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She was also aware that her mind had become quite different from before.
Of course it was.
Even though she had opened her eyes in this strange world after playing a game.
She maintained her composure and probed the information out of the complete stranger.
It would have been impossible for the old her.
No, even for a normal human who had left that behind, it would have been impossible.
But she had done it.
Effortlessly, lightly, like taking a leisurely walk.
What did this imply?
She had already understood it without anyone telling her.
She had added countless traits and even obtained the talent of reversing the world, which had never existed before.
She was no longer the old her.
Even if something had changed a lot, it wasn't particularly strange.
But this much change...
The corners of her mouth, loosened by the creeping chill that crawled up her spine, settled back into place.
The feeling of being endlessly excited faded.
She returned to a sane mind, free of excitement.
Water dripped down her sharp jawline.
She slowly recalled the names of the traits she had added.
[Magical Aptitude], [Sharp Intuition], [Computation Machine], [Battle Maniac], [Adrenaline],
[Killing Impulse], [Desire Lump], [Interest Seed], [Extreme Rationality], [Bloodthirsty].
With the exception of a few, every single one had a vicious name.
Battle Maniac. Killing Impulse.
What kind of trait name was this?
If it had only been the name, it would have been fine, but it wasn't just the name.
Eight tenths of the traits were mental in nature.
Some were even negative red traits.
She scratched her head vigorously.
Movement of her arms caused burning pain from the bruised muscles.
But there was no time to worry about such things.
She could have turned into a madman at any moment.
She had no room to spare for even fleeting pain.
'Most traits affect the mind... are they gradually worsening?'
She had only added them by looking at the names, but she hadn't ignored the explanations either.
Representative example: [Computation Machine].
It was a trait that lowered empathy to extreme levels but raised intelligence.
This trait didn't affect the mind any further.
Just the drop in empathy.
No worsening or improvement.
In short, it was a congenital psychopath.
In her case, it was just that she had added traits late.
'The fact that it can't be improved is a flaw, but... it's fine in that it doesn't worsen further.
The problem, as she called it, was a trait that continued to worsen.
It was the reason she had created this wretched character and the core of the character itself.
[Battle Maniac].
This trait didn't stay fixed; it continued to worsen.
Battle Maniac grew more insane the more it was used in battle.
The thing from earlier was clearly [Battle Maniac] having affected her mind.
Two minutes.
But the aftereffects of those two minutes had left a lasting impact on her mind.
One trait.
Two minutes had done that much damage.
What would happen going forward?
The moment she thought about it, the continuous flow of thought cut off abruptly.
At first, when she had fallen into this place, she had been completely at ease.
Why did it feel so suffocating now?
Feeling her breath catch, she opened her mouth just enough to breathe.
"...No, no."
It was just that she hadn't had the time to worry about it before.
Like how, when a dense schedule is crammed in, stray thoughts naturally disappear.
After a short but intense event passed, there was time to think.
It was the same as her finally regaining her composure.
At the same time, it was proof that there was a problem she couldn't ignore.
Even with the high ability she had raised, her brain rotated abnormally fast, fundamentally she was still human.
She was a human who got entangled in thought patterns, hit her limits, tormented herself, and desperately sought answers.
She got up from the bathroom and lay down on the bed.
The somewhat soft but never comfortable bed supported her body.
The light illuminating the room blinded her eyes.
She covered both eyes with her arms.
When she had first opened her eyes in this world and awakened, there had been two goals.
They were set up so naturally, as if they were supposed to be that way.
Return her body and go home.
But now there were three.
Just that.
Return her body and remain sane and go home.
Was that possible?
Shaking off the sudden question as if denying it, she said aloud.
"There must be a way... There is a way."
Because her rationality had remained intact despite the body change,
She could fully feel the fact that her own mind was being tainted.
This was the result of pursuing perfection imperfectly more than anyone else.
An absurd paradox where the immutable is consumed by the unchangeable.
Within this paradox that seemed like she would go mad, she repeated in a suppressed voice.
"...Even if there isn't, I can find it."
She lifted the arm covering her eyes.
Even though it was the first time, her body had become proficient like it had been practiced for ages.
She gathered the mana.
It was the miracle carved into her retinas from before.
The mana mass that rose from her hand transformed into electricity.
[Bolt]
Devastating numbness and an electric surge rising from within.
Feeling contradictory emotions at the same time, she slowly raised her body.
If there is no way, relying on miracles is what people do.
But she knew.
Miracles were not that far away.
***
She stayed up all night devoting herself to magic.
It was not just to find a way to return.
This was an act of acquiring the means to survive in this world by moving beyond returning.
She didn't know much about magic.
It wasn't just because she had been reincarnated into the game.
It was because she had no knowledge of the Over World system.
From what the currency unit was to what districts existed.
That was all she knew.
She didn't know how magic was implemented or how to create it.
That's why she had learned magic by crashing into it with her body.
Even with her newly blossoming talent, the mana quantity was pitifully insufficient.
At best, a handful of mana.
Three Bolts and it would be exhausted.
But her talent was more than enough for that.
It was magic she had used without chanting from the very beginning.
Her talent's foundation for magic was an unimaginably low hurdle.
It could be overcome just by walking.
No need to jump high, run, or take a running start.
Just a sample was enough.
She sat on the bed and drew up her mana.
Using magic even a few times left her body with a sense of exhaustion.
But she ignored it and kept fueling her mana to the end.
There were no advanced techniques or formulas related to magic.
Just channeling her will and projecting the mana onto it, the miracle of magic was implemented this simply.
[Bolt]
Clenching and unclenching her fist, the lightly completed technique released a strong cry.
A brain-ringing zzzzt.
The glint of electricity on her palm.
Feeling all of it, she quietly closed her eyes.
The technique began functioning the moment it left her fingertips.
It didn't mean she had lost control.
The talent of reversal that she had obtained at the cost of her mind.
That alone led her to show the skill of directly refining completed techniques.
Blue light began to compress into a sphere.
The diameter of the flashing electricity mass gradually shrank,
Until the moment it became the size of a bean.
At once, the electricity mass vanished.
It shot up about 5 cm and disappeared right in front of her nose.
The characteristics of Bolt she had discovered by devoting herself to magic for the past two days.
Compression and repulsion.
Extremely compressed electricity that repelled each other and shot forward.
What she had discovered by staying up all night devoting herself to magic was
That magic was possible to modify.
It might not be enough to shoot lightning or drop thunderbolts,
But she could directly control the form, size, and output.
It would be difficult now, but in the future, by modifying the technique, she could drop thunderbolts.
The day was breaking.
Despite the sweeping fatigue, she stretched her limbs and did a stretch.
Sneakily, she took out her wallet and checked the amount.
A little over five thousand credits.
After eating the canned food from the room refrigerator, the situation had become quite slim.
The currency unit of this world was beginning to take shape as well.
Perhaps she could live here for a day or so at a nearby motel.
But she could vaguely guess that it was only that much.
She got off the bed and put on her coat.
Since she didn't know the way ahead, her breathing was coming short amid the suffocating feeling.
But she couldn't just sit there.
Even if it was unintentional, in the end, the one who had made this body was herself.
She shoved her wallet into her pocket and opened the door.