Chapter 350: Nitro

[Advanced Battle Instinct Spell and Lightning Reflex Spell can be fused for an Evolution. Choose an Evolution: Battle Demon Spell, Reflex Casting Spell, Neural Overdrive Spell.]

Alex examined the three options, feeling rather pleased with the results. All three sounded interesting, although he couldn’t immediately determine which one would be the most useful.

The first option was Battle Demon Spell, and its name alone caught his attention. Demons were generally portrayed as monsters or evil beings in the fictions, usually representing the opposite side of whatever was considered good.

Alex had recently begun suspecting that the System had been influencing human culture for decades, if not centuries. If that was true, there was a possibility that actual Demons existed in the Land of Origin, and the negative reputation surrounding them wasn’t entirely accidental.

Ignoring its questionable name, Battle Demon Spell seemed extremely powerful. Alex suspected that it combined the benefits of Accelerated Thinking, Combat Prediction, Memory Enhancement, and Lightning Reflex into a single Spell designed specifically for combat.

Moreover, considering that Lightning Reflex was one of its components, the Evolution would probably strengthen his neurons using Lightning Mana. That was precisely the kind of improvement Alex had been trying to achieve through his experiments.

The second option, Reflex Casting Spell, was even more fascinating from a magical perspective. Until now, Alex had understood reflexes as responses developed and stored within his nervous system, allowing his body to react without conscious decisions.

However, Reflex Casting Spell suggested that something similar might be possible with mana. If his interpretation was correct, he could potentially cast certain Spells automatically, without needing to consciously perform their mana manipulation methods.

‘But how would that even work? Would the reflexes be stored in my brain, my Will, or the mana itself?’ Alex wondered, becoming increasingly curious.

Regardless of the answer, the implications were considerable. Since reflexive actions generally occurred faster than conscious ones, Reflex Casting might allow him to activate Spells much faster than his current casting speed.

Alex looked at the final spell.

Neural Overdrive Spell appeared to be an improved version of Reflex Acceleration Spell, although its effects would presumably extend far beyond physical reflexes. Rather than temporarily increasing only his reaction speed, it might accelerate nearly every function performed by his nervous system, and brain.

That would include his thinking speed, mana control, information processing, concentration, memory, and sensory perception. His Spell casting speed would also improve as a consequence, while enhanced control over his nervous system might even allow him to suppress pain more effectively.

‘This one is really good. If it works the way I think it does, it could improve practically everything I need,’ Alex considered.

More importantly, Neural Overdrive Spell presented an opportunity that the other Evolutions couldn’t match. If he could understand its mana manipulation method, he might eventually reverse-engineer it into a weaker Spell capable of operating continuously.

In that case, he could potentially develop something like Neural Acceleration Spell alongside Neural Overdrive Spell. Both Spells would utilize Lightning Mana to enhance his nervous system and brain, although their purposes would differ considerably.

Neural Acceleration would provide a permanent improvement to his mental capabilities, potentially replacing Advanced Battle Instinct Spell entirely. It would be better than Superior Battle Instinct too. Neural Overdrive, meanwhile, would serve as a temporary enhancement that he could activate whenever he required an enormous increase in performance. A trump card, in other words.

Alex spent several minutes considering all three Evolutions before beginning to eliminate the less suitable options. The first to go was Reflex Casting Spell, although he was genuinely reluctant to discard it.

The possibility of developing reflexes within mana was fascinating, and he would have loved to understand how such a spell worked. However, it was also the least versatile option.

Alex suspected that reflexive casting would primarily benefit relatively simple Spells, since complicated mana manipulation methods required extensive calculations and precise adjustments. Just as ordinary reflexes couldn’t perform every complicated action a person was capable of, he doubted that Reflex Casting would immediately allow him to construct extremely complicated Spells automatically.

‘It’s still an incredible Spell, but the other two would be more useful right now,’ Alex concluded, narrowing his choices to Battle Demon and Neural Overdrive.

Deciding between those two was considerably harder. Battle Demon Spell would probably make him a much stronger fighter immediately, while Neural Overdrive offered greater opportunities for experimentation and future development.

After considering their advantages, Alex eventually decided to eliminate Battle Demon Spell as well. Although combat strength was extremely important for his survival, he didn’t want to focus exclusively on short-term improvements.

Neural Overdrive would not only improve his performance during battles but also help him understand the relationship between Lightning Mana and his nervous system and brain. That knowledge could eventually allow him to construct entirely new Spells, making it considerably more valuable in the long run.

There was also another reason Alex was hesitant to choose Battle Demon Spell. He still knew practically nothing about Demons in the Land of Origin, and for all he knew, Demon might refer to an actual species or perhaps a classification applied to people who practiced certain forbidden abilities.

If using a Spell with Demon in its name could get him branded as a criminal or enemy, selecting it would create unnecessary complications. Until he understood how Demons were treated, avoiding anything potentially associated with them seemed like the safer decision.

Of course, Alex knew that the name alone wasn’t enough to prove anything. Nevertheless, considering that Neural Overdrive was already his preferred option, there was little reason to take an additional risk.

Having reached a decision, Alex examined all three Evolutions once more, carefully reconsidering their advantages. He spent several more minutes confirming his choice, ensuring that his excitement about Neural Overdrive wasn’t causing him to overlook something important.

Finally, satisfied with his reasoning, Alex selected the Evolution, eager to discover whether it would perform as well as he expected.

[Neural Overdrive Spell learned.]

[Neural Overdrive Spell (C Rank, Level 1)]

[Holy Shit. That was a close call.]

[Effect: Allows you to greatly enhance your brain, reflexes, spinal cord, and all related functions using Lightning Element Mana.]

…

Author’s Note: Four more chapters will be posted in one-two hours.