New Game+

"A freak alright. This is good." Richie laughed.

"So… Aliens? This is an interesting turn of events. Also, please call me by my current name. Sammy Theoden. Aside from you, there are quite a few who would be willing to kill me."

"Alright. You seemed pretty cautious about your identity."

"If I'm not mistaken, a few of those aliens should want me dead. Hence, if they discover me, they could discover you."

"Oh, I see. Interesting. I should report that to all teams. No wonder you went through such extents to change your physical features and even changed your eyes. If it weren't for your strange frequency, I wouldn't have found you. Still, this is exciting. I wonder how different the future me would have been if I had a Wolf Pack?"

"Future you? Time travel already exists? Impossible. Then it should be… Seeker Carlean?"

"Oh… So you can even discern such secrets?" Richie was thoroughly impressed.

Shuffler laughed.

"I solved Seeker's mystery. He must have known of the bug exploits in his future and simply took advantage of it. It was within the things I considered, but of course, who in his right mind would believe that?"

"Well, you now know who the most important person our team has. This Seeker has been actively changing the future for the better. I don't like taking orders and luckily, he knew the future me all too well. So he made preparations and gave me time to prepare for another fun activity which he knew would make me do the things he wanted me to do, but what he could never command me to do."

Shuffler was in deep thought. He started to mumble randomly before answering as Richie's answers gave him insight into so many things.

"You plan on building a team. People like me or who have my potential. If what happened to me earlier is possible, then people who may have left an impression on you would naturally be strong individuals… If this is necessary, regardless of how strong you are or that rumored Dragon is, then this means the aliens vastly overpower us? So this means that the battle in China was more than just a fight against Meng. Is Meng an alien? No… his history suggests otherwise. Someone like you then? So there are people in this world who have surpassed technology…"

"Sammy," Richie spoke.

BANG!

Shuffler fell to the ground as he felt a powerful force slammed on to him.

"As much as how impressive your ability to deduce from very little information is… please mumble later. Can I continue? I'm on a tight deadline." Richie sighed.

"So-Sorry…" Shuffler forced out.

"Right then. Since you're smarter than I thought, I'll keep it simple. I assume that as I explain more things, you could piece the remaining things together?"

Shuffler nodded.

"But first, do explain to me the mystery of your power."

"Fair enough. The power I have is indeed not with any form of body enhancing tech. It is in fact, a brain-enhancing tech. We call it the Unlocking. It's similar to that age-old myth of using ten percent of your brain… But different. Instead of using ten percent of your brain, we push the brain to exert more effort. Basically, our brains have only been using ten percent of its strength. Not the parts of the brain, but the effort of it."

"What about the Neuro-Transcellular phenomenon you mentioned earlier?"

"Once your brain improves, all of your cells also improve. But generally, what I'm after is your mind. Something about it was powerful that it actually made me feel something. Either way, you're someone who has great potential. I don't know if you died in the future, but join me and you'll have a shot at surviving."

"I honestly don't care if I'm with the aliens or with your side. But your side seems to have more mystery. Time travel? This is truly interesting."

"If you're that bored then don't worry. The alien race will have their time. Right now, my immediate concern is a woman. And since you're so smart, you can help track her and face her once more."

"Who are we fighting?"

"An old friend-slash-foe. The Rider of the Red Horse. The Tyrant Empress."

"The Tyrant Empress?" Shuffler wondered.

"Perhaps the most dangerous person on this Earth. Her power is strong and petrifying. She has a beauty that can literally kill you. She was present during the attack on China. She is the possessor of the missing Rule."

"The Rule? So she has the missing Rule that belonged to the WGP… Is she part of that royal family?"

"No. She managed to somehow slip in and mesmerized some members. She's not a member. But she's such a pleasure-seeker. She longs to simply have fun and excitement. Her lust was so disgusting that she really didn't care about this world. All she wanted was to have fun. Thankfully, an exciting enemy like the Aragarians is enough to keep her masochistic-self excited."

"If such a person makes even you speak in such… uh… reverence… she must be terrifying."

"That's not half of it. We defeated her and captured her. But Seeker knew we could never keep her. In fact, keeping her as a prisoner would only be reckless. We arranged to set her free but Seeker, at such great cost had to implant a chip on her heart. However, the allure of the Tyrant Empress is so strong that Seeker didn't want to keep her on that base. After all, Seeker had seen the Tyrant Empresses' face."

Shuffler had a bewildered expression.

"So this... Tyrant Empress, is so beautiful, that even people like you can easily give in to their… lust? I don't follow. This Unlocking seems to be going to the realms of impossible. I won't be able to deduce things easily with this. What exactly can the Unlocked do?"

Richie simply smiled and decided to give a light whistle.

Every single object in Shuffler's home started to vibrate.

Even Shuffler started to feel discomfort at the strange sound.

Shuffler started to kneel down as he clutched on his stomach. He knew what this pain was.

"Brow-Brown Note!" Shuffler shouted in shock. No technology could perform the Brown Note. Even the WGP couldn't. Yet the man before him, who had no technologies equipped on him did so with a whistle.

"That's right. But I guess you could say that it's not just Brown Note. It's something more terrifying. While the Brown Note is a theoretical frequency that attempts to cause resonance in a human's body causing them to lose control over the intestines. I can do things far beyond that. If I match the frequency right, I can destroy this entire house at a whistle." The sound suddenly disappeared.

"With such technology, nothing can stop you!" Shuffler was amazed. The vibration seeped through his cloth which was secretly designed to even protect against gunshot.

"Wrong. If I faced Greydon Meng alone, I would have died. His powers are extremely strong that my sound frequencies wouldn't be able to do anything. Lennox Humphrey is another mystery. And this Tyrant Empress stands at our level. Her power is beauty. And as charming as it may sound, it is by far the deadliest power that I could imagine." Richie explained.

Shuffler's heart continued to thump in great fear. The man before him was already terrifying yet there were more beings like him.

"Is the Tyrant Empress stronger than you? Stronger than the rest of... your kind?" Shuffler couldn't help but ask.

"She should be. But that's only because Eagle is far too compassionate and kind. At this point, none of the Overcomer's can face her one-on-one. Truth be told, I've witnessed the uncanny powers that are far stronger than mine. Who would have thought that charisma and absurd things such as vanity could be far stronger than my own Path? And since we are facing such monstrosities, that's why I'm here… to look for a team that can help me."

Shuffler was silent but his head was running in its maximum capabilities. Several names were mentioned and Shuffler had already started to analyze the details of each mentioned individual.

"Eagle and Lennox…" Shuffler mumbled quietly.

"What are the circumstances of the Tyrant Empress?"

"Let's go back to the battle in China first. I suspect you'd need all the information so you can make accurate deductions on where the Tyrant Empress would be in the future."

"Please."

"Long story short, Aliens known as Aragarians, technologies in Australia that Seeker needed, and Seeker's plan to meet people like me. Blah blah blah. I assume your skills in deduction could give you accurate guesses as to the current state of things?"

"Are you going to continue with the Parable of the Sower? I'll need to download Eagle's pdf file for 'Understanding the Parables of Jesus' if I am to make out what you are saying… I can deduce, not look into the past." Shuffler frowned.

Richie gave him a blank stare. His annoyance in Shuffler's sarcastic remarks was growing.

"Our purpose in attacking China was mainly to gain Meng's allegiance. His position in Asia is very convenient. As Seeker and his team are based on Pangea, establishing a base in China allows Seeker to easily travel and send out his people all the way to Europe, Africa, and even Russia. These are the areas that Seeker valued because you know, he's from the future. And so, we planned to win Meng over."

"Win him over? If I deduced it right…You waged war against him…" Shuffler pondered. His deductive reasoning couldn't understand why they massacred Meng's army.

"Is killing his army part of gaining the alliance?"

"Meng didn't lose his army. He lost his base. There were a few who died during the attack, but it was practically negligent."

"I see. The massacre was a lie. You only fought Meng. Seeker had no choice but to defeat Meng and show him that he was honestly stating the truth. So the only way to win his trust was to actually defeat him…" Shuffler now understood.

"Correct. We raided his base and aimed to defeat him so we can talk to him. But Seeker messed up."

"Messed up?"

"This was the funny part of the attack. Earlier before, Seeker had planted an interesting seed which would be the assurance of our victory. We were facing an Overcomer. Victory could never be assured. So in the scenario that we would lose, Seeker would then reveal his planted seed and that it would have granted us the opportunity for dialogue. But what Seeker didn't expect was for things to escalate far quickly than it originally did in his timeline. I almost died because of that."

"What happened?" Shuffler was astounded at Richie's claim.

"Meng had slept with this Rosa." Richie smiled mysteriously wanting Shuffler to deduce the rest.

Shuffler remained silent and waited on Richie. Deduction basically failed Shuffler now.

"So it's not elementary enough for you, Sammy?" Richie gave a displeased sigh.

Shuffler could only nod in embarrassment.

"There were many misunderstandings about Meng's true power. Seeker didn't know that that was the root of Meng's Path. But to help you deduce what Meng's power is, Seeker's seed was, in fact, the real cause which allowed Meng to solidify his position and become someone stronger than me then. I had awakened the Will which is the entry point to becoming an Overcomer. But the Flesh is different. I have yet to awaken it. But Meng did."

"What is this seed?"

"Come on. It should be obvious to you now? I'll give you more information. This seed allowed Meng to Overcome what they call in Chinese as the 'heart devil.'" Richie smiled as he deliberately gave unrelated information to the battle.

"It's real?" Shuffler was surprised.

"For Meng it was."

"You have to give me more information about this. As I said, I can deduce, not have visions of the future."

"Fine." Richie gave an irritated grunt.

"Meng believed in the existence of a heart devil. And that was limiting him from becoming what he could be. So for him, it and so it somehow became true. To answer your question about this seed… our hot-blooded Dragon was in love." Richie laughed.

"The Tyrant Empress?"

Richie shook his head angrily.

"No. A different woman! Why would the Tyrant…? Ugh. Look. I'll give you more clues. This woman had no interest at Meng. Seeker's seed was supposed to resolve her disinterest to Meng but what we didn't expect, was that Meng's true Road was not related to any previously hypothesized aspects!"

Shuffler frowned.

"Think about it. I've already given you quite some hints. You need to grow stronger because the enemies we are facing have technologies that far surpass the Unlocking itself! You have to be able to deduce within the lines of the impossible. And so, I'm giving you a little exam." Richie smiled..

Shuffler had a frustrated expression.

"There is just too little data! This is an impossible exam. It's like you've given me a drop of water and is asking me which planet it's found?"

Richie grew annoyed.

"I've seen various TV shows where the detectives could do better than you! And you are already Unlocked!"

Shuffler wanted to curse, but who would dare curse an Overcomer?

"Meng had slept with Rosa." Richie finally revealed.

"This is the reason why Meng grew stronger. And the reason why Seeker miscalculated in planting that seed!" Richie gave his answer.

Shuffler was now even more confused.

The Dragon's success in sleeping with a girl was this time-traveling reincarnators miscalculation?

"So… sex…?" Shuffler pondered.

"Erm… This Seeker miscalculated because Meng got laid? Is Meng's power related to his libido?" Shuffler asked to eliminate other impossibilities.

Richie had an aghast expression.

"What the nutterballs are you talking about!? No!" Richie corrected with an irritated look.

"Can't you deduce things properly? For someone like you, this should be plainly obvious! If you eliminate the impossible, all that's left, however improbable must be the truth! Don't you know this? Why the hell did you turn the Dragon to a sex-crazed dog?"

Shuffler wanted to cry. Richie even quoted Sherlock Holmes but the context of what was happening was far from what Richie's imaginations were. 

"I… can't deduce everything. With the oddities of the Unlocked, it's almost impossible to understand your skills!" Shuffler spoke calmly.

Richie paused and thought for a bit.

"You have too. We will soon be challenging someone who could face me and Meng together and defeat us!"

Shuffler's eyes grew solemn.

"Explain to me more about the Unlocking itself. I can see that it breaks through the unexplainable. But what fundamental concepts can you shed light too?"

"An Unlocked person has what we call a Road. This Road pertains to the possible skills a person can develop based on who that person is. The Tyrant Empress for example, she has a road of vanity."

"Vanity? I see… I think I understand. A vanity like that created beauty that could brainwash."

"It's more than just that. When a road can create miracles, Seeker calls that state a Skill. But once this Skill reaches a level of power that can easily win over an army, then they would call it a Path." Richie explained.

Shuffler immediately fell into deep thought.

Several points came to focus.

Meng's defeat and apparent victory over this Rosa was the key to understanding the Dragon's skill.

Seeker had planted a seed to assure their victory and at the same time make Meng stronger.

"If Richie said that their mistake in the battle against Meng, was that Seeker made Meng think he was after Rosa… Then that anger made him reach higher levels of this Unlocking." Shuffler thought to himself.

"Meng had already slept with Rosa and overcame his heart devil and have gotten stronger?"

In those few seconds, Shuffler's thoughts were working so fast, that although time had not reached the same slowness that many of the Unlocks could do, Shuffler's fast thinking allowed him to achieve a state similar to instant calculation.

Instant Deduction.

Riche could sense the vibrations around Shuffler changing and he smiled.

"This is it…" Richie smiled excitedly.

"It's not libido. But it should be something odd. The Tyrant Empress has vanity. Then what is this Meng's power? Could it be wrath? Then what could make Meng so angry that allowed him to grow stronger and at the same time assure their victory?" Thoughts of Shuffler started to sweep through all the knowledge he had stored over the years. From psychology to biology, and even to pseudo-scientific studies.

"Seeker planted a seed… Could it be? It was literal?" Shuffler realized it.

The information fell to places. Richie claimed that Seeker's seed was meant to be their assurance in victory but was also a key in helping Meng grew stronger. If Meng grew stronger the angrier he got, then it could only be that seed! A seed that would tie the heartless and unyielding status of this woman whom Meng loved.

That seed should have given Meng the advantage he needed but what Seeker did not know, was that due to his interference in the present things changed and Meng had already slept with Rosa in this timeline! Shuffler already knew that Seeker is crazy considering his public antics.

And now, he wants to make Richie face this Tyrant Empress. It would not be surprising that he used this cruel method to allow Meng to finally win the heart of his beloved. But it was only through a cruel and heartless deed.

Shuffler glanced up and excitedly gazed at Richie.

This was it! Richie had already been very mysterious in his words meaning the answer was so unlikely. Richie reacted harshly when he guessed that Meng was a sex-crazed beast whose powers were tied to his libido! It was obvious now. This is because Meng's power was the exact opposite! Although he had the Unlocking, his heart devil was one thing that made him unable to win the heart of this woman. And what did the Chinese fear the most?

"I have the answer." Shuffler laughed.

Richie smiled in anticipation.

"He figured out that Meng's Path is Desolation with those random details? He truly surpasses even Arthur!" Richie laughed to himself.

"Meng is impotent! And his power is related to being a cuckold!"

...

...

…

WATER WORLD.

The entire environment around Shuffler grew thick. It was as if he was underwater.

"You're an Unbecoming. You should survive one Sonic Punch.." Richie clenched his fist angrily.