Transcendent Gene
Chapter 227: Asura [1]

Chapter 227: Asura [1]

The "essence" was, at its core, a type of energy. However, it was most useful when it was compressed into a solid state.

The solid version of the energy –and the origin of the glass analogy Gio was told– was the product that came from the raw energy: Genesis Crystals.

’Genesis Crystals have multiple uses, even putting aside Sequencers,’ Gio thought as he approached the shining cables on the wall.

As an energy source, they were even better than Aether Shards in sustainability and efficiency. Their rarity made this use-case a waste of their potential, but it was possible to craft amazing armaments and equipment with them as a base.

For Sequencers, Genesis Crystals could be considered a type of enhancement.

’The great thing about them is that their energy is controllable.’

Bloodline Enhancers were specifically created to work on one of the two aspects they could improve. Their energy would spread and meld into the body on its own, leaving a Sequencer hoping that it would enhance the traits they wanted to enhance.

Permanent Sequence Enhancers like the ones Gio would eventually develop with Farrah were the same. They would target one Sequence and enhance it in a way a Sequencer could not influence. That didn’t make the enhancements bad, but it was disappointing when they couldn’t work perfectly.

Genesis Crystals were not manmade and weren’t originally meant to be used by anyone. They were a byproduct of a massive collision of universal forces that existed merely to exist.

The energy that created them was so esoteric that human technology could not understand anything about it. Currently existing science didn’t have the ability to theorize what they could be either.

The future wasn’t too much different. It could be said that humans would have discovered more about them if they weren’t forced to put all of their funds into war, but that was beside the point.

’This essence is, to my understanding, the origin of a lot of energies, including Aether and the energy in Sequences. The human body recognizes it as that kind of energy, and it doesn’t fight back like Aether.’

The end result was an enhancer that Sequencers could move through their bodies and concentrate where they wanted it.

Gio carefully placed his hand close to the bundle of cables, sending Hekat’s energy into the world.

’Absorbing it directly is dangerous. It’s basically become a part of these cables by now, so it won’t come out easily.’

When humans first found the essence, there were some who tried to directly absorb it, only to face mysterious consequences. There was even a case of a man being fused to the wall he was touching in the process.

’I’m not going to risk it. If I’m right, then this should be more than possible.’

Hekat’s energy flowed around the cables and created a tight seal on the area. The snake tittered in Gio’s head, telling him not to doubt its capabilities as it clamped down and forced "change."

"You’ve grown," he said with a grin as he saw the rapid change in the cables. The pendant on his chest vibrated smugly in response.

The mysterious energy from VNIR’s legacy affected all of his abilities. The [Memory Book] seemed to work much more efficiently, [Virtual Manifestation]’s potential was brought out more, and Hekat healed slightly.

The first time Gio saw the new form of the serpent, he was surprised by the degree of change he saw.

The new several-foot-long Hekat was still nowhere near its original size, but if it continued to grow at that rate, Gio didn’t have to be so concerned about it remaining weak until it became useless.

In seconds, the hue on the surrounding walls dampened as all of the light coming from the Genesis Essence was concentrated into a point.

The cables vibrated fiercely, ripping apart when the energy fused into its form was taken away. Within the tendrils left in their wake, a glass crystal formed, taking less than a minute to compress into a marble that fell into Gio’s hand.

’It’s a lot less than I thought it would be.’

To see real improvement, Gio needed a Genesis Crystal at least the size of his palm.

’Well, I can keep looking.’

He was in a convenient location. After putting the crystal away in his Storage Hole, he walked over to the adjacent wall, where the remains of a map were located.

’Most of it faded away with time.’

Ninety percent of the words were missing, leaving only partially faded pictures in their wake.

’And even if I could make out those words, I wouldn’t be able to understand them. I never studied ancient languages as much.’

He could translate, sure, but he’d have to spend five minutes matching each letter with its relative equivalent.

’They really got by on characters like these. It’s interestingly complicated in the strangest ways.’

The current language evolved from many of those that existed in the past, but it was mostly universal. Other languages were spoken in various cultures around the world, but there wasn’t a single human who couldn’t be called a native speaker of "Gehennae," or Gehenna Tongue.

’If I move this way...’

Gio did his best to comprehend the map, building an image of the facility in his mind.

’Okay.’

He was in a much better position than expected.

’These tunnels span the entire facility. I just have to move right.’

The instant it was memorized, he was on the move. He could marvel at the beauty and magnificence of Genesis Crystals later.

The door he used to exit was parallel to the one he used to enter the room, putting in a new corridor that he ran through far faster than before.

He now had a clear path to follow. His maneuverability could fully show itself off.

Gio didn’t take the time to halt his momentum, jumping off the walls to pivot without slowing down too much. He rushed mostly straight, taking a few turns to align his path until he stopped in the middle of a random corridor.

There was a door in front of him, but that was not his goal.

He slammed his foot on the ground, using his energy to shatter to floor below him.

And just as he expected, he fell, landing in a large chamber that existed below him.

’This is the end of it.’

The maintenance hallways continued around this chamber, but the main body of the facility ended here. This was its final room, present behind a maze of monotonous office spaces and vaults that were filled with not only manmade defense mechanisms and traps, but also natural dangers.

’This is a vault, too.’

However, it was a massive one. The center of the chamber was completely empty, while both walls were covered in vault doors from top to bottom. There were stairwells and platforms that allowed easy access to any of them. Though they looked shabby now, they were probably put to good use in the past.

’What did they keep hidden away like this?’

It was far too much storage space to be holding normal materials. The fact that it was so secure was also interesting. Each vault door came with its own security measures, and when Gio looked at the entrance to the room, he saw that even that door was an extremely thick pressurized mechanism that was stuck shut.

He moved to one of the many vaults against the wall and used strength to pry the door open, not wanting to risk destroying it and damaging the things inside.

It was a great idea on his part.

Because everything he found inside was fragile.

And, without a doubt, more valuable than he could have ever imagined.