Kumodesu

After returning to the fifth floor, I immediately went into a deep sleep. Even though I no longer needed to sleep as much as before, the feeling of sleeping was still absolutely wonderful. As a result, I ended up sleeping for an entire day before I finally woke up.

After waking up, I treated myself to a lavish meal. The one thing I had no shortage of right now was food. Once I was full, I went back to practicing my skills as usual.

Truly a busy life.

I was still diligently working every single minute. I wonder if there's any other spider out there who could do what I do... I really am amazing.

After finishing my usual daily routine, I finally turned my full attention to Loyral's situation. I grabbed the diary, woke him up, and gave him a report on my current status.

"Faster than I expected."

"Hmm?"

"[Soul Chain] is a very difficult skill to obtain. Back then, I had to devote myself to killing monsters for over a year to finally achieve it."

Nai wa~

Even someone like him needed a whole year??

Could I really be... a legendary genius or something?

Hmph, hmph...

I suddenly felt quite proud of myself.

"Let's get back to the main topic."

Tsk!

Can't even let me enjoy that feeling for a bit??

"Next, you only need one more skill and you'll be ready to begin the main objective."

I knew that, and this was also the skill I'd been looking forward to the most.

"How do I obtain it?"

I've already overcome so many difficulties, so no matter what comes next—bring it on!

I'll face it head-on!

"It's not that complicated. [Virtual World] isn't a normal skill—it comes from within the user's own mind. So the best way to acquire it is simply: imagine a world inside your own head."

Hmm... hmm... huh?

You mean all I have to do is imagine it?

That sounds a bit... unrealistic, doesn't it?

No need to go out and slash monsters or anything?

"Why does that sound so easy?"

"Don't underestimate it. What you need to do isn't just imagining—you need to actually construct a world inside your mind, complete with everything: trees, terrain, sky and earth... even living creatures. And most importantly, you must insert yourself into that world, control it with your will, yet still make it consistent with the real world."

Hmm... hmm...

I don't get it at all!

Why do I have to do this!?

Just imagining a pond last time already drained me, and now I have to picture an entire world?? And it has to be realistic, too??

If it's going to be that realistic, why bother imagining it at all?! I wanted something magical!

I frowned in frustration when I realized that the task ahead was nothing but sitting in one place and using my brain.

After a full month of nonstop hunting and fighting, I'd developed a habit of constant movement and a bit of a combative spirit. And now you want me to sit still?

"Is there really no other way?"

I asked, hoping there was another path—but all I got was a shake of the head.

"Can't I just buy it from the Store?"

I kept asking.

"If you have the money."

I didn't even need to check—I already knew this skill had to be insanely expensive.

After trying a few more times and getting the same answer, I resigned myself to this boring method.

"So where should I start?"

If there was anything that could help me now, it would be Loyral, since he had experience with this process.

Loyral didn't hold anything back and told me everything.

"The first step is to visualize what your world will contain and how it will function... Then arrange those elements so that they harmonize and can support life. We call this initial phase 'Heaven and Earth Formation.' It's considered the easiest part, because what you're imagining doesn't yet contain life—it just needs to function naturally."

"This skill only manifests once your brain reaches a certain level of complex cognitive activity. When that happens, the system will recognize that you've met the criteria for 'world creation,' and the skill will unlock."

Hmm, that's pretty easy to understand.

"What do you mean by 'function naturally'?"

Just to be sure.

"For example, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Storms appear when clouds accumulate. Trees grow when they receive enough rain and sunlight... These are all natural phenomena that occur without the interference of living beings."

Hmm, hmm... got it.

"I have a question!"

I raised one of my legs like I was actually in a classroom.

"Yes?"

"Anyone can imagine a world, right? Kids even have more vivid imaginations than adults. So what makes this different?"

Loyral nodded.

"You're right, but! Imagining a world and creating a world are two completely different things. Anyone can picture a world—but very few can keep it running smoothly in their minds like a machine without it collapsing midway."

I tilted my head.

"So even when I'm not actively focusing on it, the world inside my head should continue to function? Like... days passing, things changing naturally without me consciously modifying them?"

He nodded again.

"You catch on quick."

Ha, like that's enough to trip me up!

"But... you should be careful. If the world you create is unstable—for example, lacking balance in nature, or with flawed operational rules—your brain won't be able to maintain it for long. Instead of unlocking the skill, you might suffer side effects: headaches, cognitive dissonance, or even mental damage."

Nai wa!

Even imagining things can be dangerous!?

"The most important thing is to maintain what you've created, to let it flow and shift naturally in cycles, rather than being forcibly changed."

I nodded, but my face was already stiff.

This... is sounding more and more difficult.

But first, I should give it a try and see how it goes.

Let's see...

First, I need to create a space to contain everything...

Should I recreate the Earth? How big should it be? What shape? A sphere? Or does it even need to be one?

Loyral said it should be based on reality, so probably a sphere. Size doesn't need to be too big... hmm, this should do.

Next, I'll add the basic elements like land, water, sunlight...

Inside the spherical shape I just imagined, I filled the lower half with land and left some space for oceans...

Wait... something feels off?

I don't think Earth is structured like this, is it?

Crap.

Back in school, every time geography class came around, I'd fall asleep, so now I have no idea how to visualize this. And with that mental chaos, my model Earth collapsed completely.

This is too hard!

I've only just started and it's already too much!

It must be because I don't have complete knowledge of the real Earth...

Now I really regret not studying harder back then.

I sighed and tried again a few more times, but the result was always the same—nothing.

At that moment, Loyral spoke again.

"If it's too difficult, you can use some support skills to help."

Nai wa~

There are support skills for this!?

Why didn't he say so earlier!?

You damn old man...

"What skills?"

Though I was annoyed, there wasn't much time left, so I let it slide.

"There are many, but I'd recommend two especially useful ones: [Manifest] and [Insight]."

Oh, just the names already sound promising.

"These two skills are great support tools. [Insight] helps you deepen your knowledge about something you already know but not in full. For example, if your current Insight of something is level 1, using [Insight] can raise it to 5, 6, or even higher if the skill level is high enough."

"As for [Manifest], it uses your knowledge to recreate an object inside your mind whenever needed, and the recreated form will be stored. When you need it, you can retrieve it instantly without having to imagine it from scratch."

Hmmmm...

These two really are essential, but I don't necessarily have to get both. [Insight] is similar to [Scan], which I already have—and honestly, [Scan] might be even better at gathering information.

"Can I substitute [Insight] with [Scan]?"

Loyral paused for a moment, then replied: "The two do have similarities, but there are big differences."

"First, [Scan] collects all information in its scan range, but sometimes the info you get isn't what you need, and the crucial bits might not even be there. [Insight], on the other hand, lets you focus solely on what you want to grasp, increasing your depth of knowledge."

"Second, if your problem is that you can't imagine how a world functions, then with [Scan], you'd have to keep it active for a very long time just to gather enough relevant data."

Oh, that actually makes sense.

[Scan] is powerful in gathering data, but the info is often cluttered and disorganized—and I'd still have to sort through it all.

So I really do have to buy both skills, huh?

"Actually, you can acquire them through regular training. Remember that pond from before? Didn't you notice how, once you fully visualized it, you could call it up again much faster than before, without the same effort?"

That's right!

I completely forgot about that.

But… that method takes too long...

Fully visualizing something and keeping it stable inside your head is no easy task. Even if I wanted to do it that way, I doubt Loyral has enough time left for me to succeed that way.

So I gave up on that and went straight to the Store to check the prices.

[Manifest] costs 500 Skill Points, and [Insight] is just 300, so I decided to buy both to save time.

While I was already there, I also took a peek at how much [Virtual World] would cost.

The result left me speechless.

Over 50,000!? To be exact, 53,500!

Insane.

This also means that if I manage to acquire it manually, I'd essentially be earning a massive reward, right?

Alright then.

My fighting spirit is fired up again!