The Wizard Has A Biochip

As I walked through the Tower’s corridors, my footsteps echoed across the stone floor, but my mind was far from there.

Two things occupied my thoughts.

The first was upgrading my armor.

After the battle in the forest, it had proven its worth, but it had also revealed its limitations.

The overheating had nearly killed me, its mobility on flooded terrain had been inadequate, and if I wanted to keep surviving against enemies like Magaly, I would have to take it to another level or replace it with lighter magical equipment.

The second priority was even more important.

Buying the Golem construction manual.

Golems were one of the most advanced magical technologies among acolytes and even among mages.

If I learned how to build them...

An entire universe of possibilities would open before me.

...

...

...

I quickly arrived at Marcos’s shop.

As soon as I stepped inside, the fat merchant looked up from behind the counter.

His greedy smile appeared immediately.

—George. You finally came back?

I crossed my arms.

—I came to pick up the manual.

Marcos quickly stood up and took the enormous book from the shelf.

—You know... now that I think about it...

—Maybe I sold it too cheaply last time.

I rolled my eyes.

Of course.

That fat man never missed an opportunity.

Without saying a word, I slowly pulled out a small leather pouch.

When I opened it...

The glow of the magic crystals illuminated the counter.

Marcos’s eyes practically sparkled.

He cleared his throat discreetly.

—Hmm...

—On second thought...

—A deal is a deal.

I smiled.

I knew exactly how that fat man’s mind worked.

Greed always outweighed stubbornness.

I pushed forward the amount of magic crystals we had agreed on earlier.

He immediately slid the book toward me.

—Happy reading.

—Thank you, goodbye.

I picked up the manual.

It was quite heavy.

It was practically a brick.

Without wasting any time, I left the shop.

...

...

...

A short while later.

As soon as I entered my laboratory, I carefully closed the door behind me.

The heavy iron mechanism slid into place with a solid click.

Finally...

Just the silence and me.

I took a deep breath.

I needed to organize my thoughts.

Everything was happening far too quickly.

Black Mages.

Wars.

Every day felt like a desperate race against something terrible—or was I becoming paranoid again?

However, the answer to that question was simple.

Become stronger.

I slowly walked to the central table.

I placed the enormous book I had purchased from Marcos on top of it.

Before opening it, I slowly sat down in my chair.

—Biochip...

—Begin extracting information.

[Bip!]

I moved the cover aside, finally opening the book.

The pages began to be scanned at an absurd speed.

....

...

...

[Titan: a physical construct powered by a powerful magical core.]

[Classification: Magical Automaton.]

[Constructed using anti-magic materials, including the legendary high-grade Magic-Repelling Iron, produced by a mage with rare talents.]

[Primary characteristic: extremely high resistance against elemental attacks.]

[Golems are artificial constructs animated through magic.]

[Among all known models, Titans represent the most powerful category.]

[Their most remarkable characteristic is their enormous resistance to elemental damage.]

[In other words, only golems capable of withstanding elemental magic to a great extent may receive the title of Titan.]

[This characteristic emerged due to the tremendous destructive power achieved by mages during their golden age.]

[However, elemental resistance does not make a Titan invincible.]

[Indirect attacks remain effective.]

[Example: causing it to sink into a lake of acid.]

[All Titans possess only basic intelligence.]

[They execute simple orders.]

[They are incapable of formulating complex strategies.]

[This represents their greatest limitation when facing intelligent opponents.]

My expression turned thoughtful.

So that was it.

They were powerful...

But predictable.

Almost like extremely limited computers.

[Furthermore, elemental resistance is not equivalent to absolute immunity.]

[Certain specific elements may interact in unusual ways depending on the type of Titan.]

[By understanding these vulnerabilities, defeating them becomes relatively simple.]

I nodded slowly.

The pages continued turning.

[Golems receive their life force through an elemental soul.]

[In most cases, a Mud Elemental Soul is used.]

[The process consists of constructing logical matrices within a minimum-grade spirit crystal and then fusing it with the elemental soul.]

[After the fusion, the creature will obey its creator.]

[Golems possess no desires of their own.]

[They do not perform actions on their own initiative.]

[They depend exclusively on the orders they receive.]

[The creator maintains direct control within an approximate radius of sixty meters.]

[Visual or auditory contact must be maintained.]

[In the absence of new orders, the golem will continue carrying out its last instruction.]

[If attacked, it will automatically respond to preserve its own existence.]

Interesting.

Sixty meters.

Short.

Far too short.

That meant golems were excellent bodyguards...

But terrible independent soldiers.

[It is also possible to assign permanent commands or allow another person to temporarily assume control.]

[However, the creator always retains absolute priority over all commands.]

Before I realized it...

I had practically finished the entire book.

I slowly closed the final page.

I took a deep breath.

Golems...

They were far more incredible than I had imagined.

Even a simple Mud Golem, considered the most basic model in existence, was capable of facing a Level 2 Acolyte at the peak of their power and even competing with an acolyte who had just advanced to Level 3.

That meant only extremely well-coordinated groups could defeat one.

Of course...

There were exceptions.

Someone like Magaly, whose spatial affinity was monstrously powerful, would probably find ways to destroy even an army of golems far above her own level.

But individuals like that were anomalies.

Exceptions.

The general rule still held true.

As guardians of mages, golems were practically perfect.

They never slept.

They never fled.

They never accepted bribes.

They never betrayed.

Absolute loyalty.

The dream of any commander.

A simple Level 1 Mud Golem stood approximately two and a half meters tall.

It weighed more than two hundred and seventy kilograms.

Its body was made almost entirely of clay.

Ordinary weapons could hardly destroy it.

Only heavy equipment or magic could inflict significant damage.

Even this extremely simple model...

It cost tens of thousands of magic crystals.

I swallowed hard.

The Level 2 models...

Cost many thousands.

The Level 3 ones...

They weren’t even worth thinking about.

Their price had already entered an absurd category.

And that represented only the manufacturing cost.

If there were a war...

The prices practically doubled.

Now I understood why so many acolytes wanted to own even a handful of golems.

Even three or four of them could completely change the outcome of a battle.

—Biochip, based on the data provided, begin correcting every inconsistency possible.

I paused briefly before adding:

—Also, for now, I only need the most basic golems.

[Bip!]

[Correcting...]

[Estimated time: 5 hours.]

Five hours...

There was nothing I could do except wait.

...

...

...

Even so, the wait seemed endless.

[Bip!]

[Data optimized.]

[All redundant, incompatible, or user capability-exceeding content has been removed.]

[Compatible golem designs compiled.]

—Send me all the data.

[Bip.]

[Mud Golem — Level 1]

[Basic elemental lifeform that uses a spiritual core to manipulate the Earth element.]

[Estimated Attributes]

[Strength: 12]

[Agility: 4]

[Vigor: 14]

[Mana: 7]

[Innate Ability]

[The Earth Is in the Air (Passive)]

[Slowly restores its mana and physical structure while remaining in environments rich in Earth elemental energy.]

.

[Primary Material]

[Nascent Core of a Mud Spirit — Acolyte Level 2.]

[Required Knowledge]

[Basic Golem Construction.]

[Basic Rune Inscription.]

[Energy Transfer Circuits.]

[Elemental Life Infusion.]

[Mental Imprinting System.]

.

.

.

.

.

.

[Acid Golem]

[Simple elemental lifeform specialized in manipulating the Water element with corrosive properties.]

[Estimated Attributes]

[Strength: 8]

[Agility: 7]

[Vigor: 10]

[Mana: 4]

[Abilities]

[Acid Spray]

[Fires a corrosive jet at a target.]

.

[Acid Pool]

[Spreads acid over an area of approximately twenty meters, hindering the advance of enemies.]

.

[Primary Material]

[Demonic Core of the Water Element.]

.

[Required Knowledge]

[Basic Golem Construction.]

[Basic Rune Inscription.]

[Energy Transfer Circuits.]

[Elemental Life Infusion.]

[Mental Imprinting System.]

.

.

.

Before the optimization, there had been dozens of different designs.

But they had all disappeared.

The Biochip had eliminated everything that lay beyond my current capabilities.

Only two options remained.

And honestly...

That was exactly what I needed.

Many mages dreamed of building Titans.

So did I.

But dreams didn’t reduce costs.

By comparison...

The Mud Golem seemed absurdly economical.

Its greatest expense was only a single spiritual core from a Mud Spirit.

A faint smile appeared on my face.

If I hadn’t fooled around with Crystina in that place...

If I had chosen the safer path...

I would never have gotten my hands on that rare material.

In the end, this world rewarded those who dared to act.

...

1454 Words