Mikhailis stood there, staring at the small symbol now etched into his wrist.
It's a swirling, intricate design glowing faintly on it.
The warmth of the bond lingered on his skin, a sensation both foreign and thrilling. It wasn't every day that someone forged a connection with a mythical creature at another world.
Well, I found the chimera ant on my own world, though.
"Rodion," Mikhailis said, his voice laced with excitement.
"We've got to dig into this familiar bond thing. I need to know what it means—what it does."
Mikhailis grinned.
Well, that's true. No internet, huh? I guess we'll be depending on the vast data implanted within Rodion.
"Yeah, I figured. We're kinda blazing new trails here, there's no guarantee that thing about familiars we found online would be the same concept existing in this world, after all,"
He moved toward the Chimera Ant's enclosure, kneeling in front of it again.
The creature watched him closely, its multi-faceted eyes reflecting a mix of curiosity and calm. Somehow, he just know that's what the Chimera Ant is feeling.
He could feel something new between them—an unspoken connection that hadn't been there before. It was as if the ant could sense his thoughts as its movements more synchronized with his presence.
"What do you think, little buddy?" Mikhailis asked softly.
"We're connected now, huh?"
The Chimera Ant responded by lifting its head, and its antennae twitched in a way that almost seemed like acknowledgment.
Mikhailis felt a faint pulse in his wrist, and the symbol on his skin glowed for a brief moment.
Wow.
"That's... wild." He stood up, running a hand through his hair.
"I always wanted a pet, but this is on a whole different level. It's a freakin' Chimera Ant magic familiar!!"
The room felt charged, as if the very air around him buzzed with magic and anticipation.
It wasn't just the Chimera Ant anymore. He could sense the faint hum of energy in the walls, the way the metal veins pulsed with light, the subtle vibration in the floor. Silvarion Thalor was alive, and now, Mikhailis was a part of it in ways he hadn't imagined.
"Rodion, are you sensing this? This change inside me," he asked, his eyes scanning the room.
Mikhailis nodded.
"That makes sense. I feel... connected. Not just to the ant, but to everything in this place. It's definitely real, unlike when you tricked me by saying [System Unlocked] and cursed me" He looked out the window, watching the towering trees sway in the soft breeze.
"It's like I'm attuned to the world itself."
He took a deep breath, letting the sensation wash over him. This world, with its strange magic and ancient history, was unlike anything he had ever known. And yet, standing here now, he felt a strange sense of belonging—like he was meant to be here.
Perhaps because of the feeling of being connected that he felt like a a gush of nostalgic washing over him.
The soft whirring of the monkey-shaped robot caught his attention, and he turned to watch it finish its task, arranging the last of his belongings on a nearby shelf.
The room was starting to feel more like his own—a blend of his technological world and the magical kingdom he now called home.
"Good job, little guy," Mikhailis said with a grin, giving the robot a thumbs-up.
The robot beeped in response, its blue eyes glowed slightly before it scurried off to charge itself near the solar panels by the window.
Mikhailis walked over to the desk, where his research gear was now neatly organized.
Then He glanced at the Chimera Ant again, still mesmerized by its growth.
"Rodion, I want a detailed analysis of the Chimera Ant's evolution so far. I need to understand what's happening with it—what kind of creature it's becoming. So that I could organize my thoughts for our next step,"
Mikhailis tapped the side of his glasses, feeling the familiar hum as they synced up with Rodion's systems. These weren't just any ordinary pair of glasses—they were one of his finest inventions, designed back in Ruslania. Equipped with a thermal generator, they absorbed the heat from his body that got converted into electricity that it needed, ensuring they never ran out of power as long as he was active. The frames, sleek and lightweight, housed microprocessors that allowed Rodion to interface directly with them, providing Mikhailis with real-time data at a glance.
The lenses themselves were extraordinary. With a subtle tap, Mikhailis could shift between different modes—thermal vision, night vision, magnification, and data overlays. It allowed him to see not just the world as it was, but the hidden layers beneath, analyzing temperature fluctuations, magic levels, and structural weaknesses. Every scan, every map, and every piece of visual data he came across was memorized and cataloged by Rodion, allowing him to pull up information at a moment's notice. It was like having an entire library of knowledge right in front of his eyes.
But well, it's a shame that the nude-revealing X-Ray was a failure back then.
The glasses also had built-in mapping software, which memorized every new place he visited. As he moved through Silvarion Thalor, the glasses created a detailed 3D map of the castle, storing it for future reference. Every room, corridor, and secret passage was cataloged with precision, and he could overlay the map onto his vision to find his way or avoid getting lost in the labyrinthine halls.
He adjusted the frames slightly with his hand, which then he felt a very weeb typical of movement, then the interface responded instantly to his thoughts.
"Rodion, display the data on the Chimera Ant's evolution."
Rodion responded, and the lenses immediately flickered to life.
In an instant, a series of holographic screens appeared before his eyes, filling the air with a translucent glow. Graphs, charts, and detailed analysis hovered in front of him, each one connected to the Chimera Ant's evolving form.
He could zoom in, shift through layers of data, and even project the information onto surfaces around the room.
Mikhailis grinned, marveling at the technology he'd created that makes him feel like he's entering a game when it was used in this world.
"This... this is exactly what I need."
A series of holographic screens popped up in front of Mikhailis, displaying various graphs and charts detailing the Chimera Ant's physical and magical changes. The data was fascinating—its growth rate was accelerating, and the magical essence it had absorbed from the plants was now fully integrated into its body. But there was something more, something beneath the surface that intrigued him.
He focused on the new crystalline structure forming in the Chimera Ant's exoskeleton. With a flick of his finger, the data zoomed in, revealing a complex lattice of magical and physical properties intertwining. He studied the readings closely, cross-referencing them with the magical energy levels in the room. The glasses immediately overlaid thermal and energy signatures onto the image, showing him exactly how the ant was integrating the magic it absorbed.
"That new substance forming in its exoskeleton," Mikhailis muttered, squinting at the data.
"It's not just an adaptation. It's... something else."
Rodion confirmed.
Mikhailis leaned back before rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"So it's not just growing stronger—it's becoming more in tune with the magic around it. That makes sense, especially now that we're linked. And this guy is the lord of adapting in the first place,"
He tapped the symbol on his wrist again, feeling the faint pulse of energy that connected him to the ant. It was more than just a physical bond—it was a shared flow of magic, a connection that allowed them to sense each other in ways he couldn't fully understand yet.
"Perfect," Mikhailis muttered.
"With these glasses, I can track everything in real-time. Rodion, keep monitoring. Let me know if anything changes. And keep analyzing everything that I saw through this glasses as well,"
Rodion responded, and the data continued to shift dynamically before Mikhailis's eyes.
As he moved around the room, his glasses adjusted effortlessly, following his gaze and capturing every detail, every shift in magic, every subtle change in the Chimera Ant. He was in full control, with Rodion constantly collecting and processing the information behind the scenes. It was an invaluable tool, one that blended science and magic in a way that made this world not just mysterious, but something he could actually begin to understand.
"I wonder if this bond gives me any of the ant's abilities," Mikhailis mused, flexing his fingers.
"I mean, if it's evolving to adapt to magic, maybe I can tap into that somehow."
Rodion replied.
Mikhailis grinned.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a science experiment, then."
He stood up, walking over to the large windows that overlooked the kingdom. The sprawling forest of Silvarion Thalor stretched out before him, the massive trees swaying gently in the breeze. It was a breathtaking sight, but his mind was already racing with ideas—ways to test the bond, ways to push the limits of what he and the Chimera Ant could do together.
"I'll need to set up some experiments," Mikhailis said, his voice filled with excitement.
Yes.
Experiments.
It's the most exciting part for every scientist other than the inventions.
"Test the bond, see if I can tap into its abilities. And I'll need to figure out how to control it—if the ant keeps evolving at this rate, it could become... unpredictable."
"Yeah, do that," Mikhailis replied, turning back to his desk and started tinkering with his computer.
"We'll need to be careful, though. If anyone finds out about this bond—about what the Chimera Ant is capable of—it could raise some... concerns. I hasn't accumulated enough 'Favorable Points' with these guys, after all,"
He thought back to his conversations with Elowen, how she had stressed the importance of stability and maintaining control over the kingdom. A creature like the Chimera Ant, with its ability to evolve and adapt, could be seen as a threat—or worse, a weapon.
I need to make sure I have her trust well as my first step.
Mikhailis didn't want to think about what might happen if the wrong people found out about his research. He had to be smart about this, careful not to draw too much attention.
For now, it was just him, Rodion, and the Chimera Ant. And that was enough.
"Let's keep this between us for now, Rodion," Mikhailis said, his tone serious.
"We don't need to involve anyone else until we know exactly what we're dealing with."
Well, it's not like Rodion will appear when I'm with Elowen in the first place.
Mikhailis nodded, satisfied.
"Good. Now, let's get to work."
He moved over to one of the shelves where his tools were stored, pulling out a small device—a sleek, handheld scanner that he had designed himself back in Ruslania.
It was one of his most useful tools, capable of analyzing both physical and magical properties with precision.
"Let's see what we can learn about this bond," Mikhailis muttered, activating the scanner and holding it over his wrist. The symbol glowed faintly as the device hummed to life, collecting data on the magical connection.
The screen displayed a complex web of energy patterns, all radiating from the symbol on his wrist. It was a fascinating sight—like watching a living network of magic pulse and shift with every movement he made.
"This is incredible," Mikhailis whispered, his eyes wide with awe.
"It's like the bond is... alive. It's constantly changing, adapting to my body, my movements. I guess that's why this is called the realm of magic,"
Mikhailis grinned.
This is getting more and more exciting!
"That makes sense. If the ant is evolving, the bond would evolve too. We're connected on a deeper level than I thought. Perhaps I would really get a system or something!"
He deactivated the scanner, tucking it back into his pocket. There was still so much to learn, so much to explore. But for now, he felt a sense of excitement, a rush of adrenaline that came with the discovery of something new and unexplained.
"This is just the beginning," Mikhailis said softly, glancing at the Chimera Ant once more.
"We're going to figure this out, buddy. You and me."
The ant shifted in its enclosure. Mikhailis could feel the connection between them growing stronger, a subtle pulse of energy that seemed to echo in the depths of his mind. It's like they are communicating, but not with words.
He turned back to the window and his eyes scanning the horizon.
This, is the new world that perhaps could give more excitement than he thought it would.
"Let's see what this world really has to offer," he muttered, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Magic, science, or something in between... we're going to find the truth, and have some fun!"
Rodion's voice chimed softly in his ear.