Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

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After logging out of Zenith Online, Kieran sat up in bed while exhaling and removing the VR Helmet. Like in the past, after completing the initial class change, Kieran felt a slight difference. Although it was far from reaching his previous glory where he could essentially be called superhuman, Kieran felt like his senses had undergone another small improvement.

‘It’s nothing extraordinary, but it feels more powerful than what the former Berserker Class rewarded. Is this because I have gone through the process once before? Or rather, my mind remembers going through it once before,’ Kieran thought.

Even in the past, the slight strengthening humans experienced from playing the game was an inexplicable benefit. For the most part, this strengthening primarily focused on the mind since that’s what the equipment in use was connected to.

However, after realizing this, Kieran began questioning why some famous individuals were physically more powerful than their peers. That wasn’t the result of the VR Helmets or even its upgraded form. There were definitely secrets that Kieran wasn’t aware of.

‘Charles would also become evasive whenever I asked him about this, but surely there’s a secret to why members of affluent families grew far more superior than normal people. What’s their edge? Was there equipment released that wasn’t available to others?’ Kieran wondered.

His holowatch chimed with a message linked to the expensive computer set-up not too far away as he considered the question. As Dr. Riley stated earlier, she delivered information on the medical center’s location in the same fashion Kieran contacted her.

After reading through the information, Kieran was taken aback. According to Dr. Riley, he needed to bring everything necessary because she would be monitoring him for at least the following week. His sickness was far too fascinating for her not to examine him thoroughly.

“So this is why she said it’d be upwards of $500,000… There’s nothing like medical bills, huh?” Kieran muttered with a pained smile. Luckily, he was still receiving income from his streams that people watched after they were saved. Furthermore, there were occasional sales of the guide. Unsurprisingly, Zenith Online received a high daily influx of players due to the frequent and compelling advertisements.

Upon receiving the directions, Kieran dealt with his daily hygiene before getting dressed and catching one of the supersonic trains. It seemed the medical facility was located in a part of the city that could only be reached through this method of travel since it tended to go both under and high above the ground.

“For it to be located in this place, it must have ties to the Private Sector since it’s even wealthier than the Underworld,” Kieran said. Generally, any land in remote but highly populated areas was owned by the Private Sector, which arguably formed the wealthiest portion of the world.

The Private Sector was a loose inclusion of incredibly wealthy families known as Affluent, Magnate, Extreme Magnate Families, and exceptionally skilled individuals. As the name entailed, this sector was for those who had become wealthy enough to transcend receiving trivial public assistance.

The Private Sector possessed every facility the public did. The only difference was that their infrastructures received ample funding, which allowed them to become frighteningly equipped. Because of this, it was also dangerous to become affiliated with the Private sector. They embodied the phrase: “get it done by any means necessary.”

There were times when entire families of well-known global businesses randomly disappeared because their competitors happened to come from the Private Sector. It was truly the land of ruthless wolves and heartless coyotes.

Alas, this was Kieran’s only option. Only the Private Sector had the means to help him.

Roughly four hours later, Kieran arrived at the medical facility with an exterior that looked no different from a highly secret research laboratory. Kieran was immediately hit with a wave of caution.

“Yo, they experiment on people in here or something? Why does it look like this?!”

Numerous cameras with motion sensors attached to them zeroed in on Kieran as he approached the front door with a shocking three-level entry scan—voice, iris, and fingerprint.

With how heavily guarded this place was, Kieran would have thought it was something owned by the government and stored sensitive information. However, because Kieran wasn’t staff at this place, the heavy door was opened remotely, emitting a low hissing sound.

A wave of cold air assaulted Kieran as he stepped inside. When he entered, Dr. Riley’s strawberry blonde hair and blue-green eyes greeted his sight. She looked at him with an excited glint in her eyes that would only appear when a kid was given candy.

“Follow me. I’ll walk you through the process later. Make sure you keep your belongings with you because I don’t feel like going all the way to a storage area,” Dr. Riley said.

“Mm,” Kieran nodded.

He followed Dr. Riley’s every step, soon coming to an extensive laboratory outfitted with the most cutting-edge medical tech known to man. A sizeable medical bed made from unknown materials was in the middle of the room.

Aside from that, there were machines designed to scan, record, probe, and several other functions. The only similarity was that they all centered around dealing with a patient.

“First, I’ll need to understand the spectrum of your physicality. You haven’t completed the mandatory fitness evaluation according to your medical record. If that were known, you could be fined or even incarcerated,” Dr. Riley said with a smug smile. “But I digress. I’m in no place to judge.”

“Meh, that test is only used to filter for potential soldiers. Do you think I want to go to war? Tell me, what would I have to fight for? Devotion to a country? Tch,” Kieran scoffed. He was by no means a patriot. He didn’t care which country he hailed from; he was only interested in procuring a decent future.

Besides, after learning the origin of the money he received, Kieran despised the government. Why else would they dispense remuneration if they were not somehow to blame for the tragedy?

“Anyway, go change into the fitness gear prepared for you. We’ll begin running those tests, and it’ll take a while,” Dr. Riley instructed. An area similar to a gym’s locker room was situated next to the medical lab. The lack of lockers, however, told Kieran otherwise.

While inside, Kieran changed into tightly fitted spandex pants, but no top since there wasn’t any prepared. Once he reappeared, the first test examined his lung capacity. Kieran ran on a treadmill at a pace that progressively increased. During this process, Kieran wore a special mask that controlled the amount of oxygen provided and electrodes to monitor what was taking place.

Kieran’s vitals appeared on a screen before Dr. Riley. Throughout his run, Kieran’s vitals surprisingly stayed in the green even when under immense physical stress. It only fell into the yellow at the end after being pushed slightly past the extreme limits of a human.

‘Oh? So this is why this boy hasn’t been tested? He has run for hours at a moderate pace before switching to a pace that should be the human’s top speed for the last hour yet is only mildly exhausted. His endurance is good, and his speed seems decent as well. Even in an anaerobic state, he endures for quite some time,’ Dr. Riley noted.

However, she didn’t know that the limitation that barred humans from truly challenging themselves was a predominantly mental stigma. As Kieran had once gone through grueling training, it was only fitting that he understood how to manage his current stamina until it exhausted minimally.

Before moving on, Dr. Riley ran some blood and cellular tests to see their condition. The results made her eyes widen. ‘Eh? They’re… these cells are essentially starved! How could he be fine in this condition? These levels are on par with a fragile old man!’

Dr. Riley’s curiosity grew because of her findings. She began comparing it to the known research since she couldn’t look to Kieran for answers. While performing that, she simultaneously moved on to the next segment of testing.

The following tests quantified Kieran’s physical standards. Dr. Riley examined his musculoskeletal structure, testing his flexibility, strength, endurance, reaction speed, and etc. In that regard, there were five different standards, ranging from substandard to prime.

“Although you seem frail and wouldn’t expect such results, you did surprisingly well. Strength, Fit. Physical Agility, Fit. Mental Agility, Prime. Endurance, Prime. Flexibility, Fit. Since we’ve completed the first part, let’s move on to something more spontaneous,” Dr. Riley said.

She clicked a button, and the floor split open. From within rose what seemed to be a tank filled with water or a water-like substance. “Get in. We’ll see how you respond to this.”

“What exactly is it?” Kieran questioned. From the way Dr. Riley spoke, it seemed like that wasn’t water.

“You’ll see when you get in. Why would I spoil the surprise?” “Dr. Riley answered while giggling playfully. If she were to reveal the design of this apparatus, she’d risk scaring away Kieran.

Meanwhile, Kieran could only sigh before walking up the ladder and testing it for himself. After pressing his hand on the surface, it quickly passed through, making him believe this was water. Although he still had his doubts, Kieran entered feet first.

After thirty minutes, when he could no longer hold his breath, he pressed his feet to the floor, intending to rise. However, just then, an irregular pulse fired off the tank’s inner walls. The substance’s density immediately changed, taking away Kieran’s ability to move.

On the other side of the glass, Dr. Riley walked up while smiling plainly. “Don’t panic. I want to see what happens to you. Your sickness seems to be triggered by some form of hyperactive chemical that appears in times of distress. I want to study that. And this tank is designed to simulate peril.”

At first, Kieran’s widened, but they soon narrowed with a dangerous glint. If not for the odd properties of this fluid, a light ruby glow would undoubtedly be seen coming from his eyes. It seemed his composure wasn’t as intact as Kieran presumed.

Moreover, he wasn’t in a situation where he could breathe to calm himself down. This led to him quickly becoming agitated. His fingers began to twitch while releasing an unusual energy surge that allowed him to regain some freedom but only around that hand.

‘Interesting. It’s subtle, but this is certainly the energy mentioned in the studies. But it’s odd. His body is nowhere near strong enough to generate this energy. So, how does he wield it with more familiarity than some of the veterans exposed to years of study?’ Dr. Riley wondered.

As the seconds passed, Kieran became increasingly agitated until the liquid one centimeter around him began to roil. However, before the test could go awry, Dr. Riley clicked the button again, canceling the ripple.

The fluids quickly regained the density of water, allowing Kieran to come up for air.

“Augh!” Kieran gasped before shooting Dr. Riley a deadly glare. “Are you trying to kill me, lady?!”

“No. If you had passed out or suffocated, I would have resuscitated you. That would be a great opportunity for you because you’d get to feel my womanly touch that has been preserved to this day,” Dr. Riley winked playfully. Afterward, she beckoned for Kieran to follow her to another area.

This part of the facility matched a doctor’s office, especially the refrigerated area with vials of unknown liquid marked with caution labels.

“Welcome to your sanctuary,” Dr. Riley announced while spreading her arms gloriously.