Infinity Is My Affinity?!?-Chapter 122: Got All The Tools I Need Right Here...
My boots tore through the dirt, launching me forward as the dense forest blurred past in a continuous streak of green and brown. ππ³ππππ¦π£π―β΄π£π¦π.π€ππ
My speed wasnβt breaking the sound barrier or doing anything crazy, but I was moving fast enough that a normal human brain would have completely short-circuited trying to process the visual feed and wouldβve run me into a tree face-first.
Thankfully, the cognitive enhancement granted by Ice Reinforcement was more than enough to keep up with the speed.
I was seamlessly analyzing every stray branch and uneven rock mapped by my Domain, while effortlessly taking in the continuous data stream from my two-second Precognition, and still having enough processing power left over to basically overthink my entire existence.
The problem with overclocking your brain? It makes your insecurities rapid-fire.
[17,499...] The number violently bounced around my skull like a pinball. [She did that in her head. Instantly.]
My reinforced mind helpfully began crunching the variables, presenting me with a flawless, high-speed breakdown of exactly how useless I was becoming.
Nom-Nom, who had held a book for the first time in her life two days ago, could do four-digit addition while swinging a greatsword.
I canβt even imagine the level Peko is at right now.
And I was just a guy who basically had to blackmail his own System to answer whatβs 5,146 plus 8,795.
[I am officially the weakest link... I donβt have their IQ, I donβt have their power...] I spiraled, seamlessly vaulting over a fallen log without even breaking my stride. [At this rate, in just two months, Iβd basically be reduced to being the partyβs emotional support human...]
I was calculating my own obsolescence at 120 frames a second, perfectly processing the wind, the terrain, the shifting shadows, and my impending fall from grace all at the exact same time.
[Wait...]
My feet dug deep into the dirt, kicking up a massive wave of dust as I ground to an absolute halt in the middle of the woods.
I stood there, blinking rapidly as the realization finally cut through the self-pity.
[I am processing all of this at the exact same time...] I thought, my eyes widening slightly as the logic clicked into place.
I was analyzing massive amounts of complex data that would have otherwise melted a normal human brain.
I was making split-second tactical decisions while running across the forest at insane speeds, constantly updating a three-dimensional map of my surroundings coming from my Domain, handling the extra two streams of all that data from Precognition, and storing all that relevant information in my memory at a rate far beyond my normal biological limits.
If my brain was moving this incredibly fast...
[Then I can read a book faster, too!]
"System!" I called out, staring into the empty air as my excitement spiked. "Buy me a book for tips and tricks for mental math or something. I wanna be able to do arithmetic in my head like Nom-Nom."
-Ding!
{Transaction Complete: βMental Math: The Speed Calculation Frameworkβ purchased for 36 credits.}
And the next moment, a paperback book immediately materialized in my inventory.
Quickly scaling the nearest thick tree and pulling myself onto a sturdy branch to sit down, I closed my eyes, preparing to divert my 60 MP/s of evenly spread Ice Reinforcement straight into my brain.
-Ding!
{Warning: Concentrating excessive Ice Reinforcement on a single localized area will rapidly build up Mageβs Folly.
Recommendation: Use only a total of 15 MP/s for targeted cognitive enhancement, and take an hour-long break after 1.5 hours of continuous use.}
I let out a long, exasperated sigh, dropping my shoulders in defeat.
"This Mageβs Folly thing is really annoying..." I grumbled, rubbing my temples.
But I followed the Systemβs recommendation anyway. I wasnβt going to risk a self-induced cancer over arithmetic.
Tapping into my mana pool, I erupted a thick cluster of jagged roots from the forest floor directly beneath my tree, setting them up as sentries should my Domain pick anything hostile up.
With my defensive perimeter established, I kept my Precognition running in the background and carefully throttled the Ice Reinforcement in my head down to exactly 15 MP/s before pulling the heavy paperback from my inventory.
Flipping it open to the first Chapter, I instantly felt the difference.
My eyes darted across the text, skimming through the entire first page in less than five seconds, absorbing the words, and more or less understanding the foundational concepts written there.
I read the page again, understanding more of the underlying logic. Then again. And then a fourth time.
In less than thirty seconds, I had completely and fundamentally understood every single thing written on that page.
[Okay... my memory is somewhat enhanced, but not to the point of being perfectly photographic,] I noted, turning to the next page. [So I still gotta read it over and over again, just like before, to actually completely understand the stuff and remember it all.]
-Ding!
{Note: You will also have to regularly practice or recall what you have learned, or you will naturally forget it over time.}
"Yeah... makes sense," I muttered, rapidly skimming through the second page. "Hey, System? Are Peko and Nom-Nom doing this same exact thing to learn so fast?"
-Ding!
{Improbable.
Unlike you, they can run out of mana. Furthermore, Nom-Nom is a Greater Dragon, and Peko is a Phoenix. Both are entities that far outclass humanity in every conceivable parameter.
They do not need to forcefully reinforce their brains with magic. Their natural, baseline cognition is simply enough.}
"Damn..." I sighed, pausing my reading to stare blankly at the dense canopy above.
[I really want a bloodline...] I mused, tapping the book with my thumb. [Maybe I should add a draconic bloodline as a Suggested Reward.]
It made perfect sense. If I integrated with Dragon genetics, my physical body would instantly become leagues stronger.
I would get naturally heightened senses, a severely boosted baseline cognition, and my mana conductivity would skyrocket.
Hell, even Mageβs Folly would basically become irrelevant.
[It doesnβt even have to be a draconic bloodline. Just give me something basic... Something that raises my baseline cognition and stops my cells from actively melting when I channel too much mana.]
I stared at the thick bark of the tree, my mind spinning up a dozen different justifications.
[The risk of Infinity leaking during the genetic integration process is high, sure...] I calculated, tapping my fingers rhythmically against the paperback. [... But the reward completely justifies it... A low-tier bloodline shouldnβt be that hard for the System to suppress, right? If I can just survive the transition, I wouldnβt have to worry about my brain frying every time Nom-Nom fires up a question at me.]
The logic felt perfectly sound. It was exactly the kind of min-maxing strategy any self-respecting protagonist would use to break the power scaling.
And it was also... incredibly, incredibly stupid.
I let out a deep, heavy sigh, aggressively rubbing my face with both hands to physically wipe the delusion away.
"Who am I kidding..." I muttered into the empty forest. "That is just childish... Iβm literally planning to risk Infinity going wild just because I got insecure over a math problem."
[Especially when I have all the tools I need right here....] I couldnβt help but let out a wry smile. [I just gotta put in the work.]
Looking up at the canopy, I couldnβt help but wonder, [How does Nom and Peko even perceive the world? Do they see every micro detail on a personβs face... I mean, to have your baseline cognition that heightened must be exhausting...]
And right on cue, the familiar melodic chime rang through my skull along with a translucent blue interface that popped up in the air right over my book.
-Ding!
{Incoming Party Audio/Video Transmission: Nom-Nom.}
"Accept," I said softly.
The very next second, the screen rippled, instantly resolving into a live video feed of Nom-Nomβs bright face, practically glowing with an uncontainable excitement.
My lingering frustration instantly melted away, and my expression softened into a genuine, relaxed smile as I looked at her through the screen.
She opened her mouth, taking in a massive gasp of air as she undoubtedly geared up to demand we immediately go shopping for the coolest sword in existence.
"Before you ask," I interrupted with a knowing grin, "Iβve already picked out the perfect sword for you."
