This Novel is not my Novel

"Ahem, ahem! In any case, I now have a good understanding of the basic buff effect without the use of sound waves. The effect may be weak for now, but that's nothing to worry about. You're still a student, Mr. Karvaldr, and you've enrolled in my lecture. Ether Ability can be sufficiently developed through effort."

Professor Radvisin cleared his throat before launching into a long explanation. He was usually somewhat talkative, but even so, it was obvious he was trying to change the subject. Rather than point it out and embarrass him, I simply said I looked forward to his guidance.

At that, the professor smiled in satisfaction and asked a new question regarding the buff ability.

"Is it possible to stack this silent buff multiple times?"

"I've tried, but it's not possible."

"Is that so? And it's impossible to stack it with the buff that uses sound waves as well?"

"Yes."

"In that case, it means it's ultimately the same ability, with the only difference being amplification through sound waves. In most cases, problems like this can be solved by brute-forcing them with a large amount of Ether. Have you ever tried not layering the buff, but simply injecting Ether imbued with the Buff Attribute?"

I had never tried that before.

When I learned how to handle Ether from this body's family, ...they told me that although a buff effect could be produced without any technical processing, the effect was so faint and inefficient that it was better to activate the skill properly.

'So I never even tried it. But now that I think about it, if you reverse that statement, doesn't it mean a buff is applied no matter what...?'

Should directly using Ether without processing it into a skill be considered an inefficient version of the basic buff skill 【Exaltation】?

If so, then after using the skill silently, it might be possible to compensate for the additional skill multiplier gained through sound waves simply by injecting Ether.

And what if it's treated as a separate skill, not 【Exaltation】 or 【Encouragement】?

That alone would be a gain, since it would mean it could stack just like 【Exaltation】 and 【Encouragement】 do.

It could be identical to the 【Exaltation】 skill...

...and the maximum obtainable effect could be the same as using 【Exaltation】 in silent mode, meaning I'd gain nothing.

But it was more than worth trying.

"I'll try it now."

Curious about the results, I decided to test it on myself first.

It was essentially taking Ether out of my body and putting it back in, but instead of merging with the Ether already inside me, it spread throughout my body and strengthened my physical abilities.

'The efficiency really is terrible. The Ether consumption is massive.'

Only after consuming more than five times the Ether required for the 【Exaltation】 skill was I able to reach the maximum buff effect.

It might just be my imagination, but the vitality I felt in my body when the maximum correction from sound waves was applied seemed to be about this level.

"How is it, Mr. Karvaldr?"

Professor Radvisin asked, his eyes full of curiosity and anticipation.

In response, I injected Ether into his body as well.

Professor Radvisin arrived at the same conclusion I had. Even when using the basic buff skill silently, injecting Ether appeared to produce the maximum stat enhancement effect.

"Still, let's verify it properly, just in case. We should confirm whether using a silent buff and then injecting Ether, or simply injecting Ether from the start, can both achieve the same stat increase effect as casting the buff while swinging the whip."

The outcome was predictable, but scholars seemed to be the kind of people who couldn't be satisfied without going through the process of proving it.

Professor Radvisin wanted to experiment.

Naturally, the research student seniors would once again serve as lab rats.

As if sensing this, they protested with perfectly logical arguments, but...

"We're suffering from muscle pain right now, so it's impossible to provide accurate comparison data!"

"That's right, it's impossible!"

"It's not like this is my first or second time conducting experiments, so what is all this nonsense? Of course I'm taking variables of that level into account. Stop worrying unnecessarily and start moving to burn off your recovered stamina."

...it was completely futile.

In the end, the human research students once again collapsed to the floor like lifeless corpses.

I temporarily revived them using a buff skill.

Twice, at that.

By skipping silent-mode 【Exaltation】 and relying solely on Ether injection, the amount consumed increased a full tenfold.

Anyone quick-witted has probably already figured out the result from that fact alone.

Simply injecting Ether is also a method of using the 【Exaltation】 skill.

'Though the extreme Ether waste is a major drawback, in situations where I can't make loud noises, I'll have to use it this way.'

I hadn't even begun proper attribute enhancement training yet, but just from conducting an attribute analysis, I had already gained two things.

The pseudo-stamina recovery trick that uses the stamina increase effect.

And a method to achieve the maximum buff effect while using 【Exaltation】 in silent mode.

'In exchange, I used far too much Ether.'

If I added up all the Ether I had consumed so far, it would be equivalent to using the 【Exaltation】 skill on around forty people.

As my Ether reached rock bottom, all strength drained from my body.

It seemed this was the current limit of the Ether this body possessed.

"It seems you're beginning to enter a state of Ether Depletion. Let's push just a little further!"

"Ah..., n-nooo... ock..."

"Tha... that's enou... ugh..."

Unlike the professor, who merely stood there talking energetically, the two research student seniors cried out in cracked voices.

Watching them, I started wondering whether they really were zombies who had died and been forcibly revived.

No matter how little stamina they had, it made no sense for them to end up in such a state after merely running a few laps around the lecture hall.

Could it be because they had repeatedly used the pseudo-stamina recovery trick from the buff?

"Mr. Karvaldr, you said you had another buff skill that could be stacked on top of the basic buff, correct? The one related to personal inclinations."

"Yes, I do."

"Hurry and use it. Not with the mindset of merely scraping up water spilled on the floor, but with the intention of drawing out every last drop of moisture that's seeped into the ground. Pull out Ether that doesn't even exist and unleash it."

Professor Radvisin wanted to continue the research as though he hadn't heard the students' cries at all.

He usually seemed gentle and kind, if somewhat talkative, but when it came to research, he had a ruthless side.

I absolutely should not become this person's research student.

"To draw out the Sky Blue Ether, I know I must completely deplete all the Purple Ether and continue drawing out Ether even in that exhausted state. However, as I explained in my report, that buff skill requires a specific condition to be met, so I can't use it right now."

"Ah, my apologies. I got too excited. Come to think of it, I never asked what that condition was."

"......"

After a conversation like this, this should have been the moment for me to explain this body's inclination and the 'specific condition.'

But I couldn't bring myself to open my mouth.

And for good reason.

'How am I supposed to say, "I have an extremely strong sense of possessiveness, so I have a buff skill that can only be used on people I've labeled with a 'My ○○○' tag"...?'

The moment I said it, the reaction was obvious.

Just like that guy who was obsessively fixated on his fiancée, are you really over your obsession, or are you planning to secretly obsess over people now, or have you already found a new target, and so on.

They would be creeped out and start treating me like the one person in the world they should never get close to.

"Mr. Karvaldr? Why are you silent?"

"Ah, that's... I don't really know either. I've seen the information on Ether Attributes passed down in my family and watched my relatives use their abilities, so I noticed that abilities change slightly depending on personal inclinations. But I don't know what inclination of mine influenced my Ether Ability, so I still haven't figured out the exact condition."

"There's no shame in not knowing, so you don't need to look so embarrassed and avoid my gaze. Raise your head, Mr. Karvaldr."

I know that too—the fact that there's no shame in not knowing.

What's truly shameful is this body's inclination and the activation condition for the 【Encouragement】 skill.

"Ah, yes. But for the reason I mentioned, I don't think it'll be possible to use the second buff skill."

"But can't we at least try? You may have already met the condition without even realizing it."

I raised my head and looked at Professor Radvisin.

Although this person was helping my ability grow, he wasn't 'My Advisor Professor.'

And while 'our professor' might work, wouldn't calling him 'my professor' sound strange?

It didn't feel like the kind of title normally used in a typical teacher-student relationship.

Then what about the research student seniors?

If I became Professor Radvisin's research student, they would become 'my seniors' as fellow research students.

But right now, ours wasn't the sort of relationship where the modifier 'my' fit naturally.

'Still, there is one target in this room that satisfies the activation condition for the 【Encouragement】 skill.'

And that was this body I had possessed.

I had tried it before, and it worked.

I couldn't see the Skill Window now to confirm it directly, but the registered keyword was probably 'My Possessed Body.'

For reference, 【Encouragement】 is a skill that can be stacked as many times as there are registered keywords.

So just in case, I tried using the skill one more time while thinking of the keyword 'My Body,' but nothing happened.

They were probably treated as the same thing since both referred to the same 'body.'

'Does the fact that I'm the only valid target for the keyword mean I have to run as well?'

To skip straight to the conclusion without the intermediate process, I didn't need to run.

No, I couldn't run today.

Even if the buff effect increased my stamina and caused a recovery effect, it couldn't solve the state of Ether Depletion.

"Hahk...!"

As I forcibly squeezed out Ether that had already been depleted, I felt a hollow emptiness inside my body, and my breathing caught.

Cold sweat began running down my body, my consciousness started fading, and my head spun.

So I couldn't even tell the professor that I had successfully cast the buff on myself.

"Mr. Karvaldr! You must not faint. It will be difficult, but draw out your Ether one more time. However, since we don't yet know the attribute of the Sky Blue Ether, you must use it not on a person, but by layering it onto a weapon."

His voice remained calm, though I could sense the tension beneath it.

I listened to Professor Radvisin and followed his instructions.

I gritted my teeth, fought against the emptiness inside my body, and focused on drawing out Ether.

And then I saw it.

The Sky Blue Ether forming around my whip.