Chương 38: Chapter 21.1 - Winding Down [1]
I stare blankly at the crater where the cozy little house I awoke in used to be at. Smoke is still slowly wafting up into the air, a sign of a recent attack on the small construct.
Thankfully, I was smart enough to create an [Empty ID] over the entire place, so the damage I do here won't be carried over to the real world, but still…
I mean, damage of this scale isn't all that weird. I could just cast a [Prana Missile] and create that crater.
But the thing I fired wasn't a missile.
That was a normal [Prana Bullet], one that wasn't even spinning.
To all that, I can only sigh. All my recent exploits gave me a bunch of bonuses, and my Intelligence stat did jump to a staggering 901, but still, this is insane!
Not only that, my other stats went through the same jump as well, and now I have to restrain myself to not suddenly speed off into the horizon or accidentally create gusts of wind when I get too excited.
Hah...The woes of the strong…
So, while Gilgamesh is away, I'm doing my best to gain a semblance of control back, and...it's not as hard as one might expect.
Especially with this skill!
[Mental Partition Lv 1 - 12%]
A combined skill formed from [Memory Partition] and [Thought Acceleration], two skills used by the superior alchemists of Atlas. By breaking the brain's limitations, the mental strength of your brain is unleashed. Where you once had a mere 1 thought, you can now hold multiple. Where once your thought works at normal, it can go even faster.
It's up to you to see how far you can improve.
-Due to the strange mechanics behind this skill, Exp gain is reduced to 30%. The way to maximize Exp gain remains unknown-
You can now have 2 thoughts at once
Your thinking and reaction speed is increased by 10%
I actually found these two from the 10 skill books I got from that bundle I opened several chapters ago, then fused them in the [Compendium] when the option came up. The 30% Exp gain is annoying, the 10% increase to thought and reaction speed is nice, but that thing about having 2 thoughts at the same time?
Oh, boi! Double speed, double reactions, double calculations, double everything.
Lord have mercy.
But, no, it isn't as easy as I make it out to be. Getting used to having two separate thoughts in my head was very jarring, and it took me some time before I managed to fully adapt myself to basically having two inner voices speaking at the same time.
After that however?
Full speed ahead boys!
The way I'm doing this is simple. One side of my body will be dedicated to one task, while the other side will be doing something else. One side's getting adapted to [Reinforcement] while the other is trying to retrace the skill I had with [Alteration]. One's firing Prana Bullets like a machine gun and the other's destroying the landmass by lobbing grenades every second or so.
You know, normal stuff.
Since I started, it's been about 3 hours, and I've managed to regain most of the control I had. Of course, things like [Hearth of Daedron] and [First Form: Thunderclap and Flash] are still a bit unreliable since they're fairly new skills in the first place.
Overall, a good three hours spent destroying the world.
Curiously, I look all around me, seeing the giant craters all left smoking and the massive missing chunk of the sea that used to surround the island.
Yep, definitely destroyed.
But, now, this brings me to the startling realization of something I must do, something I've avoided for so long and done everything to push it away from ever coming into the forefront of my mind.
[Weaving], or as I previously called it, [Cloth Making].
It's something simple, but something essential. If I had this skill, I could've made many different things that could boost Shirou and my stats, giving us an easier time in the war. But, well, the war's over now, and all I can do is regret over what could've been.
Not only that though, the thought of sewing always makes my chine freeze, making a chill creep up my body as I remember...uh…
Something. Something definitely happened in my past, but I can't remember. Something traumatic that caused me to dislike needles and sewing, but the memory is hazy, shattered into countless pieces.
I just can't remember.
It's a weird feeling, and I can't help but frown. I don't remember why I hate sewing, but I just know, like some sort of ingrained instinct buried deep within my psyche.
Oh well.
Anyways, let's begin, shall we?
Exiting the [Empty ID], the world returns back to normal, all the damage I dealt to the environment fading. As I sit down on the beach chair I made a day ago, I buy a nice couple kilograms worth of string. Bringing a portion of the string out, I create a small sewing needle from my prana,
And stopped.
I just had a thought, 'Why should I do this when I have magic?'. I think about it for a moment, before I decide to try. There's nothing wrong with trying new things, right?
So instead of sewing the string with a needle, I instead let my magical energy flow into the string, coating all over the strands and making it glow a gentle greenish blue. Then, I begin to manipulate the strings, moving it to slowly sew itself into a different item. The process is surprisingly easy actually, almost feeling like I'm moving an arm or something, and me having two thoughts working at once sure helps as well!
And then!
[Due to certain actions, you have gained the skill [Magical Weaving]!]
There it is! It's not just normal [Weaving] either, it's magical! Which means I don't need to physically move my body, which means I don't need to interact with the needles, which means that I can be even more lazy!
Yay for productivity!
Now, then.
Time to power level the shit out of this skill.
~~~
[Magical Weaving Lv 32 - 22%]
A simple act of interlacing strings of any kinds to create new things, used to create clothes, cloths, and many more essential things humanity has relied on in their time on this earth. Now, you've learned the same, except you know magic, and with your skills you've integrated this essential skill with magical efficiency.
Maximum Rank of materials capable of being used: C
Usage requires MP. MP cost depends on time and material quality and quantity.
Yep. Loving that 200% Exp bonus from [Age of Babylon]!
It hasn't even been that long! Just five hours of pure mental focus and not doing anything else, and I've gotten it up to this level!
But then as soon as I went up to level 30, I seem to have hit a giant spike in Exp requirement, and now getting even a level takes around 40 minutes, with each level increase getting progressively more expensive. It's a similar situation to my [Blacksmithing] skill, so it wasn't completely unexpected, but still, this sucks.
Now that I can use Rank C materials however,
[Tattered Purple Pelt]
-Material-
Rank C-
A magical purple pelt, torn in several places. You sense great magic from it, and the fur glistens with ominous purple light. It seems to be cursed as well, harboring malicious energies, but they are no harm to you.
Note: Dropped by [Atalanta]
I can use this!
For those that remember, I got this when I killed [Atalanta] back in that weird prison I got sent into in the first several chapters, and I've let it sit in the back burner for a while now.
No more! It's time to use it!
...But what am I going to make from it? A shirt seems a bit underwhelming, making some sort of armor or shield from it just doesn't feel right, and turning it into a weapon won't do any good since I already have one.
Hmm...I need an idea…
Suddenly, an inspiration strikes, and I can't help but grin in excited anticipation.
Because if this works, and it's a big 'if', then this will be really cool!
Taking a deep breath, I stop my aimless wandering and sit back on the chair right next to the [Loom of the Stars], the pelt already placed next to it to be used. Then, I reach into my inventory and pull out a handful of particular glowing rocks, each a bright blue with a visible white core.
[Spirit Stones]
-Materials-
Rank D+
A strange glowing stone. Within it resides what seems to be a spirit, one not quite mature enough to coherently think but not too young to not have sentience. It seems to enjoy sitting in the warmth of your hand.
Note: Gotten from [Obelisk]
While I was in [Yuriele] browsing through the [Obelisk], I found these weird stones and I just had to buy them. They sound interesting on their own, but with my mystic eyes, I can somewhat see what potential these stones hold, and just thinking about it makes my inner crafting maniac chuckle in anticipation.
Placing the Spirit Stones together with the purple pelt, I close my eyes and let my magic flow across the laid materials. My magic flows through them, anchoring them to my prana, and with my preparations ready,
I open my eyes, and my mystic eyes flare to life.
Magic fills the entire ID as I begin twisting and molding the materials. The [Tattered Purple Pelt] begins to spread, unwinding into many separate threads of magical fur, while the spirit stones are crushed into a near powder-like state and melded into the threads. It's going all according to plan.
Until it isn't.
The curses in the threads of fur begin to fight against the spirit-filled powders I'm trying to infuse them with, each side vying for dominance over the other. With my mystic eyes, it almost looks like a shouting contest between the two, with each side becoming louder and louder to try and overtake the other.
I'm not really affected by it though. I've gone through far worse by this point, so the two fighting looks like a pair of children quarreling.
But this needs to stop. Though my MP pool is large, and my mental stamina has taken a recent leap, they're still finite and I don't want to spend any more time and energy dealing with this. So, with the latent energy of [Morningstar] flowing through my circuits, I flush out both clashing energies, forcing them to collide.
Slowly, the two opposing materials begin to combine. The crushed Spirit Stones seep into the magical threads of fur, and the deep purple color the threads have shift to a much brighter shade, decorated with occasional streaks of blue and green. The threads remain cursed, since that's where the pelt's power comes from, but it's cleaner now, more refined.
[Enchanted Threads of Magicka]
-Materials-
Rank C++
Magical threads created by fusing an unwound [Tattered Purple Pelt] and a handful of crushed [Spirit Stones]. The curse from the pelt remains, but it has been refined and strengthened, no longer simply lashing out at all it touches. Divine energy flows through it as well, and it glows with a soft radiance reminiscent of the ages of old.
Note: Created by [Tsunaka Hanami]
With the materials made, I weave them back together, recreating them into the form I had envisioned in the beginning of this entire process.
Finally, after some more weaving and magic imbuing, the creation process ends, and I hold up my new creation with a smile.
[Aglius: Scarf of Calydon]
Rank B
A fanciful and beautiful scarf, made from refining the pelt of the [Beast of Calydon]. It glows with magic, lighting up in strange mystifying patterns. Though the history [Atalanta] imparted onto this pelt has been lost through the process of creation, the curses and powers held by the pelt remains, and they have been refined and strengthened, changed into something beyond what it had been.
Note: Created by [Tsunaka Hanami]
Take 5% reduced damage when worn
When worn, all attacks are passively imbued by the pelt's curse, increasing their damage by 15% and inflicting the [Minorly Cursed] debuff, reducing their stats by 5%
?
?
+50 Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, and Intelligence when worn
Durability: 100%
Yeah, that's some nice equipment right there! The known effects are nice already, and there's two more unknown effects that I haven't found just yet, so there's still more to unpack in the future.
But! For now, it's time to return to the real world. I can distantly feel several familiar presences returning to the island, and I doubt me suddenly disappearing will be good on their conscience.
~~~
"Ho? What an interesting scarf."
"You think so too?" Hanami asks as sits atop the comfortable bed, rocking her feet back and forth and idly playing with the purple scarf she now has around her neck. "Do they look good?"
Gilgamesh gives a small nod, and Hanami smiles, all the while the rest of the group stares at the girl.
At the forefront, Saber can only sigh, not even bothering to question where Hanami had managed to gain another Noble Phantasm in such a short span of time. Trying to find out how the girl does things is like trying to ask Merlin to stop flirting and actually help her without pranking her. It's simply impossible.
'On that note…'
Saber takes a glance at her master, standing by her side and looking at Hanami with a small smile. Shirou had been worrying for the girl's health throughout the entire week, though it didn't distract him from helping take Illya back from the Einzberns.
Several days ago, she'd come up to him and asked (demanded) to know what his connection to Merlin is. After all, using his staff, his magic, and being able to deploy the [Gardens of Avalon]? It'd be impossible for him to not be related.
After some hesitation, he finally answered, explaining how [Avalon] was implanted into him by Kiritsugu to save him when Angra Mainyu's mud threatened to consume him, and how he'd somehow begun entering the gardens to meet with the magus of flowers.
There were obviously some things he left out, most likely because he didn't understand himself, so she left it at that.
But knowing that it was Kiritsugu who implanted [Avalon] into him left her feeling strange. She doesn't...hate the man, per se, but she doesn't like him either. Their relationship is cold, and the ideals they held far differed too greatly for them to ever see eye-to-eye.
Oh well.
"Are you sure you're healthy, Tsunaka-san?" Saber asks, and the girl turns to her, tilting her head curiously. 'What do you mean?' Her eyes seem to say, and Saber purses her lips. "Did you not destroy Angra Mainyu from the inside out? Would that not have any lasting impact on yourself?"
"Ah…" She blinks, her eyes becoming slightly duller for a moment before she smiles. "I'm fine. Well-, not completely. Never will be. My mind and soul got a bit roughed up in the process." She says with a light shrug. "But I'm alive, and that's all that matters!"
But she isn't so easily convinced, nor are the others. "That doesn't ease our worries." Saber says again.
Hanami looks to her, smiling faintly. "It shouldn't. Things like this will never heal, and it'll be a scar permanently etched into me." She tilts her head slightly, her smile growing determined. "But through trials humans persevere, through the calamities, whether wrought by nature or their own hands, they continue to push forward. Such determination is what makes us who we are, is it not?"
'That was…'
Saber can only stare at the girl, surprised by the sudden change in the girl's aura. At that moment, it almost felt as if she stood before another king, one eyes peering into hers, discerning every and all lies she might have hidden within.
"Well, let's not bore ourselves! Tell me what you've all been up to!"
Then the atmosphere shifts, and Saber can only stare blankly at the sudden change.
And-, is her master laughing!?
He is!
Before she can act, Astolfo rushes forward, eager to tell his side of the story first. Saber silently resigned herself.
~~~
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