MMORPG : Ancient WORLD

The old man clearly stated that Alex needed to take Yue with him because, as a realm inhabitant, she knew the ways around and could be of immense help, especially since locating the mad apothecary would be challenging due to the abominations guarding each of his hideouts labs.

Despite his skepticism about the old man's intentions, suspecting that it might be another ruse to get him to spend time with Yue, he had decided to go on this trip even though he would be working toward the same goal against an imperial sect.

Finding the mad apothecary before the Imperial sect was a daunting task, but with Oldman Kang's help with the intel from his friend and his own ability to extract memories, Alex held on to a glimmer of hope.

Alex learned more about the Clone Infusion and the Mass Assimilation Technique from Oldman Kang and how this selective version might work before leaving in search of the mad apothecary.

The Clone Infusion and Mass Assimilation Technique were two sides of the same coin, two fascinating techniques created by an unknown figure to help an even weak individual gain a level of strength not achieved by many.

In theory, the techniques could help reach the peak of the Sixth Rank without any Rank promotion, meridian cleansing, or similar steps in other power systems.

But if it was even remotely possible to break the rules of nature, it would have happened atleast once, but there were no records of it, so achieving such wild feats was not possible.

However, the techniques were not a total waste, as they could certainly help less talented individuals increase their strength permanently within the limits of their rank.

But then again, gene engineering was a risky business even in the hands of an experienced master, so the risk of mutation and gene collapse was too high.

However, the same risk was not carried by clones, so individuals used them to massively strengthen their clones more than their original bodies, and in case of failure, they could always begin from scratch.

Yet mastering either of the two techniques was not easy. It was much harder to master these two techniques than a cloning technique to create a mirror replica of yourself with 100% of the user stats.

The selective Mass Assimilation technique wouldn't replace the need to perfect the Sanguine Avatar technique for a 100% stable clone, but acquiring it could enable him to create avatars strong enough to host his soul wisps and act independently on matters requiring his attention, significantly boosting his ability to progress.

Alex left for the Empire of Iron since the mad apothecary seemed to be hiding in its vast tecno lands.

-----------------

"Three days later"

Alex and Lady Yue found themselves in one of the dark zones of the Iron Empire, in the swampy region, following the intel they had received about bio-mech abominations spotted in the area.

The landscape was treacherous, with thick, murky waters releasing jets of toxins that could put even Elemental Rulers on their deathbed and twisted and undiscovered monstrosities that could kill them with ease, being the reason it was categorized as a death land.

It did not take long before the duo encountered the abominations they had come looking for. These monstrous creatures stood three to four meters tall and had refined physiques.

Their races range from Beastmen to humans and lizardmen, all bearing bad and cheap modifications, with wires and tubes embedded in their flesh, energy canisters mounted on their backs, and various prosthetic limbs, a trademark of criminals and low lives of the empires, who craved strength but did not have the money to pay for it.

The creatures' previously colorful skin had turned a sickly pale color, their muscles so dense that attacks that could tear through armored beasts left little more than scratches.

Their hollow eyes showed no pain, even when losing limbs, which was strange since they possessed sane enough minds.

However, that was the least strange thing about them as they possessed immense force and firepower that made Alex question their origins before they mutated into such creatures.

Each abomination boasted physical force and speed backed by bottomless stamina comparable to 200K to 300K stats or wielded massive firepower with seemingly endless energy reserves, something that most martial geniuses could not hope to achieve.

The bio-mech abominations were surprisingly strategic in their attacks, with their movements being coordinated, their strikes precise, and their protection formidable.

The battle against the biomech creatures lasted for a few minutes, and that was only because since it was their first encounter, Alex wished to see their limits, and once he had seen enough, he put an end to them.

Minutes later, Alex stood before the last surviving creature knee-deep in swampy waters, whose body was marred with gaping wounds and its breath barely present.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me. I will tell you about the lab I was made in or anything else you wish to know," The lizardman pleaded through clenched teeth, blood oozing from his mouth.

"So we can go there and experience an atomizer bomb like some other fools your kind have tricked?"

"No, thank you. I will just search through your memory to find out what I need." Alex replied, his cold tone carrying a hint of amusement.

Alex was fully aware of the outcomes of using the Devourer skill to draw out memories, knowing it was a dangerous technique that could lead to memory lapses and other horrific problems if overused.

However, he was confident that he could depend on it without abusing it too much, as the skill allowed him to draw out major events, going from present to past, in a straightforward manner and stop at any point.

Alex took a deep breath as he knelt beside the fallen lizardman, placing his hand on the creature's head before he closed his eyes, concentrating as he used the Devourer skill to draw out his memories.

Images and memories flooded his mind, a chaotic stream of events and experiences that made him seem like he was living them, a strange experience he had only experienced once before.

Alex filtered through them, searching for anything that could lead him to the mad apothecary, and to say the process was exhausting would be an understatement since each memory fragment was tinged with pain and suffering.

The past few months of the lizardman's life had been one of torment and experimentation, and what he had experienced in months, Alex did in a few seconds, but amidst the agony, he did see the mad apothecary and something he dearly wanted to see.

'It were not a mutated abomination. It was the same as a normal human, but it was definitely not normal, so his technique does work to such a level,' Alex thought, happy to find what he came looking for.

The creatures they fought were strong but mutated to a certain extent, and if this was the best the technique could do, then it was useless to Alex.

While a few perfectly stable creatures had been reported to be found wielding abnormal force or mana, the old man's friend did not confirm it since the sect higher-ups were keeping much of it a complete secret, knowing they had a treasure on their hands.

Alex needed clones with strength, surpassing 70% of his original stats, or atleast that's what he estimated to be a decent enough vessel, so seeing the technique work made him happy and eager to collect it.