The Wizard Has A Biochip

Chapter 6: In nature, only death awaits the weak. Freedom and equality no longer exist. Survival defines the strongest!

As soon as I stepped through the dining hall doors, I was greeted by a spacious, bustling room.

The hall was enormous.

Long wooden tables occupied nearly the entire space, accompanied by dozens of benches arranged in perfectly organized rows.

Hundreds of young acolytes were already eating breakfast.

Some chatted quietly.

Others remained completely focused on their books, reading while they ate.

Only the acolytes used that dining hall.

The mages, professors, and tower administrators had an exclusive hall on another floor.

There was a line for food, so I walked to the end of it.

Each student carried an empty metal tray and a set of utensils.

I picked up a tray as well.

While waiting for my turn, I began observing the cooks working behind the enormous serving counter.

Men and women prepared the food with remarkable speed.

But there was one figure...

Who immediately caught my attention.

At the center of the kitchen rested a gigantic iron cauldron.

Its contents boiled continuously.

A thick, fragrant steam rose toward the ceiling.

Standing behind that cauldron was a creature.

Its skin was completely gray.

Numerous scars crisscrossed its body.

Sections of its skin appeared to have been stitched together with thick black thread.

Large iron spikes had been driven through its scalp.

Even so...

It worked as though none of that was unusual.

It stirred the soup with an enormous ladle as if everything were perfectly normal.

—Biochip...

I spoke mentally.

—Analyze that creature.

—I want a physical report.

The response came immediately.

[Beep!]

[Scanning target...]

...

[Danger detected!]

[STATUS]

Name: Unknown

Species: Modified Human

Sex: Male

Age: 112

[BODY STATUS]

Strength: 4.1

Agility: 3.5

Endurance: 4.0

[Threat level: Extremely High.]

[It is recommended that you do not provoke this target.]

I almost dropped my tray.

My eyes widened ever so slightly.

But I managed to control my expression before anyone noticed.

Those numbers...

They weren’t mere statistics.

They represented real power.

Compared to my own report...

My Strength was only 0.7.

That creature’s was 4.1.

More than five times greater.

Back on Earth...

If this conversion is accurate...

I looked once more at the massive cook.

He could probably lift a car over his head...

I pictured the scene.

An entire automobile raised with nothing but his arms.

Then...

Running while carrying it.

I swallowed hard.

Monstrous... That kind of power isn’t natural. The status screen clearly showed that this man had been modified.

Some mage had undoubtedly experimented on a human being, and the result was standing right in front of me.

If a mere experiment was this powerful, then the strength of a true mage must be beyond imagination...

While I was reflecting on that...

The line continued moving.

A short while later...

I reached the front of the counter.

The modified man slowly turned his face toward me.

His white eyes met mine.

His voice was surprisingly calm.

—Mushroom soup?

He lifted a massive wooden ladle.

I smiled politely.

—Yes.

—Thank you.

He served a generous portion into the bowl on my tray.

The aroma was pleasant.

Much better than I had expected.

Before moving on, I gave him a slight nod.

—Thank you for the meal.

The man merely answered with a quiet grunt.

—Hm.

I moved to the next serving counter.

There was a variety of simple foods there.

Bread.

Boiled vegetables.

A few fruits.

And meat.

Lots of meat.

Without hesitation, I served myself two generous portions.

Then I picked up a large glass of water.

I glanced down at my tray.

Nothing extravagant.

But highly nutritious.

I smiled faintly.

Considering the condition of my body...

I cut off a small piece of meat with my fork.

Protein seems like a good investment.

....

—George!

I turned my head when I heard my name.

Helena was sitting alone at one of the tables near the window.

She raised a hand slightly to get my attention.

I smiled.

I walked over to her.

—May I?

She gestured toward the bench across from her.

—Of course.

I sat down.

For a few moments, the two of us simply began eating.

The soup was surprisingly good.

Helena watched me as she tore off a piece of bread.

—You’re eating meat?

I swallowed a mouthful of water before answering. The previous George didn’t like meat either. A complete idiot.

—I’ve decided to change my habits. Including when it comes to meat.

She nodded.

—That’s good.

—You look a lot less desperate.

I chuckled quietly.

—That’s a very specific compliment.

—It’s the only one you deserve at the moment.

She replied without hiding her smile.

I shook my head, but for some reason, I really liked this Lolita.

It wouldn’t be a problem to have a friend to have sex with during my time in this tower.

After a few moments of silence, I decided to tease her.

—Helena...

She looked up from her plate.

—Hm?

—Can I ask you something?

—Depends.

—Is it a dangerous question?

I smiled.

—Maybe.

She let out an exaggerated sigh.

—Go ahead.

I rested my elbow on the table.

—Would you go out with me?

She blinked slowly.

Then lifted a spoon to her mouth as though nothing had happened.

Only after swallowing did she answer.

—I thought you were going to ask something important.

I laughed.

—This is important.

She rested her cheek against her hand.

—George...

Her tone was amused.

—Do you happen to like girls without big boobs?

I looked at her.

Then, very discreetly, at her chest.

Indeed...

Nature had been rather frugal.

She caught my glance immediately.

—Hey.

She tapped the table lightly.

—Look at my eyes.

—Not at my biggest problem.

I burst out laughing.

—Sorry.

She laughed too.

—Well?

—Are you going to dodge the question?

I crossed my arms, pretending to think deeply.

—Actually...

—I believe every woman has her own charm.

She raised an eyebrow.

I continued with a smile.

—Or, if you’d prefer a more honest answer...

—Every woman has a different flavor.

She froze completely for two seconds.

—Did you just compare women to food?

I shrugged.

—Maybe.

She shook her head, still laughing.

—You really are strange today.

I took a deep breath.

—So...

—Is that a yes?

She smiled.

Then pointed her spoon at me.

—No.

I dramatically clutched my chest.

—That was a critical hit...

She kept smiling.

—I would only date someone who’s better than me.

I remained silent for a few seconds.

Then looked up at the ceiling.

—Wow...

I placed my other hand over my heart.

—Now you’ve truly pierced my heart.

She laughed again.

—You asked.

—I just answered.

There was no resentment.

In fact...

It was a perfectly fair answer.

Besides...

Five months.

I discreetly glanced at her as we continued eating.

Helena still believed I was practically an incompetent fool.

I had already mastered the Magic Alphabet.

I also fully understood the Magic Numerical System.

But no one could know that.

I needed to progress at the right pace.

Within five months...

When most of the acolytes were finally ready to choose a professor...

I could simply appear to be someone who had studied hard and managed to catch up with everyone else.

That would seem far more natural.

Until then...

All I had to do was keep pretending.

We finished our meal a few minutes later.

Together, we left the dining hall.

We chatted about trivial things as we walked through the Tower’s corridors.

When we approached the dormitory hallway...

I noticed an unusual crowd.

Dozens of young people had gathered outside the entrance to the men’s bathroom.

Some whispered among themselves.

Others simply watched in silence.

My stomach sank. Damn it... It can’t be! Right? The mages—or whoever owned this Tower—wouldn’t allow it... right?

I feigned ignorance.

I looked at a nearby boy.

—What happened?

He answered without taking his eyes off the crowd.

—They found a boy.

—A boy?

The young man nodded slowly.

—He was hanging from a rope inside the bathroom.

He paused briefly.

Then added.

—Looks like he committed suicide.

Beside me...

Helena covered her mouth with one hand.

—Oh my God...

I stood completely still.

Eduard’s words immediately resurfaced in my mind.

"What if we beat him so badly... that he decides to do it himself?"

That scene was still etched into my mind.

—Excuse me.

I asked for passage as I pushed through the small crowd.

Some acolytes stepped aside.

Others merely gave me curious looks.

When I finally reached the front...

Ethan was hanging from the rope.

His feet were a few inches above the floor.

His eyes remained wide open.

Lifeless.

His face was swollen.

His lips still bore traces of blood.

But that wasn’t what stood out the most.

His entire body was covered in bruises.

Arms.

Ribs.

Legs.

Face.

Fresh marks covered him from head to toe.

I looked at the corpse again.

Then spoke loudly.

—He was murdered!

Several faces turned toward me.

I pointed at Ethan.

—Look at those bruises.

—He was beaten before he died.

For a brief moment...

Silence.

Then...

—Hahaha!

—Has this guy gone crazy?

—What a joke.

Laughter echoed through the corridor.

A nearby boy stepped toward me, shaking his head.

—Impossible.

He crossed his arms.

—The entire Tower is covered by magical mechanisms.

—There are formations spread throughout every floor.

—No one can kill another acolyte inside this place.

He pointed at Ethan.

—That weakling simply lost the will to keep living.

—He committed suicide.

Several other students immediately agreed.

—Exactly.

—There are several cases like this every year.

I looked at each of them.

None of them seemed genuinely outraged.

I took a slow breath.

Then...

I finally understood.

A memory from the previous George surfaced.

On the first day of class.

One of the mages responsible for the new acolytes had gathered everyone in the main hall.

I remembered his words perfectly.

"There is only one absolute rule within this Tower."

"Do not kill."

Back then...

The previous George had never given those words any real thought.

But now...

They took on an entirely different meaning.

Only one rule.

Do not kill.

That meant...

Stealing...

Rape...

Extortion...

None of it was forbidden.

As long as no one delivered the final blow.

I looked at Ethan once more.

They hadn’t broken the rule.

They had simply destroyed him physically and mentally.

Then...

Forced him to take his own life.

The Tower’s magical mechanisms would never identify that as murder.

Because, technically...

No one had killed him directly.

I slowly closed my eyes.

Back on Earth...

For all its flaws...

There were laws.

Rights.

Police.

Here...

None of that seemed to matter.

In this world...

Those with power...

Determined the truth.

Those who were weak...

Could only endure.

I opened my eyes again.

It was at that moment...

That something awakened within me.

It wasn’t anger.

Nor was it fear.

It was determination.

A cold determination.

Silent.

I needed to become stronger.

Much stronger.

I turned around.

And began walking away from the crowd.

Helena was still waiting several yards ahead.

As soon as I approached, she looked at me carefully.

—George?

I took a deep breath.

—I...

I paused briefly.

—I need to be alone for a while.

She frowned slightly.

She looked concerned.

But simply nodded.

—All right.

I smiled faintly.

—Thank you.

I continued walking down the corridor.

Without looking back.

...

...

...

...

Helena remained standing where she was.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

She didn’t say a single word.

But she had already reached her own conclusion.

George had left the bathroom only a few minutes before Ethan was found dead.

It was unlikely that he hadn’t seen something.

Even so...

She decided to keep that thought entirely to herself.

...

2041 Words

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