Serum

Cecilia sat outside Dirk’s training room. 

She had been monitoring his progress as he had been steadily advancing each day. Although he had stopped asking for her help and teachings, she never stopped making sure that nothing went wrong. 

She knew he was trying to advance, so when the day came that he would need dense sources of mana, she made sure to be there. 

And on one particular day, almost 7 months after Dirk had returned to Horizon with Pandora, Cecilia noticed some extreme changes. 

The training room Dirk was holed up in was located within the military base holding the line at the forefront of that hellish battlefield. He had chosen this place because it was dense with fire mana, this way, he wouldn’t need to use mana crystals in order to train. 

But suddenly, the normally dense fire mana began to fluctuate. Cecilia thought it was normal since such phenomena wasn’t uncommon with Dirk training. But this time, the fluctuations were extreme. 

Then, she suddenly heard a signal in her mind. It was a signal that came from a bracelet on her wrist, one connected to an amulet she had given Dirk. He was to use it if he was advancing. 

“It’s time.”

She threw open the door to his training room, but once she did, she was hit with a wave of oppression. 

It wasn’t too much for her to handle, taking a light amount of effort to resist with her physical body. But the issue was her soul, which felt like it was being suppressed. She felt her control over dark mana being relinquished. 

Then, she noticed the field around Dirk. 

The stone ground underneath him cracked and reformed in a cyclical manner. The air was ignited with dark flames that threatened to annihilate anything that touched them. The gravity bore down on her shoulders, making her feel several times heavier. And the atmosphere was electrified, making her feel like she would be struck with lightning at any moment. 

“Domain…”

She smiled brightly, looking at her son who sat in the middle of this field. 

The space around him looked dark, and even she had a hard time making him out. Only by interfering with the Domain would she get a clearer image of everything going on inside, but she naturally wouldn’t do that. 

But regardless, based on her own comprehensions and what she was feeling from this Domain, she could tell that it was utterly impeccable. Dirk had managed to merge the effects of all his elements perfectly, finding connections between them and splicing them together to form a singular manifestation of his power. 

She could tell that he had been working hard. He had studied his magic every single day for the past 7 months, taking not a single day off. And now, this perfect Domain was the fruit of his effort. She felt immeasurably proud. 

But she didn’t forget that she was needed. Around Dirk was a rapidly forming cyclone of mana, sucking in everything around him.

He needed mana, and lots of it. Everything within the training room was emptied in mere seconds, and soon enough, all the fire mana that flooded the atmosphere was being pulled toward him. 

Cecilia brought out mana crystals for all of his elements, activating them before streaming their mana toward him. These were clusters of Tier 6 mana crystals, more than enough to his advancement, not to mention the Tier 7 mana crystals she was secretly keeping on standby. 

After that, Cecilia could see Dirk’s body open. Not literally, but figuratively. From him, she could sense the depths of mana, another dimension that very few would ever be able to make contact with in their entire lives. 

The Mana Dimension, a place one could see their very soul. 

And when that dimension opened up, the already violent cyclone of mana turned relentless. 

Outside the base, a hurricane of fire mana was forming, caused by Dirk’s ravenous need for mana. Everyone, including beasts, looked up and wondered what was causing such a massive disturbance. 

Because of that, a beast tide was triggered, causing the entire base to go on high alert as thousands of monsters flooded toward the mana surge. 

And while this was happening, Dirk was focused solely on his advancement. 

……

Within the Mana Heart technique, there were several runic formations that Dirk was required to form throughout each of his advancements. Each of his mini mana hearts had been created with these increasingly complex formations, and back then, Dirk didn’t know what they were meant to do. 

But when he started his advancement, he figured it out. 

Within the mana dimension, Dirk looked toward his soul. Within it was a large cavity divided into three sections, each section containing each of his elements and their specializations. 

But these changed. The entire cavity expanded and deepened as the pools of each element began to mix. 

At first, their mixture was chaotic, causing turbulence within his soul that caused pain. But with his comprehensions, each of the elements were forced to merge seamlessly, stopping the pain and causing all three pools to become one. 

After that, Dirk formed another runic formation, one that his technique required him to do. 

But, when he sunk this formation into his mana pool, it caused his mana to resonate. 

In the real world, each of Dirk’s mini hearts began to expand. Their barriers were dropped as they merged into one, mana fluctuating between all his elements and specializations constantly, forming one huge pool of resonating mana that filled his heart to the brim. 

In fact, so much mana was flowing in that it caused his heart rate to spike. Mana was flooded into his blood stream, filing all his veins and causing his body to undergo abnormal changes. 

His skin heated up, his body became heavy, his hair saw arcs of electricity jump between them, while the darkness looked like it was poisoning him as it spread across his body like a black plague. 

Cecilia became worried, but she didn’t dare interfere. She trusted Dirk, not that it comforted her. She didn’t like seeing him suffer in any way. 

It was also a good thing that she had no idea what was truly going on within his body, otherwise she may just try to step in. 

Dirk sensed the changes the merging of his heart brought, and the most obvious thing was the activation of the runic formations he had planted within the mana pool. 

These runic formations came together, compounding off each other in order to create a singular formation far more complex than anything Dirk could currently form in one sitting. And this unbelievable formation expanded before enveloping his heart. 

Without the containers that were Dirk’s mini hearts, all his mana rampaged. But when this formation took effect, it imposed its will upon all the mana throughout his body, concentrating it within his heart to an atrocious level. 

For a moment, it created mana even denser than the Tier 6 mana crystals in Cecilia’s hands. And because of this, the mana took an almost tangible form. 

Dirk’s heart was the most affected. It beat at dangerous speeds, trying to disperse the mana. But it only cycled more blood through that horribly dense mana. 

And this caused his blood to respond. 

Dirk heard an alert in his head from Spyte.

[Warning. Adaptable Genes has been activated. Your blood is undergoing an evolution.]

Her warning came with a packet of information that came from her observations, but truthfully, Dirk didn’t need it. 

He could sense everything clearly. 

He watched as all the blood cells that passed through his heart were either incinerated by his mana or enhanced. It was like his blood destruction, but on a whole other level. 

Anima oscillation destroyed things. Mana resonance was supposed to enhance things. So for his blood to be destroyed by mana resonance meant that the mana within his heart was dangerously potent. 

But that was only half the reason. The other half was due to the formation. 

The impossibly complex formation that took control of his heart began to affect his blood cells, binding to clusters of them before sending them off. Its power caused some to be destroyed, but Dirk’s blood was resilient, so most ended up passing and continuing into his blood stream. 

And this modified blood that carried the runes of that formation seeped into his bones, causing changes within. 

This was when Adaptable Genes kicked in to its fullest. 

The bone marrow was modified, warping under the power of the formation and its genetic code being changed. The same thing happened in all the other facilities of his body like his organs and muscles. He was going through a complete evolution, all of it revolving around his blood. 

And his body was responsive to the changes. With the power of mana and his Reformation skill, his body was broken down and reformed. It was immensely painful, but Dirk had no issue dealing with it. 

Like this, several changes within his body and soul occurred all at once. Dirk was slightly overwhelmed as he tried to keep track of it, but at some point, he just let his instincts take over as he bore with everything one by one. 

Luckily, there was one being that could easily keep track of everything going on while properly giving pomptful explanations. 

<Tier advancement detected.>

The Light Dragon Primordial, the one Pandora called Miss Record, responded to Dirk’s changes with more than the usual robotic notifications. 

<Multiple Skills evolving…>

<Traits being generated…>

<Alert: You have gained the Trait: Mana Blood>

<You have gained the Trait: Mana Bones.>

<You have gained the Trait: Mana Organs.>

<You have gained the Skill: Mana Assimilation (Grade 7).>

<Alert: The Traits: Mana Bones, Mana Organs, Mana Lungs, and the Skill: Mana Assimilation, are resonating.>

<Adaptable Genes Applied.>

<Alert: The aforementioned skills have been discarded.>

<You have gained the Trait: Mana Body.>

<The Skill: Mana Resonance (Grade 5) has been evolved by the Trait: Mana Body.>

<You have gained the Skill: Mana Manipulation (Grade 7)>

<Alert: The Skill: A.I. Interface and its subaspect Nanorobotic Maintenance have been discarded.>

“What?”

Dirk received a shock as the notifications reached this point. 

His AI interface had been with him since he was born in this world. It was what gave Spyte her powers of artificial intelligence and, in combination with his nanites, was what allowed his body to heal and keep itself together with undying ability. 

The Interface also came with all kinds of abilities that only computers of modern Earth could replicate. He could build perfect maps of locations and structures, could utilize its calculation abilities, enhance his combat by having it analyze opponents, and more. It was an invaluable tool that was a major part of his identity as a Supersoldier. 

But suddenly, it was discarded. He panicked, not at all willing to give this ability up. 

But then, he heard Spyte, and things started to make sense. 

[It’s affecting me too. Don’t worry, it's evolving the nanites and my connection with them.]

“Alright…”

He nodded and waited for the subsequent notifications. 

Sure enough, they came. 

<The discarded skill is merging with the Skill: Reformation (Grade 6).>

<The Trait: Mana Body is causing a mutation.>

<The Trait: Cybernetic Enhancement is causing a mutation.>

<Alert: Cybernetic Enhancement cannot fuse with Mana Body.>

<Applying Adaptable Genes…>

<Fusion failed.>

As the notifications popped up, Dirk felt several changes in his body. It was like all his organs were churning, trying to find a new configuration, but failing. It was unbearably uncomfortable, making Dirk vomit. But by now, all the contents of his stomach were incinerated. Instead, dead blood was spilled, appearing black and pouring from his mouth. 

To the side, Cecilia’s eyes widened, but she still didn’t step forward despite all her motherly instincts telling her to. 

Dirk saw more notifications.

<Alert: Suppressing Mana Body.>

<The Trait: Cybernetic Enhancement is causing a mutation.>

<Applying Adaptable Genes…>

<Applying the Skill: Anima Oscillation (Grade 6).>

<Consuming the Skill: Reformation…>

<Success.>

At some point, Dirk felt his body reach an equilibrium. His organs stopped churning while the mana calmed. Each of his cells felt like they were exploding with vitality, and he could feel every minute change as if he were personally commanding all the cells in his body to multiply and repair.

<You have gained the Skill: Active BioKinesis (Grade 8).>

<Alert: An evolution of the Skill: Anima Oscillation (Grade 6) is not possible without further comprehension.>

<Alert: The Stigma: Black Cat of Calamity has undergone a mutation.>

<The Stigma has been granted Skills.>

At the same time, Dirk felt his connection to Spyte cut off for a moment. It was like she suddenly went into hibernation. 

After that, things began to calm down. 

The massive pit within Dirk’s soul that had been constantly sucking in mana finally reached its maximum capacity. No longer did a cyclone cause a mana hurricane within the skies above the base. 

The mana surging throughout his body and within his heart also returned to its baseline. Now, although his heart was close to becoming a mana crystal itself, the exploding mana no longer destroyed his insides. 

However, the changes it caused couldn’t simply be surmised under the singular Trait called Mana Body. Dirk would need to spend some time picking out all the new details. 

But, after plenty of time passed, Dirk was allowed to settle. 

Within the mana dimension, Dirk’s soul closed itself off, sealing the massive mana pool that was several times larger than before. 

But he didn’t immediately leave. Instead, he heard a voice. 

{Congratulations. A qualitative advancement. Your future is endless.}

The Dark Dragon Primordial, coiled around his soul, turned and smiled at him. 

{The Mana Technique you use seems to closely resemble the structure of a Dragon’s Heart. It must be building you toward that end. Continue on this path and your magic will not fall behind your skill in physical combat. And now, you can continue to advance your body refining. Your next step is to reforge your bones, forming the Symbol of Integrity. Just don’t kill yourself doing so, even if the pain makes you want to.}

The Dark Dragon finished with a snicker before retreating, returning to a hibernating state. 

Dirk felt a headache coming on. He had no issue with pain, but it was still pain. It wasn’t as if he liked it. 

With that, he was done. He took a glance at Eldritch who still sat within the bottomless depths of Darkness. 

Dirk’s Domain had actually increased the depth of his territory. Before, it had been around 230 meters deep. But now, due to his advancement and the formation of his Domain, it had actually increased by an entire 70 meters, making it 300 meters deep. 

The power open to Dirk had increased at an exponential rate with every meter gained, and the benefits didn’t stop there. Instead, they compounded with Dirk’s new ability to transform one element into another. This meant that, regardless of whether there was mana in the atmosphere or not, he could generate mana for himself from the Dark Source Mana. Of course, it was naturally slower than sucking in all the mana from the atmosphere, but it was a source that couldn’t ever be cut off, making it much more reliable. 

With that, he left the Mana Dimension, returning his consciousness to his body. 

Everything around him calmed, every little bit of mana returning to him and his Domain disappearing. 

Dirk felt like opening his eyes, but when he remembered he couldn’t, he sighed and observed the mana around him. 

And the sight shocked him. 

Before, Dirk’s mana vision had been completely clear. He could discern all kinds of details about his surroundings from the elements without any distortions. He could even see into the distance, albeit with limited range. 

But now, everything seemed to transform. 

It was like he had gained another set of eyes. And from a glance, it was like he could see individual particles of mana, all of them forming impossibly clear images of everything around him. The difference was like looking through a camera versus actually having eyes. 

And in fact, that’s exactly what he’d been doing this entire time. Dirk merely observed mana through the lens of his soul, which controlled mana. Everybody could do it, but he had been forced to hone it to an amazing degree in order to compensate for his lost eyes. 

But that didn’t make him omniscient. In the end, it was still only his mana sense, something every mage was good at and developed. In fact, Pandora wasn’t much worse than him in this regard. She just didn’t hone it to such a precise degree. 

But now, it was like those mere senses had turned into an actual receptive organ. It was like his entire body had become an eye. He could actually see mana in a literal sense, and more than that, the details he gleaned from the surrounding mana was far greater than before. 

It was like his sight had returned. He could see the colors of the dull walls of the training room, the red stone underneath the cracked floors he sat atop of, and the slightly pale skin of his mother who watched him worriedly from the doorway. 

He could also see many of the details about his mother’s body. He could see heat spread from her chest with every beat of her heart, the electricity sparking through her muscles, and much more. If not for the fact that he wasn’t exactly comfortable with seeing his mother in what was practically the nude, he would analyze further. It seemed he’d have to go find Pandora for that.

Regardless, his Mana Vision had truly become exactly that. The level it had risen to couldn’t be compared to before, and that was just the beginning. There was too much for Dirk to analyze in regard to the changes in his body, so for now, he decided to comfort his worried mother who could barely seem to wait another second.