INTEGER UNLIMITED

Leo found himself in bed. His body was stiff, and his mind felt exhausted. But, he was conscious at the very least. He shifted his aching body and lumbered out of bed. He looked over the dark room. It seemed to be nothing more than a plain bedroom. He barely remembered the events that led to him being here.

Leo heard murmurs from outside. He opened the door to find himself still in Philips’ apartment. He made his way to the living room. He ran into Marem and Philips, sitting down and talking. They were so wrapped up in conversation that they hadn’t noticed Leo until he stood before them.

Marem sprung up from her seat and went to him, “Oh my Gods, Leo, how are you feeling? What’re you doing out of bed?”

“Feeling bad,” muttered Leo.

“Here, sit down,” Philips led him to the couch.

Leo sat down as the two of them practically pushed him into the seat. He’d definitely felt worse pain before, so their worry felt a bit overblown. If he’d been more rebellious in life, he’d see his state similar to a pounding hangover.

Leo looked up at them, “What the hell happened to me?”

“Well, your body seized up and you fell immobile,” answered Marem.

His memories were quickly coming back to him, “Yeah, I remember that part. You guys know why?”

Philips spoke up, “You ran out of mana. What happened to you is what happens when a mage tries to cast after their mana veins are exhausted. Without a way to filter the mana, your body just keeps absorbing it directly.”

He was confused, “But my things couldn’t be exhausted? It’s not like I’ve been casting any spells recently.”

Marem spoke up, “Yeah, which is what made things confusing. While you were out, we had some doctors perform a checkup. Their report had a lot of interesting details, but the most important was that you completely lacked any mana veins. Your body is incapable of filtering mana.”

Oh God. A life without magic. Leo felt his heart drop as he realized that he would never cast a spell. How could the Gods be so cruel as to not give him mana veins? Then he remembered. He isn’t from this world. Even if there were humans here, they weren’t guaranteed to be the same as him.

He looked up at the pitiful eyes that Marem and Philips had. They looked at him with concern as they weren’t certain how he would process the news. It was rare to be born without mana veins, and most people who were so unfortunate never moved past it. Magic was an ordinary part of life for most people. Leo was certainly disappointed, but he honestly didn’t care that much.

“So, I can’t cast magic?” he asked.

Philips’ eyes had begun to water, “I’m sorry, but you will never be able to.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get through this,” Leo reassured them.

They looked at him with respect. This fate is a nightmare for those who spent their lives mastering the arcane. It was nigh impossible for them to imagine a life without magic, yet he refused to let this news break him. While they were certain he was just keeping a brave face, his ability to hold himself together was admirable.

“So, what do you mean by a lot of interesting details?” he asked.

Marem was snapped out of her thoughts, “Oh, well what stood out to them the most was your muscle mass. They estimated you had the strength of a world class adventurer due to your muscle’s density. Said that you were the strongest person they’d ever seen.”

Leo had worried that the doctors had found something to reveal his origin. Thankfully, it was nothing that wasn’t already known.

He let out a relieved sigh, “That’s good to hear. Even if I can’t use magic, I’ll just become the strongest person in history. So you two don’t need to worry about me.”

The two of them chuckled a bit at his overconfidence. While he was certainly strong, it was not an easy journey to reach the apex of the human body. It wasn’t as if he’d found some way to surpass any type of training to become the strongest. That would be unbelievable.

“Well, it’s good to hear that your spirit is still strong. The feast should be underway, but I understand if you’d rather stay in. Rest is important, and we’d be happy to stay here with you,” offered Philips.

He thought over the offer. His body ached in ways beyond exhaustion, but he could manage his pain. What had him worried was his mind. His mind should be immune to anything, yet he couldn’t remember that past couple of hours. While Leo hadn’t any need for sleep, his brain still felt tired. This made him worried. If there was a way to surpass his Impenetrable Mind ability, he could be at risk against Cordylia.

He wanted to know more. Yet, he decided to put off the thinking for tonight. He hadn’t eaten all day long, and there was a crowd of people waiting to see him.

“I’m all good, let’s get something to eat,” he smiled.

They were already dressed up for the feast. Marem wore an intricate black dress that complimented her midnight-colored hair. The bindings underneath her dress were a maroon that complimented her lipstick. Philips had his hair neatly combed to the back, and he wore a dark blue suit with a light blue undercoat. On closer inspection, his rings and jewelry seemed to be formed from ice.

Leo had approximately zero suits and zero dresses to change into. He considered changing into one of the outfits Koram gave him, but they weren’t considered anything out of the norm in this world. Then he looked down at his hoodie. What was once a fashion mistake in his world had now become an exotic outfit.

Marem in her expertly sewn dress, Philips in his tailored suit, and Leo in his knockoff Overwatch hoodie. The three fashionistas headed off to the feast, held at the Mayor’s Office.