Bear School Astartes

Philixia’s expression, originally filled with anticipation and anxiety, suddenly relaxed upon hearing Lann’s experimental conclusion.

After exhaling a sigh of relief, she clenched her fists and made a small celebratory gesture.

She was one of the few female sorcerer apprentices participating in the entire experimental project who had not yet left the gates of Airetusa.

Just from this internship experience alone, she had already accumulated a considerable amount of credentials for her future career as a female warlock.

Even Philippa Eilhart openly stated her hope that Philixia would choose her as a mentor during her graduation internship.

The reputation of the crystal cultivation project began with the battle of Sodden Mountain that involved Lann. Before that, it was not widely known and was limited to a very small circle of high-level individuals.

As the project gained recognition and achieved tangible results and progress, numerous astute individuals saw its potential concurrently.

And they began to engage in its research or outright recruited people to join them.

In the Warlock Academy set up in Codwin’s territory, within Ban Aide Academy, the few warlocks who initially joined the project under Tishaya’s organization—

The frequency of their internal exchanges has now reduced significantly, indicating that these warlocks have likely set up their own plans within Ban Aide Academy.

They aim to use the crystal cultivation technology as a foundation to advance in their desired directions of focus.

Researchers who once stood out in the crystal cultivation project have now more or less gained a rise in status or wealth.

As an intern, of course, Philixia hopes that the research she has been involved in becomes more remarkable.

Tishaya, on the other hand, has moved beyond the ’chase for fame and fortune’ phase.

Her status has essentially cemented her at the pinnacle of female warlocks, hence she is not as driven by such pursuits anymore.

At this moment, she was slightly uncomfortable at the sight of the small bundle of metal wires in Lann’s hands.

The chaotic tangle of metal lines had been utterly frustrating to her eyes.

But being next to Lann, she managed to control her urge to organize the items.

”Is this... what you intend to create?”

Tishaya spoke haltingly, her lips pursed, as it was quite challenging for her to suppress the urge to tidy things up.

”Just like before? A deliberately ’faulty’ organ?”

Tishaya looked at Lann with a playful gaze.

Every time, Lann would manufacture some clearly abnormal organs with the justification that if deliberately twisted faulty organs can be accurately manufactured, creating correct organs would not be an issue.

And those organs usually consumed significantly larger amounts of magic power, more growth fluid, and required longer cultivation times than ordinary organs...

Tishaya could not understand why those organs were so difficult to cultivate, but she certainly was not a fool.

After a few times, she was certain that Lann needed those ’faulty organs.’

Lann did not argue or deny; he merely lowered his head and smiled at Tishaya.

Sure enough, the female warlock simply shook her head casually, without probing further.

Warlocks are a group of individuals with their own secrets, and they deeply understand: everyone has matters they do not wish to disclose.

If one does not want to strain relationships, it is best to suppress curiosity and control desires.

Throughout her long life, Tishaya had long achieved this understanding.

After all, managing a Female Warlock Academy without sufficient control or curiosity could lead the institution to indulge in recklessness and corruption.

On the flip side, if curiosity and control are too strong, whether one cultivates excellent alumni or powerful adversaries becomes another matter.

”Philixia, let’s go.”

Not only was Tishaya herself understanding of Lann, but she also empathetically called upon the female sorcerer apprentice immersed in the joy of success.

”The experimental records and procedures need to be organized and archived, and the experimental materials must be reported to the academy’s logistics department for record-keeping. There’s still much to do; let’s get moving.”

”Ah, yes!”

The old dean had far more deterrent power than the new dean, and Philixia almost immediately snapped out of her joy, quickly and deftly exiting the laboratory.

Tishaya grasped the door handle, waiting sideways, until Philixia had completely left before slowly closing the lab door from the outside.

She left Lann, who hadn’t moved from his spot in the laboratory, with an ambiguous glance.

”Perhaps it was due to your weaker past, worrying about your harsh living conditions.”

The biochemical intelligence in Lann’s brain suddenly said this.

”I have a liking for women who take care of you, sir. This is rather troubling.”

Lann sneered at Mentos’ words; despite its English butler accent, it was essentially mocking him.

Unfazed by Mentos’ mockery, Lann instead started taking off his shirt and opened his alchemy pouch to fetch items.

The implantation step for the [Inner Steel] does not involve complex and precise bodily structures, entirely different from the [Holy Chant Gland] that requires brain implantation, which is a completely different level of surgical difficulty.

Hence, he does not need to travel to the Ancient Greece world to find Cassandra and use the [Life Cross].

He can handle this himself.

”We’ll chat later, now...”

The Valyrian Steel Dagger spun a dazzling arc in Lann’s hand as his fingertip brushed against the blade’s sharp point, feeling its keenness.

”The surgery begins.”

”Surgical assistance mode activated, sir. Please ensure your safety.”

-----------------

When Lann stepped out of the laboratory again, his silver hair had returned to draping over his shoulders.

His face looked a little pale, and the collar of his silk shirt had some signs of being torn.

Looking through that tear, on his pale yet robust chest, there was a strip of discolored ’new flesh’.

This was the result of stimulation from the magic potion, a new growth that hadn’t been weather-beaten yet.

Lann’s face twitched slightly.

Because inside his chest, beneath the ribcage that interlocked like louvered shutters.

The implanted [Tendon Coil] had already begun to extend and grow.

The Valerian steel wire, fused with Extinct Dragon Thorn bone powder and now possessing growth potential, would absorb nutrients from Lann’s body to replicate, spread, and stretch, then anchor on tendons throughout the body.

These wires will spread and grow beneath Lann’s skeleton, epidermis, and muscles, like slime molds spreading mats in a petri dish.

The thin wires scrape against nerves and the surface of bones, drill through the gaps between twisted muscle bundles, and then repeat this process, extending toward the next limb.

Itching and stabbing sensations almost covered every muscle bundle.

The growth of the [Tendon Coil] was under the regulation and monitoring of the [Genetic Seed] and [Holy Chant Gland].

Therefore, there was no concern for the dangers of invasive growth, but the discomfort had to be endured.

The path to strength is often accompanied by excruciating torment and pain.

Lann had long understood, acknowledged, and accepted this pain.

”Creak~”

Unconsciously clenching his fist, the [Tendon Coil], rapidly growing among the muscle bundles, had already extended the steel wire from the chest origin to the extremities of his arms.

And merely the noise of clenching his fist was like two pieces of processed monster hide rubbing against each other under tremendous pressure.

Producing a teeth-gnashing sound.

Beneath Lann’s clothing, the blood vessels on his muscles bulged, caused by the reflexive tightening of his body from the pain.

And these muscles and bones, already far surpassing ordinary humans in strength, were still continuously enhancing.

Every area the [Tendon Coil] covered, every additional metal wire winding around, increased his strength and physical power.

Eventually, he will be able to crush the hardest human bone structure—the skull—with just his palm.

If the fists are equipped with sufficiently hard protection, a punch could penetrate a tank’s armor.

Compared to the original Interstellar Warriors, the most combat-enhancing modification surgery for Primaris Space Marines... has now been completed.

If only naked body base attributes and instantaneous explosive power are considered, then Lann, with the [Tendon Coil] implanted, is already the same as a Primaris Space Marine.

Completely surpassing the complete naked form of the original Interstellar Warriors.

Even due to the properties of Valerian steel, his whole [Tendon Coil] has significantly increased resistance to magic.

The high biological fusion capacity of Valerian steel allows these formidable wires inside Lann not to disrupt the flow and generation of his chaos magic power.

But if someone else’s magic power invades, these steel properties will resist and weaken it.

During the previous pain, Lann ’mildly’ supported himself on the wall frame outside the laboratory.

The walls of Airetusa were all constructed with whole giant rocks pieced together, finally coated with a wall plaster layer, looking seamlessly integrated while the hardness can rival rock.

However, when Lann withdrew his hand from the outer wall of the door frame, a handprint was left there, with the wall plaster layer crushed into powder, and the rock underneath cracked under pressure.

And this was merely the grip strength of his palm.

Meanwhile, Lann calmly raised his palm amidst the itchiness and pain, the delicate skin and flesh of his palm compressed into a roll by his previous exertion.

The [Tendon Coil] significantly boosts body strength and defense.

Yet this ’defense’ means the wires spread throughout the body, preventing and weakening invading weapons and force.

However, the surface skin, outer muscles, keratin... since the [Tendon Coil] wasn’t laid out externally, these surface tissues didn’t change in defense or endurance.

The sudden increment in grip strength to crush rocks but the skin endurance remains unchanged, leading to Lann’s current situation.

The skin and flesh on his palm were scraped off by his wall rubbing-like movement.

Though soon, the wound on his palm visibly healed after Lann took a sip of [High-grade Swallow].

The ’meat roll’ mixed with skin keratin and flesh also fell to the ground accordingly.

Yet Lann still shook his head.

The Primaris Space Marines also face the same issue: the surface skin and shallow muscles couldn’t endure the monstrous strength brought by the [Tendon Coil].

But they could still become the sharpest spearhead units of the Human Empire on the battlefield.

This is because subsequent surgeries solidified the overall reinforcement of the Interstellar Warriors, freeing them from all easily exploitable weaknesses.

Interstellar Warriors aren’t supermen capable of flying or burrowing, but they also have no significant weaknesses.

”[Belisarius Furnace]...”

Lann looked at his quickly healing palm, murmuring thoughtfully.