Riot Grasper

Volume 3, Chapter 5 Appearance of an Elderly, Mind of an Adolescent

Fuoooooooooo!!

Sto! Calm down

Fuooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!

It was not a monster that was roaring as if denying my control.

Neither was he a strong warrior. The one whose emotions had burst out was none other thanthe old wizard, Grandpa Worm.

Thank goodness. In front of the elderly who had gotten tired of shouting, I was reflecting on what I had done.

Earlier, when I was about to return, I had been called to a stop by Grandpa Worm. I had heard his request.

******

Ten minutes ago.

Slump?

Before the elderly, who had so modestly uttered that, I repeated it like a parrot.

Yes. Im certain Ill be able to advance the research with the help of the corolla of a Mana Torrent, but Ive only been encountering failures lately. Even though I believed my last idea of using spirits would work it didnt come to fruition.

Er, the idea of stuffing spirits inside the magic tools? They would be angry with Ilii san if she did that.

Since Ilii san was an elf, she must surely possess the Spirit Magic skill.

Her jade eyes could peek into the depths of your mind, so it was difficult to look into her eyes. However, I would surely check her status next time.

That somehow felt immoral but I was peeped as well.

Peeping her in return would not be a crime.

Hoho, that girl has good relations with the spirits. No matter how gentle Ilii chan was, she would get angry if I did that. I would certainly have to go through that punishment and that punishment fumu.

Eh?

Wait a minute.

Why does he look happy?

This man was more terrible than I thought.

When I turned my tepid eyes to Grandpa Wormthe elderly came to his senses and resumed talking.

I absolutely love research, but I cant keep myself secluded to this small room, can I? So I need some stimulation.

I see he needed an opportunity to escape from the slump.

An overly positive interpretation would be, the sexual harassment of Ilii san was also a stimulus to escape from the slump.

If you tried to imprudently escape from the slump, you could end up in jail.

But you cant expect me to do something, can you?

I, who had learnt of the existence of magic tools for the first time today, was in no position to help him.

Not at all. Im not asking you for an advice on the magic tools or anything of the sort. You can sense mana in the air, so you have foundation for magic; dont you, boy? You were able to kill a Mana Torrent, so you must be an excellent Adventurer. Youre acquainted with Ilii chanthe Court Magicianso you must have an interesting magic. I wonder if you could show me something.

Interesting magic huh?

Manifestation of such an image as a man blowing up from inside; possibilities were endless.

Would perceiving an image created by someone else serve as a stimulus?

But

This is magic research institute, isnt it? You havent developed any new magic? Im not saying I dont have one

We do research into generalization of magic imagery. It is easy for anyone to image. Whats important, though, is the effectiveness of imaged magic. Well the focus here is more on military use than on lifestyle.

A unit that could use magic of uniform standard would indeed be a war potential.

However, since generalization of imagery and such were useless to masses who could not use magic, that was perhaps why the Court Magician hired by the Kingdom was here.

As for those who can use magic, they tend to keep the magic only they can use a secret. I want to see that sort of magic.

I could understand the feeling of wanting to keep your image a secret.

If it were known to everyone, it would lose the ace up your sleeve factor.

Thoughtlessly showing it to others was not a good idea.

I share the sentiment of wanting to hide it. I want to be of help to you, but I cant be indiscreet about showing it besides, the magic I imaged would not serve as a stimulus to Grand Worm-san.

Upon such words of mine, Grandpa Worm shook his head and replied.

You can call me Grandpa Worm. And no an image a youngster came up with would be a good stimulus.

With a face that looked somewhat regretful, Grandpa Worm checked my body out. Striking the staff on the floorand thinking who knows whathe walked to the mound of junk.

*Rustle*I kept gazing at his back amidst that sound effect. With a worn out bag in his hands, he stepped my way.

The pouchthat was the color of mousewas not beautiful by any standard. It could give the bag I was using for luggage a run for its money; it was that dirty.

Lets do it this way then. If you show me a magic that satisfies me, I would present this special bag to you.

I should be going. Goodbye. Thanks for your time.

W-Wait!! Its not what you think! Its not an ordinary bag.

I, who was leaving the room with dampened eyes, was called to a stop by Grandpa Worms hoarse voice.

This bag is a magic tool. It was excavated from the ruins of an ancient civilization; its the crystallization of a lost technology.

What did he say?

Umu since an interesting word has come out, lets hear it, shall we?

Lost advanced tech

Those things were always welcome.

According to Grandpa Worm, this magic tool bag was discovered in the ancient ruins situated in the eastern lands. It was unknown as to which race had lived in where the ancient ruins now were. The popular belief, however, was that they had perished long agoin the era the demons had rampaged.

Ancient ruins existed throughout the continent. Relics in usable condition could seldom be discovered.

This bag was one of those. It could pack more goods than it appeared to.

Just like the one arranged for by the journey attendant in a certain role playing game. It was probably the most helpful of items; it was the supreme item. (TN: I have no idea which RPG he is referring to)

A man who had lived the painful days, where he was forced to discardin tearsexpensive items, would covet this gem of a thing.

Your bag is bulging out; is there some monsters pelt inside? It would make carrying spoils convenient for you.

Earlier, when Grandpa Worm checked my body out, the Gigvuorgs pelt that was packed inside my luggage bag must have caught his eye.

Actually, it did not contain the wolves pelt because I had no choice but to discard those so I needed this magic tool bag very much.

This is a kind of magic tool, but the principle of operation is not clear at all. I procured it for research data on development of magic tools, but it does not seem to be possible with current technology.

Can I have such a valuable thing?

When I stretched my hand out, Grandpa Worm pulled the bag back and cut me out.

Only if you show me a satisfying magic. Keeping it would of more help to an Adventurer like you than a shut in old man.

Lets do this.

I so wanted it.

I, who had his desire stimulated, accepted the proposal of stimulating Grandpa Worms research.

Name: Worm Rightway

Race: Human

Age: 68

Job: Magic Tool Developer

Skills

Light Magic Lv3 (56/150)

Water Magic Lv3 (23/150)

Fuumu

I confirmed Grandpa Worms status just in case, but; as you would expect, the level of his magic skills was quite high.

He possessed Light and Water.

His magic toolsstreetlight and drainage filtermight be the result of reproducing with the tools the magic he was specialized in.

Although the attribute of magic played no part in the process of consolidating mana present in the atmosphere, I wanted to surprise him with the attribute he could use.

Still, can I really satisfy Grandpa Worm with the magic I have?

Since he had lived a long life, he had a wealth of experience, so it was a difficult task.

A simple attack or healing magic was not uncommon. It was easier to image as well.

Unless it was a magic based on a principle that had yet to be established in this world, he could not be satisfied.

In that case, there was only one magic I could think of.

Although I was a little uneasy, its just my imagination, I convinced myself with that thought.

I wanted that tool bag.

I, who had concentrated my consciousnessinvoked that magic in front of Grandpa Worm.

******

Er have you calmed down?

J-Just now I mean that

In the state of lingering excitement, Grandpa Wormwhose eyes were shining with inquisitiveness of a childpressed me.

Judging from his state, I must have received passing marks.

C-Cant you show it to me once more?

Of course I can.

As I, who had pleasantly agreed, invoked the magic once againmy body lost all color and faded.

Shortly after, I was in a completely transparent state.

Although I could not see my own body, I could not get rid of the sense that I was certainly still there.

For example, even if you closed your eyes, your brain could perceive the movements of your hands and feet.

Since I was moving my body with that sense in transparent state, despite having my eyes wide open, feeling strange might be natural.

Thats rightthe magic I showed to Grandpa Worm was Optical Camouflage.

A magic accomplished through imaging my body turning transparent. Apparently, it was Grandpa Worms first time seeing such a magic.

W-What in the world did you image to turn transparent so flawlessly?

Upon his fascinated question, I pondered over what to say.

If I explained him the phenomenon of visualization of object through reflection of light, it wouldnt be impossible for Grandpa Worm who himself possessed Light Magic.

Rather, he was above me when it came to skill level.

He would be able to learn it without any problem if he were motivated.

Theres something I want to confirm first.

I, who had reappeared, asked Grandpa Worm who was leaning forward in excitement.

You are not going to misuse it, alright?

That goes without saying!

The eyes of Grandpa Worm, who replied in 0.1 second, were really, really clear and honest.