Reincarnated With a SSS-Rank Hypnosis Skill in Another World-Chapter 16 - Copying Her

But then, while Arcane Assimilation had definitely worked, my skills were still subpar, as I wasn't even able to react to the Fireball heading in my direction.

I flinched and closed my eyes on instinct as it vanished into thin air the moment it would land on me.

Seraphina immediately frowned at this reaction, which was unlike that of a Third Mana Circle Mage.

"Why didn't you make your Mana Shield?" she asked with a frown. "It's the first thing that any mage learns. It should go up as soon as you enter combat to make sure that nothing can hit you while you are casting a spell."

The truth was that Elena hadn't made me learn the Mana Shield, so while I knew what it was, I had no idea how to make it. However, saying that to Seraphina was akin to signing my own death warrant. I had no choice but to lie through my teeth.

"Your casting speed was just too high for me to even react to."

She just laughed straight in my face. "Right. That must be it. That's why I didn't feel any mana circulating through your body with the Fireball heading in your direction."

Then, she waved her hand, and a small layer of mana acted as a shield all around her. From the front, the back, the top—there were no weak points in her defenses.

[You have learned how to make a Mana Shield.]

As soon as that message appeared before me, knowledge entered my mind, and I could now see the path to create a Mana Shield. It didn't require the user to have a certain affinity; it required neutral Mana. Within the next second, I tried it, and it worked as a thin layer of mana formed all around me, making me feel safe even before Lady Seraphina.

She slightly frowned when she saw that.

"How did you do that?" she asked, doubtful.

"What do you mean? You just said it; it's the basics."

She continued to laugh. "No, that's not what I meant. You used the exact same path as me to create your Mana Shield. Usually, you need to create your own path to execute your spells. It might be a coincidence, but..."

I gulped.

She was powerful.

She could literally feel how I moved the Mana within my own body with a single gaze, and she wasn't even serious about this whole thing.

"It's a pure coincidence! I guess we're more similar than you thought."

She weakly nodded.

"What are your affinities again?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Fire, Time, Space, and Darkness."

"Make a Fireball."

I nodded and executed the only spell that I knew how to perform consistently.

Seraphina observed me with a lot of attention, which I found strange for a moment. However, she didn't say anything else as she began forming a Fireball in her hands at the same time as me.

She did it once, looking into my eyes.

Twice.

Three times.

And then, a message appeared before me again.

[Your comprehension of the Fireball Skill has changed. You are now able to cast it three times as fast.]

She did a total of ten times, and then, as if figuring out that I used Arcane Assimilation, it seemed like she wanted to see if I would be using her path to create the Fireball.

However, I read through her as I began forming my Fireball using the previous path, but then I forgot what it was and, confused, I made a very small mistake, which was immediately caught by Seraphina.

"You didn't use the same path to create your second Fireball. Why is that?"

She was definitely onto me, and I wasn't sure if I should just come clean to her. After all, if she knew of my gift, then the speed at which I would improve would be on a completely different level.

"Do it again. Make a Fireball once again."

However, this time, I could no longer feel my Mana Core and Mana Circuit.

"I've blocked your senses. Do it based on your instinct."

I gulped as I heard her and did what she wanted. I couldn't tell her that I couldn't do it, since that would be even worse.

Then, as I began making my Fireball, I could see the look in her eyes slightly widening in shock.

"The path you use to make your Fireball is now mine."

While her eyes had widened a moment ago, she was now frowning while staring at me.

"How did you do this?"

I decided to play the innocent card.

"I just looked at you and thought about how I could cast my Fireball. That's all."

Seraphina didn't seem convinced right away. However, she seemed to let it go for the moment as she changed the subject once again.

"Let's leave it at that for the moment. We need to speed up. Show me how good you are with each of them."

And that's when I was hit with yet another wall. This time... I wasn't sure if I would be able to cross it.

"I..." I opened my mouth as I knew there was no point in trying to use anything other than the Fire Affinity. "There's just one little problem..."

Before I could even finish my sentence, as if reading my mind, she said, "You can only use your Fire Affinity. Yes, I know. That's why I said we needed to move on."

My eyes widened. She already knew about that, and she was still standing before me, not even leaving to tell the king.

'I might have struck the jackpot with her.'

"Why are you looking like that?" she wondered, as I had been staring at her like a madman.

"N-No reason..."

"Anyway. It's time that you learn the rest of your affinities. Luckily for you, you do have great talent; being capable of copying the path of my skills within seconds is not something that's given to most." She smirked. "Luckily, we also have the Space Affinity in common."