kscans

Chapter 29 - Shadow of the Unseen, Countermeasures and Gains

Back in the village, I decided to think about the new issue that had come up.

I'll think about traps later. For now, let's try to combine it with countermeasures against ambush predators. The conceivable options are something like the following...

・Detect infrared rays
・Detect carbon dioxide
・Emit radio waves and detect their reflections
・Emit sound waves and detect their reflections
・Detect from gravitational anomalies

The third method is so-called radar, but since radio waves are a type of electromagnetic wave just like visible light, maybe I can do something with Light Magic. But I've also read that the radio waves for radar are similar to those in a microwave oven. The impact on other living things might be too great. The fourth method is the same as so-called sonar, but sound waves travel slower than light, so I would be slower to notice things than with sight. It's a disadvantage, and more importantly, emitting sound waves from my side is like a lantern in the dark night. My location would be revealed. Radar is the same in this respect. No, more importantly, what magic would making a sound be? Sound is the vibration of air, so would it be Wind Magic? I might end up spending a lot of time on developing the magic itself. Rejected. The fifth option, gravitational anomalies, can only be used when an opponent with a huge mass is lurking, and in the first place, it was originally a detection method for submarines. A magical beast of that size might not generate a detectable gravitational anomaly.

"So, by process of elimination, it comes down to infrared or carbon dioxide. I wonder if I can manage it by combining Appraisal and Perception..."

Yuri says it casually, but he is unaware that it is not normal. Using Appraisal and Perception in combination... Yuri does it normally, but other mages wouldn't even think of it. It's not just about casting two different types of magic in parallel, but also about linking them together. It might be effective, but the magic power cost is too high. A normal mage or adventurer would just train their Perception alone to deal with it.

"Oh, but for cold-blooded animals or opponents that are still, their heat generation and respiration are low. I wonder if I can distinguish them..."

He realizes it seems surprisingly troublesome, but he reconsiders that he'll have to deal with it by accumulating data during operation.

"But the problem is with traps. They don't emit heat or carbon dioxide..."

Yuri, who does not have a skill for detecting traps, racks his brain over what to do.

"In the end, I guess I have no choice but to be careful and observe things closely as a habit. Wait?"

What if I cast Appraisal over a wide area and have it display any artificial objects in my field of view?

It felt like it could work, but he had a feeling this wouldn't react to things like dungeon traps, since they are not 'artificial objects'. Also, it probably wouldn't display something like a thicket of nettles, so he might be slower to notice it. No, in the first place...

"I should probably try and see if I can really do something like that."

....

Yuri experimented for a while in the village, thinking it was worth a try, but...

"Hmm, as I thought, if I display 'artificial object' marks in my field of view, I get distracted by them, and my attention to other dangers seems to become lax..."

Or rather, the 'artificial object' marks are just annoying. In the village, they fill up his field of view, making it difficult to even walk normally.

"As for heat, it's not noticeable in sunny places as it blends in with the surrounding heat. The carbon dioxide is also hard to detect for small animals..."

He tried targeting small birds perched in the treetops, but it didn't seem suited for finding small birds in the sun, at least.

"Well, in cases like that, it's faster to just use my eyes and ears. It might be useful for detection in dark places..."

The problem is in situations like when he was ambushed by the Invisible Mantis the other day, in a sunny grassland. He might be able to discover a magical beast with its considerable size through heat or carbon dioxide, but things like traps would still be difficult.

"In the end, I guess I have no choice but to go with the method I'm using now, linking Appraisal and Perception. If I make it a habit to observe things carefully, I should be able to manage with enough experience."

Just at the moment he came to that conclusion,

《You have acquired the skill [Investigation]. Please check your status screen.》

"Huh?!"

Yuri froze in surprise at the very game-like development. After rebooting, Yuri timidly opened his Status Board...

"Wow, a skill really did sprout..."

What he had been doing by linking Appraisal and Perception had been compiled into a skill called Investigation. Incidentally, he was now able to check for biases in heat and carbon dioxide with this skill.

"By repeating the corresponding action, it sublimates into a skill. Just like in a VR game."

In that case, depending on how he did it, maybe a skill to discover traps could also sprout?