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Chapter 1: The System

His shirt was in tatters, but that was the least of his worries. A machine was embedded in his chest, its metal casing filled with intricate gears and pistons. Wires and tubes snaked beneath his skin, disappearing into his flesh.

At the center of the contraption, a glass orb spun ceaselessly. A laser danced across its surface, etching mysterious patterns into the glass.

Silas forced himself to calm down and think logically. Tearing it out wasn't an option - he'd risk damaging the machine or himself. Like it or not, this thing was part of him now.

He tried to piece together what had happened. The last thing he remembered was finding a book on his mother's old desk. When he'd opened it, a machine had sprung out, spraying purple smoke in his face. The same machine now integrated into his body.

This had to be his mother's creation. It must have a purpose. She'd been a brilliant scientist on Earth before coming to Eldoria. Ever since he could remember, she worked tirelessly to treat his condition. This machine was likely the culmination of her efforts.

With a grunt of effort, Silas pushed himself up off the ground, wobbling as he found his footing.

His condition was rare and debilitating. Born unable to produce mana, his body still needed it to function. Without it, he'd die. In the magical world of Eldoria, this put him at a serious disadvantage. His only option was to take mana from other sources - people, animals, whatever he could find.

Silas's mind drifted to the day his mother was taken. Evelyn and his father, Aldrich, had ventured into the Deadfells in the Aetherwild. It was a place strictly off-limits to all but the most elite, politically connected families and government officials.

They'd been after a Leviathan mana core, prized for its vast stores of residual mana. All magical beings had a mana core - it produced mana, stored excess, and acted as a focal point for spells.

Despite the risks, his parents had been determined to get that core for him. It would've given his body the mana he desperately needed.

But they'd been caught. Mage knights swooped in and arrested his mother for trespassing. Being from Earth, she faced way harsher consequences than any Eldorian would.

Eldoria had a long-standing grudge against Earth and its people. His father, despite also trespassing, got off scot-free. His status as a respected Eldorian citizen made him untouchable.

The mage knights only cared about taking Evelyn. They never said where they were taking her, leaving Silas and his father in the dark with no way to find answers or get justice.

Despite all this, they were able to retrieve the mana core. Before her arrest, she had fashioned it into a necklace, so he would receive a constant stream of mana to keep him alive.

A slight tingle in his ear snapped Silas back to the present. A familiar voice echoed in his head. "Silas. It's wonderful to see you."

"Mom?" Silas asked, his heart racing.

"Hello, Silas," his mother's voice replied warmly.

"Why are you in my head?" Silas asked, equal parts confused and relieved.

"I put a part of my soul into the machine inside you," his mother explained.

"What's it for?" Silas pressed, eager for answers.

"It'll help you learn magic and get stronger," she said, her voice tinged with worry. "I can't let you die on the frontlines. I won't. I've lost enough in my life. I can't lose you too."

"Oh," Silas said softly. "Thanks. I appreciate the help, but I kinda wish it didn't involve surprise surgery," he added with a weak laugh.

After a moment of silence, Silas spoke again. "So, how do I work this thing? What can it do?"

"You can access the system menu just by thinking about it," Evelyn instructed.

Silas focused his thoughts on the idea of a menu. To his amazement, a glowing interface materialized before his eyes.

He navigated to the Skill Trees tab. Three distinct trees branched out: Neuromancy, Biomancy, and Essomancy.

Under Neuromancy, a single skill glowed enticingly. "Learn," it read, "allows you to master any skill or spell with perfect recall."

His eyes drifted to Biomancy, where another skill waited. "Drain," it said, "lets you steal mana from magical beings and learn one of their skills or spells."

Under Essomancy, a third skill beckoned. "Essence Inspection," it proclaimed mysteriously, offering no other explanation.

"These skills come from combining the system with your unique condition," his mother explained.

Silas realized he hadn't checked his own stats yet. He pulled up the screen with a thought:

Stats:

Name: Silas Blackwood

Species: Human

HP: 10/10

MP: 10/10

Magical Affinities: Neuromancy, Biomancy, Essomancy

Magical Deficiencies: All (except Neuromancy, Biomancy, Essomancy)

Magical Voids: None

Level: 1

Exp: 0/10

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Stamina: 10

Intelligence: 10

Luck: 0

Available ability points: 10

Level 1. It was like he was a character in one of those RPG games he used to play with his mom.

His luck stat being 0 wasn't surprising. With everything that had happened in his life, he'd have been shocked to have any luck at all.

Silas decided to dump all ten of his available ability points into luck. Couldn't hurt, right?

He wondered what luck actually did. In games, it could do all sorts of things. "Mom, what does luck do here?"

"Luck affects all kinds of things," she replied. "There are too many to list. You'll just have to find out as you go."

"Ok, but how does it affect my luck? I don't understand," Silas said.

"Quantum mechanics," she replied.

"Fair enough, I guess," Silas said. He could tell when he was in over his head.

"I need you to do something for me," his mother's voice said suddenly.

"What is it?"

"I need you to put the mana core from your necklace into the machine."

Silas looked down at the machine nervously. A hole opened in its center, revealing a cradle perfectly sized for a spherical object. He opened the cage on his necklace, letting the mana core drop into his palm.

"Why do I need to do this?"

"You were born without a mana core," his mother explained. "You need one to cast spells properly."

"But it's a beast mana core," Silas protested. "Couldn't that cause some weird side effects?"

"Potentially," she admitted. "But do you have a spare human mana core lying around?"

Silas sighed. "Alright, I'll do it. But only because it's literally my only option." He steeled himself and placed the mana core in the machine's receptacle.

The core was quickly pulled in, the hole sealing seamlessly behind it.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Silas muttered.

Suddenly, several pop-ups appeared in his vision, each accompanied by a soft 'ding'.

System Notification: Mana core successfully assimilated!

System Notification: Would you like to perform essence inspection on the mana core?

"Yes," Silas said, curiosity getting the better of him.

Lines of text began populating his vision:

Leviathan Mana Core Tier: 00

Magical Affinities: None

Magical Deficiencies: None

Magical Voids: None

Tier 00? Silas furrowed his brow. He'd never heard of such a thing. As far as he knew, tiers went from 10 up to 1. His father was a tier 1 sorcerer. Could 00 be even higher than that?

Another line of text appeared, sending a chill down his spine:

Physical changes initiating

"Uh oh," Silas said, bracing himself for whatever came next.