Dark Moon
"Hmm."
I turned the chip over in my hands, examining it from every angle. Dark mana seeped from the tiny thing in a steady trickle. Nothing about it told me what I needed to know.
I was studying magecraft engineering, sure — but not well enough to identify a chip at a glance. What I actually knew was the magecraft half of the discipline. The engineering half was a complete blank. And this thing felt far closer to engineering than black magic.
When you don't know, don't waste time guessing. Ask an expert. Faster and more reliable.
There were options. Find a decent mechanic. Commission a broker. Or — conveniently — the absolute top expert in this field happened to be right nearby.
Chip in hand, I headed for the Transcendentalist ruins.
"Haha. You really put on a show out there. A mage who fires railguns with magic — you're the first I've ever seen. Mind if I ask why you'd do something so inefficient?"
Barkase's voice greeted me the moment I stepped inside.
"Inefficient?"
"You don't need magic to fire a railgun, do you? The R675 rifle is the classic example."
"That's military issue. One of the things the army guards like a pack of paranoids. Hard to get, and even if you did, the second you fire it a special forces team shows up to drag you off."
"Hmm. Is that how it is these days? Back in my time, everyone carried a railgun or two."
"Sounds like an interesting era."
"In a lot of ways, it was a shitty era."
I walked the corridor and held up the chip. Dark mana continued to bleed from it in thin streams.
"One favor. This came out of a monster's body. Can you analyze it?"
"Not a hard request. I'll take it. I'm curious about that chip myself."
I went deeper in. Bel Terrier was still inside the capsule, undergoing adjustments. Barkase's hologram appeared beside me and pointed.
"See that slot near the base of the wall? Set the chip in there. I'll scan it first, then try to interface."
I tossed the chip. It flew true toward the slot, and just before it would have slammed home I caught it with telekinesis and set it down gently.
"Wow. Not the kind of skill you expect from a mage."
"I'm good at throwing things. And hitting things."
"Give me a moment. Won't take long."
I sat. With nothing else to do, I looked at Bel in the capsule. Built to the specs I'd set for her character, her figure was exceptional. I could look all day and not get tired of it.
Mechanical arms and legs. An artificial eye. I wonder what that feels like. Comfortable, maybe?
Not that I had any intention of bolting machinery onto myself. For a mage who handled mana directly, machines were more obstacle than asset. What mattered to a mage was mana balance — replace part of your body with metal and you shatter that balance. Could you recalibrate with machinery? Sure, if you had the money for something that expensive, and if you could stand the constant, brutal maintenance. You'd need a master-class mechanic on retainer. As far as I was concerned, cybernetics offered a mage nothing but downsides.
"Results are in. Interesting. Structurally, this is extremely similar to a chip I already know."
"Dangerous?"
"Very. Have you heard of Mutant Chips?"
Of course I had. I hesitated for a second — was there any advantage in playing dumb? After weighing it, I decided to just admit I knew. Listening to Barkase explain from scratch sounded exhausting.
"…Biochips the Voidists made to absorb void energy more easily. They trigger mutations so the body can take in void energy without rejecting it."
"Exactly right. The chip you brought is structurally almost identical to a Mutant Chip. The difference is that this one was built with dark mana instead of void energy."
"So it mutates the body to suit dark mana?"
I kept my voice serious. Something was off. Nothing like this existed in my knowledge of the original story.
"No. The dark mana accelerates the Mutant Chip's mutation process."
"Strip out the void energy entirely and leave a chip whose only purpose is physical mutation… If this is connected to the Cabalia Research Institute, the purpose is obvious."
The Cabalia Research Institute — a subsidiary of Cabalia Industry — ran branches all over the world, not just here. What they did was biological experimentation. They captured local animals and ran tests. And "animals," of course, included humans.
Cabalia Industry held the number-one position in the biotech sector entirely because of that institute.
They dominate the food market, too.
Chickens, pigs, cattle — all mass-produced as clones and shipped out. Cheap prices and crushing volume. The market never stood a chance.
These bastards used to print humans, too…
A project to build the ultimate army from clones of a legendary soldier. It failed. Unlike livestock, humans needed at least a decade to grow — and more critically, the legendary combat talent never manifested in the clones. A few showed fragments of it. Compared to the original, they were laughably inadequate.
"A detailed analysis shows this chip is called a Dark Chip. What do you plan to do with it?"
"If it's Cabalia Research Institute property, plenty of people will want it. I'll sell it through a broker. Should make some decent money."
"You're not planning to use it yourself, I hope?"
"Not even if someone put a gun to my head."
"Good. The Dark Chip has no directionality. Nobody knows what kind of mutation it'll produce. It's a chip designed solely for mutation, maximizing the effects of the Dark Moon."
"Appreciate the analysis."
I retrieved the chip and sat back down.
"Waiting for her? I thought you said you two weren't connected."
"I should at least say goodbye before I leave. And I'm curious how she'll turn out…"
"Not just here to look at her body, then?"
"…"
Her capsule opened. Bel scrambled out and immediately grabbed for her clothes.
"Hey. Mind looking the other way? That's basic manners."
"I figured it wouldn't bother you… My apologies."
I turned to face the wall. I'd already seen everything worth seeing. No lingering regrets.
"How do you feel? Anything hurt?"
"Not bad. Actually, it's incredible. I had no idea my body could feel this light. Thank you, Mr. Barkase."
"It was a simple matter."
After that they talked machinery — especially the mechanical eye, in depth. The conversation was so technical I couldn't follow any of it.
"Transcendentalist facilities are hidden all across this world. The exact locations… I can't tell you. I don't know them myself. Haha. Those facilities will all be useful to you, so seek them out when you have the time."
"…We're not Transcendentalists."
"In my eyes, the two of you are already walking the path of transcendence. Being a Transcendentalist isn't anything special. If you have the qualifications and you walk the path — that makes you one. Deny it all you like. I'll still treat you as Transcendentalists."
"Mr. Barkase. Why not just admit you've been lonely?"
"Haha. I can't exactly deny that. Come back next year for another mana shower. Waste products build up just from breathing — regular cleansing is good for you. Especially in the cities, where it accumulates faster."
"I'll come again. Adjust me then, too."
"If the chance comes, I'll be back."
Bel and I said our goodbyes to Barkase and left the ruins.
I hadn't expected him to welcome us this warmly.
In the original, you had to grind through quests to build this relationship step by step…
Bel and I talked as we descended the mountain.
"That gorilla monster came back to life and ambushed you? That doesn't make any sense. I confirmed it was de— ah, damn it. Today's the Dark Moon, isn't it. Yeah, that tracks."
"I pulled a Dark Chip out of its body. This one's mine. Cabalia Research Institute tech — should sell for a fortune."
"You get a couple of those and start calling them Dark Chips, huh."
I filled her in on what the chip was.
"…Whoa. Yeah, that would sell for a lot."
"Not interested in selling?"
"I want to dig into it a bit more first. I've got a contact in the city who specializes in this kind of thing. If it turns out to be a dead end, I'll just dump it on someone who hates Cabalia."
We talked about this and that, and before long we'd reached the village.
"Let's split here. Give me your email — I'll be in touch. I won't forget what happened today. If you need help, call me. Unless something urgent comes up, you'll be top priority."
"Leaving already? Sunrise is still hours away. Dangerous out there."
"I came on a bike. Illegal entry — can't take the train. The Dark Moon's fine. Just focus on avoiding fights instead of picking them."
"Alright. If you need my help, contact me. I'll help. But it won't be free. I don't owe you anything."
We exchanged emails. She grinned.
"Lucky day. Body overhauled by a Transcendentalist, and I made contact with a mage who actually knows what he's doing. Maybe those coins I threw in the fountain this afternoon actually worked?"
"Maybe so."
Bel waved, climbed onto her bike, and rode out of the village.
I sat blankly on the bench in front of the station and looked up at the black moon. I'd wait for dawn and the first train.
Dark Moon night — hotels won't be open. Should've rented a room before leaving the village… Mistake.
I was turning over spell formulas in my head when it came.
Zzzt.
Static. At first I thought I'd misheard and ignored it.
Zzzzt.
No such thing as two coincidences. I focused my eyes on the direction of the sound.
A dark alley. Something pure white was watching me from within it.
I blinked — and in that instant, it closed ten meters of distance.
A white dress. Hair nearly white. Pale skin. Stick-thin arms and legs. In short: a ghost.
Dark Moon night. Of course every damn thing is crawling out of the woodwork.
I blinked again. The ghost closed the gap in a heartbeat. I deliberately fluttered my eyelids in rapid succession. Suddenly it was right in front of my face, screaming.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Its mouth split open like a shark's. Hundreds of tiny teeth lined the entire interior. As a bonus, it reeked of something foul.
"Shut up."
I caught the ghost by the throat with one hand as it lunged to bite my head, and cast.
Lightning Grab
Crackle—!
Blue-white current erupted from my hand and surged through the ghost's body.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaah!"
It shrieked — a sound that scraped the ears raw — and collapsed. Its body dissolved into particles and vanished.
I was about to go back to thinking through spells, maybe doze a little, when I felt eyes on me and looked up. A red-eyed man hung upside down from the station ceiling. Over by the tracks, a repulsive mass of meat. From the kiosk side, an inverted woman crawled toward me like a spider.
"Ha. At least they won't let me get bored."
I stood. Mana raced along the mana rod. Sparks of lightning leapt from my fingertips.
"Alright. Let's play."