Departure

The day my fate changed.

It was the day I was kicked out of the party I'd been with for five years, my Gift evolved into the Infinite Magic Repository, and I met MP.

Early the next morning, I climbed into a carriage and set out for another town.

To get away from Guy and the others.

And to start over somewhere new.

The carriage had been jolting along for two weeks, but the journey would finally end today.

By evening, we'd arrive at our destination: the town of 'Merba.'

"At last, the carriage ride is over."

"Yes!"

I spoke quietly to MP, who was sitting on my shoulder.

During the journey, my right shoulder had become MP's regular spot.

Lustrous silver hair fluttered in the breeze, framing a face as perfectly formed as a doll's.

But only I could see MP's adorable form, and only I could hear the voice, like the tinkling of a bell, whispering in my ear.

The sound of the carriage drowned out my quiet voice, but to anyone looking at me, I must have seemed like a suspicious weirdo muttering to myself.

At first, people gave me puzzled looks, but perhaps they'd gotten used to it. These days, no one paid me any mind.

As a result, no one spoke to me, but with MP around, I never felt lonely or bored.

The carriage journey went smoothly.

If we were unlucky, we might be attacked by monsters or bandits, but this time the trip was peaceful, without a single problem.

The scenery, which would've been boring to a seasoned traveler, seemed fresh to MP.

MP gazed at the landscape slowly passing along the road, eyes sparkling.

Two weeks of bouncing along in the carriage.

During that time, what had I been doing besides talking with MP?—

I'd simply been using the 【Mana Management】 I'd just learned to increase my maximum MP.

I poured all the mana I could use into 【Mana Management】.

Thanks to that, my maximum MP had risen from 1,210 when I was kicked out to 4,709.

Along the way, on the sixth day of the carriage journey, my status announced that 【Mana Management】 had leveled up.

〈You've spent a total of 100,000 MP using 【Mana Management】!〉

〈You've met the Skill growth requirements!〉

〈【Mana Management】 has grown from Level 1 to Level 2!〉

〈【Mana Deposit and Withdrawal】 is now available!〉

The new ability I'd gained, Mana Deposit and Withdrawal, was—

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【Mana Management】

【Overview】: You can manage mana to do a variety of things.

Lv. 1: Increase Maximum MP

Lv. 2: Mana Deposit and Withdrawal (NEW!)

・Acquisition Condition: Spend a total of 100,000 MP using 【Mana Management】

・Effect: You can transfer mana between yourself and your Magic Repository.

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So I could freely move mana in and out of my Magic Repository…

I didn't know what use it had at the moment, but MP said it would definitely be necessary later on.

In any case, my maximum MP had quadrupled in just two weeks—an unbelievable rate of growth!

In terms of MP alone, I was on par with the upper ranks of A-rank adventurers.

I was among the top tier.

That said, I still had no combat Skills whatsoever.

In terms of combat power, I was around E-rank.

My status was wildly lopsided.

――Increasing my maximum MP was the first step toward becoming stronger.

MP had told me that before.

My journey to becoming stronger was only just beginning.

As I gazed at my status, grinning at the thought, my maximum MP reached 4,710—and the voice of my status rang out in my head.