Chapter 367
Chapter 367
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 367
Chapter Title: Special Training (2)
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“Alright. I’ve decided on this one for now.”
The difficulty of mastering Scattershot Movement was far greater in terms of omnipotence than omniscience.
But for Shirone, who had a strong affinity for the Spirit Zone, this was actually a relief.
He estimated he could master it in about a month.
‘Then I can learn one more. Should I try something a bit more difficult this time?’
Shirone headed toward the section with newly arrived magic books and browsed the advanced-level shelf.
It was lined with books that could give one hives just from reading their titles, such as *Time Locks Using Quantum Transformation* and *Magical Circle Interference Based on Wave Principles*.
Moreover, most of them were about information magic, which wasn't something he needed right away.
‘Pass. Pass. That one’s a pass too.’
Shirone walked slowly, reading every title without exception. As expected of the advanced section, there wasn't a single thin book in sight.
“Oh, what’s this?”
Shirone stopped in front of a book on the last shelf.
It was about the same thickness as the others and wasn't information magic. But what truly captured his attention was the title.
*Laser Guidance Technology*
“Laser…”
It was a realm that required a high output of energy, but Shirone had easily reached it using the God Particle. The ability to convert mass into energy was an incredible advantage.
However, for ordinary mages, it was a technique that could only be conquered after long periods of training. The mage who developed Laser Guidance Technology must have been a considerable master.
“Should I take a look?”
The cover was white, typical of the photon series, but a red band wrapped around it gave it a distinct feel, signifying the laser.
After checking the developer's name written below the title, Shirone bit his lip in surprise.
Louis Jacobin.
‘Ah, Jacobin…’
As the director of the particle research institute under the Tormia Dragon Thunder, he was a mage anyone studying photon magic should know.
When he opened the book, it was almost entirely filled with complex equations.
Shirone skipped the schema for now and looked at the magic's overview first. As he read calmly, his face gradually flushed with excitement.
“This is incredible.”
It was a Fusion Magic, combining two principles of the photon series.
Magic is manifested through concentration, which is why the mind typically has one slot for thought. Thus, advanced mages combine two, or even three, properties to simultaneously utilize the advantages of multiple series.
In short, the magic Jacobin developed was a photon equipped with a laser guidance device.
Bending light required optical fibers or a special medium, but if a target was guided by a laser, its trajectory could be changed at will.
Most importantly, it was possible to track a moving target as long as it was within the bounds of inertia.
Jacobin had likely developed this magic for the convenience of information transfer, but in Shirone’s mind, the arcing trajectory of a Photon Cannon was already vividly drawn.
‘So this is what Plu was talking about. Magic that can compensate for weaknesses and create synergy.’
It was possible to make a mass-infused Photon Cannon curve to some extent by giving it spin. However, its efficiency was too low since it relied on predictive firing, and the angle of the curve wasn't very large.
‘But if I learn Laser Guidance Technology…’
He could hit a target no matter where it moved. The precision would vary depending on his skill level, but for Shirone, who could generate explosive firepower in a short amount of time, it was the optimal magic to reduce the waste of mental energy.
‘Alright! This will be my first Fusion Magic!’
Shirone took the grimoire and went to find Plu. She was wandering the fire series section and turned her head just as she was reaching for a high shelf.
“Hm? You’ve picked them out?”
“Yes, here. Two books.”
Plu looked at the two books alternately and nodded. While one was an advanced course, getting scared in advance wasn't a good choice either.
“Yeah. They seem to be a good match. Let’s tell Isabelle and borrow them.”
When the two brought the books over, Isabelle issued a library card.
Then, seeing the *Laser Guidance Technology* grimoire, she asked with a surprised expression.
“This one is quite difficult. Will you be okay?”
“Yes. Since I know how to use lasers. But is it really that hard?”
“It's a specialized field not covered in the academy. It'll be unfamiliar, especially since it uses radio waves.”
The schema of the laser Shirone used was different from that of other mages.
The God Particle had allowed him to leap over high barriers he couldn't currently reach all at once, but without a precise understanding of the schema, the scope of its application was bound to be narrow.
“I’ll give it a try. I want to properly learn about lasers this time.”
If the person himself was determined, Isabelle had no reason to stop him.
“Well, it’s rare to use photons as an offensive magic, so I can see why you’d be interested. If you don’t understand something while studying, ask me. The chairman ordered me to teach you, even if it means tutoring you.”
Shirone was grateful for Gaold's consideration, but at the same time, it was unsettling.
He truly believed that Shirone could develop magic capable of destroying heaven.
“Yes, thank you. I’ll probably be back soon.”
“Haha! Right. Come by anytime.”
Having given a heads-up to avoid any awkwardness later, Shirone stepped into the elevator.
The iron door of the library closed before the elevator doors did.
As always, it felt like he had just returned from another dimension.
* * *
With Plu’s help, Shirone obtained a personal training ground. Strictly speaking, it was on Gaold's orders.
It wasn't as vast as the underground bunker, but it was spacious enough for him to deploy his Spirit Zone and go all out by himself.
A sleep capsule was installed in a corner, and the flooring was made of the same material as Training Ground 2000. Activating the simulation device would likely allow him to analyze his magic from various angles.
Shirone sat on the cold floor and opened the *Scattershot Movement* grimoire.
He quickly read it from beginning to end, then closed the book and organized his thoughts.
“Hmm, it seems both easy and tricky at the same time.”
The key was the linking speed between the passive and active magic. The moment he cast teleportation, he had to fire photon outputs in all directions. The principle was simple, but the technique would only be valuable if the linking speed felt nearly simultaneous.
“Should I give it a try?”
Shirone entered the training ground and cast Photon Form. With a familiar twitch of his body, the scenery in front of him crumpled and rushed toward him.
Arriving ten meters ahead, Shirone looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought. He had intended to cast Scattershot Movement, but it hadn't even activated.
“Ah, I see.”
Once teleportation was activated, the slot became empty. But the speed of movement was so fast that there was no time to cast the photon output.
‘Does that mean the schema replacement has to be much faster?’
If so, Shirone had a strength he could rely on. Time-slicing.
Having decided on that approach, Shirone attempted Scattershot Movement based on Time-slicing.
By the time the sun began to set, he was starting to get the hang of it. After recovering his mental energy in the sleep device for about an hour, he unleashed his magic with maximum concentration, as if making a final spurt.
Finally, simultaneous with his teleportation, flashes of light shot out in eight directions.
Shirone, who had moved north—the basic route for Scattershot Movement—turned around, unable to hide his excitement.
“I did it! I did it!”
“Did what?”
Shirone turned his head toward the door.
Plu was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Her expression was sullen, as if she wasn't in a good mood.
“Oh? Senior, when did you get here?”
“Just now. But what were you just doing?”
“What do you mean? Scattershot Movement, of course.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Plu walked into the training ground.
She stopped about ten meters away from Shirone, looked around as if confirming coordinates, then turned her head back and spoke.
“Do it again. I’ll evaluate it for you.”
Plu's firm tone made Shirone a little worried.
But no matter how he thought about it, the Scattershot Movement he had performed was exactly as described in the grimoire.
“Yes. Then, I’ll start with the basic route…”
“No. No need for that. Do the intermediate course. Go to any of the eight directions you want. From what I saw just now, you seem more than capable of that.”
Her words were complimentary, but strangely, they didn't sound like praise.
In any case, as he was just starting to learn, Shirone felt no pressure about failing.
‘Let’s go southeast.’
While Shirone focused his mind, Plu stood with her arms crossed, waiting for the magic to be demonstrated.
‘Scattershot Movement!’
Just as Shirone's body was dyed in a golden light, a burst of flashes spread out as if exploding.
He arrived exactly ten meters southeast and clenched his fist.
‘Success, it’s a success.’
His joy was short-lived. Shirone flinched in surprise, his upper body jolting.
Plu, who had appeared in front of him in an instant, had her hands on his shoulders.
Her eyes were half-closed and calm, like when she was subduing a terrorist.
Usually, she was an annoying older sister who nagged constantly, but at times like this, she was every bit a certified Grade 8 mage.
“Uh, um…”
“Do you see your problem now?”
In terms of form, Scattershot Movement had been a success. But Plu had pinpointed his location from among the eight flashes of light.
Not only that, she had moved faster than the caster to block his path.
“Is the link too slow?”
Only then did Plu release her grip on Shirone's shoulders.
“That’s right. It’s not something you can see with your eyes, but you can feel it intuitively in the Spirit Zone. Especially for a manipulation-type mage like me, the delay becomes even clearer.”
“But I did my best.”
“This isn’t about effort. Actually, your link just now was excellent. You probably switched schemas at a speed comparable to Time-slicing…”
Plu thought for a moment before speaking with conviction.
“But that’s the problem.”
Shirone tilted his head.
Time-slicing was a thought method for rapidly switching two schemas in a single slot.
While the thought process itself could slow down, there was no faster way to switch.
“Let me explain your mechanism just now. You equipped teleportation, cast it, unequipped teleportation, and then equipped photon output and cast it.”
Plu demonstrated the link between the two spells by thrusting her fists in and out.
It meant that because it went through at least three stages, a delay was created that could be detected by the synesthesia of the Spirit Zone.
But that was the limit of Shirone's ability.
“If there’s a delay even at the speed of Time-slicing, what am I supposed to do?”
“Collide them.”
“Excuse me?”
“Collide them. Don’t unequip the teleportation magic. Hit it and knock it away with the photon output magic. And as you’re knocking it away, you insert the photon output magic into the slot.”
Plu held out two clenched fists.
When her right fist struck her left, the left fist flew away, and the right fist took its place.
It was a visual representation of her explanation.
“This way, you finish the unequip and equip simultaneously. The mechanism gets shorter, right? You have to be able to do that in the realm of thought. Striking an existing thought with a new one. Mages call this ‘Force.’”
Plu demonstrated the process again. But this time, as if to convey the actual feeling, she brought her fists almost together and made them collide quickly.
A “bang” sound effect escaped her lips.
“Do you get it? You skip the unequip process and just hit your way in. If you’re going to work in the field someday, you’ll need to know how to use Force. The passive-active link is used regardless of the series.”
Shirone listened blankly. Knocking one thought away with another?
Ordinary people never thought this way. But for a mage, it was an incredibly efficient thought method.
“Force… I didn’t even know such a thing existed.”
“Of course not. This is a practical skill. They don’t teach it at the academy.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“No, but its stability is low. The new thought has to be equipped precisely in the slot as it collides. It relies heavily on feeling, so it’s not something that can be included in the regular curriculum. Time-slicing is also a professional skill. It’s amazing that you mastered it on your own. You’ll probably learn Force quickly too.”
Plu’s words restored Shirone’s confidence. Although his first attempt at Scattershot Movement had ended in failure, learning a new technique he couldn't have learned at the academy was an achievement.
The key was Force.