Chapter 30: Fixing The Doubt

But he was also unaware of how difficult the training truly was, so he couldn’t judge it too harshly.

"That is only one of the Prime class’s problems. The second is its very low success rate. The survival rate is less than twenty percent. Undergoing the transfusion means signing up for an eighty percent chance of death."

"I wonder why the survival rate is so low?" Arlo asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"When you undergo the Deadeye transfusion, your eyes are changed for better accuracy and precision, and your legs are enhanced for instantaneous bursts of movement and agility."

"When you undergo the Colossus transfusion, your entire upper body is greatly improved for maximum defense, and your hands are strengthened for maximum devastation."

"The Prime class, being a fusion of both, means your eyes, your legs, and your entire body must undergo everything. Some people still die from having just specific parts interchanged."

"What then of a person who must have everything changed? How low do you think his or her chances of survival will be?"

Captain Ennessa directed the question back to him.

Arlo gave a nod of approval. "It really would be low if it is as you say."

"Good. Now that you understand the various classes, to determine which one best suits you, you will have to undergo some tests," Captain Ennessa said.

She tapped her tablet, and a strange metallic box around two meters long slowly rose from the ground beside Arlo.

It came to rest next to him, suspended on a small glass pedestal.

"Hmm, a metallic coffin?" Arlo asked, his gaze suspicious.

Captain Ennessa giggled, breaking her serious aura. "No! That is a virtual reality pod," she answered, only confusing Arlo even more.

"A virtual... reality?"

"Don’t tell me you do not even have a semblance of an idea what virtual reality means?" Captain Ennessa asked in disbelief.

Arlo turned his gaze away from the coffin and looked at her. "Is it something commonly known?" he asked.

Captain Ennessa clapped a hand against her forehead. "Of course it is. Who the hell doesn’t know about virtual reality? Seriously? Just which sector is that backwater!?"

Arlo shrugged.

"I don’t have time to explain something so mundane," Captain Ennessa said. "Just get in and feel it yourself."

"Um, Captain Ennessa?" Arlo asked, rising from his seat and staring at the pod with dubious eyes.

"Uh huh?"

"I want to ask something important before entering this... coffin."

"It is a pod! And what is your question?" Captain Ennessa asked.

Arlo furrowed his brow. "How strong is cybernetic fusion compared to magic?" he asked.

This was the question that would determine whether he even jumped into the pod.

Of course, he had no problem with undergoing cybernetic transfusion. Compared to Vorath transformation, it looked a little better to Arlo.

But he wanted to know if the headache and risk to his life would be worth it.

If magic turned out to be stronger than cybernetic transfusion, there would be no need for the headache.

But if cybernetic transfusion was stronger or equally matched, then possessing two sources of power, two paths of cultivation, was a very appealing idea to Arlo.

Why settle for magic alone when another source of power rivaled it and was accessible to him? Why not do both?

That would mean being stronger than the average mage and the average cybernetic fighter at the same stage.

Captain Ennessa tapped her tablet, causing the space before her to open up.

A small desk emerged, and she placed her tablet upon it.

Then, she removed her long gown, revealing a normal-looking, long-sleeved, round-neck shirt and tight-fitting jeans underneath.

"Uh?" Arlo raised an eyebrow, wondering why she had put down her tablet and removed her coat.

"I saw something in your eyes when you came inside this room," Captain Ennessa said, twisting her neck and stretching her hands.

"And what is that?" Arlo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You believe in magic. An abnormal amount of belief in it," Captain Ennessa said, surprising Arlo.

"Even when I told you about cybernetic transfusion and the various fighter classes, I have been reading your body’s pulses with my eyes. I came to a conclusion."

"You are not amazed by cybernetic transfusion. More like, you doubt it. Your pulse remains calm when I mention their power."

"That could only be because you believe in another great source of power. Your question confirms it."

"You asked if cybernetic transfusion is greater than magic. That means you believe in magic more."

"You think it will win over cybernetic transfusion, don’t you?" Captain Ennessa asked, standing upright after cracking her bones.

"In my personal opinion, practice is better than theory."

"So instead of showing you long videos of exchanges between magic and cybernetics and trying to change your mind, I think it would be better if we were more... practical."

"And um, how do you suggest we do this practical thing?" Arlo asked.

Captain Ennessa grinned evilly. "By fucking you up, of course."

"Huh?"

Arlo stood frozen, watching Captain Ennessa step down from the dais and position herself ten meters away.

"I will not be using my Cores in this fight."

"Just my physically enhanced cybernetic body, which, as you know, makes a Deadeye the least powerful among all cybernetic fighter classes," Captain Ennessa said.

[NEW MISSION ISSUED!]

[Resist The Opponent For 3 Minutes!]

[Rewards: +400 EXP.]

"All I ask is that you do not lose your two front teeth," Captain Ennessa said.

Before Arlo could respond, she took a single step forward, and then...

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG

The entire world began rolling strangely through Arlo’s eyes. In the next second, he smashed into the opposite wall, creating a cobweb of cracks across its surface.

BAAANG

BAAANG

The sound of two knees slamming into the ground echoed out as Arlo slid down the wall and collapsed onto his knees.

Then...

Drop.

Drop.

Two crimson droplets rolled down and fell to the floor. He raised his hand to his nose and swiped. On his palm, he saw his own blood.

Turning back, he saw Captain Ennessa still holding her hand in the air in a slapping motion, now twenty meters away from him. Realization dawned on Arlo.

’I got sent flying ten meters by a backhand slap!’ he thought in shock, staring at Captain Ennessa as she looked at him with a listless expression before slowly lowering her hand.

"If I had activated even a single Core and poured its power into that slap, your brain tissue would be staining that wall," she said, disdain flickering in her eyes.

"How can you doubt Cybernetics, when you’re that helplessly weak!?" Captain Ennessa asked, and in the next second, she began running toward him once more.

One moment, she was twenty meters away. The next, she was only five.

Arlo quickly rolled to the side, and then...

BOOOOOOOOM

The wall where he had crashed moments before was blown apart as Captain Ennessa’s knee smashed into it with horrifying force.

Slowly, she lowered her knee. Arlo stared at the broken wall in shock.

[If that had struck your head, you would be ninety percent dead!] the system’s warning rang in his mind as horror flashed through Arlo’s eyes.

"I cannot see that confidence anymore, kiddo. The confidence that made you challenge me back then. You sounded so strong, like you had something backing you up.

"But look at you. The side of your head is dripping blood, and your nose is bleeding. I am not even using a fraction of my strength, and that is enough to fill you with horror? How pathetic," Captain Ennessa said, disappearing once more, and then...

BAAAAAAAAAANG

A kick slammed into the back of Arlo’s head, sending him flying forward. Captain Ennessa appeared in front of his face again as another kick materialized before his eyes, smashing into him head-on.

Blood and spittle flew around the white room as he tumbled helplessly back toward where he had come from.

BAAAAANG

BAAAAANG

BAAAAANG

For the next five seconds, Captain Ennessa played football with his body, sending his one-point-eight-meter frame flying all around the room before he finally crashed into the wall once more.

STEP.

STEP.

STEP.

The sound of footsteps reached Arlo’s ears faintly as he felt a hand grab his neck and tear him from the wall he had crashed into.

Blood sprayed from the small crack on his forehead and across his badly mangled face, but Captain Ennessa wore nothing except a listless expression.

"Magic or Cybernetics? Pfft," Captain Ennessa said.

She jerked her hands backward and slammed Arlo into the wall, using him to tear through it completely. He rolled helplessly into the next room.

"Your naïve, arrogant attitude and lack of focus will only make you die even if you if in some accursed way possessed both."

"A coward’s death."

Captain Ennessa said as she entered the room where Arlo had crashed, reaching for his hair.

She felt a bloodied hand grab her wrist. She turned her attention to Arlo with a raised eyebrow.

"Aww, someone needs more beating," Captain Ennessa said with disdain, but her face changed when Arlo suddenly tugged on her arm.

In the next second, a leg smashed toward her face with speed.

She blocked it with her hand, but suddenly, the air beside her face shifted as a kick pierced toward her like a sword, slamming into Captain Ennessa’s second arm and pushing her away.

Arlo revolved twice in the air before landing on both feet, crouched on the ground with blood pouring down his body.

Shock flickered in her eyes.

Arlo was still able to remain on his feet, albeit crouched helplessly, and she herself had actually been pushed back by his kick.

"Helplessly weak, you say?"