by L. M. Kerr
'Status.' He mentally commanded.
.
— - Status — -
Name: Micheal Care
Points: 30,224
Race: Human
Physique: 1 Star
Soul Quality: 1 Star
Age: 18
- Stats -
Strength - 80
Endurance - 56
Recovery - 55
Soul - 25
Abilities - (5/7)
Life Orb Master
Ki Cultivator (Earth Tier - Early)
Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)
Impact Release
Ceaseless Mind
.
His status remained largely unchanged from the last time he looked at them. He was down a few points he'd spent on various things, but only a small amount.
"My Strength stat is 80." He clenched his right fist, feeling energy and power run through his veins. With a single arm, he could lift 300 pounds if he focused a bit, and even more if he went all out. His body was by no means weak, especially when he considered the massively powerful blows he could unleash using his Impact Release Ability.
He was a true-blue A Ranker now, though his stats were on the lower end.
"Right now, Director Prime's Strength stat…" He sighed again,
"It's probably close to 400."
The gap between A Rank and S Rank was rather extreme.
The Director was called a monster for a reason. In terms of brute force, he was incredibly powerful for someone on the First Layer, and he didn't even have a Type Ability that boosted his Strength stat.
The man was unreasonably strong and a genius to boot. Absolutely the worst type of enemy to face.
As long as Micheal kept cultivating, he should be able to quickly jump through the ranks. Still, he wouldn't be able to reach the Sky Tier of Ki Cultivation within 30 days, even with his previous experience and talent. It was also unfeasible to hope to trade blows evenly with Prime, not for longer than a minute or two. The man's ability to stop time was too powerful.
As Micheal pondered all of this, he tapped on the Spatial Ring he wore.
An instant later, his long, Ashari Blade appeared, resting comfortably in his hands. He had stored the weapon after he snuck into the Medical Bay area, trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible.
"There is only one path I have left." His eyes began to glow as he looked down at his sword, focusing intently on it. Advanced Tier Sword Energy fluttered in the air around him as he began to sink deeply into meditation.
"I am a Grandmaster of the Blade." His voice deepened, rising in ferocity,
"It's time I started acting like it."
.. .. .. .. .. ..
The next day…
.. .. .. .. .. ..
"Right down here, sir. Someone is waiting to meet you on the 25th floor." A woman's soft voice echoed in Micheal's ears as he looked at where she pointed.
He was currently standing atop a skyscraper that was located not too far from the Medical Bay, within the inner zone of the Godfather Organization. Ostensibly, this was one of the areas dedicated to testing weaponry and Abilities against Morenkai.
The Godfather Organization was a huge proponent of research into the First Layer, especially on the Morenkai. Throughout history, they were constantly searching for weaknesses the Morenkai might have, though ultimately they failed to find any.
The morning sunshine rested on his shoulders as he slightly tightened his tie, still disguised as a member of the Godfather Organization.
Or, rather, technically he was a member of the Godfather Organization now, thanks to Shin.
"Thank you." Micheal smiled at the woman that had guided him here, a rather thick red-head wearing a male suit and tie. She had been assigned to lead him here in the morning, on the orders of the Godfather. Apparently he was trusted enough to leave without an escort.
She had also carried over his now official Emblem credentials from Shin. Shin was currently undergoing an operation to get a Melding Plate Arm attached, an operation that was a lot more involved then one might expect, according to the message Shin had sent him via the Godfather's forum.
The customary guards that controlled rooftop access could be seen spread out, but this particular building looked much the same as many other ones. Nothing about it stood out or looked unique.
Still, Micheal's gaze was determined and his heart excited as he walked into the rooftop entry shed and began to descend into the bowels of the building.
It was time to find out what the Hidden Truths Department had kept hidden for so long.
.
Chapter 55
Micheal worked his way down the stairs, glancing off to the side as he moved. He silently counted down each floor as he descended. There were little windows set in the doors of each hallway, ones he glimpsed through as he headed towards his destination.
Most of the hallways were empty, that he could see, with people either working inside the rooms themselves or otherwise preoccupied. On a few of the floors, he spotted men and women talking casually, often while holding on to various design papers. He didn't pass anyone in the stairs.
Finally, he arrived at his destination. The 25th floor.
"Greetings, Heron." As soon as he opened the door and walked into the hallway, he was greeted by an Asian man dressed in a white lab coat. The man had brown eyes and short black hair, with a friendly smile on his face. He looked stereotypically how Micheal had pictured a scientist.
The moment Micheal walked into the hallway, his ears popped slightly. The ambient noise from the stairwell vanished completely, as if he had just walked into a completely new world.
Micheal casually glanced at the man and then smiled, holding out his hand as he replied,
"Hi. Who are you?"
"I'm Doctor Rosphen, one of the few assigned down here on the 25th. I work directly under Isaiah, Cameron's told me about you." The man shook Micheal's hands firmly, still smiling.
Micheal's eyes flickered for just an instant before he shook back. A tiny, minute amount of Earth Tier Ki fluttered from his fingertips, so small it was practically undetectable. This was a method he could now use to gauge the strength of someone, though only someone that wasn't about to attack or suspected him of anything.
'He's quite strong. A Strength stat of at least 200.' For a supposedly simple doctor, the man was as strong as some of the tougher A Rankers, much stronger than Pirate Lord Brandon had been.
"Right this way! This floor is pretty deserted at most times, only a few of us ever work here. You don't need to worry about talking, we have some Artifacts set up to block out noise from escaping." Doctor Rosphen led Micheal forward, waving for him to follow.
Micheal obliged, glancing back behind him as he did. He couldn't see any visible Artifacts that cancelled out sound, but assumed they must be hidden somewhere.
The Doctor led him past several empty rooms, talking as he walked,
"Our team isn't very large, at least, those of us in the know. Most of the researchers think we're doing generic enemy research or things of that nature. Cameron wanted us to keep everything on the down-low."
As he finished talking, they reached a rather nondescript door. Doctor Rosphen knocked on it twice, then paused, and knocked on it three times.
'Huh. I guess they went with the hiding-in-plain-sight route.' He noted. It seemed to have worked out pretty well for them. Security by obscurity.
After a few moments, the door opened up, revealing a large, open lounge, a man, and a woman. The lounge had several large tables and chairs set up in it, most of them covered in charts, maps, and paper. There were also several laptops and desktop computers, and a few other odd pieces of machinery.
The man was elderly, with stark white hair and eyes that gleamed. He had pale skin and bright blue eyes, with a weak chin and a rather prominent nose. He, like everyone but Micheal here, wore a stark, white lab coat.
The woman, looking to be in her mid-3
0s, had brown hair that was tied up in a no-nonsense manner, with a small nose and blue eyes. She was pretty, in a stern looking way.
"Rosphen! Ah, you've brought our new ally!" The elderly man's eyes widened as he looked at Micheal, smiling widely. He looked the very image of a stereotypical mad scientist.
"This is-" Rosphen began to introduce him, but was cut off as the elderly man interrupted.
"I am Doctor Isaiah, and officially, the Head Researcher of our rather small department! Welcome, welcome!" Isiah rushed forward and shook Micheal's hand, giving Rosphen zero consideration.
"Uh, hello." Micheal shook his head, conducting the same test he had done on Rosphen.
'He's…' Micheal's eyes widened,
'Extremely weak. Huh.' The man's Strength stat couldn't be over 20. Above average for a completely normal human, sure, but pitifully weak for someone of his stature, especially if he had been here for years like Micheal was assuming.
Rosphen, in the meanwhile, just shook his head and grinned ruefully, as if he was used to behavior like this.
"This is Doctor Natasha, my beautiful assistant." Isaiah went on, turning around and grabbing onto the woman, pulling her forward.
"He can see me, you old kook." Natasha glared at Isaiah but smiled in a genial way as she greeted Micheal,
"Nice to meet you, Heron. I've been told a lot about your leader, Shin. He's real heartbreaker I've heard."
Micheal's mouth twitched at the back half of her statement, but he simply replied back with,
"The pleasure is mine. Sub-Executive Shin is… a unique leader, that is for sure." He nodded at her. Natasha didn't hold out a hand to shake, but Micheal got the feeling that she wasn't a pushover like Isaiah.
Despite their clear power difference, Micheal could see that Doctor Rosphen and Natasha looked at Isaiah with a tremendous amount of respect. The way they carried themselves, constantly leaning towards Isaiah as if waiting on his words, the way they looked at him or followed his requests.
The things Micheal picked up on were small, but very noticeable to his weathered eye.
"Come in, come in!" Isaiah pulled Micheal forward eagerly, his voice excited.
"I have so much to tell you, my new friend!" Behind them, Rosphen shut the door and then locked it using some type of silver, mechanical device.
Micheal's eyes flicked to the right and left as he took in the room in more detail.
All of the windows were covered up with metal sheets. The only lights came in from the lightbulbs in the ceiling, giving the room a rather closed off feel. Despite that, thanks to its rather large size, the area didn't feel too cramped.
Natasha and Rosphen stood off to the side as Isaiah led Micheal over to a particular set of chairs and an only slightly cluttered table. The Head Researcher shifted some papers around as he sat down, his attention abruptly focusing intensely on the table.
Micheal sat down slowly and studied the man.
30 seconds passed as the researcher continued to sift through various papers, as if he had completely forgotten that Micheal was here.
"Cough~cough…" Natasha cleared her throat.
"Oh!" Isaiah looked up, his wizened face dawning a surprised look.
"Ah, pardon, pardon. I get easily distracted. Ah, where was I?" The Doctor looked at Micheal inquisitively.
Behind them, Rosphen covered his face with his hands while Natasha gave a long-suffering sigh.
"Ah, you said you had much to tell me?" Micheal jumped in, giving the rather eccentric man an encouraging nod.
"Yes! Of course!" Isaiah nodded hurriedly,
"So much!" He didn't continue as he rubbed his chin, pondering various things.
30 more seconds passed.
Micheal's mouth twitched as he spoke up, interrupting Isaiah's musings and drawing the man's attention,
"How about we start from the bottom with a general introduction?" There was one thing he absolutely needed to learn,
"Head Cameron talked to me about a mission I would go on, a type of experiment. He said it could have a huge impact on the Main Cluster." As Micheal spoke, Isaiah's eyes seemed to quiver with excitement,
"A mission that could transform the Main Cluster, and the First Layer as a whole, into a safe place."
"Yes! Ah, of course." Isaiah's response was layered over Micheal's last words as he broke in,
"A general introduction is a good idea. To start, we need to go back to the very basics." Isaiah smiled,
"To what the Hidden Truths Department is all about. To the first major discovery we ever made." The man folded his hands together as he spoke,
"Heron, are you aware that this world consists of two, distinct natural races?"
"What?" Micheal stared at him, blinking slowly. From the way the man spoke, it was clear he wasn't counting humans among those two races.
"The Morenkai and…" The man paused for a split second,
"The world itself."
Micheal blinked again, his heart rate picking up as he replied,
"Go on."
"Through our research, we have theorized that this world was created for humanity. We believe the 'First Layer' is not a natural planet, but one formed from the subconsciousness of humanity to prepare us for the Seven Layers. While it's unknown if the other races that were sent into this mad gambit have undergone a similar setup, we believe these facts are indisputable." The man held up a hand,
Immediately, several holographic images floated in the air as he activated an Ability. The images consisted of pictures of skyscrapers, the bridges made of ships, and a large, underground train station.
"Skyscrapers, for a place humans can live. The Great Bridges, a way humanity can cross great distances on a grueling journey, formed as a line of boats. The Subway, a way to leave this world and move on to a mystical other. This makes up 'The World,' an unconscious entity that simply exists." The man waved his hand at the images that had appeared.
Another clump formed, this one showing various Morenkai.
"And then we have the Morenkai. Regular Morenkai, Golden Morenkai, Abnormal Morenkai, and Monster Class Morenkai. Some operate in groups, while others remain on their own." Isaiah paused for a split second as he emphasized the next word,
"Predators."
Micheal nodded slowly.
"However, of these two groups, there remains one existence that doesn't quite fit into either group perfectly." Isaiah waved his hand again as he continued,
"The Nests."
Several small, holographic black orbs appeared, floating in mid-air.
"Temporary Nests, the four Permanent Nests, and the Monster Class Nest." Isaiah went on,
"Nests are near-immovable objects that react to almost nothing. Naturally, they should belong to the category of other near-immovable objects." Micheal's eyes widened as he heard this bit.
'Near-immovable? Are they aware it's possible to break through the skyscrapers or damage Nest Cores?' He frowned right after, however. If they knew it was possible to destroy a Temporary Nest, many more people would've done so.
'No, maybe they know its possible, but don't know how to. They might have figured out a way to move them, however.'
Weapon Mastery Abilities were not at all popular on the First Layer. At a bare minimum, in Micheal's estimation, it would take an extremely powerful blow powered by at least Advanced Tier Weapon Energy to damage and potentially destroy a Temporary Nest.
Apart from that, Micheal wasn't sure if there was any way to destroy a Nest, not when limited by the Points Wall and how difficult it was to reach Sky Tier on the First Layer.
Given that it had only been 3 years and those obsessed with making progress had likely already moved on to the Second Layer, the number of Advanced Tier Weapon Masters on the First Layer probably could be counted on a single hand.
"Nests stumped us for a while. No matter what we did, how we tested them, and all the research we made, we found no progress. However, recently… we had a breakthrough. A spurt of insigh
t." Isaiah continued onward, oblivious to Micheal's internal worries.
"We were informed of a way to track and hunt down Golden Morenkai! This new finding vastly accelerated our research to where we are now!"
'Ohhh.' Micheal's eyes widened again as he heard that, his heart dropping. It seemed some of his actions had created ripples beyond his control.
He also began to understand part of why Head Cameron kept that information on the down-low. Not enough to think it was reasonable, but enough to realize how Cameron's will could go along with it if he was indeed infected by the Vile King.
Isaiah paused for several more seconds as he said this line, rubbing his chin once more as he returned to musing.
Doctor Rosphen coughed and filled the awkward silence, nodding his head gingerly and adding,
"It's true, it was a turn of fortune."
"Yes, it certainly was." Doctor Natasha spoke up as well, her feminine voice taking on a cutting edge as she added,
"Admiral Cardell was just about ready to can us after Head Cameron fell ill. That musclehead focuses only on raw power, he doesn't understan-"
"Tasha, relax. Cameron survived, we made our breakthrough, everything is fine." Rosphen interrupted the female doctor, trying to calm her down,
"Forgive us, Heron, we don't often get new visitors here." Rosphen looked at Micheal with a shrug.
Micheal shrugged back,
"It's fine, I understand." He smiled internally.
'Nerds, the lot of em. But that’s not a bad thing.' He, himself, had been a bit of a nerd back when he first arrived.
Isaiah jumped back into the conversation, continuing as if he never left off,
"The more Golden Morenkai were killed… the more Temporary Nests began to appear. We found a causal relationship, one that we could not quite explain."
"Really? How interesting." Micheal replied slowly. This was something he had never heard.
"That led us to work on several hypotheses, several theories, using a multitude of men and women with unique Abilities. And from that, we recently came to a conclusion. Temporary Nests, Permanent Nests, and the Monster Class Nest at the center of the Main Cluster…" Isaiah's voice took on a hint of grandeur,