Chapter 56: Reverse Magnetic Field Regeneration Magic Training Method

A certain sharp-minded stoat, who clearly understands my preferences, compiled the documents on the magic training method and its discovery process and sent them to Okutama.

I read through them with great appreciation, and I must say, they were quite fascinating.

The Department of Mutation at Tokyo University of Magic specializes in studying the mutations of humans and monsters.

Immediately following the Gremlin Disaster, individuals with an innate electrical affinity transformed into witches and wizards. Some animals also mutated into monsters. If the mechanisms behind these mutations could be unraveled, it might become possible to artificially create witches and wizards or prevent the monstrous transformation of animals.

Conversely, it could also offer a way to restore individuals suffering from unwanted transformations—such as the Spider Witch—back to their original forms. The possibilities were endless.

However, despite its potential, the Department of Mutation remained relatively obscure.

Other departments had already made remarkable advancements:

The Department of Gremlin Engineering developed general-use wands and invented backflow prevention mechanisms.

The Department of Linguistics achieved breakthroughs in alternative incantations and worked on significant research topics, including unnamed epic poetry.

The Department of Combat Studies refined magic combat techniques using real-world data from various security forces, training dozens of elite battle mages annually.

The Department of Monster Studies introduced a classification system for monsters(A,B and C) and delved into their ecological studies. Their research on the utilization of magical beasts, pioneered at the Hokkaido Magic Beast Farm, proved highly significant.

The Department of Magical Medicine was of utmost importance, primarily researching the Mushroom Disease while also drafting response manuals for potential future magic epidemics. Their research into the medical applications of magic and magic substances had even saved my life when I had appendicitis.

Despite lacking immediate groundbreaking results, the Department of Mutation had diligently accumulated data for years.

The discovery and practical application of the magic training method were the fruits of this painstaking data collection.

This method was derived from three observed phenomena where the maximum limit of magic power decreased.

First, the maximum value decreases due to lack of magical power and fainting.

The professor of the Mutation Department was a rather eccentric individual.

During lectures, he seemed normal, but students wishing to join his research lab had to pass a bizarre test—he demanded that they first serve as test subjects themselves.

“Those unwilling to experiment on their own bodies have no right to experiment on other living beings!”

That philosophy sounded more like samurai ethics than academic rigor…

While merely attending lectures posed no challenge, joining the laboratory was another matter entirely.

Using willing students as test subjects, the research lab investigated the phenomenon of magic depletion-induced fainting.

When magic was completely exhausted, the maximum magic capacity decreased. But what exactly happened during this process? If witches and wizards gained massive magic power through their mutations, then it stood to reason that the opposite phenomenon—loss of magic—was also a form of mutation.

Through extensive experiments, the department discovered that magic depletion-induced fainting was accompanied by changes in the body’s magnetic field. Specifically, weak magnetic energy was emitted from the head.

Magic, gremlins, and electricity were closely related.

Electricity, in turn, was linked to magnetism.

Thus, the idea that changes in magic power would be accompanied by magnetic fluctuations was entirely plausible.

Witches and wizards could perceive and control magic but were oblivious to magnetic fields. Without human experimentation, the connection between reduced magic capacity and changes in magnetic fields might have never been discovered.

The department then attempted to reverse-engineer the magnetic changes observed during magic depletion.

The hypothesis was simple: If a subject were exposed to a reversed version of the magnetic fluctuations that occurred during magic depletion, could their magical power increase instead?

A dedicated experiment chamber was built, magnets were assembled, and students were subjected to the reverse-magnetic field stimulation.

The result?

The student in the experiment suffered severe consequences: excruciating headaches, nausea, dizziness, hallucinations, loss of attention, aphasia, agnosia, memory impairment—the full spectrum of neurological damage.

The experiment was halted before the student died, but they were left with lasting aftereffects.

Although the result was disastrous, it proved that a significant physiological change had occurred.

The department wanted more data!

However, the experiment was deemed excessively dangerous. The first test subject had survived purely by luck. The department head, conducting a follow-up trial on himself, ended up with permanent paralysis on one side of his body.

Even Professor Ōhinata, the university president, voiced concern, warning against further reckless experiments. However, since the Department of Magic Linguistics had caused a staggering number of deaths in their early research, she refrained from outright banning the studies.

The second phenomenon of magic capacity reduction studied was gremlin implantation.

Implanting a gremlin into a human body caused a gradual decrease in maximum magic power over several days, making it easier to observe and analyze.

Like with magic depletion-induced fainting, magnetic field changes were observed.

However, these changes differed from those recorded in magic depletion cases.

The department conducted reverse-magnetic field regeneration experiments on death row inmates acquired after a dispute with the Department of Magical Medicine. The result?

Subjects exhibited half-body paralysis, visual impairments, loss of consciousness, and brain hemorrhages. The test subjects all died.

Securing new test subjects became increasingly difficult, making further high-risk experiments nearly impossible. The department was forced to focus on analyzing existing data and refining theoretical models instead.

Head-Related Factors in Magic Capacity

The department concluded that something in the head played a crucial role in magical power regulation.

This conclusion was based on three key observations:

The first was the Magnetic Field Changes in the Head – Found in both magic depletion-induced fainting and gremlin implantation cases.

Next was the Magnetoreception – A sense possessed by humans in their heads. A 2019 joint study by the University of Tokyo and Caltech confirmed that humans, like migratory birds and salmon, have a rudimentary ability to perceive magnetic fields. In their experiment, brain waves of 34 test subjects responded unconsciously to magnetic stimuli, indicating a genuine sixth sense distinct from the traditional five senses.

The lastly, The Mushroom Disease – The parasitic mushrooms that caused the magic pandemic always grew on the head, without exception. Additionally, spoken incantations always released magic from the mouth—another head-related function.

Taken together, these findings strongly suggested that some unseen, magically significant mechanism existed within the human head.

The Mutation Department thoroughly verified the data, worked hard to construct theories, and came up with a number of hypotheses, but there were simply too few donated bodies! The magnetic field reversal experiment was too dangerous to carry out, making it difficult to carry out.

Because of this, research in the Mutation Department progressed at a snail’s pace.

What was thrown into the facility were magical drugs and 500 low-ranking prisoners of war from the Aratake Gang.

The Mutation Department went wild.

A third, entirely new case of magical capacity reduction!

A vast, morally inconsequential pool of test subjects!

With these hot new research materials, the department could finally put into practice dozens of theoretical experiments they had been developing for years.

By consuming a large number of test bodies, we compared three types of magic power maximum reduction phenomena and derived the law of brain damage during magnetic field reversal reproduction.

As a result, a magic training method was established that increases the maximum magic power without causing brain damage by applying an appropriate magnetic field change to the head.

According to the principles discovered through the tireless efforts of the Department of Mutation Studies, magic training requires two elements: magnetic field changes and meditation.

The magnetic field changes are induced using magnets. A person is placed inside a device—a vertically standing coffin covered in numerous magnets—and the coffin is rotated slowly at a constant speed. This process applies appropriate magnetic field changes to the head.

However, magnetic field changes alone are insufficient. While they increase magic power, they also cause severe brain damage.

This is where meditation comes in.

To put it simply, if one thinks about anything unnecessary during magnetic field changes, they will lose their mind and die.

There are various neuroscientific explanations for this, but there are also unexplained phenomena that cannot be accounted for by neuroscience. The Department of Mutation Studies has identified the only known safe method—meditation.

During magnetic field changes, one must not move (as this would shift the focal point of the magnetic field). Additionally, one must not think about anything at all.

One must empty their mind. They must enter a state of complete tranquility, often referred to as “clear mirror, still water” or “egoless state.”

Even the slightest disturbance in one’s thoughts can manifest in the brain, leading to brain damage.

It may seem like a difficult requirement, but this meditation technique can be learned through training, and some people can do it naturally without training.

A high-ranking monk, invited to the university as a meditation instructor, entered a meditative state instantly, successfully increasing his magic power without any brain damage. A professor from the Department of Mutation Studies also succeeded on his first attempt.

The students in the Department of Mutation Studies showed individual differences, but all of them were able to enter a meditative state within 3 to 20 days, increasing their magic power without suffering brain damage.

If one loses their meditative state in the middle of a magnetic field reversal, they will first experience worsening headaches as a warning sign of brain damage. If they stop immediately after noticing the headache, there will be no lasting harm.

However, meditation does not completely eliminate the risk of damage. According to medical opinion, one should wait at least 24 hours between training sessions, as repeated sessions increase the risk of brain damage.

In other words, magic training should only be done once per day.

Magic training requires proper magnetic field setup and operation, along with meditation skills. It is not something that just anyone can do easily.

However, with the right equipment and the ability to meditate, it is challenging but possible for anyone.

Each session of magnetic field reversal can increase the maximum magic power by 0.2K.

This value does not vary between individuals. It is still unclear whether witches and sorcerers can also increase their magic power this way, as no one at the Tokyo Witch Assembly can meditate yet (though some have already started training).

It is also unknown whether there is a limit to how much one can increase their magic power—whether there is a point at which growth stops.

For now, all students in the Department of Mutation Studies have completed five meditation sessions, and none have reached their limit yet. So, it seems safe to assume that anyone can increase their magic power by at least 1K.

One unique case is that Beast Tamers cannot increase their maximum magic power using this method. Instead of their magic power increasing, the Gremlins implanted in their bodies grow slightly larger. It’s a fascinating phenomenon.

Because of this, I personally cannot undergo magic training. If I try, I have to go through a troublesome process.

I have a Fire Lizard Gremlin embedded in the back of my left hand. It was carefully placed to avoid interfering with finger movements, but if it enlarges, it could hinder my dexterity.

Theoretically, I could remove the Gremlin, train to increase my magic power, and then re-implant it. In fact, one student in the Department of Mutation Studies, a Beast Tamer who raises a sparrow, successfully increased their magic power using this method.

However, removing my Gremlin would sever my bond with my Fire Lizards.

When I implanted my Fire Lizard Gremlin, I sacrificed about 45K of my magic power. Even if I train daily to regain my lost magic power at a rate of 0.2K per day, it would take more than six months to recover.

I cannot bear the thought of being separated from my Fire Lizards for six months.

Who would feed them during that time? Who would polish their scales? I wouldn’t be able to press my fingers into their soft bellies or take them for walks.

Impossible. Absolutely not.

Still, I want to master meditation.

Using the materials sent by Professor Ohinata, I’ll craft seven staffs, use my excess money to buy magnets, and even build a meditation room at home. The magic significance of the complex magnetic field lines could serve as inspiration for making staff.

However, I doubt I will ever increase my magic power through training.

Humans naturally have little magic power. While they may be able to pronounce spells correctly, many magic spells remain unusable due to insufficient magic power.

The discovery of magic training shatters this limitation. It is a groundbreaking revelation.

Now that the research has been published, production of magnetic field reversal devices will increase, and more people will learn meditation.

Currently, safety has only been verified at a laboratory level, with data being collected.

Once over two million Tokyo residents start magic training, the data will increase exponentially, revealing even more insights.

Even if nothing new is discovered, the fact remains that anyone can increase their magic power by at least 1K.

This means that people who previously couldn’t even cast the fundamental spell “Shoot Magic Projectile Aaah” will now be able to use magic.

With training, humanity as a whole has gained the ability to wield magic.

A new era has begun.

Ordinary people who persistently train may even achieve astronomical magic power levels of 10,000K! The thought is thrilling.

I cannot personally undergo magic training, but I can contribute in some way to those who can.

Perhaps I can apply the principles of magic training to develop new magic staff…

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