Another World Story

Day Seventeen: Learning Magic.

Time passed quickly.

It had already been a week since John had recovered the ability to walk. He had not done much during the week, only training his physical ability, trying to surpass his limits once more. Although he was feeling weak on the knees, it wasn't much of a problem for him. If it broke, John could just ask the rabbit to heal him once again.

Fortunately, he was spared from the feeling of broken knees.

During the week-long training session, John had not forgotten to learn things in his spare time.

He had asked the rabbit before about the nature of the monsters nearby, as well as the characteristics of the flora that it knew, but it was only now that John had really seen them. Saved from the monsters, that is.

John had felt it before, the rabbit that he was interacting with was definitely something unique. It was more like a human than a rabbit just based on how it acted. John wondered if the rabbit was a human before, but he refrained from asking.

The rabbit had taught him well. Whenever he asked about the flora of the forest, it would show him an example. It would then proceed to explain its properties, use, and difference compared to other plants or flowers. If the flora was hard to differentiate between another, the rabbit would then explain what difference they really had, how to make sure that it was really that type of flower or plant. Just learning all of these made John's head throb, there were a LOT of plants and flowers in the forest, so you can imagine just how many John had to memorize. Thankfully, he was good at memorizing.

Besides learning the flora of the surroundings, John had also learned about the fauna. The monsters or beasts like what the rabbit called them. John had not really seen them, but the rabbit, who had extensive knowledge of those monsters, had drawn them onto the ground. It pointed out the characteristics of the monsters, such as their unique sound, footprints, and even just the changes in the surroundings you would feel when one is nearby. It also taught John about ways one could avoid their notice and ways to escape them if those beasts had yet to notice him. John had also learned the territory distribution of the forest from the outer perimeter of the forest towards the place they are currently at. The rabbit had yet to explore deeper as just the beasts outside its home were something it couldn't fight, much more the ones deeper in the forest.

The rabbit diligently taught him. Besides the ones It had not encountered or seen before, John basically learned and memorized almost everything the rabbit had taught him.

But, John wasn't one to be outdone.

John had learned plenty of useless and some useful things back in his original world. So, in exchange for the survival tips that the rabbit had told him, he had taught the rabbit how to craft things from the materials around him, with its magic, the rabbit learned quickly and was now much better than him at crafting things. John had also, taught it how to set up traps and how to use lures and baits. The rabbit knew them already, but John was able to broaden Its knowledge about how a human could be so crafty. So, John could only teach it how to cook properly. Based on the knowledge the rabbit had shared about the surrounding flora, John compared them to the ingredients in his original world, and used those he could use as alternatives.

John had also asked the rabbit if there were rocks or minerals around them that tasted like salt, only, the rabbit was clueless as to what salt was like, much more its taste. John was also clueless just how he was going to describe *salty* to the rabbit. Left with no choice, John could only ask the rabbit to bring him all the edible flowers and plants it knew. The rabbit agreed readily, curious about what John was talking about, and collected everything it knew.

From there, John had to sample every flower and plant, just to find the taste he was looking for, but was left in disappointment.

John had not found salt. There was no sea or ocean around, as apparently, they were in the middle of the Central Continent, leaving the sea to be much further. Now, with knowledge about supply and demand, John figured that salt would be much more expensive than he was used to. That is, if they don't have any way to transport the goods towards the center of the continent. Just the danger and time it would take would make it goods that only the rich could afford.

John could only shake his head. He turned his attention towards other spices. Thankfully, he wasn't disappointed this time as most of the spices and condiments he was looking for were present in the flora category. Thus, John began his tutoring in culinary arts. Not like he was much better at cooking, nonetheless, he had extensive knowledge of how to use those spices compared to the rabbit!

As the days passed, John and the rabbit taught each other about the knowledge they had, the practical skills they knew and brainstormed on how to best use them. And soon, a week had passed in the blink of an eye.

"Have you adjusted yet to the feeling of the mana inside you?" the rabbit asked as it stared at the vast lake. It held a long rod with a thin Sagra Vine at the tip and if you traced it, you would see that it led towards the lake, and a bobber floating above it. Clearly, the rabbit was fishing.

"Hmm, although I have yet to properly control it, I could feel it much better compared to before," nodding his head slightly, John replied. He was also holding a fishing rod in his hand and sitting beside the rabbit, fishing.

"I see it will not be long before we start your training on properly using mana. But, before we get there, we need you to get accustomed to the feeling of it flowing through your veins. We are still not sure whether your mana was really a type of energy released before the 2nd phase of the cataclysm, but we better be careful. If you make any mistakes in conjuring magic, you might die," the rabbit said, emphasizing the importance of being careful.

John nodded once again.

Although he had not made much progress in his control over the snappy energy beside his heart, he was getting accustomed to the feeling of it flowing through his body.

The rabbit had helped greatly in this aspect, guiding the snappy energy through his veins and body, preventing it from running amok. With the great expertise of the rabbit in using mana and magic, John only felt prickling pain whenever the rabbit helped him get accustomed to the feeling. He wasn't really doing much besides feeling it. But the rabbit had explained to him that when conjuring magic, any external or internal disturbance could make conjuring the magic a failure, resulting in a backlash. It would also be much more dangerous for him as his mana was something the rabbit could not suppress either. So, the rabbit couldn't help control the mana while he was conjuring the magic, it would all be up to him. So, the danger skyrocketed once more. After all, he was a newbie among newbies, he didn't even know the fundamentals of magic, yet he was already moving to the conjuring phase. But John had no choice. The rabbit could only explain so much, it wasn't a scholar or mage, it was already lucky for him that the rabbit could guide him towards the conjuring phase without learning the fundamentals properly.

"That said, have you really thought it through? "The journey would be perilous," John asked.

"Yes. I don't really have much to do here either. Although it's currently safe, it will only be a matter of time before it changes. Plus, I want to see the world as well," the rabbit replied. Its gaze was serene.

John glanced at the rabbit silently and simply shifted his gaze back at the floating bobber on the lake.

He had discussed with the rabbit about leaving the forest before, and had asked it if it was willing to join him on his journey. It was only last night that the rabbit had replied that it would join him.

Leaving the forest was John's main priority from the beginning. He needed to find a civilized area and learn about the area, and possibly find any clues regarding his transmigration to this world. And if his guess was right, find his best friend and classmates as well. John was only a lone man, he was certain he wouldn't last in the forest for long. That was the main reason why he had asked the rabbit to teach him about the things It knew about the forest, the fauna, the flora, and more. Even for a single percent, John hoped to increase his chances of survival. But with the rabbit joining him, his chances would increase by multiple folds. After all, It was a top-notch magic user.

"We had a lot of things to prepare for," John said.

"But, we better move only after you learn how to conjure magic. It would increase our chances of escaping here," the rabbit replied. It knew better than anyone just how dangerous escaping from the area they are currently in is. Although it was safe, that couldn't be said about the surroundings. There are plenty of beasts that are capable of tracking the rabbit down. It was only because it was small and quick that it was able to escape, but that couldn't be said about John. He was bigger than the rabbit, and now that he had awakened the mana inside him, the rabbit was certain that those who lurked and slumbered had already awakened. It was only due to *that* being that exist in water that they had not taken action yet.

But if John and the rabbit both moved away from this place, it would surely attract the attention of those beasts. That was why the rabbit wanted to follow John. This seemingly peaceful area would soon devolve into that of hell. Even if they stayed there, it was only a matter of time before one of those beasts took action, causing a chain reaction attracting those powerful beasts as well.

No matter what choice they make, their chances of survival would only increase if John were to learn magic as well. By learning how to burrow underground, they could escape to areas with lesser powerful beasts.

"I know," John nodded. His expression turned serious. He had also realized the current situation they are in.

"I had better set up learning magic, my focus now," he added.