Reborn With A Technology System In A Fantasy World-Chapter 123: Coming Back?

Adrian kept pushing the limits.

’Fierce.’

The air snapped forward in an invisible gust, flattening the grass in a wide arc ahead like a bow wave.

His gaze dropped. ’Lift,’ he willed.

Dozens of individual blades near his feet trembled, then smoothly detached from the earth, hovering perfectly still a few inches above the soil.

He held them there, suspended by pure mental command. No strain or chant. Just... will.

He willed them to dance, and they swayed in a silent, coordinated ballet. He willed them to spin, and they became tiny green whirlwinds before settling back down gently.

The ease was breathtaking. It felt fundamental.

Master Von had spoken of aura control as a pinnacle achievement after years of struggle, and even he couldn’t dare to try command the world directly.

Yet here Adrian stood, commanding nature with the casual thought of flipping a switch.

If bending the physical world was this simple, how fragile must the resolve of another being seem in comparison?

He let the last blades settle. The profound calm remained. A slow, genuine smile spread across his face.

"This... is amazing."

He needed to understand its limits and its depths, but before he could lose himself in testing the boundaries of this newfound sovereignty, the sheer number of other unanswered questions pressed in.

The untested Factory upgrades, the purpose of ’Soul Imprint’, the practicalities of his physical sanctuary... There was too much, all demanding his attention.

"Alright..." Adrian murmured, but then his eyes flickered to the corner of his vision, catching the numbers of the timer.

Access Time Remaining: [0:00:42]

"Forty-two seconds?"

The soul assimilation had consumed nearly his entire access window. It was expected, given the agony that had felt like eons, but seeing the scant seconds remaining drove it home.

A thought followed: What if it hadn’t finished? He pictured himself being sent out of the Factory, writhing in that soul-shattering pain within the cramped capsule.

But he doubted that happening, as the System formerly deemed the capsule unsafe for him to proceed.

That led him to the question of if the System could grant extra time.

He didn’t ponder over his questions for long. With some mental commands, he equipped the Power Suit, forfeited his remaining time, and returned back to the capsule.

On his return, the 1-hour cooldown timer for the Factory access began its countdown.

Adrian didn’t waste time. He focused inward, feeling the profound changes. As stated among his rewards, his Dantian was more resilient.

[Knight: ★ ★ ★]

[Mana: 0%]

Considering his level didn’t increase, Adrian could only conclude that its benefits had to do with protecting him against Dantian cracks, allowing him to not have any bottlenecks, at least for some time.

The idea excited Adrian, but he couldn’t confirm it yet, as there was still no bit of mana.

Setting up an array too was impossible in this cramped space.

That only left him with one clear place to go to, the former magic source site. The exploded mana meant that mana would form naturally across the Corrupted Lands, but there would still be some residual mana left over there.

Plus, the wide-open space and convenient environment allowed him to stay without a hassle.

Also, since his physical body traveled into the Factory now, Adrian didn’t need to be worried or mana beasts ever approaching when he was away.

The decision solidified in his mind. He would base himself at the site, using the Factory as his impenetrable retreat.

He triggered the capsule’s hatch, climbing out of the hole he had dug in the snow and sending the capsule into his [Inventory].

Next, he made the Rover to materialize instantly onto the snow nearby.

He moved swiftly. The Rover had burnt through lots of magic crystals when he pushed it for the escape, so Adrian got to work.

He retrieved some tools from his [Inventory], along with more brand new magic crystals, swapping them with the old ones, and fixing everything that needed fixing.

It only took a few minutes for him to finish restoring the Rover to an almost peak condition.

Sliding into the cockpit, Adrian activated the engine and gripped the yoke, its headlights blasting cones of bright light through darkness that was setting. .

Pushing the yoke forward, the Rover surged ahead, navigating the treacherous snow with practiced ease.

~Buzz-buzz-buzz.~

As Adrian drove, he could sense the familiar vibration of a comm from within his [Inventory].

It wasn’t the first time it had gone off in recent days, and Adrian knew who it was.

His sister, Serena. He had no urgent matters pressing him at the moment, so there was no reason for him to continue ignoring the call.

With a thought, he retrieved the comm from his [Inventory] and it materialized in his palm. Steering the Rover with his right hand, Adrian activated the device with his left.

"Hey, Serena," he said, his voice steady despite the jostling of the Rover.

But the voice that answered wasn’t hers. It was one he knew all too well, brimming with excitement that caught him off guard.

"Adrian! Is this really you!?"

Adrian’s lips twitched as he recognized Karl’s voice. But a hiss from the ground ahead snapped his attention back to the path.

A geyser erupted in the distance, spewing steam and ash. He swerved the Rover smoothly, avoiding the hazard with ease while continuing with a steady pace.

"Yes, it’s me," he said into the comm.

"Dude, this is awesome!" Karl’s voice crackled with energy. "How could you just leave like that, bro? Everyone’s been asking about you. Where are you even at?"

Adrian glanced at the desolate landscape around him before replying. "I’m away from the city," he said simply. "You don’t need to worry about me."

"Bro, I’ve missed you so much," Karl went on. "I’m sure everyone else does too. It’s so lonely staying in our room alone. When are you coming back?"

The question hit Adrian harder than he expected.

When would he go back? The city, the academy, they all felt like a distant memory to him now, even though he wasn’t gone for long.

He still had many more goals he planned to accomplish, but Adrian knew that he wasn’t going to stay here forever. Even if returning was an option, did he plan on going back to the Academy?

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel