Since then, Master and I have been incorporating Earth’s scientific concepts into magic research. The results? In addition to lightning magic, we’ve developed ice magic, gravity magic, and even magnetic magic. While the magnetic magic skill came naturally, I’m still struggling to find practical applications for it.

We’ve also discovered that existing fire and water magic can influence weather to a certain extent. This seems to be another concept absent in this world, but that’s not the exciting part. The true value lies in discovering new magical attributes. I’m determined to continue exploring and developing new ones.

“Shu, you’ve been starting to act a lot like Master lately,” Rio commented, cutting into my musings.

“What? No way! How?”

I protested vehemently. To be compared to that eccentric Master felt like an insult. But Rio only gave me a look of exasperation.

“When it comes to attribute magic, you’re becoming a total skill maniac.”

Her half-lidded stare stung more than her words.

“W-what?!”

No, it couldn’t be. Master would stop at nothing to gain new skills, but I’m not like that... right?

“What time did you go to bed last night?”

“Uh…”

Oh. I’d been up late thinking about possible uses for magnetic magic. If I’ve developed it, I ought to find at least one practical application, right? Maybe I could immobilize enemies wearing metal armor? Unlike gravity magic, magnetic magic reacts specifically to metal.

“See? You’re doing it again—thinking too hard.”

Rio’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She was looking up at me from below, her expression a mix of concern and amusement.

“Heh… ha ha… yeah, maybe I’ve overdone it a bit.”

It was clear I needed to rein myself in a little.

“All right, it’s time for solo hunting,” Master declared one day, about four months into our stay at his home.

By now, Rio and I had grown comfortable exploring not just the area around the house but even parts of the deeper forest. Hunting alone shouldn’t be a problem.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never gone out hunting by myself before,” I admitted.

“Exactly,” Master said, puffing out his chest proudly.

Hunting solo might reveal something new about myself or the forest.

“Isn’t it just hunting alone? That doesn’t sound all that different,” Rio said skeptically.

“Heh, that’s where you’re wrong. I’ve come up with a twist. We’ll set a one-hour time limit, and whoever brings back the strongest monster wins. It’s a test of speed and precision, and who knows? It might unlock some new skills!”

Master’s enthusiasm was infectious, even if his ideas were always a bit out there.

“I guess with the time limit, Master’s overwhelming strength won’t give him an unfair advantage,” Rio mused.

“Exactly. The monsters around here are mostly weaklings. If you go deeper into the forest, you might find stronger ones, but you’d be limited by how far you can travel in an hour.”

“Hmm, fair enough…”

Rio seemed to accept the reasoning. Not that it mattered—Master’s ideas rarely faced opposition. It was often pointless to argue.

“Good! Let’s begin!”

With Master’s call, we took off.

Channeling magic to enhance my body, I sprinted toward the wall enclosing the house. At the same time, I activated gravity magic to lighten my weight and leaped over the barrier. Combining it with wind magic, I soared into the air and headed straight east into the forest’s depths.

Master ran below at a blistering pace, as expected of him. Rio was slower at first but soon started closing the distance, relying on her abundant magic reserves to boost her speed.

Eventually, both of them disappeared from sight, and I was on my own.

“Time to get back to basics.”

The dense canopy made it hard to spot anything from the air, and while my Presence Detection skill helped, it was better to be on the ground. I landed softly, careful not to alert any nearby creatures.

I thought back to when I first arrived in the forest—how every sound filled me with dread. Compared to that, I’d come a long way.

“Oh, Stamina Mushroom!”

I spotted a red-and-black spotted mushroom growing in a patch of moss and plucked it. Who’d have thought this was edible? Meanwhile, I’d nearly died eating those cursed DeathMeg Fruit.

“Hmm, there’s something up ahead…”

Suppressing my presence and magic, I crept forward. The distinct outline of a creature came into view—a bird-like monster resembling an ostrich, its head and neck protected by rocky, armored skin. A Rock Bird.

Though it couldn’t fly, its beak strikes and powerful kicks were no joke.

Confirming the area was clear, I lunged forward and slashed at its neck with a single strike. The supposedly rock-hard armor might as well have been butter.

After taking down a few more monsters, I stored their bodies in my dimensional box.

“Oops, time’s almost up.”

There was no clock, but I’d gotten pretty good at estimating an hour. I hurried back to the house, only to find I was the first to return. Landing in the yard, I noticed there were no other presences nearby.

“Well, guess I’ll start cleaning the kills while I wait.”

Using earth magic, I fashioned a makeshift table and began the bloodletting process. To speed things up, I applied gravity magic. I’d use the extra time to prepare for whatever Master and Rio brought back.