Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 854: Progress of Berserk Transformation Research II

CH854 Progress of Berserk Transformation Research II

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“The mutagen is at the heart of everything. The reason why non-sorcerers—namely Combat Warriors—can cultivate is because the mutagen caused a mutation that granted them Apertures, which are essentially a faux form of Spirit Roots that gives sorcerers their cultivation talent,” Eleanore said.

“I believe that if I can find and isolate the mutagen within the gene pool—”

“Then it might be possible to correct the mistakes made by the Heavenly Venerable’s collaborators and sever the mutagen’s relationship with the berserk property,” Alex caught on immediately.

“Exactly.” Eleanore nodded.

“Do you think you can really pull it off?” he asked, a little sceptically.

“I have no idea how the Heavenly Venerable designed a mutagen from the genes of a legendary berserk beast, so I can’t go down that route,” Eleanore said.

“Instead, what I intend to do is find the already existing mutagen within the denizens of this plane. I’ll isolate it from a Combat Warrior, an ordinary person, and a berserk human, then compare the state of the mutagen in each of them. I may also have to isolate and compare it from a survivor of a cured berserk transformation as well.

“I believe that, with the results, I could potentially develop both a proactive and a retroactive solution.”

She continued, “In an ideal situation, I hope to isolate the mutagen so I can study it, then safely replicate and activate the effects that the berserk property has on it.

“If that works the way I think it will, then I’ll be able to accomplish a number of things. For instance, I should be able to create a vaccine of sorts that could potentially prevent the berserk property from influencing the mutagen within the genetic code of the denizens of this plane. I should also be able to create a serum that can intentionally and safely activate the mutagen in their genetic code, thus granting them cultivation talent.”

“But in an extreme case, if the current mutagen floating within their gene pool has become too adapted to the berserk property, I might also be able to create another serum that can wipe out the berserk property-sympathetic mutagen in the denizens of this plane and replace it with a mutagen antagonistic to it, similar to Ava’s immunity.

“After that, I would just need to pair it with the aforementioned serum, thus making them cultivators as the Heavenly Venerable originally intended.”

“This is the proactive method, right? What about the retroactive method?” Alex asked.

Eleanore paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. Then she spoke.

“The retroactive method is for those who have been cured of their berserk transformation,” Eleanore explained.

“We have established that berserk humans ‘cultivate’ by mutating further into beings capable of holding more energy within their bodies—almost similar to the cultivation methods of beasts. And at the core of this mechanism is, once again, the mutagen, which the berserk property triggers to continue the mutation.

“In that case, all I need to do is obtain a sufficient understanding of the mutagen—enough to safely create another serum that would trigger continuous but controlled mutations at every rank for the practitioner,” she explained.

Alex nodded in understanding.

“I can see where you’re going with this. If this works, then rather than undergoing continuous, arduous cultivation, each person would only need to take a serum and, boom, after a mutation they rank up,” Alex said.

“Don’t be naïve. As if things would be that easy. You and I both know there will certainly be restrictions,” Eleanore cautioned. “I can already envision a sort of waiting period between each mutation to allow the body to recover and adapt to the changes after every successive internal mutation.

“Then, it is also possible that not everyone might be able to continue undergoing these mutations indefinitely. Different people might have different tolerances—almost like a talent for this particular cultivation path.”

“Then, finally, just because I can design the serum doesn’t mean I’ll always be able to produce it. It might require rare and exotic materials, making the serum prohibitively expensive for mass use. I doubt it will be as free-for-all as you’re imagining.”

Alex shrugged.

“Whatever the restrictions are, we’ll work around them, as always,” he said. “Do you have everything you’ll need for the project?”

“No.” Eleanore shook her head. “The facilities here are too poor. I need equipment and personnel to make it work—equipment and personnel I don’t think we can obtain on this plane.”

“I hear you. The interplanar gate will be finished soon in a few months, and we’ll be able to return to Pangea. I’ll be able to get you everything you need back on Pangea,” Alex reassured her.

“That’s good.” Eleanore heaved a sigh of relief.

As an Alchemist and a healer, this project was a major opportunity for her. It could allow her to touch upon something that would advance her craftsmanship philosophy and become the foundation of her future progression as both an Alchemist and a healer—similar to the concepts and laws comprehended by Saints, Legends, and those beyond.

“Eleanore, I’ve been wondering. If you’re able to succeed with this project as you envision, do you think it would work on denizens of other planes?” Alex asked, voicing a question that had been burning in his mind.

Eleanore looked at him without surprise. She had expected the question—after all, it was something she herself had already considered.

“Unfortunately, no.” Eleanore shook her head. “Or rather, I doubt it.”

“Why do you say so?” Alex frowned.

“Because, according to my experiments, the humans of this plane are a different species from the humans of Pangea,” Eleanore said.

She paused for a moment, considering how best to explain it.

“We and the denizens of this plane are like the Crimsonspine and Frostback wolves of Fen’s Coloured Spine Wolf lineage. We’re related, but we’re different.”

Contrary to what she expected, Alex immediately understood what she meant without her needing to give the example. After all, the knowledge of different species of humanity was nothing new in Alex’s previous life.

“And in this case, the difference is significant because it determines the cultivation process of our respective species,” Eleanore added.

“What do you mean?” Alex asked.

Eleanore stood from her stool and walked over to a horrendously deformed body lying on a nearby examination table.

However, this body was different. It had remained distinctly human without any beastly deformities like the others. Instead, bloated blood vessels bulged beneath the skin, grotesquely deforming the body.

“This body was created using genetic material from myself, Udara, Zora, and your Fury Knights—all of us Pangean humans,” Eleanore said.

“How come you didn’t get genetic material from me?” Alex raised an eyebrow.

Eleanore didn’t respond. Instead, she continued, “Admittedly, this body is only the best approximation of a Pangean human that Ava can create at the moment, so it may not necessarily be the best representation of a truly universal Pangean human body. Even so, I have already observed differences between it and a Verdantian human body—one free of any berserk contamination, mind you.”

“What immediately stands out is the Spirit Root system of a Verdantian human as opposed to the mana vessel system of a Pangean human—particularly the mana pathway system found in mages.

“A Pangean human’s body naturally tends towards producing mana pathways, whereas a Verdantian human’s body naturally tends towards producing Spirit Roots and meridians—or, in the case of Combat Warriors, Apertures and Aperture meridians.”

“The mutagen specifically triggers the mutation that creates Apertures—that is, faux Spirit Roots,” Eleanore said.

“It is like a law baked into the natural order of this world,” she added.

“I… see.” Alex nodded.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “The Heavenly Venerable produced the mutagen from the genetic material of a high-ranking beast. Do you think the same process would work if we used the genetic material of a high-ranking beast from Pangea?”

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