Chapter 91: Chaotic East
That night, one of the three leaders, Dr. Bruce Avaline, reached out to Carter Caine and asked him to arrange a meeting with Victor Frankenstein.
Bruce asked him to arrange a meeting with himself. A little bit humorous in Carter’s opinion. But he still fulfilled his role as the middleman.
The next morning, Dr. Avaline took a helicopter to the Metabolic Institute.
Nina and Quill had made a full recovery after just one night. They learned Metabolic Manipulation and could enhance their healing already. So one night was more than enough.
All they needed was nutrition and energy.
The two were practicing martial arts, both unarmed combat and melee weapons, with a few instructors that Carter hired. The instructors were the best in Hexilia.
"God Damn! They hit like a tank!" An instructor swiped his sweat.
Each of Nina punched caused the entire metal frame to shake.
Carter built this place in account for Superhuman strength so the training equipment could stand Nina’s power.
Dr. Avaline approached Carter with hands in his pockets.
"So... This is what Caine was talking about. Awaken Adrenaline."
Carter reached his hand over, "Dr. Victor Frankenstein."
"Dr. Bruce Avaline. I’m an expert in neuroscience. You are?" They shook hands.
"Herbalism."
"Herbalism? That’s a weird branch. But we come from different worlds after all. We should exchange some knowledge sometimes, Dr. Frankenstein."
"Of course."
The two doctors talked about the new Superhuman while watching Nina and Quill. Dr. Avaline witnessed first hand what the Superhumans were capable of.
"Interesting. Superhumans seem to be perfect in melee combat. They would pair well with Invokers." Dr. Avaline rubbed his chin.
"I heard Caine actually wanted them to practice in ranged combat also. Especially guns." Carter said.
"Guns? Why guns? Their strength is stronger than any guns." Dr. Avaline said.
"Perhaps. I don’t know much about your world’s guns, Doctor. But Caine told me that with their strength and agility, he planned on creating Super Guns that ordinary human couldn’t use."
"Super Guns?" Dr. Avaline’s eyes lit up. "Of course! How can I not think about it! A handgun has a limitation on how powerful it can be. Because it might hurt its user. But if the user is a Superhumans... This limitation is no more! The possibility is endless."
Dr. Avaline was too enthusiastic about weapons. They discussed for a little more and Carter quickly found out that this man was also a gun nut. He didn’t just know guns. He understood them thoroughly. Carter suspected that he was more than just a simple neuroscientist.
Carter left for the East Continent that night. General Dragovic sent an aircraft to pick him up. Alongside him were Neros, Piper, and many more Invokers.
"That is the legendary Eldritch Knight? He looks so handsome!" A female Invoker was already geeking out.
"Don’t disturb him! He’s clearly getting himself into the mindset." A male Invoker said.
"What mindset are you talking about?"
"He’s staring into the continent. Obviously he was getting his mind ready to fight."
Carter stood at the edge of the cargo hold. He saw a land full of Terrors below. Not just Medium and Major Terrors, but many Peak Terrors like Wolfhead and Pighead.
"I’m going down first. Meet me at the location." Carter said.
The white swordsman jumped down from the aircraft.
"Woah! Did he wear a parachute?"
"Nope, he didn’t."
Carter sped through the air. Just before hitting the ground, he unsheathed the Prisoner.
"Prisoner Unbound!"
The Raven Knight returned and landed heavily on the ground. Feathers shot out from him and destroyed the Terrors in the surroundings.
Carter rarely used Unbound Form because it had a limitations of 99 seconds. And also because then he did, the Terrors would be killed quickly later. He gained not a lot of fighting experience like that.
But there were a lot of Terrors around. Carter intended to speedrun these monsters.
[Synchronization +0.5%]
[Synchronization +0.5%]
[Synchron...]
The feathers killed a lot of Terrors in one go. The Raven Knight the bolted into the crowd of monsters and began his slaughter.
The Invokers looked at him with admiration.
"Holy! He is even better than the rumors."
Nero’s face darkened. "I heard he was severely injured. I wonder what kind of monster did that to him."
"We should find a safe spot to land and join him." Piper said.
The clock kept ticking down. The circle on Carter’s chest slowly disappeared.
With one swipe of his blade, three Terrors were split in halves.
[Synchronization +0.5%]
[Synchronization +0.5%]
[Synchron...]
A Snakehead approached him. This one was exactly like Wolfhead or Pighead, but it had a snake as a head instead and its body was elongated like a salamander.
Carter jumped to it and drove the Prisoner into its neck. Feathers shot out and pierced into the Snakehead.
The Snakehead hissed. Venom shot out from its hollowed fangs.
Carter dashed away in a blur and dodged it, his blade swiped through a few Terrors in the meantime.
’Why don’t I use my power in combination?’
[Lost x1 Durability Elixir]
[Lost x1 Strength Elixir]
[Lost x1 Agility Elixir]
Carter took the Elixirs he had taken out from the Brewer’s Chest and chugged them down. He became faster, stronger, and more durable. The Apothecary Stomach Ability minimized any side effects and amplified the positive effects of the potions.
Carter felt he was more powerful than ever.
Just Eldritch Knight alone may lose to Dracula. But Eldritch Knight with these buffs would stand a chance at killing him. And he could do more.
’Adrenaline... Activated!’
Carter’s blood got pumped. Even more powerful was poured into him. He noticed an exponential effect because his bloodstream already had the potions.
’This is... Adrenaline could amplify the potions even more. Superhuman is the best at using Apothecary Potion. I should pass this knowledge along too and create a combat system for the Superhuman.’
Potions enhanced him. Adrenaline enhanced the potions and also enhanced him. His power level grew several times than before.
Carter couldn’t even be seen anymore. He only left afterimages behind him when he briefly stopped to strike the Terrors.
The Snakehead was no opponent. Its body exploded into bits when Carter sliced over it. It was no different than a regular Awaken Terror now.
The clock ticked down. 99 seconds had passed.
Terror Corruption was activated.