Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

CH710 Artificial Combat Warriors

***

’How is this possible?’ The question reverberated repeatedly through Eleanore’s mind.

According to the patients, prior to their berserk transformation, they had merely been ordinary commonfolk with only the slightest trace of cultivation talent.

Yet now, after being cured and restored to their human forms, their bodies were unconsciously absorbing ambient mana on their own, without them even realising it.

Even more astonishingly, they had retained the Class 2 rank they possessed while still transformed into berserk humans.

Eleanore found the development far too significant to keep to herself. After calmly settling the two patients down, she hurried to share the news with Alex, Zora, and Udara, who had already returned to the Fortuna Mansion in BloodIron through Alex’s installed spatial gate.

”What?! Is that true?”

Eleanore nodded, both in response to Zora’s question and as confirmation of her own lingering disbelief.

Alex was also surprised by the discovery, though his reaction was far less outwardly dramatic than that of his wives.

He simply nodded calmly while silently contemplating the matter.

”Actually, now that I think about it, this shouldn’t be entirely surprising. The signs were already there,” Alex said thoughtfully.

”What do you mean, Master?” Udara, seated beside him, asked curiously.

Zora and Eleanore also turned towards him with questioning expressions.

”Arguably, at the very core of why berserk transformation exists in humans... also lies the origin of Combat Warriors,” Alex said slowly.

He paused briefly before shaking his head, realising that his explanation might not properly convey what he meant.

He looked towards his wives.

”Let’s examine it from another perspective,” he said.

Carefully, he began painting a clearer picture for them.

”Let us take a step back and assume that the so-called Berserk Transformation in humans is essentially the overactivation of the precursor gene used to create the first generation of Combat Warriors through the influence of the Berserk Property within ambient mana.

”If that assumption is correct, then for the berserk property—which is essentially some part of Gu Mo’s divinity—to mutate to the point where it can affect all humans as it does now, I suspect it must have assimilated some component of that precursor gene into itself.”

”Therefore, we can imagine the current Berserk Property as the combination of Gu Mo’s divinity and the precursor gene—that’s one side of the equation,” Alex said, raising one hand expressively.

”On the other hand,” he raised his second hand as well before continuing, ”let us assume that after a millennium, most, if not all, humans within the main heavens of Verdantis possess the precursor gene inherited from the first generation of Combat Warriors, albeit potentially dormant within their gene pool. In that case, the true difference between a Warrior and an ordinary commoner would simply be that the former successfully activated their precursor gene, thereby gaining cultivation talent, while the latter never did.”

He paused briefly and glanced at both raised hands.

”Now, let’s combine these two points together.”

As he spoke, he brought both hands together and interlocked his fingers.

”Under the assumption that Berserk Transformation occurs because the Berserk Property forcibly activates the precursor gene beyond what the body can safely withstand, the process becomes easier to understand.

”In the case of a Warrior, the already-activated precursor gene becomes overstimulated beyond the limits their body can endure. Meanwhile, in ordinary commoners, the dormant precursor gene is forcibly awakened all at once, triggering a reaction their bodies are completely unprepared to handle.

”That would explain why berserk transformation progresses much faster in commoners than in Warriors.”

”The latter’s body already possesses some degree of adaptation to the gene’s influence, whereas the former’s body is entirely unfamiliar with it,” Eleanore commented with a thoughtful nod.

She found Alex’s deduction to be sound—or at the very least, highly plausible.

Alex nodded in agreement before continuing further.

”Regardless of why a commoner fails to become a Warrior—whether they entirely lack the precursor gene within their bloodline, or whether it simply remains dormant—the current state of the Berserk Property appears capable of forcibly introducing or activating an active precursor gene regardless. That forced activation is what ultimately results in Berserk Transformation.

”In other words, within the body of every Berserk Human exists some measure of both Gu Mo’s divinity... and the precursor gene.”

He looked towards Eleanore and gave a slight nod. Instantly, she understood his intention.

Following the trail of his earlier deductions, Eleanore spoke thoughtfully,

”I designed my therapy under the assumption that berserk transformation was caused by exposure to Gu Mo’s divinity. In other words, my intention was to cleanse the patient’s body of Gu Mo’s corrupt divine energy.

”If your theory is correct, and berserk transformation is the result of Gu Mo’s divine energy interacting with an activated precursor gene, then by removing Gu Mo’s divine energy from the patient... what remains within their body would be the activated precursor gene itself.”

”Wait... doesn’t that mean you accidentally recreated the conditions necessary for the birth of a Combat Warrior?” Realisation suddenly dawned upon Zora, her eyes widening sharply.

At her words, a similar understanding surfaced within Udara as well, causing her to unconsciously nod in agreement.

”Exactly,” Alex confirmed with a calm nod.

The three women released slow, restrained breaths.

Now that they had arrived at this conclusion and traced the logic backwards, they finally understood why Alex had stated earlier that the patients retaining mana should not have come as such a surprise.

The pieces had always been there. It had merely been a matter of assembling them together correctly.

”What’s wrong?” Alex suddenly asked, noticing the deep furrow in Udara’s brows.

Although both Eleanore and Zora were similarly lost within their own thoughts, Udara appeared far more troubled than either of them—perhaps even disturbed.

”Master... how do you intend to use this knowledge?” Udara asked quietly.

Her brows remained tightly knit, her gaze distant and conflicted.

”What do you mean?” Alex asked, somewhat uncertain.

”Do you intend to keep this knowledge within Fortuna... or do you wish to spread it?” she clarified, turning towards him more directly.

Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly as he finally grasped the implication hidden beneath Udara’s seemingly ordinary question.

His expression hardened, his gaze turning distant as he, too, sank into deep contemplation.

After several moments of silence, rather than answering Udara’s question directly, he asked one of his own instead.

”What would you suggest?”

”If we decide to keep this knowledge in-house, then we will have to limit its usage until after we acquire a territory of our own, and even then, only use it on transformations that occur within our territory,” Udara said.

Alex folded his arms thoughtfully.

”This would be an excellent method for obtaining loyal subjects with cultivation talent. The temptation to make extensive use of it is difficult to ignore,” he admitted.

Udara shook her head slowly.

”It most likely will not unfold that way, Master.”

”And why do you think so?” Alex asked.

”If we use the treatment on random berserk humans we encounter, eventually we will heal someone who wishes to return home afterwards. Will you prevent them from leaving?”

Alex remained silent.

”If you refuse to let them leave, then you will not gain the kind of loyal subjects you hope to cultivate for your territory. Resentment and fear would only take root instead.

”On the other hand, if you allow them to return home, then the existence of a treatment for Berserk Transformation will inevitably be exposed. In most cases, the people around them would already be aware that these patients had undergone Berserk Transformation. If such a person suddenly returns healed—and as a Combat Warrior no less—it would immediately become the talk of the town.

”And sooner or later, word of it would inevitably reach the Temples.”

Udara’s expression grew increasingly grave as she continued.

”The Temples have built much of their faith-based influence upon fear... specifically, the fear of Berserk Transformation. If a cure for Berserk Transformation were to become public knowledge, then there is a very high chance the various Temples would move to secure the cure for themselves, presenting it as their deity’s divine blessing... or burying its existence entirely.”

Her gaze turned steady and serious as she looked directly at Alex.

”And if they were to discover that the cure originated from us...” Her tone carried unmistakable caution. ”Then there is a strong possibility that multiple Temples would begin hunting us down simultaneously.

”Before we openly reveal that we possess a cure for Berserk Transformation—before we even begin using it extensively—we must first be certain that we possess the strength necessary to stand against this plane’s pantheon and all the forces beneath it.”

’Possessing a treasure is not a sin... the true crime is lacking the strength to protect it,’ Alex muttered inwardly to himself.

Once again, the age-old saying played out before Alex’s eyes.

How many world-changing discoveries and solutions had been buried or hidden away simply because they threatened the established order maintained by the powers-that-be?

It was the same regardless of the world—regardless of whichever life, past or present, he found himself in.

In his previous life, he had witnessed countless instances where revolutionary, cutting-edge products were quietly shelved because they threatened to disrupt existing interests too greatly.

The powers-that-be would hide behind lofty phrases such as ”for the greater good”, ”too dangerous to social stability”, or other righteous-sounding justifications to suppress groundbreaking innovations.

The most common of these were one-time cures for diseases being buried in favour of treatments designed to last a lifetime.

’As unpleasant as it sounds, I cannot entirely blame them. Truly selfless people are exceedingly rare in this world. Even I cannot confidently say I wouldn’t bury something myself if it threatened my own interests,’ Alex thought grimly.

***