In the light of the setting sun, Lucius sat in an old square in the center of the Iron Suburbs.
The corners and the center were lit by old metal lampposts engraved with runes of illumination that emitted a constant cyan-blue glow, though many of them were unlit—not because of the time of day, but because of their state of disrepair.
Among the rusty metal benches, some had homeless people sleeping on them. He chose an empty one.
'This pain is unbearable. What the hell is wrong with this core?' He clenched his teeth and tried to summon the system in front of him, but it didn't appear.
"For God's sake, don't I even have enough mana for that?" With a muttered complaint, he tapped his smartwatch, and an identical interface appeared as a hologram in front of him.
[Core Status]
Core Synchronization: 0.02%.
Core Stability: CRITICAL (Active Cracks).
[Active Effect: Mana Contamination (Fatal Internal Injuries have led to your death)]
'Fissures… So what I feel inside isn't metal; it's actually my core fracturing into pieces.' His face filled with astonishment. That explained the previous Lucius's death.
If your core is destroyed inside you, you will most likely end up destroying your heart or your organs when you feel anger, since the anger will overflow your body with mana, and without a core to channel the mana, it will destroy your organs.
He was drawn to something else.
[Mana Marks]
Slot 1: Empty.
Slot 2: Empty.
[]
[Abilities]
[Mana Symbiosis.]
Type: Unique.
Rank: Unknown.
Description: Ability to fuse Mana Marks / Magical Concepts.
[Warning: Use not recommended.]
"Mana Symbiosis… Ability to fuse Mana Marks. Can I perform a symbiosis with my Mana Marks?" he muttered, dazed.
He didn't understand the concept… but he was genuinely interested.
Mana Marks will always be for independent use; one mark, one ability/spell = one effect.
If he could fuse them…
"Hey, you little bastard, what are you doing in my bed?" A hoarse voice snapped Lucius out of his daydreams.
He looked up and saw a homeless man dragging a black bag containing some food that smelled awful.
Lucius looked at the spot where he had been sitting; there was a small blanket there that he hadn't noticed until now.
'Is that his bed?' Lucius wasn't the kind of beggar who would fight others for a seat; he simply got up and walked around the square to get used to this body.
He thought about the possibilities of his ability once more.
'If they gave him this unique ability, it must have a use. The stupidity of newbies in believing that there are abilities that have no use is just that—stupidity,' he thought.
Valerius Asturias and all the elders of the Asturias Family had always said that this ability was useless, since its explanation made no sense. But to Lucius, they were just novices.
'There's no way I won't find a use for this. But to form a symbiosis… for that I need at least two marks.' He nodded at his own conjecture.
Without giving it much thought, he drew up a plan of action.
'First things first, a place to sleep.' He looked at his system again. 'Do I have any money?' he thought.
[WALLET]
Balance: 30 Mana Credits.
'30? That beggar must be richer than me.' He shook his head at his poverty. 'They charge 2 mana credits a day in the Iron Suburbs; if I find an inn for the lower class, I might find one where two credits will cover my food as well.'
He nodded, and with his temporary plan in place, he watched as the sun began to set behind the old concrete buildings.
According to the memories he'd inherited, the Iron Suburbs were plagued by acid rain that could kill him in his current weakened state; that meant the streets at night weren't a safe place, so he needed to find somewhere to rest.
-
"Sir, this place has been all but forgotten by God. Why do you want to charge 2 credits a night?" Lucius complained to the owner of an old inn.
"2 credits a night for 10 days, and 1 credit total for food for those 10 days. Why do you keep haggling? My inn, my rules! All my customers respect them!"
Lucius sighed. "Do you even have any customers?" he said, looking around. The inn was completely empty.
"You…" The innkeeper swallowed his words.
Lucius shook his head. "Final offer: 1 credit per night for 20 days, plus 1 credit for food for those 20 days. I'll pay half right now."
Finally, the old man didn't respond immediately, but stared at him for several seconds.
"Two credits for food for those 20 days—you give me the food credits now!" He slammed the wooden table between them; it was his final offer.
Lucius smiled. "Very well. See how you can make decent deals?" He transferred a total of 12 credits from his watch, and at the same time they signed a temporary residence agreement under the rules of the city of New Asturias.
"Hmph. Room 1 on the second floor." The grumpy old man reluctantly handed him the keys.
"Heh, see? You didn't have any customers." Lucius couldn't help but rub it in, making the grumpy old man feel hurt and furious.
Although he wanted to curse him out, he couldn't do that to a customer, so he remained silent while his eyes bulged with rage.
Lucius went up to his room and was immediately struck by a coughing fit.
"Cough, cough." He coughed up blood into his hand. "I really have to find the Silver Marrow Elixir. If this keeps up, I'll die in less than 15 days."
After wiping the blood from his hand, he pressed it to his chest and walked over to the bed.
"I'll need the blood of a Heavy Load Ant to create it, but more importantly, the Glass Moss Root."
A Glass Moss Root grows in mana waste dumps; there must be plenty of them in the Iron Suburbs. On the other hand, the Heavy Load Ant's favorite food is this very root. Just tracking down a Root would be enough to get the Ant as well.
It would kill two birds with one stone, and if he extracts the Mana Mark from the ant, then it would be three.
"I'll have to go for a walk tomorrow," he murmured quietly after mapping out his plan and lay back on the cold bed. He wrapped himself in a thin sheet and prepared to endure the cold during the harshest hours of the bitter winter.