Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1257: Character

Sylas wanted to build his Combat Matrix based on his self-created Human Simioid Warlord Armor. However, he was simply too far away from such a thing.

His standards for what he wanted out of it were too high, and he was lacking far too much in foundation as well. Plus, if he wanted to succeed in that path, then he was going to need to enter the Beast Warlord Sanctum sooner rather than later.

However, Sylas now knew that entering the Sanctum was easier said than done. He had learned not long ago that there was a disciple acceptance ceremony he would have to survive first before becoming an official member under Gralith’s charge, and this was something that would surely be extremely dangerous.

Sylas had gotten rid of one of his biggest weaknesses—at least relatively speaking—that being his starting point. Right now, he was just as good in foundation as any D-Grade Race member.

However, the highest ceiling in this Sector wasn’t D-Grade, it was C. And while Sylas’ foundation was good, he lacked the same Unique Genes, various Gene Skills and Talents, and other advantages something from a well-established D-Grade Clan would have.

He had improved substantially, but it wasn’t enough to guarantee his life just yet. That was the difference between him and what the little girl expected out of a True Pride Seed vessel. He would never stop improving.

So, when Sylas saw that he had pretty much hit his immediate cap in what would be possible for the Scorpion Warlord Armor, and saw how far away he was from successfully forming his Human Simioid Armor, he realized that this right here was his chance.

Even at its very best, Sylas’ Scorpion Warlord Armor could only perform at about 60% of the number one Combat Matrix Index on the rankings.

This wasn’t good enough for Sylas.

Especially since Combat Matrix Index didn’t factor in one’s personal stats or abilities and combat strength gained from methods outside of Rune Mastery.

If Sylas wanted to match those geniuses, at a bare minimum, he wanted his Combat Matrix Index to be double theirs.

Double.

And that was just his starting position.

He wasn’t sure, but he just might very well be the only F-tier Rune Spark Master in the entire Sector. If he couldn’t do at least this much, wasn’t the title worthless?

Just when he was considering how to bridge this gap, such a lovely opportunity fell into his lap.

A formation designed to send out echoes from the past and manifest those Wills into tangible forms through space. The complex interweaving lines of Time and Space here…

Were perfect for Sylas to study.

The trouble?

It was an E-Grade Formation. There wasn’t a single hint of an F-Grade Rune here at all.

But Sylas didn’t care in the slightest. He might not have mastered powerful F-Grade Runes outside of his own self-created 100 Foundation Poison, but his foundation itself was as solid as could be.

No matter how long it took, he was determined to at least memorize the formation. Then what bits and pieces of it he could understand and distill down to the F-Grade…

He would take.

Once he succeeded, he would make certain that he could crush any F-tier Rune Master in this Sector.

That said, he wasn’t just surging forward based on arrogance and hope. He had a trump card in his back pocket, one that would help him corral these E-Grade Runes into his realm of understanding.

His E-Grade Runeweaver Profession.

These Runes had no choice but to be seen by him, to flash into his realm of understanding with all their complicated, swirling, tadpole-like patterns.

And once his Runeweaver Profession forced them into submission, his two Progenitor Flame Abilities would take things from there, elucidating what was kept hidden from him.

With those two things together… this formation would be his to comprehend.

And once he had succeeded, this Golden Battlefield would be in the palm of his hands.

**

Gralith sat in silent meditation, his thoughts streaming back toward the disciple of his for a brief moment. He recalled his last interaction with Sylas more than once over these last few months, something that he would normally never do.

However, Sylas was simply too sharp.

When most met authority, they would accept it as is and take things in stride. The way Sylas’ mind worked, though… he saw through flaws others had already long accepted as true. His mind was so flexible, so opposed to rigid constraints, that it felt like he could adapt to anything.

But that also led Gralith to a conclusion that left him a bit conflicted…

Sylas had no bottom line.

Given the situation, there was nothing that he would be opposed to doing so long as it was to his benefit and in line with the general morality of his situation.

And that sort of person was the most fearsome to deal with.

It was quite ironic. During their first conversation, Sylas had rebuffed the idea that a master and disciple were like father and son. Gralith had rebutted by saying that they were better than father and son because a parent didn’t get to choose the character of his child—but Gralith could.

Now Gralith was wondering if this disciple of his truly did have a character he wanted to nurture, or if he was a monster that should be snuffed out in the crib.

He had had this thought more than just once in the last several weeks, but he knew that he would never do it. If he made a mistake, then it was his responsibility to make up for it. Plus…

Sylas was exactly what the current Beast Warlord Sanctum needed—not because they were weak, but because they weren’t nearly as strong as they could be.

[Earth Escape] was just a small symptom of the problem, relatively speaking.

“Master.”

Gralith slowly opened his eyes, staring out at the door of his thatched hut.

“Speak.”

“The Leava Clan have sent a representative to talk terms.”