Chapter 3

All of this was coming together nicely, but I noticed something immediately as I started working. There were gaping holes in my combat ability, I wasn't nearly at the level of my previous self I couldn't just Ether Cannon the moon back into orbit, nor do I have the millennium's worth of experience to go with my knowledge that was pouring in.

Where do I go from here? I will need to begin my calculations if I truly wanted to utilize the Kaleidoscope, but some of them need to be done at night when I can see the stars.

Runecraft, perhaps?

Knowledge is half the battle with that bit of magecraft.

I always did have a fondness for the runic arts.

Makes me wish I followed up on some of those rumors regarding primordial runes, but it seemed like I was always busy with one project or another. Missed opportunities, but now I have a chance to do some different things.

Perhaps even look into words of power of other cultures?

Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Mayan and Aztec symbols, old Hebrew Script, even Japanese Kanji carries mysteries within if you know where to look.

Ah, I think I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let's just settle on basic runecraft to supplement my abilities at the moment.

I knew runes, I knew their identities, their definitions, their meanings, but it was a bit more than that.

One of the largest aspects of runecraft was interpretation.

Knowledge, understanding, and interpretation.

Those three were the foundation of any rune-master.

Runes were both extremely narrow and unbelievably broad in what they can do. A single rune can only do so much, but with runic sentences, a simple string of three runes could have thousands of different effects. One needed a good amount of imagination to innovate in the field, that's the main aspect of where interpretation comes in. A strength rune on the surface may seem obvious, to strengthen something, but does that only mean physically? Are there not mental strengths? Could the same thing not apply to one's emotional strength?

Runes also had a lot of 'weight' behind them, being an art that was passed down from Odin, even if the modern version is but a hollow shell in comparison. That being said, the current world I found myself in could allow me to bridge the gap, seeing as gods still walked the earth.

Well, a path was settled on, there was no point in anymore mental debate, I was lacking time as it were and putting it off merely another day might be unwise.

Though a few wayward thoughts did flash across my mind, I hurriedly made my way to the study, a room I rarely used. I had once gone through its contents and if I remembered correctly….

Ah, there is it.

In one of the cabinets, a calligraphy set. It came with a container of high-quality ink and paper to test a theory of mine with.

I made my way back to the kitchen, picking up the knife I had used earlier, I began to cut my palm to draw out a portion of my own blood. Once I had gathered a sufficient amount, I had dumped in the ink, mixing it quite thoroughly.

Nodding to myself, I made use of the higher-quality paper and before I started writing, I made sure to make a small prayer. It was an important aspect, to barrow the power of a mythological figure and imbue it into the ink. My magical energy acting as a conduit between the power of the entity and the paper.

I did study eastern magics in my previous life; my intent was just to understand its broad applications without truly delving into its unique mysteries. So, if my studies were indeed correct – There we go.

Finishing up my delicate writing, I held up the thick piece of paper and injected my mana into it once again.

It had begun to hum with certain property that any magic-user would recognize.

An Ofuda Talisman.

Basically, a one-use mystic code.

There was a certain sense of satisfaction that flowed through my body. The value of this talisman was negligible, at best, but it was the fact that I made it. A branch of magecraft that the previous me had never delved into, merely touching on the surface for references in his other research.

It was a system, reminiscent of the Church able to call upon miracles and the holy power of Heaven. The entities I called upon weren't actually paying any attention, it was a drop of water in a vast ocean for them. It was a good thing that the Shinto faction apparently didn't discriminate against devils.

I hurriedly took the remainder of my materials and began to draw out more talismans. While I was anxious to finish them all in my excitement, I made sure to be gentle and precise with each stroke of my brush. Before I knew it, I had a stack of talismans sitting on the table and the sun had already disappeared from the sky.

I fiddled through the stack of 17 talismans that were now on my table, before finally gathering them up and putting them inside my storage space. In the future, I'll need to tweak it a bit so I can draw things without having to reach inside the hat. Or alteast find a better means of storage, maybe like a ring or something where I can just swipe my hand?

Realizing how badly I got sidetracked, I put the talisman supplies to the side. It was another direction that would synergize well with Runecraft, but I need to test other things for now.

There was still so much I had to do, even with this little bit of progress, I couldn't help but feel a little bit of anxiety. With a sigh, I flipped my hand through the air, a trail of mana in its wake, as symbols began to form in the air.

"What separates a novice from a practitioner in runecraft, the ability to draw runes in the air." I mumbled the words, verbatim from the time I had learned the runic crafts in my past life. The memories were a bit vague, but I could somewhat recall earning a favor from one of the Fraga clan scions and used it for some lessons. Not that I learned any secret information, it was more so that I was taught their own personal thoughts and understandings based on their long history.

I stared at the several floating figures in the air, it would only require a thought to invoke the suspended mysteries that were infront of me. Unfortunately, I was still in my home and didn't wish to blow a hole in the house. With another wave of my hand, the runes were dismissed, dissipating back into mana and returning to the world.

The next step would be creating my own spells within the Runic systems. There was a step between this and being able to draw them in the air, but I could already do that in my sleep. Being able to augment myself through the application of runes.

The basics are similar to Reinforcement to a degree, there is a limit to how much the body can handle without exploding, the benefit is that Runic enhancement operates on a different paradigm than the Reinforcement spell. It was one of the reasons why the Fraga clan often produced such terrifying Enforcers. While most Magi looked down on the Runic Arts, they couldn't argue the effectiveness in battle. It's a shame that they only cared about research results, not battle capability.

By now, I was already going off on a mental tangent and I needed to stay focused. While I was dreading what was coming next, it couldn't be put off any longer less my procrastination overtakes me.

Acquiring a marker from my room, I look around the kitchen. I would need a lot of space to figure this out. Atleast I won't have to do this too often, once I finalize my Mystic Code, it will be able to calculate these things without my direct input.

I began to write across the walls, mathematical formulas and figures started to cover the kitchen space. I was looking at a long night ahead of me, I had already decided to forgo school tomorrow anyways, alteast I will be able to sleep in at my leisure.

***

I woke up in perhaps the most disgusting way. The smell that permeated my room had caused me to almost gag. I'll admit, I completely forgot about my potion after getting engrossed in my research last night, and now I was paying the price. It wasn't just a smell; my body had pushed out all the impurities that were inside. The black sludge-like substance was all over my bedsheets, there was no salvaging them.

Quickly discarding all the bed-stuffs, I made my way to the shower to finally get this stuff off of me.

Only, as I looked in the mirror, I couldn't help my eyes widening. I don't remember the potion working this well.

My muscles were much more defined than they should be. Not to say I'm overly muscular, but it should have taken me a few months to reach this level with hard work. How was this possible, the potion should have only been a small push towards the peak of human fitness….

Oh….I seem to have made a mistake.

I still think of myself as purely human, as I have for the past 18 years of my life.

I'm a half devil, a phantasmal species. Not only that, but I also used my own blood as an ingredient, it would have influenced the concoction. There shouldn't be any negative side effect, as the blood was from my own body, but the results speak for themselves. Did my minor shapeshifting ability intermingle with the magical aspect of the potion to give me the optimal body shape I was after?

What an amateurish mistake, this isn't something I would have done in my previous life. Frankly, I'm embarrassed that I could overlook something so obvious.

I could only sigh in resignation. I guess it can't be helped, as much as I look back on my previous life's experience, it's not me. I need to remember that I'm not as infallible as the me from before, I'm still very much a novice in almost every aspect.

One step at a time, no need to rush through everything. I'll accumulate my own experience, while also drawing on my past life as a reference. We are different people; I don't need to behold myself to the standards of someone who lived an uncountable number of years.

I've just been so busy that I haven't had time to truly contemplate my current mental state. My thoughts were all jumbled, I would need to take some time to sit down and figure everything out, unfortunately I'm on a rather tight schedule.

My thoughts were interrupted as my stomach grumbled in agitation.

I had completely forgotten to even eat a meal last night.

I guess I'll have to make myself breakfast then. Hmm, I'm oddly in the mood for something of the western variety, another thing I've inherited I suppose? My other self didn't dislike eastern food by any means, but he preferred his own countries' cuisine. Not that I could blame him, almost everyone is partial to their homeland's food.

I didn't stop my practice even if I was doing something as mundane as cooking, as I searched the cabinets for what I need I was turning off and on my circuits. It wasn't particularly difficult to open them fully last night before I went to sleep, having the experience from my previous life, but I still needed to be able to turn them on and off at a moment's notice.

What to make, what to make. I guess I'll just have to settle on a couple of eggs and some toast, I don't have the stuff to really go all out.

Hmm, a thought occurs. I was already a big eater, like noticeably bigger than anyone I could think of, was that a side effect of my Devil heritage? I only thought of it now because of the fact that I was always a bit scrawny before, I should definitely have gained some weight with my eating habits.

Minor shapeshifting ability bleeding through?

Meh, doesn't matter.

I like eating, so why bother over the details? Blessed Dopamine, fill the void in my heart with food. The sizzling of eggs on the skillet almost made my mouth water, thankfully my meal only took a few moments to prepare.

Now…..what else am I to do today? I contemplated my next move as took a very satisfying bite. Physically, my tastebuds haven't' changed, but my mind remembers certain things differently, it's making eating an interesting experience each time I try something for the first time since I've awoken.

Going over my schedule, my calculations weren't completely done, but I had some confidence in at least a local portal if I needed to get away for a bit. It's funny considering that my kitchen looked like a child scribbled all over the walls…

What to do, what to do. My combat ability isn't quite up to a level I'm comfortable with, but I also felt like I could run away from almost anything if I needed to. Worse case, I rip a portal to a random world if this one gets burned for me. No idea where or when I'll end up, but it's most likely better than death.

I still feel a bit weak thought if only there was a way to get stronger quickly....

OH.

There is a way.

The face of a certain pervert came to the forefront of my mind.