Chapter 8: Screening (3)

"He's an awakener… or maybe he's not?"

"What kind of results is this?"

"I've never seen something like this. How strange. How interesting! I'd like to request that the subject stay in the RDC for further observation!"

No fucking way. I'm not sure what the hell they were talking about, but my inner gangster blood was boiling. Just a bit more, and the hot liquid will spill. And once it does, I fear I might insult even their dead ancestors.

I kept my mouth mum and looked away at the commotion. I caught sight of the inverted obelisk. Now that I stood far from it, I could finally see that mana stone rotating above the rectangular base.

It's white in color, shining brightly without any impurities. I knew I made it stop, but why then at that time? Why not when I stood under it? Why not when I entered the dome?

"Subject—

"Don't call me that. I won't stay here and let you guys experiment me." I interrupted Dr. Four Eyes, yep, I'm insulting him now. He looked excited and expressed his desire to lock me up in an incubation room.

Why that room? I turned to the female doctor who escorted me earlier. I heard someone call her Dr. Shiela. She had a name but did not even bother to introduce herself, just like a certain someone eyeing me from the corner.

"What's wrong with my results? I didn't turn into a monster, so I'm safe, right?" I'm certain I'm an awakener now.

Why did I forget that cool feeling I had before? When everyone was going berserk from that sudden burst of power, I only felt like someone rubbed Vicks on my chest. Is that it? Is that the symptoms when you awakened?

"It's hard to tell," Dr. Shiela answered. She was staring at the screen where line graphs, a rotating human nervous system, vital signs, and other details I didn't understand.

Then, came an irritated voice from behind. "Just identify him between the two. Is he an awakener, or a mutant? Which one? If he's the latter, then we'll eliminate him right away. If he's the former, we'll drop him to the UAO and back to NSA to register him as a Seeker."

My left eye twitched. I tried to calm down, but my patience ran out. "If I'm an awakener, I won't apply as a Seeker. If I'm a mutant with nullifying power, how confident are you that you can kill me when you turn normal again?"

Captain Van sharply glared at the back of my head. I could tell even without looking back. "Are you challenging me?"

Allen cleared his throat. "Now, captain, let's not jump to conclusions. It's not confirmed yet." He gave the researchers a hurried look that said, hurry before he explodes!

I focused my eyes on the screen again.

"If his ability is Nullification. Then, I doubt he'd be of much help to Seekers. It's a passive ability because it usually doesn't involve direct, offensive actions. Instead, it works as a defensive or neutralizing force."

Dr. Four Eyes… okay, since he's helpful about this ability of mine, I'll call him by his name. Dr. Felix Ong pointed out the rotating human anatomy on the screen.

"He's definitely an awakener. And though nullification power doesn't sound threatening, if not properly trained, just like what he did earlier, he can automatically cancel out other power or energies in the awakener and his vicinity. This could mean nullifying an opponent's abilities, creating a safe zone where harmful powers can't function, or disrupting any mana-based fields, spells, or objects within range. It's not threatening against an awakener, but if you turn to a normal person, then you're in danger."

I'm that great, huh? So, why are they having difficulty in deciding whether I'm an awakener or a mutant?

Dr. Shiela answered me. "He's an awakener, yes. But how are you going to explain those dark spots?"

That's what had been bothering me. I narrowed my eyes at my anatomy, yes, that rotating human nervous system was mine, and parts of the veins had dark patches. It's like any time, those veins could turn black, which indicates mutation.

I'm a fucking mutant, who awakened… now, the big question is, how are they going to identify me? "I don't understand… Can an awakened human turn into a mutant?"

Dr. Felix nodded. So, it's not unprecedented. Am I really just given a chance to write a will?

The male researcher zoomed the anatomy and explained it to me. How kind of him. The model displayed a human figure with glowing streams radiating from the heart, webbing through the veins, and collecting toward the head.

"You'll notice," he said, highlighting the heart, "That your abilities originate here, from a sort of what we called mana core located within the heart. In awakened individuals, this core releases a unique energy—mana—which then pulses outward, moving through your veins to almost line an additional circulatory system. This mana flows along channels that are closely intertwined with your natural bloodstream but never fully merges with it."

I listened attentively. Everyone seemed to be bothered by the dark patches on those veins, but I'm amazed at how the human body changed after this so-called awakening.

Dr. Felix pointed to the heart's image, where the man threads began. "When the mana sprouts from your heart, it follows pathways throughout your body, allowing you to access your abilities. This energy amplifies physical capabilities, improves reflexes, and sharpens awareness, depending on the nature of your power." He tapped a few keys, and the model zoomed in on the frontal lobe of the brain. "However, as it circulates, mana tends to affect this part of the brain in particular—the frontal lobe. We're finding that this area is especially sensitive to continuous mana exposure, and for many awakened individuals, it can create unintended side effects."

Side effects… the Seekers going berserk and losing their sanity are the side effects.

"The frontal lobe is responsible for regulating judgment, impulse control, and social behavior, among other things. In an awakened individual, constant mana flow causes overstimulation, which can lead to heightened aggression, impulsivity, and in extreme cases, difficulty distinguishing between reality and hallucinations, turning someone into a madman, and finally losing their sanity.

"Not everyone turns to the extreme. It varies from person to person. The effects are influenced by how often you use your abilities, how intense your powers are, and even your unique physiology. Some experience only mild effects, while others may notice significant changes, especially if their powers draw heavily on the mana core."

He tapped a few keys again and the display changed into a human figure with black veins. What the hell is that? I knew they were veins, but they looked like thorned vines with sharp short lines protruding.

Dr. Felix diligently continued, "This is an awakener's body that turned into a mutant. The mana core turned black, as we found out that even monsters possess mana core—we called it mana stone. From there, the awakener's mana veins turned black and soon those sharp edges appeared. This is what happens when a Seeker goes berserk when those dark patches overtake the entire body, then that's when they mutated, turning to monsters."

… fuck. In times like these, I wish that I was not so smart to put the pieces of the puzzle. If an awakener can turn to monsters, then it explains why, despite the rare occurrences of a Vortex Break, monsters still appear in many regions all over the world.

Those were humans…once heroes…

"Now, the problem here, rare subject, is that why do you show symptoms of Awakener's Nightmare, if you didn't even know you're awakened? You've never had the chance to use your abilities, so why would you… This is why I want to request further observation, chief researcher. Please allow me!"

"No fucking way."

Everyone's gaze turned to me.

Ah, did I say it out loud?