I was in despair. I'm so disappointed. I guess my life is just nothing compared to others. I'm too tired for all of this. I'd tried everything I could — but it's still the same. Nothing changes. If there is a chance for me to shine, I will absolutely grasp it no matter what happens. Even if I die, it'd be better than being a burden and a disgrace to my parents.
I walked through a park near the hall. It's quite beautiful, with old, classic-style lamps and wooden benches. I sat on one and sighed softly. I looked at my watch, and it was already 6.54 p.m., but they didn't come out. Huh, whatever… I need to rest my mind; today was the worst day for me.
Just before I wanted to close my eyes, a man stood in front of me. I can't see him clearly, but I know that he was staring at me. It's like he was waiting for me to come near him.
My assumption wasn't wrong. The man, wearing a trench coat and a strange mask, came closer to me. I felt so anxious. Though I'm a guy, who knows—he could be gay. That is the worst probability if that's the case. I don't know, but this guy isn't someone who has ordinary power. The energy he emitted said so.
"Hey, Louis. I just found out that your evaluation was considered a failure since it couldn't detect any constellations in you. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Folmen Arcanne."
"Excuse me, but can I ask why you introduced yourself to me rather than Eva or Sai? They're more talented than I am."
"Sorry to tell you, but you are misunderstanding something. There are some cases where someone's evaluations can't detect their constellations because they have yet to reach a certain level. And the majority of these cases awakened such exceptional talents that could be classified as divine powers."
"Is it true? So, doesn't that mean that I can be Sai's rival in the future?" I'm shocked to hear that. I've never heard of such a thing existing before. If it's true, I can live a better life than I used to.
"I can't guarantee it, but it's not impossible." Folmen shook his head.
So, how can this problem be settled? You said that I'm lacking a certain level to awaken my power. Does it mean I need to practice some skill to reach that level?
"No, you don't need to do that. The fastest way is to consume a pill that has a level booster in it. It contains a lot of booster ingredients that are hard to find in this country. However, you need to follow me to my laboratory since I keep the pills in a secret room."
"Wait, isn't that too dangerous for me to follow you to your lab alone?"
"You don't trust me?" he handed me a black card.
The name Folmen Arcanne was engraved neatly on it, followed by small gold letters: Radiance Lab — Division 03.
"Radiance Lab?" I squinted, taking the card closer to my face. "You're serious?"
I'd heard of this lab before. One of the most respected research organizations in the country. Their car plates all start with 'RLA8'. I looked up — sure enough, his black SUV had that exact plate.
My heart was still pounding. But my mind... my mind whispered this could be it. Still, I needed to make sure.
"If you're from the Radiance Lab, then prove it again. Tell me what kind of pill you're talking about. What's in it? What does it do to me?"
Folmen didn't seem annoyed. Instead, he looked a little impressed. "Good. You're cautious. I like that."
He pulled out his tablet and tapped on a few files. A holographic image of a capsule-shaped pill appeared, rotating slowly in mid-air.
"This," he said, "is the Nexus Pill. We've nicknamed it that because it acts as a 'bridge' between your dormant constellation and your mental core."
"Side effects?" I asked again, not dropping my guard.
"Mild fatigue. Temporary memory glitches. And... in rare cases, temporary hallucinations. But none have resulted in death."
"And how many people have used this?"
"Only five. Three awakened successfully. Two... the pill didn't work. But none were harmed."
I leaned back, still processing. "And why me? I'm literally the most average guy in the room."
Folmen looked me dead in the eye. "Because your scan result didn't say 'zero'. It said 'undetectable'. That's a big difference. It means the system couldn't access your core. That only happens with one kind of person — the one who hasn't been unlocked yet."
"So, how about it? Want to change your mind and follow me?"
"How much longer until we arrive at your lab? It's already an hour since you started driving this car."
"Don't worry, not too long. It's about 10 minutes more."
Weird. He said about 10 minutes more, yet I didn't see any buildings here. All I could see were just trees, a shabby hut, and mountains. It felt more like a trip to some mountain, I guess. I just ignored it. Maybe Radiance Lab wanted to locate their lab somewhere hard to find so that the risk of intruders would decrease.
10 minutes passed. As Folmen said, we arrived. It was not a lab from the outside, just a cave. As I stepped in, following behind him, I discovered a big gate and, to open it, they needed to scan their eyes with a retinal scanner that was placed at eye level on the gate.
"Doesn't it hurt?" I asked Folmen as he brushed his left eye after being scanned by the retinal scanner.
"Nope. I'm used to it."
The gate opened. All I can see was something that far exceeded my expectations. I couldn't believe Radiance Lab didn't just make elixirs, but also advanced technologies and gadgets. Wow, it was amazing. I could see that the future of this country might be brighter than expected.
"Yeah, it's true that our company makes elixirs, but for technologies we still need to make proper analysis and physical examinations. As you can see, there are a lot of innovations that our company has created but the problem is testing them. We estimate that it will take about 7 more months before we announce them to the public. But of course, we prioritize the government before announcing anything, as they are the main sponsor for these projects," he explained in detail. Very detailed.
Suddenly, a robot hovered over to me. Surprisingly, it served me a hot chocolate drink that looked freshly made! Did it know that I'm thirsty now? That's amazing! I took a sip and the hot chocolate tastes so damn delicious. I never tasted this type of chocolate drink before. It tastes like there's something slightly sour and creamy in it.
"Speaking of which, where is the secret room? Isn't it here?" "I asked, as I could only see robots and elixir-producing products in front of me."
"Yes, you are right. But the secret room is located exactly beneath our feet. As you know, we call it a secret room, so of course we need to do that much so this lab can reach the pinnacle of technology."
"So this lab truly prioritizes the security of its secrets more than anything else, huh? Anyway, how much longer does it take to reach the room?"
"Just follow me, dude. It's not too far away."
I just followed him from behind while I surveyed this company's products. It's truly amazing me. Then, we arrived in front of a steel door. Folmen grabbed his card from his coat pocket and — showed it to the door? Hmm…who'd expect this steel door-looking thing is actually just a card scanner that's been hidden by something.
"Is it illusion technology or something?" I would expect nothing less from this prestigious company.
"You are quite smart for your age, huh. Yes, it is. You can see it above your head." Folmen showed the illusion product above my head.
I looked up. So that thing is like a CCTV. Or so I thought.
The door opened and a cold wind breezed onto me. It was so cold that it made me shiver, even though it was just a breeze. I wonder how Folmen can resist this cold. I looked at him and was shocked to see him already wearing a cold-resistant suit as he handed another one to me. I grinned. Since when did he put it on? I hadn't even noticed!
I wondered. Why does this room need to be kept at such a low temperature? Is there something that is still in research and development? Whatever my doubts are, it's not really my business, I guess.
We stepped in. I just saw about 4 people that might be the assistants for Folmen's research, all busy with their work. From what I could see, this project might be about creating creatures, since there were so many capsules in this room. Perhaps…
"Is this a mutant?"
"Almost, but it's actually a creature we call a human beast. We discovered that, upon killing demons, certain ones possess blood that can give humans exceptional abilities, mostly in strength. The Awakeners Association has been demanding any substance that can transfer this ability into the human body, but we're still struggling to solve some problems, which is why we haven't announced it to the public yet."
My jaw dropped upon hearing the explanation. Who'd ever thought there is a miracle that can be found from demons? Now, I can imagine that our country's economy will increase exponentially.
"Wow! So it's true that there is something in demons that can give you power. I really thought that was just a theory until just a while ago."
"Yeah, not just you—all of us thought the same way until Siera Lorte intentionally used the demon's blood on lab mice in her research on that theory. The mice went on a rampage and became more muscular than normal mice."
Siera Lorte? I asked, since I'm quite familiar with that name. Maybe she's a famous professor?
"Why? Do you know her? I thought she was just a normal professor and wasn't interested in attracting public attention."
I just shut my mouth. Siera Lorte. When did I hear her name? I'm pretty sure that she is someone that I know. But why can't I remember, huh? Suddenly my head felt dizzy as I tried to remember the past. Urghh, why does my body always act like this right when I'm trying to remember something?
I looked up at the capsules — they were huge. A green-colored liquid filled each one completely, and the people inside wore masks connected to tubes, supplying them with oxygen so they could breathe. They must've agreed to this experiment, knowing it would give them power. Above, though not on the ceiling, a large screen was mounted. I squinted, trying to make out what was written on it.
[EXPERIMENT LOG #A-47B]
STATUS: ACTIVE
SUBJECTS: 12
CAPSULE STABILITY: 97.3%
SERUM TYPE: VERT-X (GEN III)
OBJECTIVE: Induce controlled awakening of latent abilities in selected volunteers.
ESTIMATED COMPLETION: 1560h 28m 16s
⚠️ Note: Subject #09 showing abnormal brainwave pattern. Monitoring closely.
Oxygen supply stable. Neural sync at 89.2%. No forced resistance detected.
NEXT PHASE:( WILL BE ANNOUNCED UPON EXP. LOG#A-47B)
So complicated. This makes my jaw drop. Though I don't know what it means but I'm quite sure that this experiment is very dangerous. I looked at Folmen. His face seemed innocent. I just sighed because I was relieved that I don't need to do that to gain power but only need to consume a special pill.
"Louis, can you please wait here? The higher-ups summoned me to discuss something crucial."
I nodded and gave him a thumbs up as my green light. Of course he can, why does he need to ask me? I'm not even his parent. After that, Folmen just disappeared from my sight. I just sat on a chair — doing nothing. As time went by, I'm yawning because I felt sleepy. I pulled my sleeve up and tapped my watch, 1:05 a.m. Woah... it's so late, maybe I need to get some sleep until Folmen comes back.