Chapter 282

It became clear to the two of them that, aside from Tatsuro, using equipment imbued with a Magical Entity possessing a Magic Brain was quite challenging.

However, even if it couldn’t be fully utilized, the ultra-high-performance equipment would merely downgrade to high-performance equipment, which was still far superior to ordinary items.

“So, Ai, get your hopes up. The equipment handles the delicate Ki Manipulation that you’re not great at, so all you have to do is swing it with intent,” Tatsuro said.

“What? That’s awesome!” Ai exclaimed.

Despite her practice, Ai’s Ki Manipulation tended to become sloppy when done on the spot, and the power output varied depending on her mood or condition. Normally, someone with her level of Ki Manipulation skill wouldn’t be able to form a Beast Spirit Technique.

However, thanks to her Valkyrie skill, the beast spirits provided full support, enabling her to do so. If she could handle her ki with the precision and fluidity of flowing water, the beast spirits could focus solely on attacking, significantly increasing their power.

“That’s great, Ai,” Tatsuro said.

“Yeah! I’m so excited!! What a wonderful Magic Brain-chan!” Ai replied.

“I’m glad you’re happy,” Leah said with a chuckle.

For Leah, seeing the user delighted was immensely rewarding. Ai’s unabashed expression of her emotions made her a particularly satisfying client for a craftsman like Leah, who felt motivated to create. With renewed enthusiasm, Leah took the Gem Sword from Ai for further study.

“I’ll be borrowing this, then,” Leah said.

“Sure! If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know!” Ai replied.

“Will do. I’ll call on you if needed,” Leah assured her.

With that, Leah returned to work with Nana, while Tatsuro and the others promised to return the next day. They carefully retraced their steps to avoid stepping on anything and returned to their rooms.

That afternoon, they joined Aarenfrit and spent the day as usual. The next morning, as promised, Tatsuro and Ai visited Leah’s room to begin preparations for fusing a new Magical Entity into the second Magic Brain.

“The first attribute should definitely be Water Magic, right? Its base nature is a slime powered by Water Magic,” Tatsuro said.

“Yes, that makes sense,” Leah agreed.

“But it feels a bit unfair if one of them has a first attribute at a lower level. Should we get Water Magic to level 11, Ai?” Tatsuro asked.

“How much SP would that cost?” Ai inquired.

“To get Water Magic to level 11, it’s (84). We’ve been slacking a bit lately because Aarenfrit’s been tagging along, but we’ve still got plenty of SP from ants and small fry—more than enough to cover it,” Tatsuro explained.

“Hmm, sounds fine then. If it’s just that much, we can always hit a nearby dungeon to make it up quickly,” Ai said.

With no objections from Ai, Tatsuro activated the system, paid the SP, acquired Water Magic level 11, and was left with (651) SP.

“So, the first attribute is Water Magic. What about the second attribute? The Rifle Staff already has Fire Magic and Wind Magic, so since the first is Water Magic, it’d be best to choose an attribute other than those,” Tatsuro mused.

“Now that I think about it, can’t we incorporate something like Gravity Magic? It’d be cool if everyone could manipulate gravity, right?” Ai suggested.

“Oh, I’ve thought about that too, but it doesn’t seem possible. It’s the same with Explosion Magic—non-basic attribute factors are too complex to integrate. I’ve tried practicing it, but it’s not just a matter of skill; it’s fundamentally impossible,” Tatsuro explained.

“Huh, fair enough. So, what’s a good option then?” Ai asked.

Light and darkness were out of the question, as they would disrupt the delicate balance of the Yin-Yang Orb. Excluding Fire Magic, Wind Magic, and Water Magic, the remaining attribute magic candidates were Earth Magic, Tree Magic, Lightning Magic, Ice Magic, Life Magic, Curse Magic, and Dispel Magic—seven in total. They began considering which of these would synergize well with Secom-kun’s functions.

“Since the first is Water Magic, Lightning Magic seems like a good fit, doesn’t it?” Leah suggested.

“Ice Magic could add some durability, which might be nice,” Nana added.

“Hmm. What if we ditch compatibility with Water Magic and go with Curse Magic to boost my own abilities?” Tatsuro pondered.

“If it’s Curse Magic, I want to do it!” Nana exclaimed.

“Yeah, that makes sense. Besides, since we’re enhancing the equipment, it’s better to focus on supporting the team rather than boosting myself further. Hmm…” Tatsuro said.

Taking Ai and the others’ opinions into account, Tatsuro mentally simulated the best options.

“Ice Magic seems like the safest bet. We might need hardness in addition to the squishy body. Plus, freezing existing water with Water Magic would save more energy than creating ice from scratch,” Tatsuro concluded.

“What about Lightning Magic?” Ai asked.

“It’s not a bad choice, but I’m worried about unintended damage if it conducts through water. We could consider it for the third attribute if needed,” Tatsuro replied.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Ai agreed.

Since they planned to spread a Defensive Net using a Water Net, letting electricity flow through it could accidentally harm allies. Tatsuro decided it would be safer to test how Lightning Magic would function before incorporating it.

“Alright, let’s get started,” Tatsuro said.

“Here you go, big brother,” Leah said, handing him the core.

“Got it,” Tatsuro replied.

Leah handed him a main core for the Magic Brain, identical to the one from the previous day. Tatsuro placed it in his palm, had Ai stay close, and activated Magic Domain Transcendence to forcibly boost the attribute magic levels.

Following the same steps as the day before, he used dragon magic to channel the Yin-Yang Orb, fixing the Water Magic and Ice Magic factors before fusing them into the Magic Brain. The process went more smoothly than the previous day, and the second Magical Entity fusion was a success.

“How’s that? I think it went smoother than yesterday,” Tatsuro said.

“…Yes, it’s perfect. Now, please return the little one inside you,” Leah instructed.

“Oh, right,” Tatsuro said.

As instructed, Tatsuro returned the newly created entity to himself and handed the empty Magic Brain to Leah. She took it, seemingly lost in thought, and absentmindedly stored it in her Item Box before suddenly freezing.

“If that’s the case… no, that means—ah! If we use that, it could work…!” Leah muttered.

Her still body suddenly sprang into action. She grabbed a new sheet of paper, picked up a fallen pen, and began frantically writing down her ideas on the floor, using it as a desk, to ensure she wouldn’t forget them.

The others, overwhelmed by her intensity, stopped moving and watched. Eventually, Leah’s pen stopped, and she looked up, her gaze locking onto Tatsuro.

“Big brother! I need you to take something out right now!” Leah exclaimed.

“Uh—sure, anything. What do you need?” Tatsuro stammered.

“Well, first—” Leah began.

Before Tatsuro could ask further, Leah, unable to contain her excitement, rapidly listed the names of Materials stored in the Infinite Item Field. Struggling to keep up, Tatsuro managed to transfer all the requested Materials to Leah’s Item Box.

“Phew. Is that everything?” Tatsuro asked.

“Yes, perfect!” Leah replied.

“Good,” Tatsuro said.

“Wah! What’s that, big brother?” Leah exclaimed.

Tatsuro, overcome with a protective affection that felt like he was looking at a real younger sister, ruffled Leah’s hair vigorously before gently patting her head with a smile.

“Don’t overdo it, okay?” he said.

“I’ll be fine! Nana’s keeping an eye on me!” Leah assured him.

“I’d prefer you restrain yourself on your own!” Nana scolded.

Leah laughed sheepishly as Nana chided her, and Tatsuro and Ai smiled, reassured that Leah wouldn’t push herself too far.

“Well, we’d just be in the way if we stayed longer, so we’ll head out. Call us if you need anything,” Tatsuro said.

“Yeah, yeah! Come back anytime, no need to hold back!” Ai added.

“Yes, I’ll let you know if I need you,” Leah replied.

Since Tatsuro and Ai couldn’t assist with the technical aspects, they figured Leah would want to get back to work and quickly left. From there, they returned to their daily routine in the town.

Five days passed. They had heard it would take about two more days to complete, but it seemed Leah’s last-minute addition of new functions had delayed the process.

“Well, we don’t age here, so a little delay isn’t a big deal,” Tatsuro said.

“Yeah, and we can adjust when we return anyway,” Ai added.

Initially, they thought the flow of time here matched their world, but after learning that time in this world and their own wasn’t equivalent, they felt less urgency to return, though they weren’t entirely relaxed about it.

Upon hearing Leah’s report that the equipment was ready, Tatsuro told Aarenfrit they couldn’t hang out together that day and headed to see the new equipment.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, big brother,” Leah said.

“This town’s still fun, so I didn’t mind at all,” Tatsuro replied.

“Exactly! The wait just made it more exciting!” Ai added.

“Hehe, glad to hear that. This way, please,” Leah said.

“Okay,” Tatsuro and Ai replied in unison.

They followed Leah through a now-tidily organized room to the back, where a Makeshift Workshop was set up. Tatsuro called Cardina and the others to join them, and they began the unveiling of the first equipment using the completed Magic Brain.

“Ahem. Let’s begin the unveiling. First, this is the Rifle Staff you lent me yesterday,” Leah said.

“Hmm, it doesn’t look too different,” Ai noted.

“The back part’s gotten a bit bulkier, that’s all,” Tatsuro observed.

The opposite end of the Rifle Staff’s barrel now had a rectangular box-like object attached. Upon closer inspection, there was a terminal-like hole in the center of the box for connecting something.

“And—this is the main core,” Leah announced.

With a slight flourish, Leah retrieved the main attraction from her Item Box.

“That’s the main core?” Tatsuro asked.

“Yes. It took some time to make, but—” Leah began.

The object Leah presented could be described as a folded umbrella stripped of its waterproof fabric, leaving only the frame. However, the handle was short, about thirty centimeters, and thin enough to fit into the terminal on the Rifle Staff’s rear.

The handle’s head had a circuit board embedded in a crystal-like material. The tip, equivalent to an umbrella’s point, housed the main core they had seen before, encased in a transparent crystal-like material and wrapped with metallic vines for protection.

The frame, equivalent to an umbrella’s ribs, was made of various colored metals, consisting of eight ribs. Each rib was thicker than the handle and resembled a three-segmented claw.

Leah held it up for everyone to see before docking it into the terminal on the Rifle Staff’s rear.

“And—it’s complete,” Leah declared.

She presented the finished product to Tatsuro. He took it, went to an open area, and gave it a light swing.

“Is the weight okay?” Leah asked.

“Yeah, this is fine. Alright, let’s—” Tatsuro began.

“Wait, please!” Leah interrupted.

“Huh?” Tatsuro paused.

Just as Tatsuro was about to summon the Magical Entity to fuse and activate it, Leah stopped him.

“Before you activate it, there are two more things I’d like you to attach,” Leah said.

“Two more?” Tatsuro asked.

“Wait, I thought it was just Secom-kun after this?” Ai said.

Ai’s question echoed the confusion of everyone except Leah and Nana, who all tilted their heads in puzzlement.