Dungeon Streaming in a Chastity-Reversed World with 1:99 Male-to-Female Ratio! I Might Be a Rare Man, But I’ll Risk My Life to Find a Wife! - 60

Chapter 60: The Man Who Is Taught and the Women Who Teach Part 2

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Surrounded on all sides by jet-black walls, Ittou began to breathe heavily. He was, of course, under psychological pressure from being trapped inside this black box and from the ominous sense of weapons emanating from the walls but beyond that, he sensed there was something more. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to grasp it.

“Kyahahahaaha! Heki-…Heike-sensei’s Shadow Box (Black Box) isn’t just a wall of compressed magical energy. It also has the properties of shadow, allowing magic to dissolve into it. And that powerful wall of magic attracts the mana particles floating in the air. Yours, too. Bit by bit, your mana is being sucked out.”

At Raigou’s words, Ittou snapped to attention and focused on his own body. He had thought the fatigue he felt came from keeping his guard up against the powerful black walls, but just as Raigou said, he now realized it wasn’t physical strength leaving him, but magical energy slowly leaking away. The moment he understood that, he lowered his head and at the same time, Kanna shouted.

“Everyone! Focus your magic under your feet! It’s being drained from below!”

“So, you noticed. This is one of my Originals, the Shadow Box. I create walls of magic to trap my target. At the same time, I drain the target’s magic from the surface in contact with the walls, and also draw in the ambient mana within the box to render them powerless. And furthermore…”

As Heike spoke, Ittou saw her body blend into the darkness and vanish.

She’s slipping into the shadows… That’s Heike-sensei’s specialty! But… If the entire box is made of shadow…!

“That’s right.”

A chill touched the back of his neck—the edge of a blade made of magic—and Heike’s voice whispered right beside his ear. Ittou froze. Heike was there, staring straight at him. Ittou was already dead. If Heike had meant to kill him, there would have been nothing he could do. In this space, he couldn’t even imagine what actions might lead to victory.

“This is my greatest weapon. I rob my opponent of sight, appear from anywhere, and take their life in an instant. They die before they even understand what happened. This is my Shadow Box.”

With a slosh, the black walls melted into the ground, and the pool of darkness spread across the floor gathered beneath Heike’s feet. Kanna and the others collapsed to the ground, overcome by a mixture of relief and exhaustion. Ittou, too, dropped to one knee, drawing several deep breaths to steady himself. He trembled at the overwhelming difference in power he had just witnessed—greater even than what he had felt with Kondou. But it wasn’t only fear or despair that filled him.

If I could ever wield power like this myself…

A faint light of hope seemed to break through within him, and he narrowed his eyes.

“Phew… All right. Now that you’ve experienced an Original for yourselves, if you’re truly serious about learning, I’ll explain it in a way suited for you. Now then… Raigou-sensei, if you would.”

At Heike’s prompting, Raigou leapt forward gleefully.

“Yeees, yes! So then! Let’s talk about Originals! As I said before, an Original means creating your own magic! And what’s so good about that, you ask? What do you think, Itsukushima-kun?”

Raigou pointed sharply at Ittou. Under the gazes of the girls, Ittou scrambled for an answer and finally opened his mouth.

“Uh, um… You can…Do what you want to do?”

“Hmm… Well, okay, I’ll take it! It means you can use magic that fits your job or position! For example… Danbara-chan’s Enhanced Senses! That’s magic useful for detecting traps or enemies, but you could also…”

Raigou spread her fingers wide. Ittou suddenly felt as though threads had wrapped around his body. There was no resistance. He could still move freely, but it felt as if someone else had taken hold of his will. Sweat began to form on his forehead.

“I just gave a simple demonstration, but you can develop that into a form of close-range combat magic that allows you to sense and predict your opponent’s movements, almost like precognition. If Danbara-chan wanted to become a professional underground fighter someday, that kind of magic would suit her. Or maybe like this…”

Raigou twirled her finger, and Ittou toppled over like a puppet whose strings had been cut. When he hurriedly looked up again, he saw countless orbs of mana floating around them and realized they had taken the form of dozens of magical bees, hovering and watching him intently.

“You could also create mana bees like these to scout a wide area. Then, security companies or even the Self-Defense Force would be begging for your help.”

With a snap of her fingers, a pleasant breeze brushed against Ittou’s cheek, and the bees dispersed back to Raigou.

“So! That’s one way to customize your magic however you like. But what’s even more important is that the activation speed and power increase dramatically.”

“Wh-why is that!?”

Unable to hold back, Ittou shouted the question he wanted most answered. Raigou laughed, bouncing rhythmically on the training room floor before spinning around to face them.

“The reason’s simple and clear. An Original is a spell made by and for yourself. It’s specialized for a single purpose. When you know exactly which spell to use in an instant, its power and speed increase by leaps and bounds.”

“S-so it’s really that simple…?”

Kusumi murmured under her breath, but Raigou’s eyes went wide and she turned toward her with a bright grin. It was the look of a child about to dig into a favorite dessert.

“It’s because it’s that simple that it’s important! Do you know why magic usually requires an incantation? Because it helps solidify the image in your mind! Like how athletes go through a routine to perform their best—following a set process helps produce stronger, more precise magic! Why do comic heroes shout out their special moves? Sure, it’s partly for the readers, but I think it’s also for themselves! Why do magical girls or masked riders take specific poses or actions? Because they’re building up their mental image! Do you understand now why silent casting isn’t really recommended in manga? Because human thoughts and mental images are fragile and easily broken. Kujuukuri-chan! You should be capable of silent casting. Can you create a metal sphere for me? A hard iron ball! Try throwing it at me!”

Though overwhelmed by Raigou’s excitement, Kusumi closed her eyes, formed a metallic sphere, and opened her eyes to hurl it—

“Kinta☆Kirakira☆Friday!!!”

Raigou’s cheerful voice echoed through the training room. The metallic sphere Kusumi created instantly turned into a gaudy golden ball, shining brightly.

“Wha… wha… whaaat!?”

“As you can see, a spell can be disrupted easily if your mental image is interfered with. Just insert some unrelated thought, and it collapses right away. But! If you give your magic a name, that changes everything. Names are powerful. Once a name is bound to a spell…”

“What are you doing in front of Ittou-sama!? And besides, it’s Monday today! 【Iron Ball】!”

Kusumi, her face bright red, interrupted Raigou’s speech, chanting a quick incantation and launching a black iron sphere. The bullet-like projectile shot toward Raigou. If it had been Ittou, he would have jumped back, used the recoil to spring forward, and counterattacked. But Raigou only smiled and shouted…

“Pierce, 【Clear Sky Great Star】!”

With a sharp zzzt, a yellow flash streaked through the air, piercing Kusumi’s iron sphere. The ball fell limply to the ground, and when they looked closer, it had a perfectly round hole—so small and so clean it could have been made by a needle. Everyone stared at the pierced sphere as if trying to bore a hole in it themselves, then slowly turned their gaze back to Raigou. Behind her, a softly glowing white monkey floated in the air.

“And that’s how you can use incredibly powerful magic in an instant. Kondou-sensei isn’t someone with exceptional magical power among the teachers. She just chose what to specialize in, gave it a name, and created a powerful spell from it. You all may not be at an adult’s level yet, but you can still gain strength. Now, shall we begin? Let’s create the magic you desire, and give it a name! It’s time for a fun time of invention and naming!~”

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