Humans and demons cannot produce magic stones because of their systematic "magic." Since they constantly radiate magical energy, and even if abnormalities such as excessive activation occur, they are immediately treated, crystallization is impossible. The advancement of magical and healing technologies has eliminated the possibility of magic stone formation.

People who lived in ancient times before magic was established, or who lived without using magic for decades, could form magic stones without realizing it.

After everyone confirmed that this knowledge was common knowledge, Tio continued:

"It seems that to some extent, it is possible to select a monster's unique magic. However, it seems that you cannot choose unique magic that is too far from the power of the creature's origin or the creature's instinctive ability."

"The white dragon led by the demon general named Freed has the ability to breathe... To what extent has that white dragon been strengthened?"

"It single-handedly destroyed the great barrier of the royal capital. So, I imagine it's quite powerful. I'd say it's five to six times stronger than the monster on the eightieth floor of the Orcus Great Labyrinth."

Ryutaro and the others speculated in this way. Regarding everyone's speculation, Hajime thought that if converted to the Abyss, it would be roughly equivalent to mid-level strength. While thinking this, Hajime brought everyone back to the main topic.

"That's roughly what I mean by transformation magic. However, that's a bit of an inadequacy. To more accurately define transformation magic... it should be 'magic that interferes with organic matter'."

"Well……"

Shia rolled her eyes in confusion. Putting Kaori and the others aside, these were words Shia had never heard of, and Tio seemed to be the same. Hajime realized this, coughed dryly, and then changed the subject:

"...While that's not entirely accurate, to put it simply, it's magic that interferes with matter originating from living things, so let's think of it that way for now. In other words, as long as you put your mind to it, this magic can interfere not only with plants and animals, but also with things like food and paper. Of course, it can also interfere with humans."

Simply put, it's about being able to change hair or eye color. As soon as Hajime finished saying this, Yue next to him demonstrated transformation magic.

The golden hair turned into bluish white, and the ruby ​​eyes turned into the sky blue.

"Hoohoo! Miss Yue is just like me!"

"……Um!"

Yue's expression was smug, and everyone present let out exclamations of "Oh!" Hajime stared at Yue with wide eyes, gazing deeply at her for a moment before quickly pulling out his camera (a sacred artifact) from his treasure chest to take a photo. The moment Hajime pressed the shutter, Yue had keenly sensed the moment and quickly pulled out her signature expression, a truly impressive feat.

While Yue restored her hair and eyes to their original color, she looked at Tio, whose legs seemed to be numb from kneeling.

"...Although this is just speculation, I believe that if we trace the origins of the Dragonoids' 'Dragonization', it stems from this magic. However, as to how this racial trait was passed down, I can only speculate."

"Oh. Turning into magic is the origin of my race... Hmm, I see."

Tio showed an interested and thoughtful expression, but Hajime left her alone and continued explaining.

"That's exactly what I meant by the prerequisite knowledge I mentioned earlier. Age of Gods magic is magic that interferes with 'Reason,' but we don't fully understand the true basis of that power. The absolute prerequisite for learning conceptual magic is a complete understanding of all Age of Gods magic."

"...Yes. Moreover, the magic of the Age of Gods is too profound. One must reach a level capable of conquering all trials to fully comprehend it. Otherwise, one will be unable to bear the burden and suffer a physical and mental breakdown."

That's why in order to learn concept magic, you need to first obtain all the magic of the Age of Gods.

Now Hajime and Yue understood that their understanding of the Age of Gods magic they had acquired so far was still too superficial.

For example, the magic that Hajime first acquired was the creation magic that he used to maintain his life until now.

This isn't "magic that imbues minerals with magic," but rather "magic that interferes with inorganic matter," a magic that pairs well with transformation magic.

Therefore, in theory, it should be possible to interfere with not only minerals but also substances such as water and salt.

Furthermore, gravity magic should be described as "magic that interferes with planetary energy." It's not just gravity; theoretically, it could also directly interfere with ley lines, geothermal heat, or magma. Deliberately triggering earthquakes or volcanic eruptions would also be possible.

Space magic is "magic that interferes with realms."

Therefore, it can create a new realm by setting it up. Moreover, it is not only able to separate space, but can even interfere with the realms of illusion and reality, and based on this, give illusions substance, or conversely, turn something that has substance into illusion.

Regeneration magic is "magic that interferes with time."

The practice of regeneration magic is more like recovery than healing, and healing only plays a small part in the role of regeneration magic.

The original purpose of regeneration magic is to interfere with time, peer into the past, and peer into the multifaceted "world afterward." Shia's unique magic, "Future Vision," likely stems from this magic.

Soul magic, on the other hand, should be defined as "magic that interferes with the intangibles of living beings" to best capture its essence. Specifically, it refers to magic that can interfere with the body's magical power, energy such as heat or electricity, as well as consciousness, thoughts, memories, and longing.

In some cases, it is even possible to copy the original non-material, modify it to create another soul - that is, to create a new "person".

A more accurate definition of sublimation magic is "magic that interferes with information."

The ability will evolve one level, for example, interfering with body information at level 1, raising it to level 2. If you reach the fundamental level, you can read the information of all things and interfere with them according to the magic power.

The names of the Age of Gods magic that they had known until now could be said to represent the limits of what humans could interfere with.

Incidentally, the "Guided Compass" uses soul magic to read the user's desires, spatial magic to disregard spatial divisions and distances to detect the target, and sublimation magic to supplement the target's information. These are all things that the original Age of Gods magic could not do.

After Hajime added this information, Shizuku said with difficulty:

"I see. It's truly enormous, capable of interfering with fundamental magic, right? It feels beyond human reach... But does that mean we can't create conceptual magic to return? From what I've heard, it seems quite difficult..."

"Well, this is indeed difficult. After all, the most important ingredient for magicalizing concepts is 'Ultimate Will'."

Hajime couldn't help but smile wryly. It was only possible through a complex and intricate series of processes, starting with something so general as a foundation, then clarifying it, converting it into information, extracting and strengthening the insufficient energy, strengthening the practitioner who could receive it, and finally actualizing and solidifying it as a phenomenon.

“…Hmm. We need to use Hajime’s creation magic to imbue objects with magic, just like we did with the compass.”

"Yes. I feel I must combine Yue's control over magic with my refinement to create a divine device that allows for the concept of traveling through time and space."

"It's possible, right?"

After hearing Shia's question, Hajime's attitude suddenly changed, and he smiled with an invincible smile.

"Of course. I must succeed no matter what. All my efforts and struggles so far have been for this purpose."

Hajime's eyes seemed to be burning with flames.

With a strong will that "I can't stand still in this place", Hajime and his companions lingered on in the harsh environment, earnestly hoping to return home and worked tirelessly. And it was this fighting spirit that lit up his eyes.

Seeing this, Kaori and the others were convinced that no matter how difficult it was, Hajime would succeed. And along with this thought, homesickness also surged in their hearts.

The days they lived in Japan and the days they spent in the other world flashed through everyone's minds, causing them to feel heartbroken.

Hajime and Yue looked at each other, nodded, and stood up slowly.

"Want to strike while the iron is hot and challenge it?"

"Yeah. I've been organizing my knowledge while I'm talking. I'm like a horse with a carrot dangling from its front, eager to try it out."

Hajime banged his fist against his palm.

Yue looked at the excited Shiji and gently touched him to calm him down. Yue's hand was small and soft, and the touch made Shiji's heart calm immediately, and he relaxed his excess strength, maintaining a just right tension.

The two smiled at each other. In the slightly sweeter atmosphere, Ling asked awkwardly:

"Um, Nagumo-kun. Is returning to Japan magically something that can be accomplished immediately? If it seems like it will take quite some time, I think Suzu should complete another goal first..."

"No, it shouldn't take that long."

Hajime said that even considering the need for caution on first attempts, after deepening his understanding, practicing the magic of each Age of Gods, preparing and adjusting the objects to be imbued with concepts, and concentrating his mind, the time required to complete these steps would probably only be a few hours.

"I'll start as soon as I'm done. If I'm going to do it, I'll do it all at once. I won't let anyone tell me that my wish to go back is just talk. However, I don't know how much energy this will consume."

Even if he could return to Japan, it would be pointless if he was summoned again. Therefore, he would need to use concept magic to prevent being summoned. However, depending on the cost, it might not be possible to do it right away. In other words, Hajime was saying that no matter what, he wouldn't know what would happen if he didn't try.

After thinking about it for a moment, Ling nodded in acceptance.

"I see, Suzu. Well then, until the magic to return is complete, Suzu will rest for a while. It's rare to have acquired transformation magic, so Suzu wants to practice it. We can leave the trip to the demon territory for later. Um, Shizuku-chan, what are you guys planning to do?"

After deciding on the future strategy, Ling turned to ask Shizuku and the others for their thoughts.

The reason why Ling asked this was because she thought that since Shizuku had already acknowledged her feelings, she might want to stay by Hajime's side in the future; and by the way, she also wanted to reconfirm whether Ryuutarou really intended to go deep into the enemy camp with her.

"Of course I'll go with Ling."

"Me too."

The two answered immediately, without a moment's hesitation. Ling smiled at Ryuutarou and said, "Thank you!" Then, with a cautious look at Shizuku, she said,

"Shizuku-chan, are you really okay? It's rare..."

"What are you talking about? These are two completely different things. I can't leave Suzu to two idiots. She won't stay long anyway, right? Once we achieve our goal, we'll just run away and reunite with Nagumo. There's nothing lonely about that. Besides, I won't be satisfied until I have spoken to Eri."

Shizuku shrugged nonchalantly. Seeing her expression, Suzu realized she was speaking from the heart, so she hugged her and said admiringly, "You're truly the kind of woman who makes women fall in love! Shizuku-chan, you're full of manliness!"

Then, Shizuku, hearing the comment about masculinity, was so angry that veins popped up on her forehead, and she thrust her fist into Ling's head, causing Ling to scream.

Ling changed the subject with tears in her eyes.

"And, and Guanghui-san..."

"Hmm?" Hajime tilted his head upon hearing that, then looked around the room and said:

"Speaking of which, where did that guy go?"

"Hajime only just realized he's not in the room... Kouki is asleep in another room, and it seems like he'll be awake for a while."

Shizuku and the others looked at Hajime, who seemed to have just remembered Kouki's existence, with speechless expressions. Hajime naturally chose to ignore them.

"Anyway, let's just ignore him. Yue and I will be secluded in the room where the magic circle of the Age of Gods is located. If Amano-no-Kawa gets up during this time, don't let him get in our way."

"...You guys are going to help make the tools for us back home. He wouldn't do anything like that, would he?"

Ryuutarou retorted with a confused expression.

Hajime didn't argue back, but shrugged and said:

"I hope so. We don't have the luxury of dealing with such troubles during creation. Anyway, just to be safe, let's be a little careful."

"Leave it to me, Hajime-san. After all, I can't help you create conceptual magic either. I'll be responsible for not letting anyone get in your way."

"Okay. Please, Shia."

"...I feel relieved having Shia here."

Shia spoke confidently, her head held high and her chest puffed out. Hajime and Yue smiled back at her trustworthy expression and words, placing their deep trust in her.

Then, the group once again headed towards the room where the magic circle of the Age of Gods Magic was located.

Shia and the others watched Hajime and Yue leave in front of the door, and then the two disappeared behind the heavy door.

About two hours passed after that.

"Is it serious?"

Ling's worried voice echoed in the living room. Her gaze shifted, and her words, without a subject, made it impossible to determine her meaning.

Kaori, who was sitting next to Ling, asked directly:

"Xiao Ling, what do you mean by 'is it okay?'"

"Hmm~... Everything. Will Nagumo-san and the others faint again? Can we really return to Japan? Is Kouki-san okay?... And about the demon territory we're heading to next..."

When a person is in a state of recuperation, he seems to be unable to help but think about all sorts of things because he has nothing to do.

"It's okay, Suzu-chan. Hajime-kun is someone who always overcomes any difficulties, no matter when. And with Yue by his side, even the impossible becomes possible."

"Xiang Xiang..."

"Also, Kouki-san's problem has to be solved by Kouki-san himself. Of course, we'll help him to the best of our ability. As for Eri-chan... well, anyway, just focus on the assault! There's no other way. Thinking too much will only make you tired."

I couldn't tell whether to call Kaori's words of encouragement positive or thoughtless, and Ling couldn't help but chuckle.

“K-Kanako-chan… Fufu, so manly. I’ve been completely influenced by Nagumo-san~”

"Rin, that's not the case. Kaori has always been someone who, once she's made up her mind, usually goes for a direct attack. Ninety percent of Kaori's decisions are based on the conclusion of a sudden attack."

"Suzuki-chan and Shizuku-chan are going too far. Aren't they just like Ryuutarou-kun..."

"Hey, Kaori. Why are you calling it 'excessive' like me? Don't you realize that's a subtle insult?"

Ryuutarou frowned at being silently scolded, while Kaori gave him the cold shoulder, pouting in a grumpy way. However, Kaori quickly changed her tune, clenching her fists and staring at Ling.

"Anyway, I don't know what will happen to Eri-chan's problem, but at least I won't let her take action. I'll go with them, and if anything goes wrong, I'll just take them apart one by one and escape while they're in chaos."

Kaori blurted out something shocking, but Ling and the others were distracted by another statement. Ling blinked in surprise and timidly confirmed:

"Um, um... would Xiang Xiang like to come too?"

"Of course. I won't leave Ling alone."

“But, Nagumo-san…”

"On that point, I'm on the same page as Shizuku-chan. We're just separated for a short while, so it's okay. Besides, even if I were there, I wouldn't be able to help with things like crafting the artifact to prevent resummonings or welcoming Myuu-chan and Remia-san. So, protecting you two, Suzu-chan, is my responsibility."

"Wow, Xiangxiang, you are such a good child. You are such a good child. Thank you so much~"

"Xiaoling, why do you speak with a Kansai accent?"

Ling deliberately wiped her eyes and half-jokingly expressed her gratitude to Kaori for what she said, because if she responded seriously, it would be a bit embarrassing.

Tio looked at the Earth Team with a smile, and then said:

"With Kaori here, there shouldn't be any problems over there... Well, before I go to the master's world, I have to return home. After all, I came here on a mission."

"Oh, speaking of which, Miss Tio is carrying the clan's secret orders, right? I had completely forgotten about that until Mr. Hajime mentioned it just now."

Don’t call it a setting… Tio showed a slightly sad expression.

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