The Martial Unity

 

1945 Limits

One of the VOID algorithm's biggest shortcomings was its incompatibility with Gaia's supernatural and esoteric reality. Of course, Rui had made a lot of progress with it over the years, but he had never found a solution for adapting to beasts.

The pattern recognition system worked by choosing the most optimal and perfect counter to an opponent's predicted movement according to the predictive model. It was the adaptive evolution model that told Rui what the most optimal counter was.

Although it sounded fancy, the adaptive evolution model was just an enormous table with two rows. It contained the solution to all predicted movements.

If Rui predicted that his opponent was going to throw a hook punch, then he would look at the table and find the corresponding most optimal counter.

Hook punch -> Forward-stepping straight punch.

These were created in his previous life after countless experiments to determine the best counter to each attack, maneuver, and defense.

Keywords being 'in his previous life.'

It was optimized for regular humans.

As Rui became a Martial Artist and kept growing stronger, he gradually stopped relying on it because it became increasingly irrelevant and invalid against the supernatural Martial Art of this world.

He was forced to rely on instinct and experience, which he continuously gained more of over the years. Yet, he managed as his intuition was forged in the crucible of combat, allowing him to replicate, through experience, what was previously done by the adaptive evolution model.

It was a good replacement for the adaptive evolution model against other Martial Artists.

Unfortunately, this didn't solve the problem when it came to beasts and monsters.

There were countless different species in the world. He did not have any experience with an overwhelming majority of them. The worst part was that even being a general expert was not enough. He would need to be a specialist on each and every single monster and beast in order to adaptively evolve to each of them with absolute perfection.

And nothing less than absolute perfection was tolerable to him.

This shortcoming had become especially noticeable after he had entered the Beast Domain. He had managed to make do by compensating for it with the sheer power of the SOUL System, of course.

However, that shortcoming was the reason that he and Kane had almost died against the six Master-level beasts of the mega-forest region. If Rui had been a super-expert on fauna, he would not have made that horrific blunder that almost got them killed.

"If not for you saving us…" Rui narrowed his eyes as he stared at the Elder Tree. "That blunder, this shortcoming, would have gotten us killed. Thank you for saving our lives…"

Rui bowed his head lightly in gratitude as Kane followed suit before returning his gaze to the massive tree. "…And please give me the knowledge that I need to ensure that this blunder never happens ever again."

The Elder Tree listened to Rui's earnest plea. I am able and willing. I will pass on the sum totality of my knowledge of the biosphere of the Beast Domain to you in return for otherworldly knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of non-esoteric reality.

An ecstatic smile deepened on his face. "Alright then, done deal."

There is only one issue.

Rui frowned. "What is it?"

The knowledge that you are seeking is extremely enormous, the Elder Tree informed him. Even considering your supernatural mind, it is not something that can be conveyed in a short time span, even if I directly pour the information into your mind through hypnotic communication.

Rui's expression darkened. "How long are we talking?"

Five years.

Rui's eyes widened with shock. "What?! Just how much information do you have that it takes a whopping five years of hypnotic transmission to give me everything you have?!"

A lot. I am unable to quantify it, but I can convey immense sensory data every second that you are awake and free, and it will still take five years of continuous hypnotic transmission to give you everything you seek without compromising my mental health.

Kane turned to Rui with a raised eyebrow. "We don't have time for this, man."

Rui gritted his teeth.

Kane was right.

They only had twenty-one months left to find the Divine Doctor and bring him back to the Kandrian Empire to heal his father before he died. Choosing to remain here for the knowledge was no different from getting him killed.

Yet… the very thought of letting this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity go tore Rui's heart apart, causing him to wince from phantom pain.

"You are not actually considering this, are you?" Kane stared at him. "Your dad's gonna die. Do you not care? Is this more important than your father?"

Kane regretted asking the question the moment it escaped his mouth. He realized a moment too late that the answer was actually yes.

Rui knew that, too.

However, he didn't want to have to choose. The whole reason that he had embarked on the journey to the Divine Doctor was because he didn't want to be forced to choose.

"If I leave, will I be able to enter without risking my life again?"

No. My awareness of outside phenomena comes indirectly through a flora network containing other living beings of the plant kingdom. I cannot identify you specifically, I'm afraid.

In other words, if Rui left, he would have to subject himself to a one-percent survival chance in order to get into a place that had a one-percent acceptance rate.

The odds were overwhelmingly horrible. It was far too much for Rui to go through it again, especially when he went through it by mistake the first time.

"Wait." Rui's eyes lit up. "You said, without compromising my mental health?"

Correct. I am able to transmit information at far greater speeds, but it will cause extreme mental pain and suffering.

"How soon can you get it done if we go through with that?" Rui narrowed his eyes.

"Dude." Kane stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

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