Investing in the Three Villainesses Gives Me Infinite Returns

Elias opened his eyes, and the first thing he noticed was how different the world looked.

[Perception/Comprehension: 25 → 30]

[Mana/Spirit: 6 → 11]

He smiled and ignored the orange screens before focusing on his environment.

His vision seemed sharper than before, allowing him to distinguish even the smallest details within Monica’s room, from the faint cracks running across the wooden floor to the individual strands of her blue hair resting beside her head.

More importantly, he could suddenly feel a strange yet familiar energy that had always existed around him but had remained completely invisible before.

It was mana.

It flowed through the air like an unseen current, surrounding his body and drifting through every corner of the room. He could sense faint traces of it within the magical formations around Monica’s bed, while an even denser concentration existed at her forehead.

It appeared like transparent, colorless waves.

’This is amazing,’ he remarked inwardly.

The sensation was surreal, and Elias remained silent for several seconds as he tried to understand it before Monica’s voice finally broke through his thoughts.

”How do you feel?” she asked.

Elias looked toward her and slowly moved his hands before flexing his fingers, testing whether anything about his body felt different. Aside from the strange awareness of mana surrounding him, he felt perfectly normal.

”Good...” he said quietly before a smile appeared on his face. ”I feel great.”

Monica smiled and nodded as she watched him.

”What kind of magic do you want to learn?” she asked.

”Healing magic,” Elias answered immediately.

The smile disappeared from Monica’s face.

She stared at him for several seconds before shaking her head.

”Nope,” she said firmly. ”That is too difficult.”

”I require it,” Elias said.

Monica raised an eyebrow.

”You require it?”

Elias nodded.

”Yes.”

Monica sighed.

”Healing magic is not just Healing magic,” she explained. ”It is much more complicated than you seem to think.”

”What do you mean?” Elias asked.

”Healing magic is a branch of Replication magic,” Monica said. ”Mages use their own life essence as a medium and replicate it into an expandable energy that can restore damaged bodies.”

Elias’s brows furrowed as he processed her explanation.

”Hmm...”

Monica watched his expression before narrowing her eyes.

”You do not get it, do you?” she asked.

”I think not...” Elias admitted.

”That is why it is hard,” Monica said with a small smile. ”Not every mage bothers learning it, because it requires far more effort than most ordinary branches of magic. Otherwise, who would not want to learn the type of magic that can even bring someone back from the brink of death?”

Elias’s expression became thoughtful.

”What about those who have an affinity for it?” he asked.

”Affinities only make it easier to learn that type of magic,” Monica explained. ”That does not mean you will be able to use it efficiently. In the end, it depends on how good the mage is at controlling their mana.”

Elias lowered his gaze toward his hands.

He could already feel the mana around him, and now that he had awakened his mind’s eye, the invisible energy no longer seemed completely mysterious.

He wanted to understand it.

More importantly, he wanted to learn how to use it.

”I want to try doing it... at least once,” Elias said before looking back toward Monica. ”Please.”

Monica stared at him.

For several seconds, she remained silent before finally releasing a long sigh.

”You are acting like a kid, you know?” she said.

An embarrassed look immediately appeared on Elias’s face.

He glanced away.

”I am not.”

Monica couldn’t help chuckling when she saw his reaction.

”Fine, fine,” she said, still smiling. ”Since you insist, I will explain it properly.”

Elias turned his attention back toward her.

”Replication magic simply requires you to examine what you want to replicate down to its very details and then build that structure using mana,” Monica explained. ”It requires extreme precision, a high level of comprehension, and a great amount of mana.”

Elias nodded slowly.

”So I need to understand what I am trying to create before I can replicate it.”

”Exactly,” Monica said. ”You cannot simply imagine something and expect mana to reproduce it perfectly. You need to understand its structure, its function, its composition, and the way its different parts interact with one another.”

Elias’s expression became more serious.

That sounded considerably more complicated than he had expected.

”If someone wanted to replicate a broken bone, for example,” Monica continued, ”they would need to understand the shape of the bone, its density, the way its surface connects to the surrounding tissue, and even the smallest details of its internal structure. A mistake could make the healing worse instead of better.”

Elias frowned.

”So healing requires that much precision?”

”Much more,” Monica answered. ”The human body is complicated, and life essence is even more difficult to manipulate. That is why healing mages are so valuable.”

Elias remained silent for a moment before nodding.

”Can you guide me through it?” he asked.

Monica’s brows furrowed.

”You still want to try it?”

”I do.”

She stared at him before shaking her head.

”You are too stubborn.”

Elias smiled faintly.

She adjusted her head slightly before looking at him with a more serious expression.

”Then listen carefully and do exactly what I tell you,” she said. ”Do not rush, and do not try to force your mana if you cannot control it. The mind’s eye is new to you, so you need to become familiar with it before attempting anything complicated.”

Elias nodded.

”Understood.”

Monica watched him for another moment before giving him his first instruction.

”Close your eyes,” she said.

Elias immediately obeyed.

His eyelids lowered, and the familiar darkness returned, although it no longer felt quite as empty as before. He could still sense the mana around him, faintly brushing against his awareness as though countless invisible streams were flowing through the room.

Monica’s voice reached him through the darkness.

”Now, focus on your mind’s eye.”