Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

Kieran listened to Lillian's suggestion, and she was right to call it insane. She had already established that attempting to re-engineer X-hancers was a fool's errand — a task steeped in suicidal aspirations.

An entire covert facility had been blown to dust due to a secret attempt to modify and examine X-hancers by parties outside of its creator. They had assumed it was a safety precaution embedded in the formula, but what if the contents were insanely volatile and not even the creators dared tamper with it themselves?

That idea ran through Kieran's mind, and that's precisely why he looked at her as if staring at a madwoman.

"Are you insane, Lillian? Do you want to blow this place to smithereens? Isn't the force from the explosion similar to a catastrophic bomb? I doubt the state would appreciate you leveling an entire terrain for the sake of curiosity!"

Lillian grimaced, her expression diffident and her spirit looking crushed. Though she had expected some push-back on the idea, she hadn't anticipated Kieran vehemently berating her.

However, she found some fight in her to voice her stance.

"That's not it, Kieran! It's not for the sake of curiosity, and I'm not using X-hancers to start the project. What I want to make is the polar opposite of the X-hancer, and I think a fully understood Element-X is the answer to its creation."

Kieran seemed taken aback but not all that angered. What he felt most was perplexity. Where exactly was she going with this? After all, they didn't have all the proof they needed to engineer something even remotely similar to an X-hancer's opposite, nor did they have the massive funding.

The costs seemed so exorbitant it made Kieran's head hurt to think about. After all, purchasing a pittance of X-hancer at notably high concentration values was a steep price. And that was likely to recoup the losses incurred during the serum's creation.

"Okay, I'm listening. But how would we go about such a thing?"

Lillian chewed on her nail, ruminating on the answer in heavy silence. This was a proposition posed in the spur of the moment. The particulars still needed sorting in her brain, which she was quickly doing now.

"We'd need someone familiarly zealous in the industry who wants to attempt to hone Element-X or… we need access to scientific equipment not yet disclosed to the public. The likes of which were found in the destroyed research laboratory."

If memory served Kieran, the price of the destroyed lab surpassed several billion, and it didn't belong to anyone in particular. Instead, it was owned by an unnamed coalition of several members of Magnate Families interested in joining the X-hancer production market.

All of the Godhand Bazaar's generated revenue, and Kieran's personal finance didn't come close to a fraction of the cost. For Kieran to amass all of that while factoring in the expenses of the guild and union both on Earth and inside Zenith Online, he'd need the global economy to experience a massive upheaval in his favor.

"Say we could potentially act upon these whims, how would we pitch it to others, and more importantly, how would we keep ourselves safe from the powers at the helm of the New Order?"

That was an exceptional question, considering those at the helm were likely directly responsible or had immense knowledge of X-hancers. That wasn't to say everyone was involved, but knowing how to discern friend from foe was difficult at that level. They were all as slippery, shifty, and cagey as the next. They didn't reach their governing place through upstanding behavior. It was often the wicked who would accomplish their goals by any means necessary, who would commit the evils and atrocities in the dark that others couldn't stomach, that rose to the top. Even if said reign was transient and unimpressive. Granted, Kieran had learned from Wendell Specter that the seemingly unimpressive was not always as simple as what the eyes betrayed. Lillian gave Kieran a resolution expression, her eyes gleaming with steadfast brilliance.

"I staunchly believe that if we put in enough time and effort, we can solve those problems. It is only a matter of meticulous judgment. If even the slightest bit feels off, we move along. We also don't need to expose our entire hand."

Kieran nodded slowly, and Altair approached, interjecting in the conversation.

09:17

"You could also match the pace of the operation to the growth of the guild's concrete forces. It'll ensure our means to protect ourselves remains up to par."

Another excellent point that Kieran agreed with. Most of his fears came from becoming the target of every influential figure in the world should he venture into condemned grounds. Kieran didn't foolishly believe that others weren't similarly contemplating such thoughts.

But it was different to contemplate and shelve the idea than to act on an urge. Thought could be disregarded, and none would be the wiser if you didn't voice it, but an action once taken couldn't be erased completely — evidence of an effort would be found somewhere, at some time.

Kieran sighed and somewhat hated the fact that a part of him was bubbling with excitement. The risk and thrill stimulated something in his soul that he struggled to curtail.

"We're going to do this… aren't we? Well, if we are, I'm all in. Explain what it is you're attempting to do."

Overflowing radiance shimmered from Lillian's eyes like a star igniting once Kieran urged her to explain it. If there was one thing Lillian loved to do… it was speaking knowledge into the world and people.

"So, we know from our reports that you — no, every member I've ever drawn blood from — carries this Element-X in their cells. We can assume it was either implanted or awakened in you all. However, I'm inclined to believe that it is likely the latter. Well, if you can awaken it… why can't we return it to rest?"

Kieran rubbed his chin while getting the gist of Lillian's thoughts. "You want to develop a serum to turn Element-X dormant, putting it back to sleep? But wouldn't that require us to know what stimulates it in the first place?"

"Yes! And that is precisely why we'll have Weasel look into cases seeming even remotely similar to Dahlia. If their cause of decline is unknown, we look into it. Then, we dig deeper. That includes their life if need be. We must find the common denominator."

"Simple math," Altair shrugged. "Simple math," Lillian parroted.

Kieran leaned against the desk and let out a resigned sigh. There was no stopping this. Everyone in the room had come to a unanimous agreement. The others needed to be clued in, Bastion especially, but this almost meant Kieran had to return to Zenith Online.

In light of this venture, everything required restructuring, and that began with assessing the state of Sanguis Requiem. Ezra had brought it to his attention, and he didn't intend to let the guild idle. After thinking about it, Kieran looked to Altair.

"We should return to Zenith Online and give Lillian the peace of mind she needs to work efficiently."

Altair arched a brow.

"In our condition? We're fresh out of X-hancers. Is returning the smartest idea when it'll heavily exhaust our bodies?"

Kieran had his doubts too, but he nodded nonetheless.

"It might not be ideal, but we must get used to misfortune. The odds won't always be in our favor."

The two silently agreed after that and entered their respective Blackcrim Pods afterward. Then, before closing the lid, Kieran looked into Lillian's eyes.

"We'll have our talk soon, I promise. Our lives are… unbalanced right now."