20. Skill Analysis 1

"Alright, I’ve enjoyed breakfast thoroughly, so today I’d like to test out my skills again. But first, Mitoka—how long can you stay in that state?" Shiro asked.

He’d suddenly wondered how long she could maintain her physical manifestation through the Contact-Enabled Virtual Reality function.

"Ah, well, as long as I’m within thirty meters of you, the Developer License means no mana cost, so there’s no limit. Beyond that, mana consumption kicks in. It’s quite significant, so practically speaking, it’s impossible to stay distant.

If you’re only using AR display, I can stay by your side indefinitely! ……Though you’d only see me that way!" she replied, as always with her beautiful smile.

"Huh. So, as long as the maximum range is thirty meters, I can just stay close—should be fine," Shiro confirmed.

"Yes!" Mitoka said.

Shiro considered what he needed to verify for the time being.

First, the biggest issue was "Maximum Mana Capacity." To actually use magic in practice, he’d need to increase that. And he also thought he’d need to develop his other skills beyond just magic.

"Qi cultivation and divine magic—those should work here too, right?"

"Yes, they do."

"Good. And I think I remember making a list of essential skills back when I traveled to another world…?"

"Oh, yes, I have it. I’ll display it."

As Mitoka spoke, a notebook appeared on the table.

"Whoa, is this also a TAR?"

"Yes. It’s easier to see than a screen, and you can write on it."

A pencil materialized beside it.

Shiro immediately picked up the notebook and began scanning the list.

Required Skills: Help, Detection & Map & Far-Sight, Perception, Storage (Item Box), Stealth, Identification, Disguise, Life (Fire, Water, Hair Dryer, Clean, Light Source), Healing, Flight, Attack Skills & Spells, Defense Skills & Spells, Physical Enhancement, Various Resistances, Barriers & Seals, Teleportation, Alchemy, Telepathy

Shiro glanced over his current skill set and thought, well, I already have a decent spread. He decided to prioritize the ones he was missing.

First, Physical Enhancement and Resistance. These were achievable through Qi techniques—he judged them as urgent.

Next, Healing. That was possible with magic, and he rated it high priority.

Then, Weapon Crafting via Alchemy and Blacksmithing. Also magic, and since he had no weapons right now, this was high priority too.

He noted, somewhat reluctantly, that basic Life Magic also needed checking.

Finally, he realized he still had to verify the actual skill levels for various spells.

Shiro felt a slight melancholy—there was still so much to test. But he shook it off and turned to Mitoka.

“Mitoka, is the hidden expansion for maximum mana capacity working as designed?”

“Yes, it is. I can consume up to 5% more, and recovery restores 0.4%. By the way, this world’s unique hidden implementation allows absorbing past the limit via mana conversion operations, maintaining that state for 50 seconds to gain an extra 0.8%. Though reaching that limit and sustaining it requires quite advanced mana manipulation.”

“Huh. So there is a way using mana control after all.”

Shiro felt a flicker of hope. Then,

“If it’s about consumption, would it be something like repeated materialization? And for mana recovery—do I need a healing potion?”

"No, it's possible even with the Mana Absorption and Magic Conversion skill."

"Wait, such a skill exists?"

"Yes, well, it's a rather specialized one. It's a feature of Idean Skills. I've unlocked it now that my Idean Skill level has increased."

"So the method of absorption also requires that skill? And maintaining a state beyond limits—how exactly does that work?"

"When you activate the Mana Absorption and Magic Conversion skill, you'll imagine a balloon-like sensation in your chest. It swells until you feel the limit, but you have to push it just a little past that point. It requires delicate, stable magic manipulation."

"What happens if you overinflate it?"

"It bursts... you know, like a balloon."

"..."

"…Just kidding. The overload actually reduces your capacity by about three percent."

—Joke? Mitoka, that AI, making a joke? No, something’s off about her delivery… still, it’s clear self-awareness shows up in these little moments.

Shiro was surprised by how much more nuanced Mitoka’s responses had become.

"Shiro… sorry, I meant—"

"No, it's fine."

He wasn’t sure what was fine, but he decided to accept it as such.

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