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Chapter 57: Bug-Level Materialized Magic! Loki's Probing
🕑 Added 2025-03-12 17:41:50 +0000 UTCAfter inviting Aaron, Frigg left. As queen, she always has many duties, making it impossible to delay for too long, especially for just one person.
Everything seemed to be progressing well. Thor was about to complete his coronation, and Aaron was advancing further down the path of magic, treating others with kindness and courtesy. Asgard's future looked bright.
Thinking of this, Frigg’s steps became more lively and confident. What could be more gratifying than seeing your home thrive and prosper?
Halfway through her path, Frigg encountered Loki, who was searching for her.
"Mother, is Aaron at the academy?"
Loki stepped forward quickly, glancing behind her with a somewhat puzzled expression.
Noticing his demeanor, Frigg was slightly moved.
Loki has changed.
As Loki’s adoptive mother, Frigg had always cared for him as deeply as any real mother could. In fact, she often looked out for him more than she did Thor. She had always pitied Loki, and the brilliance of motherhood made her invest even more effort into this child who had been separated from his parents at a young age.
She couldn’t bear the fact that Odin had concealed Loki’s true origins and responsibilities. However, for the sake of Asgard and the Nine Realms, she had accepted it.
In everyday matters, Frigg cared for Loki deeply. She knew him well, and she understood that he often craved attention, even resorting to tricks to get it. But today, she saw something different in his eyes—there was sincerity and hope there.
"Aaron is practicing shapeshifting at the academy. That’s where we last met. Do you have something you wish to ask him?"
"No one else?" Loki asked, his tone brighter.
Frigg smiled. "No, Irene left as well."
When she left, Frigg had also called Irene away, leaving Aaron to his studies in solitude.
"Got it! I’ll go find Aaron first."
Loki suppressed his excitement, nodding. Just before leaving, he turned to her, asking, "Mother, what do you think of my enchanting abilities?"
Frigg immediately understood what he was planning. Clearly, he wanted to focus on enchanting to attract more attention.
However, not everyone, especially not Loki, could master both magic and enchanting simultaneously. Aaron was exceptional, able to balance them, but Loki needed to be careful.
"Loki..." Frigg began, but just by seeing her face, Loki quickly waved his hands.
"I understand! Actually, when I think about it, being the second magician in the Nine Realms wouldn't be so bad, right?"
After all, he was destined to be king. As a wise ruler, one must have a broad enough heart. Loki believed that with his intelligence, he could manage everything perfectly.
Meanwhile, Aaron was deep in his studies.
[You’ve cast materialization magic seriously. You’ve gained a little...] [You have performed materialization magic seriously, and your proficiency has increased +5. Your materialization magic has upgraded!]
After Frigg left, Aaron set aside his shapeshifting practice and focused his magic on materialization magic. As expected, his materialization magic, which was on the brink of an upgrade, finally reached the next level—LV6.
"LV6 physical magic... I wonder how much stronger it is!" Aaron thought, excited.
His previous experiences had shown him that each upgrade brought significant changes, far surpassing the improvements of LV5. Just like Energy Absorption, LV6's version had solved his problem of insufficient magic power.
Aaron couldn't wait to test the improved materialization magic.
"Should I try creating magic armor first?" he wondered, glancing at the battle armor nearby.
With LV5, creating a basic armor wasn’t too difficult, but Aaron needed to know the structure of Ulu metal to replicate it. Without that, the armor would be useless.
He focused on imagining the armor’s appearance, characteristics, and abilities, which was no easy feat. If successful, it would mean that Aaron could create objects out of thin air using just his magic power!
Mana was draining fast, but Aaron monitored his resources, finding them still within acceptable limits. He continued to refine the details with great precision.
When the armor finally formed, Aaron sighed in relief. Then, it was time for the most important part—testing its function.
The simplest test was combat. Aaron summoned an energy duplication and made it wear the armor. Then, he threw his sword at it.
Boom! "It worked!"
"Well, it’s halfway there!" he muttered. The magic armor activated an energy shield, which was a good sign.
This meant that, indeed, he could use magic power to create objects with energy alone, bypassing conventional principles.
"Now to test its strength and whether it has the properties of Ulu metal!" Aaron said, eager to confirm its durability.
He decided to use an energy explosion to test it. However, he quickly realized that a group explosion might not be concentrated enough to break the shield.
He recalled the thunder Thor had summoned earlier. That kind of power had a great visual impact, and it might be just the thing.
"Let’s try summoning Thunder!" Aaron grinned.
Though he didn’t possess Thor's thunder powers, he could still summon the illusion of it through materialization magic. Thunder was just a natural phenomenon, after all.
He raised his hand, imagining the scene where Thor summoned thunder, and the sky began to crackle. Winds howled as clouds gathered, and lightning surged towards the sky.
With a loud crack, thunder shot down, racing toward the energy duplication faster than the eye could follow. The impact of the thunder colliding with the shield was the same as Thor’s attack earlier—except Aaron didn’t have Mjolnir.
The magic power now wasn’t just pure mana; it had been transformed into a fierce, aggressive thunder.
Aaron waved his hand again, and the sky unleashed more thunder, destroying the energy shield and shattering the duplication.
Even the magic armor couldn’t withstand the blow. After the destructive impact, it dissolved into pure energy and dissipated into the air.
"Energy Absorption!"
Aaron quickly absorbed the energy, barely restoring half of his power.
It worked! He had successfully ignored the principles and created real magic armor with nothing but magic.
Though it was not quite as powerful as Thor’s full strike, the result was still impressive. But Aaron knew he needed more magic power for future creations.
Once he obtained the Casket of Ancient Winters, he would have nearly limitless energy.
Maybe then, he could try creating Mjolnir itself!
Just then, Aaron heard hurried footsteps approaching. He looked up, frowning. It was Loki.
Loki glanced around at the chaotic scene, looking confused. "Big brother, come out! I won’t get caught this time!"
The thunder had made Loki think Thor was around. Loki was prepared, fearing that Thor would strike again.
Aaron called out, "Don’t look for him. He’s not here. It was just an illusion I created."
"An illusion? Impossible!" Loki exclaimed, shocked by the authenticity of the scene.
Loki could feel the immense energy the thunder had given off, similar to Thor's power, and he was taken aback by Aaron's illusion magic.
"What now?" Aaron asked, raising his finger as a small ball of thunder danced on his fingertip. He flicked it toward Loki, who instinctively stepped back, barely avoiding it.
Loki was shaken but realized it was just an illusion. He wasn’t fooled, but he couldn’t deny how real it seemed.
"What do you want from me, Loki?" Aaron asked, sensing Loki was after something.
Loki hesitated, then asked, "What do you think of Thor?"
Aaron was surprised by the question. Was Loki preparing for a confrontation?
He thought carefully, remembering that he hadn’t interacted with Loki much recently. Could it be because of the magic armor he’d sent Loki?
After a pause, Aaron responded, "Thor is a powerful and fearless warrior."
"Yes, he’s a fighter!" Loki replied, clearly excited. "Thor is a warrior—he only knows brute force!"
"Then what do you mean?" Aaron asked.
Loki continued, his tone serious, "The coronation is in a week. Do you think Thor is fit for the throne?"
Aaron raised an eyebrow. Was Loki dissatisfied with Thor’s upcoming coronation?
Before he could respond, Aaron’s mind flashed with a sudden realization—someone was watching them. He could feel a probing presence.
"Heimdall," Aaron thought.
Odin, ever the strategist, was watching from afar. Aaron smiled inwardly. Odin was always one step ahead.
Loki’s questions, however, were more pressing. Aaron would need to be careful with his answer, as the truth could have far-reaching consequences.
