《DAY –11 ended.》
《Survival EXP accumulates.》
The inside of the Magic Tower was quiet.
There were no warning sounds.
Today, at least, he would not die yet.
“I can start today.”
He rose and checked the water container first.
The waterline was a little over half.
“I live today. Tomorrow… I’ll think about it then.”
He would hold out today.
Tomorrow, he did not know.
The moment water ran short, his options shrank sharply.
He could somehow endure without food, but water was different.
‘Back then… I really almost died.’
The Tower’s water was basically contaminated.
There had been a time when he drank it without knowing and lost an entire day to an upset stomach.
After that, water was no longer something he simply ‘drank,’ but something he ‘managed.’
Jin-woo lightly shook the water container.
Slosh—.
There was sound.
For now, it would hold.
‘I’ll hold back for now.’
He set the water container down and headed toward the purification device.
It was the facility he checked most often inside the Magic Tower.
“Lumina.”
[Awaiting response.]
“What’s the state of the purification device?”
A moment later, the report came back.
[Mana circuit output reduced.]
[Purification efficiency: 72%]
[Compared to recommendation: -18%]
Jin-woo’s brow naturally furrowed.
“It dropped as much as I put it off.”
The purification device ran all day without rest.
It was one of the Magic Tower’s core facilities.
And it was the first to break down.
It was not in good condition.
[Circuit deterioration due to long-term use.]
[Mana Stone powder replacement and circuit reinforcement recommended.]
“……As expected.”
Jin-woo let out a short breath.
The fact that its efficiency had fallen this far meant he could not put it off any longer.
He had to do something.
‘If I don’t work on it now, I’ll have to do something much bigger later.’
He turned toward the workbench.
The Mana Stone powder he had obtained yesterday through the Transmutation Core entered his sight.
The amount was small, but the quality was certain.
‘There’s no need to change it dramatically.’
What he needed now was not output, but stability.
“Lumina. I can reinforce it with this Mana Stone powder, right?”
[Grade: E.]
[Possible.]
“What reinforcement range can be applied to the current circuit?”
[Partial reinforcement possible.]
[Slight increase in energy efficiency expected.]
[Purified water output increase: approximately 13~20%.]
Jin-woo nodded.
“That’s enough.”
He set aside a small amount of Mana Stone powder and placed it beside the purification device.
Then he activated his skill.
《You have used Magic Engineering.》
Blue light seeped into his vision.
Jin-woo disassembled the outer casing of the purification device and examined the internal circuits.
He noticed several sections where the flow of mana was inconsistent.
“Here and… here.”
[Circuit deterioration confirmed.]
[Energy loss sections detected.]
Lumina’s voice followed.
The purification device was not a perfectly restored facility.
He had only made it ‘run,’ and now the price of that was revealing itself.
“This circuit should be rebuilt.”
Jin-woo stopped his hands and shifted his gaze to the side.
A section where the flow of mana had been completely cut off.
The traces of the temporary connection he had made still remained exactly as they were.
“Instead… this magic circle only needs reinforcement.”
He would not replace everything.
He would preserve what could be preserved and newly connect what had been severed.
Right now, stability came before efficiency.
[Full replacement increases malfunction probability by 32%.]
Lumina’s words were only confirmation.
Jin-woo had already reached the conclusion.
“Right.”
If he made a mistake, there would be no water today.
Jin-woo slowly mixed the Mana Stone powder obtained from the Transmutation Core into the Mana Stone solution he had prepared in advance.
The color brightened by one shade, and the mana spread more evenly through the solution than before.
[Mana circulation stabilization confirmed.]
[Output deviation reduced.]
‘If I connect this section like this….’
He carefully dropped the solution onto the circuit.
The Mana Stone powder seeped in, and the severed line connected again.
[Circuit connected.]
[Mana Stone powder quality reflected.]
[Energy efficiency increase expected.]
Lumina’s analysis followed immediately.
It was definitely different.
“The circuit should be good enough now….”
Jin-woo lowered his gaze.
Part of the magic circle was worn down.
The lines had blurred, and the angles of the pattern were slightly off.
“The magic circle… needs fixing.”
He mixed the solution again.
This time, he used a smaller amount and adjusted the concentration.
A magic circle was far more sensitive than a circuit.
‘I have to be careful.’
《Tool Sense assists you.》
If even an error of 0.01 mm occurred, a magic circle could operate in an entirely different direction.
The target of the purification device was water.
Survival itself.
SCRATCH—
SCRATCH—
Jin-woo held his breath and redrew the damaged pattern.
His focus gathered at his fingertips.
A moment later.
“Whew….”
After finishing the final line, Jin-woo finally let out a long breath.
It was done.
Jin-woo traced the circuit line by line with his fingertips.
A break, a backflow, a gap—if even one existed, it was over.
‘Clean.’
Jin-woo slotted the circuit back in.
“Lumina.”
[Purification device output stabilizing.]
A moment later—
the fine vibration flowing through the device subsided noticeably.
[Reinforcement complete.]
[Repair Rate: 25%.]
[Purification efficiency: 84%. (standby standard)]
It was not complete.
Still, it would hold.
Jin-woo’s expression brightened.
It had succeeded.
“Then activate it.”
[Purification device activated.]
[Energy rearrangement.]
Vwoom-
A short vibration followed.
At the same time, the water began to be purified.
[Purification complete.]
[Purification efficiency: 90% (operation standard)]
[Purified water output increased: 20%]
“It worked.”
Jin-woo stopped his hands and stared at the purified water for a moment.
Calculations ran through his head.
‘Twice a day… by daily standard.’
At the current output, he could run it up to two times without overdoing it.
Anything beyond that was dangerous.
‘From the third time on, it collapses.’
Either the circuit would fail to hold, or the Magic Tower would react first.
Jin-woo nodded.
‘The line is clear.’
What he needed now was not maximum efficiency.
It was holding out without crossing the line where things collapsed.
He swallowed another mouthful of water.
The sensation of it flowing down his throat was different from before.
‘I survive.’
That brief certainty made his body move.
Jin-woo looked down at the purification device again.
Now, this device was no longer just a facility.
It was a device that extended his survival time.
And—
‘A foundation that makes the next choice possible.’
He would not be thirsty today.
Jin-woo laughed shortly.
Thanks to the circuit reinforcement, he could obtain more water than before.
That was not all.
[Operating consumption: 20% → 12%]
Energy efficiency had improved too.
With this, efficiency would rise.
“Let’s see….”
Jin-woo collected the water and drank it.
His expression brightened.
“Refreshing.”
Perhaps because the Purification Rate had increased, the water felt refreshing.
That was when it happened.
Ding!
《Purification device reinforced.》
《Securing water is an important factor directly tied to survival.》
《Survival EXP accumulates.》
“Oh.”
EXP had accumulated.
“Good.”
Water was survival.
The system acknowledged that too.
[I have an additional report.]
Lumina’s voice continued a little later than before.
It was after confirming that the purification device’s mana flow had stabilized.
[Storage capacity limit nearly reached.]
[Internal structural adjustment required upon expansion.]
“If I expand it… it eats into space.”
[Affirmative.]
Jin-woo let out a short breath.
Even now, he could not call the space generous.
There was no reason to get greedy for nothing.
[Automatic purification function can be stabilized.]
Jin-woo’s gaze returned to the purification device.
“That means it can run automatically, right?”
[Possible.]
[However, advanced control authority required.]
[With current Authority range, only ‘partial automation’ is supported.]
“…Authority?”
[Automatic purification is linked to the entire Magic Tower’s energy allocation.]
[Automating without Authority risks malfunction in other facilities.]
Jin-woo fell silent for a moment.
“So… I still have to manage it by hand for now.”
[Affirmative.]
[Additional Authority will expand automation range.]
“…That means I have to draw more circuits.”
[Current circuit capacity nearing limit.]
[Additional installation may cause output instability.]
Jin-woo thought for a moment, then shook his head.
There were already quite a few facilities running inside the Magic Tower.
Adding more circuits here would be a dangerous choice.
‘They say too much can be worse than not enough, don’t they?’
Greed one could not handle brought disaster.
He had to know when to step back at the proper line.
This was exactly that moment.
“Not now.”
[Judgment recorded.]
Lumina’s voice held no emotion, but that one sentence was enough.
In the meantime, the sound of purified water flowing into the storage tank could be heard softly.
[External water source connection possibility search complete.]
Jin-woo’s expression stiffened subtly.
“External?”
[Affirmative.]
[Connection to underground water vein and contaminated water source outside the Tower possible.]
He immediately raised his head.
“Risk factors?”
[Multiple confirmed.]
[Possibility of contamination.]
[Risk of monster approach.]
[Increased probability of Magic Tower location exposure.]
“…The moment I connect a water source outside, a path forms.”
A path was always followed.
The Magic Tower’s greatest advantage was isolation.
It had held out until now because it was cut off from the outside.
The moment he connected a water source outside, the base would become a ‘path.’
And a path—would always be followed.
Jin-woo closed the purification device’s cover and said, “This much is enough for now.”
Jin-woo crossed his arms.
“It doesn’t need to overflow. It just has to not run short.”
[Current purification efficiency: 86%.]
[Stable state maintaining.]
Only then did Jin-woo relax a little.
But he was not completely relieved.
Jin-woo’s gaze returned to the purification device again.
‘For now, it holds.’
That was certain.
But—
‘It won’t keep holding forever.’
He had already touched the circuit once.
Next time, he would have to go deeper.
When that time came, it would not end as lightly as it had today.
Jin-woo raised his hand and lightly tapped the purification device’s outer casing.
THUNK—
A hollow sound rang out.
‘There’s no leeway.’
Expansion and automation were all the same problem.
Jin-woo thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“Not yet.”
There were still things he could do inside the Magic Tower.
If he strengthened his footing just a little more—
the range of his next choices would change.
Jin-woo lowered his hand.
“Next… I start with preparations.”