## Chapter 1463 – Dark Moon
“Hmm.”
I turned the chip containing dark mana this way and that.
There was nothing I could discern.
I was studying magical engineering, but my skills weren’t advanced enough to recognize the chip at a glance. In the first place, I was confident in the magical aspect of magical engineering, but I knew nothing about the engineering part. This felt closer to engineering than black magic.
‘In times like this, it’s faster and more reliable to ask an expert rather than making my own judgment.’
There were several ways. I could find a good mechanic, or I could ask a broker.
‘Fortunately, the best expert in this field is nearby.’
I took the chip and headed to the Transcendent ancient ruins.
“Haha. You really fought fiercely. You’re the first magician I’ve seen shoot a railgun with magic. May I ask why you’re doing such an inefficient thing?”
As soon as I entered the ancient ruins, I heard Varkase’s words.
“Inefficient?”
“Railguns can be used without magic, can’t they? A prime example is the R675 rifle.”
“That’s military-grade. It’s also one of the items that the military manages with paranoia. It’s hard to get, and even if you do, special forces will appear and drag you away the moment you use it.”
“Hmm. Is that how it is these days? In my time, we all had railguns as standard equipment.”
“That must have been an interesting era.”
“It was a shitty era in many ways.”
I walked down the hallway and held up the chip in my hand. Dark mana was leaking from the small chip.
“I have a favor to ask. This chip was inside a monster. Can you analyze it?”
“That’s not a difficult request. I’ll grant it. I’m also interested in that chip.”
I went inside. Bell Terrier was still being adjusted inside the capsule. Varkase’s hologram appeared next to it and pointed to a spot.
“Do you see the groove at the bottom of the wall? Put the chip there. I’ll scan it first and then try to connect to it.”
I threw the chip. The chip flew accurately towards the groove. Just before the chip entered the groove, I used telekinesis to gently place it down.
“Wow. That’s an un-magician-like skill.”
“I’m good at throwing and hitting things.”
“Wait a moment. It won’t take long.”
I sat on a chair. Having nothing to do, I looked at Bell inside the capsule. As the character I had set, her figure was outstanding. I never got tired of looking at her.
‘Mechanical arms and legs. I wonder what it feels like to have eyes. Would it be comfortable?’
But I had no intention of attaching machines to my body.
For a magician who directly manipulates mana, machines are more of a hindrance. What’s important for a magician is the balance of mana, and replacing a part of the body with a machine would break that balance. Couldn’t you balance it with a machine? A machine of that level would be incredibly expensive. And the adjustment would be tough. You would have to get regular adjustments from a master-level mechanic. As far as I could see, machines had only disadvantages for a magician.
“The results are out. Interesting. It’s structurally very similar to the chips I know.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“It is dangerous. Do you know about mutant chips?”
Of course, I knew about them. I hesitated for a moment. Would it be more beneficial to pretend not to know? After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to just act like I knew. I didn’t want to listen to Varkase’s explanation.
“…I know it as a biochip made by Voidists to more easily accept Void energy. It causes mutations to make the body more receptive to Void energy.”
“You know it exactly. The chip you brought is structurally very similar to a mutant chip. The difference is that it’s made with dark mana instead of Void energy.”
“Does it mutate the body to be suitable for dark mana?”
I asked in a serious tone.
I felt that something was wrong. This kind of thing didn’t exist in my original knowledge.
“No. Dark mana accelerates the mutation of the mutant chip.”
“So, it’s a chip for mutating the body, leaving out Void energy… If it’s related to the Cabala Research Institute, the purpose is obvious.”
The Cabala Research Institute, under Cabalia Industries, has branches all over the world. What the Cabala Research Institute does is biological experimentation. They capture animals in various regions and conduct biological experiments. Of course, those animals include humans.
The reason why Cabalia Industries maintains its position as the number one company in the bio field is all thanks to the Cabala Research Institute.
‘They also have a huge market share in the food industry.’
They clone and distribute livestock such as chickens, pigs, and cows. With low prices and massive quantities, they can’t help but dominate the food market.
‘These bastards used to clone humans in the past….’
A project to create the best army with clones of a legendary soldier.
That project failed.
Unlike livestock, humans needed at least 10 years of growth. Above all, the legendary soldier’s combat talent did not manifest in the clones. There were some clones that manifested some of that talent, but they were still far inferior to the original.
“After a detailed analysis, it seems the name of this chip is called a Dark Chip. What are you going to do with this chip?”
“If it’s something from the Cabala Research Institute, there will be many interested parties, so I’m thinking of selling it through a broker. I should be able to make some money.”
“You’re not thinking of using it yourself, are you?”
“Not even if I had a gun to my head.”
“That’s a relief. The Dark Chip has no direction. No one knows how it will mutate. It’s a chip made solely for the purpose of mutation by maximizing the influence of the Dark Moon.”
“Thanks for the analysis.”
I retrieved the chip and sat back in the chair.
“Are you going to wait for her? Didn’t you say you had no relationship?”
“I have to say goodbye before leaving. I’m also curious about what will happen to her….”
“And it’s not because you want to see her body?”
“……”
Her capsule opened. Bell, who quickly came out of the capsule, immediately picked up her clothes.
“Hey, can you turn your eyes away? That’s the polite thing to do.”
“I thought you were okay with it… My apologies.”
I immediately turned my body to face the wall. I had already seen everything, so I had no regrets.
“How do you feel? Is anything hurting?”
“I feel good. Actually, I feel great. Today is the first time I’ve realized my body could be this light. Thank you, Mr. Varkase.”
“It was a simple task.”
After that, they talked about machines. They talked in depth about mechanical eyes in particular… It was too technical for me to understand.
“The facilities of the Transcendent are hidden all over this world. The exact location is… I can’t tell you. I don’t know either. Haha. All the facilities of the Transcendent will be helpful to you. So, find them when you have time.”
“…We’re not Transcendent.”
“In my eyes, you are already walking the path of transcendence. Being a Transcendent is nothing special. If you have the qualifications and walk the path of transcendence… that’s what a Transcendent is. It doesn’t matter if you deny it. I will treat you as Transcendent.”
“Mr. Varkase, why don’t you just say honestly that you’ve been lonely all this time?”
“Haha. I can’t deny that. Come back next year for the mana shower. Waste accumulates just from breathing, so it’s good to clean it up regularly. Especially in the city, it accumulates even faster.”
“I’ll come again next time. Please adjust me then too.”
“Come again if you have the chance.”
Bell and I said goodbye to Varkase and left the ancient ruins.
I didn’t expect Varkase to be so welcoming.
‘In the original story, I had to gradually develop the relationship through quests….’
I walked down the mountain with Bell and talked.
“That gorilla monster came back to life and attacked? That doesn’t make sense. I confirmed it was dead… Ah, damn it. It’s the Dark Moon today, isn’t it? That makes sense.”
“I got a Dark Chip from its body. This is mine. It’s from the Cabala Research Institute, so I can sell it for a high price.”
“So, that’s what you call the Dark Chip that you got a few of.”
I told her about the Dark Chip.
“…Wow. It does seem like it would be expensive to sell.”
“You’re not thinking of selling it?”
“I’m thinking of investigating it a bit more first. I have a colleague in the city who specializes in this kind of thing. If it doesn’t seem right, I can just sell it to people who hate Cabalia.”
We talked about this and that, and we quickly arrived at the village.
“Let’s part ways here. Can you give me your email address? I’ll contact you later. I won’t forget what happened today. If you need my help, contact me. If I don’t have anything urgent, I’ll help you first.”
“You’re leaving right away? It’s still a few hours before sunrise. It’ll be dangerous.”
“I came on a bike. I can’t take the train because I’m an illegal immigrant. The Dark Moon is fine. If I focus on avoiding fights, I’ll be okay.”
“Okay. Contact me if you need my help. I’ll help you. But it won’t be free. I don’t owe you anything.”
We exchanged emails. She smiled and said,
“I’m lucky today. Thanks to the Transcendent, my body feels better, and I made an acquaintance with a skilled magician. Did the coins I threw in the fountain during the day bring me good luck?”
“Maybe.”
Bell waved goodbye and left the village on her bike.
I sat blankly on a bench in front of the station and looked up at the black moon. I was going to wait until dawn and the first train arrived.
‘Because of the Dark Moon, the hotels won’t be open either. I should have rented a decent room before leaving the village… I made a mistake.’
I was thinking about magic in my head when it happened.
Zzzzt.
I heard a noise.
At first, I ignored it, thinking I had misheard.
Zzzzt.
There are no two coincidences. I focused my eyes and looked in the direction of the sound.
A dark alleyway.
There, something pure white was looking at me.
It was the moment I blinked. It closed the 10-meter distance in an instant.
A white dress, hair close to white, pale skin. Thin arms and legs. Simply put, it was a ghost.
‘Because of the Dark Moon, all sorts of things are popping out.’
I blinked.
The ghost was suddenly close. I deliberately blinked continuously. The ghost was now right in front of me, screaming.
“Kyaaaaaaaaak!”
Its mouth was open like a shark’s. Hundreds of small teeth were embedded all over its mouth. On top of that, it emitted a terrible stench.
“Shut up.”
I grabbed the ghost’s neck with one hand as it lunged to bite my head and used magic.
[Lightning Grab]
Zzzzzzzzt!
The blue current from my hand electrocuted the ghost’s body.
“Kiyaaaaaaaaaak!”
The ghost screamed in an ear-piercing voice and fell to the ground. Its body turned into particles and disappeared.
I was about to go back to spacing out and thinking about magic when I felt a gaze and looked up. I saw a red-eyed man hanging upside down from the station ceiling. And a disgusting lump of flesh on the railroad tracks, and a woman crawling like a spider upside down from the store.
“Ha, they’re making sure I don’t get bored.”
I got up from my seat. Mana surged through my mana rod. Lightning sparked from my fingertips.
“Alright, let’s play.”
