Chapter 25: Bone And Muscle Transformation

“Little freak, are you awake?” Gid Chu sat on a boulder inside the small crater Zax’s crash created. After exchanging pointers, he felt more liberated with the junior and comfortably shed the excessively cordial, elder demeanor. He was not feeling like much of a worthy elder anyway with their strength not that far apart.

“Yes”. Zax replied and got into a sitting position.

“All lasting damage healed after less than ten minutes, while my chest still throbs with bursts of pain”. Gid Chu said miserably. “If Kartion and Yurnal could share and integrate the insights...” He shook his head. That was asking for the impossible as it was already immensely difficult for the two to develop their respected techniques to their current state.

“Did I exaggerate?” Zax asked apologetically. Understanding from Gid Chu that he has not fully healed, yet, while was back to peak condition.

“It’s my fault for not taking seriously Rockwell’s and Riv’s report, though with this level of strength I’m not sure why you could not dominate Beatriz, unless...” He preferred to stop talking. For this junior’s strength to advance so quickly was partly as a result of luck and partly due to ability capable of disheartening the best and brightest of the same generation. He could only recall one other junior’s name with comparable skills.

They both stood up.

“In the Earthly Crater I was enlightened and consequently came up with the second stage of my Dark Titan Storm”.

“Let me rephrase, your luck can also drive a person mad! How long have you been above the surface, and yet you still experienced two fortuitous opportunities the rest of us require years by the hundreds and thousands to come by”.

“It did not come easy”.

“You are alive”.

Zax closed his mouth. In this discussion he knew he has no right to complain.

“So how do you think I can do against Yurnal?”

“You better not break the soul seal. I already told you that he is a bit stronger than me, but that’s not the problem. If you were faster, not by a lot, then you might have had the chance to escape from him with most of your body intact”.

Zax frowned. The third Black Core ... does he really has to restrain himself for a while longer before taking it?!

“Don’t be dejected. Though Yurnal has strange affection and belief for the object inside, he keeps it for his son to use in the future. I gather that if you’ll present him a fair trade, there is a chance that he’ll accept it”.

‘A fair trade... ‘ Zax mused. Depending on how much Yurnal know about the Black Core, it can be complicated obtaining something he will be interested in exchange as its equivalent. ‘An Overlord’s Pure Core?’

With heavy heart he grabbed the spatial ring from his pocket and threw it to Gid Chu. “Keep it. I have no reason to stay, so give it back to him for me. Also, tell him that I won’t give up on the thing inside, though, if he plans for that baby boy to use it I don’t need to be in a hurry”.

“Smart thinking”. Gid Chu smiled. Yurnal never told him what so special about the black sphere inside, other than claiming it as the catalyst for him inventing Infinite Transformations, Altering Body. Eventually he assumed it to be a Black Core or something of the sort Yurnal discovered in Valgarel and had yet to figure how to properly use. “In my opinion it won’t be long before you’ll have the competence to negotiate with him on equal ground”.

“Am I that strong?” Zax laughed, choosing not to let misery affect him.

“Do you want to know? Your place among the top hundred experts on the planet”.

“Tell me”.

“Not including the Overlords, first in the list are, naturally, the five leaders of the five powers with the strongest being Horn Kikon of the Violet Scaled Troops, followed by Golden Desert Fort’s General Beking, Blessed Army’s General Logan, Luminous Church Archbishop Silternjan and lastly Blue Sea’s Admiral Hamumni. Then, after them, the only other fifth level Martial Mortal on the planet, Mercenary Association’s Fifth Ranker mercenary Sheldon. Moving to the fourth level Martial Mortals: Valgarel’s ruler Ozeyn and by a small, easily covered disparity, big brother Ariel. Then there are forty or so names that are unimportant, not including mine and Yurnal, of course. Finally, there is you, ranked at the top fifties”.

“Top fifties...” Despite it being a great achievement for someone at his age, and the list of names was not that long, relative to the number of experts in both Kingdom Earth and Ercas Mir, it was not fulfilling like the arching skyline view. Rather, irrefutable testimony of how week he still is.

“You don’t appreciate it?”

“Are there third level Martial Mortals ranked lower than me?”

“No”.

Zax sighed. “Then I can accept it”.

“Are you doing anyone a favor by giving your acknowledgement?” Gid Chu criticized. “In terms of age the gap between you and those ranked closed to you separated by at least hundred years. The leader of the five powers, thousands. And luck. You got to be born at the golden age of cultivation, with thousands of roads and guidelines to show you the right direction, paved and forged by the painstaking trial and error of magnanimous elders who could just as well keep their knowledge to themselves”.

“And they have my deepest respect”. Zax said candidly to avoid any misconceptions. “But when I think of traversing farther, past the Mortal stage and unto Immortality, I cannot help but feel that my current accomplishments are deficient”.

“That’s ... not a wrong way to look at it, but you risk the chance of exhausting yourself before ever realizing fulfillment. On this matter I can only advice you to take a break once in a while ... the Eastern Continent is beautiful, with all kinds of remarkable places and communities. When possible, mingle in the urban population. You might end up relieving yourself from tensions you weren’t aware of”.

“I plan on that”. Zax averted his gaze as his attention was captured by a number of figures he would like to share the world above ground with. He glanced back at Gid Chu. “Till then, is there something you want me to do? I noticed the gathering of many experts when I journeyed to the Eastern Continent. Is something important, like in Demirva Ridge, taking place?”