Chapter 154: Cogent Phrenics

"So, it was this hound that destroyed my barrier." Atika Light nodded, summoning a sketchbook and a pencil from somewhere. Before Jyorta could realise it, they had arrived in Atika Light's hands.

Based on his descriptions, Atika Light began to sketch; after 4-5 drafts, she had ended up with a realistic portrayal of the hound, consisting of views from three perpendicular angles and an isometric projection.

"Based on your description, this hound is a Cogent Phrenics stronger than the ones Tier 4 beings face in the Mental Realm, while attempting to breakthrough to Tier 5." Atika Light said, furrowing her brows, her expression replaced by seriousness, causing Jyorta to involuntarily gulp in response.

Cogent Phrenics, the name assigned to the creatures in the Mental Realm. The Mental Realm had been created with the introduction of the Frenzy and Wisdom Parasites to the world, as every living being made use of them to attain superhuman powers. But, the Mental Realm was unstable, dissipating soon upon the conclusion of each breakthrough.

The Mental Realm existed as patches, projections of the mind that were created as a resultant of the breakthrough process, consummating a place where the two consciousnesses residing in a body fought for dominance. Once the process concluded, with a victor decided between the two consciousnesses, leading to a descent to reality, the consummated Mental Realm too dissipated, lacking the energy, substance, and a core to sustain into permanence.

It was only when the first Ancestor, Rhachis Ancestor Parasite broke through to Tier 6, that the Mental Realm created as a result solidified. It later absorbed the Mental Realms created in the nearby regions, growing in size, spreading more in reality.

As more and more Ancestors were birthed in the world, the Mental Realm too expanded, using the base created by each ancestor, eventually encompassing the entire world. It had finally turned from a figment of imagination to a semblance of reality, gaining a trait of permanence, capable of existing indefinitely.

Once it had been formed, slight changes occurred within it. When beings attempted a breakthrough and approached the second phase, they no longer created a Mental Realm of their own. They directly entered the existing Mental Realm, condensing their entirety to pit their fates against one another.

As they fought, the essence condensed into their bodies, the fragments splashed like water upon each attack, dispersing into the surroundings. It was similar to the phenomenon in space, where flying objects continued in their respective directions, travelling at their initial speeds for all eternity unless affected by external forces.

The Mental Realm was a layer formed over reality, its shape conforming to the physical structure of the planet—a hollow sphere. Therefore, such fragments that were splashed from the breakthrough fights revolved in the Mental Realm, making innumerable loops until colliding into other similar particles.

After all, the path of travel for each fragment was radial, depending on their initial vector at the time of displacement. As they collide into one another, they will either break down into smaller fragments or fuse into a whole, affected by their momentum and vector.

The resultant would continue in its own path, hovering in stillness were the opposing fragments cancel each other in both momentum and vectors.

This led to all sorts of variability, eventually resulting in creatures that had formed from the condensation of the fragments, capable of exerting their will. They were now capable of defining themselves, controlling their movement, speed, condensation, and actions. They were also capable of false thoughts, brought about by the fragments in them.

The memories, egos, wills, emotions, etc. possessed by each fragment was different, causing the resulting whole to become bizarre. They would then slowly be affected by the similar fragments that formed the relative majority, eventually birthing a creature—Cogent Phrenics.

The Cogent Phrenics lacked any intelligence, solely acting based on their essence. Moreover, they were attracted to the projections that appeared in the Mental Realm from time to time, seeking to absorb the memory fragments to progress further, an instinctive response.

They sought fragments similar to the ones that formed the majority in them.

If the person attempting a breakthrough was a Tier 1 Esper, his resulted projection would be hazy, a compilation of his short life experience. Were the same be a Tier 4 Esper, his projection would be predominantly solid, a resultant of his rich experiences, a condensation of his battles, emotional outbursts, the handled politics, the world exposure, the knowledge accumulated, etc.

Therefore, the fragments dispersed during a battle between the two projections of a Tier 4 Esper would be vastly superior in both quality and quantity.

But, here came an interesting relation, one accumulated by the residents in Marble City through decades of research and observation. The more developed a Cogent Phrenics was, the more it sought higher levelled fragments.

This meant that, should a Cogent Phrenics exist, with its body composed of memory fragments resulting from Tier 4 beings, it would only seek other Tier 4 beings fighting in the Mental Realm. It would ignore everything below that state of quality.

This created a semblance of safety for people attempting a breakthrough, only having to deal with Cogent Phrenics at similar and inferior states as them. But now, the appearance of the hound defied the existing rules.

Its body was made from Tier 4 fragments at the very least, but it attacked Jyorta and Ehara Gobi, ones at Tier 1 level, going against the preconceived notion.

"Ma'am, I have a wild guess," Jyorta said, consolidating his theory after Atika Light informed him of more details about the Mental Realm. "When I was in the Mental Realm, I was able to use my corrosion. Even though I only had a single shot at it, I was able to use it. Ehara Gobi too, on the other hand, was able to teleport behind me."

"You mean to say…" Atika Light's eyes widened, possessing some guesses of her own but lacking clarity.

"When I fought against the Cogent Phrenics, many fragments from my body were lodged inside my opponent's. And, my predecessor…" Before Jyorta could complete his sentence, he was interjected by Atika Light.

"Gajara Rahi entered the Mental Realm six times, the case being similar for the innumerable subsouls she had created." Atika Light's pace of speech became slow, the thoughts in her head colliding, forming new conjectures. "When she attained Tier 6, the place in the Mental Realm she had attempted a breakthrough would have experienced some changes."

"She is a Psychic Parasite, her core being a spiritual entity, lacking a body. There would be definite differences between the projection formed by her in the Mental Realm as compared to the rest like us or the Frenzy Beasts."

"As the fragments condensed and fused, they had eventually birthed Cogent Phrenics that were capable of forming their sentience. No wonder the hound approached you. It had probably sensed the uniqueness in you and Ehara Gobi, the very substance that spurred its sentience into existence." Atika Light frowned, recalling her experiences in the Mental Realm.

The more she thought about it, the more her expression changed, bordering on a fluster despite her myriad experiences in life, having engaged with the Ancestors on a daily basis.

"Ma'am, if we want to do something, then we must determine the place where Gajara Rahi broke into Tier 6," Jyorta said, possessing his own thoughts for informing her of the direction of thought.

First, after having his secrets revealed one after the other, with the ones who ought to know him having detailed knowledge about his capabilities, Jyorta changed his mentality. He no longer tried to hide his secrets but sought to gain depth in his secrets using the wisdom and experience of others.

After all, in his previous life, inventions weren't created out of the blue. It was a result of accumulations of fervent scientists, with the knowledge, passion, and ambition passed down through generations, eventually conceptualised by a person who possessed the right track of mind.

Moreover, after some interaction, he came to realise something else. Anyone at Tier 4 or higher were beings who had accumulated a treasure trove of knowledge, experience, and the wisdom gained only through rich life experience.

It wasn't something he could gain readily, requiring him to spend equivalent time. But, using his uniqueness, brought forth by his identity, he could gain their wisdom to better himself. After all, nothing mattered in this world if he lacked strength. In such a case, irrespective of how well-guarded his secrets were, they could be pried into.

Now, he had modified his mentality, unwilling to hide his secrets until his strength developed to the extent capable of protecting them. This didn't mean he wouldn't try to guard his secrets and would openly flaunt them. That was tantamount to the highest level of stupidity.

He would still take the utmost care about hiding his secrets. But, he would be open-minded about sharing it with people like Atika Light, existences who were capable of helping him to greater extents.

He wanted to bank on their knowledge and wisdom to better himself.

"It isn't a closely guarded secret. Gajara Rahi attained Tier 6 in Dawn City." Atika Light continued with her thoughts, "We will dispatch some officials to bring this knowledge to Dawn City. Make a detailed account of your experience in a notebook, include sketches for better details. I will help you with the rest; this will help our subsequent investigations."

"Don't worry; it shall only be seen by Rhachis Ancestor Dawn. After all, he is also privy of your existence." Atika Light said, stopping the pale blue light she was directing into Jyorta, "He will know how to probe the situation and take countermeasures."

Jyorta inspected his body, noticing its state better than when he had arrived at the headquarters of Grapple Force. Atika Light had fully healed his injuries, also increasing his muscle mass, making him gain some weight.

He noticed the Wisdom Parasite in him having begun the Nurturing process, converting the excess muscular energy into psychic energy, healing the Brain Crystal. Its body was still seeping into his brain tissues, the process yet to complete. With its conclusion, he would be able to determine his final Sync Rate.

Atika Light stood up, motioning for him to remain seated, "I would need to make some preparations to tackle this issue. Stay here, for the time being, your work here is done. As thanks to your efforts, you will be awarded 70 Tier 4 Frenzy Fruits. When Heima recovers, you can talk to her for some time before being escorted to the military academy."

Jyorta bowed in response, watching Atika Light exit the room, turning the surroundings silent.

In the mental realm, the hound was sprawled on the floor, facing Jyorta, with the tip of its nose positioned right before his face. It stared at him in silence, its surroundings devoid of the Cogent Phrenics that had fought against Jyorta and Ehara Gobi, leaving behind the rest that floated aimlessly.