Chapter 43: Chapter Forty-Three: A Mission
Chapter Forty-Three: A Mission
There were very few things in this world tied purely to coincidence; most were shaped by one’s destiny.
If even a single event from yesterday had not happened, Valen would never have used Quantum Perception, which would have led to him becoming a fugitive right now.
If he hadn’t swooped down back then to absorb the Tetydraco’s negative energy, the other two Tetydracos might have never caught up to him. So he wouldn’t have used Quantum Perception.
In fact, it could be said that the turning point came when he decided to head to the Mist Mountains. Otherwise, the other events would never have played out accordingly.
This caused Valen to sigh. Even he did not know what he was sighing about, but that was all he could do to calm his wildly beating heart.
The queue began to move once more, and this time Valen paid no more attention, merely wondering whether this was the true reason they had been summoned.
Very soon, every Evolver had undergone the test. The difference became immediately clear when those who passed and those who failed stood apart.
Beside Valen were numerous other people from White Star City, numbering over 90. Compared to the 400+ Evolvers from White Star City on this floor, only 90 had passed the test, showing how difficult it was.
Soon, a man of moderate build with bright green eyes arrived before them. Everyone instantly became excited, for they all knew him.
The man’s lips twisted into a bright smile, revealing rows of pearly white teeth as he introduced himself:
"I’m Fadil, and it’s nice to see so many of you passing the test. As you may know, passing the test is extremely difficult, so I’m glad to see that White Star City has so many upcoming champions. I’ll cut the talking short now and begin distributing your Elemental Power Suits."
He paused, checking everyone’s reactions before stating in a solemn voice:
"But note that it must not be destroyed. You only receive one as a newbie package. If you lose it, or it gets damaged, even if you obtain another, you will have to restart your progress entirely."
Everyone wore confused expressions, not fully understanding what Fadil meant. But Valen knew all too well.
These Elemental Power Suits were all Level 1, but they could be levelled up so their attacks became stronger and deadlier. Losing one’s Elemental Core or having it damaged meant a complete restart in progress.
This was the case he had faced with the Silver King’s Power Suit as well. He recalled that the first Silver King had levelled his Elemental Core up to Rank 4 before it was severely damaged.
Now, it was only at a meagre Level 10. The reason he had been uncertain of the Silver King’s true rank back then was because the memories were incomplete and missing parts.
Whether it had been deliberately done by Alex, he did not know.
Fadil began to call out a series of names, and once they approached, he handed them something called a System Crown— a headband worn around the head that read and transmitted signals, which the Humanity System interpreted and sent as wireless commands to the mech or Power Suit it was connected to.
Another interesting fact was that the crown also contained microscopic neural stimulators.
When the mech or Power Suit received sensory information, the crown could also feed that information back into the pilot’s brain, allowing them to feel the mech’s limbs, weight, balance, impacts, and other subtle details — albeit at only about 40% to 50% of the sensation of a natural body.
This was also why at least a 60% synchronisation rate was required for each Elemental Power Suit. Only at this threshold was it considered sufficiently safe. Fifty per cent might be manageable, but there was still a risk of neurological strain.
Humanity needed Evolvers, so they could not take such risks. While it was not perfect, science was never meant to be perfect. As long as the goal could be achieved, the invention had served its purpose.
Valen could only sigh and acknowledge that another system model had been produced after the system relay, system lenses, and Silver Watch.
After Iron Wraith and the luminous-haired teenager received their System Crowns and Power Suits, it was finally Valen’s turn.
Fadil smiled and said:
"So you’re the Valen who caused a commotion in the city yesterday? Congratulations on your high synchronisation rate with three Elemental Power Suits. Now tell me, which one of them do you want to choose?"
Valen wore a confused expression. Turning his head and glancing at the white-haired young man from the Outlands, who held four crowns in his hands, he asked Fadil:
"Commander, do I really have to focus on only one? How about I take all three?"
Fadil was visibly startled, then patiently explained:
"You can, of course. But do you really want to? Your progress will be incredibly slow if you have to level up three cores, you know? When your mates reach Level 15, you’ll still be at Level 5 with three Elemental Power Suits to develop."
Valen lowered his head in thought, then raised it after a moment and asked:
"All cores start from Level 1, right?"
Fadil had a bad feeling, but still replied:
"Yes."
Valen smirked. "Then I’m taking all three."
The surrounding Evolvers gaped, staring at Valen with blank expressions.
Fadil simply stared for a moment, then came back to his senses.
"I like your spirit. I just hope you come back to your senses sooner."
He then retrieved three System Crowns and three metallic boxes from his Inventory Ring, handing them to Valen.
"Each crown can only control a specific Power Suit. To ensure you do not secretly pass it to someone else, you must bind it to your System Watch here."
Valen nodded. He had already witnessed the process from the others, so he knew what to do.
However, an idea crept into his mind just as he was about to bind them to his watch. He switched his profile to that of the Abyssal King and bound the Fire and Metal System Crowns to it.
Then he switched back to Night Star and bound the Wind System Crown. He was not an idiot.
The reason he chose all three was not overconfidence, but necessity. He needed both the Fire and Metal Elemental Cores to enhance his Silver King Power Suit. If he had only requested those two and rejected the Wind Elemental Power Suit, it might not have been suspicious, but it would still have drawn unwanted attention.
Why had he left that one out? That would have been everyone’s thought.
So he acted the fool in order to secretly claim all the benefits for himself. Then he would proceed quietly, without drawing attention.
As for the Wind Elemental Power Suit, he would keep it. He could claim the others were destroyed or lost, but he needed at least one Power Suit on hand so as not to expose his Silver King identity.
After binding it, Valen wore the Wind System Crown, his sleek black hair partially covering it.
[Neural Signature Detected.]
[Pilot Identified: Night Star]
[Synchronisation Rate: 60.10%...]
[Neural Link Established.]
’Oh, my synchronisation rate has improved. It seems I was right — being injured can also reduce the synchronisation percentage...’
Before he could continue, Valen suddenly felt a change.
He sensed the stillness of the metallic box in his hands. It was as though he could control it with a thought — albeit not very precisely.
It felt similar to tightening a muscle. You could contract it, but not control it as finely as a limb.
Before a muscle fully contracts, there is a brief delay as the brain establishes the connection. This was how Valen felt.
Although he could control the box, there was a delayed response of about 0.15 seconds, or 150 milliseconds.
Such a response time was not optimal for an Evolver, but it was slightly faster compared to when he had previously relied on a mech’s AI.
’Could this be due to the low synchronisation rate?’ Valen wondered.
Then he sent a mental command, and the metallic case in his hands quickly transformed into liquid metal that spread across his body, forming a green Power Suit.
Two robotic wings extended from his back, and a sword was formed by the nanobots, solidifying in his hand.
Valen immediately felt it. The sword felt like an extension of his body, though the sensation was still somewhat faint.
Information about the Power Suit’s abilities was displayed before him via his System Lenses.
But before he could read it, Commander Fadil’s voice resounded with words that drew Valen’s attention and made him sigh at what was to come:
"Now that everyone has received their Elemental Power Suits, I would like to inform you of the true reason you were brought here."
Fadil glanced across the crowd, then added:
"Actually... we have a mission."
***
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