesitation. "I want to know how Akira became so strong."

"Then let's go. Time's ticking—we better hurry." Akira squatted down slightly, signaling with a hand gesture.

"Hop on. It'll be faster this way."

Without protest, Ais climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

— — —

On the 18th floor, within the tranquil forest of the safe zone.

Akira raised a hand, magic power condensing in his palm. A violent gust of wind shot forth, slicing clean through a thick tree stump and blasting into the woods beyond.

"Ais, think you can pull that off?" Akira asked, pointing toward the result of his demonstration.

"Tempest!" Ais chanted softly.

She focused her mind, imitating Akira's motion. Her hands moved as she attempted to summon the wind.

"Hah!"

With a burst of force, wind exploded from her palm and surged forward.

It howled through the forest, carving rough scars into tree trunks and sending leaves flying—but it wasn't the kind of sharp, focused magic Ais had been aiming for.

Ais's magic usually enhanced her body—boosting attack, defense, and speed. It even allowed her to fly short distances.

Her wind magic could be tuned through two different chants: Tempest and Tempest-Avenger.

In theory, she should've been able to attack from a distance too. After all, in the tales of the Sword Princess, Ais had once released wind magic into the metal boots of the werewolf Bete, propelling his kicks.

Magic was a miracle—a manifestation of the world's blessings and one's potential. It didn't make sense that Riveria could deconstruct and isolate magical effects, but Ais couldn't condense a wind blade.

Perhaps it was because Ais believed her skill, Avenger, enhanced damage output only when attacking head-on. Maybe she simply never considered using her magic in another way.

But she was the daughter of a powerful adventurer. The wind magic she wielded had been passed down from her mother. With spirit blood in her veins, her affinity for wind should have been exceptional.

Akira stood quietly, watching the trees sway and fall from her raw wind magic.

Surely, Riveria and the others had given her magic training before. They couldn't have intended for her to use it solely for strengthening herself.

And considering she'd eventually use her magic to unleash a piercing, wind-enhanced thrust—it was hard to believe she couldn't manage a mere wind projectile.

"Akira, I can't do it." Ais muttered, her eyes shimmering with frustration.

She looked up at him with a pout and asked, "How did you do it?"

Akira unsheathed his one-handed sword. Wind wrapped around the blade with a low hum.

"This should be easy for you." He said calmly.

Taking his advice, Ais unsheathed her rapier and repeated her chant. In an instant, her blade shimmered, surrounded by glowing emerald wind.

Akira smiled faintly and said, "It's not that your magic is lacking, Ais. You're just not controlling it correctly."

Still confused, Ais furrowed her brows. Akira paused to think, then gently reached out and placed his hand beneath hers.

Slowly, he transferred magic power into her palm, shaping the flow of wind. It began to rotate gently, a soft current forming between their hands.

"Can you feel the change in the wind, Ais?" He asked as he dispersed the breeze.

Ais clenched her fists a few times. She felt it. Her eyes lit up.

"Yeah! Let me try again!"

"Tempest!"

The wind swirled gently on Ais's palm, spinning with focus. But though it rotated, it failed to condense into a proper wind sphere.

Her expression fell. "It's not working..."

"You did great." Akira reassured her. "Let's move on to the next step."

He placed his hand over hers once more. Channeling his magic into her palm, he helped her form a wind sphere the size of a basketball.

Lowering his arm, he nodded. "Now—release it."

Ais nodded eagerly. With a shout, she hurled the wind ball like a cannon shot.

It soared through the air, expanded upon impact, and burst into a howling vortex more than a meter wide. Trees were blown apart in an instant.

Shards of bark and splinters exploded toward them but the debris never reached them. A wall of wind had risen instinctively, protecting them both.

Akira watched the aftermath calmly. Then, with a smile, he turned to Ais.

"That's it. Just keep practicing like we did. Once you master that technique, you'll be able to channel wind into your sword and launch attacks just like this."

Ais beamed with determination, her golden eyes shining. She nodded with fierce resolve.

"Got it! I'll do it!"

(End of Chapter)

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