《Blossoming Spirit》


 Chapter 1 – Prologue!

    Ever since about a week ago, Chara felt like she had become the unluckiest person in the entire world. Everything she did¡ªfailed! And even situations that seemed initially unproblematic would inexplicably spiral into chaos, engulfing her in a whirlwind of misfortune.


    As she stared at the end of her hospital bed, at the lower half of her body, her features couldn¡¯t help but furrow with resignation and helplessness.


    <i>Why is this happening? What did I do to deserve this?</i>


    She clasped her hands and murmured a silent prayer. Because if things didn¡¯t start looking up soon¡­ she didn¡¯t know how much more she could endure.


    ***


    It all started one fine Friday afternoon when her dad¡¯s company suddenly imploded, leaving her family in a dire financial state. To Chara, who had only just graduated from high school and intended to pursue higher education, this was a huge tragedy! Worse, she didn¡¯t have any personal savings!


    In fact, it¡¯s not like she was a moron who couldn¡¯t grasp basic economic concepts such as ¡°savings¡± and ¡°budgeting.¡± Rather, she simply had no incentive to apply any of these skills to her usual life. After all, why would she bother with any of those tedious things, when she could just ask her papa to borrow his credit card¡­? An attitude that finally came to bite her at the worst possible time!


    Unfortunately, things would only go downhill from here.


    Not one to take a beating lying down, Chara immediately applied for several scholarship programs, hoping to score at least three or four to bring her university plans back on track. As it turned out, she failed to get even a single one!


    Distressed, she reached out to her friends for help. However, aside from one, neither of her other two close friends responded to her texts or answered her calls, no matter how many times she tried. Finding this strange, tried visiting them in person. However, no one answered the door even after knocking for a long time.


    Having no other choice, she reached out to her sole remaining friend, Melody. As for how this went, merely recalling their conversation was enough to make Chara feel extremely flustered.


    ¡°How can I go to school if I don¡¯t have any money? What am I supposed to do? Work?¡± Chara lampooned.


    ¡°M¡ªmaybe¡­? Uum, do you need me to help you apply for a job?¡± Melody asked in a quiet voice.


    After pausing for more than ten seconds, Chara answered sheepishly, ¡°¡­Please.¡±


    Hence, Chara swiftly landed a job as a waitress at a local caf¨¦. As she soon found out, waitressing turned out to be a lot less appealing than she originally imagined. In short, she reeeeeally wanted to quit. She had only worked for one day, and she already had enough complaints to fill an entire forum thread.


    In hindsight, she wasn¡¯t really sure what she had been thinking. Work was hard; that much was common sense. Nevertheless, she wasn¡¯t willing to give up before receiving her first paycheck, especially after having to ask for help just to secure the job. It was too humiliating. Her pride simply wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    After putting up with it for the rest of the day, she helped close shop, clocked out, and stepped out onto the sidewalk in time to see the setting sun. Feeling a sense of poignancy, she began her journey back home, only to be struck by a truck along the way, resulting in her current hospitalization.


    ***


    Back in the hospital, Chara mourned as she stared at the end of her bed, at the lower half of her body which would never move again.


    Just a couple of days ago, Melody brought her some promising news. Using her family¡¯s connections, she might be able to arrange Chara an appointment with a miraculous surgeon who could definitely restore feelings to the paralyzed lower half of her body.


    Chara, who was already beginning to lose hope, seized this chance immediately!


    During the four days preceding the operation, she had to subsist on a strictly liquid diet and had to endure the consumption of various repulsive medicines in preparation, purging her body of any impurities. However, she was willing to endure all this, just for the right to walk again.


    It had already been an entire night since the surgery, and Chara still couldn¡¯t feel the lower half of her body. Needless to say, it failed.


    ¡°It¡¯s just one thing after another! When will it ever end¡­¡± Chara wept, with tears rolling down her cheeks.


    ¡°You are too pessimistic. How are you supposed to get better when you¡¯re burdened with so much negativity?¡± Melody asked in a chiding tone.


    Chara wiped her tears away and shot Melody a resentful glare.


    ¡°Easy for you to say with those fine legs of yours,¡± Chara snapped. Without waiting for a response, she allowed herself to fall back onto her mattress and turned away from her visitor.


    ¡°How can I still believe that everything will be alright, when everything is going wrong¡­?¡± she murmured sadly before quieting down.


    The room fell silent.


    Melody quietly rose from her seat and approached the hospital bed. Using its frame as a support, she bent her waist and leaned over Chara, gazing down at her from above.


    ¡°Would you like to talk about it? Sometimes letting everything out can make you feel better,¡± Melody suggested, gently brushing aside Chara¡¯s hair to meet her gaze.


    Glancing at Melody¡¯s face, Chara snorted before looking away.


    After a short pause, she began speaking, ¡°Why are you still trying to hang out with me? My dad¡¯s company is on the brink of bankruptcy, and I don¡¯t have any money. I haven¡¯t been able to secure a single scholarship and I can¡¯t even afford university¡­


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    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve been a good enough friend for you to trouble yourself with these continued visits,¡± she murmured, her lips curling into a sad smile.


    Chara blinked, as if recalling something, then turned her gaze toward Melody, ¡°Also, wasn¡¯t it you who recommended that ¡®miraculous¡¯ doctor? Tsk, it¡¯s all PR and marketing! Since when are you such a dummy? You should know better than to believe in such exaggerated claims!¡±


    Melody furrowed her brows before moving her hand over Chara¡¯s cheek and giving it a well-deserved pinch.


    Chara instinctively tried to swat the evil hand away, but Melody withdrew it quickly. Feeling aggrieved, she turned her head to glare at her assailant.


    However, Melody simply flashed her a cheeky smile and said, ¡°If you keep saying such mean things to me, I might become sad and decide not to visit you again in the future.¡±


    ¡°Who wants to be visited by such a sassy visitor?¡± Chara rolled her eyes, sinking her head back into her pillow and ignoring her.


    ¡°How docile. Where is that willful, spoiled girl that I knew before? You would never have tolerated being treated like this in the past. Perhaps if I bully you a bit, it¡¯ll rekindle some of your rebellious spirit,¡± Melody commented while creeping her hands closer, poised to commit unspeakable acts to the unsuspecting girl.


    Without any warning, Chara swiftly sat up and seized Melody¡¯s right hand, stopping her in place.


    ¡°So you were after my body? Hmph, I knew you wouldn¡¯t visit me so many times without an ulterior motive! Take¡ªthis!¡± Chara shouted as she gripped her pillow using her other arm and swung it against the oncoming pervert.


    ¡°Aaah!¡± Melody raised her left arm to shield her face.


    Smack~!


    Unfazed, Chara readied her pillow and swung again, and again, and again.


    Smack~! Smack~! Smack~!


    ¡°Stop! Stop! I was joking! I wasn¡¯t really going to do anything! Stoooooooooop!¡± Melody tried to defend herself, but Chara simply smacked her even more fiercely.


    ¡°I take back everything I said before, all of it! I obviously treated you too kindly! Just you wait till my legs get better and I kick you across a football field!¡± Chara shouted angrily.


    ¡°Eek¡­! I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m sorry¡­!¡± Melody earnestly pleaded for mercy through the relentless barrage of pillows until Chara finally let her go. Falling back into her chair, Melody rubbed her forehead and stared at Chara with a wronged expression.


    ¡°Hmph, I give you an inch and you take a mile. This is how you should have behaved from the start,¡± Chara declared in an extremely domineering manner. Despite her heavy breathing and flushed cheeks, her face no longer showed a resigned, downcast expression.


    Noticing the visible improvement in Chara¡¯s mood, Melody¡¯s lips curled into a slight smile. Unconsciously, she reached out her hand to pat Chara¡¯s head.


    Feeling Melody¡¯s warm palm stroke the top of her head, Chara¡¯s mind momentarily became blank. Although she was the one demanding forgiveness, why did it feel as if Melody was the one accepting her apology? Unable to withstand the current situation, she retreated under her blankets while feeling flustered.


    ¡°Aww¡­ there she goes,¡± Melody giggled. Unperturbed, she straightened up her back and turned around to search through her belongings.


    A few seconds later, the concealed Chara heard the rustling of plastic bags. Spurred on by her curiosity, she rolled onto her other side and peeked through an opening in her blankets to see what the other girl was up to.


    When Melody was ready, she sat back down on her seat, holding a wicker picnic basket full of delicious fruit. Without thinking, Chara reached out a hand to grab a delicious-looking red apple, only for Melody to pull the basket away at the last second.


    It was an unprecedented act of betrayal.


    Seeing Chara¡¯s pitiful and aggrieved stare, Melody chuckled. ¡°When I learned that you had been on a liquid diet for days, I thought I¡¯d bring you something tasty to cheer you up. But now that we¡¯ve talked for a bit, I realize that even if I feed you this delicious fruit, any joy it brings to you would be short-lived. You¡¯d go right back to moping the moment you finished eating.¡±


    Chara wordlessly withdrew her hand and sealed the opening in her blankets. However, she soon remembered the fruit, stirring up an irresistible craving for sweetness mixed with a sense of unwillingness. Reluctantly, she opened a small flap in the blankets and asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Melody, noticing that she had captured the hiding girl¡¯s attention, gently tapped her chin as she thought over her words. After a moment of contemplation, her face brightened with a smile, and she said, ¡°What I want from you is fairly simple. Yes¡­ Essentially, I want you to believe in me.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Chara¡¯s expression grew blank, unable to decipher the girl¡¯s intentions.


    Melody burst into a fit of giggles. ¡°You may not be aware, but there is a fascinating connection between a human¡¯s spirit and their physical well-being. It¡¯s difficult to put into words, but if you truly believe you can get better, it can lead to genuine improvements in your physical condition.


    ¡°That is to say, healthy mind: healthy body.


    ¡°Now, herein lies the problem. That surgent should¡¯ve healed your legs. However, I think you are so depressed and gloomy that it¡¯s actually making your condition worse.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Chara¡¯s initial reaction was skepticism. Though she vaguely recalled hearing something similar before, Melody¡¯s claims still struck her as somewhat superstitious. Yet, if she were to be believed, then that would mean that the one responsible for her operation¡¯s failure would be none other than herself.


    Beneath her bed sheets, Chara¡¯s mind swirled with conflicting thoughts, her features involuntarily furrowing into an expression of resignation and helplessness.


    ¡°Thus, I have thought of a solution,¡± Melody announced, snapping Chara out of her thoughts.


    ¡°Since you are too pessimistic to believe in yourself, how about you believe in me instead? In return, I¡¯ll believe in you, endowing you with my utmost, unwavering, and wholehearted, moral support.


    ¡°Hehe, once your spirits are lifted, your body will quickly recover, and you¡¯ll be walking in no time!¡± Melody explained while patting her chest with a smile.


    Captivated by Melody¡¯s unwavering optimism, Chara momentarily found herself at a loss for words. After a brief silence, she emerged from beneath her bed sheets. Though Melody¡¯s ideas seemed overly optimistic and somewhat silly to Chara, she strongly appreciated her sincerity in trying to help. Which is why, in spite of her doubts, Chara chose to set them aside and place her trust in Melody.


    ¡°I believe in you¡­¡± Chara responded after a brief silence.


    Melody¡¯s smile turned into a beaming smile.


    ¡°I believe in you too!¡±


    Chara was momentarily stunned before bursting into a fit of giggles.


    ¡°See, it¡¯s already taking effect,¡± Melody kindly pointed out.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not, this doesn¡¯t count,¡± Chara denied, clearing her throat.


    Having achieved her goal, Melody happily leaned forward, presenting the wicker picnic basket full of delicious fruit. ¡°Here.¡±


    Chara didn¡¯t bother to be polite. She reached into the picnic basket, her fingers grazing the smooth surface of a vibrant red apple. With a soft smile, she plucked it from the basket, feeling the coolness of its skin against her palm.


    Following this, Melody also picked up an apple, only to look up and find Chara giving her an unusual stare.


    ¡°What? Did you think that they were all for yourself? You are already a cripple, do you want to be fat as well?¡± Melody scoffed, waving her index finger from side to side.


    The corner of Chara¡¯s lips twitched.


    You are really asking for it!


    If it wasn¡¯t for her arms being tired and the delicious treat, she would have grabbed her pillow to give Melody another beating. Disregarding her visitor, she focused on her own fruit.


    ¡°Bon app¨¦tit.¡±


    Bringing the apple to her lips, she took a hearty bite, savoring the burst of sweetness that flooded her senses. But within moments, a faint tingling sensation crept over her lips, followed by a subtle itchiness spreading across her face.


    When was the last time I had some proper food? Err, actually, it¡¯s only been four days, but it feels a lot longer than that¡­ Chara reflected while chewing silently, and then swallowing.


    Suddenly, her throat constricted, making it extremely difficult to breathe. Droplets of sweat formed on her brow as her heartbeat quickened. With a gasp, she dropped the half-eaten apple.


    Frantically, she struggled to draw in air, but it felt as though invisible hands were squeezing the life out of her. Her vision blurred as the once brightly lit hospital room faded into murky shadows. Before she could comprehend what was happening, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she lost consciousness.

 Chapter 2 – Existential Crisis!

    After what felt like an eternity, Chara started to regain consciousness, but her body felt¡­ numb? For some reason, she couldn¡¯t feel her arms or legs. In fact, she couldn¡¯t feel anything at all.


    Urgg¡­ Where am I?


    Her mind felt like it was surrounded by a thick fog. It was as though she were dreaming.


    Wh-What¡¯s going on¡­?


    She tried to open her eyes, but nothing happened. There was only darkness.


    Huh?


    There was no physical sensation of opening her eyelids, no vision, no apparent feedback whatsoever.


    Confused, she tried to move her arm, but there was nothing this time either.


    Eh?


    Nothing happened. She didn¡¯t feel a thing. It was as if she had only imagined curling up her arm but decided not to do it.


    Finally awake from her stupor, Chara was starting to get a bad premonition.


    She tried to focus on her surroundings, but this only conjured up a mysterious dream-like fog, as if she¡¯d been stuck in clouds.


    Where am I?


    She called out, or at least tried to, but no sound escaped from her mouth. Her unsaid words echoed quietly inside her consciousness, as if trapped within the confines of her mind.


    What¡¯s wrong with my body? Eh? Uwaaaaaaaaaa!


    Chara intended to scream, but there was silence. She tried to move her arms, but nothing happened. She tried to kick her legs, but nothing happened.


    This isn¡¯t right! Why can¡¯t I feel anything? This isn¡¯t possible! What is happening to me¡­? Why can¡¯t I do anything?


    It was like she was a consciousness floating in space.


    Could¡ª Could it be that I don¡¯t have a body!? Did I turn into a ghost!? Chara desperately hoped she was wrong, but with the concrete lack of anything, she couldn¡¯t help but assume the worst.


    She tried to feel around with her body, but nothing happened. She tried reaching out with her mind, but all that entered her senses was more fog. She tried moving around imaginary objects, but aside from a bit of swirling, nothing happened.


    Panic set in as her persistent attempts were met with repeated failures. Deprived of all her options, Chara decided to retrace her steps to see if she could find any clues. As she concentrated on her memories, little by little, a scene started to take shape inside her head.


    I remember¡­ I was in a hospital, talking with someone¡­


    It was my friend, Melody¡­


    Melody had come to visit because I was very unlucky and pitiful¡­


    She was cheeky and disrespectful, but also kind¡­


    Then, she brought out some fruit. It was very delicious¡­


    And then¡­¡­


    As she remembered the scene of her eating the apple, her mind started to boil. All of a sudden, her mind was flooded with a torrent of feelings. Anger, sadness, and unwillingness.


    The world was really unfair. One week, she was a healthy girl with a future filled with promise. By the next one, she was a destitute cripple, destined for a life full of hardship and misery. Her head hurt so badly that she immediately tried to bury what she just remembered.


    However, she tried her best to analyze the situation despite her sadness.


    I didn''t realize it until later but¡­ I remember feeling very itchy and my mouth going numb. Once I swallowed, my throat closed up and I couldn¡¯t breathe anymore¡­


    Wait, isn¡¯t that¡­ Did I get an allergic reaction?


    Chara was in disbelief. She was not allergic to apples!


    Was I poisoned?!


    No, I don¡¯t think so¡­ I don¡¯t remember the apple having any strange or unusual flavors. In fact, it was very delicious. Furthermore, Melody wouldn¡¯t do such a thing¡­


    And well, even if she did, how would she have any way of knowing which fruit I would pick? Wouldn¡¯t she have to poison the entire basket?


    Plus, I remember her also eating some of the fruit. If she had truly done this, then wouldn¡¯t the scenario turn from a murder to a double suicide?


    Chara was momentarily stunned by the ridiculousness of her own thoughts. Realizing that this line of thinking had too many inconsistencies, she started to consider other factors.


    Was there a problem with my stomach? Now that I think about it, I had been on a liquid food diet for days. They even made me drink so much of that disgusting medicine¡­


    Supposedly, this treatment was intended to make the surgery less complicated, increasing the chance of success, but it still failed in the end¡­


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    Could it be that my problem originates from here¡­?


    Chara ruminated on this idea before soon abandoning it. After all, she didn¡¯t know the first thing about medicine. Overall, her sudden accident left her feeling rather perplexed. However, when all is said and done, the most crucial and undeniable fact, was that she had likely died.


    Upon acknowledging this realization, Chara was overwhelmed by a profound sense of sadness.


    As the weight of her situation sank in, she began to think about all the things she would miss from Earth. She thought of the simple pleasures first. The taste of her favorite foods, like a perfectly ripe strawberry, a slice of hot, cheesy pizza, or a bowl of vanilla ice cream.


    Then, she thought about the digital world, the internet, with its vast repository of knowledge and endless entertainment. She reminisced about the hours spent immersed in video games, losing herself in fantastical worlds where she could be anyone and do anything.


    But above all, she missed the people, her friends, and her family.


    Dad¡­


    ***


    An unknown period of time later, Chara finally pulled herself out of her reminiscence. Although she was still mourning her loss, what was done couldn¡¯t be undone, and it was painfully clear to her that she was likely dead. But if that were the case, then it also raised several questions: if she had died, where was she now?


    She attempted to observe her surroundings, but like before, this yielded no results. There was nothing to see. The environment was shrouded in darkness so dense that it seemed nearly tangible.


    It¡¯s so dark¡­ I can¡¯t see, and I can¡¯t touch¡­ I can¡¯t feel my own body, nor hear my own voice¡­


    It feels like I don¡¯t even have a body¡­


    It was as though her consciousness was detached from a physical form. The more she thought about it, the more horrified she became. She couldn''t help but wonder if she would remain in her current state forever.


    It was at this point that her thoughts took a turn for the worse.


    Assuming Chara died in that hospital, who am I¡­? Where am I¡­?


    Do I even exist?


    As she tried and failed to look around, she ended up putting way more thought and consideration into these questions than she was willing to admit. Currently, she was surrounded by darkness so deep, that even if she was spinning in circles, she wouldn¡¯t have noticed. The only thing that was constant was an indistinct fog that felt like it was clouding her senses.


    Is¡­ Is this reality¡­ Could this be a dream¡­?


    Am I really conscious ¡­Or is everything part of my imagination?


    In a state of great confusion, Chara was starting to lose her grip on reality and doubt her own existence. Although she wouldn¡¯t find out until later, right now, she was in an extremely delicate situation and at risk of disappearing entirely.


    ***


    Meanwhile, the council of Chara was having their own all-hands-on-deck meeting. Hundreds of imaginary Chibi versions of herself were sitting in a council room holding a very important discussion. The acting chairwoman mini-Chara who was in charge of directing the meeting was already starting to get dizzy from all the twists and turns in the discussion.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you all panicking a bit too much? We could just be in a coma.¡±


    The surrounding mini-Charas audibly gasped.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather be DEAD than spend another millisecond on a hospital bed!¡± shouted the mini-Chara representative in charge of the outdoors faction that had been steadily gaining popularity.


    Many of the mini-Charas nodded to show their support.


    ¡°What if when we were in the hospital; an evil scientist turned us into AI!¡± shouted the mini-Chara in charge of using R*ddit.


    ¡°¡°¡°AI!??!!?!?¡±¡±¡±


    Dozens of mini-Charas cried out in outrage and horror with a couple of them fainting from fright.


    Suddenly, one of the mini-Charas gracefully leaped onto a desk, immediately gathering everyone¡¯s attention. Once she was up on her pedestal, she washed over the entire council room with her gaze while letting out a laugh full of derision as if to make sure all the other council members knew she was looking down on them.


    ¡°Tsk. Tsk. Are all of you stupid? How can we be an AI if we aren¡¯t even artificial?! Do these mommies look artificial to you?¡± said the mini-Chara in charge of using Tw*tter ¡°X¡± in a mocking tone while pushing up her breasts with one arm and wiggling her right index finger.


    The acting chairwoman: ¡­


    The rest of the mini-Charas: ¡­


    After a long moment of dead silence, the doors burst open, and two mini-Charas dressed up as security guards burst into the council room. After the two security guards chased Tw*tter-in-charge around a desk like a child, they dragged her outside the council room while kicking and screaming.


    Peace had returned to the council room and justice had been served.


    Meanwhile, the mini-Chara acting as chairwoman lowered her head with anger and helplessness. She clenched her tiny fists as if she was the one who had to bear with all the world¡¯s many injustices. Just when it looked like all hope was lost, and the acting chairwoman was ready to declare the verdict that they might not exist; a pair of murmurs traveled across the silent council room.


    ¡°Hold on a second. How can we be a figment of our own imagination?¡±


    ¡°That would presume we exist! But if we are not real, then what are we?¡±


    ¡°Who was that?¡± said the mini-Chara acting as chairwoman with slight hope in her eyes.


    It was then that the pair of mini-Charas in charge of watching YouT*be videos at 3 am raised their hands nervously. All the other council members including the chairwoman swiveled their heads in their direction.


    ¡°Uwaa! Ah-hum¡­ I¡­ I think it was in a YouT*be video about philosophy. ¡®I think, therefore I am,¡¯ if I remember correctly¡­¡± said one of the two girls with spirals spinning in her eyes from all the sudden attention.


    Although the pair of mini-Charas didn¡¯t remember the specifics like who came up with the proposal, they knew that there was a philosophical argument that argued that the ability to think was proof of existence. After all, it¡¯s impossible to doubt one¡¯s ability to think because the act of doing so requires one to think. And so, the existence of oneself is not dependent on the existence of a physical body or anything else.


    The mini-Chara acting as chairwoman happily announced the verdict of the discussion.


    ¡°We Exist! We exist one hundred percent!¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°CHEERS!¡±¡±¡±¡±


    The council room burst into cheers and everyone in attendance popped open bottles of dopamine that they pulled out from somewhere for a celebration. It was in such a festive atmosphere that one of the younger council members decided to pour cold water on everyone¡¯s enthusiasm.


    ¡°Ah umm¡­ if we exist, then why can¡¯t we see anything?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    All the mini-Charas in the council room glared at her.


    The chairwoman snapped her fingers. Without warning, the doors to the council room burst open once again and two security guards came storming in, except for some reason; this time they were holding kitchen pans.


    ¡°Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!¡±


    She was never seen again.


    ***


    Having concluded her group therapy session for a party of one, Chara finally calmed down and let out an internal sigh of relief.


    Normally existing was something that people took for granted, but she was starting to get delirious from the lack of stimulation. At this point, she was cherishing every form of validation she could get.


    Assuming I¡¯m real, what am I?


    Chara continued to ponder over this question for quite some time.


    As she explored her new existence, she realized that her identity was not tied solely to her physical form. It was a part of her personal history and experiences, shaping her essence. In this intangible realm where she had nothing to lose except herself, Chara¡¯s memories became her anchor. It was as though her thoughts, emotions, and memories became her identity.


    Even without a physical body or any other identifying characteristics, Chara found pride in simply being herself. Although she wasn¡¯t aware, as she focused more on her memories to reaffirm her self-identity and existence, something inside of her started to change, for better and for worse.


    Eventually, her mind started to wander again, and she couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether she was slowly going insane.

 Chapter 3 – Mysterious Fog!

    Now that she was no longer having an existential crisis, she decided to try and figure out where she was, and ideally, what was going on.


    As for how she got there¡­ investigating this seemed like a lost cause. At the very least, it could be assumed that it occurred because she died, but without more information, this would probably be the extent of her findings.


    What¡¯s going on? Let¡¯s see¡­ I woke up. And then suddenly, I was here¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­¡­


    Chara¡¯s information gathering had reached a dead end. Thinking it couldn¡¯t be helped, she moved on to speculation.


    Let me think¡­ I guess I¡¯m either completely blind, it¡¯s really really dark, or I¡¯m in space¡­ concluded Chara.


    If this was a choose-your-own-adventure story, and she had the luxury of only having one, she would probably choose blindness. Obviously, she would never want to be blind if given the choice, but the other two possibilities were even less desirable.


    Space was out of the question; it¡¯s too scary and everything is too far.


    Darkness was also out. At least, if she could see the light of the stars, it would bring her a sense of reassurance. But it was so pitch black and dark that the only places where she could possibly be were trenches, labyrinths, and caves. It was too scary.


    As for blindness¡­ Hmph. If all I am is blind, then all I have to do is find a different way to see!


    Her rationale was mostly centered around baseless confidence.


    Chara let out a long remorseful sigh. If I¡¯m blind, it¡¯s a shame, but I won¡¯t be able to see my gorgeous reflection anymore. However, if it means I won¡¯t have to wake up in a stinky cave full of goblins, or a stranded space station full of man-eating aliens, then it¡¯s a small sacrifice I¡¯m willing to make¡­


    In the end, her ¡°speculation¡± turned out to be more like wishful thinking, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. The alternatives were too hopeless and too scary.


    Moreover, if it turned out she truly was in space or endless darkness, what would she even do? Travel sixteen light years to the nearest 7-El*ven? Figure out how to conjure light rays from her palms? She couldn¡¯t even figure out how to turn on her vision or make a sound!


    In any case, no matter which of the three turned out to be correct, she would still need to find a way to get around. So, it would be the most productive to just proceed under the assumption that she was blind. Even if it turned out she was wrong, at worst, she would only delay her 16-light-year journey by a couple of days.


    Once she was done deliberating over the various possibilities, Chara moved on to looking for solutions.


    Given that the problem she was trying to solve was blindness, what better place to look for inspiration than blind people? After taking a moment to recall the relevant information, she remembered that blind people got around the issue of blindness by compensating with their other senses.


    If I remember correctly, animals like bats and dolphins can emit sounds that bounce off objects and return to them. By timing how long it takes for the sound to return, they can estimate the distance to those objects. Yes, I believe it was called ¡°echolocation¡±¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­¡­


    Okay, so how do I make sound?


    The most obvious solution was revealed to be a dead end.


    Realizing that her past life memories wouldn¡¯t be nearly as useful as she had hoped, Chara let out an internal grimace, before sighing.


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    After waking up, I immediately started panicking. It wouldn¡¯t be weird if I missed something obvious¡­


    Chara sunk into concentration. After meticulously going over everything that happened since waking up, she realized that there was one phenomenon that she had been subtly ignoring. That is, ever since regaining consciousness, her mind felt like it had been surrounded by a mystical, dream-like fog.


    Initially, she had assumed that the fog wasn¡¯t real. Instead, it was a product of her half-asleep imagination. Chara didn¡¯t have a way to keep track of time, but she felt like it had been a hot minute since she woke up. Despite that, the fog had persisted even now, long after she had become fully lucid.


    Hm¡­ based on everything that¡¯s happened so far, I¡¯m probably not dreaming. Moreover, my mind is far too clever to come up with a dream as simple and uninteresting as this¡­


    If this was my dream, I probably would have been jump-scared by Liliana by now. But since I haven¡¯t, the only logical explanation is that everything that has happened so far, including this dream-like fog, is real!


    Even though the way she went about it was all wrong and her reasoning was weird, Chara somehow managed to stumble upon the correct answer. Or at least she hoped she did.


    In any case, she had a feeling that this weird fog could be the key to regaining her senses or even developing new ones. Having said that, due to her inability to detect anything else, including herself, she didn¡¯t actually have a choice but to make it work. If she couldn¡¯t, then she¡¯d be in a real pickle.


    Feeling a bit uncertain about where to begin, she decided to start with something simple. She would clear her mind and just focus on her senses, without attempting anything elaborate.


    Ideally, it would just work, and a three-dimensional map of her surroundings would magically appear inside her head. But if that really happened, it would either mean she had become an extreme genius of the likes the world had never seen, or she had transformed into a genuine alien.


    Hm¡­ Supposedly, when people lose their vision, their brain compensates by making the rest of their senses more sensitive or something¡­


    Hehe~! I¡¯m not really sure if ghosts have brains, but let¡¯s see if I can achieve something similar!


    Chara was more open to the idea that she could be a peerless genius than she was willing to admit.


    Once she cleared her mind and calmed down, a task that took her much longer than originally anticipated due to her recent agitation, she entered a state of shallow meditation. Once she was feeling relatively ¡°Zen,¡± she tried to focus on her senses instead.


    The power within¡­ The power within¡­ The power within¡­


    ***


    Nothing happened¡­


    It was a complete failure.


    To Chara¡¯s utter shock and disappointment, even after meditating for so long, and nearly becoming a part of nature, the much-desired 3D map did not appear in her head.


    She was still blind, but her intuition told her that if she looked up, there would be little rain clouds forming above her head. It was a woman¡¯s intuition.


    Despite her low spirits, she didn¡¯t truly think her previous attempt was a complete failure. While it was true that she wasn¡¯t able to get the result she was hoping for, there were two things that drew her attention.


    The first is, while she was meditating, Chara felt a very slight sense of pressure. It was gentle, like air delicately brushing against her skin, only a lot more intimate. She couldn¡¯t think of a good way to describe it, but the feeling was not merely that of air brushing against her form, she was part of it. Initially, the feeling was so subtle that she hadn¡¯t even noticed it, but once she became conscious of it, it became natural, as if it had always been this way. It was a surreal experience.


    I wonder where this feeling is coming from. Wait, wouldn¡¯t this imply I have a body? If not, then how else would I be able to feel anything? Perhaps I can even use this to solve my blindness problem¡­


    The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that this was plausible. At the start, she could use the feeling of pressure to gain initial awareness over her body. Then, she could extend this awareness to cover even greater parts of her surroundings. In any case, she wouldn¡¯t know until she tried.


    That aside, while I was meditating, was it just me? Or did the fog seem a lot more¡­ clear?


    While she was in meditation, she felt like she could sense the ethereal dream-like fog much more clearly. Not only that, but she also started to feel a faint impression of clarity from it, though she was uncertain if and why this was the case.


    It¡¯s basically fog! It should be the other way around! Maybe my imagination was making things up¡­


    The issue is¡­ without a meaningful comparison, she couldn¡¯t say for certain whether there truly was a difference before and after she entered meditation or if it was just her hallucination.


    Well even if I did see more clearly, what am I supposed to do with this information? It¡¯s completely useless! What I need, is the ability to see farther, not more clearly¡­


    In that case, what should I do to increase the distance?


    Perhaps, the problem is that I¡¯m focusing too much on my senses, instead of trying to feel the fog itself?


    Or maybe, I just have to feel outwards¡­?


    Or could it be that this fog is actually blocking me, and I¡¯m supposed to be trying to see past it¡­¡­?


    Uuuu¡­


    Chara didn¡¯t know what to do. She was making too many assumptions with not enough information.

 Chapter 4 – Weird Perception!

    After pondering for a bit longer, she decided to first attempt the idea of ¡°feeling outwards,¡± even if she had no idea how that would be accomplished.


    If this fails, then I¡¯ll try ¡°feeling the fog¡± next. If that fails too, then, hopefully by then, I¡¯ll have uncovered enough new information to come up with something new, because if not¡­ Chara didn¡¯t finish her thought. There was no negativity allowed.


    After putting an end to her musings, she re-entered a state of meditation. This time, rather than focusing on her senses, she redirected her efforts towards trying to feel ¡°outwards¡±, as unusual and superstitious as that sounded.


    As if responding to her intention, her awareness started to expand in every direction. Soon, a chaotic tempest of distinct hues and impressions had materialized within her purview. Although she wasn¡¯t sure how, she found that she could now perceive everything around her.


    I¡ª I can see~!! exclaimed Chara, full of delight.


    This delight was short-lived, however, as she soon realized that ¡°everything around her¡± wasn¡¯t very far. For some reason, anything beyond a certain radius just gradually faded away until it disappeared, as if it were being concealed by a blanket of darkness. Moreover, even the little she could sense, was only an unintelligible mess of ¡°colors¡± that she couldn¡¯t make any sense of.


    To say she was utterly disillusioned¡ªwould be a complete understatement.


    Lamentably, the greatly sought after, simple-to-understand, state of the art, auto-updating, enemy highlight, magical 3D map of her surroundings that she had hoped for, did not materialize. What she got instead was more akin to an impressionist painting from the fourth dimension. Except, instead of using color, her surroundings were expressed using an ethereal dream-like fog.


    That was to say¡­ it was really blurry.


    This¡­! This is completely useless!! I literally can¡¯t see anything! If my senses look like this, then I won¡¯t be able to tell a cat from a dog!


    Haahh¡­ No! calm down me¡­!


    Chara took a moment to collect herself before continuing.


    The vision of babies is very different from that of adults. I don¡¯t remember the specifics, but there is a reason baby toys are designed the way they look¡­


    Technically, what I did just now, is similar to a baby opening their eyes for the first time. In other words, as long as I wait patiently, everything will gradually clear up over time!


    Having come up with a suitable excuse, Chara found some room to relax. Alas, during her escape from reality, she forgot to consider that babies don¡¯t grow up in a day, or even a week. At least, human ones that is.


    As she waited for the wave of new sensations to burn in, the myriad of colors and sensations slowly started to become more coherent. Even if the scene in front of her was far from comprehensible, it was still clear enough for her to start making some basic observations.


    For example, things did not flicker in and out of existence. Everything was extremely continuous and stable. If she felt so inclined, she could even track a specific trail of mist, and watch as it traveled across her perception until it disappeared on the other side.


    Additionally, although the way the colors moved around was seemingly chaotic and random, when she zoomed out, it was also extremely uniform. Even if she was unaware of its underlying mechanics, there was undoubtedly a method to the madness!


    Although she didn¡¯t quite understand the scene in front of her, it did help her clarify that she probably wasn¡¯t in a dream. Chara thought very highly of herself, but even she wasn¡¯t shameless enough to believe her brain was big enough to produce something so intricate and detailed, this consistently. She would probably have a stroke.


    Oh! I think I¡¯m getting somewhere. I think I might have turned out to be a peerless genius after all. Uwehehe~! Chara laughed.


    Feeling reinvigorated by the quick results, she quickly increased her momentum. Little by little, she started to understand more about the strange and mysterious fog. But the more she gleaned, the more confused she got over time!


    She had no idea how to interpret the new stream of information. It was like she could feel everything around her simultaneously, like gusts of wind brushing against her skin. Except unlike wind where all she could feel was air pressure, what she was feeling now was exponentially more complex and sophisticated. And to her dismay, the additional detail didn¡¯t manifest in the form of something easy to comprehend like higher sensitivity. Instead, she was given its complete opposite, a broader spectrum!


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    It could clearly be seen that her new form of perception had taken a vastly different shape from anything like her previous senses. Right now, she felt like someone had taken her sense of vision, removed her blind spots; making it 360-degree, made it more tactile¡­ And then removed all the colors! Instead, replacing them with something akin to smell, giving her the ability to infer the ¡°scents¡± of anything that entered her eyesight, or more accurately, area of detection.


    The influx of sensations and impressions she experienced felt overwhelming. For Chara, this was completely unbearable!


    Actually, in her current situation where she¡¯s essentially blind, having a robust new form of perception with a diverse palette was extremely beneficial. She was just too inexperienced to take advantage of all its benefits. With only her current level of understanding, all the additional detail did was confuse her.


    In fact, it was no different from handing her a giant spreadsheet filled with tens of thousands of data points, and then asking her to make a detailed map visualizing the forecast for tomorrow¡¯s weather. It was absolutely impossible!


    In this moment of vulnerability, Chara could clearly picture a bunch of Chibi versions of herself, running around inside her head like a flock of headless chickens. The scene felt very amusing, but once she realized the scene was a mockery of herself, she quickly imagined a Ch*in Ch*mp chasing around the little girls and eating them one by one. It was very refreshing.


    After procrastinating for about one more minute, Chara finally got bored and gave in to her fate.


    ***


    Chara continued to focus on her newfound ¡°vision¡± to see if she could uncover any insights.


    After spending ages just staring into space, Chara figured out that the ¡°mist¡± that populates her perception could be divided into several fundamental ¡°colors.¡± These hues were not truly colors, at least not like any she had encountered before. She simply thought of them as ¡°colors¡± for the sake of convenience.


    However, what intrigued her the most was the fact that each ¡°color¡± gave her a distinct impression, making her unable to mistake one for the other.


    The first color felt very free and unrestrained.


    The second color seemed very solid and stable.


    The third color was very calm and chilly.


    And the fourth color felt slightly dark and gloomy.


    The reason she found this intriguing was because she obviously didn¡¯t have any prior impressions of any of these ¡°colors¡±, as she had never seen them before. This was important because it meant that either she had new instincts, or the impressions were an innate characteristic of whatever it was she was sensing.


    Additionally, Chara could intuitively guess that there were probably more ¡°colors¡± than only the ones around her.


    I mean, if there¡¯s a cold color, then doesn¡¯t that mean there¡¯s a hot color? And if there¡¯s a dark color, then shouldn¡¯t there be a light color?


    Umm¡­ I guess it¡¯s also possible that separate hot and light colors don¡¯t exist. Instead, they could just be different shades of the cold and dark colors¡­


    Although she had made remarkable progress, Chara still ended up being left with more questions than answers. Her current understanding was that there are several different hues of mist, with each color giving her a distinct ¡°impression¡±.


    These differently colored mists displayed a tendency to want to converge towards other mists of the same color. However, once this actually took place, they would then be separated by mist of a different color. She didn¡¯t really know what to make of this. Either way, she was confident she would figure it out once she started looking around.


    Still in meditation, Chara tried to shift her focus from ¡°feeling¡± around her in every direction, to trying to ¡°feel¡± only in one direction. Her surroundings quietly dimmed, and a couple of seconds later, all she could perceive was a cone in front of her, just much farther and much more detailed.


    Whoa¡­


    She had no clue how she did that, but she wasn¡¯t complaining. Very few things had been convenient for her since waking up.


    Once she was done marveling at how amazing and talented she was, she tried molding her cone of perception into different shapes just to get an idea of how it worked.


    To her surprise, it just kind of worked, albeit clumsily. It was a bit finicky, but when she willed it, her area of perception would morph into a sphere, a cone, a cube, and any other conceivable shape. Unfortunately, her control was a bit clumsy, so all of her shapes could be found with fuzzy edges.


    While she was fooling around, one of the things she noticed, is that what she calls her ¡°perception,¡± appears to have a limit. She can move around and displace her awareness in any way she wishes, but the amount of things she can perceive at once is always fixed.


    This means, that if she inflates the volume of her perception past a certain limit, it will cause her surroundings to become fuzzy and indistinct, like she doesn¡¯t have enough sensors to fill the entire area.


    In a similar way, if she crams all of her perception into a smaller area, everything will look clear and precise, like she¡¯s looking through a microscope.


    That said, these are things she has to go out of her way to do intentionally.


    Although she doesn¡¯t quite understand how it works, her perceptive pressure seems to have a kind of equilibrium. So, if she doesn¡¯t consciously direct her senses to focus on a smaller area, or expand them past their limit, they will always retain roughly the same volume.


    The only exception to this is when she retracts her senses completely, returning the world to darkness, like when she first woke up.


    Wait, if I can retract my senses completely, then where are they going? Shouldn¡¯t they originate from ¡°me¡±? wondered Chara, slightly perplexed.


    With her curiosity sparked, she quickly thought of a quick experiment to confirm her theory. First, she retracted ninety percent of her perception. Then, by relaxing the remaining ten percent, due to its equilibrium, it naturally settled into the form of a sphere, like a bubble trying to overcome surface tension.


    There, at the center of the sphere, rested an iridescent vortex full of life and energy, both brighter and denser than anything she had seen since waking up. Iridescent particles swirled in and out of her form, some of them wisping off her lost to the greater unknown, while others rejoined her like she was a nascent cloud.


    Holy crap! Is that me?!

 Chapter 5 – Reconnaissance!

    Chara was spellbound.


    As she inspected her new form, she was mesmerized by the torrent of iridescent particles swirling in and out of her body. Simultaneously, a symphony of the surrounding mists encircled her, constantly trying to engage with her form, but never quite touching. Only keeping their distance with a graceful reverence, as though she were mother nature¡¯s most beloved child.


    Ooooooooo! I¡¯m not entirely sure how I feel about becoming a swirling cloud of mist, but if I¡¯m this captivating, it might not be so bad. Uwehehe!


    Once the novelty wore off, a process whose length of time won¡¯t be specified, Chara couldn¡¯t help but be confused and filled with questions. This was because, as far as she could tell, the iridescent mist that made up her body was very similar to the colorful mist that contextualized her surroundings.


    At first, she only thought of the mysterious mist as a means for her newly found perception ability to interpret her surroundings, but as she just found out, it¡¯s possible that she might be made of the stuff entirely.


    Am I using myself to sense myself? That doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­ Chara thought in disbelief.


    In any case, then what¡¯s the difference between the mist in my body and the mist in the environment?


    Feeling inquisitive, Chara began to scrutinize herself more attentively, as if she was determined to uncover all her secrets. Upon a more thorough examination, she was able to identify some differences.


    Although her body appeared to be made of the same mist that permeates her surroundings, it was also distinctly different. Unlike the surrounding mist, where each individual particle contained a single distinct impression, or ¡°color¡±, hers did not. Instead, they constantly fluctuated from one faint impression to another, in an endless limbo, resulting in her resplendent, iridescent look.


    This impression is so sophisticated, it¡¯s practically alive. Neat¡ªbut also weird! It¡¯s like it wants to change color, but isn¡¯t sure what to pick¡­


    Chara observed as a small puff of mist wisped off the top of her head, separating from her body. Independent, its iridescence gradually faded, instead being replaced by a dark and gloomy impression. Soon, it was indistinguishable from the gloominess that enveloped her surroundings.


    Wait. Hasn¡¯t this stuff been radiating from me this whole time? Err, is that a problem? Have I lost a tone of volume without even realizing it?!


    Unbeknownst to Chara, her sudden bout of anxiety caused some of the mist around her to change color, but it quickly dissipated before she could take note of its appearance.


    Hah¡­ it¡¯s probably fine. I¡¯m not really sure what I turned into, but God would have never permitted the existence of a species that could disintegrate on its own. And even if He did, then natural selection would make sure it was extinct long before it had a chance to make it onto any protection lists or get its own Wikipedia article¡­


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    And while it was true that mist had been radiating off of her the entire time, she didn¡¯t appear to have lost any volume as far as she could tell, not that she was looking out for this in particular.


    Having more or less accepted that her body was weird, Chara decided it was about time she started moving around. Even though she could continue to learn about her perception and her newfound body without moving, she believed there was more to be gained from exploring her surroundings.


    She would have liked to immediately start moving, but she thought it would be more prudent to try and scout her surroundings first using her new sensing ability.


    Already starting to get familiar with the sensation, she broadened her perception to its full volume. As she cast her vision to look for anything of note, she came to a belated yet expected realization.


    Chara sighed, I can¡¯t see far enough¡­


    With a touch of disappointment, she retracted her vision so it wouldn¡¯t distract her while thinking. Although she had made remarkable progress, she still had a hard time tuning it out when she didn¡¯t need it.


    Sigh. I¡¯m not gonna lie; I have no idea how I¡¯m going to avoid getting lost. Without a GPS or at least a compass, even if all I do is move in a straight line, I¡¯m probably going to end up circling around sooner or later. Since the fog is always moving around randomly, then even when I¡¯m sitting completely still, it¡¯ll still seem like I¡¯m moving, even though I¡¯m not¡­


    Just as she was considering whether she would have to choose a random direction and deal with whatever followed, Chara had an idea.


    Her idea was very simple; urge her perception to cover as much area as possible. If successful, she could scout her surroundings without having to move an inch.


    If it doesn¡¯t work, well I guess that¡¯ll be the end of that. But if it does, then even in the worst-case scenario where I don¡¯t find anything of interest, then I¡¯ll at least know that, and simply move on with my day¡­


    Having concluded her brainstorming session, she crudely extended her perception to its full volume.


    As expected, it didn¡¯t cover very far.


    Chara started her mental preparations. Just like when she first figured out how to use her perception, she entered a state of meditation. She had a feeling she was going to need it.


    Just as she was getting herself psyched up, getting ready for what she was going to do next, her heart was enveloped in a feeling of apprehension.


    Uuu¡­ Why am I getting nervous now? I can¡¯t get cold feet here! If I can¡¯t even do this, then how will I ever begin exploring?!


    She didn¡¯t know where her sudden nervousness stemmed from or what it meant, but she wasn¡¯t about to let an unknown stimulus triumph over her well-thought-out reasoning.


    Once all her mental preparations were complete, Chara put all of her concentration into trying to inflate her area of awareness to be as large as possible. As her perspective ballooned and covered a greater area than ever before, she could gradually feel a burden piling up over her mind. However, this didn¡¯t stop her from pushing further.


    Uuuu¡­


    As she forcibly increased the range of her awareness beyond its natural limits, her surroundings started to lose detail. Unexpected, but that was fine as all she needed were the broad strokes.


    Chara¡¯s mind swelled. Uuu¡­ I¡¯m starting to think I should have prepared for a longer time before attempting this¡­


    The farther she stretched her perception, the heavier the burden over her mind. Every additional meter was taking more and more resources to maintain.


    Uuuu¡­ just a bit further¡­


    Her view got wider and wider until she encompassed the entirety of her surroundings within her purview.

 Chapter 6 – Underground Cavern!

    As Chara¡¯s view got wider and wider, she started get a massive headache.


    She felt like if she was still human, there would be veins throbbing all over her head and her eyes would be nearly bulging out of their eye sockets. Recognizing that she had long past the point of diminishing returns, she quickly pulled back before she passed out or worse.


    As a result of stretching her perception so thin, her view of her environment was extremely fuzzy and indistinct. The lack of discernable detail meant that she needed more time than usual to properly interpret her surroundings.


    Despite the fuzziness starting to cloud both her mind and her perception, Chara tried her best to maintain her current state while also taking note of her surroundings.


    One thing that immediately drew her attention was the abundance of areas that only contained the solid and stable color. This was not only because these areas surrounded her from every direction, but also because she was having a hard time sensing them in the first place.


    Why does the mist in these areas seem so much¡­ thinner? Or is it really? I can¡¯t tell. It¡¯s too fuzzy and I can barely sense anything¡­


    Chara was about to move to take a closer look, when she felt her mind nearly dissolve as she was overcome with searing pain.


    Arg¡ª UWAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!


    Chara felt like she was slowly dissolving, from every direction at once. In a moment of desperation and instinct, she completely retracted her perception until she could no longer sense even what was right in front of her.


    She wasn¡¯t clear whether this was helping, but it did make her feel just a bit safer. She tried her best to maintain her fading consciousness, but gradually succumbed to her exhaustion, passing out.


    ***


    When Chara woke up, she quickly remembered everything that happened. Only now that things had completely fallen apart, did she recognize that she might have been acting too recklessly, making her feel frightened and ashamed.


    Uuu¡­ Note to future self. The body is very wise. Do not ignore its warnings. They are there for a reason¡­


    Once she finished reflecting on the earlier incident and calmed down, she promptly began preparations for moving around as originally planned. She was wondering whether she would have to spend an eternity learning how to move, but to her delight, her worries were unfounded. Just like with her perception, when she thought of moving, her body just did as she envisioned. She even began to think there might be a correlation between perception and movement.


    She lightly wondered how her movement worked, but as there didn¡¯t appear to be anything obvious propelling her, she didn¡¯t think she would be able to figure this one out.


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    As for exploration¡­ Naturally, she didn¡¯t know a thing about scouting or exploration. Her idea of exploring was just wandering around and looking for things that might be interesting like a tourist. She was a city girl through and through.


    And with that misconception, Chara took her first ¡°step¡± into the great unknown.


    The first thing that caught her attention was a very large column. Unlike the surrounding mist, which constantly swirled around in a never-ending tempest of chaos, the mist within this pillar was mostly settled and unmoving.


    This must be one of those areas that I was having a hard time sensing earlier. It looks like I was right, the mist really is thinner, but why is it so stagnant? It¡¯s barely moving¡­


    I¡¯ve already seen this color floating around freely, so it¡¯s probably not just because of its impression. So why is it different here?


    Did it turn into a solid? No, that doesn¡¯t make any sense. The mist within the pillar is actually even more sparse than the mist outside of it, which is floating around freely.


    Floating in place like this shouldn¡¯t be possible, unless there¡¯s something silly going on like the mist literally being held in place by something else¡­


    Wait¡ªcould it be trapped within a solid?!


    Floating over to take a closer look, she concentrated her perception around the exterior of the mysterious column. And as she suspected, when the fuzziness went away, what was revealed to her was akin to a high-resolution 3d scan of a weathered looking stone surface!


    Witnessing this, she was instantly reminded of her earlier survey, and how these areas were surrounding her from every direction. As she took a moment to finally complete the puzzle pieces, it dawned upon her that she was probably in an underground cavern like the ones she had only seen in documentaries and picture books.


    So, I really am in an underground cavern. Well, at least I¡¯m not in outer space. Probably¡­


    Returning from her musing, she decided to try scaling the pillar until she reached either the floor or ceiling, but as she started moving, she just kept going, and going, and going, and going¡­


    What the heck? They¡¯re HUUUGE!


    She had already vaguely guessed when she looked over the entire cave at once, but it hadn¡¯t quite registered just how big they were, or rather, how small she was in comparison.


    Wait!! C¡ªcould it be that I¡¯m like¡­ super small?!


    She didn¡¯t have any idea of her current size as there was nothing familiar to compare to, but she wasn¡¯t ready to accept that she could be gumball-sized either.


    No no Chara. Those umm¡­ stalagmites could just be enormous. Wait, no. Why are you getting self-conscious over your size? There is nothing wrong with being small! Wait, that sounded really patronizing. Wait, that sounded worse! Ah, no. Uwaaaaaaa!


    The particles inside her wisp-like body swirled rapidly.


    ¡­


    ¡­¡­


    After deleting the previous incident from her memory, she went back to exploring. As she brushed her perception through the stone, through the air, and everything around her, she could perceive the world in more vivid detail than earlier.


    Still slightly curious about the various earth formations, she wandered over to some nearby columns to take a look. As usual, the earth was suffused in a solid and stable color. But unexpectedly, there were also minute amounts of a color she had never seen before.


    This color felt very lively and energetic.


    However, even deeper below the earth still, there seemed to be small clumps of a newer different color.


    This color was very bright and visible.


    New colors¡ª! Hm¡­ All these colors are starting to seem oddly familiar, but I can¡¯t place my finger on why¡­


    Out of curiosity, she approached the pillar containing the bright and captivating color to take a closer look. As she wrapped the area with her perception, she asked herself a question.


    What is this?


    As if responding to her thoughts, a number of the particles on her body glimmered faintly before quietly vanishing. Out of nowhere, Chara felt like a stream of knowledge was transmitted directly into her mind.


    Uuu¡ª Uwaaaaaaaa!

 Chapter 7 – Information Transmission!

    Chara was utterly astonished.


    She was just looking at some interestingly colored rocks when out of nowhere, a stream of information transmitted itself directly into her consciousness. The next thing she knew, her mind was being filled with all kinds of knowledge about the earth, shape, texture, carbon, composition, pressure, temperature, humidity, patterns, clarity, beauty, and all kinds of other miscellaneous nonsense.


    She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what she was supposed to do with this information, or where it came from, but when she put it all together, it gave her a rough idea of the concept of ¡°diamond.¡±


    Scared me to death!!


    After being in profound silence for the better part of a week, upon suddenly receiving the psychological equivalent of a file transfer, it would not be an exaggeration to say that she was nearly startled half to death.


    Uuu¡­ Wasn¡¯t I just looking at rocks? What the heck was that¡­ whined Chara.


    Once she calmed down, she began analyzing the situation. Given the circumstances, she did not believe her most recent jump scare was without a proper cause. However, given that the only things around her at the time of incident were herself and an earthen pillar, was there really any need to keep guessing who the true culprit behind this incident was?


    Hmph. Fool me once, shame on you. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re hiding underneath that earthy facade¡­ accused Chara as she glared indignantly at the offending earth formation.


    It was the same one containing the clumps filled with the bright and visible color that she was inspecting earlier.


    Full of suspicion, she focused her perception and submerged it into the stone. The scene that was presented to her was one of roughly shaped rocks embedded sporadically throughout an earthen column, without a single alien to be found.


    Skeptical, she narrowed her perception onto the area with the color that was very bright and visible. Upon a closer examination, she realized that the clump¡¯s peculiarities might not be limited to just its unusual color. For example, unlike the rest of the stone¡¯s interior, the mist inside the bright clumps was very uniform and consistent, with very few irregularities.


    It was too conspicuous. How could Chara not suspect it?


    Hello¡­ Chara to Earth¡­?


    She waited a couple seconds for a response, but nothing happened.


    She sighed, I guess it really is just some strangely colored rocks¡­


    As far as she could tell, there was nothing particularly special about these rocks aside from their unusual impression and extreme consistency. Under the impression that she had hit a dead end, she was on the cusp of giving up when she had a realization.


    Wait, could those be diamonds?!


    Although she had only voiced this question in her mind, she was already certain of her conjecture. Alas, rather than becoming cheerful for uncovering the culprit¡¯s true identity, what she revealed was an even deeper mystery.


    Originally, she had assumed there might be something unusual hiding in her surroundings. However, upon discovering the primary suspect to be a shiny rock, she was forced to concede that the impetus behind the diamond incident may lie within herself.


    In that case, then what did I do that could have caused all that knowledge to go inside my head?


    Was it because I was looking? No, probably not. I was looking just now, but nothing happened this time¡­


    Err, was it because I had a question? Umm, no. That also seems unlikely. I have questions all the time¡­


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    At a loss for how to proceed, she decided to just go ahead and try recreating her earlier actions to see if anything happened. She didn¡¯t hold out much expectation, but still figured it was worth a shot, if only to confirm it didn¡¯t work.


    Chara focused all of her attention on suspected diamonds before voicing an internal question.


    What are you?


    Suddenly, a small amount of the particles in her body glimmered faintly before vanishing. The next thing she knew, there was a stream of information flowing directly into her consciousness, just like before.


    [Diamond]


    Ah. Ah! It worked! It really worked! Chara was elated, but after her excitement faded, she realized that she was still none the wiser as she still had no clue how or why that happened.


    Wait, why did some of the mist that makes up my body light up and disappear?


    Perhaps, because she hadn¡¯t seen the mist interact with anything meaningfully, she subconsciously considered the fog unreal, leading her to only think of the curious substance as a means for her perception.


    It was only after such a strange experience that she began to question the identity of the mysterious dream-like fog. From one moment to another, Chara felt like the fog around her suddenly became much more deep and profound. It was like the more she knew, the less she understood.


    In any case, now that she had realized that the enigmatic substance held a deeper mystery, she started to investigate right away. With renewed consideration, she began to carefully scrutinize everything she had observed about it until this point.


    Let¡¯s see. It¡¯s radiating out of my body and flying everywhere. It comes in various hues, and each color gives a distinct impression. Also, on top of having different hues, they can be used to do other things¡­ Eh. Ah! Uwa! Since when am I this dumb?!


    Chara quickly dove into her memories and focused on trying to recall the contents of the many audiobooks she had listened to while in her time in the hospital.


    These are like the literal vanilla magic elements in every standard fantasy story! How did I not realize it sooner?!


    When she reassessed the mysterious particles under the assumption that they were mana equivalents, a lot of seemingly disconnected and unrelated details suddenly aligned perfectly.


    Well, let¡¯s see. The most obvious parallel would be the solid and stable color being the earth element. As for the rest¡­ The dark and gloomy color is darkness, the bright and captivating color is light, the cold and chilly color is ice, and the free and unrestrained color is wind. As for the lively and energetic color¡­ uhh¡­ I want to say lightning, but then why is it infused within the earth?


    Because of a certain monster collecting game and the greater media, Chara had been conditioned into thinking of lightning and earth as mutually exclusive concepts, even though academically, she was aware that this was not the case.


    Well, whatever. Then this means the earth, light, dark, ice, wind, and lightning elements have been accounted for. That only leaves¡­ umm, fire and water¡­


    To be frank, when most people think of magic and magic tricks, a sizable portion will probably think of controlling fire. This is especially the case in the context of high fantasy where traditional spells like ¡°Fire Ball¡± and ¡°Explosion¡± have been a staple for years. No matter how dangerous, humans in general seem to have some kind of innate obsession with controlling fire, and Chara was no exception.


    Hmph! So what if I haven¡¯t found a color that corresponds with water or fire? That¡¯s still six out of eight. That¡¯s like¡­ 75% correct! calculated Chara, while deliberately not acknowledging the possibility that there could be more than eight elements, thereby lowering her correctness even further.


    Despite her many failings, she did have the mind to recognize that she might be jumping to conclusions. But after giving it some thought, she concluded it was not a problem.


    What will definitively prove if this is mana or chi or whatever is whether or not it can be used for magic. As for how I¡¯m going to accomplish this¡­ Uh, it¡¯s still a work in progress¡­ evaded Chara.


    Having declared her intent to use magic, she began to carefully consider what was in common between her two flukes. She was hoping to deduce the conditions for activating magic.


    Hmm¡­ During both instances, I was asking a question. However, this seemed more like an impetus rather than a requirement. Either way, when I attempt to use magic, I¡¯ll try replacing it with a statement. Asking a question feels kinda weird. Like, who am I even asking? The Devil?


    What else¡­ Oh! Both times I was looking at a thing¡­ Maybe when I¡¯m trying to use magic, the thing I¡¯m trying to affect has to be within my perception or something. At least, it would certainly explain why none of my previous questions garnered an answer¡­ surmised Chara with a touch of dissatisfaction.


    Her feelings aside, the only difference between then and now was her awareness. If her hypothesis were to be correct, then the reason why her questions failed to activate magic before, is because she didn¡¯t have a sufficient connection with a thing that contained the desired information. During her latest attempt, since she had both the subject within her perception, and it contained the desired information, the magic activated seamlessly.


    Chara lightly wondered what would happen if she didn¡¯t understand the information, but since she didn¡¯t have a way to test that now, she threw it to the back of her mind for later.

 Chapter 8 – Discovering Magic!

    As Chara put an end to her musings and made her way back towards reality, the sight that welcomed her back was the now long-forgotten diamonds.


    Eager to put her theories to the test, Chara immediately began an incantation!


    Ah¡­ Umm¡­


    Despite all her contemplation, the one thing she hadn¡¯t considered was what to say. After a brief moment to ponder over her statement, she began.


    Ahem, little diamonds! Dig your way out of the earth and come to me!


    Using her understanding of physics, she did her best to envision the desired result through her perception. She didn¡¯t know if this was necessary, but it didn¡¯t hurt to try.


    In response, she could feel an ethereal weight manifest over her mind. It was the weight of her decision and a potential future. It wasn¡¯t quite real and would not affect her. But she could tell it would be, but only once she took hold of it.


    Almost intuitively, Chara took hold of this weight.


    In concert, the presumed earth element mana around the diamond vein started to waver slightly. Taking this as a sign of initial success, she instinctively kept hold of the weight and started to push onto it.


    In accordance, the earth element mana¡¯s uncertain wavering started to become more organized. Very slowly, the precious stones started to push their way out of the hardened stone, just the way she envisioned.


    Concurrently, she started to accumulate fatigue. If this went on for much longer, she might end up passing out for the second time. Nevertheless, Chara was unwilling to let her first experience with true magic end with failure.


    After spending an eternity in silence, she could perceive as the shifting of the earth rippled the surrounding air and wind mana, causing the sounds of grinding stones to reverberate against her body. As the numerous diamonds grew closer and closer, the noises of grinding grew louder and louder, only intensifying her anticipation. Once the first diamond finally breached the earth¡¯s surface, a dim light radiated from the gem¡¯s surface, trying it¡¯s best to illuminate her surroundings.


    With one last push, the precious stone fully separated from the stone wall¡¯s surface, leaving Gaia¡¯s embrace¡­ only to be confiscated by the Devil as it fell upwards and vanished into the darkness.


    Eh?


    Following the first diamond¡¯s lead, the rest of the gems also began finishing their journeys as they too fell one by one, never to be seen again.


    No no no no no! Stop! Stoop! Uwaaaaaaa!!


    When she declared her intent to stop, the burden over her mind vanished, and the remaining gems stopped. Unfortunately, it was too little and too late. The majority of the diamonds had already left her zone of control, and even if they hadn¡¯t, as their positions were no longer being fixed by the earth, they would have fallen regardless of her intentions.


    What the hell! Why! Chara cursed the mysterious cavern for looking the same in both orientations. It was not that long ago that she approached an earthen column and followed its length to reach the bottom of the cavern. Who could have predicted that she had actually gone to the ceiling instead?


    Before she knew what she was doing, she had already rocketed after the fallen treasure. Astoundingly, she could vaguely sense many of the diamonds even after they¡¯d left her purview. Once she reached the base of the stalagmite and the cavern floor, she used this new radar like intuition to quickly locate the excavated gems.


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    It was only after reaching the first diamond did a pertinent question finally cross her mind. Err¡­ How am I going to carry these?


    A sane person probably would have retorted why little miss cloud needed them in the first place, but Chara was far too tired from her excavation to realize the absurdity of her current goal. That aside, her thought process was very simple, ¡°I found them. Therefore, they are mine,¡± and now she was simply going to collect what was hers.


    Chara would make an excellent colonist.


    If I can dig them out of stone pillars, then I don¡¯t see any reason why I shouldn¡¯t be able to pull them towards me¡­


    Using her new intuition, she tried best to lock on to diamonds. She wasn¡¯t sure what was causing this, but assumed it had to do with her earlier operation.


    My precious diamonds, come to me~!


    Using her imagination, she tried her best to envision the diamonds being pulled towards herself. In response to her proclamation, she could feel another ethereal weight manifest over her soul. With her budding intuition, she could tell at a glance that this use of magic wouldn¡¯t be as burdensome as her previous.


    But before she could act on this future, she was struck with a terrible sense of anxiety. Her instincts were screaming at her. Warning her that if she chose to proceed, she would be crushed under its weight.


    If Chara was still a human, right now she would be drenched in cold sweat.


    The last time she felt this much anxiety without a clear reason, was right before trying to scry the entire cavern. As she later found out, there was a good reason. She still doesn¡¯t know what the reason is, however, receiving a soul searing headache and passing out was more than enough lesson to teach her not to ignore her instincts.


    What¡­ What did I do wrong this time?


    It was only after hearing so many loud police sirens and seeing all the yellow tape that she decided that maybe it would be a good idea to take a look at her condition first.


    Upon witnessing her pitiful state, it was like someone had poured a bucket of cold water over her head. Chara instantly realized that she had been too enamored with the allure of magic and diamonds. So much so that she hadn¡¯t even considered what it would cost her.


    Of course, the answer was something that she should have already been able to guess. In almost every single fantasy story, spells and magic are fueled by mana, and mana is precisely what she¡¯s made of.


    Although she couldn¡¯t be described as a candle about to go out, Chara did guesstimate that she was less than a third of her initial density.


    She was wondering what she was going to do when she felt a gentle disturbance ripple across the surrounding mana. Had she not been focusing on her perception; she would not have even felt the disturbance.


    Chara instantly raised her guard to the max and went on full alert. However, even after expanding her awareness to its maximum extent, she still couldn¡¯t locate the cause of the disturbance. For something to supersede her range and be felt regardless of the distance, it could only be something big.


    Ideally, in a situation where the other party can sense you, but you can¡¯t sense the other party, the correct response is to immediately stop everything you¡¯re doing and run away. Unfortunately, she had yet to become aware of this vital piece of wisdom as she was fortunate enough to have not encountered any of the terrors that call this place home.


    As she wearily waited in place, filled with both wariness and anticipation, the disturbance quickly closed the distance, zeroing and on her location.


    When the assailant finally entered her area of perception, Chara could feel as all her weariness and fear were washed away. What was left was only curiosity and interest. When she finally snapped out of her trance, floating in front of her was a massive, dense, formless cloud of iridescent mana with illusory trails of mist weaving in and out of its ethereal form.


    Although this mana contained the same iridescent quality as Chara¡¯s, unlike her colorless mana, this mana clearly contained a bias towards a particular color. It evoked a gentle and refreshing feeling, like sitting below an umbrella near a spring while listening to the sound of running water under the light drizzle of rain.


    It was the element of water!


    Overcome with temptation, Chara did something that she normally would have never considered doing in such a situation. Her mind abuzz with information, she tried her best to quickly decipher the result.


    [Curiosity Essence Spirit]


    Eh?


    Noticing her probe, the curiosity spirit did a little spin before releasing a magnificent shower of illusory water droplets that shimmered and sparkled before disappearing.

 Chapter 9 – Following Curiosity!

    As soon as the curiosity spirit finished its performance and the illusory water droplets faded, Chara had so many questions that she didn¡¯t even know where to begin.


    Curiosity essence? What the hell is ¡°essence¡±?


    Also, why was she dancing?


    Wait, why am I thinking of her as a ¡°she¡±?


    Did I just assign an amorphous cloud of mana a gender simply because it looked like she was dancing?


    Tsk tsk tsk. Chara, how can you still be assuming the gender of other clouds in the year of our Lord¡­ Uh¡­


    Still, calling her ¡°it¡± seems kinda rude, and calling her they slash them seems like too much effort¡­


    Oh well. Miss Curiosity, from today onwards, you are officially a girl~¡­


    Congratulations¡­


    It was in such a way, that an unknown curiosity essence spirit had been arbitrarily assigned a gender without her knowledge.


    Hold on, if Curiosity is a spirit, then doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯m a spirit too?


    What kind of spirit am I?


    Feeling slightly more curious about her last question, Chara quickly focused on herself full of both nervousness and anticipation.


    [Spirit]


    Spirit¡­ Why is it only spirit?


    Although she wasn¡¯t sure what she was expecting, she still ended up feeling slightly disappointed.


    In the meantime, the curiosity spirit seemed perfectly content to watch Chara swirl around in confusion and surprise, like an animal who had just seen its reflection for the first time. Once she finally managed to quell her rising number of questions, she looked up at the other spirit in apparent confusion.


    Seemingly noticing her gaze, the curiosity spirit explained extremely succinctly, ¡°Exploring.¡±


    Uu¡ª uwaaa!


    Seeing the little spirit nearly roll over backwards from just listening to her voice, the curiosity spirit nearly burst out into a fit of giggles. How cute~. This little one must have spawned only recently¡­


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Seemingly, she wasn¡¯t stealthy enough because not before long, the smaller spirit was gazing up at her while looking very aggrieved. Unable to hold back her emotions, this time she really did burst into a fit of childish giggles.


    Having had her fill of the silly baby, Curiosity began to inspect her surroundings. She agilely swept her gaze from one place to another, thoroughly combing through the entire cavern, leaving no stone unturned.


    In the process, the water element mana making up her body ceased its unconscious swirling, changing to a more controlled rhythm. Appearing to have confirmed something, the curiosity spirit narrowed her perception towards several particular areas. Without any forewarning, dozens of delicate mana tendrils splashed out from the whirlpool of curiosity and weaved into the surroundings.


    Suddenly, Chara could feel as the number of diamonds in her intuition quickly reduced. Before she could even realize what was going on, a mana tendril had already flown right past her and landed on the diamond she was floating over. Startled, she witnessed as the tendril of mana was suffused into the precious stone. A small amount of mana shimmered inside the gem before she could no longer feel the presence of this one either.


    Wha¡ª What the heck is she doing?!


    Once all the diamonds had been infused with her mana, the curiosity spirit elevated slightly before issuing a command in childish, yet mesmerizing voice.


    ¡°Gather up.¡±


    Suddenly, as if the numerous diamonds had been kicked awake, they tumbled across the cavern floor and gathered into a large pile in front of the greater spirit. Once all the remaining stragglers were present, she moved on with her next command.


    ¡°Form a line.¡±


    Without any signs of protest, the pile of precious stones swiftly separated from their pile and formed into a single file line. The curiosity spirit inspected her handiwork. Not at all satisfied, she added a modifier to her previous order.


    ¡°No! Arrange in order by size.¡±


    The pile of precious stones quickly broke formation and reordered themselves from largest to smallest. Finally pleased with the result, the curiosity spirit moved on to the last command on her itinerary.


    ¡°Follow me~!¡±


    With one last edict, the line of clumsy diamonds tumbled neatly and lined up before their queen. Finished with her preparations, the curiosity spirit turned her attention back onto the younger spirit and puffed up her mana in apparent gloating.


    In accordance with expectation, the little spirit was looking around in puzzlement and shock. If Chara was still a human, her jaw would have already fallen off and hit the floor from how wide it was open.


    What the heck?! When will I be able to do that too? Wait¡­ I already did something like that earlier. But it was so much more quick and efficient when she did it¡­ Am I doing something wrong?


    Once Chara finally came back to reality, she got startled and quickly scanned her surroundings to see if she had missed out on anything important. Upon realizing that the curiosity spirit was floating right in front of her and had been watching her the entire time, Chara felt very self-conscious and blushed in embarrassment, causing some of her iridescent mana to briefly change color and disappear.


    After a short peel of bell-like giggles, the curiosity spirit floated a bit closer, making her feel very nervous. Then, in a much softer voice, the greater spirit issued her a gentle reminder.


    ¡°You too.¡±


    The curiosity spirit floated away while humming in amusement. Before she knew what she was doing, Chara had already moved to the front of the sequence and was following the other spirit¡¯s lead as she moved deeper into the cavern.


    Eh¡­


    Where they were going, and why she had to follow, that is something only the curiosity spirit knew as of yet.

 Chapter 10 – Learning How to [Speak]!

    Chara would be lying if she said she wasn¡¯t scared.


    There were too many unknowns. She didn¡¯t know anything about the other spirit, she didn¡¯t know her motive, she didn¡¯t know where they were going, she didn¡¯t even know why she was following. Moreover, this only accounted for the mysteries she uncovered within the last 30 minutes. In fact, she barely knew anything about herself and only recently discovered that she was a spirit.


    Despite being surrounded by so much uncertainty, Chara had almost no choice but to bottle up her anxiousness and bear with it. She didn¡¯t want to do anything that could accidentally upset the other spirit.


    So far, the other spirit appeared to be friendly and approachable, but Chara had already personally experienced how easily feelings of favorability could be replaced with feelings of spite and was unwilling to test the waters.


    Moreover, they could hardly be considered equals. Not only was the spirit obviously much stronger than her, but her magic was also strange and mysterious. And this was even after discounting the invisible leash around her neck and her extremely low mana.


    Stuck in a situation where her continued well-being was almost entirely within another¡¯s hands, Chara couldn¡¯t help but be filled with fear and anxiousness. And yet, in spite of all her worries, her most dominant feeling was curiosity.


    Despite all her worries, what Chara was interested in the most was how the other spirit spoke. She didn¡¯t understand how it was being accomplished, but when Curiosity spoke, Chara simply understood.


    This completely went against her understanding!


    Normally, communication can only happen when two or more parties mutually agree; that a specific sound or gesture should represent a certain concept or idea. I.e. speak the same language.


    However, in the case of Curiosity, it was as if rather than speaking words from a language, she was just turning meaning into words, miraculously resulting in the words becoming meaningful in and of themselves. To her sense of audio, these ¡°words¡± sounded like complete nonsense, but to her intuition, they conveyed a clear idea, full of information and purpose. It was beyond science!


    As the procession of two spirits and myriad diamonds made their way down the cave, the curiosity spirit observed with interest as the little spirit bubbled with curiosity. Intuiting the smaller spirit¡¯s interest, the greater spirit saw an opportunity. Not aware if her idea was feasible, she prefaced with a question.


    ¡°Can you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    In response, the swirling of Chara¡¯s mana slowed like she was parsing the question. After a short pause, her swirling returned to normal. Then she let out a sudden jolt, before resuming her slow swirling. Then, she started bouncing up and down to show her agreement.


    Cute¡­


    The curiosity spirit didn¡¯t understand the smaller spirit¡¯s cute gesture but proceeded under the assumption that it meant affirmation.


    ¡°Then, would you like me to teach you how to [Speak]?¡±


    The little spirit¡¯s swirling decelerated as she considered the meaning of what she interpreted as the word ¡°Speak.¡± What she understood is the idea of conveying information. However, she had the impression that what the other spirit meant was slightly more specific than that. Either way, she floated up and down to show her affirmation once again.


    Taking note of her agreement, the curiosity spirit began her explanation. ¡°Using [Speech] is simple. First, [Imagine] a concept. Then, direct it outwards or at a target through your [Spirit]. Do not [Envision].¡±


    With her explanation concluded, she quieted down, and began observing the smaller spirit with subdued anticipation.


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    Chara kept waiting for the rest of the explanation, but it never came.


    ¡­¡­Wait, that was it?


    She glared at the other spirit, but the curiosity spirit only let out a childish giggle before going silent. Alas, this would only be the beginning of Chara¡¯s troubles.


    When she began reviewing the other spirit¡¯s explanation, she quickly realized that there were many things lost in translation. Well, it wasn¡¯t so much that the curiosity spirit had deliberately obfuscated her explanation, but simply, that she didn¡¯t have the required background information to understand her in the first place.


    It was like the time she tried probing the diamond vein. The word ¡°diamond¡± was not the literal content of the analysis; it was an approximation after Chara carefully interpreted and compiled the information. However, this was only possible because she knew what a diamond was in the first place. Had she not understood the concept to at least a basic degree, the information would have been completely unintelligible.


    The problem she was having now was similar to this, but only to a slightly lesser degree. That is, she understood what the spirit was trying to convey, but only partially or within her own comprehension. As a result, even in scenarios where both spirits were referring to the same concept, their interpretations could be completely different.


    In this instance, while Chara understood the definitions of both ¡°imagine¡± and ¡°envision,¡± she harbored the distinct feeling that she was being expected to interact with something literal. She was in a similar dilemma for the concept of ¡°spirit¡±. While she sensed that it referred to a specific part of her being, and that it had something to do with the soul, her understanding didn¡¯t extend much further.


    There was definitely some additional nuance contained within all four concepts. Unfortunately, it had to be discarded as miscellaneous information as there was no intelligible way to interpret it with her current understanding.


    Spirit? ¡°Spirit¡±?! I am spirit! How can I use myself to send communication? That doesn¡¯t make any sense! That¡¯s like saying, ¡°come up with words and then direct them at another person using human.¡± Why did you only give me the abstract and then shut up!? Are you actually trying to kill me with curiosity?


    As Chara got more and more frustrated, her mana started expanding and contracting while swirling faster and faster until she had turned into a swirling tornado. Soon, the little tornado even started producing different colors!


    Haah¡­ Where do I even begin¡­ Um, since she specifically dis-included it, I should probably figure out the difference between ¡°envision¡± and ¡°imagine¡± before I try anything¡­ concluded Chara, with her mana now making small rippling patterns.


    Um¡­ If I remember correctly, ¡°imagine¡± means to form a mental image, and ¡°envision¡± means to imagine a future possibility, or to visualize¡­ she recalled, as shallow waves of mana rolled across her form.


    So, like¡­ What? I have to imagine what I want to share, but I can¡¯t imagine how to accomplish it? And what if I want to share future plans? Uuu¡­ This is all so confusing! cried Chara, her rippling now very unpredictable and full of incomprehensible currents.


    Well, assuming I¡¯m right about ¡°imagining¡± something, then I just have to direct it outwards or at a target through my ¡°spirit¡±? What does that even mean?!


    Chara was confused. The term ¡°spirit¡± didn¡¯t make any sense. However, as she repeated the statement in her head, over and over again, she gradually came to realize that the only part of the explanation that didn¡¯t make sense, was the term ¡°spirit.¡± When she ignored the term ¡°spirit¡± and only focused on the instructions, ¡°direct outwards or at a target,¡± it was reminiscent of the way she manipulates her perception.


    Chara had a hunch. Could it be¡­ that the term ¡°spirit¡± is referring to perception? Or is it the other way around and perception is only a part of ¡°spirit¡±?


    Meanwhile, the curiosity spirit was having an absolute field day watching the little spirit¡¯s swirling adjust nearly every ten seconds as she nearly boiled with curiosity.


    Wow~! So many thoughts despite being so small¡­


    The curiosity spirit was happily swishing and swirling down the cave when a childish voice rippled against her spirit.


    ¡°Ah, um¡­ Can you hear me?¡±


    This time, it was Curiosity¡¯s turn to be nearly startled half to death as she looked around warily before her gaze finally landed on Chara.


    ¡°That voice¡­ Little Spirit, is that you?¡±


    ¡°You can hear me! It¡¯s me! I¡ªI can speak!¡±


    Chara was through the moon. Having been confined in a hospital room for years, she had already been permanently scarred by loneliness. However, even she could have never guessed that once she was finally put out of her misery, she would wake up in an even more miserable place.


    After many trials and tribulations, she finally learned how to perceive her surroundings and move around. Having regained her freedom of movement, with no future prospects regarding a body, the only thing she was missing was her freedom of speech. She was really starving for a conversation.


    Chara was so delighted by her success that she failed to notice the greater spirit¡¯s gradually worsening mood.


    ¡°Little Spirit.¡±


    Without warning, the little spirit¡¯s attention was suddenly no longer hers. Taken aback, Chara stared up at the greater spirit full of confusion.


    ¡°Do not speak.¡±


    Without knowing the reason why, she had lost the ability to speak.

 Chapter 11 – Curiosity’s Dilemma!

    Following the curiosity spirit¡¯s edict, Chara immediately tried to protest but found herself completely unable to. Realizing what had happened, she glared at the greater spirit full of anger and indignation. She had never felt so wronged in her entire life.


    Why bother teaching me a skill, if you were just going to forbid me from using it! Are you the Devil? I would have rather not learned it in the first place!


    As the little spirit glared at her brimming with petulant indignation, demanding that she return her ability to speak, the curiosity spirit felt a mix of both exasperation and frustration at the same time. Just when everything had been going so smoothly, she just had to go and undo all her previous work.


    This little baby is really too clever! How am I supposed to imprint myself onto your sense of curiosity if you can resolve your curiosity so easily? At this rate, you¡¯re just going to end up taking all of my secrets and then run away!


    As the curiosity spirit inwardly complained, she desperately tried to figure out where it all went wrong.


    Although Chara wasn¡¯t aware, the reasoning behind Curiosity¡¯s strange behavior could be more or less boiled down to one reason; she was looking for a friend. However, she wasn¡¯t looking for just any friend. Ideally, she was looking for a spirit with an inquisitive nature that she could drown in her curiosity so they could be all for herself.


    Unfortunately, her journey towards achieving this seemingly straightforward objective had been plagued with roadblocks, hardship, and betrayal. It wasn¡¯t even until recently that she had started making visible progress.


    And it was while bearing such a dissatisfaction that she ran into Chara.


    Curiosity could not believe her luck when she found a newly spawned spirit just loitering around all by herself. Fate must have seen it fit to finally reward her for all her efforts, even after letting her down countless times.


    After making sure to cut off all of the little spirit¡¯s means of escape, Curiosity put on a quick show, easily mesmerizing her unsuspecting target. As Chara looked around cutely with astonishment and disbelief, Curiosity knew it was her lucky day. Without a second thought, she activated her Bond¡¯s power, ordering the little thing to stay by her side, where she would never leave again. From here, she would gradually mold the little spirit to her liking, until she had the ideal ¡°friend¡± she always wanted.


    Contrary to her expectations, the little spirit was such a smart cookie, that she ended up having to throw away all of her initial plans almost immediately!


    To stimulate her curiosity, she had given the little baby only a small amount of information, and yet, the little genius was already speaking and asking questions before they had even arrived at their destination. It was a huge miscalculation!


    In her original plan, when the little spirit couldn¡¯t figure out how to communicate, she would get curious as to why she wasn¡¯t succeeding. Then she would get frustrated and pester the more knowledgeable and amazing her for a more complete explanation. In response, she would gently teach her, let her ask questions, give her little challenges, etc. All in order to stimulate the little spirit¡¯s curiosity as frequently as possible.


    But now that her little baby had figured out how to speak so soon, Curiosity was left at a loss for what to do. She was both really happy because she would have a kindred spirit to discuss all kinds of things with, and also really frustrated that nothing was going according to plan. Sadly, curiosity spirits gain just as much joy from relieving curiosity as inflicting it, a behavioral trait that occasionally caused her to make¡­ less than suboptimal decisions.


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    Now that you can talk, how will I be able to resist answering when such a cute, smart, and curious little baby starts peppering me with questions? Aaah! I¡¯ll run out of material to make you curious in no time!


    Curiosity didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Ideally, she would both order the little spirit to follow and forbid her from speaking, but to Curiosity¡¯s dismay, she could only enforce one order at a time. This limitation has been the source of no small number of frustrations for the greater spirit. Alas, all attempts at circumvention have been met with failure.


    From the curiosity spirit¡¯s perspective, there were two diverging paths ahead of her.


    The first path is one where she orders Baby to follow. In this scenario, what would likely follow is Curiosity being unable to resist answering all the little spirit¡¯s questions, and eventually running out of new things to share.


    Distressingly, curiosity had diminishing returns. Someone could only be interested in so many rocks before they stopped caring about what was so interesting about the next one. As for how long it would take Baby to reach that point, she wasn¡¯t sure. However, if the little genius¡¯s earlier display of intellect was any indication, then probably not long enough to execute her plan.


    The second path is one where she orders Baby not to speak. In this scenario, she can take her time teaching the little spirit at her own pace. However, she would have to either figure out a way to string along the little spirit or persuade her to follow willingly.


    All things considered, she didn¡¯t think Baby following voluntarily was very likely, especially after impulsively restricting her ability to speak for no clear reason. She could try ¡°persuading¡± her using violence, but she wanted the little spirit to be curious about her, not the next time she would get bullied.


    After weighing her options, the greater spirit uttered a sigh full of disappointment.


    Hah¡­ Where else will I ever find such a curious smart baby? I won¡¯t give up on you so easily. No choice¡­ I¡¯ll just have to forbid you from speaking so you can¡¯t ask me any questions¡­


    For the sake of her plan, the curiosity spirit went against her nature and resisted her curiosity, sealing away the little spirit¡¯s cute voice.


    In the meantime, I can just use a different method to keep you from wandering¡­ And for that, she had a very simple solution. She would use magic!


    As the swirling of her mana grew more controlled, a large portion flowed toward one spot. With a quiet gurgle, the amorphous cloud of iridescent water element mana rippled violently, forming a new appendage.


    If Chara was still here, then she would have immediately screamed and ran, because although the curiosity spirit didn¡¯t intend anything weird, the new appendage inadvertently ended up resembling the limb of a certain animal that was featured in many 2D adult-rated videos. It was a tentacle!


    Curiosity was about to reach out and grab the little spirit when she had a sudden realization.


    Where did Little Spirit go?


    ***


    Unfortunately for the curiosity spirit, Chara had already realized she could move and had left ages ago. She couldn¡¯t read minds nor was she interested in her kidnapper¡¯s backstory. How could she not take advantage of the greater spirit¡¯s inattentiveness to make her get away?


    That evil spirit has finally shown her true colors! Hmph, how can a stranger who forces me to follow them using strange tricks possibly be a good person?! She only wants me for my pure body (mana)¡­


    Technically she wasn¡¯t wrong, but Chara wouldn¡¯t have any way of knowing this without getting caught.


    Now the question is, where was she going? And the answer to that is; as far away as possible!


    Although Chara had never been pursued by a spirit, she wasn¡¯t dumb either. According to her experience, even if she tried using ploys like changing her route or leaving behind false trails, if the curiosity spirit realized she was missing before leaving her area of perception, then Chara would be detected almost immediately. Not that she knew how to do any of those things anyway.


    Aside from the previously mentioned examples, there was one stunt she was willing to pull since it wouldn¡¯t waste any time, and even if it was seen through, the worst that could happen was still getting caught.


    Uwahaha! That dumb spirit would never expect that I would actually escape in the direction she was going! Let¡¯s see how she will find me now¡­


    She didn¡¯t have a grasp of how large the other spirit¡¯s area of detection was; however, she didn¡¯t think it could be that big. While it was true that the greater spirit was many times greater, at the end of the day they were both spirits, so how big could the difference possibly be? Chara¡¯s own perception was so pitiful, that even if the difference turned out to be ten times, then it still wouldn¡¯t be that far.

 Chapter 12 – Being Pursued!

    Once Chara was sure she had gotten far enough away, she slowed her pace slightly and began to look around. She was surrounded by many stone columns, stalagmites, stalactites, and many other interesting stone formations.


    More cave¡­ Chara sighed. She was beginning to get exhausted by the repetitive scenery.


    Unexpectedly, when she floated down to the chaotic cavern floor, she ended up encountering something slightly curious. It was a stack of rocks piled one on top of the other. At the base, there was a more elongated slab pointing in the direction she was headed.


    Well, this is obviously unnatural. I wonder who stacked these¡­


    After observing the clearly manufactured stone formation for a bit longer, she lost interest and kept moving in the same direction.


    A while later, the silence of that area was disturbed by a cacophony of tumbling rocks and a very disgruntled spirit.


    Trying to run away? Hmph! Does she think she can get away simply because I¡¯m not restricting her movements? What a naughty spirit! She should be called a [Naughty Spirit] instead! When I find her, I¡¯m going to teach her a lesson¡­


    As Chara had guessed, although the greater spirit¡¯s area of detection was many times greater than her own, it still wasn¡¯t that big. Not only that, but she really had gone and looked for her little escapee in the direction where they originally came from. In fact, the only reason why she had stopped, turned around, and immediately made her way here, is because her bond briefly suggested that there might be something here.


    She looked around, but there was only the stack of rocks. If there had been anything else here, then it was most certainly gone. However, that in itself was also a clue.


    Before she could figure out what was going on, her bond whispered to her once again. This time, it was from further up ahead. Upon remembering what was there, her mana briefly changed color and rippled in enlightenment.


    Haha, I see! That little spirit is really too silly. No matter. Since she wants to deliver herself straight to my home, then I should give her a warm welcome. After all, she will be staying awhile¡­


    As a curiosity spirit, it is only natural that she can sense both curiosity and interest. This is especially the case when it is directed at herself. Concerning who stacked these rocks¡­ naturally, it was none other than Curiosity herself!


    In other words, when Chara was curious about who left behind a stack of rocks, she had unknowingly directed interest at her pursuer, inadvertently self-reporting her current location!


    Once you arrive, I¡¯ll make it so that you won¡¯t be able to so much as think of anything else, other than me¡­


    ***


    Another one? Who is out here stacking rocks in the middle of nowhere¡­


    Chara had encountered another stack of rocks piled up one on top of the other. Like before, there was a slightly longer rock at the base pointing in the direction she was headed.


    Unbeknownst to Chara, the rock at the base of the stack wasn¡¯t pointing in the exact direction she was going. This was only an illusion caused by her limited perception. Without realizing it, she ended up adjusting her traveling direction slightly to match the rock formation.


    After passing three more rock stacks, she started to observe a gradual change in the environment. As she moved along, the number of organically shaped stalagmites and stalactites started to reduce little by little.


    Soon, the forest of earth spikes had receded completely. What took its place was numerous polygonal, geometrically shaped earthen constructs, glittering with light mana.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    With so much light mana concentrated in one place, the numerous crystals were miraculously able to push back the darkness, weakly illuminating the underground cavern with a myriad of colors.


    For Chara, this was truly a sight to behold.


    Ever since waking up, she had only known darkness. Although she could sense the different elements of mana, this was not truly color. Those hues merely inform her of an objective impression indicative of what they represent. As a result, they are entirely devoid of the beauty and emotion that comes from subjectivity and forming one¡¯s own impression.


    Up until this very moment, she hadn¡¯t even been aware that she could sense color. As she floated away from the dark and monochrome forest of earth spikes and stepped into the colorful world of diamonds and minerals, Chara was completely mesmerized.


    The little spirit floated around full of interest. She couldn¡¯t help but notice how much farther she could see, compared to when she was surrounded by darkness. That¡¯s right, ¡°see¡± and not ¡°sense¡±.


    Uwaaaaaa~!


    Right now, if someone were to witness her unusual behavior, they might have been startled and thought that she was some kind of reclusive cave spirit who had seen light for the first time.


    As a myriad of crystals sparkled and twinkled around her, Chara couldn¡¯t help but immediately start complaining. What the heck!? Since when do I have vision? Aaa! This place is so beautiful! Uuu¡­ Why couldn¡¯t I have spawned here instead?


    After cursing her bad luck for a bit longer, she continued moving again. As she floated down the crystal cavern, she observed all kinds of unique and interesting light-based visual phenomena. Ambient lighting, translucency, reflections, refraction, fresnel. If something intersected between light and crystals, then it could be found here.


    Already being relatively familiar with how light worked, she was able to better appreciate and understand the differences between light and vision when juxtaposed with the intriguing dynamics of mana and perception.


    Hmm¡­ With vision, I can see much farther. However, it requires light, I can¡¯t see through obstacles, and low amounts of mana are barely perceivable¡­


    After thinking up to her last point, she was reminded of something else. When she had first woken up and still hadn¡¯t figured out how to sense mana, her senses were constantly clouded by darkness and an indistinct fog.


    Could it be that what was clouding up my vision was darkness and wind mana? Hm¡­ Since it¡¯s not so dark here, maybe if I close off my perception, the same thing wouldn¡¯t happen again¡­


    She wasn¡¯t sure, but the idea sounded plausible. She was kind of curious, but since it didn¡¯t seem very important, she threw it to the back of her mind for later.


    Actually. I wonder what my reflection looks like¡­


    Chara looked around curiously. A little bit further up ahead there was a crystal pillar with a relatively flat face on one side. She floated over to take a look.


    It wasn¡¯t very polished. Moreover, because she was looking at it head-on, the reflection was hard to see. Nevertheless, it was still clear enough to make out the sediment and various other rocks scattered throughout the floor.


    However, there was no reflection of Chara. In fact, there wasn¡¯t a single reflection of anything mana related. Only the glimmering of the other crystals and anything close enough to catch a bit of their illumination.


    Chara sighed. I guess I wouldn¡¯t be a very good spirit if I had a reflection¡­


    She was just about to float away in disappointment when a sudden gleam caught her eye before disappearing immediately. Slightly confused, she looked into the crystal. After another second, there was another glimmer, however, it came from the crystal¡¯s reflection, not its interior.


    Alarmed, Chara quickly focused on the area behind her. Since her vision was 360, she didn¡¯t need to turn around. Off in the distance, she could see something barely visible tumbling in her general direction, intermittently catching the light at just the right angle. It was a diamond!


    How¡ª How did she find me?!


    In a panic, she started to look around in agitation. Looking for the treacherous curiosity spirit that tried to kidnap her. Yet, what she ended up finding instead was many tumbling diamonds, all traveling in parallel, in the same direction as the first one she spotted, as if combing the crystal cavern for an escaped spirit.


    Uwaaaaaaaa!! There¡¯s nowhere to hide!


    Chara was completely petrified.


    The diamonds kept tumbling in her direction. Closer and closer¡­ until it was close enough that she could sense it at the edge of her perception.


    Not minding her terror, not adjusting its path, the line of precious stones single-mindedly kept rolling. Until it passed her completely¡­ and kept going. And going¡­ Until it completely left her perception.


    Soon, the lineup of diamonds had tumbled far into the distance, none the wiser that they had missed their target.


    Scared me to death!


    Chara was completely indignant. She was nearly scared silly, and it turned out to be all over nothing.


    Hmph, that curiosity spirit only knows how to bully! She can make a fool of me even when she¡¯s not here! Just you wait till I¡¯m big and strong! I¡¯m going to beat you up so hard, that you¡¯re going to go through the entire water cycle and turn into a rain cloud! And then¡ª


    Before she was able to finish her thought, the surrounding mana began to stir.


    Inexplicably, the earth and light element mana started to flow away from her direction. Simultaneously, the ice, wind, and dark element mana started concentrating in the area above her, causing the ambient light to dim.


    ¡°Found you~!¡±

 Chapter 13 – Resisting Curiosity!

    As the light around her dimmed, Chara could see an amorphous cloud of water mana position itself right above her location, only just outside of her perception.


    Unexpectedly, the water element mana was its own unique color, integrating seamlessly with the rest of her visual spectrum. Like the diamonds however, the curiosity spirit was mostly translucent, with only a slight sheen outlining her edges and the slight warping of light being the only indication of her existence.


    Curiosity giggled. ¡°Just now. You weren¡¯t thinking of rude things, were you? Because if you were, I might have to add that to your punishment.¡±


    Shit! How did she even find me? Chara was so agitated that she didn¡¯t even hear the greater spirit¡¯s jest.


    The greater spirit¡¯s mana swirled. Without any more pretext, she formed a new appendage and reached out to grab the little spirit.


    ¡°Hold still.¡±


    Seeing the monstrous tentacle cascading in her direction, Chara shrieked¡­ or at least tried to. Without a second thought, she immediately made a break for it and started floating away at her top speed.


    For some reason, this made the curiosity spirit feel like she had been wronged. Not keen on letting her little escapee get away a second time, her displeased voice rang across the cave.


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    In an instant, Chara lost all her momentum and stopped, but the moment she came to a complete stop, she started fleeing again.


    Realizing the loophole in her command, the curiosity spirit quickly made a revision.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    This time Chara well and truly stopped, while also losing the possibility of future movement.


    Having sealed off all her means of escape, the greater spirit leisurely floated in her direction while mentally complaining about her unacceptable behavior. Sigh¡­ So smart, but the only things she thinks about are bad things. The only thing she should be thinking about is me¡­


    ¡°Little friend, I asked you to stay still. Why did you move?¡± asked Curiosity in an admonishing tone. Once she was level with Chara, she continued, ¡°Do you know what it is that I dislike the most?¡±


    Although she still sounded childish and cute, the swirling of her mana told an entirely different story. With every second that Chara didn¡¯t respond, her swirling got faster and faster, and her mana flared very menacingly, frightening the little spirit.


    ¡°¡­¡­Well?¡±


    Chara had never been in a situation like this and was completely paralyzed with anxiousness and fear. Even if she had realized that her ability to speak had returned, the only thing that would be transmitted would be crying and tears.


    Fortunately, her interrogator was Curiosity, a [Curiosity Essence Spirit]. Therefore, no matter how angry she became, blowing up just wasn¡¯t part of her nature. Still, just because she wouldn¡¯t kill the little spirit out of anger, didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t capable of equally sinister things, such as becoming curious about what the little spirit would look like while she¡¯s crying.


    Observing that Chara was in no condition to respond, Curiosity decided to volunteer the answer, educating the little spirit. ¡°The thing I dislike the most is when my friends don¡¯t listen to what I have to say! I really really really hate being ignored! Unforgivable!!¡±


    She formed a new mana tendril and wrapped it around the little spirit, bringing her closer. ¡°So, no matter what, you must never EVER leave me. Do you understand?¡±


    Scared stiff, Chara tried to nod in assent but was still unable to move.


    Misinterpreting her attempt at movement as a sign of resistance, Curiosity scoffed. ¡°Fine! Since you want to leave me so badly, I will limit your actions using a different method. I will show you a performance so mesmerizing that you won¡¯t even be able to think of leaving, since you¡¯ll be busy thinking about me. Hmph!¡±


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    Having left a most incomprehensible threat, she backed away from Chara while many complicated and unfathomable waves rippled across her ethereal form.


    All of a sudden, a large portion of the mana that makes up her body lost its iridescent quality, instead being dyed completely in the color of water, while glittering with a curious light. Then, like a liquid being used to quench a piece of red-hot iron, all of the surrounding mana started boiling and glimmering with excitement, before it too started transforming into water element mana, causing the surroundings to dim even further.


    Initial preparations complete, Curiosity started circling around Chara like a giant planet orbiting a little moon. As she circled around and around, all of the surrounding mana followed her lead, creating a magnificent vortex of illusory water droplets around the little spirit, all while leaving behind sparkling trails of curiosity.


    Chara stared in blank amazement. As the greater spirit skillfully conjured a glittering galaxy around her in what felt like a matter of seconds, her feelings of apprehension and fear started to slowly fade away. Little by little, a seed of curiosity started to bloom inside her heart.


    Wha¡ª How¡­ How did she do that!?


    Having finished her stage, the curiosity spirit started to perform a mysterious dance. As she sped around in circles, she started swimming up, down, up, down, up, up, down, down in an unpredictable pattern, like she was some kind of magical dolphin trying to follow the instructions of a corrupted sin wave.


    Sometimes, she would be diving straight down, before sharply ascending and doing a flip at the peak of her curve. Sometimes she would be diligently going around in circles, before abruptly deciding to cheat and skip part of her orbit by going above or below. Sometimes she would sharply turn towards Chara, only to vanish just before colliding, like a disturbed reflection on the surface of a lake. Then she would silently appear somewhere else, like she had always been there. And other times she would spin before releasing a magnificent shower of illusory water droplets that sparkled with curiosity before fading into nothingness.


    Always keeping the little spirit guessing about what would happen next.


    As the mysterious dance progressed, Chara could feel herself becoming more and more curious by the second. Feeling like something was out of place, many alarm bells started to go off inside her head, and her previously subdued sense of anxiety spiked through the roof.


    As she desperately tried to figure out what was wrong, she suddenly remembered the greater spirit¡¯s incomprehensible threat.


    ¡­I will show you a performance so mesmerizing that you won¡¯t even be able to think of leaving since you¡¯ll be busy thinking about me¡­


    The little spirit¡¯s mana started to condense while shivering in fear.


    Chara had the ominous intuition that if she allowed this seed of curiosity to continue to mature, she would begin to change. However, this change would be something desirable only for the curiosity spirit, and not for herself.


    As someone who had lived through most of her life in relative comfort, Chara was a coward.


    In truth, her life couldn¡¯t have been described as noble or virtuous, even as flattery. It wouldn¡¯t even be an exaggeration to say that if there was something out there that was desired by many people, it was almost certain that not only did she already possess it, she almost certainly valued it a lot less.


    Hence, it wasn¡¯t until losing all of these things, including her health, that she finally realized what a privileged life she had been living, and how many things she had taken for granted. And yet, despite being aware of all of her shortcomings and all of her faults, Chara was still unabashedly proud of being herself.


    Which was why only the mere possibility of being changed against her will, made her feel an existential dread.


    Uuuuuu¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t want to disappear¡­


    Unable to move, she quickly began thinking of various ways to resist the curiosity spirit¡¯s influence.


    What if I try using magic? Uuu¡­ I only barely managed to activate it, and it took like 90% of my mana just to dig out some rocks¡­


    What if I scream really loudly? And what will that accomplish; annoy her to death? This is too risky. She¡¯s more likely to just kill me from anger¡­


    What if I close off my senses and try to ignore her? Hm, she is a curiosity spirit. If this dance is meant to somehow imbue curiosity, then that might actually work¡­


    Having decided on a workable plan, she hurriedly deflated her perception, isolating her senses from the malevolent spirit. She could no longer sense mana, but catastrophically, the same could not be said about her vision. Not only did her vision not fade into darkness; she could still see just fine!


    As a result of Curiosity repelling away all of the light element mana in the environment, the surroundings were rather dim. Even so, there was still more than enough illumination for Chara to witness Curiosity as she swished happily before sharply turning in her direction, clipping her on the side, and spinning her like a ballerina, before giggling at her misfortune.


    Fuck! Who was the moron who decided not to check whether turning off my perception would affect my vision¡­ cursed Chara. She had literally thought of this exact scenario and chose not to verify it. Her negligence had come back to bite her, and the timing couldn¡¯t be any worse.


    Desperate, she tried thinking of darkness, closing her eyes, sleeping, the night sky, anything that might result in her not seeing. Unknowingly, some of her ethereal body transformed into dark element mana, finally obscuring her vision.


    Voicing her praise for the little spirit¡¯s unexpected problem-solving skills, the curiosity spirit let out a long, ¡°Oooooooooo,¡± before starting to giggle.


    That¡¯s the wrong answer¡­

 Chapter 14 – Realization!

    This made the little spirit confused, but she soon found out why. Unlike her prediction, closing off her senses had almost no effect on her increasing curiosity. In fact, it only made her even more curious!


    Uwa! It¡¯s not working! Is¡ª Is it because I am even more curious about what she¡¯s doing now that I can¡¯t see her?


    As if to confirm her theory, the dancing spirit let out another chuckle without interrupting her dance.


    Under the greater spirit¡¯s mocking laughter, Chara finally became angry enough to brush away a bit of her cowardice.


    Hmph! Who is curious about your stupid dance? If thinking about you is what¡¯s making me curious, then the only thing I need to do is clear my mind!


    If only it was that easy¡­


    Lamentably, for someone with as many thoughts as Chara, clearing her mind would be an extremely difficult task. Moreover, she was in a dangerous situation where her mind was under siege by another spirit. Under such circumstances, how could her thoughts not be filled with the other spirit?


    Paradoxically, in what could only be considered a feat of pure stubbornness and desperation, Chara managed to clear her mind, dispelling all of her curiosity.


    However, her unexpected breakthrough only made the curiosity spirit giggle before changing tactics. Without any prior warning, she appeared right next to Chara and booped her on the side with a mana tendril, nearly collapsing her concentration in an instant.


    Uwaaaaa! That! That! That¡¯s Cheeaaaatiiiiiiing!!! Chara was so outraged that she nearly fainted on the spot. Completely indignant, she quintupled her efforts to steel her mind. She was determined to ignore the dancing spirit at any cost.


    Hmph, trying to ignore me? A likely story! Nobody can resist curiosity!


    The curiosity spirit adjusted her movements and began to dance much closer to the little spirit. Then, like a mischievous fairy, she began to tease the blind and immobile spirit amidst her dance by intermittently booping her from different angles in order to stimulate her curiosity and disturb her concentration.


    Let¡¯s see how long you can keep this up, Little Spirit~! cheered Curiosity while giggling playfully.


    Keeping her mind clear was becoming more difficult by the second. Under the constant and unpredictable bombardment of Curiosity¡¯s teasing, it was not long before Chara¡¯s clear mind began to falter.


    Unfortunately, the greater spirit was much more treacherous than she could have ever imagined. Because she had been treated nicely, Chara had both overestimated Curiosity¡¯s patience while underestimating her bottom line.


    Seemingly looking for a way to make her game of teasing more entertaining, the curiosity spirit had an idea. Little by little, a devious plan started to form in her mind that could help her vent her frustration while also disturbing the little spirit¡¯s concentration.


    After all, just because she wasn¡¯t willing to hurt the little spirit, didn¡¯t mean that she couldn¡¯t make things difficult for her in other ways. With just how angry she had been previously, Curiosity was more than willing to extract as much enjoyment from her as possible, even at Chara¡¯s expense.


    Let¡¯s see if you can keep ignoring me after this¡­


    Amidst her complicated and mysterious dance, the greater spirit found an opportunity to slam into the little spirit, and completely switch places with her.


    Rocketing through the air, Chara was about to crash into a crystal wall when she reached the apex of her parabola and was sucked right back into the whirlpool of mana. Catching her in the nick of time, the dancing spirit used Chara to do a little pirouette, before launching her again, but this time at a different angle.


    Suddenly, it was not a big planet orbiting a little moon. It was a little moon, orbiting a big planet with an orbit in the shape of an ellipse. Repeatedly coming very close, before going far into the distance. If viewed from above, the little moon¡¯s path would eventually form into the shape of a flower.


    Before she knew it, the little spirit was no longer the center of the galaxy. Instead, she was being bounced around while blindfolded and helpless while the greater spirit played a game of ping pong against herself.


    Uwaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!


    Chara¡¯s concentration instantly collapsed. Under the curiosity spirit¡¯s relentless torment, it was not long before her mind began to be suffused with curiosity and interest.


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    Why is she doing this? Why go through all this effort? If all she wants to do is boss me around, then she can already do that!


    Funnily enough, although the gradual increase in curiosity was contrary to her goal, counterintuitively, it was also increasing her problem-solving skills by making her ask questions.


    Isn¡¯t this too much? Why is she trying so hard to get my attention? Does she need me to notice her that badly? No, that doesn¡¯t make any sense! Assuming her goal is to make me curious, then her weird dance already makes me curious even when I¡¯m not looking¡­


    If things continue the way they are going, then I will end up getting consumed by curiosity whether I observe her dance or not. Therefore, there shouldn¡¯t be any reason to try this hard to get me to look¡­


    Whatever, let¡¯s assume there is a concrete reason she absolutely needs me to watch her dance¡­ Then why hasn¡¯t she used her ordering ability to force me? This is only my speculation, but I¡¯m pretty sure she can only enforce one order at a time¡­


    That said, even if ordering me to watch her dance lifts the prohibition on movement, she has many other ways to keep me from escaping, including what she¡¯s doing now. In that case, if she indeed needs me to, then she has almost no reason not to order me to watch her dance¡­


    Now the question is, despite all of this, why does she need me to look, and why won¡¯t she force me to look?


    After thinking until this point, all the puzzle pieces within her head finally fit together, leading her to come up with a devastating theory.


    If I open my eyes now, it will be like admitting that I¡¯ve given in to my curiosity!


    Closing of her perception and vision had backfired.


    Originally, she had done so to better resist the greater spirit¡¯s treachery. But in reality, all she had accomplished was turning herself into a sitting duck. Conversely, if she hadn¡¯t shut off her senses, she would have been powerless to resist in any meaningful manner.


    Fuck!! No wonder she¡¯s been giggling this entire time! She¡¯s had everything in the bag from the start!


    Chara really wanted to cry so badly right now.


    Unfortunately for the little spirit, the outcome had been determined from the moment the curiosity spirit ordered her not to move. This was an inescapable fate.


    Noticing the silly little spirit had finally begun to realize what was obvious from the start, Curiosity hummed in praise before mentally scolding her for ruining her fun. How boring. Just when I was finally starting to have fun¡­


    Seeing no reason to drag things out any further, she stopped catching the little spirit, letting her naturally funnel her way into the eye of the storm, before quieting down and not bothering her again.


    Wondering why everything had stopped, Chara waited nervously. Surely, the curiosity spirit wouldn¡¯t have given up after coming this far, right? But after around ten more seconds of silence, her curiosity got the better of her. Rather uneasily, she expanded her perception to take a look. However, the moment she heard the other spirit start giggling, she had an instant realization.


    Curiosity had never stopped dancing!


    Without warning, the swirling galaxy of illusory water droplets took a sharp turn, cascading upon Chara from every direction at once. Simultaneously, the curiosity spirit disintegrated into a cloud of mist, only to appear right above her. Like a conductor leading an ensemble, she directed the enormous whirlpool of curiosity, and funneled it right towards Chara!


    ¡°[Curiosity Conferment]!¡±


    Unable to resist, the little spirit swirled in terror as a torrent of curiosity essence mana was suffused into her being while glimmering with an aqueous light.


    Without another ounce of resistance, the dark element mana cloaking her vision dispersed, and her remaining feelings of weariness and apprehension were washed away, only leaving behind squeaky-clean curiosity and interest. Upon regaining her wits, she started inspecting everything around her, full of curiosity and interest.


    Seeing this, Curiosity let out a contented sigh at a job well done. Not wanting to waste any more of her mana, she quickly dissolved the remaining whirlpool, ending the magic ritual.


    As a result of closing her eyes, Chara had missed out on a lot of crucial information. However, if she were to inspect the other spirit now, she would have immediately noticed that the curiosity spirit had used over 85% of her mana. The difference was so enormous that the allegedly ¡°greater¡± spirit was even smaller than her original size. Put another way, if she had resisted opening her eyes for one more minute, then Curiosity would have been forced to give up. As an experienced spirit, she knew better than to go below 10%.


    Nonetheless, while Curiosity wouldn¡¯t be winning any awards for cleverness or strength, she was very knowledgeable and experienced within the field of curiosity and interest. The strategy she had employed against Chara was one she had carefully curated over many iterations and countless failures.


    Frankly speaking, if her winning strategy was so fragile that it could be defeated by a newly spawned spirit that had never even seen it before, then Curiosity should really reconsider whether being a [Curiosity Essence Spirit] was the best for her¡ªand consider being a clown instead!


    Seeing the little baby looking at everything around her, Curiosity called over to her little friend before the silly spirit got lost in her thoughts. Bad habits needed to be stamped out early. She wouldn¡¯t want Baby to suffer through the same experiences as her.


    ¡°Little friend. Come here.¡±


    As the little spirit glanced at the greater spirit gaze fell upon the greater spirit, and she was instantly mesmerized by the iridescent, swirling cloud of mana.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    Jolted awake, the little spirit instantly wilted in shame. ¡°Ah um¡­ My¡­ My rude behavior earlier. I¡­ Uuuu¡­ I got scared when you ordered me not to move... and¡­ and I tried to run away¡­ *sobs* Uuuuuu¡­ Uuu¡­ I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Chara immediately broke down crying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak.¡±


    The little spirit immediately quieted down. Having her apology interrupted, she swirled in protest.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I forgive you. Just do not to let it happen again.¡±


    Once the little spirit finally calmed down, the curiosity spirit finally ordered ¡°Follow me¡± and the two reconciled spirits floated down the crystal cavern while leading a procession of diamonds.

 Chapter 15 – Suspicious Behavior!

    For some reason, Curiosity felt like the more information she uncovered about the little spirit, the more bewildered and confused she got over time. It was as if she was staring into a floating cloud of contradiction.


    When Curiosity first found Baby, she was in an empty dark cavern, fussing over a smattering of scattered gemstones. Judging by their infused mana, she had most likely been attempting to cast some kind of spell, not that it appeared like she knew what she was doing.


    She must be self-taught¡­


    Finding this scene humorous and slightly pitiful, Curiosity let out an internal giggle. Interested, she examined the other party using her spiritual perception.


    The little spirit¡¯s mana was exceptionally pure.


    Quite young. She must have spawned only recently¡­


    Based on the available evidence, this was the most reasonable conclusion.


    Only a short time later, the little spirit would quickly master speech. Moreover, she was fluent!


    This completely caught Curiosity off guard. It was not because she had given her wrong or even incomplete information, but simply because when it comes to communication between spirits, knowledge is a requirement for both transmission and understanding.


    In theory, the spirit language works by turning meaning into words, and then using that to convey an idea directed. In practice, however, if an idea is too complicated, not well understood, or poorly articulated, then the listener will only receive a vague impression. That is to say, in order for smooth communication, a certain level of understanding is required from both the speaker as well as the listener.


    As a knowledgeable and experienced spirit, how could Curiosity not be aware of this? Needless to say, she absolutely was!


    Simply put, while it was true that she was the one who had provided Chara with meaningful instruction, she had intended for the baby to fail. In her prediction, when the little spirit inevitably failed, she would have no choice but to rely on the most knowledgeable Her for additional instruction.


    That said, she didn¡¯t have any intention of teaching Chara how to speak. After all, students were much easier to control when they couldn¡¯t talk back. And this was doubly so when they couldn¡¯t move either.


    But in that case, if Baby learning how to speak was contrary to Curiosity¡¯s goals, then why did she take a risk and provide the little spirit with instructions?


    Simply put, it was because she needed the little spirit to continue directing curiosity at herself. This was for two reasons. Firstly, to prolong the effect of her mesmerization, enabling her to continue issuing orders. And secondly, to gain the little spirit¡¯s admiration, making it easier for her to retain Chara¡¯s curiosity, even in the future.


    Of course, this was not how things played out. Chara quickly figured out how to speak, and she did it without even a morsel of her input.


    Curiosity was surprised, confused, frustrated, and scared.


    What happened?


    According to her observations and even some of her own experiences, newly spawned spirits are almost entirely blank slates. Aside from some basic instincts, newly spawned spirits have almost no knowledge and no understanding. Loathed as she is to admit, she too was once a sad and pitiful knowledgeless spirit.


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    But her humiliating past aside, under the premise that Baby had just spawned, and newly spawned spirits had no knowledge, then the little baby should not have been capable of understanding the curiosity spirits explanation.


    So why was that not the case?


    This contradiction ended up making the greater spirit so frustrated that she ended up hastily ordering the little spirit not to speak: a bad decision. What was Curiosity thinking? Not only did this not garner her any admiration; it made her hated instead!


    As it turned out, she might have used up all of her good fortune when she found the little spirit and decided to take her in, because after that, there wasn¡¯t a single decision she made that hadn¡¯t backfired. From learning how to speak, to running away, to resisting the effects of her ritual, not only had Curiosity continuously lost both potential teaching materials and leverage, but she had nothing to show for it.


    In the end, she ended up being so busy chasing after the little spirit that she never figured out why everything went wrong. Fortunately, she completed her ritual with only some minor mishaps. The little spirit¡¯s reign of terror and rebelliousness had finally come to an end¡­ or so she thought.


    As she would soon find out, the little spirit was very high maintenance, and despite being a supposedly newly spawned spirit, she came with many factory defects.


    ***


    While passing under an arch created by two branching pillars, two spirits and a procession of tumbling diamonds made their way further into the crystal cavern.


    Unable to sit still, Chara looked at everything around her full of curiosity and interest. It was only now that she wasn¡¯t being forced to run for her life did she have time to fully appreciate just how unreal everything around her looked.


    Everywhere around her, she was surrounded by a maze of translucent pillars as far as the eye could see. This was already highly unusual in and of itself, but she was willing to overlook it and convince herself that it was simply because she was in a crystal cavern or something.


    It was very beautiful, and if such a place existed on Earth, then she would surely need to visit it. But the more she took in her surroundings, the more she began to feel rather unsettled.


    From the ceiling, jutted out many enormous crystalline columns. They stretched from ceiling to floor, gradually narrowing, and then splicing into many smaller pillars. These branching pillars would then split into even smaller pillars, which would split into even tinier pillars. This would repeat again and again until they burrowed into the cavern floor, giving birth to the translucent maze of crystalline columns, and knocked over stalagmites she was traversing now.


    Umm¡­ Is it just me, or does this place feel like it¡¯s upside down or something¡­ It looks almost like an upside-down forest¡­


    From her current angle, it appeared as though gigantic monoliths of crystal were being supported by gradually thinning and more delicate structures. This created an eerie sense of unreliability like it could all come crashing down at any second.


    This place won¡¯t collapse, right? No, no. That definitely won¡¯t happen. Allegedly, crystals can take up to thousands of years to form. If this place was at risk of collapsing¡­ then surely, it didn¡¯t have to wait for tens of millennia, so it could fall only once I decided to visit, right? ¡­right?


    Chara¡¯s swirling was getting increasingly uneasy as a result of her troubling thoughts.


    Noticing this change, Curiosity couldn¡¯t help but bubble in curiosity. Obeying her instincts, she tried to infer what was making Baby nervous by assessing her curiosity. However, rather than finding answers, all she found was more questions.


    ¡­¡­Why is Little Spirit afraid of cave-ins?


    Unable to hide her confusion, her swirling grew messy, with unpredictable rippling occurring throughout her form. This was exceedingly strange!


    For one, Curiosity found it unbelievable that such a young and inexperienced spirit would have the foresight to anticipate such an event.


    In truth, she can kind of understand how the little spirit might come to this conclusion. From their current viewpoint, it seemed like giant monoliths were being held up by increasingly thinner and more delicate crystal constructs. It¡¯s just that¡­ this observation was completely incorrect. This is because it was not the crystal monoliths that were being held up, but the intricate network of crystals that was hanging down. However, without any way of knowing this, it was almost inevitable that the younger spirit would come to the wrong conclusion. That said, if this hadn¡¯t been the case, then the conclusion that Chara had come to might have been correct.


    This was all well and good, but¡­ how did she figure this out?


    All at once, she was reminded of all the other contradictory evidence and unsolved mysteries she encountered when she first met Chara, and she couldn¡¯t help but bubble in curiosity.


    If she didn¡¯t solve this mystery, then she was not a curiosity spirit!

 Chapter 16 – Theory!

    Curiosity¡¯s thoughts started spinning.


    Categorically, having pristine mana is indicative that a spirit has just spawned. Such a spirit should have no experience and no knowledge. Normally, these two qualities are interconnected. They have an inherent link, where one catalyzes the other. But when arranged in reverse, it also means that without experience, one can have no knowledge.


    So why was that not the case with Little Spirit?


    Moreover, this didn¡¯t even begin to address the question of why she was afraid of cave-ins, a fear that Curiosity found completely baseless.


    Plagued with contradictory evidence, an uncooperative, volatile observation target, and more questions than she could answer, the curiosity spirit¡¯s mana rippled with confusion. Once again, her lack of understanding regarding Baby was leaving her at a loss with what to do.


    Suddenly, Curiosity¡¯s mana pulsed in enlightenment. What if¡­ the little spirit was always knowledgeable!?


    The idea sounded ridiculous, even to herself. After all, how can someone who has just spawned already have knowledge? However, the more she thought about the little spirit¡¯s unexplainable intelligence and behavior, the more she began to think that this explanation had merit.


    As for her unfounded fear of cave-ins¡­ If her assumption that the little spirit had just spawned still holds, then curiosity had a theory.


    Hm¡­ I see, I see. Wahaha~!


    Since Baby was so smart, I was starting to consider that my observation might be incorrect, and perhaps she might be slightly older than I had originally assumed¡­


    The thing is, when I found Baby, she was in a dark and empty cavern where there shouldn¡¯t have been anything for her to learn¡­


    So, for her to figure out so many things, in such a short time, regardless of her circumstance, would only be possible if she had some kind of prior knowledge¡­


    The curiosity spirit bubbled in curiosity. Unfortunately, even with her amazing detective skills, stellar reasoning skills, and super high intellect, she couldn¡¯t come up with any plausible explanations. With only the information she had available to her now, this was as far as theory would take her. Just to be certain she wasn¡¯t overlooking anything obvious; she concentrated the entirety of her spiritual perception on the little spirit.


    Without any forewarning, Chara¡¯s intuition blared, warning her of danger. However, before she could figure out what was wrong, the ominous feeling had disappeared. She looked around with confused vigilance, but aside from herself, the curiosity spirit, and the procession of diamonds, her surroundings were utterly barren of movement.


    After using the process of elimination, she narrowed her gaze on the greater spirit, full of suspicion.


    Noticing her gaze, the curiosity spirit swirled innocently.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Once her little observer retracted her gaze, her mana pulsed in dissatisfaction. She didn¡¯t find a thing.


    How dare you keep me from satisfying my curiosity when you are only a little spirit! is what she initially thought. But only a short time later, her thoughts had already been replaced with, Ahaha~! What a cute, clever, and mysterious spirit. Little Spirit, I will never let you go~! I will unravel all of your secrets!


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    Sometimes, curiosity spirits could be too sophisticated for their own good.


    Unbeknownst to Chara, she had made the critical mistake of making a curiosity spirit too curious. Her mysteriousness, clever acts of resistance, and critical thinking skills had made her captor even more possessive. Her future seemed rather uncertain.


    As for Curiosity, she was overjoyed and had already started making arrangements. Why the little spirit had prior knowledge was still a mystery, one she was keen on solving, but she was willing to wait. This was because the situation in front of her presented a unique opportunity and one with a very limited window at that.


    This is perfect! If it turns out I¡¯m right about the reason she¡¯s worried, then this will be the perfect opportunity to teach her something new. Hue, but this will require a bit of trickery¡­


    Oh well~! I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get over it once she figures out all her worries were completely unwarranted. In the meantime, I can make her feel better by showing off how cool and amazing I am~!


    Somehow, despite becoming an educator and overcoming numerous challenges, the only thing Curiosity had yet to figure out was how to be considerate. Thus, in an unprecedented act of betrayal, she decided to make her little student even more anxious!


    ¡°Little spirit. Do not touch anything. It¡¯s very dangerous,¡± warned the greater spirit in a stern tone, while taking great care to separate all her sentences.


    The little spirit jolted, while looking around fearfully. In every direction, multitudes of crystalline tendrils emerged from beneath the earth, forming into a chaotic lattice of crystals. These formations gradually converged, holding up larger and larger crystals.


    In an instant, Chara¡¯s anxiety started coming up with hundreds of scenarios where the bottom-most crystals spontaneously shatter. Then, the crystals right above them would start falling, while crashing into numerous other crystals on their way down, leading to the collapse of the entire cavern in a massive chain reaction.


    Uwaaa!


    The little spirit¡¯s fears were immediately rekindled. It was super effective!


    Chara let out a jolt before backing away frantically from a delicate-looking crystal shaft that had been to her side. But she ended up backing away so far that she nearly bumped into a different crystal on accident, causing her to nearly go into a panic.


    It looks like I was right! She really doesn¡¯t know!


    Watching the little spirit¡¯s exaggerated reaction, the curiosity spirit was super excited. No longer having any doubts about whether or not her guess had been correct, she burst into a fit of laughter.


    Wahahaha! How fortunate. When I realized she might have prior knowledge, I was worried that I wouldn¡¯t have anything left to teach her. Luckily, she is very ignorant. That said, she is still very intelligent. I will have to monitor her very carefully. After all, I wouldn¡¯t want her to learn anything inconvenient¡­


    Despite all her constraints, Curiosity thought her future prospects seemed pretty favorable. Although the little spirit appeared to have a bit of unknown knowledge, there were gaps. This was apparent even after only interacting with her for such a short time. For the self-proclaimed educator, this could only be considered good news. It meant she had more to teach and more time to execute her plan.


    You! Why are you laughing at me!? Chara was indignant, her mana swirling faster and faster.


    Finally taking notice of the angry vortex, Curiosity snapped back to reality.


    Chara was about to begin a mental lashing when she was booped over the head with a mana tendril. Interrupted, her swirling slowed down and she focused her attention on the spirit in front of her.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Even if this cave collapses, as long as you are by my side, then you have nothing to fear,¡± said Curiosity in a soothing tone.


    That¡­ Is the dumbest thing I¡¯ve heard all day!


    Chara was not reassured. She did not believe in the other spirit¡¯s words in the slightest. Rather, she just felt like her intelligence was being looked down on.


    What are you? Some kind of Sup*r Man earth spirit? No! You are only a curiosity spirit! If you¡¯re just going to make a fool of me, then at least put in the effort!


    Chara felt very aggrieved. She felt like her well-founded concerns were being brushed off. Instead, she was being placated like a child so she would stop complaining, but not having any of her concerns genuinely addressed.


    She would not be fooled. To display just how angry and fed up she was, she decisively stopped in place and glared at the greater spirit. Unfortunately, because she was still under a speech prohibition, she just ended up giving the impression of a teary-eyed girl who just got bullied but is still being forced to apologize, regardless of her innocence. It was very pitiful.

 Chapter 17 – Inescapable Curiosity!

    Watching the little spirit swirl in indignation, Curiosity didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. She was trying to reassure the little baby, so why did she get even more angry?


    Moreover, at this point, she couldn¡¯t just come out and confess that she was trying to mislead her. Not only would that make Chara even more angry, it would ruin her plan. But if the little spirit continued to be so uncooperative, then her plan would be ruined either way.


    At a loss for what to do, Curiosity started chiding. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t you know, that if your swirling is so uneducated, you will turn into a boorish fire spirit?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±


    The little spirit started trembling.


    You!! Do you think I am a child? If I¡¯m not going to be given even the most basic level of respect, then I¡¯m not moving from this spot! Hmph! Chara had declared her ultimatum.


    Alas, the target of her dissatisfaction was not a mind spirit, so none of her complaints would reach their intended recipient. At best, Curiosity can use her authority over wonder to discern what other beings are curious about. However, Chara was not curious.


    Hah¡­ No matter. This is nothing that can¡¯t be solved with a little bit of coaxing. Let¡¯s see¡­ thought Curiosity.


    After mulling over what to say, she floated over to the indignant spirit while swirling conspiratorially. ¡°Little spirit. Where we are going next, there is something very interesting¡­ If even the scenery on the way there can be this fascinating, then just imagine what could be at the center of it all¡­ Aren¡¯t you curious?¡±


    All of a sudden, it was like all of Chara¡¯s curiosity had started boiling at the same time, quickly becoming her most prominent emotion.


    I¡­ I really want to know! I want to know so badly! What is it!? Please, tell me now! The little spirit begged, her mana rippling full of thoughts and imagination.


    The effects of [Curiosity Conferment] were really too effective!


    Seeing Chara¡¯s immediate reversal, the greater spirit giggled in delight. Ahahaha~! This little baby is too curious! I should have done this from the start¡­


    Finding the situation ideal, she immediately piled on some positive reinforcement along with some additional advice. ¡°Good spirit. Having curiosity is very good, especially if it¡¯s about me. However, if you want me to show you the interesting place, then you have to be obedient and do as I say.¡±


    No¡ª! You have to tell me now! Now!! The little spirit swirled in rebellion. She was very curious, but in the end, Chara would not be Chara if she simply did as she was told.


    Sensing her dissatisfaction, Curiosity reprimanded, ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient. As an unattuned spirit, it¡¯s not good to be rebellious! What will you do if you turn into a naughty spirit?!¡±


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    This made Chara feel extremely betrayed. You¡ª! You were the one who offered to take me somewhere interesting. How dare you change your mind and add terms and conditions!


    It was like she was being teased with the fragrance of her favorite food, having it taken away, and then promised it would be given back, but only if she promised to wash the dishes. It was clearly blackmail and a breach of contract.


    This spirit is too unreasonable! She should just obediently take responsibility and take me to the interesting place without making such a big fuss¡­


    Unfortunately, once she consciously remembered who it was that was doing the scolding, she unconsciously became a lot more curious and attentive. When she realized what had occurred, she wanted to cry foul, but she was quickly reminded of her helplessness when she couldn¡¯t utter a single word in protest.


    Disenfranchised, she wanted to start cursing out the shameless spirit inside her mind but was unable to do that either. After all, if she did that, then she would not be able to pay attention to Curiosity¡¯s sermon.


    As a final resort, she decided to run away. But before she could take any concrete action, she found that she had unknowingly come up with at least thirty different arguments, complete with citations, about why this was a bad idea, and she had already convinced herself to stay in place.


    Having trapped herself in a loop where she is trying to think of ways to get away from Curiosity, but the moment she thinks about the other spirit, her mutinous thoughts are replaced with curiosity; the little baby wanted to start crying. However, she was able to be brave and hold it in in the end, because if she didn¡¯t, then she might accidentally miss part of Curiosity¡¯s lecture.


    Chara was really pitiful¡­


    Counterintuitively, ignoring Curiosity wasn¡¯t something that could be accomplished by putting one¡¯s mind to it. On the contrary, it usually had the opposite effect.


    Well, if there was one thing that this terrifying experience had made extremely clear, it was that from the moment Curiosity decided to hold her ritual, she never had any intention of playing fair. She had learned from her numerous failures and perfected her technique. Now that she had caught Baby, she would never let her escape.


    And like so, Chara was forced to attentively listen to the spirit¡¯s childish preaching for the next hour.


    ***


    ¡°How about this¡­ If you are good, then this spirit will teach you something interesting on the way there. But¡­! Only if you are on your best behavior! Okay?¡±


    The curiosity spirit finally put an end to her lecture and made Chara her final offer.


    Finally released from her torture, the little spirit reluctantly accepted the greater spirit¡¯s offer. In all honesty, she didn¡¯t want to comply. However, she didn¡¯t want to suffer through another sermon either. Not only did being scolded make her feel very upset, but the way Curiosity did it in particular made her feel extremely humiliated.


    Right now, if Chara was still a human, her cheeks and ears would be burning red. She had never felt so ashamed in her entire life.


    Everything. From Curiosity¡¯s cute childish voice, to the way she spoke down to Chara like she was speaking to a child, to the way she listed out and admonished her for each and every instance of her bad behavior all the while addressing her as ¡°Little Spirit¡±. And worst of all, her complete and utter inability to look away. It was like everything had been meticulously designed to be as embarrassing as possible.


    It was all too much¡­ and Chara was completely mortified.


    Although Curiosity had a relatively kind and patient temperament, if something got in the way of her curiosity, then she could be rather merciless. She had spared no effort in her plan to berate the little spirit into submission.


    If you were going to feel ashamed of yourself, then you should have acted this way from the start. Hmph!


    The little spirit¡¯s rebellion had come to an end. It was an unconditional surrender.


    Curiosity watched in satisfaction as the little spirit meekly lowered herself and followed after her along the cavern floor. Satisfied with her correction, she swished in delight.


    ¡°Follow me~!¡±


    Not needing to be told twice, the little spirit timidly followed after her.

 Chapter 18 – Lecture!

    Under the rhythmic clinking of tumbling diamonds, Chara tried her best to keep up with the advancing spirit while also carefully avoiding the myriad of crystal columns.


    Hwee~! What a smart and obedient spirit. I would much rather teach someone like her than that lazy and selfish light spirit. That lazy spirit won¡¯t do a thing, even if I beat her up¡­ thought Curiosity.


    Still, although she had said she was going to teach Baby ¡°something interesting¡± on their way to their destination, she wasn¡¯t actually going out of her way to do anything unplanned. Instead, she was just following up on a preexisting lesson plan that had gotten interrupted as a result of Baby¡¯s tantrum. Except this time, she had cleverly labeled it as a ¡°concession¡± to show the little spirit how generous and magnanimous she could be.


    To this end, she had been taking advantage of her sheepish little follower¡¯s low vantage point, lackluster spiritual perception, and the chaotic maze of mirrors, to subtly adjust their traveling direction the entire time.


    Unbeknownst to Chara, she was being led around by the nose once again!


    As the pair of spirits navigated deeper into the translucent maze, the density of crystalline pillars was increasing little by little. Accordingly, Chara had to allocate increasing amounts of her attention just to keep up.


    Soon, it was almost every three seconds that she had to adjust her path to avoid an oncoming collision. It was to the point where she had begun to suspect that the greater spirit might have chosen a difficult route on purpose.


    Before long, the pair of spirits had arrived at a narrow corridor made up of many branching and intersecting pillars. Even at Chara¡¯s reduced size, she would have to be extra careful if she didn¡¯t want to accidentally bump into anything.


    The little spirit glared at the greater spirit full of incredulity. Are you stupid? How are you going to squeeze in between all those crystals when you are so fat?!


    Sensing her little baby¡¯s doubts, Curiosity let out a short giggle but didn¡¯t explain a thing.


    Without any pretense, she entered a profound state of concentration. Her mana, like a reflection of her state of mind, ceased its unconscious swirling, becoming as calm as a lake.


    Intrigued, Chara unconsciously focused all of her attention on the greater spirit.


    Suddenly, as if Curiosity¡¯s previous state had been only a facade, a torrent of mana surged out from her body and rushed into the corridor. With perfect precision, a stream of Curiosity accurately maneuvered its way through the confusing series of crystals, as if being guided by an invisible tunnel.


    Once the curiosity stream had reached an area where there was a bit of open space, it abruptly stopped. With nowhere to go, the still-moving mana crashed, causing all the non-moving mana to collapse in on itself and form into a whirlpool. As if nothing had happened, the chaotic vortex of mana kept funneling in more and more mana, until a new curiosity spirit had swirled into existence.


    Ehh!?


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    Astonished, the little spirit quickly shifted her attention to the curiosity spirit next to her, only to witness her last remnants being sucked into the stream of mana and soon joining the reformed Curiosity.


    Uwaa?!!


    Chara was so astonished that if she had eyeballs, they definitely would have popped out of her head like a cartoon character by now.


    What?! I thought she was trying to shoot a magic spell or something! Who could have guessed that what she had actually shot had been herself! Wait! I¡ªI¡¯m a spirit too! If she can do that, then shouldn¡¯t that mean I can do it too!? Surely that has to be the case¡­ wondered Chara.


    Basking in the little spirit¡¯s curiosity, the curiosity spirit swirled proudly. Having concluded her performance, she looked over at Baby and said, ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn~!¡±


    Perplexed, Chara shot an incredulous gaze from all the way on the other side of the long and confusing corridor, even piercing through several crystals.


    ¡­What? ¡­How am I supposed to do that?


    The curiosity spirit¡¯s mana pulsed. Even without verifying, she could immediately guess what Baby was thinking. Still, she held back from answering right away. She didn¡¯t want a repeat of the previous incident. So, in an effort to be more prudent, this time she took a moment to carefully review what she was going to say before speaking first.


    After a brief silence, she started, ¡°Movement is simple. Just [Imagine] where you want to go, and how you¡¯re going to get there.


    ¡°Altering your form is similar. First, [Imagine] your current form. Then, [Imagine] it deforming into something else.


    ¡°Once you have a clear [Visualization] of both, you just have to [Envision] it,¡± explained Curiosity, while taking special care to pause between each explanation to avoid any potential misunderstandings.


    Finished with her explanation, she quieted down, carefully observing how her little student would react. After a short pause, she could feel a disapproving glare.


    What the heck is ¡°envision¡±¡­? I still don¡¯t know what this means... glowered Chara.


    Stunned, the curiosity spirit rippled in confusion. ¡­¡­What?


    Actually, her perplexity was fairly warranted. When she first encountered Baby, it looked like she was trying to cast magic. The thing is, Envisioning is the first step of casting. And later, when she was given instructions on how to speak, she was very specifically told to Imagine, and not to Envision.


    At this point, how could Curiosity not believe that Chara knew the distinction between Imagining and Envisioning? But contrary to her expectations, the little spirit¡¯s curiosity appeared to be genuine.


    At a loss, Curiosity didn¡¯t know whether to feel glad or troubled.


    Jeez, look at how helpless you are without me. I guess it can¡¯t be helped¡­ thought the greater spirit with feigned pity.


    For her, it didn¡¯t matter how sad, silly, and pitiful a spirit was. As long as they had the willingness to learn, she would be more than willing to provide. They just weren¡¯t allowed to leave.


    Suddenly in a good mood, Curiosity explained, ¡°Well, to explain envision properly, I¡¯m going to have to explain Imagination first.


    ¡°Imagination is the act of forming new ideas, images, or concepts, that may or may not exist in reality. In other words, when I ask you to Imagine, I am asking you to form a mental image.


    ¡°Envisioning is Imagining, except, with one key difference. Intent! When you Envision something, you are not merely thinking about the idea of something; it is something you intend to accomplish!


    ¡°Just keep in mind that this acknowledgment can be either subconscious or deliberate.


    ¡°For things that aren¡¯t dangerous, like movement, perception, or [Speak], this acknowledgment is usually granted subconsciously, which is why I asked you not to envision when I instructed you on how to speak.


    ¡°However, for things that are complicated, things that require a price, and things you¡¯ve never done before, your apprehension will work as a subconscious barrier, making it so that you cannot perform those actions on accident.


    ¡°As you grow more confident, these mental barriers will naturally disappear, until you can perform super complex operations like it¡¯s second nature. At this time, you will be able to become an expert floater, like me~!¡±


    Curiosity was about to continue her explanation by giving numerous examples of all the things that were possible, but then she froze.


    Oh no! It happened again¡­! I¡ªI talked too much!

 Chapter 19 – Scrutiny!

    While Curiosity was busy blaming herself for having loose lips, Chara was carefully digesting all of the new information she had just learned.


    I see¡­ That would explain why perception and movement just kind of¡­ work. I still don¡¯t really get why, but at least I know how¡­


    For Chara, the concept of ¡°imagining¡± seemed pretty straightforward. Aside from a slightly greater emphasis on visualization, it was no different from what she was already familiar with.


    In stark contrast, she didn¡¯t think the concept of ¡°envisioning¡± could be any less ambiguous if it tried. As a spirit, she understood that there needed to be a way to differentiate between thinking and doing. However, even by Curiosity¡¯s own admission, whether a spirit needed to give explicit acknowledgement, or if a subconscious acquiescence would be enough, could literally vary by a spirit¡¯s level of confidence.


    From a biological standpoint, she could understand that this type of ambiguity was actually a form of flexibility, but right now, it was just making her more confused.


    Uuu¡­ Envisioning is too confusing. What determines whether or not I intend to act on an idea, how will I know when I¡¯m giving acknowledgment, and what will happen if I don¡¯t¡­?


    Well¡­ Ideally, the answer to that last question should be ¡°nothing.¡± However, what Curiosity said about subconscious acknowledgment makes blindly believing in this notion seem rather risky¡­


    For example, if I¡¯m in a situation where I¡¯m thinking about moving, but don¡¯t really intend to move, will I have to make a conscious disambiguation, or will my subconscious intent not to move be enough for me not to grant subconscious acknowledgment¡­?


    I should figure this out before trying to cross this corridor¡­


    Unable to come up with any more answers, Chara could only move on to other matters.


    One thing that did get cleared up was the culprit behind her inexplicable bouts of anxiety.


    The first time it happened, she disregarded it as nonsense and proceeded to expand her perception way past its natural limit. The second time, it was right before she nearly used up all her mana. As it turned out, in both cases, it was later discovered that she was unknowingly courting death!


    Based on these experiences, Chara had concluded that her near panic attacks were the result of some kind of danger sense or intuition. Yet, if Curiosity were to be believed, then her intuition might be much more than that.


    Ultimately, the ambiguousness of acknowledgment and the potential possibilities afforded to her by her intuition were only of secondary importance. In reality, these instincts were nothing more than safeguards to keep her from falling into an early grave.


    If her intuition was correct, then what would truly define her capabilities would be the limits of her imagination.


    For me to develop as a spirit, the most important skills for me to develop are my imagination and visualization skills¡­ deduced Chara. There was definitely more to it than just that, but at the very least, she didn¡¯t think she was far from the truth.


    The little spirit¡¯s extreme rippling eased, and her swirling speed accelerated into a confident swish. She knew exactly what she needed to do next.


    With her newfound motivation, she extended her awareness as far as she could, into the corridor. Sadly, it didn¡¯t reach where the curiosity spirit was waiting for her. That made things slightly more complicated, it meant she would either have to find somewhere to stop, so she could plan out her following moves, or just wing the entire journey, all in one move.


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    Chara decided to go for the safer of the two options, stopping halfway.


    Decided on her strategy, she moved her gaze towards the top of the cave. She figured that if she took advantage of the crystal¡¯s inclination to converge, she might be able to find somewhere to rest near the ceiling.


    Unfortunately, Curiosity was already two steps ahead of her, and had purposefully led her to a place with a low ceiling.


    Realizing her previous confidence might have been misplaced, Chara suddenly felt a lot less confident. Forget that bizarre spacial movement technique, she hadn¡¯t even mastered basic floating! So why was she being expected to navigate through this labyrinthine corridor?


    After a bit of grumbling, she swallowed her dissatisfaction. For better or for worse, she still wanted to know what lay at the center of this crystal cavern.


    After a quick search, she found a suitable place to stop. It was a small opening where four large intersecting pillars were protruding out of the ground in four different directions. What made this spot ideal is that because those four large pillars were taking up so much space, it left almost no room for any other crystalline constructs to grow in between, leaving a small amount of breathing room, where she could take a rest.


    Unfortunately, squeezing her way into that area would be a bit of a challenge. Although there were no obstructions in the area between the four pillars, there were many around it. Following the general trend of the crystal cavern, like many of the other giant pillars, these four larger pillars were also branching into many smaller and thinner pillars.


    This made it so that if she wanted to infiltrate her way into the sanctuary protected by the four larger pillars, she would have to carefully avoid knocking over all of the frail and delicate crystals surrounding them first.


    How troublesome¡­ thought Chara.


    Using her experience from racing games, she started devising the most ideal racing line from her current location to the area in between the four pillars. Except, rather than optimizing for speed or taking corners, she was just trying to leave as much space as reasonably possible between herself and any crystals.


    She did this, all the while giving herself frequent reminders that she was only imagining, not envisioning.


    The next thing to consider would be her shape.


    For the time being, Chara had zero plans of trying to emulate the curiosity spirit¡¯s mystifying movement technique. As a former solid, even the mere notion of disintegration made her feel extremely uneasy. She can¡¯t help but have intrusive thoughts like, ¡°What if I can¡¯t reassemble?¡± and inevitably gets cold feet.


    Still, she had to admit¡­ it looked like an amazing skill. Even as a newly inaugurated, inexperienced spirit, this much was exceedingly obvious. Hence, despite her unwillingness, she had already made up her mind to definitely learn it one day. It just wouldn¡¯t be now.


    Fortunately, she wouldn¡¯t have to. As implied by the name, the crystalline pillars were well¡­ pillars. And although none of them were perfectly upright, parallel, or even straight, they were at least going up. Thus, as silly as it sounded, the meta for avoiding crystal pillars was becoming a vertical line.


    Well¡­ since I¡¯m going to be moving in a direction, I guess there won¡¯t be much point in becoming as thin as a straw¡­ estimated Chara.


    Convinced, she started trying to visualize immediately.


    A bit further away, Curiosity had been watching with great anticipation as the little spirit¡¯s mana rippled full of thoughts and imagination.


    She had never intended to divulge so much information, but since it had already happened, it couldn¡¯t be helped. Now, she was more interested in seeing how the little spirit would handle this difficult situation.


    Previously, she had displayed an astounding comprehension ability when she quickly learned how to speak, and later, she displayed even more remarkable critical thinking skills when she theorized about the collapsing cave, even if her conclusion was wrong.


    Now that she had been given such a wellspring of information, Curiosity was super curious about what the little genius would come up with next. And by the looks of it, she would get her answer very soon.


    Finished with her calculations, Chara¡¯s mana had stopped rippling and become as calm as a lake.


    Noticing the tell-tale signs of a spirit taking conscious control of their mana, Curiosity focused her gaze on Baby¡¯s direction with increased attentiveness.


    The little spirit¡¯s mana started wobbling uneasily, like it was trying to change shape, but didn¡¯t know how to do it. After a bout of uneasy struggling, she stopped, appearing to have given up.


    Suddenly, she started spinning faster and faster, until she had become a spiraling sphere that could roll away at any moment. Once she had reached a decent speed, she slowly started changing her shape, becoming flatter and flatter, until she had become as flat as a pancake!


    Note


    Most normal ¡°Blossoming Spirit¡± chapter.

 Chapter 20 – Resolution!

    Curiosity was completely bewildered. She genuinely could not understand why the little spirit had gone out of her way to start spinning super-fast, when in the end, all she did was make herself flat.


    It was like that time when her other student, Light, used a spell to make herself glow, so she could see where she was going more clearly¡­ Only to use her spiritual perception anyway! It was completely backward, ridiculous, and unnecessary!


    Of course, the true reason behind this hiccup, was that Chara couldn¡¯t visualize a perfect circle. A mental barrier! Fortunately, she was able to convince herself that she could do it using centrifugal force as an excuse.


    Without any further delay, the flying disc excitedly rocketed into the corridor. As if following a predetermined path, the flying disc swished and swerved, gracefully maneuvering around the myriad of crystals using long and elegant lines.


    I am speed~!


    Unexpectedly, just as Chara was nearing her first checkpoint¡­ something happened. Seemingly out of nowhere, a portion of her mana lost its iridescent quality, changing into a different element, before glittering in an exhilarating light.


    All of a sudden, the world around her blurred, and she could feel herself becoming quicker and quicker. Before she could figure out what she was doing, she had already blitzed past her intended rest spot, past the four crystalline pillars, and whizzed completely into the unknown.


    Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa¡ª!


    Frightened, Chara chaotically veered left and right, desperately trying to avoid crashing into any of the oncoming pillars.


    She avoided an oncoming pillar. Because of the dim lighting, the translucent environment, and her extremely limited perception, she hadn¡¯t even sensed it until it was right in front of her. Startled, she took a sharp turn to the right.


    Consequently, she was immediately presented with the sight of two giant pillars. Using her gamer instincts, she just barely avoided a collision by swerving to the side, passing in between the two constructs. Regrettably, this abrupt maneuver caused her to fail to notice a third pillar stationed right behind the other two. Unable to avoid it in time, she braced herself for impact.


    However, there was no impact. Instead, she permeated straight into the pillar before erupting into a crackling explosion. Before she knew it, she had already phased across the rest of its volume and exited from the other side.


    Finally freed from her quickness, she slowed down and stopped. Scared stiff she nervously oriented her cone of perception to face behind her at the scene of disaster, her mana trembling in fear of what she would see next.


    Unexpectedly, there was nothing. No giant explosion. No crumbling pillars. No collapsing cavern.


    It was as if nothing had ever happened.


    While she was contemplating, a river of curiosity had silently snuck its way behind her, where a very amused Curiosity promptly rippled into existence.


    Noticing the little spirit¡¯s puzzled gaze, the greater spirit let out a childish giggle, ¡°Don¡¯t you know~? As a spirit, it is only natural that you can pass through solids~!¡±


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    ¡­¡­What? ¡­What?! WHAT!!!


    In the span of four seconds, Chara had gone from confused, to surprised, to completely furious! Admittedly, she was partially to blame for her blinding stupidity. However, it also couldn¡¯t be denied that the treacherous spirit in front of her carried at least ten times the blame for instigating her in such an evil and sinister way!


    This curiosity spirit is a huge liar! She lied about the crystals being extremely delicate, and she lied about the cave collapsing! What else could she have lied about, and what is she going to lie about next?!


    Chara felt extremely betrayed.


    Noticing the little spirit¡¯s rapidly diminishing mood and slanderous thoughts, Curiosity quickly rose to her defense.


    ¡°I never said anything like that. I simply told you not to touch anything, and then I told you it¡¯s very dangerous. If you didn¡¯t understand what I was referring to, you should have politely asked for clarification~!¡± stated Curiosity in a slightly admonishing tone.


    Listening to the curiosity spirit¡¯s ridiculous excuses, Chara was stunned silly. After failing to process any thoughts for the next ten seconds, she exploded.


    You¡ª! How could anyone be so shameless! What do you mean, ¡°you should have politely asked for clarification~¡±? It was you that sealed away my ability to speak¡­!


    Divining the little spirit¡¯s questions, even Curiosity couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit awkward. Not wanting the current situation to progress any further, she left. Yes, she simply left without providing any kind of explanation or doing anything else.


    Being the na?ve and innocent spirit that she is, Baby couldn¡¯t help but wonder where Curiosity was going¡­ Which is exactly what the other spirit was waiting for! By the time she realized, she had already curiously started following.


    It was a trap!


    Helpless, she tried to glare at the other spirit. She might not be able to leave, speak, or look away, but there were still many more ways to let the other spirit know precisely how she felt. Unfortunately, ¡°how she felt¡± soon became extremely curious!


    It was at times like this that Chara lightly wished she could be slightly more apathetic.


    Soon, the pair of spirits had arrived back to where Curiosity had stationed the collection of diamonds.


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Without another word, the party of two spirits and many precious stones started moving again.


    Feeling a bit puzzled, Chara couldn¡¯t help but wonder, Why does she need these?


    Noticing her curiousness, Curiosity responded simply, ¡°They can be used for magic.¡±


    Magic¡­! Chara was super curious.


    Sensing the little spirit¡¯s eagerness, Curiosity giggled. ¡°If you want, I can teach you later. Just know that it will be extremely difficult.¡±


    Not one to let such a magical opportunity slip through her fingers, Chara bobbed up and down eagerly. I¡¯d love to¡­!


    Cute¡­ observed the greater spirit. Still, although she had a good idea of what the little spirit was trying to convey, she wanted confirmation. ¡°Mm¡­ Just to be certain, this is your way of showing affirmation, yes?¡±


    Chara eagerly bobbed up and down again.


    Unable to hold back her emotions, Curiosity let out a childish giggle while inwardly cheering. She agreed! Yes!


    Both spirits gazed into each other¡¯s forms and simultaneously thought, Now that you¡¯ve agreed, you¡¯re not allowed to take it back¡­!


    In this harmonious atmosphere, where both parties thought they had swindled the other, an unusual pact was formed.


    After a short pause, the greater spirit asked another question. ¡°Mm¡­ Just to be certain, how do you show denial?¡±


    Confused, Chara was about to rotate back and forth when she realized that she was a swirling cloud. Puzzled, she tried floating from side to side.


    Unable to hold back her laughter, Curiosity burst into a fit of childish laughter.


    Before they knew it, the pair of spirits and the procession of diamonds had arrived at a mysterious tunnel. Unlike the rest of the crystal cavern, this area was entirely devoid of crystals. Moreover, it spiraled upwards in a gentle slope, making it seem a bit unnatural.


    After around what felt like ten revolutions, Chara lost count, she finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Boiling with anticipation, her mana couldn¡¯t help but condense, like it could burst at any moment. She was finally going to see the interesting place!


    When she finally arrived at the top, she was welcomed by a sight that could only be considered magical. It was a gigantic crystal tree!


    However, before she had the chance to start exploring, Chara¡¯s mind started to go fuzzy, and she lost consciousness.

 Chapter 21 – Giant Cloister!

    Chara levitated in the midst of a dark void, surrounded by a vast expanse of gleaming stars. The stars twinkled gently, casting a faint, inviting light that contrasted sadly against the blackness.


    For a long time, she simply floated there, lost in a trance. Eventually, a wisp of consciousness flitted across her mind, urging her to focus on one of the stars.


    She did.


    Suddenly, she was no longer in the dark void but seated at a desk, in an office, in her home, on earth. It was a memory.


    In a daze, she inspected her desk, its surface strewn full of papers. Feeling curious, she slowly picked up the center-most paper and began reading its contents.


    ¡°Find the derivative of the function f(x) = 3x2 + 5x ¨C 7.¡±


    Chara¡¯s lips started trembling violently as her eyes widened in terror.


    Nn¡ªNoooooooooooooooooooo¡­¡­!!


    ***


    The little spirit jolted awake as the scene faded to darkness. Taking a moment to calm herself, she began to think.


    A dream¡­ Did I¡­ fall asleep¡­? I don¡¯t remember going to sleep. Did I pass out? Also, where am I?


    Chara was a little confused, but she quickly suppressed her doubts.


    After taking a look around, the first thing she noticed was that both the ambient light element mana and the gentle lighting characteristic of the crystal cavern were completely absent. Confused, she tried to plead for help, only to realize that she couldn¡¯t speak.


    The devil¡ª! Why does she keep sealing my speech!


    Realizing that the curiosity spirit had used her evil sorcery to strip away her First Amendment rights, Chara vigilantly surveyed her surroundings.


    Despite the dimness making it hard to see clearly, there was still just enough light to faintly discern her surroundings. Unfortunately, this small amount of light was wasted due to the featureless nature of her area. There were no reflections, no glints catching on any corners, and she couldn¡¯t sense anything noteworthy through her perception either.


    Uuuu¡­


    Beginning to feel a bit nervous, she impatiently scanned her surroundings using her three-hundred-sixty-degree vision. Right away, she spotted an anomaly. Over to her left, faint light spilled through two horizontal slits, not unlike those created by the gaps at the top and bottom of a doorway.


    A door¡­?


    Dumbfounded, Chara steeled her mind as she inflated her perception past its usual resting volume. Once she overcame the fuzziness, what she discovered was so shocking that her swirling became disorderly and messy.


    She was in an empty, cube-shaped room!


    Well, after staring for a bit longer, she realized it was closer to a trapezoid, rather than a cube. Moreover, the wall with the entrance and the one across from it had a slight curvature. However, in comparison to the revelation that had shocked her the most, these were only small details.


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    Chara looked towards the entrance with slight trepidation. If the size of the walls and doorway were any indication, then wasn¡¯t the room she was in absolutely gigantic? She had already expanded the volume of her perception so much, and yet, it was only barely enough to perceive the entire room at once.


    Wha¡ªWhere the heck is this!? Am I in a resident for giants? Wasn¡¯t I underground!?


    With her mind spinning, she floated over to the presumed door and molded her perception into the shape of a cone. The moment she sensed outside, she could tell that the amount of light element mana was noticeably greater than inside the room.


    After taking a quick moment to confirm that there were no demons waiting for her outside this doorway, she permeated halfway through its thickness before staying in place.


    Without passing through to the other side, she envisioned part of her ethereal, cloud-like body extending out of the door, like the eyes of a snail. To her delight, when her illusory appendage peeked out of the door, light and vision started to flood her senses.


    Ah, it worked!


    It worked, but err¡­ where is my vision coming from?


    Chara was perplexed. The last time she checked, the faculty of sight required eyes, but it seemed she had somehow bypassed that necessity altogether. For that matter, she didn¡¯t know how her sense of hearing worked either, leaving her at a loss for what to think.


    Feeling like the rabbit hole she had briefly peered into had transformed into an endless abyss, she quickly pulled her head back, refocusing on the task at hand.


    Chara examined her surroundings, glancing from side to side. The door she was in seemed to lead into a connecting hallway. On the side with her door, was even more doors, and on the other, was a sequence of arched pillars supporting a large overhang. This layout curved around in a circle, completing a beautiful, ring-shaped building.


    At the center of this building was a beautiful, open-air, internal garden, populated with all kinds of delicate and well-maintained crystal flora. And peeking through the skyline, was the canopy of the giant crystal tree she had seen previously.


    It was a cloister!


    Wow~! This place is so beautiful~! Chara thought in admiration. However, after her mood settled down, and she regained her calm, she sighed.


    At this point, she could no longer keep denying reality. Between, her being a human-sized spirit and waking up in a giant¡¯s residence, or her living up to the name ¡°Little Spirit¡± and waking up in a normal-sized building¡­ she thought the latter conclusion seemed the most reasonable.


    But in that case, then who was this building designed for? Presumably, the one who brought her here was Curiosity, a spirit. However, spirits, who were capable of permeating through solids, theoretically shouldn¡¯t need doorways.


    Nevertheless, even assuming this was not the case, it didn¡¯t change the fact that the building was just plain huge. At her current size, Chara living here by herself would be like a mouse occupying an entire mansion, and if it was Curiosity, then maybe a cat. It would work, but it would be extraordinarily inconvenient.


    No matter how I look at it, isn¡¯t this building obviously designed for humans?


    While the little spirit was lost in her thoughts, the free-floating earth and light mana slowly started to decrease, while the amount of water, ice, wind, and dark element mana started to increase, causing the surroundings to dim.


    It was Curiosity. She had just arrived to see if the little spirit was awake yet, only to find her clipped inside the door while waving around a tiny mana tendril.


    This¡­ to say Curiosity was bewildered, would be an understatement.


    Throughout her adventures, she had encountered many spirits with strange philosophies, often wielding even stranger powers. And although she might not agree with their methods, she could at least understand their purpose.


    Nevertheless¡­ at this moment, she was completely unable to figure out the little spirit¡¯s purpose. It was a complete mystery. Uncertain of Baby¡¯s intentions, Curiosity opted to observe quietly, while worriedly assessing her curiosity for anomalous suppositions.


    After about half a minute, Chara finally snapped out of her thoughts and noticed the dense, swirling cloud of curiosity floating right in front of her.


    Feeling her gaze, Curiosity observed as the little spirit¡¯s illusory appendage turned to face in her direction. Feeling mischievous, she formed a similar mana tendril and then used it to pat the little spirit¡¯s own.


    The little spirit¡¯s attention shifted, focusing on their intertwined mana.


    What are you, a pervert?


    The pat was turned into a grapple and the little spirit was angrily flung into the central garden.

 Chapter 22 – Crystal Garden!

    After being thrown away so carelessly, Chara quickly ceased her momentum and stopped herself in midair. Despite her quick reflexes, she had already flown quite the distance by the time she came to a complete stop.


    The little spirit was indignant. How could she be thrown across the building like a mere ball?!


    She was about to start protesting about her human spirit rights when she was struck completely speechless. And this time, it wasn¡¯t even because of the curiosity spirit¡¯s speech prohibition.


    Chara had been thrown deep into the cloister¡¯s central garden. Under usual circumstances, this would not have been worthy of note¡ªif not for one minor detail.


    I mean, I knew I was small, but to think I wasn¡¯t even as big as a flower¡­ wondered Chara with helplessness and disbelief.


    Most of the flowers were so big that she could realistically cuddle in between their delicate petals and take a comfortable afternoon nap.


    Wait! Perhaps, the flowers in this garden are actually giant, like the ones that existed during the age of the dinosaurs¡­! Chara inwardly exclaimed¡ªnow almost certainly in denial.


    Unwilling to accept reality, she reinspected the crystalized flowers one more time. Lamentably, the flowers¡¯ features were simply too flimsy and too delicate. She felt that even if by some trick, they were actually bigger than they appeared in her field of view, the flowers would almost certainly shatter under their own weight.


    In other words, these flowers couldn¡¯t possibly be big. And Chara, who was smaller than these flowers, which couldn¡¯t possibly be big, was small. Very very small¡­


    Uuuu¡­ The nickname ¡®Little Spirit¡¯ really wasn¡¯t an exaggeration was it¡­? asked Chara to no one in particular while feeling dejected. Unable to bend the rules of reality through her delusions and sophistry, she glared at the crystal flora for being of such a reasonable size.


    This is all your fault¡­


    In the meantime, Curiosity was making a beeline straight in Little Spirit¡¯s direction. Although she found observing her various reactions to be fairly amusing, waiting for her to wake up was most certainly not. Hence, as much as it pained Curiosity, she would have no choice but to interrupt her little student¡¯s existential crisis, before she wasted any more of her spirit power.


    ¡°Hmph~! Since you have so much energy, would you like to start learning magic now, or later?¡± asked the curiosity spirit with a slight pout. She was pretending to still be upset at being thought of as a pervert.


    Truth be told, Chara was experiencing a bit of recency bias and would have preferred to explore the newly discovered building and giant crystal tree. However, something about the greater spirit¡¯s increasing swirling speed and the slight flare of her mana hinted to Chara¡¯s intuition that informing her of this might not be the best idea. Besides, she could always explore later.


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    The little spirit bobbed up and down to convey her affirmation and then floated forward to show she was ready.


    Satisfied with her assent, Curiosity conveyed something like an approving hum and said, ¡°Follow me~,¡± as she ascended above the foliage.


    Chara quickly followed after her.


    I wonder what she¡¯s going to show me. Incantations, secret rituals? Or will it be something more tangible like grimoires and magic mirrors¡­?


    Swirling in anticipation, it wasn¡¯t long before she started fantasizing about becoming a powerful magician. She imagined herself turning into a human and conjuring a wand from thin air. Then, she waved it in a circle and then aimed it at the figure before her, summoning a dazzling light. Unable to evade in time, the curiosity spirit was bombarded by countless shooting stars before exploding into a cloud of vapor.


    *Pooof~!*


    When the mist cleared, the once proud spirit had turned into a slimy, transparent blue frog.


    Uwahaha~! Serves you right¡­!


    Alas, the curiosity frog was not to be underestimated. After letting out a loud and resounding ¡°ribbit,¡± a procession of tumbling diamonds shattered Chara¡¯s daydream and began marching toward her from all directions. She tried to banish them with her wand, but they relentlessly tumbled after her and began to beat her up.


    Her imagination had betrayed her!


    When the pair of spirits left the internal garden and reentered the corridor, Curiosity stopped in front of one of the doorways. Seeming to verify something, her mana pulsed slightly, before she moved towards the right.


    As the little spirit followed, she looked back at the room they had been floating in front of. For some reason, the concentration of light mana was especially high around that particular doorway.


    Weird¡­


    After passing a couple more doors, the curiosity spirit finally stopped. She looked at Baby and said, ¡°Follow me,¡± before permeating into the doorway.


    Witnessing this, Chara became even more perplexed about why the building had doorways. Clearly, they didn¡¯t need them! However, upon phasing through the door to the other side, she was left staring in blank amazement.


    The room was well-lit thanks to a large crystal embedded into the ceiling that emitted warm light. The walls were lined with cabinets and shelves made from mottled black stone. These fixtures were filled to the brim with tablets, jars, and various other nicknacks, all made from various types of stone.


    The room featured four tables, with three arranged side by side in the center, and one positioned in front of them, all crafted from the same mottled black stone as the shelves. However, what caught her eye the most was the giant blank whiteboard, situated at the back of the room, right behind the leading desk.


    This¡ªis a classroom¡­! realized Chara while looking around with astonishment and disbelief.


    Considering the parts of the building she had explored so far, she felt like it shouldn¡¯t have been so surprising, but the fact that there was a building so far underground seemed absurd in and of itself.


    And on top of everything else, she noticed a significant increase in the concentration of water element mana, a characteristic she had only observed around Curiosity.


    The little spirit¡¯s gaze wandered around the classroom full of inquisitiveness.


    Savoring her student¡¯s wonder, the curiosity spirit chuckled. ¡°Curious, are we? Well then, it¡¯s a good thing that you decided to follow me.¡±


    After floating to the back of the classroom, she took her place behind the forwardmost desk in front of the whiteboard, her mana swelling with pride.


    ¡°This¡ªis a classroom! A place for learning,¡± proclaimed Curiosity with a little spin and releasing a magnificent shower of illusory droplets.


    ¡°And I, am a teacher~!¡±

 Chapter 23 – Interview!

    The moment Curiosity declared her status as a teacher, a subtle wave rolled across the classroom¡¯s mana.


    A classroom? Curiosity is a teacher? This is a school? Also, why did the classroom¡¯s mana suddenly behave weirdly¡­ The little spirit¡¯s mana was rippling full of confusion. She had so many questions that she didn¡¯t even know where to begin.


    Sensing her student¡¯s wonder, the alleged teacher hummed in amusement. ¡°Eager to learn, are we? Unfortunately, while I¡¯d love to explain what I just did, it would be hard for me to do so without teaching you some other things first. For the time being, let¡¯s just say that I used magic to make this area more suitable for learning.¡±


    More suitable¡­? In what way? How was that any different from not explaining anything at all? Chara swirled in dissatisfaction at the teacher¡¯s charlatan-like explanation.


    Curiosity giggled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll understand later. For now, why don¡¯t you find a spot behind one of those desks so we can get started.¡±


    Compelled by her thirst for knowledge, the student did as she was told and obediently floated behind the center desk.


    ¡°Oh, right¡ªbefore we begin, I¡¯d like to clarify a few things.


    ¡°Firstly, I know you only asked me to teach you about [Magic]. However, this spirit doesn¡¯t have any incompetent students! Therefore, I¡¯ll also be teaching you about general knowledge, aesthetics, exploration, and combat.


    ¡°So, until you master all of these subjects, you don¡¯t get to graduate from being my student!¡± declared Curiosity in a tone of finality.


    Aesthetics¡­? Chara was so baffled that she even considered whether ¡®aesthetics¡¯ was a misinterpretation. She couldn¡¯t see what it had anything to do with magic, nor why the greater spirit insisted on including it in her lessons.


    ¡°Yes, aesthetics. Understanding symbolism is foundational for the utilization and understanding of magic. I¡¯ll explain it fully at another time,¡± elaborated the swirling teacher without diving into too much detail. ¡°Before we begin, I need to ask you some questions so I can gauge your knowledge about magic. Is that alright?¡±


    Answer your question? How can I answer your question If I can¡¯t even speak¡­? Chara lampooned inwardly. However, seconds later, she intuitively felt the limitation over her speech relax slightly.


    ¡°A¡ªAh¡­¡±


    Upon confirming her little student¡¯s flustered voice, the greater spirit promptly posed her first question. ¡°Using your own words, answer me this. What is mana?¡±


    Baby, not expecting such a simple yet profound question right from the start, scrambled to form her thoughts.


    ¡°Ah. Umm, mana is¡­ magic power?¡± she guessed, after thinking for a few seconds and coming out blank.


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    ¡°Uhm, correct¡­! But also insufficient,¡± Curiosity acknowledged and refuted at the same time. ¡°Mana is possibility. Magic is just an expression of that possibility,¡± she elaborated full of enthusiasm, drawing out the listener¡¯s interest and leaving them wanting to know more.


    Possibility? But mana clearly exists! How can something that exists in reality be the same as something that could exist¡ªbut doesn¡¯t? Chara¡¯s mana rippled with incomprehension. In her view, a ¡°possibility¡± ceased to be a possibility the moment it became real, leaving her to wonder, how could mana¡ªwhich was clearly real¡ªpossibly be both?


    Sensing the little spirit¡¯s budding curiosity, the swirling teacher swirled in approval.


    ¡°Alright! Next question: Where does mana come from?¡±


    Chara looked around with uncertainty. To be honest, she had never even thought about it. Everywhere she looked, there was mana. It was so abundant that she had started treating it like the oxygen in the air, or the water in the ocean¡ªa fact of life.


    But then she glanced at herself. She was also made of mana, only different. Unlike the surrounding mana, which was suffused with distinct impressions and color, hers was iridescent and pure. Never mixing with any external mana, it continuously swirls in and out of her form in an endless vortex, as if guided by some unseen force.


    Suddenly, as if this invisible force was no longer enough, a small puff of mana wisped off the top of her form and separated from her body, soon blending into the rest of the colors.


    Did my mana just overflow¡­!?


    The little spirit watched intently as this occurrence repeated several more times, yet not once did she detect any external mana seeping into her body, despite the ongoing swirling.


    Could it be that my body continuously generates mana, causing it to overflow and fill the environment?


    A faint voice in her mind suggested that this conclusion contradicted the law of conservation of energy, but she ignored it.


    ¡°From within,¡± answered Chara, finally responding to the teacher¡¯s question.


    ¡°Correct. Very observant,¡± praised the greater spirit. She had observed everything. Seeing her student become curious about a topic and immediately seek out the answers filled her with deep satisfaction.


    Having been praised, the little spirit swished happily without realizing it.


    ¡°Then, do you know why spirits are always swirling?¡± asked Curiosity.


    Chara spent the next thirty seconds staring at herself fruitlessly until her mana started expanding and contracting in frustration. All the while exchanging sorrowful glances between the teacher and herself.


    Curiosity wanted to laugh so badly but held it in due to her student¡¯s temper. If possible, she would prefer to spend the rest of her lesson teaching and not coaxing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll explain later,¡± placated the swirling teacher.


    After carefully assessing her student¡¯s answers, the greater spirit believed that she had a pretty solid grasp of Baby¡¯s expertise¡ªwhich, as it happened, was close to nil. Thus, she opted against further questioning.


    Curiosity took conscious control of her mana, separated a small amount from her body, and guided it across the room to one of the mottled black cabinets. Upon making contact, its glittering intensified, and the cabinet door opened.


    Inside the cabinet was a void. A darkness so tangible, that it spilled out of the cabinet in an ominous black cloud, drinking the oncoming light.


    Indifferent, the detached curiosity mana familiarly maneuvered into the darkness. Seconds later, it floated back out, levitating a sinister-looking black rock. After placing the rock on top of the cabinet, it shut the door, grabbed the rock again, and levitated it to the teacher¡¯s desk.


    Having procured something ominous, she was about to continue her lesson when she realized that her little student had been shocked silly.


    Upon regaining her wits, Baby immediately began swirling emotionally and clamoring for answers. Alas, most of her queries were either completely nonsensical, or required too much background knowledge to be answered in a concise manner, fated to be ignored.


    Once she settled down, Curiosity began speaking, ¡°Now that that¡¯s out of the way, it¡¯s time to move on to the first subject of today¡¯s lesson, [Casting]!¡±

 Chapter 24 – Casting!

    ¡°Casting? You mean, like, the activation of spells?¡± asked Chara, her mana swirling in anticipation.


    ¡°Indeed. The art of [Spell Casting] is a profound and mysterious discipline, encompassing many fields of study and covering a vast array of topics¡­ But for now, we¡¯ll focus on just its three basic steps,¡± Curiosity passionately introduced.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be demonstrating each step as I teach to ensure you understand, so watch closely,¡± she added sternly.


    Without delay, Curiosity dove straight into the lesson.


    ¡°Step one is [Envision]!¡± she declared, in a tone of absolute certainty, leaving no room for doubts. Nonetheless, after a short pause, her swirling became turbulent, and her mana quivered.


    ¡°Oh my~! It seems like I forgot how to envision. Would you be a good spirit and remind me of how to do it?¡± she pleaded innocently while sounding extremely embarrassed.


    Who are you trying to fool with that poor acting!


    Chara was not convinced. Regardless, she obediently answered the charlatan¡¯s question, if only so they could move on. ¡°Envisioning is like Imagining, but with intent.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, what a smart spirit. I think I remember now~!¡± praised the swirling teacher while sounding very proud.


    ¡°Ahem, so, for the first step of casting, you must envision the desired effect of your spell. It¡¯s best to visualize the entire process, step by step, including the desired outcome. The more detailed the visualization, the better.


    ¡°For this demonstration, I¡¯m going to envision this piece of obsidian floating through the air and landing on your desk.¡±


    Following her declaration, the room went silent.


    ¡­


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Uhm, you can¡¯t see it, but I¡¯m doing it right now,¡± assured the greater spirit.


    Chara certainly couldn¡¯t see anything, but she could vaguely make out some kind of gaze directed at the area in front of her. She didn¡¯t know how to describe this feeling; she just knew it was the case.


    ¡°Step two is, performing an [Invocation]! It¡¯s a bit tricky, but basically, you must perform some kind of action that clearly expresses the underlying principles of the intended effect of your spell.


    ¡°Since the goal of my spell is to make this rock float, I¡¯m going to try to convey the principle of [Buoyancy]. That is, an upward force exerted by liquids and gases on objects less dense than themselves. Unfortunately, this principle is a little abstract, making it rather challenging to express. So instead¡­¡± the greater spirit chattered on endlessly without ever running out of breath. After all, spirits didn¡¯t have lungs.


    The longer Chara listened, the more confused she got over time.


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    Miss, I came here to learn about magic, not fluid dynamics¡­


    ¡°¡­Hence, I will recite a poem~!¡± concluded Curiosity¡ªa statement that Chara might have found reasonable if she had been paying attention.


    ¡­What?!


    The little spirit was in disbelief. Nay, she refused to believe! This was a huge crisis. How could she be made to engage in a round of slam poetry or sing a song every time she had to cast a spell? Wasn¡¯t that too inconvenient and too embarrassing?


    Lamentably, the curiosity spirit was completely serious, and after doing the spirit equivalent of clearing her throat, she began her recital.


    ¡°In gentle waves, it softly sways,


    ¡°A buoyant spirit finds its way.


    ¡°Lifted on the breeze¡¯s hold,


    ¡°Floating where the stars unfold.¡±


    A mystical quality infused her voice. With each note she sang, the mana surrounding the ominous black rock grew increasingly restless, as if being affected by some unseen force.


    ¡°Guided by constellations bright,


    ¡°We sail through the velvet night.


    ¡°In the vast expanse, our hearts ignite,


    ¡°As we chase the stars, our souls take flight.


    ¡°Through moonlit paths and silver streams,


    ¡°Guided by the night¡¯s soft gleams.


    ¡°With each crest and ebb, we roam,


    ¡°Exploring realms far from home.¡±


    When Curiosity finished her poem, her mana swelled with pride at her own stunning performance.


    Speechless, the little spirit could only stare in astonishment and disbelief.


    What the heck? That sounded really good!


    Sensing Baby¡¯s admiring gaze, the swirling teacher giggled bashfully before remarking, ¡°By the way, steps one and two can be done in either order. It doesn¡¯t really matter, as long as both are performed around the same time.¡±


    The little spirit bobbed up and down to show her understanding.


    ¡°Finally, step three, supplying mana! By this point, assuming the previous steps worked as intended, you should have created something known as a [Spell Construct]. While you may not be able to perceive it directly, your intuition should give you a rough idea of how much mana you need to activate it.


    ¡°Pay close attention to this feeling, it¡¯s extremely important! And, if you ever feel like something bad might happen if you complete the spell, abort immediately!¡± warned Curiosity while sounding extremely serious, as opposed to her usual sing-song voice.


    ¡°Y¡ªYes,¡± answered the little spirit while looking off to the side.


    Curiosity gazed at her intently before continuing, ¡°If you don¡¯t feel anything, then it means the spell failed. But if you do, then just follow your instincts, supply the [Spell Construct] with mana, and bam¡ªyou¡¯ve got a spell!¡±


    Following her instructions, a small amount of mana broke away from her ethereal cloud-like body. Without warning, the initially calm mana¡¯s swirling grew increasingly intense as it shone with an aqueous light. Then, the mana surged towards the ominous black rock, permeating into its surface. Suddenly, the piece of obsidian broke away from the pull of gravity and ascended into the air.


    Chara marveled as it journeyed across the classroom and landed atop her desk, letting out a sharp clack as it smacked against the stone surface.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it. Envisioning, performing an invocation, and supplying mana; the three steps of casting~! In reality, there¡¯s a lot more to each step than just that, but we can go over that later,¡± concluded Curiosity while swirling cheerfully.


    After a brief silence, the little spirit glanced at the object atop her desk, only to be taken aback by its intense, shadowy dark appearance.


    Whoa¡­


    Given obsidian¡¯s glass-like properties, under normal circumstances, each facet of its surface should catch the light in unique and interesting ways, refracting into a spectrum of dark hues. Yet, the stone in front of her simply absorbed all light, as if she were staring into a miniature void. It was too ominous.


    Obsidian? Are you sure this isn¡¯t a piece of the Devil?


    Nevertheless, as she put this out of her mind and glanced between the rock and the greater spirit, her mind was enveloped with only one thought.


    I want to do that too!


    Noticing her reaction, the curiosity spirit giggled. ¡°Since you look so eager, why don¡¯t you try returning it to my desk?¡± she suggested in a playful voice.

 Chapter 25 – Attempt!

    Return the piece of obsidian?


    Chara was immediately taken with the idea, swirling delightedly. Yet, when she considered that to perform an invocation, she would have to recite a literal poem, she instantly felt flustered and began having second thoughts.


    When she agreed to the curiosity spirit¡¯s offer to learn magic, she had expected many things¡ªstudying, training, hard work¡ªthe usual training arc regime. Never once did she imagine that the greatest obstacle between her and magic would be embarrassment!


    Uuhuhu, noooo! I can¡¯t do it, I really can¡¯t do it!


    The little spirit lamented.


    Nonetheless, the prospect of magic was extremely alluring, and she quickly found her reservations gradually eroding, unable to resist. Alas, the moment she accepted her fate, she faced another issue: she didn¡¯t know the first thing about poetry. Furthermore, she couldn¡¯t recall the curiosity spirit¡¯s poem either!


    Chara shivered. If she had to compose her own poem and then recite it, she would surely die of embarrassment!


    Flustered, she urgently sought the teacher¡¯s help. ¡°Um, Miss Curiosity¡­ Your poem was truly wonderful. Could you repeat it so I can hear it again?¡±


    Listening to her request, the curiosity spirit scrutinized Baby before immediately deducing her intentions.


    ¡°Mm¡­ no,¡± she giggled.


    Chara had the urge to grab the piece of obsidian and launch it at the swirling teacher. However, since she didn¡¯t follow this up with an invocation, there was no spell construct.


    ¡°Little Spirit, an invocation doesn¡¯t need to be something fancy like a poem or even in incantation. As long as your performance can articulate the principal of your spell, it can be anything you wish,¡± explained the greater spirit.


    ¡°But what if I don¡¯t know what to do?¡± Chara couldn¡¯t help but feel discouraged. Despite her excellent grades in school and an intellect that put her above her peers, she wasn¡¯t all that creative.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfectly fine. Even if you fail, you can just try again later. Just do your best,¡± Curiosity answered in an encouraging voice.


    Feeling the weight of her teacher¡¯s expectations, Chara reluctantly started brainstorming.


    In the end, despite her strong aversion toward recitation, she was ultimately unable to escape the fate of slam poetry. Due to buoyancy¡¯s highly abstract nature, she couldn¡¯t think of a single way to express its principles using a method other than vocalization.


    Hence, she begrudgingly composed her own poem. It wasn''t as long or elegant as the greater spirit¡¯s poem, and it didn¡¯t rhyme either. However, it described buoyancy, and it was hers.


    ¡°You got this Little Spirit! Show that piece of obsidian whose boss~!¡± cheered Curiosity.


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    Shut up! I¡¯m trying to concentrate!!


    Feeling embarrassed, the little spirit repeatedly visualized the piece of obsidian floating across the classroom and landing atop the teacher¡¯s desk. Once she was satisfied with her mental image, she repeated this process again, only with intent.


    Okay, envisioning is done. Now for the hardest part¡­


    She carefully reviewed her lines one last time before starting¡­


    ¡°H-heavy ships and tiny boats,


    ¡°All afloat the water¡¯s surface.


    ¡°Displaced fluid, weight unknown,


    ¡°Lift the volume of this stone.¡±


    As the little spirit continued her recitation, her voice took on an increasingly otherworldly quality. In concert, she could feel an ethereal weight manifest over her mind. Intuitively, she took hold of this weight, and pushed on it. In response, a stream of mana rushed out of her body and infused itself into the piece of obsidian.


    Instantly, the rock lifted off the table, rose into the air, and floated toward the teacher¡¯s desk.


    I¡ªI did it!


    The little spirit swished in excitement. Alas, the moment the rock left her perception, its floating grew increasingly unsteady, as if it could fall at any moment.


    Uwaaa!


    The little spirit trembled in horror.


    Unaware of her plight, the floating obsidian advanced unsteadily, its altitude decreasing over time. Just as it was about to reach its destination and make it onto the desk, it hit the corner! Unable to clear the edge, the rock descended sorrowfully, like a hammer plunging into the depths of a lake.


    Nooooooo¡ª!


    Upon finishing its descent, the rock produced a soft clack, as if mocking her for her failure.


    Uuhuhuhu¡­ This can¡¯t be happening. How could I put in so much effort, and endure so much humiliation, only to fail? Was my sacrifice all for nothing?!


    Chara was devastated. Unable to accept the result, her swirling decelerated dramatically, like she could dissolve at any instant.


    ¡°Aww¡­ You don¡¯t have to look so sad. Actually, I already knew that you would fail from the start,¡± Curiosity confessed with her usual childish voice.


    In response, her little student¡¯s slow and lifeless swirling rapidly accelerated and she could feel a flustered glare coming from her direction.


    ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t set you up for failure because of how cute you look when you¡¯re angry. Rather, aren¡¯t you super capable? You understood all my explanations, followed a long diligently, and even got the spell to activate,¡± complimented the swirling teacher.


    Chara maintained her glare, even as she quivered in embarrassment.


    ¡°And yet, the spell did not manifest in the way you envisioned¡­ Aren¡¯t you curious about the reason why~?¡± inquired Curiosity, her voice strangely mesmerizing.


    Little by little, the little spirit¡¯s anger slowly dissipated, until it was replaced by an overwhelming sense of curiosity. Before she knew it, the spirit in front of her was no longer an enemy to be feared, but a treasure trove full of answers.


    Realizing the abrupt change in her emotions, the little spirit made a conscious effort to look to the side and inwardly pouted. Nevertheless, due to her interest in the swirling teacher¡¯s information, she soon found her gaze right back on the curiosity spirit, unable to look away.


    Curiosity giggled slyly. ¡°It looks like you are eager to learn, an excellent attitude for an excellent spirit~! Sadly, while I wish I could offer you a simple solution, the factors contributing toward your failure are both numerous and varied.¡±


    ¡­Are you saying that my execution was so bad, that you don¡¯t even know where to begin?


    The little spirit swirled in dissatisfaction.


    Curiosity continued, ¡°Regardless, learning too many things at once can be overwhelming, especially if they are unfamiliar. So, for the remainder of this lesson, I¡¯ll be focusing specifically on one, mana~.¡±


    At that moment, a thin stream of mana flowed from the greater spirit and beneath her desk, linking to the fallen obsidian. Without a word, she lifted it into the air and placed it against the whiteboard.


    Chara had already seen Curiosity do this once earlier, but upon seeing it again, with her newfound knowledge of casting, she noticed an important detail.


    Wha¡ª! Wait a second! She didn¡¯t perform an invocation!

 Chapter 26 – Possibility!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have a question?¡± asked Curiosity, sensing her student¡¯s curiousness.


    ¡°You, how are you lifting that stone, when you didn¡¯t perform an invocation?¡± questioned Chara.


    ¡°Ah, this¡­?¡± Curiosity presented the piece of obsidian and chuckled. ¡°I did perform an invocation; you just didn¡¯t notice~!¡±


    Who didn¡¯t notice? I¡¯ve been watching you the entire time! The little spirit wasn¡¯t convinced.


    Noticing her skepticism, the curiosity spirit decided to explain further. ¡°First, I envisioned lifting this rock.¡±


    She raised the rock slightly.


    ¡°Then, I expressed the principle of ¡®holding¡¯ by grasping it with my mana.¡±


    To illustrate her point, she flung the piece of obsidian upward and caught it using a different mana tendril.


    ¡°¡­¡­What?¡±


    As Chara attempted to make sense of this information, her swirling grew increasingly turbulent, and her mana rippled meaninglessly. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t grasp the explanation, it just seemed so arbitrary that it felt absurd.


    Does this mean that if I think of ¡®owning¡¯ something, and then I write my name on it, it will really become mine? What kind of ridiculous logic is that?! Hmph, I should write my name on Curiosity, just to see what happens¡­


    Amidst her nonsensical thoughts, the little spirit was struck by a sudden realization.


    Now that I think about it, why did I have to write and recite my own poem to move that creepy rock, when I could have just done this instead¡­


    As she compared her overly complicated, amateurish ¡®floating¡¯ spell to the curiosity spirit¡¯s easy and simple ¡®holding¡¯ spell, Chara felt as though she had spent over two hours planning and executing the most ingenious plan to bypass an impenetrable locked door, only to belatedly realize the obvious ¡°pull to open¡± instructions on its glass.


    At that moment, her swirling slowed dejectedly, and her confused rippling ceased. She was sulking.


    ¡°Alrighty, no more distractions. Baby¡­ do not speak,¡± ordered Curiosity.


    Who¡ªWho are you calling Baby!?


    The muted spirit hadn¡¯t even planned on speaking¡ªbut now she did! All about how mean and wicked this spirit was to her kind, cute, and innocent pupil!


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    Now where were we¡­? Ah yes, mana~!


    Lost in her thoughts, the curiosity spirit raised the ominous black rock and slid it across the whiteboard¡¯s surface. As it moved, the rock left behind a clean black line, as if she were using a marker instead of a chunk of volcanic glass. When she was finished, she set down her unusual writing utensil and marveled at her creation.


    It was a crudely drawn circle¡­


    Needless to say, the little spirit was extremely bewildered. So much so, that she forgot she was angry.


    Curiosity took a moment to gather her thoughts before she began her lecture. ¡°In this world, there exists countless things. From towering mountains to humble ponds, to the beautiful flowers that fill my garden. There is also you, Little Spirit. You also exist.¡±


    Gee¡­ I don¡¯t know about that¡­ Chara lampooned. To be honest, even she wasn¡¯t entirely convinced of her own existence. Regardless, she bobbed up and down to show her agreement.


    ¡°Thanks to this, you, along with all other existences, have the innate potential to experience change,¡± Curiosity passionately explained.


    ¡°These changes could take any number of shapes. For instance, take this piece of obsidian. It could move to the left, or it could move to the right. It could spin around in circles or explode into pieces. It could even become blue, turn into a cloud, or wake up, move out of this building, and become an artist,¡± narrated the swirling teacher, as she tormented her illustration full of arrows and scribbling.


    ¡°All of these potential changes are what we call ¡®possibilities.¡¯ Capable of happening, but not yet realized. In theory, this piece of obsidian could undergo any one of these possibilities¡­ And yet, not only are none of them happening now; most of them won¡¯t happen in the future either!¡± harassed the greater spirit, as the countless arrows were inexplicably yanked off the whiteboard and dispersed into a fine mist.


    The little spirit couldn¡¯t help but feel melancholic as the already bastardized obsidian¡¯s potential futures vanished from existence. It was too pitiful.


    Curiosity lowered the piece of obsidian. ¡°That being said, it¡¯s important to understand when possibilities don¡¯t come to fruition, it¡¯s not necessarily because an existence is lazy or unmotivated. Rather, it¡¯s typically because the conditions needed to facilitate that possibility aren¡¯t being met.


    ¡°For instance, why can¡¯t this piece of obsidian move to the right? Because there isn¡¯t a force pushing it from the left~! Why can¡¯t it transform into a cloud? Because its temperature isn¡¯t high enough~! Why can¡¯t it wake up, leave this building, and become an artist? Because it can¡¯t draw~!¡± denounced the swirling teacher.


    No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the reason¡­ Chara had her doubts.


    ¡°Fortunately¡­ there is a solution. It¡¯s mana~!¡± cheered the curiosity spirit as she spun in place and released a shower of illusory water droplets that glimmered with an aqueous light before vanishing.


    The little spirit felt compelled to clap but she didn¡¯t have hands. So instead, she envisioned a pair of mana tendrils and used them to clap¡­ though this didn¡¯t produce any sound. At this moment, she felt an ethereal weight manifest over her mind.


    A spell¡­?


    Intrigued, she pushed on this weight, just to see what would happen, only to get startled when a round of applause echoed across the classroom.


    Clap! Clap! Clap!


    It was a clapping spell.


    ¡°Ahaha~! What are you doing~?¡± Curiosity burst out laughing.


    Overcome with embarrassment, the little spirit had the urge to hide under her desk. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t do this, or else her teacher would have laughed even harder.


    Unbothered by her student¡¯s antics, the curiosity spirit delivered her conclusion.


    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that by using mana, we can satisfy the required conditions for any given possibility, allowing us to manifest its outcome directly. This is why mana is known as the embodiment of possibility~!¡± proclaimed Curiosity, her mana swelling proudly.

 Chapter 27 – Intensity!

    The little spirit swirling slowed, and her mana rippled thoughtfully as she digested the curiosity spirit¡¯s explanation.


    So, to summarize, we are taking the ¡°cause,¡± from ¡°cause and effect,¡± and replacing it with mana¡­


    Which, in practice, seems to just manifest the ¡°effect¡± directly, without any of the usual fuss¡­


    Err, does that mean that I can use mana to do whatever I want?


    As expected, the instant the swirling teacher sensed the student¡¯s question, she immediately burst into a fit of giggles, leaving her little prot¨¦g¨¦ feeling rather embarrassed.


    From Chara¡¯s perspective, she believed she had come to a perfectly reasonable conclusion, given the explanation.


    ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s not that you can¡¯t¡ªit¡¯s just that there are two problems~!¡± explained the curiosity spirit through intermittent laughter. ¡°But before I can tell you about that, let me teach you about something else first~!¡±


    Without delay, the swirling teacher produced three puffs of mana and lowered them onto her desk. After using one of them to pick up the piece of obsidian, she moved them toward Chara until they were directly in front of her.


    Intrigued, the little spirit enveloped them within her perception to take a closer look.


    Starting from the very left was¡­ a type of mana she had never seen before. Unsettlingly, although she could sense it through her perception, and intuitively knew it was mana, it gave her no impression.


    In the middle, was some normal mana. It exuded a gentle and refreshing feeling, characteristic of the water element. However, aside from this, it wasn¡¯t any different from the rest of the room¡¯s mana.


    And on the right, was the puff of mana levitating the ominous black rock. This mana emitted the same impression as the previous, only more pronounced. So much so that it appeared to glitter within her perception.


    Upon sensing this last sample of mana, Chara¡¯s mind sparked in recognition. This was the state mana reached when it was in a spell.


    ¡°As you might have noticed, although all three puffs are just mana, each of them exudes a distinct feeling that sets it apart from the other two. This is due to a characteristic called [Intensity], which is kind of like a mana particle¡¯s level of excitement,¡± enlightened Curiosity while jittering around the wisps of mana for dramatic effect.


    Intensity? Excitement? Hmm, could this be like temperature for atoms¡­? considered Chara. In physics, ¡°temperature¡± is a measurement of the average kinetic energy of particles within a substance. However, after a short contemplation, she shot down this idea.


    No, if she went out of her way to specify ¡°particle,¡± then ¡°intensity¡± must be an intrinsic property of mana itself, rather than a collective behavior like temperature or density¡­


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    Curiosity swirled around the leftmost puff of mana so it would catch her student¡¯s attention. This was the mana that emitted no impression.


    ¡°Starting from the lowest intensity, this is [Reserved Mana]. This variation of mana is mostly found within your [Soul Sea] as it¡¯s what¡¯s generated by your [Mana Core]. As you can see, it¡¯s very shy and doesn¡¯t interact much.¡±


    The little spirit didn¡¯t understand more than half of the curiosity spirit¡¯s explanation, but as if to show she was listening, she formed a little mana tendril and prodded it. There was no particular reaction.


    The greater spirit swirled around the middle sample of mana.


    ¡°Next is [Normal Mana]. This is the most common form of mana, and it¡¯s everywhere around us. Because of its heightened intensity, it¡¯s very opinionated and social, preferring to gather with variants of mana it likes while avoiding ones it dislikes.¡±


    When Chara concentrated onto the puff of normal water element mana, she confirmed that indeed, there seemed to be wind, ice, and water element mana gathering around it. In contrast, the light element mana, which should have been illuminating her desk, avoided it, making her seat seem a bit gloomy.


    This was not surprising. Mana¡¯s tendency to converge toward certain colors was something she had noticed even before she knew that it was mana. Nevertheless, she was a bit dissatisfied with the teacher¡¯s rather lackluster explanation, as it only mentioned that certain variants of mana could either like or dislike each other without explaining why.


    Sensing her student¡¯s doubts, the curiosity spirit inwardly smiled. Nonetheless, she had no intention of answering¡ªat least not this instant.


    Without delay, she swirled the final sample of mana. Concurrently, its glittering intensified and its impression grew even more pronounced.


    ¡°Last, but most exciting is¡ª[Spell Mana]! This variation of mana behaves similarly to the previous one, only more exaggerated. Furthermore, because of its extremely high intensity, it becomes so unruly and mischievous that it begins to affect the world around it¡­!¡± chided Curiosity.


    To emphasize her point, she began playfully orbiting the floating obsidian around the little spirit. As it circled, it left behind a sparkling trail of illusory water droplets that glimmered with an aqueous light before fading.


    ¡°Now, all of this is well and good, but as you may have noticed, there is a teeny tiny problem. The mana is gradually disappearing~!¡± cried Curiosity, as if fearing that she was next.


    Disappearing¡­? Now that she took a closer look, Chara realized that indeed, the wisp of mana holding up the ominous black rock was gradually diminishing. In fact, she didn¡¯t think it would last another minute.


    ¡°You see, out of the two problems I mentioned earlier, the first one was referring to this,¡± said Curiosity.


    That the mana is disappearing? Chara wondered.


    ¡°No! What I mean is¡­ Although I depicted mana as a magical energy capable of turning possibilities into reality, the truth is, each mana particle only contains a fixed amount of energy called [Potential],¡± confessed the greater spirit.


    Oh. I guess that makes sense¡­ Baby mumbled inwardly, though she did find the term ¡°potential¡± to be slightly intriguing.


    ¡°As for how this impacts our spell casting¡­ simply put, the farther a possibility is from reality, the more potential it takes to make it real,¡± explained the swirling teacher.


    Further from reality¡­ As the little spirit mused over this expression, her mana swirled gently, her rippling as unreadable as her thoughts. She was confused.


    Curiosity, an expert at reading swirling expressions, immediately picked up on her cluelessness, and decided to give her a hint. ¡°Think of it as the number of conditions that must be met for a possibility to become reality, and how challenging those conditions are to meet.


    ¡°For example, consider the scenarios I mentioned earlier. For this piece of Obsidian to move left, right, or shatter into pieces, all it would take is a bit of force. Therefore, these possibilities can be considered¡ªclose to reality~! As such, bringing them to life shouldn¡¯t demand too much mana.


    ¡°On the other hand, for this obsidian to wake up, move out, and become an artist¡­¡±


    Enough already! Use a different example!

 Chapter 28 – Direction!

    To summarize, I can¡¯t turn a pumpkin into a magical golden carriage because it¡¯s extremely difficult for this to happen and therefore requires a ton of mana¡­


    So then, what¡¯s issue number two? Chara wondered.


    ¡°Well, I could tell you, but~ wouldn¡¯t it be more exciting if you tried guessing it on your own?¡± Curiosity suggested with a playful voice.


    Umm¡­ could you at least give me a hint?


    The little student stared at her teacher piteously, but the other spirit just looked at her quietly as if saying, How can I give you a hint before you¡¯ve even tried!


    Just as Chara was on the verge of swirling up a fuss, the spell that kept the ominous black rock afloat finally depleted its mana, allowing gravity to reassert its presence.


    Seemingly awaiting this, Curiosity swiftly cast another ¡°hold¡± spell using the two wisps of mana that had remained from her last demonstration. The ominous black rock, now safe and secure, ascended gently and floated toward its owner¡¯s desk.


    As Chara watched the piece of obsidian cross the distance between the teacher¡¯s desk and her own, a phrase came to mind:


    Distance from reality¡­.


    The little spirit¡¯s swirling slowed, and her mana rippled thoughtfully.


    Now that I think about it, the concept of ¡°distance¡± only really measures the space between an origin and a destination¡­


    In the case of spell casting, that¡¯s reality and a desired possibility¡­


    But how is a possibility or destination locked onto in the first place?


    It was a line of thinking she hadn¡¯t considered. The rippling of her mana subsided, before surging up again with even higher amplitude.


    The obvious answer would be¡­ during the first two steps of the spell casting process, envisioning and invocation. But¡­ how do these processes even work?


    How do these processes distinguish between possibilities where an object explodes into pieces, or defies the laws of gravity¡­


    Or whether it melts into a puddle of goo, or melts into a slightly more viscous puddle of goo?


    Questions surfaced in her mind, one after another, like bubbles rising to the surface of a lake. She felt like she was onto something, but she was unsure how to describe it.


    Sensing her little student¡¯s burgeoning curiousness, the curiosity spirit¡¯s mana contracted in anticipation.


    Is it¡­ direction? Chara mumbled inwardly.


    ¡°Wow~! Little Spirit, you are so smart~! I knew you could figure it out if you just tried~!¡± Curiosity pulsed delightedly, her mana accelerating into a cheerful swish.


    ¡°Essentially, yes, the problem of direction! You see, unlike me¡ªwho is very curious, meticulous, and smart¡ªmana is extremely silly and dumb~! It¡¯s only capable of following extremely simplistic instructions like stop, go, burn, and freeze!¡± she exclaimed in a chastising tone, her form swishing and swirling animatedly.


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    ¡°Because of this, the more intricate the possibility you try to grasp, the more likely it is for the mana powering that spell to become confused and settle for the closest equivalent.


    ¡°This outcome might be what you intended, but it also might not be. And even if it is, you will probably have a hard time replicating it¡­


    ¡°Regardless, there are actually quite a few ways to mitigate this effect. However, since this lesson is supposed to be about mana, I¡¯ll only explain the variables pertaining to it,¡± she stated in a firm tone.


    I see¡­ The little spirit bobbed up and down cutely.


    The swirling teacher had a hard time peeling off her gaze as she redirected it onto the giant stone whiteboard. Suddenly, the poorly drawn rock she had sketched previously peeled away from the stone¡¯s surface, and it disappeared into a fine mist.


    Curiosity took a moment to compose her thoughts before speaking.


    ¡°Just as every possibility has a distance from reality, it also has a direction. As for what this ¡®direction¡¯ is actually describing, it depends on whether it¡¯s referring to a possibility or specifically mana. Anyhow, rather than just explaining it plainly, let¡¯s go over it in terms of casting.¡±


    The greater spirit lifted up her writing utensil and drew a point.


    ¡°Think of this dot as reality¡¯s current state. When casting, the first step is to envision a desired possibility. Naturally, this possibility will have a direction from reality.¡±


    She marked another point to the top-left of the first.


    ¡°As we are discussing a possibility, in this context, its ¡®direction¡¯ would describe the specific type of effort required to bring this possibility into reality. For instance, let¡¯s say in our current reality there is a chunk of ice, and you envisioned it melting,¡± She gestured between the first and second points.


    ¡°In that case, the type of effort required to make that possibility a reality would involve heat,¡± declared the swirling teacher.


    The little spirit bobbed up and down to convey her understanding.


    Curiosity continued, ¡°Next, you perform your invocation, and then, you infuse your spell with mana. Here, ¡®direction¡¯ would be used to indicate the kind of effort the mana itself can exert. For example, earth mana could be used to make things more resilient.¡±


    She brought her writing utensil back to the initial point.


    ¡°Now then, Little Spirit, riddle me this. What do you think happens if the direction of your spell and the direction of your mana don¡¯t match?¡± the swirling teacher asked with a mischievous voice.


    ¡­It¡¯s like trying to lift a box by setting it on fire. The effort provided is completely misaligned from the objective¡­ Chara¡¯s musings drifted.


    Curiosity continued, ¡°As you likely suspect, the spell fails. But¡­! It also doesn¡¯t end there¡­


    ¡°You may not have consciously realized it, but the possibility you envision is an integral part of your spell construct. The thing is, once mana gets excited and transitions into becoming spell mana, it¡¯ll become eager to manifest its potential in any way it can. Pair that with an incompatible spell construct and what do you get? A conflict!¡±


    She drew an arrow extending from the first point, but it did not link to the second point, which represented the desired possibility. Instead, it deviated far off course, shooting off into¡­ somewhere.


    Does that mean it will explode?! The little spirit grew alarmed, her swirling turning uneasy. She had never imagined casting could be so dangerous.


    ¡°Um, it depends on the amount of mana, so, for you, probably not,¡± Curiosity answered heartlessly as she peeled away the markings, restoring the whiteboard to its original, pristine state.


    What?! Chara¡¯s uneasiness vanished, giving way to an intense wave of indignation.


    Paying no mind to her little student¡¯s silliness, the swirling teacher lifted up the ominous black rock and sketched out a giant black circle, followed by another smaller circle inside of it. Next, she drew a long horizontal line that cut across both circles, dividing them in half. Lastly, she drew four more lines, dividing the area between the inner and outer circles into six equally sized sections, three on the top, and three on the bottom.


    When she was finished, the end product was what Chara assumed to be a thinking map with eight divided sections.


    <figure></figure>

 Chapter 29 – Identity!

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve gone over the theory, let¡¯s dive into how it works in practice,¡± Curiosity announced.


    ¡°Just as every possibility has both a distance and a direction from reality, so does mana. In the case of distance, it can naturally be equated to mana¡¯s [Potential]. As for direction, this is where things get a bit more interesting¡­


    ¡°But before I explain further, can you be a good spirit and remind me of the levels of intensity?¡± asked Curiosity, returning the little spirit¡¯s ability to speak.


    Unprepared for the sudden quiz, Chara was momentarily stunned before answering, ¡°Um¡­ they are, reserved, normal, and spell mana?¡±


    ¡°Correct~! Oh, and one more question: where does mana come from?¡± Curiosity asked again.


    ¡°Err¡­ From the mana core?¡± Chara hazarded, recalling from the intensity explanation.


    ¡°Correct again~!¡± Curiosity swirled happily. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to get at is¡­ all newly generated mana is initially reserved mana. That is, mana in its purest form,¡± she stated as she conjured a wisp of reserved mana.


    ¡°As the purest form of possibility, reserved mana has the potential to manifest absolutely anything. And yet, due to this very same characteristic, coupled with the myriad number of possibilities, it becomes ultimately unable to settle on just one, resulting in its usual inertness,¡± she narrated dispiritedly.


    The iridescent wisp of mana swirled melodramatically, as if it was unable to withstand its very own state of existence. It was too pitiful.


    The little spirit stared blankly.


    ¡°Nevertheless, as this reserved mana flows from one place to another, and encounters various kinds of phenomena, it gradually starts to form a preference, favoring certain possibilities over others. And when this preference reaches a critical point, something fascinating happens!¡± clamored Curiosity.


    Suddenly, the wisp of reserved mana churned mysteriously, its iridescence fading, and its color deepening. In the next moment, it evoked a gentle and refreshing feeling, like the color of water.


    ¡°The reserved mana will naturally allocate some of its [Potential] to manifest what is known as an [Identity] and transition into becoming normal mana,¡± Curiosity finally revealed.


    The newly converted normal mana did a little spin before bursting into a magnificent shower of illusory water droplets that sparkled before fading.


    <i>Identity¡­? </i>A picture of Chara¡¯s state ID popped into her mind. She didn¡¯t have a driver¡¯s license.


    ¡°Yes,¡± affirmed the swirling teacher. ¡°[Identity] is like the personality of a mana particle. You can think of it as an inclination towards expressing its potential in a particular way. And the most basic form of identity is an [Element].¡±


    <i>Ah¡­ it finally came! </i>The little spirit swirled to attention.


    She had been waiting for the curiosity spirit to talk about elements¡­ practically since the lesson started. But instead, she was taught about casting, set up for failure, and then forced to attend make-up lessons! She had been thoroughly wronged!


    ¡°Oh~? It looks like you already have some idea of what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Curiosity keenly observed.


    ¡°Then how about this. Since you are so smart, I¡¯m going to give you a little quiz. Do you think you can pass it~?¡± she provoked in a teasing tone.


    The little spirit glared without realizing it. How could she stand being underestimated and treated like a child?


    ¡°Yes!¡± answered Chara.


    ¡°Great. Then, list out the eight [Elements], one by one, while I fill them in on this diagram,¡± declared Curiosity while shifting to the side and lifting the ominous black rock.


    Chara¡¯s gaze focused on the blank diagram. Upon reflection, she noted that the table indeed had eight spaces, corresponding precisely to the number of elements. While she had yet to discover fire, she assumed it existed.


    ¡°Water!¡±


    Without hesitation, the curiosity spirit positioned her weapon of choice in front of the bottom-most space where she quickly doodled some stylized waves.


    ¡°Ice!¡±


    The greater spirit repositioned her rock to the cell neighboring water from the left and drew some simplified snowflakes.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    The swirling teacher shifted her attention onto the cell on the opposite side of the chart, directly across from ice, and quickly drew a crude-looking flame.


    ¡°Earth!¡±


    Curiosity sketched another crudely drawn rock.


    ¡°Lightning!¡±


    Curiosity drew three zigzagging bolts.


    ¡°Wind!¡±


    Curiosity squiggled some lines.


    As the little spirit listed the names of various elements, the floating rock skipped across the whiteboard, leaving behind sloppy yet recognizable doodles. However, when she got to the element of ¡°darkness,¡± the greater spirit stopped, and took nearly two minutes to fill in the entire bottom half of the inner circle until it was completely black.


    ¡°Light!¡±


    The swirling teacher drew what looked like a stylized sun on the top half of the inner circle, right above the darkness element. When she was done, she gently lowered her writing utensil on top of her desk.


    Chara had listed out all of the elements, and the map was complete.


    Sensing her student¡¯s expectant gaze, the curiosity spirit hummed in amusement and lathered her full of praise. ¡°Wow. How did you become sooo smart~? Is it because your swirling is so neat and organized~? Or could it be, that you¡¯re aspiring to be a wisdom spirit?¡±


    In response, Chara¡¯s mana swelled with confidence and pride. To be honest, she didn¡¯t entirely understand the greater spirit¡¯s compliments, but she thought they sounded kind of nice.


    ¡°Anyways, since you answered all the elements correctly, I¡¯m going to ask you one last question~! Do you think you can answer this one? This one is worth extra credit~!¡± Curiosity taunted playfully.


    ¡°Yes~!¡± Chara answered confidently.


    ¡°Great~! My question is: what are [Elements]?¡±


    The little spirit¡¯s swirling gradually slowed, her rippling ceased, and she stared back at her in puzzlement. Evidently, she had never given this topic even the slightest thought.


    ¡°Awww~! It looks like Baby doesn¡¯t know~! That¡¯s too bad~! Fortunately, she has the smart and capable Me, here to teach her~!¡± the curiosity spirit let out a childish giggle.


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    Feeling humiliated, Chara glared at her, even whilst her mana trembled in embarrassment.


    ¡°Ahem~!¡± Forcefully changing the subject, Curiosity asserted, ¡°I do think it¡¯s important to understand what an element is¡ªto at least some degree¡ªin order to get the most out of mana. So, with that out of the way, it¡¯s time to answer the fundamental question: what is an [Element]?¡± she announced.


    ¡°Previously, I had described both possibilities and mana as having a ¡®direction from reality.¡¯ But, do you have any idea what these ¡®directions¡¯ are actually pointing at?


    ¡°In the case of possibilities, it¡¯s the possibilities themselves that are the thing being pointed at, from reality, so you don¡¯t generally have to think about it. But what about [Elements]? Do you have any idea what they¡¯re pointing at?¡± she asked in a curious voice.


    <i>How would I know. I only learned about them just recently¡­ </i>Chara lampooned inwardly.


    ¡°No,¡± she responded succinctly.


    Curiosity continued, ¡°Well, think of it like this. If mana is possibility, and reality is the outcome of all preceding possibilities, then [Elements] are variations of identity that represent the eight most ubiquitous outcomes observed across all of reality. Those being:


    ¡°Becoming a solid, liquid, or gas,¡± she gestured at the doodles representing the earth, water and wind elements.


    ¡°Gaining or losing heat,¡± she gestured at the doodles representing the fire and ice elements.


    ¡°Transmitting an electric current,¡± she pointed at the trio of lightning bolts.


    ¡°And radiating or absorbing light,¡± she pointed at the two middle sections representing light and dark elements.


    As she finished listing them out, she fixed her steady gaze on Chara and spoke. ¡°If you are to take away one thing from this lesson, it should definitely be these. These outcomes hold immense significance! I strongly recommend that you memorize them as best as possible,¡± she advised earnestly.


    After repeating them one more time, the swirling teacher continued, ¡°Keep in mind that the [Elements] don¡¯t necessarily represent the outcomes themselves but are more like the focal points for mana¡¯s innate tendency to converge toward the outcomes that were already bound to happen eventually. This, in turn, naturally favors possibilities that are adjacent to these outcomes, making them easier to manifest.¡±


    <i>So, sort of like the paths of least resistance¡­ </i>Chara simplified. However, after a moment of contemplation, she grew puzzled and asked, ¡°What makes a possibility adjacent to one of these outcomes, or um, elements, and why does that make it easier to manifest?¡±


    The curiosity spirit, thrilled that her student had not only grasped the content of her lecture but had also considered its underlying implications, swished with delight.


    ¡°Well, to be ¡®adjacent¡¯ can mean a couple of different things, such as being nearby, sharing a common end point, or coming directly before or after something. Among which, the distinction doesn¡¯t really matter.


    ¡°What¡¯s truly important is that for a possibility to fit any of these definitions, it would need to have a similar ¡®direction from reality¡¯ as the outcome its being compared to,¡± she stated using a much steadier voice.


    ¡°As for why this makes them easier to manifest¡­ I mean, think about it. Mana exerts effort while possibilities require effort to manifest. So, if an element of mana exerts a certain type of effort that generally results in a certain type of outcome¡ªfor example, fire element mana making things gain heat¡ªthen you won¡¯t have to do much in the way of casting to convince that element of mana to manifest a possibility that involves doing that exact same thing,¡± she explained thoroughly.


    ¡°I see. But wouldn¡¯t assessing whether a possibility is adjacent to an element of mana every time you need to cast be incredibly inconvenient?¡± Chara asked incredulously.


    Chara felt the swirling teacher¡¯s gaze become slightly more intense. She had no way of knowing what the curiosity spirit was thinking, and yet, she couldn¡¯t help but feel like the gaze being directed at her was one looking at something silly.


    After a long pause, Curiosity asked in a mischievous voice. ¡°Little spirit, tell me. What is the similarity between washing a giant boulder, washing a copper plate, washing a copper plate using a tub of acid, and washing a piece of furniture?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ that they all involve the principle of washing?¡± Chara answered while feeling a sense of foreboding.


    ¡°Oh-ho~? So you still remember about principles~! Great~! Then, could you remind me of the second step of casting?¡± requested Curiosity with even greater amusement.


    The little spirit¡¯s premonition grew stronger. She began to feel apprehensive about acquiescing to the teacher¡¯s arrangement.


    ¡°That is¡­ to perform an invocation, or action, that clearly expresses the desired effect of a spell¡¯s underlying¡­ principle. Oh¡­¡± she trailed off in realization.


    Once again, the curiosity spirit burst into a fit of giggles, making the little spirit feel very embarrassed.


    ¡°No, you would not stop to assess whether a possibility is adjacent to an element of mana every time you need to cast,¡± Curiosity repeated word for word. ¡°That would be extraordinarily inconvenient. Instead, you would only do that for a specific set of principles, and you would do it looooooong before the time of casting.


    ¡°You see, unlike possibilities, which are in constant flux and ever-changing: principles are relatively constant. It does not matter what is being washed; when, where, or why it is happening; or who is the one doing it. The principle of washing will always constitute the act of cleansing, generally using water or some other liquid. And since liquid is the outcome represented by water element, that would make the principle of ¡®washing¡¯ adjacent to this element, making it suitable for casting spells based on this principle.


    ¡°Once you had confirmed this fact, you could then go on to use this principle for a myriad of different spells¡ªwithout ever having to worry about millions of minor variations or whether you were using the wrong element of mana~!¡± she advised playfully.


    <i>I see¡­</i> The little spirit bobbed up and down to convey her understanding.


    <i>But what do you do if a principle is adjacent to multiple different elements? And what happens if a principle isn¡¯t adjacent to any of them? </i>Various questions bubbled up in Baby¡¯s mind one after another, despite still feeling a bit embarrassed. However, after being made fun of two times in a row, she had become too afraid to ask.


    Curiosity, not entirely unaware of this, observed her with a hint of expectation. Nevertheless, she did not satisfy her student¡¯s curiosity. After all, how could Baby cultivate her own sense of curiosity if she never had the urge to investigate for herself? Answers always needed to be kept just out of reach!


    After a short respite, the swirling teacher introduced the next topic. ¡°Moving on from elements, we have the other more advanced form of identity known as an [Essence].¡±


    Chara perked up. For a while now, she had known that her teacher was a [Curiosity Essence Spirit]. However, this information hadn¡¯t been of much use as she didn¡¯t know what an ¡®essence¡¯ was. As it turned out, it had been a type of mana.


    <i>Does this mean that Curiosity is made out of curiosity essence mana and not water element mana¡ªlike I previously assumed?</i> Chara theorized silently.


    ¡°Now, given that [Essences] are just another form of identity, you might be wondering why I referred to them as being more advanced than elements?¡± supposed Curiosity.


    The little spirit hadn¡¯t wondered this, but it was a good question.


    ¡°You see, unlike elements, which embody self-contained and independent outcomes, [Essences] use the outcomes represented by elements as starting points to then build upon, and manifest more detailed and complex possibilities.


    ¡°For example, rather than trying to conjure the abstract concept of music, like you might do for air using wind element mana, you would conjure music using air. Or rather than trying to conjure the abstract concept of castle, you would conjure a castle out of earth,¡± the swirling teacher illustrated playfully.


    ¡°Due to this derivative nature, essences are often described as having a parent element, or as being the child or essence of another element. For example, the parent of tranquility essence is darkness. Meanwhile sound essence is a child of wind element, while curiosity is an essence of water,¡± explained the curiosity spirit while swirling proudly.


    <i>Oh, I was right¡­</i> Chara inwardly pumped her fist.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t manifest tranquility or sound without using the corresponding essence mana. It¡¯s just that trying to do it using its parent element will naturally be a lot less precise, less efficient, and more likely to fail¡ª! And this is merely achieving the result, let alone trying to make minor adjustments!¡± the essence spirit criticized, not at all hiding her bias against elemental mana.


    ¡°In addition to this, [Essences] also have one other major difference that sets them apart from elements. Namely, that they aren¡¯t limited to just eight¡ªor even appear to have a fixed number~!


    ¡°Like elements, [Essences] also represent distinct outcomes. And yet, as beings discover new interests, new possibilities, and new ways to use mana, the number of essences grows evermore~!¡± Curiosity exclaimed proudly.


    ¡°Does this mean you can create new essences?¡± Chara inquired sheepishly.


    ¡°Almost certainly. Though, I think trying to do it artificially might be next to impossible,¡± responded the swirling teacher.


    ¡°Why?¡± Chara asked.


    Curiosity pondered for a moment and then spoke, ¡°Although they might not be as ubiquitous as the eight elements, every essence that I¡¯m aware of represents a concept that¡¯s at least¡­ somewhat prominent? They all embody things that either exist across a vast number of places, affect an uncountable number of lives, or garner an immense amount of interest. And not just momentarily but both historically and to the current day.


    ¡°For this reason, I strongly believe that essences must embody something prominent! Because if it¡¯s not at least as prominent as the floor of this classroom, which embodies the state of being solid, then wouldn¡¯t any nearby undecided reserved mana decide to become earth mana instead? So, although I may not know the exact criteria for what qualifies as an essence, I think it¡¯s pretty safe to rule out anything that¡¯s too insignificant.


    ¡°For similar but opposite reasons, I also think it¡¯s safe to rule out anything that¡¯s too broad. Mana identity is practically a fixation on a particular outcome. So if the outcome is too broad and unspecific, then what is the mana supposed to fixate on? Every spirit understands the concept of ¡®movement.¡¯ And yet, has there ever been such a thing as movement essence?¡±


    ¡°Has there?¡± Chara asked.


    ¡°There definitely hasn¡¯t!¡± the swirling teacher denied vehemently.

 Chapter 30 – Compatibility!

    ¡°Alrighty, enough of that. The last subject I wanted to go over is a little something called ¡®elemental compatibility¡¯¡ªwhich may sound complicated, but it¡¯s essentially just how elemental mana interacts with other elemental mana,¡± Curiosity introduced.


    ¡°As for how it works¡­¡± her voice trailed off as she considered how to best explain it.


    After a short pause, she lifted the ominous black rock and placed it on the ground between the desks. ¡°So¡­ imagine you have this piece of obsidian. What do you think will happen if I cast a spell to push it?¡±


    ¡°It will¡­ move in the direction it¡¯s pushed in?¡± Chara answered dubiously, clearly puzzled about where this was leading.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see~!¡± Rather than giving a direct answer, the swirling teacher decided to let the result speak for itself.


    Without hesitation, she conjured up a swirling ball of water mana and launched it at the motionless piece of obsidian. Upon collision, the mana burst into a shower of illusory water droplets and the rock was sent tumbling forward. When it finally came to a stop, as anticipated, it had indeed moved in the direction it was pushed in.


    ¡°Wow~! It looks like you were right~!¡± exclaimed Curiosity. Unbothered by her student¡¯s unusual look, she returned the piece of obsidian to its original position.


    ¡°As we¡¯ve just verified, when a single force is applied to an object, it simply moves in the direction it¡¯s pushed in. Now, consider this: what do you think will happen if I use two spells instead of one? In other words, two forces pushing on one object,¡± she restated in a curious voice.


    ¡°Umm, I think it depends,¡± Chara belatedly answered.


    ¡°Oh~? Depends on what?¡±


    The little spirit hesitated. After mulling it over in her mind, she said, ¡°It depends on which direction the forces from the spells are pushing. If both spells push in the same direction, then the rock will naturally be propelled much farther. If they push in different directions, then uh¡­ I guess it will depend on the exact angles. And if they push in exact opposite directions, the forces will cancel each other out, and the rock will remain motionless¡ªum, are you okay?¡±


    Midway through her reply, the greater spirit¡¯s mana had begun to ripple in increasingly peculiar ways.


    Curiosity, no longer able to hold back her feelings, did a little spin before releasing a magnificent shower of illusory water droplets that shimmered before fading.


    ¡°Wow~! How can you be sooo brilliant~? What a stellar intuition~!¡± she complimented with heartfelt sincerity.


    <i>Me, brilliant? I guess you could say so¡­ </i>The little spirit¡¯s mana swelled slightly, her little form overflowing with confidence and pride.


    The curiosity spirit giggled. ¡°Now then, going by your prediction, what do you suppose will happen if elemental mana, which¡ªsimilar to the two forces¡ªembodies a particular direction, interacts with other elemental mana?¡± she asked with a curious voice.


    The little spirit¡¯s swirling slowed before she pulsed in realization.


    ¡°An interaction! One where the outcome will be determined by the mana¡¯s specific identity!¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± chuckled Curiosity.


    Having made her point, she retrieved the piece of obsidian and positioned herself to the left of the whiteboard, giving Chara a full, unrestricted view of the elemental diagram.


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    ¡°Now then, as you have probably started to suspect, this diagram organizes elements according to their compatibility,¡± the swirling teacher boasted, as if the chart were her own invention.


    The little spirit perked up.


    This pictogram was one of the things she¡¯d been curious about for some time now. After all, if Curiosity simply needed to verify whether Chara knew all the elements, then it would have been much easier to make a list, or even forego writing altogether. Yet, not only did she go out of her way to construct such an elaborate graph, but she also meticulously placed each element in a specific slot. It was too conspicuous.


    Furthermore, as a devoted player of a certain monster-catching game, Chara was already quite familiar with the idea of elemental compatibility. Despite this, she had never seen an element diagram quite like this one, leading to her increased interest.


    <i>I wonder if the elements are balanced. Too bad I can¡¯t become a fairy-type¡ªor else I would have surely gone to go bully some dragons~!</i>


    The little spirit giggled inwardly. Chara, lost in her thoughts, didn¡¯t notice as her attention was quietly whisked away, her gaze unconsciously fixed on the greater spirit. The moment she resurfaced from her thoughts; their gazes met.


    ¡°Baby, you need to pay attention.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Feeling self-conscious, she averted her gaze to the side, opting to look at the circular element diagram instead.


    Curiosity, picking up where she left off, said, ¡°When elemental mana goes near other elemental mana, it generally results in one of three reactions.


    ¡°The first kind of reaction is attraction. Mana particles with similar identities tend to attract. This is especially true for mana of the same element,¡± she explained meticulously.


    The little spirit¡¯s mind sparked in recognition. The swirling teacher had actually briefly touched on this during her explanation of normal mana, but hadn¡¯t gone into much detail. Thinking back, Chara realized it was probably because she hadn¡¯t yet learned about identity.


    ¡°In addition to itself, each element also attracts three other elements. On the diagram, these are the ones sharing a border. For instance, the element of water is bordered by the ice, dark, and wind elements, indicating their mutual attraction,¡± explained Curiosity, as she pointed to one element after another using the ominous black rock.


    The little spirit¡¯s gaze wandered from one pictogram to the next, studying each element and its neighbors, until it settled on the division between the glowing sun and the sea of black.


    <i>Light and darkness? Why are these two touching borders? These two can¡¯t possibly have a similar identity¡­ right? </i>


    Sensing her little student¡¯s curiousness, the swirling teacher hummed approvingly. ¡°Well spotted~. Alas, it¡¯s an exception¡ª! Please treat the border between the light and darkness element like it doesn¡¯t exist. Unfortunately, there isn¡¯t really a better way to display this information. At least, not on a flat surface and not without using dozens of arrows.¡±


    <i>I see¡­ </i>Chara could tell that there was a story there, but she decided not to ask.


    ¡°The second type of interaction is repulsion. Mana particles whose identity is too different¡ªreally can¡¯t stand each other! Run away! Each element repels four other elements. On the diagram, these are the ones not sharing borders. For example, the element of earth is separated from fire, wind, light, and darkness elements, indicating their mutual repulsion,¡± summarized the greater spirit.


    ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t you point at the tiny corner between earth and darkness. Corners don¡¯t count~!¡± Curiosity chided, not even giving her student the chance to voice her question.


    The little spirit lowered her mana tendril dejectedly.


    ¡°The last type of interaction is cancellation! This occurs between elements whose identities are polar opposites! Each element has exactly one opposite. Needless to say, these pairs of elements experience the strongest repulsion and hate each other the most. But in the unlikely event that they actually meet, their opposing potentials cancel each other out, leading to the elimination of both!¡±


    Curiosity thrusted out the piece of obsidian mercilessly, as if striking against some unseen enemy.


    <i>Swish!</i>


    ¡°On the diagram, these destined enemies are positioned directly opposite each other. For example, earth and wind, or fire and ice. Additionally, while the light and darkness elements are placed right next to each other, these two are also opposites,¡± she clarified, finally clearing Chara¡¯s doubts.


    ¡°What about essences?¡± Chara asked after a moment of deliberation.


    ¡°The elemental compatibility of essences is the same as its parent element,¡± Curiosity answered succinctly.


    <i>Oh, I guess that makes sense¡­</i>


    Chara didn¡¯t ask any questions.


    ¡°Welp, that¡¯s pretty much all the learning material I had planned for today. However, don¡¯t think you can go off and play just yet~. To ensure you have a solid grasp of the concepts I¡¯ve taught you, I am giving you an assignment!¡± announced Curiosity.

 Chapter 31 – Assignment!

    An assignment? I¡¯m being given homework?!


    At that moment, Chara automatically imagined herself turning around and leaving. Little had she forgotten, that as a spirit¡ªa magical being whose essence flows in accordance with her thoughts¡ªthe swirling mass of iridescent mana forming her body actually started accelerating toward the doorway.


    Startled by unexpected movement, she abruptly stopped, her thoughts thrown into disarray. However, before she could think further, a faint glimmer of water mana danced at the edge of her perception, vanishing the instant it caught her attention.


    What was that?


    Feeling like she had to take a better look, she pounced in its direction, only to come to her senses a moment later as she halted in front of the curiosity spirit¡¯s desk. The little spirit¡¯s swirling became turbulent for a second before pulsing with sudden realization.


    She had been tricked!


    ¡°Little Spirit, I know you are eager to complete your assignment, but I need to give it to you first~!¡± Curiosity chided playfully.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Who is eager to complete what assignment!


    Feeling aggrieved, Chara glared at the greater spirit.


    Ignoring her silent protest, the swirling teacher continued, ¡°Your assignment is to explore the building and find five different kinds of essence mana,¡± she explained as she marked five dots.


    ¡°You don¡¯t actually have to collect them or anything; just memorize their overall impression and describe them to me later. Oh, and of course, none of the essences I mentioned during the lesson¡ªincluding curiosity essence mana¡ªare allowed~! Other than that, class is dismissed!¡±


    The little spirit¡¯s mana wavered slightly, her form shifting nervously in the air. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she looked at the swirling teacher and exclaimed, ¡°Thank you for the lesson!¡±


    However, you are still a devil¡­ humph! she added inwardly before swiftly departing.


    Curiosity stared at the door blankly. After a belated pause, her swirling accelerated into a cheerful swish.


    I¡­ I¡¯m being acknowledged as a teacher~!!


    Unable to contain her joy, she floated from one end of the classroom to the other. She repeated this over and over, the room¡¯s mana swirling around her curiously as though it had become affected by her overflowing passion. As she returned the piece of obsidian to its place in the mottled black cabinet, she couldn¡¯t help but have some thoughts.


    Hmph, I was going to interrogate you later to figure out where you got so much knowledge¡­


    However, since you are such a cute and attentive student, I guess I can overlook some of your uniqueness¡­


    But only for a little bit~! I will reveal your secret eventually~!


    Don¡¯t think you can convince me with just this!!


    The curiosity spirit was very confused.


    ***


    Meanwhile, just outside the classroom, in the periphery of the cloister¡¯s internal garden.


    Chara, unaware that her manners had just spared her from a lengthy interrogation, had encountered an unexpected set back.


    At first glance, her assignment seemed fairly straightforward; just float around, look for some essence mana¡ªand really, that¡¯s all it should have been... that is, if not for one minor issue.


    Uuu¡­ How can I complete the assignment if I can¡¯t even sense essence mana¡­?


    That issue being, that she was incapable of doing the very thing that was being asked of her.


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    To her frustration, this was one of those circular dilemmas where the solution to the problem¡­ was to just stop having the problem. It was like someone with no money and no assets being told that in order to escape poverty, they needed to invest in a stock portfolio.


    The little spirit cast a suspicious glance toward the classroom before suppressing her doubts. While she didn¡¯t exactly trust the curiosity spirit, she also didn¡¯t see any sense in giving her an assignment that she couldn¡¯t complete. All it would garner her would be more animosity.


    With this conviction, she fell into thought.


    Why can¡¯t I sense essence mana. Could it be that I just never encountered any up until now?


    Hmm, I kind of doubt it. That seems almost impossibly unlikely¡­


    If I remember correctly, Curiosity said that essences are essentially just elements, only more specific. For instance, curiosity being an essence of water¡­


    The little spirit¡¯s deliberation stopped, and her mana rippled suspiciously.


    Come to think of it, Curiosity is a curiosity essence spirit. Could it be, that both the water element mana forming her body and the water element mana filling the classroom are actually curiosity essence mana?


    It was a bold hypothesis, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Furthermore, it also aligned with her own experiences.


    For instance, when she first discovered how to use perception, all she could really sense was a chaotic blur of sensations, reminiscent of an ethereal dream-like fog. It wasn¡¯t until she put in a conscious effort that she gradually realized that these impressions could be divided into several distinct hues¡ªor as she later recognized them, elements. Considering this, it wouldn¡¯t be unusual if she had to follow a similar process to differentiate essences from their parent elements.


    The little spirit resurfaced from her thoughts and swirled confidently.


    In that case, the solution is obvious. All I have to do is take the time to familiarize myself with the impressions of various kinds of essences¡ªand before long, I¡¯ll be able to distinguish them from elements in no time~!


    She had it all figured out. Or at least she thought she did, before realizing that implementing her idea would require her to have the samples of essence mana to familiarize herself with first.


    ¡­


    This assignment is crap!


    She was back to square one.


    Feeling frustrated, Chara decided to change her approach. Rather than examining random samples of mana and trying to distinguish whether or not they contained essence mana, she would find a sample of mana that she believed had a strong likelihood of containing essence mana first, and then examine it afterwards. This way, she could focus exclusively on improving her senses.


    Now, the question is how¡­


    Not having a good idea of where to begin, she reached out with her perception, thoroughly inspecting her surroundings.


    The ground and crystal flora were infused with earth mana. The air carried a mix of dark, ice, and wind mana, especially in the areas shrouded in shadow. Meanwhile, light mana surged to fill the spaces illuminated by the glowing crystals embedded evenly throughout the cloister, keeping her surroundings well-lit.


    Inexplicably, mana of various identities seemed to have naturally coalesced in locations where its presence felt the most fitting.


    Upon realizing this, Chara felt like a child who had just discovered the concept of gravity. Intimately familiar with its existence, yet unaware of its underlying aspects.


    How could she have ignored such a conspicuous and prevalent behavior? Was it because she thought it was natural? Was it because it was so closely aligned to her expectations, that it had never even caught her attention?


    Ever since she first observed mana, she¡¯d noticed its tendency to converge. This was later confirmed by Curiosity, who further explained that each element of mana will attract itself, along with three other elements, while repelling the remaining four.


    This information held true. However, now that Chara was taking a closer look, it became painfully obvious that there were other forces influencing the position of mana, beyond just elemental compatibility. It was only a matter of ¡®what¡¯.


    The little spirit pondered over this deeply before suddenly recalling a critical piece of information. Among the knowledge imparted to her by Curiosity, there was an explanation that explained the current situation perfectly.


    The formation of identity!


    Chara recalled the information.


    All mana is initially reserved mana. However, as it encounters various kinds of phenomena, it gradually cultivates an identity, the personality of a mana particle. When this process is complete, it transitions into becoming normal mana, which could be either elemental or essence mana.


    In which case, the issue of finding a certain identity of mana became only a matter of finding the right environment.


    The question is, what makes an environment suitable to cultivate essence mana?


    With practiced ease, she willed her perception into the shape of a cone and swept it across her surroundings. Within seconds, she quickly identified several distinct patterns.


    Solids contained earth element mana, while gases carried wind element. Darkness element mana seemed to envelope every shadowy corner, while light mana shown confidently where there was light. Meanwhile, ice element mana seemed to permeate everything, instilling her surroundings with an ever-present calm and chilly impression.


    According to Curiosity, each element represents a distinct aspect of reality. These include, the four states of matter, as well as temperature and brightness¡­


    Whether it¡¯s at the center of a planet, or the farthest reaches of outer space, if it exists in reality, then it can be characterized by at least one of these fundamental aspects¡­


    Given that the identity of mana is shaped by the phenomena in its surroundings, then it makes perfect sense that these aspects of reality, which are nearly universally present, are the most prevalent¡­


    Which means, that if I want to find essence mana, I need to find a place that embodies some kind of phenomena, more distinctly than any of these base aspects!

 Chapter 32 – Exploration!

    Something distinctive. Where can I find something distinctive...?


    Chara looked around using her three-hundred-sixty-degree vision, taking in countless details.


    The cloister¡¯s evenly spaced pillars, much like those of a roman pantheon¡­ The numerous crystals embedded onto the cavern ceiling, twinkling gently like stars in the night sky¡­ The multitude of delicate crystal flowers standing in serene stillness, untouched by even the faintest breeze¡­ The giant crystal tree, standing majestically off in the distance¡­


    ¡­This place is filled with nothing but distinctive!


    Feeling like she may have been overthinking, she gave herself a mental knock on the head.


    Well, what¡¯s done is done. In any case, the giant crystal tree seems like the most exciting, so I want to go see that first!


    Quickly coming to a decision, she ascended off the ground, climbing until she was at about the same eye level as her past life. Or at least she assumed so, based on the scale of her surroundings.


    Alas, after making her way across the expansive internal garden, Chara faced her first great obstacle. That is, not knowing where to find the exit.


    Given the cloister¡¯s ring-shaped layout, she considered simply floating up and over it. Yet, as she drew closer to the garden¡¯s boundary, the pillars holding up the hallway¡¯s overhang appeared to rise endlessly, towering over her like colossal skyscrapers.


    I¡­ I think I will take the ground exit instead¡­


    Cowed, she sought an alternate means of escape.


    Well, I guess I could float through the building, but um¡­ that kinda feels like trespassing¡­ and I am not a burglar spirit¡­ Inwardly mumbling, she scanned her surroundings.


    Before long, she caught sight of a hallway leading further into the cloister. Finding this promising, she floated over to take a closer look. There, she found a pair of double doors, with two crystal lamps set into the walls on either side.


    Bingo!


    Judging that this doorway ¡®felt like an exit¡¯, she permeated through it without hesitation.


    As she drifted outside, a glistening field of crystal flowers stretched before her, their translucent petals glistening softly in the dim cavern light. Gentle hills rose and fell, marred only by the occasional stalagmite thrusting out like jagged teeth. Towering stone pillars rose from the earth to the glittering cavern ceiling, like grand columns holding up the night sky. Amidst this dreamlike scenery, a humble, uneven cobblestone path meandered through the blossoms, guiding her toward a distant hill, where a giant crystal tree stood.


    Woooow~! Is all of this really underground?


    Struck by the cavern¡¯s beauty, she took a moment to marvel at her surroundings.


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    Once she was satisfied, she set off at once, following the designated pathway. As a spirit, free from the bounds of gravity, she could easily float directly toward her destination, but she chose not to. After all, someone had gone through the effort to pave this cobblestone road, and it felt wrong to disregard it.


    As she floated down the path, a faint sound brushed against her senses. At first, it was so quiet that she wondered whether it had been her imagination. But as she continued forward, the sound grew clearer. It was a pleasing melody, each note echoing through the silent, eerie dark cave.


    ? ? ?~!


    Realizing that something was amiss, the little spirit came to a sudden halt, her thoughts spiraling as she conjured up images of various sinister creatures. A siren who lures away its prey using its alluring voice, a haunted instrument whose performance puts its listeners into a deadly trance, an evil ghost who eats wandering spirits for dinner.


    Uuuhuhu¡­!


    Feeling frightened, she zoomed off the cobblestone pathway, seeking cover amidst the crystal foliage. For several tense moments, she remained so perfectly still, that she might be mistaken for an earth spirit. Even so, she couldn¡¯t help but listen.


    The notes were delicate, like a breath of wind over a calm meadow. A flute¡­ Chara thought, though not quite like any flute she had ever heard before. It was ethereal, each note rising and falling with a grace that belied the song¡¯s simplicity.


    This music. I wonder where it¡¯s coming from¡­


    The moment she formed this thought, it was as if it was immediately escalated through all the layers of management, suddenly finding itself atop the CEO¡¯s desk. Realistically, she could ignore it¡­ but then it would remain on her desk, occupying her attention. And the only way to make it go away, was to satisfy her newly formed curiosity.


    The little spirit swirled anxiously. She really didn¡¯t want to go. It was so dark and scary. With her luck, she would be eaten by a fierce beast, and this time be reborn as an ugly goblin. Yet, the idea of turning back without uncovering the source of the music didn¡¯t seem right.


    Uuu¡­ just a quick peek¡­


    I will only see what it is before immediately going back¡­


    It will really only be the tiniest glimpse¡­


    Uuuhuhu¡­


    Unable to resist her curiosity, Chara anxiously followed in the direction of the sound, ready to run away at a moment¡¯s notice. Naturally, she didn¡¯t return to the cobblestone path, instead weaving through the vegetation as if she were a sneaky lawn gnome.


    As she floated closer, the music swelled in volume. The song¡¯s tempo was fast and energetic, lively and cheerful. Just listening to it made her want to run out and play.


    The crystal flowers, usually stiff and unmoving, swayed along lightly to the music¡¯s rhythm. Their crystalline surfaces reflected speckles of light that danced around wildly, the cavern walls twinkling as if surrounded by numerous disco balls. The surroundings seemed to breathe, as though they could come alive at any moment.


    Most fascinating of all was the behavior of the mana. It resonated in harmony with the music, rippling in chaotic yet rhythmic patterns. The wind element mana, seemingly the most affected, vibrated intensely, like a car being rattled by its own over-the-top sound system.


    Wooooow~!


    Before she knew it, the little spirit had started bobbing up and down in sync with the music¡¯s rhythm. Lost in the atmosphere, she failed to notice where she was going until she felt the distinct gaze of another being.


    She had been noticed!


    Snapping out of her trance, she looked in the direction of the gaze, only to find a giant, swirling cloud of iridescent mana, seemingly holding what appeared to be an illusory silver flute. Together, they exuded a free and unrestrained aura, like a soft breeze blowing over a lush meadow¡ªan impression emblematic of the wind element.


    A wind spirit!


    Chara, eager to confirm her guess, examined the other spirit with her perception before she voiced an internal question.


    What are you?


    In response, a small amount of her mana glimmered before fading. Then, a stream of information flowed into her consciousness, her mind interpreting it a moment later.


    [Music Essence Spirit]


    ¡­!?


    With the final notes of her song echoing, the music spirit did a little spin, before releasing a glimmering wave of mana that blew past Baby before fading.

 Chapter 33 – Music and Context!

    Chara envisioned a pair of mana tendrils and made them clap. As a faint, otherworldly weight settled over her mind¡ªthe sign of a completed spell construct¡ªshe pushed on it, infusing the spell with her mana.


    Clap~! Clap~! Clap~!


    Suddenly met with a round of applause, the music spirit¡¯s mana couldn¡¯t help but swell pridefully, their swirling growing noticeably more cheerful.


    ¡°Greetings, I am [Spirit Who Loves Music and Playing Flute], but you can call me Music~!¡± she introduced herself in a silky, high-pitched voice.


    Chara¡¯s swirling slowed as she parsed the words¡¯ meaning.


    What kind of name is that? Or rather, isn¡¯t that just your entire existence?


    She was momentarily stunned at how much meaning could be crammed into a single word using [Speak]. Making note of this observation for later, she returned the greeting.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m um¡­ [Spirit], but you can call me Little Spirit,¡± she introduced herself with a bit of uncertainty, as she tried and failed to think of how to define herself. She considered using her real name, but she was afraid that it might end up making her seem weird.


    Wow, so cute¡­!


    With a chuckle, Music approached Chara and spoke. ¡°Little One, I can tell that there is a great musician swirling inside of you. Have you considered becoming a music essence spirit~?¡±


    Become a music essence spirit?


    Puzzled, the little spirit¡¯s mana rippled in confusion. But then, she thought about Curiosity.


    From the moment they first met, Chara had immediately discern that they were both different. For one, the greater spirit was clearly much larger than her, possessing far more mana. In addition, while both spirits were made up of the same unexplained iridescent mana, Curiosity¡¯s exuded the same gentle and refreshing characteristic of water element mana. And this was not to mention any of her other strange abilities, like the way she always seemed to be aware of what piqued her curiosity.


    ¡°How do I become a music essence spirit?¡± Chara asked, with quite a bit of anticipation.


    ¡°The same way you become any other kind of spirit; by cultivating a [Bond]~!¡±


    Cultivating a what?


    Looking at the little spirit¡¯s disorganized and messy swirling, the music spirit giggled. ¡°Oh my... Could it be¡­ That you don¡¯t know about [Bonds]~?¡±


    This question earned her a fierce glare from the now upset Chara, swirling as fast as a tornado, though it wasn¡¯t very intimidating.


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    How can I not know what a ¡®Bond¡¯ is? I just don¡¯t know what it means yet!


    From what she could grasp, the word¡¯s meaning seemed to describe some kind of unique relationship between herself and something else, though she wasn¡¯t sure exactly what. Nonetheless, she had the distinct feeling that this connection was magical in nature, and that it could be used to accomplish various things.


    The little spirit¡¯s musings were cut short by the gentle booping of an illusory mana tendril, which made soft whistling sounds each time it brushed against her.


    ¡°What are you thinking so hard about? Don¡¯t you know that if you have too many thoughts, you will turn into a boring knowledge spirit~? If you have any questions, should you just ask this smart and reliable music spirit,¡± suggested Music,


    ¡°Then, what are ¡®Bonds¡¯?¡± Chara asked, slipping away the mischievous wind tendril.


    ¡°How do I put it¡­ So, imagine I asked you to blow away one of these flowers,¡± the music spirit gestured using her freed mana tendril. ¡°How would you go about doing it?¡±


    ¡°I would¡­ cast a spell?¡± Chara answered.


    ¡°Naturally. I mean how would you cast it?¡± Music asked again.


    The little spirit rippled contemplatively as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. ¡°First, I would envision the flower being blown away. Next, I would recite an incantation that describes the blowing of wind. Finally, I would infuse the spell construct with wind mana.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Music hummed approvingly before launching into an explanation.


    ¡°The purpose of casting is to get mana to express its potential in a way that leads to a particular outcome. But well¡­ as you might already be familiar with, mana is extremely silly and dumb! So much so, that it often struggles to follow even basic instructions~! Despite this, how do you think casting manages to overcome this dilemma and consistently bring about the intended result?¡±


    How would I know? I only learned about casting less than an hour ago¡­


    Noticing the little spirit¡¯s confused swirling, the music spirit attempted to guide her thinking.


    ¡°So, imagine there is a ball on a slope. What do you think will happen if it¡¯s just left there?¡±


    ¡°It will roll down the slope?¡±


    ¡°Exactly~! Now, imagine a chuck of ice left in a warm room. What do you think will happen to the ice if it¡¯s just left there?¡±


    ¡°It will melt.¡±


    ¡°Precisely~! Then how about a pile of sand in a windy place?¡±


    ¡°It will get blown away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right~! My point is, in each of these scenarios, an object has been placed in a condition that naturally guarantees a certain conclusion,¡± explained the music spirit.


    ¡°Okay, but what does any of that have to do with casting?¡± Chara expressed her doubts.


    ¡°I was getting there. Anyways, without going into too much detail; the purpose of the first two steps, envisioning and invocation, is to establish something called [Context].


    ¡°Now, the thing about [Context], is that it is actually the circumstances in which things can occur. This is extremely important, because it means that by establishing a strong enough [Context], you can make it so that the possibility you seek becomes the most natural, inevitable conclusion.


    ¡°And as every spirit knows¡ªmana is possibility~! Thus, just as the ball is destined to roll down the slope, the mana powering your spell will be naturally inclined to manifest its potential in line with that conclusion,¡± concluded Music.


    So, kind of like the path of least resistance¡­ Chara mused.


    ¡°With is in mind, suppose you tried to use a spell similar to the one you described earlier. Except, rather than blowing away one of these crystal flowers, you tried to knock over that giant crystal tree. Do you think you could do it~?¡± Music asked in a teasing tone, clearly already knowing the answer.


    ¡°¡­No,¡± Chara admitted.


    ¡°Likely so, but it¡¯s not because of the reason you think. Setting aside the issue of mana, if a spell doesn¡¯t have a strong enough [Context], then the [Spell Construct] won¡¯t manifest in the first place. After all, without [Context], nothing can happen,¡± Music stated in a matter-a-fact tone.


    ¡°With all that said, what if I told you that there is a way around all of this?¡±


    ¡°Is it¡­ bonds?¡± Chara asked.

 Chapter 34 – Bonds!

    The music spirit burst into a fit of giggles.


    ¡°Yep~! The idea is, if you can¡¯t muster up the [Context] to blow away the giant tree on your own, then why not try to befriend the wind itself and then ask for help?¡± she asked in a curious tone.


    ¡­¡­What?


    The little spirit swirled in disbelief, thinking she must have misheard. After all, how could a being, a living breathing individual, become friends with the wind, a force of nature?


    Nevertheless, as if to disprove this notion, the music spirit continued to explain further.


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is to form a [Bond]~! Think about it, [Context] is the circumstances in which things can occur. So by befriending the wind, it becomes reasonable for it to listen to your suggestions. After all, friends have the responsibility to help each other out~!¡± she stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m only using wind as an example. You can try to form a [Bond] with any concept you like, provided it¡¯s an element or an essence. In my case, I formed a bond with Music, which is how I became a music essence spirit~!¡± she proclaimed proudly.


    So what you¡¯re saying, is that the true magic was the friend we made along the way¡­? What kind of dumb explanation is that?!


    Does this mean that if I become friends with money, it will line up to fill my pockets and make me super rich? Isn¡¯t that too ridiculous and too unbelievable?


    Disbelieving remarks bubbled up in Chara¡¯s mind one after another. And yet, she also couldn¡¯t rule out the idea entirely. After all, at the end of the day, it was an undeniable fact that Music was a music essence spirit, while she wasn¡¯t. If the other spirit claimed that her transformation was a result of her bond with music, then who was she to argue? It¡¯s not like she had a bond herself.


    Furthermore, although Curiosity never specifically used the term ¡°context,¡± she had essentially explained the same idea, even down to describing invocations as a ¡°basis¡± to activate spells during her explanation of casting.


    In fact, the two spirits¡¯ explanations aligned so perfectly that Chara momentarily suspected if they¡¯d been colluding to trick her. Though the more likely and less paranoid conclusion was that they were both simply describing the same thing, albeit from their own understanding.


    ¡°So um, how do I form a bond?¡± Chara finally asked.


    Pleased by the way things were developing, the music spirit¡¯s mana condensed in anticipation. ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, all you need to do is select a subject of interest, and then find a way to connect it with magic.¡±


    Select a subject of interest and connect it to magic?


    Feeling that this explanation was too vague, the little spirit asked another question. ¡°Then, how did you become a music spirit?¡±


    Music swirling slowed as she drew up memories from long ago.


    ¡°Hehe, when I was young, I discovered some rocks that made a cool whistling sound when the wind blew through them just right. I thought this was fascinating and wished to learn how to do it myself. As time went by, I grew really good at it, and eventually, I became a music spirit~,¡± she recounted fondly.


    Wow! Baby Music was a big dummy¡­ Chara thought. She then asked, ¡°Is that why you are traveling around playing music?¡±


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    ¡°Oh, that?¡± The music spirit paused slightly, before answering, ¡°I¡¯m doing that for two main reasons. Firstly, to improve my bond. I want to experience the unique ambience of many different kinds of places, with the hope of capturing it and expressing it through my music. The second reason is to raise my [Piousness].¡±


    Piousness?


    The little spirit¡¯s mana rippled at the unfamiliar term.


    ¡°Oh my~. Could it be that you don¡¯t know about faith magic either~?¡± Music teased. However, before she could elaborate further, a furious shout echoed across the cavern.


    ¡°Heeeeeeeey¡ª!!¡±


    From afar, a glimmering cloud of iridescent water mana came rushing towards them like a surging torrent. In the next instant, a very angry curiosity spirit had positioned herself protectively between Baby and Music before swirling fiercely.


    ¡°Noisy wind spirit, what do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Curiosity demanded in a childish yet menacing tone.


    ¡°Fussy water spirit, we were just chatting. Mind your own business,¡± Music responded in a dismissive voice.


    ¡°Just chatting? Hmph~! Let me guess, you were trying to trick my cute, smart, and precious student into becoming a noisy music essence spirit¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Your ¡®student¡¯ huh? You accuse me of trying to trick her, and yet, aren¡¯t you doing the very same thing? The standards of water spirits are really lacking!¡±


    As the two spirits confronted each other, the mana in the air churned restlessly. Around the curiosity spirit, the scenery seemed to ripple and blur, the light becoming slightly dimmer, as if submerged deep underwater. Simultaneously, the air around the wind spirit emitted a low hum, like a speaker with power but no sound, the air pressure steadily rising.


    The little spirit, feeling a tad nervous, but unable to ignore what she just heard, hesitantly asked, ¡°Um, Miss Curiosity, what does she mean by ¡®trick¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡ª! My gentle spirit!¡± Curiosity cried melodramatically.


    ¡°You mustn¡¯t listen to what this dummy wind spirit is saying, she¡¯s trying to trick you! She probably didn¡¯t tell you on purpose, but bonds are extremely clingy and jealous! Once you form one, you definitely won¡¯t be able to form a second one or change it to something else!¡± she exposed while pointing a mana tendril. ¡°Had I not rushed here to warn you, she definitely would¡¯ve tricked you!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In other words, one was trying to lure me into forming a music bond, while the other was trying to tempt me into becoming a curiosity spirit¡­ Is this what they call ¡®the pot calling the kettle black?¡¯


    Sensing the little spirit¡¯s silent accusation, the curiosity spirit hurriedly defended herself. ¡°No, it¡¯s completely different. Unlike music bonds, which are so noisy and useless, curiosity bonds help you peer into the secrets of the unknown~!¡±


    ¡°Okay well, while you have fun peering into your boring, ¡®secrets of the unknown,¡¯ me and Little Spirit are going to have fun playing music~,¡± Music stated while reaching out a pair of illusory mana tendrils.


    ¡°Noooo¡ª!!¡± Curiosity reacted quickly and shoved Chara out of the way, only for her to get embraced instead. The pair of essence spirits immediately tried to separate, but the mutual attraction between their water and wind element mana caused them to get magnetized together.


    ¡°Get away from me you dummy wind spirit! How are you going to compensate me if I start dispersing?¡±


    ¡°Shut up you sloppy water spirit! I can already feel the moisture in the air starting to condense¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for such a trivial problem. Didn¡¯t that happen because you are too weak?¡±


    Just as the two were starting up again, an eerie hum swept through the air. Both spirits paused, as a disquieting resonance rippled through the air. It was unsettling and dissonant, as if someone had played three clashing notes simultaneously.


    The two spirits, like they had reached some kind of unspoken agreement, immediately ended their quarrel and separated, their attention turning somewhere far beyond the hill. At that moment, their swirling gradually ceased, and their mana grew calm as they seemed to fall into a deep, trance like state.


    As the three spirits fell silent, faint vibrations began to stir in the stillness, rhythmic and layered, yet disturbingly out of sync. An offbeat melody that seemed to disregard every rule of music.


    Chara, deeply unsettled by the eerie turn of events, looked around anxiously and asked, ¡°Umm, did something happen?¡±


    The two spirits exited out of their trance like state and exchanged wary glances.


    After a short pause, the curiosity spirit approached Chara and spoke, ¡°Little Spirit.¡± However, before she could give a proper explanation, a haunting, raspy voice echoed through the cavern.


    ¡°A???????r????e???????? ?????y???????o?????u??????? ??????t????????h????e??? ????o???n???e??????? ?????????w??????h?????o???? ????s????????t??????o????????l????????e?????? ????????m???????y????? ????????a????????u???????d???????i?????????e?????n???????c??????e???????¡±

 Chapter 35 – Dissonance!

    A haunting voice reverberated through the cavern, causing uneasiness to grip all three spirits. Chara, the most unsettled and inexperienced of the three, began to direct her gaze at the source of the sound, only for the curiosity spirit to swiftly intervene, blocking her line of sight.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look in its direction¡ªit will notice you! Quickly, hide within the flowers!¡± she instructed in an urgent voice.


    Startled, the little spirit flinched before instinctively averting her gaze. Although her omnidirectional vision allowed her to see everything around her at once, she had a really hard time concentrating on more than one thing at a time. Regardless, once she found herself a place to hide among the foliage, her mind began to swirl.


    Thinking back, she recalled several recent instances when she¡¯d felt like she was being watched. Until now, she had dismissed this feeling as nothing more than her own self-consciousness. However, the curiosity spirit¡¯s words now made her wonder if there might¡¯ve been more to it than she first thought.


    Wait¡­ if I can sense the gaze of other spirits, then doesn¡¯t that mean that other spirits can do the same?


    After a brief consideration, Chara surmised that this was likely the case. Returning back to reality, she suppressed her anxiousness and worriedly asked about their situation.


    ¡°Umm, what are we hiding from?¡±


    Stunned, the two greater spirits stared at her in utter disbelief.


    ¡°Did¡ªdid you not sense that horrid impression? It¡¯s the enemy of all spirits, a [Ghost]!¡± Music exclaimed frightfully.


    A Ghost!?


    ¡°Little Spirit, [Ghosts] are super dangerous! If you ever come across one, you must flee immediately! If it notices you, it will definitely try to catch and eat you!¡± Curiosity explained urgently.


    Eat me?!


    Chara nearly fell into a panic. How could a person from the modern era, accustomed to living a life more affluent than most, far removed from war and hunger, possibly endure the sheer horror of being hunted by an unknown beast? Practically the only reason she hadn¡¯t lost her composure yet was because she hadn¡¯t actually seen the terrible monster. Perhaps if she were to come face-to-face with it, the overwhelming terror might cause her to faint instantly.


    Overcome in dread, the little spirit trembled in fear. Just when she thought the situation couldn¡¯t possibly be more dire, she remembered Curiosity¡¯s earlier warning about not looking directly in the ghost¡¯s direction, along with her subsequent realization.


    W¡ªwait¡­ does this mean that if I look at the ghost it will immediately find and catch me?


    Unable to resist her fear, she finally burst into tears.


    ¡°Uuu¡­ Uuuuu¡­ Uuuuu¡­¡±


    Watching the little spirit crying so pitifully, the two greater spirits felt a strong urge to console her. Although they felt guilty for scaring her in the first place, they also understood that it was a far preferable outcome to losing her life because she was unafraid of ghosts.


    ¡°Little Spirit, there¡¯s nothing to fear. With this smart and capable curiosity spirit here to protect you, that [Ghost] doesn¡¯t stand a chance~!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t you hear how bad that [Ghost]¡¯s playing was? This music spirit is a much better musician~!¡±


    Caught off guard by Music¡¯s absurd statement, Chara momentarily stopped crying.


    ¡°Dummy wind spirit, who asked you about your useless music skills? Is your mind so empty that you can hear the echoing of your own swirling?¡±


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    ¡°Nosey water spirit, is all you are good at asking questions? In that case, why don¡¯t you go ask that ugly [Ghost] to go away for us!¡±


    ¡°What?! Can¡¯t you see how frightened my little student is? I need to stay right here to reassure her and keep her safe!¡±


    ¡°Using your student as a shield? Shameless!¡±


    As the two greater spirits continued bickering back and forth childishly, Chara¡¯s mind was pulled away from her fear and she gradually stopped crying. Amused by their ridiculous squabble, she let out a soft giggle.


    Upon hearing her laugh, the two spirits paused mid-argument, their gazes snapping toward her. They exchanged a quick look before promptly looking away again.


    ¡°¡°Hmph!¡±¡±


    Whether or not they truly disliked each other, or if it was an act to distract the little spirit¡ªwas something only they were aware of.


    As the three spirits fell silent and focused on their surroundings, they noticed that the ghostly melody had grown louder. The sound, now sharper and more distinct, had the unmistakable timbre of a stringed instrument. A series of notes rose and fell without a clear direction, like an orchestra being led by an insane conductor. Each chord seemed to crash against the next, creating a jarring dissonance that gnawed at the listeners¡¯ sense of hearing, and bore into their minds.


    It wasn¡¯t just the harmony that was awful, it was also the way it resonated through the surroundings. The higher notes, sharp and shrill, pierced through the winds, their echoes leaving behind a faint ringing sound, akin to glass shards scraping against corroded metal. The lower ones, oppressive and suffocating, reverberated through the earth, their sound uneven, like the thick burbling of a viscous liquid.


    ¡°So, about that [Ghost]¡­¡± Curiosity began.


    ¡°What about it? Obviously, we need to seal it!¡± Music declared vehemently.


    ¡°I know¡ª! But do you honestly think that evil [Ghost] will just obediently float in place while one of us casts the [Ghost Sealing Ritual]?¡± Curiosity objected reasonably.


    The music spirit recoiled backwards, as if physically struck by the inconvenient truths.


    ¡°Judging by that loud and obnoxious music, I think it¡¯s safe to assume that the [Ghost] has either a music or sound bond, essences of wind,¡± Curiosity murmured contemplatively before gazing intently at Music.


    Ideally, the best counter against any kind of bond is a bond of the opposite element. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t know of any spirits with such a convenient bond nearby. However, they did have something equally, if not more useful: a spirit with the same bond. This was because ghosts had an innate tendency to seek out objects, beings, and places that resonated with their bonds. Of course, for the beings in question, this was nothing but a sick nightmare!


    Music, quickly guessing what the curiosity spirit was thinking, swirled nervously. Then, her mana expanded and contracted frustratedly for several long seconds. Finally, as though she had reached a decision, she fixed the curiosity spirit with a determined gaze and swirled fearlessly.


    ¡°Fine, scaredy water spirit! This brave music spirit will distract the ugly [Ghost], while you prepare the [Ghost Sealing Ritual]!¡± she finally answered.


    ¡°¡­Understood,¡± Curiosity replied belatedly.


    As the two greater spirits mentally prepared themselves for the oncoming fight, the long forgotten little spirit merely listened quietly. Though, even if she had participated in the discussion, she wouldn¡¯t have had much to contribute. After all, she barely even knew what a ghost was. From what she could interpret, the word ¡°Ghost¡± seemed to convey ideas such as spirit, aberration, evil, and insanity. If she had to guess, then ghosts were existences reminiscent of evil spirits.


    Just as she was beginning to grow nervous again, the curiosity spirit approached her first. Lamentably, her words were far from reassuring.


    ¡°Hey, um Little Spirit. Music and I are going to deal with that scary [Ghost]. Although most of the danger will fall on Music, it¡¯s still going to be very dangerous. So, um¡­ could you, quietly sneak back to the cloister on your own?¡±


    The little spirit glanced at the underground cloister. Then, she glanced toward the giant crystal tree, her intended destination, and felt a twinge or regret. She hesitated, but soon made her decision.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Refusing to so much as glance in the direction of ghostly melody, she slipped away quietly, moving discreetly toward the cloister. Yet, just as she began her retreat, the ghost let out a deafening roar.


    ¡°A????????h??h????????h????????!?????? ????????????A????????????????H???????????????H???!??????????????????????!?????????? ?????I?????t?????? ??w????????a??????s???? ?????y?????o???????u???????!??????? ??????Y????o?????u????? ?????????d???????i??????d????????? ???????i?????????t???????!??? ?????Y??????????o??????u??????? ???????s???????t????????o??????l???????e??????? ??????m?????????y??????? ??????????a???????u????????d????i??e?????n??????c????e?????!???¡±


    Its erratic melody grew even more frantic, like a frenzied child banging on a guitar. The mana in the air¡ªparticularly the wind element mana¡ªswirled even more chaotically! For some reason, the ghost had started freaking out!


    ¡°Little Spirit, Ruuuuuuun!!¡± Curiosity screamed, her words infused with feelings of worry, panic, and anxiety.


    Without thinking, Chara glanced behind her in the direction of the voice.

 Chapter 36 – The Fight Begins!

    As Chara reflexively glanced in the direction of Curiosity¡¯s scream, she caught a glimpse of an extremely out-of-place object. It was an illusory antique harp surrounded by a churning vortex of wind element mana.


    At the same time, it looked back at her. Instantly, she could feel a gaze filled with intense hostility. Not a mere mindless hatred, but a vivid and methodical killing intent that seemed to have already envisioned the numerous ways it would hurt her.


    Pinned under such a chilling stare, the little spirit froze in terror.


    At that moment, the illusory harp¡¯s strings vibrated, as though having been strummed by an invisible hand. A haunting melody filled the air as a cloud of wind element mana condensed swiftly around the instrument.


    Almost simultaneously, the music spirit, who was not far from Chara, brandished her illusory silver flute. As she directed a steady stream of wind mana into its mouthpiece, it rang out with a clear whistle-like sound. At the same time, mana flowed outwards through its many openings and gathered neatly toward a spot slightly in front of her. There, the now glimmering mana spiraled inward rapidly, as if trying to converge into a single point.


    The ghostly harp, finishing its spell first, unleashed a glimmering wave of mana that surged straight towards Chara!


    Observing this, the music spirit swiftly ended her note. Immediately, the glimmering mana bullet shot forth, homing in on the ghost¡¯s mana wave!


    Boom~!


    The swirling mana bullet exploded with a tremendous shockwave, blowing away the ghost¡¯s mana wave instantly!


    ¡°UWAAAAAA!!!¡±


    The little spirit, blown back by the explosion, shrieked in terror before fleeing with all her might.


    The ghost lunged after her in pursuit. But before it could catch her, it was violently thrown aside by another glimmering wind spell.


    Enraged, it floated off the ground and glared at its assailant¡ªwho was already blowing into her flute to cast her next spell.


    ¡°Y???o???????u???????!???????? ??????T???????h???i??????s????? ???????i???s?????? ??????a?????l????????l????? ??????y???????o?????u??r???????? ????f?????????a??????u?????l???????t????????!????????!???????¡±


    Toooot~!


    Music¡¯s mind strained at the ghost¡¯s ravings. Nevertheless, she ruthlessly unleashed her spell.


    Boom~!


    Behind Chara, two melodies clashed¡ªone discordant and the other harmonious¡ªintertwined with the sharp whistling of wind cutting through the air. Glittering wind spells rained down violently along her escape route; each impact marked by the sharp crack of crystal flowers shattering into numerous pieces.


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    As she raced through the translucent foliage, fleeting glimpses of the battle between the two music bonds flickered into view. A swirling cloud of iridescent wind mana danced gracefully across the battlefield, her ethereal silver flute glinting beautifully as she unleashed volleys of wind spells with every note of her melody. Her foe, another swirling storm of wind mana, this one wielding a harp, bore many similarities. Yet, it also had two striking differences that made it unlike any spirit.


    For one, it was missing the one key characteristic that distinguished spirits from any other swirling cloud of mana: their iridescent mana. Chara wasn¡¯t clear about what made this distinctive mana different or special, but considering that other variations of mana didn¡¯t wake up and start arguing with her, it seemed fairly important.


    The second difference was even more striking. In Chara¡¯s view, spirits appeared like swirling clouds of mana, with tiny particles circulating in and out of their form. And despite the fact that their mana overflowed near constantly, spilling endlessly into the surroundings, they never took anything from outside.


    In stark contrast, the ghost was a vortex. A bottomless pit that one-sidedly absorbed mana, without generating any of its own. It was like an undead, devoid of any future potential, sustaining its hollow existence by feeding on the possibilities of the world around it.


    If this were true, it could explain why the music ghost had been constantly on the move. Still, considering the way its unsettling gaze remained squarely fixed on Chara, as though driven by some unrelenting obsession while advancing recklessly in her direction¡­ it might¡¯ve just been a coincidence.


    Keenly aware of this, the little spirit trembled uncontrollably, her swirling cloud body contracting inward defensively, as if to keep itself from dispersing.


    Uwaaaa! Why, why is it going after me! I thought it was supposed to chase after Music¡­!!


    As Chara pushed herself to float faster than ever before, she heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°Little Spirit, over here!¡±


    It was Curiosity waiting by a sizable boulder jutting out from the ground.


    Chara, never having been so relieved to see that treacherous spirit, raced in her direction.


    Curiosity, secretly pleased that her adorable student was relying on her, waited eagerly¡ªonly for Chara to continue floating past her and seek cover behind the boulder.


    It was a shocking betrayal!


    Left out in the open, Curiosity was gripped by the ghost¡¯s evil and murderous gaze. In the next instant, the illusory ancient harp resonated with an ominous tune before unleashing a glimmering wave of mana at the abandoned spirit!


    Reacting swiftly, Curiosity bolted behind the boulder.


    Whoosh~!


    The wind spell collided with the massive boulder, its strength dissipating against the immovable stone.


    Freed from the ghost¡¯s malevolent glare, Curiosity narrowed her gaze on the little spirit.


    Noticing her gaze, the little spirit swirled innocently.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a brief moment, Curiosity retracted her gaze, her mana pulsing in dissatisfaction. She had summoned Baby with the aim of rescuing her, so chastising her for attempting to save herself would be entirely against the point. Nevertheless, to set up the [Ghost Sealing Ritual], she would need to lose the ghost¡¯s gaze again.


    Rippling in contemplation, she swiftly devised a solution.


    ¡°Hmph, watch this.¡±


    Taking conscious control of her mana, the curiosity spirit formed an illusory mana tendril, before carefully molding its tip into the shape of a ring. Then, she spread a delicate, translucent mana membrane across the ring¡¯s opening. With a gentle wave of her wand, the membrane stretched to form an illusory mana bubble.


    The illusory bubble floated gently from behind the jutting boulder, its edges twinkling beautifully under the soft glow of the cavern ceiling.


    The ghost, suddenly captivated by this bubble, gazed at it intently. After about a dozen seconds, the bubble burst. However, by that time, the duo of spirits had vanished.

 Chapter 37 – Audacious Idea!

    Upon realizing Chara and Curiosity¡¯s disappearance, the ghost roared in fury!


    Music, realizing this was an opportunity, steadied her ethereal silver flute. As she drew out the note that she was already playing, the spiraling mana bullet before her spun faster and faster, until it became a raging vortex that sucked in all the wind-element mana from its surroundings.


    A colossal, pressurized mana bullet condensed rapidly, its glimmering growing more intense by the second. The air around it quivered with excitement, as if anticipating the impending explosion.


    When she ended her note, the spiraling mana lanced through the air, rushing straight towards the evil ghost.


    [<b>Whistling Cannon</b>]!


    By the time the ghost noticed what was happening, it was already too late.


    <i>Boom~!</i>


    As the spell collided, it exploded out with a tremendous shockwave, its shrill sound akin to a screeching train coming to an emergency stop. Broken crystal fragments rained across the devastated flower field, the evil ghost, reduced to millions of tiny mana particles and nowhere to be found.


    Music, not na?ve enough to mistake this as a sign of her victory, promptly began casting her next spell.


    <i>Toooot~!</i>


    Suddenly, in a corner not too far from her, wind element mana spiraled inwards as a fast-growing vortex began to take shape.


    The newly reappeared ghost ravenously sucked in the surrounding mana as it swirled back into existence. The illusory ancient harp rematerializing alongside it, appeared noticeably less substantiated, its form so faint that one could imagine their hand passing through it if they were to attempt to grasp it


    Without waiting for the ghost to recover, Music unleashed her next spell.


    [<b>Whistling Bullet</b>]!


    A glimmering comet of mana zeroed in on the recovering ghost. However, before it could strike its target, the illusory harp¡¯s strings vibrated, emitting a cacophony of dissonant sound waves. Instantly, a glimmering wave of mana erupted from the instrument, expanding outwards in every direction.


    [<b>Dissonant Chord</b>]!


    Compared to the ghost¡¯s earlier uses of this spell, this time its power was significantly diminished. Consequently, the whistling bullet tore effortlessly through the glimmering wave of mana. Nevertheless, its harsh dissonance still managed to destabilize the penetrating spell just enough for it to detonate prematurely.


    <i>Boom~!</i>


    The exploding bullet sent out a violent shockwave. Yet, because of the way explosions scatter energy in all directions, by the time it reached the ghost, most of the shockwave¡¯s power had already dissipated.


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    Not discouraged, Music quickly fired off a second, third, fourth, and tenth spell.


    However, the raging vortex simply strummed its harp, sending out repeated glimmering mana waves that rippled outwards in every direction.


    These mana waves, as crude and wasteful as they may have seemed, left no gaps to exploit.


    Given the current situation, Music¡¯s only chance to land a hit would be to blow apart a glimmering mana wave as soon as it was conjured, and then land a decisive hit before the evil ghost could cast the next one. Or so she thought, but even as she blew apart one glimmering mana wave after the next, the subsequent explosion and turbulence only served to further destabilize her subsequent spells, sometimes even repelling as many as two at a time. And by the time the air had settled enough that this was no longer a problem, the ghost had already finished casting its subsequent spell, sending out another glimmering mana wave.


    <i>Boom~! Boom~! Boom~! Boom~!</i>


    With next to no openings to take advantage of, all the whistling bullets dispersed before they could reach their target.


    Finally turning the tide against the music spirit¡¯s relentless assault, the ghost unleashed a roar filled with bitterness and fury.


    The unbridled malice communicated through its gaze was so palpable that it momentarily sent Music¡¯s mind reeling, her mana contracting inward defensively. Even so, she was not discouraged. After all, whether her furious opponent realized it or not, she had unwittingly achieved her goal: to gain its full and undivided attention.


    The ghost, now focused entirely on her, charged furiously in her direction!


    The music spirit, not looking forward to being eaten, floated away hurriedly. Even so, she carefully maintained a subtle distance, ensuring that she was neither too far¡ªand especially not too close. At the same time, she continued bombarding it with whistling bullets, both to keep up the pressure and to resist the glimmering waves of mana.


    Now, all she had to do was maintain the current situation until the curiosity spirit completed her preparations for the ghost sealing ritual. However, as she recalled Curiosity¡¯s impudence, along with her cute and talented student, Music couldn¡¯t help but feel pangs of both annoyance and rivalry.


    <i>Hmph~! That curiosity spirit is so shameless and cowardly!</i>


    Overcome with a wave of unjustified resentment, she took out her anger on the suddenly pitiful ghost.


    At the moment, she was playing a simple battle theme that heightened her combat awareness and increased her movement speed. She had intended to continue like this, when suddenly, an audacious idea crossed her mind.


    <i>If I beat up the evil ghost, the little spirit will see how brave and cool I am and want to pursue a music bond instead~!</i>


    <i>Then, we will become friends, and the nosy spirit will have to beg me not to steal her away~!</i>


    Feeling convinced, she acted without hesitation.


    In the next instant, she slowed down her song¡¯s tempo, transitioning from quarter notes to half notes. At the same time, the previously upbeat and lively battle theme gave way to a gentle, wistful melody, reminiscent of the faint hum of wind passing by a quiet, desolate lake. In accordance, the number of mana bullets she was firing reduced by half, lessening her resistance dramatically.


    The music ghost, viewing this as the perfect opportunity, surged recklessly toward its seemingly weakened prey. However, as one of the oncoming whistling bullets collided against its glimmering wave of mana, something inexplicable happened.


    Instead of erupting with a loud and violent shockwave, the mana expanded outward in a soft ripple, calming down the air and leaving a serene stillness in its wake.


    [<b>Whistling Lullaby</b>]!


    Suddenly, the chaotic turbulence that had been hindering Music¡¯s spells was gone!


    In the next instant, she ramped up her song¡¯s tempo, transitioning from half notes all the way to sixteenths! What had been a peaceful, soothing melody abruptly twisted into a shrill, piercing sound, not unlike the wail of a banshee cutting through the stillness of the cave.


    [<b>Whistling Volley</b>]!


    In just two or three beats, the music ghost found itself confronted by nearly a dozen whistling bullets!

 Chapter 38 – Unexpected Move!

    Overwhelmed by the music spirit¡¯s whistling volley, the ghost frantically plucked at its harp strings, its music as wild and uncoordinated as a child slamming their hands against a piano keyboard.


    The sounds emanating from the illusory ancient harp grew even more frenzied, dissonant, and insane. Yet, this chaos only heightened the potency of its invocation, enabling the ghost to finish casting its spell far sooner than expected.


    [<b>Dissonant Chords</b>]!


    A glittering surge of mana burst outwards from the instrument.


    Almost like clockwork, the whistling bullets punched effortlessly through the glimmering mana wave, only to get destabilized by the harsh dissonance in return. Nevertheless, by the time they had fully unraveled and detonated, many of the mana bullets had already advanced much farther than in previous attempts.


    <i>Boooom~! Boom~! Boom~!</i>


    The ghost was engulfed by a series of devastating shockwaves.


    Without waiting to see the result of her attack, the music spirit immediately slowed down her song¡¯s tempo, transitioning from rapid sixteenth notes to drawn-out half notes as a sad and somber melody escaped her flute.


    A glimmering bullet of mana condensed before her, the surrounding wind element mana settling down considerately as if not wanting to disturb its formation.


    After about three or four beats, the malevolent vortex, who had managed to endure the spirit¡¯s bombardment, roared with fury!


    Almost as if she had been awaiting this, Music promptly unleashed her spell.


    [<b>Whistling Lullaby</b>]!


    Instinctively, the evil ghost manifested its harp, strummed its strings, and sent out a glimmering wave of mana to intercept the spirit¡¯s spell.


    <i>Boom~!</i>


    As the glimmering mana bullet burst against the dissonant mana wave, it sent out a serene shockwave that dissipated the surrounding turbulence, enveloping the area with a sense of tranquility.


    Music, seeing the ghost behaving exactly as she anticipated, became more confident about her ¡°plan,¡± if it could even be referred to as that.


    It roughly went as follows. First, she would eliminate the ghost¡¯s astral projection. Then, the moment it attempted to swirl back into existence, she would eliminate it once again. She would keep preventing this over and over again, until the other two spirits completed their preparations and came to fetch her. Then, when the little spirit saw how awesome and capable she was¡­!


    Just imagining it, the music spirit swirled in anticipation.


    In short, beat up the ghost, keep it from getting back up, and show off. Music¡¯s future course of action was set.


    Still, if things didn¡¯t go as planned¡­ she could always fall back to plan A: allowing herself to be chased by the ghost while occasionally provoking it. This was how ghosts were normally dealt with.


    Concluding her thoughts, the music spirit entered an unprecedented state of focus. As she deftly manipulated the keys of her flute, weaving a rapid and intricate melody, a halo of whistling mana bullets swiftly materialized around her, orbiting her like the rings of a planet. In concert, the iridescent mana composing her swirling mana body began to visibly wane, her ethereal form shrinking naturally to suit the new amount.


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    The illusory silver flute, once perfectly sized for its user, now appeared comically oversized, its wielder resembling a kindergartener clutching a bazooka. Yet, despite the absurd sight, the glimmering mana bullets circling around her glimmered with a dangerous intensity, each one primed to unleash a devastating explosion upon the slightest provocation.


    Feeling as though she¡¯d already won, the music spirit subtly looked down on the aberration in front of her.


    Alas, as much as she would have preferred to eliminate it outright¡­ this was genuinely not worth the effort. Doing so would require her to not only exhaust the ghost of all its mana but also deplete all the wind-element mana from the environment. Otherwise, it would simply project itself onto a new wisp of mana before rapidly restoring itself by siphoning mana from the surroundings, as it had done once earlier.


    Not only was fulfilling these conditions immensely difficult but, considering that she could obtain virtually the same result¡ªwith far greater security and minimal risk¡ªsimply by cooperating with another spirit to cast the ghost ceiling ritual¡­ insisting on the brute force approach made little practical sense.


    As for whether her partnered spirit might flee and abandon her, Music wasn¡¯t overly concerned about this. After all, there was nothing physically preventing her from simply fleeing. Moreover, Curiosity was a spirit, and all spirits hated ghosts!


    ¡°Aww~! You poor thing¡­ Allow me to show you the sound of true music!¡±


    With a dramatic sweep of her instrument, Music unleashed the barrage of spells that had been circling her.


    [<b>Whistling Volley</b>]!


    A symphony of whistling sounds reverberated through the cavern as a flurry of wind spells surged through the air. However, rather than heading straight toward the ghost, the bullets scattered into countless different directions, missing their mark entirely. Just when it seemed like the music spirit had fallen under some kind of illusion, the numerous whistling bullets suddenly corrected course, closing in on the ghost from every direction at once.


    Facing the spirit¡¯s overwhelming and meticulous bombardment, even in the event that the ghost managed to destabilize all of the whistling bullets, as it had pulled off until now, this would not be enough to save it from the ensuing chain of explosions.


    ¡°Your finished~!¡±


    Right at the moment when Music became assured of her victory, the ghost did something that their opponent, a proud music spirit, never could have anticipated!


    In the split second before the whistling bullets made contact, the ghost, summoning a faint, ethereal mana tendril, grasped onto one of the illusory ancient harp¡¯s strings and yanked on it with all its might. In unison, a vast amount of mana converged around the string, sparkling brilliantly like a flash of lightning before a thunderclap.


    Music, suddenly feeling an intense sense of forewarning, immediately transformed into a swirling current of wind mana and retreated as quickly as possible.


    <i>Crack~!</i>


    As the harp string tore with a resounding snap, a terrifying shockwave erupted from the instrument. Torrents of glittering mana surged outward uncontrollably, instantly reducing all of the music spirit¡¯s attacks to nothingness.


    <i>BOOOOOOM~!!!</i>


    Numerous crystal flowers shattered instantly, their countless glistening pieces shooting through the air, filling the cavern with a symphony of sharp, tinkling impacts as they scattered in every direction. Stalactites fractured and plummeted from the cavern ceiling, their thundering impacts kicking up massive plumes of dust, sending it billowing through the air.


    A little further away, the now much more modestly sized music spirit had taken refuge behind a protruding boulder.


    After waiting a couple moments for the apocalypse to die down, she peeked out gingerly from behind her hiding place, only to be stunned silly by the utter devastation.


    Everything within about ten meters of the explosion¡¯s epicenter had been reduced to ruins.


    Music, starting to have a bad premonition, glanced hesitantly at the ghost¡¯s instrument.


    Now that she took a good look, she realized that the illusory ancient harp was missing numerous strings. With one more gone, it appeared even more dilapidated than before. In spite of that, the harp still had fourteen strings left.


    Fourteen more strings.


    Fourteen more times that it could unleash that devastating attack.


    The malevolent entity, instantly detecting her gaze, roared in her direction!


    It was at this moment that Music realized¡­ she screwed up.