901 Avalanche
Time flew quickly, and Khan struggled to keep track of it among his many occupations.
The tournament was reaching its apex, and some representatives had even started disclosing their interest in specific descendants, triggering public auctions that entertained the arena for days.
That development could bring problems, but Khan realized he had overestimated the descendants" desire to retain political freedom. No one rejected the n.o.bles" desire to bolster their ranks with promising soldiers. The involved young contestants saw the auctions as a great honor, making most of Khan"s precautions and rules pointless.
As disappointing as that looked, Khan couldn"t help but accept and focus on the development"s positive sides. The poorer families remained loyal to their regressive mindset and couldn"t even consider opposing the n.o.bles. However, that also prevented problems, saving Khan from the need to intervene to handle them.
As for the other projects, everything steadily improved and progressed, albeit slowly. Khan"s new presence had prompted the representatives and aliens to strengthen their relationship with him, but days weren"t enough to build proper friendships. Those matters took time and couldn"t be rushed.
The same went for the magic items, living elements, study of the Scalqa"s flesh, and Fuveall implants. Those projects took time, often years of research, and Khan"s unique insight was one of their key aspects. He was one of the projects" necessary pieces, and his packed schedule prevented him from giving them his full attention.
Nevertheless, three exceptions to that trend existed. Khan"s little free time didn"t stop him from developing magic items for Monica. Her new level demanded better equipment, and Khan saw that as a priority. Monica didn"t only deserve the top spot in his mind. Khan also wanted to ensure her safety, enabling her to use her element.
The superior training grounds were another exception. The Thilku and Ef"i"s renewed interest in Khan"s growth forced him to prioritize those areas" development. Luckily, the blueprints were already in place. He only needed to put workers, scientists, resources, and s.p.a.ces to the task.
As for the third exception, Khan kept prioritizing his new training method. In the three weeks after Monica"s birthday, he used the toxic pool twice, each time obtaining different results that Abraham and Garret carefully recorded and studied. Many aspects improved with the additional session, but one issue remained constant.
"Eighty-three," Khan read on the device, showing the last training session"s scientific report.
Khan"s eyes shone on the device, illuminating the lab around him. It was deep into the night, and Khan had just awakened from his last training session. He was alone, but Abraham and Garret had left food, drinks, and new clothes behind, as well as the full report of their investigation.
"Reduced organic tissues" damage," Khan read. "Progression in line with previous observation, indicating a positive trend. Fancy words to say, I"m getting used to the procedure."
Khan had been the first to notice the trend. The second training session had hurt less than the first, and the same went for the third. His body was growing accustomed to the toxic substance, but the scientific report didn"t see it as negative. His tissues were still transforming. The process simply required fewer injuries.
"Recovery after the training session remains enhanced," Khan read. "Rehabilitation period shortened due to lower damage."
"Vitality steadily on the rise," The report continued. "After the recovery period, the vital signs surpa.s.s the previous scans and continue to improve, confirming the procedure"s benefits."
Khan couldn"t help but nod, scratching the corners of his eyes before reaching for a nearby bottle. Obtaining the scientists" approval was no small feat. Much worked on him due to his uniqueness, but standardizing the procedure remained the final goal. Achieving that would make it viable for his closest allies and, eventually, anyone who joined him.
"The improving vital signs have evident, at times problematic, repercussions," Khan read. "Prince Khan tends to show his extreme characteristics more often, with clear effects on his surroundings. His element might be the cause, but further investigation is required."
Khan disagreed on that point. In his mind, further investigation was pointless. He knew his element was to blame, so the procedure would affect other people differently.
"I guess we"ll see soon enough," Khan thought. "Colonel Norret"s pool is almost done. His results should clear this point."
The report continued highlighting various points, but most were science-related labels Khan didn"t understand. He didn"t even care much about that specific data since fixed standards didn"t exist for people in his situation. Yet, one number remained concerning, and Abraham and Garret didn"t hold back from listing their opinions.
"Attunement with mana is in decline," Khan read, "Despite no actual loss of mana and a diminishing trend. The main hypothesis is unchanged. Prince Khan"s tissues demand more energy now. As his upper limits rise, his current level plummets."
"From eighty-eight to eighty-three," Khan thought, skimming through the report"s following comments. "Don"t tell me I"ll go back to being a third-level warrior."
The report stated otherwise. Abraham and Garret believed the plummeting trend would stop soon enough, probably once the attunement level reached eighty points. Still, Khan didn"t feel too confident in that opinion. After all, that field was alien to the scientists, so the unthinkable could happen.
Of course, the scientists explained that belief. The different warrior levels matched specific thresholds, marking permanent effects and transformations. Undoing them would require more energy than building upon them, so Abraham and Garret stated that Khan"s fourth star was safe.
The explanation made sense, but Khan"s doubts didn"t disappear. Still, he didn"t know how much he cared about it. Truth be told, his attunement level had lost meaning for him long ago. His strength was always above it, so he found no reason to waste brain cells on it.
Moreover, the training session handled the aspect Khan held dear. Improving and transforming fulfilled the same requirement, distancing him from the Nak genes and turning him into his own being. He believed he would be fine building a family if he completed either path.
The only real problem was the public perception. Khan had built his fame and organization on his talent, strength, and growth. Slowing down the latter might raise doubts about his superiority, especially if descendants from the same generation started surpa.s.sing him.
Ideally, Khan would reaffirm his superiority in actual battles, but those opportunities grew rarer by the day, and his current enemies didn"t act publicly. Khan might remain stuck at the fourth level for a long time, with no chance of showing his strength, giving the impression that his seemingly endless potential had reached its limits.
Sadly, the issue had no solution, and Khan didn"t even consider holding back on the new training method to retain the image of a peerless talent. He would have to sacrifice his real growth, which wasn"t worth it.
"Well," Khan sighed, putting aside the device. "Projecting weakness would attract more enemies, giving me the chance to reaffirm my strength. I"d just have to be more proactive if the public opinion starts to affect my businesses."
The problem wouldn"t even be with the ma.s.ses. Khan only needed to watch out for the wealthy parties around him. The n.o.bles and prominent families wouldn"t hesitate to side with his enemies and act against him once they smelled weakness, and that wouldn"t be easy to fix.
"It"s always problem after problem," Khan cursed. "Luckily, the tournament is ending, and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. I needed a complete win."
Khan put aside the political issues and jumped out of bed, stretching his body to check his state. A faint wave of mana also escaped his figure, tearing apart all the bandages around his body. His intact and healthy skin appeared in the open, but that scene went unnoticed.
A fit of hunger invaded Khan, making him hurry toward the plates left behind by the scientists. He wolfed them down without bothering to dress up, but his stomach demanded more. Luckily, the parties were still ongoing, and his phone carried specific updates on them.
Another peaceful night unfolded, and many followed. Khan"s status and situation had truly stabilized, creating one of the longest peaceful periods in his life. Minor scuffles still happened, but Khan barely saw them as problems after everything he had witnessed.
Nevertheless, that peace was limited to Baoway. Many powers moved and plotted around the planet, hoping to forge secret alliances and prepare themselves for eventual opportunities. Still, the Thilku Empire acted as an unbreakable shield, preventing proactive actions.
However, one specific party saw that powerful ally as Khan"s biggest flaw. That force had access to cla.s.sified information even the Global Army"s higher-ups lacked. Still, leaking it could start wars and forsake all the potential advantages Khan"s special relationship with the Empire offered.
In short, sharing the cla.s.sified information would only lead to a lose-lose situation, but the party in question didn"t care about winning. Victory had a different meaning for it, so a secret meeting happened, throwing a pebble capable of unleashing an avalanche.