The furnishings in Mercer’s office were exactly the same as the first time Allen had visited.

Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling window, clouds churned beyond the Mage Tower’s Defense Barrier.

Allen stood beside the metal workbench, his expression calm, but the fingers hidden beneath his cuffs tightened slightly.

For more than two years, he had been like a tireless gear, spinning madly between the library, the classroom, and the workshop. The Magic Stones in his account had flowed away like water, exchanged for the increasingly complex Will Runes in his Sea of Spirit and the steel beast currently being inspected by his master.

’If my master doesn’t approve it today, I might just have to find a rooftop to jump from tonight. I even took out a loan for this.’

"Your ’Pacifist’ has passed."

Mercer Iron Star’s voice still carried its characteristic metallic resonance, betraying no hint of emotion.

His mechanical hand was holding a holographic blueprint, analyzing the PX-0 that stood beside him.

That was the "graduation project" Allen had submitted.

"Although there are still some flaws in the Rune design and application, and the method of directly using ancient weaponry is filled with the crude taste of the nouveau riche..."

Mercer turned around, his crimson-glowing prosthetic eyes locking onto Allen. "But I have to admit, its destructive power meets the standard of an Official Wizard. Its close-quarters combat and long-range offensive capabilities are up to par, and the Control Core is well-made. As a piece of work from an apprentice, it’s qualified."

"Thank you for the praise, Master."

Allen bowed slightly, finally letting out a sigh of relief. ’I have to go out for a good meal tonight, no matter what.’

Hearing the word "qualified" from the man known as the "Lord of Forging Fire" was enough to get a post pinned, featured, and bragged about for a year on the Black Tower of the Forge’s internal forums.

"Since you have proven your skill in Golem studies, it is time to teach you the final Core Witchcraft."

"Once you have inscribed the three Core Witchcrafts, you will no longer need resources or potions. Your Meditation Method will drive you to advance directly to a First-level Wizard. You will experience it for yourself when the time comes."

Mercer waved his hand. The office door slammed shut with a BOOM, and an ethereal blue runic glow crawled across the walls as every Defense Array activated in an instant.

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

"Allen, your Spiritual Power has already reached the required standard. In fact, because of your dual-core thinking, your learning ability has surpassed that of most people. But you are still just an apprentice."

Mercer walked up to Allen, his tall frame casting a shadow over him.

"Because your soul is still the soul of a mortal. It feels fear, it hesitates, it trembles with anger, and it grows dull with fatigue. For an ordinary Wizard, this is humanity. But for an Alchemy Wizard—especially for those of us in the Macro-Construction and Domination Branch—it is a fatal ’flaw’."

He pointed to his own head. Beneath his shiny scalp, some sort of cold, mechanical structure seemed to be hidden.

"What we will command in the future is not one or two Magic Pets, but a Steel Legion of hundreds or thousands. Battlefield decisions, production lines in the workshop... the information generated every second is like a flood pouring into the brain. The slightest command delay caused by an emotional fluctuation could lead to the collapse of an entire front line. Therefore, we need a ’heart’."

"A heart that feels no great joy or sorrow, one that forever maintains a single, steady beat."

"The third Core Witchcraft: [Mechanical Mind Modification Technique]."

Mercer’s voice lowered, taking on the solemnity of one imparting sacred knowledge.

"This is the foundation of our lineage, and the reason other schools call us ’tin cans’. It is not an offensive Magic, nor is it an Alchemy Technology. It is... a way of thinking."

As Mercer spoke, a complex, three-dimensional model of Runes materialized in his palm.

"This Core Witchcraft is a passively-activated modification."

"Its effects are divided into three parts."

"First, mental protection. After inscription, your mind will be protected by a barrier of rationality. Most forms of mind control, emotional influence, and hypnotic suggestion will be ineffective against you. At the same time, you will be able to actively refuse any probing of your Spiritual Power. Your Sea of Consciousness will become the most impenetrable fortress."

"Second, superior precision."

Mercer’s mechanical arm rose, its five metal fingers making a grasping motion in the air.

"Your Magic Power output and the precision of your Spiritual Power control will increase dramatically. This includes the ’Craftsman’s Hand’ you drive with your Spiritual Power. You will be able to perform subtle operations with ultra-high precision. Your hands will be comparable to the most sophisticated instruments in this world."

"Third, emotional stability."

"Your thoughts will become clearer, more organized, more rational, and more logical. In the future, when you need to simultaneously control thousands of Golem units, it will greatly reduce the strain on your mind. You will not be affected by your emotions, physical fatigue, or any external factors."

"No matter how grievously your physical body is wounded, even if your heart is pierced, you will still be able to command your Golem Legion with the most stable mental link in the final second before your death."

Setting aside the mental protection, only a true Alchemy Wizard could understand the weight of absolute stability and superior precision.

It meant an extremely high success rate for experiments, the most perfect Rune inscriptions, and the ability to process vast amounts of real-time data with ease.

"It sounds perfect, doesn’t it?"

Mercer’s voice suddenly carried an indescribable undertone.

"But everything has a price."

"After you begin inscribing the [Mechanical Mind Modification Technique], your emotions will be weakened and suppressed. Joy, anger, sorrow, delight... these are all unstable variables, noise that must be filtered out for precision work and for the battlefield."

"You might become colder, more rational. You will subconsciously perform a cost-benefit analysis for everything, including life itself. You will find that solving problems with pure logic is so efficient that you will become addicted to it, gradually forgetting how to think like a ’human’."

Only the master’s voice echoed in the office.

Allen fell silent, the joy from his project’s approval completely gone.

He had long anticipated this day would come.

Embarking on the path of a Wizard, the pursuit of transcendent power, was in itself a process of climbing ever upward, constantly moving away from the form of a ’human’.

The Bloodline School transformed themselves into monsters, the Mind School became lost in the ocean of consciousness, and the Witchcraft School assimilated with cold, hard rules.

’And the Alchemy school I chose, the Macro-Construction and Domination Branch... is its final destination to turn myself into a perfect ’system’ as well?’

He remembered his past life.

In that world, law, morality, and public opinion formed a bottom line called "humanity," where the right to life was paramount.

But in this world, a soul was an industrial raw material with a clearly marked price.

Before, he could still view all of this with the calm perspective of an "outsider," even taking advantage of these rules.

But when this "modification" was about to befall him, a sense of resistance from the depths of his soul inevitably surfaced.

It wasn’t fear, but a sense of... absurdity.

’I’m about to personally delete a part of myself. Will the first thing to go be my own emotions?’

"Remember, Allen."

Mercer’s voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

"Witchcraft is a tool. You are the one who wields it. You can use the [Mechanical Mind] to think, but you cannot let it think for you."

"Many people become completely addicted after experiencing that state of absolute rationality and hyper-efficiency. They fundamentally change the way they live and interact with others, eventually becoming no different from the cold Golems they create."

"You must find a way to always maintain your humanity. That is your foundation as a ’designer’ and a ’ruler’. Otherwise, you will ultimately be no different from those High-Level Golems."

After speaking, Master Mercer said no more. He just watched him quietly, awaiting his choice.

Allen closed his eyes, as if sinking into the deep sea.

A long time passed...

He opened his eyes. All the complex emotions had faded from his deep blue irises, leaving only a calmness that was almost transparent.

"I understand, Master," he said.

"I came here to seek the truth. If I don’t even have the courage to change myself, then everything else is just empty talk."

He was not a sentimental person.

He was tired of mediocrity. He yearned to control his own destiny. He wanted to stand on a higher plane, to design and create an order that was his own.

If humanity was the toll he had to pay to walk this path, then...

He would pay it.

"Very good."

Mercer’s Golem nodded.

"Open your Sea of Consciousness."

Allen didn’t hesitate, completely lowering his mental defenses.

The next second, Mercer’s mechanical arm rose, its palm glowing with an ethereal blue light.

An incomparably complex and magnificent three-dimensional Witchcraft model, composed of countless points of light and lines, was forcibly branded into the center of his Sea of Consciousness.

Every Rune, every node, every Energy Circuit, radiated the light of rationality and order.

When that wave of Spiritual Power receded, Allen’s body swayed.

"I have given you the model."

Mercer’s voice rang in his ears.

"Go back. Complete the inscription of the final Will Runes, and then, integrate the [Mechanical Mind] completely into your soul."

"When you stand before me again, I expect to see an official First-level Wizard."

"Yes, Master."

Allen bowed slightly, performing a standard apprentice’s salute.

He turned and walked out of the office.