Chapter 3 — The Awakened Power and the Truth No One Has Answered
The low hum of hydraulic engines pulsed through the underground laboratory.
The hidden hatch above them sealed shut with a metallic hiss, cutting the surface world away completely.
Only sterile white light and the chilled scent of purified air remained.
Theer stood before the Hope Cheetar armor resting on its power cradle.
White–blue plating gleamed under the lamps—
not bright, but alive.
It was as if the armor itself was quietly studying him.
Dr. Amporn stepped beside him with slow, weary steps.
Despite the exhaustion written on his face, his eyes were as sharp as ever.
“Ready to begin, Theer?” he asked, tone controlled and careful.
Theer inhaled deeply. Awe and fear twisted inside his chest.
“Yes… I’m ready.”
?
The Pulse Beneath His Skin
“The first thing you must do,” Dr. Amporn said as he adjusted a neural scanner,
“is learn to speak to the ore inside you.”
“…Speak to it?”
Theer raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. Strange now, but it won’t be for long.”
He pressed two fingers against Theer’s chest—
exactly where the Cheetar Ore had been injected the night before.
“Keep your eyes open if you like. Just clear your mind. Listen.”
Theer exhaled.
Then—
A sharp spark flickered along his spine, like someone had flipped on a hidden switch inside him.
“You feel that?” the doctor asked quietly.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
“Yes… it’s like something’s waking up.”
“Good.”
A tired smile flickered across Amporn’s face.
“Cheetar Ore only obeys a steady heart.
If your mind trembles, it trembles with you.
If your mind is calm… it rests.”
The sparks inside Theer softened.
The chaotic thrum faded into a steady pulse—
calm, responsive.
Obedient.
For the first time, he could feel the power answering him.
?
Hope Cheetar Awakens
The armor stirred on the cradle.
Plates detached one by one—
click—whirr—fwip!
Chest.
Arms.
Legs.
Back.
Mask.
Each piece floated toward him, locking into place with seamless precision,
synchronizing with the ore in his bloodstream.
The HUD lit up with a glowing diagram of his body, energy nodes bright like clustered stars.
“The suit absorbs energy through six main points,” Amporn said, tapping the hologram.
“Chest core. Shoulders. Outer forearms. Thigh fronts. Back of the hands.
These let you store power and release it as electric strikes or shielding.”
Theer moved slightly.
The suit answered like second skin—amplifying his strength without resistance.
But Amporn’s voice sharpened suddenly.
“And these… are your critical weak points.”
He pointed at the highlighted areas on the diagram:
Elbows.
Underarms.
Ribs.
Side of the neck.
Knee joints.
Back of the knees.
Armor gaps along the waist.
“If Marcus strikes these with a blade, you bleed just like anyone else.
The suit won’t save you.”
Theer swallowed hard.
For the first time, real fear slid down his spine.
?
The Electric Art
Amporn dragged a reinforced impact target forward.
“Try an electric strike.”
Theer focused on the chest core—
felt the energy build—
let it flow down his arm—
BZZT—CRACK!!
Electric arcs burst from his fist.
BOOM!
The target rattled violently, metal dust scattering like sparks.
Amporn stepped back half a pace.
“Not bad. But that was around thirty percent.
You must reach full output eventually.”
Theer’s arm tingled numb, but the hunger to master this power burned stronger.
“Let’s continue.”
?
A File That Shouldn’t Exist
Dr. Amporn unlocked a secured drive.
Images flooded the giant screen on the wall:
Workers twisted in unnatural shapes.
People convulsing as the ore rejected them.
And finally—
A man in black.
Standing eerily still.
Too calm.
His presence unnerving, like a predator that had already chosen its prey.
“What… happened to them?” Theer’s voice trembled.
Amporn’s expression hardened.
“What we know is this:
Marcus is selling Cheetar Ore to multiple terrorist factions worldwide.”
Theer froze.
“To terrorists? Why? For money? Or power?”
“No.” Amporn shook his head.
“That’s what makes it terrifying. It doesn’t seem like he wants either.”
Theer frowned. “Then what does he want?”
Amporn zoomed in on the only living survivor.
Veins bulging.
Red eyes glowing faintly.
A posture too rigid to be human.
“It looks like he’s feeding ore into unstable individuals to see who survives.
Then he recruits the survivors.”
Theer’s stomach tightened.
“…A selection process?”
“Yes.”
Amporn’s voice dropped.
“He’s creating killers.
Choosing candidates for the world he intends to build.”
Theer clenched his fists so tight the joints ached.
“What about the government? Police? Does no one know?!”
“Marcus is too smart,” Amporn replied.
“He might be creating chaos while secretly eliminating terrorists he has no use for.
When fear reaches its peak…
he’ll emerge as the only one who can ‘control’ the power.
A false savior. A hero he manufactured himself.”
Theer felt as if the ground beneath him shifted.
“This is far worse than I imagined…”
Amporn placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
“I don’t know his true purpose.
That makes him more dangerous than any villain we can name.
He acts with reason—
but no one knows what that reason is.”
A suffocating silence filled the room.
Then Theer looked up—
eyes burning with resolve.
“Then I’ll find his reason myself…
and I’ll stop him.
No matter what the cost.”
Amporn allowed a faint, proud smile.
“Then let’s begin your real training.
We have very little time.”
?
And So, the First Step Begins…
Training drones powered online.
The battlefield simulation activated.
The lights dimmed into a combat-ready glow.
The underground lab became a war zone.
Theer stepped forward—
and his journey truly began!
?
