Psychic Parasite

Chapter 223: Physics Can be Confusing at Times
”The surface of the spindle forms an arc when placed in a circle, and its radius is what we specify as curvature here. Assume the two ends of the spindle forming a line. When both the ends touch the circumference of a circle, the line forms a chord. The chord and the arc form the spindle—with the chord as the axis— when rotated a full circle. For a spindle with a curvature of 50 centimetres, the diameter at its centre is about 2.02 centimetres.”

”The lower the curvature, the greater the spindle’s diameter at its centre; for example, the Type 57B Spindle has a curvature of 45 centimetres. Its diameter at the centre is about 2.25 centimetres. The Type 57B2 Spindle has a curvature of 40 centimetres and its diameter at the centre is 2.54 centimetres.”

”If the spindle is thin, you can spin it faster. As the diameter in its centre increases, its rotation speed decreases. But, in contrast, the torque increases. To drill through a material, just speed alone is insufficient. If it doesn’t have sufficient torque, its spin will stop the moment it touches a surface. If the torque is too much, then the speed is affected. That will make the drilling operation slow, too slow to have any effect on the Frenzy Beast lunging at you. So, select spindles that suit your needs. If the Type has the suffix C, then spindle length increases. Decide accordingly.”

Jyorta nodded in response to the voice, sensing the ensuing silence. It was like the voice could guess his intentions, providing him with the explanation the moment he wanted to browse the spindles further.

Etched around the centre, forming a full circle around the circumference were the words, ’SP-Type 59’. It was a short indication of his spindle’s brand.

’I should prevent the other students from looking at the inscription. A glance will allow them to link to its properties. This is beyond what I could officially handle. The moment they see it would be when their suspicion will be raised. Another factor to take into consideration,’ Jyorta sighed.

He controlled the Type 59 Spindle, watching its resistance to his psychic energy decrease, soon becoming his Refined Object. It took less than a minute to achieve it. Upon his thought, it began to rotate, spinning faster and faster.

Soon, it slipped out of his psychic arm’s control, falling on the floor, making a ringing sound upon its collision. Due to its spin, the spindle rolled on the floor, its speed fast, hitting the metal rails of the helical staircase, and producing a loud ringing sound.

”Careful!” A shout resounded in his ears, loud, making his head spin for a moment. Jyorta shook his head, clutching his ears in response, squinting. He then noticed the spindle rebound after the collision, its spin only reduced a little.

It rolled on the floor, hitting the lower lines of the sections, reflected upon the rebound, rolling forward. Ringing sounds resounded every time it hit the metal rails of the helical staircase on its path, making him wince each time in distaste.

A helical staircase was placed every 20 metres. Soon, after the third hit, the spindle made a full turn and began to roll in his direction. His psychic arm seeped into it the moment it arrived in range. But, he wasn’t able to immediately stop it, his psychic arm unable to grab it firmly due to its momentum and spin.

He stepped back, following the spindle’s movement as his psychic arm sought to bring it under control. A couple of seconds later, the spindle stopped spinning, its momentum negated by his psychic arm. Jyorta looked at the spindle’s surface; its lustre had reduced by a notch, layered by faint dust. It also sported mild scratches, thanks to its rolling and hitting.

When Jyorta was about to grab hold of it using his hand, he stopped, sensing the heat emanating from it. ’So, it slipped out of control because my concentration lapsed for an instant. Even though its speed was well within the theoretical limits of my psychic arm’s control. I guess this also serves as a lesson.’

”Just because you can spin it at that speed doesn’t mean you can control it. You must actively control the actions of your psychic arm with your mind. The moment you relax, it will spiral out of control. Do you get my point?” Hearing the voice shouting in his ears, Jyorta instinctively closed his ears. Even then, he was unable to block the sound.

”Sorry sir, I will control myself better.” Jyorta apologised, making a bow in a random direction, acting as if the source of the voice was located accordingly.

”That you better do,” With an admonishing tone and after a remark, the voice vanished. Jyorta sighed, grabbing hold of the spindle. It was warm to the touch. The heat within it had dissipated fairly in the 5-6 seconds he was being scolded.

’So, the material is a good conductor of heat.’ Jyorta nodded, wondering the material the spindle was made of. Its texture was smooth, resembling steel but it weighed heavier than steel ought to at that size.

”It slipped out of my control even though I hadn’t used my full power. It seems I have to select a thicker one.” Jyorta murmured, climbing up through a helical staircase. The stairs were perforated, the sounds of his footsteps dispersed, muffling it.

He arrived on the second level, picking up a Type 59B Spindle. It was slightly thicker at the centre than the Type 59 Spindle. Jyorta seeped his psychic arm into it, converting it into his Refined Object after a minute had passed.

The moment he had begun to spin it, Jyorta noticed an obvious difference. The speed at which the rpm of the Type 59B spindle increased was a notch slower than the Type 59 spindle. But, he could feel better control over it, thanks to the wider centre.

’Torque and speed, both are important. I must balance between them to find the optimal ratio. Wait, an optimal ratio doesn’t exist. To penetrate a tougher, fibrous hide, greater torque is necessary. But to penetrate a smooth, hard surface, speed is of vital importance. The optimal ratio changes according to each place of application.’

A moment later, he climbed up another level, picking up a Type 59B2 Spindle. It had a curvature of 40 centimetres and a diameter of 2.54 centimetres at the centre. He used it for a couple of minutes, practicing its usage, feeling it to be optimal for his use.

He picked two of them, carrying with him as he proceeded to higher levels. The item was a Type 59 BC2. It had a curvature of 40 centimetres, and the spindle length was 15 centimetres. After a moment of use, he returned it, feeling it to be longer for his tastes.

He then moved up another level, with the sole focus of experiencing all the types of spindles available to use. It was a Type 59BC22 Spindle, with a curvature of 40 centimetres and a spindle length of 20 centimetres.

’It is long and serves no advantage than a Type 59 Spindle. Also, when it penetrates through muscle, the greater surface area will increase the resistance experienced by the spindle, wasting power and expending more psychic energy.’

Just when he was about to return it, he paused, changing his line of thought as he looked at its greater length. He touched it with his hand, feeling a different texture than the previous spindles. After a moment of thought, he slapped the back of his head a little.

’Just because they are weapons doesn’t mean that they should only be used as weapons. I can also use them for defence. Thanks to its longer length, I can also use it by grabbing them with my hand when needed.’

’I should get a longer one then.’ Jyorta was about to climb up when he paused in thought once again.

’The weight limit is the maximum weight my psychic arm could lift. Adding onto the speed, the force it can apply is a lot. But, when defending, do I need to use a spindle with that much weight? If I reduce its weight, I could use that extra bit to negate the force of my opponent. Hmm, but if the weight is decreased, the force it can exert also reduces. Am I just confusing myself?’

Jyorta stood in place, broiled in thought. He began to revise the concepts of physics he had come to learn, trying to solidify his logic. ’The staff wouldn’t have pointed me to this section only based on my weight limit. What am I getting confused about here?’

He then went about the basics of the force application. Force, quantised as the product of mass and acceleration; when the acceleration is fixed, the force exerted varies along with the mass. Whether one was attacking or defending, the application of force remained the same.

Force was a simple concept of push and pull. When multiple forces act, in various directions, upon vector resolution, they would obtain the net force. Gravity was a force acting towards the ground, pulling everything towards it.

Using his psychic arm, whether he carried an object weighing 50 grams or 3 kilograms, the maximum speed at which he could move it was the same. Therefore, the greater the weight of the object, the greater the force he could exhibit using it.

’So, my first choice of action was the correct one.’ Jyorta left a self-deprecating laugh, ”Leave it to physics to screw us from time to time.”

’Maintaining a firm logic is always the best, especially in cases like this where the supernatural still follows the laws of physics.’ Jyorta climbed up two levels before picking a spindle. Its length spanned 30 centimetres.

Type 59BC24 Spindle!