- How His Parents’ Abilities Affect His Own
The ing contains spoilers for The Beginning After The End not yet adapted to the anime.
So far, in the anime adaptation of The Beginning After The End, we have not been given much information about Arthur’s growth as a mage. We see him focused on training his mana core and learning new techniques, but details have been scant about the mechanics behind his powers.
Just what kind of mage is Arthur? While it has not been explicitly stated in the anime, there are several guesses we can make based on what he has shown so far and what is confirmed in The Beginning After The End manhwa.
Arthur’s Lineage
How His Parents’ Abilities Affect His Own
In TBATE’s manhwa, it is shown that the powers of their parents at least somewhat influence a mage’s abilities. When trying to help Lilia Helstea manifest her mana core, Arthur mentions that it’s more difficult because neither of her parents is a mage. This means that it is likely that Arthur’s own magical affinities are related to his parents.
“The ability to control mana is largely hereditary, and seems to occur in one out of every 100 people.” -Arthur
Early in the show, we see an explanation for the two primary types of mages: augmenters and conjurers. Augmenters use the mana within themselves to cast spells, while a conjurer forms magic spells with mana from sources outside their bodies. This, in effect, means that augmenters deal mainly with close-range attacks, and conjurers are more likely to be ranged combatants. From what we have seen so far, Arthur has exclusively used close-range spells to attack and enhance his abilities. This would make Arthur an augmenter.
“There are powers, in this world, that I am unfamiliar with. Fascinating.” -Arthur as a small child.
Another reason Arthur is likely an augmenter is that it is implied that Arthur’s dad is an augmenter when augmenting and conjuring is explained, and again when we see Reynold’s mana core powering up from the inside while demonstrating his abilities. Arthur himself also states that Reynolds is an augmenter while observing him. Since we have not yet seen Arthur using the rare emitter abilities his mother possesses, it seems like Arthur is most likely an augmenter himself in The Beginning After The End.
More Than Just An Augmenter
Arthur Is a Bit More Special Than Your Average Mage
As expected of the protagonist in a fantasy story, Arthur later discovers he can do a bit more than your average augmenter mage. Unlike most people, he possesses the ability to use magic from all four elements. Typically, each person is only strong in one element, while sometimes being able to use others. Later on, when Arthur takes a test to become an adventurer, he discovers that adventurers only claim one element because testing in multiple elements is extremely difficult.
However, likely from a combination of his past life’s experience and developing a mana core at an early age, Arthur can use fire, water, earth, and air magic to impressive degrees. He also learns to use higher-level deviant magic, which includes things like ice and lightning. Deviant mages are even rarer than normal mages, and the fact that Arthur can use so many types of magic astounds even the Xyrus Academy director, Cynthia Goodsky.
Not content to just be a one-in-a-generation kind of talent, Arthur continually pushes his magical abilities even further out of the norm later in the series. Using his beast will, he is also able to change his spells to create even more unique effects. Arthur can create white flames that freeze anything they touch, and freeze everything around him through his Absolute Zero spell. The genius mage also gains the ability to manipulate Aether, one of the universe’s fundamental forces, which in various forms governs time, space, and existence itself.
All this is to say that while Arthur can be classified as an augmenter mage, eventually he gains so many powers that he transcends the premise of the question itself, to become effectively any mage that he wants to be.
The Beginning After the End can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
