DOTM: Chapter 601/602

Chapter 601: A Special Solution

The method Merlin proposed was a middle ground between slowly eliminating the various toxins within his body over a long period, and completely abandoning his current body to restart training with his vast mental power, memory, and experience.

"Reforge my body?"

"For you, it should be reforming your body into a god-body."

Ethan was currently a demigod, but strictly speaking, his body had undergone several enhancements that surpassed the human level, evolving into the physique of a higher life form. It could not be considered a true god-body, not even a demigod's body, strictly speaking.

Of course, this did not mean he would always be like this. Through prolonged improvement and evolution, his body would increasingly approach the life level of a god, eventually evolving into a true god-body.

To achieve this, he needed to enhance some things while discarding others.

"The method I am talking about is accelerating this process."

Compared to gradually purifying his body little by little through slow training, Merlin had a way to clear out the impurities or toxins in Ethan's body all at once. This would make his body extremely pure, infinitely close to a true god-body. With just a little effort, crossing that insurmountable hurdle would be a natural progression.

"It might even allow you to become a true god directly."

Merlin was not referring to gods who achieved their status through certain responsibilities or by benefiting from a large number of believers. He was talking about reaching a very high level of life realm.

Combined with Ethan's mental level, which had already reached a certain height, the resulting improvement was beyond accurate description in words.

"Sounds great. Are there any issues?"

With such a good method, Merlin was not just presenting it directly but explaining it first. There had to be some unresolved issues.

As expected, Merlin then brought up some problems with this method.

"Although it is not as troublesome as starting training from scratch, this method is equivalent to completely grinding your body, then removing the unusable parts, and combining the remaining parts to condense a new body. So..."

If Ethan were evenly divided into a hundred parts, and some were discarded, the remaining parts would certainly not be enough to reassemble him into his original form.

"So... will I turn into a dwarf or a goblin?"

"Not necessarily. You might turn into a child. The specific situation depends on how much of your current body is usable."

This meant that the more impurities and toxins in Ethan's body, the less usable parts there were, and the younger his age would be after being reassembled.

"I will not turn into a baby, will I?"

"It is not impossible, but your body should not be that bad."

Although there were many impurities, it was at least half a god-body. No matter what, he would not have to discard that much.

Merlin casually tapped his forehead with his finger, and a silver-white light spot appeared on his fingertip. Following Merlin's movement, it floated toward Ethan.

Ethan casually caught the floating light spot. Upon contact, it slowly merged into his hand.

"Is this the specific way to cast the spell?"

"Yes."

"It does not seem difficult."

Merlin conveyed the spell casting method to Ethan in this way not because he was wary of Scáthach nearby, but because at high levels, many spells are difficult to explain clearly through language alone. The basic structure of such spells is more like a conceptual thing. Once you understand it, you understand it. If you do not understand, no amount of explanation will help.

Before today, even if Merlin had taught this spell to Ethan, he would have found it difficult to understand how to cast it, and even knowing about it would have been useless to him.

Now, thanks to his unexpected broadening of horizons, he was able to use this spell. Mana was not the issue for him. This spell did not consume much mana, and Ethan's own mana was sufficient to complete it, without even needing to draw extra energy from the outside.

"Once you complete this spell and grow up again, I will have nothing more to teach you."

Merlin made this judgment with great certainty. Once Ethan completed the shaping of his god-body, combined with his already strong mental power and increasingly vast, profound, and pure mana, it seemed he was training a truly extraordinary being.

However, watching an ordinary young man grow stronger and stronger under his guidance was also a kind of pleasure, a very good diversion in his long life.

"Although I am looking forward to it, I feel a bit annoyed at the thought of having to turn into a child."

Merlin smiled without a word, and Ethan felt that Merlin's smile was full of malice.

Although Ethan sensed that Merlin might not have told him everything directly, this legendary great magician perfectly matched the descriptions in legends. Moreover, Ethan had received help from Merlin more than once. This old gentleman might have a bit of a mischievous desire to watch the spectacle, but he would not actually harm him.

"Maybe he just wants to see a show?"

Leaving Merlin's retreat, Ethan did not return to Illya's place. Instead, with Merlin's help, he returned directly to Artemis. Scáthach did not follow this time. She was very interested in the magic Merlin possessed, as it was a completely different system from the Magecraft she understood and mastered. So she stayed there, wanting to see if she could learn anything from Merlin.

Ethan did not care whether she could learn anything. Upon returning to Artemis, he quickly met with a few people on the ship, all of whom were shocked by his aged appearance.

"You... how long were you in that world?"

For Logan, Hill, and the others, Ethan had only been gone for a moment. He left the cockpit, went for a walk, and then returned to the cockpit.

Considering Ethan's current situation, it was impossible for him to age like this in just a few decades like an ordinary person.

"Did you encounter any trouble?"

"I encountered a somewhat troublesome opponent and used some moves that exceeded my current strength."

Ethan did not hide anything and directly recounted his experience this time. As he finished, he casually stroked Leah's head, who looked worried. The young girl was now somewhat familiar with Ethan, and given their teacher-student relationship, Ethan was the closest person to Leah here.

Seeing her teacher suddenly become so old, even though Leah was just a beginner in Magecraft, she knew that Ethan's current situation was not good.

"You have figured out a solution, right?"

As Ethan spoke, the people on the ship were not simple-minded or unintelligent. Seeing that he was still calm as usual, they knew he already had a solution.

"Taking advantage of this opportunity, I can also resolve the hidden dangers in my body."

Using enhancement potions could continuously improve potential, but it would leave some hidden dangers in the body. Ethan did not hide this from everyone and told them directly.

Regarding these so-called hidden dangers, everyone seemed not to care much.

From Ethan's description, it was clear that these so-called hidden dangers could be completely ignored before becoming a god. When it was time to become a god, one could also purify the body little by little over a long period, which could clear the impurities in the body and eliminate the hidden dangers.

One could say this was not a problem at all. Putting aside the fact that they were still very far from becoming gods, a problem that could be solved was simply not a problem.

"Then why are you not undergoing treatment immediately? Is there anything you need to prepare?"

Seeing Ethan in his current state, several people were curious why he was not rushing to treat his illness and was still wandering around here. What was he doing?

"Because this treatment will take a long time. I need to arrange some things first."

For example, the teleportation device in the teleportation room needed to be completely finished. He could not guarantee anything else, but at least he had to ensure that the teleportation between Artemis and the Starship Troopers world had no problems.

Only after arranging everything properly could he quietly shape his god-body.

"Also, I am preparing to notify Diana."

Notifying Diana was very convenient. Ethan did not even need to teleport to Diana's world. They already had a dedicated emergency communication item between them. When necessary, this item could also help Ethan better pinpoint Diana's location and summon her back to Artemis. Of course, Diana had to actively accept this reverse summoning.

After a flash of light, Diana appeared before Ethan, and she was equally surprised when she saw his appearance clearly.

"What happened?"

"I really should have called you over first."

Now he could only explain the situation again. When Diana confirmed that Ethan was okay, she also put aside her worries.

"It is good that you are alright, but this appearance looks quite novel."

After confirming that everything was fine, Ethan's aged appearance made Diana curious and she observed him for a while. Although the two of them were often not together, when they were, they would imagine themselves growing old together.

They both knew that it was almost impossible for them, but they did not expect to actually have the chance to see Ethan's aged appearance.

"Do you want to experience it too?"

"I will pass."

Diana decisively rejected Ethan's suggestion and instead asked if there was anything to note about his upcoming treatment plan.

"There is nothing particularly noteworthy, I just wanted to greet you specially, as this might take a long time."

Ethan had just started speaking when a spatial rift appeared beside him again. This was clearly Merlin's doing. He wondered if Merlin had thought of something else. At the same time, he channeled spatial energy into the rift, expanding it into a teleportation gate.

Scáthach leaped out of the enlarged blue light gate and handed a red crystal she held to Ethan.

"Merlin said you might need this and asked me to bring it over."

"Bring it over... casually?"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 602: Shaping the Divine Body

"Incidentally?"

"He taught me some things and then let me leave, saying that you might find this useful, so he told me to bring it to you."

It was clear that Merlin had anticipated Scáthach would not leave immediately, so he deliberately kept something back, waiting until the right moment to use it as an excuse to send her away. As for whether it would cause Ethan trouble, Merlin did not care at all, or perhaps causing Ethan a little trouble was actually more interesting.

Although he considered this, Ethan did not want to dwell on it for now. He looked at the ruby-like crystal in his hand, turning it slightly to see the red inside seemed to be a flowing liquid.

Holding it carefully and feeling it, he could only sense the powerful energy it contained and... dragon might.

"Dragon blood?"

Ethan had certainly seen dragon blood before. Years ago, he and Loki killed the black dragon princess Onyxia and collected a good amount of her dragon blood.

Given Onyxia's origin and status in Azeroth, it was hard to find dragon blood rarer and more noble than hers, and the dragon blood crystal in his hand was just such an item.

He remembered the body-shaping Magic Merlin had taught him. Various materials could be added to it, and these materials would have their essence extracted by the Magic, perfectly integrating into the new body. Because they were integrated at the birth of the body, like innate attributes, they would not cause any extra side effects on the body. Instead, they would make the new body stronger.

Ethan had quite a few items in his possession, but most of them had already been used on himself, so he did not need to add these things again when casting this spell. He just needed to refine them again to make them integrate more perfectly with the body.

The only exception was the Titan Potion, which he had not had time to use yet. After integrating the Titan bloodline, he could truly be considered a Titan god by blood.

While Ethan was examining the item in his hand, Scáthach was looking around Artemis.

As a special being who had lived from ancient times to the present, Scáthach could naturally understand what a spaceship was, but she had not expected Ethan's home to actually be a spaceship.

Moreover, this was not a particularly huge spaceship, yet there were quite a few people on board, and their strengths were all pretty good.

"This is Scáthach, the legendary Queen of the Land of Shadows..."

What the Land of Shadows was, Ethan did not specifically explain. Although the few people present were not clear, there was also Luna on Artemis. This intelligent system used the simplest and most direct way to introduce the Land of Shadows and what kind of being Scáthach was.

Everyone was already used to the appearance of a legendary figure. As for Nebula and Betty, who had joined most recently, they had no sense of connection to Earth's legends. It was no different from listening to a story.

Only Diana took an extra moment to observe, looking at Scáthach's tight-fitting outfit that perfectly showcased her figure, and she quickly made a judgment.

"She's your type."

"Huh?"

Ethan casually put away the dragon blood and saw Diana nod her chin toward Scáthach. Only then did he turn his head to look over there.

Diana narrowed her eyes slightly, but besides that, she did not continue to dwell on this topic. Instead, she turned to look at Leah beside her.

Regarding this disciple, Ethan had specifically mentioned her when he was dating Diana. He not only said that Leah had become his disciple but also specifically mentioned the future Leah would have faced.

Hearing that such a kind child would face such an end, Diana felt that Ethan's actions were very correct. However, because she had always stayed in her own world, this was the first time she had met Leah.

So after greeting Logan, Diana had been talking to Leah.

"Let's stop reminiscing here. I still have some things to do."

The preparation work was more than just this. He needed to check the teleportation device and send a message to the Ancient One. Besides expressing his gratitude, he also informed her of his recent situation to prevent her from not being able to find him if something unexpected happened.

Similarly, Tony also received a communication. Although Tony said he really wanted to see what Ethan looked like as an old man and expressed his desire to come over, Ethan refused, citing that he could not currently perform stable inter-dimensional teleportation.

"Don't try to fool me! Didn't Diana already go over?"

"...Oh dear, the signal doesn't seem very good. Let's leave it at that. Talk next time!"

Tony was not the one who made Ethan feel most speechless; it was the crew members on the ship who did.

He did not know who sent the message "Ethan has turned into an old man!" to everyone. With the teleportation positioning device, allowing free travel between the Starship Troopers world and Artemis, almost everyone rushed back and then surrounded the aged Ethan, examining him non-stop.

"Am I a panda?"

He was now like a rare animal being observed by countless tourists, though not everyone on the ship knew what a panda was.

"What's a panda?"

"... "

Scáthach originally thought Ethan's ship was quite lively, but she had not expected it to be even livelier than she imagined. At the same time, she was also very curious about where these people had been before. It seemed like so many people had not been staying on the spaceship all the time.

She had already known that Ethan had the ability to travel through countless worlds. She had thought that only powerful magi could do that, like the one she had seen earlier, Merlin, who was very different from the one in her memory.

Now it seemed that Ethan had other means here that allowed some ordinary people who did not understand Magecraft to also travel freely to other worlds.

"Interesting."

She became interested in this place and planned to study the ability to travel between dimensions while practicing the knowledge she had obtained from Merlin.

Endless dimensions also meant countless strong individuals. Her originally boring and monotonous life suddenly became interesting.

"Alright, have you all seen enough? There will not be anything to see later."

Due to space constraints, they moved to the island to make it convenient for everyone to observe him.

It was spacious enough for everyone to gather, and there was no need to worry about the aftershocks generated by casting Magecraft affecting the spaceship.

More importantly, with the modifications Ethan had made before, this small world was full of energy, especially the hot springs, which were an excellent place for recovery for Ethan, who would be in a weakened state after completing the Magecraft.

"I originally wanted to build a small wooden house with you on that snow-covered mountain peak and live a peaceful life for a while before undergoing body reshaping."

Unfortunately, his physical condition continued to deteriorate. If he delayed any longer, he might not even have the strength to complete this Magecraft on his own.

At that point, he would have to ask Merlin and the Ancient One to come and help him complete this body reshaping.

It was not that he did not trust those two, but for a magus, not being able to personally complete such important Magecraft would always feel like a regret. So, he had to put these things aside for now and solve the problem with his body first.

"After you complete this body reshaping, I will stay and accompany you for a while."

Although Diana and Ethan enjoyed meeting every so often and being busy with their own things at other times, maintaining a long-term relationship was inherently troublesome, and some changes were needed from time to time.

The location for setting up the magic circle was finally chosen near the forest at the foot of the mountain, not far from Logan's small wooden house.

Ethan personally outlined the magic circle. At his current level, setting up a circle no longer required any external objects. He could effortlessly release vast and pure mana and then construct a complete magic circle with pure mana.

Scáthach watched the entire process from the side, specifically to see such a scene. Now she was satisfied, and the other few on the ship who had studied Magic were also shocked by Ethan's methods.

The more they understood Magic, the more they could comprehend the difficulty of Ethan's technique.

Normally, Ethan would definitely play a few more tricks and enjoy more praise and admiring glances, but now he did not have the time to waste. After quickly completing the magic circle, he directly stood in the center of the circle.

"What happens next might be a bit unsettling, but please do not panic."

Before everyone could figure out what he meant, they saw Ethan's body slowly turn into fragments, then become a pile of black ash that slowly floated down and gathered in the center of the magic circle.

Ethan's clothes and equipment were not destroyed but were directly ejected outside the magic circle.

Even with the prior warning, everyone was startled by this scene. Diana almost punched the magic circle in front of her.

However, a faint image quickly appeared in the magic circle. This colorless, almost invisible transparent image made a reassuring gesture toward everyone, then gave Diana and Ada a look that told them not to worry.

"Is that your soul?"

"No, this is a pure spiritual body."

Not only was Ethan's body shattered just now, but his soul was also almost disassembled. This Magic seemed to reshape even the soul, with only the core of his spirit being preserved.

And from a perspective that no one else could see, only Ethan could see, countless light spots floated around him. These were the resources that could be reused. Everything else that could not be used turned into black ash. After extracting and draining the useful parts, the rest were impurities harmful to the body.

The method of shaping the body was also a bit different from what Ethan had imagined. He looked at the panel in front of him speechlessly, making various choices using his spiritual power.

"Humanoid! It must be humanoid!"

"Gender? Does that even need consideration? Must be a pure man!"

"Hair color? Red? Gold? White? No, no, black hair is what I am used to..."

(To be continued.)