Genetic Engineer in a Tamer's World

Kale stood on the small stone island, his green eyes fixed on the viscous orange flow as he pulled his focus inward.

The confirmation from the system had been a vital spark of hope, but he knew better than to rely purely on mechanical optimism. He needed a tangible plan to navigate the liquid furnace that currently served as his only road forward.

”System, process every item within the system storage and the spatial artefacts I have gathered,” Kale ordered, his mental voice sharp and analytical.

”Identify the best possible configuration to build a vessel capable of traversing this flowing magma river for an extended duration. Factor in the increasing thermal gradient.”

He waited as the mechanical entity processed the inventory of his recent slaughter and the gifts from his masters.

He had the durable, mana-resistant plates from the Stone Turtle and the heat-conducting skeletal remains of the Red Volcano Spirit. There was also a significant cache of high-grade enchanted wood provided by the Greenroot Guild and several vials of obsidian resin.

The blue notification windows flickered across his retina, displaying a complex array of structural simulations and material compatibility charts.

The system was running thousands of iterations, testing the melting points and mana conductivity of every potential combination of beast parts and Artificer materials.

[Processing inventory data... 100% complete.]

[Generating roadmap for Magma Skiff construction... success.]

[Roadmap provided: Host must utilise the Trinity Crafting skill to fuse Stone Turtle plates with enchanted wood ribs, using obsidian resin as a thermal sealant.]

Kale did not delay a single second once the roadmap was established. He began the work with a frantic but disciplined energy, clearing a flat section of the charred island to serve as a makeshift workbench.

Even though he did not feel any immediate danger from predators, a growing unease remained at the back of his mind.

The silence of the tomb was too heavy, and the isolation of the Buried Reaches felt like a predator waiting for him to lower his guard. He drew his daggers, using the high-frequency edges to shape the enchanted wood into the skeletal ribs of a small, narrow boat.

The knowledge of the construction was pushed directly into his mind, guided by the system.

Neo hopped down from his shoulder, the hydra sensing the urgency of the task.

The creature assisted by doing some of the heavy lifting, using its claws to position the heavy Stone Turtle plates while Kale worked on the mana conduction joints. Neo also maintained his 15-meter radius of heat absorption, acting as a biological shield.

Kale built the initial structure flawlessly, his hands moving with the practised grace of a master researcher.

He applied the obsidian resin to the seams, watching as the black substance bubbled and hardened against the wood. Using Lesser Mana Manipulation, he wove the internal mana pathways into the hull to distribute the thermal stress.

However, once the prototype was completed, the system performed a final structural integrity check that halted his progress. A red warning window appeared over the skiff, highlighting the weaknesses in the base design that Kale had not seen with his human eyes.

[Warning: The current structure will not survive a 30% increase in ambient temperature.]

[Projection: Thermal collapse will occur within five kilometres of the descent.]

[Reason: The enchanted wood ribs lack the necessary elemental density to prevent carbonisation at the projected depths of the inner sanctum.]

Kale wiped the sweat from his forehead, his expression turning grim as he stared at the failed prototype.

He realised that the further he went through the lava river, the hotter it would be. He could not afford a vessel that would disintegrate while he was in the middle of a molten current.

He took some time to identify the flaws of the structure, using his knowledge as an Apprentice-rank Toolcrafter to analyse the material stress points.

He realised that he needed to reinforce the wood ribs with the heat-conducting bones of the Red Volcano Spirit to create a thermal bypass system.

He dismantled the first skiff and began the next one with the necessary tweaks. He reinforced the joints with mana-conducting wire and used his daggers to engrave cooling arrays into the internal deck.

He felt the mental strain of the work, but the artefacts he wore kept his focus steady and his stamina from flagging.

Thankfully, this second version turned out to be far better, the Stone Turtle plates now perfectly synchronised with the bone-reinforced frame. The system projected a 95% survival rate for the skiff in temperatures up to 1500 degrees.

Without hesitation, Kale shoved the small boat onto the flowing lava.

The skiff held well, bobbing atop the viscous orange liquid with a surprising amount of buoyancy.

The Stone Turtle plates acted like a specialised hull that reflected the heat rather than absorbing it. Kale jumped onto the boat, feeling the slight vibration of the mana circuits beneath his boots.

He sat on the central bench and began to row, moving the two heavy oars that were jointed to the sides of the boat for better leverage. He wore a grim expression, his heart beginning to beat in fear and anticipation of the unknown.

He was a survivor, but rowing into the heart of a Mythical tomb was a trial beyond any he had faced.

Neo took his place at the prow of the skiff, his three heads scanning the banks of the river for any signs of movement. The hydra’s orange scales glowed with a soft light, pulsing in rhythm with the heat it was drawing from the air.

Kale pulled against the current, the skiff slowly picking up speed as it entered the main flow.

Just as Kale had expected, the temperature began to rise at an alarming rate as they travelled deeper into the descending cave. The fall of the magma river grew steeper, and the Skiff moved with increasing velocity that required all of Kale’s focus to manage.

The width of the river also slowly widened into a massive hall.

Strangely, due to the overwhelming heat of the deep, the viscous density of the magma actually lessened. The molten rock became more fluid, behaving less like thick sludge and more like heavy oil.

Rowing became easier as the resistance of the liquid decreased, allowing the skiff to glide smoothly over the surface.

However, the increasing heat was slowly corroding the oars despite the mana shielding Kale provided.

He could see the edges of the enchanted wood charring and flaking away with every stroke. The heat was becoming suffocating, pressing against his lungs even with the Flame Resistance trait and Neo’s continuous absorption of the surrounding heat.

Every breath Kale took felt like inhaling steam, and the moisture on his skin evaporated as soon as it formed.

He pushed his Beast Force through his legs to stay anchored to the skiff, his green hair plastered to his forehead by the sheer intensity of the thermal radiation. They were descending into a hell that defied imperial geography.

Kale suddenly noticed something that made him stop rowing, his oars hovering just inches above the orange surface.

The magma was flowing almost as smooth as water now, and more shockingly, it had become clear. He looked over the edge of the skiff, and he was unable to believe his very eyes at the sight revealed beneath them.

It was as if an orange glowing river was flowing downward in a descending cave of sorts, the liquid shimmering with a clarity that allowed him to see meters into the depths.

The orange hue was no longer a solid wall of light but a translucent medium that held a hidden world within its searing embrace.

But most shocking of all was that fish-like creatures were travelling beneath that glowing orange river.

They were sleek, needle-shaped entities with scales that looked like molten gold, moving through the clear magma with the effortless grace of trout in a mountain stream. They were biological anomalies of the highest order.

Life was thriving even in the hottest of liquid magma, defying all common sense or scientific objections that Kale had ever studied. These creatures were not just surviving the heat; they were predators of the flame, weaving through the clear currents with a predatory hunger that mirrored the beasts of the surface.

Kale watched as one of the magma fish leapt from the surface, its gold scales catching the light of the cavern before it dove back into the clear orange depths with a silent splash. It was a beautiful and terrifying display of nature’s stubbornness, a reminder that the world of Nergal did not care for the limitations of human science.

He gripped the oars tighter, his expression hardening as he realised the implications of this discovery. If there were fish in the magma, there were likely larger predators following them.

The clear river was no longer just a path; it was an ecosystem, and he was a foreign intruder in a vessel made of wood and bone.

Neo hissed from the prow, his six golden eyes narrowing as he tracked the movement of the golden fish beneath the hull. The hydra sensed the life force within the river, a concentrated essence of fire that called to his own dormant affinities.

The hunt was no longer confined to the charred islands of the upper furnace.

Kale looked ahead, seeing the clear orange river vanish into a dark, yawning tunnel that led even deeper into the subterranean world. The slope was increasing, and the skiff was now moving at a speed that made rowing unnecessary.

They were being pulled into the throat of the tomb, following the golden fish into the silent deep.

The heat continued to spike, the air shimmering with the density of the mana radiating from the clear flow. Kale felt the pulse of the Mythical Will growing stronger, a heavy and ancient presence that seemed to watch their descent with a cold, flickering interest.

He held his breath, the skiff carrying them into the heart of the flame.