Murray returned by dinnertime. Mir's explanation had somewhat placated their parents, but they were still a bit skittish. Only after they came to learn that there were sentries from the Church of Sunbreaker guarding their house did they relax. Murray got an earful from their mother for keeping everyone in the dark about the dangers on his tail, and their father made Mir promise at the dinner table that he'd not try to pull brave stunts like today.
"If this incidence repeats itself and you get cornered by anybody for that artifact, just hand it over. Don't get caught up in unnecessary dangers," Murray was told. He nodded obediently like a chicken, but everyone could guess that he hadn't taken the advice to the heart.
Murray still held a grudge against their parents over being forced to confess to the authorities about how he had intentionally crippled dozens of his peers and classmates in the annual nationwide competition for resources from the Government. For that admission of guilt, he had been rewarded with a relatively low sentence. Mir was surprised that he even listened to anything their parents said since getting released.
After dinner, Mir went to Murray's room with the diary.
"Let's go through what we know about this artifact again. Firstly, this diary can only affect the one who writes on it, yeah?"
"Correct," Murray said.
"Secondly, to affect the writer, it uses the unsaturated virus inside the writer's body as fuel."
"True, it does."
"That means it is essentially similar to how Saturation Consolidation procedures work. It breaks down the viruses into molecular units and uses the discharge of energy from the process as its fuel."
Murray looked a little uncertain this time. "It's difficult to pinpoint how accurate your theory is. There are lots of other alternative ways purifier-type artifacts can work on a person. But yeah, the mysterious energy created from killing the Sun's Curse Virus has to be involved somehow. Everything requires energy to function."
"So let's try it out," Mir said. "I've done some research before you came home and filtered my ideas. Now I have one plan that is highly likely to succeed if we prepare correctly."
Murray scooted over on his seat, his curiosity growing. "What's the plan?"
"What if, instead of writing random wishes in the diary, we wrote down a wish to consolidate the Unsaturated Cells of our body and undergo a mutation in the process?"
Murray's eyes opened wide, pupils shrinking into pinpoint size. Mir could see the impact of the idea playing out on Murray's face clearly. He had gone through the same mental leaps and sprints when it had taken shape in his head.
The starting point for ordinary humans could be summarized with two statistics.
Extent of Viral Infection: 30% - 40%
Extent of Saturation: 20% - 25%
Depending on age, living conditions, genetic disposition, and immunity, these numbers fluctuated, but not by a significant margin. By late teens, when one legally reached adulthood, the average human reached this stage and entered a long plateau. Before reaching 60 years of age, where humans start to gradually lose their immunity, these two stats remain almost constant in a static environment.
For Transcenders, the path was naturally different. They started out with the same attributes, but they used their 20% - 25% Saturation Rate as a foundation. By consolidating the unsaturated viruses, they reduced their extent of infection and used the energy generated by the consolidation to undergo a mutation process.
Of course, success in awakening mutant abilities was not guaranteed. Depending on the type and quality of the mutation one wanted to undergo, a lot of resources were needed, the most important of which were Energy Refinement Techniques. Different mutations required different techniques of refinement. And these techniques were all hoarded by big organizations, starting from private corporations to even the Government itself. Some common techniques were available in special markets, but the prices were sky-high.
The light behind Murray's eyes eventually converged, and a sharp look replaced his daze.
"....This might just be feasible, but we have to make extensive preparations. Lots of experiments and financial investment is necessary. I need some time."
Mir tapped his data terminal open and showed Murray the number on screen. "I have 3050 units in my bank account. How much resources can we accumulate with that?"
Murray was struck dumb again for a second. "Isn't that the money I sent to you this morning? How much did the medical test cost?"
"Oh it did cost quite a bit, a little over 2000, I think. I just got 2000 more from a certain debtor."
Murray gave Mir a narrow look, but decided not to waste time trying to dig out what he didn't need to know.
"3000 units isn't a small amount. I also have a little money left in my account. After putting them together, we can buy enough food-substance containing mutant genes."
Food was the primary requirement and the easiest method to accumulate specific types of mutated genes from another creature. This was why hunting mutant animals was the most populous business among Transcenders despite the dangers associated with hunting.
"We can't go for grade-2 or grade-3 mutations. Animals that carry those genes are too expensive even as unprocessed meat. If we aim for a grade-1 mutation, not only do we have a variety of choices, we can also ensure that we don't fall short of consolidation requirements," Mir said, relying on his knowledge of the market and recent few hours of research.
Murray made some rough calculations on his fingers and said, "We can accumulate enough food for one of us to get more than 10% Viral Infection from the same source. I learned in the Church that 8% - 12% is usually enough for a consolidation process. And if a majority of this percentage frame comes from a single source via food, the chance of awakening the mutation ability of the source creature is very high!"
Mir hadn't found that data in the online forums, but it made sense. So all that was left now for them to acquire was...
"An Energy Refinement Technique. The diary might not be able to emulate the Energy Refinement Technique by itself. In that case, it'll bring danger to the person undergoing Consolidation, because the energy has to be guided somewhere without affecting the body," Murray said, finishing the thought in Mir's head. "We can't buy that with money, at least not with what we have."
"You're a Trainee Deacon of the Church, aren't you? Won't they provide you one if you tell them that you can now undergo a consolidation? They'll probably make you a Probationary Deacon, from what I learned today in College." Mir recalled the quiz event arranged by Sunbreaker's Church and couldn't help but chuckle.
Murray looked conflicted. "I was actually just using them as a shield to hide and take my own path of Transcendence. Accepting their Energy Refinement Techniques and becoming a Probationary Deacon means I'll be tied to them forever."
"Well, I certainly don't have other ways to increase our personal strength, brother. It's not like they're gonna give the technique to me. You're the only one who has a chance to use this diary and make a quick breakthrough. If one of us can become a Mutant Transcender, not only will the protection we're receiving right now be increased, it'll also open up many future possibilities and routes to accumulate more resources."
Mir placed the diary on Murray's table and left the bedroom, letting Murray consider his options on his own. He couldn't pressure Murray into taking the leap of faith, but he knew that the circumstances would eventually force him. The conclusion was already set in stone.