Free Web NovelChapter 32: Grease and Tips
The night passed quickly as the couple followed their newly forming routine. Valeria taught him as many ASL words as he could learn in an hour, then spent the next 30 minutes testing his retention. There wasn’t a single wasted second during her lessons; she even ignored any joke he would come up with in sign language.
’She really seems like an SSS-Rank when she teaches. It’s like she flips a switch and her demeanor instantly changes.’
When Valeria was content with testing his retention, the lesson would end and she would return to her softer expression. In the past few days, Luke had become situationally fluent, still not up to Valeria’s standards, but he was sure that his vocabulary had become large enough to communicate in pretty much any at-home scenario he could think of.
Thanks for today’s lesson.
I have an even harder lesson planned for tomorrow.
She flashed him a devilish smile as she wheeled out of the living room, leaving Luke alone and contemplating his second life’s choices. Even so, he looked forward to every new day.
Luke followed her into the kitchen, finding her already setting the table. They both moved through the kitchen; Luke prepared the ingredients for dinner, while Valeria helped with anything he needed.
By the end, their teamwork had led to the creation of tacos. They both scarfed down the food, leaving little more than a few crumbs behind. During their meal, Valeria asked him about his rift, but when he recounted the adventure to her, she seemed to be taken aback.
Luke expected a follow-up question during the story, but she let him finish and ended the conversation with an understanding nod. The rest of the night seemed to pass in even more unusual silence.
They didn’t speak again until Luke helped Valeria into her bed.
What are you doing tomorrow?
I plan to shop for clothes.
He couldn’t perfectly translate his words, so he also pointed back to the wardrobe.
Are we both going?
If you want to.
I do.
With their plans set, Luke left her in the bedroom and flopped onto the couch. Before he could fall asleep, he noticed the spellbook sitting on the coffee table next to the couch. On it was a note:
Learn this when you have time.
When has he ever had more time?
Luke flipped through the book, skimming through the illustrations and words. Once he flipped to the last page, a wave of knowledge flooded his brain. It wasn’t painful, but it felt as if his brain stretched and then retracted before it settled into its natural shape.
He instinctively knew the name and use of the spell.
"Cleanse."
The spell drew mana into his hand and Luke targeted it at his shirt. In a blink, the sauce stain from dinner had disappeared, while the rest of his shirt had a fresh glimmer to it.
His mana core had lost maybe less than 1% with the cast.
’This will be useful after a rift. I won’t have to come home covered in sand next time.’
And so, he drifted off to sleep.
When he woke up, it was still dark, but he felt well rested. With nothing planned besides a shopping trip, Luke proceeded down into the practice room to start his daily workout. Throughout, he thought about some of his spells and their applications. He had collected seven spells, but he only had one combat-applicable spell.
Defense Increase was cool, but it functioned like a gimmick rather than real protection, plus its mana cost was outrageous for its minimal efficiency. Vine Shield wasn’t reasonable to use in combat and was more of a get-out-of-jail-free card than a useful spell.
Ultimately, it left him with two real options, Grease and Fill Water. Both were utility spells, but Luke could think of a few ways to apply them in battle. Grease was significantly easier, as he would just need to use it like a hidden trap, luring a monster onto a slippery surface and knocking it off balance.
Fill Water was only usable inside a container. It was mainly used during long rifts or elemental rifts as a way to stay hydrated. Luke had come up with an idea, but it was far more out there. He didn’t plan to bother with it unless Grease didn’t work.
Before he could start testing his ideas, he heard knocking on the wall above the stairs. He exited the practice room to find Valeria sitting at the top.
Are you comprehending spells?
About to.
Can I watch?
Sure.
Luke wiped his sweat on his shirt before walking up and carrying Valeria into the practice room, setting her on a nearby bench. Then he went back up to grab the wheelchair.
It was awkward having someone watch him as he cast his spell. Valeria’s eyes were glued to him the whole time as he tested the spell.
"Grease."
His target was a cable machine nearby. A thin layer of mana stuck to it before it turned into a coating of translucent grease; drops fell to the floor with a plop.
Not sparing a moment, he went to the practice range and began to use the spell on the floor, but he was interrupted by a knocking noise behind him and an angry Valeria.
Stop.
She pulled out the notebook and wrote.
Comprehending spells is just like muscle growth; if you don’t rest long enough, you will just be training endurance rather than strength. Rest for 3 minutes between casts and focus on maintaining peak concentration. Do you understand?
Valeria wasn’t angry, but it didn’t look that way to him. Her eyebrows furled at him, and the corners of her mouth had drooped slightly. Instead, she seemed disappointed by his training method.
Luke didn’t argue. At the moment, he feared her disappointment more than he valued defending himself. For the next few minutes, he sat on a bench next to Valeria and focused his attention on the application of the spell.
The spell was made to be used on objects as a form of lubricant, but its list of viable targets didn’t include the floor. He imagined the perfect outcome, a pool of grease spreading across the floor.
When his rest was over, he walked back up to the practice range and cast again.
There wasn’t a single complication, as the spell pooled on the floor.
Luke looked back at Valeria, who had the same expression as earlier.
Again.
