It's eerie silent in room. Man playing with light luminous purple crystal half size of his palm.
It was monster core which is quite rare but not that much uncommon.They usually find in strong monster corpses.
"A mid size monster core, you know I really needed for my reasearch. What luck I got!"
Man laugh again with his creepy smile and continue.
" I was honestly surprise seeing you using an arcane metal generally used for detection and circuit conductors for weapon. You got my acknowledgement for creativity. So speak what you're reasoning behind it and why are you still seating front of me?"
Man question him and quitely start channeling mana photons in his body.
'Combat proficiency shown by this kid is genuine one. Kid is in twenties and already learn basics of channeling of mana photons, truly interesting. He was definitely related to hunter maybe by family or other way.' Man caught in his inner thoughts seeing Lawrence taking long pause to reply.
From man's perspective he already revealed his vicious thoughts and under his continuous questioning. Guardian of this person must reveal himself anytime now.
He was fully aspecting an ambush but nothing happens.
"Before awakening one can still use mana photons but as you know it's not even 1/100th of awakener. So I choose this arcane metal, it high sensitivity towards mana photons and extension ability make it suitable for hidden weapon still pity is metal itself not much durable." Lawrence speak and gets complete attention of man.
"There no one going to come so relax." Lawrence caught man off guard who is leading their conversation till now.
He put his left hand in inner pocket and reveal a worn out wooden box on table. Man was still little stunned from previous statement but his pupils contracted looking at old box.
Lawrence look at this bewildered man and smile. It's unlike his previous playful, charming one it more of predator enjoying last struggle of it's prey.
"Don't just jump blindly. I am well aware you can see through most of things. But not just look inside also look closely at box itself." He one's again stunned the man who looking at box with eyes full of greed.
Why not greedy he would be, because inside the box was big size monster core but unlike previous one it was blood red with faint white glow to it.
It was not just highest in quality and size wise also it's crimson red colour signifying it contains monster's will.
Normal low and mid monster core full of mana photons and have wide spectrum used from making enhancement potions, special fuel, various reasearch works in alchemy, magic and other fields.
Also hunter's used them to increase their strength by consuming them directly but it was primitive method with lots of side effects and chances of severe gene mutation.
This reason why enhancement potions exist in market which processed from cores with almost no side effects and mutation chances.
But putting all those aside what Lawrence bring was core contains will of monster. Which means even if consume directly their while be no side effects and as of mutation, consumer get fraction or complete trait of monster it's belongs.
Yes it was pure gene mutation but what it provides absolute incomparable strength. While hunter's may have hard time understanding traits of monsters but they truly knows how terrifying they become with those strong traits in their hands.
While trait itself nothing more than overall information of monster but they also contains of monster's abilities, bloodline, talent, etc.
So even now man while possess strength to kill Lawrence and steal this core. But he needed him for finding which monster it belongs and trait of it.
Not even half cracked like him want to transform something completely unknown despite immense strength it can provide.
Man calm down now and look at Lawrence. He understands that he lost upper hand in their conversation.
" Look at box clearly you will recognise it and check my pulses its already passed 20 minutes." Lawrence speak to him in authoritive tone.
Man focus on old wooden box and disappointed finding blood seal on box's lock.
Because box made of special trees find only in gates. Their speciality is items made from them good at absolutely carrying out simple tasks set with help of different magic spells and enchantments.
Man analyze spells on box and look at Lawrence.
"Core will destroyed if I pull any funny tricks on you. It was works well against who doesn't understand them in depth but not on me. Spell only work if your life in danger or died. But what about if use mind control or put you in some psychological torture." Man start counting different ways to get information and sneered at him.
" Still in hangover, follow my second order first then smile." Lawrence shut him down nonchalantly.
Man glazes fixed on him and great horror appeared in them. Like Lawrence mention they playing this tug of war of almost half hour now.
But what man discovered was his pulse were still high, breathing was abnormal. He looks at Lawrence with focusing mana photons in his eyes and finds this kid poison himself.
And poison's type and concentration is near standard of capable of even taking down whole nervous system and causing multiple organ failure of a genuine hunter within ten to twenty four hours. As for normal person surviving hour or two can consider as achievement.
In two words it's absolute madness.
"What's wrong with your head motherfucker???" Man shout top of lungs his a loud.
While he considers himself as quite crazy person and has rich experience of meeting people crazier than him. Even if not solid principles, goal but at bare minimum even these people also have some basic reasoning behind their unhinged actions.
But now he could not detect any sort reasoning behind Lawrence's actions. He considers his unpredictable and cannibalistic nature at first but that dismiss that possibility immediately because there were still dozens of ways deal with him.
And person front him doesn't have to go this extreme for mere reason of safe awakening.
Maybe because of alcohol or it just he became too relax with current lifestyle that he can't grasp sign of poisoning until now.
" For mere awakening you're going to this length, I don't believe that bullshit so state clearly what you want and leave. You don't even have antidote or suppressant and clearly poison was taken before you enter bar. Roughly 30 to 45 then already passed then that leave us another half hour almost. So speak fast crack head you are dying with every second pass." Man speak with clear gaze and straight posture. All drunkard and maniac vibe from before are gone.
"System give me basic summary and does it able to seal your memories if it related it?" Lawrence drop the biggest bomb on man till now.
He look at him serious gaze and speak.
" Person awaken by contacting with awakening sphere and register himself to entity we call 'System'. It was first appeared with arcane gates two millenium ago. While it doesn't any sort of physical form but it gives us awakening spheres, knowledge of gates and much more. As for second question, yes system not just seal your memories if relevant itself also it also block any form communication between awakeners and non-awakeners about itself." Man explaining everything in simple and short.
"I am not an awakener then why you able to share it me now?" Lawrence question back to man.
"Because even this almighty system also have own loopholes and shortcomings. What I share is rather basic, vague information without any definitive, concerte points to came to any conclusion. Like you are aware of it existence and particular memories of you being seal." Man satiate his curiosity.
Lawrence not realise it first when he transmigrated but over period with continuous changes in his plans. He finds about his particular part of past memories almost being wipe out.
It was around end of third year when he finally confirmed that his memories of power system of game where only gone.
Lawrence take this much time to find because he was already busy with training and business. Also there were some fragments of memories he genuinely forgot.
He was shocked when he realises it but he sooner finds there were still vague information and some points from various webnovels, manhuas he readed about system based stories still there.
Now man look at him with piercing serious glaze clearly wants to end this game and left this place.
"Don't think to much about system you will find out one's you awaken. Now answer my question. You are not simple minded person nor person driven by high moral values or principles like fools. From your actions till now I can definitely say you are scared then why are going to this length?" Man question him.
Lawrence also became serious with smile on face replace by stern expressions.
" Your observation is right. I am a man like to walk with my own values and those values are neither neither good and bad or light and dark. They are maybe twisted or hypocrite but for me my values are best tool of survival.
While I am scared shitless, but it's not about my currently slipping life rather it was you. I will be honest with you now, at one point just thought of meeting you give me nightmares and sleepless nights. But now I am scared to my core because our conversation I feel like all preparations I did to dealing with you, my expectations of you as maniac hunter were nothing but more than an overestimation born from childish thinking." He opened up and spoke to man his genuine thought.
"A provocating statement I like it little. Honestly there no one remains say it me any more. Anyways a normal person would dance in joy if they're in your shoe but you being scared out all emotions. You gone through right training that I can see. You get your awakening in two weeks, get my contact later but answer my to little test first.
I am curious of what you learn. So tell me why there is awakener and hunter two names for same thing?"
Man impress by Lawrence previous statement and try test him more. It's because Lawrence first emotion for being things too smooth for his plan was him scared.
For normal people it weird but for awakener who always faces with death their whole life it was important survival mechanism.
Even elites have hard time building such psychological state.
In arcane gates their no plan which 100% right or successfully. The constant variables from gate itself gives you anything but smooth ride.
Lawrence think over it for minute or two and replied confidently.
"Awakener more physical and mental state which discriminate them rest of population but hunter is more of profession which carries their entitlement in society."
Man raise his brow little and look at how much time has passed.
" I will give you 95 points for answer because
while you are right about awakener but what hunter carry with their tag not any entitlement but disgrace. Hunters are fools who can't even fully use gift they given. But even they are not wrong in it. Listen I am not going in details because it was long time consuming lecture of history in itself. But given how your body already start failing on multiple organ systems you will not even make it till introduction ends. So all I giving a quick shot you needs to remember."
What he said was true, Lawrence legs become numb long ago and his hands trembling. His breathing is visibiliy hasten now. His white shirt also drench in sweat even after putting his suit aside. More than that his bloody coughing echoes in room.
Man rub his thinking of shortest and accurate points and speak again.
"When those leading rebellious awakener introduced new awakeners with all system, gates and all stuffs they learn under their governments. They hide core mechanism and main functions of system from them. For example, you don't need to continuously clear gates for increasing lifespan. What I am trying to say is those powerhouses not just stabbed their regimes and normal people but also their fellow awakeners. They also introduced awakening serum for increasing those half ass awakeners and give them title of a hunter. That's why one to two percent of initial awakener now they are almost thirty percent of entire world's population."
Man complete his explanation and at Lawrence. His face became pale now and hands dyed red from his blood he coughing for last fifteen minutes.
' At most he can hold up for 10 minutes most. What going he do now. In entire block their no changes or traces of another awakener. How he going take antidote on time?'
Man ones again caught in his inner thoughts.
While he doesn't particularly care where Lawrence survive or die but he curiousness for finding last piece of his plan kept him on edge and force explaining everything so attentively till now.