Life is essentially a ga of gaining and losing.
When the soul struggles in extre deficiency, all existence busies itself like ants, sparing no effort for that elusive fulfillnt. But when a magical power, transcending gods and humans alike, overflows like a tide from the cracks in the soul and truly fills every parched circuit, the originally noisy desires instantly collapse.
Like a long novel—however thrilling the developnts, after reaching the most magnificent, storm-like climax, turning the page leaves only faint, quiet blank space.
Matou Yuu lay on the grass spread across a sea of flowers, gazing at the illusory sky of the Reality Marble. He involuntarily let out a burp accompanied by a faint sweet fragrance and the aftertaste of magic.
"Has your mana… fully recovered?"
Tiamat's voice ca from beside his ear.
The voice had lost so of its usual ethereal, childlike tone and now carried the languid gentleness unique to a mature woman who had just given birth.
"Ugh… I feel like I'm about to overflow." Matou Yuu averted his gaze with a hint of guilt and rely nodded.
It truly lived up to the reputation of the Mother Goddess of Creation's source of life. Her magic was like a visible flow of water—incredibly sweet and delicious.
Even the purest, most expensive premium milk Matou Yuu had ever tasted in his life did not reach even one ten-thousandth of that rich, sweet taste that shook the soul.
Even now he could feel the lingering aftertaste of unfulfilled desire.
But he no longer had the courage to bring it up again.
After all, he was a noble new-era magus who had transcended vulgar tastes; he should not harbor strange attachnts to such things… No, he absolutely should not.
He would refrain from speaking until his mana ran out again.
Matou Yuu sat up, glanced at No Na Assasin still sleeping peacefully in the nearby flower field, and suggested, "Let's let her rest here and nourish her spiritual source. Shall we… go to the shopping mall outside for dessert?"
The mont she heard "dessert," the worried gaze Tiamat had been directing at No Na Assasin instantly returned.
The Mother Goddess of Creation hesitated briefly, then succumbed to the unknown temptation and finally followed her instincts, obediently nodding.
…
After leaving the Reality Marble, Matou Yuu left the hotel with Tiamat, now in her small form.
They passed through the desolate, cracked asphalt road scorched by the burning sun and gradually entered the center of Snowfield City, where crowds and modern buildings began to cluster.
Notably, after that replenishnt, Matou Yuu clearly felt a qualitative leap in his perception.
Not only had the fatigue he felt after summoning Tiamat and deploying the Reality Marble disappeared, but after drinking the milk, his previously depleted magic circuits were not only filled but also vaguely felt forcibly expanded… yet the system had not clearly indicated this.
"Co to think of it, if my mana attribute reaches B, or even A… couldn't I rival the magi of the Age of Gods? Maybe I could even use the great magecraft of that era?"
Matou Yuu was lost in vague fantasies about the future.
Soon he took Tiamat to the shopping mall, bought an exquisite strawberry soufflé cake, and sat at an outdoor seat at Starbucks outside the mall.
In a place like Arica, a cup of Starbucks black coffee usually costs around $3.50. This price was easily acceptable to a poor magus like Matou Yuu and allowed him to obtain a reasonably decent resting place in exchange for these cheap modern industrial products.
Matou Yuu sat under the sun umbrella of a black wrought-iron chair with openwork patterns, took a sip from the paper cup, and the unsweetened bitterness instantly spread across his entire palate.
His gaze unconsciously drifted to Tiamat sitting opposite him.
The woman could hardly wait to open the beautiful packaging of the cake.
She held a plastic spoon, mimicked the motion she had seen in the hotel TV comrcial a little earlier, and gently pressed the back of the spoon against the cake's surface with eager anticipation.
Unfortunately, the cake did not have the elasticity and silky-smooth texture shown in the advertisent; it was crushed into a shallow dent.
A trace of disappointnt flashed in Tiamat's eyes.
However, the mont she awkwardly scooped up a bite with the spoon and tasted it, her red eyes instantly lit up at the supre sweetness and creamy richness that were products of modern industrial developnt.
Just then, a vivid blue line of text appeared.
[Ding! Current mission completed…]
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully transported the "Deep Sea Spawning" to a densely populated area, foraged for food, and achieved sufficient intake of "terrestrial high-sugar fernted gel extract."]
[Mission Reward: Attribute Points 1 (Free)]
Completed… Free attribute points obtained!
Matou Yuu smirked inwardly. Without hesitation he skillfully converted the precious attribute points back into Mana.
He did not desire balanced developnt, but he understood the principle of "one skill is enough" in the Type-Moon world.
If he could maximize a specific aspect of his physical abilities, he might be able to use higher-dinsional magecraft to strengthen his body in the future.
[Attribute Update: Mana 0/10 (D) → 1/10 (D)]
Almost simultaneously with the sharp rise in numbers, the world before Matou Yuu underwent a strange change.
With his naked eyes he could now almost see ether flowing through the air like a veil, and he could clearly see golden light particles dancing like fireflies around Tiamat.
Matou Yuu had a strong intuition: even if at least two-thirds of the mana Tiamat had returned to him was wasted due to circuit limitations, the current conversion retention rate could reach at least more than half.
Before he could grow accustod to this new power, another notification sounded.
[Ping! Host's core attributes have been confird to et the requirents. Initial Hero Class Promotion Quest completed.]
[Congratulations! Limited hidden skill "Mama" unlocked!]
Matou Yuu nearly spat out the black coffee he had just sipped.
Mama…?
System, can you co up with an even more ridiculous na?!
He suppressed the urge to complain and clicked on the completely absurd skill description.
[Skill Description: As the absolute anchor for the Sea Spirit's Larva to take root in the human world, your very existence is her only coordinate, her closest being, and what allows her to stand upon this land.]
[Skill Effect: When mana is abundant, you can summon the "Sea Spirit's Larva" at any ti, ignoring spatial constraints, to protect yourself.]
[Note: When you are in a state of extre anger or facing a fatal threat, your call may… directly awaken her "true form" slumbering deep in the Imaginary Sea.]
…
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