Survival Strategies of a Struggling Aristocrat

Upon waking up, he discovered himself lying on a rigid bed. It was Dennis’s room.

“Ah, it’s morning. What should we do today?”

He swiftly dressed himself and made his way to the dining room.

“Good morning, Dennis. You’re late today,” 

His sister Amelia said, sitting on a chair and waiting for the meal.

“Yeah, I guess I was a bit tired yesterday,” Dennis replied.

While talking to Amelia, their father, Egmont, woke up, and breakfast began. They had rye bread and salty soup again.

“I wish we had some tastier bread,” 

Dennis murmured, and Egmont glared at him.

“No need to be so extravagant. Rye bread is sufficient for breakfast,” Egmont said.

In this world, there was also white bread made from wheat. To peasants, it was a luxury item, but to nobles, it was commonplace. The Briones family was simply an impoverished noble family.

After finishing their meal, Dennis informed his family that he would be out for the day, expecting to return late. He first headed to the carpentry workshop located on the western side of town to place an order for weapon fabrication.

The weapon was a sturdy staff-like object with square plates nailed together, resembling a fly swatter but with a menacing array of spiked blades at the tip.

Franz, the master of the workshop, swiftly crafted the requested weapon in a short span of time. Upon completion, he tilted his head in confusion upon seeing the finished product.

“What on earth would you use something like this for?”

Dennis knew Franz since he was young child. Despite his rough language, Franz was a skilled craftsman. Dennis smiled wryly and said, 

“I’m going for a little slime extermination.”

“Oh… Are you going to the labyrinth, by any chance?” 

“Yes.”

Franz’s face contorted in exasperation. He couldn’t fathom why anyone would willingly venture into such a dangerous place. Indeed, risking their lives to mine metals within the labyrinth didn’t guarantee a significant haul of resources.

Given Dennis’s physical stamina, carrying around ten kilograms was his limit. Dennis had also considered this aspect and handed Franz the blueprint he had drawn up the previous night.

It was a design for a small cart—a compact model capable of carrying around one hundred kilograms. It was engineered with durability in mind.

“This… It’s different from a regular cart, isn’t it?” Franz remarked.

“It’s a type of cart called a ‘rear cart,’” Dennis explained.

Franz seemed intrigued by the slightly different structure of the cart.

“I see. So the axles are independent on each side. With this, the carriage can be lowered,” 

Dennis chose the rear cart with independent axles instead of a regular cart, as he believed it would allow for easier transportation of heavy metals by lowering the carriage.

“And how much will that cost?” Dennis inquired.

“The price, huh… Well, since I can have it ready in about three days, including the payment for the weapon, let’s settle at three large silver coins,” Franz proposed.

Dennis grimaced, finding the amount higher than he had anticipated.

“Can I pay at the end of the month?”

“Sure, as long as you pay the entire amount, I don’t mind,” Franz agreed.

Dennis made the promise, took his weapon, and left. He named the weapon with the fly swatter-like shape and spiked blades the “Nail Rod.”

Once again, he spent about an hour and a half making his way to the Rock Mountain Labyrinth. Upon entering, he set his sights on the mineral deposits. Along the way, he encountered a monster—a green slime.

Slimes came in different colors: green, red, black, and gold.  Among them, green slimes were the most frequently encountered. The book on Mana Art discovered in the study revealed that green slimes possessed the True Name of “Magic Energy.”

This True Name, referred to as the “Magic Energy,” held utmost importance in the practice of Mana Art and was essential for acquiring them. By attaining this True Name, one gained the ability to sense the magical elements within their own body.

Dennis poised his Nail Rod and waited for the crawling green slime to approach. The moment it closed in, he swung down the Nail Rod. The cluster of spikes swinging down at the heart of the slime hit its mark, with each sharp point piercing through the slime.

One of them seemed to have struck the core of the slime. The green slime lost its strength and dissipated.

“Taken down in a single blow. This weapon is something else,” 

Dennis remarked, pleased with the performance of his new weapon. However, once again, he failed to acquire a True Name.

Both Dennis and Masaya had a streak of misfortune when it came to gambling, and it seemed that their luck was negatively affecting their ability to obtain True Names.

He had been exploring for about two hours when he finally reached the small dome-like space with the mineral deposits. Along the way, Dennis had encountered and defeated five green slimes. Peering into the dome, he saw around five green slimes crawling around.

“It should be manageable with this number,”

 Dennis entered the dome and began to take down the slimes. His new weapon, the Nail Rod, proved to be powerful as he struck the approaching slimes with its blade-like spikes.

With just one blow, he pierced through their cores, taking down four of them and delivering the finishing blow to the last one. However, at that moment, he sensed something above his body. The next instant, a rain of slimes poured down from the ceiling.

“Whoa… Ahh!” 

He exclaimed, letting out a strange cry as he frantically tried to evade them. It seemed like around fifty slimes had been clinging to the ceiling, and they all dove down at once.

Dennis swung the Nail Rod wildly, trying to fend them off. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his right leg. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a green slime attempting to crawl up his leg.

“Wha…”

Dennis fought on in a state of semi-madness. He swung the Nail Rod down on the approaching slimes and leaped to avoid the attacking ones.

“Huff… Huff…” 

After battling for about thirty minutes, Dennis was nearing exhaustion. His arms grew heavy as he swung the weapon, and he could no longer move with agility.

The number of slimes had dwindled down to just a few. Despite feeling dizzy, he continued to repeat his attacks, almost stumbling. His mind became clouded with fatigue.

Almost mechanically, he swung the weapon down and delivered the finishing blow to the last remaining slime. It was only then that he realized it was a black slime.

“Oh… damn it,” 

The book on Mana Art had mentioned a cautionary note regarding the True Names obtained from slimes. It specifically warned against touching black slimes.

Something began to materialize in Dennis’s spirit. It was a form of text that couldn’t be expressed in three dimensions. It resembled a three-dimensional version of a QR code, with something added to it.

Though it made no sense, Dennis understood its meaning. It was the True Name symbol representing “Magic Essence”

True Name symbols contained the essence, principles, and true nature of concepts and phenomena. Dennis grasped the meaning of what the Magic Essence was. It was the original form of an unknown energy known as True Power, utilized in the practice of Mana Art.

The Magic Essence is both a particle and an unknown form of energy. When the Magic Essence enters a living being, it transforms into Magic Energy. The power used in Mana Art was the conversion of Magic Energy into True Power.

“The book mentioned that by sensing and controlling the Magic Energy within oneself, a Mana Art can be activated. But what about the relationship between the Magic Essence and the Mana Art?”

Dennis attempted to sense the Magic Energy within his body, but, unfortunately, he couldn’t feel anything.

“I’ll have to research the difference between Magic Energy and Magic Essence. But for now, it’s all about zinc,”

Dennis began excavating zinc crystals, collecting around ten kilograms and storing them in his backpack. With the heavy load on his back, he started making his way back, leaving the labyrinth and returning to Beneshof town. It was already evening when he arrived.

Upon returning to the mansion, he headed straight to his study. He took out the book on Mana Art and began his investigation. He discovered that the True Name of “Magic Essence” posed a dilemma. It seemed that once a person obtained this True Name, they would no longer be able to acquire the True Name of “Magic Energy.”

Within the realm of Mana Art, there were conflicting True Names that repelled each other, much like the repulsion between similar poles of magnets. The prime examples were “Magic Essence” and “Magic Energy.”

“This could be bad,”

Mana Art was constructed upon the foundation of Magic Energy within the body, forming a system of intricate spellcraft. If he couldn’t sense the Magic Energy, it meant he couldn’t utilize True Names.

“But hold on. Is it really impossible for me to use them?” 

There might be a possibility of activating True Names by utilizing the Magic Essence outside the body, rather than relying solely on the Magic Energy within. It seemed worth a try, at least in Dennis’s estimation.

*************

TN: Again, I would have liked to use the term: “True Name Art” but I’m more inclined to keep using the term Mana, since it’s also correct.