Chapter 65

Chapter 65:The Threshold of the Uninitiated

As soon as the link hummed back to life, Gil felt a profound wave of relief wash over the network from Hugo.

The giant didn't answer right away, taking a few long minutes just to appreciate the restored connection.

Ah... Gil thought, feeling a sudden pang of guilt. Sorry, Big Guy. I'll try to leave the connection open as much as possible from now on.

Realizing he had let his emotional guard down far more than intended, Hugo quickly tried to compose himself. But it was too late—the others had already picked up on it.

Orphée and Greg moved closer, each tapping the giant on the shoulder while projecting through the bond.

Hey, don't sweat it, Orphée transmitted warmly. As talkative as I am, I can't imagine what it feels like to be cut off when you finally get a voice. I get why you reacted like that. Nothing to be ashamed of.

Greg nodded in agreement. Yeah, Hugo, don't be embarrassed. And you know, Gil might look terrifying, but he isn't actually mean. When I first met him, he barely spoke to me, ignored me half the time, and acted like he couldn't care less about my existence—which was fair, considering where we were! He definitely wasn't the best conversationalist back then.

Hey! Gil cut in through the link, unable to hold back his protest.

Greg turned to look at him, tilting his head with an innocent smile. Did I lie?

Gil went quiet, grumbling something under his breath about how certain people were getting way too confident and desperately needed a reality check.

But far from being intimidated, Greg simply gestured toward Gil, addressing Hugo again.

See? At worst, he’ll just grumble in his corner. He isn't cruel. As long as you don't harbor bad intentions—or cross him like that Mao did—you'll be fine.

Flustered at having his inner relief exposed so easily, Hugo took a moment to gather his thoughts.

Throughout the entire exchange, only Kuro remained impassive. Her expression was complex as she watched them, practically bursting with the urge to push Hugo for more details about the Way.

Recognizing that now wasn't the right moment, however, she swallowed her impatience and kept quiet.

Coughing slightly into his fist to compose himself, Hugo resumed speaking through the link, his mental tone hardening with absolute seriousness.

What I'm trying to say... Hugo transmitted, ...is that while I can clearly identify the path of that healer, it's completely different when it comes to Hector. I don't know if you're aware of this, Gil...

Hugo turned his head toward Gil, then caught himself. Reclining back, he stared up at the dark ceiling. Taking his cue, the rest of the group dispersed naturally—sprawling out or resting against the cold stone as if they were simply winding down after an exhausting day, maintaining their mundane cover.

Before they dragged you and the other two off to the infirmary, Hugo continued, Hector first slaughtered every single creature remaining in the arena.

Really? Gil thought, surprised. Why would he do something like that?

An uncomfortable, heavy silence fell over the group. Hugo exchanged a tentative glance with Orphée, silently pleading with him to take over the explanation. But Orphée shook his head faintly, looking entirely unenthusiastic.

It was obvious that Gil’s violent emotional outburst from earlier had made them deeply hesitant to touch the subject.

Understanding their hesitation, Gil took a slow, deep breath, projecting his mental voice with the most composed, controlled tone he could muster. I promise I won't lose my temper or react rashly again. What happened?

Still only half-convinced, the two finally spilled the truth.

After you collapsed in the arena... the remaining beasts kept charging straight for you, Orphée confessed quietly. It was Hector who stepped in, slaughtered them all, and protected you.

Gil remained completely motionless, letting a quiet breath escape his lungs before transmitting flatly: Continue.

Surprised by his absolute calm, Gil took advantage of their shock to clarify his stance. I know he wants something from me. As long as he hasn't gotten whatever it is, he won't let anything happen to me easily.

Right... Hugo acknowledged, absorbing Gil's cold logic. Exactly. What I mean is, I know for a fact he walks the Physical Way. The terrifying strength and speed he demonstrated proved that much beyond a doubt. But...

Hugo trailed off at that point, looking visibly perplexed.

But... I honestly couldn't tell you which specific branch or specialization of the Body path he actually practices, Hugo admitted, a sense of helplessness in his mental voice. When he slaughtered those beasts... he moved far too fast. I couldn't even see how he did it. I'm sorry.

It's fine, Gil replied quietly through the link. At least now I know far more than I did before this conversation, and I know what kind of target I'm eventually dealing with.

A temporary silence settled over their corner of the cell. Unwilling to dwell on Hector any longer, Gil finally brought up the question that had been burning on his tongue ever since Hugo laid out the three pillars.

Is it possible to naturally develop abilities of a Way without any formal training—or without ever having been rigorously taught? Gil asked, staring directly toward Hugo in the dim gloom.

Taken aback at first, Hugo stared at Gil, then turned his gaze toward Orphée, and surprisingly, lingered on Greg with a strange, contemplative look before answering.

Truthfully... I was actually going to ask the four of you the exact same thing, Hugo transmitted. Are you absolutely certain none of you were ever taught or initiated into the Way before coming here?

He caught himself mid-thought, a hint of self-correction leaking into the network. No, that's a stupid question. You wouldn't be asking me all these fundamentals if you had been trained.

So it is possible, then? Gil pressed.

Yes it is.Those who exhibit such signs are referred to as the Gifted, Hugo explained, his mental tone laced with genuine intrigue. Depending on how early they unlock these latent abilities and the nature of the traits they manifest, we can generally deduce that they possess an extraordinary talent or a distinct affinity for a specific Way. That makes guiding them along the right path far easier.

Hugo shifted his posture slightly, his gaze sweeping over the group. Looking at the three of you... if you truly haven't received prior instruction, I'd say you all fall square into that category.

Greg looked puzzled, pointing a finger at his own chest. Wait... you've been counting me in this whole time, Big Guy, but I don't have anything special about me. Sure, I might be slightly more agile than average when I need to be, but that's about it. Most of the time, I'm just regular old Greg. It's really only when—

When you're in life-or-death danger, Gil interjected smoothly through the link, finishing his friend's sentence. Or when your instinct takes over. You don't realize it, Greg, but your physical reflexes and spatial survival awareness spike beyond normal human limits in critical moments.

Hugo nodded in firm agreement. Exactly. The Way of the Body doesn't always start with giant muscles or flashy strength. For some Gifted, it begins as an instinctual flare—an uncanny bodily reflex that triggers under extreme pressure. You have the seeds of Corpus, Greg. You just haven't learned how to water them yet.

Greg stared at his own hands in disbelief, a strange mix of awe and hesitation washing over his face as the realization sank in.

Meanwhile, Gil felt a cold clarity settling in his own chest. If Greg leaned toward Corpus, and Orphée's unnatural tricks and traits pointed toward his own affinity, then Gil's own uncanny Foresight and the spectral chains connecting their minds left no doubt.

His path lay squarely in the treacherous, mysterious domain of the Soul—Anima.

Frankly speaking, Gil didn't quite know what to feel about his situation. On one hand, it was a relief to finally put a name to the strange phenomena that had plagued his childhood up until now. Yet, he couldn't deny that it was thanks to these very abilities that he had narrowly escaped death multiple times.

His feelings toward his "Gift" were mixed, to say the least. But Gil wasn't one to dwell on nostalgic sentiment. Now that he had concrete answers, what mattered most was figuring out how to weaponize these traits into absolute strength.

Everything else could wait until he was far away from this cell—and ideally, once Hector was dead.

Lifting his head, Gil scanned his squad.

Greg was still staring at his own hands with wide-eyed wonder, processing the news that he too possessed the raw potential to walk a Path.

Orphée, on the other hand, remained entirely indifferent, continuing to hum his quiet tune as if he hadn't just been labeled a prodigy.

At least he isn't pretending, Gil thought. He had realized long ago that something was fundamentally off about the hummer, but as long as Orphée remained an ally, Gil granted him all the leeway he needed.

It was Kuro, however, who began to worry him.

Having listened silently from start to finish, she was the only one in their group who didn't exhibit any obvious latent Gift. Her face was locked in a rigid, icy mask, but through the residual mental link, Gil could taste her bitter disappointment and a suffocating sense of helplessness.

Seeing where this dark path was heading, Gil decided to intervene before her morale shattered completely.

Aside from those born with natural affinities or early awakenings, Gil projected, his tone matter-of-fact, there must be a way for those without a clear initial Gift to step onto a Path, right?

Catching Gil’s intent instantly, Hugo gave a firm nod through the gloom.

Of course, Hugo transmitted. Think of it as each Path having its own barrier to entry. The Way of the Body, for instance, accepts almost anyone. All it requires to start is a functional body and the absolute willingness to bleed through relentless effort. How far you climb depends entirely on your grit.

Hugo’s mental voice took on a heavier edge. The other two paths—Spirit and Soul—are far more unforgiving when it comes to innate endowment. If you have the spark, you have it. If you don't... you don't.

Alright, Gil pressed, keeping the momentum going for Kuro’s sake. Then how do we test our true affinities to be certain? And what happens if someone possesses a natural affinity for more than one Path? After all, you said a person can only commit to one. What happens when you're compatible with multiple?

Uh... that, on the other hand, I honestly don't know, Hugo admitted, scratching the back of his neck with a troubled look. I'd guess that if you are compatible with more than one, you simply choose the one you have the highest affinity for and pursue that path if you want to reach the absolute peak.

As for how to test it...

To test for affinities, the elders back where I come from used a variety of methods, Hugo explained through the link. Generally speaking, because they were far more advanced in these matters, they could directly sense your affinity and guide you properly. Since we obviously don't have that luxury here, I can only teach you the absolute basics of the Way of the Body, since I don't know how to train in the other two Ways. We'll see how it goes from there, since everyone possesses at least a bare minimum of compatibility with it. Of course, if your innate talent is too weak, you might not even reach the minimum requirement to get any meaningful results. Still, if you're all alright with that, I can teach you.

Gil held up a hand, interrupting him instantly.

Wait. Didn't you just say earlier that a person can't walk multiple paths at once? If that's the case, how do you expect to teach us the Way of the Body when some of us are clearly leaning toward other paths?

Hugo stared at Gil for a long moment, looking utterly bewildered as to what Gil was getting at.

Then, the realization struck him, and the giant couldn't help but chuckle softly through the mental link.

Oh, no... Hugo transmitted, dropping a massive bombshell as if it were the most mundane fact in the world. None of you—myself included—even count as officially being on a Path yet! Acquiring a few basic abilities or conditioning from another foundation right now won't cause any conflict at all.