Chapter 81: Spirit

Leonel gazed out of the shuttle windows with a serious expression. Even though they were now traveling several times faster than they had been in the jeep, the uneasy feeling in his heart refused to let up.

The shuttle was large and spacious. After all, it had carried six men to this place. Thanks to this, Aina was able to lie in the back, trying to get a grip on her injuries.

As for Leonel, he sat at the front, his wooden spear laying across his lap. However, the current spear was unlike it had been before.

Though it had been crude already, the current primitive spear was on the verge of collapse. It was cracked in many places and seemed it would splinter under the tiniest bit of force.

Leonel had a vague feeling that the moment the spear broke, he wouldn't be able to enter that state again…

'I need to remain calm. Panicking isn't going to help me.'

"Is there a GPS signal coming from this shuttle? If so, how do I turn it off?" Leonel asked.

He didn't know much about shuttles or cars, but what he did know was that if he could have this shuttle autopilot to a destination, it meant it had a GPS of some sort. In that case, it might very well be communicating with a larger hub. If that larger hub sent information about their whereabouts, it would only bring them more trouble.

Though the shuttle was far faster than the jeep, it would still take an estimated one hour to make it back to the Fort. That was long enough for a lot of things to happen.

[ *Ping* Yes. With Seed's current abilities, the only way to disengage this signal is by disassembling the shuttle. ]

Leonel felt a headache coming along. Disassemble such a high level shuttle? He wasn't an Engineering Professional. Plus, if he did, wouldn't that mean he would have to stop the shuttle? That option was even worse.

'There's no other option.' Leonel's jaw clenched, his gaze narrowing. 'I've overestimated myself too much, compared to Aina, my combat sense is too poor. Without this spear, I would be finished. But, not only is it going to break soon, but my spirit still hasn't recovered from the first time, so I can't enter and take another spear… There's not even a guarantee that the next spear will be as useful as this one…'

Leonel's brows became locked in a furrow.

If it wasn't for his depleted spirit, even if the wererat made eye contact with him, he wouldn't have lost consciousness like that — though it helped him in the end.

His depleted spirit also made him realize another thing: he was entirely reliant on his ability.

With his spirit fatigued, his ability to calculate and make plans had taken a massive dip. With that, his combat prowess took an ever deeper dip downward. In addition, his coordination and reflexes suffered, while his Internal Sight had been limited…

'I can't fix all of these problems in a short time.'

"Is there any way for me to recover my spirit quickly?" Leonel asked.

This was his only chance. He had to allow his ability to regain its peak performance as quickly as possible. Then, he could make use of Dream World to dissect the things he learned from that primitive consciousness as quickly as possible. Even if they were headed toward the Fort at blazing speed now, he had no confidence in making it in time.

And… he had a sinking feeling that even if they did, it wouldn't matter.

[ *Ping* It has been deduced that Seed is practicing [Dimensional Cleanse] and has formed a One Star Cleansed Body. Optimal route to recovery is to circulate [Dimensional Cleanse]. ]

Leonel's expression became weird.

"[Dimensional Cleanse] is a Force technique. It shouldn't affect spirit. Why is this the optimal route?"

Circulating [Dimensional Cleanse] might as well be like putting up a beacon that cried out "I'm here, come get me now!". Leonel couldn't blindly follow the dictionary if this was really its plan, or else they would die long before they had a chance.

Leonel hadn't seen all of the abilities of the world yet. But, he didn't dare to assume that there was no ability capable of knocking them out of the sky. As such, he didn't dare circulate his Force so brazenly.

Unlike Baruke, he had formed three Force Nodes. In addition, his Nodes were far larger than the norm. If he really did this, let alone the nine remaining A-grade Invalids of this Perimeter 7, Invalids from other Perimeters would likely charge here at their fastest possible speed.

[ *Ping* The term 'spirit' is unrecognized. By context, it is likely that Seed is referring to Internal Sight also known by some as Soul Force. Calculating response… ]

If it wasn't for the situation, Leonel might have blushed. He almost forgot that 'spirit' was just a term he randomly made up for the sake of measuring the comprehensive stats of his enemies.

[ *Ping* Responding to Seed, [Dimensional Cleanse] is indeed a Force technique. The ability to recover Soul Force is a product of the One Star Cleansed Constitution. The Star, located in the Ethereal Glabella, has the effect of explosively increasing 'spirit' and clearing the mind. ]

Hearing these words, Leonel finally understood. It wasn't Force impacting his spirit, but rather a product of Force, the Star, that did.

Leonel's lips pursed into a thin line. It seemed he would have to take some risks.

With a deep breath, his eyes focused once more, a familiar pressure billowing from his body. A fiery light hid behind his pale green eyes, growing in strength with each passing second.

At that moment, Invalids for several miles all looked in a single direction.

Like a typhoon, Force spun into a cyclone and charged toward Leonel's body. Those who could sense Force felt as though the world was quaking. As for those who hadn't awakened their Internal Sight… an unease crept into their hearts.

To them, a subtle sense of inferiority latched onto their souls.

The shuttle creaked and groaned. It seemed the Force was badly influencing its internals. But, Leonel pretended as though he didn't notice its bobbing and swaying in the air.

He felt as though someone had locked their sights onto him, as though there was something lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce… A dangerous warning far greater than the wererat was blaring in his mind.