In other words, I was planning to save people, not humanity. After my modifications, these new beings could be called anything but human. However, I was determined to give them the immortality that people of all worlds so deeply desired. I already had almost all the necessary information to develop an appropriate solution. I just needed to organize it, devise optimal spells, and then test their effectiveness in practice.
The first problem in achieving immortality is the destruction of the physical body. If someone's brain gets blown out, their body becomes a useless piece of meat. Even much smaller injuries could result in the same outcome within a few seconds. The body serves as the mechanism that binds the soul to the material plane of existence. Therefore, this body needed to be as durable as possible. The solution was simple and one I had used many times before - to imprison the soul in a magical crystal.
During my time as a spider, I studied two types of crystals: those in which the spiders stored their knowledge and energy, and those in which demons held enslaved souls. By combining these technologies, I could create a perfectly protected body that would hold the soul and provide it with the most basic spiritual shells. The size of such a crystal could be small. After all, fairies have souls but are no taller than ten centimeters. And the smaller the soul’s container, the easier it is to maintain its integrity with magic. Where to get the magic, if we are talking about ordinary people? Well, demons had long solved this problem. Almost any person can become a mage if placed in a suitable body with the necessary energy shells.
Of course, existing as sentient crystals is not very convenient. Therefore, the crystal should contain a spell allowing it to create a body from any available material. Mud golems are an excellent example of how one can create a humanoid from whatever material is at hand. Naturally, for a complete existence, the body needs to be quite complex, but this is easy to achieve by developing a suitable set of artifact spells. We don’t need to create a body as complex as a human body. It is enough to organize the necessary appearance and emulate the functioning of human senses - touch, sight, smell, and so on.
One can even program such reactions as sexual satisfaction and the enjoyment of physical exercises. On the other hand, there is no point in feeling pain and discomfort. Therefore, the new form of life will not suffer from the frailty of the material shell. After all, it’s just a material projection, so restoring it after damage will require minimal effort. Instead of healing wounds by replicating slow human cells, we can slightly reconfigure the existing construction material, which doesn’t have any complex internal structure. After all, the body’s shape will be defined solely by magic.
By the time our ship reached the research station, the plan was nearly ready. All that remained was to outline the main tasks, delegate subtasks to my subordinates, and monitor their execution. Of course, I first had to teach people the basics of spider magic. But for them, it was only theoretical information, as local mages used some kind of magic unknown to me, which I had no desire to delve into. After all, humans had hundreds of years to figure out how to use their magic optimally. If they hadn’t figured it out by now, it wasn’t worth my time. Especially since I only had three years, which needed to be used as effectively as possible. Remembering my previous magic research, three years might not be enough. After all, I needed not only to understand what needed to be done but also to figure out how to solve hundreds and thousands of specific tasks.
Two and a half years later, I stood in my private laboratory holding the result of my work - the body of a perfect life form. As planned, it was a small transparent red crystal into which a soul could be placed. Even in the form of just a crystal, this life form possessed magical abilities. And once it gained access to the most common chemical elements (hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, silicon, aluminum), it could use them to create any body. I named this life form Vritra, derived from the name Vritra, meaning 'The Primordial Demon Without Form.'
The last two dozen experiments on convicts were completely successful, so I was considering moving on to the testing phase. When I planned the development of Vritra, I immediately laid out three levels of implementation.
The first was the civilian configuration, intended for anyone who wished to have it. It allowed living in a new body, using magic, and... reproducing. This capability was provided by an automatic system for creating a crystal into which a soul from the afterlife would be placed. In essence, this was an analogue of the soul reincarnation system but with memory retention. Moreover, if desired, a specific soul could be summoned if the parent had its energy imprint. Another function of the crystal was the ability to die at will. This was meant to solve the problem of capturing prisoners and the potential fatigue from eternal life, should it arise.
The second configuration allowed for the use of more advanced "filler" materials to create a body. This could include durable metals, making such a Vritra more resistant to physical damage, stronger, faster, and so on. Additionally, the user gained access to a set of combat spells embedded within the crystal's structure, allowing for the use of magic in battle with greater speed.
Finally, the third modification was intended for me alone. I incorporated all the functions I could think of but decided not to share with the locals. This crystal existed only in my mind and as calculations stored on an encrypted device.
I inspected the crystal covered in magical symbols one more time and placed it into a small box with the others. These were soul containers from the second batch, which I had just finished synthesizing. Closing the box, I put it in my pocket and headed out of the laboratory, simultaneously pulling my phone from the other pocket.
"Kiril? Gather the team and meet me in lab forty-one" - I gave a brief order.
Over the past time, I had gathered a few loyal security personnel. This proved to be the right approach, as only thanks to them had I survived until now. Three assassination attempts in two and a half years - that was the statistic of being on the most protected and secret space base of humanity. The first attempt involved a vampire agent acting according to an embedded program. The second was an agent of another player trying to sabotage my project. The third case was the most dangerous. A simple scientist, out of envy, decided to eliminate me and claim the glory of my inventions for himself.
So now, I always moved around the station accompanied by two bodyguards. Leaving the lab, I found my two escorts in the corridor. A quick mental scan showed they were unbound and in clear consciousness. A couple of weeks ago, there was an attempt to zombify one of the guards. It ended in nothing due to the protection I had established, but the organizer of this event was never found.
Reaching the meeting place, I found the rest of my support group. Only eight people had passed the rigorous selection process. Above all, I valued loyalty to myself, reinforced by promises of immortality, power, and more.
"Good day, Kiril, what's the situation?" - The group leader was Kiril Dubrovich, a Slovenian with the combat call sign "Oak."
"Good day. Everything is in order. The observation targets are at their workplaces" - Kiril responded. After the last incident, we decided to compile a list of potential spies, saboteurs, and troublemakers, whose activities were now monitored in real-time.
"So, we’ve discussed this a lot, but today the moment has come. I am ready to make you immortal mages who will become leaders of the new society."
"Everything is ready?" - Frank Joseph Stalin, despite his surname, hailed from the French clans, among the first to break into the galaxy and start its colonization.
"Yes. You've observed the test subjects and talked to them. The convicts are satisfied."
"Of course, they are" - Frank exclaimed. - "They live like lords, having sex for two hours a day..."
"Don't be jealous" - interrupted Mark Three, the youngest member of our team with the strangest surname.
"Enough of the circus" - Oak said, casting a heavy gaze at his comrades. - "Continue." - This ability to instantly restore order was why I made him head of the station's security service.
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"In short, I have created warrior caste crystals. Anyone who wishes can undergo the transformation right now. Or you can wait and observe the lives of bolder comrades."
"And will there be crystals for the Brahman caste?" - Narayan Bhagavan Singh, culturally a typical Hindu, looked like a true Aryan – the ideal of the Third Reich. In this reality, the wild dark-skinned tribes of Mlecchas and Yavanas had failed to conquer India and replace its true masters. Narayan considered himself a direct descendant of Balarama and a Brahmin – a representative of the highest caste in Aryan culture.
"There will be" - I nodded in agreement. - "Only one. Only for me."
The Aryan sighed and volunteered as the first.
"What do I need to do?"
"As if you haven't seen it?" - I asked, surprised. - "Sit in the extractor."
The guards used this unflattering term to scare the convicts sent to us for experiments. The name stuck, although officially it was called the 'Consciousness Information-Energy Shell Extraction System.' In fact, there was nothing scary about the device. It looked like a dentist's chair with a slightly strange headrest and limb fixation system—essential in our line of work.
"Do I need to undress?"
"No. You can retrieve your things afterward."
Narayan sat in the chair and tried to relax. I approached the adjacent apparatus and inserted one of the crystals from the box. It took a few minutes to activate the equipment. Essentially, the main equipment here was the crystal. All the bulky machinery merely facilitated the transfer of the soul from one body to another.
The lights on the control panel turned green, indicating normal operation, and the first volunteer went limp, losing consciousness. While the process of artificial reincarnation was underway, I moved to a stack of boxes in the corner and telekinetically placed one of them on a special stand. I then removed the lid and checked the contents. These 'coffins' contained a set of chemical elements necessary for creating a body. It looked like a mixture of water and sand.
The device beeped, and I moved toward the patient, simultaneously using a spell to monitor the state of his previous body—dead 100%. Even cellular activity had completely stopped. Using telekinesis to avoid touching it with my hands, I removed the crystal from the holder, carefully scanned it, and then threw it into the coffin. Everyone present immediately crowded around to witness the creation of the new body.
The crystal clinked into the thin layer of water and settled on the sand. Within seconds, granules of material began to adhere to the base, simultaneously fusing into a single amorphous mass. The process accelerated, and the lump began to grow, stretching tendrils throughout the box. Within a few minutes, all the matter had been absorbed, and the formation of a human body began.
Theoretically, a Vritra could take any form. However, this required conscious control of the process or reliance on a specialized program to maintain shape and appearance. The crystal initially contained several standard programs ensuring a resurrected human form. In the future, parameters could be adjusted, or a custom program could be written. I decided to speed up the process further by transmitting the donor's appearance model to the crystal. All it took was selecting the right file on my phone and transmitting it to the crystal via a 'magical' communication channel.
The body assumed a humanoid form without a face or muscle definition and then, within seconds, took on the appearance of Narayan. Another few seconds were spent forming fine details like skin pores or hair. And then, the naked man opened his eyes and looked around.
"So, how is it? Did it work?"
"Get dressed" - commanded Kirill.
"In what?" - The commander only rolled his eyes at such a question. - "Oh, right."
The Vritra closed his eyes for a second, and then the image of a security uniform appeared on the surface of his body. It was reminiscent of the transformations of a liquid terminator. Narayan examined himself, climbed out of the box, and began stretching, getting used to the new body.
"Damn, I feel like I've had a hit of strong stimulants. Nothing hurts, nothing pulls, and there's this feeling of comfort..." - At that moment, his gaze fell on his former body. - "Is that what I look like?"
"Yes. Already thinking about plastic surgery?" - Frank responded.
"That's worth considering."
"You're already a handsome man" - Kirill reassured him. - "Who's next?"
That day, six out of eight people underwent the transformation. Mark Three and Mateo Hidalgo decided to wait. Understandably so, especially considering that they watched six bodies get sent to the organic waste recycler right before their eyes. Even I, with all my preparation, found the sight unsettling. However, human emotions did not affect my decisions. I planned to turn myself into a Vritra in about a month when all the preparations were complete. Fixing minor flaws could be done once I was immortal.
There were still six months left until the set deadline, but the station's population was already in turmoil. Some discussed what the Council would decide. Others tried to find out how to become immortal before our research was banned and the entire station personnel executed. Minds were in disarray, affecting their work results. Although the main project was already completed, there were still many accompanying ones that were supposed to enhance the comfort of the new form of life.
For example, we were still working on the concept of deriving pleasure from sex. Without any restrictions, Vritra could have sex non-stop 24/7, quickly leading to complete mental degradation. However, completely depriving people of sex was also unacceptable. Who would agree to become immortal if the only joy in such existence was watching others suffer? After all, as the saying goes, ‘When you cause harm, it brings joy to your heart.’
In short, there was still a sea of work to be done, and people were panicking. We had to enforce strict discipline, limit communication, and most importantly, promise immortality to those who desired it so much. Naturally, my closest supporters and opponents were the first in line. Nearly all the institute's leadership were scheming against each other. Some wanted more glory, others wanted to become immortal quickly before their aging bodies gave out, some sincerely wanted to save humanity, while others equally sincerely wanted to destroy it. There were also those who didn't care about any of it and were only interested in conducting research and experiments.
The climax of the growing madness was when several scientists transformed into Vritras behind my back. This conspiracy aimed to overthrow me before I could achieve immortality myself. I didn't bother explaining to them that I was under protective spells 24/7; instead, I used the control key embedded in the 'prisoner' models to turn the fools back into a set of inorganic materials and lifeless glass.
In general, things were going to hell, like a giant geyser. Working in such an atmosphere was extremely difficult, so in the end, I initiated the process of transforming willing participants into civilian Vritra models and locked myself in the lab to develop the final version of the Vritra. Yes, with a capital V.
I wasn't naive enough to believe that I could keep my Vritra body after the game ended. Twice already, I had lost my body because of Being, and it was unlikely anything would change in the future. All I had was my soul. And that was precisely where I intended to hide a special informational module that stored the crystal's design on both physical and magical planes. Just as memories of past lives are preserved in the inner shells of the soul, I planned to store the knowledge of how to achieve immortality. And to prevent any entities from meddling with their clumsy hands, this memory area was located at non-standard mental frequencies. I chose the characteristics of my personal 'flash drive' by scanning the multidimensional surrounding world and selecting the most uninhabited range where nothing ever happened.
Another ace up my sleeve was a body modification that allowed for energy production through cold nuclear fusion. I hadn't forgotten my favorite problem-solving method—a nuclear bomb. So why let good things go to waste? While I wasn't blowing anything up, lithium deuteride could be used as an energy source for the body's functions and magic use. Although I had two tails, an extra stash wouldn't hurt. Ordinary Vritras were limited in their output capacity by the parameters of their magic source. But my power must to be unlimited.
Finally, I pushed my immortality almost to the Absolute by developing a fortifying spell that made the soul's main crystal virtually indestructible. This was achieved through extreme specialization of the spell. In fact, it could only be cast on a crystal of a particular composition, with a fixed internal structure and shape. But according to my calculations, the crystal should maintain its integrity even lying on the surface of a neutron star.
Work on the last details dragged on, so I finished it only three months before the date for presenting the results. And literally, an hour after that, a member of the Council of Wise Men contacted me, informing me of the imminent arrival of a special commission to verify our work results. Time was running out, so I had to urgently finish all the preparations.
First, I checked the statistics of problems with artificial bodies and the soul stones themselves. Surprisingly, there were very few issues. Moreover, the scientists had independently developed solutions for these problems, promptly replacing the crystals and transferring the souls from the defective versions. I took all these improvements into account and made changes to my project.
The next step was to summon all my guards and assign them to reinforce the lab's security for the next 24 hours. I locked myself inside, though after spending so much time alone, this no longer surprised anyone. Inserting the memory card into a computer isolated from the station's network, I started the final calculation of the crystal's characteristics. A couple of hours later, the process was complete, and the action program was introduced into the synthesizer. This was my masterpiece, enabling the synthesis of crystals with atomic precision through a blend of magic and technology while simultaneously applying a multidimensional artifact spell.