Chapter 3: Mana Circuits

[Edited]

*****

""A world without BETA/Oripathy...""

Kals'tit and Kouzuki Yuuko mumbled subconsciously. They would be lying if they weren't envious of the other two girls' worlds where everything is peaceful. They have to work full-time to prevent the downfall of their worlds.

The pressure that they're under is unimaginable, yet how they handle the said pressure is even more unfathomable.

"Ahem. So you're also from a parallel world?" Kuroneko asked.

"I think so. I haven't heard of "Mascara" nor seen it on the TV."

Takanashi Touka replied to the younger girl which made her remember her 'unique' little sister.

'It's like I've only been frustrated by her delusions yesterday.' Touka thought. She is the only person left in the world who would care for her. She always played along with her sister's delusions since she only wanted her to be happy.

Their fun times had ended abruptly—her little sister still couldn't cope with it. Inadvertently, she fell into her delusions that she would be able to see her father once more through her "powers".

Touka thought that it is simply impossible. However, this 'Chat Group' changed her previous perception of the world.

'It's now possible..?'

"So you're saying that you knew him from a game?" The calm-headed female professor asked.

"That's right. My friend told me something about the guide of a game being one of the strongest characters in a game." Kuroneko replied while recalling her horrid memories of the so-called 'gacha' mechanics in that game.

"If there's a Causality Conductor or someone that might possess abilities similar to it, then it is possible to create a game based on another parallel world..."

Kouzuki Yuuko went on full concentration unknowingly. She continued deducing some possibilities and couldn't wait to verify it at her office.

'Magic Circuits, Mysteries, Reality Marble...'

Shiro thought of the things that he had learned right now. These things surprised him a bit, especially the existence of Reality Marble. In his magic system, it is similar to a "Domain". Though Reality Marbles can be used as long you master your "Origin" while Domains could be used as long as one is in the Grand Magician Realm.

'My origin, what is it?'

To a person whose identity isn't even known by him, it is similar to a way in which he could know more about himself. Perhaps, he'll find something about him once they are discovered.

At the same time, Romani is marveling at a magic system that didn't involve the collective unconsciousness of people. There's no need to do various measures to protect the remaining Mysteries left after the Age of Gods had ended.

Furthermore, it is also full of potential, unlike their magecraft which depends on the number of Magic Circuits available. If they had low numbers of circuits, it's the same as having no potential as a magus.

Only the capable few had bypassed this common consensus, signifying how stringent it is.

'Can I regain my power through this?' He thought.

This doesn't matter if he was the "King Solomon" before, but now that he became a human, having enough power to fend off the final boss would be nice.

If he is to make a choice, it's better to have some power himself to have a higher chance of succeeding.

"Magic Circuits... Something that is like a soul, yet not at the same time." Shiro mumbled. "It can be flicked using a switch, forming a pathway between the body and soul. So that's how they enable 'magi' to use magecraft."

Shiro deduced the magecraft system further using that line as a basis. In the end, he concluded that magic circuits are something born from the soul and the body—a new organ, to speak.

Having finished that, he began looking for it throughout his body.

'Mental power… Nope.'

'Mana…'

Since he didn't find it with his mental sense, he decided to do something that might allow him to perceive it: running his mana in his body.

Mana is an energy stored in his soul. Meaning, it contains a trace of his soul power. With it, there's a chance that the circuits would 'resonate' together with mana, thus allowing Shiro to sense it properly and activate it.

However, he already has Aura running through his body. It and mana are different in nature, so he can get severely injured if he makes a single mistake.

Still, he's confident about his [Control].

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Are you planning to inject Mana into your body while having another energy inside it? You are more reckless than I thought."

As the former King of Magecraft, he knew that every unknown energy has a chance of causing a reaction with mana. Furthermore, implanting mana in the body alone will inevitably trigger its self-protection mechanism which will induce hallucinations.

It could even cause their mind to break down if not treated well.

"Not really, I'm just confident enough with my control." Shiro commented.

He spread his mental power yet again, but this time, he focused more on his body. He saw Aura flowing in it, which is very similar to blood circulation. Though, it had permeated not only his blood but every single cell of his.

Albeit, they only possess minute amounts.

'I have to do that.'

For this operation, he only needed to do one thing: stop this Aura circulation for a while. His body would still have injuries since there are still minute amounts of it present in his body, but he could prevent it from happening for a short time.

After a while, he felt that the circulation had stopped. Then, he only took a little less than ten seconds to locate the magic circuits.

They look like veiny lines that are present all over the body, but they do not 'exist' as of the moment.

'These are the inactive circuits? Hm, I'll deal with this first.'

Shiro sensed that he couldn't stop the circulation further, so he removed his restraints and let them flow once more. His mana had been withdrawn from his body, but the connection between him and the circuits remained as an effect of his max level [Control].

Romani, who watched this by his side, was surprised at how finely he controlled his mana. Furthermore, he's also surprised at the quality of it—they're only mana from the atmosphere, but he could vaguely see the power of True Ether in it.

It is strange, indeed.

'I should be able to activate it now.' He thought before he began using his control stat to fiddle with the circuits.

In no more than a minute, magic circuits started appearing all over his body. Though most of it was blocked by his luxurious white robe, light still shone on some places such as his hands, face, and feet. Once it appeared, he experienced the feeling of being cooked in an alchemy burner.

His Physique attribute that far surpassed normal humans made him able to handle this kind of pain. Still, it felt painful, as if it was something present somewhere beyond the body.

At the same time, Shiro felt his body absorb mana at a faster rate. Although, it is technically not his body but the new 'mana storage organ' that absorbed them.

'This mana capacity is already comparable to a Grand Magician!' He thought. From 10-30, it's within the range of Rune Magicians. For 31-80, it is comparable to a Circle Magician. Lastly, 81-150 mana attributes are the capacity of a Grand Magician.

For another world's system to break his own, he felt surprised.

[Magic Circuits successfully activated.]

[Circuit Count: 130]

[Quality: Abnormal (1 unit/circuit)]

[Mana: 31 (+130)]

"O-one hundred thirty?!"

Shiro was really surprised when he saw the additional 130 Mana attributes on his panel. Since the increase of his mana before is more of qualitative than quantitative (due to his rank), his entire mana capacity is still the same as a 4th Rank's. Though, he can use lower mana as its quality increases.

However, the Mana in the Magic Circuit functioned more like an additional mana capacity. It is something that he can turn on and off at will, so he could conceal it before surprising his enemies during crucial fights!

[(Chat Group) Hidden Quest Complete! Awaken the Mana Circuit during the first meeting Reward/s: 3 Random Thaumathurgy (Full Mastery)]

[Hidden Quest Complete. Activate your Mana Circuits upon coming in contact with it for the first 1 hour. Reward settlement...]

[+2 Magic Crests (100% Adaptability)]

Shiro got two unexpected rewards yet again.

"Congratulations, I guess?" The orange-haired doctor said.

Only now did he realize that his surroundings had been very silent.

"Thank you." Shiro paused for a moment before an idea came to his mind. "As a meeting gift, how about I activate the Magic Circuits of everyone here?"

""?!""

"Hey, no need to be surprised. You'll find this out later on through the store."

"The one that requires the use of points?"

Shiro looked at the feline woman and nodded.

"That's right. The basics of each system that corresponds to the members who have supernatural powers can be bought at the store for a negligible price."

What he meant here is the common sense of Kal'stit's, Romani's, Shinji's, and Shiro's power systems. They correspond to the following: Originum Arts, Magecraft, and Rune Magic/Aura Control.

Though, what Shiro exchanged with Romani and vice versa is the knowledge that isn't in that pack. They haven't bought this stuff yet, but the two of them were confident that it was worth their price.

He thought that they'll be quite hesitant to do it as the activation looked quite scary earlier, but he underestimated these people.

"I'll go first."

"Doctor Kal'tsit?"

He was a bit surprised when she volunteered to be the first, but he didn't pay attention much. It's just that he couldn't read her expression due to her 'paralyzed' face.

He asked him to sit comfortably on the couch before he started the operation.

Now that he has his circuits opened, there's no need for the troublesome mana sweep from before. Instead, he would connect his circuit to theirs to achieve the same 'resonance' effect from before.

Hum-!

It only took half a minute before he succeeded. Green lines started appearing all over her body, signifying that her inactive Mana Circuits were awakened.

"It's over."

Her cat ears trembled after she finished awakening it. Surprisingly, her Mana Circuits were deactivated the moment it trembled.

"What a weird way of deactivating it..." Romani said. "But it's nice."

Romani saw many ways that people could activate and deactivate their Mana Circuit, but so far, this is the first time he saw someone deactivate it using her cat ears.

His repository of otaku knowledge learned something new once more!

Hearing this, a blush appeared on her expressionless face. She ran away swiftly to hide it.

"Ahem. Who's next?"

"It is this monarch's turn!"

Hum-!

Now, it only took 20 seconds before Shiro activated her circuits. Her reddened skin slowly went back to normal while her hazy pupils regained their focus.

Her circuits have excellent quality, though it is a tad bit lower than Kal'tsit's.

Shiro watched her deactivate her Magic Circuits and asked, "How is it?"

"Thank you, Supreme Magus-san!"

Surprisingly, she seemingly forgot her usual way of speaking, her face blushing a bit due to the sheer excitement that she was feeling right now.

"Just call me Shiro."

"Then, thank you, Shiro-san!" She said with a bright tone.

She ran off the corner to play with her newly-found powers. Next is Yuuko Sensei's turn.

"Mana? Is it similar to dark matter?" She asked curiously.

"Dark matter?"

Seeing that Shiro is unfamiliar with the term, she explained it to him.

"In simpler terms, it is an invisible matter that takes up the majority of the universe."

Hearing this, Shiro replied, "If it's like that, then yes, mana is similar to dark matter."

"Interesting..."

After a while, Kouzoki Yuuko activated her magic circuits as well. Just like the others, she didn't pay attention to her high body temperature. She focused on sensing her 25 magic circuits—they are less than the other two, but the quality far exceeded their circuits.

This made her mana comparable to Kal'tsit and Kuroneko.

Soon, it became Takanashi Touka's turn.

"Uhm... Will I be able to use magecraft after this?" She asked with a slightly excited tone.

After all, she could tolerate Rikka being chuunibyou as she had gone through that phase herself before. This moment is simply fulfilling one of her childish fantasies from the past.

That, and the possibility that they might be able to see their father once more made her more enthusiastic about this.

"Yes, you will. Even if you don't have any Magic Circuits, you could still practice my Rune Magic instead."

"I understand."

After going through the same process as Kals'tit and Kuroneko, green lines appeared on her body. As she awakened her circuits, she instinctively knew how to deactivate them immediately.

Her mouth twitched as she received this information. She didn't know if it was the effect of dealing with Rikka daily, but her activation words are simply embarrassing…

"Synapse Break!"

She shouted out some incomprehensible words before her magic circuits got deactivated. Embarrassment could be seen on her face, but her red face due to the high temperature hid it.

"Thank you, Shiro-san."

"No problem. You saw the "Quest Complete!" on your side, right?"

"Yes. The rewards are three random spells?"

"That's it. You can open it now or later. Though, I have to say that you possess a huge potential as a mage."

"That's right, that's right!" Romani commented. He further added, "EX Rank Mana Circuits is enough to label you as a genius!"

Rin Tohsaka, Zelretch's disciple, has 40 Magic Circuits. She can carry a total of 1,000 mana units through it. This talent is enough for someone who's a Magician (True Magic Holder) to acknowledge her.

As for Takanashi Touka, she might be able to hold more than 1,500 mana units based on their conservative estimate.

"What about you, Shinji-kun?"

Shiro didn't feel any magic circuits from him, so he thought that he was still an unawakened one.

"N-no. I'm fine."

Seeing this, he sent out a mental transmission to him.

"Really? Or there's nothing in your body?"

Hearing this, Shinji's eyes widened. He was ashamed, but then he found out that only he could hear Shiro's voice.

"How did you know?" He asked. Shiro learned a lot of things from Romani earlier, including some facts that are considered not well-known in his world.

"You didn't have any mana in your body and you refused my help."

"That's it..."

He looked down after being reminded of the cruel truth. Shinji Matou is originally a child who lacked parental affection, so he always strived to be the best in all fields. In his Elementary School, he's the number one student.

Only, he was devastated as he discovered that he didn't have any Magic Circuits in his body.

'I could do better even with a broken one, so why wasn't I given that chance?!' He thought so before.

He believed that with his hard work, he could still achieve something that could make both his grandfather and father proud of him. His existence is just like that, one born out of the other's validation.

"Ahem. It's not impossible for you to learn magic."

"Really?"

"Did you forget? My system is different from your world. This means, you still have a chance by taking another path."

Controlling his mental power, he decided to directly stuff some basic knowledge of being a Rune Magician and an Aura Knight to him as the kid looked pitiful.

Shinji experienced a severe headache, but he didn't let out a grunt as he was too shocked on opening another possibility for him.

"Thank you, Shiro-nee." He sincerely said in their mental link. He thought that he was a girl given his voice, hence this happened.

Shiro's eyelid twitched as he heard it.

"I'm a man, so call me aniki instead."

"Eh?! Shiro-aniki..?"

The group members stayed for another hour before returning to their respective worlds. Just as they were about to leave, Romani suddenly asked Shiro:

"Can you show your face to us if you're comfortable with it? I just became curious about something."

"..."

He thought for a while and realized that they'll be more often, thus it wouldn't matter much if they saw his true appearance.

Slowly, he lowered the oversized black robe as well as the luxurious white robe. There, they saw the power of max-level charm.

""…""

Everyone went silent due to varying emotions, but surprise is the most prevalent one.

"You remind me of someone..." Romani said, thinking of the other Grand Caster candidate in that flower field.

"I'm a man, remember it!" Shiro took the initiative to declare it before they left the lounge.

They were engulfed by the white light before they returned to their respective worlds.