Although Albert had quelled the agonizing pain that tortured Sulong, the constant ringing sound inside of his head kept going.“The boy… Zeke… he’s in danger.”There was a foreboding and inexplicable sensation swelling within Sulong, urging him to go to Zeke’s side. However, he was given no directions or guidance, making the situation all the more difficult to deal with.It got so bad that Sulong’s ability was manifesting by itself, forming a circular war of crimson flames seemingly protecting him from outside danger.****[Pain-Junkie Main Path has been unlocked!][Fortitude stats already available][+7 Fortitude][+10 Strength][The user ‘Voltage Sync, Zeke’ has obtained the following skills: Surge of Pain - Body Damage - Self-injection][Surge of Pain has been activated: +20 to all stats][Surge of pain has been activated: +30 to all stats][Surge of pain has been activated: +40 to all stats][Body Damage has taken effect]Zeke was in no state to check the new skills, however, his
“S-sir… they didn’t pick up any of our calls. I-I’m afraid…”“It’s fine.”Edward unceremoniously waved his hand at the stuttering young man. Since Olivia, his mother was involved, he wanted to bring her here for questioning, but she had holed herself in the Vyrsan household, and trying to drag her by force was impossible.When he was given the signal, agent Howard Drant unfolded the document and spoke,“The initial investigation was completed. We’ve secured some intact machines from the basement. They were trying to operate on Azmer Lorson and Zeke Orland. From the looks of it, it’s directly related to Project B-11.”“As I thought.” Commented the disheartened Edward, a sigh escaping his lips.His parents had been in charge of Project B-11, but due to the lacks of funds from the Department of Defense and the need for live subjects, the project was put on hold five months ago.Many high executives, including Edward, didn’t condone human experiments, which put pressure on the greedy and
When Zeke opened his eyes and finally awakened from his premature slumber, he felt an uncomfortable numbness in his left arm. He let out a soft groan as he immediately remembered what happened.He had used ‘Over-drive’ to retaliate against William Lorson, but his body couldn’t cope with prior over-exertion along with the almost fatal injury inflicted by the frightening black flames.‘This is Erys’ infirmary. I survived… that’s a good thing.’The young man slowly sat up while chuckling in a self-mocking manner. His whole left arm was wrapped in tight bandages, but even without getting a good look, he knew it was irreparably damaged.Still, there was no need to regret or worry about this consequence. Doctor Xavier was nowhere to be seen, so Zeke turned his attention to the accessible System Logs.********[User: Zeke Orland][Race: Human][Level 7 (16/105 EXP)][Strength: 99][Agility: 84][Aether: 91][Fortitude: 25][Paths: Martial Arts (1/12) inactive | Voltage Body(1/44) | Groundbre
“You’re really a magnet for all sorts of trouble!”Unexpectedly, Samuel was the first visitor of Zeke. The energetic youth had snuck in the dead of the night when Xavier had retired to his room. “Freaking hell, dude! Your arm looks like shit!”“It does indeed.” Replied Zeke while softly laughing. In times like these, Samuel’s honesty was a breath of fresh air. Although they didn’t have a lot of time to hang out recently, Zeke’s impression of the Detective’s son was favorable. After all, Samuel would offer help when asked and despite his blabbering mouth, he was a loyal and amicable individual.“What did that gloomy doctor say? Will you be able to participate in the Practical Exams?”“He wants me to rest, but I don’t want to be graded solely on the Theoretical Exams.”“Speaking of which, I’ve got the chart.”Samuel grinned and leaned closer as he fished out his phone and showed a picture to the curious Zeke.Depicted on the poorly-taken picture was the chart for the upcoming battles,
In the spacious and cozy ‘lounge’ of the Special Investigation Squad, Celestia Black and John were looking at the campus, their eyes focused on the crowd of people opposing each other. Most of the students were either asleep or readying themselves in the dorms, so there weren’t many onlookers, to begin with. Those who happened to witness such a sight were wise enough to keep their distance and opt for being quiet spectators.“From one hole to the other. I almost pity the boy.” Remarked Celestia as she kept her eyes on Zeke. While it was true she had first disliked him, her impression of him slightly changed. His attitude notwithstanding, she knew that he was a good-natured youth, one whose circumstances pushed him to become an impassive and overall gloomy person. John, who stayed a couple of paces behind the girl, remained silent for a long time before a chilling voice came out of his now unsealed lips.“Prepare yourself.”As she heard the Talking Sin out of nowhere, Celestia turne
“This is the place where they kept the kid?”Edward, who, despite Zeke’s unknown whereabouts, was in a surprisingly good mood. After what happened in Erys, the entirety of the Vyrsan family will be seeking revenge. If Olivia were to die, they were would have sufficient motive and not even Solas would be able to completely stop them.The incident was so big that the Department of Defense had already learned of this. Edward was certain that they would eventually figure out the truth and would pursue Zeke, but their intentions remain to be verified. They wouldn’t outright wish to harm Zeke, first because he was Edward’s family, and second because they weren’t knowledgeable about the System, thus making them wary.“Yes, sir.”Katrina stood at the entrance of the clean and empty office, politely bowing her head to Jan, who was accompanying her benefactor.“Indeed… I can smell it. The strong and foul scent of blood. It wasn’t a normal spawn, I’ll tell you that.”“The report says that his ag
Tuesday evening, the second day of the Practical Exams.North-West of the Sunken Metropolis, there was a chain of big and small hills housing several farms and settlements.Atop one such hill, filled with nothing but a stretch of grass and flowers, Zeke stood under the setting sun.He gazed at the sky, which was dominated by a beautiful orange hue as a cool wind breeze brushed against his skin.His charred black arm tingled and he felt a bit of pain, but it was manageable. The young man, who changed into casual clothes and cleaned his previously disheveled appearance, took deep breaths as he patiently waited.A fair distance away, at the side of the road, Jack and Sulong were chatting without a care in the world. They were enjoying cold beers, instructed by Zeke to await his return, no matter how time would pass.After an indeterminate amount of time, Zeke heard footsteps coming from the rear, and when he turned around, he saw the blond-haired Azmer.“I honestly thought you wouldn’t
Azmer’s physique, albeit stronger than average people, still paled in comparison to his opponent’s. With the golden sword in hand, he charged at Zeke but he only took a couple of steps before his target vanished into thin air.Instinctively, Azmer swept his weapon horizontally, unleashing vast amounts of golden fire, which clashed against several lightning bolts shot from Zeke.Using ‘Life Motus’, Zeke had closed the distance and attack, and when the successive ‘Voltage Zap’ were blocked, he ‘teleported’ again and swept his leg upwards.He moved with impressive speed, one that Azmer couldn’t react to, thus getting hit in the shoulder and blown a couple of meters away.Still, he landed on his feet and clasped the sword near his chest as a pillar of fire burst forth, spreading to all directions and forcing the approaching Zeke to leap back.Azmer relied on his powerful Pyromancy to make a small explosion under his feet, launching straight at Zeke, the golden sword thrust forward and sho