The Wizard Has A Biochip

Before anything else, I couldn’t even consider creating the Acid Golem.

The project required a compatible Water Element Demonic Core, and I simply didn’t have one.

Without the correct core, any attempt would end in failure—or worse, in an unstable creature.

On the other hand...

The Mud Golem seemed as though it had been made for me.

My gaze drifted toward one of the wooden shelves in the corner of the laboratory.

Resting there was a large glass container placed on a carefully leveled tray.

A dark cloth completely covered the jar.

I walked over and slowly lifted the fabric.

The yellowish liquid inside remained still, but the spiritual core submerged within it seemed to react immediately to my presence.

I observed in silence.

Small spasms rippled across its uneven surface.

It was as though something trapped inside it had noticed my gaze.

Through my magical perception, I sensed an extremely weakened consciousness.

There were no words.

Nor organized thoughts.

There was only a desperate instinct.

Fear.

A plea.

A desperate desire to continue existing.

The strong chemical odor of the preserving liquid invaded my nostrils.

It resembled the formaldehyde used on Earth to preserve biological tissues.

An unpleasant solution for the sense of smell.

But an extremely effective one.

In practice, the spirit imprisoned within that core could still dissipate if left unprotected.

A soul that was not properly preserved rapidly lost its value.

The more degraded its essence became, the less valuable it would be for any ritual or magical creation.

That was why the core remained submerged in that alchemical solution.

Not out of cruelty.

But out of necessity.

I took a deep breath.

The time had come.

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.

A few minutes later, the entire laboratory had been reorganized.

Every tool occupied its exact position.

Hammers.

Chisels.

Forceps.

Scalpels.

Runic needles.

Inscription brushes.

None of them possessed any extraordinary magical properties.

In fact, I preferred simple instruments.

The less magical interference there was during a delicate dissection, the better.

I covered the table with a completely clean white cloth.

Then I carefully removed the core from the preserving liquid.

The moment it came into contact with the air, it began to tremble.

It was not an ordinary physical tremor.

Its spiritual energy fluctuated like a flame on the verge of being extinguished.

Suddenly...

Numerous magical characters appeared above it.

Crooked runes.

Chaotic symbols.

Small phrases formed from spiritual energy.

Insults.

Curses.

Threats.

The creature still possessed enough consciousness to hate the one holding its fate.

I looked at those words for a few seconds.

Then I simply looked away.

There was no reason to argue with a condemned spirit.

—Biochip.

—Perform a deep scan of the core.

[Bip]

[Mission received.]

[Initiating deep scan...]

A blue light swept across my retina.

Immediately afterward, an invisible wave of spiritual perception passed completely through the core.

The creature had originally possessed a powerful energy barrier.

It was a natural defense.

Elemental spirits protected their spiritual organs with layers of extremely dense mana.

While alive, it would have been practically impossible to observe their internal structure.

But the spirit inside that core was already nearly dead.

The barrier simply lacked the strength to resist the Biochip.

I spent several minutes repeating the scan.

Layer after layer.

Structure after structure.

Until...

A three-dimensional image appeared inside my mind.

I smiled.

It was perfect.

Its entire anatomy appeared before me.

The structure closely resembled Brimy’s.

A small mineralized skull protected an atrophied brain.

The regions equivalent to the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem were preserved in positions remarkably similar to those of higher organisms.

Deeper still...

At the absolute center of the core...

There was a small yellowish crystal.

Only slightly larger than my thumb.

All elemental energy converged at that single point.

I crossed my arms as I analyzed the image.

Since I had found this core inside Brimy’s personal treasure chamber...

The conclusion seemed obvious.

An offspring.

Almost an embryo.

Brimy didn’t merely command the Mud Ghosts.

She also produced new spirits.

Not in the same way humans did.

Nor like mammals.

It was more akin to the development of a core within her own body.

Like a bird forming an egg.

The difference was that this ”egg” contained a new mud spirit.

And now...

That future spirit rested upon my table.

I picked up the scalpel.

My hand remained absolutely steady.

I breathed only once.

Then I made the first incision.

The blade cut through the crystalline layer of the poor mud spirit’s skull.

At the very same instant, a thick, viscous, dark-purple liquid burst from the opening.

The smell was nauseating.

Some of it splashed onto my apron and sleeves.

I didn’t even blink.

I continued carefully widening the opening.

I adjusted the angle of the scalpel only a few millimeters at a time.

Then I used a small chisel.

One strike.

Another.

One more.

The hammer produced sharp, dry sounds that echoed throughout the laboratory.

Each impact removed crystalline fragments without touching the energy center.

I spent nearly half an hour dismantling the surrounding structure.

Without rushing.

Without making a single mistake.

Until...

Finally...

At the center of the cavity...

I carefully removed a small semi-transparent crystal.

Its yellowish glow was gentle.

All the spiritual corruption surrounding it had been separated during the procedure.

I held it up to the light.

Despite emitting an unpleasant odor, its energy was extraordinarily pure.

At that moment, I heard the Biochip’s familiar voice.

[Bip]

[Purified Mud Ghost Spiritual Core detected.]

A weary smile appeared on my face, covered with small stains of dried blood.

It worked.

The hostile consciousness that had inhabited the core had been completely removed.

Only the elemental essence remained.

No ego.

No memories.

No will of its own.

Exactly as I needed.

Unfortunately, this was still a laboratory designed for engineering.

I had precision tools.

Measuring instruments.

Equipment for dismantling mechanisms.

But there wasn’t a single proper alchemy workstation.

I looked at the small core resting in the palm of my hand.

The core had been purified.

The most delicate part of the operation was complete.

Now came the truly important stage.

To transform that core into a Mud Golem, I needed to engrave an alchemical code directly onto its crystalline structure.

It wasn’t enough to draw a few beautiful runes.

I had to create a set of inscriptions capable of stabilizing the elemental energy, forming the mana transfer circuit, defining the obedience protocols, and finally establishing the Mental Imprint that would recognize me as its creator.

It was practically a magical program.

A single mistake in any character...

And the core could simply shatter.

Or worse.

Create a creature completely beyond control and utterly anarchic.

Fortunately, I was still a relatively wealthy acolyte.

After everything I had achieved so far, spending a few magic crystals to use an alchemy station was an insignificant investment.

I carefully placed the crystal into the inner pocket of my coat.

Then I left the laboratory.

...

I made my way to a small makeshift counter that had appeared recently.

Behind it stood a Level 3 acolyte, a middle-aged man sitting comfortably in a wooden chair while flipping through an old catalog.

With the absurd increase in demand for private laboratories, he had quickly realized he could profit by renting out temporary workstations to students who couldn’t afford a private lab.

A simple idea.

But an extremely profitable one.

I approached the counter.

—I need to rent an alchemy station.

—Nothing extravagant.

—Just something functional.

The man slowly raised his eyes.

His gaze traveled over my clothes.

Then my hands.

Then returned to my face.

It was obvious he was estimating how much he could charge me.

—For how long?

—Three hours.

He rested an elbow on the counter.

Slowly scratched his beard.

—Hmm...

—I can get you a small station in the back.

—As long as you don’t blow anything up.

I smiled faintly.

—If something explodes, there probably won’t be anyone left to complain.

He burst into laughter.

—I like you.

We negotiated for several minutes.

Naturally, he tried to raise the price.

Naturally, I lowered it.

In the end, we settled on a price acceptable to both of us.

He opened a drawer.

Pulled out an old iron key covered with small patches of rust.

He placed it on the counter.

—The red door.

—End of the hallway.

—Use it carefully.

I picked up the key.

—Thank you.

...

The red door was impossible to mistake.

I inserted the key.

Turned it slowly.

Click.

The sound of the lock echoed through the silent hallway.

I pushed the door open.

The moment I stepped inside, my eyes automatically began analyzing the entire room.

The floor was impeccably clean.

The walls had been polished with some kind of pale stone capable of reflecting part of the light.

Wooden shelves occupied nearly the entire room.

Numerous elemental energy rods were neatly arranged side by side for metal testing and elemental conduction.

None of that truly caught my attention.

My gaze was immediately drawn to the very center of the room.

There it was.

The Alchemy Station.

For several seconds, I simply stood there observing it.

Eight metal chains descended slowly from the ceiling.

At the end of each one floated a luminous stone.

The eight formed a perfect circle.

Their white light completely eliminated every shadow over the workbench.

I smiled.

On Earth, we would have called that surgical lighting.

In the Tower...

It was merely an elegant application of alchemical magic.

Its surface was divided into sixteen independent modules.

Each section contained supports, fittings, movable compartments, and adjustable platforms intended for specific stages of alchemical production.

Simply understanding every function of that station would probably require several days of study.

Fortunately...

I never relied solely on my own abilities.

—Biochip.

—Initiate a complete scan of this Alchemy Station.

—Analyze its structure.

—Map its mechanisms.

—Simulate the procedures required for a creation experiment.

[Bip]

[Mission registered.]

[Initiating scan...]

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As I remained motionless, invisible waves of perception swept through the entire workshop.

Within seconds, an enormous amount of information began filling my mind.

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.

.

[Cauldron]

[Function: Mixing, heating, and stabilizing reagents.]

.

.

.

[Enchanted alembics.]

[Function: Distillation of essences, separation of impurities, and spiritual purification.]

[Set of magical glassware.]

[Test tubes, beakers, flasks, and reagent bottles prepared for high magical affinity substances.]

[Spatulas, spoons, and mortars.]

[Function: Grinding, measuring, and homogenizing solid ingredients.]

[Ritual blades and enchanted forceps.]

[Function: Precise manipulation of fragile or energetically unstable components.]

[Runic precision scale.]

[Margin of error below one milligram. Suitable for highly stable alchemical inscriptions.]

[Crystalline preservation cabinet.]

[Automatic control of temperature, humidity, and mana density for preserving magical ingredients.]

...

1780 Words