The planet's vitality—the 'Great Source'—is exhausted, the planet's physical body dies, its thinking stops, its soul dissipates, and finally, the planet's will, that is, gaia, ceases to exist—the Steel Land.
This theory sounds very reasonable, but Jean Stardust still had a question:
"Then Koro-sensei, why is Soul Power at a higher level than Life Force and Mental Power?"
"That is an excellent question. Do you all know the concept of information entropy?" Koro-sensei asked a scientific question.
"Roughly speaking, the observer's degree of 'not knowing' about an event is viewed as entropy (disorder). Through 'information,' moving from 'not knowing' to 'knowing,' entropy (disorder) decreases, which is anti-entropy work, requiring the consumption of energy. That is, the transmission of information requires... energy." Among these people, only Jean Stardust had some scientific literacy, and at this point, Jean Stardust seemed to understand a little.
"That is roughly correct. So, how does the will drive our bodies?" Although he posed the question, this time Koro-sensei explained it directly:
"First, the will determines the direction, issues commands through the soul, calculates how to achieve it through thinking, and finally, the body executes it specifically. You might think the will is the thinking or thoughts in the brain; this is a common misconception. The will, which can also be called the 'heart,' comes from a place even deeper than the soul."
"The will transmits the direction to the soul, and the energy in between is—Willpower."
"The soul interprets, dilutes, and transforms Willpower into—Soul Power—which directly influences thinking and the body."
"Soul Power acts on thinking, and thinking directs the body's actions; even more so, it can bypass the body to influence the outside world, which is—Mental Power."
"Soul Power acts on the body without the interference of thinking, only capable of performing the body's most basic function, 'being alive,' and this is—Life Force."
Unknowingly, Koro-sensei had already written a blackboard full of notes. However, because of his extreme speed, he finished it while talking without any delay.
Although it looked complicated, it was simple to summarize: the surface layers are Life Force and Mental Power, the deep layer is Soul Power, and the bottom layer is Willpower.
"Then Koro-sensei, in my Burst Mode, is the power consumed from the soul's Soul Power?"
"That is correct. In my eyes, the Dragon Power of you and FrostNova should be a mixture of Soul Power and Life Force. Of course, it also contains some Mental Power, Willpower, and Dragon-nature factors, but it is mainly a large amount of Life Force accompanied by a portion of Soul Power."
Seeing Jean Stardust lost in thought, Koro-sensei continued:
"Of course, energy is not just what life produces itself. For example, Elemental Power, the opposite of Life Force—Death Force, the King Power which I don't know if it really exists, and the Power of Existence, which is extremely difficult to discover and perceive without a guide. There are many strange powers in the world. Although they are all energy in essence, and it is 'quality' and 'quantity' that determine strength, what is most suitable for you personally is what matters most. Alright, it's getting late, let's stop here for today. I will prepare a corresponding short-term plan for each of you. Let's meet again when you are more familiar with yourselves."
Then, waving his tentacles rapidly, he wrote down 5 plans, handed them to the people, and then flickered and disappeared.
"Power of Existence?" Medea repeated blankly.
This was the second time in her life she had heard this term. The first time was when her master, Hecate, handed her the staff and mentioned it once.
'As expected, outside this world, one will always encounter things related to Master.'
Now, Medea was full of motivation.
Next, Miss Meido, who had been waiting on the side, walked up and said to the group:
"Everyone, this training room can be used freely. In addition, we have prepared quite a few tasks for you to complete."
As Miss Meido operated it, one of the walls turned into a monitor, displaying a dozen or so task sheets of two categories.
"These tasks are hunting missions, aimed at hunting monsters, magic beasts, and wild animals in various underworlds. There is also the acquisition of some materials. Upon completion, there will be a reward in T-Points."
Jean Stardust took a look; there were tasks ranging from a dozen points to several hundred points, and the types were also varied.
"To ensure your safety, this task sheet comes with a service to return to the base when near death, but each use will deduct 1/3 of the reward. After 3 times, it will automatically return here, and you will not be able to accept commissions again within 24 hours."
Although it was good that it could guarantee the safety of their lives, this sense of déjà vu was too strong. The cat had already appeared three times; should they be picking Palicoes next?
Of course, in the end, Miss Meido didn't mention anything about Palicoes. Instead, she announced to Jean Stardust that her rest was over and it was time to start her afternoon work.
Having no choice, having just owed a huge debt, Jean Stardust was under someone else's roof, so she lowered her head and left with Miss Meido, while the others remained where they were, reading the plans Koro-sensei had given them.
Jean Stardust also read her own copy while walking. The first item was very simple: empty the Life Force in the body.
This was very simple for Jean Stardust. Once, during the battle with Nyarlathotep, she had continuously emptied the Life Force that filled her body.
So, with the idea of trying it out, she converted all the Life Force in her body into a stardust crystal. When a crystal the size of a fist formed, the Life Force was almost completely exhausted.
If calculated by the usual usage of Stardust Wind, this crystal was enough to convert enough Stardust Wind to fill a large gymnasium.
Just as Jean Stardust was happily feeling herself getting stronger, a wave of discomfort suddenly surged into her heart.
Then, it felt as if her body began to turn cold, and her consciousness began to blur gradually. This feeling was too familiar; it was exactly the feeling of approaching death.
But this time, it was not presenting from the inside out, but rather invading from the outside.
But carefully looking around, she found nothing. Miss Meido was still walking forward, as if she hadn't noticed any abnormality.
Although she didn't know what had happened, Jean Stardust instinctively became alert, took the scabbard of White Wind to convert the stardust crystal into Stardust Wind to fill it, and at the same time opened her spatial pouch, preparing to take out the crystal left by Cthugha to replenish herself.
Just at this moment, she saw Miss Meido suddenly stop, and then slowly turn around.
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