Zarek already knew the answer to the question the moment he thought of it. It was impossible for him to give up this opportunity.
It wasn't about the extra Talent. In fact, having that extra slot made things more troublesome depending on the fusion method he chose.
All Talent fusing methods were incredibly difficult to get. In fact, Zarek only knew of one, and the others were only things he had heard vague rumors about or could only speculate about.
However, the one he did know about didn't allow you to choose. It took what Talents existed and pulled them together. He wasn't sure if an empty slot would interfere with this, but if he took on a fourth Talent it certainly would.
The extra Skills were more enticing by comparison in Zarek's opinion, especially since there were so many. Ten Skill slots was something that only S Classes would have, and even then it'd only be those that ran into special opportunities.
It was actually ridiculous that he had so many. But it was also obvious why that was.
These weren't technically his own Skills—they were the Skills of the other seven. And if he was correct, his mastery couldn't grow beyond theirs. Meaning… they would be the ceiling on his growth no matter what.
No, the benefits weren't the real reason Zarek had to make this choice.
This was the first clue he had ever found to something that existed beyond the bounds of Earth. He couldn't give up this opportunity no matter what.
'No… it's not the first… but I'll deal with that problem soon enough.'
Zarek took a breath. The fatigue in his body was suddenly hitting him in waves. He needed a rest.
"The use of this Talent isn't immediately obvious, it will take time before you understand the underlying use. But Zade, you especially, will benefit from it the most."
"Me?"
"Yes. Think less about the overall use of the Talent, and the underlying changes it's made to your senses. When you hone in on that, think about how you can apply that new sensory perception to your main Talent. As you do so, focus on that feeling, nurture it. It will help you Awaken your next Talent."
What Zarek hadn't told Zade ahead of time was that because he had taken Atom Link, he had lost one of his Unawakened Talents. Now, his body was in a bit of a limbo state.
There was no telling if the synergy between his Unawakened Talents would be as good as Priya's would be in the future, but what was certain was that they were perfectly suited to him. If he couldn't maximize Atom Link, it would be a loss.
But more importantly than that, Zade had to make sure that the next Talent he Awakened was one that helped him with his current path. That was why Zarek had told him to sink into that feeling.
Because one Unawakened Talent was lost, Zade's two remaining Unawakened Talents had fallen into a limbo, and it wasn't clear which one would be Awakened yet.
This was a method of nudging them in the right direction.
"I'm going to return now. Good luck."
Zarek made no attempt to learn about Zade and Marx's brothers. For one, he didn't want to give away how important they were to him just yet. And two…
He didn't really care one way or another.
Taking Priya with him, he entered a car and left, leaving the seven of them behind.
Marx, lost in thought, hardly seemed to register Zarek's departure at all.
"What are you thinking about, Marx?" Zade asked.
"Nothing." Marx shook his head, looking up from his thoughts.
"That usually means something." One of their brothers, Mitch, muttered. But it was clear they weren't all in a very joking mood.
They all felt about the same way.
This Talent…
It was worthless.
At most, one of them needed it, but all of them? It felt like a waste.
"You don't need to try so hard to think of something, X," another man who usually went by Snooz to the group spoke out. "Maybe this time we just got screwed over."
"Hm…" Marx didn't rebut. It was clear that though he said he wasn't thinking about much, his thoughts were still spinning.
—
Name: [Marx Occam]
Role: [N/A]
Core Stats:
>[Strength: F+]
>[Dexterity: E-]
>[Intelligence: D-]
>[Endurance: F+]
>[Charisma: E-]
Talents:
>[Rolling Dynamics: E+]
[Abilities: Momentum]
[Your forward progress is continuous and ever-growing as long as you aren't interrupted]
>[Atom Link: F-]
>>[Abilities: Link]
[Connect two items and use one to receive sensory input from another]
>[Empty]
—
"I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels this is complete bullshit. I feel like he was just experimenting with us the whole time. First he brought all of us in, then five of us, then all of us again, then three of us. It was like he was playing a game of musical chairs," Mitch snorted.
The rowdiness of the group only seemed to increase after this. Zade tried to mediate a bit, but he really didn't know what to say. Their concerns were valid.
If Marx had done the exact same thing, they would have been fine with it—the irony of that statement being that this was exactly what had played out in their last lives.
But the difference was that Marx was someone they would trust with their lives, whereas they didn't even know who Zarek was aside from a few passing conversations. This time, he didn't even really introduce himself and just left directly.
BANG!
Six of them, including Zade, all looked toward Marx at the same time. A smoking gun was in his hand, the bullet having long since disappeared to wherever.
"Holy shit, X. If you wanted our attention, you know you just have to say something. No need to waste precious bullets like that." A more silent member of the group, a burly man of large stature but small demeanor spoke. He was the little giant of their group, affectionately known as Boop.
However, Marx wasn't listening at all, his eyes glowing with an almost feverish light.
Everyone seemed to have the problem of trying to apply inorganic Skills to the organic. But Marx… he had always had the opposite problem.
And now he didn't.