Reinforced Cloth

[Trait: State of the Absolute Sound Mind (Permanent) (Passive)

Type: Psychological

User's mental boundaries and limitations are completely erased allowing their mental abilities (memory, calculation, learning, creativity, etc.) to be completely unrestricted or subject to blockage, knowing what they need to do and how they need to do it. 

⚫ Constant state of mental clarity, awareness and enhanced perception

➕ Enhanced integration of knowledge

➕ Immune to psychological attacks

❌ Unable to feel anxiety and despair

❌ Prone to lose moral boundaries while making logical decisions]

[Trait: Abyss Soul

After achieving the full potential as a human being and absorbing a portion of Abyss, User's soul has acquired property of the denizens of the Abyss.

➕ Resistance against Soul based attacks

➕ Sensitive to Abnormalities/ Aberrations

❌ Unable to enter the cycle of Rebirth

❌Prone to engage in conflicts with other remains of Abyss

❌ Continuous state of Insanity (Negated by User's trait: State of Absolute Sound Mind)

❌ Degradation of host body with increase in soul power]

[Title: Heir to the Abyss (Permanently locked)

User has become the living incarnation of the Abyss. Thus, User is bound by the title to regain the lost Abyss Fragments from around the World and make the Abyss whole

⚫ User can sense other Abyss Fragments even if separated by a long distance

➕ Chance to gain an additional trait with each Abyss Fragment regained]

[Soul Skill: Abnormal Devourance

⚫Ability to devour Abnormalities with the consumption of any forms of Energy such as World Energy, Soul power, Mana etc. while gaining soul strength]

Reading through all of it, Zeno knew that even though he gained some sort of power ups, he has landed in a deep shitload of trouble.

"Unable to feel anxiety and despair? Isn't that a good thing? Why is it marked as a disadvantage?

Lose my moral boundaries, you say? It's not like I ever thought I had any. I have killed people with my own hands just because they were in my way. Of course I felt guilty. That is why I hope to not live my life anymore as a murderer.

Unable to be reborn? Well that's too bad. Nothing I can do about it.

Degradation of the host body… is also bad, right? Well, I am currently alright. I will deal with it when it comes.

Regain the lost fragments..? Yeah, right! Like I am gonna go around collecting some smoky balls of craziness just because I gained a stupid title "

Zeno comments as he re-reads the screens. Because of his psychological trait, he was unable to feel despair, but still he was stressed from all this new knowledge

{~ You think, you have a choice in any of this? ~}

Blacky remarks hearing Zeno's comment. Being the former Will of the Abyss, it was totally aware of the state its User is currently in and it wasn't something to be taken lightly.

Zeno decides to ignore Blacky since he isn't interested to talk further about it. Taking everything seriously even if for survival will only leave you with regrets. He knew that from his last life. This life, he wants to live freely without any care.

Coming out of the cave, he is greeted by the vision of Old Mink preparing food for the both of them. Watching the old man summon ingredients out of thin air and cook food in peculiar ways day after day, Zeno was intrigued in the abilities the old man possessed.

Even though Old Mink maintains a stern expression with others, he is nonetheless a person who cares for his guests. For the last 6 days Zeno stayed here, he never had to worry about food or any other necessities. All he had to do was ask. And he would get it within minutes. 

Just as much as Mink is a nice host, he is also a good cook with an exceptional talent. Every food he cooks from meat to leafy vegetable soup, from rice to pancakes, everything has a taste that is so expressive and diverse, it can't be explained.

The most mysterious thing about Mink however is none of those things. It is the non stop magical abilities he performs in his day to day life. Thick large vines that would move around the cave according to his wishes, self cleaning utensils that appear out of thin air before mealtime and disappear after, Raw food materials that floats around him unaffected by gravity while he is preparing food, Tools that does its work on its own without anyone helping, the list goes on and on.

"Won't you ever run out of energy always using your skills non-stop, Sir Mink?" 

Zeno asks to start a casual conversation while sitting down in the ground.

"No.., boy. Not really. You just have to regenerate as much energy as you expended. It's not easy as it sounds, but it's possible for me.

Moreover, these aren't really skills. They are sort of tricks or techniques  but more sophisticated that it almost looks like a skill. I practice it so that I won't forget it."

Mink answers as he passes on the food to Zeno. However at that time, an expression of surprise appears on the old man's face as he faces Zeno. He managed to conceal his expression fast enough before the Zeno could notice it.

"Did you manage to reach Grade 1?" Old Mink asks, still keeping a stern face.

"Yes. I don't know why, but my Grade went down rapidly after the lightning struck. Thanks to daily practice and your hospitality, I managed to regain back my Grade."

Zeno answers. It wasn't a lie per say. It was just missing some crucial amount of information which he wasn't planning to say to anyone. But that didn't stop Mink from having his doubts.

'Why is this boy's energy volume double even though he emanates an appearance of a Grade 1? Is it due to some trait or is it what I think it is?' 

Mink asks himself. He himself had some doubts when he took the boy in. But he couldn't be sure when the kid was still in a Gradeless state.

'Well it's not my nature to reveal others secrets. Let him keep his. After all, we all have our own secrets.'

Mink's face reveals a small smirk as he decides not to trouble the boy. He decides to engage in the food he just finished preparing.

Zeno's attention however was caught up in one of the things  Mink said.

'Wait a second. Didn't he say techniques? If those are techniques, then maybe I can also learn them, right?"

Zeno muses in his head while putting morsel after morsel in his mouth.

{~  Don't you have enough skills and techniques? ~}

Blacky responds from the Mindspace. However his objection was completely ignored by Zeno. This wasn't the first time Blacky meddled in between conversation. Every time while Zeno was talking with Mink, this little black gem alien would talk out aloud trying to irk him constantly. 

That's how even Mink thought the boy, Zeno, was talking to an imaginary friend to pass away his loneliness. However now that this had become like a routine event in their daily life Zeno has managed to adapt his mind to ignore Blacky if he ever interfered.

"I had heard that teaching others stuff is the easiest way to not forget things. If you don't mind, I am willing to learn?" Zeno asks feigning genuine curiosity. However it looked a bit comical since his mouth was filled with food.

He tries to throw a hook hoping Mink would get baited. He was also confident in his acting. But what he didn't realise however was that there was not enough bait.

"If I wanted to teach someone I would have done it years ago, boy. Just because I helped you doesn't mean I trust you enough to teach you things."

Mink answers almost immediately. He completely understood Zeno's intention behind the question. But that wasn't going to stop Zeno.

"I don't mean you have to teach me per say. Why don't you just show me how it works?" Zeno asks.

"You mean like this *snap*" Mink responds by snapping his finger. 

*Woom*

The response to which the stones around their immediate vicinity, starts to float suddenly. Irrespective of their size and weight, they were floating up to their sitting height.

'<Scanner Vision>'

Zeno invokes the skill immediately to find the secret behind it. But as luck would have it, he couldn't find anything.  All that came up was a screen above each of those stones mentioning that they are ordinary stones that were floating.

"Hoh? It's not everyday you see a vision based skill."  Mink comments still maintaining the stern expression on the face. "Well, judging the look on your face, you don't seem to have met with much success. Too bad! I expected a miracle." He ends the statement feigning a tinge of disappointment.

"I am not done yet." Zeno responds not denying the fact of having used a skill. "Here, float this stone." He says grabbing one of the stones near to him which suddenly regained its weight. He holds it in between himself and Mink keeping his <Scanner Vision> skill still active.

By this time, both of them had finished their meal and Mink was looking at Zeno as if he was looking something else beyond his face. But he comes around in a few minutes with a low laugh Zeno hasn't seen before on old Mink's face.

"Heheh! Aren't you a curious one!

 Alright, alright, I will play with you."

"*snap*" 

Saying so, once again old Mink snaps his finger to which the same phenomenon repeated. But this time, it wasn't without its results.

Keeping a close eye on the old Mink's fingers and the stone, this time he could see a sudden blue spark emanate from the former's fingertips which he didn't see before. 

He could see it travelling through the vacant air between them, touching the base between his skin and the stone, making the stone rise and rise up to his eye level. The blue coloured spark was still present underneath the stone moving in a circular path at insane speed making it look like a ring of blue light holding the stone afloat.

[<Scanner Vision> has levelled up]

[<Scan> has levelled up]

[Using the sub skill <Scan>, User can now scan energy signatures]

[<View> has levelled up]

[Using the sub skill <View>, User can now access info regarding energy variations]

[User has unlocked an inbuilt skill of Profile]

[Discovering an unknown phenomenon by scanning the data obtained before and after the said event, User has unlocked the inbuilt skill: <Energy Vision>]

[<Scanner Vision> is being switched to <Energy Vision> for convenience]

With the passing notifications, Zeno's vision of his surroundings also underwent a colossal amount of change.

Colours of various shades and hues appear before his eyes making his eyes fuzzy enough making him unable to see the outline of any object in front of his eyes.

[Massive influx of information is being received to User's brain]

[User is advised to employ <Virtual Processor> to lessen the burden]

'<Virtual Processor>'

Zeno invokes the skill immediately as he receives the warning.

Zeno transfers the massive influx of information from the usage of the <Energy Vision> skill to the <Virtual Processor> centre of Profile's Gift in the Mindspace.

Even though his EP consumption rose from 1EP/min to 10EP/min drastically, the amount of info he could process also increased exponentially.

He could now see the world around him perfectly with the addition of Energy mapping layered over the vision. The trail of World Energy flowing around was coloured in pristine white colour giving even the air around him a white tinge while the energy around the stones coloured in shade of blue.

Just as he turned to face Old Mink, he could see the latter glowing like a blue sun with such intensity that even the extra processing from Profile's part wasn't able to help, forcing him to turn off the skill.

'Wovovoh! What's with all this colour scheme?' Zeno shuts his eyes closed, overloaded from the glare. 'I really think my eyes will go blind.'

[Processed data is transferred to the Hidden Codex]

[<Virtual Processor> has levelled up]

[Using the skill <Virtual Processor>, User can now process data from visual images to videos, accessed from User's vision.]

[<Hidden Codex> has levelled up]

[Using the skill <Hidden Codex>, User can now store graphic images to video files in Hidden Codex]

'Woah, today really is a lucky day. I levelled up my grade and now I levelled up skills and even unlocked a new one.' Zeno exclaims to himself in his head.

Old Mink was flabbergasted when he saw the appearance of vibrant colours upon the latter's eyes. It wasn't an everyday sight to see someone gain a new skill and he could recognise one when he sees one.

"Wow! I… must say you have managed to surprise me, boy." Old Mink exclaims in surprise. "You really must be a Gifted Advancer."

It was a true statement from Mink's part. But still he resumes his stern expression like it was still nothing more.

"So, what do you think? Will I be able to learn it now?" Zeno asks expectantly.

"No. Just because you can see and sense it, doesn't mean you can control it. 

And don't waste your time learning an old man's art, boy. Try to find one of your own."

With that, Mink clearly passes on his intentions. Seeing that their talk has met a dead end, Zeno tries to veer their conversation into other general matters.

After some more chit chat, both of them finish eating and leave for their abodes shortly after. Old Mink goes back into his house at the top of the large overgrown tree while Zeno returns to the cave for spending the rest of the day. 

{~ I think, the old man knows you have Dual Gifts. I could see it in his eyes.~}

Blacky suggests in a serious tone just as Zeno entered back into the cave. Even though Zeno didn't notice it, both Blacky and Profile detected the change in expression when he faced Zeno.

"Aren't you just being paranoid? Profile, did you detect anything?" 

Noting Blacky's serious tone, Zeno seeks Profile's opinion.

[Subject Mink's face expression did change when he faced User]

[Profile also shares the entity Blacky's  opinion]

{~ Hey, don't call me entity Blacky or subject Blacky. If you are mentioning me, just say Lord Blacky or better call me God Blacky. ~}

Ignoring Blacky's comment, Zeno consider the matter seriously since evn Profile sensed it. But what he couldn't understand was why the old man wouldn't question him anything about it then.

[In normal case, Profile would advise User to either eliminate the threat]

{~ Ooh! Dark! ~}

[But since subject Mink possess unknown abilities and shows no desire to expose User, Profile's advice is to feign ignorance]

{~ I must say, golem here has a point ~}

Both Blacky and Profile gives their opinion which was strangely the same for once. If the old man knows about his dual gifts and doesn't want to expose him, Zeno too sees no problem keeping mum about it.

"Well, we will see when it comes to that." Zeno says. "Do any of you have any suggestions or ideas on what we should do next now that I have regained back my Grade?"

Usually he would have just done whatever he wanted to do. But since now he is stuck with two minds in his own mind, it would only be productive if all of them approve of it.

[User's body is currently weak. Profile recommends User to focus on strengthening it]

"Don't worry. I already have an idea on how to attain that. What about you, Blacky?"

{~ I say, level up my goddamn skills, you stupid Noir. How much longer are you going to wait before checking it out? ~}

"I thought you knew what the abilities were?" Zeno asks not expecting Blacky to lash out. 

Ever since Blacky appeared in Zeno's Mindspace, it had been a roller coaster ride for the latter. This thing's personality is so all over the place that Zeno can't tell what its true nature is. 

Most of the time, Blacky is downright annoying. Whenever he is not annoying he can act serious, depressed, sarcastic or even hysterical. Zeno considers it's erratic personality somehow attributed to it being the former Will of the Abyss.

{~ It doesn't mean the same. It might not even be the same ability I used to possess. ~}

"What do you mean?" Zeno asks confused.

{~ Inside the Abyss, Synergy was just a single ability amongst the others. But now that it has become a Soul Gift, it possesses powers similar to that of the Laws of the Old World. Its potential has increased exponentially making it a conceptual power. The more vague the ability is, the more powerful it becomes. The more you can understand its concept, the more power you will be able to wield. ~}

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Since you are that adamant, I will check it out." Zeno agrees even though he has only a little to no idea about what Blacky just said.

Zeno tries to invoke one of the skills of his Super Gift Synergy holding his left hand in front of him to see what it does.

'<Fusion Edition>'

The infinity symbol tattoo on the back of his hand shines a purplish black glaze creating a hologram 3D model figure of an infinity symbol in purple colour above his palms.

"Let's see. What should I start with now?"

Zeno turns to look in the cave inside and see whether there's anything to try his skill on.

The first thing his eyes lands on is the one of the clothes that was sent to him by priestess Mary. It was her son Jeff's old shirt which was pretty good and clean. The next thing he sees is the long thick vines covering the cave.

'<View>'

[Plant: Lightning Green Ivy Vines

⚫4 inch thick thorny vines

⚫Grows upto a length of 20 metres

⚫Possess slight affinity to lightning attribute]

[Object: Cotton shirt

Durability: Very Poor

Remarks: Just an ordinary cloth]

"Let's see what turns up."

Zeno cuts out a long vine, almost the size of the shirt. Then he wills the infinity hologram over the vines cut out and the shirt. But no matter how much he wills it, no change could be seen.

"Why is it not working, Blacky? What am I missing?" Zeno asks.

{~ Stupid, Noir! How would it be that easy? Make a mental picture of what must happen and what you need to get ~}

Blacky advises noticing the situation. But what he suggested was easier said than done.

Followy Blacky's advice, Zeno tries to imagine the shirt reinforced with the plant fibres of the vine. He knew he had to create an image where the shirt becomes more resilient being melded with the vine. So in order to do that, he had to have a clear idea on how he is supposed to achieve that.

He imagines each strand of the shirt intertwined with the thicker outer tissue of the vine that provides the mechanical strength and support to the vine. Thanks to his psychological trait, <State of Absolute Sound Mind> he could easily grasp that mental image even though it didn't seem that impressive.

*fyoom*

Both the shirt and the cut out vines dismantle into thin strips floating in air, surrounded by a purple glow in front of his eyes before assembling itself into a green coloured shirt with each strand of it intertwined with the similarly sized outer tissue of the vine. The rest of the vine was left out and was lying down on the ground just below the green shirt that was floating down. The whole process took only a second but it left an imprint on his mind.

'View'

[Object: Reinforced Cotton shirt

Durability: Good

⚫Slightly attracts lightning attributed World Energy

⚫ Slightly resistant to slicing, acid and fire attacks]

'Wow, it really is a good skill. So good it should be called a cheat instead of skill.' Zeno evaluates in his head. 'So that's one thing down. Now for the next thing.'

*****

Time: Next day Dawn

Mary has come to pick up Zeno to bring him back to the village. Coming out from the secret path, she is greeted by kid Zeno holding a large sack over his back. He was accompanied by old Mink who strangely looked a bit sad with the kid leaving.

"It looks like you have gained quite an amount of World Energy staying here. Good!" Mary comments, taking a single look at Zeno. 

"All your wounds are healed. There was no more lightning during these days as I suspected. I think it's time he went back home." Mink suggests.

"It was pleasant staying with you, Sir Mink. Thanks for all your help." 

Zeno responds sincerely. The days he spent here were the most peaceful and breezy ones he ever had. And old Mink was a welcoming host.

At first, he considered Mink was being rude asking him to spend time in this cave. Only later when the lightning charges left his system, did he realise why the old man did what he did. The vines growing around the cave were sensitive to lightning attributed World Energy. Only because of that, he was able to get better as fast as he did.

"You don't need to thank me, boy. I helped you because I couldn't avoid a request from her."

Mink says pointing at Mary.

"Of course, you have to. You are like a father to me. If you won't help me, who will." Mary argues back in a childish manner.

Old Mink doesn't respond to her remarks but instead bids Zeno goodbye. "Take care, kid. Next you come to meet me, find your own way. Then, I will tell you the answer to whatever you ask."

Saying so, the old man returns to his nest above. Seeing him leave, Zeno for one moment regrets not ever trying to sneak a peek at the house above.

Mary and Zeno leave the mountain range through the path she came. After continuous walking for an hour, Zeno and Mary reach the other end inside the village. Which is the hill where he was struck by the torrents of lightning.

He didn't stay there longer and bother meeting with the rest of them since he had plans for today. He asked Mary to take the gold copper alloy as remuneration for burning down one of their cottages. Even though it has become an alloy, it contains nonetheless 10 gold coins which can be separated out if melted and molded back into coin shapes.

She agreed to accept it only under one condition. That he would have to attend the gatherings in the Church once every week. Truthfully he didn't want to. But since he didn't want to sound rude, Zeno agreed to it. He also left the reinforced cotton shirt he crafted as a present for Jeff since he was the one who jumped into the fire to save Zeno when the whole cottage was burning down. Before Zeno left, Mary doesn't forget to give him an advice.

"I know you were hurt by Ripper and his robber gangs in our village. But as a person who cares about your well being, I must say. Do not get into a conflict with them. 

He is not a man who advocates mercy even among the members of his group. No matter how much they bother you, walk away. You cannot face them in your state."

 As he is going down the hill on the way to his home, he considers her advice. They were many and he is only one man. Even if he has two almost cheat like Gifts, that won't be enough against them.

If he went back for revenge, they would retaliate and this time, Adam might not be necessarily around to save his ass. Walking away from trouble would seem to be the sustainable solution to the matter.

Living a meek lifestyle wasn't foreign to him. On the contrary, it was his lifestyle for the first half of his previous life. He could adjust to the life here just like anyone in the village and become a part of it. What he desired was also a peaceful life in this new life. By the time that thought came to his mind, he had already arrived at his house. 

{~ Is this my new home? Not too shabby ~}

Blacky comments annoyingly which Zeno once again ignores.

He notices that nothing has changed around there. It is just how it was when he left before. Opening the gate and looking inside, he sees Adam sitting down on the doorsteps, seemingly waiting for him.

"How are you.., Zeno?"

Adam asks without as much as a change in his stone cold expression.

If it was before, Zeno would have considered it to be a question from a person who was just asking for the sake of asking. But now he knew, this boy Adam really cared for his brother. The only problem is Adam didn't know how to express it like many of the people. He was like a hardened man trapped in a kid's body. It seems he also has his own share of troubles that no one knows.

"I am fine, Adam. Don't worry about me." 

Zeno answers as he goes inside the home carrying the sack with him. Both of them don't talk about the lighting incident since both of them don't know what brought it forth. Adam considered the Demon's Plague a reason, but wasn't sure of it.

Zeno then goes on to the kitchen with the sack in his hand. Opening it, one could see it filled with the ingredients of the Muscle Strengthening potions except for the horn of the Moon rabbit. He was able to get these from the old Mink before leaving, thanks to his powers of persuasion. But no matter how he nudged, Mink didn't help Zeno find a Horned Moon Rabbit.

"If you want to hunt a beast, do it yourself."

Those were Mink's words and somehow Zeno understood it. Zeno proceeds to store the ingredients in the cold storage in their kitchen for the time being before going to his own room. Shortly after, he comes out of it, ready to go.

He immediately decides to leave for the Academy. It has been a week since he attended the class. Honestly he didn't feel he needed it. But he needs to find a way to pass time.

"You don't have to go, if you don't want to." Adam says as he watches Zeno leaving for the Academy. "I was the one who forced you to go back to the Academy. I thought it would be good for you. You don't have to if you don't want to."

It would seem Adam also considers himself to be responsible for what happened to Zeno. To him, somehow he felt like he failed both Larry and Zeno.

"None of this was ever your fault, Adam. If it was anyone's, it would be mine. I assure you nothing of this kind will ever happen again."

Zeno assures Adam and gives his word as he leaves from the house. He proceeds to the marketplace on the way to the Academy where he would be able to meet Paul and his group. He had given his word which he had to keep.

And so did he meet. The five of them were walking merrily on their way to the Academy. Well, they are still kids and they wouldn't needlessly worry about things that happened.

Seeing him there, he expected them to walk away after being troubled from the ordeal last week. But what really happened was that they looked happy seeing him. He couldn't understand why. 

What Zeno however didn't know was that they didn't really have that much of an ordeal as he thought. The kids gave their gold coins so easily when confronted by Ripper's underlings instead of running which Zeno did. They were however worried that something had happened to him when they saw him absent from the classes for a whole week. Seeing him alive uplifted their moods than they themselves expected. Even Mini, who didn't like him much, looked relieved.

Without further talk, Zeno gives them the promised Uncommon rank technique: Formless Energy Advancement technique handwritten by himself copying it from the <Hidden Codex> part of Profile. It took him a whole night to complete. But he gained some practice using the Calios Hovering pen.

Paul receives it in their stead without much hesitation or objection. After that incident, even though they attempted and completed other tasks, they were only able to get Basic rank techniques just like others. Getting to practice a higher rank one would up their chance to reach a higher grade that much faster.

All 6 of them depart together for the Academy where they separated when it reached their classes. This time, Zeno didn't go for his class. Instead he aimed for the Academy Library to meet the old librarian, Fleming.

The old guy was resting in his shelter near the library when Zeno dropped by to meet him. Seeing the kid, Fleming feigns ignorance at having seen him.

"Did you know that I was getting into trouble when I was taking up that task?"

Zeno asks directly at Fleming with no pleasantries or anything. Being asked directly to face, Fleming knew he can't ignore the kid forever.

"Not that big of a trouble. I only expected Simon to throw you out."

I didn't know you would solve the task and catch Ripper's eye. I am sorry for whatever trouble it caused you, kid. But how was I supposed to know it would end up that big of a problem."

Fleming answers.

Even though Zeno understood Fleming didn't mean any harm, he still didn't feel like forgiving the old man. Fleming could have at least given them a warning or something. But the past is past. Zeno doesn't want to dwell on it. That is also not the reason he was here.

"Since I solved the task, I deserve the reward." Zeno demands. "I want to use the reward of 100 task points to take as much as possible."

"Well normally, you would have to come with your teammates since I gave the task to you as a team." Fleming answers. But seeing the kid Zeno glare at him like that he swiftly changes his opinion. "But since this is a rare case, I will allow it."

"Tell me, what sort of techniques are you looking for? Advancement, Movement or Fighting."

Fleming asks.

"Information. Just informative books. Most regarding myths. Myths on a being called the Abyss or the Great Void." Zeno replies back which solicits a response from Blacky.

{~ Hey! You can just ask me ~}

'I need to know what's the public opinion about it. That's all.' Zeno responds in his mind.

"Nope. There are no books or manuals mentioning any beings like that." Fleming replies after checking a list of titles of the book in the library. "Even I haven't heard about it."

"Are you sure? What about Demon's plague? It's considered a disease. There must be some books on it." Zeno enquire.

"I have heard of it, kid. But still, that's a very rare disease that only appeared during the beginning of Age of Gifts. Books regarding such subjects won't be available here at all. You can only find records of it in the National Library of the Kingdom or in an Advanced Academy Library."

Fleming replies.

Hearing such an answer, Zeno felt so stupid, he wanted to bang his head on the wall at that spot.

'So I wasted my time looking up tasks, got stabbed and all for this.'

Zeno thinks in his head as he freezes himself in the spot.

{~ Atleast, you got to meet me ~}

'I stand by my statement.'

Zeno replies.

"Kid, are you alright? You want anything else."

Fleming asks seeing the kid not respond for a second.

Since it has come to this, there was only one more thing on his list for Zeno to look up. It was something he thought up on the spur of the moment but a bit dangerous. 

'Screw it!' 

"You got any books on fires and Explosions? Or any sort of firearms?"

Zeno asks straight, coming out of his zone. Since his strength was weak, his only option is to employ the usage of tools that would make him feel safe.