Time passed quickly.

Another eight full months of grueling training went by.

Allen lived like an ascetic, his daily life distilled to a simple, three-part routine: studying, meditating, and practicing newly learned Runes or experimenting with new designs in his workshop. He hadn’t left the academy grounds except for one trip to complete his annual mandatory mission.

"Hah..."

Allen slowly opened his eyes. Countless streams of light seemed to flash and fade in an instant within his deep blue pupils.

He picked up a bottle of High-Level Mental Recovery Potion from beside him and chugged it down like water.

This was already his twentieth bottle this month. Including his other training supplies and research materials, his monthly expenses exceeded 2,000 Magic Stones.

But as he gazed at the two fully completed, radiant Core Matrices in his Sea of Consciousness, and at the secondary processing thread that could now independently handle complex information, he felt it was all worth it.

"DSeek, progress report."

[Myriad Machines Resonance Meditation Method Progress:]

[1. Core Matrix: 72/72 (Both Core Matrices fully inscribed)]

[2. Processing Threads: 2/2 (Second thread activated)]

[3. Core Witchcraft: 2/3 (Awaiting inscription)]

’Finally... I’ve made it this far.’

The Core Matrix had now fully formed, and his current Meditation practice could advance no further.

The second processing thread had also been successfully split off a few months ago.

Right now, deep within his Sea of Consciousness, two threads were operating independently from his main consciousness, thinking and learning different subjects.

’Everything is ready. All I’m waiting for is the final piece.’

Only one final, mandatory condition stood between him and advancing to a First-level Wizard: inscribing the third Core Witchcraft.

The Mechanical Mind Modification Formula.

The words Master Mercer had spoken in his office several months ago still echoed clearly in Allen’s mind.

"You might become colder, more rational... and gradually forget how to think like a ’human.’"

"You must find a way to hold on to your humanity at all times. Otherwise, you’ll eventually be no different from one of those High-Level Golems."

Allen was not an indecisive person, but neither was he a reckless fool. He hadn’t immediately begun the inscription process after obtaining the third Core Witchcraft.

For the past eight months, besides his frenzied training, he had spent his free time preparing a fallback plan.

"DSeek, run final confirmation on the ’Humanity Anchor’ contingency plan."

[Emotion Monitoring Module operating normally. Mental state at the time of transmigration has been set as the anchor point. Current humanity value: 89%.]

[Core Logic: If emotional fluctuation levels drop rapidly or remain below the preset threshold for 72 consecutive hours, forcefully activate the Memory Corridor and play content from the designated media library.]

[Media library includes: "Classic Bad Movie Collection," "Internet Cringe Video Compilation"; warm and sad memories from his family and school life; taste memories like spicy malatang and home-cooked meals; the "holy shit" he uttered while working late into the night; the ecstasy of beating a game for the first time; and random clips from the hidden "Study Materials" folder...]

[Furthermore, the plan will lightly modulate the secretion of mood-affecting hormones such as dopamine, endorphins, cortisol, and androgens. As per your design, canceling this plan requires correctly and consecutively answering one thousand randomly generated emotional response questions and one thousand Turing test questions.]

The corner of Allen’s mouth twitched.

’This plan might sound a little foolish, but it’s the best way I could think of to fight absolute rationality.’

’Using extreme emotion and cringe to counter extreme logic.’

’If I can’t even muster an emotional response while watching footage of my own public humiliations, then I’m probably a lost cause.’

Another, more drastic measure was to allow DSeek to intervene and control his hormonal secretions.

In his past life, there was a saying that humans are slaves to their hormones.

That statement was too absolute. The difference between humans and other animals lies in unique, higher cognitive functions, like the rational decision-making of the prefrontal cortex, which can regulate, harness, and even transcend the immediate influence of hormones.

But undeniably, hormones do have a major impact on our behavior and emotions. This is especially prominent during pregnancy, something the Allen of a past life had suffered from dearly. Just thinking about it was enough to bring him to tears.

Controlling his own hormonal secretions, as long as the levels were managed properly, was undoubtedly a good way to regulate his emotions.

Of course, DSeek didn’t have such a powerful function on its own. This ability was a permission Allen had granted it. As his body was transformed by Magic Power and his brain’s processing power increased, Allen had already become capable of taking over some of his own subconscious functions.

’Alright then, time to begin the advancement.’

Allen took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let his consciousness sink completely into his Spiritual World.

There, two Core Matrices, each composed of seventy-two Will Runes, operated steadily, emitting a constant radiance.

Nearby, the Rune structures of the two processing threads had also fully formed, and for the moment, they had paused their data analysis and learning.

His entire Sea of Consciousness was perfectly ordered, like an intricate galaxy.

And today, a new star was about to be born in this galaxy—one that would change its entire ecosystem.

He carefully studied the Witchcraft model that Master Mercer had branded into his mind: the Mechanical Mind Modification Formula.

It was an indescribably complex three-dimensional structure composed of over a thousand nodes.

His Spiritual Power transformed into a microscopic scalpel and began to etch the structure in the center of his Sea of Consciousness, one stroke at a time.

This wasn’t a task; it was a sacrifice.

As the modification formula took shape, he felt his joy fading, his anger losing its heat, his sorrow becoming quantifiable.

His way of looking at problems was subtly shifting.

Workshop maintenance costs, the PX-1 mass production plan, next quarter’s Magic Stone revenue... this data became clearer than ever before. But when it came to the worries Vera had mentioned in their last conversation, the first thought that surfaced in his mind was, ’Non-critical information. Postpone processing.’

The process was eerily calm.

Until the very last Rune node was lit...

WHOOSH—

His entire Sea of Consciousness jolted violently!

The nascent Mechanical Mind Modification Formula Rune Matrix erupted with an unimaginable light, instantly illuminating every corner of his Spiritual World.

Then, as if on command, every module of the Myriad Machines Resonance Meditation Method activated!

The two Core Matrices began to spin at high speed, consuming and expelling vast amounts of Spiritual Power!

The Rune structures of the processing threads flared with light, their computational speed instantly shattering a critical threshold!

The six Permanent Sorcery Slots resonated in unison, forming a stable loop!

All the Runes, all the matrices, began to vibrate at the exact same frequency.

Allen felt his very soul deconstruct, only to be reassembled in a higher dimension.

An irresistible force pulled his consciousness upward, higher and higher, until it broke through an invisible barrier.

Shockwaves spread through his Sea of Consciousness like successive tsunamis crashing against a shore, expanding its boundaries.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The original "lake" was transformed by this tidal wave into a boundless "ocean."

His total Spiritual Power began to skyrocket at a terrifying rate, while Magic Power surged through his body, scouring every inch of his flesh and blood.

In the Meditation room, a powerful pressure began to radiate from Allen.

The air grew thick and viscous. The metal ornaments in the room began to hum faintly. On the floor, a fine layer of dust was swept up by an invisible force, forming tiny vortexes.

This was the unconscious interference of leaking Magic Power on the physical world, a side effect of a leap in one’s level of existence!

「An unknown amount of time passed.」

When everything settled, Allen slowly opened his eyes.

His face was a little pale, but his eyes were brighter than ever before.

His world, it seemed, had changed.

The hum of the surrounding instruments, the flow of Magic Elements in the air, the torrent of heat in the energy conduits... all of it manifested in his perception as clear, distinct data.

Disorganized noise was filtered out; all information was classified.

His thoughts moved with incredible speed.

He had but a single thought, and an analysis of his post-advancement condition, his future training regimen, a cost-optimization plan for the mass-produced PX-1, and even dozens of different strategies for maximizing his interest-free loan were all being processed simultaneously across his three thought threads.

Efficient. Precise. Powerful.

He felt for his emotions. There was no excitement, no joy.

There was only the calm of having completed an objective.

’So, this is what it means to be a First-level Wizard.’

Allen stood up and stretched his body.

The surging Magic Power within him gave him the illusion that he could easily crush steel.

He walked out of the Meditation room and into the spacious assembly area.

The massive PX-0 stood silently on the central platform like a steel Demon God.

In a corner, a dozen or so Spider Slayers were in standby mode. Ah Fu, dressed in a tuxedo, was leading six "Blessing" series Mechanical Bodies through their daily equipment maintenance and cleaning routines.

This was the kingdom he had built with his own two hands.

A single thought.

His consciousness spread out like a vast, invisible net, instantly enveloping the entire workshop.

His main consciousness commanded from the center. The first thread directly possessed the Control Core of PX-0, while the second thread simultaneously took over all the Spider Slayers. As for Ah Fu and the six "Blessings," they were effortlessly controlled by a small fraction of his main consciousness’s processing power.

In that moment, he was no longer their "master."

He *was* them.

"SHHNK—"

All activity in the workshop came to an instantaneous halt.

Blessing-Two, which had been wiping down a lathe, froze with its arm in midair.

Blessing-One, which had been moving materials, remained in a lifting posture.

Even the lights in PX-0’s eyes, which had been pulsing like a slow breath, switched to a steady, unwavering glow.

The next moment, every Mechanical Body, regardless of size or model, turned in perfect unison to face Allen.

The screech of metal on metal, a sound that set one’s teeth on edge, merged into an eerie symphony.

Then, a voice rang out from all directions.

The voice came from PX-0’s loudspeaker, from the Spider Slayers’ miniature audio emitters, and from Ah Fu’s elegant vocal chamber.

Countless synthesized tones converged into a single, cold torrent of sound that echoed throughout the massive workshop.

"Greetings, First-level Wizard Allen Wesren."