The Wizard Has A Biochip

As soon as I entered my room, I closed the door behind me and made sure the lock was properly engaged.

Before doing anything else, I remained standing still for a few seconds, observing the surroundings.

Then I began removing the objects I was carrying.

First, I unfastened the explosive fire crystal launcher from my waist, secured by a shoulder strap.

I carefully placed it on the table and then removed my robe, leaving the other equipment I had brought with me alongside it.

Only after getting rid of all those things did I turn my attention back to my own body.

—Biochip, show me my status.

[Beep!]

A translucent screen appeared before my eyes.

[STATUS]

[Name: George Gil]

[Sex: Male]

[Age: 17]

[Race: Human]

[Level: Acolyte II]

[ATTRIBUTES]

[Strength: 3.20]

[Agility: 3.00]

[Vigor: 3.20]

[Mana: 8.20]

I couldn’t help but smile.

Comparing my current state with the one I had before leaving Arcangrove Tower, the difference was obvious.

I had advanced considerably.

Especially in terms of mana.

8.20.

It was an amount that, not long ago, I couldn’t even have imagined reaching so quickly.

My other physical attributes, however, had not grown at the same rate.

They were still low.

But that could be corrected.

In the near future, I intended to dedicate much more time to strengthening my body.

After analyzing my attributes for a few more seconds, I sat comfortably in the chair.

Then I took a small vial from my storage belt.

A Mana Potion.

I held the container before my eyes and examined it in silence.

The reddish liquid swayed slowly inside the small bottle.

Small reddish, almost black particles could be seen floating inside it, moving irregularly.

Unfortunately, the potion’s aura was completely isolated within the container.

This made the biochip’s work quite difficult.

Even so, it managed to perform a superficial analysis.

[Unknown composition.]

[Estimated main effect: permanent increase in mana capacity.]

That was already enough for me.

I held the vial by the neck and carefully removed the stopper.

The next instant, a strange smell invaded my nose.

Blood.

It was a metallic and heavy odor, almost as if I had just opened a bottle filled with fresh blood.

I slightly wrinkled my nose.

But I didn’t hesitate.

I tilted my head back and poured the entire contents into my mouth.

I swallowed it all at once.

The moment the potion went down my throat, a thin reddish mist escaped from my nostrils.

The mist gathered in front of my face.

Then it began to take shape.

A small red rune, approximately the size of my thumb, appeared before my eyes.

It vibrated.

Once.

Twice.

And then...

Poof!

The rune exploded.

Its incorporeal body dispersed into the air, but before it completely disappeared, a high-pitched buzzing reverberated throughout the room.

The sound penetrated directly into my mind.

My face contorted.

It was an unpleasant sensation.

—Biochip... what happened?

[Beep.]

[Detecting the existence of Blood Tax.]

[Preliminary estimate: negative side effect caused by the potion.]

[Dissipation of this effect will reduce the potion’s effectiveness.]

[Does the host wish to use mana to dissipate the Blood Tax?]

I let out a silent sigh.

So that was the price.

If I wanted to increase my mana, I would have to endure that damn reaction.

—No. Just continue observing my body.

[Command accepted.]

[The potion’s effect is beginning.]

The status screen appeared before my eyes once again.

This time, the mana number began to rise.

Slowly.

[8.20...]

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[8.31...]

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[8.42...]

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[8.43...]

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[8.44...]

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[8.47...]

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[8.53...]

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[8.62...]

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At the same time, however, something else began to happen.

My vigor began to fall.

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.

[3.17...]

[3.18...]

[3.19...]

[3.20...]

The sensation of pain appeared shortly afterward.

It was as if thousands of tiny ants were biting my organs simultaneously.

I clenched my teeth.

Fortunately, I had consumed an absurd amount of meat during the banquet of the Dragon of Light of the Mountain Peak the previous day.

That meal had provided an enormous amount of vitality to my body.

Without that...

Perhaps I wouldn’t even have been able to endure the process.

The pain was still intense.

But I could endure it.

And there was one thing that kept my spirit firm.

My mana continued to grow.

[8.98...]

[9.03...]

[9.08...]

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.

When I saw the number surpass nine, a smile appeared on my face despite the pain.

Finally.

My mana had reached nine points.

The increase continued for some time.

Until finally...

[9.27.]

The number stopped.

My breathing was heavy.

My entire body was trembling slightly.

But I was still conscious.

—Biochip, dissipate the Blood Tax.

[Command accepted. Executing order.]

An explosion of warm energy coursed through my body.

The painful sensation quickly diminished.

The tingling disappeared.

The pressure inside my organs dissipated.

I slowly exhaled.

Then I turned my attention back to my attributes.

My mana had increased permanently.

That increase was excellent.

But the price was also evident.

My vigor had decreased.

My strength had also suffered a slight reduction.

Even so, I didn’t regret it.

That bottle of Concentrated Mana Potion had provided me with an extremely valuable permanent increase.

I stood up from the chair and moved my arms.

Then I flexed my legs and made a few simple movements to test my body.

The sensation of loss caused by the reduction in vigor was present.

But it was less than I had expected.

It seemed that yesterday’s banquet had indeed left some hidden benefits.

Besides, the increase in mana produced changes that didn’t simply appear in the numbers.

My mind seemed faster.

My reasoning was clearer.

And my perception of the magical energy around me had become significantly deeper.

That left me tempted.

Perhaps too tempted.

I hesitated for only half a second.

Then I took out another potion.

But before drinking it, I changed my mind.

I placed the vial beside me and sat down on the floor.

I crossed my legs.

I closed my eyes.

I breathed deeply.

Only then did I bring the vial to my mouth.

I swallowed the potion.

The pain came almost immediately.

It was the same sensation as before.

I ignored everything.

My attention was focused on a single thing.

[9.29...]

[9.33...]

[9.46...]

[9.52...]

Then the biochip issued an alert.

[Warning.]

[The host’s physical Blood Tax has exceeded 5%.]

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[The host’s physical Blood Tax has exceeded 10%.]

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[The host’s physical Blood Tax has exceeded 20%.]

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[Beep...]

[Warning!]

[The host’s physical Blood Tax has exceeded 21%.]

[The absence of intervention may cause a temporary state of physical weakness.]

[Does the host wish to intervene?]

—Negative.

My mental command was firm, but the pain became much worse.

What had previously felt like thousands of ants biting my body had now transformed into something much more brutal.

It was as if my heart were slowly being cut by a blade.

Drops of sweat ran down my forehead.

My muscles contracted and my body began to tremble.

Still sitting on the floor, I had to use all my willpower to remain conscious.

I couldn’t pass out.

If I lost control in that state, the Blood Tax would continue causing damage to my body.

And that would reduce my vigor even further.

I needed to stay awake.

I needed to endure.

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[9.87...]

[The host’s physical Blood Tax has exceeded 22%.]

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[9.93...]

[The host’s physical Blood Tax has exceeded 23%.]

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[9.99...]

[The host’s physical Blood Tax has exceeded 24%.]

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Then...

10.03.

The instant my mana reached ten points, something happened.

My mind seemed to slow down.

Everything disappeared.

And once again, I was thrown into that strange empty place I had experienced when my mana reached seven points.

But this time, it was different.

Very different.

I looked around.

There wasn’t only darkness.

There were stars.

Distant planets shone in the void.

Points of light crossed the vastness like tiny flames suspended in an infinite ocean.

I couldn’t move.

Then I heard something.

A scream.

Distant.

I opened my eyes wider.

Someone was there.

A few meters away from me, an old man floated in that space.

He seemed to be suffering terribly.

His body trembled.

Mana trickled from his mouth.

Then he vomited a large amount of mana.

The old man began to convulse.

His face was filled with agony.

And then...

His body began to disintegrate and disappeared.

My heart raced.

What the hell was that?

I looked to the other side.

There was another person.

A young man.

He was also convulsing violently.

But unlike the old man, he seemed to be regaining control.

Little by little, his movements diminished.

Then he opened his eyes.

He smiled.

For some reason, his gaze met mine directly.

I remained motionless.

He also seemed to have noticed my presence.

Then something appeared behind him.

Hands.

Hands with the same color and appearance as that young man.

They grabbed his body.

Before I could understand what was happening, they pulled him backward.

The young man disappeared.

I was alone again.

I didn’t understand what was happening.

But deep down, there was something I knew.

Those people were not figments of my imagination.

That space was also not simply an illusion created by my mind.

It was real.

Or, at least, it was real in some way that I still couldn’t understand.

A spiritual world...

Perhaps.

Perhaps that was some kind of space connected to mages.

I began putting the pieces together.

Perhaps those people were other acolytes.

People who, just like me, were trying to surpass a certain mana limit.

Those who managed to control their own consciousness remained stable.

But those who failed...

My gaze returned to the spot where the old man had disappeared.

Perhaps they lost control and died.

The theory was still quite rudimentary.

But at that moment, it was the only explanation I had.

Then I heard the biochip’s voice again.

[The host’s physical Blood Tax has exceeded 25%.]

It was still functioning, and my mana had stopped increasing.

That meant I had reached the limit of that potion.

There was no more reason to remain there.

—Dissipate the Blood Tax and get me out of this place.

Tremor~

A wave of warm energy coursed through my body.

The pain began to disappear.

The spiritual space around me dissolved.

The stars disappeared.

That strange dimension was ripped away from my perception.

And then...

I returned to my room.

I placed both hands on the floor and tried to stand up.

I failed.

My body simply wasn’t responding as it should.

The pain had been so intense that my muscles seemed completely numb.

It was then that the attribute screen appeared before my eyes.

[10.03 Mana.]

I had surpassed the limit.

From Acolyte II to Acolyte III.

That clearly demonstrated the difference between someone with resources and someone without them.

But there was a second truth.

I had paid dearly.

Very dearly.

My mana had risen from 9.27 to 10.03.

The numerical change seemed small.

But that small increase had been enough to make me surpass a limit I had been pursuing for a long time.

On the other hand, my vigor...

3.20 → 2.50.

An absurd drop.

My strength had also decreased.

3.20 → 3.10.

And my agility had suffered a slight reduction.

3.00 → 2.99.

....

1910 Words