"None?"
Even The Boss felt numb at such an answer.
It was the last thing he expected.
"Why do you say none?"
"That's the answer, None."
Everlearn finally realized in the depths of his analysis.
"All the Corers are, and will ever be, dependent upon the Mech Designers. Without them, they're nothing."
"All the Mech Designers are, and will ever be, dependent upon the Corers. Without their respect, they're also nothing."
"So what is greatness in such a reliant field? Well, the answer is simple," he voiced out, though more, he seemed to be talking to himself.
"It is to be Non-reliant."
"To be knowledgeable enough to create the strongest Mech Modules and equally powerful enough to be able to fuse and use their power to the maximum ability."
"That is the True Greatness of both fields," he said, watching The Boss look at him silently, his brows faintly creasing before they paused as he hummed deeply.
His realizations were the truest he had ever heard upon asking what a person had as their greatest wish.
It hadn't been initially prepared for whatever reason, and had only been realized at the point of asking, making it as genuine as it ever could be.
But,
"Many have tried to walk on that path," The Boss said to Everlearn.
"But none have reached it."
"The path to being a Corer is one fraught with danger, and the path to being a Mecha Designer is hectic."
"To be worthy of being called great in any of the fields, it takes lifetimes, and the chances of that are rarer than one percent."
"After all, we don't have the Strongest Corer of Nvidia, only the Strongest Corers of Nvidia." He reasoned.
"If being unreliant is true greatness, then that would mean doing both, becoming a Mecha Designer and also becoming a Corer, walking both paths at the same time."
"It's a tempting path, but I do not know a single Corer worthy of mention who is capable of creating his own Mech Module, nor do I know a Mech Designer who is as powerful as any of those Corers," he explained, as Everlearn's brow creased faintly.
The Boss realized and paused, not saying any further. Instead, he continued,
"You answered my question very well. Greatness to you is to become unreliant."
"It's a good answer," he said, a little bit of a smile tugging at the far corner of his lips.
In the next moment, his hands reached into the drawer, and he brought an object out.
It was a simple piece of paper that he extended toward Everlearn who turned to it.
Alas, it was a tattoo sticker, but Everlearn's eyes furrowed as he noticed the tattoo.
It was a simple X.
And what was weirder was its bizarre golden light that seemed to be swirling within the diagonal strokes, and even the paper itself seemed archaic.
The Boss picked it up, his hands reaching Everlearn from across the table.
"Do you wish to join the Organization?" he asked, and at this point, Everlearn had no reason to deny.]
"I do," he said with conviction, and The Boss rose halfway.
One of his fingers shifted into claws that gently cut the cloth around Everlearn's neck, revealing the white skin of his neck.
Then the fingers continued, carving open an X symbol on his neck before the tattoo sticker was placed on top.
The pain Everlearn felt from having his claws dug into his neck paused, replaced by a cold feeling following the placement.
For a moment, his body became rigid.
The blue color of his eyes suddenly changed to flash a golden light.
But that only occurred for a moment.
In the next, the color faded away, and when Everlearn opened his eyes, he found The Boss sitting in his position with a smile on his face.
"Congratulations. You're now part of the X Base," the man said as Everlearn's hand reached to his neck, only to pause when he felt the golden light that shone upon his hand.
Imprinted on his neck was an X symbol currently glowing like a rune upon his skin.
"Don't worry about the light."
"It would only flare in my presence."
"Soon, it will disperse, and the tattoo itself will sink inside your skin once I'm not close by," The Boss said, as Everlearn hmmed beneath his breath.
"Now that you have officially become one of us, then I think it's time you understand all that we're about."
And in the next moment, Everlearn watched as the door to the vehicle opened up.
The Boss stepped out, and he followed, only for his jaw to lose its hold the second he was out.
The voice rang out as he stepped forward.
"Welcome to X Base!"
It could be defined as the mini version of a mega-advanced city!
Towering structures stretched towards the blue sky, glass smooth and curved upwards, covered in glowing lines of light that pulsed like veins.
There were no holograms that clouded the sky.
Instead, flying crafts glided in clean, silent paths, following trails of light that crossed like threads of energy.
The roads curved gently, built around narrow glass streams that reflected the towering lights.
People were walking calmly on both sides, sharp and defined, all carrying the same quiet focus.
Even the water beside the walkway glowed faintly, tracing the path forward with lines of soft blue.
And the structures were about a couple of dozen, all surrounding what truly took one's breath away.
At the center stood a Core Tower that dwarfed all other structures, reaching a height of about one thousand meters.
It was like a blade of light, its two halves spiraling together until they met at the top.
Even from such a far distance, Everlearn could feel the weight of it pressing down against his chest.
But then, for some reason, it was oddly familiar.
"Wait a second."
"This… this is X City!" he called out loud as The Boss chuckled, coming to stand by his side.
"You're correct."
His words made Everlearn's head Buss
X City!?
He was standing before The X City!?