Episode 152: Control Over Magical Power

The impact was slightly more intense than I had anticipated.

"——Gahh!"

I doubled over, stepping back half a pace.

Yikes. It hurts more than I thought it would.

I've been shot before, so I'll admit I was a bit too casual about it.

"...Hey, you okay?"

The familiar voice of the "Gambler" came from right beside me, filled with disbelief.

"Ow... Might end up as a bruise."

"More like, dodge it."

I did consider dodging, but...

Instead, I deliberately take the attack head-on, showcasing the spirit of a wrestler who endures it all.

I figured that might be more likely to break the opponent.

"W-what...?"

Ryoma lets out a shocked cry, seeing me remain calm even after taking the bullet.

"R-Ryoma-kun, w-what are you gonna do?"

Hearing the anxious words of the girl with dyed hair, Ryoma suddenly snapped back to reality and readjusted his gun.

"...It's decided. I can't back down now!"

With practiced ease, Ryoma loaded a round into the chamber.

In that instant, I was faced with a choice—(probably the "Gambler" too)—a binary decision.

Live or die.

No matter which option I chose, the outcome felt unlikely to change.

Still...

Our choice is made.

There's no need to ask a gambling expert.

Do not kill—force them to submit.

Then, if so.

We stand facing directly against the people on the "first basement level."

If you're going to do it anyway, make them understand the gap in power. Grasp them by the neck like a dog and drain the will to resist.

Understood

That is certainly not a sadistic suggestion.

It was a purely pragmatic survival strategy.

We had to account for what came after capturing the "King."

"……This one!"

Ryo's index finger pressed the trigger.

Of course, the three girls lurking behind weren't idle either. Each summoned a《Fire Magic II》in the palm of their hand.

As for me, in the corner of my mind, I was pondering the moment people submit to others.

The answer was simple and clear.

That's exactly when you should exercise the power you've been given.

▼

Time rewinds a little.

It was when I asked Shunna-san about her "secret technique."

"Stop beating around the bush and just tell me already....What's the method to efficiently use that 'magic power'?"

"Isn't it obvious? Don't you have a clue, 'Gambling Master'?"

At that moment, the "Gambling Master" briefly grimaced.

I silently asked her with just my expression, "Huh? Really? Really?"

"You had that 'wizard' friend of yours before, didn't you?"

"...So it's really that one, huh?"

What? Who?

"——'Magic Control.'...No? Not right?"

"Zassurai to☆"

Hmm.

Come to think of it, Haruna did have that skill. I never really understood what it was for, so I completely overlooked it.

"So, specifically, what kind of ability is this skill supposed to be?"

"I don't know. But when Mai acquired that skill, she was acting really excited, muttering something strange."

"Strange?"

"'I've gained a step toward the divine realm.'"

"Divine realm?"

I thought I'd heard that phrase somewhere before, and then I suddenly remembered—I'd actually unlocked an achievement with that exact name.

That achievement must have been unlocked when I defeated the spirit user who had the "Madness" skill.

Anyway, I'll set aside any connection to that for now.

"But I didn't hear about its specific effects... We weren't exactly the kind of people who'd reveal our true intentions to each other, now were we?"

『You never know who might betray you, so it's smart to stay cautious, don't you think? ♪』

"...So what kind of skill is it, then?"

"What matters isn't the effect of 'Magic Control' itself— it's the information you gain when acquiring the skill. You two remember that, don't you?"

Ah.

"—The 'Swordsmanship (Beginner)' skill instantly grants the proficiency equivalent to about three years of training at an average Japanese kendo dojo.

That part, after 'average...'— that's the description of the skill."

"The person who became a 'magician' can gain very important information from the description of 'Mana Control'♪ — specifically, about controlling skills☆"

"Controlling skills...?"

"Yep♪ All of us players can control our own mana just by saying a certain word☆"

"Does that mean even without the 'Mana Control' skill?"

"Of course☆"

"... Seriously?"

As for lines that seem like typos, let's just overlook them.

"Come on, I don't have that kind of humor to casually lie in a situation like this♪"

"Mmm..."

We fall into silence, lost in thought for a while.

There was disbelief—something hard to accept at first.

Ever since we awakened as players, we'd bombard the voice echoing in our minds with countless questions whenever we had even a moment to spare.

"What is this power? Why me? What is the origin of this skill's strength?"

The answer is always just a blatant silence.

The few questions that did receive responses were

What is the next objective?

something like that.

Even that,

Free exploration is encouraged—level up by helping others or defeating enemies.

It was just a fixed answer that came back.

"...I thought the voice in my head would only respond during level-ups, when earning achievements, or when asking about quests."

『Then, why don't you both try saying, "I'll practice magical control," just for fun? Speaking it out loud or just thinking it in your head works just as well♪』

Um...

Then, I'll go ahead and practice magical control.

...Is that about right?

Well, what do you know.

Inside my mind,

――Performing magic control (control) for player "Wandering Warrior."

――Please note that there may be a slight delay when applying settings.

《Sword Skill (Advanced)》 ON

《Perfect Maintenance》 ON

《Fatal Sword I》 ON

《Fatal Sword II》 ON

《Fatal Sword III》 ON

《Fatal Sword IV》 ON

《Fatal Sword……

And suddenly, a list of all the skills acquired so far flows into view.

"What's this...?"

"……It's the on/off switch for acquired skills. If you say the skill's name followed by 'off' next time, that skill will become unusable, alright~"

"Huh. So what's the benefit of doing that?"

"Turning off a skill will boost your fundamental magic power, depending on the skill. In other words..."

"So, you're saying that even skills you've learned but rarely use—or ones you don't plan to use for a while—can actually come in handy during battle?"

"That's right. The more skills you turn off, the stronger your active skills become—think of it like a boost☆"

"This is... honestly, a bit of a 'secret trick'...!"

The Gambler murmurs, unusually excited.

No wonder, really.

Knowing this information versus not knowing it could make all the difference in the world.

Well, the essence of the "Magician" skill *Magic Control* lies in fiddling with deactivated skills to create new ones...

What's that, amazing.

Maybe mastering that could turn it into a pretty handy skill.

Then, hmm.

Yeah, I knew it.

I find myself thinking again how I once wanted to be a "magician."

Well, being a "warrior" isn't bad either, you know?

It's easygoing—just smash things without overthinking, and problems get solved quickly.

"From my experience, battles between 'players' usually come down to differences in magical power, not the number of skills♪ So make good use of the information you have now, okay?☆"