Chapter 43: Bottleneck
A couple more days had to pass before Dale had enough strength to roam the boot camp again.
Not that it made that much of a difference as everyone was still out... most likely with their family members or loved ones.
Now that he thought about it, why wasn’t Austin with them? Perhaps he would ask him when he got the chance again.
Now, however, he was going to visit Trevor in his room.
Because the second year hadn’t officially started, they were still in the same building. Once it did, though, they’d change their locations and would quickly have to adapt to their new surroundings.
It didn’t take long to get to his door.
Dale knocked and opened the room door, not knowing what to expect on the other side.
Much to his surprise, Trevor was fully recovered and even his face was a little tan while his frame seemed larger.
"Hey. How are you?" Dale asked and the other turned to him.
He nodded and stood up. "I am doing a lot better. What about you though? Facing that beast was hard on both of us."
Dale shrugged the question off. "It wasn’t like I was the one who pushed myself to a new level just because of it."
Trevor shifted slightly, and his expression turned vague. "One of the main issues I had with forcing myself to achieve that power was actually with my mindset."
"It felt strange... almost like a sort of unshakable indifference was imposing itself on me, numbing my emotions and blocking out all cares in the world."
Dale wasn’t going to question the unprompted transparency. If anything, he appreciated it. Perhaps something in the conversation would give him insight into how to awaken safely.
And if that didn’t work he could try to cheat his way into Awakening. A clear means of that would be to use Trevor’s ability skill to give himself an ’Awakened’ adjective.
With that, he’ll be able to get a feel of what his ability requires him to do. Effectively making him Awakened.
In fact, the more he thought about it, the more appealing it started to seem. It was important that the military didn’t find out about the potential of Trevor’s ability in that regard.
He shuddered at the thought of a nation that could mass-produce Awakened rather than waiting for them to achieve natural enlightenment.
But it was going to be a double-edged sword.
Yes, they would have more foot soldiers which could turn the tide of any war but at the cost of the value of their lives.
The overall value of Awakened soldiers was bound to drop... not to factor in the effect on their potential.
He eventually settled on asking Trevor a single question, "Are you still Ascended?"
The latter chuckled. "I wish I were. At least I would feel better knowing that I managed to figure out the prerequisite for my Ascension."
"I know you haven’t Awakened and shouldn’t worry about it yet but I think you should know. I’ll inform the others later. Beyond Awakening, there’s a sort of wall... thick and unyielding." He paused and his eyes turned distant as though trying to recall a vague dream.
"When I slimed my way to matching the might of the centipede, I felt the wall. It was tall and imposing yet so faint and fleeting. I don’t know how but it felt like it was stopping me from truly stepping into the rank."
Dale listened carefully. He had already had a couple of ideas about it when he saw Trevor boost his power.
If it were truly that easy, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would be Ascended. Naturally, there had to be a limiter.
But even he hadn’t expected it to be like this.
’So much for forcing my way into Awakening... Even if I do succeed with that back-handed method, I’ll most likely never Ascend.’
The thought of being left behind while others climbed the ranks was saddening. If merely being the only Dormant in the team felt this bad, he shuddered at the thought of what would happen when they became Ascended.
It wasn’t a matter of if but when. Their Ascension was as certain as day.
Even if he doubted anyone’s potential, Trevor’s was as clear as day.
"Where are Sarah and Gary?" He eventually asked the other.
Trevor thought for a while then revealed casually, "I believe that they are out. Sarah is most likely in Mr. Song’s house while Gary is visiting his orphanage home."
The news came as a shock to Dale. So much so that he didn’t even notice how Trevor mentioned Sarah’s father’s name.
"Orphanage? Since when did Gary live in an orphanage?!" His voice rose in volume. He couldn’t help it though.
Trevor raised an eyebrow, "Since he was born? Gary never knew his parents, only his caretakers since as far back as he could remember. Mr Song is a regular philanthropist who donates there so that’s where they met."
A couple of questions popped up in his head. He wasn’t going to ask how Gary became an orphan since he was technically one as well.
The major difference between them, however, was that a proper journey from where he lived to an orphanage was impossible unless he had money.
And if he did, he would use it to buy something necessary for his survival.
Naturally, there were orphanages within the slums — as part of a government scheme to win over people — but finding one that wouldn’t sell him off while he was asleep was completely different.
The few good ones that existed were always bought off or targeted by organized crime syndicates until they had no choice but to leave the slums, abandoning the children they were meant to take care of.
And after that, who was there to take them in? None other than the same gangs who had chased off the orphanage.
Even Dale himself had had a few run-ins with them. It was nothing he was proud of but he needed to survive.
What didn’t make sense though was the tone Trevor used to mention Sarah’s father’s name.
"Why do you say ’Mr Song’s like that?" He asked and Trevor raised an eyebrow like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Because I’m his worker."
