The Wizard Has A Biochip

I walked over to the bed.

After thinking for a moment, I grabbed the wooden frame and slowly dragged it aside.

The floor hidden beneath it was revealed.

There was barely any dust in that spot.

I smiled faintly.

It’s still exactly as I left it...

I knelt down.

I extended a finger and pressed a small black mark carved between two floorboards.

Click... Click...

A metallic sound echoed beneath the floor.

Gears began to turn.

A moment later, the floorboards slowly slid apart, revealing a hidden compartment.

My heart raced.

There they were.

Boxes, perfectly organized.

I opened the first one.

An intense crimson glow illuminated my face.

Explosive Fire Crystals.

Every single one had been cut with extraordinary precision.

I looked at all those hidden boxes.

If Marcos saw this...

He would probably faint before he even managed to count them.

I let out a quiet laugh.

— You’d have a heart attack, you greedy fat man...

I began calculating in my head.

One thousand nine hundred and eighty crystals...

I ran my fingers over one of them.

Each crystal was worth approximately five Magic Crystals.

That meant...

Nearly ten thousand Magic Crystals.

My greatest asset.

My true life insurance.

All this time, no one had suspected that an entire fortune was hidden directly beneath my bed.

Naturally, I wasn’t foolish enough to trust wood alone.

The entire compartment was protected by a small security spell.

Any Level Two Acolyte knew this kind of rune.

Only its owner could open it using their own mana.

If someone tried to force it open...

The crystals would explode immediately.

There would be nothing left.

I spent a few seconds looking at that arsenal.

Then I picked up a large transport case.

Its surface was covered with shock-absorbing runes.

When I opened it, it revealed multiple layers of foam, durable fabric, silk, and padded supports.

Every compartment had been designed to prevent even the slightest impact between the crystals.

Even so, I worked slowly.

One crystal at a time.

It took quite a while.

When I finished, the large case was completely full.

Then I began concealing its contents.

First, I placed several ingredients on top.

Then crystals.

I stacked my newly purchased spellbooks around the case.

At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary engineer’s cargo.

Once I was done, I loaded the two massive chests onto a small cart and began pushing them through the corridors of Arcangrove Tower.

The weight was tremendous.

But my body was already far stronger than that of an ordinary human.

After several minutes...

I finally reached the upper level.

One of the Tower’s lesser-known commercial areas was located there.

My carriage was waiting for me.

Three sturdy white horses were already harnessed to it.

Beside it...

Carefully folded on the ground...

Was the enormous balloon I had purchased earlier.

I took a deep breath.

Everything was ready.

I slowly pushed the carriage onto a gigantic metal platform.

Massive gears surrounded the mechanism.

It looked like an elevator.

The moment I stopped on it...

A deep voice echoed out.

— Kid!

— Show me your documents.

Without arguing, I took out the yellow scroll.

The man merely gave it a quick glance.

He nodded.

— You may proceed.

The very next instant...

CLANK!

The enormous gears began to turn.

The entire platform trembled.

Slowly...

It began to rise.

A few minutes later...

The two massive stone doors at the top began to open.

A brilliant beam of light streamed through the opening.

Instinctively, I partially closed my eyes.

When I could finally see again, I breathed in the fresh air of freedom.

Arcangrove Tower truly had other exits.

The main entrance was used under normal circumstances.

But this one... was used only when the time was right.

It was clearly reserved for acolytes assigned to important missions.

Before me stretched a vast platform open to the sky.

The wind blew freely.

I soon found my balloon.

It was still empty.

Its thick canvas lay completely collapsed on the ground.

I approached it.

I climbed into the large wooden basket.

I closed the small door behind me.

Then I walked over to the control panel.

Everything was exactly as I had designed it when I chose this model.

I gripped the main lever.

And slowly pushed it forward.

Tssssssss...

Metal pipes began to vibrate.

Inside the upper chamber...

A blue flame slowly came to life.

It was no ordinary flame.

It was fueled by carefully stabilized Fire Elemental Particles.

Heat began to fill the interior of the enormous envelope.

Little by little...

It began to take shape.

At first, slowly.

Then faster and faster.

Until it finally revealed its colossal size.

The enormous balloon now floated above me.

Emblazoned across its surface was the great emblem of Arcangrove Tower.

I gazed at that symbol for several seconds.

Perhaps it would be the last time I saw it for a very long time.

I climbed back down from the basket.

I walked over to my three horses.

I ran my hand through their manes.

One of them let out a loud neigh.

Another released a thick cloud of vapor from its nostrils.

I smiled.

— The three of you are going to see the outside world too.

I calmly led each of them into the large basket.

Then I pushed my carriage inside along with all my luggage.

The two massive chests were firmly secured to the floor.

I checked every latch.

Every chain.

Every support.

Everything had to remain perfectly still during the flight.

I shut the door completely.

I took a deep breath.

Then I walked over to the main rope.

I looked at Arcangrove Tower one last time.

Then I untied the final rope.

The enormous balloon gave a slight jolt.

Then...

It began to rise slowly.

The wind filled the envelope.

The Tower’s buildings grew smaller.

Its walls gradually disappeared.

Soon, far below me...

Arcangrove became nothing more than a gigantic stone structure lost among forests and mountains.

I raised my head.

Above me...

There was nothing but an endless blue sky.

.

.

.

.

.

While the balloon drifted through the sky...

I walked to the edge of the wooden basket.

I looked down.

My heart couldn’t help but be amazed.

The forest was enormous.

A true green ocean.

Ancient trees formed such a dense canopy that it was impossible to see the ground for most of the journey.

There were mountains as well.

Rivers gleamed like silver ribbons reflecting the sunlight.

But a few seconds later...

I frowned.

I looked toward the horizon again.

Only then did I realize something.

I wasn’t the only one leaving Arcangrove Tower.

Quite the opposite.

Surrounding the massive Tower, dozens of balloons slowly crossed the skies.

All of them carried the same reinforced white envelope.

All of them bore the great emblem of Arcangrove Tower.

Each one was heading in a completely different direction.

Some traveled north.

Others flew west.

Many disappeared toward the south.

There was no way of knowing where each acolyte was headed.

But one thing was obvious.

It was a silent evacuation.

So I rested my elbows on the edge of the basket and relaxed.

My balloon continued forward.

The wind remained calm.

The horses gradually relaxed as well.

For several minutes...

Everything seemed unbelievably peaceful.

Until...

My entire body froze.

A chill ran down my arms.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

At the same time...

All three horses raised their heads.

Hiiiiiiinnnn!!

They neighed nervously.

I immediately looked toward the horizon and realized they were coming from every direction around me.

Far away.

Almost blending into the blue sky.

Tiny black dots appeared.

At first, I thought they were birds.

Then...

I realized they were far too large.

My stomach sank.

I slowly crossed my fingers.

Please don’t let it be what I’m thinking...

Please don’t let it be what I’m thinking...

Please don’t let it be what I’m thinking...

I took a deep breath.

I fixed my gaze on one of those dots.

My mind immediately issued a command.

— Biochip...

— Increase the zoom.

[Beep!]

[ZOOM: 5x]

The tiny dots became silhouettes.

They were still very far away.

[ZOOM: 50x]

The color slowly drained from my face.

Now I could make out enormous balloons.

But there still weren’t enough details.

— More.

[ZOOM: 200x]

The image stabilized.

Balloons.

Hundreds of them.

Every one of them had enormous jet-black envelopes.

Some bore a symbol I recognized immediately.

A massive black blood drop.

Others displayed the image of a black bull with enormous horns pointing toward the sky.

Inside the enormous baskets...

Acolytes.

Countless acolytes.

Wearing black robes.

Some carried staffs.

Others wielded massive mechanical crossbows.

Enchanted swords.

Summoned creatures.

Every balloon seemed to be transporting a small army.

And every single one...

Without exception...

Was flying directly toward Arcangrove Tower.

My chest grew heavy.

The air seemed to vanish from my lungs.

— FUUUUCK!!!

The echo of my voice vanished among the clouds.

I clenched my teeth so hard that my jaw ached.

— WHY...

— WHY IS THE FULL-SCALE ATTACK HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?!

...

1567 Words