The Reason for Numbers

{Northern Plains}

In a cozy village library, Hit Man was engrossed in merging his fighting style with his large repertoire of strength path Gu when a sudden thought struck him. He turned to Zi Ran with a question, "Master Zi Ran, if the numbers assigned to us are based on sequential order, why is it that those who awaken first seem to possess the most impressive powers?"

Zi Ran lifted his head from the book he was reading, and responded, "Numbers are not assigned based on order or strength, but rather on one's potential."

Doubtful, Hit Man stated, "But that's impossible. I clearly remember E001, appear as fragile as a stick figure, lacking any visible movement. How could he possibly have a high potential?"

Zi Ran let out a weary sigh and reiterated, "As I said earlier, potential is not the same as power."

As Gun Man practiced his weapon-changing skills nearby, he chimed in with a question of his own. "But how do they determine one's potential level?"

Zi Ran calmly explained, "That's where the self-proclaimed Experiment 000 comes in. He has the unique ability to assess the potential value of those who have awakened. However, it's worth noting that he has been wrong before."

Intrigued, Gas Man, who was meditating and condensing poison in his pores, asked, "Can you share the story of how Experiment 000 determined E001's potential?"

Zi Ran paused to gather his thoughts before sharing the tale, "Please bear in mind that this account was relayed to me by one of my colleagues. It all began on a quiet Friday afternoon when the sound of a bell signaled the opening of E001's cell..."

⸻Awakening Labs: 7 years ago⸻

As the cell door to 000 screeched open, the self-proclaimed Experiment 000, a man with an uncanny ability to see potential, trembled in fear.

E154 and Officer Bradley were ordered to take him to meet with 001 and get him to ascertain 001's potential level.

000 shouted in fear, "I dare not go near that beast! No, that thing can't even be called a beast! Have you no knowledge of the reason why every scientist in this establishment refers to him as 'The Predator'? Believe my words! You all are committing a fatal mistake by letting that... thing live in the same establishment as everyone here. No, in the same world!"

Bradley raised a skeptical eyebrow, his gaze fixed on 000. "001, you say?" he repeated slowly. "The one who seems as frail as a wilted flower?" He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples in frustration. "You know the rules, 000. We've granted you special privileges in exchange for your assistance in determining potential values for the awakened. You must at least try to calculate his worth."

000's eyes widened in fear, a shiver running down his spine. "Please, I beg of you, do not ask me to go near that creature," he pleaded desperately, repeating what he just said a moment ago, "Every scientist in this facility refers to it as 'The Predator' for a reason. You are all making a grave mistake by keeping that monster in the same building, let alone the same world, as the rest of us."

Bradley's expression hardened, his voice stern. "We cannot afford to leave the data on an experiment empty, regardless of how difficult they may be," he said firmly. "We need to know their potential values, no matter the cost."

000 swallowed hard, his hands shaking with fear. "I-I understand," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "But 001... it's like trying to calculate a static image. His value is constantly changing, sometimes weaker than a kitten, other times stronger than any other experiment in this facility. I simply cannot determine his potential with any degree of accuracy."

Bradley was about to punch some sense into him, but E154 grabbed him by the shoulder and shook his head, before saying, "That won't be necessary, my ability is to sense fear, there's nothing you can do that will convince this man to enter that cell." he then turned to 000, "Is there anything you can tell us to best ascertain how much potential he has?"

000 fidgeted, twiddling his thumbs, "Well, I can't even see my power level, so perhaps me," he answered with a dumbfound expression on his face.

Bradley started to laugh, "Hahaha, this guy is hilarious, I can see why you held me back 154," he turned around, before saying, "Come 154, this man is clearly useless."

154 narrowed his eyes at 000. before replying, "Then do we just keep him as 001?"

Bradley waved his hand showing his lack of care on the matter.

⸻⸻

Sand Man pondered for a moment before exclaiming, "Wait a minute! But I'm in the thousands!"

Zi Ran scoffed, "If you undergo a second awakening, your limitations will expand. However, If you want to go through a second awakening you're out of luck, 001 is the only one in this world with the formula for awakening serum."

He then added, "For reference, I can confidently say that 001's abilities are much more complex than merely pushing his will onto others. Reports show that he needs a catalyst of some sort to send his will to others, like sound or movement, however in this world 'will' works differently, so we can assume such things won't be necessary for him anymore. So who knows, maybe in this world you're potential could be completely different."

Hit Man interjected with a rhetorical question. "Is there anything else you know about 001?"

Zi Ran responded with a smile, "I heard this once from 004. 001 is a man that can make a decision and go all out, but the moment he sees a better one, he'll instead opt for that. He does, however, have a major weakness, if introduced to too much stimulation at once, he starts to break down and go insane."