Mary

While observing the progress of the holograms in the virtual laboratory, I noticed my patience beginning to wear thin. The incessant motion of trial and error was impressive, but the delay was frustrating.

I sighed deeply before asking, "Based on the current progress, what's the estimated time to complete the task?"

["Approximately 20 hours."]

My brow furrowed immediately, and my voice came out sharper: "What? Why is it taking so long?"

The response came quickly: ["The codes become more complex as the acolyte progresses, but that's the least of it. The biggest factor increasing the time is calculating the possible variables and finding ways to bypass them with maximum efficiency."]

There was a brief pause before the laboratory continued: ["If your body were a digital one, you might reach level 3 in just five hours. However, since you have a body of flesh and blood, there are limitations. For instance, writing more than one code per day in your heart could result in a complete collapse."]

The laboratory's words made sense, even if they were hard to accept. I crossed my arms and reflected. "I can't ignore the limitations of my flesh, no matter how irritating they are."

After pondering for a few seconds, I made a decision. "Keep working in the background, but now disable the virtual laboratory."

["Beep."]

The digital world around me began to crumble. Within seconds, the void was replaced by the familiar setting of my room. I was back, sitting in my chair.

I looked toward the window, where the moonlight had replaced the sunlight from hours ago. Night had fallen, and the stillness of the moment was interrupted only by an unexpected sound from my stomach.

"Ronnc~~"

Instinctively, I placed my hand over my defined abdomen, feeling the firm muscles that reflected my physical discipline. "I'm hungry," I murmured, more to myself than to anyone else. "I'd better head to the cafeteria for dinner before bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day, and I need to be prepared."

I rose from the chair and walked to the door of my room. As I turned the handle, I heard the characteristic "click" sound, and then I pushed the door open, stepping into the quiet hallway illuminated by the soft glow of small light bubbles—or whatever those were.

Before I could take my first step toward the cafeteria, I heard the sound of another door opening in the hallway. It was identical to the sound of my own handle turning, but this time it came from the room directly in front of me.

When the door opened, a peculiar figure emerged. It was a girl—or rather, a young woman who resembled a doll. She was small, perhaps a bit shorter than Professor Miguel, and wore a white dress along with the rest of the acolyte uniform.

Her face was so perfect, so symmetrical, it bordered on the unreal. Her skin was white as porcelain, and her large, sparkling eyes held an unsettling depth, almost as if she were designed to both enchant and disconcert. Her hair, in flawless blue curls, looked hand-painted, and in her delicate hands, she held a small stuffed bear.

For a moment, I stood still, frowning in confusion. It was impossible not to feel that something was... off. But before I could dwell on it, she broke into a radiant smile, like that of a display doll.

"Hello, neighbor! Are you a new Acolyte? I'm Mary!" Her voice was sweet, almost melodic, but there was something faintly mechanical in her tone, something I couldn't immediately place.

Regaining my composure, I stepped forward and extended my hand, maintaining the elegance of a nobleman I had learned from the other Tyler's memories. "Hello, Mary. My name is Tyler. Tyler Rustel."

She extended her hand as well, and I noticed she wore delicate white gloves, as immaculate as the rest of her appearance. I didn't hesitate. With the courtesy of a true noble, I took her hand and kissed it lightly, as though greeting a lady of high esteem. For a brief moment, her pale skin seemed to blush, taking on a faint reddish hue.

"What a gentleman you are! I can see you come from a noble and well-educated family." Her tone was full of admiration, but her smile carried a hint of teasing.

I smiled back, with the same confidence she expected. "In my family, I am the noblest," I replied, with a slight tilt of my head. Then, without hesitation, I continued, "Mary, may I ask you a question? Of course, only if it wouldn't inconvenience you."

She tilted her head slightly, holding the bear with both hands and swaying it gently from side to side. There was something curious in her gaze, as if she already knew what I was going to say.

"Let me guess," she said with a light, somewhat enigmatic laugh. "You're curious about my body, aren't you? Hahaha... It's always that."

Before I could respond, her tone shifted slightly, becoming darker. "I look like a rag doll, don't I? But, in reality, I'm a 20-year-old woman. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that you should never accept anything for free from a mage."

Those last words were like an unexpected blow. Her initial sweetness seemed to have been replaced by something much heavier. As she spoke, she moved the bear closer to her chest, hugging it tightly, and her eyes, though still bright, now held a deep melancholy.

"Some professors here in this tower, when they don't have test subjects for their experiments, seek out random students in the tower and offer things the students usually need, like magic crystals, potions... But in exchange, they ask for collaboration in an experiment. Of course, they conceal the truth to a certain extent, so as not to scare the student away."

My thoughts couldn't help but brim with arrogance. "Well... that's not my problem. Unlike these losers, I'm destined for greatness." I smiled inwardly, already certain I would never fall into such an obvious trap, but to keep up appearances, I nodded as though I deeply understood.

"I'm very hungry right now," I said, changing the subject. "I haven't eaten since I arrived at the tower. Today is my first day. Could you tell me where the cafeteria is?"

Hearing my question, Mary's expression softened, and she seemed happy to help. "It's late now, and I was just about to go there too. Shall we go together?"

"Sure, no problem," I replied, as I closed the door to my room and tucked the key into the inner pocket of my robe.

She took the lead, and her small, almost silent footsteps echoed softly in the hallway. As we walked, Mary began to speak, as though to fill the silence. "Fortunately, here we can eat as much as we want. There's chicken, beef, snake meat, duck meat... and many other types of food."

As I listened, my mind began to imagine the feast awaiting us. But then, she added something that made me pay closer attention. "However, if you have magic crystals, there's a separate area just for the wealthy. There, you can order magical food that helps strengthen the body."

I laughed, somewhat awkwardly. "I'm broke! Hahaha. I spent all my crystals paying the tower's fees and choosing my professor."

Mary turned to face me, surprised. "I also arrived recently, about ten days ago, but since I didn't have any crystals, I was randomly assigned..." Her tone turned bitter for a moment, but she quickly smiled again, as though pushing away bad thoughts. "Tyler, which professor did you choose? Was it Marcelina? I heard she turned a student into a vampire last year!"

I froze for a second. "Marcelina, that woman is a menace..." I thought to myself before responding. "No! You've got it wrong. I chose Miguel!"

Mary stopped for a moment and turned to me, her eyes shining with surprise. Since she was so small, she had to look up to meet my gaze. "Wow! You want to become a magic engineer?"

She seemed genuinely impressed. "Man... you're really confident?"

My confidence faltered for a moment. "Is engineering hard to learn?" I asked, trying to maintain composure.

Mary sighed and crossed her arms. "Not only is it extremely difficult, but your professor will surely send you to attend public classes involving the engineering domain. If you don't have a good memory and high deductive capacity, you'll be lost. Besides, studying engineering requires a huge amount of resources and ingredients. People who don't come from wealthy families rarely choose this path!"

As she spoke, she played with her blue curls, as if it were a habitual gesture. Then, she smiled with a bit more hope and added, "But if you manage to survive it, you'll be a rich Acolyte... After all, everyone wants a mechanical arm, a golem, a balloon, a motorized bow and arrow, or things like that."

Since entering Miguel's lab earlier, I had already imagined such a scenario. Fortunately, I have my digital laboratory.

...

1510 Words