Finally, I can use Scan.

The living ink can increase my casting speed substantially.

 

I needed 10 minutes to cast Scan using 100 MP.

Now that the living ink moves, and arranges the mana spheres for me, it only takes 1 minute.

But to see the outside world clearly, I need Scans using thousands of MP.

However, the casting time increases exponentially.

 

So I start thinking about a solution. Something that can move several mana spheres at the same time and can grab them instead of pushing them.

After drawing a few designs I came up with something shaped like an insect.

It has a mouth with two fangs controlled by two mana spheres to grab things and a belly that can hold several mana spheres.

There is also a gate on the left side controlled by another mana sphere.

 

Unfortunately, it looks like a beetle. What if someone tried to read me and sees beetles crawling all over me?

I come up with another design.

This one looks even more like a beetle. How is that even possible?

 

I go back to the older design and draw a few ink beetles.

I wish the system had some ability that could make me good at drawing.

 

What?

What is this?

A message from the system?

Could it be the unmatched drawing ability?

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You created a blueprint: Ink beetle blueprint

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What?! I don't want beetles! Give me my drawing skill! 

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Congratulations!!!

You have unlocked: building pages

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Interesting... Maybe I can create the drawing skill there?

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You drew or wrote the Ink beetle blueprint on this page 

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I don't like where this is going.

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|  Do you want to make this special page an ink beetle building page?  |

|                                              5 life mana is required                                          |

|          Yes                                                                                                  No          |

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Reluctantly, I get the life mana and click yes.

The messages from the system disappear and the life mana spheres move to the center of the page.

Ink forms around them and changes shape, taking the the form of an ink beetle. The beetle opens its fangs as if it was singing a battle cry to announce to the world that it's alive.

At the top of the page, there are a few other things.

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Ink beetle building page lv.1

Change design | Upgrade (not available) | Build 1 ink beetle (5 life mana, 10 sec)

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This is my first building page. It doesn't seem very useful right now but I am sure it will be much better once I upgrade it.

 

Now that I have more mana and mana beetles, I can finally use Scan.

The casting time should be less than 20 seconds for a Scan that uses 100 MP

I gather all my remaining mana, approximately 400MP with the help of the beetles, draw the infrastructure to make all the mana spheres pop all at the same time and then cast Scan.

 It is the biggest scan I've ever made.

Hundreds of spheres gets shot at the same time.

Some of them get reflected and refill the mana spheres.

The refilled spheres form a pattern

The object has something written on it.

I can read the words: The greatest...

Now I only need to add the other hearts of mana and then cast Scan a few more times.

I will finally see what is around me. I will finally know where I am.

But I will do that next time.

 

I leave you one of my earliest designs for the ink beetles under the spoilers tags

See you next time