part1 · 046-ep46
Episode 46: Body Strengthening
With his food left at the water, Ren sank down where he stood. The only thing in his head was the status he'd checked a moment ago.
Level 3. HP 108. MP 70.
And—
"MP... Magic."
The mysterious power flowing through his body, the one he'd felt so many times until now. He understood now — that was magic.
"If I could... use this freely."
Ren thought back to the fight with the Bloodwolf. That time, too, there had been a feeling like strength welling up from deep inside his body.
Maybe he had been using magic without realizing it.
"...Let's give it a try."
Ren closed his eyes. He turned his awareness inward.
Before long—
He sensed the faintest oddness deep in his chest.
"Is this it...?"
Ren chased after the feeling. The power deep inside his body. He tried to move it toward his arm.
"...Move."
And—
The magic moved.
"...!"
Only a tiny bit. Something flowed from around his chest toward his arm.
"I can move it..."
Ren pushed harder. Sent more magic flowing into his arm.
And—
"...gh!"
Suddenly, all the strength left his body.
"What...?"
A heavy fatigue washed over him. Ren hurriedly cut the flow of magic.
"...What just happened?"
Even sitting up was a little rough. Ren checked his status.
"Appraisal."
《Name: Kurose Ren》
《Age: 16》
《Race: Human》
《Level: 3》
《HP: 108/108》
《MP: 22/70》
《Skills》
《《Infinite Growth》》
《《Survival Adaptation》》
《《Appraisal Lv.3》》
"...22?"
His MP had dropped all at once.
"I used too much..."
He'd only meant to move a little. But apparently he'd been pouring out a huge amount of magic in one go.
"I can't... tell how much is too much."
Ren let out a long breath.
Magic was power. But wasted, it burdened the body.
The fatigue he felt now was proof of that.
"...Let me rest a bit."
◇
After resting a while, the heaviness in his body slowly drained away.
Ren decided to try again. This time, he wouldn't pour it out all at once like before.
"Just a little..."
He felt the magic deep in his chest. Moved just a tiny bit of it.
Into his arm. A little more. Into his fingertips.
"..."
No problem this time. A faint thread of magic was flowing through his arm.
"If it's like this..."
Ren moved more magic. Into his legs this time. Then his back.
Little by little, he fed magic into each part of his body. But partway through, the flow cut off.
"...This is hard."
He tried again and again. Flow a little, stop. Flow a little more. This time, a bit more than that.
That was how, little by little, he got a grip on the feeling.
◇
"Could I flow it through my whole body?"
Ren thought it over.
Just his arm. Just his legs.
That wouldn't be very useful in a fight.
In that case—
Circulate magic little by little through his entire body.
"...Slowly."
Chest. Shoulders. Arms. Stomach. Back.
Legs.
He brought his awareness to each in turn. The magic circulated through his body.
"...It's working."
His body felt a little lighter. Stronger, too.
He clenched his fist. More power than usual.
He took a step. His body moved just slightly faster.
"So this is... body strengthening."
But it was still unstable. Let his focus slip even a little and the magic wavered. Even so, he was handling it clearly better than before.
Ren repeated it over and over. Fail. Rest. Try again. Adjusting the amount of magic little by little.
And—
The magic circulated through his whole body, naturally.
《Magic manipulation experience has reached a certain threshold.》
《Skill 《Body Strengthening》 acquired.》
《《Body Strengthening Lv.1》》
"...!"
Ren's eyes went wide.
"A skill...?"
A new skill had been added. Ren immediately appraised himself.
"Appraisal."
《Name: Kurose Ren》
《Age: 16》
《Race: Human》
《Level: 3》
《HP: 108/108》
《MP: 52/70》
《Skills》
《《Infinite Growth》》
《《Survival Adaptation》》
《《Appraisal Lv.3》》
《《Body Strengthening Lv.1》》
"...There it is."
Then he tried body strengthening once more. Something was different now.
Where to send the magic. How much to send. The feeling was clearer than before.
"...Easy to use."
His body strengthened smoothly, naturally. No more of that magic rushing out all at once, like before.
He could send a small amount of magic exactly where it was needed.
"If it's like this... I can use it in a fight."
Ren clenched his fist. Though he still couldn't keep it up for long stretches.
His MP was limited. Waste it, and the fatigue would come back like before.
"Gotta... use my magic carefully."
Ren let the body strengthening go. There was still a lot he didn't know.
But one thing had become clear.
Magic wasn't something you just poured out. You adjusted the amount. You sent it where it was needed. And you practiced that, over and over.
Ren gazed at the skill he'd just gained.
"I'll get better at this."
With that murmur, Ren took up his spear again.
To test his new power—
he decided to return to exploring the third floor.