Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

No, no, no, spirits might not be supernatural beings. Look at me, I'm just an ordinary human—ordinary my foot!—Anyway, spirits aren't werewolves, so they might even be effective. Besides, having something is better than nothing; it's unlikely that not having it would go undetected, but having it would lead to discovery—how can you guarantee that!?—What if it works and then we don't set up a barrier, ultimately leading to our exposure? Can you guarantee that that won't happen!?—I—

Yuri sighed.

It seems that, in terms of conclusions, I am completely unable to make a judgment. So, I will just trust Mingmei.

Akemi, who was standing to the side, didn't notice at all that Yuri had been thinking. In her eyes, Yuri probably just tacitly agreed.

"Just don't touch this pile of things anymore. I just put it there as a last resort, I didn't nail it to the ground—" Akemi instructed Yuri before going back to do her own thing—doing her homework.

Yuri was speechless and began to think about what he could do while he was staying at home.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The answer seems obvious.

Long, long ago, Yuri had always wanted to learn how to store his power, or store it using some medium, so that he could unleash it all at once when he encountered an opponent.

This is something he has been researching all along.

Although it probably won't be possible to finish it in just a day or two, what if I'm a genius and can figure it out instantly? (Perhaps it's possible in a dream.)

Author's message

——The author has something to say——

The next chapter involves a lot of background information and isn't very relevant to the plot; those who aren't interested can skip it.

(Although I'm already considered to have a particularly large character setting, the next chapter will be even larger, but I feel uneasy if I don't write this chapter...)

124 Suspension Spell - Monkey Version

After a long and intermittent period of research... Yuri found several stepping stones on the road to storing spells.

In no particular order: his own hat, the "Taofu's" scroll, the Line 2 train ticket, the Rat King's mental network—and, though he didn't want to admit it, the "trap" of his current unknown adversary was also an important part of it.

In short, to sum it all up, at the very beginning of everything... what exactly is magic?

The number of spells in this world is likely greater than the number of Yuri's fingers, and each one is subtly different. Moreover, Yuri has not acquired enough knowledge to decipher all the magic in this world—if there is a player's manual in this world, it is certainly not in Yuri's possession.

In this chaotic mess, Yuri's magical effects should have been the ones he was most familiar with, but unfortunately, this magic was more of an idealistic black box, which meant that he didn't understand the nature of his own spells any better than he understood other spells.

You input energy on the left, focus intently on the desired effect in the middle, and receive the spell's output on the right. As for how the "intense thought" in the middle determines the conversion of energy into an effect, that's entirely outside Yuri's knowledge.

If Yuri were content with the status quo, there would be no need for him to conduct further research... Unfortunately, it was all just a joke... Clearly, the situation is escalating, and it will continue to escalate regardless of Yuri's efforts.

One notebook described it as a wish made by a purveyor to the higher realms, which then responded—this was simply a matter of painting the words "higher realms" on a black box and taking that as the conclusion. If the purveyors were satisfied with such a conclusion about the source of their abilities, Yurid said they were truly unambitious—he preferred to believe that the analysis was simply too difficult, or that the notebook's capacity was insufficient to describe those lengthy explanations.

Yuri didn't think he could immediately figure out what this black box was, at least not right now. But it was clear that without understanding the specific process of this black box, his ability development would be greatly slowed down, so he needed to find a substitute.

In any case, Yuri's final solution was the same as always: look for similar things to see if there was any similarity... and then apply his flexible abilities to them.

His abilities become much easier to achieve when he has a clear goal and process. Once he has deciphered all the notes, he will probably understand more. Before that, there are other things he can use as a reference.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The scroll of the Taefu was the first "magical item" that Yuri had ever seen activated from a distance.

After Yuri borrowed the scroll from Black World a few days ago and examined it carefully, he was quite certain that, just as he had always suspected, it was not a historical artifact full of historical significance, forged from the beliefs of countless people... If it were, it would obviously be difficult to mass-produce, and it would be even more impossible to bestow it upon a subordinate who was unknown how many layers away he was.

It was just an ordinary object that existed solely in the spirit world, without any physical form.

Of course, Yuri had seen many things that met this condition before. For one thing, each spirit wall was actually an object that existed in the spirit world but did not have a physical form; it just so happened that their positions overlapped with the walls.

But this scroll is different from the wall. It is very unremarkable. Spirit walls have patterns similar to normal walls because they are projections of human beliefs and the human spirit's impression of the original wall. But this scroll, after the text that once appeared faded, is basically just a roll of white paper. There are no special patterns or materials that look particularly special... It is a very ordinary spiritual material.

This suggests that it is highly likely that it was deliberately created out of thin air, and was only given enough material to support what it was required to support, while other parts were completely unimportant, so the maker did not pay any attention to them.

In other words, it is very likely that there was never a corresponding ordinary scroll in the material realm from the very beginning, and the creator simply chose to shape the spiritual matter into this form.

Yuri also has the ability to change the appearance of his spirit. He tried it some time ago. He can change his body into strange shapes, turning his hands and feet into tentacles, and so on. However, because his abilities are really no match for the physical abilities of various demons and monsters, he has put these tricks out of his mind for a long time.

If he uses this ability on other spiritual substances, he should be able to create the same spiritual vessel.

The same test he did a few days ago involved him trying to "dig" a piece off a wall of spiritual energy by the roadside. After struggling for a while, he did feel the wall loosen—but his spiritual essence loosened even more.

Incidentally, this also proves that the Spirit Wall is not invincible; it's just that none of the people Yuri has seen who might be able to destroy it have done so in front of him. Putting everything else aside, he simply doesn't believe that Line 2 couldn't easily break through several Spirit Walls.

Perhaps materials could be extracted from the repeaters, which are certainly not as sturdy as walls, but that would obviously damage them—normally, damage wouldn't matter, but now is not the right time, and the damaged repeaters would become a beacon to guide them.

After several failed attempts in his mind, Yuri finally found suitable experimental material: the spiritual marrow in the shrine. Considering that spiritual marrow could be used to heal injuries, this meant that spiritual marrow could be transformed into spiritual matter... As long as this step was completed outside the body, Yuri would obtain a small piece of spiritual matter.

As for the conversion rate between spiritual essence and spiritual matter... he didn't have a reference point, but he did feel that some spiritual essence was lost when he controlled the conversion of spiritual essence into spiritual matter. Long-term training would definitely reduce the loss, but right now he probably didn't have enough spiritual essence to squander, so he'd set that as a long-term goal.

The newly formed spiritual mass looked like a small ball, and when you squeezed it, you could hardly feel any reaction force. Its shape changed according to Yuri's will (and his hands).

It is quite noticeable that it is "hardening," and it is becoming increasingly difficult to manipulate or change it—it seems that after completing the transformation, it will constantly try to solidify itself into some current shape.

It took only about five minutes for it to enter a state where Yuri could not change its shape without actively consuming spiritual essence... and it seems that this is not the end. After about another five minutes, it turned into something similar to a spiritual wall.

Because the quantity is extremely small, it is still possible to force the operation if one really wants to, but there is no need to continue it if it is just an experiment.

Yuri set aside the spherical spiritual substance bearing several finger marks resembling bowling balls—in the last moment, Yuri hurriedly tried to reshape it back into a sphere, but still left a slight error… Fortunately, no one would ever know what he originally intended it to be.

Next point.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

So far, all of Yuri's spells have taken effect instantly, and they don't require much effort to maintain after being cast—the shield might be an exception, but the main concern is how to restore and strengthen the shield after being hit, rather than ensuring the shield itself exists.

Of course, this is not to say that there is anything wrong with it. If it is limited to head-on combat, this may be the best way to cast spells: the immediate effect means that there is no need to calculate the lead time, and the lack of effort to maintain it allows Yuri to have time to continuously stack spells until he overwhelms the opponent (as for the environment he faces, which often does not allow him to do so... that is because he is too weak and can only gamble once).

But this is very disadvantageous for the goals he wants to achieve now.

What he wanted to achieve was closer to a trigger effect, that is, to activate the spell only when certain conditions are met, and preferably, the activation point should not be forced to be close to Yuri.

The notebook happened to mention something similar, but it was much more advanced (mystical), achieved through a spell under the mystery of fate. It was said to be able to make the target (or person) do specific things at a certain time, as if guided by fate, such as the terrifying effect of "when someone attacks me with a weapon, I happen to be on high alert and dodge," etc.

If you only look at the literal description, it can even do things like "If A is a criminal, I will take one step to the left" or "If the number of prime numbers is finite, I will take two steps back, otherwise I will take two steps forward." Normally, you would need to know something you don't know to do these kinds of things, which is terrifying.

Unfortunately, Yuri didn't think he had any talent in this area at all. It was a very profound thing—who could understand fate? If someone really understood fate, would the world be the same as it is now?

Therefore, other methods must be used to achieve this goal.

For example, there's the remote-controlled trap used by a tracker whose name is still unknown—it can even manipulate marker explosions remotely (although it's very likely that it can only manipulate marker explosions), which is clearly far superior to Yuri's.

If one were to emulate this method, one would need to maintain a connection with the energy that one has split off to some extent, and be able to sense the condition of the vessel from a distance at any time, and then cast magic accordingly.

...To be honest, this plan seems to deviate somewhat from Taifu's scroll. Taifu's scroll appeared to be fully automated; otherwise, wouldn't it imply a ghostly boss constantly ready to respond to the calls of countless subordinates? Not everyone is a Rat King. As for the new spirit tracker... Yuri doesn't yet know the underlying principles that allow it to monitor a large number of markers simultaneously without going insane, so that aspect can't be used as a reference.

Fortunately, Yuri didn't plan to make many auxiliary spellcasting items. A few that could play a role in crucial moments would be enough; he couldn't handle more than that.

Here we must thank the Rat King for the psychological damage he inflicted on Yuri. This effectively helped Yuri make up his mind to do this: constantly monitoring something far away from him would put Yuri under a lot of pressure, and the Rat King had forced Yuri to prove that he had the ability to maintain a split personality.

If he hadn't been forced to try it, he probably would have given up in the end after he hesitated. In any case, putting long-term stress tests on one's mental strength is not a good habit.

Next key point.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Line 2 train ticket was the "magical item" that Yuri had kept with him the longest and that he had activated himself.

Of course, the actual effect of this thing is quite simple. No matter how you recall the scene, the ticket did not actually emit any earth-shattering power. It was just a transmitter that served a guiding function.

Its existence allowed Line 2 to remotely pinpoint specific locations for attacks, simplifying the enemy search process... while also allowing him to selectively pick up Yuri, who held a ticket, as a passenger (instead of killing him on the spot).

As a very simple transmitter, it can produce so many effects simultaneously without unleashing earth-shattering power... The answer is obvious: the one making the specific judgment is not the ticket, but Line 2 itself.

Although Yuri's prior tests yielded little result... Of course, he also admitted that he hadn't done any particularly thorough testing, he still managed to arrive at a conjecture with a 30-40% accuracy rate after a long period of deduction and guesswork.

The tickets are actually made using a part of Line 2 itself, so that connections can be maintained even over long distances. As part of Line 2, it is only natural that it can be used freely.

Although there is no explicit evidence pointing to this, there is indeed circumstantial evidence.

From the moment he boarded the train, he never saw the ticket again, but the scroll from the magistrate remained firmly in place even after the spell's effect wore off. Trying to recall, Yuri believed the ticket was still in his pocket before Line 2 crashed down.

So, without anyone noticing, the tickets were integrated back into the Line 2 subway system – that's the most likely explanation.

Most of these arguments were pure speculation, but Yuri felt he had reached the correct conclusion…

At least this argument does not contradict any known phenomena, although it cannot be completely proven either.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In conclusion, what Yuri needs to do is use a part of his own body as a vessel for the spell, while maintaining a portion of his mental focus on keeping the spell ready to be unleashed, in order to achieve effective long-range control—this sounds so logical, there couldn't possibly be any problem! Isn't this just common sense?

"You're right, Hat—if no one objects, I'll take that as a yes," Yuri thought.

125 Imperfections and Usability

"So what's the result of all that tinkering over there for so long...?"

Mingmei had finished her homework and was getting ready to rest, although she didn't seem very sleepy.

It seems that Yuri's actions of throwing the hat around with all his might—and even tossing it around with some kind of spirit orb—are indeed quite eye-catching.

"I'm trying to invent an ability that allows me to accumulate strength in ordinary times—so that I can build up my strength normally and then amplify my explosive power when something happens," Yuri answered honestly.

"Then... what does this have to do with your hat? Why are you getting worked up about it? Isn't it part of you?"

Mingmei's question makes a lot of sense; perhaps a practical demonstration would be faster.

Yuri tossed the hat to Akemi, who caught it instinctively, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Just stand still. It will be more noticeable if you're a little further away, I guess."

Fortunately, Yuri said those words, otherwise Akemi would have already gotten up and was about to follow, but after hearing Yuri's explanation, she sat back down.

Yuri walked to the corner after entering the room, where he was about four or five meters away from Akemi... It wasn't that he didn't want to go further, but if he went any further, he would be blocked by the wall.

This shouldn't affect the spell's effectiveness, but if Akemi can't see herself, the demonstration's effect will be diminished.

“Okay, now put your hat on… or you can hold it in your arms, but don’t hold it up with your hands.” Yuri started pointing from a distance.

Akemi was a little confused, but she still put the hat on her head.

Okay, Yuri, focus your attention on your detached part.

Activate the shield.

Akemi slowly raised her hand, looking at the dim light membrane above. "This, is that the move you often use? Now you can create a radius of four or five meters—no, this is a spell cast with the hat as the core?"

Yuri nodded; it was indeed a shield. The reason it was dimmed was because Yuri had minimized its effect to conserve spirit essence, not because there was any greater energy loss involved.

In retrospect, it is indeed faster to actually demonstrate it once.

As for how Akemi determined that the spell was released from the hat, it was simple: Yuri, who was standing behind the corner with half of his body exposed, did not have a shield rising up on him.

"Hmm...why is it covering me? Shouldn't it be..." Akemi seemed to be thinking of an adjective.

"Should we just cover it with a hat and call it a day?" Yuri continued, clearly wanting to ask that question.

"Yes, that's it."

This was also one of the main problems Yuri had repeatedly tested.

If Yuri were to cast the spell voluntarily, or if he were to cast the spell with the hat as the target, this would not be a problem at all. But what if he wanted to cast a spell on the outside world through the hat? He would need to understand not only the hat, but also the world beyond the hat.

Unfortunately, this problem remains unsolved.

“I can indeed limit the spell’s effect to the hat, and I can even target the spell’s effect on the person wearing the hat—” Yuri paused deliberately, waiting for Minmei to focus her attention before speaking, “but if there is no fundamental difference without using the user’s own vision, I still cannot immediately tell who is wearing the hat.”

Yuri nearly collapsed when he discovered the problem.

Do spirits really see with eyes? Do they need some kind of spiritual light to provide information? Is the part that's separated from the body blind because it doesn't have eyes? What about Yuri's spherical perspective?

That wasn't the case. After much effort, he discovered that he could still sense things around the hat through it, though the radius was obviously much smaller and lacked a lot of detail—but at least he could still confirm the existence of Akemi's medium-length hair.

“When I realized that the hat was also part of me, I also noticed another point, that is, the person wearing the hat can also be considered connected to me in some way, but the person holding it may not be... It’s hard to say where the specific boundary is, but I think it should be fine to hold it in my arms.”

The discovery of this was an inevitable coincidence. When Yuri was conducting various tests on the hat, he once partially covered the spirit orb with the hat and activated the shield. As a result, he found that the shield also enveloped the spirit orb.

You can even rely on the shield to prevent the psionic orb from falling out of the hat.

Yuri's initial understanding was that "because the person wearing Yuri's hat is Yuri, the spells cast on Yuri can also work on the person wearing the hat," but this sounded too... "clever," like a tongue twister answer rather than the true way things work.

Even if this is indeed a world of idealism, it's terrifying that the way things operate can change based on textual descriptions, and Yuri is unwilling to admit it.

If he were to guess, it would probably be that the person wearing the hat has established some kind of connection with Yuri, a connection that allows Yuri to overlay his spells upon them (or them, if the person wearing the hat is an object).

Yuri decided to document this issue, the point being that it meant he had found a (relatively) good way to use it.