After around 6 hours of rinse and repeat that I even have to use the method of making an Energy Zone to help her replenish her energy which I created at the World of Systems, Dannae fell back on my bed, exhausted.
She could only utter some incoherent mumblings before she immediately drifted off to sleep. I might have been using Spirit Boost on her to keep her up on top form and fully energized but the mental exhaustion finally hit her.
The gun that she dropped on the bed was now giving me a higher sense of pressure than when she pointed it at me yesterday. It's probably even stronger than an Ultimate Metagen's attack.
It's already morning and the Tribe Leader already curiously knocked on my door earlier to see what's happening inside.
He saw her sneaking into my room and thought that I might've done something to the girl since she never left after entering.
But when he saw her sitting on the bed with a determined face as she continuously used her ability on the gun, he could only cough twice before excusing himself.
Of course, he's also curious as to what she was doing so I told him that she was doing that to make up for the trouble she did for me.
Before I left the underground settlement to look for a place where I would wait for the emergence of the Door of Transcendence, I visited Dannae's mother through her lead.
The description of being ill sounds like an undertone compared to her real condition.
She was in a comatose state. In fact, it could be said that she's already in the vegetative state where only a miracle can let her wake up again.
After using my three boosts, her mother's complexion gained a bit of color but those weren't enough to wake her up. She really needed a specialist who could tell her real situation and find a cure for it.
To check her identity, I snapped a photo of her to search on the database once I went back to the city.
"Well then, thank you for letting me stay, Tribe Elder. I might be back in a few days but first, please take this. This is from Nysia, it's a little show of her gratitude."
I handed him the things Nysia asked me to give them.
Well, after a day of observing them, they're how Nysia described them.
Except for their discrimination against Dannae, everything is the same. I couldn't really just blame them for that. Maybe only a few of them really knew about the Anzeans but that's enough for everyone to know about the existence of the Alien Civilization who was responsible for the destruction of the other countries.
No matter how Dannae shows that she's different, her dark green skin will always be the first detail everyone will judge. The worst they did was to have her go up to hunt a Mutant Beast for food, alone but with the assistance of the Tribe Elder.
After thanking me, he opened the passageway to the surface. That's where Dannae sneaked out yesterday when there's no one watching over it.
"Wait, why is Dannae coming with you?"
"Ah. I'm borrowing her gun. She wanted to get it from me after I used it."
When the Tribe Elder saw how Dannae followed after me, he couldn't help but be curious. Yesterday, I almost died due to her. Earlier, I had her work like a machine to amplify her gun to be strong enough to threaten a Transcendent and now she's following me outside.
Maybe in his eyes, I will be taking this girl with me when I leave. But that probably won't happen. Her ability is really useful but if I am to bring her back to the city, it will be worse for her. She's better off here where the Tribal Elder sheltered them.
Also, I might've encountered her unexpectedly but that doesn't mean our destinies will reach convergence like with my other Companions.
Because of how aware I am of this destiny thing, among all the women I encountered here, only to Nysia did I feel the kind of attraction which led me to be also drawn towards her, no matter how crazy her claim was. Ah. Maybe the orb was one huge factor for that.
After emerging from the surface, I took out Purple Haze again and entered it. This time, Dannae jumped after me and found herself a seat somewhere she could observe how I piloted the Metagen.
"Daisuke, do you have more of this machine?"
"Why? Do you want one?"
"Yes. It looks so useful and my father used to talk about how he created them."
Eh? That's new information about her father. Does he create Pentacoms? So he's not just a ground soldier but probably the same as a Researcher? Just what is his identity? To have a child with a human then leave them behind. Is there some kind of plan involved in it? Is Dannae just a part of an experiment? But if she is, there should be someone observing her.
Ugh… Without proper talk with the leaders of that civilization, I could only guess like this.
"It might be dangerous for your tribe if you were spotted here piloting it, so no."
"What? But you're piloting one right now!"
"Because I won't be here for long. I'll be leaving soon after I'm done with what I am supposed to do here. Someone is waiting for me."
"I see. You will also leave. Just like him…"
The melancholy in her voice couldn't be hidden as she stared on the screen which shows the surroundings as the Purple Haze started to go deeper into the Scorched Forest. Maybe she's trying to remember her father who left them. With her mother in that kind of state, it must be really hard for her.
"Yes. I only ran away here to do this. If I didn't run, it's possible that a lot of people would die because of me."
"You keep talking about that, but what will you do?"
"I am going to step into the realm of Transcendence or in this world's terms, the Mythic-rank."
On my side, she gasped in surprise and became speechless. Because of that, the rest of the journey became filled with comfortable silence.
5 hours later I found a suitable spot deep inside the Scorched Forest. After dispatching the surrounding Mutant Beasts who were around Rank 3 and 4 in strength, the other beasts became too scared that they ran off from the area.
After disembarking from the Purple Haze, I set up a little camp to wait for the night. Dannae followed me and silently ate the food I had given her.
I guess she lost her tongue when I told her about how I am now near Mythic-rank. She probably couldn't believe it as the way she acted around me was that of someone in equal standing.
"If I give you a Metagen, will you promise me to only use it when necessary?"
Upon hearing my question, her ears perked up and finally found her tongue back.
"Yes! It's for the tribe's protection. Also… I wouldn't just aim my gun like what I did to you."
"No. What you did was correct. Don't trust a stranger easily. Especially those who will see you. Out there, your father's kind is seen as invaders. If someone finds you here, they will not hesitate to kill you."
Surely the Tribe Elder already told her about that fact but since they're all holed up in this area their whole life, his words must be weak.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I don't know. Nysia cared for that tribe and as a part of it, you're included in that. Also, there are no lies in my words. You'll really be killed if you leave this area so stay here for now."
"Alright… thank you."
With her rare showing of gratitude, I didn't say anything more and just nodded at her.
And just like that, the time for the emergence of the Door of Transcendence arrived.
[Time Remaining: 00:00:05]
"Go hide somewhere, Dannae. It's here. I'll give the gun back to you later."
I instructed her and she immediately nodded. Of course, she also felt that. The sudden increase in pressure from the surroundings and the outline of the door appearing from the sky.
[Time Remaining: 00:00:02]
[Time Remaining: 00:00:01]
[Time Remaining: 00:00:00]
[The Door of Transcendence has appeared.]
As soon as that notification rang inside my mind, the outline of the door that was slowly being materialized completed its emergence.
And unlike the first two doors that I saw, this huge archaic door was surely calling upon me. Calling me to break it open and enter that Door.
I jumped inside the Purple Haze and immediately flew upwards to meet the huge Door of Transcendence.
Now that it's in front of me, I could finally see what Nysia, Yuko and Yumiko saw during their own Transcendence.
The pressure the door was giving off was the same as the Transcendent Aura which Nysia and Yuko showed me before. As a Rank 5 Mortal, it felt like I would be crushed if I was subjected to it.
But yeah, now's not the time for that.
As the Purple Haze hovered just below it, I opened the cockpit and reached my hand to the door.
"Argh!"
As soon as my hand touched it, my head was assaulted by an immense headache from the information the door contained.
But when I looked it up in my mind, I couldn't recall the specific details that were uncovered by my Adaptability.
There's only one information that stuck out.
Break the Door open.
I guess there's no way to know what's the true identity of this Door of Transcendence and why do we have to pass through it to become a Transcendent.
Maybe the answer lies beyond it. Then there's no other way but to break this door down.
From the Necklace, I pulled out Dannae's gun.
As soon as it appeared from my hand, my heart started to beat faster because of the pressure it contained, it's even stronger than what the Door exuded.
When Dannae woke up earlier, I had her continue using her ability after eating her meal. Though she was grumbling throughout, she followed my instruction and made the gun even stronger than it was before.
"If you didn't break from this. I might have a hard time breaking you. But yeah, I'll be amazed if it didn't break down from this gun."
While standing up from the cockpit, I aimed the gun upwards, to the menace that is the Door of Transcendence.
BOOOOM!!!
After I pulled the trigger, a huge wave of energy-based attack was unleashed that it encompassed the whole Door of Transcendence.
The recoil from it made the Purple Haze be pushed back for a few meters.
As I watched that wave of energy bash against the Door of Transcendence, cracks immediately started to spread on its surface and in a matter of seconds, even before it could trigger its self-regeneration, the huge archaic door was broken open due to the sheer force brought by the wave of energy upon firing the gun.
CRACK CRACK CRACK!
Seeing the debris of the ruined door fall off from the sky when the wave of energy subsided, A large grin appeared on my face.
It works!
[The Door of Transcendence was successfully opened.]
[The Door Guardians are now spawning.]
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