Chapter 161 - Practical Application, Civil Engineering Magic!
Relaxing my shoulders, I took a deep breath.
I never knew how much [MP] a newly used spell would consume.
[IRO] really has an odd sense of realism.
"Alright, let's try it."
Yes.
"
As I cast the new [Excavation Magic] on the planned ditch area, with an image of 'this much' in mind...
"Oh, amazing!"
Incredible!
The ground was excavated to that size, and the removed soil piled up around it.
The [MP] consumption was about the same as [Stone Wall]? I guess it takes a little over 100 [MP] to excavate a volume equivalent to my body.
"If I'd known this before erecting the pillars on the earthen floor..."
Digging holes for the foundations would have been so much easier.
Shou-kun, can this be used on stone or rock too?
"It says so, but it seems the harder the material, the more [MP] it consumes. Also, apparently it's dangerous to use on iron or other metals. It might deplete all your [MP]."
Then... it would be scary if metal was buried inside.
"Ah, that might be...
What it does is 'shave and loosen soil and push it out,' but maybe it's problematic if metal gets caught in the shaving or loosening process?
Well, I guess it means I should properly investigate before doing it.
Please be careful, okay?
"Yeah. Well, I need time to recover [MP] too, so I'll proceed by excavating a certain size, moving the displaced soil, then excavating again, and so on."
First, I moved the displaced soil. I'll use this for the home garden later.
And before continuing the excavation, I need to try one more thing.
"Phew...
With that magic, a deep, heavy sound resonated from under my feet, like a thud.
Huh?
"You might not notice it at first glance. Um..."
I squatted down and leaned my face into the dug trench.
Then, I lightly tapped its side and...
"Wow, it's super solid, like rock, more than I imagined. Is this even better than machinery?"
Shou-kun, what does that mean?
"Sorry, sorry. Soil after excavation tends to collapse easily, but if you tap it to remove air and compact it, it hardens. This is like an extremely enhanced version of that."
This is probably also a basic concept in [Civil Engineering] skill?
In reality, it should be based on more scientific principles, and it probably wouldn't work without the right soil particle size and moisture content.
I see. Was the [Spirit Magic] the [Gnomes] used the other day similar?
"Ah, that! You might be right. Or rather, was their abnormally fast digging also because [Spirit Magic] had the same effect as [Excavation]?"
They were amazing, despite being so small.
Hmm, [Spirit Magic] is not to be underestimated.
And it consumes so little [MP] too.
"Well, I'll have to find an [Earth Spirit Stone] someday... Have any been found already?"
It seems you can sometimes receive [Earth Spirit Stones] from the [Gnomes].
"Ah, yeah, well, that makes sense. Or rather, I feel like [Iincho] might receive one."
Are there any [Gnomes] on this island... If I search, maybe I'll find some?
Ah, but I don't have ingredients to make cookies...
Also, we still have no idea about the conditions for [Wind Spirits], and for [Fire Spirits], it's unclear if they even exist.
"Thanks."
When I think of [Fire Spirits], I think of salamanders, but in [IRO], would they be [Fairies]? I'm curious if they're humanoid or lizard-like.
This island is a [Volcanic Island], so maybe they're near the crater? A bit scary though...
"Alright, I'll make the ditch until time's up."
Yes.
.........
......
...
Shou-kun, it's almost 5 o'clock.
"Whoops, thanks. Just a bit more, but I guess it can't be helped."
The ditch extending from the earthen floor's cooking area reached almost to the spring, following the mountainside.
My [Civil Engineering] skill quickly reached Level 3, and [Elemental Magic] skill rose to Level 7.
It's time for a one-meter square septic tank here, but time's up, I guess.
The continuation will be tonight, then.
"Yeah. All that's left is the septic tank and connecting it to the spring, and I think I can finish it in an hour. Since I'm the only one living here, I don't think there will be much wastewater, so to speak."
Just cooking scraps and [Papu Fruit] juice after processing hides? There's no need for a toilet in the first place.
There are no plastic products or synthetic detergents either, so, well, it's more about feeling, I guess. That spring was beautiful.
"Woof!"
"Oh, Lupi. Did you see Sweee off?"
"Woof-woo!"
I instinctively petted her proud face, and she wagged her tail happily.
Come to think of it, maybe I should get Lupi a cuter pouch...
*
Tonight's dinner was seared bonito.
I briefly stopped by the supermarket on the way home and couldn't resist buying some nice first bonito of the season.
Tomorrow's a holiday, so I'll enjoy it with plenty of garlic slices and refreshing ponzu sauce.
"Ho ho, [Excavation] and [Compaction], you say. Truly magic suited for [Civil Engineering], but are there no other offensive magics of that kind?"
"There are. Earth spears that thrust from the ground, stone chains that bind legs... those are more for hindrance. And then there's one that's a bit beyond a joke."
The pungent garlic, softened by green onions, myoga, and perilla, complemented the light umami of the early bonito. It really made the rice go down.
"What kind is that?"
"[Falling Rocks]."
"...Could it be meteor?"
"That's meteorites. It simply summons a stone above the opponent's head and lets it fall naturally."
Of course, if you consume more [MP], you can drop a larger stone, or rather, a rock—a seriously dangerous spell.
I'm hesitant to try it, so I haven't yet.
"Hmm, that could be an application of [Stone Wall], though."
Miki said, helping herself to two thick slices with plenty of condiments.
I thought so too at first, but there's actually a trick to it.
"Actually, [Stone Wall] and earthen walls have safety features. You can't summon them too far away. You can't summon them directly below yourself. And you can't summon them if there's too much space below. Those are the three."
"Ho ho!"
According to the [Applied Earth Magic] book, [Falling Rocks] magic only retains one of those safety features: 'you can't summon them directly below yourself.'
"Fascinating. To think magic has safety devices built into it."
"I'm just imagining, but maybe [Fireball] also has something to prevent it from exploding too close to oneself?"
"Indeed. It would be no joke if an ally happened to cross in front of a mage, leading to friendly fire and a party wipe. No, there might even be malicious acts aimed at that..."
Intentionally stepping into the line of fire to take damage and then initiating a [PK].
I wonder how [IRO] handles those kinds of judgments.
"Even with [Excavation], just casting it at an opponent's feet as they step is quite dangerous. Unlike raising the ground, they'd definitely trip."
"No, more importantly, could it not open holes in castle walls or city walls?"
"Ah... I'm starting to understand why it's not available at the [Mage Guild] or something."
"Indeed."
If something like this were widely available, mages would become too dangerous.
In my case, this is combined with [Presence Concealment] MAX... No, no, I don't plan to leave the island anyway, so it doesn't matter!