Into the Creations 1101

Chapter 1101 – 1101. Dark Moon

I opened my eyes to find myself in a hospital bed.

It wasn’t surprising or bewildering, as I had expected it. The Freesel Kingdom army must have picked me up while I was unconscious.

I sat up and checked my condition. Aside from a slight stuffiness, I felt fine. An IV needle was stuck in my right hand, and the bracelet I received from Instructor Lexi was gone, taken by someone.

My Astral, which had reached Level 2, was in perfect condition without any issues, and my mana roads, half of which had become unusable, had recovered to some extent.

‘This isn’t saline solution, it’s a recovery potion.’

If it’s a recovery potion used instead of saline, it must be around Level 1.

After roughly assessing the situation, I delved into my memories. I replayed my battle experience with Neros. Such experiences were rare. They would surely be helpful in the future.

‘I awakened a new ability, the Instant, and I also learned that I can use magic beyond my level by utilizing the environment.’

The biggest gain was the Instant.

The Instant is an ability that drastically increases the speed of thought. It’s an ability that doesn’t exist in the original game, Dark Moon.

‘When I used the Instant, a system window popped up. Is it like a perk given to me when I came to this world?’

Whatever the source of the Instant, it was a power that helped me.

‘When I use the Instant, I can’t use the mana roads, but it’s easy to calculate in advance with the accelerated thinking speed. Fortunately, unlike the mana roads, the Instant’s time is maintained even when I open my Astral.’

The biggest problem for a mage is casting speed. Casting magic during combat requires a high level of concentration. This is why there are so few battle mages who engage in direct combat. Usually, mages play a role in providing fire support from the rear.

‘In the game, magic is activated just by pressing a shortcut key, but reality is different.’

In that sense, the Instant, which accelerates thinking, is almost like a cheat code for a mage. It reduces casting speed by more than 90%.

‘I also have the ability to generate electricity. Although it’s impossible to use the Level 5 lightning magic, Thunderbolt, like when I fought Neros, I can still easily use a few Level 3 lightning magic spells.’

This world is reality, not a game. Levels are not an absolute standard.

‘The problem is mana. Can I use Level 3 lightning magic more than three times in my current state?’

I shook my head slightly. I was skeptical. Unless a situation requires powerful firepower, it’s more efficient to use Level 2 magic.

‘To do that, I need knowledge of Level 2 magic.’

Thump.

I sensed a presence from beyond the door. I shook off my thoughts and looked at the hospital room door. The door opened, and a familiar face entered. It was Instructor Venus, the magic specialist. Although he was only a Staff Sergeant, in the military, a person’s position isn’t determined solely by rank. Instructor Venus was the most experienced among the instructors.

“I heard you woke up and came to see you. How’s your body?”

I tried not to look at the CCTV installed in the corner of the room, saluted him, and replied.

“I’m fine, except for a slight stuffiness.”

“The doctor said you’ll be fine in three days. Rest well in the hospital room for three days.”

Instructor Venus plopped down on the chair next to the bed. He looked at me with sharp, gleaming eyes.

“Let’s talk about the mission. You and the armored vehicle driver are the only survivors, so we need your testimony.”

I maintained a poker face as much as possible and racked my brain. The armored vehicle driver was probably about 2km away from the mission area, so it was natural that he was alive. The important thing was how he reported to the unit.

‘Did he observe me using Thunderbolt? Thunderbolt is as flashy as it is powerful, so it’s easy to recognize. I want to hide my talent as much as possible….’

Too much talent can attract the envy of others.
Especially since I awakened two abilities. Magic talent and a naturally awakened ability. This alone was enough reason to become another guinea pig for experiments.

“…I remember Instructor Belha recording the mission area with a camera.”

“The camera was smashed. The radio communication log was cut off from the middle. Neros. That thief happened to awaken as a Thunder Dragon, and all the electronic devices in the surrounding area went dead. We found you three hours after the communication was cut off.”

It was what I had expected. The mana of lightning that Neros scattered everywhere would have created a kind of EMP effect.

What bothered me was the armored vehicle driver.

“What happened to the armored vehicle driver… Is he safe?”

Instructor Venus didn’t answer right away. He stared at me with sunken eyes before opening his mouth.

“The driver is under arrest.”

“Excuse me?”

“He was caught trying to desert.”

Instructor Venus clicked his tongue loudly, as if he didn’t like it.

All the clues were gathered. I deduced the situation.

‘They found me three hours after the communication was cut off… The armored vehicle driver probably ran away before the Thunderbolt fell… when the radio was cut off. It’s highly likely that he didn’t see the Thunderbolt… Even if he did, he didn’t confirm it.’

The armored vehicle driver didn’t recover me. He doesn’t know the details.

‘Even if my testimony and the driver’s testimony are different… they’ll believe me. The driver is a criminal who tried to desert.’

The future of the driver who tried to desert was obvious.

Execution.

Or he would live as a slave for the rest of his life. He could also become a test subject somewhere, like me.

“I’ll tell you everything that happened to me at the mission site.”

I recalled the traces I had seen just before falling asleep. They came to mind vividly, like looking at a photograph. As 211, I could easily recall things I had seen once without forgetting them.

“The mission was going smoothly until Neros appeared. …I sniped Neros when he appeared, and he reflected the bullet. Since the sniper rifle was broken, I immediately went to join them.”

“The communication log remains until Instructor Belha stepped forward. What happened after that?”

I told the truth. Instructor Venus had already grasped the situation to some extent. The military is a place full of experts related to combat. They would have figured out more than 70% of what happened just from the traces of the battle.

The testimony I would give wouldn’t be a lie, but rather a subtraction of the truth.

I would erase my achievements and praise Instructor Belha’s achievements. The traces of the Thunderbolt could be passed off as Neros’ doing. Fortunately, he had awakened as a Thunder Dragon.

“…I survived purely by luck.”

“This, you mean.”

Instructor Venus took out a bracelet from his pocket. It was the artifact I received from Instructor Lexi. He returned the artifact to me.

“Instructor Lexi gave this to you, right? It’s quite a valuable item. Take good care of it.”

“…Thank you for returning it.”

“When did you reach Level 2?”

“I felt my Astral expanding right before I passed out.”

“It happens sometimes. Soldiers who grow during combat. You not only survived the mana backlash but also gained something from it… and this time you survived and reached Level 2.”

“……”

“People like you are usually said to have strong bad luck. Well, that luck doesn’t usually last until the end. Anyway, congratulations on surviving and reaching Level 2.”

“……Thank you.”

“But don’t forget that your position hasn’t changed. Do you understand, Private 211?”

“Private… Does that mean I have a rank?”

“All those who succeeded in the mission have been given a rank.”

“…What happened to those who failed?”

“They died.”

He said it as if it were natural and left the hospital room.

•••

As Instructor Venus said, even though I became a private, my position hadn’t changed. I was still a slave and a test subject.

Before I was discharged from the hospital room, a terrible time came.

It was the time when mana essence was injected into my body. Even if I hadn’t done anything wrong, as a test subject of the ‘Battle Mage Project,’ I was periodically injected with mana essence.

I lay on the operating table, my limbs restrained. I was naked, without a single thread of clothing, and electrodes were attached to various parts of my body, including my chest, shoulders, and neck, crackling.

Thump. Thump.

A man wearing a surgical cap and mask approached me with emotionless eyes. His hand held a syringe filled with blue liquid. Before injecting the mana essence, he put a gag in my mouth. The memory of 211 writhing in pain came to mind. I clenched my teeth as if to break the gag.

The syringe touched my neck. The unfamiliar and cold sensation of the metal needle sent shivers down my spine. The man pushed the piston. Cold, heavy mana essence flowed through my veins.

The mana essence flowed through my veins and spread throughout my body. My Astral and mana roads reacted.

“……!!”

Pain occurred in the process.

It was a pain as if my whole body was being torn apart from the inside. The pain continued until the mana essence was completely absorbed into my body.

The 12 mana roads were activated by the mana essence. I activated the mana roads as much as possible in the midst of the pain. The pain intensified, but it was a struggle to gain even a little more benefit.

‘Kkyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!’

I screamed inwardly. If my limbs hadn’t been restrained, I would have writhed pathetically on the floor like a trampled bug.

The time of pain was long. Even though I wasn’t using the Instant, time felt like it was flowing slowly. It was so cursed that time was relative.

“Your Astral is more stable than last time. Did the efficiency increase when you reached Level 2? Inject an additional 20%.”

The man brought a new syringe and stuck it into my neck.

‘Shibaal!!!!’

It was an act of pouring gasoline on the fire of the pain that was subsiding. I strained my eyes, which were about to roll back. If I passed out here, I could die in the worst case. I had to hold on to my sanity as much as possible.

‘Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!’

The badge on the man’s collar came into view. A badge in the shape of a red tear. Knowledge of the game ‘Dark Moon’ came to mind. That badge was the badge of the Alpha Tear pharmaceutical company.

‘I’ll kill them all!! I’ll kill all the bastards involved in this!!!’

I piled anger and hatred on top of the burning pain. The three mixed together like smoke and were engraved in my mind as a desire for revenge.

•••

Being injected with mana essence wasn’t the end.

For the sake of the experiment results, they drew my blood and examined my body with machines I had never heard of on Earth. The Alpha Tear bastards looked at the results and nodded to each other, pleased. I had to desperately suppress the murderous intent that surged towards them.

I took my eyes off them. Looking at them would only make me angrier.

I observed my body through my Astral.

The effects of the mana essence injection were there. My mana had increased, and the quality of my mana roads had improved slightly. The increase in mana was good news. I was already worried about the lack of mana.

‘It’s even more infuriating to think that I exchanged it for my lifespan.’

There were no major side effects yet, but I couldn’t guarantee how long that would last. This body had almost no physical talent compared to its magical talent.

‘I hope I’ll be okay at least until I escape from here….’