Mana Sensing Eye

Warning: The following chapter involves the MC carrying out unsafe medical procedures on his own eye, do not try at home. If this is something that may make you uncomfortable, skip from the first dotted line to the second one.

Kothar was back in Lester's little store, the merchant had sent a message to him at the academy through Fred, who was sure to be frequently shopping within the city, rain or shine.

"Pelt has been sold." The message read. Lester was a very succinct man.

Kothar headed out, greeting his friends who were currently discussing the mysteries of Mage advancement in the common room.

"Buy me some pastries Kothar!" Fred yelled at Kothar as he left, winking at the others.

"And me." The rest also chimed in.

Kothar simply smiled and continued.

Lester was shifting from one foot to another, evidently impatient to see Kothar. His bobbing combined with his portly figure was quite a comical sight, and Kothar suppressed the urge to smile.

"Come in!" Lester brightened up upon seeing Kothar.

"Lord Siegfried purchased the pelt for a whopping 1200 gold, that's a 1080 gold in your pocket, not bad for a young one!"

"Lord Siegfried was also very eager in making sure that the mage who had slain the beast knew that he was purchasing the pelt. So young, and already nobles are currying favor with you."

"Wonderful, I'll keep him in mind. I'd like to leave the gold with you if that's okay, I'll make a few purchases now, and please use the rest to begin procuring Magesteel."

"Of course, I've got no problem making money." Lester chuckled, pleased with himself.

Kothar passed Lester the list of items he required for the upcoming implant, interestingly enough the medicine of this world was quite complex, with magical detoxifying liquids and sterile surgical implements being readily available. Lester lifted an eyebrow at the curious requests, but like any good merchant, he did not pry.

"Take these on me Kothar, just be sure to keep me in mind. Can't hurt to curry favor with a mage that Lord Siegfried is already after." Lester handed over the items, which were carefully wrapped as usual.

On the desk in Kothar's dormitory room, a curious array of items were laid out. The Mana Sensing Crystal that Kothar had purchased from the merchant, as well as various polishing and grinding tools.

[Silane, calculate the optimal curvature and thickness for the lens.]

[Ideal thickness: 0.5mm, I will overlay the polishing and grinding instructions, I suggest we only use one quarter of the crystal to prevent wastage.]

[Okay, let us begin]

Kothar carefully laid a chisel on the top half of the spherical crystal, taking a small hammer, he began to gently tap at the crystal, until it cracked and the top quarter of the sphere fell off.

Taking up a series of smaller chisels, Kothar began to chip away at the chunk of crystal, gradually revealing the shape of a very thin lens. As he worked, Silane overlaid a visual for optimal locations to strike the crystal, allowing Kothar to work quickly and without fear of failure.

Soon, the rough shape of the lens was complete. Kothar moved on to using the grinding tools, carefully removing material to shape the lens, once the lens was in its final shape, it was time to begin polishing.

A series of very fine polishing powder were applied to the lens, buffing it each time. Kothar wiped away the residue from the final powder, placing the lens in a sterile solution to prepare it for implantation.

[Doesn't this remind you of the DIY infrared eye we made on Cygnus B-3?]

[It sure does, it was life or death, I can't believe that the inhabitants had evolved to be invisible to visible light. I wonder if we could replicate their camouflage here, do you still have the data we gathered, Silane?]

[Yeah, like I would forget data Kothar… I also have records of a peculiar concealment magic, which utilized a previously unknown form of mana, I wonder if we could gather some more information about it.]

[That would be most useful, alright, guide me while I make the incision.]

Kothar picked up the scalpel that had been soaking in a magical detoxifying solution he had bought earlier that morning. Following Silane's instructions, he peered in the mirror as he made a thin incision along the top of his cornea. He sliced down, opening up a slot for the lens to fit.

Taking a pair of tweezers, Kothar carefully picked up the lens, and slotted it within his eye.

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Immediately he was able to see the flowing of mana around him. He could see the elemental mana that flowed through the academy, maintaining its temperature.

The walls were covered in intricate networks of protection and concealing spells, the lens had opened up a whole new world for him.

[This has got to be the most elegant modification you've had. It's barely visible, unless someone looks into your eye.]

[Agreed, it isn't the glowing robotic eyes we're used to.]

[Hmmm, I'm sure that you'll be putting one in soon enough…]

Kothar marveled at the capabilities of his new eye, looking down at his chest to see the swirling Lightning Mana core.

Kothar gazed all about him in wonder. His augmented eye allowed him to see how integral mana was to this world. It flowed through literally every living thing, in addition Kothar watched as fellow students practiced spells.

His new eye allowed him to see the channeling of mana within their bodies. Along with Silane's ability to perform calculations at a ridiculous rate, Kothar would be able to predict what spells an opponent might cast in advance, giving him a massive advantage in battle. Kothar watched a Beginner Fire Mage channeled mana to their palm, creating a swirling fireball, he watched amazed, as the fireball danced through the air, circling about the Mage's head and jumping to and fro. So that was the difference between a Novice and Beginner Mage!