Chapter 424 Breakthrough and New Problems (Two-in-One)

The research in this area is progressing more smoothly than expected.

Two and a half years into the seventh cycle, groundbreaking news came from the highest-level research institute deep within the main camp.

A confidential meeting, attended only by Frost, Jemin, and a few high-ranking members of the core logistics department, was held within layers of protective barriers.

The meeting was chaired by a level six wizard with a slightly pale face but unusually excited eyes—Master Morias, an authority in the field of bio-modification.

A complex three-dimensional rune model emitting a soft blue light floated in front of him; it was the initial result of countless wisdom and sacrifices accumulated over the past two and a half years.

“Commander, colleagues,” Morias’s voice carried the rigor of a researcher, but also a hint of pride beneath his weariness, “The ‘Reincarnation Memory Anchoring Phase I Technology’, or what we call it internally more directly—the ‘Scythe-like Memory Resistance Implantation Technique’—has completed its initial theoretical verification and in vivo safety testing.”

With a gentle tap, the three-dimensional rune model decomposed, revealing its complex internal structure down to the cellular level.

"Strictly speaking, this is not the creation of any new laws or technologies, but rather a successful 'reverse engineering and adaptive transplantation of biological mechanisms.' We analyzed the physiological basis of the 'memory imprints' that can stubbornly remain under the erosion of time in the soul structure and specific pheromone glands of the high-level Scythe-Skull Clan, and extracted its core 'information anchoring' and 'anti-reset' mechanisms."

Jemin sat to the side, flipping through the detailed technical report that had been transmitted in advance to the Magic Network terminal.

The more he looked, the more admiration he felt for these senior wizards who specialized in modifying the essence of life.

The report details how the neural synaptic structure and pheromone encoding pattern of the Scythe-Skull Clan, which resonate faintly with the laws of dimensional time, were "grafted" into the outer and deep neural networks of the wizard's soul through extremely sophisticated biochemical and runic surgery.

This process involves soul surgery, genetic fine-tuning, and complex inlay of law runes. Each step is extremely dangerous and requires unimaginable control and an understanding of the essence of life.

Jemin asked himself, with his current knowledge, there was absolutely no way he could achieve this level of accomplishment in such a short time.

“Of course,” Master Morias’s tone shifted, becoming serious, “this is only the first version of the technology. Its limitations are very obvious. First, it is not non-invasive; it requires a delicate and time-consuming modification surgery, placing high demands on both the surgeon and the patient. Second, the results… are far from ideal.”

He pulled up a set of experimental data: "Based on our initial observations of the modified volunteers, after the implant is successfully activated, the recipients can indeed have a clear 'cognition' after the time reversal occurs—they will 'know' that they have just experienced a time reset. However, how much of the specific memory of the previous round can be retained depends entirely on the recipient's own mental strength, soul stability, and the 'depth' of that memory on themselves."

"Roughly quantifying, taking the average level of a first-level wizard as an example, they can vaguely retain a few of the strongest 'impression fragments,' such as the fear of near death, scenes associated with extreme emotions like immense joy or shock. A coherent and clearly detailed stream of memories cannot be guaranteed at present."

As Jemin looked at the data, many of his doubts about the Scythe Skull Clan's performance on the battlefield suddenly became clear.

He understood.

Why did the early Scythe-Skull tribe have such a high fighting spirit, bordering on fanaticism, when faced with the invasion of shamans?

Because they "know" that time can reverse, death is not the end, but more like a failed save in a game.

With the mindset of "not fearing death," one naturally fights with fierce courage.

But why did their morale fluctuate later, and even lead to widespread war-weariness and retreat?

It is precisely because of this "flaw" in the ability that the memories retained prioritize the most profound emotional fragments.

For the vast majority of Scythe-Skull individuals with ordinary or even low mental strength, what is their most profound experience in each reincarnation when facing the overwhelming power and diverse killing methods of the wizard?

The ultimate fear is, of course, the moment of death!

Round after round, each time they "load" their save and wake up, they may not remember the specific tactical details or the wizard's appearance, but the fear of death and pain imprinted deep in their souls will accumulate and multiply with each reincarnation!

Initially, this fear might transform into the fighting spirit of "we must eliminate the enemy as soon as possible".

But when they discover that no matter how hard they try, they cannot change the fact that they are being crushed by the wizard's absolute power and repeatedly experience the end of death, their will collapses and war-weariness and retreat become inevitable.

Until... the "will" hidden behind the scenes intervened and forcibly reversed this collective moral decline.

Jemin whispered his speculation to Frost beside him, and the commander nodded slowly, a hint of agreement flashing in his eyes.

This explains many of the contradictions in the enemy's behavior patterns.

After listening to the logistics wizard's explanation, Frost raised the most crucial question: "Master Morias, with the current level of technological advancement, is it possible to implement widespread modifications across the legion? Even just granting warriors the ability to 'cognitive reincarnation' would be of great significance for tactical execution and morale maintenance."

The high priests involved in the project quickly exchanged opinions.

Finally, another expert in charge of the surgical procedure spoke, his voice tinged with regret:

"Theoretically, it can be widely adopted, but in practice, it has little practical significance, Commander."

He explained, “First of all, the modification surgery is complex and time-consuming. With our current manpower and equipment, it would take an average of one standard hour of continuous work to complete a standardized modification of a wizard. To extend this to the entire legion… the time cost is prohibitively high. Based on the current pace of the battlefield, we probably won’t even be able to complete one-tenth of the modifications in the remaining time of this round.”

“Secondly, and more importantly,” Master Morias continued, “the effects of the first phase of technology are too basic. Simply ‘recognizing that reincarnation has occurred’ has limited value for rank-and-file combat wizards. What they need more is to carry specific information such as tactical experience, enemy weaknesses, and terrain changes into the next round.”

"With current technology, they cannot carry these. Forcing their widespread adoption would not only waste valuable research time and surgical resources, but could also cause unnecessary damage to the soul or rejection reactions due to immature implants."

He concluded, "We believe the most reasonable application strategy is to use it as a 'research support tool' and a 'high-level command support tool.' Priority should be given to modifying logistics wizards and high-ranking combat commanders who need to coordinate the overall situation."

"This allows them to recognize the cycle of events and retain key research ideas, experimental data summaries, or strategic decision-making logic. This can greatly ensure the continuity of our research and the stability of high-level command."

"As for widespread adoption..." another level-six wizard added, "we suggest waiting until the second and third phases of the technology have been iterated before discussing it. The goal of this technology is to develop a stable 'memory anchoring spell' that requires no complex surgery and can even be performed directly through a simple witchcraft ritual. Only then will it be time for full-scale promotion."

After listening, Frost fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

His gaze swept over Jemin, then over every great wizard present, before he finally made his decision.

“I agree with your professional assessment.” His voice was steady. “Then, starting immediately, initiate the priority modification program for Phase One technology. The modification targets will be as follows: First priority: all logistics wizards involved in the research of ‘The Essence of Reincarnation’ and related core projects. Second priority: all combat commanders of level six and above and captains of special tactical units. Third priority: based on surgical capacity and remaining time, modify some level five wizards in key positions as appropriate.”

He looked at Morias: "Master, please immediately formulate a detailed renovation schedule and safety plan. If you need any resources, just apply to me for the highest level of access."

"Yes, Commander!" Morias and the other project leaders perked up.

“Jermin, you’re also a top priority,” Frost said, turning to Jamin. “Your recording skills, combined with this technology, might produce even better results.”

“I understand,” Jemin nodded.

Although he doesn't actually need the technology, it's not necessarily a bad thing to gain firsthand experience and study it more deeply.

...

...

After the meeting ended, everyone hurriedly left to carry out their new tasks.

The plan was executed exceptionally smoothly.

In the latter half of the year, the logistics department and all high-ranking wizards completed the first phase of memory anchoring modifications.

In this round, thanks to the precious time gained from their aggressive hunting in the early stages, they managed to drag the battle into its sixth year.

After deducting the first two and a half years of basic research and development and half a year of modification surgery, the remaining three years became a golden period for the logistics wizards to focus on their research without distractions.

Knowing full well that their time was limited and that they could continue their progress the next time they "woke up," all the researchers were pushed to their limits.

When the seventh cycle finally ended due to the number of Scythe-Skull Clan members approaching the threshold, the second phase of the memory anchoring technology modification plan had completed theoretical construction and most of the security simulations, and was only one step away from physical testing.

The eighth cycle brings about significant changes.

Jemin noticed that the wizards' teamwork had become much smoother.

Even without clear memory inheritance, the "key cognitions" and "strong emotional imprints" preserved through the first phase of transformation act as invisible bonds, connecting fragments of experience from different reincarnations.

Combined with the meticulous intelligence support provided by Jemin, the entire legion's operations displayed an astonishing level of "skill" and "foresight."

As a result, the research speed increased again.

The second phase of memory anchoring technology was successfully completed and promoted in the middle of this cycle.

Compared to the first stage, it has optimized the implantation structure and reduced surgical trauma.

Most importantly, it began to attempt to weakly associate specific structured "knowledge packages" with soul anchors.

This allows the recipient to recall certain key "conclusions" or "methods" after reincarnation, even though the details of the process remain vague.

In the later stages of the eighth cycle, an even more revolutionary breakthrough arrived—the third phase of technology, or rather, the "time-anchored" sorcery model, was completed.

It is no longer a biochemical modification that requires surgery, but a standard spell that anyone, including combat wizards, can learn and cast on themselves.

Its core principle is to transform the "anchor points" that are bound to the soul in the second phase of technology into programmable and injectable standardized rune structures.

A wizard only needs to spend a few days mastering this model, and then cast a spell on himself to inscribe a "memory firewall" deep within his soul against the specific phenomenon of "time reversal".

From now on, time travel will no longer be able to erase their memories.

They will enter the next cycle with full consciousness, carrying all the experiences from the previous cycle.

When Jemin first saw the complex sorcery model floating in the public knowledge base, radiating a stable silver-gray light, he was filled with indescribable emotion.

The learning and creative abilities of the wizarding civilization have unknowingly revealed their terrifying fangs.

Starting from a physiological mechanism of a foreign race that was being studied, and through a few short cycles, it was refined and sublimated into a law and technique that could be universally used by its own civilization.

Although this "time anchoring spell" is highly specialized and only applies to a specific form of "time reversal" in this plane, its profound and universal understanding of time, memory, and soul interaction is enough to serve as a valuable reference for the wizards present to study other time-related spells.

Of course, in this battlefield where every second counts, no one has the leisure to explore other areas of time.

Its value is crystal clear in the present moment.

Having gained "time anchoring," the wizard legion was completely free to act.

The ninth round, the tenth round... the nature of the war underwent a fundamental change.

Wizards no longer needed to carefully control the pace of their research, fearing it might be interrupted.

They can throw themselves into battle without restraint, crushing their enemies in the most brutal way, because all the experience, all the data, and all the research progress will be fully carried over to the next round.

Jemin's workload decreased dramatically.

He no longer needs to record everything in detail, nor does he need to worry about how to condense massive amounts of intelligence into summaries.

Wizards themselves are the best recorders.

More often than not, he exists as a super database and cross-disciplinary knowledge integrator, assisting various research groups in accessing historical data, verifying hypotheses, and proposing new interdisciplinary research directions.

The war became an aid to the research, while the research goals were unprecedentedly unified: to thoroughly analyze the root cause and mechanism of time reversal in this dimension, and to find and understand the "behind-the-scenes existence".

With countless minds focused on the terrifying efficiency of time seemingly endlessly "refilling," the secrets of the once troublesome Scythe-Skull Clan are being peeled away layer by layer.

Their biological characteristics, social structure, information networks, energy systems, and interaction patterns with the laws of the planes...

Everything was thoroughly studied.

The wizards even simulated part of the algorithm that generates "time ripples," enabling them to predict the approximate time of the next large-scale time reversal several hours in advance.

The research on time travel itself has also delved into the level of laws governing it.

It has been identified as a regular phenomenon that operates across the entire dimensional scale, and its triggering conditions are deeply tied to the overall population size of the Scythe-Skull Clan and a certain "civilization survival anxiety index".

From this perspective, the so-called time reversal is more like a complex emergency procedure.

However, once all the surface mechanisms were clarified, a core bottleneck, like an insurmountable wall, stood before all researchers.

The fifteenth time crossing the spatial rift.

Jemin opened his eyes, feeling the stable fluctuations emanating from the "time anchoring" magic within his body, confirming that he had returned with the complete memories of the fourteenth cycle.

He skillfully exchanged intelligence crystals with Frost—now it was more like a ritual, since both remembered everything.

Jemin skillfully flew towards the depths of the wizard camp.

Every wizard they encountered along the way had a clear sense of reason and purpose in their eyes, no longer showing the initial confusion.

They nodded to each other and quickly got to work.

Everything was in perfect order and incredibly efficient.

But Jemin's mood was calm, yet tinged with a lingering sense of heaviness.

He arrived at the central analysis hall, where a huge 3D projection displayed all the research results to date on this plane, on time reversal, and on the Scythe-Skull Clan.

This information is woven into an extremely complex yet exceptionally clear giant web on the stereoscopic projection.

Each node of the giant network shines brightly, representing a problem that has been solved.

Only at the center of the giant net, the area representing the "manipulator" or "core will," was a blank space.

"Still...no clues..." A familiar voice rang out from the side; it was Alison.

There was a hint of weariness in her eyes, not from physical exhaustion, but from mental fatigue caused by focusing on an unsolvable problem for a long time.

Jemin shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the other core researchers in the hall, who all wore similar expressions.

“We have tried every possible method to find traces of the ‘behind-the-scenes will’ based on individual members of the Scythe-Skull Clan, social networks, pheromone historical remnants, and even our own large-scale soul resonance detection.

The great wizard, specializing in the realm of soul and consciousness, sighed and pointed at the projection: "The results are consistent: there is no evidence of the existence of any higher-dimensional 'will bodies' that transcend the level of 'collective subconsciousness'. The rule of time reversal is engraved in the laws of the plane, operating like a natural phenomenon."

"The Scythe Skull Clan's 'memory retention' and 'behavioral adjustment' are more like a group adaptive evolution based on biological instincts under the operation of this set of rules, and... a kind of non-intelligent 'rule feedback' that we have not yet fully understood."

“But those ‘regulations’ that clearly violate the instincts of lower-level organisms, forcibly boost morale, and even seem to be able to predict some of our high-level research trends…” Jemin frowned, “If it’s just non-intelligent rule feedback, can it be so ‘precise’ and ‘targeted’?”

This is precisely where the bottleneck lies. All phenomena can be explained by complex rules combined with group adaptation.

But there are always subtle details that carry traces of "intention" that make the top wizards intuitively feel that there must be a "manipulator" behind it all.

However, all detection methods point to nothingness.

"This...is really troublesome..." Jemin couldn't help but sigh.

Fifteen cycles of reincarnation, decades of dedicated research, almost completely uncovering the secrets of this plane's surface, yet it got stuck at the last, and most crucial, step.

They solved most of the puzzle, but couldn't find the person who created it.

(That's all for today)

(End of this chapter)