NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18 – Another Mystic Eye!?
Chapter 18 - Another Mystic Eye!?
"Rias, what do you think? How much truth is there in his words?" Himejima Akeno asked with a smile as she stepped out of the magic circle.
"About half," Rias replied. She couldn't fully trust someone she'd only just met, so she remained skeptical about Mahiro Toma.
"Tonight, the Mahiro I saw was almost completely different from the one I've seen before," Akeno remarked.
"Maybe the Mahiro we saw tonight is his true self," Rias suggested.
Mahiro, who had previously confessed to her, had seemed awkward and shy, but tonight he was confident and composed. He didn't panic in front of the seniors and even teased them. If his appearance and aura hadn't been the same, she might have thought he was a different person.
Most notable was his impressive swordsmanship, his unknown Magic Eye, and his calm demeanor in the face of crisis and blood. These qualities caught Rias and the others' attention.
Rias nodded in agreement.
"But he seems unfamiliar with our world, and many things are unknown to him. It doesn't seem like he's lying," Akeno continued.
This was because Mahiro's understanding of the supernatural world came from the anime, so he couldn't possibly know all the details.
Rias chuckled, "Isn't that better? It's kind of cute when he's so ignorant."
With a little bit of deception... No, with some persuasion, she might be able to recruit him into her family.
"President, are you serious about making Mahiro a new servant?" Toujou Koneko asked indifferently.
"If I miss such a talent, I will regret it," Rias replied. She then summoned her familiar, a bat, and instructed it, "Go and gather specific information on Mahiro."
The familiar circled a few times before flying off into the darkness.
"I hope Mahiro can live up to my expectations," Rias muttered to the night sky.
Although she was eager to recruit Mahiro, she wasn't going to act impulsively. Knowing his background was crucial.
"Let's get started, everyone. Our task for tonight isn't finished yet," Rias said confidently. She set aside her thoughts about Mahiro for the moment, and powerful magic surged around her as she approached the stray devil nearby.
"Finally, it's time for a big fight!" Koneko exclaimed, full of energy. Meeting Mahiro had put her in a bad mood, and she needed to vent her frustration. The stray devils were perfect targets for that.
"Looks like this stray devil is going to be unlucky," Akeno said sympathetically, sensing Koneko's mood.
...
After parting with Rias and the others, Mahiro found a quiet, secluded spot.
"System, use my reward," he ordered quietly.
"Would you like to open the primary magic source?"
"Yes."
As usual, Mahiro used his first reward. He felt a strange energy flow through his body, which didn't harm him and actually felt quite good.
"Is this magic?" Mahiro invoked the magic in his body and gathered it in his palm, where a soft light slowly formed. Then, he threw the light out.
"Boom--!"
The magic bullet collided with the ground, creating a small hand-sized pit.
"Ordinary," Mahiro said, shaking his head, unsatisfied.
This level of attack couldn't do much damage, even to a low-class devil. While he had gained some magic power, he lacked a specific magic formula, so he could only use the most basic techniques, like the magic bullet.
The more magic power, the stronger the attack. But having just unlocked his magic source, Mahiro couldn't gather much magic power yet.
In the High School DxD universe, the use of magic is determined by the user's heart.
Mahiro remembered a scene where the Occult Research Club conducted special training, and Akeno taught Hyoudou Issei to develop the 'Dress Break' move. However, his memory of the details was hazy.
"I should try it," Mahiro decided. This training method wasn't dangerous, so he could experiment without hesitation.
"Let's start with my swordsmanship," Mahiro thought. He closed his eyes and began to meditate, focusing on his sword.
For a moment, images of sword energy and sword light from martial arts novels flashed in his mind.
Mahiro channeled his magic into the sword, causing it to glow faintly. He then slashed at the air, drawing a semicircle. A bright sword light shot out, cutting down all the surrounding trees.
Without relying on the Mystic Eye of Death Perception, Mahiro was impressed with the damage his sword light caused.
"It's not bad, it's getting there," he thought, satisfied.
He was confident that he could now defeat the one-horned devil without using the Mystic Eye of Death Perception.
"There are two more rewards," Mahiro said. He then used the basic magic training card, and information on training and improving magic appeared in his mind. This reward was quite important.
After practicing for a while, he found that his magic didn't improve significantly, so he set it aside for now.
"Next is the main reward."
The lottery was the most thrilling part because it offered many valuable items that could be transformative.
"Will you consume a lottery chance?" the system prompted.
A roulette screen appeared before Mahiro, filled with treasures he coveted.
"Let's start," he said, taking a deep breath and watching the roulette spin.
After about half a minute, he called out, "Stop!"
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the 'Mystic Eye of Distortion'."