episode_0008

The weapons in the preparation room are managed according to certain rules.

Only one weapon of each type is given to each person. Even if it is broken, it will not be replaced.

If you lose your weapon while carrying it, you will automatically return to the preparation room. If you haven’t lost it, it will remain where you left it.

Among the weapons managed by these rules, the magic book is a unique entity. Except for the grimoire, the rest of the weapons are weapons, but the grimoire is not a weapon. It is useless in battle. I wonder if it can be used as a blunt weapon.

However, despite this, grimoires are managed by the same rules as other weapons.

Until now, it didn’t really matter whether these rules applied to grimoires or not. However, when I started researching to use the grimoire in battle, a problem arose.

There are only two books of magic, including the ones appropriated. They don’t even give it back.

To test whether magic power accumulates in a grimoire, you need to destroy some of the magic circles. But what if you break it and the grimoire is irreparably broken? There are only two grimoires.

It’s not right now, but for experiments that may occur in the future, the grimoire must be tested without wasting time. When I first discovered the grimoire, I broke it without knowing what was happening, but the risk is too great to do so now. If you can’t decide, you can ask someone you know.

I came up with a plan. It is a mass production of magic books. The magic in the grimoire is not used by the grimoire, but by the magic circle. So, if you copy the magic circle and apply it to another notebook, wouldn’t it become a grimoire? It’s a reasonable guess.

So now I am observing and measuring the magic circle and copying it into my notebook. The magic circle is not engraved using magical power; it is just a sharp drawing. To engrave a magic circle, you must first clearly remember the magic circle, so you draw it.

I finished drawing the magic circle. I looked at the picture for a moment and engraved the shape in my mind. Okay, I think I memorized it all. Now, let’s make a grimoire.

I took out the notebook I had thought of in advance and placed it on the desk. Since the purpose is to copy the magic circle, I will copy the magic circle in the grimoire. What you need to follow is the location, size, and shape of the magic circle.

I closed my eyes, exhaled, and moved my magic. Using my senses, I found an appropriate location and gathered magical power. Again, I used my senses to estimate the appropriate size and spread the magical energy in a circular shape. Using my senses one more time, I compared the circular magic power with the magic circle and dissipated the magic power in unnecessary areas. A hole appeared in the circular magical power, forming a magic circle. Magic circle completed.

I opened my eyes and looked at the result. huh? It’s not a magic circle, it’s just a bunch of magical power that looks pretty. I looked at the magic circle in the grimoire next to me. It looks similar, but that side uses magic and this side is just a bunch of pretty magic power.

What’s the difference? Is it slightly different because it is made in a random way? Or is there another problem?

The magic power dissipated.

* * *

Cha Ha-neul chatted with a friend at a cafe and then parted ways. When I checked my phone, there was a KakaoTalk message.

It was Do Yu-geon.

-I’m going to stay at school and study today.

So what should I do? I didn’t even make an appointment with this guy today. I wondered if I had sent the wrong message to my parents, but since their parents are both working, a KakaoTalk message like this has no meaning. Are you just bragging about your studies? You’re an amateur.

I didn’t have anything to say, so I thought about what to reply to, and then sent a praising emoticon.

As I entered the subway platform to go home, a thought occurred to me. Should we go to his school? Let’s go. I took the subway.

Recently, a problem arose. Do Yu-geon comes by too often these days. Although it is due to the fantasy phenomenon, it comes in other ways as well.

There’s no problem with him coming over, but I’m worried about whether he’s doing well at school because the more time he spends with this person, the less he’ll spend with his school friends. Since the elementary school was nearby, it’s not like I didn’t have any friends.

If you go now, you can see how things are going. After getting off the subway and walking a bit, I saw the middle school he went to. As I entered the main gate and went further, I saw kids playing soccer in the playground. Every time I come here, I think about it, but I wish there was some grass on the playground. It’s going to blow sand, so why are you leaving it as is?

As I was heading towards the main building, I heard a familiar voice coming from the playground. When we looked, it was Do Yu-geon. The guy was yelling something at his teammate. You said you were studying, but you were playing soccer.

I sat in the stands at the playground. His team is in a bad mood and the opposing team is in a happy mood, so it seems like Do Yoo-geon is losing.

The guy was looking around the playground and suddenly looked this way. Then I went over to the kids watching at the other stand and talked to them. One of the kids who was watching went to the playground and joined them. Is it a player replacement?

Do Yu-geon approached.

“Just play soccer.”

“We lost anyway because the team balance was wrong.”

The guy sat next to me.

“Rather, I’m going home now.”

I know that this guy plays well, so I don’t have any intention of staying there any longer. The boy was embarrassed and said that we would leave school together, then got up and walked towards the main building. I dusted myself off and walked along.

The guy said.

“Is reading with magic going well?”

“That? I haven’t solved that yet.”

Until now, the problem was that when you held a book using magic, the book would shake slightly, making it difficult to read. That part was solved by being able to hold the book without shaking after practice.

However, the real problem was discovered when I started reading. Magic is the act of concentrating consciousness. Reading is also an act of concentrating one’s consciousness. The problem arises here.

There is only one action to focus on. Using magic and reading cannot go together. When you use magic and start reading a book, your concentration naturally shifts to the contents of the book, and the consciousness that was concentrating on the magic becomes distracted, causing you to drop the book. This means that the moment you focus and enjoy reading, you will drop the book.

In the end, if you want to read using magic, you have to pay attention to the magic without concentrating too much on the contents of the book. I use magic to read, but in order to use magic, I have to give up reading properly? What kind of situation is this?

After thinking about it, there are two solutions.

One is to make someone or something else use magic on your behalf. The method that immediately comes to mind is a magic circle. However, the magic circle is not properly understood.

The two will be able to use magic as a daily, natural act. When you read normally, you hold or support a book with your hands. This behavior continues naturally even when you focus on a book. Likewise, if you can use magic without concentration as if you were using your hands, the problem is solved. I mean, it’s easy. It’s a skill level that I can’t even begin to think about. At that level, he is not just a wizard, but an archmage. Great wizard.

I wonder if reading with magic was this difficult.

Do Yoo-geon said.

“It’s such a difficult problem that even a genius would get stuck.”

“I’m not a genius. It’s true that it’s a difficult problem. So these days, I’m focusing on magic circles.”

“Magic circle?”

“Yes, the magic circle. In the end, the magic circle was blocked.”

What is the difference between the shape of a magic circle made with magic and the magic circle in a grimoire? Why can’t one use magic and the other can?

Since it is made from persimmon, are there errors in the fine shape? Or is there a separate intermediate process for creating a magic circle, so it doesn’t become a magic circle just by following its shape with magic?

Since I don’t know the theory or laws of magic circles, I don’t know the cause or the solution.

But I don’t think it will work forever. If you take more time to think about it leisurely, you might be able to solve it. In the end, I can’t do it if it doesn’t work out.

Still, I wish I could read.

* * *

After logging in, I walk through the forest while chatting with Do Yoo-geon for a bit. Because it’s quick to catch goblins, you spend more time walking than catching them.

Do Yu-geon, who was making his way, looked in this direction a few times and said.

“Let’s take a rest and then go.”

“Okay, great. That’s a very good idea.”

I sat roughly on the grass. I’m dying because I’ve been walking for so long.

The guy laughed heartily.

“You level up, but how is your stamina the same?”

“Not the same. I’m tired now. If I tease you more, will you get angry?”

“yes.”

It’s hard to go around catching goblins. It’s harder because it’s a forest. But it is something worth doing and a good thing.

I knew that I lacked physical strength, so I always thought about exercising, but I only thought about it and never did it. As was the case in my past life, exercise is not practical.

However, now that I log in every time and move around, I naturally exercise and have gained some stamina. Is this exercise or something?

In addition, according to verification by the Exploration Federation, physical abilities improve as you level up. I don’t know if it really improves, but I can feel the system intervening and adjusting my body when I level up, so it’s probably true. Do Yu-geon also said that he could feel it.

“I just need this much rest. Let’s go.”

I walked again.

Today we are testing how goblins behave. This is because while observing the goblin, I discovered something strange.

Why do goblins travel alone? It’s not like there aren’t any other goblins, so why are you walking around alone?

Is there no need to go together? Or, even though they look like the same goblins at first glance, they are technically different goblins, so they can’t cooperate with each other?

When I said these things to Do Yu-geon, he didn’t think it was a big deal.

“It’s a mob. Have you ever seen mobs moving while thinking when playing a game? They just move according to their behavior patterns. The same goes for goblins.”

“No matter how fantasy it is, it’s too real to compare it to a game. If you look at the goblin’s behavior in the first place, it’s not a simple pattern.”

Sometimes it improvises and avoids magic, and sometimes targets unarmed opponents first. Swordsmanship is basic. Aren’t these behaviors too complex to be considered simply patterns?

The guy laughed.

“A.I.”

“Artificial intelligence is indeed an all-purpose word that does not require any logic whatsoever.”

Are goblins artificial intelligence? So I checked it the last time I logged in. While Do Yoo-geon was taking his time by clashing swords with the goblin, I tried talking to the goblin.

The goblin didn’t answer and didn’t even make any sound. He glanced at the person he was talking to, but his gaze seemed to be looking for an opening.

No matter how many times I talked to them, there was no response, so I decided to just treat them as artificial intelligence. It’s a pattern that’s too complicated to think of with artificial intelligence, but since it’s fantasy, there must be some great way to do it.

Today, rather than asking fundamental questions such as whether goblins are intelligent or artificial intelligence, we decided to observe how the pattern changes when two goblins come together. Rather than observing and trying to do something, I just do it as a small hobby.

Do Yu-geon, who was chased by two goblins, said that when two goblins come together, they cooperate to attack. He said that it was urgent at the time and his memory remains vague, so today he tested to see if it was really right to cooperate, and they actually cooperated and attacked.

I go alone, but when we come together, we cooperate. Why do I go alone?

Do Yoo-geon said.

“The story is back to square one. It’s not an intelligent being, it’s artificial intelligence. In the game, if the mobs run around on their own, the balance would be lost, so the system probably decided to have them run around one at a time.”

“Oh, yes. It was a fantasy.”

Fantasy is comfortable.

Now, let’s check if only one animal is allowed to roam around.

I gathered two goblins and ran away without catching them. Since I didn’t want to run directly, I let Yu-Gun gather and run away, and I just observed with my senses from afar.

The two goblins continued to chase Do Yu-geon, but at some point they gave up and stopped. And the two goblins did not travel together and dispersed.

okay. It’s very strange, but it’s fantasy. I expected it.

I put my notebook against the tree and wrote down the results. I plan to write it down in my notebook and then go back to my room and organize it in my grimoire.

Do Yu-geon approached.

“Is that all for today?”

“Yes. It’s time to eat, so I should log out now.”

I wrote down everything and folded the notebook. The guy let out a sigh.

“Leveling up is slow. When will I get to 100 if I level up like this?”

“Isn’t your goal too high? It’s going to take a really long time to reach level 100. Lower your goal.”

“Then there’s no point. I’m just trying to reach max level.”

The doors to the preparation room are marked with numbers 1, 25, 50, 75, and 100, respectively. Based on this, there is a lot of talk on the Internet about whether the maximum level is 100 or 125.

This guy considers level 100 to be the maximum level on the strange basis that, of course, in a game, the maximum level is 100.

“Then just take it step by step.”

I stretched out. Should I log out soon?

But that was then.

A status window appears.

[System update complete]

A skill window has been added to the system. Shout out to the skill window. You can use the skill.

huh?