*pant* *pant* *cough*
It didn't matter. None of it did.
AUGH!!!
Not the tightness in my chest, not the constant ache in my muscles, nor the frequent growling of my stomach. "Almost there" I'd repeat, over and over again, unsure whether I was trying to reassure myself or convince my body to keep going.
But no matter how much I wrote down, and how many tests I completed, there always seemed to be another that followed, one that I absolutely refused to put on hold. I hadn't had a breath of fresh air in weeks, perhaps months. Every minute blurred together with the last. Every word and equation written appearing as nothing more than a bunch of pixelated splotches before my sleep-deprived eyes.
With every passing second, I could feel my body withering, getting thinner and thinner with the lack of nourishment, but even then my mind wouldn't rest. It continued to think and think, forming one formula, one equation, one discovery after another.
*wheeze* *violent coughing*
"Almost done" I repeated, refusing to let my experiments go, even as I crashed to the floor, scattering the countless disposable coffee cups littering the floor. Even as my body refused to move any longer, my eyes could only focus on the desk above me, and the experimental instruments that were now out of sight from my point-of-view.
I could bare it. I could ignore the pain as long as I wished, in fact, I had grown numb to it over time, but for my body, it was torture. Torture I had ignored, left unacknowledged past my tunnel vision.
It could only truly sink in once I was on the floor, unable to occupy my mind with my work and distract myself from it all. It burned,
《Request confirmed. Acquisition of the skill『Heat Resistance』is successful.》
then it froze,
《Acquisition of the skill『Cold Resistance』is successful.》
《The attainment of both『Heat Resistance』and『Cold Resistance』 has resulted in a new skill: 『Thermal Fluctuation Resistance』.》
then it stung, like every muscle was being attacked by thousands of volts of electricity, or like I was being torn to shreds by millions of microscopic blades.
《Acquisition of the skill『Physical Attack Resistance』is successful. Continuing, the skill『Electric Current Resistance』has been acquired,『Paralysis Resistance』is included.》
I couldn't scream due to the tightness in my throat, but I couldn't move from the odd mixture of malnourishment, pain and numbness in my muscles.
《Request confirmed. Acquisition of the skill『Abnormal Condition Resistance』is successful. Continuing, the skills『Pain Resistance』and『Starvation Resistance』have been acquired.》
It was agonizing, everything I had pushed aside for the sake of my studies hitting me all at once. I suppose I only have myself to blame in the end, letting my body decay as I did.
《Acquisition of the skill『Corrosion Resistance』is successful.》
《The attainment of 『Thermal Fluctuation Resistance』,『Electric Current Resistance』and 『Corrosion Resistance』has resulted in a new skill: 『Natural Effects Resistance』.》
But, the most saddening part, oddly enough, was the fact that I'd never get the chance to see my work published. Everything would be for nothing. My entire life, everything I spent my time working on, would most likely sit there for the rest of time, slowly rotting away on my workbench.
Perhaps, if the theory of the cycle of reincarnation holds some truth to it, I'll be able to continue my research. Spread my studies in a land yet to discover them. Of course, that's assuming that I don't forget it all. Heh, that sounds like a dream... To have a mind that never fades, especially at my age. I don't consider myself greedy, but that's something I could be envious of...
《Request confirmed. Acquisition of the Unique Skill『Emulator』successful. Continuing, acquisition of the Unique Skill『Esteemed Scientist』, successful.》
That's the last thing I heard before everything faded out. "Esteemed Scientist", huh? That's quite an amusing thought...
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That Time I Got Reincarnated as an Overpowered Elf (Tensura x OC)
FanfictionDavid Petrov; an elderly man who devoted his life to various studies, all for the sole purpose of fulfilling his never-ending thirst for knowledge. This constant thirst would cause him to neglect his own well-being, giving way to various illnesses h...
