While the strength was fine, the mana was spread out too much. The pulses needed to be a lot more refined, so that was what he was trying to figure out right now. Whether it was the strength of the electrical current, the strength of the mana current, or the values that could be adjusted on the speaker itself, he had to test out a lot of things to see what the changes in the output were.

  While Modak was sitting right in front of the speaker, Marge was on the other side of the room wearing protective gear.

  “Are you sure you will be fine like that? There’s quite a lot of mana being thrown right at you,” Marge pointed out with a worried expression, and Modak laughed slightly as he nodded.

  “Yes, I’m fine; don’t worry. As I said before, my body completely rejects all mana, so I never have to worry about any sort of mana poisoning,” the orc explained, but Marge didn’t seem fully convinced.

  “I know about mana rejection disorder, but is that usually something to this degree? Isn’t it generally that the person is more prone to any sort of mana-related side effects like mana poisoning?”

  “Hm, well, there’s different forms of it, for sure,” Modak explained, slowly turning around on his swivel chair, looking at the cyclops across the room. “It’s a rare disorder in the first place, and the form that it takes for me is rare even amongst everyone that has MRD. In most cases, mana can enter the individual but it can’t latch on to anything there or interact with the person’s innate mana, because they don’t have enough. That means it lingers there and can cause something like an infection, basically. But in my case, my body rejects mana completely, meaning that even if it does enter my body, it’s pushed out almost immediately.”

  “Isn’t that a little bothersome? Especially here, there’s so much that needs a pulse of mana for activation. Even many of the doors do.”

  Modak smiled. “It’s bothersome, sure, but we’re Magic Engineers. I know how to work around that,” he explained, pulling out his phone.

  His phone case was something he had made himself with a very simple mechanism. “Basically, I created a weak miniature version of the mana emitter that we’re working on and placed it in my phone case. It’s just barely strong enough to activate most everyday magic items here at the tower, and I only need to activate it for a few seconds with the small switch here, so even a small battery should last for a few months.”

  Curious, Marge came a few steps closer to take a look at Modak’s phone case. “Interesting! That does seem quite ingenious!”

  “Thanks, I’m quite proud of it as well,” Modak pointed out. “Though I just wish it helped us figure out how to properly dial in this emitter. We need to get that figured out before we can do any sort of tests or experiments on getting magical effects to pop up.”

  “Certainly, there’s far too much loss through the emission; the mana patterns that are created through the auditory output are practically bleeding into each other,” Marge agreed, then sighed deeply. “I just wish mana acted more like aura in that way.”

  “Aura? What do you mean?”

  “Well, aura comes from the physical body, so it’s a bit more solid of an energy, if that makes sense. It doesn’t tend to bleed as much as mana does.”

  Modak thought about it for a few moments, looking at the machine in front of him. “In that case, maybe it’s worth looking into aura a bit. Does the Tower have any books on that?”

  “I think there should be a few, here or there. With the higher prominence of Enhancers, a few people popped up that were interested in studying the interactions between aura and mana.”

  Pushing his chair to the nearby computer, Modak looked at the Magic Tower’s internal database. There was a list with all the ongoing research projects and their corresponding locations, and as Marge had said, there were a few that dealt with aura. Particularly, there was one small team researching the relationship between aura and mana and how to transfer the qualities of aura to mana or vice versa.

  “Alright, I’ll try to see if they can tell me anything about that. They’ll obviously know a lot about how to manipulate the properties of mana in the way we need,” Modak suggested, then stood up with a slight yawn. He made his way out of the lab and approached the Tower’s main building. Tapping his phone to the sensor next to the door, Modak activated the low-power mana emission to open the door. Ignoring the whispers and stares of the other people working at the tower, Modak walked up the stairs to the right floor, seeking out the lab in hopes that the people working on the project were there today.

  To his luck, it seemed like someone was there, an elderly human researcher currently flipping through the pages of a book.

  “Excuse me, are you Jack Field?” Modak asked, and the researcher slowly raised his head.

  “Hm? Yes, that would be me, how can I help you?”

  The orc swiftly approached him, stretching out his hand for a greeting. “I’m Modak Stonebreaker. I’m working on a project involving the artificial emission of mana-infused soundwaves to mimic magical chanting. It’s a bit of a long shot, but I figured you might know a thing or two about manipulating the properties of mana that could be useful to us.”

  The researcher raised an eyebrow as he shook Modak’s hand. “Ah, I see. Well, I have been in a bit of a rut recently, so a change of pace might be quite nice. Plus, I have heard a few rumors about you as well, so I was feeling rather curious already.”

  “Oh, have you?” Modak asked, though he was already aware that most people had heard about the “new kid without mana” that had suddenly joined at the Tower mistress’s recommendation.

  “Indeed I have. I’m curious; do you truly have no mana at all?”

  “Yes, I don’t have any mana, none at all, but no, it doesn’t hinder me physically or mentally,” Modak replied immediately, but Jack just let out a laugh into his thick grey beard.

  “Don’t worry; I’m well aware of that. A lack of mana doesn’t influence the physical body in any particular way,” Jack pointed out, looking Modak up and down. “However, I am rather curious about your capacity for aura. You see, mana and aura are forces that tend to balance each other. They can’t mix together, hence why the unique interactions between aura and mana such as through an Enhancer’s abilities are so interesting. But in most, especially in those that aren’t Awakened, lower mana means a generally higher innate capacity for aura.”

  Modak raised an eyebrow a bit. “So, what, you think I have a super high capacity for aura just ’cause I don’t have any mana?”

  “It is certainly a question that interests me quite a bit. So, how about we help each other? I try to help you adjust the properties of the mana in your project, and you let me indulge in my professional curiosities. I feel as though neither of us really loses out here; is that not so?”

  “Well, you’re right with that,” the orc replied. He really didn’t know a lot about aura. Sure, he had learned a bit more about it since he started getting closer to Yanna, but he didn’t fully understand it. Maybe he could brag a bit if he turned out to have a high aura capacity. With a smile, he looked at the researcher. “Alright, let’s do just that.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Nemesis

  The spear stabbed into the body of the goat very precisely. It pierced the spine in a particular spot, so despite the small size of the spear and the massive horse-sized body of the goat, its body collapsed, paralyzed, and Maximus took the chance to stab the back of the goat’s head. The spear got stuck in its skull for a moment, so the knight formed a fist and punched the spear deeper in.

  The weapon disappeared in the monster’s head as blood gushed out from the wound, but that didn’t last long. The monstrous goat collapsed, and its body soon started to disappear. Ryan didn’t even need to wait for the system message confirming it to know that the monster was dead. Though there were a few more things that popped up together with said confirmation.

  [You have killed a level 8 -Giant Goat-]

  [Maximus has leveled up!]

  [Maximus has learned the skill -Knight’s Nemesis-]

  [You have attained a new Expansion kit for the Maximus Series - Crusader Model]

  Ryan grinned broadly as he looked at the system message. Maximus had finally reached level 10! And it looked like what Runar had said was true: every ten levels, the spirits unlocked something additional beyond just the skill that came when anyone leveled up ten times. In Maximus’s case, that was another expansion kit, while for Gaia, it was most likely going to be seeds or saplings.

  Ryan definitely did wonder what exactly the other spirits would end up unlocking every time. That being the case, he had to take a look at the expansion kit later; for now, it was time to check out Maximus’s status.

  [Maximus]

  [Knight | Level - 10(+1)]

  [AP - 59(+4)]

  [Stats]

  -[Aura - 1.38(+0.09)]

  -[Strength - 1.49(+0.08)]

  -[Stamina - 1.35(+0.08)]

  -[Resistance - 1.49(+0.09)]

  -[Physicality - 1.37(+0.08)]

  [Skills]

  -[Knight’s Attack | Level - 12]

  -[Knight’s Guard | Level - 10]

  -[Knight’s Martial Knowledge | Level - 11]

  -[Knight’s Nemesis | Level - 1 (New!)]

  Checking Maximus’s status window, Ryan immediately widened his eyes. “Excuse me? 0.42 total increase? Maximus, this is insane.”

  The knight, currently picking up the spear that was revealed after the monster goat’s body completely fell apart, looked over toward Ryan with a smug demeanor.

  “Yeah, yeah, you’re amazing, I get it,” Ryan chuckled, before quickly pulling up the information on Maximus’s new skill.

  [Knight’s Nemesis]

  [Level - 1] [Proficiency - 0%]

  [By declaring a nemesis, all damage toward that individual will increase, but damage toward anyone else will decrease up until a certain point]

  [Effect - 10% Damage Correction]

  [Cost - 25 AP] [Cooldown - 24 Hours or 1 Minute after death of Nemesis]

  “Oh, shit, okay, that seems like a pretty good skill … and it should work with your Attack skill pretty well too,” Ryan muttered. He didn’t know how this skill would grow as it leveled up, but if it started out with a ten percent damage boost, he could imagine that it got incredibly powerful very fast. Though, at the same time, the fact that damage toward others would decrease was a little alarming. Especially there, where all enemies moved in groups, it could cause a lot of trouble if Maximus suddenly couldn’t do damage to them anymore. That meant they needed to be a lot more careful about the situation they used that skill in. But at the same time, if this skill was leveled up a bit more, then it could turn the tide of a battle if used properly. Plus, the “1 minute after death of Nemesis” cooldown option did open the possibility for consecutively using the skill as a last blow.

  Ryan immediately started thinking about potential uses for the skill, though for the time being, he just had to hurry up and level himself up a bit more, too. Any of the Spirit Keeper skills that Ryan knew about would only speed things up in the long run. Even the skill that allowed Spirits to be farther away from him would be useful, since that meant that Gaia could stay in her garden while Ryan and Maximus were fighting in the dungeon.

  “Maximus, let’s find some monsters to try the skill out on,” Ryan grinned lightly, and Maximus immediately nodded. The sub-golems were already looking for any nearby monsters hiding in the bushes or tall grass.

  Just then, the sound of steps filled Ryan’s ears. They were large and heavy, but they seemed to only belong to one animal. Runar had given him just a single warning for this area: if an animal appeared alone, then it was most likely the area boss. A bit curious, wondering what the area boss looked like, Ryan sent one of the sub-golems toward the source of those steps. The monster that walked there, crushing all the plants in its way, was a Moss Sheep.

  Usually, these sheep were small, barely larger than a rabbit, and the reason they were popular was because they were so small and docile. That was why you rarely saw a petting zoo without them, so Ryan was a bit surprised he hadn’t seen any there yet. He thought that maybe they weren’t as popular back when this place was still open. But if the area boss was a Moss Sheep, then it made sense he hadn’t seen one there yet. Though it did make Ryan a bit curious; why was the Moss Sheep, of all animals, chosen as the area boss?

  Being an amusement park, maybe it had something to do with popularity. It would be in line with the plaza’s area boss. It was the park’s headlining mascot, after all. And who knew what the dungeon considered important when it created the monsters and bosses? Though Ryan did soon realize another connection between the area bosses beyond just their popularity.

  The Moss Sheep was carrying something in its mouth: a dead giant rabbit. Of course, the fact that the usually so-tiny moss sheep was even larger than the giant goats was a bit of a shock in itself, but seeing the favorite animal of so many kids with sharp, blood-soaked fangs was even worse. In the first place, Moss Sheep were complete herbivores; rather, due to their nature of being hybrids with moss, they barely had to eat in the first place and could thrive for weeks on just a bit of water.

  Dungeons worked off memories, the memories left behind in a location, of what that place used to be. The significance of that area. That was why the Abandoned Copper Foundry’s monsters were basically those foundry workers, and copper was processed and melted despite the fact that the foundry had been out of use for years and years by that point.

  Of course, those memories were always skewed to some degree. After all, those foundry workers didn’t go around trying to kill everyone who entered, and they certainly didn’t pour molten copper onto each other. Those settings were added because the dungeon needed a way to protect itself. That was why monsters attacked intruders. And by using the copper to improve the monsters, it could strengthen itself more effectively. But that shouldn’t go to the degree of completely changing things to this level.

  Ryan had a good idea as to why the monsters in this area were oversized. All the plants there had grown so much that the dungeon probably just scaled up the monsters as well. But why would it have such a docile, kind creature, of all possible monsters, turn into a vicious, blood-hungry predator? Did the setting of the Moss Sheep mix with some other animal? Or was there more to it? Maybe there was something wrong with this place even before it had turned into a dungeon. Some sort of curse or corruption that made the Moss Sheep turn violent and blood-hungry.

  At the same time, something must have been going on with other places in the dungeon as well. The gift shop was probably a front for illegal weapon trade. Maybe the guy who used to wear the gorilla costume was a murderer who went around killing others and that was why the area boss was actively killing other mascots.

  Of course, Ryan had little way to verify that now. Any sort of clue couldn’t be trusted anymore now that the dungeon had taken over and distorted everything. Instead of being a murderer, the guy in the gorilla costume could have just been a bit more violent or gotten in a fight with other mascots once or twice. Dungeons exaggerated everything and anything, so nothing could be trusted a hundred percent, but it was a fact that something had been completely and utterly wrong with this amusement park before it closed down.

  While Ryan was certainly curious, it really didn’t matter anymore. Decades had passed, and it was impossible to really figure it all out now. And maybe Runar already knew everything about the history of the amusement park and simply didn’t tell Ryan about it. There were a lot of things he was still keeping to himself, after all. At some level, it felt like Runar was just trying to seem mysterious for no reason other than to seem cool to Ryan and his friends.

  Whichever was the case, right now, it was probably still a bit too risky to face the area boss. Or at least, that was what Ryan’s gut feeling was telling him. And at this point, he would trust his gut feeling even if it told him that two plus two equaled five.

  Luckily, the sub-golems were fully made of stone, so if they stood still, the monsters of this area tended to not even notice them. Ryan didn’t want to risk drawing any attention toward them, so they would just let the area boss pass by them for now.

  Once the Moss Sheep was far enough away that it wasn’t an imminent threat anymore, Ryan pulled back the sub-golems and started moving into the opposite direction from the Moss Sheep. Ryan’s intuition soon told him that they were fine to proceed as normal, though that really just showed itself in the fact that the hairs on the back of his neck had finally calmed down. Though that didn’t mean they were safe; rather, it was the opposite. They were walking straight into a larger group of giant rabbits, which Maximus hurried to take out while Ryan was distracting them, as they had been doing for a little while now.

  While that was happening, though, Ryan was continuously thinking about how he could possibly improve his own leveling speed. Maximus’s class was specifically a combat class centered on the protection of others and the eradication of enemies, and since monsters were practically the incarnation of the concept of enemy in situations like this, a dungeon was the perfect place for Maximus to level up.

  At the same time, Gaia leveled up more by her simply being in her garden and interacting with her plants. Preparing the soil, getting rid of weeds, looking after freshly sprouted seeds, all of that gave Gaia her experience.

  Meanwhile, Ryan’s class was all about supporting the spirits to reach their goals and help them grow; that was why he generally gained experience just by Maximus and Gaia leveling up, but the more he supported them in their endeavors, the faster he should level up. That was why Ryan carried Maximus’s weapons and participated in combat to some degree, or why he helped with manual labor in Gaia’s garden. But still, Ryan wondered if there was a more efficient way for him to help. Some specific method that he could follow that would maximize how fast he could level up while making sure Maximus and Gaia properly grew at the same time.