On the other side, Yuri had already begun chanting a spell.
Kazui, a Mage — the most basic type of magic user — started using magic, the combat technique for mages.
Magic was the fundamental combat technique employed by magic users, and it included various skills. These magic skills were activated by chanting spells and using mana, a form of life energy different in nature from aura.
The term "magic" generally referred to the category of combat techniques, though individual magic skills were also commonly shortened to just "magic."
Like martial arts, magic had many different branches. The well-balanced standard type was simply called "magic," while specialized variants (such as those focused on healing, recovery, or defense) were classified separately. Holy Magic, which specialized in healing and defense, was a prime example. Mages proficient in it were known as Holy Mages.
When starting out as a magic user, beginners could only select the standard "Mage" class. As they leveled up and learned different types of magic, their class would change depending on their specialization.
Since Yuri was still a rookie in training, he was naturally still a Mage. He was now chanting to activate one of the few magic skills available to him.
When a mage began chanting, a glowing magic circle would usually appear at their feet. The more mana used, the brighter the circle tended to shine.
The light was normally white, though some skills could change its color. This time, the circle Yuri created emitted a standard white light.
As his chant progressed, the spoken words transformed into glowing characters that appeared inside the magic circle. The end of the chant was usually the name of the magic skill — the "magic name."
Originally called the skill name, the shortened term "magic name" had become the standard, official term.
"Elinacheus!"
Yuri declared the magic name to complete the chant.
The skill Elinacheus activated. Transparent liquid sprayed out from the magic circle and enveloped Yuri’s body, then solidified into a transparent sphere.
Yuri was now enclosed within a transparent sphere roughly two meters in diameter. The sphere, made of a glass-like transparent material about five centimeters thick, was a defensive barrier created by his magic.
With this, Elinacheus was fully activated. The now-useless magic circle shattered and vanished in a burst of light.
It took longer for the mage Yuri to finish battle preparations than it did for the fighter Kazui. Mages had to chant spells, which slowed their movement and required time, so their skills couldn’t be used instantly.
Even after activation, mages generally remained somewhat slow in their movements. This sluggishness was a common trait among all magic users.
For that reason, when fighting in parties, mages and other magic users usually took the rear position, handling long-range attacks from a safe distance. Mages had an advantage in ranged combat and often focused on magical attacks from afar.
Normally, trainees didn’t form parties, but since Kazui and Yuri were close friends, they had already formed one — with Kazui as the vanguard (front line) and Yuri as the rear guard.
As the two finished their preparations, the explosions inside the forest were gradually drawing closer to Aquila’s walls and the grasslands. The adventurers stationed in the forest were fighting the monsters but were being steadily pushed back.
It was only a matter of time before the monsters emerged from the forest. The roughly fifty adventurers gathered near the northern wall — including the trainees — tensed up with nervousness as they completed their final battle preparations.
"Ahh, man... I really wanted to lose my virginity," Kazui grumbled while watching the explosions in the forest slowly approach.
"You’re still going on about that stupid stuff?" Yuri asked, looking exasperated.
"In a situation like this, shouldn’t people from Japan be saying they want to go back home? Forget about the virginity thing."
"I want to go back to Japan too, but we’re still just trainees. There’s no way we can go back right now. It’s better to worry about things we can do instead of things we can’t."
Until just half a year ago, Kazui and Yuri had been living in Japan. Then the high school they attended was caught up in a mysterious, unexplained accident.
As a result, some students and teachers were transported to this world — a different world where magic, monsters, adventurers, and dungeons actually existed.
Most of the transported people became adventurers both to make a living and in hopes of finding a way back to their original world (Japan). It was a dangerous job, but it was one of the easier professions for otherworld refugees to take, and essentially the only path available if they wanted to return home.
That was why Kazui and Yuri had also registered with the Adventurers Guild. However, they were still trainees, not full-fledged adventurers yet.
Adventurers had levels based on their abilities. To work as a proper adventurer, one needed to reach Level 5. Kazui was Level 1 and Yuri was Level 2, so both were still in training.
Most new adventurers reached Level 5 within three months and completed their training. The fact that these two were still trainees after six months meant their growth as adventurers was quite slow.