The glare from Mikoto’s eyes made Lin Luo feel utterly wronged... Though he might have misspoke, did she have to stare at him like he was an ideological enemy?
“Um, you misunderstood. That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean? Do you just want to see a girl’s body?!” Mikoto glared fiercely, arcs of crackling electricity flashing around her hands.
“No, no! Actually, I just wanted to examine Saten-san’s body.”
“You still want to examine her?”
Ugh! Lin Luo froze. The word ‘examine’... that sounded even worse! When did his eloquence become so poor? Lin Luo mentally slapped himself hard.
Under immense pressure, Lin Luo quickly explained, “It’s like this: I suddenly grasped something very specific just now, and I think it might allow Saten-san to become an esper.”
“What? You can make me an esper?!” Saten Ruiko, who had been in a state of shyness, instantly changed expression, asking in disbelief. It wasn't just her; even Mikoto and the other two looked utterly shocked.
...Through the Misfortune Delivery Device incident, Lin Luo knew that the reason Saten Ruiko couldn't use esper abilities wasn't a lack of talent, but insufficient computational power needed for the complex calculations required to manifest her ability. Therefore, considering the inverse: if her brain could be given enough computational capacity, she could become a true esper.
“Theoretically, that’s correct, but how can we give Saten’s brain sufficient computational power?” Mikoto asked, frowning after hearing Lin Luo’s explanation.
“We just need to develop her neural domain,” Lin Luo said with a smile.
“Neural Domain Development?” Everyone was stunned. This wasn’t something that could be achieved by simply saying the words; almost no one could believe it was possible.
“Alright, I know this is hard for you to grasp, but what I’m saying is true. Even if it doesn’t work out, trying it can’t hurt, right? You can’t completely rule out this possibility.”
Possibility?
Hearing those three words, Mikoto paused slightly. A strange feeling suddenly welled up in her heart. Ever since hearing the song Lin Luo sang earlier, she felt like something inside her had shifted, and now that feeling was growing clearer, as if she could almost grasp something intangible...
“Um... can this really make me an esper?” Saten Ruiko snapped back to reality elsewhere, looking at Lin Luo and asking excitedly.
Lin Luo replied, “Well, I can’t say for sure it will succeed. Do you want to try?”
“Of course!” Saten said excitedly. Becoming an esper had always been her dream, but quickly she frowned again. “Um... will neural domain development be dangerous?”
“You can rest assured about that. There won't be any danger at all, nor will you suddenly faint like during the Misfortune Device incident. I guarantee it,” Lin Luo said, smiling.
“Then... how do we do it?”
“Just sit down first, close your eyes, and don’t do anything else.”
“Oh, okay... alright.”
After Saten closed her eyes, Lin Luo placed his hand on her forehead... Divine Heal Spell—Repair Confirmed!
“Target subject's body shows no damage. Repair ineffective.”
Just as expected... Lin Luo wasn't surprised by this result. The function of Divine Heal Spell was to repair physical trauma and apparent defects, bringing someone to a state of completeness, but not allowing them to evolve to ‘perfection.’ The Sisters were replications of Mikoto, so their complete state mirrored Mikoto’s current condition—though this only referred to their physical state, not their power level.
But Saten Ruiko was different. Her body was already in a complete state, and she hadn’t sustained any injury; naturally, Divine Heal Spell couldn't affect her. However...
If he could modify her body, evolving completeness into ‘perfection,’ the result would be different.
This would have been impossible for Lin Luo before, but the slight comprehension he achieved just now gave him a new understanding... In addition to Divine Heal Spell, he possessed another gift obtained from Mikoto—the Neural Domain Development talent.
If he could merge these two abilities, developing Saten Ruiko’s neural domain wouldn't be difficult. Of course, merging these two abilities wouldn't be easy; without that sudden surge of mystical power he experienced moments ago, he wouldn't have dared to even contemplate it.
Closing his eyes, Lin Luo carefully savored that feeling and continued to use Divine Heal Spell...
“Target subject's body shows no damage. Repair ineffective.”
“Target subject's body shows no damage. Repair ineffective.”
“...Repair ineffective.”
“...Ineffective!”
...
After casting Divine Heal Spell hundreds of times, and losing track of how much time had passed, Lin Luo only received the cold, emotionless notifications from the Contract Book, yet Lin Luo didn't give up... because something deep within his consciousness was gradually becoming clearer.
During this time, Saten Ruiko remained in a state of nervous apprehension. Becoming an esper required some sort of price, or perhaps she simply wouldn't become one—these two starkly different emotions made her intensely nervous. Yet, several minutes passed without any abnormal sensation. Finally unable to bear it, she secretly opened her eyes. Before her, the young man had his eyes closed, his brow furrowed, his expression solemn, as if performing an extremely critical, delicate operation.
Seeing this, Saten jumped in fright and quickly shut her eyes: Disaster! He explicitly told me not to open my eyes. What if it fails just because I took one peek? Waaah... Ruiko, you idiot, why did you have to peek?
Anxiety about the future mingled with anticipation, causing her body to tremble slightly.
Lin Luo did not notice Saten Ruiko’s action. Of course, even if he had noticed, it wouldn't have mattered. In truth, telling her not to open her eyes was merely to avoid awkwardness; it had no other meaning. The key to success or failure rested entirely on Lin Luo. As long as he could maintain contact with her body, she could sing, dance, or do anything else, and it wouldn't matter.
“...Repair ineffective...”
Innumerable failure notifications made Lin Luo doubt if his initial idea was flawed. A flicker of resignation surfaced in his mind... No, it’s too soon to quit now. It would be too cruel to Saten, giving her hope only to plunge her into despair in the next breath. Such a thing... I won't give up until I reach the Yellow River!
Continue Repair!
Pouring all his concentration into the effort, Lin Luo gradually felt a subtle shift in his ‘vision.’ He could ‘see’ tiny, shimmering particles appearing on Saten’s form. Slowly, these points converged, forming a thin, minute line...
That’s it!
Lin Luo was overjoyed. He had grasped it again—it had appeared when fighting Accelerator, and it surfaced again when he comprehended the rules. These dots and lines... they were brimming with infinite hope!
“Repair—Confirm!”
Feeling the peculiar power carried by these dots and lines, Lin Luo activated Divine Heal Spell once more. Was it an illusion? The notification from the Contract Book seemed to delay by half a second this time, and then...
“Merging talent skill—Neural Domain Development. Divine Heal Spell advances to LV2. System detects incomplete neural domain development in the current subject. Confirm development?”
It succeeded!
Lin Luo was ecstatic. His intuition was correct; his talents could merge with skills. Although he couldn't fully comprehend this event yet, one thing was certain: he had inadvertently touched upon something far deeper.
Confirm!
“Contractor currently lacks the necessary power to fully develop the target’s neural domain. With the Contractor's current power, only 10% of the subject's neural domain can be developed. Confirm development?”
If the limit of a normal human's power was Level 5, then complete development meant raising Saten Ruiko’s neural domain calculation capacity to the Level 5 benchmark. That was clearly impossible. If he could casually create a Level 5 esper, wouldn't that be defying the heavens!
Even 10% was small, but it was better than nothing. At least he possessed a new ability, and Saten could become an esper. From any angle, this was a win-win situation.
Lin Luo unhesitatingly tapped Confirm. A faint white light flowed into Saten Ruiko’s head...
“Current subject’s neural domain developed by 10%. Contractor consumed 100 Life Force points.”
Damn it! Developing only 10% of the neural domain cost 100 Life Force... That’s a rip-off!
...After a long moment, Saten Ruiko opened her eyes. She cupped her hands together in front of her chest, and a small tornado rose from her hands. Then, whoosh, everything in the room was blown upward.
P: Thank you to Judgment Spear for becoming the second Deacon of this book. The 1888 three-hit combo was very effective... Hmm, my updates have been weak lately, disappointing everyone. This is mainly due to my poor condition. Things will get better once these transition chapters pass. The latter half of A Certain Magical Index will be the climax, and the second heroine is about to appear.
Also: Three recommendations for Complete Deprivation, over 160,000 words: Jade Emperor, the strongest esper in history, possesses the most bizarre, non-natural ability—Deprivation, allowing him to seize the life, memories, and abilities of others. What kind of bloody storm would be stirred when he crosses over to another realm carrying this superpower? Complete Deprivation]