Chapter 226: Modulation

……

Inside the crystal-coffin-like cultivation tank, Cadeo Rhode slowly regained consciousness from a coma, and the first thing he saw was his coach Kevin, who looked at him with a mix of concern and worry.

"How are you feeling now, Cadeo?"

Cadeo could not answer immediately, until the medicinal fluid in the tank drained and the electric door slowly opened. Only after removing the oxygen mask from his face did Cadeo Rhode let out a soft groan: "I feel terrible, all my muscles are aching faintly."

"That's right. You can ask anyone who has used the electromagnetic enhancement device; it's about the same. We just added some drugs to make the process more aggressive."

Ten meters away, someone let out a hoarse chuckle. Cadeo and his coach Kevin both glanced over, and their expressions turned unpleasant.

It was Edwin Antonio of the Blood Hand Gang, the culprit who had forced them to come here.

The man paid no heed to their stares, continuing to puff on his cigar: "You can try it in the next room; you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Cadeo Rhode silently walked to the other room Antonio had indicated. It looked like a gym, filled with various pieces of equipment.

Cadeo first tested his strength. Standing before a large instrument, he punched it hard. With a heavy thud, the numbers on the dial rapidly climbed, finally settling at 45.2.

This meant the force of his punch had reached 45.2 tons!

Before today, his maximum punch force had only been 21.5 tons.

Next was speed. Cadeo ran wildly on a machine that resembled a treadmill. As time passed, his stride frequency gradually became invisible to the naked eye, but no matter how fast he ran, the treadmill's belt kept up.

"Under normal conditions, you can maintain 420 kilometers per hour. That's a bit unsatisfactory, but with your berserker skill, you can reach over 700 kilometers per hour."

The speaker was a lab technician in a white coat standing nearby: "We were supposed to measure endurance, but considering the match is this afternoon, we'll skip that test. We estimate you can sustain 420 km/h for about half an hour, and at the burst speed of 700 km/h, about twenty seconds. You must note that you haven't had enough training before, so your endurance will be slightly lacking. It can only be improved through long-term physical exercise."

When the 'treadmill' stopped, Cadeo lowered his head, staring blankly at his bulging limbs.

Without further testing, Cadeo could already feel the power of his current body—he was still a level-7 berserker, but the strength surging within these muscles was far beyond what he had before.

As for speed, the technician said he was a bit unsatisfactory, but previously, without using source skills, he could only reach a maximum of 300 km/h.

Yet Cadeo Rhode felt no joy. He knew the price of this power: it had cost him at least ten years of his lifespan and some of his future potential.

"Don't worry, Cadeo."

Antonio seemed to read his thoughts and said nonchalantly: "We made a deal, didn't we? A Seven-Turn Longevity Pill from the East can compensate for the lifespan you've consumed; a Supreme Holy Oak Potion can make your talent better than before. As long as you defeat that lucky Andre on the stage, you'll get both. Even if you don't trust me, you should trust Arcadis Corporation. The contract you signed is legally binding; they won't default on something worth thirty to fifty million gold shields."

Cadeo Rhode stared coldly at Antonio: "What I don't trust is your Blood Hand Gang! I hope this modulation is indeed without any aftereffects, as you claimed."

"Of course, we also signed a soul contract."

Antonio smiled, then tossed over a vermilion bottle: "And this, remember to swallow it before entering the arena."

"What is this?"

Coach Kevin frowned deeply: "You guaranteed you wouldn't use any banned substances!"

"It's not a banned substance."

Antonio explained: "I don't fully understand the specifics, but our people have implanted seven Cretan Black Bloodstones inside Cadeo. This potion can activate them, allowing part of the Minotaur's residual soul to awaken within Cadeo."

At this point, Antonio's tone carried a hint of sarcasm: "You didn't think Cadeo could already control all the power in his body, did you? A sudden surge in strength without sufficient control would only lead to the same fate as James Lanster."

"But this is against the rules!"

Coach Kevin grew even more dissatisfied: "The NHSAA competition committee won't allow external forces like guardian spirits or invocation techniques."

He had heard of 'Cretan Black Bloodstones'. In ancient times, King Minos of Crete (son of Zeus and Europa, later one of the three judges of the underworld) had a wife, Pasiphaë, who gave birth to a monster with a human body and a bull's head, fathered by a bull sent by Poseidon.

To sustain this 'son', Minos built a labyrinth for him on Crete.

The 'Cretan Black Bloodstones' came from that now-ruined labyrinth. They were blackish-brown in color, rumored to be stained with the Minotaur's blood.

Using 'Cretan Black Bloodstones' to summon the Minotaur's residual soul was strictly within the realm of invocation techniques.

"Just disguise it as a self-awakened battle soul. Cadeo is a descendant of the Minotaur, right?"

Antonio replied calmly: "We guarantee it's foolproof. If Cadeo's professional dreams are ruined because of this, I, Antonio, will take full responsibility. We can sign another soul contract."

Coach Kevin let out a sneer, his face livid. Just as he was about to say something, Cadeo Rhode suddenly spoke: "You still want me to use Ancestral Recall. These Cretan Black Bloodstones are prepared for that, aren't they? Is that lucky Andre really that powerful, to make you so scheming?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but my advisors are right—we need to be absolutely certain. According to them, that kid has reached the pinnacle of technique."

Antonio rubbed his bald head, looking resigned: "Cadeo, I know you're reluctant, but to be honest, you have no choice now, do you? Either defeat him by any means on the stage, or sink into hell from now on. You don't want that tragedy to happen, do you, Cadeo?"

Cadeo Rhode's chest heaved, and after a long while, he let out a deep breath: "Antonio, if I ever enter NMOSA and secure a place in the league, I will repay everything you've done to me tenfold!"

"You're welcome to try!"

Antonio's lips curled slightly, whether in approval or irony: "As long as you pull that lucky Andre, Andre Lee Wiltonstein, down from the clouds today, you're free to take your revenge however you like."