Special Training to Defeat the Black Building (2)

Rosetta raised her magic wand and began gathering magic into the void.

One second. Two seconds…

The colorless crystal slowly filled with crimson light, then fired a thin beam straight into the sky.

Yet before it could reach the clouds, the beam fizzled out—vanishing into the blue expanse.

“Did you feel anything?”

After completing the motion, Rosetta turned to Tidal.

“No,” Tidal answered honestly, shaking her head. “Nothing at all.”

“Exactly,” Rosetta affirmed. “Because this is your usual way of fighting.”

“Gather magic, channel it into the colorless crystal, fill it to a certain density, then release it all at once…”

As she explained, Rosetta demonstrated the process again.

Another beam—identical in power to the first—shot skyward.

“This method isn’t flawed. But… can we optimize it?”

“Optimize?” Tidal frowned. “Do you mean speeding up how fast I gather magic?”

“If I charge faster, I can shorten my prep time… Is that what you’re saying? But how do I even do that?”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Rosetta shook her head.

“Gather, fill, release—these are the three steps of your attack, right? What we’re going to do is add a fourth step between gathering and filling.”

Here, she held up four fingers.

“A fourth step?”

Tidal wasn’t sure what this “new step” was—but instinctively, something felt off. Adding a step sounded like unnecessary bloat, like padding with no real purpose.

Seeing her expression, Rosetta sighed.

“This new step isn’t physical. It’s mental. You perform it in your mind—a conceptual act of focusing. We call it [Mental Compression].”

“Mental Compression?” Tidal repeated, then nodded slowly, beginning to understand.

“Yes,” Rosetta confirmed. “While you’re gathering magic, imagine compressing every bit of it into a single point—like squeezing a spring to its absolute limit. When you finally release it, the pent-up energy will explode outward with far greater force.”

Tidal’s eyes lit up.

“I get it! So if I do this, my attacks will be way stronger!”

Rosetta nodded, then added: “But Mental Compression drains your focus heavily. If your mind isn’t strong enough, it’ll fail. Use it wisely—don’t push beyond your limits.”

Tidal’s excitement dimmed slightly.

She’d hoped for a quick shortcut to power. Instead, another hurdle.

But only for a moment.

Soon, determination returned.

If a method could make her stronger—even if difficult—she would master it.

Watching her, Rosetta smiled faintly.

She knew Tidal seemed careless on the surface, but deep down, she was relentless.

With that kind of resolve, she would become a powerful magical girl.

In Rosetta’s eyes, Tidal wasn’t just promising—she was necessary.

And in the back of Rosetta’s mind, one quiet ambition stirred:

To train someone who could surpass her.

It was bold. Maybe even foolish.

But not impossible.

Tidal’s raw magical talent was unlike any ordinary mage’s.

And there was something else—something even Tidal didn’t know she possessed.

Rosetta’s gaze lingered on her.

This girl’s future… was limitless.

But now, as Rosetta spoke, Tidal suddenly realized something.

All this time, she had never once thought about her own combat style. She fought purely on instinct—the way a hungry infant grabs food without reaching for chopsticks or silverware.

Instinctive actions were natural, even effective.

But relying solely on instinct without reflection or growth meant she would never evolve.

And now, Rosetta wasn’t just teaching her to fight.

She was teaching her how to eat properly—how to use the tools.

“Listen well.”

Rosetta raised her wand again. She preferred action over words.

One second. Two seconds…

Tidal watched intently—every shift in magic flow, every change in the crystal’s glow, even the subtlest flicker across Rosetta’s face.

Soon, the colorless crystal filled with red light once more.

Just before firing, Tidal noticed something.

For a split second, the red inside the crystal flared brighter—so intense it looked like molten iron, glowing orange-yellow like the sun.

And when the beam fired, it was visibly different—faster, sharper, stronger.

Proof? This time, instead of fading midair, it punched clean through the clouds—leaving a visible hole in the sky.

“What did you do at the exact moment the crystal turned red?” Tidal asked, eyes wide.

“You noticed? Good observation,” Rosetta praised.

She demonstrated again.

One second. Two seconds…

Tidal silently counted, using the rhythm to confirm another critical detail.

“The attack was much stronger than before… but the charging time didn’t increase at all. How is that possible?”

“Excellent. You’ve found the core issue,” Rosetta said, nodding.

“More power, same time—doesn’t that defy logic?”

Tidal nodded. “How did you do it?”

“Just a little trick,” Rosetta smiled.

“You don’t think all magical girls start with massive reserves like you, do? First-Gen rookies were weak. To survive fights against aberrations, we developed countless techniques to compensate.”

“Defensive spells, summonable shikigami… all born from weakness. Tools forged so we could win. So we could live.”

“This technique I showed? It’s one of them.”

Rosetta lowered her wand and shifted to explanation.

“You’ve probably noticed—during the process of gathering and charging the crystal, immense heat builds up from magic combustion.”

“Letting that energy dissipate is wasteful. So… is there a way to reuse it?”

“The origin is lost to history. But one day, a magical girl asked that question.”

“After many trials, she discovered a way to recycle that waste heat.”

“Just before the thermal energy escapes, she uses a small amount of magic to compress and accelerate it—turning it into a high-pressure, high-density jet. Then, she redirects that superheated stream back into the mana crystal.”

“When this kinetic blast hits, it forcibly compresses and heats the magic inside—accelerating combustion efficiency, boosting output…”

“We never gave it an official name. But among us, we call it [Boost Shot].”

“Reusing waste heat to force higher magic compression… accelerating burn rate from within…” Tidal murmured.

Then, her eyes sparkled.

“So you get more power in the same time… That’s brilliant.”

“The original goal was simple,” Rosetta said. “Use limited magic more efficiently—to punch above your weight.”

“But even as we grew stronger, the technique remained invaluable.”

Tidal nodded firmly.

“If I master this, I can fire attacks like that in less time—shattering Heilou’s defenses completely.”

“Exactly,” Rosetta said.

“This is your first lesson. If you want the strength to face Heilou… you must learn [Boost Shot].”