ch241-ch260 · 246-ch246

Chapter 246: Fujutsushi Part 2

"Next up, 【Magic Swordsman】, 【Magic Spearman】, 【Magic Club User】...... Do those show up as long as you've held a magic job?"

Following 【Enhanced Warrior】 came the three "magic-something" jobs—close-combat jobs with high Magic as well.

Unlike 【Holy Knight】, though, their stats average out, making them weaker than ordinary close-combat jobs, and their Magic is lower than true magic jobs too.

A bit of a jack-of-all-trades situation, huh.

The magic skills they can learn are only the same basic spells a beginner 【Mage】 gets.

"They show up even without a magic job. I've never used magic myself, yet 【Magic Spearman】 appeared for me. The skill 【Magic Spearman】 handles is 【Weapon Enhancement・Magic Spear】, and since 【Weapon Enhancement・Spear】 satisfies that condition as well, I suppose it qualified. That said, those who've held a magic job are said to have an easier time getting them."

Kasumi-san answers my question.

Kasumi-san, from the 【Naginata User】 and 【Long Spearman】 combination, apparently got 【Magic Spearman】 to show.

It didn't show for me.

I wasn't doing much weapon enhancement back then.

Well, it would show up NOW...... probably.

"'Magic Sword' is the romantic one, right? For Soushi, he could grant water magic—go SHOOSH with 【Water Pressure】 from every cut, no?"

What does Aikawa's "shoosh" actually entail, I wonder?

The signature of the 【Magic Swordsman】 is what's commonly called 'Magic Sword'—【Weapon Enhancement・Magic Sword】.

It lets you grant the magic skills you know onto your weapon.

Even just 【Fireball】, a basic magic the 【Magic Swordsman】 can learn, means you can stab the sword in and set someone burning from head to toe.

Quite the romantic technique, that.

"I'm NOT taking 【Magic Swordsman】, you know? 'Magic Sword' only works on my own weapon. If it were 【Enchanter】, I'd have considered it."

【Enchanter】 is the magic job that can turn OTHER people's weapons into 'Magic Swords.'

Unfortunately, it didn't show up on Soushi's job selection screen, apparently.

What if the two of them held my weapon and cast magic onto it...... would that make it show up?

"Close-combat jobs hold no interest, huh...... Next, then, the magic jobs. 【Torrent Mage】, 【Frost Mage】, and the main event, fujutsushi. And the one at the very bottom would be a magic job too?"

【Synthesis Mage】 and 【Talismaneer】.

【Synthesis Mage】 is a job you hear about often, but sitting BELOW the general-class jobs means it's a rare job, like 【Knight】.

Well, it says "mage," so it's definitely a magic job.

"Ah, skipping ahead? Isn't that one supposed to be last?"

So Aikawa's the type who saves her favorite for last, huh?

"The two fujutsushi names are so confusing, you see. And what Soushi's been saying he'll become—maybe it's actually the lower one?"

Words won't settle it, so I point at the notebook and ask: which one?

"The normal fujutsushi. I mean, standing at Floor 30 getting rushed, trying to work out which of the two this was—that's why I couldn't pick a job. Just to double-check, though: which one is the NORMAL fujutsushi?"

What do you mean, "normal"?

"Wouldn't it be the upper one, 【Enchanter】? The lower 【Talismaneer】 sounds like the kind that uses paper charms and such, going by the characters? I've never heard of it, though."

Right?

Never heard of it either, have I.

Even among the bottom group, I think this one is a true rarity.

"The upper one is the job that can cast stat-enhancement magic skills on allies. The one Soushi-san said he would become is this one, I believe. The lower one is, I would guess, a job handling skills like the overseas 【Arcana】. It consumes maximum MP to produce cards imbued with the skills one knows. For a similar job—something like an upper-rank trap job, perhaps?"

Speaking of maximum-MP-consuming skills, there's the 【Merchant】's 【Storage】, and the 【Trap User】's 【Trap Setting】.

That's the one that stops set traps and trapped monsters from being absorbed by the dungeon.

Upper-rank trap jobs can apparently grant skills onto traps as well.

A trap-version 'Magic Sword.'

This 【Talismaneer】 likewise consumes maximum MP to grant skills onto paper charms—no, it seems to be a job that CREATES the charms with skills granted onto them.

"I don't really get it, though—how is that different from just using the skill normally?"

Aikawa fires another question at Kasumi-san.

"You can make them in advance, activate them on a delay—there are various uses. But its greatest strength is that the person who triggers the granted skill doesn't have to be the caster. In Soushi-san's case, that would mean whoever holds the charm can activate his 【Staff User】 'self-enhancement skills.'"

I see—so I'd get to use Soushi's skills, huh......

But this one......

"That's amazing! Soushi, take 【Talismaneer】!"

"No, Aikawa, this one's no good. It's the same pattern as 【Synthesis Mage】, isn't it?"

Aikawa recommended it with gusto, but Soushi seems to have spotted the job's flaw.

"Indeed. Like 【Synthesis Mage】, the common trait shared by 【Magic Swordsman】 and other jobs that learn skill-granting abilities is that the job alone cannot show its true power."

"Eh? But Soushi would be able to hand out his 【Staff User】 'self-enhancement skills,' right?"

"And THAT'S where the other fujutsushi—【Enchanter】—comes in. What makes 【Enchanter】 amazing is that it can use upper-rank enhancement skills on ALLIES. Which one's better? No contest, right?"

Yes—the fujutsushi.

Honestly, these names are way too confusing......

Even my own 【Charge・Spear】 enhancement skills—the 【Charge・Shield・High】 versions feel about 1.5 times stronger by feel.

For the record: the effect is 1.5 times, but the MP cost is doubled.

"Ah...... Right......"

And 【Synthesis Mage】, even if it fuses beginner-tier magic into new spells, ends up worse in raw power than the unreasonable magic upper-rank magic jobs learn—while burning more fuel.

As a job to take at Floor 30, it's a poor fit.

Lots of magic-job holders pick 【Synthesis Mage】 for the name alone, though.

The 【Samurai】 of the magic-job world.

【Synthesis Mage】 is a rare job, but apparently it shows up fairly often for those who held two magic jobs at the basic tier......

"Hm? Soushi's only magic job is 【Water Mage】, right? Why did 【Synthesis Mage】 show up? Going by aptitude, it should be 【Torrent Mage】 or 【Frost Mage】."

"Oh? Now that you mention it. Could my aptitude actually be 【Synthesis Mage】?"

"Ah! The 'hot water magic' and 'ice magic'! Those are 'synthesis magic' of 'water magic' × 【Cooking】, aren't they? THAT'S what summoned it, surely!"

Seriously.

Soushi has been casting synthesis magic all along......

A genius?

He really does seem cut out for magic jobs.

"Well—fujutsushi it is after all."

"Aww. And here I thought, if you went 【Talismaneer】, I could use things like the 【Water Pressure】 'Water Cutter' too......"

WHICH fujutsushi, I keep asking!

Well, I get what Aikawa means.

I want to use magic too.

And magic that runs on someone ELSE'S MP? That's the best thing ever.

"It may be wise to sleep on it one more night. Checking into information on 【Talismaneer】 and 【Arcana】 would be a good idea as well. Besides noon and this hour, I can accompany you to Floor 30 early in the morning, if you like."

"Tomorrow morning...... Right, I'll think it over tonight. Then—tomorrow, once more, please."

Soushi takes Kasumi-san up on the offer.

Can our bad-at-mornings boy actually drag himself up, I wonder?

"Yes. A night's thought might make you want 【Magic Spearman】 after all—or perhaps a new spear job will appear. Please use up your MP before heading home today."

Persistent, isn't she.

"Then after dinner, let's dig up 【Arcana】 info on the surface."

They can borrow a computer at the branch, after all.

I've got a curfew, so no dice for me......

So the two of them will watch videos while being all lovey-dovey, huh?

Once I make it to Floor 40, I'm going to watch videos all lovey-dovey with Kasumi-san too......

"Shall we confirm the general jobs as well, just in case? There's one job in there that looks suspect at a glance......"

Among the lineup of cooking-related jobs, one oddball is mixed in.

"【Freezer】, huh...... It's in the general-class group, so its stats are way too low. ......Just so we're clear: I am NOT becoming that."

Oh, come on—don't shoot it down yet.

So: Kasumi-san backs 【Magic Spearman】, Aikawa backs the "talisman" fujutsushi.

Then allow me to back this 【Freezer】.

I've never once heard of this 【Freezer】 job, but I'm betting it learns something scary like "instant freezing."

It IS an upper-rank job, after all.

And general-class jobs do occasionally have high stats—some are skewed, like the 【Saint】's Magic.

Well, betting on that is far too long a shot, so this one goes on the Floor 40 shortlist......

"Ah! Time, time! Isn't it past thirty minutes? My turn, my turn!"

Next up is Aikawa......

If hers carries over to tomorrow too, the mornings get even earlier......