In the living room, a boy is shaking his hips with all his effort. His face is completely flushed red, and his whole body is drenched in sweat. His body screams to stop, but his mind keeps saying, If you stop moving those hips, you will be maideless.
Oh? You must be thinking this guy is gooning, right?
The boy about to finish his 100 squat.
And that boy is me.
It's been seven days since I woke up in this world. I've been doing daily tasks and reading grimoires every day.
I've learned a lot. Honestly, I expected it to be hard to learn magic on my own, but somehow, I managed. It's still tough though, especially when I have to conceal my mana for twelve hours. But little by little, I'm getting better at controlling it.
It's hellish because I always go over the training requirement. I thought, why not keep my mana concealed for 24 hours? And I did that. Now it's become a natural state, even when I'm asleep.
[Daily Quest Begins!]
Push-ups: 100/100
Sit-ups: 100/100
Squats: 100/100
Run: 0/10 km
Meditation: 0/1 hour
Aura Concealment: 6/12 hours
Next up is a 10 km run. Glancing out the window, I saw the sun about to rise, so I headed to the front door. After tying my shoes, I stepped outside still wearing my tracksuit. Just then, a blonde girl passed by my door. She flinched when she saw me.
"Ah! Morning."
"Morning, Miss Cha," I said while locking my door. "Heading somewhere this early?" I noticed she was wearing a matching jacket and leggings.
She smiled and nodded. "Morning run. I see you're exercising too?"
"I am."
I almost forgot, she's the woman who sniffed my body odor when we first met. And now look at her, acting all normal. We got into the same elevator. As we went down, awkward silence filled the air while random elevator music played. My new sense let me feel other people's emotions, and I could tell she was burning with embarrassment, wishing we didn't have to see each other like this.
I headed to a nearby park with a jogging track. There was no one there except me and Miss Cha.
"Five more."
Checking my progress through the system, I kept a steady pace, though my breathing was heavy. It was inevitable since I'd distributed my stat points for a mage build.
Then something fast passed me.
"On your left."
"...Uhuh."
My smile twitched. I knew she just wanted to make sure I didn't get in her way, but she had been keeping that pace for thirty minutes! She was like running in circles for 30 km without a single break.
Soon, I heard those rapid footsteps again. She was already catching me up.
"Don't say it. Don't you dare..."
"On your left."
Fwoosh.
"OH! Come on!"
---
I came back home with my legs almost giving out.
I used [Heal] to recover my stamina, and as a result, my fatigue went back to zero. However, after using this method, I became extremely hungry.
When I pass the library, I saw something interesting again.
The Cloak is currently reading a book. But why a fashion magazine of all things? Just the other day, the Cloak also learned how to use a computer. It seems to have gotten smarter after using the slime.
I went to the kitchen and ate my prepped meal since I was too lazy to cook again.
Now it's time to continue studying. I've been reading this grimoire for a week. At first, I thought Jilwer might be the best spell since it's easier to learn, but I decided to start with Phalanx for a reason.
Phalanx has three layers of barriers, which explains why it's such a strong defensive spell. The outer layer prevents physical attacks. In theory, it could even withstand nuclear weapons as long as the user has enough mana to maintain it.
The second and third layers are anti-magic barriers that stop any changes caused by magic.
For example, if I cast Phalanx in the form of a dome-shaped barrier and my opponent is a mage, they wouldn't be able to cast spells inside the dome. That means the inside of the barrier would be completely sterile of magic except for me, the caster.
If my opponent uses a spell or physical attack strong enough to overpower the barrier, it can regenerate a new shell as long as I still have mana.
Not to mention, Phalanx has different variations.
The basic form is a rectangular barrier, but interestingly, it can also be used offensively.
According to the book, I can apply a acceleration spell to make it move horizontally.
Of course, I can adjust the speed, but still, that's impressive.
It's basically a projectile that crushes my opponent like a pressing machine.
"Alright, I finished the whole book. Now…"
I stretched my hand forward, focused my mana, and followed the instructions from the grimoire. First, the first layer formed into a rectangular shape, then the second, and finally the third.
[Ding!]
You've mastered
[Phalanx: Basic Defense]
Type: Barrier
Tier: SR
Mana Cost: 20 (1 mana will be used after the first minute)
[You have leveled up!]
So I can level up just by learning a spell?
That's convenient.
Ignoring the notification, I applied a movement-type acceleration spell. It moved slowly just as intended.
Of course, this was only a test if I could apply Acceleration spell. In reality it could go much faster.
[Ding!]
You've mastered
[Acceleration]
Type: Movement
Mana Cost: 10 (1 mana will be used after the first minute)
[Ding!]
You've mastered
[Phalanx: Projectile]
Type: Barrier
Tier: SR
Mana Cost: 30 (1 mana will be used after the first minute)
[You have leveled up!]
[Ding!]
You've done nothing but study magic. A new title has been acquired!
[The Prodigy]
[+20 Mind +20 Luck]
So that's what the title was about. Maybe it boosts my learning speed?
But wait a second.
I just realized how slow I was when creating the barrier.
It took me 15 to 20 seconds! That's ridiculously slow!
"Shit…"
I felt dizzy.
[Player Status]
Name: Takakura Ken
Level: 3
Class: Mage
Title: The Prodigy (+20 Mind, +20 Luck)
MP: 191/231
HP: 333/333
Fatigue: 45
[Stats]
Strength: 7
Agility: 8
Vitality: 11
Sense: 14
Mind: 17 (+20)
Intelligence: 77
Faith: 252
Luck: 12 (+20)
[Stat Points: 21]
[Achievement Points: 0]
[Equipped Items]
None
I only cast Phalanx once and added the Acceleration spell to it, anf it was mentally exhausting.
Sigh, this is bad.
Anyway, I've collected eighteen stat points from daily quest in six days. If I complete today's daily quest, that'll make twenty four.
For now, I'll put points into Mind first.
Hold on.
I clicked [MP] to check my mana regeneration rate.
[MP: 191/231]
[Mana Regeneration: 4.1 per minute]
[Tip: Increase Vitality to boost mana recovery]
I knew it. I thought Vitality only affected health, but it also influences mana recovery and stamina. Damn it.
For now, I'll focus on investing in Mind and Vitality first. I add 9 to Vitality and 12 to Mind.
[Player Status]
Name: Takakura Ken
Level: 3
Class: Mage
Title: The Prodigy (+20 Mind, +20 Luck)
MP: 191/231
HP: 360/360
Fatigue: 45
[Stats]
Strength: 7
Agility: 8
Vitality: 20
Sense: 14
Mind: 29 (+20)
Intelligence: 77
Faith: 252
Luck: 12 (+20)
[Stat Points: 0]
[Achievement Points: 0]
[Equipped Items]
None
I felt stronger. It was just a feeling, but I decided to test it right away.
Tap. Tap.
Something tapped my shoulder. I glanced to the side and saw a black cloak hovering beside me.
"What?"
It pointed the tip of its fabric toward itself, as if saying look at me bro.
I turned toward it with curiosity. After getting my attention, it rubbed its fabric together like hands, and suddenly, it transformed.
"Whoa!" I clapped my hands as I watched it change into a white cloth with a different texture.
"What is this?" I asked, but the cloak simply flew toward me and draped itself over my head. "Ah, I see. This is what people wear in Arab countries." What was it called again?
Still, to think the cloak could transform into different styles of clothing. I noticed that whenever it changed form, it first turned darker. Maybe that was because of the slime. Now it explains the Cloak's recent behavior.
Poor bastard! It's got a talent for fashion, maybe even art in general. But I had to drag this poor fabric into war.
"Nice one, Cloak! Seems like it's not just me who's been busy. Wait, should I even call you Cloak?"
Honestly, it felt weird just calling it Cloak.
As I thought about it, it turned back to its original color and shape, hm.... a long red cloak, almost like a superhero's cape.
"Clark. How about that?"
The cloak placed its tip under its nonexistent chin, as if thinking, then gave me a thumbs-up.
I chuckled. "Alright, Clark."
Now, where was I? Right, let's see how fast I can cast the spell I just learned.
Before I could move, Clark placed itself over my shoulders and turned black.
[Cloak of Levitation]
Type: Item
Tier: SR
Equipped Item: Slime
Effect: +20% Intelligence, +40% Mind, Fly
Description: A magical relic wielded by Doctor Strange that can move and fly on its own, allowing its user to levitate and hover in the air. As a sentient cloak, it possesses its own will and intelligence.
Damn. Twenty percent Intelligence and forty percent Mind buff? I got so focused on my training that I forgot about the items I pulled from the gacha.
That being said....
"You're a wizard, Harry," I muttered with a giggle as I held Harry's own wand.
[Harry Potter's Wand]
Origin: Harry Potter
Type: Item
Tier: R
Effect: +20 Mind
Description: A wand made by the Olivander family, using a phoenix tail feather as its core.
[Equipped Items]
Cloak of Levitation + Slime (20% Intelligence, 40% Mind, fly)
Harry Potter's Wand (+20)
"Alright then…"
Focusing my mana, I recalled the magic sequence in my head.
With the Cloak of Levitation equipped with Slime and Harry's Wand in hand, then the new title I got, I could calculate the variables needed to complete the spell faster and more precise than before.
The first layer appeared, then the second, and finally the third.
A rectangular barrier formed, floating horizontally in the air.
"It's a lot faster, and more efficient," I said with satisfaction.
However, after all that, I could only cast the Projectile in about seven seconds. But adding Blessing buff that increases luck makes it faster by about a second.
I still have a long way to go.
Then I remembered the record written in the book and laughed. The record holder did it in just 0.466 seconds.