ManaTech: A System of Magic And Technology

The Ropes

I ripped my hand away from the shelf and practically flipped myself out of bed. 

[Oi! Chill out human, it’s like you’ve never had a neurolinked hyperspatial artificial intelligence hotwired into your consciousness before,] the voice in my head said snarkily. 

“A what?!” I squawked, I’d thought taking my hand off of the shelf would cut off the connection with whatever the thing had been speaking in my head was. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. 

[Oh great, he’s as dense as he is weird,] The AI said, [Long story short, I’m the thing that’s going to keep you from getting killed now that you’re in this universe. And uh, yeah, obviously I have access to your memories so I know all about what’s happened to you. Properly weird situation you have going on here.]

“So… you’ve given me like… powers, or something?” I asked, my heart rate was already returning to normal. 

I was in a super advanced sci-fi world, there was no telling what strange innovations I was going to come across. I was going to have to learn to roll with the punches sooner rather than later, which meant there was no real reason to start freaking out over every little thing that I encountered. 

[Given you powers? Not quite, no,] The AI said, [Let me break it down in a way someone from a… ew, not even a Type 1 civilization, can understand. I am a hyper-fast computer system that syncs up with your internal stores of mana energy to help you fight against your enemies. In other words, I’m a bridge between your core and the universe’s underlying magic. Goody for me.]

“Sorry… did you say magic?” I asked. 

I took a few steps toward the window and gazed out at the city in front of me. 

The city was immense, bigger than anything Earth had to offer by a significant margin if what I was seeing was anything to go by. 

Every building was an impossibly large skyscraper, stretching far up into the sky and far down below. I couldn’t see the bottom or the top, which meant I was somewhere in the middle. It was a good thing I wasn’t afraid of heights. 

Each skyscraper was linked with the others with a series of bridges, each of which had central platforms where multiple bridges linked up with one another that had been turned into meeting places to sit and eat out in the open. 

Flying cars zipped between the buildings too, each one flying in pre-determined patterns that were clearly run by more AIs. 

In other words, there was nothing to imply that I was in a fantasy world that ran on magic. Everything looked futuristic and alien and very clearly based on technology. 

[Oh, cute, you thought you had a handle on how future technology would work!] The AI in my head chuckled, [Please, things like hydrogen cells and nuclear reactors are practically baby toys in this universe. Over in this plane of reality, everything is powered by mana. You know, magic. Even I’m feeding off a small amount of the mana that’s in your body right now.]

“There’s mana in my body?” I asked, “But I’m not even from this universe, how does that work?” 

I looked at my hands warily as if they were about to start shooting off magic missiles at the next given opportunity. 

[Is there mana in…] The AI trailed off incredulously, [Buddy, I’m not sure how considering it breaks basically every known law of magical theory but your body is like a mana factory, I’m swimming in the stuff.]

“And what does that mean for me, exactly?” I asked. 

[Get dressed, we’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up and you’re going to want to eat first,] The AI said, [I’ll explain while you get ready.]

“Fine, fine,” I muttered in reply, “You’re already starting to sound like my mother.”

I turned away from the window reluctantly, it was a sight that I could have lost myself in all day if I had the time and turned toward what I assumed were the wardrobes. 

Much like the entranceway to the room, there weren’t any visible doors, yet as I drew closer to them a handprint sigil glowed a dull blue. I placed my hand on the sigil and felt a warmth under my fingertips, within moments the wall simply faded away to reveal the cupboard within. 

Magic was, I decided then, weird. 

I pulled on a plain white polo shirt, a pair of black tracksuit bottoms and a black workout jacket that had a green stripe down the left hand side. 

They weren’t exactly the most stylish pieces of clothing, but the materials felt comfortable as hell and were breathable enough that moving around with them on would be easy enough which was the most important thing considering I was going to find myself in combat sooner rather than later. 

“So, mana,” I said with my clothes on, “Start explaining. Oh, and directions to the nearest place to grab some food would be pretty nice too.” 

[A please and thank you wouldn’t hurt, human,] The AI said, it sounded a little irritated. 

Despite that, a few moments later my vision blurred and when that blur cleared I was greeted with a series of light blue lines on the ground, like a GPS route from a video game. 

“Thank you,” I said, “Sorry, it’s a lot to take in at once. I wasn’t trying to be demanding or anything like that.” 

[Apology accepted,] The AI said shortly, [Anyway, as for your whole mana situation. Yes, your body is generating mana, must be something those extra-dimensional creatures did to you on the transfer over to this universe. Your body, though, isn’t prepared for the strain of channeling that much power. So, while you’re eating I’m going to have to whip up a little programme to help manage your abilities so that you’ll unlock them a bit at a time.]

“You mean like some kind of video game system?” I asked as I opened the door to my room and stepped out into the corridor. 

[If that helps you visualize it, sure, like a video game system,] the AI replied. 

I let out a breath. It was like I’d stepped into some kind of Isekai or an online novel. I was going to have to level up a system to get stronger.