Blood Spilled: The Dragon

Another month had passed, but unlike the previous ones, this time—with all the resources I wanted—I was finally able to start creating the truly insane things worthy of a heretical techno-priest.

First of all, I built more golem bodies, although these were different. They had no programmed thoughts or orders. Instead, they had a telepathic network anchor system where one of my minds could take control. This was done by completely redesigning the telepathy spell into something closer to remote control.

Most of these versions of me fully dedicated themselves to managing the factory, acting as overseers. We also kept expanding it. Recently, the factory's area had reached three kilometers, and we continued to spread outward like a techno-magical plague.

The version of me controlling the biological main body had been studying how to use the dragon energy we obtained. To preserve it properly, we had to place it inside a spell that kept it static, using an artificial gem created through alchemy.

Not much progress had been made with that energy, mostly because the sample was so small. But I hoped what I was building could help with that.

What am I building, you ask? A runic machine. Many layered spells whose only three final functions were: absorb pure magic, convert that pure energy into dragon energy using that tiny fragment as a spark, and finally, store the energy.

Well, damn it—it actually worked, but unfortunately the conversion times were incredibly slow. I theorized this was because I was using a lesser energy source (pure magic) to attempt creating a specialized version of that energy (dragon magic). Each day, it produced only a minuscule, barely measurable amount, which wasn't useful for now, but it was a long-term project—so I didn't drop the study.

See, what I wanted to achieve with all that dragon energy wasn't to turn into a dragon—not at least as the first step—but rather to build something that could use that magic for me. For that, I either needed faster energy conversion or a massive amount of stored energy. Why? Because I still didn't know how to become a dragon or how to directly use dragon magic. You could even say that what I was building was just a compatibility layer for an energy I couldn't use—and you'd be absolutely right. For now, I would focus entirely on what I could actually accomplish.

And the rest of the minds? They had focused on two absolutely crucial goals: solving the fragility of my physical body, and for that, there were many possible paths. I planned to take the best one eventually, but for the moment it was just an idea in progress—so I went with the most viable short-term solution.

What did I come up with? It involved ritual magic, alchemy, and military application. What did it do? Using a runic set inscribed on my back—written by one of the golems I controlled—it constantly projected bodily enhancements. Although these enhancements were very simple in function, the fact they were active all the time and cost almost no energy in their base form made them very effective.

Why say "base form"? Because the more energy you pumped in, the stronger, more durable, and faster you became.

To what extent? Well, in its default low-power mode, the strength increase wasn't more than about three times normal. But physical durability could withstand a small-caliber bullet. At maximum output? I could only maintain it for a few seconds, but I'd be strong enough to destroy a building and tank a ballistic missile with my body. Incredible, right? Yeah, it is—but this version didn't have future potential, at least not in its current form.

So what did the other group of minds work on? Honestly, what they were attempting was even more unrealistic than everything else, but—as with everything I did—it had tremendous potential. They were trying to "attach" a spell to the "soul," basically a proto Sacred Gear long before even considering creating one. To be honest, I wasn't trying to create a Sacred Gear per se, but something equally insane—an imitation—not a version—of what the gods in the world of Danmachi gave mortals. Only made purely through human magic.

Something that would unleash human potential in all its splendor.

Something free from concepts like levels or stats.

Something new. A path to ascension.

But there's the final goal, and then there's the path toward it. So far, only a few experiments had succeeded in "attaching" a spell inside a living being's "soul." And you might think, well, that's already a success—and yes, it is. But it would take a long time to even attempt creating our own version of the "Falna." And even then, that preliminary version we considered wouldn't lead to divinity—at least, not the way we saw it.

That pretty much summarizes everything I've accomplished this month.

I classified the body enhancement project as "The Root", and my version of the Falna as "The Source." Poetic names, right?

They were suggestions from Libertad and Abrazos.

Meanwhile, the names proposed by Amistad and Caricias were more childish.

Heartbreaker's suggestions were… let's say, embarrassingly inappropriate.

Formín's were far too refined for my taste.

So I stuck with these. For some reason, they just felt like the right ones—like the girls had chosen them properly.

At some point, I thought about making The Root part of The Source, though I wasn't sure how—or maybe it would make more sense the other way around? Honestly, I don't know yet. But I hope to figure it out.

As for boredom? Honestly, it was rare for me.

There was always something new to do, something new to create.

Something more.

I didn't have time to be bored.