Unprecedented Acquisition (3)
[You have obtained the unprecedented 'Mana Circle Slot' in history.]
A message filled Rakiel's vision like a burst of radiant light.
It was a milestone confirming the success of his life-risking gamble. At the same time, it was a victorious announcement that he had gained an unexpected and tremendous reward.
'Mana Circle Slot?'
What in the world was that?
Rakiel fixed his gaze on the next message that appeared.
[Through the process of forcibly tearing and expanding your Mana Circle according to your will, a type of empty space—Void—has formed.]
[This Void has evolved into a storage space, a Slot, capable of holding matter and mana.]
[You can equip one Slot per Circle.]
[The storage capacity of the Slot expands as the Circle's level increases.]
[Slots can be filled by consuming substances orally.]
['Slot 1' has been unlocked.]
[Slot 1 is currently empty.]
[Maximum capacity of Slot 1: 10 liters.]
[Current storage in Slot 1: 0 liters.]
"..."
After reading the message, Rakiel tilted his head in puzzlement.
Storage space?
A slot?
And the capacity was 10 liters?
'Is this like an inventory or item slot in a game?'
Memories of games he occasionally played surfaced in his mind. Thinking of inventories in those games, he started to grasp the meaning of the message.
'So, I basically have an inventory inside my Mana Circle?'
That was the conclusion he arrived at.
A space where he could store up to 10 liters just by consuming something. The more he thought about it, the more various applications came to mind.
'This might actually be…'
He might have acquired something far more incredible than he initially realized. If he could use this Mana Circle Slot for—
Just then.
"Um, Your Highness?"
A hesitant, trembling voice reached his ears. Rakiel turned his head toward the sound.
It was Sir Gardin. He looked as if he was on the verge of tears.
Worried about whether Rakiel was truly okay.
Checking if something had gone wrong.
He wore the expression and eyes of someone who had just dropped their brand-new phone onto a tiled floor.
If that was the case, then Rakiel had to reassure him that the "phone" was intact. He let out a small grin.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Um… Are you truly alright?"
"As you can see?"
"But earlier, you were in unbearable agony…"
"My throat just got blocked for a moment."
"…Your throat?"
"Yeah."
Casually.
So as not to worry him.
"I was too hasty drinking the tonic. Ended up choking on it."
"…You choked?"
"Mhm. Didn't it look that way?"
"No. Not at all."
"Then, oh well."
"…But, Your Highness."
"Why do you keep going on about this?"
"You seemed to be in an extremely dire state…"
"I'm fine. You're looking at me now, aren't you? I'm perfectly fine."
"…But…"
Gardin trailed off at the end, his eyes drifting toward the empty cup. The one that had held the Demonic Emperor's Revitalizing Tonic.
Was he blaming himself? Perhaps regretting that he hadn't been the one to drink it first.
'Hah, here we go again.'
Rakiel let out a small chuckle.
"Relax. I drank it first because it was beneficial. If there had been anything off about it, do you think I would've downed it so eagerly? So don't worry. If anything truly dangerous ever comes along, even if you refuse, I'll make sure to force it down your throat."
"…Pardon?"
"You won't have a choice. I'll pry your mouth open, shove in a funnel, and pour it all in."
"…Excuse me?"
"Make sure to remain as loyal then as you are now."
"..."
"Anyway, clean up here. I'm heading to my chamber to rest. Oh, and—"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
"…Huh?"
"Forget it if you didn't hear me."
…Maybe he shouldn't have said that.
Rakiel quickly exited the kitchen.
Returning to his chamber, he lost himself in thought.
The Mana Circle Slot he had gained today.
He mulled over ways to use it and the possibilities it held.
'The storage capacity is 10 liters. As long as it's within that limit, I can store matter mixed with mana.'
And the method to fill it?
'Consumption. In other words, I have to eat to store things.'
That's what the earlier message had indicated.
'Then… I should test if it really works.'
The method was simple.
He just had to eat something.
Scanning his chamber, he quickly found a suitable test subject— a large crystal bottle filled with water.
'Water is perfect for an experiment like this.'
Easily obtainable. Not unpleasant to consume. High lethal dose threshold, so he wouldn't be in danger even if he drank a large amount.
'The lethal dose is important. Especially for an experiment involving high consumption like this.'
Lethal Dose 50 (LD50).
It referred to the amount of a substance required to kill 50% of a test group.
'There's also the concept of LD100, the absolute lethal dose, but that's less reliable. After all, different people react to toxins differently.'
If he only considered LD100, he might assume drinking 1 liter of a poison was safe because the lethal dose was 1.2 liters—only to end up dead due to personal variation.
That's why LD50 was more commonly used.
'It's basically saying, "If you consume this much, you've got a 50% chance of dying. Even if you survive, you'll probably suffer severe damage or be left disabled—so be careful."'
In short, if you were lucky, you'd end up in intensive care. Unlucky? Straight to the morgue for a high-five with the Grim Reaper.
Of course, every substance had an LD50.
Even water.
For a 60-kilogram person, the LD50 of water was approximately 5.4 liters. About 90 grams per kilogram of body weight.
'Which means, for my current weight, the LD50 of water is roughly… 3.9 liters.'
Rakiel estimated the crystal bottle's volume with his eyes.
From the looks of it…
'It's the size of a 2-liter plastic bottle. Perfect. That should do.'
Even if he drank the whole thing, he wouldn't experience any adverse effects. Feeling reassured, he picked up the bottle.
His arms trembled slightly as he lifted it.
Bringing it to his lips, he slowly tilted it.
'Damn, my stamina is garbage. My arms are already shaking from just this?'
Muttering complaints, he carefully avoided spilling a single drop.
Gulp, gulp!
The cool water flowed down his throat.
At that moment, he activated the Asrahan Mind Technique.
He commanded his Mana Circle.
'I want to store the water I'm drinking into the Slot.'
Immediately, his Circle responded.
Vrrr—!
It began spinning vibrantly. A suction force formed, pulling in all the water that traveled down his esophagus to his stomach.
'Oh? Ohhh?'
It was a bizarre sensation.
Even though he was gulping down water by the bottle.
Even though his throat was actively swallowing.
Even though his esophagus was working to send the water to his stomach—
Not a single drop actually reached it.
'All of it is being absorbed into my Circle. It's real. The message was telling the truth.'
Thunk.
He set down the now-empty bottle.
He had just downed about 2 liters of water in one go.
Yet, his stomach didn't feel full at all.
It was fascinating.
He felt like a water-guzzling hippo.
And he wanted to test it further.
Scanning the room, he found four more bottles in the reception area.
'Perfect. Let's fill the remaining 8 liters.'
Determined, he grabbed the bottles and started drinking.