Kaito stood in the middle of the forest, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he prepared to test his spells. The cool morning breeze rustled the leaves above, but he paid no mind to the peaceful surroundings—his sole focus was on pushing his magic to the limit.
He took a deep breath and raised his hand.
"Let's start with this…"
Kaito channeled his mana, focusing on both fire and wind attributes simultaneously. He envisioned a swirling vortex of flames, fueled by powerful gusts, creating an inferno that could scorch everything in its path while maintaining incredible speed. The moment he cast the spell, a spiraling tornado of fire surged forward, incinerating everything in its trajectory. The heat radiating from the spell was intense, the wind feeding the flames like a raging storm.
"Hellstorm," Kaito murmured, naming the spell with a satisfied grin.
Next, he turned his attention to lightning. He had already envisioned creating spears from pure electricity, their power crackling through the air with deadly precision. With a flick of his wrist, multiple long, jagged spears materialized around him, each radiating a blinding light. With a swift motion, he launched them at different targets, watching as they effortlessly pierced through tree trunks, leaving behind trails of scorched bark.
"Lightning Javelin," he declared.
Excitement coursed through his veins as he moved on to his next spell. This time, he focused on removing the gravitational pull around him. The moment he cast the spell, his feet lifted off the ground. He hovered, feeling weightless, as if he had broken free from the natural order of the world.
"I'll just call this one 'Fly.'"
He briefly considered adding wings, but it felt unnecessary. More than that, he didn't want to look inhuman. Flying without them was efficient enough.
Just as he was about to test another spell, he heard two voices yelling from behind him.
"Kaito! What the hell are you doing?!" Amelia shouted, panting as she rushed toward him, her face filled with a mix of concern and frustration.
"Are you trying to destroy the entire forest?!" Lilia added, her expression just as exasperated.
Kaito landed smoothly, scratching his head. "Relax, I was just testing my spells."
Amelia crossed her arms. "Testing? You almost burned down half the trees and summoned lightning like some wrathful god! And how the hell are you casting so many powerful spells without even looking tired?"
Lilia gave him a suspicious look. "And since when did you learn a non-elemental spell?"
Kaito blinked. Right—non-elemental magic was rare among humans. Most could only use one, and in some exceptional cases, two. He remembered reading about other races, such as beastmen, dwarves, elves, spirits, fairies, and others, each with their own unique qualities. But humans? They weren't known for mastering multiple non-elemental spells.
"Uh… I just figured it out?" he said casually, hoping to avoid a lengthy explanation.
Amelia and Lilia exchanged glances but decided to drop the subject—for now.
"Anyway, we should head back before someone notices all the destruction," Amelia said, sighing.
Kaito nodded. With that, they made their way back to the inn. After dinner, Kaito retreated to his room, ready to make some long-overdue upgrades to Nova.
---
Sitting on his bed, he pulled up Nova's interface. His AI assistant had proven to be invaluable, but it was still missing some key features that could help him in battle.
"Let's start with mapping."
He began coding a detailed map system that would allow Nova to generate real-time locations. But that wasn't enough—he needed enemy detection as well. He designed the function to scan and highlight hostiles within a certain radius, tracking their movement and magical energy signatures.
"Done. Now for something even better."
Next, he worked on a new feature that would allow Nova to copy spell codes, skills, or any ability he witnessed. By storing them in a database, he could modify, upgrade, or even merge them later.
He smirked. "This is going to be broken as hell."
But he wasn't done yet.
Using creation magic, he designed several drones—small, near-invisible constructs with recording capabilities. He then programmed them with invisibility, flight, and stealth functions before sending them all over the world. Their mission? To collect data for Nova's map system and record various spells, creatures, and terrain formations.
As the drones dispersed, he leaned back against the wall, feeling satisfied with his progress. But then another thought hit him.
"Nova, add an automatic evasion system."
[Understood. Automatic evasion activated.]
Now, if an attack was about to hit him, Nova could instantly analyze the trajectory and guide his body to dodge in real-time.
"Let's add a prediction system too," he mused.
By analyzing an opponent's attack patterns and movements, Nova would be able to predict their next move, allowing Kaito to counter more effectively. This would be invaluable in battles against experienced fighters or unknown creatures.
He stretched, his mind brimming with ideas. "Nova, also create a personal status analyzer. Track my mana consumption, stamina, health, and regeneration rate in real time."
[Feature added. Displaying data now.]
A status screen appeared, detailing his current condition. His mana usage was surprisingly low, considering how much magic he had been using earlier. Another broken advantage, he thought.
Finally, he programmed a teleportation function. While he could teleport , this would allow him to mark locations for future travel. With the right spell, he could use Nova's tracking system to instantly return to safe zones.
By the time he finished, dawn was breaking. Kaito lay back on his bed, exhausted but thrilled with his progress.
Just as he was about to sleep, Nova's voice rang in his mind.
[New enemy detected. Distance: 18 km. Approaching fast.]
His eyes snapped open. "Looks like things are about to get interesting."