Ch. 5: The Blast

As I headed for the cave, I checked my MP again. Surprisingly, it was already over 60, despite the fact that it had definitely not been an hour since I finished exhausting it all. [Examine]

[MP Regeneration] Level 2

My [Information Processing] was far higher than it had been when I just started figuring out how it worked, close to level five, probably, and as such, I could pick out entire portions of my status at will, rather than just single words.

My [Examine] was also higher, so I could [Examine] portions of my status, instead of just things that I could see.

Regenerates 2% Mana Per Minute.

So when I leveled it up to 10, I'd get 10% of my mana per minute, then? That would end up being 12 mana per minute. Not much. Guess I'll have to increase my MP Capacity. Isn't that a skill? [Examine]

Enhances MP Capacity by 20%.

Yup, it helps with my regeneration, but it doesn't have its own level system, so it'll always scale with my level. I've gotta level up eventually, then.

Okay, at least I have a clear goal beyond getting out of this stupid country. Right now, I regenerated 2.4 MP per minute, so I'd have to make every point count. I stole my way through the woods and I found the cave fairly easily.

It was pretty small, but perfect for a temporary hideout, even if there wasn't anywhere within to hide. As soon as I got into the cave, I looked around it.

I didn't know anything about the monsters in this world, but I wasn't about to risk sleeping in an unknown area without scoping the place out first. In fact…

[Confirmed. Unique Skill Invoked.] [Basic Skill: Area Perception will be created for 60 MP.]

[Area Perception] wasn't exactly a magic skill, as much as a detection skill, but it still apparently had to do with magic, since it cost so much.

At level 1, it only detected things a few feet in diameter from me, but it was enough that I'd be able to react with [Impulse] if something were to attack me in my sleep. I needed to train it as quickly as possible, but for now, level 1 was better than nothing, and I was tired.

[Area Perception] was what woke me up. Apparently, it was sensitive to sudden changes in magic, because that's what I felt when I woke. I immediately used [Examine] to check my MP. It was full, so I'd been sleeping for around an hour at least, maybe less, maybe more, I wasn't sure.

I immediately took stock of my situation. It was like all the magic in my perception range had simply fled. I didn't like that. I looked outside and was shocked by what I saw.

The entire forest was covered in a huge magic circle, kind of like my summoning circle, except this one was clearly an aggressive one. It was an attack, and I couldn't get out of range.

What happened next, I would remember in fragments. I slowly backed into the cave, keeping an eye on the magic as it grew, grew, and finally burst. I reacted on [Impulse] after that.

[Earth Magic Created 60 MP]; [Blast Resistance Created 10 MP]; [Heat Resistance Created 10 MP].

I created skill after skill, blowing through two thirds of my MP in an instant, making me want to vomit, but I didn't because I didn't have the chance…

"Wall!" As soon as [Earth Magic] became my skill, I bet the last of my MP on it, too frantic to even be able to thank my [Impulse] for helping me figure out how to use [Earth Magic] in the moment.

Luckily, the cave entrance was pretty small, so I was able to use the stone surrounding it to cover it from the blast with the 40 MP I had, though the blockage wasn't nearly as thick as I wanted it to be. It stopped most of the blast from the spell, but I was still tossed ten feet back like a rag doll, knocked unconscious by the rocks.

"ARGGHH!!" When I woke up, the first thing I did was scream. My arm was bent the wrong way, and I was in a puddle of blood and vomit. In my desperation:

[Confirmed. Unique Skill Invoked.] [Basic Skill: Self-Regeneration will be created for 60 MP.]

[Confirmed. Unique Skill Invoked.] [Basic Skill: Healing Magic will be created for 50 MP.]

I made two skills at once, not caring how much MP I blew through. I used my last ten MP on my [Healing Magic], using the way [Earth Magic] worked as a guide to figure it out, I didn't figure it'd do much, and I wasn't disappointed, but…

"AAAHHHHHHH!!!!" It felt like hot lava was flowing inside my very bones, and the MP sickness was worse than it'd ever been. I vomited again as I fell unconscious for a second time, screaming in pain.

The second time I woke, I was in a lot less pain. I hadn't completely healed, and my arm was definitely still broken, but I didn't scream in pain this time, so I considered it a win. Getting [Self-Regeneration] was a pretty good investment, it looked like.

"[E-Examine]." I said it out loud this time, partially to hear my own voice and partially because the air was so thin that my thoughts were starting to resist my [Focus] skill.

MP 120 out of 120.

My MP was maxed, but I was still trapped. I wanted to heal myself, but I needed to dig myself out more than anything else. It seemed that the blast had knocked part of the cliff above me loose, and I was running out of air pretty fast. Needed to do something about that.

[Confirmed. Unique Skill Invoked.] [Basic Skill: Breath Regulation will be created for 10 MP].

Luckily, it was incredibly cheap. Makes sense. I stumbled towards the mound of dirt, hoping that my [Area Perception] would be able to give me the dimensions of it. Unfortunately, all I got was that there was at least two feet of rocks and dirt from the rockslide.

Let's start digging. In a word, it was awful work. I was able to use my magic to scoop out a hole a little bit at a time and harden the exterior of the hole as I made it, but it took all my focus, and more importantly, all my MP.

I couldn't let myself get distracted by my pain, and I couldn't funnel any of my MP into my [Self-Regeneration]. It became a sort of meditative thing, where I completely disengaged with reality as I simultaneously blocked out my pain, regulated my breathing, and drilled a hole.

Finally, my main worry was solved as I broke through the other side of the blockage, allowing clean air to flow into my little cave.

Now that I'm not going to die right away… I channeled the rest of my MP into my [Healing Magic].

"Oww!" So the feeling of lava flowing through your body was always going to happen when you used [Healing Magic]? I almost lost my control on it, it hurt so much. Not as much as it did before, though, so I guess I was actually healing.

Eventually, the feeling dissipated, the healing no longer working on the scale that it had been. Once it was totally gone, I stood up. No pain in my chest. No pain in my arm. The healing worked, but the pain of healing had taken everything out of me. I decided to let myself pass out one last time, but not before checking my status.

[Examine]. [Examine]. [Examine]. [Examine].

Grant Carr

Human

Level 1

Unique Skill - Skill Creation (2 / 5)

Extra Skill - Impulse (6)

Evasive Arts (5)

Conceal (4)

Stealth (4)

Self-Regeneration (2)

Breath Regulation (2)

Examine (3)

Information Processing (5)

Arithmetic (4)

Language Comprehension

Focus (6)

Area Perception (2)

MP Regeneration (2)

Obfuscate Presence (2)

MP Capacity

Modify Weight (1)

Earth Magic (3)

Healing Magic (2)

Resistance - Blast (2)

Resistance - Heat (2)

Resistance - Pain (2)

Incredible skill growth in just a single day. Yay me. My Skill Creation even went up a level.

Didn't remember making [Pain Resistance], though, but me having it wasn't too surprising. The reason that I didn't die from that magic was almost certainly due to [Blast Resistance] and [Heat Resistance], but it had caused me a crazy amount of pain, so getting a resistance to it was probably to be expected.

I should go for [Sleep Resistance]… Eventually.

[Confirmed. Unique Skill Invoked.] [Basic Skill: Sleep Resistance will be created for 20 MP].

Cool… Sleep anyways now. I passed out where I stood.

"So he's dead? I still want the trackers to make sure."

"Of course, my lady. But the grand magic remnants may make whatever may remain of him rather hard to find, even for those with tracking skills."

"Make Sure He's Dead."

"Understood."

"He had four hours in that garden to create whatever skills he wanted, and who knows how many skills he created after he fled the castle. We have no idea how powerful he became before that grand magic."

"You think he could have survived?"

"Make. Sure. He's. Dead."