25th September, Year 714 A.G.

Western Biome, Canyon Hub, inside the biggest Data Center in the smallest city of the Freegrid Collective, a certain Synth lay inside a nutrition capsule.

Nutrition capsules are containers that are used in major Data Centers in the major cities of the world to restrain and contain special Ascended who are challenging Trials, providing the most conducive and nurturing environment for their bodies while they were unconscious.

Nutrition capsules are mostly used for E Rank Ascended when challenging D Rank Trials, because their Trials are more likely to take a lot of time, mostly days.

This time though, it was an F Rank Ascended that was inside the nutrition capsule... Ghostwire.

It’s been 2 days already since Ghostwire challenged his E Rank Trial, and he was yet to wake up!

After 24 hours and Ghostwire still didn’t wake up and he also hadn’t shown any indication of failing the Trial, having asked for it from the Data Center watchers ahead of time, Colonel Alphonse was informed.

Knowing just how close Ghostwire was to Leon, Colonel Alphonse took it on himself as he abandoned all his immediate tasks and personally went to the Data Center where he requested for Ghostwire to be moved to a nutrition capsule.

For the past 24+ hours, Ghostwire had been there, and yet he was still not showing any indication of waking up.

The Colonel finally became worried.

Sitting by the side of the nutrition capsule, he clasped his hands together, staring at the motionless Synth who was inside as his brain whirred.

’What happened to him?’

’What kind of E Rank Trial takes this long?’

’Was there no time limit on his Trial?’

The more he thought and the more possibilities entered his head, the more worried he became.

For hours, he sat motionlessly, staring vacantly at the Synth and then in the early hours of 25th, from the corner of his eyes he saw movement.

The Colonel’s eyes immediately snapped towards the Synth’s face, his emerald eyes sharpening with focus.

’I just saw his facial synthetic mechanic muscles move right?’

He focused, and 5 seconds later, he saw the Synth’s face twitch. ’It moved!’ The Colonel almost jumped for joy.

Ghostwire’s face twitched again, and then his eyes snapped open.

BZZZZZT!

Thick tendrils of neon green ADE swirled around the Synth as seeing himself inside a capsule, confused, the first thing he did was to punch at it.

BAMMMMM!

The capsule’s reinforced glass showed cracks.

’Stop!’ The Colonel wanted to say it but the words didn’t leave his mouth because he was stunned.

Why was he stunned?

BAM!

BAMMMM!

Ghostwire finally punched the nutrition capsule open and he sat up, panting heavily as he looked around with bloodshot eyes, alert and battle ready.

Colonel Alphonse just stared at him, stunned.

’This ADE... this much ADE...’

’This is far denser than any E Rank Ascended that I’ve seen before!’

If Leon was here and this moment and he used the ChronoSystem Snooping Tool on the current Ghostwire, he would have seen.

~----~

[Unique Ability: Cognitive Buffer upgraded!]

[NEW! Unique Ability unlocked: ADE Magazine!]

>Current Magazines: 2.

~----~

Ghostwire looked around, breathing heavily and hyperventilating for a few seconds but then he finally started calming down as he recognized the Colonel.

He still breathe heavily for a few more seconds.

Colonel Alphonse opened his mouth, speechless.

Ghostwire opened his mouth and stammered in a deep and hoarse voice like he’d not spoken in months.

"W-where am I?"

The Colonel didn’t answer, instead he frowned and asked. "How long did you spend inside the Trial?"

Ghostwire paused in a daze as if he was recollecting what happened, then in the same hoarse voice he said. "387 days..."

"..."

...

Central Belt, Neo Solace.

[7:56am]

Inside a hotel room in the outer ring, Leon sat, quietly reading through a virtual file that floated in front of him.

With Mirror Mask, the file was disguised to look like a webnovel.

[Target’s File=]

[Guard Composition:] 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

>C Rank Ascended: None.

>D Rank Ascended: None.

(NOTE: Earl Joe has no D Rank subordinate or guard but he has close ties to 3 prominent D Rank Ascended in the City, one of them is the Inspector General of Police in Neo Solace.)

>E Rank Ascended: 23.

>F Rank Ascended: 335.

>Mundane guards: ???

Leon interlocked his fingers, his elbows resting on his legs as he read the file for the umpteenth time, then he clicked on the tab for E Rank Ascended, enlarging it to read the profile of each individual E Rank Ascended that was under the Earl.

It was already D-day and for this mission, Leon wanted no mistake.

Despite the fact that he already read it multiple times, he still found it hard to believe that a slave who once had nothing was the owner of all this.

Compared to an E Rank Ascended, these days he was like a force of nature but Leon didn’t want to underestimate them and fail the mission due to a mistake that he could have easily avoided by doing the needful.

Joe was a target worth preparing for like that. Afterall, leaving his personal strength aside, he literally had an army of his own.

With over 300 F Rank Ascended under him, he had enough Ascended to start a mercenary company of his own. And with over 20 E Rank Ascended, he didn’t just have numbers but quality too.

A single E Rank Ascended was already dangerous enough, combining 20+ with each of them from different Classes under a single man left too much room for error if they underestimated them, and Leon wanted to erase those openings.

He engrossed himself in reading, analyzing, trying to find any advantage to increase the chances of the assassination tonight.

Hours later, Leon finally ended his analysis.

’This is good enough’.

He sent it as an encrypted message to all the members of the crew, and finally he had his first meal of the day.

After, he went to the window where he looked out at the bustling city.

It was already afternoon.

’It’s now or never’. He thought as he quietly clenched his fists.

...

[Special Appreciation to ImperialJadeDragon, Adamantis, Tsuyoi16, and Yametekudastop for the Golden Tickets. Thanks for the support!]