Chapter 131: Routine Island Life

Chapter 131: Routine Island Life

By now, crafting debuffs had become a well-practiced routine. I executed the familiar motions, swiftly replacing them with Lightning Mana. With [Mana Conception LV 6] and [Mana Manipulation LV 5], I felt akin to a surgeon wielding a scalpel instead of a blunt knife. The longing for the next level of [Mana Manipulation] was palpable, and the prospect of tinkering with Arcane Mana without corruption was tantalizing.

In a remarkably short time, my latest spell was born, and I reveled in the gratification of a well-executed job. I also theorized that aligning to Lightning with [Elemental Shift] facilitated the ease of working with it. The new debuff was called [Conductive], which made me realize that none of my new debuff spells had ever informed me that I had discovered a new spell or unlocked an existing one.

'Onto my never-ending list of questions for Gramps, it goes. Seriously, I could write a book at this stage.'

And it went without saying that manipulating and creating a custom spell was amazing for experience, or maybe that was just me abusing [Prodigy] and [Elven Legacy]. And just like [Ice Magic], it seemed like I wouldn't get offensive spells right out of the gate; I honestly expected level two to give me something like [Lightning Bolt] or some form of ranged spell, but instead, I got a concept.

'I shouldn't complain too much; it is a really good one, after all.'

As its name implied, the [Lightning Rod] spell caused nearby Lightning, both natural and magical, to try redirecting into the target. Seeing a spell recreate my newest trait was a little funny. What was very interesting was that this was clearly a debuff spell, but if I didn't have and understand them already from [Corrosion Magic], I might not have realized it.

'It would have been strange if only one form of magic monopolized all debuffs. I wonder what other spell forms I may miss by merely not understanding them enough.'

Before heading off to bed, the last thing I checked was casting [Lightning Rod] and then observing it with [EM Field]. I targeted a stone and watched it unnaturally light up to a glowing yellow. I cast [Spark] nearby and watched the crackling lightning energy go straight for the rock.

'I'll want to combine this with [Conductive]; I can't even think of a scenario where if I'm making something weak to Lightning where I wouldn't want it to also attract it. But only after I make a ranged spell, I can't have my only attack spell be limited to melee or moving the origin point.'

***

Unfortunately, I didn't finish creating a projectile spell before Trixie woke up. If I had to describe it, Lightning Mana didn't like being contained and struggled like an unruly child. But, with my current capabilities, I could certainly force it; I just needed more time.

The spawns for the day were more harpies and, weirdly, a singular water elemental in the lake. This island really liked spawning harpies; Evan would hate it. Lightning spells were devastating against the harpies, and the poor water elemental basically went pop with a single spell. I shuddered, thinking that I had almost the same fate.

"I can't imagine you're getting much experience from this island anymore." Trixie pointed out.

"No... Definitely not; risk plays a big factor in experience gains, and this almost feels like bullying. I've basically conquered this island. If not for really wanting another yellow slime, I'd leave."

"Well, enjoy it while it lasts. Once you move to a high essence zone, you'll look fondly back to these relaxing times."

"I wonder if that's why high-level adventurers retire and become Guild Masters in these areas. I'm assuming they haven't leveled in a long time."

"That or pickup a non-combat job. No need to constantly seek out bigger and tougher monsters to fight. I'm definitely swapping to [Weaver] or [Tailor] when I visit home."

"Are you sure I can't convince you to come with me?"

"I'd say the same to you. I still think you should abandon the adventurer shtick and come with me."

"...Maybe after I deal with the dwarves. I don't know how easily I'd ever get access to another silver slime."

Trixie chuckled at that. "I kinda feel the opposite; you helped me out of a pickle with that cage. If you really wanted to, I'd feel obligated to allow you."

"Well, then, just call it a favor between friends. I haven't gone evolution crazy yet," I said with an exaggerated wink.

"And the world lets out a collective sigh of relief," Trixie giggled. "I don't think we could handle an evolution-crazed slime that can mimic and eat anything."

***

One afternoon, while tinkering, I had an errant thought regarding [Elemental Shift]. Previously, I had tried to cast it via my [Sub-Cores] and failed, as they lacked any individual mana, which made me wonder if I could theoretically activate it on my slime. If I could have even one more active element at a time, that would greatly benefit me. The biggest example I could think of would be having active Water and Lightning, as while they weakened each other when I changed alignment, they worked well together in practice. Soaking a foe with Water magic before blasting them with Lightning was a deadly one-two combo, but I had a limited number of shifts during a fight.

When exploring what caused my slime to be used as a mana source, I narrowed it down to my [Sub-Cores] when they were trying to pull more than my natural mana output would allow. So, while I couldn't access my slime mana, they could. Following that train of thought, I ordered Alpha to activate [Elemental Shift] on my slime. I anxiously watched my slime with [Mana Conception], hoping and waiting for it to change element. Alpha was certainly trying to do something, so I ordered Beta to join in. Perhaps we simply needed more mental power.

I was currently Lightning-aligned, and slowly but surely, I watched as the slime around my two cores gradually shifted to Water. I ordered the others to join in, and then, in a flash, my slime was now of a different elemental alignment. Transferring vision rapidly to Alpha, I checked on my own core and mentally cheered when I saw it was still clearly Lightning.

"Oh no..."

"Shit, shit, shit! What have I done."

I screamed and shifted wings before flying as fast as possible to the tree. I found Trixie casually trying to weave with the spider silk.

"Syl?" She asked, looking confused as to why I had burst in.

"I've done something. Gramps is sending me messages."

"Wait. Directly?!" Trixie exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Yes. I'm going unconscious in less than 10 minutes. Can you protect me?"

"Uh... Sure. Do you know how long?"

"I have no idea. To be honest, I'm terrified. I think I just royally screwed up. Shit." I was panicking.

"Of course, Syl. Just go sit in your tub before you pass out and scatter across the floor. I promise I'll look after you." Trixie said, trying to reassure me.

I nodded frantically and rushed out; I had no idea how much time I had left. I hurriedly threw myself into the tub, and Trixie gave me her best smile and a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry, Syl. You're safe with me." She said a gentle smile on her face. "And I'll be here when you wake up. No matter how long it takes."

I was about to thank her when the world abruptly went black. It was time to face the music.