"Hahh… What a mess that was." I sighed, while taking a warm shower to relax and calm down.
I already cleansed the room from my branches and leaves, leaving them inside a black trash bag. The Great Spirit told me I shouldn't throw them away, as they were "precious materials" so I just left them there for now.
And as of the Hollow incident… Yeah, it didn't left a single thing behind, the entire black body was something… ethereal, the only physical thing was its core, which the Great Spirit called "Hollow Crystal".
I was looking at it right now while taking a shower.
"Hollow Crystals are the crystallization of the residual mana and the negative emotions. It is the only part of a Hollow that's actually physical." She said. "It is also a good material and a source of filthy mana, which can be purified and reused!"
"How do you know so much about a world you don't belong to?" I sighed, wondering the most normal thing. "And were there monsters in planet Earth all this time?!"
"…Well, not even I know everything. I do know Hollows because they're from my world as well. Usually cities have churches in them, right? Well that lets hollows not form naturally. Even small villages have idols imbued with holy magic from the gods so they don't show up out of nowhere." Sighed the Great Spirit. "But in here? Well, your churches don't work, that god you guys pray to doesn't even exist to begin with so-"
"Hey, don't just talk about Religion like that!" I complained.
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. I guess your people's faith does go somewhere… But I don't think it's the god you imagine. In fact I doubt it even has a consciousness." Laughed the Great Spirit.
"Okay I am really interested into that too but let's not change the topic…" I said.
"Right…" She said. "So anyways, Hollows can't be seen by normies, people without internal Mana won't be targeted by them either. They act like people don't exist until they find someone with Mana."
"So… I'll be targeted even more now?!" I sighed.
"Not as easily now. I just finished preparing a barrier for you, it extends all around you for like… 50 meters? Should be enough. Only very strong ones could break through it." She assured me.
"Ah, you finished it already… When?" I asked.
"Just now."
FLAAAASH!
Suddenly, a flash of Mana emerged out of my body, spreading all around the house and the surroundings as well. Suddenly, I heard the sound of something saying "GRAAAAH!" And then it disappeared.
"That must've been a Hollow, poor guy got hit hard." Laughed the Great Spirit.
"Sigh…" I sighed once more, feeling rather hollow myself. "Is… Earth not as I thought? Ugh, it's this cliché right?"
"Yep!" The Great Spirit laughed. "Man it feels nice to talk to you more freely! I don't know much about Earth myself either, I only know what I see through your eyes. But I am PRETTY sure that there's tooons of stuff in here that… don't seem like they truly are. And the other world trying to break into this one doesn't make things easier either. Whoever had been hiding their magical powers and other supernatural things in this world might begin to realize they have to show them off if they want to stand a chance for what's to come."
"…I don't really want to get involved with suspicious magicians or martial artists, thank you…" I sighed.
"You don't really have to, just live your normal life for now." The Great Spirit said. "Let's enjoy the week too!"
"You seem way too carefree…" I commented.
"…I am just trying to cheer you up girl." She said. "Don't worry about Hollows, with them out of the picture you can enjoy yourself nicely and relaxedly."
"Yeah, I'll try… But still, knowing there are weird monsters lurking around really makes me feel… Quite worried. I feel like… Well, I dealt with that one fairly easy, right?" I asked.
"You had to spend over half your Mana for it! Your real-world fighting techniques are terribly lacking. Well, you just summon spirits and smack stuff with a shovel in the other world so makes sense." She said.
"H-Hey! So… how weak am I compared to my other world body?" I asked.
"VERY! Like… 1% as strong?" She said. "No, that's a bit too little, okay, 5%."
"Ah… well, that's still strong though! Isn't… 5% of Level 77 a lot?" I said.
"Yeah! Look at the bright side! You're now so strong you could beat any normal person, even supernatural people would be afraid of you." Laughed the Great Spirit. "To an extent, your greatest weakness is your lack of fighting techniques, insight, and Mana, we need more Mana."
"How does this power sharing thing works?" I wondered.
"It works very slowly, so don't rely too much on it. But yeah, you do get a constant Mana supply from your other body." She said. "However… The transfer rate is quite slow."
"Ugh, I sure wish there could be a system to specify things to me more easily with numbers. Having to guess how much I have is a pain." I said.
"Don't worry. Let's say you've got… 500 MP, fighting the Hollow just spent 250. Now you're recovering 1 point every second." She said.
"Every second? So in just a few minutes I can fully recover?" I asked in surprise.
"Yeah it's an insane rate for this world's lack of Mana wielders." Said the Great Spirit.
"And yet you ask for more?!" I asked.
"Well, from now on we'll be trying to make this body stronger as well! Oh girl, I've got you a ton of tasks and things you can do, such as Body Reinforcing Magic Circles, Potions, and all sorts of other things we can do! I'm going to make you as strong as my original world counterpart- Or well, I'll try." She said. "How about we start with the basics then?"
"The basics?"
"Let's make a Magic Circle in your heart!"
"Eh?!"
Even my normal life back on Earth has been turned upside down…
Before making a magic circle, I asked the Great Spirit if it could be possible to give magic power to others, such as Elena. And she said it wasn't possible for the moment.
"No! NO! You can't do THAT... Yet. But dont worry, as long as you learn magic, we'll be able to protect them with Anti-Monster Charms and Enchanted Magic Protection Spells."
"O-Oh..."
"Also! Don't betray the Gods' trust! What you know cannot be revealed to anybody! Only Mark, Rita, and Lily know for now, and they want it to remain THAT way for now, okay?"
Also, she reminded me that the Gods wouldn't take it so easily if I did, and it seems perhaps only Mark, Rita, and Lily would be allowed to learn for now. If I spread information to others, even my daughter, I might lose the trust with the Gods.
"I understand." I nodded. "But this... cannot simply remain a secret forever, right?"
However, considering the future, if the opportunity arises, I will try to give her the ability to protect herself. Thankfully, Hollows don't attack non-Mana-wielding humans, so maybe its safer to just not allow other people to use Mana for now.
"Indeed, but for now, let's leave it at that. Don't be impatient."
"Yeah, let's focus on what we can do now."
For now, I want to focus on growing stronger, figuring out magic, and do some protection magic and charms, which the Great Spirit said could help me protect my daughter and all those I care for, as long as I get enough Magic Power... Through this Magic Circle thing.
"Elayne, what are you doing thinking in there? Let's quickly get this done with!"
"Ah, right!"
