Luke's brain began to expand rapidly.
He could literally feel it pressing against his skull, his entire head deforming under the pressure.
Before his brain could explode, though, Luke's entire body blurred, becoming translucent.
He felt his arms, legs, torso, and even organs… dissociate into individual cells.
Then, he lost all sensation of having a body or physical existence.
Luke's flesh ceased to exist.
Surrounding the core of white matter representing his brain, an uncountable number of translucent cells began revolving around it, forming a vortex.
Slowly, the vortex lost its momentum, shifting its shape.
When the vortex ground to a complete halt, it took the shape of a… door.
[Luke…
…
… Luke…]
Who knew how much time had passed.
The cells, arranged in the shape of a door and still surrounding the white matter, were growing blurrier.
If Luke didn't regain his faculties soon enough, he would disappear altogether, becoming something even worse than a Rampager.
But Decryption still worked.
Despite changing his Sequence to the Apprentice Pathway, the Marauder Pathway's uniqueness had never abandoned him.
Combined with Miss Justice's persistent calls stirring his consciousness and Luke's mental discipline from weathering the Faceless Potion's backlash, it didn't take him long to regain his sense of self.
Slowly but surely, the door began losing its rigid shape, the blurry cells regaining their former, brighter luster.
In a matter of moments, the door had completely reverted to a vortex.
Then, the entire vortex collapsed, all the translucent cells swarming around the white matter and coalescing into another form: a humanoid figure.
Yet even before Luke could solidify his body, an enormous torrent of knowledge bombarded his mind, with symbols, patterns, and labels manifesting over the white matter of his brain.
Almost simultaneously, from the depths of Luke's soul, he heard words clearer than even Miss Justice's voice:
—I came, I saw, I recorded.—
…
Luke looked at his hands, feeling… refreshed.
He brought his hands to his head and touched around.
He could still feel a distinct sensation, like being overwhelmed by sheer knowledge.
However, he had spent so much time with this sensation in his previous life that it barely bothered him.
Far more noticeable was the lingering sense of dissociation.
Luke couldn't put his finger on it.
But he could feel that if he lost focus for even a single moment, he would explode into a mass of cells, leaving behind nothing but a mutated brain.
[The dangers are rising exponentially with each subsequent Sequence, Luke,] Miss Justice said. [The threat of losing control is so… terrifying, especially in your case. You must anchor yourself not only more tightly, but more wisely. No matter whom you must save and what kind of situation you find yourself facing in the future…]
Luke licked his lips and nodded.
What would be the point of worrying about saving someone, or defying Fate, if it caused him to lose control on the spot?
"This feeling…"
[It will go away with further digestion…]
Miss Justice had just spoken those words when a profound change occurred, making Luke's eyes widen in shock.
"Oi!" Nyx shouted in pure concern. "Wha…"
Luke raised a hand to stop her, but remained silent.
Even as Nyx glared at him, demanding an explanation for his expression, he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
Inside, Luke felt a soothing, cool sensation.
The feeling of dissociation he had just made peace with was melting away at an unprecedented rate.
Faint pops and cracks echoed within him as if internal fractures were sealing, knitting his form together.
Then, just as the last dregs of dissociation were about to vanish, the soothing sensation ceased.
Exhaling a long breath, Luke opened his eyes… wearing a faint smile.
"Now that was a surprise…" he said before Nyx could claw his eyes out. "I just… I just digested nearly eighty percent of my Potion."
This time, it was Nyx whose eyes went wide.
[I should have thought of that!] Miss Justice exclaimed in pure elation as well. [A Scribe's Acting Method is to record Beyonder Abilities, along with various folklore and legends. But we have already established that Beyonder Abilities are like Quirks in your world. And all your life, you have been recording Quirks, Luke. Not only have you been recording Quirks, but you have been recording them at a far deeper level, grasping their very essence. No wonder… No wonder.]
Luke nodded in agreement.
"Can you please bring up my Stats, Miss Justice?" he requested.
…
[
Coming right up!
…
Blessed Stats:
Quirk — Bioalchemy
Sequence:
— Seer, Clown, Magician, Faceless
— Apprentice, Trickmaster, Astrologer, Scribe
— Marauder, Swindler, Cryptologist
Stats:
— Spirit: 600/725
— Stamina: 195/210
]
…
Luke looked at the enormous number of Spirit Points.
He remembered that even Midoriya's Spirit Points had only been a thousand, despite his possessing One For All.
However, Luke also had a feeling that the number must have shot up substantially.
The last time he had checked Midoriya's Stats was when the boy had unlocked 21% of Full Cowling, crossing the threshold to contact the Vestiges.
It had been quite some time since then.
"Mushroom-nimi is still holding a hundred of my Spirit Points," Luke mumbled. "That means they are hiding well, despite the silence."
The remaining twenty-five Spirit Points were allocated to Nyx as the Telepathy Quirk of Simple Complexity.
A sudden gleam entered Luke's eyes as he looked at her.
"… What?" Nyx asked, stepping back.
In reply, Luke raised his hand toward her and said, "I came, I saw, I recorded…"
Using his Spirit Body as a pen and his Soul as paper, the Scribe recorded the intricate patterns of Spirit Particles within Nyx's Spirit Body.
Simultaneously, the symbols and patterns that had manifested in his brain shifted.
It was as if Luke had taken words and letters and arranged them into code.
Then, even as Nyx gaped at him and Miss Justice held her breath, he executed the code.
Instantaneously and beyond his control, exactly twenty-five Spirit Points from Luke's Stats were locked down, and the Spirit Particles within his Spirit Body rearranged themselves into a pattern identical to that of…
[Now…] Luke said telepathically, employing the Quirk he himself had granted through Bioalchemy. [… Let the show begin!]
****************
AN: Dr. Blessed on Hiatus
Hey guys,
I hope you're all doing well.
I have a major exam coming up that's going to require several weeks of preparation. In order to make a little more time for studying, I've had to make the difficult decision to put Dr. Blessed on hold for a while. Unfortunately, this may last until December, and I'm genuinely sorry about that.
To be completely honest, Dr. Blessed hasn't really converted into any meaningful monetary support so far, and that has also played a part in my decision to put it on hold rather than continue publishing it at a slower pace. The main reason I'm making this decision is so that I can continue working on Chaos and Order without putting myself under unnecessary pressure, degrading quality of chapters for both Novels.
If you are a reader of both my Novels, then please continue supporting Chaos and Order the way you have been. It genuinely means a lot to me, and your support helps me keep putting out quality chapters without losing motivation.
Regards,
droopyauthor