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(MoD) Chapter 20: The Four Basic Techniques
🕑 Added 2025-03-13 11:43:19 +0000 UTCChapter 20: The Four Basic Techniques
The following day, Takauji had expected his day to consist of him immediately returning home after the final bell had rung, to start learning the barrier techniques used by Eastern Magicians.
The ones that required him to successfully obtain Chakra, which he had already accomplished.
But instead, Sona had brought him back to the Sitri Household’s indoor sanctuary, to the same riverbank where he had become a 2nd Circle Magician.
“Now, do you plan on telling me why I’m here?” He let out a clearly exasperated sigh, more than eager to return to his self-studying routine.
I’m only listening to you because I’m still in a good mood from last night, so don’t push your luck.
“Relax, it’s related to the barrier techniques you’re trying to learn.” She held out the book she had been holding in her hands ever since she started leading him towards the sanctuary. “Unlike the Magic you’ve been accustomed to thus far, Chakra is more reliant on feeling than it is calculative ability.”
A thoughtful hum escaped his breath as he looked down at the book, briefly scrutinizing its cover before opening it up to the first page.
‘The Four Basic Chakra Techniques’ was the manual’s title, containing a small list of spells within it that he started to read through one by one.
Water Surface Walking.
Tree Climbing.
Body Replacement Technique.
Clone Technique.
He raised his brow, looking at Sona with a questioning gaze.
“You want me to learn all four of these?”
“Mhm.”
“Am I at liberty to ask why?” He pressed further.
“I did some research with the help of Toujou-chan, and a few other close acquaintances. These are the most basic skills that nearly every Senjutsu practitioner is capable of using. Knowing them will make learning everything else, including barrier techniques, significantly easier since you get more in tune with how Chakra works.”
He fell into thought, swiftly skimming over the contents of the manual so he could at least understand what each of these abilities was meant to do in a little more depth.
“Every Senjutsu practitioner?” He repeated, seeking confirmation.
“They teach these to children in schools practicing Eastern Magic, it’d be pretty embarrassing if you weren’t able to perform them as well, wouldn’t it?” She smirked, knowing exactly how he was going to respond to such a provocation.
Him? Lesser than a mere child? Unacceptable.
Absolutely, unacceptable.
His already skyscraper-like pride, reinforced by becoming a 2nd Circle Magician, couldn’t tolerate such a reality.
Furthermore, his interest in Eastern Magic had already been piqued quite some time ago; there was no feasible way he’d pass up on the opportunity to acquire more techniques when presented with the opportunity.
“The abundance of natural energy here should be helpful to you as you train, not to mention that you’ll need access to trees and a large body of water to practice some of those techniques.”
“I won’t take long,” it was safe to say he didn’t mean that in an accommodating manner.
“Sure, but just in case you need some more time, I think it’d be a good idea for you to put down a teleportation circle here.” She said with a wry grin.
His eyes widened, “How—”
“You’re the most unpredictable predictable person I know, Ashikaga-san.” She spoke with unwavering confidence, and a hint of smug pride was evident. “I always know what you’re going to do, but I can never figure out how you’re capable of doing it.”
Without waiting for a follow-up response, Sona walked by him, making her departure from the sanctuary.
“Have fun,” was all she left him with.
Insufferable woman!
With a now distinctly scowling face, he began to work on his first technique.
Tree Climbing.
The technique was designed specifically for children to practice Chakra control. However, the ability to stick to walls could still prove extremely useful in certain situations.
To utilize the technique, one needed to focus a fixed amount of Chakra on the soles of their feet and use that to adhere to the surface of the tree without needing their hands.
Naturally, this could be used on surfaces other than a tree, but different surfaces required different specifications, so it was better to start with what was considered the simplest to stick to.
If your stream of Chakra were too weak, you’d fall off, and if it was too strong, you’d be pushed away from the surface of the bark.
Wait a minute, this isn’t just entirely based on feeling.
The more he read, the more he realized that this technique was based on the principle of magnetism.
It was as if the tree was a negative magnet, and he was turning his foot into a positive one. Even if the manual didn’t state it explicitly, he was confident that the technique was derived from this principle.
Even if using the skill itself isn’t done through calculations, that doesn’t necessarily mean its creation didn’t use them.
He approached a nearby tree, taking a moment to adjust himself to the feeling of running Chakra through his feet, which wasn’t all that hard to do, considering that one of his skills, Touki, ran it through his entire body.
[Skill Awakened! — (Chakra) Tree Climbing; stick to vertical surfaces by channeling a fixed stream of Chakra through the soles of your feet. This can also be used to gradually train your Chakra control.]
[+5 CHK (110 → 115).]
Lightwork, as if I’d struggle to master a child’s technique.
Being horizontally suspended in the air was a new sensation to get used to, but his high Dexterity stat made that process a rather short one.
Notwithstanding, he didn’t let himself dawdle for too long; he needed to master all four techniques before he could return to working on his main point of interest after all.
It was time for the Water Surface Walking technique, the purpose of which was evident from the technique’s name.
This was supposed to be a significant step-up from Tree Climbing, but unlike the former, Water Walking relied on the creation of a repelling force rather than a pulling one.
Furthermore, there was one variable that differed between it and Tree Climbing, making it drastically harder to master.
The amount of Chakra you emitted needed to be constantly altered due to how water itself operated. Even if someone were to throw a small pebble near where you were standing, you’d still need to adjust yourself.
If you trained it enough, you’d get to a point where you’d be able to make the adjustments without even thinking, but when you first started, you were in for quite an experience.
Splash!
“...You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The second he put both feet onto the surface of the sanctuary’s river, he fell right in, drenching himself in cold liquid and ruining most of his uniform.
Had he failed to create a repelling force?
No, that was as easy as breathing to him.
In truth, he had underestimated just how much the technique wanted his mind to work; the Speed at which you had to make each and every adjustment was much, much faster than he had anticipated.
It was like solving a Rubik's Cube in one hand, while juggling three balls in your left hand, and balancing on a unicycle all at the same time.
But his brain wasn’t an ordinary one anymore; it was that of a 2nd Circle Magician.
I understand it now.
He used the Boil technique he had learned while creating a teleportation circle to dry himself off, taking a deep breath before making his second attempt.
Steadily, he put one foot on the river’s surface after the other, spreading his arms out wide to balance himself as he acclimatized himself to the strenuous feeling of constantly shifting the amount of Chakra flowing through his feet with every step he took.
The shallower the water’s depth, the slower the currents are. Which means as I go further towards the center, I’ll need to increase the amount of Chakra I’m using to keep up with the strength of the currents.
Even if Chakra Techniques relied primarily on one’s innate sense, that didn’t mean it was utterly incompatible with theory.
So what if Water Surface Walking was more advanced than Tree Climbing? It was still a technique that children who could hardly be considered fully fledged 1st Circle Magicians were expected to be able to use; having to spend as much as an hour on it would be embarrassing for him.
[Skill Awakened! — (Chakra) Water Surface Walking; creating an adjustable repelling force through the soles of your feet, allowing you to travel across the surface of water—and sticky surfaces in general.]
[+10 CHK (115 → 125).]
Come to think of it, my Chakra level has surpassed that of my Mana rather quickly, hasn’t it? He thought for a moment, could it be that I’m more talented at Senjutsu than I am at Magic?
But he couldn’t let himself get too absorbed in his own deliberation, unless he wanted to go for another cold plunge.
No, I’m talented at everything. I’ll catch up in no time once I start training it again.
Next on the list was the ‘Body Replacement Technique’, also known as the ‘Substitution Technique’.
In short, the technique was an optical illusion.
The second a user is about to be struck with an attack, they replace their body with an object at the last moment, such as a block of wood.
The feeling of the aggressor hitting something would convince them that their attack had successfully landed, but only for a brief moment, if at all, depending on your opponent’s ability.
That brief window of opportunity was the entire purpose of the technique, whether it was to give you a chance to counterattack or to flee.
However, the technique only worked if you executed it right before being hit with something; doing it without any prior response from an opponent would make you look silly.
Now this is interesting.
And unlike the two techniques he had just learned, this one required something different other than a simple release of Chakra, something that was pretty much the cornerstone of Eastern Magic.
Hand-seals.
It didn’t matter if you were using offensive, utility, mobility, or even barrier techniques—if they were created through Eastern Magic, you needed a set of hand-seals to execute them.
Their purpose was to aid a user in summoning and molding Chakra in a specific manner to perform a technique. Typically, a method requiring more hand seals is considered more complicated.
However, the more advanced a user was, the fewer hand-seals they required to perform high-level techniques.
To make something as simple as moving your hands a conduit to control your energy, I’ll admit, it’s a lot more convenient than having to run full equations in your mind at a moment’s notice.
Did that mean he was going to give up on Western Magic? Absolutely not, it just meant that he was going to start exploring both schools of Magic at the same time.
However, as he studied the technique, he encountered a problem.
Practicing it on his own was impossible, as he needed someone to hit him before he could activate the technique.
He needed a sparring partner.
…
“You need me to hit you?” Tomoe repeated what she had just heard, looking at Takauji with an awfully questioning gaze.
“Yes.”
“And do you plan on telling me why?”
“It’s for a technique.”
She rubbed her forehead. “I could use a little more elaboration than that.”
“It’s a technique that I need to get hit for.”
A vein started to bulge out of her temple, “Yeah, I figured that much out, genius. I’m asking you what the technique actually is?”
“Yes, I am in fact a genius.” Given his nature, he only picked up on the first part of her sentence.
You have something undiagnosed in that cranium. When met with his infuriatingly consistent personality, it was often best to relent for the sake of your mental well-being.
“Whatever, let’s just go.” She breathed a deep, mentally frustrated exhale, proceeding to lead him towards the training room where she had taught him how to use a Bō.
“Is there something on my face?” And as they were walking, he noticed that she was eyeing him in a not-so-discreet manner.
“The President said that she took you to exterminate a Stray Devil last night,” she said with very clear underlying intent.
“She did.”
“And she said you fought it on your own.”
“I did.”
“And that you killed it,” her eyes narrowed.
“That did in fact happen,” he replied with a smug, confident smile. “Don’t believe her?”
“No, I believe her. The President wouldn’t just elevate you out of the blue like that, but I’m still finding it hard to believe you pulled something like that off with your stark lack of experience.”
“This is me we’re talking about, of course I pulled it off.” His attitude remained constant as they entered the training room.
As tempted as Tomoe was to pull out a bladed weapon, she mustered up enough restraint to hit him with a wooden practice sword instead.
“Just so you know, this is going to hurt quite a bit.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” He coated himself in a blanket of Touki, since this would be his first time using hand seals, and there was a good chance he wouldn’t succeed immediately.
He’s already capable of using Touki? Didn’t he unlock Chakra yesterday? Her eyes widened in disbelief. Maybe his defeating a Stray Devil on his lonesome isn’t so unthinkable after all.
For no reason at all, Tomoe gripped the handle of her practice sword a little tighter.
“Ready?”
“Yeah.”
She stepped forward, swinging vertically towards his midsection with a certain level of eagerness to see what technique he had in store.
Snap!
But the sword merely snapped in half upon making contact with his body, and nothing of note seemed to happen after, except for the fact that his hands were now clasped in front of his body.
“Tch, I messed up the timing.” He grumbled, clearly not accustomed to using hand seals. “One more time,” he projected another training sword, tossing it towards her.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” She raised her brow.
“Yes, just shut up and hit me again.”
“Sheesh, someone’s moody, aren’t they?”
The Substitution Technique only required five seals (Tiger → Boar → Ox → Dog → Snake), but the problem was that all of those needed to be performed in a single instant, right before Tomoe’s swing made contact.
My Dexterity is at 177, and my Speed is at 158—there’s no way I can’t do this.
He recomposed himself, getting ready for the next swing.
Snap!
But again, he failed, his lips pressing together as he withheld the urge to curse.
“One last time,” he insisted, uninterested in stopping until he managed to get the technique down.
“If you say so,” Tomoe shrugged, catching another projection he had tossed at her.
Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake. Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake. Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake.
He repeated the sequence in his head, shifting his hands with the full intent to get it right this time around.
Thwack!
Tomoe took a step back, noticing that the sound her sword made upon contact had differed from before.
Poof!
A cloud of smoke erupted from what was supposed to be Takauji’s body, now replaced by one of the training dummies in the room.
[Skill Awakened! — (Chakra) Substitution Technique; the instant before you are about to be struck by an attack, replace yourself with a nearby object to create the optical illusion of your opponent’s hit successfully landing.]
[+15 CHK (125 → 140).]
“What did you just do?” Tomoe asked in shock.
“A technique.” He refused to elaborate, immediately making his prideful departure.
“You could’ve at least said thank you,” she muttered under her breath while pouting.
Maybe I should start training a little harder… It’d be pretty shameful to get left in the dust by someone who’s hardly been awakened for a whole week.
…
It was now time for the last of the four basic techniques.
The Clone Technique.
Similar to the Substitution Technique, this was also an illusion, where the user created one or more afterimages of themselves, all of which had absolutely no substance to them whatsoever.
The only purpose they served was to distract your opponent and allow you to flee or counterattack, just like the technique he had just learned.
These techniques aren’t that terrifying on their own, but coupled with my Impale skill? I’m willing to bet I could do some serious damage.
You only needed to perform three hand-seals for the Clone Technique (Ram → Snake → Tiger), and it didn’t need to be done within a split-second, granted—Speed was always preferable in the midst of battle.
This shouldn’t be too hard.
He performed each seal, watching as a replica of himself appeared right beside him, elated that he had managed to succeed with such ease.
[Skill Awakened! — (Chakra) Clone Technique; create one more afterimage of yourself in order to distract your target.]
[+3 CHK (140 → 143).]
But upon closer inspection, he noticed that something was off.
The clone’s face was all messed up!
It looked like it belonged in a cheap anime made for children! And that wasn’t all, even the proportions were in complete disarray.
The only thing he had gotten right was his clothing; everything else was nothing short of a disaster.
Ah… This might need a little practice.
━━━━
She Naru, on my Toes, till I Dattebayo.
If you’re wondering why I didn’t include the Transformation or Body Flicker Technique, it’s because Takauji already has Shapeshift and Shadow Step, so I didn’t think there was a need for it.
If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to leave them below. If you couldn’t tell already, I’m having a lot of fun with MoD.
