Lurona city [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1794.01.03]

“I suck at this…” Zeph mumbled, releasing his grip on his Mana. After a heavy sigh, he allowed his body to relax and fell backwards from his sitting position. The hard and cold stone of his spartan training room greeted him with unbroken indifference, but he couldn’t care less about the small bump forming at the back of his head – his headache was much worse. The constant throbbing was coaxing him to smack his head a few more times even, as the concentrated, short spike of pain that he felt when his head hit the floor managed to drown out the hellish pressure for a moment, granting him an illusion of relief for a second or two.

The low temperature of the stone was helping somewhat, too, but it just wasn’t enough.

“I would rather say that you suck poorly…” Makani commented from his right. Zeph smirked at the unintended pun. He was so tired that he even butchered the translation of the English saying.

“Don’t you have classes or something?” he asked, changing the topic. “It’s not like you can explain the process to me in any more detail…”

“It’s not an academy, it’s a Tower.” Makani sneered. “Our duties lay in our progression, mostly. It’s not like I am just sitting here doing nothing. Besides, you really need someone competent to crash your ideas with.”

Zeph grimaced. He hoped to quickly learn the technique and be done with it, but something was wrong with his body. Or maybe Soul, seeing as it was responsible for re-connecting the Ambient Magicules. Either way, the process was too slow!

In theory, the process was simple; automatic to some degree even. By using Ambient Mana Channeling, he would suck in the Ambient Mana from the air and thus temporarily increase the concentration of certain Magicules inside his body. The process could be supplemented by the internal Mana manipulation – areas in his body with relatively low Mana density would force the Ambient Magicules to move in to balance out the ‘Mana pressure’. Also, the room was set to have Mana density at the cusp of his natural tolerance and almost all of it was in the form of Coal-Magicules, as it was an option most similar to Fullerene.

The next part, though, was what posed a challenge to Zeph. He should either impose his Soul on the foreign Mana and Magicules inside his body, forcing them to dissipate or connect to it, or cycle them through Soul links and his Soul. Mana could exist in the Soulscape—it was forming there naturally, after all—although the exact interactions between Ambient Mana and those dimensions were kind of messy. As long as it stayed in the ‘space’ of his Soul it was stable, but would dissipate immediately when outside, which was a problem because until the Ambient Magicules re-connected to his Soul, he couldn’t manipulate them directly, making it hard to keep them in one place.

The first method required a great talent in Soul Arts, specialized Class, or 500 Power. The Energy Enhancement granted at that milestone allowed people to ‘cover’ foreign objects with their Soul temporarily – to grant them physical Passive Enhancements of their own body. Of course, the technique could be done manually, but the EE removed most of the strain from performing the action. But it also was a double-edged sword, as it almost always caused small damage to one’s Soul that had to be slowly healed. Worse yet, if something managed to break the object completely, there was a risk of quite severe Soul fragmentation.

That didn’t change the fact that the ability to imitate the durability of Soul-bond equipment just like that was damn impressive. It had more uses, too. Gru was already on his way to mastering the technique.

For obvious reasons, Zeph was learning how to use the second method. It also had the advantage of inciting Soul contamination faster. The Soul was a reflection of the body, so increasing the concentration of Magicules in the body and the Soul all at the same time was much more effective.

“How long has it been, again?” he asked. He lost track of the time because of the constant training. The short breaks for higher needs and sleep always led him to nearby temporary lodgings where most of his equipment was left, including the armor. The place had a Wadokei, but he wasn’t paying enough attention to actually tell the time. Also, because they were deep inside the Tower, there were no windows that could clue him about the time of the day.

“Today is the third day. It would be easier if you could explain your issues more,” Makani answered absentmindedly while playing with a Spell.

“Indeed, it would. A shame,” Zeph summarized. They were under constant surveillance, as each of the guests had to. Explaining his issues wasn’t an option. He could try to communicate through Gru, but the topic was too technical for that.

In normal circumstances, all a Manacaster had to do was to move the Ambient Magicules through their skin and then start cycling them through Soul links – the only real difficulty was in learning how to send the Mana back to their Soul; the rest was merely an issue of effectiveness. But in Zeph’s body, the Source Net implant was responsible for funneling the Mana. Each time he used the Ambient Mana Channeling, a vast majority of Magicules was siphoned directly into the hollow interior of the implant. There were no Soul links in the cavities of his body. If the Source Net was fully functional, Zeph was sure he could just push all of that Mana into any part of his body without much problem. But as it was, he had a difficult time herding the Ambient Magicules through the Mana-resistant walls of the construct.

I really need to start searching for Makrun. My internal Mana manipulation is crippled… he thought depressingly.

The solution he found required a lot more manipulation than he ever did internally. First, he was filling the Source Net with Mana-L. As it was a perfect conductor for his Mana, the implant’s functions weren’t compromised. But the Ambient Mana was blocked off. Next, he tried to form a zone of decreased Mana density in his biceps, where the Source Net’s channels were bigger and easier to avoid, simultaneously directing the vortex of his Ambient Mana Channeling to the area. Because the Magicules had to go through so much flesh, they were dissipating like crazy, damaging his muscles and blood vessels in the process. For hours now, he was trying to find the most effective spot in his body and even started using his Will to increase the size of the vortex to gather more Ambient Magicules.

Sending the stream into his Soul links was easy enough after Gru sent him a short Soul memory of an example. Slowly, but surely, he was getting there. The tickle of Coal-Magicules was small and hard to notice but, sooner or later, it would be able to influence his Soul enough for the Skill to progress. He just needed a perceivable (in the standards of the System) Soul contamination and nothing more.

The constant drain of his Will, the periodic Mana poisoning status that Gru had to deal with, and the amount of concentration required during internal Mana manipulation caused him to develop a mighty headache.

But he wasn’t going to stop just yet.

“I think I am getting close,” he said, sitting up in a lotus pose.

“You said the same three hours ago…” Makani commented flatly. “Why don’t you take a break? I had the maps and commissions prepared. We need to check them either way.”

“It’s… not a bad idea, actually,” he agreed reluctantly, feeling as the throbbing in his head intensified again after the sudden movement. He sighed and slowly stood up. “Let’s go, then.”

Makani used the black plate on the wall to open the heavy, overly thick stone door. It shuffled backwards before moving to the side.

The corridors in this part of the Tower resembled old European universities – a groined vault and a lot of black and gold decorations on the columns and walls. But as they stepped into the residential area, it all changed to the standard, plain, Byzantium-like style. The Tower was built as freely as Makani suggested—though, Zeph preferred to call it ‘chaotic’—with each section possessing designs chosen by the people in charge of the zone and, oftentimes, for the expansion itself.

His room was decently lavish, with a big and comfy bed, a full-fledged study desk, and a way-too-big closet. A few random pieces of furniture were also present, like armchairs and Corora’s version of a coffee table. All of a high quality – solid wood and delicate textiles in green and silver. It seemed that the Towers didn’t really use uniform color codes, even if their name suggested otherwise.

Big, backlit paintings dotted the walls, replacing the windows. The light was—from what Zeph could tell—produced by the same luminescent lamps used in most homes, just formed into panels behind the canvases.

On the desk, Zeph could see his own book of maps of the Lurona Region and a stack of papers beside it.

“Anything interesting from the mercenary groups?” he asked as they walked closer. The events before the New Year put them in a tight spot, so he left the planning of their excursion to Makani. It was a shame as he really wanted to know more about the mercenaries, but he could worry about that after the Duels.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“A lot, actually. Most of the wildlife incompatible with the horde started to migrate westward. Patrol routes through the more rural areas were formed. Even if most of the population evacuated to the city or moved further away, some didn’t want to or couldn’t for personal reasons. We have to cut short our best path, though.” Makani sent him a stinky eye. “We won’t make it before the Duel Tournament otherwise.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, making a placating gesture. “Sorry about that. I should be done today, though. Hopefully.”

“We will see,” Makani said skeptically, turning back to the desk. He opened the book on the bookmarked page and unfolded a map of the west fields beyond the walls of the city. On it, he pointed at the gate where the plotted path started. It was drawn in blue paint and, thanks to the ‘laminated’ pages, it could be easily removed.

“We will go straight along the shore, visiting small fishing villages along the way. I hope to at least reach the High Peak of Brenn, placed slightly more inland,” he explained while going through a few maps. The peak he was talking about was just a lone mountain that seemed overly wide for its height. A few rivers had their springs in the almost-flat highland surrounding the peak. “It should be the perfect hunting ground for us. A lot of predatory birds and animals using stealth or Mana-based attacks.”

Zeph nodded. It was a good environment to test his Force-based Spells. As well as his martial arts.

Ah, right… he sighed. “About that… I think I will go with the ‘Enchanted’ path for my weapon martial arts…”

Makani grimaced, turning to him. “Are you sure? The ‘Mixed’ and ‘General’ would allow you to fight more like Aisha. And you know how good she is in her style.”

Zeph shook his head. “I would gladly go with the ‘General’ to develop it further without the System meddling, but… We are clueless. From our point of view, enchanting in any form cannot be applied during a fight. Which means that we are either missing an important piece of information or that we are doing something wrong. And I want to be able to use light weapons, too – they are more compatible with my Martial Arts. Also, the ‘Enchanted’ modifier sounds like it can be applied to more fighting styles…”

Makani just shrugged in disappointment. “You asked for my opinion only to ignore it altogether… I feel hurt, you know?”

“Ah, sorry about that. I just thought…” He shuffled a little, trying to find better words.

“I can’t be like Aisha.” He finally stated, leaning on the desk and looking down at his feet. “My physical PEs aren’t up to the task. Her fighting style is very effective, but I can’t follow in her footsteps. I hoped that you would try to look into the hidden synergies instead of using her as an example. Because, really, who can even dream of squeezing more from that style of hers?” He laughed awkwardly.

Makani sent him a long glance before speaking. “Your… Martial Arts are more potent than you think. Aisha only grasped the tip of the iceberg. And yet, she managed to improve from it. And there are more ways to strengthen your body than just the PE…” he looked back at the map, deep in thought.

After a few seconds, he sighed with resignation. “You are right that I failed to find any synergistic effects. But I am hopeful for you. Enchanting is a form of external Mana manipulation, after all…”

Zeph smiled wryly. “Yeah. No objections then?”

Makani smiled. “None found. It’s your Skill, go for it.”

With that, Zeph finally sent the answer to the question he received a few days ago. But instead of using the notification form, he accessed the Shrine Seed hidden in his body. He had one more thing to ask the System.

Enchanted it is. Also, any missions in the direction of our travel?

It was quiet for a moment.

Good choice, Zeph.

If there was something requiring immediate interference, we would contact you. But… you can check the Viviscale Village along the way. A family. Mother and daughter. They are suffering from an unknown disease. They refuse to travel to our [Shrine] for the [Advanced Physical Scan]. The risk of external meddling was estimated as extremely low. The major deity of the community is our good friend [Custos Naturae], which is the most probable reason for their ignorance.

We will ask [Yuki] to send you more information about [Custos Naturae] in text. We will count this as a minor favor.

Zeph nodded. Good enough. Why, though? What is the catch?

If you mean the circumstances, our direct involvement would be a waste of resources. It’s a good testing and learning case for you, though.

…Did you just give me an unnecessary job to test me?

Yes.

…

Okay, I can live with that.

We wish you luck.

The connection ended abruptly.

Congratulations! The [General Skill] [Spear (style: E2M1)] gains a new modifier!

The [Enchanted] [Tier 3] module is now available! The module will be recorded as a new [Technique]. You can apply it to every [Martial Art] you possess, but more data is required to fuse them completely.

Zeph was surprised that the System didn’t try to extort him this time. Maybe they really are nicer to their direct workers? …Nah, it can’t be. I bet there is more to the case. Whatever… He shrugged.

“Where is the Viviscale Village?” he asked, leaning over the map. “We may spend there a little more time…”

Makani facepalmed. “I told you we are short on time! Why are you adding even more to our workload?!”

“Because, my friend, it’s more efficient to do things simultaneously,” he stated with resolve.

The dispute continued for a good hour after that…

========Theron Nalani PoV========

He was tired. So much tired.

After that Nether-infected—Curse his name!—entered the Tower, he had to painstakingly check every group that left to fight the animals in the rural areas.

Five to eight groups per day.

It would have been even worse if he didn’t know that the SI department’s Head was going on a mercenary adventure. At least that way, he could limit the spying to the people who were being pre-registered in the city’s Tax Office. The Tower didn’t like the long lines at the gates, so they made sure to inform the authorities of every leaving group beforehand. That way, the teams could leave their amulets instantaneously at the gates – without waiting in the line.

It was a mistake on their part. A shame that they were only informing about the number of members in a team. Though, it was only natural. It was done not only to keep the Manacasters’ location confidential but also because the mercenary teams sent with the Tower’s denizens tended to switch quite often.

The Towers liked to send the information about their teams a day before, but even if someone left the city without him noticing immediately, he would see them in the register files during the night.

It was a risky endeavor, but he managed to plant one of the three Soul-bond bugs that he was left with in the City’s Tax Office. Of course, visually spying in real-time was impossible, but he could hear enough during the day and check the written details from up close at night. His stick-like bug that was Soul-bonded to him, hiding in one of the potted plants inside of the main room, graciously used his own long-range assistance to stay concealed. For once, they were useful. He preferred enchanted equipment normally, but he didn’t have the money.

That, sadly, meant that he had little to no time to sleep. Of course, he could go without sleep for a few days without issue, but the physical and mental exertion he had to put in while spying on the different Manacaster’s groups, only to share his senses with the bug right after that, were quickly draining his endurance. Worse yet, he wasn’t talented in the art of the Bond-sharing at all. Even if he could quite masterfully use the Soul Arts, it allowed him just that – a mediocrity of imitation of the true sense-sharing. Not in the quality, maybe, but in the strain on his person for sure.

What are they doing there for so long? he thought bitterly. The idea of missing his target hit him a few times, but he had no other traces. If his information was incorrect, he would have to start from scratch. On the other hand, if the two Manacasters were just delaying their departure, it would be utterly stupid to leave his post and miss them.

The fact that he had, realistically speaking, about two days to find them wasn’t helping, though. Working alone had its limits, and he was well aware of them.

Nothing to think about, he concluded. In the worst-case scenario, I will have to come back after advancing my Class. One way or another, I will make sure that Zeph Einar is dead.

The thought sent slight shivers down his spine, so he once again inspected his logic and resolve. The System Onji should not only be thankful for getting rid of the Nether-infected; they should be thankful. Taking into account the unique circumstances, he was sure that he was the only person who could see the geometrically-impossible Soul inside of him.

Also, he was still bitter enough about the fate that that man brought upon him. Abandoned by his Guild, used by the Landlords, and stripped of opportunities and money.

There would be no problems after killing him. His resolve was steady, his reasoning spotless. Even the System Onji should be happy about it.

There won’t be any damage. Not to my Soul, he told himself with resolve. This time, I won’t be holding back. I just need to find him and wait for an opportunity.

One last service for the Gods and society. One last mission…

Then, I can finally leave all of this behind.

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