Chapter 7: Story A Turning Point

Every day, I spend my time relaxing at the counter of the shop.

Before I knew it, I repeated this 365 times... In simple terms, a year has passed.

Even after a year, there are still few customers, but I've been able to spend time on various things.

First, I'll organize what I've been doing so far to plan my training schedule for the future, now that one year has passed.

During this past year, I practiced meditation and hand seals during free time at the shop, and practiced martial arts and confirmed my abilities at home. Continuing for a year brings about some results.

First, I became able to form hand seals accurately, and I memorized the order of hand seals for several techniques.

...Neither of which matters much since I can't use chakra.

Well, I've come to feel like there's something chakra-like in my body. I think it's thanks to meditation for an hour or more every day, but being able to feel it and being able to use it are not the same.

Now, it's become a daily routine to try to move that chakra during meditation time.

I think this is fine as it is.

Regarding martial arts, I can only maintain the current state for the time being.

Basic training such as muscle training and practicing throwing techniques with a gi wrapped around a tree branch will continue as usual.

As for striking, I initially practiced karate kata, but I only know the ones I did in elementary school, and it would be difficult to correct them if I developed any bad habits, so I decided to practice cautiously using martial arts from the academy's textbook.

It would be tough to learn more advanced martial arts without apprenticing to someone.

But I can still choose to maintain the current state for these two things, but the problem is...

"Understanding my abilities, huh?"

I think I've done almost everything I can about this.

I tried summoning four sheep tokens with "Scapegoat" and destroyed those tokens using the effect of a card called "Token Harvest Festival" (LP recovery did not occur... I don't know how LP is being handled, but I think LP 8000 is my best condition, and I won't recover more than that). I equipped "Demon's Axe."

After trying everything I could think of, what remains are burn cards, field cards, and cards that affect more than two monsters.

By the way, when I used the limited card "Scapegoat," I was a little worried if there would be any drawbacks, but there wasn't anything particularly noticeable... There's a possibility that something happened that I didn't understand.

To digress a bit, I've been conducting these experiments in the backyard so far, so cards with potentially wide-ranging effects that remain are obviously impossible to activate in the backyard.

So, while twirling the paper knife in my hand, I'm thinking of countermeasures.

"The quickest way is to borrow a large space, but I'll definitely be asked what I'm going to use it for... So, this is out. It's also possible to do it in the forest, but the forest is also a training ground for ninjas, so the possibility of interference is not low. In that case... Isn't it best to just do it in the backyard as before? ...But how?"

Doing it normally is impossible.

The most plausible way is with the card's effect, but the effect I need this time is to create a space where I can act without affecting the surroundings.

...Speaking of which, what happens to the banished zone? I thought of it and prepared a card to hang on the shop door and went to the backyard once, placing the paper knife I was holding on the ground.

"The one that seems usable is... 'Dimensional Isolation Machine.' It targets one monster on my field and one monster on the opponent's field, so I'll banish the paper knife on my field and the ladybug there."

The moment I selected the target, a machine about two meters tall appeared in front of me.

I was a little worried if the paper knife would be treated as a monster, but if even inanimate objects and tokens are allowed, then it should be okay.

The ladybug and the paper knife were removed from sight by the light of the dimensional isolation machine, disappearing silently.

"OK so far... The problem is the return. Activate 'Magic Removal!'"

The machine in front of me began to dissolve into the air as if melting.

Then, the ladybug and the knife that had been banished to the banished zone fell to the ground.

The ladybug returned and immediately flew off somewhere, and the knife lay on the ground, seemingly intact.

"No problem it seems. With this, the safety of the banished zone is confirmed, but if abilities cannot be used in the banished zone, it's meaningless, and I don't know if the dimensional isolation machine can be destroyed from the banished zone... If I do it, it's quite a gamble."

There's also the possibility of being isolated in another dimension forever... That's too scary. Well, even if the worst happens, I think I can return with the effect of "Dimensional Distortion."

But it's scary... So, just to be sure, I'll try going to the banished zone in another way!

For peace of mind, I return to my room and activate a card that allows me to go to the banished zone for a certain period of time.

"'Sealed Golden Ark' activated. Target is myself!"

Thanks to the paper I had when I came here, I know that one turn is about five minutes.

Therefore, if it's ten minutes later, I should be able to return to this place.

Feeling a slight unease but no pain, I am sucked into the golden ark in front of me.

I don't feel any pain, but I feel uneasy.

As my vision blurred and felt uncomfortable, I closed my eyes for a while, and suddenly the sound disappeared from around me.

Realizing that the transfer to the banished zone was over, I slowly opened my eyes.

What spread out before me was white.

It was just a wide space, so wide that I couldn't even see the horizon.

It was completely different from what I had imagined, and for a moment, my thoughts froze, but I quickly came back to myself and decided to experiment whether I could use my abilities in the banished zone as originally intended.

"It doesn't matter what, but... Let's try this!

Activate the Field Magic! 'Grassland'"

As soon as I said that, grassland spread out from under my feet.

However, the grassland stopped spreading once it reached a certain range.

It seems that a 100-meter square is the effective range of the field magic.

"It was definitely the right decision not to use it in the backyard... I don't know what would have happened if there were obstacles around, but it would have been absolutely dangerous.

In any case, it's good that I confirmed that abilities can be used in the banished zone.

Now, it should be safe to use the dimensional isolation machine."

For now, it

 would be a waste to do nothing, so I decided to try out magic and traps that I hadn't been able to try until now!

And so, for a while, I forgot the word "restraint" somewhere and confirmed the effects of various cards.

Burn cards refer to magic and traps that directly damage players.