'This world is fucked, partner.'
'Yes.'
'You don't understand, partner. Your senses aren't as sharp as mine. I can see a massive, pulsating cancer in reality—and there are four of them.'
'I understand, Ddraig. I know this world better than you. I know how billions of souls are considered light casualties in battle. I know that war crimes are a pastime in this world. I know that humanity survives only through the sacrifice of a thousand psykers feeding a corpse on a golden throne.'
'And that doesn't make you afraid?'
'Oh, I am afraid. Every day, I wait for death to stand before me, you know? But there's nothing I can do except move forward. In the Grimdark future, you either move forward—or die trying.'
I'm not sure if it's due to the nature of this universe, but I've started to adopt that same mindset. Everything is broken, and the only thing left to do is move forward. I release a sigh.
'I know I can't see what you see, Ddraig. But I know this world better than you. In fact, go through my memories—you'll understand.'
'I'll take that offer.'
I let Ddraig sift through my memories while I stare down the dark tunnel ahead. Behind me lie the fallen guardians, neatly stacked for burial later. Fifteen dead in battle, fifty gravely wounded. Without my [Cure] ability, those thirty would have joined the pile. Without my Curse Devouring Physique, they will be corrupted by Nurgle.
I sigh again and wonder if things will only get worse. That is what is happening in this universe, after all. Everything will get worse. Let's hope it will not happen soon because there are a lot of things I need to do.
==| Line Breaker |==
I connect the last nerve and slowly withdraw the anesthesia to wake her up. After a moment, Hannah blinks a few times before her eyes focus on me. When she looks down at her left arm, her eyes widen. She flexes her new arm experimentally.
"How is it? Any discomfort?"
She shakes her head. "No, my lord! It feels as if it's my original arm."
When I announced that I had new upgrades for the guardians, volunteers lined up in droves. They were far too eager to test the latest cybernetic advancements. Back on Earth, people would've thought ten times before agreeing to something like this.
Anyway, I decided to overhaul the guardians' augmentations. The core systems remained the same, but each could choose two or three enhancements from my prepared list.
Hannah chose a pair of Gorilla Arms and Cyberoptics. The Gorilla Arms are designed for handling high-recoil firearms and heavy melee weapons—a perfect all-purpose combat upgrade. Her Cyberoptics feature a built-in targeting scope to assist in gunfights, along with infrared vision that allows her to see in pitch darkness by detecting heat emissions.
Yes, I totally stole the idea from Cyberpunk. Bite me.
"Perfect. Now, can you test your Cyberoptics for me?"
I flick the switch, plunging the room into near-total darkness.
"I can see your heat signature, my lord. Everything's clear."
"Excellent."
I turn the lights back on and nod. "Everything's functioning properly. Head to the training grounds and test the new cyberware, alright?"
"Yes, my lord!"
She dashes out eagerly before I can say another word. I just shake my head and let her go.
A moment later, Rita steps into the room. She looks at me hesitantly, and I immediately look at her in worry. She's the first person to join the sanctuary—and my right hand in maintaining it. She is basically my family in this world.
"Rita? Do you need something? Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine, my lord. I came to ask if you would bless my body and make me one of the Blessed."
Right. They call the augmentations my blessing. I still don't understand why. You'd think they'd see enough cybernetics in the Hive City to consider them mundane. The tech priests are all about bionics, cybernetics, and all kinds of machinery upgrades. According to Canto, there are thousands of them on this planet, but they are mostly working in the factory and ignore this place because they cannot repair this area.
Then again, perhaps that's the reason. To the Mechanicus, cybernetics are holy—gifts from the Omnissiah. Perhaps they continue to yap to the public that cybernetics are a blessing and only the chosen ones can possess them.
"I know I'm not a fighter," Rita continues, "but… I was wondering if you would bless me as well, my lord."
I study her face, confused by the sudden request.
'She's jealous,' Ddraig says.
'What do you mean?'
'According to your memories, she was one of your first followers—your first pack member. She's jealous that you haven't rewarded her. The others may be content, but she wants to prove herself worthy of your favor.'
'Ah. I see.'
Alright, how should I play this? Yeah. Let's do that.
"Finally," I say with a small smile.
"Eh?"
"I've been waiting for you to ask, Rita. You were the first to join me, and you've worked tirelessly for the sanctuary. I was beginning to think you didn't want any cybernetics and wanted to stay as pure humans."
"Of course not! I'd be honored to be blessed by you, my lord! I just didn't want to presume."
"You don't have to worry about that, Rita. You're one of mine—one of the first, in fact. If you ever need anything, please let me know. You are part of my family, after all."
I smile and gently pat her head. Her face softens, and she leans into my touch, eyes closed in contentment.
After a few seconds, I pull my hand back.
"So, what kind of upgrade do you want?"
"I'll leave it to you, my lord. I trust you'll give me what I need."
"Alright."
I pause, letting my mind race. Ideas flood in—too many, too fast. I force myself to focus.
"Come back tomorrow," I tell her. "The cyberware will take some time to craft. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get the best."
"Yes, my lord! Thank you!"
She runs out, practically glowing with joy. I exhale slowly—time to get to work.
With a mental command, I channel all my [Tinker] abilities. Knowledge surges into my head in a flood of blueprints, schematics, and theories. I begin to tinker.
==| Line Breaker |==
Twelve hours later, I place the final implant and lean back with a long sigh. Even with all my enhancements, a twelve-hour surgery is still exhausting. But it's done—Rita's full-body conversion is complete.
Her bones are now carbon-titanium composites threaded with nanofibers, which increases her strength eightfold and prevents fractures under normal trauma. They also serve as anchor points for other implants.
Shock-dampening joints, a Reactive Spine Interface, and artificial muscles come next—each boosting strength by another fivefold while preventing overexertion. It also allows her to land from a 1-story tall building and provides shock absorption during melee combat. Lastly, it reduces reaction delay to near zero. The spine interface is also where the Neuroport is located, allowing her to establish a neural link with an external device.
Her Cognitive Accelerator Node enhances brain activity five times over—seven when overclocked, though that risks migraines, nosebleeds, or, in the worst case, permanent brain damage if used too long. According to my calculation, she can overcloak her brain for ten minutes before any side effects appear.
The Auditory Matrix Implant replaces her inner ear with a full-spectrum sensor array—granting Astartes-level hearing, complete motion immunity, and selective sound filtering.
Her eyes? Replaced with advanced Cyberoptics—multifunctional cameras with optical zoom, infrared, thermal, and low-light vision, plus motion prediction for perfect aim.
All of this is tied to the Neural Interface Core implanted at the back of her brain—a personal computer and data hub that allows her to store visual data, connect to nearby systems I have created, and control all internal implants seamlessly. This implant is also connected to an Interface Plugs, which allows her to connect to a device like the Titan or Imperial Computer.
For combat, I added a secondary heart—not as sophisticated as a Space Marine's, but it acts as a backup if her primary fails, keeping her alive even with catastrophic injury. This is more of a survival upgrade than an active combat upgrade.
Her cyberarms hide retractable mantis blades, and beneath her skin lies a nanocarbon mesh that absorbs blunt impacts and stores kinetic energy. That energy can be released as a shockwave punch or used to recharge her gear. The mesh also grants resistance to heat and radiation.
Her Metabolic Regulator optimizes energy usage, allowing her to function for three days without sleep and two days without food. A bio-thermal regulator keeps her body temperature perfectly balanced, preventing her from heatstroke and frostbite.
Finally, EMP Threading shields her implants from electromagnetic interference, and Subdermal Armor—a flexible nano-armor under the skin—deflects bullets and shrapnel.
Visually? She still looks human, though slightly heavier, with faint metallic lines along her skin and subtly different eyes. However, other than that? There is nothing that makes her look like one of the Tech Priests.
I snap from my muse when I see Rita blink awake, her eyes flickering as the systems sync. After a few seconds, she looks at me, wonder and disbelief shining on her face.
"Welcome back, Rita. How's the new body?"
"I—I feel like I've been reborn. The world looks… more vibrant. My body feels stronger than ever. I can see a HUD in the corner of my eyes, ready for me to use."
I smile and am about to say something, but then a notification appears before me:
|Congratulations! You have created the first step toward a proper Space Marine–grade implant system. You receive 1 Silver Ticket.|
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