Chapter 102: VOL 2 Chapter 47: This thing is quite ugly.
While the spheres themselves were exactly what he wanted—cheap and easy to produce, consisting only of a not-too-complex rune matrix carved onto "true copper"—their control system posed a problem.
The true copper was the cheapest material with which one could craft a magical artifact, boasting impressive mechanical properties, high resistance to heat, oxidation, corrosion, and more, along with mana conductivity superior to normal copper. It was composed of copper with a minuscule amount of what was known as falamite slag, a mining byproduct.
However, the same could not be said for the crystal tablet he used to control them, which was made from the same material as his student card. This material was known as maximum-purity Chantinolite Crystals, a very rare and expensive mineral with incredible properties, including the ability to transmit information instantly at a planetary scale.
Although there were lower-purity versions that were cheaper, they offered a far more limited transmission range and a drastically reduced number of runes that could be engraved—this was the true limitation. The way he intended to make the scouting spheres work was a bit different from how similar artifacts functioned. Those relied on wisdom runes that did all the work locally, very similar to artificial intelligence. But such runes required enormous amounts of mana to function, and thus needed a material capable of withstanding it.
Not all artifacts worked this way, since that would make them unaffordable for most people. There was another method: using runes as if they were some type of analog computation—in other words, designing rune matrices so that they modeled physical, mathematical, and even social processes. This not only introduced a certain margin of error, but also made it impossible to create something with general-purpose use; every design served extremely specific functions.
Because of this great limitation, every detail had to be carefully considered when creating a magical artifact, as each function had to be painstakingly carved into the artifact itself through runes. This process was not only complicated, but that margin of error—while it might not matter much on a large scale—could be fatal in tasks like mapping an area from the air. A single millimeter of error could lead to erroneous propositions or result in completely nonsensical, useless maps, just to give one example.
To overcome this limitation, Erik spent a great deal of time trying to create something that would far surpass analog computation: digital technology with logic gates. However, he had little success. Even though he could design a transistor chip thanks to his decades of experience as an engineer in his past life. However, none of the materials, runes, or even magical circles he tried could function in a manner even remotely similar to a semiconductor, which is the initial step to creating a logic gate.
Because of that, Erik simply attempted to make a processor with basic materials, as he had done in his previous life. With some effort, he managed to do it, although it was an enormous prototype that, at best, worked like a very limited calculator. But shortly after finishing it, he realized several drawbacks.
First of all, the prototype was incredibly fragile, to the point that a single sneeze from Kaiser in his puppy form was more than enough to fry it. He had to create some protection for it, but even then, it left much to be desired. Testing various scenarios, he discovered that for a mana user, it was incredibly easy to manipulate the processor's functioning from a distance, causing it to fail—something that didn't happen with the traditional method. The traditional method was not only much more resistant to such intrusions, but it was also a well-studied and refined system, honed over who knows how long.
He also had trouble getting the processor to communicate with magical artifacts, which had been his initial goal. While the precision of digital technology was incredibly useful, the power, versatility, and capability of magical artifacts were even greater.
Taking these limitations and a few others he noticed over time into account, Erik decided to turn the transistor microchip project into a long-term endeavor. Instead, he chose to focus on improving the accuracy of the mathematical modeling through runes using the Chantinolite Crystals as a foundation. The scouting spheres would only send raw information for his model to interpret and assemble into a fairly accurate three-dimensional map.
"You know, Erik, now that I think about it, you should rename those things. 'Scouting spheres' sounds really ugly…"
Some time later, while Erik studied the map on the holographic screen, trying to find any errors, Ebonique commented in a somewhat dissatisfied tone of voice. This made Erik chuckle slightly, and he quickly brought a hand to his chin while thinking of a new name.
"So… how does ' Watchful Probes' sound?"
"That sounds better, but I'm not fully convinced. What else do you have?" Ebonique replied enthusiastically, slightly poking her head out from Erik's hair. He thought for a moment before adding.
"Mmmm, ' Arcane Eye' could also work…"
"It's not bad, but I feel like it's missing something, like it doesn't have impact…"
While Ebonique and Erik amused themselves by discussing what name to give the scouting spheres, nearby, right where the forest trees interlaced, a creature watched, hidden in the darkness with predatory eyes, its drool almost touching the ground.
The creature was bipedal, with a head reminiscent of a type of canine. It had long, sharp claws of a deep black color that blended perfectly with the darkness, while its skin seemed a mixture of scales and bristling fur that occasionally blurred into the shadows. This made its bright red, hunger-filled eyes stand out even more.
After carefully observing every detail of the young man by the lake, the monstrous entity prepared to attack, taking a stance that would let it propel itself forward. Its legs displaced the earth as if it were rubber, its nostrils flaring wide and releasing a heated vapor, while its large, upright ears fixed on the young man, managing to hear even his calm heartbeat.
With the help of its powerful legs and the elastic deformation of the ground, the monstrous entity shot forward at a blinding speed, silently heading straight for the young man, claws outstretched. It intended to end its victim's life with a single blow. But just as it was about to reach the neck of the young man—who still had his back turned and seemingly hadn't noticed—a beautiful geometric circle materialized almost instantly before it. The circle conjured a barrier that seemed to be made of crystal, which sent the creature bouncing back several meters.
Calmly, Erik turned and looked at the curious beast over three meters tall with interest. The creature managed to twist midair to land on its legs with enviable agility, then let out a defiant 'growl' as it watched him with evident wariness in its eyes. However, the sound it made was sharp and uneven, causing Erik's expression to wrinkle with discomfort.
"This thing is quite ugly, but it has a presence similar to a Revealed-level being, so I suppose it'll be useful for experiment number one." Erik commented to himself, as two beautiful ebony-black machetes, decorated with countless rune carvings, appeared in his hands. They glowed faintly, giving them a mysterious, ethereal aspect.
"It really is very ugly, and that growl is horrible… finish it off quickly and don't use that technique. It's still far from being complete, and it can hurt you." Ebonique said from atop Erik's head, her voice laced with disgust as she looked at the monstrous creature.
"Don't worry, nothing will go wrong. Besides, I'll make it quick." Erik replied as he approached the creature at a calm pace. The creature began preparing to attack again, manipulating the earth so that it deformed as if it were rubber, which made the starry-haired youth comment with interest.
"What an interesting way to manipulate the earth. That gives me an idea for an interesting spell, but let's leave it for another time. For now… Kaiser, Tiberius."
At their master's command, the wolves that had been hanging calmly from Erik's shoulders leapt into the air and quickly entered a state of elementalization, transforming into incorporeal versions of themselves, one of lightning and the other of darkness. They then fused with the machetes in Erik's hands, causing them to release auras charged with darkness and lightning, respectively.
Sensing great danger from the weapons the young man held, the creature quickly released the energy accumulated in the ground and shot forward at high speed, sweeping its long, sharp claws to shred its prey. But to its surprise, Erik simply smiled calmly as a small gust of wind surrounded him.
With a movement so smooth and fluid that it looked as if it were in slow motion, Erik crouched, dodging the creature's sweeping strike and then moved to the right with absurd speed, as if the wind itself was propelling him. He left two trails of darkness and lightning in his wake, which soon vanished into nothingness.
Once at the creature's side, Erik spun on himself, slashing the monster with both machetes. The blades tore its flesh open, exposing the beast's bones as the wound blackened due to the darkness and its body was paralyzed by electricity. In that moment, Erik moved again to attack the monster's back.
As the wind swirled around him, Erik began moving around the monster at a scything speed, disappearing from sight and only appearing fleetingly to unleash fierce, perfectly interconnected attacks with his machetes. He left deep wounds covered with darkness all over the monster's body. Curiously, the trails of his machetes vanished whenever he disappeared from view, making it impossible to track his movements.
Quickly, the monster lost its arms, and flesh separated from bone in many places. At that moment, Erik appeared once more in front of the monster, spinning several times in midair before slicing precisely at the creature's neck. This caused its head to detach from its body and fly off, leaving a semicircular trail in the air. A cascade of blood gushed from the beast's neck, which Erik avoided by jumping backward with the help of a Myst platform.
After landing a few meters away, Erik gave a quick flick of his machetes toward the ground, causing the blood on them to fall away, revealing their black blades once more. At the same time, the small gust of wind around him calmed down. He kept his gaze fixed on the monster as it fell with a soft impact, forming a pool of blood while its internal organs spread out across the ground.
As Erik stood victorious, suddenly a trickle of blood dripped from his mouth. This brought an ironic smile to his face, shattering the imposing aura he had exuded. In that moment, Ebonique grew in size to drape herself around his neck and look him straight in the eyes, then scolded him in an angry tone.
"That's what you get for being stubborn. How many times did I tell you it wouldn't work?"
"Hehe… sorry." Erik replied with a guilty chuckle as he wiped the small trace of blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone