The moment Leon returned inside the caravan, he saw Daren looking at him with a silent question in his eyes. He understood what his friend meant.

Daren sat on the only chair inside the caravan.

Leon went to the work desk instead and sat on it, then he looked at his friend and shrugged. "Where should I even start?"

"Start from when we separated". Daren said.

"Well, after I drove off on the Karaki CT-3X…" Leon paused as his face slowly contorted.

Daren was alarmed. "What?"

"F*ck! I just remembered that I forgot my Karaki CT-3X bike in the train station". He palmed his face.

Daren chuckled then he shrugged. "We can go retrieve it later, first, tell me about what happened after Parasite died".

Leon nodded then he continued. "After Parasite's mutated body went berserk, I drove off on the Karaki CT-3X to the fringe of the Wastes…"

For the first time since the event happened more than a week ago, Leon finally delved back into it as he told the story of how he survived the pursuit of the D Rank Neon Beast, of how he became an E Rank Mechanist, and how he constructed for 1 week before deciding to come to Leviathan Quay to fight for money.

Of course, he altered a few details that were related to his core secrets- details like the true sequence of how he became an E Rank Mechanist.

Leon simply said he found a ruin of an underground facility. After reinforcing it, he locked himself underground and attempted a Trial and he succeeded.

He also revealed his abilities after becoming an E Rank Mechanist.

This was a culture that Talia developed in the crew to build camaraderie. In front of Daren, Leon didn't feel like he was sitting in front of just a crewmate but a friend that he could confide some of his secrets in.

His storytelling was simple enough and the timeline was within just a week and some days since they last met, but when everything was put together, Daren felt like he was listening to a blockbuster story directed by an A-ranked Director.

He was genuinely amazed. 'Is it really that easy to become E Rank?'

Unlike Leon who had barely lived in this world, Daren had lived in this world for more than two decades.

He'd lived in Neo-Tokara all his life.

After becoming an Ascended, he was exposed to the true gritty aspects of the world. He'd seen powerful Ascended display cataclysmic power, and he'd also seen some of these mighty Ascended succumb to Trials and become corrupted.

He'd witnessed agents of the Freegrid Collective mutating to become Neon Beasts after failing Trials. Just like he did with Talia, he'd protected other comrades who attempted Trials but unlike Talia, most failed.

Alongside Talia and the crew, he'd taken open missions to hunt down Freegrid agents who failed Trials and mutated to become Neon Beasts.

It was not a pretty job but it was a reality that Daren already grew to accept, it was a reality that the whole world already grew to accept.

Ascendancy is hard, climbing the ranks as an Ascended is an endeavor that's attempted by many but only few ever succeed.

These reasons and more are why most Ascended are satisfied with staying stuck at F Rank for life.

Daren looked at Leon with a complicated look on his face. "You really are different," he leaned back on the chair. "I see why Rex liked you so much now".

Leon carefully looked at his friend, then he asked. "How's he?"

"Who? Rex?"

Leon nodded.

Daren exhaled. "We buried him in Cell Tower 06's military cemetery". He forced a smile. "Receiving a proper military burial in a prominent Cell Tower is one of the highest honors of any Freegrid agent, Rex would have wanted to be buried there".

Leon smiled. "I'm glad he got a proper burial. Can I visit that Cell Tower in the future? I intend to create time to write him a proper epitaph".

Daren looked at him then he smiled. "The boss always believed that you're still alive. If she hears from me, she will immediately process your registration to formally become an agent of the Freegrid Collective".

"Then you can visit Rex's grave anytime you want".

After saying that, Daren paused for a few seconds before saying. "Your Class really surprised me," he chuckled. "Considering how weak you guys are at F Rank, I never expected such a catalogue of abilities at E Rank".

He looked at Leon and clicked his tongue. "Being an E Rank Mechanist is really tailor-made for you, you and your crazy ideas".

Leon laughed.

As they conversed and reminisced, if they wanted they could directly call Talia despite the distance separating them to have a video call but for different reasons both of them refrained from doing so.

And then, Leon finally asked. "What of him?"

Daren didn't ask who 'him' meant because he knew who Leon was referring to; he answered. "Even for the Omnicore Federation, D Rank Ascended are the leading military figures in their army, navy, and air forces".

"It's hard to trace the identity of a specific D Rank Gene Augur in the Federation due to how they restrict information flow in their territory, but the boss is working on it".

"She'll find out eventually". Daren said with certainty.

Leon nodded, then his face turned serious as he asked. "Have you heard of the Extremist Movement before?"

"General Alphonse warned us about them".

"Who's General Alphonse?"

"He's the military leader of the Freegrid Collective in charge of Canyon Hub, he's a D Ranked NetRunner".

Daren looked at Leon. "I'm guessing you met them for the first time here in Leviathan Quay?"

"Kinda," Leon said. "I actually met them the first time on my way to Leviathan Quay. In a way, it felt like fate. First, I watched them on TV News on the train, and then the train suffered an attack from them".

"After that, the second time was the attack 2 days ago".

Daren nodded. "They're unhinged and ruthless, I've seen footage of them bombing villages and Towns for their cause".

"They're mentally sick". Leon concurred as his voice turned deeper with emotion. "Yet they hide it under the cover of religion and that's what infuriates me most, they're just psychopaths hiding under a mask".

He laughed. "I see why the Freegrid Collective fights so much now, this world is really messed up in a lot of ways".

"I never really saw myself as a big freedom fighter but after encountering these terrorists twice, I'm convinced that I absolutely loathe them".

"I may not have enough information to judge their ideologies, I know very little about the Reclaimer Church. But I don't need to have enough knowledge to know that what they're doing is wrong".

He looked Daren in the eye. "I'm determined to fight them".

"I won't stop till they're all dead!"

Daren quietly looked at him for a few seconds before looking away. "This is not like the Zmer gang, you have to be realistic. The Extremist Movement is a true world-wide terrorist organization, they have talents, they have rich and powerful sponsors, and they have numbers".

"The Demon of Ozempic is a man who made the General warn us about him, he's not an enemy to be underestimated".

Leon scoffed. "I don't care".

"Do you have a plan?" Daren looked him in the eye.

In response, Leon tapped his right index finger against the work desk. This was a habit that he picked up from Talia.

"I want to stop them but I know my limits, I know I can't do it alone".

"But that's the thing, I'm not alone". He smirked. "The terrorists' actions have not just angered me, they've angered Leviathan Quay, a bonafide city belonging to a major faction".

"I believe the Gene Army are already cracking down on them. And with the Demon of Ozempic likely in the city, this is the best chance that I'll ever get to easily eliminate the leader of the Extremist Movement".

"They have multiple leaders". Daren said.

"But he's the most high-profile one!" Leon retorted immediately. "At the moment, the Demon of Ozempic is the face of the Extremist Movement".

"His campaign and conquests in recent months have made him the face of the movement. At the moment, his momentum seems unstoppable and that's a double-edged sword".

"If the Gene Army manages to corner and kill him in the city, it'll be a blow that ripples across the Extremist Movement worldwide and I'm now determined to see this reality come to pass".

"But I'm aware of my limitations," Leon looked at the ceiling of the caravan and exhaled. "I'm just a single man".

"But I do believe that I stand a chance of making a difference".

"To actually influence the chances of killing the Demon of Ozempic, I need to be at my absolute best as an E Rank Mechanist. This is partially one of the reason why I'm fighting so desperately in the combat sports tournament".

Leon hesitated slightly, then he looked Daren in the eye. "Do you know what gave me the confidence to attempt a Trial within such a short time?"

Daren immediately perked up, this was something he was extremely interested in and curious about.

Seeing his reaction, Leon smiled. "I've been thinking and I discovered a few rules in the laws of the world".

"Remember when I told Rex and Kain to think outside the box?"

Daren nodded.

"I think that's the principle of F Rank Mechanists. Creativity, ingenuity," he tapped his forehead. "That's the core of F Rank Mechanists".

"If F Rank Mechanists hope to attempt a Trial to become E Rank and survive, they have to embody the Class at F rank fully, creating constantly to meet certain requirements and break shackles that have been placed by this world and ADE".

"I believe that these same rules apply to other Classes".

"Know the principle of your Class at a specific rank. If you judiciously work towards it, I believe that the chances of surviving a Trial are higher".

"For example, I believe that all F Rank Cyber Gladiators need to do is fight constantly and exercise their bodies. That's the way to break the shackles".

"And before you ask, this is not just based on vibes and speculation, I came to this conclusion based on facts too".

"After I learned these rules, I tried to find empirical data to support it and guess what?" Leon grinned. "I found an interesting piece of history".

"Most Ascended in the world take years or even decades before finding the courage to attempt a Trial to a new rank. Most of the successful high rank Ascended followed this blueprint, but there are a few outliers".

Daren listened with rapt attention.

"This news have been obscured, eroded by propaganda in the psionic network but after digging deep enough, I learned certain news about the leader of the Freegrid Collective".

"Ren Nora became an Ascended in Year 582 A.G, yet ancient history records that he became a C Rank NetRunner in Year 583 A.G".

"Do you know what that means?"

"Within a single year, Ren Nora became the Glitch, he became the fastest Ascended to become a C Rank Ascended within less than 2 years".

This is one of the hidden history of Year 583 A.G that Leon uncovered.

Daren's eyes widened as he mumbled. "I've never heard of this".

"That's because certain people deliberately hid this information under layers of propaganda in the psionic network, but with my A.I and over a week of research, I managed to dig it out".

"I believe this is not a coincidence," Leon's eyes gleamed. "I believe that Ren Nora is the first Ascended to realize the rules of Ascendancy, or at least the first to realize it on time".

"…"

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