Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 621: That Was A Lie.

The traditional path, according to Riot, starts with extensive training in martial arts. Apparently, the kind didn't matter much—the point was to push one's body to the very limit of what humans are physically capable of, itching movements and instincts into the depths of their body and mind.

A 90% bionic body made it seem like Dante had already failed the first step, as no amount of training would make any difference on the physical side of things. With giving up not being an option, he had no choice but to focus on the mental side, but he wasn't making much progress with that, either.

"Don't know why you're pushing for this," Riot said. "You're almost a Level 5, and that Soul Weapon of yours is nothing to laugh at. How about you try and be content for once?"

"Shut up."

The thought had crossed his mind many times over the past few months. Why bother with all of this when he could just use one of his Level 6 armors?

Power was something he sought like how a thirsty man seeks water in a desert, but that fight against the Shirogane assassins set his desire on fire, turning it into an urgent necessity.

Though he was only one step away from becoming a full cyborg, removing the barrier that forced him to keep Ghost and the Cyberpunk separate, the possibility that he might not have access to VOLCAN remained like a needle in his brain, preventing him from feeling satisfied with the power he had achieved.

Inferno existed for the same reason. When killing Paragon was his main goal, Dante didn't care how he achieved it. With that no longer being the case, he was forced to expand the type of tools he had at his disposal, no longer convinced that he could wage a one-man war.

'Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that.'

"Goddamn it…"

"Guess this is the limit of a genius, huh?"

The comment earned Riot a glare, sewing his lips shut. Letting out the air in his bionic lungs, Dante filled them once more and closed his eyes, plunging back into the darkness.

Learning to perceive one's soul was the second step toward Soul Manifestation, and having skipped the first one, Dante ran headfirst into one giant wall. It wasn't that he couldn't perceive his soul at all—using a variation of Absolute Awareness, not only could he see his own, but he could perceive the souls of others as well. Unfortunately, since that ability relied entirely on VOLCAN, using it didn't allow him to climb over the wall.

Manifestation was the third step toward Soul Manifestation, and as it turned out, being able to sense his soul using an artifact integrated directly into it didn't help him get closer to that goal. Turns out the traditional way might be the only way to do it, but Dante wasn't about to give up just yet.

"Get up." He said, jumping up.

"God fucking damn it…" Grumbling under his breath, Riot rose to his feet.

They were about to engage in another sparing match, hoping to bring him closer to the insight needed to reach the second step. For that reason, he refrained from using most of his abilities, including Absolute Awareness. He even considered locking the speed of his perception, bringing himself back to the level of a normal human.

Taking a fighting stance at the center of the arena, Dante was about to launch the first attack when his opponent suddenly turned away. His fist stopped a single millimeter from Riot's face, and if it wasn't for the insane precision of his MBIs, he could've knocked the teeth out of the big guy.

Dante backed away and then turned in the same direction, activating his absolute awareness. At the edge of its range, he spotted the presence of someone hiding behind the bar a short distance away, and going by the silhouette, he immediately knew who it was.

"Oliver."

A couple of seconds passed before a blonde head slowly rose from behind the counter, and the jittery smile that followed revealed what was going on in the youth's mind. Staring at him for a moment, Dante heaved a long sigh.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah! S-sorry, boss!" Oliver quickly straightened himself, as if standing at attention. "I was done cleaning the dance floor, so I thought I should come down here and do the same!"

"Really?"

"I'm sorry! That was a lie!" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The shouting shot a flash of pain through Dante's head, and he couldn't help facepalming himself.

"I saw you two go down here and got excited thinking you were going to train!" Unaware of the annoyance he was causing, Oliver continued. "I just wanted to watch you spar! If it's not too much to ask, can I-"

"No."

Dante's reply was curt, yet it fell on the blonde youth like an anvil, crushing his hopes. Dante blames himself for not locking the door properly, and when he thought about it again, he realized that he hadn't told anyone that they must not come down.

"Damn, can't you go easy on the kid?" Riot looked at him as if he were some mean piece of shit. "You just broke his heart."

One cold glare from Dante was enough to shut the big guy, but even though he wanted to direct it at the blond guy, he found himself feeling bad when he saw his slumped shoulders and crushed spirit. Recalling their first meeting, Dante understood why the loud blond would risk sneaking around to watch them. Giving it some more thought, the bad mood he was in began to shift, and an idea began to form in his mind.

"Hey, Oliver."

Hearing his name called, Oliver's head snapped upward. Seeing Dante beckon him to come closer, he slowly walked over, still looking fearful despite the lack of anger in Dante's tone. Once he was at the edge of the caged arena, Dante crouched down and looked him in the eyes.

"You said something about liking Kong-fu movies, if I remember right."

"Y-yes. That's Right…"

Still afraid, Oliver let his gaze drop down. The sudden timidness felt odd to Dante, but he didn't give it much thought.

"What do you say?" He asked. "Want to learn some?"