Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 123: The Power of the Barrier Attribute

Episode 123: The Power of the Barrier Attribute

(Note: Special for this chapter the MC’s dialogue is written in ‘…..’)

‘This place… is that orchard, right? It brings back memories.’

“Yes, it is. After all, we kept using it for magic practice, so there aren’t many magic beasts around anymore.”

It was night. After emerging from the tunnel, we found ourselves at the orchard we once used as a base. There didn’t seem to be much of a time difference between the underground and the surface, and the forest was shrouded in darkness.

‘We’re practicing barrier magic, right? I still don’t really get it, but should I just expand my [Dominion]?’

“Yeah. The power of the Barrier Attribute seems to work on something like a [Dominion].”

We moved as we talked. If I expand my [Dominion] here, I’d end up involving the plants, so I better not do that. I’ve grown a lot after those three consecutive battles with the Sovereign Beasts, so I should take this chance to review what I know about my [Dominion].

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~Territory Details~

• • • • • • • • Your [Territory] is [Factory].

• • • • • • • • Within the [Factory], all objects are turned into weapons.

• • • • • • • • Additional Effects: ‘Sharpness’, ‘Solid’, ‘Lightweight’, ‘Convergence’, ‘(Blank)’ (NEW)

       ↪Option List:

• • • • • • • • ‘Masterwork’: Adjusts the performance of created weapons.

• • • • • • • • ‘Mass Production’: Adjusts the ease of making weapons.

• • • • • • • • ‘Sharpness’: Adjusts the sharpness of weapons.

• • • • • • • • ‘Blunt’: Opposes the sharpness of weapons.

• • • • • • • • ‘Solid’: Adjusts the strength of weapons.

• • • • • • • • ‘Fragile’: Opposes the strength of weapons.

• • • • • • • • ‘Lightweight’: Reduces the weight of weapons.

• • • • • • • • ‘Heavy’: Increases the weight of weapons.

• • • • • • • • ‘Combat-Ready’: Adjusts the combat readiness of the weapon’s owner.

• • • • • • • • ‘Calm’: Opposes the combat readiness of the weapon’s owner.

• • • • • • • • ‘Skillful’: Adjusts the performance of [Weapon Skills].

• • • • • • • • ‘Inept’: Opposes the performance of [Weapon Skills].

• • • • • • • • ‘Shrink’: Narrows the effect range of [Dominion].  

• • • • • • • • ‘Convergence’: Minimizes the effect range of [Dominion] to an extremely small size. 

• • • • • • • • ‘Limit’: Restrict the effect range of the [Dominion].

• • • • • • • • ‘Absorb’: Drain |Mana| from any target.

• • • • • • • • ‘Direction’: Specify the effect’s orientation.

• • • • • • • • ‘Domination’: Increases the controlling power of your [[Dominion]].

• • • • • • • • ‘Identification’(NEW): Selects specific targets for the effect.

• • • • • • • • ‘Efficiency’(NEW): Increases the fuel conversion efficiency of weapons.

• • • • • • • • ‘Inefficiency’(NEW): Decreases the fuel conversion efficiency of weapons.

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The first change is the increase in the number of ‘Effect Slots’, now up to five. Also, there are more types of effects.

‘Identification’ allows you to choose specific targets for the added effects, enabling buffs only for allies and debuffs only for enemies. ‘Efficiency’ and ‘Inefficiency’ are straightforward modifications for weapons that use some kind of power source, allowing you to either increase or decrease fuel consumption.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at the open space we used for practice. The once circular clearing was now overgrown with vegetation, as one would expect in the Grand Beast Region, though it was still less dense than the surrounding areas.

At the center stood a Giant Bear basking in the moonlight. It was likely a Grand Beast.

“Gruuuoooh!”

“What should we do?”

‘I’ll take care of it. I’ve got a weapon I’ve been wanting to test out. [Replicant Form]!’

I mimicked a weapon by using part of my body. What appeared was a segmented sword, a long blade made up of numerous smaller blades linked together, forming a massive sword over twenty meters in length. The material came from the sharp claws and fangs of the giant Dragon brought by the Demon Cult.

“Grurrr!?”

‘(This will be the Dragon Saw’s debut.)’

The Giant Bear, perhaps overwhelmed by the sight of the dragon saw, changed direction from its initial charge and tried to flee. But that decision came too late. The Bear was already within the sword’s reach.

‘(Take this!)’

“Gyuooo!?”

With a sound of blades grinding against each other, the whip-like sword slashed through the air, slicing the Bear’s massive body to ribbons. The greatest ability of the dragon saw is its defense-piercing capability, reducing an opponent’s durability by more than 80%. I intentionally kept the sharpness moderate to make the wounds rougher.

I absorbed the defeated Bear’s body.

“You’re still as strong as ever.”

‘You can do the same, right, Paula?’

“I can, but not that quickly.”

‘I see… Alright, let’s begin. [Territory], Activate!’

I removed ‘Convergence’ and expanded my [Dominion]. |Mana| spread out in waves, enveloping the entire area.

“Wow… hasn’t the range expanded since last time?”

‘I’ve grown stronger after fighting those Sovereign Beasts.’

“Yeah, this will make for some good training. [Area Edit]!”

‘(Huh?)’

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine as if a cold finger had traced along my back. It was similar to the sensation of [Dominions] clashing, but also distinctly different. It seemed Paula’s magic was the cause, growing stronger the more |Mana| she released. 

I hesitated, unsure if I should resist or let it happen.

“Ugh… phew! No good, it’s too heavy!”

Paula, after canceling her magic, shook her head in defeat.

‘Too heavy, huh? Is my [Dominion] hard to interfere with?’

“Yeah, it’s like trying to move a thick iron door. It was much easier when I played around with the [Dominion] in the mock battle…”

‘The [Political Sphere] is like the magic of nobles, right? I wonder if there’s a fundamental difference between the [Political Sphere] and the [Dominion] or if it’s just a matter of skill level… Alright, let’s try removing ‘Domination’ and see what happens.’

The ‘Domination’ effect enhances the control power of my [Dominion]. If removing it makes it easier for Paula to interfere, then the ‘weight’ she feels might be due to the strength of the control.

“[Area Edit]… Yeah, it’s easier to interfere this time than before.”

‘That’s good to hear.’

“Now, if I do this… and then this… Alright, [Area Edit: Reverse]!”

‘Whoa!?’

Suddenly, my body felt heavy. At the same time, I sensed my [Dominion] being taken over, as if the ‘Lightweight’ effect had been neutralized.

‘No… it’s not just being nullified… Is it being reversed?’

“Correct! I inverted the effects that I could see using [Spatial Awareness]. I can’t modify the core aspects yet, but I can touch the secondary effects around them for now.”

‘The core aspects?’

“Um, it’s like… how you turn things into weapons, right? That’s what I mean by core effects.”

‘I see.’

The “core aspects” are probably the weaponization effect described at the start of my [Dominion] details, while the “secondary effects” refer to the ‘Additional Effects’. The weaponization effect can’t be stopped even by my own will, so it makes sense that it’s harder to interfere with.

After sharing the information about the core aspect and ‘Additional Effects’ with Paula, we continued to explore the intricacies of the Barrier Attribute.

‘How much freedom do you have in altering effects with [Area Edit]?’

“Aside from the inversion I just did, I think I can change the targets of the effects and adjust their strength.”

‘That’s pretty versatile.’

“Thanks, but it seems I can’t change them into entirely unrelated effects. Also, while I’m altering the effects, my |Mana| keeps draining.”

We then tested whether the ease of interference varied depending on the ‘Additional Effects’ and whether the |Mana| consumption differed. Once we had a good grasp of the nature of [Area Edit], we moved on to the next stage.

‘Alright, next let’s try something besides interference. Can you create your own [Dominion]?’

“You’re really thinking outside the box… But now that you mention it, the [Political Sphere] is magic from the Demon King, so maybe I can!”

‘Alright, I’ll use [Territory] a few times. Watch carefully.’

I condensed my |Mana| into a single point. Once it reached a critical threshold, my |Mana| began to decrease, and the surrounding area was transformed into my [Dominion].

Paula focused her |Mana| as she watched, trying to recreate it, but her attempt fizzled out.

“Sorry, let me see it again.”

‘Got it.’

Despite her initial failure, she kept trying again and again. After several more attempts and a few bites of Mana Fruit to restore her |Mana|, finally—

“[Area Dominate]…! I did it… but…”

‘It’s kinda small.’

Paula’s [Dominion] extended only about two or three meters. When I first created mine, it was at least ten meters.

“And it seems to use up quite a bit of |Mana|…”

I had already told her that when I expand my [Dominion] at normal output, it consumes about one unit of |Mana| per second. However, Paula’s [Area Dominate] seemed to require much more |Mana| than that.

‘Here, have another Mana Fruit.’

“Thanks.”

I handed her a fruit resembling a tomato, plucked from the orchard. After she finished eating, I asked for her thoughts.

‘So, how’s your [Dominion]? For me, I can see detailed information about my [Dominion] when I focus on it.’

“Hmm? I can’t see any details like that.”

‘I see… Maybe there’s a difference in how the system registers learning a [Dominion] from [Territory] and recreating it through magic.’

“I’m not sure… but I can sense the effects of my [Dominion], so it’s not really a problem. My [Dominion] seems to work like a reset for space.”

‘What do you mean?’

“Like, it can erase distortions, severances, and any ‘changes’ marked in space, returning it to its original, untouched state. I can exclude changes that I create myself, though.”

‘Huh, interesting.’

My first impression was that it seemed a bit niche. With no other space magic users around, it was hard to imagine when this would be useful. But then again, I realized that my own weaponization power in the [Factory] had rarely been put to practical use either.

‘Do you think you could add ‘Additional Effects’ to your [Dominion]?’

“Yeah, I think I can maintain it and add one effect at a time.”

‘Alright. Then, try mimicking my ‘Convergence’ effect first.’

We spent some time experimenting with different ‘Additional Effects’, and I taught Paula how to use them. At first, she struggled to mimic the effects. But by the time she learned her fifth one, she picked them up more easily. Eventually, we went through all of the effects. And with that, our secret training for the day came to an end.