Chapter 192: The Enhanced Adaptive Body

After cooling down the laboratory, Richard inspected each major component of the mental power amplification device to check for any melting or damage. To his satisfaction, only the safety components had melted during full operation, leaving the rest of the machine intact.

Although this was partly because the device was newly built, Richard was pleased that his design held up well. With no major issues, he believed that simply upgrading the cooling components could extend communication time.

He moved the machine to an unused room on the third floor of the wizard tower and then headed to the backyard for a break.

With the completion of the Dream World communication device, Richard felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. Enjoying the warm afternoon sun, he allowed himself a rare moment of leisure.

In the backyard, Number One and Number Two were lazily basking in the sun. Nearby, the grave of the previous Number One and Two was overgrown with wildflowers.

Not wanting to disturb them, Richard pulled a recliner from his pocket, changed into comfortable clothes, and lay down.

With the guild contract signed, the Dream World communication device completed, and Bone remaining mostly loyal despite some odd behavior, Richard realized he had no urgent tasks at hand.

Ulysses flew in from a distance. Since returning to the wizarding world, Richard had allowed him to roam freely around the Tower of Truth.

Landing beside Richard, Ulysses cawed, "Gah, this is unusual. What brings you to sunbathe instead of working in the lab?"

Richard pulled out a notebook, using it to shield his face, and replied from beneath it, "It's rare to have some leisure time. Life is long; one must enjoy it."

Ulysses opened a secret realm and pulled out a lounge chair woven from fungi, lying down.

"Gah, that's the spirit. Transforming from short-lived to long-lived species requires a slower pace. Our lives are long; many things can be taken slowly."

Gentle afternoon sunlight bathed Richard's backyard, as two beast-eared girls, a wizard, and a world lord from another realm lay peacefully, enjoying the sun.

A gentle breeze passed through, flowing toward the horizon.

...

After a year of procurement, Jolord delivered materials for fifty Spell Support Vehicles to Richard, along with his commission—15,000 magic crystals.

Initially, the guild was formed to sell potions, and their profit-sharing agreement only covered potions. Ironically, their first deal had nothing to do with potions and was instead a weapons contract.

Fate works in mysterious ways.

As the supplier of technology and products, Richard naturally took the lion's share, while Jolord earned a small cut from material procurement.

The arrival of materials brought a flurry of activity to Richard's leisurely life. The Spell Support Vehicles comprised tens of thousands of basic parts, all of which Richard had to meticulously craft from raw materials.

However, Richard wasn't keen on doing it all manually.

After spending 500 magic crystals, he acquired a full wizard-grade machine tool through his senior sister Anna's connections.

This time, Richard's approach wasn't particularly innovative. Wizards had long used assembly lines for alchemical machinery, and his request was a standard transaction for many wizards specializing in alchemical mechanics.

Forming the parts was just the beginning; much remained to be done.

Some parts required alchemical arrays for material processing, while others needed enchantments, tasks Richard had to handle personally.

Fortunately, the contract allowed ample time, so Richard didn't need to work overtime.

With financial support, Richard's research began to shift focus.

The discovery of the adaptive body's ability to resist toxins, found during his Forerunner Crystal research, became a priority.

The adaptive body, a seemingly inconspicuous but crucial enhancement to Richard's combat prowess, provided elemental and physical resistances that proved invaluable in battle. Its newfound resistance to toxins suggested new avenues for development.

Wizards privately classified toxins in various ways, but lethal toxins were generally categorized into three types: neurotoxins, corrosive toxins, and metabolic inhibitors.

These categories were based on post-poisoning reactions, but toxins within the same category could vary widely in composition, making antidotes complex. Faced with lethal toxins, wizards sometimes had to abandon their bodies.

This was a primary reason many wizards avoided physical evolution.

However, the adaptive body's potential to resist toxins led Richard to believe it could be further developed. The body, a biological cornerstone in the material realm, held secrets even truth wizards couldn't fully comprehend.

...

Fifty years later.

In his lab, Richard carefully mixed toxins using a dropper. As the black liquid dripped into the test tube, the toxin changed color, shifting from red to black, then to a thick green.

Once stabilized, a sickly sweet aroma wafted from the test tube.

Holding the test tube to his face, Richard murmured, "Sweetheart toxin, a neurotoxin 3,500 times more potent than Ravenvine. This should suffice."

He poured the liquid into an alchemical machine, releasing a sweetly scented pale green smoke.

"Inhale..."

Richard took a deep breath, then suddenly convulsed, his body shaking uncontrollably.

This was a sign the toxin had entered his body. The pale green toxin infiltrated through his respiratory tract, skin, and mucous membranes, entering his bloodstream and circulating instantly.

Under the toxin's effects, Richard's body convulsed and trembled, his nervous system invaded by the toxin.

Normally, Richard would die painfully within minutes, with his robust physique becoming a torturous instrument.

But within seconds, his body calmed.

Richard shut down the alchemical machine, noting the time it took for his body to adapt.

"Thirty-five seconds, one second faster than last time."

The toxin adaptation experiment aimed to refine the adaptive body by using small toxin doses to stimulate the body, triggering detoxification mechanisms.

The experiment was perilous, as Richard used toxins lethal to wizards.

A slight miscalculation in dosage could turn the experiment into suicide.

After recording his findings, Richard used a spell to cleanse the room.

While harmless to him, the toxins were deadly to his beast-eared maids, who sometimes cleaned the lab. An accidental poisoning would be foolish.

Richard entered a cultivation chamber, projecting his spirit into the adjacent room.

In the neighboring room, another Richard opened his eyes as the spirit entered.

Remember the nurturing rule extracted from the Broodmother Fragment?

This rule interacted with the flesh rule, enabling Richard to create a body identical to his own.

Initially seen as an advanced cloning technique, Richard realized it was perfect for experimentation when refining the adaptive body.

The clone's data matched the original, so successful experiments on it would work on his main body, while any harm wouldn't affect him.

Richard reviewed his experiment records, charting his body's adaptation time for similar toxins.

The graph showed a distinct peak, with his latest experiment data at the base.

Gazing at the chart, Richard sighed, "My body's natural adaptation has peaked. Now I must refine the adaptive potion formula."

Closing his notebook, Richard pulled a magic book from his pocket, leaning back to read.

To enhance the adaptive body, he had been gathering potion knowledge, reviving the cryptic notes for magic equipment trade.

The cryptic notes had yielded valuable resources over the years, including the toxin formula used in his experiment.

Just then, a loud owl hoot from outside caught Richard's attention.

"Hmm? What's this..."

Richard observed the muscular owl perched outside, its eyes seemingly brimming with muscles.

Has Senior Brother Chucks' taste changed so much?

Opening the window, the owl handed Richard a letter in its beak, speaking in a deep voice.

"Member Richard, the club has an event. Join us if you can."

With that, the owl leapt into the air, flying away with powerful wingbeats.

Two clear claw marks remained on Richard's windowsill.

"I recall this thing was enchanted..."

Opening the letter, Richard found an invitation featuring Jimmy's beaming bald head.

The invitation was straightforward: Garon, the club's head, had recently acquired a small secret realm ideal for wizards pursuing physical evolution, inviting members for training.

A club perk, it seemed.

"Using a secret realm as a club benefit... this Grand Wizard is generous."

Tucking the invitation into his pocket, Richard opened a secret realm rift.

Inside, Ulysses leisurely drank some unknown brew, surrounded by a swarm of holy tree spirits sculpting a statue.

The statue's likeness...

Richard approached Ulysses, "Why make a statue of me?"

Ulysses spread his wings proudly, "Gah, didn't you mention researching faith power? With so many little ones in the realm, I thought I'd set up a cult for you."

"Oh, so kind?" Richard raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Gah, of course. We're comrades in arms, after all. Don't think too poorly of me," Ulysses said with smug satisfaction. "Hey, you lot, follow my design for the statue exactly!"

Richard glanced at the statue, where a majestic-looking crow was being sculpted on its left shoulder.

"Do as you like. I'm attending an event hosted by a Grand Wizard. Don't open the realm rift near me."

Ulysses waved a wing dismissively, "Gah, got it."