The Limits of the Flesh

"Camille will be very busy these next few days. She has too much to handle after returning, and Piltover will not hastily start a war. You still have time."

In the basement of the Noxus Embassy, Ryan faced Viktor. More than a dozen Hex Primal Crystals were neatly arranged on the table.

"I understand, my lord. The information has already been passed to Silco. He is more skilled in this area than I am." Viktor nodded seriously.

A day had passed since the Council ended. Everyone was still absorbed in the Ferros Clan's return to its Council seat. Preparations for war had been concealed, and only a few involved parties knew of them.

Camille had already taken command of the Enforcers and was drilling them thoroughly, lest those recruits, who had not fired their guns in a long time, accidentally discharged them.

Ryan picked up a Primal Gemstone with his right hand, rubbed it briefly, then set it down. His expression was solemn.

"Before I explain Machine Ascension to you, I need to make sure you understand some basic knowledge about Runeterra. How much do you know about the limits a human body can reach?"

"The limits of the flesh... Test subjects injected with Shimmer can bend steel with their bare hands. They say General Darius of Noxus is impervious to blades and spears." Viktor frowned.

"General Darius's physique is far stronger than you imagine. Even if four advanced turrets struck him at once after locking onto him, they would still be unable to inflict a fatal wound." A trace of amusement hung on Ryan's face.

Compared to Darius, the knife-wielding girl from Ionia left a deeper impression on him. He and the Commander had nearly failed to defeat her even when fighting together.

The Commander had even lost an arm. Although she had been carrying some mysterious external power from Ionia at the time, she truly defied all reason. Even magic could not break through her defenses.

"How is that possible?!"

Viktor cried out in shock. The Darius Ryan described had surpassed his understanding of humanity.

At least in his eyes, only mages capable of using magic could withstand advanced turrets. That was the fundamental reason he was willing to abandon his flesh.

"Do not think of humans as so frail. Remember the five paths I told you about before." Ryan warned, then added, "To give you an idea of your mechanical body, I'll use someone you know as an example. Let me think of who would be suitable."

Ryan pondered for a few seconds, then smiled.

"Let us use the eldest daughter of the Kiramman family. Miss Caitlyn is a standard Piltover Enforcer model."

Viktor nodded. He did not care whose strength served as the benchmark. He only wanted to learn more about this world.

"Let's talk about someone stronger than her. Jayce Talis, your most familiar partner. His physique is nearly comparable to that of an elite Noxus soldier, roughly three to five times Caitlyn's."

"His family has made hammers for generations. He practiced forging from childhood, and I have seen his strength and muscles."

Viktor nodded in agreement. He was not surprised that Jayce was only comparable to an elite soldier.

Jayce was a scientist who fought using technology, and Piltover could not possibly compare to Noxus, the strongest nation in the world today. If Jayce could truly rival a Noxus general, that would have been unbelievable.

"He is still growing. If he uses Augmentation Technology or uses Hextech over a long period, it will gradually strengthen his physique and bring his power closer to Camille's."

"Councilor Camille's lower body consists of metal prosthetic legs. I cannot see what material they are made from." Viktor sighed.

"Every breakthrough in her body was the culmination of all of Piltover at the time. Back then, the Ferros Clan was Piltover's sky."

Ryan did not want Viktor to dwell on the matter and merely encouraged him. "If Zaun can truly become an independent city recognized by every nation in the future, you will also have the resources to pursue such things."

"Alright, back to the point. A level like Camille's is called Hero-tier in Runeterra. Excluding her legs, her physique is at least thirty times Caitlyn's, perhaps even greater." Ryan made the comparison.

"Then you must be one of them, Lord Ryan."

Viktor exclaimed in amazement, his expression carrying a certain longing, as though he had found a small goal for himself.

Ryan shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.

"Mages differ from warriors. I am not as strong as you imagine. I was born with an affinity for water magic, so I am merely a support mage. Besides, my physique is very poor. Possessing magic inevitably comes at some price."

Viktor looked strangely at his self-deprecating superior, not believing him in the slightest. This was the mage who had slaughtered his way in and out of Ionia seven times.

The more Ryan said this, the more unfathomable and inscrutable Viktor found him.

"Enough of that. That is roughly all the basic information. As for certain heroes from Ionia, General Darius, Garen of Demacia, and others at an even higher level, you should not come into contact with them too early. For your first step, simply set your goal at Hero-tier."

There was one thing Ryan did not say: Camille was fairly ordinary without those legs, but with them, she was no weaker than those figures at a higher level.

However, he believed in Viktor. This was also a kind of test he had given him.

"I understand, Lord Ryan. By Hero-tier standards, how many Hex Crystals should form the core?"

Viktor's gaze swept over the Hex Primal Crystals covering the table, their blue light reflected in his eyes.

He understood Ryan's meaning. He was being told not to aim too high, but neither should he belittle himself.

Under this lord's guidance, he would at least have a chance of evolving to Hero-tier.

"For the most basic Hero-tier, around three should be enough. But there is a problem now." Ryan looked at Viktor with a grave expression.

"Please tell me."

"Your soul cannot withstand that power all at once. Even a single one would be dangerous," Ryan said.

Under normal circumstances, Machine Ascension should have meant merging one's consciousness with machinery. But under the laws of Runeterra, consciousness was fused with the soul, and certain runes could manipulate souls.

Ryan was not a master of souls, but the Immortal Bastion had the greatest number of books on souls, and he had encountered quite a few.

Even so, he could only preside over the transfer. Once the process began, the outcome would be irreversible.

"I am only an ordinary person. Naturally, I cannot withstand the power of the crystals, which is why I developed this."

With a smile on his lips, Viktor took a Hex Gemstone wrapped in runes from his backpack.

"By merging it into my body to replace my heart, once I regain consciousness, my mind will be able to withstand the power of one core."

"Your method is too primitive, and it is filled with the element of a gamble. Have you successfully tested it on any subjects?" Ryan made no effort to hide his disapproval.

"I have not conducted human trials, and it has failed in other organisms as well. But I have calculated it. This is the method with the greatest probability of success." Viktor tightened his grip on the gemstone.

Ryan's brow furrowed deeply as he rebuked him. "Mr. Viktor, your life no longer belongs to you alone. You are no longer the person who needs to gamble with his life."

"..."

Viktor lowered his head, but his gaze remained resolute.

That's right. He no longer needed to gamble because of his body. But Machine Ascension itself was a gamble.

He also wanted to develop steadily, but he understood even more clearly that steady progress meant merely mechanizing his body. At best, that would only grant him a physique five to ten times stronger than Caitlyn's, and it would not strengthen his soul. That was not the outcome he wanted.

Seeing Viktor's expression, Ryan was the one who sighed first.

"Ah, since your mind is made up, I have an idea. Miss Katarina, bring that barrel of potion over."