Well, now he didn’t even have a phone to play with.
He was too shy to ask for a new one—and knowing Herta, she probably wouldn’t give him one for such a trivial matter.
After all, she was famous for losing interest in things quickly and abandoning them when they stopped amusing her.
Just then, the mostly useless system finally proved its worth:
[Module Name]: Electromagnetic Field and Wave Theory
[Unlocked/Mastered Chapters]:
Chapter One: Vector Analysis and Field Theory
Description: Understand and initially apply vector operations, fundamental field concepts (gradient, divergence, curl).
Can perform basic electromagnetic field perception and vector manipulation.
[Chapters To Unlock]:
Chapter Two: Fundamental Equations of Macroscopic Electromagnetic Fields
Chapter Three: Quasi-stationary and Static Electromagnetic Fields
Chapter Four: Transmission Line Theory Fundamentals
…
[Now do you see the importance of knowledge? Better start studying.]
Ryan crossed his arms with a look of disdain.
“You just taught me to read a few books. I got my powers from getting blown up, not from you.”
[So what? Even at the very least, I contributed. If you don’t study and some Aeon comes after you one day, don’t blame me. No cheat, you work hard. With a cheat, you don’t work hard—you little brat.]
“…Which Aeon would even notice me? I have no talent, no power, and no ambition—hell, no aspirations at all.”
[Self-defeating much. But stay low-key. There are always a few who might glance your way… like… Elation! Hehehe!]
“…”
“Whatever. Not talking to you anymore.”
After ending the conversation with the system—which had only ever taught him how to read from his transmigration until his near-death experience—Ryan sat down in a chair with a sigh.
That said, the system was pretty user-friendly.
Though the voice inexplicably sounded like a little brat…
His phone was broken, and Herta would be looking for him tomorrow.
He needed to figure something out.
He needed to maintain contact.
Wait—he could actually build something.
His abilities weren’t just for show.
He concentrated, and the invisible electromagnetic field vector lines appeared in his vision again.
He didn’t act immediately.
First, he emitted weak electromagnetic waves from himself toward the phone, letting them bounce back after touching every component of the phone’s remains.
In his mind, a three-dimensional model built from electromagnetic feedback information gradually became clear.
“The core processor and memory chips are still salvageable… the power management and signal modules are completely fried.”
He made a quick assessment.
His plan: use his abilities to precisely manipulate electromagnetic field vectors at the microscopic scale, forming an adaptive oscillating circuit.
He would then manipulate his own surrounding magnetic field as a signal source—periodically changing the strength and direction of his electromagnetic field output to generate electromagnetic oscillations at specific frequencies as carrier waves.
Using vector control, he would encode information by modulating the amplitude and frequency of these oscillations.
For receiving, he would perceive subtle changes in environmental electromagnetic waves and reverse-decode the information.
Since the signal source was his own controllable electromagnetic field, the “transmission” and “reception” were essentially interventions into and readings of the surrounding electromagnetic environment’s vectors.
Therefore, this signal source could theoretically actively adjust its oscillation characteristics to simulate any available communication protocols and frequency bands, enabling adaptive connectivity.
The short version?
He was a living router.
“Living router” → microscopically manipulate electromagnetic fields to build oscillating circuits → vary magnetic field frequencies like ringing a bell as signal “carrier” → hide information in “bell-ringing amplitude/speed” → decode by sensing electromagnetic wave fluctuations when receiving → switch “signal channels” to match surrounding devices → like having built-in universal WiFi, automatically connecting to all devices~
With the principle worked out, Ryan began.
After an unknown period of time, when the last connection was completed through his will, a tiny LED light on the strange-looking device on the desk began flickering with an unsteady green glow.
Success.
“I really am a genius!”
Looking at his creation, Ryan was overcome with excitement.
No need for a new phone—he could automatically connect to incompatible networks.
He casually scrolled through.
No lag.
Signal was stable.
The only downside was that this phone could only be used by him.
Without his specific magnetic field, it was just a brick—maybe not even good enough for the Amber Lord to use in wall-building.
Ryan didn’t examine it further, tossing it aside.
The room fell quiet.
There wasn’t much here—besides the touch-screen computer, not a single piece of experimental equipment.
He began thinking about his next steps.
He now had mastery of electromagnetics—but only Chapter One.
If he could unlock everything, he’d have the means to protect himself.
For now, he needed to hold onto this lifeline.
Going out there now would be no different from suicide.
One wrong step outside and he’d be scattered as dust.
He was homeless—just missing the “homeless” part by a technicality.
[You should also consider the Aeons. A single glance from one of them could obliterate you with the energy involved.]
Ryan froze.
Right—an Aeon’s gaze wasn’t something just anyone could withstand.
“Then what do I do?”
[That’s what you don’t need to worry about. See that aurora outside? It can temporarily shield you from the Aeons.]
“…Hm? Isn’t the aurora a natural phenomenon? Are you saying they’d think it’s too green to be auspicious and look away?”
[That aurora was generated by your own magnetic field. This special magnetic field temporarily masks your existence… As long as they’re not paying close attention, they won’t notice… though Aha is unpredictable.]
“I thought it was just decoration. Didn’t know it had this function. Wonder if Aha likes auroras. If so, maybe they’ll toss some power my way as a tip. I mean, wouldn’t it be fun for a blue planet to sport a green hat?”
[Your sense of humor is terrible…]
Ryan shrugged.
“You just don’t appreciate humor.”
Now that Ryan understood the aurora’s function, he had enough time to think about the future.
First, develop under Herta’s wing.
Unlock the abilities of other chapters.
Deal with future matters later.
Focus on understanding his own abilities.
Which raised another question—he was just an ordinary person.
He would age and die!
Unless he found a way to slow his body’s aging, he was doomed.
Unless Herta gave him a rejuvenation package—which was basically impossible.
So his best option was to stay here.
Hiding under this aurora was currently the best arrangement.
Right now, the only thing he could do…
Manipulate vectors and electromagnetic fields…
Ryan casually tossed his phone into the air, then raised his hand.
The phone floated in mid-air.
Because he’d changed its gravitational vector lines—originally pointing toward the planet’s core, now pointing in the opposite direction.
He could manipulate any object.
A flick of his finger, and the phone began orbiting around him.
“If I can refine this enough, flying won’t be a problem.”
His earlier failed flight attempt was still fresh in his mind.
He refused to believe that an electromagnetics researcher like himself couldn’t figure this out.
Another wave of his hand, and the surrounding magnetic field shifted again.
Unsecured objects around the room began floating, freed from gravity.
Including himself.
[Not bad. I can see you’re working hard.]
“Of course. I don’t want to have a cheat and not know how to use it.”
[Very determined.]
Ryan looked at the electromagnetic fields and vector lines visible everywhere.
“What if I tried moving toward a more fundamental direction?”
[You could try. Chapter Two is called ‘Fundamental Equations of Macroscopic Electromagnetic Fields.’]
“So I need to start doing calculations?”
No, that approach was wrong.
Calculations had been necessary before because he couldn’t directly observe microscopic phenomena.
But now he could see the vectors and fields—even their magnitudes.
So he shouldn’t just focus on the macroscopic.
Ryan concentrated, and his vision shifted.
Something was zooming in!
Here it comes!
Here it comes!
A brand new world was revealing itself!
“Fuck, who threw a flashbang!”
It was genuinely bright.
[That’s the effect of being able to see electric charges. Those moving light sources are charges—though they dissipate after moving.]
After rubbing his micro-world-dazzled eyes, Ryan quickly adapted to his new perspective.
He could see electrons flowing through machinery, and insulators blocking electron flow until it stopped.
“So this is… the microscopic world?”