"Not to that extent."
Even if his drawing wasn't exactly standard, those rough maps were pretty much like this.
Sean remembered using a small map back in Talemian, just one showing the town's surroundings... back then, he could see the people displayed on the map, but now he couldn't!
What was the difference?
Comparing it to the large map on the table, Sean scrutinized every tiny detail, even comparing the lines on the streets.
Of course, his simple sketch couldn't go into street-level detail; it only roughly outlined the route from Talemian to Koga City...
Still no change.
A bit puzzled, Sean looked over the route on the large map again.
Suddenly, he noticed that the edges of the route had names labeled on them. Could it be the names?
Checking his own drawing, he hadn't added any names yet, so he marked down Talemian, the surrounding mountain ranges, and finally Koga City.
Slowly setting it down...
Still no change.
Sean even tried using magic to manifest the map.
But it prompted [No Effect]...
If he could already see it, there was no need for magic, so of course it would say no effect.
What step was he missing?
Why didn't his drawing work, but someone else's did?
Leaving aside those precisely scaled ones, other ordinary maps were probably like this!
Why could others draw functional maps while his didn't work, not even with magic...
For a moment, Sean was stumped by the map problem. How was he supposed to do this?
Or did he have to draw it extremely accurately? Who set that rule, and why was it targeting him?
Leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling...
He felt completely lost.
The food on the table had long gone cold. From evening until now, he'd been studying the map without eating, only feeling hungry after stopping.
Opening the lunchbox brought over, probably packed by the little witch, the whole wooden box was full of meat!
It looked appetizing, but once cold, a thick layer of grease formed on the meat skin, giving it a greasy taste that overpowered any flavor.
Sean wasn't picky and ate it straight, not even bothering to look at the table as he opened the window to enjoy the street view outside.
He remembered the weather in Koga City being milder, but the further north he went, the hotter the nights felt. Staying alone in a room for too long made it stuffy... opening the window brought instant relief.
After a few bites of meat, it felt bland. Mainly, he'd lost his appetite once the hunger passed.
Setting down the box...
Sean suddenly noticed an extra [Map] label in his field of vision. Where there was only one before, now there were two!
Map.
He quickly looked at the table.
Besides the large map of Talemian, which was unchanged, the rough map he'd just drawn now had a name too.
Having a name meant this drawing was recognized as a map!
Sean stared at his newly drawn rough map, and sure enough, a flat view of the mountains and forests appeared.
It worked.
It really worked!
Excitedly, he picked it up for a closer look...
The map had no special markings, just a topographical view of the Talemian and Koga City area, like a still photo taken from high altitude.
Because the vegetation on the mountains was uneven, some parts were even dizzying to look at. If you didn't carefully search for the hidden roads in the woods, you'd struggle to find the route, only clear on the main paths.
To Sean, this map was a terrain guide, letting you see the area's layout at a glance, but it didn't show people.
Because the scale was too large!
A whole city was only the size of a fingernail; how could you see people?
If those little green or white dots appeared, the proportions would be off.
But this fixed flat view wasn't affected by day or night, allowing constant observation of the terrain, unlike the large city map on the table, which was influenced by light changes.
So, in the future, he'd need to confirm the purpose before using them. Most people had a goal when using maps, and no one traveling far would pull out a city guide, so Sean wasn't worried about that.
Before it got too late, Sean tried a few more times, and the results kept improving...
These attempts gave Sean a rough grasp of how to draw maps.
First, he needed to determine the location, then ensure the general direction was correct. For example: Koga City is north of Talemian, not south, or the [Map] wouldn't display.
After setting the location, labeling was crucial too.
Without names, it couldn't become a [Map]. With these two elements, after finishing the drawing, there was a waiting period.
Like an item cooldown, after some time, once it was confirmed as a [Map], it could be used normally.
Of course, to get a real-time map of an entire city, he'd need precise surveying like Kalyana's, plus another condition: he had to have walked through it himself to see it.
He couldn't see a city he'd never visited, and he'd need to cover every part, or unvisited areas would remain in shadow.
After sorting through all the conditions, Sean roughly understood how to make and use maps...
It was getting late.
Though he'd been busy all night, he was satisfied with the outcome.
Compared to training magic proficiency, which felt endless, research that showed results in a short time was much more rewarding.
Creak~
The door opened at that moment.
"So you're still awake!" The person entering was Freya.
"Did I forget to close the door?!?"
Turns out, when the food was brought, Sean hadn't shut the door at all...
Freya walked in and saw the messy papers on the table.
"You're still messing with these? Why the sudden interest in drawing maps?" She picked up a few sheets, all similarly drawn maps.
"Just a sudden hobby."
"A hobby that keeps you busy from day to night... and skipping dinner?" She noticed the cold food set aside.
"If it weren't a hobby, who'd stay up this late? What about you? Still up at this hour." Sean avoided discussing his abilities as usual, except for the magic he wasn't good at.
"I saw your door open and came to check. Get some rest early. We might not stop on the road ahead..."
Unlike expected, Freya didn't say much, not even stepping fully into the room before preparing to leave.
"Oh, by the way."
Just before closing the door, she suddenly looked at Sean and added.
"Rietis is Prince Philip's city, home to many nobles... It might be more troublesome for you than Koga City."
As if warning him, she finished speaking and shut the door, leaving.