Chapter 50: Her Worry

Declan’s jaw dropped when he saw that her palm had been damaged, the skin peeled away, yet there was no blood.

A shimmering layer of nanotech was already moving beneath the damaged surface and rearranging itself until, within five seconds, fresh flesh had completely regenerated as if the explosion had never happened.

"A direct shot to the head would knock out most Seedian Nexians with less than 50% fusion."

Morgaret looked toward him.

"You built this yourself?"

"Yep."

"From where?"

"Gathered some of the materials from the waste area."

"The waste area?"

Declan nodded.

"It’s not marked on the map, but there’s an application that can scan the area and narrow down its location."

He quickly turned toward the computer and began operating the keyboard, causing a map to appear with the entire wasteland mapped out.

Morgaret stared at the location before looking back at him.

"You really are more of a Mech Scientist."

She clenched her fist, causing the nanotech to ripple across her arm before rapidly gathering back into the small cube.

"Cool, no?"

Declan’s chest puffed out with pride, and even Boss Morg looked impressed.

"As much as I’m not easily impressed, creating something capable of knocking out most Newcomers from waste scraps and within less than four days of arriving here..."

She shook her head slightly.

"That’s impressive."

Her hand reached out and gently rubbed his hair.

"You’re supposed to smile when you do that."

Morgaret’s expression remained as cold as ever before her demeanor suddenly changed.

"There’s something important I came to ask."

Her gaze became serious.

"What?"

"It’s been three days, right?"

Declan nodded.

"That means you can undergo the fusion process tomorrow."

Her crimson eyes narrowed.

"Are you really planning to undergo Core Fusion?"

"Yeah."

"But your talent..."

Morgaret’s voice became firm.

"You may die."

Declan stared at her.

"I won’t."

The confidence in his voice made her pause.

"My talent may be poor."

A D-Grade talent was indeed poor by X Guard standards.

"But I won’t die."

Morgaret remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"Promise me."

Declan met her gaze.

"I promise."

A faint breath of relief escaped Morgaret as she reached into her pocket and brought out a crimson card.

"When you go to the Core Fusion Lab, go to the front desk and ask to meet Lady Blythe."

She handed him the card.

"Give this to her. She’ll understand."

Declan accepted it.

"If you get there tomorrow and they tell you she’s not around, don’t undergo the fusion."

Her voice carried an unusual firmness.

"Understood?"

Declan nodded, and for some reason, he noticed that her palm felt slightly sweaty.

He looked up and found her crimson eyes remaining as cold as ever, but deep within them, he could see it.

That emotion.

Worry.

"Someone looks quite worried."

Declan teased her.

Morgaret blinked once, and when her eyes opened again, the worry had vanished completely, replaced by that familiar coldness as she pulled out her cigarette box, took one cigarette, lit it, and inhaled deeply.

"I’m not worried."

Declan rolled his eyes.

"Sure."

"Hey," she suddenly called out to him.

"If you undergo the fusion and keep your promise, I’ll get you on your first X-Guardian mission."

A glint immediately flashed through Declan’s eyes.

"My first X-Guardian mission?"

"Yes. The one you did before was mine, and it was more of a test than an actual mission." She paused, her expression becoming slightly more serious.

"This time, it’ll be the real deal."

"That sounds dangerous," Declan mused.

The last time, he had nearly ended up dead, and that had only been a test.

Whatever awaited him on an actual X-Guardian mission, he doubted it would be anything pleasant.

"Everything is dangerous," she replied, taking another deep drag from her cigarette before exhaling slowly.

She then reached out, grabbed his hands, and placed the cube back into his palm.

"But if you survive that danger, just like you’ve survived everything else so far, you’ll have enough resources to build hundreds of these gadgets without ever having to step into that wasteland again."

She looked into his eyes.

"Don’t you want that?"

Declan’s eyes immediately lit up.

Of course he wanted that.

He had already been thinking about building an entire armor suit, but he also knew that trying to accomplish something like that with scraps from a wasteland was ridiculous.

The materials simply weren’t good enough.

But if he could gain access to proper materials through an X-Guardian mission, then perhaps he could actually bring that idea to life.

"Are you tempting me with rewards so that I survive?" he asked suspiciously.

A faint grin appeared at the corner of her lips as she rose from the seat and headed toward the door.

"I’ll be around the academy for now. See you soon."

Declan swiped his green card across the door scanner, allowing it to open, and Morgaret stepped outside.

She continued toward the elevator while Declan remained in the doorway, watching her until she stepped inside.

Just before the doors closed, she caught sight of him standing there with his fingers intertwined, and then, as though he had suddenly realized she was watching, he released them and waved.

He was clearly trying his best to hide the faint pink blush spreading across his cheeks.

The sight made Morgaret smile.

It was a genuine smile, completely different from the usual mischievous grins she wore, but Declan never got to see it.

The elevator doors had already closed, carrying her down the dormitory.

__________________

The Next Morning...

BEEP

BEEP

BEEEEP

The persistent beeping finally stirred Declan awake, and he sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes before looking toward the time displayed on his device.

5:50.

His class began at 6:30, leaving him forty minutes.

He immediately jumped out of bed and hurried into the bathroom.

After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, he returned to the living room, only to realize that seventeen minutes had already passed.

He grabbed his things and stepped out of his dorm room.

There was still enough time before class, so he decided to stop by the cafeteria for breakfast. After swiping his card to lock the door behind him, he turned around, only to hear another door opening.

Evie stepped out.

Declan glanced at her and immediately noticed that something was different.

Her usual expression was gone.

Her face was cold, almost emotionless, and she didn’t spare him a glance or say a single word. She simply walked into the elevator and disappeared as it descended.

Declan watched the doors close before shrugging.

Whatever was wrong with her had nothing to do with him.

He entered the elevator as well and quickly made his way to the cafeteria.

Eating his breakfast and returning to the classroom building took him only seventeen minutes, leaving him with six minutes to spare.

As he approached the entrance, he glanced down at his device.

’What class is it, anyway?’

The moment he checked, his eyes gleamed.

[{Nexian Class}]

___________________

"As the heart is to a human, the Core is to a Nexian."

The words echoed throughout the classroom, where rows of tables and chairs were arranged in an upward spiral around the center.

At the lowest point of the room stood a male instructor dressed in a formal suit and tie, his black hair neatly slicked back.

Above him floated the holographic image of a spherical object, its surface radiating energy.

"If the heart’s function is to pump blood through the body and essentially keep it alive..."

The hologram shifted, transforming from the Core into a translucent representation of the human body.

A concentrated light appeared where the heart would be, pulsing rhythmically as streams of energy representing blood flowed throughout the body.

"A Core performs a similar function. Instead of pumping blood, however, it pumps energy through the body, keeping Bionic Fluids and Mecha Modules integrated within a Nexian functioning properly."

"Without a Core serving as their source of energy, a Nexian’s Mecha Modules will no longer function, while their Bionic Fluids will also begin to deteriorate."

"Removing a Core from a Nexian may not kill them outright, since they still possess their natural heart, but it will leave them considerably weaker than even an ordinary human. There have been numerous cases of Nexians entering a state that can only be described as half-dead and half-alive."

The instructor paused as the holographic Core began pulsing.

"This makes the Core one of a Nexian’s greatest natural weaknesses. Protecting it should be just as important as protecting your heart."

Declan listened quietly.

As a Mech Scientist, he already knew most of this.

He had spent years studying Cores and their various modules, so much of the lesson felt more like a recap than something new.

Still, he paid attention.

There was always a possibility that the knowledge taught to Nexians differed from the technical knowledge of a Mech Scientist.

"There are five grades of Cores."

"The first and lowest is the Seed, which all of you have already fused with."

"You will require at least 90% integration with your current Core before you can proceed to a higher grade."

The instructor raised a hand, and the hologram changed again.

"And speaking of integration, let’s return to the heart."

"It pumps blood throughout the human body, correct?"

"The Core functions similarly, but its energy doesn’t immediately spread throughout the entire body. After a Nexian first fuses with a Core, only around 5% of their body will initially receive its energy."

"The longer the Core remains inside the body and the more that energy is utilized, the more familiar the body becomes with it."

"The percentage gradually rises from 5% to 10%, then 20%, and continues increasing from there."

"The energy gradually integrates into the body and this process is called Nexgration."