Romance? Nah, It's All About Efficiency
"Chains... you say? Like what?"
"It's the fact that my magic manifests through ice crystals. Like this."
I flicked the ice crystal I'd just made.
Whoosh—!
The cold air bursting from the floating ice crystal coated it like armor, layering more ice over it. A sensation spreading from the core? The magic that had been spewing ice soon took the shape of an eagle, spreading its wings.
"Most of my spells create an ice crystal first, then activate through it. So to use magic, I have to go through one extra step compared to everyone else."
"Right. That's the vibe."
If we built spells at the same speed, the process difference would always make my manifestation lag behind. Considering the role speed plays in combat, it's a seriously fatal chain.
No perks like lower mana cost or stronger power either. If anything, the extra step causes efficiency loss.
"But sis, if your magic's like that, doesn't that make you production-type too?"
Su-yeon tossed out a perfectly valid question. Like Innocent Lily's pure water, Alice Calamity's ice crystals produce a kind of material. At a glance, it seems like production-type with similar vibes.
"Nope."
Unfortunately, that wasn't it either. It had a fatal flaw that made it even harder to use for production than pure combat-types.
"These things have extremely low sustainability."
To call it 'production,' the result needs to hold as an independent object easily. Like Su-yeon's processed pure water. But my ice crystals? Not at all.
The moment they leave me, they melt like frost in sunlight... visibly losing their embedded power and dissipating.
I could force-sustain them, but it's a real stretch—terrible efficiency. Hand them to someone else, and they go berserk.
"Why do you think I swing a sword around?"
Heavy dissipation means standard emission-type spells are tricky. Not unusable, but...
In the end, wielding a high-completion 'sword-shaped ice crystal'—aka Bingryuna—directly is strongest. It was a major research topic in Freezema too. Usually talent and concept performance scale together, but mine was historically inverted.
Final theories split between 'backlash from transcendent vessel' and 'rank realized through constraints,' competing till my return day... no conclusion.
"So that's why."
"That's the pity."
"Lily, explain the pity properly."
"Nuuueeeng!"
I patted Su-yeon's head, unable to suppress her evil A-instincts from the chat. Why the scream? 'Cause I spun her around spinning.
She's getting more intense lately, huh.
"Then this barrier around here... you're forcing it too, right?"
"Eh, forcing if you call it that. Install-type spells need constant focus or full detachment for independence to sustain."
Usually pick detachment for non-instant attacks. Even I can't maintain focus while sleeping.
That left-behind secondary beloved sword, Frost Soul, got detached and unusable. House barrier too—independent magic, so auto-hunted without me knowing.
If I maintained it directly, 'not knowing' wouldn't compute.
"Detach means...?"
"Literally, make it independent from me. Can't use that spell directly anymore, and I weaken by that spell's share."
Unlike regular mana drain from casting. Game-wise, max MP drops.
Recover on retrieval, but still not great. Detach output vs. power loss = bad cost-performance. If it dissipates independently? Gone forever.
Unless extreme sustainability like mine, pointless technique. Just enchant instead.
"Eh? Senpai was weakened?!"
"Weakened, yeah. Barrier split's like 5%, not that big a drop."
Or rather, never went full power here anyway. Isekai... worse than Earth, but still has civilians. Not total hell.
Post-10-year Irregular messed balance to Andromeda for a bit, but Demon King vanished to hero's holy sword—back to normal.
"Tch. So in that world, our party overpowers?"
"Think I saw that in Shorts!"
No, why pivot there. I just worried about party overkill.
Don't genre-shift on me. That'd make it me re-entering after isekai news. Anyway, stability phase starting there.
Hero losing? Unimaginable for me. They'll handle it! Our noses are clogged first.
Shoved aside needless worry, reset topic big.
"Enough chit-chat. Time for real training."
"Yes!"
"How though?"
"Feels kinda familiar..."
Hm. Seong-yoon's intuition sharpening? Nailed the vibe. Mana sense not up much though.
Intuition reliance is a path too.
Anyway, grabbed my dipped tension from her read, opened mouth.
"From now, juniors grab your best position and hit me at max output, no holding back."
"Ne?"
"Eh."
Juniors panic, chat cries nerf. Seong-yoon, used to sparring/live focus, already gripped staff.
Not intuition? Felt it but thought simple spar?
"Not sparring. Treat me like a target dummy. No counter, so blast freely."
"Got a DPS meter?"
"No, legit training method..."
Don't make it sound like game scarecrow.
This uses 'resonance.' Similar abilities multi-cast synergize upward.
Not complex theory. Multi ice mages amp scale; same style martial artists' formation boosts.
Harsh conditions—high match like same school magic, clan arts.
Magical girls differ. Wild abilities, but same girl = resonance.
Not 'cause justice power (ganging up) root... Shared 'transformation' base.
"You max out to max resonance, I tank and tune it."
Leave synergy power post-use. Tank well = spec, purity, realm growth—not just specs.
"Shoot now?!"
"Fireeeee!"
Mid-sentence, yelled E-sports caster-style at position-set Seong-yoon. Magic line sparking deep-chest urge to blast anything at foe.
Staff flared wildly in response.
"Ack?!"
"Wait! We're here too!"
"Then hurry and position!"
Why say shoot now? They chattered hesitant—start first.
Roarrrrr—!
Bright flame ring spins fierce in Seong-yoon's air. Max output, no mercy obvious.
She used to hesitate despite my threats. Even forced shots panicked as mistakes.
Now? Straight fire.
"Kyaaaa!"
"She's nuts!"
"But I'm melee— this ok?!"
Sentimental me vs. freaking juniors scattering as ring flew, power surging on yell.
"Go! Divine Circle!"
Speed good. Firepower... Tower rewards pay off. Gear/skills help, but double past at least.
Reached to grab—
"Hm? Sudden?"
Said it'd take time. Nearby?
Sensed new mana—not here's juniors—turned head.
And...
KABOOOOM—!
Far off, comet-crash like. Radiant starlight pours, intertwines burning ring, amps, engulfs me.
RUMBLE!