Hmm. It's good that magic has been tweaked and improved, but it's problematic that there's no way to test this changed magic.

I can't recklessly teach something that hasn't been tested either.

After all, testing and debugging are indispensable steps after creating anything. Hmm... A testbed... I need a testbed...

But using it myself wouldn't create the same environment as when a lizardman uses it. Hmm... What to do.

If I were a lizardman, it would be simple, but unfortunately, I am not a lizardman...

Hmm? Wait a minute.

If I'm not a lizardman... then becoming a lizardman would solve the problem, right?

Using polymorph to change... that would only change the appearance, not the essence, making it difficult to achieve the same results.

Should I try creating a clone instead? A clone... Hmm... Alright.

I nodded slightly.

There was nothing I couldn't create with my power of creation, so let's create a lizardman.

If I connect my consciousness to it and make it into a clone, wouldn't that work?

Fortunately, there were plenty of lizardmen to serve as blueprints. Just pick one at random, copy, and create.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So, I created a lizardman. The lizardman with silver scales was completed in a plausible form.

Good. The body is ready. Now, if I connect my mind to this body... Hmm... I connect the main body and the clone with magic. Shall I name it mental synchronization magic?

The lizardman, who had been closing its eyes as if asleep, slowly opened them, and in front of it was me.

No, in front of me was my form. Um. The recognition that both are me doesn't leave my mind. One mind. Two bodies. Hmm...

Moving together isn't easy. Especially the main body.

Moving the clone isn't too burdensome... but when I move the main body, it seems like there's not enough resources to move the clone. Is it because I'm concentrating on moving the main body, neglecting the clone?

Well, there's no need to move both the main body and the clone right now, so let's move on. If improvements are needed, we'll fix it next time.

But why do I feel like even without the power of creation, it might be possible to form a body purely with magic?

Of course, it consumes a significant amount of magic, so ordinary creatures wouldn't dare to use it, and the body created this way would have much lower capabilities compared to the amount of magic consumed, making it a less than useful ability...

If you're more than just a creature... for the children that treated as Spirit Kings... might it be possible?

Hmm. Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I took scales from the other children, except Erebus... Even if returning the scales is problematic, wouldn't it be okay to share this much?

With this method, even if a body is created, there would be many limitations on its abilities, so it wouldn't cause the same chaos as before.

Using a large amount of magic to form a body and connecting a mind to create a clone... Magic? Can this be called magic? The amount of magic consumed is so immense that not even humans, let alone elves, could use it.

Anyway, I decided to name this method... Avatar.

Considering the amount of magic consumed, it wouldn't be usable unless by beings worthy of being called gods.

After disconnecting the connection with the lizardman clone, I started to modify the lizardman here and there.

I changed its race to human, tried making it an elf, a dwarf... Hmm. Beastkin are possible too. It's like customizing a character in a game.

I can change the appearance... Is gender change not possible? Hmm... Well, does it really matter?

For some reason, even in human form, horns are basically included like when using polymorph, but they can be removed anytime... Removing the horns seems to further reduce the total power the avatar can exert.

Well, how often would I need to use power with the clone? If I were to use power, I'd use the main body. Um.

Anyway, after changing the clone back to a lizardman, I began to test the magic I had improved.

Magic that allows a spirit itself to possess a body. I possess the body of the lizardman with a very compliant fire spirit.

[Body! Fresh body!!]

Spirits, especially those that were originally dragons, seem to instinctively long for the time when they had physical bodies, craving the body of the lizardman I created and being completely absorbed into it.

Then, the body of the lizardman began to burn as if it were on fire. Hmm... When a spirit possesses it, the body itself becomes closer to a spirit.

First of all, the performance itself is excellent. Since the body has become half spirit, it can deflect almost all physical attacks.

Hmm... It feels like the Devil Fruit of a certain pirate manga, doesn't it? Of course, there's nothing to be done against attacks powerful enough to harm the spirit itself.

Moreover, the possessed spirit's attribute perfectly manifests, so if a fire spirit possesses it, every movement is accompanied by flames.

Let's skip over the fact that possessing a wind spirit could allow it to fly through the sky.

Still, if the spirit doesn't steal the body, or if it becomes friendly enough, there shouldn't be a problem. Or it's also possible if the spirit is completely subdued and made unable to resist.

There are issues like spirits constantly coveting the body if there isn't enough interaction with them, or the variance depending on the power of the possessing spirit. But it was undoubtedly a good technique.

There were minor issues like the lizardmen's low magical power limiting the strength of the spirits they could possess... But that's something I could fix by teaching the lizardmen a simple meditation technique to gather magical power.

If the user is on friendly terms with multiple spirits... Hmm, could they possess multiple spirits at once? That's something I'm curious about.

But becoming friends with all those spirits wouldn't be easy. Spirits are like capricious children who won't easily listen.

Wait. Spirits, listen...?

At that moment, a spark of an idea flashed through my mind.

The talent of a Archmage. That is... the ability to communicate with spirits and quickly become friends, perhaps a kind of social skill?

No, calling it social skill sounds a bit odd. A personality that quickly becomes intimate? A talent? Like a capybara? Hmm...

No, maybe it's a talent for taking care of children? Since one must gently coax the whimsical and willful spirits to become friends...

If it's easier to soothe spirits, then one could use magic more excellently.

I chuckled softly to myself.

A mage's aptitude being social skills. How did it come to this...? But, being close to spirits has many advantages, so isn't it fine?

If it's a spirit with considerable power, it could even influence the environment or weather. A skilled mage could coax such spirits and obtain what they need.

Hmm. It might even be useful for rituals like praying for rain. To alleviate droughts or stop rain when a flood is about to happen. Though individual lizardmen have little magical power, spirits would willingly use their power for a close friend.

Alright. Having decided this, I need to designate one of the lizardmen with outstanding social skills as a Archmage.

Thinking this, I opened GodTalk, and something caught my attention.

A few buttons located at the bottom of GodTalk. One of them is shaped like a speech bubble, so I understand it's the current message window...

But what about the star-shaped one?

I pressed the star shape with my finger and saw the message list change to a different window.

Yggdrasil. Sagarmatha. And the name Shamash appeared on the screen. It looked like a screen showing a list of people in a messenger.

I see. So, this screen shows a list of gods.

But Shamash? I understand the other two, but Shamash? Why is that child listed here?

Hmm... Is the faith in Shamash spreading among humans? It's natural to sanctify the light that illuminates darkness...

Ahem, does it really matter? Having one more god to look after humans isn't bad.

Favoritism? It is favoritism... but it can't be helped.

Without such favoritism... humans might be pushed out by other races and disappear.

Humans, who have no other advantages except being widely spread across the world and having a large population, can't be left to go extinct.

Because I, who was once human long ago, part of me says to help them.

That's why I am favoring humans.