The discovery of a new element shook the planet. The news spread like wildfire across every city, every school, every broadcast channel. Even junior high students understood what it meant, a breakthrough that could change the foundations of science and technology forever.
Federal academia erupted in chaos, like an earthquake across research halls and laboratories. Forums filled with heated debates, and countless scholars tried to piece together the incomplete structure of the element. For now, only scattered fragments from past-life memory captures hinted at its composition, glimpses of knowledge without the full picture. But even those fragments were enough to form a foundation.
Some enthusiasts even reconstructed the mysterious map model left by Tony's father, retracing Tony's reverse-engineering methods step by step. The progress was slow, but the results were promising. Within weeks, researchers concluded with high probability that this element could truly exist. Yet completing it in a short time would take more than intellect; it required impossible amounts of luck.
Meanwhile, in the global livestream, excitement surged. Tony had become a symbol of hope, a hero who refused to let death claim him. If the element could replace palladium, then it would be his lifeline, his salvation. The audience, unable to contain their joy, showered him with rewards.
In Tanner's account, it soared past the 100,000-dollar mark.
"But it's not enough!" Tanner declared, "Keep pushing higher! I'll forge steel armor with my own hands!"
Across the Network, another broadcast drew just as much attention. Elenora's livestream had stabilized at an astonishing three million viewers.
The audience watched in awe as Elenora tapped into fragments of her past life. This time, the captured vision was not of modern technology, but of an ancient battlefield. She was a general of a forgotten empire, a lone commander leading thousands of troops. Spears, swords, and blood clashed in the fragments, filling the screen with the chaos of war. For nearly half an hour, Elenora's memories unfolded. Then the feed dimmed, and a golden banner swept across the broadcast. A powerful voice echoed from the speakers:
"Congratulations to Elenora of the Terra Federation. The value of her captured past-life memory has been evaluated at A+++!"
"Reward: 1 million Dollars. Blessings granted, the success rate of future awakening memories increased!"
The announcement shook the nation. News outlets exploded with headlines: "A+++ Rating Achieved!", the highest evaluation in a century, just one step away from the legendary S-rank that no one had touched in hundreds of years.
The money itself was secondary. The real treasure was the increased probability of awakening. Even a single percentage point could change destinies, and Elenora now held it in her grasp.
She removed the heavy neural helmet, a sly smile crossing her face."This is it," She murmured."The truth is buried in lifetimes of reincarnation. That is what I seek."
"Elenora got A+++?" One viewer typed.
"That hasn't happened in centuries!"
"Dropped a million Dollars on her and boosted her awakening rate. Mad respect."
"If she beats Immortal Warrior, she'll go even higher!"
"Careful, no one knows the final results yet."
"Forget that, Tony's about to create a new element!"
The stream returned with a storm of sparks and noise.
[ "Get ready for a major overhaul, man! Time to sweat!" Walls were smashed open, wires snaked through the ground, and arcs of steel were docked into place. He tightened the last screws on a makeshift particle collider. Sparks leapt across the chamber, while the super server nearby pulsed with light. Carefully, Tony placed a prism at the collider's center, calibrating its angle before slotting a triangular focusing device into position. ]
[ "Activate the prism accelerator!" He shouted, wrench in hand. ]
[ The machine roared to life. Blue light burst forth, refracting through the prism into a stream of raw proton energy. It cut through walls like a blade of pure light before slamming into the focusing device. The chamber shook as the device glowed pale white, stabilizing the torrent of power. Tony calmly twisted the switch off and plucked the device out with tweezers. ]
[ "Simple enough," He said. ]
[ Jarvis chimed in: "Congratulations, sir. You've created a new element." ]
[ The triangular plate, glowing faintly, was installed in the Ark Reactor. Immediately, the reactor pulsed with renewed strength, its systems reporting improved efficiency far beyond palladium. ]
The stream erupted. Tanner's channel had never seen such frenzy. In moments, his account skyrocketed past 130,000 Dollars as fans flooded the screen with praise.
"Creating new elements!"
"Tony's tearing his house down every day just to build miracles."
"New armor is coming, mark my words!"
"Genius scientist! Mad inventor!"
"He did it!"
Over 30 million people were watching, the chat moving faster than anyone could read. The collective shock spread beyond Terra's networks, forcing expert teams to analyze what had just happened. Could this new element be reproduced in reality? Could it be scaled? Questions raced as the outside world buzzed in disbelief.
And then, suddenly, the skies above Terra dimmed. Daylight vanished in an instant, plunging the world into shadow.