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Gene Lock — First Stage!
Just like how Veyron explained it to Houraisan Kaguya, this was the starting point of the Gene Lock trait.
An old lady lifting a car to save her grandson, a hypnotized person snapping out of it when touched by burning metal, a mother sprinting at superhuman speed to catch her falling child...
These seemingly impossible events all stem from a sudden burst of hormones — like adrenaline — released in extreme situations.
But now there's another name for this phenomenon — Gene Lock.
Once someone unlocks their First-Stage Gene Lock, they can awaken their dormant potential, boosting their physical abilities to about 30% stronger in their normal state, and explosively surpassing their limits during critical moments.
On top of that, some of these boosts can even become permanent over time.
And that's not all.
First-Stage Gene Lock also grants you:
•Combat instincts that allow your body to react before your brain even registers the danger.
•A crazy-high sense of danger perception and the ability to gauge threats accurately.
•Micrometer-level control over your body.
•Reflexes sharp enough to track a bullet's path with your eyes...
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All of this comes as part of the First-Stage Gene Lock package.
Simply put...
Even a regular shut-in otaku with zero exercise habits could, after unlocking their First-Stage Gene Lock, turn into a first-class fighter capable of taking down multiple special forces soldiers with bare hands.
And if that person was already a trained warrior? Well, even without any other enhancements, they'd already be comparable to a low-tier supernatural being.
But unlocking a Gene Lock requires extreme mental focus — the most straightforward method: facing death head-on and surviving life-or-death scenarios.
Veyron, fully aware that he only had one life and that death meant game over, figured that even if he had the potential for Gene Lock, he'd probably only unlock it after months or even years of daily training and steady progress.
And Veyron didn't exactly have any huge danger or life-threatening situation forcing him to go nuts trying to unlock the Gene Lock.
He had Kaguya's golden thigh to cling to. As long as he didn't go looking for death, he could probably live a chill life for decades at least.
And if he found a way to overcome the natural human lifespan limit?
From this moment until Eientei officially appeared in Gensokyo, he had over a thousand years to work with!
Plus, with his Trait System on the left hand and a Super-Dimensional Chat Group on the right, could he really not find a method to extend his lifespan in all that time?
So, just like how he had spent nine years polishing his sword skills, Veyron wasn't in a rush when it came to unlocking his Gene Lock either.
…Or so he thought.
Who would've guessed?
Thanks to the blade Kaguya gifted him — the Bloodwing Sword — Veyron had gotten so worked up emotionally that, when he poured all his energy, focus, and spirit into a single slash, he somehow triggered the hidden potential within his genes!
Talk about a lucky break.
A double win for sure.
---
"Are you sure you're okay?" Kaguya looked Veyron up and down, her expression doubtful.
"Yeah... probably." Veyron scratched his head, not entirely confident himself.
The First-Stage Gene Lock came with side effects.
And honestly? They sucked for three reasons:
•First— the pain after unlocking was brutal. We're talking way beyond what a normal person could handle.
•Second— that sudden power boost didn't come for free. It wrung every last drop of strength out of your body, and if you didn't recover properly afterward? Good luck even standing.
•And worst of all — if you messed up the process, failed to control it, or forced it recklessly... the backlash could straight-up collapse your genes.
That's a Game Over.
---
"I'll have Eirin come down with some excuse to check on you," Kaguya made the call directly. "And if possible, it might be better to postpone your meetup with those guys... or maybe just skip it this time."
"Relax."
Seeing how concerned she was actually warmed Veyron's heart a little. He crouched down to her eye level and said sincerely, "Honestly, I'm probably even more scared of dying than you can imagine."
"If I get the slightest bad feeling, I'll be hugging your leg and begging Eirin to save me before you even say anything."
"Hehehe~"
Kaguya was already picturing Veyron clinging to her leg, crying for help from Eirin in her mind.
---
A little while later.
Aside from Veyron, Fujiwara Chika, and Merlin (Lady Avalon), the other three had also finished preparing for their world-crossing trip, meaning they had found somewhere secluded to gather.
The six of them accepted the special "bugged travel mission" issued by Hancock, which allowed them to cross worlds.
As for why they chose Hancock's place as their meetup location?
Simple.
When it came to picking a meetup spot, all seven of them agreed on two conditions — "quiet" and "safe."
Somewhere they wouldn't be disturbed during the meetup, and wouldn't cause trouble for the host afterwards.
Naturally, that ruled out the 21st-century worlds of Fujiwara Chika, Gwen, and Selina, where it was almost impossible to find a space big enough for seven people without causing a scene...
Next, Fubuki's world was pretty much a disaster waiting to happen. With monsters popping up like crazy these past few years, there was no telling if some random freak would crash the party halfway through.
As for Merlin's world… just setting foot there was basically guaranteed to attract the attention of the Root.
Dealing with the Root alone might not be too bad, but there were also other troublesome existences like the Counter Force or beings with clairvoyance skills as broken as Merlin's. That sounded like a nightmare waiting to happen.
And Veyron? He was still the new guy, barely a week since joining the chat group.
The fact that he even got invited to this offline meetup was already thanks to Chika working her usual behind-the-scenes magic. There was no way they'd pick his world as the gathering spot.
That left Hancock's place—
First off, as far as she knew, there weren't any monsters in her world with ridiculous abilities like Merlin's omniscient clairvoyance that let her peek at everything from the comfort of her home.
Second, Hancock was from Amazon Lily— a kingdom located deep in the Calm Belt. Thanks to that natural barrier, not even the News Coo delivering newspapers could fly in. The place was practically cut off from the outside world all year round.
And lastly, Hancock herself was currently training on a deserted island northwest of Amazon Lily. Aside from her, the only other living things on the island were the wild beasts she used for practice.
Seriously, could there be a more perfect place for a private chat group meetup?
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Yo~
How's this fanfic, folks?
I know the updates have been slow, but that's gonna change soon—it'll start updating just as much, or even more, than my other fics.
If you're enjoying it, I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a review or comment to encourage me. Thanks!