The breakthrough of an expert candidate was not as exaggerated as that of an expert pilot.
It should not be underestimated, though!
Expert candidates had taken their first step in transcending their mortal limitations.
To younger and less experienced mech pilots, this transition was 'relatively' mild and short-lasting.
The story was different for an older and more experienced mech pilot like Josh Ketter.
His accumulation was far greater. His failure to break through during the prior decades did not diminish this in the slightest.
If he was just a normal mech pilot who followed a normal career trajectory, then all of this accumulation would slowly atrophy as he fell victim to long-term stagnation and regression as he aged.
Yet because he somehow managed to break through while he had just moved past his prime, Josh still managed to benefit from all of the hidden energies that he had built up over the course of piloting mechs on a near-daily basis for so many years.
