"Look, are you gonna hand over the cash, or do we need to pry it from you?"
In front of a shop displaying kitchenware, the owner quivered, facing the trio of men before him. His small frame seemed to shrink further under their imposing glare. It was clear they were trouble—definitely not the sort you'd want to cross paths with. Though unarmed, their rough demeanor could easily have passed them off as bandits.
The two on the sides were lean but tall, making up in stature what they lacked in bulk. The one in the center, however, was massive, looming over the others like the Titan Soldiers Magnus had once faced, except this man was padded with layers of fat instead of muscle.
"But I've already paid for this month... I swear," the shopkeeper stammered, his voice barely above a whisper as the thinner man who had issued the threat sneered at him.
"Oh really? Well, from what we've seen, you haven't paid us a single dime. So you either start now or…" His voice dropped to a menacing growl as he glared at the elderly shopkeeper. The scene drew the eyes of many onlookers, none daring to intervene, which only highlighted the confrontation.
Perhaps because of that, an abnormality that would have remained hidden for years was brought to light.
"Hey, what the hell are you guys up to? Don't you know whose territory you're in?" The trio turned to see two men approaching them with confident strides. These were the same two men who had originally spotted Magnus visiting the smithy. It was thanks to them that Magnus ended up ambushed by the Titan Soldiers in that alley, leading to their unwitting participation in his experiments.
"Huh? And who the hell are you two supposed to be?" The scrawny man in the trio moved away from the shopkeeper and turned his attention to the duo. Immediately, the one who had originally called them out retorted.
"Who we are doesn't matter, you twig-looking bastard. All you gotta know is that this entire area, that shop included, is part of Zeth's territory, so if you know what's good for you, you'll fuck off." At the mention of Zeth, the cocky attitude of the skinny man faltered, his confidence replaced by palpable tension.
Zeth and the organization he was a part of had been expanding throughout Arlcliff City fast, crushing and absorbing any other criminal syndicates that could get in their way. Still, small groups like theirs weren't important enough to be focused on much, so they could normally go about business as usual as long as they avoided making a splash. But interfering with the money of one of that organization's executives?
Just the thought caused the scrawny thug to turn to his lanky partner, chastising him in a low voice.
"Shit… Why didn't you check if we were in anyone’s territory, especially Zeth’s? Do you have any idea what he does to people who interfere with his business!?" His partner, the recipient of the scolding, threw up his hands in frustration.
"How the hell was I supposed to know? Their territory didn't reach this part of the city when I checked a week ago!" Seeing them arguing, the two men who were part of Zeth's group smirked. This was the natural reaction whenever Zeth was brought up. Even before he joined the organization he's now part of, Zeth was known for being ruthless.
"Tch, what the hell are you fools so worried about?" The burly man in the trio cut off the two wiry thugs who were starting to argue, stepping forward and shoving them aside. His eyes held a dangerous glint as he focused on the two men who had come up to them.
"As long as we deal with these two, Zeth won't find out, now will he?"
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted as the two thinner thugs glanced at him, then slowly shifted their gaze to the two men from Zeth's group.
The fear in their eyes gradually morphed into murderous intent. Noticing this, the two men stepped back, with the larger one whispering urgently to his partner, who had initially confronted the trio.
"Bif, you fucking idiot..." His partner muttered back, clearly irritated.
"Just shut it, Isen, and run!" Without a second thought, the two turned and sprinted, their legs pumping furiously. The trio of thugs smirked and immediately gave chase. Isen and Bif weaved their way through the crowd of people making their way down the sidewalk, trying their best to lose their pursuers. But the trio remained on their heels the entire time, not giving them any room to dart away and hide.
“I swear, Bif, this is the last time I listen to one of your ‘brilliant’ ideas!” Isen shouted over his shoulder as they ran.
Originally, he had wanted to steer clear of the trio and avoid trouble, but Bif had convinced him it was a great opportunity to prove themselves within their group, demonstrating they were capable of more than just scouting and grunt work.
“Yeah, whatever! You can yell at me all day once we get out of this!” Bif shot back, sneaking a glance behind them. Surprisingly, it was the bulky man who was keeping pace best, his large frame barreling through the crowd like a relentless bull.
“Dammit! How the hell is that fatass so quick!?” Bif grumbled, annoyance lacing his voice as they whipped around a corner and sprinted down an alley. But, a literal moment later, they skidded to a halt as they realized their mistake—the alley was a dead end.
“Shit!” Coming to a stop, Isen and Bif quickly turned back around, trying to leave the alleyway, but it was too late. The trio had caught up, effectively sealing them in. With a sinister chuckle, the hefty thug stepped forward, cracking his knuckles ominously as the other two blocked the alley’s exit.
Isen and Bif both knew that this wasn’t going to end with a few broken bones. They would probably die here in this alleyway if they didn’t do something. Bif realized that and immediately started looking for a way out, while Isen, on the other hand, gritted his teeth, thinking about how to get past the trio.
I’m not dying in a fucking alleyway... Not for something this stupid!
In the end, only one idea came to mind as his gaze scoured the cluttered ground around them. Broken glass and random junk you would expect to see in any alley littered the ground. It was while everyone’s eyes were focused on either each other or the alleyway around them that something happened.
Something none of them noticed.
In a vacant spot near the ground, colors began to swirl, merging and twisting into each other. It was more than just a distortion of light; it seemed as though the very essence of color itself was being manipulated. In that instant, reality seemed akin to a sliding puzzle, with each piece shifting out of place, unveiling a shapeless nothing beneath.
This all happened in less than a fraction of a second, and then, like a rubber band, everything snapped back to normal. However, instead of an empty pocket of space, a red-hued brick took its place, landing silently on the ground. It was a few moments later, after its appearance, that the brick was noticed by Isen. In his mind, the only way to survive this was to fight, so that’s what he would do.
Walking over, he grabbed the brick, testing its weight in his hands. Seeing this, Bif looked at him as if he were crazy and whispered, “What the hell are you thinking? A brick isn’t going to work against that monster.”
On the other hand, seeing what Isen was doing, the hulking man smiled as if he had seen something amusing.
“You’re going to try and fight me with a rock? Hehe, fine, give it your best shot," he taunted. His voice was full of confidence as he spoke; he knew how tough his body was. As long as he didn’t get hit in the head, he would be fine, even if Isen threw the brick at him.
“Oh, I’ll give you my best, alright!” Isen yelled as he charged at the tank of a man in front of him. He knew how pointless this probably was, but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. As soon as he got close enough, he leaped in the air, aiming for the skull of the man in front of him as he swung the brick down. But he was too predictable, and despite his large size, the bulky man never had an issue with speed.
He quickly leaned back, moving his head out of the way of Isen’s swing, planning to let his body absorb the strike before striking back. At that moment, whether it be the two scrawny thugs, Bif, or even Isen himself, they all seemed to know what would happen next.
Yet, there were some things that couldn’t be predicted in this world.
The moment the brick touched the large man’s fatty chest, something happened. Like a cord being cut, the man’s consciousness suddenly went dark, and his body went limp. His large frame fell, collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud, and suddenly a silence enveloped everyone in the alleyway.
Standing there, confusion assaulted Isen as he stared down at the fallen body in front of him.
"What?"
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•
It was the 12th Day of the 2nd Month of the Astral Reflux Cycle for Magnus.
He had already finished his classes for the day and was now alone, completely secluded in his room. Not even Celia was there; she would only distract him, and he needed total focus.
His desk had been completely cleared except for a pile of bones—not just any bones, but fresh ones, judging by their vibrant color as sunlight streamed through the window, highlighting their smooth surfaces. These were the bones he had requested from Luden. When he asked for details, Luden said they were from some monster with a skeletal structure eerily similar to a human's, though Magnus didn't recognize its name.
That aside, Magnus's attention was wholly absorbed by one particular bone, positioned right in front of him, while the rest were neatly arranged to the side. With his left hand, he manipulated the bone, examining it from every angle, while his right hand busily scribbled notes in a notebook propped open to his right. His gaze seemed unfocused, as if he were looking through the bone rather than at it, and that was true in a way.
Placed on the center of the bone was a card-like spell catalyst. The small prick on one of Magnus's fingers and the small drops of blood on its surface showed it had been activated, and the various runes adorning it emitted a soft magical glow.
Sensory magic was a category of magic, and like most categories of magic, it could be broken down into numerous sub-categories. The specific spell inscribed onto the spell catalyst Luden had given Magnus was a type of probing spell. Initially, it was pretty disorienting for him, and it even made him feel nauseous, like he was about to throw up.
He was seeing the world around him in two ways simultaneously; the human mind wasn’t made for something like that. But as he adapted, learning to focus on one set of visuals while disregarding the other, the clarity of what he saw was astonishing.
Inside the bone was like peering into an entirely different universe—a description that barely did justice to the complex maze of compact bone visible at a microscale, resembling an intricate, endless labyrinth.
A deeper inspection revealed a more sponge-like architecture beneath the dense surface. The spell catalyst enabled him to see details unperceivable to the naked eye, right down to the very cells nestled within the bone’s structure and the fibers forming the foundation of everything he was observing.
Even as he absorbed every detail for memory, Magnus continued to jot down notes, ensuring no piece of information was lost.
It looks like I can't go any smaller than one or two micrometers. Well, for now, that's more than enough. It’s a bit complex, but as long as I narrow my focus, it’s nothing I can’t accurately visualize. Now it's just a matter of seeing how I can improve on this.
Bone was incredibly strong, so much so that it could be considered stronger than steel in some categories. However, in the end, it had its weaknesses, and its current structure could be improved even further. That's what Magnus planned to spend his free time on.
He wanted to figure out how to make bone denser without losing its flexibility. Maybe he could tweak the spongy micro-pattern to better absorb impacts? His mind was buzzing with possibilities, yet they were all just ideas without any solid foundation.
I'm lucky I did some research on this beforehand; otherwise, I'd be totally lost right now. Still, it's kind of frustrating how mages in this world never thought about applying their knowledge of the human body medically. Because of that, there are many gaps I have to fill in myself or use my past life's memories as a basis.
Most of the knowledge about the human body and biology, especially at Takerth Academy, revolved around how it could be manipulated and utilized in conjunction with magic. If he were just a mage, that would be fine. However, what he was planning to do was different from just causing a supernatural biological phenomenon using mana.
Luckily, I've got plenty of bones to test my ideas and theories on, so there's no need to rush. For now, I can just take it one step at a time.
Magnus set down the pencil, closed his journal, and tucked it away. He'd been writing things down just as a backup. For the real tests, he'd rely on Basker and his own mind.
To start with, let's try out some different patterns for the lattice structure. While I'm doing that, Basker, I want you to use my memory as a reference and figure out how to improve the crosslinking of the organic matrix.
[Yes, Master.]
For the rest of the day, Magnus immersed himself in making progress, constantly coming up with new ideas and archiving them away in his mind. During this time, he hardly paid any attention to the fact that the catalyst was limited to ten uses and that he had already used three in a single day. Instead, he kept cross-referencing his knowledge with the books he had read.
Pushing his brain into overdrive as he and Basker brainstormed dozens of potential ways to change bone structure, then tested them one by one in specific sections. And with no one around to interrupt him, he completely lost track of time. He hadn't even realized it had turned dark outside until he stopped and blinked a few times to adjust his vision, finally feeling the day’s toll.
With Basker's help, he could push his brain to work harder and longer, and he took full advantage of that when he used the Command Console and did his experiments. But ultimately, the brain is like a muscle, and overworking it can lead to exhaustion, so eventually he had to take a break.
"Oh, are you done?" Magnus jumped, and his heart raced when he suddenly heard those words come from behind him. But his tension melted away when he saw that it was just Celia lounging on the couch with a book. Relief washed over him as he exhaled sharply.
"Celia? When did you get here? I didn't even hear you come in." She looked completely at ease, clearly having been there for some time, as evidenced by a cup of tea and a plate of half-eaten cookies beside her.
"A few hours ago," she replied, finishing off a cookie in her other hand.
"I'm surprised you didn't notice me earlier. I even tripped over my skirt coming in. I thought for sure you'd hear that and either laugh or tell me to hush." Magnus scratched his head, filled with disbelief. He really hadn't noticed a thing; he had been sure he was alone.
"Huh, I guess I was really in the zone," Magnus said as he walked over and plopped down next to her on the couch, reaching for a cookie.
I didn't know I could tunnel vision so hard when I'm focused on something. I'll have to watch that in the future.
"Oh, do you like those? They're from a new bakery I found today. Pretty pricey, but they're so good," Celia commented as she saw Magnus take a bite of a cookie.
"Wow… they're so soft," he noted. He had always liked soft cookies over ones that were crunchy, so these hit just the spot for him.
"I know, right! Apparently, they use a special baking method. I'll have to ask about it next time I visit; I want to try making them at home." For the next twenty minutes or so, the conversation between them somehow delved into baking and their favorite pastries.
It was only after they had exhausted that topic that Celia turned her attention to the bones Magnus had been working on. She noticed that he had set a few bones aside, separating them from the rest on the desk, including the one he had been looking at for the past two hours.
"What are those bones for?” She asked, pointing at the desk. Following her hand, Magnus saw the bones she was referring to and let out a slightly depressed sigh before responding.
"Oh, those. They're my failed attempts at changing the bone's structure." Waving his hand, Magnus executed the Command Console, and the set of bones Celia pointed at began to float into the air, making their way over to the two of them. He had studied their structures for so long with such detail that he had them entirely memorized, so visualizing them was easy.
Gently, the bones landed on the table. Sitting up and putting her book away, Celia looked at them in interest.
"So what went wrong with them?" She asked while reaching out to pick one up. But the moment her hand exerted enough pressure to lift the bone off of the table, its mid-section collapsed on itself, crumbling like charcoal. All that was left in Celia's hands were small fragments of the remaining exterior and interior bone, some of which had become like a rough powder.
"Well, you said it best yourself; life can adapt if given time, but it is sensitive to sudden changes; the same goes for bones. Change a bone incorrectly piece by piece, and it conflicts with the rest of the original structure. Do it all at once, and the whole thing might go wrong. That one, for example, became way too brittle,” Magnus explained as Celia dusted off her hand.
"Huh, well, good thing you didn't practice on yourself first," Celia said as she grabbed something to clean up the mess of bones. Magnus silently agreed with her. If he had rushed things and attempted to alter his bones right away, he would be dead.
"Well, anyway, it won't be long until I can start making changes to myself. It's a slow process, but it’s definitely not boring, and I'm sure I'm on the right path. It's just a matter of time," Magnus said, reclining and letting out a tired yawn.
Those words summed up Magnus's experience over the next three days perfectly. He developed various methods, theories, and ideas to achieve his goals. While the basic execution of these methods was similar, each brought new insights. If one approach failed, it ruled out several others. Conversely, if one yielded positive results, it eliminated other theories from the list. His journey was one of trial and error, but the errors were becoming less frequent with each attempt.
As Magnus grew more familiar with the structure of the bones, gaining a deeper understanding of their components and properties, he began to predict outcomes more accurately. What would happen if he made this change? Or that adjustment? It was almost as if he were running miniature simulations in his mind, sometimes bypassing the need for physical tests.
Thanks to his dedication and effort, Magnus finally had a breakthrough on the third day, during the eighth use of the spell catalyst, when he managed to edit an entire femur bone successfully.
"Hehehe… I did it. I actually did it! Yes!" Magnus cheered, clapping his hands together. A pile of defective bones sat on the desk, separated from the ones that remained unedited by the Command Console.
The pile of failed experiments had grown larger than the pile of successes, and Magnus was nearly out of materials. If he hadn't succeeded soon, he would have had to return to Luden for more materials and another catalyst.
[Congratulations, Master. I’ve archived the exact steps and method in your memory for future reference.]
Thanks, Basker, but you know you don't have to sound so foreign towards this, right? You did just as much as I did, if not more.
[I was simply following your instructions, Master, but I appreciate your praise.]
Magnus rolled his eyes at Basker's response before letting out a satisfied sigh. Outside of Dreamland, Basker didn't show much personality, something Magnus planned to work on in the future.
For now, though, he was focused on examining the product of his work. From the outside, it still looked like an ordinary bone. However, as Magnus reached for it and picked it up off the desk with considerable force, it didn't crumble, nor did it instantly fracture.
Perfect.
Magnus roughly hit the bone against the side of his desk. The sound of bone hitting hardwood echoed through the room, but there were no visible changes.
It looks like the fibers are still flexible enough to absorb impacts as well, even after I rearranged them and changed the various matrices patterns inside the bone.
The altered bone structure met all of Magnus’s expectations, and even better, he still had two more uses left in the spell catalyst. He needed to reserve one for his own body modifications, so with an extra use at his disposal, he planned to spend more time fine-tuning. He needed to ensure his joints could keep up with the new durability of his skeleton once the changes were done, so more testing was necessary.
Even with this success, he had to ensure consistent and error-free results, especially if he was going to operate on himself.
I'd say two more days should do it. After that, I’m confident I’ll be ready.