Limited Cheat Ability

"Holy shit?!"

Carl stared blankly at the extra spell that had appeared in her Spell Slot.

If this Dream Space could break through her Intelligence limit and allow her to prepare every spell she had learned in her Spell Slot, then she...

"Tch, it doesn't seem like that much of an improvement. At most, I can handle more unexpected situations."

As an Artificer, the highest-level spells Carl could learn were only 5th-level spells, and Artificers did not have many spells available to them in the first place.

"Ah, what a shame. I'm not smart enough to become a wizard. Otherwise, this would've been a pretty great cheat."

Patting her cheeks, Carl stopped fantasizing about unrealistic things and instead began manifesting every spell she had mastered within the Dream World.

"Mm, the Spell Slot really did include all these spells. This way, I won't have to frantically adjust my spells whenever something unexpected happens."

Satisfied, Carl gazed at the floating magical runes in the Dream World's sky, planted her hands on her hips, and indulged in herself for a moment.

"Right, if spells work, then what about an Artificer's infusions..."

With a thought, a Hand Crossbow appeared in Carl's hand.

Immediately afterward, azure magical patterns emerged across the Hand Crossbow's frame.

"Besides Rapid Fire Weapon, the infusions I know include Returning Weapon and Replicate Magic Item. Given our current situation, I should replicate an Alchemy Jug and a Bag of Holding."

The Returning Weapon infusion allowed a hand axe to fly back after striking an enemy, essentially giving the weapon the passive effect of Captain America's shield.

Replicate Magic Item, meanwhile, allowed Carl to conjure certain magic items out of thin air for use.

"The only problem is that I can currently maintain only two infused items."

If she chose to Replicate Magic Item, the infusion on Carl's weapon would have to be removed.

After much consideration, Carl decided to ask Hopp for her opinion once she woke up.

If they could find some materials, she could transform both of their weapons into genuine magic items while the infusions were active. That way, Carl's infusion slots would be freed up.

Of course, the reverse was also possible.

However, neither the Alchemy Jug nor the Bag of Holding seemed to require materials that this dungeon could produce.

Shaking her head, Carl recalled the knowledge she had learned in the past and prepared to recreate samples of every infusion she knew in the Dream World.

But recreating those infusions was not as easy as the earlier Rapid Fire Weapon. Probably because Carl's memories were not entirely accurate, some infusions would suddenly dissipate after she finished constructing them.

So Carl could only dig deeply into her old memories and attempt to fill in the missing pieces through their underlying principles.

Time passed quickly. When Carl finally completed the infusion models for the Alchemy Jug and Bag of Holding, she suddenly felt that she should wake up.

Opening her eyes, the first thing Carl saw was Hopp's fiery red thighs.

They were straight and crossed before her. Even in the dim light, Carl could clearly see the texture of her skin.

Wait, if I can see Hopp's thighs, then she's currently...

Imagining their current positions, Carl felt blood rush uncontrollably toward her lower body.

She had only just awakened, and with this added stimulation, Carl felt like she could probably go head-to-head with the armor beside her right now.

My heart is like ice, unshaken even if the heavens fall. Amid ten thousand changes, I remain still; my spirit is serene and calm...

Silently reciting the Ice Heart Mantra from her previous life, Carl tried to calm her less-than-calm body.

In her previous life, Carl had not been without relationships. As for what an adult man should have experienced, she had even exceeded the quota.

In this life, because of supernatural powers, rather than satisfying her needs, she hoped to improve herself on the path of becoming a professional and pilot a mech as soon as possible.

Romance was simply too distracting. The world was vast, and she would not die without dating.

But as a hot-blooded fourteen-year-old boy, even though Carl had tried her best not to think about the opposite sex, her body reacted intensely anyway.

Could this be an ancestral influence? I heard my great-great-great-grandfather was a high-level Half-Orc Druid. Both my grandfather and grandmother had Half-Orc blood too. My father was human, but his physique was far above the human average. Could I have inherited some of those traits as well?

Curling up, Carl tried her best to keep the conspicuous part of her body from being noticed by Hopp.

Developing a reaction to a teammate after waking up...

Carl felt that if the other party found out about this, she would be too ashamed to face anyone.

As she shifted her position, Hopp seemed to notice Carl's movement. She suddenly opened her eyes, rolled over, and sat up.

"Whew, that was a mistake. I think I completely passed out."

As she spoke, Hopp shook her head, trying to wake herself up quickly.

"Are we going out to hunt later? Should I make some tools for us first?"

Because her current posture was somewhat awkward, Carl tried to use this topic to divert Hopp's attention.

"Hm? You can make tools too? Like what you did to the Hand Crossbow earlier?"

Sure enough, Hopp's attention was drawn to Carl's topic.

"No, it's a little different from modifying the Hand Crossbow. I can also directly replicate certain magic items for use. Given our current situation, I think the magic items we need most are an Alchemy Jug and a Bag of Holding."

"The former can produce about thirty-six liters of fresh water or fifty-four liters of salt water every day, while the latter lets us store items weighing no more than two hundred kilograms and taking up no more than sixty-four cubic feet."

Carl and Hopp's long-term goal was to return to the surface world, but given the current circumstances, their immediate priority was finding a way to survive.

For wilderness survival, the most important things were maintaining calories, water, and salt intake.

Things like vitamins could be given slightly lower priority.

But stable sources of those three had to be secured as soon as possible.

"Magic really is incredible."

Hopp looked at Carl uncertainly, her expression utterly marvelous.

Back in Zhuomu, she had never received treatment like this. Food, fresh water, and salt usually had to be "traded" for with an axe in hand.

"Can you make them now, then? Is there anything you need me to do?"

As she spoke, Hopp scooted backward, giving Carl more room inside the cave.

"I can only maintain two infusions right now. Once I make the Alchemy Jug and Bag of Holding, the infusion effect attached to this weapon will disappear."

"If possible, when we go out exploring next, besides hunting, we should also look for special minerals or gemstones."

"I also know an infusion called Returning Weapon. It can make your hand axe return to your hand after it hits an enemy. Once we find suitable materials, I'll start modifying and upgrading our weapons."