Chapter 283: Strange Comment
A Priest-type monster would have a harder time absorbing the Will attached to his projectiles if the Will and Mana were more closely connected, but Alex felt that this was something he could eventually figure out himself.
He didn’t need to spend an evolution on it.
That left Soul Guard Spell, Soul Recovery Spell, and Soul Anchor Spell.
Both Soul Guard and Soul Anchor were exceptionally useful, and Alex had no intention of denying that, since either one could protect him from soul-based attacks and potentially prevent an enemy from hijacking one of his bodies.
However, Alex believed he could learn Soul Guard Spell on his own. After thinking about the name and everything he already understood about mana and souls, he had a general idea of how he could create a method to defend his soul, even if developing it would take some time.
Once he figured out Soul Guard Spell, he could potentially evolve it into something like Soul Anchor Spell later. That made the decision much easier because he would still have a chance to obtain the benefits of both abilities.
Soul Recovery Spell was different. Alex had absolutely no idea how to create a method for recovering his soul, because he could understand the theory behind strengthening and defending his soul, but recovering damage to the soul was something he had never even considered before.
More importantly, the huge amount of mana currently inside his body was barely being controlled, thus continuously pushing his Soul Reinforcement Spell further. His understanding of the spell was rapidly improving, and it seemed likely that it would reach the level of Advanced Soul Reinforcement Spell soon.
Once that happened, the strain placed on his soul would become even greater. Without Soul Recovery Spell, Alex probably wouldn’t be able to make full use of the stronger version of his Soul Reinforcement Spell.
He finally made his choice.
[Soul Recovery Spell learned.]
[Soul Recovery Spell, C Rank, Level 1.]
[Didn’t choose Soul Anchor and Soul Guard Spell? Hehehe.]
[Effect: Allows you to recover your soul faster.]
Alex stared at the last notification for several seconds. Why the hell was this goddamn System laughing at him?
Did it mean that something would happen soon where he would desperately need Soul Guard Spell or Soul Anchor Spell, or was the System simply trolling him again to make him paranoid about a decision that had already been made? Alex thought about it for a while before eventually deciding not to care.
He would learn Soul Guard Spell sooner or later, and if he needed Soul Anchor Spell badly enough in the future, he would find a way to obtain it. The System had always enjoyed making strange comments, so there was no reason to ruin his mental health by overthinking every single one.
𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Alex immediately used Soul Recovery Spell. The spell required him to use his Will on his own soul in a specific pattern while combining it with Mana, and the method was surprisingly delicate and complicated.
If he had tried to figure it out entirely on his own, it probably would have taken him several weeks to develop something similar. Fortunately, his talent allowed him to understand the method much faster.
The moment he successfully activated the spell, Alex felt an almost euphoric sensation spread through his mind. It was an incredibly pleasant feeling, and only then did he realize something important about the condition of his soul.
His soul hadn’t actually become smaller. Alex had previously assumed that the exhaustion from repeatedly straining the soul would cause it to shrink, but that wasn’t what had happened.
The overall size of his soul had remained the same while its density had gradually decreased from being pushed too hard. Forget Advanced Soul Reinforcement Spell, the Soul Reinforcement Spell had already pushed his soul to the brink of disappearing. Only now did he realize how hard had he been pushing himself. Now, as Soul Recovery Spell took effect, that lost density slowly began returning.
Alex exhaled and looked around the area. The situation hadn’t changed much while he was making his decision, as everyone was either exploring the surroundings or had returned to Earth.
He didn’t mind staying behind instead of helping clear the Low Rank dungeon. There wouldn’t be much combat experience for him there anyway, and he had more important things to do.
Alex began training his spells, focusing particularly on combining Mana Shuriken Spell with Mana Disruption Blade Spell. He experimented with different ways of applying the two spells together while also thinking about how he could modify Sustained Breathing Spell so that it could separate Origin Energy and absorb only mana.
If he could create a version of Sustained Breathing Spell that naturally performed the same function as Mana Breathing Spell, there was a good chance its evolution would be considerably more powerful. Alex continued training for some time without paying much attention to how quickly the hours passed.
He could have returned to Earth, but he didn’t feel like going back yet, so he remained in the forest and continued working on his spells. Eventually, Mia returned from Earth, and Alex immediately noticed that something was different about her.
She walked directly toward him before lightly pressing her head against his abdomen.
"Meow."
Alex looked down at her. Mia simply meowed again and pressed her head against him a second time. Her ears were lowered, and her tail was hanging down, while the sound of her meows made Alex feel as though she was trying to tell him that everything was going to be alright.
He understood what had happened.
Mia had gone to Earth, which meant she had almost certainly learned about his mother’s condition. Alex already knew that Mia cared deeply about the people she considered important, and although she rarely showed affection openly, she had always been attached to her in her own way.
The news must have hurt her as well. Seeing her like this made Alex realize that she was probably grieving too.
..
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