```
But from the old man's eyes, he saw a fervor he had never witnessed before.
A fervor for science.
This gave Leonard Churchill a sense of uncertainty for the first time.
He asked, "Master Merlin, if I may be so bold to ask, how confident are you in this theory?"
Merlin was blunt, "Science demands rigor. You are the first test subject, with no case for reference. Where would any confidence come from?"
"..."
Listening, Leonard's heart skipped a beat, his expression becoming quite peculiar: No confidence?
Seeing his look of silent reproach, Merlin laughed, "Science requires a spirit of dedication. But rest assured, young man, I've been researching this direction for many years, and theoretically speaking, you have at least an eighty percent chance of successful fusion."
Although an eighty percent assurance steadied Leonard's heart somewhat, he still asked, "And the other twenty percent?"
Merlin said unconcernedly, "Mutation into a monster."
