The Wizard Has A Biochip

[Valdrik Apprentice Engineer Field Assignment in the Inventors’ Vault (0/4) — Orange Mission]

[An Apprentice Engineer from Valdrik’s Mechano-Runic Workshop has reached his final field evaluation. To complete his certification, he must install and test a series of arcanomechanical devices in an area known for its traps and magical instability.]

[Four Engineer acolytes are required to escort him, secure the work site, and ensure that the equipment is successfully activated throughout the entire operation.]

[An official completion certificate will be issued by the Apprentice Engineer leading the expedition.]

[Mission Rewards]

[Low-Level Mana Condenser.]

[40 Magic Crystals.]

[5 Runic Repair Kits.]

[2 Low-Power Arcane Energy Cores.]

My eyes lit up slightly.

The Inventors’ Vault was a mandatory training ground for every Apprentice Engineer.

For centuries, Master Engineers had left behind prototypes, experimental mechanisms, and incomplete devices there, waiting for a new generation of inventors to discover them and understand the principles behind their operation.

Although many of those artifacts appeared to be nothing more than simple gadgets or defective machines, each one embodied concepts developed by great masters of engineering.

Studying a single mechanism could provide years of research, and some exceptionally fortunate apprentices even discovered the original blueprints or technical records left behind by a legendary Master Engineer, capable of revolutionizing their entire career.

For that reason, the Inventors’ Vault became a tradition among all Apprentice Engineers and was regarded as the final stage of their training.

However, each Apprentice Engineer was allowed to enter the Vault only once in their lifetime.

At the end of the expedition, they had the right to take only one artifact from the site, but were required to leave one of their own inventions in its place.

In this way, the Vault’s collection continued to grow generation after generation, preserving the accumulated knowledge of the engineers who came before.

Naturally, not every abandoned device was harmless.

Many remained active, protected by defensive automatons, mechanical traps, or autonomous systems designed to prevent anyone from taking their creations without first proving their worth.

If an Apprentice Engineer wished to claim a Guardian Machine or a Mechano-Runic Core, they first had to overcome the defense mechanisms protecting it.

Since most Apprentice Engineers still had little practical experience, the Engineers’ Guild allowed each candidate to hire up to three Apprentice Adepts to accompany them during the expedition.

These assistants could fight, dismantle traps, and protect the engineer, but they had no right to remove any artifact from the Vault.

At first glance, it was a relatively straightforward Orange Mission.

As long as the Apprentice Engineer was not consumed by greed and did not attempt to claim one of the experimental machines classified as high-risk, the mission was usually completed without major difficulties.

Moreover, one of the most coveted rewards was a Portable Arcane Condenser, a device created by Master Engineers capable of permanently increasing the magical energy storage capacity of any acolyte with fewer than 10 Spirit points, raising that attribute by 1 point.

Among Level 2 acolytes, it was considered a true treasure, although its effect could only be used once.

After that, the device became nothing more than an ordinary artifact with no remaining power.

I subtly lowered my head and leaned closer to Ruby’s ear.

— I’m going to choose the Valdrik Apprentice Engineer Field Assignment in the Inventors’ Vault.

She stopped reading the list and immediately shifted her gaze to the mission I had indicated.

Her green eye and her red one quickly scanned all the available information.

She remained silent for a few seconds.

Then she slowly nodded.

— Good choice.

— Little competition... acceptable risk... and plenty of opportunities for someone like you.

— You really do think like an engineer.

I couldn’t help but smile.

Receiving a compliment from Ruby was strangely pleasant.

Then I realized something.

Damn... I was still under the effects of the seduction spell.

I shook my head and returned to normal.

Fortunately, my intelligence was well above average, allowing me to notice subtle changes in my own thoughts.

Unlike me...

She didn’t even look at the Orange Missions.

Her gaze completely ignored anything below the color red.

It was as if those missions simply didn’t exist.

After a few moments, her eyes stopped.

A dangerous smile spread across her face.

— Found it.

She slightly raised her finger toward the projection.

I couldn’t help but look.

It was another extremely dangerous mission.

Even more dangerous than the previous one.

My brow furrowed automatically.

— Are you sure?

Ruby let out a quiet laugh.

— Of course.

She discreetly licked the corner of her lips.

— The stronger the demon...

— ...the better the blood.

Ruby wasn’t seeking wealth.

Nor prestige.

Much less recognition.

She wanted only one thing.

To fight.

To hunt.

To drink the blood of increasingly powerful creatures.

Her Blood Fairy body seemed to grow stronger after every battle.

The stronger the enemy...

The faster her evolution became.

It was an almost absurd form of growth.

While other acolytes had to meditate for months to gain a single point of mana...

Ruby simply challenged stronger demons.

Survived.

Regenerated.

And returned even more powerful.

Damn... Possessing a magical bloodline like that is truly unfair. It’s a shame that bloodlines capable of growing stronger by absorbing the blood of monsters are so rare.

Now that I had decided which mission I would accept, I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

Every mission displayed two important pieces of information in parentheses.

The first indicated how many acolytes had already registered.

The second showed the maximum number of participants.

As soon as all the slots were filled...

The mission disappeared from the list immediately.

If I delayed by even a few minutes, my chosen mission could simply cease to exist before my eyes.

As soon as Professor Lucius finished speaking, he disappeared from the platform without offering any further explanation.

Ruby naturally took the lead.

She walked straight toward the crowd gathered around Gael.

Before she even said a single word, several acolytes noticed her approach.

One after another, they stepped aside.

Gael remained seated calmly in front of the mission control display.

Or at least...

He tried to appear calm.

The moment his eyes met Ruby’s, his expression stiffened for a fraction of a second.

Ruby had been personally taken away by Professor Lucius.

And she had returned unharmed.

That could only mean one thing.

Lucius had accepted her.

Or at the very least...

He saw no reason to kill her.

No sensible acolyte wanted to make an enemy of someone like that.

Gael swallowed hard.

His face remained relatively composed.

But his restless eyes and the slight stiffness in his shoulders completely betrayed his nervousness.

Ruby crossed her arms.

— George has already chosen his mission.

I stepped forward.

I looked directly at Gael.

— I’d like to accept the Valdrik Apprentice Engineer Field Assignment in the Inventors’ Vault.

Gael simply nodded.

The list scrolled.

Numerous missions passed before our eyes.

Until...

The mission I had chosen appeared right in front of me.

Perfect.

I immediately raised my yellow scroll.

My Tower identification document.

But...

The instant my scroll was only a few centimeters away from the screen...

The entire projection flickered.

"..."

My brow furrowed.

The mission disappeared.

On its own.

Without any command.

In its place...

Another mission appeared.

[One of the Entrances to the Underground World of Kar-Dur Tower (1/10) — Red Mission]

My heart sank.

— Wait...

Too late.

My scroll had already touched the projection.

The very next second...

The number changed.

[One of the Entrances to the Underground World of Kar-Dur Tower (2/10) — Red Mission]

"..."

"..."

For a brief moment...

The entire hall fell completely silent.

No one seemed to understand what had just happened.

Not even Gael.

He looked at the screen.

Then at me.

Then at Ruby.

Finally...

He flashed an utterly fake smile.

One of those irritating smiles worn by someone pretending to be completely innocent.

— Oops...

He scratched the back of his head.

— I wonder what happened.

He put on an exaggeratedly innocent expression.

— It looks like the magical equipment... broke.

— Hmm...

— What now?

— Maybe...

— ...you could go talk to Professor Lucius.

— Perhaps he can cancel that mission for you.

The veins on my forehead began to bulge.

That bastard.

There was no way it had been an accident.

It was impossible.

The screen had changed at the exact instant my document touched it.

Changing precisely to the mission Ruby had selected just minutes earlier.

It was deliberate.

Ruby realized it at the exact same moment I did.

Her expression changed completely.

Her smile vanished.

The warmth disappeared from her green eye.

The red one gleamed like fresh blood.

A suffocating pressure filled the surroundings.

Her body began to release a crimson aura.

Her small fangs emerged.

Her hair seemed to sway on its own.

The voice that came from her throat no longer belonged solely to Ruby.

The Empress had taken over.

— I...

She took a step forward.

— ...AM GOING TO DRINK YOUR BLOOD...

Another step.

The floor beneath her feet cracked slightly.

— ...YOU BASTARD!

The entire crowd recoiled in panic.

Several acolytes even stumbled into one another.

All the color drained from Gael’s face.

Meanwhile...

I could no longer control my own anger.

My fists clenched so tightly that my fingernails dug into the palms of my hands.

— YOU SON OF A BITCH!!

— GAEL!!

...

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