Published at 4th of December 2025 8:23 am

Chapter 1788 The dilemma of the body's path

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Krrrr

The array began to glow softly at first, then more brightly, its light reflecting off the polished floor beneath the volunteers. Shaddad and Jabba were already dripping with sweat, their breaths coming faster as the heat and tension of the moment pressed down on them...

Seconds after the array activated fully, something remarkable finally began to occur: a shimmering, viscous liquid, alternately gleaming white and soft blue, started gathering beneath the volunteers' feet. Slowly, carefully, it seeped into the soles of their feet, penetrating upwards with deliberate, methodical precision.

Although the process looked extremely painful to any observer, only faint expressions of mild discomfort flickered across their faces-no one cried out, no one flinched. Their determination, trained through countless trials, prevented any outward show of suffering.

After nearly five minutes, a subtle, gentle glow began to radiate from all of their bodies, spreading from head to toe as the liquid infiltrated their cells in perfect measure.

The moment had come: it was time to activate the pressure.

Hooom

Immediately, every volunteer felt as though a massive, invisible mountain of metal had suddenly descended upon them, pressing down with overwhelming weight.

Even though their bodies were entirely different-some tall, some short, some heavily muscled, others thin-they all experienced the same level of pressure, perfectly calibrated by the array. Each of them felt it individually, yet equally, as if the system read their cells and determined the exact force needed to push them to the limit.

At that precise moment, Jabba and Shaddad swallowed hard, the tension thick enough to taste.

The operation had officially begun.

...Shaddad had already managed to reduce the cost of weaponisation

dramatically even before meeting Robin-something that had been his lifelong dream and ultimate goal.

And after Robin entrusted him with the work of the Second Heaven Chosen, he had successfully halved the cost yet again by drawing intricate absorption runes directly onto the weaponisation materials before

them into the body, optimizing absorption and maximizing the effectiveness of every single component.

Yet even with all these refinements, progress in this direction had hit a stubborn wall for a long time.

Shaddad could not discover any method to lower the cost further without sacrificing quality or efficiency.

At that point, Jabba had stepped in, providing an array that made the weaponisation process far more manageable-even though it did not directly reduce the cost, it significantly enhanced the reliability of absorption.

He then adjusted the array's inscriptions, redirecting its energy so that it no longer pumped into the cells directly, but instead infused the raw materials, preparing them perfectly for Shaddad's next step.

Shaddad took this further by creating the weaponisation baths individually, engraving runes on each raw material separately before merging them into a final weaponisation liquid. This liquid was low in density and nearly impossible to penetrate the body on its own-unlike the traditional weaponisation baths. It required the array to function correctly, but in return it could enter the body in precisely the required amount-no more, no less-and the runes inscribed made advancement much smoother whenever the array was active.

Theoretically, every step was logical, precise, and elegant.

In theory, success was inevitable.

But-

Shhhh

With their green eyes sharp and focused, Jabba and Shaddad observed the process with intense patience... for an hour, then two, then three.

The volunteers suffered under the immense pressure. Their exhaustion was visible in every movement: shoulders slumped, knees bent, torsos unable to remain upright. Some collapsed completely, lying flat on the ground, their chests heaving, sweat pouring down their faces.

And yet, despite all that, the only change that occurred was the faint glow of the liquid and the pressure coursing through them.

"Damn it!"

Shaddad slammed his hand onto his thigh in frustration, then turned and patted Jabba's shoulder. "Shut down the array. There's no point in torturing them further-we've failed again."

Jabba ground his teeth tightly but began disabling the pressure anyway.

Poof

"Aaah-"

Even the volunteers who had been barely maintaining their strength collapsed instantly, panting, gasping for air. One of them shouted, "Heeey... we demand

double rations today!"

"Huff... huff... I want an extra book from the library!"

"Alright, alright, we'll fulfill every one of your requests!"

Jabba motioned for them to calm down. Every few weeks, these volunteers were gathered only to have their limits tested and their bodies pushed so harshly, then sent back to their cabins. A few compensations were necessary, of

course.

Jabba let out a deep sigh and returned his gaze to Shaddad.

"...What now? Do you have any new ideas for another formula, or are we

completely stuck?"

"No. I've exhausted every thought these past weeks. But if you notice... this time, none of their blood vessels burst, and all of them remained conscious.

That alone counts as progress, doesn't it?"

Shaddad paused, evaluating the scene, then asked cautiously, "...Did anything arrive from Sky Opening City?"

Jabba had sent copies of their ideas to Sky Opening City two years ago, after facing repeated and often frustrating difficulties. Over that time, they had tried multiple approaches, each one bringing its own setbacks, until finally they decided to escalate the matter. Sky Opening City had assigned an entire team of specialists-experts in arrays, energy flows, and ink inscriptions-to examine the proposals and attempt any possible adjustments. After careful study and intense deliberation, the team sent back three different recommendations, each with its own unique contribution. Each one added something meaningful to the project, nudging it slightly forward, offering a small glimmer of hope amidst the repeated setbacks.

Of course, despite all these efforts, the overall system was still far from perfect. Failures still occurred, and the process was slow and painful. Yet even so, the fact that any progress had been made at all was undeniable, a tiny but significant sign that they were on the right track.

"No," Jabba shook his head slowly, his expression serious but calm. "But today is

the day of the soul borrowings' delivery. If Sky Opening City sent anything at all, Harper should bring it today without fail."

"Let's hope he has something useful with him then," Shaddad muttered, his

voice heavy with exhaustion as he sank into a large, padded chair. He leaned back, rubbing his temples. "Because without any new ideas, we'll have to reconsider everything from scratch, rethink the entire process, and that would set us back even further."

He then gestured broadly toward the volunteers, who were still recovering from the previous experiment. "If no response arrives from Sky Opening City today, then we'll have no choice but to compensate these young people for their time and effort-anddismiss them. We've already stalled their progress long enough; it's unfair to keep them waiting any longer."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Holak waved his hands emphatically, bouncing slightly on his feet. "Dismiss who? I'm counting on you here! Why would you even consider disappointing me like that?" He turned sharply toward Jabba, eyes blazing with both humor and intensity. "Say something, you race traitor! Snap him out of it and let him think straight again!"

"Heh~ I really want to say something helpful here, but we are really-" Jabba

began, letting out a long sigh, his shoulders relaxing for a moment as if about to continue. But suddenly his face tensed, eyes widening. "Wait... Who is a race

traitor?!"

"Oh, now we're talking about side issues?" Holak spun back to Shaddad, gesturing dramatically. "Hey, I came here to help! Didn't you request my presence? Didn't you ask for the attendance of this vertically challenged fellow as well? And didn't I allow you to study my perfectly sculpted body, with these

radiant, glowing eyes of mine, for hours on end? Don't tell me all of that effort, all that time and attention, was wasted!"

"You truly are exceptional," Shaddad said, shaking his head with a mixture of

admiration and frustration. "Your body shouldn't even exist-it's beyond what's normal. Your talent is far rarer than any ordinary human gifted with a Fundamental law. Examining your body had a profound impact on my mindset, expanding my thoughts and understanding. Working with you should have been a thousand times easier than working with anyone else-but..." He paused, his voice softening slightly. "...I've not found a way to fully exploit your talent to advance the general body cultivation path. Unfortunately, you're simply too exceptional-an outlier, beyond the system's capacity to integrate efficiently." "What does that mean? Are we just going to stop everything now?" Holak asked, turning between Shaddad and Jabba, brows knitted in disbelief. His tone was both energetic and motivating, filled with urgency, but beneath it, a flicker of doubt crossed his mind. Perhaps he should return to the main training base in the desert, or maybe retreat somewhere with a more pleasant environment, somewhere that wouldn't constantly pressure him like this.

Shaddad's gaze shifted toward the main barn gate, voice low but firm. "If Harper doesn't enter through that gate right now, carrying the proposals from Sky Opening City, everything will fall apart today... for at least half a century. Every effort, every preparation, every experiment-it could all unravel in an instant." He leaned forward, resting both hands on his knees, voice dropping into a serious, almost grim tone. "And frankly... I don't believe they-" "Hello~" At that exact moment, Robin appeared in the middle of the gate, a

broad, cheerful smile on his face. The sunlight caught the edges of his cloak, giving him an almost radiant presence. "I heard there are experiments happening here. How's everything going?...Why are you all staring at me like

that?"

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