The Splitting of the Mind

As the wizard apprentice most skilled at competing against himself, Taylor used the abundant points he had accumulated to replenish a large amount of experimental equipment and materials, while also frantically absorbing rune knowledge, magical energy transmission knowledge, knowledge of magical element applications, and more from another plane.

Through constant study, experiments, and exchanges with several friends, Taylor spent over three years learning his fourth sorcery model: the Fire Serpent Sorcery born from his own specialized additions and modifications.

After Taylor's improvements, Fire Serpent Sorcery had a wider attack range. When it coiled around enemies, it could inflict continuous burns, and its power and temperature were greater than before.

Immediately afterward, Taylor spent nearly another four years constantly traveling between the Wizard Plane and the Zombie Plane, absorbing knowledge from both sides.

At the same time, he began learning basic Construct Puppet knowledge and combined it with the magical mechanical entities of the Zombie Plane, creating a simplified Apprentice Beggar-Version Construct Puppet in the Zombie Plane.

Although it was merely an Apprentice Beggar-Version Construct Puppet, its combat power was formidable. With its control over wind, fire, thunder, and lightning, along with its sturdy shell and massive magic ore power source, it could completely suppress seven or eight Elemental Golems and possessed the combat strength of a powerful Level 3 Wizard Apprentice.

Even magical beasts at the Level 3 Wizard Apprentice rank could not last ten moves before such a powerful Construct Puppet and would be slain.

Taylor had now outlined his fifth sorcery model in his mental space. The sorcery model he chose was Mild Mechanized Mind.

This was an auxiliary sorcery derived from mechanical wizards. Its function was to greatly enhance a wizard's focus during study or experiments and, when necessary, temporarily suppress emotions useless to learning and research, thereby improving the results of study and experimentation.

This sorcery was highly practical, but it brought immense mental pressure. After all, it required a great deal of mental power to cooperate with the sorcery, temporarily suppress emotions, and enhance other emotions at the same time.

After Taylor's modifications and study of relevant knowledge, he had reduced such side effects to a minimal level. He had also added two sorcery runes: one for enhancement and one for release. They could maximize the sorcery model's effects while relieving the mental pressure caused by its side effects.

However, one flaw caused by this was that after transferring and releasing the mental pressure, Taylor vaguely felt as though his mind had a tendency to split apart. Whenever he used Mild Mechanized Mind, the other emotions pouring out, mixed with some mental power, seemed to give birth to something extraordinary.

Taylor was certain that this sorcery had almost no effect on himself. After finishing his studies and experiments, he ate, drank, played, fed little Dom, and held his usual conversations with Taifas—even looking down on his chatterbox tendencies—all perfectly normally.

It was only during sorcery experiments or study that the mental power and emotions expelled by this sorcery made him seem to have developed symptoms of split personality.

How had researching a sorcery properly turned me into a lunatic?

In the wizard system, where mental power was the core, Taylor could sense the split personalities. Yet he did not eliminate the two personalities that had separated from him.

He felt that these two personalities might bring him surprises. At the very least, they could switch places with him during future battles or experiments.

He was the primary personality, and the two secondary personalities could only follow his lead. They could also reduce mental pressure. Beyond that, they could discuss matters with one another. As secondary personalities, they could be considered entirely new consciousnesses, capable of communicating and sparking even more brilliant flashes of wisdom.

One secondary personality had been created from the irritability and vile desires he experienced while studying, the "pleasure" he felt when conducting some relatively cruel experiments, and other dark thoughts, all mixed with his own mental power.

The other secondary personality had emerged from the laziness and indolence he felt during experiments or study, along with emotions such as sympathy and reluctance toward experimental subjects, mixed with his own mental power.

As long as he continued using sorcery such as Mild Mechanized Mind to improve his study and experimental efficiency, the birth of these two secondary personalities was unavoidable.

No matter how useful a sorcery was, it could not completely erase emotions, especially negative ones. Such things either needed to find a new vessel to bear them or be allowed to develop naturally.

After understanding this, Taylor did not stop the secondary personalities from emerging. He merely watched in silence. After all, they had both been derived from him, the so-called primary personality.

With just a thought from him, these two secondary personalities would dissipate at any moment. It was just that after they dissipated, new ones would be born.

More importantly, although his improved Mild Mechanized Mind had side effects similar to a split personality, it caused less pressure than the original Mild Mechanized Mind, increased focus more, and lasted longer.

He even had a premonition that, on his future path as a wizard, this Mild Mechanized Mind sorcery would certainly shine with entirely new brilliance through his continued improvements. Compared to that, the minor side effects he currently suffered were not worth mentioning.

At worst, if a secondary personality became disobedient, he could simply make it dissipate and replace it with an obedient one. He was the most important and central source of mental personality. Secondary personalities were born from the mixture of mental power and emotions that overflowed from within him.

At their root, they originated from the primary personality. Thus, secondary personalities had no way to resist, nor could they resist. Whatever the primary personality wanted them to do, they had to do. They could not even develop malice toward the primary personality.

Regarding the two secondary personalities that were still being born, Taylor sometimes wondered whether he had been too solitary, with no one to talk to, and had thus unconsciously given birth to the two of them.

Whatever...

Two months later

After closing the notebook filled with all sorts of sorcery runes, magical element runes, and self-speculation runes that were currently useless, Taylor raised his head and looked at the sky outside. Sure enough, it was already the next morning.

"Stayed up all night again. It's been a week. I should go out for a walk first."

He pressed his neck, which had become somewhat stiff from lowering his head for too long, then stretched his arms. He planned to go outside, enjoy some sunlight, and walk around.

Taylor was now eighteen years old. He was tall and upright, with glossy black hair and sharply defined features that made him exceptionally handsome.

Taylor usually wore only the most ordinary red apprentice robe, yet among the apprentices of the entire White Tower Alliance, no one dared underestimate this talented and highly promising rising wizard apprentice.

"Oh? After striving all night, Lord Apprentice finally knows the benefits of enjoyment..."

A lazy voice carrying a teasing tone suddenly sounded in Taylor's mind. As he adjusted his clothes, Taylor did not even pause his movements before answering directly in his mind.

"Not everyone is as lazy as you every day. You should learn from Kano and Bobby. You've both become outrageously lazy now."

"Oh my, how terrifying. Who would want to stay with that monster? He's full of killing intent all day, just like a monster..."