Chapter 90

After parking the car at the entrance of the forest, we walked for 30 minutes.

"We haven't arrived at the destination yet, have we?"

"Sorry, sorry. What I meant was that we arrived at the place to park the car."

"Ahaha, but the destination is really just a little further, okay?"

Maei has been walking along the mountain path non-stop ever since she said, "Alright, we've arrived," and parked the car. I was completely fooled.

According to Runye, it seems we're almost there, so let's keep going.

"I'm sorry for tricking you. As a way to make it up to you, I'll teach you what barrier magic is. Do you want to listen, Runye?"

"I want to hear it!"

Runye seems a bit excited. Maei's barrier magic must be quite impressive.

Kuro and the others also seem interested and are listening intently.

"First, barrier magic is the most basic category of magic. Do you know why?"

"Hmm... because it's easy?"

While my ability to learn is so high that nothing is difficult or easy, barrier magic is the easiest to customize among the usable spells. You can change its shape, hardness, and add special effects.

Furthermore, you don't need to engrave a spell formula on your body or use talismans as a medium. It's probably one of the easiest categories of magic to use.

"Exactly. Barrier magic is quite simple. It's so simple that even ordinary people can use it unconsciously."

"Even ordinary people can use it?"

"Yes. For example, when you're scared and wrap yourself in a blanket after watching a ghost show at night."

"Wait, can a barrier be activated to that extent?"

"Surprisingly, it can. It might also activate when you lock the door while thinking about wanting to stay in your room."

When you strongly wish to escape from something or close your heart due to fear, such thoughts can act as a medium to activate a barrier.

"However, such accidental barriers have almost no effect. They can only slightly reduce your presence, make it a bit harder to approach, or make evil spirits slightly uncomfortable, to that extent."

"Still, it's easy enough to activate accidentally, and the effects are varied."

"You're catching on. The variety of effects is one of the key points of barrier magic."

I learned from Kuro that, besides barrier magic and spirit threads, there is also body enhancement, which uses spiritual power to strengthen the body. These are also relatively simple and basic spells, but barrier magic is different in that it can activate on its own with added effects.

"Runye, if you have an affinity for water, you can even create a water attribute barrier. By changing its shape and effects, it can also be used for attacks. Barrier magic is a versatile spell that can be used for anything, and it's easy to use."

The 'Mist Illusion Barrier' that Junna used before is probably a water attribute barrier like the one Maei is talking about.

"Huh? But if it's so versatile, wouldn't it be better to just master barrier magic?"

During the divine match, Kigan created a wall of fire called 'Flame Burning Wall.' I wonder if a barrier could have been created more easily.

"Good question, my disciple. Actually, barriers have a significant drawback. Runye, can you guess what it is?"

"High spiritual power consumption, right?"

"Correct. Barrier magic has terrible fuel efficiency."

According to Maei, creating a barrier of the same strength with her preferred attribute magic would use nearly twice as much spiritual power.

"Also, there's another significant drawback. When activating multiple spells simultaneously, barrier magic requires a lot of brain processing power."

"Processing power?"

Runye tilted her head, seemingly unaware of this drawback.

"Runye, your processing power is monstrous, and you don't use barrier magic much, so it's understandable that you didn't notice. In my experience, one barrier magic spell requires about the same brain processing power as two similar wall-creating spells."

"Barrier magic is easy to use, but it requires processing power."

"Yes. Probably because you need to clearly imagine the shape and effects. If you activate it with a vague image, you might end up with a weird, squishy barrier."

Indeed, with Scattered Flame Bullet, you only need to consider the power adjustment, but with barrier magic, you need to think about size, shape, effects, and more. This might be why it requires brain processing power.

"In other words, barrier magic uses about twice as much spiritual power and brain processing power, making it a poorly performing spell. However, I have a method to overcome these drawbacks, which is why Wako recognized me."

Wako's name made Kuro's ears perk up. He must be particularly interested in this.

"There are several main methods to recover spiritual power. Eating delicious food, relaxing in a bath, or getting a good night's sleep can help recover quickly."

"Healthy methods."

"Practical recovery methods include meditation and feeling natural phenomena that match your attribute."

Runye added this with a laugh. For example, since Runye has a high affinity for water, her spiritual power recovers quickly near a river or on a rainy day.

"Indeed, Runye. Practical recovery methods are as you mentioned, but there are also exceptions. You can receive spiritual power from someone else or store it in a tool. This is one of those exceptions."

"Wow, what is this barrier?"

The barrier Maei showed us was palm-sized, with a strange shape of multiple squares constantly moving. I've seen this shape before in a manga; it's called a tesseract.

"Amazing! This is Maei's 'Spirit Replenishment Barrier,' right?"

Runye is very excited. Spirit Replenishment Barrier, is that what it's called?

"This barrier gathers spiritual power from the surrounding space. It evolved from a 'Spirit Capture Barrier' I created during a troubled period when I was possessed by evil spirits, thinking, 'I'll catch those damn evil spirits and pickle them!' With Wako's advice and various improvements, it became this."

"That must have been tough..."

She talks brightly, but she must have gone through a lot due to her spiritual sensitivity. This barrier is the result of her efforts during that time.

"Thanks to that experience, I can perform reasonably well as a freelance spellcaster. Now, it's a good memory. Getting back to the topic, since the existence of ghosts is rooted in spiritual power, a barrier that can capture ghosts can also store spiritual power. To solve the poor fuel efficiency of barrier magic, I thought it would be better if it could constantly gather spiritual power from the surrounding space. That's how the 'Spirit Replenishment Barrier' was born. The Spirit Capture Barrier evolved into the Spirit Replenishment Barrier."

Maei explained this with a smile.

"Spirit Replenishment Barrier... This is quite an advanced spell, isn't it?"

After learning it, I can understand. It's not as advanced as 'Supreme Dragon King Manifestation' or 'Supreme Golden Giant Soldier,' but this barrier is quite advanced. It must require a lot of brain processing power to maintain while active.

However, Maei can maintain this barrier while walking on the mountain path. She's not just a cheerful college student; she's a formidable spellcaster.

"Really impressive. This barrier is a special one that only Maei and Wako can use."

"Hehehe, respect your elders, young ones."

"Amazing, Master!"

"Amazing, Maei!"

Encouraged by our praise, Maei continued.

"So, this Spirit Replenishment Barrier helps with spiritual power deficiency, but there's another problem, right?"

"Brain processing power, right?"

"Correct. How do you think we can cover brain processing power?"

"Strengthen the brain with spiritual power, maybe?"

For example, I can accelerate my thinking with my enhancement ability. In that state, I can use multiple advanced spells simultaneously.

"That's a good idea. Some spellcasters actually do that. But I'm different. I can use multiple barrier spells simultaneously without doing that."

"How do you do it?"

"By willpower!"

I almost said, "Willpower?" but Maei's eyes were serious. What, you're not joking, willpower is the answer?

"When I first learned barrier magic, I used to keep a barrier that repelled evil spirits up all the time. But, of course, it was impossible while sleeping..."

When I woke up in the morning, I would find evil spirits, like greasy apparitions, peering at me from close range or packed tightly in my futon. The more I hear, the more brutal her experiences sound.

"You might think it's better to put up a barrier before sleeping, but a barrier is like ice. A powerful barrier lasts longer, but a weak one disappears quickly. At the time, I had a lot of spiritual power for my age, but I was maintaining a barrier all day, so I didn't have the energy to put up a barrier that would last the whole night. That's when I had an idea."

Not just me, but Kuro and the others were also listening with great interest. While looking at their expressions, Maei spun the Spirit Replenishment Barrier on her fingertip and concluded.

"Keep the barrier up while sleeping!"

Neteraida Mokekai wo Haru?

I didn't understand what she meant at first.

"You didn't have the energy to put up a barrier that would last the whole night, right?"

"Yes. I didn't have the energy for such a powerful barrier. But I had the energy to maintain a weak barrier that would keep evil spirits away. So, I kept the barrier up while sleeping."

"Wait, so you were activating the barrier while sleeping? Don't you need to consider the strength, effects, and size of the barrier?"

"Yes. So, I kept thinking and activating it while sleeping."

"「「「「「「!？」」」」」」

Not just me, but Kuro and the others were also shocked. Runye, who seemed to know, looked at us with a subtle expression.

Activating a barrier while sleeping? That's an incredible skill. I can't do what Maei described. It's like writing the same sentence repeatedly while sleeping. It's beyond human capability.

Even with full practice and learning ability, it's a scary skill to attempt. It might cause sleep disorders.

By the way, the barrier I have at home is just a strong one that I put up, not one that stays active all the time. It weakens after a few days, so I reapply it when needed.

"Thanks to that, I can now activate barrier magic unconsciously. Now, I can activate two barriers while sleeping and ten simultaneously while awake."

"Kousuke, don't misunderstand. Being able to use two barrier spells simultaneously is already considered amazing. No one can activate spells while sleeping."

Runye corrected me, sensing that I was being misled by unusual standards.

You're right, activating spells while sleeping is definitely unusual.

"That's why Wako pays attention to me. I can use 'Spirit Replenishment Barrier' and 'unconscious spell activation.' However, using the Spirit Replenishment Barrier unconsciously is impossible, and using ten simultaneously is too much. Five is the limit."

Still, five is incredible.

Kuro seems to have copied the Spirit Replenishment Barrier and is trying to activate multiple spells simultaneously, but it's still difficult.

"Maei is an incredible person."

"No, no, no, look in the mirror."

Runye and the others have similar expressions. Indeed, I'm pretty incredible too. I'm fully aware of that.

"By the way, the ones I keep active are a 'defensive barrier' that wraps around my body, a 'detection barrier' that searches the surroundings, and an 'automatic barrier' that reacts to attacks. I tried various combinations, and these three are the most balanced. That's how it is!"

Maei explained this while blocking a green blade with her barrier.

" Bamboo leaf?"

She muttered this while looking at the blade.

I thought it was a knife, but it seems to be a sharp bamboo leaf strengthened by spiritual power.

"Unfortunately, something seems to be wrong."

"It was a clear attack with hostile intent."

"It seems the presence was hidden until just before the attack. It feels like barrier magic."

No one was surprised by the sudden attack. We looked in the direction the bamboo leaf came from, and Maei, Runye, and I each muttered our thoughts.

Actually, I had noticed someone was watching us since Maei started explaining. Of course, Kuro and the others had also noticed, so we were already in a combat-ready state.

"Huh? What? Enemy!?"

Correction. Only Ur seemed unaware and was looking around.