Adam's school science project was super important. After a recent promotion, he was now already a top-tier level-one mage and was desperate for more knowledge to help him level up.
In the world of mages, there had been a set number system to determine how powerful each mage was.
After they had been promoted, mind power wasn't as crucial as before. Instead, the main thing that had mattered was how much magic their soul could hold. At that time, Adam's magic score had been a solid one hundred and ninety.
There had been a special way mages leveled up, called the soul-changing promotion system. Once an apprentice moved up to being a mage, they only faced a big challenge when they got to the top of level 4. Before that, any small bit of new knowledge could boost their mental and magical strength.
But this boost didn't activate the Etheric Gift.
In that world, Adam had been unique. Everyone else who had known about the electromagnetic magic, had been at the Mordo Tower. But they hadn't been as smart or quick as Adam, so they weren't good enough for him.
Instead of training or looking for helpers, making a clone of himself had been the quickest and best option for Adam. Also, since the clone and the original had been connected, anything the clone learned or discovered could be instantly shared with the original, which was super handy.
Creating a clone might have sounded fancy and pricey, but it actually wasn't too tough. Only mages who were level-four or higher could do it. But the process wasn't even real magic.
You took a small piece of yourself, let it grow in a special environment until it became super active, then refined it and pulled out its DNA. Then, you grew it using special tools and steps.
Up to that point, there was no magic. But the next part, splitting the soul, that's where the magic kicked in.
"Could it really have been that easy?" Adam was surprised.
This "Soul Splitting" magic had eleven runes. The guide had explained what each one did. The main goal of this magic was to take a piece of the soul and put it in the clone, so it could talk to and use magic from the original body. But Adam figured out that by changing a few runes, he could make tiny soul-like threads without actually splitting his soul.
Feeling unsure, Adam knew he had to get stronger faster, hoping to reach a super advanced level that might help him solve this mystery.
Using the Mage Network, Adam had gotten a bunch of tools for growing clone DNA. He also got a robot to make some changes to his lab, adding a special room for the growth dish.
Sure, Adam could've let other mages who knew about this stuff handle the DNA growing part, but since he had wanted to change the Soul Splitting magic and might have needed lots of clones, it just made sense for him to do it himself.
...
Time flew by in peaceful silence. For half a year, Adam stayed indoors, deeply engrossed in learning about avatar magic and refining his electromagnetic spells.
While the Soul Splitting changes took a bit of time, reshaping the electromagnetic spells was a breeze.
Spells like the railgun, Plasma Cannon, Thunder Domain, Magnetic Field, and Iron Sand Sword - which were advanced compared to apprentice level spells - became much stronger after the soul transformation.
The new rune patterns were simpler, sitting inside the soul and its strands like slots for magic. The use of mental power in crafting magic had almost disappeared. Now, the formation of elements relied directly on magical energy. Since there was no need for any conversion, a lot of energy was saved.
The Thunder Domain spell, for instance, showed amazing targeting skills after its upgrade. By adjusting the potential difference, Adam could mark any target within the magnetic field's reach. Once set in motion, thunder would chase and hit the target. This would continue unless the target had protection or until Adam's magic was used up.
The Magnetic Field, which was a key spell for Adam, was boosted even more. Inside a powerful magnetic field, Adam could change landscapes, reverse river flows, create mounds, raise the temperature to thousands of degrees Celsius, and even control the iron inside living beings, provided they had a similar or lower energy level than him.
James had once talked to Adam about special Mage Armor, and now it was a reality. When the Mage Armor wasn't on, Adam's whole soul was wrapped in a magnetic field. Once it was on, a large area around him would be automatically surrounded by the magnetic field.
Simplified spell versions could be used directly by the magnetized Mage Armor without Adam having to do anything.
After linking with the Mage Network and tapping into the Heart of the World, the Mage Armor had a protective energy source. Although this energy wasn't abundant, its strength was only second to the etheric. This served as an ideal link, letting the Mage Armor appear in any Plane within the emptiness in a solid form.
Adam also developed a new, powerful spell called Silencing Storm. It used the magnetic field to tie charges from the surroundings. With magical energy pushing it, it would automatically pull charges. The resulting thunder and lightning wouldn't move but would keep growing in strength and reach, disturbing the gathering of other elements. This made a kind of 'silencing' effect.
His training in his Elemental Trueself was rewarding too. Instead of blending the element into his soul to make an authentic elemental body, Adam tried electrifying the cells. Like mages who shaped their bodies, Adam found out that he could move twenty times faster than sound in this form.
The extensive knowledge he gained during his apprentice days gave him a massive power boost after his promotion. If Adam unleashed his full potential, no one would think he had only been a mage for six months.
Now, besides making avatars, the only thing left to improve for Adam was his soul servants.
...
For the last six months, the devil felt like he was living in a dream. The buying power of a thousand ether crystals went way beyond what he had ever imagined. Even if he splurged on the most luxurious things every single day, those crystals would last for two whole years.
He had checked out every luxury spot in the city. Because he was both funny and generous, he had become popular with females from all sorts of backgrounds.
Thanks to his ability to shape-shift, he was never turned away because of how he looked or his size. And because he was a 'soul companion' of some Tower mage, he was highly respected, especially among less powerful beings.
The devil had found out how often battlemage assignments happened and had thought his fun times would continue for a long while. But that idea was crushed the day Adam dragged him back to his lab.
"Master, heh... haha," the devil said nervously to Adam.
"Do you know about the magic wand?" Adam asked."
