Flesh Nest

Compared to the Lord of Myriad Flesh's nearly infinite Flesh Dimension, Isaac's one-hundred-cubic-meter space did not even count as a fragment. It was only because of the Legendary Ritual that this patch of void had seized a trace of the Flesh Dimension's essence, barely qualifying as a Dimensional Seed.

With sufficient resources invested, it might one day become a true dimension!

Of course, no one was really aiming for that. The resources it required were a veritable sea!

The Dimensional Seed had two real uses. First, it could provide a brief period of Infinite Mana once per day! The duration of that Infinite Mana varied according to the size of the dimension.

Second, a seed was a seed—it could naturally grow. Once it had grown to a certain point, it could be harvested for a Dimension Fruit. This was a resource for trading with Demon Gods; it could replace many of the sacrifices required for rituals while also avoiding ritual risks.

As Isaac's connection to the Dimensional Seed grew stronger, a faint red glow spread from the depths of his soul. Before long, a red gemstone condensed before his chest. This was the Anchor between the Dimensional Seed and the present world.

Whether harvesting Dimension Fruit or using Infinite Mana, both required the participation of this gemstone.

And beyond those two universal abilities of a Dimensional Seed, as a seed separated from the Lord of Myriad Flesh's Flesh Dimension, it could also produce ten kilograms of first-rank Demonized Flesh Essence every day, or waive the spell materials for one Flesh Spell.

This effect would improve as the dimension grew.

But it was still pie in the sky. A dimension required far too many resources to grow. How many Demon Gods would he have to fleece...

Just thinking about it made Isaac shake his head. With that much effort, he could pour it all into improving himself; he might not end up any worse than a genuine Demon God. Why take such a huge detour?~

He tucked the glowing ruby into his pocket. When he had time, he would make a necklace like the one that held the Time Stone in Doctor Strange—easy to carry and low-key, too.

Isaac soon left the basement. Though it was already late, he had no intention of resting. Instead, he headed outside. Right now, he could not sleep at all!

Arriving at the laboratory, Isaac swept all the manuscript paper from his desk aside and placed the Spellbook altered by the Lord of Myriad Flesh on the tabletop.

The originally unremarkable brown notebook had become a Spellbook that looked evil at a glance after the Lord of Myriad Flesh's alterations!

At the center of the book's cover was a tightly shut eye. The moment one's gaze fell upon the Spellbook, the eye would snap open, revealing a scarlet blood-eye within.

Above the blood-eye was the book's title, written in Demon God Language.

Isaac glanced at it once and quickly looked away. Like Elven and draconic, Demon God Language was a language imbued with power—and it was even more sinister than either of those two.

Unlike those languages, which required interpretation, even the most complicated written Demon God Language could be understood at a single glance. And simply speaking it aloud produced mysterious effects, making it exceedingly convenient.

So what was the price?

Every use of Demon God Language would mark its user with the corresponding Demon God. Slowly, they would be eroded by the Demon God's power until they ultimately became nothing more than the Demon God's plaything!

Isaac knew full well how dangerous it was. He was not so confident as to believe himself immune to the side effects of Demon God Language, so without even looking, he directly opened <Preliminary Research on the Goblin Nest: Flesh Nest>.

Upon opening the Spellbook, strings of profound magical text filled his vision. Compared to the bizarre Demon God Language, the magical language created by wizards lacked some of its seductive power, yet the contents of the book drew Isaac in so completely that he became intoxicated by them.

Only after a long while did Isaac come back to himself from the Spellbook. He slowly raised his head, his face full of sudden realization. So it was that simple...

"Riiip~"

As Isaac reached this realization, Demon Claw emerged from the back of his neck. Faint mana flowed, and a blank Spellbook appeared. The contents of <Preliminary Research on the Goblin Nest: Flesh Nest> were replicated within it exactly, word for word.

With that, Isaac's Innate Sorcery officially completed its upgrade!

It had changed from Flesh Conversion into Flesh Nest!

Flesh Nest was a territorial spell, but it differed somewhat from territorial spells like Beast Rearing Ground. Once deployed, Flesh Nest could be moved. After its deployment was complete, it could be transformed into a Flesh Gem and carried around.

However, while in that state, all functions of the Flesh Nest would be suspended. It could only be used again after being unsealed.

And unsealing it was equivalent to casting Flesh Nest anew.

Even so, its practicality had increased enormously!

Compared with Flesh Conversion, Flesh Nest possessed one immense advantage: it could condense Flesh Embryos in advance. When needed, they would take shape within one or two seconds and join the battle.

In other words, it gave him the ability to mass-produce troops.

Moreover, Flesh Nest required somewhat less Demonized Flesh Essence. As a variant of the Goblin Nest, although it lacked the Goblin Nest's ability to draw mana from unknown beings, it could still absorb mana from the air.

Besides, he had the Dimensional Seed's Infinite Mana. If he planned its uses properly, he could raise an army in minutes!

At this point, Isaac's combat system had taken preliminary shape. The Basic Three Arcana would provide shields, movement, harassment, and survival; then he could leave the rest to the army of the Flesh Nest!

At the same time, he had received an unexpected bonus. After this ritual ended and he absorbed a great deal of knowledge, his Mana Fluctuation Period had completely ended.

That meant he could begin preparing for his first advancement ritual to become a Formal Wizard. Once the ritual was complete, both his mana and Mental Power would increase to a certain degree. Some especially unusual advancement rituals could even grant additional bonuses.

The only pity was that he currently had no advancement rituals at all, whether universal or specialized.

And he had nearly spent all the money in his hands. He would have to wait until the Dragon Lizards and Demon Rats arrived before seeing what the specific situation was.

"Ahh~ Money~" With a long sigh, Isaac shook his head and bent over his desk once more to continue researching Flesh Nest.

Innate Sorcery could only let him cast sorcery conveniently and quickly; it could not make him thoroughly understand its principles. If he wanted to develop it further, he would need more research.

Knowledge was the root of all a wizard's power!

At dawn, a beam of sunlight fell into the room, driving the darkness from the laboratory. Isaac gradually emerged from his Magic Research as well.

Yet the instant Isaac raised his head, his pupils suddenly constricted!

A strange Spellbook had appeared on his desk!

Three words were written on the Spellbook's cover: [Mad Sorcerer Association]!

Isaac stared at the Spellbook on his desk, his brow tightly furrowed. He had not slept at all last night. Though most of his attention had been focused on Magic Research, it was not as if he could fail to notice an extra Spellbook appearing.

After hesitating again and again, Isaac slowly reached toward [Mad Sorcerer Association]. The book's arrival was exceedingly strange, but it probably bore him no ill will. Otherwise, if the person behind it could place it on his desk without a sound, they could also kill Isaac without a sound...

He might become someone else's chess piece, but he had no right to choose at the moment. If it truly was a scheme, then rather than passively stepping into the game, he might as well take the initiative!