The Wizard Has A Biochip

As I reached the door, a voice called out from the corridor near the entrance.

— Hello, George!

I stopped immediately.

Huh?

I turned my head.

A man was running toward me through the stone corridor.

It only took me a few seconds to recognize him.

His robe was in terrible condition.

It was covered in cuts, dark stains that looked like old blood, scorch marks from magic, and hastily sewn patches stitched together with threads of different colors.

It looked like a robe that had survived countless battles.

— Leon?

He slowed to a stop in front of me.

— It’s been a long time since we last met.

His smile seemed genuine.

But it disappeared the moment his eyes fell on the books I was carrying.

I noticed the change immediately.

Curiosity.

Then surprise.

And finally...

Envy.

Well concealed.

But still visible.

— You’re already buying spell models?

— So...

— You’ve already advanced to a Second-Level Acolyte?

I gave a slight nod.

— Yes.

I raised the two books slightly.

— I advanced not long ago. I figured it was time to start learning casting magic.

Leon let out a short laugh.

— Damn...

— You’re fast.

While we talked, I silently issued a command.

— Biochip... inspect Leon.

[Beep!]

Strength: 1.9

Agility: 2.3

Vitality: 1.9

Mana: 1.8

I quickly analyzed the numbers.

Typical attributes of a First-Level Acolyte who had begun constructing the magical codes needed to reach the Second Level.

His Agility was slightly higher than his other attributes.

He probably trained in physical combat frequently during missions.

Leon noticed my curious gaze.

He scratched the back of his head.

— We needed to earn some magic crystals.

— So our group started accepting missions outside the Tower.

— Helena also recently obtained the meditation technique for Second-Level Acolytes.

— But she still has to retake a few theoretical classes...

— She failed them several times.

Leon looked at the books in my hands again.

— You really deserve to be an Engineering student...

He let out a bitter laugh.

— You always manage to make money.

Then his expression darkened completely.

— Clara died.

I froze.

He continued.

— She agreed to participate in a mage’s magical experiment in exchange for crystals.

— She didn’t survive.

Clara...

I vaguely remembered her.

A girl who was always smiling.

I never imagined she’d end up like that.

Leon took a deep breath before continuing.

— Arthur died too.

— During a mission in the forest surrounding the Tower.

— They said a magical beast devoured him.

Silence fell between us.

This was the reality for most Acolytes...

Without resources...

Only two paths remained.

Accept extremely dangerous missions.

Or sell your body for a mage’s experiments in exchange for magic crystals.

It was a cruel choice.

I glanced discreetly at the books I was carrying.

Then at my pouch.

It’s a good thing I can bet in the Death Arena and manufacture magical devices.

Without those abilities...

My fate probably wouldn’t be much different.

— That’s truly unfortunate.

My voice came out quietly.

— I’m sorry for them.

Leon simply nodded.

I decided to lighten the mood a little.

I raised one of the books.

— Don’t think I’m swimming in money either.

I smiled.

— My success rate in manufacturing Explosive Fire Crystals has improved recently.

— I earned a few extra crystals.

I shook the two books.

— But as you can see...

— I’ve already managed to spend almost all of them.

I put on an exaggeratedly defeated expression.

Leon let out a small laugh.

— Hahaha...

— That really does sound like the Tower.

— Money comes in...

— And disappears immediately.

I nodded.

— Exactly.

He shoved his hands into his pockets.

The light faded from his eyes for a few moments.

I knew part of his story.

Leon came from a noble family.

Before entering the Tower, he had probably believed his family’s wealth would be enough.

But here...

Magic crystals disappeared at an absurd rate.

He looked back at me.

— Come to think of it...

— Once we’ve all reached the Second Level and learned our first spells...

— How about we go on a mission together?

I studied his face for several seconds.

I immediately understood.

He wasn’t just looking for company.

He wanted to increase his chances of survival.

He was probably hoping to take advantage of my equipment as well.

I slowly shook my head.

— No.

He blinked.

— Because we’re no longer on the same level.

I tried to answer as calmly as possible.

— Our goals and abilities are different now.

Leon lowered his gaze.

For a moment, I thought he would get angry.

But he merely sighed.

— I know...

His voice carried obvious exhaustion.

— You don’t have to risk your life in that forest.

He gave a bitter smile.

— You just have to build a few devices.

— You earn more crystals than I do by risking my life every single day.

His fists slowly clenched.

— It’s not fair...

I remained silent for a few moments.

Then I answered.

— I don’t see it that way.

Leon looked up.

— Everyone has different talents.

— Mine happens to be crafting artifacts.

— Yours is something else.

— Comparing our paths will only make things harder.

He opened his mouth to reply.

— But...

I already recognized that tone.

If we kept talking, I’d probably end up hearing a request for help.

A loan.

Equipment.

Magic crystals.

Or something similar.

I smiled politely.

Raised one hand in farewell.

— Anyway...

— I’ll see you around, Leon.

Without waiting for another response, I turned around and continued walking.

.

.

.

.

.

When I finally returned to my room, I locked the door out of habit.

I carefully placed the two books on the table.

For several seconds, I simply stared at them.

So these are my first magical models...

I picked up the Hand of Light book first.

Around its edges, the metal formed a kind of belt engraved with tiny glowing runes.

I smiled faintly.

It was a fairly common protection system.

Magical models couldn’t simply be opened and read.

Each book had to recognize that the reader possessed the minimum required knowledge.

Fortunately...

I met all the requirements.

I took a deep breath.

Then spoke the small unlocking incantation.

— Lux... Luminous Radiance.

The runes on the binding responded immediately.

A golden glow flowed across the entire strip of metal.

Clink...

The links began to vibrate.

A moment later, they dissolved into countless luminous particles that slowly faded into the air.

The pages opened on their own.

They flipped rapidly.

I leaned closer.

— Biochip.

— Begin recording all the information.

[Command received!]

[Extraction in progress...]

[1%]

[2%]

[3%]

[4%]

...

[18%]

...

[41%]

...

[67%]

...

[89%]

...

[99%]

[100%]

[Extraction complete!]

I waited several seconds.

Only after receiving the final confirmation did I carefully close the book.

I smiled in satisfaction.

Making even a single mistake in one symbol while casting a lethal spell could be enough to destroy the caster’s arm.

Or worse.

Cause the entire magical structure to explode right in front of their face.

That was precisely why so many Acolytes never managed to become Mages.

My advantage was absurd.

I then picked up the second book.

Bow and Arrows of Light.

The protective binding disappeared after I repeated the same unlocking spell.

The pages opened.

— Biochip.

— Record.

[Extraction initiated!]

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%

...

35%

...

62%

...

91%

...

100%

[Extraction complete!]

I slowly closed the book.

Now both magical models had been completely stored in the Biochip’s memory.

That didn’t mean I had already mastered those spells.

But it eliminated virtually the entire process of memorizing symbols, magical diagrams, and runic sequences.

All that remained was to follow the information and attempt to cast the spell.

I stood up.

Carefully placed both books inside the desk drawer.

Then walked over to the bed.

I dropped onto the mattress.

My body finally relaxed.

I closed my eyes.

Then issued a mental command.

— Biochip.

— Activate Virtual Environment.

[Beep!]

[Initializing Virtual Environment...]

My room began to disappear.

The walls dissolved into countless particles of data.

The bed.

The desk.

The books.

Everything was consumed by a tide of blue light.

Within a few seconds...

The room no longer existed.

It was a completely silent space.

Empty.

Endless.

I looked around for a few moments.

Then gave another command.

— Modify this environment.

— I need target practice.

[Modifying environment...]

The digital ocean began to move.

The waves transformed into streams of code.

Mountains rose.

Trees grew at an impossible speed.

The ground became covered with grass.

The wind began to rustle through green leaves.

In less than five seconds, an entire forest had been created before my eyes.

Soon afterward, dozens of targets appeared.

Humanoid dummies.

Giant boars.

Wolves.

Serpents.

Even winged creatures began to emerge among the treetops.

Some remained motionless.

Others wandered slowly.

Perfect for training.

[Environment successfully modified!]

...

1456 Words

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