After several weeksâ
"Ughmm..." Robinâs eyelids fluttered weakly as his consciousness stirred. His eyes twitched and slowly opened, revealing only a narrow sliver of light as he stared blankly upward. It took another five long, hazy minutes before he fully processed what he was looking atâan ornate white ceiling, rich with elegant, intricate carvings that seemed to dance in and out of focus. It was the ceiling of his apartment in the academy building. He was home.
As that realization set in, a new sensation brushed his awarenessâhe wasnât alone. Turning his head slightly, though it felt like dragging a mountain, he spotted Shaddad slumped in a chair beside the bed. His head was tilted back, mouth hanging open in a full, graceless sleep. It was the kind of deep, unbothered slumber that only someone utterly exhausted could achieve. "Ah..." Robin let out a barely audible sound.
But the moment Shaddad felt Robinâs gaze, he stirred awake. His eyes popped open, and the wide grin that spread across his face was instant. "Ha ha! I knew youâd make it! Youâre one stubborn human. Incredible!"
"Hmm... your tone doesnât exactly scream confidence..." Robin tried to chuckle, but his throat gave a dry rasp instead. His voice barely made it out.
His memories of the weaponization bath were disjointed at best. He vaguely remembered speaking nonstop, but couldnât recall what he had saidâor if it had made any sense. He remembered Shaddadâs repeated smacks to the back of his head, keeping him awake by force. Day after day, that painful loop had continued, until eventually, he heard Shaddad sigh in exhausted relief: "Itâs done." In that very moment, Robin finally let go of consciousness.
And now... he was awake again.
Robin struggled to lift his head, neck trembling from the effort. His eyes drifted downward to examine his own body. A strange, uncanny sensation washed over himâit felt like his soul was sealed inside someone elseâs shell. He could barely even move a single finger.
"Shaddad... whatâs happening to me?" Robin asked, turning his head again with effort.
"I wish I had a real answer..." Shaddad said with a sheepish grin. "Youâre the first person Iâve ever applied fourth-stage weaponization to, using the rapid-modification variant. Honestly, Iâm learning just as much as you are. So... why donât
you
tell
me
how it feels?"
"This is a joke, right? A sick, twisted prank?!" Robinâs voice cracked with strain. "You mean to tell me youâve been running experiments on me this entire time?!"
"The calculations were
extremely
accurate, big brother. I swear, there was no chance of failure in the actual weaponization. What made this different was the depthâfar deeper than any previous attempt. The only unknowns were whether your body could endure it... and how it would react to such a sudden internal metamorphosis." Shaddad waved his hands around, animated. Then his tone shifted. "But... Iâll admit something. The pain? It was way worse than I imagined. I dipped my own hand into the tub near the end, just out of curiosityâand I screamed so hard it felt like a whole city was being torn from my soul. Even now, I donât know how you survived it."
He slumped forward and rubbed his temple. "Honestly... I might need to tweak the formula. Maybe ease off the aggression of the compound a little."
"You
might
need to?!" Robin managed to raise his voice a notch, a fire flickering in his weak tone.
Shaddad laughed again, clapping once. "Hey, silver linings, right? Your body is now at level 40. Just one more bath and youâll be standing at the absolute peak of physical power for any mortal warrior."
"Level 40? What the hell are you talking about. this must have failed," Robin hissed. "I canât even sit upright!!" He slowly raised his head again, forcing his blurred vision to focus downward. His dim, barely glowing eyes scanned his torso, arms, and legs. "...This is... amazing."
From within, Robinâs body looked like something out of a sacred textâbalanced, brilliant, brimming with latent force.
His physical appearance hadnât changed all that much on the outside. But every internal fiber shimmered with newfound strength and elasticity. The transformation went beyond what even the most powerful tattoos had ever offered.
"Of course itâs amazing, itâs my most brilliant work, the best this field have to offer! Ha ha!" Shaddad cheered, beaming like a proud craftsman. "Relax, alright? Just give your body time. The fourth bath specifically targeted your spinal cord and nervous system. Thatâs why everything feels so distant. But give it a bitâsoon enough, youâll be moving like nothing ever happened."
He waved his hand casually, then leaned in with curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "So... you mentioned wanting to head to Specter Valley, right?"
"...." Robin stared at him, the corners of his eyes tightening. He wanted to keep yelling. To lay into Shaddad properly. But after a moment, he just let his head fall back against the pillow with a groan. "Yeah. But... itâs going to have to wait. At least a few months, I think."
"Why wait?" Shaddad tilted his head. "Youâll be back on your feet in two or three weeks."
"And what about the fifth bath?" Robin sighed deeply. "I have a very bad feeling about that one. Feels like itâll be... even worse."
"The
fifth
?" Shaddad blinked. "...You
still
want to go through with the fifth?!"
His voice trembled ever so slightly. For a moment, his large eyes even shimmered with emotion. Deep down, he had feared that his older brother might have lost all trust in him after everything theyâd been through. But now... now he wasnât so sure.
"Stop this already!" Robin shouted, his voice noticeably stronger than before. "...No matter how intense the pain was, and regardless of the physical backlash, the truth remainsâmy body is approaching perfection. At least, when compared to any living being at the same power level. Youâve created something incredible, a masterpiece of raw biological engineering... and I want to see it through. I
need
to finish this."
"Unfortunately, I havenât been able to find compounds that would allow me to fast-track the fifth bath," Shaddad replied with a low sigh, shaking his head slowly. "Youâll have to take the weaponization in its traditional formâwait until Iâve gathered all the components, and then go through the process naturally without any shortcuts."
"Oh..." Robin exhaled in disappointment, his eyes dimming slightly. He didnât know how long his journey to the Specter Valley would take, nor whenâor even
if
âheâd return to the academy. Postponing this breakthrough meant heâd be going in less prepared, with more risks and fewer tools at his disposal.
"..." Shaddad, feeling the weight of Robinâs silence, lowered his gaze. A hint of guilt and frustration tightened his features. He hated admitting it, but he hadnât even managed to collect a quarter of what was needed for the fifth bath.
The ingredients required for such a procedure were not just rareâthey were practically mythical. While it wasnât impossible to obtain them, it would require serious effort or substantial wealth. He could purchase them from the Soul Societyâs marketplace, or reach out to a few well-connected allies, but the prices were absurdâat least ten times the standard cost. For someone living off an academic salary and the modest fees paid by a handful of students... those prices were nothing short of crippling.
Bam!
With sudden energy, Shaddad clapped his hand on his thigh, forcing a wide grin to his face. "Ha ha! Come on, what are you looking so down for? Only one item remains for the fifth bath, and Iâve already arranged for it. Itâs en route as we speak. Give it a month or two, and everything will be perfectly ready!"
"Two months?" Robin repeated, narrowing his eyes slightly as he processed the timeline.
"Yep! Just pick up a few light reads from the library, maybe meditate a bit, and I promise youâthose weeks will disappear like smoke!" Shaddad gave Robinâs leg a firm pat and chuckled. "You can delay your journey to the Specter Valley for two months, canât you?"
"...I think so," Robin muttered, letting out a long breath. Ever since heâd finished reading the second Soul Book, he had felt a fire building inside himâa growing impatience, an urge to head to the Valley
immediately
. If it were up to him, heâd have left yesterday.