Dark's knowledge of the Magic Brain Dropper basically came from the book, "A Guide to Using the Magic Brain Dropper".
Using the Magic Brain Dropper, one could not only draw out a certain emotion but could even extract memories from the brain.
But using the Magic Brain Dropper was a very dangerous affair. Even with extremely high magic power control skills and more than the necessary amount of knowledge, there was no guarantee that problems would never arise.
It was for this very reason that Dark had never dared to delve deep, instead only using the "Surface-Skimming Method" to externally extract [Deadly Sin].
After all, the idea of sticking a tube into one's head was truly terrifying; he couldn't accept it on a purely physiological level!
Furthermore, performing a deep brain extraction once a month was already considered frequent.
And it wasn't necessarily more convenient than external extraction.
So this time, with the opportunity to wish for an improvement, he leaned toward an external approach.
Not a profound technique for inserting the Magic Guide Dropper into the brain.
But rather, a method that complemented the "Surface-Skimming Method" by thinning the "brain barrier".
Simply put, it was to find a way to temporarily lower the brain's ability to withstand emotional changes, in order to achieve the effect of "easier overflow"!
But in reality, the profundity of this technique was not necessarily any less than that of deep brain emotion extraction.
...
As these thoughts crossed his mind, he couldn't help but lean in this direction while making his wish.
The resulting power of prayer was absorbed by the Holy Grail, which would then give corresponding feedback.
...
And after carefully studying that wish list, Dark had actually grasped a few techniques.
The best way to increase the probability of a successful wish was not to be too specific.
Not "I want to increase it tenfold," but "I want to increase it a bit."
This way, the probability of the wish being granted would be much higher.
This time.
He did just that.
...
About two or three minutes later.
The Holy Grail finally reacted!
As if stars were dripping into it, the "wine" in the cup suddenly stirred, spreading out like a starry night, emitting circle after circle of dark ripples.
Dark, with his eyes shut tight, suddenly "saw" that scene.
The stars falling into his mind flowed like memories, as if he had mastered it from birth and was now merely recalling it.
He had truly received a response!
...
"How was it?"
Principal Cynthia asked softly.
Dark opened his eyes, a hint of excitement in them. "It feels great!"
Principal Cynthia smiled. "It seems to have been a success?"
Dark nodded slightly. "To a certain extent."
Principal Cynthia raised her wand again. "Then let's leave here first."
She pointed her wand at the Holy Grail, and the star-like ripples quickly contracted. The "wine" in the cup gradually receded, leaving only a thin layer behind.
The Holy Grail still emitted its unique aura, but it no longer had its previous allure.
The two of them exited the secret chamber.
Principal Cynthia locked the door and pulled out the door key. The door to the secret chamber vanished instantly, and the wall returned to its original state.
Only then did the principal speak again. "To succeed on the first try, your luck is quite good."
Dark: "My luck is never bad when it counts."
Principal Cynthia: "You don't mind telling me your wish, do you?"
Dark: "Of course not."
This was actually a necessary procedure after making a wish.
Dark had known this ever since Principal Cynthia had taken out the wish list.
After the annual Holy Grail wishing session, students would report the wishes they made to facilitate the school's data collection.
Therefore, the wish he made was, on the surface, completely unrelated to his Demon God bloodline.
...
Emotion and memory had always been the theme of his research.
"You've actually been using a Magic Brain Dropper?"
Principal Cynthia was still surprised, showing clear intent to dissuade him.
Dark briefly explained that he was only dabbling with the "Surface-Skimming Method".
Only then did Principal Cynthia breathe a small sigh of relief, but she still said, "Even if you're only extracting externally, the danger can't be completely eliminated. I personally recommend that you wait until your third, no, fourth year before attempting this subject."
However, she immediately followed up with praise. "But the wish you made was very clever. Instead of directly choosing to go deep into the brain, you approached it from the side, which is a relatively safer choice. If I'm not mistaken, you must have learned a debuff-type mental magic from the Holy Grail."
Dark said admiringly, "Yes, I originally just wanted to master some techniques related to the Magic Brain Dropper."
Principal Cynthia: "The difficulty of learning mental magic is second to none, even among the many types of magic. Without a vast system of knowledge as a framework, it's difficult to make any achievements in this area. You must have already had a foundation in mental magic?"
Dark: "Professor Kazel taught me the [Art of Meditation]."
Principal Cynthia: "No wonder. That was the prerequisite for your wish being granted."
...
Mental magic—[Soul-Losing Charm]!
A mental magic with an effect almost identical to the [Soul-Losing Potion]!
Using the [Soul-Losing Charm] on a person can make them lose consciousness for a short period. At the same time, the bond between their soul and body will loosen, and their thought matter will begin to float, making it easier to be stripped from the brain.
It was because the [Soul-Losing Charm] was too difficult to learn that the [Soul-Losing Potion] was later created.
A human injected with the Soul-Losing Potion is the most perfect incubator for demon parasites.
In the era when the Demon race still existed, the Soul-Losing Potion was one of the most commonly used concoctions in their parasitic experiments.
Although many people saw this as a very evil magic, magic itself has no distinction between good and evil.
The professors at St. Marian Academy had a particularly clear-sighted view on this matter.
...
The [Soul-Losing Charm] that Dark mastered through the Holy Grail was still only at an introductory level.
But getting started is always the hardest part. If he could find a way to continue learning it, he had a chance to master and perfect it further.
...
Before he knew it, it was almost time for curfew.
Dark chatted a while longer with Principal Cynthia about the topic of emotion research and benefited greatly.
He then took his leave, clutching a reward of 10,000 credits as he left the principal's office.
A reward of 10,000 credits was an absolute fortune for a first-year student!
If converted into Saint Coins, it would be a full one hundred and sixty thousand.
But if he really had to spend it, it would be gone in a flash.
Dark didn't dare to overthink it. He only hoped he could use these 10,000 credits to successfully refine the [Fusion] card.
...
As time skipped forward into January, the temperature at St. Marian dropped another level.
Walking alone in the cold, gloomy castle felt like he could freeze at any moment.
Dark cupped his hands and blew a puff of hot air, thinking that perhaps he should install a heater in his dorm.
He wondered if the Magic Guide Spirits were doing their homework seriously.
Basic education wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight.
Dark didn't actually have high hopes for his Magic Guide Spirits, so any progress was a pleasant surprise.
With the start of the new semester, the recruitment window for the Dueling Club reopened.
With his current strength, passing the screening would be a piece of cake, but participating in official duel tournaments required a minimum of forty Magic Guide Cards.
If his deck had fewer than forty cards, he could only participate in the rookie tournament.
Generally, first and second-year students were assigned to this division.
Just thinking about it was a little exciting.
...
After exchanging a glance with the Feathered Serpent Golem guarding the tower gate, Dark entered the common room of the Noble House's tower.
The afterglow of the opening ceremony hadn't faded yet, and about a dozen people remained in the common room.
But most were either reading or playing chess; it was very quiet.
Noble House was far from as rowdy as the Knight's House, nor as quiet as Magic House. An atmosphere like this was very rare.
On a normal day, Dark would probably have sat in a common room like this for a while.
But not tonight.
He still had many things to do!
...
"Click!"
The moment he unlocked the door, Dark clearly sensed a major commotion inside his dorm.
But when he pushed the door open, he saw his Magic Guide Spirits sitting obediently in a row, all diligently doing their homework, except for Trash Slime.
But just one glance told him they were putting on an act...
"Learned how to pretend, have you?"
Dark was so exasperated he almost laughed.
A thunderstorm of scolding followed.
The two Magic Guide Spirits who had done the least amount of homework were pulled out to face the wall and reflect on their actions. After lecturing them for a while longer, Dark took out his experimental equipment and began the experiment to extract [Deadly Sin].
There wasn't much time left tonight, so this was the only experiment he could do.
"Pride 105, Wrath 89, Greed 103, Lust 106."
"Let's start with Greed... no, let's start with the [Soul-Losing Charm] experiment first!"
"DemiDevimon."
"Here!"
...
The full incantation for the [Soul-Losing Charm] was extremely long; reciting it from beginning to end at a normal pace would take at least five minutes.
But by using a simplified incantation, the time could be shortened to just over a minute.
The introductory-level [Soul-Losing Charm] used the simplified incantation. Its effect was temporarily weaker than the [Soul-Losing Potion], but if the effect were too good, it would actually be a problem for Dark.
When casting spells, mages could make adjustments within a certain range.
For example, removing some effects and increasing the weight of others.
The [Soul-Losing Charm] would cause a person to fall unconscious.
The [Soul-Losing Charm] that Dark mastered via the Holy Grail came with a built-in control method to strip away the unconsciousness effect, and it wouldn't cause the caster to suffer from a "daze" themselves.
Furthermore, the duration of the overall effect was extremely short, within just three minutes.
In other words, no [Andersen's Potion] was needed; one would return to normal after three minutes.
A [Soul-Losing Charm] of this level would definitely be considered a failure in any normal magic evaluation system.
But what he needed was exactly this kind of failing-grade [Soul-Losing Charm]!
...
DemiDevimon was summoned over with a miserable look on its face; it would rather face the wall and reflect.
With only wings and no hands, it had to stand on one foot and use its other foot to hold a pen to write when doing homework, which was quite laborious.
Every time it saw Hawlucha, who also had wings but with claws on them, DemiDevimon would be filled with envy and jealousy.
So it had a reason for slacking off on its homework—but of course, that reason didn't fly with Dark!
"If I help with the experiment, is there a little red flower sticker as a reward?"
DemiDevimon, having reluctantly come before its master, asked in a soft, whiny voice.
Dark flashed a big smile. "Of course there is."
...
"Soul-Losing Charm!"
"Ah!"
DemiDevimon let out a blood-curdling scream, but nothing happened.
All the Magic Guide Spirits looked over curiously, giving it the experience of being an actor in the spotlight.
Dark then took out the long-unseen [Joy Card].
As DemiDevimon was enveloped in the light of the [Joy Card], the painful expression on its face vanished in an instant, a smile blossoming as it became completely content.
"The effect is indeed a bit more pronounced than using the [Joy Card] alone."
Dark tried to converse with DemiDevimon in this state.
He found that its line of thought was still clear; it was neither unconscious nor dazed.
As long as it was properly controlled, it wouldn't affect the progress of the experiment.
"It seems feasible!"
This was originally just a precautionary experiment anyway.
The [Soul-Losing Charm] bestowed by the Holy Grail met his needs in every aspect.
Dark put away the [Joy Card] and waited quietly for three minutes.
Three minutes later, DemiDevimon, having made a complete fool of itself, "cried" as it fled to its small bed, burrowing into its cute little quilt with only half a foot sticking out.
Just as Dark was about to begin the [Deadly Sin] extraction experiment, it scurried back, desperately hinting about the little red flower.
So Dark gave it a little red flower, and then confiscated it.
A reward for helping with the experiment, and a punishment for slacking off!
"Perhaps this is the carrot and the stick, a mix of kindness and authority."
Dark couldn't help but laugh out loud.
DemiDevimon: "Aaaaaaaaaah!"
...
After verifying the safety of the [Soul-Losing Charm], Dark began the official experiment.
The subject was not [Greed], but [Wrath]!
His main goal at the moment was to see if he could make a [Deadly Sin] with an index below 100 overflow from his brain, and then extract it using the "Surface-Skimming Method".
But before that, he needed to use the [Art of Meditation] to achieve a high level of mental concentration.
The [Art of Meditation] and the [Soul-Losing Charm] seemed contradictory, but they were not.
The [Art of Meditation] was for concentrating the spirit internally, while the [Soul-Losing Charm] was for loosening the barrier on the spirit's exterior.
With careful guidance, he could lead his spirit out of his brain.
Dark picked up the Magic Brain Dropper, sterilized it, and then blew it dry.
After a while, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and his mental energy condensed sharply; he had entered the meditative state.
"Soul-Losing Charm"!
Casting a spell on himself for the first time, Dark was inevitably a little nervous.
But the effect was just as he expected.
He could sense some of his thoughts drifting outward.
This was actually extremely dangerous.
One careless mistake, and what drifted out wouldn't be emotions, but memories!
But fortunately, his [Soul-Losing Charm] was a truly degraded version and was still within his control.
Afterward, Dark immediately followed the method for summoning emotions from "A Guide to Using the Magic Brain Dropper" and called out only [Wrath].
But a moment later, he gradually opened his eyes.
It was a failure!
[Wrath] had stopped in its tracks some distance from the "barrier" and could not be lured out, no matter what.
Dark didn't feel discouraged by this.
He carefully recalled the experience, recorded his sensations, and then thought it over carefully.
More than ten minutes later.
[GNT_PBREA]He began the second experiment!
This time he gave up on [Wrath] and took his most familiar [Pride] as the experimental target.
Release!
Release!
Release again!
Relying on his increasingly clear perception of [Pride].
He could clearly sense that the portion of [Pride] overflowing from his brain had already exceeded five points!
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 50 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin