Transcendent Gene
Chapter 271: Chaotic Undercurrents [1]

Chapter 271: Chaotic Undercurrents [1]

Bang!

A fist struck a wall in anger in a place far, far away from the Scenario Quest; a place that most humans didn’t realize existed.

"Dammit!"

She was aware of everything that happened. Her Master’s possession technique was meant to save her life. She was able to perceive what happened even without control over her body.

That boy. Brown skin somewhere in between the color of sand and caramel, eyes such a subtle shade of green that they almost bordered on both grey and aquamarine, shaggy black hair that hadn’t been cut in some time, and a gaze much fiercer than what she’d seen from the average genius her age.

She remembered his appearance perfectly, yet she had no idea who he was.

’What was his problem?’

She still didn’t get why he was so adamant about killing her. The way he responded to her questioning made it hard for her to say that he knew about VNGRD...

’But if he doesn’t know, then what’s his grudge with me?’

Did she kill his parents on a previous mission? Did she destroy his hometown somehow? Both were possible, but she could’ve sworn that those incidents left no survivors.

’No. It doesn’t matter.’

Regardless of who he was, she lost to him. She lost so completely that she had to be saved and taken away from the Scenario Quest so she could heal.

To her credit, it wasn’t all Gio’s fault. She’d been injured previously in battle before he attacked her the first time, and she wasn’t able to take time to heal afterward.

’It’s all his fault.’

In her mind, none of those extra facts mattered. If Gio didn’t exist, her other wounds wouldn’t have been a problem.

"What do we have here?"

A voice interrupted her thoughts. It was silky and feminine, yet obviously belonging to a male,

A shiver spread across Raven’s spine when it touched her. She snapped her head back with a malicious snarl and replied with just as much hostility in her tone.

"What do you want, bastard?"

"Hey, no need to be so rude. I’m just checking up on you because Master wanted me to. You seem to be in...good shape, though," the man said.

He had platinum blonde hair that fell down his back and features like those of an elf. The sarcastic smile he used to face Raven was a common expression for him.

"I heard you got beat down, but I guess it traumatized you more than expected. If you’re going to act like this, it might be better for you to just step down and give Master time to teach people who actually mean someth–"

Boom!

The man’s hair flipped to the side as a great burst of wind grazed the left side of his face.

"Don’t test me, Makail."

His eyes widened at Raven’s abrupt attack.

"Keep out of my business and maintain your place like you’ve always done. You know what happens when you start getting overconfident."

Makail gritted his teeth in anger. The frustration in his eyes was hard to miss, but there was nothing he could do.

Raven was their Master’s first disciple and the one he cherished the most. If he attacked her, it would only end poorly.

He had no choice but to accept defeat and shut his mouth, delivering only the message he was sent to deliver.

"Master...wants to see you," he said through clenched teeth.

"It has to do with your work with the Apocalypse Church."

Raven raised a brow curiously before nodding and shoving past Mikail.

’So they’re finally ready to act?’

After a few setbacks they’d experienced in the Wasteland, the church had been acting cowardly and refusing to move forward with their original plans.

However, it seemed that something had changed if they were directly contacting VNGRD.

’They must be done with their investigations. If they discovered that the enemies they were worried about aren’t a threat anymore, it makes sense.’

To say that VNGRD was supporting the Apocalypse Church’s research was wrong. They were observing it and allowing it to progress because there was something within that research they wanted.

It was one of the most important things to Raven, as it was her first true responsibility as a Draconian.

She would make sure everything went according to plan.

And at the same time, she’d find the boy who was so adamant about standing in her way.

She never had a personal goal before. She was content enough with chasing the goals her Master gave her.

However, her Master was pleased with Gio’s interference for a reason. This was the first time Raven ever considered someone her age stronger.

It was common for geniuses to feel like they were the best in the world until they met someone better. Neriah had a similar experience when she met Gio.

Both she and Raven were true geniuses who could only be outshined by someone as broken as Gio.

For Neriah, a spirit of competition was born, leading her to stay close to his side and learn from him.

For Raven, it was a pure and unadulterated urge to crush him under her feet that grew. It was an urge that told her to do whatever it took to stand above that specific boy.

She had always been like that. Anyone who stood against her would be crushed. Gio was more special than them, but he would end up the same way as the rest of her enemies.

There wouldn’t be a body left to identify when she was done.

Such was the fate she placed upon them.

***

"Hmm..."

It had been roughly a week and a half since Gio left for the Scenario Quest. Not much was happening in Celestelle during their absence, but it was definitely felt.

There were several parties wondering where he was. The teachers didn’t have any idea and could only say that he had been granted a leave of absence. Perhaps theories wouldn’t have spawned if he was the only one gone, but they heard the same reason for the disappearance of three other top students.

It was a curious matter, especially for those who wanted to act against them. However, the happenings of the First Institute weren’t as important at the moment.

Rather, it was best to focus on Celestelle’s main cityscape. There was a building standing tall amongst its tallest skyscrapers with the logo of the bull constellation displayed on its body.

And within that building, Farrah stepped away from a table with a frowning expression.

It was hard to catch her without a frown, but her troubled gaze meant something different this time.

She pressed several buttons on the machine in front of her and withdrew the sample sitting within. It was a small bit of red liquid similar to blood; an extracted droplet of the Gene Fluid Gio gave her.

"So, in the end, it’s like that. I thought they’d been eradicated, though...?"

The testing she’d done on this sample was redundant. She merely wanted to replicate her results to reassure herself.

There were no errors in her calculations. Her only choice was to make a call she didn’t want to make.

"Hello? The owner of this number would never call me, so you must have taken her phone. What do you want from me?"

A gruff man’s voice came from the other side.

"Admiral," Farrah responded, rolling her eyes.

"It’s a pleasure to hear your voice again."

"It doesn’t sound like you’re having much fun, though. You’re my own niece and you talk to me like I’m your worst enemy."

"Well..."

Farrah trailed off, her eyes narrowed.

"Anyway, I called you for a reason. You’re also aware that I wouldn’t contact you for nothing."

She quickly changed the topic, looking back to the sample of Gene Fluid.

"Do you remember the Obsidian Eye Faction? I have reason to believe they’re back."

One sentence changed the entire demeanor of the man who received the call.

"That can’t be. I was there personally when the last of them were killed."

"I know that, too. But that doesn’t change the facts. Their energy has returned to this world, and that’s only possible if there was a survivor."

"When you say energy..."

Sensing his doubt, Farrah gave him a quick rundown of what happened. Mentioning Gio as one of her "agents," she described how he foiled an asura’s plans and acquired the corrupted Gene Fluid.

"..."

The man was silent as he digested what he’d been told. Farrah’s reputation and their relationship made it hard for him to doubt her. The fact that she’d come to him after several weeks of investigation made it even harder.

He wanted to know more about the situation, but it wasn’t good to talk about important matters over the phone. He could decide how much of her story to believe after giving her the chance to fully explain herself.

"Wait for me in Celestelle. I’ll be there in three days."

If she was telling the truth and one of the worst Asura groups in history had shown itself again, then there was no time for delays.

They had to find a way to respond immediately.