[BONUS] GREED
[Bonus chappy thanks to Mr. Ham <3 (1/6)]
Leonel was wowed for a moment. It wasn't that the desire emitting from the mine was impossible for him to handle. Just like Anastasia had predicted, it was actually quite a simple matter for him to deal with it.
Instead, this was the first time he had felt the influence of Forces on the mind so clearly.
Back when his Innate Nodes deactivated and his Vital Star Force crossed into the Impetus State, the realization wasn't so clear. That was because the influence his Scarlet Star Force had on him was so well-executed and so subtle that he hadn't even noticed until the contrast of Vital Star Fort enlightened him.
However, this was on another level. It was direct, flagrant, and almost...
Offensive.
Leonel realized that even though this mine was so amazing, even capable of imposing its will onto the world. It was quite rudimentary and almost childlike. If you had the ability to protect your mind like Leonel did, and could see through the attempts, it was more amusing than anything else.
'If I could find a mine like this that focused on Dark Force or Emulation Spatial Force, I have a feeling I'd be able to enter the Impetus State even faster.' © content.
It wasn't just that Leonel could feel the pressure of the mine trying to act on his mind, but he could also clearly feel the character and personality of the Force.
It was greedy, insatiable, it always wanted more and nothing was enough.
This seemed perfect for an Ore title with the word Evolution. It was always seeking to improve and it could take this will and use it to elevate everything around him.
Leonel bet that the Force Herb that had caused all the fighting was just like this as well, forced to evolve by the mine and then used to lure in unsuspecting victims.
Some would die and their corpses would be left behind for the mine to soak in and strengthen itself.
As for why it was mutated, Leonel had a feeling that it was incorporating more than just the strength of the experts it was taking in. It might be likely that it was snatching up their potential and their paths as well.
'Interesting.'
Leonel shot into that mine more deeply. He wanted to understand more about why the person who found the mine before him didn't act to take it all for themselves.
Soon, he got his answer.
Deep in the mine, what must have been at least several hundred meters below ground, there was a rainbow array of ores. Here, the feeling of greed and insatiability was even more flagrant.
The mine was pulling and tugging at itself, trying to follow all sorts of paths all at once.
'I see, the mine is collapsing in on itself...'
Not all mutations were positive, and the fact that something had mutated shouldn't be a sign that it had become stronger.
This mine had been allowed to grow, it became an apex predator all to itself, but because there was nothing to push back against it, it had become a microcosm of the folly of too much greed.
It wanted everything to the point of wanting to elevate itself to a new level, but it couldn't decide what path it wanted to follow. It didn't want to choose at all so the center of the mine had become a war zone.
Then there was something else.
'Someone is trying to manipulate the outcome.'
After some observation, Leonel noticed that there were very carefully selected mining lines. These selectively weakened some of the areas, by proxy strengthening others.
There was an array of paths here, but from what it seemed...
Leonel grinned. "This person seems to want the mine to focus on Light Force. A Light Force expert died here previously and became one of the many paths fighting it out down here, and this person is trying to selectively strengthen the Light Path and influence the mutation of the mine. Whoever this is, their Crafting and comprehension of Force Arts is garbage, but they're clever nonetheless..."
Leonel had his father to guide him along his path of Crafting, but not everyone had the same benefit. This person might be lacking in skill, but it wasn't due to a lack of talent.
This sort of ingenuity was excellent. It was the kind of thing Leonel might have thought of if the circumstances were correct.
The goal of this person was quite clear to him.
What if the insatiable greed of his mine was focused down a single path and it swallowed up everything along said path? In that situation, if you could resist the corruption of the mine, wouldn't the mine become a perfect haven of improvement?
It would collect all sorts of Light Force and Light Force comprehensions for this person, and even start creating Ores that would be perfect for the kind of treasures this person would most like to use.
It was perfect.
However... Leonel didn't need Light Force comprehension right now. He needed Dark Force comprehension and Emulation Spatial Force comprehension.
He thought about it for a moment and then shook his head.
He was far more adept at Crafting than this person. Honestly, now that this idea had been presented to him, and the ores were here, he didn't need to wait for the mine to naturally take these steps of progression. So long as he mined the ores, he could create his own simulated training room.
"Since you don't need these, I'll take them."
Leonel focused on a part of the array of rainbow colors that had a distinct darkness to them. Evolution Ores were usually balls of gold and they could easily be mistaken for the far inferior precious metal, but this area was tinged with darkness that almost made them look like unmined coal.
Leonel was curious about who this person was. He had seen the Crafting of Mo''Lexi and the Godlens; it was at a much higher level than this. This seemed to mean that this person wasn't from those large factions, or was at the very least only a peripheral member of them, and that made Leonel curious.
This gave him many ideas, but whether any of them would bear fruit would depend on what origins this person had.