The opening section, translating the ritual requirements from ancient descriptions to modern scientific readily-available items, is incredibly reminiscent of the delightful book series Industrial Strength Magic, where the protagonist does exactly that with a whole bunch of spells from an ancient spellbook. I loved that series and described the protagonist as "cocky, audacious, and an utter minmaxing munchkin, which leaves him perfectly positioned to take huge advantage of the superpower he gets, and take advantage of the loopholes he spots in other characters' superpowers too".
This is a really fun short story! I love it.
The opening section, translating the ritual requirements from ancient descriptions to modern scientific readily-available items, is incredibly reminiscent of the delightful book series Industrial Strength Magic, where the protagonist does exactly that with a whole bunch of spells from an ancient spellbook. I loved that series and described the protagonist as "cocky, audacious, and an utter minmaxing munchkin, which leaves him perfectly positioned to take huge advantage of the superpower he gets, and take advantage of the loopholes he spots in other characters' superpowers too".
Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check Industrial Strength Magic out :)