Dr. Ivan let go of him and motioned toward an elevator tucked at the end of the hallway.
"Co. You’ve only seen the surface. The real work happens below."
The doors slid open with a low chi.
Inside, the walls were polished steel, spotless enough to reflect their faces.
A small panel glowed with rows of numbered buttons, most marked with restricted clearance labels.
Ivan pressed his palm against a scanner set into the side panel. A soft beep sounded, and the elevator began to descend.
"Top secret area," Ivan chuckled. "Only core mbers can enter."
"Are you sure it’s okay for to go there?" he asked, watching the door swing open.
"You’re practically family now. Besides, you already know more than most. Might as well see it with your own eyes."
"You’re trusting so much." Terrence shook his head in resignation.
"Do you think so? I think the sa thing could be said about you. I could trap you down here and set up an ambush. So why did you co here alone?
Terrence stepped forward first before responding.
"Well, I like to think we’re better partners than enemies. And besides, I’m very confident in my abilities... and my background"
Dr. Ivan’s face turned serious.
He ran an investigation. From what he found, the young man was just a normal person a few months ago.
It didn’t make sense.
Ivan guessed that a powerful backer was helping behind the scenes.
They walked down a bright hallway lined with thick glass panels.
On the other side, n and won in white coats moved between long counters stacked with machines.
"This entire wing handles human genetics research," Ivan tapped on the glass as they passed a row of incubators.
"So of the most advanced gene therapy work in Europe happens right here. You na it—cell regeneration, inherited disease correction, selective enhancents. We have it."
He slowed to let Terrence look into a large room where robotic arms handled racks of blood samples.
"Where do you get funding for all this?"
Ivan smiled and lifted a brow. "Billionaires. The ones who can’t stand the idea of dying. Every year, more of them co knocking, waving blank checks."
"Human greed has no bounds. You’d think money made them fearless, but it’s the opposite. The richer they get, the more terrified they are of death. Not all of them, but most."
They watched a scientist inject sothing into a small vial glowing blue under a lamp.
"Does any of it work?"
Dr Ivan gave a slight nod. "So treatnts slow decline. But true immortality is still impossible."
They kept moving past a row of freezers labeled with hazard signs. Ivan unlocked another heavy door.
"This is my private lab. "
Inside, the room was huge. There were many pieces of equipnt and shelves filled with chemicals.
But what caught his attention was a basketball sized rock sealed inside thick glass.
"That’s a moonstone!" Terrence blurted out,
To most people, it looked like an ordinary rock, but he imdiately recognized it by its unique texture.
A moonstone was a sought-after item in the future that could even lead to battles to the death between factions.
But what made it too special was its unique effect.
If soone absorbed it early, the stone could give them a rare ability called Lunar State.
With it, an individual power grew stronger at night and reached the highest point during a full moon.
’This one is still preserved, and I can see traces of mana on it,’
This was an important point because most moonstones found in the wild had already lost their essence.
The chance of them triggering Lunar State was too low, unlike a preserved one like this.
Dr. Ivan broke the silence by clearing his throat. "Are you familiar with this rock?"
"Can you give this thing to ?" Terrence asked, his eyes fixed on the stone. "If you do, I’ll be able to take on that mission faster."
Dr. Ivan was surprised, and didn’t reply right away.
Terrence’s reaction made it clear the stone wasn’t just a research item. It held much more value.
"Son, it’s a very important material, so—"
"I’ll tell you the secret to absorbing mana," Terrence offered, cutting him off.
Almost instantly, Dr. Ivan’s expression changed, and a smile spread across his face.
"Son, sit down first," he said. "Let’s talk about it more in detail."
Terrence took a seat on a stool beside the lab’s central table.
Though the information he was about to share was very valuable, knowing the concept of absorbing mana and actually doing it were two different things.
The only reason he managed to pull it off was because he ca back from the future, so he already knew exactly how it felt.
If it were that easy, he wouldn’t have awakened so late himself. This was also the reason why even decades from now, humans still outnumbered mana born by a huge margin.
"I can explain it," he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "But understanding it isn’t enough. You need to feel it."
Ivan leaned forward, intrigued. "What do you an?"
"It’s about resonance," Terrence began, gesturing animatedly as he spoke.
He made sure to catch the doctor’s full attention first. "You can’t just absorb mana without connecting with it first. It’s like tuning into a frequency; if you’re off by even a little, you’ll miss it entirely."
"But how do I train that feeling?" Dr. Ivan pressed, his pen hovering in anticipation over the notepad.
"You have to imrse yourself in places where mana is abundant. Experience it firsthand, and wait for your body to learn how to tune itself. ditation will help with that."
Dr. Ivan put the pen down.
"Son, it’s not that I don’t appreciate your explanation...but it’s too vague. Almost every kung fu movie says the sa thing."
Terrence sighed. That was the simplest way to explain it.
And it was only natural there were so similarities because kung fu practitioners and monks were actually on the right path. Well, the ancient people anyway.
He decided to change his approach. "You can see my mana, right? Tell , how do you do it?"
"I just squint my eyes really hard," Dr. Ivan admitted, running a hand through his hair as he leaned back in his chair.
"It’s like... flicking a switch. Suddenly, everything changes. I can see it—the flow of mana."
"Like this?" Terrence’s eyes glowed for a split second, showing the sa optical effect.
"I can use your ability too, just by directing mana into my iris."
Dr. Ivan was taken aback. He always thought his ability was special, so seeing it copied on the spot hurt his ego.
"Then why can’t I absorb mana like you?"
Terrence shook his head. "Your absorption rate is so low that you end up spending it all just by living day to day. Also, your body isn’t in good shape to store it."
He wasn’t lying. What set a mana born apart from a normal human was their core.
Ivan didn’t have one, and with his age, it would be close to impossible for him to form it in his lifeti.
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