Nina pondered for a bit while looking at her wine-filled glass. She sent a bit of sangria down her throat before replying:
"It is indeed a good time for you to ask me these questions, Erni. The previous restrictions that were placed on me have been loosened quite a bit if not completely disappeared. Plus, we are going to leave the city of Osan. The origins of our knowledge become vague when we change our locations.
But…"
Nina took another gulp from her wine glass after stirring it a bit and continued:
"That doesn't mean you and I are out of the system. Especially you. During your on-field assignments, you may be questioned about your knowledge.
Plus, sometimes gaining knowledge that isn't relevant for your rank can become detrimental instead of helpful. Therefore, I'll withhold certain details so that you and I would have plausible deniability. Will that be okay?"
Nina asked Eren who was already executing this. He nodded his head immediately and gestured for her to continue:
"Alright then. About innate and inherent spells. Distinguishing them is simple. Innate spells are bloodline locked spells that are bound by the genesis of your blood. Only mana beasts and demon beasts have it.
There was a large group of rankers who had access to innate spells like that in the past. You know who, right?"
Nina stared intently at Eren after she said it. The latter understood that she was talking about half-blood clans. Nodding his head in agreement, he encouraged her to proceed ahead further.
"Good. Inherent spells, however, are almost like innate spells. The only difference is that you don't need a bloodline to make a spell of your choosing as an inherent spell.
In short, when you master a certain spell to such a degree that your mana core or your existence, in general, gets imprinted with the runes that embody that particular spell, then it becomes your inherent spell.
Almost always, inherent spells can only be the spells of the elements rankers have an affinity with. Unless a ranker stubbornly practices and executes a spell they don't have an affinity with all his life, it is near impossible for them to make that spell their inherent spell.
Simply put, when you make a spell your own, it becomes your inherent spell. Low-level human rankers don't usually have inherent spells because they are not proficient enough in any of their spells to make any of them their inherent spells.
Do you have any doubts so far?"
Eren had once again begun eating when Nina asked him. This time, he started eating lobster meat that was laden with herbs and spices. Nina wondered where the guy was keeping all that food around.
"Only one. Does that mean the demon beasts that take human forms would develop inherent spells apart from their innate spells if and when they reach certain proficiency in them?"
Nina applauded Eren for asking her the right question. She nodded and chose her words carefully before replying:
"That's right. That's why a successful taming of a demon beast who can or has the potential to assume human form is strictly regulated. Thankfully, only high-grade demon beasts could do that. Like, the beasts who are in the B-rank and above.
But at that point, the rankers who can tame demon beasts of that calibre are already absurdly stronger. So handling the demon beasts at that rank doesn't seem like a big deal."
Nina's half-filled glass was refilled by Eren when she stopped. The latter also filled his glass up with wine suitable for his rank.
'Heh! My Reen did it when she was in C-Rank. Guess she's a special case.'
Eren thought proudly to himself and nudged Nina to continue. Nina verbally marched forward after feeling a bit pleasant and tipsy as the wine's effects were starting to kick in:
"If you don't already know, innate and inherent spells incorporate the way of elements by default. They are easier to cast, less burdensome on your mana storage, and provide enhanced outputs or effects.
In some cases, such spells can become so powerful as to bypass the ranking boundaries, allowing the rankers to produce, let's say, 120% of their original power. You know what that means, right? Two rankers of the same rank. If one of them has an inherent spell while the other only has access to normal spells, then the former would easily be able to dominate the latter.
That's why "those" groups of people were feared by normal rankers. The sheer potential they possessed as rankers must have been terrifying. Because compared to those people awakening the innate spell hidden in their bloodlines, the probability of normal humans acquiring inherent spells was much lower."
A lot of Eren's doubts were cleared at this point even when Nina didn't get into the nitty-gritty of the whole thing. He then asked another pertinent question that he wanted to ask.
"What about abilities then, Nina?"
Nina saw Eren finish his dinner, gulp down his glass full of wine, and light up a Sativa stick to smoke. She didn't like that he was smoking like some hooligan in front of her. But she knew that it was part of his treatment. So she sighed and continued:
"Abilities are something that only rankers who have innate or inherent spells can think of. In a way, they are the next evolution of spell casting. The main difference between spells and abilities is that the latter stops using your mana circuits to cast its intended effect. Entirely.
Can you imagine? Employing mana without using your mana circuits? Casting something like that would be as effortless as breathing. That is what ability is.
In short, the ability is when a spell ceases to be a spell.
Nina's explanation made Eren realize that his half-blood powers as slime and his newly acquired power Life Drain were in fact abilities. Because they ignored employing his mana circuits. His Sins series powers were also going to be abilities by that logic.
And yet, Eren didn't know how to use Life Drain and Devour. They didn't work on mana circuits or mana points. That's why they didn't have a specific way with which he could activate them the way he wanted to when he wanted to. Nor could he tweak them as per his needs, the way he used to do with his spells.
"Nina, how do they activate abilities if they don't use mana circuits?"
