Chapter 119 - Using

Leonel's brow furrowed as his mind spun. At the same time, his fingers stretched in odd positions, moving them like individual striking snakes.

His First Node was with his brain stem. His Second and Third Nodes were along his spine. His Fourth and Fifth Nodes were fused into the walls of his lungs. According to his current plan, his Sixth Node would be fused into his stomach. The Seventh and Eighth Nodes would be split between the chambers controlling the outgoing flow of his blood and the ingoing flow.

Up to this point, this arrangement had a near 100% compatibility with him and he felt that it was near flawless. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a Ninth Node with as much compatibility with him.

If others knew about Leonel's arrangement of Force Nodes, they just might call him insane. Most sought after boosts to strength in their arms and legs — essentially, things that could directly upgrade their battle prowess as quickly as possible. Yet, all of Leonel's choices were supplemental, yet absolutely perfect for laying a foundation.

With Nodes in his spine and brain, when his Force was activated, and even passively, his thinking speed and reaction time was exponentially better than his peers. The Nodes in his lungs increased his air intake and oxygen siphoning ability. The Nodes within his heart would perfectly supplement the increased capacity of his lungs, not to mention the Node in his stomach as well.

Ultimately, the blood was the centerpiece of the body, it was interwoven and interconnected with every corner, right along with the nervous system. So, in Leonel's mind, forming his nodes with these two systems as the core was only right.

But now, he was at a loss. He even began to doubt himself somewhat. What if he was wrong from the very beginning? He had indeed started to choose the locations of his Nodes without consulting anyone...

Leonel had always been confident in himself. Maybe a bit too confident considering all the mistakes he had made since the Metamorphosis descended. However, he still felt certain that he wasn't taking an incorrect path...

Leonel's head snapped up to look into the distance. He stood.

'Another one, huh...'

With a sigh, Leonel hopped down from the pillar, causing those who had come back after Gerolt left to scurry off and hide once more. Who knew why these people were so bored to hang around him like this just so that they could make sure that he heard their words.

It had been quite a long while since Leonel had dealt with such a thing. If he recalled correctly, during his first few weeks in the Royal Blue Education System, he was quite looked down upon since he lived on a Paradise island. But, by now, that seemed like a lifetime ago.

At that moment, a slight vibration came from her wrist.

< "Report." >

A commanding tone demanded from the other end, but the sound waves were so unique that no one but Captain Sela herself could hear them.

"... Things are going well. I should be receiving a promotion soon."

After giving her usual report, Captain Sela ended it with these words.

There was a long pause on the other end.

< "You don't see anything fishy about all of this?" >

Captain Sela shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Even if it's all a ploy, they'll give me appropriate rewards so that I can continue shielding Leonel Morales. By then, I will start displaying some of my true abilities and they will recognize me for other reasons. It took me decades to become a captain, but now I can become a colonel. Who cares if it's just a ploy?"

The voice was silent for a long time once again but didn't respond. After a while, it became obvious that the person hung up.

Captain Sela reclined with a smile, a devilishly beautiful curl coating her lips.

"You're using me? Well, I'm using you too..." She said with a light giggle.

If Leonel were here, he would finally remember just why it was he had smelt a familiar fragrance from Captain Sela. It was because the slender woman in the tub was precisely the very same Secretary Marquisette Maia he met at Royal Blue Fort.