CHAPTER 2313 POSSIBLE AVENUES OF ACQUISITION
When it became clear that the Gatekeeper had no easy solutions as to how Rui could mitigate the risks, Rui had to make a choice.
Was he to go on and take the risks anyway, or would he go for the safer option?
It wasn't an easy choice, not at all.
He truly wanted to gain the power of a Mind Metabody. Not even he could imagine just how powerful it would be due to its enormous compatibility. It had the potential to be for him what Fulminata Godspeed was to Kane—a technique that amplified his greatest strengths.
He truly wanted to explore it to its greatest limits without needing to worry about rupturing his blood-brain barrier.
However…
"The risks are too high."
Indeed, more brainpower was highly attractive, but his Martial Path was not Enhanced Cognition. It was Adaptive Evolution. While he was indeed highly compatible and synergetic with it, he was not going to risk everything for the sake of greater brainpower. There was no point in achieving greater brainpower if it meant losing his brain.
In other words, he was willing to settle for a lowered version of the technique.
For now, at least.
"There are ways to get a fruit from the Tree of Healings in the future," Rui fell into thought about the matter. "Once we make it through the war, it will become highly feasible and practical to get my hands on a fruit from the Tree of Healings."
The Kandrian Empire would enjoy extreme success if it managed to weather the alliance's war to destroy it. Once it overcame the Great Limit, or even before that, it would have the power to bully the Sekigahara Confederate into submission all by itself. Then, getting his hands on the fruit would be much easier.
Additionally, now that his identity as the one responsible for the breakthroughs had been revealed, he could potentially leverage it to make a deal with the Sekigahara Confederate and get a fruit in return.
There was no doubt that the Sekigahara Confederate was deeply hurting and desperate for more Masters after Kane wiped out almost all of the retreating Masters. There was a decent chance that they would be willing to give him a fruit in exchange for breaking some of their Seniors to the Master Realm.
Of course, they hated him too much at the moment and weren't exactly the most sane folks around. So Rui wasn't entirely sure if they would come around.
"On top of that, who knows? I might get my hands on something similar from the loot we get from the Beast Domain."
Multiple times a day, the Kandrian Empire received Martial adventurers who returned home with major successes from the Beast Domain. Thus, there existed the possibility that he would run into something that would solve his problem.
"Unlikely," Sir Armstrong calmly replied. "The Tree of Healings of the Sekigahara Confederate is not something that you will be able to find a replacement for easily. It is a deeply powerful esoteric treasure that makes fighting against their top fighters a true hassle."
Rui shrugged. "Perhaps, but the possibility exists. Regardless, I'm not inclined to take risks with my brain unless the reason to do so is truly forcing, and in this case, it just isn't."
Rui had weighed the pros and the cons heavily and had firmly decided it was not worth the risk.
"Do not assume that the less risky path of the two choices is without risks," Sir Armstrong warned him. "Or that it is without power. It may be more limited, but it will still have a significant impact on your cognition."
Rui smiled. "That makes me more excited. Tell me what all the risks are and what way is best to overcome them?"
"Hm, the greatest risk comes from impacts of higher blood pressure on your circulatory system and your heart," the Gatekeeper explained. "While Martial Bodies like ours can handle an immense amount of pressure, you will still need some mild conditioning to ensure that the risk of anything going wrong is minimal."
Rui nodded as the two of them continued exchanging ideas on how he ought to go about the matter. The Gatekeeper's many insights into the kind of training that was most optimal for the goal that Rui had set out to achieve were deeply useful.
He had already begun constructing a dedicated training regime for his new Mind Metabody technique, ensuring that it fulfilled the many conditions that such a technique would need to be safe.
He would need to ensure that he conditioned some of the more fragile organs that had a lower threshold of tolerance for high blood pressure. He would especially need to condition his heart to ensure that it was able to push back against the high blood pressure of the technique and continue pumping without a problem.
Of course, this was not without risk, but compared to anything related to the brain, it wasn't very risky.
"In addition, you need to understand that this technique will inevitably increase the strain on your brain," Sir Armstrong cautioned. "It will amount to lower stamina and even more sleep needed to recuperate from the effects of the Martial Mind due to the additional strain. And considering the stunt you pulled off during Operation Clean-Up, grateful as I am, I am worried you will push yourself past your limits once more. With this technique in the equation, however, you will not be able to get away with merely a month of sleep." Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.
Rui winced, nodding. "Valid, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for all your valuable inputs into the matter. There was a much higher chance that something would go wrong without your aid, so I'm grateful."
The elderly Master shook his head. "I have told you before, this is just a drop in the massive debt that I must repay you. If anything, it is I who is grateful. Now, good luck in your Martial endeavors."
-