AI: Artificial Isekai

A new shell appears where my previous one was. I pick up a still intact sword covered with specks of soot. Going to need a new sheath, though.

The false dragon slowly blinks once. It regards my stubbornly continuing life with indifference. Another nearly instantaneous breath impacts my personal shield. Shell number two joins shell number one in being scattered atoms.

A new hand picks up the sword again. The boss narrows its reptilian eyes in a touch too real gesture. It braces its form. Light drains from the fake star hanging high in the sky. A large cone in front of it is consumed by immolating radiance. My personal shield springs up again, the immense energy now reinforced with tiny arcs of lightning. For a moment, my vision is filled with only white. But then, the brightness fades, revealing a false dragon that no longer appears indifferent.

My human shell shimmers and then balloons to a ten-meter-tall metal humanoid, matching the monster's height. A hulking mass of plating and sharp edges. Templar class.

I appear in front of my opponent. My fist crashes against its head, snapping it savagely in the attack's direction. The dragon continues following the momentum, spinning in place. Its whipping tail passes through my magically strengthened barrier, and my midsection, shearing reinforced superalloy with practically zero effort.

That felt... clunky. Not only my spellcasting, but more importantly, my tempering was distinctly weaker. I don't know why I thought it would be different this time. All my testing always showed that I was strongest in my biological shells. For what reason? I can't say. Maybe that's just how magic works. Maybe it's all in my head, another psychological issue to add to the pile. Or maybe... I am strongest when I am true to myself.

The now intimately familiar image flashes in my mind again. Answering its call, I switch back, matching my vision, my sword gripped tightly in my hand.

A silent snarl escapes from the false dragon's maw.

I warp to the side of its head and plunge my blade into its eye.

The dragon violently flicks its head in response, trying to batter me away, but I am no longer there. My blade pierces its scaled underbelly, easily slipping between the tight gaps.

With a stretching flash, the boss moves away from me, taking example from my own instantaneous means of transportation.

The sunlight beaming down turns harsh. My warp drive struggles to move anything outside of my mana field, including myself. I really need to work on my teleportation magic to shore up this weakness.

Thick bolts of lightning strike out of my form, scorching the flower-covered ground. But most of the arcs are drawn to the dragon, like they're snapping their jaws at it.

A blurring motion, that produces a thunderous clap, brings me to the monster, only for my sword to swing through empty space. With another thunderous movement, I avoid one of its breath attacks, and at the same time, close the distance again. The elemental is too slow to teleport, earning itself a deep gash through one of its wings. Deep crimson is marring its formerly perfect yellow, dripping down an eye, partially shading its underside, splitting a wing.

The false dragon's body flickers, and so does the false sun's light. Then, with another nearly instant cast, rays of crisscrossing light fill the clearing. Some of the burning magic passes through both my barrier and shell, leaving scorching holes. My ruined body is not ruined for long. A green glow helps the fast regeneration of my bioengineering turn explosive. Flesh fills in the voids, and I am already next to the boss, priming another attack.

My sword draws a line where the dragon's head was. Then it draws a line where it is. The elemental's manifestation gains another crimson wound, bleeding only malevolent mana. It flaps its wings in response to the damage. The flying appendages don't produce any gust. Instead, a blinding light flash burns anything in visual range.

An upward thrust punctures fully through and puts an end to the false dragon's destructive attacks. The elemental monster shimmers and melts away, leaving only its cleaved core hanging in the air. When gravity catches up to it, the two parts fall down, thumping to the scorched earth. In its place, as if reality itself is being unfolded, a gem appears. Another octagonal cut mana crystal, but this one is bigger and much shinier, generating its own brilliant light. It also seems to be unaffected by gravity, choosing to just hang where it is. I pluck it out of the air and store it away.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

My needle makes the gate out unneeded.

Bolts of electricity scorch the snow and rock around me. Oh... A deep breath steadies my turbulent mana, dispelling the magic.

I return to the Guild Hall, reporting on my singular successful mission. I also go see Ren again. Just to check up on him. Or at least that's what I tell Attendant Ania. She didn't believe me, and probably thinks I used the spell we allegedly practiced in the dungeon I just delved and came to brag. It's easy to lie when you've done it for so long, huh. Both to others and to yourself.

I try to match Ren's enthusiasm, my own appearing entirely natural. We celebrate the grand achievement. B-rank. Even if only in secret for now. I regale him with the details of my arduous fight. Throughout, his face is filled with nothing but pride and admiration. The catch-up meeting is kept short, owing to a prior engagement that will soon arrive. But I still leave his office with a packed schedule full of swordsmanship lessons.

***

Elisa has prepped an impressive display of snacks for her second favorite show, 'Lucius Goes Delving', most likely indicating that the brief showing will be followed by her first place.

"It's been a while since I've seen the inside of a yellow," she says, habitually leaning against me. "When was it again?" the elf asks, more herself.

"Three hundred and seventeen years ago. Aquatic dungeon near Treehome."

She hums distractedly. "How did it feel?"

Not enough to push me. Not nearly enough. "Pretty scary, actually. The reality bending starts getting a lot more pronounced. You never know what you're going to be facing."

She nods approvingly at the improved magical capabilities I am employing against the greater elementals. "Very nice. You're satisfied with B-rank, right?"

No. "I am."

When I reach the boss, Elisa cringes at my first untimely demise. "Are you sure it doesn't hurt?"

"No. It does."

She pauses the footage and turns fully to me. "What do you mean?"

"Any physical sensations I experience while in a human shell are identical to what a regular human would experience. I thought we went over this... Yes, we did. It was—"

Elisa interrupts me, shaking her head in confusion, "No, no, no. You said you can ignore it."

"Well, yes. My mind is different from yours, but I still experience the full sensation. It's all relative, I guess."

Concern flashes across her features. She glances to the frozen image. "Did that hurt?"

"That particular attack? Not really. All of my nerves were destroyed instantly. No signal—no pain."

"I don't like that."

"Why not? Adventurers get hurt all the time. And as far as I am aware, all the other ones only have the one body."

She hums, some frustration leaking through in the sound. "Can't you turn it off?"

Yes. "It's complicated."

"Un-complicate it."

I want to feel the pain. "Turning off sensations reduces the efficiency of my shell. You know that. It also makes it obvious to a keen observer that I am not who I appear to be. And we do have a 'keen observer' observing."

Elisa frowns at me. "It hurts, but it's never unbearably painful?"

"More or less."

Her hold on me tightness. "Don't like it." The paused video starts playing again.

When I beat the false dragon, the elf lets out a relieved sigh, almost as if I was just in danger.

"What did you think?" I ask.

"We need to work on your teleportation."

"Indeed."

"Otherwise, you've gotten quite good at this, Lucius. I can almost see the day you surpass me." She squints her eyes. "All the way over there." Then she shakes her head. "Never mind, that was something else."

I chuckle. "How was your first lesson?"

"I wouldn't call it a lesson... I floated the idea, and she agreed." I stare at the elf expectantly. "...Agreed enthusiastically. There were hugs. Lots of hugs. And maybe crying."

"Yup. I got an essay about how happy she was."

Elisa looks slightly embarrassed. "It's not like I'm the only archmage around... Or the only knowledgeable mage that can teach her. You're already teaching her, for Goddess' sake."

"My training is more combat oriented. And it's different. Erysis needs someone like you. Especially right now."

"She, uh... She said they talked again. It's slow, but it's getting there." Elisa catches that this is not my favorite topic and changes the subject. "But she did agree on joining the campaign." A wide smile instantly blooms on her face.

The infectious energy takes hold of me too. "Tell me you didn't dangle lessons in front of her."

The elf gasps haughtily. "How dare you imply that? You're sullying the honor of a well-respected archmage!"

"Well, Miss Well-respected Archmage, you have potato chip crumbs on your shirt."

Without looking down, Elisa flicks her hand, magically removing the mess. "What crumbs?" Incriminating video evidence starts playing on the screen. "That's AI generated."

"Everything I make is AI generated..."

"Exactly."

As we are watching episode one hundred and twelve of the role-playing game show, Elisa starts to nod off, having kept me here way past both of our bedtimes. I somehow convince her that I won't spontaneously combust if I am not constantly in her presence. With the elf acquiescing and going to bed, I depart for my own.

My head hits the pillow, and I wink out instantly, the excitements of today having taken their toll. When I confirm that Elisa is also asleep, I relocate my core.

The orange flames of a gate flicker in the darkness, casting wild shadows all around me. The tip of my finger touches the boundary. The next moment, I am somewhere else.