The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

But if he acts recklessly, such as contacting the hedgehog-headed guy or other LV5 level superpowered individuals, thereby triggering certain events and changes in their perceptions, then he will definitely be hunted down by the Dark Division, with absolutely no room for negotiation.

So even for his own safety, he had to stay put and wait until everything settled down before considering whether or not to get involved in the plot.

"Oh right, and those demons too, a bunch of cunning old devils, what a bunch of troublemakers! Luckily, when I descended, I landed directly in Academy City, which is shrouded in scientific power, so my observation of the demons was somewhat affected and interfered with. Also, the existence of the science angel Aiwass made the demons less willing to directly descend into Academy City to cause trouble. Otherwise, I might have been captured by some idle guy by now, studied, and forced to lead them through worlds..." Ishihara Sho thought aimlessly while studying the materials.

"Even so far, he still hasn't figured out how to bring people out of this two-dimensional world, which can only be entered through dreams, and bring them to other two-dimensional worlds, or even the dream world."

But it doesn't matter. He's not a typical otaku. He's got a huge anime and manga fanbase. As long as he thinks about having the chance to meet his anime/manga waifus and interact with them, he doesn't care about anything else and just goes straight down the path of courting death.

Therefore, I don't have too many expectations or desires for certain 'wives'.

Moreover, Misaka Mikoto, Shokuhou Misaki's wife in Academy City, is only 14 years old. It seems that this age is a crime in any country with a rule of law, except for Russia and some three-star religious countries where it is legal to marry her.

Mugino Shizuri is old enough, but her temper...

There's also Kanzaki Kaori, a Puritan, a magician, a cult leader, a saint...

These identities are enough to give anyone a headache just thinking about them, let alone the strategy guide.

In any case, given Ishihara Shou's current size, strength, and the amount of time he can stay in the world of A Certain Magical Index, he probably won't have the chance to come into contact with characters like Kanzaki Kaori and Itsuki, so he can only give up.

……

A few days later, with Kiyama Harumi working long hours, Ishihara Akira finished his tutoring and his body also completed the necessary adjustments under Kiyama Harumi's supervision, so he could officially begin his ability development experiment.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you to the ability development room,” Kiyama Harumi said to Ishihara Sho, who had been waiting for a long time.

"it is good."

The two then left Kiyama Harumi's office and headed upstairs to the AIM Analysis Research Institute.

As a research institution specializing in studying the spread of AIM, they not only have corresponding monitoring and analysis facilities, but also instruments capable of developing them!

After all, the reason why the AIM diffusion position exists is entirely because of the existence of ability users. In other words, the so-called personal reality is transformed from the moment the ability user's ability is developed. Therefore, in order to better study all these changes, research institutions will occasionally take on some development tasks, and incidentally take the opportunity to observe the birth and transformation process of personal reality.

So, not long after, the two arrived at a room filled with instruments.

Several men and women dressed as researchers stood in front of the equipment, operating it expressionlessly, preparing for the work to come.

"Is it ready?" Kiyama Haruo asked.

“Everything is ready. Is he the one who will be developed?” The person in charge here looked up at Kiyama Harumi, then looked at Ishihara Sho to confirm.

“That’s right, it’s this kid.” Kiyama Harumi nodded in affirmation.

"Then let him in," the person in charge nodded and said decisively.

“Okay.” Kiyama Haruo responded, then pointed to another room separated from the control room by a wall and said, “See that device inside? Just go in and lie down on it. The rest will be handled by others.”

"Hmm." Ishihara Akira nodded, then, led by a female assistant, entered the room and sat on a motorized bed that looked like a common MRI scanner in a hospital. His entire body was then restrained by the female assistant with restraint straps...

Chapter 26 Development Manual

Then, the female assistant placed a helmet-like device on Ishihara Yuu's head, which covered his ears and blocked his eyes. The device looked like the helmet used by RoboCop in an old movie. This completely blocked his vision and hearing.

Then, Ishihara Akira felt a pain in the soft spot where he bends his arm, and a cold sensation flowed into his body through his veins.

Ishihara Akira understood that he was being injected with a hallucinogenic drug used to develop his abilities...

It's just this method...

It sounds similar to the behavior of drug addicts. I wonder if the people who developed this system got their inspiration from those social scum.

Then, whether it was the drug taking effect or some other factor on the helmet that he couldn't yet perceive directly, Ishihara Yuu's mind became hazy!

Just like when a person stays up late for too long and gets sleepy but can't fall asleep, their consciousness is aware of what's happening, but is filled with a sense of illusion and detachment, making everything seem unreal.

Then, melodious music entered Ishihara Shuu's ears, the pitch-black screen was replaced by colorful images, followed by pictures, short videos, and images that were distorted into bizarre shapes, much like Picasso's abstract paintings!

The combined feeling of detachment and unreality gave Ishihara Sho the illusion that he was in a bizarre and fantastical world, causing his SAN to plummet and his brainwaves to fluctuate violently.

"Strengthen interference and influence!"

"Pay close attention to the target's vital signs!"

"We've reached the critical point!"

In short, after a series of dubious actions, the development of Ishihara Akira's abilities came to an end, and the entire scene fell silent.

"Let him rest there for now. We'll come back to wake him up after the effects of the medication wear off," the experiment leader said to Kiyama Haruo, who was standing next to him.

This is probably the difference between independent development and group development.

The former can rest during the experiment, allowing the drug's effects and the experimental results to more deeply modify the subject, increasing the subject's chances of awakening. The latter, however, can only follow the crowd, and even to make room for those behind them, they are taken away from the experimental table and sent to an observation room for observation as soon as the main part of the experiment is completed.

Although the medicine was still working on the body at that time, without the aid of instruments, the effect was far less than what Ishihara Yu is enjoying now.

This is probably why so many people without abilities are born in Academy City.

……

Another hour or so passed, and the main effects of the drug ended, allowing Ishihara Yu to move around like a normal person.

"How did it go?" Ishihara Akira asked the female assistant who came in to help him remove the equipment.

"Congratulations, you have successfully developed your ability." The female assistant smiled at Ishihara Akira.

After all, it was an experimental topic from her own research institute, so she could still offer some humanistic care.

"You succeeded? What ability? What level?" Ishihara Sho asked, sitting up after being freed from his restraints.

"We only know it's mental; as for the specific ability and its level, we'll have to wait until all the subsequent tests are finished to officially determine that," the female assistant replied.

"When will the test begin?" Ishihara Akira continued to press.

"We need to wait until all the drug residue in your body has been metabolized and eliminated from your body to ensure there are no subsequent effects before we begin." After a pause, the female assistant added, "As for the time... it will generally take about two days, and at the latest no more than three days."

"We still have to wait three more days," Ishihara Akira said disappointedly.

The female assistant smiled and led Ishihara Akira away from the laboratory.

"Thank you for your help today," Kiyama Haruo said to the person in charge.

"You're too kind. We're colleagues. Besides, this is the purpose of my department. Now that I'm able to help you and collect some data along the way, I should be the one thanking you," the lab director replied politely.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

"That's more like it."

After that, Kiyama Haruo and Ishihara Sho didn't stay there any longer and returned to Kiyama Haruo's office, which served as both his bedroom and office.

Kiyama Harumi sat down at the desk, turned on the computer, and started working on it.

Without needing to be invited, Ishihara Sho made himself a glass of water and sat down on the sofa.

Soon after, the familiar sound of a printer running filled the quiet office.

"Go and get the documents," Kiyama Harumi ordered Ishihara Sho without any politeness.

Ishihara Yu naturally wouldn't refuse. He stood up, walked to the printer, and removed the stack of papers from it.

"These are specific details about ability development and basic general formulas. Although we don't yet know what your ability is or what level it is, that doesn't prevent you from supplementing your knowledge while the effects of the medicine wear off," Kiyama Harumi explained to Ishihara Akira, who was about to come over and hand over the documents.

To put it simply, it's the same content as the basic subject knowledge in all the schools within Academy City. It's available not only online, but also in bookstores within Academy City. It's the same kind of material that Ishihara Sho used to brush up on his basic knowledge.

It is not some highly classified or important document.

Although with Kiyama Harumi's abilities, it wouldn't be impossible for him to obtain those things if he really wanted to...

"You can study on your own. I have other things to do, so I'll leave you to your own devices." After saying that, Kiyama Harumi turned off the computer screen, got up, and left the office, leaving the space to Ishihara Akira alone.

Ishihara Akira, of course, didn't mince words. He walked around the desk and sat in Kiyama Harumi's executive chair, then lowered his head and began flipping through the documents in his hand—

Thanks to the tutoring he had received before, although the materials still contained a lot of individual words that were fine on their own, when put together they were all technical terms that made people scratch their heads and were not easy to understand, but they were generally still within Ishihara Akira's comprehension. There weren't many words that really scratched his head, or that he had to look up the meaning of on the computer, or that he had to ask Kiyama Harumi for help to explain!

Therefore, he was able to barely understand the content above, and he understood the specific methods of ability development, as well as how to use the formulas and how to optimize them.

Having obtained a highly instructive skills development manual, Ishihara Akira was extremely satisfied.

"It would be even better if I could use it to develop my own abilities..."

"Oh right, there's also my own ability... Hmm, let's test that after Kiyama Harumi comes back."

Chapter 27 Mental Interference

However, after careful consideration, Ishihara Sho thought it was better not to take the risk.

It wasn't that he was worried about getting injured, but rather that he was worried about testing his own demonic abilities in an unstable state—that is, while there were still drug residues. Even if he succeeded, so what? It wouldn't make any difference. But if it affected his awakening superpowers, then it would be a loss for him.

Therefore, Ishihara Yuu decided to wait until the drug residue was metabolized and his abilities stabilized before returning to test whether there was a conflict between his abilities and the superpowers he had awakened.

Even if his ability isn't magic, and theoretically doesn't conflict with the superpowers of magical variants, it's still the same.

"There's still time..."

Yes, although half a month has passed, there are still 5 days left to squander before Ishihara Akira sets a minimum threshold of 20 days for his escape.

Moreover, he entered the dream world after the temple closed, in order to test and develop his abilities. So, if you really think about it, the time he could stay was much longer than expected!

In other words, stopping for a full month should not be a problem.

In fact, if it weren't for the worry that Fujii Hanako would come to his bedroom to call him if he didn't come out for dinner, and then cause trouble if he didn't respond, considering the normal human physiological maintenance level of three days, Ishihara Akira could stay in the world of A Certain Magical Index for three months without any problem.

"So, if you want to stay in the world of anime and manga for a long time without being disturbed, a private space is essential..." Ishihara Sho muttered to himself as he prepared to focus his attention on the documents in his hands.

Of course, the bedrooms in temples are quite nice, but we can't rule out the possibility that worshippers might wander in looking for someone or that a careless person might just barge in. So, if you really want a private place, it's better to have your own private apartment.

In this way, as long as I can win over Hanako-nee and Aunt Dianzi, I can confidently travel to the two-dimensional world to improve myself.

"Oh, right, there's also the nutrient hibernation chamber technology..."

In this way, even if I sleep for five, six, seven, or eight days straight, I don't have to worry about starving to death.

"Therefore, the connection with the Netherworld Soul Chaser must not only not be severed, but must be further strengthened."

With a sigh, Ishihara Akira put aside the chaotic emotions affecting his studies and earnestly began to study the materials in his hands.

……

Just as immortals in the mountains cultivate without counting the years, three days passed quickly as Ishihara Akira studied diligently, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the ability test arrived.