Sorry for the late chapter. Also, as a heads up, we have finally caught up with my current chapter. I'm dealing with a few things IRL at the moment so my writing has slowed down a bit. Chapter 22 is almost finished, so I should do that. Chapter should come out within 2 days. Late chapters, within 3 days. Otherwise I will post a notification explaining myself haha.

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After all of that, the doors to the subway opened and everyone quickly shuffled inside. The subway interior was quite high-class with seats that had soft cushions and tables situated at each section of seats. The cushions were red and the carpet on the floor was white. The walls was a milky color and was also slightly padded.

Everyone sat with their own branch and only a few people got up to talk to some others. It was the same for Rose's group as a few people walked over to speak with Shadow. The people that did talk to him looked close to his age, with all of them being male.

It seems like Shadow has quite a reputation around here...I guess I underestimated him a bit. Though his erosion ability is quite strange.

"Hey, Shadow, how are you so popular?"

"I don't know. I just do whatever I can to win against other people in the tournament. Most people get frustrated and mad when they fight against me but there's a few that are good sports."

"Really? Wow...I'll look forward to watching you then."

"Please do. Depending on how well you do in the rank-up test, you might be placed against me."

"Seriously? Members of the same branch can get placed against each other?"

"Yes. Everyone is randomly selected with a randomized generator within their own rank. Everyone wants to participate because the participants with the highest placing will get rewards."

"Like what?"

"The rewards change sometimes, but most of the time it's like this: First place gets an A rank weapon and an A rank armor. Second place gets an A rank armor, third place gets a B rank weapon and a B rank armor, fourth place gets a B rank armor, fifth place gets fifty-thousand credits."

"Huh? There's weapons that are created and ranked?"

"Of course. Why do you think we always collect the scrap metal from B rank and higher Guardians?"

So that's why!

"I'm assuming those swords that some of the others have are ranked weapons?"

"Yup. Although, ranked weapons don't suit everyone. Some Gifted prefer using a sword or something else because their power compliments a weapon. Some Gifted don't benefit at all with a weapon so they just use ranked armors."

"Ah...so why don't we have anything like that?"

"I'm the only one that's placed high enough and I won a B rank weapon and armor. I sold the weapon but I always wear the armor."

"You're wearing armor? But I don't see anything."

"That's because it's a long coat. Not all armors are plated. Most armors are light armors like robes or vests. The most popular and powerful are robe-type armors though."

"What? Why are those the strongest? Wouldn't they be the weakest?"

"One of the Core Gifted families has the power to create special fibers called God Fibers. However, only the head of the Asrudos family can create one-hundred percent God Fibers. None of his descendants are able to create that high of a quality, and the most powerful son of his can only create ninety-five percent God Fibers. The Asrudos family has the most descendants that are spread everywhere as to mass-produce the God Fibers. B rank armors use sixty-percent God Fibers and A rank armors used seventy-percent God Fibers."

"Wow...what a weird power. I'm assuming the rest of the armors are created with scrap metal from Guardians?"

"Correct. However, GG has no idea how AHAD creates their metal. It's completely foreign to us and the only thing GG can do with it is use it to fill the remaining space in armor."

"Then, what about the ranked weapons?"

"Haaa...why so many questions?"

"I'm curious, that's why."

"Hey, Rose, take over for me please. I'm too tired to answer any more." Shadow pleadingly looked over to Rose for help.

"Ahahaha, I guess I'll do that. But~, you'll have to get at least third place this time around!"

"I'll try, no promises. I unlocked another portion of my power so I'll definitely win."

"Wait, wait...Shadow, aren't you a regular Gifted?" Kyte looked at Shadow with surprise.

"Yes. And...?"

"-And? Regular Gifted aren't able to increase power, right?"

"Correct. I'm a mutation though."

"...What?"

"I'm a mutated Gifted."

"...Rose."

"Well, the topic of ranked armors involved Gifted mutations so I was going to talk about it anyway. I'll start with the family that creates the ranked armors.

The family that has the power that creates the material necessary for ranked armors originated from the Asrudos family. The Penros family started when the eldest son of Amial Asrudos mutated. His power mutated the God Fiber power into a God Mineral. He no longer creates a fiber, he creates a mineral-like substance. He created a branch family of the Asrudos family and named it the Penros family. It's not as strong as the Asrudos family, but being a branch family from a direct descendant of Amial Asrudos, it's still qualified of being a Core family. That's where ranked armors are from. The descendants of the Penros are more plentiful as well."

"Wow...I didn't know there were such weird powers. And the fact that Gifted powers can mutate?"

"Yea. There's something about mutations linked to Thomas White as well. Many say that Thomas was born only with the ability to control gravity, then later on his power mutated which gave him the power to control time and space. Then on, only a few of his descendants have the power to control time and space while all the others only control gravity. The same thing happened with Shadow.

His original power was only the erosion of weak metals but he also mutated. Now, his power increased by at least ten times and he can also erode a Gifted's energy. That means that any attack aimed at him can be erroded by his black energy."

"Woah. Dang, Shadow, I had no idea."

"Don't worry about it. It was due to pure luck that I mutated. Due to my mutation, the more knowledge I have about my power the higher quality my energy will become."

"Also, Kyte, mutations are very rare. The amount of known mutations that have happened can be counted with your hands. Of course, there are most likely many hidden mutations, and most of them want to stay that way." Rose said.

"Why?"

"Not everyone wants to live on the front lines of the Core Leagues. All mutated Gifted usually have a unique trait to their power that enables them to surpass their peers. All the Core Leagues want a mutated Gifted, even if they aren't A rank."

"I see..."

So there are even more secrets regarding Gifted. How would a power mutate in the first place? There's so much that I don't know about Gifted and this world. If the Gifted are already this complicated, then what secrets does AHAD hold?

Kyte only mentally sighed as he thought that. It doesn't matter if he knew these secrets right now since there's nothing he could do. He assumes that the only thing he can do when facing an S rank Guardian is successfully running away. If he can't even defeat an S rank Guardian easily, then how will he ever be able to achieve anything?

Thinking up to that point, a spark of determination was created within Kyte. A determination to become the most powerful being on this planet. He knows that S rank Guardians are not the end. How could it stop there? If there's S rank Gifted here in the outer branches of GG, then what could the Core Leagues possibly hold? How in the world did all of these powerful humans and machines not be found out by the public?

What if...there's something deeper than what's being presented?

Kyte couldn't help but to be so curious. Discovering these secrets, not only about AHAD and GG, but also about himself and his power. How can he breakthrough into the seventh stage? Is he really practicing the Bloodrage technique still? There are so many questions that he wants to answer but can't. He can only continually increase his strength and hopefully gain some insights into the black light and discover the many secrets that it holds as well.

Not only those, but also the secrets pertaining to the universe. Although discovering those secrets are far off, Kyte is very interested in his universe. Sol'keer traveled here through a worm hole or a different type of transportation from a different universe. Who's to say that Kyte can't do the same?

Regardless of all these things, Kyte understands that the only way to discover the answers is power. Power to transcend everything. Without climbing above everything around him, there is no way he can understand these secrets.

The thing I want to know most is...why are the souls of humans the way they are?

"Hm?"

While immersed in his thoughts, Kyte suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey stupid, we're here. Now get up."

Kyte looked up to see Rose staring at him with a slightly annoyed gaze. Kyte turned his head and saw that everyone else was already getting off.

"O-oh, sorry about that. I was just thinking about some things." Kyte said as he stood up.

"Like what?"

"Just some random things. It's not very interesting."

"Come on, tell me!" Rose walked with Kyte and hooked her arm around his.

"Hmmm, well...I was only thinking about everything that i don't know about this world. There are so many secrets that seem unanswerable. But that only piques my interest even more."

"Really? Well, it is true that there are many secrets. However, there are some things that are better left unanswered."

"You're not interested in them at all?"

"It's not that I'm not interested, it's just that I know my limits. Unlike you, Kyte, my power grows very slowly. Although my energy has increased quite a lot after absorbing your energy for a month, I've only barely increased by one section. And that was in a month. It would take me years of continually absorbing your energy to reach only gold S rank. I am certain that that is my limit. However, you, Kyte, don't seem to have a limit. I refuse to believe that your limit is merely at the A rank. Your power was increasing so quickly, then it suddenly stopped. I believe you're stuck at a bottleneck, but once you pass through, your power will increase explosively. I can already see you joining the Core Leagues not too far in the future."

Kyte was a little surprised at Rose's tiny speech. However, he couldn't refute her words. Even if it takes longer to increase in power the higher he climbs, Kyte really needs only one step to breakthrough into the seventh stage. He has been accumulating a large amount of world energy for the past month or so so he's confident in reaching at most the middle seventh stage. He also believes that breaking through into the seventh stage would qualify him for an S rank badge. Because, the breakthrough from the sixth to the seventh stage is a huge leap in power and understanding. There are definitely more items awaiting him in the storage necklace once he enters the seventh stage.

"Don't worry about it. I know you're thinking that I might leave you once I pass this bottleneck, but I won't. However, if I get invited into a Core League, I think I may accept the invitation."

"Oh..."

"Only if I'm able to bring you with me, of course."

A happy smile grew on Rose's face as she made her grip around Kyte's arm a little tighter. She subconsciously increased the strength of her absorption as well, and Kyte was able to pick up on these little signs. He wondered if Rose was getting too attached to him, and if he couldn't bring her with him to, possibly, a Core League, then he was a little afraid of how she would respond. He decided to push those thoughts to the back of his mind, mainly because he doesn't want to see Rose face any more depressing situations...

After everyone left the subway train they entered into a tunnel similar to the one before they entered the subway. Kyte moved forward with Rose at his side, along with the other four beside them, and left the tunnel.