John stood before the vast curved display wall, watching streams of real‑time data scrolling upward.
Dozens of lines radiated outward from the Chernobyl Islands, stretching across the blue expanse of the Death Sea.
Lines could be seen cutting straight toward the South Coast and into territories in all directions still marked 'unknown'.
Some of the lines blazed green which could mean confirmed, secured, or fully operational.
These are units that managed to find suitable infiltration targets.
Actively advancing or units under hostile territories are lit in yellow or orange depending on the amount of danger they are facing.
A few were marked sharp red with cross marks.
These are lost, intercepted, or terminated units.
Far out over the treacherous waters of the Death Sea, the vanguard moved.
Sleek Aerial Hunter Killers zipped through howling storms and churning mana‑winds.
As they neared their destinations, one by one they peeled away from formation, veering off toward separate coordinates, vanishing seamlessly into cloud cover or clinging mist.
This was Wave Two of what Leylin would like to call Infiltrators.
Unlike the Mass Transmigration recruits who carried hidden potential within existing systems, these units were built for silent expansion from the ground up.
Their orders were to chart permanent safe navigation routes, build hidden forward operating bases, weave a unified online network across the entire South Coast and surrounding lands, secure critical local resources, and gather every scrap of magical knowledge/intelligence possible.
Each aerial hunter killer carried ten T‑3000 units.
These are former Great Knights whose flesh and steel had been fully transformed into machine‑phase perfection.
They are now the absolute spear tip of Farlier influence.
Adaptive, shapeshifting, tireless and endlessly patient.
Unless the T‑3000 onboard encountered a natural disaster, a truly esoteric magic that deals soul damage or terrifying apex creatures that has innate abilities on lightning or gravity, they should be fine.
Theoretically, a T3000 unit could kill rank 1 or rank 2 wizards with little effort.
Even against rank 3 magi, they stood more than a fighting chance, especially if their opponent was unprepared.
The takeover of the Chernobyl Islands had been too easy; now they would test the same principles on a far bigger, deadlier frontier.
Real-time reports scrolled steadily across the bottom of the screen:
[Eagle 5 — Landed on uncharted island. Establishing perimeter. No local population detected. Resource scan initiated.]
[Eagle 3 — Engaging mana‑fauna hostiles... Sample collection in progress...]
[Eagle 7 — Safe sea & air route to Abyssal Bone Moor fully mapped. Logged and synced to global network...]
[Eagle 2 — Landfall complete. Concealment active. Beginning local survey.]
John watched with a reminiscing look on his face.
For a father who simply wanted the best for his son, he felt like he overdid things.
Leylin has not just been competent, he is beyond even that. In fact, John still couldn't help but wonder if he's dreaming sometimes.
The boy or man, man-child, whatchamacallit however sat cross‑legged upon the cold floor of his room.
Leylin sat perfectly still as a faint, silvery rippling spread beneath his skin.
It is as if liquid starlight flowed just beneath the surface, nanites shifting, squirming and repositioning by the millions.
[Material Preparations Complete]
[Initiating Full System Upgrade Sequence — Version 2.0]
[Core Directives: 1. Nanoforge Upgrade, 2. Swarm Upgrade, 3. Cellular Runic Weave]
His internal Nanoforge is the target of the first upgrade.
Every nanite unit currently active had been born from it, so its limits defined theirs.
[Initiating Core Directive 1]
Nanites began converging toward the core fabrication node deep within his chest.
[1%]
The old was recycled, layer by microscopic layer.
[10%]
Then infused with Blue Copper, Mithril powder and refined Star‑Iron particles.
[30%]
Fine runes are then etched by the nanites with machine precision re‑forging and reinforcing the Nanoforge's material processing and nanite production ability.
[60%]
[Nanoforge Upgrade Complete — Downloading Magic‑Compatible Model]
The theoretical output resolution, energy handling capacity and precision calibration all surged upward by multiple orders of magnitude.
[Updated Nanite Swarm Model Installed. Simulating...]
[Nanite Upgrade On Standby]
[Proceed? Y/N]
'Yes, continue!'
[Initiating...]
[0.00001%]
[0.0003%]
[0. 006%]
Nanites pulled back from every extremity, organ and tissue, flowing like quicksilver back into the upgraded forge to be recycled and reforged.
[1%]
The original standard programmable matter was systematically broken down to base atoms.
[10%]
Then they are purified, stripped of the unnecessary contents, then fused with the exact blend of magic‑conductive alloys and resonant crystals.
[20%]
Silver‑Mana matrix, Deep Crystal shavings, Thunder‑Jade grains, affinity‑specific Fire‑Ruby Sand and Shadow Gold dust.
[30%]
Batch by batch, the new generation of nanites emerged.
[50%]
Denser, more responsive, and most importantly, capable of guiding, holding and channeling mana rather than simply repelling or ignoring it.
[80%]
They dispersed outward instantly, weaving themselves back into his biological structure, replacing old pathways and integrating themselves seamlessly into living tissue.
[Swarm Refit Complete — Magic‑Conductive Nanites: 100% Deployed]
[Proceed with Cellular‑Scale Rune Etching? Y/N]
'Let's go! No time like now!'
[Initiating Procedure...]
Working in parallel across every part of his body, trillions of nanites aligned themselves against the membrane, nucleus and structural fibers of each individual cell.
Using Verdant Jade extract as a bonding agent and precision energy pulses, the nanites began micro‑sculpting continuous rune patterns with machine precision directly into biological matter.
Each rune was basic runes taught to light faction apprentices but these runes are already extremely difficult to understand.
Even so, that difficulty only applies to those without assistance from a super intelligent AI assistant.
The optimized mana‑gathering formula, shrunk down to molecular scale, perfectly calibrated and harmonized to his four affinities.
One cell finished, then the next, then the next, then the next.
In an endless, identical, perfect cycle of production.
Lines of Shadow Gold for darkness flow, Fire‑Ruby for thermal resistance and fire affinity, Verdant Jade to resonate with plant life, Mithril traces forming the neutral, perfect conduction backbone throughout.
As the last seal locked into place, the effect activated instantly.
Leylin felt a sudden, profound state.
The elusive ambient mana no longer brushed against him like before.
Now it surged toward him from every direction, drawn in through every pore, every surface, every single rune‑etched cell, drinking it in effortlessly.
His whole body had ceased being merely a vessel for magic; it had become an infinite, self‑sustaining receiver and converter.
[Cellular Runic Weave — Active]
[Passive Mana Absorption: Active]
[Mana capacity reached...]
[No abnormal reactions found.]
[Recalculating Magic Aptitude Rating — Elevated to Beyond Grade 5.]
Leylin opened his eyes, silver light flickering deep within their depths as he stretched his new body.
"Now," he breathed softly, "Shall we begin catching up?"
'Transmit the personalized mind runes...'
The 24 basic runes is the standard meditation technique used in the South Coast.
Constructing a mind rune will enable one to officially enter the ranks of apprentices.
At this rank, one can absorb, store, and release mana in the form of spells.
In reality, this ability to control, store and release mana with one mind rune is just a bit better than that of the unawakened and can even be described as quite underwhelming.
To change this, one must add more and more mental runes to his or her mindscape.
Rank 1 acolytes have runes that range from one to eight.
Rank 2 acolytes on the other hand must have nine up to twenty four mind runes.
Finally, Rank 3 acolytes have to consolidate the 24 mind runes and combined them in order to form a greater rune.
'Return to simplicity.' The term almost made Leylin laugh to himself but he still has a job to do.
'Simulate mind rune construction.'
[Affirmative... Simulating...]
[Analyzing structural compatibility — aligning with neural pathways, nanite‑reinforced synapses & cellular runic weave.]
[Calculating mana load, resonance balance & energy consumption...]
[Synergistic Effect with Nanite Enhanced Physique and Passive Mana Absorption — Positive. Multiplicative gains detected.]
[Projected Result: All 24 mind runes can be generated without detrimental effects. Stability: 99.98%. No feedback risk.]
'Does that mean I'll be skipping Rank 1 acolyte and directly get promoted as a Rank 2?'
'Whatever... Begin!'
[Initiating Task...]
Millions of nanites stirred instantly within his brain, flowing along grey matter and nerve fibers like liquid mercury.
Guided by precise schematics, they began etching the first rune directly onto the surface of his consciousness.
There was no feeling of pain.
[G1 Rune Complete]
Leylin only felt a sharp, electric clarity spreading outward, instant and bright.
[E1 Rune Complete]
[S1 Rune Complete]
[C1 Rune Complete]
Rune after rune formed, linking together in perfect sequence: boosting processing speed, strengthening memory retention, sharpening mental defenses, and allowing his will to reach deeper into mana itself.
Where they overlapped with his cellular weave, absorption surged.
His mind is now drawing, refining and storing magical energy as naturally as his body did.
Leylin grouped the 24 runes into four types according to what it does once constructed within the sea of consciousness.
The G type runes can gather or absorb ambient mana.
The E type runes stored mana thus additional runes leads to a higher mana capacity. It indirectly helps increase brain functions such as memory storage and retention.
The S type runes strengthens and stabilizes the sea of consciousness. This runes also passively prevents structural collapse while guarding the mindscape from mental and spiritual attacks.
Then there's the C type runes which enhances one's control over mana. This is useful in spell model construction, casting, molding, or other activities that requires delicate mana control.
[C6 Rune Complete]
[Status: 24/24 Mind Runes Fully Established.]
[No anomalies detected.]
[Sea of consciousness is stabilizing...]
[Analyzing changes...]
[Consolidating based on projected optimal resonance frequency.]
[Mental remodeling initiated...]
[Consolidation: 0.000000001%]
[Estimated completion in seven days. 'Leylin' unit may now proceed with more relevant tasks.]
[Updating stat calculation...]
Leylin exhaled slowly.
His awareness felt vast, limitless—every thought precise, every calculation instant.
'Show me my stats.'
[Leylin Farlier
Strength: 35.6
Agility: 37.4
Vitality: 39.9
Spiritual Force: 19.8
Status: Healthy]
Leylin nodded slowly at the display.
Even without fully converting into a T‑3000 machine‑phase being, he had already reached physical benchmarks equal to those perfected war forms.
This is more than enough assurance to stand firm in this place, but not enough to be arrogant.
Beneath those numbers lay his true advantages.
A mana‑enhanced physique that passively drinks ambient mana from every cell.
He could utilize every scrap of energy he held with zero waste, and at his current mana regeneration rate, an 'empty reserve' would refill completely within mere minutes.
For now, each individual cell could only store a tiny, limited amount of mana.
This amount is enough to massively boost strength, endurance, and recovery but not yet match dedicated mana cores.
In time, however, this capacity could be expanded far enough that his very skin cells would sustain shield spells and defenses entirely on their own, casting them constantly without conscious thought.
For the moment though, his 19.8 Spiritual Force set his hard limit—the absolute ceiling of mana he could channel or consume at once.
According to data projections, that cap would not cross 20 until he consolidated his scattered runes into unified Greater Runes and inscribed his first proper spell model into his foundation.
It was only natural; his current structure simply could not contain more power without risking collapse or burnout.
Even his body instinctively knew this and adjusted as the passive mana gathering automatically halts the moment saturation was reached, protecting him from overloading his own limits.