"Nobu!"
The very moment Ein returned to the familia home, she made a swift lunge at me. I saw it coming and received it calmly.
"A-akasaka-san…"
Behind Ein, a golden-haired kitsune greeted me. The moment our eyes made contact, I saw the dormant dream organs formed inside her.
To do such things within three months…
Haruhime-san might be even more talented than Felmenia-san. The court mage wife of Suimei managed to learn [Mana Furnace] and Nomina Barbara (Barbaric Names) within twice that timespan. She became a Rank A magician on the verge of being a semi-magister.
If my intuition serves me right…
Haruhime-san has enough output to match Rank A magicians. Though if we're talking about knowledge foundation, she might not be able to compete against them directly.
Rank A should be equivalent to level five to six in Gekai. In the first place, it breaks the usual level convention with dream organs.
As expected of the Sun Priestess who hard-carried everyone in that dreadful future. If not for her magic to bring forth one's completed self (i.e., a level boost), they might not have any chances of winning against the fully-healed Black Dragon.
She's also…
'I don't know what to do…'
"You've been sleeping for too long!"
"Yeah… I apologize for that."
Ein swiftly added:
"You don't need to apologize! You didn't do anything wrong… It was an accident, wasn't it?"
"I troubled everyone, nevertheless." I shifted my look to Haruhime-san. "I've heard you took care of me every day. Thank you."
"N-no! It's no big deal! I should've been the one making up for it…"
For a moment, I sighed inwardly.
Haruhime-san is a good person. She wouldn't rest easy with all that happened to me. I also know about her genuine care during the ninth iteration. She is the type of person to have a clear conscience—a rare characteristic in this challenging world.
"How was the thirty-seventh floor?"
I asked Ein.
"Mn… It was only a bit troublesome. There are too many undead who attempt to corner us every thirty minutes."
"But you did defeat them."
"Of course..!"
At this moment, Filvis came from the kitchen.
"Ein! Stop doing that!"
"What exactly?" The latter responded with an innocent look. "There's nothing wrong with greeting Nobu with a hug."
"You..!"
Seeing their banter reminded me of the ninth iteration. The start until the middle was filled with memorable experiences—which were indirectly recalled during combat. To think of them, I am sure they made a considerable impact on my life.
If not for my abrupt return and recklessness, I might've lived beyond Antares. It's just that everyone was busy at that time and that they are required to stay in our world to hold down their match.
Satoru-san is pinned down by Kenjaku, Kazamitsu-san is pinned by the revived [Greatest Curse], Suimei is fighting a goddess, and Lord Nettesheim disappeared after attempting contact with the Akashic Root.
'The power to protect…'
*****
"Akasaka-san grew even taller than I expected…"
"I'll have to thank you for those preparations."
I was surprised to see larger clothes in my closet. Turns out, it was Haruhime-san who prepared those. She was one of the people who took care of me.
In fact, everyone made a cycle on who would take care of me. Filvis, Ein, Hephaestus-sama, Haruhime-san, and Artemis are the ones who did so.
Wait a minute…
Vaguely, I caught onto something.
"It was a huge development. Haruhime couldn't even undress you properly at first!"
Ein's words rang in my ears.
When I looked over Haruhime-san, I found out her face was tinged with deep red. She avoided eye contact with me as it wandered around the multi-purpose basement room.
Abruptly, I recalled Artemis. Earlier, she was sporting the same vibe.
'...'
Never had I expected to be overwhelmed by this matter. It felt as exhausting as dealing with Knossos and Dionysus on the same day.
Shaking these thoughts off my mind, I thought of the purpose behind this meeting.
"Miku. Employ the training room template."
{Affirmative.}
A synthetic voice resounded from all over the room.With this simple command, the metal plates around acquired a black sheen. Hundreds of magic circles were activated to enhance the plates' durability and resistance to magic attacks. That included the physical pressure that comes from [Mana Furnace].
"Everyone learned from the materials given by Miku. Although, it shouldn't be as detailed as what I am about to teach now." I spoke. "Filvis. Can you unseal your [Mana Furnace]?"
"Alright."
Slowly, a magic circle emitting a rainbow glow appeared under her feet. A moment later, a psychological pressure came from her. The winds on our radius crackled with the dream organs' composition as mysteries.
"Good. You prioritized copying the heart first. It gives a huge output when its potential is fully unleashed."
"That's what Miku-san told me… That we shouldn't create a dream organ similar to a brain."
"That's right. It came from dozens of studies in my world."
When Miku was revealed along with the high-end equipment, it became apparent I didn't fit well to this world. Miku chose the option with the highest probability and revealed this matter to them.
I believe in Miku's judgement capabilities. She is capable of judging everyone with an apathetic look before. Coming to that conclusion meant she trusts them to a fairly high degree.
Of course, she isn't like that anymore. During every update, her humaneness increases. It is a fairly complex thing to program an artificial being to understand how to become human.
Fortunately, it is a simple yet complicated thing—to become unpredictable at certain times.
"Dream organs are basically the soul (ethereal body) taking shape. I trust you know of this matter already."
All three of them nodded.
"However, it is still minimally affected by the shapes where they came from. Failing to create a heart might cause complications, but it wouldn't be as bad as a brain."
Socrates mentioned the soul as an omniscient thing. It is merely held down by our physical bodies that erased that aspect. Meanwhile, Plato proposed the Realm of Forms that supported that previous belief. The two states that the soul is perfect while the body is the one dragging it down—a negative correlation between the two.
In the end, it tells how the soul is related to the body. Such is true when creating dream organs to be used on Mana Furnace. Failure in that regard could affect all three bodies (physical, astral, and ethereal).
"Aside from that, you completely become a being of mystery. It is far beyond the ability to regenerate severed arms or even reconnect a cut neck."
I started discussing the core concept of beings of mystery. I am the only exception due to the grail's 'protection'. It acted as a safeguard that prevented any cursed energy nor turn me into a being of mystery. Only when I reached that state outside the grail's influence was I able to learn Mana Furnace. Now that I didn't have that problem anymore, it wouldn't be difficult to progress in an extremely fast with it.
Then again, if other magicians knew I possessed a Sacrament, it might've been troublesome. The same goes if that force managed to find a way to retrieve this grail.
Perhaps, the [Luck] ability also came from my experience on fusing with Galahad's body—the Holy Grail as well. My luck shielded me from any real harm in the real world, save for those that would benefit me. Jogo's attack is one of those. I became this strong due to my travel to Gekai.
Now, come to think of it... Lord Nettesheim used to do the same with Suimei. He foresaw his world travel from a long ago yet he didn't meddle for him to grow; in which he did.
'I see...'
As I realized these things, I continued teaching.
Watching a pre-recorded discussion is not as effective as teaching in person. With the help of holograms as blackboards and illustrations, they all easily grasped what I am teaching.
"Nobu… How did you learn all of these?"
Even the carefree Ein was surprised.
"I cheated a little bit."
"Then… How about your [Mana Furnace]?"
"They were made on their own. I haven't completely grasped the mechanism behind its automatic update, but I am inclined to think that it was my body following what I know. I learned a lot before being able to use it."
"""..."""
They became silent. Somehow, they made a face I was familiar with—my look whenever Suimei answered some of my questions. It is the one you make when seeing a total freak of nature.
Of course, they are more respectful than my deadpan.
"If you didn't mind… I could show it."
"Yeah!" Ein responded. "I have this feeling you're far stronger than before…"
Both Filvis and Haruhime-san nodded at her words.
"I felt the same."
"Akasaka-san… You have already completed most of the dream organs in the body, right?"
Facing Haruhime-san's question, I examined my body and found out it was nearly the same as my ninth iteration self—the time I fought the Black Dragon.
It is the level of strength that could go toe-to-toe with Jogo and other special-grade curses. I merely fell short when I fought the Black Dragon. As for Antares, I should be able to completely deal with it
In short, I am as powerful as a level nine, or in sorcerers' unreliable ranking system, a special-grade. As for being a Magister, that has to wait until I complete the infinite conversion of Mana Furnace. By then, I would be able to reach the same level as Suimei's peak or Lord Nettesheim's strength of fighting the Evils of all Evils alone.
Despite the foreign feeling I got, I am aware that I have it in full control. Those experiences from my return to my world wouldn't lie.
"Yes."
Upon answering, I formed a visual image—the activation sequence—of my Mana Furnace. My entire body entered a state of slight numbness.
"Mana Archiatius, Eques." (Mana Furnace, Activate.)
In that moment, the world slowed down in my perception. It is brought by the dream organ based on my physical brain. I felt everything coming to a standstill.
'I need to get used to this, really.'
After adjusting the spell, my perception turned back to normal.
The first thing I noticed was the magic circles working in maximum output. They fully manifested on the metallic walls as they held the pressure produced by [Mana Furnace].
Feeling the immense mana filling my ethereal body, I felt I could cast up to the highest-level of grand magicka I currently know. It would only fall short compared to when I used Galahad's "body".
"The air… stagnated."
Haruhime-san was the first one to come out of her trance.
"Akasaka-san… You're very strong."
"You could also reach this level in the future."
"Maybe…"
It wasn't a consolation at all, but one based on hard facts. Haruhime-san became an impressive figure in the future I saw.
"Nobu… You became strong while sleeping?! I want to learn that too!"
As usual, Ein let out her thoughts completely.
"Stop it. He earned everything through his hard work. That's why you should study more."
"If only we could share our knowledge…"
"Hm..?"
Wait a minute.
"Filvis… Have you ever thought of modifying your magic?"
"Ah?"
Another round of silence befell upon us.
*****
One night later.
{All systems online.}
{Scanners online.}
{Sending real-time visual component changes…}
Inside the suit, I never truly feel like I am wearing armor. It is vastly different from the set of armor I created alone. Combat suits didn't impede my vision.
"Set the destination to the thirty-ninth floor."
{Establishing link to the thirty-ninth floor checkpoint…}
{Success.}
A compartment opened up on the suit's arm section. It revealed a sleek rectangular metal that fell to the floor. It seemingly disintegrated the moment it came into contact with the ground.
Moments later, a magic circle appeared underneath my feet.
Hum-!
Once the light that enveloped me died out, I found myself in a familiar place. It is similar to the White Palace in which I fought Udaeus.
"I'm back…"
After waking up, the agenda I chose for today is to dive into the dungeon. I visited Artemis and Hephaestus-sama first, of course, before I started.
Regarding the matter with Hephaestus-sama…
We talked about it last night, though things remained the same. I could tell she felt something similar to Artemis when she couldn't make our relationship clear.
With this 'harem' thing in my mind, I began fixing my previous mentality.
This is another world. There are many people with multiple wives. I should've come to this realization when I stuck with Suimei and his wives for so long.
If things arrive at this point, I wouldn't act passively any longer.
Rattle-!
Several undead skeletons spawned around me. The spartois held swords and shields. They acted in a disciplined manner while surrounding me. The shielders went upfront while the rest were on their backs.
Unfortunately…
Bzzzt-!
Thirty-three [Seiden] were casted simultaneously. They originated from the tertiary system I previously set up before raining down amongst the undead.
Boom-!
A small-scale explosion occurred as they all exploded simultaneously. A few seconds later, all that was left are their remains—magic stones and several weapons.
"Those are level four… I need to dive deeper."
I wanted to try out many things in this dive. There are those things I learned in my ninth iteration such as the more advanced use of [Hacker]—that is, converting magic activation sequences into computer language.
I achieved this level before. All I have to do is to test them out… which could be destructive.
"I might meet them…"
I thought of the Loki Familia expedition team. Since I am planning to dive on the previous floors I conquered, I might pass by them. After all, I reached the seventy-ninth floor alone just by relying on everything I have. The terrain-deployed artillery could barely help me, though satellites might help me reach until the eighty-seventh at the very least.
The lower floors are no joke after passing through fifty. Many sudden things could happen, starting from ambushes to a sudden change in terrain.
The fifty-first floor is a nice example.
You would be treading it normally until an attack from eighth floors lower (fifty-ninth floor) came heading straight to you. Those types of traps are abundant starting the fifty-ninth floor.
Hence, the guild restricts information regarding those unless you have the strength to be on those floors.
"For today… I want to reach the fiftieth floor at least."
My second run on this deep dungeon began.
*****
A/N: If anyone is curious, the infinite conversion of mana furnace is the highest level of Mana Furnace. It could be compared to a fully materialized soul. It'll grant unlimited magic power as well as insane mind to complement the increase. That is one of the major requirements to be a Magister. The rest lies on magicka foundation (knowledge), something that Nobu already have.
That's all. Happy Reading~!