Having confirmed there were no issues, Kamijou Touma couldn't wait to get started. After all, he was getting paid, and it seemed he might even gain power comparable to Esper abilities. How could he possibly refuse?
Living in this city, there wasn't a single Level 0 who didn't wish for Esper abilities. He was no exception. As for participating in an experiment, he didn't mind at all.
With his unique power to erase other Esper abilities, he had participated in countless experiments since he was a child, so he felt very little resistance to the idea.
Seeing Kamijou Touma instantly straighten up and adopt a serious attitude, Ren Isana smiled. He didn't waste any time. "We can start right now. Just do exactly as I say. My experiment doesn't require you to take any injections!"
Ren then explained the Breathing Style to him, instructing the boy to learn the technique. He wanted to see if Touma could genuinely improve his physical constitution.
If it worked, it would prove that purely physical enhancements were possible, whereas energy-based ones were not—since any energy entering his body would be instantly erased.
If his physical constitution could indeed be improved, Ren had plenty of methods to push it further. If energy didn't work, surely nutritional supplements would?
*Surely I can alter the cells in your body, right? It's not like Kamijou Touma will erase those things too. If even a simple physical enhancement gets canceled out, then Kamijou Touma is truly a lost cause!*
Under Ren's guidance, Kamijou Touma began to try out this special Breathing Style. He was a bit clumsy at first, but he slowly started to find the rhythm.
The guy's aptitude was actually quite good. Ren kept a close eye on him, nodding in satisfaction after watching him complete a full cycle of the technique exactly as taught.
"Alright, focus on getting used to this rhythm. I'll give you a checkup in three days. If possible, skip school for the next few days and just practice this at home!" Ren laid out a training plan for him.
After that first attempt, Ren grew even more expectant. *This might actually work.* Things were about to get interesting. If Touma's physical stats were raised, combined with his unique constitution...
When the time came to fight other Espers or Magicians, it would be hilarious if he managed to get into close quarters. After all, the Magicians in this world all had high attack power but abysmal defense. Improving his physical constitution was undoubtedly the best choice.
"Skip school? Alright, I'll ask Komoe-sensei for a few days off." Kamijou Touma didn't overthink it. Since Ren said so, he would do it. Taking time off for an experiment was perfectly normal, after all.
"Okay. I'm going to go prepare a few things. I'll come find you in three days. Remember, you have to maintain the breathing rhythm I taught you at all times!" Ren nodded in satisfaction, and with those parting words, he vanished right in front of him.
This scene immediately sparked Kamijou Touma's curiosity. *What kind of Esper is he? He just disappeared? Is it a spatial ability?*
Though curious, he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he earnestly focused on practicing the Breathing Style Ren had taught him.
The very first time he successfully circulated it, he felt his entire body fill with strength. That meant this thing actually worked on him, which left him incredibly pleasantly surprised.
This was exactly why he hadn't hesitated to ask for time off. After all, this was a golden opportunity. Of course he had to seize it and make himself stronger.
While Kamijou Touma dedicated himself to practicing the Breathing Style, Ren directly returned to his own world.
After Ren left, Aleister spoke up with a hint of surprise. "He seems to have seen through to his true nature. Is he trying to improve his physical constitution now? I must admit, it's quite a brilliant idea."
It only took Aleister a moment of thought to figure out Ren's intentions. The idea was truly fantastic. Perhaps this was the most suitable path for Kamijou Touma. After all, since magic and Esper abilities were out of the question, pure physical stats were the only thing left to improve.
"Are you just going to let him do as he pleases?" Aiwass's voice echoed in Aleister's ears. He couldn't understand Aleister's current maneuvers.
"It matters not. Kamijou Touma has already been traded to Pandora. When the time comes and she helps me realize my long-cherished wish, his essence will be taken away, leaving him as an ordinary human. What he learns now will be useful to him in the future. Furthermore, him growing stronger only benefits us." Aleister was completely unbothered.
Everything was developing in a positive direction. After allying with Pandora, he had abandoned many of his previous plans because there was simply no need to continue them. Therefore, whatever happened with Kamijou Touma was naturally no longer an issue.
The only thing Kamijou Touma needed to do now was quietly wait in this world for the Magic Gods to be dealt with. After that, his role would be over.
He might not even realize what had happened. With that thought in mind, Aleister closed his eyes. He was truly looking forward to the arrival of that day more and more.
Meanwhile, Ren had returned directly to his own world. Arriving back at the underwater tunnel, he vanished from the spot and returned to the university. After locking onto Natsuki Minamiya's location, he teleported straight to her.
Ren abruptly appeared inside Natsuki Minamiya's office. Seeing this guy pop up out of nowhere, Natsuki was startled and couldn't help but glare at the bastard.
Normally, she was the one scaring others. Who could possibly scare her? Having been startled by Ren, Natsuki's mood instantly soured. After all, she was always the one doing the scaring; no one had ever managed to scare her before.
*So what if you've broken through? You obnoxious jerk.* Highly displeased, Natsuki demanded, "What are you doing here? What do you want me to do this time?"
Classes weren't in session right now, and whenever Ren sought her out, it usually wasn't for anything good. Natsuki was well aware of this fact—he basically never looked for her unless he needed something.
"Natsuki-chan, do you have any Gourmet Cells on hand? Give me some!" Ren looked at her with a beaming smile. If she didn't, he would have no choice but to make a trip to the Toriko world.
"I do. What do you need them for? Don't tell me you're planning to go down that path too?" Natsuki asked, casually pulling out a vial of Gourmet Cells she kept on her person.
This stuff was incredibly convenient—it just needed to be injected to take effect. She had acquired it through a trade with Ichiryu.
"No, I made a deal with someone. Hand that over. I'm going to modify these cells, weaken them a bit, and then give them to someone else to use," Ren explained his situation.
Hearing this, Natsuki was a bit surprised, but she didn't pry further. She simply tossed the vial of Gourmet Cells to him, leaving him to handle it himself.
"Just don't get scammed," Natsuki remarked casually, waving her hand to shoo him away. Her only concern was that Ren might get tricked by someone.
After all, this stuff was incredibly precious in other worlds. To many people, it was an exorbitantly expensive commodity.
Ren was left a bit speechless by her comment. He couldn't help but retort, "Do I look like the kind of person who gets scammed? I'm leaving!"
He felt utterly helpless. *Am I really the gullible type in Natsuki's eyes?* He didn't even know what to say to her anymore.
Carrying the Gourmet Cells Natsuki had given him, Ren returned to the *A Certain Magical Index* world. The moment he stepped out of the tunnel, he announced, "I need a laboratory!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, his phone buzzed with a text message containing an address. Aleister hadn't asked any questions; he had simply arranged it immediately.
Glancing at the location, Ren didn't say a word and directly teleported over. The laboratory Aleister had prepared was newly built. All the facilities were brand new, and the place was completely empty.
Ren took one look around before getting straight to work. The enhancement properties of Gourmet Cells were absolutely fantastic. His current plan was to isolate the components responsible for physical enhancement and give them directly to Kamijou Touma.
His formidable learning ability easily made Ren the top biologist in this world. With his preparations complete, he busied himself with separating out the useless elements from the Gourmet Cells.
He retained only the functions that enhanced physical stats. After a few days of hard work, Ren finally managed to produce the enhancement serum. Looking at the vial of blue liquid in his hand, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
According to Academy City's data, a single dose of this serum would grant someone the physical strength of a Lv.4 enhancement Esper. With proper training, reaching Lv.5 wasn't out of the question.
It was safe to say this stuff had been heavily nerfed. After all, the true power of Gourmet Cells went far beyond this. What truly made Gourmet Cells desirable was their limitless growth potential, but this serum lacked that entirely. At best, it would allow growth up to Tier 5—not a single bit more!
It was a weakened version of a weakened version, but it was more than enough for Kamijou Touma. After all, Lv.5 was already an unattainable dream for him, so he definitely wouldn't mind.
Ren had no intention of training Touma to become invincible anyway. This was just a transaction with Aleister. Trading this stuff for the complete Index Librorum Prohibitorum was a fantastic deal, wasn't it?
Having finished the serum, Ren completely wiped all the data in the research institute before returning to his dorm. Three days had passed in this world, which meant today was exactly the day he had agreed to meet with Touma.
Upon returning, he found Touma in his own dorm room, training diligently. After briefly sensing the boy's condition, Ren nodded in satisfaction. It seemed he hadn't slacked off over the past few days.
Ren's figure materialized right inside Kamijou Touma's dorm room. He spoke up out of the blue, "Looks like you haven't been slacking off. Not bad, not bad. Today, we're going to start using the serum. I wonder if your body will reject this stuff."
Right now, Ren was treating Touma like a complete guinea pig. The serum in his hands hadn't undergone a single clinical trial, but Touma had a thick health bar, so it shouldn't be a big deal!!
Power Stones, reviews, and comments— really helps a lot
Want to read ahead? Get access to 50+ extra chapters on my Patreon:
patreon.com/Aragai_Sama