The cold silence of the ocean embraced Eo as he remained suspended in the vast, dark depths. His body pulsed with energy, veins faintly glowing with the slow circulation of his Elemental Blood, yet it was far from perfect. The flow was weak, constrained by the limitations of his nervous system—an incomplete design that hindered his full potential.

  His recent contemplation had illuminated the missing link: A structured command center.

  The realization struck him with profound clarity. The human anatomy records he had studied in the underground chamber had detailed every aspect of biological function—how veins directed blood, how nerves transmitted signals, and most importantly, how the brain served as the central regulator of it all. Without such a system, true control over his evolving form was impossible.

  His current nervous network was too primitive.

  The crude net of nerves he had developed responded to stimuli, but it lacked hierarchical processing—there was no distinction between higher thought, reflexes, and automated functions. His magic flowed through instinct rather than intention, his movements lacked true precision, and his veins, though forming, struggled to direct his elemental blood with efficiency.

  This imbalance had to be corrected.

  --

  Eo made his decision. His body needed a higher intelligence center, something far beyond a simple nerve cluster. Yet, he refused to mimic the human brain entirely—it was constrained by biological limitations. Instead, he would create something new, something that fused magic, bioelectricity, and elemental energy into an optimized control system.

  He began the transformation.

  Deep within his core, energy condensed, spiraling inward like a collapsing star. He did not simply form a physical organ—he reconstructed the very essence of thought and control, layering it with multiple subsystems.

  The Core-Brain took shape, a dense cluster of magic-sensitive neural constructs near his core, acting as a primary processing hub. It was not a simple mass of neurons, but an advanced bio-magical intelligence network designed to regulate everything from bodily functions to complex reasoning.

  His nervous system evolved beyond the constraints of bioelectricity, integrating magic-powered synapses that formed a vast network capable of instantaneous energy transmission. Magic could now flow through his body as quickly as thought, unrestricted by the sluggish nature of traditional nerves.

  Elemental Synapses developed within him, specialized pathways for different elements. Fire-based reactions, water-based circulatory functions, and energy control each found their own optimized transmission routes. No longer did his magic flow through a single chaotic stream—now, every aspect had a dedicated path, ensuring maximum efficiency.

  As the changes took shape, Eo felt it immediately.

  The sluggish delay that had once plagued his magic control vanished. His thoughts and body now moved in perfect unison, as if the barrier between will and action had been erased. He could sense the veins within him, actively adjusting their flow rate as directed by the Core-Brain’s calculations. His reflexes sharpened, no longer burdened by the slow transmission of a primitive nerve net.

  For the first time, Eo felt true control.

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  His form was no longer bound by instinctual reaction—it had become an engineered system of efficiency. His new Core-Brain processed sensory input, magic flow, and structural adjustments at speeds beyond what his old nervous network could achieve. His awareness expanded, granting him deeper insight into his own body, the energy within him, and the shifting environment outside.

  This was the next step in his evolution.

  No longer did he operate purely as a creature of instinct. Now, he had stepped into the realm of true cognitive control, where thought dictated action without delay.

  And yet, he sensed that this was only the beginning.

  As the depths swirled around him, Eo felt a new kind of hunger—not for sustenance, but for further refinement. If his body could be optimized, then so too could his magic, his perception, his entire existence.

  A single thought echoed in the vast silence of the deep.

  What comes next?

  --

  Eo’s mind was more alive than ever. His newly developed Core-Brain Hybrid pulsed with activity, mapping out every corner of his body, monitoring the slow yet steady circulation of Elemental Blood.

  He could feel the changes—not just in function, but in awareness. Every fiber of his being was now under his direct control. No longer relying on instinct alone, he could direct his veins to contract and expand at will, adjusting the flow of magic-laden blood with careful precision.

  Yet, something still wasn’t perfect.

  The veins he had developed were functional, but their capacity was severely limited. Even with the Core-Brain optimizing the flow, they could only carry a small volume of Elemental Blood at a time. The energy coursing through him was potent, but the system itself was still underdeveloped—his nervous network, though vastly improved, was not yet fully adapted to handle the complexity of his evolving form.

  This flaw irritated him.

  Eo’s analytical mind surged forward, driven by the intense focus that always overtook him when faced with a curiosity that needed solving. He recalled the graph of human anatomy he had studied in the underground chamber—the intricately woven network of veins, arteries, and nerves that supported the entirety of human life.

  He had studied Frid’s body before, but now, with his heightened awareness, he reconstructed it in his mind at an atomic level.

  His focus sharpened, reaching into a realm beyond ordinary perception.

  His memory unraveled the layers of Frid’s vascular system, dissecting each part in extreme detail—the branching capillaries, the arteries carrying oxygen-rich blood, the veins returning it for purification. He traced the myelin-coated nerves, which accelerated bioelectric signals, allowing human bodies to react in mere milliseconds. He could even recall the complex layering of muscle tissue and organ function, all designed to work in harmony with the heart at the center of it all.

  And at that moment, Eo realized his fundamental mistake.

  He had built his own veins without understanding the importance of layered structure. His system lacked differentiation—his veins carried Elemental Blood, but there were no specialized pathways for different energy types, no regulation mechanisms, no distinct sections for storage and release. It was like trying to force a river through a single, narrow canal when it should be flowing through an interconnected delta.

  This was why his Core struggled.

  His body lacked tiered energy pathways—a structure that divided the stable flow from the volatile bursts, the reservoirs from the rapid delivery channels. His Elemental Blood was too powerful to be pushed through a single uniform system.

  If he wanted true mastery over his form, his veins would need three distinct layers of circulation. The primary conduits would serve as thick, reinforced pathways for high-density magic circulation, akin to arteries, responsible for directing large amounts of energy to critical areas. The secondary channels would function as mid-sized conduits that balanced absorption and distribution, akin to veins, allowing energy to be collected and redirected as needed. Finally, the micro-capillary nodes would form extremely fine energy pathways, like capillaries, responsible for direct delivery to specific regions, ensuring precise elemental infusion and response speed.

  With this structure, his Elemental Blood would flow seamlessly, controlled and regulated rather than wildly pulsing through an incomplete system.

  A powerful clarity overtook him.

  He would evolve his circulatory pathways into this three-tiered system, constructing a more refined, elemental vascular network that would allow magic to move without resistance, without overload, and without limitation.

  And with it, the final piece of his evolution would fall into place.

  For the first time, Eo felt as if he was truly on the verge of perfection.