BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Erik's gaze wavered, unable to meet Amber's fiery eyes.

The weight of guilt made it impossible for him to face her.

His eyes darted around the room, avoiding her intense stare.

His hesitant posture and uneasy eyes revealed the burden of his actions.

But then he sighed. "I don't know what Noah did exactly tell you. He knows why I did everything, but I bet he kept out part of the reason."

To that, the others looked at him. It was clear what Noah said wasn't the whole truth, maybe because of guilt, or maybe for other reasons, but Noah made it clear he wasn't saying everything.

Since the Blackguards were searching for the biological supercomputer, and considering he already showed a lot of powers to his enemies, to Erik, it no longer made sense to hide the truth to even his friends.

That was especially true since they were now involved in the war against them.

"Two years ago, after another day of bullying, I got a visit. My father came back. But I already told you that."

"What I never told you. What I told no one is that he brought something with him."

The group leaned forward. It was clear what Erik was going to say was important.

Intrigued, they stared at Erik. Everyone's posture changed, showing their keen interest in his words.

The atmosphere in the room changed, now charged with anticipation, as they awaited the unveiling of Erik's long-kept secret.

"It was a glass container. In it there was a weird creature I assumed was a dead thaid. However, it wasn't one of them."

To that, Erik could only sigh.

"I freaked out when I broke the container, went to the kitchen to clean that mess, but when I went back to the room, that thing was nowhere to be found."

Erik's words intensified their curiosity. The group exchanged thoughtful glances. All eyes turned to Erik, full of wonder.

The mystery captivated them, pulling them into his narrative. They grew more curious because it actually happened.

"I went to the kitchen to grab a knife. I was scared. After all. What could have I done back there? I had no mana, a useless brain crystal power, no training whatsoever. To be honest, that was just the cherry on top of the cake. You could imagine how mentally unwell I was at that time."

Everyone but Mira nodded. She knew Erik didn't have a peaceful life based on what Noah said, but he didn't know to what extent.

What did he mean when he said he had no mana? From what she remembered, Erik had enough mana to fight, to the point he could be considered being at the top of the food chain in the whole Testrovsc's Rest. She found all of this news to be quite weird.

"Then, as I grabbed the knife, I turned to kill whatever that thing was. Unfortunately, or not to be honest, that thing jumped on my face and inserted something in my throat. It was then that I lost consciousness."

The others were taken aback when they heard that information.

To accidentally break a container enclosing a weird creature was an already scary event, but it became even more terrifying for Erik, given his situation at that time.

It was difficult for them to understand the emotions he experienced when that unexpected thing suddenly leaped into his face.

"When I woke up, I was welcomed by weird interfaces only I could see. These briefly explained that the creature was, in fact, a sort of very advanced biological AI. It calls itself the Biological Supercomputer. You can guess the rest. I learned that thing is able to make me absorb brain crystal powers from creatures."

Their reaction to the situation was one of complete and utter shock.

While they were aware of Erik's possession of multiple brain crystal powers, what they didn't know was that he had got them by stealing from other creatures.

"When you say creatures," Gwen said, "You aren't only referring to thaids, right?"

"Indeed."

A heavy silence descended. When Floyd saw Erik's power back when he took the guild's test to increase his rank, the same test that made him famous in Etrium.

He thought his powers were awfully similar to some he had already seen. Of course, he said that to the others.

"Did you kill Nathaniel?" Gwen asked.

"I did." Erik didn't sugarcoat his words. "But that was self-defense. While I was escaping from the Blirdoth attack on New Alexandria, this douchebag and his hired thugs came after me. He wanted to kill me. What was I supposed to do, let him?" Erik sounded really mad this time.

"I wasn't imply—"

"And what were you implying, Gwen?"

Erik was forced to interrupt his friend. Gwen had always been slightly guarded against him.

"Erik," Mickey chimed in. "If what you're saying is true, that means his father attacked us because of you. People died because of that. Anderson was one of them. He was your friend."

Without a doubt, that was a truthful statement. Erik was fully conscious of that fact. He should not be held liable for the deeds of that insane person.

"Maybe I caused it, but I'm not to blame for what he did. Also, I was there with you all to rescue the hostages, remember? I knew it was my fault, and I did what I could to save everyone. You already know that."

However, the others were getting agitated, especially Aaron. "Yes, that is true, but by then, you should have had many powers. Why didn't you use them to save him? Why you didn't save everyone?"

Silence returned. That was a natural question. If Erik had many powers, why didn't he use one to save Anderson? Many of the deceased were their highschool peers, some of whom they trained and laughed with. They were not insignificant.