CH. 10

Before you dive in, just a quick heads-up: the synopsis of this novel has been upgraded (yes, again), and there's a shiny new auxiliary chapter that explains the power levels in detail. Because, let's be honest, you're going to need it!

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"Time to move," he muttered to himself, slipping back into the shadows of the trees.

As he crossed the forest's edge, a large grassy plain opened before him. It was the perfect spot to test out the new scroll skill he had received from the system. "Let's see if this scroll is as good as I hope," Ain muttered.

He took the scroll from his inventory and quickly examined its details.

Skill Scroll: Fireball

Description: Allows the user to conjure a fireball. The fireball size and power are determined by the amount of MP injected.

Ain's eyes widened as he read the description. Most fireball scrolls in this world allowed someone to learn fireball skills at the size of basketball, especially for those with aligned attributes. But for someone like him, a unique attribute holder, the spell should've been weaker—limited to something the size of a tennis ball. Yet, here was this scroll, saying there were no limits. He could fuel it as long as he had MP.

"This… This is insane! No, is this because of this scroll from [Drop Module]? not the creation of Master-Level Magus?" Ain's grin spread across his face. "I could go full Madara with this. Multiple fireballs? No size cap? This is too good."

He took a deep breath and decided it was time to test it out. Ain channeled his MP into the skill, the scroll disappearing into a burst of light as the knowledge transferred directly to him. The air around his hands crackled with fire mana as the energy surged through his veins.

"Let's start small."

A tiny fireball, no bigger than a tennis ball, flickered to life in his hand. He aimed at a distant patch of grass and lobbed it gently. It zipped through the air before landing with a modest explosion, setting the grass ablaze in a small radius.

"Alright, not bad for a test shot," Ain mused. "But let's crank it up."

Ain focused, channeling more MP into the spell. The fireball grew to the size of a basketball, then a beach ball, then even larger. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it into the distance. The impact was immediate—the explosion sent a shockwave through the plains, and a sizable crater formed where the fireball had landed.

"Now we're talking!" Ain's laughter echoed through the empty plain. He could feel the scroll's true potential coursing through him. There was no end to how far he could take this skill. As long as his MP held up, he could keep conjuring fireballs indefinitely.

Suddenly, Ain stood still for a moment, feeling a sudden jolt of information surge through his mind. He recognized this sensation immediately—Losen Algorithm was activating, processing and analyzing the new skill he had just learned. The world around him seemed to slow as the algorithm worked its magic, breaking down the fireball scroll in great detail.

Within a second, the analysis was complete, and the information flashed in his mind like a system prompt:

[Losen Algorithm Complete: Fireball Skill Analyzed.]

[Recommendation: Enhancements Fire Element for Ammunition and Explosives.]

Ain blinked in surprise. "Huh? Ammunition enhancement?" His thoughts whirled as the algorithm's analysis continued to flood his mind, detailing exactly how the new fireball skill could be implemented—not just as a conjured fireball, but as a direct enhancement to his bullets, grenades, and rockets.

A grin spread across his face as he read the details:

[Losen Algorithm - Enhancement Findings:

Fire Element Application to Standard Ammunition

Cost: 1% of MP can create 100 fire-enhanced bullets, 20 grenades, or 5 RPG rockets

Enhanced projectiles carry fire elemental effects, making them effective against Third-Stage monsters and targets with high resistance to physical attacks

Fire-enhanced ammunition is particularly effective against armored enemies and creatures with natural immunity to low-caliber bullets]

Ain felt a surge of excitement. Third-stage monsters, which were equivalent to Elite Class warriors, had been a looming threat. Their natural resilience to normal bullets, especially those of lower caliber, made them incredibly difficult to deal with unless specialized weaponry was used. But now? He didn't need to worry about that anymore.

"Fire elemental bullets..." Ain muttered, a mischievous grin creeping across his face. "This could be game-changing. No more wasting time trying to break through their defense."

He glanced down at his hands, imagining the possibilities. One percent of his MP for a hundred enhanced bullets? That was an incredible deal. His mana pool was rarely touched, since most of his skills didn't rely on MP to function. The thought of mass-producing fire-enhanced ammunition at such a low cost was almost too good to be true.

"Well, no use in just standing here," Ain said, "Let's see what this can do."

He focused for a moment, channeling just a sliver of his MP into the bullets in his Arsenal. His system responded instantly:

[Enhancing Ammunition: Fire Element Applied]

[100 Bullets Enhanced]

In his hand, Ain looked at the magazine now contained bullets glowing faintly with an ominous red hue. He could feel the heat radiating from them. Fire-elemental energy pulsed within each bullet, ready to be unleashed upon impact.

The possibilities were endless. With these, he could now deal with monsters that shrugged off normal bullets. Third-stage monsters, in particular, wouldn't stand a chance against his newly enhanced arsenal.

Ain decided to inject 50% of his MP into his Arsenal, watching as his ammunition was quickly enhanced with fire elemental energy.

The sudden depletion of half his MP left Ain feeling a bit drained, a wave of discomfort washing over him. But before he could dwell on it, he noticed something odd. His strength rapidly returned, and as he checked his MP gauge, it was already back at 53%!

"This isn't normal," Ain muttered to himself. In this world, MP recovery was a slow process. Most people regained about 1% of their MP every three minutes—or faster if they downed an MP potion, cutting that time to just half a minute. But this? This speed was something else entirely.

Curious, Ain called on his reliable companion, the Losen Algorithm, for answers. And sure enough, the culprit was quickly identified: the Wisdom Cube.

In the world of Azur Lane, the Wisdom Cube was a mystery, even to the advanced Sirens. One of its many functions was to keep Shipgirls alive indefinitely, granting them an essentially unlimited lifespan—unless, of course, they were sunk in battle or chose to sink themselves.

But for Ain, the cube's ability to extend life was irrelevant. After all, thanks to his [Game Character Body] from the Player title, his lifespan was effectively infinite—he couldn't die unless his HP hit zero.

What did catch his attention, though, was how the Wisdom Cube had somehow linked itself to his MP. It was channeling energy, boosting his recovery rate far beyond the norm. Now, thanks to the Wisdom Cube, Ain could regenerate his MP at an incredible speed.

"Well, this just keeps getting better," Ain smirked, feeling his strength surging back faster than ever. "Looks like the Wisdom Cube just became my personal MP battery."

(End of Chapter)

(sorry for the short chapter this time)