Episode 8. An Unprecedented Acquisition (3)
[You have obtained the unprecedented "Mana Circle Slot" in history.]
A message flooded his vision like blinding radiance.
It was a signpost announcing that the gamble he had taken with his life had succeeded. At the same time, it was a victory report proclaiming that, as a result, he had gained an unexpected and enormous reward.
'Mana Circle Slot?'
What in the world was that supposed to be?
Rakiel fixed his gaze on the messages that continued to appear.
[Your Mana Circle, in the process of being forcibly torn apart and expanded according to the user's will, has come to possess a kind of empty space—a void.]
[This void has evolved into a storage space capable of containing matter and mana: a slot.]
[You will equip one slot per circle.]
[The slot's storage capacity increases as the circle's level rises.]
[Slots can be filled through the act of ingestion via the mouth.]
['Slot No. 1' has been unlocked.]
[Slot No. 1 is empty.]
[Slot No. 1 maximum capacity: 10 liters]
[Slot No. 1 current stored volume: 0 liters]
"...."
After reading the messages, Rakiel tilted his head in confusion.
A storage space?
A slot?
And the capacity was 10 liters?
'Is it like a game inventory or item slot?'
Games he used to enjoy now and then came to mind. Thinking about the inventory systems in those games, he could roughly grasp the meaning of the message.
'So, literally, an inventory got added to my circle?'
That was what it boiled down to.
A space capable of storing as much as ten liters by eating things had appeared. When he thought about it that way, countless possible applications began to surface.
'This might actually be…'
Perhaps he had gained something with far greater potential than he had expected. For example, inside this Mana Circle slot—
That was when it happened.
"Um, Your Highness?"
A trembling, cautious voice reached his ears. Following the pull of his cochlea, Rakiel turned his head in that direction.
There stood Sir Gardin. He looked as though he were on the verge of tears.
As if he were worried that something might be wrong here.
That nothing bad had happened.
He wore the expression and gaze of someone who had just dropped a brand-new smartphone onto a tiled floor.
In that case, he should reassure him that the phone was unharmed, right? Rakiel deliberately put on a faint smile.
"Yeah. What is it?"
"Um, are you all right, Your Highness?"
"Don't I look it?"
"Well, earlier you were in tremendous pain…"
"My throat just got blocked for a moment."
"Your throat… you say?"
"Yeah."
Casually.
So as not to worry him.
"I drank the herbal decoction too hastily. It went down the wrong way."
"You choked on it?"
"Yeah. Didn't it look like that?"
"No. It didn't look like that at all."
"Well, can't be helped then."
"Um, but Your Highness."
"Why do you keep saying 'but'?"
"You clearly looked to be in a very critical condition."
"It's fine. You can see it, can't you? I'm perfectly fine."
"But..."
Sir Gardin finally trailed off. His gaze was fixed on the empty cup.
The cup that had held the Ma-hwang Buja Sesin-tang.
Was he blaming himself? Thinking that he should have drunk it first instead?
'Phew. No need for this again.'
Rakiel let out a small chuckle.
"Enough. It was good stuff, that's why I drank it first. If it had been even a little suspicious, do you think I'd have gulped it down? So relax. If something's truly dangerous, I'll force-feed it to you even if you refuse."
"...What?"
"Refusing won't help. I'll pry your mouth open, stick in a funnel, and pour it right in."
"...Whaaat?"
"I hope that when the time comes, you'll still be as loyal as you are now."
"...."
"If you understand, clean up here. I'm going to head up to the bedroom and rest for a bit. Ah, and—"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"Yeees?"
"If you didn't catch that, forget it."
…Did I say that for nothing?
Rakiel hurriedly left the kitchen.
Back in the bedroom, he sank into thought.
The mana circle slot he had obtained today.
He mulled over ways to use it and the possibilities it held.
'They said the storage capacity is ten liters. As long as it's within that limit, I can store substances mixed with mana.'
But then—how did you fill it?
'By ingestion. They said I could fill it by eating—or drinking.'
The message he'd seen earlier had definitely said that.
'Then… let's start by testing whether it really works.'
The experiment itself was simple.
If he ate or drank something, he'd know.
A thought occurred to him, and Rakiel glanced around the bedroom. Something suitable for a test caught his eye: a large crystal bottle filled with water.
'Water's perfect for an experiment like this.'
It was easy to obtain, not unpleasant or burdensome to consume, and safe even in large quantities due to its high LD50. Water fit all the criteria.
'LD50—that's important. Especially at a moment like this, when I might have to consume a lot.'
LD50, the median lethal dose.
It referred to the amount of a substance that would cause death in 50% of test subjects when testing toxicity.
'There's also the concept of LD100, the absolute lethal dose, but that's actually less accurate. Even if two people ingest the same poison, differences in constitution mean the lethal amount can vary.'
So if you only dealt with substances in terms of LD100?
You might think, "One liter kills you, so 800 milliliters is safe," and then—depending on your body—you could still drop dead on the spot.
That was why LD50 was used instead.
'Basically, it's saying: around this amount, you've got a 50% chance of dying. Even if you survive, you'll at least suffer like hell, end up brain-dead, or half-crippled—so be careful.'
In other words, it was the amount where, if you were lucky, you'd end up in the ER or ICU. If unlucky? Same-day delivery to the morgue, high-fiving the King of the Underworld.
Naturally, every substance had an LD50.
Even plain water.
For a person weighing 60 kilograms, the LD50 of water was about 5.4 liters—roughly 90 grams of water per kilogram of body weight.
'So if I calculate the LD50 of water based on my current weight… it's about 3.9 liters.'
Rakiel sized up the crystal water bottle by eye.
A rough estimate told him…
'Looks about the size of a two-liter PET bottle. Perfect. That'll do.'
Even if he drank all of it, it didn't seem like it would cause any problems. Reassured, Rakiel picked up the bottle.
Feeling his arms tremble.
He brought it to his lips.
Slowly tilted it.
'Seriously, my arms are shaking just from holding this. What kind of trash-tier stamina is this body?'
Grumbling to himself, he still made sure not to spill a single drop.
Gulp, gulp!
Cool water flowed down his throat.
At that moment, Rakiel activated a faint, subtle mental technique. As if issuing a command, he directed his thoughts toward the mana circle.
'I want to store the water I'm drinking right now in the slot.'
The circle responded immediately.
Kiiiiing—!
The circle began spinning briskly. A suction force emerged from the rotating energy. It even started pulling the water that was sliding down his esophagus into his stomach.
"Whoa? Whoa whoa?"
It was a truly strange experience.
He was gulping down water by the bottle, not even taking a breath, drinking like a servant. His esophagus rippled as the water traveled down. Yet none of it seemed to reach his stomach.
"All the water is being absorbed by the circle. It's real. The message was true."
Thunk.
Before he knew it, the water bottle was empty. He had just chugged about two liters in one go. Yet he didn't feel the slightest fullness in his stomach.
It was fascinating.
He felt like a water-drinking hippo.
He wanted to try more.
Raxiel licked his lips and left the bedroom. He looked around the other rooms connected by the hallway, and in what looked like the living room, he found more water bottles.
Just four of them.
"Perfect. Let's finish the remaining eight liters."
Since he had already started the experiment, he was determined to see it through.
Raxiel picked up a water bottle and began chugging without hesitation.
Two liters. Then another two liters.
Drink, drink, drink.
He felt no fullness at all, and could clearly feel no adverse effect on his body. He had just chugged a total of eight more liters.
"...Ugh."
Honestly, he felt a little proud. How often in life would one ever chug ten liters of water at once?
"If it were normal… I'd probably be dead by now. Half-lethal dose or not, I'd have burst my stomach."
His mind drifted back to his days in the military.
Where he had been, there was a tradition during promotions: making soldiers drink massive amounts of water. At least three liters in a jug, down in one go—a cruel custom.
Of course, nobody ever managed it. Most people would only manage about a liter before the taste of water became unbearable, then dash to the bathroom to vomit a torrent like Niagara Falls.
He had been no exception.
"Phew… but now it's different. Ten liters, and I feel no burden at all. My stomach isn't full, and my stomach hasn't even filled up."
The ten liters he had just drunk were all stored in the circle's slot.
"Then it's time to move on to the next phase of the experiment."
He returned to his bedroom, as if nothing had happened, and went to sleep. The next day, he didn't drink a drop of water all day. Instead, he slowly learned how to make use of the circle's slot.
"When I feel thirsty… like this."
Screeeech…
He slowly spun the circle.
Almost immediately, it responded.
Ding-dong!
[Water stored in the circle slot is released into the body.]
[Please set the release amount.]
"0.1 liters."
[0.1 liters of water will be released into the body.]
[Slot 1 current storage: 9.9 liters]
Whiiirrr-!
The circle spun in reverse. The water stored in the slot was released into his body along the mana channels, traveling through his blood vessels and delivered directly to his cells.
Immediately, the thirst vanished.
"Whoa… like a camel. A human camel."
Could this be what camels feel like when they store water and nutrients to cross the desert?
From then on, whenever he felt thirsty, he used the circle slot. Thanks to it, he never suffered from thirst even without drinking a drop of water all day.
Meanwhile, he gradually learned more about the nature of the circle slot. For example, he could not mix multiple types of food or substances in it.
"If it's water, only water. If it's rice, only rice. Seems like one menu per slot. Ugh… how do I empty a slot all at once?"
Midnight arrived again.
In the quiet of his bedroom, he was deep in thought.
"Now that I know how to fill and use the slot, I want to try putting medicinal decoctions in it. But how do I empty the slot?"
He couldn't release all the water into his body at once. The amount was far too great.
"There's still 8.5 liters left. If I poured it all in my body at once, instant death."
That meant he would have to slowly consume it over time—or somehow release it all at once outside his body.
"..."
Then an idea struck him. It was a property of the Asrahan Martial Technique, mentioned in the novel The Sword Emperor.
"It specializes in mana absorption, amplification, and release."
Then, in this case…?
"Amplification and release. Maybe it's possible if I use that trait. Yeah, let's try."
He rose to his feet.
He stretched one hand forward.
And focused his mind.
He activated the Asrahan Martial Technique.
Screeeech…
The circle responded immediately.
It spun in reverse. The remaining water in the slot began to condense. He intended to release it all at once outside his body.
At that moment—
Kiiiiiing-!
The reverse rotation of the circle accelerated violently.
The mana contained within the circle surged. The 8.5 liters stored in the slot resonated with the mana. As they resonated, they were amplified, mixing with the mana.
[Stored substances in the circle slot are being amplified.]
[8.5 liters of stored water will be released.]
They were amplified, condensed.
Condensed, and along the circle's rapid rotation, surged through his heart and blood vessels.
Fwoooosh—!
The condensed sphere of 8.5 liters exploded outward. The crystal bottle it was aimed at was shattered instantly.