After a good sleep, I opened my eyes. The illuminated stone ceiling reminded me exactly where I was—at the Tower of Monte Sol.
I let out a long yawn and stretched, feeling my muscles relax after so many hours of rest.
"When these spell models are completed…" I murmured to myself, feeling the excitement building in my chest.
I will take on an exploration mission.
It was about time I gained real experience outside the tower.
I rolled out of bed and walked to the washbasin, splashing cold water on my face. The refreshing shock woke me up completely. The hygiene routine was quick—brushing my teeth, fixing my hair.
The life of an engineer in the tower wasn’t much different from that of a common acolyte. We all had duties to fulfill.
As soon as I left my room, I went straight to find Miguel. As always, he was engrossed in his tasks, creating devices and performing maintenance. I did what I needed to do, completing my daily tasks without wasting too much time.
But my mind was elsewhere.
My armor.
"If I’m an engineer, I need to dress like one," I muttered to myself as I walked toward my laboratory.
Miguel and Mateo dressed like engineers, but there was a difference. They didn’t wear technological armor.
In fact… they didn’t even seem like combat engineers.
Miguel, for example, rarely built weapons or deadly devices. His focus was on support artifacts. He was an expert at catering to wizards who could afford his inventions, building tools that made life easier for those who could pay.
They were in a safe environment. Here, inside the tower, there was no need for heavy weaponry or preparing for combat.
When I finally arrived at my laboratory, I stuck the key in the lock and entered.
The metallic smell of oil and steel greeted me like an old friend. My machine shop. My sanctuary.
A fierce smile spread across my face.
"I’m different…"
When the time comes for me to leave this school and explore the world…
I’ll have full armor.
And a fully modified airship.
Surrounded by super machine guns.
If a dragon slips up… It’ll be taken down.
The mere thought made me laugh quietly. No one had ever seen an engineer like me.
I walked to my chair at the central table in the lab.
"Time to design," I murmured. I leaned back and then issued a command to my virtual laboratory. "Design the mechanical arm for my armor."
["Beep!"]
Before my eyes, a hologram of a metal arm began to form, and each part of the arm displayed information.
["Mechanical Arm Plustil. V.01"]
["1. Basic Structure (The ’Skeleton’)"]
["Material: Vil Iron and Vil Bronze. The structure is made from robust pieces to ensure strength."]
["Design: The arm starts with a structure of metal tubes, connected by joints and supports. The joints are made with Vil bronze pins, allowing smooth movement."]
["Gear Connections: At crucial points of the joints, the engineer must install gears, creating a mechanical system that enables smooth and controlled movement."]
["2. Joints and Movements"]
["Hyperflexible Joints: The elbow, wrist, and finger joints are made of movable pieces that work with gear systems and steam-powered pistons."]
["Steam Pistons: Connected to the joints, these pistons help generate force for the arm’s movement, with pressure release valves, controlled by a manometer to avoid overload."]
["3. Energy System"]
["The arm is powered by a small steam generator embedded in the user’s torso or the mechanical arm itself. A small brass boiler, where enchanted magical crystals are heated, generates enchanted steam, which is transferred to the pistons."]
["Steam Conductors: Flexible tubes, made of Vil copper and reinforced with enchanted platinum cloth, transport steam from the boiler to the pistons and other mechanisms."]
["4. Control System"]
.
.
.
.
I moved my fingers in front of the hologram, zooming in on the internal parts of the mechanical arm, observing the details as I adjusted the view to examine each piece.
"Laboratory, add an energy blade hidden in a compartment on the back of the mechanical hand," I said, my voice firm and full of confidence.
["Beep!"]
Quickly, the hologram of the blade materialized, perfect, with energy shimmering as it integrated into the hidden compartment, invisible until activated. I zoomed in on the back of the hand to see the details of the hidden blade. The blade seemed sharp, lethal, and very discreet.
"Satisfied... but the gripping power of this hand... what is it?" I asked, still carefully observing the joints.
["The gripping power of the mechanical hand is far superior to that of an average human. Approximately 100 times stronger than normal, with the ability to crush high-density materials with ease."]
I felt immediate satisfaction upon hearing the response. The power was satisfying, but something still didn’t feel right. I didn’t want to rely solely on a hidden blade in combat situations.
"Laboratory," I said, with more determination in my voice, "integrate an energy chainsaw into this mechanical arm. I need something more... robust."
["Executing command."]
Within moments, the energy chainsaw was created, its blades spinning with powerful energy. It fit perfectly into the forearm, ready to be activated in moments of need. Now, I had the power of a hidden blade, but also the brutality of an energy chainsaw to cut through anything in my way.
.
.
Somewhere in the sky...
Lity was sitting with the grace of a goddess atop the head of a massive bird, resembling a giant hawk. Her lilac eyes reflected the blue sky’s brightness, fixed and serene as she watched the horizon with a piercing intensity. The black uniform she wore, perfectly fitted to her slender, elegant body, flowed in the wind. The outfit, filled with mysterious symbols, was characteristic of high-ranking acolytes, a symbol of power and respect. Her white hair, like strands of silver, danced gently in the wind, contrasting with her radiant black skin that exuded an aura of mystery and authority.
This content is taken from freёwebnovel.com.
Around her, an army of hawks, also carrying other acolytes, flew high in the sky, their dark bodies like shadows cutting through the clouds. Lity was alone in the front, her posture upright, firm, and unshakable, as if nothing could touch her.
She slowly turned her head to look back, her yellow eyes gleaming in the sunlight. There, high above, floated a solitary figure: a skull, wearing the same black robe as Lity. The skull, with its eyes emanating intense blue flames, seemed to question the mission ahead.
Lity slightly tilted her head to the side, a subtle gesture, almost imperceptible, but one that carried a clear meaning. A signal for the skull to approach. She responded with the calmness of someone who already knew the answer, her voice soft and calm, but with the firmness of someone who fears nothing.
"Don’t worry," Lity said, a soft smile dancing on her lips. "It wouldn’t be smart for any of us to try and invade the Tower of Monte Sol. But this isn’t my mission; I’m just following orders to make a few attacks on the acolytes, try to kill some, and then leave." She paused, her eyes softening as she looked at the skull with a gleam of determination. "If I succeed, I’ll finally obtain the knowledge I need... the formula to advance. To become a complete mage."
The skull laughed, the sound of its laughter echoing like a dark jest. Then, something peculiar happened: its skeletal body began to change. Its bones restructured, rapidly transforming into something else. In a few seconds, the skull’s body bent and reshaped, revealing a young, slender figure, a lolita with black skin, delicate features, and a determined look. It was a lolita, a level 2 acolyte, now transformed into a figure both imposing and graceful. She looked at Lity with a playful smile, her eyes, once burning with blue flames, now returned to normal.
"I can’t wait to see you finally become a mage, Lity," she said enthusiastically, her words filled with contagious emotion. "And when that happens... who knows, maybe I’ll finally get out of this curse of being a lolita."
Lity gazed at her sister Bleia, now transformed from a lolita into a human-like figure, with a look of compassion, but also of rigor. She knew that for Bleia to have a chance of escaping the curse that bound her, it would take more than just trust in her own strength. It required a level of power that she still lacked.
"Bleia, you know what you need to do," Lity said, her voice deep and calm, but carrying a seriousness that couldn’t be ignored. "It’s not just my help you need. You need to advance to level 3, urgently. Only then can you start thinking about escaping this curse that weighs on you."
Bleia sighed, a heavy sigh that seemed to carry the weight of her frustrations and limitations. She knew Lity was right. She looked to the horizon. As her eyes focused on the vast distance, something began to stand out in sight. A colossal mountain, titanic, appeared on the horizon.
Bleia looked up, her eyes fixed on the mountain that seemed to surpass the deep blue sky. Her breath grew heavy, as if the mere act of looking at it was a challenge. She knew that this was the place they needed to reach, but the cost of the journey was undeniable.
"We’ll need to climb it manually," Bleia said, her voice filled with concern. "The giant hawks won’t be able to handle the altitude anymore. This mountain... it’s too much even for them."
...
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