I was currently in the shooting range with Fiel. The crater in the ground had been patched up, but the truck was still stuck on the ceiling without anyone bothering to remove it. Fiel was writing on a whiteboard as she explained to me about magic. 

“Magic is the foundation of Alcres, our home planet. It is what created this world, and gave it life. It is immensely powerful, capable of changing weathers and altering landscapes. So even now, when we’re technologically advanced enough to venture into space, magic is still an indispensable part of life.

“Anybody can use magic, but how well depends on their mana capacity and their skill. Mana is like energy, the more you have, the more spells or the stronger the spells you can cast. One’s skill, on the other hand, decides what kind of spell can be used, how efficient and accurate it is.

“If your skill is lacking, then a spell’s complexity may prove difficult to remember. Furthermore, even with a large pool of mana, a simple spell will drain it empty, and it may not even hit its target or do what it was supposed to do. In contrast, a master of the arcane can cause immense impact even with the most basic incantation.

“However, over the years, we have invented ways to offset our reliance on mana and skill. They are [Arcane Incryption], [Arcane Catalysts], and magic tools.

“[Arcane Incryption] helps to reduce a mage’s dependency on their skill, by visualizing the abstract nature of magic in deciperable letters and words. Chants, runes and magic circuits are the prime example of this.

“Next, [Arcane Catalysts] are armaments that increase a spell’s accuracy, its power and/or reduce its cost. Wands, staves, rings,... all fall under this category. You can use magic without them, but it is simply more efficient to equip one.

“And finally, magic tools, which eliminate the need for you to use magic yourself. Instead, they are equipped with their own mana tanks, runes, magic circuits and primers. Even the tools themselves are considered Catalysts, so they are essentially a full package, capable of casting magic on their own.”

After finishing her lengthy explanation, she turned to me. “And now we come to you. An outsider, from a world unfamiliar with such concepts. It should’ve been extremely difficult for you to use magic. Even famous hero mages from the past, with the goddess’s boon, took years to master the arcane art. 

“That’s where the magic circuits that director Klade carved on your brain come into play. You can consider them as an external hard drive connected to your nervous system, storing the core concepts of magic. That should mean you don’t even need to learn how to use magic, nor is there a need to chant verbally - since you already have the basic understanding written on to your brain. Furthermore, they will also help you memorize spells much faster. 

“So, the only thing else you need is this.” Fiel then tossed me a rod. “It’s a beginner’s wand. Doesn’t amplify your power at all, but it is efficient and sensitive. It should help you get a feel for magic until you are more familiar with spells.”

Listening to her, I looked at the wand. It had a simple design, basically a wooden stick with a green gem stuck on top.

“Now, please take a look at this.” Fiel showed me a piece of paper filled with strange characters. “It’s the magic sequence for the spell [Flame], the first spell everyone learns and the most useful for everyday life. Doesn't do much as a weapon, though, as it's only as powerful as a kitchen stove.”

Fiel then put the paper away. However, I could already remember the characters vividly even only after a quick glance. “You should already know how to cast it. But try to keep the output at the minimum, and keep the wand pointed up just in case. Even if the spell is weak, we never know when it comes to you heroes.”

I did as she said while searching my brain for the way to activate the spell. Right. Feel the flow of mana within me. Direct it through my arm, through the wand and out at the top, just like gas in a lighter. And once it reaches the gem…

[Flame!] Nothing came out.

“...” [Flame!] Yep. Still nothing. Oi, what the hell? [Flame!] [Flame!] [FLAME!!!] HEYYY?!!

“Eh, it doesn’t work?” Fiel scratched her head as she saw me dropping my shoulders in disappointment. “Did the magic circuits fail? But the director’s work should’ve been flawless. We’ve never had this problem before…”

“Hmm, unless… Can you summon your vines real quick?” She said.

I nodded and grew them out as Fiel suggested, though I failed to understand how it was related to the fact that I can’t cast magic. 

“Alright. Now instead of with the wand, how about you try to cast [Flame] using those vines as your catalyst this time?"

“Mm.” Leaving my questions aside, I did as she said. As I directed the flow of mana to the vines, I felt the rose on my back heating up, and the blood stored within it began to mix with my mana. More questions popped up inside my head, but I brushed them aside for the moment, keeping my focus on the subject at hand. 

Once the mana reached the tip of the vines, I chanted. [Flame!]

 *BANGGG!!!* I heard a deafening explosion following the feeling of extreme heat surrounding me. Everything was on fire. The target dummies. The tools and training weapons. The walls. The ceiling. The truck. The whole range was filled with red hot flame and black smoke. And the cause of it - my vines, were still spitting out hot fire like a pack of wild flamethrowers.

""Oh…"" I looked at Fiel, and we exclaimed at the same time as both of us were drenched in water from the emergency fire sprinklers.