This is a passion work. So, I would really appreciate it if you leave behind a review when you're done reading.
***
CH42: SUB-TACTICS
Six Months Ago
It had been two weeks since Korede started living with the Hanzos. Every day, after morning practice/training, Korede would go into the forest behind the residence. Of course, he doesn't go too far. Just enough that he was surrounded by nature on all sides and he would sit at the bottom of a tree.
He started doing this a week when he noticed a flaw with the {Training Space} and perhaps a cheat to {Life communication}. {Life Communication} required that there be a lifeform around for it to work. Any type of life that Korede could see with his eyes, up to the size of an ant. In the {Training Space}, the lifeforms Korede imagined, even though they triggered {Life Communication}, gave no feeling. Just silence. Korede believed it was because they were 'lifeforms' but had no 'life'.
This was his first comprehension of the Tactic bringing it to Lv2.
Now, almost a week since then, he had started to sit under this tree. During this time, he had quickly discovered two benefits brought by {Life Communication}-Lv2. First, the Will Tactics changed from an active-type, where he had to channel his Will strength into the Tactic script to activate any time he wanted to use, to a passive-type which was always active as a small amount of Will strength flowed into the script at all times. He discovered that the activity of the tactic was now in four ranges.
This brings us to the second benefit where each of the four activity ranges determines how animals, and nature in general, interact with him.
First range, If he consciously decides to prevent his Will strength from entering the Tactics script, the Tactic will not be activated. At this activity range, he discovered that animals react to him the way they should. Those that should run away, ran away. Those that should ignore him, ignored him, etc.
Second range, a small amount of Will is channelled through the Tactic script. This is the automatic activation range. At this range, he discovered that he doesn't disturb any of the animals in the forest as long as his actions are not deemed threatening.
Third range, a medium amount of allowed Will strength is channelled into the Tactics script. At this range, he discovered that the animals gathered and played around him.
Fourth range, the maximum amount of Will strength the Tactic script can bear is channelled into it. At this range, he discovered that the animals were no longer afraid of him and treated him like a part of the forest. Rabbits jumped and sat on his lap, different species and varieties of birds landed on his shoulders and head.
Throughout the previous week, he had been testing the animals' reaction to different ranges of {Life Communication}. He even noticed that if he started at the fourth/highest range, and brought it down to the second/lowest range, the animals just leave but don't run away.
Throughout the previous week, all the experiments had been done while making sure he didn't move in the slightest. Today, he wanted to see what would happen if he moved. He set the activation to the third range. He noticed different animals moving closer to him. He stood up and moved towards them. Though the animals didn't run away, the most cowardly ones maintain a distance away from him.
So, he revved it up to the highest range. The animals all moved towards him, even the cowardly ones. A rabbit hopped to his leg and held it. Korede squatted and placed his palm down on the ground and the rabbit hopped on it. He brought his hand to his shoulder and motioned for the little rabbit to hop on his shoulder. As if understanding him, the rabbit looked hesitant but still jumped on.
It was then Korede had a thought. 'What if I can control them?'
To test this out, he raised his hand towards a woodpecker and motioned for it to land on his palm. Unlike the rabbit, the woodpecker didn't hesitate to do so. Korede unconsciously smiled. Suddenly, the woodpecker started to chirp. For some reason, Korede intuitively understood it.
It wanted to return to its family.
So, he raised his hand for it to fly off.
Korede started walking around and attempted to touch different animals, to which they all allowed him to. Suddenly, the bunny on his shoulder started purring. It was about to jump off his shoulder when it stopped, perhaps due to the height. Then, it started whimpering. Korede quickly understood that it wanted to get down. He helped the bunny down and saw it hop away to two bigger rabbits, presumably its parents. They exchanged different sounds that Korede couldn't understand, but same as the woodpecker, Korede could tell what the rabbit was saying. It was describing how it felt to stand on the shoulder of 'that gentle, sweet-smelling giant'.
It was at this moment Korede felt he was beginning to understand the function of {Life Communication}. Korede wondered about the limits of the Tactics.
Was it only useful on animals?
Before he knew it, he was back at the Hanzo residence. He heard Hattori and Miyako discussing something in Japanese. Since Korede arrived, they had been making a conscious effort to speak English in his presence.
As he got closer, he could finally hear their discussion clearly. Like with the animals, he discovered he could understand what they were discussing even though he didn't know the language. It was then Korede realised that his {Life Communication} was still activated to the highest range.
He came to a conjecture.
'Language is a means we communicate by transmitting our intents to one another through different established means such as sounds, signs, symbols, etc. Come to think of it, we won't be communicating if we can't understand the intent behind the language. Thus, we can speak the same language and not understand each other. Only through a successful transfer of our intent can we say we have communicated.
In that case, {Life Communication} should be able to understand the intent a lifeform is trying to transmit to another.'
In exactly the moment Korede proposed this conjecture in his mind, the Tactic script glowed intensely and a new ring appeared around it. The description of the Tactic also changed.
({Life Communication} - 4 golden rings - 3 silver ring(Lv3) - communicate with lifeforms to certain degree. Welcomed by all peace-loving creatures. Neutral to hostile creatures
Sub-Tactic- [Translator]: From user's comprehension. User can understand the intents transmitted by other creatures of the same intellect or lower.
Requirements: Comprehension)
Korede was intrigued by the formation of the Sub-Tactic. Aon couldn't help but say.
[Aren't you progressing too fast?]
'Does this mean that every Tactic will produce a Sub-Tactic based on my comprehension of it?' Korede asked.
[Yes. This is why differences in Will Tactic arises]
Korede nodded.
He was excited to test out the [Translator] sub-tactic. He walked into the house. The grandfather and granddaughter were still discussing what to eat when Korede said,
"Sis Miyako, it's OK. You can cook whatever you want. You can't keep cooking simple meals because of me."
Because she had been speaking in Japanese and Korede understood them, she unconsciously replied in the language. "How can I do that? You are our guest. I can't make something you can't eat."
Korede replied with a smile. "Aside from dog meat and pork, I can eat anything else. I'm also not allergic to anything. Just take it as me wanting to enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine."
"Ok. If you insist." Miyako said (in Japanese), only to turn around and see the shock on her grandfather's face.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
Hattori ignored her question and asked Korede his own(in English), "You understand Japanese?"
It was then Miyako also realised what had happened. She also looked at Korede quizzically.
"I have been listening to you and Sis Miyako, conversation on TV, and conversation of different people in Nago city. Though I still can't speak the language, I can make a reasonable guess of the general conversation." Korede made up a good-sounding excuse.
Even though Hattori had said to himself that he wouldn't be surprised by whatever Korede did, this was just too different.
He couldn't believe it.
He said different things in Japanese and Korede continued the conversation.
Of course, he didn't give a totally correct response as that would've been too much. Instead, he gave something close to it that still allowed the conversation to continue while also presenting as a novice of the language.
After different tests, Hattori was convinced. Miyako was amazed while Hattori's eyes shone. Since then, the Hanzos spoke only Japanese and Korede was able to quickly pick up the language. On a side note, Korede discovered that [Translator] would not work if the intent was transmitted through technological means such as Radios, Speakers, Cellphones, etc. However, TVs and other screens were not affected.
Korede initially thought [Translator] didn't work if the lifeform wasn't within his visual range but debunked that as it worked fine when Miyako spoke to him directly when she was outside of his line of sight. He concluded that [Translator] didn't work if an indirect transmission method, such as the aforementioned, was used that prevented him from seeing the lifeform sending the intent. Let's not forget that it doesn't only work on humans.
Memory ends
Hence, by combining {Sense Boost}- Lv2 and {Life Communication}- Lv3, Korede was able to focus on individual conversations and understand them, even though he didn't know the language.
While most of the discussions were about trade, some gossip and current affairs, Korede was able to pick up on an illegal deal in progress causing him to shake his head.
Before long, the taxi left the market area and made its way towards a residential area close to the city center.
He brought out the envelope Special Agent Ndike gave him and opened it. Inside was a set of keys and a note. The words on the note were encoded with a simple cypher that was taught to every recruit in the Special Forces training camp. Korede was able to decipher the code at a glance.
On the front page, there were instructions on what to do on getting to the safe house while the back page had information on how to find the secret weapons cache. He put everything back into his pocket and reclined on the seat.
Korede watched as the taxi turned street after street and the scenery kept changing. Eventually, they arrived at an affluent residential community. The taxi came to a stop in front of a six-floor condo.
"This is the place." the driver said.
"Thanks." Korede replied as he paid the man and got down.
He looked at the building in front of him. He didn't expect the NDI safehouse to be a high-end place. He entered the compound and approached the building manager's office on the ground floor as instructed on the note in the envelope. The man, who Korede assumed was the manager, was reading a newspaper in the office.
"Hello." He greeted the man.
"Hello. Who are you?" The man inquired
"I'm the new resident moving into the top floor." Korede said.
"Oh, welcome. Your company called to inform me. I have been expecting you. Please show me your key and sign here." The man said opening a ledger for Korede to sign his details into.
The man used the key to open a lock-box. Inside the box was a keycard which the manager handed over to Korede along with the key. He got up from his seat and said, "Let's get you to your apartment."
The manager led Korede to the elevator just past his office. Just past the elevator is the staircase. According to the manager, the entire ground floor aside from his office is a parking space which could be occupied by twenty cars at maximum where each residence was allocated parking space for five cars each. The manager also informed Korede that his 'company' had sent over a car for him. It was parked in the parking space.
In the elevator, the manager selected the sixth floor and a prompt was given to swipe the keycard on the card scanner. Only then did the elevator move to the sixth floor.
"This keycard can be used to access all public facilities in the building. You also need it to make use of the elevator. Please don't lose it." He said handing the card back to Korede.
Soon the elevator opened and a short corridor was revealed. The manager stayed in the elevator while Korede got out. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me through the intercom."
Korede nodded as he watched the elevator close. He noticed the staircase to the side of the elevator. Korede gained access to the apartment through the door on the other side of the short corridor with the keycard.
The first impression he had of the apartment was luxurious, then huge. The apartment was a three-bedroom flat with a large well-furnished living room and dining area. The kitchen was also well equipped with the necessary electrical appliances. Everything Korede could see in the house from furnishing to the appliances to the decoration looked very high-end and expensive.
To Korede, however, all that didn't matter. After a simple look around the apartment, he took his luggage to the master bedroom. Then, he brought out the note and followed the instructions on it.
He counted four tiles from the door and followed it to the wall on the right. He placed his hand on the wall and knocked six times in quick succession. Suddenly, a panel was revealed behind the wall. Korede typed in the code as instructed in the note and a hidden door opened two feet away from him. Korede entered the hidden room to find the weapons cache.
[A.N: Please, don't forget to leave a review of the work to encourage me. Your opinion matters to me.]