He walked along the 9th floor, looking for the way up. There was a gap from the 6th to the 2nd floor, but he had to get up there. He had discovered Sophia waiting near the entrance, her entire body tense. She was probably waiting for a chance to leave and escape. He knocked her out, put her on his shoulder, and carried her.
That exchange earlier was more beneficial than shadow sparring. The bulk of his talent and ability lay dormant in his cells. The illusory door was a life-like simulation of the strongest ACEs in history. His harvest was the transfer of their experiences into his own muscle memory.
As he learned earlier, shadow sparring was theoretical and limited in scope; effectiveness. At the time, they felt like massive gains. Now, they felt meager and insignificant. He realized this at the dojo when Chantel taught him about the inner self.
Profound experts of the Supernatural Path believed in a process called spiritual transference. It was the idea that under exceptional circumstances, training would become smoother when embodying the will of an expert, practicing their specific methods and techniques.
Facing an incredible opponent whose presence teetered him on the edge of life and death, his muscles burst into overdrive, allowing him to erupt in incredulity. He BECAME the strongest ACEs themselves. It was another chance to have new ambitions and reach their goal, HIS goal. A single second for him was a lifetime to them.
Their physicality, their method, their techniques, their decisions, their thought processes, and their nuance. He could experience all of that, and the gains were apparent. But yet, he still managed to apply his own spin, not being tied down but freely experimenting with the idea behind the concept.
If that was all, he would be happy, but it wasn't. There was still that door at the end of the journey. A door within a door that he couldn't open no matter how hard he tried. That was his *longer-term* goal. He wanted to know what was behind that door. It was a tertiary goal following his desire to resume his education. He hadn't forgotten about that.
He wouldn't slack off even if he got into a prestigious University or even a Golden Age Academy. He pushed through this for the sake of his original goal.
Now he even had a *short*-term goal. The soldiers mentioned Hell's Forging Zone, where strong experts were recruited and trained to become monstrous experts. He was curious about it.
——|——|—|—|——|——
"Well, Lunar Tide?" Sharp.Eyed-Wolf asked.
"Apparently, the project was successful. They moved all the equipment to a new lab. This is just the research from a previous trial," Lunar Tide explained.
"What was it? Any details?" Sharp.Eyed-Wolf asked.
"Nothing that isn't common sense. Blood test results, patient condition, etc.," Lunar Tide clarified.
"What should we do then?" Sharp.Eyed-Wolf asked.
"Is it worth any cash?"
"No you hulking brute. I'll organize the system information. You organize the documents Sharp.Eyed-Wolf," Lunar Tide chided before explaining.
"Alright," Sharp.Eyed-Wolf nodded.
The hulking brute was furious that he was ignored, so he roared before checking out the room, searching for any secrets. He slammed the walls and forcefully opened doors. He was so violent that the room started to shake. A quick shot and he dodged the blind shot millimeters before it hit his lung.
"Feel free to bury yourself after we leave," Sharp.Eyed-Wolf said coldly as another laser-like bullet pierced the surrounding darkness.
***Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Who are you??***
"Telepathy?" Lunar Tide raised her eyebrows.
A pale young lady made of flesh, shadow, and smoke appeared out of thin air. She carried a giant scythe roughly 30 times her size. Her face was pale, or was that her natural complexion? She was coughing out blood and bled shadows profusely.
"Those are the shadows from the report? They can emotionally influence you?" Sharp.Eyed-Wolf commented.
The shadows rose and charged at them, opening their mouths and hoping for a good bite and meal. A sea of bullets instantly besieged them. Their momentum was restricted as they were lugged around, smashing into each other. They burned, almost like they were impure. Their flesh smoked, burning off like cinders. They moaned in misery and despair even as some were outright killed.
***Gahhhhhhhhh!!!!***
The pale young lady reached out desperately, twisting and squeezing with her hand.
***An eye for an eye. You'll be my nourishment. Your vigor is strong***
"Aghhhhh!!!!!"
The Rogue and Magician turned, seeing their comrade clutching his chest, his face in extreme agony. Overwhelming killing intent burst out of Sharp.Eyed-Wolf as he readied his gun.
"Lethality," Sharp.Eyed-Wolf muttered with gritted teeth.
A beam that reflected light like the sharp edge of a blade lasered through the smoke, the shadow, and the flesh of the pale young lady. It hit the tendons between her shoulder and arm, nailing her to the wall.
***Agggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh***
The pale young lady tried moving an arm but could not.
"What are you exactly?" Sharp.Eyed-Wolf asked.
***Your eyes are functional, I assume****
"What are you doing??" Lunar Tide asked with shock as the pale young lady became increasingly illusory.
***I gathered my strength, yet it still alludes me. I am no longer what I used to be. I can only hope the others fare better than me***
"Run!!!" Sharp.Eyed-Wolf screamed with an ugly face.
"Damn. You brute. Run!" Lunar Tide bellowed.
The hulking brute was confused, puzzled. He suddenly felt despair and the creeping touch of death as his body turned into a blood mist from the inside out.
Lunar Tide and Sharp.Eyed-Wolf did not have time to check on him as their bodies bent and twisted through wood, metal, and machine. A chilly and vicious energy invaded, ravaging their bodies, a disastrous combination that drained their faces of color. With their fates sealed, they reluctantly lowered their resistance. At that point, a counter-force dispelled the energy, warming their bodies in the process.
"Senior!"
That was the last thought they had before they blacked out.
——|——|—|—|——|——
[Emergency Tent, Perimeter of Accelerated Laboratories]
"Damn, do we have anything?"
"Body is rotting, decaying. Tell me what fixes that, and I'll supply it."
"So we lost a Magician just like that?"
"What else can we do? The nearest hospital is too far out!"
(Screaming)
"Someone sedate him!"
"Already put 3 syringes into him."
"F**k*"
(Screaming)
"There's nothing we can do!"
(Crying)
(Sigh)
"I know, I know. What do we though? Nothing we've tried works."
(Clatter)
"Restrain him! If he moves too much, he'll hurt himself more."
(Boom)
(Bam)
"What was that?"
"Sounds like it came from outside."
"Check it out."
(Rustle)
"Sir!!! He's made a full recovery!"
"What!!"
(Cough)
"What… happ..ened."
(Rustle)
"Sir. A Magician and a Rogue are out cold. Tags from Hell's Forging Zone."
"Oh, thank god. It must have been some kind of mission. They probably killed her."
"It doesn't explain how he was healed, though."
"Is that really important?"
"No, sir!"
"Fidgeting. What is it?"
"Sir. I've always wanted to visit the famous institution. Can I accompany them back to give a report?"
"Sure. No issue."
"Sir, thank you!"