Wizard: Unlimited Profession Slots Chapter 726 - 337: Seeking Heart

Ron kept his gaze locked on the reflective surface of the star, his Spiritual Power extending cautiously like a fine needle to probe its boundaries.

Abruptly, the surface began to tremble, much like a still lake disrupted by a sudden pebble.

This ripples, however, lacked consistency; they mimicked the erratic pulsations of archaic, malfunctioning machinery.

A chaotic cascade of fragmented consciousness washed over him—not a coherent thought, but a montage of memories salvaged from the depths of time:

Seeking... the price... the truth... flesh and blood...

Boundless yearning... the curse of forbidden knowledge...

Observation... recording... witnessing...

These shards of awareness crashed into Ron’s spirit like a relentless tide, each carrying distinct emotional echoes.

Some originated from ancient observers, others from seekers who had been consumed, and the rest from souls irrevocably lost in the pursuit of absolute truth.

This so-called "Scholar Star" functioned essentially as a vast archival tomb, a repository for the remnants of every consciousness that had dared to touch it throughout the millennia.

Even now, it was methodically funneling these key memory fragments into Ron, calibrating them to align with his own cognitive framework.

A vivid, crystal-clear scene began to materialize.

Ron suddenly found himself standing within a pristine, sterile laboratory.

The walls were constructed from pure white stone, and a subtle, refreshing aroma of herbs permeated the air.

It felt far more like a peaceful clinic than a sinister den of experimentation.

In the center of this space, a tall, middle-aged man sat, scrutinizing his right arm with clinical detachment.

This was Alexander King, the legendary figure revered as the "Merciful Alchemist."

"This is the seventy-third attempt today," Alexander noted calmly to his reflection, his voice devoid of any sign of agony, colored only by the intense focus common to great scholars: "While neural conduction efficiency in the right arm has surged by twelve percent, muscle fiber reactivity has begun to waver. I must adjust the Potion ratio once more."

Ron observed as Alexander’s skin on his right arm turned unnaturally translucent, revealing a pale blue fluid coursing through his veins.

Every slight flicker of his fingers caused his internal Energy Circuits to pulse with visible, luminous light.

"Suffering is the necessary toll for advancement," Alexander murmured, pulling a syringe filled with a vibrant green liquid. Without a moment of hesitation, he drove the needle into his carotid artery: "If this path can finally be proven feasible, what does individual pain matter?"

As the injection took hold, Alexander’s very skull began a gruesome metamorphosis.

His skin turned diaphanous, exposing the intricate workings of his brain encased within the bone.

Even more horrifying, regions of his brain had been exchanged for miniaturized Alchemy Devices, their metal tendrils burrowing deep into his neural tissues like parasitic vines.

Witnessing this, Ron was seized by an irrepressible wave of nausea and primal terror.

It was the biological reaction to the perversion of one's own form, a protective reflex encoded deep within his very genes.

Yet, he forced himself to watch, attempting to dissect the mechanics of this transformation through a purely academic lens: "The mechanization of the living nervous system... such precision implies a breakthrough never before seen in this era. While the cost is truly grotesque, the technological mastery is undeniably breathtaking."

The vision blurred, time accelerating as decades passed until he saw the same laboratory, now aged and worn.

Alexander was no longer recognizable as a human being.

His entire physique had faded into total translucence, his internal organs replaced by a complex array of pulsating Alchemy devices.

Most chilling of all was the fact that he retained full, conscious intent.

"Success... absolutely a triumph..." His voice had shifted into a bizarre, discordant synthesis of mechanical whirring and biological breath: "I have become a living Alchemy Factory... capable of synthesizing any Potion I have ever mastered... along with complex Enchantments and various Alchemy creations. This represents the pinnacle of Alchemy itself..."

Ron noted that even while Alexander celebrated this "achievement," his eyes remained dead, completely vacant of the emotional spark that defines a human being.

That hollow stare resembled nothing more than an overly complicated machine mimicking human affect.

"In terms of the objective, he succeeded, but from the perspective of Alexander himself, this is a total tragedy," Ron concluded silently: "Still, the fundamental technology behind this form of self-modification warrants deep study. If the degree of alteration could be moderated to prevent the total loss of humanity..."

The memories fractured and shifted once more, the next scene dealing a heavy blow to Ron’s mental fortitude.

He stood inside the private laboratory of Lance Heivet.

Contrary to the dark, abominable portrayals found in history books, the room appeared remarkably orderly.

Exquisite fine art decorated the walls, vases of fresh flowers adorned the desk, and a melody played softly in the background.

Yet, this atmosphere of warmth only made the impending nightmare feel all the more monstrous.

Lance was engaged in conversation with a young boy, perhaps ten years of age.

The child, his hair damp and curly, displayed scales and fine gills on his neck—he was clearly a hybrid of the Sea Siren folk.

The trust in his bright blue eyes as he looked toward this "uncle" was absolute.

"Tell me, little one, what are your dreams for the future?" Lance crouched low, his tone dripping with practiced, gentle concern.

"I want to be a sorcerer like my father, so I can defend our city and drive away the Abyss monsters," the boy replied with wide-eyed innocence, his face radiating hope.

"What a truly magnificent dream," Lance said, stroking the child’s hair with a tender touch: "You are going to help make that dream a reality for many children just like you. Your slumber will save countless lives, and you will become a true hero."