'If I can't use that method, would tools be effective?'
The next possibility for Zephyr to gain strength was the use of tools.
After all, there were many magical tools in this world.
From his memory, he could vaguely recall a few which could store mana.
With Zephyr's trait, controlling external mana should be effortless. Hence, this was a viable route to strengthen himself.
However, the caveat of using tools was that the strength gained would not be permanent. The loss or destruction of the tool at any point would bring him back to the starting point.
Secondly, there is no actual growth and a fixed upper limit to strength depending on the tool.
Therefore, the use of tools to gain strength was not particularly practical for his purposes. In a way, it might even be detrimental.
Zephyr had to strike down the option after scribbling it on the coarse paper before him.
"If both tools and mana core implantation will not work out, what about body modification and cell transplantation?"
"It might work because of my trait." Zephyr pondered.
Instead of transplanting an entire core for a monstrous beast, he could take a less effective method of tissue transplantation to use the instinct-based mana techniques.
"Mana can be used in three different ways. The first and most common way is through instinct. Second is through imagination, and third is through runes/spells."
Zephyr mumbled and drew a triangle on the paper.
The game required players to use runes and spells. However, there were two other methods available.
Take the case of instinct-based mana use, for example. This is the way through which most life forms use mana.
Most beasts, monsters with low intelligence, use this form of mana use. And the reason they could do so is because of their physique, or more precisely, their cellular makeup.
If Zephyr were to transplant these cells to his body, he could imitate the same form of mana usage.
'It's like being a human with electric eel cells. If I can stabilise the cells through some alchemical process, I might be able to use electricity. In principle, it is possible…but it would take a lot of time.'
'The creation of chimaera, as far as I knew, took years. And it is a torturous process which could kill me. And I have no idea how effective it would be with just transplanted cells, without mana core.'
'Simply put, it isn't worth the risk.'
'I need some other way.'
Zephyr closed his eyes again and pondered. For hours, he sat in the same position without even a single movement. His eyes danced around under his eyelids, rapidly moving as if he were in a trance.
After who knows how many hours, he opened his eyes with a shiny glint.
The edges of his lips, which were drooping, curved up into a smile.
A bright ray of sunlight flew through the window and illuminated his smiling face.
"Eureka." He said and chuckled.
He seemed to have found what he was looking for.
After a whole night of thinking, he seemed to have reached a definite answer.
'A way with minimal to no compromise, which can allow me to be on par with the best mages of the world.'
"He he he…I found it."
Zephyr turned to look at the paper and began to write.
'I need a way to store mana. If possible, just as much or more than what high-ranked mages have.'
'The second goal is to use the stored mana efficiently.'
'Third is a way to use spells, not through imagination, but through runes.'
Zephyr knew, as most mages do, that casting spells through imagination was unpredictable, inconsistent and unstable. That was why most mages depend on spells and runes to cast complicated spells. It was his primary reason to avoid imagination-based spell casting.
'To fulfil the above condition, I have to depend on myself. External factors, such as cells or core transplantation, would only be an annoyance. And by relying on just tools, I won't be able to compete with the very best.'
'So…I need to dust off my old memories of computer programming.'
Zephyr supported his chin with his hand and took out a new paper.
Seeing the light seep out through the cracks in the old wooden window, he smacked it open.
The bright sunlight beamed through the window, washing over his face.
Zephyr let the warmth seep into his body as he sat slouched in the chair. This was his pro-gaming posture, which he had practised for over a decade.
If someone else had seen his posture, which exuded extreme laziness, they would have turned away in disgust. But for Zephyr, this was his most comfortable sitting posture. He usually sits like that when he feels like everything is going according to plan.
This time, too, Zephyr had victory in sight and a new plan to gain his foothold in this world.
Looking outside the window, he watched the fishing village come alive.
Zephyr's house was atop a hill, so he could clearly see the sea, beach and the hundreds of homes littered around the beach.
Looking closer, he could even see people, as small as ants, crawl along the beach.
Canoes and small boats were also moving across the sea with fishermen within.
'This place is breathtakingly beautiful.'
He silently murmured.
The natural colours of the plants and sea, along with the unpolluted air of the preindustrialised land, rejuvenated his exhausted mind.
If possible, Zephyr wants to live peacefully in this land, away from the chaos of the capital.
'But they won't let me…'
'I have to work hard to protect myself.'
After taking in the beauty of the land, he returned his gaze to the paper before him.
The feeble, scrawny hand holding the paper began to jot down a plan.
—
Zephyr, in his previous life, worked as a back-end developer for an educational company.
However, with the advent of AI, the company switched to using AI agents for coding, and he lost his job.
Zephyr was not the only one among the people who lost their jobs. There were hundreds of thousands of other people who lost their jobs at that exact time.
Hence, the job market became crowded, with little hope of finding a job.
After months of waiting, Zephyr threw out the idea of getting a stable job and became a roasted peanut seller near the beach.
The game he played, Aracana Link, was something he bought with money he made by selling peanuts. And that somehow brought him to this world.
Now, the computer skills he thought of as useless needed to be cultivated again to find a foothold.
"Mental note to self. Don't make AI in this world."
Zephyr said and began his work.
A few hours later, he had to go to the lighthouse near the beach to work. Before that, he had to make a rough plan.
Without a second of sleep, Zephyr scribbled on the yellow paper.