“Updates!”

** DING **

Skill level up, Dagger Proficiency 3 > 4

Skill level up, Mana Manipulation 7 > 8

Skill level up, Mana Sense 3 > 4

Skill level up, Visualization 4 > 5

Skill level up, Meditation 3 > 4

Skill level up, Visualization 5 > 6

Skill level up, Mana Manipulation 8 > 9

Congratulations. You have created a new Novice rank spell. As its creator, the spell will grow with you as your understanding of it grows.

Please name the spell.…

Hmm. 'Conjure Trilattic Swarm Armor'. 'Inspect'.

** DING ** x2

Conjure Trilattic Swarm Armor - Early. Novice Rank. 50 mp, minimum. Incomplete spell, upto Early only. Conjures a meter cubic swarm of triangular plating using your mana as the foundation and ambient mana to supplement its numbers. Forming the swarm into the armor you are thinking of. Each plating is capable of collaborating with one another, be it through railings, melding or magnetism. The swarm will give a modicum feel of being a part of you. The material has properties of steel and rubber albeit being much lighter. The swarm will automatically maintain its form during combat and slowly absorb ambient mana to repair itself. More mana may be used to increase volume. Color may change at your discretion. BEWARE, utilize against creator at your own risk.

That's much better than I would expect! Who came up with the idea of rubbery steel, and those automatic functions, I sure didn't. Tis' Nice! Still need further testing.

I looked no further than to the person beside me, the face of my armor opening up with a slight thought. "Thanks for waiting Mr Herman. So, are you up for more testing?" His grin says it all.

"Please start easy and remember there is a person inside here." I say again for what is probably the fifth time, always hearing the same answer back, "sure thing, don't you worry. I understand my strength." Which, of course, means I'm worried. Looking at the hulking grandpa holding my dagger, aiming to slash at my outstretched left arm doesn't help…

—

"I'm ALIVE!!" I shout, raising up from the floor. The armor on my stomach crumbles as I move, dissolving into ambient mana. There are holes in my armor, patches where there are none of the swarm left to protect my skin…

You see, the tests escalated pretty quickly. We started with small slashes at the outstretched arm, getting stronger with each blow. Then he had me thicken the armor on said arm and tried to stab, let me tell you now that the impact hurts. Though the armor's rubbery property prevents me from bruising too much, not to mention its steel-like durability which prevents the dagger from punching in deeper than a few of the outer plates.

Then we move on to aiming at my torso, don't worry we have healers he says, don't worry the area won't cause mortal wounds he would also say. Still hurts, but Mr Herman definitely knows a thing or ten about martial arts and combat as I escape unschathe after the shenanigans he's put me through. I started believing him until what he claimed to be the last test, where he made me increase the layers of armor on my stomach, as much as possible, and called over several medical personnel. Then without warning, stabbed really, really hard with the dagger at the thickened armor. Which is how I emulated a sugar glider without the glider. Definitely has more than ten strength.

"That thing is amazing." My newest nightmare said, "might even help weaken bullets." I let the armor dissolve and give him a stink eye. "Hey, better we thoroughly test how reliable it is now then find it inadequate out on the fields. Besides, I was confident you'll be fine. If it were me and the boys, we would have tested much more."

I picked up my dagger and had to once again repair the poor thing. "Please don't do that again, that probably shortened my lifespan. You're not trying to kill me right?" I eye him suspiciously this time.

He pshawed with his hands, "nah~. By the way, we found your parents." I perked up at the news. "They're in the Green Garden area shelter, with your sister and her son. Evacuation caught them unprepared, so they had to hurry and pack up all the necessities and ended up leaving their phones behind."

That was a big burden off my chest. "Can your friend help get them a phone?" He agrees to ask, then adds. "Don't worry they'll be fine, the military and government has made some preparations for all this." He gestured with one hand making a wide circle. "This may be the most impressive, but it's not the first proof of existence outside our planet. Besides, your dad knows quite a few important people."

Truth is that they have always been a rather resourceful couple, my dad is great with people and finding business opportunities, while my mom has amazing dexterity for handcrafts and some five star level cooking skills. They have been running a very successful cafe and diner, along with who know what other ideas my father come up with. It's good enough to know they're okay and doing fine for now. so I let the topic slide.

"By the way, as thanks for helping you test that thing out, please teach Linda that spell, okay?" He added, such shamelessness that can only come from experience and age. But he has helped me a lot.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

So I made a thinking pose and opened my merchant's interface, the option to put the spell up for sale invading my view… Well, why not. Let's see, '1800'. Novice spells seem to sell between 1000 to about 3000 creds. I don't really care if this one sells or not, I personally don't feel a need for Creds, yet. Maybe if I can send some to my parents…

Can I? Nothing from the knowledge pack comes up, I know there is a cred trade skill, which needs the target to be present. Maybe through the store?

I gesture at Mr Herman and gift him my Trilattic spell. "Here you are sir, for further testing with the boys. Please do keep me informed. Since you'll be busy, I'm gonna go find the others!" I flashed him a grin and ran for my life.

Sitting in another empty hallway, on a bench this time. I reopened my merchant interface, no sales of the new spell yet, as expected. A few minutes of exploring the interface, looking to find transfer or share or something. Alright. So, no long range transfer and no shared ownership feature.

But we've managed to share the territory… through using a contract. Hmm~. The info pack tells me the skill is called Arrange Contract and a way to inspect foundation skill, which is intent.

'Inspect foundation skill, Arrange Contract. Thanks'

** DING **

Arrange Contract. Write a System administered contract between two or more individuals.

Okay, ve~ry helpful, I mentally activate the skill.

A blue box appears before me, looking way too simple to be a contract.

Participant:

Agreement:

I can go find Henry now and ask him, or I can try filling it in. But, feeling too lazy to move, I got my answer.

'Zane Fair Prayoga.' I entered my name as a participant and confirmed. Nothing changes besides my name being written there. I shrug and entered my parent's names too.

Participant: Zane Fair Prayoga, Antonio Prayoga, Claudia Prayoga.

Agreement:

Still nothing.

'Zane Fair Prayoga agrees to share 40% ownership of the spell Conjure Trilattic Swarm Armor to his parents; Antonio Prayoga and Claudia Prayoga, each. They have rights to use and gift the spell, they may also claim their percentage of profits from all sales. The contract persists for all future mastery levels and changes.'

** DING **

Analyzing contract…

Approved...

Notifying participants...

Error, multiple results.

Requesting detai--…

Detail acknowledged; parents of Zane Fair Prayoga…

Contract sent…

…

…

Contract received…

Was it gonna ask for more detail but found one on its own?.. I waited after that last entry and saw no further development after a while. The merchant's interface also seemed unchanged. Let's go ask someone who knows this time. Now where could they be~

I might as well share my new spell too. If they're gonna be the people to manage the only place I know of where I can find something resembling society, I want them to have the resources they need.

** DING **

Contract with Antonio Prayoga accepted.

Contract with Claudia Prayoga accepted.

Changes have been made.

Cool! The notifications showed up unprompted. But I still stop right there in the middle of the way to check my merchant's interface and instantly note that the trilattic spell now has their names written as owners, with the percentage owned in brackets. Me with 20% and them with 40% each.

Now I need the spell to sell! Which means lowering the set price to 1200 Creds, and using a feature I found earlier. Discounts! Now the first fifty buyers can get the spell at a 50% discount. I don't like that, but every Creds actually give us a net profit, no cost or loss, every businessperson's wet dream. We need people to start buying, hopefully that will help further promote the spell by word of mouth and increase sales, rinse and repeat. Hope all goes well and the spell performs up to standard for all the novice mages in our multiverse.

** thud **

Something pushed me from behind, sending me falling. "Get out of the way, are you trying to cause trouble by blocking the hall?" A familiar voice called me out.

I stand up and see the rude security standing there with a smirk, while another one stands beside him passively looking at me. "Are we really doing this?" I ask them.

"Doing what? We're just doing our job of keeping the hospital in order. You shouldn't have blocked the hall." He said, I can't remember his name.

I look at the other guy asking, "you also doing your job?" To which he nods. "So I did something wrong?" Another nod.

Conjure Trilattic Swarm Armor. Better safe than sorry. Magico Disk. Each guy ends up with a disk through their thighs, then another through their other thigh. Which had the idiot screaming, and the follower crying. The commotion drew in more security personnels, along with the leaders and their mascot.

"Hey, I've been looking for you guys." I said, but instead turned to approach the two on the floor. My helm opened up a slight bit to expose my eyes and the upper half of my nose. I kicked the idiot to draw his attention and told him as he shivers, "next time, it won't just be your leg." Then left him groaning on the floor, slowly walking towards my friends.

Psh, I never see myself as the ruthless type and I'm sure as hell, I won't be hurting any innocent bystanders to get some fun in the foreseeable future. But hot damn! It feels so~ good to show idiots like that who's boss. Nipping the bud, as they like to say.

There was a faint swish and a crack before I once again found myself lying on the floor. What?

"Budiman! Are you losing your mind?!"

"Zen!!"

I can feel something stuck onto my back sending pain coursing through me with every minute movements but the pain also feels distant, like seeing someone else with the injury on television and trying to imagine how it feels. I slowly stand up to face my assailant… The proud smirk on his face, the nerves, using my own spell on me.

I'm gonna live, my enemies be damned! I summoned an arrow, then two, all the way up to five and condemned my first human enemy his due. I see an arrow pierce his shoulders, one to his head and another just about to pierce his back before everything went dark, a faint ding echoes through my fading mind.