The first thing Leonel noticed was that his Force was somewhat tinged with red. At first, he thought that this was a product of forming his Third Star. But, when he checked on the situation of his kidneys, he was left speechless.
It became very obvious, very quickly, that the reddish gold energy was coming from his right kidney which shimmered like a gem within his body.
'What the hell…'
Leonel's hand suddenly shot toward his scar, his gaze flashing with an imperceptible light.
The truth was that Leonel had never thought much about his scar. He had learned about it from his father's note, but that had been before he even stepped into the Mayan Tomb. By the time he went through so many life and death situations and got his hands on the dictionary – something he could finally use to find out more about it – it wasn't even on his mind any longer. As a result, Leonel never got around to asking…
'Innate Force Node…?'
When Leonel's mind landed on these words, he was suddenly jolted out of his stupor.
He remembered that the first time he learned about Innate Force Nodes he had been reading [Dimensional Cleanse]. The creator had mentioned them and even said that created Force Nodes were no weaker.
But, looking at his right kidney, Leonel had a hard time imagining that his self-created Force Nodes could match up. Whether it was in size, quality or robustness, his right kidney far outstripped anything he had ever come across. In fact, it was an even higher quality than his Light Elemental Force which was an exceptionally high-level energy to begin with!
Leonel frowned.
Did this scar mean that someone had planted this Force Node into him? But why had he not noticed it until now? And what was with it being so large? Are all Innate Force Nodes this large?
Leonel reached out with his Internal Strength and tried to communicate with his right kidney's Node.
"AGH!"
A searing pain suddenly shot through Leonel's body. Just a wisp of the Force made him feel as though his body would burn to ash if he continued for even a split second more.
Leonel broke out into a cold sweat, collapsing.
What the hell? He couldn't even use his own Innate Force Node? What kind of joke was this?
Leonel had no idea that he had reawakened his Innate Force Node much earlier than his father had expected.
Leonel wasn't supposed to try and form a Tenth Node. That was simply suicidal. The fact he tried at all was enough for people to look at him as though he was a madman.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately depending on the perspective, his actions catalyzed the rebirth of his Innate Force Node. But, it also made it far more powerful than he was prepared to deal with.
Leonel gave up, taking out the dictionary. He really had no idea what was happening.
"What is going on?"
Leonel couldn't even come up with pointed questions, he could only ask this. Ever since he left the turbulence of Camelot, the dictionary had begun to work just fine once again.
[ *Ping* ]
[ … ]
After a long while of listening and many more specific questions, Leonel came to understand…
His Innate Force Node hadn't been planted into him. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Someone had operated on him as a child and taken it out.
When Leonel wanted to find out more about this, the dictionary practically cut him out. The only understanding he managed to grasp was that it wasn't his father's family that had done so and even that was only done through various deductions.
Still, in the end, the Innate Force Node was Leonel's to begin with, it was written into his very being. It just needed a catalyst to rebirth itself. In the end, that catalyst came much earlier than anyone could have ever expected.
Finally, Leonel learned about just what this energy was.
[ *Ping* ]
[ Scarlet Star Force ]
Leonel, who was still in a bit of a bad mood after learning he had been operated on without his knowledge as a child, raised his eyebrows.
"What is that Force?"
[ *Ping* ]
[ Replying to Seed, Scarlet Star Force is a mutated Light Elemental Force that has gained characteristics of Fire Elemental Force and Star Elemental Force. It's a balance of all three that creates an all new energy that ranks among the top of all three Elemental types. ]
"Oh? Where does it rank amongst the three?"
[ *Ping* ]
[It ranks top ten of Star Elemental Forces. It ranks top three within Light Elemental Forces. It ranks number one within Fire Elemental Forces.]
Leonel was shocked. This was the first time the dictionary had given him such a definitive answer about the strength of something. The fact its answer was so decisive and clear made Leonel realize that his Scarlet Star Force was likely something beyond his imagining.
After taking several deep breaths to calm himself, Leonel asked the final question he had on his mind.
"What abilities is Scarlet Star Force known for?"
[ *Ping* ]
[ Destruction. ]
Leonel plopped down on his bed, a hint of shock playing his features.
It was a clean, direct, and unconfusing answer. It couldn't have been more forcefully outlined. And, Leonel believed it with his very being.
His Scarlet Star Force wasn't as simple as causing damage with oppressive heat or strong power, Leonel quite literally felt his cells quake whenever he observed the energy as though they didn't even want to live anymore.
This level of Force… this quality of energy… it held a mystery to it that was far beyond what the current Leonel could grasp. Even after just observing it for a moment, Leonel felt as though shackles within his mind were loosening and the feeling was just as profound as the Fourth Dimensional Force Art within his Dream World.
The only exception was that this Scarlet Star Force was only trying to teach him one thing instead of a myriad of things…
How to destroy!
Just when Leonel wanted to experiment to see what his true limits were, he froze, his gaze shooting up to the ceiling of his room.
Someone was above him…