The Psychic Shield helped Bella defend against telepathy and, to some extent, curses.
Within the depths of her “spirit lake,” the spell formed an abstract symbol resembling a web, indicating that Bella had fully mastered and could skillfully use this spell.
The deeper her understanding of her psychic abilities, the stronger the attacks the spell could withstand.
At present, it was at a beginner’s level, only preventing basic telepathy. She wouldn’t stand a chance if Charles Xavier fired up Cerebro or an angel or demon descended to read minds forcefully.
Bella’s emotion control ability was integrated into the Psychic Shield. With the shield’s enhancement, she was hardly affected by negative emotions and could maintain a positive, optimistic mindset for extended periods.
This was crucial; most psychic manipulators suffered from psychological issues, so maintaining a healthy mindset and always remembering one’s role was more important than anything.
Through experimentation with her abilities, Bella discovered she had developed two additional passive abilities besides the Psychic Shield.
One was a significant enhancement in physical attributes.
Her strength, speed, endurance, and reflexes improved significantly thanks to her psychic energy. The limits of this ability were not yet clear; she only knew there was still much room for growth in her physical condition.
The Psychic Shield manifested her ancestor’s ability, and the surge in physical attributes was a natural outcome of the psychic energy enhancing her body. The last ability was unique to this current Bella.
Precognition of death!
It was acceptable to say she feared death or revered it, as she could foresee snippets of potential deadly crises before they occurred.
This ability had its limits; it wasn’t 100% predictive, and interpreting the premonitions correctly was a challenge.
After experimenting back and forth, Bella felt dizzy and on the verge of fainting.
“Such thick smoke! Cough, cough!!” — It dawned on her that she was suffocating from the lack of oxygen. She hurriedly opened a window to ventilate and explained the situation to her neighbor, clearing up the aftermath of her psychic session.
She still had some materials left, enough for one more session. She planned to hold a ceremonial report similar to ‘never forgetting one’s ancestors’ after dealing with a Reaper incident, but for now, she would put them away.
Her enhanced physique also meant a faster recovery rate; the wound in her palm would likely heal in no more than three days.
When Charlie rushed home after hearing about a fire, she had already begun to master her new suite of abilities.
Plane accidents, fires—Charlie felt sympathy for his daughter’s ordeals and immediately took her out to eat.
Bella was indeed hungry, and her enhanced physique required more food intake. Although she could use psychic energy to trick her body into feeling full, it was ultimately an illusion. Bella’s spiritual attainments were not yet where she could satisfy hunger with mere thoughts or survive on thin air. If someone was offering a meal, why not eat?
Charlie had been single for seventeen years, had no wife, and didn’t spend much, so a meal or two wouldn’t break him.
Golden fried pork cutlets, exquisitely made cupcakes, a large bowl of beef and potato soup, and a tasty plate of barley bread—worried she might not have enough, Charlie also called the chef to bring her a crispy, oily fried fish.
As they ate, Charlie noticed some indefinable changes in his daughter.
“You seem so vibrant all of a sudden; what happened?”
Her appearance hadn’t changed, nor her clothes or accessories, but she just felt different—subtle yet noticeable to those who see her daily.
Eating a berry-filled pie with a semblance of elegance and poise, rather than like someone starved, Bella calmly asked, “Charlie, do you think I’ve become prettier?”
When Bella asked her father if she was pretty—a question typical for a child but a bit odd coming from an almost eighteen-year-old—it wasn’t considered taboo here. Expressing one’s individuality and asserting oneself were common themes.
Charlie nodded affirmatively: “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”
Bella felt a slight increase in her “spirit lake” volume as she gripped her fork tighter. Success! She swallowed the pie with a satisfied smile.
Taking a cue from how animals secure territories, Bella used heartfelt compliments from others to bolster her confidence, with her appearance as the foundation for her self-assurance.
Forget about courage or wisdom—those were dime-a-dozen in the Marvel world. Considering Natasha’s top-tier looks, Bella felt confident about her appearance. After all, there wasn’t a clear standard for beauty, but at least she and Natasha were on par!
That made her top-tier in terms of looks.
Why compete in wisdom when she could compete in beauty? Beauty was enough!
The psychic energy she gained from the compliments wasn’t much, but it was effortless—pure profit!
Over the next few days, Bella asked everyone in Forks, from the coffee shop owner to the lovelorn Jacob, the same question.
Jacob’s response was the most enthusiastic and sincere.
“Do you think I’m the most beautiful woman?”
“Yes! You are the most beautiful woman in my heart!”
“OK, goodbye.”
“???”
Bella even called Natasha, who was still in Phoenix. The two were now somewhat friends.
“Nat, do you think I’m the most beautiful woman?”
Natasha, completely baffled, yawned casually, “Yeah, yeah, you’re the most beautiful woman. Is that all?”
Bella didn’t feel an increase in psychic energy, so she knew Natasha wasn’t sincere.
She took a small black book and noted the date. Natasha brushed me off. I’ll remember this!
After bothering everyone around, her psychic energy had increased by about a third, half of which she had cultivated herself through daily affirmations like “I’m the most beautiful,” “No one is prettier than me,” and “I am just so beautiful.”
Although Forks lacked proper training facilities, some self-tests had shown that her physical capabilities had already surpassed human limits.
Her muscles were lean and appeared normal, but her body was strong. She could accelerate to a hundred meters per second in a short burst, and her bench press strength comfortably exceeded a ton. When hunting in the woods with Charlie, she could even vaguely see the trajectory of the rifle bullets.
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