Alexander originally thought that his position would remain as one where he was walking a tightrope at every second. But after the first few days of tests, mostly physical, with a few more interviews by the scholars, the apparent title for scientists in this new world he’d woken up in, he realized that he wasn’t being treated much more differently than the others. Though he was kept more privately secured than the rest of the people who’d been in cryo.

  “So, are you ready for your first injection of the mutagen? It seems likely that you’ll be set for one of the high-quality gene mods. It kind of makes me jealous, to be honest...” the scholar, a 1st evolution student, sighed wistfully as she finished prepping Xander for his injections. “I wish my compatibility was good enough for the good mods... then maybe I’d be able to get to my 2nd evolution. Then I’d be able to make some advancements in my studies...”

  That had been another thing that Xander had done over the past few days. Along with providing information to the scholars and soldiers that questioned him, he’d learned a few things here and there from conversations.

  He’d done his best to avoid just straight up asking questions, but his lessons on corporate espionage from when he’d worked security had been incredibly helpful.

  Apparently, mutations were split into three categories.

  First were gene mods. These were general modifications that could enhance a person’s physical state in various ways. People were generally limited to a specific number of mods depending on their genetic compatibility, which determined their genetic stability when the mod was incorporated into their bodies.

  Genetic instability resulted in rampant mutations, which could turn a person into an absolute monstrosity, but also exponentially increased their power at the cost of higher thought processes.

  Second were Evolutions. After a person managed to acquire a certain number of gene mods, they could undergo an evolutionary mutation. This would result in a total transformation of the body, compounding all previous mods into a cohesive whole. One that had an exponential increase in strength, similar to rampancy, but without any of the drawbacks.

  Doing this required specific modifications, or else rampancy would occur when conflicting mods tried to combine, resulting in a cataclysmic breakdown and mixing of genetic components.

  The difference between mods and evolution meant that some people were incapable of proceeding past a certain point, since they might be incompatible with mods that were required for their evolution. This could be overcome by finding different paths of evolution, but such things were incredibly rare and having a path that could reach the 4th evolution was enough to create a kingdom that would last a thousand years.

  That was what had happened with the Malicent Kingdom, when their founding Monarch developed the Chimera Evolutionary Path. A path that was, apparently, only compatible with the Wrathmor family, hence they had ruled this kingdom for centuries.

  The third type of mods were less direct modifications that had permanent effects, and more like supplementary mods that temporarily altered the body for specific purposes that lasted for a set amount of time. Such as healing boosters, shape changers, poisons, plagues, stabilizers, and other things that helped out in various ways. There were even combat injections and consumables that allowed for temporary increases in combat ability.

  “Luckily, it seems like my genetic stability is high enough that any mods I’m compatible with will be enough for me to make some quick advancements.” Alexander pulled himself out of his internal thoughts upon noticing that the scholar was waiting for his reply. “Maybe they’ll even let me have a choice in what mods I get first.”

  He grinned at the scholar, who smiled back, seemingly happy at his supposed exuberance.

  “I’m glad that you’re looking forward to this. Usually, most soldiers are tested more intensely, and over a longer period of time before they get their first mods. I guess that the folks in cryo here were top of the line when it came to genetics, since you’re all getting streamlined for mods.” The scholar stepped away from Xander, leaving him shirtless and in a pair of stretchy skin-tight shorts. “Now, it looks like you’re ready to go. Just step outside and the soldiers will bring you to your table.”

  Xander nodded and gave her a ‘thank you’ before stepping outside. He couldn’t help but shiver when the cold air of the camp touched his skin.

  He saw the soldiers that were waiting for him, but it took him a moment to approach. He looked down at his trembling hand before reaching over with his other one to hold it steady, massaging it as he took several deep breaths.

  For nearly a week he’d been forcibly compartmentalizing his thoughts and worries. Doing his best to ignore the panic and worry that he’d been going through.

  Prior to his entry into stasis, he’d been through therapy and training to mentally prepare himself for the possibility that the world he knew would be gone when he woke up. Even so, practice and the real thing were entirely different beasts.

  Keep calm... you can do this... Just play along for a little bit longer, get some upgrades, and find out what remains. He repeated this mantra in his mind for several seconds, now slowly taking steps toward the waiting soldiers. “Sorry for the delay. Let’s get going.”

  The soldiers said nothing, but he saw them both glance at his hands. Though they weren’t trembling anymore, he knew that they had seen what he’d done to calm down.

  A part of him hoped that they were looking at him in pity, given everything he, and the others were going through, but given the ‘might makes right’ mentality of the world, he knew that they were likely looking at him in disgust at showing such weakness.

  I wonder if it’s only the Malicent Kingdom that thinks this way. He hoped to god that that was the case. If not, then he’d have a new goal for when he got out of here.

  Moving in step with the soldiers, he found himself rushed to the front of a long line of other people, all of them looking downtrodden and near panic. His fellow cryo sleepers. A very small number of them looked ready for whatever was coming, and the vast majority looked confused, even scared.

  Xander shook his head. He couldn’t afford to worry about them right now. His own modifications were about to happen. So, focusing on that was all he needed to do.

  Walking into the large, prefabricated building in front of him, Xander was brought into a private room where the old scholar that had been there when he’d first woken up after getting his language download was standing in the corner. He was looking over a slate that had what looked like a digital interface on it.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  He and the other scholar he’d been taking to fell silent when he entered the room. The old man looked annoyed and disappointed, while the other scholar looked at Xander in disgust.

  “Something wrong?” Xander asked once the soldiers departed from the room. “I’m guessing that whatever’s on that slate doesn’t bode well for me right now.”

  The older scholar sighed, and Xander realized he never got the man’s name, while the younger one sniffed and walked out after turning her nose up at him.

  “Simply put, these mods will not be kind to you,” the old scholar said once the other one left. “I’m sure you already know about the compatibility of gene mods to individual genetic sequences in people, right?”

  Xander nodded, having a bad feeling in his gut as the old man went on.

  “Well, the problem is your compatibility with the mods currently known to the Malicent Empire. Several noble families have provided mods for general use in the military and academic institutions. Unfortunately, it seems that, wherever mods were used on you in the past, as well as our relative lack of mods compared to the Sage Empire, means that your compatibility with the mods we have is incredibly low, despite your high genetic stability.”

  Xander felt his heart drop into his stomach when he heard that. Even though he’d only been living in this new world for a few days, he knew that not having gene mods, and undergoing evolution, he’d be stuck as a slave at best, and killed off as trash at worst.

  “That’s a problem. I imagine that I must have some compatibility with at least a few mods, but the fact that your colleague walked out in disgust must mean that they’re not very good ones. Dead end paths?” He did his best to keep his voice calm, but he knew that a dead-end path would make his life terribly difficult. It wasn’t like he could walk out of here without any gene mods, after all.

  That would defeat the purpose of being a VIP in the eyes of the lady he was supposed to follow.

  “Indeed. Given the amount of value the princess had previously placed in you, it seems like everybody had high expectations. Only now, those expectations are about to be dashed away.” The old man sighed and sat down in a chair along the wall. “It’s times like this that make being a Gene-Sequencer so annoying.”

  Xander forced himself to keep calm at hearing that. From what he’d learned, Gene-Sequencers were scholars that were at the top of their field, specifically they specialized in creating and modifying gene mods and discovering evolutionary paths.

  “If the path I’m forced to take is one with a dead end, then I’ll just make a new one while I’m on it.” Xander said as he climbed onto the table. “Given that you’re a Gene-Sequencer, I trust that you’ll be able to give me a mod that’s got a decent compatibility with me. Hopefully one that will help me meet the princess’ expectations.”

  “...Are you sure about this? Not a single mod we have, that won’t kill you once injected, is compatible with any of the evolutionary paths known to the Malicent Kingdom.” The old man stood up, looming over Xander’s head with a frown and a glare that made the kind old man look like an angry madman.

  “It’s not like I’ve got any other choices, do I? So, give me the best you’ve got. Preferably something that will help me survive in a fight.” Xander refused to back down. His entire body was tense, and he couldn’t help but feel like there was a nagging in the back of his head.

  It was like a memory that was just outside his grasp. He felt like he had been through this before.

  “If that is your wish, then who am I to refuse you.” The scholar stepped to the side. He placed the tablet he held into the wall, and the room began to transform as mechanical arms and medical tools reached outward. Straps also wrapped around his body, pinning him to the table as it lifted into the air and tilted him into a vertical position. “This particular mod will be incredibly helpful for your survival. It’s also the one with the highest compatibility with your unique genetic code. Before we begin, do you have any questions?”

  For a moment Xander thought about asking about the mod he was about to receive. That would’ve been the smart thing, but then he looked at the glint in the scholar's eyes. Rather than get his ears talked off by indulging in the man’s passion, he felt that making a closer connection to him on a personal level would be better.

  Having a doctor on call when you had problems was never a bad thing.

  “Yeah, what’s your name? I’d love to talk shop with you a bit more after I’m up and fighting fit.” Xander threw the scholar a wicked and toothy grin. One that was mirrored on the old man’s face.

  “I’m Gene-Sequencer Gerome Welts. It’s good to know that a warrior like you sees that value in a scholar like me.” With that said, Xander knew that his intentions were seen through, but that was fine.

  Then Gerome flipped a switch on the console that had slid out of the wall in front of him, and he felt a prick in his neck before everything went dark.

  ----------

  Looking over the smoking remains of the gene mod room, and the injured form of Gerome, who was being looked over by a few of his fellow scholars, Lady Elyria Wrathmor was as composed as she could be, regardless of the icy cold fury currently coursing through her veins.

  “So... I assume that the modifications on our VIP were a success?” she flared at the figure of Xander lying on the crumpled table in the center of the room.

  Fortunately, it seemed that none of the damage had gone past the limits of this room, but it was still a price that she wasn’t happy to be paying.

  “Indeed. He took to the experimental ancient mods with ease. In fact, I would say that the bio-energy he managed to output when the mods were finished just goes to prove the viability of the ancient mods that were put into the archives and forgotten.” Despite his injuries, and the fact that his lady was angry at him, Gerome was still smiling. “It’s a shame that we’re missing the other mods that would allow him to reach the first evolution, but at least this way he’ll remain controllable.”

  Elyria sighed before punching the wall. “Were there truly no modifications, outside the ancient ones, that were compatible with him?”

  This time Gerome frowned. “There were none. That man... whatever path he walked on before is one that isn’t known to the Malicent Kingdom. However, if we’re lucky, his ties to the ancient Sage Empire mean that we’ll be able to find more ancient mods. Ones that will be compatible for him and allow him to make progress to the first evolution. Maybe we’ll even find ancient mods that are compatible with our modern citizens. If so, then the power that the Kingdom will have might just be enough to grant it true hegemony of the surrounding areas.”

  For a while, Elyria didn’t say anything. She just glared at Xander’s prone form, clenching her fists as she did.

  “What does his new mutation do? Strength? Speed? A psychic ability of some sort, or perhaps a method of bio-energy manipulation?” The former two were common, but incredibly useful in soldiers, while the latter two were dangerous, but also useful, depending on what they did.

  “The latter. Specifically, he can manipulate his own bio-energy to rapidly regenerate from injuries. As well as store bio-energy by eating mutant beasts. This will ensure that his survivability is high, while his ability to break away will be reduced.” Gerome sounded incredibly pleased as the smile returned to his face.

  “... That’s a second evolution gene mod,” Elyria muttered in disbelief.

  “Only by modern standards. The Ancients had gene mods of a much higher quality back in the day. That, and whatever modifications were used on him before had prepared him for this level of change. At his peak, he most certainly had a significantly higher speed of regeneration than what he currently has.”

  “Still... perhaps his lack of compatibility with our current mods isn’t as bad a thing as we’d assumed.” She paused, holding her chin in thought, Elyria allowed her mind to wander for several seconds. Everyone else just looked on in silence. Even her cousin, who had arrived just moments ago, didn’t say anything.

  “I’ve decided; from this moment forward, Alexander Mar will become a part of our special archaeological forces. He shall take part in every mission into my territory’s ruins and will be kept from the front lines for as long as it is feasible. Only if he manages to undergo his 1st evolution will he take part in the war with my siblings.” Her declaration was met with agreement, even from her less than supportive cousin. “Hopefully, by that point, I’ll have gotten enough merit that my father will call those other bastards off before the new fodder is ground up in the fighting.”

  That last part was uttered in near silence but was still heard by all those who were at their 1st evolution.

  No one said anything as she walked out, however, since they all knew better than to get on her bad side.

  Not even one failed to send Xander’s unconscious body an envious glare at his new posting. Being well away from the front lines in this world was a soldier’s dream. At least among the Malicent Kingdom.