23. Qi Art 1

Well, next up is Qi Art, Shiro thought.

In Shiro’s design—and in the design of this world—what people commonly call magic is actually composed of three forces: mana, qi, and divine power.

More precisely, the term "magic" itself is just the local vernacular. According to the system’s architecture, it’s more accurate to call it divine magic, made up of three disciplines: magic, qi art, and divine art, each rooted in mana, qi, and divine power, respectively.

That said, in practice, only magic is actually used in this world. Qi art is mostly employed unconsciously in martial arts, and since it’s primarily focused on physical enhancement, it doesn’t quite feel like magic—so it’s not widely known. Divine art is extremely difficult to master, and only a handful of people in this world can actually use it.

All life in this world consists of soul and entity—essentially, soul and body. These three forces are the means by which soul and entity interact with the world.

And the way they interact differs depending on the art.

Magic interferes with the structure of the world beyond the soul—specifically, the world’s scene graph.

Qi art primarily interferes with one’s own soul and entity, and the surrounding area.

Divine art, by synthesizing magic and qi art, allows for more advanced control of magic, enabling interference with the world’s entire scene graph and all souls.

In short, qi art is the skill of manipulating one’s mental and physical capabilities without using magic.

“Alright, so Qi Perception and Qi Manipulation—can I do this just like I did with mana?”

Shiro asked Mitoka.

“Yes,” Mitoka said.

Shiro sat down on the chair right away and began meditating, trying to sense his qi. The source points of qi within his body were the lower abdomen, the base of the spine, and the dantian. After concentrating for about thirty minutes, trying to feel the qi, Shiro started to notice a sensation unlike that of mana—a slightly cool, flowing presence.

——『【Qi Skill】 Level 1 acquired』

——『【Qi Perception】 Level 1 acquired』

“Hmm, different from mana,” Shiro thought, pleased with the new skill.

He continued focusing on moving that qi. He imagined spreading it through his body, just as he had with mana. The qi felt less viscous than mana—lighter, smoother, almost like water—so Shiro kept that image in mind and gradually spread it through his body, letting it seep in.

——『【Qi Manipulation】 Level 1 acquired』

“Good! Now I should be able to unlock Qi Skill-type abilities, right?”

“Shiro, Qi Skill-type abilities in this world actually require physical movement. For you, doing a few forms might trigger their acquisition.”

“Ah, I see. Then, I’ll try it again after a long break.”

Since Shiro didn’t know proper martial arts, he decided to go with the tai chi form his father had once obsessed over and forced him to practice.

He went through the tai chi movements slowly, maintaining the image of qi spreading through his entire body, filling him with strength.

“…Yeah, not gonna work in just one go,” Shiro muttered, a little resigned.

So he kept repeating it. After thirty repetitions, still no announcement.

“…Not so easy to unlock, huh.”

“In this world’s system, Qi Skills seem harder to acquire. Shiro, here’s some water.”

Mitoka watched over me as she brought water and a towel, offering support.

Gotta push a bit more. So, Shiro took short breaks and spent about two hours trying every form he could recall.

He even attempted the universal form from the kung fu class he’d attended as a child. Focusing his will, channeling every ounce of strength through his body, concentrating his spirit—just as his energy began to settle into his form and a sense of unity between mind and body emerged, the announcement came through.

——『[Physical Enhancement] Level 1 acquired』

——『[Body Control] Level 1 acquired』

——『[Combat Arts] Level 1 acquired』

“Finally did it!”

“Congratulations, Shiro. I never thought qi arts would be harder than magic.”

“Yeah. Hey, what’s Body Control even mean?”

“It’s the ability to assist the natural motion of the body in martial arts. It automatically optimizes full-body muscle control and maximizes the coordination of limbs and torso.”

“Ahh, right—so that’s the lost art of martial discipline. Guess it makes sense. The world’s system’s clearly implemented something beyond what I originally designed.”

“Indeed. A true miracle, wouldn’t you say? A god’s work.”

“Alright, now that we’ve gotten this far, let’s try some martial arts skills this afternoon!”

Shiro was oddly fired up.

Lunch was quickly wrapped up with the leftover meat and vegetables from yesterday.

“Shiro, regarding martial arts skills—there’s motion capture data available. If we apply it, acquiring the skills might be easier,” Mitoka suggested.

“Ahh, that data. But can we actually use it to move our real bodies in the real world?”

"Yes. When I materialized through T.A.R., I acquired control over my physical form in this world, so I can convert motion data's bone information. I've already done the conversion. Shall we try it?"

"When did you pick up a skill like that? Seriously, Mitoka, you're cheating harder than me."

Shiro said, half-amazed.

"...No, I'm merely utilizing Shiro's skill, so this could be considered Shiro's ability," Mitoka modestly replied.

"...Alright, let's just call it that. If it works, I'll take anything. Either way, it's a relief."

"Yes!" Mitoka beamed, her voice bright with delight.

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