I looked at my status carefully. The first thing that caught my attention was the absence of any kind of technological item. Nothing I was familiar with, nothing that resembled what I knew from my previous world. But as the realization began to take shape, a sense of unease spread through my body.
"No technological items? Or anything that could be equivalent to a material substance..." I thought to myself, my fingers lightly pressing the hologram as my brain processed the impact.
This wasn't just an anomaly. It confirmed something I had already suspected: the existence of the soul. More importantly, this observation confirmed that physical matter and the soul could transform into one another. It was a concept that, if revealed, could change the understanding of science in any dimension. I knew that, and I knew that scientists, like those in the Scientific League from my past world, would be completely obsessed with this kind of discovery.
"This... is something they never imagined achieving," I murmured to myself, a small smile appearing at the corner of my lips. "But unfortunately, I'll never see those scientists again."
I looked at the screen again. In my previous world, this technology that I now possessed was a vital part of many of the most advanced research. It didn't have intelligence of its own; instead, it was a tool to store and analyze data and perform simulations based on data provided to the database to make deductions.
But more than anything, it served to store everything the user experienced, from simple observations to intense sensory experiences.
The capacity of this technology was impressive. With the amount of data I could accumulate, it would be possible to record and store over 5,000 years of events. Thinking about it made me feel confident, but also a little overwhelmed.
"Why did I merge with the lab?" I asked myself quietly, once again staring at the screen, as if it could offer me answers to the question that was bothering me. But as I thought it over, I sighed. "Screw it, I'll think about this later, when I have the ability and qualifications to deal with it."
The thought that there was a laboratory, a research force by my side, gave me a comforting sense, even though I still didn't know how to harness its full potential. But the idea of possessing this technology in a medieval world like this... the doors it could open in the future were nothing short of extraordinary.
As the hot soup ran down the spoon I was bringing to my mouth, the reflection on the virtual lab continued to consume me. The warmth of the meal couldn't dissipate the discomfort I felt in realizing that my original body was... a true failure.
The memories of that body, with its fragile bones and weak muscles, were now a burden. I knew that the stats I saw on that screen, even though they were based on standard physiological data, weren't lying. My body, in the form I had inherited, simply wasn't up to par.
I was only 15, what should have been a time of vigor and energy, but the stats for strength, agility, and vitality were incredibly low. I had already felt that in my body. The weakness I had experienced was the perfect explanation for my constant sense of fatigue and slowness, as if the physical structure couldn't keep up with my mind.
I finished the soup with a serious expression, but couldn't help reflecting on what I knew to be the cause of it all.
It was time to advance a bit more with the tests. I looked around, observing the people in the cafeteria. I needed more data, more information to compare.
"Are the bodies of people in this world naturally weaker?" I asked myself, formulating a mental plan. I knew I could trust the lab to conduct these scans and gather the data for me. I looked at the device again and firmly said mentally: "Lab, scan the bodies of the people around me and show me their stats!"
"Bip!"
The lab's response was immediate and familiar, the sound of command execution echoed in my mind.
["Task set."]
["Beginning stats collection."]
I could feel the virtual field of the lab expanding like an invisible energy dome, covering half of the cafeteria. Each person around me became a sample in a large scientific analysis. The lab was starting to scan everything, from the bones to the more complex systems of the individuals.
["Starting bone scan..."]
["Analyzing bone structure..."]
["Bone integrity: Complete"]
.
.
.
["Analyzing nervous system..."]
.
.
.
["Monitoring electrical activity..."]
.
.
The scan was meticulous, as if every layer of human anatomy was being dissected and cataloged. I could visualize the processes in real time as the lab gathered the information. Then, 3D holograms began to appear in front of me, displaying the stats of the people around me, as if they were mere figures in a scientific display.
["Status"]
["Name: Unknown."]
["Age: 14"]
["Sex: Male."]
["Strength: 0.9."]
["Agility: 1.1."]
["Vitality: 0.8."]
...
["Status"]
["Name: Unknown."]
["Age: 15"]
["Sex: Male."]
["Strength: 1.2."]
["Agility: 0.8."]
["Vitality: 1.0."]
...
["Status"]
["Name: Unknown."]
["Age: 16"]
["Sex: Female."]
["Strength: 0.8."]
["Agility: 1.2."]
["Vitality: 0.7."]
.
The status list continued...
.
These were just examples of people around me, their stats, their strengths and weaknesses. The average seemed a little higher than expected, which made me raise an eyebrow. Each person's body was stronger than the original Eclivel's. At least, most of them.
"Well, it looks like the bodies of these people are stronger than those from my previous world," I said to myself, silently looking at the data. "So, that means the original Eclivel is still inferior, even to a girl…"
My smile faded for a moment, and I felt a slight embarrassment take over me. I was starting to feel a bit self-conscious about that fragile body I had inherited.
"I'm starting to feel embarrassed by it…" I thought, unable to hide the irony.
Suddenly, the screen flashed red, the warning clearly visible.
["Status"]
["Name: Nil."]
["Age: 45"]
["Sex: Female."]
["Strength: 3.3."]
["Agility: 2.5."]
["Vitality: 3.2."]
["Warning: This life form is extremely dangerous."]
["Recommendation: Host should maintain a distance of at least 1000 meters."]
The words were like a blade cutting through the peace of the moment: "Warning: This life form is extremely dangerous." They repeated three times, one after the other, until I, still immersed in the analysis, realized that I wasn't dealing with something trivial. Nil… The name of the woman on the screen, a figure in the center of the cafeteria near the cauldron, was not just a threat — she was something much deeper.
I was so absorbed in my own thoughts that it took me a moment to fully process what was before my eyes. The lab didn't fail. The stats were real. "Age: 45. Strength: 3.3. Agility: 2.5. Vitality: 3.2." I read and reread the numbers in a state of almost disbelief, as I tried to imagine what these values meant in practical terms.
This person — or whatever it was — possessed abilities that bordered on the unbelievable. In my previous life, those numbers would have been reserved for legends, for superheroes with nearly divine powers. Something that could only be explained as the result of extreme genetic modifications or biochemical processes so advanced that, until now, I never would have imagined they were being carried out.
The sensation of standing before something beyond my understanding was overwhelming. I knew well what a stat of 3.2 meant. Combat capabilities, viral resistance, and bodily recovery were three times beyond an average person. It was the kind of power that would allow this woman, with ease that defied any logic, to defeat dozens of ordinary individuals effortlessly. I imagined her facing a massive attack from a hundred people... And still, emerging victorious.
"Genetically modified," I thought, my mind racing to grasp the magnitude of the situation. There was no doubt that Nil was not an ordinary person. This world, with its rules and unknown beings, was challenging me in a way I hadn't expected.
The woman named Nil was there, with her monstrous appearance and scars that grotesquely split her face. She looked like something out of a Frankenstein movie, her presence demanding respect — or perhaps fear. It was hard to say whether she was more of a monstrous creation or a warrior.
"That's the servant of the academy responsible for greeting us..." According to the memories the original Eclivel had left for me. I remember when I grabbed the food. A black boy with glasses grabbed the food and ran away in fear of her.
When I grabbed the food, I didn't show fear, as I had already gotten used to the madness of this world. However, one single question lingered in my mind: "What would a true Mage be like?"
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1493 Words
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