True: Caught in a Summoning Spell – Isn't a Storage Specialist the Strongest?! - chapter 4

Chapter 4: Storage

Several days passed, just like that.

Today’s lecture featured an elderly professor named Marlon, an esteemed scholar and magician. The Hero trio no longer attended these lectures; it seemed the instructors had given up on them. Their behavior during class—yawning, whispering, and generally being inattentive—had driven the teachers to the edge. If I were the instructor, I’d have thrown them out ages ago. Not that I could do it physically, of course.

“Storage Specialist, you say? I’ve never heard of such a profession,” Professor Marlon mused. “But I suspect it allows you to store items without the need for an Item Bag.”

So, it’s a job rendered unnecessary if you have an Item Bag. Wonderful.

Naturally, I was curious about my Storage Specialist class.

Back in my room, I tried various commands while holding a cup from the table:

“Item Bag!”

“Item Box!”

“Open Item Bag!”

“Open Item Box!”

However, after being caught mid-practice by a maid delivering my meal, I decided to cut back on these impromptu experiments. At least knock first! What if I’d been in the middle of something… delicate?

What? You did knock, but I didn’t answer, so you came in anyway? Fair enough. My apologies for not noticing.

“Try holding your pen and saying ‘Store!’ like you would with an Item Bag,” Professor Marlon advised.

“That should allow you to store it.”

“Store!”

The pen vanished from my hand.

“It worked! The pen’s gone!”

“Indeed, it seems to have stored successfully. Now, focus on the pen you just stored and say ‘Release!’ to retrieve it.”

“Release!”

The pen reappeared abruptly by my right hand, and I dropped it out of surprise.

“With repeated practice, your proficiency as a Storage Specialist will improve, allowing you to store larger and heavier items with ease,” Marlon explained. “Why not try practicing this afternoon? Bear in mind, however, that using ‘Store’ and ‘Release’ does consume MP, so be mindful of your limits.”

In the afternoon, the maid escorted me to a courtyard for practice. Meanwhile, the Hero trio was out in the main square undergoing intense physical and magical training.

Thankfully, everyone—lecturers, maids, and knights alike—treated me kindly, despite my apparent lack of combat prowess. The knights, as it turned out, were elite royal guards serving the princess. They were far more important than I initially realized.

It seems the trio, particularly the Hero, had a reputation for causing trouble. Perhaps as a result, everyone seemed to show me extra courtesy. While I felt bad for the staff, I couldn’t help but feel a hint of gratitude toward the trio. Not that I’d say it aloud.

In the center of the courtyard sat a large, round stone. Professor Marlon had instructed me to repeatedly store and release it for practice.

I placed my hand on the stone and said, “Store!” The stone vanished. Then I focused on the image of the stone and said, “Release!” It reappeared in its original spot.

I repeated this process over and over. Eventually, saying “Store!” and “Release!” out loud became tiresome, so I tried issuing the commands silently in my head. To my delight, it worked just as well.

As I grew more accustomed to the process, I started experimenting. I touched the stone, counted “One,” and stored it. After a brief pause, I released it.

“Two.” Same process—store and release.

“Three. Four…” It became monotonous, like a mindless chore.

“…Ninety-nine. One hundred.”

By now, I must have done this 800 or maybe 900 times. I lost count.

At some point, I discovered I didn’t need to physically touch the stone to store it. Testing my limits, I stepped back gradually while attempting to store it.

One step back—success.

Two steps—still worked.

Three steps—fine.

Four steps—failure.

For now, my range was three steps. With continued practice, I felt I might eventually extend that range.

I continued the repetition, now standing three steps away. Store, release, store, release. Over 1,000 cycles in, I realized something odd: I wasn’t feeling any strain. I thought using an Item Bag consumed MP—did my Storage ability operate differently?

Inspired, I decided to see if I could release the stone in a different spot. Sure enough, it worked. I could place the stone anywhere within roughly three and a half steps from me.

“One, two, three… Ninety-nine, one hundred.”

Pushing further, I tried placing the stone four steps away. Success! What about five steps? It worked as well!

“One, two, three… Ninety-nine, one hundred.”

And on it went. By the time I decided to call it a day, I was curious how much farther I could push the limits.

On the way back to my room, I realized I didn’t know the route, so I sat on the stone in the courtyard, zoning out until the maid came to fetch me.

Oh, and it seemed my nearsightedness had miraculously corrected itself. At first, I continued wearing my glasses out of habit, but they made everything blurry. Thinking my prescription had worsened, I rubbed my eyes one night, only to realize I could see perfectly without them. I stored my glasses that evening and went to bed.