NOVEL NEXT B2 Chapter 58
Starting off, With Angar's existing implants, planned hip modifications, and confirmed lower leg cybernetics, his body mass loss reached 14.07%, and they'd need to be careful, checking loss after every installation.
The first time he was awoken, and plans were adjusted, his modifications and body mass replaced were, or would be when his thigh was regrown –
Infernus Oculus: 0.01%. Neurvux: 0.06%. Digitigrade-adapted hips: roughly 1%. Both knees, lower legs, and feet replaced by agile leg cybernetics: approximately 13%.
He didn't need to buy two new cybernetic legs, as his existing one could be modified. He bought and had installed all the same mods to the new lower leg cybernetic. He used both mod slot enhancers, acquired from the Old Guard ship, to increase each leg's mod slots from four to five. A digitigrade foot mod went into the fifth slot.
He required EMP protection for both his power armor and cybernetics. Options included head or torso implants and mods, offering either EMP shielding or resistance. They stacked, and he wanted both for optimal protection.
As he'd need to have brain surgery, installing all head implants in a single procedure was the goal.
He began with an EMP shield named ScutEMP, a tiny device with minimal connections, like the Somnoregulator, causing no significant body mass loss.
Next, he received a Psychotronicon, which created new neural pathways between the medial and left frontal lobes, his only cybernetic method to enhance psionic capability, though minor in effect, with no measurable body mass loss.
Next, he received a Cerebra Fluxus, a higher-quality, specialized version of the Cerebrum Accelerans that Simo had received, designed specifically to work with his next implant. Like the ScutEMP and Somnoregulator, the Cerebra Fluxus was expected to cause no significant body mass loss, but registered a minimal 0.01%.
The most costly cybernetic options by far were the twelve systemic cybernetic lines, which typically integrated with subsystems rather than fully replacing them. The best ranged between 40 and 60 implant points, depending on system and effects.
These lines delivered numerous enhancements in a small package, but installing one prevented many conflicting implants from functioning, rendering them no longer viable.
Planning the systemic cybernetic lines required careful consideration, as their enhancements often affected interconnected subsystems, such as the immune and lymphatic or integumentary systems, or the endocrine and reproductive systems, and major effects could not overlap within the same subsystem. He also needed to replace specific organs with bioware, further limiting his choices.
But this gave him the opportunity to affect all his skin and every muscle and bone, as their primary cyberware or bioware options were all too mass-intensive to consider.
The first of these implants installed was a high-quality nervous system cybernetic, equipped with two mod slots instead of the standard one. It was the most important, the only way to increase his Adroitness within his body mass limits. It also served as a necessary component in a chain of implants unlocking a special regeneration effect.
He had to select from preset configurations enhancing subsystems, limited to four major effects, twelve minor effects, or a combination of both.
He dismissed configurations offering major effects he couldn't care less about, such as neural interfaces for direct connection to or thought-based control of technology like drones, simulation of damaged brain functions to restore specific cognitive abilities, or perception of energy or data, including electromagnetic fields, infrared vision, or bio-electric emotional sensing.
He wanted one that allowed for pain to be dulled, but no good configuration included that. And that, too, was a function his armor should provide.
He settled on a cyberware configuration with four major effects. The first augmented his neural pathways and nerves with a synthetic neural network, enhancing signal speed and precision to muscles, thereby boosting reactions, speed, and strength.
The second effect enhanced cognitive functions by accelerating neural synapses, improving processing speed, reaction time, and focus.
His fear of ending up a cripple like Maximillian or Hidetada drove his two other choices.
The third effect augmented the spinal architecture, the vertebrae, discs, facet joints, ligaments, processes, and paraspinal muscles, while also protecting the contained spinal cord and neural structures.
The fourth effect encased his brainstem in a protective, self-healing sheath, seamlessly integrating with the spinal augmentation.
The two mods he picked were a reflex speed enhancer and a synaptic overclocker.
Angar was unconscious during the implant's installation but had seen it beforehand. It resembled a tiny jellyfish with thousands of ultra-thin, long threads extending outward, some linked to smaller jellyfish-like structures.
The nervous system, including brain, spinal cord, and nerve trunks, accounted for approximately 2.32% of his body mass. This systemic cyberware typically replaced 0.01% to 0.03% of body mass.
For Angar, it somehow replaced 1.09%, increasing his total body mass loss to 15.17%. Scans suggested that the synthetics deeply integrated, replacing natural biomass far beyond typical levels.
Next, they installed the highest-quality endocrine systemic cybernetic line. As he'd learned nothing about biology at Cloisteranage, Angar was surprised by the extensive effects offered by this systemic cyberware.
Unlike the previous system implant, this one had a fixed primary effect, an augmented synthetic connection between the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, and nervous system, essential for its core functioning.
He could make three picks, either further enhancing the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, or enhancing the pineal gland, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal glands, pancreatic islets, or testes.
The first and fixed effect, beyond enabling the implant's function, gave an additional, slight source of faster healing and regeneration through growth hormones, while indirectly slightly enhancing cognitive abilities, memory, and emotional stability via subsystem regulation.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
For subsystems, he liked the testes enhancement, which improved testosterone regulation, quality, and quantity, boosting strength, endurance, metabolism, and energy levels. But it also increased sex drive, something he had barely managed to conquer. He couldn't have that enhanced at all, especially not with a married woman he was attracted to now a permanent part of the crew.
Of his three picks, the pancreatic gland came first, as it was necessary to work in tandem with other implants and bioware he'd get for the special set.
It incorporated progenitor-cell modulators and cytokine niche support to promote systemic stem cell regeneration and endocrine transdifferentiation, while augmenting enzymes, digestion, metabolic support, and healing.
Second, he chose the parathyroid glands, his only option to enhance his muscular and skeletal systems without colossal mass loss.
It optimized calcium regulation, strengthening bones, accelerating muscle repair and function, speeding injury recovery, and enhancing nerve signaling.
Third, he chose the thyroid gland, boosting metabolism, antibodies, energy levels, healing speed, cognitive processing, alertness, resistance to disease, and toxins, which included synthetic poisons.
For mods, he picked EMP resistance, which occupied both available slots.
The mass loss for this implant was extremely abnormal. The endocrine system comprised only 0.24% of Angar's body mass, but this, once activated, replaced far more than expected. Doc attributed this to its deep integration and effects on the skeletal and muscular systems.
It reduced natural mass by 3.52%, bringing his total loss to 18.66%.
Angar was awakened for the second time to adjust plans and prioritize critical implants, but first underwent Vitaelux Apexium treatment to regrow his thigh and teeth and heal his jaw and surgical wounds.
They began with the immune system, which would enhance his skin, and could possibly eat up too much mass.
Augmented lymph nodes enhanced detoxification, lymphatic drainage, and immune response, rapidly producing specialized lymphocytes to accelerate recovery from injuries, infections, and radiation.
Augmented bone marrow enhanced hematopoietic stem cell production, specialization, and immune cell customization.
Augmented thymus accelerated T-cell maturation, diversification, and tolerance modulation.
Augmented skin improved resistance to pathogens, toxins, and corrosive agents, while increasing environmental tolerance.
This implant increased mass well beyond what it was supposed to again, going from 0.02% to 1.87%.
For mods, he selected a nanite protection suite, occupying both slots, to counter hostile nanites.
Next came a dual systemic implant, targeting the heart, blood, and blood vessels of the cardiovascular system, along with the lungs of the respiratory system.
In total, it enhanced blood flow and oxygen delivery, boosting strength, speed, endurance, healing, disease immunity, environmental adaptability, and slightly improving cognitive function.
This increased mass well beyond what it was supposed to again, going from 0.05% to 1.04%, making Kong and Doc worry he wouldn't be able to finish the critical ones for the special set effect.
For mods, he had installed improved blood oxygenation and thermal regulation.
Next, they installed liver bioware, contributing approximately 2% to body mass loss.
It provided benefits similar to the pancreatic and thyroid enhancements, boosting metabolism, detoxification of toxins, immunity, and enzymes, with augmented enzymes uniquely enhancing growth factor production for accelerated tissue regeneration.
It included a redundant liver for cases of severe damage, displacing rather than replacing mass, with its full bulk and minimal connections included in the 2% body mass loss.
Next, they installed spleen bioware, contributing 0.17% to body mass loss, optimizing blood filtration, immune cell function, and cellular debris storage and clearance.
After, they installed gallbladder bioware, contributing approximately 0.05% to body mass loss, enhancing disposal of toxins and liver byproducts, while concentrating bile for improved digestion, also coming with an inactive redundant.
Not very exciting, but the bioware was impactful, synergized with other implants, essential for the set, something to do with the liver and enterohepatic circulation, enterocytes, and enzymes again. His ignorance of biology meant he understood little of these implants' detailed functions.
Next, they installed bioware for one kidney, leaving the other untouched, contributing approximately 0.15% to body mass loss.
It enhanced blood cleansing, filtration of toxins, and hydration, but was chosen for its renal progenitor triggers, growth factor output, and microcapsules enhancing capillary repair, completing the synergistic regeneration set begun with the nervous system implant.
Combining these systemic cybernetics and bioware organs, he gained one of the most powerful regeneration sources available, surpassed only by short-acting Abilities and Capstones.
He now possessed three independent, stackable regeneration sources, together enabling much faster healing of severe injuries, like his jaw's loss of skin, muscle, and bone, which would require substantial time to repair in full.
There was one drawback to this, as he'd age slower. That wasn't too much of a worry, as he assumed he'd die long before hitting his twenties.
Attaining the third Realm and immortality before middle age was rare, but as with all things, exceptions existed.
Many Terrans had achieved this in their early twenties, though their physical aging persisted until their late twenties, when muscle mass, strength, aerobic capacity, and recovery from intense exercise or injury peaked.
With primary implants completed, the plan was to install as many additional ones as could fit, starting with a digestive systemic implant, requiring him to select three organs from its many.
He selected the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, optimizing acid production, enzyme activity, villi and microvilli function, and nutrient absorption, helping neutralize ingested toxins and pathogens, reducing nutritional needs and tolerance, and improving water and waste management.
Body mass loss was expected to be 0.03% but reached 0.08%.
For mods, he installed a cybernetic symbiont, occupying both slots.
The final systemic cybernetic line targeted the urinary system, enhancing the ureters, bladder, and urethra.
It enhanced ureter and urethra resistance and flexibility, regulated peristaltic movements, purified urine in the bladder, and aided removal of toxins and contaminants.
Body mass loss was expected to be 0.01% but reached 0.03%.
For mods, he installed a nanite repair system targeting all cybernetics, occupying both slots.
Fearing blindness in combat, he replaced his remaining natural eye with a Visio Aeterna, a costly new Imperial technology, and expensive.
This larger cybernetic implant included a metallic goggle-like covering over the eye, replacing much of surrounding skin with metal.
If destroyed, its nanites would maintain optical function while repairing damage. It also came with higher zoom and some other functionality the Infernal Oculus lacked.
It had no mod slots and replaced 0.02% of body mass, which was twice that of the Infernus Oculus, this due to facial skin loss and bone fusion.
Though he didn't chose the effect, his nervous system systemic implant had one that stimulated dormant dental lamina stem cells to regrow teeth. Other methods and independent cyberware could also achieve this.
Instead of considering any of those, for almost no body mass, he chose to shave and cap his newly repaired teeth with duranium, as he'd rather not lose them to begin with.
In case he got in a situation like he had with Azgoth again, he installed a kill switch in a molar, nerve-connected and designed to prevent accidental activation, which would destroy his brainstem if triggered.
As there was still a bit of room, next installed was a bioware backup heart. If his true heart failed, it'd kick in and activate, saving him.
Its activation would exceed his mass limit, degrading his yet unmanifested psychic power and causing issues with a systemic implant, but he'd be alive.
As it was added without replacing anything, only displacing, its minimal, inactive connection raised his body mass loss to 24.09%, leaving sufficient capacity for future implants, such as the Sanctapex Trivux, unobtainable until Tier 3 ascension.
Kong and Doc stopped there. He wished he could've gotten more, but as things stood, he significantly increased his power and survivability. He couldn't wait to check his Annals.