Novel New Game+

Chapter Twenty-Five: A Deal with the Devil

Ted was panicking when he woke up. At first he thought he was bleeding but realized that it was ketchup. He couldn’t move as there was an exaggerated amount of duct tapes tying him which could easily immobilize three full-grown adults.

He glanced across the kitchen hoping to find anything which he could use to break free. It was clear that no one knew of his awakening. He struggled to move but the chair which he was tied to was very stable and no matter how he threw his weight around, the chair won’t move.

“Are most Royal’s involved in drug trafficking?” A chillingly familiar voice was heard.

Ted tried clutched his bound fist to calm himself down. He couldn’t see Seeker as he was positioned in the corner, out of view of the other people in the other room.

“Not all. But most of the top Royals are. The status that they carry allows them to move around Phil-Pangea easily without being suspected of anything.”

Alean Cipril was pretty calm now. She no longer panicked or answered in fear as the interrogation continued.

“How do you get the drugs? It’s hard to fathom how drugs could ever enter this country with its security detail.” Charles spoke angrily.

“I’ve served in the military and I know how the measures taken to ensure that no drug comes in! It’s basically impossible to import drugs into this country!”

“My dear Charles, remember what Sherlock Holmes would say? ‘Eliminate the impossible and all that’s left however improbable must be the truth.’” Seeker imitated with a British accent.

“The reason why I believe the school is the central hub for distributing drugs is because it is the perfect place with the perfect hideout to develop these drugs.” Seeker smiled.

“But Zeek, I’ve seen the news. The drugs that the government has managed to confiscate are all foreign-made!” Meryl recalled the several news.

“Think Meryl! General Cipril is part of the government! It would be easy for him to make such claims and the government along with the masses will easily believe that these drugs were foreign-made! But let me ask you this, exactly how did they determine that its foreign made?” Seeker smiled.

“I don’t know. It was very technical when it was explained on TV.”

“Exactly! Most won’t bother to examine it. And people who might want to examine it would have to go against the array of experts that were paid to say it was foreign. Those people left with the guts to study it are weird people who spend their days reading conspiracy theories and the like. And these people are rarely taken seriously.”

“So it really is made in school…?” Meryl was dismal. The school that she loved so much had such a background.

“It’s the perfect cover. In fact, this secret never managed to reach the light even up to the great wars. Blaming foreigners for brining drugs into this country served as a convenient claim especially in this era dubbed the Age of Distrustful Nations. By simply blaming foreign or international corporations, the ongoing bandwagon mentality of rage against foreigners easily pushes the General’s secret agenda. Even if General Cipril produces a claim that the foreign corporations who are being blamed could prove wrong, who would the masses believe in; the foreigners who could cause another war or the people in charge of defending this country?”

Meryl was silent. It really made sense.

“Who are you?” Alean finally asked.

“How do you know all this? We were sure that no one could trace things back to me!”

“I know. Bravo Miss. Bravo.” Seeker applauded.

“Leading the trails back to Professor Yun. Poor guy. He’s your fall guy correct You probably have his kids kidnapped or something of that extent. Hence, small time drug dealers like little Cliffy here would point at the Language Professor interrogated.”

Cliff sat in shock. He knew drugs circulated in campus but the reach was more than what he had expected.

“Who are you? Are you with the PUI?” Alean had a calm demeanor as she asked.

Seeker smiled and admired Alean’s courage and adaption to the situation.

“Let’s just say I had a glimpse of the future and know these things Miss. So let me check if I’m right. The school, under the great cause of education would request the very ingredients necessary to make these drugs. Of course, to avoid suspicion, the ingredients are all provided by your loyal partners who coincidentally are the parents of many Royal students.”

Alean nodded helplessly.

“Woah! So the Royals are all drug pushers?” Lynd was surprised. Was that Royal girl who tried to flirt with him in on all this?”

“Not all. It would be too suspicious. But I would say most of the prominent ones are.” Seeker stared at Alean to confirm. Alean gave another helpless nod.

“Oh. Lynd, kindly get Ted back here. He’s awake. And Meryl, Shut the recording. We’ve gotten enough from her confession.”

Alean was surprised. Wasn’t Ted already dead? She stared at the room where Lynd went off to,

“MMMMHHHHH!” A muffled shout could be heard on the other room. Lynd ran and dragged the bounded Ted back.

“He’s alive!” Charles was relieved.

“Of course. I never killed him.” Seeker immediately went and punch Ted in the stomach. It looked very relaxed however Seeker’s fist was reaching deeply into Ted’s stomach. Alean felt as if her stomach pained as she recalled Seeker’s harassment.

“But the blood!” Cliff shouted in surprise.

Seeker stood and slashed the knife and at the same time, squeezed the sachets of ketchup which squirted out.

“It’s a good thing that this particular brand appears very similar to blood.” Seeker smiled.

“YOU TRICKED ME!” Alean shouted in anger.

“Oh shut up will you!” Seeker suddenly delivered a powerful slap on Alean’s unguarded face. Lynd controlled his urge by clutching his fist.

The fear along with the painful slap silenced the teacher once more.

“We have recorded every detail of our talk. Think of the headlines. Heroes of Today candidate, Dr. Lindmitt, unmasks Pangean Nations biggest drug cartel!” Seeker motioned to form imaginary banner.

“If this tape gets out, your father would be finished. The credibility of Charles isn’t something to be underestimated. The media will kill your father and the government will be forced to investigate it. Not to mention the unknown responses of all the corporations connected to your drug exchange. No matter what, your father’s empire will easily crumble.”

Alean glared angrily at Seeker.

“I’m sure you know that the best course of action is to follow whatever I say.”

“So you’re not going to kill me, nor do you seem to have any intentions of exposing my father. Then what is it that you want?”

“Oh goody good response! As expected with the General’s daughter. Your calm bearing proves that you are more than a foot soldier in his schemes. I bet you’re probably one of the bigshots in your father’s team! You’re right. I have no intention of exposing your father.”

“Wait. We’re not going to expose them?” Charles asked in surprise.

“Of course not. I did want too at first though. Her family has always been a bane to mine. In fact, my dad had several close calls with General Cipril’s goons. That’s probably why you hate me. Right, Miss Cipril?”

Alean glared angrily. There have been occasions when Detective Chris Carlean meddled with their operations that it nearly exposed everything. Everytime this would happen, Alean would then be tasked to fix it.

“You see, earlier today I realized that the General was cooking something big when good ol’ Principal Decker here revealed his bias and fear towards Alean. I was sure he was connected.” Seeker patted the unconscious Principal.

“Principal Decker, you do realize that pretending to be unconscious won’t work with me.” Seeker whispered on Jonathan’s ear. The latter could not help but shiver. However, he chose to continue in his exposed façade of pretending to be asleep.

“You see when I realized that if Principal Decker himself was involved, then the drug trade in our school wasn’t just an ordinary small time branch which is used to sell drugs to students. Principal Decker’s adamant reactions and decisiveness to immediately obey Miss Cipril demands with blind faith indicated that they clearly had a boss-subordinate relationship.”

Alean glared angrily towards Jonathan. So he was the one who spilled the beans.

“So you had this hunch and decided to pound all three of them?” Meryl asked in sarcasm.

“Of course not. I was sure of my guess. Miss Cipril’s colorful experience was the last piece that allowed me to deduce their schemes. Let’s review her life story. She has worked around the country always accompanying her father to wherever island or region he is assigned to. She’s a natural genius who even managed to attain her Master’s Degree at the young age of 24. Yet despite all of these, why did she decide to work as a teacher in our school? She could have worked in the military. But no, she took a very drastic change in occupation.” Seeker gave a scrutinizing stare at Alean.

“She had everything. The looks, the brains, the charisma and capabilities. And once she masterfully countered my own schemes to legitimate my gambling crusade, I was thoroughly convinced that her father won’t leave this talent unused for his empire. She’s definitely a critical piece in his plans.”

“So you figured that my father had something big going on in this school. Bravo. But who are you really? If you’re not PUI then what are you?”

“I already told you. A kid who glanced the future.” Seeker shrugged casually. After that Seeker moved with incredible speed and slashed the duct tapes and ropes that bounded Alean’s right hand.

Alean was shivering in fear. The slash was so sudden and so close to her skin that she thought that her hand was halved along with the duct tapes. She immediately yanked her hand free from its bondage to the chair’s arm rest and quickly examined it.

“Monster.” Alean gazed in fear. No ordinary human could pull this off. Even the soldiers she trained with did not have the same expert control that Seeker has handling a knife. A regular kitchen knife couldn’t cleanly cut through layers of duct tape like that. And what was even more amazing, Seeker knew when to stop to leave the skin unscathed.

She looked in fear at Seeker. The same chilling sensation returned. Her hands were shivering. She knew that Seeker could easily kill her. In fact, Seeker could probably easily handle most of the ‘monsters’ that she has met in the course of accompanying his father.

“So, are you ready to listen? I don’t enjoy having a deal with the devil you know. The effort one must put is too taxing!”

“What do you want from me?”

“Not from you Miss. From your father. I want to make him my money-making puppet!” Seeker grinned evilly.

Alean was shocked Seeker’s demand.

“So you’re not only going to expose them, but you plan to actually take control of his empire!?” Cliff couldn’t help but interject now. It was just too absurd. Just when he could calmly relax as he thought that Seeker was some sort of secret police spy sent to shut down a drug cartel, it turned out he was a worse hooligan who was greedier than the General!

“This is crazy!” Cliff appealed to Charles.

“Oh right. That was the plan huh.” Charles sighed as he recalled the plan.

“Wha-what?”

“Brilliant Zeek!” Meryl commended. Cliff however was getting more frantic.

“I didn’t expect that we could easily take control of a drug cartel this easily!” Lynd smiled.

The three were rejoicing. Their plans were quickly moving forward.

Poor Cliff felt as if his world has ended. He had witnessed a deal made with the devil. But in Cliff’s eyes, the devil was definitely not Alean Cipril.

 

Hey guys. I'll just leave this here since I left a note like this on the royalroadl.com site.

I'll just explain what the "Age of Distrustful Nations" in this story is. Basically it branched out from our current era known as the "Post-Modern era." And if you know your philosophy, you'll know that relativism is one of the greatest trait of the post-modern world.

In this world, extreme acceptance and tolerance brought about by relativism and having no absolutes led to several problems as people from different countries kept imposing their own culture (either geographic or religious) and people simply "tolerated" or accepted them. This led to a lot of problems and eventually a mini-world war happened. This led to countries being overthrown since the minority became the majority. After that war and changes amongst the nations and alliances, a new philosophy was adapted to ensure that the minorities would never overthrow the majority. The globally accepted philosophy became what was known as "Supra-Post-Modern" or "Supra-Modern" for short.

This philosophy accepted everything that the post-modern thinking had but it had an additional clause imposed on itself. 'Though there should be tolerance and acceptance, culture should be preserved. Though there are no "moral" obsoletes, it should be in place to preserve a countries utopia.' But of course, the application of this philosophy caused nations to be guarded from foreigners. Thus the Age of Distrustful Nations began.

Sorry for the long rant. I feel like I had to explain this but couldn't interject it in the story. I'm thinking of saving an entire release sometime in the future for a "historical" and in depth explanation of how this world came to be. Also, just putting this out there, I have nothing against the Post Modern philosophy. This is just for story building purposes.

Anyways, thanks for reading the story. please tell me what you think here. I see that the views here keep piling up but I know that only Eternacle1's reading. (lol) So please leave a comment and please visit and rate this story on https://royalroadl.com/fiction/16101/new-game
Thanks!

 

Chapter Twenty-Six: Programmed Servants
Three figures walked out of a car. They had several bandages wrapped around the different sides of their faces.

“Looks like this is goodbye for now. I won’t say anything other than that if you betray us, your life and everyone around you will suffer.” Charles smiled happily. Unlike his flustered and confused expressions earlier, there was now a suave of confidence and even joy.

The car immediately sped off leaving the three figures on the outskirts of the school grounds.

“What are we going to do now?” Jonathan sighed. It was a nightmare. Who would’ve thought that their deep dark secret would be easily exposed by a random Rising student.

Alean frowned and walked towards Ted.

POW!

A power punch was delivered and dove deeply in Ted’s stomach. The sudden attack left Ted unprepared to harden his muscles. He fell down and curled down like a ball.

“That’s for convincing me to mess with Seeker.” Alean glared at the boy and gave him another quick kick on the face.

“You two better not do anything idiotic in the next days. Our lives are at stake. My father would put all the blame on me if word gets out and the three of us would definitely die.”

“What? Surely the General won’t-“

Alean quickly kicked Jonathan in the groin. Just like Ted, Jonathan lost the strength to stand and was kneeling as he was covering his genitals.

“That’s for your poor acting! If not for you, Seeker wouldn’t have deduced everything! You don’t know my father! He’d trade me if he has something to gain! Why did you think I did everything to get where I am now! It’s because I know what my father will do to me if I’m useless!” Alean spoke angrily.

“Get up!” Alean gave another kick to the two curling men.

“I’ll talk to my father now. Decker, stop whatever operations we have in school now. Ted, contact all the Royal Reps and inform them that all operations are to be put on hold.”

The two forced themselves to stand up. The most they could manage was a bending stand. They however nodded and each went their own way.”

As the two departed, Alean sighed. She clutched her fist in frustration. Everything was ruined now. Who would die tonight? Will it be Ted or Decker? She could not help but fear even for her own life. She took out her phone and stared at it for a few minutes.

She took a deep breath and called her father. The phone rang. She prayed to God that her father would not pick up.

“What is it?” A cold voice sounded from the other end of the phone.

Alean sighed.

“We need to talk. Something has happened.”

Back at the duplex, Seeker had just finished eating his dinner. He had his fill from the various delicacies that they ordered in three different restaurants. Of course a majority of what they ordered was for Seeker.

Cliff who was ‘invited’ to stay for dinner was shocked at how Seeker devoured three different dishes from different restaurants. Lynd sighed in envy. His stomach wasn’t as strong as Seeker. He could only manage one dish. Meryl on the other hand had a disgusting look at Seeker’s ungraceful act.

Cliff had no appetite. He had lived a life of danger. He was always confident on himself but right now someone who could even blackmail and beat up the biggest and most dangerous cartel in their country was right in front of him.

“What do you want from me?” Cliff weakly asked. He had been asking Seeker this same question again and again but Seeker kept ignoring him and munched on his gourmet.

“I have a job for you and your gang. I want you to secretly corner and torture the following people.” Seeker finally answered and handed Cliff a piece of paper.

Cliff swallowed a mouthful of his saliva at the much exaggerated request of his new owner.

He took the paper and said nothing. He didn’t have the will to even read the paper.

Meryl took the paper and casually browsed on the names on the list. Lynd was curiously peeking behind Meryl.

“Zeek, why is everyone here an exchange student?” Meryl wondered.

“It’s connected to how the school is a hub for human trafficking.” Seeker continued to munch an Asian dim sum.

“Human trafficking? I though even Alean didn’t know much about her father’s plan on that area.” Meryl wondered.

“Yeah Zeek. That’s the part which I don’t get. Why hide it from her? I mean, Miss Cipril is pretty efficient.”

“Is she pretty efficient? Or just pretty?” Seeker teased.

Lynd blushed and quickly brushed it off.

“I’m serious Zeek! Could there be someone else in school with Miss Cipril’s authority and command?”

“No. You have to take into account the General’s personality. You see, he views his daughter as a good chess piece. But at the same time, he fears her greatly. If her command and authority rises to a level that can pose a threat to him, then he would kill her. A General who is this paranoid and went to great lengths to hide his empire is someone who doesn’t want to share in power.”

“Why would this have anything to do with human trafficking?”

“Actually, I knew a tiny portion of this from my memories of the future. But after connecting the dots, I realized that I had greatly underestimated the power and reach that this General has. It looks like we would play quite a dangerous role in the future. One reason why the future was bleak was the abundance of traitors who managed to creep its way in our ranks. But later, we found out that they weren’t just spies. They were slaves. It was later revealed that they were a product of a new form of human trafficking.”

“A new form?

“It’s pretty complicated. As you know, this era hates human trafficking with a vengeance. Countries even collapsed when they found out their leaders were involved in this. You might remember the revolutions in One China and India.”

“So?” Lynd asked curiously.

“Well, this world has an intense need for err- sexual labor. But it’s almost impossible to do so today. So a new form of human trafficking that only a very small percentage of the world knows about was developed. Instead of taking or abducting someone and force them to do labor or sexual acts and leave them with no identity, they took a whole new approach.”

“How?” Meryl interest was now piqued. What other forms of human trafficking could there possibly be?

“Selling people with identities. Meaning these people have jobs, a career and sometimes even a family! This is extremely costly to do but this is also extremely profitable if you do manage it. People as rich as General Cipril are now using people with identity and selling them off as slaves. These new slaves are almost untraceable.”

“Slaves with jobs? I can’t imagine that.”

“Alright, let’s take a look at the list. Are there anyone in this list that you particularly find attractive?” Seeker asked Lynd.

Seeker then frowned and turned to Cliff.

“Umm… You Cliff. I doubt Lynd would have an answer to that unless Miss Cipril is in this list.”

Meryl laughed while Lynd was cursing.

Cliff, who was surprised at the sudden question, jolted up and was panicking.

“Boy, he’s really scared of you huh?” Meryl giggled.

Seeker smiled but was sighing inside. “You should be scared of me too Meryl, but my pressures doing nothing to you!” Seeker complained in his head.

“This one.” Cliff pointed on a name.

“Ohh! Good pick! Eva Ivanov smart and beautiful!” Meryl smiled. She was good friends with this person.

“Wait! Zeek! Why is she in this list? And why are you asking Cliff to beat her up?” Meryl angrily complained.

“I hope I’m wrong. But she’s probably one of these slaves. You see, General Cipril is very paranoid. So I calculated that he wouldn’t dare make slaves in this country. My guess is that they abduct people from different countries, make the necessary implants, and use the schools exchange program to make these slaves willingly go here. No one will suspect anything that way.”

“How will they do that? What do you mean make the slaves go here willingly?”

“Let me explain the process of how they do it. They implant two devices in a person’s body. One implanted near their hearts. This chip can cause a heart attack should the person controlling it wish to.”

The three was surprised at this revelation.

“The first chip is meant to provide the threat of death. If an implanted slave disobeys the owner, he or she could die at a flip of the button. The second chip is implanted in the brain. And this chip, is far more insidious than the first one. This chip is programmed to emit something that induces the brain to release several hormones that makes the slave extremely happy. It’s very interesting. At a push of a button a slave will biologically reach the highest state of happiness possible.”

The three stared in confusion. Why make a slave happy?

“Think! A‘Programmed Servants’ is a slave who would willingly and happily serve his or her owner. This slave would do anything that the owner wishes because it not only keeps them alive, but makes them happy. That’s why I selected the most beautiful and handsome exchange students on campus. They are most probable candidates to be slaves. It makes no sense for the General to create to create a slave for political reasons or make them a spy! I'm sure the government is not involved in this. So these are probably high-end sex slaves. Exclusively yours, exclusively for your bidding. And worst of all, these slaves are extremely happy if they serve you.” Seeker explained.

“I see and the owners could marry these Programmed Servants as they make best husbands and wives.” Meryl sighed.

“Of course. The slave would probably be happier if they get married. You see, no matter how dignified a man or woman is, if perfect happiness is easily achieved through pleasing, or in this case, sexually pleasing their partners, then they would probably do it to their best. After all, a simple switch and they are in heaven.”

“And everyone in this list could be one of them?” Lynd sat silently and had a disgusted look. Meryl on the other hand could not resist but make a pun.

“So to them, the root word of ‘Happiness’ is no longer ‘Happy’ but it becomes ‘piness’ right?” Meryl chuckled.

Seeker and Lynd stared in shock at how Meryl was reacting. She was a woman after all and she found this funny?

“Oh don’t give me that look. We have you Zeek. You’d surely fix this. Still, its sounds like the perfect false religion and the owner becomes a false god to these slaves. Death and Joy in the hands of these owner. Such a dreadful combination.”

“So why do you want me to beat up these folks?” Cliff who was silent the entire time suddenly spoke.

“The reason why I want you to beat them up, Cliff, is to verify which is one of these are Programmed Servant. One slave would cost millions of Sydians. General Cipril can't afford to lose these slaves now. If they are the slaves and you beat them up, General Cipril will immediately ensure that these people are treated with the best treatment. Since I can’t find the trail through Alean, then I’ll find these slaves through this method.” Seeker grinned with his trademark devilish smile.

Cliff nodded. Looks like there was dignity and honor in his quest. He took the list back and could not help but gaze at Eva’s name once more. He didn’t know her, but he didn’t like the idea that such a beautiful student to become a sex slave. Then his thoughts drifted to an idea. If he was the owner of Eva then…

Seeker stood up and stretched.

“Time for the stream guys. Let’s go. I won’t see you out Cliff.” Seeker walked out of the table and paced towards the stairs.

“I can’t wait to be the owner of these slaves! Think of the possibilities!” Seeker shouted with intense anticipation. He was even happily skipping up the stairs like a little joyful girl.

It took a few seconds for the people remaining to analyze what Seeker had just said.

“What?!” The three chorused.

 

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Reaper’s Breath

“What do I need to know about this student?” A tall and dark man stood as he watched a stream though a huge T.V. He was unentertained and had a very strict stare towards his daughter.

“That is Seeker Carlean. A Rising student in school.” Alean stood at the corner of the room. She was trying to hide her shaking hands as she nervously reported.

General Cipril was a giant compared to the rest of the natives in the Pangean Nations. He stood nearly at 7 feet tall and had a large and sturdy build. His arms were almost twice as huge as most men. He had a glass eye on his left and what appeared to be a burn scar. His temperance was strict and silent

“So he’s able to earn quite a bit through his stream. Why do I need to pay attention to him?” General

“Let me begin with my plans. His earning potential could reach about 10% of our monthly income if pushed to the limits. That game his playing has about a billion fans. Almost everyone who plays video games know about that and he is expected to be a record winner. That garnered my interest. I tried to uh… persuade him into tying up with our school but apparently his connections are not to be underestimated. I recently discovered that he is connected with Doctor Charles Lindmitt.”

“The Hero-Doctor. I’ll admit that this is a formidable connection but-”

“General, he isn’t just connected to the Hero-Doctor but I believe that the Hero-Doctor is his subordinate. Dr. Lindmitt is known for his rare appearances and his crazed focus on his research. But the impression that I got from how they interacted is that Doctor Lindmitt is someone who Seeker can order around.”

The left brow of the General was raised. It was the first time that he was intrigued at this figure.

“So you tried to take advantage of his background and money-making capabilities. But I take it you failed as you are here now.” The General’s tone was very calm but a surging disappointment could be felt.

“I didn’t just fail. We were talking in the Principal Decker’s office along with Ted Zyrcon. He knocked all three of us unconscious and interrogated us about our operations. He used some strange form of drug that made us all incredibly afraid. It was a numb-”

BANG!

Alean felt the pressure of the bullet pass by her hair. The sudden trigger was shocking but Alean only frowned.

“You still aren’t easily scared. Are you telling me that he has a drug that managed to turn you into a pitiful creature? That out of all the things he could have used to force you to confess, he used fear?” The General’s eyes remained calm and relaxed as ever.

“Yes. As I was saying before you rudely interrupted me, it was no use. The fear made me shiver and I even confessed a bit when I panicked. After realizing how this fear could easily get Jonathan and Ted to squeal I took advantage and confessed to some things that we could afford to reveal.”

“Which organization is he working with?” General stood up with an indifferent face and walked towards a small table full of liquors and glasses.

“I don’t know. He acted as if he was working alone.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I didn’t ‘tell’ him anything. He deduced everything. He was merely asking me to confirm his suspicions.”

The General frowned again.

“How?”

“He already knew I was involved in selling drugs. He had one of the small-time pushers working for him. Cliff Fangwood, if I remember. He deduced everything from our reactions, my career and even taking into account your personality. But I do not know exactly how much he knows.”

The General was silently pouring himself wine. He took a sip and walked nearer to Alean.

“What are his demands?”

“To meet with you. He has a business proposal.”

“Not Interested. Kill him.” The General turned around and started walking when Alean sighed.

“He was asking for something about the human trafficking operations in this country. He said that you are probably using the school for its main hub as well as the drug operations.”

The General stopped. He turned around and gave an indifferent stare at his daughter. He took another sip and placed the glass on a nearby table.

The General suddenly moved towards Alean and aimed a powerful straight punch towards her stomach.

Alean immediately used her two hands to cover her stomach. The punch forced Alean backwards. She could barely maintain her balance and it felt as if her forearms were fractured from the punch. The General’s eyes suddenly glared and gave Alean a strong right hook to the face.

POW!

Alean stumbled back and spat out blood.

The General continued to glare angrily at her daughter.

“Apologies General. Seeker has already punched me twice in that area. I could not afford another hit.” Alean stood up and wiped off the blood trickling down her mouth.

The glare subsided. And the General walked and took another sip from the glass.

“Looks like you’ve caused quite a problem for me.” The General remained to look indifferent but there was some anger in his voice.

“Now, what to do? The best option is to kill you three. Whatever evidences he has, is only related to you three. What do you have to say to that suggestion?”

Alean started to rummage on her purse that she placed on a nearby table.

“Seeker said that if things start to get out of hand, that I’d open this in front of you.” Alean pulled out a small glass tube that was shut tight. The glass tube was empty.

The General gave a curious stare at the test tube. Alean opened it.

CRASH!

The two individuals in the room stumbled as a paralyzing fear filled the room. Alean dropped face front while the General barely managed to keep one leg firmly rooted as he knelt to the ground. The indifferent face disappeared. He now wore a face that could only be displayed in extreme terror.

Alean was gasping for air but had difficulty in breathing. Soon the paralyzing sensation started to disappear as the two managed to slowly regain control of their bodies.

Alean was shivering. She was slowly lifting herself up.

“It wasn’t a drug! It was Seeker! Oh my God! It was Seeker’s breath!” She couldn’t believe it.

“ALEAN!” Harker shouted angrily. The once indifferent and calm temperament was now replaced with an angry and impatient attitude.

“WHAT HAPPENED?” Harker growled.

“Seeker! He did that! It was the same drug that I told you about! But that one was more terrifying than the one I felt!” She continued to gasp for breath as she slowly stood up and leaned on the wall.

“What did he put into that tube?”

“It was empty! I was sure it was. He took it and blew into that glass and immediately closed it!

“His breath?”

The General frowned and slowly walked towards Alean and picked up the glass tube. He stared at it cautiously. He held it close and took a whiff at the insides of the tube.

The moment Harker inhaled the remaining air that was locked inside the test tube his mind went blank.

Harker suddenly gripped tightly and the glass tube shattered. He almost lost his balance but Alean managed to catch him as he fell.

Harker was gasping for breath. Great fear fell into Alean’s heart. It was the first time he ever saw his father this afraid. She held her up tightly and waited until he could stand on his own.

Moments later, Harker’s breathing stabilized and he stood up and stared at the glass tube. He wiped the blood on his wounded palm and went to drink all the wine in the glass nearby. It wasn’t enough. He never experienced fear or helplessness of this level in his entire life.

He walked towards the wine table and started to concoct a drink for himself. His mind however, was still processing everything that he has experienced. How could that be a teenager’s breath? He was certain that whatever he sniffed was the cause of his fear.

He kept looking at Alean and took note of her flustered and shocked expression. She was telling the truth. Harker clutched his fist. That was a Reaper’s Breath. The moment he sniffed the breath he thought he would die.

What kind of man is this Seeker Carlean? What trickery did he use? Was this a new form of biological warfare? Bad breath which was so horrible that it could paralyze two individuals who was usually fearless?

He started drinking and soon managed to calm his shaken form.

“I’ll agree to the meeting. Get out.” The General calmly ordered.

Alean walked out of the room and sighed as she closed the door.

“I guess I have to thank Seeker for this.” Alean sighed and started to walk home.

Back at the duplex, Cliff was struggling to control his excitement.

Seeker earned over 25,000 credits from his viewers alone. There were several factors to why his earnings manage to reach this level. Once news of Seeker and Doctor Lindmitt’s collaboration with Seeker came to light, it immediately reached national news. Several people who were interested in Seeker despite not being a gamer decided to watch the stream and even paid for it.

Then suddenly celebrity gamer suddenly joined.

“Please Seeker! Am I not good enough? Join us! I’d even let me take me out on a date.” This feminine voice chuckled as she spoke teasingly. For the first time, Seeker allowed a third-party to join in through a video call.

Carrying one of the most famous the username in the gaming world, LordChokeMeSenpai joined their call.

Seeker grinned. This was yet another time for him to make easy money from gambling.

“Tempting offer. Kristine. Can I call you Kristine?” Seeker smiled once more.

“If you join us, you’d have the chance to call me bae.” Kristine smiled.

The chatroom was exploding. Kristine Sythia was a beauty that could match superstars and models. Her trademark pink hair was a sensation amongst gamers. Among all the existing pro-steamers on Earth, it was without a doubt that Kristine Sythia was the highest compensated. Not only was she beautiful, but her skills in Piercing managed to get her to join the Piercing Battle Arena’s official Pangean Nations competitive team, the Covenant of the Strongest.

In fact, right at the background of Kristine’s video was the Covenant’s official banner. The fact that this world-renowned gamer was flirting with Seeker and seducing him to join the stream spoke miles for Seeker’s true worth.

The chatroom was in chaos. People were cursing in jealousy, attempting to get Kristine’s attention. No one could call Kristine by her name. Everyone usually referred to her by her famous game handle.

“That is a very tempting offer. However, Kristine, I might sound arrogant but I know for a fact that I’m better than you. Too bad the Piercing:Edge Battle Arena hasn’t been released yet. I can’t prove my worth.” Seeker sighed.

Kristine wasn’t flustered or angry at Seeker’s claim. In fact, a part of her believed Seeker’s claim.

“Oh I know that Zeek. Is it alright to call you Zeek? I heard that that’s what your two friends call you.” Kristine smiled.

“Of course. That sounds even more intimate.” Seeker grinned devilishly.

On a high-tech laboratory, Charles was cursing at how easy it was for a beautiful girl to call Seeker, ‘Zeek.’

“Look Zeek, we want you to join our team. Even Danny wants you in our team. Come on. You are a Pangean native. Isn’t it patriotic for you to join and represent your country like that?”

“As I said, I will only join if I get at least the same compensation that Precision is getting.” Seeker smiled.

“Oh you were serious? Quite a bold demand Zeek. Even I wouldn’t dare to make that demand.” Kristine smiled. But her eyes looked mockingly at Seeker.

“How about we make a bet Kris.” Seeker smiled.

“Let’s bet that before this Sunday ends, your company will be offering me a pay that will either match or surpass Precision's. I am willing to bet 70,000 credits.” Seeker smiled.

 

Chapter Twenty-Eight: What Just Happened?
The chat room exploded in surprise. This was a bold gamble. Although Seeker managed to earn a few thousand more credits through gambling with the newbies in the room, 70,000 amounted to almost all of his current earnings.

Seventy thousand credits were enough money to purchase two new cars. This was not a gamble that you would do. Unlike his previous gambles, Seeker would bet with his solely his skills on the line. Now he was betting something that involved the decision of other people. Who knew how the company which sponsored the Covenant of the Strongest would react?

Kristine had a curious look on her face. She was still smiling but her surprise was clearly seen.

Precision is not only their team leader but he is the best player in the Covenant of the Strongest. He is a world renowned player not only in Piercing but several other games. Because of this, whoever held Precision held a paragon gamer of several famous competitive games. As such, his price was normally twice as much than other e-sport players. Even among those who could rival Precision in skill, none of them could rival his compensation.

“That’s quite a bold gamble.” Kristine smiled.

“And I assume you’ll be threatening us that you will join other teams?” Kristine controlled her face to not reveal the anger inside. This was quite an insult.

“Well I can’t promise that I would reserve myself for you. I am sure that by the time this Sunday ends, other international teams will be offering me that same pay. And of course, although I love my country, I can still represent it as an individual. Think about it, Let’s say the team I join in, and will ultimately be the captain of, manages to steal the championship from you guys. It’s a win-win for the country. A Pangean native would still hold the title.” Seeker smirked.

Kristine’s charming and pleasant attitude disappeared. She gazed straight at her screen and watched the casual glances that Seeker gave as he waited for her answer. Of course, despite glancing now and then to Kristine, Seeker has yet to receive one hit from any enemies.

“You are very confident that they will rush to you.”

“Well I am pushing my luck. I estimate that I should be able to get an offer me that is at least twice of yours. However, it wouldn’t be a gamble. Doctor Lindmitt said to keep those adrenaline pumping. Having this threat of losing 70,000 credits for the next two days should do the trick.” Seeker smiled.

Kristine frowned. If she was the world’s most popular streamer, at the top of the e-sports paychecks were the best players of every country. Precision who has successfully led The Covenant of the Strongest into 3 world championship in Piercing and held several championships on other e-sport games was the highest paid e-sport player in the world.

The Prometheus of Games was someone who could visit any country in their world including the enemy countries of the Pangean Nations. And Seeker claimed that before four days will pass, he will receive that compensation.

Kristine’s eyes went wide. But a devilish smile appeared.

“So let me get this straight, you want to gamble 70,000 credits that before Sunday ends, you will receive an offer that could reach twice of what I’m being paid at? So something that would match or top Precision’s paycheck?”

“That’s right.”

“And you won’t join other teams during this period who is unwilling to pay you that same amount.”

“You’re two for two.” Seeker nodded once more.

“Interesting gamble.” Kristine smiled a cute smile again.

“This will be a bet that will span four days. Meryl, set it up. Set buy-in to 500 credits.”

Meryl made the necessary configurations and a Gambling Den room was opened. She was not afraid or hesitant. Her blind faith in Seeker caused her to move swiftly as if Seeker was asking her to pass him some ketchup.

Kristine was the first to wager against Seeker on the Den.

People were shocked. Seeker was at it again. Betting on himself against the whole world. How will that happen? What could Seeker do that could shake and move people to even offer Seeker such payments! He had the fame, but his reputation was far from the Prometheus of Games.

“You’re on. Not only will I bet against that, but I want to bet that if you do win, I’ll immediately be your girlfriend. In fact, I’ll treat you to a high classy date on a hotel of your choosing in any country in the world. A two-night all-expense paid trip.” Kristine smirked. Somehow, Seeker’s bold and daring actions made her feel a jolt of attraction towards this Casual Carlean.

The chat room went wild. Several males were cursing at the obscene luck that Seeker had. A two-night trip with one of the most attracted woman in the world? And everything would be paid for by Kristine?

“What a generous offer Kristine.” Seeker smiled. He wasn’t affected by such a tempting offer.

“You are gambling something which you probably have no chance of winning. Might as well make this a sensational thing. After all, this could easily increase your viewership. Think of it as a help from one streamer to another.” Kristine smiled cutely.

“Before I accept that, can I add another clause? I would add 10,000 or more credits to my wager depending on my future earnings.”

“Oh? Another clause? As long as it’s not anything that will physically harm me, I’m all for it.” Kristine smiled.

The chat room were raging with angry comments. People were calling Seeker a hacker and was in no way worthy of this. Others were making obscene jokes about how they were willing to pay that amount to get Kristine for two nights.

Kristine ignored everyone. She knew that she would win this bet. Once Seeker lost, she would prove that his worth was far from his actual estimation. And with that crushing blow and the fact that he would lose more than 70,000 credits, she would then offer Seeker the discussed price that her sponsors asked her to offer.

Kristine was also sure that since she would ultimately win, she deliberately spiced up the bets to make Seeker greedy. For someone as famous as her, she knew how debauched men could become. She took a sip through a straw and happily drank the milkshake she had nearby her computer. Oh the sweet taste of victory.

“The other clause is that instead of you going with me on that trip, I’d like Precision to go with me on a two-night all-expense paid trip to any country I want.” Seeker casually remarked as he focused on the game.

Kristine spat out the milkshake and some of it were now running through her nose. The desk was now drenched with the milkshake as Kristine instinctively aimed for it to avoid drenching her beloved computer.

Charles Lindmitt spat out his coffee as he heard Seeker’s added clause. The piles of paper and research notes surrounding him were drenched in his coffee.

General Harker Cipril spat out his wine as he heard Seeker’s request. The monitor on front of him was now drenched in expensive wine.

Alean Cipril spat out the bourbon she drank from a small glass. Her phone was now drenched with the pale yellow drink she had and even the bed sheets that was wrapped around her legs had spray marks of her drink.

Meryl, and Lynd had a strange look at Seeker. Cliff on the other hand had a fearful look. There was terror that pierced through his heart like never before. Would Seeker soon pierce him with fear on a different and far more terrifying method?

The chat room suddenly went quiet. No one knew what to say. Viewers around the world felt as if their world stopped.

On the other room in the building where Kristine was viewing Seeker’s stream. A small teen with thick glasses were holding a practice game against two other members of the Covenant. While the three were fighting, Seeker’s stream was playing on a huge screen hung high on the wall.

Arthur Humphrey continued to mumble random numbers as if he was counting something or several things. Just then Seeker’s revision to Kristine’s offer were broadcasted.

The three stopped playing. Arthur frowned with a look that surpassed his already rude appearance and stared angrily at the television. Even the random counting he did was stopped.

His two opponents immediately logged of the game and quietly left the room. If they continued to play they would lose their dignity as Arthur Humphrey would end his training mode and start massacring them leaving them less confident as a pro-player and even as a human being.

“I-I’m sorry. You want what?” Kristine felt fear like never before.

The Covenant of the Strongest was a happy and friendly team in general. They were quite close as a team and even if the team would be dissolved it was unquestionable that their friendship would remain. However, throughout their career they never dared to do anything that would make Arthur Humphrey angry. It wasn’t because he was strict or impatient as a leader. Despite his cold exterior and somewhat rude looks, he treated his team members with respect and patience. The reason why no member would dare irritate Arthur was simply because they didn’t want to see Arthur angry. Who knew what he could do if ever he got angry.

A cold sweat started to surface on Kristine’s back. She was willing to be her own body for fun but then Seeker made a hasty change of preference. Some strange teen was professing his love and his preference on the internet. While this would normally have been fun or romantic, in this particular scenario, it wasn’t. Not when Arthur Humphrey’s the recipient of this love. She could already see the headlines. "Arthur Humphrey to spend a two-night romantic getaway with Medical Wonder, Seeker Carlean."

“Well you could join us if you like, Kristine.”

The fear in Kristine’s heart took a deeper and scarier dive. At the back of her mind she just wished for Seeker to shut up.

“So, is the bet on?”

Kristine couldn’t answer she was flustered. Just then the door opened. Arthur Humphrey walked in. Kristine was petrified. She dared not moved and simply looked at the approaching person. She slowly slid her chair backwards.

Arthur pushed Kristine’s seat away while dragging another. He sat down right in front of the computer. His gaze was strict and angry.

“Wow! Arthur Humphrey himself! That’s nice.”

“I appreciate your sentiments but I refuse to take part in such a stupid gamble.” Arthur spoke rigidly.

“Ehh? Ok. It was worth a shot. Then I’m fine with the original conditions. But if you have time, I would love to talk to you.” Seeker smiled casually.

Arthur gazed angrily at Seeker but suddenly he stood up and walked away. Moments after Arthur left the room, Kristine slowly dragged her chair back to face the monitor. She looked as if she saw a ghost.

Seeker smiled at her as she reentered the screen.

“Anyways guys, this is all the time I have for you today. Two more sessions and I should be able to complete the entire game. Please join me on my stream tomorrow for more of this action packed and mind boggling walkthrough. Also, if you are confident that I will lose, the room remains open! I might increase the bet again tomorrow! So feel free to donate- I mean to bet against me!” Seeker casually remarked and immediately motioned for Meryl to end the stream.

Just like that, the stream ended. Most of the viewers were caught off-guard from the sudden turn of events and remained in shock at what just happened. Several even went online to ask what just happened. Those who would read the news late at night were befuddled and also asked what just happened. It was a chaos. One article spoke of how Dr. Lindmitt partnered with Seeker for a program that could shape Neuro-Alterations. Another article spoke of the gambling and overnight success of a rising star and another article which talked about how LordChokeMeSenpai, the world’s most successful streamer placed her own body as a bet. And finally a news article that asked one simple question.

“What just happened?”

 

Hey Guys,
If you've been enjoying this story, feel free to check out an older story that I was writing ages ago. I finally got the diligence (and confidence) to post it. It's too much of a hassle to create an entirely new thread in NU. So do check out my story on http://rapturestories.wordpress.com/goa
Thanks.

 

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Odds of the Gamble
Seeker relaxed and rested his eyes.

“What a very profitable and beneficial day!” Seeker sighed satisfied with his progress for the day.

His two friends continued to give him a peculiar look.

Seeker looked back.

“I’m not gay.” Seeker finally spoke.

“So what was that all about?” Lynd asked suspiciously.

“Arthur Humphrey’s a potential Ranked Hero. Normally, I planned to keep myself away from those who had the potential to reach Ranked Hero or beyond because of the possible ripple effects that I might cause. This one however, is different. He’s the same as I am. So I think it would offer no threats but pure benefits. Such is the man called Arthur Humprey.”

“Oh. No wonder you wanted him. I was surprised that you could easily reject Kristine’s offer.”

“Oh trust me, I wouldn’t dare have her.” Seeker smiled mysteriously.

“Now that I think about it, you never did tell us if you managed to land a hot one in the future Zeek.” Meryl smiled mischievously.

Seeker’s eyes looked towards the heavens.

“She’s… complicated Meryl.” Seeker spoke with a very detached tone.

Meryl suddenly stopped her teasing. With the future that Seeker had, it wouldn’t be surprising that Seeker would meet and say goodbye to several friends. Meryl even had a very embarrassed look.

“Uh Zeek.” Lynd spoke as he was rummaging Seeker’s bag.

“Your phones got like thirty missed calls!”

“Must be Mom and Dad. It’s not surprising that they’d get word of everything that has been going on.”

“You sure it’s alright? Auntie Grace hates gambling after all.” Meryl had a grave look.

“Relax. I’ll deal with them.” Seeker smiled.

“Cliff, I want you to beat up anyone on that list if you have a chance. Just enough to get them to the hospital. Don’t make it too life threatening.”

Cliff jolted as Seeker spoke to him.

“And while you’re beating them, make sure to put on some mask or something and make it look like you’re one of those foreigner haters.” Seeker stood up and started walking.

The group left the duplex immediately. The strange and action packed night finally ended.

The next day classes resumed. Seeker and his two friends were now being treated like superstars. They were like a bunch of superstars at school. People would wave and attempt to talk with Seeker.

Seeker’s rise of prestige was so dramatic compared to before. Not even Royal’s felt that they had the qualifications to meet and talk with Seeker. Their level of connection paled compared the worth of Seeker in both the gaming and the medical world.

Despite the increase of fame, there were very few girls who attempted to make contact with Seeker.

Lynd had an exasperated look.

“Zeek, you got to do something to clear this misunderstanding.” Lynd begged.

“Leave it Lynd. If anything, it might be better this way. A lot of annoying things would pop up if I were to meet Arthur in any other way.” Seeker rejected immediately.

“Could you properly define annoying?” Meryl asked as she gave a bland look at Seeker.

“Possible assassinations from professional hitmen or getting abducted by some intelligence agency from enemy countries.” Seeker easily responded.

The two gave a suprised look. How would meeting an e-sport gamer end with such drastic results?

“Ok. Then it looks like I’ll have to put up with this for a bit.” Lynd sighed.

“How did your parents take the news? My mom and dad were asking me a lot of questions and even asking me if I can invite you and Charles over dinner.” Meryl asked Lynd.

“Basically the same as you. It was annoying. They also asked me if I knew if Seeker was gay.” Lynd sighed.

“What about you Zeek? What did Aunt Grace have to say with your gambling?” Meryl laughed.

“Well at first she was mad when I came home. She started yelling, telling me that she doesn’t care about my medication and how gambling is off the table. Dad just had a serious look. No doubt he was angry about the whole Arthur thing.” Seeker explained.

“Then I explained how I needed to meet with Arthur for a secret meeting to discuss the terms of my contract and the future of the Covenant. I told them that I wanted Kristine. So that calmed my dad down.”

“What about Aunt Grace?”

“She calmed down when I gave the two of them tickets to a 7-day cruise on the Bahamas. In fact, I think she was encouraging me to continued saying that my health is more important than her standards.”

“Typical for Auntie.” Meryl laughed.

The three met Alean Cipril later on in class. Her face showed signs of being hit and the students were panicking and asking her what happened. Lynd and Meryl had a confused look since they while they knew that of the wounds on her face were caused by Seeker's smash, there were some that were clearly not inflicted by Seeker.

Seeker seemed to have not found this surprising and continued yawning in class.

Alean brushed adressed the asking students saying that it was due to her spars with some of the soldiers under her father’s command. Several male students felt jealous as they daydreamed of wrestling with this hot teacher of theirs.

The class eventually came to an end.

“Seeker, I would like to talk to you for a bit.” Alean suddenly asked in a very courteous tone.

Several of the class were confused. They knew of Alean’s unexplainable hatred towards Seeker and how she would be very biased. But now there was courtesy in her voice. Some even thought it was respect.

The three remained as the other students shuffled out of the room.

“Miss Cipril, I think it would be to everyone’s benefit if you acted as if you hated me. Try to do what you usually do. Don’t worry. I won’t make it harder for you on account of Lynd.” Seeker stood with a boorish look.

Alean glanced at Lynd for a moment. Lynd was blushing to the extremes but Alean gave a sweet smile to Lynd.

“Then thank you.” She smiled. Lynd’s heart was pumping faster than the normal heart rate of a man being chased by three werewolves.

“My father agreed to the meeting. Thank you for that insurance.” Alean spoke as she rubbed her chin.

“This was the only punishment I got from General. Whatever that was, it brought him to his knees.” Alean gave another smile. It looked like a smile one would give when encountering true happiness. Lynd’s heart was beating so fast it could’ve caused a heart attack.

“Must have been a satisfying site for you considering how happy you look recalling that.” Seeker chuckled.

“Also, as a future partner in this business I would urge you to stay away from Arthur Humphrey.” Alean had a serious look on her face.

“If you’re talking about how dangerous Lennox is, I already know.” Seeker shrugged.

A surprised look flashed on Alean’s face.

“Lennox?” Meryl had a confused look.

Before Seeker could elaborate, Alean spoke.

“Lennox Humphrey. Arthur’s father. The most dangerous mathematician on this planet. Even my father is afraid of him. So you knew and you still want to take Arthur on a two-day trip? Are you crazy?” Alean was controlling her urge to shout. There was fear painted across her face. Lynd and Meryl was surprised to see the scared look of this woman.

A mathematician would leave a General and a drug-lord scared? How?

“It isn’t a date trip. It’s business. I plan to strike a deal with Arthur and this is the fastest, easiest and least suspicious path that I could take. You probably have an idea as to how many eyes are watching that man. Pulling off a public stunt like this would quench all doubts and give me the chance to talk to him privately and maybe even get the opportunity to meet Lennox.”

Alean had a look of true horror in her face. If Seeker was attracted to Arthur, it would have been potentially scary. But if Seeker wanted to meet Lennox then it was terrifying.

Alean’s horrified face started to calm down. She remembered that in front of her was someone who managed to get her father to his knees without being in the same room.

“Can you kill him?” Alean suddenly asked. Killing Lennox would give his father and his empire a lot of benefits.

“Are you stupid? He’s one of the few people on this Earth who can kill me. I have business proposals to offer him. But don’t worry. It will only benefit your father’s kingdom.” Seeker walked out of the room.

The remaining three stood in shock at Seeker’s statement.

Meryl slowly followed. Lynd was about to leave when Alean called him.

“Lynd. Wait.” She called out softly.

Lynd was petrified. He slowly turned back to look at me.

Alean gave a warm smile.

“Who would’ve thought that you’d be able to help me of all people. Thank you.” She smiled.

“Don’t worry. I won’t take advantage of your feelings towards me to make you betray Seeker. I’m not that stupid anyway. But since he didn’t give a directive, could you just tell me who Seeker Carlean is.” Alean stared pleadingly.

Lynd felt as if heaven was touching him. That kind smile, that soft stare. If only time would stop. Lynd smiled but shook his head.

“He has always been honest in answering you Miss.” Lynd smiled back.

“He really is a kid who just knows about the future.” Lynd turned around and walked out of the room.

As classes ended, Seeker and his friends went straight to the duplex to host another stream. Seeker earned 30,000 credits on stream views alone. Kristine joined the call again. But instead of a casual viewer, Seeker pushed his skills up another notch.

“That’s impossible! Counting? That’s how you do it?” Kristine shouted in surprise.

“That’s how Precision does it. Right? In fact, I think he’s better at it than I am.” Seeker shrugged.

Bullet was facing five different Titan’s this time. Unlike the former Titan’s, this one had what appeared to be an electronic charge that generated around their bodies. As Bullet had next to no ranged attacks, Seeker continued to parry and dodge and would only attack whenever the electronic charge of these robots would disappear after initiating an attack.

“But that’s impossible! Each of these Titans have a different timing and sequence of attack. You’d need a machine to keep track of all of their sequences to tell you when to attack!” Kristine complained. But against her statement, Seeker was controlling Bullet with expert control. Evade about three of the titan’s attack and dash to inflict three or four hits to the surrounding Titans without the electric current and back out.

The gamble this time was that Seeker would complete the boss without getting a single hit. The boss was dubbed undefeatable unless the players would utilize the environmental advantages to stun and paralyze the Titans. But Seeker claimed he could without using the environmental advantages. Seeker was set to win 4700 credits from some unbelieving fools.

Kristine was angry and in shock at what she could see.

“I see. So that’s the counting.” A detached voice spoke from behind of Kristine.

She jolted and turned to see Arthur watching.

“Precision!” Seeker called out happily. His attention no longer was on the screen. But his avatar continued to evade and attack as beautifully as before.

“Interesting You managed to calculate the counting perfectly for this boss.” A rare smile emerged from Arthur’s face. It was very rare for someone of his prestige to be impressed.

“I’m happy that I’ve impressed you.”

“Indeed. It could be said that your counting skills are on par with mine." Arthur adjusted his glasses as he continued to observe Seeker's counting.

"Simple enough." Arthur sighed.

"However, this is not enough to make the teams move to treat you like me.” Arthur sneered.

“Ok. Then why not bet it if you’re so confident? I bet that I can manage a payslip better than yours by Friday. If I win, you go with me and Kristine on this two-night get-away. If I lose then I’ll join your team free of charge. I’m sure you’ve seen my accurate counting. If I could team up with you and the Covenant, no one on this planet could match us.” Seeker smiled.

Arthur frowned at Seeker’s taunt.

“Unless, the great Precision cannot calculate the odds of this bet.” Seeker smiled.

Arthur’s frowned turned into an angry glare.

 

Chapter Thirty: Enter the Dragon
Several military vans were parked in a factory at the outskirts of the city. The military base was miles away from this place, yet the soldiers guarded this place as if it was a fortress that guarded several military secrets.

The high wall surrounding this factory stood at over 10 meters tall. And posted on certain key points of the wall stood several soldiers that guarded it at the dark of the night.

A car was stealthily parked a few blocks away from this factory.

A group of teens and one adult stood and were whispering quietly.

“Are you sure she didn’t see you follow her?” Seeker asked.

“No. I was sure. She really looked disturbed. So I doubt that she noticed.” Cliff responded with a bit of frustration.

“Because if she did see you, you’d probably get killed tonight.” Seeker laughed.

“Are you really going to attack their base?” Meryl looked with a doubtful expression.

“Yes Meryl. For the thousand times, yes.”

“But how?” I don’t think they’d let you in.”

“That’s why I asked the good doctor to lend me his stuff.” Seeker smiled.

Lynd got excited.

“Cool! What is it? Grappling hooks? Hi-tech wall-climbing gears? A hover pad?”

“I brought a pair of mountain climbing pickaxe.” Charles sighed.

Lynd’s mouth was wide open.

“What are you going to do with that?” Lynd barely managed to contain his frustration.

“Scale the wall.” Seeker smiled.

“Now stay here and be good kiddies. I’ll call you when it’s over.” Seeker smiled.

Meryl and Lynd gave a worried look. Seeker insisted that they didn’t need to come but they wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Seeker started to dash off towards the factory. His sudden movements would be compared to a ninja who knew how to utilize the darkness and were soon out of sight from Meryl and Lynd’s.

“Amazing. He just disappeared like that.” Cliff couldn’t help but comment.

“See? I told you there’s nothing to get all worried about. Seeker could easily handle this situation.” Charles gave a comforting pat to Meryl.

“Are you serious? We didn’t come here because we were worried you know? We were curious and we wanted to see a good show.” Meryl scoffed.

Seeker finally reached a shaded area near the tall wall. He positioned himself right on the bottom where several guards were stationed on a platform on top of the wall.

Seeker, observed for the soldier’s line-of sight. When the soldier moved to observe a different area, Seeker dashed towards the wall.

Seeker executed a very complex wall run which pushed him high above the 3-meter mark. He smashed the two pickaxes to cling to the wall. Strangely the penetration of the pickaxe was very discreet as it only penetrated barely an inch from the surface. This however managed to provide Seeker support. Without wasting any time, Seeker kicked his two legs to propel him higher as he unhooked the pickaxes and smashed it once more on a higher area of the wall. Seeker repeated this movement and in just less than 10 seconds, he reached the top of the wall. His pickaxes were now hanging on the edge of the wall. Thankfully, the darkness of the night wouldn’t make the hangings pickaxe visible if viewed from afar.

Seeker paused for a bit and closed his eyes. He could feel the soldier walking nearer towards his location as the muffled sounds may have attracted him.

Seeker immediately kicked once more and jumped to reach the top of the wall. Seeker immediately thrusted the pickaxe to the surprised soldiers throat.

The blunt top of the pickaxe struck the soldiers throat who was now choking. Seeker immediately proceeded to deliver an intense uppercut knocking the soldier unconscious.

Seeker stealthily dashed towards the stairs leading to the bottom and took note of the building which had several lights lit on.

Soldiers were caught off guard as Seeker would attack them from their blind spots. Seeker used a variety of tricks to ensure they wouldn’t let out a sound whenever Seeker would attack them.

Three soldiers were just being pummeled by Seeker when another guard walked in and immediately pulled the gun out of his holster.

“Idiot. Your safety’s on.” Seeker shook his head.

The soldier immediately turned his gun sideways to check his gun. This one second gap was enough for Seeker to throw his pickaxe to disarm the solider and deliver a crushing kick on the soldier’s throat.

Seeker sighed.

“Why does this trick always work?” Seeker wondered and started to rush on towards the main building.

Seeker stood right outside the door and closed his eyes.

“Seven huh?” Seeker sighed once more.

Seeker immediately opened the door and dashed inside. There were seven soldiers on this area each doing their own thing.

Seeker was dashing towards the nearest guard but turned his attention to another guard on the other end of the room carrying a gun with a silencer equipped. Seeker threw his pickaxes as if they were boomerangs and started to dash towards the soldier with the silencer.

The other soldiers hadn’t even noticed Seeker come in to the room due to the speed that Seeker was moving. Time was very slow in Seeker’s perspective. He reached the soldier, who was still in the process of reaching for his gun holster, and penetrating punch to the stomach was delivered.

It was as if the stomach acid was rising up his throat. The soldier was about to vomit whatever spit or food out when another terrifying punch shocked his jaw. He was out for the count.

The trajectory of the pickaxe flew in a curving motion which evaded several obstacles. The blunt end of the pickaxe smashed towards the heads of two unwary soldiers.

Seeker immediately reached for the silencer and started to shoot around. He aimed for all the triggers of the guns that the soldiers were currently holding as he was running towards another suprised soldier.

In less than 10 seconds all the soldiers in the room were defeated with no one managing to shoot a single bullet.

In a dark room inside the main building, a huge man stood carrying a large whip.

“Tell me what I need to know, and you can leave.” The man ordered.

Bounded in a chair in front of him was an Asian mind who had a lot of burn wounds in his eyes.

“I don’t know anything! I am blind! Why would you think that I have it?”

The huge man whipped the blind man. Blood was coming out of the blind man’s teeth.

“Wrong answer. Blind my ass. You took out those three soldiers right?”

“I really don’t know! All I heard was some commotion and then you guys suddenly jumped on me! It wasn’t me! I swear!” The blind man pleaded.

The huge man tore the shirt of the blind man.

“You know what I’m going to do?” The huge man laughed.

The blind man had a sudden strange expression but immediately tried to look afraid.

“Mark, tell him what we are going to do with him?”

“We’re going to dress you up like a cute Barbie doll.” A sneering voice returned.

The huge man laughed.

“That’s right. We’re going to… Wait what?” The huge man turned and met a strong high kick which dislocated his jaw.

Before the man could lose his balance, the assailant grabbed his head as a knee strike smashed to his face. The huge men fell down unconscious. Behind the assailant, there laid an unconscious soldier that could only be Mark.

The blind man nervously listened.

“Who’s there? What’s going on?”

The blind man kept tossing and turning.

“Interesting.” A causal voice spoke as this figure started to walk around the blind man. Seeker gazed at a peculiar tattoo on the left side of the bounded man’s chest. It was a faint dragon coiling which formed a circle. In the middle of this dragon was a dark red sun.

“I’m almost sure that that’s the mark of the Dragon. Do you work for him? I don’t remember you.” Seeker had met all of the Dragon’s best subordinates. This one wasn’t in his memories.

“What? I don’t understand?” The blind man answered back as he struggled in fear. He kept following where the voice was calling.

“Please help me! Get me out of this place! I was brought here by mistake!” The blind man called out.

Seeker chuckled.

“Yeah right. You are.” Seeker ignored the helpless cries of the bound man but continued to observe him. After a few seconds Seeker shrugged of the thought of this person being a top warrior in the Dragon’s army.

“Sorry. I don’t want to put my nose where it doesn’t belong. If you don’t work for him then I must have guessed wrongly. I thought you were Mister Meng’s subordinates.” Seeker shrugged off as he walked towards the door.

Just then, Seeker stopped and turned around and clapped his hand to block an arm thrust.

The blind man was no longer bounded and his thick arms were immediately struggling to move. Seeker managed to block the arm just on time. The blind man frowned.

“Oh. So I was right. This is annoying.” Seeker sighed dryly.

The blind man moved with quick and precise actions as he tried to use his bare hands as a form of blade and continued several thrusting attacks.

Seeker would either dodge or parry the attacks and would even use his arms to redirect the attacks.

“I am not your enemy.” Seeker sighed as he kept evading the flurry of thrust.

As the attacks started to increase with intensity, Seeker suddenly jumped back and stood a few meters away from the blind man. Some parts of Seeker’s clothes were torn. And a very rare sight was seen. Seeker Carlean had a small wound on his right arm.

The blind man was furious. He used the best of his abilities and could only scratch this young teen.

“Listen pal, I’m busy. I don’t have any intentions to blow your cover. Keep this up and I’ll give you a beating so bad that you’d wish you were facing the Dragon instead of me.” Seeker spoke angrily.

The blind man took a readied stance. His enemy was worthy of hi utilizing all his martial prowess on.

“I do not know who you are, but you must die. You have jeopardized my mission.”

“Taking advantage of your long reach huh?” Seeker sighed once more. This encounter was causing more trouble than he had originally bargained for.

The blind man ran forward and aimed a punch towards Seeker.

Seeker concentrated and time started to slow down. A second felt like seven.

Seeker stared at the approaching arm thrust. He could see the unnatural hardness of the blind man’s fingers.

The thrust slowly approached Seeker. But just then, Seeker clench his fist with his middle finger slightly protruding. Three punch were immediately delivered on the forearms of the blind man. The flurry of fist was so fast.

The blind man immediately backed away and was clutching his right arm as if he was in pain.

“As Meng would always advice. When facing someone with a longer reach, then it’s simple. Aim for his hands.” Seeker smiled.

The blind man frowned and dashed once more. But as he drew closer a crushing sensation gripped his heart. He stopped attacking and immediately knelt down on one leg.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you are Master's student.” The blind man respectfully answered. His hands and legs were shivering in fear.

Seeker who just released his indomitable aura had a very peculiar look on his face.

 

Chapter Thirty-One: A Pill for Hypertension
Seeker stared in confusion at the immediate change of tone of this blind man. However, what surprised Seeker the more was how this blind man managed to keep his head cool despite the heavy aura Seeker had just released.

“Umm... Yeah. About that… I’m one of Meng’s… son?” Seeker guessed.

The shivering blind man shivered all the more. He just attacked his master’s son!

“Forgive my presumptuousness! Had I known you would be one of Master’s heir’s I would not have attacked!” The blind man continued to maintain his respectful tone but Seeker could see how pale he was of fright.

“I understand the confusion.” Seeker sighed in relief. Thank God this assassin was not very bright.

“I am one of his prodigal sons. We left father after we finished training. Ugh. You just made me call him father.”

The tension in the air just grew tighter. The blind man was clutching his fist tightly trying to maintain his respectful position despite the heart-gripping sensation.

“Forgive me.” The blind man apologized once more.

“I wonder how is Mister Meng’s killing intent now?” Seeker asked curiously.

“About twice as Young Master.” The blind man immediately answered.

Seeker sighed.

“Damned monster. Anyways, go home. Don’t tell Mister Meng we’d met. It would only make your life more miserable if he asked you to bring me back.” Seeker started to walk for the door.

“As you wish, Young Master.” The blind man remained in a respectful position.

Seeker hesitated to open the door. He thought for a bit and suddenly turned around.

“What’s your name?”

“This blind one is called Sting.” The blind man respectfully responded. The sensation was gone but his heart was beating faster than ever. The aura of fear blinded his thinking process. Now that his sense and thoughts were finally getting in order, he was more afraid.

“I have a prophecy for you Sting.” Seeker sighed.

“If you remain only as strong as this, you will die in the future. Probably within the next seven years.” Seeker spoke harshly.

Sting had a surprised look but dared not raised his head to face Seeker.

“Your path is wrong. I believe you relied on your ears to see, correct? It’s a wrong path. It’s very inefficient. Look, I’ll put on these ear plugs and cover my eyes. Toss these pickaxes to me with the intent to kill.” Seeker threw the two pickaxes on the floor and wrapped his eyes with a black bandana he carried. He took the pair of earplugs he was wearing earlier and put them on again.

Sting had a confused look. He was sure that Seeker did cover his eyes and plugged his ears. He hesitantly took the pickaxe. With wary eyes he gazed at the casual teen who stood before him.

“Don’t hold back. I order you to attack me. If you fail to impress me, I will kill you.” Seeker spoke harshly once more.

Sting no longer hesitated. This was just like his master. Sting took out a hidden blade which he kept on his shoes He immediately threw two pickaxes in a curving motion and threw the blade discreetly All of his attacks were aimed to hit an empty area barely which would lead all the three flying weapons to graze on Seeker’s skin.

Unlike his expected outcome, Seeker casually caught the pickaxes which weren’t going to hit him and knocked off the blade with the pickaxe.

“You’re very respectful aren’t you? I like that.” Seeker smiled as he took of his blindfold and the earplugs.

Sting stood in shock at Seeker’s skill.

“That’s all the time I have for you. Leave this place. Report that a mysterious attacker raided this place which allowed you to escape.”

Seeker then turned to leave.

Sting was still in dazed with the skill Seeker had displayed. Was it true? Did he follow the wrong path to strength?

As Seeker opened the door he turned once more to Sting. A hesitant face surfaced once more.

“Do you know about out-of-body experiences? Aim to experience those. The key is not to hear it, but feel it. Feel the area as if you can see it. Bye now.” Seeker waved and walked out.

Two individuals were viewing Seeker’s stream on a huge monitor.

“I’m not interested in anything that you have and the reason why I am not betting against you isn’t fear. But pride. Why would I bet against you and ruin my own prestige by entertaining a monkey?” Arthur’s tone was harsh.

“Ok. Then let’s change the bet. By your estimations, what is the fastest time a person could complete Piercing:Edge?” Seeker smiled.

This surprised Arthur. He didn’t expect this question to come up. He gave a casual glance at Seeker’s character. And sneered.

“Your build is inefficient. By your current progression, it would take you about 18 hours and 35 minutes give or take. An efficient build that follows my calculations would allow a 15-hour completion.” Arthur smiled. He wasn’t giving room for courtesies anymore. Someone was trampling his reputation. He was amused at first at Seeker’s skills but now wasn’t the time to act in humility.

Everyone viewing the stream was either typing so fast or listening so intently at this conversation. The entire game world was led to believe that a melee-based Edge was the way to go. The masses followed in blindly as they witnessed a game progression faster than they could manage and soon Seeker’s build was the model build. Precept Gaming hadn’t even had the chance to release a video depicting the glories of ranged combat as it had just been a few days since Seeker’s rise to fame.

“Correct. This isn’t the fastest way to pass the game. Oh how I just love to have a dip in that brain of yours.” Seeker smiled.

“But what if I can complete this game under 8 hours while using this exact build?”

Arthur laughed as he heard Seeker’s bold declaration.

“Impossible. There would be no way that you can do that.” Arthur sneered.

“So you calculate that it is impossible for this build to complete the game under eight hours?”

“Yes. I don’t need to run the numbers. Any idiot would know that by now. The overall animations and cut scenes in this game along with the mandatory text sequences would already take you over an hour. Much more beating bosses.” Arthur scoffed.

“Then bet with me. If I win, you agree with the meeting. You pay for everything on a two-night romantic getaway. I prove that you are not the best gamer on this Earth and how severely lacking your estimations are. If you win, you prove everything that I am trying to disprove and I will join your team for free.” Seeker smiled.

The eyes of Arthur once again had a blazing anger growing within.

“If I win, you will forever stop gaming. You will also sign a contract to which if you ever play or use your gaming skills to earn, be it directly or indirectly, if you do, you will relinquish everything you own to an establishment or person of my selection!”

The chatroom was suddenly devoid of activity. Everyone was shocked at Arthur’s demands.

“Deal!” Seeker smiled and gleefully nodded.

Kristine had a shocked looked at Seeker’s immediate agreement and Arthur was frowning.

“Ladies and gents, I will hold a special stream on Saturday. After all, I did promise to show everyone a power walkthrough with zero hits. So I’ll end this walkthrough on tomorrows stream. But by Saturday, I’ll start on an 8-hour special stream. I will complete Piercing: Edge with an all melee build and prove Precision wrong! Is that a deal Precision?” Seeker returned the question.

Arthur stared angrily at Seeker. He gave a small smirk.

“Deal.”

“Get your lawyers ready. I don’t want to start the stream until I have it on paper. Let’s make this business deal as professional as possible.” Seeker returned a smirk.

“They’ll visit you at school tomorrow.” Arthur walked out of the screen. Not even bothering to give Seeker another look.

Kristine looked awkwardly as she remained. She immediately disconnected after a bit of pondering.

The stream continued with Seeker silently playing though the game. No one was interested in talking about Seeker’s walkthrough. Even Seeker’s believers were now doubting the sanity of their idol. They knew Seeker made bold gambles that he managed to complete but now a more impossible gamble was set.

Seeker didn’t answer any questions in relation to his Saturday stream. He later ended the stream as he usually did, abrupt and anti-climactic. Viewers were disappointed at Seeker’s indifferent reactions. Everyone wanted the day to quickly pass and for Saturday to start.

The two individuals who were watching had a grim expression on their face.

“Why is he doing this? Despite knowing about Lennox he still has designs for Arthur??” Harker frowned.

Alean stood by the side and was sighing.

“Seeker claimed it’s a business proposal.”

“Just who is he?” Harker frowned. He wasn’t one to panic or lose patience. But the fear of knowing and the looming threat that has arrived were starting to get to make him feel the very emotions he hasn’t felt for a long time.

“General, will Lennox go after Seeker because of this?”

“No. Unless Arthur’s life is threatened I doubt Lennox would get involved. If anything, Lennox would want his son to get rapped by some sick teenager. That could send the prodigal son home.”

Alean had a confused look at his father.

“Then why are you worried?”

“Do you remember the time I pretended to have been severely wounded?” Harper spoke with an impatient voice.

“Of course I did. You were in the middle of a war and in the middle of our biggest deals yet. I had a hard time covering for you.” Alean’s tone had no respect as she answered her father back. Alean frowned as she recalled that terrifying ordeal.

“The reason why I did that, was because of an invitation from Lennox. When we arrived at his estate on Britain, I was shocked to see who were also invited. Gathered in one roof was the underworld itself. Everyone who was anyone in the underworld were there.”

Alean was surprised. He had been in this business for too long to know the names of these underworld criminals. But someone managed to gather them into one house? There were two possible reasons that will bring the underworld together; extreme profit that would make the heads of these organizations to make a personal trip, or fear of losing their empire should they anger this man.

“Lennox prepared quite a banquet for us. When he finally appeared, we finally got our answer to this mysterious invitation.” Harker frowned

“What was it for?

“He had nothing much to say. No proposals. No deals. He just stood there and stared at everyone and said, ‘if anything happens to my son, say goodbye to your empires.’”

Harker recalled the indifferent look that Lennox gave as he addressed the underworld. It was as if Satan himself had authority that could not match this man.

“That’s it?” Alean was surprised. He could gather the entire underworld just to warn them?

“Alean, if ever you get to where I am, you’d know not to mess with these men! That’s why we’ve always kept an eye for Arthur. And now, that teen you brought over wants Arthur! We could die if Seeker would kill or cause Arthur’s death!”

CRASH!

The doors burst open as several men came flying in.

A figure walked in. He stood with a pair of pickaxes that were used by mountain climbers. He wore clothes that were extremely casual. Nothing about what he wore could describe his very purpose of visiting this factory.

“Ohhh. I wouldn’t worry about ol’ Arthur.” Seeker greeted happily. He stepped on the unconscious soldiers that lay flat on the ground.

“Seeker!’ Alean cried in surprise.

“What are you doing here?”

“High-blood pressure. I need to take my meds.” Seeker chuckled.

 

Lol. Forgot to post the updates of my latest chapter here. sorry for the delay. As a side note, Cipril (Lisinopril) is a medicine for high-blood pressure, hypertension, etc... Hence the chapter title.

 

Chapter Thirty-Two: Dance with the Dragon
Harker quickly drew the gun in his holster but a pickaxe was sent flying into his arms. The pickaxes blunt top smashed Harker’s hand and stopped him from reaching his guns.

“The next pickaxe won’t hit you with the blunt end, General.” Seeker smiled.

Harker frowned. He didn’t expect Seeker to have made the visit tonight.

“I thought we agreed to meet tomorrow.” Harker’s tone was indifferent and flat. He took a look at the unconscious soldiers.

“What can I say? I’m a man of surprises.” Seeker giggled.

“Now let’s get down to business General. As you can see, I can easily kill you.” Seeker pointed to his unconscious guards.

These were soldiers who were the elite in Harker’s mini-army. But this teen could easily conquer them.

“But do you know why I went through all the trouble to do this?” Seeker smiled.

“To make me fear you?” Harker asked with an indifferent expression.

“Now why would I do that? Have you noticed that I haven’t killed anyone of your soldiers? What kind of fear would I pass to you if I act all merciful?”

Harker glanced at the unconscious soldiers. It was true. None of them were dead.

“Then what?”

“To prove a point. I don’t need you. I don’t need your help. But, right now it is the most convenient way of achieving my goal.” Seeker smiled.

“And how can I help you?” Harker walked over and started pouring himself a bottle of whiskey.

Harker offered a glass to Seeker.

“No thanks. I’m still under-aged.” Seeker smiled.

“So a seventeen year-old can come in, beat the crap of all my soldiers, and all that my hardboiled and striped elites could manage is to scratch you? What kind of world am I living in?”

“Oh this wound wasn’t inflicted by one of yours. A blind guy did this.”

Harker and Alean stared at each other.

“You have a weird sense of humor, Mister Carlean. How can I help you?” The impatient General reiterated.

“Partner with me. I’ve got a lot of things to do and it requires quite a bit of funding. Not to mention manpower, facilities and a secret base of operations. Also, your influence in the government and military would also prove useful.” Seeker spoke easily.

“So you want me to allocate all of my time and resource for your little projects?” Harker’s raised his eyebrows.

“Well, not all. I will require you to commit on some tasks but as for resources, about 30 percent of your income would do.” Seeker smiled.

Harker stood in silence. He honestly expected worse.

“And what would I gain in this uh… partnership?”

“I’ll make you the leader of the Pangean Nations.” Seeker spoke with confidence.

Harker sneered.

“And why would I want to be the leader of this nation? If you haven’t noticed, I thrive in secrecy. Being in that position would only harm my operations.”

“Because the Dragon is planning to conquer your empire. You need all the power and authority you could get to survive.” Seeker gave a devilish grin.

The sneer turned into a sudden shocked look.

“The-the Dragon?” Harker could not help but stutter.

“Yes. The Dragon. You might know him as Robertson Meng. The reason I want to get chummy with Arthur is to make sure his dad won’t get in between this dance with the Dragon. If Lennox would join me in this battle, then it would assure my victory. Of course, that’s a hopeless cause. So at most, I want Lennox to not meddle in this dance with Meng. Facing one of them is already frustrating enough. If the other decides to join in the commotion, then all hope for victory is lost.” Seeker gave a depressed sigh.

Harker clutched his fist in fear. Seeker was talking about the same Dragon that he knew.

“Oh and you really don’t have a choice on this matter. Originally, I came here to just make a proposal. But I don’t know if you know about the blind guy that you or your men abducted. Now this battle is definitely underway.”

“The blind man? Our men caught him in the middle of one of our operations earlier.” Harker had a confused look.

Seeker pointed to his wound.

“Which blind guy did you think did this? The blind man who your men were interrogating is Sting. One of Meng’s most skilled warriors.”

“WHAT?!” Harker knew of Sting by name. An assassin of deadly repute. Never in Harker’s imagination would that known assassin be a blind man.

“I don’t know if he was sent here to kill you. That is the most probable cause though. Luckily I chased him off. This however, would be to your favor. Now the Dragon thinks that we are not on the same side considering the state in which I left your men in.”

Harker walked over to his desk and sat down. The whiskey was trembling in his hand. Why would Dragon aim to kill him? It didn’t made sense.

“What could the Dragon possibly want with me?!” Harker shouted at Seeker. His once fearful state was replaced with a confused and panicked expression.

Seeker pointed to Alean.

“What else, General? That thing in your daughter’s heart.” Seeker smiled.

Harker was shocked silent. The Dragon was one of his main buyers. But who would have thought that he would yearn for his Programmed Slave technology.

Alean had a confused look at Seeker.

“What thing?” Alean asked.

“The Programmed Slave chips.” Seeker responded flatly.

Alean felt as if her entire body was floating. She stood petrified. She never really could get out of her father’s grasp.

“Why would the Dragon want my technology?” Harker asked ignoring her daughters surprise.

“What are the most amazing traits of the Programmed Slave chip? Let’s see, its nigh untraceable even with the most advanced technologies on earth, it’s impossible to reverse engineer, and the materials used should only be native to the Pangean Nations. Gee. This is a tough one. Why would Dragon want this tech?”

A deeper sense of terror clutched Harker’s heart. Who would’ve thought that his most frequent buyer had other motives for buying this item.

“If you want me to answer this very obvious question, then I shall. The way you’ve been using this technology was wasteful because of your cautious nature, General.” Seeker walked over and sat down at the chair adjacent to the chair that Harker sat on. Seeker disrespectfully propped his feet op Harker’s desk.

“If used properly, the Programmed Slave could allow its owner to rule the world. Perhaps even become a god. A god who could give them happiness at the flip of a switch. Maybe Dragon wants that.” Seeker relaxed at the seats incline.

Harker slowly lifted his glass and drank.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“How confident are you in stopping him?” Harker glared.

“Well… For now, he’s probably twice as strong as me physically speaking. The array of my abilities would prove… helpless in front of his. So I don’t think I stand a chance.” Seeker laughed.

Harker was brimming with anger. Just when he thought he was saved, Casual Carlean declared that he doesn’t stand a chance towards the Dragon.

Seeing Harker’s descent to anger made Seeker laughed out once more.

“Relax. I said ‘for now.’ I could easily get stronger and stand toe to toe with him. My main issue is his subordinates. Right now some could keep me busy. I mean that blind guy managed to scratch me. That should speak miles for his skills. Your poor soldiers couldn’t even make me flinch.”

Harker sat down and had a very serious expression.

“Agree to partner with me and I’ll agree to help you out of this dilemma.” Seeker smiled.

Harker slowly nodded.

“Great!” Seeker extended his hand.

Harker slowly reached out and shook it.

“Now, in order to prove your sincerity, I’ll need a couple of things. Five million Sydian’s transferred to my account immediately, the biggest red emerald jewel on your collection, a set of weapons and ammos, military intel on the following items, and a lifetime free pass to all of those Buffet restaurants you own.” Seeker handed out a piece of paper. He had a look that anticipated the awaiting dishes.

Harker gave an angry glare. But somewhere in this glare was a trace of confusion.

Buffet restaurants?

“Alean. Transfer the account now. I’ll take a look at your list once you secured my safety from the Dragon.” Harker was about to keep the paper in his pocket.

“Wait. I’ll tell you what to do now. It isn’t that complicated honestly.” Seeker laughed.

Harker frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s review the facts. Dragon sent an assassin to kill you. But his assassin met a formidable warrior with dashing good looks and a wicked set of pickaxes. So, logically, since his assassin retreated with only managing to scratch this warrior, Dragon would have to act cautiously.”

Harker gave a stupid look at Seeker. He was right. It was simple.

“His guess would be someone equal to his level must have sent this assassin. Probably Lennox or Eagle or even The Great Common Man.”

“How did you-?” Harker shivered at the mention of Eagle. How did this teen know about so many terrifying personalities? Seeker however simply ignored this.

“After all, who would have the resource or connection to get someone like me right? Basically, whoever the Dragon thinks is trying to get to you isn’t someone he can casually mess with.”

Harker’s fear was subsiding. He was right. The Dragon has always been a caution man. Trouble like this would definitely be avoided.

“However, that isn’t enough. Something has to occur on our meeting. The most likely expectation is that you’d wind up dead due to a master assassin.” Seeker spoke with a dreadful tone.

The fear was slowly returning as Harker’s heart started pumping faster again.

“BUT!” Seeker teased.

“But what?” Harker followed.

Seeker grinned confidently. He stood up and started to crack his fists. There was confidence in his look, pride in his posture, dignity in his smile and terrifying power in his cracking fist.

Harker slowly leaned forward awaiting Seeker’s reply. He was at the edge of his seat. He was saved. What did he needed to do?

“I really haven’t thought about it that far.” Seeker sighed.

Harker angrily smashed the table.

“Quit playing around!” Harker screamed.

Alean couldn’t help but chuckle at Seeker’s casual remark.

Seeker gave a loud laugh as he saw Harker’s expression.

“Relax! I’m just teasing you! For a General you sure are uptight. Oh wait. Generals are supposed to be this uptight.” Seeker nodded in realization.

“TELL ME!” Harker shouted once more.

“I already did right from the start!” Seeker smiled.

“Be a politician. Aim for the presidential seat of Phil-Pangea. And once you do that, aim for the Prime Director of the Pangean Nations! This sudden change of behavior would confuse the Dragon and make him think that you really are connected with any of these men. He’ll set out to uncover who it is that is pulling the strings behind your show. But since there is none, he’d be wasting a lot of time and resource. And that equals enough time for me to get ready.” Seeker smiled.

Harker stood silently. His hands still remained planted on the table. It really was that easy.

“So, will you carry out your end of the bargain?” Seeker asked once more.

“I will.” Harker resumed his usual indifferent expression.

“Oh. And one more thing.” Seeker immediately snatched a medal pinned on Harker’s shirt.

Harker’s immediate expression was confusion. But after he realized what had just happened he panicked. But Seeker rammed the blunt top of his pickaxe to Harker’s throat.

“Alean will be working for me now. Thank you.” Seeker curtly turned back after doing the light thrust. He then tossed the medal over to Alean.

Alean had a confused look and stared at the medal.

“What’s this for?” Alean asked in surprise.

“What do you think?” Seeker smiled.

 

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Planted Seeds
Harker was coughing at the sudden strike. He glared angrily at Seeker once he recovered from the suffocating experience.

“I don’t understand.” Alean gave an even more confused look. Why was his father so mad? Seeker turned back to Harker ignoring the odd look of Alean.

“Oh, and General, the red gemstone please. This very thing could just save your life.”

Harker glared angrily at Seeker. But said nothing. He rubbed his throat as he tried to soothe the pain. Harker immediately opened his desk drawer and slid a part of the board to reveal a secret compartment containing three large gemstones in a glass container.

“How did you even find out about these gemstones?” Harker asked candidly as he opened the containers.

“You have more than one? Call it a lucky guess. I just need the red one.” Seeker smiled.

A large beautiful crimson red jewel as taken out of the container and Harker tossed it to Seeker.

“Thank you General. See you tomorrow.” Seeker turned around to leave.

“See you tomorrow Miss.” Seeker smiled as he sped off to the exit.

Only then did Alean realize what Seeker had done. Alean quickly turned and threw the medal back to Seeker’s departing figure. Harker frowned at this action.

Seeker caught it without looking.

“It’s better if that’s with you.” Alean smiled. Seeker waved back as he walked towards the end of the hallway.

Seeker slowly disappeared at the turn of the corner.

A man stood at the roof of an abandoned building near the factory. He noticed four other individuals in the area and seemed to be waiting. If these were the Young Master’s friends, then he’d be dead if he hurt them. He sighed and waited.

All his life, he feared only two individuals. A terrifying assassin that made his skills look like that of a child and his master, the Dragon. Now however, a third personage rose from the shadows that instilled fear in his heart. This person was definitely weaker than his master or the assassin but all that Sting could do was scratch this person. And that was taking into account that this person never intended to kill him.

Sting heard an unusual sound at the edge of the factory. He readied his senses to identify the direction of the fleeing figure.

Sting frowned. The movement of this footsteps outdid even his own techniques. Perhaps only his master and the assassin could match this person’s foot technique.

Strangely, this fleeing figure was headed straight to him. Sting sighed in depression. He was about a decade older than this person, but this person’s sensing technique far outclassed his.

“Truly worthy of being Master’s son.” Sting smiled. He was sitting in a meditative position but stood up. Before him stood the very figure he was locking on to.

“Sting. It’s a good thing you waited for me. Actually it’s a bad thing. I should kill you. But considering this would make my life so much easier, I guess it’s a good thing.” Seeker smiled calmly as he approached the sitting assassin.

Sting’s calm face suddenly turned to one with horror.

“How have this one offended Young Master?” He gave a respectful bow immediately.

“I told you not to follow me and yet you waited for me here. No doubt to observe my movements. Have you been eavesdropping at my friends?” Seeker smiled.

A chilling sensation started to build up. Sting knew this was Seeker’s aura.

“Young Master, please forgive me!” He knew he couldn’t lie his way out of this.

“Don’t worry. As I said, with the recent turn of events, it looks like this will help me. Is this what you came for?” Seeker held out a bright red gemstone and smiled.

The Dragon was a collector of bright red gemstones. Could it be, that Harker managed to acquire one gemstone that Meng had been looking for and sent Sting to retrieve it? Sting was not only a skilled assassin but he was a master of concealment. He could have sneaked out of the torture chamber and pilfer the gemstone without alerting anybody.

Seeker continued to extend and reveal the gemstone. Seconds pass. And later a minute has passed and Sting continued to prostrate himself as Seeker held the bright stone.

Seeker frowned.

“Sting? Answer me.” A commanding tone came out of the impatient Seeker.

Sting started to shiver.

“Young Master, forgive me. I cannot see what that is. So I don’t know what that is.” Sting gave an embarrassed and at the same time a terrorized plea.

Seeker face palmed himself. Of course Sting couldn't tell what this object was. Seeker had a lifetime worth of memories, the training and teachings from the best and the brightest, and the power known as the Unlocking. Yet all of these still couldn't cure Seeker from the lapse of stupidity he had from time to time.

“This is a crimson red gemstone. Did Mister Meng send you to steal this?" Seeker continued to ask.

Sting was shocked and look excitedly at the gem Seeker held.

“Young Master, would your grace allow, please bestow that gemstone upon your humble servant.”

“Of course. That way you would have completed your mission and you don’t need to report of my interruption. Report that someone was attacking the factory which allowed you to sneak in and steal this.”

“Young Master, forgive me. This isn’t a mission. I had known that he had been seeking beautiful gemstones recently. And so I decided that after I completed my mission in this country, I’d steal a gemstone and offer it as a gift when I returned. I learned of three gemstones that General Harker had acquired illegally since already stolen gemstones can’t be reported it would not go against the no-exposure rule that my Master has set.”

Seeker had a confused look after hearing the explanation.

“Then why were you caught?”

“I tried to take it by force and knocked out the men but later more soldiers arrived.”

Seeker raised an eyebrow.

“How could you have not have heard the arriving soldiers?”

Sting sighed with an embarrassed look.

“The location had great acoustics so I couldn’t hear what was going on outside of the building. When the soldiers came in, I knew that I would need to kill in order leave. So I pretended to be a helpless blind man and steal all the gemstones later.” Sting explained.

“Now that’s just pitiful and embarrassing. And to think that you call yourself an assassin.” Seeker shook his head in disappointment.

"Still, that's one heck of an acoustic set up." Seeker commended.

"Indeed it was." The frustrated assassin could not help but agree.

“So you weren’t in some secret mission but out to get your boss a good present huh?” Seeker gave a frustrated sigh. And here Seeker was thinking that Dragon had personally sent the man. And then, it hit Seeker.

"Wait. All gemstones?" Seeker asked in surprise.

"Yes."

"Not just the red one? Or is it a matter of you being blind?"

"I have heard that Master collects gemstones of all colors." Sting bowed.

Seeker thought for a bit. This just didn't make any sense. After a bit of contemplation, Seeker then smiled. The creation of the grand picture surfaced in Seeker’s mind. If Seeker took advantage of this, then he would reap a lot of benefits.

“I think I know why your boss has been out seeking beautiful gems. Alright. I have a message for your boss. But don’t tell your boss that it came from his son. It would be troublesome if this dear ol’ dad of mine would chase me. Understand?” Seeker immediately released a wave of killing intent.

“Yes Young Master!” Sting immediately answered.

“You are to report everything else to dad except my identity. Tell dad, that an agent working for Lennox needed the other two jewels. Your master will only need the red one. Also, be sure to inform him, that based on my observations, all he needs is that red jewel. Craft it in the necessary gold and silver ornaments and it should suffice.” Seeker instructed.

Sting nodded. He was sighing in his mind. His Master would definitely punish him. Who would have thought that Young Master was a subordinate of Lennox? What if some misunderstanding would occur and cause the Dragon and Lennox to clash? After all, Sting knew his master was avoiding this at all cost but didn’t really understand why.

“Young Master, if I may speak. You can take the jewel. Master didn’t need it in the first place and I have done this by my own volition.”

“No. It’s you who don’t understand, Sting. What I’m saying is it’s this very jewel that your Master needs. He will definitely praise you soon. He just doesn’t know it yet. Remember, I am your Master’s son. I know what he plans to do with that jewel So I’m doing you a favor. It will also greatly aid your master. The only concern is if he will listen. But if he finds out I work for Lennox, he definitely will listen. Also, when the time comes, and you will know when that will be, you will tell your master that it was me who gave you this jewel.”

Sting nodded despite his confusion.

“Now go. And please don’t try to follow me or my friends. I will found out if you do.” Seeker tossed the jewel.

Sting caught it and bowed once more.

“As you command Young Master. Farewell.”

A blur could be seen as Sting started moving with accurate ninja-like speed and sneak.

Seeker smiled as Sting disappeared. He had planted the seeds. When harvest time comes, he would reap a lot of benefits. Seeker returned to the car to meet up with his friends.

“Well? How was it?” Charles spoke as he noticed Seeker coming out of the darkness.

“Just call me a master seed-planter.” Seeker smiled.

“Zeek! You got wounded!” Lynd exclaimed.

“Relax. It’s not from Harker’s men. This one came from an assassin who was already in the building.”

“An assassin? Who was the target of this assassin?” Meryl worriedly grasped Seeker’s arm.

“Its… complicated. A big misunderstanding really. But all these misunderstandings have aided me greatly. Now Harker will obediently listen to me. I didn’t really need to make an effort to make him believe my lies.” Seeker laughed.

“Sounds like you had a good night.” Charles smiled.

“It is. With the way things are now, I don’t need to act subtly on Harker’s Programmed Slaves. Oh. Right. Here you go Lynd.” Seeker tossed a medal to Lynd.

Lynd caught it and observed it. He wiped the medal clean and was observing every detail of it.

“What is this?” Lynd asked.

“You didn’t press it did you? That’s Alean’s Programmed Slave kill switch. One wrong move and Alean would have a heart failure.” Seeker casually remarked as he sat on the front seat of the car.

Immense fear jolted Lynd’s casual temperament.

“WHAT! ZEEK! I PRESSED IT!” Lynd shouted.

Seeker laughed.

“Just kidding. No need to worry.”

“Zeek! I hate you! I thought this really was the kill switch!”

“Oh it really is a kill switch. Harker probably set it to a voice command which only he could trigger. Otherwise a careless press could kill his daughter.” Seeker started munching on the burgers that were prepared for Seeker’s post-adventure.

Lynd’s hand was petrified and didn’t know what to do with the kill switch.

“Lucky you Lynd. You now have the direct access to Alean’s heart.” Meryl teased in glee.

“Alright, enough of that. Cliff, any word on your little errand?”

Cliff always had a weary and alert expression. Listening to the discussions of the three gave him confusion except for one clear reality. Don't mess with Seeker Carlean.

“Yes. They confirmed your suspicions. All eight were sent to one hospital. The Meglonila Hospital." Cliff reported.

“All? Interesting. That raises the possibility that all foreign exchanged students are Programmed Slaves.” Seeker had a devilishly pleasant smile.

“What?” Charles was alarmed at the number.

“But-but that’s over a hundred students!” Meryl exclaimed.

“Yes. And soon they will all be mine.” Seeker then gave a creepy laugh that a mad, evil villain in TV would do.

 

Chapter Thirty-Four: To Feel and Hear
Seeker was whistling a happy tune. He entered the dark halls of an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. He would shout at times to hear the echoes of the building. He moved out of the halls in into the open field of the building.

The building was one of Harker’s former drug labs. As suspicions arose to the use of the building, Harker immediately abandoned it. Now all that remains are empty halls and what could only be described as a labyrinth of halls and passages.

“Nice place. This will do for today’s activity.” Seeker smiled. On his waist was a pair the mountain climber’s pickaxes. Seeker slowly held it.

Alean stood there with a frowning expression. With just a simple call, she had to organize a field trip which excused Seeker and his gang along with Cliff. Charles also arrived with an almost dead expression.

“Seeker. I’m at the brink of a discovery in my research. Are you sure that this little exercise will help me finish this faster?” Charles frowned. He clearly hadn’t slept much last night.

Meryl, Lynd, and Cliff wondered why they were included in this trip.

“Of course. If anything it could speed the research twice as fast. For now, please gather and put all the weapons out here.” Seeker smiled.

“The guns or my weapon collection?” Charles asked.

“Both of them.”

Seeker then started to do several stretching movements. He grasped the mountain climbing pickaxes and started to run towards the wall of the building.

The same scaling technique was applied and in less than a minute Seeker reached the top of the building.

Everyone stared in shock at Seeker’s fast movements. No one saw how Seeker managed to infiltrate the factory last night. And now they knew.

“What are you doing? I need you to get the weapons out now!” Seeker ordered.

The group below stood for a while and started to move as they shook their heads. They couldn’t believe how easy it was for Seeker to do that.

Seeker sat down on the roof and gazed at the view of the city. There were other buildings nearby however, as this was mainly contained industrial buildings used during the Colonist Wars, the buildings were now mainly used as storage for various companies. There was virtually no one nearby on this part of the city.

Seeker sat down and dove deep into his memories. He envisioned the past in his mind.

“Realm King.” Seeker sighed.

Seeker watched his memory as if he was watching a movie.

Before him stood the Realm King. The World Champion in which he served under for the majority of his tenure as a soldier.

“50 meters with hearing and 30 with feeling huh?” The Realm king smiled.

“This is the best I can do General.” Seeker saluted.

“It’s not the best. The Inhuman stage could allow users to maximize their senses to a point that you can theoretically reach a hundred meters alone in feeling.” The Realm King laughed.

Seeker grumbled. What was he compared to a monster?

“General, isn’t it a bit unreasonable to set your standard on me?”

“It’s not unreasonable. It’s possible. What is it that the men called me these days?”

“Omnipresent within two kilometers sir.” Seeker responded.

“What do you think I use to reach that?”

“Hearing?”

“Feeling Seeker.”

Seeker gave a shocked look.

“So you feel the presences of everyone using feeling? But how can you determine their plans and action?”

“At my stage, I can interpret sounds based on the vibrations into hearing. You see sounds can be blocked. At some point, no matter how good you are at hearing, you will fail to comprehend the meaning of these muffled sounds.”

“So you feel sounds?” Seeker asked in confusion.

“Yes. Didn’t you listen to Charles’ lecture? He called it Realm Somatotopy. The ability to feel everything within a given area.”

“I know about Realm Somatotopy. Anyone in the Inhuman stage could do that at about 5 meters. But none of them can detect sounds General. Even Ranked Heroes.” Seeker gave a depressed sigh.

The Realm King laughed.

“Well some Ranked Heroes can.” The Realm King teased.

Seeker just frowned and just gave an impatient look to the Realm King.

“The trick is to master the Echolocation and master Realm Somatotopy. And then you need to find a way to connect the echolocation map to the Somatotopic map. Once you combine these two, then you would finally have a chance at becoming like me.”

Seeker continued to give the impatient look at the Realm King’s teases.

“You see, in the end, sounds can be blocked but it’s vibrations could still resound. Even if it strikes a wall, it vibrates. If you are sensitive enough, you could feel the vibrations and echoes of sound and interpret it.”

“Interpret vibrations? You can understand what people say when all that you could hear are vibrations?” Seeker asked again. Seeker then paused and quickly scrutinized the logical correctness of his statement.

“Didn’t Beethoven did it? He used his sense of touch to feel the vibrations of each key, and he later managed to produce masterpieces. Imagine the possibilities if an Unlocked mind could master this. I wonder what kind of Champion Beethoven would have been if he was alive now.” The Realm King laughed.

“So I need to feel the sound and try to find a way to interpret it?” Seeker asked.

The Realm King gave a happy nod.

Seeker sighed. This task was hard to reach. They had no time to train.

“Too bad I’m not one of them Believers. If I was, it would have been possible and this talk would have more usefulness.”

“It would. But I don’t like the idea of you being a Believer. You enjoy the climb more than the peak. That is your strength Seeker. Someday, I’m sure it will prove useful to you.”

Seeker smiled once more and his consciousness returned him to his present self-standing on the roof.

He had reach the Surmounting stage of the Ranked Hero then and had the experience to understand how echolocation works and could use Realm Somatotopy at an experienced level. But at the moment that Seeker died, as his Unlocking soared to uncharted levels, for a brief second, managed to experience the fusion of these two.

Experience leads to understanding, and understanding to knowledge and knowledge to control.

“General, I can finally walk on your footsteps. Seeker smiled softly.

Seeker closed his eyes and focused his senses. He was subtly closing the senses of his smell, his sight and even his touch. His hearing senses were pushed to the maximum. Using his memories as the foundation Seeker recalled how his hearing would reach an impressive range of nearly 20 meters.

He could hear and even make a mental map of what was happening down the building. The sounds mapped out the movements of Cliff who carried several weapons which Seeker could make out as axes and swords.

The objects that Lynd was carrying with caution was an assault rifle that was exclusively used by the military. Seeker could make out the design based on the shape of the gun.

“This is it. Echolocation.” Seeker took a deep breath as he struggled to maintain this state.

Seeker then stopped using Echolocation and blocked his sense of hearing.

He slowly blocked all his senses leaving the sense of touch active.

“Realm Somatotopy.” Seeker started to push his sense of touch to the maximum.

Seeker could feel everything within 10 meters. Occasionally some of his friends would enter this range and Seeker could feel their presence. He knew where they were and what they were doing. He could barely make a mental map. But with the experience of his memories he could immediately interpret it into a clearer image.

Seeker ended his state. He gripped his fist in preparation for the merging of these two. He remembered the feeling but now he would try to combine these two.

Seeker opened his sense of hearing and sense of touch and pushed both to the maximum.

It was chaos. Seeker convulsed at the strange sensation he felt. He felt as if he wasn’t in his current position any longer. Unlike the experience of having an out-of-body experience where he could ‘see’ the area around him, Seeker felt as if he was everywhere within 10 meters.

His convulsion almost made Seeker faint. Seeker stopped the merging of these two and to his horror he was falling down.

Seeker immediately took the pickaxe he held and smashed it on the wall. Seeker almost reached the ground when he was clinging to it.

“ZEEK!” Lynd and Meryl cried as they rushed to their friend.

Seeker let go of the pickaxe and fell to the ground. He lay flat on the ground and was gasping for breath. He managed to feel the sensation of the fuse but his head was now throbbing in pain.

“What happened?” Charles ran and asked Seeker.

“Don’t worry guys.” Seeker spoke as he tried to catch his breath.

“I’m alright. I just did something reckless.” Seeker smiled as he tried to sit up.

His head continued to spin. He could occasionally feel the area through his hearing and his touch.

Seeker laid on his back once again. His world was spinning.

He opened his eyes and gazed tiredly at the clouds.

It was then he saw it.

“What the?” Seeker reacted. He continued to fix his eyes on the sky as if trying to find something.

Everyone around him turned and gazed to the sky at the direction that Seeker was looking.

Seeker frowned.

“Is something wrong?” Charles asked with a worried tone.

“I can’t see it. But I’m sure it’s there. Alean give me a sniper rifle.” Seeker commanded angrily.

Alean was startled at Seeker’s angry tone and rushed to grab the gun.

Seeker closed his eyes once more and started to breathe deep. He relaxed his entire body. Soon he managed to stabilize his sensation.

Seeker stood up and reached for the gun that Alean carried. Seeker took the pickaxe that still hung on the floor. With one hand he carried the rifle and with the other he used the same scaling technique. This time, Seeker was hitting for the holes that he already made. Since he didn't have to stike hard, Seeker was able to easily manage the rise with only one pickaxe.

Seeker swiftly reached the roof of the building.

He then positioned himself far into the middle area in case he would convulsed again. Seeker continued to keep his eyes open.

Seeker then aimed the gun high. It didn’t look like he was aiming for anything.

“What are you doing Zeek?” Meryl shouted.

Seeker looked around the area as if he was looking for something. Seeker was shivering. He could barely manage this state.

“Found ya!” Seeker aimed at an elevated position and fired three bullets at the sky. It was a strange sight for the group below. Seeker didn’t even used the scope.

Inside a building a few blocks away from where Seeker and his team was, two men were observing Seeker through a computer.

“What’s he doing?”

“I don’t know. He seems to be aiming atsomething.”

“Didn’t He look directly at the drone?”

“Idiot. Look where he’s aiming!”

“His shooting! Just what is he aiming at?”

“I don’t know-”

PENG! PENG! PENG!

Three bullets pierced through the slightly opened window. One bullet pierced through the computer and destroyed it. Another pierced through the first soldiers left leg while the other pierced through the soldier’s right arm.

“AHHH!” The first soldier cried in surprise.

The second showed his tenure as he quickly dashed for cover and grabbed a radio like device.

“General! We are under attack! Seeker is shooting at us!” The panicked soldier reported.

Seeker reached the ground as he used his left hand to hook himself and to disrupt his free fall.

“Alean. Tell your dad I won’t be so generous next time.” Seeker spoke as he walked towards the weapon shack.

A crashing sound was then heard near their area.

The group turned near the south side of the building and could now see an object that would blink intermittently to reveal itself.

“It’s a military grade drone!” Alean cried in shock.

 

Ugh. I did it again. i forgot to post here. Posting the missing chapters now. Enjoy.

 

Chapter Thirty-Five: Forced Unlocking
The fallen drone had a sophisticated pseudo-cloaking technology made possible through innovative camouflaging features.

“Cloaking-level camouflage eh?” Charles shook his head seeing how the fallen drone would blink from being visible to invisible. He knew, drones like these were expensive.

Alean immediately shuffled to call her father.

“General-”

“Thank Seeker for sparing my men’s life. Ask if we can retrieve the drone.” Harker immediately spoke.

“He can send his men to pick it up after we are finished here. It’s not damaged beyond repair.” Seeker responded loudly as if he heard what Harker was saying over the phone.

“Thank you.” Harker responded as he could overhear Seeker’s cold voice.

“And if you do spy on me again, I won’t be so generous.” Seeker angrily spoke.

Harker was silent on the other line.

Alean abruptly hang up the phone and stood silently.

“You managed to see something that is practically invisible!” Charles commended.

“I couldn’t ‘see.’ It was more of seeing and feeling I guess. Whatever… that was very unsettling. I better not enter that state with my current level.” Seeker sighed.

“Geez Zeek. You almost died there. Be more careful when you try things like those!” Meryl scolded.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect it would be that bad. Ugh. I can’t believe the Realm King could easily do that without getting all queasy.” Seeker frowned. It was almost impossible for him to remain in that state.

“I guess it’s not that easy to follow on the footsteps of a World Champion. Here I am with all my advantages, and I’m not even sure if I can make it to that realm.” Seeker sighed.

“What are you talking about?” Alean interjected.

“You’ll find out in a bit.” Seeker smiled.

Everyone had a confused look.

“Alright Zeek. I think it’s about time you tell us why we had to come here. The weapons are all in place. I can’t help but worry with all the military surveillance and the weapon we have here.” Meryl spoke bluntly.

“Right now, what we need to do is to Unlock.”

“What do you mean to Unlock?” Lynd had a curious look.

“You see, in preparation of the coming battles, we need two things, First, I need to push my Unlocking further.”

“How? I thought that my research would be the key to improving your Unlocking.” Charles asked immediately.

“You are right. We need your tech to open the Unlocking to everyone. It is almost impossible to for people to reach the Unbecoming stage in their entire life, much less the Inhuman stage. you can’t train to reach that position. But because of my unique circumstance, I can.” Seeker asked.

Cliff and Alean had a confused look at the question but noticing that this hasn’t startled the rest, they kept quiet.

“So how do you improve your Unlocking?”

“Constant use. I need to improve my foundation on almost everything. I realized that forcing higher levels of the Unlocking could be detrimental to my overall potential. In the future, what we needed were more Unlocked individuals. We rushed into things. But now, I have the opportunity to hone my skills. So I need to constantly allow myself to use these skills in actual battle.”

“I see. It’s like your rebuilding your foundation.” Charles analyzed.

Seeker nodded. He then went towards the guns and ammos.

“However, being in this state offers a lot of responsibilities. It means that I have to understand how to effectively use all weapons. After all, I can’t build an army if I don’t know how to train them.”

Seeker immediately took an assault rifle and started to observe every inch of it.

“The second thing I need; is to experiment how I can stimulate the Unlocking without relying on your research Charles. I believe that people who have been Unlocked prior to having you rework their brain would allow them to have a higher chance in reaching Ranked Hero.” Seeker started selecting from the guns displayed.

“So you mean to stimulate peoples brain to which they can reach beyond the ten percent norm?”

“Yes. The question is, how do we force a person to reach this state?”

The group was silently contemplating. Alean and Cliff listened intently to their discussion although they couldn’t make heads or tails of where this discussion was about.

“Maybe have them fight a lot? Martial artist and athletes have this right? So why not do what they do?” Lynd suggested.

“That would take years though. And the increase is too small. Not to mention it will only aid in some parts of their perception.” Seeker shook his head.

“What I need is something that will push the brain to an extreme level of stress.” Seeker smiled.

Charles frowned at this suggestion.

“I got it! What if they encounter life threatening situations? Didn’t you mention stuff about OOBE and life reviews a result of pushing their brains beyond the ten percent?” Meryl shouted.

“That is true but it’s almost impossible to achieve that.” Charles countered.

Meryl frowned.

“How is it impossible?”

“Charles is correct. Doing what you suggest is difficult.” Seeker said as he removed the silencer from the gun barrel.

“How is that difficult? We can scare them or something. Let’s just have them face a lot of dangerous situations and they should have those.”

Charles shook his head.

“That’s what I’m saying. It isn’t as simple as putting them in a dangerous situation. I served in several tours during my days as an army doctor. I had a lot of close calls but I never experienced either of those.”

“Then what could cause that?” Lynd asked curiously.

“It has to be a feeling where they would genuinely think that they would die. If their brains are pushed to that point of mortality they would probably push beyond the norm.”

“Oh. That sounds reckless. What could make them think that they are sure to die? We’d have to do something really bad to them to make them think that.”

“It’s not only reckless but it’s dangerous. Unless we have a way to ensure that no one would die while performing this experiment then we cannot use that.”

“Oh. So we can’t do that...” Meryl sighed.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A bullet flew and grazed Lynd’s left cheek,

A bullet grazed Charles’ left arm.

And Meryl stumbled in shock when he heard an ear-piercing gunshot right at her ears.

Before anyone of them could shout a strange choking sensation stopped them from doing it.

Everyone looked at the source of the gunshots. And they froze when they saw Seeker.

He was holding several guns and a lot of weapons were protruding through a small bag he was wearing. What was scary was that he shot the three with blindfolds on.

“Actually we can.”

A terrifying sensation overcame Meryl and she almost fell to the floor in fear.

Seeker had an almost demonic grin.

Everyone was gripped with fear. Lynd saw the wound on his cheek and gazed at Seeker who was now wearing blindfolds, he felt a spine chilling sensation.

Finally, the sensations that he or Meryl never felt, were now experienced in a horrifying level.

“I can create fear as well as imitate a life threatening situation. I can make it that it would look so believable, that the said lab rats will either achieve a state of Unlocking or die from a heart attack.” Seeker laughed as he placed the silencer back to the handgun.

“And most importantly, I can also ensure that no one will die in this situation.”

Seeker was slowly approaching Meryl.

Meryl wanted to shout but Seeker’s aura was too strong.

She slowly crawled backwards as Seeker approached.

“I hope none of you will suffer from post-traumatic stress after this. Oh well, it’s a risk I’m willing to take. I don’t need weakness in the upcoming battles. I’ll count to five. Afterwards, I begin the massacre. Use whatever weapons against me.” Seeker ordered as he posed to a stance which was ready to shoot.

Charles and Alean were the first to scramble towards the weapon.

“GET UP!” Charles shouted towards Meryl.

“Five.”

Lynd was petrified and couldn’t move. He turned around to see Cliff limping towards the weapon shack. He was too far from the guns and that was also too near from the devil incarnate.

“HELP ME!” Meryl cried hysterically.

“Four.”

Alean took the gun and without warning opened fire. Seeker didn’t even have to move as Alean’s shaking hands couldn’t aim properly.

“Three.”

Meryl was lifted up by a slow-moving Lynd. Charles also started to shoot at Seeker.

Seeker was easily evading the bullets despite being blindfolded. He was using both Echolocation and Realm Somatotopy at the same time. However, he did not merge the two.

“Two. You got to try harder guys. I need a more stimulating practice.” Seeker smiled.

Lynd and Meryl were struggling to get inside the building.

Cliff now had a long steel bat but was also rushing for the door.

“One.”

Alean’s cry was the first thing that Lynd heard. He struggled to move faster. Meryl managed to jolt her mind back in order and managed to get control of her body. She then started running faster. Lynd started running faster as he noticed Meryl’s recovery.

Several gun shots continued to resound as the pair dashed for the door. Cliff was just about to reach it ahead when a bullet pierced through the ground he was about to step on. The surprise caused Cliff to lose his balance and he stumbled and rolled on the dirt.

Two bullets grazed the legs of Lynd and Meryl and the sheer fright they felt to the grazing bullet caused them to stumble.

“Weak. I guess I’ll just kill you.” Seeker roared insanely as he shot more rounds across the place.

An hour later, Seeker finally removed the blindfold.

“That was a very helpful exercise. I think I managed to improve my use of both Echolocation and Realm Somatotopy.” A carefree tune followed as Seeker happily whistled. He started to return the guns to its proper place, making sure to check that it was not damaged.

“Excuse me Meryl.” Seeker spoke in passing as he walked over a hysterically crying Meryl who was clutching one leg of the table where the guns were placed.

“Mama… Mama…” Meryl continued to sob.

On the table, the guns were in a mess. Seeker started to slowly arrange it in order. On the right side of the table, Charles was lying flat staring up the skies.

Seeker had jumped over him and drove a large knife down his face but would stop just in time. However, each time he did that, Charles could feel the wind piercing through. Seeker then continued to stab on him barely scraping the skin of his neck. The sensation of experiencing the moment of his death over twenty times left him dull and unmoving.

“You alright Charles? I figured since you’re the most experienced in this group, I should give you special treatment.” Seeker laughed.

Around the corner of the building, Alean lay unconscious. She rested quite peacefully. Unlike Charles who managed to stay conscious, she lost hers on the third time Seeker blasted a gun at her face. Seeker’s handling was precise. He would thrust the gun as close as he can towards Alean’s face and at the last second would change the angle of the gun to ensure that Alean wouldn’t get hit.

Lynd was vomiting at an area beside Alean. When he saw Seeker holding Alean by the hair and was about to shoot at her face, he ran and tried to impale Seeker with a large pike he got from the weapon shack. Seeker used a strange technique and managed to snatch the pike away from Lynd. Lynd thought that Seeker had impaled him twice and shot him in the chest twice. But for some reason, though his chest hurt he had no wounds.

Cliff was barely keeping his consciousness. His pants were wet. He thought Seeker shot him at the head so he remained lifeless waiting for his death with an empty bladder.

“Alright guys. Let’s have a fifteen-minute water break. I’ll just reload these guns and repair whatever damage there is to the surrounding weapons and we will start again.” Seeker smiled.

All who were conscious fainted at Seeker’s declaration.

 

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Taste of Dying
Seeker was dripping with sweat. There were several gun holes around the area. Tables were overturned, windows shattered and a lot of swords, knives and even axes was scattered throughout the area.

“I guess we should call it a day. I need to eat a lot of food before we start today’s stream.” Seeker finally said as he removed the blindfolds.

His companions weren’t as well of as Seeker was.

Lynd and Meryl lay unconscious on the floor. This time Alean was conscious as she was gripping a handgun tightly. She dared not let it go. Though it had been empty for about 10 minutes the continuous fear just made her grip it and pull the trigger relentlessly.

Charles and Cliff were lying directly in front of Seeker. Cliff carried an assault rifle while Charles had a handgun and a large knife on hand. Both of them continued to shiver.

Seeker hadn’t been using his aura but after what was 4 hours of continuous fighting the fear never seemed to leave them.

Seeker relaxed and started to clean up the mess that they had left. The place clearly looked like it went through a war zone.

After ten minutes Alean finally rose and slowly crept towards Seeker. Her steps were very unstable, like a newborn baby who just learned how to walk. Cliff and Charles did not make any effort to move. They just laid there as if they knew death was imminent.

“Who are you?!” Alean cried out. She was turning hysterical. She had quite a lot of dangerous moments considering her job dealt with the military and her father’s business. But those moments where nothing to the four-hour fighting she had just experienced again and again.

Their training encompassed several “sessions.” Each session began with a time limit of 10 minutes. But Seeker kept continuously increasing the time after several sessions. The last sessions was 30 minutes long. Each succeeding sessions brought more satisfactory results. At first Lynd and Meryl would just pass out or run away at the first attacks but they were later able to fight back.

“You should ask Charles when he’s alright.” Seeker answered casually as he continued to pick up the weapons.

Charles slowly stood up and was walking towards Lynd and Meryl. It was his job to check on the psychological and mental states of each other.

As he approached the two, to his surprise they were already awake. Lynd just continued to close his eyes to calm himself. Meryl however was looking directly at the bright sun. It didn’t seem to bother her.

“They look alright.” Charles concluded. He turned back to Cliff and observed him.

Cliff just gave a sad nod.

“Did you manage to see it?” Seeker finally asked.

“You could have asked that question the first time. I saw it at that moment you tried to stab me. Your blade seemed slower. I could think faster and I was able to recall events that even I have forgotten.” Charles spoke.

“But you could only see it right? You haven’t developed a way to make your mind move your body. Time has slowed down but your body can’t keep up. It means you broke through up to the twelfth percent. What we need is 13 in order to be considered at the Unbecoming. Hopefully you’d be able to emulate it after a few more session. Perhaps another set of sessions will allow you to control it. Be here on Sunday.”

“So I get a day off because you have to stream huh? Lucky me.” Charles sighed as he sat down on the ground. His clothes were already a mess so it didn’t bother him.

“Why do I need to be here anyway? Shouldn’t I work on my research?”

“If you reach the first Unlocked state, then you should progress at least two times faster in your research. The mental state that an Advent Unbecoming allows you to stay at your mental peak. Regardless if you are sleepy, tired or bent out of shape, your mind will function as if it was at its optimum state.”

Charles stared in greed. If he could manage that state, then he wouldn’t need to drink all those coffees and could stay awake longer to finish his research!

“Advent?”

“Yes. Each stages of the Unlocking are further divided into three ranks. Advent, Proficient and Surmounting. Advent being at a minimum 13 percent with a 15 percent max reach. Proficient is at 15 minimum, and 18 maximum. Surmounting requires a minimum of 18 and 23 at max. As you can see, the time you increase in rank is when your maximum becomes the minimum. “

“How far are you at again?” Charles asked.

“I would guess that I could reach twenty-six at my maximum state. But my minimum should be around ten or eleven.” Seeker shrugged.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“I know. I guess this is the effect of my memories. I assume that my real state should barely touch the Proficient rank. But Advance Recall seems to be allowing me to reach higher ranks. Truth be told I don’t know the maximum state I can reach. But if I push myself I would probably die.” Seeker laughed.

“CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL YOU TWO ARE TALKING ABOUT?!” Alean screamed after being ignored for too long.

Everyone except Seeker jolted at the sudden scream.

“Charles, I guess it’s time to let these two into what’s been going on. Don’t worry. We can trust Alean. I have the keys to her heart. I’ll talk to my two friends for a bit.” Seeker smiled and walked off.

Charles sighed and motioned for Alean and Cliff to follow him. He decided to change venues as he could tell what Seeker intended based on his serious expressions.

Seeker approached his two friends who gave him a curious look. They were still laying down on the ground lifelessly. They seemed to have no intention of moving.

“So how was the near-death experiences?” Seeker smiled.

The two gave an angry gaze at Seeker.

“You promised that you wouldn’t get us involved in anything dangerous.” Lynd breathed in anger.

“I never promised that. I just told you that you can quit to being my helper.” Seeker smiled.

The two were silent at Seeker’s response.

Meryl started to cry again.

“I don’t want this.” Meryl sobbed.

“You don’t want what? The training? Or the fact that you almost died?” Seeker asked again with a smiling expression.

“Because if it’s the first one, I can stop. If it’s the second one, you’d encounter it sooner or later. Things are just going to get downhill from here, Meryl. People will die left and right. Heck even World Champions died.”

“We have you don’t we?” Meryl argued.

A strange gripping sensation once again enveloped the two. Seeker’s expression took a drastic turn. Seeker’s angry look caused the two to shudder.

“You think that just because I’ve gotten a hold of a set of awesome memories that we are all set right? You’re wrong. Were pressed with time. So far, what we have are weapons and funding. But let me tell you right here and then, that wouldn’t mean anything! You think these weapons can damage the technology the Aragarians will deploy?” Seeker held the rifle in his hands.

“These were nothing! Their metal is unbreakable, their weapons, unimaginable, and their numbers, uncountable. What can these puny weapons do in the face of their onslaught?”

Seeker threw the weapons towards the lying two in anger.

“What we really need are Unlocked individuals. And we don’t have the time to wait for Charles. We were dying! I died! Me, a Ranked Hero! And you two just want to ride along my wave and think you’ll be safe? That’s stupid!”

“I never asked to be a part of this!” Lynd erupted in anger.

“We aren’t fighters! We told you! We aren’t like you Royals! If we die, then we die! We’ve long accepted it! We are fine with dying!” Lynd shouted.

SMASH!

Seeker buried his foot in Lynd’s stomach. He raised his foot ready to strike again.

“Then let me kill you now!” Seeker shouted back.

Lynd shivered in fear and didn’t even react to the pain. The amount of fear he felt surpassed any of his previous moments during the training. He started to crawl away. The only thing in his mind was to escape Seeker.

“WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?!”

Seeker jumped on the path that Lynd was headed and stomped on Lynd’s back. Lynd’s face was buried in the ground.

Seeker withdrew his aura.

Lynd couldn’t move as Seeker pressed hard on his foot. Meryl had a shocked expression on her face. She too felt the same fear that Seeker gave.

“You think dying is such a simple thing? Look at you. When I tried to kill you, you ran away. It isn’t that easy, Lynd. Dying isn’t an easy escape. If you die, then parents could die, your friends could die. Even Alean could die. Who knows? Meryl might die right in front of you and you will just gnash your teeth and weep because you are weak.” Seeker stomped once more.

Lynd was struggling to get up but Seeker’s stomp anchored him.

“I hope you see Meryl’s brains splattered right in front of you so you would know how it felt for me to see you die the first time!”

Seeker turned to Meryl who continued crying.

“You too. You think that because you’re a small little girl you get a pass at these things right? Well I hope that excuse would be useful once you carry your mom and dad’s arms and fingers not knowing what happened to the rest!”

Seeker jumped over and kicked Meryl in the stomach.

She clutched her stomach in pain, but her tears were continued pouring like a fountain. Of course, she wasn’t crying about the pain.

“I already told you of my fears of the future. We aren’t any close to winning even with all this New Game advantage. Especially now, with the Dragon looming on my horizon. I’m good as dead if I face him on my own. The people under him is as strong as those in the Unbecoming stage. I might not even make it to meet the Dragon!”

Seeker took Lynd by the hair and threw him towards Meryl.

“Get up you worthless giant!”

Lynd’s eyes were red. Red in anger and in tears. He gazed at Seeker with an angry expression.

“Why are you angry? I’m supposed to be the one that’s angry! I have to face off with one of the most dangerous criminals this world has produced with his team of assassins and killers, and what do I have? Two weak friends who would rather die. Are you still using your Regular status as an excuse? It doesn’t matter if your Regular, Rising, or Royal! You will all die!”

Seeker spoke harshly.

Lynd continued to glare while Meryl continued to sob.

“Maybe now that you’ve gotten a taste of what it feels like to die you would understand. Dying is not an escape. It is not a release. It doesn’t take away all the worries you had of this world. It actually accomplishes the very thing you are worried about. Because you won’t be there to stop it!” Seeker punched Lynd on the face flatly.

“And those who you leave behind will suffer.” Seeker met Lynd’s glare. He then grabbed on Lynd’s collar and lifted Lynd towards himself.

“So is this how you repay my good graces in trying to turn you into warriors? Wishing you were dead? Then if that’s what you want, cut off our friendship so I wouldn’t care when you die! Make me hate you so much that when you die, I’d smile and laugh it off. Because I’ve suffer enough in watching you two die, I’d rather kill myself now than see you two die again!” Seeker shouted angrily. Tears were falling from his eyes.

As Lynd stared at Seeker’s eyes, he could see the pain that his friend felt. This wasn’t Seeker being inconsiderate. This was Seeker being scared.

Meryl continued to cry at Seeker’s painful remarks. But the sight of the unmovable Seeker crying made her clutch her heart in pain.

Seeker gazed at Lynd’s softening expression and at Meryl’s controlled hysteria.

“I need you guys to succeed in the Unlocking. I can’t do the next missions alone. Someone has to keep the Dragon’s men busy while I face that monster. Can I count on you?” Seeker asked calmly.

The two was silent at first. But then Meryl and Lynd slowly nodded.

Lynd sighed.

“I’m sorry for being such a useless friend Zeek. I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.” Lynd mumbled softly.

Meryl simply nodded. If she tried to speak she would simply just cry and make unintelligible cries.

Seeker smiled at his two friends. His plans worked. The exposure to fear managed to shake his friends into a good and trainable state. Seeker gave them a moment of silence to get their emotions in order.

“Have either of you experienced any of those Unlocked sensations during our training?” Seeker asked after a long pause.

Meryl nodded while Lynd shook his head.

Seeker gave a peculiar look at Lynd.

Lynd looked away as he was embarrassed at the outcome.

Seeker just sighed and turned to Meryl.

“Meryl, you always boasted about how you can tolerate bright light. Has it improved?”

Meryl gave a curious look. She stared at the sun for a while.

Seeker continued to observe Meryl.

Meryl was shocked.

“It’s strange. The sun’s brightness doesn’t seem to hurt anymore.”

Seeker smiled. Things were advancing smoothly.

 

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Pangean Politics
Harker took one look at the surroundings and frowned. He had heard reports that there were sounds of weapons being fired at this area. Thankfully his soldiers managed to contain the commotion with claims that it was some practice.

He immediately spotted his main concern. The drone was placed on the table and it looked like it didn’t receive much damage from the crash. Harker sighed in relief.

“Now Harker, let’s get down to business. I’ll ignore your spying attempts and hope that served as a valuable lesson.” Seeker smiled.

Harker clutched his fist. The last thing that the drone captured was Seeker firing three rounds of bullets which wounded his men. What was interesting was how Seeker didn’t use the scope of the gun.

“Now General, on to business. You know about Pangean Politics more than I do. Who’s who in the political arena?” Seeker asked.

“Every politician in this damned country. That’s why I never messed with politics. Generals, National Managers, Vice-National Managers. We all know that the Pangean Nations has the most unique government system. Even I wouldn’t know where to start or who to deal with. I was never interested in having that kind of power anyway.”

“Your advantage is your silence in this matter. Given your very cautious nature, no one would expect you, the silent and headstrong General to aim for the Presidential Seat. So who has the highest chances of being President if President Colestart is voted out?”

“Hyron of the Indo-Pangean.” Harker answered without missing a beat.

“But it’s impossible. Granted the nature of our country, he needs at to hold at least more than half of the Senator’s in each Pangean Nation in order to have a shot at winning.”

“Like I said, your disinterest makes it the most appealing nature. Prove yourself as a man of this Pangean Nation. If you reach a status similar to that of a hero when Colestart gets voted out, you’d probably be nominated by Hyron, should you accept.”

“A hero? War’s like that don’t come easily Seeker.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. The best way to temporarily halt Dragon’s advances is to start a war. If he see’s strange movement within this nation, he will have to think twice before rallying his forces in. Especially if you get deployed on foreign land to fight the war.”

“But there are no wars.” Harker answered again trying to sound as respectful as he can.

“I said don’t worry. I’ll start one. If things go according to plan, then by this time next week, we should be having one.”

There was silence.

Everyone present continued to stare at Seeker.

“It’s none of your concern.” Seeker laughed as he noticed the silence.

“We’ll just have to play it by ear. I’m not perfectly sure things will go as intended after all. For now, our main concern is how to get our current President evicted.”

“And how do you propose to do that?”

“Kidnap all media heads of these three countries. Turn them into Programmed Slaves. Once we have that we can kill his image.”

“I don’t get it Zeek. Why the media heads? Why not kidnap the Senators and leaders directly?”

“Too risky. If we aim for the media heads, we would be aiming for only five individuals. Going with the senators would take us quite a bit of time and effort. Not to mention the risk of discovery.”

“That’s all? Just the media?” Meryl asked unsure of the plan.

“The media is the making or the breaking of a nation.” Seeker smiled.

“Regardless of how good or reputable his character is; it is subject to public opinion. Imagine hearing and reading news about Colestar everyday about his mistakes and blunders?”

“Colestar has an almost impeccable reputation. He literally is one of the best presidents our countries ever had.” Charles voiced out.

“And yet, because of my plans, he must fall. Doubt, Doctor. That is the main goal for now.

“How can doubt be helpful?” Harker asked immediately. He expected a far more complicated plan.

“Doubt is the ultimate feller of leaders General. Doubt is the most important ingredient to win the country. Right now the whole country sees Colestar as this great President. But mark my words, he isn’t the first great President to ever be done in by the media and the horrifying effects of doubt.”

“So let’s say we manage to take over these media outlets. What happens then?” Harker listened.

“The media does its magic. Any news event regarding the President can be switched to have a subtle title or presentation which can damage his character.”

“How?” Meryl asked with a confused expression.

“Let’s take the current event. The President just denied the ongoing legislative movement concerning to remove the mandatory 13th month pay and make it optional. Almost every news outlet praise this and gave positive news title.”

“Aren’t they just reporting it as it is?” Lynd asked in confusion.

“President denies appeals for optional 13th Month Pay. Urges companies to promote family time for workers.” Seeker recited a title.

“It’s positive news reporting. They shifted the focus on how the President wants to encourage companies in giving proper compensation for their workers to have time for their families especially on the holidays.”

“Right. Because that’s what it is.” Meryl nodded.

“Really? What If I changed the title to; President denies appeals for optional 13th Month Pay, January Resignations at an all-time high? Now I shifted the point of view of this article to show the cons of the article and not its pros.” Seeker smiled.

“But I’m sure the people will see the benefits if they read the whole article!” Meryl argued.

“If they read it. That’s the beauty of the media. The government or specifically the President, cannot charge libel against the media. The whole article may contain it, but how many, amongst all readers will read the article? Some will just glance at the title page and create their own interpretation.”

Meryl couldn’t retort after this. She had been doing the same thing after all.

“The first article title was very positive. In fact, it’s hard to find any negative arguments to counter that. But the second article reveals the flaws of the President’s move and does not provide anything positive that readers will have to say. And the worst thing is, both news doesn’t seem to be biased as it appears to just be reporting the truth.”

Meryl remained silent at Seeker’s example.

“A simple news article like that will make people question the validity of his move. That’s how powerful the media is. It can make something positive look negative or something negative look positive. Only those with high levels of critical thinking will catch on in this attempt to badmouth the president. But let’s be honest. That’s not common nowadays.”

Charles gave a light chuckle agreeing with Seeker.

“And that’s what we’ll have all the media do. If one media outlet does it, it can be buffered by another who presents the positive. But imagine if all media outlets present these negative subtle attacks. And the trick is, they don’t attack the President directly. They attack his regime. If any of those under him or supports him makes a blunder, they capitalize on that. Put it on the headlines and slap the President’s name on board even if he really has nothing to do with it.”

“Will that work?”

“It worked for the previous President. It was comical really. A problem at the main highway which caused great traffic and delayed thousands of workers. And then they slap the President’s name on the report. I mean, what has the President have to do with anything in that? Shouldn’t the news focus on the Traffic and Land Development organizations?”

“I remember those! But I really hadn’t thought about it like that.” Meryl contemplated.

Harker ignored the casual joining of these other teens. For such a serious topic, Seeker took his time to explain it to these youths. But because Seeker valued their input he just stood quietly. He noticed Alean has been awfully quiet during this entire discussion.

“The President may or may not address the issue. A little negative presentation of a good news and do it constantly and you can build up the hate for the President. Once that settles in, it would be your time to shine General.”

Harker simply nodded.

“I agree to your estimations. But will ‘doubt’ be enough to make the people ride on the hate train?”

“It will. By making people doubt his character, it will make those who hate him, hate him all the more.”

“Our main concern is how to make the masses hate him then. After all, his current reforms are all quite noble.” Charles added.

“Indeed it is. But any action regardless of its noble nature will always cause reactions. He has been focusing on eliminating three things within the Pangean Nations. Foreign hating culture, the division between the three nations, and lastly poverty. So what do you think would be the possible groups that will rally against him?”

“Will anyone want to go against that?” Meryl frowned at such a stupid question.

“Naïve.” Alean finally spoke.

“Seeker’s right. These three focuses have probably agitated a large group even among the masses. Indo-Pangea being the center of several scandals hate how the two other nations see them as that. With Colestars attempts in uniting the three nations, several politicians were revealed at a cost. These politicians can have a rallying power of our own. You plan to use that group to stir the fire down south correct?”

Seeker nodded.

“Malay-Pangea who had taken the blunt of the damage during the Colonist war is the most fearful and hateful among the three in regards to foreigners. No doubt there are active enemies of Colestar in that Nation. And our country, the Phil-Pangea has the most poverty-stricken area. By increasing wages businessman in this country may want another president in.” Lynd interjected before Alean could speak.

Everyone was shocked at Lynd’s sudden analysis. They looked at him strangely.

“Wow. I bet that was what Alean was going to say.” Seeker laughed.

“More or less.” Alean gave a charming look at Lynd.

Lynd blushed as he too was surprised at his own monologue.

“We have groups in each country who can fuel the fire that can start the bandwagon of hate. If the media subtly introduces a series of bad news about him, then doubt will surely appear. There will be people who will fight for his cause though and attempt their own counter reforms to uplift the image of the president.”

“That is the problem. The masses love him.” Harker interjected.

“Wrong. The masses are entertained by him. Only a few love him. Once people see several news of poor service their entertainment will turn to disgust. The masses are an easily controlled group of people. If they see a trend in politics, they follow that. If we control all media outlets in the three Pangean Nations, we can mind-control the masses. Trust in the stupidity and shallowness of the masses General.” Seeker smiled.

“It’s true.” Alean nodded.

“I’m not convinced.” Meryl spoke once more.

“Having these groups wouldn’t do much Zeek. I mean, they are the minority.”

“You forget the political opponents of the President. Politics is a game of patience. The more patient a politician is, the higher chances that he would rise to the top. They have to know when and how to strike. There are only two politicians who are actively pushing their campaign against the President. It does not signify that the President has many allies. It only means, that to most of his enemies, it isn’t the right time to strike.”

Harker and Alean smiled. They knew of this concept full-well with their dealings with the underworld.

“How sure are you that the President has many enemies?” Meryl frowned.

“Naïve little girl.” It was Harker who spoke this time.

“As long as the concept of ‘Self-gain’ exist, any king of this world will always have enemies. These politicians will follow and pursue the path that greatly benefits themselves. Seeker does not mean enemies who hate the President. But enemies who will turn against the President should the right opportunity present itself giving them more to gain.” Harker turned to Seeker and laughed.

“Who would think that your manipulative and scheming nature would be as strong as your physical skills.”

 

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Great Gamble Begins
Seeker was alone in the apartment for the stream that night. Due to the exhausted appearances of Lynd and Meryl, Seeker agreed to do it alone. The last stream was barely two hours long when Seeker completed the game.

Seeker once again rose to internet fame as he defeated the game in less than 19 hours. It wasn’t far from Arthur’s predicted time. This was already a record which even Precept Gaming had to acknowledge. No one was able to beat the current game at this time. Even among the pros, the estimate was about 22-33 hours excluding the top brass like Precision.

After the stream, Seeker went home and gave his parents a delightful surprise.

“Five hundred thousand Sydians?!” Grace cried out in excitement.

Chris was just looking at the amount of money that Seeker casually handed over as ‘pocket money’ for their trip.

“This is too much Zeek. We could afford the trip of ourselves. No need to give me those…” Chris never had this much money in their bank account.

“Mom, Dad. Don’t worry. I don’t need this much. I really don’t. I already earn a lot with my online celebrity status. So take the money. You can go on a shopping spree or travel the world or something. I’ll probably be leaving too. After tomorrow I could be on my way to Australia for the Nations of the World E-Sport Meet. Principal Decker was just kind enough to approve about a week-long leave at school.” Seeker calmly explained.

Grace and Chris looked at each other and smiled.

“You know what, use the money to go elsewhere. I can probably earn enough to pay for whatever we need by the time you get back. If we win the tournament, which I am confident of, I should be able to take home about two hundred to five hundred thousand Sydians.” Seeker laughed.

“No we just can’t. Seeker, you are an adult now. And with this building career of yours we want you to grow and to learn how to properly manage your funds. And I believe that letting you have a free reign over your money would be a better teacher than having me and your mom manage your funds. Right now, I think a little personal experience with that money can help you grow.” Chris instructed.

“Of course, we appreciate this gesture of having us hold on to your money but it’s better if we discuss your plans now and just give you advice.” Grace spoke dearly to the son who he was extremely proud off.

“Who said anything about giving you all my money? I have more. I even gave Lynd and Meryl the roughly a two hundred thousand so they can send their parents on an all-expense paid vacation.” Seeker interrupted.

The two parents stood silently. It was as if they tried to analyze Seeker's statement like it was a profound riddle or math problem.

“You gave your two friends two hundred thousand Sydians?” Grace calmly asked.

“Two hundred each. So four hundred.” Seeker nodded.

“Seeker. Have you lost your mind?” Grace tried to control her voice.

“What? No. I did what I felt I should do with my money. Like what you just said.” Seeker shrugged.

“I gave away some of my money to my friends and some to you. Think of it as a thank you for helping me. But I will be managing my money from here on.”

“You gave away FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND?” Grace’s tone rose drastically.

“Yeah. They earned it. They’ve been helping me, you know. Both in advertising and all the technical help. They deserve it.”

“How much money do you have left?” Chris interrupted.

“Including this five hundred thousand? About 4.5 million give or take. I earned quite a lot with all the advertising and stuff. Meryl and Lynd really outdid themselves. Not to mention I got a lot of investors now who hold me in high regard.” Seeker smiled. It helped that his parents weren’t well-versed in gaming jargons.

“Give us One Million- Two million Sydians.” Chris demanded. He was about to demand one million when he felt his wife giving him a strong pinch.

“Ok. I’ll just withdraw some more tomorrow. Go wild on your trip guys. Love you.” Seeker kissed his parent’s goodnight.

“Typical of mom.” Seeker mumbled happily under his breath as he walked back to his room.

Seeker’s parents took the money and quietly walked towards their room. Howls of demented shouts and excited cries were heard as the late hours passed.

Seeker was the first to arrive at the apartment the very next day.

He was already setting up his computer for the big game.

Lynd and Meryl arrived together.

“You guys alright?” Seeker smiled as he looked at the tired eyes of his two assistants.

Lynd gave an obvious look at Seeker.

Meryl had a worried one.

“Are we going to do that training later?” Meryl asked sheepishly.

“A different kind this time. Yesterday I needed to work on my gun skills. Tonight, it’s going to be a close combat bonanza.” Seeker smiled.

Meryl was in tears.

“So, any signs of improvement?”

The two shook their heads helplessly.

Seeker laughed.

“It’s alright. We have a lot of time to prepare. I bet another day or two and you can somehow touch on the basics of pushing your brain to a higher level of Unlocking.”

The two sighed as they heard Seeker.

“Is there a trick? How does it feel when you try to push your brain harder?” Meryl asked.

“Yeah Zeek? What’s the trick? I tried to concentrate so hard that my face turned red but nothing happened.”

Seeker laughed as he remembered his ‘younger’ days.

“Are you sure you were concentrating and not contracting all the muscles you can control in your general head area? Were you holding your breath as you tried to contract your muscles?” Seeker laughed.

“I was uh.. trying something.” Lynd gave n embarrassed response.

“Don’t worry. The more you experience it, the more you get the hang of it.”

“How sure are you this will work? Was this done on you?” Meryl asked.

“No of course not. The scenarios of my unlocking involved Charles. Due to the war we were forced to evacuate this country. I met Charles during the escape and at that time Charles already had developed a serum that was untested. One thing led to another and eventually got exposed to these drugs which pushed my brain straight to the Unbecoming stage.”

“If that's how you got unlocked, then how sure are you that this will work?”

“Because there were records of people getting Unlocked during the war. Some even Unlocked themselves without getting into life threatening situations.”

“How? We even went through hell and couldn’t do that, then how can others do that?” Meryl had a curious look.

“I don’t know. Even I can’t even comprehend how some managed to do so.” Seeker shrugged.

The group continued on to prepare for the stream. It was time for Seeker to rule the gaming world.

Seeker wasn’t lying about the sponsorship. Three international studios purchased the rights to air Seeker’s stream on their channels for a pay-per-view setup. Aside from that several local cable channels also did the same. It was pure hype. On the Internet, it was known as the Gamble of the Ages.

It was an arrogant claim. Even Precept Gaming has announced that it was virtually impossible to complete the game in less than eight hours. The theoretical minimum would be the previous record that Seeker did. Although Precisions claim was even shorter, it still fell within the scope of possibilities that Precept Gaming announced.

The moment the room opened a gushing number of viewers immediately joined in. The room had over a thousand viewers almost instantly. But despite this number, the room remained quiet. In this room, the list of names of online viewers contained names that any gamer in the world would know.

The Covenant of the Strongest had their complete line up logged in for the stream. Competing Piercing e-sport celebrities were also present.

Git Godlike of the Australian Oceana were also present. This caused the unusual silence in the room. Two of the most competitive Piercing teams who were also basically mortal enemies were here.

“Begin.” A commanding message displayed when the room was deathly silent.

He was also another reason why the room was silent.

Arthur coldly commanded. It was clear he was here to see the demise of Seeker. Various fans of Seeker didn’t have the heart to even congratulate Seeker. They knew that doing so would display irreverence to Precision.

“Haha. Chill Arts! Just sit back and enjoy what you paid for!”

If that message just came from anyone, he would have felt the wrath of fans who was disrespectful from their fans. But the game handle of this person had a simple, yet very domineering name. Cronus, the commander of Git Godlike.

Arthur didn’t even bother to respond and just watched the screen.

“Hahaha.” Seeker laughed as he finally broke the silence.

“My oh my. So much tension in the room. Well, here we are. Is it my ‘judgement’ day? Or my day of triumph? Many may have well-remembered that I just completed Piercing:Bullet last night. But today, I will do it again in a little over seven hours. I see many people here to watch my awesome skills. And also another group who came to see me bury my gaming career. Quite a gamble I’ve placed here and Arthur really made me tie my hands.” Seeker smiled.

“If I fail, I end my career which means I have no way of joining Git Godlike even if they did offer me something. I signed the papers and the lawyers have made the necessary preparations to set up this amazing gamble.” Seeker took out a piece of paper. It was a legal document which formalized everything.

“I just hope that Arthur won’t be mad at me for wrecking his prophecies. Now. Let us begin.” Seeker immediately started a new game in Piercing:Bullet.

The same cut scène appeared where Bullet was happily whistling and later started massacring his enemies.

Seeker didn’t bother to stay too long and immediately went ahead on to the next room to face the boss.

As Seeker continued to attack and evade, a peculiar trend was seen.

“He’s still using the melee build but abandoned the skill training?” Arthur frowned. In all his calculations of trying to pass the game at record speed, this was the way to go. Skill and proficiency training was the best way.

People then noticed it when Seeker was fighting the boss.

An avalanche of comments started to pour out on the room.

Seeker smiled as he saw this.

“I understand your surprise friends. But if I want to beat this game at that time, I have no time for skill training. You’ll understand how I will compensate for this.” Seeker smiled mysteriously and continued to attack the boss.

The boss fight took longer than his first play through. Without the skills and added damage from the proficiency of the attacks, Seeker spent more than 2 minutes facing the boss. As was already a standard, Seeker had yet to receive one hit.

Seeker looked like he was casually playing. But his viewers were excited. Almost every attack that Seeker used was skill based. It was killing two birds with one stone. Seeker was slowly building the proficiency levels of his current skill as he progressed in the game.

Various comments about Seeker’s antics continued. However, most of the pros or well-known figures of the gaming world kept silent. There was nothing new in Seeker’s progression. If anything, he sacrificed quite a bit of time by doing this. This was vastly noticed as Seeker progressed. Every boss fights were longer than usual.

Arthur didn’t look worried. He gazed straight at the screen and even looked like he expected Seeker to follow this route.

The game continued to progress and soon, over an hour passed.

Arthur was now smirking as time passed. The speed of Seeker wasn’t anything special.

“Now. Some may have noticed that my speed, although it is pretty fast, this won’t be enough for me to pass the entire game to win the bet. But after this boss, I should be able to skip over ten hours of gameplay.” Seeker smiled.

Arthur had a shocked expression.

 

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Two Skills Needed
The boss battle began. Seeker had already increased proficiency on many skills and the battle proceeded easily. As the boss health’s decreased to zero, the cut-scene appeared. Bullet, who in the middle of fighting a brawny man with bright shining bracelets, suddenly took out one large handgun. He held that handgun like a tonfa. At the push of a button, a sharpcurved blade protruded from the rear sight of the handgun and extended at an exaggerated length. Bullet, who held the handgun like a tonfa now had a short blade.

Bullet ran and thrusted his rifle first which were then blocked by something that looked like force fields.

Bullet smiled and rammed the handgun’s blade on the force field and pierced through it.

The brawny man evaded the blade but was met with Bullet’s rifle.

SMASH!

The brawny man somersaulted backwards and gazed angrily at Bullet.

“You have his weapon?”

“Why? It’s not cheating. He’s my brother. It’s only natural I get to use it.” Bullet smiled. He took a stance which indicated he was ready for another clash.

“Boring.” The brawny man responded and a large force field emitted under his fist. The man was then catapulted to the air and successfully escaped.

“Coward.” Bullet laughed as he took a look at the handgun.

“Ah screw it. He did give it to me. What’s wrong in using it?”

The cut scene faded and the game continued.

Seeker then controlled Bullet to move at a fast speed. Along the way, Seeker would use new combos as he had a new weapon to play around with. A mixture of melee and simple ranged attacks appeared as Bullet was now dual wielding his weapons. One hand carried his trusted Rifle, and another held the unique handgun which could also be used as a blade. However, keeping true to his promise, Seeker didn’t add any skills on his ranged attacks and kept these attacks at basic shots.

As Seeker continued to go along on his journey, the chat room was oddly quiet. Everyone was watching intently at what Seeker would do.

“There are two things that is necessary in order to beat this game at record speed.” Seeker began to talk mysteriously.

The direction which he was traveling was going towards a very familiar base. It was the base which Piercing used as its main area for storing and developing weapons. Because of this, it was heavily guarded. Throughout the majority of the game, this base was a suicide zone for most players. It was impossible to attack the base. The damage of the enemies in this area was overpowered that for most of the game, one hit was enough to kill Bullet regardless of what armors that Bullet could wear. The entire base used Piercing ammunitions and complex tracking systems that would give headaches to every player.

“He’s heading for the Main Base!” A viewer typed immediately as he realized Seeker’s direction.

Arthur watched as Seeker continued to move. He was frowning. This was pointless. The base contained high-leveled enemies and even if Seeker did manage to kill one, it had an unlimited respawn rate. At this point, there is nothing to do at that base. The base was usually attacked late-game when Bullet's level would be high enough and missions would be completed to drastically lower the base’s defense.

“The first thing that is necessary, is a calm mind that can keep track of the enemy’s attack.” Seeker announced as he finally reached the base area. Despite being far from the main entrance, some missiles and laser-like attacks were reaching his area. Seeker was able to causally avoid these attacks.

“This base has a total of 27 active enemies all of which, can kill me in one hit. Each has their own timing and attack pattern.” On the far end of the screen, several enemy soldiers with a unique set of clothes were moving to the frontline. Piercing Fans immediately identified them as Pierce Soldiers.

The soldiers started to shoot at Bullet. The enemy used simple guns but the odd thing was, the bullet attacks had no animations to tell the players were the attacks where.

These soldiers were also the reason who no one dared to attack the base. Players would die at these attacks annd couldn't even reach the base.

Seeker however smiled. His face slowly turned serious. Time began to slow down in his perception.

“Two more seconds, and that one attacks, that missile should reach be a low attack. Must evade to the left as the Pierce should attack now.” Seeker thought to himself.

Everyone who watched the screen could only see a blur of commands as if Seeker was randomly mashing his controller. However, on the screen, Bullet kept dodging the attacks cleanly.

Arthur gazed in surprise. He dared not blink as to skip even a second of Seeker’s performance.

On another city, located at the heart of Australia, a group of teens gathered around one computer to observe Seeker’s performance.

“IMPOSSIBLE!” A tall and very good-looking Caucasian with blue eyes shouted in surprise.

“How good is he boss?” A timid Asian woman asked by his side.

“He’s as fast as I am!” The blue-eyed man responded immediately.

Seeker’s approach was getting slower and slower. There were moments when Seeker had to retreat a couple of steps back in order to evade the attacks.

“The main turrets of the base fire two types of attack. One aimed to hit your current location and another to hit the area directly in front of you. The Pierce soldiers all shoot aiming at your current direction. The mortars either hit your current location or the area directly behind you. So you need to be able to count the attacks of all these soldiers. Now the troublesome attacks are the ones that the Pierce soldiers do. They attack almost randomly. You’re only queue is to move once you see the gunshot. So the trick is to actually have them in your screens at all time.” Seeker narrated as he focused on evading and moving.

Arthur frowned. He couldn’t have replicated what Seeker was doing. The attacks were to diverse and its conditions too harsh.

“That is the second requirement is speed, accuracy and control. Since the random attacks of all these Pierce soldiers come almost instantly, you need to be able to react immediately and push the right buttons. However, be careful to move at the right direction to avoid the turrets, missiles, lasers and stuff. Evading at the wrong direction can get you killed.”

‘CHEAT! THIS IS DEFINITELY A CHEAT!” A chat appeared breaking the silence of the chat room.

“Are you an idiot? Can’t you see everything happening real-time? This is pure skill!” a fan defended.

Seeker’s movement of moving forward and backwards took time. Eventually nearly twenty minutes had passed and Seeker was nearing the actual gates of the base.

Everyone was hyped at Seeker’s beautiful execution of skills. It was over twenty minutes of pure concentration and expert maneuvering.

“This was just like Precision and Cronus’ battle back then!” Several chats comparing Seeker’s actions with another well-known event were made. People were continuously excited. Many cringed at the near death of Seeker. If any of these attacks landed, Seeker would immediately die.

As he drew closer. The attacks of the enemy were getting faster as the turrets and mortar attacks had very little distance to cover. Seeker pushed his Unlocking to the middle of the Proficient rank of the Unbecoming stage. Time was getting even slower than ever.

This allowed Seeker to think where to evade as he would calculate the attacks and of the following enemies.

Seeker controlled Bullet to jump backwards and the very moment Bullet's feet would touch the ground, Seeker immediately pressed the button to make another jump to the left. A gunshot from a Pierce soldier could be seen so Seeker moved sideways and dashed forward as he saw an incoming missile.

All three attacks happened almost instantly. But Seeker managed to evade everything.

“That’s impossible! How did he know where to jump! He must have definitely cheated somehow!” An angry viewer voiced out. Several was just about to insult this this player but recognized his name and knew he was a pro player.

Seeker smiled. He turned to and looked directly at the camera. His focus was not on his screen. Even if it was Arthur, this reckless act of turning away from the screen for a second would mean death.

“And that’s why you will forever be unable to defeat Arthur.” Seeker smiled and turned his gaze back at the screen and easily maneuvered another set of jumping and dashing movements which evaded all attacks.

“I already told you the two skills needed to accomplish this. You say it’s impossible? You are wrong. Two people viewing this stream has these two skills. The first one, is Instant Calculation.”

The Covenant of the Strongest gasped at Seeker’s mention.

Arthur frowned. Instant Calculation was what he called his precise calculating skills. He could instantly calculate the time, speed, and even memorize the sequence or the enemies A.I at one look. This was what made him a king among many games.

“How did he know about Instant Calculation!” Kristine asked in an alarmed voice.

“Does he have it?” Another pro player asked the frowning Arthur.

“Yes. But not’s all he has.” Arthur clench his fist.

Seeker continued to control Bullet precisely dodging and evading the myriad attacks. People viewing his screen seemed to be getting dizzy at Seeker’s movements.

“Calculating the attacks however is not enough at this case. Thanks to the presence of those five Pierce soldiers, we need Cronus’ skill. Millisecond Reaction.” Seeker smirked as he finally passed the area where the mortars and the turrets couldn’t hit him any longer.

The remaining soldiers along with the Pierce soldiers started attacking Bullet with long and close range attacks. The blurring screen started to move faster.

Every time Seeker would evade a solider would already be around him. Seeker would immediately jump to evade. It seemed fast but on Seeker’s perspective, he was carefully looking at his avatar’s body. The moment the foot would land; he would immediately do another jump or dash. Not a millisecond was wasted in Seeker’s movements.

Cronus stared with mouths agape.

The Guinness record for longest Piercing one-on-one fight came from the great Piercing Commando’s event two years ago. Precision and Cronus faced off one-on-one in what seemed like an endless battle. None of each other’s attacks worked. Even at the speeding attacks of Precision, Cronus managed to evade every single attack thanks to his skill which he dubbed as Millisecond Reaction.

Precision always maintained his distance, far from the reach of Cronus. Precision had the entire map on his mind. A cat and mouse battle which lasted over 2 hours until Cronus slipped up and got done in by Precision’s combo. It was later revealed that Precision’s arm was strained at overstressing himself. Had Cronus manage to hold on, Precision would have lost.

Cronus’ eyes were focused on Seeker’s hand.

“Precision has the eyes and can tell the exact second when an attack will hit and the precise angle he needs to take to avoid the hit. I, on the other hand can react quickly. I can hit the right keys, at the right time to make the right movement. In short, Precision has the eyes, and I have the hands. But Seeker has both.” Cronus explained.

Everyone on Git Godlike gazed in astonishment at Seeker's control.

Seeker controlled Bullet to run at the back area of the base. The discussion in the chat room shifted from Seeker’s skill to Seeker’s purpose of raiding the base. The base had nothing for Seeker. He couldn’t enter, he couldn’t fight any bosses.

Seeker then reached a hangar and started attacking the door of the hangar.

People were confused. These doors were of no surprise to them. The Piercing series used such doors to hide secret passages or was used to unlock secret weapons.

Seeker used the handgun and slashed at the door and suddenly he paused the game.

Everyone was confused.

“Now guys. Pay close attention. Once I’m finished with this I’ll immediately be thrown in late game.” Seeker smiled.

 

Chapter Forty: The Climax of the Bet
The game was paused. Seeker just used the first strike of a four-hit-combo basic attack using Edge’s handgun.

“Alright. Now a little question and answer. In this game, these doors are Piercing-proof and the only way to damage it is to use weapons that deal True Piercing damage. Now, Bullet, has no way of doing that but Edge’s weapon can.”

Seeker then unpaused the game and did another slash and paused it again. Seeker then smiled and looked back to the camera.

“When does the True Piercing damage of Edge’s weapon occur when it is used?” Seeker asked.

The more knowledgeable players started typing. But the first to give the answer was Arthur.

“The first strike. However, that weapon's True Piercing capabilities is too weak. At this point, it is impossible to destroy that door no matter how hard you try.”

“You’re wrong again Arthur.” Seeker mocked. He unpaused the game and did another strike and paused it again.

“The truth is, it was made with that intention, but this specific game version of Piercing: Bullet has a flaw.” Seeker did his routine of unpausing, striking and pausing. Seeker then pointed at the at an enemy Pierce soldier nearby. The soldier was dressed in its trademark blue uniform but had a thicker set of armor. Veterans of the game knew this was an Anti-Piercing armor.

“What most don’t know that the way these doors are set up is that it has its own set of hit points. Of course, we never get to see it in-game. So we assume that the way to break this is by using Edge’s upgraded handgun which we get later in the game. However, the truth is it is similar to the other enemies in this base.”

Seeker unpaused the game and did a quick evade from the enemy soldiers attack while attacking the door and paused the game once more.

“The hint we get are from the other enemies or turrets that this base has. I don’t have the time to show you but the reason why it would be impossible to destroy this base right now is because the True Piercing damage of my current weapon cannot match the regen of the enemies hit points.”

Seeker paused the game once more and did another strike and evaded some attacks from the surrounding enemies and then paused it.

“The problem is that the hit points of these doors regenerate at a fast speed. Arthur, how do you propose I destroy it?” Seeker smirked.

Arthurs response immediately was displayed.

“It’s impossible. The True Piercing attack on that handgun only happen on the first attack. You need to stop attacking for about three seconds in order to do another first attack or it will combo. By the time you finish a set of attacks or wait for three seconds, the door would return to full health.”

“Very precise. As expected of Precision.” Seeker did his regular pausing routine.

“But you made one miscalculation. The truth is, the True Piercing attack doesn’t happen on the first attack. But it has a cool down of three seconds. It’s just a coincidence that the four-hit combo as well as the wait time is three seconds.” Seeker smiled and did his pausing, unpausing routine.

Arthur and Kristine was the first to realize it. But it was Cronus who managed to say it.

“A BUG!” Cronus typed. The viewers were confused.

“That’s right. You finally caught on. This release version has a bug. The cool down of three seconds applies even when the game is paused.” Seeker did his last attack and the door broke open.

Immediately a cut scene occurred.

Bullet was using Edge’s handgun and was about to break the door open when a large blade protruded out of the door. Bullet barely dodged it as the attack nearly took out Bullet’s eyes. The hangar was sliced opened as Hollow appeared with his trademark scythe.

“Bullet! I’m here to get the gun back!”

“You mean this gun?” Seeker held the gun and switched it to its ranged form and started shooting. The game continued.

Seeker kept dodging the attacks of Hollow. Worst still was how the surrounding soldiers continued to attack Seeker.

“This game is full of bugs. But that’s exactly how I’ll win this bet Arthur.” Seeker laughed.

Seeker didn’t attack Hollow but attacked the nearest soldier. Surprisingly the first combo immediately inflicted damage equal to a quarter of the soldiers’ life!

“WHAT!?” Arthur screamed in surprise.

Seeker continued to attack the soldiers and finally killed one. The experience points of killing this enemy caused Seeker’s level to increase by ten!

“Confused? Think. The last cut scene showed how Bullet used the handgun of Edge. If you were careful to notice, it wasn’t the old handgun. You see, at this point of the game, you must have the upgraded handgun to open up this area. That’s how the game is supposed to work. So what happens if I don’t have that weapon but a cut scene requires Bullet to force equip that weapon?”

Seeker then continued on attacking with range attacks. Even the range attacks did tremendous damage to the soldier.

"He got an upgrade! It really is a bug!" A viewer typed out. isntantly, an avalanche of comments followed.

Seeker did another kill and managed several level ups immediately. Seeker continued to avoid Hollow but used his weapons to inflict damage on the surrounding soldiers. After 10 minutes of this soldier-killing-spree, Seeker finally focused on attacking Hollow.

As Seeker had already presented an almost impossible array of skills, the battle didn’t impress its viewers. People were just waiting for Seeker to kill the boss and move on. Seeker’s damage was relatively small. People finally understood why Seeker did a quick power-leveling training.

The boss died and Seeker managed to unlock newer weapon upgrades and ammunitions. Seeker immediately left the base. The exit was faster than the entrance as the turrets were all destroyed.

“Now that we have this weapon, I now can destroy the main hangar. That should catapult me into somewhere late-game now.” Seeker smiled.

Everyone was shocked at Seeker’s casual mention.

“HE CAN DO IT GUYS! A RECORD OF EIGHT FREAKIN HOURS BY CASUAL CARLEAN!” A crazed fan was the first one to announce.

With Seeker’s new weapon, he now can kill enemies and inflict damage to bosses. As Seeker said, by destroying the main hangar, Seeker advance in the story line skipping ten or so hours of gameplay. Seeker had just spent barely three hours of gameplay and he was already at late-game stage.

Suddenly, the angry gamblers who realized that they picked on the wrong side of the bet started complaining. Seeker ignored the argument and continued to press forward. Since Arthur wasn’t complaining, he didn’t care.

Seeker’s progression continued in a fast pace. However, every boss fight was a chore. As Seeker’s skill proficiency was so low, the attack speed was slow and the damage wasn’t very huge. Since Seeker skipped through a lot of the story’s parts, he had limited unlocked skills and his rifle was next to useless. Most of the succeeding bosses took nearly an hour of fighting before Seeker would manage to defeat it.

Soon over six hours has passed and Seeker was approaching the area where the last boss was.

Seeker’s head was throbbing. Throughout the game, also had been eating a lot of food and would take some pain relievers to minimize the throbbing pain of his head. He knew he had somehow overused his Unlocking when he attacked the base.

Seeker suddenly paused the game.

“Um. Lynd. Could you like give me a massage? My head hurts.” Seeker shyly asked.

Lynd gave Seeker a peculiar look. He didn’t move or make any indication that he planned to follow Seeker’s orders.

Seeker then turned to Meryl.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes Meryl. I am. I have been spending the last seven hours playing this game and it required a bit of concentration. So will you massage my head?” Seeker spoke with a sarcastic tone.

Meryl scoffed and hurriedly positioned herself behind Seeker and started to do the massage. Thankfully, the three of them would habitually massage each other and due to that, the three knew a little bit about massaging. Meryl started to massage and Seeker continued the game.

Seeker controlled Bullet to enter the final room and a cut scene occurred.

“Nope. I don’t think I can. I overstressed my brain. Instant Calculation and Millisecond Reaction really puts a number on you. Lynd, could you take over?” Seeker held the controllers straight at Lynd.

Lynd was dumbfounded.

“Look Lynd, If I play, then I’m dead. You know of my condition. I really can’t. You have to play on my behalf. Don’t worry I’ll tutor you.” Seeker stood up and allowed Lynd to seat down at his location.

Meryl was tongue-tied. They were losing time and now Seeker wanted Lynd to take over.

“Seeker!” Meryl cried.

“I’m serious Meryl. I still need you to give me a massage. Lynd, take over. We are running out of time. Just do what I do.” Seeker arranged his seat and sat down with his seat inclined backwards.

Lynd took the controller. It was clear that his hands were shaking.

The game continued with Lynd controlling Bullet. The cut scene ended just in time and the battle began.

The final boss was a small frail man who looked like a teen. He had a very bored expression. Surrounding him were several floating orbs which would either shoot out laser beams or created a force field similar to the brawny man with the bracelets.

Lynd immediately panicked and started evading.

“Evade to the left. Run off the side. Now continuously jump and dash towards the furthest orb on the left and attack it. Good. Now, stop attacking. Oh. Be careful. One hit and half of your life would be gone. We are severely under leveled.” Seeker was casually instructing Lynd as he received a massage from Meryl who would occasionally shriek in terror.

“Relax Lynd. The gamble didn’t include a no-hit clause. You can get hit. Of course you’d probably die in two or three strikes.” Seeker smiled.

“Oh that was close. Back off a bit. You’re getting to a bad position. Keep evading and return to the original spot you were when the fight started.”

Lynd was paling in fright. It was almost a miracle that he could control Bullet correctly.

“Relax Lynd. We’ve been playing Piercing for so long. And you were even better than me at one point. Just follow my directions ok? Meryl, apply more pressure.”

Meryl was angry. She looked like she could just yank Seeker’s head off. It was one thing for him to ask her for a massage during one of the biggest gamble the world has ever seen, but now, handling the controllers over to Lynd.

“Alright. Let’s start again. Try to keep up with my instructions. We’re a little pressed with time here and we could still lose.” Seeker smiled.

Lynd’s palm was sweating like crazy now.

Seeker gave a series of instructions which Lynd continued to follow. He managed to avoid getting hit a single time.

Meanwhile the chants and messages seen on the chat rooms were from those who placed their bets against Seeker. They knew if Seeker won this gamble, then people will definitely offer Seeker money double of Arthur’s pay. The only choice was for Seeker to lose this gamble so he can never play again.

Seeing the prayers of curses and ridicule, Seeker laughed.

“Alright. Lynd, I think you got the basic. Just do what I would do. I’ll stop instructing you. How about a last gamble? Since I’m betting everything to Lynd, I bet that Lynd can defeat this boss without getting a single hit. I’m betting 100,000 credits for this.” Seeker smiled. He walked over to the computer and opened the Gambling Den once more.

There it was, a Den with 100,000 credits on wager. Without skipping a beat all of those who gambled against Seeker poured in their money. Seeker placed it on a 500 credit buy in. There were even some who were loyal to Seeker who placed their bets. After all, they didn’t know who this Lynd was.

Meryl looked worried. She looked at Lynd who also looked worried. But strangely enough, Lynd felt calm despite this strange situation.

“Wake me up once you beat it Lynd. Meryl, please continue with the massage.” Seeker sat back down and continued to enjoy Meryl’s massage without any care for the world.