The Ancient Genes

« Bahamut has joined the chat.... »

A notification window popped out in front of Max's face.

« Bahamut:  Anybody here yet? »

A message soon followed after Bahamut's entry.

At this moment, Lear got up preparing to leave the room as he spoke, "I  am going then."

He hadn't practiced his mana arts today and he had a good feeling after the battle today. He needed to practice before he lost this feeling.

Max nodded and then turned his head around before focusing on the chat.

« Coward Cat: I am here »

« Bahamut:  Where were you, cat?!! You suddenly disappeared, and then the news of Arcane. We almost thought you were dead! »

« Coward Cat: It was close, but I made it out alive. »

« Bahamut: Thank god, you did. We were already missing the last one. I didn't want anything to happen to you as well. »

« Coward Cat: Oh! I found the last one…» Max replied with a smile. »

« Bahamut: What? Are you sure it's him? »

« Coward Cat: Yes, I am and it's her not him. She confirmed everything. Even her encounter with the old god. Besides, you can tell it on a single look. When you meet another one of the Awakener, you will know it is him or her. And you even have the buff to confirm it. »

« Bahamut: It's good the and yes…the buff. Do you know what happened with the system? »

« Coward Cat: Yes, I know. But I am curious as to what happened with you guys.» Max asked in curiosity.

« Bahamut: I almost died because of it…. »

« Coward Cat: what?! »

Bahamut began to recount his experience. It was as usual. He had gone into the Orena to hunt along with a few of his loyal servants from his house and earn some FPs to level up.  When it was time to take a break, he asked his team members to go ahead. He was planning to hunt more before taking a rest because unlike Max and Anna, this guy had received an enhanced physique when Max had received an enhanced hearing. This had turned Bahamut into a stamina freak as well.

Bahamut was well aware of his strength and hence took on an opponent with that in mind.  It was a Fire Ape. A 1★ Savage beast and one at the peak of its own level. He was indeed a freak. If Max came across a 1★ savage beast before the Trial of God, it would be instant death for him.

The beast should have only been stronger than Bahmut by a tiny bit and it was....at least in the beginning.

But, during the battle, a series of notifications popped up in front of Bahamut.

« System override!!! »

« Host's Access denied…. »

« Shutting down functions… »

«Removing enhancing nano runes…»

 Bahamut felt strength leaving his body and it was accompanied by intense pain as if his soul was being pierced.

The tables instantly turned upside down in the battle. He even ended up taking a life-threatening blow. The pain had distracted him and the sudden decrease in his stats left him overestimating his movement capability.

Bahamut ended up separating from his teammates in Orena. With the beast on his back, he had to make a run for his life. When he somehow managed to get the beast off of his back, he didn't have any idea where he was.  He spent 4 months in Orena. Without the system, fighting even a peak level Ferocious beast became a serious thing for him. The system had disappeared leaving behind only a single screen that contained the Ancient Manual.

After staying for 4 months, he was finally rescued by the experts from his family because unlike Max,  he hadn't stranded that far away from the initial location. Still within a radius of 400 km. If it wasn't for the fact that he had been hiding his tracks to avoid getting spotted by any beast, he would have been found even sooner. But he had to do it. After all, the savage beast's had a bit of intelligence.

Bahamut had already reached the second layer of Ancient Manual back with the system and was only a level away from the third. It didn't take him long to master the first level back again. But the rest did. Unlike Max, he didn't found a method to get in contact with flow energy except for doing his daily practice. But still, he managed to completely master to the third layer back in such as short time, this was commendable and even Max found it hard to believe. It could only mean that this guy had a monstrous constitution to begin with.

….

«Coward Cat: I see….»

Max didn't know what to say anymore.

«Bahamut: What about you? Besides, you said you knew why it happened?»

«Coward Cat: Yes… but that isn't the only thing. I have got something else as well.»

Max began to recount his experience, the fake god Vali. How they were being used as experiment subjects. The incomplete system.  The Ancient families and the spirit shells. Finding the Ancient Cemetery. The true God and the trial. The Combat System. And the God helping them by putting his hopes on them to end everything once and for all.

«Bahamut: Hmmn….» He seemed to be contemplating things and still digesting Max's words.

«Coward Cat: There is another thing….»

«Bahamut: What?»

Max then told him how he suspected the demons to be behind the Arcane incident.  James Ovens's involvement in the incident. The team members that survived along with him. His encounter with Lear and the trouble in Barnes's family. How he met Anna and the fight in Ishtar. The stupid prophecy. How it might turn troublesome for them if they didn't obtain the Ancient Families support.

«Bahamut: It indeed is becoming complicated. But we never knew about the Ancient Families until now. Even if they don't support us, things dint change much for us according to our older standards.»

«Bahamut: Come to capital, I have some plans for creating a personal force…..»

«Coward Cat: You are right….but we can't just ignore the spirit shells.»

«Bahamut: I know. If they don't hand it to us. We only have two options. Either use force or steal it.»

«Coward Cat: The first option is impossible for current us. But the second one…..If it's about finding a killed thieves, I know a person.....»