Adrian’s body was a complete wreck.
Pain surged through him relentlessly, tearing at every nerve.
His bones weren’t just fractured, they felt shattered, twisted, and pulled apart.
He had never experienced anything before, not even close. The explosion had hurled him through the air, and though his Power Suit had taken the worst of the blast, it couldn’t shield his body from the brutal impact.
Each shallow breath stabbed at his chest, and the idea of moving seemed impossible.
He wanted to retract the Power Suit, to shed its heavy embrace and feel free for just a moment.
But the harsh world around him wouldn’t allow it. The Volcanic Wastelands bled heat into the air, while the edge of the Frozen Region loomed nearby, its icy bite just as deadly.
The suit was his lifeline, keeping him safe from the elements, even if it trapped him in his misery.
Gritting his teeth, Adrian tried to lift his head. His muscles wailed in protest and a sharp cry of agony rippled through him.
He couldn’t stand and couldn’t even shift to sit up.
Defeated, he collapsed back to the ground as his vision blurred.
There was only one option left. With a shaky thought, he summoned a recovery pill from the System’s inventory.
While he had perfected his Alchemy, he had come to realize that his creations were nothing compared to the System’s miracles.
His own remedies could patch up cuts, help with blood, and fix bruises, but mending a body this broken? That was far beyond their reach.
A small, red spherical pill appeared in his trembling hand. He stared at it for a moment, marveling at its simplicity.
He retracted the mask of his Power Suit just enough to expose his mouth, and immediately tossed the pill in.
The pill dissolved the instant it touched his tongue. A warm, red aura burst to life around him.
The magic was breathtaking, defying all reason as it sank into his bones, weaving them back together, smoothing out the fractures, and chasing away the pain.
Adrian felt it working deep inside him, a sensation both strange and comforting, until his body was whole again. Even after all this time, the raw power of magic left him in awe.
He stayed there for a while, flat on his back, letting the relief sink in.
The pain was gone, replaced by a quiet strength through his limbs. Finally, he stretched his arms and legs, testing the renewal. Pushing himself up from the ground, he stood tall once more.
"That’s a relief," Adrian muttered, flexing his arms. "I’m glad it didn’t end up worse."
A familiar chime rang in his mind as the System displayed a notification:
He glanced at it and nodded. It wasn’t surprising, the Power Suit had absorbed the brunt of the explosion’s fury, holding strong even as his body crumbled beneath it.
The suit was tougher than he was, but it still got badly damaged. "Restore durability to 83%," he said firmly.
The System responded instantly:
[Restoring Durability...]
Tiny nanites swarmed over the suit like a living cloud, their precise movements repairing every dent and scratch.
In mere seconds, the armor gleamed again, though it wasn’t at peak yet.
Adrian gave a satisfied nod.
"I can’t restore it to full just yet," he murmured to himself. "I need the TP for something bigger."
His eyes flicked to the next notification:
A wave of triumph washed over him. After what felt like forever, he finally had enough.
The Factory upgrade was within reach, and the thought lit a spark of excitement in his chest.
"Upgrade Factory to Level 2," he declared like he always wanted to.
The System chimed back with a prompt:
[Confirm upgrade: Spend 100,000 TP to upgrade Factory from Level 1 to Level 2?]
Adrian nodded. "Yes."
The response came swiftly:
[Factory Upgrade confirmed]
[Upgrading Factory...]
[Factory Upgrade in process]
[Time to complete upgrade: 09:59.17]
He watched the timer tick down and exhaled.
Ten minutes wasn’t long at all, he could handle that. As the upgrade began, a stray thought tugged at his mind, pulling him back to an earlier message from the System:
[Impractical Conditions For Assimilation]
It had popped up before the chaos of the mana explosion warnings. Curious, even though he hadn’t planned on assimilating anything, he tested the waters.
"Can I assimilate now?" he asked, suspecting that it tied back to the soul the System had harvested.
Adrian shrugged it off, figuring the conditions still weren’t right.
Maybe he needed to be somewhere safe, but true safety felt like a pipe dream.
Danger lurked everywhere. Even if he entered the Factory, his physical body would stay behind, exposed. What would happen if it was destroyed while he was gone? He didn’t want to find out.
Shaking off the distraction, Adrian refocused.
The Factory was upgrading, and he needed to prepare. He would enter it soon, but first, he had to secure his body.
He turned and trudged further into the Frozen Region, the cold nipping at his suit as he scanned for a good spot.
Finding a patch of solid ground, he dug a deep hole, the drill from his [Inventory] making quick work of it.
He retrieved the capsule from his inventory, placed it in the pit, and climbed inside before sealing it shut.
He glanced at the countdown:
There was plenty of time left.
Adrian tried asking the System about assimilation again, more out of habit than hope, but silence greeted him once more.
His mind drifted as he waited, slipping into the strange visions he had seen earlier.
They replayed in his head as time passed.
The Tech Core was himself. He had an idea of that, but now the connection seemed so deep it defied logic.
They were one, or so it seemed, but how could that be? The idea gnawed at him, stirring a mix of emotions.
There was relief in the bond, but confusion clouded it, and a faint unease lingered beneath it all. He couldn’t piece it together, not yet.
As Adrian wrestled with the thoughts, the System’s sharp voice cut through:
[Factory Upgrade to Level 2 Complete!]