38. Skill Reflection 4
Shiro's skill check continues.
―― Life Magic
"This seems straightforward? Ignition, hairdryer, clean, light source—those are the typical ones, right? Water's already possible, so that's covered."
"Shiro, ignition and light source are fundamental magic spells of their respective elements. If you minimize mana usage, they're easy to cast."
Mitoka smiles and explains. But then she continues.
"However, first, the hairdryer combines wind magic with molecular motion regulation. So it's actually not as simple as it seems."
Mitoka says.
"Yeah... what if I generate wind with wind magic, then heat it with [Heating]? How would that work?"
Shiro says, testing it out.
After carefully adjusting the wind strength and heat level, he gets a good result. He decides to register it in the [Idea] tool as-is. Just [Hairdryer]. It didn't auto-convert into a skill, though.
"And finally, clean. The goal is simple, but the implementation is tricky."
Mitoka frowns.
Clean requires first recognizing what the dirt is. That’s the hard part.
"Wait—me, I’ve got a mid-tier spirit installed. I need detection, no, precise detection. And target tracking. Could I store it in inventory and break it down? Ideally, a spirit or AI that understands common sense could identify dirt... but can it?"
Shiro starts pondering.
"... " Mitoka falls silent.
"... Can Mitoka’s processing capacity be split into parts?"
Shiro cautiously checks Mitoka’s expression as he asks.
"... Shiro, yes, that method would actually work."
Mitoka lets out a soft sigh.
"Shiro, got it. Let's give it a try. Removing trash or grime—my processing capacity is more than enough for that, even at one ten-thousandth of my full strength!"
Mitoka sighed faintly, annoyed but complying with Shiro’s request.
They discussed the method while testing it on their bodies and clothes, adjusting and refining until finally achieving a result they were satisfied with. Shiro then saved the technique in Ideatool.
—— Barrier & Ward
"Shield-type abilities are actually pretty important."
Shiro muttered seriously.
"I already have Barrier Level 1. Maybe I should strengthen and expand it, then figure out how to multiply them?"
With that, Shiro activated 【Multiple Activation】, manifesting four circular shields, each about a meter in diameter.
"Whoa—controlling them individually is gonna take practice."
Indeed, moving each one separately was difficult. It was like drawing a square with your right hand and a triangle with your left—except here, it was as if four invisible hands were each drawing different shapes at once.
"Mitoka, could we set it up so the mid-tier spirits automatically adjust the shields for defense, like homing?" Shiro asked.
"Shiro, yes, that’s possible. Probably best if you control one directly, and let the rest be managed by the mid-tier spirits."
"Got it," Shiro replied, starting to practice using that method.
—— [Barrier Level 2 achieved]
—— [Multiple Barrier Level 1 acquired]
"So, for the ward—should I adapt the Ward Sphere I used during alchemy to expand it into a spherical or dome-shaped barrier around me, about four meters in radius?"
Shiro activated the ward.
"Huh? Not bad—actually works?"
"Shiro, the strength varies with the amount of magic power you channel. At willpower 170, that’s top-tier."
"Ahh, I see. Maintaining it’s tough, though."
High willpower means you need high focus. Maintaining a barrier by infusing it with magical energy is like sprinting at full speed while meditating—keeping that focus locked tight.
Shiro thought, this too would need training.
——‘[Defense Barrier] Level 1 acquired’
——『[Ward Sphere] has leveled up to Level 2』
— Flight-type, Teleportation-type
"Ugh, this requires divine magic—can't do it yet."
"Yeah, for now, aerial mobility's the most efficient route."
Shiro verified his movement by updating his positional data through立体機動. He could move within roughly a hundred meters of his visible range—adequate for combat use.
The downside is you can't update locations you don't know or are far away—direct positional data requires mental projection in three dimensions.
You can also use the shield as a platform to ascend into the air. Though, traveling long distances or reaching high altitudes is difficult that way.
"Shield platforms get scary when they're high up."
And Shiro felt it.
"Shiro, in case you fall, deploy a larger barrier in a net pattern from the ground up—you can catch yourself that way."
And then, Mitoka gave me an idea.
"Ah, the mana net, huh? Speaking of which, mana threads were always a man’s dream, weren’t they?"
Shiro’s focus drifted from Mitoka’s idea, channeling his energy instead toward the other direction.
——『[Mana Net] Level 1 acquired』
——『[Mana Thread] Level 1 acquired』
—— Various Resistances
"Right, last up is various resistances... Still, I guess it's just a matter of gradually acquiring them through eating different things, getting injured, and so on?"
"Yeah, Shiro. That’s about right. Luckily, you’ve got both 【Cure】 and 【Heal】, so gradually working through it should boost your resistance and healing magic levels at the same time. I’m here, so even if you go down, I can cast healing magic. And with your instant-death resistance, we’ll probably make it through somehow."
Mitoka offered an explanation that wasn’t quite reassuring.
"Ah… well, I’ll do my best."
Shiro said that, and steeled himself.
Over the next few days, Shiro tested himself against every poison he could identify, slowly building up resistance and leveling up his healing magic in the process.
＝＝Status Check＝＝
Skill: 【Magic】 Level 3, 【Magic Perception】 Level 3, 【Magic Manipulation】 Level 5, 【Hyper Memory】 Level 4, 【Concept Language】, 【Materialization】 Level 2, 【Scanning】 Level 1, 【Identification】 Level 2, 【Inventory】 Level 1, 【Invisibility】 Level MAX, 【Stealth】 Level MAX, 【Magic Control】 Level 1, 【Earth Magic】 Level 3, 【Water Magic】 Level 3, 【Ice Magic】 Level 3, 【Wind Magic】 Level 3, 【Fire Magic】 Level 3, 【Thunder Magic】 Level 3, 【Barrier】 Level 2, 【Intuition】 Level 1, 【Premonition】 Level 1, 【Three-Dimensional Mobility】 Level 1, 【Alchemy】 Level 1, 【Formation】 Level 1, 【Precise Magic Manipulation】 Level 1, 【Materialization】 Level 1, 【Heating】 Level 1, 【Qi Skill】 Level 1, 【Spirit Perception】 Level 1, 【Spirit Manipulation】 Level 1, 【Body Enhancement】 Level 1, 【Body Control】 Level 1, 【Martial Arts】 Level 1, 【Spirit Aura】 Level 1, 【Swordsmanship】 Level 1, 【Lance Technique】 Level 1, 【Staff Technique】 Level 1, 【Barrier Sphere】 Level 2, 【Psychokinesis】 Level 1, 【Spirit Defense】 Level 1, 【Focus】 Level 1, 【Meditation】 Level 1, 【Spirit Bullet】 Level 1, 【Precise Surface Materialization】 Level 1, 【Multiple Activation】 Level 1, 【Target】, 【Memory Enhancement】 Level 1, 【Photographic Memory】 Level 1, 【Light Magic】 Level 3, 【Lock On】, 【Pain Relief】 Level 1, 【Analysis】 Level 1, 【Diagnosis】 Level 1, 【Heal】 Level 2, 【Cure】 Level 2, 【Magic Aura】 Level 1, 【Stone Wall】 Level 1, 【Glass Wall】 Level 1, 【3D Map】 Level 1, 【Ignition】, 【Light Source】, 【Drier】, 【Clean】, 【Multiple Barrier】 Level 1, 【Defense Barrier】 Level 1, 【Magic Net】 Level 1, 【Magic Thread】 Level 1, 【Far Sight】 Level 1, 【Third Eye UI】 Level 1, 【Third-Person View】 Level 1, 【Presence Detection】 Level 1, 【Magic Detection】 Level 1, 【Danger Detection】 Level 1
If you found this interesting, please consider rating and bookmarking it—it really keeps me going!