TtOW! - Chapter 178 - NSLICE-00P the Magic Cyborg (Patreon)

NSLICE-00P stood in her new world, munching on a sweet roll. It wasn’t time for her next scheduled organic refueling, but her organic half pointed out that high-calorie intake appeared to assist Imperial mages with mana regeneration. So, it was simply efficient to refuel during mana expenditure.

NSLICE-00P’s massive mana pool and fast regeneration rate were no excuses not to act diligently, after all.

As NSLICE-00P continued her efficient refueling, a dozen clones of her ran across an empty area, performing various combat maneuver protocols. There were clones made of fire, of water, of light, of darkness, and of every other attribute NSLICE-00P had access to.

[The spell shape Clone is now level 10!]

[The skill Dark Magic is now level 5!]

[The skill Nature Magic is now level 6!]

[The skill Poison Magic is now level 7!]

[The skill Illusion Magic is now level 5!]

The clones were rather simple constructs of mana that mimicked her form, though all but the Illusion version appeared as their attributes in a humanoid form, and so were obviously not the original. They…were not yet as versatile NSLICE-00P most optimistic predictions. At first, the clones could only handle simple orders, and did not offer her any feedback, though this was improving with skill levels. At this point, NSLICE-00P was receiving some basic feedback from the clones…but it was still less efficient than deploying drone-golems with access to the NSLICE network and advanced sensors.

Combat-wise, at first the clones could only perform basic hand to hand attacks, or simple blasts of their attribute. They were growing in sophistication, but their autonomy and attack options were still limited. Of course, NSLICE-00P maintained control of their mana, so she could utilize it to cast new spells, but that was just Farcasting with extra steps and so less efficient. Likewise, the clones only possessed as much mana as NSLICE-00P allocated to them on creation, and did not regenerate any more. They slowly spent the mana just by existing, while any actual attacks would deplete it further, all of which restricted their range and duration.

Offensively, they could be used if NSLICE-00P required additional melee combatants, but otherwise were less efficient than simply terminating the target with long-range spells. Defensively the Illusion variants had some promise as decoys.

And then, the Fire clone exploded, while the Light clone launched beams from its hands.

[The skill Spell Fusion is now level 11!]

On the other hand, it turned out that Clone was still a spell, at the end of the day. And that meant NSLICE-00P could fuse it with other spells, providing some additional attack options for the clones.

Well, again, it was ultimately less effective than simply casting the relevant spell herself, but more options could be useful if she encountered a situation that simple magical firepower wouldn’t solve.

***

Since Clone was not yet the force multiplier NSLICE-00P had hoped for, she attempted something new. Her robotic eye flickered rapidly as she pored over recorded data. Specifically, she was analyzing the flows of mana that occurred during Ateia’s Blessing.

Ateia had been able to bless any and all of her subordinates, no matter how low their level or their mana density. This had been in stark contrast to the NSLICE network’s attempt at Ritual Casting, when no one could handle NSLICE-00P’s mana. As a result, NSLICE-00P was attempting to determine if Blessing could offer any insights or alternatives.

Soon, her robotic eye ceased flickering and she stirred up her mana, arranging it like the flows of Holy mana when Ateia’s blessings first connected to her.

But nothing happened.

The mana flowed as desired…but then continued on and dispersed.

NSLICE-00P analyzed and adjusted the flow several times, all with the same result. At this point, she predicted the mana structure and movement were likely not the issue. She noted the mana acted predictably until it reached the point where it contacted her own mana in the example records. As such, she predicted that she may require a target for the spell to proceed any further.

So, she sent a request for assistance.

Soon, 00B came running towards her, making a soft cry.

“Request: This unit requires NSLICE-00B’s assistance with new magic experimentation. Experimentation may be dangerous. Does this unit have your permission to proceed.”

00B roared and nodded his head.

“Affirmative. Beginning experiment.”

NSLICE-00P arranged the flows of mana once more. Her mana streamed towards 00B and connected with him. There did not appear to be any issues.

According to Colleöne’s instructions to Ateia, at this stage NSLICE-00P needed to provide instructions to the mana.

She pictured a battery of her own mana that 00B could draw upon, and utilize to cast spells on par with her own.

[The spell shape Infusion is now level 13!]

00B glowed faintly as highly dense mana swirled around him. It appeared NSLICE-00P had succeeded. And rather, that Blessing was not fundamentally different from Infusion. Rather, it appeared the difference was Ateia’s ability to reach through the world’s mana, providing an additional source of power besides Ateia’s personal mana reserves, as well as significantly longer range.

But that was fine. If Infusion could achieve the effect NSLICE-00P desired, then that was acceptable as well.

“Command: Please attempt to cast a spell exceeding the mana reserves of NSLICE-00B.”

00B grunted. A Prismatic Bombardment spell circle appeared in the air. 00B groaned, but his cybernetic components helped him to finish the spell.

Beams of various attributes rained down on the platform. NSLICE-00P formed and Supercharged several Mana Barriers to prevent collateral damage.

The sky lit up as the beams collided with the barriers.

Soon, it was over. The mana given to 00B depleted fairly quickly, and the spell circle faded. 00B shook his head as he recovered. However, NSLICE-00P noted that the mana density and firepower of the spell had been equivalent to her own, at least in the short time the spell was active.

“Gratitude: This unit thanks NSLICE-00B for the assistance. The experiment was a success.”

00B nodded. He then stood by NSLICE-00P’s side, fidgeting lightly. He apparently had a request, though he did not verbalize it. His cybernetic components, on the other hand, picked up the request and sent it to NSLICE-00P.

She blinked as she received the request, but it matched with past records so she simply responded as before. She began to stroke 00B’s head.

“Repeated Gratitude: As expressed, this unit is grateful for NSLICE-00B’s assistance. It was most helpful.”

00B cried softly and moved closer, nuzzling against NSLICE-00P’s side.

And then her robotic eye flickered several times.

She….logged an emotional reaction in her organic components, and the emotional processing thread of her cybernetic half. It was somewhat similar to when her friendlies had provided assistance during her cybernetic half’s first emotional experience.

It did not feel unpleasant.

***

In any case, NSLICE-00P logged Infusion as a potential force multiplier. Of course, at its current range it would be more efficient for NSLICE-00P to personally terminate the threat than pass her mana to a subordinate, but if she could increase the range of mana transmission that could change. It was something to consider.

Which meant, it was time to devote some attention to the Spatial magic circle once again.

Her body heated up, and the edge of her mouth curled down slightly as she thought of the magic circle. Her progress had been incredibly slow. Slow enough for her to question the efficacy of further iteration on the subject.

But, ultimately, the benefits of a working spatial magic circle still far exceeded the cost of further iteration, and justified the endeavor even if it was not guaranteed to succeed. So she began to iterate on it once more…

A long, frustrating time later and NSLICE-00P was just about to initiate standby-sentry mode for the night. She conducted one final attempt at per her schedule.

The mana slowly crept along the circle in the latest pattern she proposed. Her organic half was barely paying attention anymore, simply wanting to complete the task and move on. Her cybernetic half was still recording the behavior of the mana…but its predictions on the success of this endeavor had dropped as well. Noting various signs of fatigue in both her halves, she decided that further attempts after this would be an inefficient use of time.

It was then that the mana stopped. She prepared to log the results of this latest attempt, though she would wait until the next scheduled attempt to analyze it.

But then…both her organic and cybernetic processors paused.

The mana had stopped…because it had reached the end of the circle.

It…was complete?

She gently pushed a bit of mana to activate the circle. It flashed and vanished…and then the air began to distort in front of her. Her sensor readings began to register an anomaly.

[You have learned the spell Spatial Angling!]

[You have learned the skill Spatial Magic!]

[You have achieved the Personal feat: Spell Constructor!]

[Spell Constructor: Magic pushes the boundaries of possibility. And you have pushed the boundary of magic. Unlocked by manual construction of a sufficiently complex magic circle and manual learning of one of the most complicated schools of magic. Grants additional knowledge of the spell circle language. Grants 10 personal perk points.]

NSLICE-00P simply stared at the messages from the Aesdes for a moment.

And then…

Slowly…

The edge of her mouth began to curl up, ever so slightly.

“Analysis: Apparently, this unit’s magical capabilities and testing procedures are significantly more efficient than those of Imperial mages. The use of cybernetic components appears to have significant benefits in this field. The outcome is as predicted.”

Author’s Note:

Wait if AI-driven experimentation is the best way to learn magic, does this mean the magic in Aelea is just science? Does this mean I actually have to make it make sense?

…oh no.

Anyways!

Will NSLICE-00P develop force multipliers that are more efficient than blowing things up with strategic magic? What will she do with her new Spatial magic? Will the magic turn out just to be more science? Tune in next time, to find out!