Evolution:The Bloodthirsty Saga of the Magic Engineer-Chapter 38: Mary

As I observed the progress of the holograms in the virtual lab, I realized my patience was starting to wear thin. The incessant cycle 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 possible variables and finding ways to bypass them with maximum efficiency."]

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

The lab’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 annoying they are."

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

["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, seated in my chair.

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

"Growwlll~~"

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

I rose from my chair and walked to the door of my room. When I turned the knob, I heard the characteristic "click" sound and then pushed the door open, stepping into the silent corridor illuminated by the soft glow of small light bubbles—or whatever they 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 doorknob turning, but this time it came from the room directly across from mine.

As 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 unreal. Her skin was white as porcelain, and her large, bright eyes had an unsettling depth, almost as if she had been designed to both charm and unsettle. Her hair, in impeccable blue curls, looked hand-painted, and in her delicate hands, she held a small teddy bear.

For a moment, I stood still, frowning in confusion. It was impossible not to feel that something was… off. But before I could think further about it, she flashed 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 slightly mechanical about her tone, something I couldn’t immediately pinpoint.

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. Without hesitation, I took her hand and lightly kissed it, as if 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 see you come from a noble and well-educated family." Her tone was full of admiration, but her smile carried a hint of mischief.

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

She tilted her head slightly, holding the bear with both hands and gently rocking it from side to side. There was something curious in her gaze, as if she already knew what I was about 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 free from a mage."

Those last words hit 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 profound melancholy.

"Some professors here in this tower, when they lack test subjects for their experiments, seek out random students in the tower and offer things students usually need, like magic crystals or potions… But in exchange, they ask for collaboration in an experiment. Of course, they hide the truth to some extent so as not to scare the student."

My thoughts couldn’t help but brim with arrogance. "Well… that’s not my problem. Unlike those losers, I’m destined for greatness." I smiled inwardly, already certain that I would never fall for such an obvious trap, but to maintain appearances, I nodded as if I deeply understood.

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

Upon hearing my question, Mary’s expression softened, and she seemed happy to help. "It’s late now, and I was just about to head there myself. Shall we go together?"

"Of course, no problem," I replied, closing the door to my room and slipping the key into the inner pocket of my robe.

She took the lead, her small, almost silent footsteps echoing softly in the corridor. As we walked, Mary began to talk, as if to fill the silence. "Luckily, we can eat as much as we want here. 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 caught my 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 fees and choosing my professor."

Mary turned to me, surprised. "I just arrived recently too, about ten days ago, but since I didn’t have any crystals, I was assigned randomly…" Her tone grew bitter for a moment, but she quickly smiled again, as if pushing away unpleasant 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 answering. "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 magical engineer?"

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

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

Mary sighed and crossed her arms. "Not only is it extremely hard, but your professor will definitely send you to attend public classes involving engineering mastery. If you don’t have a good memory and strong deductive abilities, you’ll be lost. Besides, studying engineering requires a massive amount of resources and ingredients. People who don’t come from wealthy families rarely choose this path!"

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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, you’ll become a rich Acolyte… After all, everyone wants a mechanical arm, a golem, a balloon, a motorized bow and arrow, or things like that."

Since I had entered Miguel’s lab earlier, I had already envisioned such a scenario. Fortunately, I have my digital lab.

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1685 words

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