It feels like several hours have passed.
It’s probably been that long.
My stomach is starting to make noise.
I still can’t feel the magic gathering.
However, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of magic.
Magic is both a gas and a liquid.
It exists in the air like a gas and has a fluidity like a liquid.
As a result, magic scatters when you try to force it into one form.
Magic cannot be physically contained. Only magic itself can contain magic.
Therefore, if I use a different type of magic from the slime’s magic…
“Oh, I see.”
Why didn’t I think of that?
I just need to use my own magic.
The main reason weapon creation is difficult is that it involves manipulating the magic from magic stones, not my own magic. Controlling my own magic isn’t as hard as it seems. For example, when you acquire the “Fire Magic” skill, you can use it right away because it’s your own magic.
“Heh heh heh.”
A smile escapes from my lips.
I’m quite excited right now.
I’ve always liked things like this.
Even when something seems difficult at first, it feels great when you find an easy solution or create your own path to success.
It’s like a rush of brain chemicals.
Anyway, let’s try it out.
First, I force the magic to gather into one mass.
It will repel itself, just like before, almost dispersing into mist.
I’ll use the magic in my body to coat it, surrounding it.
“Looking good.”
So far, it’s going surprisingly well.
The real challenge starts here.
When I created the spear, I simply manipulated the magic according to a blueprint from the skill, and it was done.
But this time, there’s no such blueprint.
I have to build it from scratch.
“The magic of the magic stone flows, but my magic is as solid as concrete…”
I adjust the blueprint, modifying it as I would for a skill.
Some parts are the same as when I was crafting with the skill, while others are completely different.
Slowly, I begin to finish it.
What should I do next?
It’s good that I’ve managed to gather the magic into one, but since the magic lacks uniformity, if I continue like this, the spear will be flimsy.
“Well, isn’t that okay?”
I mutter to myself more and more.
Even when I’m aware of it, I can’t stop talking.
“If I think of it as just how it is, that’s fine. I just need to form a single spear. But if I finish it like this, it’ll lack durability and break easily. It’ll be strange as a spear, but should I create something like a sheath? That would require a different kind of magic from both the slime and mine… Ah!”
I rummage through my pocket.
I regret now that I carelessly threw things in there earlier.
I rely on my sense of touch to search, and I pull out something larger than the other magic stones.
It’s a wolf’s magic stone.
With this, I’ll create the outer layer for the spear.
I carefully extract the wolf’s magic from the stone while ensuring not to destroy the shape formed by the slime and my own magic.
I layer the extracted magic over the already-formed spear, adding a new layer.
Finally, it’s complete.
The appearance is like a naginata that someone like Benkei might carry.
However, this is only the sheath.
The actual spear is inside, created with a large amount of slime magic — a throwing spear.
“—Oh.”
When I remove the chains used to fasten the sheath, the blue rod-like object inside is revealed.
The object inside looks like slime. In fact, the spear inside is made with the structure of a slime’s body. The shaft of the spear, too, has a liquid-like appearance, and just like a slime, it’s made with a powerful acid, capable of inflicting damage simply by contact.
I’ll call it the slime spear.
I skip with excitement as I return to the surface and, with a broad smile, hand the slime spear, sheath and all, to the receptionist before heading home.
Today, I’m completely satisfied, except for the fact that I earned zero income.
Since the skills that use magic stones as their medium are typically the income source for explorers, I had already prepared myself for this.
If I think of it as an initial investment, I can accept it.
I have a light dinner and fall into a deep sleep.
—At that moment, I didn’t know that skill modification is something that is meant to be kept secret, and that it’s abnormal for a rookie to deviate from the skill and control their own magic.
This would be the reason I end up dedicating my youth to the dungeon.
