Ch. 11: Another Self-Experiment
--<1st PoV>--
The sound of wooden wheels crunching over gravel echoed faintly in the distance.
The Mage Tower's official carriage, bearing its ornate crest, slowly disappeared past the outer gate, a trail of dust rising in its wake.
I stood silently, watching it go.
My thoughts, though, were far from still.
"Master… was that really a good idea?" Lilia's voice broke the silence beside me, hesitant but sincere. "I mean, you gave them not just the Lesser, but even the Mid-Grade Mana Sensitivity potions…"
I didn't respond immediately. She continued, almost as if trying to reason it out for herself.
"I think… alternatives like Mid-Grade Fire and Ice Resistance potions would've been more prudent. Even other elemental resistance series—well, they're safer. Less… groundbreaking." She trailed off, glancing at me.
Slowly, I turned. My dark green eyes narrowed, gleaming with calculation.
"No," I said calmly. "This is the best move we could have made. It's been too long since I introduced anything new. If I keep feeding them familiar products, they'll grow bored. And once that fascination fades… they'll start seeing me as the one withholding what they believe they could have created themselves, given enough time."
Lilia blinked. "But they can't," she muttered, her voice rising.
"They can't even make those kinds of potions themselves! To them, only elixirs—with pure magical herbs—count as power-enhancing consumables! And now that Ray-sama proved them wrong, even if temporarily, by offering a widely accessible potion that could save lives—now they claim you're stealing their 'future'? How despicable!"
I chuckled softly, with a grin forming on my face. "That's just how humans are. Though you might not understand… after all you're an elf."
She frowned, baring her teeth. "A Demon Elf," she corrected flatly, not appreciating the joke.
Still, I smiled.
"It's the truth, though. Eventually, their research will catch up. Mid and high-grade variants, even Body Strengthening and Mana Amplification potions—these are all within reach, given enough time. Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't even developed Earth, Wind, or Lightning Resistance potions yet. Either they're lazy, or the elders consider such potions beneath them."
A grin tugged at my lips.
"Well, that just gives me time. By the time their junior apprentices learn to brew even one new resistance potion, I'll have already completed an entire series—including high-grade versions."
I glanced at Lilia, amused.
"And besides… the Mana Sensitivity Potion? Even the Lesser version is complex enough that most Six-Circle mages would struggle with just half the recipe. Not to mention, they don't have a cute, silver-haired maid supporting them with her elemental summons during the process." I reached over and patted her head.
'Not to mention… their mana control is another critical aspect.'
In the beginning, I couldn't manage it either—but now? My control is refined enough to guide mana through a needle's eye without disrupting a single pathway, and stretch it into long thin threads.
"Hehehe~" Feeling my hand rubbing on her head, Lilia flushed slightly, smiling shyly under the praise.
'It's good she is back to being cute. It will be hard to concentrate if she kept acting like last time.' I thought, remembering what punishment to choose for her as I kept watching her smile.
Then her eyes widened. "Wait—but what about the Commerce Guild? Don't we have ties with them too? They're contract-based, neutral, and not riddled with power struggles or old politics. Wouldn't it be better to distribute through them, rather than the power-hungry Mage Tower?"
Her logic wasn't wrong.
But I shook my head.
"On the surface, yes. But there's more to consider. First—manpower. The Commerce Guild has reach, but they lack competent mages. They can't replicate even half the formulas the Mage Tower can. Second—backing. The Guild is neutral. If I ever need support or protection, they'll vanish, they simply can't provide anything but financial aid. But the Mage Tower?"
I smirked.
"As long as I'm not up against the Six Kings' families, there is no one I can't mess around with." I said with a thoughtful look on my face.
"Here take this," Handing her a timer type clock I said. "Come to the underground warehouse in 6 hours 15 minutes exactly."
With that, I bid her farewell, still too much I have to do. I got delayed because of the work but I believe I can make do.
Descending through into the underground warehouse, heading for my second laboratory.
'I have something far more important to do right now.'
Lightning cracked somewhere in the distance—louder than usual. The air trembled faintly from the shock.
I paused at the door, sighing. "I could go explain things to Sera… but right now isn't a good time."
BOOM.
The sound of stone shattering was followed by an even more intense bolt of lightning. It came from the training ground.
My eyebrow twitched.
"Ahh… my courtyard… I spent hours decorating it with all kinds of rare stones and boulders…"
I didn't even need to look. Just the sound alone painted the image clearly.
ZZZTZ!
"…I hope she can stop before the destruction reaches my herb garden."
...
(Seven days ago)
[Please select one of the 5 gift boxes.]
And just like that, five differently colored gift boxes appeared right in front of me.
Each one carried the name of the world we came from. They were:
Soul Land, One Piece, I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire, Nano Machine—and obviously, mine.
(A/N: Tell me, have you guessed it?)
Though I had speculated this much—based on the same individuals being in charge of the top factions—it was still difficult to confirm. Especially with new elements like skills and the whole Guilds system being added into the mix.
It had some heavy AU (Alternate Universe) elements thrown in, and given that it's a lesser-known novel compared to popular anime titles, even I couldn't guess right away that I was in "The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman."
From my analysis, I figured out that Tang Ya, Nefertari Vivi, Rosetta Sereh Claudia, and Cheon Wonryou were respectively from Soul Land 2, One Piece, I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire, and Nano Machine.
The last two were especially hard to pinpoint. But among all the novels I've read, my intuition told me those were the correct ones.
Setting the first two aside, the latter two fascinated me deeply.
After all, the MC from the third person's world is a planetary threat—someone who trained for over 50 years and developed a swordsmanship style so broken, it was practically a scam.
Even the world he lived in was so technologically advanced that even the lowest-ranking noble had a territory spanning at least one planet.
And I don't think I need to say anything about Nano Machine, do I?
Conscious AI assistant, time travel, future tech—those are impressive enough—but what really intrigued me were the martial arts. A part of me even wants to compare: Which world's martial arts are better—mine or Nano Machine's?
Then I thought, Is it even possible to get the nanomachines themselves as a reward?
My Super Intuition didn't even let me entertain that kind of mistake.
No, I realized instinctively—I wasn't going to get anything overpowered.
No mysterious Heaven Technique from Soul Land 5. No high-grade, perfect Devil Fruit. No instant mastery of One Flash. No divine-level faith cultivation. No nanomachines. No ultimate martial arts talent.
"Hah… let's stick to our goal—to get something that will actually help me right now." That was my conclusion.
And with that, a strong pull from my intuition guided me to the answer.
'Hmm? It says there's a 90% possibility.'
So, I went with what my instincts told me was the right choice.
"Even I'm not unlucky enough to fail a 90% probability," I muttered.
[Congratulations, you have chosen the Soul Land Gift Pack!]
By then, the other members had also chosen their gift packs. And, being a system that encourages people to make friends three times a day, none of our rewards stayed private for long.
[Congratulations to 'Desert Island Princess' for receiving: Advanced Intergalactic Technology, Military, and Political Knowledge!]
[Congratulations to 'Last Descendant of Tang Sect' for receiving: Martial Spirit Sentience Card!]
[Congratulations to 'Fallen Noble' for receiving: Mutated Martial Spirit — Wishful Ring (Mutation possible)!]
[Congratulations to 'Intergalactic Dukedom's Heir' for receiving: Nanomachines (Consciousness Only)!]
[Congratulations to 'Daughter of the Demon Lord' for receiving: Parallel World's Future Self's Memory!]...
...
(Back to the present)
"And that brings us back to where I am now," I said, for the first time appraising my own status.
"Super Appraisal."
{STATUS}
Name: Ray Virelios (29%)
Race: 1/4 Human, 1/4 Kijin, 1/2 Dryad
Trait: Evolution
Skill: SuperStack (3 Subskills) (0%)
Level: —Aura: NoneMagic: None
Affinity:—
Light: SS
Darkness: SS
Special Talent:
Magic Formation: B (94%)
Description:Born into an aristocratic lineage with a diverse bloodline inherited from both parents, resulting in moderate talents in both magic and martial arts. Hailed as a genius in his early years, he crippled his mana circuits through reckless experimentation. Possesses a twisted personality that doesn't surface unless interacting with those he sees as inferior. Holds a strong desire to eliminate a certain group of people and become the best in every measurable way.
_____________________________________
Hmm, looks like the percentage beside my name increased.
Probably because of the recent events—suffering a memory recovery-induced headache that felt like a psychic attack, and then pushing my body to its limit by accidentally channeling mana through broken circuits while running.
(A/N: Reference — Chapter 4)
Now, looking at everything else—except for the affinity section—aren't I just... ordinary?
Well, even those so-called affinities never meant much. At least for a mage, innate mana affinity doesn't amount to anything if you can't use mana.
If I had known that from the beginning, my level as a swordsman might've been as high as Sera's by now.
But no—because of the path I chose, I became a cripple.
My high light-mana affinity clashed with the corrupted flow of mana inside my circuits. If I hadn't severed the mana pathways myself, it could've killed me.
Even though I picked a low-tier aura cultivation technique, just to minimize the impact.
I managed to stop the worst-case scenario—but even the minimum outcome was something I couldn't accept.
Time to stop dwelling on it.
I looked at the interface floating in front of me.
[Fuse with the Martial Soul: Wishful Ring (Mutated)?]
[Yes] [No]
[Description: The time required for fusion is 6 hours. During this period, mana pathways unique to the martial spirit, as well as 12 ordinary and 8 extraordinary meridians, will be formed. The intricacy, density, and purposeful design of these pathways will determine the final grade of the martial spirit.]
[Do you wish to start the fusion process?]
"No, let me do the preparations first," I said, taking out all the items I had bought.
I made my way into the laboratory, activating the soundproof function.
"Hope it doesn't hurt too much," I muttered aloud, taking out the venom sack of a Green Lightning Drake—a highly poisonous organ known to spike nervous system activity, allowing me to feel every nerve in my body. It pushes one into a trancelike state, the kind typically reached only moments before death.
Some might ask, If you want to experience a near-death trance, wouldn't normal snake venom do the trick?
Why go for the venom of an A-rank monster? You're not a superhuman who can survive lethal toxins. Or do you want a royal death?
Well, it's nothing like that. Normal snake venom doesn't induce the trance for more than six hours, nor does it enhance neural activity significantly.
In most cases, even if the venom takes hours to kill, victims still die unless they get treatment within two minutes of being poisoned.
But I trust my Super Recovery enough to experiment on myself.
"Next is the solution made from 'Pink Slime's Core + Green Sunfruit + Mana Core of a C-rank Antler,' and a High Mana Sensitivity Potion—fake, but potent." I took out two potions I had brewed the other day, gulping them down immediately after swallowing the Green Lightning Drake's venom.
The first potion dulls the body's ability to feel pain by more than 90%, but comes with a terrifying side effect: once its effect fades, the muscles across the entire body turn to jelly. It's life-threatening if left untreated.
The second one, the mana sensitivity potion, is approximately seven times more potent than the standard mid-tier version, but also comes with unstable side effects—hence why it's labeled fake. Too volatile for commercial or regulated use.
"Next, the Mana Heart Herb."
I had taken it before, back when I was young. To be precise, I consumed portions of it from the age of four until nine. Typically, only one herb is allowed per person—and that too in minimal doses. Normally, for humans, residual traces remain until age twelve.
I managed to consume a little more than half of a single herb before my mana circuits began forming.
(A/N: I've made a change in the last chapter— some demi-humans like Kijins and their descendants are unique. They awaken their mana circuits at age nine to 10, two-three years earlier than pure humans. This is part of the lore I added but forgot to mention in Chapter 10.)
Now, some might wonder—if the herb is so miraculous, why not just consume more while you're still young? After all, it helps strengthen the body from within.
The answer is simple. Even though it's considered easier to obtain than most magic herbs—and noble houses typically secure at least one per generation—it's still a magic herb.
And magic herbs, when taken in excess, cause irreversible damage. People have died from overdose. No one takes blind risks… at least, not like me.
So, how much should I take, now that I don't really have any mana circuits?
"The answer is all!" I said, swallowing all three Mana Heart Herbs along with the Red Ogre's Heart and Ice Giant's Frost Core.
The moment the volatile cocktail hit my stomach, I could feel the explosion of heat and energy surging through me. It felt like a storm was brewing inside—my guts churned, my insides twisting, a fire burning and a blizzard raging at the same time.
I didn't waste a second. Quickly, I began the preparations.
I shackled my hands and legs to the cuffs on the wall. The process had started.
The sensations hit all at once—hot, cold, electrifying numbness, and a deep, gut-wrenching churn radiating throughout my entire body.
The Mana Heart Herb had started to interact with my broken mana circuits, their reunion proving excruciating.
I felt my bones crack and muscles tear—then slowly repair, empowered by the vitality of the Red Ogre's Heart—only to tear again under the explosive surge of mana racing through my system.
Even my blood vessels began bursting, one after another. Thanks to the Green Lightning Drake's venom, I could feel it all in vivid, slowed-down detail—like a dissection of my own suffering in real-time.
It was only due to the pain-suppressing effects of the earlier potions that I remained conscious. Otherwise, I would've looked half-dead already.
"I knew it'll be painful. It may seem impossible. But I can do it. It's just pain, I will conquer it."
After all, this was the moment—time to design the most powerful mana circuits in the world. The foundation of the strongest person to ever live.
And I will do it. I'll create something not just unmatched in complexity, but meaningful. Something truly exceptional—beyond anyone else's reach.
Staring at the screen in front of me with bloodshot eyes, I clenched my teeth and laughed in defiance.
"Bring it on!" I roared, selecting Yes.
__________________________________
To Be Continued:
[Word Count: 2625]
A/N: I have initially planed for a world where Raon did not exist and Silvia never ran away from her home (AU) tell me if I should go with it or change it into something else.
Your opinion.