Awakening [2]

The Forthcoming, the event in which the Gehenna Tree appeared and forever changed the course of the world, came with great changes.

The common animals of the world turned into mutant beasts. Through portals that led to unknown places, monsters invaded and caused mayhem. 

However, humans were not left alone. The energy of the Gehenna Tree touched them as well, changing their genetic sequences forever. At the same time as the advent of the mutated beasts and monsters, humans started to discover their "Original Genes."

They were genetic sequences unique to only them, and from them originated power that humans originally found unfathomable. The fantastical became reality. Humans were given mystical abilities through their Original Genes, and with them, they maintained control over the world.

By 3005, Original Genes were only a portion of a human being's strength. They were not the end all be all.

Gio followed Ricky out of his apartment and towards their worksite. It wasn't far away at all, since the apartment itself was on site. This kind of massive mining operation was more than common in the Wasteland, and it was one of the easiest ways to make money. 

'If it was any higher Stratum, being thirteen would have made it impossible to find work. Here? As long as you can move, you can work.'

From the moment he was six, he had been doing various tasks to make money. The people around him no longer helped him survive when he hit that age.

'It's a little annoying to have to go back to this place when I've just regressed, but this is also good in its own way.'

Listening to Ricky's drivel, he thought about the future.

'In two and a half years, I'll be able to leave this place. Until then, I won't be able to get a Gene Sequence or a Bloodline Sequence.'

Those two things were the basis of the current humanity's strength.

Gene Sequences were as their names suggested. Just like Original Genes, they provided their users with special powers beyond what a human could achieve.

However, these powers could not be used alone. They had their own growth potential, but as they got stronger, they would start to break down the human body.

'There is a set limit of Gene Sequences one's body can hold alongside one's Original Gene that varies depending on the person. This limit increases based on the strength of the physical body, as does the limit of how much strength one can draw out of a Gene Sequence.'

Gene Sequences gave power, but they did not open the pathway to "growth."

In order to combat this problem, humanity came up with a solution.

That solution was Bloodline Sequences.

Bloodline Sequences, which were created using the extracted Essence Blood of mutated beasts and monsters, gave humans the potential to evolve their bodies and grow stronger. This in turn allowed them to use stronger Gene Sequences more often.

It was the perfect complementary ingredient. 

Using both Gene Sequences and Bloodline Sequences together, humanity finally produced what they called "Starlight Class" experts. These were humans who had become Stars in their own right.

'Other than the Original Gene, Gene Sequences can be swapped out at any time. Bloodline Sequences, on the other hand, are permanent.'

There were different grades to them. A Bloodline Sequence's power and potential determined one's own power and potential. If he wanted to reach the absolute peak or even go Beyond Starlight, he had to find a Bloodline Sequence that was properly powerful. 

'I was already wondering about the Bloodline Sequence issue when I first entered the Tower. This part of the plan has been fleshed out for decades.'

It was his so-called "first step."

The first half of it was in the Wasteland, hidden away in a cave that only he currently knew the location of.

The second half was nowhere close. He would have to wait for some time before he could get his hands on it.

'It isn't like I can get the first half quickly either. I don't have power, and [Memory Book] definitely isn't going to give it to me. My battle experience is enough to support me through most problems, but for that thing, I need to take some time and prepare extensively.'

At this point in his life, Gio was already living alone. His apartment was on the thirtieth floor of the fifty-floor building, but the duo reached the ground in a moment. Even the most basic high-speed elevator could move one from the bottom floor to the thirtieth floor of a building in five seconds. 

When one pictured a mine, perhaps the image in one's mind would be a desolate area in the middle of a great nothingness, or even a great structure that cut into nature and desecrated it.

That was not the kind of mine that existed in the current era.

The entire facility was hundreds of kilometers wide and made using strong panels that could be assembled and disassembled in six hours at the most. Within that exterior paneling were several buildings that formed a small city.

Most of them were housing for the miners, while the rest were administrative buildings where the people who controlled the mine worked.

The mine itself was off to the side of the city. The entrance was a massive hole in the earth that was surrounded by a metal foundation. Even inside, one could see the signs of human interference that kept the mountain from collapsing. 

The job of a miner was… mostly the same as it was in every other era.

He was entertaining thoughts of greatness, but the current Gio was only an ordinary worker at this mine. Like everyone else, he had to grab his equipment and descend into its depths in search of resources.

'I think this mine specifically was looking for Iridescium. But, my memories of this place aren't really about mining.'

Honestly, most mines that produced any valuable resources were handled by machines. Human intervention was only a cause for problems, after all. These mines that employed human workers were being excavated by companies without the funding for such equipment, so the pay and safety standards were naturally low.

'All of this is the work of a small company without much funding.'

These operations provided thousands of jobs to the people of the Wasteland, but to those in the Upper Strata who ran them, they meant nothing.

It was a hard divide to get used to after one had already seen the other side.

'At this point in time, humanity was more divided than ever. That was one of the main reasons for our destruction.'

Nevertheless, there was nothing he could do about it in his current state.

First and foremost, he had to leave this mine.

The unfortunate part was that the contract he signed when he first found this gig was a slave contract that kept him forcefully employed for five years. 

'And the fortunate part is that this dig site and this company will both be destroyed in about three weeks.'

He checked the calendar on his phone while Ricky was bringing him to the mine. It was September 21st, 3005. The most crucial event would unfold on October 16th of the same year. 

In the past, he was almost swallowed by the conflict and left as nothing more than another name in an obituary that nobody read. The only reason he survived the disaster and lived past thirteen was because of Ricky.

Looking at the man who was swinging a pickaxe a few meters away, his eyes became firm.

'This time, I'll be the one saving you.'

This time, Ricky wouldn't die an early death here in the Wasteland. 

To repay such debts and save such people was the exact reason why he regressed.