Later that night, Merlin came to meet Isaac.
"So, what did you want me to create?"
"This."
Isaac handed him a file. He had written it during the evening.
Merlin flipped through the pages.
With each one, his eyes widened.
He looked at Isaac, then at the file, then back at Isaac again.
"Y-You… how did you create this?"
"…."
Seeing Isaac stay silent, Merlin understood he wouldn't answer. He looked back at the file.
He took a deep breath and said, "You would know the current communication infrastructure is very limited. We can only send letters, and they take days to arrive.
"Using magic for communication isn't possible either. Magic loses its effect over long distances and disappears. But this…"
Merlin pointed at the file.
"This describes an invention that allows instant communication across long distances. It can change the world. Where did you get something like this?"
Isaac didn't answer.
In his previous life, he had taught elves about network towers and communication technology.
Of course, this world couldn't use towers or satellites. Dragons would destroy anything taller than a three-story building.
They saw such structures as an attempt to invade their domain—the sky.
To dragons, the sky belonged only to them.
That was one of the main reasons network towers and satellites couldn't exist here.
But the elves found another way.
[Veins of the World].
These were massive rivers of mana flowing deep underground. The elves created packets of mana messages and used these veins to carry them.
This was only a simple explanation.
The real process was much more complex. Messages needed encryption. They had to reach the correct destination without being lost or redirected.
There were many conditions to manage.
One reason the elves could build this was because all of them were born with the Life Element.
It allowed them to interact with the Veins of the World.
Isaac didn't have the Life Element. Because of that, he couldn't fully understand how the elven created communication technology worked.
To him, it was like elves were trying to explain how a color looked—a color he could not see.
He only understood the foundation, and some basic concepts.
He was giving this information to Merlin.
The protagonist's job was to use his knowledge and complete it.
"What is your goal with this technology?" Merlin asked, changing his question when he realized Isaac wouldn't answer the earlier question.
"Money," Isaac replied. "If I control a new, better, and cheaper way to communicate, I can earn a lot."
'And I can use that money to grow stronger.'
"I see," Merlin said. He looked back at the file. "Give me a few days. I need to study this properly and see how close we are to completing it."
…
Days passed.
Merlin returned, asking for more time. He said the technology was more complex than he had expected.
Isaac nodded, though he was slightly surprised.
'I thought someone like him could finish it in a day. But he needs more time?'
The elves had taken decades to develop it. It was never something simple.
Still, Merlin was supposed to be the reincarnation of a Magic God.
He should have handled it instantly.
Isaac could only assume one thing.
Maybe the protagonist wasn't as overpowered anymore, now that this was a real world.
…
Isaac continued training.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months.
He trained from sunrise until deep into the night.
Merlin still hadn't completed the technology.
However, he would use that excuse to come and annoy Isaac every few days.
"Hey, come to class. We're going on a trip to the Berglan Marques Estate!"
"Did you hear? Lightning Gale is giving a lecture this week! Let's go!"
"Come on, Isaac. How long will you keep skipping classes?"
"Let's spar! We're preparing for the tournament!"
Isaac ignored him.
The academy had its value, but it was still meant for children.
Only the strongest professors had reached Awakened (Intermediate) in Magic Core, and First Layer (Intermediate) in an element.
In simple terms, only the best of them were at the level Isaac had reached in his previous life.
Those professors were busy with third-year students.
They wouldn't teach him anything useful.
The others knew less than him. Learning from them would only waste time.
So Isaac stayed in his dorm and trained alone.
…
Another three months passed.
His grades dropped as he skipped exams and practicals.
The academy warned him to attend classes, but he ignored it.
The reason was simple.
'Duke Wright will remove me from the family register soon.'
Isaac hadn't done anything wrong since taking over this body.
But he understood how others saw him, and what his position in the Wright Family really was.
They were waiting for his younger sister to come of age.
Once she did, they would declare her the new heir and cast him out.
When that happened, Isaac would lose the protection of the Wright Family.
At the very least, he would be expelled from the academy.
That would happen within a few months, so his grades didn't matter.
Some people might even try to kill him for past grudges.
But with his current strength, he could deal with them.
"…Why are you so focused on getting stronger?" Merlin asked.
It was one of the days he came to visit. But this time, his expression was serious.
'Looks like I'm close to being removed from the family. My sister must have told my maid, Hazel, and Hazel told him,' Isaac thought.
Hazel hadn't said anything to him.
She was probably ordered to keep it a secret, in case he reacted badly.
"I asked you something," Merlin said.
"Why shouldn't I try to get stronger?" Isaac replied.
"It's not that training is wrong. In fact, your method is impressive. You're the fastest-growing student here.
"But— But bonds with people matter, Isaac.
"They matter much more than strength. So leave your room sometimes. Meet people. Talk to them.
"Rumors about you are bad. But you're a good person. I can tell that after spending months with you.
"If you talk to others, you can clear those misunderstandings, just like you did with me," Merlin said.
Isaac kept swinging his sword. He didn't stop training.
Bonds with people were more important than strength?
Bullshit.
He had lost every bond he ever had. His bond with his wife, with his children, and even with the elves who had accepted him as one of their own.
All because he had been weak.
And it would happen again.
Time would keep turning back. Over and over.
None of the bonds Isaac made would stay.
He would lose everyone.
So, what was the point of making bonds with people?
What was the reason to go and talk to others?
There was none.
Until he killed the one who trapped him in this time loop, he would never be able to keep any bond.
A sigh escaped Merlin's lips, seeing he was being ignored.
He left the room.
Isaac continued training. After several weeks, he finally broke through.
[Weapon Element: First Layer (Beginner) → First Layer (Intermediate)]
He activated the Weapon Element.
Power surged through his body. It felt endless.
Isaac walked to the window and jumped out.
Even though he dropped a full floor, he felt no pain.
He bent his knees on landing, then jumped again, reaching the rooftop in a single motion.
"Now this is what strengthening the body should feel like. I can fight Royal Knights and Court Mages with this."
During the duel before, he had only managed a weak and brief boost.
This was completely different.
In the Weapon Element, the First Layer had three stages: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
At the Beginner stage, a person could strengthen their weapon.
A sword would become sharper. A warhammer would become heavier.
The weapon's main property was enhanced.
But it only worked on one type of weapon.
A swordsman who had trained with a sword all his life could only apply it to swords.
An assassin could use it on daggers or bows, depending on their training.
At the Intermediate stage, the body itself could be strengthened.
Normally, a person's Magic Core rank determined their strength, speed, endurance, and other outer physical abilities.
If someone was Awakened (Beginner) in Magic Core and used Weapon Element on their body, they could reach the level of Awakened (Intermediate).
If they were Awakened (Intermediate), they could temporarily match someone at Awakened (Advanced).
In simple terms, Weapon Element allowed a person to fight opponents one rank above them.
That was one of the reasons it was called the strongest element.
At the Advanced stage of the First Layer, the inner body could be strengthened. Organs, blood vessels—everything inside.
At that level, a person could survive for some time even after losing vital organs like the heart or lungs.
In his past life, Isaac had come close to reaching First Layer (Advanced).
This time, he intended to truly reach it.
But that was far from easy.
Even his father—Duke Wright, the strongest of the Ten Stars—had not reached that stage yet, nor would he be able to reach it in this lifetime.