Mi-Yung was a bit helpless with William but not angry. “Alright. Alright. There are ideas for Rank 1 Walkers. Accelerations and the whole subject of body sectors and physiques are rough,”

  “Really? Doesn't sound like that. I mean, I am fine learning about it, and it doesn't shock me. It is just a word about acceleration. It doesn't answer everything, or what it even does with Emblems, or the body which is already there? It makes sense. I can guess it is gruesome.”

  “It is,” Mi-Yung said, a bit breathless and hoping he didn't get some harsh idea about it, or... perhaps she was the one who was wrong. After all, what the hell did he expect or experience within the past decade or about his own flesh and hand?

  It was a wonder whether these differences created a considerable gap, but any way for Walkers reaching the upper ranks was better than none. Well, one thing was foolproof: there were never too many Walkers.

  At some point, whether they were forced or not might not even matter, because results were more important, which was why William said what he did.

  Unfortunately, there were old ideologies rooted in the doubts of old people and Walkers alike, who opposed such methods and rather followed traditions. That was their truth, yet advancement and the nature of humanity were also powerful tools for everyone.

  There were many cases of much younger attempts of Awakening, and each of those touched on principles of Rank 0 or strange occurrences between Darks, Walkers, and Emblems.

  For one thing, William wished to think he never understood what it took to accelerate, or live with these wild energies, but if he had a proper guess, it involved treasures and effective Arcana. Another thing to note was that each acceleration targeted an individual rather than the entire batch, so he was sure that point might answer many questions.

  It was almost impossible to correlate everyone because of the complicated, established logic that acceleration worked with. Hence, there were many non-public matters involved, and many of them had no records whatsoever. The world was also large, and cultures varied.

  There was a fundamental transformation hidden in this project, even if morality was set aside when Rank 0 became involved. There were few ways to grow Walkers or establish Rank 0 as a proper stage. That might be a long-term goal, something that could happen over decades, or it might never happen because if William read these dubious papers correctly.

  On the other hand, Mi-Yung looked at William with amusement. She questioned him, but didn't say anything concrete. For her, his past wasn't a problem, nor were talks about science. Kaufman owned that already, so who would care about the rules? The Assembly didn't care. Heidi didn't either. Why would she?

  Locks in the upper floors were there for a reason, and there was no need for guards, but that was bullshit. Who would have expected a kid bearing that card? Not Mi-Yung, and Luke refused to even think about it. Any problem should be Heidi Kaufman's to deal with, or those who support her in the Assembly.

  Mi-Yung was one of them, yet even she didn't give a shit about this current problem, so that was interesting. William sometimes questioned everyone, but at the end of the day, perhaps they wanted him to see that stuff unrestrained because that was just their reality. So, why care about a kid breaking such boundaries and hitting a depressing wall? It was William's problem.

  “I have no further subjects for your time in the library. Rules are next. The Federation's official channels are behind the Examination. One must be a citizen or have special permission to access it. I already talked about your citizenship. You will join it without trouble.”

  “Thank you. I won't disappoint you.” William bowed his head fast, hoping it would be polite. Having had his fill, he planned to complete all the tasks he had set for himself, even if many were excessive. When he didn't focus on them too much, going a little less deep with them should prove less troublesome, so he was fine being like this.

  It went against no logic or rules. Mi-Yung didn't say what was right or wrong; she simply stated her hopes, while William definitely knew Rank 1 was what she aimed for. Many did. Maybe most of the doubts did.

  “Can I go with Rank 7 Darks, then?” William fished for more hints from her mind.

  “Rank 7?” Mi-Yung didn't follow and frowned.

  “Research. Notebook, I mean.” William quickly grabbed his notebook, which, thankfully, had kept its shape after yesterday's outburst. Only his upper body lost its cover.

  “For me, as long as you get the right manners for Walkers out of the way, read or scribble Rank 7 for all I care about. Don't dwell on them too much, though.”

  It was an expected answer.

  “Then, the training?”

  “Do you want to restart it? I said I will be busy,” Mi-Yung was slightly surprised and realized she might be late for the summoning. Still, this was her priority.

  William was curious about the combat, and after the last day, something in him wanted to focus on breaking that one wall. That would be combat capability and flexibility; reading about it was strange, considering his fighting aptitudes must be lacking compared to those who had trained in the Federation for years.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  William deduced that he had gotten lucky with Stark. He dodged him well, but the same thing wouldn't happen again, so he regarded their next meeting as his loss ahead of time. If Stark were to trouble him, that is.

  Even if he weren't, William was okay with asking Mi-Yung about more training because it was a clever thing to do. He wasn't afraid of death or killing. He hoped for more experience or for different ideas from Mi-Yung, who sparred with him a couple of times and watched him train. Touching something other than a human might be that...

  In truth, William thought he had enough experience. After all, would any human-style training prepare him for handling what his sick head was on about? He doubted that, so he was fine with preparing the body and staying sharp and lean. Farms already gave him weight training and stamina, and his past, spanning a variety of places Outside, gave him the rest. Brawls with adults and occasional sights of Darks created many opportunities, but at times, more proper options were lacking.

  Now, William felt he should think about it like a Walker and not like a kid. Then, there were terrible memories he couldn't shake, for Outside was never peaceful, and so was the upcoming future in hand.

  Humans were not peaceful. Because of that, William had lingering emotions and ideas as a person from Outside who might not take authority of those organisations seriously. Nobody prepared him for that, but he might learn. At least to some extent, that is. Things like the pressure of a proper Walker were stupid not to acknowledge. It was the same as looking at growling beasts of the Darks and thinking of them as simple creatures.

  After hearing this prospect of combat, Mi-Yung laughed. “You want something greater, yes? I did say that a while ago, so sure. There is a better gym. The military one.”

  “Will it hurt?”

  “Is that a question?” she raised a brow menacingly.

  “Never mind. Maybe I am asking for the wrong reason. My hands or everything... or...”

  “Your Emblem, right? You never lost a bet or disappointed me too much, so how about I give you something instead? No bet. A prize! You said that your loss would be a try or a way to show off. How about I give you something useful after the Awakening, and you will show off in a couple of days and give your Rank 0 a notch?”

  Frowning after realizing her business-like tone, William shuddered and hugged his arms. “You... I didn't want to lose myself or our bets. This... That was why I tried my best, so what in the world are you offering?”

  “Secret.”

  “That doesn't sound fair.”

  “No, I guess not.” Mi-Yung fell silent and entertained a compromise. “I want to see more of you, so state your wish, and I will see to it.”

  “Wish?” William supposed this wasn't a bad proposition.

  “If you tell me what your secret is, I am down.”

  Mi-Yung moaned and slapped her face. “Boy... You are really...”

  William grinned and felt great. “So?”

  Mi-Yung sighed and got this talk going because she had to leave very soon. “They are Vials. A Walker resource that you don't want to touch right now, let alone see.”

  “Walker resources?” William frowned and tried to remember what this term meant, and didn't have to go far for that. He quickly clarified the meaning and looked at her in shock after recalling that thing Celeste possessed. Yesterday's lingering emotions also stayed, gripping his hand.

  “You want to sponsor me?”

  “Everyone does it in some way, and guess what am I to you? I wanted to do it for a while. You think that after everything, I wouldn't do it? Give me some face, will you?” Mi-Yung helplessly asked and glanced away as if she felt ashamed.

  William didn't need to worry about it. “I will do it.”

  “Figures.”

  “How bad can it get?”

  “What?”

  “Rank 0 of my force. You didn't say much about it, but I can tell you have things to say and keep inside your head. Luke already knows what I showed —so do Ellie and Kaufman—but you? You just guess or heard stuff.” William said, sure that he was correct.

  “Has it ever done something bad for you or your surroundings?”

  “You should ask Luke about it. I smacked him thrice. Maybe more.”

  “Thrice or hundred, I don't care. That was a different time, and your case with Kaufman and Old Dream was different as well. I watched one of them myself, so don't joke with me. I saw that claw. What does it do?”

  William shuddered and glanced back at the table. Such talk never devolved into these details, and William preferred forgetting them, which was why he nodded, not expecting such a reply. “I guess dangers, killing intent, and my state of mind do matter. How much, I don't know. Kaufman, Luke, and...well, I don't know about that test done back then, but...”

  “You got a little out of hand, but nothing unexpected. Old Dream figured the rest, and we got our readings. At least for what they are worth for it, that is.”

  William suddenly recalled they had never talked much about those reports. A lot of it felt wrong, but when he thought about it right now, he wasn't upset.

  Perhaps yesterday was much worse when he thought about it, so this talk sounded almost pleasing if she didn't mention that sickness.

  “Well...” Mi-Yung said, checked her hair and uniform, and looked at William. “Focus on completing what I've said is necessary and good, and you do what is necessary to you. Your combat will come later. I am going; this talk was pleasant, but remember to be cautious of people and don't be too afraid to befriend young Walkers. You did so with Celeste, and I'm glad you were fine with that. However, one should always have more connections or friends, and it's not bad at your age. The military requires comrades and teamwork; schemes, lies, or plotting are just stupid. Understood?” Pointing a finger to his forehead, Mi-Yung looked at William with a deep gaze.

  A flick of light came forth within her eyes, leaving a small shining Emblem glinting below her neck.

  “I will try. Have a good day.” William nodded and watched her leave. “I will go out as well, I suppose. Where and at what? Darks. Which ones? What materials are left or lacking? This is going to be fun for the rest of the week, but whatever. At least I have El... Oh... damn!” William slapped his cheek when he remembered the last night.

  Breathing in and out, he wished he wouldn't remember that, but for what reason did he feel excited yet terrified? Why? Shouldn't he feel embarrassed? What should he even think?

  Moaning, he clasped his face and wondered how he should even approach or talk to Ellie. What if it wasn't a big deal, and her kiss was just because of his birthday?

  “I... I will see her today, won't I?” he muttered. He wasn't sure if he was afraid or anticipating her presence. She might be waiting there right now, looking at that big gate and hoping for his face.

  “W-whatever. If anything, I bet she played with me. City girls... I am sure she wouldn't like me that much, because she is from the Federation, while I am not. Yes. Yes. Yes. That must be the case. I bet. Yes. I bet it is right. Nothing to worry about. Yep,” Mumbling like a madman, he walked out of the apartment with his full water bottle and shaken mind.

  He already got his mind moving somewhere else thanks to Mi-Yung's words, and now, he was going to the library to finish himself off. Unfortunately, the hat that he was given yesterday remained on his bed—right beside the diary of an uncertain madman—because of his frantic mind, but at least the talk about his future didn't delve into madness.