Chapter 98: The Roadless that Prepares a Path
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As Seeker charged to meet Meng's metallic armor charge, his memories delved during the time he was a Ranked Hero.
Combining the science of their age, as well as mastery over the cells, an Inhuman body was made. These bodies were extremely durable and strong.
Seeker, who has the memories of owning an Inhuman body, knew how to rebuild his Inhuman body. And along with these memories, are the skills he managed to develop in his former life.
"Evolve, you damned cells! Even for just a bit!" Seeker gripped his swords tightly as he was about to counter Meng's Rail attack.
BOOM!
Seeker managed to barely make it.
The entire body of Seeker became as hard as Almetal.
The density and weight of his arms grew heavier in the extremely small window of their attacks.
BOOM!
Meng was swatted down like a fly. The inertia of his attack and the power that Seeker exerted to smash the monster was so intense, that it sounded like a huge explosion had occurred.
Meng crashed down on the floor beneath creating a crevice on the thick floor.
Seeker immediately retreated after landing the blow.
He was gasping for air. The energy he expended throughout his attack inside and right now burned his energy tank empty. On that last attack, a huge portion of Seeker's stored energy was devoured.
"I can only keep Surmounting Strength for one second?" Seeker complained.
Seeker calmed down. The first breach of power has consumed a vast amount of his own calories and even ate up most of the energy that Lennox had stored within Seeker's suit. The evolution of cells left Seeker dried up.
"At least my gamble worked." Seeker smiled.
He couldn't awaken his cells on regular scenarios but had to find enough stress and pressures to stimulate the awakening. The first time he managed to evolve his cells on his previous life was also during an encounter with Meng. And just as how reenacting an event can help recall memories, Seeker gambled that a clash with Meng was necessary in order to force the evolution of his cells.
Seeker was secretly alarmed at the rate of consumption.
"Looks like I miscalculated the effects. Could it be because my body now is stronger than my former evolution?" Seeker continued to ponder.
Out of the rubbles, the figure of Meng slowly rose. This didn't surprise Seeker but the threat was greater than before. Seeker had very little energy left.
"Amazing strength." Meng admired.
"But it looks like you can't do that again." Meng casually walked out of the crevice. A portion of his metal armor was bent out of shape. Meng immediately discarded it.
Strangely, the armor he wore started to rearrange itself. The thick parts of the armor also started to divide itself and spread around the missing parts. Soon the missing part of the armor was covered by a new layer of armor at the expense of the other parts.
Suddenly a figure appeared next to Seeker.
"Looks like I'm not late." The figure laughed.
Richie landed softly.
"Greydon Meng!" Richie smiled.
A sigh sounded out.
"Richie." Meng greeted back.
Richie tossed a round disc towards Seeker.
Seeker simply loaded it on an open slot in his backpack and the backpack gave a yellow light. Seeker's pale appearance started to look better.
"Thankfully you're here now. I would've died if you were any later. How are they?"
"Arthur seemed injured. In terms of attrition, they should lose. Cliff's team seems to be doing good though." Richie answered calmly.
"What does your gut tell you?" Seeker asked once more.
"Arthur's team should do well. But I feel Cliff's team could die at any moment. Are you sure about this arrangement?" Richie wondered.
Seeker gripped his sword tightly at Richie's words.
"No. But that's exactly why I suggested this to Arthur."
"Regardless I'm impressed with their progress. Such improvements should've taken decades of training. You seem to have a talent for getting powerful team members." Richie laughed.
"I'm curious as well." Meng couldn't help but ask.
"The assassins under me were all selected after decades of research, and go through various elimination matches leaving only the strong behind. For you, it would have been lucky if one or two were among your peers, but how is it that you have so many who are strong enough to hold their ground against mine?" Meng asked in an apathetic tone.
Seeker chuckled. Meng had already asked this question once in another lifetime.
During Seeker's hibernation, the state and scenario were all too familiar that Seeker's mind unconsciously brought to memory an event that Seeker had no memory of.
And just as Seeker's body was floating in some metallic pod and was unconscious, the memories that he could only have tapped into when he surpassed the 100% of the Unlocking was unveiled.
In this particular memory that was brought up, Seeker was unconscious and should have no way to hear everything around him. It was just after a training battle with Meng. The conversations between his master and Meng were finally made known.
Seeker's body was still floating inside a metallic pod.
"If you think so much of him, why didn't you supervise our little spar? He almost died. My desolation was already affecting his organs." Meng spoke bluntly as he pointed to the vital stats of Seeker displayed on the metallic chamber he was resting on.
"Ha Ha. Not really. I knew he would surpass that little barrier. Believers enjoy the soaring flight of their Unlocking. But the reason why Seeker never became a Believer although I suspect he has the capacity to do so, is that he enjoys the climb more than the view at the peak. So putting him into these death-defying scenarios was just what he needed."
"How did he withstand my desolation?" Meng couldn't help but ask.
"The necessary thing to have the possibility to reach a World Champion's body. Of course, you of all people should know that, Robertson." The Realm King smirked.
Meng flinched at hearing his birth name.
"Oh? Does that offend you? No wonder it had to be me… Sorry. I promised your old man to keep calling you Robertson." The Realm King laughed.
Meng gave a surprising look at the Realm King's words. He quieted down and the angry eyes gave a soft stare as he reminisced his old man.
"The necessary ingredient to have a World Champion's body…" Meng resumed the topic.
"So it's Cellular Evolution? But it's too late. If he only started now, his body wouldn't even reach pseudo-champion." Meng sighed.
"True. If only he met you earlier. But of course, if he faced you at Inhuman, then he can only die."
"So there's no hope for him to build a World Champion's Body?"
"Well… If he met you before you reached Ranked Hero, then maybe that's possible. But of course, there's no use crying over spilled milk."
"So only I am destined to have this strength?" Meng asked.
"A World Champion's body is only a theoretical estimate of what the person's body should be in order for the body to fully act on what the mind is capable of. So except you, the Life, no one could achieve that body. We can't even build a decent Ranked Hero's body much more a World Champion." The Realm King suddenly waived his hands.
Meng wondered why the Realm King used his powers.
"Although… if Seeker goes beyond World Champion… then he might find the clues to build such a body." The Realm King mused.
"Beyond it? Then if that's a possibility, what if we make Seeker train with the Tyrant Empress?" Meng suggested.
"Are you insane, Robertson? The consequences far outweigh the gains. We might gain a little something that would take years to perfect, but we lose a Ranked Hero. We can't afford that." The Realm King frowned.
"What if Rosa and Meryl accompany him during the spar? Even that android Zera can support him."
"No. That's one thing that we should never do. I'm already scared if Lynd meets her, how much more for Seeker?"
Meng halted in insisting on his plans.
"Why is it, that I get the impression that you favor Seeker over Lynd?"
"I was about to explain that to you. He's finally here." The Realm King gazed up.
Floating towards their area, was a confused and panicking soldier who carried a UN computer.
The soldier saw the two and suddenly alerted his poise. He did his best to land on the ground correctly and he immediately gave a respectful salute.
"World Champions!' The soldier spoke nervously.
"Show him the data of the Gryphon Squadron."
The soldier saluted and searched through the computer and handed it over to Meng.
"What exactly am I looking at?" Meng wondered.
"Notice how many Unbecomings reached Inhumans under Seeker's command."
Meng took a quick look then gave a shocked expression.
"All of them?!"
"That's right. A one hundred percent success rate. No other squadron in this army… no the world's army has that! And that's because Seeker is their trainer!"
"How is that possible? Even my Fangs don't have such a successful ratio! How did he gather such a team? I've spent decades training my men and they all go through a brutal selection process! How the hell did he gather an even better army?"
"That's because it's not about who these people are, what they've been through, or what their talents could be, but it's all about who has been with Seeker." A mysterious smile emerged from the Realm King.
"Bring up the data of all Non-Believer's who have awakened the Reaper's Breath below Inhuman Proficient!" Meng ordered immediately.
The soldier was fast at work to bring up the selected data.
"You're quick on the uptake. No need to look at the files. I already did. Every single one of them had on some occasions trained with Seeker." The Realm King smiled.
"What does this mean?" Meng asked seriously.
It was already proven that unlocking the Reaper's Breath before Inhuman Proficient was deemed to be impossible. But soon, various soldiers below that rank and stage had managed to awaken it.
"It presents the possibility that Seeker's capacity and capability to learn and rise above the stages could be passed on."
"Impossible! Lennox concluded that neuro-transcellular transfer was impossible! Two Paths cannot intersect!"
"True. But why was that?" A smiling grin met Meng's serious face.
"Because even if a person can't manifest a Skill or a Path, he or she still has a Road to walk on. And that Road cannot intersect with others."
"Exactly. But remember Seeker's case? Seeker doesn't have a Path. And more than that, he has no Road of his own. He is the Roadless that prepares a Path..."
"If what you're saying is true, then this path could put him on the top three places of the list of Paths!" Meng was stunned.
"Oh? I think you're missing the point! The problem is, it was assumed that his successful rank ups, as well as his entire squadron's advancements, were because of the Empress of the Sun and the Way. And because of that, Seeker's entire potential and career were easily accepted without clamor because those two were always beside him. but I believe the opposite."
"Seeker made it possible for Lynd and Meryl to breakthrough!?" Meng asked in shock.
"Yes. I believe that's how those two reached their respective stages even if they lacked the requirements to reach Ranked Hero as had Lennox proposed."
"Why haven't you contacted headquarters about this?"
"Because of the lack of proof. This is all an assumption of mine and I'm simply betting on that. The bigger probabilities still point to Meryl and Lynd. After all, His awakening of the Reaper's Breath, reaching the Ranked Hero stage without a Path, and even his recent achievement of being able to form a Ranked Hero's body, are all acceptable. They are exceptional, but not necessarily a miracle."
"But if you prove that he has the ability to help Unbecoming become Inhuman or help an Inhuman reach Ranked Hero, he would be treated as a priority and we could finally have hopes in winning this war!"
"Only if I can prove it." The Realm King corrected.
"What proof do we have? We can't use the Gryphon Squad as it would only make others point to Meryl and Lynd and we can't use Meryl and Lynd as proof either! And the biggest issue is, Seeker reached Ranked Hero. I had no choice on this matter. We would've lost too much so I allowed him to break through that bottleneck at that battle to be able to halt the enemies' escape. Now his biology is simply too advanced to guide an Inhuman to a Path. Nor can he help other Ranked Heroes. Seeker has nothing more to offer to his peers. Only his peers who are at Ranked Hero could easily develop a stronger body with their respective Paths."
Meng stood silently.
"So if Seeker stayed at Inhuman and learned the basics of all our Paths, from Overcomer's and all the present Ranked Heroes what would've been the outcome?"
"Oh? You can't help but fantasize about that as well?" The Realm King laughed.
"Well, it would be easier for him to help others find a Path. We could have more Ranked Heroes and maybe probably even two more World Champions if we're lucky. But like I said, the conditions for Seeker to be able to pass it on is vague. All I know is that that there has to be this connection... some kind of compatibility between Seeker and the other Unlocked... Only then can the truth of the Unlocking be passed on."
Back on the current timeline, Seeker's sneer resumed. He gazed at Meng and was internally grateful. This was the person that allowed him to finally learn of the Path he had which his master never admitted.
"I'll tell you when I defeat you, Meng." He said answering Meng's question.
"I wonder if what Master said is true?" Seeker couldn't help but wonder. What of the new companions he gained on this lifetime? Would they have the potential to reach Ranked Hero?
Outside the fort, Alean continued to fight with all her might and wit.
Dodging and attacking synchronized attacks of the assassins.
But a strange feeling started to surface as Alean fought.
It was a minute feeling at first but it gradually grew as the enemies attacking her intensified.
Her battle momentum was gradually growing stronger and stronger. She was getting in the zone.
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As Seeker charged to meet Meng's metallic armor charge, his memories delved during the time he was a Ranked Hero.
Combining the science of their age, as well as mastery over the cells, an Inhuman body was made. These bodies were extremely durable and strong.
Seeker, who has the memories of owning an Inhuman body, knew how to rebuild his Inhuman body. And along with these memories, are the skills he managed to develop in his former life.
"Evolve, you damned cells! Even for just a bit!" Seeker gripped his swords tightly as he was about to counter Meng's Rail attack.
BOOM!
Seeker managed to barely make it.
The entire body of Seeker became as hard as Almetal.
The density and weight of his arms grew heavier in the extremely small window of their attacks.
BOOM!
Meng was swatted down like a fly. The inertia of his attack and the power that Seeker exerted to smash the monster was so intense, that it sounded like a huge explosion had occurred.
Meng crashed down on the floor beneath creating a crevice on the thick floor.
Seeker immediately retreated after landing the blow.
He was gasping for air. The energy he expended throughout his attack inside and right now burned his energy tank empty. On that last attack, a huge portion of Seeker's stored energy was devoured.
"I can only keep Surmounting Strength for one second?" Seeker complained.
Seeker calmed down. The first breach of power has consumed a vast amount of his own calories and even ate up most of the energy that Lennox had stored within Seeker's suit. The evolution of cells left Seeker dried up.
"At least my gamble worked." Seeker smiled.
He couldn't awaken his cells on regular scenarios but had to find enough stress and pressures to stimulate the awakening. The first time he managed to evolve his cells on his previous life was also during an encounter with Meng. And just as how reenacting an event can help recall memories, Seeker gambled that a clash with Meng was necessary in order to force the evolution of his cells.
Seeker was secretly alarmed at the rate of consumption.
"Looks like I miscalculated the effects. Could it be because my body now is stronger than my former evolution?" Seeker continued to ponder.
Out of the rubbles, the figure of Meng slowly rose. This didn't surprise Seeker but the threat was greater than before. Seeker had very little energy left.
"Amazing strength." Meng admired.
"But it looks like you can't do that again." Meng casually walked out of the crevice. A portion of his metal armor was bent out of shape. Meng immediately discarded it.
Strangely, the armor he wore started to rearrange itself. The thick parts of the armor also started to divide itself and spread around the missing parts. Soon the missing part of the armor was covered by a new layer of armor at the expense of the other parts.
Suddenly a figure appeared next to Seeker.
"Looks like I'm not late." The figure laughed.
Richie landed softly.
"Greydon Meng!" Richie smiled.
A sigh sounded out.
"Richie." Meng greeted back.
Richie tossed a round disc towards Seeker.
Seeker simply loaded it on an open slot in his backpack and the backpack gave a yellow light. Seeker's pale appearance started to look better.
"Thankfully you're here now. I would've died if you were any later. How are they?"
"Arthur seemed injured. In terms of attrition, they should lose. Cliff's team seems to be doing good though." Richie answered calmly.
"What does your gut tell you?" Seeker asked once more.
"Arthur's team should do well. But I feel Cliff's team could die at any moment. Are you sure about this arrangement?" Richie wondered.
Seeker gripped his sword tightly at Richie's words.
"No. But that's exactly why I suggested this to Arthur."
"Regardless I'm impressed with their progress. Such improvements should've taken decades of training. You seem to have a talent for getting powerful team members." Richie laughed.
"I'm curious as well." Meng couldn't help but ask.
"The assassins under me were all selected after decades of research, and go through various elimination matches leaving only the strong behind. For you, it would have been lucky if one or two were among your peers, but how is it that you have so many who are strong enough to hold their ground against mine?" Meng asked in an apathetic tone.
Seeker chuckled. Meng had already asked this question once in another lifetime.
During Seeker's hibernation, the state and scenario were all too familiar that Seeker's mind unconsciously brought to memory an event that Seeker had no memory of.
And just as Seeker's body was floating in some metallic pod and was unconscious, the memories that he could only have tapped into when he surpassed the 100% of the Unlocking was unveiled.
In this particular memory that was brought up, Seeker was unconscious and should have no way to hear everything around him. It was just after a training battle with Meng. The conversations between his master and Meng were finally made known.
Seeker's body was still floating inside a metallic pod.
"If you think so much of him, why didn't you supervise our little spar? He almost died. My desolation was already affecting his organs." Meng spoke bluntly as he pointed to the vital stats of Seeker displayed on the metallic chamber he was resting on.
"Ha Ha. Not really. I knew he would surpass that little barrier. Believers enjoy the soaring flight of their Unlocking. But the reason why Seeker never became a Believer although I suspect he has the capacity to do so, is that he enjoys the climb more than the view at the peak. So putting him into these death-defying scenarios was just what he needed."
"How did he withstand my desolation?" Meng couldn't help but ask.
"The necessary thing to have the possibility to reach a World Champion's body. Of course, you of all people should know that, Robertson." The Realm King smirked.
Meng flinched at hearing his birth name.
"Oh? Does that offend you? No wonder it had to be me… Sorry. I promised your old man to keep calling you Robertson." The Realm King laughed.
Meng gave a surprising look at the Realm King's words. He quieted down and the angry eyes gave a soft stare as he reminisced his old man.
"The necessary ingredient to have a World Champion's body…" Meng resumed the topic.
"So it's Cellular Evolution? But it's too late. If he only started now, his body wouldn't even reach pseudo-champion." Meng sighed.
"True. If only he met you earlier. But of course, if he faced you at Inhuman, then he can only die."
"So there's no hope for him to build a World Champion's Body?"
"Well… If he met you before you reached Ranked Hero, then maybe that's possible. But of course, there's no use crying over spilled milk."
"So only I am destined to have this strength?" Meng asked.
"A World Champion's body is only a theoretical estimate of what the person's body should be in order for the body to fully act on what the mind is capable of. So except you, the Life, no one could achieve that body. We can't even build a decent Ranked Hero's body much more a World Champion." The Realm King suddenly waived his hands.
Meng wondered why the Realm King used his powers.
"Although… if Seeker goes beyond World Champion… then he might find the clues to build such a body." The Realm King mused.
"Beyond it? Then if that's a possibility, what if we make Seeker train with the Tyrant Empress?" Meng suggested.
"Are you insane, Robertson? The consequences far outweigh the gains. We might gain a little something that would take years to perfect, but we lose a Ranked Hero. We can't afford that." The Realm King frowned.
"What if Rosa and Meryl accompany him during the spar? Even that android Zera can support him."
"No. That's one thing that we should never do. I'm already scared if Lynd meets her, how much more for Seeker?"
Meng halted in insisting on his plans.
"Why is it, that I get the impression that you favor Seeker over Lynd?"
"I was about to explain that to you. He's finally here." The Realm King gazed up.
Floating towards their area, was a confused and panicking soldier who carried a UN computer.
The soldier saw the two and suddenly alerted his poise. He did his best to land on the ground correctly and he immediately gave a respectful salute.
"World Champions!' The soldier spoke nervously.
"Show him the data of the Gryphon Squadron."
The soldier saluted and searched through the computer and handed it over to Meng.
"What exactly am I looking at?" Meng wondered.
"Notice how many Unbecomings reached Inhumans under Seeker's command."
Meng took a quick look then gave a shocked expression.
"All of them?!"
"That's right. A one hundred percent success rate. No other squadron in this army… no the world's army has that! And that's because Seeker is their trainer!"
"How is that possible? Even my Fangs don't have such a successful ratio! How did he gather such a team? I've spent decades training my men and they all go through a brutal selection process! How the hell did he gather an even better army?"
"That's because it's not about who these people are, what they've been through, or what their talents could be, but it's all about who has been with Seeker." A mysterious smile emerged from the Realm King.
"Bring up the data of all Non-Believer's who have awakened the Reaper's Breath below Inhuman Proficient!" Meng ordered immediately.
The soldier was fast at work to bring up the selected data.
"You're quick on the uptake. No need to look at the files. I already did. Every single one of them had on some occasions trained with Seeker." The Realm King smiled.
"What does this mean?" Meng asked seriously.
It was already proven that unlocking the Reaper's Breath before Inhuman Proficient was deemed to be impossible. But soon, various soldiers below that rank and stage had managed to awaken it.
"It presents the possibility that Seeker's capacity and capability to learn and rise above the stages could be passed on."
"Impossible! Lennox concluded that neuro-transcellular transfer was impossible! Two Paths cannot intersect!"
"True. But why was that?" A smiling grin met Meng's serious face.
"Because even if a person can't manifest a Skill or a Path, he or she still has a Road to walk on. And that Road cannot intersect with others."
"Exactly. But remember Seeker's case? Seeker doesn't have a Path. And more than that, he has no Road of his own. He is the Roadless that prepares a Path..."
"If what you're saying is true, then this path could put him on the top three places of the list of Paths!" Meng was stunned.
"Oh? I think you're missing the point! The problem is, it was assumed that his successful rank ups, as well as his entire squadron's advancements, were because of the Empress of the Sun and the Way. And because of that, Seeker's entire potential and career were easily accepted without clamor because those two were always beside him. but I believe the opposite."
"Seeker made it possible for Lynd and Meryl to breakthrough!?" Meng asked in shock.
"Yes. I believe that's how those two reached their respective stages even if they lacked the requirements to reach Ranked Hero as had Lennox proposed."
"Why haven't you contacted headquarters about this?"
"Because of the lack of proof. This is all an assumption of mine and I'm simply betting on that. The bigger probabilities still point to Meryl and Lynd. After all, His awakening of the Reaper's Breath, reaching the Ranked Hero stage without a Path, and even his recent achievement of being able to form a Ranked Hero's body, are all acceptable. They are exceptional, but not necessarily a miracle."
"But if you prove that he has the ability to help Unbecoming become Inhuman or help an Inhuman reach Ranked Hero, he would be treated as a priority and we could finally have hopes in winning this war!"
"Only if I can prove it." The Realm King corrected.
"What proof do we have? We can't use the Gryphon Squad as it would only make others point to Meryl and Lynd and we can't use Meryl and Lynd as proof either! And the biggest issue is, Seeker reached Ranked Hero. I had no choice on this matter. We would've lost too much so I allowed him to break through that bottleneck at that battle to be able to halt the enemies' escape. Now his biology is simply too advanced to guide an Inhuman to a Path. Nor can he help other Ranked Heroes. Seeker has nothing more to offer to his peers. Only his peers who are at Ranked Hero could easily develop a stronger body with their respective Paths."
Meng stood silently.
"So if Seeker stayed at Inhuman and learned the basics of all our Paths, from Overcomer's and all the present Ranked Heroes what would've been the outcome?"
"Oh? You can't help but fantasize about that as well?" The Realm King laughed.
"Well, it would be easier for him to help others find a Path. We could have more Ranked Heroes and maybe probably even two more World Champions if we're lucky. But like I said, the conditions for Seeker to be able to pass it on is vague. All I know is that that there has to be this connection... some kind of compatibility between Seeker and the other Unlocked... Only then can the truth of the Unlocking be passed on."
Back on the current timeline, Seeker's sneer resumed. He gazed at Meng and was internally grateful. This was the person that allowed him to finally learn of the Path he had which his master never admitted.
"I'll tell you when I defeat you, Meng." He said answering Meng's question.
"I wonder if what Master said is true?" Seeker couldn't help but wonder. What of the new companions he gained on this lifetime? Would they have the potential to reach Ranked Hero?
Outside the fort, Alean continued to fight with all her might and wit.
Dodging and attacking synchronized attacks of the assassins.
But a strange feeling started to surface as Alean fought.
It was a minute feeling at first but it gradually grew as the enemies attacking her intensified.
Her battle momentum was gradually growing stronger and stronger. She was getting in the zone.
As Seeker charged to meet Meng's metallic armor charge, his memories delved during the time he was a Ranked Hero.Combining the science of their age, as well as mastery over the cells, an Inhuman body was made. These bodies were extremely durable and strong.Seeker, who has the memories of owning an Inhuman body, knew how to rebuild his Inhuman body. And along with these memories, are the skills he managed to develop in his former life."Evolve, you damned cells! Even for just a bit!" Seeker gripped his swords tightly as he was about to counter Meng's Rail attack.BOOM!Seeker managed to barely make it.The entire body of Seeker became as hard as Almetal.The density and weight of his arms grew heavier in the extremely small window of their attacks.BOOM!Meng was swatted down like a fly. The inertia of his attack and the power that Seeker exerted to smash the monster was so intense, that it sounded like a huge explosion had occurred.Meng crashed down on the floor beneath creating a crevice on the thick floor.Seeker immediately retreated after landing the blow.He was gasping for air. The energy he expended throughout his attack inside and right now burned his energy tank empty. On that last attack, a huge portion of Seeker's stored energy was devoured."I can only keep Surmounting Strength for one second?" Seeker complained.Seeker calmed down. The first breach of power has consumed a vast amount of his own calories and even ate up most of the energy that Lennox had stored within Seeker's suit. The evolution of cells left Seeker dried up."At least my gamble worked." Seeker smiled.He couldn't awaken his cells on regular scenarios but had to find enough stress and pressures to stimulate the awakening. The first time he managed to evolve his cells on his previous life was also during an encounter with Meng. And just as how reenacting an eventcan help recallmemories, Seeker gambled that a clash with Meng was necessary in order to force the evolution of his cells.Seeker was secretly alarmed at the rate of consumption."Looks like I miscalculated the effects. Could it be because my body now is stronger than my former evolution?" Seeker continued to ponder.Out of the rubbles, the figure of Meng slowly rose. This didn't surprise Seeker but the threat was greater than before. Seeker had very little energy left."Amazing strength." Meng admired."But it looks like you can't do that again." Meng casually walked out of the crevice. A portion of his metal armor was bent out of shape. Meng immediately discarded it.Strangely, the armor he wore started to rearrange itself. The thick parts of the armor also started to divide itself and spread around the missing parts. Soon the missing part of the armor was covered by a new layer of armor at the expense of the other parts.Suddenly a figure appeared next to Seeker."Looks like I'm not late." The figure laughed.Richie landed softly."Greydon Meng!" Richie smiled.A sigh sounded out."Richie." Meng greeted back.Richie tossed a round disc towards Seeker.Seeker simply loaded it on an open slot in his backpack and the backpack gave a yellow light. Seeker's pale appearance started to look better."Thankfully you're here now. I would've died if you were any later. How are they?""Arthur seemed injured. In terms of attrition, they should lose. Cliff's team seems to be doing good though." Richie answered calmly."What does your gut tell you?" Seeker asked once more."Arthur's team should do well. But I feel Cliff's team could die at any moment. Are you sure about this arrangement?" Richie wondered.Seeker gripped his sword tightly at Richie's words."No. But that's exactly why I suggested this to Arthur.""Regardless I'm impressed with their progress. Such improvements should've taken decades of training. You seem to have a talent for getting powerful team members." Richie laughed."I'm curious as well." Meng couldn't help but ask."The assassins under me were all selected after decades of research, and go through various elimination matches leaving only the strong behind. For you, it would have been lucky if one or two were among your peers, but how is it that you have so many who are strong enough to hold their ground against mine?" Meng asked in an apathetic tone.Seeker chuckled. Meng had already asked this question once in another lifetime.During Seeker's hibernation, the state and scenario were all too familiar that Seeker's mind unconsciously brought to memory an event that Seeker had no memory of.And just as Seeker's body was floating in some metallic pod and was unconscious, the memories that he could only have tapped into when he surpassed the 100% of the Unlocking was unveiled.In this particular memory that was brought up, Seeker was unconscious and should have no way to hear everything around him. It was just after a training battle with Meng. The conversations between his master and Meng were finally made known.Seeker's body was still floating inside a metallic pod."If you think so much of him, why didn't you supervise our little spar? He almost died. My desolation was already affecting his organs." Meng spoke bluntly as he pointed tothe vital stats of Seeker displayed on the metallic chamber he was resting on."Ha Ha. Not really. I knew he would surpass that little barrier. Believers enjoy the soaring flight of their Unlocking. But the reason why Seeker never became a Believer although I suspect he has the capacity to do so, is that he enjoys the climb more than the view at the peak. So putting him into these death-defying scenarios was just what he needed.""How did he withstand my desolation?" Meng couldn't help but ask."The necessary thing to have the possibility to reach a World Champion's body. Of course, you of all people should know that, Robertson." The Realm King smirked.Meng flinched at hearing his birth name."Oh? Does that offend you? No wonder it had to be me Sorry. I promised your old man to keep calling you Robertson." The Realm King laughed.Meng gave a surprising look at the Realm King's words. He quieted down and the angry eyes gave a soft stare as he reminisced his old man."The necessary ingredient to have a World Champion's body" Meng resumed the topic."So it's Cellular Evolution? But it's too late. If he only started now, his body wouldn't even reach pseudo-champion." Meng sighed."True. If only he met you earlier. But of course, if he faced you at Inhuman, then he can only die.""So there's no hope for him to build a World Champion's Body?""Well If he met you before you reached Ranked Hero, then maybe that's possible. But of course, there's no use crying over spilled milk.""So only I am destined to have this strength?" Meng asked."A World Champion's body is only a theoretical estimate of what the person's body should be in order for the body to fully act on what the mind is capable of. So except you, the Life, no one could achieve that body. We can't even build a decent Ranked Hero's body much more a World Champion." The Realm King suddenly waived his hands.Meng wondered why the Realm King used his powers."Although if Seeker goes beyond World Champion then he might find the clues to build such a body." The Realm King mused."Beyond it? Then if that's a possibility, what if we make Seeker train with the Tyrant Empress?" Meng suggested."Are you insane, Robertson? The consequences far outweigh the gains. We might gain a little something that would take years to perfect, but we lose a Ranked Hero. We can't afford that." The Realm King frowned."What if Rosa and Meryl accompany him during the spar? Even that android Zera can support him.""No. That's one thing that we should never do. I'm already scared if Lynd meets her, how much more for Seeker?"Meng halted in insisting on his plans."Why is it, that I get the impression that you favor Seeker over Lynd?""I was about to explain that to you. He's finally here." The Realm King gazed up.Floating towards their area, was a confused and panicking soldier who carried a UN computer.The soldier saw the two and suddenly alerted his poise. He did his best to land on the ground correctly and he immediately gave a respectful salute."World Champions!' The soldier spoke nervously."Show him the data of the Gryphon Squadron."The soldier saluted and searched through the computer and handed it over to Meng."What exactly am I looking at?" Meng wondered."Notice how many Unbecomings reached Inhumans under Seeker's command."Meng took a quick look then gave a shocked expression."All of them?!""That's right. A one hundred percent success rate. No other squadron in this army no the world's army has that! And that's because Seeker is their trainer!""How is that possible? Even my Fangs don't have such a successful ratio! How did he gather such a team? I've spent decades training my men and they all go through a brutal selection process! How the hell did he gather an even better army?""That's because it's not about who these people are, what they've been through, or what their talents could be, but it's all about who has been with Seeker." A mysterious smile emerged from the Realm King."Bring up the data of all Non-Believer's who have awakened the Reaper's Breath below Inhuman Proficient!" Meng ordered immediately.The soldier was fast at work to bring up the selected data."You're quick on the uptake. No need to look at the files. I already did. Every single one of them had on some occasions trained with Seeker." The Realm King smiled."What does this mean?" Meng asked seriously.It was already proven that unlocking the Reaper's Breath before Inhuman Proficient was deemed to be impossible. But soon, various soldiers below that rank and stage had managed to awaken it."It presents the possibility that Seeker's capacity and capability to learn and rise above the stages could be passed on.""Impossible! Lennox concluded that neuro-transcellular transfer was impossible! Two Paths cannot intersect!""True. But why was that?" A smiling grin met Meng's serious face."Because even if a person can't manifest a Skill or a Path, he or she still has a Road to walk on. And that Road cannot intersect with others.""Exactly. But remember Seeker's case? Seeker doesn't have a Path. And more than that, he has no Road of his own. He is the Roadless that prepares a Path...""If what you're saying is true, then this path could put him on the top three places of the list of Paths!" Meng was stunned."Oh? I think you're missing the point! The problem is, it was assumed that his successful rank ups, as well as his entire squadron's advancements, were because of the Empress of the Sun and the Way. And because of that, Seeker's entire potential and career were easily accepted without clamor because those two were always beside him. but I believe the opposite.""Seeker made it possible for Lynd and Meryl to breakthrough!?" Meng asked in shock."Yes. I believe that's how those two reached their respective stages even if they lacked the requirements to reach Ranked Heroas hadLennox proposed.""Why haven't you contacted headquarters about this?""Because of the lack of proof. This is all an assumption of mine and I'm simply betting on that. The bigger probabilities still point to Meryl and Lynd. After all, His awakening of the Reaper's Breath, reaching the Ranked Hero stage without a Path, and even his recent achievement of being able to form a Ranked Hero's body, are all acceptable. They are exceptional, but not necessarily a miracle.""But if you prove that he has the ability to help Unbecoming become Inhuman or help an Inhuman reach Ranked Hero, he would be treated as a priority and we could finally have hopes in winning this war!""Only if I can prove it." The Realm King corrected."What proof do we have? We can't use the Gryphon Squad as it would only make others point to Meryl and Lynd and we can't use Meryl and Lynd as proof either! And the biggest issue is, Seeker reached Ranked Hero. I had no choice on this matter. We would've lost too much so I allowed him to break through that bottleneck at that battle to be able to halt the enemies' escape. Now his biology is simply too advanced to guide an Inhuman to a Path. Nor can he help other Ranked Heroes. Seeker has nothing more to offer to his peers.Only hispeers who are at Ranked Hero could easily develop a stronger body with their respective Paths."Meng stood silently."So if Seeker stayed at Inhuman and learned the basics of all our Paths, from Overcomer's and all the present Ranked Heroes what would've been the outcome?""Oh? You can't help but fantasize about that as well?" The Realm King laughed."Well, it would be easier for him to help others find a Path. We could have more Ranked Heroes and maybe probably even two more World Champions if we're lucky. But like I said, the conditions for Seeker to be able to pass it on is vague. All I know is that that there has to be this connection... some kind of compatibility between Seeker and the other Unlocked... Only then can the truth of the Unlocking be passed on."Back on the current timeline, Seeker's sneer resumed. He gazed at Meng and was internally grateful. This was the person that allowed him to finallylearn of the Path he had which his master never admitted."I'll tell you when I defeat you, Meng." He said answering Meng'squestion."I wonder if what Master said is true?" Seeker couldn't help but wonder.What of the newcompanions he gained on this lifetime? Would they have the potentialto reachRanked Hero?Outside the fort, Aleancontinued to fight withall her might and wit.Dodging and attacking synchronized attacks of the assassins.But a strange feeling started to surface as Alean fought.It was a minute feeling at first but it gradually grew as the enemies attacking her intensified.Her battle momentum was gradually growing stronger and stronger. She was getting in the zone.
