Without wasting time, Mikael summoned the next essential component. In an instant, a chunk of black metal—resembling dark iron—materialized in his palm as if drawn from the air itself. Without hesitation, he began channeling his mana into it, continuing the infusion for another thirty minutes with unwavering focus.
When the dark iron had been fully saturated with mana, Mikael shifted his position so he was directly above another empty bowl. Using earth magic, he conjured a thick layer of soil that coiled tightly around the metal, encasing it like a cocoon. He then began compressing the structure with ever-increasing force.
"Crack."
A sharp sound echoed as the dense piece of iron gave in under the mounting pressure. The earth construct continued to compress steadily, squeezing the iron until a fine powder began to trickle out through a small opening Mikael had intentionally left in its base. Grain by grain, the dark iron powder fell neatly into the bowl below.
He maintained the pressure until the original piece of dark iron had been completely crushed, leaving nothing behind but a bowl filled with black powder. Once satisfied, he took the bowl and carefully poured its contents into the first one containing the iridescent liquid.
Using a steady hand, he began to stir the mixture, allowing the shimmering fluid to gradually 'absorb' the crushed iron. He continued the motion with patience, making sure the reaction proceeded evenly. Eventually, the once-iridescent liquid took on a darker hue, signaling that the iron powder had fully dissolved into the mixture.
Now that the second phase had reached completion, Mikael gave a short nod to himself. Without pausing to rest, he immediately transitioned to the third step. He positioned one hand beneath the bowl and the other just above it.
Then, he conjured magical flames through fire magic, igniting them from both palms. The flames spread quickly, surrounding the bowl from all sides, transforming it into a vessel engulfed in flickering, controlled fire.
Under normal circumstances, such flames—especially magical ones of this intensity—would have melted the bowl in an instant. But thanks to the reinforcing array Mikael had engraved earlier, the container withstood the heat. Even so, he knew the protection wouldn't last indefinitely; if he wasn't careful with how the flames burned, the bowl would eventually give in to the overwhelming heat.
That was why, in the seconds that followed, the flames underwent a subtle transformation. Their form became noticeably thinner, their behavior more refined. Mikael had altered the nature of their burn, shifting from indiscriminate combustion to a far more delicate and focused heating method—one that passed through the bowl harmlessly, targeting only the dark liquid contained within.
As a result, the liquid gradually began to boil. Not long after, thin streams of vapor began to rise from its surface, giving the impression of a slow evaporation. But appearances were deceiving—in reality, the fumes weren't caused by the evaporation of the liquid itself.
Instead, they were the manifestation of the impurities that had been trapped within the concoction. Under the sustained heat, those unwanted elements were being steadily purged, while the rest of the ingredients began to coalesce into a more unified liquid.
Previously, even though the components had been blended together, they had not truly merged. Beneath the surface, subtle separations remained, preventing the mixture from becoming a single homogeneous whole. But now, under the precise control of Mikael's flames, those barriers were dissolving. Slowly but steadily, the ingredients were beginning to fuse with one another.
And so, Mikael continued to apply the controlled heat. He maintained the magical flames with unwavering focus, carefully observing the transformation of the mixture for the next twenty minutes. He only stopped once he noticed that the volume of the liquid had been reduced by approximately half.
His gaze lingered on the dark, gently boiling substance. After a few seconds of silent inspection, he gave a small nod. The ingredients had finally fused into a truly uniform liquid. But he also knew, from his extensive study of arrays and the interconnected disciplines surrounding them, including the subtle intricacies of magical ink creation, that this state wouldn't last forever. Once the temperature began to drop, the components would inevitably begin to separate again, rendering the mixture unstable and ultimately ruining the creation of the magical ink.
Realizing he had no time to lose, Mikael quickly retrieved a piece of wood chosen for its unique binding properties. Without delay, he crushed it using a clever application of earth magic, reducing it to fine fragments with practiced ease. Then, without hesitation, he allowed the crushed bits of wood to fall into the still-boiling liquid.
Unlike previous steps in the process, this one didn't require him to enhance the ingredient with his own mana. In fact, doing so would have complicated things. The wood, already acting as a natural binding agent, didn't contain an ounce of mana, and trying to infuse some in it would disrupt the delicate binding process. For this specific moment, the complete absence of mana in the mixture was actually a blessing.
As the powdered wood settled into the dark concoction, Mikael observed with barely concealed tension. This was the moment that would determine whether nearly two days of meticulous effort would yield results—or be reduced to a complete failure.
At this stage, the mixture was supposed to thicken slightly, developing a smoother, more cohesive consistency. If instead it began to clump, it would be the telltale sign that the blend had failed, rendering the magical ink utterly unusable.
That was why Mikael's gaze remained fixed on the surface of the liquid, his expression unreadable. There was nothing more he could do now. Everything rested on the precision of the earlier steps—his calculations, his control, his understanding of the ingredients. All he could do was wait and hope that he hadn't made a single mistake.
Minutes passed. Slow, tense, heavy with the weight of uncertainty.
Then— "Yes," Mikael murmured, a flicker of relief flashing across his face. A small exclamation of joy slipped past his lips as he watched the mixture in the bowl thicken ever so slightly, its surface taking on a smoother, more uniform sheen.
"Ink done," he declared, a faint smile forming as he carefully poured the freshly crafted magical ink into a waiting jar. Once filled, he sealed it tightly before sending it into his inventory—where time stood still—ensuring the ink would retain its full potency until needed.
'I've secured the ink. I already have a runic inscriber that should work, though I'll need to infuse it with my mana first. After that, I'll need to find a suitable object to act as the core for the aura and mana generator... and finally, the right mineral to complement it.'
With his mental checklist clearly in mind, Mikael began the same process he had used when selecting the ingredients for the magical ink: retrieving potentially suitable materials from his inventory, analyzing them carefully one by one, and then returning them back into his inventory.
An hour passed in this methodical fashion before Mikael finally settled on what he would use.
For the generator's core, he selected a rectangular, technologically advanced battery. At first glance, the choice might seem strange—even to him. The idea of integrating high-level technology with array creation was unexpected. But after thorough consideration, it became clear that this battery was, by far, the most optimal choice available.
Its energy storage capacity was absurdly high—even surpassing the monster core he had personally used in his own generator. It was, without question, in a different league. The only drawback, however, was the familiar issue: it hadn't been mana-attenuated. In the case of this battery, the problem was only magnified. Precisely because of its massive storage potential, the amount of mana required to fully attune it would increase drastically.
Still, despite the daunting challenge, Mikael didn't hesitate to go with the superior option. After all, when he committed to something, he never did it halfway.
As for the time it would take—undoubtedly longer than what he had casually told the worried girls—he could only accept that reality and silently apologize in advance for the delay.
For the mineral that would encase the core, Mikael selected a deep red crystalline material. He didn't know its official name, but even within the Main Vault, the quantity of this mineral was noticeably 'low'.
Of course, when he thought of it as 'low', it was only in comparison to the abundance of other minerals stored there. In truth, he still had a couple of tons—far, far more than he'd need for this project.
This red mineral possessed remarkable durability. In fact, it ranked among the five most durable materials present in the vault. More importantly, it was the only one that met all the specific criteria he required for this operation. With the necessary properties aligned, it easily took the top spot, making the decision to use it obvious.
With all the required components now chosen, Mikael began the long and grueling task of infusing each of them with his mana.
For the next six hours, he remained focused on this laborious task. Over the course of the infusion process, his mana reserves were drained twice, forcing him to pause and enter deep meditation to accelerate his regeneration. Even with his meditation enhanced regeneration rate, it still took a full six hours to complete the process—and that was just for the materials of a single aura and mana generator. He hadn't even started working on the ones for the others yet.
***
Mikael was currently seated in the master bedroom, with all four of the necessary components arranged neatly beside him, ready to begin the crafting of an aura and mana generator using the materials he had refined himself.
At that moment—"Crack."
The door opened with a soft cracking sound. Mikael, so focused on his thoughts on the task at hand, jolted slightly, startled by the noise. He turned his head toward the door, a flicker of nervousness in his movements. The last thing he wanted was for the girls to walk in unexpectedly—what he was working on was, after all, meant to be a surprise for them. He didn't want them finding out prematurely.
Fortunately, his concern proved unnecessary. The person entering was none other than the blue-haired yandere—the only one of the girls who was aware of what he was doing. She had accompanied him to the world of Kazramar, and together they had gathered the rare materials needed for this project.
She stepped into the room without a sound, gently closing the door behind her while eyeing him with quiet curiosity. "How is it going?" she asked softly, her voice carrying genuine interest.
"Pretty well, at least for now. I don't think anything's going to explode," Mikael replied. "If everything goes smoothly, I should have my first aura and mana generator finished in a couple of hours at most."
Kiara's eyes lit up at the news. As she passed beside him, she leaned in and murmured, "Good! The sooner you finish, the sooner you can reach Military Rank 3 and stop worrying about your whole dwindling lifespan issue. Don't forget, okay?"
"Yes, mom, I'll go do my homework soon," he responded in a deadpan tone.
Kiara rolled her eyes and gave him a playful tap on the head before slipping past him and letting her soft, warm body slide beneath the covers of their shared bed. Even from that position, her dark blue eyes continued to track his movements for a few seconds longer. "Don't let me distract you," she added gently. "I just wanted to check in on you."
Mikael gave her a slight nod in response before returning his focus to brainstorming the complex process behind the creation of the aura and mana generator, determined not to make any errors.
Minutes passed in silence, with Kiara simply lying on the bed, watching him work. Eventually, she shifted her posture, resting her head on the pillow as she whispered softly, "I'll be quiet now. I'm going to sleep a little. Good luck, love."
"Good night," he replied, even though he had no idea what time it actually was. Still, if she was going to sleep, it probably meant it was nighttime, right?
His attention returned to the creation of his aura and mana generator, now accompanied by the slow and steady breaths of the sleeping beauty nearby.
Author Note:
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