Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

  Nighttime.

  Seiji was currently inside his room.

  Both requirements in his system for the [Beginner-level Body-strengthening Spell] had reached 100%!

  To fulfill the training requirement, he'd even asked Shika-chan and Hitaka to teach him in addition to Natsuya, learning from their tips and experience.

  This, in addition to his own hard efforts in learning and practicing, finally filled his progress bar in the system.

  And now, the only thing left for him to do was pay 44 points.

  Seiji confirmed that he was ready to pay on the system.

  The option for [Beginner-level Body-strengthening Spell] instantly lit up. An indescribable sensation overcame Seiji's mind; it felt as if some sort of obstacle had disappeared and some type of comprehension had been injected into him.

  Apart from that, there was no other feeling of discomfort.

  Compared to using skill tree activation or ability learning cards such as [Bullet Time], this was much easier on him, and it only left him feeling slightly strange. Seiji had mentally prepared himself for a several-hour period of unconsciousness.

  Was it due to the other requirements?

  'Forget it—there's no need to think too much into it.'

  He'd finally learned the [Body-strengthening Technique!]

  But just as the system indicated, it was still at only beginner level.

  If he wanted, he could try it out right here, but his room didn’t seem like a good location for such an experiment.

  Seiji searched through his system for more details regarding his new ability.

  After choosing [Beginner-level Body-strengthening Spell] in his system, he saw three new options underneath it: [Fierce Fire], [Swift Wind], and [Immovable Mountain].

  According to his system, [Fierce Fire] was the attack-buff version of the Body-strengthening Technique. Entering this mode would greatly increase the power of his fists and legs, but it would also drain his Mana at a rapid rate.

  [Swift Wind] buffed his speed greatly, while [Immovable Mountain] would provide a large boost to his defense. All three spells would drain his Mana while they were in effect.

  And the requirements to learn them were:

  [Reach the required experience level with attack/speed/defense while under the effects of the [Beginning-level Body-strengthening Spell. Current progress level: 0%/0%/0%.]

  [Points required to activate each ability: 22/22/22.]

  22 for each? This number… System, you’re definitely doing this on purpose!

  Seiji’s lips began to twitch as he read the instructions.

  Apart from the three new categories under [Beginning-level Body-strengthening Spell], there were also new options in his [Spells].

  [Beginner-level Astral Vision] and [Beginner-level Telekinesis].

  Once again, the names alone made them seem like foundational techniques he absolutely had to learn.

  When he read the explanations, Seiji found that these spells were exactly what he thought they were.

  [Astral Vision] allowed the caster to see spirits and other magical phenomena that were invisible to ordinary humans. Basically, it was an upgrade to his vision.

  [Telekinesis] was the ability to move objects with his mind. This was the same ability that the president must have used to control her kodachi in midair.

  If the [Body-strengthening Spell] was the foundational aspect of a human using their own Spiritual Power, Seiji believed that [Telekinesis] was the foundational aspect of a human using their own Mana to influence external objects.

  At any rate, there would be no harm in purchasing and learning all of these.

  The requirements for learning them were similar to the [Body-strengthening Spell]. He needed to read technique manuals, ask for instructions, and pay some points.

  [Astral Vision] required 66 points, while [Telekinesis] required 69 points.

  Seiji didn’t even feel like commenting anymore. Whatever made his system happy.

  He left his room after closing his system.

  He found Mai and learned from her that Natsuya was currently in her study. He proceeded to Natsuya's study to talk to her.

  "You learned the Body-strengthening Spell already!?"

  The student council president was shocked to her core upon hearing him say that just after he knocked and entered.

  How long had it been? Just barely over a day?

  Seiji scratched his face awkwardly at Natsuya’s obvious shock.

  It was probably better to explain with actions, not words.

  He quietly began casting the spell.

  Activate the Spiritual Energy both within and outside the body, then use the spell to stimulate the energy.

  Natsuya instantly felt a change in Seiji’s presence and hurriedly activated her Astral Vision to inspect him. She was stunned to see a fiery yet gentle silver misty aura of Spiritual Energy surrounding him.

  Fiery yet gentle?

  That’s right! It looked fiery due to the brightness of the mist surrounding him and gentle due to placid nature of the mist; there were no unsteady waves whatsoever.

  Natsuya widened her eyes upon seeing this.

  'It's absolutely… perfect!' she praised inwardly.

  For him to be able to control such a dense amount of Spiritual Energy without evidence of a single unsteady wave… This was the optimal state of the Body-strengthening Spell!

  Most casters either had a high density with large fluctuations—that was the type with high power and low control. Others had calm waves but a low density—that was the type with high control, easy maintenance but insufficient strength.

  Power versus control—balancing these two aspects was the first difficult question that all Spiritual Ability users who'd learned the Body-strengthening Spell must answer, just like a pitcher in baseball.

  Even if a caster was specialized in one or the other, they still had to pay attention to their weaker type. In the end, it was a question of how much they balanced the two.

  This was an inevitable obstacle that every Spiritual Ability user needed to surmount. Each caster could only come up with their own answer on how to balance them.

  Natsuya felt that she was currently looking at a genius’s response.

  In just barely over a day—or, more accurately, less than that, since he'd spent nine hours Visualizing instead of spending all his time learning—he'd succeeded in completely mastering this spell!

  Natsuya felt that only the word "genius" was sufficient to describe this feat.

  While inwardly praising him, Natsuya also felt as if she couldn’t match up to him.

  She'd studied the Body-strengthening Spell for many years already, yet she couldn’t compare to his quality. Her self-esteem was injured by this stark contrast.

  Of course, she didn’t practice all those years for nothing. She could still easily overpower Seiji using her much higher Spiritual Power and Mana, but with how fast he was growing, it was obvious that he would rapidly surpass her.

  Just thinking about it invoked a series of complex, painful emotions.

  It was as if a free-to-play gamer had spent so many hours grinding in order to raise her level, only to suddenly witness the brilliant spectacle of a pay-to-win gamer leveling up so quickly… that kind of feeling.

  They weren’t even on the same level.

  Natsuya could only inwardly sigh and admit defeat.

  This type of talent wasn’t even explainable by his Haruta bloodline! Seiji Haruta… just what type of divine person was he?

  And thinking about how he was once well-known as an utterly depraved otaku, she surmised that he was concealing a huge secret.

  What type of secret was it? Just imagining it sent chills down the Yoruhana family scion’s spine.

  Although she knew from the very start that he was a diamond in the rough and would cause waves in the Spiritual Ability user society, his current level had far surpassed her imagination.

  It was as if she had thought there was a sleeping lion hiding behind a curtain, but when she uncovered the curtain’s corner, she saw a dragon’s claw instead!

  It was utterly inconceivable.

  'Then… should I give up here? Should I distance myself from… or even break off anything to do with Haruta-kun?'

  No… Natsuya couldn’t even imagine doing such an action.

  He had already helped her so many times and treated her as a friend while believing in and supporting her.

  That’s why she wanted to repay his sincerity with sincerity.

  No matter who he was… no matter what he was.

  "Excellent job, Haruta-kun."

  Natsuya finally revealed a smile.

  "I’m… incredibly shocked. I never thought you would learn so quickly and so well; it’s truly amazing."

  "Really? I just learned it and still don’t quite understand…" Seiji blinked, pretending to be confused. "But since President is praising me like this, I wonder… if I should be a little proud of myself?"

  He intentionally flashed a bright smile and acted smug.

  Natsuya chuckled.

  Even though she didn’t know what the future would hold, she was certain in this moment that breaking off everything to do with a male friend like him would be something she would regret for the rest of her life.

  "I give you permission to do so before me, so be as proud as you like, Haruta-kun!"

  "My honor, President Yoruhana."

  The two of them exchanged glances and smiled.

  ‘You’re currently the one saying ‘my honor’ right now, but it’s quite probable that someday in the future, I’ll be the one saying that.

  ‘It’s my honor to have gotten to know you, Seiji Haruta.’