43 Walk the Rankers' Path with Unwavering Grit
“As for the siphoning of life essence from someone who has already become a ranker. There’s a severe problem with doing that.”
Bruce said and shook his head. His shoulders slumped and he had to take a long breath before continuing.
“When people become rankers, their life essence is etched with their mana signature, making it unsuitable to be used as it is used. So mortals are the only source of life essence we can draw upon.
This world is running on resources brought here from other worlds. Our economies are dependent on it. If and when you break into official rank and join a numbered Oasis, you’ll know what I’m talking about.”
Eren kept quiet after listening to those limitations too. He also suddenly felt odd that he had started calling the people he was raised with Bourgys just because now he was on the other side of the fence.
‘Such is life.’
Eren thought to himself before looking at Bruce. There was still one thing that he hadn’t addressed yet. Bruce smiled at him before answering his last query.
“If you think the authorities waste talents that are born outside Elysian cities, you got that wrong. An Elysian city is just an idea to bring all the ranker population within that region under one roof. It’s not an exclusive club that only hosts rankers that are born in Elysian cities. Exceptional rankers from the mortal population come into Elysian cities all the time, never going back to their mortal origins.
I mean, those who are born in Elysian cities would certainly have an advantage over those who aren’t. There is, however, a common starting line for everyone after they break into official rank and enter an Elysian city.
The establishments and big corporations that run city-states can’t afford to miss out on the opportunity to have elite rankers among the mortals. Otherwise, their competitors might claim them.
Creating soldiers en masse is the need of the hour.
This is pure business.
And you know how they do it? How do they select potentially exceptional rankers from the mortal populous? The MCP chip keeps tabs on their condition all the time.
Sometimes, these mortals with exceptional potential as rankers are approached only when they become Metas. Sometimes, the chip observes the supernatural changes happening inside mortals and informs the establishments even when there are no visible signs of them stepping into the first rank.
A talented ranker would always be sought after by many establishments and organizations, no matter their origins. That’s how it is for an official ranker when this game of life starts getting more complex.”
Bruce got up from his seat and took a few steps forward. He patted Eren’s shoulder with his right hand before adding.
“Hehe. Numbered Oases is only the beginning, young man. What’s the fun of seeing something that has already been witnessed by others who came before you?
The real fun begins when a ranker becomes Awakened. That’s the minimal requirement for traveling through the warp gates.”
Eren also took a long breath after hearing Bruce’s explanations. Almost all of his questions related to MCP chips and life spans had been answered at this point. He would need to visit a Numbered Oasis and find out what and how the life essence is used to resolve the issues he did have.
Eren got up from his seat as well before standing in front of Bruce.
“Why did you tell me all this?” He asked. Bruce shrugged his shoulders before replying.
“Because My creator told me to look for anomalies. I am not completely sure what he means by that. But you being aware of both sides of humanity’s current state makes you an anomaly in my eyes.
I have a question to ask of my own, Eren. Why didn’t you start your script as soon as you met me? You didn’t have to chat with me to start the script right?”
Bruce smirked as he made Eren aware of the script he was keeping on standby on his spectral screen. The latter smiled mirthlessly before replying.
“That’s because I felt that I would be in a lot of pain and misery without gaining anything if I had tried to absorb the memories you have stored within you as soon as I met you. As immature as I am in coming up with these backdoor scripts, I am not stupid enough to depend on them so much that I ignore my instincts.”
Bruce nodded when he heard Eren’s answer. He then raised his hand in front of him to offer a handshake to Eren. The latter didn’t think twice and returned the gesture. He grabbed Bruce’s hand before adding.
“Alright, Eren. My creator had told me to make the new owner of these memories aware of a few basic things. It is meant to enable you to see and understand the need to make the right use of this gift.
You were right on the money with your instincts, you know. I would have never said anything to you or allowed you to absorb the memories that are part of my existence if you had started the script after meeting me.
That shoddy script would not have been able to get the job done.”
Eren raised his eyebrows in surprise when Bruce could even sandbox his script in real-time and find out about its effectiveness. Bruce watched worry lines appearing on Eren’s forehead and chuckled before saying.
“Don’t worry though. Even if your script doesn’t work, I’ll do it myself. I’m selecting you to be the successor of my memories.
Of course, my creator doesn’t demand anything in return. He only has one message for you. Listen well.”
Bruce said before his face morphed into a blur. The facial features that Bruce had started getting pixelated as if they were taken straight from Japanese adult videos. Eren didn’t understand what was happening until that pixelated voice started speaking in a new voice, different from Bruce’s.
“Yo. So somebody finally used their brains and thought of using the Oshos to their advantage. Hehe. We think alike. I like that.
These Easter Eggs were created by me a long time ago. Let’s say at the very beginning of Oasis. I was a menace back then. And let’s hope I still am. Hahaha.”
In a voice that didn’t belong to him anymore, Bruce with a pixelated face spoke. But for some reason, Eren didn’t back away from this weird interaction and listened to the creator of Easter eggs keenly.
“These are the memories I selected and compiled using a lot of sources. At that time, I had a sudden epiphany that a non-ranked person like you would be able to find a distinct path for yourself with these memories serving as the base.
I don’t know if I’m right. But I’m glad that you are here. So that I’d find out one way or the other.
Hehehe. I had left the breadcrumbs in such a way that whoever follows the trail would meet Bruce first. He is my first and proudest creation. But he is not the only one. I hope you find and absorb the rest of the memory fragments as well and see an unprecedented rise as a ranker.
Anyway, best of luck, my inheritor. Walk the rankers’ path with unwavering grit. Be willing to shed blood, whether it’s yours or your enemies’.
Don’t get overwhelmed by the circumstances. Rise above them. And in the end, when you become strong enough, come and meet me. I’ll be waiting.
Brace yourself and prepare to log out of Oasis. Here it comes.”
The former Bruce said everything rapidly as if this message was set on a timer. Eren had already realized that whatever would follow was going to be extraordinary. So he did what he was told and kept the logout option on standby using the spectral screen.
After that, Eren watched as his whole body started pixelating and breaking apart. These pixels started disappearing into Eren’s body through the hand he had extended to Bruce.
Eren felt like his head was going to explode from the sudden surge of random memories appearing in his head. He quickly logged off Oasis and found himself in his room once again.
The hustler gripped his head with both his hands and bit his lips tightly to prevent himself from yelling out loud. This was going to be another long night for Eren.