How To Survive A Calamity-Chapter 194: Cost [3]

"I see. I think i understand it a bit better now, I really am lucky to be alive and in one piece, huh? But doesn't that also mean there's a chance then? Sure right now i might still be suffering from the backlash of my forceful Advancement that any more strain on my vessel during this moment would make me crumble, but what about later? Wouldn't i just heal from this state in the future? Torn muscles heal eventually at some point, right? And they come hack stronger and better, too."

It sounded like i was silently agitated without letting it show on my exterior, and grasping at straws on the outside. But i had to make sure to gain a clear and understanding of really just how severe my condition was from another human who specialised in the anatomy of Awakeneds, not just Meta.

This way, i could better compare the two's facts and knowledge and make better conjectures and comprehend a far better and broader understanding.

"Indeed. Since you are lucky enough to survive, your body may heal eventually at some point in the future, but it is also uncertain." Saying so, the doctor shook his head slowly, his voice drawing with each words he utterd next.

"Even if this happens along the long run, the matter that you have forcefully reached your limit as an Awakened still remain. In this part of the world, Talent and Potential matters, perhaps the most. Your talent is limited, you have reached the cap limit of your potential as well. Even if your vessel heals eventually, or you choose to ignore it and continue as you have been — training endlessly, or even more harshly — all of your efforts will be lost. You no longer have the capacity to hold any more amount of external or internal energy to facilitate any other form of advancement."

"You have reached your final bottleneck. One you can't surpass, lest you desire death."

"..."

"Haaah...I know this must be hard for you to believe. But while you were unconscious, you've also undergone a series of specialised procedures — a "Second Evaluation" as they call it — and due to the nature of you previously assessed Null Talent it was quite inconvenient to get a more precise evaluation than obviously just analysing your Aether nature like before during your first Evaluation. But there are countless other way to Evaluate a prospect Talent and this is the leading Academy for fostering future Heroes for a reason."

"A Second Assesment?"

My brows genuinely rose at thos point. This was something i hadn't been expecting.

'But it also shouldn't be that surprising.'

From the beginning, i knew and was told that, an Awakened's initial Evaluation and Assessment might change overtime due to external factors as Awakened were a sporadic group of individuals — they were unpredictable. So it made sense that there was something like a "Second Evaluation", or even a Third, Fourth and Fifth.

At the same time, it was also logical they had more methodological ways of estimating a Prospects talent aside from scanning their Aether nature. It simply happened to be that it was usually more convenient and straightforward to do just that, not to mention it was like the modern way Talent Assesment were carried out.

As such, the Methodological way was a series of long outdated processes and procedures that were time consuming, and exhausted a whole lot of resource. It was simply inconvenient.

But if special circumstances demanded, like me for example, who's initial Talent Evaluation was too vague and left up in the air, other systems had to be taken.

Knowing all this, what truly surprised me was that, Aegis Academy actually spared all that resource on a No-Talent, low ranked cadet with nothing to offer, like me? Why?

These guys were practical, it didn't make sense for them to waste resource without hoping to gain something massive back in return.

But what could i offer?

Nothing.

Yet, here i am.

Could it be they were seriously really banking on my Evaluation to truly be something huge and significant after all, only to ve left disappointed in the end.

"The result came out as such. Your Second Talent Evaluation is assessed be around Eta Rank. Again, you might still refuse to believe this as it also doesn't seem to make sense, but even until now, the Academy is still uncertain why your Talent was estimated as Null before. And now all of a sudden, your estimated as an Eta Rank prospect."

My mind raced rapidly, but when the Doctor put it that way, i thought differently.

No, i didn't think it didn't entirely make sense.

My eyes glinted slightly.

My First Evaluation wasn't ranked as Null, but actually 'unreadable', but yes, i agreed with how all of a sudden it became read as Eta Rank without no proper explanation.

But when i thought about it, wasn't that obvious?

[The inconsistency goes to show how wrong your Second Evaluation is, again, just like the first. And ironically, for the exact same reason.] My head buzzed with the voucher of Meta finally giving me a response.

'You finally decided to reply to me now, huh' despite my reply, i felt a tinge or relief hearing Meta's words and voice.

After all, she had basically just debunked half of what the Doctor has just told me right now.

Just half of it though. The rest of it to left up to Meta's silence until now could be chalked up as either vague acknowledgement to it as a truth, or vague disregard as bullshit. It was all uncertain, and i was unable to confidently say i was sure of what to think.

Despite my unperturbed attempt at a calm exterior, i was trembling.

Deep down, i was in turmoil.

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[A/N: Tuff, everything seems so sudden... with more to even come. What do you think about all this, and what do you think Victor's options are? Hmm? Share them in the comments!]