《Universal Power System》


 Chapter 1 Late Again

    ?"We wee this brand new year with the hope to bring a great change, and to continue progressing forward! Happy New Year 3100, Everyone!" The holographic image of a female spokesperson sounded from every tall skyscraper in Emerald City.


    As the artificial fireworks sounded, a boy walking down an alley grunted. He had a thin frame with a height of 5ft 11" and dark hair with a tint of green running through them. He had some casual jeans and his favorite hoodie that made him blend into the darkness a bit.


    This is Mako Grey.


    "Humph! A happy new year for the people who have power and money, but it''s the same situation for us." Mako voiced his internal dissatisfaction while continuing to head to his destination.


    Mako took a left, arriving on a busy street with various types of decorations on the sides of the buildings, in celebration of the brand new year. He kept walking down the street until he arrived in front of a two-storey building that looked like a bakery.


    "Hey! you nitwit! you''rete by about an hour, How am I supposed to run this business if all my workers keep slogging their butts to work?!" A man yelled at mako from across the store as soon as he walked in.


    This person was the owner of the bakery, a chubby tan-skinned man with no facial hair except a goatee that was as thick as a dense forest.


    "Right away Sir Derek! I promise I won''t bete again, and this won''t happen again." Mako apologized hurriedly while putting on his apron from the locker room.


    "You better be... or it wille out of your sry!" Sir Derek threatened the young boy as he made his way into the kitchen.


    Mako gulped down hard at the thought of getting his pay cut in any way. Knowing Sir Derek, who doesn''t y around when it came to such promises. Mako was quite scared of him as he never wanted to be on his bad side.


    However, what Mako didn''t know was that there was a sweet spot in Sir Derek''s heart that made him always care about Mako, and those threats were his way of teaching Mako discipline.


    Mako had no choice but to suck it up and start working since he couldn''t afford to lose this job as this was the only source of ie that he had to provide for himself.


    *******************


    Mako''s parents were killed during thest war that happened after the Yalhvi shared their secret to power with the humans. Humans being greedy monsters started to fight each other to assert dominance over weaker beings.


    The Yalhvi were a peaceful race who used their power to help raise their society as a whole, they never focused on using their powers in the form ofbat, and because of this, the Yalhvi were soon eliminated from the surface of the Earth.


    This was a huge blow to many humans who respected the Yalhvi for all that they had done for them, which sparked rage in many people''s hearts from the heavy loss.


    During the peak of chaos, out came ten mighty warriors who fought side by side to end the final war and establish order in the world.


    During the time that the Yalhvi were still alive, they not only shared the secrets of how they obtained abilities but also shared all of their technological advancements with the humans.


    They shared a blueprint of a device that wouldter be recognized by everyone as a Dyson Sphere, a mega structure that would envelop the entire sun to extract all the energy. This revolutionary idea was what made the human energy economy boost a millionfold over, and made intergctic travel between sr systems possible.


    It was because of this discovery that humanity was able to encounter a few different alien races even before the civil wars between humans took ce.


    Other than that, humanity also made major advancements in many different fields of expertise, for example; artificial Nanites were created to eradicate cancer and other previously incurable diseases,  and geological devices advanced so much that natural disasters could be predicted months in advance, and non-nuclear weapons having so much destructive force that they would easily destroy a whole the size of Mars.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After the ten mighty warriors had resolved the civil war between the humans, the humans started to explore the unknown space with much fervor.


    Since then Humanity has progressed way further bing an intergctic race that has traveled all around the Milky Way, encountering many more aliens; some good and some bad.


    Many "No Warfare" Treaties were signed between the aliens with the condition of mutual benefit of each other. The humans would provide protection, troops, weapons, etc... or whatever else that they asked which they could easily dispose of or mass produce, and in return, the aliens would have to give something back that would be of equal value; that being new unresearched materials and more knowledge.


    It was through this exploration and treaties that humans discovered even more revolutionary materials, such as; the Amgdi species of nts that were found on the Sirius that are used to create medical healing pills or the Hillorium metal ore found on almost every within the Flying Disc sr system located 22 light years from our sr system.


    The Earth slowly healed from its battle Injuries, and life moved on. New cities were constructed, and on the remaining avablend. Since during the wars, people used various abilities quite excessively; it caused the geological picture of the Earth itself to change with ocean levels rising and consuming more of thend.


    Thend that was left was joined together through powerful ability users and the entire Earth became a single continent, home to people of all cultures and traditions.


    A power measuring system was established for ranking a person''s power level, for example; a brand new person who has awakened in power is said to be generally at ROOKIE Rank, while the ten warriors who ended the wars are said to be at a power level so high that it broke the scales of the system''s measurement so the scientists created a rank just for them, which was called the MYTHICAL Rank.


    There are ten ranks in total that a human being has managed to achieve except those ten warriors that are in a league of their own. The ranks are listed from the weakest to the strongest, starting from ROOKIE to NOVICE to ALPHA to FALCON to ACE to ELITE to GUARDIAN to MASTER to GRANDMASTER and finally to LEGENDARY Rank.


    The actual power level of those warriors has never been tested again, so even with more improvements made to the system; their actual power couldn''t be confirmed.


    The ten warriors moved from earth to different regions of the gxy to handle affairs there, which lead to the Earth being unsupervised.


    It wasn''t to the point of a new war, but a Hierarchy type system was established where amon man wouldn''t even have the means of getting power as it was made crazy expensive by the nowmon trillionaires of the world.


    The road to gaining power had been turned into a game of monopoly. People can''t use abilities if they can''t afford one, and the only way to gain power is to be filthy rich or have a strong backing.


    Many people lost everything during the civil wars, some their families while others their businesses. Only a small group of people were able to maintain their wealth or take the opportunity to hoard any new discovery that was made to turn it into a business, and make an unbelievable amount of profits from increasing prices, imposing unnecessary taxes, and many other tactics on society as a whole.


    This led to the state of the current earth, where over 40% of the poption would never have the chance to awaken and use abilities. The only way for a person to still gain power was to join the military, which provided everything for them with the condition of first takingpulsory two years of training, and doing 3 years ofpulsory duty.


    For people like Mako, it was the only option as the only way for a person to survive in the world with a decent level of lifestyle was to have a certain amount of power.


    There were still many organizations that provided their employees with abilities in order to do their job, but people like them had no control over it as there were many restrictions ced as to when a person was allowed to use the ability. This same concept held true for many more professions as there were only a handful of people who could afford an ability by themselves and hadplete control over its uses.


    The military school recruits young people straight out of specific high schools to ensure that they can assess the youth''s power. During the two-year session of training, the military puts the students through many rigorous tasks in order for them to prove their worth to them.


    Some are so strong that they get offers for high-ranking posts inside the military, while some have a rich background and are only doing this training as a form of teaching them self-defense. These types of students are those who drop out of military school after two years and live the life of luxury.


    People like Mako need to serve in the military for three years after high school, and will most likely continue to serve there which would be a great escape for him because he would rather be strong and reach a decent position where he could sustain himself without being dependent on anyone


    "Just two more months..." Mako said internally as he knead 15 kilograms of dough.

 Chapter 2 A Duel

    ?Mako works for Sir Derek as a night shift sous chef. He and a couple of other workers spend the entire night kneading dough, baking buns, preparing fresh bread, and finishing pastries, croissants, donuts, etc.


    As the bakery was mostly busy in the morning, Mako and his other colleagues have to finish their work before 6 to 7 am or also known as the breakfast rush. Since they are only cooks, their job is done once the shop officially opens, and they can go home.


    From there the other staff arrives which deal with customers, prep all the different items and man the counters. Mako usually just heads directly to his high school after his shift, since it took him around an hour to reach his high school at the pace of a light jog.


    Although Mako wasn''t strong on the physical side, he was blessed with decent intelligence which was the reason why Emerald High (The most prestigious high school in all of Emerald City) provided a schrship program for Mako with the condition of keeping his grades above a certain threshold.


    "Hey, Mako! Come here!" Sir Derek shouted from the counter.


    Even though he was already tired from working an almost eight-hour shift, Sir Derek does give him free breakfast which helps a lot since he has to run halfway across the city to reach his high school.


    It was the same morning as any other, people headed to their ce of work, offices, or business. Mako was running down a small side street that led straight to the main city road so he would not have to make so many turns to reach school. He would often take this route since he would be able to interact with some special people that resided there.


    "Hey, Aunt Marie!" Mako greeted an old woman who was opening a flower shop as he ran past her.


    "Good morning! Uncle Jacob!"


    "How''s it going, Big bro Gary?"


    "Hi, Uncle Charlie!"


    This small street was called Bird''s Eye street and it waspletely lined with multiple shops that sold a variety of things. This street had a lot of old shop owners and people with no abilities which was why Mako feltfortable meeting people here who were simr to him.


    He would always greet every single person he walked past on the street because they were the only people that he had some acquaintance with as they treated him like an actual human being rather than a powerless, frail, and weak nobody who didn''t deserve to even exist. This was the view of the majority of people who interacted with him, but these people were just simple shop owners who also didn''t possess any powers.


    These people were the ones that helped Mako by sometimes inviting him for supper, or showing him their new products; sometimes giving him something for free, and the older shopkeepers teaching him some life lessons as well as narrating stories about the past times. These people were the only ones who he respects, and loves from the deepest part of his heart.


    ***************


    Mako ran as fast as he could and finally arrived at the main road, which was busy with people and cars moving to their destination. Twenty minutester, he arrived at the front of his high school, and after taking a minute to catch his breath proceeded to move to his ssroom.


    The school sses were uneventful as always, and as the final bell rang all the students made their way to the gymnasium hall for the mandatorybat sses that the school had issued. This was the one aspect that Mako hated as this was an excuse for bullies to beat him up with no repercussions.


    Thebat sses were issued so that every student has basicbat ability before they either graduate to further study in a specific field or join the military.


    Nearly 60% of students have the intention of joining the military because of their strong ability or physical strength, while 35% of students who have rich parents or strong academic records choose to further study to be scientists or business personnel.


    The remaining 5% are the people like Mako, who have no choice but to do the mandatory military training if lucky continue to serve in the military, or otherwise use their abilities for jobs; for example, people with the earth ability are often in construction, or people with the lightning ability are in energy production.


    Students were allowed to use their abilities duringbat sses as the whole purpose of thebat sses was so that the children weren''tpletely new to the world of the military where knowing how to fight was the least of the skills that are necessary to survive.


    Mako was never a good fighter, but even though hecked a buffed physical body and strength, it didn''t stop him from enjoying the sport. Fighting was one of the most paid-to-watch sports in the current era as it was basketball or football in the olden times.


    There were huge arenas made that would put the great stadiums of the past to shame which could hold a few hundred thousand people at most whereas the current areas were so massive that they could easily hold millions of people.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The main fighting ring would be epassed in a huge ss dome that was thick enough to block any rogue abilities that might hurt the spectators, but the dome also doubled as a lens as it would magnify the arena; the more you were far away from it.


    That ss dome was a revolutionary invention that changed the way of sports forever because now, whether you were spectating up close or far away, the fighting arena would look the same regardless.


    All the students at Emerald High had various abilities, but most of them were of the basic elementary types as they were the mostmon ones avable and the cheapest to buy.


    Five basic elementary abilities were Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and Wind. Of course, this was a drop in the bucketpared to the number of abilities discovered by humanity as there were too many to count.


    Currently, on the main fighting mat, a boy and a girl were having an almost equal battle as they both had level 2 abilities and were able to defend and counter each other well, but abilities were only one aspect of the fight as the boy was not that good at physical fighting aspared to the girl who was fighting like a karate master.


    The boy kept trying to paralyze her with his lightning ability like he had done several times before but the girl was always quick to recover, while also utilizing her wind ability to improve her agility.


    After a bit of back and forth, the boy decided tounch a massive lightning bolt that couldn''t be dodged so easily, but it would take a few moments to charge. The girl took advantage of the situation by closing the distance quickly using the wind to give her a boost andnded a crisp right kick straight on the boy''s face instantly knocking him out.


    The crowd erupted in cheers as the girl made her way back to a group of girls who were constantly cheering and chanting her name.


    Mako was not interested in cheering at all; rather, he was more interested in learning, he found the girl''s fighting style unique and decided to take some notes in his notebook that he brought while also internally dreading his turn and secretly praying that his sparring partner will take it easy on him.


    "Next up! Mako Grey Vs Bill Johnson!" The Gym instructor announced.


    It felt like a mountain just crushed Mako''s heart. Bill Johnson was the son of the army veteran William Johnson and their entire family used the Earth Ability. Bill was one of the people Mako hated the most as he was like a master of bullying, and didn''t shy away from hurting people physically with his ability and mentally with his repulsivenguage.


    As the two boys made their way to one of the rings tomence their duel, even though it was most likely going to be a one-sided beating which Mako was not looking forward to.


    Mako was super scared and even though his gym clothes were padded so that he wouldn''t be hurt that much, he knew that this beating will most likely take one to two months to heal on its own.


    "I hope you are ready to be minced meat!" Bill shouted as he cracked his knuckles, preparing to show no mercy while also showing a sadistic smile toward Mako.


    Bill was a tall 6 ft 3" boy with a decent physique which was still extremely good for a high school student. He had curly ginger hair that was kept short brown eyes and a threatening facial expression


    Mako was sweating profusely while cursing his luck internally for him to be paired up with Bill of all people.


    Students all over the school bully Mako from time to time, some do casual bullying like calling names or embarrassing him Infront of others while people like Bill use their abilities to physically hurt him.


    It had been like this since the first time the students learned from the teacher that Mako had no ability. This was also close to the time that Mako had lost his grandmother as it was a very delicate time for him, but that didn''t stop people like Bill who still beat and humiliated him at every chance he got.


    It was the worst time in Mako''s life that had scarred him for life, but Mako powered through it; albeit, barely...


    The instructor stood in between Mako and Bill and announced the rules once again that was mandatory before any match.


    "Students ready?" The instructor finally announced as Mako readied himself.


    "Fight!"

 Chapter 3 Dont Go There!

    ?As soon as the instructor announced the fight tomence, Mako immediately bolted backward to get out of the ring because it was one of the rules of the duel that if the opponent identally or is thrown out of bounds; the match will be over and the person remaining inside will be dered the winner.


    Mako used this tactic almost every time he was paired with a person whom he knew won''t go easy on him. As Mako was about to reach the boundary of the ring, suddenly a wall of earth emerged in front of him blocking him from moving any further. Mako very slowly turned around to face Bill who had a massive sadistic grin on his face as he slowly started to walk toward Mako.


    "Oh, you didn''t think I would let you go that easily now did you?" Bill said as he continued to slowly move towards Mako.


    Mako immediately thought of ways to get out of his current predicament such as to maneuver to the side of the earth wall and exit the ring but denied it a secondter as Bill could just conjure up more walls. Seeing as there was nowhere to hide or run, the only option that he had was to fight in hopes to get knocked out quickly so the duel would be over.


    The only way for the match to end was to either get knocked out or get thrown out of the ring, otherwise, the instructor would not interfere. The only other time when an instructor would call off the duel would be if a student is on the verge of death. Injuries don''t matter as nowadays there are medical healing pills that could be so advanced that theypletely heal injuries in a few minutes.


    Mako threw out a left jab straight towards Bill''s face but it was easily dodged by him. Mako continued to throw punches, kicks, and whatever other moves he could think of but not a single one managed tond on Bill. Bill continued to dodge everything to the point where all the spectators started tough and ridicule Mako.


    Suddenly Bill shouted, "This is getting annoying! so it''s time to take out the trash!" as he threw a crisp right hook onto Mako''s gut sending him flying back to the earth wall. Saliva came out of Mako''s mouth as he collided with the solid earth wall. Bill started running toward Mako but he was still disoriented for the first hit that he didn''t even notice the barrage of punchesing his way.


    All the spectators except a few students started cheering louder as Mako was sent flying all over the ce by bill who wasn''t holding back in the slightest. There were cuts and bruises all over Mako as he was mmed onto the ground by a bat made by Bill with his Earth ability.


    "Come on, Trash Boy! Don''t die just yet!" Bill shouted as he continued to beat Mako in such a way that he won''t pass out, and continue to keep taking the beating.


    "What? You need your stupid little Granny toe to save you, oh she can''t because she is dead! Honestly, that''s for the better; at least it''s better than to raise trash like you who only knows to run away!"


    A sudden silence ensued in the hall as Bill uttered these words, and as Bill raised his bat tond another heavy strike on Mako''s back; suddenly Mako jumped in the air with all four of his limbs and kicked Bill in the abdomen with as much force as he could muster. The crowd was in shock as Bill got knocked back a few feet and Mako managed to get on his feet in that window of time.


    Mako raised his bloody face to make eye contact with Bill who was also in shock at what just happened. "I have tolerated all of your beating, tricks, and bullying for almost four years since I got transferred here, and I didn''t once rebel against any of you, but if you DARE bring my grandmother or any of my family into this then trust me there will be a bigger price to pay! SO DON''T GO THERE!" Mako shouted while facing Bill, and also the crowd of spectators who were cheering before.


    The atmosphere around the ringpletely changed with Mako announcing his statement boldly without a hint of fear or cowardice. After of few moments of silence, Bill couldn''t take it anymore as he rushed forward and attempted to hit Mako in the head with his bat with every ounce of his strength.


    This time; however, Mako was able to dodge the bat just in the nick of time as it grazed past his head. After a sessful dodge, Mako immediately went into a crouching position and unleash as many punches as he could muster onto Bill''s abdomen.


    Even though Mako hit Bill''s abdomen many times, his punches were weak and barely left a scratch on Bill''s bare body. Bill stood there for a couple more seconds to try and humiliate Mako even more as Mako kept unleashing his fury of punches to try and cause damage but to no avail.


    The crowd and Bill startedughing loudly which brought Mako back to his senses and he realized that his anger had just dug his own grave.


    Mako slowly started to back away from Bill who was stillughing like a madman, hoping that Bill would have a sliver of mercy in his heart and just quickly knock out Mako, but Mako couldn''t have been more wrong.


    Even though Bill wasughing, it was just to ridicule Mako more as inside his consciousness he was bubbling with pride and anger.


    ''This mere worm dares to even have the audacity to fight back, and not only that he threatened me? ME?!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Oh, you''re gonna pay for that heavily, MAKO GREY!!" Bill shouted as he stopped his feet on the ground which made the whole ring shake violently as if they were experiencing an earthquake. This earthquake; however, was only limited to the ring as the spectators didn''t feel anything at all, but Mako knew exactly what wasing


    ************


    Bill was one of the few people in Emerald High who had level 3 abilities as they were extremely expensive and the only way to obtain them was to have rich parents or in Bill''s case, who has a retired father from the military who can source high-level abilities directly from the military for a lot cheaper.


    There was a huge difference in the level of abilities as it was almost impossible for a person of a lower ability defeats a person of a higher ability. The higher the ability the more skills the person has ess to and the more versatile the person''s fighting style is.


    ***********


    Bill was about to use a skill that he disyed a few times before which was where small protrusions woulde out of the ground at random positions and erupt all everywhere dealing massive damage to anyone hit by them.


    "Earth Pirs!" Bill shouted as he activated his ability and multiple small pirs of the earth having a surface area of a baseball and decent speed wereing out of the ground at random aiming at different positions on Mako''s body.


    Mako was assaulted from every direction at once as his body was bruised and cut by the pirs that were tossing him about. There was no resistance from Mako as he could barely get his thoughts together at this point while the pir kept tossing him about like a dead leaf is tossed around by raging winds.


    Bill noticed that Mako was about to be knocked out cold so he improvised his tragedy to give Mako as much torture as he could physically muster.


    "Earth Spikes!" Bill shouted as he activated yet another ability.


    The Pir disappeared back into the ground, and small spears made of earth with pointed ends started to erupt from the ground.


    These spikes stabbed Mako all over on his backside but didn''t prate hard enough to damage any organs as that would disqualify him from the match.


    Mako screamed in pain as the multiple spears stabbed and remained inside Mako''s holding him in a sitting position where even the slightest movement would cause immense pain and suffering.


    Unable to move, Mako watched as Bill conjured another Earth bat and slowly started walking toward Mako. Mako just closed his eyes and epted his fate as Bill approached Mako ready to take a swing.


    As the bat made contact with Mako''s head, Mako wasunched tens of feet into the air before falling face down into the ring again.


    Mako was knocked unconscious from that blow, yet Bill didn''t back down and conjured a boulder of Earth to squash Mako t, but before he could drop the boulder on top of Mako, the Instructor stopped the match.


    "Mako Grey is disqualified from the duel due to being knocked unconscious, Bill Johnson wins!" The Instructor announced.

 Chapter 4 Broken Mirror

    ?The entire crowd cheered as they listened to the instructor''s announcement, but it couldn''tpare to the satisfaction that was welling up inside Bill himself, "I was controlling my strength so that this trash could suffer more, but I guess he''s even weaker than I thought."


    Bill snared as he looked at Mako''s badly beaten body without a hint of remorse. Bill still had the Earth bat in his hands so he thought to give a final bow that Mako would remember for the rest of his life.


    The Instructor noticed Bill''s intention and crushed the earth bat with his bare hands before he could do anything.


    "Bill Johnson! Stand down, or we will permanently reduce your merit points this is yourst warning!" The Instructor threatened.


    Amazed by the strength of the instructor, Bill decided to let go and leave the gymnasium hall with a bunch of students that followed behind him like faithful servants.


    The instructor carried Mako''s barely conscious body over to the nurse''s office. He couldn''t understand much of what was going on but he heard the nurse say that since Mako was on an educational schrship that didn''t include any healing pills, so she would just have to bandage him up and administer morphine to help with the pain.


    Mako was in a lot of pain, but as soon as the morphine kicked in, he immediately fell asleep.


    *************


    [Inside Mako''s Dream]


    A young version of Mako was walking back home while wearing a school uniform, or at least what was left of it. His pockets were ripped out, there wasn''t a single button on his shirt, and multiple tears were all over his clothing. His body was badly beaten with bruises and a purple eye.


    This was Mako when he was still in middle school where there was also no shortage of bullies who loved to abuse their brand new powers.


    Mako walked as fast as he could back to his house, but this time someone was waiting for him at the door.


    "Oh, my dear boy! What have they done to you?!" Mako''s Grandmother shouted as Mako couldn''t hold back his tears anymore as he rushed into his grandmother''s loving embrace and started crying his eyes out.


    Mako keptining andining, but his grandmother just kept hugging him while stroking his head and kissing his forehead. After a few moments of this Mako calmed down a bit and his grandmother took him inside.


    She gave Mako a healing pill from her medical cupboard, told Mako to take a nice hot shower, and while he did that she set up the table for lunch. After Mako came out of the bathroom with fresh new clothes on, his grandmother bandaged up all of his wounds that needed a day or two to heal.


    Finally, Mako could have been seen happy as he was munching down a feast that his grandmother had made for him as if nothing had urred and it was a regr day.


    Mako would find outter after his grandmother died that her grandmother actually had an ability that was also pretty rare. His grandmother had the ability of Love as she could produce certain chemicals that would be able to soothe a person''s brain and take away their pain.


    In the autopsy done by the hospital which had every detail about the person; under the ability box, it was written in bold words ''LOVE (Level 2)''.


    His grandmother couldn''t do anything about the pain and suffering that Mako went through almost every day as she was financially stable enough to buy Mako his own Ability Book, but the least she could do was to soothe away his pain and still teach him the lessons which would stick with him for life.


    She always had a saying that Mako could never forget,


    "Always remember Mako, I named you this because I know one day you will a great man with strength and wisdom, but.... never treat any harshly no matter what. Always respect your own morals and standards. Live by a code of life, but make sure that it is one that does more good than harm. You are my greatest achievement, Mako, my dearest grandson."


    ***************


    "Gran-Gran?" Mako suddenly voiced out as his eyes were still closed, but slowly starting to open.


    It had almost been an hour, but Mako finally woke up having a terrible headache, and blurry vision. He noticed that he was bandaged everywhere, and currently lying on one of the patient beds in the Nurse''s office.


    "Took your damn time, mister!" The nurse mocked from her desk which was a few feet away from Mako''s bed.


    "Huh, what...?" Mako said while tightly gripping his head.


    "I said, took your damn time waking up! I had to sit here and wait for you to wake up just so I could discharge you and be done for the day. It''s been fifteen minutes since the school closed, and I have to get home before my boys finish their martial art lessons so GET UP, AND GET OUT!"


    Mako was already expecting this type of response, so he quietly got up from his bed and made his way out of the Nurse''s office.


    Mako was still injured, but he was now strong enough to walk. Not wanting to piss off anyone else that might still be around like that old watchman near the school gate, he quickly got his things from his locker and silently made his way out of the school.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was around 3:30 pm in the afternoon to the point that the sun has sunken enough so that there was a coolness in the air, but still visible enough to light up the surroundings pretty well. Small kids could be seen ying different sports on the side of the street as Mako slowly walked by them.


    Mako remembered all those times when he used to y with his grandmother all day when she was still alive and had a bit of strength. This memory plus the dream he had in the nurses'' office was enough for Mako to tear up again, but he stopped before making a fool of himself in public.


    "I love you too, Gran-Gran, and I will never let you down, You can count on that," Mako said to himself before resuming his walk back home.


    He couldn''t run home since it still hurt due to his injuries. It eventually got to the point that it was unbearable for Mako, so he decided to stop by a pharmacy to purchase a healing pill.


    [Low Tier Medical Healing Pill] [Quantity: 1]


    [Cost: 200 Credits]


    After buying a healing pill from the pharmacy, Mako quickly took it so it would ease out the pain just enough for him to reach home. Since it was only a low-tier pill, it took longer to finish healing all of his wounds, but it did instantly relieve some of the pain.


    "Well, there goes my one month''s worth of savings!" Mako cursed internally as he made his way back home.


    ****************


    [9:00 pm]


    <BEEP!><BEEP!><BEEP!>


    Mako snoozed the fifth rm while still being in half-sleep mode. After another twenty minutes, he finally woke up and decided to freshen up a bit. As soon as Mako had arrived home he immediately went to bed as he was still exhausted from his night-time job, school, and of course the beating he took in thebat ss.


    While he was sleeping, the healing pill did its job and healed a lot of the injuries, but not all of them since it was only a low-tier pill.


    Mako took off most of his bandages and washed his body as he was still covered in dust and dried blood from the duel.


    Mako was worried that he wouldn''t be able to finish his school assignments today as he got home sote that all of his free time was consumed by his sleep, and he had to leave for work at the bakery by 11 pm.


    Usually, Mako would be home at about 3 pm and he would sleep for about 5 and a half hours before waking up andpleting his assignments, eating dinner, and making his way to Sir Derek''s Bakery by 11 pm.


    As Mako finished washing his face, he looked up to see his still messed-up face in the reflection of the mirror, and all he could feel was anger and disappointment within him because this wasn''t the only time that events such as today''s duel ur, in fact; they were quitemon.


    Bill''s repulsive taunts and the cheering crowd kept ringing in his ears. His brain kept on finding new tactics to defeat bill as they were a lot of mistakes in Bill''s fighting style, but they were only thoughts as in real life even though Bill''s fighting style was sloppy and unrefined, it didn''t actually matter since Mako wasn''t strong enough to take advantage of it.


    Mako kept repeating the words that bill said to him in his head over and over again and in the end, he agreed with him because in reality even though it was harsh, it was true.


    Anger started to well up inside him like no other as he kept staring at his face in the mirror.


    In an attempt to vent his frustrations, Mako punched the mirror with all his might.


    *GLASS SHATTERING*


    "AHHHH!" Mako screamed in pain from the ss shards cutting his hand all over, even though it was his fault.


    "Stupid...stupid...stupid!"


    "Huh...?"


    Mako noticed that there was something on the backside of the mirror.


    "What''s this doing here?"

 Chapter 5 The System

    ?Mako noticed that there was something behind the mirror. It looked like some sort of a lever, but that didn''t make any sense since Mako lived in this house alone ever since his grandmother died.


    Amy Grey was his grandmother, and she was the one who took care of Mako during his childhood unfortunately, she passed away when Mako was the age of 14, and ever since Mako has been living in the same house alone.


    Mako had never seen anything wrong with the house other than the fact that it was a bit secluded from the other residential areas, and was closer to the forest near the outskirts of the city.


    Mako was surprised to see a lever behind the now broken mirror. His hand was in a lot of pain due to the ss cutting it all over and he was covered in blood, but he didn''t care about it right now as he was too excited to see what was the purpose of the Lever.


    <CRANK!>


    After flipping the lever, the mechanism behind it started to make mechanical noises akin to gears turning.


    Suddenly the wardrobe behind Mako which had all his clothes started to move toward the left-hand side of the sink, revealing a narrow passage that had stairs leading down somewhere into the darkness.


    "What the hell is this!?" Mako couldn''t help but question what he was seeing.


    "Maybe I am dreaming." Mako thought as he decided to pinch himself hard, but to his surprise, he didn''t suddenly wake up.


    "HOLY S***! This is real!" He eximed.


    Mako soon realized the situation he was in, a passage leading from his house to who knows where or who. It could be a passage built by the old owners of this home, but he remembered that his grandmother told him that the house was constructed by her father during the war.


    Mako had a sense of foreboding and caution, but also a sense of excitement and curiosity. After staring down the dark passage for what looked like ten minutes, his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to make his way down the stair of the dark passage.


    Going down the stairs, Mako could constantly hear water dripping, rats squeaking from within the wooden walls, and the sound of his footsteps echoing back to him, but he didn''t get scared as he wasmitted and determined to find out where the passage lead.


    Eventually, the stairs finished leading down and led Mako into a small room the size of a garden shed. There was a singr light bulb that had just enough light to barely light up the room.


    Multiple shelves had an assortment of different things such as some old rocks and other things that were covered in dust. In the middle of the room was a small chest the size of Mako''s palm sitting on top of a pedestal.


    Mako thought that it was some sort of treasure, and decided to open it without any caution.


    The chest had no lock but it still won''t open. Mako was only using one hand as his other one was still injured. When the chest did not budge, He decided to use both of his hands carefully to open it.


    As soon as his bloody hand touched the chest, it instantly lit up. It was so bright that Mako had to close his eyes to protect them from going blind when a strange voice came out of the box.


    [Blood Sample Found]


    [Matching Blood Sample From Database]


    [Match Found]


    [Initializing System]


    This was thest thing that Mako heard before he felt a cool yet burning feeling involving him, and that something was trying to enter his body forcefully as he could feel the movement of his every muscle and artery. Not having the strength to fight back; whatever was trying to get in, made its way inside Mako''s body, and he passed out the next moment it did.


    ******************************************


    After some time Mako came to his senses again and noticed that he was still in the same old dusty secret room he found at the bottom of the secret passage.


    "uhh....! How many times am I gonna get knocked out today?" Makoined in a drowsy manner as he slowly got up while holding his head.


    This was the third time today that he was knocked out, first by Bill, second when he copsed on his bed as soon as got home from exhaustion due to walking home while injured and taking a healing pill, and finally now when he had opened the chest.


    "THE CHEST! Yes, I opened the chest! where is it?" Mako now remembered what had transpired moments before he was knocked out.


    He got up and searched the whole room, but there was no sign of the chest anywhere. This made Mako confused, "How can a physical object vanish in thin air, I am sure it can''t walk up those stairs."


    Mako was convinced that the chest had to be here somewhere, and decided to keep looking when suddenly he started to hear faint beeping sounds. This room was starting to be more and more creepy, as there was any sign of a machine or a piece of technology in the room other than the light bulb, but that can''t make a beeping sound.


    Not sure where the beeping wasing from, Mako decided to ignore it and keep on looking for the chest. After about fifteen minutes, Mako was convinced that the chest was not in the room.


    "We''ll I guess I found another thing rted to my socks, both vanish; one in the dryer while the other in a small creepy secret room in your great grandpa''s old house." Mako made fun of the situation as he gave up, and decided to head back towards the bathroom from where he came.


    As Mako turned around to move toward the stairs, he noticed a faint blue light in the corner of his eye that was blinking.


    "So you were doing all that beeping," Mako said as he reached out towards the wall to touch the light, but all he came in contact with was the stone brick wall.


    "Huh?"


    Mako kept touching where the light was showing, but he always just touched the wall, and as he moved his head the light moved as well.


    "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Mako shouted as touched all parts of his face to see if there was anything wrong with him but that wasn''t the case either.


    "Is this thing inside my brain? But how is that even possible?!" Mako started eximing as he started to panic, worrying that it was a bomb or something and that he was going to die. After constantly moving back and forth, and trying everything that he could for about ten minutes, he decided to calm down and focus on the blinking light to see if there was anything on it.


    As soon as Mako decided to focus on the blur-blinking light, it suddenly got brighter and brighter and started to expand as well. In an instant, the blue had covered everything in Mako''s line of sight. It happened so fast that, Mako jumped at the sudden change, andnded on his butt.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *Thump!*


    "OUCH!"


    While rubbing his butt, Mako slowly opened his eyes to see that a screen was being disyed in front of his eyes. Astonished by what he was seeing, he again subconsciously reached out to touch the screen but it was nothing but air.


    "Right, don''t touch, think." Mako reminded himself and decided to ess the screen through his thoughts.


    [Initializingplete]


    [Wee, User]


    A wee message greeted Mako, and as he sent his thoughts to move forward, the screen moved too.


    "Woah, so it really is operated through my thoughts." Mako realized as he went forward with the system''s greeting messages.


    Mako had never heard of the technology that can disappear once opened, and be directly imnted in your brain all the while can also be essed by thoughts.


    There were many advancements made in the technology sector with many different types of advanced AI, but this was on a whole another level.


    After the system finished with those initial messages, five tabs were disyed in front of him.


    [Profile] ?


    [Quests] ?


    [Skills] ?


    [Inventory] ?


    [Shop] ?


    All the tabs were greyed out except the profile one, and after not being able to ess any of the other tabs, Mako decided to open the profile tab.


    [User: Mako Grey] ?


    [Health: 84/100] ?


    [Energy: 50/50] ?


    [EXP: 0/100] ?


    [Level 1] ?


    [Strength: 2] ?


    [Agility: 3] ?


    [Perception: Null] ?


    [Intelligence: 5] ?


    [Mentality: 2] ?


    [Stamina: 4] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: Locked] ?


    It disyed all the different attributes of Mako, while some of those were locked others had a numerical value next to them.


    ''How the hell does this know my name, and what is this ''EXP'' thing that it''s talking about? Is this all a type of game? Am I dreaming? No way this is real, right?'' A plethora of different thoughts were coursing through Mako''s mind as he read all the different attributes of his current body.


    Each attribute had an ''?'' symbol next to them which indicated that it would reveal more information, but before Mako could read any of them; he noticed an envelope with a red dot on it near the corner of the screen. Intrigued by what it was, he decided to open that first.


    [Notifications] ?


    [(1) Unread message]


    [New video message]


    "Hmm...., I wonder what this is about?" Mako''s curiosity peaked as he sent his thoughts to y the video message.

 Chapter 6 Responsibility

    ?As per Mako''smand, the video file was selected and started ying on the holographic screen that only he could see. It was such a surreal experience, as who would not want to have a cinema in your mind, ying movies and videos by your thoughts?


    [Video Log #003541 ying]


    The video was brought up and it instantly started ying. The first scene of the video was best described as utter chaos, dark skies, fire everywhere, the sounds of what sounded like cannons and guns being sted, and people engaging inbat. The sound of metal shing against each other and explosions resounding in a distance were continuous.


    The camera which was the point of view from which Mako was viewing the video was constantly moving up and down and turning blurry at moments which indicated that the camera was attached to something or someone and that due to the constant moving, the video was being blurred every two seconds.


    Since Mako was viewing the footage so close to his face, it was making him nauseous seeing the video constantly jerk back and forth and blur on different asions as itbined the sickness one would feel if they had motion sickness while riding a very dangerous roller coaster ride.


    By observing the first twenty-two seconds of the video, it was obvious to Mako that the camera was pinned onto a person''s chest, and he was running through a battlefield for his or her dear life.


    After another five seconds, the video suddenly got very close to the ground while approaching what seem to be a small dark opening into a rocky surface.


    "I think we will be safe here for a while." The voice of a middle-aged man came from the video as soon as the camera reached the crack or cave inside the rock. Since it was pitch ck in there, Mako could only hear the audio for a couple of seconds. Sounds of heavy breathing and a thump were sounded for the time that Mako could only hear audio.


    Suddenly the video made glitching and muffled noises, and then suddenly a shlight was turned on, revealing the face of the person who was running. He indeed was looking like a middle-aged, at the age of about 40-50 years old.


    The person had fair skin but at the moment it was covered with filth, dirt, and debris due to running on a battlefield. He had deep wrinkles on his forehead and deep dark circles beneath his eyes.


    He had dark green hair which was almost on the verge of being considered ck, with a military cadet-looking haircut and a subtle beard. He was currently wearing a whiteb coat and very stylish-looking spectacles.


    After taking another few long deep breaths he began to speak, "Hello, if you''re watching this then I am most probably dead, and you have gained ess to our life''s work." The man said in a hurried tone.


    "The box that you have opened was the final result of three long decades of research and development that I and my colleagues have put to change the world for the better, but I regret to inform you that we have failed to do so. A colleague within our group was secretly transferring intel to the enemy and nned to give this revolutionary technology to them once we were finished, just so he could have all the money and glory." The man brushed through a few details and quickly exined the current predicament.


    After taking another deep breath and trying to calm his nerves, he continued "It is currently the year 2980. We are a private organization under the world leader of the Fallout era, and we had been tasked with creating this technology that will revolutionize the way people gain power by the World Leader himself, but the colleague I mentioned, decided that it would be for his benefit to sell this to the leader of ck Wings."


    Another explosion sounded near the cave that the man was hiding in, and all the walls shook due to the intense shockwaves.


    "Long story short, Me and three other colleagues not including the traitor just finished the product today, and as per the intelligence provided by the World Leader, we were going to be ambushed in the next thirty minutes, by the ck wings so they could steal the device."


    "My colleagues remained in theb as a decoy and delete every ounce of research that we had discovered so it may not fall in the wrong hands. I was tasked with running away with the onlypleted device."


    The man seemed to be exhausted and was losing energy per the minute but he kept talking, "It has been 12 hours since that incident and the ck Wings are still chasing me, so this is my final message to you the owner of this device now; My name is Lionel Grey and I and my friends have entrusted the Universal Power System to you."


    "It is a super advanced artificial intelligence system created from thebined knowledge of ten different worlds. We have created this device to raise a warrior that is so powerful that it can bring about peace in our as well as other worlds. You must be one of the descendants of our group as we programmed the box to only respond if a blood sample from one of our bloodlines is toe in contact with it."


    "Whether you are a part of the Grey, Lionheart, Be, West, Katz, or Khan family, please know that a great responsibility has been issued on your shoulder and we hope that you will make the most of the tools that we have provided you to bring a great era of peace."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As Lionel finished with his statement, the video showed him getting back on his feet as he was about to start moving again. He ced his hand on the camera which showed that he was about to cut the recording, but he suddenly stopped inches away from the camera. Pulling his hand back, tears were visible on his face as he said his final words before the recording finished.


    "And to my daughter, Amy Grey; I hope you grow up to be a fine and beautiful woman. The only thing I regret is that I wasn''t there for you when you needed me the most. I''m sorry for being a terrible father, and I hope that you can forgive me in your heart. *Sniff* Happy eleventh birthday, Sweetheart!"


    [Video Log #003541 Ended]


    Tears were rolling down Mako''s face as he took a few minutes to digest all the information that was given in the seven-minute-long video. Mako had no idea of his family background as he lost his parents to thest war before he had any real memories of them. His grandfather had passed away long before that while his grandmother Amy Grey was the person who raised Mako till he was fourteen years old.


    So that would make Lionel Grey his great-grandfather, the one who had constructed this house. Mako never even once imagined that his family had done a huge impact on the world.


    As he recalled his great grandfather''s words that this thing that was inside his head was his great grandfather''s legacy and he had given the responsibility to Mako to use this great power to change the world, no; the universe to be a better ce of peace and kindness.


    Mako thought back to his childhood when he would be bullied and treated even worse than regr standards just because he was weak or didn''t have an ability, but not just him rather this was the same for every person regardless of their age, to be treated in this way.


    For the longest time, Mako wanted to change things, and make them better so that every type of person can co-exist in peace and harmony.


    Now that the opportunity had presented itself to Mako to do what he always wanted to aplish, Intense determination started to well up inside him as he voiced out to himself.


    "Don''t worry great grandfather, I vow that I will make your dream a reality, and I will not stop until that goal has been aplished or I perish trying to do so."


    After Mako made that statement, he slowly got back up again and decided to leave the secret room, and move back towards his bathroom from where he came.


    Before leaving though, Mako made sure to grab everything that was ced in the little room as he didn''t know if they were valuable or not, but since they were kept in the same chamber as the system, he decided to think thetter and picked everything before finally making his way back out of the secret passage.


    When Mako made his way out of the secret door, he noticed sunlighting through the bathroom window, which meant that Mako had spent around 10-12 hours in the secret chamber; mostly being knocked out due to the integration of the system inside his body.


    His great-grandfather had made such a rushed video that many key details were not mentioned while some were very broadly mentioned which left Mako thinking that there must be some way to ess all the other audio or video logs that may be stored inside the system to better understand how it works.


    "I can worry about thatter, but first I better make some breakfast. My stomach is killing me." Mako voiced out as he decide to put these worries in the back of his head and deal with things one at a time.


    Mako quickly washed his face and body as he was covered in dust and dirt from being knocked out in the chamber, and made his way to the kitchen to fix himself a small breakfast, but as soon as he was about to reach for the fridge; he suddenly heard a ping go off in his head.


    *PING!*


    [A New Daily Quest has been issued]

 Chapter 7 Daily Quests

    ?*PING!*


    [Daily Quest has been issued]


    ''Hmm....? What is this about?'' Mako thought as he felt intrigued and decide to check it out immediately by oping the System Interface using his mind.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [Profile] ?


    [Quests] ? (New!)


    [Skills] ?


    [Inventory] ?


    [Shop] ?


    When Mako first opened the interface only the profile tab was avable and the rest were greyed out, but now the quests and the skills tabs were unlocked. There was a red highlight next to the quests tab reading out ''New!'', meaning there was something that was not seen yet simr to how the notifications worked.


    Each tab still had the ''?'' next to them which disyed more information about that said tab, so before he opened the quests tab; Mako decided to learn what each tab here represented.


    [Profile] ?


    [The Profile Tabs disy the user''s current attributes in a quantifiable manner, as well as other information such as Health, EXP, and the user''s current level. All current attributes have a purpose and exin one aspect of the user:-


    [Strength: 2] ?


    [The user''s current physical attack power]


    [Agility: 3] ?


    [The user''s current physical max speed]


    [Perception: Null] ?


    [The user''s current ability to use his senses]


    [Intelligence: 5] ?


    [The user''s current intellect level]


    [Mentality: 2] ?


    [The user''s current level of brain functions such as thinking speed etc.]


    [Stamina: 4] ?


    [The user''s current ability to sustain the prolonged physical or mental effort.]


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Information locked]


    [Fortitude: Locked] ?


    [information locked]


    More Information may be added as the user further grows.]


    [Quests] ? (New!)


    [The Quests Tab disys the quests that have been issued by the system to help the user grow more powerful by giving rewards for eachpleted quest while there are penalties for failing quests too. There are four different types of quests avable:-


    1) Daily quests are quests that are issued daily and don''t take long toplete while having average rewards.


    2) Regr quests are quests that may have a real challenge and take longer toplete, but the rewards for them will be more than enough topensate for the hardships the user faces.


    3) Emergency quests are quests that are issued as a state of emergency for the user''s own life or of those around him. It provides an incentive in the form of rewards to the user to perform his best in the face of danger.


    4) Hidden quests are quests that are secretly issued to the user while the user is not informed at all about their existence. They are optional quests that provide the user with more rewards for doing things in a certain way thatpletes the quest.]


    [Skills] ?


    [The skills tab disys all the skills that the user has currently in his arsenal, There are four different types of skills that the user can currently learn:-


    1) Basic skills are skills that the user can learn without any source whatsoever, and the user just has to practice and refine them a whole lot.


    2) Power skills are skills rted to the type of ability you have, and can learn them through various sources.


    3) Unique skills are skills that can''t be learned but rather created by the user himself. These skills can only be performed by the user, and can''t be taught to others. The key to creating unique skills is tobine already existing skills in a new or unique fashion.


    4) Absolute skills are skills that are akin to finishers or final moves as they usually require a lot of energy to perform and are mostly the final moves that can be learned from a skillset.


    Be informed that all skills, when first learned are at level 1, and can be continuously improved upon the more the user uses that particr skill. Also, skills are graded in tiers depending on their quality and rarity:-


    F-Tier skills are shaded in a grey color and have very low attributes such as attack power or defensive strength etc.


    E-Tier skills are shaded in green color and have low attributes such as attack power or defensive strength etc.


    D-Tier skills are shaded in blue color and have good enough attributes such as attack power or defensive strength etc.


    C-Tier skills are shaded in red color and have decent attributes such as attack power or defensive strength etc.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    B-Tier skills are shaded in a purple color and have high attributes such as attack power or defensive strength etc.


    A-Tier skills are shaded in a gold color and have very high attributes such as attack power or defensive strength etc.]


    [Inventory] ?


    [The Inventory tab disys the unique feature of the system as it can store items for the user inside the system''s personal space. More information can only be disclosed once the user has unlocked the inventory.]


    [Shop] ?


    [The Shop tab is another unique feature of the system. As the name implies, the user can ess the System''s shop and perform purchases such as buying and selling different items. More information can only be disclosed once the user has unlocked the shop.]


    Mako was shocked to see how important each tab was after reading the details about each of them. The inventory and shop tabs didn''t exin much except their general purpose as they were still locked.


    "How do I unlock the other tabs?" Mako asked subconsciously while still browsing over the information he was given.


    [The inventory tab will be unlocked when the user reaches level 5, and the shop tab will be unlocked when the user reaches Level 10]


    "Woah! Did you just answer what I was thinking about?" Mako was amazed, but this time there was no answer.


    "It only replies to genuine questions about itself. Okay got it!" Mako acknowledged his realization as he finally proceeded to open the quests tab.


    [Quests] ? (New!)


    [Daily Quests]


    Task 1: Run 2000 meters.


    Task 2: Do 50 Squats, Push-ups, Crunches, Lunges, and Jumping jacks each.


    Task 3: Lift a total of 150 Kg.


    [Reward: 50 EXP, 2 Attribute Points]


    [Penalty: Hidden]


    "Penalty? What is the penalty?" Mako asked but this time there wasn''t a reply.


    "Well, it''s better if I don''t find out what the penalty is the other way either," Mako said sarcastically as he closed the system interface and poured himself a bowl of cereal.


    [10:17 AM]


    Mako still had a lot of time left in the day and the daily quests didn''t seem too hard, so he decide to do them right after finishing his breakfast. Since it was Saturday, Mako didn''t have school, but he did have today''s shift at the bakery.


    "Sir Derek is not gonna let me hear the end of it." Mako realized as he took another spoonful of cereal.


    Once done with his breakfast, Mako made his way outside toplete the first 2 tasks first. He started a light jog toward the forest and a meter suddenly appeared next to the first task.


    [Task 1: Run 2000 meters. 0/2000 m]


    It didn''t make any sense since Mako was already jogging towards the forest when he soon realized his mistake.


    "I have to run two entire kilometers..." Mako saidzily when he realized that his daily tasks were not going to be a walk in the park.


    ***************************


    After 20 minutes Mako was back home from his run through the forest. He was currentlyying on his kitchen floor gasping for air since Mako was not the athletic type; it took a toll on his body and lungs.


    Mako did in fact travel for longer distances at a time on foot; however, those would be done while he was simply walking or slightly jogging. He couldn''t maintain his actual sprint for too long and while he was running, he noticed that the system would only count the distance he traveled when he was running at his top speed.


    This made him a lot more exhausted as he did a loop in the forest, stopping a couple of times to catch his breath.


    It took some time for Mako to get on his feet again, and he went to his living room as there was enough room in there to do all the exercises that the system had told him to do.


    The exercises were not that hardpared to the run as Mako still asionally did them during P.E. sessions but never in this quantity so it was still difficult.


    [2:30 PM]


    Mako drank an entire liter of water in one go, as he was exhausted from all the exercises that the system made him do, but he was finally finished.


    Thest quest was also pretty simple once Mako got over the minor heart attack of thinking he had to lift 150 kilograms at once. The coffee table in Mako''s living room was nice and light and was around 5.5 kg kilograms, so Mako only had to lift the table a total of 28 times.


    After finishing his bottle of water, Mako cleaned the excess water around his lips with the palm of his hands and proceeded to open the system interface, as expected; There was a notification alert, and after opening it Mako received the rewards forpleting his daily tasks.


    [Task 1: Run 2000 meters. 2000/2000 m]


    [Task 2: Do 50 Squats, Push-ups, Crunches, Lunges, and Jumping jacks each. 50/50]


    [Task 3: Lift a total of 150 Kg. 150/150 kg]


    [Tasks Completed]


    [Rewards: +50 EXP, (2) Attributes Points]


    ''I wonder what attribute points are for?'' Mako thought.


    [Attribute Points can be used by the user to upgrade the value for any one of his attributes by one]


    The system quenched his curiosity immediately with its reply. After Mako learned what they were for, a grin appeared on the front of his face as he spoke.


    "Oh, this is going to be so gooood."

 Chapter 8 Learning More About The System

    ?[Tasks Completed]


    [Rewards: +50 EXP, (2) Attributes Points]


    Mako was beyond happy when he learned about what the attribute points for and what this could mean for the future.


    He couldplete daily tasks, continuously obtain more and more attribute points, and power up constantly as there would be no limit.


    ''Let''s not get ahead of ourselves now, there is a lot more work to do, and see what else there is that I can do.'' Mako calmed himself down from the overwhelming happiness that he was currently experiencing.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 100/100] ? (+1)


    [Energy: 50/50] ? (+1)


    [EXP: 50/100] ?


    [Level 1] ?


    [Strength: 2] ? (+1)


    [Agility: 3] ? (+1)


    [Perception: Null] ? (+1)


    [Intelligence: 5] ? (+1)


    [Mentality: 2] ? (+1)


    [Stamina: 4] ? (+1)


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: Locked] ?


    [Attribute Points: 2] ?


    A plus one symbol appeared in front of all of Mako''s attributes indicating that these were the things that Mako could increase through his attribute points.


    Mako wasn''t exactly sure where the attribute points would be the most effective, and how much would a single increase in points actually improve inside of Mako.


    Thinking about it a bit more, Mako was already top of his ss so there was no immediate need to put points into intelligence. Besides that, Mako had no idea what the purpose of mental capacity is or what it does, so he decided that it wouldn''t be worth it if he didn''t know what topare his changed self with.


    After spending a few minutes contemting about he should do with the Attribute points, he ended up just putting them both in the perception attribute. This was the only Attribute that Mako didn''t have any points in naturally so he decided to at least unlock it while he made up a n of how to spend these points most effectively.


    "I need to find out more about how this system operates, luckily I know just the guy," Mako said as he prepared to leave home.


    He took a shower again, because honestly he needed it since he was sweating buckets, and left home to go back to Bird''s Eye street.


    Bird''s Eye street was the street where Mako was greeting all of the shopkeepers from the day before.


    Gary, one of the shopkeepers, had a significant elder-brother-like rtionship with Mako. He would often visit his shop after school, and Gary would tell him of the origins and stories of old games that used to be popr during the early 21st Century andid the foundation for more advanced and new games that became a sensation in the current world.


    Although was never interested in those old games, he still would listen with attention as maybe he could find something interesting while also learning some history.


    Over time Mako got to know of many different types of games that were all the rage for people back then such as first and third-person shooters, strategy, Casual, Driving, etc.., but for Mako, the most interesting one was the MMORPG style games which as per Gary''s description were where a character could be leveled up, taught abilities, improve attributes, etc.


    It sounded a lot like Mako''s system so to learn more about the system, Mako was hoping that Gary could help him out with the exnation of things.


    A couple of minutester, Mako was standing in front of a small shop that had the words written in bold on the top of the entrance.


    [Gary''s Gaming Bar & Library]


    Mako opened the door, making the sensor make a small noise indicating that someone had entered the store.


    A person soon came out of the storage room behind the counter. He had long brown hair that he had made into a ponytail, wearing very baggy and loose clothes that draped over his body. He didn''t have a muscr build but wasn''t overweight either.


    "Mako! What brings you in today?!" Gary shouted as he moved from the counter to give a fist bump to Mako which Mako received.


    "Big bro Gary, I wanted to ask about some old game one of my friends told me about," Mako said as he went toward one of the sofas near the counter and proceeded to sit on top of it.


    "Hmm, I didn''t know you had friends?" Gary said in a teasing manner.


    "Umm well technically he isn''t my friend, but that doesn''t matter. Will you help me?" Mako said in a shy tone.


    "You know I can''t resist old games, fire away; ask what you want."


    Mako decided to not tell Gary about the system, as this was a very important and unique thing. If even one person made a slip-up and spilled Mako''s secret, he would be a target that he isn''t strong enough to defend against.


    So Mako disguised the system as an MMORPG game that he had heard from a friend about.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Well, I don''t quite remember the name, but it was one of those MMORPG-style games that you have told me about. It had a few things that I quite didn''t understand like new attributes such as Perception, Mentality, Charisma, etc."


    "Wow! Where did your ''friend'' hear about this?" Gary asked still teasing.


    Mako gave him the look that he had given Gary a million times before that meant please just get on with it.


    "Anyways, Perception was an attribute used way back which allowed the yer to sense danger miles before it even came at him like those fancy movies where the hero dodges a bullet or arrow without even knowing that it was aiming for him,"


    Mako had a look of understanding as Gary continued.


    "Mentality was a type of boost that the yer had which would help him defend against mind and sound attacks, it boosted the yer''s pain tolerance and the number of skills that he could learn."


    "While Charisma was just a way for the developers to bring more simps to y their game as charisma boosted the yer''s beautyprehension and speech skills etc."


    Mako finally understood how important each of those attributes was that he didn''t care for before and he needed to make investments in each of every one of them.


    "Big Bro Gary, In your opinion how should one upgrade their character in an MMORPG game? and how can a yer unlock attributes that are locked?"


    "Well it depends on the gamey style of the actual yer, but I would rmend that a person builds a bnced character with all of his stats more or less equal, and as for the second question; Most games made it so that if the character did a certain action then that attribute would unlock like charisma was unlocked from kissing a female NPC."


    *DING!*


    A notification voice went off inside Mako''s head.


    [Hidden Questplete]


    "I haven''t seen you this interested in any of the old games I take about, what''s up?" Gary said as he put on his apron.


    "Huh, What''s that supposed to mean?" Mako replied half-attentively as he was more focused on the notification that he just received.


    "I mean you are keen to listen to me rambling on and on about games that my father and grandfather told me stories of, but I have never seen you this interested before."


    "No Big bro Gary, it''s not that; maybe just because a few people at my school were talking about it as well that I thought it needed more looking into," Mako replied with an aloof expression, hiding his actual joy and excitement over what that notification entailed.


    "Hey, Big bro; don''t forget about the bet you made mest time I came here. I beat you at that old game, and now I get the triple deluxe burger for free!" Mako attempted to make Gary go away for some time so he could properly assess what he had received.


    Luckily it did work as after failing to try and make a counter-offer in order to change Mako''s mind, but when he didn''t budge, Gary gave in and went to the grill to make Mako his well-earned meal.


    As soon as Gary was busy doing his own thing, Mako reopened the notification tab to check whether or not he had miss read what was written earlier.


    [Hidden Questplete]


    [Find out how to properly use the system.]


    [Rewards: +200EXP, +2 Attribute points, New Skill Set Learned]


    [yer has Leveled Up!]


    [Reward: +3 Attribute Points]


    [Current Level: Lvl 2]


    Mako was happy with the rewards he was given, but what he was most ecstatic about was that he had apparently learned a new skill set. He immediately opened his skills tab to find this,


    [Skills] ?


    [Basic Skills] ? (NONE)


    [Power Skills] ? (NONE)


    [Unique Skills] ?


    (NEW) [Basic Phantom Skill Set]


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Punch] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Shift] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Kick] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Absolute Skills] ? (NONE)


    "Woah, I learned three new moves just from learning more about how the system operates that''s so cool" Mako voiced out in a slightly low tone.


    "What was that Mako?" Gary asked from across the counter.


    "UH! Nothing Big bro Gray, just looking at the details of my rewards!" Mako replied as he acted to pick up the menu to read about the details of his triple deluxe burger.


    ''Well, I am literally reading the details of my "other" rewards.'' Mako thought as he had a small smirk on his face which was covered by the menu.

 Chapter 9 A Stupid Mistake

    ?(NEW) [(F-Tier) Basic Phantom Skill Set]


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Punch] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Phantom Punch is a special punch that creates an after image of your punch, making your actual punch invisible for a split second while your opponent can only witness the fake after image punch headed towards them while the actual punch is attacking another position.]


    [Attack: 10]


    [Requirements: 10 Agility, 5 Strength]


    [Cost: 5 Energy]


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Shift] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Phantom Shift is a special set of movements that creates an after image of yourself, making your actual self invisible for a split second while your opponent can only witness the fake after image of yourself headed towards them.]


    [Requirements: 10 Agility, 5 Stamina]


    [Cost: 10 Energy]


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Kick] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Phantom Kick is a special high kick move that creates an after image of your kick, making your actual kick invisible for a split second while your opponent can only witness the fake after image kick headed towards them while your actual kick is attacking another position.]


    [Attack: 10]


    [Requirements: 10 Agility, 5 Strength]


    [Cost: 5 Energy]


    [Warning! The current Phantom Skills will fail if your opponent has a perception above 10]


    Mako was blown away by how cool the moves that he just learned sounded but he had no way of testing them out until he arrived home.


    "Here you go Mako,pliments of the chef!" Gary said as he ced a big te filled with salty & spicy fries with a giant triple deluxe burger.


    Mako rubbed his hands together as he was already mouth-watering while looking at what he could only describe as a piece of heaven.


    Wasting no time Mako dug in, while Gary wiped his hands with a clean towel and proceeded to sit opposite to Mako.


    "So I heard that there was this event about showing your collection of old vintage games that I am thinking about attending...." Gary resumed his normal conversations with Mako, while he stuffed his face with delicious food.


    ''Today really is the best day ever!'' Mako screamed in joy within his thoughts as he continued spending time with Gary.


    *************


    [6:07 PM]


    Mako could be seen walking back to his house as he had finished his session with Gary as soon as more customers started arriving at the store which made Gary busy.


    Honestly, Mako was relieved for a couple of reasons not that he hated his time with Gary or anything, but firstly; he was itching to try these new moves, and also that he would have lost his mind if he lost to Gary for the twenty-third time.


    "I guess me beating Big bro Gary was either a fluke or he let me win." Mako realized as he went over all his losses.


    *************


    Mako finally made his way back to his home, and immediately rushed into his backyard to try out the phantom skills.


    He quickly warmed up by doing some jumping jacks and practice punches. He finally made his stand by putting pressure on his legs to solidify his position in the dirt. He looked at the tree in front of him with determination. Pulling his fist back Mako unloaded his punch onto the tree with full force while shouting out loud.


    "Phantom Punch!"


    there were a couple of seconds of silence before.....


    "AAAAARRRHHHHHHH" Mako screamed at top of his lungs before tightly gripping onto his wrist. His hand was bleeding from the injury of punching a solid tree with full force, and was throbbing with pain as he carefully started to blow on it like that would aplish anything.


    [-65 HP]


    [User has broken their metacarpal bone]


    [Bone has been offset by 45 degrees]


    [Emergency healing has been activated]


    [Warning! Emergency Healing requires 45 energy to finish healing. Once healed the user will have low energy]


    [Estimated time for recovery: 6 hours]


    Mako was in so much pain that he didn''t even register the fact that the system had started the process of healing him.


    Mako just very slowlyid down next to the tree and closed his eyes. He started breathing deeply and in minutes he was unconscious.


    ************


    *DING!*


    [75%pletion in recovery]


    Mako''s eyes slowly opened as he saw the moon shining down on him. It took a couple of seconds before Mako realized he was stillying down next to the tree.


    "uhhh...." Mako groaned as he slowly sat up only to notice that his hand hadpletely stopped bleeding.


    After getting back to his senses, Mako realizes what an utter idiot he was for punching a tree without any forewarning or practice.


    [Alert! Energy levels Dangerously Low!]


    [Replenish Energy Levels Immediately!]


    Mako had the worst kind of stomach ache imaginable that happens when one is incredibly hungry like they could gobble an entire table''s worth of food.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Idiot.. idiot... idiot... idiot..." Mako continuously muttered to himself as he slowly got up and made his way to his kitchen.


    Once he arrived, he gobbled up everything that he set his eyes on as if he was a wolf who was hungry for several days.


    Apples, leftover pasta, raw asparagus, nothing was safe. After about twenty of his eating frenzy, Mako sat down on his kitchen floor and went over what had happened.


    [Energy: 46/50]


    "Why didn''t the phantom punch work?" Mako was beyond confused about his current predicament.


    He decided to re-read the description of Phantom Punch again to see whether he had missed something.


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Punch] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Phantom Punch is a special punch that creates an after image of your punch, making your actual punch invisible for a split second while your opponent can only witness the fake after image punch headed towards them.]


    [Attack: 10]


    [Requirements: 10 Agility, 5 Strength]


    [Cost: 5 Energy]


    When Mako re-read the text, he just wanted to facepalm so hard that his hand would go through his skull. He didn''t have the requirements to actually use the skill, and that was why he had ended up in this predicament.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 76/100] ? (+1)


    [Energy: 46/50] ? (+1)


    [EXP: 150/200] ?


    [Level 2] ?


    [Strength: 2] ? (+1)


    [Agility: 3] ? (+1)


    [Perception: 2] ? (+1)


    [Intelligence: 5] ? (+1)


    [Mentality: 2] ? (+1)


    [Stamina: 4] ? (+1)


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: Locked] ?


    [Attribute Points: 5] ?


    His current Agility and Strength were too low to cast any of the phantom moves, and although Mako realized that he had 5 more attribute points to spend; it wouldn''t be enough to reach that level.


    When Mako rechecked all his attributes, he also realized that there was a (+1) symbol next to his Energy and Health bar which didn''t make any sense as to how could one more health or energy help him in any way.


    ''But there has to be a reason for it to be there, I mean; why would great-grandfather put a useless feature in any way?'' Mako reasoned with himself before finally epting that he should give it a go, as he can always gain more attribute points.


    Mako decided to add two points to Energy and two points to health in order to find out what would happen.


    [Health: 77/120] ? (+1)


    [Energy: 46/150] ? (+1)


    "WHAT IN THE WORLD!?" Mako shouted out loud as he was dumbfounded by the increase in his energy and health. Health could be increased in intervals of ten while Energy could be increased in intervals of fifty.


    Now that he understood how to actually cast skills, and the importance of the Health and Energy bars, Mako understood that he would need a lot more attribute points to be somewhat of a decent fighter much like his ssmates.


    [76%pletion in recovery]


    "Well, I guess that I will have to rest a bit more until this heals," Mako said as heid down on his sofa while also thinking how great it was that the system could now heal him if he would be injured, and he won''t have to waste money on healing pills.


    Mako also understood the dangers of those bars going down as it was torture when Mako only had 5 energy points remaining. Who knew what would happen if the energy or health bars were to reach zero, but that was something Mako didn''t want to find out any time soon.


    Mako reached to the side of the sofa to check the time to calcte how long he passed out again since it looks like passing out is the new norm for Mako.


    [10:46 PM]


    *PANIC*


    "Sir Derek is gonna kill me!" Mako shouted as he got up from the sofa, and ran to his bedroom to change into clean clothes.


    His hand still hurt him, but it was not to the point of hindering his movements anymore. Mako quickly got out of his home and booked it to the bakery before 11 pm. He already didn''t show up to work yesterday, and if he got to workte today then it would be the end of his job.


    After around seventeen minutes of constant full-speed running, Mako arrived in front of the bakery being so out of breath that he thought his lungs would jump out of his chest.


    Checking the time on his watch, it was three minutes past eleven which meant that, although; he was indeedte, he made it in the nick of time before Sir Derek became really angry. Exining to him why he didn''te to work yesterday was another battle he would face.


    After taking a deep breath, Mako entered the door as quietly as possible to not alert anyone.


    "MR. MAKO GREY!" a loud voice was heard from across the room.


    ''Oh, man!'' Mako thought as he turned around to face his boss.

 Chapter 10 An Ultimatum

    ?"MR. MAKO GREY!" a loud voice was heard from across the room.


    ''Oh, man!'' Mako thought as he turned around to face his boss.


    "Yess..ss Sir Derek?" Mako said in a nervous manner while facing Sir Derek who was towering over Mako forming a shadow on Mako''s entire body.


    "You are almost on time, but almost is not eptable so make sure you create a habit of doing this, or I won''t be so lenient next time." Sir Derek threatened Mako before moving back to the counter to get back to his business.


    Mako was in so much shock that he couldn''t even move. He didn''t usuallye to workte rather he was mostly on time, and sometimes even early so it was okay that Sir Derek had just given him a warning.


    What Mako couldn''t understand was the fact that he had taken the day off yesterday, but there was no response from Sir Derek about that. The same man who had fired another young boy who took a two-day leave without informing him first.


    Mako couldn''t let this matter go as this would go against everything he ever knew about Sir Derek,


    He made his way towards the counter where Sir Derek was writing something on a piece of paper, and he asked him in the most respectful way possible.


    "Um, Sir Derek aren''t you mad at me?"


    "I am mad at you, however;ingte a few minutes is not enough to give punishments, but that doesn''t mean that you are allowed to do this constantly." Sir Derek replied in a heavy tone.


    "So you''re not angry about yesterday?" Mako was ridiculed by the reply but still asked about the pressing matter.


    "Why would I be mad at you for yesterday, The shop was closed yesterday; don''t you remember I told you not toe to work on Friday right before you left." Sir Derek stated with one eyebrow up while staring at Mako.


    At this point, Mako wanted to personally ask the system to disy his intelligence points as Null, because; he was the world''s greatest idiot.


    Sir Derek told him that the shop would be closed on Saturday, but he totally forgot about it after all the crazy stuff that had happened in thest two days.


    "Is something wrong?" Sir Derek asked while still keeping his eyebrow up.


    "No No, I think I am good Sir Derek." Mako said while sounding a bit relieved as he also was scratching the back of his head.


    "Well then, GET TO WORK!" Sir Derek shouted which made Makoe out of his thoughts.


    He immediately bolted to lockers where he quickly changed into his sous chef outfit before helping all the other chefs create the pastries and other goodies for tomorrow morning.


    Mako thanked his lucky stars that it all worked out for him in the end, but now that everything was in order; he had to deal with the fact in less than two months he has to be a lot more stronger than he was currently if he even wanted to stand a chance against the entrance exam of the military.


    It was Sunday, so Mako did not worry about rushing to school after work so that was a bit of relief.


    Lionel Grey''s words kept repeating in Mako''s head as he was working. His eyes shone with determination as quietly muttered to himself while beating egg yolks to make a rich custard filling," I''ll make you proud great grandfather, I will bring the world to peace; watch me!"


    ************


    During the next ten days, Mako was working harder than ever. He was neverte to work at the bakery, He excelled in his academic tests all the while also secretly training in his free time.


    He didplete his daily tasks daily which were bing more difficult by the day, for example; today''s quest was the following:-


    [Thursday]


    [New Daily Quest]


    Task 1: Run 3500 meters.


    Task 2: Stay in the nk position for a total of one hour.


    Task 3: Lift a total of 500 Kg.


    [Reward: 50 EXP, 2 Attribute Points]


    Mako had just finished writing his notes in his notebook and was about to head home for the day so he couldplete today''s daily quest and gain two more attribute points.


    Mako had saved up all his attribute points ever since the day he broke his hand because he wanted to use them all at once so that he could observe what kind of change that would bring.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As he left his ssroom, he was suddenly surrounded by seven boys who Mako knew very well. These were the kids who made Mako''s time in his high school a living hell. In front of all the boys was a boy with fair skin and ginger hair.


    "Hey Trash, I have a message for you!" Bill Johnson shouted while using his earth ability to push Mako back into the ssroom, and block the door with a rock wall after he and the rest of the boys also made it inside.


    It was prohibited to use abilities in school except during the training duels which were once every two weeks, but since Bill had a decent background and decently rich parents, even if he was to get caught it won''t matter because he would just get a simple warning.


    Almost every kid in Emerald High had a good background and abilities that their parents bought for them so it was always kids like Mako who suffered at the hands of people like Bill who had gone mad with power.


    Another boy who had the lightning ability started throwing mini lightning bolts toward Mako in order to torture him. The other five kids also used their various abilities to keep hitting Mako, one using a water whip while another through wind des at him all the while Bill held his hands behind his back so he could not escape or fight back in any way.


    After about ten minutes of constantly torturing Mako, they stopped at themand of Bill who also let go of Mako to let him fall to the ground. He was bleeding all over and had multiple burn marks on his skin and clothes.


    Bill pulled a chair from behind one of the desks and ced it right in front of Mako who was barely hanging on to life.


    "I was really moved when you spoke up against me during thest match we had almost two weeks ago," Bill said as he kicked Mako''s face to flip him on his back, before sitting down on his chair.


    The school had training matches between students every two weeks while regr training sses were given every week.


    "But you see the problem is that NO ONE talks back to me and gets to move on with their merry way which is just what you did!" Bill shouted as he stomped on Mako''s hand.


    "ARRRHHH!" Mako yelled with all his might but to no avail, it looked like Bill also had a heart made of stone.


    [Health: 32/120]


    "So for your punishment, I have decided to make it easy for you by giving you a choice." Bill continued as if nothing was wrong.


    "Huh?" Mako said in a barely conscious manner.


    A blunt earth spike came out of the ground and hit Mako right in the face.


    "I wasn''t done talking you little worm!" Bill shouted as he continued.


    "I have decided to give you a choice, either I hear the news of a boy whomitted suicide before midnight or you face me again in the training duels tomorrow, and don''t worry I have already paid the instructor who will oversee our match. He will not stop the match until you''re dead!"


    Bill announced an ultimatum to Mako, before proceeding to stand up and give onest kick in Mako''s gut area.


    Mako vomited blood from thest kick as he was sent flying back towards the wall.


    "You and you, clean up this area, and you feed him a healing pill so he is in the right mindset to decide!" Bill ordered two of his goons who proceeded to do exactly that. Bill took down the earth wall from the entrance and left the room with the rest of the boys following him close behind.


    It took around thirty minutes before Mako became conscious again, he slowly got up and checked his body to see that almost all of his outer injuries were already healed.


    [Medium tier healing pill consumed]


    [84%pletion in recovery]


    Mako remembered everything that had urred before Bill left and also about the choice that Bill gave to him. Bill and his goons had done this many times before as well so it wasn''t Mako''s first rodeo, but it was never to this extent.


    Mako was at a loss as to what to do next, but he could consider either option.


    *DING!*


    [New Quest Received]


    [Defeat Bill Johnson in the training duel tomorrow]


    [Rewards: Instant level-up, one random skill]


    [Penalty: Death]


    "Well I guess the system already made the decision for me, I guess," Mako said as he carefully made his way out of the school.

 Chapter 11 Preparation

    ?By the time Mako made it back to his home, his injuries were alreadypletely healed but that wasn''t the same for his clothes.


    Mako already had a limited number of clothes, and these events reduced that number even further. He quickly showered and put on a fresh set of clothes before going out to his backyard toplete today''s daily quest.


    After about one and a half hours of training, Mako hadpleted his daily quest and went back inside to have a drink.


    He sat on the sofa in his living room and checked his system again.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 94/120] ? (+1)


    [Energy: 112/150] ? (+1)


    [EXP: 150/800] ?


    [Level 4] ?


    [Strength: 2] ? (+1)


    [Agility: 3] ? (+1)


    [Perception: 2] ? (+1)


    [Intelligence: 5] ? (+1)


    [Mentality: 2] ? (+1)


    [Stamina: 4] ? (+1)


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: Locked] ?


    [Attribute Points: 25] ?


    After saving up for about ten days, Mako was finally going to see how much of a difference it can make to add a couple of Attribute Points to some of his attributes.


    Mako decided to first and foremost upgrade his agility as every move from the phantom skill set had agility as its main requirement.


    ''Add 12 points to Agility'' Makomanded the system.


    [12 Attribute Points have been added to Agility]


    A cool chilling and soothing feeling washed over Mako''s body as he sensed his legs getting a lot stronger than before.


    Next, Mako wanted to bring up his stamina and strength stats to a good point, so that not only does he have good attack power and endurance, but they were also a requirement for the Phantom moves.


    ''Add 6 points to Strength and 4 points to stamina''


    [6 Attribute Points have been added to Strength]


    [4 Attribute Points have been added to Stamina]


    Another cooling sensation washed over his body as he was strengthened once again.


    Finally, Mako wanted to dump the remaining points into perception as it would help Mako sense attacks before they came at him which would be a huge help since it won''t do him any good if he can''t defend against the attacks.


    "Add remaining points to Perception'' Makomanded the system.


    [3 Attribute Points have been added to Perception]


    Weirdly, Mako didn''t feel the cooling sensation this time since perception dealt with honing one''s senses which was not a physical part of Mako''s Body.


    After his leveling-up session, Mako viewed the Profile tab again.


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 94/120] ?


    [Energy: 112/150] ?


    [EXP: 150/800] ?


    [Level 4] ?


    [Strength: 8] ?


    [Agility: 15] ?


    [Perception: 5] ?


    [Intelligence: 5] ?


    [Mentality: 2] ?


    [Stamina: 8] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: Locked] ?


    [Attribute Points: 0] ?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Satisfied with his decision, Mako went back to his backyard so he could now finally test out those phantom moves because thest time Mako attempted the move; it backfired horribly.


    Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, he decided to just try punching the air as if he was practicing boxing or something.


    ''Umm, how do I even cast the moves in the first ce?'' Mako asked himself as he himself actually didn''t know how to perform a phantom punch.


    But before Mako could facepalm his face again for his stupidity, the system came through to clear the confusion.


    [The user only needs to think of the move that he wants to perform and the system will automatically perform it simr to how the user esses the system interface]


    ''Huh, so the whole thing will be just controlled through my thoughts?'' Mako quickly understood the system''s exnation and decided to try it out.


    Mako firmly nted his feet on the ground and clocked back his fist as far as he could go. Just as he was about to release the punch he thought in his mind.


    [Phantom Punch]


    Mako''s arm muscles suddenly bulged, showing the outlines of his refined muscles and veins beneath his skin for a split second as his actual punch changed trajectory slightly while a silhouette of his previous punch continued to move in the same direction as before.


    From Mako''s point of view, He could see both punches but from an opponent''s perspective, it looked like Mako''s arm just turned into a blur for a fraction of a second.


    The shocking automatic change in the punch nearly made Mako trip over himself, but he managed to prevent it at thest minute.


    After the move waspleted only a second had passed but it still took Mako a few seconds to process what had just happened.


    Realizing that he might just have a chance again Bill made Mako crack a burst of lightughter.


    Although it looked like the Attribute points in Mako''s Intelligence were wrong, Mako did indeed have a decent IQ.


    "Right now, I have no control over the Phantom punch as it just felt like was a passenger, I need to practice these moves again and again so I can use them efficiently against Bill," Mako announced his theory, which was absolutely right. Mako was just the vessel performing the Phantom punch without any control tower, and if he wished to survive tomorrow''s fight he would have to have somewhat of control over them.


    Mako spent the rest of the day and evening training his Phantom Skills and remembered to take a shower before heading out at night to the bakery for his night shift.


    Ever since Mako upgraded his Energy bar, he felt less tired and noticed that he could work efficiently for about 28 hours before any kind of strain kicked in, and it took less time for him toplete his sleep and feel refreshed.


    The morning was uneventful other than the fact that Sir Derek was acting weird with Mako. Weird not in a bad sense, but rather Sir Derek had been very empathetic with Mako the moment he arrived at the bakery for his shift.


    Not only did Sir Derek give Mako an early leave but also fixed him a giant breakfast, one like Mako never had before. Mako was genuinely confused about this sudden behavior change, but Sir Derek was not the type of person who would actively express his emotions in words so Mako didn''t bother to ask.


    This turned into a blessing because since Sir Derek had allowed Mako to leave early, Mako had the time to do his daily quests before school started.


    [New Daily Quest]


    Task 1: Run 4000 meters.


    Task 2: Do 5 random acts of kindness.


    Task 3: Lift a total of 550 Kg.


    [Reward: 50 EXP, 2 Attribute Points]


    Mako arrived in front of his high school just in the nick of time before the bell rang, It took him almost his entire free time after his shift to finish his quests, mainly because he couldn''t perform acts of kindness at 4-5 AM in the morning when there were hardly any people around.


    This wasn''t the first time that Mako had received this quest, and when he first questioned the system about it; it responded by saying that it was randomly generated and nothing more.


    Mako would have still notpleted his quests before school if it wasn''t for the new points he added into agility and strength which allowed him to run much much faster than before and lift a lot more weight.


    His speed and strength could now bepared to a regr athlete high schooler because before, he was considered frail.


    Mako realized that it would be very important going on to focus on his attributes as well not just skills and abilities as those attributes themselves were essential to making him a force to be reckoned with.


    As Mako walked over to his ssroom, he noticed that a lot of students were giving Mako cold stares and pointing at him behind his back while whispering something to each other.


    I weirded Mako out a lot, and he was shocked himself at how he became so observant all of a sudden.


    He decided to approach a group of students to ask them what was going on, but they dispersed before he could reach them.


    After about 10 minutes of trying to approach different students, Mako knew that something was seriously wrong and he had to find out what it was.


    Finally, he managed to catch a boy off-guard and grabbed him before he could run away.


    "Let me go!" The boy yelled at Mako but he didn''t budge at all.


    "I will, but first tell me what the hell is going on!" Mako screamed at the boy whilst also releasing his frustration.


    "Okay... okay.. look man, I just found out myself and I don''t want to get in any kind of trouble." the boy said nervously.


    "Found out what?" Mako questioned further.


    Not wanting to cause a ruckus and attract more attention the boy decided to spill the beans.


    "Bill Johnson has announced to the entire school that he would get rid of you today for good, and that your fight will be broadcasted on the inte where people can bet on who they think the winner is. Bill warned all of us that if anyone tried to interfere then he would be next."


    With that, Mako''s grip around the boy''s cor loosened, and he immediately made a run for it.


    Mako stood there dumbfounded after hearing how far bill went, as this was a league of its own. Mako just stood there for around two minutes, thinking of the best possible action that he could when the final school bell rang and brought him back from his thoughts.


    *RING!*


    Instead of feeling like he was dropped into a pit of despair, Mako actually had a smile on his face.


    ''This just got really interesting.'' Mako thought as a small grin appeared on his face.

 Chapter 12 The Rematch (Part 1)

    ?The school day continued as normal with the only weird thing being the ufortable amount of stares that Mako had been receiving.


    Turns out almost all of the students and even some of the teachers had made bets against Mako because no one believed that Mako had even the slightest of chances to win, although; not all the stares directed at Mako were of greed as some were of confusion as well.


    Mako had always been a frail boy, with weak bones, no muscles, and short height. But today it seemed that Mako had a bit of muscle on his bones and that he had increased in height as well.


    It wasn''t an obvious change but those who had observed Mako daily like his neighboring bench mates had noticed a change.


    Since nobody was friends with Mako, they couldn''t just walk up to him, and ask about the sudden change.


    Mako himself also noticed the sudden growth spurt, but unlike others; he knew exactly the reason behind it.


    As time passed everyone was bing more and more anxious about the uingbat ss that would make everyone a profit.


    The only people who didn''t bet against Mako were the ones who didn''t bet at all because they were either just like him or had too much of high status to care.


    During recess, Mako made his way over to the library to use one of the publicputers.


    Mako didn''t own any technological devices as he had to sell almost everything to feed himself after his grandmother passed and before he found a stable job.


    He used the school''s publicputer''s quite frequently as it was necessary toplete many projects, homework, assignments, etc.


    This time, however; Mako wasn''t using it for academic purposes, rather Mako used his IP Address to log in to the Inte to see how was bid going for his match against Bill.


    There were several predictions such as Mako would be dead, Mako would be knocked out, Mako wouldnd a single punch, etc. There wasn''t a bid made that Mako would win, and this was when Mako started grinning again.


    Mako was going to bis on himself, and make a massive payday which would help him in the days toe and ns he might want to execute.


    Under an Anonymous name, Mako bid 5000 credits that Mako Grey would win the match.


    [Remaining Bnce: 1054 Credits]


    ''That hurt a lot, but it will be worth it in the end.'' Mako consoled himself over the wild purchase he had just made.


    Notifications started to pop up on everyone''s device as soon as Mako hit enter and caused an uproar between the online bidders.


    Many thought that the anonymous person was an outsider who had no idea who the fighters were and was just trying to go the underdog route to earn some quick cash. Almost Instantly, many bidders started to take up Mako''s offer and bid for Bill''s victory.


    The prize pool continued to grow but before Mako could see howrge it got, the school bell rang indicating that recess was over.


    After logging out, Mako hoped that he had made the right decision.


    ****************


    "Boys and Girls! I bring you today''s main event of thebat fight between Mako Grey and Bill Johnson!" A boy with long ck hair that went to his shoulders announced out loud causing the crowd to cheer.


    All of the lights within the gym were closed except for one, where Mako was about to have his match with Bill. It genuinely gave off old-school boxing match vibes, but that was beside the point.


    Several students in the crowd were holding cameras because the fight would be broadcast live on the inte.


    ''Bill did pull all the stops just to humiliate me, Huh?'' Mako thought as he heard the boy with long hair make several announcements from the locker room.


    Even though Bill threatened him with death and things like advising him to go and kill himself, in reality; Bill never did such a thing as it was just a way to humiliate him even more.


    All other matches were canceled for today as all the students were in their casual attire as if they came to witness a sporting event. It was just that this sporting event was marketed to the online audience as the match to death.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Not wanting to waste any more time, Bill nodded to the instructor who understood the signal, and started walking to the middle of the ring.


    "Presenting to you on the left corner, the strongest student in Emerald High; Bill Johnson!" As a wave of cheers erupted from the crowd, the instructor announced as Bill made his way to the left corner of the ring.


    He was only wearing some light trousers as his bare chest could be seen by all, Some boys red with envy while the girls all of a sudden started to blush and feel hot & sweaty.


    His physique was not that top tier at all, but for a high school student, it was more than enough to be called the strongest in the school.


    "And presenting to you on the right corner, the smartest student in Emerald High; Mako Grey!" The instructor announced at this time there was only silence and felt like a scene from an old movie where as soon as the bad person arrives, there is utter silence and crickets are chirping in the background.


    Mako made his way to the right corner while trying to remain calm under the thousands of eyes that were ring at him like he was a cooked piece of meat.


    He was also wearing the same light trousers and no shirt, but what caused Bill to have a slight expression of shock on his face was when he saw a decent-shaped body with muscle outlines on Mako''s upper body.


    Mako was a boy who always wore hoodies so no one could have noticed Mako''s physique before, plus Mako never fought back no matter how many times he was bullied, abused, and mistreated so everyone had a general idea, that Mako was an insignificant being they could y with and not face any consequences.


    Although the student''s thinking was correct, what they didn''t consider was Mako receiving a family inheritance that magically improved his physique every day, just by Makopleting everyday tasks, however; it was not that Mako didn''t put in any effort, he ground his body to the bone every day toplete the daily tasks which got harder and harder every day.


    Now seeing Mako''s physique, many students started having second thoughts about whether this would be a one-sided match. Even after Mako revealed his physique, the general audience and the online viewers saw this as prolonging a fight as in their mind bill couldn''t be defeated.


    "I hope you''re ready to meet your grandma ''cause I''ll be sending you to her today!" Bill taunted as he took his stance.


    "We''ll just see about that!" Mako replied as he also took a stance he once saw an assassin take on one of those old vintage games that Gary had shown him.


    It was a weird stance, to say the least, but at least it was a fighting stance that was better than thest time Mako faced Bill where he intended to just run out of the ring, but there will be no running this time.


    ''It''s do or die now'' Mako told himself as the instructor started the countdown.


    "Fighter''s ready? 3.... 2.... 1..... FIGHT!" The instructor yelled.


    Bill immediately used the earth ability to conjure a barrier of rock all around the boundary of the ring, so that Mako could not pull off the same stunt he pulledst time and just flee.


    To Bill''s surprise Mako didn''t move from his ce nor did he flinch from fear as he was determined to fight. Bill stared at Mako for a couple of seconds, hoping to get some kind of reaction from him but Mako stood strong and returned the re.


    "Getting cold feet?" this time it was Mako''s turn to taunt.


    The cheering audience became silent, everyone looked back and forth from Mako to Bill and back. They felt they needed to re-install new ears as they were hearing wrong.


    "D-Did Mako Grey j-Ju-just taunt Bill Johnson!" the boy with long hair eximed in shock.


    Bill stared at Mako with a dumbfounded look as the person in front of him was not the same person who he had bullied for the past 4 years straight.


    "So you really have a death wish!" Bill yelled with anger, his veins pulsing on his face.


    He used the earth ability to conjure an earth club from the ground the size of a middle school student.


    Dashing forward, Bill wasted no more time; hoping to take Mako down in one shot but not to kill him. In Bill''s twisted head, Mako needs to suffer a lot more as he can''t give him a quick death.


    As he swung the club, aiming to knock Mako down by aiming at his back; Mako suddenly stood straight up and it looked like every muscle on his body was tensing up.


    The club came down but hit nothing but air, causing immense shock to run through every observer.


    [Phantom Shift has been activated!]

 Chapter 13 The Rematch (Part 2)

    ?[Phantom Shift has been activated]


    From everyone''s perspective, it looked like Mako just shifted to the right slightly but the weird thing was the fact that Bill didn''t change his trajectory as he continued to attack Mako in the ce he was before.


    From Bill''s perspective, Mako never moved; but as soon his club made contact with Mako''s figure it dissolved into the air as the club basically hit nothing but air.


    The crowd was confused, but no one as much as Bill. He turned to the side to see Mako standing there with no changes in his facial expression and taking the same exact fighting stance.


    "You''re gonna fight or what?!" Mako taunted Bill which brought him back from his daze.


    He stared at Mako with a pure look of confusion as he didn''t understand why he missed the hit when he himself saw the club connect.


    ''Doesn''t matter anyway, I have a job to do here, and this trash just got lucky!'' Bill thought in his head as dashed forward once again trying to bash Mako with his giant earth club.


    The result, however; was the same as before with Mako dodging the attack. Bill tried again a couple more times but to no avail, every time the club seemed to have connected but it would always go through Mako''s figure and Mako would appear a bit to the right or left of the attack position.


    Bill tried to adapt to Mako''s weird fighting style by trying to aim a little left or right of Mako''s figure hoping he would hit him that way, but Mako was also adapting.


    By using his agility and perception, Mako was able to predict where the club wouldnd and use phantom shift appropriately so the club would always miss him.


    Aggravated by the whole situation, Bill yelled loudly and just started unleashing continuous attacks hoping that Mako wouldn''t be able to dodge them all.


    There was a downside to attacking continuously as even though the hit rate would go up the uracy of the attacks would go down. Mako used this to his advantage yet again as he sometimes only had to use his agility to dodge a hit while preserving his energy by not continuously spamming Phantom Shift.


    Swinging a huge club made of rock a couple of times is no big deal for Bill, but long uses such as his current predicament were making him lose his energy at a much faster rate than normal.


    *******************


    The government regtes the level of ability that can be given to anyone under the age of 25, everyone not including military personnel can only acquire abilities up to level 3 and no more.


    Even though a level 3 ability is not that strong, it is plenty to be considered the strongest in an entire high school.


    Bill and only a couple of students who had good family backgrounds or rich parents had been able to acquire level 3 abilities as mostly all the students in Emerald High had level 1 or 2 abilities.


    That being said, it was still a low ability level so it had limited skills and a shorter energy pool.


    Bill''s best and signature skill was the giant rock club, so Mako made a n to just dodge every attack till Bill was exhausted and had used all of his energy before attacking and finishing the fight.


    **************


    "Humph! I thought that the strongest kid in school should at least be able to hit me once!" Mako taunted bill some more while hopping on his feet like a bunny.


    Consumed by pride and rage, Bill didn''t even notice the fact that this was what Mako wanted him to do. He kept attacking with his club and Mako kept dodging it.


    After several minutes of this, the crowd became more and more impatient as almost everyone there had bet money on Bill to defeat Mako but Mako was still standing without a scratch on his body.


    Seeing this, Bill winded the club back towards his left hip and intended to swing the club horizontally which wouldn''t be that efficient since clubs were not meant for shing but would cover arger area making it so that wherever Mako shifted, the club would still make contact.


    Mako already understood what Bill was trying to do, and seeing no way out Mako knew that it was time to counter.


    ''Add 2 Attribute points to Strength,'' Makomanded the system.


    [2 Attribute Points have been added to Strength]


    [Strength: 10]


    As Bill swung his club, but before it could hit Mako; he jumped in the air with all his might and started to spin midway. The spin helped Mako to change his direction midair as he jumped vertically but wasing down horizontally. When he waspletely horizontal, he extended his right leg out towards Bill''s head with intense speed.


    Bill''s hands were upied due to performing the swing from the club, so he wasn''t able to block Mako''s kick which did connect with Bill''s head.


    *Whack*


    A loud thud sounded followed by Bill skidding back a few feet and tripping. The entire crowd went nuts after that hit.


    "WHAT! IN! THE!...."


    "I NEED TO GET MY EYES CHECKED!"


    "DID MAKO GREY JUST LAND A HIT ON BILL''S FACE!"


    Bill''s head was still spinning because of the heavy hit it took without any protection. It took him a couple of seconds to regain his senses after the concussion and that was when he realized what had happened in the past 12 seconds.


    "How did you do that!" Bill shouted towards Mako who went back to make the same stance as before.


    "What? All tuckered out from just one kick?" Mako continued to taunt.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Bill felt rage like never before but this time this wasn''t the only emotion he felt. Another emotion started to well up inside him.


    Fear!


    ''I have to defeat him! If I lose, then he will for sure kill me!'' An intense thought started to bubble in Bill''s head.


    Standing up, he dusted himself off while giving a confident grin to Mako.


    "So cocky just because younded a lucky shot? I will put you in your ce!" Bill shouted as he quickly ced his palm on the ground.


    The ground started to slightly rumble as Mako''s had a sudden feeling to move. Mako didn''t understand why, but he didn''t question his instincts and just moved.


    As soon as he moved an earth spike prated from the floor mat and 7 feet into the air.


    The crowd became scared, but no one was as terrified as Mako who very nearly avoided death.


    "ARE YOU INSANE!" Mako yelled at Bill, but he didn''t reply rather he ced his palms on the ground again.


    Now knowing Bill''s intention Mako had to quickly devise a n to finish this fight before he got killed.


    Mako started sprinting toward Bill with speed while earth spikes kept protruding from the ground at different angles to hit Mako.


    Since Mako had to run forward as well he couldn''t efficiently dodge all the iing spikes which caused a lot of shallow cuts to appear on Mako''s body as he barely dodged the iing spikes.


    Narrowly avoiding death Mako came close to Bill who made a small earth shield to protect against the punch that Mako aimed at his face, but the punch nevernded on the shield as it hit his guts instead.


    [Phantom Punch has been activated]


    Saliva forcefully came out of Bill''s mouth as he was knocked a few more feet back.


    The crowd now watched in a stupor as Mako engaged Bill in a fistfight because Mako was running low on energy to continue to just dodge Bill''s attack.


    Bill, on the other hand, was proficient in fistfights but because of using the Earth ability constantly and taking two major blows, his fatigue was making him sloppy which made it so that Mako could fight on equal terms with Bill.


    The fistfightsted aplete eight minutes. Both boys had bruises and scratches all over their faces and body. They were both exhausted from fighting, but Mako still had the upper hand as he pushed Bill back against his own earth wall.


    Blocking another punch from Mako, Bill used what remaining energy he had left to make a club again although this time it was much smaller.


    Bill swung the club at Mako again and it actually managed to hit Mako in the face as Mako was not expecting that sudden move. Mako spat out blood from his mouth while the crowd cheered.


    Enraged and tired, Mako rushed toward Bill hoping to settle the fight with this final attack. Bill saw this as he tried to block the attack by holding his club near his body.


    Mako threw a kick which was; in fact, aimed at Bill''s body, but Bill also didn''t expect what happened next.


    [Phantom kick has been activated]


    The Crowd, Online viewers, Instructor, and Mako couldn''t understand what had happened. Bill Johnson was knocked out cold and was lying on the ring floor.


    "Ummm... Mako... Grey won?" The boy with the long hair announced.


    The crowd erupted but not with joy but rather in anger and sorrow as they all had lost a lot of money.


    They started throwing their drinks and other garbage at Mako, but Mako couldn''t register any of it as he kept staring at Bill who was knocked out.


    Well, not exactly Bill, but rather the system screen that had multiple notifications disyed on it,


    [Quest Completed]


    [Rewards: Instant level-up, one random skill]


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Reward: +3 Attribute points, Random Attribute increase]


    [Perception has been elevated to 7]


    [Current Level: Lvl 5]


    [Inventory Tab Has Been Unlocked!] ?


    [Choosing Random Skill]


    [New Skill Learned: (D-Tier) Analyze!] ?

 Chapter 14 Payday!

    ?[New Skill Learned: (D-Tier) Analyze!] ?


    Even during the crowd of students going nuts over the huge upset in the duel, Mako just stared at thest notification that was being disyed in front of his eyes.


    Mako immediately opened the system interface and quickly went over the Skills tab to find that Analyze was also under the unique skill tabs, and it was shaded blue in color as it represented that it was a D-tier skill which was huge for Mako.


    Wasting no time, Mako quickly opened the information on this particr skill.


    (NEW!) [(D-Tier) Analyze] ? (Level 1)


    [Upgradable!] ?


    [Analyze is an ocr type skill that upon activating, turns the user''s eyes a faint red color. While active, the user''s eyes be special as they can bring up and read the information regarding any object as long as it is within the range of the user''s knowledge, and the profile chart and vitals of any person as long as that person is weaker or equal to the user in terms of power.]


    An amazing skill that would allow Mako to be always one step ahead of his enemies as he could now find out their information before the fight even began.


    There was, however; a new icon under the analyze skill that read out ''Upgradable''. Mako didn''t really understand whether this was literal or maybe it would evolve into a new skill, so the only logical thing to do was to read its information.


    [Upgradable!] ?


    [The skill assigned to this icon indicates that it can be evolved further in quality, from F to A tier; as the skill can progress to the maximum point that it can. Each skill has a different beginning tier and can be evolved up to a certain limit before, it is maxed out.]


    ''WOW! That would be really helpful, but I wonder what will be the upgrade requirements for the Analyze skill.'' Mako still had many questions about how much had urred in the past ten minutes, but at least the system helped him out with this one.


    [(D-Tier) Analyze] ? (Level 1)


    [Upgrade requirements: Continuous usage to a certain point (unknown), Acquire yer Status Level to Level 8]


    [Evolution benefits: Unknown]


    Not impressed by the system''s answer, Mako sighed as he said to himself,


    ''Not much to go off of, but I get a general idea. I will just use Analyze any time I get and try to reach Level 8 as soon as possible.''


    Mako wanted to give the Analyze skill a shot as he looked over to where Bill wasying on the floor unconscious. Mako''s Iris'' started glowing with a slight tint of red as he cast his new skill.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Bill Johnson] (Unconscious)


    [Ability: Earth (Level 3)] ?


    [Health: 67/140] ?


    [Energy: 18/200] ?


    [Strength: 25] ?


    [Agility: 9] ?


    [Perception: 3] ?


    [Intelligence: 3] ?


    [Mentality: 4] ?


    [Stamina: 10] ?


    [Charisma: 9] ?


    [Fortitude: 15] ?


    Mako was shocked to see that Bill had significantly greater attributes than him, and the only reason that he had won against him was that, Bill had low perception so he couldn''t see through his Phantom Skills, and Bill had also underestimated him which lead to his defeat.


    *SWOOSH!*


    Mako was brought back to reality by one of the bio-degradable stic water bottles thrown by the raging students that were headed straight for Mako''s head.


    Mako''s perception kicked in just in the nick of time, alerting him about the iing projectile, and Mako was able to sessfully dodge the attack.


    Another boost from the quest to defeat Bill was that he not only leveled up, but his level-up came with its own rewards as one of the rewards was a random increase in attribute points for any of Mako''s attributes.


    By pure chance, Mako''s Perception was increased to 7; which helped him sense small changes in the wind pressure from a simple attack such as a water bottle projectile.


    "Mako for sure cheated, he couldn''t have won against Bill fairly!"


    Many students were shouting simrints and taunts, but before they could act; the boy with the long hair shouted to get everyone''s attention while running to the middle of the ring.


    "People, please! Try to be civil! Multiple cameras were recording the whole event, and after carefully observing the footage it is confirmed that Mako Grey did not cheat in any way!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The announcement was like a stab in many people''s hearts as they had bet a lot of money and now they had lost all of it.


    The Boy with the long hair raised Mako''s bruised arm, and said loudly," MAKO GRAY WINS!"


    ***********


    [4:03 PM]


    Mako was seen smiling as he slowly walked back home from his school. He had just finished all his dealings in school and was finally able to leave.


    Many boys who had bullied Mako wereing up with the proposal of friendships, while multiple girls were asking for Mako''s contact info.


    Of course, Mako had denied every single one, because he knew that after the shock of losing their bets was settled down, they would realize that he was stronger than bill and would be a good person to befriend.


    This time, however; Mako''s intelligence points kicked in, and he made his decision that he would never show any sign of friendship to those who never cared for him when he was just a weak boy.


    Making his way back home, Mako made an unusual stop as he first visited the bakery. The bakery was supposed to be closed as it was located on the main street which was only busy during the morning and evening hours while the workers and chefs prepared everything in the afternoon and night shifts.


    Mako always worked the night shift, but before he left for school today; Sir Derek stopped him and asked him to visit the bakery on his way back.


    Mako was confused about the unusual request, but he decided toply because Sir Derek had been treating him very nicely the entire previous night shift.


    ************


    [*RING*]


    The backdoor bell rang as Mako entered through the worker''s entrance as the main entrance was obviously locked. Mako made his way to the main counter where Sir Derek was mostly working.


    Arriving at the counter, Mako noticed that Sir Derek was calmly napping on his big retractable leather chair.


    ''It is indeed difficult to run a 24/7 bakery as a person should always take a nap whenever they get the chance.'' Mako thought.


    He pulled up a chair and decided to wait till Sir Derek woke up so that he won''t disturb his precious sleep.


    As soon as Mako pulled up the chair, the chair sliding on the marble tile floor made a giant screeching sound which was enough to wake up Sir Derek.


    "Huh? My boy, am I dreaming?" Sir Derek asked in a very unusual tone whiches when one is grieving.


    "What happened Sir Derek? I''m right here! this is real." Mako replied in a soft and calming manner.


    Before any more words were exchanged, Sir Derek started crying his eyes out and also grabbed Mako tightly and wrapped him around himself while continuously chanting," THANK GOD!".


    After calming down, Sir Derek exined that he learned of Mako''s fight against Bill from his daughter who studied at a different school. She told Sir Derek about what was meant to be a brutal death match.


    Mako exined to Sir Derek what had happened and that he ended up winning in the end which shocked him more than the students that witnessed that event.


    After another half an hour of conversations and praise, Mako decided that it was time; he headed home and rested. Sir Derek acknowledged the fact and before his departure gave him an envelope.


    "It is a gift for my little champion!" These were thest words he said before resuming his work.


    Today was the day that Mako realized how much Sir Derek cared for him, and his worry for Mako''s well-being. He saw Sir Derek in a new light as he continued his journey back home.


    On the way, Mako decided to open the envelope that he was given. After opening it, Mako stopped right in his tracks as his hands started trembling.


    There was a card inside the envelope that had 500 credits loaded into it. In contrast, Mako earned around 250-300 credits a month, so it was like getting a month and a half''s worth of money all at once.


    Mako was beyond happy as this opened a lot of new paths for him that were previously closed due to being tight on money such as a gym membership or a proper diet.


    Mako decided that he would cash this into his own bank ount on the way back home as there was an ATM right next to the Pharmacy from where Mako purchased the healing pillst time.


    After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at the ATM and booted up his ount. Taking out the card from the envelope, Mako inserted it inside the machine to transfer the money to his main bank ount.


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Received 500 Credits from ount name: Derek Hilton]


    [Current Bnce: 167,450 Credits]


    Withdrawing his card from the machine, Mako was about to leave the ATM when he suddenly realized something.


    He rushed back to the ATM and booted up his ount again, hoping that maybe his eyes were ying tricks on him.


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Current Bnce: 167,450 Credits]


    "WHAT!!!"

 Chapter 15 Making Plans

    ?[User: Mako Grey]


    [Current Bnce: 167,450 Credits]


    "WHAT IN THE WORLD?!!!" Mako shouted as he blinked several times to confirm the data in front of him was true and not a misread, but no matter how many times he rubbed his eyeballs; the number never changed.


    "How is this even possible?" Mako asked himself while also frantically prancing and circling around in the small room that was where the ATM was.


    Multiple though came and went in Mako''s mind as it was simply too much for him to handle. It was as if his brain had overloaded and just turned into a boiled vegetable.


    He just quietly retrieved his money cards and after a short walk, he finally arrived home.


    Mako was dead-tired from all the training he did with his phantom moves, to working in the bakery, to thenpleting his daily quest, to finally fighting Bill with just barelying out on top, plus the amount of adrenaline that was pumped into his body due to the shocking truth that Mako had discovered at the ATM.


    So it was safe to assume that as soon as Mako arrived at the front door of his family house, he was so tired that he could hardly move a muscle.


    Mako dropped all his things on the counter, dragged his feet to the couch, and instantly fell asleep.


    **********


    It was early in the morning when Mako finally woke up from his slumber. After checking his clock he confirmed that the time was already close to sunrise.


    [5:09 AM]


    Mako rubbed his eyes and cleaned his drool, and finally came back to his senses after staring at the wall for about ten minutes.


    After taking a shower, and putting on a fresh pair of clothes; Mako came back to his living room to stare at his bag pack where his money card was, and Mako had already figured out where the money hade from.


    Mako couldn''t afford any kind of technological device, but the one that he did had was a money transfer device that was used to make transactions that were under 50 credits. This device also had a secondary function to disy the amount of money stored on the card.


    Mako had already figured out where the money hade from. The 5000 credits he made on himself had made him around 165900 credits! It was totally mind-boggling as never in a million years did Mako think that he would be in possession of so much money.


    With ess to all this money, Mako''s rate of advancement could skyrocket if he made the correct choices.


    ''Put 3 Attribute Points to intelligence.'' Mako instructed the system.


    [3 attribute Points have been added to Intelligence]


    [Attribute Points Remaining: 0 Points]


    A soothing and cool feeling washed over Mako as he spent all his avable attribute points on intelligence as paired with perception, they were the two most important attributes that Mako wanted to focus on as they would help him all the time not only in fighting but in all aspects of Mako''s life.


    Afterpleting his daily tasks for the day, Mako gained 2 more Attribute Points which he also added to his intelligence, bringing up to 10.


    Since it was a Saturday, Mako had no school, and seeing his bruised body; Sir Derek had given him the weekend off afterpleting all his other chores and training, Mako finally sat down on his couch to decide what was the best way to spend his winnings.


    *********


    [Somece in Emerald City]


    A shadowy figure was seen standing in front of a person who looked very young but was decently buffed. This person was currently getting a Bone-chilling beating from two very buff goons who were not showing him any mercy.


    At the snap of the man''s fingers, the two goons stopped the beating immediately and held the person upright so he could be face-to-face with their boss.


    "This is yourst chance, give me back my money that you promised, and all will be peachy, or else there was more where that came from." The man threatened as he took out a giant whip from a bag near him that was on a pedestal.


    "Please, I beg of you; just give me some time and I will figure all this out. I was indeed bested, but it was not from my doing; there was definitely some kind of trickery involved." The person tied with rope was budging the boss, but the boss person wasn''t budging a bit.


    "I don''t care if he cheated or not, the deal was that you will triple my investment on you, and considering your reputation I bet a lot on you. I want my MONEY!" The man said as he personally used the whip repeatedly on the person who was screaming for his life.


    "Boy''s send him to the warehouse!" The Boss person ordered.


    "Huh? NO! NO! Please NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT! I''LL DO ANYTHING YOU ASK! NOOOOO!" The man shouted, cried, and pleaded for his life as the two goons dragged him back.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Unaffected by all the screaming the boss man said," You''ll learn to never cross El Diablo again."


    "NOOO! PLEASE! NOOO...."


    ***********


    Mako had made his way back to Bird''s Eye Street, but this time he went to the small local library that was also on this street which Mako visited regrly.


    This was the ce where Mako woulde to do his school work, projects, assignments, and his own research, but this time Mako was using one of the publicputers for an entirely different purpose.


    Mako was on the official website from where regr citizens could buy ability books, skill books, and various other items up to level 3 which was the regted level. Anything above level 4 could bebeled as ''"too destructive for a society" so they were prohibited.


    Technically speaking a person could naturally evolve his ability to the max level of 10, even if he started with a level 1 ability book because it all depended on the person''s talent. The only thing that the higher-level books did was that they give a better starting point to the person ande with more already pre-learned skills.


    It was the same concept for skills as a level 1 skill could be perfected to their respective maximum level. However, there are a few things that couldn''t be learned at the basic level, and that required specific conditions to progress further.


    Mako had just finished his browsing and clicked on the checkout button to finish his purchase.


    Mako had chosen various items that would be extremely helpful to him through careful consideration.


    Firstly Mako had purchased 5 high tier Healing pills, 5 high tier Rejuvenating, and 5 high tier Boost pills so he could keep them on him in case of an emergency.


    Healing pills as the name implies can be used to heal quickly. Rejuvenating pills help the person regain their lost stamina and energy quickly, while Boost pills temporarily increase all stats of the consumer for a limited time. Boost pills could be considered as the old-school performance-enhancing drugs that humans used to use, but these are not harmful in any way and don''t affect people with strong power levels so that is why they are not that high on demand or expensive.


    Everything nowadays was graded as each grade could bepared to how levels work for abilities. It starts from Low to Medium to High to Advanced to Epic to King to Legendary to Mystic to Demon to finally God-like tier.


    Simr to how level 3 abilities and skills are the most that aremercially avable, the highest tier that a person can purchase is high-tier items.


    Along with the medicinal pills, Mako also purchased his very first power weapon. Power weapons were totally unique weapons that had no simrity to the old weaponry that humans had ess to, however; the exact process of how they were forged is still a myth with many people having their opinions about the process. Mako had purchased a High tier 9-inch de that he wanted as a form of self-defense.


    Not wanting to waste money, Mako spent hours scrolling through numerous websites and providers so that he could buy the best ability book that he could afford, and finally; he found it.


    It was from the website of the famous official city-wide provider, Dr. Timothy. His website provided a bundle pack at a discounted price for first-time buyers, which contained a level 3 ability book of the customer''s choosing and three random skill books varying from level 1 to 3 rted to that skill.


    After hitting checkout on the screen in front of Mako disyed the total bill.


    [1x Premium first-time ability bundle]


    [1x High-tier Blue Horn Mammoth''s Combat Knife]


    [5x High Tier Healing Pills]


    [5x High Tier Rejuvenating Pills]


    [5x High Tier Boost Pills]


    [Total Amount: 134,500 Credits]


    [Delivery ETA: 1-2 Hours]


    [Do you wish to proceed?]


    Mako clicked on yes and the transaction was sessful, but before Mako could finish up his business a notification appeared on theputer screen. It was from the same website as it said,


    [Congrattions! Since you spent more than a hundred thousand credits for your first purchase, TIM''S Laboratories have awarded you with a free skill book included in your order.]


    "Well that was unexpected, but I am not going toin," Mako said as he epted the generous offer.


    Mako was on his way back to his home, and by the time he would arrive there; his package would already have been delivered.

 Chapter 16 System Shortcuts

    ?"I have a package for um... Mako Grey?" a delivery person asked as he was currently standing on the doorstep of Mako''s home.


    "Yes, That''s me!" Mako replied as he proceeded to sign a few documents before the delivery man gave Mako his package, and turned to leave on the vehicle he arrived on.


    Mako felt like it was Christmas day, and he had been given a huge gift full of wonderful goodies that he would have all to himself. This, however; was all in Mako''s imagination as Mako never actually experienced Christmas or any other traditional holiday for that matter. He only assumed the feeling and reaction of children receiving gifts andpared it to him opening his box that just arrived from TIM''s Laboratory.


    Opening the box, Mako was left in shock and awe as he had only heard about these things from the mouth of others this was his first time actually witnessing, holding, and experiencing what feels like to be in presence of such powerful items.


    Before he got carried on, Mako first and foremost took everything out of the box andid them out on his table neatly. After that, he proceeded to use his Analyze skill in order to get a good description of what he had actually purchased as the website only gave a brief description as it was meant for rich people to buy from that site.


    [Analyze]


    [5x High Tier Healing Pills] ?


    [High Tier Healing pills are made from several different materials not currently in the user''s knowledge. A single pill when consumed saps 10 energy from the user while restoring 5 health per minute for the next 60 minutes, and can restore and heal internal injuries while also enough topletely heal the user from two fatal wounds such as bones shattering, massive cuts, serious damage to organs, etc.]


    [+300 Health]


    This was brand new information for Mako as if he could increase his knowledge about different materials and substances in the gxy, he could rtively find theposition of any substance he came in contact with.


    Secondly, another new piece of information was the amount of recovery a High Tier pill provided for fatal wounds as it didn''t heal a person in the way that Mako thought that eating a Healing pill will save you from death. During a serious fight between two powerhouses, it won''t be umon for each of them to suffer multiple fatal wounds, so much higher-grade healing pills would be required.


    [5x High Tier Rejuvenating Pills] ?


    [High Tier Rejuvenating pills are made from several different materials not currently in the user''s knowledge. A single pill when consumed boosts the energy regeneration speed of the user by 300% for the next 30 minutes.]


    [+300% Regeneration speed]


    Energy regeneration was important as this was the cost to cast skills and he learned that during his fight with Bill if his energy pool would have been slightly lower; he would have lost the battle due topletely depleting his energy so energy regeneration would benefit him a lot.


    "Come to think of it, what is my current energy regeneration speed?" Mako asked the system.


    [The user''s current rate of energy regeneration is 0.75 energy recovered per minute while not inbat.]


    This was also another shocking discovery as this meant that currently, Mako couldpletely regenerate his energy in a bit over three and a half hours, while if he consumed the pill that time could be close to a bit over an hour which would be a game changer for Mako if he would have to face multiple opponents on the same day.


    [5x High Tier Boost Pills] ?


    [High Tier Boost pills are made from several different materials not currently in the user''s knowledge. A single pill when consumed boosts all the attributes of the user by 5 points for the next thirty minutes.]


    [*SYSTEM OVERRIDE*]


    [The user can now choose to only temporarily boost a single attribute of his choosing, but that attribute will have a boost of 15 points instead of 5]


    [+5 Temporary All Stats OR +15 Temporary Single Attribute]


    "Well, that is new! I wonder if the system can change things about the other pills as well?" Mako questioned, but this time the system remained silent which Mako took as an obvious ''NO'', and carried on to the more expensive and important items.


    [High Tier Blue Horn Mammoth''s Combat Knife] ?


    [A 9-inch long de forged from the crystal and flesh of Blue Horn Mammoth found in (Unknown). A decent quality de forged by (Unknown)]


    [Strength +20]


    [Agility +5]


    [Attack: 55]


    [Passive skill: Frostbite] ?


    [Frostbite: When an opponent is stabbed with this knife, Ice starts to form around the wound; chilling it to very low temperatures causing the opponent to be slowed down and their strength cut in half.]


    [The duration for the passive skill is 30 minutes once it activates, and goes on a cooldown timer of 60 minutes.]


    A lot of information rushed into Mako''s head as it would seem that it was guaranteed that every time he would use analyze the items he bought, he would be blown away by the description and this time was no exception.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako already knew that if a forger was experienced enough, he or she could forge the item to have active or passive skills which oftentimes would be the thing that turned the tables during a fight, but what Mako didn''t know was the fact that de itself was crafted from organic things and not some special ore as he previously thought.


    It was massive a debate between people who couldn''t attain power as to how the power items were crafted, but Mako had just found out the truth even though he was still confused as he couldn''t imagine how they made a metallic de from the flesh.


    The de itself was very beautiful as the pictures on the website didn''t do it justice. It had a fewyers of brown fur wrapped around the handle which was ultra soft andfortable to hold, and the de had a gradient of colors from grey to a very dark and beautiful midnight blue.


    The shocker was when holding the de Mako felt a huge rush of energy to his arms and legs simr to when he had added attribute points to his Strength Attribute. Mako had no idea that power items had this kind of effect as just by holding the de, his strength was immediately doubled.


    The knife also came with a cover and a leg strap where Mako would keep the de in the meantime, but the most interesting thing was the fact that even though the de was resting on his thigh, as long as his body made contact with the de he would receive the boost that it provided,


    Now the only items left were the Ability Book, the three random Skill Books of that ability, and the oneplementary Skill Book he received due to hisrge order. He decided to check out theplementary Skill book first and save the best forst.


    Skill Book: [(E-Tier) Ten Palm Strike] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A fighting skill book that teaches the user a Basic Skill that instructs how to perform consecutive ten-palm strikes on an opponent in order to deal massive damage.]


    [Attack: 35]


    [Requirements: 35 Strength, 10 Agility, 10 Stamina]


    [Cost: 80 Energy]


    [Does the User want to instantly learn?]


    [YES/NO]


    "Huh? What is this about? What do you mean by instantly learning it?" Mako asked the system but there was no reply.


    "Well, I guess I could give it a shot since I was going to learn it anyways." Mako said as he sent his thoughts forward to choose the ''YES'' option.


    As soon as Mako had done so, the entire book began to glow with a bright white light, and an instantter it started to disintegrate into particles of light beforepletely vanishing momentster.


    Before Mako could even voice his concern as he might have just lost a very valuable book, a familiar notification sound was heard.


    *Ding!*


    Mako quickly checked what the notification was about, which transferred the system screen to the skills tab, and in the Basic Skills tab, there was a brand-new skill that mako could now use.


    (NEW) [(E-Tier) Ten-Palm Strike] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Mako''s mouth was left wide open as he couldn''t utter a single word. His eyes were ready to pop out of his sockets and his mouth opened so wide that elephants would be able to fit in them... well at least hypothetically.


    A bit of context for such a reaction is that the reason why a lot of people are powerless or have very little power is not because of having no money, but rather no talent. Not everyone is talented enough to learn a new ability or skill in a month as it takes most professionals, but still, it took them almost a month to perfect the basics of a new skill or master the control of an ability, and here Mako had just learned his first E-Tier skill instantly.


    Words could not describe the plethora of emotions and though that were running down Mako''s mind as he could now do things that even the people at the Master Level would envy.


    After calming down from yet another shocking revtion, it was time for Mako to look at what would be his first Ability Book, and also the three Skill Books that it came in addition with. Now that Mako had learned of the shortcuts that the system had provided for him, he no longer had dread over the thought of trying to learn all of those skills before he went to military school.


    With that Mako picked up the thing that he thought he would never be able to obtain in his lifetime.


    But before he could use the Analyze skill on the Ability Book, Mako heard a few notifications pop.


    *DING!* *DING!* *DING*


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    "What is going on?!"

 Chapter 17 Amazing Ability & Skills

    ?*DING!* *DING!* *DING*


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    Mako had no clue as to what triggered three consecutive hidden quests to bepleted at once but was not gonna sit there andin as there were now even more rewards that he could obtain.


    He decided that he would look at the notification first and foremost because he still had the mindset to be blown away the most by the best possible thing which was the ability book.


    ''Open System Interface'' Makomanded as the main screen was disyed right before his eyes.


    Quickly going to the notifications tab, the three messages presented themselves with much more detail this time.


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Figure at least three of the system''s unique features.]


    [Reward: +500 EXP, Query Icon, Override Function, A Passive Skill]


    [Query] ?


    [A new icon is now avable next to the notifications icon, the user can use this icon to directly ask the system for advice or a question and the system will try its best to try and answer the question as long as the question is within certain boundaries]


    [Override Function] ?


    [A new function has been unlocked which now the user can use manually. Next to every skill and item description, there will now be a small circle that would either be greyed out or lit up blue. If that circle is lit up blue, then the user can perform the override function on that said item or skill and change an aspect of its limits or effects. in order to add more extreme changes to a skill or item, something of an equal cost must be paid.]


    Passive Skill: [(A-Tier) Instant Learning] ? (NO LEVEL)


    [A Passive skill that was with the user since the beginning, but has now shown itself to the user as this skill will continue to function in the background requiring no effort from the user. This skill will instantly learn an ability or skill from the book that the user came in contact with the user''s permission while the physical book is disintegrated as a form of sacrifice]


    These were functions that Mako had already discovered, but it still made him have a shocked expression as he read all of the descriptions. These functions had now been thoroughly exined which added a bit more context to what Mako had already assumed about these functions before.


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Obtain your very first crystal-powered weapon]


    [Rewards: +1000 EXP, +5 Attribute Points]


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Obtain Five Usable skills]


    [Rewards: +600 EXP, Random Attribute Increase]


    [Perception has been elevated to 9]


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Reward: +3 Attribute points, Random Attribute increase]


    [Stamina has been elevated to 12]


    [Current Level: Lvl 6]


    Mako had no idea that the system had so many hidden quests pending, but he was happy that he was at a good rate of progression.


    After skimming through all of the details about three hidden quests and his level-up, it was finally time for Mako to learn his very first ability.


    [Analyze]


    Ability Book: [Fire Ability] (LEVEL 3) ?


    [An ability book that contains the power to control the element of fire. This Ability Book alreadyes with three pre-learned skills]


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Fireball] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: (E-Tier) me wheel] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Does the user want to instantly learn?]


    [YES/NO]


    Without even an ounce of hesitation, Mako immediately choose the ''YES'' option and waited for the cool tingly feeling that came whenever he learned something new, but it never came.


    "Huh? What is the meaning of this? Why can''t I learn the ability?!" Mako shouted out loud as this book was the most expensive thing that he had purchased, and if he couldn''t learn it then it would be a huge setback for him.


    [ERROR]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [User''s Mentality is too low to learn anything more]


    "Wait, what? My mentality? I thought that was just how much I could process at a time, What has it got to do with this?"


    "System, give me a detailed exnation about the uses of mentality.'' Mako ordered the system using the brand-new Ask Icon.


    [The Mentality Attribute is one of the most important attributes of a person as it represents the amount of information a person can process at a time, how high his/her resistance is against mental and sensory attacks, and how many skills and abilities a person can learn. For most people, there is a limit to how high their mentality will reach as they won''t be able to learn more skills or abilities, and will most likely be stuck in that power level for life.]


    After reading the description, Mako soon realized that every attribute had its ce as a person could not function even without one of them. Mentality is a very core attribute as it is what determines the number of skills and abilities that a person can hold.


    Most people got stuck at the Guardian or Elite rank just because of the fact that their mentality prevented them to gain more powers as the only thing they could do was refine the powers they already had.


    Gary''s words echoed in Mako''s mind as how he always loved to create a bnced character whenever he yed any game and moving forward Mako vowed to do the same with his own body.


    ''ce all the current avable Attribute Points in Mentality.''


    [8 Attribute Points have been added to Mentality]


    Mako''s Mentality was now at 10, and he picked up the ability book back up, and the same prompts as before appeared in his line of sight.


    [Does the user want to instantly learn?]


    [YES/NO]


    This time, as soon as Mako selected the ''YES'' option; a brain-chilling feeling started to erupt in his mind that felt like the worst brain freeze ever, but soon it started to be better and better. The feeling started out as painful, but it transitioned into the best feeling in the world as if he wasying on top of silk clouds with all his pain and misery vanishing.


    The feeling soon vanished as Mako felt a strange sensation all over his body that just wanted to erupt, but Mako focused his will and stopped what would have been a disaster.


    He immediately checked the skills tab to see which three abilities came with the ability book by itself mind you, Mako had bought a bundle that included the Ability Book and three random Skill Books rting to that same ability; however, before Mako could take a look at his skills, a new notification popped up which disyed what Mako had been dreaming about for years.


    [Congrattions! You have obtained the Fire Ability]


    [Fire is an offensive ability, your offensive stats will be increased when using fire-based moves]


    [Strength +10]


    [Agility +5]


    [Stamina +5]


    [To activate these boosts, you have to keep your ability active which will passively drain energy as well as release the aura of a level 3 Fire ability user]


    [Current rate of energy consumption: 2 Energy per minute]


    These were the boosts that would make even a normal person threaten towards another and this was the reason why Mako was so afraid of all his bullies. Not only did they get boosts in stats when they activate an ability, but the aura they emit is also very chocking towards a person who didn''t awaken in power yet.


    Now that Mako had achieved it, the first part of the n to be a decent power user wasplete as there would be many more steps that Mako would have toplete before his enrollment in military school, but first Mako decided to check out his brand new fire-based skills.


    New skill: [(E-Tier) Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Upgradable!] ?


    [Elemental Control is the most basic of all skills that each user of an elemental ability has ess to where the more you use it the stronger it gets as it has no defining limit to how high the user''s production and control over the element of fire can be]


    [Attack: Variable]


    [Cost: Variable]


    New skill: [(F-Tier) Fireball] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A basic attack from the Fire Elemental Skill Tree, that shoots a small ball of fire towards the opponent, where there is a chance for the opponent to get the burning status effect where they will get a certain amount of continuous damage for a certain time]


    [Attack: 15]


    [Cost: 30 Energy]


    New skill: [(E-Tier) me wheel] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A basic attack from the Fire Elemental Skill Tree, that can be cast by only fists, but is 25% more effective if cast while holding any type of de. It is a move where the user does a horizontal 360-degree spin while infusing his elemental control onto his fist or weapon, from which mes erupt and spread as far as 5 meters in every direction before fading. Burn damage can not be inflicted when using this move.]


    [Attack: 25]


    [Cost: 50 Energy]


    The word ''Mindblown'' needed to have its definition changed as it was a feeling that urred when a  person would experience a huge shock that would happen asionally. That wasn''t the case for Mako as he had been mindblown and shocked again and again as it was bing the norm for him.


    It waste at night at this point when an idea popped into Mako''s mind.


    "Why don''t I test some of these abilities out?" Mako said to himself as he had a wide grin on his face.

 Chapter 18 You Reap What You Sow

    ?While Mako was enjoying the multiple brand-new skills and Fire Ability that he had just learned; somewhere else in Emerald City, the exact opposite was happening.


    Inside what looked to be an abandoned factory warehouse, the sounds of beating and screaming could be heard loudly.


    Inside the warehouse, multiple people were working while there was a guard behind each one that was hitting them with a whip that looked like it was entirely made of lightning every time the workers slowed down or took a break.


    One of the workers that were working there had short ginger hair and a buffer body aspared to all the other workers.


    This was of course bill Johnson, he was the one who had been dered the strongest kid in school while he was also begging for his life to the shadowy figure who ordered his henchmen to take him to the warehouse.


    This was one of the many warehouses that was under one of the mafia bosses in Emerald City only known by his code name, El Diablo.


    Bill had encountered El Diablo for his thrust for power because Bill didn''t actually get the Earth ability from his father as everyone had assumed up to this point rather it was through him instead.


    This was the memory that kept repeating in Bill''s mind as he was once again electrocuted by the guards.


    Bill''s father had not provided him with an ability book as a punishment because he was already using his basic fighting skills to an extent that even though his father was a military veteran, a mother came and pped his father due to the state Bill had put her son in.


    Bill''s father gave a punishment to Bill in order to teach him a lesson but in bill''s mind, his father just didn''t love him enough to give him an ability. So Bill being a determined young boy started searching for ways to get an ability.


    He searched for months, going to any website and clicking on any link that looked promising. In the end, Bill ended up finding just what he was looking for as there was a pie-eating contest in the industrial district of Emerald City, and whoever won would be given a free level 3 ability.


    The term ''Too good to be true!'' wasn''t even Bill''s dictionary as he was genuinely desperate to get his very own ability.


    Looking back now, Bill could only facepalm himself on one of the stupidest mistakes that his younger self made.


    Bill made his way to the location that was given on the website, but *surprise* *surprise* it turned out to be a scam. Several goons were waiting at that location searching for their next victim. The goons were just looking to enve and turn anyone they caught into free workers.


    They managed to kidnap Bill and take him away to the warehouse, but after noticing that he fought him, The goon''s leader decided to present him to the Mafia boss, El Diablo.


    Bill kept on struggling as he was presenting in front of the mafia boss who wasn''t impressed in any way from the get-go. He signaled one of his henchmen to untie Bill, and as soon as the henchmen did as he was told; Bill immediately sprung into action and started using the basic skills that he had learned to protect himself somehow.


    [Three-punch Combo]


    [High Kick]


    [Falcon Fist]


    Bill used all of the basic fighting skills that he learned alongside his elder brothers, The henchmen were caught off guard and took a direct hit from Bill before he realized what was going on.


    "You little piece of S***! I''ll kill you!" The henchmen shouted as that single hit hurt his pride a lot, but before he could even move; El Diablo was somehow standing in front of Bill and blocking the henchmen from doing anything.


    "Oh, so we have a fighter over here," The Mafia boss said as he took a cigar out of his coat''s pocket and proceeded to light it.


    Taking a few puffs of the cigar, The Mafia Boss finally continued.


    "So you came here in the hopes of getting an ability, didn''t you" The boss spoke in a very calm manner.


    "Ah... Yeah." Bill responded carefully as he could sense the aura that was being emitted by the boss in front of him as it was definitely no ordinary aura. This aura indicated that the boss might have more than one ability or a very high-level single ability. The aura was simr to his father''s aura who had a level 6 Earth Ability and a Level 4 Wind Ability.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "So why don''t we make a deal, What was your name..., Mr. Bill?" The boss spoke as he took another puff of his cigar.


    El Diablo ended up making an offer that at the time was perfect for Bill. The Mafia Boss provided him a level 3 Earth ability and a few skill books, and in exchange, Bill had to swear his loyalty to him.


    Bill would go to do El Diablo''s bidding in many ways which also included several kidnappings as well. Bill even got the chance to be one of the guards who electrocuted the workers while they worked to the bone.


    He kept his ability a secret at home by never revealing his aura while also providing the school with fake contact information of his father so that even if he did something that the teachers won''t be able to overlook, theint would never reach his home.


    All of this kept growing his sadistic nature which he started showing more and more in school towards kids like Mako.


    One day, Bill was narrating what Mako had done to him during their previous match when Mako stood up and talked back to him.


    El Diablo being a smart businessman suggested to Bill why not have a rematch with Mako and do it in a way that the instructor won''t interfere at all, and he could also record the entire thing live and stream it online where people could make anonymous bets.


    Bill thought it was an amazing idea and immediately set the n in motion, he threatened Mako, paid the instructor, told a few of his school goons to record the whole thing, and even made a betting pole on an online social website that was run by El Diablo himself.


    Everything was set up and the big day had arrived, Bill was prepared to humiliate Mako as he had never done before, and grow his sadistic nature to the next level which might also be able to impress El Diablo even more.


    The only w in Bill''s n was that he had never even given a thought to Mako could be stronger than him so when Mako started dodging all of his attacks and even taunting him midway, Bill started to have cold feet. If Bill could not defeat Mako, then El Diablo would all the money he had used to bet on him which was a major problem.


    El Diablo only had one rule and that was to never do something that would result in him losing money. Bill changed his tac-tic midway and decided tounch powerful attacks with the hope of killing Mako once and for all but he was defeated in the end.


    Later that evening, Bill stood in front of El Diablo who wasn''t in a calm and collected look anymore as he sentenced Bill to be a worker in one of the warehouses till he had earned enough money to pay him back.


    Hammering away at a piece of metal, Bill was now regretting his actions as for the first time he was given a taste of what it felt like to be tortured again and again.


    It was toote for him to make things right as he would be stuck in the warehouse, working 16 to 18 hours a day while surviving off small meals that didn''t even meet the minimum requirement of calories to be healthy.


    In Bill''s mind, this was God''s way of punishing him so that he could atone for his sins, and Bill had epted that but the treatment he was getting was on such extreme scales that he wished that he could just go to sleep and never wake up again.


    After another long day of work, Bill was beyond exhausted but he still somehow made his way back to themon room where there were too many bunk beds to count as this was the ce where most of the workers slept.


    Bill was about to go to bed when a certain head popped up from the lower bunk.


    "Hey Billy boy, you good my guy?" The person asked, he was a middle-aged man close to his forties and had almost no facial hair, but physically looked like he was around 60 to 70 years old.


    "Yeah, I am alright Andy, just tired that''s all, goodnight" Bill shoved him off as he turned to his side whileying in his bed.


    Andy''s head popped back up again from the other side.


    "Hey, just a heads up, a couple of guys were discussing earlier about some sort of break out or something, and that they needed more powerful ability users, so you should probably take a look into it," Andy whispered in a more serious tone before popping back down on his bed and going to sleep in less than thirty seconds.


    "Hmm... A break-out, huh?" Bill said to himself as he noticed a couple of workers all huddled around a single bed at the far east corner of the room.


    "Worth a shot, I guess," Bill told himself as he got up from his bed and dragged himself to join the crowd of people.

 Chapter 19 The Price Of Freedom

    ?Bill slowly made his way towards the group of people huddled around a singr bed at the far east corner of the room.


    There was a hugemotion, as about twenty to twenty-five workers were conversing with each other, but they all became quiet as soon as an elderly person came out room right next to his bed which was the bathroom.


    Bill was thinking that this was just another one of Andy''s pranks, and all of these people were just waiting to use the bathroom, but before he could leave he heard one of the workers address the old man.


    "Gramps? Were you able to take it?" A young boy asked as he could not hold his excitement anymore.


    The person referred to as Gramps didn''t reply rather he just held up his arm to show a bar of soap.


    All twenty or so workers had their mouths wide open as they finally had some semnce of hope in their lives after a very long time.


    Bill had absolutely no idea about what was going on, so he politely asked the old man about it.


    "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but what is that?" Bill asked in a very respectful manner which if anyone from his past life would have seen; they would have fainted right on the spot.


    Bill had some time to reflect on his past and what his character was up to that point even though he had only spent around 2 days here, he was apletely changed person.


    "Oh, and just who you might be young man?" The old man said intriguingly.


    "My name is Bill Johnson, and I was once part of this gang, but as soon as they saw no more use for me; they banished me to earn my way out of this warehouse." Bill introduced himself to the group.


    "Another one, huh? Well, don''t worry about it as most of us were once part of El Diablo''s gang as well and here we are. This, here is a bar of soap that I used to make a cast of a key." The man held up the bar of soap closer toward Bill so he could have a clear look.


    "But what does this key go to?" Bill asked keeping his respectful tone in check.


    The entire group started tough lightly at Bill but instantly stopped when the old man raised his hand.


    "Since you are new here, it is okay since you don''t know much about our n so let me start from the beginning. My name is Albert and I was once one of the closest henchmen to El-Diablo as I was also serving his father that used to run this gang before him. During a deal with another Mafia Boss, we were ambushed and El-Diablo got hurt. He med me for not being able to protect him well enough and banished me from this warehouse. That was 22 years ago."


    The entire group wentpletely silent as Albert narrated his story to Bill who was listening with the utmost attention.


    "Since then, I had been hatching different ns to escape, but they all failed as I saw many young boys and men die premature and gruesome deaths. I vowed that I would never stop trying and do anything that it would take to be able to rescue as many people as possible from this hellhole."


    Showing everyone the bar of soap one more time, Albert continued.


    "I believe that this is the n that will work. I spent months tracking every guard''s routine and shift changes and using a unique opportunity, I stole the key to the weapons locker for just long enough for me to make a cast out of it."


    As Albert finished narrating his story and n, Bill''s mouth was left wide open at the words said by Albert.


    He had only spent two days there and he was already wishing for death while there were people like Albert who had spent most of their lives in this ce. It was truly a humbling experience as Bill made the quick decision that he had to help this man attain the freedom that he longed for so long.


    Bill stayed the entire night with the group which he learned was called the ''Freedom Fighters.'' Cringy name aside, this group contained all of those people that still had the will and determination to try and escape not everyone was part of this group since they were too afraid of the consequences of getting caught so they rather just quietly work until death came over them naturally.


    To put Albert''s n into motion, the first step was to cast the key in metal so that they had a solid key that they use. Since Bill and a few other guys were on furnace duty for the next week, they decided that they would be the ones to cast the key.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    During the following week, Bill tried everything he could to get extra work done when the guards weren''t looking. He tried waking up early and going to the furnace first, he tried eating lunch as soon as possible so that while the rest of the people were on break he could have the furnace all to himself but none of his attempts worked. He would always get caught and wasn''t allowed near the equipment without supervision.


    One night, Bill decided that he would work aste as possible since that was allowed by the guards because as long as you worked the more money you could earn and this was a way for the workers to buy themselves decent food once in a while.


    Late at night, Bill could be seen still hammering away at a sheet of metal with his earth hammer. It was superte and Bill was extremely tired but he steeled his resolve and continued to work. At exactly 3 in the morning, the guards would change shifts as the tired guards would go to rest and new guards would take their ce.


    As soon as the shift change urred, Bill sprung into action and immediately started pouring hot liquid metal directly into a y mold that he had made earlier from the soap. The shift change took between 6-10 minutes toplete, but Bill needed at least 8 minutes for the mold to cool down and to be able to crack open the mold and clean the key so that it was usable.


    Bill just needed to pray that the new guards took their sweet time so that he could be finally done. After a few minutes, the liquid metal had cooled down and became solid again; but still, it was too hot to handle as it still needed more time.


    *BZZZT*


    The sound of the first door opening was heard as it was an indicator that the new guards had entered the building and they would arrive at the furnace in two minutes as they were being checked by the security at the gate to confirm that they were indeed gang members.


    Seeing as there was no time left, Bill broke open the cast and quickly picked up the key using a piece of plyers. He immediately started the belt sander in order to polish and refine the key so that it would be able to be used as an actual key.


    The sounds of more doors kept on running as Bill didn''t stop and continued to perfect the key. With only moments to spare, Bill had no time to cool down the key as it was still hot. If Bill waited any longer, Then he would be caught by the guards trying to forge the key. Seeing as there was no other choice Bill grabbed the key just as soon as thest gate opened and out came two guards.


    *Sizzle*


    The still-hot key immediately started cooking Bill''s hand as it was the worst pain that he had ever experienced but he couldn''t show his pain to the guards or they might get suspicious of him. Bill just stood there bowing his head to the new guards which was a rule that all workers had to follow while also trying his very best to try and not to let a single sound or teare out of him.


    "Hey, YOU! What the hell do you think you''re doing?!" The guard shouted at Bill who continued to bow.


    Bill was trembling inside because he didn''t know how the guard found out about the key. Slowly lifting his head back up, he could see the guard slowly making his way toward him with a stun baton in hand.


    The guard proceeded to strike Bill a couple of times with the stun baton before grabbing him by his hair and throwing him back to the hammering station.


    "That piece of metal isn''t t yet and you decide to pour the next batch of metal? Keep hammering that one until we tell you that it''s t!" The guard ordered Bill.


    Bill was relieved inside as it was just because he was standing near the furnace where the molten metal was instead of the hammering station when the guards arrived.


    Bill finished his extra work and returned to themon room, where the rest of the workers were about to get ready and leave and start their work.


    Bill made his way to Alberts''s bed with a painful look on his face that he couldn''t hide anymore.


    He arrived in front of Albert and gave him the key just like he promised. Albert looked at the key and was shocked to see that Bill had actually seeded, but he also noticed Bill''s Painful and hurt expression.


    As he took the finished key from Bill''s hand, he saw the burn mark that had embedded itself into Bill''s hand. Seeing this and knowing the sacrifice that Bill had just made, Albert got up and hugged Bill tightly.


    Bill couldn''t even remember thest time he had been hugged as he just couldn''t hold in his emotions any longer, as he started crying loudly while still being in the embrace of Albert.


    Albert stroked his hair as he consoled him," It''s okay my son, Everythinges at a price and you just paid the price of your freedom."

 Chapter 20 FIGHT!

    ?After Bill hadpleted his job, the rest of the workers were also able to set the other parts of their n into motion.


    Bill tried to do everything in order to heal the burn mark, but it had no effect. If he wanted medical attention he would have to go to the guards, and that wasn''t a possibility since they would instantly recognize the burn mark to be that of the key.


    With no other method or healing pills avable, the burn mark would be permanent as this was something that bill would have to live with for the rest of his life.


    In the middle of the night, all of the members of the freedom fighters had a meeting at Albert''s bed once again.


    Albert stood up as he addressed the group one final time.


    "My brothers, tonight is the night that all of you will achieve that freedom that you so rightfully deserve. Through the efforts of all of you people, we finally have all pieces set for us as we just have to roll the die and see what fate has in store for us because I am not going to reassure or give anyone false hope."


    This speech was very moving for many people but for Albert, it was painful as these were the exact words he spoke many times before when he had nned an escape, and every time it resulted in failure.


    "I will go over the n one more time so that all of you are on the same page. Through the efforts of Toby and Peter, we have acquired a uniform of the guards, and from the painful effort of Bill, we have the key leading to the weapon''s room. Now, Philip will put on the guard costume and will try to make his way to the weapons vault."


    Everyone was in agreement with one another as Albert continued to narrate the n.


    "All ability users will go with Philip and provide backup as the strongest guards that are on patrol are of Level 4 variety. We have the element of surprise as if we attack before they can activate any defensive measures, taking them out will be possible. Once your lot will reach the weapons room, grab as many weapons as possible and through them down theundry chute that is the next room."


    "I and the rest of the people here will be on duty there and will be able to take the two guards that are watching over us in there with ease. After that we will all meet up near the main exit gate ''2B'', where we will have ourst stand; whether we escape or die trying will all be determined by the amount of time we can buy Ramsay to overload the locking mechanism and open the main exit."


    The atmosphere turned gloomy as all the workers knew about the risk and the chances of them escaping were minimal, yet they were determined to make it work.


    The following night, Albert''s n was put into effect as Philip along with Bill and a few other ability users slowly and cautiously made their way toward the weapon room without having any major hups. They arrived at the weapon''s room, and smoothly opened it to find that no one was inside the room which was a bonus.


    They loaded as many batons, whips, and whatever they could find and sent them down theundry chute next door while also picking weapons that would suit their ability as well. Bill noticed that there were also two power weapons stored in the room, and he decided to take one of them which was a gauntlet while a lightning ability user took the other one which was a staff.


    As soon as the weapons reached Albert and the rest of the gang, he yelled out.


    "Everybody attack!"


    The two guards were caught off guard and didn''t react quickly enough when two boys electrocuted them using the batons on the max setting. The guards immediately went unconscious but that didn''t stop the boys to continue attacking their bodies.


    "Now let''s see whether you like getting shocked over and over again!" The boy shouted as he took another swing.


    Before the baton could make contact with the guard''s body, suddenly something stopped the boy''s arm from going further.


    "No Boy! Don''t do this! If you do, then there will be no difference between you and these gutless monsters. Calm yourself, and focus on the main n. Escape!" Albert lovingly lectured the kid as he calmed the boy''s raging mind.


    The rest of the gang also picked up their weapons and made their way to the exit door. Bill and the rest of the people he was with also took some weapons for themselves as they hurried their way toward the exit.


    Within mere minutes, the two groups reunited with each other and immediately went on guard.


    "Ramsay, It''s all up to you now, hurry up before the guards are even alerted!" Albert shouted towards a young man, but before he could take a single step the sound of slow pping resounded throughout the entire hall.


    *CLAP**CLAP**CLAP*


    "Bravo! Gentlemen, Bravo!" A voice resounded from the dark hallway as the lights slowly started to flicker on one by one to see 30 armed guards and the main supervisor pping.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "For you to have the nerve of crossing our boss once for which you ended up in here, and now for a second time by trying to escape your fate! It is truly admirable." The supervisor said as he continued to p.


    All of a sudden the pping ended, and out came from the crowd someone who nobody expected to see.


    "ANDY!?" Bill shouted in utter shock and confusion.


    "This worker told us of your n to escape, otherwise it would have been a sessful escape." the supervisor taunted the group who just showing faces ofplete and utter shock and despair.


    Bill however was having none of it. Andy was the first friend that he had made here and he was the one who rmended him to join the escape party in the first ce. Bill had already given too much for this n to fail as he would not back down.


    Bill whispered to Ramsay who was standing right behind him,


    "Listen, Ramsay, I am not giving up. You have a short height and you should be able to hide from the guards while you work on the door. Whatever happens, we will protect you to the end so you just focus on getting that damn door open."


    Ramsay immediately understood what Bill meant. It was better to die trying than to be ves again. At a moment''s notice, Ramsay sneaked through the crowd and started unscrewing the main control panel. Bill decided to buy as much time as possible for Ramsay.


    "Why Andy?! We asked you to join as well, you heard what he said. If you had kept your damn mouth shut, we could have escaped this ce together so WHY!?"


    Finally, there was a reaction from Andy as he just started tough andugh. All the guards and even the supervisor joined in as they allughed at the group as if they were in aedy show.


    "He he he he he! You''re an idiot if you couldn''t even figure that much out for yourself, and to think that El-Diablo actually liked you!" Andy mocked Bill as he resumed hisughing.


    "What in the hell do you mean?!" Bill shouted unable to keep his anger in check.


    "Allow me to exin Mr. Johnson!" The supervisor chimed in.


    "You see Andy here is just an undercover agent tasked with finding any ns that troublemakers like you make so that we could exterminate it before it became a problem. This also served as a reminder to the remaining workers as to what would happen, if they tried to escape, but I guess there are always stubborn people like you in the world that need to be dealt with properly!"


    The words hit Bill right in the heart as it was a heavy emotional blow, but no one was as hurt as Albert himself.


    "So you were the reason why all my ns failed right at the end! It was because of you, that I have the blood of many young men and boys on my hands! You were always offered the escape, you always listened but never took the offer. I was so stupid as I didn''t see through your disguise!" Albert shouted at Andy who only nodded while continuing tough like a madman.


    "Well, I think this hassted for long enough! Guards, Show no mercy!" The supervisors charged forward.


    Bill immediately ran in front of the group and conjured a massive earth wall to buy some more time as he addressed the group.


    "Listen, everyone! Ramsay is already working on the gate! My Earth barrier won''t hold them for long! This is ourst chance at freedom! Fight! Fight so you may see your friends and family again! Protect Ramsay at all costs! There is no surrender as that would mean Death!"


    The wall of Earth crumbled in the next moments as all twenty-five of the freedom fighters were gripping their weapons tightly, ready to die trying to earn their freedom.


    The supervisor seeing the determination in them startedughing again while also shouting out orders to his men.


    "Don''t leave a single one alive! Charge!"


    "FIGHT!!!"

 Chapter 21 Taking Refuge

    ?"FIGHT!" Bill yelled at the top of his lungs as the workers charged in, with the ones having abilities taking the lead at the frontline.


    The initial sh is very important in a battle as it instantly defines which of the opposing parties is stronger and who will most likely win the sh as well as the battle.


    Even though there were mostly level 3 ability users in both groups, there were a total of three level 4 ability users on the guard''s side. These ability users cast skills that were bigger in scale than what the level 3 workers could muster, and could overpower them easily.


    The way that the workers countered it was to mostly focus their manpower on these three men who were the biggest threat.


    It looked as if it was even a battle, but it was not. Multiple workers could just barely hold back the first wave of guards as within minutes of the battle starting, there was already blood being spilled.


    Bill fought as he had never fought before utilizing everything he had in his arsenal, from the fighting moves he learned with his father to the best ability moves he learned from working for El Diablo.


    It was safe to say that Bill had more of a fighting experience than any other worker who just got trapped here because he signed a contract with El Diablo that was meant to fail.


    After exchanging a couple of blows, almost half of the workers died in a very painful manner all the while Andy and the supervisor resumed theirughing.


    Albert, even though was weaker and older than the rest of the workers; somehow still made it to this as Andy''sughter made his skin crawl in the worst way possible.


    "I need a diversion!" Albert yelled.


    Without asking any questions a water ability user immediately started to throw waves and waves of water toward the guards. This alone didn''t cause any major damage or hindrance to the guards; however, as soon as the water had sshed everywhere, another person walked into the middle of the fight and yellow-colored lightning started to wrap around his arms.


    All the guards immediately knew what was about to happen and suddenly started to retreat. The man imnted his hands firmly on the ground and electrical sparks started shooting everywhere.


    Bill and a couple more earth ability users made a tform so that they won''t get electrocuted from the attack while also shielding Ramsay as well.


    "Ramsay how much longer!?" Bill shouted.


    "A couple more minutes! Just hold on a little longer!" Ramsay replied as the earthpletely covered him to protect him from any rogue attacks.


    "Alright, Listen everyone! We have a real shot at this, and I have a n to counter the guards!" Albert shouted as helped thest person climb onto the tform.


    "While Jim holds the guards back with his lightning, divide into groups! The one with no abilities will assist the Water ability ones with their electrical weapons and act as abo. The Wind and Earth ability users will be on defense as they will push back the guards as much as they can." Albert started to tell everyone his strategy.


    "Hurry Up, you guys! I can''t hold on much longer!" Jim shouted as the intensity of the electricity started to reduce.


    "Lightning users, Buy us some more time as you assist Jim! Go!" Albert shouted as three more workers jumped next to Jim to reduce his load.


    "Bill! What the hell do you think you are doing!?" Albert finally addressed Bill who got confused at the sudden outburst.


    Before Bill could say anything, Albert grabbed his fist and brought it close to his face.


    "These gauntlets! Why aren''t you using their power?!" Albert asked as Bill stared at him with an innocent look which made Albert even angrier.


    "They are high-tierbat gauntlets that cut down the cost of the energy requirement of any low-level ability-rted skills cast by the hands by almost 50 percent!" Albert said matter-of-factly.


    Bill was shocked to learn what Albert had told him as he had only been using these gauntlets to achieve a greater strength which helped him counter the level 4 ability using guard to some extent.


    The four workers including Jim were getting fatigued from constantly pumping electricity to the ground while the guards just waited and observed from a distance to get an opportunity to strike again as they were unaware of the fact that Ramsay was almost 75 percent of the way done in opening the main exit.


    "While you guys do that, I will secretly nk them from behind using the pirs as cover tounch a surprise attack!" Albert addressed the group as he finished his n.


    Jim and the remaining group fainted from overexerting themselves as the guards finally made their move and began their assault again. The workers did what they were told and started to counter the guards more efficiently.


    Albert also started to make his move tounch the surprise attack, but before he could do so, Bill stopped him by grabbing his arm.


    "Albert, what are you doing? Ramsay will get the gate open soon. You should stay and fight here so that we can escape together." Bill told Albert while still gripping his hand tightly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A warm smile appeared on Albert''s face as he spoke lovingly," My boy, Who told you that I wanted to escape? I have been here for too long and lost everything even before I came here, with my only purpose in life being to let a few people taste the freedom that I never got to experience."


    Before Bill could even reply, Albert freed himself from his grip and started to run around the pirs in order tounch his surprise attack.


    Bill yelled as tears started to form in his eyes, but he couldn''t do anything as he had to assist the remaining Earth ability users. Bill nced in Albert''s general direction onest time before going toward the rest of his group.


    Bill and another worker who had the staff weapon stood in front of the group andbined their Earth ability to send multiple boulder projectiles to reduce the number of the weaker guards.


    The battle continued as it was more even than before since this time the group had an actual n rather than aimlessly fighting.


    After a couple of minutes, a sudden yell sounded from the main gate.


    "IT''S OPEN!!" Ramsay shouted as he was the first to escape as the guards and the supervisor waspletely caught off-guard by the sudden development.


    As soon as Ramsay made an announcement, ck liquid started to drip onto the guard''s position from above.


    Looking up, everyone saw Albert creating a hole in a pipe that started leaking the ck liquid.


    "Get him down!" The supervisor yelled as a powerful wind st knocked Albert off his feet, but Albert didn''t fall. He grabbed onto the pipe and started to extend the hole even more. Another st hit him which made the pipe fall alongside him.


    The guards were drenched in the ck liquid while Albert was still hanging onto the pipe which was suspended a couple of feet from the ground, right in the middle of the guards.


    "NICK! DO IT NOW!!" Albert shouted towards the group who had already started to run out of the exit towards freedom.


    Only a couple of people remained, and within them was Nick. A fire ability user who had started conjuring a fireball on Albert''smand.


    Fear set in every guard''s heart as they realized what the ck liquid was. This time it was Albert''s turn tough as he looked at the faces of Andy and the supervisor.


    "HA!HA!HA! Burn in hell alongside me!" Albert shouted as Nickunched the fireball and immediately started to run.


    Bill was now the only person left that hadn''t escaped as he stared toward Albert who in his final moments stared back and smiled as if he was the happiest man on Earth.


    "NOOO!" Bill shouted before...


    *BOOM!*


    A huge explosion resounded that threw Bill many feet back in the air, while the guards and Albert were sted apart.


    After some time, Bill finally came to see that the east side of the warehouse had been destroyed and was in mes. Breathing in the ck fumes, Bill started to cough violently as he also made his escape.


    Bill was so close to the explosion that he suffered multiple injuries and had many burn marks all over his body. His clothes were burned in many ces and were torn all over.


    Bill ran as fast as he possibly could at that time in a random direction, as he didn''t know where he was going, but all he knew was that he had to leave before reinforcements arrived.


    After running for what Bill felt like hours, he finally made his way out of the forest that he was running through as in front of his eyes was a single lonely house that had the lights on.


    Having no other choice, Bill ran towards the house in the hope that whoever owned the house could help him as he was literally on hisst legs.


    As soon as he arrived at the front door, he knocked violently as he could feel his vision fade.


    *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*


    "Yes? Who is it?" A familiar voice sounded as the door was opened by a young boy with dark hair with a tint of green.


    "Mako?" Bill said in confusion before he copsed right in front of his front door.

 Chapter 22 Regrets

    ?"Mako?" Bill said in confusion before he copsed right in front of his front door.


    Mako was beyond confused as to what was going on. He had been enjoying his dinner and was about to leave to work the night shift at the bakery when Bill made his sudden entry.


    Seeing that Bill was in a very terrible shape, Mako''s inner consciousness kicked in as he couldn''t bring himself to just Bill at his front door in the condition that he was in.


    Mako slowly lifted Bill''s body and ced him on the couch. Taking out one of the high-tier healing pills from his pouch, Mako fed the pill to Bill while also began cleaning all the dust and debris from his Body.


    ******************


    In thest couple of days, Mako had been grinding every day to be as strong as he possibly could before the military inspectors arrived at his high school to take trials.


    It had been almost two weeks since his big fight with Bill, and since that Bill was nowhere to be seen in school. Everyone chalked up to the fact that Bill lost the fight to a person who had no ability, so he didn''t dare to show his face on school grounds again.


    Mako''s poprity in school had sky-rocketed as now everyone wanted him to be in their group, be their friend, and even some girls approached him asking him to be their boyfriend. Mako; however, saw through all of it as he didn''t make a single connection with anyone as he kept his cold demeanor towards them.


    Many students that used to make fun of and bully Mako regrly started having cold feet after the big fight because, in their minds, Mako would have a thirst for revenge.


    Days passed and Mako acted the same he did before as there was no change in his behavior which left many students confused.


    It got to a point where the students couldn''t take it anymore a girl finally got the courage to walk to Mako and ask him why he was acting this way.


    Knowing that these people would not get off his back until he gave a satisfactory answer, finally cracked and gave them the answer they never expected anyone would say.


    "I am not like you people, so don''t match my actions with your ideals. When I was bullied, taunted, and beaten daily, you guys never did anything. You were the people who called me trash! Now that I finally stood up for myself and took a stand, suddenly I am meaningful to you?"


    Mako continued his speech while the girl had a look of shame on her face.


    "When I was weak, I was never helped, so now that I am strong I don''t wish to associate myself with you whether you are rich or strong. I will not take revenge on anyone nor will I ept any of your fake friendships. So stop annoying me and let me be in peace!"


    Everyone within the vicinity who heard Mako thought that he had gone mad.


    ''Fool! Why doesn''t he make rich and powerful friends? I would have jumped at the opportunity!'' A boy ridiculed Mako in thought.


    ''Wouldn''t take revenge for all that you have been through?! Who do you think you are? Some kind of saint!'' A girl screamed in her mind.


    Not taking advantage and being forgiving was a mentality very few people had in this day and age as almost every single student in Emerald High had a good background so they were never taught these important life lessons that were taught to Mako by his grandmother and all the old folk on Bird''s Eye street.


    Word spread fast around the school as everyone got to know what Mako had said, but there were of course some alterations done by the students who conveyed the message.


    "Hey, did you hear? Mako Grey said that he is too good and strong to take revenge on anyone as they would just get humiliated just like Bill." A boy whispered into the ear of another boy while in the middle of a lecture.


    By the end of the day, there was outrage among the students of Emerald High as the bullies and the students that were trying to befriend him took a huge blow to their ego that they just couldn''t live down.


    Mako received multiple duel requests saying that he would be a loser if he wouldn''t ept their request and that his fight with Bill was just a fluke. Mako kept ignoring all of them till yesterday when they had anotherbat session.


    What followed after was every single student who dared to enter the fighting ring with Mako getting his butt kicked by him there weren''t even words to describe the immense horror, shock, and humiliation that every single student felt when they had to reluctantly admit the fact that the one they called trash was, in fact, better than them.


    While at home Mako trained with his brand new skills and abilities every day so that he could be at his peak during the military trials.


    Mako had a better status sheet with improved attributes.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 200/200] ?


    [Energy: 500/500] ?


    [EXP: 2200/3200] ?


    [Level 6] ?


    [Strength: 15 (+10) ] ?


    [Agility: 15 (+5) ] ?


    [Perception: 12] ?


    [Intelligence: 12] ?


    [Mentality: 12] ?


    [Stamina: 12 (+5) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: Locked] ?


    [Attribute Points: 0] ?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako took Gary''s advice and tried to make his attributes as even as possible, but there had been a few changes as to how the attribute points affected his energy bar.


    In the beginning, Mako spent a single attribute point to increase his energy pool by fifty as now if he wanted to increase his energy pool it would require two attribute points. It seemed as if the more energy capacity he wanted to obtain the more points he had to spend.


    Energy is a major factor inbat as the person with the higher energy pool will win against a person with a lower energy pool as he could fight, and cast abilities for longer periods.


    Mako realized that going forward he had to maintain a high level of energy as more powerful abilities required more energy to cast.


    Mako''s skills had improved a lot, as well as there, was a small variety of skills to choose from now.


    ''Open Skills Tab''


    [Skills] ?


    [Basic Skills] ?


    - [(E-Tier) Ten-Palm Strike] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Power Skills] ?


    - [(E-Tier) Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(F-Tier) Fireball] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(E-Tier) me wheel] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Unique Skills] ?


    - [(D-Tier) Analyze] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Punch] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Shift] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Kick] ? (LEVEL 2)


    [Absolute Skills] ? (NONE)


    Most of Mako''s skills had been leveled up once or twice as he continuously cast them while practicing. The leveled-up abilities had slightly better attack stats, but the energy cost was also slightly higher which is another reason to keep increasing the Energy bar.


    Due topleting the system''s daily tasks as well as practicing his skills, Mako had increased a few attributes naturally which cemented the fact in Mako''s mind that he was growing very fast due to the system''s help as he was already capable of defeating level 3 ability users with ease, while only a month had passed since he obtained the system.


    *************


    Bill slowly opened his eyes to an unfamiliar setting as he was not lying on the top bunk of his bed in themon room rather he was lying on someone''s couch in their living room.


    Bill had a massive headache as he could barely remember the events of what had happened and how he got here, but he was slowly but surely getting his memories back.


    Getting up from the couch, Bill noticed rays of the morning sunshine bursting through the window of the room. Looking at himself, he noticed that he was cleaned and bandaged up as they were no more visible injuries on his body anymore nor could he smell the stench of his own body that he barely got used to while being imprisoned in the warehouse.


    Looking at his hand, there was still one injury that hadn''t faded from his body as the burn mark of the key he forged was still there.


    While still staring at the burn mark on his hand, the door to the living room slowly opened, and out came Mako with a tray of food in his hands.


    Seeing Mako, Bill remembered everything that had happened and how he ended up in Mako''s living room.


    Mako showed no expression as he ced the tray of breakfast foods on the dining table between the two couches and proceeded to sit on the opposing couch.


    Bill just stared awkwardly at Mako as he picked up his cup of green tea and started to stir some honey with a teaspoon.


    "I figured that you must have been hungry, considering the state in which you arrived here so, please enjoy your breakfast," Mako said politely to break the awkward atmosphere between them while also sipping on his hot green tea.


    Bill just stared at Mako''s calm yet cold demeanor as he couldn''t understand the motive as to why would someone like Mako would help him out, heal his injuries, and even cook him breakfast after all that he did to him.


    "Why are you doing all this, Mako?" Bill couldn''t help but ask as curiosity was eating him up from the inside.


    Taking another sip of his green tea, Mako ced the cup down as he smiled at Bill.


    "I didn''t know it was illegal to help out another human being who was in grave danger and desperate need of help," Mako responded.


    Bill saw that the wordsing out of Mako''s mouth were genuine and he meant every word that he said, but still, Bill could understand the reality of what was happening to him.


    Bill was someone who had never shown mercy to anyone, but still, in his time of need, he was receiving mercy from thest person he thought he would ever get.


    Mako looked up from his teacup to see balls of water escape from Bill''s eyes as he couldn''t contain his emotions any longer.


    Consumed by the regret of all his past actions, Bill eximed to Mako, "Mako! I owe you a lot more than just an apology!"

 Chapter 23 The Deal With El-Diablo

    ?The sobbing and apologies continued for a couple of minutes and even though Mako was trying to keep up the cold demeanor that he had kept throughout his high school life, it was getting difficult for him to keep his emotionless expression with the genuinely in Bill''sments.


    It took some time for Bill to get his bearings back in order as he finally realized what he had done and although ashamed and embarrassed to see himself exposed to Mako in such a way, he didn''t regret it one bit.


    What followed was another awkward silence between the two as Mako had already finished his tea and it couldn''t be used as an icebreaker any longer. Suddenly the sound of the doorbell ring echoed throughout the room as if by fate, the awkward moments had subsided.


    Getting Mako left the room to check out who was at his front door while he left Bill in the living room, where he was told to help himself with as much food as would like.


    Bill started at the delicious tray of delectable breakfast foods, ranging from croissants to a perfect folded cheese omelet while Mako left the room to answer the front door.


    Mako had been very precise with the amount of money he spent on his abilities, skills, and extra things as he left himself with enough money so that Money won''t be an issue for him for almost the next six months.


    Mako continued to work at the bakery albeit not regrly, but still after witnessing the generosity and kind-hearted side of Sir Derek, Mako just didn''t feel right abandoning that ce as he promised to work there until he went away to military school.


    Opening the door, revealing a man with a delivery uniform on and a small package in his hands.


    "Delivery for Sir Mako Grey?" the delivery man asked politely.


    "Yes, that''s me!" Mako replied


    "Great! sign here and here." the delivery man said as he brought a form out to fill out.


    After filling out the form, Mako received the package and the delivery man left just as soon as he came.


    Mako made his way back to the living room with the package in his hands, excited to open up another thing he had ordered from the public libraryputer two days ago.


    "What you got there?" Bill asked as Mako sat back down on the same couch opposite Bill.


    "Since I never owned a technological device, I was never up to date with the news so I decided to buy a small Holoscreen that would keep me up to date with what is going on in the world," Mako exined to Bill while he took a knife and started to unbox his first device.


    Bill nodded as he resumed his eating. After being in captivity for two weeks and given the bare minimum to survive, it was a huge change of pace as Bill made sure to savor every moment of it.


    After the unboxing wasplete, Mako now had his hands on a mini Holoscreen as that was the only device that could be within his budget, but Mako didn''t mind as he was just ecstatic about finally owning one of these things for real.


    The holoscreen itself was just a piece of very well-polished ss with a metal frame surrounding it, that had a couple of buttons on it. The screen itself seemed fragile, but it was as strong as steel and could even survive a 100 ft drop without a scratch on its surface. Turning the screen on, Mako started to set up his ount as well as tweak some settings while Bill finished his massive breakfast.


    "Oh? That''s interesting..." Mako said as he stared at the screen.


    "What?" Bill asked as he finished his breakfast and wiped his messy face with a napkin.


    Mako turned on projector mode as the screen projected a holographic image of the main screen upwards so that they could both see. The disy currently was on one of the news channels where there were reports of a part of an abandoned warehouse exploding.


    Bill''s facial expressions changed the moment heid his eyes on the screen as anger started to well up from him again, and unconsciously he started to leak his aura which didn''t affect Mako one tiny bit anymore. Seeing Bill''s reaction to the news feed as well as his sudden behavior change, it didn''t take Mako much time to put two and two together and figure out that Bill was somehow rted to it.


    Closing the holographic disy, Mako stared into Bill''s eyes with a fierce expression as he asked him," Care to tell me, what''s so special about this new that you would unconsciously release your aura?"


    Staring back into Mako''s eyes, Bill was reluctant at first but he soon caved as e let out a big, deep, and sad sigh.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    For the next hour and a half, Mako sat in the living room with Bill, showing looks of horror and shock as Bill narrated the entire situation from him getting his ability to working with El-Diablo to then losing his fight against Mako, and being enved as punishment and finally escaping, but not without sacrifices as Bill rubbed his hand with the imprint of the key still there on him.


    After a small moment of silence, Bill continued as he listed all of the names of the workers that helped him in his escape but were unfortunate enough to be killed as the memory of Albert was one of the stronger ones.


    After listening to Bill''s entire story, Mako stood up from the couch and instinctively Bill stood up as well. He started to walk toward Bill, and before he could even react Mako hugged Bill tightly. It looked a bit awkward, to say the least, but the two hugged each other for a few seconds before Mako broke from the hug and brought forth his right hand.


    Bill was confused by this once again and wasn''t exactly sure what Mako intended.


    "I want you to ept my handshake as a token of friendship, as you have also faced the hardships and struggles that I have faced in my life. You have be a much more mature and understanding person aspared to the time when you used to bully me, and I acknowledge that fact. What do you say we forget about our past encounters and turn a new leaf with this first step?" Mako asked Bill withpassion and determination.


    Knowing Mako''s intentions, Bill understood thetter''s intention as he shook his hand without a hint of hesitation. Bill wanted to start life anew after he learned the lessons that molded him into the person he was today, and Mako had given that to him.


    "Okay, First order of business! You smell!" Mako teased Bill.


    "WHAT?" Bill was confused at the sudden change of gesture but that made Mako just burst intoughter.


    Seeing the cheeky move yed by Mako, Bill did not get angry as he joined in with theughter as it was both hrious and true.


    Mako exined to Bill what had happened at school during his absence, as Bill''s father made it clear that Bill was not wee back home wherever he was once he learned all of the misdeeds that his sonmitted daily.


    It was heartbreaking for Bill to hear that, but it was expected of him because his father didn''t want any mud on his name even if it meant disowning one of his sons to get it.


    The reason why Bill''s father was unaware of Bill''s daily actions was that El-Diablo''s people were always there to cover up his mess.


    Mako had given Bill an offer to live together as roommates, but he said that there would be a few rules that he didn''t mention straight up.


    Bill was currently showering in the spare room within the house that Mako''s grandmother used to call the guest room for some reason even though they never had a guest sleepover at their house; well, until now at least.


    After freshening up a bit, Bill wore some of Mako''s clothes that were already in a short supply, but they fit Bill perfectly as Mako always liked to wear oversized and baggy clothes.


    At this point, Bill''s injuries had beenpletely healed and seeing this Mako invited Bill to take a walk with him toward the forest that was right in his backyard.


    Although it sounded really weird to Bill, in order to not hurt their friendship from the get-go, Bill decided to just obey Mako as he owed him a lot.


    Taking a stroll, it was a warm and sunny afternoon, and Bill was enjoying the beautiful view that he had never paid any attention to and absorbing every single detail.


    They walked for a bit until they arrived at an empty patch of grass within the forest, and Mako quickly created a distance between them by running a few feet.


    Now, facing each other at a distance of approximately fifteen feet, Mako shouted," The reason why I brought you out here with me today is that from this day forth, this ground will be the ce wee to train!"


    Bill now understood what Mako was hinting at as he took his stance and activated his level 3 earth ability.


    "Come at me however you like, I won''t fall for those same tricks you pulled during our previous match!" Bill taunted Mako who actually started to grin.


    Releasing his very own level 3 fire ability aura, Mako shouted back yfully," Oh, We''ll just have to see about that!"

 Chapter 24 A Friendly Spar

    ?Bill''s eyes rolled so far back from the shock that he felt he could see his brain behind the eyes.


    "SINCE WHEN DID YOU HAVE AN ABILITY?!!" Bill shouted as he demanded an answer from Mako who couldn''t stop grinning as he had envisioned this moment countless times in his dreams, but never did he think that he would show off his power in a friendly match.


    "I may have betted on myself during our match where all the odds were stacked against me," Mako spoke while still teasing Bill with his aura that was matching his in terms of level.


    Bill was left speechless as he just stared at Mako who began emitting small wisps of fire from his hand.


    "You have improved fromst time, but I got to ask, what was that phasing move that you used on me during our match?" Bill asked in curiosity.


    Mako said nothing as he just grinned and took the same stance he took when fighting against Billst time.


    "That is a secret, but you are happy to debunk it if you think you are capable of learning my secrets." Mako taunted Bill again, which made Bill more determined to get to the truth.


    "Oh, I''ll do more than just try," Bill shouted before he also took a stance although it was different fromst time as it was a lot better and had much fewer weak points than before.


    *DING!*


    "Huh?"


    Taking their respective stances, Bill charged in at Mako, without holding anything back.


    Bill conjured up his Earth club again, but this time Bill had a trick up his sleeve that would give him the edge over Mako this time around, and that was the gauntlets that he stole from the warehouse were still in good condition.


    ''ording to Albert, These gauntlets can cut down the cost of energy for all of my Earth moves by half, so I should be able to fight a lot longer than before.'' Bill thought as he went in for the first strike.


    Activating Phantom Step, Mako phased out of the range of the strike and started to conjure a small fireball in his hands. A secondter, a basketball-sized fireball was headed straight for Bill.


    Bill wasn''t phased by this at all as he had faced fire ability users before and he countered it by raising a small wall of earth using his elemental control to block the attack.


    The wall easily blocked Mako''s fireball, but in the process kicked up a lot of dust and created a type of smokescreen.


    Using this to his advantage, Mako rushed in to use his perception to try and hit Bill as many times as possible. Bill; however, saw through Mako''s n, and instead of blindly trying to defend himself in the smokescreen, he activated another skill, and a momentter small blunt earth spikes came out of the ground all around him and acted as a shield pushing Mako away from wherever he wanted to attack from.


    Makonded on his feet a few feet away from the earth spikes which also helped clear out a lot of the dust and Bill was visible again.


    Bill jumped from the center of the earth spikes using his elemental control, he manipted the ground beneath to give him a boost causing him to jump 20 feet in the air, and he also made a smoothnding by softening the ground where he wouldnd.


    Charging in, Bill had his club in hand and was making a horizontal sh at mako so that it would cover all 180 degrees and that would be able to counter the weird phasing move that he was so fond of using.


    Mako saw that he had no chance to escape using Phantom Step so instead, he nted his feet firmly on the ground and started to rotate his hands in a horizontal motion.


    [me Wheel has been activated]


    Fire erupted from Mako''s hands as he created a wheel of fire in his hands that started to grow outwards.


    Bill started to feel the heat and immediately brought his club in front of him to block the mes from actually hurting him.


    Bill skidded back a few inches while the mes from the me wheel extended out to their limit and disappeared in thin air, leaving Bill and Mako staring at each other for a few moments.


    "I gotta say, Bill, you are very talented but that raises the question. Why did you lose to me so easily during our duel at school." Mako asked in a very curious tone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    If Bill was able to counter him and fight him on equal terms even after Mako had his attributes improved and learned a level 3 ability. It was quite intriguing as to why Bill lost the match that he could still easily win.


    Bill looked uneasy as Mako asked him this question and after a few moments he let out a big sigh as he made eye contact with Mako again.


    "The reason for that is because I never imagined you to be as strong as you were during our fight and I wasn''t on the top of my game as I had participated in a raid for El-Diablo the previous night."


    "After we were sessful, the other guys and I decided to attend an illegal fighting event and party because of our sess. I was already tired before and the party also sapped my energy, but I wasn''t worried because I intended to just finish you off quickly and take the rest of the day off to rx."


    Bill paused for a few moments and then said," Well, you know the rest."


    Mako thought at that time that just a week and a half''s training would be enough for him to defeat a level 3 ability user, but it turns out that he had just been extremely lucky as he would have been destroyed otherwise.


    There was an awkward silence between the two boys as they were both recalling all the events that led them to this path. Both of them looked at each other and saw how much karma had affected their lives but there was noing back as they could only learn from their mistakes and move forward forging the best path they can from now on.


    They continued their training battle with each other, but toned down the ability use and mostly fought using hand-to-handbat until they were exhausted. It was dusk when the two new friends made their way back home and freshened up.


    *DING!*


    [Questpleted]


    [Train against a strong opponent for 3 hours]


    [Reward: 500 EXP, 2 Attribute Points]


    Mako was cooking the both of them dinner while Bill decided to take a quick nap as he waspletely exhausted from training with Mako, and was surprised by the fact that he still had the energy to cook a delicious meal. Mako had been taught about all types of cuisines by Sir Derek so Mako was not only a great pastry chef but a good regr cook as well.


    Munching on some boneless teriyaki chicken, Bill discussed his n for theing days.


    Bill exined that during the night he would go back to the school, and retrieve all his personal belongings that he stashed there due to them being all gang-rted.


    Mako asked what were the contents of the things he was going to retrieve, to which Bill exined that it had a few regr weapons, a money card with all of his earnings as a gang member as well as a few personal items.


    Bill further exined that he couldn''t go back to school because El-Diablo would have most likely nted spies there to report to him as soon as they saw him which would not be good, so he would just have to stay put until the military instructor arrived to take the trials for military school by which time El-Diablo would be toote to do anything.


    Mako nodded along while Bill exined his n to him and once he was done, Mako asked him about all those students that he used to hang around with and whether they were also part of the gang or not.


    "No, none of those guys knew I was part of any gang as they just followed whatever I ordered them to do because they didn''t want to be the ones that I target as well," Bill exined in a rather embarrassed tone.


    "Well it doesn''t matter anyway, we just have to be prepared enough to be able to join the military school by the time the instructores for the test in the 6-7 weeks," Mako stated as he picked up some of the dishes and carried them to the sink to wash and Bill followed with the rest.


    "What do you mean? We are both level 3 ability users and if we work together we can crush anyone." Bill eximed.


    It didn''t take long for Bill to understand that he was wrong as Mako''s sarcastic sigh while washing the dishes put the nail in the coffin.


    "Have you never done any kind of research on how these recruitment operations are conducted?" Mako asked Bill in annoyance to which Bill just lowered his gaze in shame.


    "We have a long road ahead of us." Mako said as he patted Bill on his back while walking back to the living room.

 Chapter 25 Learning About The Recruitment Test

    ?As the two boys made their way back to the living room, Mako utilized one of the features of his holoscreen which was that when ced on a t surface on its back, it would turn into a projector capable of disying a holographic screen with high definition quality.


    The holographic screen started to disy a video that Mako had loaded from the inte and Bill watched with anticipation as he had never learned about this kind of stuff before.


    The video showed a couple of different journalists; each narrating their experience when they were given the opportunity to report that year''s recruitment challenges.


    Apparently, there was no fixed test or mission as every year the test was different. Each year it would be held at a different location, with different rules and ways to pass the test. As the two boys continued to watch the video, the video transitioned to statistics as each journalist gave his or her report on a multitude of different subjects,


    [Sessful recruitment from Emerald City in the year 3099.]


    [Out of the 2000 or so students which were qualified enough to even participate in the recruitment test, only 80 were epted as the percentage of sessful recruitment was 4 percent.]


    "Wait, wait, wait.... did she just say what I think she just said?!" Bill eximed as he paused the video that was currently being yed in which a tall female journalist with blonde hair and a geometric face was announcing the results of all the different cities that participated.


    Mako had already seen this video so it didn''t cause him that much of a shock, but the same couldn''t have been said for Bill. He could not get around such a small number considering the number of people that he knew who were extremely strong.


    Mako had to exin to Bill that most people he knew who were strong, were gangsters and associates of the mafia so they obviously won''t be appearing in the recruitment test. He also exined that people were only limited to legally buying Level 3 ability books, but that doesn''t mean that it was the peak.


    Most candidates had two abilities while a few had three abilities, some had broken past the limits on their own and became level 4 ability users, while some mastered their power weapons which also aided them in battle a lot.


    Considering his current strength level and the amount of time left Bill was losing hope of ever making it through the challenges and bing a military student like he always aspired to be just like his own father.


    Mako was quick to judge based on the sudden mood change and instantly started to exin his thought process to Bill so that his Morale won''tpletely diminish.


    "First, get what you need from the stash and meet me at the bakery around 7 am; when my shift is over. I will introduce you to Sir Derek, so you can work there from the morning till the afternoon while I am at school."


    After Mako had exined what their day-to-day activities would be; he proceeded to tell him what his ns were for the nights.


    "Do you know where they held their illegal fights?" Mako politely asked Bill because he knew this was still a sensitive subject for Bill, who couldn''t recover from trauma in a day.


    "They have multiple locations that they cycle through in random order and the fights are held random days apart so it bes really difficult to track, but I know where the next fight will happen," Bill replied with a serious look.


    "Okay, so this is what we are going to do, to get stronger; we have to train, but we also need to earn. Almost all of the candidates in the previous test had two abilities or one really strong one which Mako and Bill had neither off.


    They both knew that they had just scratched the surface of how strong a level 3 ability user can be as anything above is considered ''too dangerous by the government for the welfare of the city.


    At first, Bill waspletely against the idea of even showing his face in that ce again, but after 45 minutes of constant arguments, Bill finally cracked as he gave out a long deep sigh and agreed to take him there on the condition that he won''t fight.


    Mako didn''t really care as all he wanted to do was to farm fighters for EXP so that he could level up and get better skills.


    Mako concluded by telling Bill the remaining bits and pieces of the n and soon after left for the school to get all the belongings that he stashed over there.


    ************


    Mako arrived at the bakery at the usual time and began working his shift. His rtionship with Sir Derek had improved a lot ever since the whole duel ordeal with him and Bill.


    While folding butter between the dough to make some delicious and key croissants, Mako informed Sir Derek that he had told a friend toe in the morning to get a job here for the morning shift.


    Sir Derek saw no problem with it as not all of his workers were as patient as Mako and they often left after being scolded by him about three to four times. So another employee would help reduce some of the load on him which he appreciated.


    The night went by in a sh and as Mako was preparing to leave for school, the front door rang which meant that it was either their first customer of the day or Bill had arrived at the perfect time, and of course, it was thetter.


    Bill greeted Mako and told him that he had gotten everything he needed and brought it back safely to the house.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako nodded as he led the way for Bill to meet Sir Derek.


    "Sir Derek! This the friend I talked to you about," Mako said as he presented Bill to Sir Derek.


    "Well now, This one has some muscle on him unlike you Mako, I hope you like doing hard work cause there going to be lots of that around here." Sir Derek said in a rather deep and threatening tone.


    Mako had already informed Bill of Sir Derek''s behavior, and what he should expect on the first day. Bill was confident that he could take him on, but just standing in front of Sir Derek, Bill started to have cold feet.


    "Alright! I''ll leave you two to it!" Mako shouted as he left Bill alone with Sir Derek.


    ''Mako I swear to God, If I am alive till the afternoon, I''ll kill you myself!'' Bill cursed Mako in his thoughts as Sir Derek patted Bill on the back a bit too hard.


    Bill started to work as one of the cashiers at the bakery just as the morning rush started while Mako took his usual route through Bird''s Eye street, greeting everyone on his way to his high school.


    **********


    The day went by quicker than expected as it was thest period before the school closed for the day. Mako could be seen talking to another student, away from everyone else near an old oak tree that was on one of the corners of the outdoor basketball court.


    This was one of the bullies that used to bully Mako a lot and even though he showed his strength at the duel match-ups, there were still cocky students like him who thought that could easily pick him off.


    The student wasn''t standing and talking to Mako in a normal way with closer inspection, one could see cuts, scratches, and dirt all over his body with his forehead touching the ground as he was begging him to stop.


    "Please! I know that I did bad things but please spare me, I promise I will never do it again! I can evenpensate, name your price." The boy yelled while snot kept running down his nose.


    Mako clicked his tongue in disgust as he just walked away while the student kept bowing down. he would never raise his fist and start a fight on purpose and especially against weaker opponents, but if they wanted to be taught a lesson, then he would most definitely teach them a lesson he won''t forget, and he got free EXP out of every fight as well so that was a good bonus.


    The school was finally over and Mako made his way to the bakery to meet up with Bill.


    Mako was expecting Bill to be tired beyond recognition and Sir Derek shouting more orders at him as this was what his first day was like, but as soon as Mako opened the front door to the bakery, he was shocked so much by what he saw that he very nearly tripped.


    Bill could be seen serving some snacks to a couple who were sitting on one of the few small tables that were inside the main lobby of the bakery. Bill looked fresher than ever the most shocking thing was the fact that Sir Derek was standing behind the main counter as always and was smiling while watching Bill work.


    "Oh, Mako! Come in, Come in!" Sir Derek said in his deep masculine voice.


    "Where did you find this gem of an employee, he has been the most hardworking and efficient person I have ever seen as today''s morning rush had no rushing at all. He was so quick in processing and packing orders, he''s a natural!" Sir Derek praised Bill who just kept quietly standing next to Mako receiving all of those praises with an open heart.


    Mako was shocked and speechless beyond belief throughout Sir Derek''s praise and the walk back home. He still couldn''t believe Bill made it in Sir Derek''s good book on day one.


    "Come on, man! Spill the beans, How did you get on his good books that easily?" Mako kept bugging Bill with the same question as it meant too much to Mako to not have a definitive answer.


    After the constant bugging, Bill finally caved in," I didn''t do anything on purpose. I just followed every instruction he told me, and although his constant yelling and taunting were annoying, I got through it as I was once just like him, and due to me being a level 3 ability user, I got most things faster than he expected. It was nice to see someone praise me for a change, it was a good feeling."


    Mako was moved by the way Bill described his first experience in the bakery as he stopped trying to bug him as obviously it was a big day for him and he had already been through a lot.


    Walking back home, Mako suddenly took a right turn leading to a local park. Bill was confused as to why Mako suddenly changed his path.


    "Hey? Isn''t the house that way?" Bill asked as he caught up to Mako


    "Yes, I just need to make a quick extra stop here before we get home," Mako said as the two boys continued their path toward the local park.

 Chapter 26 Getting Ready For The Night

    ?The two boys made their way to the park at a quick pace and, rather than going in through the main gate, Mako walked on the sidewalk along the park''s fence.


    Seeing as Mako already had the destination in mind, Bill decided to not question him and just follow him wherever he may lead him.


    After almostpleting a full circle around the perimeter of the park, Mako went through a small entrance that was made into the fence of the park there as it almost looked as if a hole was cut open within the rebar frame of the fence, just a big enough to let a normal person through.


    Going in, Bill noticed that this part of the park was cut off from the rest of the park by huge bushes as the hole in the fence was the only entrance to this ce.


    "We have arrived," Mako said as he stopped near an old oak tree while staring at a small piece of rock that was in front of him.


    At first, Bill didn''t understand what was so special about this ce, but that all changed when Bill''s eyesnded on what was engraved onto the stone.


    [  BELOVED GRANDMOTHER  ]


    [  AMY GREY  ]


    [  2978 - 3096  ]


    This was Mako''s grandmother''s grave as they were currently standing in a cemetery. Mako started to clean all the dust and leaves that had fallen on the tombstone, while quietly saying something to himself that Bill assumed could have been some kind of prayer, but he didn''t ask as it was his position to do so.


    After cleaning the grave, and putting new flowers next to it that he had bought from Aunt Marie back at Bird''s Eye street before he had met up with Bill at the bakery, Mako proceeded to just sit in silence next to the grave for a couple of minutes before finally wiping his tears and getting up to leave.


    Bill knew it was a sensitive topic so he didn''t bother speaking while Mako sat in silence looking at his grandmother''s grave, and stood there until Mako was done.


    Mako tried toe to visit his grandmother''s grave at least once a month and just remember all those beautiful moments he had with his grandmother, and he would often cry but this time his tears were for another reason altogether as he knew this would probably be thest time he would visit her grave for a while as the Military trials were almost a month away and he would have to move by then.


    During the remainder of the walk back home Bill and Mako didn''t converse much but before they arrived at the front door, Bill built up the courage to finally say something to Mako.


    "Your grandmother has a very beautiful grave, she must have been a very important and loving character in your life. Listen, I am very sorry about the things that I said about her before. I didn''t mean a single word that I said."


    Bill apologized to Mako again to which Mako just smiled as he recalled one of the main things that his grandmother taught her and that was...


    "It''s alright Bill, As my Gran-Gran used to say, forgive and forget!" Mako said as he recalled a very fond memory of him being consoled by his grandmother in the most loving manner imaginable.


    ''I don''t deserve your kindness Mako, and even if it takes me a thousand years, I will pay you back for the generosity and mercy you have given me.'' Bill made a mental vow that he intended to keep till hisst breath as he heard what Mako replied to his apology.


    The boys arrived home and went to their separate rooms to freshen up.


    **********


    Before the sun went down, Mako wanted toplete a couple of chores, which Bill helped out with and since they were both ability users with better stats than normal, they were done with them in a sh.


    As the evening came around, Mako and Bill were back in the forest sparring with each other again.


    A giant chunk of earth lifted off the ground and broke down into several smaller pieces, each piece then being shot towards Mako at a fast speed, however; mako was able to dodge every one of them as they were still slow enough so that he could detect them with his perception and dodge at the perfect time.


    "AAARRGHH! Stay still, will you!" Bill shouted in frustration as he wasn''t able to hit Mako once.


    Using Bill''s annoyance against him, Mako smoothly transitioned from defense to offense as he bolted toward Bill with intense speed and conjured two small fireballs in his hand which he chucked on the ground near him.


    The fireballs caused mini explosions and kicked up a lot of dirt and dust into the air, making a smokescreen in which he could easily get away from Bill''s line of sight.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''I know I still can''t win against you because your defense is high, but if you don''t know where to defend from, it won''t matter.'' Mako thought as he approached Bill from the right, and as soon as he came into range.


    [me Wheel has been activated]


    It was bing harder to see because some of the dust had gotten into his eyes, but Bill still was able to sense the heat from Mako''s attack just before it was about to hit.


    Bill clicked his feet and a wall of earth erupted from the ground beneath him just in the nick of time and the mes were once again blocked.


    "Humph! You are getting more perceptive of your surroundings, Good job!" Mako congratted Bill as he slowly walked out of the smokescreen.


    It was about to be night time so the boys decided to call it a day and head home to prepare for the night head.


    "You sure you wanna go through with this? It is illegal after all so anything can happen." Bill cautioned Mako regarding the n.


    "Don''t worry, Bill. I have prepared enough that I think I can handle those clowns." Mako said with determination as he clenched his fist tightly.


    "Okay then, you''re the boss!" Bill now agreed as there was nothing he could do about what decisions Mako would make but he would support him anyway.


    Mako and Bill were walking down an alleyway while having their conversation, but instead of heading for their night shift at the bakery, they were making their way downtown along with Bill who looked quite different from the Bill that everyone was used to.


    If someone was to focus carefully on his face, they would recognize him immediately but the key point of his character had been changed as he no longer had ginger hair because he had dyed them ck.


    This along with the fact that Bill was also rocking a face mask. It was safe to assume that no one would be able to recognize him.


    The two boys arrived at their destination after another fifteen minutes. They were standing in front of the front gate of one of the most luxurious hotels in Emerald City.


    Walking in, it looked as if Mako was entering heaven. Right past the main gates was a beautiful statue of some mighty warrior polished with gold.


    "So this is the Emperium Hotel," Mako said as he took in all the wonders and absorbed every detail while making their way to the main lobby.


    After making their way to the lobby, Mako let Bill handle all the talking and he spoke a secret code to the receptionist, the receptionist handed him an elevator card that only had ess to a specific floor.


    Getting into the elevator, Bill swiped the card and the elevator was off on its way.


    The Emperium Hotel was very massive with a total of 850 floors as the floor they were going was near the very top, on floor 790.


    Walking out, Mako expected the same luxurious and furnished decoration he had seen in the lobby, but what he saw was a total disappointment.


    The floor was bare concrete and the entire floor only had columns as there were no walls to speak off. There were massive crowds around several areas as cheering could be heard constantly.


    Bill and Mako decided to go to one of these crowded areas when a host spoke loudly through a microphone.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen! The Rookie Brawl will begin in 15 minutes as this is yourst chance to sign up, cause the rewards are going to be totally worth it! So are you ready?!"


    Bill and Mako were currently in one of those illegal fighting events that would be held in many different locations around the city as this was one of the jobs that Bill did while he worked for El-Diablo. He was one of the beginner fighters who was also an online sensation as he could even match and easily beat beginner level 3 ability users at such a young age.


    Cracking his knuckles, Mako smiled as he walked over to the registration booth next to the announcement table.


    "Time to get to work!"

 Chapter 27 A Battle Royal

    ?Mako went over to the registration booth where two middle age men were sitting. One had no hair on his face and only a beard which was starting to turn grey, while the other one had a small scar on his face with jet ck hair and no facial hair.


    It is hard to assume people''s age in this day and age as if that person has an ability, then they are prone to age slower and can far exceed the normal limits of Human life spans. An example of this is Mako''s grandmother; ording to the tombstone, it said that Amy Grey was 118 years old when she died, but in Mako''s most recent memory and her portraits in their photo album, she looked nothing more than 70 years old.


    The two middle-aged men were ability users, but not that high of a level as Mako felt no sense of pressure even though they were emitting their aura freely.


    "Excuse me, I would like to register for the Rookie Brawl!" Mako said politely through his facemask.


    Mako decided to also wear a facemask since he was shown live during his fight with Bill, and people could potentially recognize him which he didn''t want.


    The bald man slightly closed one of his eyes as he took a good look at Mako from his other eye which had a faint purple glow in the iris and scanned him from head to toe as if he was searching for something.


    After he was done analyzing Mako andpletely making the situation awkward, he turned toward his partner and whispered something in his ear.


    "Certainly sir, just fill out this form and you will be registered to enter." The man with jet ck hair said as he gave a form and a pen to Mako.


    Mako already knew what that man was doing as, during the time that he was analyzing Mako, Mako also used the Analyze skill on him and read his status sheet.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Tyler Smith]


    [Ability: Omni Eye (Level 1)] ?


    [Health: 120/120] ?


    [Energy: 95/150] ?


    [Strength: 6] ?


    [Agility: 4] ?


    [Perception: 15] ?


    [Intelligence: 7] ?


    [Mentality: 10] ?


    [Stamina: 2] ?


    [Charisma: 1] ?


    [Fortitude: 3] ?


    Mako was able to learn basic information about the bald man whose name was Tyler Smith. The intriguing thing though was his ability ''Omni Eye''. Mako opened the information about the ability using the information icon next to the description because this was an ability that wasn''t in Mako''s knowledge.


    [Ability: Omni Eye (Level 1)] ?


    [A perceptive-only ability as this ability (at the current level) allows the user to be very good at observing minute details and reading other''s energies. Though a bit rare, this ability''s main drawback is that it has a very horrible learning curve as even talented people can''t learn this ability past level 5]


    It was an ability that had no offensive or defensive properties as it was purely a support type ability one that can easily read energies and observe surroundings that could be very helpful in situations such as infiltration and stealth missions.


    Mako immediately put two and two together as he understood that this person was scanning him to make sure he was eligible to enter the tournament and whether he was worth betting on.


    That''s right, the event organizers also had the option to ce bets as this was one of the many ways that organizers such as the mafia made money.


    Filling out the form, Mako noticed that the form didn''t ask Mako to give any of his personal information as it mainly just asked him about a stage name, his ability level, and a signature to consent about many things that otherwise the organizers could get in trouble for.


    Mako filled out the form and gave it back to Tyler who was still using his eye ability to make sure whether it was safe to bet on him.


    "Okay sir, The entry fee would be 7500 credits." The man with jet ck hair said as took out a potable money transfer machine.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Reluctantly Mako swiped his card on the machine and the transaction wasplete. Mako was then led to a separate set of benches where other fighters participating could be seen.


    Mako sat down in a corner as he wasn''t in the mood to converse with any of them as his main focus was the n that moving smoothly. Mako made a discreet signal with his hand and that was the cue that Bill needed to go to the betting booth near the ring.


    This was the first part of their n as Bill bet 10000 credits on Mako to survive the first round.


    Before the fight could begin, the announcer came to the benches where all the participants were and he began telling them the rules of the fight. There weren''t many considering it was an illegal fight where life-threatening injuries were also allowed as long as the opponent didn''t die. The announcers told them how the fighting would go.


    There were 20 participants in total and they would be broken off into two groups, Group A and Group B. The ten participants would then fight in a battle royal style match where the top 2 would be winners. Then the top 2 will have a one-on-one match to decide an overall winner of that group, who will then fight the final match with the winner of the other group.


    The instruction was straight forward and within minutes the two groups had been made as Mako was part of the second group, Group B.


    The announcer came back to the ring to announce the beginning of the rookie brawl and participants from Group A hade into the ring. They were mostly level 2 and Level 3 ability users but you would never know in a battle royal who woulde out victorious as there were certain strategies that a person could use.


    The battle started shortly and the ring exploded with multiple people using their abilities tounch the beginning move so that the weak could be knocked out easily.


    The battle continued and the participants started to rely on their weapons if they had any or their fighting skills to conserve energy so that they could use their abilities when in a pinch.


    The whole fight was being broadcasted live and thousands of online viewers had also ced their bets on who they thought would win.


    After about 40 minutes, the first battle royal ended with two participants would be fighting for the shot at the final battle. One was a short man with a height of 5ft 2", dark skin, and a trimmed beard, and long ck hair. The other was a huge buffed guy with red hair that was braided and a heavy mustache and facial hair, which mimicked the exact look of the Vikings that Mako had seen in a game he used to y with Gary.


    The crowd cheered and the live stream exploded withments as the two that won were the crowd''s favorite and made them good money.


    There was a short break before the announcer came back to the ring to announce the beginning of the second battle royal.


    Mako and nine other participants made their way one by one as their stage names were called out and judging by how many people cheered when a name was announced, it could easily be determined who was the crowd''s favorite and who had the most bets ced on them.


    "AND LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST, OUR FINAL PARTICIPANT FOR TONIGHT IS... BLAZE!" The announcer announced as coincidentally Mako was thest person to be called on stage.


    The whole crowd was silent as there wasn''t a single cheering from the crowd. It made it very awkward for Mako to walk to his starting pressure betwixt the silence but internally he wasughing very hard as this meant that Bill was about to make a lot of money.


    Once all ten participants were in ce, the announcer proceeded to start the tournament; however, before the announcer could do so, Mako heard a certain noise that he had gotten used to now.


    *DING!*


    [Win the Group B battle royal]


    [Condition: For every opponent knocked out by the user, the rewards would be increased.]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Penalty: - ]


    ''Oh, I never had a condition attached to a quest before. Not that I amining.'' Mako said in his thoughts as he read through the quest.


    Mako''s growth had been slowed down ever since he got to a decent level as the measly 50 experience from doing daily quests wasn''t enough to put a dent in the level bar, plus the attribute points were also not as effective as Mako would have to put multiple points in an Attribute to observe any change.


    The battle royal and this quest were the perfect solutions as he would be earning a lot of money, getting the rewards from the quests as well as exploiting another function he had learned by fighting the students at school in duels after his match with Bill.


    [Fighting Experience] ?


    [When the user fights an opponent and is proven victorious, the system will reward the user with experience based on multiple factors such as opponent level, the difficulty of the fight, condition of the user, etc.]


    "FIGHTERS READY!" The announcer shouted as Mako was knocked out of his thoughts and he quickly took up a basic stance.


    "BEGIN!!"

 Chapter 28 Who Is He?

    ?"BEGIN!" The announcer shouted as it was a simr experience to the first battle with many abilities being thrown at each other at the beginning.


    Mako didn''t fall behind as he conjured up two fireballs and threw them at the closest opponent.


    The opponent looked like a boy as well with around the same height as Mako with fair skin and very very spiky blonde hair. Mako was most amazed by his hair as it looked as if he had put a whole gallon of hair gel to make the spike so long and hard.


    The opponent turned out to be a lightning ability user as he moved very fast and easily dodged the fireballs.


    "Hmm, you''re not half bad," Makomented but was met with a lightning bolt to the face as the other person was not in the mood to talk.


    Mako used Phantom Shift just in time to dodge the attack. The opponent was quite confused; from his perspective, the lightning bolt had hit Mako, but then Mako suddenly de-materialized and materialized a few feet away from the attack.


    Using the little time that Mako was able to buy with his stunt Mako quickly used Analyze to check out his opponent''s stats.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Tim Bagger]


    [Ability: Lightning (Level 3)] ?


    [Health: 145/145] ?


    [Energy: 189/210] ?


    [Strength: 11] ?


    [Agility: 22] ?


    [Perception: 6] ?


    [Intelligence: 3] ?


    [Mentality: 5] ?


    [Stamina: 15] ?


    [Charisma: 6] ?


    [Fortitude: 4] ?


    Seeing that they were average stats all across the board with a focus on agility and stamina, Mako knew his best chance at ending the fight quickly was to get in close to where he would have the advantage.


    Mako''s agility was not as high as Tim''s but it was close enough that it didn''t have a real effect on Mako and he was able to charge in very quickly so that Tim would have less area to move around in.


    Mako engaged Tim in hand-to-handbat, which backfired because he hadn''t received any training as all his moves wereing from all the video games he yed with Gary.


    He was still able to parry and dodge most of Tim''s attacks since his strength wasn''t his greatest attribute. Mako knew that if he wasted too much time then he won''t be able to deal with the rest of the participants.


    Using his elemental control, Mako shot out streams of fire to surround Tim. Now that the area was covered in mes, Tim caught on to what Mako was trying to do and he knew he couldn''t do anything to get rid of the fire so instead, he started to charge up.


    More and more electricity started to build up around his body as he started to conjure a missive lightning bolt. Tim''s thought process was that since Mako trapped the two of them in a ring of fire, Mako also had no escape as the lightning bolt was guaranteed to hit.


    The massive Lightning bolt the size of a baseball bat shot at Mako at a very high speed, but just as it looked like it would connect, Mako made use of Phantom Shift yet again and shifted right onto the mes surrounding them.


    Since Mako was the one that conjured these mes, they responded to his will and didn''t burn him at all like Tim thought they would. Using the massive lightning bolt had sapped quite a bit of energy out of him as he was huffing and panting. Mako made use of the situation and charged in, attacking with his Phantom moves and connecting every single time.


    Annoyed by the fact that he was getting hit so many times, Tim suddenly started to spread lightning all over his body and move away from thest Phantom Punch without giving any chance for Mako to recover, heunched forward again as Mako''s fist was still extended out and made lightning fist aimed at Mako''s heart to end the fight.


    Seeing the target of the lightning fist, Mako figured that it would be a lethal blow if it were to connect. Using his fist that was still extended out, Mako began to spin his body.


    [me Wheel has been activated]


    In a fluid-like motion, Mako went from missing his punching to suddenly starting to spin and conjure a ring of mes around his body.


    By the time Tim figured out what was happening, the me had hit him at point-nk range as Tim was sted away and out of the bound of the arena.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [A Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+500 EXP]


    [Opponents Defeated (1/9)]


    "Blitz has been eliminated!" The announcer said loudly as there were a couple of groans and cheers mixed within the array of emotions disyed by the crowd.


    Wasting no time, Mako moved to the next closest fighters that were fighting each other. One was a short girl with ck and purple hair that used some kind of Earth ability but not quite as she was conjuring crystals from the ground rather than rocks while the other was a short boy who was countering with the fire ability albeit pathetically.


    The two fighters were so focused on their battle that they didn''t even realize that Mako was running toward them with a fireball the size of a big beachball.


    Mako had already used Analyze on them both and saw that they didn''t even have decent attributes and only level 2 abilities so he was confident that he would be killing two birds with one stone or in this case knocking out two fighters with one fireball.


    The fireball hit as intended right in the middle of the two fighters who knew none the wiser and were immediately sted apart as well.


    [A Level 2 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+100 EXP]


    [Opponents Defeated (2/9)]


    [A Level 2 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+100 EXP]


    [Opponents Defeated (3/9)]


    "Diamond and Heatwave have been eliminated!" The announcer shouted again this time there were a lot more cheers than before.


    The viewers and the people in the crowd were amazed by how Mako was able to keep fighting even after he had a tough early battle against a lightning user, and they now thought that he must have been exhausted as it would be game over from him, but what they didn''t expect was for Mako to not even take a second to catch his breath and move on.


    "What is this guy made of?!" Someone in the crowd shouted as he saw Mako engage in a fight against another person this one was one of the stronger ones as he had already knocked out two opponents himself and was a strong Earth ability user.


    The Earth-ability user was a huge man with no upper clothing, a buzz cut, and well-defined muscles as he easily towered over Mako, but Mako wasn''t phased by it one bit.


    Using Analyze on him showed that he was almost out of energy as he had been using the elemental control of Earth very freely as energy consumption wasn''t his main priority. He most likely didn''t want to conserve his energy for the simple matter that other people would also be low on energy and he could just finish them off with his superior strength.


    Mako; however, was an exception because he still had well over 200 points of energy which was the max amount for an average level 3 ability user.


    Mako started to throw fireball after fireball toward him with no end in sight as due to his massive physique he couldn''t dodge very well after a few fireballs had sessfully hit, the seventh one made him go down for the count with a sizzling sound and smokeing from his chest.


    [A Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+500 EXP]


    [Opponents Defeated (4/9)]


    "Mister Bull has been eliminated!" The announcer shouted it was a huge upset for the crowd and the viewers online as he was the most popr rookie and a lot of people had bet on him.


    Just as the announcement was made, the fight between the other two fighters was also over with a clean knockout by a person who looked straight like a ninja with almost everything about him covered with only his eyes visible.


    What was weird was that Mako had only seen this person use physical attacks when fighting as he had not used any abilities.


    fascinated by the fact that he had knocked out a level 3 Water ability user, he must have packed quite a punch and so Mako decided to use Analyze on him while the announcer announced the disqualification of the water user.


    [Analyze]


    [Skill Failed (opponent level too high)]


    "Huh?" Mako was confused as this was the first time that Mako had this skill fail on him but before he could even get his thoughts together, the announcer raised his arm in the air.


    "We have our two semi-finalists! The second semi-final will be between ze and the Dark Assassin!" The announcer said with his voice itself being as loud as a loudspeaker.

 Chapter 29 An Enhancement Ability!

    ?Mako was currently sitting in one of the corners of the benches reserved for the fighters and there were many thing things currently on his mind.


    First and foremost, Mako checked out all the system notifications of the previous fight as well as the rewards for the quest he hadpleted.


    Mako had gained 1200 experience points from only defeating the fighters as that alone was enough for Mako to level up as he was now at level 7.


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Reward: +5 Attribute points, Random Ability Skill]


    [Current Level: Lvl 7]


    [Choosing Random Skill]


    [New Skill Learned: (E-Tier) me Pir!] ?


    Before even looking at the rewards for the quest, Mako was surprised to see such a big bonuse to him by simply leveling up. Mako quickly opened the information on this particr skill.


    (NEW!) [(E-Tier) me Pir] ? (Level 1)


    [A basic attack from the Fire Elemental Skill Tree, that shoots a pir of mes from the ground underneath the target. To activate the skill, the user must ce his hands firmly on the ground for 5 seconds and then choose where within the user''s line of sight he wants the pir of mes to erupt from. The pir of mes shot up from the ground guarantees the burn status effect andsts for 5 seconds dealing a certain amount of damage per second.]


    [Attack: 9 per second]


    [Duration: 5 seconds]


    [Cost: 100 Energy]


    It was a high-risk high reward-type ability as it had the condition of being vulnerable for 5 seconds before he could release the attack and also the fact that if he miscalctes, then the pir won''t hit anything at all.


    Mako still appreciated the skill as it was now his strongest offensive ability and one that wasn''t disyed before so it would be a nice surprise for his uing opponents.


    Even though it looked as if Mako was a decent fighter, the problem was that he had no one attribute that he focused on and because of this, almost all opponents he faces is stronger than him in one aspect with the only reason why Mako was still winning was by using his intelligence efficiently to devise ns to defeat his foe as well as just by pure chance.


    Mako then quickly opened his quests tab to see what rewards had the system provided him for knocking down 4 out of the 9 fighters during the battle royal.


    [Quest Complete]


    [Win the Group B battle royal]


    [Condition: For every opponent knocked out by the user, the rewards would be increased.]


    [Opponents Knocked Out: 4/9]


    [Reward: 2000 EXP, Random Attribute increase]


    [Strength has been elevated to 20]


    This was also a huge boost as Mako was climbing ever closer to level 10 because at that point all of the system features would be unlocked as only the ''Shop'' feature was still greyed out on his status panel.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 180/200] ?


    [Energy: 410/500] ?


    [EXP: 2400/6400] ?


    [Level 7] ?


    [Strength: 20 (+10) ] ?


    [Agility: 15 (+5) ] ?


    [Perception: 12] ?


    [Intelligence: 12] ?


    [Mentality: 12] ?


    [Stamina: 12 (+5) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: Locked] ?


    [Attribute Points: 9] ?


    Mako had a few attribute points that he could mess around with, but he decided that it would be better to just leave them be and only use them for emergencies.


    The organizers made it so that the fighter from the two different groups didn''t get to witness the other group''s fights so that they would still have an element of surprise which was needed cause in this rookie match there was only level 2''s and level 3''s who had limited skills and moves.


    Mako could only hear the shouting and cheering of the crowd as the first semi-final of the night hade to a close as the finalist had already been selected.


    "Now,dies and Gentlemen! I present to you the second match of the semifinals between the two fighters from Group B, ze vs Dark Assassin!" The announcer said with so much energy that even without a speaker, his voice was able to reach the entire crowd.


    While walking to the opposite sides of the ring, Mako decided to Analyze the announcer and find out the secret about his voice.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Ash Senkaku]


    [Ability: Sound (Level 2)] ?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [A sensory ability as this ability (at the current level) allows the user to manipte sound waves, Amplify the voice and evenunch sound attacks.]


    It was a sound ability that had no real use in high-level battles due to high-level fighters having resistance to sensory attacks, but it was quitemon as most sportsmentators, performers, and celebrities often had this ability.


    Mako still had no idea as to how he was going to deal with this ninja person who he couldn''t discern anything about because of him being at a higher level than him, but he was confident that he would still be able to put up a good fight since he had just gained a good amount of attribute points in strength and a brand new skill.


    "Fighters ready?..... FIGHT!" Ash yelled at the top of his lungs as the Dark Assassin rushed towards Mako at full speed.


    It was a level of speed that Mako had never seen before and before he knew it the Dark Assassin had already arrived right in front of him and was about to throw a jab at his face.


    Mako''s perception kicked in as he instinctively used Phantom Shift to avoid the jab. It was clear that the Assassin was amazed to see that Mako had dodged his attack, but that didn''t stop him from trying again and again.


    Quickly opening up the system interface, Mako dumped 8 of his attribute points into perception as this was the only attribute that Mako could use to counter this opponent.


    Opening his eyes again, Mako could now observe far better than before as the Assassin didn''t look as fast as he did before.


    ''I can still fight!'' Mako encouraged himself as he threw out his punches to counter him.


    After a few minutes of just running around and countering with physical punches, Mako had pretty much gotten the hang of the Assassin''s speed as he was getting better and better at countering and blocking his moves.


    During the entire fight, no visible abilities were being used by either opponent as the crowd could only watch the two fight each other in hand-to-handbat at high speeds.


    Getting annoyed at the fact that his speed was not giving him an edge over Mako, the Dark Assassin became more and more desperate and became sloppy in his attacks. Taking advantage of the situation, Mako ducked when the Assassin shot out a desperate gut punch and now with the body of his opponent exposed with no defenses, Mako activated the one skill he had yet to use on another person.


    [Ten-palm strike has been activated]


    Mako threw out consecutive ten quick open-palm attacks on the assassin''s body in quick session as a constant thud noise resounded in the arena. The Dark Assassin stumbled back a few steps and looked at Mako with horror as if he was the devil.


    Blood trickled down through his face mask which indicated that he was bleeding internally. Mako himself was surprised by the fact that his ten-palm strike was this effective, but instead of just staring back at his opponent, Mako had ced his hands on the ground and activated a certain ability that was now ready.


    [me Pir had been activated]


    Suddenly the ground underneath the assassin''s feet started to split apart as a tornado of mes erupted from it consuming the entirety of his body.


    The crowd of people looked away and the online footage was immediately blurred as only the torturous screams of the assassin could be heard.


    After 5 seconds, the mes disappeared as the body of the assassin waspletely charred all over with some parts of his clothes still on fire. The body stood still for a couple of seconds before it tumbled by a slight breeze hitting it and fell to the ground.


    *DING!*


    [A Difficult Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+1000 EXP]


    "We have a winner for the second round of the Semifinals! ze Wins!" Ash announced as boos resounded from the crowd and filled the entirety of the online chat.


    "Monster!"


    "Heartless!"


    "Viin!"


    Many names were being said to Mako, but he just turned around and returned to his side of the bench without a sliver of emotion. On the inside, Mako was cursing himself to resort to this, but he knew that if the fight kept going he would be the one on the losing side because putting his senses into overdrive was putting a lot of strain on himself.


    Thementator, as well as Ash, were praising Mako''s abilities as they had never seen someone with such versatility while the crowd kept on booing not only for the fact that Mako finished the battle in a brutal way which was allowed but also because almost everyone had their bets on the Dark Assassin who was now picked by another person who everyone assumed to be his friend or something and taken away.


    But before they could take him away from the ring, Mako decided to use Analyze on him again now that he had defeated him.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Leon Czolgosz] (Unconscious)


    [Ability: Speed (Level 3)] ?


    [Health: 23/150] ?


    [Energy: 64/220] ?


    [Strength: 9] ?


    [Agility: 30] ?


    [Perception: 11] ?


    [Intelligence: 4] ?


    [Mentality: 7] ?


    [Stamina: 12] ?


    [Charisma: 2] ?


    [Fortitude: 5] ?


    The reason why the Dark Assassin or Leon was moving too fast even for Mako was that he had an enhancement ability. He had a very high level of agility plus whatever skills he had to further utilize that speed to its fullest, but there was the main drawback and that was what Mako had unconsciously exploited which was that he was neither too strong nor did he have a good defense.


    Mako''s ten-palm strike struck Leon in his vital spot with full force and no protection other than the light clothing he was wearing that waspletely burnt at this point.


    Enhancement abilities were rare and cultivating them to a decent level was very tough but the most top-ranked fighters and military personnel each held at least one enhancement ability that would boost a certain aspect of themselves into ultra mode.


    Mako was torn on the inside as the actions he had to take were against his very nature but he knew he had to do it since they were all people who were associated with gangs or the mafia, so they were not necessarily good people.


    ''Only one more to go!''

 Chapter 30 Emergency Quest

    ?"Ladies and gentlemen! We have arrived at the final match of tonight''s Rookie Brawl with our finalists!" Ash announced to the crowd that was cheering at the top of their lungs.


    "On my left, is the boy who has continued to shock us again and again with amazing talent and versatility! BLAZE!!" Ash presented Mako who received a lot of boos from the crowd mainly because he had defeated the one person that most people had bet on in the semi-finals.


    "And on my right, is the man who dominated in the Group A battle royal with 8 eliminations done by himself! RHINO!!" Ash barelypleted his sentence before the crowd erupted in cheers, chanting ''Rhino'' again and again while from the right side of the ring a man made of pure muscle walked out into the ring.


    Rhino was the embodiment of what a top physique of a top-tier bodybuilder would be in the olden days as every single muscle on his body was bulging and twitching as he flexed them for the crowd. He stood clearly above 7 feet and would weigh easily around a hundred kilograms. Mako looked extremely minusculepared to Rhino who was cracking his knuckles so hard that if someone heard the noise, they would assume that something was being torn apart.


    In the current era, muscles were no longer the definition of how strong you were as often than not people would have such insane high-level abilities that training and maintaining such a body was not a necessity anymore.


    Mako was fairly confident that his strength would at least be able to deal some damage to him, but just to be on the safe side, Mako decided to use Analyze on him too.


    [Analyze]


    [Skill Failed (opponent level too high)]


    Not so surprisingly, the skill had failed which meant that the aura that was emitted by Rhino was stronger than Mako''s which was why Analyze couldn''t get a read on him. Mako was the type of person who would always calcte things before doing them.


    *Realizes he punched a tree on his first day of getting the system, and broke his bone*


    Well, tried to calcte things most of the time, and seeing that he had no info on his opponent, it was a bit unsettling to know nothing about his opponent.


    *DING!*


    Mako had expected another quest to pop up and right on cue, Mako heard a different kind of notification sound than what he was used so quickly opened up his quest tab to see what was up with that.


    (NEW!) [Emergency Quest Issued]


    [Survive!]


    [The opponent user is about to face is too dangerous and the chances of death are very high, find a way to stay alive!]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Penalty: Death]


    *PANIC!*


    Mako had never expected to find out that he would be facing a life or death situation in a rookie tournament where the max level that was allowed to participate was level 3 ability users.


    Although most of the people Mako had fought today were level 3 ability users, what made them different from the rest of the opponents like the Dark Assassin and Rhino was the fact of how much they cultivated their ability, meaning how in tune they are with its use, and secondly how much have they improved their natural attributes since awakening.


    Mako could improve his attributes daily with the attribute points that he received from quests, daily tasks, etc. However, that was not the case for the rest of the ability users as they would have to spend a lot of time improving their bodies, and if they were not talented then it would take them a very long time to do so.


    Mako had just awakened a couple of weeks ago and since then he had been training with his ability every day which was why he could control it a lot better than initially, but he was still severely behind people who had awakened a couple of months prior and had time to build a strong foundation.


    Seeing as there was no other choice left, Mako called a timeout and awkwardly went back to the benches to do something that he didn''t want the world to see.


    **********


    When Mako had defeated Bill in the duel, he had leveled up to level 5 which unlocked the inventory tab. The inventory tab was just what you would expect, Mako was shown a screen with thirty empty slots and a weight limit stered on the top right corner of the screen.


    Although Mako knew how the inventory would operate since he had yed a lot of open-world survival games with Gary where inventory management was a required skill, he was still curious as to how it would work in real life.


    He brushed it to the side as there was no use for it at that time, but after he had unboxed all of the items he had purchased online, he needed to keep them on him at all times, but carrying around pills and a knife wasn''t as easy as it looked considering Mako didn''t have anybat clothing with straps.


    That was when the inventory tab came into his mind and holding his knife Mako opened his inventory for the second time.


    [Inventory] ?


    [0/30 slots filled]


    [Weight limit: 200 kg]


    [Do you wish to store (1) High Tier Blue Horn Mammoth''s Combat Knife in your inventory?]


    [YES/NO]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Using his thoughts, Mako selected the ''YES'' option, and right before his eyes the beautiful blue de had disappeared into small particles of light, right off his hands. Mako had a mild Panic attack as he watches thest of the light particles fade away as he thought that he had lost his very valuable item just like that.


    Checking the inventory tan again, Mako''s worries faded as one of the slots was consumed by the beautiful knife that weigh around 1.2 kilograms. Using his thought to focus on the knife, a prompt appeared in front of Mako again.


    [Do you wish to retrieve (1) High Tier Blue Horn Mammoth''s Combat Knife from your inventory?]


    [YES/NO]


    Selecting ''YES'' yet again, the de reappeared right in Mako''s hands. Seeing as this was the best option, Mako decided to put all his items into his inventory so he could summon them back and use them at will.


    **********


    Mako took out that beautiful knife from his inventory and silently taped it to his back with its sheath still on so that he doesn''t get identally stabbed by it and as long as his body is in contact with the de, he would receive its boosts that would be very much needed for his uing fight.


    On top of that, Mako also popped two of his High Tier Boost Pills which when affected by his system override gave him a bigger temporary boost in a single aspectpared to smaller boosts in all aspects. Mako choose to increase his Perception and Agility with his two pills and finally made his way back to the ring where the crowd was getting impatient.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 200/200] ?


    [Energy: 500/500] ?


    [EXP: 3400/6400] ?


    [Level 7] ?


    [Strength: 20 (+30) ] ?


    [Agility: 15 (+25) ] ?


    [Perception: 20 (+15)] ?


    [Intelligence: 12] ?


    [Mentality: 12] ?


    [Stamina: 12 (+5) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: Locked] ?


    [Attribute Points: 1] ?


    Looking at his stats Mako, Mako could see how much a boost was added to his Strength, Agility, and Perception due to his hidden knife, the boost pills, and the natural boost from his ability. He still wasn''t sure how tough Rhino would be or what his ability was so it was still nerve-wracking for him but he didn''t let this emotion show on his face as he had a look of confidence that showed that he had no worries at all.


    "Sorry for the dy, Everyone! But without any further a due, the final match between ze and Rhino will begin!" Ash rekindled everyone''s excitement with his announcement as the two fighters made their way back to the corners of the arena.


    Cheers emanated from everywhere while the two fighters took a stance.


    "Fighter''s ready?! ¡­. FIGHT!" Ash yelled at the top of his lungs surprisingly nobody took a step forward.


    Normally as soon as Ash announced the fight to start, one or both fighters immediately rushed to get the very critical first strike on the opponent, but for the first time tonight, both Mako and Rhino stayed in their ce staring at each other without breaking eye contact.


    After the most silent ten seconds had passed, Mako was still on the defensive as he didn''t want to engage him without gauging his strength first when Rhino suddenly began to smile.


    Bone-popping sounds started toe out of his body as his limbs and muscles vibrated vigorously before turning grey. Within seconds, Rhino''s mass started to increase as all his limbs became twice in size while his hands and feet turned into ws like that of a bear. All of his clothes began to tear apart except some very stretchy and stic boxers which remained on his body. All his hair started to fall out with three horns started to grow on his face, two from the sides like that of a bull and one on the forehead like that of a rhino.


    With the final bone-popping sound, Rhino had transformed into an actually mutated rhino of some sort, towering over Mako with an astounding height of 11 feet.


    Announcing his entrance to the fight, Rhino let out a mighty roar which was enough for Mako to skid back a few feet while the crowd of spectators was protected by automatic forcefield generators that activated as soon as they calcted a high-level attack.


    ''HOLY S***!''

 Chapter 31 Blaze Vs Rhino

    ?"How am I meant to fight this beast!" Mako shouted out but was muffled by the cheers of the crowd as the giant mutated beast snarled at him.


    Mako had no choice as all he could do at this point was to make sure that he didn''t get a direct hit from him which would most likely be the end for him as his Fortitude was still locked and didn''t have any points.


    Rhino slowly started to walk toward Mako with each step causing the ground to quake as Mako just took a defensive stance and looked for the opportunity to escape. ording to the system, this was a fight that Mako couldn''t win so in his head he looked for opportunities to get knocked by his attack so that the fight would end.


    Rhino arrived in front of Mako and before even Mako could blink, a fist bigger than his entire head was headed for his chest at lightning-fast speeds. Using Phantom Shift, Mako was sessfully able to dodge Rhino''s punch whichpletely obliterated the concrete floor behind him into small pieces.


    The crowd and Rhino were both surprised to see that Mako was agile enough to evade his blow as in all of his previous matches, Rhino only had to punch once or twice in his partial transformation form and he would easily knock out his opponent leaving them on the verge of death.


    Rhino had only utilized his partial transformation skill in all of his previous matches to conserve energy but now that it was the final match, he decided it was time to go all out and reveal his trump card right off the bat which was hisplete transformation.


    The only reason that Mako was able to dodge the punch was that he had a boost in perception which was enough to detect the punch before it came so Mako could use Phantom Shift in time. Now seeing that Rhino was stunned by his Phantom skill, Mako started to conjure fireball after fireball and started chucking them toward Rhino while skidding backward to the other side of the ring.


    Rhino quickly recovered from the shock and confusion as from his point of view, he had hit Mako, but then that image of him disappeared into thin air.


    Rhino started bolting towards Mako while all the fireballs made contact with his body causing small explosions and faint burn marks to appear on his skin but he was still unaffected by them as his speed didn''t waver for a single moment. In only a few moments, he was on top of Mako again as he once again threw out a punch toward him.


    Mako decided to use Phantom Shift again to dodge the punch but what he didn''t expect was that Rhino was able to adapt extremely fast and instead of throwing a single punch, he threw out a barrage of punches which made contact with Mako as soon as he reappeared from his Phantom Shift.


    *BOOM!* *CRACK!*


    Bone-cracking sounds resounded in the arena as Mako wasunched to the other side of the arena with a fountain of blood leaking from his mouth. A single punch that made contact with Mako was able to cause many external injuries and bones to fracture and crack.


    Mako''s almost lifeless body limped across to the corner of the ring while the crowd once again started to cheer wildly. It was taking all his energy just to breathe air as multiple notifications kept on ringing in his ears causing a massive headache.


    [-180 HP]


    [User has broken their Skull, 8 Ribs, Left Femur, and Pelvic Girdle,...]


    [User has multiple sources of internal bleeding]


    [Emergency healing has been activated]


    [Injuries too great for Emergency healing]


    [Find external medical assistance quickly]


    [User will lose an additional 1HP per minute due to internal bleeding]


    [Estimated time till death: 20 minutes]


    Mako could barely get his thoughts straight as he gazed at the system notification and then at Rhino who was charging toward him again with the intent to finish him off.


    Mako stared at Rhino as he thought these were his final moments in life as he had blown his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by being overconfident. As Rhino approached Mako with intense bloodlust oozing out of him Mako closed his eyes as if he had epted his fate when suddenly he remember the vow he made to his great grandfather.


    He had made a vow on the day he had discovered the system and learned of his family''s sacrifices and vowed to continue on their path to bring peace wherever they went.


    ''I can''t let it end here!'' Mako yelled at himself as his eyes opened again only to see Rhino inches away from him.


    Gritting his teeth Mako used one of his broken arms to conjure a fireball and proceeded to throw it at himself.


    The crowd, thementators, and Rhino himself were shocked to see this unexpected and sudden move as they thought he was trying to kill himself rather than die at the hands of Rhino.


    Although the fireball did cause some damage; however, since he was the one that conjured it, it didn''t have that big of an effect other than knocking his body a few feet to the side and causing smoke to rise.


    This was all part of Mako''s n as what the others didn''t see was that Mako had secretly used the smoke as cover to open his inventory and eat two High Tier Healing Pills which instantly took effect and started to mend his bones and stop his bleeding, but they were still going to take an hour to finish which Mako didn''t have as the smoke had already cleared and Rhino was once again running towards him.


    [*SYSTEM OVERRIDE*]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Do you wish to instantly use the effects of the (2) High Tier Healing Pills?]


    [Cost: 250 Energy]


    [YES/NO]


    Without even thinking about it Mako selected ''YES'' and felt a moment of weakness as the energy was sapped out of him and then a cool and refreshing feeling which was the instant recovery of his body to its peak state.


    Just as Mako''s healing wasplete, Rhino arrived in front of him with one of his legs up in the air intending to squash Mako into tomato paste.


    Using Phantom Shift, Mako was able to dodge Rhino''s attack and appear right behind him.


    Thementators and the spectators were speechless as they couldn''t fandom how Mako was able to recover so quickly and continue to dodge Rhino''s assault.


    Rhino waspletely enraged at this point as he didn''t expect it would take this long to finish off a simple fire ability user and now he was taking it personally.


    Turning around Rhino saw that Mako was crouching with his hands nted on the ground and before he could take another step.


    [me Pir has been activated]


    An inferno of mes erupted from underneath Rhino''s feet as it was the first time the crowd got to see him get hurt. A painful roar came out of his mouth as he endured the pain for theing few seconds while Mako continued to back away as far as possible.


    As soon as the time for the me Pir was over, the mes disappeared and Rhino was still standing although it looked like he was hurt this time as he was breathing heavily and steam and smoke wereing off his body.


    "BLAZE!" Rhino yelled angrily as he was done ying around and was charging at Mako at full speed.


    During the time Rhino was dealing with the me pir, Mako used another Boost pill to increase his Perception to 55 and also took a High Tier Rejuvenating Pill to recover a lot of the energy that he had just spent.


    The reason for him to do this so secretly was that any type of pill or power weapon was strictly not allowed as before Mako went to participate in the battle royal, they had him scanned three different times to make sure he didn''t have anything that would give him an unfair advantage.


    However, what they didn''t expect was that Mako would be able to store items in his inventory safe from any kind of scans or searches.


    Now that his Perception was over the fifty mark, Mako was able to sense a lot of things from every direction almost everything began to move in slow motion.


    Rhino rained down a barrage of punches, but this time Mako didn''t make use of Phantom Shift right away as he was just using his Perception and Agility to dodge the iing attacks.


    Speechless was not even a word that could be used to describe the faces of thementators and the spectators as they watched with pure awe as Mako dodged every single one of Rhino''s punches in a fluid motion that was almost mesmerizing to watch.


    For the next five minutes, Rhino wasn''t able tond a single punch on Mako as he continued to dodge everything whilst making use of Fireball, me wheel, Phantom punch, and Phantom Kick every once in a while to deal a bit of damage. Since Mako''s perception was very high, he began to notice that Rhino''s attack speed as well as his size was reducing.


    Within a few minutes, Mako was again facing the muscr man who first entered the arena. Rhino had used a lot of energy to transformpletely into his mutated rhino form which backfired. If he had used partial transformation, he still would have energy to fight Mako but it was looking grim for him now.


    The entire online fanbase and the spectators watched with horror as the person who they thought would dominate the final round was getting weaker and weaker by the minute.


    Enraged by the situation Rhino, threw out onest Punch which Mako easily avoided by ducking down, and now he was right in front of his bare body.


    [Ten-Palm Strike has been activated]


    Mako unleased his ten open palm attack which made sounds akin to gunshots when struck against Rhino''s body and thetter finally couldn''t handle the fatigue and Mako''s attacks as he went unconscious and fell to the floor.


    *Silence!*


    Utter and absolute silence reigned across the entire floor after a couple of seconds as no one, not even Mako was able to register what had just happened to him. Weirded out by the awkward silence, Ash came out of his daze as he addressed the online viewers and the spectators.


    "The winner of tonight''s Rookie Brawl is... BLAZE!!!"

 Chapter 32 Hes Cheating!

    ?The announcement created a huge uproar within the crowd and people started jumping off their seats and banging on the protection barrier, clearly trying to break it so they could give Mako a piece of their mind.


    This entire time Mako wasn''t even paying attention as he didn''t even know when Ash came forward and picked his hand up in the air to dere him the winner. Mako''s attention was caughtpletely by a blue disy in front of his eyes.


    Mako first tried to use Analyze on Rhino once again and just like with Leon, and now he was able to read his profile chart. This made him realize that even if he was weaker than his opponent, he could still get a read on him if he knocked them out.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Enzo Ceros] (Unconscious)


    [Ability: Mutant Rhino Transformation (Level 3)] ?


    [Health: 298/500] ?


    [Energy: 24/400] ?


    [Strength: 45] ?


    [Agility: 18] ?


    [Perception: 8] ?


    [Intelligence: 3] ?


    [Mentality: 6] ?


    [Stamina: 12] ?


    [Charisma: 8] ?


    [Fortitude: 25] ?


    [Ability: Mutant Rhino Transformation (Level 3)] ?


    [A transformation ability that allows the user to take on the form of the Mutant Rhino, giving the user immense boosts in strength and fortitude, but a reduction in speed and intelligence. At the user''s current level, the user can fully and partially transform into the Mutant Rhino, giving a different amount of boosts depending on the amount of the body transformed]


    Mako was beyond shocked at the level of strength and fortitude Rhino had as he still had a lot of health, but the reason for his defeat was his stamina was too low which meant that he was wasting his energy and probably knocked himself out due to exhaustion from using too much energy.


    A wave of realization hit Mako of how lucky he had gotten as this was the second time that a strong opponent had tired himself to the point that he could easily knock them out, but this lucky streak won''t continue forever so it was better to quit while he was ahead.


    Mako learned that it was better to be more calctive, humble, and modest rather than to be cocky and overconfident as this almost led to his death tonight.


    Next, Mako looked at the notifications tab and it was there he noticed a brand-new notification he had never seen before.


    [Emergency Quest Has Been Overruled]


    Mako had no idea what this meant because the emergency quest had hinted to him to just find a way to survive, but he had defeated Rhino instead albeit with the use of pills.


    Quickly opening the ''Quests'' tab, Mako was given his answer.


    [Emergency Quest Has Been Overruled]


    [User has defied the odds, and aplished greater than the task at hand]


    [Processing Suitable Rewards]


    [Processing Complete]


    [Rewards: 10,000 EXP, +2 All Attributes, New Title, Fortitude has been Unlocked]


    [A great achievement! The user has obtained the title of ''PERSEVERANCE''! Titles will now be shown in the Titles tab on the main system interface.]


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Reward: +10 Attribute points, Random Attribute Increase]


    [Current Level: Lvl 8]


    [Intelligence has been elevated to 20]


    Not only did he get the 2000 EXP for defeating a difficult level 3 opponent, but he also gained an additional 10,000 EXP, a brand new title that he had to look into, and his Fortitude attribute had been finally unlocked.


    Mako was just about finished reading thest notification when his still super-advanced perception kicked in and he unconsciously dodged a seat being chucked at him from the crowd.


    The crowd of spectators had broken through the protective barrier as most of them had level 1 or level 2 abilities, but the guards instantly blocked anyone from entering the ring. People present and on the inte had gone mad over Mako''s defeat as in their minds it wasn''t even possible and they startedbeling him with things such as ''cheater'' and ''fraud''.


    Now some of the spectators who had lost a lot of money tried to attack Mako by throwing whatever they could at him, but he just slowly walked back to the announcement table on the south corner of the ring while his perception kept his body untouched by all the random things that were being thrown at him.


    The crowd was stunned once again when they saw that not even one of their projectiles managed to graze Mako.


    The security guards were given the order through amunication device and they started backing people away while the announcer directed their attention toward the other events happening on the floor.


    Mako arrived back at the registration booth where rather than Tyler and the other guy with jet-ck hair, five men d in all-ck suits were standing there waiting for Mako.


    Mako had an icy cold expression on his face even though he could sense that these were most likely level 4 ability users.


    "Mr. ze, we congratte you on your victory tonight, but due to your unexpected performance, there are many of our loyal customers who demand that we search for you." The man in the middle spoke with a serious tone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako didn''t resist in any way and let the menmit the search. They first used a portable scanner of some sort which scanned him with a red light. Mako had his de on him but since the de was in contact with his body, he could put it in his inventory even though he was not holding it in his hands.


    After finding nothing was out of the ordinary, it turned green. Second, they used a small purple patch of some sort on Mako''s belly and when Mako asked what it was for, they responded by saying it checked if the person had consumed any pills.


    The Healing Pill was still taking effect so Mako''s Body still looked injured from the fight but not to the point that they could use him of taking a healing pill. As soon as the patch made contact with the skin, a notification popped into Mako''s line of sight.


    [Invasive Substance Detected]


    [Does the user want to nullify the effects?]


    [YES/NO]


    Mako instantly choose the ''YES'' option and with that, the patch also didn''t reveal anything. There was visible shock on their faces while Mako put back his shirt. Tyler and the other person with jet-ck hair came back from behind the booth just as the five men hadpleted their inspection.


    "He''s clear!" The person in the middle said to Tyler who nodded in acknowledgment which was the cue for the five men to leave. Once they left, Tyler took out one of the portable money transfer machines, and Mako ced his money card on it to begin the transfer.


    [50,000 credits sessfully transferred]


    Both men proceeded to give Mako a little praise and a handshake on his outstanding performance while the five men from earlier made it to the middle of the ring to announce the results of their inspection of him.


    Mako returned the handshake and proceeded to remove his card from the device before proceeding to leave whilst listening to the cries and angry screams of the spectators who had lost all their money betting on Rhino in the background.


    Mako met up with Bill again who was also genuinely shocked at his performance as he also praised his strength while subconsciously thinking of the fact that if the rate of Mako''s progression was this insane already, what would have happened if he issued his duel with him atter date.


    Bill shuddered internally at such a thought while they both started walking back towards one of the elevators to go back home. Mako was disappointed in the fact that the entire reason why he participated in this event was to get the attention of a certain someone, but s he had failed.


    While walking towards the elevators, the boost he got from the pills finally finished as he felt extremely nauseous and dizzy for a couple of seconds before regaining hisposure.


    ''This must be a side effect of returning to your original state after being temporarily powered up for some time.'' Mako concluded in his thought while Bill was left confused as to why he showed a few seconds of weakness, but just shrugged it off as just being fatigued after the fight.


    Now in his original state, Mako decided to check out his profile again.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 200/200] ?


    [Energy: 500/500] ?


    [EXP: 9000/12800] ?


    [Level 8] ?


    [Strength: 22 (+10) ] ?


    [Agility: 17 (+5) ] ?


    [Perception: 22] ?


    [Intelligence: 20] ?


    [Mentality: 14] ?


    [Stamina: 14 (+5) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: 5] ?


    [Attribute Points: 11] ?


    Mako was content with how his profile looked at the moment as he now unlocked the final attribute he was missing, which was his fortitude.


    There were still other events going on, but Mako had no interest in extending his, especially because Rhino''s sponsor had most probably added him to his target list as he was sure they had lost some money.


    Bill also took out his money card which disyed a shocking number that the two boys couldn''t even fathom.


    [Bnce: 431,876 Credits]


    This,bined with Mako''s earnings and his previous savings brought the total amount of money that they own to be bigger than half a million credits!


    Mako had a huge smile on his face which was mostly covered by his facemask, but that didn''t stop him from doing it anyway. ording to Mako''s calctions, Bill and himself needed a total of 1.5 to 2 million credits to be able topete with some of the crazy things that they had seen on the documents regarding the recruitment tests.


    Feeling aplished for the night, Mako treated Bill to a deluxe burger meal in the main restaurant of the Emperium hotel, and although it was not as good as Gary''s, it was still delicious and they had a good time.


    Finally, they made their way out of the hotel so they could go home and rest which was needed as even though Mako had replenished some of his energy points he was still physically and mentally exhausted.


    Just as they were about to leave through the main doorway, a shadowy figure wearing all ck rushed past them with great speed, nudging Mako in the process. The nudge wasn''t too hard so Mako didn''t fall over, but by the time he looked up to see who had run into him, there was none to be found.


    They looked around for a bit but couldn''t find anyone. Thinking as if it might have been an ident, they decided to forget about it and be on their way, but during their walk back home, Mako put his hands in his jacket only to feel that there was something there.


    "Huh? What''s this?" Mako said out loud as he reached into his pocket and brought out a strange card.

 Chapter 33 Invitation

    ?Mako reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. It wasn''t a regr card as it was made of metal and was of very high quality as well. It was purple with feathers in the background and the dark silhouette of a crow or a raven''s head with the rest of the body of the bird transitioning into ck mes.


    Mako had no idea what this card was or how it even got into his pocket in the first ce but uponying his eyes on the card, Bill instantly froze in ce with fear.


    "W-W-Where-e d-did y-youuu get tha...that?" Bill asked while his body shivered up and down.


    "Huh? I don''t know, I just reached into my pocket and this was already inside. What''s wrong?" Mako was now even more confused because not only did he not know where this card came from, but now Bill was acting weird as well.


    Bill instantly broke out of his daze as he took an extremely serious expression," We can''t discuss it here, hurry! follow me back to your house, quickly." Bill as he started bolting to the nearest alley.


    Mako couldn''t understand what was happening, but he decided to just follow Bill, and ask questionster.


    Bill didn''t take a simple route back to his house which would have taken about 20 minutes, rather he was constantly going from one alley to another, crisscrossing his movements and often looping certain areas. It seemed as if Bill was running away from something, but Mako couldn''t see anyone following them.


    After what seemed like an entire hour of constant running, the two boys finally made their way back home. As soon as Mako entered the house, he saw Bill constantly moving back and forth in the living room scared out of his mind and muttering something to himself.


    "What the hell is going on?!" Mako asked loudly as he was already exhausted from his fight, and now he was forced to run around the city for an entire hour.


    "Mako, do you have any idea what that card represents?" Bill replied in such a trembly and shacky manner.


    Mako was a bit taken aback by how Bill was reacting as he was the type of person who wouldn''t show fear no matter what situation he was in, so this had to be a serious topic or else Bill wouldn''t act this way.


    Taking a seat on the couch, Mako grabbed Bill''s shoulders and gently nudged him so he would sit beside him.


    "Let''s start from the beginning, exin to me what this card means?" Mako asked politely this time.


    After taking a few deep breaths, Bill calmed down and proceeded to exin to Mako just what was the importance of this card


    "This card is an invitation! An invitation to the tournament held by the Dark Raven!" Bill eximed as pointed at the ck ship that was textured on the card.


    "The Dark Raven is one of the rival gangs that would cause trouble for us as we were part of El Diablo''s gang, Los Zetas," Bill exined so Mako could get rid of his dumbfounded look.


    "I should have known when that shadowy figure ran past us, this is how they mostly give out invitations for their weird tournaments ." Bill realized as he grabbed the card from Mako''s hand.


    A small button was attached on the backside, and upon pressing it a small holographic disy appeared with the image of Leon of all people otherwise known as the Dark Assassin.


    Hearing that name in his head again, something clicked in Mako''s head as he wondered as Leon and the Dark Raven must have been associates thus the simr-sounding stage names and him also appearing in the holographic disy.


    "Congrattions on your victory tonight Mr. ze! I still don''t know how you managed to win against us since Rhino was a peak tier Level 3 ability user; anyhow, the Dark Raven''s monthly initiation tournament is only 15 days away as this is your formal invitation to attend this event." Leon stated with a smirk as it was more of amand than a request.


    Leon was still wearing his outfit so they couldn''t see his face, but judging by what little they could see and his overall expression, it was safe to say that he was not happy. It was probably because he recorded this just after he had lost against Mako in the semi-finals and was now seeking revenge.


    "Oh, and bring that rat who escaped El Diablo too, if you don''te then we will reveal both of your whereabouts to El Diablo himself." Leon threatened in the end as the video finished disying.


    As soon as the disy was over, multiple characters appeared on the card disying an address where the tournament will take ce.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Sweat dripped down Bill''s forehead as he heard thest line of the message. Now that he knew his cover was blown, he couldn''t help but think back to his past imprisonment.


    Bill started shuddering all over as it looked like he was about to go into a panic attack, but before anything could ur, Mako firmly grabbed Bill by his shoulders and shook him violently.


    "Get it together! This is not all bad news." Mako shouted as Bill was knocked out of his panicked state, but now he was more confused with what Mako was saying.


    After sighing for a bit, Mako decided to remind Bill why they participated in tonight''s event in the first ce. It was to gain enough funds to purchase more things so that they would be able to stand a chance during the recruitment test.


    They had gained more than sufficient funds to do that since no one expected Mako''s debut fight to be won in such an overwhelming manner, and that there would be a person who would constantly bet on him.


    After calming Bill down a bit more, Mako went to exin what their future moves would be. Using the funds they had umted, they were going to first and foremost go on a shopping spree to level up, and then ept the challenge from the ck Raven as an opportunity to gain more experience, before the test.


    ording to the knowledge Bill had from his past, gangs such as the ck Raven would hold monthly tournaments in which they would invite or more specifically force fighters; that they found to be exceptional, to be drafted in a tournament-style match-up where the top ten would be offered a ce in the Dark Raven.


    Bill also exined that since they weren''t affiliated with any gang, theycked the protection that they would otherwise receive for the bonus of not sharing the won money. This is because most of the earned money is taken by the gang and the fighter is paid a certain percentage of that.


    Since Bill was still a newbie level 3 ability user, he would receive 5% of all the won money if he was able to defeat a person of the same caliber.


    "Um? I still didn''t understand why you made us run around the entire city for an hour." Mako inquired Bill in an annoyed tone.


    "That was so that they couldn''t track us," Bill replied in a serious tone as he went to exin that the Dark Ravens utilized any methods necessary to make sure they get what they want from someone else.


    "If we were to refuse their invitation and not show up at the event, they will send out pursuers to target us until weply and participate. They most likely had their men, situated on multiple rooftops when we were exiting, so that they could follow us back home, but hopefully, due to my maneuvers, they weren''t able to get our exact location." Bill exined.


    Now that Mako was aware of the bigger picture, he would have to n ordingly so that he would not make the same mistakes he did this time around.


    During his match with Rhino, his overconfidence was the reason for his almost certain death. This was like a wake-up call to him as it reminded him of the fact that even though he had been blessed with the Universal Power System, he could not take it for granted and would have put in more effort than ever before.


    The boys were exhausted from their night activities so they each left the conversation there, intending to pick it back up tomorrow after a good night''s rest.


    ****************


    [Saturday]


    The boys slept inte into the afternoon since they were both tired from exerting themselves the night before especially Mako who had a near-death experience.


    At around 3 pm, both boys slogged their feet across the kitchen floor as Mako heated yesterday''s leftovers. They both ate in silence and did some chores around the house before finally making their way back to the library on Bird''s Eye street.


    This time; however, they had a bigger spending budget and Mako was hoping to get the best bang for his hard-earned buck.


    "Time for an upgrade!" Mako said as he put his arm around Bill''s neck while making their way to the library.

 Chapter 34 A Brand New Bill

    ?It took around 3 hours for the boys to finish their online shopping session and they were pretty happy with the products they were able to procure. Since they had a bigger budget this time, they were able to get more items than Mako previously got and were set to be delivered by night.


    Mako was indeed excited to gain more powers so that he could be even stronger than before, but his excitement was pale inparison to how Bill was jumping up and down like a child ready to open a giant present on Christmas.


    It had been a short time since the two boys had be friends, but that didn''t stop Bill from showing his true emotions around him because after taking away all that scary bully-like demeanor, he was just a thrill-seeking and energetic boy, Unlike Mako, who didn''t really like socializing at all, and would rather spend time studying or ying games with Gary.


    The two boys made their way over to the forest as it was time to get some serious work done.


    If the Dark Raven wanted both Mako and Bill to fight, then they would have to be prepared as this time it was no rookie tournament with rules and regtions and an ability level cap meaning that Mako and Bill could potentially face level 4 ability users as well.


    Although the newly purchased items would indeed be of help, it doesn''t change the fact that the user must also be capable enough to use those items to their maximum potential, simr to a newbie driverpeting in a sports car racing event.


    Mako could increase his stats with the attribute points he would receive forpleting quests, but the same could not be said for Bill. To fix this problem and to settle his curiosity, Mako used the ''Ask'' function to ask what ways could a person improve their attributes naturally.


    [A person can improve their attributes naturally by increasing the factors of exercises that rte to that attribute; for example, jogging for longer periods to increase a person''s stamina. The actual increasing factor varies from person to person as it is not fixed by any means. To improve a certain attribute quickly, try training and exercising while keeping your ability aura activated.]


    The system exined that it would take regr training and hard work to improve one''s attributes, but that didn''t answer the question as to why there was a limit. If everyone worked hard then they could be infinitely stronger, but that was not the case as after achieving a certain point, no matter how much a person worked out, it would not increase his strength rather just maintain it.


    With the introduction of abilities, the imaginary limit that humans had before was sted apart as those who reached the higher ranks such as ''MASTER'' were said to hold enough power to destroy entire mountains, but there was still a limit as to how far they could grow.


    For now, Mako instructed Bill to do all his workouts and training while keeping his aura active which would help increase the level of his attributes faster, plus cultivate his ability as well. Since they were both level 3 Ability users, if they didn''t exert themselves by using heavy costing abilities, they could train for 16 hours without rest.


    Mako also included Bill in his Daily Quest exercises, and even though Bill wasn''t getting any rewards such as attribute points, he still appreciated the workout.


    **************


    The two boys trained well into the evening and then made their way back home.


    Coincidently just as they arrived, a man wearing a light blue shirt and hat was approaching the front door to Mako''s house. The boys greeted the delivery man who was carrying threerge reinforced boxes in one hand while a tablet in the other.


    "I have three packages for Mako Grey?" the delivery guy while reviewing the tablet to make sure he was saying the correct name.


    "Yes, that would be me," Mako replied.


    The delivery guy made Mako sign a couple of documents on his tablet before cing the three reinforced boxes on the front door.


    *THUD!*


    "Oooh, these were sure heavy! Anyways, good day to you sir." The delivery guy said as left to make more deliveries.


    Mako and Bill both had looks of shock on their faces because judging by how the delivery guy was holding the boxes, they didn''t look to be as heavy, but the noise caught them off guard.


    Before the delivery guy couldpletely go out of his sight, Mako used Analyze on him to see what type of ability he had.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Jay Winters]


    [Ability: Strength (Level 3)] ?


    It was an enhancement ability, one that would boost a person''s strength attribute to unnatural levels. It was a decent ability and oftentimes, athletes would choose this ability as itplemented sports perfectly, but not all were cut out to be athletes so there were people like the delivery guy who were using their ability however they can to earn money.


    Pushing the heavy boxes inside one by one, the boys now had three very sturdy-looking boxes akin to treasure chests now on Mako''s living room floor.


    Bill had not been able to keep his emotions in check the entire day as now they were at an all-time high, because he would finally be able to be what he always wanted to be.


    Seeing how he couldn''t control himself, Mako decided to let Bill open his chest up first which he greatly appreciated. Opening the Box, there were many different items within, but Bill reached directly for a book that he picked up with haste and began to admire it with shining eyes.


    Mako used Analyze on the book and it all made sense.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Analyze]


    Ability Book: [Wind Ability] (LEVEL 3) ?


    [An Ability Book that contains the power to control the element of wind. This Ability Book alreadyes with three pre-learned skills]


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(F-Tier) Wind Wall] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: (E-Tier) Vacuum Cutter] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Bill''s father, William Johnson, was a retired army veteran who was present during the final war, which goes to show that he was indeed quite old. Reaching the ''FALCON'', and having two elemental abilities, that being Wind and Earth.


    Bill always admired his father, but since he didn''t really show great talent as a kid, he wasn''t shown the same level of love by his fatherpared to his elder brothers who he called geniuses. This phycological trauma caused Bill to be bitter and a bully, and it was also the reason why he joined El Diablo''s gang in the first ce, all so he could prove himself to his father.


    Now that his eyes were opened and he was given a second chance, Bill didn''t want to lose it as he aimed to earn back his father''s respect by surpassing his aplishments, and now he would have the same abilities as his father as well.


    Since Mako''s Analyze skill leveled up, Mako could now preview the information of the abilities contained within even before learning them.


    [(E-Tier) Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Upgradable!] ?


    [Elemental Control is the most basic of all skills that each user of an elemental ability has ess to where the more you use it the stronger it gets as it has no defining limit to how high the user''s production and control over the element of wind can be]


    [Attack: Variable]


    [Cost: Variable]


    [(F-Tier) Wind Wall] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A basic defense from the Wind Elemental Skill Tree, that allows the user to create a wall of wind roughly ten feet in height. Anything thates into contact with the wall will be deflected to a certain extent, and with a small chance of perfectly deflecting projectiles back from where they came with exact power and speed.]


    [Defense: 15]


    [Cost: 30 Energy]


    [(E-Tier) Vacuum Cutter] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A basic attack from the Wind Elemental Skill Tree, that can be cast by only fists, but is 25% more effective if cast while holding any type of de. It is a move where the user shes the air in front of him while infusing his elemental control onto his fist or weapon, from which a vacuum is created that travels forward with a sharp edge of wind and reaches a distance of 15 meters before fading.]


    [Attack: 25]


    [Cost: 50 Energy]


    Mako was surprised by the abilities that were within as there was a defensive ability and an attack ability that was simr to his me wheel, but instead of a 360-degree attack it was a single-direction attack but with a bigger range.


    Bill crushed the green gem that was in front of the Ability Book, and instantly green light filled the room while cooling winds started blowing all over with Bill being the source of it all. When the light began to recede, the winds also stopped and the crushed crystal lost all of its colors.


    This was the normal way for one to gain an ability as the ability itself was stored inside the crystal and the book contained instructions and techniques that could be learned, but the book could only be read once the person had the ability the book belonged to; otherwise, it was unreadable.


    The process to learn the ability could take as early as a day or aste as two weeks depending on how talented a person was, but Mako''s system bypassed all of that as he was able to learn it instantly.


    Bill didn''t even bother to look at the rest of the things that he had ordered as he instantly started to skim through the contents of the book. Mako decided to leave him be as he knew that it won''t take long for him to learn the ability so he proceeded to open his chest next.


    "Let''s see what we have here," Mako said with a huge grin on his face as he opened the second chest.

 Chapter 35 Bring It On!

    ?Mako opened up his chest as he was greeted with multiple items that he could not wait to get his hands on.


    [Analyze]


    [20x High Tier Rejuvenating Pills] ?


    [20x High Tier Healing Pills] ?


    [20x High Tier Boost Pills] ?


    Skill Book: [(E-Tier) Dash] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill Book: [(E-Tier) Motion Sense] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Ability Book: [Lightning Ability] (LEVEL 3) ?


    Mako had seen the importance of all the pills that he had purchased before as they were the reason why he was still alive, so decided to stock up a lot on all of them. Bill was reluctant at first as he had only used the healing pills before, and since they were of lower quality, he didn''t see the benefit of having them but he was easily convinced when Mako told him that they were the reason why he won against Rhino.


    Bill had almost an identical set of items in his chest with the exception being different skill books. The ones that Bill had chosen were of the Wind Elemental Skill Tree so there was more expensivepared to Mako''s skill books which were for general use.


    Before checking out his second ability, Mako first used Analyze on the two Skill books so he could save the best forst.


    Skill Book: [(E-Tier) Dash] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A utility skill book that teaches the user a basic skill that instructs how to temporarily increase the blood flow to the thighs and legs by 50%, giving the user increased agility for ten seconds.]


    [Agility: +10]


    [Requirements: 25 Fortitude, 20 Stamina]


    [Cost: 50 Energy]


    Skill Book: [(E-Tier) Motion Sense] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A utility skill book that teaches the user a basic skill that instructs how to sense basic attacks much more clearly and observe movements in slightly slow motion as the opponent''s movements appear to be slower.]


    [Perception: +10]


    [Requirements: 30 Fortitude, 15 Intelligence, 10 Stamina]


    [Cost: 10 Energy/minute]


    [Does the User want to instantly learn both Skill Books?]


    [YES/NO]


    ''No,'' Mako gave themand to the system as he didn''t wish to instantly learn these books in front of Bill.


    Learning instantly was a terrifying skill that most people would do anything to get their hands on, and even though Bill was now his friend, their foundation was still weak as he didn''t want to reveal his greatest secrets to anyone.


    Mako had chosen both utility Skill Books which were odd as they weren''t very popr and not rmended by many to buy. Since they still cost a hefty sum, they are generally not favored as people are more inclined to buy an ability or a Skill Book that wouldplement their ability.


    Mako had chosen these two skills because they provided a bit of help on the two areas in which he wascking, that being speed and perception. Although Perception was one of his stronger attributes, it still wasn''t strong enough against someone like Rhino who was able to overpower him even after taking the Boost Pills.


    The only problem was the fact that both abilities were going to put a strain on his body which was a high level of fortitude required in order to activate the abilities.


    Moving on to the more interesting matters, Mako picked up his second Ability Book as this was the Lightning Ability.


    [Analyze]


    Ability Book: [Lightning Ability] (LEVEL 3) ?


    [An Ability Book that contains the power to control the element of lightning. This Ability Book alreadyes with three pre-learned skills]


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(F-Tier) Lightning Strike] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Electrical Discharge] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Mako was once again impressed with what he was seeing, but to truly appreciate it, he used Analyze to see what each ability could do.


    [Analyze]


    [(E-Tier) Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Upgradable!] ?


    [Elemental Control is the most basic of all skills that each user of an elemental ability has ess to where the more you use it the stronger it gets as it has no defining limit to how high the user''s production and control over the element of lightning can be]


    [Attack: Variable]


    [Cost: Variable]


    [(F-Tier) Lightning Strike] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A basic attack from the Lightning Elemental Skill Tree, that allows the user to send a small lightning bolt from their hands by aiming towards their opponent using the front two fingers extended outwards. This lightning attack carries with it a small chance for the opponent to be paralyzed for a couple of seconds, rendering thempletely immobile.]


    [Attack: 15]


    [Cost: 30 Energy]


    [(E-Tier) Electrical Discharge] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A basic attack from the Lightning Elemental Skill Tree, that can be cast by only fists, but is 25% more effective if cast by a blunt weapon. It is a move where the user strikes the ground underneath him while infusing his elemental control onto his fist or weapon, from which a burst of electricity is created that produces a dome of electricity, five meters in diameter. If an opponent is caught within the range of the attack, they will be paralyzed for 15 seconds.]


    [Attack: -]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Cost: 50 Energy]


    [Does the User want to instantly learn?]


    [YES/NO]


    Mako once again declined the prompt as he was sticking with his n that he wouldn''t reveal his secrets to anyone.


    However, Mako did ask the system whether he would be able to learn the ability afterward, even if he choose to break the crystal manually.


    [Yes, the user can still perform Instant Learning, even after the crystal of the book is no more as long as the user obtains the ability, the skills are rted too.]


    Happy with the answer, Mako proceeded to rip the crystal out of his book as well so that he could also know what it feels like to gain an ability the regr way.


    As soon as Mako crushed the crystal, instantly the room was covered with yellow light while snakes of electricity started to burst out of Mako, and just like before, after a few moments, the light began to recede and a new prompt appeared in front of Mako''s eyes.


    [Congrattions! You have obtained the Lightning Ability]


    [Lightning is an offensive/utility ability, your stats will be increased when using lightning-based moves]


    [Agility +10]


    [Strength +5]


    [Stamina +5]


    [To activate these boosts, you have to keep your ability active which will passively drain energy as well as release the aura of a level 3 Lightning Ability user]


    [Current rate of energy consumption: 2 Energy per minute]


    With another amazing ability under his belt, Mako was beyond happy and couldn''t wait to be left alone so that he could instantly learn all of these great abilities and skills.


    *DING!* *DING!*


    Mako had grown ustomed to this sound by now as a new quest had been issued by the system.


    (NEW!) [Long-term Quest]


    [Learn more about how you can obtain the Nature Ability]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Penalty: ???]


    (NEW!) [Regr Quest]


    [Be victorious in the tournament hosted by the Dark Raven]


    [Reward: Instant Level up, +10 attribute points, random skill]


    [Penalty: -2 Levels, -5 to all attributes]


    Mako was expecting another simple quest to be issued or perhaps he hadpleted a hidden quest, but for the first time, Mako had been given two heavy quests. Both were regr quests with one being a long-term one while the other was just a regr one.


    The long-term quest was really confusing as even though Mako had researched a lot into abilities and the different types that existed, he had never heard or even seen a mention of a Nature Ability before, so it was really intriguing that the system had mentioned something like this through a quest.


    Since it was a long-term quest, Mako figured that it would most likely have to do with something in the future and won''t be as simple as doing a quick search on the inte.


    The second quest was exactly what Mako needed as not only would he be getting ample EXP from defeating fighters in the tournament, but now he would also be receiving juicy rewards from the system as well.


    Mako had now learned to take it slow and to at things from all perspectives looking at the second quest again, the penalty was also quite dire, so it gave him even more motivation to win the tournament.


    ''Bring it on, Leon!'' Mako shouted in his thoughts as he remembered the threat that Leon made to them, and Mako was sure to give him some payback.


    He decided to leave Bill with his Ability Book in the living room, as he excused himself for a moment to go to his bedroom. Now that he was all alone, Mako brought the three books and ced them on his bed.


    Mako picked up the Lightning Ability Book first this time as the same prompt as before appeared in his line of sight.


    Ability Book: [Lightning Ability] (LEVEL 3) ?


    [Does the User want to instantly learn?]


    [YES/NO]


    ''Yes!'' Mako gave themand, as the book dissolved into particles of light and washed over Mako''s body giving him the cool sensation yet again.


    Rubbing his index finger and thumb together, and activating the elemental control, blue sparks started to appear around his fingers as they made contact. Mako was beyond joyous at this point as Lightning was his favorite of the elemental abilities, but he had to settle with fire for the first time since that was the only ability in the bundle and he was short on cash at that time.


    After ying with the sparks for a few moments, Mako snapped out of his daze and went on to pick up the next book to instantly learn it as well.


    Skill Book: [(E-Tier) Dash] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Does the User want to instantly learn?]


    [YES/NO]


    ''Yes!'' Mako said and waited for the cooling feeling, but it didn''te this time.


    Opening his eyes, Mako could still see the book in his hands and a prompt that he wished could be deleted.


    [ERROR]


    [User''s Mentality is too low to learn anything more]

 Chapter 36 PERSEVERANCE!

    ?[ERROR]


    [User''s Mentality is too low to learn anything more]


    "Again?" Makoined to himself in a low tone as he stared at the blue prompt in front of his eyes with a contemtive gaze.


    The Mentality Attribute was considered by the system as the most important attribute as it defined the limit as to how far Mako could grow, and how much he could learn.


    Mako opened his status sheet to see how many free attribute points he had, and surprisingly he had a few attribute points remaining which he intended on putting towards his energy bar and fortitude attribute.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 200/200] ?


    [Energy: 500/500] ?


    [EXP: 9000/12800] ?


    [Level 8] ?


    [Strength: 22 (+15) ] ?


    [Agility: 17 (+15) ] ?


    [Perception: 22 ] ?


    [Intelligence: 20] ?


    [Mentality: 14] ?


    [Stamina: 14 (+10) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: 5] ?


    [Attribute Points: 11] ?


    "Well then, I will just have to earn more attribute points for my fortitudeter," Mako spoke out loud as he came to a decision.


    ''Add all attribute points to Mentality.'' Makomanded the system.


    [11 Attribute Points have been added to Mentality]


    [Mentality: 25]


    The cooling sensation that Mako was used to feel whenever he upgraded one of his attributes through his system was more intense than ever to the point that he thought he was going to get a brain freeze.


    "Now let us resume with these books," Mako said as he picked up the skill book once again.


    Skill Book: [(E-Tier) Dash] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Does the User want to instantly learn?]


    [YES/NO]


    "YES!" Mako eximed as the book disappeared into particles of light as another skill was added under the skills tab.


    Without wasting any more time, Mako picked up the remaining two books and learned them instantly as well. Filled with so much energy, Mako was just itching to try out his new abilities when all of a sudden he heard a familiar sound.


    *DING!*


    Knowing that it could only mean one thing, Mako quickly opened up his notifications, and sure enough, there was an exmation icon on the quests tab.


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Learn 10 new power or basic skills.]


    [Reward: +1000 EXP, +500 Energy]


    At first nce, the rewards looked rather disappointing, but once Mako realized that along with a small EXP reward, he had now doubled the amount of energy to cast skills, Mako was beyond happy.


    He had learned from the system that as he grew stronger, it would take more attribute points to upgrade his attributes and the rate at which a certain attribute would upgrade would differ. This was quite unfortunate for Mako as initially, he thought to just grind daily quests for a year or two and then be invincible, but that wasn''t the case at all.


    The energy bar was also an important factor as it dictated how many skills Mako could cast, so he was pleased with the fact that he had a decent amount of energy to y with now.


    Seeing as the reward was tied to how many skills Mako had gained, Mako decided to review his progress thus far.


    ''Open Skills Tab''


    [Skills] ?


    [Basic Skills] ?


    - [(E-Tier) Ten-Palm Strike] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(E-Tier) Dash] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(E-Tier) Motion Sense] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Power Skills] ?


    - [(E-Tier) Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(F-Tier) Fireball] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) me wheel] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(E-Tier) me Pir] ? (Level 1)


    - [(E-Tier) Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(F-Tier) Lightning Strike] ? (LEVEL 1)<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    - [(E-Tier) Electrical Discharge] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Unique Skills] ?


    - [(D-Tier) Analyze] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Punch] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Shift] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Kick] ? (LEVEL 2)


    [Absolute Skills] ? (NONE)


    Still hadn''t unlocked any absolute skills, but those woulde in due time as well as Mako didn''t want to sweat over it.


    Closing the system interface, Mako walked back into the living room only to find that Bill hadn''t moved an inch from where he was sitting before as he was totally absorbed into learning the wind ability.


    Seeing that he couldn''t do anything, Mako decided to leave him be and instead practice a bit with his new abilities so headed toward the forest to do so.


    Although Mako did enjoy a good sparring partner such as Bill, there were a few things that he couldn''t do in his presence as he wanted to keep the system a secret.


    ****************


    It had been two hours into training and Mako was beyond happy using his lightning skills. He could feel the electricity course through his veins and strike at the nearby tree and bringing him a great sense of joy and wonder.


    He wasn''t a weak pushover boy anymore as he now had an overpowered system, two abilities, and a variety of new skills thatplimented them greatly.


    Mako still couldn''t perform the Dash and Motion Sense skills due to their high fortitude requirement. These abilities caused quite a strain on the body, so a strong body was necessary for them to be used correctly otherwise if Mako was to forcefully use these abilities now, they could cause internal bleeding and much more.


    He had just unlocked the Fortitude attribute, and it wasn''t very high so for the following days, Mako decided to pump all his earned attribute points directly into Fortitude.


    "Come to think of it, I unlocked something else alongside Fortitude, if I am not mistaken," Mako said as he recalled the reward notification he received after defeating Rhino.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [Profile] ?


    [Titles] ? (NEW!)


    [Quests] ?


    [Skills] ?


    [Inventory] ?


    [Shop] ?


    A brand new tab had opened up in front of Mako and it had an exmation icon next to it which indicated that there was something that Mako hadn''t seen.


    Mako got so involved with the Dark Raven threat and his new abilities that he had totally ignored this up till now, so now that he was more curious than ever, hemanded the system to open the Titles tab.


    [Titles] ?


    [Titles are the achievements earned by the user as they do certain feats. Once the user has unlocked or gained a new title, it will be disyed in the Titles tab. Each title has some kind of boost attached to it that can help the user in different scenarios. Currently, the user can only keep one title active at any given time; with the possibility of increasing this number by the user leveling up.]


    [Avable Titles: PERSEVERANCE]


    [Active Title(s): - ]


    Mako was quite embarrassed by the fact that he had chosen to ignore such an important thing as the titles were simr to having perks. Perks were a type of boost that could be given to a character in the video games that Mako used to y with Gary, where a perk would increase a certain stat of the yer or give them a special ability.


    Mako wanted to find out what ''PERSEVERANCE'' could do, so he immediately used Analyze on it.


    ''Analyze''


    [PERSEVERANCE] ?


    [By doing anything so many times, a person creates a tolerance towards them. Taking a beatinges naturally to the user and now that he has had enough and taken down the foes who used to dish out these beatings, the user has unlocked this title.


    PERSEVERANCE is a passive title that activates automatically. If the user receives continuous blows for more than a minute without countering, PERSEVERANCE is activated.


    For the next five minutes, the user will receive 50% more damage from his opponents, but every time, the user is hit, a rage meter fills up. After the five minutes are over, PERSEVERANCE deactivates and the rage meter is unleashed.


    RAGE MODE: While the rage meter is active, the user enters Rage mode. While in Rage mode, the user gains a +200% increase in Strength, Fortitude, and Agility. Blinded by the rage, the user''s intelligence drops significantly as the only thing on his mind during that time is to defeat his opponent. If the Rage meter ispletely full before the user enters rage mode, then the duration of Rage mode will be twice as long.


    Once the rage meter is diminished, the user''s stats return to normal, but with a debuff ''exhaustion''. For the next ten minutes, the energy cost for the casting of each ability is increased by 50%.


    PERSEVERANCE can only be activated once every 24 hours.]


    It was a very big description with a lot of detail and Mako read through it a couple of times already with only one thought in his mind.


    ''Overpowered!''


    The boost that ''PERSEVERANCE'' provided was quite bnced that he would be vulnerable for 5 minutes before Rage mode could kick in, and also there was the ''exhaustion'' debuff that was quite annoying as well, but since Mako currently didn''t have any heavy energy costing abilities, he didn''t worry about it too much.


    Mako instantlymanded the system to put ''PERSEVERANCE'' as the active title.


    [PERSEVERANCE is now active]


    Mako wanted to try out this rage mode during his training as well, but ording to the description, Mako couldn''t activate it on will as it was a passive ability that would activate if he couldn''t counter an enemy for more than a minute.


    Thinking of how he could test out Rage mode, Mako thought about using Bill but quickly rejected that idea because the Rage mode skill stated that he would have a significant loss in intelligence when in Rage mode, and he could potentially seriously injure Bill, and he didn''t want that at all.


    Thinking about it a bit more, Mako didn''t even realize when the sun hadpletely set and nighttime had begun. Mako was suddenly brought out of his train of thought by a stray cat jumping on his head from a nearby tree so that it could catch the rat that was walking past Mako.


    "AHHH!" Mako screamed as the cat didn''t care and instead gave chase to the rat that ran off into the darkness.


    Now realizing that it was dark, Mako decided to head home and make something to eat. As Mako was making his way to his house, he observed the city that now looked very beautiful with all the different advertisement screens and lights. All these different sources of light came together to give off a green hue from the city which looked as if the city was glowing green, and this was the reason why it was named Emerald City.


    Looking at the city again, Mako suddenly had a great idea.


    "That could actually work!" Mako said to himself as he gave a sinister grin, and instead of making his way back home, Mako decided to head into the city.

 Chapter 37 The Oni

    ?It was a full moon tonight as the citizens of Emerald City continued on with their nightly activities. Even though it looked as if Emerald City was a very top-tier city, it was not the case. If cities were to have a ranking out of five, Emerald City would most likely be a tier 3 city.


    What defined a city to be top-notch, was determined by a multitude of factors that were not traditional by any means.


    Nowadays, the prestige of a city was measured by how many strong individuals they had as its "protectors", how many credits do they generate each year, whether or not there were training centers for ability users, and whether or not it had the resources to have an arena built in the city for tournaments.


    Arenas were the number one source of ie as people from all over the world woulde to watch two high-ranking individuals battle to the death. Cities that managed to build an arena and managed to keep them up to standards each year would receive a massive increase in their Per Capita Ie.


    Emerald City didn''t have a power arena and because of that many training agencies didn''t want to open training centers there as well. This led to most people who wanted to follow the path to power with two choices. Either to join the military and gain enough fame and experience to be hired bypanies as travelers, guards and if lucky athletes or to move to a different city altogether to look for better opportunities.


    The main problem with the second option was that most people didn''t have the money to be able to move to a different city. Even though it looked as if Emerald City was economically stable, the truth was that most citizens made barely enough to survive with the majority of the wealth being captured by Mafia Bosses, Kingpins, and Elite Businessmen.


    During the night, Emerald city was not as safe as it would seem as the street crime was often very high and especially around areas with a heavy poption. Mako was lucky enough that he had his own ce to call home so he didn''t have to pay any rent, but also that his house was located on the outskirts of the city, so he was well away from the dangerous areas.


    Tonight; however, Mako could be seen walking toward one of the areas of the city where street crime was the highest known as the Rosewood District.


    Rosewood District was equivalent to those areas in the olden cities where thugs would roam around all the time, homeless people could be seen on every corner, and pollution was at its peak. Rosewood District was not at the same level as those areas of the past butpared to how far humanity had progressed, it was an urateparison.


    Making his way over to Rosewood District, Mako decided to take a detour through a bazaar of some sort, rednterns were hung up on string all across the street with various stalls lined up on both sides.


    Mako was hungry from his training session earlier, so he decided to grab a bite to eat from here so that he would be in top shape and have his Energy replenished.


    Exquisite and unique aromas entered Mako''s nostrils as he was almost hypnotized by the smell of the delicious food being disyed on multiple stalls. Not being able to control himself any further, Mako went on quite a bit of a shopping spree as he almost spent 200 credits on food alone.


    Mako hated to spend money like this as he learned to always save money and not waste them on useless things, so this waspletely different from how he has lived his life up till now, and he could stop himself from being disgusted by his own actions.


    Mako was carrying a huge brown paper bag filled with treats, that he intended to share with Bill as well. There were Steamed Dumplings, General Tso''s Chicken, Rice Cakes, different kinds of Sushi and Sashimi, etc.


    Mako was about to leave the bazaar with his bag full of treats which he intended on just putting in his inventory till he came back home, but before Mako could do so, a firm grabbed onto his wrist as he was about to turn around the corner.


    There was no real power behind the grip so Mako didn''t panic and instead turned slowly toward the person who had grabbed onto his hand.


    The person who grabbed him turned out to be an old man who kept pointing towards thest stall that Mako went by as he was exiting the bazaar.


    "Young man, would you be interested in taking a look at my masks?" The old man asked politely while still keeping his grip firmly on Mako''s wrist.


    Mako politely refused the offer as he tried to make the old man let go of his wrist, but before he could do anything, the old man bounced with joy as if Mako had agreed and started dragging him towards his stall by pulling his arm.


    Mako was lost at what he should do, it won''t be right to use his aura to escape the old man who was just looking to make a purchase, but Mako was also short on time, and by the looks of it; the old man won''t let him leave anytime soon.


    "Here we are, please take a look around, I am sure you will find one that suits your interests." The old man said as stood right beside Mako, still having his grip on his wrist.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Seeing no way out, Mako decided to just buy one stupid mask and be on his way.


    When Mako started to a bit of attention to the masks that were on disy, they didn''t look like cheap quality masks, rather they were rather very high quality,ing in many different faces, and colors.


    Now that he had decided to buy a mask, he noticed that there were a few that were speaking out to him and he personally thought they looked very cool. One was a white mask that had a face that of some type of an eagle, with a grand yellow beak, and white and brown feather-like texture that was really elegant.


    The second mask was green and gold in color and the face resembled that of a King Cobra, the hood and the forehead is covered in green scales that reflected gold light, and a super detailed mouth where the sharp teeth and tongue could be clearly seen.


    Thest mask that caught Mako''s attention was a mask that was red and ck in color, it had mostly human characteristics, but had massive bloodshot eyeballs, a huge mouth from which four huge fangs came out in different directions, and two horns that protruded out from the forehead. It looked like a demon from ancient times.


    Mako was intrigued by thest Mask as he picked it up from his right hand to take a closer look.


    ''Wait?! When did he let go of my hand?'' Mako thought as he stared at his hand and then to his side only to find that the old man was not there.


    "Ahhh! I see you have picked something of your liking." A voice came from the back of the stall, and as Mako turned around, he was greeted by the same old man who was standing behind a counter.


    Mako was beyond confused with how the old man was able to trick him so easily, but right now he was more interested in this demon mask.


    "What is carved on this mask?" Mako asked the old man.


    "Oh my boy, I see you''re a man of culture. That mask has roots all the way back to an old country that went by the name of Japan."


    "Japan had a very rich and interesting culture filled with legends, myths, and stories. One of them was an old Japanese tale about a viin that the Japanese believed to be possessed by a demon and they would call him by the name ''The Oni''." The old man started exining.


    "The Oni used to terrorize thends and rob people of their lives, until one day a legendary samurai put an end to the Oni''s life with the swing of his mighty katana. Even though Japan and most other countries don''t exist today, their culture was carried on through the generations," The old man exined in a somber tone.


    Mako was quite surprised that a simple mask would hold so much meaning and viewed the mask in a whole new light.


    "So the Oni was a person who would wreak havoc and kill people? Interesting..." Mako really liked how the mask looked and the story that the old man shared had sealed the deal.


    "I''ll take it!" Mako said as he brought out his money card to pay for the mask.


    The old man was beyond excited by having made a sale as dly received Mako''s payment and wished him well on his way.


    Mako decided to wear the Oni mask after exiting the bazaar since he needed some way to conceal his identity in the first ce. He was going to do this by pulling up his hoodie first, but now that he had a sick-looking mask, why not make use of it?


    After cing all his food items in his inventory, and the mask now concealing his face, Mako was ready for action.

 Chapter 38 Red Eyes

    ?Simr to the cities of old, Emerald City also had a lot of options that young people could explore. From street racing to eating out, going to clubs, and partying with friends. There were a lot of options and Emerald City was just as lively at night as in the day, with the only difference being the fact that nighttime was when small-time thugs and gang members woulde out to cause trouble.


    "I told you number 6 was going to win! You just didn''t believe me." A young woman wearing a skimpy dress said to another woman wearing a short skirt and a jacket in a childish tone.


    "I am telling you, Sophia, number 8 was bound to win, I don''t know what when went wrong." The other woman replied in a defeated tone.


    The two girls just came out of a small building in the rosewood district that resembled a modern bar. They had spent the entire evening drinking together and betting on Hovercar races that were being televised on the Holoscreen.


    A couple of guys at the bar took advantage of the girls'' drunken state and fed the girls who were definitely newbies to the world of racing wrong information and extracted 600 credits from making bets.


    The girls eventually had enough and decided it was time to leave, but there was a problem when they decided to check out. They got so drunk that the bartender confiscated their keys for the Hoverbikes that were parked outside, saying they were not fit to drive.


    With no money on hand, as they had lost all of it by betting, their only option was to walk home. Luckily, Sophia and Anna lived close by and it was hardly a 20-minute walk through the Rosewood District.


    The girls staggered on high heels as they made their way back to their apartment.


    The girls made a turn through an alleyway that was a shortcut to their home. After reaching the halfway mark through the alley, suddenly two men wearing ck leather jackets and bandanas appeared in front of them and blocked their path.


    "Well...Well..., what do we have here?" The man on the right said in a lustful tone while eyeing the girls'' dresses.


    "We sure caught a good one today, the boss will be pleased." The one on right said in a rather unusual high-pitched voice.


    The girls immediately realized the situation they were in and quickly did a 180 to try and get away from the thugs that stopped their path, but they suddenly bumped into someone who was behind e on now, there is no use running, juste quietly." The man they bumped into said again as he pulled Sophia''s hair with a strong pull, dragging her away from Anna.


    Sophia started resisting by kicking and punching, but it was obvious that the thugs were also ability users, because they weren''t budging one bit.


    Sophia was a water ability user, and with no water in the vicinity, her ability was pretty much useless. When she turned towards Anna for help, she saw that Anna was already knocked out by the man they bumped into, and he had two moreckeys behind him.


    Seeing her options run out, Sophia gave out a desperate scream for help which was quickly shut by the man with the weird sound, wrapping a cloth tightly around her mouth.


    "Knock her out, and let''s move before anyonees." The man they bumped intomanded.


    The man brought out an injector of some sort to put Sophia to sleep just like they did Anna, but before they could do so, a deep voice resounded in the alley.


    "TOO LATE!"


    Turning around, the five men saw a hooded figure standing in their way with his head down. The hooded figure was of course Mako, and he started releasing his aura toward the enemy. Mako had his head down so the goons could only see the top of the hoodie, but had worn the Oni mask underneath so that his identity wouldn''t bepromised.


    "I''ll give just one chance, Leave them and run; otherwise, I am afraid it won''t look good for you in the end." Mako threatened as he cracked his knuckles making loud popping sounds that echoed in the alley.


    "Just what do you think you can do alone? HAHAHA!" the man with the high-pitched sound mocked Mako.


    Since they weren''t fazed by Mako''s aura, Mako determined that some or all of them were also level 3 ability users. Although Mako now had two abilities, he could still only use one ability at a time, and that also held true about his aura. He could either emit his Level 3 fire ability aura or his Level 3 lightning Ability aura, but it didn''t really matter since both were of the same intensity.


    The man that the girls had bumped into signaled the remaining four goons to attack Mako while he proceeded to wrap the two girls with some rope so that they wouldn''t escape. Sophia kept resisting the best she could, but no match for their leader''s strength.


    Mako used his Analyze skill to check which abilities he would be dealing with, only to find that all five of them were level 3 fire ability users. This would make them equal to Mako in terms of ability, but there were so many other factors that determined the overall strength of a fighter, such as what skills they had, or how much experience they had fighting.


    Mako didn''t have much fighting experience, but he had an abundance of skills, that the goons didn''t have. This was mostly due to the reason of getting their abilities from a poor-quality ability book. They would still unlock their ability through such books, but learning skills would be rare for them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Making fists of fire, the four goons surrounded Mako and threw out simultaneous punches, hoping to deal with him quickly. Mako didn''t move from his position as the four fists approached him from all directions, but instead lightning started to envelop his hands as he swiftly smashed both his hands on the ground.


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    A bubble of electricity erupted from the ground with the area Mako struck being the source. The bubble quickly expanded and covered all four of the goons that were within range of the bubble.


    When the electricity passed through them, the goons expected it to hurt but it actually didn''t hurt at all, rather once the electricity passed through them, they could feel their muscles contract. Their joints locked in ce and their bones quivering. They were now paralyzed for the duration of Mako''s skill which was 15 seconds.


    Mako wasted no time as he quickly gave a couple of strong punches and kicks to all four of them, and since they weren''t able to move or block, they just stood there, taking blow after blow. The four goons were significantly hurt by the time the 15 seconds were up, but they now sought to return the favor. In their minds, Mako couldn''t repeat the skill again in rapid session because it would have cost a lot of energy to cast, which was only partially true.


    Even though there wasn''t a description that stated it, each skill had a different cooldown as to how often a user could use it. This cooldown could be as low as a second and as high as a day as it was depending on the type and skill level or ability used.


    Since Mako had mostly low-level abilities, the cooldown wasn''t even worth mentioning as it wouldn''t change the oue. Mako also had a greater energy pool than others, so he wasn''t at a disadvantage unlike what the goons thought.


    Before the goons could even counter, Mako''s fist started burning with mes as he quickly did a 360-degree spin causing a wheel of fire to erupt from him.


    [me Wheel has been activated]


    The goons were caughtpletely off guard by the change in element as they didn''t even have enough time to defend against the attack.


    The mes struck all four of them, sting them off their feet and throwing them back a bit. The barrage of punches and kicks while being paralyzedbined with the damage done by the me wheel was too much for the goons to handle as all four of them were knocked unconscious.


    *DING!*


    [A Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+500 EXP]


    [A Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+500 EXP]


    [A Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+500 EXP]


    [A Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+500 EXP]


    The leader watched in horror as Mako made quick work of all four of hispanions in less than a minute. Sweat rolled down his forehead as Mako turned to look at the leader, lifting his face a bit, the leader was horrified by seeing a pair of red eyes stare at him from the mask Mako was wearing.


    The mask already looked scary enough, but what the old man failed to tell Mako was the fact that the eyes glowed red when a person wore the mask, giving him an even colder look.


    Letting go of the rope that was holding Sophia, the leader made a run for it as he knew this was a battle that he couldn''t win, so he decided to give Mako the victory whilst he searched for another option.


    "Fire team ispromised, I need reinforcements near the Emerald Tree Fountain." The leader spoke in amunication device as he sprinted away from the alley, leaving hispanions behind.

 Chapter 39 Entering Rage Mode

    ?Mako didn''t give chase to the leader as he had already used Analyze on him and besides having slightly better stats, than the ones he just defeated, there wasn''t anything special so he didn''t consider him a threat.


    Instead, Mako decided to untie the two girls. Sophia was still awake, but Anna was knocked out cold, and it was most likely that she won''t be waking up anytime soon.


    Mako used his Blue Horn Mammoth de to cut the rope, and Sophia instantly started crying rivers. She was so traumatized by the whole situation that she couldn''t even register the fact that they were no longer in danger.


    Mako didn''t want to waste time as judging by the amount of EXP he received for defeating some weak level 3 ability users, he knew he found the jackpot.


    On average, there were 100 reports of crime beingmitted daily in the rosewood district and that was only the ones that got reported, so in reality, the number was even higher.


    Stopping bad guys and getting rewarded by the system. It was a win-win situation for Mako. He wanted to go out looking for more trouble, but his conscious couldn''t leave the two girls alone like that.


    Once Sophia had gained a grip, she looked over to her savior only to see a manpletely covered in ck from head to toe with a terrifying mask that had glowing red eyes.


    "AHHHHh!!" Sophia screamed again, thinking that the danger was not over, but before she could be loud enough, Mako covered her mouth to not alert anyone else.


    "Calm down¡­. Calm down¡­." Mako kept repeating as it took a couple of minutes for the poor girl to register the fact that she wasn''t in danger anymore.


    "Let''s help your friend," Mako said as he let go of her mouth and picked Anna by the shoulder, lifting her to her feet.


    Sophia rushed to help with the other side and they started walking back towards their apartment which wasn''t far at all.


    Mako kept quiet throughout the walk as Sophia kept stealing nces over to his mask, wondering who this person actually was. In today''s day and age, no one helped another out of the goodness of their heart so why was he helping them?


    The thought would forever gue her as Mako already refused to talk about anything about himself even after Sophia''s consistent bickering. For Mako, it was natural to help another as this was the main life lesson ingrained into his bones by his grandmother.


    They walked by the Emerald tree fountain as their apartment was just past it. Mako could finally get back to his main goal after ensuring that these girls are safe and sound at home.


    All of sudden two hover trucks, surrounded them on both sides, cutting off any chance of escape. The shutter behind both opened and multiple thugs started running out and surrounding them in a circle.


    From the driver seat of one of the trucks, came out the leader that Mako had let go. He had a huge grin on his face as he stared at the three of them, thinking that he had them cornered.


    Mako let out a big sigh as he thought that letting him go was the right thing to do since he didn''t want unnecessary violence, but now he understood that scum like them didn''t receive mercy.


    "If you want me then fine you can have me, but let these two go," Mako said as he stepped forward toward the leader of the previous group. The leader kept grinning as he didn''t care for the girls in the first ce. If he managed to capture Mako who could easily defeat level 3s, he was sure he would get a reward from his boss.


    He epted Mako''s offer and they let the two girls leave to which Sophia was still reluctant as she kept repeating that they would kill him. Mako didn''t say anything while one of the goons yelled at them so loudly that they didn''t care about anything other than their own safety and quickly got away from all of them.


    Now Mako was all alone surrounded by 18 goons from all sides. Not all of them were of Level 3 variety as was confirmed by Analyze, but the sheer number worked in their favor as there were users of all the five basic elements mixed in between.


    Mako did some basic warmup movements, like moving all his joints and cracking his neck slightly. This was done just to intimidate them because, in reality, Mako was freaking out as well because he really wasn''t sure if he could take all of them out, but there was no other choice other than to try.


    "Before we get started, does anyone want to leave?" Mako said as he took a simple stance.


    A vein popped on the leader''s forehead as he signaled all his men to attack.


    Time slowed down as all 18 of them charged at him with their abilities to be unleashed. Mako quickly ced his hands on the ground again, but before he could even cast his Electrical Discharge ability, a ball of fire sted right at his feet he had to jump in order to avoid the attack.


    A strong gust of wind sted him back down and he was pushed back onto the ground before he could reposition himself. Many whips made of water and clubs made of earth started to form in the hands of some of them.


    Mako was entirely caught off guard by the sudden use of abilities as yet again, his over-confidence has brought him into such a predicament where he was being attacked by 18 different fighters all at once.


    Before the leader surrounded Mako with the trucks, he had instructed his team to not kill him, but rather knock him out. He was sure that Mako would be of great interest to their leader as he could easily defeat the level 3s earlier


    Mako didn''t have to time to cast any big abilities as they required a few seconds to activate, so all he could do was use Phantom Shift to dodge any big attacks while enduring the rest.


    The beating hardly continued for over a minute and Mako was already running out of options as he didn''t really think this through, but then a system notification came in clutch.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [PERSEVERANCE has been activated]


    Mako grinned as it was only a matter of time before he could go on the offensive. Mako quickly used Phantom Shift thrice in quick session, leaving the attackers confused. Using this crucial moment, Mako brought out two boost pills and quickly popped them.


    [2x High Tier Boost Pills consumed]


    [Which Attribute does the User want to enhance?]


    ''Fortitude!'' Makomanded the system.


    [*SYSTEM OVERRIDE*]


    [30 Attribute points have been temporarily transferred to Fortitude]


    The cool chilling feeling of having an attribute increased was more intense than ever as Mako could feel the very fibers of every muscle bing tout and strong.


    With that down, the goons had relocated Mako and resumed their onught of attacks. This time however it hurt a lot less as the over thirty-plus points in Fortitude helped reduced the damage to a bearable amount even after the 50% increased damage taken that was one of the drawbacks of using the PERSEVERANCE title.


    For the next five minutes, Mako watched a bar filled with red energy every time he took a hit. This red bar is the rage meter that appeared on the user interface after activation.


    Mako wasn''t even trying to dodge the attacks anymore as he only moved against attacks that could cause serious damage. The rage meter was 3/4th full when the time limit for the rage meter to increase had expired and a brand new prompt rose in front of Mako''s eyes.


    [Rage meter 78% full]


    [Does the user want to enter rage mode?]


    [YES/NO]


    Mako selected the ''YES'' option instantly as a change began to erupt from his body. As soon as Mako activated Rage Mode, he emitted a pulse simr to a wave in the ocean, but this was invisible but carried a huge amount of force as all the goons were knocked back.


    After getting back up, they noticed the figure of Mako glowing.


    Yes, Mako was emitting a visible red aura as he was glowing red all over as it looked like he was on a majestic fire. His eyes burned redder than ever as the air around everyone suddenly began to feel heavy.


    [Rage Mode had been activated]


    Mako let out a mighty roar akin to a mythical beast that announced his entry to weak beings.


    The goons didn''t even have time to gulp down their saliva before Mako appeared right in front of the closet one, giving him a swift uppercut.


    The man''s jaw was utterly crushed instantly as he was lucky that his head did rip off his body. He was sent flying ten meters into the air while Mako moved to the next closest one.


    **Pow***Bam***Smash***Thump***Crash**!!!


    Right now, Mako looked like a monster going on a rampage as he didn''t care who or what was In front of him as he just wanted to destroy everything.


    The goons now didn''t stand a chance as any ability they used would just evaporate as they approached the red mes that enveloped Mako''s body.


    The leader watched in shock as Mako made light work of his 18 men in less than two minutes. His rage meter was still above 50% even after knocking and putting all 18 fighters in a critical state, Mako then toward the leader who had wasted the chance of freedom that he was given earlier.


    Mako covered the distance between them very quickly as the leader actually was perceptive enough to move just enough so that Mako''s fist ran right past his nose and instead punched a small hole through the truck on his right.


    "SH*T!!" The leader yelled fearing for his life and regretting ever meddling with this monster.

 Chapter 40 Aftermath

    ?A single punch!!


    A single punch was able to tear a hole through a quarter-inch steel wall of the hover truck. The leader of the goons saw the damage that was done by only a single punch and suddenly, he started sweating profusely as he realized the severity of the situation he was in and started running for his life.


    Mako was in such a unique state of rage that he didn''t know what was in front of him or what he doing, his only concern being the fact that he needed to destroy all his enemies.


    Now only one stood in the way.


    The leader couldn''t outrun Mako nor was he going to let him run away again. His only option was to fight or be killed, and he choose to fight.


    Fire erupted from his body as he directed the mes toward Mako. The leader thought that he would be able to maneuver Mako by directing his movements by controlling the mes. This was his specialty, He was able to move opponents by purposefully providing them a path through the mes, a path he could counter.


    *Zoom!!*


    Mako didn''t care what was in front of him as he ran straight through the mes with no care in the world. The reddish aura was able to disintegrate some of the mes but not all of them, making the ck hoodie and trousers burn.


    The leader was not expecting such a move of recklessness as before he could even think about what to do next, Mako leaped toward him like a crazed hungry beast with his fist forward andnded a crisp right hook on the leader''s face.


    Bone-cracking sounds resounded as Mako''s fist sted the leader''s face causing massive fractures in the skull and absolutely destroying the facial features.


    A single punch was what it took to knock down a strong level 3 ability user to the ground.


    Mako stood over the body of the leader breathing heavily while the reddish aura and his deep monster-like voice still remained.


    [All targeted enemies have been defeated]


    [Deactivating Rage Mode]


    [The remaining Rage mode bar will bepensated to the user by the system]


    [18 Level 3 Opponents Have Been Defeated]


    [+9000 EXP]


    [ A Difficult Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+2000 EXP]


    [The User is Exhausted]


    [¡­.]


    Many more messages shed by Mako''s eyes, but Mako paid them no heed as the intensity of the glow in his eyes reduced, and the reddish aura slowly dimmed and disappeared. Mako didn''t move as the effects of exhaustion took effect.


    Mako thought that the effects would only affect his resource cost as it was stated in the description, but he was mistaken as it was exactly what it meant. A wave of exhaustion started budding from his body as Mako didn''t even think he could walk a couple of steps.


    Eventually, Mako started to lose consciousness as he copsed on top of the body of the mutted leader.


    ***************


    Mako didn''t know how much time had passed or what happened, but when he slowly opened his eyes to look around, he noticed he was inside a room. Looking around a bit he noticed his burnt clothes folded beside him on the table while he himself wasying on the couch.


    He slowly got up and rays of sunlight hit his face greeting him with warmth. Mako sat upright and held his head, trying to remember the events that had perspired the night before.


    *CREAK!*


    "Dammit Sophia, I told you to get that fixed!"


    "SHHH! he''s awake!"


    The door leading to the room was slightly opened as two girls were in an argument with each other.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The noise broke Mako out of his train of thought as he could easily spot Anna and Sophia bickering with each other just outside the barely opened door.


    *COUGH* *COUGH*


    Mako did a fake cough to catch the girls'' attention as they very slowly opened the door and nervously entered the room. Anna was first and Sophia glued behind her back.


    "Hey, How are you?" Anna asked sweetly as she cautiously approached Mako.


    "I''m fine, but I am kinda foggy with my memory, who are you? How did I get here?" Mako asked politely.


    "You mean you don''t remember anything!" Sophia shouted from behind Anna''s back in a quivering voice.


    Mako was even more confused as he truly couldn''t remember much ofst night other than the fact that he was shopping for snacks in a festival market in the Rosewood District.


    Anna gave a small sigh as she took a seat opposite to Mako and gave a brief summary of the events that had perspired, but she herself had no clue what happened as she was knocked out by the injection the goons gave her and she exined what she heard from Sophia.


    Before the fight began with Mako and the goons, he had made a deal to let Sophia and Anna go. Anna was still unconscious, but Sophia managed to drag Anna away to safety.


    Sophia could have just gone straight home, but her curiosity got the better of her as she got some water from the fountain to protect herself and Anna just in case, and started to observe the battle from a safe distance.


    At first, she was horrified seeing all these men beating a single person with no mercy, and just as she steeled her resolve to at least try to help, she heard a monstrous scream from the fight as she saw firsthand the terrifying form of Mako in Rage Mode.


    She continued to exin to Mako how he finished off all of them at lightning speed, but he himself copsed soon after. Sophia was beyond terrified of the disy Mako had shown, but she could not leave the person who saved her life out there alone. She mustered enough courage to drag Mako away from the fight and with the use of her Water ability, she transported both him and Anna to their apartment.


    When Anna came to, she found Sophia in a very terrible state, trembling with great intensity and fear.


    After Anna got to know of the situation, she made her way to the second room which the girls used as a living room, to find Mako passed out on the couch still in his torn clothes.


    Anna was about the same size as Mako so she got some of her loose trousers and jacket and changed his clothes, fortunately, Mako was wearing undergarments.


    Mako had started slowly remembering the events as he remember the rampage he went on while Rage mode is active.


    "What happened to the people that I fought?" Mako asked.


    The two girls again looked at each other with worry and disbelief, but this time they didn''t speak. Anna yed a news channel transmission on her Holophone and pretty much let the video do all the talking.


    The video had shown the aftermath of the fight and it looked as if a mythical beast hade and ravaged the bodies of the men because there were 19 mutted bodies scattered around the emerald tree fountain, each and every one of them dead.


    It was a horrific scene as the local police weren''t able to get any info and couldn''t trace the event back to anything. This was most probably the goons'' doing, so they could have their way around town with no proof but it backfired on them dearly.


    Mako didn''t even register the remaining of the broadcast as the image of the 19 mutted was ingrained in his mind. Mako may be over-confident and reckless at times, but he never had the intention to kill anyone.


    It was a lot to take in as he just stared at his own two hands trying to justify his actions in any way, but there was no way out. He got so frustrated at this point that he started leaking his aura subconsciously, making the air around the room heavy as Sophia jumped behind Anna once again thinking that Mako was to go on a rampage once again.


    "How could I have been this cruel, How was I this ruthless, Am I a monster?" Mako kept repeating such questions in his head because he could really live with himself, with such a heavy burden on his shoulders. Rage started building up in him once again but this time not towards anyone but himself.


    Mako didn''t know what to do or what to think, he was lost. He who always viewed life as something sacred and something Holy was the one who took 19 in a single night. How could he move forward, how could he undo what was already done?


    Before Mako could lose it any further, he felt a light touch on his shoulder. He looked up slightly to see a hand on his shoulder, but the hand was almost translucent with a slight glow simr to that of a ghost.


    "Mako...." A familiar voice resounded in Mako''s mind as he looked up to see what he could only describe as paradise.


    A translucent and slightly glowing feminine figure was standing beside Mako, with one of her hands on her shoulder. Sophia and Anna watched in silence as they saw Mako reduce his aura and look towards his right, even though there was nothing there.


    However, Mako could clearly see an entity standing right beside him, an entity that he adored and one he never wanted to disappoint.


    "Grand....M-m-mother.....?" Mako said while trying his best to hold his tears.

 Chapter 41 Self Reflection

    ?The image of his beloved grandmother had appeared right in front of Mako like magic, he didn''t know what to think or what to say.


    Time slowed as tears rolled down Mako''s cheeks as he could no longer bear another emotion. The appearance of his grandmother was too much for Mako to take as he couldn''t hold back any longer.


    The illusory figure of Amy Grey knelt down to give a warm embracing hug to Mako. She held him in her arms for a couple of moments until Mako got his bearings back together. After some time, Mako finally let go of the hug and they made eye contact once again.


    "You seem troubled, Mako. What''s on your mind?" Amy said in the same beautiful and soothing voice that Mako would trade anything to hear again and again.


    Mako sniffed as he didn''t resist whatsoever, telling her every bad thing that happened to him after her death. Mind you, Mako was just 14 when his grandmother died, and he had kept all these emotions locked inside him all this time. Now seeing that image of his grandmother again, Mako couldn''t hold himself back anymore.


    Mako told her about Bill, and how he was bullied every single day. How he was treated by everyone and how he had gotten into so many fights recently, and finally he also told the fact that he was responsible for the death of 19 individual men.


    Amy listened through all of it, while still holding onto Mako''s hands. Mako poured his heart outining about everything that troubled him and atst, he was feeling a whole lot better finally getting everything off his chest.


    This was the same as when Mako was younger. Mako woulde crying home about something that had happened to him and his grandmother would hold his hand while he exined everything to her and let everything out.


    After everything was said, Amy gently raised her hands to wipe away Mako''s tears.


    "Oh, my poor boy, you have been through a lot," Amy said with love andpassion.


    "But you have chosen your path Mako, and you will stand on it with pride."


    Mako had told himself the same thing again and again, but surprisingly hearing it from her grandmother had a greater effect than he could ever produce.


    "You have chosen the destiny that my father hadid out for you and you will face many hardships along the way, and you will have to pass through each of them with resilience and an unwavering will if you ever wish to achieve your goals and even surpass them," Amy said words that filled Mako''s heart with hope and determination.


    "But what about all those that I have killed?" Mako asked as he couldn''t just let this go by.


    Amy sighed as she asked Mako," My boy, do you think that if you would have let those horrible people live and showed them mercy, would they have stoppedmitting the crimes that they weremitting for so long?"


    Mako thought about it for a second before nodding no to his grandmother''s questions.


    "If you would have let them carry on living, they would continue to rain tyranny and injustice on those weaker than them just like before."


    "Listen to my words carefully Mako, always remember that all life is sacred and you absolutely shouldn''t sacrifice it if it is not needed, but you will have to decide whether the soul is capable of being forgiven or repented. Not every soul is worth saving, nor will you be able to save all of them. You have to remember that. It is okay to mourn, it is okay to grieve, but don''t beat yourself over what you did rather try to learn from it so that you do better in the future." Amy said with a firm yet soothing tone as Mako ingrained these words into his memorypletely.


    "I hope you achieve great things, far greater than my father, and I know you will make me very proud!" Amy dered as her figure slowly started to fade.


    "HUH?" Mako was too caught up to notice before, but now it was very noticeable.


    "Grandmother, please don''t leave me again!" Mako pleaded with tears forming in his eyes once again.


    Before Amy Grey''s figurepletely faded from existence Mako saw her give the most beautiful and heart-warming smile she had ever given him as she left him with some final words.


    "I will always be by your side Mako, so don''t worry. Focus on your own goals and achieve the best you can, I know you can do it!"


    Time resumed as Sophia and Anna continued to stare at Mako who was still just staring nkly of to his right. The aura that he was releasing waspletely gone now as the girls felt a bit more at ease than before.


    Mako slowly got back to reality the girls could see Mako''s eye bing red with water around the edges as if Mako had cried a lot, which he had in fact done, but the girls were oblivious to Mako''s entire conversation.


    Mako slowly regained hisposure as he stood up from the couch and proceeded to pick up his things.


    "Ummm...., where do you think you are going?" Sophia asked Mako in a low and respectful tone.


    Mako turned to face the two girls as he bowed down slightly and thanked them for bringing him to their residence but now he had to leave before he involved them any further. Anna quickly abstained from the apology stating that it was the least she could have done for someone who had saved her life.


    Mako nodded to Anna''s response and he proceeded to leave their apartment to finally return home.


    "Anna! Why did you let him leave just like that?" Sophia asked in a very jumpy and childish manner.


    "What? Did you expect me to hold him in our apartment forever? He has his own things to do and it is best that we don''t get involved any further. It was very lucky for us that someone like him was around when we were ambushed, otherwise who knows what would have happened to us." Anna replied in a sympathetic tone as she was clearly touched by the level of emotion that Mako showed towards worthless criminals.


    Even though she said that she didn''t want to get further involved, she hoped that she would be able to see him again even though he acted in the weirdest ways possible.


    ***********<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako was back on the main street that used to be the festival fromst night, he was still wearing Anna''s clothes which she let him have as he didn''t have anything else to wear. His clothes had multiple tears, burns, and holes while the Oni mask was surprisingly not damaged at all.


    Mako didn''t question why as he had other important though going on in his mind. He wasn''t even sure how he was able to visualize his grandmother, but he wasn''t going to question it one bit as it was the greatest gift he had ever received. He didn''t want to upset his grandmother in any way and he would his best to continue the legacy that was set by Lionel Grey.


    walking through a busy city street, Mako opened the system interface to see the many notifications that were still not read by him.


    ''Open system interface''


    [The remaining Rage mode bar will bepensated to the user by the system]


    [Compensation made: +5000 EXP]


    [18 Level 3 Opponents Have Been Defeated]


    [+9000 EXP]


    [ A Difficult Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+2000 EXP]


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Kill your first enemy]


    [Reward: +2000 EXP, Random Skill, Fireball level increase]


    [Fireball is now level 3]


    [Choosing Random Skill]


    [New Skill Learned: High Jump] ?


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Reward: +10 Attribute points, Random Attribute Increase]


    [Current Level: Lvl 9]


    [Intelligence has been elevated to 25]


    Many prompts rose up in Mako''s eyes as he quickly breezed through all of them, with the only one that was of note being a brand-new skill that he had unlocked.


    (New!) [Skill: High Jump] ?


    ''Analyze''


    [(E-Tier) High Jump] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [High jump is a special mobility move granted to the user by the system, High jump provides the user with insane mobility that can make it possible for the user to reach height minimum of 5 and a maximum of 30 meters high. Once the High Jump is activated, The user goes in a crouch position, while sending Energy to his legs charging them for the jump. An instant jump will result in a 5-meter high jump, with every second passing by while charging the legs with more energy, the user can achieve 5 meters worth of more height.]


    [Requirements: 10 Agility, 10 Stamina, 20 Fortitude]


    [Cost: 50 Energy]


    It was a great skill to have as Mako could think of many ways in which a skill like this coulde in clutch and with that, the system prompts had ended. Mako picked up the pace to reach home as soon as possible because he was worried that Bill might go out looking for him which would be safe for him since he was still wanted by El-Diablo''s gang.


    From the information that Bill had provided, Mako knew of the areas under the influence of El-Diablo and areas which were not. Mako''s home and Sir Derek''s bakery came under the area of the ck Ravens which was why it was safe for Bill and Mako to go outside, and it was also the reason how Leon was able to know about Bill living with him.


    After about 20 minutes of sprinting past many streets, Mako finally made it back home. He never knew he could miss his home so much in one day and yet here he was. He slowly opened the backdoor that led straight into the kitchen, when he was bombarded with a strong and unique aura that was thickening the air around Mako, making it hard to breathe.


    "What the..." Mako said as pushed to open the backdoorpletely.

 Chapter 42 A Great Combo

    ?Mako opened the backdoor of his house, only to feel the air around him suddenly feel heavy. There was a special of suppression imposing itself on Mako, one that Mako had not felt until now. The suppression had little effect on him, and being exposed to it for the first time from inside his house had caught him off guard.


    As the door fully opened, Mako saw the source of such a great aura. Bill was still sitting at the kitchen table learning the abilities mentioned in the Wind ability book and unconsciously releasing thebined aura of two level 3 abilities.


    "How in the hell are you doing that!?" Mako asked as Bill finally moved his head from the book and stared at Mako.


    Bill had not moved a muscle since thest time Mako saw him when he went to the forest to test his new abilities. He had no idea that it was the next day or the fact that Mako was missing for the night and was now wearing different clothes.


    "Hey, you''re back early," Bill said as he resumed reading the book.


    Mako was beyond shocked to hear what Bill had just said. The kitchen of Mako''s house didn''t have any windows so Bill had no clue when the night was over but it seemed as if Bill was too focused on the book to even notice the shift in time. For him, it was as if two hours had passed.


    Mako slowly approached Bill as the intensity of his aura became even stronger. Mako couldn''t believe that Bill''s aura could be so high as he could still only emit a stronger version of a level 3 aura since he had 2 abilities, but he couldn''t keep both auras active at once.


    "What do you mean, early?" Mako said as he just wanted to confirm his suspicions.


    Bill took his nce off the book for the second time as he exined," You practice in the woods for longer, so I was a bit surprised to see you back home a bit early."


    "Bill do you know what time it is?"


    "Uh...no."


    "It''s the next day!!"


    "What?! No way...."


    Bill was genuinely shocked to hear Mako say that it was now the next day. He got up to look at the clock disy in the living room; sure enough, Mako wasn''t lying.


    [ 03: 45 PM ]                                                                                                                                            [ Sunday ]                                                                                                                                                [ 24/01/3100 ]


    "Hehe... I guess I lost track of time, I was too absorbed in the ability book." Bill apologized to Mako while smiling and scratching the back of his head.


    Mako let out a sigh as he couldn''t believe this was the same Bill Johnson that he was so scared of a few weeks ago. Bill asked what had happened because even though Bill lost track of time, it doesn''t ignore the fact that Mako himself had juste home.


    Thinking about what to say, Mako decided to not tell Bill of the events that took cest night, because Bill would know Mako had no such ability that would turn him into a battle-thirsty monster seeking to destroy all his enemies and it would raise a lot of fingers on him which he didn''t want.


    Mako made up the same excuse as Bill saying that he lost track of time while practicing his abilities and went pretty deep into the woods, and it took him a while toe back as well. The excuse didn''t cover the fact that Mako was wearing different clothes but thankfully Bill wasn''t a keen observer.


    Both boys were starving as neither of them had eaten anything in almost 24 hours. They decided to freshen up and have something before continuing with their discussion.


    Mako quickly took a shower and changed into his own clothes before making his way into the kitchen, and taking the bag full of goodies out of his inventory. The bag was still warm and the goods inside still smelled as if they were just made. This confirmed Mako''s theory that whatever he stores in his inventory will maintain the same state until it is taken back out again.


    Bill came back to the kitchen after a few minutes and Mako exined to him that he ordered something to eat while he was in the shower. Bill was too hungry to question anything so both boys decided to just dig in.


    After a very delicious and fulfilling meal, Mako asked Bill again, how he was able to emit both level 3 auras at the same time.


    Bill grinned at this because he had finally caught back on to his former glory as he was now stronger than Mako again, but now they were friends rather than enemies.


    Bill exined that he picked the wind ability from the get-go because his father also possessed these two elemental abilities and he knew a great deal about them. The process that Bill was talking about was called "Resonance", it can be done when a person is familiar enough with two different auras in his body and starts tomand the aura to bind with each other.


    Bill''s father was a military veteran who got loads of training regarding his abilities and he passed down these teaching to his children, during training matches. Even though Bill was viewed as someone without any talent in his father''s eyes, Bill had taken great interest during the training matches and he memorized everything his father ever taught him alongside his elder siblings.


    It took an average person around two weeks two get familiar with the aura of the ability inside them and to utilize abilities, but Bill had already learned all three wind abilities in the book and also managed to resonate the wind and earth abilities together, all in a single day.


    It was an astounding achievement and it was all thanks to the lessons he learned from his father even though he didn''t care for him, it was Bill''s life goal to earn his father''s respect.


    Mako was truly amazed by the concept of Resonance and was intrigued as to why the system hadn''t informed him about it yet. Mako chalked it up to the fact that he had just learned the Lightning ability and it would take him some time to get familiar with it alongside his fire ability, as he didn''t have any teachings to go off of.


    Bill wanted to continue reading the book as even though he had learned about all three abilities, it would take some time before he could master them fully, and he didn''t want to waste a second.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako used Analyze on Bill again just to see how his status sheet had changed from before.


    ''Analyze''


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Bill Johnson]


    [Ability: Earth (Level 3), Wind (Level 3), Sand (Level 1)] ?


    [Health: 160/160] ?


    [Energy: 300/300] ?


    [Strength: 25] ?


    [Agility: 15] ?


    [Perception: 3] ?


    [Intelligence: 7] ?


    [Mentality: 20] ?


    [Stamina: 10] ?


    [Charisma: 9] ?


    [Fortitude: 20] ?


    Bill''s stats had improved a lot in a little amount of time which goes to show his determination to be stronger and do right to his corrupted past. He had gained a boost from learning the Wind ability, but that wasn''t the shocking thing at all.


    Bill had 3 abilities!


    Mako focused on the third ability that presented itself in front of him and he noticed that the Sand ability had a darker grey close to a blue outline around it which signified its importance over the other abilities.


    Mako was very curious about this new ability so he utilized Analyze on it so that he could get a better understanding of what was going on.


    ''Analyze''


    [Ability: Sand (Level 1)] ?


    [An advanced ability thatbines the auras of Wind Element and Earth Element to provide the user with the power to manipte sand. It is simr to controlling the earth, but with much more urate and finer control, as the particles of sand are just fine earth that can be easily controlled and manipted with the resonance of the Wind Element.]


    Again the same word "Resonance" was used as it was by no means a coincidence anymore. Bill had seemingly mixed the two auras to birth a stronger ability that could make the air around Mako heavy even though it was just a level 1 ability.


    It was mind-boggling that something so strong could be produced just by the mixture of weaker abilities and this made Mako even more excited for the future, where he would be able to resonate his two abilities and create something even more powerful that could help him in future battles.


    The two boys eventually went outside in the back yard which was also the entrance to the woods, and Bill decided to teach Mako as much as he could about how to resonate abilities together as it was not going to be very easy.


    Mako was eager to learn so he got started straight away and was determined to notg behind Bill again and be the weaker one again. Mako immediately started to practice his lightning ability so he could more familiar with his second ability while Bill started experimenting with his sand ability to see just what he could do.


    Small sand pirs rose and fell at themand of Bill''s hands as it was truly a magnificent sight. Bill started to have shbacks of the time his father showed him and his siblings some of the moves that he could do with the sand ability.


    ****************


    "Earth and Wind are two elements that make up the ground and sky, learn to use them efficiently and you can create a very strong and versatilebo." William Johnson instructed as spikes of sand erupted out of the ground and 15 meters into the sky.

 Chapter 43 Failure

    ?William Johnson was in the courtyard of his house, where there was an open strip ofnd that didn''t have any structures on it and no ceiling. Cherry blossom trees surround the strip of barrennd, with their fallen petals being the only thing that covered the piece ofnd exquisitely and beautifully.


    William was currently standing in front of four children who had admiration and awe pasted on their faces. These were his kids, the two eldest ones were both girls, with ginger curly hair and beautiful chiseled faces, and were no older than 16, then there was a boy who looked like he was 12 years old with dark brown hair and chubby face, and finally a small and frail 6-year-old boy with ginger curly hair.


    These were William''s children and of course, the 6-year-old boy was the young Bill Johnson, who was just now old enough to watch his father train and to experience the thrill of using abilities.


    William showcased severalplex moves which no beginner could even dream to perform, and switched from Earth moves to Wind moves, to bring variety into the disy. William''s eldest two girls and the second eldest boy were already ability users as they would train with their father while Bill was just now seeing the extent of how powerful these abilities could be.


    Even though only being 6 years of age, Bill had already started taking mental notes about each and everything his father ever taught and kept these lessons close to heart. He had already set a goal in his life and that was to surpass his father one day and gain his respect.


    Through the years, William kept teaching his children. The two girls got old enough and both joined the military and were now high-ranking personnel. The second oldest boy also moved out after being allowed to be a power fighter through an agency. This only left Bill alone with his father.


    Unlike his siblings, Bill was the same. He had created a reckless and impatient personality as his main goal was the only thing that he would ever think about. His father tried everything he could to mold him into something simr to his siblings, but Bill was unrelenting.


    After having enough, William announced the fateful words that would go on to change Bill''s life forever.


    "You don''t have discipline, patience, or the mindset to be an ability user! You always rush ahead, not caring about the consequences, but now you will have to live with this consequence for a long time. You will never be an ability user and I will not give you the Earth ability!"


    Bill''s whole world got flipped upside down as he never expected to hear such news and especially not from his hero; his own father. In the years following that, Bill''s personality and attitude changed quite a lot. His rtionship with his father was never the same and they barely ever talked. Bill''s mother had also passed away during this time which was also another shock for Bill and he didn''t recover well.


    Anita Johnson was a loyal wife and a loving mother who cherished her children more than anything. Also being from the military, Anita had a strict parenting style, but one that wasn''t too hard on her children that they would grow resentment towards her. Her goal was to raise educated and well-mannered children who would show respect towards anyone and everyone they meet.


    Bill didn''t have a very deep and strong rtionship with either of his parents since they were both from the military and her mother never went against her husband''s will; however, he still had a stronger and loving rtionship with herpared to his father, even though he admired them both the same.


    Bill would ofteny his head down on his mother''sp and stay still for hours while her mother gently stroked his curly hair. It was the best feeling that Bill had ever experienced and he would trade everything he ever owned just so he could experience it one more time. He would often talk about all his frustrations and issues and his mother would quietly listen to all of it. It was the most perfect form of therapy a child could get.


    The loss of his mother had sent him down a spiral as he became bitter and aggressive toward everyone and started showing his strength on weaker beings as this was the only thing that brought him some sense of joy.


    With this terrible state of mind, Bill didn''t even think twice when he was offered an ability by El-Diablo as he wanted to continue enjoying the feeling of being powerful. Bill went on to continue abusing power and building his reputation.


    It looked as if he would continue with this life, but his ns all came crashing down when during the duel in school, a swift punch from Mako knocked him out and the situation became entirely different.


    The people he called his friends had betrayed him instantly, and El-Diablo himself didn''t even spare him a nce as the only thing he ever cared about was money.


    During his small time in captivity in the warehouse, Bill was treated just how he used to treat other people and it was an eye-opening experience for him as he finally realized all the wrongs he had done to people and wished for an opportunity for redemption, and he would go on to receive that opportunity with the sacrifice of his fellow cellmates and the forgiveness he was shown by Mako.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He would never forget the time when people were there for him when he needed the most and now he had two goals in life. One to not be a failure in the eyes of his father, and two to always be there for those he cared about.


    [End shback]


    *************


    Bill punched through a sand pir as he was getting more and more familiar with this awesome ability. He stared at his two hands that were directing the sand, and he continued to sate at the key-shaped burn mark on his hand that was now permanent because it wasn''t healed in time.


    His time in the warehouse was a very traumatizing experience, and he wanted to make the best use of it as he remembered the sacrifice Alfred made without whom he wouldn''t even be alive.


    Clenching his scared hand, Bill said in a low and somber voice," I won''t let your sacrifice go in vain, I promise to do better!"


    **************


    While Bill was reliving his past life events, Mako was sitting cross-legged on a boulder that was pretty near the house. He was currently meditating as Bill had instructed him because ording to him, the fastest way for one to resonate their abilities was to first have a good understanding of the auras in their body and thenmand the aura to merge. It would take a lot of Mentality as you were basically producing a brand-new ability that was stronger than the original two.


    Bill''s Mentality had risen sharply from the first time Mako used Analyze on him, and since he didn''t have as many skills as Mako, he was able to learn three abilities.


    Mako knew that he would have to work on his Mentality attribute as well as Intelligence so that he would not rely on his overconfidence which had ced him in life-threatening situations time and time again.


    Mako would have toplete more daily quests and defeat more opponents if he ever wished to resonate with his abilities because right now, he was still getting familiar with the Lightning ability and had uneven stats that wouldn''t be able to fare against stronger opponents that he was sure to face during the tournament that Leon had invited or dare say forced him into.


    Mako couldn''t stop thinking about what the Lightning and Fire ability would turn into as there wasn''t a sub-element that existed which could result from thebination of the two abilities. Earth and Wind had an obvious sub-element which was Sand as Sand exists as part of Earth, but can move simrly to the Wind.


    Mako racked his brain, but he couldn''te up with any sub-element that would be abination of Fire and Lightning. In the end, he gave up as he would know soon enough when he would sessfully resonate his two abilities together.


    Getting up from the boulder, Mako resumed his training with the Lightning ability as he produced tendrils of electricity from his hands and started imposing his will on them so that they would move ordingly.


    "I won''t be a failure for much longer! Just wait, Leon! I will master Lightning as well and resonate it with fire to form a brand new powerful ability that will kick your butt!" Mako said as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation of the big tournament that wasing soon.


    Both boys continued to train and hone their skills as both didn''t want to be the failures that they used to be and prove to the world that they will be a force to be reckoned with.

 Chapter 44 Getting Ready

    ?[12 Dayster]


    Mako was on his way back to the bakery from school. It was hard to imagine that Mako and Bill went over so much in a single weekend, but it was exactly what happened.


    Mako went to attending school, working his night shift at the bakery and training the rest of the day. Bill on the other hand took the responsibility of household chores, alongside his shift at the bakery and the usual training.


    The reason why Bill had decided to work in the first ce was the fact that he want to earn his worth, no matter his character, he would never be the one who would just leech off of others and it was also beneficial for him since Sir Derek''s bakery was in the area that was controlled by the Dark Raven which was why he was freely moving around the streets, because El-Diablo had no power that area and couldn''t send any of his men there unless he wanted to break the peace that was existing between the two parties.


    What Bill and Mako didn''t anticipate was the fact that the Dark Ravens would also have intel on Bill and his recent whereabouts and use that as leverage to force him to join and participate in the tournament alongside Mako.


    The tournament was supposed to be held tomorrow, so this was thest day that Mako and Bill could prepare themselves for the uing fight which they both knew wouldn''t be the same as the battle royal that Mako participated in as it was only a rookie event, with all of them capped at level 3 and only possessing one ability.


    It was scary to imagine that someone like Rhino was so strong with just one ability, and Mako couldn''t imagine how much stronger he would be if would learn a second ability or even worse resonated with them to bring about an even more dangerous ability.


    Rhino''s transformation ability was already stronger than any one of the five elements as it was considered to be a lot rarer and a tier above the five elemental abilities. Whoever was sponsoring Rhino, must have spent a fortune to have him learn such an ability.


    No regr level 3 Fire ability user could have won against Rhino and even Mako was just barely able to defeat him after popping boost pills and having the boost of his Blue Horn Mammoth de applied to him.


    **************


    *Ring!*


    Mako entered the bakery through the front door and as usual Bill was working at the front counter while Sir Derek was taking his afternoon nap on his favorite ck leather chair.


    Mako didn''t want to wake up Sir Derek because he is always in a grumpy mood when he is disturbed from his nap which was thest thing he wanted since he had already gotten a dose of shouting in the morning for beingte to work.


    Mako still couldn''t get past the fact that Bill had quickly be Sir Derek''s favorite. If someone were to ask Mako a month ago about what he would think would be Sir Derek''s favorite person, Bill Johnson would be thest person he would have thought of.


    Fortunately today, Sir Derek didn''t wake up while Bill finished cleaning the counter and the two boys quickly took their leave. Both were filled with many emotions ranging from excitement to anxiousness as this was thest day to prepare for a fight that they might not live through.


    Both of them had their own motivations and reasons for trying to constantly improve, but it was clear that keeping the bullying and foulnguage aside, Bill and Mako had very simr interests and ways of thinking which was why they had already behaved with each other as if they were life long friends even though they had be friends for less than a month.


    *************


    [7:00 PM]


    Mako could be seen sitting on the same boulder with his legs crossed and eyes closed. He was still trying to figure out how to resonate his two abilities together. He had be familiar with Lightning and could wlessly switch between it and Fire during sparing matches against Bill.


    However, he still couldn''t resonate his abilities and to this Bill was of no help at all as he exined that the spark required to resonate two abilities can be created under different situations and it varied from person to person.


    Mako was all on his own to figure out how to spark his resonance and he wasn''t going to stop trying until he would seed. Part of him was envious of Bill, as his resonance hade so naturally to him while he was here struggling.


    ''Says the guy with a powerful system that gives him so many unfair advantages over others.'' Mako ridiculed his own conscious for thinking this way as he resumed his meditation.


    Bill continued to master his control over Wind and increase his utility with the Sand element in preparation for the tournament tomorrow. Since he had birthed the ability himself, he had no skills that came with the ability, so it was up to him to advance in levels and create his own skills.


    "Hiyaahh!" Bill eximed as a small sand wave moved like a de and made a 4-inch cut into the bark of a thick tree.


    *****************


    [11:00 PM]


    Mako and Bill had finished their dinner and were now taking a deserving rest in the living room while discussing potential strategies for tomorrow. The card that yed the initial video of Leon "inviting" them to the tournament, lit up again and this time a marked location on a map was disyed which was the location for the tournament.


    It was at the southmost corner of the city near the seaport and docks. It was a low surveince area that would be ideal for ability users to go all out. With the location known and as much preparation done as possible, both boys made their final checks before going to bed.


    Bill had taken the rest of the items out of the chest as well. There were identical items that Mako had purchased, but with the inclusion of one key thing that would benefit him greatly. Since Mako had his High-Tier de, he decided to let Bill choose to get one thing for himself as well. Bill had not chosen a weapon as he instead opted for armor instead.


    Taking the wrapping off the piece of armor, revealed a beautiful and shiny yellowish chest armor with a pattern simr to the hide of the now-extinct animal known as the cheetah.


    Mako was curious about such a piece of armor so he utilized Analyze on it right away.


    ''Analyze''


    [Medium Tier Scorpion Leopard Breastte] ?


    [A durable chest armor forged from the crystal and flesh of the Scorpion Leopard found in (Unknown). A decent quality armor forged by (Unknown)]


    [Fortitude +15]


    [Stamina +5]


    [Defense: 30]


    It was only a medium-tier chest piece as a big piece of armor was more expensive than a small dagger as more resources were required to forge the armor piece. It was only that Bill had chosen a lower tier of armor that the price range was around the same cost as Mako''s de.


    It also didn''t have a passive skill like his de, as it was just a standard chest armor that would provide decent protection.


    On the topic of strength, Mako decided to use Analyze on Bill and on himself to see just how far they have reached.


    ''Analyze''


    [Profile: Bill Johnson]


    [Ability: Earth (Level 3), Wind (Level 3), Sand (Level 1)] ?


    [Health: 160/160] ?


    [Energy: 350/350] ?


    [Strength: 25] ?


    [Agility: 15] ?


    [Perception: 7] ?


    [Intelligence: 7] ?


    [Mentality: 20] ?


    [Stamina: 15] ?


    [Charisma: 9] ?


    [Fortitude: 20] ?


    Bill had been working on his stamina a lot and it was now showing results as stamina was the attribute that directly affected Energy capacity and consumption. Bill''s perception had also increased a bit ever since having a bit more mastery over the element of Wind.


    It is also essential to remember that Analyze does notpute the boosts provided by abilities, pills, or gear as it can only disy the base stats of a person.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Let''s see your skills as well.'' Mako thought as he directed his Analyze to a different tab of the information panel that was now unlocked to view ever since Analyze leveled up again.


    ''Open Skills Tab''


    [Skills] ?


    [(F-Tier) Three-punch Combo] ? (LEVEL 3)


    [(F-Tier) High Kick] ? (LEVEL 2)


    [(F-Tier) Falcon Fist] ? (LEVEL 3)


    [(E-Tier) Earth Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 3)


    [(E-Tier) Stone Spikes] ? (LEVEL 3)


    [(E-Tier) Earth Club] ? (LEVEL 3)


    [(E-Tier) Wind Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 2)


    [(F-Tier) Wind Wall] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [(E-Tier) Vacuum Cutter] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [(E-Tier) Sand Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Bill had a pretty good setup now and his basic and Earth elemental skills had greatly improved in level as well. Bill was catching up in the number of skills that he possessed, and it was making Mako wonder who was the one with the broken system.


    He then looked at his own interface and he got his answer.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 250/250] ?


    [Energy: 1150/1150] ?


    [EXP: 18200/25600] ?


    [Level 9] ?


    [Strength: 22 (+30) ] ?


    [Agility: 17 (+25) ] ?


    [Perception: 22 (+15)] ?


    [Intelligence: 25] ?


    [Mentality: 25] ?


    [Stamina: 14 (+5) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: 30] ?


    [Attribute Points: 0] ?


    Mako had spent all his umted attribute points from leveling up and doing daily tasks to increase his fortitude, which was definitelycking before. The remaining few were used to increase his overall Health and Energy pool.


    ''Open Skills Tab''


    [Skills] ?


    [Basic Skills] ?


    - [(E-Tier) Ten-Palm Strike] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) Dash] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(E-Tier) Motion Sense] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(E-Tier) High Jump] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Power Skills] ?


    - [(E-Tier) Fire Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(F-Tier) Fireball] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(E-Tier) me wheel] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) me Pir] ? (Level 1)


    - [(E-Tier) Lightning Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(F-Tier) Lightning Strike] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) Electrical Discharge] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Unique Skills] ?


    - [(D-Tier) Analyze] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Punch] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Shift] ? (LEVEL 4)


    - [(F-Tier) Phantom Kick] ? (LEVEL 2)


    [Absolute Skills] ? (NONE)


    Mako now had 15 skills in total and during his training, he managed to level up one of his skills up to level 4. Phantom Shift which was arguably Mako''s most used and favorite skill was no level 4. With every level-up, the energy requirement of the skill is slightly increased and the boost or damage provided by the skill is also slightly increased and which also makes it harder for opponents to counter with low attributes.


    ''Yeah, I guess I am still in the lead, but I am going to have to work even harder if I want to maintain the lead.'' Mako said to himself while smiling at how much he and Bill have grown in the span of a month, so much so that experts would call them geniuses.

 Chapter 45 Dark Raven Tournament

    ?The night went by in a sh as the day finally arrived when Mako and Bill would face challengers in the Dark Raven Tournament.


    Mako made Bill pack all the essentials such as healing pills and boost pills that coulde in handy if any unfair treatment or cheating was involved, which was sure to happen considering this was not a regted event but a gang initiation.


    The fight was sette in the afternoon which was rather odd considering that it would attract more attention than hosting the fight at night, but they had no choice but to show up on the specified otherwise they would risk being exposed to El-Diablo.


    It was very beneficial that Mako''s house and the bakery that Bill was now working in, were deep in Dark Raven territory which was why Bill could still leave the home without being ambushed.


    If they would have been in El Diablo''s territory or close proximity to it, Bill would have been captured within 24 hours of his escape, but the Dark Raven were one of the rival gangs that had enough power to counter Los Zetas so the time being both gangs were peacefully co-existing within Emerald City without either messing with any bigger and stronger gangs or each other.


    They didn''t expect that Dark Raven would know of El-Diablo''s prisoners and threaten those escapees by revealing their information to El-Diablo himself. The fact that they would expose El-Diablo''s prisoners to him once they seek refuge in their territory made for only one possibility.


    El Diablo must be paying some money to the other gangs so that they report to him if they see any of their escapees. During the battle royal, it was Mako who was fighting, but Bill wasn''t just sitting idly by, he was cheering him on and betting for his victory. Even with all the disguise, someone was bound to notice him, and rather than straight up rat on him, once they saw that he was in acquaintance with someone very strong, they sent out an invitation that both of them had to ept.


    Through that invitation, they would be able to get the reward from El-Diablo for turning Bill in while getting their hands on a strong fighter they could use for their benefit. It was rather sickening to think about the whole thing, and the only way for them to get out of this situation was to defeat all of them in the tournament.


    ***************


    [05:00 PM]


    The two boys made their way to the address on the card and just as they expected, the tournament was being held in a huge hangar right next to the seaport.


    With technology advancing, many ships were no longer required to carry cargo as there were more efficient options. The seaport was now just used to dock cruise ships and yachts that the rich people still used to get away from the city for a while.


    As soon as they reached the boundary of the seaport, two bulky suddenly surrounded Mako and Bill. It happened so fast that both of them couldn''t react in time, but they quickly activated their aura ready to explode with powerful abilities if the moment called for it.


    "State your business!" One of the bulky guys shouted.


    Even though they were startled by the sudden intrusion, Mako quicklyposed himself and showed him the invitation card, while Bill just gave off a deadly stare to the second bulky guy.


    They both looked at the card and once they confirmed that it was real, they let Mako and Bill pass while keeping their frown in ce as if they were disgusted by their presence.


    Bill was used to such treatment, so he wasn''t really fazed by it other than the initial jump scare while Mako was still recovering. It would take Mako some while to get used to this kind of environment as he was easily shaken by such a thing. This was also a reality check for Mako as he couldn''t believe that he was going to join the military with this kind of mindset; he would have been chewed up and spat out.


    As they approached the hangar, the sound of cheering and shouting got louder and louder. Two more guards were stationed at the entry gate who also checked the invitation card and let them in soon after.


    Once inside, Mako could see four different circles taped on the floor which was meant to be fighting rings, and there were already fighters fighting in them. A crowd of people had circled each of the rings; most of them were wearing simr outfits; all-out ck pieces of clothing and the same masks Leon wore during the battle royal.


    Almost all of them were members of the Dark Raven, and Mako was surprised to see so many people as he had definitely underestimated the amount of force that they were going against. This was a gang that was big enough to rival El Diablo''s gang which was itself a decent-sized gang; not like the mafia or something, but still not some small-time gang.


    "Wee, friends!" A voice sounded from behind them, and Bill instantly took a stance with Mako following soon after.


    The voice was awfully familiar and was recognized by both of them instantly, as this was the same voice that had invited them to this ce in the first ce. It was Leon Czolgosz.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He was wearing the same outfit as before, but this time he had removed his face mask so that they could see his face clearly. It was rather chubby and had child-like features, and it was something that Mako did not expect at all. He couldn''t register the fact that a person who looked no more than 16 was the bane of their current situation.


    "Woah, Woah, Woah...¡­! Let''s save all this energy for the fight, fes." Leon said while waving his hands up and down as a sign of peace to counter the hostility that he was receiving from Mako and Bill, the moment they locked eyes on him.


    "I have more than enough energy to take on someone like you!" Bill replied back in his usual bully-style manner.


    The tension between the two was bing more and more intense, as it looked as of a fight was about to break out this instant. Mako didn''t say anything and just decided to follow Bill''s lead as he was pretty good at these kinds of things.


    Bill''s hostility was sourced from all the emotions that were surfacing; emotions that he had bottled away and never wanted to experience again but the person standing in front of him had the power to make that happen.


    Before things could escte, two more buff-looking men wearing the same outfit as Leon suddenly appeared between them facing toward Leon.


    "Master Leon, please don''t create a scene before the event begins, you''re uncle would not be happy if he heard one of his guests or his own nephew got hurt before the event began." One of the buff-looking guy with a mohawk said to Leon in a very respectful manner.


    Leon just scoffed at the sudden intrusion and walked away leaving Mako and Bill confused as to why was Leon treated in such a way as it totally went against all logic, but the second part of the guard''sment made it clear.


    Leon''s uncle was most likely a higher-up and respected figure in the gang which was why Leon could, first of all, get information about Bill, second threaten them directly, and also throw them an invitation to their monthly event.


    What the two boys didn''t know was that they had hit the bullseye with their assumption because not only was Leon''s uncle a higher-up in the gang, but he was in fact the second onmand, just below the leader.


    ***************


    The warm-up matches continued in the four rings for the next hour, but most of the people who were participating in them wereplete amateurs and Mako and Bill didn''t even bother to participate in these rounds as they both knew that conserving their energy was more important, even though the temptation of earning EXP from farming the fighters was very strong for Mako.


    Around the time that the sun was just about to set, an old man wearing a very well-tailored andvish-looking suit walked towards the middle of the four rings and coughed slightly to get all the people''s attention.


    *Cough!* *Cough!*


    The simple cough was loud enough to get everyone''s attention and it also drew the attention of Mako and Bill who were discussing strategies in one corner of the warehouses while still keeping an eye out for more surprises such as Leon.


    "Participants who have received the Dark Raven card, please prepare yourself! The Dark Raven Monthly Tournament will begin shortly!" The old man announced, but it looked more like he was just speaking.


    This caught Mako''s attention and used Analyze on him to investigate only to see the message he hated to see the most.


    ''Analyze''


    [Skill Failed! (opponent level too high)]


    If the butler who was hosting the event was still at a higher level than Mako, then only God knows how strong his opponents will be, but he just hoped that he could power through them this time relying only on his own power and intellect rather than Boost pills.


    "Let''s do this!" Mako hyped himself up as the tournament was about to begin.

 Chapter 46 Sweeping The Floor

    ?Slowly the people who were training in the rings stopped their fight and the spectators also moved aside. From the crowd, some people came out forward each carrying the same ck card that was given to Mako and Bill.


    Mako and Bill also quickly joined them and slowly a small group started to form near the old man who patiently stood still with his hands behind his back, waiting for everyone to join the group.


    After some time, all of them joined the group and the old man proceeded to exin the rules to all of them.


    The old man or the butler went into great detail regarding each rule, but the summary of it all was that at the beginning 128 people in total will participate in the tournament. The tournament will be divided into 5 rounds and with each round, the strength of the group will have been reduced by half.


    The first three rounds will be done in a 2v2 format, in which participants could team up with whoever they wished for the first three rounds and fight in teams. This was done to reduce the numbers quickly so that participants with weak powers or those who are not team yers could be removed first.


    After the first three rounds, the top 16 will be put in a bracket where they will have to face a random opponent for the remaining two rounds and thest four standing will be the winners of the tournament. There was not going to be a single winner but rather four of them which made sense since this was a type of gang initiation, where they would be looking to add more strong people to their gang rather than just one strongest.


    The use of any kind of pills was prohibited except for healing pills which could be used between rounds. Power weapons and armor were allowed to be used but only up to the high tier. Killing opponents was not allowed as the most that can be down is breaking a bone or striking a non-vital area, with the main objective being to either throw opponents out of the ring or knock them out.


    *****************


    With the rules in ce, the butler proceeded to leave whilst the participants started forming pairs for the 2v2 fights. Bill and Mako were extremely lucky as they couldn''t have this tournament go by any smother. With both of them working together, it was safe to say that they were at their strongest.


    A couple of people recognized Mako as ze since he was wearing the same outfit as before, and decided to approach him with the intention of befriending him so that he could be their fighting partner, but they were all left disappointed when Mako rejected their offer in a heartbeat.


    This left them a bit salty which was exactly what Mako wanted. The more a person showed emotion during a fight, the more likely it is for them to make a mistake, and he will get free EXP in return.


    The pairs were quickly made and then the groups were picked at random by the butler who picked numbers from a hat, and each number corresponded to a team. Mako and Bill''s team was number 9 and during the first draw, they didn''t get picked for a match since only 4 matches could be done at a time, so they had to wait their turn.


    This was honestly better for them since it would give them the to analyze their opponent''s abilities, strengths, weaknesses, fighting styles, etc. 8 teams made their way to the fighting rings, and the first phase of the first round began.


    *******************


    During the first phase, no one used any big abilities or moves and resorted to only using a single elemental ability to not give away too much about their skill set. People with only a single ability and weak moves were easily eliminated as the matches ended fairly quickly with only a couple being drawn out where both sides had strong individuals.


    During these kinds of matches, people were able to witness true strength as multiple abilities were being used one by one and terrifying skills were thrown at each other in order to secure their ce in the next round.


    There was no form of protection for the viewers as they had to defend themselves against rogue abilities and because of that, there were significantly fewer spectators watching the tournamentpared to the crowd that was spectating the training fights when Mako and Bill first arrived.


    Even now the fighters were fighting conservatively; not wanting to spend too much energy so that they are in decent condition for the next match. In between matches, the fighters were only allowed a break of 15 minutes, and so even though they were facing difficult opponents in the first round, they couldn''t go all out with the fear that they might face even stronger opponents in the second round and if they haven''t recovered enough energy by then, it would be a very humiliating defeat.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This was the reason that mostly weak but also a few decent fighters started to drop out of the tournament.


    During the third phase of the first round, finally team 9 was called for a fight against team 21 by the butler, and Mako and Bill quickly made their way over to one of the rings where they met their first opponents.


    They were both decent-looking men with dark long hair and the same clothes. They looked so alike that if it wasn''t for their facial features being different, it would be very hard for anyone to tell them apart.


    Using Analyze on them, Mako confirmed that they were both in fact twin brothers, and they both used the same set of abilities. Their name was Adin Smith and Ethan Smith and they both used Water and Lightning ability, and even their skill set was exactly the same. It was like going up against two clones which was a very unique experience.


    **************


    The butler signaled the fight to begin and the two brothers instantly rushed toward Mako. Wind, Fire, Earth, and Lightning are either easily essible to the user or can be created from within the user''s body, but the Water ability has its limitations as the user always has to be close to a water source in order to use their ability. For this reason, there were four tubs filled with water around each ring so that if the fighter requires water to fight, it is avable for them.


    The twins had used the water from the tubs to create rings of water around their arms, and now spinning those rings at high speeds so that they had a very sharp edge. They targeted Mako because of the fact that he looked weakpared to Bill who had a bit of muscle on him, and they were aiming to knock the weaker one out first.


    They threw the water rings toward Mako and as they left their hands, they quickly switched their ability to Lightning and shot mini lightning bolts in their rings so that they would carry electricity in them as well.


    It was a deadly attack and could easily decide the match in one strike, but Mako and Bill didn''te here to lose.


    Mako stood still in ce, not even attempting to dodge the water wheel des that wereing toward him, as Bill moved in front of him and raised a giant wall of earth to block all the attacks. The water wheel des struck the earth, knocking some chunks off it, but weren''t able to make it through to the other side, while the electricity within the des got absorbed into the ground.


    Mako quickly moved to the side and when he was on the other side of the wall a puddle had formed from all the water that was shot toward them. Mako activated his Fire ability and torched the entire puddle which started steaming in a couple of seconds.


    After a couple of seconds more, the entire puddle had evaporated, and now the Smith brothers had lost half of their water supply with their failed attack. They looked with shock and worry as a smirk appeared on Mako''s face which was hidden under the mask he was wearing.


    Snakes of fire started enveloping both his arms while Bill jumped right next to him and conjured an earth club in his hand.


    "Water and Lightning Vs Earth and Fire! What an unluckybo to go against!" Mako said while grinning underneath his mask.


    The twins gulped down as they couldn''t believe their strongest move got countered so easily. It was indeed unlucky that they had to against a Fire and Earth user because of the fact that his Fire was exactly opposite to their Water ability since both abilities opposed each other greatly. While their second ability was rendered useless since Earth was a direct counter to Lightning.


    Each of the five basic elemental abilities had its weakness and strength as it could easily counter one ability but get countered by another. A good example of this is that Fire and Water counter each other, but Wind and Fire go great together since Wind amplifies the strength of the mes, while Water and Lightning go great together since Water provides a pathway for Lightning so that it never misses.


    With half of their water supply evaporated by Mako and their Lightning rendered useless, the twin didn''tst long as Mako knocked out Ethan by spamming the least energy-consuming ability which was fireball while Adin was knocked out with nose and teeth broken by Bill''s club. After the initial move by the twins, they didn''tst two minutes against Mako and Bill and the two boys would proceed to the second round of the tournament.

 Chapter 47 Great Display Of Powers

    ?The crowd already knew of ze''s achievements, but for him to pair up with another fantastical fighter waspletely unexpected, and seeing their almost wless form, technique, and fighting style, they were leftpletely and utterly speechless.


    The two boys made their way back to their original waiting ce, but this time there were over a dozen pairs of eyes staring at them as if they were thest source of water in the entire desert. These eyes were all from the different fighters who had just barely been able to win their match and were now envious of the strength and skill that these two possessed.


    There were of course other outstanding fighters who had also taken down their opponents in under five minutes, but what separated them from Mako and Bill was that they were already known by the people currently present in the warehouse, but they didn''t know much about ze or his aplice, so there was a level of mystery behind them that got the weaker fighters hooked.


    The stronger fighters just scoffed at their praise and resumed doing their own thing whether it was meditation, recovering energy, or spectating other matches.


    Bill had not used much of his energy as he basically only fought with his club which was a one-time use ability so he decided to watch some of the other fights instead. Mako however quickly went back to his meditative pose as he was using any opportunity he could get to try and resonate his two abilities together even though it hadn''t bore fruit, Mako was still hopeful.


    The fourth phase of the first round began soon after as the stronger fighters were easily cleaning off their matches with a few notable being a pair who used all of the basic elemental abilities except for water and the aura that they were giving off led Bill to believe that they each had one level 4 and one level 3 Ability.


    The levels of abilities did not fully determine the strength of a person as a person could hold a level 10 ability, which would give him enormous strength, perfect versatility regarding the ability, and very powerful moves, but if the person holding such an ability is still a newbie who doesn''t even know the basic of fighting, his strong body would be able to bear blows from weaker opponents but in the end, he will fall.


    Judging the fact that both fighters on this particr team called team 26 were using the same abilities as Mako and Billbined, plus the fact that they had higher-level abilities and decent fighting capabilities, it would be a tough fight win if he and Mako didn''t decide to go all out.


    There were several enhancement ability users as well but there were only three worth mentioning as they gave Bill a genuine shock. Two of them were on the same team and both had Level 3 Speed and Strength abilities as they were absolutely wrecking their opponents while the other person was paired with a random Earth ability user who seemed to be quite weak simr to how Bill was when he first learned his ability.


    This person had a level 4 Ability of strength which gave him a great strong body that greatly improved his defensive and offensive capabilities. Having no regard for his teammate, he would rush his opponents on his own and tank any move that they throw at him while he would just have to punch them once and it would be game over.


    It would be beneficial to note that not all of the people participating in the tournament were wearing the dark raven uniform and this was because there were two different reasons why the people were participating in this event. The people who were already a part of the Dark Raven were participating so that they could elevate their rank in their gang which would give them even more resources and better opportunities.


    An example of this was Rhino. Rhino had also taken part in the tournament most likely to regain the reputation he lost when fought against Mako. However, the Rhino of today was much different than the Rhino of before.


    During his fight against another team, Rhino''s teammate who was also a Dark Raven stood still and did nothing while Rhino himself took out two Level 3 ability users, without using any kind of ability. This was a shocker for many as without activating his aura, how could he have defeated two Level 3 ability users? Without even activating the aura of one''s ability, the user still has the physical boosts that the ability provides, but that can''t be enough to deal with two ability users in under three minutes.


    This question would go unanswered for now, and Bill could do was pray that they didn''t get paired up to fight because he didn''t want to look like or feel what Mako had to go through when he fought against him and barely made it through.


    The second type of people were those that were just introduced to gang life as it was pretty obvious by their wed fighting styles and weak bodies. Only a few from this category stood somewhat on the same level as him and Mako. In general, it was pretty unfair as the people who were already part of the gang had a few resources and were able to obtain level 4 abilities or power items and armor which gave them an edge against the regr participants who were still skilled but outmatched in terms of firepower since it is not easy to procure such things without alerting the authorities.


    The phases continued to end quickly one after another and Mako was still sitting in his corner meditating, but having no luck making any kind of progress.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The first round wasing to a close but even now outstanding abilities and skills were being shown, and Bill was taking note of all of them. How they fought, what were their habits during fighting if they had any, and whether or not there was a major w in their team that he could use to his advantage.


    There were a couple of unique ability users mixed in, simr to Rhino, but only two were worth mentioning. The rest were just too under-leveled for the event and this was a major w with these types of abilities, they are stronger than themon ones but also take twice as long to learn, utilize, and efficiently use making them less favorable.


    The two who did stand out were both separate teams with random partners. The first one also possessed a transformation ability and he could transform into some kind of dog-cheetah hybrid which was extremely agile and dangerous with his partner having two abilities, that being Water and Earth.


    The second however had the Sound ability which was very rare to see since it had little offensive capabilities and was often viewed as a support ability, but in this case, the person made a great dynamic with his partner who had a level 4 Wind ability which amplified his sound waves to create eardrum shattering attacks that couldn''t be countered easily and their fight was also one of the fastest ones to be won.


    With that, all the phases of the first round had beenpleted and barely 45 minutes had gone by. The butler announced the results and after a 15-minute break, the second round was underway.


    It was the same format as before, but this time the number of strong opponents had been condensed greatly and the fights would be harder as time went on.


    Mako and Bill were greatly eyed before when they had won their match but after seeing the disy of some of the other fighters, Mako and Bill''s fight could notpare, and the spotlight quickly shifted away. This was; however, a great thing since Mako had instructed Bill to not even think about using the Wind or Sand ability so that everyone would assume that it was just a Fire and Earth ability user who got lucky like a few more teams that had made it to the second round.


    Mako wanted his opponents to underestimate him like always as this was the easiest way to catch them off-guard and spell their defeat.


    During all of this, a certain person was watching the entire event from a special room in the upper parts of the warehouse, veins popping on his forehead as he saw the same smile on Mako''s face that he had seen when he had used that me Pir move on him and defeated him in the battle royal tournament and trashed his reputation as the Dark Assassin.


    Leon wanted Mako to go through the same humiliation he faced on that day, and to do that he picked up a device that was on the table beside him and proceeded to give orders to the butler.


    A small earpiece inside the butler''s ear rang up as Leon''s voice started speaking in his ear.


    "Pair up team 9''s fight with Rhino''s team in the second match," Leonmanded to which the butler did a slight nod and continued with the announcement of the teams that will be facing off in the second round.


    "...and for the fourth fight of the second round..." The butler announced while acting to get two team names from the hat. He picked out two teams on purpose and showed them to the crowd.


    "Team 9 VS Team 47!" The butler announced with no emotion and continued announcing the participants for the fifth fight.


    A huge grin appeared on Rhino''s face as he stared in the direction of his next opponents, only to see them talking with each other as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. This angered Rhino as well as Leon and they both couldn''t wait for the second round to begin so that they could have their revenge once and for all.

 Chapter 48 A Formidable Opponent

    ?Rhino couldn''t hide his grin as he was waiting for the chance to have a rematch ever since he came to after being knocked out by Mako that night and with each passing day, he would build even more rage and hatred toward the person known as ''ze'', because he had robbed him of his golden opportunity.


    Rhino or otherwise known as Enzo Ceros was a gifted individual who had a naturally strong physique which was quite rare to see, given the number of luxuries thatpletely enveloped and gued society as a whole.


    Coming from a rough childhood, fighting came naturally to him and he was one of the few people that received an ability directly from the leader of the Dark Raven. Mako had still not been given the full credit that an ability such as Mutant Rhino transformation deserves, and it was nothing more than pure luck that had allowed him to secure his victory during the battle royal.


    The only problem was that Enzo''s mentality was very poor, and it was the biggest reason why he was still not of the higher-ranking members of the ck Raven. With such a low mentality, it was not more than a miracle that he even was able to learn the transformation ability in the first ce.


    However, this was where his lucky streak ended, because, with such a low mentality, Enzo wasn''t even able to learn a skill as all the moves that he had were of his own creation.


    Before the battle royal, Enzo was called by the leader for a private discussion. During that discussion, the leader presented him with an amazing opportunity if he would be able to secure victory in the battle royal tournament with his son, he would help him break past his barrier and gain more strength.


    Being the strongest level 3 ability user in the entirety of the Dark Raven, Enzo was more than happy to ept such a request and win the battle royal tournament, but this over-confidence was what led to his downfall because if he had just rushed Mako, he would be able to counter him, but instead, Enzo stalled for the appreciation of the crowd and this gave Mako the window of opportunity he needed and use his pills to overpower him.


    Enzo would be sick in the stomach just by thinking about such a horrific defeat, and the same went for Mako. Mako hated the fact that he would call his fight against Rhino a victory since he cheated. Mako had to learn it the hard way that even though he was blessed with an amazing system, he would still have to work hard for his strength and that he is no protagonist of a fantasy novel where everything would just go his way so easily.


    Mako was also hoping to fight Rhino again, but this time, he won''t rely on any pills to get him through and he would fight till the end with honor.


    ***************


    There were going to be a total of 16 matches in the second round split between 4 phases since there could only be 4 battles that can be conducted at once. The first three matches of the first phase would be boring since none of the stronger teams were chosen and all the spectators were just curious to watch ze and Rhino sh again.


    After some time, the fighters started taking their positions in the rings and as Enzo was going past Mako and Bill toward his own position, he taunted them by saying," Once I am done with you, they will have to peel your remains off the ground!"


    Mako and Bill didn''t respond at all and continued with their warm-up stretches. This was the norm and Bill was used to it, but this was still rtively new for Mako and it took a while for him to be ignorant and unphased by such remarks.


    Once in position, the butler came around just like always and counted down for the fight to begin.


    "3...2...1.... FIGHT!" The butler yelled.


    Rhino''s partner stayed in his position while Rhino started charging toward them, still in his human form. This was a bit surprising for the two boys since they expected Rhino to transform straight away, but that wasn''t the case.


    Rhino charged toward them with his fist charged up behind him and with great speed too. Bill immediately moved and raised an earth wall to protect the two of them. As Rhino approached the wall, he didn''t hesitate one bit as he unleashed his fist on the wall which came crumbling down in the next instant. The shockwave was strong that it went past the wall and still reached Bill''s chest.


    *Cling!*


    The sound of metal being hit resounded in the ring as the shockwave struck Bill''s chest. Bill was wearing his breastte from underneath his clothes and he wanted it to be kept hidden, but the shockwave had torn through his clothes and was barely able to be stopped with the power of his Medium Tier breastte.


    Bill was knocked down to the ground but he wasn''t hurt just yet. Rhino wasted no time as he clocked back his fist once again and charge toward his opponent.


    While Bill took on the impact of the punch with his wall, Mako wasn''t just standing around. Rather he was infusing his Fire essence into the ground and activating the same skill that helped greatly in Rhino''s defeatst time. As the wall crumbled and the two boys came into view, Rhino was already aiming at them with a second punch, but then suddenly a spark emanated from under his feet.


    [me Pir has been activated]


    A pir of fire erupted from the ground to envelop Rhino''s body and he was immobilized for a couple of seconds while the fire dealt damage to him. Mako helped Bill get back on his feet by grabbing him by his shoulder and raising him up. While Rhino was still burning, Bill made a blunt earth spike erupt from the ground, sending both him and Mako a couple of feet back into the air creating distance between them.


    The me pir got deactivated the next moment and Rhino was still standing strong. There were a couple of char marks on his body and steam was alsoing off of him, but he didn''t seem to have taken much damage at all. Rhino was slowly opening his eyes again searching for his opponents once more when Rhino''s partner suddenly shouted from the back.


    "There on your left side, close to the boundary of the ring! Come on! Don''t you want to take back what you lost?!" The partner shouted while his eyes also started glowing blue.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A wave of soothing energy washed over Rhino as while his partner said some encouraging words, his eyes also started glowing blue. Mako and Bill were a safe distance away, the first thing that Mako did was to see what was up with the blue glowing eyes.


    ''Analyze''


    [Profile: Liam Pittsburg]


    [Ability: Determination (Level 2)] ?


    [A maniption ability as this ability allows the user to be able to produce chemicals that affect the hormones of the targeted person, such that their emotions can be manipted. The affected person can have a wave of determination wash over them, and give them a certain amount of boost in attributes, depending on how strong the ability is.]


    ''OHH, SH*T! That could be troublesome!'' Mako thought as he nned his next moves very carefully.


    While using Analyze on Liam, Mako''s gaze alsonded on Rhino, and nothing had changed in his attributes at all, but the shocking thing that back discovered is that Rhino was wearing power armor underneath his pants and shoes. Rhino was wearing two pieces of High Tier armor which was why he was so much stronger than before, and he didn''t even transform at this point.


    Taking a closer look, Mako decided to check the stats on the two pieces of armor.


    ''Analyze''


    [High Tier Lion Slug Leg Armor] ?


    [A durable chest armor forged from the crystal and flesh of the Lion Slug found in (Unknown). A poor quality armor forged by (Unknown)]


    [Fortitude +10]


    [Agility +10]


    [Defense: 50]


    [High Tier Lion Slug Boots] ?


    [A durable chest armor forged from the crystal and flesh of the Lion Slug found in (Unknown). A poor quality armor forged by (Unknown)]


    [Fortitude +5]


    [Agility +15]


    [Defense: 50]


    They weren''t of the highest quality or gave great attribute boost but they did provide additional speed and defense which were the two weaknesses that Rhino had.


    Just as Mako was finished analyzing his opponents and figuring out their strategy, he heard a roar from none other than Rhino as he was screaming at the top of his lungs while his body started to bloat and change color.


    Rhino was about to fully transform into the Mutant Rhino and with the additional boost he would receive from his armor and ability as well as the boosts his partner''s ability would provide, it was safe to say that Mako and Bill would be facing their strongest opponent yet and both of them weren''t confident that they would win, but they had no choice other than to face him.


    A lot was riding on this fight for both teams as neither could quit even if they wanted to, so the only other logical solution would be to fight till thest second. The two boys gave each other a nod as they prepared to go all out against this strong and formidable opponent.

 Chapter 49 Collaborative Skill

    ?Rhino let out a mighty roar as he was gaining so many boosts from so many different sources, that it was overwhelming for him; hence, the ear-deafening roar.


    With Rhino stronger than ever, Mako and Bill couldn''t hold back as they prepared for the dangerous fight ahead of them.


    Rhino finished his transformation, and without wasting a single second started rushing towards his opponents. With the increase in attributes from the determination ability, he was faster than ever. Knowing that Bill won''t be able to block the iing attack, Mako ran a safe distance ahead and ced his hands on the ground again.


    Rhino recognized the stance and this time he won''t allow Mako to execute his ability since he was already moving toward him very fast. Mako was trying to use the me pir ability again, but this time since he was moving so fast, he won''t be able to lock onto him. In Reality; however, the scene yed out a lot differently.


    Mako may have been dumb enough to punch a tree but he wasn''t dumb enough to reuse the same move twice. As Rhino appeared near him, sparks emanated from Mako''s body as in the next instance a pulse of an electric field erupted from Mako and spread in all directions. The wave of electricity washed over Rhino''s body and he could feel every fiber within his muscles starting to constrict itself.


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    Rhino had been paralyzed for the next 15 seconds, but Mako didn''t let go of the ground as he started charging up again. While he was doing that, he turned towards Bill and shouted at the top of his lungs," He''s immobilized! Hurry and get rid of his partner! He is fueling him with more strength and I won''t be able to keep him at bay for too long!"


    Bill didn''t have to be told twice as he used his Wind and Earth ability to propel him toward Liam at high speeds. Mako could only keep Rhino at bay for around a minute since he would have to use Electrical Discharge multiple times in order to do that.


    Keep in mind that Electrical Discharge was a strong ability that required a good amount of energy and using it 4 times would almost deplete one-third of his total energy pool, and he wanted to always have some energy as a backup.


    Bill didn''t take long as he reached Liam in 10 seconds. He moved quickly as he conjured an Earth club, ready to knock Liam out of the fight. Liam knew that he couldn''t win against him in hand-to-handbat since he only had a single support ability which was also only Level 2. Liam''s eyes started glowing blue again as this his target was Bill.


    "Your friend seemed to have figured out that I can increase strength, but what you don''t know is that I can take it away as well," Liam said as Bill''s eyes also started glowing blue. A wave of drowsiness andziness washed over Bill''s body as even he couldn''t even lift his earth club anymore and he fell down on one knee.


    Liam was now using his ability to take Bill''s determination away and make him weak so that he couldn''t physically hurt him. This of course was challenging for him since he was tackling 2 people with his ability which put a lot of load on his mental state. He was strengthening Rhino''s mind to break through the paralysis faster while also weakening Bill''s mind so that he couldn''t hurt him.


    Mako used another Electrical Discharge to hold Rhino in ce but in a short period of time, after the first paralysis wore off and the second one took effect, Rhino had already covered a significant distance between himself and Mako, Seeing the dire situation, Mako yelled out in desperation towards Bill who looked as if he was daydreaming.


    "Bill! I can''t hold him forever! Take him out while we have the chance!"


    Mako''s words and Bill''s own willpower were countering Liam''s ability but it was very slow as Bill was only starting to crawl towards Liam ever so slowly. Liam on the other hand was also cheering on Rhino and giving him more strength so that he would break free from the paralysis faster. This was also working as even while being paralyzed, Rhino''s body started shaking as he broke through the paralysis 2 seconds early.


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    Mako utilized it another time, but Rhino was getting too close forfort and all he could do was count on Bill to get the job done. Drowsiness continued to wash over Bill as he struggled to reach Liam. Sweat dripped down Liam''s head as it was bing more and more difficult for him to maintain his ability.


    ''Come on, Bill! Get up!!!'' Bill kept repeating these thoughts to himself as he also started to move slightly faster and faster.


    10 seconds had gone by and Rhino had already broken through again as he was almost right on top of the kneeling Mako. Bill could see the desperate look on his friend''s face as he started recalling all the terrible feelings he had umted as to why he was forced to fight here today. His past life, his father''s ignorance, his experience as a ve, etc.


    All these feelings started to well up inside Bill as his power started to erupt from his chest. A painful yell came out of Bill as the glow in his eyes faded and he rushed towards Liam with his club in his hand. Seeing this Liam let out onest desperate scream and focused all his power on Rhino so that he could break free in time.


    Time slowed down as Bill approached Liam with his club in his hand. Rhino''s body started vibrating as the effects of the paralysis started to wear off again and Mako couldn''t re-paralyze him again since he was too close.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The club slowly approached Liam''s face as Rhino also unleashed his fist toward Mako''s kneeling figure.


    *SMASH!*


    The club made contact with Liam''s body as he wasunched several feet into the air and out of the stadium, but this wasn''t the only *smash* sound that resounded as Rhino had also sessfully thrown out a punch and now dust waspletely covering him.


    Bill watched with anticipation as he didn''t even know if Mako could even survive such a punch without armor and was hoping to see him at least still alive.


    The dust settled down and what it revealed shocked Bill and the people so much that they couldn''t even believe their eyes and thought that they were just imagining things, but this was no illusion. Rhino was still in his transformed state with his arm stuck in the ground as this was the one he used for the punch, but the punch had hit nothing but the concrete floor. Beside Rhino''s extended arm, stood a bloody Mako with his dagger in his hand that he had stabbed right into the bicep muscle of Rhino.


    Right before the punch had even reached Mako, the shockwave carried by the wind had such force behind it that it started peeling his skin causing cuts all over his upper body which started leaking blood. Mako used Motion Sensebined with Phantom Shift to barely dodge the punch. He appeared right next to where Rhino struck and immediately got up while doing a spin.


    He spun so that he could swiftly remove his Blue Horn Mammoth Knife from his belt and also gain some momentum. The spin alone wasn''t enough so Mako used Dash as well so that he would have enough speed to pierce Rhino''s skin. It ended up being enough and Mako sessfully stabbed Rhino.


    [Passive skill has been activated]


    Ice quickly started to cover Rhino''s entire right arm and since the skill activated right after being stabbed, Rhino didn''t even realize that he had been stabbed before the dust hadpletely settled. By that time, the ice had already covered hisplete right arm rendering it useless in battle.


    Rhino yelled out a painful roar as Mako removed the de and with Dash still being active, he rushed towards Bill''s side. Mako didn''te out scot-free from such an exchange either as with just the shockwave of the punch, he had suffered major damage and lost 75 Health Points.


    As he arrived next to Bill, he copsed onto the ground from over-exerting himself with the constant use of his abilities. Bill helped him back on his feet as they turned around to see rhino clenching his arm tightly while giving them a death stare.


    "I can handle both of you with one arm!" Rhino shouted with confidence, but he didn''t look in the best shape. His arm was frozen, he felt weak and sluggish, and he was sweating profusely which was a side-effect of Liam''s ability.


    Bill was also sweating and breathing hard while Mako looked the worse as he was covered in his own blood all over and he could barely stand at this point.


    All three of them were weakened and Rhino didn''t want the fight to drag on for much longer so he charged toward them onest time.


    Both Mako and Bill raised their hands at the exact same time trying to use their ability to stop Rhino in his tracks. Mako used his Fire ability and did a vertical slicing motion while casting the me Wheel tounch a vertical arc of fire toward Rhino while Bill did the exact same thing using his Wind ability and casting his Vacuum Cutter skill.


    Two des, one of fire and one made of wind were cast at the exact same time by Bill and Mako and they started to fan out toward their intended target. As the two elemental des approached Rhino''s body, they got closer and closer, and just before they were about to hit him, their paths ovepped each other as they collided with themselves right before hitting Rhino.


    The result of such a collision was unexpected as rather than canceling each other out, the fire multiplied in size rapidly as soon Rhino was enveloped in a giant de made of fire that started scorching him instantly.


    Painful cries resounded from within the mes as Mako received a notification through the system.


    *Ding!*


    [A Coborative Skill has been discovered]

 Chapter 50 Rhinos Upgrade

    ?The two elemental des collided with each other at point-nk range, and instead of canceling each other out, the fire started to grow and be multiple sizes bigger than the original me Wheel, and the heat that it gave off also increased by several times.


    This heat was something the Rhino had never experienced before as even though he had tough skin that allowed him to withstand a lot of damage, he was still feeling a lot of pain and his rhino skin was getting charred severally.


    *Ding!*


    [A Coborative Skill has been discovered]


    This notification popped in front of Mako''s eyes while an enormous me wrapped around Rhino''s humongous body.


    While they still had time before the mes go away, Mako quickly opened the interface to check out what exactly this meant. After opening the main interface there was the same blinking exmation mark that indicate something new had appeared, and this time the mark was on the skills tab.


    [Skills] ?


    - Basic Skills ?


    - Power Skills ?


    - Unique Skills ?


    - Absolute Skills ?


    - Coborative Skills (NEW!) ?


    There was now a brand new type of skill avable under the skills tab and Mako quickly opened it up to see what had he just unlocked.


    Coborative Skills ?


    [Coborative Skills are skills that are performed by two or more people and can be done in many ways. Coborative Skills are strong moves that the user can only perform on his own and not through the system as he has to sync up his skill with another person. Coborative Skills are hard to execute repetitively since both users have to use the same amount of power and perfect timing in order to execute it.]


    [New Skill Learned: Scorching de] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Scorching de is a skill that is cast when a Fire and Wind ability user each casts their elemental de with the same amount of power and timing so that the Wind essence wraps around mes and increases its effectiveness by 500%]


    [Attack: 150]


    [Cost: 100 Energy]


    *Ding!*


    - [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Discover and utilize one Coborative Skill]


    [Reward: +2000 EXP, +5 Attribute Points]


    Mako was left speechless once again as he read through the text that was being disyed in front of his eyes. He had discovered his strongest attack yet and that waspletely by ident.


    The attack was simr to how resonance worked as with resonance, a person had tobine two of their ability auras together to create a brand new ability that carried the characteristics of both abilities and strengthened each other perfectly.


    The scorching de was like that but at a smaller scale as it can only be done if both people had the same level of strength in their attack and wless timing tobine in it in order to produce an attack that would otherwise only be able to produce by a person who had resonated the Wind and Fire abilities together.


    As Rhino was charging toward them, they both instinctively tried to attack in order to stop him, but the result was ten times better.


    Whilst burning in the mes, the pain and all his emotions were starting to overwhelm Rhino''s mind. Tragic memories of his terrible childhood and mistreatment rolled in, the feeling of loss and despair filled his heart, and the fear of losing his reputation for good started to haunt him.


    It was getting too much for him to withstand and finally, it got past the breaking point. While still burning in the intense mes, Rhino had a lifeless look in his eyes, his arm had no strength as they were just left hanging, and his knees felt weak but he still kept standing.


    Just as Rhino thought it was all over for him, he felt something in his chest. Even while being burned, Rhino felt a cooling sensation soothe him as his body went through a fundamental change. A change that could potentially change the oue of the match.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The fire slowly started to dissipate as Rhino was still standing. His body hadpletely changed color as he was charred all over, steam was erupting from his body as he was breathing very heavily.


    His arm was still frozen as it wasn''t like traditional ice that would melt when it came into contact with heat. The status effect would only be removed if the person had the skill to remove it or the cooldown for the effect wore off.


    The air around Mako and Bill suddenly became very thick as the aura that was erupting from Rhino changed significantly.


    "What is happening?!" Bill asked in confusion he didn''t know why but he started to tremble a little with the fear of the aura that was being emitted from Rhino all of a sudden.


    "I don''t know! It feels as if..... huh! NO! NO! NO! NOT NOW!" Mako didn''t realize it at first but then he had a sudden thought that he didn''t want toe true.


    He reluctantly used Analyze again and what he read made him quiver in fear as the chances of theming out of this suddenly became very slim.


    ''Analyze''


    [Profile: Enzo Ceros]


    [Ability: Mutant Rhino Transformation (Level 4)] ?


    The intensity of the battle and his will to not lose again had overpowered him to the point that he broke through his limits and gained level 4 of his ability.


    Rhino''s breathing slowly calmed down as his skin returned back to its original color and it looked as if he hadn''t taken any damage at all. He slowly lifted his face back up towards Bill and Mako and slowly opened his eyes.


    The crowd became silent, sweat dripped down their faces, and shock stered on their face as they witnessed Rhino''s irises glow entirely red and emit such an aura that it looked as if his eyes were on fire.


    Rhino had be a lot more menacing and threatening as he lifted the pointer finger of his other hand since the other one was still frozen, and he said in the most menacing and deep voice that sent shivers down Mako''s spine.


    "I...I...I WILL NOT LOSE TO THE LIKES OF YOU AGAIN!!" Rhino screamed.


    His voice hit Mako''s and Bill''s faces like a tight p, and soon after Rhino started charging toward them again at speeds that they haven''t witnessed before.


    Bill instantly took action as he summoned his sand aura and used it to silently wrap around the feet of the charging Rhino. It looked as if Rhino had tripped as he fell down near the middle of the ring but the reality was that his feet got stuck in one position. As he fell down the same also happened to his hand as well and now all his limbs were buried into the ground.


    "Mako! I don''t what has happened and he is a lot stronger than before, but he has already taken some damage, and he must be low on energy. That form already exhausts his body and now he will be exhausted even faster. We just have to stall for time!" Bill shouted


    Mako understood very quickly what Bill meant because when he utilized Analyze on Rhino, his energy pool was only one-fourth left.


    Mako quickly got up again and started firing lightning bolts and fireballs toward Rhino. They had little to no effect on his tough hide, but every time he got hit, his energy would decrease even more and Mako could see it clearly.


    He had done it several times now and he stopped for a moment to catch his breath so that he didn''t tire himself out.


    He turned towards Bill who had his hands out forwards as he was trying his best to keep manipting the sand so that Rhino doesn''t escape. Blood was now dripping from his nose as he continued to bind Rhino to the ground.


    Rage was filling Rhino''s heart as he started to fight back against the ever-moving fluid sand that bind him as he needed to redeem himself, Failure was not an option for him and now this sand was the only thing stopping him.


    Rhino was getting more and more desperate as he didn''t know what came over him but he let out another roar this time the ripples in the air could be seen as the roar left his mouth and reached Bill at supersonic speeds.


    It was a powerful soundwave attack thatpletely destroyed Bill''s ears in an instant. Bill held his ears in pain which were now bleeding excessively and let go of his sand control.


    The ground became solid again and Rhino broke through his confines with ease as he charged toward them with intense bloodlust and rage. ws started growing out of his hands as he moved in with the intent to kill. He was done ying around as he wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible.


    Rhino appeared before a defenseless Bill as he raised his arm to swipe with his ws. The ws came down but Bill did not get hit. As the dust settled, Bill could be knocked out of the ring, and Mako was now standing two feet beside Rhino''s arm with his left armpletely covered in blood as well.


    All this happened in an instant as before Mako could even realize what had happened, Bill was on the ground in pain, and Rhino had broken free and was now getting closer to Bill with his ws ready to pierce him. Mako instantly used a dash and ran towards Bill and used some of his strength to hit Bill out of the ring.


    However, Mako was not fast enough and one of the ws had managed to strike his arm as it was now bleeding very much. Rhino retracted his arm as he stared at the person he hated the most at this time.


    A staredown had been initiated between the two remaining fighters. They both looked into each other''s eyes as they both had the determination to win and massive fear of the consequences if they were to lose. They were both exhausted, hurting all over, and both had lost one arm to fight with, yet they stared at each other as the real showdown was about to begin.

 Chapter 51 Reactivation

    ?Mako was now staring deep into the glowing eyes of Rhino who was staring right back. Given the height difference between the two, it looked as if a child was standing up to a full-grown adult.


    Both were breathing heavily tired of exhausting so much energy on big moves. The problem with low-level ability users is not fully attributed to the fact that they can only produce weak attacks but have smaller energy pools.


    People with low-level abilities can''t maintain a fight for too long since they have a limited number of skills and low energy levels.


    Rhino decided to summon all his remaining energy and finish Mako with a final punch, but before he could even raise his hand to form a fist, a shock emanated from within his body. This wasn''t Mako''s doing rather his muscles were spasming from being so overused. Rhino let out a groan of pain as his body started quivering.


    Mako gripped his bleeding arm tightly as he continued to receive gazes full of bloodlust from Rhino. By using Analyze, Mako was able to see that Rhino''s energy was alsopletely depleted as well, and it was further proven by Rhino shrinking in size and his glowing eyes starting to fade away.


    Both fighters were now at the limit of their stamina and had almost exhausted their energy. Rhino''s shrinking in size meant he could not keep his ability active any longer. This was the perfect opportunity for Mako to knock out Rhino and win the fight, but Mako couldn''t bring himself to do it.


    Rhino''s shrinking got faster as he returned to his human form which didn''t look like its usual self at all. His muscles were not as big as before and it almost looked like he was malnourished. Mako couldn''t help but think why he received such bloodlust and hatred from someone because, in the end, it was still just a fight.


    Even if they were to lose money or get demoted in rank, it would not bring about such a man who was thirsting for revenge. Mako couldn''t understand his reasons but he knew they had to be grand in order for him to act like this, so instead of taking the easy victory, Mako decided to honor his opponent''s feelings.


    Rhino was now on his knees gasping for air while Mako approached him with his knife still in his hand. The crowd was bingrger by the minute as all the other matches were too boringpared to the showdown between Rhino and Mako and now they watched in horror as Mako neared Rhino''s weak body with his knife still in hand.


    Mako approached him slowly and knelt down so that they were now both on the same eye level. Rhino tried to summon more energy to move, but his body was rejecting him. He was paralyzed by his own body as he watched Mako extend his knife backward, but instead ofing back forward with speed and with the intent to kill, the knife was put back in its sheath which was attached to Mako''s belt.


    Mako reached into his pockets and secretly opened his inventory to summon two healing pills into his hands. He pulled the two pills from his pocket and presented one of them to Rhino while taking the second one himself.


    The entire crowd watching, Bill who had just gained consciousness, Leon who was observing the match in his secret room, and Rhino himself were in absolute shock as they couldn''t believe what they were witnessing. Mako had just offered a healing pill to his opponent amid the battle!


    "What... *Heavy Breathing* are... you doing?" Rhino asked.


    "I don''t know why, but I can see you are fighting for something greater than just revenge. I won''t be able to live with myself if I didn''t give you a fair chance." Mako stated as he pushed the pill forward.


    "Take the pill and heal up a bit. It won''t restore our energies, but it will be enough for the both of us to see whose will is stronger to seed." Mako finished.


    Rhino stared at the pill in front of him, he wanted to win so badly that his desire and rage hadpletely overtaken his humanity, and now his opponent was giving him a second chance at redemption. Rhino was never the emotional type, but this was enough to even get his eyes a bit watery.


    With shaking hands, Rhino took the pill from Mako''s hand and consumed it. Within minutes, both fighters were able to standfortably on their feet as even though they hadn''t recovered much health, their bigger injuries had healed up quite a bit.


    Mako didn''t even use his System Override this time because he wanted this to be a fair fight.


    ''Add all remaining Attribute Points to Strength.'' Makomanded the system.


    [5 Attribute points have been added to strength]


    [Strength has been elevated to 27]


    With his strength as high as it could naturally go at this point, Mako was ready to fight.


    Momentster both fighters had taken their stance and the fight began soon after. Punches, jabs, and kicks were thrown at each other as they both fought with nearly equal strength, but Mako was stillcking behind because his technique wasn''t as perfected as Rhino.


    He would move expertly between Mako''s punches, dodging them while also countering with his own punches in between. Thankfully, Mako''s had a decent amount of points in Fortitude now, so he was able to take a beating, but he wouldn''tst long with how the fight was progressing.


    Rhino decided to increase the pressure on Mako as he used his partial transformation skill for a split second between punches to temporarily gain super-strong arms to deal extra damage. Mako had to utilize Phantom Shift in order to dodge these attacks; otherwise, he would have been in serious trouble.


    With limited energy, both of them had to fight carefully as they couldn''t afford to waste it on any unnecessary move. Everyone watched in anticipation as the fight continued to drag on. It was getting frustrating to the point that Rhino was now making wilder swings as he just wanted tond one clean hit on Mako.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako''s Motion Sense skill and Perception wereing in really handy as this was the only reason why able to dodge them. Mako was now only stalling for time because a few moments back a certain notification had popped up again because he wasn''t able to counter any of Rhino''s punches.


    [PERSEVERANCE has been activated]


    Right now his title skill was the only thing that was strong enough to overpower Rhino and give Mako the win so after purposefully not countering Rhino''s punches, the skill activated and every time Mako took damage by blocking some of the weaker attacks, his rage meter started to fill up.


    Rhino was getting more confident by the minute as he was driving Mako into a corner. With him exerting so much so soon after taking the pill, he wasing to his limit again and was prepared to finish him off with thest couple of hits. Mako was pretty hurt by this point as blood was dripping from his mouth and nose and bruises could be seen all over his body.


    He used Partial Transformation again to form his gigantic hand so that he couldnd a devastating blow, but this time Mako didn''t dodge.


    [Rage meter 36% full]


    [Does the user want to enter rage mode?]


    [YES/NO]


    ''YES!'' Makomanded as a rush of energy erupted from him in the form of a pulse just like before, but it was weaker this time since he had a lot less rage built up. The pulse seemed to have slowed down the punch a bit and Mako was able to stop the punch using his bare hand.


    [Rage Mode had been activated]


    The tables turned quickly this time as Mako''s eyes glowed red with anger and he let out a roar. As soon as the ear-deafening scream was over, Mako didn''t waste a second as he pped Rhino''s fist to the right and gave him a crisp left uppercut thatunched him a couple of feet back.


    Everyone was bbergasted by the sudden change as instead of Rhino finishing off Mako, Mako was now glowing all over in a red aura as he charged toward Rhino with no mercy. Rhino himself didn''t expect such a sudden burst in energy and was caught off guard which resulted in his chin getting crushed by Mako.


    He got on his feet quickly and tackled the charging Mako as they engaged once again inbat. This time; however, the difference in power was obvious. Mako was now dominating Rhino as he gave him the same treatment he was receiving for thest couple of minutes.


    Being so close to his victory, Rhino wasn''t going to give up either as he and Mako exchanged kicks in the abdomen, they bothunched themselves toward the opposite ends of the ring. Mako did a flip in mid-air andnded on his feet while Rhino erged his nails and used them to stop.


    Now at the edges of the ring respectively, Mako rushed back toward Rhino at full speed, while Rhino used all of his remaining energy to transform back into hisplete form. His muscles erged and changed color and his eyes also glowed the same burning aura as before.


    With nothing else up their sleeves, Both fighters rushed toward each other with their fists extending backward. They met in the middle where their fists collided with each other sending out a powerful shockwave that knocked the first two rows of people in the crowd off their feet.


    The punch was strong and it caused many injuries in the arm of both of them, Rhino stepped back a bit as even though he was in his transformed state, his arm was hurting too much. The same held true for Mako as well, but the difference was that since he was in rage mode, he couldn''t feel the pain just yet.


    So while Rhino backed off a bit, Mako used this critical moment to his advantage as he used Dash alongside another powerful skill.


    [Ten Palm Strike has been activated]


    Ten crisp and loud consecutive striking sounds were heard which resounded throughout the entire warehouse, and soon after the people could observe Rhino''s humongous body tumbling backward and falling onto the ground.


    *THUD!*


    Everyone watched in silence as only a single man was now left standing in the ring.


    *DING!*


    [A Difficult Level 4 Opponent has been defeated]

 Chapter 52 Major Advancements

    ?*DING!* *DING!* *DING!* *DING!*


    A lot of notifications started popping into Mako''s head, but one of them had made itself more prominent than others and it was not what Mako had expected at all.


    Of course, as Rage mode got deactivated, the same messages appeared that had appeared once before, and Mako thought that he would be knocked unconscious again due to the exhaustion status effect but this time nothing happened.


    [All targeted enemies have been defeated]


    [Deactivating Rage Mode]


    [The remaining Rage mode bar will bepensated to the user by the system]


    [The User is Exhausted]


    A wave of drowsiness still hit him and he was definitely weakened but it wasn''t enough for him to lie down or fall unconscious. Mako attributed this to the fact that his rage meter wasn''t as filled up as before so the effects were weaker and the fact that he had a stronger bodypared to before.


    It was the notifications that followed this that caused the changes to begin.


    [A Difficult Level 4 Opponent has been defeated]


    [+10,000 EXP]


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Current Level: Lvl 10]


    [Reward: System Upgrade]


    [System Upgrade has been initiated]


    Weird robotic and digital sounds started filling Mako''s head as held his head with the sudden pain that shook him to his core. A constant ringing was heard as the system finished what it wanted to do.


    [Reboot required for the system to finish upgrading]


    [Rebooting in 3...]


    [2...]


    ''Wait! What''s happening?!'' Mako asked in confusion about the messages to his system.


    [1...]


    [System is now Rebooting]


    Before Mako could even get his bearings together, the system disyed that it was rebooting, and as soon as the countdown finished counting, everything in Mako''s vision turned ck as he could see, hear, or feel anything around him. Within seconds, the darkness overwhelmed him as he finally felt his body fall down as he lost consciousness.


    **************


    An unknown amount of time had passed since Mako knocked himself unconscious and finally, he was slowlying to. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed that he was currentlyying on a bed. He didn''t recognize the room he was in, or how he even got there.


    "Uh! My head!" Mako groaned as the throbbing pain from before had returned but this time it was a lot less intense.


    The pain continued on for a couple of minutes and Mako couldn''t really do anything except just withstand the pain whileying in the bed. A lot of questions were running through his mind, like what happened to the tournament, where was he now, and what happened to Bill, but all these questions would have to wait since Mako first had to deal with this headache first.


    After a few more minutes, the pain seemed to have gradually reduced in intensity even more, and then suddenly itpletely disappeared. Mako took the biggest sigh of relief now that he was free of this grueling pain.


    *Ding!*


    A notification sound popped up in Mako''s head again, and Mako was quick to answer since he was curious as to what changes had urred since he was knocked out. During the time, that Mako was awake, he didn''t just sit idly by; instead, he was trying to recall all the previous events that happened before he was knocked unconscious. He remembered the system telling him that he was being upgraded and he was excited to see what new things these upgrades had unlocked for him.


    [Rebootpleted]


    [Wee User!]


    [The Universal Power System has now reached Level 2]


    It was as he had remembered, the system was restarting itself to upgrade after he had reached level 10. He wanted to see what his status sheet looked so he opened the main interface to ess the system.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 500/500] ?


    [Energy: 1500/1500] ?


    [EXP: 1600/102400] ?


    [Level 11] ?


    [Strength: 27 (+30) ] ?


    [Agility: 17 (+25) ] ?


    [Perception: 22] ?


    [Intelligence: 25] ?


    [Mentality: 25] ?


    [Stamina: 14 (+15) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: 30] ?


    [Attribute Points: 45] ?


    Mako was in genuine shock after he noticed all the changes that had urred to his profile after the reboot. He also noticed that the notifications tab was also blinking a lot, which meant a lot of unread messages were waiting for him. In order for Mako to understand everything that was going on, he would have read all the messages.


    [Notifications] ?


    [(19) Unread messages]


    Mako directed his thoughts to open the notifications and as soon as he did that all the notifications started pouring in front of him one after another.


    [A Difficult Level 4 Opponent has been defeated]


    [+10,000 EXP]


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Current Level: Lvl 10]


    [Reward: System Upgrade]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Upgrade Complete]


    [The user has now reached Level 10, the shop feature has been unlocked]


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Match the conditions to upgrade the system one time]


    [Reward: +50,000 EXP, One Random Ability Level up, +30 Attribute points]


    [Choosing Random Ability]


    [Lightning has been upgraded to Level 4]


    The messages kept on pouring but Mako stopped reading here for the time being, because the rewards that he had just received were greater than any other. Not only did he get an absolutely absurd amount of EXP and Attribute Points but he also got Lightning Ability upgraded. Mako decided to check out his improved ability before proceeding with the remaining messages.


    [Lightning] ?


    [Lightning is an offensive/utility ability, your stats will be increased when using lightning-based moves]


    [Agility +20]


    [Strength +15]


    [Stamina +10]


    [To activate these boosts, you have to keep your ability active which will passively drain energy as well as release the aura of a level 4 Lightning Ability user]


    [Current rate of energy consumption: 4 Energy per minute]


    The boosts were significantly better than before and the rate of energy consumption had doubled as well. Mako couldn''t wait to test out his improved ability, but he first had to get through the remaining messages.


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Reward: +15 Attribute points, Random Skill, Resource Increase]


    [Current Level: Lvl 11]


    [Choosing Random Skill]


    [New Skill Learned: (E-Tier) Recover] ?


    [Health has been elevated to 500]


    [Energy has been elevated to 1500]


    [Tier 2 Daily Quests have been unlocked]


    The remaining messages did not disappoint as Mako had gotten a serious boost in advancements. His health and energy had improved, he had 45 attribute points to y around with, and he also got a brand new skill that he wanted to check out as soon as he could. Looking at his Interface now, a lot more exmation icons appeared.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [Profile] ?


    [Titles] ?


    [Quests] ? (NEW!)


    [Skills] ? (NEW!)


    [Inventory] ?


    [Shop] ? (NEW!)


    Mako first decided to check out the new skill he learned first. He directed his thoughts toward the Skills tab and looked at the new skill.


    (NEW!) [(E-Tier) Recover] ? (Level 1)


    [A basic healing move, that can activate if the user hasn''t taken any damage for 30 minutes. Once activated, Recover will start eating away the user''s energy in order to heal up any injuries on the user''s body and recover back to full health.]


    [Healing: 1HP per 5 Energy]


    [Duration: Variable]


    [Cost: Variable]


    Mako wanted a healing move badly for so long, something that could help him recover faster in case he has to fight again in a short amount of time, and now the system had rewarded him with a brand new Unique Skill that did just that.


    Next, he checked out the Quests Tab.


    [Tier 2 Daily Quests have been unlocked. These Quests will be harder and longer toplete than before, but they will also give better rewards.]


    [New Daily Quest]


    Task 1: Exhaust yourplete energy pool two times by only using skills


    Task 2: Run 10,000 meters in under two hours


    Task 3: lift a total of 2000 Kilograms


    These quests were a lot more difficult than before but with Mako''s body so much better than when he first started, he was confident he could do them rtively quickly. Now only one tab remained, and Mako was saving it forst since he knew the surprises would be big. It was time to see what the Shop feature had in store for him.


    [Shop] ?


    [The Shop tab is another unique feature of the system. As the name implies, the user can ess the System''s shop and perform purchases such as buying and selling different items. The system will reward the user with different tiers of coins depending on the difficulty of the quest. These coins can then be exchanged for items that will be disyed in the shop.]


    [Note that the shop will only disy items that are the same level as the user themselves, with better items being in disy the more the user levels up.]


    [Bronze Tier coins are coins that the system will reward the user for easy quests and are the lowest form of currency that the system can reward.]


    [Silver Tier coins are coins that the system will reward the user for moderate quests and a decent form of currency being that one Silver coin equals 100 Bronze coins.]


    [Gold Tier coins are coins that the system will reward the user for hard quests and a good form of currency being that one Gold coin equals 100 Silver coins.]


    [Diamond Tier coins are coins that the system will reward the user for extreme quests and the best form of currency is that one Diamond coin equals 100 Gold coins.]


    It was a very straightforward exnation of what was the function of the shop feature, and Mako was excited to see what items were on disy for right now, but before he could ess the shop a new notification popped up that he couldn''t ignore.


    [New Video Message]


    [Video Log #003440 ying]

 Chapter 53 Video Log #003440

    ?[Video Log #003440 ying]


    The video started off by showing a bit of static and instability which made Mako a bit sick in the stomach considering he woke up minutes ago from who knows how long. The video gradually stabilized and the colors became more vibrant and sharp.


    The background looked to be some sort of Lab, and two people were working on some sort of spherical device. The camera then suddenly moved up, indicating that someone had manually picked up the camera, the angle changed and now a person was in front of the camera recording himself.


    "This is video log number 3440, shop function update. This video log is to update the World Leader on the revolutionary advancement we have made while creating the shop function inside the Universal Power System." The man spoke tiredly as if he hadn''t slept in days.


    It was a bit hard for Mako to recognize this person, but after looking closely, he realized that this person was his great-grandfather; Lionel Grey, only in this footage he is a lot younger.


    He had the same dark green hair that Mako had, but this time his face was void of wrinkles and dirt unlike when Mako first saw him. He looked rather handsome with a strong and sharp jawline and beautiful blue eyes. Mako had green eyes unlike his great-grandfather, but he had to admit that the blueplemented the green very well.


    The video continued with Lionel walking over to the two scientists who were working on the spherical device from before.


    "Miss Katz, would you care to update us on the storage issue we encountered?" Lionel asked as he moved the camera to disy women who moved away from the device and looked towards the camera.


    She had grey ashy hair that was very long and unkempt but that didn''t hinder her beauty at all. She had a small frame and a sharp look as well while wearing the sameb coat as Lionel with an ID badge that said "Natasha Katz" on it.


    "The item transportation issue had urred because the system wasn''t able topute the items into manageable data packets which led to it overloading. Fortunately, we have found a solution, that is these Kessho Crystals." Natasha said in a very strange ent which indicated that English wasn''t her mother tongue.


    The camera zoomed in on a few pieces of super dark and slightly glowing crystals that wereid out on a petri dish.


    "At first we tried to justpute the items into data that could then be essed by the user, but that method took up a lot of storage, something that is very limited to us. These crystals; however, are the perfect solution. They possess unique 4-dimensional properties that allow them to store any item within their molecr structure in the form of energy." Natasha exined while picking up two wires that were also ced on the shelf.


    "By passing an electric current over them in a controlled and calcted manner, we can in a way program the crystal and tell it when to absorb or release something." She said as she ced the two wires on the crystal and flipped a switch.


    A purple sh of light was emitted from the stone, and two ck-colored boots came out of the crystal the same way Mako''s de woulde out when he summoned them from his inventory with the only difference being that when Mako would summon something, it would only emit a faint blueish light.


    "We are still working on some of the anomalies regarding this stone, such as it sometimes disintegrates the item rather than absorbing it and we haven''t been able to figure out why. Another problem is its scarcity. We were only able to extract 0.6 ounces from the meteorite we were given from the void."


    "We have a theory that if we crush these crystals into a small powder, each individual particle will still retain its ability to absorb and expel matter. There has been no significant change to the crystal when we broke them into smaller pieces as every individual piece can still absorb and expel the same amount of matter as the bigger chunk."


    Natasha finished her report and the camera turned back to face Lionel.


    "We are currently trying to explore and understand theplete capabilities that these Kessho crystals possess, and once sessful, we will integrate them into the shop and inventory function of the system. If we are sessful in doing so, the storage capacity for the inventory can be increased by 50,000% and the shop function will have enough space inside it to fit a Wormhole crystal."


    "By attaching a Wormhole crystal we can virtually have anything disyed in the shop at any time as we can rece the items that are stored in the crystals with other items that the Wormhole crystal can ess."


    Lionel ced the camera back down on the table as he said," This is the update so far, We will try to integrate the special requests that the World Leader has requested such as the leveling system that he was pretty obsessed with once we are done with the base model. End video log 3440."


    [Video Log #003440 Ended]


    The expression on Mako''s face waspletely priceless as he was so confused with what he had just seen. Mako had a little bit of pride in himself since he was smart and got good grades, but when he saw the level of aplishments and intellect his great-grandfather had, he was beyond embarrassed and ashamed of himself.


    Kessho crystals, Wormhole crystals, coding matter... This was something Mako haven''t even heard of before so he knew he would have to do a lot of digging in order to understand what these things did and how his great-grandfather used them to create the system.


    Mako could always rewatch the video logs he had unlocked as he only had tomand the system to y the video log and say the number of the log. He had done this multiple times to rewatch the first video log he unlocked when he obtained the system. He had made it one of his life goals that he would find out more about the ck Wings who were responsible for the attack on his great-grandfather''s facility.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He knew that he couldn''t just open the inte and search for these things since they were most probably ssified and he could be put on a cklist or worse if he searched these terms. He would have to achieve a respectable position of power before he could make any progress in learning the truth.


    Mako decided to put this at the back of his mind for now and figure out his current predicament. He had just woken up a couple of minutes ago in an unfamiliar room and thest thing he remembered was that he had defeated Rhino for the second time.


    As tempting as it was for Mako to just open up his system and start utilizing his Attribute points and checking out the shop in detail, he knew he first had to make sure that he was in a safe position to do so. He got out of bed and quickly made way for the door on the left-hand side of the room.


    As soon as he opened the door he came face to face with a familiar face.


    "Bill? What''s going on? Why are you here?" Mako asked in confusion.


    Bill was also caught by surprise, but he quicklyposed himself and hugged Mako while saying," "Thank God, You''re finally awake!"


    The hugsted a couple of seconds before Bill let go and entered the room. After he closed the door behind him, he started exining everything to Mako.


    *************


    After Mako knocked out Rhino, he himself became unconscious. Bill rushed over to support him but he wasn''t responding at all. Bill was now scared as they were vulnerable in enemy territory and he didn''t know what they would do with them. The only way out for them was to win the tournament otherwise Leon would have ratted them out so Bill didn''t know what to do.


    While Bill was trying to wake Mako up, the butler approached him from behind and ced a hand on his shoulder.


    "Sir, it would seem that your friend has copsed from over-exerting himself. Pleasee with me, he may need medical attention." The butler said with the utmost respect.


    Out of all the things that could happen that night, Bill had not seen thising. He was genuinely worried for his friend so he didn''t argue and went with the butler. They made it to one of the spare rooms on the higher floors of the warehouse and Mako was ced on the bed.


    A doctor was called and he did aplete examination of Mako''s body. Other than the injuries from the fight, Mako waspletely fine and the doctor concluded that he would wake up once he had rested for a while.


    While the doctor was checking up on Mako, Leon made his way to the room and kicked open the door.


    "Benson! What is the meaning of this? I..." Leon shouted, but before he couldplete his sentence, the butler moved quickly across the room and ced his hands on Leon''s mouth.


    Using his other hand, he dragged Leon out of the room while giving a gentle smile towards Bill.


    "Please forgive Young Master''s rude intrusion. While your friend is recovering you are free to stay in the next room. I wille to collect you both once he has woken up." The butler said as he dragged Leon out of the room and closed the door.


    The doctor soon finished his check-up as well and fed Mako a healing pill before leaving. Bill had no clue about what to do next. Why was the enemy helping them?


    Bill tried to explore other areas but all corridors were blocked by guards leaving only the two rooms and a bathroom to which they were given ess too. He then decided to just stay in Mako''s room until he woke up and only left to use the bathroom.


    A full day had passed and Bill was getting quite worried. He got up to use the bathroom and when he returned he came face to face with Mako at the front door.


    ************


    Bill just finished exining everything to Mako and before any of them could even exchange another word, they heard a knock on the door.


    *Knock!* *Knock!*

 Chapter 54 Gang Member?

    ?*Knock!* *Knock!*


    It seemed too good of timing that the knock came the moment Bill finished his story. This lead them both to believe that they were listening in on them, but they couldn''t do anything about it at the moment besides answering the door.


    Bill walked up to open the door and the butler entered the room.


    "Good evening gentlemen, now that Mr. Mako has woken up, it is time for you toe with me. Master has been waiting to meet you and we shouldn''t keep him waiting any longer." The butler said as he gestured for the two of them to exit the room.


    Mako had worn the same outfit he had worn the time when he participated in the battle royale tournament, and he was hoping to keep his identity hidden, but being knocked out and asleep in the enemy''s base of operations for a whole day can be enough time for them to do a background check on you.


    Mako knew the butler was stronger; stronger than even Rhino, so it was no use resisting especially since he had shown no signs of hostility towards him rather it was theplete opposite.


    The two boys followed behind the butler through the main hallway, stretching quite far. The hallway was awfully quiet as not a single sound could be heard from either direction or the doors that were evenly spaced apart from one another on both sides of the wall. The lights had a weird yellowish tint on them that made it feel like they were in a horror movie.


    Thankfully they soon arrived at the end of the hallway that had a massive dark oak door with a beautiful and intricate carving of a flock of ravens. The butler knocked on the door thrice with a small pause in between each knock and then proceeded to open the door.


    The whole ce was giving Mako weird vibes, and they got weirder by the minute as he suspected that knock was some sort of code that allowed him to open the door, or perhaps it was a cryptic greeting of some sort. Mako just didn''t know, for all he knew he could be walking to his own death, and the thought of that was making him very paranoid.


    The butler entered the room and stopped by the entrance and gestured for the boys toe in. Mako made a small nudge towards Bill and made him go ahead of him. Since Bill was taller than Mako, he blocked the direct line of sight toward Mako''s face. Mako used this opportunity to take out a boost pill from his inventory and popped it before the butler could notice.


    The system override took ce and Mako''s perception got boosted by 15 points. It wasn''t much but it did give Mako some assurance about the situation he was in because he could always rely on his instincts to defend himself.


    They entered into the room and found themselves in one of the mostvish ces they had ever seen. Multiple priceless paintings hung up on the walls, a firece on the east side of the room that was giving off most of the light in the room, and many architectural designs on the walls and pirs with beautiful trims.


    Since the only source of light in the room was the firece, the visibility was quite low and it took a couple of moments for them to adjust to the light level of the room. At the far end of the room and a beautiful long desk was set right below an art piece that was hung on the wall that looked like guns that were used in the olden times.


    A big ck leather chair was ced behind the desk and it was facing towards the wall with its back towards Mako and Bill. Next to the desk towards the west side was avish brown leather couch that was currently upied by someone quite familiar.


    "Took your pretty time waking up," Leon said as he satzily on the couch while ying with a small knife that resembled Mako''s de but was shorter and without any distinctive features.


    "Benson, would you please take Leon out of the room, I have things to discuss with our guests." A deep yet calm voice came from the chair facing the wall.


    "Certainly Master," The butler obliged as he moved towards Leon.


    Leon stood up in anger and he shouted toward the chair," What are you doing! He was the one that burned me! Instead of skinning him alive, you offer him a ce to sleep and now you want to talk in private! What is this Bull****!"


    "Young Master, Pleasepose yourself." The butler tried calming Leon down as he held him by his arm.


    "Let go of me, Benson! I am not going to stick around and let this all happen!" Leon said in a fury and using his super speed charged towards Mako with his knife out aimed towards his face.


    The knife was about to pierce Mako''s forehead, but then the knife phased through him as if he wasn''t there at all.


    [Phantom Shift has been activated]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was a good call for Mako to increase his perception otherwise he wouldn''t have been able to react fast enough to use Phantom Shift and dodge the assault.


    Mako appeared right next to Leon while he was still in his lunge position with the knife still going forward not knowing that it had already missed his target. Mako grabbed Leon''s arm and using his own momentum against him, pinned him to the ground with his left hand. Sparks started toe out of his right hand as he held it close to his face.


    Leon had not seen thising and was now struggling to move because even though Mako didn''t have the physique, he had the strength to effortlessly pin down someone like Leon.


    "LEON!!" The voice came out again from the chair but this time it was filled with anger and authority and Leon stopped resistingpletely.


    The butler quickly separated them and firmly grabbed Leon by the arm before quickly dragging him out of the room. This time; however, he moved without uttering a single word. The door was shut behind them and now Mako and Bill were alone with the person to whom the voice belonged.


    "Please don''t be rmed, I apologize on behalf of my... son''s rude... weing." The man said as he turned the seat to face the two boys.


    The man in the chair was someone unexpected, to say the least. The man in the chair looked hardly 5 feet tall and had a simr body frame that to Mako. He wore a ssic ck suit with a ck shirt and had a handsome-looking face with jet-ck hair that was very well-kept.


    Mako and Bill were both caught off-guard by the appearance of the man behind the chair, but he paid them no heed as he just snapped his fingers, and two grand-looking chairs floated towards the desk from the shadows and were ced opposite to him.


    "He told me about your Telekinesis Ability, I just didn''t believe it to be true," Bill said as he approached the man first and Mako followed closely behind.


    "Indeed Mr. Johnson, my enemies are quite aware of this ability of mine... well one of many." The man spoke with a grin as the two boys took a seat.


    "Who are you?" Mako could help but ask as he couldn''t hold back his curiosity any longer.


    "Ah, I see you haven''t heard of me as your friend has. Well, allow me to introduce myself; my name is Paul Czolgosz, I am the leader of the Dark Raven, and I am the father of that ungrateful son you just took down, Mr. Grey." He exined in an uncaring tone.


    After the person had identified himself, Mako now understood why Leon was behaving the way that he was. It was because his father was the leader of one of the two massive gangs within Emerald City. He was most probably pampered all his life and this was what had turned him into the little brat he was.


    Mako was angry at this notion because apparently, this person''s son had just tried to murder him and so was Bill because the same person also threatened to reveal their identity to El-Diablo if they didn''t participate in their match. Paul could easily judge by the look on both of their faces that they were angry and he decided to break the ice first.


    "Listen, I know you both have been through a lot, and apologize again for my son''s treatment towards you. I can assure you that all of this has been taken care of and he won''t threaten you both ever again."


    "It didn''t look that way to me," Mako said as he ced the small de that he had taken from Leon during their exchange on the table in front of them.


    "Even though I dealt with him regarding his mistreatment, he was still salty about not having his revenge on you for you burning him, but as expected you were able to counter his pathetic attempt quite easily for which I must give you credit," Paul said in aforting manner as he picked up the little knife and started to make it float above his hands.


    "But that also leads me to the reason why I kept you here and wished to talk to you. You see Mr.Grey, I have a proposition for you that I hope you will listen to with an open mind." Paul continued.


    "How would you feel about bing a member of the Dark Raven?" Paul asked the big question and the look on Mako''s face was one of pure disbelief.


    "You want me to be a what now?" Mako asked in absolute disbelief.

 Chapter 55 My Terms

    ?"A member of the Dark Raven, I want you and Mr. Johnson here to be a part of my organization." Paul reiterated while maintaining his calm demeanor.


    "And what makes you believe that Mako and I want anything to do with you or the Dark Raven, we almost died during your initiation tournament, and your son attempted to stab my friend in the face!" Bill eximed as he couldn''t hold back his fury anymore.


    He had been traumatized from the experience of being a gang member already and he never wanted to be in acquaintance with such a thing ever again. All the people he had hurt and trampled over just to please his boss who turned his back on him after one lost the fight. The mark on his hand reminds him daily of Albert and all the other prisoners who helped him escape from that hellhole.


    "I can understand your emotions, Mr. Johnson. Believe me, I have lost a lot of good people in this line of work too, but please just hear me out. Once you have gotten the chance to understand my reasoning, maybe you will reconsider." Paul replied in aforting tone.


    It was pretty weird for the two boys to be sitting face to face with a gang boss who was showing such a calm demeanor toward them.


    There were a couple of seconds of silence before Mako ced his right hand on Bill''s shoulder and said," lets at least hear him out."


    Mako''s reasoning for this was quite simple, if this paul guy really wanted to harm them in any way, he would have done so already when they were both in a vulnerable stage, but instead he just wanted to talk. For someone who gave them a ce to recover, the least they could do was to hear him out.


    "Thank you, Mr. Grey" Paul thanked as he stood up and walked over to the small table that was beside the firece. On the table was a very elegant-looking bottle that Mako believed to be some kind of alcohol. He poured some into a ss and then proceeded to gulp down in one sip.


    Paul took a small sigh before snapping his fingers again. On the table, many things wereid out neatly and one of them was a photo frame. The photo frame lifted off the table slowly and floated towards Mako''s hands. The frame had a picture of three people, first was paul, the second was a woman who was standing beside him, and the third was a little boy hardly 4-5 years of age.


    The woman beside paul was a beautiful middle age woman with the same jet-ck hair as paul and was around the same height as him as well. Paul and the woman each had one of their hands ced on each of the little boy''s shoulders and all of them were wearing beautiful ck garments.


    "The person in this photo is Elina Czolgosz, myte wife and Leon''s mother," Paul stated as he poured himself another drink.


    "She was taken from me 4 years ago when one of the old big-time gangs called Venomunched a surprise attack on us during our vacation out of town. It was all so well coordinated and sudden that even I couldn''t control the situation in time during which time my wife was killed in the crossfire of one of my abilities." Paul narrated the story as he gulped down his second ss of alcohol.


    "Iter figured out who was behind all of this and took my revenge by wiping them out from existence but even that couldn''t fill the void that had formed in my heart, but the loss of Elina had hit Leon the hardest." Paul continued.


    "He was very closely attached to his mother and her loss took a massive toll on him. He turned from a kind and loving young man who loved his mother to a brutal and angry person who always wanted to fight someone. He med me for her death and has resented me ever since. I could not always stop him from getting involved nor could I always protect him, and just the thought of this keeps me up at night." Paul finished as he gulped down his third ss.


    He returned back to his seat that was opposite the two boys and he looked at Mako and Bill, both of them had their eyes slightly watery. Mako and Bill could both rte to Leon''s story as each of them had already experienced a simr situation already.


    "The reason I want you both to be members of the Dark Raven is that I want to assign you both with only one and most important mission of all. I want you to look after Leon, be his friend, and have his back in tough situations." Paul finally spilled beans as he revealed the main reason why he wanted them to join the gang.


    Mako and Bill were confused at this, how could two teenagers protect his son better than himself or the dozen guards that he already had in his gang?


    "Why would you need us to protect your son? Secondly, Why would you think he would ever ept us as his friends?" Mako voiced his skepticism to which Paul just smiled.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I have been able to protect him for so long because he was under the protection of the Dark Raven, but once he applies for military school like you too, I won''t be able to protect him anymore. You boys have shown me exceptional talent during your battle against Rhino, especially Mr. Grey''s special move, I heard that you lit yourself up in mes and became a lot stronger." Paul gave a valid reason and this was something that the two boys had totally forgotten about, they were meant to apply for a military school in two weeks'' time.


    Another thing that surprised Mako was that his rage skill was misinterpreted by everyone as some kind of Fire ability skill since when he activated rage mode, he was engulfed in red energy that resembled being lit up in mes.


    "As for your second concern, you won''t have to worry too much about that. Even though Leon had adopted this threatening and brutal demeanor, he is still the king and loving boy inside that I once knew. I only request that you don''t give up on him, he will open up to you faster than you think." Paul concluded his story and was now waiting patiently for an answer from them.


    Bill suddenly took on a stern expression as he said," Your story is indeed tragic, and I am sorry for your loss, but that doesn''t ignore the fact that you are still a gang boss that has also done a lot of terrible things, we don''t want to be a part of that."


    "I am not asking you to," Paul replied instantly." I only want you to do this and nothing else, you won''t be affiliated with the Dark Raven in anything, plus if you ept, then you will also bepensated for your efforts."


    Mako and Bill looked at each other and then excused themselves to discuss this in private to which paulplied. Paul stood up and left the room, leaving Mako and Bill alone to talk over things.


    ************


    Ten minutester, Paul returned to the room and was greeted by the confident gazes of Mako and Bill which obviously indicated that they hade to a decision.


    Paul took a seat on his leather chair as Mako spoke," Sir Czolgosz, we have considered your offer and we are willing to ept, but we would like to make a few adjustments to the offer.


    Paul paused for a few seconds before nodding and saying," What are your demands?"


    "Firstly, since we would be bing members of the Dark Raven, we want to make sure that we are given ess to the Dark Raven''s resources, under your supervision of course," Mako said.


    "and the second thing is not more a demand but rather think of it as helping each other out. We want you to help us in taking out the prisoner warehouses that El-Diablo has in Emerald City. If you can help us with these things then we will ept your offer." Mako concluded.


    Paul kept a straight face throughout Mako''s demands and after he had finished stating them, Paul still didn''t say anything. There were a couple of seconds of awkward silence between the three of them where each of them kept a straight face and maintained eye contact. Bill had taught Mako this as this was a way for people to see if the other person who was stating the demands was even sure of himself.


    Paul finally broke the ice by sighing as a smile appeared on his face."I had been meaning to take down those warehouses for quite some time since some of my men are also imprisoned there. If those are your only demands then we have a deal."


    A smile appeared on Mako and Bill''s face, as well as they both, shook his hand and cemented the deal.


    From this day forth, Mako was now part of the Dark Raven.

 Chapter 56 Operation Jailbird

    ?It had now been the next day, and Mako and Bill were back home. They had spent the whole night at the Dark Raven base discussing the rest of the details and they couldn''t be happier with the results.


    They were now undercover members of the Dark Raven who had ess to their resources and their only mission was to befriend and protect Leon at the military camp, but they didn''t have to worry about that for the next two weeks when the military representative was going to visit the school and exin this year''s trials.


    Right now, Mako and Bill were more interested in the part of the deal that they had proposed themselves. Bill wanted to take revenge for Albert and the only way he knew how was to make his dreame true by freeing all the prisoners at the warehouses that El-Diablo owned.


    Paul had been meaning to raid them himself for quite a while but the tension between the two gangs was high and he could not risk doing such a thing that could result in an all-out gang war. However, now that Mako had proposed that he and Bill be the ones to take them out, he happily obliged and even went ahead and gave them all the information he had on the warehouses.


    There were a total of 5 warehouses in Emerald City, including the one that Bill escaped from. Each contains anywhere from 30-50 guards and more than 200 prisoners. These "workces" were designed so that El-Diablo could punish those who had crossed him by enving them and gaining a lot of profit from the products that these ces produced.


    The number of guards was sure to be high considering the episode that had urred in Bill''s prison warehouse and each guard was a minimum level 2 Ability user.


    Mako had a total of 32 people avable to him which included himself, Bill, Bill''s high school friends that had agreed to help take down these warehouses as this was the n that was discussed with them that night, and some of the men from the Dark Raven that paul had spared for the operation.


    The main priority for all of them was to make sure that under no circumstance does the enemy find out that the attack was backed by the Dark Raven or it will be a total disaster.


    The two boys spent the entire daying up with a n to make sure that such a big operation was executed right. The information on all the warehouses included guard info, blueprints, and more which really helped them devise the n. Mako couldn''t even imagine how was he even going to tackle this quest without the help that he currently had, and it cemented the fact that it was important to make rtions that can always help you out in a pinch.


    *************


    The n wasing in great, the people will be divided into 4 teams, each consisting of 8 people. Of course, 8 people aren''t enough to take down a whole army of guards which is why they didn''t want to go in guns zing, rather this would be an infiltration mission.


    Mako had actually purchased pocket-sized explosives from Paul which were strong enough to blow through several inches of solid steel. All the warehouses had a simryout with two entry points which also doubles as exit points. There was no other ess point in the entire warehouse that include a backdoor or windows.


    This was a blessing in disguise as not only did it mean that they had only two points of entry, but the guards also only had two modes of exit which woulde in handy as one massive skill would be capable of knocking out a couple of guards in one go.


    ording to the information provided by Paul, the guards shifted between warehouses each week on Friday and new guards took their ce. The prisoners within these warehouses were not that important nor high level since they were either captured during gang fights or had some sort of debt to El-Diablo so it didn''t take a lot of guards to manage them, and so the guards also that high of a level.


    Paul had provided them with 8 uniforms that El-Diablo''s gang members wear so that they could easily infiltrate the warehouses the uniform was ck in color which was ideal for sneaking around but it also came with a facemask that woulde in real handy in hiding their identity, especially Bill who was known within the gang.


    2 members from each team had to infiltrate the building and nt the charges in such a way that one of the exits get blocked by debris while the other is sted open. Using the element of surprise and the darkness of the night to their advantage, the rest of the team will try to take out as many guards as possible while the two infiltrators help the prisoners escape.


    All 4 attacks had to be done simultaneously so that reinforcements would take longer to arrive because of the confusion and will be stretched thin between each warehouse calling for help. They only got one chance at this since they won''t get another chance to redo this as the enemy would be on guard from then onwards.


    ************


    With the n finalized, it was down to splitting the 32 people into teams, assigning them a captain, and assigning them one of the four warehouses. When it came to assigning teams, one has to keep in mind the versatility of the team which is dependent on the team members selected. If all 8 of the people in one team have defensive-style abilities and skills, then they won''t be able to deal significant offensive damage which is also crucial.


    Mako had to carefully ce each person in a specific team so that all parameters of each team are met and that they won''t face a major issue when carrying out the mission.


    The teams were finalized with Mako leading one of the four teams, the second team led by Bill, and the remaining two teams led by two members of the Dark Raven. It is also important to note that all the members that were taking part in this mission were those who wanted to end their life of crime and Paul had given them onest mission toplete.


    These people had all lost someone to El Diablo''s gang or were locked up in one of these prisons so they were quite passionate to take part in this mission.


    With everything done and dusted, they now only had to wait till Friday on which the attack willmence.


    ***********


    Mako was sitting at the kitchen table and he had a book in his hand that he was pretending to try and understand. The book in his hand was a skill book and this was gifted to him and Bill by Paul as they were about to leave the base.


    Mako couldn''t use instant learning on it and equip the skill immediately since Bill was still around and he couldn''t reveal this mind-breaking skill to anyone so he had been acting to learn the skill with him for the past half an hour while continuously ignoring the instant learn the message that kept popping up in his notification bar.


    After what seemed like forever, Bill excused himself to use the bathroom, and Mako utilized his skill immediately. There was a glow of light and the book disappeared as an exmation mark appeared on the Skills tab.


    New skill: [(E-Tier) Silent Steps] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A utility skill that allows the user to use a basic skill that makes it so that the user doesn''t emit any sound as long as he is walking at a speed less than 4 mph.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Requirements: 20 Fortitude, 15 Intelligence, 10 Stamina]


    [Cost: 10 Energy/minute]


    An excellent skill that cane in real handy during infiltration and stealth-type missions, and now both Bill and Mako had ess to this skill. Their goal for the next few days would be to level up this skill as much as possible so that its utility is even greater.


    Mako was about to close the interface and head over to the refrigerator to see what was avable to cook for dinner when all of a sudden a notification popped up in front of his eyes.


    *DING!*


    [Quest Complete]


    [Be victorious in the tournament hosted by the Dark Raven]


    [Reward: Instant Level up, +10 attribute points, random skill]


    [Penalty: -2 Levels, -5 to all attributes]


    [ERROR!]


    [User has not met the conditions for either the reward or the penalty]


    [Recalibrating Rewards]


    [No Reward Avable]


    Mako had a look of disappointment on his face because he had been cheated out of great rewards because he technically didn''t win or lose in the tournament. It probably took some time for the system to realize that Mako had walked an alternative path than what was intended for which no rewards were given.


    Bill returned back to the kitchen to find Mako standing in the middle of the room and wandering into space. He slowly approached him and shook him a bit which knocked him out of his daze.


    "Dude, What are you thinking about?" Bill asked.


    "Huh? Oh nothing, just thinking about the mission on friday." Mako made up a lie on the go to which Bill just let out an understanding giggle.


    "It is alright to be nervous, I mean it is a pretty big job after all, but I trust you and your n. It''s time we bring the pain to those bastards." Bill said while flexing his bicep.


    "Yeah, Operation Jailbird is going to be our most dangerous mission yet," Mako said.


    The smile instantly vanished from Bill''s face. He couldn''t help himself but just facepalm in front of Mako.


    "You know I still hate this nerd side of you," Bill said ridiculing Mako''s immature habit of still naming things to make them sound cool.


    Mako let out a nervous chuckle while rubbing the back of his head as if this would help dissipate the situation.


    *DING!*


    [New Quest Received!]


    [Sessfully execute operation jailbird and destroy the four warehouses (0/4)]


    [Rewards: ???]


    [Penalty: ???]


    ''Damn...'' Mako thought while going over the description of the quest.

 Chapter 57 Successful Infiltration

    ?The days flew by very quickly with nothing eventful to ur. Bill continued his job at the bakery with Mako and spent the rest of his time training his Sand ability. He still hadn''t been able to upgrade the ability to the next level since it was a stronger ability than the basic elemental ones which meant a harder learning curve, but he was definitely making progress.


    Mako also didn''t just stand idly by as the daily quests were getting more difficult by the day and he had to put in some serious effort toplete them.


    [Quests] ? (New!)


    [Daily Quests]


    Task 1: Lift a total of 5000 Kg. (0/5000)


    Task 2: Train your abilities until your energy bar reaches zero three times. (0/3)


    Task 3: Run 10000 meters. (0/10000)


    [Reward: 1000 EXP, 3 Attribute Points]


    [Penalty: Hidden]


    Mako hadn''t yet failed toplete a daily task nor was he willing to find out what the hidden penalty was. With his night job, school, andpleting daily quests, he barely had enough time to cook and prepare food and have decent sleep, but the results were not anything tough at.


    Within two months, Mako''s body had gone through a lot. The training he received through his daily quests, the increase in stats through his system, the lessons he learned from the many fights he had been involved in which included school, the streets, and tournaments as well as the nutrition he was getting from the bakery and his own food all yed a role in improving Mako''s body.


    Mako went from being a skinny dude who had more bones than muscles in his body and appeared weak, frail, and malnourished to now having a well-defined body with decent muscle mass which includes a visible six-pack, broad shoulders, and a strong back.


    During the week Mako also spent his attribute points so that all his stats could be bnced. Mako had a total of 60 attribute points to spend which he received as rewards from leveling up and his regr and daily quests.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 500/500] ?


    [Energy: 2000/2000] ?


    [EXP: 9000/102400] ?


    [Level 11] ?


    [Strength: 30 (+30) ] ?


    [Agility: 30 (+25) ] ?


    [Perception: 30] ?


    [Intelligence: 30] ?


    [Mentality: 30] ?


    [Stamina: 30 (+15) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: 30] ?


    [Attribute Points: 0] ?


    Mako had brought up all of his attributes to 30 which was a huge upgrade considering some of the attributes that he had not paid much attention to were still in the 10-20 range. Mako had not put many attribute points in agility or stamina, but now he wasing to the realization of how much of an idiot he had been.


    Both attributes were geared towards movement and speed and Mako wascking in both which was the reason why he was always slower than some other fighters and why he would get exhausted first. Mako had a greater energy pool than most fighters which meant that he could still cast abilities, but there was a physical strain on the body every time an ability is cast.


    Fortitude helps with reducing the strain on the body and providing defense, but it doesn''t tackle exhaustion which is where stamina shines. The main purpose of the stamina attribute is to give the user the energy to counter exhaustion so that they can give their 100% in fights for longer periods of time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The upgrade in his attributes had helped a lot inpleting the daily quests and with the ten points left over, Mako decided to add them to his health so that he could tank more hits, but an unexpected message appeared in front of his eyes while doing so.


    [User has reached the cap for his Health Points. In order to upgrade Health any further, the user has to meet certain requirements.]


    Mako was taken aback by this because this was the first time that such a message had appeared and he didn''t know what to make of it. Did this mean that all my attributes and energy bar also have a cap on them?


    First things first, Mako had to figure out what the requirements were to extend the limit on his health so he used the one function he had not used in quite some time and that was the ''Ask'' function. It was the function that Mako could use to ask the system about anything.


    ''What are the requirements that need to be met in order to upgrade my health further?'' Mako asked the system.


    [The User has to reach level 15 or learn a brand new ability in order to increase their health any further.]


    The system''s answer was straightforward and one that made sense since the reason why he couldn''t upgrade his health is that he is not yet strong enough to increase it further. In the meantime, Mako decided to add the remaining attribute points into energy and bring it up to 2000.


    ************


    [Friday Night]


    Mako and the rest of his team were camping out near a lonely road that ran through the outskirts of the city. No cars were moving around and the whole ce was silent and dark.


    After some time of waiting patiently, the thing that they had been waiting for arrived. A van appeared on the horizon as it was making its way down the road straight to where Mako and his team were.


    Mako gave the signal and everybody took their positions. As the van was passing by them suddenly a sh of light erupted on the windshield of the van, the sh of light caused temporary blindness to the passenger and the driver. The driver hit the brakes and the van skidded off-road, but before it could go anywhere and crash, a nted ramp of earth rose which directed the van back on the road safely without damaging it.


    As soon as the van stopped, guards rushed out from the back but they were quickly dealt with by the rest of the team since they were greater in number and far stronger.


    "We got our ride," Mako said into themunication device and a few minutester the same response was heard three more times. Each team was sessful in hijacking the transportation vehicle and now they all could make their way to the warehouses.


    Mako had specifically mentioned that nobody was to kill anyone and sure enough all of the guards and the driver were knocked out and tied around a tree so that they won''t escape and alert someone.


    The warehouse hadmunication jammers in ce so Mako couldn''t keep in touch with Bill or any other team and so they were on their own.


    Mako and another person from the Dark Raven were each wearing one of the uniforms that Paul had provided them and these two plus two more will go in the van to infiltrate the warehouse while the remaining four will be on standby at a safe distance from the perimeter of the warehouse.


    All four teams were on the same schedule and all had executed the n perfectly thus far. The rest was in their own hands as they couldn''t rely on any sort of backup whatsoever.


    *************


    After a short ride, they arrived at the warehouse and used the key cards they found on the guards to be granted ess to the ce. Once inside, The Dark Raven member, whose name was Jacob parked the van in the parking lot.


    All four got out of the van and a man was waiting for them near the door of the warehouse.


    "You sure took your damn sweet time!" The man shouted in annoyance but quickly moved on ahead.


    "You two! You are perimeter patrol!" He ordered while pointing to the two other people who were in the van with Mako and Jacob. One was a Dark Raven member, while the other one was a student.


    They both looked at each other for a second which extremely angered the man so that he shouted once more and this time a lot louder.


    "DO I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF TO YOU, CHUMPS!"


    The two of them quickly shook their heads no and moved towards the small little hut near the fence which was most likely the living quarters for the guards who were on patrol duty.


    The guy took a deep breath before turning back to Mako and Jacob. He pointed at Jacob as he said," You will rece Carl stationed near the armory."


    Jacob immediately nodded yes and took his leave before he could anger this man any further. The original n was for them to stick together, but it doesn''t seem to be the case. As Jacob was leaving, he held up a thumbs up on his back to say ''Good luck'' to Mako.


    The guy then turned toward Mako and smiled a bit. He then pointed at him with his index finger as he said," You will be recing Ang in the basement in the West wing."


    This was something Mako hadn''t expected to happen so soon but seemed like fate had other ns for him. He would be starting his mission from the same ce where he would be ending it.

 Chapter 58 Night Duty

    ?The basement was just a formal way of saying prison cells as this was where all the prisoners or "workers" were kept. Mako had some idea of what to expect from the stories he had heard from Bill, but once he made his way down to the basement after almost getting lost two times, he held his mouth with his hands to stop himself from puking.


    The smell that wasing from the entrance to the sleeping area was so horrendous that Mako had to force himself not to vomit right there on the spot. He couldn''t believe that this was where all these people were kept as he couldn''t imagine being stuck here for life.


    It took him a couple of moments topose himself before he entered the main area. The room was quite massive with no walls and only pirs supporting the entire structure. There were arge number of bunk beds that were lined neatly in rows throughout the room and then there was a massive rebar metal wall shaped like a cell door.


    The room was separated into twopartments, The majority of the area was the prisoner''s sleeping area but a small space right next to the entrance was a small area that was meant for the guard. The area of the guard and the entrance were walled off by the barred rebar wall so that the prisoners couldn''t get to them.


    It was currently night so all the prisoners were in the sleeping area, but not all of them had gone to bed. Some were still awake and conversing with one another. Some of the prisoners had the Fire ability and had made small campfires that 10-15 cuddled around since it was very cold down there with no heater or anything else to make them warm.


    Mako used Analyze on one group and could see that all the people who had an ability were all level 1''s and 2''s and with being so malnourished, they hardly had any energy to cast anything. Mako watched with pity and sadness as some of the prisoners were fighting each other so that they can be closer to the campfire.


    The prisoners here were all those people who were part of El-Diablo''s gang and failed to do something. Others were prisoners who were captured by other gangs and were thrown here as punishment for going against them, while some of them were just captured and brought here against their will.


    Bill had told him that gangs like these had info on pretty much everyone who was within their territory and they would use this information to find those who didn''t have strong rtions with anyone and force them to either work for them or throw them in one of these warehouses to increase the man force for their factories so that they can produce more products.


    This whole situation was making Mako angrier by the minute and he got enraged even more when he looked over at the small room that was meant for the guard to find a woman wearing the same uniform as him who was sitting in a leather chair while her feet were on the desk in front of her. She had headphones on and was casually vibing to the music while keeping her eyes closed.


    ''How could she be this rxed while people in front of her are fighting over some heat?!'' Mako thought as he walked over to the small room.


    As he arrived, the woman took notice and slowly stood up from the chair and started to stretch her arms and back. This indicated that she had been rxing on the chair for quite some time while the prisoners were fighting to keep warm. The room had air conditioning and it was currently keeping the room warm and smelling nice.


    Veins started to pop on Mako''s forehead as he was on the verge of letting his anger overwhelm him, but he quicklyposed himself before Ang noticed. He was here on a mission and he was now going to use this rage to fuel his motivation to seed and teach these dirtbags a lesson.


    ''All of you will be having a taste of your own medicine very soon.'' Mako said in his thoughts while Ang continued to stretch.


    "Took you long enough. Alec can sure be a handful sometimes, can''t he?" She said.


    Mako knew who she was talking about. It was the person who they had met as soon as they had gotten out of the van; the one who had yelled out orders to them. Mako had used Analyze on him and he got to know his name and that he was a Level 3 Wind ability user.


    Ang finished her stretching and grabbed her coat before making her way toward the entrance. As she was making her way past Mako, she pped his back lightly and said, "Don''t Worry about Alec, he just wants to make sure everything is up to code so that the big boss remains happy. I can see you''re new here, don''t sweat about it too much, and loosen up a bit. Your shift will be over before you know it."


    "Oh yeah, I believe it will be," Mako replied as he took a seat on the leather chair. Ang didn''t take much notice of thement and proceeded to leave the basement.


    Mako was now alone with the prisoners. He first scanned his surroundings and noticed a couple of things in the room. There was a red button on the wall that Mako assumed to be an rm to alert everyone if something were to happen down here such as the prisoners escaping.


    There were two cameras in total, one was monitoring the guard''s room while the other was monitoring the prisoners. The camera within the guard''s room wasn''t online which was probably Ang''s doing so that she could have a lovely time down here. This only left one camera that was monitoring the guards and it was obvious to him that someone was definitely watching through it.


    There was also some sort of stick in the drawer that didn''t look ordinary at all so Mako decided to inspect it by using Analyze.


    [Medium Tier Terra Bat''s Baton] ?


    [A 25-inch long baton forged from the crystal and flesh of a Terra Bat found in (Unknown). A poor quality baton forged by (Unknown)]


    [Strength +10]


    [Agility +5]


    [Attack: 30]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Passive skill: Electrocute] ?


    [Electrocute: After hitting an opponent twice with a baton, the baton bes charged and the next strike will deal 50% more damage and give the opponent a mild electric shock that may paralyze them for a couple of seconds.]


    It was an upgraded version of the low-tier batons that Mako had seen the police carry around and even though it wasn''t that great of a weapon it was plenty for the purpose at hand. Mako decided to take the baton and store it in his inventory for now.


    After getting to know his surroundings, Mako decided that the first thing he would do was to talk to the prisoners, but he couldn''t walk up and talk to them because the camera would see him talking to them and the prisoners themselves wouldn''t be open to talking to a guard.


    Mako walked out towards the entrance just outside the range of the camera. He took out his holo phone and proceeded to make a small recording of the prison. After he had gotten a sufficient video, he proceeded to climb up to the camera using the metal bars while still remaining hidden from view.


    Once there, Mako attached his phone right in front of the lens of the camera and proceeded to y the video on a loop so that the person who was looking through the camera wouldn''t be able to notice anything.


    "It is a very primitive setup but it would have to do for now," Mako said as he climbed back down.


    By this time, some of the prisoners had noticed Mako setting up the camera and were wondering why a guard would be doing such a thing. Their confusion increased as they saw the guard use the key that was hanging on the wall to open the jail door and enter.


    The guard didn''t say anything, he just locked the door again behind him and started walking around the different groups of prisoners. The people were genuinely confused because this wasn''t something they had seen someone do before, but they could say anything out of fear because sometimes even speaking with a guard might anger them and they would hit them with their batons.


    As Mako made his way around the area, he kept using Analyze on every single person because he was searching for someone in particr. He kept looking for 15 minutes before he arrived in front of a prisoner who was fake sleeping in one of the corners of the room all alone.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Nikhil Kent]


    [Ability: Auditory Perception (Level 3)] ?


    [Health: 180/180] ?


    [Energy: 140/200] ?


    [Strength: 12] ?


    [Agility: 10] ?


    [Perception: 18] ?


    [Intelligence: 8] ?


    [Mentality: 8] ?


    [Stamina: 10] ?


    [Charisma: 6] ?


    [Fortitude: 10] ?


    "Found you," Mako said in a threatening yet yful voice.

 Chapter 59 Dealing With The Rat

    ?The prisoner who was faking being asleep instantly awoke after he heard the words that Mako had just uttered. He jumped out of bed and quickly faced Mako, only to see his hands covered in sparks.


    "What are you doing?!" Nikhil shouted as took a defensive stance.


    Mako didn''t reply with words but rather with a bolt of lightning aimed straight at Nikhil''s face. Nikhil instantly moved to the left and was barely able to dodge the lightning bolt, but as he did so, a fist appeared in his line of sight.


    Mako purposefullyunched the lightning bolt a little to the right so that he would be able to dodge it, but now he had him right where he wanted him to be.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Mako sped up as before Nikhil could even rebnce himself after dodging the lightning bolt, his punch nted straight on his right cheek and he gotunched a couple of feet backward in the air.


    Nikhilnded on his back and was struggling to take a breath. He had never been this hurt in his life, his face was covered in blood, his nose had shatteredpletely, and he was even missing some of his teeth.


    "I am one of you!! Why are you doing this?!" Nikhil wailed asst resort to stop Mako from ending his life.


    Mako slowly started walking toward Nikhil who was still on his knees coughing out blood. All the prisoners were now watching the scene as a guard was showing no mercy to one of their own. They had seen events like this happen before and the only thing that they could do was to watch.


    Mako released all his rage in the form of his aura as it was much fiercer than ever before. Everyone in the room could sense this intense aura as this was far more intense than any other guard''s aura they had ever seen.


    Mako continued to slowly walk toward Nikhil who was dragging himself trying to get away from him when Mako said," I am not one of you, and I will never be someone like you."


    After hearing these words, Nikhil understood what was happening and opened his mouth in an attempt to scream so that maybe someone could be alerted of the current situation.


    However, Before anything coulde out of Nikhil''s mouth, Mako covered the distance between them and threw another punch which knocked him unconscious.


    *DING!*


    [A Level 3 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+500 EXP]


    The entire room became silent as Mako stood over Nikhil''s unconscious body. He reached into his pocket and activated his inventory to take out some tape that he had stored in there. Mako had gone shopping again during the week and had bought many different items that coulde in handy and stored them in his inventory so that he would always have ess to them.


    He used the tape to tie Nikhil''s hands and legs and also covered his mouth so that he could scream once he came to. After cing his body in the corner of the room, Mako turned to look at all of the prisoners.


    He took out a ck card that had a purple raven engraved on it and raised it above his head to show all of the prisoners.


    "To be or not to be, that is the question," Mako said and immediately a few of the prisoners lit up with joy and ran towards Mako to hug him.


    These were all Dark Raven members who had been imprisoned here, and the only way for Mako to find them and gain his trust was by showing them all the cards that Paul had given him as part of the initiation, and saying the phrase that every Dark Raven member knew as it was a sort of password for them.


    The phrase itself was written by a very ancient poet called Shakespeare, but no one of today really knew about him since poetry wasn''t a big part of society anymore. However, Paul was one of those people who love to read and understand ancient literature and this phrase was one of his favorites.


    "I knew the boss wouldn''t abandon us! Thank You brother, thank you so much." one of the prisoners who had approached Mako said withpassion and happiness.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako and the Dark Raven members had a small chat in which Mako exined to them everything that was going down. He exined to them his n of escape and why he took care of Nikhil.


    Nikhil was a rat that the guards had ced with the prisoners so that he could observe them from within and report back to them if any of them were nning to stir up trouble or any kind of escape.


    Bill had told Mako that there was at least one rat among the prisoners who would have some sort of hearing ability so that they could hear everyone even if they weren''t close to them.


    When Bill was imprisoned in one of these warehouses, Andy was one of these rats who was friendly to everyone on the outside but would use his ability to know of any ns that anyone was brewing and report them to guards so that they can nip the problem in the bud.


    These rats would be properly fed and treated and would oftentimes be given breaks during work hours so that they would be motivated to share intel with them.


    The Dark Raven members did their part as word quickly spread to everyone about the escape n and everyone was ready to escape this hell hole once and for all. Mako on the other hand started making small campfires with his Fire ability all around so that everyone could warm up, and he even took out some of the rejuvenating and healing pills that he shared with the stronger ability users so that they would be in good condition and be able to fight when the time came.


    After everything was said and done, Mako returned back to the small room to continue his duty as the guard while the prisoners all slowly started to go to bed so that they would have more energy for tomorrow.


    It was now a waiting game till morning when another guard wille, and he and Mako would be responsible to escort all the prisoners to their positions around the warehouse. Mako could use this opportunity to carry out preparations for the rest of his n.


    *************


    [In Another Warehouse]


    "Please, Please! Have mercy! I am a victim too."A man was crawling on the ground covered in blood and pleading for his life while a man was standing in front of him with a club made of stone that was dripping with blood.


    "I victim of your own cowardice, now that''s more like it." The man replied as he delivered another blow on the head and knocked the pleading man unconscious.


    Bill was coincidentally in the same position as Mako and he had also just dealt with the rat in his prison. Bill didn''t have the luxury of using Analyze and just finding out who was the rat, but fortunately, he and his partner that was a member of the Dark Raven were both assigned guard duty in the basement because this facility was a bitrger than the one Mako was in with more prisoners that required more manpower.


    Bill slowly started to talk with some of the prisoners and blew his cover that he wasn''t actually a guard and was in fact here to break them out, while his friend was keeping watch on every single one of the prisoners from afar. Bill''s partner had the Omni Eye ability and was able to sense the level 3 Auditory Perception ability when it was activated and Bill was able to finish him off before anyone was alerted.


    ***********


    The remaining two teams didn''t start in the basement, but that didn''t matter because Mako''s n incorporated all these factors so that, wherever they were stationed, they couldplete one part of the n.


    The original n was to first sabotage the armory, then knock outmunications so that they won''t be able to call for backup, nt the explosives in the correct ces so that there will only be one entrance and exit, and then go to the basement to free the prisoners.


    The rat would have been an issue in the original n since it would already be toote, but since Mako and Bill''s team didn''t get the luxury to follow the original n they had to do some extra steps in order to make sure that the integrity of the n didn''t diminish.


    Mako and Bill both had to wait till the morning to continue their n while the remaining two teams were continuing on with the original n.


    Mako had also instructed everyone to not make any moves if they got separated because it would risk getting them caught so even though Jacob was stationed in the armory, he won''t sabotage it until he met up with Mako.


    "Time for phase two," Mako said as he sat patiently in the leather chair in the guard''s room, waiting for morning toe.

 Chapter 60 Complications

    ?The morning came fast and for the first time in a long time, the prisoners in the warehouse that Mako went to had a good night''s sleep.


    Mako stayed in his post the whole just going through different things in his system, and before he knew it he heard the footsteps of someone else walking downstairs.


    The prisoners had told Mako about the usual routine they followed so Mako knew what and what not to do. Two guards entered the basement and went towards the small room that was for the guards.


    Mako was sittingzily on the leather pretending to be asleep as this was quite the norm for night guards. 9 times out of ten, when the morning guardse to take the prisoners to the work stations they would have to wake up the guard and it sort of became a ritual for them.


    It would have been suspicious if they saw Mako awake and on duty which is quite weird, to say the least.


    Mako continued to fake being asleep on the chair as the two guards approached him, one was around the same size as Mako and looked like a student as well, while the other one was a bigger dude with a slightly better build and darker skin tone.


    "I got this one." The senior said as he moved to wake Mako up in his own style. However, before he could do so, the younger guard stopped him by pulling on his arm.


    "Heye on, You said I could have the next one." The young oneined.


    "Tough luck sport, you can have the next one." The senior said as he shrugged his shoulders.


    "That''s what you say every time, but I won''t back down this time!" The young one rebelled.


    The two guards went back and forth for a while and finally, they made a breakthrough. The younger guard had suggested that the elder guard finally agreed to. The person who was going to wake Mako up would be decided by a game of rock, paper, scissors.


    Mako wanted to facepalm so hard after hearing the conclusion that the guards hade to. He thought he was the biggest weeb that was ever born on this but turns out he is far from that title. He also got to taste the first-hand cringe that he had been serving to everyone, and it was safe to say that this was something he had to experience so that he could get a taste of his own medicine.


    "Rock... Paper.. Scissor... Shoot!" They both chanted as they threw forward their desired hand.


    "Haha! I won! I f***ing won! It''s my turn now!" The young guard cheered as he finally got the chance to wake up a guard using the special move he had been developing.


    The young guard had the water ability and near the prison bar there was a trough that was usually filled with water for the prisoners, but during the night, the cold was enough for it to form a sheet of ice on top of it. He was about to drench Mako with a giant ball of ice-cold water!


    Mako had to put an end to this charade this instant otherwise this would turn into one of the worst mornings that Mako had experienced. As the young began forming the ball of water, Mako who had been snoring as part of the act, decided to fake choking on his own spit.


    *COUGH!* *COUGH!*


    Mako was no world-ss actor but he did a pretty believable performance as he woke before being drenched.


    "Shit! Why did you have to wake up now? why now of all time!" The young started wailing as soon as he noticed that Mako had woken up.


    The rules of this made game were that the guards were not allowed to y pranks if the guard woke up early. Mako had taken away the one chance that this kid had gotten to this and now had to act as if he won the lottery because that would have been anybody''s reaction who dodged a bullet such as being drenched in ice cold water first thing in the morning.


    The senior could hold hisughter anymore and burst outughing all the while Mako kept his "just woken up" persona and the young guard keptining and swearing. The bitter banter continued for a couple of minutes but the noises were loud enough to wake up the prisoners.


    As soon as the prisoners woke up, the guards took on a mean and cruel look as they started arranging the prisoners into different groups. Mako also had to take part in this as he started shouting and hitting prisoners trying to put them in a straight line. Mako wasn''t proud of this, but it was something that Mako had to do in order to not raise any suspicion.


    It was safe to say that the rat wasn''t treated that highly either since none of the guards even noticed that he was missing from the group.


    The prisoners slowly formed into neat groups and were led by the guards to their workstations. Mako was to lead his group to the forge and since he had memorized the blueprints of the main and upper floors that Paul had provided them, he safely led the group there and left because his job was over as the night guard and he had free time until his next shift.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The timetable was designed so that the night guards could rest after being on duty the whole night but that wasn''t how it was followed which is why the guards came up with the prank game in the first ce. Since the guard was able to sleep during the night while on duty and have some free time the next day, he should definitely get some punishment as well in the form of pranks.


    After Mako led his group to the right ce, another guard took over the responsibility for the group and Mako was able to go to the main guard lounge in the warehouse where there were all sorts of things from beds, lockers, and showers, to even a coffee machine. The night guard would mostly spend his free time rxing there, but Mako had other ns.


    **********


    Mako didn''t change his uniform so that it would look like he was still on duty and made his way cautiously over to the armory. He met up with Jacob who was the only guard that was stationed there which was a huge bonus.


    They both locked themselves in the armory, and Mako started looking at the weapons that were stored there. There were regr batons and bats, but also some Power weapons that were not that strong either but would be plenty to manage the prisoners since they were of the same level as well.


    With Jacob keeping an eye out for any iing guards, Mako started to gather all the weapons that were made out of wood and ced them in a pile, and lit them all on fire. Jacob was a Wind ability user and he managed to gather all the smoke that came from burning them and condense them into a small smoke bomb.


    This was a very handy skill to have, and now Jacob had 3 smoke bombs that he could use as a distraction whenever he wants.


    All the weapons that were made of metal were left remaining on the rack which was also made of metal. Mako could sense the electricity flowing through the wires in the walls and using his own knife carved a small hole behind the rack to expose a wire to make the entire rack and the weapons on it live with the current.


    Lastly, Mako picked up all five Power weapons and wrapped them in cloth before throwing them in theundry basket that he found just outside the armory. Mako couldn''t use his inventory with Jacob around so he had to sneak these weapons the old-fashioned way.


    Luckily, the vents came in clutch as the vent that was in the armory was directly connected to one of the rooms in the guard lounge. The room was currently upied by Mako.


    The sabotage of the armory wasplete!


    After the job was done, Mako left the armory and started to head toward the exit gate of the warehouse, but before leaving he gave Jacob half of the miniature bombs and instructed him to make someone cover his position for a while by making an excuse and head over to the entrance gate and nt the explosives there as well.


    It didn''t take long before a guard walked past Jacob, standing guard outside the armory.


    "Hey bro, you mind covering for me for a little while, I really need to take a leak," Jacob said to the guard. The guard reluctantly agreed and Jacob was now free to toward the entrance.


    The entrance was quite deserted at that time since no one was to be expected and Jacob could nt the explosives without any trouble and return to his post.


    On the other hand, the exit gate was very busy since the packaging station, as well as the warden''s office, was located nearby. He would be instantly recognized by the warden because he was the one who was assigned Mako night duty and he would be able to tell that Mako didn''t belong there.


    The only solution to the problem was the vents. Mako had to crawl through the disgusting vents in order to sneak past everyone and reach the gate undetected. He returned to his room, ced the Power weapons in his inventory, and climbed the vents.


    Mako climbed through the vents while trying his best to breathe as little as possible because the vents smelled worse than the basement. He made it past the packaging area and was now in the warden''s office. He stopped for a second to take a quick breath as the warden''s room had good air conditioning.


    While doing so, Mako noticed the warden through the grill of the vent. He was talking on the phone with someone and he looked quite tense.


    "Yes sir, I will make all the preparations necessary for his arrival. Don''t worry. He will be pleased." The warden said as he continued to talk for a couple of minutes discussing different arrangements before finally hanging up the phone. The warden took a breath of relief as he stood up from his seat.


    "PETER! make preparations, the big boss is paying us a visit tonight!" he yelled before walking out of the room.


    The warden''sst words stopped Mako dead in his tracks. El-Diablo would be paying the warehouse a visit tonight.


    ''OH SHIT!''

 Chapter 61 Improvise

    ?''Can this get any worse?!'' Mako screamed in his thoughts.


    El Diablo would be visiting the warehouse that Mako was going to sabotage tonight. This was something that Mako didn''t calcte in his ns. With him in the picture, the mission would be significantly more difficult, if not impossible.


    The reason for this other than the fact he is the leader of the biggest gang in Emerald City and a force to be reckoned with is the fact that El Diablo holds four different abilities; one more ability than Paul.


    Holding three or even four different abilities might sound not that bad since Bill also has three abilities, but we have to look at the fact that Bill''s third ability was a resonance of his two other abilities, making it less versatile. El Diablo and Paul each held unique abilities and all of them were of high level.


    Paul held a level 8 Wind ability, a level 7 Speed ability, and a level 5 Telekinesis ability. It was not a very overpoweredbo but taking into ount that Paul held an elemental, enhancement, and mental ability, and all of them at a high level with many skills making him a deadly opponent at this stage of Mako''s journey.


    El Diablo on the other hand was an even more deadly force because his abilitiesplemented each other quite well. El Diablo didn''t possess any elemental abilities; instead, he held a level 8 Strength ability, a Level 8 Hardening ability, a level 5 Influence ability, and a Level 5 Force-Field Maniption ability.


    El Diablo had two enhancement abilities that gave him superior strength and defense. His third ability was rarer as it allowed him to mentally affect people who had weaker willpower than him and hisst ability was just like telekinesis and also a direct counter to it.


    With two out of four abilities just boosting the body, El Diablo''s biggest weakness should have been elemental attacks since they have a bigger range and can be more versatile, but with an ability like Force-Field Maniption, El Diablo can create and manipte invisible barriers that protect him from any kind of attacks. The force fields also block mental waves so Paul''s telekinesis can''t affect it or anything within it.


    Paul and El Diablo were the only two people in the city who were able to achieve this level of power without any support from the government and the military and they both made Emerald City their domain which they had constantly fought over. There were, of course, other gangs in the city too who upied minimal space and were careful to not get in the way of them otherwise they would bepletely destroyed by them.


    *************


    Mako was now in a very tough situation. He had to decide whether he should continue with the mission or not.


    The n was meant to be executed just after the sun went down, and the warden did say that El Diablo would visit them at night so they might be able to get away with it before his arrival because if arrived then it would be game over for everyone.


    If Mako decides to call it off then, the other guys would be able to carry out the mission at the other warehouses as intended and then everyone would be on high alert here with increased security which meant that Mako wouldn''t be able to break out the prisoners who were imprisoned here.


    Mako could call for backup or anything because Paul had made it clear that this mission could not be traced back to him in any way, shape, or form because currently, the two gangs were in a stalemate with no one making a move just yet and Paul wanted to keep it that way


    ''What should I do? What should I exactly do here?!'' Mako asked himself in full panic. He couldn''t decide whether to continue or not.


    Mako just stood there in the vent, going over different scenarios in his head, trying to figure out which decision was more worth it. Mako couldn''t just wait around either since he would have to return to duty.


    If he didn''t show up, the warden will notice a man missing, and then everyone would be on high alert. On the other hand, if he did show up, he could be recognized by EL Diablo because, after all, he was the one who defeated Bill and made him lose money which inevitably led to Bill''s punishment.


    Every scenario had a risk, every scenario could result in his death and the death of many innocents. He knew from the beginning that some people would die doing this. The people that paul had given him and Bill''s friends all signed up for this after acknowledging this fact. Down in the prison, the inmates also promised to fight for their freedom alongside him knowing they might die.


    "I have to give this a shot. I can''t back down. The hopes of all these people are riding on this and they won''t get a second chance at freedom." Mako muttered to himself as he decided to continue with the n, hoping they could execute it and escape before El Diablo''s arrival.


    This was their best shot at getting this done anding out of it alive with the least amount of lives lost.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako continued toward the gate to nt the explosives and then he would first have to do a shift before he could meet up with Jacob since it was now nearly noon. The night guard has to do another shift in the daytime as well and he couldn''t ditch it if he wanted to avoid suspicion. After that, he could join Jacob to take out themunications and then release the prisoners.


    After getting near the gate, Mako dropped down from the vent near some boxes where nobody could see him.


    [Silent Steps have been activated]


    [Dash has been activated]


    Mako sped through, going from cover to cover. With his increased speed and no noise, Mako was able to nt the explosives without anyone noticing. He didn''t have to think where to put the bombs unlike Jacob since this door was meant to be destroyed andpletely blocked off. This would only leave the entrance that was closer to the basement which would make it easier and faster for the prisoners to escape.


    After sessfully nting the bombs, Mako used the vents again to return to his room and shower because he was covered in filth from all that moving around in the vents.


    After putting on his uniform again, Mako came out of his room and looked over the timetable that was put on disy in the lounge area. He was to be on patrol duty this time, and this couldn''t have worked better in his favor because he could meet up with the other two guys and exchange information about the current predicament.


    He quickly got out of the room and took the long way to his position, meeting Jacob halfway at a predetermined spot. Jacob''s shift was over and now he was free to go to the lounge. Mako exined to him what he heard about El Diablo''s surprise visit


    At first, he was quite shaken up by the fact that he might face El Diabloter tonight but he soonposed himself with a look of determination. It seemed as if he held a personal grudge against him as many people did, and Mako didn''t want to pry on his personal life, so he didn''t ask.


    Jacob agreed with his decision to continue on with the mission; however, Jacob had an even better idea. Instead of what was originally nned that Mako and Jacob would take outmunications which were going to take the longest time because of Mako''s shift. Jacob and the two other guys who were also done with their shifts could take over this job and be done much faster so that the final phase canmence sooner.


    Mako hadn''t thought about it that way since he was only thinking from his perspective, something he had to learn to change going forward since he wasn''t alone anymore. Mako agreed to the n and went out to his post to start the patrol.


    As he arrived, two guys were about to leave as their shift was over. Mako quickly exined to them the updated n and they nodded before heading back to the lounge to meet up with Jacob.


    With thempleting the task of taking downmunications, they would also take down the jammer which meant that they could signal Mako through theirmunication device when it was time for action.


    *************


    [About 2 hourster]


    The earpiece in Mako''s ear started to vibrate. He clicked it once with his finger once and Jacob''s voice came through from the other end.


    "Job done! We are heading to the basement now. The prisoners would be transported back here for their meal. We will let you know once we are in position. After that detonate the bombs using the remote and we can all get out of here!" Jacob said


    A smile appeared on Mako''s face as he replied," Roger that!"

 Chapter 62 Reunion

    ?"Alright, you two. Go ahead down to the basement and stay in position. I got one more stop to make before I join you guys down there." Jacob instructed the two other guys as they quietly left themunication room of the warehouse after they were done sabotaging it.


    The two guys nodded and they parted ways with Jacob who went back to the lounge area. He reached into his pocket and took out a card that was not his but rather Mako''s.


    Mako had given him his room ess card for the lounge and instructed him to go there and look under the bed where the power weapons that they had just stolen were hidden wrapped in a white cloth.


    Jacob entered the room and locked it behind him so that nobody would identally enter. He peeked under the bed and sure enough, there was arge white cloth that was covering the power weapons that they had stolen from the armory.


    The difficult part now was that Jacob would have to somehow go to the basement without being noticed carrying some power weapons wrapped in a piece of cloth.


    Luckily, Jacob was a master at this as he had experience doing this type of thing while he was still a member of the Dark Raven. His physique and skill paired with the wind ability made him a good choice when stealing something or pulling out a heist, plus he still had the three smoke bombs he could use if he got himself in a pickle.


    Jacob masterfully parkoured over pipes as he quickly and silently moved across the warehouse to reach the basement. There were a couple of times when a guard would look in his direction as passed by but thanks to the wind ability, he was fast enough that the guard that looked thought that it might just be their imagination.


    With no hups in his silent journey, Jacob sessfully reached the basement. The basement was currently very noisy as all the prisoners had been working long, painful, and harsh hours and they now just wanted their meal so that they could enjoy what little happiness they could have with a barely filling meal.


    The two boys and two other guards were on lunch duty as they were handing out meal packets to the prisoners that had formed lines behind the bars impatiently waiting their turn to get food.


    Jacob came down the stairs and entered the main area. He dropped the cloth that was holding the power weapons as they made a loud *ng!* noise as they hit the ground.


    "Oi! What the hell do you think you''re doing here, mate?" One of the guards shouted as turned around to face Jacob.


    Jacob didn''t reply to the guard, but rather looked toward the two guys and nodded. Before the two guards could even understand, The two guys released their lightning abilities and shocked both of the guards, and knocked them out cold.


    Jacob gave the two guards the same treatment that Mako had given to the rat and then broke off the cell gate. A wave of low-volume cheering erupted from the prisoners as they finally had the chance to have freedom.


    After breaking down the door, Jacob entered the prisoner''s area as he scanned over the crowd of prisoners as if he was looking for someone.


    There were of course members of the Dark Raven that approached him first and gave him hugs as they embraced their friend after being imprisoned for so long. Jacob received the hugs and exchanged pleasantries with his oldrades, but his eyes were still scanning through the crowd as if he still hadn''t found what he was looking for.


    From the far end of the crowd that was surrounding Jacob at the moment, people started to feel someone tugging and pushing as they made their way toward the center. This person was quite agile as it didn''t take long for them to reach the center of the crowd ande directly in the line of sight of Jacob.


    Jacob''s eyes widened as he finally found who he was looking for. In front of him, was a young girl that didn''t look much older than sixteen, wearing ragged and torn clothes and had messy and puffy unkempt hair. She had the same eye and skin color as Jacob and currently, and tears were running down her face.


    Jacob rushed over at high speed toward the girl as he embraced her in the tightest of hugs he could muster. Tears ran down both of their faces as they held each tightly.


    "Keisha! I missed you so much!" Jacob said as he embraced the little girl with tears running down his face like rivers.


    "I missed you too, daddy! They... captured me... and.. and they locked me in here!" Keisha was also hugging her father tightly while tears and hups were making it hard for her put words together.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Shhh.. shh... it''s okay. I am here now. I will get you out of here." Jacobforted his daughter as he broke the hug and wiped away her tears.


    *************


    The warehouses had both male and female prisoners. Even though the female poption was quite low in them, they were still present and had slightly sectioned off areas from the remaining beds so that they could have some privacy; if you could even call it that.


    The females were also worked and beaten the same way as the male workers and sadly Keisha was one of them. Nearly a year ago, Kiesha ran away as a rebel teenager after a senseless argument with his father. He figured that she would be back home eventually in a couple of hours, but that never happened.


    Hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks as Jacob could not locate his daughter anywhere. Meanwhile, Kiesha had been transported to this warehouse after being tricked by a couple of guys who promised her that they would offer her a ce to stay and give her decent money if she would agree to model for them.


    Kiesha fell for their trick easily in her desperation of bing independent. The guys couldn''t actually use her body for anything since any material posted on the inte or anywhere else public could be easily recognized by the advanced AI mechanisms set in ce to monitor the new content and report suspicious activity to the police.


    The guys just ended up selling her to the warehouse for some cash and she had been living here with a few other girls ever since.


    Jacob tried everything in his power to find out what had happened to her daughter, and after ten months, he finally received news that she was imprisoned in of El Diablo''s warehouses.


    After learning this, Jacob had only one goal and that was to break his daughter out of that hellhole. He knew of some other members that had also lost some loved ones that had been imprisoned in simr warehouses and wanted revenge. He gathered as many as he could and tried to convince his seniors to allow them to raid the warehouse but it all got turned down by Paul due to the fear of a potential gang war.


    Jacob''s blood was boiling with rage at how the seniors were dealing with this situation, but he couldn''t give up because he needed the resources and manpower to pull off something like this.


    He kept on persisting and around a few days ago, he decided that he had enough and was going to leave the gang and do whatever it took to have his daughter back. However, just before he resigned from the gang, he got a call from his senior saying that the big boss wanted to speak with him along with a couple of others.


    Paul exined to them Mako''s n and told them that this would be theirst mission. They were free to leave afterward as all of them were nning on leaving anyway and doing it themselves so why not do it in a well-nned manner and still have your freedom? Additionally this way, the mission could not be linked back to him in any way.


    They all agreed quickly as it was a well-thought-out n and decided to apany Mako and his other friends to help break their loved ones out of that warehouse.


    ************


    Jacob and Keisha continued to embrace each other for a couple more moments before theyposed themselves and let go of each other.


    Now that Jacob was sessful in reuniting with his daughter, he continued on with the n. He grabbed the weapons that were covered with the cloth and untied the cloth to reveal the weapons. He handed a small knife to his daughter and distributed the remaining weapons to the strongest prisoners who could at least put up a fight and most of them were Dark Raven members.


    The preparations were nowplete. Jacob activated themunication channel and spoke to Mako, telling him that they were prepared and in position so it was time for the fireworks to start.


    Mako on the other side had a smile on his face as he had been waiting to press the small button in his pocket for a while and now he was finally able to do so.


    "Showtime!"

 Chapter 63 Escape!

    ?Mako waited for another half an hour before Jacob voiced through themunication device that they were ready and that the guards were dealt with and the prisoners were ready in the basement.


    "It''s time," Mako said as he took out a small button from his pocket.


    *PEEP!*


    There were a couple of seconds of silence until...


    *BOOM!* *BOOM!*


    Explosions resounded at both gates of the warehouse. The guards near them were instantly knocked out while the ones that were outside were confused about the sudden sound and the ground shaking. They instantly realized this to be some sort of attack and that the guards inside may need backup to control the prisoners and stop them from escaping.


    The guards inside were trying to collect themselves after being severely dibobted from being very near to the st. The guards in the lounge and those in an elevated position or the basement were the least affected and the quickest to react.


    "UH! My ears keep ringing! What in the world just happened!!" Alec shouted as he held his two ears tightly with his hands as the st had affected him quite a bit.


    While on the outside, the patrol guards rushed towards the gate to put out the fire from the explosion and enter the warehouse to provide support. However, before they could be sessful, Mako conjured two big fireballs in his hands and aimed at the gate on the outer wall.


    The gate wasn''t as strong as the main gates of the warehouse and was easily sted apart. As soon as the smoke cleared, four men came through rushing through the gate with the strongest attacks from their respective abilities locked and loaded.


    One had a massive lightning bolt in his hands while the other had conjured a whip made of water, and the other two had enveloped their hands in mes as they were ready to punch everybody down.


    The guards on the exit side of the warehouse couldn''t find a way in as the debris had blocked their pathpletely while on the entrance side, the guards were busy trying to put out the fire so that they could enter the warehouse but they were in for quite a surprise instead.


    With the explosions going off in the building, everyone expected that the culprit responsible must also be inside and doing whatever they wanted to do so they didn''t expect a surprise attack of five people from behind.


    Due to this, they were caught off guard and knocked out by Mako and the other four members who had been camping outside the warehouse, ready to pounce once they were given the green light.


    A few minutester, the warehouse''s entrance looked like a battlefield with knocked-out bodies lying all over and small craters formed from stray abilities hitting the ground. Mako and the other guys had dealt with the guards and quickly secured the area to make sure that this area was safe for when the prisoners came through to escape.


    Mako instructed the four guys to hold their position and deal with any more guards that might appear while he ran through the sted steel door that was the entrance to make sure that the other guys and the prisoners were safe and ready to leave.


    *************


    *BOOM!*


    As soon as the sound of the explosion hit the basement, Jacob and the remaining prisoners started rushing towards the stairs and leaving the basement.


    It took Alec a couple of moments to get his senses back in order as till then, the first prisoners had made it to the gate where the four guys were guarding, and ran through the burnt outer gate towards freedom.


    However, some of them didn''t leave immediately, as they joined together with the four-man squad to stay and guard this position until each and every one of them had escaped.


    Mako ran through the uing crowd as he quickly made his way back to Jacob and the others who were at the end of the prisoner''s group.


    "Boss!? Boss! The prisoners are escaping!" A man shouted near Alec''s ears and that seemed to have brought him back.


    Alec quickly assessed the situation and realized the severity of it. He quickly ordered the men with stronger abilities to head toward the gate and try to cut off the prisoners while he told the rest of them to inform all the guards about the location of the escape route and to get weapons and gear from the armory and meet up with them afterward.


    With that said, Alec rushed with the stronger ability users towards the entrance hoping to keep as many prisoners detained as possible or else he would face the wrath of El-Diablo himself which he want to avoid at any cost.


    Thest of the prisoners had made it out of the basement and were escorted back by Mako, Jacob, and the others. They could hear faint fighting noises up ahead and it was most probably because of some of the guards that were near the gate trying to stop the prisoners from escaping.


    They had made it halfway through and could see the gate up ahead when out of nowhere several guards jumped out from what looked like thin air and cut them off.


    The remaining prisoners didn''t stop as they were instructed by Jacob to just keep on running and don''t stop until they had escaped no matter what.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako, Jacob, the two other guys, Kiesha, and 5 more people were cut off and now surrounded by a total of 10 guards.


    All of them quickly took back-to-back formations with Mako and Jacob watching each other back. The two groups were in a stalemate with neither one making a move.


    Suddenly, a faint sound of pping started to resound in the area that slowly became louder as another figure emerged from the smoke.


    *p!* *p!* CLAP!*


    "Bravo! Just Bravo! The infamous demon man strikes again, but this time the results will be a lot different." Alec appeared from the smoke while pping and keeping a huge smile on his face.


    Once Mako had initiated the first attack, he took out his Oni mask from his inventory to hide his identity, just in case he was spotted by any witness or recorded on any camera. El Diablo knew of Mako''s existence, but so far he hadn''t made moves against him which would mean that punishing Bill might have made up for that loss. He didn''t want to be added to EL Diablo''s hitlist just yet, which is why he decided to wear the mask.


    "I have got to hand it to you, you know. You executed this little n of yours so perfectly, that even I didn''t manage to catch on in time. I thought that I was a goner, I thought the big boss was gonna gut me and feed me to his dogs, but here youe along... right into myp." Alec said while still smiling like a little girl who just got handed the biggest bowl of ice cream.


    "Heh! What makes you think you won?" Mako said through his demon mask making sure that his voice became heavy and unrecognizable to that of a teenage boy.


    "Oh, please... You really think you can take me and my best men, with that filth on your side?" Alec said whileughing hysterically and now even the rest of the guards joined in as they allughed together.


    Mako didn''t say a word but just turned around towards Jacob and nodded. Jacob understood what Mako was suggesting in an instant and turned to look at Alec himself.


    Alec still couldn''t understand what they were doing. To him, they were just caged birds helplessly trying to find a gap to escape. Suddenly, Jacob pulled out two balls of smoke from his pouch near his waist.


    "This is for my daughter!" Jacob said as his eyes began tearing up a bit and a smile appeared on his face.


    Jacob smashed the two smoke bombs against the ground and a cloud of smoke erupted and covered all of them. It waspletely blinding as nobody could see anyone and they were walking in blindly, trying to stop them from escaping.


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    [Dash has been activated]


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    A sudden wave of electricity burst out from within the smoke, once Mako had sensed that all his allies had escaped using the cover of the smoke. The guards who were closing in on Mako''s position suddenly felt od jolt of lightning course through them as their joints locked up and muscles became strict.


    A pair of red glowing eyes appeared in front of Alec''s vision as he witnessed for the first time what true horror felt like. With his body paralyzed, and Mako making his way toward him with his glowing red eyes that were part of the mask, it was safe to say that Alec had peed his pants.


    **********


    "Make sure you make those bastards pay, for what they did to my daughter," Jacob said as he ran alongside Mako up the flight of stairs and to the ground level.


    Mako had instructed Jacob to use two of the smoke bombs to create a diversion if they were to get caught and run while leaving him to do the cleaning up.


    Jacob was at first against the idea and wanted to give Alec a real massive serving of pain and suffering for what he put his daughter through, Mako made the case that he had to protect his daughter and others and get them to safety.


    In the end, Jacob caved in but not before making Mako promise that if they were to encounter Alec, he wasn''t going to show any mercy.


    ***********


    Using the wind ability, Jacob was able to easily guide everyone out to safety without alerting any of the guards as he manipted the smoke in such a way that it mislead the guards in the wrong direction.


    Currently, all eleven of them were stuck in ce with two red glowing eyes quickly approaching Alec.


    [Ten Palm Strike has been activated]

 Chapter 64 DO NOT PURCHASE!

    ?************************************************


    URGENT NOTE: Please do not purchase this chapter! This was an idental re-upload of the same previous chapter! Please skip this chapter! I willpensate for this with a double upload over the weekend.


    *************************************************


    Mako waited for another half an hour before Jacob voiced through themunication device that they were ready and that the guards were dealt with and the prisoners were ready in the basement.


    "It''s time," Mako said as he took out a small button from his pocket.


    *PEEP!*


    There were a couple of seconds of silence until...


    *BOOM!* *BOOM!*


    Explosions resounded at both gates of the warehouse. The guards near them were instantly knocked out while the ones that were outside were confused about the sudden sound and the ground shaking. They instantly realized this to be some sort of attack and that the guards inside may need backup to control the prisoners and stop them from escaping.


    The guards inside were trying to collect themselves after being severely dibobted from being very near to the st. The guards in the lounge and those in an elevated position or the basement were the least affected and the quickest to react.


    "UH! My ears keep ringing! What in the world just happened!!" Alec shouted as he held his two ears tightly with his hands as the st had affected him quite a bit.


    While on the outside, the patrol guards rushed towards the gate to put out the fire from the explosion and enter the warehouse to provide support. However, before they could be sessful, Mako conjured two big fireballs in his hands and aimed at the gate on the outer wall.


    The gate wasn''t as strong as the main gates of the warehouse and was easily sted apart. As soon as the smoke cleared, four men came through rushing through the gate with the strongest attacks from their respective abilities locked and loaded.


    One had a massive lightning bolt in his hands while the other had conjured a whip made of water, and the other two had enveloped their hands in mes as they were ready to punch everybody down.


    The guards on the exit side of the warehouse couldn''t find a way in as the debris had blocked their pathpletely while on the entrance side, the guards were busy trying to put out the fire so that they could enter the warehouse but they were in for quite a surprise instead.


    With the explosions going off in the building, everyone expected that the culprit responsible must also be inside and doing whatever they wanted to do so they didn''t expect a surprise attack of five people from behind.


    Due to this, they were caught off guard and knocked out by Mako and the other four members who had been camping outside the warehouse, ready to pounce once they were given the green light.


    A few minutester, the warehouse''s entrance looked like a battlefield with knocked-out bodies lying all over and small craters formed from stray abilities hitting the ground. Mako and the other guys had dealt with the guards and quickly secured the area to make sure that this area was safe for when the prisoners came through to escape.


    Mako instructed the four guys to hold their position and deal with any more guards that might appear while he ran through the sted steel door that was the entrance to make sure that the other guys and the prisoners were safe and ready to leave.


    *************


    *BOOM!*


    As soon as the sound of the explosion hit the basement, Jacob and the remaining prisoners started rushing towards the stairs and leaving the basement.


    It took Alec a couple of moments to get his senses back in order as till then, the first prisoners had made it to the gate where the four guys were guarding, and ran through the burnt outer gate towards freedom.


    However, some of them didn''t leave immediately, as they joined together with the four-man squad to stay and guard this position until each and every one of them had escaped.


    Mako ran through the uing crowd as he quickly made his way back to Jacob and the others who were at the end of the prisoner''s group.


    "Boss!? Boss! The prisoners are escaping!" A man shouted near Alec''s ears and that seemed to have brought him back.


    Alec quickly assessed the situation and realized the severity of it. He quickly ordered the men with stronger abilities to head toward the gate and try to cut off the prisoners while he told the rest of them to inform all the guards about the location of the escape route and to get weapons and gear from the armory and meet up with them afterward.


    With that said, Alec rushed with the stronger ability users towards the entrance hoping to keep as many prisoners detained as possible or else he would face the wrath of El-Diablo himself which he want to avoid at any cost.


    Thest of the prisoners had made it out of the basement and were escorted back by Mako, Jacob, and the others. They could hear faint fighting noises up ahead and it was most probably because of some of the guards that were near the gate trying to stop the prisoners from escaping.


    They had made it halfway through and could see the gate up ahead when out of nowhere several guards jumped out from what looked like thin air and cut them off.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The remaining prisoners didn''t stop as they were instructed by Jacob to just keep on running and don''t stop until they had escaped no matter what.


    Mako, Jacob, the two other guys, Kiesha, and 5 more people were cut off and now surrounded by a total of 10 guards.


    All of them quickly took back-to-back formations with Mako and Jacob watching each other back. The two groups were in a stalemate with neither one making a move.


    Suddenly, a faint sound of pping started to resound in the area that slowly became louder as another figure emerged from the smoke.


    *p!* *p!* CLAP!*


    "Bravo! Just Bravo! The infamous demon man strikes again, but this time the results will be a lot different." Alec appeared from the smoke while pping and keeping a huge smile on his face.


    Once Mako had initiated the first attack, he took out his Oni mask from his inventory to hide his identity, just in case he was spotted by any witness or recorded on any camera. El Diablo knew of Mako''s existence, but so far he hadn''t made moves against him which would mean that punishing Bill might have made up for that loss. He didn''t want to be added to EL Diablo''s hitlist just yet, which is why he decided to wear the mask.


    "I have got to hand it to you, you know. You executed this little n of yours so perfectly, that even I didn''t manage to catch on in time. I thought that I was a goner, I thought the big boss was gonna gut me and feed me to his dogs, but here youe along... right into myp." Alec said while still smiling like a little girl who just got handed the biggest bowl of ice cream.


    "Heh! What makes you think you won?" Mako said through his demon mask making sure that his voice became heavy and unrecognizable to that of a teenage boy.


    "Oh, please... You really think you can take me and my best men, with that filth on your side?" Alec said whileughing hysterically and now even the rest of the guards joined in as they allughed together.


    Mako didn''t say a word but just turned around towards Jacob and nodded. Jacob understood what Mako was suggesting in an instant and turned to look at Alec himself.


    Alec still couldn''t understand what they were doing. To him, they were just caged birds helplessly trying to find a gap to escape. Suddenly, Jacob pulled out two balls of smoke from his pouch near his waist.


    "This is for my daughter!" Jacob said as his eyes began tearing up a bit and a smile appeared on his face.


    Jacob smashed the two smoke bombs against the ground and a cloud of smoke erupted and covered all of them. It waspletely blinding as nobody could see anyone and they were walking in blindly, trying to stop them from escaping.


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    [Dash has been activated]


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    A sudden wave of electricity burst out from within the smoke, once Mako had sensed that all his allies had escaped using the cover of the smoke. The guards who were closing in on Mako''s position suddenly felt od jolt of lightning course through them as their joints locked up and muscles became strict.


    A pair of red glowing eyes appeared in front of Alec''s vision as he witnessed for the first time what true horror felt like. With his body paralyzed, and Mako making his way toward him with his glowing red eyes that were part of the mask, it was safe to say that Alec had peed his pants.


    **********


    "Make sure you make those bastards pay, for what they did to my daughter," Jacob said as he ran alongside Mako up the flight of stairs and to the ground level.


    Mako had instructed Jacob to use two of the smoke bombs to create a diversion if they were to get caught and run while leaving him to do the cleaning up.


    Jacob was at first against the idea and wanted to give Alec a real massive serving of pain and suffering for what he put his daughter through, Mako made the case that he had to protect his daughter and others and get them to safety.


    In the end, Jacob caved in but not before making Mako promise that if they were to encounter Alec, he wasn''t going to show any mercy.


    ***********


    Using the wind ability, Jacob was able to easily guide everyone out to safety without alerting any of the guards as he manipted the smoke in such a way that it mislead the guards in the wrong direction.


    Currently, all eleven of them were stuck in ce with two red glowing eyes quickly approaching Alec.


    [Ten Palm Strike has been activated]

 Chapter 65 Alecs Desperation

    ?Consecutive powerful strikes were delivered on Alec''s stomach and he wasunched backward with his body still in the locked position. Blood leaked from his mouth as hended on the ground, barely being able to breathe.


    The time for the paralysis ended soon after and all the guards converged towards Mako''s location as they heard striking sounds before the paralysis wore off.


    The first guard made it through the smoke and quickly saw Alec on the floor which prompted him to attack Mako from behind thinking he would be too focused on Alec.


    With his motion sense boosting his perception, Mako was able to sense theing assault as he turned at the perfect moment and extended his hand outwards to grab the guard''s neck.


    The guard dropped his weapon as he tried to resist Mako''s strength, who had started to choke him.


    *Cough!* *Cough!*


    "You think this is the end? While staying busy here, the rest of my men would go on to take weapons from the armory and cut off any chance of escape for those scum that you tried so hard to save." Alec said as he tried to quickly stand back on his feet having recovered a bit from the initial strike.


    Mako continued to choke the guard in his hand until he passed out. Making sure, that Mako didn''t overdo it and kill him, he then threw his body to the side and turned to face Alec again.


    Alec still had a smile on his face, thinking he had outsmarted Mako and that there was no way he could save himself and all those prisoners at the same time, and if they managed to hold them until El Diablo showed up then it would have been "Game Over" for Mako.


    "We''ll just see about that," Mako replied in his demon voice and charged toward Alec once again.


    "Oh no, you don''t!" Alec shouted as he summoned all of his strength into his hands and performed a p with his hands.


    The p was strong and paired with the Wind Ability, powerful enough to blow away all of the smoke. The smoke quickly disappeared, and now Mako was surrounded by ten guards including Alec.


    "Get him, Boys!" Alec shouted.


    ''I shouldn''t be to dependant on this skill considering its side effects but this is a prime opportunity for it.'' Mako said as took a defensive stance against all ten guards that were attacking from all directions.


    The fight began, with Mako blocking any critical or strong moves while allowing the weaker and inurate ones to hit him. He made it his priority to deal with any elemental attacks because those could cause some serious damage.


    The guards slowly started to pile on with more and more hits getting through. Mako could not fight back otherwise the cooldown for the skill activation would reset. After a couple more hits, a notification sound resounded in Mako''s head.


    [PERSEVERANCE has been activated]


    With Perseverance now active, Mako could actively fight back and fill up his rage meter as well. He took out his de from his inventory and did a 360 spin while holding the de outwards.


    [me Wheel has been activated]


    A ring of fire erupted outwards with Mako being the center, and it hit almost every guard that was within the range of the attack dealing decent damage to them. Mako didn''t want to waste much energy because he learned that the ''Exhausted'' status effect had different levels of effectiveness depending on how much energy he had.


    In the previous times when Mako had to use Rage mode, the ''Exhausted'' Status effect had made where Mako copse from exhaustion, but now with a stronger body and bigger energy pool, he wanted to make sure that he didn''t pass out.


    For the next few minutes, Mako fought ten guards simultaneously while refraining to use many skills or abilities. This led to him getting hit and injured quite a bit but he powered through the pain and continued to fight all the whilst the rage meter slowly filled up.


    Up till now, Mako had never filled the rage meter up to a 100% and he wanted to see how much more effective that would be.


    During the fight, when engaging with the guard he would try to deal with him quickly but in such a way that they would take some time to get back up, and this was mostly achieved by stabbing them in non-lethal areas.


    The Phantom moves, Dash, and Motion Sense were alling in the real clutch as they allowed Mako to avoid many dangerous attacks and produce decent counterattacks.


    After almost five minutes of fighting, Mako used the me Wheel skill again to push away all his enemies and allow him to have some breathing room before he executed his ace card.


    By this time, Mako''s clothes were ripped and torn all over and he had several cuts and bruises all over his body. The same could also be said for Alec and the guards who were in the same condition with one or two cuts and several bruises.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As there was a pause in the fight due to the me Wheel, Mako prepared to enter Rage mode and brought up the prompt in front of his eyes.


    [Rage meter 100% full]


    [Does the user want to enter rage mode?]


    [YES/NO]


    Just as Mako was about to hit ''YES'', out of nowhere another twenty or so guards started rushing towards him from the direction of the armory. This even prompted an expression of confusion from Alec who wasn''t expecting backup of any sort.


    He quickly realized that these were the guys he instructed to get weapons from the armory and try to cut off the fleeing prisoners.


    "WHAT THE IN HELL ARE YOU NITWITS DOING HERE!?" Alec shouted towards the men.


    One of them quickly came forward and replied to Alec," Sir, the armory was forcefully locked and it took us some time to break down the reinforced door. Once we made it inside, there were no weapons to speak of. We informed the stronger ones to go after the prisoners while we came back to assist you."


    Alec''s expression changed very quickly after hearing what the guard had to say. H slowly turned back toward Mako who was standing still with his head slightly facing the ground. It was a terrifying pose as none of the guards felt the courage to continue the fight.


    Even though Mkao was wearing the mask, Alec could envision his smile underneath the mask that appeared as soon as the shocking news was given to Alec.


    All of sudden Mako started to lightly chuckle as it was now his turn to ridicule Alec.


    "Did you honestly believe that I came to attack your base of operation with the looming threat of ''HIM'' showing up, and not being prepared?" Mako asked Alec.


    Sweat rolled down Alec''s forehead as he realized that his force won''t be enough to stop them from escaping. The picture of his boss kept appearing in his mind as with each iteration he could envision his boss torturing him in a new brutal and gruesome way.


    "What did you do?!" Alec shouted with anger.


    "What me? I just leveled the ying field for once, so this time you guys can feel what it''s like to have to fight with your life on the line." Mako said while shrugging his shoulders.


    Veins started popping on Alec''s forehead as he was angrier and more desperate by the minute until something finally clicked in his head.


    "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!" Alec burst outughing like a madman.


    The entire area fell quiet as Alec''s insaneughter echoed multiple times. He held his sides with his arms as he couldn''t hold down hisughter, all the while the rest of the guards started to feel uneasy thinking that maybe Alec had lost it.


    Alec pointed out toward Mako as he showed his sadistic grin," I have to admit that you were pretty smart with this n of yours and we are all in some serious shit, but... YOU! You forgot about yourself while trying to be a hero!"


    "You are now stuck here surrounded by 30 men and we hold you here until ''HE'' arrives. He had grown quite interested in you after you pulled that stunt at the Emerald Tree Fountain. I am sure if we manage to secure you for ''HIM'', he might end up sparing us." Alec said as he now looked towards Mako with an intense hungry look as if Mako was the most precious thing on the.


    "What are you waiting for? An Invitation!? ATTACK!!!!" Alec yelled at the top of his lungs as the guards finally started to move toward Mako.


    Mako quickly took a stance as he pulled up the same prompt from before in front of his eyes.


    [Rage meter 100% full]


    [Does the user want to enter rage mode?]


    [YES/NO]


    "Yes!" Mako answered the system.

 Chapter 66 The Man With The Demon Face

    ?[Rage Mode had been activated]


    A pulse of energy erupted from Mako as it quickly spread out in all directions. Everyone who got hit with it thought that something would happen to them, but nothing did. Suddenly all of them could hear a strange beating sound.


    It was their hearts!


    Their hearts were beating loudly, their hands were shaking and all of them started sweating profusely, these were all signs of one thing.


    FEAR!


    Pure and genuine fear upied all thirty of the guards as they focused back on Mako who was now looking like he was on fire all over.


    What followed was a mighty roar that was louder than any other Mako had ever produced announcing the reactivation of Mako''s strongest skill and hisst Ace in the hole.


    *Gulp!*


    [10 Minutes Later]


    [All targeted enemies have been defeated]


    [Deactivating Rage Mode]


    [The remaining Rage mode bar will bepensated to the user by the system]


    [10 Level 3 Opponents Have Been Defeated]


    [+5000 EXP]


    [15 Level 2 Opponents Have Been Defeated]


    [+3000 EXP]


    [The User is Exhausted]


    [¡­.]


    The effects of Exhaustion were stronger than ever as even though Mako had a stronger body and better energy pool he could still feel his vision fading as he was about to ckout.


    Thest thing he heard before falling to the ground was someone calling his name.


    "Mako.!!..."


    **************


    [A couple of hourster]


    A luxurious car pulled into the parking area of the warehouse through the entrance that was built on the outer wall and was sted apart by Mako. The warehouse itself didn''t resemble anything as it did 12 hours ago with almost half of itpletely crumbled down and turned into rubble.


    A fire had spread everywhere on the property with smoke rising high into the clouds; however, there were no police or emergency service workers on the scene. This was because the whole event was covered up as soon as word about it hit the grid making it so that nobody knew of such a thing had happened.


    As soon as the car parked near the entrance of the warehouse, the driver quickly got out of the car and quickly rushed over to open the backdoor of the car.


    As the driver opened the door, a very tall and muscr man came out of the car. He had a physique that could melt away hearts with a single stare and was wearing a luxurious and well-tailored ck suit with a ck fedora that had a white strip around it.


    The fedora was casting a shadow on his face as it was hard to make out his facial features. He slowly started walking towards the entrance of the warehouse. He walked past several bodies that were spread across the courtyard and still seemed to be alive but he didn''t even care; even going as far as stepping on those that wereid out in his path, crushing them instantly.


    The driver quickly followed behind him as he entered the warehouse. The scene was simr to the outside with wreckage everywhere and fire continuing to spread to even more areas. The part of the warehouse that was still intact had its sprinkler system triggered but it wasn''t enough to put out all the fire.


    The man started walking around while the water from the sprinklers kept pouring down on him like rain. Even though it looked as if the water was making contact with him; he wasn''t getting wet. If one had great perception abilities, one could observe that there was a very thin invisibleyer on top of his body that was repelling the water.


    The man continued to walk around as if he was looking for something. There were more bodies littered around inside the warehouse with the ones that didn''t catch fire or were crushed by rubble still being alive.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *Beep!* *Beep!*


    A low beeping noise came from the man''s breast pocket and he proceeded to take out a Holophone from his pocket which was making the beeping sound because he was receiving a call. The disy read "UNKNOWN NUMBER" and they answered the phone.


    He didn''t say anything and only listened to what the person on the other side had to say.


    "Sir, the reports were urate as the three warehouses you sent us to are all on fire and destroyed. Most of the guards that were stationed there are alive but require medical attention. We are trying to recover the footage from the security cameras to find out who was behind this, but it will take some time since hard drives are damaged."


    The man didn''t respond, he just took the phone away from his ear and crushed it into small pieces without even showing a sign of exerting force.


    The driver who was following him didn''t even react to this as once the man was done and continued walking, the driver took out a small bag and picked up all the pieces of the broken device, and ced them in the bag.


    The man walked over to where Alec''s office used to be and he found a massive group of people all wearing the guard''s uniform andying on the floor with physical injuries that indicated that they were in a fight.


    However, the fight was quite one-sided as there were major cuts and bruises on all of them with many of them having their limbs twisted in positions that looked incredibly painful.


    Out of the bunch, only a couple still seemed to be breathing while the rest had died due to sumbing to their injuries, being burned by the fire, or being crushed by the copsed warehouse.


    Out of the few people that were still alive, one of them had a different uniform on and had caught the attention of the man. He walked over to him and grabbed him by the cor. The man was barely conscious and was several bruises and cuts on his face and body.


    He was soaked in water and his clothes were ripped from several areas. Suddenly, a huge pulse erupted from the man and a force field was conjured around them making it so that the water couldn''t prate through.


    He tried shaking the guard who was obviously Alec, but he still wasn''t responsive. Out of frustration, he dropped him back on the ground with a very small minuscule amount of his strength which created a small thud as hended on the ground and cracks appeared on the floor beneath him.


    The man turned toward the driver who understood his task and approached Alec on the ground. He proceeded to ce a pill in Alec''s mouth and made him swallow. After a couple of minutes, Alec started to regain consciousness as he finally opened his eyes.


    As soon as he opened his eyes, horror and fear Alec''s head as he wished he would have never opened his eyes in the first ce. The man quickly grabbed Alec''s cor again and brought him closer to his face.


    "I will only ask you this one time. Who did this?" The man said in a deep and bone-chilling voice.


    Alec gulped hard as he wanted to immediately reply but the words were stuck in his throat, unable toe out as fear tookplete control over his body.


    The man''s intense stare wasn''t helping as it was getting more intense and scary by the minute as Alec tried to form words.


    "Mmmmm...mmm It-t-t-t... w-w-aasss the man-n withhhh the... Demon face" Alec managed to say before the man did anything to him.


    "And all of this was done just by one man, was it?" The man asked Alec.


    Alec couldn''t take the pressure anymore; he started to have aplete mental breakdown and began muttering," I am so sorry, Boss! I tried... I tried to stop him! ....and he appeared weak at first but then out of nowhere, he was on fire and.... and... and he let out a mighty roar and got crazy strong. Even thirty of us were no match for him as he proceeded to fight uss all at once while his friends helped the prisoners escape."


    The man stopped Alec from speaking further as he took his other hand and ced it firmly on the top of Alec''s head.


    Alec immediately realized what was about to happen as he started pleading for his life," No no no NO NO NO! Please... Please... PLEASE... I can still be of use, Boss! PLEASE SPARE ME! SPARE ME! SPARE ME!"


    The sound of bone cracking could be heard as Alec could feel intense pressure on his head. Before he could utter another word, Alec''s head sted into a thousand pieces with blood and brain matter hitting everything except the man and the butler who stood behind him.


    "We''re leaving." The man said as he threw Alec''s lifeless body alongside the others and started walking back to the cars.


    The driver nodded as he quickly followed behind his back to the car.


    ***********


    Mako slowly opened his eyes and it took him a couple of seconds to focus his vision, he was in a dark and warm room that looked quite familiar to him. He slowly started to move around and could see that he was covered with several bandages on several different ces of his body.


    It seemed like he wasying on a sort of sofa and he slowly sat up straight while holding his head which was still hurting a little bit.


    "Where am I?" Mako asked as sat up and started to analyze his surroundings a bit better.


    All of a sudden a familiar voice came from behind Mako," Wee back, Mr. Grey!"

 Chapter 67 The Day Has Arrived

    ?Mako quickly turned around to confirm whether the voice was who he thought it was and low and behold it was Paul Czolgosz.


    The light from the firece illuminated paul''s desk and beside him sitting on the chair was Jacob and his daughter.


    "I still can''t believe that you were able to pull it off with such great execution." Paul praised him as he slowly tried to stand up.


    Paul took out amunication device from his pocket that didn''t resemble a Holophone at all and proceeded to talk through it," Benson, Please fetch Mr. Johnson to my office at once."


    Mako slowly got up on his legs and walked over to the table. His mind was buzzing from all the unread notifications of the system but he had to ignore them for now. He proceeded to take a seat next to Jacob and he handed him a loose T-shirt that he could wear.


    Mako epted the shirt and proceeded to put it on the shirt while Paul continued to speak, "Jacob here told me all about what had happened. You really need to control your quirk, son. I honestly am still shocked that you awakened yours this quickly."


    Mako still couldn''t quite process words correctly but Paul''s words made something click in his mind.


    "What are you talking about? How did I get here? And what is Quirk?" Mako rattled off several questions which showed his confusion.


    There was a few seconds of awkward silence between them before Paul finally replied," You were fighting the warden and the guards all by yourself, and you used that weird ability of yours again where you went up in mes and became significantly stronger to overwhelm them; the same you did when fighting Rhino."


    "And just like when fighting Rhino, you copsed onto the floor after finishing off all of them. After getting all of the people to safety Jacob came back to assist but he arrived just as you finished off thest guard and copsed."


    "He picked you up and escaped before the whole warehouse came down, brought you back to the warehouse, and instructed the other teams to rendezvous back here as well." Paul finished his short narration.


    Mako had thoughtful look on his face as he was focusing really hard on trying to remember the events that Paul had mentioned. While doing so, there was a knock on the door, and soon after the butler Benson and Bill came into the room.


    Bill quickly walked toward Mako and gave him a good ol'' bear hug.


    "Dude, you gotta stop passing out after every fight like that, you made me really worried again, when I heard you took on 30 guards all by yourself," Bill said as he squeezed him tightly.


    Mako couldn''t really respond due to how tightly Bill was hugging him, but he soon let go and Mako assured him that he won''t pass out again.


    After Bill and Mako were done with their pleasantries, Jacob and Kiesha stood up as they prepared to leave the room.


    Jacob proceeded to shake Mako''s hand as he thanked him onest time for allowing him to save his daughter and wished him good luck.


    After Jacob did the handshake, Kiesha rushed over to Mako and gave him another hug while slowly beginning to tear up.


    "Thank you for saving me." She kept repeating several times before finally pulling apart from him and leaving the room with her father.


    The people in the room didn''t think too much about that, but this was actually the first time Mako had a real interaction with a girl. Mako''s cheeks started to blush as he started feeling all different types of feelings.


    Before these feelings could escte further, Paul brought him back to reality by telling him and Bill to sit down and that they had lots to discuss.


    *************


    Operation Jailbird was a roaring sess with all 4 warehouses taken down and the prisoners held within them being given their freedom back. Most of the prisoners had nowhere to go and were temporarily ced in shelter homes that Paul ran and managed.


    It would seem quite absurd that a literal gang boss of the second-biggest gang in the city would do charity work, but this was exactly what Paul did. The Dark Raven was not like El Diablo''s gang as they neither took advantage of weak people nor robbed ces. The Dark Raven made money by providing protection to the rich and powerful, escorting VIPs, and participating in tournaments.


    The government was so corrupt that they barely gave funds to the police leaving them with weak people on the force that wouldn''t be able to do anything if a bigger force came to threaten something.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Dark Raven took advantage of this and started giving out protection contracts that could provide people who could afford them ''Real'' protection. Paul came from humble beginnings and believed in giving back to society which was why he privately funded many different schools, hospitals, shelter homes, etc.


    It wasn''t that they were 100% pure in their practices but they were a whole lot better than what El Diablo made his gang members do. This was also the reason for the rivalry between the two gangs and El Diablo spreading miss information about how awful and cruel the Dark Raven gang was. This was also the reason why Bill reacted so wildly when Mako took out the Dark Raven card after the battle royal tournament.


    Mako even asked Paul what did he mean by a quirk, but he simply said that he woulde to learn about it soon enough and that he was an awful exiner and would up end up confusing him further.


    *************


    After getting up to date about everything that was going on, Mako took a sigh of relief as he finally did something that his grandmother would be proud of.


    "Now that you are done with your, mission I believe it is time for you to keep up your end of the deal," Paul said reminding the boys about the terms of their agreement.


    "You won''t have to worry about Leon, This guy here was able to change mepletely and I have not a sliver of doubt that he could do the same for Leon," Bill said while pointing at Mako.


    It was quite true indeed. Within a month, Bill''s attitude and demeanor had done aplete 180, and nobody, even his friends who apanied him on the mission could believe this was the same bill, who like breaking bones just for fun.


    Bill''s words put a smile on Paul''s face as Mako could see genuine happiness on the man''s face. After this Paul said that he would like to treat the two boys to dinner and told them to stay at the warehouse for a while.


    It was Sunday, and Mako had to go back to school tomorrow, so he really didn''t want to end up staying the night at the warehouse because it was situated at theplete opposite end of the city from where his school was.


    "Don''t worry about that at all, Benson can drive you both to school tomorrow, you can stay the night here." Paul insisted.


    "Both?" Bill asked as he looked toward Mako and then back at Paul.


    "Why yes? Both of you have to go to school." Paul replied.


    The boys stared at Paul in confusion because they didn''t know why he was saying this. He very well knew that the school was within El Diablo''s territory and if Bill showed up to school, there was a possibility that someone might snitch on him.


    Mako decided to exin to Paul again the reason why Bill couldn''t go to school, but Paul just smiled as he said," I know your reason for why he can''t go to school, but tomorrow he has to go to school."


    The boys had nothing they could say now except to just inly ask,"...and why is that?"


    "Because tomorrow is the day that the Military will visit the schools and announce this year''s recruitment test," Paul said.


    Mako and Bill couldn''t believe that they had forgotten about the big day that they were preparing for so long. Time moved by so fast that they didn''t even realize that the day had finally arrived for them to join the military and pursue their dreams.


    "Of course, you will be apanied by Leon as well since he will also be applying for the recruitment test there, but we will talk more about that during dinner," Paul said to which both boys nodded.


    Benson opened the door for the two boys to leave the room, but before Mako could fully exit the room, he turned back towards Paul and asked him," uh, Mr.Czolgosz? Could you invite one more person to the dinner?"


    Paul was confused by this because he didn''t have any idea who else could Mako possibly want to talk to.


    "...And who will that be?" Paul asked.


    "Rhino," Mako replied.

 Chapter 68 Shops & Items

    ?"Rhino," Mako said.


    A smile quickly appeared on Paul''s face again as he understood Mako''s intention as he nodded his head as a form of saying ''yes''.


    Mako and Bill were escorted back to the same rooms that they stayed in when Mako was knocked out during the Dark Raven tournament.


    Bill went back to his room and Mako entered his own room. There was a neat and clean set of folded clothes ced on his bed which he very much appreciated considering he was still wearing the tight T-shirt that Jacob offered and the torn jeans from the guard uniform.


    Mako quickly entered the bathroom and started to remove his bandages. Most of his injuries were healed and the remaining would be too since he could use his Recover skill to speed up the process.


    After that, Mako proceeded to take a long and deserving shower. He turned on the hot water to the max, which didn''t affect him so much since he was resistant to heat due to his ability.


    Steam quickly filled the entire bathroom. Mako stood still under the constant stream of very hot water while his attention was elsewhere.


    ''Open System Interface'' Makomanded through his thoughts as the main menu of the system appeared in front of his line of sight.


    The was an exmation mark on several tabs but as usual, Mako proceeded to read the notifications first before delving into the details of the individual tabs.


    [Notifications] ?


    [(13) Unread messages]


    [10 Level 3 Opponents Have Been Defeated]


    [+5000 EXP]


    [15 Level 2 Opponents Have Been Defeated]


    [+3000 EXP]


    [Rage mode has been deactivated]


    [The remaining Rage mode bar will bepensated to the user by the system]


    [Since the Rage meter waspletely full upon activation, thepensation reward is doubled]


    [Compensation made: +20,000 EXP]


    [Quest Completed!]


    [Sessfully execute operation jailbird and destroy the four warehouses (4/4)]


    [Rewards: +25,000 EXP, 20 Bronze Tier Coins, Random Ability Skill]


    [Choosing Random Skill]


    [New Skill Learned: (D-Tier) Lightning w!] ?


    The boons weren''t as huge as when Mako reached level 10 and the system had gone through an upgrade. Mako was at the point now that defeating level 2s and 3s wasn''t giving him sufficient EXP increase and he would have to work a lot harder in order to be able to challenge higher-level ability users.


    Mako checked his profile to see how far he was from going to the next level and he was just above halfway there.


    ''Open System Interface''


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 500/500] ?


    [Energy: 2000/2000] ?


    [EXP: 62200/102400] ?


    [ount: 20 Bronze Tier Coins] ?


    [Level 11] ?


    [Strength: 30 (+30) ] ?


    [Agility: 30 (+25) ] ?


    [Perception: 30] ?


    [Intelligence: 30] ?


    [Mentality: 30] ?


    [Stamina: 30 (+15) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: 30] ?


    [Attribute Points: 3] ?


    He didn''t get any attribute points from the rewards this time, so he would just have to rely on his daily tasks for a bit to stockpile attribute points, just in case he found himself in a serious pickle.


    He did; however, get a new addition to his profile and that was the ount attribute. Mako focused on the information button to get more info to know exactly what this attribute had in store for him.


    [ount] ?


    [The ount attribute holds all the coins that the user owns and disys it conveniently on the profile tab. Since it has been termed an attribute, Attribute points do apply to it with a conversion rate of 1 Attribute point equal to 3 Bronze coins. (The conversion rate may change depending on different factors that the user has not discovered yet)]


    Mako was expecting a simple exnation just like the rest of his attributes, but he was proven wrong yet again by the system as the system just introduced him to a way to make coins on his own just by doing daily quests.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He decided to hold off on checking the shop just yet because there was still another tab that he had not checked out.


    Next, he opened his skills tab to see what the new lightning skill was all about. He was quite excited about this because this was his first D-Tier Ability-rted skill and it was bound to be powerful.


    (NEW!) [(D-Tier) Lightning w] ? (Level 1)


    [A decent attack from the Lightning Elemental Skill Tree, that coats the user''s fist with a strong concentration of lightning and allows the user to swipe his hands like a w and release 5 massive lightning arcs that resemble a w mark and can travel up to 50 meters. To activate the skill, the user must continue to build up lightning on his desired hand for 10 seconds and then attack by simply swiping his hand. The lightning arcs deal massive damage and apply the ''Paralyzed'' status effect for 30 seconds and the ''Stunned'' status effect for 1 minute.]


    [Requirements: Level 5 Lightning ability or higher]


    [Attack: 100]


    [Cost: 250 Energy]


    "Wait, what!?" Mako shouted in anger. He just received a terrifying skill that would definitely aid him when tackling tougher opponents but his ability is not high-level enough to even cast the skill in the first ce


    Mako was majorly pissed at the system for this, as the system was dangling delicious treats in front of him but refusing to give him any.


    After having an argument with himself about the system''s weird reward, Mako felt defeated as he knew he could not change the system''s mind and he just proceeded to check out the shop tab next.


    The shop tab was also a salty topic for Mako because even after Mako had reached level 10 and unlocked the shop, he still couldn''t ess it. After all, the system told him that in order for the system to disy items, he had to have some earned coins first which before the introduction to the ount was not possible. After all, Mako hadn''t received any high-level quest that could reward him with coins.


    ''Open Shop'' Makomanded the system and for the first time, Mako was going to see just what items were on disy in the shop.


    [Daily items] ?


    [Main Shop] ?


    [*********] (Locked) ?


    [*********] (Locked) ?


    [*********] (Locked) ?


    [*********] (Locked) ?


    [*********] (Locked) ?


    .....


    The shop tab was further broken down and disyed into a few different sub-tabs, but most of them were greyed out and their names were censored making it so that Mako could neither ess them nor get an idea about them through their names.


    Even the information button was greyed out meaning that Mako could not ess any information about them at the moment.


    Mako gave up trying and instead decided to focus on the two sub-tabs that weren''t greyed out.


    [Daily Items] ?


    [Daily Items restock daily at midnight and disy 6 random items without considering the Shop or User Level. These items can be insanely overpowered relics or beginner tools, but it only matters if the user can purchase them while they are on disy]


    [Main Shop] ?


    [The main shop disys many different kinds of items ranging from items that the user has alreadye into contact with or consumed. Alongside that, the main shop also disys brand-new items that are eptable within the Shop Level. The main shop refreshes after 14 days and include more and new items depending on the User''s progression]


    The two avable sub-tabs of the shop were quite useful and Mako couldn''t wait to see what items they had on disy.


    He first checked out the main shop and it had the same types of Low tier pills that Mako had consumed during his journey, each pill costing a bronze coin. Some F-Tier basic fighting skills weren''t too impressive and cost 5 Bronze coins each.


    There were also some weapons but none of them were Power weapons and they cost between 3-8 Bronze coins. There was only one power weapon disy and it cost 30 Bronze coins.


    The Power weapon was of the lowest tier and was a small de. Mako already owned a great de which helped him through quite a lot and he wasn''t nning on recing it anytime soon.


    Nothing else really jumped out at him in the main shop and he was relieved to know that he now had an endless supply of the pills that he had consumed as long as he had coins in his ount.


    Mako then moved over to the Daily shop and what he saw there was quite breathtaking, to say the least.


    -[Level 8 Wind Ability book] (2 Gold Coins) ?


    -[B Tier Fire Ability Skill book: Fire Dragon] (75 Silver Coins) ?


    -[High Tier Armourdrillo Armour set] (10 Silver Coins) ?


    -[High Tier Dwarf Elephant Mace] (2 silver Coins) ?


    -[2 Kg Bar of Hillorium] (25 Silver Coins) ?


    -[A Tier Shadow Ability Skill book: Dark Marking] (5 Gold Coins) ?


    Mako was about to fall in the shower from the amazing items that were on disy in the Daily shop. Some of them were so high level that Mako could just forget about ever purchasing anything like that from the shop in the near future.


    The more he looked at the beautiful items, the more envious he became, and he soon had to close the interface, or else he would have lost his mind. He turned off the shower and got dressed in preparation for dinner.


    Mako had to keep resisting the urge of opening the Daily shop again and this was a big reminder for him that even though he hade a long way from where he began, there was still a long road ahead and he should never be too fond or overconfident of his strength.


    *Knock!* *Knock!*


    There was a knock on the door and Benson''s voice came through," Sir, the dinner is ready to be served, pleasee with me to the dining area, the other guests are waiting."


    Mako quickly put on the jacket that came with the outfit he was given and answered Benson, "Coming, Please wait a moment."

 Chapter 69 Dinner With Rhino (Part 1)

    ?Mako was wearing quite a decent outfit with a in white shirt, blue pants, and a blue jacket. He looked quite good and itplemented his green-tinted hair.


    Mako opened the door and was greeted by Benson who did a small bow before telling Mako to follow him. Mako did so and they were on their way toward the dining room. Following Benson, Mako could see a lot more of the ce it was quite well-built with many decorative pieces disyed in the hallways.


    "How long have you been working for Mr. Czolgosz?" Mako asked Benson trying to make small talk.


    "Ever since I was a young man like yourself," Benson replied.


    "Really? But you look so much older than him." Mako was shocked to know that such an old man had been serving Paul for so long.


    "Oh ho, don''t go on master''s appearance, young man. People of his power level tend to age quite slowly. I assure you he is way older than he looks." Benson said with a small chuckle.


    What Benson said was indeed true since people with abilities got sick a lot less and their average lifespan wasrger than regr humans.


    "So why did you end up working for him for so long?" Mako asked as he was now quite interested in knowing Benson''s story.


    "I was a rebellious young fellow just like teenagers are and made some wrong decisions. Long story short, I was involved in a gang fight and was about to lose my life, that was until my master saved my life. I had no talent when it came to abilities and could never achieve the level of strength as my master, but I had to pay my debt to him, so I became his loyal servant." Benson narrated.


    Mako was quite saddened to hear of Benson''s story, but one part of the story really brought him to think. If Benson had no talent as an ability user, howe his Analyze skill failed him? Mako decided to see if that was still the case.


    [Analyze]


    [Skill Failed (opponent level too high)]


    ''Huh!?'' Mako panicked as he watched the Analyze skill fail again. If Benson was stronger than Rhino since he could still Analyze Rhino, but had no talent to be of use to Paul, then how strong were his other men, and how exactly strong was Paul?


    Mako shuddered at such a thought as he was nowhere near the same level as them and he had to be careful not to get on the bad side of too many of them like El Diablo otherwise he might just lose his life.


    "Sir? How strong are you exactly?" Mako asked Benson.


    "He he, you can ask me that another time, but right now you arete and the others are waiting," Benson said as he reached the end of the hallway they were walking in and approached a tall double door.


    Benson pushed apart the door and it opened to reveal avish dining hall with servers on each side and a long rectangr dining table that only had 5 chairs near one of the ends of the table.


    Paul was sitting in the middle and the two chairs on his right were upied by Leon and Rhino while only Bill upied one of the seats on his left with thest one still empty.


    Benson held the door open for Mako and gestured for him to go in.


    "Thank you, sir." Mako thanked Benson as even though he was strong and a ''gang member'' now, he still showed his manners everywhere.


    "My pleasure, young man. And please call me, Benson." Benson replied as Mako walked through the door and he closed it back behind.


    Mako took his seat at the table next to Bill and Paul said," Now that everyone is here, Let''s start with the appetizers, shall we?"


    The cooks standing behind the chairs nodded and proceeded to leave the room through a back door.


    There was quite an awkward silence between them for a while with no one saying anything and Paul not having care in the world and sipping on some wine that a server poured him from a very expensive-looking bottle.


    Soon the appetizers came out and everyone slowly and silently began to eat their meal. The appetizer itself was beyond delicious, It was a sous vide lobster with beetroot and confit vegetables. Mako had never tasted anything quite like it and it was quite the treat for him considering all he and Bill were surviving off of for the past few days was baked mac n cheese and breakfast from the bakery.


    While eating their meal, the silence got too much for Rhino as he was the first to speak up.


    "Why did you invite me?" He said in his usual deep voice.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Cause I want to know more about you," Mako replied calm and respectful tone.


    "Why would you want to know more about me? Haven''t you ruined my life enough!?" Rhino replied with anger.


    "That. That is why I want to know more about you. Listen, I didn''t want to even participate in the tournament in the first ce and was just fighting to protect my friend. I don''t know how I ruined your life, but the way you fought me and the desperation in your punches seemed to me as if you were fighting for your life." Mako stated his reason.


    "It was my life, and you stole it from me," Rhino said loudly.


    "How did I steal it, I was just trying to get my friend out of trouble, and to do that I had to win," Mako said now raising his voice a little as well.


    Before Rhino could reply, the chef came back to the table and stood beside Paul.


    "Monsieur, are we prepared for the main course?" The chef asked in a very respectful manner.


    "Yes, we are," Paul replied.


    The chef nodded and signaled the waiters who started clearing the tes while some of them went back to what Mako assumed to be the kitchen to bring out the main course.


    Paul signaled the server who was standing beside him the entire time and he poured him another ss of wine. While he was pouring his wine, Paul began to tell Mako the reason why Rhino was angry.


    "Well, you see Mr. Grey, Enzo Ceros here was given a job by me and that was to help Leon win the Battle royal tournament. If he was to do that, I was going to help him in learning new skills that would help him increase in strength and be part of the elite members of the Dark Raven." Paul stated as sipped on his wine.


    "But then you burned my son and defeated Enzo and won the tournament yourself," Paul said as he looked at both Leon and Enzo.


    Leon just expressed his dissatisfaction with a "humph" while Enzo just look downward unable to say a thing as this was his leader who was talking.


    "He lost to you during the tournament because of his overconfidence and your clever tactics, but a loss was a loss. He pleaded for him to be given another chance and I agreed, but the same thing repeated with you defeating him." Paul continued.


    "It was because of this that he has been demoted and is now not fit enough to look after Leon and has been relieved of that duty as well." Paul finished his narration and wine at the same time as he signaled the server to pour him another ss.


    "But Father, I like Enzo. He is like a big brother to me. He is so much stronger than any other idiot you can hire." Leon finally had enough and voiced out his dissatisfaction with his father''s decision.


    Paul just stared back at Leon and he quickly shut his mouth so that he won''t anger his father too much.


    "The man I hired, is much stronger than him and he will take good care of you. He is a Level 4 Earth user after all." Paul justified his decision and Enzo''s head swung even lower.


    By this time, the servers had returned with the main course and served the dishes to everyone. The main course was quite divine, it was a traditional beef wellington served on a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes and asparagus with a concentrated demi-ce sauce.


    This time; however, Mako was less focused on the food and more on Rhino''s situation.


    "Look, I am really sorry about ruining your big break. It was not like I had a choice." Mako said to Rhino who just quietly kept on eating.


    "But Mr.Czolgosz, you should reconsider your hiring choice. I am sure Enzo could beat that Level 4 Earth user anytime considering he also has a level 4 ability." Mako said to Paul


    Paul, Leon, and Enzo all dropped their cutlery as they all focused on what Mako just said. Mako himself was quite taken aback because he didn''t expect this type of reaction from them.


    "What did you just say?" Leon asked in a low voice probably because he was still in shock.


    "Rhino. He has a Level 4 Transformation ability." Mako said.


    "What?!"

 Chapter 70 Dinner With Rhino (Part 2)

    ?"What do you mean I am a level 4?!" Rhino asked in absolute shock.


    "Exactly! He has been stuck with a level 3 ability for almost 6 years now. Howe he suddenly became a level 4?" Paul asked


    Mako was in a serious situation now. He expected Rhino to have worked it out on his own as to why he suddenly became too much stronger during their fight, but it would seem that he was as clueless as ever.


    Mako couldn''t reveal his Analyze skill to anyone because it was a system-based skill and couldn''t be obtained otherwise. If he revealed this information to anyone, then the secret of his system would be out soon enough and he couldn''t have that at all.


    "I mean, didn''t you feel your aura stronger after our fight?" Mako asked Rhino trying to find a way out of this.


    "No. I haven''t activated my ability ever since I lost to you and lost my honor, I couldn''t bring myself to do it." Rhino replied in a somber tone.


    "Well you see, while we were fighting you suddenly gained a burst of power and got a whole lot stronger, and your aura became stronger too," Mako said.


    "I know about that, it was myst resort skill that I had developed. I call it ''Last Stand'' and what it basically does is that it suppresses my aura for some time, making me weaker and more vulnerable, but then I can release all that stored energy at once, temporarily increasing my battle power past my normal limits." Rhino exined.


    ''Ah, shit!'' Mako cursed internally as he had toe up with some way to get out of this situation.


    He couldn''t think of anything at the moment and everyone just kept staring at Mako, waiting for an answer. He couldn''t spend too much time thinking and luckily he didn''t have to because suddenly he thought of something that could work.


    All he had to do was to make Rhino activate his aura. If he did that then everyone could realize that he was indeed a level 4.


    "Enzo, why don''t you try activating your aura? It will prove whether I was right or wrong." Mako suggested.


    It was a very logical suggestion, and everyone could be seen nodding in agreement, everyone except Enzo himself.


    "I am not worthy to release my aura in my leader''s presence," Rhino replied.


    As Rhino said this, Leon quickly looked at his father prompting him to allow Enzo to release his aura.


    "You are allowed to release your aura, please demonstrate to us a level 4 ability aura as Mr. Grey has imed you possess," Paul said permitting Enzo.


    Enzo did a small bow with his head to show respect and proceeded to just activate his ability and release his aura. His muscles bulged a bit as he began releasing his aura, but there was no visible transformation to be seen.


    Suddenly the air around Bill and Leon became suffocating as even two of the servers that just served the main course to Leon and Enzo copsed from the overwhelming pressure.


    Paul''s eyes widened as he witnessed Rhino releasing a level 4 aura for the first time after his awakening. Enzo himself couldn''t believe what he was feeling as the power that was coursing through his veins was unlike anything he had felt before.


    Leon started coughing and Bill followed soon after as they were both affected by the aura that freely imposed its superiority upon them without any restraint. Enzo quickly sealed his aura again and the air became normal once again.


    All eyes were back on Mako once again.


    "How did you know?" everyone said at the same time.


    They still wanted to know how none of them were able to catch such a major change but somehow Mako knew about it.


    Mako paused for a couple of seconds before letting out a very dramatic sigh.


    "I honestly, didn''t want to reveal this to you all so soon but...." Mako said as he activated his Lightning aura.


    A few sparks erupted from his body but other than that it was quite tame, but what was not tame was Mako''s aura. The air became suffocating again and this time the two servers on Mako''s side copsed from the pressure. The aura was of the same intensity as Enzo''s and the one most shocked to see this was Bill.


    "DUDE! When did you get the level 4 lightning ability? Did you find one in the armory at the warehouse?" Bill asked.


    "What? No!" Mako replied as he quickly sealed back up his aura again.


    "The reason why I said that Enzo was a level 4 is that I went through the same thing he did. When we fought during the tournament, I didn''t know how he got a power boost but there was a certain feeling in my heart. A feeling of fear, A feeling of being oppressed. It was unlike anything I had felt before." Mako began to narrate his reason.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "But, during my fight against all those guards, I was feeling like I was backed into a corner, my emotions were running and I was looking for any means for me to get out of there alive. When nothing came to mind, I searched for the answer deep within me and it was then that I felt the electricity in my hands be stronger."


    "The guards suddenly started to back up and I got a feeling inside me as if they were no longer a threat to me; as if I was superior to them. It was at this point that I realized that my aura became a lot stronger and the only logical exnation  I could think of was that I reached a new level of my ability."


    "I linked my experience with Enzo and found that we both had one thing inmon, and that was that at a critical moment, our desperation and will was strong enough to elevate our abilities to the next level. I don''t remember much after that. I just remember waking up in your office." Mako finished his narration.


    "Hmmm..." Paul said as he stroked his chin.


    "Forced ability upgrade is quite rare and for you both to have done it is quite impressive. It is even more difficult to do if you already have a high-level ability but still, it takes a lot for even level 3s to upgrade their ability to the next level. I have to say I am quite impressed, Mr. Grey." Paul praised Mako as he exined what was the cause of Rhino''s evolution.


    ''He actually fell for it?!'' Mako shouted in his thoughts.


    What Mako had just narrated waspletely a fluke!


    He just told them what he thought was the most probable reason for Rhino''s evolution and mixed in a lie about obtaining his level 4 ability through simr means even though it was the system that granted him a level 4 Lightning ability.


    If Mako didn''t have the Analyze skill, he would have never guessed in a thousand years that Rhino got the boost in energy because of his ability evolving. He would have probably assumed that Rhino was cheating somehow which wouldn''t be too far from the realm of possibility since it was indeed a gang tournament.


    "Sooo, does this mean Enzo can still be with me?" Leon asked Paul in the most polite manner Mako had ever seen him do.


    Paul paused for a bit trying to think about it because it was a big decision that could put his son''s life at risk. Paul''s eyes looked over to Mako, and he could see him giving him a small nod.


    ''Let Enzo be with him, it will only strengthen our bond with him and help us get closer to him.'' Mako said in his thoughts.


    Even though Mako said this in his thoughts, Paul somehow got the memo and looked back toward his son.


    "Fine," Paul said as he proceeded to finish another ss of wine.


    The mood of the room was uplifted quite a bit and the rest of the dinner went by smoothly and ended with a great delicious Cr¨¨me Br?l¨¦e. Leon was still notfortable talking to Mako or Bill, but he had dropped his hostility and that was a win in Mako''s book.


    The dinner ended soon after and Mako and Bill returned back to their rooms to get a good night''s sleep; after all, it was a very big day tomorrow.


    **************


    [Somewhere in an unknown location]


    A figure sat alone on a luxurious sofa in the middle of a dark room with the only source of light being the moonlight that wasing in from the windows. The figure rubbed his fingers around the seam of his fedora again and again as if he was waiting for something.


    *Knock!* *Knock!*


    Soon a  knock was heard on the door and a tin and slender man entered the room. He proceeded to bow in front of the figure and then proceeded to speak.


    "Sir, we have sessfully recovered the video footage of the warehouses and it would seem that this was a very well-thought-out and well-nned attack. Four transport vans were ambushed and the assants disguised themselves as the guards and sneak into the facility. They then proceeded to knock outmunications and sabotage the armory before freeing the prisoners and making a run for it."


    "The facial recognition software hadn''t found a match against any rival gangs or the police, but we did find something that you may find interesting." The man finished his report.


    "Spit. it. out!!" The figure said in a very deep and threatening tone.


    "We were able to recognize one person from the team that attack Warehouse B, and he was one of us not too long ago." The man said.


    "WHAT! WHO?!" the figure said as he was losing patience.


    "Bill Johnson." The man replied.

 Chapter 71 Military Introduction

    ?It was quite a normal day for the students of Emerald High, but the excitement was in the air because a military official wasing to school to announce this year''s recruitment test.


    The students were walking to school, some together in groups while others just walked on their own as they do every day. The school had two entrances, one was for students who came to school by either walking or using public transport while the other one was just a parking lot that was used by students who came to school in their vehicles.


    These students were all children of rich and powerful people and that was why they were given this level of luxury. These were also the kids that owned power weapons and had a level 3 ability.


    The highest level of ability that a student could have was a level 3 ability. It wasn''t that their rich parents couldn''t afford higher-level abilities, it was just that abilities were onlymercially avable up to level 3. To obtain higher-level abilities, people had to get special permits or work for an organization, or get sponsored by apany that would permit the usage of a higher-level ability.


    Both scenarios required both power and money, which amon person would not have and would forever be stuck at the level 3 stage of power. Students could not obtain such permits so they were also stuck at level 3 for the time being until they graduated.


    This morning; however, all the rich kids were exiting their vehicles as usual when a luxurious ck limo rolled into the parking lot. It parked in one of the corners and from the front passenger seat, a huge muscr man wearing a traditional ck suit exited the vehicle.


    The car was long and had six doors withpletely tinted windows. He walked over to the middle door of the car and proceeded to open the door which was a Gullwing door. A young man exited the vehicle wearing quite a stylish ck shirt and jeans each with gold trim and a golden chain around his neck.


    "Thanks, Big bro," Leon said to Enzo as he exited the vehicle.


    The rich kids that were currently in the parking lot were quite shocked to see such an expensive car roll into their parking lot. Their parents were still quite richpared to the rest of society but they were still nowhere near the level of wealth as Leon''s father.


    The girls in the parking lot started blushing as they saw Leon walk out of the car.


    "Oh wow! I wanna be friends with that guy, he looks loaded." one girlmented.


    "Look yourself in the mirror first, he is too good for someone like you, I will make a much better girlfriend than you," Another girl taunted her.


    They all just assumed that it must be one of those mega-rich kids that were homeschooled and came to the school today, just to hear about the recruitment test.


    After opening the door for Leon, Enzo moved over to the other door which was just a regr door, and opened it as well.


    Two boys came out of the back of the limo and it was thest two people anyone in the parking lot would have expected.


    "Thanks for the ride, Enzo" Mako said as he and Bill exited the car as well.


    "Isn''t that the nerd?!" A guy said as he noticed theming out of the car.


    "And... Bill Johnson! I thought his father disowned him. He hasn''te to school in a long time." another guy chimed in.


    "What is going on?! Why are those two with someone as handsome as him," A girl started toin as she saw the three boys walking toward the school gate together with Enzo closely behind?


    It was quite obvious that these children were spoiled rotten with over-inted egos. They were all quite shocked when they saw the school''s biggest nerd and bullye out of the same vehicle as a super-rich kid and it looked to them as if they were all friends.


    Now being the egotistic brats that they were some of them couldn''t believe such a sight and went to confront the trio themselves. Three guys approached them while releasing their aurapletely.


    "What do you think you''re doing, nerd?!" One of them shouted at Mako.


    "You don''t belong here! The audacity for you to even set foot here is uneptable!" Another chimed in.


    "And you! Since when did your daddy start giving a shit about you again? You always take the bus to school!" The guy in the middle shouted at Bill.


    The guys expected Mako to just be scared away by the intensity of their aura and if Bill decided to engage them, they could take him on since it would be three against one.


    Of course, nothing like that ever happened. Bill and Mako stood still in front of the three guys who approached them without showing any signs of fear or cowardice.


    Leon didn''t care about what was going on and proceeded to just walk past the guys leaving Mako and Bill alone to deal with them. Enzo followed closely behind and easily towered over the three guys. The guys were quite intimidated by Enzo and didn''t want to mess with him. They allowed Leon to leave and focus their attention back on Mako and Bill.


    Leon made it to the school gate but stopped just before going in. Instead, he leaned back against a nearby pir and started to observe the confrontation.


    "Don''t you want to go in?" Enzo asked.


    "I will after I see what happens to them," Leon replied with a small smile on his face.


    Some of the girls also made their way to the gate in an attempt to get close to Leon, but Enzo started emitting his aura and they were quickly repelled back. Embarrassed by the whole thing, they just decided to stand where they were and observe their friends confront Mako and Bill.


    "You want the first go?" Mako asked Bill with a smile.


    "Oh no, by all means, be my guest," Bill said rejecting Mako''s offer.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The guys only got angered by how light the duo was taking this and that their aura had no effect on them.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Mako suddenly bolted toward the nearest guy and grabbed his hair very tightly.


    "AHHH!" The screamed out in pain as he couldn''t react fast enough to Mako''s speed and was now held firmly by his hand.


    "Here''s the deal, boys! I am not a pushover anymore, and I will give you just one chance to walk away otherwise I can''t promise what will happen next." Mako said to the other guys.


    "AHHHH! Simon, James help me! Kill this guy!" The guy shouted to his friends.


    The boys sprang into action as one of them shot a lightning bolt toward Mako''s head.


    "Wrong choice,"


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    Mako tilted his head slightly and dodged the lightning bolt. mes erupted from his hand that was holding onto the hair and the hair started burning.


    "AAAHHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" The guy yelled in pain.


    Eventually, Mako let go of his hair and almost all of his hair had been burned off leaving a massive bald spot on his head.


    The worst thing you can do to a spoiled rich kid is mess up his social image through humiliation.


    Tears started to well up in his eyes as he touched the top of his head and felt no hair on there. His two friends didn''t know what to do. They had not seen Mako use his ability before. Mako had kept his ability hidden in school and only used his strength to defend himself in case any bully tried to hurt him.


    The girls that were watching from afar had their jaws wide open as the scene they were witnessing was something they couldn''t imagine seeing in a million years.


    "Alright, your turn," Mako said as he walked back over to Bill. He had a huge smile on his face as he cracked his knuckles and approached the boys who were still in a state to shock trying to process what just happened.


    "What did you say about my father?" Bill asked as he conjured an earth club.


    *Gulp!*


    **************


    [1 hourter]


    "You didn''t have to go so hard on them you know," Mako said to Bill.


    They were currently in the auditorium waiting for the rest of the students to be seated so that the announcement could start. Mako and Bill were sitting a few seats apart from Leon discussing the morning fight.


    "Nah, they deserved everyst bit of that," Bill replied.


    Bill had a tendency of getting carried away when inflicting pain and even though he was quite a changed man from before, it didn''t mean that he waspletely different.


    Old habits just die hard!


    The girls who witnessed the whole thing had to drag the boys over to the nurse''s office. They were covered in bruises and cuts all over. Mako dropped them some Low-Tier healing pills so that the injuries could heal without anyplications.


    Mako and Bill continued to converse about different things while Leon just silently waited on his seat waiting for the announcement to begin.


    Soon the principal of the school walked in front of the stage and started to address the students.


    "Students! Please be seated and remain quiet! The wait is over, Brigadier Jones will begin his announcement momentarily!" The principal announced.


    After that, the principal walked away from the stage and a man wearing a military uniform walked onto the stage and turned toward the crowd of students.


    ''Finally!'' Mako said inwardly as he couldn''t wait to hear what this year''s test would be about.

 Chapter 72 Two Weeks

    ?Brigadier Jones was wearing a standard military uniform: a green suit and pants with a simple white shirt and a ck tie. The suit had several medals pinned on that were meant to represent the person''s aplishments. Mako didn''t know what these medals meant just yet but he did know that they were very important to the military men.


    He had a standard buzz cut and his blonde hair was barely visible. He had blue eyes and a 3-inch scar on his right cheek that looked like it came from a sword sh.


    Brigadier Jones reached the podium and turned toward the crowd of students. He took a couple of moments to observe everyone in the crowd before clearing his throat and starting his speech.


    "Good Morning, Students! As you all know the time for the recruitment test has finally arrived. I know you all are eager to know about this year''s test, but before I disclose that information, I have some important news to share with you all." Brigadier Jones announced.


    The students looked at each other in confusion because this had never happened before. Usually, the speech would onlyst a few minutes and the military personnel would just disclose the events and rules regarding the test, wish everyone good luck, and leave.


    "Interesting..." Mako said as he was quite curious about what this ''important news'' could be.


    "First of all, the rules for the recruitment of new students have been changed by the suprememander himself. Before the students had to meet certain criteria in order to be recruited, but this is now not the case. Any student that is able to survive the test will be recruited by the military." Brigadier Jones said.


    The suprememander was the highest rank in the military hierarchy acting simrly to how presidents were in the olden times. The military was known as the World Military as no one nation or country had control over it. The military''s supreme leader was basically Earth''s leader as no one had the authority to disobey him.


    The supreme leader was elected by an entire panel of high-ranking officials and the candidates were the most promising, strong, and honest people that the generation had to offer.


    The students were instructed to not interrupt the brigadier during his talk, but that didn''t stop them from whispering their thoughts around to one another.


    "However, your performance will determine your starting rank in military school. Students with below-average performance will be in a regr ss, students with a decent performance will be ced in the advanced ss, and the students who perform exceptionally well will be ced in the special ss."


    The whispering among students continued but Brigadier Jones paid them no heed as he continued on with his speech.


    "Students will receive different benefits depending on which ss you end up in so make sure to try your hardest during the test because the benefits are totally worth it."


    "Another important announcement regarding the test is that this year, all the participants from every school will take part in the test all at once. There will only be a single test taken this year, with no redos." The Brigrader announced.


    This caused a lot of chatter to resound in the auditorium. The students were rightfully pissed at this change because this would mean there would be a lot more opponents taking part in the tournament and that also included students from private schools who had super-rich parents and way better abilities and items.


    "SILENCE!" The principal''s loud voice sounded throughout the auditorium as he quickly made them all shut up.


    He then gestured toward the Brigadier to continue on with the speech.


    "Another change that has been made only for this year is because of the test we designed. All power weapons and armor up to the High tier are allowed as well as any other item that the student may wish to bring along. Keep in mind that any item you bring will be carefully examined before allowing you to use them in the test."


    "The difficulty of the test has been set at a level 5 and that means that people with level 5 abilities would have decent shot at securing a good score on the test. It is rmended that people that have level 2 abilities or lower do not take part in the test and if they still wish to join the military, then they can go the same route as students who don''t have any abilities."


    "You will be provided with an ability if you don''t have one and you will be automatically admitted into the regr ss."


    The students were scared of angering the principal anymore, so they kept their voices low and allowed the Brigrader to continue with the speech.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "And now, the moment you have all been waiting for. This year the recruitment test will be a survival challenge. Participants will be transported to a man-made ind and will be left there for seven days. The ind is infested with different dangers and threats that you will have to maneuver around in order to survive."


    "Participants are allowed to do whatever they want but killing is still prohibited and severely punishable byw. There will be many different tasks and other opportunities for the participants to gain points and reach higher on the scoreboard that we will keep track of."


    "Remember, there are limited seats for the special ss, and only the top 200 students will receive a seat. The remaining minor rules and details will be shared with you on the day of the test."


    "Please keep this in mind! This test has the risk of getting yourself killed if you are not experienced enough. If you don''t have the strength necessary to fight, then please take the alternative option. There is still plenty of room to grow and increase your talent, don''t lose your life due to being overconfident or stupid."


    ''Ouch.'' Mako said in his mind as he assumed thest sentence of the Brigadier was directed at him.


    "The recruitment test will take ce in two weeks'' time. The military will be responsible for your transportation. After the test, you will return back to your respective school until the school year ends, when the results of the test will be announced and you will begin a new journey in military school."


    "Lastly, I wish you all good luck and hope to see you soon in the military camp. Thank you!" Brigadier Jones concluded his speech as he walked off the stage and went out of the auditorium followed by a couple of men that were wearing camo trousers and shirts.


    As soon as he left, the auditorium exploded with noise as students began conversing about the new changes being made and the recruitment test itself.


    "What do you think?" Bill asked Mako.


    "I am not quite sure. The test and  the rest of the rules all seem fine but I can''t seem to wrap around what the Brigadier said in the beginning." Mako replied.


    "What was that?" Bill asked.


    "He said that the military would be recruiting everyone, weak or strong. They have never done things like that. People had to struggle to get recruited otherwise they would have to go through the alternative route which wasn''t ideal at all. It seems to me that they require more manpower." Mako theorized his suspicion.


    "Come on, Dude! The military is one of the strongest forces in the gxy. This couldn''t possibly be the reason. Maybe they are just trying to give more opportunity to people." Bill said with a tone of confidence.


    "Hmm... I guess you''re right." Mako said still unsure about it all.


    The principal made it back on the stage and approached the podium. The crowd got silenced once again as the principal made a final announcement.


    "The forms for the recruitment test will be mailed to you all in a few days, Make sure to heed the Brigadier''s warning and only apply if you are truly worthy enough to take on the challenge. Everyone over the age of eighteen is eligible to apply and any missed academic work during your test would be recovered afterward. Dismissed!" The principal concluded the speech and the students began to stand up and leave the auditorium.


    Mako was going to head to ss while Bill decided to head back to the bakery to do his shift. Leon and Enzo also left the school and headed back to the warehouse.


    Bill also had to make up an excuse for Mako for ditching today''s shift because they stayed the night at the Dark Raven base and headed to school directly in the morning which meant that he missed his night shift. Mako couldn''t even imagine Sir Derek''s wrath and was dreading the events that would take ce after school.


    Mako usually visited the bakery again in the afternoons after school to pick up Bill and the two of them walk back home together.


    "I am a dead man," Mako said to himself as he walked into his ssroom, praying that the school bell never rings.

 Chapter 73 Facing Sir Derek

    ?For the first time in his life, Mako was praying that the school bell never rang, but sure enough, the sound of Mako''s doom resounded through the halls right on time.


    Mako slowly started packing his things and made his way out of school. There was no way of getting out of this as he had to face Sir Derek at some point. He couldn''t just quit his job without even saying a proper goodbye after how well Sir Derek had treated him while others didn''t.


    "It is just a day off and no big deal right?" Mako said to himself in order to calm down, but he knew deep down that he was lying to himself.


    Mako had once witnessed the biggest and most dangerous telling-off he had ever witnessed in his entire life when one of the ex-employees who was also a student in a nearby school took two days off without permission.


    The scenes of that day and several other moments kept repeating in Mako''s head and he was not looking forward to being a part of one of these scenes. He was a lot closer to Sir Derek than the other employee and that was his blessing and a curse.


    Since he was closer to Sir Derek, he would get away with being a few minuteste or getting the recipe wrong by a bit and Sir Derek would also offer him free breakfast, but when Mako made a genuine mistake, He would get the most telling off out of any of the other employees.


    Mako viewed Sir Derek as family based on the way he had treated him for the past four years and how he was the only one who allowed a fourteen-year-old boy to work in his bakery and earn some cash to support himself.


    Mako didn''t know this but the real reason why Sir Derek actually treated him this way was that he never openly expressed his feeling to him either. Mako never actually had the courage to have a casual conversation with Sir Derek.


    Recently, Sir Derek had be a lot more friendly especially after Mako won the duel against Bill and when Bill himself interviewed for a job there. Yet, He would still yell at him if he didn''t add enough sugar to the buttercream frosting or if he overbaked the bread by a few minutes. So Mako still wasn''t quite sure what Sir Derek actually thought of him.


    In his mind, Mako viewed Sir Derek as that one mom you would see in every park. The one who findspetition in their child was having a friendly race with another child. They want their kids to excel at everything and be capable of doing everything. They force great discipline on their children and be quite scary if you mess up or let them down, but deep down that mother is the one who loves their children out of all the mothers in the park.


    Mako was quite sure that Sir Derek would fill the shoes of such a mom character quite well, but he still wasn''t sure if the love part about it all was true as well. Sir Derek could be just a business-orientated individual who would get mad if anything would happen that would affect his business other than that he was just a regr loving and caring human.


    Mako was lost in these thoughts as he walked over to the bakery and before he even realized it, he had already arrived. He stood in front of the gate and gulped hard.


    ''To think I would still be scared of facing him even after I was able to defeat 30 security guards all by myself.'' Mako said in his mind as opened the door to enter the bakery.


    He opened the door to find a simr scene to when Bill first started working at the bakery. The bakery was quite empty with only a couple of tables upied and they were mostly students looking for an after-school snack. Bill was serving 2 iced coffees to a student couple who looked like they were on a date.


    Mako approached the counter and Bill returned to greet him. Surprisingly, Sir Derek was nowhere to be seen and this was more worrying than relieving.


    Mako had a mental image of Sir Derek holding a giant stick or something in his hands and waiting near the front waiting for Mako toe and give a beating he was sure to remember. Sir Derek was quite an old-fashioned man and still believed that the best way to teach discipline was to enforce it physically.


    Of course, he wouldn''t actually beat anyone but rather a p on the cheek or on the back of the neck would do the trick, but for 14-year-old Mako who was never beaten in his life by his grandmother, it was the scariest thing in the world.


    Mako and Bill conversed with each other for a few moments and Mako was obviously trying to avoid bringing Sir Derek into the conversation until he finally realized something...


    "Huh! Don''t tell me!" Mako said after realization gave him a strong p on the neck.


    Bill broke character as he burst outughing. The truth was that Bill was ying along as he conversed with Mako trying to see how long will it take for Mako to figure it out.


    "He is in his office, waiting for you," Bill said slowly, emphasizing each word, savoring the moment as he could see the panic build up in Mako''s eyes.


    It felt as if the entire world hade crashing down on his shoulders. Bill hadn''t been around for long but he very quickly got to know about the way Sir Derek did things and Sir Derek was a major influence in his sudden change in character. Everyone knew that if an employee was called to the office, it could only mean one thing.


    ''Is he really going to fire me after just one day of ditching work?'' Mako asked himself.


    A group of five students entered the bakery and took a seat at one of the tables. Bill went over to take their order and wished Mako good luck as he was now left alone 30 feet away from the door of the office.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hello, What can I get you guys?" Bill asked politely to the students who just took their seats.


    ****************


    Mako approached the door ever so slowly. He took one final deep breath before knocking on the door.


    "COME IN," Sir Derek came from inside the room.


    Mako twisted the knob to open the door and enter the room. It was a regr-looking office with nothing noteworthy to speak of. Sir Derek was sitting on his favorite leather chair on one side of the table and he gestured for Mako to take a seat in Infront of him on the other side of the table.


    Makoplied and quietly sat down on the chair epting his fate and bracing himself for what is toe.


    "So I hear that the military was at your school today to announce the recruitment test." Sir Derek said in a rather low tone.


    "Yes Sir Derek, They just announced it this morning," Mako replied.


    "Hmm... Good. So what do you think? Are you going to apply for the test or take the alternative route?" Sir Derek asked while scratching his chin.


    Mako was not sure why Sir Derek was asking such questions but he did not want to question him right now considering the situation. He would just reply correctly to whatever he asked if that meant dying the 5-star telling-off he was about to receive.


    "I believe I have been working hard enough to try and take the test," Mako replied.


    "Oh wow! I wasn''t expecting that." Sir Derek said as he was genuinely surprised by Mako''s answer.


    "Well anyway, the reason why I called you here is that I want a favor from you, Mako." Sir Derek said in a sad tone.


    Mako did not know where this conversation was headed and he was genuinely more focused on Sir Derek''s weird behavior than his stupid punishment.


    "What is it, Sir Derek? You know I would do anything for you." Mako replied with genuine concern.


    "Ho ho! Is that so? Then why don''t you start doing double shifts from now on." Sir Derek replied.


    The look of confusion and disbelief on Mako''s was absolutely priceless and so much so that it rendered him speechless.


    Eventually, Sir Derek broke the awkward silence with a small giggle as he covered his mouth with his hands.


    "I am just kidding, I can look a bit cold-hearted at times but I do still have heart." Sir Derek said as he calmed down his giggling.


    Mako was ready to wake up from this stupid dream any second now. He even tried pinching himself but it didn''t work.


    Sir Derek quicklyposed himself before opening the drawer that was next to his table and pulling out a picture frame. He first looked at the picture frame himself for a couple of seconds before smiling and handing it over to Mako.


    "The favor I want from you is that I want you to help me find my daughter." Sir Derek revealed his request to Mako.

 Chapter 74 A Fathers Request

    ?The picture frame had a picture of a gorgeous young woman who looked to be in her early twenties. She was wearing a military uniform and was hugging Sir Derek in the photograph.


    The photograph seemed to be quite old not because it was worn or anything because the photograph was actually a disy, but rather because Sir Derek looked significantly younger in the photo. Simrly, the background of the photo resembled the bakery but many of the things such as the wallpaper were different from what they look like now.


    "Her name is Mary. Mary Hilton." Sir Derek said with a warm and graceful smile on his face.


    "She joined the military about 7 years ago and this was thest time that I ever saw her in person." Sir Derek continued but his smile slowly started to fade and his eyes began to sparkle a bit.


    Mako was still analyzing the picture and when he looked toward Sir Derek''s face, he realized the severity of the situation.


    Sir Derek was crying!


    "Hey hey hey..." Mako said as he quickly stood up from his seat and approached Sir Derek in order to console him.


    He gave him a big hug and held him in his arms for some time while Sir Derek just silently cried while looking at the photo frame.


    He eventuallyposed himself and Malo handed him a napkin. After that Mako returned back to his seat as he was now eager to know what Sir Derek meant by "Finding his daughter".


    "Tell me, Sir Derek. What did you mean when you said ''find my daughter''?" Mako asked.


    Sir Derek took a couple more seconds topose himself before taking a long sigh and saying," To understand what I am asking you to do, you must first get to know the whole story."


    "Mary lost her mother at a very young age. I had just finished my time serving in the military and was looking forward to working in my father''s bakery with my family. At that time, this part of town was quite unsafe with several gangs upying a couple of blocks and having frequent fights." Sir Derek began narrating.


    "One night, I left a bit early because I needed to run a quick errand before the store closed. I told my wife Emily to wait for me in the bakery and not leave before he returned. However, while I was gone someone decided to break into the bakery."


    "He had the fire ability and demanded my wife to give him all the money. Emily didn''t have an ability so it was useless to resist him. Sheplied with his request and gave him the money card that was attached to the payment machine."


    "The man could have just taken the money and left but he insisted that the money card that she gave him was a fake and that he will hurt her if she didn''t give him the real card. Of course, there was no other card. Emily tried to tell him that as well but he wouldn''t listen. In the end, he saw that she was not going to give him anything else, so he decided to escape but not before burning her alive.


    "By the time I arrived, It was all toote and she was already gone. The culprit waster caught and sentenced to life in prison. I wasn''t dealing with the loss too well but it was nothingpared to how 4-year-old mary felt at the time."


    "She became obsessed with abilities and wanted to be strong enough that she could face down any threat that came her way. She was at the top of every ss and was very skilled inbat. She wanted to be a strong independent woman who wouldn''t fear anything."


    "And so on her 21st birthday, she received a letter from the military that she had been epted into a special division of the military. She was so happy after hearing the news and left for the military base in the following week."


    "I heard from her every month and she would talk on and on for hours about how the training was going, how she getting stronger every day, which new missions they were going on, etc. I couldn''t be more proud of her and could say with confidence that Emily would be proud of her as well."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Everything was going well until about a year ago when Ist spoke with my daughter. She told me that she got promoted and that her team will be assigned a gctic mission on another, and that she won''t be able to stay in contact with me for some time. I was reluctant at first but wished her luck in her mission and told her to finally take a vacation after this mission ande see me."


    "She promised me that she woulde back home after the mission and that I will hear from her in 8-10 months." Sir Derek paused for a bit after saying this.


    Mako didn''t know Sir Derek''s history quite well. He didn''t know anything about his family or even that he went to the military before continuing his father''s business. After hearing the story, Mako was on the verge of crying as well as it was truly quite tragic what had happened to his wife. However, He still didn''t understand what this had to do with his daughter''s disappearance.


    "Umm, Sir Derek. If you haven''t heard from her in over a year, it could be possible that the mission was extended and that it is taking her a bit longer toe home. I am sure she is alright." Mako said trying to be optimistic.


    "Hmm, I thought so too, Mako. But then I received this..." Sir Derek said as brought out a letter from the same drawer and handed it to Mako.


    The letter had the official world military stamp and the contents basically said that during the mission on the ssified, Mary Hilton turned rouge and attacked her own team members, leaving two of them in a critical state before fleeing. Her current whereabouts were unknown and she was now ced on the gctic cklist of wanted criminals.


    Mako could not believe what he was reading as he now understood why Sir Derek was asking for his help.


    "Now you understand why I need your help." Sir Derek said in a somber tone to which Mako just nodded still shocked by what he had just read.


    "Mako, my boy. I have seen all kinds of people and I know that nothing is outside the realm of possibility. I don''t know what to think when I hear my own daughter went rogue and injured two people. I have seen people go mad with power before and her obsession with bing strong was what always scared me. I don''t want to believe it, I really don''t but what can I do when the proof is stering itself on my face?" Sir Derek said as he began to cry again.


    Mako couldn''t even begin to imagine the level of hurt that Sir Derek was going through. All he knew was that Sir Derek was there for him when he was at his lowest point and now it was his turn to pay him back for his kindness and generosity.


    "Don''t worry, Sir Derek. I understand how you feel. I will help you find your daughter." Mako said as held Sir Derek''s hands.


    "Promise me, son. Promise me I will get to see her again, alive. I don''t have anyone left except her and I don''t want to lose her too." Sir Derek said as he clenched Mako''s hand with all his strength.


    Even though Mako was strong now, he could still feel Sir Derek''s strength, and it was nothing tough about at all.


    "Don''t worry, Sir Derek. You still have me and Bill. We won''t abandon you under any circumstances and I promise you will meet your daughter again one day. I will make that happen." Mako said as these words finally made the smile reappear on Sir Derek''s face again.


    After both have then had calmed down andposed themselves, Mako still got a decent telling off for ditching work. You would think that after everything the two had gone through in the past 15 minutes would warrant a pass on the lecture, but nope. This is Sir Derek we are talking about after all.


    After some time, Sir Derek finally let go and allowed Mako to leave. This time; however, Mako was not sad or upset about the lecture. He realized that disciplining someone was Sir Derek''s coping mechanism and he observed the lighte back on his face as he lectured him for the tenth time on punctuality and responsibility.


    As Mako was about to leave the office, he said to himself in his thoughts,'' Don''t worry, Sir Derek. I will fulfill my promise to you if it is thest thing I do.''


    *Ding!*

 Chapter 75 Training Begins

    ?*Ding!*


    Mako already knew what the notification was about. The more time he has spent with the system, the more he hase to understand that the system is not some regr oldputer, but rather it is super advanced AI with intelligence so high that Mako was convinced at a time that the system was a person trapped inside of him.


    [New Quest Received]


    [Solve the mystery about the incident that took ce on Kepler and find out the truth about Mary Hilton]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Penalty: ???]


    Mako was impressed with the level of information the system was able to gather just from the conversation alone. Mako hadn''t even focused on this when he read the letter but on the very top right corner where the logo of  World Military was, it was written:


    [ World Military North Kepler Base ]


    It was almost scary that the system was able to catch such a minute detail when Mako wasn''t even paying attention to it. Mako could only count this as a blessing but inwardly he was quite weirded out about the system''s uracy.


    ************


    Mako returned back to the counter to see Bill with the wildest shocked look on his face.


    "Bro! How are you still alive?!" Bill eximed as he started grabbing Mako''s arms trying to see whether he is real or not.


    The customers in the bakery were not fond of Bill''s choice of words as everyone turned to look at them with that one eyebrow raised weirded-out look.


    "Sorry, sorry, he''s just very excited about something." Mako apologized as he dragged Bill back to the staffroom.


    "Bro, I know I have only been working here for a month but I know what hell looks and feels like. That office is in the deepest depth of hell! How did you manage to escape without so much so as even an upset face? What happened?" Bill asked Mako.


    Mako opened the locker in the staffroom and pulled out the jacket that Bill wore this morning. He threw the jacket in his face and said," I''ll exin everything along the way. Come on your shift is over and make haste, I have to visit that ce first."


    Bill understood what Mako meant as he had told him about this during their ride to school this morning. The boys quickly headed out the backdoor and were on their way back home.


    "Wait!" Mako said as he stopped Bill from taking another step by cing his hand on his chest.


    "Wanna race?" Mako said with a devious smile.


    "Oh? What are we twelve?!" Bill mocked Mako before also releasing his own mischievous grin.


    "You''re on!" Bill said as he quickly took a starting position.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Without giving any warning, Mako sted off toward their destination leaving Bill in the dust.


    "Oh, he did not just do that!" Bill shouted as he began sprinting at his top speed as well.


    **********


    The boys could be seen panting beside a fence of what looked like a park. They were standing right next to the hole that led to the cemetery and catching their breath before going inside.


    "Ha ha! I won!" Mako said as he made a gesture of triumph with his hand.


    "Nah, Dude! You and I both know that you cheated!" Bill said as he was clearly salty about the headstart that Mako got.


    ''Heh, I cheated in more ways than one." Mako said in his thoughts as he agreed with Bill. He did in fact cheat, not just by gaining a headstart but by also using a skill to boost speed.


    The two boys got into a small friendly argument over what qualifies as cheating and that when Bill said "you''re on!" it meant that the race had begun. Passersby who were taking a stroll through the park could only shoot out weird looks to the boys who didn''t even acknowledge their existence.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After some back and forth, Mako agreed to a rematch the following day. With that beef settled, for now, Mako and Bill made their way toward the oak tree where Amy Grey''s gravestone was.


    While walking toward the graveyard, Bill asked Mako again about what happened with Sir Derek and he just gave a summarised story of what had happened in the office. He decided to not include Mary in the conversation because he didn''t want to put an additional burden on Bill when he had his own family problems to fix.


    The tension in the air calmed down and nature dominated the entire scene. It felt as if the blowing wind was going through their body as both boys started feeling refreshed. They had forgotten about their little quarrelpletely as Bill stood still a few feet away from the grave while Mako approached it.


    He cleaned it as usual and reced the flowers with brand-new ones. He started to silently say something which Bill believed to be some kind of prayer. He just watched silently as Mako spoke to his grandmother.


    ''Gran-Gran I did it! I became strong and I am trying my best to help loads of people. I am even going to take part in the military test, and this time it won''t take too long since there is only going to be one test. I wille to visit you again as soon as I can. Please watch over me in my battles toe and guide me to make the right choices.''


    ''I really am going try and bring honor to our family name, I will find out the entire truth about what happened with great-grandfather Lionel, and I will try to make you proud by fulfilling your wish.''


    ''I am leaving, for now, Gran-Gran, you won''t have to wait long! I wille to visit you again as soon as I can.'' Mako finished his small conversation and wiped away his tears.


    The two boys casually walked back to the house as both of them didn''t want to exert any more energy and were starving. They made it back home and Mako decided that he was going to order them some food.


    "Dude, you gotta be careful. We don''t have that much money left. After buying those chests full of items and explosives from Paul, we are running seriously low on cash right now." Bill warned Mako as they couldn''t afford the luxurious lifestyle forever, and that it was better to manage their money.


    "Don''t you worry about that, I was just about to talk to you about that. I have a n." Mako said as he took a seat on the couch adjacent to Bill.


    While the food they ordered was being delivered to them, Mako went through the entire n that he had thought of in preparation for the military test.


    First of all, starting tomorrow, Mako was going to make Bill do the exact same tasks that he was going to do for the daily tasks so that they could both improve at a reasonable pace. Mako disguised this routine as a training regiment he found online some time ago that was made for ability users and that it promised results in two weeks, exactly how much they had.


    Secondly, Mako and Bill were going to have daily skirmishes with each other to improve their fighting skill which Mako was still not excellent at and to also increase the level of some of their skills so that they are as strong as can be the test.


    Lastly, there were a total of 4 different fights that were going to take ce doing the 2 weeks, and Paul had arranged for them to participate in them with the condition that he would receive 25% of both of their earnings.


    The schedule was indeed tough and there was hardly any time for rest or breaks, but they had to push through these two weeks to make sure they will be ready for the test.


    [Knock Knock]


    There was a knock on the door and Bill answered. It was the delivery boy with their takeout order.


    "Okay, I have 5 Large Italian Pizzas, 3 orders ofrge Lobster Mac n Cheese, 4 orders of Carne asada fries, 10 boxes of Fried rice, 6 Milkshakes, and a Pumpkin pie. Your total is 274 Credits." The delivery boy said as he announced the entire order that Mako had ordered without consulting Bill.


    Bill could only stare at the boy''s face and therge pile of food that he was surprisingly holding steady in his hands which didn''t look anywhere close to supporting that kind of weight.


    Bill''s staring was making the entire interaction awkward and Mako had to quickly jump in before things escted too much and Bill blow out a fuse or something.


    "I gotcha, You can pay next time," Mako said without a hint of shame in his tone or gesture. He proceeded to pay for the bill using his own money card and carried the huge bag of food inside and ced it on the kitchen counter.


    "Are you insane!!" Bill shouted as soon as he realized what had just transpired in front of his eyes.


    "Dude, chill. This is not for just tonight. I know you can eat a lot but even you can''t eat this much." Mako said as he was still in the mood of teasing Bill.


    Bill couldn''t take it anymore he started throwing his hands toward Mako. Of course, he wasn''t using any strength behind it as he knew Mako was just messing around and wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine.


    ***********


    Mako took out a slice of some really good pizza while Bill was stuffing his face full of lobster Mac n Cheese. The boys were having dinner while simultaneously trying toe up with a better roast for one another.


    Mako had purposefully ordered extra food so that they would be set for at least a week and won''t have to worry about it anymore.


    Starting tomorrow, training begins!

 Chapter 76 Amazing Results

    ?[Two Weeks Later]


    Two weeks flew by so fast that the boys didn''t even realize that tomorrow, the military was going to present in the school and they will transport them to the test site which in this case was a man-made ind.


    Over the two weeks, Mako decided to research where the ind might be, but he came up with nothing as all "man-made" inds were those where rich people had built their mansions and resorts and were not a threatening ce at all. The only logical idea, that Mako coulde up with is that it was somewhere that restricted territory and not avable to the public.


    Mako was quite annoyed that his research skills were failing him here but what could he do when he was going up against the military? Of course, they would take the necessary steps to ensure that nobody got an unfair advantage and information was one of them.


    Mako decided to ept that it was a lost cause and rather started to do research regarding some skills that might help him and Bill both survive on the ind for who knows how long.


    He got to know a lot of interesting stuff from a lot of very old sources as people really didn''t need survival training or learn how to purify water. Humanity was not as technologically advanced overall as was predicted for their time, but they had progressed far enough that it was highly unlikely that someone was to find himself in a survival situation.


    Mako learned about how to purify water because neither he nor Bill had the water ability which would make this a piece of cake to do. The water ability was the weakest out of the 5 elemental abilities simply because the user was powerless if they weren''t near a source of water, but on the bright side it was one of the easiest abilities to learn which is why many people opted to learn it.


    Next, He also learned to build shelters but that one was less important since Bill could make a shelter out of stone. He learned how to find north which could help him keep track of direction to make sure they would never miss andmark or get lost.


    During the weekend of the first week, Mako and Bill received the application form for the recruitment test which they filled out and sent back on the same day. The application form had all the rules printed on it and it clearly stated that the participants were not allowed to bring any pills or provisions of any kind or else they will be immediately disqualified.


    Mako could bypass this with his inventory as he could store packed food and pills so that he wouldn''t have to care about going hungry or being hurt. However, Mako wasn''t in this test alone, he had Bill and also Leon to look after and he couldn''t share with them any of the things he stored in his inventory because it will raise suspicion and expose his system which he didn''t want.


    He also couldn''t leave his friends to stay hungry and hurt while he enjoyed the benefits of his system, which is why Mako decided that he won''t use his inventory during the duration of this test and rely on his own ability and skills to seed and go to the military camp with his friends.


    During the two weeks, Mako put Bill through the same physical training as him which was set by the daily quests and they also sparred with one another trying to improve their fighting and skills.


    Mako and Bill split up the four total fights that took ce at that time so that each guy participated in two fights. They were able to win without too much trouble since all the fights were not high-level ones and were capped at level 4 ability users only. Mako could stand toe to toe with a level 4 ability user with rtive ease and Bill was the same with his three abilities giving more versatility and a variety of skills.


    They were able to make a decent buck off the fights and were able to go on onest shopping spree before the day finally arrived. However, this shopping session was much more controlled with each guy only purchasing one or two items.


    Mako decided that he wanted a piece of armor as well. He decided to purchase some arm guards and a fire ability skill book that caught his attention. Bill, on the other hand, was searching for a sand ability skill book for quite some time and finally, he was able to find something that he could afford and use.


    [High Tier Red Lizard Scale Arm Guard] ?


    [An arm guard forged from the crystal and scales of a Red Lizard found in (Unknown). A decent quality piece of armor forged by (Unknown)]


    [Fortitude +20]


    [Agility +5]


    [Defense: 60]


    [Passive skill: Blood Boost] ?


    [Blood Boost: When the arm guardse into contact with blood, The user receives a 5% boost in all stats as long as the blood remains fresh on the arm guards. Once the blood is wiped off or dried up, the boost will remain active for one minute before deactivating.]


    [Once the passive skill has been used as no new blood is supplied, the skill goes on a cooldown timer of 120 minutes.]


    (New!) Ability Skill Book: [(D-Tier) me Bullet] ? (LEVEL 1)<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [A decent attack from the Fire Elemental Skill Tree, that shoots smallpact, and powerful bullets of fire at the target. To activate the skill, the user has to concentrate and condense their fire aura down to their fingertips. Once a sufficient amount of aura is condensed, the user can shoot out the fire bullets. Depending on how much aura is concentrated, the bullets can be more powerful, prate more, and deal more damage.]


    [CAUTION: This is a highly risky skill as there is no limit to how much aura you condense into your fingertips. If the aura bes too much for the user to handle the bullets can explode, and deal harm to the user.]


    [Attack: Base: 120, Max: 200]


    [Requirements: 40 Fortitude]


    [Cost: Base: 350, Max: 600]


    They were both great items as now Mako owned two power items and each held its own passive skill. Blood boost was quite nice and handy to have especially in a life-or-death situation where blood is easy toe by.


    Secondly, he finally got his first usable D-tier ability skill, but this had a huge drawback to it as well. Mako had to experiment with how much aura he could condense in his fingers at his current stage because hurting himself during the test would be a massive blunder and might even cost them their opportunity.


    For thest few days, Mako was doing just that, he was trying to gauge how much firepower he couldfortably produce without it backfiring on him.


    Bill on the other hand was also working on a skill. He searched for several hours before he was able to find a low-tier sand ability skill but now he had learned it.


    Ability Skill Book: [(E-Tier) Sand Spikes] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A basic attack from the Sand Elemental Skill Tree, that shoots out spikes made of solidified sand from the ground toward the target. To activate the skill, the user has to concentrate the sand aura on their feet. Once the target has been selected by the user, spikes of sand will erupt from the ground beneath their feet and they will keep erupting where ever the target goes.]


    [The user doesn''t have to touch the ground with their hands in order to activate the skill. The skill will remain active for 10 seconds and will automatically keep following the target.]


    [Attack: 25 per spike]


    [Cost: 150 Energy]


    Bill got a simr skill to the one he already had under the Earth Elemental skill tree which was Stone Spikes, but this was a far more advanced version of that skill.


    Firstly, Stone Spikes caused Bill to be in an awkward position where he had to touch the ground with his hands for a couple of seconds for the skill to activate, and then the opponent could easily move from their original position making the Spikes ineffective as they could be easily dodged.


    The Sand Spikes didn''t have this kind of requirement as the opponent won''t even realize that Bill was charging up an attack secondly, the Sand Spikes had the homing quality where they would chase the opponent down for the duration of the skill.


    Both Mako and Bill were using theirst day to perfect their new skills and upgrade any that were on the verge of moving to the next level.


    Admittedly, eating leftover food daily was not the most healthy choice and both Mako and Bill were bing quite sick of eating takeout. So as to reward themselves, Mako decided to whip up an Indian-style feast which was a nice change of pace.


    Bill was stuffing his face full of delicious Biryani, Potato Cutlets, and Samosas. Both boys decided that it was best to take it easy and so they didn''t practice in the evening and allowed their bodies to recover from being overworked so much.


    "I think we are as ready as we''ll ever be, I just hope that we will be able to secure a position in the top two hundred," Mako said as the feast wasing to an end.


    "Don''t worry, It will be alright. As how my father used to say, Hard work always pays off." Bill as he boosted both of their morales.


    Tomorrow, the Recruitment Test begins!

 Chapter 77 Arriving At The Military Hanger

    ?Mako and Bill both went to bed early and got some well-earned sleep. The next came by in a sh and this time, both Mako and Bill would walk to school together. They already asked for leave from Sir Derek so they won''t be in trouble this time.


    Everything was feeling so much more lively today as emotions were running high and the nerves were already getting to them slightly. Mako used the same route that he always uses and greeted all the shopkeepers on Bird''s eye street. He even received a special fist bump and pat on the back from Gary who said that he would throw him and Bill a feast if they managed to pass the test.


    They walked at a fast pace and arrived at school early. It was weird for both boys to be the only ones sitting in the ssroom. Bill was alwayste to ss while Mako barely made it on time after finishing his shift at the bakery.


    Mako was ying around with his system and checking the daily items in the shop to be disappointed as usual. Mako had finally found a solution to his real-life money problem which was fighting, but now the system was making him feel poor again with the number of coins disyed in his profile tab.


    Bill decided that it would be best for him to get some more sleep so that he could be as energized as possible for when the militarye.


    As time went on, more and more students started toe to ss. Mako pretended to be asleep as well so that he won''t have to repeat the same thing that happened when they came to school with Leon.


    This didn''t stop the students from gossiping as this was the first time in nearly two months that Bill hade to school and on top of it all he was sitting next to Mako Grey. Bill was too deep in his sleep to even be affected by all the chitter chatter, while Mako tried his best to not get pissed off at thements that kept flying at him with no end.


    Most of the students had left Mako alone, ever since Mako had defeated Bill during the duel and the few that still tried their luck were shut down quickly. The news about Mako burning the most popr kid''s hair had spread like wildfire and was still the hottest topic to talk about.


    *Ring!* *Ring!* *Ring!*


    The bell rang shortly after and after the appearance of the teacher, the gossip finally stopped. Mako thanked his lucky stars for ending the torture and he opened his eyes. Bill was still fast asleep and was even starting to snore a bit. Mako reached toward his desk and gave him a tight p on the back of his neck.


    "Zzzz..."


    *Smack!*


    "Uh... I up! I''m up!" Bill promptly shouted as he stood up from his seat.


    The entire ss startedughing to which Bill just awkwardly rubbed the back of his head while apologizing to the teacher and sitting down.


    All the students and even the teacher hadn''t seen Bill recently and they knew that he and Mako had be friends from the hair-burning incident, but still they were expecting Bill to lose it and start a fight right there in the ssroom. Bill''s actions had truly shocked everyone and it took them a couple of moments to process what just happened.


    The teacher coughed to break the awkward silence and started the day with some assignments. He first announced that the military personnel would be here shortly and all the students who took part in the test would be escorted to the transport vehicle.


    Secondly, he announced that if the students were able to clear the recruitment test, they won''t have to appear in the final exams and instead would be moved to the military base during that time.


    He had some other smaller announcements which weren''t that important and ended it by wishing all the participating students good luck.


    Just as the teacher was finished with the announcements a man wearing the same outfit as Brigadier Jones knocked on the door and asked for permission from the teacher before entering the ssroom.


    The man had very few medals on his coatpared to Brigadier Jones which meant that he was of lower status than him. He had a file in his hands from which he started to call out the names of the students that were taking part in the test.


    Surprisingly, only two names were called out and the two boys proceeded to stand up from their seats and walked over to greet the man. They quickly shook hands and the man escorted them out of the school and into a bus that was parked in the parking lot. There were some students already on the bus with more arriving as well.


    Mako and Bill took a seat together on the bus and waited for the bus to be full of participants.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The bus was full of students very quickly but surprisingly, there wasn''t much talking going on. Everyone started to feel a bit nervous and wasn''t in the best mood or environment to have a general discussion.


    The same man that escorted Mako and Bill to the bus, came into the bus to address all the students.


    "Okay, Everyone. The participants have all taken their seats on the bus and we will be departing shortly. Please keep in mind that the destination is quite far and will take some time to reach. For security reasons, we will administer sleeping gas so that you all remain unconscious during the journey and the location of our destination will remain anonymous." The man announced.


    Before even waiting a single second, the man quickly exited the vehicle as soon as he was finished with his little speech. The door of the bus was closed soon after and a hissing sound started toe from the vents in the bus.


    Immediately, the participants started falling asleep before they even got the chance to argue or retaliate. Bill was one of the first students to be knocked out by the sleeping gas while Mako was presented with a prompt in front of his eyes; one that he hadn''t seen in a while.


    *DING!*


    [Invasive Substance Detected]


    [Does the user want to nullify the effects?]


    [YES/NO]


    Mako couldn''t select ''YES'' because then the system would neutralize the sleeping gas and will make it so that he won''t fall asleep which would attract a lot of unwanted attention and suspicion from the military which Mako didn''t want.


    ''NO!'' Makomanded the system and soon he started to feel drowsy as well. He was one of thest students to fall asleep and soon the bus started to move toward the destination.


    **************


    Mako had no idea how much time had passed since they had been knocked out, but when they woke up, a man wearing camouge pants and a simple green shirt was waiting for them at the front of the bus. One by one everyone started waking up and the man told them that he was their instructor and he wanted them to exit the vehicle in a single file.


    Everyone listened to the instructions and exited the bus. It looked like they were in a sort of hangar or a massive warehouse judging from the design of the building they were in but they couldn''t say for sure.


    The instructor led them to one corner of the open building where there were many small rooms built next to each other. The instructor made the group split into two different groups, one group of boys and the other of girls. A female instructor came to lead the girls to the right while the male instructor ordered all the boys to follow him to the left.


    The instructor exined that these were changing rooms. Each changing room will have a kit inside it with a uniform for them and several other things. They were instructed to change and meet back at the bus in fifteen minutes.


    Mako went into the room with his name on it and found the kit ced on the bench inside. The kit had his military uniform, a backpack in which they could store all the things that were provided to them and the things they brought from home, and some basic survival supplies such as a water bottle, rope, etc.


    He quickly changed into his uniform which was the same camouge pants and a button-up camouge shirt. He ced all his items in the back before wearing them and exiting the changing room. He made it back to the bus right on time and stood right next to Bill.


    The instructor came back to the group and ordered them to form several single file lines. Once all the students were in single-file lines, he ordered them to follow him to the debriefing room. He exined that they would get debriefed about their test and that the test will begin in T-minus 2 hours.


    The group was led to a giant auditorium where other participants were also present. They all got mixed in together to form a crowd and were waiting for the Brigadier to start debriefing the test.

 Chapter 78 Debriefing (Part 1)

    ?After a few minutes of waiting around, a loud noise resounded from the auditorium that emanated from the main stage.


    "QUIET!!!!"


    A man was standing on the stage, and he was sessful in capturing all the participant''s attention. After all the participants had their eyes focused on the stage, the man stepped off the podium and Brigadier Jones could be seen walking up the stage.


    He reached the podium and, without dy, began debriefing the participants about the test.


    "Good Morning, Everyone! I hope you all had a safe and secure journeying here. Y..." The Brigadier addressed the crowd of participants but was rudely cut off before he could continue.


    A boy from the crowd voiced his opinions about the unique method they used to transport them all here. The boy had multiple piercings on his face and a very thinyer of blonde hair on his head. He looked more like a street thug than a military participant, but there was no distinction here based on looks. The military only wanted soldiers and that''s what they were getting.


    "You guys knocked us out without our consent and you expect us to just y along when you say that we had a safe and secure journey!?" The boy said with a tone full of anger and hatred.


    The Brigadier and the other military staff didn''t react to thement like everyone thought they would, instead they didn''t react at all.


    Brigadier Jones just sighed as if to show that he had dealt with this kind of response several times.


    "Unfortunately for you, Mr. Wesley, there is nothing you can do about it. We have strict rules and regtions which are constantly updated and improved so that no mishaps can happen. Regarding your concern, there have been cases of rouge terrorists using their children to find our base''s location which can not be allowed." Brigadier Jones gave a solid response to the boy''s argument.


    The boy himself was quite taken aback by how the Brigadier dealt with him and that he even knew his name which was not expected at all.


    "Moving on... As I was saying, you have all been transported into one of our smaller air bases where you will board a ne that will take you to the test site. Please listen carefully from now on and avoid interrupting me while I am giving you this debrief. Keep your questions to yourself and you may ask them after the session is over." The Brigadier continued with his speech.


    The participants didn''t know whether the Brigadier just released his aura or what, but they suddenly got a very uneasy feeling and could instinctively tell that speaking out now could get them in big trouble. They all understood that it was for the best to just keep their mouth shut.


    There was a big screen behind the Brigadier and it started to disy the image of a lush and beautiful ind. It seemed to be located in a tropical region with lush rainforests, and pristine white-sand beaches.


    Deeper on the ind, the terrain was filled with rugged mountains, deep valleys, and winding rivers. At the heart of the ind, was a massive mountain that was so tall that it almost touched the clouds with several mountains with smaller heights surrounding it.


    There were other small details that couldn''t be made out quite well such as a few dark spots that looked like caves and a few areas where the light was being reflected which could mean a flowing source of water such as a river or waterfall.


    "This is going to be your arena. This ind is man-made by one of our Grandmaster rank officers and has many mysteries for you to discover. You will stay on this ind for a total of 15 days and will have to survive in order to pass the test."


    "In case, your life is endangered in any way or you receive life-threatening injuries, you will be removed from the arena by the patrolling officers who will remain out of sight until they deem it necessary to intervene."


    "If you are prematurely removed from the test, you will be disqualified and won''t receive a score at the end of the test. You can still join the military using the alternative route and the terms of mandatory service hours still apply."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "There are no rules in terms of forming alliances or making enemies. Remember, that we will keep track of all your battles and keep score of the ones you win and lose. These scores and many other factors such as your survival skills, problem-solving ability, and strategy will contribute toward your final score which will determine which ss you will end up in."


    After telling all the participants about the general rules, two men came up on stage carrying a table with a cloth over it so that nobody could peek at the content hidden underneath. The men ced the table on the stage and gave a small bow with their heads to the Brigadier before leaving.


    Brigadier Jones lifted the piece of cloth to reveal three items that were ced on the table. The first one looked like a futuristic box that had a rectangr capsule-like shape.


    "This is a loot crate. They will be hidden all over the map for you all to find. They can contain random items such as survival gadgets, healing pills, weapons, etc. Since we allowed you all to bring things such as weapons and armor, this will even out the ying field for others a bit as they will have a better chance at surviving the test."


    Next, he moved on to what looked like a generic holographic tablet. It had the same metal casing and a ss body with the disy being augmented into the ss.


    "This is an information tablet. These tablets will also be attached all over the ind in different ces but they will be in in sight and can be spotted easily. The tablets will disy all the useful information about the events that are urring on the ind. Day and time, weather conditions, etc. Other than that, any announcements that have to be made by us during the test will be disyed on these tablets."


    "Additionally, any fight that urs between you all will be updated on the tablet like a battle log so everyone could know who is winning against who. There is also a dueling function integrated inside the tablet. One of the rarest things that you can find in the loot crate is a pin code."


    "This pin code when entered into the tablet will allow you to set a duel against anyone avable on the ind and set the location of the fight as well. If your opponent fails to show up, you will be awarded heavily with points while points will be deducted from the opponent. Simrly, if you conduct any foul y during the duel, your points will suffer the same fate."


    "And it goes without saying that purposefully damaging the tablets or the loot crates will be recorded and will cause a deduction in your points."


    The tablets turned out to be quite useful as they had a variety of functions. Mako knew that he would always have to be around one of these tablets as they provided one of the greatest resources of all and that was information. Information that coulde in handy in several different ways, either be it to avoid something disastrous or n a trap for something else.


    Lastly, the Brigadier moved on to a backpack that looked identical to what they were all carrying on their backs and that was exactly what it was. Brigadier Jones opened it up and took out everything one by one and exined the function of each and everything but this wasn''t any rocket science as everything was easy to understand.


    It was important to note that the participants did not receive any of the readily avable gadgets such as a portable instant tent, water purifying tablets, fire starters, etc. They specifically made it so that the participants had to use their brains and abilities in such a way that they could cover all their basic needs such as shelter, water, and... food.


    FOOD!


    What were they going to eat!? It looked like the Brigadier had skipped over one of the biggest factors that were supposed to keep them alive.


    As if the Brigadier could read minds, he transitioned his speech so that the next topic to talk about was provisions.


    "As for basic survival needs, you all have to figure out these things yourself. There are plenty of freshwater sources on the ind and wild nts and animals also inhabit thend. Some are okay to eat while others are not so much. The same goes for your shelter as well. You have to find or construct your own shelter."


    After exining to the participants that they were basically on their own to find food, water, and shelter and that they would be receiving no help in this as this was to test their survival and adaptability skills, the Brigadier''s face changed expression very quickly as now he had a serious and intimidating expression on his face.


    "Now that I have told you all about the basics and perks of the test, let me tell you all about the dangers as well."

 Chapter 79 Debriefing (Part 2)

    ?The entire auditorium fell silent as thest words said by Brigadier Jones were the real deal. This was what made the whole thing a test in the first ce.


    The same two guys that carried the table up on stage were now carrying a trunk and ced it on the table. They again bowed their heads before leaving the stage once more.


    Brigadier Jones opened the two locks on the trunk and opened the lid. He reached his hand inside and pulled out a small semi-smooth spherical-looking crystal. He raised his arm up in the air so that everyone could see what he was holding.


    "For those of you who know, and those that don''t, this is a power crystal." The Brigadier announced.


    The whole crowd of students instantly became quite interested in the crystal and their eyes became glued to the crystal. Some of them had heard of this special resource which was used to create Power weapons and armor while some had only heard myths.


    Mako was one of thetter as he had only heard myths and conspiracy theories about how these weapons were created, but heter learned from the system about the actual truth.


    Nobody had actually seen one in person and were quite intrigued about the thing that created their weapons.


    "A Power crystal is found inside every beast that has the ability to manipte mana to use abilities. Once the beast is in, we extract the crystal from their bodies and use them for a variety of different things that you will learn in military school. We have the same grading of beasts as we have for weapons and items."


    "For example, This crystal in my hand is a Medium Tier crystal and it came from this beast." The Brigadier announced and pointed toward the big screen behind him.


    The image on the screen changed from disying the ind to a red-colored chimpanzee but its color was not the only thing odd as instead of a single tail, it had 3 tails and the ends were pointy instead of round.


    The screen then started to disy a wide variety of different beasts. They were in all sizes and colors, some were big while others were small, and some resembled animals on earth while others lookedpletely alien.


    The list went on for around three minutes and Brigadier Jones kept quiet throughout the entire thing. Once the slideshow of different beasts was over, the Brigadier then turned back toward the students.


    "All of the beasts that you just saw have upied the ind and will fight to protect their domain. They range from Low-Tier to High-Tier and each has different characteristics and instincts. You have been provided with a manual in your backpacks with information about all the existing beasts on the ind so that you don''t go inpletely blind."


    "Remember, if you manage to y a beast; never eat its meat. Beasts that are able to use abilities have different mutations which make their blood turn blue. The meat is poisonous and nothing on the ind can help you if you get poisoned."


    "Secondly, also make sure to harvest the crystal of any beast you y. The military will not take away any of the crystals that you are able to collect during the test and you will be allowed to keep them. You will learn a lot more about Power crystals and beasts when you are admitted into the military school, so save your questions for your homeroom teacher."


    "In addition to that, any loot you obtain from a loot crate or any other source, you are allowed to keep as they will all aid you more in the future."


    After exining all the points to the participants, the screen turned off and the Brigadier had a smile on his face.


    "From this day forth, you all have been given the rank of cadet. I hope to see you all grow into powerful individuals who far surpass even me and be capable of defending our home against any threat and bringing peace to the world."


    "You may all leave the auditorium and head toward the dining hall where you will be served your breakfast. You all must be hungry after traveling for almost 18 hours. Once you are finished with your breakfast, the instructors will lead you toward the ne which you will board and use to reach the ind at around noon "Brigadier Jones said as he concluded his speech and left the stage.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The weird aura that was suppressing everyone was lifted and the crowd of students instantly started to chatter amongst each other regarding the things that Brigadier Jones spoke of. It was hard to make out what anyone was saying and Mako was just trying to get a hold of Bill in the chaos.


    The man with the loud voice came back on stage and used his loud voice again to get everyone''s attention. He started announcing the directions to the dining hall and ordering the cadets to start heading there.


    Mako was happy to leave the area as the sound was bing a bit too much. He grabbed Bill by his arm and basically dragged him out of the giant auditorium through arge crowd of cadets. They arrived at the dining hall early and were able to take a seat in a secluded corner of the dining hall.


    The dining hall had arge buffet with a self-serve system where the cadets had to fill up their tes themselves with what they wanted to eat. Mako and Bill took a strategic approach as they filled up two to three tes each with mostly protein and fiber foods. They skipped the carbs as they would only fill their stomach without giving any real nutrition.


    They loaded up as much as they thought they could eat and took their seat so that they won''t have to get up again. While eating, Mako and Bill discussed several main points rted to the Brigadier''s speech as they were trying toe up with a strategy on how to pass the test, and not only pass it but rather ace it.


    They knew that they couldn''t just use Bill''s Earth ability to create a shelter and cower away in it until the 15 days were over. They had to participate in battles so that they would receive a good score and on top of that, the Brigadier also said that anything they find on the ind they could keep so they had to try their best to loot as many crates as possible and hunt as many beasts as possible so that they would have a lot of resources to work with when they go to military school.


    Mako pulled out a map of the ind from his backpack and started to look at potential spots where they could go and set up camp. If they were going to survive 15 days on the ind they had to have a main base on the ind; somewhere they could retreat to if things went south.


    Calcting the number of calories they were consuming, Mako predicted that they could fight at peak strength for two to three days max without any food, given that they don''t run into any big fights during that time. It was crucial for them to figure out all their basic needs in the next two days so that won''t have to worry about it and focus on earning the most points.


    In the end, Mako came up with three possible locations. Each had a source of fresh water nearby and was rtively close to the shore which meant that no string beasts would be around those areas. Each area had a tablet close by so that they could easily get information and all three areas were in specific locations where there were only a limited number of ways for going in and out; handy for setting traps.


    The only problem now was that Mako had no idea where they wouldnd on the ind and how the military was going to spread them out. He couldn''t really know for sure what the military''s n was about this so he decided to cross that bridge when hees to it.


    Both boys were so absorbed in the delicious food and their strategies that they didn''t even notice how much time had flown by and how crowded the dining room had be.


    Soon the instructors arrived and announced that all cadets must report back to their original bus in ten minutes and from there they will lead them to where they were going to board the ne.


    **************


    [60 minutester]


    Everyone had boarded the ne which was humongous in size and painted ck all over. Each wing had 4 engines underneath it and these were far more advanced turbine engines that could produce a lot more thrust than the generic engines of the olden era. Soon the ne departed from the air base and they quickly reached cruising altitude and were on their way to the ind.


    Halfway through the flight, military personnel started walking down the aisle carrying a very long trolly and handing everyone a small circr disk. They eventually reached Mako and handed him the device as well.


    Mako asked the man what was this for, to which the man replied that this was a retractable glider and that Mako had to use this to safelynd on the ind once he jumped out of the ne.


    "Oh, okay... Wait? WHAT! DID YOU SAY JUMP!?" Mako eximed after receiving this shocking piece of information.

 Chapter 80 Fear

    ?The other participants who received the disk before Mako didn''t really ask about what it was since they assumed it would be exined to them like everything else that came before it. However, after hearing Mako shriek about "jumping", many participants started having concerns as to what the military was about to make them do.


    Just then the speakers on the ne turned on and the voice of an unfamiliar man who was most likely in charge of the ne sounded throughout the cabin.


    "Cadets please remain calm. Once the officers are finished handing out the disks, an instructional video will be yed on the screens in front of you which will resolve any of your queries." The man said through the speaker.


    The officers continued handing out the disks to the rest of the cadets and they all patiently waited for the video to y which was going to exin to them the purpose of these disks.


    Well... Almost everyone.


    Mako was not having any of it, he was shaking all over and looked like he was about to pee his pants. Bill who was sitting beside him had to hold him down and keep his mouth shut or else he would have thrown a tantrum like a toddler.


    Soon all the disks were distributed and as promised the screens in front of them turned on and a video started ying.


    In the video, an unknown man wearing the same military uniform as Brigadier Jones but with fewer medals started exining some of the features of the ne. They didn''t touch all the areas of the ne nor went into much depth, it just gave a general description of some of the parts of the ne, and in the end, the man mentioned something about an eject feature.


    He went on to exin that the ne was a specially designed aircraft with one of the features being that it could manually eject each seat on the aircraft individually. This caused a lot of distress among the cadets as they didn''t really understand what they meant by eject.


    The video continued and the background transitioned to the map of the ind they were going to. The man appeared again and said that there were a total of 8 aircraft that are headed toward the ind; each carrying roughly the same amount of cadets. Mako and all the cadets he was present in the auditorium were on board ne number 3.


    The video showed the animation of 8 different nesing near the ind at different angles and flying over itpletely and then leaving without evernding. The nes were highlighted in red and as soon as they came within the proximity of the ind, they turned green. They soon turned red again as soon as they left the vicinity of the ind.


    The man in the video exined that during the time that the ne was highlighted as green, you are to eject yourself off the ne and using the glider,nd safely on the ind. He exined that there was a big red button under everyone''s seat which was currently deactivated. Once it bes active, they were to press the button in order to eject themselves from the ne.


    The video continued by showing a demonstration of how a person was to eject themselves and sessfully deploy the glider mid-air by through the disk in the air which extended into a life-size glider for the person to hold onto and glide safely onnd.


    The video concluded with the man wishing them good luck and giving them a warning. He warned the cadets that if they failed to eject themselves during the time that the ne would be green, they would be immediately disqualified from the test and won''t even receive the alternative option to enter the military school.


    An eerie silence settled on the cabin as everyone was still processing the new information. However, it was only the calm before the storm. Soon angry shouts and cries started to erupt everywhere as many of the cadets that were on board were scared of what the military was making them do.


    Mako was no exception as he joined in on the crying and shouting thinking the noise would have an effect on the military personnel on board but it all fell on deaf ears; literally, the cabin was made soundproof so that no noise was able to escape outside.


    The cadets were afraid to do what the military was asking them to do because this was not what they had expected. Most cadets only had basicbat training and decent ability, which was why they thought that they could apply for the test and skip thepulsory duty that others who had chosen the alternative option had to do.


    They believed that it would be simr to the duels they held at school, where they would just have to fight against another opponent and prove to be strong enough to be admitted to the military school. They were already quite tense when they learned that they had to survive on a monster-infested ind for 15 days and now the military was asking them to do such extreme stunts from the getgo.


    The military had intentionally made it this way as this was part of the test. They were not interested in recruiting just muscle, they wanted soldiers who had great mental strength as well as other qualities that this test would find out about them. Facing one''s fear head-on and conquering them was a sign of great mental strength.


    This was why the military had used such amon fear that most people had; the fear of heights. If the cadets weren''t able to bring themselves to eject, they would be disqualified and sent back home with a time penalty during which they won''t be able to apply again. If they were sessful in ejecting themselves and making it safely to the ind, they would already receive a lot of points while those who failed tond will be rescued by the patrolling guards and will also be disqualified.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After about half an hour of useless crying and shouting, they realized that it won''t matter. Either they fail the test before it even began or risk their lives at the very start of the test.


    Mako was one of these cadets as he was having a full-on mental breakdown as he didn''t like nor wanted to choose either option. Tears had actually started to form in his eyes as he was about to ept his fate that he won''t make it in the military without even getting into the arena. It was beyond shameful for him but what could he do, there was no way he would eject from this height, right?


    *SMACK!*


    Mako was knocked down to the ground by a solid punch straight to the face. Mako held his cheek as he slowly started to get back up and see who had punched him.


    "Bill? What the hell do you think you are doing?!" Mako shouted as he looked up to see that Bill was the one that had punched him.


    "ME?! What do you think YOU are doing?! Look at yourself!" Bill replied.


    "I can''t believe you decided to quit aftering this far. Have you forgotten all that you went through just to be here and you''re quitting already?" Bill said.


    The cadets nearby had noticed what was going on and were starting to pile around to see what all the fuss was about.


    "What do you expect me to do!? That''s exactly the point. I can''t gamble my life away aftering so far, You can''t believe for certain that even if I eject that I will be able to make it on the ground safely." Mako argued his case.


    Seeing the crowd of cadets gathering, Bill didn''t want to expose anything to strangers and possiblye off to them as weak which would be a major liability if they were to be enemies in the arena.


    Bill walked toward Mako and without any hesitation gave him a big hug. Everyone, including Mako, was confused as to what was going on. Bill finished his hug and pulled Mako to one corner of the cabin where they could talk in private.


    Mako kept saying that he didn''t want to risk his life and that it was better for him to just quit now. Bill had to think of something to convince Mako as they were about to reach the ind and the time duration for ejecting would begin.


    "Listen, Mako, I know you are scared. Everyone has fears, it is natural to be afraid. There is no shame in that, but are you really going to abandon me alone on that ind? What about the promise you made to me? What about the promise you made to your grandmother? Do you think she would be proud of Mako Grey if she found out that he chickened out before the test even began? How are you going to bring peace when you can''t even face your own fear?" Bill asked Mako in a very serious tone.


    Guilt!


    This was the only tactic that Bill could use if he wanted to convince Mako to eject with him and take part in the test.


    Mako didn''t say anything as he was in deep thought but his bodynguage showed that Bill''s questions definitely had an impact on him. Before Mako could make up his mind, the lights inside the cabin turned green and an announcement was made on the speakers.


    "Cadets! the time has arrived. You have been given the green light to eject from the n and start the test. Good luck to you all!" The man announced.


    After hearing the announcement, Bill turned back to Mako and extended out his hand.


    "Are you ready?" Bill asked.

 Chapter 81 A Trip Down Memory Lane

    ?Mako stared at Bill''s hand lost in thought. Thousands of different things were going around his head; his past, rtionships, friends, promises, and life. All of them were making it so conflicting to choose whether to take Bill''s hand or not.


    On one hand, he wanted to keep his promises to his grandmother, great-grandfather, Bill, and Sir Derek. He wanted to be strong enough so that he could make an impact on the world and steer it toward a better future. All of this waspelling him to take Bill''s hand.


    While on the other hand, all of Mako''s deepest fears were starting to emerge. He started having visions in his hand of losing his grip and falling to death. His consciousness kept trying to persuade his emotions to not take such a risk.


    Memories of the past started filling Mako''s brain.


    **************


    It was a time when he had just lost his grandmother and was quite weak emotionally. He had been bullied and beaten his entire life, but his grandmother was always there to repair the damage and heal his body and soul, until one day she wasn''t. The sadness and anger tore him apart until he snapped one day.


    This was the first time Mako had ever fought back, and it was against his bully from middle school. The rage and anger blinded him as he continued hitting the boy. At first, he had the upper hand as he had taken the bully by surprise but soon the tables turned and he received yet another beating; this one being more intense than ever before.


    Time slowed down as Mako could remember, the bully and his friendsughing as they walked away leaving a bruised and bleeding young Mako on the side of the street.


    ''Remember... Remember... Remember the time when you tried to face your fears? You were always afraid of fighting; afraid of getting hurt. Look what happened when you let emotions control you, you get more hurt, you get more broken.'' A voice came from within the memory.


    Mako couldn''t understand who could speak to him in his own memory, but the answer soon revealed itself.


    Mako could see that standing beside the young Mako who was crying while lying on the side of the street was another Mako. This one being more mature and bigger than the one on the floor. It looked like a clone of himself.


    "Who are you?" Mako asked.


    ''Isn''t it obvious to you, already? I AM YOU! I am your conscious, I am what stops you from making stupid mistakes and getting hurt.'' The other Mako replied.


    Mako couldn''t believe what he was seeing. He had visited his memories like everybody else all the time, but something like this never happened to him.


    "Why now! Why do you choose to present yourself now?!" Mako asked in frustration to his conscious.


    ''It is because you are thinking about doing the stupidest thing ever. You are trying to kill yourself! I have to make you remember, what it feels like when you let your emotions consume you.'' The conscious replied.


    ''You get beaten!'' The memory changed to Mako standing up to Bill during the duel and getting beaten yet again.


    ''You hurt yourself!'' The memory changed to Mako breaking his hand by punching a tree in excitement to test his new skills.


    ''You jump ahead when you are not ready!'' The memory changed to when Mako first faced off against Rhino and how close he was to dying.


    ''You kill other people!'' The memory changed to when Mako used his Rage mode for the first time against those gangsters and ended up killing them.


    "STOP! STOP! STOP IT PLEASE..." Mako could not bear to see all his memories yed back in front of him. It was true that he was given a gift of intelligence and had been wasted making such awful decisions.


    ''The only way to make it stop is to stop yourself. Save yourself and don''t jump out of this ne. Remember, Math was our favorite subject, and if we talk about probability, there is a high chance that you will die trying to prove yourself and would let everyone down.'' The conscious changed the memories to show images of all those Mako cared about.


    Mako copsed in defeat. His conscious was right after all. He had made all those mistakes due to being overwhelmed by his emotions. Maybe he should just listen to his conscious for once. All it wanted was for him to be safe, so it should be better just to obey his instructs, right?


    "Mako! What are you doing?!" A familiar feminine voice entered Mako''s ears.


    Mako quickly looked up to see that instead of his conscious standing in front of him, it was his grandmother. She was wearing a beautiful white dress and looked as beautiful as Mako saw herst.


    "Gran-Gran?" Mako asked in disbelief as he had already started crying. Tears were dripping down his face.


    "Yes, dear. I am here for you!" Amy replied.


    Mako''s emotions were at an all-time high as he bolted toward his grandmother at full speed and gave her a big hug.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Amy was not affected by Mako''s speed or momentum as she stayed in ce and wrapped Mako in a tight embrace. Mako started having aplete mental breakdown in his grandmother''s arms as he couldn''t take the pressure anymore.


    "Gran-Gran I tried my best, I tried to do the right thing, I trained every day and became strong, but... I can''t! I can''t do this! I am too scared to try!" Mako kept mumbling on and on while Amy just remained silent and kept hugging him.


    Eventually, Mako calmed down, and Amy slowly started to separate him from herself. She wiped away the tears from his face and rubbed her soft fingers on his cheeks.


    "My my, look how strong my little Mako has be. You have such strong muscles now and have also be taller. All those girls must be aching to be your girlfriend." Amy said while still holding on to Mako''s face.


    His grandmother''s praise had made Mako chuckle as it lightened up the mood and the surroundings, significantly.


    "My dear, you have taken on so many burdens and have gotten so far, what is stopping you now?" Amy asked Mako.


    "I am scared Gran-Gran. I am scared that I might join you before achieving anything great, without making you proud. If I keep making such stupid mistakes, that is the only oue I will get." Mako replied.


    "Oh really?" Amy said with a light chuckle. Mako was confused as to why his grandmother would say something like this.


    "Then tell me this, Mako. If you hadn''t punched that bully would you have ever learned how to protect yourself? It was after that day wasn''t it when you started to research fighting and keeping a record of every duel you saw in school in your journal." Amy said as the memory continued to y after Mako was beaten on the street.


    "You were able to find my father''s life''s work. You were able to discover the system when you were feeling angry about being humiliated and beaten by Bill in the duel." The memory yed of Mako punching the mirror after he had lost to Bill earlier.


    "You were able to save those two young women''s lives and countless others as well when you took care of those criminals." The memory of Sophia and Anna yed off when they were thanking Mako for saving their lives.


    The memories finished ying as the background turned into an empty white space. Amy finally let go of Mako''s face as she started to slowly fade away.


    "Remember my dear, you are not weak for relying on your emotions. It is what makes you human. It is okay to be afraid, but what do you think will happen when you don''t take part in the test and take the easy way out? You will bebeled as a COWARD, not a hero!" Amy said.


    Thest line really hit Mako hard as he understood what his grandmother was trying to tell him. It was natural for him to be scared, there was no shame in it at all. However, if he truly wished to keep his promises then, this was his moment to man up and prove that he was capable of doing so.


    Mako looked up to see his grandmother fading once again. This was exactly how it happened when Mako felt devastated for killing those gang members and his grandmother appeared to console him. Even in death, his grandmother was watching over him and helping him when he hit his lowest point.


    The image of Amy Grey started to fade more and more, but before it didpletely, Amy came close and kissed Mako on his forehead.


    "Go on and conquer your fears," Amy said beforepletely fading away leaving Mako alone in the empty white space.


    ***************


    "Mako?... Mako!... MAKO!" Bill shouted.


    Finally, Mako came back from his daze, he was confused for a second as it was a sudden change of scenery for him. The ne was still shing green and there were significantly fewer cadets on board the ne with a lot of empty seats.


    "What''s going on?" Mako asked.


    "The pilot just announced that there are only 30 seconds left until the ne turns red again. I am going to ask you this onest time. Are youing with me?" Bill asked once again as he extended his hand.


    Mako immediately grabbed his hand and said," Yes, of course, I aming with you!"


    Bill smiled as it seemed that Mako was back in his senses. The boys quickly ran back to their seats and put on their seat belts.


    "10... 9... 8..." The pilot started counting down from the speakers.


    Both boys looked at each other and nodded before reaching under their seats and pressing the red button simultaneously.


    *EJECT!*

 Chapter 82 Recruitment Test Begins

    ?*WHOOSH*


    Massive streams of air collided with Mako as he was ejected from his seat. It was hitting him so hard that it was making it hard for him to breathe and open his eyes.


    Adrenaline was pumping all over his body making his heart race and his body tremble. He started to feel a rush of excitement as he experienced the sensation of freefall.


    Mako didn''t know what he was doing, he felt disoriented and confused about what he should be doing while falling. He was unsure about their body position and what to do with his arms and legs.


    He still had his eyes closed as he could bring himself to see how high up he was. Suddenly, he felt a grab on his arm and for a brief moment, Mako felt at ease. He opened his eyes to see Bill holding on to him and both of them were falling down together.


    "What are we doing? Shouldn''t we use the glider?!" Mako shouted so that Bill could hear what he was saying.


    "No! We are still too high up! At this height, if we were to open the gliders, the sudden change in speed would be too much for our bodies to bear, and even if we do, it takes too long for us to glide down to the ground and neither of us has that kind of grip strength!" Bill replied.


    While in freefall, Bill instructed Mako on how to take on a streamlined position that would make it so that they started falling at a faster rate and could use their own body weight as a form of steering to make sure theynd on the water.


    With Bill''s assistance, Mako was able quickly to adapt and learn the basic of skydiving and even got the hang of steering very quickly. Mako wasn''t much afraid at all at this point but the air was still making it hard for him to open his eyes.


    Bill had the wind ability, which helped him create a small barrier in front of his eyes such that he could see without any hindrance. He had created natural goggles. Mako didn''t have such luxury and he had to open his eyes soon in order to stick thending. It was still possible for him to just wait until the absolutest second before he deployed his glider and at that point opened his eyes, but he didn''t want to risk it.


    Mako put one of his hands in his backpack and started wiggling it around to show that he was looking for something. However, in reality, he was just making sure that Bill won''t be suspicious as he essed his inventory and took out the Oni mask.


    He quickly ced the Oni mask on his face and was able to open his eyes. The rest was pretty smooth sailing as Mako followed Bill''s instructions and was able to sessfully deploy his glider.


    All of this was happening at quite a fast pace, as it had only been 5 minutes since the boys ejected themselves from the ne. After about 90 seconds of gliding, the boys made it safely to the ind.


    The gliders automatically converted back into a disk and Bill collected them and ced them in his backpack. The instructional video exined to them that the gliders were a limited-use item and would probably be damaged during the skydive if the person is inexperienced. However, if they managed to not damage it, it could be reused one or two more times.


    While Bill was gathering the two disks, Mako had not moved from the spot he hadnded. Bill approached him from the back after he was done. He touched his shoulder as he asked," Bro? You alright?"


    Mako started to tremble. Bill quickly removed his hand as he didn''t know what Mako was up to. Was this a rpse of what happened on the ne? Mako kept shaking up and down and with even more vigor.


    "Alright?... Alright! ALRIGHT! I AM GREAT! THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN!" Mako eximed as he finally started to move around. Well... moving around would be an understatement.


    Mako started jumping all over the ce in excitement, continuously repeating the same words that he had so much fun with and that he can''t believe that he was so afraid of such a great thing.


    Mako was behaving exactly like a little kid and it took a knuckle sandwich from Bill to finally bring him back to his senses.


    "Seriously! What is wrong with you today?" Bill asked as he wiped his fist after delivering another punch to Mako.


    "I don''t know. All I know is that I am no longer afraid of heights!" Mako said with a light chuckle as he rubbed his face where he was punched.


    *************


    After some time, Makoposed himself and he boys started to analyze their situation and decide on their next set of moves. Due to the episode that Mako had pulled onto the ne, they had notnded at the location that they had decided upon, rather they hadnded at the exact opposite area of where they had intended to go.


    They had to find a safe location where they could start to build their temporary shelter. ording to the information that Brigadier Jones provided, the beasts were a lot more active at night, so it would be foolish to roam around at night.


    They quickly realized that they hadnded on the southwest corner of the ind and were as far away from the center as possible. The original n was tond near the base of the mountain and use one of the caves as their permanent shelter.


    They decided that they would have to slowly migrate toward their pre-decided location by spending each day traveling and looking for a safe ce to stay that night and to make sure that a tablet is always nearby.


    Once they had figured out their game n and decided upon the approach, the boys split up to scavenge resources such as locating water and finding food. They decided that it was for the best that they don''t move on the first and first find out information via the tablet about the events that are urring on the ind, before making a final decision.


    Mako decided to head into the nearby jungle that was right next to the beach where as Bill decided to walk across the shoreline in search of a tablet or food.


    *************<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *DING!*


    A notification popped into Mako''s head as he was walking into the jungle. He decided to open it up and see what it was about because he was not expecting a notification at the moment.


    [An Amazing Achievement!]


    [The user has conquered their fear of heights]


    [Rewards: +20 Mentality]


    [Mentality has now reached 50]


    [New Quest Received]


    [Obtain 3 amazing achievements]


    [Rewards: New Title]


    [Penalty: - ]


    [System had sensed an interference with User''s mind]


    [(ERROR!) User perception is too low to be detectable]


    [The interference is now no longer affecting the user]


    Mako was not expecting so many notifications all at once, but he was happy to see that he would be receiving a lot of quests during their test which would help him a lot in leveling up.


    The first set of notifications had given him the biggest boost he had received thus far and the following quest promised him a brand new title if he was able to obtain 2 more Amazing Achievements. The quest had no penalty which was a relief and it meant that the quest will naturallyplete itself as Mako faced tougher and tougher situations.


    "What the...?" Mako said.


    Thest set of notifications was quite scary as it stated that the system noticed interference with his mind but since his perception was not strong enough, he wasn''t able to sense its presence or effect. This was very dangerous as something had recently yed around with his brain and he didn''t even notice.


    It could mean that perhaps someone was targeting him or trying to sabotage him. Mako wasn''t even sure when this event took ce as he was already preupied with his own fears. It could have been done recently or some time ago, but he couldn''t say exactly when since he also didn''t know what effect the interference had on him.


    Although it was mighty scary to think about, Mako couldn''t really do anything about it at all. He decided that he would invest some more points into perception when he got the chance and keep his guard up. It could be possible that the thing that might be targeting him is on the ind itself.


    Mako closed the system soon after but something still shone in front of his eyes. He knew that it wasn''t the system, but what else could be producing light in his eyes? He moved a bit and saw that he was staring into a beam of reflected light.


    Near a cluster of trees, Mako spotted something hidden between the vines, something metallic. He closed in toward it to see what it was since polished metallic material didn''t appear naturally in nature.


    ***********


    [Meanwhile along the shore]


    Bill was walking along the shoreline barefoot enjoying the gentle cool waves sshing on his feet. He wasn''t sessful in locating a tablet yet, but the beach was full of different types of crabs. Using several palm tree leaves, Bill had been collecting crustaceans to bring back to the meeting spot and Mako could cook them.


    He was quite happy with his catch and was about to turn back around when he noticed something shiny half-buried on the beach a little further ahead.


    Filled with curiosity, Bill decided to check out the buried object before returning back to the meeting location.


    Both boys simultaneously crouched in front of the shiny metallic object that was almost hidden away and moved forward to extract it and investigate.


    "What''s this?" They both said with curiosity as they tried to pull the object out of their respective hiding areas.

 Chapter 83 Loot Crates

    ?It took a few minutes for the boys topletely remove the objects from their hiding spots but they had already figured out what these things were. They had both seen these things on the stage during the debriefing; it was a loot crate.


    Mako and Bill were both quite excited to have found a loot crate so early because Brigadier Jones did say that even though a generous amount of crates was hidden on the map, they were hidden quite well. The only reason Mako and Bill both even noticed the crate, was because of the light that shone in their eyes after being reflected off the shiny metal body of the loot crate.


    After getting rid of all the vines and roots that were epassing the loot crate, Mako decided that it would be for the best to open it when he met up with Bill so that they could equally share what was inside. The crate wasn''t that heavy and with Mako''s enhanced strength, he could carry it around just fine.


    Bill had the same line of thought as after he wiped away all the sand on the loot crate, he started dragging it across the beach floor with one hand, while the other hand was pulling the makeshift leaf basket with all the seafood he had caught.


    Mako hadn''t found anything other than the loot crate and so he decided to explore a bit more before returning back to the meetup point.


    ************


    Even though it looked quite unfortunate for the boys to be so far away from their initialnding position, it actually worked out in their favour. Back on the ne, almost all of the cadets who wanted to take part in the test had ejected themselves within the first five minutes.


    The green light was active for a total of 8 minutes and 37 seconds with Mako and Bill ejecting themselves at thest possible second. All of the cadets that Mako had noticed still on the ne were those who had decided to quit. This was why almost no one hadnded in the area near Mako and Bill.


    It had been very fortunate for the two of them to get their bearings in order and figure out a solid game n upon which they will proceed further. They didn''t have to fight anyone yet nor did they know the info about what was happening on the rest of the ind.


    [Somece on the ind]


    A great deal of fire was spreading in the jungle as the knocked-out bodies of several cadetsy on the ground. The sounds of shing could still be heard in the background which indicated that some cadets were still fighting.


    It looked like the fire was going to envelop the cadets that had been knocked out. Some were able to wake up and escape before they were in danger but some were not as lucky. As soon as it seemed that a knocked-out cadet was about to die, men wearing military uniforms would quickly show up on the scene and rescue them. They would pick up the cadet before disappearing out of sight.


    These were the patrolling officers who were said to be hidden out of sight and would only intervene if they believed that a cadet would die.


    This was the situation in most areas all over the ind as many cadets would drop near one point of interest and start a battle with others so that they could im the area as their own. The cadets who dropped in areas where there weren''t many people near them but were still considerably deep in the ind would often get attacked by a beast who was roaming in the area.


    The only cadets who hadn''t experienced an immediate battle were those whonded on the outskirts of the ind such as Bill and Mako. They could theoretically just stay in the outskirts until the fifteen days were up, but that way they won''t get any recognition or points from the military and would receive the lowest rank.


    Mako was quick to realize this which is why he suggested that they continued to move inward each day, basically looking for trouble so that they could get more points.


    They still had morals though and even before the test began, they had agreed that they won''t start a fight with anyone and they would only fight if engaged first.


    However, beasts were an entirely different story. They would engage a beast the moment they saw it so that it could harm them in any way. They also agreed that would keep the crystals of the beasts they killed themselves but would share the ones which they killed together.


    ************


    After some more exploring, Mako still hadn''t found anything and had decided that it was probably best to head back at this point. He had been searching the jungle for several hours now and knew that Bill would probably be back before him.


    He picked up the pace as he ran back toward the beach. He was still carrying the loot crate with him which was hindering his speed a bit. He waspelled to just put it in his inventory and take it outter and since the box wasn''t that heavy, it was a good option.


    However, he quickly realized that he was about to make a colossal mistake. He remembered the Brigadier saying that they would be monitored closely at all times which would mean that they would notice Mako making a decent-sized box glow white and disappear into nothing. This would raise a lot of rms which Mako didn''t want. He was still too weak to be a target by the military so until he became strong enough to basically take anyone on, he had to keep his system-rted abilities a secret.


    He soon arrived back on the beach and it took only 2 minutes of walking to find Bill setting a small campfire on the beach.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yo! Guess what I found?" Mako said as he approached Bill while carrying the loot crate behind him.


    Bill was setting up the firece when he looked up and noticed Mako carrying a loot crate behind him as he came closer.


    "You too, huh?" Bill replied as he pointed at something behind his back with his thumb before resuming his work.


    Mako wasn''t expecting a reaction like that. He was hoping to tease Bill for a bit but he seemed totally chill with him having found a loot crate.


    He looked over to where Bill pointed to see the exact same loot crate sitting next to what looked like a pile of palm leaves.


    "No way! You also found one! What are the odds?" Mako was truly excited when he saw that both of them had found a loot crate and was happy to see that Bill also had the same mindset of opening the crates together.


    Bill quickly exined what he had been doing and how he found the loot crate. He also showed his catch that was stored in the leaf basket which Mako thought to be just leaves. Mako was quite embarrassed that he didn''t realize the bunch of leaves was a basket but he carried onward and was already mouth-watering when he saw all those fresh crustaceans.


    Mako didn''t have much to tell about other than him finding his loot crate and he quickly moved to open his first. Bill also joined him as he pressed the button on the top of of the crate as the Brigadier had instructed and pulled on the lever next to it to open the lid.


    The crate made a small hissing sound as the lid was opened which indicated that the crate was sealed airtight. The contents of the crate were three small little ck containers. The lid itself had a screen on the inside and on it was a disy that exined what was inside each container.


    "Man, they packaged this crate even more securely than those shippingpanies who pack things in so manyyers." Mako joked to which both of them shared a moment ofughter.


    The screen on the lid disyed:


    [Smoke Bomb x 3: A tactical grenade that can release smoke to provide cover or reduce visibility.]


    [Low Tier Healing Pills x 2]


    [Water Purification Tablets x 3: Each tablet quickly dissolves in water and makes a liter of water safe to drink]


    They were all very decent Items. Mako was very excited to get to use smoke bombs after he got to experience their use firsthand during their fight in the warehouse when Jacob used his ability-based smoke bombs. Healing pills were always handy for having regardless of their quality and tablets were also nice.


    Even if Mako didn''t get these tablets, he could boil water to make it safe to drink but this would save him the hassle.


    Now Bill was bing impatient to open his crate as well, so he dragged his over and proceeded to open it up as well. The same thing happened as the crate let out a hissing noise and opened up. Inside there were only two ck containers this time which meant the number of items per crate was random.


    There was the same screen on the lid which disyed the description of the items stored within:


    [Medium Tier Healing Pills x 2]


    [Dueling Pin Code: Enter this pin code in any information tablet and request a duel with any cadet still on the map.]


    "WHAT!" Both boys shouted in unison.

 Chapter 84 Beast Encounter

    ?"Am I reading this correctly?" Bill asked as he had an awe-stricken expression on his face. He couldn''t believe that he just pulled one of the rarest drops that these loot crates could give on the first shot.


    Mako was even more surprised than Bill, so much so that it rendered him speechless. With this, the possibilities were endless. They could set up a trap for a person who was too dangerous to deal with, they could always have a backup in case they got lost and wanted to meet up with one another, or they could call someone who may wrong them and settle the score.


    Billing was still shaking like a little girl going to the amusement park for the very first time. He opened the container and saw a small holoscreen the size of his finger inside. The screen had no function other than to turn on and disy a set of characters which was the pin code that they could enter into the tablet to set up the duel.


    Mako chimed in with his theories and exined to Bill that we should save the pin code for several situations he thought of earlier.


    Bill listened quietly to Mako rant on and on about his theories and in the end just shook his head with disappointment.


    "Mako, are you sure you are the smart one out of the two of us?" Bill asked in a low disappointed tone.


    Mako paused for a bit to try and think as to why would Bill say something like this but nothing came to mind. He eventually gave up and apologized before asking what Bill had in mind.


    "Leon, you idiot!" Bill shouted as he finally made Mako realize that they had made a deal with a gang boss that they would look after his son but here he was with no clue of his past dealings.


    The realization prompted Mako to dig his head into the sand. They could use the pin code to set up a duel with one of them and Leon so that they could meet up with him. Once he would arrive, they would cancel the duel and survive together as a group for the remaining duration of the test.


    For them to execute this n, they had to find a tablet and one that was more central on the map so that Leon could get to them a lot fasterpared to traveling all across the ind to one corner of the ind.


    They decided that they would modify their n so that they would reach the general center location in two days'' time max. After that, they will try and find a secure spot where they will set up a temporary camp and send the duel request to Leon. They will wait there for Leon''s arrival and after he will join the group they would travel to one of the picked locations that Mako had picked in the dining hall.


    After the n was set in ce and the preparations for the campfire were alsoplete, Mako told Bill that he was going to head back into the jungle as there was still light out and will try to locate a tablet so that he could find out more information.


    Bill agreed and said that he would remain on the campsite and set up their water situation. Since they didn''t have containers such as pots they couldn''t transport water or hold it inrge quantities. The loot crates were a great solution as each could easily hold 4-5 liters of water.


    Bill still wanted to do some training and where better to train his sand ability than on the beach? The environment really affected how efficiently a person trained their abilities. For example, wind ability is better trained in areas with high altitudes where winds are the strongest, or water ability is better trained in an area where there is existing water and inrge amounts such askes, seas, oceans, etc.


    Mako headed back into the jungle but this time he headed in a different direction in hopes of finding a tablet. He was using Analyze skill on everything so that he could better visualize everything that came across him and it helped him level up his skill as well.


    He was moving fast because he didn''t have to stop and look at anything to figure out what it was as Analyze did that for him. The continuous use of the skill was draining his energy so stopped constantly relying on the skill after about half an hour. He still had Motion Sense active which raised his perception so that he could detect if anything approached him.


    Since Mako didn''t stop as he did before when he had found the loot crate, he had gone further than before. Soon after entering the new unexplored part of the jungle, Mako could hear some bushes moving up ahead.


    Mako immediately took cover and observed the bushes. This could be his first opponent on the ind or perhaps an animal he could cookter. The bushes jostled for a while before a spider the size of a dog came out of them.


    Mako almost revealed his position by screaming when he saw the giant spider. It was bigger than any other spider he had ever seen, with dark hairy legs, and teeth the size of a finger.


    Mako carefully maneuvered around the area to make sure that he was out of the spider''s sight. Once he was in a safe spot, he immediately used Analyze to find out more info about this creature.


    [Analyze]


    [Medium-level Sabertooth Spider]


    [Ability: Poison (Level 2)]


    [Description: A Sabertooth spider has 3 stages of life where the hatchlinge into the world as a Low level beast and naturally evolves into a Medium level beast as it grows up. Once an adult, the Sabertooth spider has to digest several bodies that have been killed by its own venom in order to further evolve into their final form. Sabertooth spiders mostly travel in groups with only one final form spider in a group, but it is not impossible to find one that is separated from the pact.


    Sabertooth spiders have very poor eyesight butpensate for it with their acute sense of smell. They mostly smell their way to their destination and have different responses based on the scent of the surroundings. They can detect fear and anxiety of their prey and are most active during night time.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Weakness: Prating attacks, Fire, Ice]


    The system was able to provide ample information regarding the nature, evolution, and weakness of the beast. The system said that the Sabertooth spiders travel in groups, but even with Mako''s enhanced senses, he wasn''t able to sense any other creature around.


    Mako was far enough away so the spider couldn''t escape his scent. Using the information from the system, Mako figured out that the best way to deal with this beast is to kill it in one shot. He decided to use me bullet because it was his strongest ability and ticked off two of the three weakness of the spider which was prating attacks and fire.


    [me Bullet has been activated]


    A small ball of fire started to form near Mako''s pointed finger and it started to glow brighter and be hotter as Mako added more aura to it. Mako had tested out the skill a couple of times before and conjured a decent-level me bullet. He believed that it would be enough to kill the spider and he didn''t have to use his full strength.


    The spider had stayed in the same spot and it looked like it was chewing on something which was most probably its prey which it had caught in the bushes.


    Mako stopped adding more aura and lined up his finger with the spider. After he had a lock on his target, he released the aura from his fingertips and the me bullet quickly covered the distance and sted apart the sabertooth spider''s head before it even realized what was going on.


    *DING!*


    [A Medium-Level Beast Has Been Defeated]


    [+500 EXP]


    Mako carefully walked over to the remains of the spider, which was mostly the body oozing out blue blood everywhere. Mako believed that he had overstayed his wee as the sun was about to set and he didn''t want to be out in the jungle alone at night.


    He quickly took out hisbat knife from his backpack and stabbed it directly in the center of the body, After carving a small hole in the body of the spider, Mako could see something shiny near where the heart of the spider was.


    He put his hand inside the cavity to extract the crystal while trying to not puke all over the ce. His hand waspletely covered in blue blood as he took out a simr-sized crystal to the one that Brigadier Jones had disyed during the briefing.


    *DING!*


    Mako had received another notification, but he decided to ignore it for now as he was quite spooked by the eerie silence of the jungle and the appearance of the night sky. He ced the crystal back in his backpack and quickly bolted back to where he hade from.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Almost 40 minutester, Mako had made it back to the beach and he finally took a deep sigh of relief. He made himself promise to never go exploring alone ever again because as brave as he might sound for trying to bring world peace and achieving his great grandfather''s dream, he was still a kid who was experiencing all of this for the first time and it was bound to be scary.


    He met up back with Bill and as promised got to cooking those crabs that Bill had caught. Using the leaves as a makeshift steamer rack, Mako steamed all the crabs until they were cooked. While the crabs were steaming, Mako narrated the entire of how he took out his very first beast and showed the crystal as proof.


    Bill was quite impressed by this as for the first time since the test began, Billplimented Mako for a job well done. The boys ate the crabs while chatting about random things and then decided on the shifts. While on the ind, nobody was safe at any time so Mako and Bill came up with the idea that they would take shifts throughout the night watching the area so that they would be out of danger.


    Mako lost the rock paper scissors and it was his turn to watch first while Billed cached some Zs. Bill decided to keep working on his resonance while keeping watch as it was killing two birds with one stone.


    "I want to awaken my third ability soon as well," Mako said to himself while sitting in a cross-legged position next to a snoring Bill.


    ***********


    Back at the area where Mako killed the sabertooth spider, several more spiders could be seen on the scene as they were sniffing the dead body. Soon they were able to locate a scent and started heading in that direction.


    They were headed toward the beach.

 Chapter 85 A Surprise In The Night

    ?During the first three hours, nothing worthy of note happened. Mako kept a watchful eye on his surrounding while also meditating. He had been trying to resonate his two abilities, anytime he got because he didn''t want to be left behind, especially since Bill had achieved a level 2 Sand Ability.


    He had made progress as he could find the aura reserves within his body and could also visualize the boundary between the two auras. ording to Bill, it took an intense amount of concentration to break the barrier between the two abilities and allow them to merge together and resonate into somethingpletely brand new.


    ''Uh! What am I missing?!'' Mako screamed internally with irritation as he knew that he was close to resonating but couldn''t find a way to take that final leap.


    After a few more minutes of trying, Mako eventually gave up and instead opened up his system interface. He just wanted to check a few things such as the shop and the quest tab. Mako would do this quite frequently because even though he knew he wouldn''t be able to purchase much from the shop, it still felt nice to view all the items on sale. It was like a kid staring in through the window of a candy shop.


    As usual, Mako was quickly disappointed by how good some of the things were in the shop and how hard it would be for him to earn the coins necessary to purchase them. Mako felt even more demotivated after that and he was about to just close the system and wait out the rest of his shift until it was time to wake up Bill for his shift.


    "Wait a minute.., What''s this?" Mako said as his eyes went to the notifications tab just as he was about to close the interface.


    [Notifications] ?


    [(3) Unread Message]


    Mako had no idea at first when he received a notification and he ignored it but he soon remembered that he had skipped a notification after he had carved out the crystal from the Sabertooth Spider''s body.


    [User has obtained a Medium Tier Sabertooth Spider Crystal]


    [Does the user wish to absorb the crystal?]


    [YES/NO]


    ''Uh... what? What do you mean by absorb the crystal?'' Mako asked the system using the Ask feature.


    [If the user acquires a raw crystal, they have the ability to absorb it. However, unlike refined crystals, raw crystals do not grant the user apletely new ability. Instead, absorbing a raw crystal may enhance the user''s understanding of a particr ability by a certain percentage and boost their energy pool based on the quality of the crystal. The user also has the option to sell the crystal at a shop in exchange for coins.]


    "Wow!" Mako said as he was quite amazed by that description.


    Now he had to decide whether or not he should absorb a medium-tier crystal. It would obviously be beneficial for him to just keep it with him as it had a lot of uses in the real life, but on the other hand, he was going to spend the next two weeks here. He would have many more opportunities to farm more crystals.


    Mako decided to experiment with this crystal and so he reopened the notifications tab and focused on the ''YES'' option.


    [Error]


    [The crystal muste in physical contact with the user in order for the user to absorb the crystal]


    *Facepalm!*


    "Stupid! Of course, you need to hold the actual crystal if you want to absorb it! I should really confront my teacher whobeled me as a smart kid." Mako said to himself after realizing his stupidity.


    Mako took out the crystal from his backpack and held it tightly in his hands and the same prompt reappeared in front of his eyes.


    [User has obtained a Medium Tier Sabertooth Spider Crystal]


    [Does the user wish to absorb the crystal?]


    [YES/NO]


    However, before Mako could select the "YES" option, he noticed small shadows moving on the sand 100 feet away from them. The only reason that Mako even noticed them was because of the moonlight that was shining brightly on the beach.


    Mako quickly used his Analyze skill to check out what the shadowy figures were, but he saw put him in a state of panic and terror. A hundred feet away from Mako were around 20 Sabertooth Spiders that were sniffing their way toward him. They weren''t the fastest creatures but they would locate him very quickly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako''s heart was pounding hard but he remained steady. It was crucial for him to not make too much noise because the spiders had good hearing and would be able to pinpoint their location immediately.


    Thinking about what to do, Mako decided that it was best to first wake Bill up, but he had to make sure that Bill creates any noise, or else it would mean danger. He slowly sneaked over to where Bill was sleeping and gave him a light shake.


    Bill wasn''t a heavy sleeper and quickly became awake.


    "Hey..." Bill said before Mako covered his mouth with his hand and with his other hand put his finger to his lips to tell him to keep quiet.


    Bill had just woken up and nothing was making sense to him but he followed Mako''s instructions and slowly sat up. Mako let go of his mouth and Bill gestured with his hands trying to ask Mako what all this was about.


    Mako took a small pause before slowly pointing at the spiders who were behind him. Bill turned around and was about to scream from the terror of watching 20 giant spiders slowly moving toward them.


    Mako quickly grabbed his mouth again before he could scream and reveal their location. Mako helped Bill calm down before whispering in his ear." Calm down, they can''t see. They can only smell and hear things to find their way."


    "Then what the hell are we supposed to do? Are they strong? Can we take them on?" Bill whispered back and bombarded Mako with several questions.


    "My me bullet skill was able to kill it in one shot, but I can''t use that here otherwise the rest will be alerted after killing one. My other skills that have a wide range are probably not enough to take them all out in one shot." Mako whispered.


    The same was also true for Bill as any offensive move that he had either didn''t have an effective range or wasn''t strong enough to deal with all of the spiders.


    "Can you move us by moving the sand under our feet?" Mako asked.


    Bill shook his head and told him that his ability wasn''t strong enough yet to carry their weights. Mako was running out of ideas as there seemed to be no other option other than to fight. Mako wanted it to be a clean fight where they won''t have to go near the spiders but it seemed like it wasn''t a possibility anymore.


    The spiders were getting nearer by the minute and soon they would catch on to their scent andunch their assault. After going over everything that they could do at the moment, Mako finally settled on what he thought would be the best move.


    "Bill, How tall of a pir can you raise with the two of us on top of it?" Mako asked Bill.


    "I dunno, around 10 feet or so... why what''s the n?" Bill replied back.


    Electricity started to crackle in Mako''s hands as said to Bill," When I say GO, you raise a pir carrying the two of us as high as you can, got it?"


    Mako ced his hands on the ground and more and more electricity started crackling on his arms. The noise from the crackling had alerted a few of the closet spiders and they started sprinting toward him.


    "GO!" Mako said.


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    A pulse of electricity erupted from Mako''s body and quickly traveled outwards, reaching further than ever before.


    The pulse had paralyzed the majority of the spiders while simultaneously a pir of earth started to raise Mako and Bill upward.


    Mako''s skill also affected Bill and he was also paralyzed but before the effect could apply, Bill had directed all of his aurae to raise the tallest pir that he could make. Even though he was now, paralyzed, the pir kept rising.


    Soon the pir stopped rising and it gave Mako and Bill a 15 feet height advantage. The remaining spiders that did not get paralyzed had now pinpointed their location due to the sound of the crackling electricity and the pir being raised from the ground.


    They quickly sprinted past their paralyzed fellow spiders and reached the base of the pir. They were quite agile once they found their target and showed how quickly they could reach them.


    Now, Mako had to defend the pir from all directions to make sure that the spiders didn''t make it to the top of the pir until the paralysis wore off in Bill and he could help him in taking these things down.


    Fire erupted from his hands as Mako was prepared to defend this pir with everything he''s got and make sure that they make it out of this situation alive.

 Chapter 86 Poisoned!

    ?Mako nted his hands firmly on the ground and soon a pir of fire erupted in front of him taking care of the shortest path between the pir and the remaining spiders. Most spiders had chosen the shortest path to them and were getting barbecued by the me pir that reached roughly the same height as the earth pir itself.


    *DING!*


    [A Medium-Level Beast Has Been Defeated]


    [+500 EXP]


    [A Medium-Level Beast Has Been Defeated]


    [+500 EXP]


    [A Medium-Level Beast Has Been Defeated]


    [+500 EXP]


    [...]


    Several notifications popped up in Mako''s head but he just ignored them as he couldn''t afford to lose focus at this point in time.


    The spiders were not affected by their brethren getting burnt to a crisp in the slightest as they just took a detour around the pir of mes and continued to climb up the pir.


    As the spiders resumed their climbing, Mako made his way toward the corner where the majority of the spiders were climbing up. Mako opened two fingers from his fist and aimed at the spiders.


    [Lightning Strike has been activated]


    [Lightning Strike has been activated]


    [Lightning Strike has been activated]


    Mako shot out several lightning bolts toward the spiders. The strikes weren''t powerful enough to kill them but they did make them lose their grip and fall over, plus the electricity chained onto all other spiders that came into contact with the one that Mako targeted.


    It took Mako a couple of seconds to deal with the spiders in that corner but that didn''t mean that spiders weren''t circling around and trying to climb the pir from a different corner.


    As soon as Mako was done with the spiders, he turned around and noticed that a spider had just made it onto the tform and several more were behind it. Mako didn''t have a skill that could deal with the spider and the ones that were still climbing all at once. He had to think of something to ward off this wave and soon the time for the paralysis would be over and Bill could help out.


    Mako quickly got back to Bill and took out hisbat knife. While using the de, Mako circled around Bill very quickly while extending his arm outward creating a 360-degree swipe in the air aimed directly toward the spider that had lunged toward him with its massive mouth open.


    [me Wheel has been activated]


    me erupted from the tip of the de and extended outward, blowing the lunging spider back and throwing it off the top of the pir. The me wheel continued to extend outward, dealing damage and knocking off all the spiders that were about to reach the top.


    None of these moves were strong enough to deal a finishing blow to the spiders as besides the ones that Mako had killed using the me pir, the rest would recover and try again. It couldn''t go on forever but luckily it didn''t have to.


    Mako was about to circle around Bill once more, but before he could do that, the ground started shaking and suddenly stone spikes started shooting out from the sides of the pirs and knocked off every single spider from all sides.


    Mako turned around and could see that Bill could move again. They didn''t have time to celebrate or anything as this meant that the other spiders that Mako had paralyzed were also free to move again. They just quickly made eye contact and Bill said," Don''t ever do that to me again," to which Mako just gave a smirk and nodded.


    Now with Bill being able to move again, the load had been distributed equally and each guy only had to protect their side of the pir which was manageable.


    "Remember, they are weak to fire and prating attacks!" Mako said as a heads up to Bill.


    "Yeah, I got that!" Bill replied.


    Both boys were showing off many different skills as they kept on battling the spiders. Bill used his Vacuum Cutter and Sand Spikes skill the most as they were the most effective. He also used Wind Wall and Stone Spikes to knock off any who came too close to the top.


    Mako was alternating between Fireballs and Lightning Strikes to take care of the ones that wereing too close while also mixing in me Wheel when a crowd of them came at him at once. He couldn''t use me Bullet or me Pir because these abilities took too long to charge up; time that he didn''t have.


    [10 Minutester]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako copsed on top of the pir and Bill soon joined him. Both boys were exhausted as they had never used so many skills in such quick session. This was their first fight where there was no physical contact involved as even a single touch could be problematic since all the spiders had the poison ability.


    Mako didn''t even know how the poison ability would affect his body as the system had been able to neutralize everything invasive that had entered his body so far.


    The boys recovered their energy on top of the pir while all the spidersy dead at the base of the pir. The scene beneath the pir was quite gruesome. Blue blood painted the white sand and rogue fires kept burning in random ces, the entire perimeter was aplete wreck.


    After catching their breath, and recovering their energy a bit, They decided to hop off the pir and collect all the crystals from the spiders.


    When Mako first noticed the spiders, the low visibility led him to guess that there were around 20 or so spiders, but he couldn''t be more wrong. After collecting all the crystals, the grand total number of spiders ended up being 51 spiders. The kills were hard to count as both of them were just focused on surviving so they decided to evenly split the crystals among themselves.


    Bill reviewed 26 crystals while Mako got 25. Since Mako had an additional crystal, both of their totals were the exact same.


    ****************


    With the campsitepletely destroyed, and dawn just about to break, the boys decided that it would be best to just pack all their things and start heading toward the center of the ind and search for a tablet, plus they couldn''t fall asleep even if they wanted to because of the adrenaline pumping through their bodies.


    It was decided that the following night, Bill would keep watch for the whole night while Mako slept so that he could catch up on sleep too.


    The boys had packed their bags with all the items except for the empty loot crates. The loot crates were too big and would be tedious to carry around the entire day so they decided to just leave them there. They filled their water bottles with the remaining water inside the loot crate and were about to start their journey.


    The sun slowly started to rise up as the surrounding became brighter by the minute.


    The boys approached the small opening in the jungle where Mako first went through to explore and was about to go in when suddenly, Bill froze in ce.


    Mako didn''t understand why he suddenly stopped and when he asked him what was wrong, he didn''t reply. Mako got weirded out by Bill''s behavior very quickly and used Analyze to see what was wrong.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Bill Johnson] (Poisoned)


    [Ability: Earth (Level 3), Wind (Level 3), Sand (Level 2)] ?


    "Poisoned!?" Mako shouted with confusion as he quickly examined Bill''s body. He discovered a spike had been stabbed into Bill''s forearm and his entire arm was covered in blood.


    "NOOO!!!" Mako shouted as he quicklyid Bill down and examined the spike, it looked like the teeth of one of those Sabertooth Spiders, but they had already killed them all. It couldn''t be possible for them to attack Bill now. After taking a closer look, Mako could see the fang was a lot bigger and redder in color than the regr ones; however, just to make sure, Mako used Analyze on it.


    [Analyze]


    [Fang of a High-level Sabertooth Spider] ?


    [High-level Sabertooth Spiders often have a skill where they can eject one of their fangs at a target to inject them with their poison. Once they have sessfully done that, they will run away to give time for the poison to work on their prey and also so it can recover its lost fang. Once it has recovered, it will return to im its prize.]


    Mako heard some of the bushes rustling in the distance and ording to what the system had just told him, it was a high-level spider that had secretly attacked Bill and had now made a run for it. Rage was filling Mako''s heart as wanted to give chase to the spider, but he couldn''t leave Bill unattended.


    Soon the noise stopped and the spider was long gone. Mako wrapped cloth around the forearm to restrict blood flow and carefully removed the spike. Once it was removed, he opened the medical kit that was provided to them and proceeded to disinfect and clean the wound before bandaging it up.


    Bill still wasn''t feeling better, instead, he was getting worse. His body was heating up and he also began to have a seizure. Mako didn''t know what else he could do in the situation. His eyes became watery as he couldn''t even register the fact that the first real friend he had in a long time was going to die in his arms and he couldn''t do anything about it.


    Tears began to roll down Mako''s face as he watched Bill''s entire body shake violently because of the seizure.


    "Man up, Cadet! He''s not out of the woods just yet!" A voice came from behind Mako.


    Mako quickly turned around and saw a man wearing the standard military uniform standing behind him.


    A patrolling officer had arrived on the scene.

 Chapter 87 36 Hours

    ?Mako''s vision was still cloudy from all the tears in his eyes but he quickly recognized the uniform and was relieved that a patrolling officer had arrived to save Bill.


    "Please save him! He has been stung by a fang of a High-level Sabertooth Spider and has been poisoned. He could die any minute!" Mako pleaded with the officer.


    The officer casually walked over to Billpletely ignoring Mako''s desperate shouts for him to help Bill and save him from death. He calmly approached Bill and ced his hand on his forehead. He checked his pulse and also inspected the wound that Mako had bandaged up.


    "First of all, I am impressed that you had been able to urately identify the beast that attacked you, but you are mistaken about some things." The officer told Mako while still keeping his calm demeanor.


    "The Sabertooth Spiders have to keep their venom nd intact if they want to regrow their fangs with full functionality. This is why the venom inside their fangs when they shoot it out is minimal. Bill is in no immediate danger and can easily survive for another 36 hours without anyplications." The officer exined.


    The officer''s statement brought a sliver of hope into Mako''s heart; however, the officer''s next words would rip that outpletely.


    "Mako Grey, You have a choice to make. Either you allow me to extract Bill Johnson from the test right now and administer the anti-venom to save his life or you can find him an anti-venom on the ind within 36 hours and administer it yourself." The officerid out an ultimatum for Mako; a single choice that could decide his friend''s life.


    "Keep in mind that if you allow me to extract Bill Johnson from the test, he will be disqualified and won''t receive a score. This will put him in the regr ss once military school begins. On the other hand, if you fail to find and administer the anti-venom within 36 hours, I can''t guarantee that a patrolling officer will reach you in time and it may lead to Bill losing his life or in the best case scenario, getting his arm amputated.


    The choices were both dangerous and both had a bad ending for Bill. If he chooses the safe option, Bill will be disqualified, and if he chooses the dangerous option, it may risk Bill losing his life.


    Mako held his head in frustration as he couldn''t make a decision. He would have liked to consult Bill but he was unresponsive. The officer was pressing Mako to make a decision but just couldn''t decide.


    A single decision that could gamble a person''s life, how could Mako possibly choose?!


    A few more seconds passed, and Mako still didn''t have a decision made. The officer was still waiting for a response. However, before the officer could reinstate his options, Mako heard a familiar noise; one that was made in his head.


    *DING!*


    (NEW!) [Emergency Quest Issued]


    [Find an anti-venom and save Bill Johnson''s life within 36 hours]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Penalty: Death]


    The system had once again made the decision for him. Now there was nothing to debate as the timer on the quest had already begun and if he wasn''t able to rescue Bill within the time frame, he would die alongside him.


    "I will do it!" Mako replied.


    The officer was a bit taken aback by the decision as he was definitely expecting Mako to just remove Bill from the test. It was a bit confusing to see as Mako''s expressions changed midway. At first, he was stuck, unable to make a decision, but midway through, he suddenly paused for a few seconds and then a look of determination appeared on his face.


    The indecisiveness waspletely gone and now Mako was determined to save both of their lives.


    He thanked the officer who acknowledged Mako''s decision and quickly got out of sight. Bill didn''t have any energy and couldn''t even keep his eyes open much rather walk.


    Mako took out a tarp from his backpack which was provided to him. Using the tarp, Mako tied Bill around his back and was going to carry him around on his back.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Without wasting a single second, Mako sprinted into the jungle while simultaneously using Analyze to look for loot crates.


    **************


    [Within a military surveince room]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Several high-level individuals were sitting around a round table and reviewing all the different reports that had beening in from the patrolling officers.


    The patrolling officers had to send a report back to headquarters every two hours about all the events that had urred in their area.


    Currently, all these high-level individuals were focused on a few reports that were being disyed on the holoscreen in front of them. These reports had been tagged with a red marker.


    The patrolling officers were trained so they would attach a marker to every report they send. Green markers meant that nothing noteworthy had happened and the report was just a normal log. Yellow markers meant that a few interesting things had happened but nothing too crazy. Finally, the red markers meant that a major event had taken ce and that the report should be viewed by the higher-ups and be givenmands if necessary.


    One report, in particr, was the report that came from a patrolling officer by the name of Eric Wellerman, His position was the southwest beach area of the ind and he reported the entire incident of the Sabertooth Spiders attacking two cadets and how the cadets were able to cleverly assess the situation and defeat over 50 Medium tier beast without getting hit once.


    The report continued, rying the events that took ce afterward and how one of the cadets got poisoned by a High tier beast. The report also included all the dialogues that were exchanged between Eric and Mako and the report ended with Eric rying Mako''s decision and that he was now on the move.


    The individuals at the round table were quite impressed by the capabilities of the two young cadets and were definitely interested in knowing what would happen to them next. They understood Eric''s thinking as the ultimatum given to Mako was not entirely true. If Mako was unable to find an anti-venom within the allotted time frame, a patrolling officer would be on the scene within 20 seconds and will definitely save Bill''s life.


    However, by upholding that information, Mako''s decision was made much more stressful as this was meant to test the cadet''s ability to make critical decisions while being under immense pressure.


    "Mako Grey and Bill Johnson..." one of the officials said as he viewed both of their files.


    "These boys are definitely unique and it would be best if keep an eye on them for the entire 36 hours. I want to see what he will do, now that he is ced in this position." The Brigadier said to which all the other members of the round table agreed.


    ***************


    However, what the military officials didn''t know was that Mako''s own life was also on the line and he couldn''t afford to fail the quest.


    So far, an hour had passed since Bill was poisoned, and Mako was able to find one loot crate but it didn''t have the things that he needed. He got a High tier Healing pill, more water purification tablets, and a low-tier power essory.


    Mako didn''t even care to read the descriptions at this point as he put all the contents in his backpack and continued on with his search. He would have to find out what the items that he was picking up didter as now, anything that didn''t say "anti-venom" was getting tossed into the backpack.


    He continued on with the search and even ran past several tablets as well but continued to ignore them as they won''t provide the information that Mako needed right now.


    Mako also ran into a few beasts along the way, but they were all either Low or Medium level Beast which he could easily deal with in one or two shots. Mako didn''t hesitate to use his most powerful moves to get rid of the beast quickly and then move on so much so that he didn''t even bother to extract the crystals from the dead beasts.


    After around an hour more of searching, Mako received a notification, one that could have popped up at a worse time.


    [Alert! Energy levels Dangerously Low!]


    [Replenish Energy Levels Immediately!]


    Mako had used up all of his energy through the constant use of several skills and abilities. Mako had to take a break from searching and replenish his energy or he would die even before the system kills him.


    With no other option, Mako reluctantly settled down near a mango tree. The tree had ripe mangoes hanging from the branches and Mako picked several bunches of them and quickly started eating to recover as much energy as possible. He also had some leftover crab meat fromst night and all in all it was a pretty filling meal.


    Mako was afraid to use the Rejuvenating pills that were stored in his system because he had a suspicion that the military would be keeping a closer eye on him because of the severity of the situation he was in. He had to recover his energy the old-fashioned way.


    *************


    Mako was tearing away at his 10th mango when all of a sudden he heard a few footsteps quickly approaching him. Before he could even react 5 cadets appeared out of the bushes and circled around Mako and Bill.


    All 5 of them had their abilities activated, ready to start a fight at a moment''s notice.


    "You are in our territory! You stole our food supply!" One of the cadets shouted to Mako.

 Chapter 88 Two Goals

    ?Mako slowly got up on his feet and made no sudden movements so that the cadets didn''t feel threatened and started attacking him all of a sudden.


    "Look, I don''t want any trouble. I was just very hungry and took a couple." Mako said as he put his sticky hands covered in mangoes in the air.


    "Yeah right! Like we are going to believe that! The moment we stepped out of our area to get water, you show up and start munching on our supply!" The same cadet shouted again, leading Mako to believe he was their leader.


    Using Analyze on all of them, Mako realized there was nothing special about these guys. They were only two level 3s while the rest were level 2s. They most likely just signed up for the test so that they could try and get a higher ss in the military school.


    ''At least they had the guts to jump out of the ne,'' Mako said to himself, considering he wasn''t going to jump if his grandmother hadn''t knocked some sense into him.


    The group of five cadets were most likely friends and decided to stick together in a quiet corner of the ind and wait out the 15 days so that they would still gain some recognition and won''t be at the bottom of the barrel even though they weren''t strong.


    Mako tried negotiating with them and telling them that this was just an honest mistake, but the cadets were not in the mood for listening. After a bit of back and forth, it became clear that these cadets had already made up their minds about attacking him because, in their minds, this was a free takedown which would make one lesspetitor and more points for them.


    A few minutes had passed and when the quest notification timer buzzed in front of Mako''s eyes, he remembered that he didn''t have much time. He still had only recovered a quarter of his energy but if he was to engage inbat right now, he could easily defeat all five of them. After all, Mako did single-handedly defeat all those guards in the warehouse, but this would drain his energy again.


    Seeing as there was no other option, Mako took on a cold serious look. He didn''t have to be nice and understanding. His and his best friend''s life was hanging on the line and he couldn''t waste time dealing with these cowards.


    "ALRIGHT, LISTEN!" Mako shouted in rage which took the cadets by surprise. The person in front of them had aplete 180 switch in attitude.


    "My friend has been poisoned! He is going to die unless I find an anti-venom! If you guys have found any then please let me have them, I can trade them for something that you want. If not, then please just let me go. I promise won''t set a foot in your space again!" Mako stated his purpose to the cadets and also gave them a choice.


    The cadets looked behind Mako to see another cadet who lookedpletely pale in color and was sweating profusely. He could barely keep his eyes open and looked like he could die any minute.


    There was a moment of silence between them as the cadets thought about what to do next. They were starting to believe that the person they were dealing with was strong otherwise he won''t be so confident while speaking to them. while on the other hand, he might just be lying and trying this stunt asst resort to get out of danger.


    The cadets decided to believe thetter and thought that they could get some easy points by eliminating two cadets from the tournament.


    "You''re not getting out of this scot-free!" The leader said. " We don''t have any anti-venom but you still owe us for the food. Give us your backpacks and you can go otherwise we are going to have some trouble."


    Mako couldn''t believe the words that he was hearing. This was humanity''s truest nature; survival of the fittest. No empathy or remorse for the weak, ill, or dead. The leader''s words reminded Mako of the world he lived in and how stupid people can be just so that they can gain benefit.


    Rage started to build up inside Mako but he couldn''t engage in battle because his energy reserves would be used up again. Instead, he decided to take a different approach to the situation.


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    A pulse erupted from Mako once again and quickly spread out hitting all five cadets before they could even react. They were all paralyzed in ce and unable to move.


    Mako picked up Bill who was once again paralyzed and wrapped him around his back once again.


    [Dash has been activated]


    "Sorry about this, Dude," Mako said to Bill as he started sprinting away while the cadets remained paralyzed in ce.


    Mako sprinted away deeper into the jungle. He had to keep to get as far away as possible because two of those cadets were Lightning ability users and would be able to break the paralysis faster than the others. The only reason why they got paralyzed in the first ce was that Mako had a higher ability level than them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Using Dash multiple times, Mako was able to keep up his fastest speed for a whole minute and soon reached a river.


    [High Jump has been activated]


    Mako hadn''t been able to use this skill much but it sure was handy in an outdoor situation like this where it is very helpful to be able to crossrge distances with ease.


    Afternding on the other side of the river, Mako could finally slow down a bit as he knew the cadets won''t chase him this far and the river was most probably where they were trying to get water in the first ce.


    Mako stopped using Dash and instead shifted to once again using Analyze and Motion Sense to continue to find more loot crates.


    *************


    [In a different area of the ind]


    A boy could be seen kicking another boy who was bloody all over and looked to be on the verge of death. The cries of the boy were being echoed in the quiet jungle but that didn''t stop the other boy from continuously kicking him in different areas. The boy who was kicking finally stopped and quickly ran a few feet back.


    From the way that he moved, it was clear that he had the speed ability. After making some distance between them, he sprinted toward the beaten boy who couldn''t even open his eyes anymore. As he approached him, he extended his right leg backward and proceeded to kick the beaten boy''s head like a football.


    The leg came forward at full force and was about to make contact with the boy''s head, but just before the foot could touch the head, a hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed onto the foot,pletely stopping it from making contact.


    The boy was quite surprised that someone was able to stop their full-force kick just like that, but as the dust began to settle it became obvious why he was so easily stopped.


    A patrolling officer had made it just in time to stop him from ending that poorly beaten boy''s life. The boy kept struggling trying to make contact with the other boy''s head, but the officer''s hand was like an iron fist that didn''t budge at all.


    "Leon Czolgosz! Stand down now or you will be eliminated from the test immediately!" The officer announced.


    It was Leon! He was the one who was about to kill the boy.


    After hearing the officer, Leon finally let go and stepped back from the poorly beaten boy. He tsked at the beaten boy as if to show his disappointment for him not being able to finish him off because of the officer showing up in the nick of time.


    The officer picked up the beaten boy in his arms and was about to exit the scene but before he did, he decided to give Leon a warning.


    "Leon Czolgosz! This is your final warning. You have put three cadets in a very critical state and would have vited the rules of the test if I hadn''t intervened! If you engage with anybody going forward, you are to leave them be once they have been defeated. If you vite this order, you will be removed from the test immediately!" The officer said before sprinting away and going out of sight.


    Leon was left alone in the jungle with a pool of blood next to his feet. He ignored everything that the patrolling officer had just said and was on the move once again looking for a target topletely destroy with his strength.


    "Where are they?! I need to find them! I need to settle the score once and for all!" Leon said to himself as he continued sprinting through the jungle, not stopping for anything as he was determined to find an individual who he wanted to destroy more than anything else.


    The cadets that he had brutally injured up to this point were all those who were unfortunate enough toe in his way and slow him down.


    Both Mako and Leon were actually doing the exact same thing. Both were desperately running around in the jungle, but they had separate goals. Mako was trying to find the anti-venom to save Bill while Leon was on the hunt to end Mako''s life.


    Leon was not going to stop until he finally defeated and humiliated Mako Grey, and this time his father won''t be here to stop him.

 Chapter 89 Bad Timing

    ?The sun was close to setting on the second day as it had already been one and a half days since the cadets hadnded on the ind. Many of them had imed different areas and formed a group with other cadets. They had built their shelters in these areas and were working hard to protect them against any beasts or cadets who chose to be hostile against them.


    However, not all the cadets had the basics figured out or had the luxury to do so as there were still many cadets who were wandering aimlessly on the ind, trying their best to survive. Some didn''t y nice with others and decided to survive alone while others were cut off from their group.


    There were all types of different situations happening on the ind and the officials sitting around the round table had to keep track of all of them. Some were easily understood and didn''t need much attention while some needed careful observation.


    The hot topics currently around the table were about a boy who had been speeding nonstop across the ind in desperate need of something which was unknown. He waspletely ruthless and left everyone in a critical state who had dared to or identally crossed his path. The patrolling officer''s report also included the order that he had given to the boy and the officials approved of his decision.


    "Leon Czolgosz. Oh boy... This is going to be troublesome." An official said after he reviewed Leon''s file and learned about his family background. It would be quite a hassle for them if they were to remove him from the test as Leon''s father was in a position of power where he could basically make it so that Leon can appear again next year.


    They won''t be able to apply a penalty on him aspared to regr cadets and the officials definitely didn''t want to get involved with people such as Paul Czolgosz. It wasn''t that they weren''t strong enough that they would be intimidated by him but rather the annoyance that woulde with dealing with such a petty case.


    They would rather just not give Leon a penalty and get it over with. For now, they were just going to keep observing Leon and make sure that he doesn''t take the beatings too far. If he does, then they would have no choice but to remove him from the test.


    A few other reports were also disyed on the screen. These reports were all marked with red which meant that a major event had taken ce and was interesting enough to retain the officials'' attention.


    One of them was of an individual who was able to y a High tier beast all by himself, another was of a battle that had broken out against two groups of cadets over resources that were near the border of their two territories, and finally, it was the follow up on the report of the cadet who had been carrying his poisoned friend on his back for almost a whole day now; searching every loot crate he could find for an anti-venom but so far no luck.


    *************


    The sun hadpletely set and the night had set in once again. Near the entrance of a cave somewhere on the ind, two cadets could be seen sitting around a makeshift campfire. One of the was cooking some food while the other one looked to be resting.


    Mako had found a safe ce for the two of them to spend the night. It was a secluded cave in the middle of nowhere near a small stream of water. After making sure that the perimeter was secure and there were no cadets or beasts in the vicinity, Mako ced Bill inside the cave and left him there so that he could rest.


    He then gathered materials to build a fire and even caught some rainbow trout in the stream that was close to the cave. After doing all that, Mako returned back to the cave and got to work. He quickly set up the fire and prepared the rainbow trout by gutting the fish and cleaning all the scales.


    The fish could definitely use some seasoning, but Mako didn''t have the luxury to season his food and he would have to just have to get with what he had. He skewered the fish on a clean long branch and set it on the fire to start cooking.


    After an extremely long and tiring day, Mako could finally take a breather as he leaned back against the wall of the cave and rxed. However, he couldn''t truly rx as the system kept on reminding him of the time that was left and it was quite stressful.


    He still hadn''t been able to find an anti-venom even though he had found 2 more crates during his search. He had absolutely exhausted all of his energy and it was currently sitting in the double digits.


    Mako put his hands in his pocket and activated his system. He essed his inventory and took out a rejuvenating pill. He pulled the pill from his pocket and quickly popped it into his mouth.


    He couldn''t have done this before since Mako was constantly on the move and low on energy. If suddenly he started recovering energy, the people observing him would be suspicious but now that he was resting, he could pop the pill which would just help him recover his energy at a faster rate and nobody would know since he wasn''t nning on moving in the night.


    There was no difference between the healing pill and the rejuvenating pill in terms of appearance and it won''t look suspicious at all as it would be like he was taking one of the healing pills he found in the crates.


    the real reason; however, is that Mako wanted to recover his energy fast so that he could be prepared if anything unusual happened in the night.


    Mako also looked through his backpack which was getting quite full from all the items and crystals that he had stored inside. Mako tried to start absorbing the crystals again like he was going to the night before, but then he was greeted with another prompt.


    [Medium Tier Sabertooth Spider Crystal]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Does the user wish to absorb?]


    [YES/NO]


    [Absorption time: 2 minutes]


    Mako wasn''t going to spend the next 2 hours absorbing these crystals that who knew had what effect? He decided to just keep them in his backpack for now.


    Mako was just so tired at this point that he didn''t even want to look at the system''s screen and so he decided to just try absorbing them another time when he was full of energy and free from the worry of finding Bill an anti-venom.


    ************


    Mako started recovering his energy at a much faster rate than before and was able to recover it fully in about four hours. During that time, Mako just meditated and tried to make progress with his resonance. He was definitely close and believed that he could achieve it during the test if he meditated regrly.


    During that time the fish was also done cooking and Mako quickly dug in. He was also quite hungry from carrying Bill all so it was devoured pretty quickly.


    Mako also ate his fish and fed some to Bill as well. It pained him to see Bill be reduced to such a state after what Bill had done for him during the beginning of the test. He wanted to resume his search right now, but his body was failing him.


    He hadn''t gotten any sleep for two days and was continuously pushing his body. Right now, even though his body had recovered his energy, he was too tired to continue pushing and he had to take a break.


    Heid down next to Bill and as many sounds of the jungle continued to sound in his ears, he finally closed his eyes and got some sleep.


    *************


    [Early morning the next day]


    *Bzzz* *Bzzz*


    A device started vibrating in Mako''s hand which quickly woke him up from his sleep. He checked the device and quickly understood what was happening.


    From one of the loot crates, Mako had found aser trigger trap that would send a notification to a small device if anything was to cut theser by walking through it. Mako had set up theser trap near the entrance of the cave so that if anything was to make its way inside the cave, he would be alerted.


    Mako quickly pped his cheek a couple of times to knock off the drowsiness and equipped hisbat de in preparation to counter anything that could being inside. Mako waited for a few moments until he started hearing faint footsteps.


    The footsteps became louder and louder as from the sound alone Mako was able to assume that it was a person, but due to the echo in the cave, he couldn''t pinpoint if it was just one or several. Even though he was still tired, he had recovered enough sleep that he could fight with his full strength for a while and was ready for whoever wasing inside.


    *Stomp* *Stomp* *Stomp*


    The person finally made it inside the cave it was thest person that Mako had expected to see.


    "LEON?!" Mako shouted in disbelief.

 Chapter 90 Friend Or Foe

    ?"I found you atst! Hiding away in a hole does suit you. It was really hard to find you even though I knew your general location." Leon said while smirking as he casually approached Mako.


    Mako didn''t understand what Leon meant by that statement but nheless, he dropped his guard and allowed Leon to approach him.


    Mako was so relieved to see Leon. He thought that Leon would be his saving grace as he could help him find the anti-venom quicker with his speed and they will be able to save Bill.


    However, what he didn''t expect was a knee right in the stomach with full force by Leon as soon as he got close to him. Mako groaned in pain as it was a strong blow and it made him fall to his knees.


    *AWWW!*


    "Did you really believe that I would ept you as a friend after what you did to me?!" Leon shouted at him as he circled around him.


    "You tried to burn me alive!"


    *KICK!*


    "You humiliated me in front of so many people!"


    *KICK!*


    "You hurt my best friend and nearly ruined his life!"


    *KICK!*


    He gave Mako several kicks to the stomach while stating all the reasons for his rage. Mako didn''t even have time to do anything as before he could recover from the previous blow, he would get hit again.


    "I havee here to settle the score. You didn''t honestly believe that just because you got on my gullible father''s good side that you would be safe?!" Leon said as he gave Mako one final kick to the face.


    [-25 HP]


    [User has broken their nose]


    Mako was bleeding from several ces and had been hurt badly. He tried to crawl to try and get away from Leon but he just casually walked in front of him and squatted right by his face. He had a look of disappointment on his face as he watched Mako struggle.


    "This is pathetic! I don''t want to destroy you when you can''t fight back! I want this to be a fair fight with everyone watching. I want you to feel the same humiliation that I did. I..." Leon suddenly stopped before finishing his sentence.


    "AHHH!!!" Leon screamed.


    He looked down and could see a de stabbed into his calf. The wound was deep and instead of blood spilling everywhere, Ice was starting to form around it.


    Suddenly, Leon felt a lot weaker, so much so that he stumbled backward and fell to the ground in front of Mako. Mako removed the de from Leon''s leg which lead him to scream out loud even more.


    Mako was also stillying on the ground. He hadn''t been severely hurt so much so that the system activated emergency healing, which sapped away a lot of his energy nor could he use Recover as it could only be activated after 30 minutes of not taking damage.


    Mako quickly took out a High tier healing pill and popped it in his mouth so that he could start recovering. It was still a couple of minutes until Mako was able to lift himself off the ground and stand on his own two feet.


    Leon was also groaning in pain, unable to move as his mobility waspromised due to the massive chunk of ice that was around his wound sapping his strength away.


    Mako looked down toward Leon without saying a word and started stumbling away toward Bill who was sleeping while leaning against a boulder.


    Watching him walk away was making Leon''s blood boil. He started shouting insults at him, calling him a coward who was running away from a fight.


    "Hey! Come back here and face me! You don''t get to just walk away! Either finish me off now or else you better wish you nevere face to face against me again!" Leon shouted.


    Mako kept ignoring everything he was saying as he simply reached Bill, put on his backpack, secured Bill on his back again with the tarp, and started making his way toward the exit.


    Leon finally stopped shouting for a minute as he finally noticed Bill. From the angle that he had entered, Bill wasn''t visible as he was behind the rock but now he could clearly see him and he noticed that something was wrong with him.


    His skin looked extremely pale and it looked like he had lost weight too. He was sweating profusely and couldn''t even open his eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leon became silent after that as Mako slowly walked by him while carrying Bill on his back. He stopped just as he had passed by him and let out a small sigh.


    "It''s such a shame that you were one of those spoiled brats who never understood how the world works," Mako said.


    Leon''s eyes widened as he heard Mako''s remark. He turned around to face Mako with a face full of shock and anger and asked," What did you just say?"


    "You heard me," Mako replied.


    "When we first met during the battle royal tournament, I only had the fire ability. I knew basic moves and wasn''t that strong. You had the upper hand as you had some training and a better ability; however, you still lost. Do you wanna know why?" Mako asked Leon before he could say anything.


    Leon didn''t have an answer to Mako''s question as he remained silent and continued to stare at Mako with eyes full of hatred.


    "It is because you were overconfident. Your moves were sloppy and it was obvious that you were showing off. Instead of learning your lesson and epting your defeat like a man, you pushed Enzo into your mess and made him face me."


    "When he lost to me and Bill, not only his reputation was lost but you were also humiliated. That all could have been avoided if you had manned up and epted your defeat. You could have tried to improve yourself and battled me again with honor; However, you choose to track me down and assault me when I let down my guard against you."


    "and make no mistake, I could have easily countered you with one of my abilities but I was too close to Bill and given the condition he is in, I didn''t want to risk one of my skills identally harming him. Unlike you, I care about other people and will happily sacrifice my body if it means that they remain safe."


    "So no. I won''t give you the fight that you so desire because I have my priorities straight. Even though I could probably fight you on equal grounds right now, I have more important matters to deal with than you." Mako finished his little speech before continuing to walk toward his exit.


    However, before walking away, Mako reached into his pocket and took out another healing pill. He tossed the pill toward Leon who grabbed it with his hands.


    "It won''t get rid of the ice so you will still have to wait, but it will start healing your wound in the meantime so that you can walk again," Mako advised and resumed his walking.


    Leon was left speechless after what Mako had just said and done. He didn''t want to admit it but deep down, he knew what Mako had said waspletely right.


    It was his fault that Mako defeated him, he was the one who paired Rhino against him, and judging by the fact that Mako had defeated multiple guards at once, it was quite suspicious how he didn''t try to fight back but instead kept crawling away.


    But he couldn''t just let this be. Mako was walking away right in front of his eyes. The person he had tried to find since the moment hended on the ind was now walking away and he couldn''t do anything.


    "Wait!" Leon shouted out of desperation.


    Mako paused his footsteps and slowly turned around to hear what Leon had to say.


    "Where are you going? Why are you carrying him?" Leon asked pointing toward Bill.


    "He was poisoned by a high-tier beast and will soon die if I don''t find him an anti-venom," Mako replied.


    "You know, he and I didn''t start off on the best of terms as well but eventually, we grew past that and became friends. He has had my back ever since and I don''t want to lose him. I still have time and I will try till the very end to save him." Mako added.


    Leon had a bewildered look on his face as he realized something. While he was running across the ind, trying to find Mako, he attacked anyone who came onto his path. Of course, those people were carrying items such as food on them, and he would grab all of them so that he won''t have to waste time searching for food.


    While looting one of the backpacks of the cadet he had brutally beaten, he came across a vile that he didn''t think much of as he just tossed it into his backpack. Thinking about it now, he quickly took off his backpack and started searching for the vial.


    Mako turned back around and started walking again but this time he didn''t even take a couple of steps when Leon''s words made himpletely freeze on the spot.


    "You mean this?" Leon said holding up a vial in his hands full of green liquid inside.


    Mako quickly turned around and noticed the vial in his hands. He couldn''t believe his eyes but to confirm, he used Analyze on it and the words that were disyed in front of his eyes were exactly as pretty as a world-ss painting.


    [Analyze]


    [High-Grade Anti Venom] ?


    [A general anti-venom that nullifies the effects of any poison which is equivalent to High tier. This anti-venom doesn''t reverse the damage that has already been caused by the poison but will eliminate the poison itself, making it so that other regeneration medicines can now be consumed to recover health]

 Chapter 91 Leons Decision

    ?"Where did you get that?" Mako asked in a shaky voice as he stared at the green vial that he had been desperately searching for the past 24 hours.


    "I looted it off a guy while I was looking for you. I didn''t really know what to do with it and just kept it in my bag in case I ever need itter." Leon replied.


    "Oh, thank god!" Mako eximed as he fell to his knees with tears in his eyes. The constant timer rm for the quest was driving him insane, but now it would finally go away as he had finally been able to find the anti-venom.


    He opened the tarp and gentlyid Bill on the floor again. After that, he walked over to Leon who was still on the ground with his leg still frozen. He reached out to grab the vial from his hands but Leon pushed his hand away.


    "Leon? What are you doing?" Mako asked as he saw a grin appear on Leon''s face.


    "You know... this is the only anti-venom I have and maybe I have to use itter down the line for myself. What makes you think that I was just going to hand it over?" Leon replied.


    Leon''s words made Mako feel like a thousand needles were poking his heart.


    "Wh...at..." Mako was so shocked by Leon''s response that he couldn''t even get the words out of his mouth.


    It felt like he was just in front of the finish line about to cross it over, but suddenly the finish line itself started running away from him.


    "DO YOU ACTUALLY HEAR YOURSELF?!" Mako shouted at Leon with a face full of anger and frustration.


    "A guy is dying literally 20 feet away from you, and you have what it takes to save his life without putting yourself at any kind of risk and yet you still decided to choose yourself! He may not even make it till the end of the day given his condition!" Mako shouted trying to make Leon realize the gravity of the situation.


    "We are in a test, aren''t we? Out here, it''s every man for themselves. I have to ensure my well-being and take care of myself first; not worry about what situation someone else is in. If he was weak enough to get himself poisoned then there is no use giving him the anti-venom, he would just get poisoned again." Leon gave his justification in a calm and rxed tone which was meant to tick Mako off even more.


    The strategy worked and Mako started grabbing his hair out of frustration after hearing Leon''s reply. Leon actually wanted Mako to get angry; so much so that he would try to attack him. It was a very natural response when a person got to a point where they get overwhelmed by frustration and anger as they resort to physical violence to make the problem go away.


    In this case, the problem was Leon who was acting as the barrier between Mako and the anti-venom. Once he would attack him, Leon would have justified all of his actions as this was exactly what he felt. He was frustrated and angry for losing and being humiliated and so he tried to take revenge, but Mako called him pathetic for doing so.


    Now Mako was going through the exact same thing as Leon and if in this situation Mako choose violence, it would prove that he was doing nothing wrong at all as he was also resorting to violence to get rid of his pain and anger.


    ''It easy to just preach to other people when you don''t even know how it feels. Well, now you do, let''s see you live up to your preachings when you are in the exact same position as me.'' Leon said to Mako in his thoughts.


    Mako was still holding his hair full of anger as he couldn''t believe what was happening right in front of him. He didn''t know what to do. He knew that it would be useless trying to reason with him nor would he ept any bargain. Mako understood that he was doing this purposefully and wanted to make him feel miserable.


    The constant reminder from the system about the time remaining for the quest was the final straw for Mako. He quickly stood up in anger and looked Leon dead in the eyes. This was exactly what Leon wanted but he was not going to lie, he was a bit intimidated by the seriousness in Mako''s eyes.


    *Silence*


    Mako stared at Leon for a couple of seconds who stared back with an annoying smile on his face. The smile was to make him even madder and any second now, he would try to attack him and take the anti-venom by force.


    Without saying a single word, Mako turned around and walked back toward Bill, and picked him up back up again. He secured him on his back with the tarp and started walking toward the exit.


    "Huh?!" Leon eximed as he watched Mako walk away again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He couldn''t believe his eyes. Nobody would be stupid enough to leave when they were so close to attaining their goal. Why won''t he just take it from him? Was he really so hell-bent on his morals that he would rather look for an alternative rather than just take it from him when he was in a vulnerable state?


    Leon was truly amazed by Mako''s action as he had proven the exact opposite of what Leon wanted him to prove. Leon watched silently as Mako continued to walk toward the exit. Suddenly something clicked inside Leon''s head and he clutched the vial tightly in his hands. Mako was about to reach the exit of the cave when Leon shouted at the top of his lungs.


    "WAIT!!!" He screamed; however, Mako didn''t stop this time. Mako continued to walk forward. Leon tried a couple of more times, screaming at the top of his lungs trying to get Mako to stop. The screams were so loud that they echoed a couple of times


    But still, Mako continued to ignore Leon''s shouts as he walked toward the exit carrying Bill on his back.


    Seeing that Mako wasn''t in the mood to talk anymore, Leon knew he couldn''t stop him with just his words alone. His wound still hadn''t healed up and it was extremely painful for him to put any weight on it, but still, he pushed through the pain and stood up on his feet. He started limping after Mako and continued to call out to him.


    Mako heard Leon''s voice getting closer and closer and against his better judgment, he stopped once again to hear what he had to say. He turned around and could Leon approach as fast as he could with an expression that screamed out pain.


    Mako didn''t know why he was running after him but he could see that he was in a great deal of pain from his leg and so he walked back and grabbed onto him so that he wouldn''t have to walk as far.


    Leon was huffing and panting really loudly. It looked like just covering a small distance was enough to sap away all his willpower and energy. Leon was in so much pain that he couldn''t even get words out of his mouth.


    He was holding the anti-venom in his right hand and he slowly brought it closer to Mako and ced it in his hands. Just after giving the anti-venom to Mako, the pain became too much for Leon to bear as he passed out in Mako''s arms.


    Mako didn''t even know what just happened. It looked like Leon had no intention of giving him the anti-venom and so Mako decided that it would be a waste of time to argue with Leon anymore and he decided to stick to his original n of finding the anti-venom himself.


    However, to his surprise, something clicked inside Leon and it made him chase after him on an injured leg to give him the anti-venom that he refused to give before.


    It didn''t make sense to Mako but he didn''t care about that now as two guys were knocked unconscious near him, one on his back and one in his arms. He decided to make sense of it allter as right, he needed to administer the anti-venom to Bill.


    He carried Leon back to where the burnt-out campfire was and gentlyid him against the smooth boulder. He then opened the tarp and ced Bill right next to Leon.


    He opened the cap on the vial and it revealed a needle inside. There were instructions printed on the vial and it told Mako to inject the anti-venom near the wound where the patient was poisoned from. Mako inserted the needle inside Bill''s arm and the green liquid inside auto-injected into his body.


    *DING!*


    [Emergency Quest Complete]


    [Find an anti-venom and save Bill Johnson''s life within 36 hours]


    [Processing Suitable Rewards]


    [Processing Complete]


    [...]

 Chapter 92 Reaching The Limit

    ?[Rewards: +50,000 EXP, 100 Bronze Tier Coins, Random, One Random Ability Level up]


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Reward: +50 Attribute points, Random Attribute Increase]


    [Current Level: Lvl 12]


    [Strength has been elevated to 35]


    [Choosing Random Ability]


    [Fire has been upgraded to Level 4]


    Several notifications wereing through as Mako received the rewards for saving Bill''s life. He was quite pleased with them as they were equivalent to the rewards he received. Starting from the massive gain in EXP which nudged him into finally reaching level 12.


    The amount of EXP required to level up was getting quite big which was portrayed by the fact that Mako had to gain 2 million EXP in order to level up again. At this rate, it would be impossible for Mako to level up as the requirements would just get too big.


    However, Mako didn''t worry about it too much. If the system was increasing the requirement for leveling up so fast, then it will alsopensate for it by giving more EXP for quests or giving better rewards for the daily quests. Mako didn''t know what the system had in store for him but he trusted it to figure it out on its own and not stress about it himself.


    He also received 100 Bronze coins which was a nice bonus as now he could be on the lookout for things in the shop that he potentially wanted to purchase.


    But thest reward for the quest was the most important one for Mako. Since the beginning of his journey, he had his level 3 Fire Ability and now it was finally getting upgraded as well. Mako quickly checked out the upgrade before proceeding further.


    [Fire] ?


    [Fire is an offensive ability, your offensive stats will be increased when using fire-based moves]


    [Strength +25]


    [Agility +15]


    [Stamina +5]


    [To activate these boosts, you have to keep your ability active which will passively drain energy as well as release the aura of a level 4 Fire ability user]


    [Current rate of energy consumption: 4 Energy per minute]


    The boosts had been increased simr to the Lightning Ability upgrade and Mako wanted to check out his profile next to see how much his stats had improved.


    [Profile] ?


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 325/500] ?


    [Energy: 1865/2000] ?


    [EXP: 41800/204800] ?


    [ount: 120 Bronze Tier Coins] ?


    [Level 12] ?


    [Strength: 35 (+45) ] ?


    [Agility: 30 (+35) ] ?


    [Perception: 30] ?


    [Intelligence: 30] ?


    [Mentality: 50] ?


    [Stamina: 30 (+15) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: 30] ?


    [Attribute Points: 98] ?


    Mako was quite pleased with the upgrade and now he held two level 4 abilities. Thebination of the boost from abilities and his own base stats was enough to propel his Strength into the seventies and Agility in the sixties. Strength was by far his strongest attribute with all the boosts it was getting as Mako''s entire skillset was based on the offense.


    Thanks to the system, he also gained a boost in mentality which was now exactly fifty. However, the rest of Mako''s attributes were quite behind as even though the base stats were simr, they weren''t receiving any boosts from either of his abilities. Not to mention that the system didn''t disy the additional boost that Mako would receive from his armor and weapons.


    The number saved of Attribute points had also skyrocketed as Mako almost had a hundred Attribute points saved up. Some of these were earned throughpleting the daily quests while the rest was given as a reward for leveling up.


    Mako had never missed a daily quest. The system was quite intelligent as it gave him quests that were doable given his circumstances and environment. The daily quests were also paused whenever Mako was knocked out and so he didn''t really have to worry about waking up and finding that he failed to do a daily quest that day.


    Another thing that Mako had learned was that Daily quests would be disabled while Mako had an Emergency quest active as he didn''t receive a daily quest for today or yesterday. It was quite a nice feature that Mako appreciated. It was nice to see that the system had been cleverly designed to cover all types of different situations.


    With so many attribute points, Mako decided that he had more than enough saved up that he could spend some to increase his weaker stats a bit.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Add 20 Attribute points to Perception,'' Makomanded the system.


    *DING!*


    [User had reached base stat of 30 on Perception. From this point forward, Each increase in a stat will cost 2 Attribute points.]


    [Does the user still wish to continue?]


    [YES/NO]


    "What? Why is it charging more now?" Mako said as he was confused by the system''s message.


    The system had made it so that instead of using one Attribute point for increasing his stat by one, it would now cost two. Suddenly, therge number of Attribute points didn''t look sorge anymore. This meant that in order to get his Perception equal to his Mentality, Mako had to spend 40 Attribute points instead of 20.


    This meant that going forward, the price for each stat upgrade would continue to increase as it was the same deal as the EXP requirement. Mako was a bit frustrated at first, but all he could do was ept the new price. Mako once again left it up to the system to figure out. It was increasing the cost to increase one stat then it would also give him opportunities to earnrger amounts of Attribute points.


    Seeing that there was some sort of barrier for when his stats reached 30, Mako wanted to see how much would it cost for him to increase his greatest base stat, that being Mentality.


    ''Add 10 Attribute points to Mentality.'' Makomanded the system once again and sure enough, another notification popped up in front of his eyes. This one was even more ridiculous than the first one.


    [ERROR!]


    [User has reached the cap for his Mentality. In order to upgrade Mentality any further, the user has to reach level 15.]


    It looked like 50 was the highest he could get in any base stat and it would remain that way until he reached level 15. It was the exact same thing as when Mako wanted to increase his health points but the system told him that he had reached the cap for health points.


    ''If that''s the case, then it''s no use stockpiling these points anyway,'' Mako thought to himself as he thought of how he was going to progress further.


    ''Add 40 Attribute points to Perception,'' Makomanded the system.


    ''Add 40 Attribute points to Fortitude,'' Makomanded the system.


    [40 attribute Points have been added to Perception]


    [Perception has been elevated to 50]


    [40 attribute Points have been added to Fortitude]


    [Fortitude has been elevated to 50]


    [Attribute Points Remaining: 18 Attribute Points]


    The cool refreshing feeling of stats being upgraded by Attribute points was stronger than ever, and Mako was slightly afraid that he might get addicted to this feeling considering how much he enjoyed it.


    Mako had increased his two out of three weakest stats to the maximum base unit so that he could be nearer to all his other stats. He decided that he would still stockpile Attribute points so that he could still use them in case he ever needs them; otherwise, he would just spend it to get all his stats'' base value up to 50.


    The healing pill had started to do its magic as Mako''s broken nose was almostpletely healed. The process got even faster, once Mako used Recover.


    With his body almost back in tip-top shape, Mako decided to gather some more supplies and get more food, especially since there was another person with them. Bill was still knocked out and didn''t look like he woulde to anytime soon, and the same held true for Leon.


    Both of them had suffered quite a bit and it would take some time for both of them to wake up and recover. Mako grabbed his own backpack as he prepared to leave the cave. He reactivated theser trap before exiting the cave and going back toward the stream.


    ************


    [At the Military headquarters]


    Live footage of Mako walking out of the cave and heading toward the stream was disyed and all the officials around the round table were so impressed with Mako''s actions that they were currently all apuding.


    They had been watching him live, ever since Leon had entered the cave because all of them were interested in how the two of them would interact. They were quite surprised to learn that the two of them had some history and Mako was the one that Leon was searching for.


    Nobody was able to predict the events that took ce in that cave and were genuinely impressed by Mako''s performance and personality.


    ************


    Mako had no idea that he was being watched at all, and he didn''t even care. Since the test had begun, he had been an emotional wreck. He was finally relieved of all the stress as he could finally take a breather.


    He strolled up to the stream with a big smile on his face, ready to catch some fish that couldst all three of them the entire day.


    He first cleaned himself using the water from the stream and then began hunting several different species of fish. It hadn''t even been 20 minutes yet, and he suddenly sensed something to his left.


    "Damn, this level of perception is no joke," Mako said to himself and continued to fish.


    A couple of secondster, three cadets jumped out of a bush to his left and quickly surrounded him. The cadets consisted of 2 boys and one girl and each of them had a Power weapon in their hands.


    "Alright, listen up! We want all the fish that you have caught. Give them to us quietly and we won''t hurt you!" One of the boy cadets ordered Mako.


    Mako paid no attention to them and continued to stare down at the stream to catch any passing fish.


    The cadets were confused as to what to do next as their target wasn''t even acknowledging their presence. The boy tried to repeat himself but even before he could open his mouth, Mako replied to them in a low cold tone.


    "I am only going to say this once. Get lost and leave me alone." Mako said.

 Chapter 93 Traumatic Flashback

    ?*BOOM!*


    An explosion urred underneath a ckvish car andunched it into the air. Since the car was moving, the momentum carried it forward, and the car was flipping in the air beforending upside down on the ground.


    It slid a bit forward afternding on the ground due to the remaining momentum of the car and finally came to a stop after covering several meters.


    Immediately, two cars pulled up near the crashed car and surrounded it from the front and back. The doors opened and out came 6 men from each car wearing different pieces of armor and each had an emblem of a green skull and bones.


    The twelve men quickly surrounded the car and approached it with extreme caution. Some of them had Power weapons as well and were gripping them very tightly.


    Suddenly, one of the back doors of the crashed car sted off the car with such force that it traveled close to 200 meters beforending on the ground. The men who were facing that door started firing different abilities but they all changed trajectory andpletely missed the car.


    A man jumped out of the car and he was wearing a rathervish yet simple ck suit. His facial expression screamed with anger as just by his re alone, the 12 men started feeling ufortable and afraid.


    "You picked the wrong time to mess with me!" The man said as in a blink of a second he had reached one of the guys that were closest to him.


    "GET HIM!" one of the men shouted as all the remaining men started shooting different abilities at the man who was busy super punching the guy he had run up to.


    The man quickly finished beating his first target and quickly turned around and could see several abilities being projected toward him.


    The man stood still and suddenly extremely strong winds started blowing with the man being the source. The air within the wind was so condensed that it became visible and now a white wall of wind had appeared in front of him to block all the iing projectiles.


    As soon as the wall of wind dropped, two men lunged at him each having swords in their hands. The man quickly dodged the first one and taking a hidden de out of his sleeve, he countered the second one head-on. The two engaged him in a sword fight while some of them continued throwing projectiles at him using their abilities.


    While he was busy fighting all of them, two of the men tried to approach the car but were instantly reflected back by an invisible force.


    "Damn it, he put a barrier around the car!" One of them said in frustration.


    "Don''t worry, all we have to do is hit him once with any of our weapons. He can''t use his ability on us because if he does, the car will be unprotected. Once he is hit, he wille to realize the power that our Leader possesses." The other replied.


    These two men didn''t take part in the fight against that guy who was currently battling all the remaining men by himself. They just observed from afar and waited for the correct opportunity.


    It was clear that the guy fighting all of them was strong but even he was having a hard time against all these men who were also decent fighters. The problem was that he couldn''t fight with his whole strength as one of his strongest abilities was currently upied with protecting the car.


    The guys with swords saw an opening and tried to attack him from both sides using a horizontal slice. However, the man jumped up into the air dodging both sword strikes, and while in midair, he spun his legs to createrge des of wind.


    An extremely strong move which able to hit all of them since the des were at the height of their heads. The men had moved back in order to dodge the iing des and this gave the man some room, or so he thought.


    The reverse wind des were one of his signature moves and the men were waiting for a predictable move so that they could finally inflict some damage.


    One of the men had already ducked down as the guy was about to create the wind des and wasn''t affected by them at all. As all his teammates had moved back and dodged the wind des, he advanced further.


    As the guynded back on his feet expecting that he had a second or two of breathing time, a sharp pain started to emanate from his back. The man staggered a bit as the pain overwhelmed him for a second. He touched his back and noticed that he was bleeding.


    Behind the man, the guy who was advancing toward him was standing straight with a bloodybat knife in his hands.


    He had done it! He had sessfully injured Paul Czolgosz.


    "DAD!!!"


    *************


    Leon''s eyes suddenly burst open as he finally awakened. His breathing was heaving and he was sweating a lot. It took him a couple of seconds to realize where he was and what was going on.


    "Man, what a total nightmare," Leon said.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You too, huh?" Bill replied.


    Leon was so shaken up from his dream that he hadn''t even noticed that Bill wasying right beside him. Both boys were leaning against a smooth boulder inside the same cave as before.


    "Where''s Mako?" Leon asked.


    "I don''t know, when I woke up, he wasn''t here. His backpack is also gone which means that he probably went outside to gather more supplies or food." Bill replied.


    "How do you know he didn''t just ditch you?" Leon asked.


    This caused Bill to crack up a smile as he couldn''t help but chuckle at Leon''s question. Leon was a bit confused as to why he was giggling because he had asked a legitimate question.


    "I know he will never ditch me. If he wanted to, he could have just let me die after I showed up on his doorstep very close to death. I wouldn''t even me him if he did after everything that I did to him, but he took me in and healed me. He saved my life and even forgave me for all the things that I had done to him on the spot." Bill narrated.


    "He was the first person that made me realize that there are still some people with humanity in the world. We became friends ever since, and I would be ready to give my life in a heartbeat if it means protecting him and I know he will do the same." Bill exined his reason for giggling at Leon''s question.


    Leon looked back at the events that had taken ce after he had entered the cave. What Bill was saying waspletely true as Mako himself admitted that he didn''t try to counterattack because he was too close to Bill and was afraid that he won''t be able to handle a single crossfire given his condition.


    ''I guess these two really are quite close.'' Leon thought as Bill narrated how he got poisoned and Mako was most probably able to find an anti-venom to cure him.


    "What I didn''t understand is when did youe here? And who hurt your leg?" Bill asked Leon this time.


    Leon looked down and could see that the ice waspletely gone and the wound was bandaged up nicely. He still couldn''t move because it wasn''t healed yet and Bill also couldn''t move because he was also quite weak from the damage that the poison had done to him.


    There were a couple of seconds of awkward silence between them, where Leon just kept feeling the bandage on his leg. Bill nudged him a bit to try and get him to answer and Leon just scratched his head while nervouslyughing.


    He slowly started to exin what had happened and tried to tell theplete truth but still left out some details which were too embarrassing for him to tell.


    *************


    "Good job, Cadet!" The patrolling officer congratted Mako while three more patrolling officers were carrying the bruised-up bodies of the three cadets in the background.


    Mako had made quick work of the cadets that tried to ambush him and simply resumed his fishing again. Soon the officers came on the scene to remove the defeated cadets which Mako didn''t even bother to acknowledge.


    That was until one of the officers approached him and extended his hand toward him for a handshake. Mako epted the handshake and the officer said his praise.


    "The higher-ups have been impressed with your knowledge so far, and they were pleased to see that you were able to cure your friend as well." The officer added.


    Mako epted the praise with a small nod and got back to his fishing, allowing the patrolling officer to get back to his work as well.


    Soon the cadets were removed from the premises. Mako also asked the officer to take their items as well because he knew that they would be extra salty for failing the test and losing their Power weapons, plus Mako had no need for it anyway.


    Soon Mako was able to catch enough fish and decided to knock out today''s daily quests before returning back to the cave.


    *************


    It was around midday when Mako returned back to the cave, only to hear noises from the inside. The noises were muffled so he couldn''t hear what was being said, but he knew that both Bill and Leon were awake, and from the sound of it angry.


    He quickly made his way inside the cave to see that both of them were stillying down against the smooth boulder with Bill shouting at Leon.


    "Seriously! I was going to die, and all you thought about was yourself!" Bill eximed.

 Chapter 94 Fight Me!

    ?"Oh Boy," Mako sighed as he approached Bill and Leon and broke up their little fight.


    Bill was still angry at Leon after what Leon had told him and he then directed this anger toward Mako.


    "How could you help this guy after what he did?" Bill said to Mako.


    Mako quietly observed both of them. Bill was furious and waving his hand up and down while continuouslyining like a toddler throwing a tantrum. On the other hand, Leon was surprisingly quiet. He wasn''t shouting back or trying to make Bill shut up. It was quite a rare site to see as the Leon they knew was one full of anger and ego.


    With his head bent downwards a bit, he quietly listened to Bill''s continuous remarks andints with a somber expression on his face.


    Only after listening to Bill for about 30 seconds, Mako was fed of Bill ranting on and on and he finally gave him a small p on the cheek to bring him back to his senses.


    "Calm down, dude! He also saved your life! I admit he didn''t give me the anti-venom at the start however, he stood up on his injured leg and chased after me to give me the anti-venom, once I had picked you up and was about to leave." Mako started exining.


    "Think of it from a different perspective. Remember how mad you got when I talked back to you during our duel? You became so furious that you assaulted me in ss and forced me to face you in the following duel where you even attempted to inflict a fatal wound on me."


    Bill suddenly hung his head low from embarrassment and guilt as Mako made him remember his own deeds.


    "You did all that and I still helped you, didn''t I? I gave you a second chance and look at you now. So why doesn''t he deserve a second chance as well?" Mako said pointing at Leon.


    "He was furious and outraged as well when I defeated him in the battle royal tournament. He wanted to quench his thirst for revenge as well so I can''t me him for the actions that he took, but what matters is that in the end, he made the right choice and gave up the anti-venom to cure you." Mako finished exining his reason.


    Mako''s reasoning was quite valid and now Bill felt like a big jerk for saying all those things to Leon who quietly listened to it all without even saying a word back.


    There was a few seconds of awkward silence between the three of them until finally, Bill picked up the courage to turn toward Leon and apologize.


    "Listen, I am sorry for saying all those things. I guess I was just so close to death that thinking back to it just made me lose all sense of judgment." Bill said.


    Leon slowly lifted his head as well and first looked toward Mako who gave him a small nod while smiling before moving on to start a fire and then to Bill.


    "I am sorry as well. I should have exined the entire story to you but I just couldn''t tell thest part because it made me look weak." Leon replied.


    "It''s not weak," Bill replied as he opened up his right palm and rubbed it with his other hand.


    "It''s not weak to sacrifice yourself to save others. Instead, I believe it is one of the most courageous things you can do. I burned my hand while forging a duplicate key to escape from the warehouse I was imprisoned in. The lives of many people were riding on me getting the key and so I happily gave away my hand for the cause." Bill narrated the story of his prison break.


    "The same was true for the person because of whom I am still alive today," Bill added remembering a certain someone.


    "Who, Mako?" Leon asked as he was now hooked on Bill''s story.


    "No, Mako was the one who saved me after I escaped; however, it was Albert who allowed me to escape in the first ce. He sacrificed himself to create an explosion that sted the door open and allowed the remaining prisoners including me to make their escape. He is one of the most bravest and courageous people I know." Bill replied


    "So never think that you are being weak for caring about someone else. Doing that is what makes you human... I know that now." Bill added.


    ************


    Bill and Leon seemed to have formed a bond as they continued having conversations about different things in their lives. Leon still wasn''tfortable sharing some information, especially regarding those of his family but both Mako and Bill respected that and allowed him to gradually open up to them at his own pace.


    Mako also added smallments when Bill was sharing stories, especially telling all the embarrassing details that made Leon finally crack a chuckle.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After a while, Leon''s leg had healed up enough that he was able to stand up and move around while Bill still couldn''t move as he was still too weak. Mako fed him another healing pill so that he could recover faster and this was thest High tier of healing pill that he had on him. Of course, he had more in his inventory, but he was afraid for taking those out in case he got caught.


    Considering the Patrolling guard''sment about the higher official keeping a close eye on him, it can also be said that they are keeping track of all the resources he uses and if he keeps on using healing pills when he only found a couple from the Loot crates, he knew they were bound to get suspicious.


    Mako even ditched one of the low-tier healing pills he got from one of the first crates so that he could pop the rejuvenating pill without messing up the numbers.


    Soon, all the fish that Mako had caught were finished cooking on top of the fire. While Bill and Leon were busy talking, Mako was doing all the hard work gutting and preparing each fish and then cooking them on top of the water.


    Using one of the loot crate containers, he found recently, he was also able to bring back a lot of water. Now with the fish cooked to perfection and a variety of tropical fruit, Mako presented the feast to them and just the smell was enough to turn them silent.


    The growls of their stomachs could be heard as Both Leon and Bill were super hungry. Leon hadn''t had anything to eat in the 24 hours as he was continuously searching for Mako and even though Mako tried to feed Bill while he was poisoned, he didn''t eat much and was also rocking an empty stomach.


    All three of them dug into the food and 45 minutester, there was one piece of fish or a single fruit left. After having a burppetition where the person with the loudest burp was the winner, and sufficiently weirding out the patrolling officers nearby who were assigned to keep an eye on them and the higher officials sitting around the round table, the boys rxed around the fire.


    It had been quite a tough three days since they hadnded and they were finally able to just sit back and rx for a while. Mako and Bill started discussing their ns for the future.


    They looked at the map and saw that they were still within the southwest region of the ind but they were definitely in a lot more centralized area.


    "If we head out tomorrow morning, we can reach this area which looks to be another cave by sunset. I don''t think it is feasible to keep traveling to our original spot considering all the beasts that are roaming around." Mako said pointing at a different area on the map.


    "This cave is also in a central position and it looks like there aren''t a lot of trees nearby. There is also a tablet nearby which is a must-have considering we don''t even know what has been happening on the rest of the ind for thest three days." Mako said.


    "Now, the only problem is water. There is no source of freshwater within 4 kilometers of that cave and we are going to have to figure out something if we want to secure this area as our permanent shelter.


    "We can perhaps dig a well and see if we can ess some from underground and even in the worst-case scenario, we have Leon''s speed which would be a huge help if we have to end up transporting water manually," Bill rmended an option.


    "Huh, what?" Leon asked in confusion about Bill''sment.


    Bill exined again that if there is no other alternative, they can rely on his speed to get some water. However, Leon wasn''t concerned about the job but rather inclusion.


    "You guys are taking me with you?" Leon asked.


    Mako and Bill looked at each other before turning back toward Leon and nodding simultaneously.


    "Of course, we you areing with us. Do you expect us to just leave you alone on this ind? Who will have your back if you ended up getting ambushed or God forbid poisoned yourself?" Mako said in a matter-of-fact type tone.


    "Listen, guys. I really appreciate your hospitality, but I will only be a burden to you. It is better for us to go our separate ways." Leon said.


    Mako and Bill were having none of it as they started arguing with Leon over various reasons to make him stay with them. It wasn''t even because Paul had hired them to do so, they would have done the same regardless of the agreement they made with Paul.


    After about fifteen minutes of constant arguing, Leon finally caved in and epted to join Mako and Bill but he told them that he had a condition for him joining them.


    "If you want me to join you two then I want my rematch with you," Leon said while pointing at Mako.


    "I want an honest rematch against you and me, one on one, no weapons, interferences, or cheap tricks," Leon said making his intentions clear.

 Chapter 95 Mako Vs Leon (Part 1)

    ?Mako was speechless after what Leon had just proposed to him.


    "You want to fight me, now? But what about everything that has happened to us so far, doesn''t that mean anything to you?" Mako asked.


    "Yes, I do!" Leon replied.


    "Please try to understand that I am not doing this out of hate anymore. You have truly opened my eyes to see that you two have no ill intentions against me, and even now you are offering me to join you; however, I simply can''t. I can''t bring myself to join you guys when I know that I am weaker and will only slow you down." Leon added with a determined expression on his face.


    "Leon, neither of us thinks you are weak. Please... don''t do this. You have only just recovered and fighting with me right now will bring you more harm than good." Mako tried to reason with Leon but it fell on deaf ears as Leon had made up his mind.


    "If you don''t think that I am weak, then why don''t you fight me? It should be quite easy for you to take me out then, don''t you think?" Leon replied.


    Bill ced his hand on Mako''s shoulder. Mako turned back to see Bill have a serious look in his eyes.


    "He has made up his mind, Mako. There is nothing you can do that will get him to change his decision. It is best if you honor his choice and fight or else he will leave." Bill rmended.


    Mako was at a loss for words. He didn''t believe that Bill would actually suggest such a thing but now he was also wishing for him to fight Leon.


    Mako thought for a bit with indecisiveness clearly present on his face. Bill and Leon observed quietly as Mako was struggling to make a decision.


    "Alright, fine! I''ll fight you, but I also have a condition of my own." Mako said.


    A small smile appeared on Leon''s face as he was open to hearing Mako''s condition. For as long as he would get to fight him again, he really didn''t care about anything else.


    "If we are to fight, then there won''t be dealing any unnecessary damage. Once one of us is down for the count, the fight will be over," Mako exined his condition.


    "That''s fine by me," Leon said with a smile before turning around and using his super speed to quickly create distance between them.


    Bill also backed away from the two of them. He had only just recovered enough to walk around and still wasn''t back to his full strength yet. He jumped up andnded on the top of the smooth boulder so that he would be far away and safe from any rogue attacks.


    Mako and Leon each took a fighting stance and began staring at each other with increasing intensity as both of them were waiting for the other to make the first move.


    The staredownsted for approximately 20 seconds before Leon decided to make the first move. He quickly sprinted forward at top speed and threw out a punch toward Mako''s face.


    Mako''s perception had grown quite a bit and he was able to sense the iing attack just in the nick of time.


    [Phantom Shift has been activated]


    It seemed as if Leon''s fist had connected with Mako; however, Leon didn''t feel any kind of contact. Soon the image of Mako disappeared and the real Mako appeared to his left.


    With Leon''s arm extended outwards and still moving with the same force as it had not actually hit anything, Leon wasn''t able to block at all. Mako took advantage and got in close to Leon.


    [Ten Palm Strike has been activated]


    Ten continuous loud bangs echoed in the cave as Mako delivered a big hit to Leon''s abdomen. Even though it was one of Mako''s earliest learned moves with low attack potential. Mako''s strength attribute was able to elevate the attack power of the move to deal some real damage to Leon.


    The strike made Leon slide back a couple of feet but he was still standing strong.


    "Heh, is that all you got?!" Leon taunted with a smile on his face.


    A smile also appeared on Mako''s face as he acknowledged the taunt and rushed in to start his own attack.


    "Oh, this is getting interesting," Billmented as he observed the battle from the boulder.


    [Phantom Kick has been activated]


    Mako''s image was created which continued to show as if Mako was running forward, while Mako had shifted to the right with a horizontal kick aimed at Leon''s face.


    Leon continued to rush forward as well as he was about to engage with the image of Mako, but just as he was about to make contact, he suddenly turned to his left and held up his arms against his face to block.


    Just as he held up his arms to block, Mako''s image disappeared from in front of him, and his kick got blocked by Leon.


    Leon used his own momentum to carry himself forward and break free from Mako''s attack. He slid forward and came to a stop. Mako was shocked to learn that his phantom skill just got countered.


    ''This is the first time that one of my phantom skills got countered. How did he do it?'' Mako thought as he came to a stop as well and turned around to see that Leon was approaching him once again.


    Leon started throwing a barrage of attacks toward Mako. Even though Mako''s agility was his second strongest attribute, he still was inferior to Leon''s speed and couldn''t block all of his punches. Slowly, more and more punches started breaking through and they were quite strong as well.


    ''I can''t take these punches for too long!'' Mako said to himself as he tried toe up with a counter.


    After deflecting one of the punches, Mako ducked down and using his feet, started to spin himself. He extended out his fist as he spun and mes started to erupt.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [me Wheel has been activated]


    A ring of fire quickly formed around Mako and it extended outward. Leon could feel the intensity of the mes and was sure that the fire had be a lot stronger than when hest fought him. Leon performed multiple continuous backflips to escape the range of the me wheel without getting hurt.


    "Woah..." Billmented as he watched Leon''s lightning-fast reflexes to dodge the iing fire.


    ''Impressive.'' Mako said he acknowledged Leon''s growth in fighting style. He was much more refined and sharp than he was when he fought against him in the battle royal tournament.


    "Let''s see how you handle this!" Mako said as his right arm lit up in bright orange mes.


    [Fireball has been activated]


    [Fireball has been activated]


    Fireball has been activated]


    [...]


    A barrage of fireballs was quickly fired toward Leon but even this wasn''t enough to remove that smile on his face. Leon quickly began to run in a circr motion around Mako while dodging all of his fireballs.


    The fireballs collided with the cave wall creating small craters and shaking the entire cave itself. One rouge fireball wasing toward Bill on top of the smooth boulder. He instantly took a defensive stance and waved his hands in the air in a specific way.


    The fireball was about to hit Bill but was suddenly blocked by an invisible barrier which deflected it in a different direction.


    After the fireball was taken care of Bill held his right arm in pain which was the most affected as this was where he was stung.


    ''Using Wind Wall was a mistake. I am still too weak and should have just dodged the fireball instead.'' Bill said to himself.


    Leon continued to dodge fireballs as they were no match for his speed. He was slowly circling in toward Mako as he ran shortening the distance between them.


    Mako knew the fireballs weren''t going to do much against someone with superior agility but that was his n all along. He was just using his right arm to fire fireballs at Leon as a distraction while his left hand was nted firmly on the ground.


    As Leon got closer and closer, dodging every single fireball. Once he got close enough, he dodged thest iing fireball by taking a giant leap forward andnding on one of his feet. All of Leon''s built-up speed and momentum was being condensed onto that one singr foot. So much energy was being condensed that Leon''s foot started glowing.


    After all of the energy got condensed in his foot, Leon released all of it at once andunched himself forward toward Mako. The speed was so intense that the entire cave shook as Leon rushed toward Mako. Makounched another fireball, but Leon didn''t move this time rather he tanked the fireball head-on.


    The fireball barely did anything as Leon continued to charge forward. Before Mako could do anything else, Leon appeared right in front of him andnd a crisp left hook on Mako''s face.


    *Bang!*


    A loud noise echoed in the cave as Mako wasunched backward with great force. He wasn''t able to stop himself and abruptly came to a stop as his entire body collided against the cave wall. The entire cave shook violently as an indent of Mako''s entire body was made on the wall.


    [-70 HP]


    [User has multiple fractures in their skull]


    [User has a concussion]


    [Emergency healing has been activated]


    Mako''s entire face was covered with several cuts and was bleeding all over, but he still slowly began to stand up again.


    Leon and Bill were both surprised to see Mako could stand after taking such a strong blow but what they didn''t know is that Mako had maxed out his base fortitude which meant that he wasn''t so frail that he could be done in by a single punch.


    Seeing Mako rise again made Leon''s smile even wider as he had forgotten his reasoning to fight. He was just happy to be able to go all-out against someone and fight someone other than Rhino.


    As Mako rose up again, Leon started to lightugh.


    "It seems you can''t handle my new skills yet!" Leon taunted Mako once again.


    Mako took a couple of deep breaths as he tried to get his vision to stabilize. Slowly he began to chuckle as well. Seeing Makoughing was quite confusing but suddenly he stoppedughing as he lifted his bloody face to look Leon dead in the eye.


    "And it seems you still fall for my old ones!" Mako shouted.


    [me Pir has been activated]


    Before Leon could even realize what was going on. A circle lit up around him; 10 meters in diameter. Leon couldn''t even move a muscle before a massive pir of mes erupted from the ground andpletely enveloped Leon in bright hot mes.

 Chapter 96 Mako Vs Leon (Part 2)

    ?"AHHHH!!!!" Leon''s scream erupted from within the pir of mes as it was clear that the fire was doing damage to him.


    A couple of secondster, the time duration for the skill had psed and the fire stopped erupting from the ground. The ten-meter circle waspletely ckened from the intense mes and in its center, Leon could be seen copsed on one knee and breathing in and out heavily.


    Steam could be seen rising from his skin and there were minor burn marks on his body, but it didn''t seem to do the same amount of damage as before.


    "You won''t get me with the same move twice!" Leon shouted as he tried to stand up on his legs once again.


    Mako was amazed that Leon was able to still stand after that move. This was the move that Mako had used to finish Leon and at that time it was only a level 1. With further training, Mako was able to elevate the me pir to level 3.


    Yet, Leon seemed to still have some fight in him. It still did some serious damage and Leon had to take a couple of minutes to recover. Mako used this opportunity as well to recover and devise a strategy against this stronger Leon.


    ''It has been a while since I analyzed you, let me see how far you havee,'' Mako said in his thoughts as he activated his most versatile and important skill.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Leon Czolgosz] (Unconscious)


    [Ability: Speed (Level 4), Hardening (Level 2), Earth (Level 3)] ?


    [Health: 99/170] ?


    [Energy: 438/780] ?


    [Strength: 15] ?


    [Agility: 45] ?


    [Perception: 22] ?


    [Intelligence: 8] ?


    [Mentality: 30] ?


    [Stamina: 18] ?


    [Charisma: 5] ?


    [Fortitude: 30] ?


    Mako was shocked to see how different Leon''s character sheet lookedpared to when he analyzed him during the tournament. It seemed like Paul had given him everything that he could learn to prepare for the recruitment test.


    Leon''s agility and fortitude were massively improvedpared to thest time while he had improved decently in perception and strength.


    Leon''s obvious jump in abilities was most likely the result of his new abilities. Hardening gave him increased defense which he used to absorb Mako''s attacks and keep the damage received to a minimum. Even the me pir couldn''tpletely defeat him and it was likely because of a skill rted to hardening which gave him elemental or specifically fire resistance.


    What Mako didn''t understand was why hadn''t Leon used his earth ability at all during this fight. It could havee in handy in many of their previous encounters, but Leon choose not to reveal his ability.


    As thest of the steam finally seeped off Leon''s body, Mako was still trying toe up with a n when suddenly, Leon dashed forward at top speed with his fist out ready to squash Mako''s face.


    "Huh!?" Mako eximed as he was confused. ''How could he have recovered so quickly?'' He thought.


    Nheless, the first approached Mako quickly and was mere centimeters away from connecting when Mako, disappeared right in front of him.


    ''Damn it! he tricked me again!'' Leon said in his thoughts as he fell prey to the phantom shift one more time, saving Mako just in the nick of time.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Mako used his top speed to quickly create some distance between himself and Leon, but Leon was quick to react as he used his speed ability to keep on Mako''s trail. The fight soon began a speed battle with both fighters racing across the cave, while also exchanging punches at random intervals.


    The high-intensity speed battle was Leon''s home turf but it was proving difficult for Mako to keep up. He had to reactivate the dash skill every ten seconds in order to barelypete with Leon. It was true that Mako was the stronger one in terms of brute force, but Leon''s hardening gave him the edge as he could withstand the constant barrage of punches and kicks.


    Both boys showed a great level of skill as they continue to sh head-on using everything they got.


    ''This isn''t good! I am spending way more energy than him and if this keeps up, my bigger energy pool advantage would be gone!'' Mako strategized whilst countering Leon''s punches.


    ''I have to break free, somehow!'' Mako said in his thoughts as he settled on a n.


    [Phantom Punch has been activated]


    Mako''s arm phased just a bit as Mako used his very first skill. However, Leon didn''t fall for the afterimage and instead raised his left arm to block the iing punch. The punch was sessfully blocked and Leon grabbed a hold of Mako''s fist.


    "Not so fast! I can read your moves, so there is no use in trying!" Leon taunted as he held Mako''s fist.


    ''His perception is just barely high enough to see my phantom moves. However, they do still work sometimes. It seems that if he isn''t concentrating to his fullest, he can''t read them!'' Mako theorized.


    "What''s wrong!? All tuckered out?" Leon taunted while panting. The long fight was taking a toll on his body. His stamina was starting to fail him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *HIYAAHH!*


    [Phantom Punch has been activated]


    [Phantom Punch has been activated]


    [Phantom Kick has been activated]


    [...]


    Mako switched up his tacticpletely as he began his assault by only using phantom moves one after another. Mako''s entire body began to phase slightly as multiple phantom moves were activated all at once.


    Leon was able to keep up in the beginning, dodging the iing attacks and countering them effectively; however, his uracy began to drop quickly as he started getting hit more and more.


    Punch after punch after kick. Soon Leon had bepletely overwhelmed by Mako''s barrage of phantom moves. The phantom moves were one of the least costly skills as they didn''t really didn''t have a huge effect on the energy pool even after continuous spamming.


    Both Mako and Leon were reaching their limits. Leon was starting to run low on energy and stamina while Mako had suffered more of a beating and was hurt more.


    After exchanging onest punch, both boys threw out another punch which connected with the other''s face simultaneously,unching them both back a few feet.


    "Alright, that''s enough!" Bill shouted from atop the boulder. "You two have worn yourselves out too much already. At this rate, you won''t recover till morning. Call it off now and recover!"


    There was a slight pause between the two of them as they stared at each other; huffing and panting like crazy.


    "No way! We both havee so far, I can''t let it end like this. We need to decide on a winner. Are you with me!?" Leon shouted as he refused Bill''s advice and then turned to Mako to ask whether he wanted to continue or not.


    ''He''s right! He hase so far and worked so hard to finally defeat me. I can''t let it end on an unsatisfactory finish!'' Mako said in his thoughts as he also came to a decision.


    "I am not backing out now! Trust me, I will win this duel for sure!" Mako replied.


    "Heh! Keep dreaming!" Leon taunted as he took on his earlier stance.


    Mako''s hands erupted in mes as he took on his own stance, however, it was different from before as he only had one hand forward while the other was behind his back.


    ''Is he trying to mock me!? I will show him!!'' Leon thought as he became angered by the new stance and charged in at top speed.


    Leon was moving so fast that afterimages were forming behind him creating a streak. His fist began to glow the same way his feet glowed when he was condensing his energy into it for a big boost.


    Mako stayed in his position as he only widened his stance by separating his feet further apart.


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    Leon approached Mako with super speed as his final attack was sure to cause some damage.


    ''Add all remaining Attribute points to Agility'' Makomanded the system.


    [20 attribute Points have been added to Agility]


    [Agility has been elevated to 40]


    ''I hope this is enough!'' Mako said as Leon was only a couple of feet away.


    Time slowed down, all sounds came to a stop. Mako could hear his own breathing... he could hear his heartbeat... he could feel the blood pumping through his veins at high speeds.


    Suddenly a glowing fist appeared in front of his vision. It was moving toward him with great intensity and fury.


    *WHOOSH!*


    Leon''s punch sted forward creating such a powerful force that a jet of wind erupted from his fist that carried the shockwave forward.


    However, there was no sign of Mako. Mako was not hit by the punch as it sted the cave wall behind creating a giant crater; several meters deep.


    Leon was so confused as to what had happened. Where did Mako go? How was he able to dodge his most powerful attack?


    "Down here!" Mako shouted.


    "Huh?" Leon looked down and could see Mako had performed a near-perfect split and avoided the punch that just grazed his air. His hands were not covered in mes anymore; instead, they were crackling with lightning.


    Leon had fallen victim to tunnel vision as he could barely observe his surroundings. He was so focused on his final attack that he could notice Mako ducking down just in the nick of time to dodge the iing attack.


    "That was a good attempt! But now, it''s over!" Mako shouted as he released all the built-up lightning from his hands.


    [Lightning Strike has been activated]

 Chapter 97 Tremors!

    ?[Lightning Strike has been activated]


    Yellow snakes of lightning condensed in Mako''s arm as he thrust it forward to be released inches away from Leon''s body. Leon had used up everything he had in thatst move and now couldn''t even process the fact that a Mako was about to make his move.


    He stood there with his arms extended outward while Mako delivered his strongest lightning strike to Leon''s stomach.


    *ZING!*


    The lightning left the tip of Mako''s hands with fury and instantly collided with Leon''s abdomen. The force was strong enough tounch him a couple of feet in the air as the lightning coursed through his body, delivering shocks in all his joints. His nerves were on fire from being stimted all over and Leon could feel pain all over his body at once.


    The attack didn''tst long at all and Leonnded a couple of feet away from Mako; gasping for air. Steam once again rose from his body as the lightning was also able to evaporate any water that was on his skin.


    After delivering the final strike, Mako also copsed onto the ground and was about to be knocked unconscious from exhaustion. His eyes slowly closed away and his vision slowly became dark all the while his ears continued to ring as notification sounds kept on repeating in his head.


    *DING!*


    *DING!*


    **************


    [At the military headquarters]


    All the high officials were quiet as they were carefully observing the live chaotic fight. The room fell silent as they watched Mako dodge Leon''s final attack and then deliver his own final strike.


    As soon as the footage ended with the two boys copsing on the ground and Bill rushing toward them to make sure they were okay, the entire room resounded with sounds of pping as all the officers stood up from their chairs and pped at the brilliant fight they got to observe.


    They were all truly impressed by both the capabilities and skills that they disyed during the fight. The mainmander ordered extra points to be added to both Leon''s and Mako''s ounts which were quite nice.


    Mako and Leon didn''t know this but both of these boys hadn''t been doing much on the ind since arriving, since they both had a different goal in mind that took priority over anything else. This led them to be quite behind in the scoreboard as neither of them hadn''t done much to earn points. This bonus allowed them to get back into the game as they were now in a decent position on the scoreboard.


    After the small apuding session, the higher officials took their seats once again and got back to work as they still had to monitor everything that was going on the ind.


    "Sir, I believe we have a problem!" A man wearing the same uniform as Brigadier Jones but with fewer medals approached the mainmander in a hurry.


    "What is it, sergeant?" Themander asked.


    The sergeant pulled out a massive piece of paper that looked like a map. He started pointing at a couple of different things and cross-referencing them with a journal that he had also brought.


    "The cave where the two boys fought isn''t really closed off as they would have thought. Indeed there is a dead end, but that is just a thin wall that walls that small cave from a giant cave." The sergeant exined.


    "The giant cave is the ce where the Terra Beatles had made their breeding ground and they are naturally strong with all the offspring being High Level and their King might be even stronger. During the cadet''s battle, they released powerful moves that shook the cave violently a couple of times and even created craters in the walls." The sergeant added.


    "If the beasts got alerted by all that noise and chaos then I am sure they will start moving toward the cadets'' location. Given their numbers and the condition of the cadets, I don''t think they will be able to fight against such a big threat." The sergeant finished exining his concern to the mainmander.


    Themander had a thoughtful expression on his face as he was in deep thought, thinking about what would be the correct move.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After a few minutes of thinking, the mainmander made his decision.


    "We can''t interfere with whatever is happening on the ind. Those are the rules of this test and we can''t change them even if there is a promising cadet involved. Tell the patrolling officers to carefully monitor the area and be ready to jump in at a moment''s notice to extract them if things go wrong." The mainmander announced his decision.


    All the other officers nodded their heads in agreement with the mainmander''s decision and quickly got back to observing the sectors that they were assigned to.


    ************


    [Back in the cave]


    The day went by in a sh and the roles had been reversed as this time it was Bill who was taking care of both of the injured boys. Since they had run out of High tier healing pills, they just had to make do with lower-quality ones which meant that their recovery time was longer.


    Bill had spent the day gathering food and water and got back to the cave by sunset. Mako had told him about everything that had happened after he was poisoned and included all things that he had found in the loot crates. It was quite easy to set up theser trap again and that relieved some stress from Bill as he could rest easy knowing that his friends were safe.


    Even after he got back from gathering supplies, Mako and Leon still hadn''t woken up but their bodies looked a lot better as the healing pills had still done their job. It was only a matter of time until they came to and Bill decided that it would be best to start working on getting the food ready because he was sure that they would be hungry after waking up.


    Bill didn''t have the fire ability so he had to get the fire going the old fashion way and it was a bit more difficult than it looked. He was just grateful that Mako had taken the time to teach him all this before the test so that he wouldn''t be dependent on him.


    However, cooking the fish wasn''t one of Bill''s strengths as he had burnt the first batch of fish that he had set on the fire to grill. A lot of ck smoke started to rise from the burnt fish and made him cough a lot. He was worried that the smoke would cause Mako and Leon to choke so he quickly used his wind ability to direct all the smoke out of the cave.


    Looking at the burnt fish, Bill was quite embarrassed as he couldn''t believe how hard it was to get something cooked right and he felt bad for devouring all of Mako''s cooked meals without even saying thanks considering all the hard work it took to make those meals.


    The burnt fish still gave off a bad smell so Bill decided to take them out of the cave. He walked toward the entrance of the cave and using his Earth ability made a small hole in the ground to throw all the burnt fish. He covered the hole with dirt so that the smell of the fish won''te out anymore which would be dangerous considering there were beasts on the ind that fed on flesh.


    The roaming beasts could be attracted to the smell of the burnt fish which may lead them to find the cave entrance.


    As soon as Bill was done properly disposing of all the fish, he made his back inside the cave but he had only taken a couple of steps before the entire cave started to shake violently.


    Bill quickly rushed inside to make sure his friends were safe and sure enough, they were stillying on the ground unconscious.


    "What''s happening?" Bill said as the entire cave continued to shake.


    Thinking that it might be an earthquake or something, Bill quickly made a barrier of Earth around their small area covering both Mako and Leon alongside all of their things. He also formed a strong durable roof on top of the barrier to protect them in case the cave did end up copsing.


    He entered the barrier as well and closed it allpletely. He continued to use his Earth''s ability to reinforce the walls and roof to make sure the copsed cave wasn''t able to break the barrier and crush them.


    Sweat rolled down Bill''s face as he continued to use his ability to its limit but suddenly, the cave stopped shaking. The ground underneath him had stabilized and no more sounds wereing from outside.


    ''Phew!'' Bill let out a sigh of relief as he could finally rx. He still couldn''t understand why the cave began to suddenly shake but he was sure that the tremors were most likely caused by a small earthquake and that he was lucky that the cave didn''t copse.


    Thinking it was safe Bill opened a space in the wall to walk out and create a pathway for air to get in because when he formed the room, it was sealed shut which meant they couldst in there for long because of the limited air inside.


    He walked out from his barrier to assess the damage to the cave, but what he witnessed in front of him was something he could have never imagined.

 Chapter 98 Bills Test

    ?Bill walked out to see what was the condition of the cave walls and whether it would be better to just cut their losses with the cave now or if it was secure enough to spend the night, but he became absolutely petrified after he saw a giant hole made in the cave''s dead end with several glowing yellow eyes staring right at him.


    He was frozen with shock as thest thing he expected to see aftering out of the barrier was an opening made in the previously secure cave and an unknown number of beasts that were making their way inside.


    The shaking of the cave had made the two torches that Mako had made the day before fall down and burn out. It was pitch ck inside the cave right now with the only sources of light being the fire from the campfire that Bill had protected while forming the barrier and the glowing pair of yellow eyes that kept growing in size as the beasts were about to enter through the hole.


    With no other source of light, Bill knew that he would be at an even bigger disadvantage than he already was and he quickly used the few moments he had before the beasts entered their cave to think of a possible n to get out of there.


    Bill acted quickly as he used his Wind ability to make a giant gust of wind to blow back all the beasts that were about to enter the cave and then used his Earth ability to plug up the hole which bought him some time. It was by no means effective as the beasts could easily blow a hole through it as well but it gave Bill a couple more moments to think.


    If he was alone by himself, he could easily just dig himself into the earth and tunnel away but this wasn''t a viable option considering that he had two other people to take care of and all of their items as well and his earth ability wasn''t urate enough to manage to tunnel and carry Mako and Leon at the same time.


    Another reason Bill disagreed with just escaping by using the Earth ability is that the beasts approaching the cave were most likely Earth ability users as well, which is why they could make the entire cave shake in preparation for their entry.


    Bill frantically racked his brain, trying to think of another way out but nothing came to his mind at the moment. His heartbeat became louder, but his brain was still drawing a nk.


    "Ahhh! Forget it! I am not the thinking type anyways!" Bill said to himself as he gave up trying to make a solid n and just resorted to doing what he did best; facing the problem head-on!


    Bill quickly grabbed all the extra logs that he had gathered during the day and threw them all randomly over the cave floor. He didn''t have the fire ability but he did have the Wind ability. Wind was an ability that enhanced fire. Bill learned this after he and Mako identally created a joint attack during their fight against Rhino.


    He carefully grabbed one of the logs that were on fire from the campfire and using his wind ability he increased the intensity of the mes and directed those mes toward all the other unlit logs so that at least he could have some visibility during his uing fight.


    The cave began to shake once again as the beasts tried to punch the same hole through the earth wall that Bill had created. However, this time the intensity was a lot less as the beasts had already found the weak point of the cave and were now only targeting that area aspared to before when they were trying out a random area to see if it lead to anywhere.


    The time was up! Bill had his breastte armor under his military uniform and he also grabbed Mako''s arm guards andbat knife. He could hear the beasts entering the cave and he quickly came out of the barrier ready to face the beasts head-on.


    The burning logs released enough light that it made the cave surroundings semi-visible. The beasts turned out to be gigantic beetles. Bill closed the barrier behind him to make sure that Mako and Leon would remain safe; however, he did leave a small two-inch gap in the wall to make sure fresh air could still circte inside the barrier.


    The beetles started pouring out of the hole one by one. They were pitch ck in color and had translucent yellow muscles that resembled the texture of stic. Bill had no idea what type of beast they were, what were their abilities, strengths, or weaknesses, or why they weren''t attacking him from the start.


    The beetles continued to grow in number and Bill could only watch in horror as their numbers grew. Bill might not know much about beasts but he did realize that the battle will initiate as soon as he moved a muscle.


    The dead end of the cave was now filled with rows and rows of gigantic beetles who were waving their antennas in the air trying to sense something. Minutes passed by and the beetles finally stoppeding out of the hole. Bill was keeping track of all of them as they poured in and all in all, Bill had to deal with 46 beasts on his own.


    This was a crazy number and Bill didn''t even know what level these beasts were. If they were all low tiers, then the following fight was going to be easy but if they were medium or high tier then things were about to get wild. Judging by the general aura and feel that wasing from the beetles, it was clear to Bill that these weren''t low tiers beasts.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Beasts also emit auras the same as people but theirs is harder to detect as they have a natural filter that allows them to mask their aura so that they could approach their prey without alerting them.


    It was really hard for Bill to stay in the exact same position for several minutes while staring at the thousands of sharp tiny razor-sharp teeth poking out from all the beetles'' mouths. Soon enough sweat started to build up on his forehead. The water droplets continued tobine on his skin until finally, one became big enough to fall down from his face.


    As the water droplet ascended downward, Bill knew that even this would be enough for the beetles to finally make their move. At this critical point, when Bill was about to fight his most dangerous and difficult battle yet, he had only one thought racing through his mind.


    ''I wish I was a water ability user!'' Bill screamed in his head.


    *PLOP!*


    The singr drop of sweat had collided with the ground, sending signals to all the beetles'' antennas and they immediately started rushing forward with their weird stic muscles lighting with yellow color.


    Bill didn''t even move from his ce as the beetles rushed toward him. He stood there in ce as hundred of small spikes started to erupt from the ground. These were sand spikes and Bill used them to target all the first three rows of beetles that rushed toward him.


    Bill wasn''t just stupidly standing still and wasting time as he was in the standoff against the beetles. He was secretly using his Earth ability to grind the earth underneath the ground into smaller and smaller particles until they resembled sand. He had hoped to continue making enough sand to target all the beetles at once but his sweat gave him in.


    Using the sand he had avable heunched an attack on the beetles; however, the beetles were resilient as not even a single one was taken down from the sand spikes as they just weren''t sharp enough to prate through their tough bodies.


    The sand spikes only caused the beetles to be stopped temporarily and they soon got back on their feet and continued their assault. Their muscles began to glow brighter and brighter as they rushed toward him. Bill formed small ninja stars in his hands using both Earth and Sand abilities to create a durable and sharp essory that he could freely spin and throw at fast speeds.


    Bill continued tounch ninja stars at the beetles and they worked better than the initial sand spikes; however, they still weren''t enough to deal serious damage as they were only causing minor bleeds and cuts on their bodies.


    The muscles of the beetles had reached their maximum amount of glow and they soon opened their mouths to reveal electric arcs forming inside. Within seconds, balls of lightning, the size of a football were being formed in their mouths and aimed at Bill.


    *ZING!* *ZING!* *ZING!*


    The beetles from the previous rows didn''t hesitate tounch their attacks on Bill while the ones on the front lunged forward to attack him physically. Bill couldn''t protect himself from both attacks at once so he had only one option left.


    The lightning balls collided, making small explosions upon impact and kicking up a lot of dust and smoke into the air. The beetles themselves were confused as all the dust was messing with their antennas and they temporarily lost track of Bill.


    Bill had used his earth ability at thest second to create a stone spike under his feet in order tounch him into the air and using the Wind ability he was able to glide away from the beetles and the small barrier he had made for Mako and Leon.


    ''Fighting head-on isn''t working! I need toe up with a strategy and find their weakness or else I''ll be their dinner!'' Bill said to himself as he devised a new n.

 Chapter 99 Earth Upgrade

    ?The beetles ran around frantically in the dust cloud trying to find a trace of Bill again. Soon the dust began to settle and their antennas locked onto Bill once more. As soon as the beetles found Bill''s location, he moved further away from the little barrier hut he made to make sure that the beetles won''t identally discover Mako and Leon''s unconscious bodies.


    The fight started once more with Bill still not being able to finish off a single beetle. He used his Wind and Earth ability to attack and push back the iing beetles but they were simply not powerful enough to break through the beetles'' tough armor-like skin.


    His Sand ability was no good either as he had only learned one skill which was semi-effective but couldn''t be used constantly because there just wasn''t enough sand that he could use. Once he used the sand spikes, he had to wait 10 seconds before the sand could deform and be used again.


    If Bill was in say a beach, he would have limited sand to use and could use multiple spikes one after the other.


    For now, Bill had gotten into a rhythm that was blowing back the beetles closest to him using Wind Elemental Control and Wind Wall. The vacuum cutter was useless against such beasts as it bounced off their tough skin. He kept doing this while using his earth ninja stars at the beetles that were charging their lightning attacks.


    After every 10 seconds, the previous sand spikes would deform and Bill could use them again. He was slowly chipping away at them as he dealt steady damage. The beetles were definitely getting injured and if Bill could keep this up, he would be able to defeat quite a handful of them.


    Sweat dripped down Bill''s face as he summoned his third wave of sand spikes. Bill was huffing and panting as he just couldn''t continue using the sand spikes in such a free manner since they had a heavy energy cost. Bill had depleted half of his energy pool and it was barely a minute of fighting these beetles.


    The beetles on the other hand were also tired of getting injured again and again in the same way so before Bill could even think of changing his strategy, the beetles changed theirs. The weird stic-like muscles on their limbs that were previously glowing yellow started to change color and turned into a light brown color.


    The beetles all let out an ear-piercing screech as their bodies changed color. Once the color change wasplete, the beetles jumped into the air and as they did, the earth opened up beneath them and they went inside the holes.


    ''They must have changed abilities! They were using Lightning earlier and weren''t using any moves rting to the Earth ability at all!'' Bill quickly put two and two together in his head.


    This was the lucky break that Bill needed! The beetles may have thought that by changing abilities and attack patterns, they could catch Bill off guard, but Bill was most in tune with his Earth ability.


    He quickly calmed down his breathing and closed his eyes. He concentrated all his focus on his feet which were connected to the earth. The cave began shaking again as the beetles moved underground and through the cave walls as they were aiming to attack from Bill''s blind spots.


    However, Bill could see everything that each beetle was doing. Bill still wasn''t perfect at it but if he focusedpletely he could sense everything that was happening on and in the ground within a radius of 100 meters.


    Bill held Mako''s de firmly in his hands as he still kept his eyes closed and took on a simr stance that Mako does when he fights with his knife. This way, Bill had to make little movements to make sure he got the de where he wanted to go.


    Suddenly, a hole began to appear to Bill''s right as a beetleunched itself toward Bill. Using his ability, Bill was able to tell exactly where the beetleunched itself from.


    Bill''s stance made him keep his weight on one leg while maintaining bnce with his other leg. This way even if Bill wanted to turn around aplete 180 degrees, he could so in a sh as he would use the heel of his foot carrying all the weight as a pivot and spin himself around by moving his other leg. Since the other leg wasn''t bearing any weight it was fast and since the entire body was on a pivot, the momentum of the foot allowed his whole body to spin and turn toward his desired direction.


    Bill used his leg to spin a bit more than 90 degrees so that he wasn''t facing the beetle head-on but rather a little bit off to the side. This allowed Bill to hold the de up diagonally straight in the beetle''s line of movement. The beetle could steer himself midway and as it approached Bill, he didn''t even swipe the de.


    The beetle''s own speed was enough for the de to cut into and leave a deep wound across its entire abdomen. The beetlended on the ground, covering the area in blue blood as it screeched in pain from the wound. Yet, it still wasn''t enough to kill the beast as it quickly dug itself back into the ground to escape before Bill could finish it off.


    A smile cracked on Bill''s face as he was so excited to finally deal some real damage to these beasts but he had to contain his excitement quickly. Bill couldn''t lose concentration otherwise he won''t be able to sense an attacking and if even one was able to get to him, the others would follow very quickly and he won''t be able to defend himself.


    He wiped the smile on his face as he retook the same stance and concentrated on all the wriggling beetles moving within the earth, looking for an opportunity to strike Bill. Bill didn''t realize this as he was concentrating on the beetles, but he started to glow.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Bill was glowing the same light brownish color as the beetles did before digging into the ground. This was a phenomenon that was rare and Bill didn''t even realize it yet, but the patrolling officers watching from the shadows and the officials watching from the headquarters had faced riddled with shock and confusion.


    Soon multiple beetlesunched themselves from their holes toward Bill and he met their attack by carefully maneuvering around the multiple beasts using thebat knife to strike and deal damage to all the beetles.


    Unlike before, the beetles didn''t stop after a few hadunched their attack. They kepting one after another as Bill was constantly on the move with him striking every beetle he could. His eyes were still closed and his concentration didn''t waver. He didn''t know why but it was bing easier for him to concentrate and he could see the beetles a lot clearer, but from the outside, he was glowing more and more as he continued to fight.


    *************


    [At the military headquarters]


    The officials watching Bill fight had no words as they knew what was happening to Bill but were still shocked to see it happen.


    "I can''t believe a low-level ability user could increase the level of his ability all by himself without any help or interference!" One of the officials said out loud.


    "I agree! It isn''t rare for people above that have high-level abilities to increase the level of their abilities by themselves but almost no one can do it while still being a level 3 ability user. Almost all the cadets have to be given a higher-level ability book to increase their existing ability level, but it seemed that this cadet falls into being one of the more talented ones." Another official added.


    The mainmander watched quietly with interest as he was quite impressed with Bill''s performance.


    "We have found quite a unique group of young talented boys! I can''t wait to meet them in person." The mainmander finally said with a smile on his face as the details of Mako, Leon, and Bill appeared in front of his screen.


    **************


    Bill didn''t understand this feeling. He was feeling refreshed as he continued to concentrate and battle the beetles. He had been able to kill several of them now and slowly but surely, their numbers and attacking intensity were starting to decrease.


    All traces of fatigue were lifted from his body as he felt light and thought that he could continue fighting forever.


    The beetles were adaptive beasts as they finally understood that they won''t be able to defeat Bill using their current strategy. The cave stopped shaking as all the beetles stopped moving around. Bill could sense all the beetles staying in their position inside the earth, but couldn''t figure out what they were doing.


    The Earth ability could only allow Bill to sense the beasts'' physical bodies, not what was going on inside their bodies. Right now, every single beetle''s muscles were changing color once again as they were reverting back to their original yellow color.


    With their abilities switched, They couldn''t freely manipte the earth around them anymore, so they all began to dig out of the earth and resurface once again inside the cave.


    Once all the beetles began digging themselves out, Bill understood that beetles were changing tactics again so he quickly opened his eyes and used the few seconds he got while the beetles wereing out to create as much more sand as possible.


    Bill didn''t really understand why but this time he felt more powerful than ever before as he was sure he would be able to deal with these beasts this time and finish them off for good.

 Chapter 100 The King Awakens

    ?Midnight had struck and the full moon shined its light upon the ind where many cadets were trying everything in their power to survive. Some had decent positions with a shelter set up and a couple of cadets watching each other''s backs while there were others who were alone or got separated from their group.


    These people were the ones that were currently strolling through the indpletely lost and vulnerable to any beast attacks. Some were scared out of their minds having to walk through the thick jungle during the night while others felt confident in their abilities and were excited to see what challenges await them.


    Inside a particr cave, the sound of shing finally stopped as Bill dealt the final blow to thest beetle using Mako''sbat knife. The ground and walls of the cave were painted with blue blood and Bill was no exception. Piles of dead beetle bodies everywhere that were realizing quite a ghastly scent.


    Being in the battle for quite some time, Bill had adapted to the smell and didn''t mind it so much now. He didn''t leave the battle unscathed as he had also received several injuries all over his body but none of them were too major and would healpletely in a day or two.


    Bill limped over to the small hut of earth he made to protect Mako and Leon and opened a pathway for him to enter. Both boys were still unconscious andying exactly where Bil saw themst.


    With no energy left to spare, Bill copsed next to one of the walls of his barrier hut and whilst leaning on it, he quickly drifted to sleep as his body recovered energy and healed up. Looking toward the people Bill had protected and the feats that he aplished using his own two hands, Bill could do nothing but smile as the image of his father appeared in his head just as he was about to drift into sleep.


    "I wish you could see me now, father," Bill said in a low and drained voice as he finally shut his eyelids and fell asleep.


    **************


    [Within the main cave system]


    The group of beetles that had been sent to check out the noise that wasing from one of their cave pathways hadn''t returned in a while. The beetles were by no means intelligent creatures as they had limited functionality and fighting styles. The beetles had evolved tomunicate with each other but not freely. They could only emit pulses of electricity from their body using the Lightning ability which they could read using their antennas.


    After one of their groups hadn''t returned back from the area where they were sent, the beetles assumed them to be dead, and the automatic response they had to this was to awaken the king.


    The king beetle was the strongest male beast with one colony of Terra Beetles. Being the strongest and the natural leader of the colony, it didn''t work like all the other beetles as it just ate food, procreated with female beetles, and slept. The only job of the king beetle was to protect the colony from external threats.


    If a threat was discovered, the beetles would wake up the king and inform him of the situation. The king has to take action and fulfill its promise to protect the colony. If it doesn''t, the beetles would stop doing its bidding and rebel. On the other hand, if the king was to perish in battle then, the position of the king was vacant once again.


    The male beetles would then fight amongst themselves and kill as many as they could so that they could consume their crystals. It was basically a race to see which one of them could evolve to the next level by consuming the crystals of their defeated beetles. The first beetle to reach the next level is automatically epted by all beetles as the new king and the cycle continues.


    Right now, three beetles had made their way toward the heart of their colony where a massive beetle 3 times their size was slumbering. Using the lightning ability, one of the beetles'' antennae glowed bright with electricity and traveled from its antennae to the king''s antenna.


    The electricity was the wake-up call for the king and soon the king opened its big yellow eyes to deal with the problem that they were facing.


    **************


    [Back in the small cave]


    The moon was about topletely disappear from the sky while the sunshine announced the beginning of the fourth day on the ind.


    Inside the small barrier hut, Mako finally came to as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed just as he woke up was that the roof of the cave had changed which means that he wasn''t in his original cave anymore.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako quickly jumped on his feet and took on a defensive stance as he didn''t know where he was or how he got there, but just after looking around for a couple of seconds, Mako started to piece things together.


    He had in fact not moved as the ground had the same texture as before. His things, Leon, and the campfire were all in the exact same ce. It seemed that somehow all of this was built around them and Mako quickly understood who was responsible for all this.


    Just as the thought of Bill came to Mako''s head, Mako''s eyes fell toward one of the corners of the barrier hut that was the darkest as the light from the outside didn''t reach that area through the venttion holes that were in the walls.


    Mako hadn''t noticed it at first as his eyes were adjusting to the light level but soon he saw Bill leaning against the corner and covered from head to toe in a smelly and sticky blue substance. He quickly ran toward Bill and used Analyze to make sure that he was still alive and check his condition.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Bill Johnson] (Asleep)


    [Ability: Earth (Level 4), Wind (Level 3), Sand (Level 2)] ?


    It looked like Bill was just exhausted and was sleeping to recover his energy bar faster. However, Mako was shocked to learn that Bill now possessed a level 4 Earth ability instead of a level 3. Mako had no idea how Bill was able to do such a thing in a span of one night if he had to guess, judging by all the blue stuff that was on him, Mako was sure that Bill had been fighting beasts and a lot of them as well.


    ''He must have constructed this bunker to protect us while he fought the beasts that may have attacked.'' Mako deduced in his mind.


    In order to learn more, Mako had to exit the barrier hut and see what had happened to the cave. Bill was both still not awake and Mako didn''t have the Earth ability to create an opening in the wall for him but luckily he knew someone else who could.


    Mako walked over to Leon and shook him up a bit to wake him up. Leon had also mostly recovered and so he woke up after a couple of shakes. At first, he didn''t realize what was happening as his head was still spinning from just waking up. However, he quickly came to his senses and Mako quickly exined the situation he understood so far.


    "I need you to use your Earth ability to open a pathway for us to walk out and assess what happened while we were knocked out cold," Mako said after he finished giving Leon all the details he knew so far.


    "Wait! How did you know I had the Earth ability?!" Leon asked in shock as he had purposefully made it so that Mako wouldn''t find out his ability which he could use as a surprise to catch him off guard.


    To Leon''s question, Mako just gave a mischievous smirk as he exined," Did you really think, I wouldn''t realize that you used the Earth ability to protect yourself from my me pir and then create fake screaming noises to make me think you were hurt so I would drop my guard?"


    Leon was left speechless after Mako urately described how Leon was able to counter Mako so quickly after the me pir skill had been deactivated. This was the only time during the entire fight that Leon had used the Earth ability and Mako was still able to pick that up.


    In reality, Mako would have never figured that out if it wasn''t for the Analyze skill but he couldn''t reveal this fact to Leon or anybody else for that matter.


    After Leon had recovered from the initial shock, he was slightly embarrassed that his opponent was able to figure out his ace in the hole so easily; nevertheless, Leon quickly got on his feet and clicked his heel against the ground and a hole was formed in the wall.


    The first thing that hit both of them was a more powerful and vile form of the smell that wasing off from Bill. The small venttion holes made it so that very little smell made it inside the hut but once Leon made a pathway from them to leave the hut, The majority of the smell came through and nearly made Mako and Leon throw up.


    After taking a couple of moments to adjust to the smell, they took a deep breath as they walked out of the barrier hut to learn more about what had happened during the night while they were knocked out.

 Chapter 101 Advanced Tier Beast

    ?As Mako and Leon stepped outside the barrier hut and into the cave, the strong smell of decay and stagnant air continued to fill their noses, but they powered through. The scene in front of them was filled with darkness as the cave was only partially illuminated by the faint light filtering in from the entrance.


    As their eyes adjusted to the dimness, they began to notice a familiar blue liquid covering almost every cave surface in a specific area. Looking down, they could see several giant beetles, each the size of a small dog, lying motionless on the cave floor, their dead bodies still oozing some of the blue liquid which was obviously beast blood.


    The beetles'' exoskeletons werepletely ck in color, and their many legs and pincers had parts that didn''t resemble the rest of their body as they looked too reflective and resembled thick stic.


    To get a better understanding of what these things were, Mako used Analyze on one of the dead beetles.


    [Analyze]


    [High-level Terra Beetle] (Dead)


    [Ability: Earth (Level 2), Lightning (Level 2)]


    [Description: A Terra beetle is already a high-tier beast when it is born and has two abilities. Their rate of growth is quite remarkable as they can grow up from grubs to full adults in a few days. Male Terra beetlesck the ability to reproduce at their normal stage and only a single male king can procreate with the female beetles. In order to be a King beetle, the male beetles fight their own kind and consume their crystals to grow and be stronger.


    Once a king is born, the beetles serve their king and in return, the king keeps increasing the poption and defends the nest against any intruders or threats. Terra beetles have excellent eyesight which allows them to see and live in the dark; however, they don''t have wings.


    The most interesting feature of these beetles is their unique muscles. Terra beetles'' muscles are unique as they can emit light through them. This light can either be yellow or brown which indicates which ability they are currently using. It takes time for the beetles to switch between the two abilities and can be observed visually.]


    [Weakness: Fire, Prating attacks]


    Mako quickly read the detailed description of the Terra beetles and their unique characteristics. The system indicated that each and every beetle is born as a high-tier beast. Looking around the cave and seeing the number of bodies of dead beetles lying on the floor, Mako gulped. He was not even able to imagine how intense the battle must have been between Bill and all of these beasts attacking him all at once.


    ''He must have evolved his Earth ability while fighting such an intense battle against all those beetles,'' Mako predicted.


    Mako continued to examine the body of one of the beetle when he saw something glimmer inside from the wound that ended its life which was a gaping hole directly in the middle of its body.


    "Bill didn''t remove the crystals from these beasts!" Mako announced as he put his hand inside the hole and wiggled it around a bit until he felt something pointy and hard. He pulled it out and sure enough it was the high-tier power crystal of the Terra beetle.


    Leon came to see what Mako was doing and was absolutely disgusted by what he saw him doing but it had to be done in order to extract the crystal. After extracting the first, Mako moved over to the next beetle to extract another crystal.


    Even though Leon didn''t want to, he didn''t have anything else to do so he followed Mako''s lead and started extracting the crystals from each beetle''s body.


    Soon, a small pile of high-tier crystals had formed as all the crystals were extracted from the beetles. Mako and Leon also started to stockpile all the bodies in a small corner. After all the crystals were extracted, Mako lit all the bodies on fire so that they would burn and disintegrate and they won''t have to look at tens of lifeless bodies of beetles next to their temporary shelter.


    Plus, by burning all the beetles, they were able to get rid of most of the smell but not all of it as a lot of blue blood was still covering the cave and it was also contributing to the smell.


    Mako tried to think of ways to get rid of all the blue blood from the cave but after several minutes of thinking, no solution came to mind. In the end, Mako used the Ask function to ask the system about how to get rid of the blue blood.


    [Blue blood of the beasts is mmable and can be easily lit on fire once dried up. The blood burns awaypletely leaving almost nothing left]


    Happy with the system''s answer, Mako turned his arm into a methrower as he quickly got rid of all the blue blood that was spilled everywhere in the cave.


    It took around an hour for Mako and Leon to clean up the cave, and gather all the crystals. By this time, the sun had risen a bit more and more light started to enter the cave illuminating the area more.


    One question that Mako still had on his mind was how did all these beetles find their way inside the cave. He found it hard to believe that a horde of hungry high-tier Terra beetles just happened toe across their temporary shelter as soon as Mako and Leon were done having their duel and were knocked out from exhaustion.


    Leon was feeling a bit sick after dealing with all the blood and smell as well as gathering all the crystals. While holding his stomach with his two hands, he walked back toward the barrier hut and walked past it toward the dead end of the cave so that he could throw up and didn''t have to worry about cleaning it upter.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, what Leon found at the dead end of the cave made him freeze up again as he quickly called for Mako who was busy ignoring the system''s prompt for absorbing the high-tier crystal.


    Mako was tempted at first as he still hadn''t figured out what absorbing a crystal might give him and now he had ess to even better quality crystals but he stopped himself because these crystals didn''t belong to him.


    Mako and Bill both had agreed that however killed a beast would get its crystal and all of those beetles were killed by Bill himself and so he deserved all of them. The system kept tempting him with constant prompts while he handled the crystals and brought them inside the barrier hut, but Leon''s sudden call made him distracted and he dropped the crystals inside before going toward Leon.


    Mako''s facial expression also changed to shock as he approached Leon near the dead end of the cave which wasn''t a dead end anymore.


    There was a massive hole in the wall that was previously believed to be the dead end of the cave and suddenly everything started to fall into ce for Mako. He quickly realized that their fighting which made the cave shake might have attracted the beetles who lived on the other side of the cave.


    While they were knocked out, Bill had to protect them from the beetles which was why he made the barrier hut around them so that they would be safe while he fought with all of them at once.


    "Do you think the beetles caused this too?" Leon asked as he still didn''t have a clue what this all meant.


    Mako exined to him what he believed had happenedst night and as he told him that their fight was most probably the trigger for this entire thing, Leon''s face became stered with guilt as it was his stupid self that wanted to fight Mako so bad even though it wasn''t a good idea.


    ''It was because of me that the fight took ce, it caused a lot of ruckuses and attracted the beetles toward the cave, and then we were both knocked out from exhaustion and left Bill alone to deal with the mess that I created,'' Leon med himself in his thoughts.


    Looking at Leon now, Mako understood that he was feeling really guilty about what happened and so he tried to approach him and at leastfort him by saying that in the end, everything turned out fine and he shouldn''t beat himself over what he did but rather to work on improving himself from this experience.


    However, before Mako could even take a single step, the cave began to tremble once again. Mako and Leon looked confused as they looked around and couldn''t understand what was happening.


    *************


    [At the military headquarters]


    "Sir! Sir!" The sergeant shouted in urgency as he rushed toward the round table where the mainmander was observing something on the screen in front of him.


    The sergeant climbed the small set of stairs to reach the round table but before he could even tell the mainmander the urgent news, the mainmander spoke first.


    "I already know, sergeant," The mainmander said.


    The sergeantposed himself as he walked over and stood beside him. They both were now viewing the live footage of a certain cave that was shaking quite a bit.


    "It appears that their king has awakened which shouldn''t be possible considering, it is supposed to be hibernating this month. What do you think we should do?" The sergeant said after calming his nerves down a bit.


    "There is nothing we CAN do, sergeant. It would be against the rules to help the cadets fight against this beast or even help them escape. It would be unfair to the other cadets who faced tough beasts before them and were only saved by the patrolling officers when they lost the fight against the beast and were about to be killed." The mainmander replied in a low tone.


    "Sir, with all due respect, do you think those boys can face an advanced-tier beast by themselves?" The sergeant asked in shock after listening to the mainmander''s reply.


    To the sergeant''s question, the mainmander let out a defeated sigh.


    "I don''t know whether they will be sessful or not, but in order to honor all the cadets who have failed the test in the same manner, we can''t give these kids special treatment. Plus it was always a risk, that the cadets might face one of the 5 advanced tier beasts on this ind. All we can do is hope that they can somehow make it out alive otherwise the patrolling officers would have to intervene." The mainmander announced.


    The room became a bit dull after the mainmander''s decision but nobody had the authority to reject his decision and so they watched on quietly and hoped that the cadets could pull off a miracle.

 Chapter 102 Battling The King (Part 1)

    ?The ground started to shake more violently and it made Mako lose his bnce and fall on the ground. Leon was still holding on with his two feet nted firmly on the ground. Just from the shaking alone, they were able to deduce that the origin of all this was the hole they had just discovered.


    The tremors kept increasing in intensity and before they could even move back to a safer position, A gigantic pair of glowing yellow eyes presented themselves through the darkness of the hole.


    Seeing the giant beast approaching them, Leon instantly used his Speed ability to create distance between them and the hole. He grabbed Mako as he quickly sprinted away from the hole and just as he did, a giant beast broke through the wall and made an even bigger hole than what it was originally.


    The giant beast turned out to be a Terra beetle as well, but this one was many times bigger than the regr Terra beetles and many times more fierce as well.


    The giant Terra beetle towered at a height of ten feet tall. Its exoskeleton was a stunning mix of ck and gold, with the ck coloration covering most of its body and the gold ents shimmering in the light, giving it an almost otherworldly appearance.


    This was the Terra Beetle King!


    The Beetle King''s body was broad and muscr, featuring a massive thorax and abdomen. The thorax was adorned with intricate gold patterns that seem to glow with a bright yellow aura. The beetle''s legs are equally impressive, with each leg spanning several feet and ending in razor-sharp ws that had the same glow to them.


    Its mandibles were long, curved, and gleaming gold and the beetle''s mouth was lined with sharp, pointed teeth, giving it the ability to rend flesh and crush bone with ease.


    It seemed that the Beetle King had the same feature as the regr Terra beetles as they glowed the color of their aura which represented which ability they were using. Only the Beetle King had evolved this feature from just small muscles lighting up to its whole body covered in the intricate lining of the same hard stic-like material that currently gave off a golden glow.


    The beetle King wasted no time as it screeched toward the two boys and dashed forward while electricity started to build up around its body. The king was too quick for Mako to react and before he could even understand what was going he was pushed toward one corner of the cave.


    Leon used one of his speed ability skills that allowed him to raise his perception at the cost of moving fast. By using this skill, Leon was able to predict and dodge the king''s wild and brutal attacks. He conjured earth spikes below his and Mako''s feet tounch them away from the king''s line of attack.


    Once out of danger, Leon conjured an earth pir in front of the Beetle King''s path to stop it right in its tracks and let its own momentum deal damage to it. However, the Beetle King opened its gigantic pincers as it neared the earth pir and chomped down on it like a piece of candy.


    As the king bit into the pir,pletely crushing it into small pieces, all the electricity that it had generated around its body released as an outward wave that spread in every direction at super high speeds.


    Even Leon''s perception wasn''t high enough to dodge the lightning wave and both he and Mako were hit by it. The wave was exceptionally strong as it sted both of them into the air. They were only stopped when they hit the cave wall and created a small indent of their bodies on the cave wall.


    The attack; however, wasn''t done as if the lightning wave wasn''t strong enough, Mako received the following notification.


    [-40 HP]


    [User has be paralyzed]


    [Paralysis will wear off in 5 seconds]


    Mako was getting that taste of his own medicine as this time, he was the one who got paralyzed by another lightning attack. It was quite impossible for Mako to be paralyzed because he had a level 4 Lightning ability which provided decent resistance.


    With not being able to move for a couple of seconds, Mako used Analyze on the Beetle King to see just how big of a monster were they dealing with.


    [Analyze]


    [Advanced-level Terra Beetle]


    [Ability: Earth (Level 3), Lightning (Level 5)]


    [Weakness: Fire, Prating attacks]


    Mako''s eyes trembled with fear as he read the information that was being disyed in front of his eyes.


    Soon the five seconds were up and Mako could move again. Both Leon and Mako were stuck up in the wall where they had crashed and couldn''t get down cause they were paralyzed. Mako quickly jumped off the wall andnded on his two feet. Leon; however, was still paralyzed as he didn''t have the Lightning ability which gave some resistance against Lightning attacks.


    The dust created by the Beetle Kingpletely obliterating the earth pir was distracting it was it couldn''t make out where Mako and Leon hadnded. The distraction had bought Mako enough time to recover from the paralysis and escape before the beetle could target him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As soon as the dust cleared, The Beetle King instantly turned toward Leon who was still stuck up in the wall and started rushing toward it at high speed.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Mako activated his speed skill to try and catch up to the beetle but it was still making headway as it would reach Leon before Mako. Luckily, Mako could keep up just enough to throw a projectile that wouldnd in front of the Beetle King.


    [Fireball has been activated]


    [Fireball has been activated]


    [Fireball has been activated]


    [...]


    Mako spammed fireballs as they traveled over the body of the king andnded in front of him. The fireball sshed on the ground and created a small puddle of fire that acted as a barrier for the king. With multiple fireballs being spammed in quick session, a small barrier of fire was put up in front of the king Beetle causing it to halt.


    The fire was the beast''s weakness after all and just the sight of fire was able to make it stop dead in its tracks.


    Mako could believe what a big jump there was between the different sses of beasts. He had only faced medium-tier beasts up to this point and they were a huge pain to deal with when they were in numbers and this was when they just had a single ability which was low level.


    Then there were the high-tier beasts who could possess a decent level ability or 2 low leveled abilities and they rose a lot higher in terms of difficulty as it was quite difficult to deal with a decent fighter who had two abilities let alone a beast who had other gifts from nature and savage survival instincts that helped them survive in the wild.


    Moving on from therees advanced-tier beasts. These beasts were on whole another level as the Beetle King that they were facing right now had two abilities and once was a level 5. Its natural body and instincts were so strong that Mako and Leon were tossed around like a ragdoll during the first minute of their battle starting with this beast.


    It was clear that even though Mako now had two level 4 abilities, he still wasn''t able to match up the strength of a Terra Beetle King. However, he had now seen just how much this thing hated fire and he knew that the only way to have a chance against this beast was to use as many fire-rted skills on it as possible.


    As the Beetle King tried to maneuver around the mes to reach Leon, Mako had gotten close to it and he jumped into the air where he was on the same level as its head and spun around 360 degrees while extending his hand out. His hands busted into mes as he utilized another skill.


    [me Wheel had been activated]


    A ring of fire erupted from Mako and it quickly traveled outward and hit the Beetle King right on target. The king screeched in pain as the mes scorched its exoskeleton but that was just about it. The mes were able to deal a little bit of visible damage on the Beetle King; however, it still stood strong and now it had a new target.


    Mako was still in mid-air after performing his me wheel skill when one of the Beetle King''s legs suddenly lifted off the ground and smacked Mako right in the abdomen with full force using the razor-sharp w that was at the end of its leg.


    Mako spat out blood from his mouth as his body wasunched at very high speeds back from where he hade from. From the level speed that Mako''s body was traveling as it zoomed back toward the cave wall after receiving that massive hit, it was clear that Mako''s fortitude wasn''t high enough to protect him and he will most certainly get several broken bones and fraction from colliding with the wall.


    With no way to decelerate himself or cushion the blow, Mako braced himselfpletely and focused all his willpower on not passing out from the crash. If he passed out, the beast would easily get Leon and he would be next. He was the only one who had the ability that effective against the beast so it was crucial for him to remain conscious.


    *ZOOM!*


    Mako was mere inches away from colliding against the cave wall when suddenly a very strong gust of wind started to blow and it made him change his trajectorypletely. Instead of colliding against the solid cave wall, Mako''s body was blown away to the left by a strong gust of wind which allowed Mako to decelerate a lot.


    Mako eventuallynded on the ground and still skidded a bit but didn''t suffer any big injuries other than the big cut he received on his stomach from the Beetle King''s sharp w.


    "It seems I woke up just in time!" Bill announced as he glided over to Mako using his Wind ability.


    Bill had been able to create a wind wall between the wall and Mako just in the nick of time as it made it so that Mako was deflected in a different direction.


    Mako was so d to see Bill, but not as much as the Beetle King himself. Bill was still covered in blue blood and had that horrible smell lingering on him. The king recognized the smell almost immediately as it had finally identified the person who had ughtered the other Terra Beetles.


    Thirsting for revenge, the Terra Beetle King let out its mightiest screech yet as it charged toward Bill at full speed intending to give him the same fate he gave those beetles.

 Chapter 103 Battling The King (Part 2)

    ?The Beetle king charged toward them at top speed, wrecking the floor beneath it as it raced across the cave floor at full power. The bloodthirst of the Beetle King was reflected in the patterns it was covered with as it glowed with increasing intensity. Snakes of electricity wrapped around its body as it prepared to deal a massive blow and deal with Bill quickly.


    "Bill, its weakness is fire! You know what that means..." Mako said as he actually had a smile on his face while still continuing to bleed out from his abdomen.


    Mako had even received concerning prompts from the system but he choose to ignore them at the moment.


    [-60 HP]


    [User has been dealt aceration on the abdomen]


    [User is bleeding!]


    [User will continue to lose 1 HP per minute until the bleeding is stopped]


    Bill understood what Mako was referring to and a smile appeared on his face as well as he was very excited to do it in a battle again.


    As the Beetle King approached them, Bill firmly struck the ground with one of his feet causing a t earth spike to erupt from under Mako''s feet.


    Mako wasunched into the air as a result and was a couple of feet high up in the air. While suspended in mid-air, Mako began to spin and each of Mako''s hands erupted in mes once again. It was quite stupid for Mako to believe that if he could just repeat the same move, it would have a different result.


    However, even though Mako''s execution was exactly the same as before and the only thing different was that he conjured two me wheels instead of one, this time his attack wasn''t just finished with himunching his me wheels.


    [me wheel has been activated]


    [me wheel has been activated]


    The two des of fire went forth and were on course to collide with the charging Beetle King. The king knew the level of power of its opponent and the level of damage they could do, so even when racing head-first into the fire des it didn''t change course or stop.


    However, this time the fire des were not alone as they were apanied by two wind des of equal size.


    While Bill hadunched Mako up in the air, he himself had also swiped his hands at the exact same time as Mako and conjured two vacuum cutters alongside Mako''s me wheels.


    The four des traveled together toward the giant beetle and as the des and the target approached each other, the individual des got closer and closer.


    The Beetle King had no idea what was about to happen as it allowed the visible fire des to collide with its body. It expected the fire to hit it and disperse, dealing some damage but it was bearable.


    However, the total opposite happened as the fire came into contact with the Beetle King. Just before impact, the wind des had gotten too close to the fire des and wrapped around them, increasing the intensity of the fire.


    *Sizzle!*


    The fire multiplied in strength and ferocity just as it collided with the Beetle King dealing massive damage. The mes continue to grow bigger as they almost enveloped the giant beetle and continued to burn it alive.


    *Ding!*


    [Coborative Skill: Scorching de has been activated]


    [The power of the me Wheel has been increased by 500%]


    Mako and Bill had performed the same skill that had dealt massive damage to Rhino during the Dark Raven tournament. They had discovered it by ident and was the only thing that helped them secure a victory in that battle.


    After they hadpleted the mission of saving the prisoners from the warehouses, Mako and Bill spent several training sessions together just trying to perfect this move which could deal massive damage to very tough enemies.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    From the look of how the Terra Beetle King was screeching in pain from being burned alive, it was safe to say Mako and Bill had sessfully perfected this move and it would be their ace in the hole against this advanced-tier beast.


    Using the time they had earned by lighting the Beetle king on fire, Bill first and foremost handed Mako hisbat knife and arm guards back. Even though the arm guards provided protection on just the arms they still gave a fortitude boost to Mako which was very much needed.


    Mako also rubbed both of his arm guards against his bleeding wound which made the arm guards glow a little.


    [Passive Skill: Blood Boost has been activated]


    [All stats of the user are boosted by 5%]


    Mako could physically feel his body be stronger as the effects of the arm guards took effect.


    Wasting no time, Mako and Bill sprinted around the giant beetle that was still on fire to reach Leon who had finally broken free from the paralysis and had also jumped off the cave wall and onto the ground. Bill kept throwing more vacuum cutters at the beast as they ran past it to entice the mes even more.


    The additional vacuum cutters couldn''t multiply the damage anymore but it did make the mes rage more on the body of the Beetle King.


    They quickly approached Leon and after making sure that he was okay too, they moved as far away from the Beetle King as they could to create as much space between them as possible. This way, the giant beetle won''t be able tosh out at them immediately and they would have time to conjure another scorching de.


    The Beetle King was undoubtedly smart and it won''t run straight into another scorching de. Mako instructed Leon to use a skill that allowed him to move the fastest he could and maneuver the Beetle King around in such a way that it head straight into another scorching de.


    The fire on the Beetle had finally been extinguished but the beetle king still standing, showing no sign of admitting defeat just yet. The ck body hid a lot of the burn damage that had been inflicted on its body, with the only sign that showed burn damage the that the patterns on its body had also turned ck.


    A ckish exterior had formed over the stic-like patterns and was hiding the glow that it emitted. However, there were still some gaps where the light still shone through as it let out a light brown color instead of the bright gold.


    At first nce, Mako thought that some areas were less affected by the mes and the gold color still shone through but mixed with the ck to give out that weird brown color. However, he was proven wrong the next instant as the Terra Beetle King screeched at apletely different frequency than before.


    Several regr Terra beetles started to pour out from the hole in response to their king''s cry for help. After releasing the special screech, the Terra Beetle King''s body glowed with shearing intensity as it released all of its power,pletely disintegrating the ckish exterior that had formed on its body.


    Even with the ckish exterior gone, the patterns still glowed with a brown light. The king made another screech before jumping in the air and diving into the ground and burying itself inside. The tens of regr Terra beetles understood their king''s order as they started marching toward the three boys who had reached the turn just before the cave entrance.


    They couldn''t leave the safety of the cave as then they would have to face the beetles in the middle of the jungle where other beasts might also show up and cause problems, plus all of their stuff was still inside the barrier hut, they couldn''t leave without it otherwise it would be very difficult to survive. The only option left was to fight these beasts and now they were confident that they could win.


    The Beetle King had thrown them a huge curve ball as it not only changed tactics by utilizing the Earth ability to go underground and could now give them a surprise attack at any moment, from anywhere, but now they had to deal with the small army of Terra beetles who were also approaching them at their king''smand.


    The boys prepared themselves for the massive fight that was about to ensue by taking their respective fight stances. Mako had quicklye up with a strategy to deal with all of this and the best thing he could do now was to fight on his own.


    ''If Bill was able to deal with these things alone, then so can I,'' Mako thought as he exined the n to the boys.


    Mako instructed Bill and Leon to just use their Earth ability and try to keep the Beetle King busy underground by manipting the earth around it.


    "If that giant beast is about to resurface, let me know so I can move out of the way. Once that thing is on the surface again, you guys would have to take over again while I damage it from afar using my fire ability." Mako instructed Bill and Leon.


    Bill was shocked to learn that Leon was also an Earth ability user, but they didn''t have time to talk about it yet. They agreed with Mako''s n as they activated their Earth ability and tried to search for the Beetle King.


    Mako conjured two fireballs in his hands as he charged forward to deal with the regr Terra beetles.


    "Let''s do this!" Mako screamed as ran forward.

 Chapter 104 The Spark

    ?[Fireball has been activated]


    [Fireball has been activated]


    [me Wheel has been activated]


    [...]


    Mako used all of his fire-rted skills that had a low cost and covered a massive area against the regr Terra beetles. Due to him expanding his reach over the many beetles who were charging at him as well as Bill and Leon, Mako couldn''t just deal with one at a time and finish it off.


    Instead, he used his abilities to steer and maneuver the beetles so that they would keep their aggression on him while Bill and Leon would be safe and protected.


    Bill and Leon had the most difficult job as they continued to use their earth abilities to track the Beetle King''s movements by sensing the earth''s vibrations as the king moved around. Whenever they would get an opportunity, they would manipte the earth surrounding the body of the Beetle King to conjure earth spikes and impale them on its body.


    The earth spikes weren''t strong enough to prate through the hard skin of the Beetle King and instead just acted as a barrier to prevent it from jumping out of the ground and targeting one of them.


    While they tried to keep the Terra Beetle King to be engaged with them, the king itself could also sense what was going on at the surface and could make out two figures close to one another. The patterns on its body began to glow once again as it regained its original golden glow.


    The Beetle King had switched up the abilities once again and now while still remaining underground, The Beetle King started to charge up its attack. The basic logic was that Lightning ability wasplemented by the Earth ability.


    If the Lightning user had enough power while aiming at their intended target, the attack they would produce could travel through any piece of earth ande out from the other side with the same angle and simr power just as before.


    The earth is a conductive material and if enough voltage or in this case power is applied when the skill is cast, then it can travel through any barrier of earth oryers of the ground without any issues at all.


    Mako was still busy dealing with more than a dozen regr Terra beetles swarming him from all sides. He was holding his own against all of them and managing to y a couple of them while keeping them away from Bill and Leon.


    Those two were continuously hunting the king with their Earth ability as they couldn''t track him 24/7 just because of fast it was moving underground and that they didn''t have a digital view of what was going down there either. Bill and Leon could only sense a barely distinguishable outline of the Beetle King and the earth that was surrounding it.


    They had both sensed that the Beetle King had finally stopped moving and it was staying in the same position for thest 30 seconds or so. Bill believed that maybe the Beetle King was trying to recover energy tounch another wave of attacks or recover health as the scorching de did indeed do some damage to it.


    Whatever the reason might be, now that they had it locked down in a single position, Bill and Leon tried to manipte the earth around the Beetle King to create the sharpest spikes they could so that they could dome damage to it themselves.


    However, what Bill and Leon had both failed to realize is that by using the Earth ability, they were only able to sense the general location of the king not his state or energy level.


    Right now, the small underground space where the giant Terra Beetle King was camping, was illuminated by a bright and ferocious ball of lightning that was being conjured near its mouth with its two pincers feeding it more electricity.


    The ball becamerger andrger and glowed brighter and brighter until the beetle couldn''t add any more energy to it at all.


    By this time, the walls of the small space where the Beetle King was residing had begun to shift as tens of sharp points formed almost immediately and trusted through with as much force as possible.


    *SCREECH!*


    The spikes were finally able to prate the hard exterior and deal damage as blue blood started to leak out from all the areas where an earth spike had stabbed it. The Beetle King let out a screech filled with pain as it bled from 20 different locations at the same time.


    Joy and happiness filled Bill''s heart as he felt the spikes finally being strong enough to prate through and deal some real damage to this beast. This amazing feat was aplished by Bill and Leon joining forces together.


    Before this, both Bill and Leon were trying to stop the Beetle King and attack it using their own earth spikes but individually theycked the power to deal damage. However, when the Beetle King had be immobile, they used this opportunity to join forces and conjure extra sharp and sturdy earth spikes bybining both of their auras.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A sense of joy and confidence became evident on their faces as they pulled out all the earth spikes so that they could stab it again and again. However, before they could do anything, the Beetle King had finally finished conjuring its strongest attack and it aimed it at the two boys that had caused it so much harm.


    The ball of lightning quickly escaped from its mouth and started to travel upwards with great speed and traveling through theyers of the ground with ease. Bill and Leon stomped their feet in a specific motion which was used to repurpose the earth spikes once again but instead of the earth being givenmand, Bill and Leon felt a small jolt of electricity from under their feet that kept increasing with intensity.


    Before they could even realize what was happening, a giant ball of yellow lighting erupted from the ground right in between the two boys. The ball of lightning dispersed as soon as it reached the surface, releasing its charge on everybody that was within range of the attack.


    Two massive bolts of lightning erupted from the Ball of lightning as it chained between Leon and Bill dealing massive damage to their bodies. Their screams echoed throughout the cave as they continued to be electrocuted.


    Any normal human being would have died on the spot from being electrocuted with such great amounts of electricity; however, both Bill and Leon were ability users which made them naturally a lot stronger and they could take on an inhuman amount of beating, secondly, they had the Earth ability which helped them redirect some of the current back to the ground through their bodies as quickly as possible in order to mitigate damage.


    The electrocutionsted for roughly ten seconds, however, the scene afterward was petrifying to look at. Bill and Leon immediately copsed on the floor as their bodies looked shriveled and burnt. Smoke rose from their bodies and there was no sign of movement by both of them.


    Mako watched the entire scene withplete utter shock as he couldn''t do anything to help them as he himself was upied with the Terra Beetles. Watching both of his friends fall over and not move was quite concerning to him.


    Without keeping his emotions in check, Mako shouted out in a fit of rage as he subconsciously just released his fire aura in all directions. This wasn''t a skill that Mako had mastered or known as just in the heat of the moment, Mako released a fire bubble that quickly spread out and enveloped every single Terra beetle simr to the static discharge skill.


    The level 4 fire aura was able to light every single one of the beasts on fire and it quickly dealt a lot of damage as well as killing the ones that were already taken damage.


    Free from taking care of the regr Terra beetles, Mako sprinted over to his friends, who stilly t on the ground, unmoving and unresponsive. Leon was the closest to him and Mako stopped over his body first to examine his body and find out his condition.


    Mako had no medical expertise and he didn''t what he was going to do if he had to do some kind of procedure to save their lives; however, before he could even begin to try to help his friends, the Beetle King erupted from the ground and made its entry into the cave.


    Itnded on its gold glowing razor-sharp feet as he hissed at Mako and started charging toward him almost immediately giving him no chance to escape or make a n.


    Just the sight of the Terra Beetle King was making Mako a whole new level of mad as he carefully ced Leon''s body on the ground closer to Bill this time and quickly stood up to face the Beetle in their final sh.


    ''I have to use the fire ability as it is the only weakness that this thing has!'' Mako thought as his hand began to envelop in mes.


    ''But I can''t use any of my generic moves, because it knows that it won''t do much damage and will walk right through them!'' Mako said to himself as he switched his ability from me to lightning.


    ''But what is lightning going to do in this case? I can''t deal damage or paralyze it because it is stronger than me!'' Mako contradicted himself once again as he could think of what to do.


    His hands kept switching between lightning and fire as for the first, Mako had no idea how he was even going topete against this beast. However, he could just give up!


    "If I gave up, all three of us will be losing our lives today! And I will not be the one responsible for their untimely deaths without giving it my all, Believe me!" Mako shouted out loud with frustration as he just raised his hands forward and activated his aura to justunch as much of it as possible toward the beast.


    However, as Mako had risen his hands up to release as much aura as possible from his hands, his hands were in the middle of transitioning between them. Mako had pulled up his hands forward and directed his aura topletely release itself with no reserve but both his lightning and fire aura were activated at the exact same time.


    In a split second, the orange mes and yellow lightning molded together and as a result, a green light started to emanate from Mako''s hands. Not even addressing the fact that his hands were glowing green, Mako just directed his aura to be released and to sh head-on with the beast that was almost upon him.


    A ray of green light burst from his hands in a straight line as it traveled forward at great speed and instantly collided against the body of the Terra Beetle King.


    *BOOM!*

 Chapter 105 Resonance

    ?The green ray was so strong that it was able to push the Beetle King back even though it was charging at him at full speed. The ray continued to release from Mako''s hand and the king was taking a serious amount of damage.


    It kept getting pushed back and waspletely unable to counter it. The topyer of the Beetle King''s exoskeleton started to peel away as the ray was about to tear through a hole in its body.


    Facing unbearable pain and an unknown ability, the Beetle King couldn''t figure out its next move. If it allowed the ray to continue hitting him, he would for sure be dead, so it did whatever it needed to in order to survive.


    As the Beetle King was dragged back by the ray, it moved past the regr Terra beetles on the way through and used its long legs to fling two in front of itself so that they would tank the ray for a little while.


    The regr Terra beetles didn''t stand a chance as they were quickly overwhelmed by the green ray, but during the short period of time that those beetles were able to but, the king had switched to its earth ability and dug back underground; escaping the ray altogether.


    Mako finally stopped releasing the green beam from his hands and as he did smoke came off his hands and his body felt mighty fatigued. He had no idea what had just happened and what was happening to him but after that sudden feeling of fatigue, Mako now started to feel stronger than ever. The same cooling feeling was washing over his entire body as he could his power grow.


    Maako quickly opened the system interface to check out what had happened to him while the Beetle King was still recovering from the initial attack.


    *DING!*


    [User has achieved resonance between the Fire and Lightning ability]


    [Congrattions! You have obtained the Energy Maniption Ability]


    [Ability: Energy Maniption (Level 1)] ?


    [An advanced ability thatbines the auras of Fire Element and Lightning Element to provide the user with the power to manipte energy. Fire and Lightning both are at the core, two different types of energies. By ovepping that understanding of how to manipte energy, the user has gained a basic understanding of how to manipte all types of energy in general.


    At this stage, the user can only manipte the charged particles around him and manipte them into anything the user desires.


    WARNING: The energy maniption ability is quite rare and difficult to achieve as it is the result of the two toughest pre-elementary abilities resonating. The user will face great difficulty while leveling this ability as it has an insanely steep learning curve.]


    [Perception +20]


    [Stamina +10]


    *DING!*


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Obtain your first new ability through resonating two pre-learned abilities]


    [Reward: +50,000 EXP, Random Resonated Ability Skill]


    [Choosing Random Skill]


    [New Skill Learned: Energy Stream] ?


    [(E-Tier) Energy Stream] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A basic attack derived from the energy maniption skill tree, that allows the user to shoot a ray of concentrated energy toward the intended target. It is a move where first, the user activates the aura of the ability and makes the energy particles start to concentrate at the palm of his hands. This is done very quickly and once the user is ready, he can shoot the concentrated energy in a specific direction with great precision thus creating a beam of energy.


    The attack produces a continuous stream of energy and it will increase the amount of damage that it does every second the skill is active, but the cost to run the skill will also increase.]


    [Attack: Base 75]


    [Initial Cost: 100 Energy per second]


    [Increment in Attack: 2 per second]


    [Increment in Cost: 25 energy per second]


    [Requirements: 40 Fortitude]


    *DING!*<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [An Amazing Achievement!]


    [The user has obtained a rare ability through resonance]


    [Rewards: +100,000 EXP]


    Mako waspletely overwhelmed by the vast number of prompts but he quickly scanned through and the glimmer in his eyes said it all.


    Mako had been trying so hard to resonate his abilities together but he always felt like he was stuck somewhere and that there was no way forward; however, when Mako needed it the most, his abilities had spontaneously resonated and had given him a rare ability and a skill for it as well.


    The ability was not something that Mako was expecting as he never even thought that both of his abilities were indeed different forms of energy. However, he was notining at all as despite that there was a warning in the description, Mako wanted to get the feel for this brand new ability and try his best to evolve it further.


    The resonance had alsopleted a hidden quest which helped Mako gat a skill for the ability as well. Mako had subconsciously used that said skill when he had first resonated to push the Terra Beetle King back.


    Reading through the description of the skill, Mako understood why he was feeling fatigued after he canceled the skill. The damage of the Energy stream increased over time but the cost to maintain that stream also increased as by the time the Beetle King had maneuvered its way around the beam, the damage had really stacked up and the cost to his energy pool was nearing depletion.


    Lastly, he also received an amazing achievement for resonating and it brought him one step closer to getting those juicy rewards.


    After Mako had figured everything out, he quickly closed the system interface and tried to sense if the Beetle King was still lingering around. The Energy maniption ability had increased Mako''s perception quite a lot as it was now at the same level as all his other attributes.


    It seemed that the Beetle King had retreated for good as Mako couldn''t sense any beast or movement in the vicinity. He thanked his lucky stars internally, as he was nearly out of energy, and even if the Beetle King did show up, he wouldn''t be able to fight him anymore.


    After making sure that they were safe, Mako quickly rushed back toward Bill and Leon''s copsed bodies. Their bodies were charred up and they were still not moving. He pressed his chest against Leon''s chest to hear for a heartbeat.


    *thud* thud*


    Mako couldn''t believe it but he could definitely hear a faint heartbeat. He quickly checked Bill as well and sure enough, he had a faint heartbeat as well. Both of his friends were still alive but not out of danger by any means. They were still just barely breathing and didn''t look like they would wake up anytime soon.


    "Cadet! Move quickly! We don''t have much time!" A voice resounded from Mako''s back.


    Mako quickly turned back with his teary eyes and was once again greeted by the same officer as before, Eric Wellerman.


    This time; however, Makoposed himself quickly and addressed the situation to the patrolling officer about his two friends.


    "Sir, They have been struck by a very powerful lightning attack. The attack has charred their skin but they still have a faint heartbeat and are barely breathing."  Mako said.


    "They won''tst long!" Officer Eric replied.


    Mako''s own heart skipped a beat as officer Eric said those words. Tears instantly started to form in Mako''s eyes once again even though he tried so hard to stop them. However, before Mako could have a full-on mental breakdown, the officer''s next set of words gave him some hope.


    "We can''t intervene with the cadet until there is no hope left for them and they have to be removed from the test, but you can still save them." The officer stated.


    Mako quickly wiped his tears as he asked in a desperate voice, "How?"


    The instructor exined what Mako had to do in 30 seconds and Mako''s expression turned from sad to shocked to afraid. He couldn''t believe what the officer was suggesting to do but he really didn''t have any choice nor the time to argue ande up with a better n.


    Reluctantly, Mako fetched hisbat de and disinfected it by sting it with heat using his fire ability. Once it was hot and disinfected, officer eric instructed Mako to begin with the first incision.


    Mako had to perform emergency surgery on his only two friends on the spot in order to save their lives.


    Officer Eric had told him that the lightning attack had most likely caused a lot of damage to their nervous system and internal organs but they could easily recover with healing pills. The problem was the charring of their skin.


    Their entire chests were ckened and had turned quite hard. This made it so that their lungs couldn''t properly expand leading to insufficient oxygen being pumped into their system and so was the excess carbon dioxide which was mixing in with the bloodstream as well and was poisonous to the human body.


    Officer Eric instructed Mako to make precise cuts on the charred body of both Bill and Leon so that their skins could expand once again and their breathing is recovered.


    Mako held the hot de next to Leon''s chest as Officer Eric oversaw him. He was scared but determined to save his friends'' life and would do anything to aplish it... even if it meant performing emergency surgery without any prior experience.

 Chapter 106 Visitors?

    ?Mako carefully and gently punctured the very topyer of Leon''s charred skin and inserted his knife through with great precision making sure to reach just the right depth and not to cut too deep.


    With steady hands, Mako made a careful incision into Leon''s chest, just below his ribcage. He carefully peeled back theyers of skin and muscle as he was instructed by officer Eric until he had reached the end of the burnt tissue that was surrounding Leon''s lungs.


    Blood had started squirting everywhere and Mako had to summon all his willpower just to make sure that he didn''t faint or gag.


    After taking a deep breath, Mako began to carefully remove the damaged tissue, working quickly to ensure that he didn''t cause any further harm. He felt Leon''s chest rise and fall as he worked, and he knew that he was making progress.


    Officer Eric was an excellent guide who narrated the entire procedure and kept encouraging Mako while he operated.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Mako managed to remove enough of the damaged tissue so that Leon''s lungs could be reinted again. As soon as he had removed thatst piece of burnt tissue, it was as if a balloon suddenly filled with air; Leon''s chest puffed up as he took in a deep breath for the first time since being hit by that lightning.


    Once again by following officer Eric''s instruction to the tee, he carefully closed the incision with stitches and applied a clean bandage to Leon''s chest which was included in the first aid kit that was provided to them.


    Leon was still in critical condition but at least he was out of immediate danger. Mako copsed onto the ground after he had sessfully saved Leon''s life. Even though the entire procedure only took a couple of minutes, Mako was extremely exhausted.


    Officer Eric was beyond impressed with Mako''s skill and coordination in performing a dangerous medical procedure without any prior practice. It was almost shocking to see him execute the instructions that he provided him with such uracy and precision.


    However, there was no time for celebration as Bill was still barely breathing and needed emergency surgery as well.


    Officer Eric instructed Mako to quickly sanitize the area once again as well as wipe away any blood on himself and his de before tackling Bill. There needed to be no blood or any filth near the operator and his tools as it can be a source of contamination which will worsen the situation.


    Mako used Dash to quickly run back to the now-destroyed Barrier hut and brought out the loot crate which they used to store water. It had been refilled by Bill when he was looking after the boys after their duel and still had plenty of water left in it.


    Using the water, Mako quickly washed his de as well as his arms and face to make sure there was no source of contamination left that could harm Bill. After that, Mako reheated his de once again before attempting to perform the same procedure on Bill.


    This time, officer Eric didn''t even have to say much as Mako performed the incision wlessly, and carefully began to slice through and expose the burnt tissue. He carefully started to remove the burnt skin once again and simr to before, as soon as Mako removed enough of the burnt tissue that Bill''s lungs could freely reinte; they inted up like a balloon and Bill took a real deep breath.


    Once Bill was also bandaged up and out of immediate danger, Mako could finally take a breather and rx as this was the most stressful thing he had ever done. His blood pressure was through the roof and he could feel his heart trying to break free from the ribcage inside.


    Officer Eric was at a loss for words after what he had just witnessed. The cadet in front of him had just executed a medical procedure wlessly after only hearing the instructions on how to do so ONCE! This was something that only medical professionals would be capable of doing as they had done it hundreds of times.


    What Eric and even Mako didn''t know was that this wasn''t his own skill and talent. Mako subconsciously activated the instant learning skill while he was learning how to perform the surgery by officer Eric.


    Once he hadpletely learned how the procedure worked, the next time that Mako attempted the surgery, it was second nature to him as the movements came naturally to him. Mako himself didn''t even realize what he had just done but the officer and the officials observing from the military headquarters hadpletely lost it as they couldn''t believe what was happening in front of their eyes.


    ''The resonance of the two toughest abilities to create a rare ability is already crazy enough, but this cadet seems to have a lot more in store as he has a great memory, good precision, and fighting skill, as well as a deep loyalty towards his friends.'' Officer Eric deduced as he watched Mako carry both Leon and Bill over to one of the corners of the cave andy them against the wall so that their weak bodies could have some support.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Once both of his friends had been taken care of, Mako turned back towards the officer and awaited whatever else he had to say.


    Officer Eric first gave Mako a solid handshake which showed that he had gained his respect, which was followed by praise. Mako was delighted to see that the officer was impressed, but he knew that he had something important to say as well otherwise he would have stuck around once Bill and Leon were out of danger.


    Right on cue, officer Eric''s expression changed a bit as he took on a more serious and professional expression. Officer Eric began by telling Mako that Bill and Leon were not out of the woods just yet. They were still in a critical state and any sudden movements or stretching could cause their stitches to rip and make them bleed out and die.


    After addressing his first concern, officer Eric moved on by pointing toward the big hole through which the Terra beetles had attacked them.


    "I am not sure exactly when, but I am sure that once their king is healed up, they will strike back once again and this time they will bring an even bigger force. So you should gather all of your things and leave this cave as soon as possible." Officer Eric said.


    Mako wasn''tpletely oblivious to the fact that the Terra beetles would attack again but he thought that considering the damage he and the boys had done to it would take it at least a couple of days to fully heal, but officer Ericpletely blew that assumption away.


    He exined to Mako that the Terra beetles were one of the sses of beasts that evolve by consuming the crystals of their own kind. However, they can also eat those crystals to regain health and quickly heal injuries.


    Right now, the Terra Beetle King would have made it back to its nest and started a feeding frenzy to regain all the health it lost. It would only take it a couple of hours topletely recover andunch another assault.


    Officer Eric also instructed Mako that giving Bill and Leon two high-tier healing pills each should be enough for them to heal all of their damage and slowly start to recover the tissue they had lost.


    With that, officer Eric wished Mako good luck and quickly disappeared from the cave leaving Mako alone with his friends. There was still a lot to do as Mako couldn''t afford to rest as for all he knew, the beetle king couldunch an attack within the next hour.


    Mako quickly gathered all of their things and put all the items in their backpacks. Mako already had a bad time when he had to carry two bags and Bill on his back when he was poisoned, but now he had to carry three bags and two people and this time the people were in critical condition so much that they couldn''t survive any sudden movements.


    Mako stood over Bill and Leon''s resting bodies as he could think of a way to move them both at the same time. He would have to move them one at a time which would be tedious and exhausting as while he is moving one, the other will be left unprotected and it would take twice the number of trips, plus he didn''t even know where they would go.


    Mako''s original n wasn''t feasible now as it was impossible to make that one-day journey while his friends were injured.


    "We just can''t catch a break ever since wended on this ind, huh?" Mako ridiculed the fact that ever since they hadnded on this ind, one of them has been injured or knocked out. It seemed that nature was really against the three boys actually being together for some time without a threat looming over their heads.


    *Beep!*


    Mako was still trying to think of a way to get out of the cave safely when he heard a beep in his pocket.


    Someone or something had just triggered theser trap at the entrance of the cave and the sounds of footsteps could be heard as whatever it was, it wasing inside.


    Mako quickly took a stance as he didn''t know whether this was a cadet or a beast, but whatever it was, it couldn''t have any good intentions so Mako activated his fire ability ready to face anything and defend his injured friends.

 Chapter 107 A Helping Hand

    ?This was really unfortunate timing as Mako was still low on energy and if he had to fight, he would be at a big disadvantage against them.


    However, he didn''t have any other option other than to fight because he couldn''t just escape and leave his friends behind. His hands were covered in mes as he was prepared to strike immediately if it happened to be a beast that wandered into the cave because the beast would be aggressive as soon as it saw him.


    But if it was a person, Mako would only give them one chance to state their intentions, and if he even felt the slightest hint of danger from them he wouldn''t hesitate tounch an attack.


    The cave structure was simr to an "L" shape, where after walking a bit into the cave, there is a sharp left turn and then there is more cave which previously ended in a dead end. This was why Mako had chosen this cave as their temporary shelter as it was quite hard to notice the entrance from the outside since it was decently hidden and they won''t be immediately spotted if someone did approach the cave entrance.


    This paired with theser trap had made it quite safe to stay as nobody would notice that they were there just from looking in from the entrance and if they decide to enter the cave to explore further, theser trap would trigger and Mako would know that someone wasing.


    This was exactly what had happened with Leon as he frantically searched for Mako. He had been given anonymous tip by one of the low-ranking officers who owed his father, and he told him about which ne Mako was jumping from and his general location.


    While running around the ind, it was by pure chance that Leon stumbled across the half-hidden entrance to the cave and decided to explore it before continuing his journey. By pure luck, Leon happened to find Mako in the same cave that he was trying to explore out of curiosity.


    The footsteps got louder and louder and soon a beautiful girl walked out from around the corner and got startled as she came face to face with Mako whose hands were lit on fire and ready to strike.


    The cave''s dim light cast a warm glow on the girl''s fair skin and highlighted the subtle waves of her light brown hair. She has a small circr face with a small chin and tiny lips. She was on the shorter side in terms of height as she looked to be around 5ft 2 inches. Her military clothes were sttered with dirt and dust which meant that she had been traveling for quite some time.


    "What''s wrong? Why did you stop?" A voice came from behind as another girl came into view.


    The second girl had silky blond hair that was pulled back in a tight braid. Her fair skin was wless and radiated a natural beauty that seemed to emanate from within. Her eyes were a piercing shade of green and she wore the same military uniform that fit her form perfectly. She was of simr height as her friend and her clothes were also covered in dirt in multiple areas.


    The blond girl gasped as Mako came into her line of sight with mes erupting from his hands ready to attack.


    Both girls put their hands up in the air as they showed that they meant no harm to Mako. Mako quickly used Analyze to assess the strengths of the two individuals who had entered the cave so that he could decide whether or not to allow them in because if they happened to be decently strong and carried ill will, Mako would be in a whole lot of trouble.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Iris Jade Cooper]


    [Ability: Heal (Level 3), Water (Level 3)] ?


    [Profile: Erin Robinson]


    [Ability: Water (Level 3), Wind (Level 3)] ?


    Both of them were level 3 ability users with two abilities each. Their stats were nothing special but they weren''t bad in any way with both of them having bnced points in almost all attributes that were in the range of thirties.


    Mako slowly put the fire out from his hands as he allowed the girls to calm down and approach him.


    The girls were still frightened by the sudden jump scare of Mako being in a fighting stance with fire in his hands but they quickly threw away their fear as they slowly approached him.


    "What are you doing here? How did you find this ce?" Mako asked them as he still couldn''t openly trust them even if they weren''t strong enough to pose a threat.


    The girls instantly became shy with both of them nudging the other to answer Mako''s question. It was quite weird for Mako to stand there and watch as two mature girls continued to whisper in each other''s ears and nudge them to speak.


    In the end, Iris, the one with the brown hair spoke up as she replied to Mako''s question in a shy and tender voice," Um... We got separated from our group while we were trying to find a good ce to build our shelter. A beast that looked like a bear attacked us from nowhere and as we ran to save ourselves, me and my friend got lost."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We were just trying our best to survive and find our group again but we were unable to do so. We didn''t have any of the weapons that our group found in the loot crates and we just barely managed to survivest night as we were attacked by fish beasts while we resting near the river."


    "We couldn''t find anywhere where we could build a temporary shelter until we came across this cave. The entrance was decently hidden and it looked like it went a bit deep which would be a nice ce for us to stay for a bit and recover." Iris finished giving her exnation.


    Their story checked out as Mako could see that both of them were low on energy, but he didn''t know what to do as he couldn''t just invite them in. Not because of him not trusting, Mako really did believe that the girls were telling the truth after all the Analyze skill can''t lie. The reason why Mako couldn''t invite them in is that he himself was nning on leaving soon because the Terra Beetle King could show up any minute.


    "Alright listen, I believe you..." Mako said and the girls faces instantly lit up as they were happy to finally have somewhere where they could finally take a break and recover some energy.


    However, Mako wasn''t done talking as his next set of words made the girls shake their legs with fear.


    "...But, there is an advanced tier beast that resides in this cave with hundreds of high tier ones doing its bidding. This cave is extremely unsafe and has already greatly injured my friends." Mako finished saying whilst moving out of the way to show the girls Bill and Leon and in what condition they were.


    Both girls froze in ce and stood there in shock as they observed the two boys with huge bandages along their chests and their skin ckened all over.


    Erin, the blonde girl, started to tear up and fall to her knees as she just couldn''t take the pressure anymore. Iris was able to catch her before she mmed her knees directly into the ground and gently made her sit.


    Erin started crying as she kept chanting the same words over and over again," I wanna quit! I wanna quit! I don''t want to do this anymore!"


    Iris kept consoling her and telling her that it was going to be fine and that they will get through this alive and that she should remember why she was doing this in the first ce.


    While all of this was happening, the ground began to shake a bit as it looked like a minor earthquake wasing.


    *rumble*


    "It''sing!" Mako shouted as he quickly realized what the rumbling meant.


    Both girls instantly stopped what they were doing as they saw Mako say those words and instantly rushed toward his friends.


    Erin quickly wiped away her tears before asking Mako what he meant by that.


    "The advanced tier beast I told you about. The Beetle King is on its way back to finish the job!" Mako replied as he strapped two of the backpacks on each of his arms.


    Both girls had looks of extreme horror and fear on their faces as Mako''s said those words. They were frozen in ce fear unable to process what was happening. They watched as Mako strapped the two backpacks on his back and then proceed to gently pick up one of his friends who had ginger hair and ce him on his back.


    He then turned toward the two girls who were still in shock and unable to move all the while the intensity of the rumbling continued to increase.


    "Hey! You two! Help me by carrying my friend! We all need to escape before it''s toote!" Mako''s shout woke up Iris and Erin as they realized that their best chance of survival was to stick with this person and listen to him considering he had already survived one encounter against the advanced tier beast.


    They quickly rushed over and Mako instructed them to gently carry Leon''s body and to make sure that they made no sudden movements or else he would bleed out and die.


    Iris and Erin gulped as one of them equipped the extra backpack on their back and then gently lifted Leon off the ground.


    The rumbling continued to increase as Mako and the two girls carried Bill and Leon as fast as they could while making sure that their wounds didn''t reopen. They quickly made the turn and were nearing the entrance of the cave when they heard a loud crash back near the dead end of the cave.


    The Terra Beetle King had made it back to take its revenge against Mako but he was nowhere to be seen and so were his friends. While Beetle king quickly analyzed the surroundings Mako and the girls made a run for it and sessfully made it out of the cave.

 Chapter 108 Rain Begins

    ?Mako and the girls made it out of the cave just in the nick of time and the Terra Beetle King was left confused as to how could its prey escape when it had damaged them so much.


    The cave entrance was a couple of feet above the ground so as soon they left the entrance they would fall down a bit. Normally it wouldn''t have been an issue as they were strong enough to fall that height without a care in the world; however, this time the case was different.


    If they were tond on the ground normally, the shockwave from thending would definitely be enough to rip apart the stitches that were holding together their fragile skin.


    Mako was the first to jump as he fell down with speed. Using his fire ability, he released his aura as pure mes from under his feet which created thrust. The thrust countered the falling force just enough so that Makonded gently on the ground.


    Next were the two girls who carefully carried Leon''s body. Iris was holding him by his shoulders and Erin was holding him by his legs. They also jumped but they made sure to jump at the exact same time so that they would remainpletely horizontal and that Leon''s body won''t experience any stretching.


    They quickly fell down and were about to hit the ground when suddenly they decelerated while in mid-air and smoothlynded on the ground. This was Erin''s doing as she had used the Wind ability to stop their fall by slowing them down and cushioning theirnding.


    ''Impressive,'' Makomented in his mind as he observed the great skill being performed by Erin.


    The Beetle king''s screech could be heard from within the cave and it sounded pretty angry. All of them had made it safely onto the ground and Erin decided to carry Leon alone as she was stronger than Iris in terms of strength and Iris would carry his backpack.


    The two girls didn''t have their own backpacks so it wasn''t like they had to carry their own things as well, and with that, all five of them made their escape from the advanced tier beast. They quickly created distance between them and the cave so that even if the Beetle King decided to look outside the cave, it won''t be able to find them.


    They reached the small stream where Mako fished before and decided to stop here and rest since the girls were already quite exhausted and the additional exercise took out the little bit of energy they had left.


    Theyid Bill and Leon against a smooth tree and the girls copsed right next to them,pletely tired, out of energy, and exhausted. Mako wanted to speak with them again but they were in no condition to talk as they also quickly fell asleep as soon as theyy against the cool smooth tree.


    Mako found himself in the exact same situation as before, but only this time he had to look after twice the amount of people.


    "Well, at least we don''t have a threat of being attacked by an advanced-tier beast out here," Mako said trying to make the situation look a bit positive for himself.


    Mako was also low on energy but it wasn''t so low that he couldn''t do regr tasks that didn''t require the use of abilities. The energy maniption ability had given Mako a boost in perception and stamina.


    Both of these boosts were quite helpful as this meant that Mako now had a greater base perceptionpared to the perception he had even after he activated Motion Sense during the time when he first arrived on the ind.


    This level of perception was enough for Mako to feel safe because he could detect motion within a small range so that they would never get surprise attacks by beasts or other cadets.


    Secondly, Mako''s gain in stamina meant that he could basically function for longer periods of time before tiring himself out.


    It was now noon, and yet there wasn''t much sunshine and the weather was actually quite nice. Mako quickly got to work by first gathering materials to make a campfire and fishing for food from the stream that was right next to them.


    While looking around Mako also found a loot crate hidden inside the exposed roots of one of the trees. He struggled a bit before finally getting the loot crate out of there. Mako got really lucky with this one even though there were only two items inside.


    The screen on the lid of the loot crate disyed:


    [Medium Tier Healing Pills x 2]


    [Medium Tier Dark Wing''s Shiv]


    Not only did Mako receive more healing pills which he was in desperate need of, but Mako also got a medium-tier power weapon that he quickly used Analyze on.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Medium Tier Dark Wing''s Shiv] ?


    [A 2-inch small de forged from the crystals and flesh of Dark Wings found in (Unknown). A decent quality de forged by (Unknown)]


    [Strength +15]


    [Attack: 30]


    [Active skill: Infect] ?


    [Infect: When an opponent is stabbed with this knife, the user can choose to activate the skill. Once activated, the de will secrete a small amount of venom from the tip of the de causing the opponent to have auditory and visual hallucinations.]


    [The venom secreted by the de is quite weak and loses its effect after 5 minutes. The cooldown for the de to use the active skill again is 3 hours]


    It was a decent weapon with a great active skill and unique design. It was a short de that looked like a tooth and the grip looked like the fur of the beast. The hilt of the de had the shape of the head of a bat with two small red eyes.


    Mako put the shiv in his backpack, picked up the empty loot crate, and hurried back to the camp to give Bill and Leon the healing pills which will hasten their recovery time. When he got back, all four of them were exactly in the same position as he had left them.


    Mako fed Bill and Leon the pills and started working on cooking some fish. Unlike Bill and Leon who were unconscious because of their condition, Iris and Erin were simply knocked out from exhaustion, and by the time they woke up, they would be super hungry.


    Mako wanted to get some information out about these girls and the best approach he could think of was to cook them a meal to eat. Since Mako was unable to find a tablet close to the vicinity of the cave even though Brigadier Jones had said that they were rtively easy to find, Mako didn''t have much information regarding what was happening elsewhere on the ind.


    Information was most important and Mako could learn a lot from these two so he sat patiently by another tree as he patiently waited for them to wake up. In the meantime, Mako had also set a fire which was currently boiling water that Mako had collected using the empty loot crate.


    Once the water was done boiling and cooled off a bit, Mako took several big sips and quenched his own thirst. Mako didn''t have anything to eat or drink ever since he was knocked out during his duel against Leon and he was quite thirsty at this point.


    Mako was going to put the fish on next to cook and eat but nature had other ns for Mako as soon as the clouds started rumbling. Before Mako could even react, small droplets of water started to fall on his face.


    It was starting to rain.


    The rain would ruin the campfirepletely and they won''t be able to cook any food. Mako needed to think of a solution quickly or else all his hard work for catching the fish and making a fire would be useless if he couldn''t cook and eat it.


    He was already low on energy and needed to replenish himself soon or else he would enter into that crazed hungry mode like he did when he used up all his energy while punching the tree.


    Mako remembered that there was a piece of tarp in each backpack. He quickly took out the tarp from all three backpacks. He could have just attached the tarp over their heads by using the trees as support around him but that would be a huge mistake as the smoke from the campfire could cause the tarp to burn.


    He had to attach the tarp a bit further high up so that it wasn''t affected by the smoke. Using the string that was also included in the backpack, Mako used High Jump to reach as high as he could and then attach the tarp around the trees.


    As for the two remaining tarps, Mako held onto them for now and would put them ording to the direction of the rain. Right now, the water droplets were falling straight down so he only needed to cover their top, but if the wind made the water droplets change direction, he could put up another tarp that could block out the water from that direction as well.


    After making sure the tarp was secure, Mako jumped back down and was going to resume his cooking when he heard a noisee from behind. He turned around and could see Iris'' eyes twitching as she was starting to wake up.


    Although it was earlier than Mako had expected, he was happy that she was waking up as it would be nice if he could have someone to talk to and he could also get some information about what else has been going on on this freaky ind.

 Chapter 109 Flashbacks Continue

    ?The sounds of the clouds rumbling and water droplets hitting against something stic continued to ring in the iris'' ears while she was still half asleep. Her stomach was growling as she hadn''t eaten anything in two days and her head was giving her the worst headache of her life.


    Slowly her eyes started to flicker open and shut as she slowly woke up. Her eyes opened to a scene she wasn''t expecting at all. She wasying right next to her best friend, Erin. She looked a bit past her to see the two injured boys they had rescued also resting against the same tree.


    Iris slowly looked around and could observe that it had started to rain. Raindrops were falling at a slow rate at the moment but the clouds continued to rumble which indicated that this was just the beginning.


    Iris could also notice the stream right in front of her. At first, she started having shbacks to when she had stopped by a stream with Erin to rest, and then all of a sudden some fish beast had started to attack them.


    The shbacks were introducing fear in Iris'' heart as her heart rate started to increase. However, before she could lose control over herself and give in to fear, her eyesnded on Mako who was sitting by a fire with his back turned toward her.


    The sight of Mako being there calmed her heart down a bit as this was the same person who imed to have survived an advanced-tier beast encounter. If Iris had to choose anyone she knew or came across to whom she would entrust her protection, it would be this person in front of her.


    Iris didn''t want to startle Mako so she quietly and gently got up from her resting position and slowly started to approach Mako. She hadn''t even made it halfway toward him when Mako voiced out without even turning around.


    "You''re finally awake," Mako said as he continued to do something around the fire that Iris couldn''t see from her point of view.


    She was taken aback by Mako acknowledging her presence without even turning around, nevertheless, she quickly recovered from the small shock and quickly approached him.


    As she got closer to the campsite, she realized that Mako had caught some fish and was currently cooking them over the fire. She took a seat on a small boulder opposite Mako and watched him as he turned the fish to make sure it was cooking evenly.


    There was a brief moment of awkward silence as both of them sat by the campfire without saying a word to each other. For Iris, it was because she was still a bit intimidated by him and couldn''t find the courage to speak up. In her mind, she was thinking that Mako expects her to begin the conversation and she was going over several thousand possibilities in her about how to begin, and yet couldn''t decide on one.


    For Mako, the reason was a lot more cringeworthy. Mako still was quite shy about talking to girls as he had only had one genuine encounter with a girl so far and that was when Jacob''s daughter, Kiesha hugged him for saving her life. He still didn''t know how to approach girls and start a conversation with them and he was also going over the different possibilities in his head about how to begin ever since he noticed her waking up.


    In the end, it was Iris who broke the ice as she quickly blurted out a "Thank you". Mako was honestly relieved that Iris had initiated the conversation and replied with a "You''re Wee".


    Before the conversation could go any further, Iris''s stomach also introduced itself to Mako and it was not showing gratitude of any kind at the moment. The growling stomach made Mako chuckle a bit and seeing him Iris also eased up a bit and held her stomach with embarrassment.


    "Don''t worry, I am very hungry too. The fish will be done cooking in a couple of minutes. We can eat the first batch while they are still sleeping. I will cook some for them too once they wake up." Mako said as he flipped the fish once again.


    Iris nodded with gratitude once again as she could wait to devour the delicious-looking fish in front of her. Hunger aside, Iris picked up the conversation once again by first, asking for Mako''s name.


    "My name is Mako Grey, and you are..." Mako said as he introduced himself and then asked for Iris'' introduction as well while acting like he didn''t already know everything about her.


    Iris introduced herself as well and the conversation between the two kicked off with them discussing a couple of topics while the fish continued to cook.


    Mako brought up the question regarding what their abilities were. He already knew the answer to this too but he still kept the persona that he didn''t have any info about her at all. She told him that she had a Healing ability and the Water ability. Mako tried to act surprised as the Healing ability wasn''t a popr ability to have.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In actuality, Mako was indeed surprised when he first opened her profile while using Analyze on her. It wasn''t that the healing ability was rare, the healing ability was asmon as the five elemental abilities; however, they didn''t provide any use to a person who could only hold one ability so only people with medical background tend to have this ability.


    Iris also asked about Mako''s ability to which he replied that he had a Level 4 fire and a Level 3 Lightning ability. From what officer Eric had said, the energy maniption ability was quite rare and he might be a target if he told everyone about his rare ability which was why Mako didn''t mention the energy ability at all.


    The fish had finished cooking at this point and Mako quickly served Iris a whole Rainbow Trout on a clean palm leaf. They quickly dug into the steamy hot fish while continuing their conversation.


    Iris and Mako also introduced their friends to one another. Mako told her about Bill and Leon and what their abilities were. Mako also lied about Bill and Leon''s abilities as he skipped Bill''s Sand ability and Leon''s hardening ability to look like there wasn''t a big power gap between them. Eventually, Iris asked Mako about what had happened to them before they had arrived in the cave.


    Mako paused for a second to think of a believable story to tell her because he couldn''t share the exact events of what had happened in that cave. Mako''s pause carried the wrong message to Iris as she believed that maybe she had touched a sour topic; however before she could apologize and carry on, Mako started to narrate a slightly altered version of the events that took ce in the cave.


    Iris listened with great interest while taking bites out of her cooked fish as Mako narrated the story. Hepletely skipped the part where he and Leon had a duel which led to the Beetle King finding them and directly started from the part when the Terra Beetle King had attacked them.


    While Mako and Iris were talking by themselves around the campfire, Leon continued to turn his head from left to right while he was still sleeping. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he continued to experience a really bad dream.


    ************


    "DAD!!!"


    The sound of a young boy resounded from within the crashed car as he watched his father get stabbed in the back with a de by one of the assants.


    Paul staggered a bit while he tried to bear the pain and assess the situation. He quickly realized that he couldn''t summon any aura from his body. He looked around to see that all the assants had huge smiles on their faces as they already knew what was happening to Paul''s body.


    Paul had beenpletely depowered she could summon any of his abilities and that included his Telekinesis ability which was protecting the car. Paul had a look of horror as he heard the screams of a woman and a child from behind him.


    He turned around to see that his wife and son had now be hostages with two men holding a knife against their throats as they slowly approached Paul.


    Paul had be powerless to fight back and he could only watch as they dragged his wife and son closer to him. He tried to move and buy time so that the effects of whatever they had attacked him with would wear off but he was quickly reminded how strong ability users were against a regr human.


    With only a couple of light kicks, Paul was on the ground bleeding from several locations and unable to move, all the while the sounds of his wife and son''s crying and screaming continued to ring in his ears.


    One of the assants grabbed Paul by the back of the neck and held him up so that he would be facing Elina and Leon.


    The two thugs that were holding them hostage brought the de closer to their throats while the one holding paul by the neck started to speak.


    "You should have listened to the boss when you had the chance, now either you transfer everything you own over to Venom, or else the blood of your wife and son will be on your hands!" The man said.

 Chapter 110 Leons Nightmare (Part 1)

    ?Paul looked at his wife and son, crying and desperately trying to get away from the assants who were holding them hostage but it was no use. No matter how much they struggled, they couldn''t do anything against decently strong ability users.


    Elina was unable to break free from the man''s grip which felt like iron chains. It was not that Elina wasn''t strong. She had a level 5 water ability but with no water in the vicinity, she waspletely powerless.


    Young Leon had the same fate as his mother as he couldn''t break free either. At this point, Leon only had a level 2 speed ability which his father had gifted him a few months back when he turned 14 years old.


    **************


    Paul was very strict with Leon having an ability. Unlike many rich parents who allowed their children to have the highest legal ability as soon as they were of the minimum age which is 5 years old, Paul had taken apletely different approach.


    Paul wanted to make sure that his son would understand the actual value of an ability and how easy it is to misuse it. Leon observed with his own eyes as his rich ssmates would bully the other ssmates in his ss by abusing the power of their stronger abilities.


    Nobody could stop them from doing so as they had rich parents backing them up and so the only options left for the targeted students were to either endure it or change schools. Those bullies stayed clear of Leon as they knew the consequences of messing with him even if he was powerless.


    Leon admired his father and understood the lessons that father was trying to teach him. Just by observing the situation in his ssroom, Leon was able to understand that the world revolved around power and he saw how easy it was to get intoxicated by that feeling of being in control and being all-powerful.


    Those who were stronger than others started to create a hierarchy in the ssroom and put themselves on the top. They would boss around and oppress those who were weak while keeping clear from some who either also had a strong backing like Leon or were also strong but didn''t wish to associate themselves with them.


    However, not all students in his ss were the same as some had decency and morals instilled into them by their responsible parents. They were also strong and had an ability but they never used them to cause harm to others. Those were the students who stood up against the tyranny of the rich students and were admired and loved by everyone except those whom they opposed.


    Leon wanted to be one of those students, someone who would only use their power for good and fight against those who misused their power.


    For his fourteenth birthday, Paul finally called Leon to his office and presented him with six books.


    [Speed Ability (Level 2)]


    [Strength Ability (Level 2)]


    [Wind Ability (Level 2)]


    [Lightning Ability (Level 2)]


    [Earth Ability (Level 2)]


    [Fire Ability (Level 2)]


    Leon was finally old enough that he would be forced to take dueling sses at school where they taught them the basics of how to fight. Paul felt it was high time Leon got his first ability so that he couldpete against all the other students during the duels.


    Paul had given Leon a big lecture about the responsibility thates with having abilities and in the end, left Leon to decide which ability he wanted to learn.


    Leon pondered over which ability book to choose for quite some time but in the end, decided to follow in his father''s footsteps. Paul''s first ability was also the speed ability and so Leon also picked the level 2 speed ability.


    He broke the silver crystal that was embedded into the cover of the book and watched as the milky white and silvery aura enter his body. He could feel his muscles getting tighter and his bones bing stronger. Leon was now an ability user as well.


    Paul was proud of his son''s decision and started teaching everything he knew about speed ability. Leon was one to neverin to his father but during one of the training sessions he let ament slip past his tongue.


    "Having a level 2 ability is great but I still won''t be able topete against those who have a level 3 ability," Leon said.


    Leon instantly realized what he has just done. He thought his father would be furious with him for showing ungratefulness, but when he turned to look at his father all he could see was a gentle smile.


    "It is okay if you think that way but I have to say that you are wrong, my son," Paul replied.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leon was confused as to what did his father mean by saying that he was wrong. It was a well-known fact that a person with a lower ability level would never be able to defeat a person with a higher ability level.


    "It may be true that Level 3s are stronger than Level 2s, but that is only when they are equally skilled," Paul said.


    "However, it is not the case when a highly skilled level 2 ability user was to face a poorly skilled level 3 ability user. No matter how strong a person is, they will lose if they rely only on their power and don''t develop any skill or fighting style." Paul exined further.


    "Always remember this, Leon. No matter how strong your opponent might be if you can outsmart them with your clever thinking and great skill, you will always be victorious." Paul said as he patted Leon''s head.


    **************


    Seeing that his father was in danger, Leon quicklyposed himself and tried to think of a way to escape from his current predicament. He understood that he needed to create an opening so that his father would be able to fight back.


    Looking around Leon noticed that they were standing over sand and an idea quickly hatched in his mind. The assant had held him by his torso and arms but not his legs.


    Leon quickly started rubbing his feet against the soft sandy ground as fast as he could and kicked up a lot of sand in the air. Before the man holding Leon could realize it, Leon had created a huge dust cloud using his quick feet and temporarily blinding everyone.


    Paul understood Leon''s actions as he smiled internally as he was really proud of his son for making a quick decision. Still powerless, Paul decided that the best option for him is to buy more time for his body to recover. Using the dust cloud as cover, Paul quickly manoeuvred around the assants and started running as far away as he could and buying as much time as possible.


    The dust cloud wasn''t really a setback for the assants, more like an annoyance. One of them quickly got rid of it using his Wind ability and they noticed that Paul was nowhere to be seen.


    Leon was expecting his father to take charge once again and fight the bad guys, but what he saw as the dust cloud disappeared broke his heart in two. He could see his father running away leaving him and his mother alone in the hands of the enemy.


    He couldn''t believe it! How could his father abandon him like that? The man he admired so much was running away in the face of danger?!


    The assants were pretty mad at Leon for pulling that little stunt and a simple punch straight on his face hadpletely wrecked his face and knocked him out cold.


    As Leon became unconscious, he could hear his mother''s desperate cries as she tried to make the assants stop hurting her son.


    ***************


    The next time Leon woke, he was back in his room with bandages all over his face. He couldn''t remember anything that had happened and was confused as to how he even got here in the first ce.


    The butler was doing his regr checkup on the young master when he saw that he was finally awake. He quickly informed his master about this as he was instructed to and within seconds, Paul had rushed over to Leon''s room.


    After taking a couple of deep breaths, and bracing himself for the difficult conversation that was about to ensue, Paul entered Leon''s room.


    Leon looked at his father entering the room and usually, he would feel respectful toward him but not this time. He didn''t know what it was, but something within his body waspelling him to have no respect for the man standing in front of him.


    As Paul approached Leon and sat beside him on his bed, Leon started having hazy visions of him and his mother. Terrified by what he could make out of his visions, Leon realized that his mother might be in trouble.


    "Father, I think mother is in danger," Leon said as soon as Paul sat beside him.


    Shocked by Leon''s firstment, Paul gulped down before asking Leon what he meant by those words," Leon, what makes you think that you''re mother is in trouble?"


    Leon scratched his head as his memory was still quite foggy but he could clearly see his mother crying in his vision.


    "I don''t know. I have been getting these strange visions from the time I woke up, I can''t understand why but I really think mother is in danger, where is she?" Leon asked while holding his head.


    "Leon... Your mother is dead." Paul said very slowly as he ced his hand on his son''s shoulder.

 Chapter 111 Leons Nightmare (Part 2)

    ?Leon''s whole world had crashed at the exact moment that those words came out of Paul''s mouth. His feelings were akin to ss shattering as he couldn''t even process the information that he had just received.


    Tears rolled down his face as suddenly Leon started remembering again. He remembered that their car was attacked while they were traveling to the airport. He remembered how his father was fighting all the bad guys at once but one of them was able to strike him down with his de.


    They carried him and his mother out of the crashed car and held a knife at their throats demanding his father give them everything. He remembered how he had cleverly used his speed to create a dust cloud to aid his father in his fight just before he was knocked out, but... but... when the dust had settled...


    "YOU..." Leon shouted as he turned his grief into anger.


    Paul was shocked to see such a change ur in his son, the son who had never raised his voice against him his entire life.


    "YOU RAN AWAY!! YOU LEFT US TO DIE AT THE HANDS OF THOSE MEN!" Leon shouted as the sounds of his mother''s cries continued to ring in his ears.


    "What are you saying, Leon? I didn''t run. I saved you." Paul said as he tried to calm his son down. He believed that Leon was just going through a denial phase and he was looking for someone to me.


    Paul tried to get close to his son and hug him as he tried to console him, but Leon freaked out as soon as he came close. Using both his legs and feet, Leon tried everything in his power to push the man away who he kept seeing in his memory, running as far away from the assants as he could while the dust cloud that he created had kept them busy.


    Paul couldn''t use force against his own son so he just tried to calm him down by saying things such as "It''s not what it looks like" and "let me exin", but it all fell on deaf ears as Leon used the opportunity to sprint out of his room and run as far away as possible.


    Paul sat on his son''s bedpletely shocked by what just happened. He was expecting Leon to act out a bit considering how heavy the news was and how close he was with his mother, but he never expected his son to me him.


    Paul was also mourning the loss of his lovely wife as he wasn''t in the most stable of conditions either. He quietly let his tears flow while he called for the butler.


    "Benson!" Leon shouted.


    Within an instant, the butler had arrived at the door. It was so fast that one could argue that he never left in the first ce, but Paul was too emotional at this point to question anything.


    "Don''t let Leon go out of the bounds of the facility," Paul ordered.


    Benson quickly bowed to his master''s request and vanished from the door. Leon was racing through the facility which was the same warehouse where the Dark Raven tournament took ce. He raced through several hallways at top speed and finally reached one of the exits. He opened the door and ran out.


    There was a thunderstorm urring outside, but Leon didn''t care, he just wanted to get as far away from the man who betrayed him as possible. He was about to reach the fence that marked the boundary between the warehouse and the public area when suddenly a figure he knew very well and respected appeared in front of him.


    "Young master, what are you doing?" Benson asked in his same polite voice.


    Leon just stared into the eyes of the butler who he had epted as part of the family and shared everything with. He knew that the butler hadn''t done anything and yet he felt disgusted to associate himself with anyone that linked back to his backstabbing father.


    Leon couldn''t hold back his tears anymore as he started crying once again. At this point, this was the only thing he could do; Benson was loyal to his father, and he most likely instructed him to bring him back inside. He fell to his knees as he punched the muddy ground with anger and frustration.


    Benson could see how broken Leon was and approached him slowly. This time Leon didn''t resist as he allowed him to approach him. Benson bent down so that he and Leon were at the same eye level.


    "It''s going to be okay, young master. Your mother has gone to a much better ce." Benson said as he tried to console Leon.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Hearing those words made Leon lose what little determination he had left and he hugged Benson tightly while letting loose and crying his eyes out. Benson hugged him back and the two stayed in that position for quite some time in the rain while Leon continued to cry.


    Eventually, Leon was able topose himself, and Benson made him agree toe back inside. Benson tried to get Leon to face his father but he kept saying he never wanted to see that man''s face in his life ever again.


    Several days pass by and Leon continued to mourn the loss of his mother while avoiding his father at all costs. Paul was empathetic at first as he knew that his son was going through a rough time and if he wanted to be left alone he would grant him his wish.


    However, days continued to pass but there was no sign of Leon changing his attitude toward his father. Benson continuously tried to get Leon to talk with his father and let him exin things to him, but Leon didn''t want to hear any of it.


    "Who knows what lies he maye up with in order to protect his image because that''s what he actually cares about. If he had cared for his family, he would have stayed and fought instead of running away like a coward." Leon said to Benson who was trying to get Leon to open up to his father again.


    Soon enough, Paul hit a breaking point as he had had enough of his son''s stubbornness. He walked over to his son''s room and opened the door. Leon quickly jumped out of bed as his father opened the door and before he could do anything, he started to feel a sudden pressure around him. It was so strong that it made Leon fall down to his knees.


    Paul had released a bit of his aura to make sure, his son didn''t have the energy to talk back to him. It was quite inhuman and Paul himself didn''t approve of this action but he wouldn''t tolerate disrespect from anyone, even his own son as he had an image to maintain.


    He walked over to his son who was still struggling to try to lift himself off the ground even though he knew it was pointless. He crouched down so that he was face to face-with his son. He could feel the anger and hatred that was emanating from Leon''s eyes as he sighed.


    "Listen, Leon. I know that you think that I ran away instead of facing those men, but that is not true. I didn''t run away. I stayed and fought all of them. I... I killed all of them. Your mother was just unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire. Please, son, believe me. You know I would never abandon you or your mother." Paul said as he stared directly into Leon''s teary eyes.


    He contained all of his aura and removed the pressure from Leon. Leon could finally freely move and breathe again. He took a couple of seconds to take a deep breath and restore his breathing after which he looked straight into his father''s eyes.


    "Lies, all lies! I saw you running away! Nothing you can do or say will change that fact!" Leon said as he showedplete determination and anger toward his father.


    Paul couldn''t believe how much his son had changed, but he had also had enough of this. If Leon wanted to deal with things with anger then so would he.


    "Fine! Believe whatever you want, but know this you are still my son!" Paul said out loud with a little bit of anger.


    Leon was a bit taken aback by his father''s sudden change in tune as before he could even respond, his father continued.


    "And I won''t tolerate misbehavior by anyone, even if it is you. If you want to leave this ce so badly, then fine; you can leave once you are old enough to apply for military school. However, until then, you are to still listen and obey everything I say. You will be homeschooled from now on and anything you need will be provided to you by Benson." Paul said.


    After saying this, Paul stood up and left the door leaving Leon alone to ponder over what his father has just said. Leon was absolutely speechless as he had never seen this side of his father before and his actions today had cemented the idea in Leon''s brain that Paul really was at fault.


    Leon now only had one goal in mind, to be strong, pass the entrance exam, and leave his father once and for all.


    Paul on the other hand had tears running down his face as he stood beside his son''s closed door. He never wanted his family to break apart the way it did and he just wanted to get his old son back again.


    After silently crying for a couple of minutes, Paul finally wiped away his tears as he turned around to look at his son''s closed door onest time before heading to his office.


    "I love you, son," Paul said as he walked away.

 Chapter 112 Iris Backstory

    ?While Leon was re-experiencing his past trauma in his awful nightmare, Mako narrated his entire altered story of their Terra Beetle encounter to Iris who was listening with great interest.


    She was quite impressed with the feats that Mako had told her about even though he had cut out several bits of information to make it look less suspicious.


    After that, Mako asked Iris to share a bit of her own experience on the ind and why did she even sign up for the test in the first ce. Iris was quite shy at first about telling her own story and Mako could sense her uncertainty.


    He assured her that if she didn''t want to talk about then that was perfectly fine as well. Iris appreciated the gesture but said that it would be unfair after all she got to hear so much about him.


    Iris started off by exining that she and Erin were both childhood friends and that they both lived together ever since they were little in a city called Rivenwood City.


    *************


    Rivenwood was located approximately 800 miles north of Emerald City.


    Emerald City was a coastal city while Rivenwood was closer to one of the mountainous regions of Mundivia. Since all the continents of Earth had been merged into one big continent, it would have been unfair to the people if it was called something that was only rted to a single culture or nation, so they decided on the name "Mundivia".


    The name Mundiviabines "mundus," meaning world, with "via," meaning path or way. It meant a continent that is home to many different cultures and civilizations, each with their own unique paths and ways of life.


    The entire geographic makeup of the Earth had been changed with new mountain ranges and deserts being formed. Brand new cities were built everywhere and the concept of nations and countries was abolished. Each city was connected with at least 5 other cities and all of them link back to the capital city which is located at the center of the continent.


    *************


    Iris exined that she and Erin were from an average household and that their parents earned enough to support them, but they couldn''t afford to buy them ability books. She and Erin didn''t have an ability untilst year when their luck finally turned around.


    They had shown the greatest amount of skills in acrobatics, sports, and academics that a non-ability user could show during the trials that had taken ce in their high school. The following week, she and Erin both received a letter stating that they had been selected by apany who is willing to sponsor them in their journey to military school.


    About 30% of the students that were taking part in this test had also been sponsored by apany.


    Mako had heard of this scheme before when he was in his junior year of high school and he had even attempted the trials, but he didn''t get selected because he only excelled in academics and was quitecking in sports and acrobatics.


    Before Mako got the system, the only way for him to get an ability was to sign up for military school and using the alternative route, he would get a free ability via the military but he would have to serve in the military for 3 years before moving on with his life. The abilities provided by the military were the absolute bottom of the barrel.


    For many people like Mako, they had no other choice than to ept those low-levelmon abilities and try their best to climb up the ranks and be strong; however, for some people, they were another option.


    Manypanies such as TIM''s Laboratories (where Mako bought his first ability) that research abilities and skills and would hold annual trials at high schools and other academies to scout out the best candidates to sponsor. They would look for exceptional students who weren''t ability users and offer them sponsorship contracts.


    Those contracts stated that thepany is willing to provide them with decent abilities and offer them training as well and in return, they would have to work at theirpany for an agreed-upon amount of time.


    It was the same deal as the military but this option ensured the person would get a decent ability and that they would get free training beforehand. However, after they graduated from military school, they would have to work at thepany at an unfair wage until the time their contract is over.


    It was quite beneficial for thepany as they didn''t have to invest much at all. They just had to provide their beneficiaries with a decent ability and some basic level training so that they could pass the military test with decent grades. After that, the military would do all the hard work of training them and making them strong.


    Once they graduate, they would have to provide their services to thepany in whatever way they see fit until the contract expires. It was definitely a scam as thepanies would profit a whole lot more than the person, but people still opted for this option because once the contract expires, they are free to do whatever they want, and since they had better abilities, a lot more opportunities are opened for them.


    Iris and Erin had both signed that contract and were aided by apany called PowerCore Industries. They provided them with abilities and put them on a training program with three more individuals who would end up bing their teammates.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *************


    Iris, Erin, Sven, Finn, and Andrew had allnded on the ind together. They were given training on how to survive on the ind ever since the military had announced it at their high school. Andrew was made the leader of the group and everything was going fine up until the time that the bear beast attacked them.


    The beast had attacked them while they were setting up their tent so they were caught off guard. Andrew and Finn had tried to attack the beast but it was too strong and it had the fire ability. It tried to attack Erin with a giant fireball but Sven blocked the attack bying in between it and Erin.


    However, what Sven didn''t expect was that the fireball would simultaneouslybust on the impact creating a small explosion andunching him in a random direction. Iris exined that she and Erin were also caught in the radius of the explosion andunched away in a random direction.


    After a roughnding, Erin suffered from multiple injuries since she was closer to the st than Iris and she was bleeding from several areas. Luckily, Iris was alsounched in a simr direction and she was able to find and heal her before her condition worsened.


    They had been trekking through the ind alone from that point onwards and couldn''t stay in one location for too long as beasts were everywhere and wherever they moved to a new beast would appear. They were hungry, cold, and tired from being continuously on the move and having barely anything to eat.


    "That was until we ran into you guys in the cave, and we came here," Iris said as she finished her story.


    Mako was feeling quite emphatic toward Iris after listening to her entire story. He was having a rough time on the ind ever since he had stepped foot on it, and he was barely able to survive some of the encounters, so he couldn''t even imagine how these two girls would have felt being all alone on the ind since they were far weaker than him.


    Mako had asked Iris whether she had found a tablet on the ind to which Iris said that she didn''t. This was not ideal for Mako as the main thing that he wanted from Iris was information but she didn''t have much either.


    Suddenly, Mako had a good idea pop into his head. He asked Iris what would have been their n if they hadn''te across him in the cave.


    Iris was a bit confused at first but she replied that she would continue to head up the stream because that''s where she and her teammates had decided to set up their permanent shelter.


    A smile finally cracked on Mako''s face as he finally had something to work off of. A n already started to form in Mako''s mind but before he could discuss it, the sound of coughing brought him back to reality.


    Mako and Iris looked back toward the tree to see that Leon had woken up and was trying to move and sit up straight. Mako quickly rushed toward him and stopped him from moving too much.


    Leon was confused as to what was happening as he had just woken up from a terrible nightmare and he didn''t expect a change in scenery nor Mako rushing toward him and holding him down.


    "Easy there, Leon. Don''t move around much or the stitches will tear," Mako said as he pointed toward Leon''s chest.


    Leon looked down and noticed the giant bandage wrapped around the majority of his chest. Slowly, he started to remember what had happened before he was knocked out.


    ''I was hit by the giant beetle''s lightning attack. I thought I was dead. He must have saved my life.'' Leon said in his thoughts as he started to remember everything.


    Iris had now approached the two boys as well. She was at first surprised at the speed at which Mako rushed over to his friend, but she quickly got over it and joined in on their conversation.


    Mako was telling Leon about the damage that his body had suffered and that he would have to find more healing pills in loot crates to heal himpletely.


    Iris overheard Mako''sst sentence and a smile appeared on her face. She quickly approached Leon and calmly ced her hand on his chest.


    "It''s time, I returned the favor. I can help you out with the injury," Iris said as her hand started to glow green and she began healing Leon''s body.

 Chapter 113 Moving Upstream

    ?Sweat rolled down Iris'' face as she continued to heal Leon even though she had just started to recover some energy.


    Iris appreciated Mako''s assistance and didn''t want to add to his already considerable load of responsibilities. Therefore, to resolve one of his burdens, she decided to be useful to him and heal his friend.


    The healing session continued for around 20 minutes with barely any conversation urring as Iris requested them to remain quiet as she needed to concentrate.


    The healing ability was quite a unique ability in which the main concept was to convert one''s own energy into life force and then direct that life force into a foreign body in order to heal any damage that may have urred there previously.


    After 20 minutes of constant healing, Iris instructed Mako to remove the bandage. It was risky to remove the bandage as it would expose the stitches if the wound reopened, it would most likely bleed and may even be infected. However, Mako wasn''t a medical professional so he trusted that Iris knew what she was doing and followed her instructions.


    He carefully removed the bandage and he saw that a lot of the burnt skin was gone, but the cut that Mako had made was almost exactly the same as before. Seeing this, Mako was confused and he turned toward Iris for answers, but she just kept her eyes closed and continued to concentrate and heal Leon.


    "Now, carefully remove the stitches," Iris instructed.


    Now, Mako was really confused as to what Iris was trying to do. The healing pill that Mako had fed Leon earlier couldn''t rece all that burnt skin on his body so it was clear that Iris was indeed healing him, but now she had asked Mako to remove the stitches, which were holding the wound together and preventing Leon from dying.


    Iris was waiting for Mako to follow her instruction and even gestured with her closed eyes to hurry up, but Mako was still afraid to try. However, before Mkao could waste any more time, Leon grabbed Mako''s arm and said in a weak voice," just do whatever she says,".


    Mako reluctantly started cutting open the stitches but to his absolute surprise, the wound didn''t open at all. Even after all the stitches were removed the wound looked exactly the same.


    After all the stitches had been removed, Iris'' hands started to glow with greater intensity and Mako watched in real-time as flesh started to grow on Leon''s chest and close the wound.


    Within 5 more minutes of healing, Leon''s chest was looking brand new with not even a scratch. As soon as she was done, she copsed against the tree trunk, Mako and Leon both feared the worst and quickly moved to see if she was okay, but before they could do so, she assured them she was fine and that she gets a bit light-headed after an intense healing session.


    Leon waspletely healed now and kept rubbing his chest in disbelief as moments ago he thought that he was dead and now he was perfectly fine. Leon stood up on his feet and Mako threw him a new shirt from his backpack.


    Each cadet''s backpack had multiple pucks inside which were superpressed clothing. By adding just a tiny bit of water, they could be unfurled into clean new clothes.


    Leon quickly put on his shirt and approached Iris who was still leaning against the tree half conscious. He asked if she was okay to which she replied yes, and Leon proceeded to take her hand and gently kiss it.


    "You have saved my life. I am in your debt," Leon said to Iris.


    "WHAT THE ****!" A loud voice resounded just as Leon kissed Iris'' hand.


    Erin had woken up just in time to see her best friend copsed beside a tree and one of the boys kissing her hand.


    She quickly jumped up in the air using her wind ability and effortlessly switched to her water ability mid-air. Using the water from the rain, she quickly formed multiple spikes of water around her as she dived in toward Leon.


    "Get away from her!" She shouted as she came in close to attack.


    Despite the great disy of skill and ability, Leon remained still in his position and the water spikes just bounced right off his body. Erin was a bit surprised to see Leonpletely unfazed by her attack, but she couldn''t do anything about it as she was next.


    She still extended her hand outward as she prepared to give a strong punch to his face using all the momentum and speed of her dive, but just as she got close enough, Leon shifted ever so slightly to the left and the punch grazed by his face.


    However, Leon did let Erin crash into the ground head first and so as soon as her fist crossed his face, he grabbed her by the wrist and wasted the extra momentum by spinning around, making it so that Erinnd softly on the ground.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Erin was beyond amazed by Leon''s skill and reaction speed but she was still angry as he had just tried to make a move on her best friend. She continued to struggle to try and escape from Leon''s grasp andunch another counter-attack, but before things got out of hand too much Iris woke uppletely by themotion and quickly rushed in to stop Erin.


    "Erin, stop! He didn''t hurt me or anything. I saved his life and so he was expressing his gratitude!" Iris said to make Erin calm down.


    "What...?" Erin said as she was quite confused as to what was going on.


    *************


    An hourter, all four of them were huddled around the campfire and this time, Leon and Erin were filling their stomachs with the tasty cooked fish. The tension between the two of them had been reduced but they were still feeling awkward while talking to one another.


    All of them had exchanged pleasantries with one another and had caught up on what was going on. Bill was still knocked out from the injury and Iris wanted to heal him too but this Mako stepped up and stopped her from doing so.


    "You are in condition to heal him. You won''t be able to heal himpletely but you will exhaust yourself and then we would have to look after two people instead of one." Mako exined his reasoning.


    Iris just didn''t want to feel useless and that was why she healed Leon in the first ce too even though she barely had the capacity to do so. This was just Iris'' nature, she always wanted to help others and would feel quite embarrassed if she was the one receiving help.


    After some time of silence, Leon turned toward Mako and finally addressed the topic that had been bugging him ever since he woke up.


    "Since you did beat me, I will follow you as I promised. Are we still going to travel to that same location that we discussed earlier?" Leon asked.


    Mako was happy that Leon had finally changed his mind and was willing to cooperate with them, but he just wished he would have done it sooner so that they wouldn''t have been in this predicament.


    "No, we can''t," Mako replied.


    Mako exined his reasoning for postponing their journey: Bill''s injuries were still too severe, and they needed to ensure that everyone was healed and energized before venturing into unknown territory. The group had to be cautious as they were unsure of what dangersy ahead, and it was important that everyone was able to watch each other''s backs.


    "Then what should be our next course of action? We can''t remain idle until Iris can heal Bill. If we do, we will be vulnerable and defenseless." Leon voiced his concern.


    Mako agreed to Leon''s concern as it was a valid point, they couldn''t stay in one ce for too long, or else they were most likely going to encounter another beast. Mako turned toward Iris as he exined their n going forward.


    "Iris informed me that her group intends to build their shelter upstream. I say we apany them to their camp, where we can tend to Bill''s injuries and recuperate before continuing our journey." Mako proposed a solution.


    Leon had no problem with this n and Mako turned toward Iris and Erin to see if they agree to this n as well because, after all, it was their shelter they were going to so the least they could was ask permission before marching in.


    Iris and Erin both had smiles on their faces as they would finally be reunited with their group once again. They agreed to Mako''s n too and they decided that it would be best to start moving now as the sun was still up. It would be more dangerous to start traveling at night and if they weren''t able to locate the shelter before nightfall, they could at least find a better spot than just camping in the middle of the jungle.


    The rain was still pouring heavily and everyone knew that it wasn''t going to be an easy journey; nevertheless, they quickly packed up everything and Mako carefully picked Bill on his back once again as they were ready to start moving.


    "Uh... I am gonna make you pay me back for all these piggyback rides." Mako said sarcastically to an unconscious Bill as he started walking with the group.


    Erin used her water ability to create a bubble around them so that they wouldn''t get wet and they were on their way to find Sven, Finn, and Andrew.

 Chapter 114 The Information Tablet

    ?The rain had made the ground muddy, making their feet sink into the ground a bit, so they had put extra effort into every step.


    Despite that, the group continued to track forward at a reasonable pace. They continued their journey, sticking close to the flowing stream and keeping watch over each other''s backs, especially Mako''s who couldn''t fight since he was carrying Bill on his back. If he made sudden movements, it might cause Bill''s stitches to tear open so he tried to minimize that as much as possible.


    Luckily, the group hadn''t run into any beasts on their journey thus far and things were going rather smoothly.


    The intensity of the rain was steadily increasing, and it seemed likely that they would soon be caught in a genuine thunderstorm if the trend persisted.


    Erin had been doing a good job, protecting everyone from the rain, but there was a limit to her power. She couldn''t constantly use her ability without any drawbacks. Just like any other ability, constant use would strain the body. Attributes such as Fortitude and Stamina are helpful in this situation as they reduce the amount of strain on the body and increase the amount of time before the body begins to strain itself.


    Erin''s arms werepletely sore from constantly using them to direct the water away from them and maintain the bubble.


    After arriving at a location with a pair of sizable trees that bore a striking resemnce to their initial campsite, the group paused briefly after making sure that the area was secure. However, as they had no intention of remaining there for too long, Leon retrieved only one of the tarps from their backpack and fastened it between two trees to create a makeshift resting spot.


    Seated inside the shelter, the group leaned against the tree and huddled together. Leon gave Erin a water bottle to quench her thirst, but Iris suggested a more practical solution.


    "We should try and conserve our limited water supply for situations when we don''t have ess to water. For now, let''s use this rainfall to our advantage." She said.


    Using her own water ability, Iris channeled a portion of the rainwater directly into Erin''s mouth. The sensation was revitalizing, as the chilly droplets provided an instant cooling effect.


    Mako used Analyze to observe Erin''s condition, and he noted that she still had a decent amount of energy and would be prepared to continue once she had rested and recovered from her fatigue.


    Meanwhile, Mako also intended to take a much-needed break himself, but Mako''s attention was suddenly drawn to a faint beeping sound.


    Iris was attempting to make conversation with Leon, but it was proving to be difficult as Leon gave short and to-the-point answers, making it hard for her to get the conversation going.  Meanwhile, Erin had opted to rest, her eyes shut, leaving only Mako to attend to the peculiar beeping noise.


    Mako slowly got up from his spot and signaled the other two to be quiet by putting his finger on his lips. Iris and Leon didn''t understand what was going on but they understood Mako wouldn''t joke around and so they quickly shut up and watched as Mako walked out into the rain.


    He really didn''t know where that beeping noise wasing from, but he remained cautious and equipped hisbat knife just to make sure he would be ready to strike if it wasing from something that might potentially harm them.


    Iris and Leon gazed intently at Mako, intrigued by his actions and curious as to what had captured his attention. The abrupt silence even woke Erin up, prompting Iris to quickly quieten her by cing a hand over her mouth.


    All three of them watched with anticipation as Mako slowly approached the tree that seemed to be the source of the beeping sound. It was only a couple of feet away from where they had set up their temporary shelter.


    Mako prepared himself for action, readying his de and prepared strike at a moment''s notice. Advancing towards the tree, he swiftly darted to the right, hoping to catch whatever was emitting the beeping sound off guard. However, to Mako''s confusion, he found nothing behind the tree. Although he could still hear the beeping noise, there was no apparent source for it to be found.


    With nothing there, Mako sheathed his de and instead relied on his sense of hearing and perception to locate the origin of the sound. Tracking the intensity of the beeping noise, Mako deduced that it was emanating from above. Despite the rain constantly impeding his vision, Mako scanned the trees overhead in an effort to identify the source of the sound.


    To his absolute surprise, Mako found something that he was least expecting attached a bit high up on the very same tree. A huge smile appeared on his face as he quickly called Leon and Iris toe out and look at what he had found. They were intrigued after seeing Mako''s sudden mood change and quickly came out to see what he had found.


    Iris formed the bubble so that they won''t get wet and quickly reached Mako. Mako was soaking wet at this point, but he didn''t care as he just pointed upwards toward the tree. Leon and Iris followed and looked in the same direction and that''s when they saw it as well.


    After spending one-third of their total time on this ind, they had finally found an information tablet!


    The information tablet was high up from the ground and blended into the surroundings so it was quite hard to spot. Even though it was in an obvious location just like Brigadier Jones had said, he had failed to mention that it wouldn''t be at the normal height level.


    Mako was slightly ticked off about learning this fact, because who knew how many tablets he had walked past without even knowing that they were there. Nevertheless, Mako asked Leon to check and see if the tablet was removable or not.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leon raised an earth pir and quickly reached the tablet. The tablet was on standby mode and had one of its corners blinking red. There was a seam around the screen and the casing of the tablet which indicated that might be removable; however, when Leon attempted to do so, the tablet activated and a prompt appeared before Leon.


    [Warning!]


    [The tablet can only be removed once a cadet has logged in!]


    [Cadet Login]


    [Enter name:                  ]


    [Verify Fingerprint: Pending]


    "It''s asking me to sign in if I want to remove it from the case!" Leon shouted rying the information back to Mako.


    "What information is it asking?" Mako asked.


    "Just my name and fingerprint!" Leon replied.


    "Okay... Go ahead and log in and see if you remove the tablet then." Mako instructed.


    [Cadet Login]


    [Enter name: Leon Czolgosz]


    [Verify Fingerprint: Pending... Pending... Pending...]


    [Fingerprint Verified!]


    [Wee, Leon Czolgosz]


    Leon entered his name and ced his thumb on the case and soon the case lit up green. The tablet released itself from the case and a new prompt appeared on the screen.


    [Leon Czolgosz has turned on information tablet 35-C, which has a full battery life of 2 hours. He needs to return the tablet to its designated charging case before the battery runs out, as each charging case is specifically designed to charge only one particr tablet.]


    [Warning: Failure to return the tablet to its charging case within the allotted time will result in a heavy deduction of points.]


    Leon lowered the pir to the ground and entered Iris''s bubble once again. He gave the tablet to Mako and exined to him the condition that came with removing the tablet from the case. Mako acknowledged the warning and thought it was quite clever; how the military had set up these tablets.


    The process was akin to borrowing a book from a library, where one would use their library card, which was linked to their information and registered in the library''s system. Once borrowed, the book could be taken home for reading, but it had to be returned within the specified timeframe, or else the librarian would impose a charge on the borrower''s library card.


    The tablets were treated like books, with the library serving as the charging case and the military as the librarian. Just as ate book return would result in a fine, failing to return the tablet to its designated case in time would lead to a deduction of points as a penalty.


    The trio eagerly made their way back to the tarp, where Erin awaited, curious about their discovery. She was thrilled to learn that they had found an information tablet that would greatly aid them on their journey.


    Mako sat down in the center of their little space and excitedly turned on the tablet''s screen. The rest huddled around him as they all were excited to see all that the illusive information tablet had to offer.

 Chapter 115 Contents Of The Tablet

    ?As soon as the tablet was powered on, Mako was presented with a main interface that featured multiple options to select from. Additionally, the same blinking red light located in the corner of the screen caught Mako''s attention. This light was caused by a small button that disyed a bell symbol, indicating that this was a notifications tab.


    Mako''s first action was to ess the notification tab on the tablet in order to remove the blinking red light that was causing him some distress due to his OCD tendencies. Additionally, he also wanted to check the total number of notifications that had umted over the past five days.


    Upon clicking the bell icon, Mako was immediately bombarded with hundreds of notifications, each apanied by a small beep. The sheer volume of notifications that appeared on the screen was overwhelming, but Mako knew they had to sift through them if they hoped to acquire precise information about the ind''s happenings.


    [...]


    [...]


    [...]


    Fortunately, the majority of the notifications were about instances where cadets had been defeated by beasts or other cadets and subsequently eliminated from the test. This reduced the number of notifications by a lot and now there was only a handful that they needed to go through.


    Some were random event notifications that mentioned several sections and the event that was going to take ce there for a limited time.


    ording to the notifications, a medical items airdrop urred in the northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest corners of the map on the second day of the test. Mako was getting even more ticked off when he learned this because if he had found an information tablet, he could have made his way over to the southwest medical airdrop and saved Bill who was poisoned.


    Furthermore, on the fourth day, a new and improved set of loot crates was made avable throughout the entire map. These brand-new loot crates were said to have a green exterior rather than the regr grey one and that they contained slightly better loot too, but were rarer to find aspared to the regr loot crates.


    Lastly, it was also reported that five high-tier weapons had been dropped on the ind on day three. Four were dropped in the four corners of the map while one was dropped in the middle of the map.


    There were a few more events that had urred but they were more like challenges than events as some were fetching quests while others were hunting quests to hunt a specific beast that was found in a specific area. These minor quests gave rewards in terms of points, but Mako and his friends were busy ever since theynded on the ind, so they really didn''t have time toplete these jobs.


    A few of the notifications were also about alerting the cadets about different danger zones that kept appearing and disappearing from the map. One of the notifications was about the exact same cave where Mako, Bill, and Leon were staying and encountered an advanced-level beast.


    In addition to the aforementioned notifications, there were also several warnings of potential danger. One such warning revealed that a massive tidal wave had approached the ind from the northeast on day two, prompting the tablet to advise individuals in that area to steer clear of the beach.


    Furthermore, a forest fire had broken out on the north side of the ind as a result of a dispute between multiple fire ability users. Only one of them was able to make it out of the fight safely while the others were eliminated. The fire had continued to spread and destroyed a significant area and was eventually put out by one of the patrolling officers with the water ability.


    Lastly, There was also a recent weather warning for the cadets who were on the west side of the ind, stating that a thunderstorm was going to roll in and that it is going to continue for at least two days. The cadets were advised to stockpile food and water and stay in their shelters because the rain was going to continue to get worse.


    Thest message was still active and this was a warning for Mako and his group as they were on the west side of the ind and had no shelter. The tablet said that the rain was going to kick off halfway through day five. and checking the time on the clock it said:


    [DAY 5]


    [06:21 HOURS]


    Mako thought it was a weird way to represent the time because it was evening time and they could have just simply said "6:21 PM". Looking back at all the messages where the time was mentioned it was always counting in hours and it went up to "23:59" before resetting back to "00:00".


    Mako was initially perplexed by the fact that the 24-hour clock disyed an evening time of "06:21", which seemed incorrect. However, he soon realized that they had arrived on the ind around midday, which meant that the first half of the day had been spent at the military base rather than participating in the test. Therefore, the clock had only started ticking once the test had officially begun, causing it tobel noon as "00:00" instead of "12:00".<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Upon understanding the clock''s disy, Mako and his group realized that they had approximately six hours remaining to either locate Sven, Finn, and Andrew or secure a safe haven before the weather conditions be any more severe.


    Knowing that Mako quickly scrolled through the rest of the notifications and found nothing else of great interest. He returned back to the main interface and the same options presented themselves in front of him.


    [Map]


    [Event Log]


    [Day & Time]


    [Weather]


    [Participants]


    [Setup Duel]


    Mako first clicked on the map and a 3Dyout of the entire map was disyed on the screen. He zoomed in on their own location which was being shown as a green arrow. Since the tablet had a GPS, they were able to see exactly where they were unlike the paper map which just disyed the ind.


    They saw that they had traveled quite a bit from the cave and were close to the halfway point up the stream. If they were to continue at the same pace as they were now, they could make it there with some time to spare. This brought hope to Iris as she was the most freaked out after seeing that weather warning.


    Next, Mako checked out the Participants tab which disyed a few important pieces of information. Firstly it disyed the total number of participants that hadnded on the ind. They were around 4000 total cadets who hadnded on the ind out of which as of day five only 1200 remain.


    The tablet didn''t disclose any information about the cadets who were still on the ind, but it marked a red dot on the map for every cadet that was eliminated and from where. If you clicked on any one red dot, it will also bring up the information of that cadet and when they were removed from the ind. It was super detailed and could give a lot of information, but Mako really didn''t have the time to look through all of them so he moved on.


    The event log was just a watered-down version of the notifications tab but with a few perks of its own. The event log only dealt with the fights that had urred on the ind and nothing happened. It recorded every cadet vs cadet fight and every cadet vs beast fight and disyed that information with the oue of the battle.


    The weather tab just disyed a synoptic weather chart of the whole ind and didn''t provide any new information. Mako had already checked the "Date & Time" tab so the only one left was the "Setup Duel" tab.


    This tab couldn''t be essed as it required a pin code to ess and this was where a cadet could set up a duel with another cadet using the pin code which could be found in the loot crates. Mako and Bill were the only ones who had a pin code which they found on the first day, but Mako didn''t want to tell the others just yet so he closed the tab after everyone said that they hadn''t found a pin code yet.


    After they had gone over everything that the tablet had to offer, Mako asked Leon to put the tablet back in its charging case while he packed up everything and got ready to move again.


    Erin had recovered most of her stamina and was sure that she could take them the rest of the way without any more pit stops. Even if she was to get tired, Iris had recovered enough energy that she could take over Erin''s ce once she was exhausted.


    Leon quickly raised another pir to reach the charging case and ced the tablet back inside. Mako picked up Bill and ced him on his back and Erin formed the bubble again to protect them against the rain.


    Now that they knew they were already halfway, they began moving with much more fervor and with the hope that they could find Andrew''s camp soon and seek shelter before the rain got too much to handle.

 Chapter 116 A New Cave (Part 1)

    ?As they trudged through the muddy terrain, the diminishing sunlight made the journey even tougher for Mako and the group. Nightfall had set in,pounding the challenge as now they had low visibility as well as beasts were now more active, increasing the odds of them getting attacked.


    To address the situation, Leon suggested carrying Bill for a while, which Mako approved. Consequently, Mako took up the rear, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings while also being the only source of light due to his fire ability.


    Their pace had slowed down significantly and now Mako was concerned whether they would be able to reach the top before the rain became too worse to bear. However, there was nothing he could do other than just keep moving forward.


    Despite several hours of traveling, Mako and the group hadn''t reached the summit yet. Mako realized that at their current pace, they wouldn''t make it to the summit before the approaching storm worsened. Being caught in the open with no shelter was not an option either as it would be almost guaranteed disqualification.


    Mako had to make the tough decision to abandon their current journey and use the remaining time they had to find a ce to seek shelter while the storm continued. He knew it wasn''t going to be easy steering away from their journey after that they had progressed so much in it, but it had to be done in order to ensure the survival of the group.


    "Stop! We won''t get there in time at this pace." Mako said as he stopped the group from moving.


    Upon hearing Mako''s unexpected statement, Leon, Erin, and Iris turned toward him and inquired about its meaning. With their eyes fixed on him, Mako rified his statement as they waited for an exnation.


    "Listen, we are covering less and less distance as time goes on because it is just too dark and wet to move forward at a reasonable pace. At this rate, we will be caught right in the open when the rainstorm begins to worsen. I propose we use what time we have left to try and find a ce where we can seek shelter and spend the night while nning out our next move in the morning." Mako said.


    Even though Mako was deviating from the original goal, he did have a valid point and if they didn''t listen to him, then it was most probable that what he said would indeede true.


    After thinking about it for a couple of seconds, Leon was the first to agree with Mako''s proposal. Leon acknowledged his weakness in making such judgments and recognized Mako''s proficiency in this regard, based on his previous sessful decisions.


    Although the girls were initially hesitant to ept the revised n since they were eager to reunite with their teammates, Mako reassured them that their ultimate objective remained the same, and they would eventually reach Andrew''s camp. He described the new n as a minor diversion from their original route.


    With everyone in agreeance, the group started moving once again, but this time it was being led by Leon who had been instructed by Mako to try and sense if he could locate the side of a hill or a giant rock using his Earth Ability.


    Leon could sense his aura reacts as he moved from ce to ce. The amount of earth avable in a location would determine the strength of the ability user, and now Leon was using this reaction as a sensor to detectrge bodies of earth such as hills or massive boulders.


    This reaction was present for all ability users who manipted something physical like Wind, Earth, and Water. These ability users would feel more confident and powerful when they were surrounded by their element and will appear a lot weaker when they are caught in an area where their element was scarce.


    Following Leon''s Lead, the group traveled for about half an hour to an hour, this time moving more ind rather than moving right next to the stream. After that, the group arrived at the side of arge steep rocky hill that looked like a dead end, and they would have to circle around if they wanted to continue moving in that direction.


    However, this was exactly what Mako was looking for. Now, Mako instructed Leon to create a brand new cave on this side of the hill. Leon was a bit taken aback by the level of such a request and he asked Mako once more to affirm that he had heard him right.


    "I am not sure, I am strong enough to do that. Perhaps Bill might be able to, but I can''t," Leon said refuting Mako''s request as he didn''t feel worthy ofpleting such a massive task.


    But, Mako was having none of it as he knew that even level 1 Earth ability users could dig into a wall for crying out loud. It was Leon''s insecurities about himself that were blinding him from seeing his true potential and right now, they needed him the most.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako gently grabbed Leon''s shoulder and didn''t shake him despite being very tempted to do so as he was still carrying Bill on his back. He grabbed onto his shoulders tightly as he began to give Leon a personalized pep-talk to make him change his mind.


    "Leon! Are you even listening to yourself right now? Even Level 1s are able to dig into the side of a hill or mountain as the only thing that changes is the rate at which you guys do it. Right now, we''re literally minutes away from a thunderstorm that we don''t even know if the girls will be able to protect us from." Mako said.


    "Who do you think will be med if God forbid, we end up not able to seek refuge in time and are caught in the middle of a violent rainstorm, at night when beasts are more active and likely to attack? Do you think you will be able to live with yourself knowing that you didn''t even give it a chance before giving up and dooming us all?" Mako continued on with the pep talk.


    "You are the only one amongst us at the moment that has the Earth ability and only you can create our shelter. It is toote to look for anything else, it''s now or never!" Mako finished with his small pep talk and it looked like it worked a treat as a wave of determination washed over Leon as he processed Mako''s words.


    He gentlyid Bill against a tree and Iris stayed next to him to make sure he didn''t get wet. He walked over to the hill and gently ced his hand on it. Waves of energy emanated from within Leon as he directed his aura toward the massive hill. The energy was intense and yet controlled, but it was only being felt by Mako alone.


    The rest of the group could feel anything and could just see Leon concentrating while cing one of his hands on the wall of the hill. Mako''s energy maniption ability had subconsciously activated and he could sense how Leon was cing his aura inside the wall itself and redirecting it into the form of an arch.


    Once the aura was dispersed, the only thing left to do was to order it to move and that was exactly what Leon did. The outline of the arch appeared on the side of the hill and now the only thing left to do was to hollow it out and get inside.


    Mako had chosen this approach as this ensured the same level of safety that their previous cave had provided, but with the added bonus of no surprise attacks from beasts because the cave was man-made and had no fake dead ends or weak points.


    Leon started to work fast as he started to use his Earth ability to take massive chunks of rock out of the hill and hollow it out to make a decent-sized cave.


    While Leon was busy with that, Mako didn''t just stand idly by and cheered him on from the sidelines like a cheerleader, he was already nning out their next moves. The only problem that they would run into if they were to stay in this cave for the entire duration of this thunderstorm was food.


    They didn''t have much, to begin with as the only thing that Mako was carrying was the leftover cooked fish from before.


    Aware that the scarcity of food could potentially be a concernter on, and that it may not be possible to leave the cave to replenish their supplies, Mako set out to gather as much food as he could before time ran out.


    Luckily, there were several fruit-bearing nts close to where they were making their cave, and Mako got tight to work.


    There were a few mango and guava trees scattered around the area that had absolutely delicious ripe fruit waiting to be picked and eaten. Other than that, Mako also found some berry bushes. Looking at their color and shape, he determined them to be Acai berries, which were quite nutritious and safe to eat.


    However, Mako''s search for food had just hit the jackpot as he stumbled upon a pond that was a 15-minute walk away from their cave. The pond was home to fish swimming around and ducks that were sleeping near the bank, making it a potential source of sustenance for the group.


    The only thing Mako was concerned about while collecting fruit was the fact that, they didn''t have any protein in their diet and it was very important to have some especially when you are in a survival situation where you have to constantly push your body to its limits.


    Mako began hunting both fish and ducks and tried to get as many as possible before they had to get stuck inside the cave.

 Chapter 117 A New Cave (Part 2)

    ?As Leon worked on carving the cave, Erin pitched in by creating water des out of the rainwater. On the other hand, Iris looked after Bill, who was resting against the tree, all while maintaining the protective bubble around them as they worked.


    Meanwhile, Mako focused on collecting as much food as possible to sustain them for the next two days without having to venture out of the cave for an extended period. Of course, they would need to leave the cave if nature called.


    Mako had hit the jackpot for collecting food as not only were there several fruit-bearing trees near where they were nning to stay but there was also a pond nearby that provided them with a source of meat in the form of fish and ducks.


    To avoid having to catch fish one by one, Mako opted for a more efficient method. His hand crackled with electricity, pointing it forward with fingers shaped like a gun. By activating his motion sense, he swiftly detected all the small fish swimming in the pond. He summoned a small amount of lightning aura at the tip of his finger and shot it at the fish, killing them instantly.


    As the first fish was killed, its lifeless body floated up to the surface for Mako to retrieve. He then proceeded to shoot multiple rapid-fire mini-lightning strikes, killing several more fish with ease. Mako wasted no time in gathering up all the fish and storing them in a stic bag that was conveniently ced in his backpack.


    stic was a huge problem in the past as it wasn''t bio-degradable and it was filling upndfills and couldn''t be burned as it released harmful gases into the air. However, the solution to this problem was discovered in thete 23rd Century after a stic-eating enzyme was perfected. The enzyme was very efficient and was able topletely eradicate stic pollution from the world.


    The stic bags provided in the backpack could stretch into really big bags and could hold several kilos worth of weight. Mako only had 2 stic bags in his backpack and he loaded one of these bags with fish and a few ducks while the other was full of fruit.


    Under normal circumstances, the amount of food gathered would be excessive for a two-day stay. However, it was important to remember that the food was for five people, and the boys, in particr, had hearty appetites. Moreover, having extra food was a smart move as they may need it once they leave the cave. Bill was expected to wake up soon after Iris healed him, and he would require a substantial meal to quell his hunger.


    Mako hurried back to where the rest of them were digging the cave while carrying the two stic bags full of food. By the time he arrived back, the wind was started to pick up a lot more, and the rain was getting harsher. Leon and Erin were able to create a small hole in the side of the cave, just big enough for all of them to fit inside.


    It was still small and if they were going to live inside there for the next two days, it would have to be a bit bigger. Seeing that there wasn''t much time until the rain became too much to handle, Mako told Leon and Erin to clear the area. They didn''t know what he was nning but they followed through and got away from the hole.


    Mako asked Iris to create a bubble around him because he couldn''t do what he needed to do while continuously being drenched by the rain. Iris conjured a small bubble around Mako and he got down on one knee and lifted his right arm. He pointed toward the hole in the wall using his pointer finger which ignited into mes.


    Mako conjured a small ball of fire on his fingertip which continued to glow brighter and brighter as he continuously supplied it with more aura. The me bullet didn''t expand in size like the fireball when more aura was provided, it just glowed brighter and brighter as more aura was condensed.


    Mako''s right arm began to quiver and destabilize as he continued to add more aura to the tiny ball that was already shining very brightly. He quickly used his left hand to stabilize it in ce and when he couldn''t hold on to it any longer, Mako released the me bullet toward the hole.


    [me bullet has been activated]


    [-1000 Energy]


    The recoil of the powerful me bullet threw Mako backward. Though he had trained with this skill before and was aware of his limits, he had grown stronger since then and was now capable of condensing significantly more aura. However, Mako didn''t stop at his new limit. He continued to add more aura until he was aware that adding any more would result in the bullet exploding. Finally, he unleashed the skill.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The bullet traveled at high speed and collided with the wall at the back of the cave almost instantly. As soon as the bullet came into contact with the wall, all the condensed aura started to release outward with great force.


    Typically, fire-rted skills are not known for their force as they primarily deal with pure elemental damage. However, the massive amount of aura condensed into the me bullet was so intense that it generated an incredible force. The surrounding earth even rippled from the shockwave, simr to the way ripples form in water when a stone is dropped in it.


    *BOOM!*


    A huge explosion took ce that was able to create a much bigger hole that could now be termed a cave. The entire group was left stunned after Mako''s shocking disy of power. Leon gulped down as he felt that maybe Mako didn''t fight him with his full strength because if he had used this move against him, he would have been toast.


    Leon acted quickly to stabilize the structure of the cave and smooth out its walls using his Earth ability. Erin rushed over to check on Mako, who was lying on the ground with a ckened and smoking arm. She helped him up and allowed him to lean on her shoulder as they made their way inside the cave. Simrly, Iris carefully carried Bill inside the cave, carrying him on her back.


    All of them had made it inside and could finally take a breather. Irisid Bill down on the smooth t ground and quickly rushed back out to bring in the stic bags that Mako was carrying.


    She was amazed at the strength of her new friends as she could believe the amount of damage Mako was able to do in one go. One of her friends, Andrew was also a level 4 fire ability user and even he couldn''t pull off something as insane as that.


    Unbeknownst to Iris, Mako had used up more than half of his energy bar in that one move. It was important to note that Mako had arger energy pool than other fighters at his level, but that was not the only factor in y.


    The gap between two fighters with the same level of power could also depend on how well they had honed their skills and strength. In a battle between two fighters with simr abilities and levels, the one who had mastered their skills and strength would typically emerge victorious.


    The storm picked up right on cue as now the winds started to blow a lot more fiercely and the rain began to fall like needles from the sky. All of them had sessfully made it inside and could now rx. Iris tried to heal Mako''s injured arm, but he respectfully refused to say that it wasn''t a big deal and that it would be healed on its own.


    Leon used the Earth ability to raise a small one-meter wall at the entrance of the cave to make sure water didn''t rush in as it started to collect from all this rain. He and Erin were both quite exhausted and decided that they were going to go to sleep to recover some energy.


    Mako wanted to stay guard near the entrance of the cave to make sure that no beasts were able to attack them while they were staying inside the cave; however, Iris didn''t let him do so. She argued that Mako had done enough already and that he should also get some rest. and that she will stay guard instead.


    Iris wanted to begin healing Bill anyway so she could heal him while keeping an eye out and make sure that no beasts would attack them while they rested. Mako was reluctant at first, mostly because he was used to doing everything himself and wasn''tfortable with letting people do work for him, not even Bill.


    Unfortunately, Iris wasn''t backing down this time as she insisted that he get some rest. Mako was pretty exhausted at this point so he reluctantly agreed with Iris and decided that it would be best if could get some sleep as well. He didn''t want to sleep for too long so he asked Iris to wake him up when Bill was all healed up.


    Iris epted Mako''s terms and watched as he quickly drifted off to sleep. Now with everyone asleep, Iris''s hands glowed green as she began healing Bill while also simultaneously keeping watch at the entrance. Since she could close her eyes and use the same healing skill she used on Leon, it would take her longer to heal Bill, but this way Iris could let everyone else rest up and was happy that she could make her useful.

 Chapter 118 Daily Quest Failed

    ?The serene atmosphere inside the new cave was undisturbed except for the echoes of the heavy rain pouring outside. Iris, who was tending to Bill''s injuries, hummed her favorite tune softly, while also keeping a vignt eye on the entrance, making sure they didn''t get suddenly attacked by any beasts.


    The outside was shrouded inplete darkness, with not a single light source to illuminate the area. Inside the cave, it was also quite dim, with only a single light source near the entrance, which Mako had lit up.


    The fire that Mako had lit was bright enough to provide some illumination inside the cave, allowing everyone to see where they were and what was around them. Moreover, the fire had been purposefully ced near the entrance of the cave, so it could provide some visibility outside, enabling Iris to spot any beasts before they entered the cave and warn the others in time.


    Despite the risk of making the fire more noticeable, Mako had ced it near the entrance of the cave because it had some advantages. They could spot any potential danger before it attacked, and the smoke released from the burning log would have somewhere to go instead of hanging around in the cave.


    Iris wore a gentle smile on her face as she felt happy to be able to contribute to the group that had protected her, given her a ce to stay, and provided her with food. While munching on a few sweet guavas, she continued to heal Bill''s burnt body.


    After healing Bill''s internal injuries and the skin underneath the stitches, Iris carefully removed the expertly applied stitches by Mako. Although this caused some pain for Bill, who grunted each time a stitch was removed, Iris managed to remove them all and continue healing until Bill''s body was fully restored to its former state.


    ***************


    A few minutes passed and Bill gradually began to regain consciousness as his eyelids started to flutter. He had been unconscious for a full day and thest memory he had was being struck by the Lightning attack of the Beetle King.


    As his eyes slowly opened, Bill was greeted with the same rocky ceiling as before, even though it looked a lot more smooth and closer to him than what hest remembered.


    ''So you were able to beat that thing on your own, huh?'' Bill thought as a smile appeared on his face. Thest thing he remembered was following Mako''s Lead, where he and Leon were using their Earth ability to attack the Beetle King underground while Mako defended them against the regr Beetles.


    However, out of nowhere, a huge ball of lightning had erupted from the ground near them and both he and Leon were hit by it. Considering that they were still inside the cave, Bill thought that Mako was somehow able to defeat that massive beast on his own after he and Leon were knocked out by the attack.


    The loud echo of the rain directed his attention to the entrance and it was then that he noticed that he wasn''t in the same cave as before. This cave was a lot smaller than before and it seemed to be thundering outside.


    Bill''s surroundings were dimly lit by a single light source, providing only minimal illumination. He noticed Mako sleeping against the wall on his left, while two other figures were sleeping ten feet apart from each other on his right.


    One of them was Leon while the other one was one that Bill didn''t recognize. Bill couldn''t see quite well due to just waking up plus Leon''s shadow was being cast on the other body making it hard to recognize. He tried to focus a bit on the other person and that is when he realized...


    "WHAT THE..." Bill shouted as he noticed the feminine characteristics of Erin, but was cut off before he could finish his sentence.


    Despite raising his voice, the tired individuals didn''t wake uppletely but only shifted slightly due to the difort of Bill''s shout. Perplexed by what had just urred, Bill suddenly felt something pressed against his mouth, it was soft and warm to the touch, but it was preventing him from shouting. Upon looking down, he noticed a feminine hand holding his lips shut.


    "Are you insane! They finally got some time to rest and you wanna wake them up again with your loud mouth!" An angry yet fragile voice whispered in Bill''s ears.


    Bill followed the direction of where the hand hade from and could see a beautiful girl with brown hair and hazel eyes staring intently at him, inches away from his face.


    Bill instantly freaked out as he jumped away from Iris and toward one corner of the cave. Bill''snding made some more noise and it looked like Erin would be the first to wake up if Bill continued to make noise as she was moving a lot with difort while still being asleep.


    "Shhh!" Iris said while putting one of her fingers on her lips trying to make Bill understand that he must remain quiet.


    Seeing as Iris was treating him like a friend who was annoyed even though he didn''t even know her and the fact that all of his other friends were also here and resting without a worry, Bill was inclined to at leastply with the girl''s request and quiet down a bit.


    Bill slowly and quietly approached Iris and this time he whispered toward her so that nobody else would be disturbed.


    "Who are you and why are you with us? Also, where are we exactly?" Bill whispered in a polite manner.


    Seeing that Bill had calmed down, Iris eased up a bit and gestured for Bill to sit down which he did. She offered him some fruit and water which he embarrassingly epted after his stomach made some grumbling noises.


    "Well Bill, a lot has happened in thest 24 hours, so I am going to have to start from the beginning," Iris said as she began narrating the entire series of events that had urred in thest 24 hours since she and Erin had encountered Mako and his two friends.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *************


    [An hourter]


    *DING!*


    Mako was abruptly woken up by the loudest notification sound he had ever received. He didn''t know what the system was up to but it was definitely urgent.


    Mako opened the system''s main interface and was greeted with a ck exmation mark on the quests tab.


    ''This doesn''t look good,'' Mako thought as he gulped down. He had no idea what a ck exmation mark meant since this was the first time he had seen it and was scared that maybe it was something bad.


    Upon opening the quests tab, Mako noticed a ck exmation mark on the daily quest category. It was then that he realized that he had forgotten toplete his daily tasks for the day.


    When Mako first woke up after his duel with Leon, he had received the daily quest notification but the countdown timer was paused after Mako found himself in a life-or-death battle against an advanced-tier beast.


    However, the countdown was reactivated once the Beetle King had fled, and Mako was left alone to take care of his friends. The entire day was just so hectic that Mako hadpletely forgotten toplete his daily tasks.


    In the past, the system had canceled Mako''s daily tasks when he was in a serious situation and unable to perform them, such as when he was infiltrating the warehouse to free the prisoners. However, this time, the system didn''t cancel the tasks despite the circumstances.


    *Thud* Thud*


    Mako could feel his heartbeat getting louder as he was genuinely scared as to what would be the penalty for skipping the daily quests. The system was quite unreliable at this as there were times when the system outright imed that it would give Mako death if he failed toplete a specific quest.


    Now, he was sure that notpleting daily tasks for a day would warrant his death, but he still had no idea how seriously would the system take this. There was no other way to find out other than just open the daily task tab and that''s exactly what Mako did.


    [Daily Quest Failed]


    Task 1: Meditate for two hours (0/2)


    Task 2: Run 10,000 meters (0/10000)


    Task 3: lift a total of 3000 Kilograms (0/3000)


    [Calcting suitable penalties...]


    [Penalty: Lightning ability is now locked for the next 24 hours, -500 Energy pool]


    Mako stared at the system screen in front of his eyes with disbelief. Not only did the system not remove the daily quest even though Mako had such a tough day, but he would also now have to spend the next 24 hours without being able to use his lightning ability.


    In addition to that, Mako''s energy pool also suffered as his maximum energy dropped from 2000 back to 1500. The system had removed 10 attribute points worth of energy from his total energy pool and Mako was for sure pissed off about it.


    However, before he could do or say anything, another notification rang in Mako''s ears.


    *Ding!*

 Chapter 119 Experimenting With Crystals

    ?*Ding!*


    Mako had received another notification while he was still processing the previous one, and he was feeling quite frustrated about the unjust punishment that the system had imposed on him for missing just one daily quest.


    When Mako used the ''Ask'' feature to inquire why the system had not canceled the quest as it had done before, the system''s response was blunt. It stated that Mako had sufficient time toplete all the tasks from the moment he had escaped from the original cave with the girls until he had started traveling upstream with the group.


    At this juncture, Mako feltpletely defeated and knew that it was futile to argue with the system any further, so he reluctantly epted the penalty. However, he chose to view his blocked lightning aura punishment as an opportunity to grow and develop, rather than a setback. He saw it as a challenge to improve himself and not rely solely on his abilities to tackle everything.


    Once Mako was over the shock of the penalty that he was just given to him, Mako decided to open the notifications tab to check out what the other notification was all about.


    [Daily Quest has been temporarily disabled while the user is stuck inside the cave.]


    It was a simple message that informed Mako that since he was stuck inside the small cave with nowhere to go, the system had decided to be a bit lenient andy him off from the daily quest until he was able to go out again.


    After reading the message, Mako experienced a sense of relief because he was anxious about the system''s response if he failed toplete multiple daily quests. Being stuck inside the cave, he would have toplete all the tasks while still in there, and he was concerned that his "cavemates" might find it odd if he began runningps around the cave to fulfill his usual running task.


    This realization strengthened Mako''s belief that the system was more than just a simple machine that operated without any room forpromise. Instead, it was an advanced form of artificial intelligence that almost seemed sentient due to its uracy and, at times, even empathetic nature. Although it remained strict to prevent Mako from bingcent, he appreciated the system''s attention to detail and how it pushed him to be his best.


    Mako had made a mental note to always pay attention to his daily quest moving forward. He was lucky that there wasn''t any immediate danger that prompted Mako to use all of his strength which he couldn''t now since his Lightning ability use was restricted. If this were to be a day earlier, when Mako was battling against an advanced-tier beast, he would have been toast.


    As a result of the penalty, Mako''s main punishment turned out to be the reduction in his overall energy pool. While Mako wasn''t necessarily different from others with simr skill levels, what set him apart from them was his over-leveled stats and superior energy pool.


    It was his erged energy pool and overpowered stats alongside other things that enabled him topete against multiple opponents simultaneously and match equally against stronger opponents, such as Rhino, which would have been an impossible task for most regr Level 3 Ability users.


    Mako was reluctant to give up ten attribute points to regain his lost energy, but he couldn''t see any other way to restore it back to 2000 which wasn''t even the max limit. However, before he went through with wasting his attribute points, he suddenly recalled a specific prompt that he had received on his first night on the ind.


    ''The crystals!'' Mako eximed in his head.


    Mako reminisced about the first night he had spent on the ind with Bill on the beach. During his watch, his curiosity took over as he took out the medium-tier crystal that he had harvested earlier and at that moment, he had received a prompt from the system.


    Mako quickly reached for his backpack and took out the same medium-tier crystal that he took out that night and sure enough, he received the same prompt once again.


    [User has obtained a Medium Tier Sabertooth Spider Crystal]


    [Does the user wish to absorb the crystal?]


    [YES/NO]


    [Absorbing Crystals] ?


    [If the user acquires a raw crystal, they have the ability to absorb it. However, unlike refined crystals, raw crystals do not grant the user apletely new ability. Instead, absorbing a raw crystal may enhance the user''s understanding of a particr ability by a certain percentage and boost their energy pool based on the quality of the crystal. The user also has the option to sell the crystal at a shop in exchange for coins.]


    Mako didn''t know what was the difference between raw and refined crystals, but he had a hunch that the refined crystals were those that were embedded into an ability book that once broken, grants the person who broke it an ability. If this understanding was true then these crystals just had to go through some processes before bing refined crystals.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    If that truly was the case, then Mako could just break the crystals by hand and it would have the exact same effect as when absorbed through the system. To test this theory out, Mako held the small crystal firmly in his hand and crushed it using his strength.


    When Mako had crushed the yellow crystal that was embedded in his Level 3 Lightning Ability book, the room was illuminated in a bright yellow light and sparks scattered everywhere, causing the ability to merge into his body. However, when he broke the crystal this time, only a dim green light emanated from his hand, and a few green bubbles materialized around it.


    *Ding!*


    A notification from the system popped into Mako''s mind, prompting him to open the system interface with excitement to investigate what effect a raw medium-tier crystal had on his body.


    [Medium-tier sabertooth spider crystal has been absorbed]


    [User has gained a preliminary understanding of the poison ability]


    [Poison ability: 1%] ?


    [+10 Energy]


    The raw medium-tier crystal had unlocked the poison ability just like Mako had assumed it would, but instead of giving him an ability, Mako received a percentage bar instead. Mako essed the information regarding his newfound ability by directing his thought over to the little exmation icon.


    [Poison ability: 1%] ?


    [The poison ability allows the user to create different kinds of poisons within their body and utilize them in a variety of ways. The user currently doesn''t have aplete understanding of how to manipte mana into poison. Continue to absorb more crystals that contain the poison and ability to increase the understanding of that ability. Once the bar reaches 100%, The user will gain a level 1 Poison ability.]


    Mako felt a tinge of disappointment when he discovered that the raw medium-tier crystal, which belonged to a creature already possessing a level 2 poison ability, had only granted him a meager 1% understanding.


    He had a hunch that he was missing some crucial information, and he knew he had to seek guidance from one of the instructors at the military school to get some answers. He suspected that such knowledge would not be readily avable to the public.


    Secondly, the crystal also increased Mako''s energy by a small amount. It seemed that 5 medium-tier crystals would be able to increase the same amount of energy as one attribute point and considering the number of crystals, Mako had umted thus far, it wasn''t that bad of a trade.


    Mako still didn''t know how much a high-tier crystal would benefit him, but before he checked that out, Mako wanted to explore the second option that the system had provided him. Instead of crushing the crystal or absorbing it through the system, Mako also had the option to store the crystal in his inventory.


    Once in his inventory, Mako could choose to sell the crystal to the shop in exchange for coins. Mako wanted to see just how many coins a single medium-tier crystal would fetch him. He pulled out another crystal from his backpack and was about to order the system to store it in his inventory when a feminine voice finally brought him back to reality.


    "Mako, what did you just do?" Iris asked from the other side of the cave.


    Mako had been so focused on the system ever since he woke up that he hadpletely ignored the fact that Bill and Iris were both awake and were watching him stare toward the wall for an ufortable amount of time.


    Mako appeared to be very absorbed in whatever he was observing, so much so that he didn''t even acknowledge Bill and Iris'' presence. As they watched, Mako suddenly stopped his intense gaze, retrieved a crystal from his backpack, crushed it, and resumed staring into the abyss.


    Iris and Bill became increasingly concerned by Mako''s behavior and couldn''t decipher what was happening to him. When Mako once again reached for his backpack, Iris spoke up to try and snap him out of his trance-like state.


    Mako turned to face Iris and Bill, who were staring at him with weirded-out expressions. On the surface, Mako responded with an awkward smile and pretended to be drowsy, concealing his inner turmoil. Deep down, Mako was panicking and struggling to think of a convincing excuse to ount for what Iris and Bill had witnessed.

 Chapter 120 A Feast

    ?[At the military headquarters]


    It seemed that the sergeant wasn''t going to stop getting unbelievable news as he could be seen huffing and panting slightly as he was standing next to the main table once again to ry information to the mainmander.


    Normally, the sergeant would huff or pant even if he would have to run for 24 hours non-stop; however, the sergeant was continuously observing the effects of the high-level auras being released by all the high-level officials upying a seat on the main table alongside the mainmander himself.


    The atmosphere inside the surveince room was so intense that even though the sergeant was quite strong, he felt that he was just like a powerless regr human which was he was huffing and panting as he rushed from one console to another and brought any important news directly to the mainmander.


    A small clip of Mako breaking the crystal and it releasing a small sh of green light continued to y on a loop on the mainmander''s holoscreen.


    The mainmander was at a loss for words as he could not believe how much a single cadet could do. He had defied the odds several times and had one of the most unfortunate sets of events ever urring to any cadet in any test; however, somehow, he always managed to get back on top.


    He defeated a horde of sabertooth spiders, carried his poisoned friend on his back for an entire day in search of a cure, had excellent survival skills from seeking shelter, and resource gathering to cooking, dueled against another strong cadet, battle a horde of high-tier beasts with his friends.


    He dealt significant damage to an advanced-tier beast, performed an urgent medical procedure on his friends to save their lives with utmost precision, and blew apart a huge hole in the side of the hill to create their shelter that will protect them from the terrible thunderstorm.


    The mainmander had taken quite an interest in Mako and his friends as all of them seemed to be quite unique and special in their own regard. He was continuously blown away by the young cadet''s skill and intelligence.


    During the test, Mako''s discovery of the primary purpose of the raw beast crystals by breaking the medium-tier crystal was only the seventh urrence where a cadet had made such a realization.


    The raw crystals needed to undergo a unique process to transform into the regr crystals found in ability books. The primary distinction between the two is that the raw crystals contain a small amount of life force and a fraction of the understanding of the ability possessed by the beast that the crystal belonged to.


    By breaking raw crystals, people could slowly start the process of understanding the ability contained inside and feel refreshed as the life force stored inside the crystal would slightly improve their body.


    The processed crystals had a trade-off, they provided aplete ability just by breaking one crystal, but in order to create such a crystal all the life force had to be used thus it wouldn''t improve the person''s body.


    The majority of high-level ability users in this generation attained their strength by breaking and absorbing thousands of raw crystals of varying tiers.


    Regarding Mako''s experience, the raw crystal he had used increased his energy slightly, but the potential effects of the crystals were not limited to just that. Different tiers of crystals had different effects, and it was only a matter of time before Mako discovered all there was to know about the power crystals.


    "Call Master Sable, I believe he may be interested in epting a couple of new students," The mainmander said to the sergeant with a smile.


    **********


    [Back inside the cave]


    Mako had tried his best to cover his weird behavior by giving the excuse that he had a hallucinating problem. Mako exined that he is used to having very realistic nightmares and that in the nightmare, he loses all of his abilities in the middle of a fight against a very scary beast.


    He said that even after sometimes, he wakes up, the nightmare doesn''t end and he keeps experiencing it while being awake. He exined that in his nightmare, he could suddenly see a man wearing a loose white robe next to him, who instructed him to break the crystal again to regain his abilities.


    Mako exined that he had no idea, he was doing the same in real life and the nightmare only ended when he heard Iris'' voice in his head.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako had made up the entire story and it was by far his most pathetic attempt. Any reasonable person wouldugh out loud after hearing that kind of pathetic excuse and if it were Mako''s grandmother, she would have already dragged Mako back to his room, by holding onto his ear for lying to her face.


    Mako was an awful liar and deep down, he was thinking that he might have screwed himself over and made himself even more suspicious, but to his absolute shock and surprise, Iris and Bill both epted Mako''sme excuse in a heartbeat and even tried to console him that it was going to be okay.


    Mako had to keep up the act on the surface, but deep down he was dying of cringe andughter as he couldn''t believe both of them had bought that without even giving it a second thought.


    ''Either they both have also experienced something simr or arepletely oblivious to how nightmares actually work,'' Mako thought as he listened to Iris'' advice on how to sleep better and avoid nightmares.


    Afterward, Bill asked Mako if he had felt anything since he did indeed break the crystal in real life to which Mako replied that he didn''t notice anything out of the ordinary, but he was sure that it must have done something.


    Bill proposed that it would be better to umte their crystals and consult the teachers at the military school to determine their proper use. Mako reluctantly agreed, stating that it would be safer not to experiment with something they did not fullyprehend.


    ************


    After some time, Mako had been brought up to speed about everything that had happened while he was asleep.


    Bill had beenpletely healed by Iris and it took her a little while to narrate the entire story to him, but he was a good listener and was able to understand everything with rtive ease.


    Bill was given the same version of the altered story that Mako had given Iris before and so no one within his group actually knew that he had resonated his fire and lightning abilities and had unlocked a rare ability.


    The trio''s conversation was enough to wake up Leon and Erin as well. Even though it had only been a couple of hours since they went to sleep, they had recovered plenty of energy.


    One advantage of being an ability user was that individuals required less sleep and could remain awake for more extended periods. However, this was not a hard and fast rule, as it depended on the amount of energy a person possessed and how quickly they were expending it.


    Now that everyone was awake and it was close to morning time, Mako decided to treat the group to a massive breakfast feast. Everyone was really excited as soon as Mako mentioned food because they were indeed quite hungry and everyone had tasted Mako''s cooking and was looking forward to tasting it again.


    Mako didn''t have the luxury of adding seasonings, herbs, and spices to his food to elevate them to a mouth-watering level. All he had was salt that he had obtained from boiling the sea water on his first day on the ind, but that alone had done the trick as all four of them looked like kids who couldn''t wait to get their hands on some good food.


    Sir Derek had taught Mako a lot since he spent a lot of time with him even during the holidays. Mako only knew a couple of people such as Gary and Sir Derek, and he preferred to spend time with them instead of being alone in his home.


    Sir Derek had given Mako a master''s course on practically every single type of cuisine. He wasn''t perfect at making them by any means as he mostly just learned the techniques and had fun listening to Sir Derek''s stories regarding each dish. Since he was only a teenager, he didn''t get much practice, but Mako did have a good memory and he would often try those techniques at home.


    It was through trial and error, but Mako had learned many dishes stemming from mostly Indian, Italian, and Mexican cuisines. Mako promised the group that once they pass the test, he will treat them all to a real feast to which Bill''s mouth was already watering as he remembered the delectable Biryani that Mako once made for them to eat.


    Mako tasked Leon and Erin to gather some more firewood from outside so that they would have fuel for the fire. Secondly, He tasked Bill with creating a vent inside the cave that would open outside so that the smoke from the vent would have a ce to escape from. Lastly, he asked Iris to apany him in prepping the fish and ducks so that they would be ready to cook.


    Erin created a water bubble and she and Leon quickly ran out of the cave to collect as much firewood as possible, while Bill got busy using his Earth Ability to create a vent without damaging the structure of the cave which would already be weakened ever since Mako''s st.


    Soon, everyone hadpleted their tasks and were now ready for Mako to work his magic and eat some good food after a long time.

 Chapter 121 Up In Smoke

    ?The passage of time was quite fast, and there were no significant events that urred during the time that they were staying inside the cave. The rain persisted without any indication of letting up or slowing down until the afternoon of the seventh day, or if one considers the tablet''s clock, until the morning of the seventh day.


    Mako and the rest of the group had really gotten to know each other in the past two days as they had nothing better to do than to just huddle around the campfire while the cold winds continued to blow and share stories about each other while also enjoying some delicious food.


    Bill and Leon were still quite shy to open stories from their past since both of their pasts had many horrible things that they didn''t wish to share with the group just yet. Mako and the girls respected their choice and didn''t try to force them to participate more.


    Mako shared some of his stories from the time when his grandmother was still alive but it was Erin and Iris who did the majority of the talking and story-sharing. Being typical girls, they quite enjoyed gossiping about each other''s embarrassing moments in a friendly manner and made the mood quite nice and rxed.


    After the first feast, Mako made some wood chips from some oak wood that he cut from the trees nearby. He asked Bill to make him a makeshift smoker using his earth ability and he used it to smoke the remaining meat. The meat was smoked throughout the day, and as night fell, the group was able to enjoy another delectable meal, especially the smoked duck which was insane.


    Erin and Iris had taken care of the water situation as they could control the freshwater that was being poured down in the form of rain and use it to fill their water bottles whenever they ran low.


    Overall, everyone had a decent time, and for the first time sincending on this ind, everyone felt rxed and happy to not be living in constant fear for their lives.


    The rain finally looked like it would stop soon and the scene of the west ind was one beyond imagination as the forests looked like swaps due to therge amount of water that created puddles everywhere andpletely waterlogged the soil. It would be quite a pain to trek over this kind of terrain, but Mako and the group had no other choice as they had to locate Andrew, Sven, and Finn.


    However, as soon as the rain had finallye to a stop, everyone could hear weird sucking noisesing from outside the cave. They rushed over to have a look and were bewildered by what they saw. A pipe had emerged from underground and opened right in the middle of the big puddle that was right outside the cave entrance.


    The pipe began draining the water at an astonishing rate and within minutes, all of the water was gone. The same phenomenon was happening all over the west ind as the pipes removed all evidence that a major and deadly thunderstorm had taken ce there, all except the waterlogged soil which tantly showed that arge amount of water had washed over the area.


    Once the pipe was done draining all the water, the attachment at the top of its end switched from what was initially a drain to a sprinkler. The pipe then began to sprinkle a white powder onto the soil and it looked like a thin sheet of snow had covered the ground.


    After it was done sprinkling the powder all over the ground, the pipe began lowering itself back into the ground and out of the group''s sight. The hole from which the pipe had emerged closed behind it by a metal door that closed shut.


    The white powder quickly got to work as it was quickly absorbed into the ground as well, but now the ground didn''t look wet at all. It looked exactly the same as before. Mako even ran out of the cave to test and see if the ground would be hard like before or soft and squishy as it had been the past two days and to his surprise, the ground was hard as a rock (literally!).


    Everyone was shocked to see that there were indeed secretpartments built on the ind and not only that, thesepartments could release pipes that not only drain two days'' worth of thunderstorm rainwater in under fifteen minutes but also restabilize and solidify the ground the cadets won''t face any kind of hindrance during the remainder of their test.


    *************


    [At the military headquarters]


    "Project Clean Up has been executed perfectly on the west ind." An officer reported as he observed thest pipe sprinkling the white powder on the ground.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The west ind had been returned back to its prior state with 94% uracy. Initiating phase two of Shower Shakedown, the estimated time before StormWielder is in position on the east side of the ind is 4 hours." The officer added.


    The thunderstorm that had been up for almost 48 hours straight was one that wasn''t actually natural but one that was man-made. This whole thing was also a hurdle to test and see how the cadets would react and prepare in response.


    The terrifying storm generator or the "StormWielder" was a satellite that was fixed in ce in space and could manipte the climate and air pressure to induce different weather effects over a specific area.


    The StormWielder currently had a setting on level 2 and on that level, it was able to generate an insane thunderstorm so violent that cadets wouldn''t survive if they were without a shelter for an extended period of time.


    Since this was a mini-test created by the military, they had to include measures to resolve all the issues that came with excessive rain so that the cadets could continue with their test without any problem. It was quite easy to install all the infrastructure on the ind to counter it since it was man-made.


    *************


    The sunshine parted through the clouds and a slow light breeze continued to blow on the west ind. Mako and the rest group had wasted no time as they were rested, healed, and ready to resume their journey and find Andrew''s shelter as soon as possible so that they could figure out their game n from there and focus on finding a ce to build their permanent shelter for the remaining half of the test.


    They first trekked back to the stream where Mako had made the decision to deviate from their original n and seek shelter somece else. As everyone was walking past that spot, they realized how good Mako''s intuition was as they were able to safely hide inside the cave just as the winds became super fierce.


    The group walked forward following their original direction upstream. Leon was the one at the front of the group since he had the speed ability and could react the fastest if they were ambushed from the front. Mako and Bill walked at the back guarding their rear in the same way while the girls were sandwiched in between.


    Leon was holding onto the Dark Wing shiv that Mako had gifted him while they were staying inside the cave. Mako remembered Leon ying with a simr-sized knife when he went to meet his father for the first time and he showed great skill in handling it, so Mako decided that it would be best that Leon would have a weapon to defend himself too.


    Mako still didn''t understand why Paul hadn''t just given Leon some overpowered armor and weapons from the start, and upon asking Leon simply replied that it wasplicated and that he didn''t wish to discuss it at that time. Mako respected Leon''s wish and dropped the topic, but that didn''t stop him from giving him the shiv he found in an effort to improve their friendship.


    The group made rapid progress and managed to emerge from the forest by evening, almost approaching the stream''s origin. As they left the forest behind, they entered a wide clearing where nothing but dense, tall grass swayed with the wind.


    Mako and Bill had made it quite deep into the ind at this point and were now in the more centralized area where there were many hills and mountains. The group walked through the open field where cool winds continued to blow and create a refreshing environment.


    However, the peace didn''tst as Leon noticed something wrong up ahead. He signaled to the rest of them that he thought there was danger ahead and started bolting forward. Mako was next to observe what was going on as he also quickly started sprinting after Leon.


    Bill, Iris, and Erin followed behind but didn''t actually know what was happening until they made it a bit closer to the source of the stream. They could see several massive long boulders stacked naturally against each other as nted pieces of Jenga and at the base of the boulders was a small hut made out of earth and it was currently engulfed in mes.


    "ANDREW!" Erin shouted as she bolted toward the burning hut in the distance as fast as she could, with Bill and Iris right behind her.

 Chapter 122 Saving Andrew

    ?As Erin, Bill, and Iris approached the burning hut, they could see that the mes were spreading rapidly, and the heat was bing unbearable. They could also hear someone''s panicked voiceing from inside the hut, calling out for help.


    Without a second thought, the group sprang into action. Mako had already started manipting the mes and trying to get them under control, but it wasn''t enough as the fire was too big and fierce. Bill quickly scanned the area for any avable sand and found a pile right next to the source of the stream which was ake.


    "Leon, I need you to grind as much earth into sand as you can!" he yelled as he sprinted towards burning but with the sand in his control.


    Erin and Iris quickly formed and manipted the water out of their canteens and tried to pour it on the hut. Meanwhile, Mako continued to try and contain the fire as much as possible.


    After a few minutes of frantic efforts, the group managed to put out the fire. Erin quickly tried to rush inside, but Leon was able to stop her using his super speed.


    "Hold on, It''s still not safe, the whole thing can copse on you!" Leon said as he tried to hold Erin back without using too much strength that would hurt her. Tears were falling down her face like a waterfall and she tried to break free from Leon with all her might.


    As she was still struggling against Leon, suddenly sounds of coughing and rubble moving could be heard and before the group could react a boy emerged from the hut, coughing and covered in soot.


    Everyone was shocked to see a boy still able to walk out of the burnt hut after how intense the fire was. The boy was covered in ck soot and ash, which made his bright red hair stand out even more. His clothes were singed and torn in ces, and he looked disheveled and shaken.


    He had bright blue eyes that were bloodshot, and his face was streaked with tears from the smoke and heat. As he stumbled towards the group, they could see that he was still coughing and gasping for air, but he managed a weak smile as he copsed onto the ground, overwhelmed with emotion.


    Mako, Bill, and Leon had no idea who he was but he was definitely part of Iris'' original group because both girls had insane looks of horror on their faces which would only be the case if they knew that person.


    Iris lost all energy in her legs as she fell to her knees, unable to keep her tears from falling out anymore. Leon had loosened his grip on Erin''s arms and she was finally able to break free from his grasp. She ran as fast as she could over to the copsed boy and hugged him tightly, relieved that he was safe.


    "It''s okay, Andrew. I''m here for you," she said while still crying but now showing signs of relief as she could confirm the sound of his breathing.


    Bill gave Iris a hand and helped her back to his feet. They all quickly approached Andrew and Erin. Mako took out his own water bottle and poured some water into Andrew''s mouth while Iris got down on her knees and began healing Andrew right away.


    Andrew coughed repeatedly and slowly opened his eyes after a few minutes. As his vision cleared, he found himself looking directly into Erin''s teary face, which was hovering over him.


    "You look beautiful as always," Andrew said with a weak smile, breaking the intense atmosphere with apliment.


    Erin wasn''t expecting him to say that as soon as he woke up, but sure did the trick as she instantly cheered up and began tough lightly.


    Seeing Erinughing and the boy out of danger, the rest of the group couldn''t help but smile at Andrew''spliment as well. Mako handed Andrew another sip of water, and Iris continued her healing process, using her abilities to mend the minor burns and injuries that Andrew had sustained in the fire.


    As they waited for Andrew''s condition to improve, Bill suggested that they move further away from the burnt hut, just in case it did copse as Leon had warned earlier. The group helped Andrew to his feet, supporting him as he stumbled, still weak from his injuries.


    Bill suggested we move closer to theke so that they would be safe if the hut choose to copse and they could have Andrew clean up a bit too.


    Erin walked by Andrew''s side, holding his hand tightly, and the rest of the group followed close behind. As they moved away from the burning hut, they noticed that the sun had started to set, casting a beautiful orange glow over thendscape.


    Once they reached theke, Mako helped Andrew to sit by the water''s edge while Iris continued to tend to his injuries. Andrew was still not in the right mindset as he phasing in and out of consciousness.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Erin sat next to Andrew, still holding his hand, and Bill and Mako started gathering some resources to make a fire. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the group huddled around the fire, enjoying the warmth andfort it provided.


    As the night wore on, They passed around some of the supplies they had brought with them, sharing food and drink. Andrew gradually regained his strength and finally joined them for dinner, fully conscious and alert.


    After they all enjoyed a silent but tasty meal, Iris was the one who stopped beating around the bush and finally began asking Andrew some questions. What had happened before they arrived? Where were Sven and Finn? Who was even able to light their hut with such a strong and fierce fire?


    Iris and Erin had trained alongside Sven, Finn, and Andrew at the training center provided by their sponsor. During their training, Sven who also had the Earth ability had practiced creating many different types of huts, figuring out which one would be the most ideal to ensure their survival on the ind.


    The design he finalized was quite good as it had a strong foundation so that it would be sturdy and wouldn''t be easy to demolish, and so Iris was quite concerned regarding who could have done such a thing that it would leave the hut in the condition that it was in.


    In addition to that, the mes themselves must havee from a high-level user as well which was why Mako couldn''t put out the fire alone, nor could Andrew escape the fire. Judging from the minor injuries and burns on Andrew, she was able to deduce that he must have used his fire ability which was barely enough to protect himself from the mes.


    Mako was thinking about the exact same thing, but he didn''t know how strong Andrew actually was so he secretly used Analyze on him to see what his abilities and stats looked like.


    [Analyze]


    [Skill Failed (opponent level too high)]


    Mako had not seen this prompt in quite some time. During the time when Mako recently got the system, he was so naive and impatient that he put himself in dangerous situations where the enemies were too high of a level to analyze.


    Since then, Mako had worked really hard every day so that he could face any threat head-on and had not seen this prompt pop up again, until now. If this Andrew person was really stronger than him even after, he had gotten so strong, then he couldn''t imagine how strong the person would be who did this to Andrew.


    Nevertheless, Mako didn''t want to jump to any conclusion and wanted to first hear Andrew out so that he could understand what really went down here before they arrived.


    Andrew sighed as Iris asked him those questions. He turned to look her dead in the eyes, and said, "I''m sorry, I should have done more, but I wasn''t able to stop them."


    Everyone was listening carefully as Andrew exined what had happened prior to their arrival.


    ***********


    "The hut... we had made was strong enough to survive the thunderstorm and since we were on a slope, the water puddles didn''t pose an issue to them which wereterpletely removed from the pipes." Andrew started to exin.


    "I proposed to um... Sven and Finn that we should continue exploring and try to find you two, but they said it would be best if we first assessed the damages and figure out our food situation before resuming the search since our resources were quite low and we barely survived the thunderstorm." Andrew continued.


    "However, before we could even finish repairing the hutpletely, a group of cadets approached us practically out of nowhere and started asking questions. Sven tried to talk to them and make them leave peacefully... since we didn''t have time for them and had to look for you, but they suddenly became aggressive and tried to take over our area."


    "We tried to fight back, but then..."

 Chapter 123 Stronger Together

    ?"We tried to fight back, but then within a single moment, all three of us had fallen to the ground and were gasping for air as a sharp pain started to register in our chests," Andrew exined.


    He exined that one of the cadets in their group was a speedster and he had attacked them while moving so fast that they didn''t even register the pain from his attack until they had already dropped down on the ground.


    "Everything was a blur, we didn''t understand what was happening as we didn''t expect to be knocked out so easily. As we tried to stand back up again, a weird sensation started to grow in my heart. It looked like... Sven and... Finn also felt the effects as they also stopped resisting immediately and gave up."


    "All three of us started to have a weird feeling in our stomachs and our bodies began to shake as if we were afraid to stand up again. I still don''t know what exactly happened to us, but we gave up the fight before it even began and they tied us up in our own hut."


    "They stayed in the hut with us still tied and unable to move. The speedster that had attacked us before was trying to convince the leader to just finish us off, but he for some reason denied the proposal, saying that it would be rude to get rid of the people who built this ce while giving off the biggest sadistic smile I had ever seen."


    "They searched through our supplies and were quickly disappointed seeing that we didn''t have much. Soon they were beginning to leave and that was when the girl from their group said to the leader that she needed a servant to carry her backpack. It looked like she and the leader were in a rtionship because the leader smiled and ordered two other cadets to untie the... the... twins and made theme along with them."


    "After the others had left, leaving me tied up inside the hut, the leader turned back around and faced me. I could see the sadistic smile still lingering on his face as he summoned a fireball with red mes. I didn''t even know that a person could create fire in such a manner, yet he casually threw the fireball onto the ground, and it rapidly began to spread, engulfing the hutpletely."


    "I thought that maybe even the patrolling officers wouldn''t be quick enough to save me as I stayed tied up inside the burning hut while using all my power to protect myself from the intense heat, and well you guys know the rest." Andrew finished his narration.


    As Andrew finished narrating his story, the group was left stunned and silent. They couldn''t believe what had happened to Andrew, Sven, and Finn, and were horrified at the sadistic behavior of the cadets.


    "I can''t believe they would do something like that," Iris said as she shook her head in disbelief.


    "That''s just... awful," Bill added with his voice filled with anger as Andrew''s story reminded him of a simr situation that happened to him.


    The group fell into a deep silence as they tried to process what they had just heard. They knew that Sven and Finn were in danger, but not only that those cadets had left moments before they had arrived, which meant that they still needed to be on high alert in case they decided to return.


    "We have to go after them," Mako said, breaking the silence. "We can''t just let them both be on their own with those people. If they were so bold enough to try and burn Andrew alive, who knows what they will do to them?"


    After a bit of consideration, the group nodded in agreement with Mako''s n. It was decided that they would leave as soon as dawn broke and follow the same path that Andrew saw them take.


    Mako offered to keep watch over the others during the night and Leon wanted to join in too. At first, Mako tried to say that he was okay keeping watch alone and that Leon should probably get some rest.


    However, Leon insisted that he keep watching with him. Sensing that there was hidden agenda at y, Mako didn''t resist much and allowed Leon to apany him while keeping guard over the others.


    Erin and Andrew took one of the corners for themselves andy next to each other while cuddling at staring at the stars.


    Iris was left alone at the campsite. She was sitting on a smooth rock with her knees close to her face and her arms hiding her face. On the inside, she was actually crying as she couldn''t believe what had be of her team, the team that she was so proud of when they entered the test, the team she was meant to lead...


    "Hey... Are you alright?" A voice stopped Iris from being consumed by her own thoughts as she quickly used her Water ability to hide away her tears before looking up to see who had approached her.


    The voice turned out to be Bill''s as he was the only person besides Iris who was still sitting near the campfire. Bill asked if Iris would mind if he sat beside her which she didn''t mind at all.


    "I can feel your stress," Bill said as he stared up toward the stars as well.


    Iris was confused as to what Bill meant by this because she had made sure that nobody could hear her cry and she even removed all the tears making it look like maybe she was just resting her forehead on her arms.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What do you mean?" Iris asked as she turned to face Bill.


    "You are angry at your own weakness. I know that feeling quite too well. You wish that you were strong enough that you didn''t fall prey to that bear beast''s attack. You think that if you would have stayed with your group then maybe the oue would be different and your teammates would all still be here." Bill exined in a somber tone while continuing to stare at the stars above.


    "How do you know?" Iris asked, now intrigued by what Bill had to say because even though they had spent some time talking about things after she healed him, he never mentioned anything about responsibility or being weak.


    To Iris'' question, Bill just smiled, he looked toward his right hand which had a fingerless glove on it. Bill had been wearing that glove ever since they came to the ind and now in front of Iris, he took it off to reveal what he had been concealing all along.


    His hand still had the key burn mark from when Bill had picked up the key he had forged when it was still hot in order to hide it from the guards during the time when he was imprisoned in the warehouse.


    Bill went on to narrate the entire tale to Iris, how was he like before getting an ability, the whole ordeal with El-Diablo, and then finally bing friends with Mako from where he started to improve and be a better person.


    Iris was left speechless by the end of the story as she truly had no idea how much Bill had gone through. Compared to him, she had quite an amazing childhood even if she didn''t have an ability.


    "Even after going through all that, I still got poisoned on my first day on this ind and then I get attacked by an advanced tier beast which left me almost dead, and both times my friends saved me. I still beat myself over it thinking that I am still so weak and that I can''t handle everything myself, but the truth is I don''t have to." Bill said.


    "And why is that?" Iris asked.


    During their conversation, Bill and Iris had slowly shifted their position and were nowying down on the ground with their heads resting against the smooth rock. Bill finally turned his head toward Iris and made eye contact after she asked Bill the question.


    "The truth is that I am stronger than I have ever been. I admit that self-growth and improvement are a very important part of everyone''s life but what most people fail to understand is that they are not in this alone. With friends and rivals, you can find the motivation to get better and surpass them, you share your stress with them, and you revel in  victories and gloom in defeats together." Bill said.


    "Don''t try to put all the me and all the pressure on yourself. It is okay to rely on others and work as a team. It is when we work together that we are at our strongest. Don''t worry, we will find Sven and Finn and we will teach those bastards a lesson." Bill added to assure Iris and to console her.


    Bill''s words were finally enough to break Iris'' dam and once again tears began to fall down her face. Bill tried to speak again, but without any warning Iris'' reached forward and hugged Bill just as he was about to speak.


    Shocked by what had just happened, Bill couldn''t find any words to speak out and he just held her as he returned the hug.


    "Thank you..." Iris whispered in a low voice as she continued to hug Bill.


    ************


    ''He was always the charmer,'' Makomented in his thoughts as a smirk appeared on his face while observing Bill and Iris hugging each other from a distance.


    Mako and Leon had moved a bit away from the campfire and toward one of the bigger boulders right next to theke so that they would have a height advantage and could observe greater distances.


    Mako and Leon didn''t exchange any words for the longest time as they both quietly sat on the boulder while observing opposite directions.


    Once it looked like everyone at the campfire was asleep, even Bill and Iris, Mako finally decided it was time to initiate a very important conversation with Leon, one that was long overdue.


    "I know you want to speak with me Leon, what do you want?" Mako asked.

 Chapter 124 Face Your Demons

    ?Leon took a deep breath, looking out towards the calm waters of theke. He turned towards Mako and said, "I want to apologize for my behavior with you during all the times that we have met. I know I''ve been kind of a jerk, but recently I remembered why I became like this in the first ce."


    Mako nodded, indicating he was listening.


    "Me and my mother were involved in a tragic ident a couple of years ago during which she ended up losing her life, and it was all because of my father," Leon continued. "He was to me as even though he was so powerful he turned out to be a coward in the face of danger."


    Mako''s expression softened as he listened, nodding in understanding. "I''m sorry to hear that, Leon," he said. "However, I already know what happened to your mother."


    Leon turned toward Mako in shock as this was a story that nobody except the ones involved could have known.


    "Your father told me about your mother''s unfortunate passing when I first met him in his office, and when you attacked me," Mako exined.


    "Oh, yeah... I remember that," Leon said, looking down at his hands. "I didn''t want to kill you that day, I was just so angry when you were able to defeat Enzo for the second time that I just had to take revenge."


    Mako ced aforting hand on Leon''s shoulder. "Don''t worry, Leon, I have already forgiven you. We''re all in this together, and we need to support each other and that includes you."


    Leon continued to stare Mako in the eyes with amazement as he thought back to when he woke up next to Bill in the cave. It was still hard for Leon to believe but what Bill had said to him that day was all true indeed.


    "Mako is the type of character that always has a big heart for all people, even those who are oblivious to it, and he is like the giver of second chances." Bill''sments continued to resound in Leon''s head.


    Finally, Leon looked away and grunted, "No, There is no hope for someone like me, I have done so much ever since that fateful day that I don''t deserve to be forgiven."


    Mako could see the pain and self-loathing in Leon''s eyes and knew he had to do something to help him. He put his hand under Leon''s chin, turning his face back to look at him.


    "Leon, everyone deserves a second chance, including you. You made mistakes in the past, but that doesn''t define who you are. You can choose to make things right, to be a better person, and to honor your mother''s memory by doing good in the world."


    Leon looked at Mako, his eyes welling up with tears. "I don''t know if I can do that, Mako. I''ve done so many terrible things and hurt so many people. More than that, I don''t know why but I have been getting this weird gut feeling inside me that I have hurt Him."


    Mako looked at Leon with a face of worry as he had to do something quickly. "You know, your father didn''t really go into the details of what had happened during the ident. Why don''t you tell me the entire story the way you remember it and let''s see if you truly did miss something."


    Leon wasn''t a big fan of the suggestion as he had already revisited that entire memory in his nightmares. He didn''t want to go through that again as it felt like ripping off a bandage over a fresh wound.


    However, Mako continued to try and persuade him, making the argument that he had to man up and face his demons if he wanted things to change or else he would be stuck like this forever and would also be a coward; A coward who wasn''t brave enough to face his past.


    Mako''sst sentence had done the trick because if there was one thing that Leon didn''t want to bebeled as would be a coward.


    ************


    During the next half an hour, Leon narrated the entire line of events that took ce four years ago. Mako listened with utmost attention as Leon told him a bit about his childhood and the events leading up to the ident, how the ident took ce and the aftermath of it all.


    Mako was left speechless after Leon had gone through a rollercoaster of emotions while reopening his childhood trauma to him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "In the end, it was because of his cowardice that my mother got killed and I couldn''t respect him for that at all. I decided to be a rebel. I began doing the exact opposite of what this man had wanted me to do. I began abusing my ability and became closely associated with the Dark Raven''s "Clean-up Crew" members." Leon said.


    "Even though I was the son of one of the richest people in Emerald City, I wanted to have nothing to do with him and eventually he left me alone to do as I please with only enforcing a couple of rules which I still did follow. This was why I didn''t have any power weapons or armor on me when I entered the test and these additional abilities were forcibly given to me by my father otherwise I would have entered with only the speed ability." Leon concluded.


    There was a small period of silence between the two boys where Mako was processing all the information that Leon had given him.


    After some time, Mako started to ask some questions. "But Leon, how can you be sure your father just decided to run away when he still saved you afterward from all those men? Don''t you think that if your father truly did get away from them, then those men would use you as a bargaining chip against him?"


    Leon tried to instantly reply to Mako''s question as he raised his voice, but before a single word came out of his mouth, his brain registered the questionpletely and he tried to think of a valid answer.


    Mako''s question did make sense after all, because if Paul had indeed run just as Leon was knocked out, then he wouldn''t have woken up in his own bed. The one undeniable fact was that Paul did save Leon.


    After a couple of seconds of no reply from Leon, Mako took his cue and began to expand on his theory.


    "A couple of things don''t add up in your story, Leon. First of all, those men were only able to bypass the telekinesis field around the car, once he was stabbed. Secondly, if he was a real coward, he would have escaped and abandoned you and your mother from the get-go; why do you think, he risked his life while battling so many strong people at once?" Mako began to theorize.


    "Lastly, from what I heard from your father, he imed that your mother was caught in the crossfire of one of the abilities and had perished on the spot with nothing he could do to save her," Mako added.


    Leon was at a loss for words as he truly didn''t have the answer to any of Mako''s questions. He had never engaged in a real conversation with his father ever since that day and he had never given him the chance to exin himself.


    "Leon, I know you have been through a lot. Trust me, I know how you feel, I lost my grandmother when I was fourteen too and the pain is beyond words. However, I still do believe that there is a potential misunderstanding between you and your father. No father would care for a child who he wanted to abandon in the first ce, and then bear all the things that his rebellious mind came up with." Mako said.


    "I mean just look at the state of your father now. The grief of losing both his wife and son haspletely broken him and made him an alcoholic. There is only one solution to all of this and that is for you to visit your father once this is over and talk to him. Talk to him and find out the truth once and for all."


    Mako''s words were like knives that were stabbing Leon''s heart. He wanted to refuse everything he was saying just like he did when he was fourteen but now he was much more mature and actually tried to find a w in Mako''s reasoning, he couldn''t find any reason to deny Mako''s words and his advice.


    However, this meant that he would agree with what he is saying and would have to face his father. Leon''s entire body began to shiver as the fear that he once had for his father reemerged from deep within. He didn''t even know how he could even approach him now, after pushing him away for so long.


    Mako could notice Leon shiver just as he had suggested for him to have a real conversation with his father and find out the truth. Seeing Leon distressed like this, Mako pulled him in for a hug, reassuring him that it was going to be alright


    Leon took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions. "Thank you, Mako. You have no idea what your words mean to me."


    Mako patted Leon''s shoulder. "Anytime, Leon. Just remember, we''re all in this together. We''ll support you through this, no matter what."


    Leon nodded, a small smile forming on his face. For the first time in a long time, he felt a glimmer of hope, a sense of purpose. He knew it wouldn''t be easy, but he was ready to try. He wanted to break free from these chains of hatred and uncover the truth.


    Mako and Leon had just finished their conversation when Leon suddenly noticed something moving amongst the tall grass and heading over toward the campfire.


    "Mako... What''s that?" Leon said as he pointed at something in the darkness behind Mako.

 Chapter 125 Shocking Revelation

    ?Mako turned around quickly to see what Leon was pointing at. In the darkness, he could make out a shadowy figure moving toward the campfire.


    Mako signaled for Leon to stay put and quietly made his way toward the figure. As he got closer, he could see that it was someone from their own group - Andrew.


    "Mako, what are you doing here?" Andrew whispered, surprised to see him.


    "I could ask you the same thing," Mako replied, keeping his voice low. "Why are you sneaking around?"


    Andrew hesitated for a moment before finally confessing, "I couldn''t sleep, and I needed some fresh air. I thought I''d take a walk."


    Mako studied Andrew for a moment, sensing that there was more to his story. "Is there something else bothering you, Andrew? You can talk to me."


    Andrew looked down at his feet, just as Mako sensed that there was something wrong, but before he could approach him and see why he suddenly hung his head down low, but before he could do so Andrew started to speak in a low and quivery voice.


    "To tell you the truth, Mako. I''m scared! I don''t even know if we''re going to make it out of here alive. Those people... were so strong that it''s not even worth participating anymore. I already lost two guys that God knows are in what condition. I don''t want the same fate for Erin. There are so many dangers in these woods, and we''re all so vulnerable."


    Finally, he stopped looking at his feet and looked up at Mako with tears in his eyes.


    "You can''t even begin to think how hopeless and useless I felt when I was surrounded by those intense red mes. How could you live with yourself after you were just brushed by death, especially when the method of death was the one that I thought I had control over?" Andrew said with anger in his tone as he continued to stare into Mako''s eyes.


    "I couldn''t even confront these feeling in front of everyone or else I would be hurting their morale as well, specifically Erin''s," Andrew added.


    Mako put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I understand how you feel, Andrew. But we have to stay strong, for ourselves and for each other. Whoever those guys are, they attacked you when you had your guard down. I am sure with more of us together, we can take those guys on and rescue Sven and Finn."


    Andrew took a couple of seconds topose himself and nodded to Mako''s suggestion. However, Mako waspletely confused by everything that was going on.


    ''Wasn''t he also nominated to be the leader of their group before the test began; however, I don''t see him being a leader at all. Iris had told me so many things about how brave Andrew was, but I can''t seem to find that personality in him at all.'' Mako analyzed in his thoughts.


    The only logical sense that Mako coulde up with was trauma. If a person had suffered severe enough trauma, even their most fundamental of nature can be broken, molded, and changed.


    ''Just what did those cadets do to you while they were upying your hut? You are definitely hiding something from us because, from the details that you gave us, there wasn''t anything that could deal much trauma to you other than the fire which I doubt would havesting effects since you were quickly saved by us.'' Mako thought as he walked back to the camp with Andrew.


    ************


    As soon as the two boys made it back to camp, Leon joined them from the other side in a hurry. Mako noticed a smile and urgency on his face so he knew that whatever Leon had discovered was good news, and required immediate attention.


    "Mako, I think I have found another information tablet," Leon said with a tone of excitement.


    Mako''s eyes lit up at the news. "That''s great, Leon! Where is it?"


    Leon led Mako back to theke where he had noticed a red blinking light, up in one of the trees. The tablet was camouged quite well amongst the leaves and the darkness of the night, but the screen still seemed to be functional as it gave off the steady blinking red light.


    Mako asked Andrew to keep watch over the camp while he and Leon would go to retrieve the tablet from the tree to which Andrew only slowly nodded yes. Leon once again raised the small earth pir to reach the same height as the tablet, and after entering his information, he brought the tablet back down for him and Mako to look at together.


    Mako turned on the tablet and was once again treated with the same interface as before.


    [DAY 7]


    [15:54 HOURS]


    [Map]


    [Event Log]


    [Day & Time]


    [Weather]


    [Participants]


    [Setup Duel]


    There were a lot fewer notifications thanst time and that was to be expected as nothing major could have gone down while it was raining so heavily for the past two days.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    They checked out how many participants were left on the ind and to their shock, there were only 600 left. In contrast to the data that Mako had learned from the previous tablet two days prior, the total number of participants had dropped from close to 4000 to 1200.


    This marked the elimination of most of the ability users who thought they could stand up and face the challenges of the test while they themselves had no items, and had a singr ability with a low energy pool.


    However, what was truly shocking now, was to see the number of casualties that the storm was responsible for alone. Of these 600 cadets, most should have been at a decent level and would have easily been able to face the challenges of the ind, not for these extreme scenarios that caused them to be eliminated.


    Most of everything else was normal with the only key thing that Mako had noticed was the announcement of a two-day thunderstorm warning on the east side of the ind. This practically confirmed that the entire thing was just a test and not a natural urrence.


    Since only half of the ind was hit during the first thunderstorm, the people on the east side of the ind must have thought that they dodged a bullet, and Mako was sure this warning must have caused them even more distress than them.


    Mako was about to ask Leon to put the tablet back in its case when Leon had a bright idea. He told Mako that it would be a good idea to see the battle logs to see if Sven and Finn were still in thepetition or not.


    "If they had been defeated, their info would show on the event log, and then we won''t have to follow those people because there is no one to save," Leon advised.


    Mako thought that it was a brilliant idea and opened up the event log to check if Sven and Finn''s names had made it on the event log yet.


    After a bit of scrolling, Mako finally stopped scrolling and his facial expression resembled that of someone who had seen a ghost.


    "What''s wrong, Mako?" Leon asked now worried as to what he had seen.


    However, Mako didn''t reply and instead just flipped the tablet toward Leon so that he could see for himself.


    [Sven Nieminen VS Mikhail Fedorov: Sven Nieminen Defeated!]


    [Finn Nieminen VS Mikhail Fedorov: Finn Nieminen Defeated!]


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [Andrew Thorne VS Mikhail Fedorov: Andrew Thorne Defeated!]


    Now Leon had the same exact shocked look on his face as Mako. However, before a single word could be uttered, the sound of a feminine cry resounded all around and it wasing from the campsite.


    Worried that something was terribly wrong, Mako gave Leon the tablet back and told him to join him after putting it back in its case.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Mako sprinted off toward the campsite at top speed hoping to make it there before anything unfortunate happens.


    ************


    As Mako made his way back to the camp, he suddenly heard a loud rustling in the bushes nearby. Before they could react, a wolf beast emerged from the undergrowth, growling and snarling menacingly.


    The wolf beast wasted no time as its red eyes glowed and he lunged toward Mako. The wolf beast was a lot faster than Mako had expected and he couldn''t get out of the way of the beast in time.


    The beast tackled Mako to the ground and they both began to wrestle as Mako tried his best to not get his head bitten off by the wild beast. However, he was still struggling as he could break free from the wolf.


    Out of nowhere, A streak passed by Mako and the wolf and soon the wolf yelped in pain as it let go of Mako. Mako looked behind him and saw Leon standing beside him with his medium-tier shiv that was dripping with blood.


    It looked like the active skill had been activated as the Wolf beast began to howl and attack randomly as it was starting to hallucinate.


    Leon gave Mako a hand and helped him up on his feet. They both turned toward the campsite to witness a gruesome scene. Several dead bodies of wolves could be seen littered around the campsite and there were still several more wolves that were engaged inbat with Bill, Iris, Erin, and Andrew.


    Seeing that their friends had also sustained some injuries, Leon and Mako rushed forward to aid their friends and defend against this sudden beast attack.

 Chapter 126 Imposter

    ?As Leon and Mako rushed forward to help their friends, they saw that the wolves had surrounded the campsite and were attacking from multiple angles at once, making it difficult for them to fend off the attacks. The four of them were already struggling to keep the wolves at bay, and it looked like the situation was getting worse by the minute.


    However, with Leon and Mako''s arrival, the tide of the battle began to shift in their favor. Leon used his speed ability and shiv to elerate and dodge the wild wolves'' attacks and stab the wolves that were attacking from behind while Mako used his agility to dodge and weave around the wolves, delivering swift and precise blows to their vital points.


    Mako''s first priority was to reach the group and make sure that everyone was okay. This was why he was rushing through the attacks and not dealing with wolves seriously. He used abination of his Ten Palm Strike, Electrical Discharge, and me Wheel to deal significant damage to wolves as he quickly rushed toward the main group followed closely by Leon.


    As they fought, they noticed that the wolves were a lot more coordinated than any beast they had ever fought before getting more and more frenzied as they fought, making it clear that something was amiss.


    Even the Terra Beetles that Mako had fought in the cave weren''t this organized in their attacks as they still had the feral factor inside of them, which made them just attack with all their might with no regard for their body.


    After stabbing another wolf with his high-tierbat knife, Mako took the opportunity to Analyze the beast and find out what was wrong.


    [Analyze]


    [High-level Silver Wolf] (Hypnotized)


    [Ability: Speed (Level 3), Lunar Influence (Level 1)]


    These wolf beasts were quite unique as they also held two abilities and one of them was quite a rare and good ability that Mako had only heard stories about and had never witnessed in real life.


    However, the most shocking thing about their profile was their condition status next to their name. The status showed that the wolves were hypnotized, confirming everything to Mako.


    These beasts were so much stronger and well-coordinated because they were being manipted by someone else. This also confirmed the fact that this wasn''t just a regr attack by a passing pack of wolf beasts, but a deliberate tactic to remove them from the game.


    Mako had no idea, which means were used to hypnotize the beasts because it could be practically done using any emotional maniption ability; however, each one had different effects on the beast that was manipted. Mako didn''t know urately how strong of a cadet they were dealing with because he assumed it would be quite difficult to hypnotize 20+ beasts and direct them to attack a group of attacks.


    Additionally, Mako also didn''t have a clue who was behind all of this, but he could make an educated guess based on the conversation he heard as he approached the group to defend against the wolf beast attacks.


    ************


    "Andrew, what are you doing? Use that fire skill you always use and take all of these wolves out in one go," Erin shouted as she continued to battle alongside Andrew confused as to why he was only fighting physically and not using his ability.


    "Don''t worry, babe. I still haven''t recovered all my energy and small fry like these don''t need the use of abilities to deal with," Andrew said as he tried to assure Erin that everything was alright and that he was just warming up.


    ************


    The wolves were getting wilder and more ruthless by the minute and the group was starting to have trouble dealing with the wolves. Just then, one of the wolves attacked Iris from one of her blind spots and was able to bite her arm.


    Iris'' pain-filled scream resounded throughout the whole battlefield as blood started to gush out of her arm very quickly.


    Her scream gave the boys a wake-up call as they started to fight with no remorse or regard from the beast and save Iris from the clutches of death.


    Before the wolf could even continue after its bite, multiple sharp stone spikes quickly emerged from the ground and stabbed the wolf right in the abdomen, killing it on the spot.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Iris was then quickly covered by an Earth dome, and Bill appeared from the ground underneath and quickly began to assess the situation. Luckily, the wolf''s teeth had not made it to the bone of her arm and only the tissue and muscle were damaged.


    Iris was still in a lot of pain and it looked like she could faint any minute. Leon raised her in his arms and started to run toward the campsite whilst manipting the dome around him to move as well so that they would be protected against wolf attacks.


    Bill quickly reached the campsite and brought one of the backpacks inside the dome. He first sterilized the wound by washing it with water and then tried his best to bandage the wound. He wasn''t the best person in the world to do this kind of work, but it was enough to stop the bleeding.


    Bill instructed Iris that she had lost too much blood and she has to start healing herself this instant. Iris could barely register the things that were happening around her as she felt very dizzy. Somehow, after a lot of shouting, Bill was able to get his message across and Iris began to heal herself as her arm began to glow green.


    It was very important that Iris stayed awake during all of it because she was the only person who could save her arm. Bill continued to shout and through water on her face so that she would not faint and continue to heal herself.


    Realizing that the situation was beyond their control, Bill opened the dome and let the group know Iris'' situation and suggested that they retreat and regroup.


    Mako was worried about Iris too and agreed with Bill''s idea to retreat. He instructed Erin and Andrew to run back to the camp and gather everything while he and Leon defended them from attacks.


    They quickly moved back to the camp and within minutes, quickly gathered everything and were inside the dome with Bill and Iris. Erin quickly rushed by Iris'' side and Bill entrusted the duty of keeping her awake to her.


    After they were all safe inside the dome, Bill gave Mako the signal to retreat as well. Mako and Leon slowly began to move back to the dome while continuously fighting off the feral wolves. Soon they reached the dome as well, and Mako instructed Leon to go in first because he said he was going to use an ability that he wouldn''t want to be caught in.


    As soon as Leon went inside the dome, Mako''s entire body crackled with electricity as he prepared a huge move. Just as the first row of wolves was about to lunge at Mako, Mako''s entire body released a massive pulse, one greater than any Mako had made before and this electrical pulse stopped all the wolves right in their tracks as they were now paralyzed.


    Mako took the opportunity to also go inside the dome, and Bill began lowering the ground itself and once deep enough made a roof of earth over them, effectively burying them underground.


    Mako provided light using his fire ability and Bill and Leon got to work as they began manipting the rock in front of them to open up and making it so that they were now tunneling underground and would bepletely safe from the wolves, who would have no idea where everyone went.


    After a few minutes of running, they finally reached a safe distance from the campsite. Bill and Leon opened up the tunnel to the surface and they stopped to catch their breath and assess their injuries. Fortunately, none of them sustained any serious injuries, except for Iris who Mako was carrying while they were moving through the tunnel.


    Since the tunnel waspletely walled off from any source of air, the group could only tunnel for so long before the air inside was all used up. Makoid Iris down next to a tree and she continued to fight through the pain as she healed herself. Her arm already looked a lot better than before and it would bepletely healed soon.


    As soon as Mako sat Iris down next to the tree, he activated Dash and went straight for Andrew who was standing beside Erin. Andrew was caught by surprise and didn''t have time to react and so Mako was able to grab him by his neck and m his head next to a boulder that cracked due to the strong impact.


    Mako continued to put pressure on Andrew''s neck and keep him in that position while he stared at him with eyes full of hatred.


    Erin didn''t know what was going on, but she couldn''t just stand and watch as she saw one of his new friends try to assault her boyfriend.


    "Mako! What the heck do you think you are doing?!" Erin shouted as she ran toward them in hopes of separating them, but Mako suddenly began to release a fierce aura that made her stop dead in her tracks.


    Mako had released his energy maniption aura which was by far his strongest even though it was only level one and it was enough to make everyone freeze in their tracks and even made Andrew gulp down hard.


    "This is not Andrew, Erin... He is an imposter!" Mako announced as he continued to hold the fake Andrew by the neck.

 Chapter 127 A Shape Shifter

    ?Erin was taken aback by Mako''s words. "What do you mean he''s an imposter? That''s Andrew!" she eximed, pointing at her boyfriend who Mako had in his grip.


    Mako''s eyes glowed with intensity as he spoke. "No, Erin. This person has been impersonating Andrew ever since we "rescued" from the burning hut. I figured it all out and even have the evidence to back it all up." he exined.


    Erin''s mind was racing as she tried to process this information. She looked at the person Mako was holding and studied his face. He did look exactly like Andrew, but Mako wouldn''t do something like this at random. For the short amount of time that she had spent with Mako, she understood that Mako was a very kind and smart person who would always try to think ahead.


    She trusted his judgment as she backed off and allowed Mako and the imposter to figure things out.


    "You wanna start talking buddy? We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Mako said as his hands crackled a little bit of electricity.


    "Erin... WHAT THE HECK!? You are just going to let him do this to me, after everything we have been through?" The fake Andrew shouted at Erin trying to y the emotional card.


    However, Mako was anticipating this move and he replied," Oh really? If you two are so close then you should also know everything about Erin, right?"


    Andrew had a look of hesitation on his face as he replied "Yes" to Mako''s question with a stutter. A big smile appeared on Mako''s face as he turned to Erin to ask him some personal questions that only they would know.


    The truth was clear within a minute as the fake Andrew failed to answer any of the questions correctly. With every question answered wrong, Erin''s heart began to break piece by piece as she could visualize it shattering into a thousand pieces like ss. She started to be angrier and angrier by the second.


    Her emotions were going wild as she could not believe that she had spent the entire night cuddling with a fake person who impersonated her true love. Moreover, her previous emotions began to re back up again as she was now once again worried as to what had happened to the real Andrew as well as Sven, and Finn.


    A heavy aura began to emanate from Erin''s body so much so that it made the rest of the group back up subconsciously. Erin''s emotions were goingpletely out of control and shooting through the roof, but her face reflected none of it as there wasn''t even a single tear or lip gesture.


    All that pent-up frustration, anger, sadness, heartbreak, and tension began to pool inside of her as she began to undergo a fundamental change. The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped by about 30 degrees and everyone started to feel chilly all of a sudden. The winds started to blow fiercely and everyone looked confused all the while Erin''s aura continued to deepen.


    After a few moments, all of the supernatural activity came to an abrupt stop and Erin contained all of her aura inside herself again. She took a deep breath and exhaled chilling fog and then she looked up to stare at the fake Andrew dead in the eye.


    "Let him go, Mako," Erin said firmly, trying to keep her voice steady. "I want to do this part myself."


    Mako hesitated for a moment before finally releasing the person he had been holding. The imposter stumbled forward, gasping for breath and rubbing his neck.


    "Now, I am not going to be as patient as Mako, tell me what happened to Andrew!" Erin demanded while walking toward the imposter.


    As she walked over, several spikes of ice started to form around her and floated in mid-air following Erin.


    Iris gasped as even though she was dealing with the pain of the bite, she was more shocked to see her best friend use a new ability and a strong one at that.


    The imposter who was impersonating Andrew was on all fours and even as Erin walked over with a threatening aura, he just smirked at her. The fake Andrew''s face began to melt and bend in different ways. The sounds of tearing and bones grinding against each other could be heard as the imposter began to change his appearance right in front of everyone.


    "HaHaHa! I am amazed you caught on so early, this has got to be a record!" The imposter said as finished changing his appearance.


    Now standing in front of everyone was an unfamiliar boy with long and wild jet-ck hair with deep blue eyes and a sharp long face. He had a weird wide creepy smile on his face which were showcasing his row of sharp pointy teeth. He had weird ck spots on the side of his cheek which looked like some ink was sttered in, but it was definitely part of the skin.


    "Shape Shifting Ability!" Bill shouted with disgust as he immediately recognized the ability right away and now all the pieces start falling into ce for him as well.


    Now that the imposter had revealed his true form to Erin, she became even angrier as she aimed all the ice shards at him andunched them with full force.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "ANSWER ME!!" Erin shouted as multiple ice shards flew threw the air like bullets.


    The imposter continued to maintain his creepy grin as he wasn''t bothered one bit by what wasing for him. He quickly got on his feet and cracked his neck as he prepared for the iing attack.


    The ice shards came at him but he didn''t dodge any of them. He simply took a stance and attacked the ice shards themselves with his bare hands as they came to him, smashing them right into impact.


    The imposter moved swiftly and with great precision and was able to deal with all the ice shards without even breaking a sweat.


    Everyone watched with their mouths wide open as they had never seen such strength and great technique. Mako had been trying to learn basic fighting techniques by watching videos on his holophone, but his fighting skill was still like a toddlerpared to the imposter.


    "Chill Babe, are you really going to treat me like this after all that cuddling you did with me tonight?" The imposter taunted Erin who just stood there in shock as she couldn''t believe that even her newly awakened ability was no match for this guy.


    "Who are you?" Mako asked, still startled from watching that great disy of technique.


    The imposter didn''t reply and instead reached into his back pocket and quickly pulled out a small ball that looked like a metallic marble.


    "It''s been fun, but I got what I came for! Adios!," he said, before smashing the metal ball on the ground which released a bright light, blinding everyone temporarily.


    It was a small sh grenade that blinded everyone in the vicinity. As soon as Mako regained his vision, the imposter was already gone.


    Erin and Mako exchanged a look before taking off in different directions to look for him. They searched the area for any sign of him, but he had vanished without a trace.


    As they made their way back to where they had left Iris, Erin couldn''t shake the feeling of anger and ipetence. Who was this imposter, why was he so strong, and why had he been pretending to be Andrew? She just wanted to know the truth and find out where his real boyfriend is.


    "Mako... How exactly did you realize that he was an imposter? You said you had evidence," Erin asked as they walked back to where the rest of the group was.


    "I had my suspicions from the very start. First of all, in a survivalpetition where cadets receive points for defeating other cadets, why would that supposed group of super-strong cadets spare Sven and Finn? Also, the fact that he kept pausing whenever he used their names in his story showed that he didn''t know them, and that is why he kept on forgetting." Mako exined.


    "Secondly, did you notice the way he fought the wolves? Not only did he not use any ability, but also refrained from dealing damage to the wolves in any critical positions which lead me to believe that he was the one whounched the surprise attack in the first ce." Mako added.


    "Why do you think that? I mean, if he just wanted to blend in with us, releasing a surprise attack isn''t really a smart move," Erin said.


    "He didn''t have a choice," Mako replied.


    Erin was now confused as she had no idea what Mako was referring to and so Mako narrated the entire series of events about how he caught him sneaking around the camp and then left him in charge after Leon discovered the tablet, which both went to check out.


    Mako believed that the fake Andrew intended to release the wolf beasts on the group as a distraction to make them ditch the tablet ande to help and not stumble across the main piece of information that could blow over his whole cover, but unfortunately, he was toote as Mako and Leon had only learned the truth.


    "What did you find on the tablet?" Erin asked with worried anticipation.


    Mako sighed before saying," The event logs said that Sven, Finn, and Andrew had been defeated early this afternoon and were removed from the ind,"

 Chapter 128 Picking Fights

    ?Erin could already guess what Mako''s answer would be, but still hearing those wordse out of Mako''s mouth made her heart sink even more. Her worst fears hade true. From the moment that they were separated, Erin continuously prayed that Andrew and the rest of the group remain safe.


    All five of them had weaknesses of their own, but when they were together, they would cover for each other and be quite strong to take on, but since she and Iris had been separated from them, they lost their healer as well as their means of getting water as only she and Iris had the water ability.


    "What are we going to do now?" Erin asked, her voice shaking with emotion.


    Mako looked at her with a serious expression. "We need to continue with the original n. We are going to travel to one of the central locations which would be ideal for a shelter and begin nning our next moves from there."


    "I have a feeling that the military didn''t just have one test prepared for us like the thunderstorm, I believe that as we get closer and closer to finishing this test, the military will throw more and more difficulties our way. We have a safe window until the rainstorm on the east side subsides, so let''s use this time efficiently and start moving." Mako said.


    "That imposter said that he got what he came for. What do you think that is?" Erin asked Mako.


    "I honestly have no idea, but what I am sure of is that this is not thest time we see him in this test, and I also believe that he won''t be alone the next he faces us. He must also have an ally with a strong fire ability who lit the hut on fire as well as an ally who has some sort of emotional maniption ability who controlled all those wolf beasts that attacked us." Mako replied.


    Erin nodded in agreement to Mako''s observations and was now determined to pass this test no matter what and defeat that imposter using all of her strength.


    "The next time, that bastard shows up, I am going to let him have it!" Erin eximed as two sharp ice spikes formed in her hands.


    *************


    As they returned back to the others, they saw that they had already made a new campfire. Iris was sitting by the fire alongside Bill and Leon, her face filled with worry. She stood up as she saw theming and rushed over to meet them, followed closely by Bill and Leon.


    "Did you find anything?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She hadpletely healed her arm, but it sapped a lot of energy from her since she healed it at the maximum intensity she could.


    Mako filled them in on what they had discovered, and Iris''s face turned pale. "Well, what are we going to now?" she said, her voice trembling.


    "We have to follow Mako''s original n and start moving toward the center of the ind. We have to use our remaining time efficiently and make a strong shelter that could protect us from whatever else the military might have in store for us. We need to act now."


    All of them agreed and started moving right away. Some were still a bit tired from the intense fight against the wolves, but it was still manageable for them it was the best time to get moving. It was still nighttime but it was very close to sunrise, so they won''t have to worry about wandering beasts for long.


    ************


    The group traveled for several hours, carefully navigating another dense forest. The terrain was bing a lot steeper as they traveled inward because they were tracking on the side of one of therge mountains on the ind.


    The ind was said to be man-made and it was quite impressive as the number of details that were on the ind was just absolutely insane. The ind had everything, from beaches to forests,kes, ponds, streams, hills, open fields, and even mountains.


    The ind was very massive with beaches all around and multiple forests. As you go further in, several mountains of simr height are situated near the center of the ind and finally, you have the giant mountain at the very center that could be seen from miles away as it was extremely tall and wide.


    Mako and the group didn''t intend to make the rest of their recruitment test into a hiking trip so instead of going for the biggest mountain, they settled on one of the shorter mountains that were closer to the west side of the ind.


    The n was simple, they would build their shelter at the top of the mountain, ideally near an information tablet. Then, it would simply be to just hold down the fort and defend against any cadets or beast until the time for the test was over.


    They took a break near a small stream near the base of the mountain to rest and cool down. As they sat around, Bill started to ask Mako a question. "Do you really think that the military is going to keep throwing more challenges at us?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako replied without hesitation, "I believe so. This is a test, after all, and the military wants to see how we handle challenges and adapt to unexpected situations."


    Moments after Mako had spoken those words, the group could hear the sounds of multiple footsteps rushing toward them. They immediately went on guard as they didn''t know what to expect and from the path that they had juste from, came 8 more cadets.


    The cadets that had just arrived were also surprised to see the group there and from their appearance, it looked like they had been sprinting for a while. Sweat was rolling down their faces and their breathing was heavy.


    "How did you reach this far before us!?" The cadet at the very front shouted.


    "They must have been closer to the mountain when the news dropped," Another cadet replied.


    "It doesn''t matter. We are not going to let this stop us! Move now or we will make you!" The cadet at the front shouted.


    Everyone including Mako was really confused as to what was going on but sure looked like these cadets were in a rush to do something important and it had something to do with this mountain.


    Normally, Mako would have let them pass by and not pick fights but now he was quite intrigued about what was so special about this mountain. This was going to be where they were nning to stay for the remainder of the time after all, and it would be disastrous for them if they didn''t know a detail about it that put them in a difficult position.


    "Why are you in such a rush? What are you after?" Mako asked the cadet who looked like he was their leader.


    "What?! You don''t know?! HAHAHA! This is great! I am not gonna tell you and make our chances even weaker. Now I am going to ask this one more time, Move or we will make you!" The cadet shouted.


    Knowing that something was definitely up, Mako just could let these cadets leave without first extracting some information.


    "Make me!" Mako replied as he took a stance, followed quickly by the rest of the group also taking their own respective stance.


    A wide smile appeared on the cadet''s face as he said," You are outnumbered 8 to 5, do you really think, you can beat us!?"


    Mako didn''t reply to the cadet''s taunt and instead just activated his lightning aura, and electricity started to crackle all over his body. Following Mako''s lead, Erin went next as she released her brand new ice ability aura and conjured several ice spikes that floated in midair, aimed at the cadets, ready to strike.


    Next, Bill showcased his sand ability by manipting all the sand around and conjuring small spikes that he made float in the air aimed at the cadets simr to the ice spikes. Iris was next as she manipted the water from the stream to create several circr water des that she hovered behind her with two of them attached to her forearms.


    The cadets were definitely intimidated by the quality of the aura that everyone was emitting and also the unique abilities that everyone was showcasing, but they still didn''t back down as they were determined to get past this group and continue their journey forward.


    They quickly activated their abilities as well and it turned out that all of them were elemental ability users; but, that was not the end. After activating their aura, the cadets reached into their backpacks and pulled out different power weapons which ranged from daggers to knives, swords, and axes.


    However, just as they pulled out their weapons, a blur ran past them at shocking speeds. Before the cadets could even realize it, the blur had stolen all of their Power weapons and returned back to the center of the opposite group, revealing itself to be Leon. Leon was now holding all eight of their weapons and dropped them one by one on the floor for dramatic effect.


    "Sorry, but these are not allowed," Leon taunted as he finished dropping all the weapons and took on his own fighting stance.


    With Mako and Bill to his left and Iris and Erin to his right. Leon took his stance in the middle of the group and said to the cadet leader," Listen, I am not as caring as my friend. Either you tell us what is going on or things are going to get ugly!"

 Chapter 129 Erins Power

    ?The cadet leader red at Leon, his eyes narrowed in anger. "You may have taken our weapons, but you''re still outnumbered. We''ll take you down easily."


    Mako stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "I don''t think you understand. We don''t want to fight, but we will if we have to... and if we do, we won''t hold back."


    The cadet leader gritted his teeth, clearly frustrated by the situation. He looked at his teammates, then back at the group of five in front of him. The tension in the air was intense as both groups stared each other down.


    Suddenly, the cadet leader gave a signal, and all eight of them charged forward. Mako, Bill, Iris, Erin, and Leon quickly spread out to avoid being surrounded. The cadets were clearly skilled fighters and were putting up a decent fight against the group.


    Mako separated two cadets out of the eight that he made into his opponents. The two cadets were a good duo who understood the importance of ability syncing as one was using the fire ability while the other was using the wind ability. These two abilitiesplemented each other quite well and produced some destructivebinational skills.


    Mako didn''t want to rely on just his abilities in this fight, so he tried to keep the fight mostly physical. He would dodge the me projectiles and the wind des that his opponents would through at him using his superior agility and perception and as soon as he got close, he would deal devastating blows using his superior strength.


    Bill nted the miniature sand spikes he had conjured into the ground as soon as the fight broke out. The cadet next to the leader rushed toward Bill thinking that maybe he had let his guard down, but he was quite mistaken.


    As soon as the cadet stepped on one of the nted miniature sand spikes, the ground around him exploded and a small sandstorm erupted right on the cadet''s feet, disorienting him and making it difficult for him to see.


    This was a brand new skill that Bill hade up with on his own while he was stuck inside the cave for two days. It was possible for anyone to create their own skills once they had unlocked the ability, but the method of how to do so waspletely hidden from the public so people would remain in the dark, and the capitalist businessmen would continue to profit from skill books.


    However, people did still create skills on their own without learning the actual method, which was achieved through sheer luck, but this didn''t stop them from telling the world that they had cracked the code and figured out how to create new skills. This created a genre on the inte where individuals would share their tips and tricks on unlocking new skills, and even though what they were sharing was true for their own case, it didn''t work the same for anyone else.


    Now that the cadet was blinded by the mini sandstorm that had erupted on his feet, Bill quickly closed the distance between them and started to release a barrage of punches on his body.


    Leon, meanwhile, was a blur of motion as he darted in and out of the cadets'' range. The cadet leader himself had decided to deal with Leon as he was the fastest out of the group but still was nowhere near the level of agility that Leon possessed.


    The cadet leader had two abilities, one being lightning and the other being hardening. The only reason why he was able to put up a fight against Leon, was because he had a skill that allowed him to boost his perception by focusing his lightning aura on his eyes amplifying the electrical signals that they were sending to the brain.


    Thatbined with hardening allowed the cadet leader to stand up to Leon''s blows and even counter-attack at times.


    Seeing that Iris was a water ability user which was the weakest out of the five basic elemental abilities, three cadets had decided to gang up on her, hoping to get a clean easy win and have one less person to deal with.


    However, what these cadets didn''t know was that Iris and Erin had one of the worst days of their lives as they were given the news about their teammates being eliminated and not only that, they had been deceived and yed around like a fool by the person who had eliminated their teammates.


    Iris was a strong fighter in her own regard, but when facing three skillful cadets at the same time, she was getting pushed back and overwhelmed with ease. Just as one of the cadets sent a de of fire at Iris'' unprotected back, all of a sudden, a wall of ice appeared behind her and protected her from the iing fire attack.


    Looking to the right, the cadets could see Erin standing there with her hands on the ground with a trail of ice that lead to the ice wall that had erupted behind Iris protecting her from the fire.


    Erin looked up at the three cadets who were fighting Iris with a face full of anger. She didn''t even realize this yet, but the cadets werepletely intimidated by Erin, and not only because of her Ice ability aura, or emotions but the fact that her eyes were GLOWING!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Erin''s eyes glowed with icy bright white light as she stared at the three cadets with anger.


    She had already lost her boyfriend and two of her friends during this test and she couldn''t bear to see her best friend be defeated as well.


    The cadets looked behind Erin and could see that she had already defeated the cadet that was her opponent and the second overall strongest in their group with ease as he wasying unconscious on the ground, covered in bruises and cuts with ice shards all around him.


    The cadets gulped as they saw how easily Erin was able to defeat their second-strongest fighter and as the white glow in her eyes began to intensify more, they couldn''t help but subconsciously move back in fear, but that didn''t stop Erin from moving forward as she would no longer forgive anyone who dared to harm those who she cared about.


    Iris circled around the ice wall to join back in on the fight and she was also left stunned as she saw Erin''s eyes glow white like snow.


    However, before she could evenment on Erin''s appearance, Erin dashed forward while yelling at Iris to follow behind. Iris knew exactly what Erin was trying to do as this was one of the attackbos they had practiced with both of them using the circr water des.


    However, this time, Erin was using her Ice ability to freeze Iris'' water des mid-attack so that they retained their cutting edge and momentum but were now solid and would deal a lot more damage.


    The attack was pretty simple, both girls would rush toward an opponent at the exact same time from both directions in perfect sync making it so that the opponent couldn''t figure out who to defend against first. They would then cross paths just before their opponent and strike them from both sides using the circr water des.


    They executed the attack wlessly with the cadets so scared that they couldn''t even muster up the strength to defend against the iing attack, and as a result, they were sent flying just as the ice de made contact with their body.


    After defeating the three boys, a smile appeared on Erin''s face as she was happy with her newfound power and celebrated the fact that she just defeated 4 cadets whereas only 24 hours ago, she could barely hold her own in a one-on-one fight.


    ''The resonated abilities gave a bigger boost to our bodies than regr abilities, but I never imagined it to be this much,'' Erin thought.


    Erin was not wrong in that resonated abilities did indeed give a bigger boost, but the level of strength that Erin had managed to achieve was not just because of her resonance alone. There was another reason for the insane jump in strength and only Iris was the one that had noticed it up till now.


    After they had defeated the three cadets, Iris turned back toward Erin to confront her about her glowing eyes, but to her surprise, her eyes were back to normal. Iris couldn''t believe her eyes. She was sure that she had seen her best friend''s eyes glow white, but now there was nothing.


    Afraid that maybe she was hallucinating or something and the fact that she didn''t want her best friend to worry, Iris decided to keep this information to herself at the moment and try to see if she could spot her eyes glowing again to confirm before rming anyone of this unique development.


    *************


    [At the military headquarters]


    "Sir! Sir! You are not going to believe this!" The sergeant eximed as he rushed toward the mainmander once again with wild news about a specific group of people that had continued to amaze the officials during this recruitment test.

 Chapter 130 Mutant Genes

    ?"What is it, sergeant?" The mainmander asked.


    "Sir, I was observing the group that you had assigned me and I just observed one of the girls'' eyes glow white as she was fighting other cadets!" The sergeant replied.


    The entire room went silent as everyone focused on what the sergeant was saying.


    "Erin Robinson had resonated her wind and water abilities to obtain the ice ability within thest 24 hours and for some unknown reason, she has already awakened her Mutant Ice Gene too." The sergeant exined.


    The silence and shock on everyone''s faces showed that this was a pretty serious thing and one that was very rare. A holoscreen instantly appeared in front of the mainmander which was showing the rey of the battle that had just urred, but the footage was mostly focused on Erin.


    Right after defeating the first boy, she turned around and could see the de of fire about to hit Iris. At that moment, her eyes turned white and began to glow and she dashed forward with insane speed toward them and was able to raise an ice wall just in the nick of time to protect Iris.


    They watched as Erin''s eyes continued to shine brighter as she addressed the three cadets with a threatening tone and thenunched a devastating attack with the assistance of her ally and was able to defeat all three of them in one hit.


    The footage rey came to an end just as Erin had defeated the three cadets and her eyes returned back to normal. The entire room was still speechless as they couldn''t believe that they would see such an advanced-level technique show itself during the recruitment test.


    Mutant genes were basically part of a person''s DNA that were modified when they learned an ability. This was something that wasn''t revealed to the public as it was extremely rare to awaken at such a low level of power and such information would only prompt people to try and forcefully awaken their mutant genes which would cause all sorts of idents and mishaps.


    When a person discovers and learns to control their ability, a part of their DNA is permanently altered, creating a mutation. The specific mutations vary depending on the person and the ability that they have learned, but all of them are represented through the glowing of the eyes.


    There are several different stages of utilizing mutant genes and each granting the user a different level of power boost with the first stage being the glowing of the eyes.


    The mutant genes remain dormant until the individual has reached a certain level of mastery or understanding over their ability. This mastery is typically achieved through extensive training and practice and requires a deep understanding of their power.


    Once the individual has gained this mastery, they can activate their mutant gene, which provides an immense boost in power and ability. This boost allows the individual to perform feats that would otherwise be impossible for them to do at their level of power.


    However, activating the mutant gene also came with risks. The immense power and energy unleashed by the mutant gene could be difficult to control and maintain for a long period of time, and their regeneration speed is entirely dependent on the person but is generally quite slow, so people even at the FALCON rank use it as ast resort.


    Overall, mutant genes were a very strong and powerful force, allowing individuals to gain incredible abilities and be formidable forces to be reckoned with.


    Awakening a mutant gene at the cadet rank was already a great achievement, but what left all the officials scratching their heads was the fact that Erin was able to awaken the mutant gene of the ability that she had obtained just a couple of hours ago.


    "It seems that Cadet Grey has surrounded himself with some unique and talented individuals. I can''t wait to see what Master Sable thinks of this bunch, once he sees them," The mainmander said with a smile.


    He relieved the sergeant with the task of watching this group as they had surprised them many times, and from now on the mainmander, himself would watch them and see what else did they have in store for him.


    *************


    Despite their best efforts, the cadets were quickly overwhelmed. One by one, they fell to the ground, defeated. The cadet leader was thest one standing, but even he knew that he couldn''t win. He raised his hands in surrender and the group of five surrounded him.


    "Okay, okay, I''ll tell you what''s going on," the cadet leader said, panting heavily. "We were inside the shelter that we built near a stream nearby and about an hour ago, we received a notification through the information tablet,"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The notification was about a limited-time looting event as a single golden loot crate has appeared somewhere on the west mountain as well as five purple loot crates and fifteen blue loot crates."


    "We were running low on supplies and all the weapons that you took from us were the ones that either we brought or found from the regr loot crate and none of them are too good. We were hoping to get a head start and be the first ones here since we were already so close to the mountain and be able to locate the golden loot crate first which would help increase our odds of survival by a lot." The cadet Leader exined.


    The group exchanged looks, realizing this was a much bigger deal than they anticipated. They had no idea that an event like this had been initiated and this further cemented the fact that they needed to get a shelter built ASAP. They couldn''t just continue to wander around the ind while others would receive information through the tablets near their shelter.


    "Thanks for telling us," Mako said, lowering his lightning aura. "You could have just told us that from the very beginning and avoided all of this pointless fighting."


    The cadet leader nodded, understanding that the group was indeed not lying about anything. They said that they just wanted to know what was going on and as soon as he told them, they backed off. If only he wasn''t so aggressive and hostile toward them, then all of them could havee out of this uninjured.


    Mako and the rest of the group huddled around each other and began to discuss how they were going to proceed forward because now that they knew that the mountain would be a hotspot for cadets, they had to move even more carefully and reach their destination quickly before it gets imed by another group.


    As the Mako was discussing things with his group, the cadet leader tried to wake up his friends that were knocked out during the fight, but it looked like they werepletely knocked out cold with no chance of waking up soon, especially the ones that Erin had dealt with.


    Without any dy, several patrolling officers made it to the scene, appearing out of nowhere. They started assembling a couple of those portable stretchers andid the knocked-out cadets on top of them.


    At first, the cadet leader was saddened that all his friends were knocked out and that he would have to stay and guard them until they woke up again which would leave them venerable and behind everyone else, but now his sadness was turning into fear and panic as he realized that he would now be left alone as all seven of his friends were beingid on the stretchers and transported off the ind.


    The cadet leader tried to plead to the officer to try and let his friends stillpete in the test, but he tantly refused, saying that they all had received internal injuries which required urgent medical attention and he wasn''t in the position to provide them all with healing pills.


    At record speed, the patrolling officers had done their job and quickly gone out of sight. The cadet was left alone in the woods with no one by his side. He turned toward where Mako''s group was before only to see that they had also left the scene as well.


    The cadet leader couldn''t believe that a single bad decision had made it so that they hadpletely lost all their advantage in the test and it was likely that he would get eliminated soon as well by either a scary beast or another group of less forgiving cadets.


    *************


    Mako and the group had decided to pick up the pace and start sprinting up the mountain. The mountain was quite tall and it would have taken a regr human with hiking experience 3-4 hours to climb all the way to the top, but since they were ability users with superior bodies, they were able to reduce that time by a lot.


    If the cadet leader was to be believed, then it was still quite early and the majority of people would still be trying to make their way to the mountain which meant that they still had a head start. They would use this time efficiently to make it to their ideal location before anyone else and start constructing their shelter.


    With two Earth ability users, the construction wasn''t going to take too long, and once they had finished, they could begin looking for the loot crates that were scattered all over the mountain.


    Just as everyone was sprinting up the mountain, Mako had the Analyze skill activated which allowed him to read all the different things he was passing by, and it just so happens that a particr prompt caught his attention and forced him to stop running.


    Seeing as Mako had stopped running, the others stopped as well, not knowing why but they trusted Mako''s judgment as his intuition was never wrong.


    [Analyze]


    [Purple Tier Loot Crate]

 Chapter 131 Insane Loot Crates

    ?lodged between the gap of two boulders, Mako could see a purple reflection of a shiny loot crate. It was hidden so well that the rest of the group was shocked to see that Mako was able to notice it even as they were running so fast past it.


    Of course, Mako would have never noticed the purple loot crate if he wasn''t constantly using Analyze on everything as he ran past, but he couldn''t reveal this secret to anyone yet and just acted like he got lucky.


    Leon quickly moved the boulders apart using his Earth ability and the bare purple loot crate came into view. Wasting no time at all, Mako opened the crate so that he could see just how overpowered were these high-level loot crates and quickly get a move on as they were still on a time crunch.


    He pressed the button on the top of the crate and pulled on the lever next to it to open the lid.


    The crate made the same small hissing sound as the lid was opened indicating that the crate was sealed airtight. It was still a mystery to Mako how was the military able to introduce new rarity crates on the ind at a moment''s notice because they weren''t on the ind since the beginning and were added just as the announcement was made.


    The contents of the crate were five small little ck containers. The lid itself had a screen on the inside and on it was a disy that exined what was inside each container.


    The screen on the lid of the loot crate disyed:


    [High Tier Healing Pills x 5]


    [Self-Heating MRE x 15: Self-heating ready-to-eat meals that can provide instant and warm food during emergencies.]


    [Nano-Filtered Water Bottle x 3: A high-tech water bottle that uses nano-filtration technology to instantly purify water, making it safe to drink.]


    [AI-Powered Companion Drone x 1: An advanced drone equipped with artificial intelligence that can assist in various tasks such as surveying surroundings, giving recon, and providing security surveince.]


    [High Tier Storm Caller''s Staff]


    The number of items that they just got from a singr crate was justpletely mind-boggling. A single purple-tier loot crate was able to provide items for healing, eating, and drinking.


    In addition to that, one of the small little ck containers contained a miniature drone that also came with a small control device that had many features that would help them scout out dangerous areas without exposing themselves, and also help keep watch at night while they rested.


    However, the biggest shocker was inside thest small ck container that somehow contained a 6-foot staff inside. As Mako opened the container, it didn''t feelpressed orpact at all, but as soon as he removed the lid, therge staff shot out of the container, much like knotted pieces of cloth that seem to never end from a magician''s hat.


    Mako was quite amazed and intrigued as to how the military was able to store such big items in small containers, but he would just have to add this to his list of questions he wanted answers to as soon as he arrived at military school.


    The staff was 6 feet tall and its shaft was crafted from what appeared to be wood. The wood was adorned with intricate carvings of hieroglyphics, swirls, lightning bolts, and storm clouds. At the top of the staff rested a yellow crystal orb surrounded by a crown of silvery metal with intricate lightning bolt designs etched onto every surface.


    Mako picked up the staff and used Analyze on it to see what kind of stats and abilities would the staff have.


    As Mako grabbed the staff, the crystal orb started to pulse with the power of thunder. Inside the orb, bolts of lightning dance and crackle, casting a pale yellow light that illuminated the area around it.


    [Analyze]


    [High Tier Storm Caller''s Staff] ?


    [A 6-foot long staff crafted from the crystal and wood of the Storm Caller beast tree found in (Unknown). An excellent weapon created by (Unknown).]


    [Strength +15]


    [Agility +15]


    [Stamina +5]


    [Attack: 70]


    [Active skill: Lightning Mode Change] ?


    [Lightning Mode Change: The hilt of the Storm Caller''s staff has the ability to be moved up or down the shaft which increases or decreases the height of the overall shaft. The change in height of the staff indicates the change of the three avable modes.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Mode: Chain Lightning Mode] ?


    [Chain Lightning Mode: When the staff is at its tallest height, the staff releases a bolt of lightning that strikes the target. The lightning then arcs to other nearby enemies, dealing decreasing amounts of damage of 5% with each jump. Using this mode requires a cooldown of ten seconds between each strike.]


    [Mode: Concentrated Lightning Mode] ?


    [Concentrated Lightning Mode: When the staff is at its lowest height, the staff releases a concentrated bolt of lightning that strikes the target, dealing massive damage. The lightning arc is twice as strong as the aura provided, dealing increased damage by 200%. Using this mode requires a cooldown of 5 minutes between each strike.]


    [Mode: Normal Mode] ?


    [Normal Mode: When the staff is at its normal height, no mode is activated and the staff can be used to fight normally, and lightning attacks can still be directed through it, but they won''t be amplified or altered in any way.]


    [NOTE: Only a lightning ability user can wield the Storm Caller''s staff and use its active skills as all of them require the aura of the lightning user to work. Since the Strom Caller is only High tier, it can only use lightning aura up to level 4 effectively. Even if the aura is stronger than a level 4, the attack released by the staff will be capped at level 4 and won''t exceed.]


    Mako felt like the ind was finally giving him a break after putting him through so many hardships since the beginning. The staff looked like it was designed for Mako in particr as it was absolutely perfect.


    Mako had a level 4 lightning ability which was the maximum that the staff would ept so he was going to be able to pull out the maximum damage potential from the staff. Secondly, since he was the only lightning ability user in their group, there wasn''t even a debate as to who should wield the Storm Caller''s Staff.


    With the staff in Mako''s hand, Mako decided that it was only fair that someone else would get to use hisbat knife for the time being since he couldn''t use two weapons at once and so he decided to hand hisbat knife to the obvious person, Erin.


    Since Erin had unlocked her ice ability, she was the best person to give a weapon that also had an ice affinity.


    Since the group was still on a time crunch and they needed to reach the area where they were going to build their shelter, they quickly stored all the contents of the purple loot crate in their backpacks and resumed their journey up the mountain.


    ***********


    By noon, the group had almost made it to the summit of the mountain. The terrain they had been trekking on had constantly been a slope, but as they reached the top, the terrain had ttened out a bit and the scenery was so beautiful it was beyond what words could describe.


    As soon as the ground leveled out, the group came across an opening where a medium-sizedke seemed to be the source of the stream that was flowing down the mountain earlier.


    Theke had crystal clear water that reflected the sky above with 100% uracy. There were several trees, all neatly surrounding theke with one corner being exposed as there was nothing but in grass there.


    It seemed that nature itself was screaming to them to build their shelter in the clear grass opening next to theke, and they took the hint as they stopped near the bank of theke to rest up before starting to build their shelter.


    The shelter was mostly going to be made out of stone using the Earth ability, but it could be further reinforced using wooden logs and enriched y and mud from the bed of theke. The group had divided different tasks among themselves so that they could hopefully finish by the end of the day.


    Bill and Leon were going to work on constructing the shelter using their Earth ability. Erin and Iris were responsible to gather wood logs and branches which the guys could use to make sure the shelter was sturdy and wouldn''t copse.


    Erin and Iris had already practiced making a shelter with Sven several times beforeing for the test so they were quite knowledgeable in that department and already knew what to do.


    The two of them surrounded the nearest tree by standing on opposite sides. They created a singr ring of water that surrounded the tree. Now Iris began spinning the water ring by focusing her aura to the right so that the water circle would start to spin counterclockwise. Erin did the same and double the eleration and speed of the water ring.


    The water ring began to spin faster and faster as both girls pushed their auras onto the water. Once it was spinning fast enough, Erin began shrinking the water ring making it so that it slowly got closer and closer to the tree.


    Eventually, the spinning ring of water made contact with the bark of the tree and it cut straight through like butter. It didn''t take long as the girls pushed the water ring through the entire tree making it fall on its side.


    Just like that, the girls had already gathered a log of wood in under 2 minutes.


    Mako, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen while the four of them worked in the shelter. Mako had taken the responsibility of scouting the area for an information tablet. Since they were going to live here now, it was crucial that they locate an information tablet close to the base from where they could receive daily updates.


    Mako was currently controlling the AIpanion drone and using it to scan the trees near their shelter to try and see if there was an information tablet there or not. So far, Mako had no luck as he had basically checked the entire line of trees next to theke.


    With no other option, Mako had to now venture outwards and try to locate the closest information tablet that they could use.

 Chapter 132 Sensory Overload

    ?Mako started moving further away from the shelter but still, he didn''t have any luck finding an information tablet. He had been moving for a while and was a decent way away from where the shelter was so he decided to turn back and circle around back toward the shelter.


    This way he could check the remaining perimeter for the tablet before arriving back at the shelter.


    The structure of the mountain was such that it had uniform steepness all around for most of the way up, buting close to the top, one side of the mountain started to be less steep and eventually ttened out, this was where theke was situated and where the group had decided to build the shelter.


    However, the other side of the mountain was significantly longer than the other. This long side appeared to be incredibly steep, with sharp cliffs and jagged rocks that tower higher than the other side of the mountain, reaching its true peak.


    Mako had trekked through the short side of the mountain as he made his way around the whole thing, hoping to make an entire loop and reach the shelter before it got toote in the day. He had now entered the steep part of the mountain with a lot less vegetation.


    Since there weren''t many trees, it made Mako''s job a whole lot easier as it would be easy to spot an information tablet attached to the wall if there were any.


    *************


    Mako traveled through a significant portion of the steep side of the mountain and still wasn''t able to locate a tablet. He had given up looking for a tablet at this point because even if he did find one, it would be too far away to reliably use from their shelter.


    He decided to just move forward,plete the loop, and start looking for the tablet again once he was closer to the camp from the other side.


    Since he was away from everyone, Mako decided to use this opportunity to quickly knock out his daily quest as well so he wouldn''t have to worry about it for the rest of the day. The first quest was to do several exercises such as pull-ups, squats, sit-ups, etc. Next, he had to not eat anything for twelve hours, and finally, he had to jog 32 kilometers.


    Mako found a smooth t rock during his search and quickly did all the exercises on it. He hadn''t eaten anything since morning when they stopped near the stream before the cadets attacked them so that task would be automaticallypleted by the time he reached the shelter, andstly, he had refrained from running at top speed and maintained a quick jog instead as he made his way around the mountain so that he couldplete the 32 kilometers.


    The mountain circumference was a lot more than 32 kilometers, but once Mako''s daily task waspleted, he could cover the remaining distance at faster speeds to make it back in less time.


    *************


    Mako hadpleted all his daily tasks at a good pace and had trekked over the entire steep side of the mountain with noplications. He made his way back to the tter and smother side of the mountain and slowed down his pace once again so that he could look for the information tablet again.


    He used his drone to check the top parts of trees because that was where they had always found a tablet before. Things weren''t looking too good as Mako still didn''t find a tablet and he was nearing thepletion of the whole loop around the mountain.


    If he wasn''t able to find a tablet near the vicinity of the shelter then it meant that they could not stay there and would have to move again and search for a better spot to build a shelter. This would be a huge pain as they had already spent so long trying to make it up the mountain and had also begun building the shelter.


    *BEEP!*


    Just as Mako thought that his fears hade true and that he would have to break the news to the group that they had to move again the AI drone finally gave off a beep indicating that he had found something.


    Mako rushed over to the drone''s location and looked up to see the drone hovering next to the tablet which was blinking red just as usual. Mako was justifiably pissed after confirming that he had indeed FINALLY found the information tablet.


    He was so angry with himself because if only he had chosen to start walking from the opposite direction, he would have found the tablet in under 20 minutes and it would have saved him that whole hiking trip.


    However, Mako didn''t want to jinx his luck and just thanked his lucky stars that he was able to find one at the very end and won''t have to move again to another location.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako quickly started climbing the tree to reach the tablet. He reached it and released it from its case by entering his name and pressing his finger on it so that it could scan and verify his fingerprint. He jumped back down and opened the tablet to check out what was thetest news.


    There wasn''t much new information on the tablet this time since he had read through itst night. There was the obvious announcement about the special loot crates, but it wasn''t just on the west mountain, but rather all four mountains.


    The event log also had a lot of new information as many more cadets were being defeated especially since they wereing into close contact with one another as they all made their way toward the mountains in the center.


    After reading through thest bit of unimportant notifications, Mako was about to put the tablet back in its case and return to the shelter to inform everyone about his find, but he was interrupted by the sounds of leaves crunching and twigs breaking.


    The sound was very quiet and soft but Mako''s perception was still able to pick it up. He quickly ced the tablet on the ground and turned around, removing the Storm Caller Staff from his back and equipped it in his hands while also taking a stance to be prepared for whatever was approaching him.


    The sounds continued to be louder in Mako''s head indicating that the thing was moving forward toward him and yet nothing wasing into Mako''s sight. Mako was quite confused as he still could not see anyone or anything in his line of sight and yet the sound he was hearing was indicating that whatever it was was directly in front of Mako.


    It was getting really creepy and Mako didn''t like it one bit so he quickly channeled his aura into the staff and directed a lighting strike toward the exact position from where Mako was hearing the rustling noise.


    The strikended right on the intended area where Mako thought the target was but nothing was hit by the lightning as hit the ground and dispersed, only charring a couple of leaves nearby.


    Suddenly, Mako started hearing the same set of noises but from apletely different direction. He quickly turned around and used his left hand to throw a fireball but still, the fireball hit nothing as there was nothing there.


    As soon as Mako struck the area from where he thought the sound wasing, the location of the sound would change. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he was genuinely spooked by the fact that he had attacked a different location of the sound for the tenth time and still, there was nothing actually being hit.


    He couldn''t understand what was he fighting against, it wasn''t paranoia because the system confirmed that Mako was in perfect health, something was definitely making those sounds.


    Mako thought that maybe it had an invisibility ability which was why he couldn''t see it, but that didn''t exin the fact that it was still somehow able to dodge his fastest attacks. He then thought that perhaps it had a shrinking ability and was just too small to see, but that also didn''t fit the description because it wouldn''t be able to travel so much distance instantly and dodge his wide-range fire attacks.


    The sounds just started to be louder and louder and Mako had no idea what to do anymore so he just began to rapid-fire skills in random locations from where he heard the noises hoping to hit whatever it was making those noises, but still, there was nothing hit and the sounds never stopped.


    Mako started feeling more and more anxious as he could figure out what was going on around him. He bent down on one knee in defeat after he had activated the me Pir ability to attack the sound but there was still no result as the sound just relocated to a different spot.


    Mako couldn''t take it anymore and he just covered his ears with his hands hoping for the sound to go away but his hands didn''t provide any protection at all because he could still hear those noises and it looked like they were even multiplying now as he was starting to hear them from multiple locations at once.


    Mako didn''t know what to do anymore. He continued to cover his ears and hope for the sounds to go away but they only got louder and louder. He was feeling light-headed and thought that he was gonna faint from hearing so many noises at once, but just then a notification appeared in front of his eyes.


    *Ding!*


    [User is experiencing Auditory Sensory Overload]


    [Temporarily blocking User''s sense of hearing]

 Chapter 133 Testing The Storm Caller

    ?Silence!


    The overwhelming sounds hadpletely disappeared and Mako could not hear anything now. He looked at the prompt in front of his eyes with massive gratitude because he didn''t even know that the system could do something like this.


    At first, it might seem scary, considering Mako knew very little about the system and he didn''t know what other functionalities it had hidden from him. If the system could temporarily block his sense of hearing, then what else could it also block? His sight? His heartbeat?


    However, Mako didn''t have any such thoughts in the given situation as he was just so happy to not hear that constant creepy noise. Now that Mako was unaffected by the sound, he stood up once again and started Analyzing his surroundings, trying to find the source of whatever was causing this.


    It was quite a unique experience for Mako, one that he couldn''t say he actually liked. To not be able to hear absolutely anything was quite terrifying in its own right, but was still better than the auditory overload.


    Everyone had tried to cover their ears as kids to see if they couldpletely block their sense of hearing, but they would still fail as a tiny amount of noise would make it through and if they were in a quiet enough room, they would start hearing the sound of their internal organs.


    Mako was unable to hear anything at all - neither the sound of the wind rustling through the trees, nor the gentle flow of the nearby stream, nor even the beating of his own heart.


    Using this to his advantage, Mako scanned his surroundingpletely but still wasn''t able to find anything out of the ordinary that could be the cause of the sounds.


    Now that Mako was unaffected, he did have the option to just leave the area and return back to the shelter, but at this point, Mako was certain that sounds were real and were created by either a cadet or a beast that was very good at hiding or using some sort of camouge.


    Either way, Mako didn''t want to lead whatever it was back toward the shelter and potentiallypromise their position so he needed to figure out where the source of the sound was. After making sure that he hadn''t missed anything, Mako only knew one ce that he hadn''t checked and where the source might be.


    "UP!" Mako shouted.


    [High Jump has been activated]


    Makounched himself high above the branches of the tree and whilst being in the air, Mako used Analyze once again to see if there was anything on top of the trees, and sure enough, he had found the source of the sound and a lot of them.


    [Analyze]


    [High-level Cicada Snake]


    [Ability: Sound (Level 3), Poison (Level 2)]


    [Description: A Cicada Snake has 2 stages of life where the snakeletse into the world as a Medium level beast and naturally evolve into a High-level beast as it grows up. Once an adult, the Cicada Snake fully develops its wings that wrap around its body, which it uses for mobility as well as to use its sound ability in a unique way.


    Cicada Snakes can use their wings and sound ability in unison to create sound illusions to confuse and overwhelm their prey. They mostly travel in groups as the strength of their illusion is stronger with multiple Cicada Snakes making use of the sound ability at the same time.


    Cicada Snakes have very unique skin as it has evolved to be able to blend into their surrounding and hide from the line of sight of everyone. Their skin provides a natural camouge that can change depending on which terrain, they are currently on, making them really hard to spot.]


    [Weakness: Lightning, Fire, Ice]


    Once Mako had identified the actual location of the beasts that had caused him such a level of mental hurt and anxiety, he grabbed the hilt of the Storm Caller staff and extended it to its maximum height.


    Mako channeled his lightning aura straight into Storm Caller Staff which started to glow as it became charged with his aura. Once fully charged, a single fast bolt of lightning erupted from the crystal that was attached to its top and struck the nearest Cicada Snake.


    [Lightning Strike has been activated]


    The lightning attack was much faster than any of Mako''s own attacks and even the Cicada Snake was caught off guard because it wasn''t able to move in time to dodge the attack.


    The lightning bolt traveled through its body dealing massive amounts of damage as lightning was indeed one of its weaknesses, but rather than dispersing into thin air, like regr lightning attacks, the shocks lingered on the body of the first Cicada Snake.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After a second or two, the lightning used its body as a conduit to travel to the next Cicada Snake and shock it too, creating a chain effect hitting several Cicada Snakes. Mako was able to locate a total of 18 Cicada Snakes on top of the trees and so heunched another chained lightning strike beforeing back down.


    The Lightning caused the bodies of the Cicada Snakes to be paralyzed and they ended up falling to the ground alongside Mako. As soon as their bodies touched the ground, their skin color changed and adapted to the now muddy and grassy terrain of the ground.


    However, Mako had no problem locating his targets as Analyze was able to bypass through their camouge and show Mako exactly where their position was.


    The effects of the lightning soon wore off and now all 18 Cicada Snakes went on the offensive and started to hiss at Mako while spitting a ball of green liquid at him from their mouths.


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    Mako used Motion Sense to reliably dodge all the iing projectiles using minimal movement. Once he was able to dodge all of them, Mako grabbed the hilt of the Storm Caller staff once again and reduced the height of the staff to its original height.


    After he did that, Mako channeled his lightning aura into the staff once again. Since the staff was in its normal setting it won''t use any of the active skill modes during this attack and will just execute whatever skill that Mako wanted to cast.


    After sufficient lightning aura had been transferred to the crystal, Mako the staff from the middle with a firm grip and using all his force mmed the hilt of the staff on the ground.


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    The staff released an electrical pulse at the point of contact with the ground, simr to how Mako releases a pulse from his own body when he uses Electrical Discharge. Nevertheless, the pulse generated by the staff was significantlyrger and broader than any previous electrical discharge produced by Mako.


    The pulse was able to cover all the Cicada Snakes and paralyze thempletely. Since the Cicada Snakes didn''t have any facial expressions, it looked like they had been frozen ce without the use of an ice ability.


    Once they were locked in ce, Mako decided to one of his favoritebos to finish them all in one go. He dropped the Storm Caller''s staff on the ground and ced his hands on the ground.


    The Cicada Snakes watched while remaining perfectly still as Mako nted more and more fire aura into the ground. After he had picked his target and nted an unnecessary amount of fire aura into the ground, Mako activated one of his favorite abilities.


    [me Pir has been activated]


    The paralysis of the Cicada Snakes had just worn off and they had started to gather more green liquid in their mouths tounch another wave of poison projectiles at Mako, but before a single drop of the green liquid was produced inside their mouths, the very ground beneath them turned into a pit of fire.


    Mako had practiced his skills a lot so that he could level them up and make them stronger and more effective. One of the skills that he had practiced and leveled up the most was the me Pir skill which paired very well with his Electrical Discharge ability.


    A tall pir of mes erupted from the ground, engulfing all 18 Cicada Snakes and burning them all. Once the duration of the skill had psed, Mako received several notifications confirming the killing of the beasts and granting Mako the EXP reward.


    Mako walked over to the smoking corpses of the Cicada Snakes and started harvesting the crystals from their husky and crunchy remains. Since most of their body had been evaporated and crisped up, taking the crystals out was not a big deal at all.


    Mako ced all the crystals inside his backpack along with his other crystals. He was still not able to find time alone from the group and absorb the remaining crystals so that he could regain his lost energy, but he was nning in doing it tonight while he would be on guard duty.


    After he was done, he quickly started making his way back to the shelter and updating everyone about the location of the information tablet, but he wasn''t even able to take ten steps when a sudden system notification appeared in front of his eyes.


    *DING!*


    [Threat for Auditory Sensory Overload has been terminated]


    [Re-activating User''s sense of hearing]


    "AHHHH!" Mako screamed as his hearing was turned back on by the system.

 Chapter 134 A Threat

    ?It was already quite strange and spooky to not be able to hear anything and when the system suddenly switched his hearing back on, it felt like his sensory overload all over again.


    Since Mako had spent some time without his sense of hearing, his body had adapted to it and now his ears had be super sensitive making even the little background noises feel so loud and intense.


    Mako covered his ears once again and waited for his senses to stabilize back to normal again. It seemed like Mako was still discovering new things about the system and he would have to look further into how it was able to block and restore his sense of hearing at will and whether there was a way to manipte it.


    If Mako couldmand the system to gradually block and restore his senses, it would be a great skill to have as Mako could in theory counter any type of sensory attack, no matter how strong.


    However, right now Mako''s main concern was to get back to the shelter. His ears were still ringing but it was bing more and more manageable. The sun was starting to set and he didn''t want to be out and about during the night and make his friends worry so he quickly rushed back to the shelter.


    Mako ced the information tablet back inside the case on top of the tree but he didn''t log out of his ount. Now since his ount was still logged in and the tablet was inside the case, the tablet would continue to disy information without losing its battery, and as long as it was not left alone for too long, it won''t turn off due to inactivity.


    Mako had instructed the AI drone to remain by the tablet and periodically interact with it so it would always remain active and he could always observe the tablet without ever having to back there physically.


    The drone had a long battery that could help it get through the night and it can recharge itself using the advanced sr panels attached to its back during the day.


    Mako rushed back to the open field to see that the shelter had beenpleted. It wasn''t anything fancy but it did provide excellent protection. It had a solid stone foundation that was reinforced with mud and y from the bed of theke.


    Then, there were wooden logs used as columns with equal spacing all around the perimeter of the foundation. The logs not only added color, depth, and aesthetics to the overall build of the shelter, but they also provided support to the stone walls and the nted stone roof on top of the shelter.


    The shelter looked absolutely gorgeous as it also had a chimney on the roof to let smoke escape from the indoor campfire. The design of the shelter was not Mako''s but rather Iris''s as she had trained to build different types of shelters for different terrains and environments.


    Since they were building at a high altitude and near a body of water, they had to make sure they had a solid secure foundation as the ground itself wasn''t strong enough to support the shelter reliably and to have an indoor campfire with a chimney so that they could keep warm and have a way for the smoke to escape.


    The indoor campfire would also double as a cooking station making it so that they could cook and enjoy their meals without leaving thefort of their shelter. However, there was only one problem that Mako had noticed.


    Even though the shelter was finished, Mako couldn''t see anyone nearby and there didn''t seem to be anyone inside as well because there was no lighting out from the windows that were on some of the walls to let air circte through.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Mako was worried that something might be up and he quickly sprinted at his top speed over to the shelter but was greeted with an eerie silence.


    "Guys?" Mako called out as he approached the gate of the shelter.


    As Mako approached the gate of the shelter, he noticed that it was slightly open, which added to his growing sense of unease. He pushed the gate open and cautiously stepped inside, his hand crackling with electricity just in case there was something hostile inside.


    The interior of the shelter was dark, and Mako''s eyes struggled to adjust to the suddenck of light. He called out again, louder this time, but still, there was no response. Mako''s heart started to race as he frantically started looking everywhere inside the small shelter, trying to find any sign of his friends.


    He approached the campfire that was built and noticed Bill and Leon''s backpacks. He opened it up and saw that all the items were still there which indicated that they weren''t ambushed or anything otherwise, the backpacks and the items wouldn''t be there. It seemed like everyone had just left.


    ''Why would they all just suddenly leave?! Where could they have gone?'' Mako thought as he continued to move back and forth inside the shelter.


    Mako couldn''t just go out and start looking for them, because it was bing dark outside and he didn''t even have the slightest idea of where to start looking.


    Suddenly, Mako started to fear the worse and quickly reached into his backpack and pulled out the small remote control for the AI drone. The remote control had a small holographic disy that showed what the drone''s camera was seeing. He took control of the drone and began controlling one of its arms that were attached at the front.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He used his arms to turn on the information tablet and opened the event log on the information tablet. Mako was afraid that maybe his friends were lured out by another group of cadets and were defeated.


    If that was the case, Mako would be able to see their names and their fight details on the event log; however, he wasn''t able to find any of their names. This brought a little bit of relief to Mako as this confirmed that his friends were still safe and participating in the test.


    Nevertheless, Mako couldn''t help but worry about where his friends had gone too. Mako had no other choice so he decided to just turn the AI drone back on autopilot and wait inside the shelter for others to return.


    Mako was about to put the AI drone back on autopilot when all of a sudden a new event had beenunched on the notifications tab. Mako was uninterested at first, but since he had already essed the tablet, he thought that reading about thetest news wasn''t a big crime at all.


    The notification tab had a brand new notification for Mako, one that he wasn''t thrilled to see but one that answered all of his answers.


    [Notifications]


    [Mikhail Fedorov has challenged Mako Grey to a duel!]


    [Location: South Western in fields, near the base of the west mountain]


    [Time: 08:00]


    [Comments: I hope you aren''t missing something that you want back!]


    The duel request could not havee at a worse time because thest thing Mako wanted to do was fight some random dude instead of finding his friends.


    However, the description of the duel answered most of his questions. By reading thement attached to the duel request, Mako was able to determine that his friends were indeed in trouble. From the looks of things, it looked like they were held captive and used as bait to reel Mako in.


    Mako couldn''t understand what was the reason behind these individuals targeting him so much, but it looked like he would find out soon as the fight was set early in the morning tomorrow at the base of the west mountain.


    Now with the duel activated, Mako had to attend it no matter what, because he also couldn''t risk losing points, which wouldn''t look good on his status sheet and potentially demote him down a level, making it hard to climb back to the top of the ranks.


    "Fine! If it''s a fight you want! It is a fight you will get!" Mako said as he cracked his knuckles.


    Wasting no time whatsoever, Mako first lit the campfire so that it could provide some light and heat to the shelter. Next, he put some water that the girls had collected from theke on the fire to boil.


    Mako had ess to many MREs now which only needed hot water to rehydrate and reheat. If Mako was going to take on Mikhail in a fair fight then he would need a lot of energy so he decided to stock up on food so that his body would be at its maximum during the fight.


    "Speaking of energy..." Mako said as he inverted his backpack onto the floor of the shelter.


    Several crystals started to pour out from his bag which Mako neatlyid out on the ground in front of him. After doing so, Mako grabbed a medium-tier crystal from the Sabertooth spider and crushed it using his hands.


    Just like before, the crystal released a dim green light apanied by a couple of bubbles before fading away and increasing Mako''s poison understanding by another percent and gaining 10 energy.


    Mako looked at all the remaining crystals on the ground and a smile appeared on his face. He didn''t know what was the deal with Mikhail or whoever the imposter was, but he did know one thing and that was that he going to bring them a unique surprise tomorrow, one that he knew they wouldn''t expect.

 Chapter 135 The Duel Begins

    ?Mako absorbed every single crystal that was inside his backpack which included the 25 medium-tier raw crystals of the Sabertooth Spiders, 28 high-tier raw crystals of the Terra Beetles, and the 18 high-tier crystals of the Cicada Snakes.


    These crystals were only the ones that Mako had killed. There were still more crystals in Leon and Bill''s backpacks, but Mako didn''t dare touch them as he wanted to honor the promise he made to them that whoever kills that beast will own the crystal and since crystals were going to be an important resource, he didn''t want to cheat his friends and absorb more crystals.


    It was not like Mako needed more crystals because his energy pool wasrger than it ever was and by a very big margin.


    [Profile] ?


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 500/500] ?


    [Energy: 4050/4050] ?


    [EXP: 60000/204800] ?


    [ount: 120 Bronze Tier Coins] ?


    [Level 12] ?


    [Strength: 35 (+45) ] ?


    [Agility: 40 (+35) ] ?


    [Perception: 50(+20)] ?


    [Intelligence: 30] ?


    [Mentality: 50] ?


    [Stamina: 30 (+25) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: 50] ?


    [Attribute Points: 9] ?


    Mako''s energy pool had more than doubled in size and it was all thanks to the high-tier crystals. The high-tier crystals gave a slightly better understanding of the ability they possessed and increased the progress bar more than medium-tier crystals. In addition to that, a single high-tier crystal was able to increase Mako''s energy pool by 50 instead of 10 which was a great jump, but one that Mako didn''tin about in the slightest.


    Alongside that, A new sub-tab had been unlocked under the profile tab which disyed all the different abilities that Mako was in the process of understanding or upgrading.


    [Understandings] ?


    [Poison (Level 1): 62%]


    [Lightning (Level 5): 11.2%]


    [Earth(Level 1): 56%]


    [Sound (Level 1): 27%]


    What Mako found interesting was the fact that even though all the medium-tier crystals provided a 1% understanding of the abilities that were stored in them and high-tier crystals provided a 2% understanding of the abilities that were stored inside the, the rate at which Mako''s progress bar increased was different for each ability.


    Since Earth and Poison were considered at the same level in terms of abilities, both of them increment with 1% from a medium-tier crystal and two percent from a high-tier crystal; however, since Sound was considered a tier above Earth, it only gained an increment of 1.5% from a high-tier crystal.


    The level of abilities also mattered because even though Lightning and Earth were at the same level since Mako''s Lightning was in the progress of being upgraded to level 5 while he was learning the first level of Earth, he gained only 11.2% in Lightning while he gained 56% understanding in Earth even though he absorbed the same number of crystals.


    Mako was quite intrigued about how the system calcted this exchange rate, but unfortunately, he was out of crystals so he would have to find out more about thister.


    With his energy levels topped up and his understanding enhanced, Mako spent the rest of the night preparing for the uing fight. He checked the backpacks once again and saw that Erin had also left thebat knife that he gave her behind.


    Mako was still skeptical as to how all four of his friends were able to be captured so easily and it was also weird that there were signs of resistance or fighting around the camp which would have been the case if they were taken by force. Mako knew the strength of his friends and he knew that they were strong enough to at least put up a fight.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Thisbined with the fact that they left their weapons and backpacks behind, made Mako think that maybe they were lured away somehow.


    As the sun began to rise, Mako prepared himself to face Mikhail and rescue his friends. Mako had no doubt in his mind that the imposter that he had caught and this Mikhail fellow were associates, but he wanted to know what was so special about their group that he kept pursuing them.


    First through the imposter Andrew who they saved from the burning hut, then using those hypnotized high-tier wolf beasts, and now somehow holding his friends hostage so that Mako would have no other choice but to ept the duel.


    Something was definitely fishy about this because no sane cadet would go to such lengths just to deal with one group; however, Mako couldn''t actually know the truth until he faced him.


    So as soon as the first rays of the sun came through the shelter window, Mako stepped outside the shelter and started making his way toward the base of the west mountain where the duel was supposed to take ce.


    Prior to leaving, Mako used the drone to check the event log one more time to see if Mikhail was true to his word and still had not eliminated his friends or if he had lied and eliminated his friends already making it so that Mako was just walking into his trap.


    Fortunately, it looked like Mikhail was true to his word as no such report of his friends being eliminated had appeared on the event log.


    As Mako walked down the mountain at a rtively fast pace, he wasn''t distracted by anything in his path at all. He didn''te across a single beast or cadet during his whole journey which was also quite odd because the mountain should have been booming with activity since the loot crate event was still active.


    When he reached the designated spot, he saw a man standing in the open field, waiting for him. This was Mikhail. He was a tall and muscr man, with a face that looked like it had seen its fair share of battles. He had tall, broad shoulders and a muscr build.


    He had short, light blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that seem to stare right through his opponent. His face was rugged and scarred, with a prominent jawline and a stern expression that gave the impression that he is not one to be trifled with. He was also wearing the same military uniform as Mako with a sheath attached to his belt.


    The two men stared at each other for a few tense moments, neither one making a move.


    "You wanted me, and now I am here! Where are my friends?" Mako said to Mikhail without a hint of fear in his voice.


    Mikhail only smiled at Mako''s question as he used his right pointer finger to direct Mako''s attention toward the nearby tree.


    Mako followed the direction of Mikhail''s pointer finger and his eyesnded on his friends who were on their knees with nk expressions on their faces, staring at the sky with their faces covered in sweat.


    "WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM!?" Mako shouted as he tried to move toward his friends but was forced to stop dead in his tracks.


    A female cadet and the imposter from before suddenly appeared from behind Bill and Iris'' back and held a de right next to their throat. Bill and Iris didn''t even flinch as the girl cadet and the imposter did this which meant that they were in some sort of trance and couldn''t register what was going on outside.


    The girl cadet had long ck hair and deep ck eyes that had a hint of purple in them. She had a rtively small body but that didn''t stop her woman parts from fully developing which she proudly disyed with a tight and half-buttoned-up shirt and makeshift shorts made from torn military pants.


    She had a maniacal smile on her face as she said," Easy there, they are just getting their daily rmended dose of... FEAR!"


    Mako was stunned by what he was hearing. He quickly used Analyze on the girl to find out what she was going on about and that was when he realized.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Natasha Wolf]


    [Ability: Fear (Level 4), Speed (Level 3)] ?


    The girl whose name was Natasha had the fear ability. This was the reason why his friends were in a trance-like state, she must have put them in a dream where they were living through their worst fears again and again.


    However, this was not the only instance that Mako hade across this type of ability. Mako thought back to the events that had taken ce on the aircraft before jumping. Mako was going through the same exact thing where he could register anything and was being welled up by fear.


    "You Bi***! It was you! You altered my mind while we were on the ne!" Mako shouted in anger toward Natasha who just kept smiling like a crazed woman.


    Suddenly, Mako started hearing the sound of slow ppinging from the front, he turned back to see that Mikhail was the one pping.


    "So you figured that part out, very good Mr. Grey." He said in a very deep Russian ent.


    "So you must have also figured out that you have been our sole target ever since this test began!" Mikhail added as he stopped pping.


    "What..." Mako was about to say something but waspletely cut off as Mikhail dashed in front of him in an instant.


    The two boys were literally inches apart from one another. Mako was processing Mikhail''s insane speed while Mikhail just stared right into Mako''s eyes. After a second, Mikhail leaned forward and whispered something into Mako''s ear.


    "Greetings from El-Diablo," Mikhail whispered.

 Chapter 136 El Diablos Plan

    ?As soon as Mikhail said that, he didn''t even let the shiver reach Mako''s spine from hearing that name at a time like this as he was the first to make a move,unching himself at Mako with incredible speed and strength, his fists glowing bright with red mes.


    [Phantom Shift has been activated]


    Even though Mako was caught off guard, he was able to react fast enough to the iing punch and quickly sidestepped the attack, dodging the blow.


    From Mikhail''s perspective, it looked like he had made contact with Mako''s face as he released all the fire aura concentrated in his fist upon supposed contact which released a giant fireball.


    If Mako was unable to move out of the way in time, the fireball was so hot and strong that it would have melted Mako''s face right off. However, soon the afterimage of Mako disappeared, and with the fireball having no contactunched itself forward and sted a tree that was 40 meters in its direction.


    After that first exchange, there was a brief pause where Mikhail just stood in the exact position with his fist extended outwards. He kept staring at the tree 40 meters away from him that got sted by his rogue fireball and was currently up in mes.


    He suddenly had a huge smile on his face and even began grinning as he stared at his own fist. Mako used this opportunity to create some space between the two of them and tried to see if he could get a read on this guy using Analyze.


    [Analyze]


    [Skill Failed (opponent level too high)]


    Not surprisingly, Mako''s skill failed which meant that he was in for a serious battle.


    "Hahaha! It has been a hot minute since someone was able to dodge my ze Punch! He really didn''t lie when he said you were strong enough to take on 30 men at the same time." Mikhail said whileughing.


    That statement confirmed in Mako''s mind that Mikhail was indeed sent by El-Diablo to take revenge for infiltrating and destroying his prison warehouses.


    He didn''t know how he was able to figure out his identity since he was always careful and never did let anyone see his face during any tournaments and destroyed all the evidence when they destroyed the warehouse, but it seemed that Mako had still overlooked something which had led El-Diablo to learn who he was.


    Mako was now in some serious trouble because he was only able to beat all those guards at once because of his Rage mode. After all, they were all quite weak and had easily activated it which was why he was able to deal with them so easily. If Mako didn''t have Rage mode, then he would have not been able to defeat all those men by himself at all.


    Granted, Mako had grown a lot more since that time and had be a lot more strong, and if he wanted to he could defeat 30 men now but even now he was nowhere as strong enough to do it without getting seriously injured because while he would be dealing with a couple of them, the rest could attack him freely.


    It was because of Rage mode that Mako was able to defeat them since Rage mode deactivated part of Mako''s brain that was responsible for feeling empathy and using logic and reason so that he could fight wildly. Additionally, While Rage mode was active Mako got covered in red mes that look a lot like the fire ability and gave Mako natural protection.


    El-Diablo didn''t know about the fact that Mako had Rage mode and assumed that he was naturally strong enough to defeat all those men and had sent a person who could match up to the strength of that "Mako" who could supposedly defeat 30 men in one go.


    Who would have thought that the person behind the destruction of four prison warehouses, defeating multitudes of guards at once, and costing El-Diablo a huge amount of credits was merely an eighteen-year-old boy who had just awakened his powers two months ago? Mako had dug his own grave here by rushing too quickly and not acknowledging his own limits and had just gotten lucky.


    Now that Mako knew who Mikhail was working for, he quickly understood Mikhail''s n that he had been trying to implement since the beginning of the test.


    ***************


    Mikhail had been trying to eliminate Mako since the very beginning.


    When he was supposed to jump off the ne, Mako''s fears were amplified so much by Natasha that he wanted to fail the test and not jump thus eliminating him from the test.


    However, Mikhail didn''t factor in the fact that Mako''s grandmother would show up in her grandson''s vision at the time of need and encourage him to face his fears making it so that he broke out of the fear trance and jumped out of the ne with Bill just in the nick of time. A phenomenon that even Mako couldn''t exin at this point.


    After Mikhail''s aplice, the imposter had identified Mako to be with Iris and Erin''s group, Mikhailunched an assault using the hypnotized Silver Wolves, but Mako was able to escape from there too.


    It was at the time that Mako had confronted the imposter using his strongest aura which made him confirm that Mako was indeed as strong as El-Diablo had said, and so he retreated to report back to Mikhail.


    After this, Mikhail only saw one way to finish this once and for all and that was to create a situation where Mako was forced to fight Mikhail alone one on one.


    Mikhail was confident in his ability to defeat Mako and eliminate him from the test which is what he wanted in the first ce. This was because he really couldn''t kill Mako during the test. After all, the patrolling officers would stop the fight the moment they think the cadet is going to die from a blow.


    However, if he was to eliminate him, then Mako had no way of getting into military school early which was one of the privileges given to those who were able to achieve the special ss.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This would make it so that Mako would have to try again next year to get into military school or at least spend three months back in Emerald City before being admitted into the military school regrly if he was still able to get epted into the regr or advanced ss due to his performance.


    Either way, he would have to return back to Emerald City for a while, where he would be unprotected from the military and El-Diablo could enact his revenge, and something told Mako that El-Diablo wanted to take his revenge by himself in person.


    ****************


    After understanding that his life was riding on this duel, Mako knew he couldn''t afford to lose this duel and he was willing to do whatever it took to defeat Mikhail.


    *DING!*


    [New Quest Received]


    [Defeat Mikhail Fedorov]


    [Rewards: ???]


    [Penalty: ???]


    Right on cue, the system turned Mako''s life-or-death situation into another quest but this time, both the rewards and the penalty was hidden. The quest really didn''t affect Mako as he was nning on doing so even without the quest, but now he was going to get something out of it as well.


    Judging from their earlier exchange, Mako concluded that Mikhail was indeed faster than him but was still detectable through his perception.


    Mako had no idea how strong Mikhail was or how many abilities did he have in total. He didn''t know just how destructive his fire ability was considering he had never seen a fire ability user with pure red mes.


    However, Mako would have an idea real soon of Mikhail''s abilities as the staredown hade to a close with Mikhail lighting his fists with red mes once again and rushing toward Mako, restarting the fight.


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    Mako ducked under the first punch, and with lightning-fast reflexes,nded a couple of blows to Mikhail''s abdomen which felt really solid. Mikhail didn''t go unfazed by Mako''s punches, but they weren''t strong enough to knock Mikhail back and he continued his assault with the ming punches.


    This time, Mako retaliated with a swift kick to Mikhail''s shin; however, Mikhail was able to catch him as he was in the middle of the kick and proceeded to give a massive blow to his chest making him drop his Storm Caller staff and beunched several feet back.


    [-30 HP]


    [User has three fractured ribs]


    The system notified Mako of his injury as he came to a stop after beingunched back several feet by Mikhail''s punch which Mako didn''t quite appreciate at the moment. Mikhail didn''t want to give Mako the chance to recover so he quickly rushed forward and proceeded to give a massive kick on Mako''s backunching him once again many feet back.


    Blood burst out from Mako''s mouth as he was tossed back by Mikhail''s powerful blows. Mikhail wanted to keep up the pressure but Mako stopped him from doing so as he quickly started to rapidly fire fireballs toward Mikhail''s general direction.


    The fireballs weren''t enough to deal serious damage to Mikhail and since Mako was shooting from so far away, he could easily dodge them as well, but Mako wanted exactly this to happen in the first ce.


    Mikhail created some space between himself and Mako as he dodge his fireballs which Mako used to his advantage. He slowly started to pick himself off the ground while still firing fireball at Mikhail.


    He quickly got back on his feet and finally stopped firing fireballs at Mikhail.


    "You are just wasting your energy on useless moves!" Mikhail taunted as he rushed toward Mako once again but Mako was ready for him this time as he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a smoke bomb that he had found in his very first loot crate.


    He quickly activated the smoke bomb and threw it right next to his feet creating a huge cloud of smoke that temporarily blocked Mikhail''s visual of Mako.


    Mikhail didn''t let this slow him down as he ran head-first into the smoke and started throwing des of fire in random directions, trying to hit Mako.


    "ying Hide and Seek, are we? Fine! I''ll y!" Mikhail shouted like a madman as he continued to conjure and throw red zing des of fire inside the smoke.

 Chapter 137 Mako Vs Mikhail (Part 1)

    ?Mako knew he had to act quickly while the smoke cloudsted. He continued to use Motion sense to dodge the random iing des of fire as he maneuvered around under the cover of the smoke.


    Within the smoke, Mako had an advantage as Mikhail couldn''t see him, but Mako could still see him. Analyze didn''t help him in disying Mikhail''s profile to him, but it was still capable of highlighting the person that the Analyze is being used upon, making it so that Mako could see the white outline of Mikhail as he moved frantically within the smoke trying to find Mako by chance.


    [Silent Steps has been activated]


    Mako used this to quietly circle back around to where the fighting had initially begun and exited the smoke cloud without alerting Mikhail who still thought that Mako was inside the smoke. However, as soon as he came out, Natasha shouted at the top of her lungs, alerting Mikhail of Mako''s location.


    Mikhail quickly stopped throwing random fire des and started rushing back to Natasha''s voice at full speed. The smoke cleared from his path as he was moving with such force and agility creating a funnel through the smoke screen.


    Mikhail quickly exited the smoke screen too, but he was toote as Mako had already retrieved the staff that he dropped earlier.


    Another great thing about the Storm Caller staff was that Mako could infuse his lightning aura inside the crystal beforehand and he didn''t have to fire it right away as it would remain charged so that he could fire itter when he wished.


    Mako had used the time that he earned while Mikhail rushed back toward him and charged the staff with as much lightning aura as possible. As soon as Mikhail exited the smoke screen, Mako aimed the charged Storm Caller staff toward him with the hilt''s height set to the shortest setting.


    Mikhail walked forward with confidence as he continued to show a huge grin on his face.


    "You think your puny stick can hurt me!?" He shouted full of pride and ego.


    With that, Mikhail lunged forward with his fists reignited with red mes, but Mako sidestepped at just the right moment and grabbed his wrist, using his own momentum against him to throw him off bnce. Mikhail stumbled and fell forward several feet, and Mako took advantage and aimed the staff at Mikhail''s back.


    "Let''s find out!" Mako replied as he activated his ability.


    [Lightning Strike has been activated]


    A massive bolt of lightning was released from the crystal on the tip of the staff. The lightning bolt released was absolutely massive, making a bone-chilling crackling sound as it traveled faster than any Lightning attack Mako had released before.


    In an instant, the lightning bolt covered the distance between Mako and Mikhail and sted Mikhail with thousands of volts of electricity right on the back. Mikhail''s screams resounded loudly throughout the open field as he got electrocuted by the Lightning Strike.


    Soon, the lightning subsided and smoke rose from Mikhail''s body as stood in the exact position he was in when he was struck by the lightning. Mako thought that maybe this had sealed the deal and made it so that Mikhail''s muscle fibers had stiffened up thus he couldn''t move.


    However, as Mako still tried to approach him while exercising caution to check out his condition because the system hadn''t said that he had won the fight and defeated Mikhail, he heard the simple sound of slow ppinging from Mikhail''s direction.


    The pping soon began to be apanied byughter as Mikhail turned around to face Mako, leaving Mako in shock. The lightning strike was able to tear a hole through Mikhail''s military uniform and now the hidden power armor that Mikhail was wearing underneath was revealed.


    Mako stood there with shock and denial as he watched Mikhail slowly unbutton his burnt shirt and toss it awaypletely revealing the beautiful breastte armor which was blue and had what looked like feathers made of crystals embedded into the breastte.


    Mako tried to see if he could use Analyze on just the breastte and luckily he was given some information regarding it.


    [Analyze]


    [High Tier Diamond Hawk Breastte] ?


    [A breastte forged from the crystal and feathers of a Diamond Hawk found in (Unknown). A decent quality piece of armor forged by (Unknown)]


    [Fortitude +25]


    [Defense: 60]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Passive skill: Set Elemental Resistance] ?


    [Set Elemental Resistance: The crystal and feathers of the Diamond Hawk can be used to create breasttes, leggings, and foot armor. Although each individual piece of armor doesn''t provide an active or passive skill, by wearing all three pieces of armor, the wearer receives passive resistance against any type of elemental attack.]


    Judging from the description that the Analyze skill had given him, it was safe to say, that he had all three parts of the Diamond Hawk set on his body thus his resistivity against Mako''s massive lightning attack. This was also the reason why Mako''s punch felt like it had a solid object and not the flesh of a human.


    Mikhail slowly began to walk forward, his eyes burning with anger. "You''re tougher than I thought," he said, cracking his knuckles. "But you won''tst long against me."


    Mako had officially run out of ideas. He wanted to use more of thebos that he had practiced again and again in his backyard, but that won''t do him any good either as they were all elemental attacks that his armor would just protect him from.


    Mako''s ribs were still aching, and his back felt sore from the impact of Mikhail''s kick, but he still took on a defensive stance, ready for whatever Mikhail had in store for him. He could feel his heart racing, his senses heightened by the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He had already started to formte a new n in his mind but he was going to need a bit of time to put in action and potentially win; time that he just didn''t have.


    Mikhail charged forward again, his fists aze with red mes. Mako focused his energy and dodged his first punch, then countered with a swift kick to his side. Mikhail grunted in pain, it looked like the amplified lighting strike did in fact do some damage to Mikhail and the Elemental resistance wasn''t as great as it would seem but it wasn''t enough to make him falter. He continued his assault with a flurry of punches and kicks.


    Mako was barely able to keep up, his movements bing slower and more sluggish as his injuries started to take their toll. He knew he couldn''t keep this up for much longer, and he had to find a way to end the fight before Mikhailnded a fatal blow.


    As Mikhail raised his fist for another punch, Mako saw an opening and seized it.


    Mako quickly took out his high-tierbat knife from around his leg strap and with it in his right hand, Mako began to do a spinning motion while infusing his fire aura as usual creating multiple circr rings of fire, which extended outwards forcing Mikhail to create some distance between them.


    [me Wheel had been activated]


    Using the time to utmost efficiency, Mako quickly formed his right hand into a gun and channeled his fire aura making at the tip of his pointer fingers.


    [me Bullet has been activated]


    Mikhail recovered quickly once again because of his armor''s passive skill and his own ability which basically neglected fire damage, but this time he couldn''t provide a counter-attack as before he coulde near Mako started to attack him with a stronger fire attack.


    The me bullet was a concentrated attack that not only dealt fire damage to the opponent but since it was condensed into a small bullet, it had a lot of force with it as well dealing massive amounts of regr damage.


    Additionally, the bullet became more deadly, the longer Mako was able to condense his fire aura into his fingertips. The absolute maximum amount of energy that he could store inside his fingertips in a single attack at the moment was enough to form a cave out of the hole that Leon and Iris were digging.


    Mako didn''t have the luxury to charge up his me bullet to the extent that he could and use it against Mikhail; however, he was still able to charge it up for about 5 seconds which was enough to create a decent enough bullet.


    As Mako released the first me bullet, Mikhail was caught off guard as the bullet sted him right on in the chest, sting him further away by several feet.


    Mako wasted no time as he began charging another me bullet and since Mikhail was further away he could charge the me bullet for a longer period of time; however, the bullet didn''t seem to do too much to Mikhail as heughed crazily once again and immediately started rushing toward Mako at very high speeds.


    Mikhail was not stupid and he wasn''t going to get hit by the same move twice, because even though he didn''t show it, the me bullet did indeed do some real damage to him. Mikhail began zigzagging as he moved so that he was more of a difficult target for Mako to hit.


    Mako tried his best to aim at the right moment and hit Mikhail but Mikhail was also increasing and decreasing his speed at random moments to make it more difficult for Mako to predict a pattern and strike.


    Mikhail was quickly gaining on Mako, and with his opportunity quickly disappearing, he decided to just trust himself and take the shot.


    *Bang!*

 Chapter 138 Mako Vs Mikhail (Part 2)

    ?*Bang!*


    Mako shot the next me bullet, but s he missed! The bullet grazed Mikhail''s cheek as it went past him and sted the ground behind him, creating a decent-sized crater.


    Seeing that Mako had missed, Mikhail snickered as he quickly closed the remaining distance between them.


    With nothing else at his disposal, Mako was left undefended against Mikhail, who was clocking back his me fist to deliver a massive punch.


    Mako brought both of his arms close to his face just as Mikhailunched the punch forward and he was able to block the punch, given unsessfully. He sessfully intercepted the punch and blocked it with his arms, but he wasn''t strong enough to hold his ground as he wasunched several feet in the air.


    Mako waspletely shaken by that strong strike and had momentarily lost all sense of bnce and direction as he fell through the air, andnded head first into the ground.


    Mikhail had already considered this battle won as he started celebrating byughing out loud and slowly making his way toward Mako with a skip in his step. Mako slowly regained his senses and tried to get back up, but before he could do so, Mikhail was upon him once again, not letting his prey escape.


    He tried tond the finishing punch on Mako''s face and make the patrolling officers stop the match, thus granting his victory and marking his job done; however, just as it would look like Mikhail''s punch connected with Mako''s forehead, his image disappeared from the ground and Mikhail hit nothing but air.


    [Phantom Shift has been activated]


    [Phantom Kick has been activated]


    Before Mikhail could even realize what was going on, he sensed Mako''s strikeing from his right-hand side. He was fast enough to turn toward Mako and see his kick almost strike his chest.


    Mikhail pulled up his arms to block the kick, but just as when he struck Mako earlier, the kick never hit Mikhail as the image of the kick disappeared upon contact, and a second kick appeared a bit higher than the original. Mikhail didn''t have time to react to the second kick and the kick was able tond cleanly on Mikhail''s face delivering a massive blow.


    Blood spat out from Mikhail''s mouth and nose as it was Mako whounched Mikhail several feet back into the air.


    ''Since he is wearing chest, leg, and foot armor, it is really no point striking him there as the armor would just absorb the damage.'' Mako theorized. ''I should instead just focus on the thighs and face as they are unguarded and I can deal the most amount of damage,''


    ''I was able to block his punch because of my arm guards, but I won''t get so lucky again. He probably has the strength ability and it will be dangerous for me to take him on in physicalbat, but I can fight with him at long range either cause he has elemental resistance.'' Mako thought.


    He was facing a serious dilemma as he couldn''t figure out his next n of attack. Mikhail was a strong opponent who he couldn''t beat in close or long-rangebat. Mako''s initial idea was to get hit by Mikhail purposefully so that he could fill up his Rage meter and enter Rage mode.


    However, he really couldn''t take a continuous beating from someone like Mikhail so filling up the Rage meter was out of the question, and even if he just activated his title and didn''t strike back so that Rage mode would be activated, it wouldn''tst long as he didn''t have the Rage meter filled up.


    The momentum from Mako''s kick carried Mikhail a good distance back before stopping and he was not happy with this oue. Mako heard a massive angry roar from Mikhail''s direction as he saw him stand back up. Mikhail''s face was now simr to Mako''s as they had both received injury and were bleeding.


    Mako used his bleeding to his advantage as he rubbed the blood on his arm guards, activating their passive ability: Blood Boost.


    As the blood dripped onto the red arm guards, Mako felt a rush of refreshing energy flow toward him as he received a 5% boost in all of his stats.


    "You are going to pay for that, big time!" Mikhail shouted as he punched the ground in anger, creating another crater.


    Mikhail began firing several des of red fire toward Mako from a distance in quick session; however, Mako''s perception and agility were enough to dodge each and every one of them.


    From observing Mikhail''s fighting style, Mako had observed that he only had a couple of moves that he had been reusing constantly to try to defeat in which he was partially sessful.


    Seeing that his long-range attacks were not working, increased Mikhail''s frustration as he punched the ground once again and started bolting toward Mako once again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This was bad news for Mako because even though he could hold his own against Mikhail in long-rangebat, he was still inferior to him in closebat.


    As Mikhail quickly approached him, Mako could only think of one thing that might buy him some time.


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    Mako didn''t have time to charge his staff with lightning aura to cost a stronger electrical charge so he ended up just casting it himself. He released a big pulse of electricity just as Mikhail was within 10 feet of Mako and sure enough, the pulse did its thing and paralyzed Mikhail''s muscles.


    Since Mikhail was running very fast when he was paralyzed, his momentum carried him forward even after his body stopped moving making him fall to the ground and glide forward on the ground.


    The reason why Mako was reluctant of using this move was that Mikhail had elemental resistance which would make it so that he would either not get paralyzed at all or paralyzed for a shorter duration, both didn''t look too good for Mako, but with nothing else to use, he risked it by casting it himself.


    The Electrical Discharge skill had leveled up several times from the time that Mako had learned it, and with every level up, the pulse of the discharge and the duration of the paralysis would increase.


    However, the duration of the paralysis remained on Mikhail for approximately ten seconds only making it look like Mako was using a level 1 Electrical Discharge again.


    Now that Mako knew that the Electrical Discharge did in fact work and the time that Mikhail would be paralyzed, Mako started to formte a new n to defeat Mikhail.


    Just as the paralysis in Mikhail''s body started to wear off, Mako changed the tempo of the fight byunching an attack himself with his fist ready to punch him in the face; however,  Mikhail was able to recover in time andunched a counterpunch.


    Both fists collided with each other creating a loud bang and releasing a small shockwave that blew away all the loose rock around them. With the boost given to Mako by his arm guards, he was able to almost reach the same level as Mikhail as both of them remained still even after their fists had collided, breathing heavily and staring deep into the other''s injured face.


    ************


    Natasha and the imposter were now getting worried as they had never seen Mikhail get knocked back this much in a fight before and they were considering joining in the battle to make sure that Mako was knocked out for sure.


    However, as soon as they took a single step forward a powerful voice apanied by a strong aura resounded from behind them that made them freeze right in ce.


    "Stop right there! You have no right to interfere in a duel!"


    They slowly turned around and could see a patrolling officer had appeared right next to Bill and the rest who were still in their dream-like state.


    "Whenever a duel is initiated, there are meant to be no interferences between the two cadets who are fighting and the patrolling officers will enforce this rule with force if they have to!" The patrolling officer addressed Natasha and the officer clearly stated his intention and imed that he will resort to using force if they were to interfere with the duel.


    Both Natasha and the imposter gulped as they were nowhere as strong as a patrolling officer and knew that they would most likely get eliminated by him if they ignored his warning so they quickly backed up.


    Natasha only hoped that Mikhail could somehow he would be able to defeat Mako quickly because it looked like Mako was adapting to Mikhail''s fighting style and was slowly gaining the upper hand in the fight.


    The patrolling officer himself was quite tense as he had to constantly be on the ready to jump in and stop a lethal attack, but so far both boys had continued to surprise him. Just when he thought to jump in and end the fight because one of them was about to deal a lethal blow, the other person woulde up with a way to dodge or block the attack, and hence, continuing the fight.


    ***************


    After a couple of seconds, Mikhail had had enough as broke away his fist from his and quickly tried to attack Mako''s legs and make him fall by delivering a low kick; however, Mako used High Jump just in time to dodge the attack and was now several feet in the air right above Mikhail who was still on the ground.


    Now with Mako having the height advantage, Mako''s right hand crackled with lightning while his left hand burst into mes. He aimed both his hands forward aiming directly at Mikhail and hoped to do some damage to him with an onught of constant attacks despite his elemental resistance.

 Chapter 139 Mako Vs Mikhail (Part 3)

    Another good thing about achieving resonance of two abilities was that the user was not limited to only utilizing a single aura during an attack and could use both auras at once if they so wished.


    Mako had achieved resonance with the Lightning and Fire abilities which allowed him to use both of the ability auras simultaneously. Mikhail watched from below as Mako cast a shadow above him by blocking the sunpletely; one of his hands crackled with lightning while the other ignited with mes.


    [Lightning Strike has been activated]


    [Fireball has been activated]


    Even though Mikhail''s power armor gave him elemental resistance it wasn''t on par to continuously tank hits like this without receiving some damage himself and with the number of fireballs and lightning strikes that were heading his way; the damage was sure to rack up pretty quickly.


    Mikhail quickly got back on his feet and began expertly maneuvering around the iing projectile with great precision, dodging almost everything.


    ''How much energy does this guy have?! I would have dropped dead from exhaustion at this point!'' Mikhail thought as he took into ount how excessive Mako was being with his attacks and skills.


    A normal Level 4 ability user would have had his energy pool depleted a while ago, but Mako was no ordinary ability user. With the system''s help, Mako currently had more than 4 times the amount of energy that a regr Level 4 ability user would have.


    Mako''s goal with these weak attacks was not to attack blindly and hope that his attacks did enough damage to knock him out, but rather Mako was strategically maneuvering Mikhail to be as far away from him as possible because he needed as much time as possible to execute his real n.


    The whole series of events took ce in only a couple of seconds while Mako was still airborne from using High Jump. He stopped his attacks the moment hended on the ground and took a brand new stance.


    He firmly nted his feet onto the ground wide apart from one another and took a squatting position for his lower body. Mako positioned himself in such a way that his left foot was in front of his right foot. Mako then made a fist with his left hand and used the left side of his body which was facing Mikhail as a guard.


    Mako hid his right hand behind his body so it wasn''t in sight from Mikhail''s perspective and made a w-like shape with his right hand. Now that Mako had taken this stance, he silently started releasing a new aura into the surroundings.


    He had to do this very carefully because he didn''t want his aura to leak out so much that Mikhail would be able to sense it from afar and know that something was up. Mako had activated his Energy Maniption ability and was now actively attracting the energy particles around him toward his right hand which started to glow slightly green.


    Both Mako and Mikhail were pretty exhausted at this point and were nearing the end of their energy reserves. Even though Mako had a lot more energy than Mikhail, he had been using it a lot more recklessly while Mikhail had mostly conserved his energy and didn''t use many shy moves.


    Even now percentage-wise, both Mako and Mikhail had the same level of energy, but the actual amount that percentage disyed was much different for the two boys. Mikhail was down to hisst 400 units of energy while Mako still had close to 1000 units left.


    Mako couldn''t deal damage to Mikhail using regr moves so he had to resort to using big shy moves that dealt a lot more damage in order to make some progress and now as they were approaching the endgame of their duel, Mako was going to bet it all in a single all-out move to defeat Mikhail once and for all.


    ************


    While Mako took his stance and began powering his skill, Mikhail had also begun charging up as he was done holding back on him. Mikhail had officially lost all patience with him as when he had finally stopped his assault on Mikhail and prepared to take his stance, Mikhail stopped running and slowly turned around.


    He saw Mako''s confidence stered on his face as he stayed still after taking his stance ticking him off even more.


    "AARRGGHHHH! I AM DONE PLAYING THIS CAT-AND-MOUSE GAME!! SCREW YOU!" Mikhail shouted with frustration as he ignited his entire body with those bright red mes.


    "I am going to break, every... single... bone... in your f***ing body, for making a fool out of me today!" Mikhail eximed as the mes all over his body intensified.


    "Oh yeah? Try me!" Mako replied as he was done running away from Mikhail anyways.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The red mes weren''t hurting Mikhail at all and it looked like this was another skill that he had saved to use in case of emergencies. The me itself seemed to react to Mikhail''s emotion as it flickered violently as soon as Mako replied to Mikhail''s threat, basically inviting him to try.


    Mikhail wasted no time at all as he immediately rushed toward Mako at a brand-new insane speed. Whatever skill, Mikhail had just activated, it provided him with a great boost in agility as Mikhail covered the entire distance between them in just a couple of seconds.


    Mako was caughtpletely off guard by Mikhail''s disy of such great speed and he wasn''t able to respond in time with his skill as Mikhail was already upon him with a zing punch aimed right at his face.


    Mako was just able to bring his left forearm forward and try to block the attack, however, he was not expecting such an increase in strength as well because as soon as Mikhail''s punch came into contact with Mako''s arm guards, the arm guards cracked into two from the overwhelming pressure and cracking noise could be heard before Mako gotunched backward tens of feet with great momentum and speed.


    [-100 HP]


    [User has broken their left forearm]


    Mikhail didn''t stop as he chased after theunched Mako and was able to catch up to him with rtive ease. Mako was barely able to get his thoughts together after being dealt such a massive blow on his forearm, but his perception brought him back to reality as Mikhail was once again upon him; this time aiming a punch right toward his abdomen.


    Mako knew he could take another punch like that once again and he quickly activated his fire aura near the soles of his feet and released them, creating two jet streams of fire under his feet.


    The erupting fire gave Mako some more momentum and speed which propelled him forward and made it so that Mako dodged Mikhail''s attack.


    Mikhail''s punch missed Mako by only an inch andnded directly on the ground beneath him instead, creating a massive crater in the process.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Mako immediatelynded on his feet andbined the momentum of his body and his own top speed and bolted as far away as he could from Mikhail, but Mikhail was unrelenting as he was able to catch up to Mako rtively quickly.


    He was about to tackle Mako onto the ground when Mako suddenly disappeared from his sight. Since Mikhail and Mako were both moving at high speeds, Mikhail just wasn''t able to notice it but Mako had used Phantom Step to break his momentum and basically slow himself down all the while Mikhail kept on sprinting.


    However, Mako didn''t realize just how much momentum his body was moving with because even after he used Phantom Step, he still had too much momentum but now he was starting from a stationary motion instead of running and so he couldn''t get his footing right after shifting which made him fall and skid across the ground.


    Mikhail quickly caught on to Mako''s little trick and quickly circled back and to his delight, he saw Mako stumble to the ground and skid right toward him. A huge smile appeared on his face as he was finally going to deal the finishing blow and get rid of this annoyance once and for all.


    Mikhail increased his speed once again as he rushed toward the tumbling Mako, his fist aze with the strongest red me yet. He quickly approached Mako and was about to deliver the final punch when all of a sudden, Mikhail felt his heartbeat pulse extremely loud as his entire body felt weak and all the mes surrounding Mikhail''s body quickly went out.


    ''Damn it, No!! Not now!'' Mikhail thought in his mind as he still continued forward with his attack toward Mako.


    Mako didn''t quite understand what had just happened; however, he quickly took advantage of the situation and finally released his suppressed Energy Maniption aura. Mikhail was already weakened by his fire suddenly going out and now a superior aura had made its way into their fight, further weakening him and his attack.


    Mikhail felt suffocated in the presence of a superior aura but still, he wasn''t going to give up when he was so close to victory. He pushed forward and made sure that his punch would make contact with Mako''s chest, but s, Mako was able to utilize the dy before the attack and ced his right hand on his breastte just as his punch made contact with his own chest.


    [Energy Stream has been activated]

 Chapter 140 Tables Turned

    A ray of green light bigger than the one Mako released before against the Terra Beetle King burst from his right hand in a straight line as it instantly collided with Mikhail''s breastte.


    All of a sudden, Mikhail began to experience an extreme level of force on his abdomen area. He couldn''t describe the pain that was jolting through his entire body, but it felt like his inside would burst out and spray everywhere any second now.


    Mikhail''s vision had instantly be blurry after receiving the initial impact and what followed afterward was thend and Mako moving further and further away from him.


    The green energy beam began carrying Mikhail upward as it continuously collided with his breastte dealing increasing amounts of damage every second.


    The Energy Stream skill increased in strength the longer it was maintained by the user, dealing increased amounts of damage to the opponent.


    Mako had only maintained the Energy stream for about 5 seconds, but in that time frame, Mikhail wasunched many many feet into the air, and his beloved breastte started to crack and tear apart under the pressure of the green beam attack.


    It wasn''t until the sixth second that Mako felt a hand grab onto his arm and forcefully stop him from continuing the Energy Stream attack. The hand was quite strong and Mako knew that it was futile to resist as he instantly recognized who the hand belonged to.


    "That''s enough, son. You don''t want to kill him by ident now do you?" Officer Eric said as he appeared beside Mako and was the one who was currently holding his arm.


    Mako slowly lowered his arm and canceled the skill, thus ending Mikhail''s torture and leaving him about 50 feet in the air.


    As soon as the beam was stopped, Mikhail finally felt a bit of relief as the constant pulsing burning energy that was trying to tear apart his skin was no longer attacking him. He began descending back to the ground with speed but he didn''t care. He had epted his defeat and was just grateful that the pain went away quickly.


    Mikhailnded on the ground with a big thud causing a lot of dust to kick up into the air. When the dust eventually settled, Mikhail could be seen embedded into the ground, unable to move and being barely conscious.


    Natasha watching from afar could believe the turn of events that had taken ce in thest thirty seconds. She watched with horror and shock as Mikhaily in defeat in front of Mako, being one with the ground.


    "NOOO!!" Natasha screamed as she quickly made a run toward Mikhail.


    "Boss!" The imposter yelled as he too rushed behind Natasha toward Mikhail.


    However, both of them were stopped dead in their tracks halfway through as they watched Mako''s hand glow with that same green glow as before.


    This time Mako expanded his aura freely, making sure that both of the were within range so that they could easily be affected by it.


    Mako had aimed his green hand right at Mikhail''s neck. He was threatening to use that beam attack again to destroy Mikhailpletely.


    "Stay back!" Mako yelled as he addressed Mikhail''s two aplices. "One wrong move or decision and your leader''s head goes bye-bye."


    "Ha Ha Ha! You can''t kill him. You will be stopped by that patrol officer before you are able to finish off my boyfriend!" Natasha replied to Mako''s threat.


    "Ohhh... You''re willing to bet his life on that!" Mako responded with a grin before turning toward Officer Eric.


    "Legally, I can only intervene when an attack has gone too far and if it will kill instantly, then I can only mobilize after the skill has been cast. This skill cast by this young cadet is quite unique and fast and even I was only able to reach him after five seconds had gone by, so I am not sure I will be enough to protect him." Officer Eric exined.


    The Officer''s statement hit Natasha''s heart like an electric shock. She couldn''t believe that Mikhail would be at the mercy of his prey at a time like this now she was stuck with him as well.


    "What do you want?" Natasha asked in a much more respectful and quieter tone.


    "Willing to cooperate, huh? Wise choice!" Mako said.


    "First I want you to break the fear trance over my friends and set them free," Mako demanded.


    Natasha didn''t know what to do now. She was stupid enough to leave her hostages unmanned and rush toward her boyfriend''s aid. Now she had no leverage against Mako and would have to follow his instructions correctly if she wanted to save Mikhail.


    She reluctantly opened her palm which began to glow with a liquidy purple light and she soon crushed it using her own hand due to which all of a sudden all four of Mako''s friends had regained consciousness.


    At first, they looked confused as from their perspective they were trapped in an infinite dream where they kept on reliving their worst fears again and again to the point that it was driving them insane, and then all of a sudden they are transported to a lush big open field with the sun shining brightly in the sky.


    They were all quite confused and slowly began to recollect a bit of their memory to piece together how they got here in the first ce. However, before they could even have the chance to do so, their sights locked on a couple of people in the middle of the field.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Since they were all ability users they had good senses including their sight as well. Almost immediately all four of them were able to recognize Mako who was covered in mud, scratches, and injuries all over.


    All four of them quickly bolted over to Mako''s side because they didn''t know what the situation was like and wanted to lend a hand if they could.


    They quickly made their way over and stood beside Mako who was aiming his hand next to a cadet''s neck with two cadets facing him from the other side. As soon as the groupid their eyes on the two individuals, they immediately began to remember what had happened.


    *************


    The group had finished building the shelter and was now waiting on Mako to return so that they could finally get something to eat and that was when the imposter showed up again.


    He began taunting the group by transforming into various people including Andrew which pissed Erin more than anyone else.


    Originally, the n was to hold the imposter off near the shelter until Mako came back, but the taunting had gotten straight to Erin''s mind and she quickly began giving chase to the imposter.


    The imposter wanted exactly this as and he began leading the group down a pre-determined path where Natasha was hidden from sight. She quickly began putting every person into a dream state as they ran past her where their nightmares run rampant.


    They were being consumed by their fears when all of a sudden they stopped and they were all snapped back into existence.


    The group didn''t know the whole scoop just yet but they were willing to bet that they were now free because of Mako freeing them.


    *************


    "There... I did what you asked. Now please let him go," Natasha said as she slowly tried to inch her way toward Mako and Mikhail.


    Mako grinned as he heard those words and quickly got off Mikhail. Natasha rushed over to Mikhail however she was topped once again and this time it was done by Officer Eric.


    "Sorry, but you can''t! Mikhail Fedorov has been defeated and will be removed from the premises safely. He is in critical condition and you could mess it up further." Officer Eric said.


    "What..." Natasha said in shock as she was unable to process what was being said to her.


    "But he said th..." Natasha tried to argue but was cut off by Officer Eric once again.


    "What he said is not important! As soon as he let go of the body of the cadet, it meant that the duel was officially over, and Mikhail Fedorov has lost the fight and hence is being removed from the ind." Officer Eric exined himself for thest time before deploying a stretcher,ying Mikhail on it, and disappearing right in front of their eyes.


    Both the imposter and Natasha now looked scarcely over to Mako and his friends who were shooting res of death at them for all the trouble and pain that they had caused them.


    "I am pretty much exhausted from the earlier fight and I see you guys want a piece of the action too, so let them have it," Mako said with a smile toward his friends.


    Mako''s friends instantly had huge smiles on their faces as they were finally given the chance to get even against the people who had been making their life hell on the ind. Erin in particr had an even more devious smile as she was the first to march forward and aim an icicle directly toward the imposter.


    "This one is mine!" She proimed as her eyes began to subconsciously glow white again. Seeing Erin now with her eyes glowing was setting shivers down the imposter''s spine as he slowly started to back away while blurting out that this was all just a big misunderstanding.


    Their futile attempt didn''t budge at all as all four of them quickly rushed forward to attack Natasha and the imposter.


    **************


    Mako on the other hand still had about 500 energy left so he wasn''t as drained as he imed and could still fight, but he trusted his friends to finish the remaining job so that he could stay behind and see what all the system notifications popping in his head were all about because there were quite a few to go through.


    *Ding!*


    *Ding!*


    *Ding!*

 Chapter 141 Level 13

    [A Difficult Level 5 Opponent has been defeated]


    [+20,000 EXP]


    [Quest Completed]


    [User has defeated Mikhail Fedorov]


    [Rewards: Instant Level Up, +250 Bronze Tier Coins]


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Current Level: Lvl 13]


    [Reward: Multiple Random Attribute Increase, Random Skill Level Up, New Skill Set Learned]


    [Strength has been elevated to 40]


    [Stamina has been elevated to 37]


    [Choosing Random Skill]


    [Analyze has been upgraded to Level 5]


    [The Analyze skill has reached the necessary requirements to evolve]


    [Analyze has evolved into a C-Tier skill]


    The notifications continued onwards, but Mako stopped on this particr prompt as it was most likely the most important one to Mako. The Analyze skill was a skill that Mako was blessed to have from the very start and has helped him out in countless situations.


    When Mako defeated Bill in the school duel, he received the Analyze skill as a reward from the system. This was the first time that Mako had observed a skill with the caption "upgradable" next to it.


    The conditions for the evolution were quite vague and misleading so Mako ended up forgetting about thempletely but he understood that thest piece of the puzzle was the level upgrade of Analyze to level 5 which triggered the evolution.


    Mako was excited to see just what benefits this new and improved skill brought to the table and he quickly changed tabs over to the skills tab to see for himself.


    [(C-Tier) Analyze] ? (Level 1)


    [Upgradable!] ?


    [Analyze is an ocr type skill that upon activating, turns the user''s Iris a faint red color. While active, the user''s eyes be special as they can bring up and read the information regarding any object as long as it is within the range of the user''s knowledge, and the profile chart and vitals of any person as long as that person is weaker or equal to the user in terms of power.


    Additionally, Analyze now has the ability to be able to use sonar detection. Sonar detection is a sub-skill of the main skill Analyze, as it allows the user to sense anything around them in any direction up to a defined limit.


    While sonar detection is active, the user can only see beyond walls and any other solid objects, but only in ck and white as the skill is not advanced enough to register colors. While active, the user can use Analyze on anything that is within the range of their sonar detection without ever directly looking at it.]


    [Upgrade requirements: Upgrade Analyze Level to a certain level (unknown), Continuous usage to a certain point (unknown), Acquire yer Status Level to Level 15]


    [Evolution benefits: Unknown]


    The evolution definitely did not disappoint as the skill was basically turning into an ability itself as the skill itself started to branch into sub-skills. Mako had no knowledge about whether or not sub-skills were a legitimate thing or not with high-level skills, but from the information that he knew now, that was not the case and his skill was quite unique.


    **********


    Mako could hear the faint sound of shing as his friends battled against Natasha and the imposter. He looked over at them for a quick second and noticed that Natasha and the imposter were quite decent fighters in their own right; however, they were heavily outmatched as the imposter was facing Iris, Bill, and Leon at the same time while the imposter was facing the enraged Erin alone.


    Before checking the system notifications, Mako had tried to use Analyze on the imposter again and this time his skill had seeded.


    Keep in mind this was before, Mako had viewed the notification that he had leveled up. The way that his system worked for level-up rewards was quite tedious and it was that until Mako had opened the system and viewed the level upgrades himself, he wouldn''t receive the upgrade rewards.


    This meant that Mako was still using Level 4 D-Tier Analyze skill which had failed to analyze the imposter before but had seeded now. Mako really had no idea why such a thing had urred so he decided to see whether the imposter''s profile would give him some answers.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Haruto Tanaka]


    [Ability: Shape-Shifting (Level 4), Lightning (Level 3)] ?


    [Ability: Shape-Shifting (Level 4)] ?


    [A utility ability excellent for covert and undercover operations. The ability allows the user to transform into the shape of any living thing that they have consumed an ounce of the blood of. Though a bit rare, the abilities, the main feature is that not only does the ability mimic the look and shape of the target but as the ability grows and evolves, it can also mimic the voice, DNA, and even auras of the target, thuspletely fooling everyone.]


    This was the first time that Mako had seen a shapeshifter in real life as the usage of the ability was actually heavily restricted by the military. They were extremely rare and the ones that did exist all became part of the military as the military gave them a special contract that would make them set for life.


    This was all done because the military didn''t want anyone else to have them and potentially infiltrate their bases to extract information.


    Both Natasha and Haruto were invaluable assets to Mikhail; however, they weren''t that strong by themselves as they always relied on Mikhail to protect them. Now that, Mikhail was gone, these two were being given a taste of their own medicine as neither could properly defend themselves and were being yed around with by Mako''s friends.


    Leon and Bill had some really tragic things happen to them in the past and Natasha made them relive those moments several times while they were under the control of her ability which was why they weren''t holding back at all and were letting her know just how painful it could be to mess with one''s emotions.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    On the other hand, Iris had her own beef to settle with Haruto as this guy had impersonated her boyfriend and fooled her into thinking she was finally reunited with her love. Just the memories of kissing and cuddling around with that fake Andrew were making Erin''s blood boil and that was reflected by the intense glow she had in her eyes.


    There wasn''t much Haruto could do against an Ice ability user who had also awakened her mutant ice gene as he only had onebat-based ability which wasn''t enough. Now, he was basically being tossed around and mmed into walls of ice again and again by Erin who didn''t have any intention of stopping anytime soon.


    Mako decided to leave them to his friends to deal with as he resumed scrolling through his notification to see what else the system had in store for him.


    ************


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Match the conditions to evolve a skill one time]


    [Reward: +50,000 EXP, One Random skill, +50 Attribute points]


    [Choosing Random Skill]


    [New Skill Learned: (D-Tier) Sprint!] ?


    (NEW!) [(D-Tier) Sprint] ? (Level 1)


    [An advanced ability move that allows the user to temporarily increase their blood flow to their thighs and legs by 100%, giving the user increased agility for one minute. The abnormal amount of increased blood flow would generally be dangerous for any human being; however, sprint allows the user to also direct pure mana toward them which allows the user to reinforce their legs and utilize the output of their legs at maximum capacity.]


    [Agility: +25]


    [Requirements: 45 Fortitude, 40 Stamina]


    [Cost: 300 Energy]


    Another great skill that looked like an upgrade to the skill that Mako already had is called "Dash". Dash would provide a less significant boost than Sprint but it also used a lot less energy making it so that Mako could be more versatile and choose how much of a speed buff he wanted and whether he had sufficient energy to do so in the first ce.


    Mako was genuinely impressed by the rewards given by the hidden quest, but he still had one more set of notifications left to go through and that was from the rewards for turning level 13.


    Mako was already so impressed by how many things he had unlocked in a single run; most were chain reactions to a precious aplishment.


    Before checking out the final set of notifications that the system had for him, Mako wanted to first check out his profile and see how much had actually changed.


    [Profile] ?


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 500/500] ?


    [Energy: 563/4050] ?


    [EXP: 50000/4096000] ?


    [ount: 370 Bronze Tier Coins] ?


    [Level 13] ?


    [Strength: 40 (+45) ] ?


    [Agility: 40 (+35) ] ?


    [Perception: 50(+20)] ?


    [Intelligence: 30] ?


    [Mentality: 50] ?


    [Stamina: 37 (+25) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: 50] ?


    [Attribute Points: 59] ?


    Nothing really drastic had changed in his status sheet other than the fact that he now had to somehow obtain 4 MILLION EXP in order to level up to level 14. Mako had been trying to ignore this problem for a while now because he was hoping that the system would find a way topensate him and give him rtively increased amounts of EXP for his quests but that doesn''t seem like the case at all.


    Mako had to really focus on figuring out a way to farm EXP if he ever wanted to reach level 15 which would be another 8 million EXP. However, there was nothing he could really do about it at the moment so he decided to keep to the side for now but vowed that he would figure out a solution to his EXP problem.


    With that out of the way, Mako excitedly reopened the notifications tab to read through thest reward that he had received for leveling up and it was one Mako was most excited about because he had only ever received this reward once before.


    The new skill set reward was how Mako learned the phantom skills which were his very first skills and one of his favorite. The system had always given him great skills as rewards and was super excited to see just what new skill set had he obtained this time.

 Chapter 142 Wild Two Months

    (NEW) [(E-Tier) Melee Mana Skill Set]


    [The Melee Mana Skill Set is a basic set of moves and techniques that allow the user to excel in close-quartersbat using a wide array of weapons such as swords, knives, clubs, or any other melee weapon.]


    - [(E-Tier) Mana sh] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Mana sh is a basic technique that allows the user to swing any ded weapon in a horizontal arc. By improving the blood cirction to the arms during the strike and reinforcing them with pure mana, the user can deal 15% greater damage than the original attack.


    Note: Mana sh will only activate if no other skill is applied on the weapon during the strike]


    [Attack: Variable]


    [Cost: 50 Energy]


    - [(E-Tier) Mana Thrust] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Mana Thrust is a basic technique that allows the user to lunge forward with any pointed weapon, stabbing your opponent for a quick and precise attack. By increasing blood cirction to the legs during the lunge and to the arms during the stab while being reinforced by pure mana, the user can deal 15% greater damage than the original attack.


    Note: Mana Thrust will only activate if no other skill is applied on the weapon during the strike]


    [Attack: Variable]


    [Cost: 100 Energy]


    - [(E-Tier) Mana Block] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Mana Block is a defensive technique that allows the user to block iing attacks with any type of broad weapon or shield. By increasing the overall blood cirction of the body apanied by the reinforcement of pure mana, the user reduces damage taken by 15% and decreases the chance of being inflicted with any status effects.


    Note: Mana Block will only activate if no other skill is applied on the weapon during the strike]


    [Defense: Variable]


    [Cost: 100 Energy]


    - (SPECIAL) [(E-Tier) Cyclone Parry] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Cyclone Parry is a special technique that allows the user to deflect iing attacks with any weapon. By increasing blood cirction around the whole body apanied by the reinforcement of pure mana, the user braces themself for the iing impact, as the user first has to sessfully block the attack.


    If the block is sessful and the user hasn''t exerted himself too much, the user can use the opponent''s power against themselves by absorbing the energy andbining it with their own drawn-out mana to gain a massive split-second speed boost which the user can use to circle around the opponent like a cyclone andunch a counter-attack.


    However, if the block is barely sessful, no such energy transfer will take ce as the user would have performed a regr block with just a greater expenditure of energy.


    Note: Cyclone Parry will only activate if no other skill is applied on the weapon during the strike]


    [Defense: Variable]


    [Attack: Variable]


    [Cost: 300 Energy]


    The new skill set was based more around closebat which was a department that Mako severelycked. Mako had never takenbat sses at school seriously because he was more concerned for his life than actually learning what was being taught.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He did have a habit of writing down cool moves in his journal while he watched his ssmates duel each other in the school gym, but he never practiced those moves on his own as he had already epted his fate that he would always be weak.


    However, everything changed from the day when Mako found the system. Now that he had the tools to actually put up a fight, the only thing he needed to do was to train.


    At first, Mako was very cocky and believed that since he now had an unbelievable system on his side that granted him attribute points and free skills, he would be riding the easy way up toward the top to be the strongest fighter around.


    However, Mako was given his first reality check during the final battle of the battle royal tournament, when Mako faced Rhino for the first time. This was the first time that Mako was given a taste of what true power felt like and how ipetent and far away he was from achieving that level of power.


    It was by a pure miracle that Mako was able to survive that fight and somehow be victorious, but he realized that day that he was no more special than any other person. Sure, he had a system that gave him many cheats but still, when it came down to it, the stronger person was the person who dedicated himself more to his training and aimed to be stronger.


    Mako realized that he was just insanely lucky to even be alive at this point because, in every serious fight that Mako had during the beginning of his journey, he was bound to lose, but every time something miraculous urred tipping the scales in his favor.


    For his very first fight, Bill could have easily defeated him if he wasn''t tired out from another mission from the night prior. In his fight against Rhino, he was already on hisst legs after receiving two hits from Rhino, but Rhino wanted to show off to the crowd so he dyed finishing Mako off and allowed Mako to pop pills in secret which resulted in him just being able to barely ovee Rhino and defeat him.


    From that point on, Mako became a bit more humble and prioritized his training over anything else, and even though he was a fast learner, there was only so much he could do in only two months. He learned the basics of how to fight and utilize his abilities in the best way ording to his surroundings.


    During all his major fights up to this point, Mako had always avoided closebat as he would use his greater energy pool to his advantage to deal damage to his opponent from a distance and defeat them with ease.


    This in turn boosted Mako''s ego and self-esteem back to their prior peak and he became cocky once again. Cocky enough to infiltrate and destroy prison warehouses belonging to the biggest gang bosses in Emerald City.


    A stupid mistake that almost got him killed and also created a massive target on his back.


    Once again, Mako had put himself in a very difficult position where survival chances were slim, but it seemed that his luck hadn''t run dry yet as Mako had unlocked great new tools such as PERSEVERANCE that gave Mako Rage mode.


    Mako had also just barely made it out of that situation alive and this time, Mako finally put his feet down and addressed the main problem that kept putting him in dangerous and stupid positions, and that was himself.


    Mako had to force himself to swallow the bitter pill and ept that he wasn''t some main protagonist in a Sci-Fi Manga and that he had to take things at his own pace and not rush things through.


    He was annoyed at the fact that he had to cheat every time he was in a tough situation by either popping pills from his inventory or activating Rage mode. He didn''t want to move forward reliant on these two things as he vowed to work hard and fight with his own strength and reserve these things for tough situations only.


    During the remaining time that Mako had beforeing to take the recruitment test, he spent his days practicing the moves that he noted in his journal and increasing the level of his skills by constantly using them in duels against Bill.


    However, Mako knew that he couldn''t be a good fighter in such a short time, and this time he approached his fights with caution. It was because of this caution and the results of his training that Mako was able to almost match Mikhail without taking any pills.


    Mako had learned that no matter how strong he was to get, he would never be cocky again as they are always stronger people than him out and about in the world.


    "Man, these past two months have been absolutely wild," Makomented as he reflected on his past decisions.


    These past two months had been quite a lot for Mako and he had learned, grown, and matured a lot in this time. He was no longer the nerd who had practically nothing going for him other than his strong memory.


    Now that Mako had unlocked a brand new set of skills that were directed toward closebat and physical fighting, he took it as a sign from the universe that he should work more toward his mediocre fighting skills and develop techniques that help him defend himself against foes that are on his level and even those that are stronger.


    The notifications hade to an end as Mako had read through and affirmed each and every one of them. He was a lot weaker 10 days ago than he was now and it seemed to Mako that intense situations like this test were exactly what he would need to be even stronger.


    With that, Mako turned off the system disy and returned back to reality. Natasha and Haruto were looking a lot worse for wear as their clothes were ripped from several ces and they were covered in dirt, bruises, and cuts all over.


    Mako stood up from his original spot next to Mikhail''s body crater and rushed over to join his friends to end things once and for all and move on as there were still four days left on the ind and there were still many challenges they had to face.

 Chapter 143 The Curse Of El Diablo

    "Aww, what''s wrong, honey? You should be strong enough to face the consequences if you are going to trample over someone''s love life!" Erin taunted as she hit Haruto in the face with a baseball bat made of ice.


    Haruto waspletely worn out at this point as his left eye was so swollen, he couldn''t even see through it. Some of his teeth were missing and he was oozing out blood from several spots on his face. His body was also very badly beaten as his military uniform was torn from multiple ces and he had many cuts and bruises on his body all over.


    Erin made sure that she controlled each and every attack that shended on Haruto such that it would cause the maximum amount of pain and suffering, but won''t be enough to knock him unconscious or have the patrolling officer stop the fight midway, because her attack could potentially kill him.


    Haruto had angered the wrong girl as she was ruthless as can be. He wanted to ask for forgiveness and apologize, but Erin didn''t even let him speak as the beating just kept oning. He had only been able to dodge and avoid some of Erin''s direct attacks by shapeshifting into different creatures of various sizes, but it wouldn''t help him as the next attack woulde before he could have the chance to transform again.


    On the other side, Natasha was also in a simr condition, but she was still better than Haruto as the only one that was dealing damage to her was Iris.


    At the start of the fight, Erin had said that she wanted to fight Haruto alone so that left Bill, Leon, and Iris to deal with Natasha. At first, all three of them rushed forward and tried to attack Natasha because they thought that she must also be strong like her partners but Natasha used her speed ability to run away as much as she could, but it was futile against Leon who much much faster than her and cut her off every time she tried to make an escape.


    After a couple of exchanges, both boys realized that the only thing special about this girl was her ability which she couldn''t properly use since all three of them were attacking at the same time making it quite difficult for her to focus on one target.


    Natasha''s ability didn''t just have the skill to put people in a dream-like state but it had many more useful skills such as creating illusions and manipting the brain all based around fear, but these skills werepletely dependent on the emotions of the user and the opponent.


    Right now, Natasha was the one who was afraid as their friend had defeated the strongest person that she knew, and it also happened to be her boyfriend. All the emotion-based abilities were nerfed in this manner as they were fueled by the emotions of either the user or the opponent.


    For example, the fear ability is at its true peak when the user is fearless while the opponent is shivering with fear. This was why the illusions were so strong on Mako because Natasha herself loved heights while Mako was afraid of them which acted as catalysts to boost the already immense effects of the Fear ability.


    Since Natasha was the one scared, her illusions were weak and could be easily broken through, and if she sessfully put one of them in the dream-like state, a simple shake from their teammate was enough to break the effect and bring them back to reality.


    Once the boys affirmed this, they agreed by just staring at each other from a distance and nodding alone that if they were to fight her, she would be defeated too easily and they didn''t want that as they wanted her to suffer for all the horrible things she made them relive. So, they decided to only let Iris attack as she was the weakest out of the three of them while they supported her from behind and stopped Natasha from potentially harming Iris.


    Iris felt like she was fighting a living punching bag as all she had to do was keep attacking and the boys made sure that she wasn''t able to run or counterattack in any way.


    The only reason why Haruto and Natasha were holding on for so long and taking more punishment was that they were looking for absolutely any way to get out of their current situation without being eliminated.


    They couldn''t afford to be eliminated and removed from the ind because it would mean that they would have to return back home... back to HIM. Mikhail, Natasha, and Haruto were all sent by El-Diablo with a mission that they obviously failed at this point.


    Nobody had the guts to face El Diablo after failing a mission that they were assigned, especially one that was assigned to them by him directly. Bill was quite a low-ranked member and he had not disappointed El-Diablo enough to receive a real punishment by him so he ended up being let off the hook easily by only receiving life imprisonment in one of those prison warehouses.


    They knew that they had to do absolutely everything to not get eliminated here so that they go on to survive the test. They had done decently in the test so far and were confident that if they were not eliminated, they could achieve the special ss and go directly to the military school without having to face El Diablo.


    However, Mako had other ns.


    [Sprint has been activated]


    Mako disyed a new level of speed that shocked literally everyone present including his friends and the hidden patrolling officers as well as the officials who were watching from the military headquarters.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako hadn''t used this level of speed before, not even against Mikhail, but somehow after defeating him, he could now move a lot faster.


    Mako quickly interrupted both fights as he quickly ced a light punch on both Natasha and Haruto''s faces knocking them both toward the same tree behind them which they crashed into as a result of the punch.


    All of his friends were so confused as they had never seen Mako move this fast, but more than that they were angry as Mako interrupted their fight out of nowhere which he didn''t have the right to do.


    "What do you think you are doing!" Erin eximed as she was the first one to approach Mako who was standing ten feet away from the tree looking at both Natasha and Harutoying against the tree.


    Mako turned around and for a split second he noticed Erin''s eyes glow white but just as hepletely turned around her eyes were back to normal. Mako was sure that he saw her eyes glow, but Erin did let Mako focus on that detail as she grabbed his shirt and started shaking him asking for an exnation.


    Mako chalked up his observation to him probably imagining things or else he would have observed a change in Erin as her eyes changed color but there was nothing.


    The rest of the gang were close behind as were equally upset at Mako for interrupting their fight and wanted an exnation so Mako did just that.


    "Listen, the only reason why I stopped you guys was that I think you guys have gone a bit too far with the beating. Guyse on, just look at them. They are almost half dead and if we continue beating them until the patrolling officers stop us then what''s the difference between us and them?" Mako exined.


    "WHAT!? DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID TO ME!? I STILL HAVEN''T GOTTEN MY REVENGE FOR WHAT HE DID TO ME!" Ein shouted with rage as she pointed at the barely conscious Haruto.


    "I understand your concern, Erin. Trust me, I know how you feel. I know he has hurt you a lot and you deserve to get your revenge but this is not the right way. If you do it like this then you are just as cold-hearted and ruthless as he is. Just hear me out for a bit." Mako said trying to calm Erin down and try reason with her.


    Mako was the most sensible and smart person Erin had ever met. He was the only reason she was still not eliminated, and whenever he made a move that looked odd or wrong, there would always be a reason behind it and he would be right. So if it was anyone else, Erin would not have listened and would continue to beat up Haruto, but since it was Mako, she calmed down and listened to what he wanted to say.


    Seeing Erin calm down, enticed the rest of the gang to calm down too and Mako began exining his thought process,


    "Don''t get me wrong, I want revenge against these people just as much as you do, but doing it this way will not only get our hands dirty and we should only do that if absolutely necessary but it will also dy our REAL revenge," Mako said.


    "What?! Real revenge?" The group questioned in unison to which Mako smirked.


    "Yes. We are not going to be the ones taking our revenge because someone else can do it a whole lot better than us." Mako said.


    All four of them were visibly confused but they let Mako finish what he was trying to say.


    "During my fight against Mikhail, He told me that he was personally sent by El-Diablo... and that it was their task to eliminate me," Mako added.


    Erin and Iris were still confused as they didn''t know what Mako was talking about but Leon and especially Bill had apletely changed looked on their faces. The girls noticed the boy''s reaction to Mako''s statement and were intrigued to learn just what it was that could take their revenge better than them and Bill was the one to respond to them.


    "They are going to learn about why the people who work for him call his personal assignments the Curse of El Diablo," Bill stated while having a visibly shaking body and eyes that were actually showing empathy toward Natasha and Haruto as he remembered back when he went through the same thing.

 Chapter 144 Saved From A Terrible Fate

    "What do you mean by the Curse of El Diablo? Who is this person?" Erin asked with curiosity.


    "Who is El Diablo?..." Bill said while caressing the key-shaped burn mark on his hand. "He is a person far worse than death! That is what it means to be El Diablo!"


    Bill''s words had made both Erin and Iris shake with unease as they couldn''t fathom how could a living person be worse than the final end; death itself!


    Natasha and Haruto could also be seen shaking as that name was mentioned by El Diablo. They understood that their enemy knew all of their secrets and their oue as well. Now they werepletely at the mercy of the group of five cadets in front of them because they knew that if they didn''t receive any mercy from them, they were done for as the word "mercy" wasn''t in El Diablo''s dictionary.


    "I still don''t understand what you are on about. How can a person be worst than death?!" Iris said with a disturbed look full of worry.


    "Hehe... So tell me, Iris, what would you prefer? Die a quick death and get it over with or get skinned alive in such an intricate manner that would deliver the maximum amount of pain without killing you so you can quickly be healed up by healing pills only to go through that process all over again as long as he wishes with no breaks or possibility of escape." Bill said.


    Bill''s words caused Iris and Erin to cover their shocked wide open mouths as the sheer thought of such a brutal thing caused them to shiver down their spine with fear. Natasha and Haruto had looks of horror on their faces as they looked toward Bill with a shocked expressions as they didn''t expect anyone else to know about such punishments.


    "How do you kn... Huh!? Don''t tell me... You too?..." Haruto said to Bill with a myriad of emotions to which Bill only nodded yes.


    "The punishment that I just shared with you is one of many ways El Diablo tortures those who couldn''tplete a task that was entrusted to them by him. There is no mercy. There is no forgiveness. You have toplete the task by any means necessary or else it is better to die on the mission than to have to face that man." Bill added.


    Bill''s statement was followed by a moment of silence as everyone absorbed and understood the severity of the situation which had the fate of two people riding on it.


    "Who is this El Diablo? Why did he assign these people to hunt Mako in the first ce?" Iris asked.


    "El Diablo is the leader of the biggest gang in Emerald City called Los Carlos. He runs almost all the major sectors of the city and has involvement with 90% of the crime that urs in the city. There are rumors about how strong he really is with the most well-known being that El Diablo has 4 high-level abilities all past level 5." Mako said.


    "All past level 5?! What kind of a monster is he?" Everyone except Bill eximed in unison.


    "Nobody knows for sure how strong he really is as he never had the need to go out, even against his rival, the leader of the second biggest gang in Emerald City called the Dark Raven. The Dark Raven was the only one capable of maintaining some sort of bnce within Emerald City against Los Carlos which is why it has not fallen into absolute chaos." Mako stated.


    "And for some unknown reasons, El Diablo had done nothing to upset this bnce as the tension between the two gangs remained constant. For the longest time, both gangs hade to a stalemate with neither making a move against the other and not involving themselves in each other''s matter." Mako added.


    Leon noticed that Mako didn''t associate with him while talking about his father''s gang which he appreciated because he didn''t want to be known as the son of a gang leader and rather wanted to build his own personality. This was the reason that Leon was always distant even when the five of them conversed and dodged any question that was targeting his backstory or past.


    Leon knew the general information about Los Carlos and El Diablo but since he never involved himself with the gang other than to participate in tournaments and fights under the name, "Dark Assassin", he really didn''t know much detail about this as well which was why he also had a shocked look on his face as Mako and Bill started to reveal information about the most feared man in all Emerald City, El Diablo.


    "However, that just enabled El Diablo to do what he did best without anyone interfering. El Diablo''s gang would easily recruit almost everyone and give them power, making them believe that they were on top of the world and that they would be living an easy life as long as they did their bidding, but for most, they would face the harsh reality a month or two in that nothing was as it seems and that they had actually signed a deal with the devil himself." Bill added in after Mako''s statement.


    The group got the basic idea of who El Diablo was and what made him so dangerous, but they still couldn''t figure out how did Mako and Bill know so much about him in the first ce. Even Haruto and Natasha had no idea that El Diablo was rumored to have 4 high-level abilities.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako and Bill both sighed as they knew they were going to open up about their past interaction with El Diablo. However, they feltfortable sharing this information with the group because even though it had only been a couple of days, they had really grown together as a team in this short period of time and they felt their bonds of friendship to be genuine.


    They began to exin how it all began and how El Diablo yed a role in both boys'' lives. They made sure to only tell bits that would give all of them the general picture without giving them too many details and refrained to talk about several things that Mako knew El Diablo didn''t have any information about and since Haruto and Natasha were also listening, they didn''t want to potentially leak any information by letting them listen.


    By the end, everyone including Leon was gasping as they heard about Mako and Bill''s journey up to this point. Leon himself was feeling a lot more embarrassed as his resolve to take revenge based on his experience was weakpared to what the two of them had gone through.


    Now that everyone was on the same page, they looked back at Haruto and Natasha who were sweating with fear awaiting the final decision that would decide their lives. Will they eliminate them and make them face a terrible fate or will they show mercy and let them continue to take the test?


    The silence was getting too much for Natasha. Shepletely broke down in front of the group and started to cry her eyes out while bowing down on the ground.


    "Please! Please! We were only following orders! We didn''t have much before we were epted into the gang. As long as you do good work, you will get the fruits of yourbor and we thought that we could work our way up and earn the good life but we soon found out the consequences of failing." Natasha began to exin.


    "We couldn''t quit or resign so we were stuck doing his bidding and did it the best we could so that we too could enjoy life. This was ourst mission before we would be promoted and we wouldn''t have to do these kinds of missions anymore. We could go to military school and make a good life for ourselves, but now all that is in ruin." She added.


    "Please spare us! We know what we did was wrong but we didn''t have a choice! Please don''t make us go back to face that monster!" She pleaded again.


    There was another moment of silence where Natasha continued to prostrate on the ground crying her eyes out while Haruto just stayed still in position with his head down full of regret and disappointment.


    After some time, Mako was about to say something but Erin beat him to it.


    "Let them go," Erin said.


    Haruto instantly lifted his face up as he stared with astonishment into Erin''s eyes as he heard her verdict. Natasha also stopped crying as she slowly looked up at Erin''s face in awe while keeping her prostrating position.


    All four of them looked back toward her with shocked faces as they heard her words because she was probably the one carrying the most amount of hatred against them for ruining Andrew, Sven, and Finn''s chances of achieving a good grade in the recruitment test.


    "Nobody should go through that level of torture and it is not like they killed Andrew and the rest. You are free to go, but if you dare show your faces during this test again, know that I won''t be able to hold myself back!" Erin said with authority and power.


    Haruto was too stunned to speak as it looked like he was still processing what had been just said while Natasha had burst outughing again but this time it was out of happiness.


    Their reactions didn''t matter too much as Erin was still holding herself from finishing both of them off but she stood by her ideal and wished for no one to go through the things that Mako had told her about.


    "Don''t ever mess with us again! Now scram!" Erin shouted.


    Natasha could sense somewhat of what Erin was feeling ad knew that this may as well be the only window they have to escape and so they didn''t stay a second longer than they had to and quickly picked up their backpacks which were near the original location were they were originally kept hostage and made a run for it away from the mountain.

 Chapter 145 Dark Thoughts

    The four of them stood behind Erin with slightly shocked looks and they watched silently as Erin told Natasha and Haruto that she felt pity on them and that they were free to go.


    Out of everyone, nobody expected Erin to be the first one to feel pity and let these bastards go after everything that they had done. Mako had apletely different train of thought as he was actually going to impose the opposite of what Erin did.


    The reason why Mako stopped both the fights and shared with everyone the cruel punishments of El Diablo that everyone feared was that he actually wanted to eliminate those two quickly so that they won''t be in critical condition and could be sent home faster rather than spending time in the hospital recovering.


    Mako had been beaten and bullied by others his entire life and he had been put in a critical state a couple of times and so he knew that recovering from one wasn''t as simple as just popping a few healing pills. Complete recovery varied from person to person and it all depended on strong their wills were.


    Scientists and doctors didn''t really have an exnation for this, but humans who had awakened their abilities and could manipte mana had more control over their bodies than regr humans. This was generally a good thing but this control could also backfire as they could subconsciously halt their own healing by basically ordering their body to not heal.


    The stronger and high level a person is the more control they have over their body and if such a person doesn''t have the will to continue moving forward and fighting, they enter into a state called by the doctors as the "Kripke Syndrome".


    It was named after the very first person who was reported to have gone into such a state after an intense battle during thest war. It was rumored that Lieutenant Kripke faced an unknown fearsome enemy that tortured him many times until he would give him some ssified information, but no matter how many times he was tortured he didn''t reveal anything to the enemy.


    Even though he fulfilled his duty as a soldier and prevented the enemy from getting an advantage, the enemy was sessful inpletely breaking the Lieutenant''s spirit as by the time he recovered, he couldn''t bring his body to heal again and fight once more.


    Even though it was an extreme example, there were many cases reported afterward and many of them weren''t as intense as what happened with Lieutenant Kripke but the end result was exactly the same. Mako knew this because another boy from his middle school had been scummed to the same fate as he couldn''t take it anymore with the beatings and the bullying.


    Mako was lucky to have his grandmother at this time as she was the only reason that he even survived middle school and was able to enroll in a prestigious high school.


    Mako didn''t want his friends to put Haruto and Natasha in such a state that wouldpletely break them and since they knew that more torture and pain awaited them once they recovered and returned home, they could potentially fall victim to the Kripke syndrome as well.


    Instead, Mako wanted them to be able to return home in a stable mental state so that he could have the person who wanted to end him be the one to enact his revenge and do it better than he could ever do himself.


    Yes! That was why Mako had done all of this! He didn''t want his friends to feel pity, he was trying to open their eyes to a more dark and painful fate for Natasha and Haruto but to his absolute surprise, the opposite had happened.


    "HOOO!" Mako breathed heavily as he broke free from his thoughts and came back to reality.


    ''What am I thinking?! Is this really what I have be? A sadist who enjoys other people''s pain and suffering! NO! I wanted to be the exact opposite of this, that was the whole reason I began fighting and became strong!'' Mako said to himself in his thoughts.


    He looked down at his hands which were trembling. He was shaking with excitement a moment ago before Erin intervened and told the two to just get lost.


    ''What is this feeling? This feeling...ing from deep inside me...? Is it anger?!'' Mako said as he tried to control his shaking hands.


    He looked over at Erin again and that was when the feelings got intensified.


    ''Am I angry at her?! ...Am I angry that she let those two go? That''s insane! Could I really be having such feelings inside of me?!'' Mako shouted as he tried to contain himself.


    From the outside nothing looked out of ce as the five of them stood still and watched as Haruto and Natasha quickly dashed away from the base of the mountain at top speed.


    However, Mako who was in the very back was sweating profusely as he was not just watching those two run away, he watching his chance for revenge for all his and his friends'' pain and suffering run away as well.


    Since the beginning, every bit of misfortune that had urred to Mako and his friends was because of the interference caused by Mikhail, Natasha, and Haruto.


    They could have had a good starting position if Mako didn''t have a fear-induced panic attack and jumped from the ne in thest possible second which made it so that theynded on the corner of the map, miles away from where they intended.


    If they hadn''tnded on the beach they wouldn''t have countered the Sabertooth Spiders that poisoned Bill and endangered both of their lives.


    If Bill wouldn''t been poisoned they would have started progressing a lot sooner but instead, they had to seek refuge in a cave where despite the odds, an advanced-tier beast resided that just so happened to attack them after Mako and Leon had their intense duel.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Later, it was because of Haruto''s interference that the Silver Wolves ambushed the group and ended up injuring Iris, and thenter he and Natasha worked together to trick the group into chasing them down the mountain where Natasha targeted them one by one a put them in a dream state where they kept experiencing the worst moments of their lives again and again.


    Finally, Mikhail used his captured friends as hostages to bait Mako into facing him so that he could finish him off in 1 v 1, and he was very close to achieving that as well.


    ''After everything that had happened, am I wrong to harbor such feelings?'' Mako thought as he continued to watch the figures of Haruto and Natasha be smaller and smaller as they traveled further and further away from the group.


    ''I need to move! I need to catch up to them! I need to finish them off so that they can feel what it''s like to mess up another person''s whole life!'' Mako screamed in his mind as his heartbeat got faster, his breathing became rapid, and he tried to summon all the willpower in his body in order to move.


    But he couldn''t! No matter how much he tried! No matter how much he thought! It felt as if Mako''s body and mind were two different people. His mind wanted to catch up to Natasha and Haruto and eliminate them from the test but his body refused to listen.


    ''What is wrong with me?! I want this, don''t I? I want to take my revenge! So then, why?! WHY CAN''T I MOVE A MUSCLE!?'' Mako shouted in his thoughts.


    He tried to release his aura, he tried to ess the system, he tried to activate a skill, but nothing worked. It felt like his consciousness was trapped inside a lifeless body.


    ****************


    "Well there they go, and honestly, good riddance! I am d that we won''t have to worry about them anymore." Iris said in a cheerful manner as she broke the silence amongst the group.


    Everyone broke out a small smile as they agreed with Iris. Even though they were all quite hurt mentally, they knew that they didn''t have to worry about them anymore and could just focus on doing their best for the test.


    "Man, I am hungry. I don''t feel like eating those premade meals today! Hey Mako, what do you say we hunt for some fresh meat and throw a feast?" Bill said as he patted Mako on the back.


    As soon as Bill''s hand came in contact with Mako''s body, it felt as if a chain reaction had urred and now Mako could break free from his mental prison and move again. Mako''s vision was cloudy with darkness as he couldn''t hear what the others were saying.


    He was only focused on the two that could still be barely seen in the distance and his own anger. However, as soon as Bill''s hand came into contact with Mako''s body, all that darkness hadpletely disappeared and he could finally sense the light that was around him.


    "Huh?" Mako said in confusion.


    "Uh... We were just saying that we should hunt for food by theke and have a fresh food feast to celebrate!" Bill repeated himself.


    "Oh... yeah that sounds great, and I am super drained after that fight!" Mako replied with a light smile that brightened everyone''s mood even more.


    Mako quickly gathered his backpack and his staff and quickly joined the others who were heading back up the mountain; however, now that he could freely move, he turned back around to see the two dots in the distance, but for some reason, he didn''t feel the urge to take revenge anymore.


    "What had happened to me? That is not how I think. Those were not my morals. So why was I thinking such insane thoughts and why couldn''t I move?" Mako thought.


    ***************


    [Far Away]


    "Natasha-kun? You were sprinting at top speed for so long as if you were still running for your life! Why did you stop all of a sudden?" Haruto asked as he finally caught up to Natasha who had been speeding away faster than him due to her speed ability.


    Natasha had a maniacal smile on her face as she turned toward Haruto.


    "Anger and Hatred are quite interlinked with Fear, don''t you think, Haruto?" Natasha said while maintaining her creepy smile.

 Chapter 146 Another Crate

    "I don''t understand, Natasha-kun! What do you mean by that? What are we going to be doing now that boss''s n failed." Haruto said with worry toward Natasha who continued to maintain her smile.


    "Don''t worry, Haruto. Don''t waste that brain of yours to figure out the situation cause it won''t work. It is all way above you! The only thing that you need to know is that they think they have won, but instead, they are still going fall under my feet once my ns areplete!" Natasha replied with that same maniacalugh.


    **************


    Away from Natasha and Haruto another group of cadets could be seen making their way toward the mountain. If one was to zoom out using a bird''s eyes view and be able to observe everything that was happening in there from a ce far above, they would be able to see that a new group of cadets which had on average 4 members could be with 3 kilometers of one another and all of these groups had only one target, the western mountain.


    As the many groups of cadets continued to make their way toward the western mountain, they could feel a sense of excitement building up within them. They had already heard about the insane duel that had taken ce near that area as the details of the event were public for live viewers.


    Seeing the fight unfold in their eyes, almost everyone started to be wary of Mako thinking that he might be some kind of insane genius who they were better of not pissing off at all.


    On the other hand, there were also insane people just like him who viewed him aspetition and that they must crush him in order to surpass everyone and be the strongest fighter.


    Mako too was one of these crazy individuals as he didn''t really care about the rules of the tournament, but rather he would defend his honor and title against anyone who tried to attack him or his friends.


    The main group had a huge head start in the race that they didn''t even know they were a part of. It was a race between all the cadet groups actively moving toward reaching the top of the mountain and controlling everything that happens, basically controlling the loot crates that have spawned on top of the mountain because there were still many more to find.


    The main group had just finished an intense fight and were casually walking back up the mountain toward the mountain. During the trip, Mako''s personalitypletely changed from the person he was ten minutes ago as he was loud and talkative on the way back.


    Mako began to share with the group the entire story of what had happened during the time when they were all hypnotized by Natasha, including his fight against Mikhail in detail which everyone was listening to with deep interest; however this time it was Leon who stopped moving all of a sudden.


    The rest of the group immediately sensed that Leon must have noticed something great or had noticed danger up ahead, and fortunately, this time it happened to be the former as while casually walking past the same stream as before at a precise point, Leon was able to observe the reflection of purple light in his eyes.


    Leon quickly tried to move his head again to try to find the exact spot again where he had observed the purple reflection and soon enough he found it. Judging from the fact that the stream was too shallow for anything to be buried underneath so the only logical ce where the purple tier loot crate might be was...


    Above!


    Mako and Leon looked up at the exact same time and were quickly able to spot a purple-colored loot crate that was gracefully sitting upon the branches of both trees, distributing the weight equally and sitting stably on the top.


    Bill used his strength to give a strong kick to one of the trees, shaking it violently and making it so that the crate would fall down. Iris used her water ability to safely catch the loot crate and cushion itsnding on the ground.


    Wasting no time at all, Leon took the initiative this time and opened the crate because this time he was hoping to find an item or weapon that wouldplement him too because up till now, the crates had been generous to Mako and Erin but had been ignoring Bill, Iris and him as they hadn''t really scored something big up to this point.


    He pressed the button on the top of the crate and pulled on the lever next to it to open the lid. The crate made the same small hissing sound as the lid was opened indicating the air-tight seal.


    The contents of the crate were once again five small little ck containers. The lid itself had a screen on the inside and on it was a disy that exined what was inside each container.


    The screen on the lid of the loot crate disyed:


    [High Tier Healing Pills x 7]


    [Self-Heating MRE x 5: Self-heating ready-to-eat meals that can provide instant and warm food during emergencies.]


    [Water Purification Tablets x 20: A tablet that dissolves by itself and has the ability topletely purify one liter of contaminants and convert them into harmless by-products.]


    [Grappling Hook x 5: A single-usepact and lightweight device that can be used to climb or descend buildings, cliffs, or other obstacles.]


    [High Tier Blue Cheetah Leg Armor]


    Most of the items were simr to the first purple tier loot crate that Mako had found with both of them giving them health, food, and water-rted item that could ensure their survival.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, this time the fourth container had a smalluncher the shape of a person''s palm with a tube on top that contained the actualunching mechanism. Theuncher also came with 5 hooks that were attached with super strong new generation Ker rope that could easily support a person''s weight despite being so thin.


    It was a grappling hookuncher that a person could use to gain a height advantage in an instant.


    Lastly, the fifth container revealed a beautiful pair of blue and silver leg armor. The silver part was extremely shiny while the blue part emted real hide with cheetah spots.


    Leon was over the moon as soon as he got just what he had been hoping for. No one else used their legs more than he did and now he finally got his hands on something that would obviously provide protection but also provide additional speed which was hinted from the name of the beast that was used to craft this piece of armor.


    Leon turned towards the holographic screen to learn more about what types of boosts and skills the armor provided while Mako did the same using his Analyze skill.


    [Analyze]


    [High Tier Blue Cheetah Leg Armor] ?


    [A pair of leg armor forged from the crystal and hide of a Blue Cheetah found in (Unknown). An excellent quality piece of armor forged by (Unknown)]


    [Fortitude +20]


    [Agility +15]


    [Defense: 70]


    [Active Skill: Blue Dash] ?


    [Blue Dash: As the wearer continues to run around while wearing the Blue Cheetah Leg Armor, it continues to store and absorb bits of the kic energy of the wearer and store it inside the boots themselves.


    There is a limit to how much kic energy can be stored inside the armor itself and once full, the spots on the hide part of the armor glow blue indicating that the kic energy has been absorbed to the maximum.


    Once the user activates the active skill, all the stored-up kic energy inside the armor can be returned back to the wearer in an instant, temporarily increasing their agility.


    The amount of increased agility varies from person to person and also depends upon skills and abilities they have that canplement the active skill itself.]


    As a standard, A fully charged Blue Cheetah Leg Armor can elevate the agility of the wearer by about 30 points for the next 2 minutes.]


    Leon was beyond ecstatic as he read through the description of his new piece of armor. His father had tried to get him to wear some pieces of armor before he left, but at that time, Leon still wanted to reject everything from his father and so he went into the test with no equipment.


    ''If Father hadn''t forced me into learning those new abilities, we would have beenpletely toast at this point. I guess he really was just trying to look after me in the end,'' Leon thought as he remembered hisst meeting with his father before arriving at the military base.


    ''I think I am ready, Father! After I pass this test, I am going to give you the conversation you had been desperately wanting from me. I don''t want to run away from the past anymore and I am ready to hear your side of the story!'' Leon eximed in his mind.


    He had never been this emotional in a long time and for some reason, it was very relieving for him to feel these emotions. It was almost overwhelming Leon at this point as a single tear could be seen forming in his eyes.


    However, before anyone could notice, Leon quicklyposed himself and put on the Blue Cheetah Leg Armor. Within an instant, he started feeling the effects of wearing such a good-quality piece of armor and for the first time in a long time, Leon had a genuine smile on his face as he quickly got up and dashed around to check their flexibility.


    "Come on, everyone! I''ll race you back to the shelter!" Leon shouted as he took a head start and bolted toward the shelter.


    Not wanting to waste the opportunity to have a friendly challenge, everyone quickly followed suit and rushed after Leon to try and catch up to him.

 Chapter 147 Taking A Walk

    The boost of agility provided by that leg armor was no joke as even though Leon wasn''t using his top speed at the moment while racing up the mountain, he was still running faster than he had ever been.


    However, Leon wasn''t the only one that had received an upgrade because Mako could still catch up to him by using abination of his own agility and his Dash skill.


    Mako was closely followed by Erin who had eyes glowing white again, but this time they were quite faint aspared to other times since nobody including Erin even noticed the fact that her eyes were glowing, so it didn''t even matter.


    In reality, Erin had subconsciously activated her mutant ice gene again while feeling the excitement ofpeting amongst friends in a friendly race but since she had also recently activated it during her fight against Haruto, she hasn''t recovered at all and that was why her eyes were dimmer than before; it was because she was running on fumes at this point.


    However, that didn''t matter much to Erin who had no idea what she was even doing as all she wanted to do was topete and she was quitepetitive when it came to that as she had almost caught up to Mako.


    All three of them were neck a neck with Leon still in the lead. They would perform cool flips and do stunts over the same obstacle and see who could do it better as they ran as a bonuspetition in the already intensepetition.


    Bill and Iris were running far behind everyone else as their specialty didn''t focus on the aspect of speed nor did they have mutant genes or fictional systems to aid them. Bill was still quite decent in terms of speed and he could absolutely smoke Iris if he wanted to as she was the one who was actually struggling to keep up.


    However, Bill didn''t feel like being a jerk and leaving her behind inst ce, so he purposefully reduced his speed too so that now both he and Iris were deadst but at least they were running together.


    Bill tried to smile and start a conversation with Iris while they ran but his mind was focused on something entirely different.


    "You seem concerned about something? What''s wrong?" Iris asked as she quickly picked up Bill''s mood.


    Shocked by her quick and urate judgment, Bill said in a rather surprised tone," How did you know?"


    "Eh... you could say that I have a knack for figuring out a person''s mood," Iris replied with a yful smile but also raised her eyebrows gesturing for Bill to spill the beans and tell her what was on his mind.


    "Alright... Alright... You got me. It is actually about Mako," Bill said with a semi-serious expression.


    "Hmm? What about him?" Iris asked.


    "Well... It''s just that I am just so amazed by his rate of growth. It was only a month ago when I could fight and race him on equal terms, but now he has grown so much that I can''t seem to keep up with him. I just can''t stop thinking about it because this was the same weak and frail boy who didn''t have any abilities up until two months ago." Bill said with a slightly saddened tone.


    Iris hadpletelye to a halt as soon as she heard Bill''sst words. She and Bill were running at the same pace so Bill ended up running past her. The stop was so sudden that it caught Bill off guard and he quickly tried to stop as well but that resulted in him losing his step and tumbling forward on the ground.


    "Oh, my God! Bill! I am so sorry, I didn''t mean to stop so suddenly," Iris said as she quickly run up to Bill who was holding the top of his head.


    "Oww... Don''t worry, Iris. It was not your fault, I just lost my footing." Bill reassured Iris as he quickly got back up from the ground and dusted himself.


    "...But why did you stop so suddenly?" Bill asked Iris as he dusted himself.


    "Well... I didn''t mean to. I just misheard you saying two months and I was so shocked that my legs just stopped working as my mind processed that information." Iris said with an embarrassed look on her face that made her cheeks glow slightly red.


    "No that is exactly what I said, two months," Bill responded instantly without even showing the slightest hint of emotion regarding what he had just said as this was just a basic fact for him.


    Everything in the vicinity stopped for Iris as she slowly turned to face Bill again.


    "W... Wh... What di... did you just... say?" Iris asked once again to make sure that her ears weren''t ying tricks on her.


    Bill repeated his statement once again with no emotion again except slight concern toward how Iris was acting.


    "HOW THE F*** DID HE DO THAT!!" Iris screamed as she couldn''t contain her emotions any longer. The scream was so loud that even some of the birds that were resting on the tree branches flew away from the fear of the sudden loud noise.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Bill had to cover his ears in order to protect them as Iris quickly began babbling on as she went over all the scenarios that had happened ever since she had met Mako. She was beyond embarrassed, shocked, and scared by the fact that even though she was an ability user for so much longer than Mako, she was significantly weaker; she was the weakest out of the five with her only worth being her healing capabilities.


    Bill slowly tried to calm her down but she wouldn''t let it as the shock was too powerful to bear.


    "How are you okay with this? Can''t you see that he is a monster?! I mean, who bes this strong in just two months?!" Iris asked Bill.


    "Umm... I guess it really didn''t bother me too much since I was able to be on his level for the majority of the time and I got my level 3 Earth ability about 4-5 months ago." Bill replied.


    Iris went into another panic attack after Bill uttered those words as she couldn''t even fathom Bill''s rate of growth, let alone Mako''s.


    The truth was that Bill didn''t really train or grow his strength before he was mistreated by El Diablo. Bill always used his superior physique and gicsbined with his basic ability to overpower anyone including his ssmates.


    Emerald High School wasn''t one of those schools where fighters were trained and raised as almost all of the students were from rich backgrounds and they wanted to pursue other fields that provided soft cushiony jobs.


    This was the reason that Bill was able to easily dominate other students even though he wasn''t particrly stronger than him. If two or three students of simr skill levels were to pile up on him, he would''ve had a hard time, but since almost all the students either didn''t care or were too soft, he got away with bullying easily, plus his fa?¡ìade of military background also helped to keep them in line.


    It was only after, Mako had forgiven him and allowed him to stay with him, that he felt the need to train and be stronger. Bill would observe Mako do weird training regimes every single day and each day they were different and had no link with each other.


    Bill would find this quite weird but because of his pride he didn''t have it in his heart to ask Mako for training help and so he would do his regr training while he was with him and when he was alone, he would do the training that he saw Mako do that day.


    In a matter of weeks, Bill''s growth in power had also increased significantly, and even though Mako was climbing at an insane rate, he could always manage to keep up with him. It was only after the test had started that he felt that he wascking because of all that had happened to him while Mako was improving fast using the experiences of the test to improve further.


    **************


    Iris had calmed down after a while and the two of them decided that running wasn''t quite their forte so instead they just decided to just walk the rest of the way and continue talking.


    Bill narrated all of his previous thoughts to Iris as they walked and slowly she began to understand the reason why they were so strong.


    It wasn''t like she hadn''t been training to get strong, but she now understood that the level of training that was given to her by a coach who couldn''t even buckle his belt properly was the reason for all her anger and frustration.


    When it came to in terms of ability, Iris was basically given everything on a te and she didn''t really have to work hard to achieve what she had, and that was why she was so weak.


    When Iris had conversed with Mako, he had always been a bit hesitant to talk about specific things from his past which Iris did find a bit odd but she respected his privacy and didn''t focus on the subject.


    However, Bill exined to her exactly why that was the case. He narrated a summary of both his and Mako''s stories and Iris was left speechless as she learned about both of their hardships, experiences, and struggles.


    Bill wasn''t reallyfortable talking about his past but he knew that for him to move forward he had to leave his past behind and that was exactly what he was doing here. He didn''t mind sharing these things with Iris anymore because he knew that she was a true friend that wouldn''t betray them and personally he thought that he had also formed a good bond with her.


    "Please don''t tell Mako that I told you all this. He is still a bit sensitive with topics about his past so let''s just keep this between us, okay?" Bill said to Iris as they continued to walk back to the shelter.


    "Of course, I wouldn''t want to cause unnecessary problems," Iris replied reassuring Bill.


    Deep down, Iris was frustrated at this moment because she knew she was nothingpared to Bill and Mako. She hadn''t been given the best life but she was still living it quite easily while people like Mako and Bill were moving through hard times and bing strong.


    ''I need to be strong too or else they will all leave me behind,'' Iris told herself with determination as she steeled her resolve to not be left behind by her new group of friends.

 Chapter 148 A Win Or Loss?

    Mako, Erin, and Leon were really gettingpetitive as they raced. All three of them were neck a neck as there was no decisive winner. Mako could only use Dash to boost his agility as Sprint cost a lot more energy and he was running quite low in that department at the moment.


    Erin was also getting tired as she was struggling to keep up because her eyes were getting dimmer and dimmer as she used thest bit of power stored in her mutant ice gene; however, despite the weakness, Erin didn''t show any signs of giving up from the outside as she was determined to win as well.


    Leon was quite surprised that even after the boost he received from his new armor and his speed ability, both of them were still able to catch up to him.


    The ground was bing more t as they raced onwards. They were nearing the clearing around theke at the top of the mountain and after running a little further, they could see the outline of their shelter.


    All three of them kicked their gears into overdrive as they sprinted at their top speed once again toplete the race''s final stretch. All three of them werepletely exhausted, but one of them was still in a much better condition than the other two.


    As they sprinted forward, taking strong and heavy steps, Leon''s Blue Cheetah Leg armor started to emit blue sparks after every step.


    Looking down, Mako and Erin could see that the cheetah spots on the leg armor were glowing blue and were responsible for the blue sparks being emitted as they couldn''t hold any more kic energy and were releasing it in the form of sparks.


    A smile appeared on Leon''s face as he activated his trump card to win the race.


    "Blue Dash!" He screamed the ability out loud as he directed his mana to activate the active skill.


    Both Mako and Erin watched with widened eyes as the hide on the armor started to glow bluepletely. The energy was being poured straight into Leon''s legs, and he could feel them getting stronger and stronger as he ran.


    All of sudden, Leon realized that he could run a lot faster now, and without any hesitation, he nted his right foot forward onto the ground concentrating all his energy on the foot. The pressure was too much for the ground to handle as it cracked up and molded around his foot as if Leon was running on Jell-O.


    After concentrating all of that energy, Leon finally released all of it in a single pulse and elerated forward, reaching his new true top speed in under 3 seconds. The eleration was so strong that it created powerful gusts of wind that blew Mako and Erin off bnce.


    As Leon ran, he was apanied by a blue streak that trailed behind him disying his line of path; an effect created by the leg armor. Leon was running so fast, his vision was getting distorted as he ran because his mind couldn''t process what he was seeing fast enough, but he didn''t slow down even for a second because he knew he was up against monsters as well who could still find ways to catch up to him like when Mako disyed that intense level of speed during their fight earlier.


    Leon didn''t realize this but since they were almost at the shelter and they were knocked off bnce due to the gust of wind. Mako and Erin had already forfeited the match and watched Leon sprint using his leg armor''s active skill.


    Leon was just so happy at beating Mako at something that he totally forgot about his surroundings and just continue to run straight on ahead.


    "LEON! STOP! You''re running into a..." Mako shouted a warning at Leon but it was toote.


    *THUD!*


    "...wall..." Mako finished his sentence.


    Leon was running so absent-mindedly that he didn''t sense the wall of the shelter in front of him and he ran straight into it at top speed, creating an indent of his whole body on the side of the wall.


    Leon was stuck to the wall because of the force by which he had crashed into the wall in the first ce. Erin and Mako quickly reached Leon and slowly and carefully pulled him out of the wall.


    Leon''s face was aplete mess. He had broken several teeth. His nose was broken and he had several cuts on his face that were bleeding profusely. However, despite all that, Leon still had a smile on his face as he continue to chant, "I win! I win!"


    Seeing Leon''s behavior Mako couldn''t help but giggle as he decided to y along. "You have won the fight, but at what cost?" Mako eximed in one of his deepest and cheesiest tones.


    Theme joke was enough to get augh out of both Erin and Leon.


    Mako quickly took out three High-tier healing pills and popped them into Leon''s mouth. Normally, a single High-tier healing pill would be sufficient but it would take a lot of time topletely heal the body and since they were still in a test where they could potentially be ambushed at any time it was a good thing to heal up as fast as possible.


    The broken teeth would take the longest time to regrow and that was also another reason why Mako gave him three pills.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Where''s Iris? She can help speed up this process so much," Erin said as she looked around to see any sign of her.


    "Yeah... where is she?? ...and where is Bill?" Mako asked as well.


    All three of them were so focused on winning the race that they had totally forgotten about their friends who didn''t have an advantage in speed.


    "We really didn''t hold back at all, did we? I guess we just left them too far behind. I hope they catch up soon." Erin said as she deduced the most likely scenario.


    "Hmm... I guess you are right," Mako said.


    Mako''s mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario and started to think of the various kinds of bad situations that the two of them could potentially be in. It never even crossed his mind that they were justgging a bit behind them due to the difference in their abilities.


    Mako had always experienced the worst-case scenarios in his entire life and even on this ind, there was one bad experience to the next and so Mako''s optimism was starting to die out as he now anticipated the worst-case scenarios from the very start and not be optimistic at all.


    Mako calcted the rough amount of time that would take for Bill to get reach the top of the mountain where their shelter was. He made a mental note that he would head back and start searching for them if they didn''t make it back in that time frame.


    Right now all three of them were excited and Mako suggested that they eat the self-heating MREs in order to satisfy their hunger a bit and recover some energy while they waited for them to also reach the shelter. Once they were all there, they could catch some fish from theke and throw the feast.


    All three of them agreed on Mako''s decision and they quickly brought out a couple of bags and began heating them as instructed on the packaging and soon all three of them were munching on some hot steamy food. It wasn''t the best quality nor was it fresh but it still did its job and filled their stomachs.


    Leon was having some trouble chewing with his broken teeth but he was still able to manage it. Mako''s metabolism had kicked instantly and he was already starting to recover energy points.


    ***************


    [Meanwhile]


    "Really? I can''t believe he has grown so much. That description doesn''t fit him at all now," Iris said.


    The two of them had now been casually walking up the path toward the top of the mountain while exchanging stories with one another.


    Overall, they were both having a fun time and they hadpletely forgotten the fact that they were participating in a recruitment test.


    However, they would soon get a reminder about just how important it is to keep their guard up at all times and to remain vignt because unknown to them they were being followed by another group of cadets.


    Unbeknownst to Iris and Bill, a group of cadets had been trailing them for the past hour. The group consisted of 3 girls and 2 boys and they were one of the first groups to reach the west mountain since Mako''s duel and were looking for those loot crates when all of sudden they spotted Bill and Iris.


    At first, they thought that they were lost and would be easy targets for them but before they could make a move, the leader of the group heard the word "Mako"e out from Iris'' mouth.


    The leader instantly stopped her friends from engaging as she was now curious. Did these two people actually know the whereabouts of Mako Grey, the person who just defeated Mikhail Fedorov in a duel?


    The leader wanted to see if her intuition was right and so she just told her friends to keep their distance and follow them. If they could find out where their shelter was, they could easily storm in and attack, and since Mako would be weakened from his duel, he wouldn''t be able to stop them and they could gather all that juicy loot.


    As Iris and her Bill approached a narrow section of the path, the group of cadets made their move as well; however, one of the girls from their group identally stepped on a couple of dry branches that let out loud crunching sounds alerting Iris and Bill of their presence.


    "Who''s there?" Bill demanded as he carefully scanned the surroundings to see where the sound came from and what made that sound in the first ce.

 Chapter 149 Five Versus Two

    Iris and Bill remained calm and analyzed carefully as they realized that they were no longer alone on the mountain path.


    The leader of the group of cadets cursed internally at her bad luck as their entire cover was blown by a simple twig. Now that Bill and Iris knew that there was someone following them, they couldn''t sneak up on them anymore and so the only option left for her was toe and face them head-on.


    "They are only two people. If ites down to it, we can easily overpower them with our numbers and eliminate them." The leader thought as she stood up from behind the bushes and made eye contact with Bill and Iris.


    The leader stepped forward, eyeing Iris and Bill with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. The remaining two boys and girls from the group also quickly followed the footsteps of their leader and showed themself to Iris and Bill.


    "We mean you no harm," she said, holding up her hands in a gesture of peace. "We were just following you, trying to see where you were headed."


    Iris and Bill exchanged a wary nce, unsure if they could trust these strangers.


    "Why were you trying to see where we were headed? What do you want from us?" Iris asked, her voice steady despite her racing heart.


    The leader of the cadet group smiled, a glint of mischief in her eyes.


    "We''re just curious," she said. "We heard you mention the name Mako, and we were wondering if you know where he is."


    Iris and Bill tensed at the mention of Mako''s name. Bill had shared some sensitive information about Mako with Iris and he didn''t know when this group had started following them and how much did they actually know about him.


    The truth was that the group had only found Iris and Bill due to Iris'' loud reaction to Bill telling her about Mako''s insane growth. It was only during that time that they could hear bits of what they were saying because they were talking so loudly, but after Iris had calmed down, they began walking and talking quietly and it was very hard to make out what they were talking about as there were lots of background noises too.


    "Who do you think you are eavesdropping on us?! We don''t know who or where Mako is!" Bill said firmly. "And even if we did, we wouldn''t tell you."


    The leader of the cadet group continued to keep a poker face, but her eyes clearly showed that she was disappointed by their answer.


    After a moment of awkward silence between them where Bill and the leader were having an intense staredown, the leader let out a sigh and smiled.


    "Well, I guess we''ll just have to keep looking then," she said, turning to her teammates. "Let''s go, we don''t want to waste any more time here."


    However, as soon as she turned around, the leader made a special facial expression toward her teammates. The expression was a secret code between the five of them where different expressions meant different things.


    The teammates immediately understood the task at hand and quietly prepared themselves. They made way for the leader to walk through the middle of them so that she could actually show that she was leaving but as soon as she crossed her teammates, one of the boys from the right instantly elerated toward Bill with a small two-inch shiv in his hands.


    The movement of the boys was so sudden and fast that Bill couldn''t react in time. The boy quickly reached Bill and tried to stab him right in the gut using his shiv.


    The shiv made contact with Bill''s body, however, instead of gliding in and puncturing a deep wound in Bill''s abdomen, the shiv was deflected because it hit something strong and metallic instead of flesh.


    Bill''s reflexes kicked in, and he raised a wall of earth to counter the attack. Before the boy could figure out what had just happened, the raised wall knocked the shiv out of his hands, and he stumbled backward, taken aback by Bill''s quick thinking.


    The reason why the shiv hadn''t gone through was that Bill was wearing the medium-tier Scorpion Leopard breastte that he had bought some time ago along with his wind ability.


    The shiv that the boy used seemed to be of the basic low tier because it didn''t even make a dent in the armor which wouldn''t have been the case if it was of the same rarity.


    Iris immediately reacted, manipting a stream of water from the nearby stream and directing it toward the group of cadets. One of the girls from the group took the initiative and countered Iris'' water attack by summoning a stream of fire from her hands. The stream water came into contact with the fire and instantly evaporated in front of them, creating a lot of water vapor mist that made it difficult for them to see and move.


    Bill saw the opportunity and took advantage of it, summoning wind to his position to blow back some but not all of the mist so that he could still see while the opponents would still struggle to see.


    Bill created a perimeter of wind that blew back the mist around 10 meters and now only Iris and the boy who attacked him were visible. The boy quickly recovered and got back on his feet. He had the speed ability which was he was so fast and why Bill wasn''t able to react in time, but now that Bill knew that he was in battle he could react more easily and meet the attack.


    Iris tried to attack the boy using small droplets of water that she could elerate enough that it would feel like tiny bullets, although not as powerful; however, the boy was very quick and zigzagged all over the ce dodging all the water bullets.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He soon found an opening from where he could strike Bill. He now knew that Bill was wearing armor so this time he aimed for Bill''s legs however that was a big mistake on his end as his whole body was very close to the ground and Bill reacted perfectly to the boy''s quick attack by raised several blunt stone spikes that hit several body parts of the boy andunching him into the air.


    Then Billunched himself into the air as well by firstunching upwards by raising a stone spike under his feat and then correcting his path using the wind ability. While the boy was in mid-air, Bill positioned himself perfectly and used the only skill that he learned from his father directly.


    The Falcon Punch!


    He tensed up his right arm greatly and pulled it back as far away as it would go. While still suspended in mid-air, Bill approached the boy and delivered a very strong punch right on his face, cracking his cheekbones instantly, and sending him flying straight through the mist.


    Coincidently, Billunched the boy in the same direction where his group was. He flew through the mist and crashed straight into a tree which cracked several more bones in his body and make him cough out blood.


    The group was trying to move carefully through the mist because they thought they could use this to their advantage as well and create a sneak attack and that was when they heard the loud thud noise.


    The noise came from somewhere to their left and they quickly made their way over only to find their teammate with a brutally bruised face. The leader gasped as she witnessed the state of her friend, but her shock quickly turned into anger as she couldn''t believe one of her friends was already defeated and it hadn''t even been a full minute since the mist had formed.


    "That''s it!" The leader shouted as she realized her own mistake.


    She had assumed that her friend could survive on his own since he was very fast and while he distracted Bill and Iris, they would use the mist to their advantage and circle around them tounch a surprise attack; however, that whole n had seemed to backfire on her.


    She quickly summoned her own wind aura, but not to create a pocket of air within the mist but to remove the mistpletely.


    "Blow away!" She screamed as powerful winds started to blow and remove all the mist revealing everyone.


    Just as the mist cleared and everyone came into view for one another, they observed Bill standing beside Iris with tens of small sand spikes hovering around him. Before they could move a muscle Bill released the sand spikes toward the group.


    The other boy from their group reacted quickly and raised a wall of earth just in time and protected everyone from the iing sand spikes.


    "No way... He has the sand ability!?" The boy said in shock as he observed Bill''s power.


    After the attack was finished, the boy lowered the wall back down and he saw that some of the sand spikes didn''t even his wall as they were too low and they hit the ground before making their way towards him.


    "You might be strong, but you''re a lousy shot!" The boy shouted with ridicule but it didn''t faze Bill at all as he just stood there.


    The boy was already angry as he saw his friend get eliminated so easily and seeing Bill unfazed as he stood coldly, staring at him was pissing him off even more.


    "You''re gonna pay for what you did!" The boy screamed as dashed forward ready to get in close with Bill and fight.


    "NO! Stop..." The leader tried to warn the boy but it was toote.


    A small grin appeared on Bill''s face as he saw the boy rush toward him.


    "Iris, get ready," Bill whispered.


    Iris nodded and started sprinting forward to meet the boy''s attack. The boy was a bit confused because he 100% expected Bill to meet his attack but he wouldn''t back down now.


    As they reached closer to one another, the boy cracked back his fast ready to strike Iris, but before he could do so his feetnded on one of the piles of sand that were the missed sand spike projectiles.


    As soon as he stepped on the pile of sand, the ground around him exploded and a small sandstorm erupted right on his feet, disorienting him and making it difficult for him to see.


    Iris looked at Bill''s left hand and saw that he had made the secret signal. Without questioning his judgment, Iris sprinted forward took advantage of the opportunity, andnded a clean strike right on the boy''s face sending him flying backward toward where he came from.

 Chapter 150 Hardships Of Becoming A Healer (Part 1)

    *Smack!*


    The boy gotunched back toward his group by Iris'' punch albeit not so strongly as the other boy who Bill dealt with. Everyone was surprised to see such strength to be released from such a small framed girl, but there was a reason behind Iris'' strength.


    Even though Iris didn''t have any ability which was super good for offense, her natural strength attribute was her strongest attribute, and the reason for that was one that a person without any knowledge of abilities would think is bizarre.


    ***************


    The reason for this amazing strength was the Healing ability. People who have the Healing ability have to learn how to manipte and focus their aura and direct it to specific parts of their or others'' body parts to repair damage and restore health.


    This amount of concentration and focus puts a lot of strain on the body, especially the muscles which tend to stiffen up when a concentrated and controlled stream of aura travels through them to reach the area that needs to be healed.


    This is why people with Healing ability have trained extensively to build a strong physique capable of maintaining all their normal body functions while they try to heal people. As their body goes stronger and learns to adapt to the feeling of flowing concentrated aura through their muscles, the stiffnesspletely goes away and from the outside, it feels as if a person is simply healing by cing their hands on a body part.


    The byproduct of this training is that when these people are not using their Healing ability, their overtrained muscles now possess supernatural strength that they can use in their everyday life.


    ***************


    When Iris and Erin were offered the sponsorship, they had to go through an intense physical and medical exam which the instructor had told them would determine the most suitable abilities ording to their body.


    Erin had scored average on everything and she basically was given the choice to pick any one of the 5 basic elemental abilities. Iris, on the other hand, had scored slightly worse than Erin in almost everything except in two categories which were quite high, Mana Reserve Capability and Muscle Fiber Strength.


    The test concluded that if Iris were to awaken and obtain the ability to manipte mana, her body had the capability to holdrger reserves of mana than what was considered normal, and her muscle fibers would also be a lot stronger than normal.


    Seeing that these two were her only strong suits, the scientist decided to pick an ability thatplimented it very well and that turned out to be the Healing ability.


    However, the Healing ability was out of the calctions of the sponsor and if they wanted to produce a strong fighter, they would have to follow the test''s rmendations and give Iris a Healing ability book.


    The reason why the sponsor was being reluctant was that even a Level 1 Healing ability book was both expensive and rare. It would shorten their budget by a lot if they were to buy one of these ability books


    Nevertheless, the sponsor gave in and reluctantly purchased a level 1 Healing ability book to give to Iris, but this came with a new set of conditions that Iris had to fulfill in order to use it.


    The sponsor wanted to get the most out of purchasing the Healing ability book for Iris by conditioning her to extra training and lessons to make sure she could effectively use the ability and that she would be a valuable asset to theirpany.


    Iris was just feeling so honored to be receiving such a high-level ability, that she blindly agreed to the sponsor''s additional conditions and got her hands on the ability book.


    However, Iris couldn''t directly learn the Healing ability because it was quite a high-level one and with most of her test results being below average, there was a small chance that she wouldn''t be able to maintain control over the aura which would run wild inside her body and ravage her from the inside out.


    In order to work around this problem, the scientist first gave Iris a Water ability book and said that she would first have to learn the basics of being an ability user and practice with the Water ability.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Water ability''s aura resembled the healing aura greatly in that it was also quite condensed and the user had to understand how to channel the aura through their body and let flow out of them simr to water itself in order to manipte the water.


    Seeing that her best friend had been given the water ability as her first ability, Erin also choose the water ability so that they would both have matching abilities and so they could train together.


    After a few months of training both girls, had managed to achieve a level 3 Water ability and were quite efficient in using them as well. They had also been provided with several Water Skill books which they had also mastered to some extent.


    Water was considered the weakest out of the five elemental abilities, which was only partially true. If we are talking in terms of offense, then Water is for sure the weakest one, but for most other departments, Water is actually a good ability to have as it is versatile and resourceful.


    It was at this point that Iris was called to the chief scientist''s office for a meeting where she was told that she was ready to receive her healing ability.


    As soon as Iris got her hands on the ability book, she quickly ripped the whitish-green crystal embedded into the book and crushed it. The crystal released a shocking amount of light green light; much more than when she had broken the Water ability crystal.


    As soon as the light faded away, Iris could be seen falling to the ground with several muscles of her body spasming periodically, causing Iris intense pain and rendering her immobile.


    She continued toy on the ground and bear through the spasms. Out of desperation, she looked over to the chief scientist with eyes screaming for help, asking for a way to stop the pain but she watched with horror and pain in her eyes as the chief scientist did absolutely nothing to help her and just sat in his big leather chair watching as she continued to spasm.


    About 30 minutester, the spasming finally stopped, but Iris was in such a terrible state after experiencing all that pain that even after the spasming had stopped her brain continued to think that she was still spasming and hence she wouldn''t move a muscle.


    The chief scientist finally stood up from his seat and came closer to check up on Iris. Iris was extremely mad at him but right now she didn''t even have the energy to put words out of her mouth and soon she passed out due tock of energy.


    When Iris woke up, she was in a hospital bed recovering. Iris had gone into aa for 3 days during which time her body had changed greatly.


    After fully recovering she was called to the main office of thepany where the chief scientist and the sponsor were waiting for her. As soon as Iris entered the office and her eyes locked with the chief scientist, she began giving him a piece of her mind about leaving her to bear through that pain while he watchedfortably.


    Both of them let Iris cool down a bit as they remained quiet as she continued to criticize the actions of the chief scientist.


    However, after she had calmed down, the two of them exined that this was the cost of learning the Healing ability.


    They exined to her that the Healing ability required a physically strong user to bear the stress of such an intense aura. They told her that she was lucky as a person is never perfectly ready for when they receive this ability and as a result, the body tries to massively improve itself at the exact moment that they learn the ability in order to amodate the intense aura.


    The process is intense and quite painful which can take anywhere from 10 minutes to six hours depending on the strength of the user beforehand and nothing can be done to stop or ease the pain as it would halt the process and thus waste the ability book as the ability won''t be perfectly integrated into the user.


    After listening to the exnation, Iris understood the reason behind the chief scientist''s actions and she was extremely ashamed and embarrassed for her harsh words earlier and so she immediately apologized to the chief scientist for her actions.


    However, both of them didn''t mind Iris'' earlier actions that much because it was to be expected considering she wasn''t informed about this beforehand.


    "I know you have been through a great deal of pain and I am happy to see that the healing ability has been sessfully integrated into your body, but I am afraid that this is only the beginning." The chief scientist said to Iris.

 Chapter 151 Hardships Of Becoming A Healer (Part 2)

    "What do you mean?... just the beginning?" Iris asked politely this time to which both the chief scientist and the sponsor nodded yes.


    "Have you tried activating your ability yet?" The chief scientist asked.


    "No... I haven''t had the opportunity to activate it just yet, but I can..." Iris began to reply and activate her ability on the spot to show to the chief scientist but was cut off midway through her sentence by the chief scientist.


    "No! Don''t!" The chief scientist said loudly making Iris freeze in one position.


    Iris was just about to activate her Healing ability aura to show to a chief scientist who asked about it in the first ce which left Iris quite confused.


    "This is what I am talking about, dear." The chief scientist began to exin. " Don''t activate your ability now because your body has just only recovered from integrating the ability itself which was already hard enough."


    "Right now, your body is quite fragile and it would return back to that spasming state the moment you activate the Healing ability and let the aura roam freely in your body, and neither you nor us can afford that mistake." The chief scientist added.


    Iris waspletely stunned by what the chief scientist was saying. Her mind immediately started to bring up shbacks of the excruciating amount of pain that Iris had suffered for half an hour straight.


    Her arms and legs to began to shake from the sheer thought of having to go through something like that again. The chief scientist saw Iris'' freaky state and calmly approached her to try to make her calm down using the only way he knew how and that was by giving her a gentle hug which she epted.


    "Don''t worry, dear. We are here to look after you and train you so that you be very strong. We will help you get past these beginning hurdles and soon you will have full control over a very strong and powerful ability." The chief scientist assured Iris as he continued to hug her.


    The chief scientist told Iris that the things she was experiencing were quitemon as most people who tried to obtain this ability went through a simr process. However, once these people are past the initial hurdles of obtaining such an ability, the boons are quite good as well.


    This made Iris cheer up a little as she received some hope that the things she was going through were fixable and the end result was sure to be quite rewarding.


    ***************


    After that, the sponsor and the chief scientist began discussing Iris'' new training regimen that she would have to follow which was under the extra conditions that Iris had agreed to when she was given the Healing ability.


    First and foremost, Iris'' gym hours were doubled, and her training focus was mostly shifted to strength training.


    Additionally, Iris now had to take mandatory medical sses which taught the basics of biology and everything else that a person should know about how the human body works.


    This was also very important as just obtaining a Healing ability wasn''t enough to be ssified as a healer. In order to be a true healer, one must also know the anatomy and working of the human body to make sure they understand what they have to fix and how to fix it when they are healing someone.


    Iris waspletely restricted from attempting to activate her Healing ability under any conditions until the chief scientist himself approved her to do so.


    For the first two months after obtaining the Healing ability, Iris had yet to activate for the first time. During this time, Iris pushed through the intense workout routines and long medical lectures with fervor and determination.


    Her physique had improved a lot and she had be a lot more physically strong. Her muscles remained small andpact but they were well-defined and oozing out strength. Iris wasn''t one to show off her body and preferred to wear loose and baggy clothes for the most part whichpletely hid her physique from the rest of the world.


    Even the military uniform that she was wearing during the recruitment test was a bit loose and it hid her strong physique quite well to the point that if Mako didn''t have the Analyze skill, he would have never been able to guess that Iris'' main attribute was her strength.


    Iris was also at the top of her medical ss as she aced every exam with flying colors and had a sharp memory that could easily remember all the different things that were taught about the anatomy of the human body.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ***************


    After two grueling months of constant effort, Iris was called to the main office once again for another meeting, and this time, Iris knew exactly what was about to happen.


    Once she entered the office and greeted the head of thepany (the sponsor) and the chief scientist, both of them started to sing praises about Iris'' rate of growth and her progress over the past two months.


    She dly received all the praises with a smile but internally she was waiting for only one moment and she didn''t have to wait long as the chief scientist quickly got to the point.


    "Iris... I believe that you have trained enough and now your body is strong enough to bear the strain of keeping that ability active. So... I think it''s time! Activate your aura and let us see the Healing ability in action." The chief scientist said.


    A huge smile appeared on Iris'' face as she had been preparing for this moment tirelessly for thest two months.


    She took a deep calm breath and started to focus on the two energies inside of her. One was blue while the other was whitish-green. She had pulled on the blue aura countless times and activated it by letting it flow freely throughout her body, but this time she turned toward the whitish-green aura and finally permitted it to roam freely in her body.


    Like a toddler who was finally tall enough to go on a cool ride, the whitish-green energy rushed to spread and roam all over Iris'' body. Outside Iris'' body, the aura began to leak out and create pressure in the surroundings. The chief scientist was not affected by the pressure generated by the aura as he himself had two abilities and each of them at a decent level which hold his own against the superior aura of the level 1 Healing ability.


    The sponsor on the other hand was not doing so great under such immense pressure that Iris was generating. The sponsor was a businessman through and through and so he never bothered to be strong and learn abilities as he already had everything without doing any kind of hard work that a strong ability user would require.


    Once the ability was fully activated, Iris quickly suppressed her aura to prevent it from leaking outside and finally opened her eyes. She could feel the boosts that the Healing provided to her natural attributes and she was relieved to see that her body wasn''t spasming at all.


    The chief scientist was d to see that the aura was sessfully activated without anyplications and now there was only one thing left to test.


    The chief scientist pulled out a small pocket knife from his pocket which looked quite unusual and unique. Using this pocket knife, the chief scientist proceeded to make a decent-sized cut on his forearm.


    Blood instantly started to gush out from the wound that the chief scientist had inflicted upon himself. The sponsor was not aware that the chief scientist would pull such a stunt and it showed through his surprised reaction upon seeing the cut being made.


    However, Iris remained calm and started to view the cut with deep interest. With the healing ability active, Iris'' eyes could see beyond the cut. She could easily visualize theyers of skin that had been breached and the minor blood vessels that had been cut.


    The chief scientist pushed his forearm in front of Iris and with a smile on his face told her a simplemand," Iris... Heal me."


    Iris didn''t have to be told twice as she quickly reached toward the chief scientist''s forearm and pulled it closer to her.


    She could easily identify theyers of skin and tissue that were damaged from the cut. She ced her hand over the cut and her hand began to emit a whitish-green light as Iris had subconsciously activated the only skill that she had learned alongside the Healing ability.


    By using the skill which was basically termed "Heal", Iris began to direct her healing aura through her hand and she could visualize small streams of whitish green light that traveled through her hand and into the cut in the chief scientist''s forearm.


    Iris had full control over the streams of whitish-green light and she directed to the areas where the de had made contact with the tissue. As the whitish green light came into contact with the cut tissue, it began merging the cut tissue back together and reviving any dead tissue cells that were present.


    Within seconds, Iris had managed topletely heal the chief scientist''s forearm using her Heal skill, and it now lookedpletely brand new without a single scratch to speak of.

 Chapter 152 Guidance

    A huge smile appeared on the chief scientist''s face as he felt hispletely healed forearm. The sponsor was shocked to see that the wound was healed so quickly because even the nurses that he had on standby who had the healing ability couldn''t heal a wound that big so fast.


    "You did amazing, dear. You are a natural! Not only you healed my arm perfectly, but you also did it in record time. I was right to entrust such an important ability to you," the chief scientist praised.


    ***************


    After the meeting with the sponsor and the chief scientist, Iris was beyond happy as she was now given permission to activate her Healing ability at will now that they had confirmed that it was safe for her to do so.


    As soon as she left the main office, she activated the ability again and continued to keep it active. She restricted the aura from leaking out which would emit uneasy pressure on weaker beings and cause unrest. She continued to walk around the building inplete awe as with the Healing ability active, Iris could more clearly see all the small intricate parts of every living thing including nts.


    As soon as she touched a nt, she could visualize all the different parts of the nt including the roots. She could feel the water flowing through the nt and the roots absorbing nutrients from the soil.


    It was an addicting feeling and Iris didn''t want to ever turn off her ability. She continued through the entire day keeping her ability active, but by the end of the day, she was so tired that she could even walk back home and copsed during her medical lecture.


    It waster exined that Iris had suffered exhaustion from malnutrition and that was why she had copsed. It turned out that the Healing ability ate away Iris'' energy pool and deprived her of all energy. Once her energy had been depleted, the ability started to eat away the food that she had eaten and the stored fats inside her body in order to keep herself active.


    Iris waspletely oblivious to what the healing ability was doing to her own body as she was just too caught up in the addicted feeling of keeping the ability active.


    ***************


    It took some time for Iris to get her habit under control but she was able to control her urges and make sure to only activate the ability when necessary. In theing months, Iris continued to train hard and study in order to push her Healing ability to the maximum.


    She had improved so much that she was even offered the next level of Healing ability by the sponsor. In theing days, Iris obtained the Level 2 Healing ability book which increased the amount of aura she had within her body, and also learned a brand new skill called "Regeneration".


    Regeneration was a passive ability that would automatically heal Iris'' body whenever she suffered from any kind of damage. This was the reason why Iris was able to heal her arm so quickly after getting injured by the Silver Wolves when the group was ambushed.


    During this time, Erin also received her second ability which was the Level 3 Wind ability and now that both of them were on the same level in terms of abilities, they began sparring with one another.


    Even though Iris was stronger than Erin physically, she didn''t have the agility or perception to boost her strength and help her fight which was why even though her punches hit hard, she had awfulbat sense and couldn''t defeat Erin even once who was quick and nimble and could easily dodge and counter Iris'' attacks.


    This was the area where Iris didn''t excel at. Even though she had the strength to fight, she didn''t have agility or perception which helpplement many fighting styles and create versatile options for the user to fight with. She also had a terrible battle sense as she couldn''t read the enemy''s moves or create quick decisions which were crucial in fights.


    After constantly failing to try and match Erin''s fighting style and technique, Iris hit a roadblock and gave up on learning how to fight properly.


    The sponsors had told them that there will be three more boys who will be participating in the test alongside them and she had hoped to just be a hard worker and healer and leave the fighting to Erin and the rest.


    Iris spent most of her time training her new ability while also maintaining her medical lessons and strength training routine while Erin would spend most of her time in the training room trying to perfect her fighting style and master her abilities even more.


    ***************


    [Moments Earlier]


    After Bill hadunched the boy straight back into the mist hended back down on the ground and quickly tried to catch his breath. He was already a bit tired after fighting Natasha and then sprinting after the rest of the group so his energy wasn''tpletely replenished.


    Bill still believed that he could beat them in one on one fight but if all of them attacked at once, he would be in some serious trouble.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Iris, I''m going to need your help if we are going to beat these guys," Bill said as he started to raise multiple small sand spikes from the ground.


    "Okay, I''ll help out with my water in any way I can!" Iris replied with determination.


    "No, that won''t work. Your water could bind the sand together and make it clumpy which will render my attack useless. Listen, I want you to use the mist as cover and sneak up on them andunch an attack. While you distract them, I will nk them from the other side with my sand spikes." Bill said.


    "What... m..m.me? Bill, I can''t." Iris said with a quivering voice.


    Bill was confused by this but as soon as he turned to face Iris and could see her quivering and shaking, he knew that something was definitely up.


    "What do you mean, Iris?" Bill asked.


    "I... I... don''t know how to fight well. They will notice me from a mile away if I try to sneak up on them and I will be very liable to you that way." Iris said with her head down full of shame and embarrassment.


    Iris remembered the first time she shared her fighting experience with Andrew, Sven, and Finn. She remembered how theyughed and fun of her for being strong yet weak at the same time. If it wasn''t for Erin, the boys wouldn''t have even apologized to her.


    Iris was expecting a simr type of response from Bill where he would ridicule her or say that she was useless but to her surprise, Bill said no such thing.


    "Calm down... Losing your nerve during a battle is the best way to lose a battle." Bill said in a serious yet polite manner as he quickly got in front of Iris and took a stance and stared at the mist with his sand spikes ready.


    These were the exact same words Bill''s father had used to teach him during his training sessions with him. Bill''s words instantly brought hope to Iris'' heart and her serious tonebined with his sudden stance said that he had sensed something and Bill had indeed sensed something, it was an intense aura.


    "That''s it!" A shout resounded from the mist in the direction that Bill was facing and it was followed by a huge gust of wind that started blowing all the mist away.


    "Look Iris, we don''t have much time. Erin told me that you were quite strong. Even if youck skill, you can still be useful. I want you to trust me and follow my lead and on my signal just run forward and attack." Bill said quickly as the mist continued to clear.


    Iris understood that there was no benefit to just sitting around and sulking about her weakness. She quickly nodded yes to Bill and got into position behind ready to run forward and strike as soon as Bill gave her the signal.


    ***************


    [Present Time]


    The boy was sent tumbling back and he crashed straight into the body of the first boy and both of them were nowpletely knocked out.


    The leader stared with sharp menacing eyes as she watched a huge smile appear on Iris'' face who had just defeated her first real opponent. She could bear the smile on Iris'' face as it was ticking her off.


    All the while Iris was rejoicing in her first takedown, but suddenly she had a realization as she stared at her own extended fist.


    ''That was what I was missing. Everyone was trying to show me moves and expecting me to learn and sparring with me to try and get me to develop a fighting sense, but the truth was...'' Iris thought as she turned back to look around at Bill.


    ''I just needed some guidance and the opportunity to shine,'' Iris thought.

 Chapter 153 Stabbed!

    As soon as Iris turned around toward Bill with gratitude, she saw him having a terrified look as he was running forward toward her.


    Iris couldn''t understand why Bill was acting in such a manner, but before she could realize what was happening, she felt a sharp object pierce her from her back.


    A sharp pain started to shoot up in Iris'' body and she looked down, she could see that she had been stabbed by a sword that had made it all the way through her body and extruded out from her abdomen.


    "IRIS!!!!" Bill yelled as he ran toward her at full speed.


    As soon as Iris had turned around towards Bill, the leader of the group unsheathed her short sword that she was carrying on her waist and rushed toward Iris to stab her from the back. Bill noticed the threat and immediately tried to run forward and intercept the attack and save Iris, but he was slower than the group leader.


    Blood leaked out from Iris'' mouth as she stood there with the de still lodged in her. All of this happened so quickly that she couldn''t understand anything that was happening. She waspletely consumed by the pain; however, through all that, Iris was able to hear a single sound, one that came from behind her.


    "This is what you get forughing over my friends, b**ch!" The group leader whispered in Iris'' ear from behind and then proceeded to pull out the de from her body which caused her even more than when she was initially stabbed.


    Time slowed down for Iris as her mind had gonepletely nk. She couldn''t make out anything anymore. She was having trouble trying to breathe and she felt like she was going to copse any moment. All she could see was Bill running towards her in slow motion, but before he could reach her, her vision started to fade away and get consumed by darkness.


    Bill ran as fast as he possibly could and as soon as he got close he nted one of his hands on the ground and raised several extremely sharp earth spikes from under the leader''s feet, but she was easily able to avoid the spikes using her wind ability which she used to blow her self back towards her friends.


    Bill grabbed onto Iris before she could fall to the ground and gently held her in his arms. He was full of emotions at this point and his eyes were starting to be watery but he still didn''t let his emotions take over as he quickly began to think of possible solutions and oues.


    Suddenly out of nowhere, a patrolling officer appeared and began to move toward Bill. It looked like the officer believed that Iris had sustained a critical injury that would require urgent medical attention and hence she was disqualified from the test.


    "DON''T! SHE ISN''T ELIMINATED YET!" Bill shouted toward the approaching patrolling officer with great anger and determination.


    However, the patrolling officer was not fazed by it as he had seen such events ur hundreds of times before, and this was no different.


    "I know it''s hard to lose someone you are close to, but if you hold on to her, you will end up killing her. She has done well to survive this long but this is as far as she goes, she needs urgent medical attention." The patrolling officer said calmly.


    "Please, she has the healing ability! She can heal herself, she can continue the fight, just give her some time!" Bill began to plead to the officer as he held tightly onto Iris'' body.


    "Look, son. She can''t heal herself if she is unconscious. She is losing blood by the minute. If she doesn''t get medical attention soon, healing pills won''t be enough to bring her back." The Officer said calmly as he tried to make Bill understand that he needed to let her go.


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel "Please sir, how much time can you spare before you Have to take her?" Bill asked while continuing to plead.


    "...2 minutes... 2 minutes and I have to take her from you by force." The officer replied reluctantly.


    He normally never gave people this type of leeway but if what this boy said was true and this girl could heal herself then she wouldn''t be considered eliminated as per the rules of the patrolling officers.


    The patrolling officers had a wide range of rules that would determine whether a cadet would be eliminated or not, but it all boiled down to until and unless the officer believed that a cadet was on the verge of dying and couldn''t be saved past a certain point, he or she would have to interfere and save the cadet; hence, eliminating them from the test.


    "Thank you!" Bill said to the officer for granting him time and now he shifted his focus toward waking Iris.


    The group was observing the whole scene y out and she couldn''t believe that the officer was actually giving them some time and not eliminating the girl immediately.


    The leader''s blood boiled as she saw this. Their group originally consisted of six members but during one of the early nights, they were ambushed by several cat-like beasts that were able tond a heavy strike on their sixth member who was a girl, and heavily injure her on the abdomen area simr to Iris.


    The leader pleaded with the patrolling officer that had arrived on the scene to give her time to find healing pills and heal her friend rather than him eliminating her, but the officer said that there was no time, and she couldn''t possibly find some to save her life in time and with that he grabbed her injured body and quickly got out of sight.


    ''Why does she get extra time?'' The leader asked herself in anger as she watched Bill trying everything he could think of to wake Iris up.


    She wasn''t going to let them have their way. If one strike wasn''t enough, she wouldnd another. When her friend wasn''t given any extra and was eliminated on the spot then why does this girl deserve extra treatment?


    With this mindset, the leader tried to move forward once again to try andnd another strike on Iris to make her lose more blood so that she could be eliminated faster, but as soon as she took a single step forward, she began to feel intense pressure on her shoulders.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She looked up in fear and could see the patrolling officer''s eyes ring at her with anger and disgust.


    "Moving to attack an injured opponent who is on the brink of death? You are the worst of scum! You are to stand down this instant!" The patrolling officer shouted toward the leader as he released his aura to suppress her movement.


    Bill couldn''t believe that this was the intention of the group leader, but he couldn''t focus on her right now. He needed to wake up Iris at any cost. He tried covering her wound to stop her from bleeding. He tried sshing her with water but nothing worked.


    With 30 seconds left, Bill waspletely out of options. Her heartbeat was slowing down and he couldn''t hear her breath anymore. He couldn''t wake Iris up and she would soon be eliminated from the test.


    "No! I can''t let it end here! Iris! Iris!" Bill shouted.


    He quickly got down on his knees and started doing chestpression on Iris'' chest to manually pump her heart.


    "Iris, wake up! You have to wake up!" Bill shouted.


    With fifteen seconds left, Bill saw that Iris still wasn''ting to. In ast-ditch effort, he quickly brought his mouth close to hers and began breathing into her lungs.


    Since he had the wind ability he could more efficiently get oxygen into her lungs. Once he had breathed in a good amount of oxygen into her lungs, he began doing chestpressions once again.


    5...


    "Iris!..."


    4...


    "...Wake Up!"


    3...


    "YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!"


    2...


    "IRIS!"


    1...


    *cough!* *cough!*


    Bill suddenly heard Iris cough and immediately stopped the chestpression. He watched with several emotions welling up inside him as Iris'' eyes began to twitch and slowly open.


    "Hah! Iris you''re awake! Please start healing yourself, you have lost too much blood!" Bill said to Iris as soon as she had fully opened her eyes.


    Iris couldn''t understand anything that was going on around her. Her vision was blurry and her hearing was numbed. She couldn''t make out anything, but then all of a sudden, Iris began hearing a voice from inside her.


    Iris couldn''t make much of what was going on outside but she could clearly hear a voice from inside her. Her consciousness looked through her body to find the source of the voice and soon she found it. It wasing from the whitish-green aura bubble that was inside her.


    "Release... me...! Let... me... help..." The voice said.


    Iris had no clue how she was hearing this voice, but she was too weak to argue as sheplied and let the whitish-green aura be free inside her body.

 Chapter 154 Bills Rage Mode?

    The voice was actually Iris'' own will that took the form of the aura of the healing ability in order to make her own subconscious understand the situation she was in and make her do the necessary steps in order to surprise.


    After listening to the voice, Iris released the whitish green energy to quickly spread over her entire body. In reality, she had activated her regeneration skill without even realizing it.


    It was rumored by many people that when they were close to death, they would experience bizarre phenomena that couldn''t be scientifically exined.


    Some would envision their loved ones appearing before them while others would see a lot of fog and mist roll in front of their vision. Some would hear sounds from no source while others would hallucinate images with no sound.


    Iris was experiencing one of these phenomena and it came to her in the form of a voice emitting from her healing ability aura. Although Iris'' mind wasn''t able to understand the situation and decide what to do, her will was strong enough to break away from her subconsciousness and give directions to her so that she could save her life.


    The whitish-green aura had quickly spread over the entire body but then began to concentrate around the abdomen, where the cut had taken ce. Bill could watch in real-time as her flesh began to move and rejoin back together.


    It was apletely horrifying scene to see up close especially since, Bill didn''t have any medical training, but that didn''t stop him, because he needed to remain strong in this critical time.


    The officer was quite surprised that Iris began to heal just in the nick of time, saving herself from elimination. Once, Iris was able topletely stop her blood from bleeding out, the officer began to back away.


    "She is one strong cookie, and she is lucky to have friends like you who didn''t give up on her. She is out of danger and at her rate, should bepletely healed in an hour or two." The patrolling officer said with a smile before quickly dashing away and going out of sight.


    As soon as the patrolling officer was out of sight, the group leader instantly took this as an opportunity to try and strike them again, but when she turned back toward Iris and Bill, she and Bill locked eyes with one another, except one of them was releasing intense bloodlust and anger.


    Bill continued to stare into the group leader''s eyes with an intense unnerving feeling that made the leader stumble back and lose the short sword from her grip.


    Bill gently raised Iris'' body and ced her to the side next to some smooth boulders making sure she wouldn''t be caught in the crossfire.


    After Bill had done that, he began releasing a new level of intense aura that he wasn''t capable of producing until.


    The wind blew wildly back from Bill''s body as everyone could now sense his intense hatred and blood lust.


    He quickly stood back up and turned around to face the three remaining girls from the group that had ambushed them. He brought his pointer finger out towards them and with intense anger began to say," You...! You...! YOU TRIED TO KILL HER! ¡­WHILE SHE WAS INJURED!"


    Bill''s muscles popped and grewrger as he finished hisst sentence. Vein s started to show all over his body with the most focus around his face.


    "YOU WILL PAY!!¡­" Bill shouted as he conjured a massive gust of wind to propel him forward toward the group.


    ****************


    As Bill charged toward the group, they couldn''t help but feel a wave of fear wash over them. They had never seen someone with such intense anger and power before, and it made them question whether they had made a grave mistake by attacking Iris and Bill.


    The leader of the group, who had just dropped her sword, quickly took a few steps back to try and retrieve it, meanwhile, signaled for the other two girls behind her to attack Bill, but before they could even move, Bill had already closed the distance and was in front of them.


    ''So fast...'' The leader observed in her thoughts as he saw Bill propel himself toward them using the wind ability, one she also had good mastery in.


    ''He is almost as fast as when I activate wind mode, well maybe a little less.'' The leader concluded after witnessing Bill''s newfound speed.


    He moved so quickly that the girls barely had time to react. With one swift motion, he knocked the first girl to the ground and kicked the second one in the stomach, causing her to double over in pain.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The girls were strong in their own regard and were definitely stronger opponents than the boys as they didn''t fall on the first strike even after Bill sudden power up. Instead, they tried to tank the blow and once they seeded, they both drew out simr-sized short des as the leaders and began attacking Bill again.


    Bill, however, didn''t have to move a muscle as he used the sand maniption ability as an extension of his arms and block both of their attackspletely.


    The leader, who had managed to regain herposure, drew a hidden dagger from her waist and charged toward Bill while he was busy dealing with the two girls. However, he was ready for her. With a quick sidestep, he avoided her attack and grabbed her wrist, twisting it until she dropped the dagger.


    The sheer amount of force that Bill was exiting on her wrist and the anger behind that force had petrified the leader as she couldn''t believe she was beaten in a contest of speed, something he was the best at within her group.


    Eventually, she was able to break free from Bill''s grasp and regroup with the other two girls. Even though she was now terrified of Bill''s new capabilities, they hadn''t given up yet as they still hoped they could bring one person down.


    Bill''s aura kept rising as her anger began to consume him more and more. He had no idea nor did he register the fact of what was happening to his body, with the most urate way to describe his feeling was topare it to the time inside the cave, when Bill battle a horde of Terra beetles and unlocked her level 4 earth ability.


    Bill used his earth ability to create one of his all-time favorite skills that he hadn''t been able to use in quite some time. Bill had conjured a giant club made out of stone and nted it firmly onto the ground with a massive thud that made the girls'' hearts shake.


    The girls didn''t just stand idly by because they knew, if Bill managed to create a full swing with that massive club it would be game over for them. The two girls both had lighting abilities which they used in an unconventional manner, shocking their legs to move faster.


    Bill really didn''t understand it but he knew that it was effective as it was getting tough for him to keep track of their movements, but despite their obvious talents, the girlscked pure skill, something Bill''s father had taught him a lot about.


    Both girls prepared their surprise attack with their speed from the lightning to attack Bill and take him off guard but as soon as they were 2 feet away from striking Bill, a strong wall of earth was raised from the ground intercepting their path.


    The girls were moving so fast that they couldn''t change their direction even if they were able to react instantly to the walls being raised and all their built-up momentum backfired as they crashed head-first into a solid stone wall, knocking themselves out in an instant.


    The leader watched with a defeated look as she saw thest of her friends fall to just two people.


    ''How strong is he? His aura is still rising! He is a monster...'' The leader thought as she gulped the moment Bill made eye contact with her again.


    The leader herself had a level 4 Wind ability as well as a level 3 Fire ability, so she wasn''t weak in any way, but when facing Bill who had be something even he didn''t fully understand, she looked powerless.


    The leader tried to create huge gusts of wind and throw sharp wind des toward Bill out of desperation, but Bill countered it with his own wind ability of equal strength canceling out the huge gusts of wind and colliding with the wind des midway.


    The leader changed tactics and tried several fire moves, but they too got blocked by his stone and sand ability.


    All the while the leader kept on trying to shoot desperate shots, hoping one of them could get past him, Bill was moving closer towards her while dragging the giant stone club behind him on the ground.


    The leader waspletely out of options as the bloodthirst in Bill''s eyes had already spelled out her elimination. Finally, after throwing her twenty-third fireball, the leader finally dropped her hands and stopped resisting, standing still and epting fate.


    While standing still and awaiting her fate, she admitted that she wasn''t the nicest nor the most caring person and she admitted that she would use any opportunity for her advantage, but she wanted to justify it by saying that this was exactly what the test was designed to test them on and she had no regrets about any of her actions.


    "You shouldn''t have messed with us," Bill said as he approached her, his voice low and dangerous. "Now you''re going to pay for it."


    He raised the giant club towards his back and was about to strike the leader, eliminating her from the test when suddenly a voice stopped him in his tracks.


    "Bill, stop!"

 Chapter 155 Trouble At The Summit

    It was Iris, who had regained consciousness and was now sitting up against the boulders. Her voice was weak, but it was enough to make Bill pause.


    "You don''t have to do this," she said, her eyes locked on Bill''s. "You''ve already won. Please don''t hurt her, or else what will be the difference between you and her?"


    Bill couldn''t believe it. Iris had already fully recovered and was sitting upright. The patrol officer had told him that it would take around 1-2 hours for her to fully heal, but it had only been a couple of minutes.


    When the patrol officer was about to leave after confirming that Iris would be alright, Bill knew that the leader wouldn''t hesitate to strike them again. Just the sheer thought of her having no remorse or mercy towards Iris was making Bill sick in the stomach and making him very angry.


    Bill couldn''t understand how he was gaining an absurd amount of power but he knew it had something to do with his anger as the more angry he felt, the stronger he got. Bill decided to give in to his anger and tap into as much power as he could so that he could fight all three girls and teach them a lesson.


    Once he had made sure, Iris was away from the area ofbat, Bill''s vision became cloudy as he could focus on nothing else other than the faces of three girls which were his opponents.


    He still had his conscience intact while he fought them and was aware of every single move that he was making, but what he didn''t feel at that moment was any kind of emotion toward his opponents other than hatred and anger.


    ''Why should people who don''t give mercy to anyone receive mercy in return?'' Bill thought as he fought all three girls.


    It was only after hearing Iris'' voice that Bill came back to his real senses and he began to hesitate as his consciousness became active and began to suppress his anger.


    ''I was just like her, wasn''t I? I never gave pity to anyone and dly walked over their injured bodies, and yet he...'' Bill told himself as he began to rewind back to his past memories.


    ''He healed me, gave me a ce to live when everyone rejected me, and forgave me for all I did...'' Bill remembered about his and Mako''s early situation.


    ''Iris is right! I need to be better than her, if I move with the sole purpose of enacting revenge then I am no better than her! I need to be more like Mako,'' Bill thought as finally suppressed his anger and rejected the power which he had gained earlier.


    All of this urred in the span of only a few seconds, but in that short time, the leader was quick to realize that Iris'' words had gotten through to him and he won''t attack her. Using this great opportunity, the leader quickly summoned all of her wind aur and sted it on the ground, propelling herself high up in the air and sessfully fleeing the battle.


    Bill had already made the decision to not attack her but before he could drop his club, the leader had already taken off and escaped, leaving her friends behind.


    Bill couldn''t believe how selfish she just abandoned the same friends that she was so passionate about getting revenge for after Bill had defeated them, but when it came to her own life, she chose to throw away all her morals and flee just to save her own skin.


    A few patrolling officers quickly arrived on the scene as soon as the leader escaped. They must have been holding out because the cadet''s injuries weren''t so severe that they needed immediate medical attention and could have been potentially saved if the leader stuck around, but since she fled leaving no one to take care of them, the patrolling officers finally made their move and started moving the cadets off the ind.


    Bill quickly rushed toward Iris and helped her to her feet. Iris was quite weakened as it looked like her body had used a lot of energy in order to heal her wound. Bill couldn''t let Iris walk in this condition and so he dropped down and told Iris to get on his back.


    Iris denied the offer at first saying that she was alright and that she could walk fine, but her body said otherwise as she copsed the moment she said those words.


    Bill smiled at her with a knowing look and now that she had embarrassed herself, Iris quietly got on Bill''s back and he began carrying her as he continued walking on the path leading up to the top of the mountain where their shelter was.


    As they walked, Iris looked down at Bill and smiled weakly.


    "Thank you," she said. "For protecting me and saving me from getting eliminated."


    Bill smiled back at her, his anger now reced with relief and gratitude.


    "Anytime," he said. "I''ll always be there to protect you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *************


    After moving a bit further up the path leading to their shelter, Bill suddenly saw a cloud of dust moving toward him from the front. It was moving fast anding straight for him. Bill was already a bit tired from having expended a lot of energy and wasn''t in his best shape but despite that, he quickly took a stance and got ready to face whatever was barreling towards him, human or beast.


    The dust got bigger and bigger by the second and within a few seconds, the cloud was almost upon him. From the sound of the heavy footsteps, Bill determined it to be a human. The cloud was covering up the person who was creating it but as soon as the cloud got close to him, the sound of his feet grinding against the ground could be heard.


    Whoever, it was, they hade to aplete stop just before them and now the smoke cloud was passing through them because of its continued momentum. Bill was ready for anything and observed the smoke carefully to see if he could spot the person through the smoke.


    The person; however, didn''t move from his spot whatsoever and allowed all the smoke to pass by so that Bill could have a clear vision of who had appeared in front of them.


    "Mako?!" Bill eximed as he identified the person responsible for dashing towards them with a huge dust cloud behind him.


    "What were you guys? Iris, why is there blood on your uniform? What happened?" Mako bombarded them with questions like a caring and strict mother who was questioning her kids who came home a bitte.


    Bill was a bit surprised to see that Mako had run all the way back to make sure that they were okay since they had taken too long to reach the shelter and it was already evening.


    Bill could understand Mako''s worry especially since all of them were kidnapped a day prior during Mako''s absence and so he quickly tried to calm him down and exin what had happened.


    Mako listened intently, his expression turning serious as Bill recounted the battle with the group of five that had ambushed them asking for information in regards to Mako.


    "Hmmm... I see, so they believed that they could follow to our shelter, and attack me since I was weakened after my duel. They underestimated us for sure." Mako said after listening to the whole story.


    Mako exined to them that he was getting paranoid since they hadn''t returned even after so much time had passed in which they could have easily made it back to the shelter and so he thought that something must be wrong. So that was why after he regained some of his energy he sprinted back down the mountain to try and look for them.


    Bill and Iris both appreciated the concern Mako had but they reassured him that everything was fine and that they had handled it.


    After seeing that they were both okay, Mako offered to walk with them so that they could all return to the shelter together which Bill and Iris appreciated.


    While walking the three of them began talking about various things. Iris went into great detail as she shared with Mako how she took down her first opponent.


    Mako was surprised to hear that Iris actually hadn''t defeated anyone up to this point and that during thest battle, she had taken down her first real opponent.


    It was quite embarrassing to tell which is why Iris had hidden this fact from everyone but now that she had finally defeated a person, she didn''t feel as embarrassed and useless as before and opened up a bit about her life as an ability user and how she trained.


    It was quite fascinating for Mako to hear but Bill''s mind was still focused on something different. He kept thinking back to that insane rush of power he received when he hadpletely lost it and gave in to anger.


    ''What happened to me? What could''ve triggered such a boost in power?'' Bill thought.


    No matter how hard he thought he couldn''t figure it out so for now he decided to just keep it to himself and seek some answers once they had passed the recruitment exam and entered military school.


    The group walked at quite a fast pace as they reached the shelter just after sunset, but something was not right.


    As they neared the building from the backside, they could hear the sound of fighting from the front of the shelter. Bill and Mako quickly realized that Erin and Leon might be under attack and dashed toward the shelter to find out what was going on.

 Chapter 156 Horde Night

    Bill gently ced Iris beside the back wall of the shelter and quickly joined Mako as they rushed toward the front of the shelter to find out what was happening. Iris tried to resist and insist on going with them and prove that she could help out too, but she had expended too much energy recovering from the sword wound making her very weak.


    As soon as Mako and Bill reached the front side of the shelter, they were greeted with a view they never imagined they would see again. Erin and Leon were standing back to back and fighting a horde of around 15 Silver Wolves.


    There were several dead bodies of Silver wolves on the ground with semi dried up blue blood which showed that they had been fighting for a while now.


    Leon was the first one to spot Mako and Bill and finally adopted a relieved smile on his face as he could go all out without worrying as now they had backup.


    Leon''s foot began to glow which was one of his skills in which he could concentrate his momentum and get a burst of agility. However, this time, not only was Leon''s foot glowing, his leg armor started to glow as well as Leon activated its active skill.


    While Leon was charging up, Mako and Bill quickly subbed in for him and prevented any of the Silver Wolves to attack him or Erin''s back. With his agility charged up to the max, A brand new smile appeared on Leon''s face as he was enjoying the incredible rush of power, and with that, he locked his eyes on his first target and started running.


    As soon as Leon took the first step, he was propelled so fast that it looked like Leon was teleporting but that was simply not the case.


    Leon had learned from hisst time when using Blue Dash active skill and that was to focus on his path rather than on his running. He understood that the Blue Dash skill would make it so that he would reach his top speed whether he focused on his running or not and it was important for him to focus more on his path so he wouldn''t crash likest time.


    He was running so fast that the blue streak that followed behind hadn''t even begun disappearing from his initial position.


    Leon had equipped the Dark Wing shiv that Mako had given him and using his speed and momentum, Leon began stabbing all the silver wolf''s vital spots with such force that it killed them in an instant.


    Leon was moving so fast that he couldn''t physically make a turn while he was running as by the time he could make a turn, he would have run out of ground to run on and would have fallen off the mountain.


    Instead, he used the bodies of the wolves as a barrier to disrupt his speed a little bit and change his direction. All Mako and Bill could see was a zigzagging blue streak that was able to quickly deal with all of the Silver Wolves at once.


    It was a shocking disy of skill and ability and Mako was quite surprised that even with all the help that he got from the system, there were still people who could match up to him and give him a good fight with decent odds of winning for both sides.


    After dealing with thest Silver Wolf midair who was in the process of lunging at Erin, Leon forcefully came to a stop and deactivated his skills. Leon waspletely drained after executing that move and covered in sweat all over.


    The group quickly regrouped at the front door of the shelter and everyone was quickly updated on each other''s situations.


    Erin and Leon told them that after Mako had left to look for Bill and Iris, they were going to try and fish so that they could prepare that feast that they had nned, but as soon as the sun was about to set, they began to hear several growlsing from the bushes near the shelter.


    They quickly took a stance and covered each other''s backs as they sensed the presence of multiple decent-level being which turned out to be Silver Wolves.


    Without any warning, the Silver Wolves began attacking them and the two of them quickly went on the defensive. They understood that if one of them were to get injured the other person wouldn''t be able to protect them and they would both end up losing their lives so they decided to just hold out and only attack if necessary and wait for Mako and the others to return.


    For some reason, Erin could still use her ice ability and everything but she didn''t feel as strong as before. Instead, she felt quite fatigued and tired. This was because Erin had used up her Mutant Ice Genepletely and it took quite some to regenerate hence making it so that Erin was unable to tap into her additional power, rendering her quite weak against the wolves, with the only saving grace being the boost provided by thebat knife that Mako had given her for the time being.


    "Why would they attack us all of a sudden again?! Is it that bi**h''s doing again?!" Bill asked as he was quite confused regarding the whole situation.


    "No, this time it wasn''t her! Remember carefully, thest time the wolves attacked, they were organized and were clearly following orders whereas now, they werepletely feral and wild which meant that this was a natural attack." Mako concluded as he knew this wasn''t Natasha''s doing.


    He knew this because he analyzed them once again and this time the skill showed that they weren''t in any condition.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Analyze]


    [High-level Silver Wolf] (Hypnotized)


    [Ability: Speed (Level 3), Lunar Influence (Level 1)]


    "There still has to be a logical exnation to this, none of us havee across a type of silver wolf den which means that they came here on purpose, somewhere which doesn''t suit them at all," Erin added raising a valid argument.


    Everyone went into deep thought as they began thinking of why such a thing had urred. Seeing everyone so focused on thinking of a possible reason for the problem, Iris who was leaning against the wall of the shelter eating one of the MREs in order to regain some energy, suggested that Mako check the tablet to see if there had been any news regarding such an event.


    Mako agreed with Iris'' suggestion and pulled out his drone controls which were stationed right next to the information tablet.


    Mako took manual control of the drone and maneuvered it so that the drone''s arms would open the notifications tab and once he did, his mouth was left hanging as the very first news that was disyed in front of him exined everything that was going on.


    "A HORDE NIGHT!?" Mako eximed out loud as he read the headline of the important notification.


    "A... what now?" Erin asked as she didn''t understand what Mako said.


    "A horde night is where a horde of different level beasts swarm certain areas of the map in multiple different waves," Mako replied as he read the description of the notification.


    "Tonight, there will be a total of five waves of beast attacks, each urring an hour after thest wave of beasts. It is advised for cadets to avoid or get out of the red highlighted areas of the map for if they don''t they would have to face the horde." Mako said as he kept reading off the description.


    "This event willst for three days with every night, new areas being chosen and will be highlighted in red indicating the horde''s domain. Good luck!" Mako said as he finished reading the description.


    Everything automatically became sense now. By using this clever tactic, the military was forcing the weaker cadets to lose thefort of their shelter and be on the move which would lead to their downfall as the only reason they were able to survive for this long was because of hiding away and cowering inside of their shelters for the maximum amount of time.


    Since it had been 35 minutes since the wolves had attacked Erin and Leon, they had 25 minutes to figure out their next move and prepare for the next iing horde because they couldn''t possibly get out of the boundary of the red-highlighted areas in time as the entire west mountain was covered in red.


    First and foremost, they had to deal with this situation in the most effective way possible and make sure to always n ahead. they couldn''t go all out as Leon did earlier and waste all their energy because they wouldn''t be able to recover in time for the next wave of beasts.


    Right now, Iris and Bill were quite tired from the whole situation that had urred during their walk and now, Leon was tired too as he had expended all of his energy on thatst move. This left only Erin and Mako, and out of the two, Mako was the only one who was strong enough to fight as even though Eris had the energy she hadpletely exhausted her Mutant Ice Gene and couldn''t receive an extra boost.


    Seeing that the situation was dire Mako came to the most logical conclusion as to how he was going to tackle this predicament.


    "Iris, Leon, and Bill, head inside the shelter and try to recover as much of your energy as you can," Mako instructed.


    All three of them were confused as they thought that all five of them would fight together, and so they asked him," What are you going to do?"


    "I am going to face the second horde on my own!" Mako said.

 Chapter 157 2nd Wave

    "What!? Are you crazy!? That''s insane!" Iris said as she reacted quite strongly to Mako''s instructions. She couldn''t even begin to register the fact that he had voluntarily opted to fight out a whole horde of iing beasts all on his own while the rest recovered.


    "It''s alright, Mako! You don''t have to push yourself anymore. We can all fight together, right guys?" Iris said in a caring tone as she tried to get him to change his mind.


    Iris expected everyone to back her up but to her surprise, nobody took her side as she went against Mako''s idea which was a huge shocker for her.


    "What are you guys doing? Are you seriously going to let him fight an entire wave of beasts by himself while we stayfortably inside our shelter?!" Iris asked the rest of the group in a ridiculing manner but before things could escte, Bill grabbed onto Iris'' arm to try and calm her down.


    "Iris please calm down and think about it from a tactical perspective. Mako is making the best move. He is the one who is least tired out of all of us right now and even though he is not in his peak state, he can perform better than us right now." Bill said in a polite and calm manner.


    "If we all were to fight at the same time, then we would all gradually lose our energy as the waves continue and by thest wave, all of us would be tired since we were all continuously fighting and wouldn''t be able to deal with the more dangerous beast that woulde inst wave." Bill continued.


    "On the other hand, Mako is proposing a good solution where he fights the beasts as long as he can so that we can recover as much energy as we can and be prepared to rece him before the next wavees. This will make it so that the next most energized and capable person would fight the wave while the previous one could start recovering as well." Bill added as he finished exining Mako''s thought process to Iris.


    Iris took a moment to consider Bill''s point and finally realized that he was correct. It would be advantageous for them to have a few rested and powerful individuals to fight each wave, as they could battle without experiencing exhaustion and would not need to divert their attention to protect others during the battle.


    Once the wave was over, they could shift ces with one another and take turns resting so that fresh and strong people would be ready to face the next iing wave.


    Right now Mako and Erin were the only ones who had recovered the most energy and hadn''t wasted it like Leon. Mako told Erin that she would be his backup in that if he were to ever get overwhelmed or taken by surprise by the beast, she would watch his back and make sure he wouldn''t get hurt.


    Erin epted this task and stationed herself near the front gate of the shelter, ready to jump in the fight at a moment''s notice.


    The rest of the group went inside the shelter and began eating some of those MREs and meditating in order to regain their expended energy as fast as possible and prepare themselves for the third wave.


    ****************


    The night was silent and the wind was blowing strong as Mako awaited for the next wave of beasts toe. During the time that he did have before their arrival, Mako piled all the Silver Wolf bodies into one corner and harvested their crystals.


    After sessfully harvesting all the High-level raw crystals, Mako lit the Silver wolf corpses on fire and proceeded to drop the crystals inside the shelter.


    Just as he finished giving Leon his crystals, Mako could sense multiple multiple creatures heading toward the shelter from the south side thanks to his upgraded Analyze skill and he quickly grabbed his staff and made his way outside to see what he was dealing with.


    The beast turned out to be a type of dog that waspletely red in color and had a mane of a lion that was mainly orange in color which created a cool gradient with the red body to imitate the look of mes on its body.


    There were around 40 to 50 such beasts that were making their way toward the shelter.


    Mako quickly used Analyze on them to learn more about them and especially figure out what were their weaknesses.


    [Analyze]


    [High-level me Dogleo]


    [Ability: Fire (Level 4)]


    [Description: A me Dogleo is a creature made purely out of fire. Its organs, bones, and skin itself are also made of fire. They are highly proficient in the Fire ability, so much so that fire attacks of the same level have no effect on them and anything that even grazes the skin of these creatures would instantly get burned.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A me Dogleo''s evolution is quite vast and spans multiple levels. It begins with a Medium Level pup and grows into a High-Level Dogleo naturally over the course of only one year. Once the Dogleo has matured, it has to feed on the ash of its burnt opponents in order to be strong and evolve into many stronger levels.


    me Dogleos are extremely sensitive to water, so much so that a single drop of water can cause severe damage to their skin that can be longsting. To protect themselves from the water, the me Dogleos have developed a natural barrier in the form of a thick coat of fur surrounding them around the neck which resembles the mane of a lion as well as hydrophobic hairs which cover it from head to toe and it helps repel water away from its skin.]


    [Weakness: Water, Ice]


    The system had done a great job of giving a great description of the beasts that Mako was about to face.


    ording to the system, these Dogleos would be immune to his fire-rted skills since he also only had a level 4 Fire ability, the same as the Dogleos. This significantly reduced Mako''s fighting options, but he wasn''t worried that much as the system had also revealed a massive weakness that the Dogleos possessed.


    Erin could now also see the horde of red furry-looking dogs headed toward them. Fire was released from their nostrils as they breathed out, eyes glowing likeva, and leaving burnt marks of their footprints on the ground as they neared the shelter.


    "Erin, It''s obvious that these beasts are heavily affiliated with the Fire ability which means your Water and Ice abilities will be key for taking them down. Climb onto the roof of the shelter so that you stay away from their range of attack. They will focus on you when they realize that you are their kryptonite, but whatever you do don''t leave the roof, or else I wouldn''t be able to protect you." Mako shouted instructions to Erin.


    "I will try to get them all to focus on me and While I distract them, take them out from above using Ice and Water skills. I am counting on you!" Mako added as he finished shouting instructions over to Erin who quickly acknowledged them and followed them immediately.


    Mako''s shouting aggravated the Dogleos and they began snarling and growling at him with intense heat and fury. Soon, they broke their formation and started sprinting toward Mako, beginning their assault.


    While Mako was yelling instructions over to Erin, he was also infusing his staff with as much Lightning aura as possible, and now that it had reached its maximum limit, Mako set the handle to default and raised the staff with the glowing crystal into the air.


    All the Dogleos were rushing toward Mako with intense bloodlust. Mako waited until thest possible second to ensure that almost all of the Dogleo would be in range.


    Just as the first Dogleo was about to lunge at Mako with its teeth and ws exposed, Mako impaled the raised staff into the ground with great force as he cast his first skill.


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    A strong and massive pulse of electricity began to erupt from Mako''s staff which quickly expanded and reached its maximum range in an instant, covering almost all of the me Dogleos and paralyzing thempletely.


    Mako had made sure to stand a specific distance away from the shelter so that when he used the Electrical Discharge skill, it wouldn''t reach the shelter and paralyze Erin and the rest.


    He was standing in a very well-calcted position where he would be far enough from the shelter that his skill wouldn''t reach them yet would be close enough that if the Dogleos decided to start attacking the shelter instead of him, he could rush back in time to protect them.


    Luckily, since Erin had hidden on the roof, the Dogleos only had one target in their line of sight which was Mako and that was why all of them rushed toward him to attack.


    Now with almost all of the Dogleos paralyzed, Mako took out hisbat knife which he had borrowed back from Erin for this fight, and began stabbing the paralyzed Dogleos killing them in an instant.


    Even if Mako didn''t activate the active skill on hisbat knife, his knife was still crafted out of the crystal and body parts of a beast that had the Ice affinity and even this was enough to trigger the Dogleo''s weakness as their skin began hiss just as the de made contact with their skin.


    Seeing that Mako was easily able to defeat their kind, the few Dogleos that had not been affected by the paralysis started to shoot strong fireballs from their mouths at Mako which forced him to move.


    Not wanting to waste the amazing opportunity, Mako shouted over to Erin who was still hidden from view at the top of the roof.


    "ERIN! They are all paralyzed for the next 40 seconds! Kill as many as you can using your abilities. Reduce their numbers while I deal with the few who didn''t get paralyzed!" Mako shouted.

 Chapter 158 Ice Gun

    Erin quickly jumped up and revealed herself on top of the roof of the tiny shelter. Since she was hiding on the other side of the nted rooftop, she couldn''t see what was initially going on as the Dogleos started sprinting towards Mako, hoping to tear him apart and burn him into ash.


    When she stood up and saw the sheer number of me Dogleos that were frozen in ce inches away from Mako''s position, she couldn''t help but gasp at Mako''s crazy yet effective strategies.


    Mako was busy dealing with the few Dogleos that were at the very end of the pact and weren''t in the range of Electrical Discharge. The Dogleos were smart enough to realize that Mako''s weapon was a great weakness to them and so they maintained a safe distance and started firing a barrage of strong fireballs from their mouths.


    Mako was able to dodge most of them but he couldn''t get near the Dogleos who were attacking him from afar. Even though the Dogleos were paralyzed, they weren''t frozen which meant that their skin could still severely burn him, and since there was a litter of them all over, Mako couldn''t run past them with ease and reach the Dogleos that were attacking.


    Mako couldn''t use any other tactic such as running around the crowd of paralyzed me Dogleos to reach them because they could just run opposite to him to avoid him which wouldn''t gain anything rather it would leave the shelter a bit more exposed for the Dogleos to target.


    He couldn''t use High Jump to cross over the sea of paralyzed me Dogleos to reach them either because the Dogleos were attacking him nonstop which didn''t leave him time to charge his skill and even if he did, the Dogleos could just target him in midair and he wouldn''t be able to dodge well which wouldn''t be good either.


    So for now, Mako was only doing his best to keep the active Dogleo at bay by making them keep their focus on him while asionally fighting back with his lightning strike skill which was the only ranged skill he had that could do any damage to them.


    While all of this was happening, Erin was pulling small amounts of water from theke near the shelter and condensing them using her Ice ability into small shards of ice.


    Once she had made a dozen or so ice shards, she pulled a skill out of her Water Ability which was called Water Bullet where Erin would just concentrate her Water aura on a small amount of water and shape it into a bullet that resembled a 9mm bullet and using all her strength sted it forward towards her opponents.


    The skill was totally dependent on the level of the Water ability that she had and her own physical strength, but now since she was stronger and had the ice ability which was kind of like an advanced version of the water ability, Erin decided to try and use the skill with ice instead of water.


    The skill took longer to perform than doing it with regr water since the water bullets had to be frozen first but after they were frozen, Erin just had to aim and shoot. She quickly extended her arm and all the bullets lined up one after the other up to her shoulder like an invisible magazine.


    The first bullet moved forward toward the tip of Erin''s pointer finger and once she had selected the target, she began powering the bullet with as much ice aura as she could and while she focused on doing that, her eyes started to weakly glow white again.


    This whole sequence of events took just a couple of seconds, but Erin was now ready, and she sted the ice bullet at the head of the me Dogleo that was at the very front of the pact when they tried to attack Mako.


    The bullet traveled faster than any bullet that Erin had fired before and it easily tore into the Dogleo''s head, shocking Erin herself.


    The moment the bullet fully entered the Dogleo''s head, its furpletely lost its color and it went from being vibrant red to a deep purplish blue; however, the ice bullet wasn''t done as once the bullet had prated deep inside the skull, it released all the ice aura that it had stored inside of it creating a small circr icy st that erupted outwards andpletely covered the Dogleo in ayer of ice.


    "Well if he ain''t dead before, he dead now," Erinmented as she was surprised by the power that her new ice bullets contained.


    She had no idea why her ice bullets exploded after impact since the water bullet skill didn''t do that and since she was following the steps of the water bullet skill, it was quite an unexpected thing to see.


    Erin hadn''t learned any skills regarding the Ice ability and was just using it however she could think of as that came under the skill that every ability user has since they receive their ability and that is the maniption of that ability''s aura.


    All the moves that she had done up to this point were just making things out of ice that were reinforced by mana.


    The difference between a regr use of an ability and a skill is that skill has an added effect to it that wouldn''t normally happen if the user was just manipting the element. Bill''s sand spikes wouldn''t explode on contact, Mako''s electrical discharge wouldn''t release like a pulse that didn''t do any damage and only paralyzed enemies, etc.


    What Erin had just done was create a brand new skill using the ice ability all on her own called "Ice Gun" and it was far superior to its predecessor, water bullet is everything including damage, range, and an added bonus of exploding into a mini ice storm upon impact.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Even though Erin didn''t fully understand what was going on, she didn''t slow down for even a second as all the bullets moved down one time down her arm and the next bullet was loaded atop her pointer finger.


    She immediately began loading ice aura into the next bullet and shooting it at another paralyzed me Dogleo.


    With her new skill, Erin continued to fire ice bullets at the me Dogleos, quickly taking them down one by one. As the ice bullets exploded upon impact, sometimes surrounding Dogleos would also get caught in the st radius, freezing them in ce and leaving them heavily injured and vulnerable.


    Mako, realizing that Erin was providing him with much-needed support, began to move more aggressively. The active Dogleos were momentarily stunned when they witnessed ice forming out of nowhere on so many of their kind which was turning them blue all of a sudden.


    Since the bodies of the dead Dogleos were still paralyzed, they didn''t fall over dead when the bullet prated them and covered them in ice, instead, they remained in their initial position.


    The Dogleos were confused for a bit but quickly understood what was going on as they observed projectiles attacking the paralyzed one from on top of the building and they quickly identified it to be another person.


    After seeing that Erin had abilities that were able to wipe them out in a single blow, they shifted their priority to Erin as she was a bigger threat.


    While Erin was conjuring a new round of ice bullets that took about ten seconds to do, the Dogleos, stopped firing fireballs at Mako and instead started to charge their attacks aimed at Erin.


    [High Jump has been activated]


    Using this opportunity to his advantage, Mako quickly activated his High Jump skill and quickly crossed over all the paralyzed me Dogleos. Just as the Dogleos were about to fire away at Erin, Mako interrupted their attack by impaling hisbat knife deep into the skill of the first Dogleo.


    Mako had no need to activate his active skill as it was a one-time use thing before it went on a cool down which didn''t do much for Mako as the me Dogleo would die just by being stabbed by the thing.


    However, this time Mako had to activate the skill as unlike Erin''s ice bullets that killed the Dogleos instantly, his de took a couple of seconds for it to kill the Dogleo. This was bad because Mako was in midair and after stabbing the Dogleo, he was going to fall right on top of it and if he touched its skin while it was still barely alive, it would have been game over for him.


    He quickly activated the active skill and the de instantly became a lot cooler as it began forming ayer of ice on top of the head of the Dogleo. The formation of ice triggered the Dogleo''s weakness even faster killing it and turning its fur blue just as Makonded on top of it and luckily he didn''t get burned.


    While Mako picked himself back up, one of the other Dogleos attacked him from behind but before Mako could even turn around to dodge the attack, a bullet prated its belly in mid-air killing it in an instant.


    The active Dogleo put their focus back on Mako now as he was now closer to them and a bigger threat. Erin resumed firing at the paralyzed Dogleos, killing the majority of them while they were still paralyzed.


    With Erin''s ice bullets and Mako''s lightning strikes working together, they quickly thinned out the pack of me Dogleos.


    As they fought, Erin couldn''t help but marvel at the power of her new skill. She had always been creative with her abilities, but this was something else entirely. It was like a whole new world had opened up for her, and she couldn''t wait to explore it further.


    Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes, thest of the me Dogleos fell to the ground, frozen solid by Erin''s ice bullets. Some of the Dogleos had survived the paralysis but by that time, they were so low in numbers that it didn''t really matter.


    "Haha! Finally! We did it!" Erin cheered from on top of the roof as thest Dogleo was defeated.


    The two of them were quite exhausted after that intense fight but it looked like Erin was exhausted a lot more so much so that she couldn''t even stand straight on top of the roof and eventually fainted, resulting in her stumbling and falling to the ground.

 Chapter 159 Too Easy Or...

    Mako saw Erin fall from the roof and reacted quickly as he dashed to grab her before she hit the ground. He made it just in time and held her unconscious body in his arms.


    After making sure that she was okay, Mako carried her over to the shelter. Bill, Iris, and Leon were all inside the shelter and they had sealed the front door shut by raising an earth fall from the floor, covering the whole door frame.


    Mako went up to the door with Iris in his hand and was about to do a secret knock which they had discussed and agreed upon earlier as the signal for the coast is clear; however, before Mako''s hand could even reach the door, the sound of ground cracking could be heard followed by Iris rushing out of the door to check on her best friend.


    **************


    Mako had instructed them to cover all the windows that they had built in the shelter with no gaps because he didn''t know what kind of beast would be attacking them in the second and he wanted to make sure that they wouldn''t be spotted by the beasts who may have a keen sense of smell like the Sabertooth Spiders or good hearing like the Terra Beetles.


    The reason for this was not that the group wouldn''t be able to fight on their own, leaving Mako to worry about protecting them because each one of them was now capable enough to deal with a couple of high-level beasts by themselves.


    The real reason for this was because then the group would have to fight all the beasts together and it would defeat the purpose of Mako fighting the horde of beasts alone as everyone would expend their energy in order to protect themselves putting them back on square one.


    Bill had done exactly what Mako had instructed him and covered all the gaps and windows of the shelter, practically sealing them inside. Bill had left one small hole at the top corner of the shelter from where air could ventte inside and out. With Bill''s wind ability, he could easily ventte the room with just one hole so it wasn''t ufortable in any way.


    However, during the fight, curiosity had gotten the better of all three of them and Bill carefully opened a small hole through one of the walls of the shelter to peek out and see what was the condition of the battle.


    Luckily, the me Dogleos only had their intelligence going for them and so they didn''t notice multiple holes being poked out of the walls of the shelter and observing the whole thing.


    Obviously, since they were peeping through holes, they didn''t get too much of a view but they could clearly see almost all of the Dogleos frozen in ce and one by one turning blue and getting covered in ice.


    They knew this was Erin''s doing, but no matter how hard they tried they couldn''t locate her since she was standing on top of them. Soon, they gave up and focused on the fight between Mako and the active Dogleos.


    They watched as Mako battled them from afar for less than a minute before some of the beasts started to turn blue and get covered in ice. This in turn diverted the active Dogleos'' attention towards the shelter.


    Bill, Iris, and Leon were stunned by their sudden change of target as they began charging their fireballs toward them when it was actually for Erin on top of the roof. They quickly closed all the peepholes, afraid that maybe the beast had spotted them and they all huddled together to brace for the explosion that was headed their way but it never came.


    They were quite confused asst they checked, the beasts were charging their fireballs aimed at the shelter, and yet there was no explosion or destruction. They carefully reopened only one peephole this time and saw that Mako was now fighting the beast up close and many more of the paralyzed beasts had turned blue and covered in snow.


    They watched Mako''s great fighting skill as he managed to dodge every single one of the Dogleo''s attacks while killing them in one shot by stabbing them with hisbat knife all the while more Dogleo turned blue and covered in ice.


    It had only been almost a single minute since the battle had begun and yet so much had already gone down. The paralyzed Dogleos could finally move but their numbers had already decreased greatly, and with the numbers that they still had, it wasn''t enough to overpower Mako''s wide range of evasive skills and hurt him.


    The rate at which the Dogleos were turning blue and getting covered in ice was reducing as it took longer and longer for Erin to kill each Dogleo as she was at her limit. This caused the fight to continue for a while where Mako was basically using a wide range of his skills in session to dodge and avoid all of the me Dogleos that were attacking him while slowly chipping away at them by asionally finding an opening and stabbing a Dogleo.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Toward the end of the fight, all three of them witnessed as thest Dogleo finally turned blue and got covered in ice, and right after they saw Mako running towards the shelter which was quite confusing at first but then out of nowhere Erin dropped from above andnded in his arms unconscious.


    The three of them finally realized why they couldn''t locate Erin because none of them had thought of looking on top of their own shelter. By the looks of it, Erin was knocked outpletely and Iris went into full panic mode as she saw her best friend in such a condition.


    As Mako made his way over to the door of the shelter, Iris demanded Bill to quickly remove the earth barrier and let her go out to which Billplied.


    ***********


    Momentster, Iris was busy healing Erin who wasying in the middle of the room. Erin hadn''t sustained any physical energy so what Iris was basically doing was using her healing aura to basically allow her to recover her energy at a faster rate so that she could regain consciousness faster.


    This wasn''t a skill that Iris did not know how to do because she had never learned it but ever since she had recovered from the sword wound, she felt more closely attached to the healing aura inside her body, and somehow instinctively, she knew how to help Erin reenergize her body.


    While Iris was doing that, Leon helped Mako harvest all the crystals from the dead bodies of the me Dogleos. After they had died and their skin had turned blue, their fur had lost the ability to burn anything upon contact, and Mako and Leon could safely extract all the crystals.


    The crystals turned out to be 51 in total and Mako brought them inside the shelter so that he could give the crystals that belonged to Erin since she had also killed a lot of the Dogleos and deserved them; however, since she was still unconscious Mako decided to wait.


    After Leon had properly disposed of all the bodies of the dead beast by drenching a whole lot of water on top of them which made thempletely disintegrate, he also made his way inside the shelter and join in on the discussion that the group was having regarding who would be next to deal with the 3rd wave.


    After a bit of back and forth, it was finally agreed that Iris and Bill would be the ones to take on the third wave of beasts. Mako gave them all the useful information that he had learned during his battle to prepare them for the tough battle ahead.


    Mako was pretty lucky that the beasts that he had to face had a massive weakness and could be killed in one shot but not every High-level beast had such an insane weakness and the me Dogleos weren''t weak by any standard it was just that they were up against the ideal counter which was a mixture of Erin''s water and ice abilities and Mako''s paralysis.


    Even though Mako had a pretty easy battle in terms of exploiting the weakness of the beasts, he was still pretty exhausted because he had to use High Jump, Dash, Sprint, and the Phantom move skill set in quick session in order to evade all the attacks which made his body be quite fatigued.


    Mako had never paid big attention to his Samina attribute as he thought it wasn''t as important as Strength or Agility, but now Mako was given another harsh reminder that every attribute had its own ce in his body, and neglecting even one of them could cost him dearly.


    Mako had received EXP for every Dogleo that he had killed but surprisingly the system hadn''t issued him a quest for some reason which was quite odd as the system would always give him a quest in intense situations such as this one and yet there was still nothing.


    This led Mako to think of two potential possibilities of why the system hadn''t issued him a quest.


    It could most likely just be that the system didn''t see the pact of 42 me Dogleos as enough of a challenge to issue a quest, or maybe it was because it was preparing to issue a greater quest to Mako one with greater stakes and a tougher fight.

 Chapter 160 The Third Wave Arrives

    Mako was already too exhausted at this point to really worry about which option was the system in the mood for so he decided to just leave it on its own and get eat some food to recover some energy.


    They were flying through the MREs and the water resources that the purple loot crates very quickly and Mako was concerned that at the rate that they were consuming food and water in order to rejuvenate and recover energy, they would be out of food by the morning or afternoon of the next day.


    And with these special events the military has been doingtely one after another, Mako wouldn''t be surprised if a new announcement would be waiting for them in the morning.


    However, right now their main priority was to survive the night and it was going to be a long night since It was only around 10 pm or so and they still had to survive 3 more waves of beasts.


    Mako told Bill and Iris that he will apany them as the third wave approached and before Bill and Iris could overreact, he gave a quick reason to back up his statement.


    Mako had no good way to put this so he tantly just lied to their faces as he imed that he had really good intuition when it came to figuring out the weaknesses of beasts and that he could help them identify the weakness of the beasts that woulde in the third wave so they could more effectively fight the beasts.


    Everyone was skeptical after hearing Mako''s im and he couldn''t show any real proof to them because the information was disyed in front of his eyes on a holographic screen that only he could see. The only real proof that he could give was to list the examples of all the beasts they had encountered so far and list their weaknesses one by one which they used to defeat them quickly.


    The group still wasn''t 100% sure of Mako''s supposed ability, but they couldn''t deny all the examples that had been listed so Bill took the initiative and allowed him to apany him just as the horde approached. He told Mako that he would quickly try to identify the beasts as they came near and once he had told that information to Bill, he would run back inside the shelter without being spotted by the beasts.


    Mako agreed to this as he only wanted to help out their friends and was too exhausted to fight again anyways.


    ***************


    Once Erin had recovered some of her energy so that she wouldn''t be in any kind of danger, Mako and Bill advised Iris to stop treating her and save her own energy so that she could fight freely during the battle.


    Iris kept turning down Mako and Bill''s concerns saying that she had a lot of energy and the amount she was using on Erin wasn''t even a significant amount; however, Mako could see through her lie as he had the Analyze skill which could disy her current energy, but when he used it, he was surprised by the number of changes that had happened to her stats from thest time Mako had looked at it.


    Mako had analyzed Iris and Erin when they had shown up at the cave after their battle with Terra Beetle King and had seen both of their status sheets. They both weren''t that special at that time and had above-average stats which was why they had survived that long alone without any survival training.


    Iris had great strength and a slightlyrger than average energy pool with a level 3 Healing and Water ability at the time when she first met Mako, but now when Mako analyzed her, she was apletely different person.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Iris Jade Cooper]


    [Ability: Heal (Level 4), Water (Level 3)] ?


    [Health: 350/350] ?


    [Energy: 1490/1850] ?


    [Strength: 32] ?


    [Agility: 22] ?


    [Perception: 12] ?


    [Intelligence: 21] ?


    [Mentality: 25] ?


    [Stamina: 27] ?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Charisma: 18] ?


    [Fortitude: 23] ?


    Iris now had a level 4 Healing ability unlike before when she only had a level 3. Other than that, Iris'' health and energy had also increased quite a bit as now instead of 200 Health, she had 350, and instead of having almost 1000 units of energy, she now had close to 2000 units of energy. Some of her stats had improved as well, especially her fortitude which was pretty low when Mako first analyzed her.


    Mako attributed the sudden boost in all of her stats as well as her Health and Energy to her Healing ability leveling up as it was the same for him when he had upgraded his Lightning ability to the next level.


    However, he was still shocked to see such a drastic change in her stats with only a single level-up of her Healing ability as she could no longer be considered weak in any sense.


    Mako had heard that the healing ability was quite rare and even in prestigious hospitals there were only a number of doctors who actually possessed the ability. The reason for this wasn''t because it was super overpowered and strong but rather it was just hard to obtain as very few beasts were discovered up to this day that possessed the Healing ability.


    In terms of ranking, the Healing ability was still much better than the 5 basic elemental abilities although Mako had no idea what this ranking system actually was as it wasn''t disclosed to the public.


    Mako had just read many articles where different abilities were favored more than others and that had led him to learn that there was a ranking system in ce to rank all the different abilities.


    Mako''s strongest ability was his energy maniption ability and even though it was a level 1, it had given him a great boost in several attributes. He had no idea where the Healing ability was in this ranking, but he was sure that if a single level up to level 4 could do this much, it was bound to be higher up in the ranking.


    Seeing that Iris had spent a considerable 400 units of energy while healing Erin already, it was safe to assume that she was lying to Bill and Mako, but when Mako saw that even though she had spent so much energy, she still had more than Bill who had around 1200 units of energy, he dropped trying to persuade Iris as he believed that they would be fine.


    ************


    Iris spent a bit more time making sure that Erin was in no pain and that a good amount of her energy was recovered. It took much longer than Iris had initially thought because her aura didn''t immediately start rejuvenating.


    In the beginning, when Iris began helping Erin recover energy, Iris could visualize another kind of weird aura inside Erin''s body. It didn''t look like any kind of aura that she had seen before inside other people but surprisingly, her healing aura didn''t react to it in a hostile manner like it did with diseases and foreign bodies inside a body.


    At first, she was terrified to find out that there was something growing inside her best friend''s body, but then as she continued to observe it she realized that it was something that was part of her and it was hungry for energy.


    It instantly began to feed on the energy that Iris was helping Erin gain, and as that weird aura consumed more and more energy, it started calming down and rxing in a spot next to her other ability auras, and as it did so the rest of Erin''s body also began to feel less tensed and more rxed.


    *************


    The hour had gone by very fast and Leon who was on the lookout for the next wave started to hear several loud footstepsing from the sea of thick bushes on the northern side of theke, so he quickly returned back to the shelter to alert everyone.


    Iris had already helped Erin to the point that she could and now the rest was up to her as she would wake up as soon as her body had enough energy to function properly again.


    Mako, Bill, and Iris stepped outside the shelter together and faced the northern side waiting for the beasts to show themselves so that Mako could analyze them.


    The sounds of the footsteps got louder and louder and they could see their visibility getting closer and closer from the how the bushes were jostling towards them.


    Both Iris and Bill quickly took their stances and prepared their moves in anticipation of the beasts exiting the bushes, but what came out of the bushes was something none of them had expected.


    From the sounds of the footsteps alone, everyone was assuming the beast to be arge beast with a short height, like a massive lizard or something, but what popped out of the bushes left all three of them in extreme confusion.


    "A fuzzball?" Iris said in a state of shock and confusion as she stared at the beast that had exited the bushes and revealed itself to them.

 Chapter 161 Inherited Skill

    The beast was a small creature with a purplish ck round, fluffy body that resembles a fuzzy softball. It was barely a foot and a half in terms of height and looked very cute and cudble. Its two legs resembled chicken legs in terms of appearance but were sturdy and muscr, ending in sharp, curved ws that can tear through tough materials.


    Its fluffy body served as a natural armor, protecting it from attacks and making it difficult for predators to grip and hold onto.


    The beast was still a bit far out from where Bill, Iris, and Mako were currently standing, and before they could make a move, several more fuzzballs started jumping out of the bush and onto the very first fuzzball.


    Irispletely forgot that these were the beasts they would face as she was just so mesmerized by their cuteness.


    However, the fuzzballs didn''t stop pouring out as still many continued to leave the bush and pile on with the rest of their buddies. Their number was getting concerning for Mako as he had counted at least 150 of them to be in this pile and there was still no end to them pouring out of the bushes.


    Mako understood the reason why the beasts had such loud footsteps when they looked so small and adorable. It wasn''t because of unique skill or special ability, but rather just through perfect coordination.


    Perfect coordination can amplify the effects of any task that weak beings join together. Think of a football game; hundreds and thousands of people are on the spectator seats watching the match and they are all cheering for their team to win.


    On their own, a single spectator doesn''t have the power to make his voice get heard by the entire stadium, but when all of them cheer in sync with one another, the whole stadium can hear a singr voice cheering for a team and that is the power of coordination.


    The reason why the footsteps were so loud was because all of the beasts were taking steps in sync with one another amplifying the sound of their footsteps and making it look like arge beast is approaching.


    Their coordination was quite impressive as even now, it may just look like they were stupidly just pilling on top of each other, but they were actually moving within the pile as once a beast found its spot within the pile, it stopped moving and stayed in ce.


    Mako knew that something sinister was up as the beast wouldn''t be dumb enough to just pile on top of each other and wait to be taken out. To confirm his suspicion, Mako quickly used Analyze to find out what these things actually were.


    [Analyze]


    [Medium-level Puffw]


    [Ability: Love (Level 2), Speed (Level 3)]


    [Description: A Puffw is a unique beast born mostly out of a mixture of emotions that shouldn''t mix, but somehow has. The unique and unstable mixture of Love, and Mischief has led this beast to be born and rightfully so it has gained attributes from both emotions.


    The Love emotion crystallized and formed into an actual ability that the Puffws could use while the emotion of Mischief and Trickery hadid its roots deep within the very nature of the Puffw.


    Although these creatures would seem harmless and friendly at first, they use this to their advantage to lure unsuspecting prey closer and closer toward them, and once they are close enough they reactivate their steel cold hearts and proceed to devour the prey that they lured in.


    The Puffws are masters of illusions and trickery as they manipte the emotion of love to make their prey hallucinate and lower their guard making it quite easy to kill. In order to evolve further and achieve greater powers, the Puffws have to feed on the blood of prey that they killed while it was under the influence of their ability.


    Puffws are gifted by nature as even though they appear small in the beginning, they can extend their legs to be twice their size and be twice asrge. Once in their active stare, a person can see their tiny arms as well as arge mouth with razor-sharp teeth.]


    [Weakness: Fire, Lightning, Piercing Attacks]


    [Inherited Skill: Bulk Up] ?


    [Bulk Up: The Puffws possess an inherited skill gifted to them by their stronger predecessors. The small Puffws can pile on top of each other and once enough have gathered together, the skill activates and all the nearby Puffws glow in a purple light.


    After the skill has been sessfully activated, all glowing Puffws converge towards a single point and merge together into a singlerge entity. The single entity is a brand new Puffw holding a hive mind of all the individual Puffws and brand new abilities and skills.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [High Level Bulked Up Puffw]


    [Ability: Strength (Level 4), Love (Level 5)]


    [Weakness: Fire]


    ***************


    The system had provided him with the biggest description of a beast so far and Mako was amazed at the amount of information he had just received from the system.


    At first, it was the generic description of the beast, exining a bit about its characteristics, origin, and evolution pattern, with the interesting thing being their unique tactic of luring in prey by using their Love ability to manipte their feelings and then attacking them ruthlessly in order to eat and survive.


    However, it was then that Mako had a visibly shocked look on his face as he came to realize that the description wasn''t over and that there was another section of the description exining something called an inherited skill.


    This was the first time Mako had heard of such a term, but it didn''t take a genius to figure out what it meant. It was a special skill that they didn''t possess on their own but rather it was within their own blood and would only be activated when a lot of them would gather and pile up on top of each other...


    As soon as Mako read the details of the Puffw''s inherited skill, he quickly turned off the system interface in order to warn Bill and Iris and stop what he had just read from happening but it was toote.


    Bill and Iris were now a couple of steps ahead of Mako as while he was busy analyzing them, the Puffw''s love ability was already doing work manipting their feelings and making theme closer to them; however, they were still strong-minded people which was why they had only walked a couple of steps forward.


    Mako quickly tried to warn them to make them stop but before a single word coulde out of his mouth, the two stopped on their own as now even they could sense something that was building within the pile of cute fuzzy beasts.


    All of a sudden, the entire pile of beasts lit up with purple mes and began to glow.


    "GUYS! BACK UP! WE HAVE TO MOVE BACK! THAT THING IS GOING TO GROW BIGGER!" Mako shouted at the top of his lungs catching the attention of both Iris and Bill who didn''t ask any questions and quicklyplied with his instructions.


    Each individual Puffws within the pile of Puffws began to melt and be dark ck angry and oily liquid. Soon all the beasts liquified and the whole pile quickly got converted into a puddle.


    Once the Puffws had finished transforming into a liquid and bing a part of the puddle, everything calmed down for a second as there was nothing but a puddle of ck goo, a good distance away from the trio.


    However, it was only the calm before the storm as a secondter, the entire ck goo puddle lit up in purple mes once again and this time the liquid began to rise into the air, reaching higher and higher.


    After it had reached its desired height, it began expanding from the sides, growing and taking shape. Once the liquid achieved its optimal size and shape, the liquid began to solidify and be flesh again.


    Fuzz began to grow on the brand-new skin and the same legs began to form on the base of the creature as the legs of the original Puffw. Finally, the liquid began solidifying around the head of the new beast forming a new pair of eyes that lookedpletely different from the ones they had before.


    The original Puffws had circr ck shiny eyes with no Irises while this beast had sharp rectangr-shaped eyes that werepletely red. Finally, the belly of the beast also solidified and formed arge gem right in the middle of its circr torso, that glowed a beautiful shade of baby pink.


    The transformation was nowplete and now Mako, Bill, and Iris were now up against a super-sized Puffw that easily towered over 15 feet and had locked them as its target.


    "Um... Mako... You got a n for this guy, right?..." Iris asked nervously as she made eye contact with the giant red eyes of the Bulked-up Puffw.

 Chapter 162 A Mental Battle

    Both sides were at staredown with neither one moving a muscle as to initiate the fight. On one side were three friends standing close to one another, each taking their own unique fighting stance, and on the other side was 15 foot tall massive circr beast covered in ck fuzz and sprouting strong chicken-like legs with extremely sharp ws at the end.


    "I know you guys didn''t intend this, but I think I am going to have to fight alongside you on this one," Mako said to both Bill and Iris as he refused to leave his friends alone to deal with this massive beast while taking refuge inside the shelter himself.


    The thought of Mako leaving didn''t even cross Iris'' or Bill''s minds because as soon as the little Puffws came together and merged into such a big and scary beast, they appreciated all the help that they could get.


    "Well...? How do you think we should approach this battle?" Bill asked this time as he too wasn''t too confident in taking down such a massive beast by himself.


    All the pressure was on Mako as he was the only one capable enough to formte a winning strategy; however, despite his friends'' constant asking, Mako remained silent and just continued to look forward as if he was staring right at the beast''s wide red eyes.


    In actuality, Mako wasn''t staring at the beast trying to intimidate it or anything, he was actually rereading the description of the Bulked Up Puffw again and again, trying to think of a way through because even he was stuck at the moment.


    The trio didn''t understand why the giant beast wasn''t attacking them as they werepletely in the open and defenseless against it, and yet remained in its position, not moving a muscle and returning the stares back at the trio as the only thing that seemed to move was the beautiful baby pink light within the gem in its abdomen that was continuously blinking.


    ****************


    ''Okay... Here''s the situation. I have only recovered around half of my total energy and I would have to use it efficiently as my ability would be the key to taking down this beast.'' Mako told to himself.


    ''Unlike other beasts, since it has used an Inherited Skill and transformed both physically and gically, I don''t have reliable data on this beast and it may as well surprise us with something that the system didn''t warn me about.'' Mako began his thinking process while he maintained the staredown with the Puffw.


    It was quite fortunate for Mako that the beast wasn''t attacking immediately, giving him time to think of the best strategy against it.


    "Whatever you do don''t move a muscle for as long as you can. I believe it is trying to manipte you mentally just like it was doing when they were pilling on top of each other. It is testing our mental strength in order to gauge how strong we are so that it could figure out if its strongest ability will work on us or not." Mako instructed both Bill and Mako.


    "It probably has some sort of emotional maniption ability that it is using in order to manipte you guys. It could be Love, Fear, Determination, Anger, or maybe some other. I need you guys to buy me as much time as possible so if you guys start to feel something you weren''t feeling before or hallucinate things that were there before, know that it is the beast''s doing waiting for you to give in and make a move, hence initiating the battle." Mako exined.


    "Hold out for as long as possible while I think of a way for us to win this," Mako said before shutting again and closing his eyes as he began to think.


    Bill and Iris both understood the assignment immediately and were prepared to hold out for as long as possible in order to give Mako the time he needed. Mako was the most capable person out of all five of them and everyone acknowledged this fact and so they were ready to put their trust in him and grant him as much time as they could.


    ***************


    ''With such a big body, Its defenses are sure to be quite strong and my small-scale fire skills would never be able to hurt it enough for us to gain an advantage. The only Fire-rted skill that I can control is the scale of his me Pir but that would require me to stay in a single position with no guard for at least a minute in order to charge up andunch the attack.'' Mako thought.


    ''I can''t move now and touch the ground as that will most likely start the fight so the me pir is out of the question as a beginning move, but if I wait and use any other move, it will not be affected as much and would realize that I have the fire ability and will make me its prime target, making it impossible to cast the me Pir.'' Mako argued with himself.


    ''What if I paralyze it first? If I am able to stop it from moving, I can cast the me Pir skill which is bound to do a lot of damage; however, considering its size, I don''t think it will be paralyzed for long and I can''t urately guess for how long as the system only give me the values for the ideal time and doesn''t ount for anything that my enemies might have that could counter the paralysis. It will be a serious gamble if I choose this route.'' Mako thought as he tried to look at the situation from a different vantage point.


    ''What if I open the attack with my strongest ability? I can begin charging right now while standing still and once I am charged enough, I can release a massive beam of energy straight at this beast to do great damage. But... What will I do if that thing somehow survives? I am basically exhausted almost my entire reserve of energy on a single move and if doesn''t guarantee a kill, all three of us could die.'' Mako thought.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He was stuck in his thoughts as nothing sounded concrete enough to act upon and Mako wouldn''t move until he was sure he had a decent n.


    *************


    While Mako was busy thinking with his eyes closed, Bill and Iris were trying their best not to fall prey to any kind of trickery that the beast might y in order to make them move.


    They were doing fine so far as nothing had appeared in front of them out of nowhere and their emotions were still in check as they didn''t feel any new feeling towards anything.


    The air around them was getting thicker and thicker and it was bing harder to breathe for Iris as she was feeling the intimidation that the giant Puffw was giving off.


    She was starting to sweat a little but that didn''t stop her as she kept her cool and continued to stare right into the beast''s eyes.


    **************


    After around three minutes or so, Mako was still deep in thought and Both Iris and Bill hadn''t moved a muscle yet, but they were getting tired as the stance they had taken wasn''t in the mostfortable of positions.


    Both of them were starting to sweat profusely and seeds of doubt were starting to sow into their heads.


    As they continued to stare at the beast, the blinking pink light inside its gem began to blink faster and faster while the color also began to darken from baby pink to a shocking pink.


    The beast had been able to sense their emotions from the very beginning and was impressed by the amount of determination that its prey possessed which was able to counter the invisible love strikes that it was bombarding them with and now finally, the strikes were getting through, and slowly starting to affect them.


    In a moment of weakness, both Iris and Bill closed their eyes too to gather their thoughts and reenergize their determination to not fall prey to the beast''s maniption, but it turned out to have the opposite effect because as soon as they closed their eyes, the beast widened its smile which was hidden under the vast amount of ck fuzz as it could see his maniption take effect.


    Both Iris and Bill opened their eyes again a secondter only to see something that they had never expected to see.


    "Jackie...?" Iris asked in confusion as a handsome boy was wearing casual clothes standing in front of her now.


    "Father...?" Bill said in shock as he witnessed his father appear in front of him in his decked-out military uniform and he had a big smile on his face, something Bill had never seen before.


    *************


    Mako continued to think, unaware of what was going on around him. He was scrambling to find a usible strategy and was on the verge of giving up as the mental maniption was starting to affect him too.


    However, before he could just say, "Screw it!" and fight without a n, he decided to use his remaining attribute points on the one attribute that he had neglected all this time.


    His Intelligence!

 Chapter 163 Love Overwhelming

    ''Add 40 attribute points into Intelligence!'' Mako ordered the system.


    [40 Attribute Points have been added to Intelligence]


    [Intelligence has been increased to 50]


    Mako could feel the cool soothing sensation around his brain which helped him rx a bit and took away some of the frustration that he was feeling because of his inability to think of a good solution to their situation and not wanting to admit that he was weak.


    After getting soothed by the attribute points, Mako began thinking of a solution again with a refreshed mind.


    *****************


    The beast on the outside had a huge grin hidden under his fuzz as it was able to see its Love ability slowly starting to enter all three of their minds and poisoning them into dropping down their guard and being manipted by the things that they love most.


    However, just as Mako used his attribute points to increase his intelligence and began to feel the cooling sensation, Mako''s mind began to subconsciously repel the iing waves of the Love ability.


    The beast was angered by this as it had note across a single that had been able to resist its love ability for so long and even be able to repel it.


    The reason why the Love ability didn''t have a huge effect on Mako was that he had been exposed to its aura so many times by his grandmother who used the ability for its intended purpose and healed Mako''s pain and suffering that he had built up a tolerance for it at this point.


    The beast still decided to stay patient and wait until all three of them werepletely under its control as once they wouldpletely submit to its Love ability, it would rip apart the things that it had made appear in front of them, the things they held dear right in front of their eyes causing the most agony inside their hearts.


    The beast grew stronger and evolved as it drank the blood of the prey that it had under its influence and the blood filled with agony was the most nutritious and powerful and delicious blood the beast had ever tasted prompting it to seek out more of this kind of blood. This was the reason the beast was staying patient and waiting for its prey to be in the perfect state to eat.


    ****************


    "Father? How... are you here?" Bill asked his father who had appeared in front of him while he had closed his eyes.


    "I came here to see you, son! I came to see my son fight and bring honor to my name. You have fought so many battles, so bravely at that. You... have made... me... proud, my son." The image of Bill''s father spoke with a smile as he addressed Bill who had still managed to not move a muscle despite the image of his father appearing right in front of him.


    "Come on, son! Don''t just stand there! Give your old man a hug!" William Johnson said he extended his arms openly towards Bill.


    Bill couldn''t believe it. This was everything that he had ever wanted in life. This was the one thing that he so craved from his early years and that was to win his father''s approval and make him proud.


    Failing to do such a simple task drove him towards doing things that he wasn''t proud of himself and which resulted in breaking apart what little rtionship he had with his father.


    But now... his father was standing right in front of him with arms extended towards him, saying that he was PROUD of him!


    Tears began to fall down Bill''s face as he continued to stay still while looking at the image of his father who called his name softly and warmly, prompting him to leave his stance ande towards him.


    *****************


    "Jackie! How the heck are you alive!?" Iris asked the boy that had appeared in front of her inplete shock.


    "I didn''t die that day, Iris. After everything was over and they found my body, they noticed that my heart was still beating and so they quickly transported me to the hospital where the Grand Healer was able to restore my health." The boy named Jackie said to Iris as he recalled the aftermath of a tragic event that had happened between the two of them.


    Tears began to pour out from Iris'' eyes as she couldn''t believe what she was hearing and seeing.


    "I saw your body inside the casket! I was there when they buried you! How?!" Iris said with tears now pouring out like dams opening after a long time.


    "I know you must be confused, but I really didn''t die at that time. I am here in front of you in the flesh, aren''t I?" Jackie said as he approached Iris and grazed her cheek in order to console her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Iris was still somehow maintaining her stance as she didn''t move yet.


    "Do you know the reason why I was able to survive all of that and find my way back to you?" Jackie asked Iris as he rubbed his thumb seductively over her lower lip.


    "It''s because I love you, Iris! I have loved you since the day we met, but I never had the courage to tell you directly, but I am not afraid anymore! I have gone through too much already and I don''t want to wait anymore! I love you, Iris!" Jackie said as he proimed his love to Iris.


    Iris was in so much shock that she could even process what Jackie had said to her. She just couldn''t believe that after all this time she would get to see her best friend again, one that she assumed to be dead for a mistake that she made.


    She had been waiting to hear those wordse out of his lips for so long and now she had finally heard them.


    "I love you too, Jackie! I too had a crush on you but I didn''t have the courage to open up about my feeling and after that incident, I thought that I was toote and wouldn''t get this chance ever again." Iris said while poorly attempting to stop her tears.


    "Well, I guess we both got what we wanted in the end. Come on, stop standing like that and kiss me." Jackie said as he close his eyes and put his lips a bit forward, prompting Iris to move from her stance and give him a kiss.


    ***************


    While Bill and Iris were both on the cusp of getting overwhelmed by the Puffw''s Love ability, Mako had finally made a breakthrough in formting a strategy as the increased intellect really helped him look at the situation from apletely different angle than before.


    Up till now, Mako had been trying to think of a way to reliably defeat this beast with his current skill set ability while making sure that neither Bill, Iris, or the shelter get hit in the process.


    However, he had finallye to a realization that his current skill set wouldn''t be enough to aplish all those things as there were too many variables at y and something could easily go wrong.


    Tobat this Mako began to check every single resource that he had avable at this moment in order to get the most ideal oue to this situation.


    After seeing that nothing could be done from the things that he had on him, Mako began searching his system to see if he could use something that would get him where he want to go.


    And after going through a couple of tabs, Mako decided to open up his inventory. He had opened his inventory much during the test because even though he had stored a lot of things inside it, such as food, pills, extra weapons, etc.


    However, he couldn''t use any of it as he had to first take out his inventory which would blow his cover and make everyone suspicious of him as everyone would know that he had some sort of secret special ability or tool that helped him store things that would make him a cheater.


    Secondly, Mako purposefully didn''t want to rely on things that he had stored inside the system as he wanted to prove his own strength by finishing this test on his own which was why he was hesitant to open the inventory tab.


    He opened the tab and all the items he had stored inside began to disy themselves one by one.


    Mako stared at the items with hunger in his eyes because if he was able to somehow take these items out of inventory without alerting anyone, the Puffw would be a total piece of cake.


    Like this High-Level Rejuvenating Pill that would totally be the best remedy for him at this moment...


    [High Tier Rejuvenating Pill x 12]


    [Take Out] ?


    [Sell] ?


    [Consume] ?


    Mako stared at thest prompt in the description of the High Tier Rejuvenating Pill full of anger, confusion, and shock.


    ''I could consume anything straight from the inventory!?'' Mako screamed internally as he realized his own stupidity.

 Chapter 164 Dreams Broken, Anger Rising

    Ever since Mako had unlocked the inventory tab, he had used it to store different items inside but he had only ever tested the individual prompts in the inventory tab once and that was when he tested it out for the first when he stored hisbat knife inside the system.


    The system gave him a single option at that time which was to take it out again as the sell prompt was locked because the shop tab wasn''t unlocked yet. Mako quickly understood that the inventory was basically an extra space for him to store and take out things.


    Since the system could do the task that Makomanded it to through his thoughts he never had to physically open the tab again and select the "Take Out" prompt because he could just order the system to directly take something out.


    Mako had never tested this with a consumable as he believed it to be the same thing and that he would have to call it out in order to consume it just like everything else.


    However, he failed to realize that the system was inside Mako''s body so whatever he stored in the system was inside his body too, so if he stored a consumable inside, it could obviously be directly consumed from the inventory tab without it ever being taken out.


    After finally getting to know about this feature, Mako wanted to bang his head at the speed of light on the most solid wall ever constructed just so he could maybe fix his idiot self which still might not fix it.


    The rejuvenating pills were the answer to all his hopes and dreams as they allowed him to recover energy, the one thing that was holding him back in his most sessful n.


    ''Consume 3 High Tier Rejuvenating Pills from the Inventory.'' Mako ordered the system.


    [3 x High Tier Rejuvenating Pills have been consumed]


    Mako could feel the effects of the pill instantly as the pill didn''t have to be digested by the stomach first and get slowly absorbed by the intestines, rather the system directly introduced the pills into the bloodstream, making it so that he would feel the boosts straight away.


    It was a shame that the system override didn''t work on rejuvenating pills but it didn''t make any logical sense as that would allow Mako to recover all his energy instantly at the cost of some energy.


    Mako didn''t want the system to override the pills'' effect anyway because if he did, he would for sure get a full bar of energy but that would be it. The pills couldn''t rejuvenate more than what the user could hold which was quite a waste as he could recover a lot more than a single bar of energy using the old fashion way.


    *Ding!*


    ***************


    With his energy starting to recover, Mako finally opened his eyes to tell Iris and Bill of his n to defeat the Puffw; however just as he opened his eyes, he saw both Iris and Bill move from their position as Iris jumped forward as if she was leaning towards an invisible man and going in for a kiss while Bill sprinted forward with his arms extended as if he was running to hug someone.


    Mako heard the bone-chilling giggle of the giant Puffw that sounded like thebinedughter of hundreds of different voicesbined together.


    Both Iris and Bill had finally been consumed by the Puffw''s Love ability and were nowpletely under its influence. The blinking light inside the gem of the beasts was now almost red in color as it had represented how strong his control was over Bill and Iris.


    Bill and Iris had given in to their desires as they rushed forward into the embrace of their loved ones, but just as they came close to them, both of their faces lost their light and beauty as right in front of their very eyes, the body of Bill''s father and Jackie began dissolving into the same ck goo that the Bulked-Up Puffw was made out of.


    It was like a scene from a really scary horror movie but in real life as both William''s and Jackie''s bodiespletely liquified into goo right in front of Bill and Iris sending them in an insane state of shock, anguish, and horror.


    They copsed onto the ground as they couldn''t believe the most important person in their life had just disintegrated right in front of their eyes moments before granting them their most ideal and wanted memory ever.


    The Puffw rejoiced in the melody of both Iris and Bill''s screams as they were still under the influence of the Love ability making it so that they couldn''t see anything else, even the giant Puffw that was rushing towards them in order to eat them up in one go as they werepletely filled with agony making their blood like precious liquid gold to the giant beast.


    In an instant, the beast was upon them, and it finally unhinged its jaw revealing a massive mouth with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Dash has been activated]


    [Sprint has been activated]


    Mako activated both of his speed-increasing skills to achieve the greatest amount of speed that he could at that moment and rushed toward Bill and Iris who sat on the ground looking at imaginary goopletely defeated and with no fighting spirit left.


    The jaws of the beast were just about to chomp down on both of their heads when suddenly Mako reached both of them in a sh just before the teeth could chew them up and got them both to safety.


    The Bulked-Up Puffw bit into a big nugget of earth without any sweet human blood sauce full of agony and despair making the Puffw extremely angry.


    Mako was only able to maintain this speed for ten seconds as then Dash would wear off and only the Sprint skill would remain active but that was still fast enough for Mako as he while carrying both Bill and Iris on each of his shoulders, Mako ran a couple of circles around the Puffw to confuse him before making a beeline towards theke which was opposite to the shelter.


    Mako had two reasons to run toward theke. Firstly, it was to use the water to try and break Bill and Iris''s trance and bring them back to reality as just pping Bill a couple of times didn''t do the trick.


    Both of them were still under the illusion created by the Love ability and didn''t even know that they were moving or being carried by Mako as they just continued to scream and cry on his shoulder.


    Secondly, it was to direct the attention of the Puffw towards him and make it follow him away from the shelter so that they would be further away from the shelter and could fight more freely without risking coteral damage.


    The Puffw quickly realized what was going on quickly picked up Mako''s scent and saw that he was heading toward theke. Seeing that Mako was running himself into a corner, the smile returned on the Puffw''s face as if it was only a matter of time before it tasted their blood.


    The giant Puffw gave chase after Mako, albeit slowly as it had lost its speed ability from when it was divided into hundreds of small Puffws, and with its massive body, it was hard to move fast for long periods of time.


    It had worked exactly how Mako had nned and now the giant Puffw was also making its way toward theke to finally get its snack that it had been so patient for.


    Mako reached the bank of the river and quickly came to an abrupt stop. His sudden stop made it so that the inertia carried Iris and Bill forward dropping them further into theke.


    Mako didn''t even look to see if they were alright because he knew this wasn''t enough to kill an ability user. He quickly turned around and saw the Giant Puffw quickly approaching him.


    Mako activated his energy maniption aura and began to gather energy into the palm of his hands.


    "GHAH!" Both Iris and Bill screamed as they emerged from theke gasping for air, finally free from the influence of the Love ability and within their senses once again.


    They couldn''t understand anything that was happening, one moment they were crying next to a puddle of ck goo, mourning the loss of their loved one and the next second they were underwater.


    They were still heavily affected emotionally as the emotions they felt while under its influence werepletely real and genuine. They turned to look at each other and then a loud snarl directed their attention toward the bank of theke where they could see the giant beast rushing toward them with his mouth opened and exposed for all of them to see.


    It was then that they spotted Mako doing a strange pose while standing next to the bank of theke, right in between them and the beast, and before they could even say anything they felt an intense aura erupt from Mako, one they had never felt before.


    Just as the beast was upon Mako and ready to eat him, Mako yelled at the top of his lungs as his hands glowed green and he released a ray of green light right at the gem of the giant Puffw.

 Chapter 165 Mutant Gene Awakenings

    Mako had released a massive ray of green energy from his hands just as the giant Puffw was upon him and it was strong enough to push the Puffw back, burning its fluffy fuzz and tearing away its flesh, spraying blue blood everywhere and finally hitting the gem right in its abdomen.


    Unlike the fuzz and the flesh, the gem was quite hard and didn''t immediately disintegrate from the power of the green ray as the giant Puffw just got pushed back by the force of the green ray.


    Bill and Iris were both shocked that Mako had such a strong ability that he had not shown up to this point and that it looked like it could almost one-shot the giant beast.


    They watched as the green ray continued to push the giant beast back while continuously hitting on the gem. It looked like the beast would fall over at any moment but then all of a sudden, the ray of green light stopped pushing the beast back anymore as it stood its ground and even began to slowly take a step forward.


    Mako who was releasing this ray of green energy was facing no resistance up to that but then all of a sudden, he started to feel an opposing force that was canceling out his energy beam.


    Suddenly, a sh of dark pink light erupted from the gem before a visible beam of red energy began to release from the gem itself countering the green ray that was attacking it before.


    The red ray began to grow in length and quickly take up more and more room from the green ray as Mako could now feel the force of the iing ray which was much greater than his own which was why it was able to overpower it so quickly and now was barely able to counter it himself.


    The red beam was gaining more and more toward him and Mako could do nothing besides watch his energy points go down as he maintained the green energy beam, the only thing that was slowing the time till his death as he couldn''t break away from the beam fast enough to escape its radius and will bepletely obliterated by it.


    Mako had no idea that the gem on the Bulked-Up Puffw could also release a beam of energy, one that was more powerful than what he could produce.


    He had aimed at the gem because to him it looked like it was a weak spot of some kind and if he managed to crack the gem, the beast would die or something, but it wasn''t that at all as it was just a storage unit for all the emotions that the Puffw had collected and could then manifest those emotions in the form of a powerful energy beam.


    The red beam hadpletely overtaken the green beam at this point and Mako was inches away from death, when all of a sudden, Mako felt the ground to his left vibrating a little bit.


    Mako was a bitte to understand as by the time he did a blunt stone spike erupted from the ground and hit right on the side of his ribs, dealing a good blow andunching him to the right so fast that the beam of energy wasn''t able to hit him in time.


    With no more opposition, the red beampletely went through and collided with the river bank and blew up a lot of dirt and water into the air.


    The beam was quite hot, hot enough to vaporize small particles of dirt and evaporate a lot of water causing a lot of steam to rise and cover the battlefield.


    The dust, smoke, and mist were enough topletely hinder the beast''s vision and it had lost visual contact with all three of its prey. The Puffw was angered by this and having no means to blow the mist away, it was stuck attacking blindly into the mist hoping to hit one of them.


    Mako on the other had beenunched by the stone spike in a random direction. The hit was quite decent so much so that Mako believed that his ribs might be broken from that hit. He had hit the ground a good distance away from the giant Puffw and momentum carried him further away as he skidded off the ground.


    Although not the grandest and most painless escape of all time, Mako was still grateful as he knew it was Bill''s doing who had saved him just as he was about to be vaporized by the red beam.


    He skidded a couple more times which made his ribs hurt even more and eventually came to a stop next to two pairs of feet. Mako was in quite a bit of pain but nothing he hadn''t dealt with before. He looked up to see both Bill and Iris staring back down at him, both werepletely wet and their eyes were still red and watery from the emotional rollercoaster that they just went through.


    "Couldn''t you have hit me a bit less hard?" Mako asked in a slightly joking and cheery tone to try and raise their spirits a bit after what they had just gone through but it didn''t work as neither of them showed any emotion back.


    "Sorry ''bout that, I had to make sure you were hit with enough speed so that you could escape the range of that st." Bill apologized in a gloomy tone for the harsh hit.


    Iris bent down towards Mako and slowly lifted his shirt to reveal the bruised area where he was hit with the stone pir, and without saying a single word just closed her eyes and began to heal him.


    Bill walked forward a bit and stood in front of both of them as if to guard them against the giant shadow of the beast that was being projected on the mist in front of them.


    Absolutely no words were exchanged between them but somehow it didn''t feel awkward at all as Mako felt feel the seriousness and anger inside both of their hearts.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Tell me, Mako... What happened to us exactly?" Bill finally asked without facing him.


    Mako was a bit reluctant upon telling them the details of what happened up till now while they were hallucinating because it felt like he would rub salt on their freshly cut open wounds but given the seriousness of the situation, Makoplied and narrated the entire sequence of events that took ce after he opened his eyes.


    As Mako narrated, he could see Bill''s hand getting tighter and tighter with veins starting to pop all over while Iris''s hands were visibly shaking with tears still falling from her closed eyes.


    It only took Iris a couple of minutes to finish healing Mako but by now the giant Puffw was fed up attacking blindly because it was getting it nowhere. It had now switched tactics where it was once again utilizing the red beam only this time with less intensity and in short bursts to try and hit them.


    Seeing that it was now shooting beams again, the trio couldn''t stay still even though fortunately, they didn''t have to move yet because the beast could identally target the shelter and hit Erin and Leon who were still inside.


    "It''s time we put an end to this!" Bill said as he began releasing his aura.


    "Yes... This has gone on for long enough!" Iris said with anger as she also began to release her aura with her eyes still closed.


    Both of them were releasing their aura and were reaching the limit of a Level 3 ability user but they didn''t stop there as Mako began to feel pressure building around his neck because even though both of them were at their limit, they continued to push their auras more and more and exceeded past the stage of a Level 3 ability.


    Both Bill and Iris had broken past their limits right in front of Mako and achieved a higher stage of their ability; however, the pressure didn''t stop building as even after auras had reached the stage of a Level 4 ability, the pressure just continued to increase to the point that Mako was getting suffocated a bit and to counter it he had no choice but to release his own energy maniption ability aura.


    "Yes... I agree with you guys! Let''s take that thing down!" Mako said hyping himself up as well to match both Bill and Iris.


    "NO!" Both of them shouted in unison.


    Mako was visibly confused as he didn''t understand why they would not allow him to join them since they were all on the same side.


    It was at this time that Bill turned his head back and around to face Mako and Mako was left in shock by what he saw.


    Bill''s eyes were glowing green!


    "Sorry, Mako but I can''t let you fight this one anymore! He has made this too personal!" Bill said as he addressed the reason why he didn''t want Mako to participate in the battle.


    "Yes, it has indeed!" Iris joined in as she also agreed with Bill while grinding her own teeth out of anger and to stop herself from crying.


    She stood up from next to Mako and opened her eyes as well and to Mako''s absolute surprise, Iris'' eyes were glowing blue!


    Both Iris and Bill stood side by side in front of Mako who was still on the ground and stared at the giant shadow of the Puffw in front of them shooting red beams in random directions.


    "Let''s get that bastard!" Bill shouted as he began charging up his wind ability.


    "Yeah!" Iris shouted in agreement as she drew multiple snakes of water from theke.


    Both of them were ready to take on the Bulked-Up Puffw on their own!

 Chapter 166 Absolute Annihilation

    The mist was still thick and was protecting the trio from getting targeted by the red beams that the giant Bulked-Up Puffw was shooting. In order to make it stop shooting blindly and identally hitting the shelter along with Erin and Leon, Bill and Iris had to get the beast''s attention.


    Bill charged up his wind aura and took a skill out of the leader''s book that they had fought against while walking back to the base.


    Bill called upon the aura of the wind itself and strong wind began to blow around him pushing away the mistpletely. The giant beast stopped shooting red beams randomly as it felt the strong winds pushing the mist away and within seconds all the mist and smoke had beenpletely removed by Bill''s wind ability.


    The beast had finally found its prey again and this time it was the prey that hade to it by themselves. Since Mako had burned a lot of the fuzz around its mouth, the giant Puffw couldn''t hide his huge smile under its fuzz anymore showing it off to Bill and Iris which hit another nerve inside them.


    There was another small staredown between them where the beast tried to do the same thing again as its gem began to blink with baby pink light, but this time Bill and Iris were having none of it as they rushed forward unphased by the strength or size of the Puffw they were about to battle.


    The beast could sense an abundance of anger and hatred budding out from their hearts as the invisible Love barrages were having absolutely no effect on them. Bill and Iris ran at simr speed with Bill taking the lead.


    As soon as Bill was within range, he jumped forward and squatted with full force on the ground, cracking it up in the process. Once all the energy waspressed to the maximum inside his legs, he jumped upwards while using the Wind ability to give him a boost, lifting him up tens of feet up in the air in almost an instant.


    Upon reaching his maximum altitude of approximately 500 feet, Bill began to descend back down toward the ground, descending rapidly straight at the giant Puffw who remained far below.


    Whilst Bill was performing his great skill, The beast tried to kill Bill right out of the sky by sting him with the red beam from its gem, but Iris made sure the beast wouldn''t be able to focus on him as Iris rushed forward with multiple rings of water that were rotating around her.


    Once she got close enough to the Puffw''s feet, she began converting the rings of water around her into razor-thin and sharp-edged water whips which she used to repeatedly sh the Puffw''s feet.


    Both Iris and Bill were moving so fast and in such irregr patterns that the Puffw was having difficulty keeping track of both of them. It screeched in pain as blue blood began to leak out from the hundreds of cuts made on its legs by Iris'' water whips.


    The Puffw tried to stomp on Iris to try and kill her in one go and to stop her from injuring its legs anymore. Even though she had made a hundred or so cuts from the water whips, water wasn''t an especially strong offensive ability making it so that all the cuts were shallow and didn''t do any severe damage; however, they did exactly what Iris intended them to do and that was to be a distraction.


    The pain from the shed feet was enough for the beast to focuspletely on Iris and try to stomp her to death, but she was smart and always remained directly under the giant Puffw, the only ce where she would bepletely safe from its sharp ws.


    While Iris was distracting the giant Puffw, Bill continued to descend reaching terminal velocity very quickly. In order to elerate further and build more force, Bill used the Wind''s ability to push him down even harder.


    He was elerating more and more and was bing a literal human bullet as he descended faster and faster. While the giant Puffw was bust trying to kill Iris who maintained her position right under its feet and keepnded shes at it causing more pain and damage.


    Bill finally descended low enough so that at this moment he was 20 feet away from the head of the giant Puffw. It was at this time that Bill released the mound of sand that he had picked up with his sand ability while concentrating his energy to jump and made it wrap around its fist creating a massive boxing glove with spikes for the knucklespletely out of the sand.


    The Puffw sensed Bill''s presence at thest possible minute and shifted its focus from Iris and back toward Bill; however, this turned out to be a mistake as this gave time for Iris to escape from underneath its body, and when the Puffw looked up to see where Bill was, its vision waspletely covered a massive sand fist with spikes.


    Bill didn''t hold back at all as hebined all of his strength with the speed and momentum of the descent as well as the boost given by the Wind ability and his awakened wind mutant gene alongside the power of the sand aura itself.


    All concentrated into a... single... powerful... punch.


    *SMACK!!!*<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A huge sound resounded from the impact that Sand boxing glove made with the giant Puffw''s head. The impact was so strong that it sent a literal shockwave with a diameter of a couple of meters down to the ground crumbling small rocks while shaking the ground itself.


    The immense pressure and force inflicted on the body of the giant beast traveled through the entire body and down to its legs. The legs were already very injured from the continuous shes that Iris had inflicted and thatbined with the pressure from Bill''s punch was just too much.


    Right in front of everyone''s eyes, the joint between the feet and the leg of the beast had copsed under immense pressure and had dislodged itselfpletely from its position, severing it from the rest of the body.


    The giant Puffw screamed in agony that was echoed by all the trees around them. With no feet to stand on, the Puffw fell face first onto the ground, with Its legs spewing out gallons of blue blood from its severed feet.


    The Puffw continued to cry and scream in agony while failing to stand back up which was an impossible task for it at this point.


    Billnded back on the ground right in front of the wailing beast and without a single shred of remorse or mercy in his heart proceeded to summon several extremely sharp stone spikes from the ground right under the Puffw''s body.


    The ground trembled as Bill continued to pour aura into the ground and in the next instant, several stone spikes each about two meters thick erupted from the ground beneath the beast and tore right through its body as it rose up to about 10 feet in height,ing outpletely covered in blue blood.


    The beast''s wailing had finally stopped as the beast was now dead and lying in a pool of its own blood... or so Bill and Iris thought as from the lens of the Analyze skill Mako knew that the beast was still not dead.


    Bill finally copsed onto the ground after confirming that he had sessfully been able to kill the beast. Iris who was a bit far back also fell to the ground as she was also exhausted and was relieved to have finally in that monster. Both of their eyes slowly began to dim and eventually return back to their original color.


    Bill and Iris were both pretty exhausted as they had pushed their bodies well past their limits and had used too much energy than they actually had leaving them both in a critical state and in immediate need of sustenance; however, they had an even bigger problem on their hands, one that Mako was quick to identify.


    A moment after Bill copsed to the ground, the beast that he had just in began to dissolve back into the same ck goo that had formed it in the first ce. Bill could barely see anything as his whole vision was going crazy, but within that blur, Bill could see the figure of Mako running towards him at top speed.


    "BILL! MOVE! IT IS NOT OVER YET!" Mako shouted at the top of his lungs.


    [Sprint has been activated]


    Mako ran forward at top speed and performed a simr move that Bill had performed earlier and that was to leap onto the ground and start concentrating energy. However, the major difference was that Bill was concentrating energy on his legs so that he could jump higher, while Mako was concentrating all of his fire aura inside his body straight into the ground.


    Bill could barely understand what was going on but when he turned around to look at the in beast, he watched with horror as the beast had dissolved back into the same ck goo and that goo was coagting into individual blobs forming all the original little Puffws that had formed this massive beast in the first ce.


    The blob was quickly separating back into hundreds of individual blobs and would be a nightmare to deal with as they all were quite nimble and strong, but luckily Mako was able toe in just in time as before the blobs could fully separate, Mako was finished pouring all the Fire aura inside the earth.


    "Not on my watch," Mako said as he activated the skill.


    [me Pir has been activated]

 Chapter 167 Red Flame Ignited

    The entire ground underneath the actively separating ck goo started to be hot and turn red in color, sizzling the goo that came into contact with the hot ground.


    However, That was only the beginning because a momentter, arge pir of me erupted from the ground where it had turned hot and red andpletely covered all the ck goo.


    Multiple small high-pitched screams resounded from within the pir of fire as all the small little individual Puffws burned to a crisp.


    The beasts hadpletely separated from the ck goo and the extreme temperature was halting them to do so. In ast-ditch effort, all of the remaining beastsbined their love ability tounch a massive invisible emotional attack that would make Mako feel an insane amount of guilt so much so that he would want to kill himself.


    The Puffws couldn''t survive such high heat for too long so they quickly channeled their Love aura which they could pretty quickly since they were still part of the ck goo and weren''t fully separated yet andunched the massive emotional attack towards Mako.


    The invisible attack hit right on target and its effects were instantaneous as Mako could suddenly visualize his grandmother again. However, unlike past times, this her grandmother wasn''t smiling nor did she appear to console Mako or help him get past a hurdle. This time her grandmother was frowning upon Mako who still kept his hands glued to the ground, continuously supplying it with more fire aura in order to maintain the skill.


    "Such weakness! Such ipetence! You''re the reason, I am dead!"


    "What did you even aplish in your worthless life?! Failure!"


    "You bring shame to our family name! It is a good thing you never knew your mother or father!"


    These were the words that came out of his grandmother''s mouth as she showed pure disgust toward Mako whose face was already covered in tears at this point.


    Mako didn''t know any other family members that he grew up with. He didn''t even know much about his mother or father besides their names and a bit about how they died while serving in the military. From the very beginning, it had always been him and his grandmother.


    His grandmother took care of him since he was an infant, taught him how to walk and talk, looked after him when he got sick, was there on his first day of school, and always consoled him when the whole world was against him. Mako cherished these moments with her like they were gold. To him, there was no person on this earth more pure and noble than his grandmother.


    In spite of all of that, to hear those wordse out of the person, Mako loved and cherished the most was like getting empaled by a thousand skewers right in the heart.


    [User''s hormones are spiking to critical levels]


    [User is feeling an intense feeling of guilt and sadness]


    [Temporarily blocking the User''s ability to perceive emotion...]


    "NO!" Makomanded the system as he stopped it from involuntarily messing with his body again plus he didn''t want to just dull out the guilt and pain that these hellish beasts had given him.


    [User override epted]


    [System on standby mode]


    Thanks to increasing his intelligence, and also having a high mentality, Mako wasn''t affected much by the mental emotional attack that these beastsunched as ast-ditch effort.


    Their Love ability had failed to draw out any singr emotion and cancel out the rest. The reason why Mako was crying was that even though he was in control of his own mind, he wanted to cry after hearing such wordse out of the mouth of this illusion that resembled his grandmother.


    However, since he wasn''t affected by the Love ability which would have dulled the rest of his senses so he would only focus on the guilt, Mako was aware that this wasn''t real and that it was just an illusion. So once he had obtained the maximum amount of guilt that he could from the illusion, he began converting that said guilt and sadness into anger.


    "YYYAAAAAHHHHHH!" Mako screamed at the top of his lungs as he summoned every ounce of his willpower inside his body to increase the rate of flow of Fire aura into the ground.


    Adrenaline pumped inrge quantities all over his body as veins popped on his head and arms. Although, the fire aura inside the ground was already very concentrated Mako''s newfound rage and willpower forced more and more aura to condense within himself as well as the ground.


    As he squeezed the aura more and more so that it could be released at a faster rate, suddenly a reaction urred in his body where the tightened blob of Fire aura inside Mako released a couple of sparks.


    Mako''s entire body pulsed with power so much that it made it difficult for him to breathe, but Mako pushed on through and the sparks created by the Fire aura ignited as the color of the fire aura changed turned from bright orange to deep red simr to the Fire aura that Mikhail possessed.


    The space that the blob of Fire aura Mako possessed shrank significantly as it condensed even more during its transformation. Once the transformation wasplete, there was way less fire aura to speak of but now the aura had turnedpletely red and the flow rate of the fire aura into the ground had actually increased rather than decreased.


    [A change has urred with the user''s fire aura]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Computing changes...]


    The ground began to crack from the pressure that Mako''s hands were exerting on it but Mako didn''t stop as he used every ounce of anger and rage that he had within his body to ignite the mes of me pir into turning into the red color as well.


    The mes that were burning the ck goo got exponentially hotter as it transitioned from the standard orange into thisva-like red color.


    The high-pitched screams of the Puffws became even more fierce as the hotter mes started burning it at a much faster rate.


    The temperature was too hot for the Puffws to do anything and they very quickly perished and turned into ash.


    *Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!*¡­


    Mako was bombarded with several notifications each confirming the kill of a single Medium tier Puffw. After about a minute of sting the ck goo with the red me pir, the notifications finally stopped, confirming the kill of thest Puffw still present inside the ck goo.


    Mako stopped the skill a momentter and the scene left after the use of such a skill waspletely mind-boggling.


    The ground from where the mes had erupted was still super hot and red, right at the cusp of bingva. The giant puddle of ck goo that was engulfed in mes was now reduced toplete ck ash powder with steam rising as was still extremely hot.


    There were no body parts or blood to speak within the pile of ash as everything waspletely incinerated, but there was still something shiny and reflected poking out of the ash that had caught Mako''s eyes.


    The area was still too hot toe near so Mako had to use Analyze on it from afar.


    [Analyze]


    [Medium Tier Puffw Crystal]


    Even though the heat was strong enough to leave the ground on the cusp of melting intova and turning all the organic matter contained within the ck goo intoplete ash, the crystals were still intact andpletely unfazed by the extreme temperature around them which left Makopletely baffled as he couldn''t believe that these crystal were so resilient to heat.


    He began to think about how the forging process must happen to melt and forge armor and weapons using these very crystals.


    The rejuvenating pills wereing in the real clutch even after releasing such a strong and powerful move that would havepletely emptied his energy pool which it almost did, Mako still had around 300 units of energy left in the tank and that number was increasing back up again.


    However this didn''t mean that Mako wasn''t exhausted as he had gone way past what his stamina allowed and his entire body was physically hurting so much that Mako didn''t want to move a muscle, but with both Bill and Iris also down, he knew he could rest just yet as he had to make sure both of them were okay.


    Along with his physical body hurting like he was impaled by thousand needles all over, he was having a mental headache with the number of notifications that the system was generating.


    Mako didn''t have time to check out the notifications at that moment as he still had to get Bill and Iris to safety as well as collect all the crystals from the ash once it has cooled down a bit.


    He had to return back to the shelter so that Leon could prepare himself for the next wave which Mako was very concerned about considering how tough this third wave was.


    *Ding!* *Ding!*


    "Oh my god! Can you shut this damn noise off!" Mako screamed in frustration as the notification sounds kept bugging him.


    [Notifications turned to silent mode]


    "What?! You could do that all this time?" Mako said as he was left inplete shock with the systemplying with his request and actually turning off the system notification sounds which was a first for Mako.


    He wanted to get rid of that sound for so long now, but he never knew that the notifications could be turned silent or else he had done it a long time ago.


    Now with some peace and quiet, Mako painfully walked over to Bill to check and see if he was okay.

 Chapter 168 System Body Scan

    Mako walked over to Bill to find him lying t on the ground and breathing quite heavily as if he was gasping for air.


    "Are you alright?" Mako asked with concern as he approached his best friend.


    Bill decided to y a little practical joke on Mako as he didn''t reply to Mako telling him that he was alright, but rather he just started staring at him with his eyes wide open and a serious look with noment made by his lips.


    Bill''s sudden behavior caused Mako to panic as he thought maybe something was wrong and Bill needed help, making a face full of tension and worry.


    However, he could only contain hisughter for a couple of seconds before he busted outughing out loud at the Mako''s priceless face.


    Bill''sughter relieved Mako''s heart as he confirmed that he was all okay and was just messing around. He was honestly in shock as he thought that maybe something had happened to him internally and that the patrolling officer would have to step in to save him.


    Considering the intense fight and deep overwhelming emotions that he had endured, Mako was amazed at Bill still keeping up a brave face and hiding away his pain, but it didn''t take a genius to figure that he was still in a lot of pain.


    After making sure he was perfectly fine, Mako painfully walked over to Iris who was also lying on the ground,pletely exhausted and clearly emotionally hurt.


    "How can you still move?" Iris said as she was ridiculed seeing Mako approaching her.


    "I can''t move much as well, but I guess I exerted the least amount out of you three," Mako said as he knelt beside her and began checking to see if she had any injury of any kind, not that he would find any.


    "Says the guy who released a literal tornado of red fire to kill that ugly thing once and for all," Iris replied sarcastically.


    "Oh well, guess I just got a bigger energy reserve, but believe me I am on the cusp of copsing myself, but first I had to make sure that both of you were alright before rxing because I don''t know the side effects of using that weird skill that you and Bill used," Mako exined to Iris as he was concerned about both of their eyes glowing during the fight.


    Iris said that she didn''t know about it either and that it triggered all on its own and provided her with an immense boost in physical strength and speed alongside her skill with the water ability.


    Mako was skeptical about this power because he could say with almost certainty now that he also saw Erin''s eyes glow which meant that this was something linked to their abilities, a hidden skill that they somehow tapped into too while in the heat of battle.


    He decided to look into this further once they had all made it safely back to the shelter because right now he was only focused on making it back to the shelter and alerting Erin and Leon.


    Even if Iris had received any kind of injury she could heal herself using her ability which would take herpletely out of risk of any kind of infection or internal injury.


    It was just that both Bill and Iris had used their Mutant Genes to the absolute limit, exhausting both it and their own energy reserves so much so that they couldn''t even move a muscle.


    Healing pills weren''t going to be much help in this case as there were injuries to heal only energy to recover which could only be achieved by resting and consuming tons of food.


    After making sure that neither Bill or Iris were in any kind of danger, Mako began the gruesome task of walking all the way back to the shelter in order to get Erin and Leon out and help them.


    During the excruciating walk, Mako couldn''t help but think back to the moment when the beast used its Love ability to manifest an illusion of his grandmother in front of him and make her do anything it wants in order to manipte his heart and mind.


    This was one of the reasons why high-level emotional abilities were considered very strong. It was because at its base all emotional maniption abilities specialize in manipting a person''s hormones and chemicals in their mind to change their way of thinking and judgment.


    The way that each emotional maniption ability achieved this effect was different.


    For example, It is easy for a fear ability user like Natasha to manipte people by purposefully subjecting them to their worst fears, but in order to gain trust or admiration from someone was a whole different story in which she would have to extract every ounce of fear from their body while carefully allowing certain emotions to fill that void making it so that that person feels in a certain way.


    The same held true for Love as well because it was a great ability that could make people more attracted to you or someone else and suppress their anger and sadness making it the perfect ability for a psychiatrist but it can also be used to mess with people minds as instead of supplying love, you remove itpletely while allowing emotions such as guilt and sadness fill that void making the opponent incredibly vulnerable to attacks.


    As these abilities evolved they could do much much more such as creating illusions like how the beast did or manifesting those emotions into energy like the red energy st that the beast was able to produce.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was definitely a great topic to study, something that Mako was eager to do once he had cleared the test and made it to military school. However, right now Mako was focused on another thing that he hadn''t thought of up until now.


    If that beast''s high-level Love maniption ability was strong enough to project an illusion of his grandmother in front of him the same way he had been having visions of her appearing and helping him in the past, Mako began to think.


    ''How was I able to see my grandmother appear before my eyes and help me whenever I was feeling cornered or afraid?'' Mako asked himself.


    ''There wasn''t an emotional ability user when I saved those two girls from the thugs who were trying to kidnap them whom I ended up killing after activating rage mode, but somehow she appeared right in front of me and consoled me, telling me that I was on the right path and that to not let the thought of killing someone stop him. How did she appear?'' Mako said as he revisited a past memory of his grandmother appearing before him when he was sitting on Sophia''s couch looking at the news of all those gang members being killed.


    No matter how much he thought, he couldn''t think of a logical answer that would prove these supernatural events as a hundred percent true. Was he dreaming? Was it really her spirit trying tomunicate with him?


    Mako started to go so deep in thought while he walked so much so that his brainpletely ignored all the pain that his fatigued muscles were feeling.


    After thinking for a while and stilling up with nothing, Mako decided to turn to the system for help. Ever since he had increased his intelligence, he realized that he had been neglecting the system a lot which could help him in figuring many things out.


    After calling upon the user interface, Mako exined the situation to the system and basically asked it to exin how he was able to see these visions of her appearing and consoling him.


    [Commencing full user body scan]


    [Scanning for unknown or foreign energy signatures within the user''s body]


    [Estimated time ofpletion: 20 minutes]


    Mako wasn''t expecting the system to t-out start scanning him but it was still better than nothing so Mako decided to just let the system do its thing as he had finally reached the shelter.


    Mako quickly approached the front door and did the special knock to make Leon know that it was him trying to get in. As soon as he finished knocking, Mako heard the sound of earth falling into the ground and the door flinging wide open.


    In an instant Mako was greeted by Erin and Leon who both had looks of crazy children who couldn''t wait to know what their parents had gotten them for Christmas.


    Since thest time, when Leon opened peepholes in the shelter, he was jump scared by the Dogleos suddenly switching their target to be the shelter, making him believe that it was his mistake and that the beasts were able to sense while in reality, they were targeting Erin up on the roof.


    Learning from his lesson this time, Leon remained patient and didn''t dare to open a peephole no matter how intense the sounds wereing from the outside but that left him going absolute insane as all he had was his own mind to apany him and it wasing up with very weird scenarios what may be going on outside based on the noises he could hear.


    Erin had only woken up, a couple of minutes ago and by the time Leon brought her up to speed about what had happened, they heard Mako''s knock on the door.


    Mako quickly copsed onto the ground as his fatigued muscles hadpletely given up at this point. Erin and Leon rushed to help him but he politely denied their help telling them to help Bill and Iris instead who were still on the field,pletely out of energy.


    Mako also instructed Erin to use her water or Ice ability to cool down the hot crater of ash that he had created and collect all the crystals that they had earned.


    Leon and Erin quickly understood the task and rushed out of the shelter to do as they were told while Mako dragged himself inside and rested his tired body against the wall of the shelter.


    *Ding!*


    [Body scan 25%plete]


    [Estimated time ofpletion: 15 minutes]

 Chapter 169 Calm Down, Leon

    "Iris! Are you okay?! Can you hear me?!" Erin shouted with tears in her eyes as she tried to wake the unconscious Iris who had passed out due to exhaustion on the battlefield.


    Both Iris and Bill couldn''t hold on anymore as by the time Mako reached the shelter to inform Leon and Erin, both of them had passed out due to ack of energy.


    The two of them quickly picked up their unconscious bodies and sprinted back to the shelter to make sure that they were out of any danger.


    ************


    "I am amazed these kids were able to kill that thing! Nobody has been able to move past stage three of the beast wave attack in thest five years." A patrolling officer said to another patrolling officer.


    Both of them were stationed on the very top of two trees about half a kilometer away from the shelter and were tasked with observing this group and making sure that they remain alive through the different beast encounters.


    There had been many times during the fight when the officers were on the urge of jumping out and saving the cadets from immediate death but every time they watched as they were able to save themselves in thest second and counter back beautifully against the beast.


    "Make sure to add every bit of detail in the report. Themander must be very pleased knowing that there are a lot of geniuses in the recruitment test this year." The other patrolling officer said.


    They were both still so shocked to see how much each individual member of this group had managed to improve and grow.


    "Three of them had awakened their mutant genes and three of them could use resonated abilities as well. The boy who seems to be their leader had managed to resonate Fire and Lightning together and now was able to unlock a new variant to his Fire ability just like that other kid who he fought in the duel." The first patrolling officer narrated.


    "They have been quite innovative as two of the cadets have been able to create brand new skills using their abilities all on their own, without any prior training, and have executed them perfectly while two of them possess unique abilities which they have utilized to the maximum." The officer continued.


    "First is that troubled kid whose father is a guild master and even though he had quite a rocky start, he was lucky that he didn''t encounter many beasts and lost as he ran crazily all over the ind, but I think he has gotten his senses back now. Nheless, his abilities are quite remarkable too as he achieved speeds using abination of different things that even average level 5 Speed ability users wouldn''t be able to achieve." The other officer chimed in.


    "Second is that girl with light brown hair who has a remarkable healing ability. I heard from another officer that she was able to fully heal herself after being stabbed all the way through with a sword. Not only that but she also possesses great physical strength and has now even unlocked her Water Mutant Gene which has enhanced her power even more." The first officer said as he added more information.


    "They are definitely not an ordinary bunch and will prove to be a great asset to the military. I only hope that they have the energy left to take on another wave before they decide to call off the beast wave attack and continue the remainder of the test." The first officer said as he finished his report for the third wave on the summit of the west mountain.


    ***********


    [Minutes Later]


    Erin had done her job and cooled down the ash crater enough so that she couldfortably touch it without getting burned. She spent some time digging through the ash and collected as many crystals as she could find with her totaling out to being 164 crystals.


    She ced all of the crystals in her own backpack which was actually just a spare that she borrowed from Mako since she and Iris had lost theirs when they got split from their original group.


    She hurried back to the shelter and joined Mako and Leon who were discussing what to do next as the 4th wave would be soon upon them.


    "How about we retreat? If we start now, we can almost make it out of the range of the wave attack by the time the 4th wave starts." Leon suggested just as Erin returned back inside the shelter.


    "What are you thinking?! Are we going to leave these two defenseless while we make a run for it just to avoid the 4th wave?!" Erin criticized Leon''s judgment as she walked inside and closed the door behind her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "No! No one is abandoning anybody." Mako said in a powerful tone bringing reassurance to Erin who ced her backpack full of crystals next to the pile of High tier Dogleo crystals.


    "We have no choice but to fight. We can''t leave these two behind and I am also too injured to walk making us three injured and two healthy. Even if you both carry one, we all won''t be able to make it together." Mako said as began exining all the possibilities if they were to run.


    "Even if tried to run away we wouldn''t know when the 4th wave will start or from which direction it wille, leaving us wise open and vulnerable and we might just run straight into the starting point of the 4th wave," Mako continued.


    "And even if we were to somehow we all were able to retreat and also be lucky enough to not interact with the 4th wave, we would be out in the open at night time with no shelter and would be the prime target for any roaming beast which I have a feeling will be many tonight," Mako added another point as he made clear why running wasn''t a feasible option.


    "But Mako..., I haven''t even recovered all of my energy yet and neither has Erin. It took every ounce of power all three of you had to finish that 3rd wave beast. What makes you think we can take on the next beast all by ourselves when it is bound to be stronger than the previous one?" Leon asked while starting to tear up and quiver a little with fear.


    ''Leon... *Sigh!* Sometimes I forget that he hasn''t been conditioned to the same amount of harshness as the rest of us. Even if he acted very tough and menacing, Paul still made sure of his protection and he was still getting pampered by all the staff in the headquarters. He hasn''t been in many stressful situations and now that he is in one, he cracking under its pressure.'' Mako thought as he analyzed Leon''s behavior.


    *SLAP!*


    Without any warning, Erin walked up toward Leon who wasining in front of Mako, and proceeded to deliver a strong p directly on Leon''s cheek making him tumble and fall to his side.


    A sharp pain arose in his cheek area as it began to turn red from Erin''s p. Leon had never been pped in his entire life so this was definitely a new experience for him. He justid there on the ground with his eyes widened, his hand on his throbbing red cheek, and his breathing heavy.


    ''What is this feeling? Normally, nobody wouldn''t even dare to do something like this to me! Why am I not feeling anger like I usually do? What is this feeling?'' Leon thought to himself as hey there on the floor in fear and embarrassment.


    "What kind of a person are you? Don''t you have any shame!? Why did you even want to take the recruitment test if you were too afraid to man up when the time called for it? You are just a crybaby who has no confidence in himself. Even if I waspletely void of energy, I would still fight to protect my friends and so will everyone else in this room. So let me ask you this! What is your resolve!? Why do you fight!? What will you get if you pass this test?!" Erin shouted at Leon while on the verge of tears herself.


    Leon didn''t move from his position as he stilly down on the floor, processing what was being said to him.


    Erin didn''t want Mako to see her tears as she wanted to show herself as a strong and capable individual and so after giving Leon a piece of her mind she turned towards Mako stating that she will defend the shelter all on her own if she had to and that she didn''t need Leon''s help and with that, she ran out of the shelter, mming the door behind her.


    Leon continued to stare at the ground unsure of what to do as he had neve received such treatment before, his emotions were running wild and his breathing was bing rapid; however, before he could lose all control over his emotions and go into aplete panic attack, he felt a tug on the back of his shirt.


    He looked up and saw Mako tugging on his shirt. He had moved from resting against the wall and even when his body didn''t allow him to move he moved forward and made Leon acknowledge him.


    Leon stared at Mako who held tightly onto his shirt. His muscles were visibly shaking and it looked like he was in a great deal of pain but despite all that, Mako crawled his way forward until he was face to face with Leon on the ground.


    Fighting against the huge amount of pain that his body was giving him, Mako gave a huge smile to Leon as he said," Calm down, Leon! Now is not the time for you to lose your nerve."


    *Ding!*


    [Body scan 75%plete]


    [Estimated time ofpletion: 5 minutes]

 Chapter 170 Resolve

    "Calm down...? Calm down...? How can I calm down, Mako!? I am not as strong as you! I am not as brave as you! I have been reminded time and time again about my own weakness, and now... now... NOW I SOMEHOW HAVE TO FACE THE 4TH WAVE ALL ON MY OWN!" Leon shouted as hepletely broke down in front of Mako.


    He wasn''t able to stop his tears anymore as he startedpletely bawling right in front of Mako.


    "I was too cocky! Since I only ever fought low levels with no skill, I thought I was some genius who could defeat anyone, but then you came along. You defeated me fair and square not once but twice. You made me realize that there were far more strong and superior people than me!" Leon said as he didn''t hold back anymore.


    "Leon y..." Mako tried to say something but waspletely cut off.


    With his emotions let loose and his reasoning out the window, Leon threw out everything that he kept locked in his heart for so long.


    "I only saw you as some hotshot who got lucky. I didn''t have the guts to admit that I had lost to you and it was because of my own foolishness, and overconfidence, and now it is toote! I never trained seriously, I never worked hard like you guys, and everything was always handed down to me by HIM." Leon cried.


    "Even though we weren''t on speaking terms, he made sure that I got everything I ever wanted in life. Even after everything that happened, he only wanted the best for me and I only took advantage of that. I never tried to get strong and now that I have finally realized it there is no time to make amends, I won''t be able to fight the next wave, I''m useless!" Leon shouted once again.


    "LEON!" Mako shouted at the top of his lungs while grabbing Leon''s shoulder and shaking him violently to finally stop him from babbling on and on.


    Mako''s voice was so loud and sudden that it finally made Leon stop ande to his senses for a bit.


    "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Mako shouted.


    Leon finally stopped his wailing and finallyposed himself a bit and quietened down. Mako''s arms were pulsing with pain after he used them to shake Leon, but he choose to ignore it as he addressed Leon first and foremost.


    "You are right... It is your fault that you didn''t train and try to improve yourself. It is entirely your fault to think that this test would be cake walk where millions of people apply worldwide and even then only a few thousand are enrolled each year." Mako said.


    Leon looked at him with fearful eyes as he couldn''t believe that even the person whom he had opened up to didn''t take his side and was also scolding him.


    "Did you know that within the deal your father and I made, I and Bill were tasked to look after you and protect you during this recruitment test? You can''t me your father as all he ever wanted was to have thest of his family and his only heir safe, and for that, he was ready to go to any length needed. It was your decision to stay distant from your father, if you had remained close to him, he would have made you strong, stronger than any of us here." Mako continued in the same serious tone to make sure Leon listened.


    Every word that Mako uttered from his mouth was fuel for Leon''s wild emotions. His heartbeat was shooting through the roof with the feeling of betrayal being the most potent. He couldn''t believe that out of everyone Mako would be saying this to him, but in the end, deep down, he knew what he was saying was right.


    He closed his eyes as he couldn''t bear to see Mako''s face as he said those words to him.


    "But... that doesn''t mean you aren''t strong." Mako''s said as his voice shifted from strict to very polite and soft.


    Leon suddenly opened his eyes as he heard Mako''s sudden change in tone, unable to understand what this meant.


    "If you seriously believe that you have no talent just because you didn''t train or work hard like us, even after fighting me on equal terms a week ago then we all must be utter trash. You fought against me and forced me into a corner and made me use every single skill I knew just to defeat, and since then you have grown just as much as I have." Mako continued in his polite tone.


    Leon was even more shocked and amazed at Mako''s words now than he was before. New emotions started to rise in his heart and at a very fast rate,pletely overwhelming his previous emotions.


    "You are strong, Leon. Your insecurities have just made you doubt yourself. Up until now, every single one of us viewed you as an equal and would entrust our lives in your hands without a second thought because that is what friends are for, but now you have broken that trust by giving in to your fear." Mako said making Leon realize his fatal error.


    "Friends..." Leon repeated after Mako.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''I never had any friends, everyone only viewed me as someone to stay away from or someone to take advantage of. I never knew what it was like to put blind trust in anyone. All this time, these guys had been putting their faith in me but I never put mine in theirs. I still fought for my own survival.'' Leon thought to himself as he made a shocking realization.


    "Right now, Erin will try and face the 4th wave all on her own, do you think she can do it all by herself given the state she is in?" Mako asked to which Leon nodded "No".


    "Do you think it will improve all of our chances of surviving this if you were to fight alongside her not to mention, I will still try and observe the enemy from within the shelter and provide you with Info if I can." Mako asked again to which after some time of thinking, Leon nodded "Yes".


    "Then you have your answer and your decision. Don''t forget, you were going to face your father after this. Do you really think you can face him if you can''t even deal with a single beast wave?" Mako said.


    Leon felt a wave of embarrassment as Mako said those words reminding him of his overall goal. He was indeed going to face his father after all this was set and done but he also knew that his father would also most likely receive a report of the whole test by the military through his connections. He asked himself whether he would truly be able to see eye to eye with his father after he knew that his son was a coward.


    Just the sheer thought of such a scenario ying out lit Leon''s heart with fire and determination.


    NO!


    He couldn''t afford to miss thest chance to make amends with his father and fix his rtionship. He had to do his very best if he ever wanted to learn the entire truth about what happened to his mother and be the son his father always wanted him to be.


    Leon stood up with determination. There wasn''t a spec of fear or uncertainty on his face anymore as he regained his purpose, his drive to fight.


    "Thank you, Mako! You really opened my eyes to the bigger picture. You were right, I never did trust you guys with my life because I never had someone to that with." Leon said to Mako who was stillying on the ground.


    Mako was staring up at Leon from the ground inplete shock and amazement.


    ''Wow! I can''t believe grandmother''s techniques were so effective. He has be apletely different person.'' Mako thought as he watched determination pour out of Leon.


    Mako had used the same pep talk technique that her grandmother used on him.


    Whenever he would seem down or undetermined to continue on with the life he was living, his grandmother would always reenergize his determination by first scolding him to the point that he wouldn''t stop crying about the thing that Mako was afraid to do, but then switch to her calm and peaceful demeanor to remind him of all that he had aplished so far and what his goals were that he aimed to achieve.


    He also believed that she incorporated her Love ability to elevate the effects of her pep talk but even though he didn''t have the ability, Leon was showing simr results to young Mako.


    "But now... I am ready to call you all my friends and put my trust in you all as well. Even though I don''t have all my energy, I will fight alongside Erin and make sure that no beast gets to our shelter!" Leon announced.


    A smile appeared on Mako''s face after he heard Leon''s resolve and was happy that he was able to help him find his way again just like his grandmother did for him.


    Mako''s muscles were still twitching with pain from moving so much. There wasn''t much that could be done about them as Healing pills only healed physical injuries and Iris was in a condition to help him out either.


    Leon gently picked Mako up and helped him lean against the wall again before moving to exit the shelter and help Erin.


    However, just as Leon helped Mako lean against the wall again, Mako grabbed Leon''s hand. Leon didn''t know what this meant and looking at Mako''s face, he saw a weak and struggling smile.


    "You know I am not so sure about this, but I may have a solution to your energy problem." Mako said on the brink of copsing from the amount of pain he was enduring.

 Chapter 171 Main Commanders Decision

    [At the military headquarters]


    All the officials who were sitting around the giant round table, monitoring over the various parts of the ind were all standing at this moment as they all faced the chair that belonged to mainmander.


    At that moment, the mainmander was sitting on his chair with a very serious expression as he was in deep thought. He had his arms ced on the table and was using them to support his head that was resting on top of his overlocked fingers.


    The mainmander had an important decision to make, one that would decide the fate of all the cadets still fighting on the ind, trying to survive.


    In front of the mainmander were fifty individual holographic frames, each frame disying the image of a single cadet. There were a few familiar faces amongst the clutter of images which included Mako, Iris, Leon, Bill, Erin, as well as some other people they had encountered like Haruto, Natasha, and even the group leader who had ambushed Bill and Iris on their walk back up the mountain.


    "Sir, the fourth wave will begin soon, you have to make a decision." The sergeant said in an emotional and quavering voice as if he was just about to start crying.


    "Most of the cadets still remaining on the ind were smart and avoided the areas that were highlighted to be hit by the waves tonight but some of the groups remained inside the highlighted zones." The sergeant picked up some courage as he went to finish the report.


    "Out of the groups that remained inside the highlighted zones, almost all of them were wiped out by the third beast wave, the group of Puffws that could merge together to form a beast right on the cusp of being identified as an advanced tier beast." The sergeant continued.


    "However, after 30 years, from the groups that had remained inside the highlighted zones, not only one but three have managed to defeat the Puffw abomination and clear the third wave." The sergeant announced as he finished his report.


    "What!?¡­"


    "Unbelievable! I don''t believe it!"


    "Who are these kids!?"


    The officials said as they recovered from the shocking words that came out of the sergeants mouth.


    All of them had grown ustom to ending the recruitment test during the beast wave attack phase as no one had been able to survive the the third beast wave. If they survived the night by running away to another area, that area would be the highlighted area the next night, and the waves would repeat again wiping them out.


    It had been the same for thest 30 years as thest person ever recorded to ever clear that phase was person greatly respected even among the ranks of the officials and was one who was exceptional from the moment she was born.


    "It''s true." The mainmander announced, quieting all the gossip amongst the officials on the round table.


    Three holographic frames extended and becamerge enough so that everyone could see what was being yed on them. The three frames were reying video footage of the three groups who had sessfully defeated the third wave beast.


    The first frame disyed the footage of Bill and Iris fighting the beast with both of their eyes glowing showing that they had activated their mutant genes to then Mako swooping in and finishing the beast by burning it in arge furnace of red mes, a variant of the original fire ability.


    The second frame disyed the footage of Natasha and Haruto, but in this one, they didn''t have to do anything as the Puffw killed itself by yanking its own head of it''s body. The camera refocused on Natasha''s face who had a face of pure pleasure and happiness as sheughed maniacally while dancing in the blue blood that raining down on the ground from the severed head of the Puffw.


    The third frame disyed the footage of a single person who waspletely covered in blue blood and was breathing heavily as he stood amongst the guts of the Puffw that he had just killed by tearing a whole right through it''d body and destroying the gem that it had attached to it''s abdomen.


    The officer were left in shock and awe as they watched the repay of the three groups defeating the giant Puffw, each in their own unique manner.


    "What is this decision that you have troublemitting to, mainmander?" One of the female officials spoke up after the rey of the three footages was over.


    The mainmander didn''t reply as he continued to stare at the fifty frames of the cadet pictures floating in front of him while continuing to rest his head on his fingertips.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Well, the mainmander has to make the choice, whether to continue on with the test and let these three cadet groups face the 4th wave or end the whole test right here and now like every year and dere the survivors as those who have sessfully passed the test." The sergeant spoke up on behalf of the mainmander who remained quiet.


    This sparked another round of debate and gossip amongst the officials but overall they were all against the idea of letting the cadets continue as this was proof enough that they were capable and talented warriors.


    Their main argument being that even if nobody had been able to defeat the third wave in thest thirty years, the military training had trained many talented people whoter on be geniuses and ascended the ranks faster than anyone. There was no reason to put these cadets through the agony of facing another wave when they were sure to lose as they were all tired and out of energy.


    However, one again all discussions came to a stop as the mainmander mmed his hand on the table, grabbing everyone''s attention.


    "It doesn''t matter to me what you all think. In the end, the decision has to be made by me ording to how I perceive the situation. There are still things that even you all don''t know. Why we are still conducting these test when we are in desperate need of manpower? Why we are still following the order that was left behind by the 10 mighty warriors? I get to decide what''s best for these cadets!" The mainmander shouted as he addressed all the people actively discussing while he was trying to think.


    Everyone was left dumbfounded and shocked after witnessing this side of their mainmander. They always perceived him as a calm, collected, and calcted person. Never had they ever seen him behave in this way which goes to show the amount of stress he was bearing as he thought of the best possible course of action.


    Everyone shut their mouths after that as they let the mainmander think for the remaining time that he had.


    ************


    There were only 5 minutes left until the 4th wave wouldmence and time was up for the mainmander to make a decision.


    With absolute confidence and seriousness, the mainmander finally opened his eyes as he turned to towards the sergeant to give hismand.


    "Execute the 4th wave as normal; however, send a message to every information tablet that the 5th wave has been postponed and willmence the following night. That way, they will have the opportunity to flee if they think they aren''t capable of facing thest and final wave." The mainmander ordered.


    "Yes, sir!" The sergeant said as he understood themands immediately and saluted the mainmander before quickly running down to themand deck to make sure the mainmander''s order was executed in time.


    ''He haspletely lost it! We were worried about the cadets not surviving the 4th wave and here, he is worried about the 5th wave. What on earth is he thinking?'' This was the thought that was running through most of the officials minds but no one dared to cross the mainmander or else they would only be subject to his wrath.


    **************


    [Back at the top of the west mountain]


    "That damn coward!" Erin shouted as she impaled thebat knife that she had taken back from Mako deep into a tree.


    She took the de back out of the tree and proceeded to stab the tree again and again while she kept shouting bad things about Leon.


    "To think, I believed him to be a lot like Andrew when I first met him. I believed him to be a strong willed person too who just seemed broken from the outside just like Andrew, but it looks like he didn''t have a spine at all! That bastard!" Erin shouted as she continued to carve up the tree.


    "Everyone one of us had used everything we had to defend the previous waves! You merely used your shy ability to kill those weak wolves and then get exhausted straight away, leaving all the difficult beasts for us to handle on our own. Now that''s it''s your turn to pull some weight, you decide to be the coward and actually suggest that we leave our friends behind!?" Erin yelled as she tried to stab the tree again.


    However, this time, her emotions got the better of her and eyes glowed white as she tried stab the tree. Her strength was greatly increased by the mutant gene and with her using full force and the tree already weakened, thebat stabbed all the way through the tree, cutting it down in an instant.


    Erin was shocked to see just how much strength she was produce just by her emotions alone.


    "It''s okay! Who needs that brat anyway! I am more than enough to kill those damn beasts, whatever they are!" Erin dered as she prepared herself to face the 4th beast wave all on her own.

 Chapter 172 Saved Just In Time

    Just as Erin dered those words, she heard the sounds of leaves rustling and twigs, indicating that something was moving towards her from within the forest.


    Erin had purposefully gone a bit further away from the shelter so that she could vent out her anger in peace and have no one disturbing her. She had a general sense of the time that was remaining before the next wave arrives, but it turned out that she was so focused on stabbing that tree that shepletely forgot about the time.


    Additionally, there was also the question of where the 4th wave woulde from. The first wave of Silver Wolves had attacked from the west, from directly behind the shelter, which was why they had caught them by surprise. The second wave came from the south while the third wave came from the north. This left only the east side and Erin had a hunch that this is where the beasts would attack from this time, and she was right.


    ''That brat still hasn''t shown up! Guess I really have to face them by myself...'' Erin thought to herself as she backed away a bit into a clearing so that she could easily fight without the trees getting in her way.


    Although she was angry and saying all kinds of things for Leon, she secretly still held out hope for him to show up in time for battle, but it didn''t seem likely anymore, and Erin couldn''t stall out the battle in any way because then it would leave them less time to prepare for the final horde.


    The sounds were quite weird as there were no individual thump sounds that one would hear if one heard footsteps. The sounds of the beasts that were approaching Erin were continuous and quiet with Erin only able to hear them because they were rustling the leaves as they moved closer towards her.


    At this point, Erin had no idea about what kind of beast she was about to face and she admittedly was feeling a bit nervous facing them alone. Nevertheless, she kept a brave face as she clutched onto thebat knife and activated her aura. Her eyes also began to glow again as she was ready to face them all.


    *************


    The entire forest went silent as soon as Erin began releasing her aura as not a single sound was heard. It felt a bit eerie as the rustling of the leaves had also stopped and she had no idea where the enemy position was anymore.


    However, she remained vignt and on guard as she still anticipated the beast to jump out at her from the shadows at any moment. She waited and waited but a full minute had gone by and she still couldn''t hear or see anything move. She was getting a bit weirded out by this considering that the enemy was almost in front of her,st she heard its sound.


    Thinking that maybe they were just staying idle in order to confuse her and make her drop her guard, Erin decided to attack the spot from where shest heard the beasts approaching.


    She dropped down to one knee and used her water ability to bring out 10 small blobs of water from her bottle. She then used her ice ability to turn them into bullets and loaded them across her arm to make the preparation of the ice gun skillplete. She aimed her arm toward the shadow from where shest heard the sounds and fired the first ice bullet.


    Surprisingly, Erin didn''t hear the whooshing sound of her bullet cutting through the air as it reached its target nor did she hear the small mini-ice explosion that happens after the bulletes into contact with an object.


    By the time, she realized that something was seriously wrong, it was already toote as unbeknownst to her, A silver and blue colored snake had jumped from the tree to her right with its mouth wide open and were inches away from biting Erin''s face which Erin still had no clue about.


    Erin loaded her second round towards her fingertips, still creeped out by the fact that she didn''t hear any sound but had nothing else to do other than to just keep firing in the dark,pletely oblivious to the fact that a beast snake was literally moments away from biting her face off.


    *Bang!*


    For the first time in two minutes, Erin was finally able to hear something, and the sound was actually quite loud as if it was emitting right next to her. She turned right to see a leg d in armor that had bits of fur attached to it, kicking a blue snake with full force that was centimeters away from biting her face.


    The kick was powerful enough for the snake to beunched back into the forest at high speeds with a strong thud confirming it hitting a rock or tree and finally stopping.


    Erin waspletely traumatized as she remembered the previous few moments of her life where she was staring right into the open mouth of a giant snake that was about to eat her and was only stopped by the kick.


    The remaining ice bullets dropped on the ground and melted back into in water as Erin suffered a serious shock. Her eyes widened and her breathing was rapid as she processed what had just happened in front of her.


    The leg that had kicked away the snake continued to move forward and circle the perimeter once before stopping right in front of Erin. Erin looked up with trembling eyes and witnessed the person who had just saved her from certain death.


    "Leon?" Erin said in confusion and shock as she identified the person who had just saved her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    **************


    [5 minutes earlier]


    "Alright, that should be thest one," Mako said to Leon.


    Leon was feeling more powerful than ever before and he still couldn''t believe that Mako had such an ace hidden in his sleeves.


    Even though he was filled with determination after he received the scolding of a lifetime from Mako, he was even more confident in his skills and ability and was more determined to defeat the 4th wave, now that he had gained something that he didn''t think was possible.


    "It''s almost time for the 4th wave. Do me a favor and move me just outside the shelter so I can observe the 4th wave beasts and see if I can learn anything of importance from their appearance." Mako instructed Leon so that he could use his Analyze skill and figure out a winning strategy to hand over to Leon.


    They both moved outside and coincidently, at that time, they heard a tree fall at a distance. They looked over and saw the small figure of Erin all by herself who was the reason for the copsed tree.


    "I should call her back," Leon said while gulping as he was still a bit afraid to face her after what he had done, but he knew it had to be done.


    However, before he could move, Mako who had already activated Analyze noticed something that was moving just on the outskirts of the forest and moving toward Erin.


    Mako immediately used Analyze on it to confirm whether or not what he thought was true.


    [Analyze]


    [High-level Frost Cobra]


    [Ability: Ice (Level 3), Sound (Level 2)]


    [Description: The High-level Frost Cobra is a majestic creature that possesses a unique skin that is very simr to the ice itself as it leaves a trail of ice wherever it goes and chills anything thates into contact with it. Simr to ice crystals, it has a crystal-like pattern on its scales which are super tough and hard to prate.


    Simr to many normal snake species, Frost Cobras possess terrible eyesight and can only navigate expertly using their great sense of smell and Sound ability which is tuned to be quite sensitive making them able to hear even the slightest of sounds.


    Additionally, Frost Cobras have a unique grip over the sense of hearing using their Sound ability which they exploit while hunting for food. Using their sound ability, they can not only heighten their own sense of hearing but can also dull the hearing of the prey they are aiming to kill by making them almost deaf.


    At its early stages, the Frost Cobra starts as a small and agile reptile, with sleek scales adorned in shades of deep blue and silver, reminiscent of icy ciers. As it advances in its evolution, it grows significantly in size, eventually reaching lengths of up to thirty feet.


    The Frost Cobra''s most prominent ability is its Ice Maniption ability, which it has honed to Level 3. It can summon mini blizzards, create sharp ice projectiles, and even raise sharp icy pirs from the ground with a mere flick of its tail. The serpent''s icy breath can freeze anything in its path, leaving its prey vulnerable and immobilized.


    The Frost Cobras are extremely sensitive to any fire-rted skill and ability. If any open me or heated object was to make contact with the flesh of the Frost Cobra, it would incinerate it on the spot, killing it and leaving only the crystal behind. Which is why the Frost Cobra is encased in hardened scales that are resistant to mes and help lower the effectiveness of any fire-rted attack.]


    [Weakness: Fire]


    "Leon! They''re here!" Mako shouted toward Leon who was about to start walking over to Erin.

 Chapter 173 My Fire

    Leon turned back in confusion toward Mako who was supporting himself against the frame of the shelter''s door.


    "What do you mean? Aren''t there a few minutes still left?" Leon asked.


    "No, I can sense a different aura approaching Erin, they''re here!" Mako replied in urgency as he quickly read over the description of the Frost Cobra that was quickly making its way toward Erin.


    "Aura? What do you mean, you can sense aura?" Leon asked now really confused as to what was happening.


    "Look, we don''t have time for me to exin. I can sense auras and other things about beasts. Right now, we need to make sure that Erin is safe. Listen to me very carefully..." Mako said as he began instructing Leon about what to do.


    **************


    "Just like he said, it has the ability to make you go temporarily deaf which is why you weren''t able to hear it approaching you," Leon said as he stood in front of a very shaken Erin.


    Erin had a deep fear of snakes and reptiles in general. Something about just the way they looked and how they behaved rooted a deep fear in her heart from a very young age. During the training that she received from the sponsor, there was a whole lesson about how to suppress your fear, and that temporarily did the trick.


    However, now that she came face to face with a giant snake''s open mouth that was inches away from biting her face, that locked-away fear started to emerge again and with great fervor. It was making her go into mild traumatic shock as she could understand anything around her anymore and was bing dizzy.


    Leon looked back and saw that Erin was not doing well and considering that he couldn''t afford to check up on her as the Frost Cobras would use that opportunity to attack them both, Leon decided to grab Erin by her hand and pull her farther away from the forest using his speed ability so that they would be out of the range of the Frost Cobras'' surprise attacks and could fight in a more even ne.


    ''He said that there were around 20 to 25 in that area with the possibility of there being more than he could sense. If we stay in the middle of the clearing, they would have toe to us and then we can deal with them as theye, but first...'' Leon thought as he formted a simple n, but for this n to work, he needed Erin active again.


    Erin was still covering her head with her hands as she was shaking uncontrobly. Leon tried shaking her to make her snap back to reality but it just didn''t work as she continued to remain frightened and kept mumbling random phrases.


    Seeing as there was no option left, Leon moved Erin a bit further back until they reached theke. Leon tried onest time to try and get Erin back to her senses but with no luck, he had no other option left and grabbed Erin gently and threw her into the coldke.


    *Ssh!*


    The water did its trick as a secondter, Erin quickly emerged from the surface of theke, gasping for air. She had no idea how she was suddenly teleported from standing near the forest to now floating in theke.


    She looked over to the bank and saw Leon standing there with a small smile that he tried his best to hide, but couldn''t.


    "You bastard! Do you think it''s funny to throw a girl into the water without her consent? What was that smile for?! Why are you even out here?! Weren''t you so scared from the next wave that you were going to piss your pants?!" Erin shouted and taunted Leon as she quickly made her way out of theke and used her water ability to quickly try her off.


    However, this time, Leon wasn''t affected by Erin''sments as he just stood there with a straight face as he observed Erin getting out of the water and walking towards him while mocking him for being a coward.


    He quietly watched as Erin approached him, and once she was close enough, he said," Maybe I was, but weren''t you also going to piss your pants off after I just saved you from that beast snake that almost bit your face?"


    Erin was leftpletely speechless as those words made the memories of thest few minutes flow back inside Erin and now shepletely remembered what had happened before she went into shock.


    As Erin stood there in silence remembering how Leon helped her nearly avoid death, Leon began exining the situation.


    "When we came out of the shelter to prepare for the next horde, Mako could somehow sense about 20 to 25 High-level beasts that were quickly closing in on your position as you were attacking the tree." Leon began to exin.


    "I asked about how he could sense them to which he said that he would exin itter and that for now, I had to focus on making sure you were safe because he saw that you weren''t moving or reacting even though the beast was already so close to you making him believe that the beast had some sort of sensory ability making you unable to detect it approaching." Leon continued.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Mako said that he had two theories in mind but it was most probable that the beast had the sound ability and was making you deaf so that it could sneak up on you which turned out to be true," Leon added.


    Erin was shocked to learn how urate Mako was and was now quite intrigued to know more about his sensing ability.


    "Did he say anything else before you came running to... save me?" Erin asked in a slightly embarrassed tone, now knowing that she was sailing in the same boat as Leon.


    "Yeah, he did," Leon replied in a teasing manner but didn''t push too hard on it as they were still in a serious situation and didn''t want Erin to get mad again and knock his lights out.


    "He told me that he could see the general size of the beast based on how the aura was spread out through its body and that it was most probably a snake with its dominant aura being quite simr to yours which would mean that the snakes also possess the ice ability," Leon said.


    Just as said that they heard a crunching sounding from the shadows in the direction from where they ran and then a secondter several sharp icicles could be seen flying toward Erin and Leon.


    Time began to slow down a bit as Leon used his speed ability and was able to react just in time to ce his hands on the ground and raise a thin earth wall to intercept and block the iing projectiles.


    The projectiles were stronger than what Leon had anticipated and they managed to prate the earth wall, but were still stopped halfway through.


    Time began to flow normally again as Erin and Leon both took cover behind the earth wall, which Leon began to thicken by adding moreyers to the wall.


    Many more projectiles started to bombard the earth wall and were slowly chipping away at it faster than Leon could repair it.


    "Well, I guess he was right about that part too. What are we going to do? If they have the ice ability too, then that means, my strongest ability and skill are useless against them. We are at a total disadvantage here, plus we can barely see anything, there is no moonlight and we are too far away from the fire torches near the shelter." Erin said.


    The group had set up several torches around the shelter which Mako lit up so that they would have some visibility and could actually fight, but there weren''t many torches on the east side of the shelter making it very hard to see anything.


    It was at this time that Leon finally smiled as he knew it was his time to shine and redeem himself.


    "We are totally not out of luck yet as Mako gave me a little gift before we came out of the shelter," Leon said to Erin with a smile.


    Before Erin could react or say anything, she was left dumbfounded after Leon''s hand lit on fire right in front of her.


    "You... you... you have the fire ability too! You have four abilities!" Iris shouted out of shock as she couldn''tprehend Leon''s mental capacity.


    In the world they had lived in, it was quite a rare feat for a person to have three abilities and use them all effectively in battle. Resonance was apletely unheard of thing for the general public so there was no easy way for a person to gain a third ability, but for some reason, Leon had ess to four abilities.


    Speed, Hardening, Earth, and Fire.


    ''Wait! Why did he never disy his fire ability before? And why did he mean by a gift from Mako? Did he transfer his ability to Leon?! No way, that''s possible! Right...?'' Erin thought as she saw Leon throw bursts of mes over the walls randomly.


    After throwing around 30 or so mes balls over the wall, the ice projectiles finally stopped hitting the wall and the area became quiet once again.


    "Come on, Mako told me that my fire would be the key to defeating this wave! Let''s kill all those snake beasts quickly!" Leon said as he looked over to Erin with determination while starting to lower the earth wall.

 Chapter 174 Red Blade

    As Leonpletely lowered the earth wall, they were greeted with a fantastical scene. There was no longer darkness and shadows that were covering the whole clearing as now Leon''s randomly thrown mes were caught on patches of grass, a couple of twigs, and fallen leaves making them light on fire and illuminate the surroundings a bit.


    It still wasn''t very visible, but it was visible enough for the two of them to fight. The Frost Cobras had halted their assault on Leon and Erin once they noticed random me projectiles headed their way.


    Since they have very bad eyesight and onlye out at night time, they can''t identify many things using their vision, but one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb in their vision is anything that is lit on fire or emits heat and as a natural defense mechanism, the Frost Cobras instantly seek shelter and try to get far away from the object.


    Leon was chucking fire randomly and had managed to surround the entrance of the forest with tiny mes that repelled the Frost Cobras from getting any closer. The fire near the trees of the forest had illuminated the area enough for Leon and Erin to spot multiple giant Frost Cobras that were slithering around on top of the trees, searching for an opening to advance and kill their prey.


    "Alright! It worked!" Leon eximed as he saw that his idea had worked as the Frost Cobra was no longer engaging them.


    "What worked?" Erin asked.


    "Before I ran over to save you, Mako told me that since he could sense the snakes having the ice ability, I should use my fire to create a perimeter around us so that the snakes wouldn''t engage us as they would be repelled by the fire, simr to how those fire dog beasts were very afraid of water or ice," Leon exined.


    Since the perimeter of mes was sufficient enough to keep the Frost Cobras at bay, Leon used this opportunity to quicklye up with a tactic to deal with them before they decided to circle around and move closer towards the shelter.


    "Alright since we have control over the battlefield, I say we purposefully make an opening between the mes just enough so that snakes would attack us one by one, and that way we can deal with them as theye and not be overwhelmed by them," Leon said as he proposed his n to Erin.


    It was a decent n with great chances of sess which Erin approved of as well. Leon was quite proud of himself foring up with a good tactic as that was usually Mako''s job. He never really was the "think first" kind of guy. Leon always ran headfirst into the problem and would try to figure it out as he move along and hope that he wouldn''t get into trouble while trying to get rid of the problem.


    After both of them had agreed upon a n, Leon was about to begin executing it when all of a sudden they were sted by a very loud screech. The screech was so loud and high-pitched that Leon thought his eardrums would bleed even after he had tightly covered them with his hands.


    They didn''t understand what was happening, but after they noticed the mes lit the closet to the forest going out, they quickly put two and two together and realized that it was the Frost Cobras'' doing.


    Mako didn''t have time to warn Leon about the Frost Cobra''s having the Sound ability as well, and now Leon and Erin learned the hard way as they tried their best to cover their ears to protect them from the painful screech while watching the powerful sounds able to blow away the small fires that Leon had lit all over the ground, one by one.


    Leon had only just awakened the fire ability and it was only at Level 1 which meant that it wasn''t very strong. Even though the sound waves didn''t pack a big punch as it was mostly just painful noise, it was still strong enough to blow away Leon''s weak mes.


    Leon and Erin couldn''t do anything as they were stuck covering their ears and protecting them from the sound while more and more mes were getting put out by the sound waves, making the darkness creep back in towards them.


    *************


    The situation was bing more hopeless by the minute as both of them could observe a couple of the Frost Cobras moving in closer to their position so they would be close enough to start firing sharp icicles at them again.


    Seeing as there was no way out, Leon raised his leg into the air and smashed it into the ground with as much earth aura as he could creating a huge crater beneath their feet that swallowed them whole. Leon manipted the earth to cover them up again, basically burying them underground.


    The sound waves weren''t strong enough to vibrate through the ground and it was finally safe for them to remove their hands from their ears, although their ears were still ringing quite a bit.


    However, they couldn''t wait for the ringing to stop and Leon quickly got to work. He took a small piece of earth from the wall of the crater and manipted it to the size of earplugs and from that piece, he was able to make four.


    He quickly handed Erin a pair and instructed her to put them in her ears as well to protect against the sound attack.


    Leon didn''t expect the sudden sound attack and Mako hadn''t told him anything about this or how to counter it making Leon really think hard about what to do from here. He realized that it wasn''t really him doing all the thinking as he was still just following Mako''s advice and the moment his advice ended, he started facing difficulty.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leon''s thoughts weren''t really siding with him at this critical moment as he kept contradicting himself, thinking that he would never be to get up to Mako''s level.


    "Leon! What do we do now?!" Erin asked in a panicked voice, "If we don''t think of something fast, those snake beasts are just going to start making their way over to the shelter and attack Iris and the others who are in no shape to fight."


    The pressure was on. Leon had to think of a n to deal with these snakes quickly or else it would be all over. Since the snakes slithered on the ground, Leon was able to sense them moving forward thanks to a trick that Bill had taught him while they were stuck inside the cave for two days.


    From what he could sense, the snakes had already begun moving towards the shelter and would cross over their location in under a minute given their moving speed.


    ''My fire ability isn''t strong enough to pose a threat to them as they can just blow it away. I don''t know any fire-rted skills that I could use either. Let''s try...'' Leon thought as he came to the realization that his fire was useless in directbat and that he had to look for another way.


    Leon stood up in the cramped space they had and stopped on the ground while sensing the position of the closest snakes.


    Since fire didn''t work, he thought to use a skill that Bill really liked using, and that was the earth spikes. By pinpointing the location of the snakes, Leon used his earth aura to raise a sharp earth pir from underneath the snake''s body, impaling it and killing it in an instant.


    However, when he raised the earth spikes from the surface to attack the snakes, even though they were the sharpest that Leon could make, they weren''t sharp enough to impale them through their tough scales and basically knocked them back a bit.


    Leon was quite angered by his own weakness as he had used a good amount of energy and it only bought him a couple more seconds to think and nothing more.


    ''What can I do here?! My speed and hardening would help me face them head on but I stillck the offensive capability to take them out. I don''t have mastery over fire yet and I can''t wlessly switch between fire and hardening making it risky to fight them head on and then what about Erin?'' Leon thought.


    He kept racking his brain but nothing came to mind. He was ready to admit that he was indeed nothing like Mako and that even though he found the courage to fight, he didn''t have the skill and ability to fight.


    The snakes were getting closer and closer by the second and if he didn''t act now, it would be toote to stop all of them from reaching the shelter.


    "What did he mean by my fire is the key?! It''s useless! How can I fight with this low-level ability!?" Leon shouted out loud with frustration.


    Erin couldn''t help but feel sorry for Leon as she could feel the pressure that Leon was dealing with.


    "What if he meant to use your fire ability in an indirect way? He must have known that your fire ability is weak. Maybe he just wanted you to figure out how to incorporate its heat into an attack. Maybe the thing he was talking about was just heat." Erin suggested as she hypothesized a possible meaning of Mako''s words.


    "Heat? Huh!... Of course! HEAT!" Leon eximed as finally, a switch went off inside his head.


    "Did you figure it out?" Erin asked to which Leon only nodded.


    Leon quickly asked Erin to give him thebat knife that she borrowed from Mako. She was a bit skeptical as to why would the knife be of use in this situation, but nheless, she trusted Leon to have found a breakthrough and handed it over.


    Leon quickly grabbed the knife and summoned every ounce of fire aura he had within his body and erupted his hand in mes. He quickly directed his mes over to thebat knife heating it up as quickly as possible.


    Erin watched quietly as she quickly understood what Leon was trying to do. The snakes were approaching the crater and with literal seconds to spare, Leon had used up all of his fire aura and heated the knife as much as he could turning the depletely red and hot.


    He carefully handed the de back to Erin and said," With this, we can fight back!"

 Chapter 175 Gift Of Hardening

    Thebat knife was steaming hot and bright red, and when Leon handed the knife back to Erin, she couldn''t even hold the cool handle of thebat knife as the heat radiating off the de was too much to handle.


    However, now wasn''t the time to skimp out now as the Frost Cobras'' were upon them and they had to make a stand now or risk letting one of the snakes through and reaching the shelter.


    Erin activated her ice ability just around the skin that came into contact with the handle and made sure that those areas were kept cool. Leon and Erin both nodded at each other before Leon stood up and took a squatting position as he concentrated all of his earth aura into his stomach and lower body.


    Once enough aura was gathered, he stopped on the ground from the left side and dragged his feet to the right side in one smooth motion.


    This caused the floor of the clearing, to move ording to Leon''s will and at this moment, the surface of the floor ovepped twoyers of earth thatbined with one another on the left side of the clearing and basically caused a big long bump to appear on the surface.


    As Leon dragged his feet, the bump moved alongside it, moving left to right, giving the effect that a small tidal wave of the rocks was approaching the iing Frost snakes from left to right, throwing many of them into the air and in one general direction.


    After finishing his earth tidal wave move, Leon opened up a hole on top of them at the perfect moment, when most of the iing Frost snakes were directly above them suspended in midair falling over to the right.


    As soon as Erin got visual contact with the flying Frost Cobras flying from on top of her, she quickly activated her wind ability andbined it with her raw strength and the ice mutant gene to basically store as much power and energy as she could into her legs, ready to take a big jump upwards.


    A momentter, Erin had flown up from within the underground hole at an insane speed and while she moved upwards, she used this opportunity to unleash as many shes from her red hot de as she could effectively shing and ending the life of 5 Frost Cobras in a single move.


    However, Erin had underestimated her own strength and power which was further amplified by her mutant ice and her wind ability which resulted in herunching herself way too high into the air so much so that she could see the end of the forest from that height.


    It was still alright as it was still going ordingly to the n. Leon''s Erath tidal wave was used so that every passing Frost Cobra would get hit by it and once again target them instead of going closer to the shelter.


    Leon quickly jumped up and out of the hole as well. He noticed the multiple trails of ice that had appeared all the way from the forest to where the tidal wave had knocked them into the air. He turned to his right where he had thrown all 15 or so Frost Cobras and now he could see around 10 - 12 pairs of shiny reflective yellow eyes shining within the darkness, reflecting what little light there was.


    The Frost Cobras didn''t wait long as the ones still in the tree began using their sound wave attack again, trying to paralyze and hinder Leon''s body through the emission of the loud and screeching sound waves, however, the sound waves weren''t yet strong enough to carry much force with it so Leon''s makeshift earplugs were doing the trick nicely and were able to stop his eardrums from burstingpletely.


    With the sound wave attack taken care of, Leon next had to tackle the 12 or so Frost Cobras that were right in front of him who had already begun conjuring ice spikes by using their ice ability and were about to impale him with tens of spikes.


    However, this time Leon didn''t run or seek shelter as he just took a simple defensive stance that covered his face and vitals while extending his arms and legs to be the areas where he would receive most of the hits.


    ''Father told me that selective hardening was almost 3 times tougher thanplete body hardening,'' Leon thought as he remembered back to thest time his father spoke to him when he forcefully made Leon learn the Earth and Hardening abilities.


    ************


    Leon was embarrassed with himself as he remembered back to that time almost 2 weeks ago when he was called by his father into his office for the first time in quite a long time. He acted his usual self and didn''t even bother greeting or acknowledging his father and simply made his way toward the chair opposite his father''s.


    He tried to open a conversation using a king and gentle voice but it didn''t phase Leon at all he just sat there with a cold straight face, waiting for him to get to the point so that he could do what needed to be done and leave.


    Paul noticed his son''s cold behavior and with a heavy heart stopped his caring demeanor and approached him like he would any gang member which Leon very well appreciated at the time.


    Without wasting any time, Paul order the butler to bring out four books and ce them in front of Leon to which heplied. Leon was confused at first as to what was going on, but before he could jump to conclusions, his father began exining himself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Now that you are going to be taking the military requirement test in a few days, I want to make sure you survive that test because you have clearly underestimated how hard that test actually is considering you only want to enter with a single Level 3 speed ability," Paul said.


    Leon wanted toin and badmouth his father for thinking that he would need his help, but he knew he couldn''t say anything at this moment, judging by the tension in the room.


    Since he had practically stopped viewing him as his father, Paul has also dialed down his love for Leon a bit, at least upfront, as now Leon was considered as any other member of the Dark Raven and disobedience would be very costly for him.


    "I have selected these 4 ability books for you, each is at a level 3 and you will try to learn as many abilities as you possibly can at this point. If you would have been the way you are, I would have trained you so that not only you could learn more abilities, but also be decent inbat and other skills, but I guess that ship has sailed." Paul said as he around so that Leon was now facing his back.


    "However, I still don''t want my son to humiliate my name by failing that test, so you are going to get as strong as possible in thesest days, and one of the members will also provide you with some pieces of power armor and weapons to help you survive" Paul added as he turned only his head around to look at Leon again.


    The pressure from the room was lifted and Leon used this opportunity to give his ungrateful response to his father.


    "I don''t need your charity!" Leon said.


    Suddenly the pressure in the room increased exponentially, nearly suffocating Leon.


    "Young master, please mind yournguage. I would advise you to not resist and just do as Master says as it would be beneficial for all of us and wouldn''t escte things further," The butler said to Leon, making Paul reduce the pressure in the room again and allowing Leon to breathe once again.


    Leon looked at his father with anger, but he knew it was best to just follow the butler''s advice and do as his father wants for now.


    In the end, out of the four, he was able to learn 2 of them about which, his father gave him an hour-long lecture about how to use them the most efficiently and what skills he could now use rting to those abilities.


    "Hardening is a great defensive ability that protects from even the strongest of blows as itpletely depends upon your fortitude and your ability to absorb and block damage naturally. Always remember..." Paul said as he began exining to Leon about the Hardening ability as well as its skills and uses.


    **************


    Leon nted his feet firmly into the ground so that he wouldn''t be able to get knocked over so easily and that he could absorb more damage. He then directed his Hardening aura into his limbs, tightening every single fiber of his muscles to the point that Leon felt like he had limbs made of steel.


    Even though he didn''t respect his father back then, he was going to put all his trust in him as he was going to face off against all the Frost Cobras who had prepared their ice spikes projectiles and were ready to attack.


    The first Frost Cobraunched the ice spike very fast toward Leon, aimed directly at his face; however, with his speed ability, he could also react fast and he pulled up his right arm just in time to block the iing projectile and now the ice spike was about to impale his right hand.


    But!


    As soon as the ice spike made contact with Leon''s arm, it gotpletely blocked and crushed into thousands of tiny ice crystals, leaving Leon''s handpletely unharmed.


    Leon lowered his arm revealing a huge smile on his face as he thanked his father internally for always caring for him and making sure he was safe.


    "I can do this! Let''s go!!!" Leon shouted as he prepared to face the barrage of ice spikes that were about to beunched in his direction.

 Chapter 176 Cool Down

    A barrage of ice shards quickly followed after the first one was demolished by Leon''s hardened skin. The ice shards were all fast, thick, and very sharp, but that didn''t stop Leon from demolishing most of them upon contact.


    Using his speed to guide him Leon was able to keep up with the speed of the iing ice shards. It wasn''t that Leon had speed thinking or anything but something close to that.


    When a person with the speed ability runs, their brain has to also function at that same speed in order to make sure the person stays on track and doesn''t hit a random wall or trip and fall while running fast.


    Leon is basically using that skill where his brain is processing things extremely fast but he is staying in one ce and not actually moving his legs much. He is instead using that speed in his arms so that he can block every single iing projectile and smash it into a million pieces upon impact.


    Using this method, Leon was able to block every single ice shard without taking a single hit, and while all the Frost Cobras were fixated on eliminating him, Erin was making her way back down, aimed straight at the group of Frost Cobras with her hot red de in hand.


    While the Frost Cobras were preparing more ice shards tounch another stronger wave of ice spikes at Leon, Erin dropped in on them from above and before they could even react, Erin shed all of their necks with one long clean horizontal slice.


    Due to the fact that thebat knife itself was also high-tier and super hot, it was able to easily able to prate through the tough scales of the Frost Cobras and deal some serious damage to them.


    Additionally, since the de was very hot, it was able to trigger their weakness of fire, and even though it was a simple sh that made them bleed a little bit of blue blood, the Frost Cobras couldn''t bear the heat and began burning up on the ground before their very eyes.


    The effect of the hot de touching their body was even more dramatic than the me Dogleos as they only lost their color and died, but the Frost Snakes actually began to burn up and disintegrate into ashes right in front of their very eyes leaving nothing behind other than the shiny white crystal.


    The Frost Cobras weren''t known to travel inrge groups and this was the reason why only a few of them were attacking the Erin and Leon at any given time. Since this was supposed to be the 4th wave of the horde night, the military had to release much more than just a couple of Frost Cobras as that would make things quite easy.


    This was one of the reasons why the mainmander wasn''t worried about the cadets clearing the 4th wave aspared to the previous wave, the beasts weren''t well coordinated and also had a massive weakness.


    It was pretty easy to fight against a beast that had one of the five elements as its base ability as it meant that they would also have a massive weakness that could be easily exploited. The weakness itself isn''t too bad for some of the elemental abilities but for water and fire abilities, the weakness was quite massive and exploitable.


    This was the same case for the second wave where the me Dogleos were very strong beasts and definitely not weak in any sense of the word, but when faced with Erin''s ice gun skill, it was quite easy to kill them in a single shot.


    The Puffw didn''t have a weakness like that and on top of that, all the individual Puffws were very well coordinated and hard to beat when they fight in a group and even difficult to beat when they activated their inherited skill that not only amplifies their mass, strength, and power, but their very skills and abilities as well, making them quite difficult to deal with.


    ***************


    Seeing that their sound attack wasn''t having an effect on Leon and Erin anymore, the Frost Cobras that were hiding within the forest finally decided to stop trying and fight head-on with Leon and Erin so that they could kill them and feast.


    The hardened stone ear plugs weren''t perfect, and Leon''s ears were still hurting a bit but it was manageable. However, this meant that they wouldn''t be able to hear a thing while they fight.


    The Frost Cobras didn''t even have to use their ability to suppress their prey''s hearing ability as they had suppressed it themselves, but this time, Leon and Erin were both aware of this temporary disability and could now fight ordingly as to before when Erin had no clue about the snake that about bit her.


    The Frost Cobras deafening skill only works for surprise attacks as it really isn''t a strong skill that can hinder a person so much that they can''t fight. People can still fight fine without their hearing as the worst that could happen would be that they wouldn''t be able to sense an attacking from their blind spot.


    However, if two people were to fight back to back, that liability also fades away as the other person basically protects you in your blind spots.


    All of the Frost Cobras quickly came out of hiding from within the forest and soon Leon and Erin could see a lot of pairs of shining yellow eyes in the darkness.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Using almost all of the little fire aura that Leon had regenerated at that point, Leon lit up the ground once more but this time made sure that the mes would be far away from the Frost Cobras so that they wouldn''t have any incentive to try and take it out.


    Leon already knew his fire wasn''t strong enough to block them as the soundwaves carried enough wind pressure to take them out so instead he was basically using them only as a source of light that would increase their odds of fighting as it was necessary for them to at least see while fighting because they already couldn''t hear and if you remove seeing from the equation, you would be left with fighters who really couldn''t fight to save their life.


    Once the area was dimly lit, Leon and Erin could see all the Frost Cobras that they had to fight in order toplete this wave.


    **************


    The Frost Cobras didn''t wait for a singr moment as they quickly rushed in toward their prey. They were already starved by the military as is and now that they had the freedom to roam around and feast on some cadets, they wouldn''t want to waste such a great opportunity.


    Some Frost Cobras remained back and used the same ice spikes skill as before while the rest rushed to bite and take down their prey. The Frost Cobras, unfortunately, didn''t have the ability to produce venom as this was the trade-off they made with nature as an evolutionary species in order to have the sound ability, so their bites weren''t deadly but it was still foolish to undermine their strength as they were still High tier beasts possessing great strength.


    Leon took the responsibility of bing Erin''s shield as he made it his sole duty to protect her from any iing projectiles while she took care of the ones that wereing in close to have a physical fight.


    The Frost Cobras were quite agile but they were no match for Leon''s speed as he was easily able to run past them without getting attacked by any of the iing Frost Cobras.


    While Leon defended Erin against the ice spikes from a distance, Erin started ughtering the Frost Snakes with the red hot de one by one. It was going fine at first with her racking up a couple of kills but the momentum quickly shifted as the de cooled down.


    It didn''t ur to them before but since they were using a hot de on a beast that was cold as ice, not only was the de''s heat going into their bodies and killing them, but their coldness was also entering the de.


    So as time went on and the more Frost Cobras that Erin killed, the de began to cool down making it harder for her to slice through their tough scales and also inflicting lesser damage which became apparent after Erin stabbed the 12th Frost Cobra only for it to wriggle in pain for a little bit but not die as it was able to ovee the heat of the de.


    It also didn''t help that the de affinity itself was also ice so it resisted the head itself and wanted to cool down making it ept the coldness provided by the body of the Frost Cobras at a faster rate.


    **********


    Erin looked down at the cooled-off de in horror as the Frost Cobra that she just stabbed lunged back at her with a wide mouth ready to devour her whole.


    It was at this moment that Erin froze up as she hadpletely relied on the hot de up to this point and didn''t know what to do now.


    Just as the Frost Cobra was about bite Erin for the second time, Leon stepped in for the second time by kicking the snake and saving her life once again.


    Without saying a word, Leon picked up Erin off the ground and using his super speed left all the Frost Cobras around her in the dust.


    Leon resumed his old running pattern which kept all the Frost Cobras fixated on them so that none of them would try and move toward the shelter but this time Erin was riding on her back.


    She was quite amazed and confused at the same time as she had never experienced this kind of speed before. While she was admiring the speed at which they were moving, Leon was hard at work converting more of his energy into a fire aura to heat not only thebat de that he picked up alongside Erin but also his Darkwing shiv that Mako had gifted him.


    "It''s not over yet! Keep fighting! I will reheat the de as many times as we need in order to kill all of them so don''t you worry about that!" Leon eximed while carrying Erin on his back.

 Chapter 177 4th Wave Complete

    This was the second time that Erin had frozen up in the midst of battle and would have been defeated and killed already if it wasn''t for Leon who saved her just in the nick of time each time.


    Maybe it was because she couldn''t use her other senses or because she had a fear of snakes, she didn''t exactly know why but she did indeed freeze up, and she could hide from the fact that she blundered her life two times only to be saved by Leon.


    She couldn''t help but feel embarrassed as this was the same person she pped and humiliated half an hour ago for being weak and looking for other options other than to fight.


    Even though what she did in the heat of the moment was correct, there was no excuse for Leon to even suggest leaving theirrades behind while they ran with tails between their legs.


    "Listen, I am sorry about earlier, you are definitely very brave and it was rude of me to judge your whole character by just a single moment where you must have been feeling overwhelmed and defeated considering what they had just fought in the third wave," Erin said while riding on Leon''s back who was maintaining his super speed and basically making the snakes follow him in an endless game of catch.


    However, it was only time before one of the snakes would make the lucky leap and be able to bite one of them and Leon didn''t want that chance to arrive for the snakes at all.


    He thanked Mako internally as he was the one who had given him, the best solution of a lifetime. Even though he was expending energy inrge amounts by seamlessly transitioning between abilities that weren''t energy efficient, he still had enough for this fight tost.


    He increased the conversion rate of the energy into the fire aura and basically super-sted the de to get back to those same hot temperatures.


    Once both thebat knife as well as the Darkwing shiv were both glowing red and extremely hot, Leon carefully handed Erin the des back and told her to go ham at the Frost Cobras, saying that she should leave her defense to him which she reluctantly agreed on.


    The Frost Cobras were continuously chasing after the speeding Leon and would always surround him in exactly 2.3 seconds after stopping at a particr ce, meaning, he had to carefully drop Erin within the time window and resume running and fighting while also leaving Erin aware of her surroundings so that she could also resume fighting.


    Leon achieved this by elerating to his top speed as he ran in circles and once he was fast enough he used his earth ability to suddenly raise a small angled ramp which he could jump off of. The increased speed plus the big jump would be able to create enough distance between them that he could quickly drop Erin back down and both can resume the fight once again.


    Leon executed the move exactly as he had envisioned it and was finally able to create some distance between them and the Frost Cobras. He quickly dropped Erin off who was more motivated and determined than ever with both of her hands covered in frost to protect them from the insane heat that the des were emitting ready to ughter every single one of those Frost Cobra beasts.


    The Frost Cobras themselves were also pretty aggravated at this point as they were basically forced into this game of cat and mouse where they were just endlessly chasing after something that was impossible for them to reach.


    Several more Frost Cobras decided to stay back and utilize that ice-shard projectile ability on Iris while she physically fought against the ten that wereing.


    However, as soon as the first set of ice shards wasunched at her, she didn''t even look up and acknowledge them as she just continued to fight the ones that were in Infront of her.


    Her eyes were glowing once again, and her body was summoning more and more force making it easier for her to stab and kill the Frost Cobras in a single stab; however, she still needed to move carefully as she couldn''t put all her attention on one snake as many were targeting her and since she could hear anything, it was very easy for one of those Frost Cobras tounch a surprise attack on her and given their massive jaw size, they could easily bite her whole in a single bite.


    The ice shard projectiles were also making their way towards Erin, but halfway through their journey, Leon appeared out of nowhere, still using super speed and hardening to kite most of the Frost Cobras, but this time, his hands were also on fire.


    Using his new ming hands, Leon punched through the iing ice shard obliterating them into a million pieces, protecting Erin''s back as she fought the ones that were close to her.


    However, Leon didn''t stop there as now that Erin was riding on him, he could release all of his top speed without worrying about making her be sick. His leg armor began to glow once again as Leon activated its active skill, giving him another massive boost in speed.


    With his now boosted speed and one of the skills from his speed ability also activated that used the save-up energy in a single burst of speed, Leon recreated the same move he had used to end all of the Silver Wolves of Wave 1 in a single shot and now he was aiming to the same her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    His body turned into a blue streak as he raced around the area at an extremely fast speed in a zigzagged manner. Since he was running so fast, he actually couldn''t keep up with his mind and it was the same as before where he was actually just running a bit blind, unable to control where he would go, purposefully hitting the trees in order for him to change the direction of his running.


    While running his mes ignited on fire with as much intensity as a Level 1 ability would allow and he began hunting the Frost Cobras one after another.


    First of all, he targeted the Frost Cobras who choose to remain on the outskirts of the fight and just continuously spam their ice-shard projectile ability, hoping to impale and immobilize their prey making them easy to eat.


    Leon burst through the air at top speed leaving his afterimages in the form of a blue streak that followed after him wherever he ran. With such great momentum and a fist covered in mes, Leon began punching the heads of Frost Cobras one by one while they were charging their next projectile attack.


    Even though it wasn''t a stabbing attack, the sheer force of the punch was enough for the tough scales on their body to crack and for the mes that engulfed his hand to seep through inside and deal damage to Frost Snakes, something they could bare at all, and began topletely burn and disintegrate right on the spot.


    Leon ran through each snake one by one in a straight line, destroying the heads of every single one that he punched straight through leaving them to burn and disintegrate.


    On the other hand, Erin was also putting in the work as even though she couldn''t use ice to attack the beasts as it would be ineffective, she could still use it strategically in order to fight them in a more controlled manner.


    Using abination of her wind ability to steer away and her ice ability to raise different structures that blocked paths, Erin was able to direct the Frost Cobrasing to attack her to follow her preferred path of attack, one where only she knew where the ins and outs were, eliminating the chance of a surprise attack by the Frost Cobras all the while she kept stabbing them with her hot des, and Leon kept protecting her back.


    After both Leon and Erin had found their momentum and figured out the winning strategy against the Frost Cobras, they didn''t even stand a chance against them who wiped all of them in about ten minutes.


    Both were extremely exhausted at this point, having expended a lot of energy in that battle than they deemed necessary, but in the end, it was all worth it as they had seeded in defeating the 4th wave which meant that there was only more to go before this ursed night would be over.


    As they sat amongst the ashes of the burnt-up Frost Cobras, catching their breath, they couldn''t help but startughing as they both had already forgiven each other for the events that took ce before the fight began.


    Erin didn''t really hold back when she pped Leon in the shelter but she lost all credibility of her words when she was saved by the very same person she called a coward not once but twice and each time it was because she was the one cowering in fear.


    After a small discussion where they basically apologized to one another creating an even stronger bond of friendship than before, both of them decided to quickly collect all the crystals of the Frost Cobras and head back to the shelter for a well-deserved rest.


    They quickly gathered all of the crystals using Leon''s speed ability and then slowly walked back together to the shelter.


    It was at this time that both of them had only one thought in mind, all five of them werepletely exhausted at this point, and even with the help of healing pills, rest, and a ton of good food, they could still only fully recover with a minimum time of 8-12 hours which wasn''t the time that they had unfortunately.


    All five of them were drained both physically and mentally, and not only were their energy reserves deleted but their very body had also thrown in the towel as there was only so much fighting that a body could do at any given time regardless of the amount of energy the person still has.


    Both of them entered the shelter, thinking the same thought in their mind, about how to tackle the fifth and final wave, when they saw Mako resting against the same wall as before but he had a huge smile on his face.


    "Oh, you guys are back! You came just at the perfect time, I have great news for both of you!" Mako eximed as he quickly greeted both of them who were standing by the door.

 Chapter 178 Body Scan Complete

    *Ding!*


    [Body scan 100%plete]


    The message finally appeared in front of Mako''s eyes as soon as he entered back inside the shelter and closed the door behind him.


    Since he had analyzed the Frost Cobras and knew they had the Sound ability, he had to make sure not to create much sound inside, or else the cobras could sense the sound wavesing from the shelter and start making their way to it which wouldn''t be a big problem for Mako as he plopped down against the wall to rest and finally check out all the notifications that were giving him a headache.


    ''Open system interface,'' Makomanded the system, and a usual holographic blue screen appeared in front of his line of sight, one that only he could see.


    Mako knew a lot had happened during the fight with the giant Puffw and he knew that most of the notifications were about him dealing the finishing blow and killing it, so he decided to skip them for now and first just look at the results of his body scan.


    [Scan Complete!]


    [Fractures and Injuries: (3) Fractures found] ?


    [Tumors and Growths: None] ?


    [Organ Health and Functionality: 94%] ?


    [Blockages and Obstructions: None] ?


    [Infections: None] ?


    [Abnormalities: None] ?


    [Mana Recovery Rate: 212%] ?


    [Mana Channels: 87] ?


    [Mana Blockages: None] ?


    [Aura Recovery Rate: 100%] ?


    [Foreign Auras: (1) Foreign Aura Detected] ?


    The scan provided several different findings and revealed all the important information about Mako''s body and current health as well as things rted to mana that he had no clue about such as "Mana Recovery Rate" and " Mana Channels".


    Mako was quite intrigued by this and decided to click on the information tab right next to the reading to find out more about each thing he was curious about.


    [Fractures and Injuries: (3) Fractures found] ?


    [User has several fractured ribs, a fractured right forearm, and a fractured corbone]


    Mako knew he probably received those injuries when Bill kicked him away from the path of the redser beam, saving his life, but he really had no idea that so many of his bones were fractured because he didn''t feel much pain except in his muscles which were stiff because of being exhausted.


    However, he probably guessed that his system''s emergency healing must have activated whose notification he might have ignored and right now it was actively healing him which was probably why even though he was still under the effect of the rejuvenating pills, his energy wasn''t going up by much.


    [Organ Health and Functionality: 94%] ?


    [User has excellent organ health except for the user''s brain which has been slightly damaged from an abnormal amount of different hormones and emotions, suddenly spiking the brain and causing temporary minor physiological problems that will heal with time.]


    Mako already had an idea as to what the system was referring to because back when he was about to finish the Puffw, it made an illusion of his grandmother appear in front of him and made her say things to Mako that was so extremely hurtful that it ended up causing some actual damage to his brain.


    The system had tried to stop the damage by temporarily shutting down Mako''s emotion receptors making him immune to the damage but it was Mako who stopped that from happening which did pay off in the end as he unlocked a new type of ire but the damage was also done.


    [Mana Recovery Rate: 212%] ?


    [User''s rate of recovering mana back from the surroundings is abnormally high due to artificial interferences boosting, the user''s mana receptors by expanding them in size to absorb more mana every second.]


    Mako had no idea that bing an ability user would change him biologically, but it sure had as now Mako learned that he had things inside him called Mana receptors which were responsible for recovering his energy points by absorbing mana from the surroundings.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Mana Channels: 87] ?


    [Mana Channels are the number of highways built within the body for Mana to flow through and reach its destination from the center of the body where mana is stored to anywhere it is needed in order to use an ability or cast a skill. The greater the number of mana channels, the faster an ability can be used or skill can be cast.]


    This was also very informative information for Mako as he never knew that mana had specific channels that it flowed through in order to reach different parts of his body because he believed it to just flow through his body just like water without any obstructions.


    [Mana Blockages: None] ?


    [User currently has no mana channels blocked that restrict mana flow to different parts of the body]


    Now that Mako knew that mana flowed through specific channels in order to reach different areas, it was only logical for them to get clogged or blocked which would mean that it would actually hinder him by taking longer for him to cast skills or use an ability.


    Now with this important information, Mako understood a bit more about how mana worked and how his body had adapted in order for him to use his abilities.


    Basically, the description of skills and abilities that stated things such as cooldowns and durations were all rtive as they only stated the ideal or the general amount of time that some skill or effect would take to refresh orst as it didn''t ount for the user or the opponent.


    Since everyone has a different amount of mana channels, it would mean that the one with the most would cast skills faster, and if a person has more blockages, it would mean they would cast slower than usual.


    This scenario could also be applied to effects such as the duration of the effect of paralysis from Mako''s Electrical Discharge skill totally depends on what type of opponent he is fighting as people with the lightning ability or resistance to it might be immune or less affected by the paralysis.


    [Aura Recovery Rate: 100%] ?


    [User rate of recovering ability aura is normal and unaffected by any artificial interference.]


    This also fascinated Mako as he learned that his mana recovery and his aura recovery were not the same things. His mana recovery was basically him restoring his energy while his aura recovery was him restoring the small bubbles inside him with a colorful aura that each represents a different ability.


    Even if Mako had the energy, he had to also have the aura of the ability he wanted to use avable in order to cast the skill. He couldn''t cast skills indefinitely if he had arge amount of energy as his own ability aura had to keep up as well, but on the bright side, the aura recovery has a faster rate of recovery than the mana recovery and starts to recover the moment some is used to cast a skill which means that if used moderately, it won''t run out.


    [Foreign Auras: (1) Foreign Aura Detected] ?


    [A foreign aura has been detected near the user''s heart. It appears to be a small amount of Level 8 Love aura and it has attached itself around the user''s heart where itys dormant until it detects huge amounts of stress, anxiety, and sadness from within the user at which time it activates and executes the function it wasmanded to do upon activation.]


    Mako''s suspicion turned out to be true after all as there was indeed something inside him that was triggering her grandmother to appear in front of him when he is at his lowest point.


    Mako''s grandmother did possess the love ability but to his knowledge, it was only a level 2 Love ability, but the blob of aura attached to his heart was recognized to be a level 8 which was kind of weird as Mako didn''t know how could his grandmother be able to do something like this.


    He knew this was his grandmother''s doing as why else would the aura only react when he was saddened and why would the image of his grandmother appear out of all people,st but not least his grandmother was the only person he ever knew that had the love ability so it had got to be her.


    ''Did she lie to me about being a level 2 user? I mean, I wouldn''t have known if she was or not.'' Mako thought of a possibility about the level 8 aura.


    ''But why would she lie about it to me? Was she hiding things from even me? I don''t know when she would even find the time to do other things as she was always busy with her job at the daycare and raising me.'' Mako said as he tried to argue with himself defending his own grandmother.


    However, Mako quickly realized that whatever way he looked at it, the fact was that his grandmother had attached a piece of her aura inside him and somehow that aura was level 8.


    Mako was pretty confused after learning this and wanted to learn more about this aura that the system had detected so he asked the system to find out more about the foreign aura.


    [Error! The system cannot find out more details about the foreign aura as the user''s understanding of mana is still quite low]


    Mako was amazed and a bit shocked after reading the response as this was the first that the system couldn''t do something that Mako had asked it to do which made him finally understand that the system was limited in its capabilities and was bound to him.


    The system still had restrictions that could only be ovee if Mako himself increased his understanding of everything and grow as a person as well as his user level which had been shown to block certain things from happening.


    Mako tried to pry at the Level 8 love aura by asking the system to do different things but it always came back with the same response and so in the end, Mako gave up and decided to first learn more about how mana worked after he got admitted into military school and then give it another go.


    After thoroughly going over everything from his body scan, Mako finally decided to open his notifications bar and read through all the 200+ notifications that were waiting for him in his inbox.


    "Oh Boy..."

 Chapter 179 Great Rewards

    [Notifications] ?


    [(200+) Unread messages]


    ****************


    [A Difficult Medium-Level Beast Has Been Defeated]


    [+2000 EXP]


    [A Difficult Medium-Level Beast Has Been Defeated]


    [+2000 EXP]


    [¡­]


    ****************


    The first 150 or so notifications were just as Mako had expected, he didn''t receive the notification for killing one giant Puffw, but rather a notification for killing every single individual medium-tier Puffw that was part of the ck goo.


    Even though he had racked up quite a hefty amount of EXP from killing all those Puffws, he wondered how much he would have received if he killed it in its giant form. However, he wouldn''t be able to find that out now so he just gave up and continued on with the remaining notifications.


    [Quest Completed!]


    [User has defeated Mutated Giga Puffw]


    [Rewards: Instant Level Up, +20 Silver Tier Coins]


    Even though Mako didn''t receive the EXP for killing that giant Puffw, he did receive a quest to defeat it during the fight which he had ignored, but the rewards were definitely notcking.


    *********


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Current Level: Lvl 14]


    [Reward: Multiple Random Attribute Increase, +3 Trade Tokens, Random Ability Skill]


    [Mentality has been elevated to 55]


    [Stamina has been elevated to 42]


    [Choosing Random Skill]


    [New Skill Learned: (E-Tier) Energy Sensing] ?


    The next set of notifications caught Mako''s eyes as he read through them with the reward''s effect also starting to take ce, confirming that it was defiantly true.


    The cooling sensation washed over his entire body as he read the reward of receiving the instant level. The EXP reward of killing all those Puffws didn''t even matter now as he had received the remaining amount of EXP toplete Level 13 and enter Level 14, just one more level until he finally reached Level 15.


    The amount of EXP required was still insane as he now had to earn more than 8 million EXP in order to level up again, but Mako once again just left it for the system to figure out as he had been doing this whole time and it had definitely paid off.


    Mako also wanted to know more about some of the brand-new rewards he had received, so he paused the stream of notifications and clicked on the information icon next to them to learn more about them.


    (NEW!) [(E-Tier) Energy Sensing] ? (Level 1)


    [A utility skill from the Energy Maniption Skill Tree grants the user a special type of vision as long as the user maintains his Energy aura active. Once active, the user can more clearly see the flow of energy in all things, whether living or non-living.


    The conciseness of this skill depends on the user''s aura capacity and understanding of the ability. Energy Sensing can also sense different ability auras, highlight them in different colors, and detect the energy signature of different living beings.


    Energy Sensing also has an additional sub-skill called "Bookmark". While Energy Sensing is active, the user can bookmark different people''s energy signatures, and using the power of Energy Sensing, the user can detect and pinpoint the location of any bookmarked person within a 3-kilometer radius.]


    [Bookmarks Avable: 5]


    [The range of tracing bookmarks and the uracy and conciseness of the skill will increase as it levels up and the user understands more about Energy Maniption as well as increases its aura.]


    [Cost: 100 Energy per minute]


    This was a brand new skill that belonged to his strongest ability and to his absolute surprise it was a skill that had the same properties as the skill he had made up in front of Leon stating that he could sense auras of other beasts.


    Mako had no idea if it was a coincidence or just pure random luck, but he wasn''tining as it was an extremely important and great skill that he could use in many situations with the added bonus of being able to bookmark up to 5 different people.


    [Trade Token] ?


    [A trade token is another form of currency that can be used in the shop. The user can use the trade tokens to trade items, skills, or even abilities that they don''t want in return for something else that the system.


    The number of trade tokens required to exchange an item totally depends on the rarity and strength of the item, skill, or ability that the user is trying to trade.


    Once a trade is initiated it cannot be canceled and the user has to pick something from the three options that the system provides in return for what the user is offering.]


    The trade tokens were also a great new addition to his shop as he had some things that he had been meaning to get rid of for a long time and the system had finally given him the ability to do so.


    However, there were still notifications that he had to read through so he put them on hold for now.


    **************


    [A change has urred with the user''s fire aura]


    [Computing changes...]


    [User has unlocked a new variant of the Fire ability: Red Fire]


    [Red Fire] ?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Red Fire is a variant of the normal fire ability where the color of the mes change from a regr bright orange to a deep red. The user has the ability to seamlessly switch between which variant of fire they want to use based on different situations.


    The Red Firees with two perks. All Fire rted skills cast through the Red Fire will have a 25% increase in damage and a 50% greater chance to burn the opponent. However, the one drawback is that the skill cast from the Red Fire demand more energy than the regr skill, and the amount of aura the user had for the red mes is reduced to half the normal size]


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Unlock a brand new variant for any one ability]


    [Reward: +100,000 EXP, One Random Ability Level up, +30 Attribute points]


    [Choosing Random Ability]


    [Lightning has been upgraded to Level 5]


    Mako once again just had to pause the stream of notifications as just the absurdity of the rewards he was receiving was driving him to question whether all this was even real, but after pinching himself to confirm, he saw that he was indeed awake and in the moment.


    Mako now learned that the Red Fire that Mikhail possessed and the one he had identally unlocked was called a variant of the original Fire ability and that it had its own unique pros and cons that could greatlye in handy.


    However, Mako was still a bit curious about variants so he used the Ask feature to try and get some answers from the system.


    [Ability Variants] ?


    [While understanding and mastering a certain ability, the user can manipte the aura within them so much that the aura itself mutates and transforms into a variant of the original ability.


    This mutation can happen at any time and many different things can be the trigger for its mutation such as extreme emotion, sheer willpower, etc.


    Once a variant of the ability is unlocked, the user has the ability to switch between the variant and the original ability with the variant having some greater benefits and some drawbacks than the original ability.


    The Variants can manifest as in a change of color or state from what the original ability is or somethingpletely different with many people creating new variants of an ability that only they can master, making it unique and something that can''t be easily replicated by the masses]


    Variants seemed to be quite an amazing concept and Mako was intrigued to learn more about what different types of variants had been discovered so far and how effective were they from the original ability, but that had to wait for when he got into military school so as for now he continued on with thest bit of notifications.


    The final set of notifications was just about himpleting a hidden quest about discovering and unlocking his first variant of an ability but the reward did not disappoint as now Mako finally unlocked the Level 5 Lightning ability bringing it back to be at the same level as the Fire ability.


    Lightning was Mako''s favorite ability so he was beyond ecstatic about him gaining back to his Fire ability, and he was also super excited as this meant that he could finally use his first ever D-Tier Elemental skill that he previously couldn''t use, the Lightning w which required a level 5 Lightning ability.


    [Lightning] ?


    [Lightning is an offensive/utility ability, your stats will be increased when using lightning-based moves]


    [Agility +25]


    [Strength +20]


    [Stamina +10]


    [To activate these boosts, you have to keep your ability active which will passively drain energy as well as release the aura of a level 5 Lightning Ability user]


    [Current rate of energy consumption: 8 Energy per minute]


    Mako was beyond happy with the reward he had received from the fight and couldn''t wait to test out some of the stuff he had received as a reward. In the end, he opened his profile to check out how it was looking after all the upgrades he had just received.


    [Profile] ?


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 395/500] ?


    [Energy: 563/4050] ?


    [EXP: 100000/8192000] ?


    [ount: 370 Bronze Tier Coins, 20 Silver Tier Coins, 3 Trade Tokens] ?


    [Level 14] ?


    [Strength: 40 (+50) ] ?


    [Agility: 40 (+40) ] ?


    [Perception: 50(+20)] ?


    [Intelligence: 50] ?


    [Mentality: 55] ?


    [Stamina: 42 (+25) ] ?


    [Charisma: Locked] ?


    [Fortitude: 50] ?


    [Attribute Points: 49] ?


    *************


    Mako was quite happy with all his rewards and his profile right now, and couldn''t wait to test out some of the new things he had gained today, but first, he decided to check up on Erin and Leon to see how their battle was going as he had been hearing sounds of battling for quite some time now.


    However, just as he was about to move and get up, he heard a strange beeping sounding from his backpack. Mako instantly recognized the beeping sound and knew it to be from the drone he had stationed next to the tablet.


    If it was beeping, it meant that a brand new announcement had been made to all the information tablets and Mako wanted to know just what had the military announced now just as the 4th wave wasing to a close.

 Chapter 180 Two Choices

    Mako quickly took out the remote control that had a small screen to look through the drone camera and sure enough, when he switched on the disy, the drone was staring right at the screen that was shing with different colors with some words written on it.


    [NEW ANNOUNCEMENT]


    [0:21]


    The title had a counter underneath it which probably represented the time remaining until the shing stopped.


    Mako controlled the arms of the drone and made it tap on the screen of the tablet, making it erge and give details about the announcement.


    The shing of the screen stopped and the tablet automatically opened up the events tab where the description of the new announcement was highlighted.


    [Horde Night Update]


    [Due to unforeseen achievements of the cadets during the horde night thus far, the mainmander has ordered thest and final wave of the horde night to be conducted tomorrow night, giving the cadets time to rest up and reenergize before the final fight.


    Additionally, the safe unhighlighted zones of the map will also be hit with a slightly weaker version of the four regr waves of the horde night tomorrow night that the cadets within the highlighted zones have experienced tonight while the previously highlighted zones will be hit by the fifth and final wave of the horde night.


    Cadets within the safe unhighlighted zones of the map have no choice but to face the 4 waves as now they have received an additional day to prepare while those who have survived the four waves tonight have the choice to either move to the unhighlighted zones where they will be safe and wouldn''t have to face the 4 waves all over again.


    Keep in mind additional credits will be awarded to those who muster up the courage to remain within the highlighted areas and face the fifth and final wave. The mainmander himself has promised a special reward to those who can manage to defeat the fifth and final wave of the horde night.]


    A huge smile appeared on Mako''s face as he read the special announcement made by the military. He had no idea what kind of achievements would propel their mainmander to make such changes to the horde night as to him everything had been done exactly the way the announcement they received a couple of hours ago had stated.


    They would face five hordes of different beasts in five different waves, each wave would be an hour apart from when the cadets defeated thest wave, and with each wave, the beasts would be harder and harder to defeat, and Mako and his friends had been doing just that so he didn''t understand the achievements part.


    Mako didn''t even realize the gravity of his own thoughts and just ended up chalking it up to maybe some other cadets doing something spectacr that might have caught the military''s attention, even though there were only three groups of cadets that had been able to defeat all four waves of the horde night thus far.


    **************


    Far away from the location of the shelter on the west mountain where Mako was currently resting, another duo was also reading the special announcement on another information tablet, this duo being Haruto and Natasha.


    "What do you want to do, Natasha-kun? Should we stay here or flee?" Haruto asked innocently to Natasha who had a devilish smile on her face.


    "Do you actually believe, I am going to risk my life just for a few extra points? If I had known that tonight would have been a horde night, I would have never stayed here in the first ce, but it all worked out in the end. All we need to do is survive and make it to the military school and then we will be free. Come on, we are leaving!" Natasha responded crudely before dashing forward toward the nearest safe zone.


    Haruto sighed as he ced the information tablet back in its case and jumped down the tree to chase after Natasha.


    In all honesty, Haruto was very afraid of Natasha from the moment they had first met during a duel as a form of initiation to join El Diablo''s gang. Natasha had used her abilities to bring out his worst fear and she was able to shake him up so much that not only did she win the duel, but Haruto made sure to never cross her in his life.


    Eventually, Natasha started to grow fond of Haruto and practically ordered him to join her group which was then eventually put under Mikhail''s lead. Natasha treated Haruto just like a pet and made him follow her everymand. She liked when Haruto identally called her "Natasha-kun" one time, and made him only call her by that name only and Haruto couldn''t do anything but oblige.


    During his time basically serving Natasha, Haruto learned a lot about Natasha''s personality and the best way he could describe her was as a cruel and cunning fox. She was incredibly smart and cunning; however, she wasn''t loyal to anyone and would always betray herrades and side with the stronger party just to save her own skin.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She was so good at what she did that even Haruto was shocked to learn that she didn''t actually care about Mikhail one bit and only became his girlfriend so that she coulde even closer to El Diablo and be promoted just like Mikhail was.


    Haruto knew that Natasha would never let him go as his shapeshifting was a valuable asset that she could exploit for her own gain in the future and he had no choice but to follow along as a part of her fear aura was permanently ced inside his brain which would trigger the moment she thought he had betrayed her, trigging all those memories that he has tried so hard to suppress.


    "Come on, Haruto!" Natasha yelled as she increased the gap between the two of them using her speed ability.


    "Yes... Natasha-kun..." Haruto replied in a depressed tone as he ran after her toward the nearest safe zone.


    ************


    On thepletely opposite side of the ind, a single person sat on a very thick branch of a tree while also reading the announcement. He was covered in blue blood and there were several mutted bodies of dead Frost Cobrasying on the base of the tree.


    The person had multiple piercings on his face and a very thinyer of blonde hair on his head. This was the same person who had interrupted Brigadier Jones''s debriefing and was called by Mr. Wesley.


    After reading the announcement, the boy jumped down from the tree branch and grabbed his backpack. He took out a couple of snack bars that he had found earlier and slowly started walking toward the direction of the safe zone.


    Even though he had defeated all 4 waves by himself with no help, he was extremely exhausted and had gone past his limit, which he wouldn''t be able to recover from in just 12-13 hours so the smart thing for him was to just move to the safe zone and save himself from getting eliminated because having too big of an ego.


    ************


    [5 minutester]


    Erin and Leon were sitting beside Mako who had just finished exining to them what he had read from the announcement and that they practically had two choices.


    "Why is this even up for discussion, let''s start moving as soon as Iris and Bill wake up. We can easily make it past the base of the mountain even if we start moving tomorrow afternoon, which means we will be safe by the time the horde night begins again," Erin said.


    Leon was giggling on the inside like a little girl as he watched Erin make the same suggestion he made an hour ago, but he knew that the circumstances were different and so he didn''t say it out loud and just agreed with what Erin was saying as he was onboard that idea too.


    "I hear you guys, but I still think we should stay and fight," Mako replied after listening to Erin''s suggestion leaving Leon and Erin both shocked.


    "How could you even suggest such a thing?! We all almost died while facing these previous waves and the fifth one is going to be even tougher to beat. We won''t get penalized if we escape to the safe zone so what''s the problem?!" Erin shouted in anger toward Mako.


    "I understand what you guys are saying, but I also have a couple of reasons as to why we should stay and fight the final wave," Mako argued back in a polite manner.


    Before Erin could blow a fuse andpletely go wild on Mako, everyone became quiet as they heard both Iris and Bill waking up.


    "What''s all this screaming about?! Can''t a guy get some sleep around here?!" Bill shouted in a rowdy manner as he slowly rubbed his eyes while sitting up straight followed by Iris doing the same.


    Bill continued to just rub his eyes while still dozing off a bit while Iris was now fully awake and with a concerned expression started asking the group several questions.

 Chapter 181 Group Decision

    It took the group around 15 minutes to get Iris and Bill up to speed about everything that had been happening while they were knocked out from exhaustion.


    With all of them caught up to speed, the spotlight was back on Mako as now two more people were in agreement with Erin and Leon about escaping the highlighted zone and skipping the final wave of the horde night.


    All four of them were eagerly waiting for Mako''s answer as they gave him deadly stares, wanting to know what his reasoning was to even suggest such a crazy option.


    Mako took a deep breath and slowly started to exin to everyone why he thought that they should stay and fight the final wave, and he began by asking them a question.


    "Let me ask you all something. Do any of you believe that any of us have done anything remarkable during our entire time on this ind, that would be worthy enough to guarantee a spot in the special ss?" Mako asked all of them.


    The group was confused as they didn''t understand why would Mako ask them such a thing at this point, but nheless, they put a couple of seconds of thought into it but nothing quite remarkable came to mind.


    "I spent my early days just running around the ind frantically looking for an antidote for Bill and after that, we just stayed in caves for almost five days. Sure we had a couple of fights and we even faced an advanced-tier beast, but those fights were nothing remarkable considering our level and that advanced tier bested us and got away in the end." Mako began exining.


    "Leon, you started your days by eliminating a couple of people but that wasn''t really your focus as you were just trying to locate me, and by the time you did, neither one of us had aplished much, and the same can also be said you too, Erin and Iris. You guys also joined us in the cave and before then, you guys didn''t aplish much either." Mako added.


    All four of them looked confused as to why any of this had anything to do with them fleeing from the highlighted zone.


    "My point is, none of us have really done anything that would make us really stand out in the eyes of the military. We have just been following the guidelines they had provided for us and trying our best to survive, and it''s not because we are weak or anything, but just because the circumstances we have found ourselves in time and time again didn''t quite let us rack up points like most other groups who had an idealnding and a shelter built on day two." Mako said.


    "The announcement said that even if we just face the 5th wave, there is a massive reward and if we seed in defeating it, we would personally get a special reward from the mainmander himself. We only have food to recover once more which would make all of us be in the best condition tomorrow night. If we flee and escape from the west mountain, we would have limited food as well as no shelter which would make us an easy target." Mako stated further to solidify his reasoning.


    After listening to Mako''s reasoning, the group admitted that he did indeed make valid points and that they needed to fight if they ever hoped to reach the special ss and that they would be more vulnerable after the night is over.


    "Please guys, think about it. We won''t get killed if we give it a shot, the patrolling officers will save us if we are about to get killed so there is no fear of death in this fight. Even if we do end up losing, I believe we will be more praised by the military that we stood and fought instead of taking the coward''s way out." Mako said as he rested his case leaving the group to have a discussion among themselves to decide whether they wanted to listen to Mako''s reasoning or not.


    ***************


    [Meanwhile at the military headquarters]


    The sergeant wanted to scratch the ears and eyeballs right off his face after hearing the discussion Mako and hisrades were having inside the shelter.


    The entire ind waspletely covered with nanobots that acted as cameras and microphones which could be attached anywhere and would be too small to be noticed and could record everything that was going on the ind.


    At this point, the sergeant was observing the main group that had managed topletely capture the mainmander''s attention, and as he listened to Mako exining to his team members why they should stay and fight the final wave of the horde at night, he wanted to literally jump through the screen and personally strangle Mako to death to even attempt to say those words.


    Mako and his group were already identified by every single official on the round table with them already granting all five of them a special ss title. All five of them could quit right now and would receive the highest post that a cadet could receive.


    The sergeant couldn''t believe Mako''s innocence as he said that the military probably wouldn''t recognize them if they don''t face the fifth wave as their performance up to now was pretty much satisfactory at best.


    However, what Mako failed to realize is that they had shattered their limits so much and had grown so much in such a little time, awakening super hard and advanced-level techniques such as Mutant Genes and Ability Variants that their rate of growth was something the military had only seen a handful of times prior.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The sergeant went over all of their files to check out their backgrounds, and except for Mako all four of them were from a decent background and were trained by sponsors so they should have been educated on what was the norm for cadets and how high their level waspared to some of the cadets that were still surviving on the ind, thinking they would easily make it to the special ss.


    However, those files failed to acknowledge all the personal events that took ce in each of their lives that led them to this point.


    Both Bill and Leon had an out with their dads, leaving them practically on their own and never learning more than what was in front of them while the lectures on "Current Power Affairs" was optional for both Iris and Erin. Iris spent that time practicing her healing ability while Erin wasted that time by spending more time with Andrew at the gym.


    The sergeant reluctantly and fearfullypiled the report of the discussion that just took ce and slowly brought it over to the round table to review by the officials and the mainmander.


    ***************


    The group spent some time thinking and discussing what Mako had proposed and in the end, they ended up agreeing with him.


    They didn''t know whether he just had a way with words or what, but they felledpelled enough by Mako''s reasoning to take a gamble and do a high-risk y to receive a high reward.


    The weird tension was instantly broken as soon as the group said that they would stay and fight alongside Mako in the fifth and final wave.


    "Now how about that feast, first thing in the morning, ''cause I am starving!" Bill said lifting up all of their spirits with a joke.


    Mako promised that he would fix them all a massive feast as soon as the sun came up so that they would be well-fed and energized for the final wave.


    However, since it was still nighttime, the group decided to just eat the MREs, for now, to quiet down their hungry stomachs a bit until the feast.


    This was the first time during the whole night that all five of them had been able to sit together and talk as a team because, throughout the whole night, someone was either knocked out or outside fighting a wave of beasts.


    Everyone shared all their experiences with everyone else. Erin ratted on Leon in a teasing manner for being a scaredy cat which made everyone give him a certain judging look, but before they could do any more emotional damage, Erin also backed him by telling everyone how she was saved by him twice during the whole round.


    Erin was thankful to Leon for saving her and she allowed him to also keep her share of Frost Cobra crystals that they had collected earlier. Leon was speechless at Erin''s generous act, but before he could ept or deny her offer, Mako butted in.


    "Actually, Leon owes you 40 High tier crystals so you basically get all these crystals and he still has to pay you some more to bnce out the score," Mako said.


    Erin was very confused as she didn''t remember ever making a bet or gamble of any kind that would make Leon owe her 40 High tier crystals, so she asked Leon what all of this was about.


    "Well, you know how I suddenly got the fire ability..." Leon slowly began to exin.


    "Yeah, I was meaning to ask you about it, how did you suddenly learn that ability?" Erin replied.


    "Well... I kinda broke 40 of those High tier ming lion beast crystals that you and Mako defeated in order to gain that ability," Leon exined while showing a little bit of guilt.


    "YOU WHAT!?"

 Chapter 182 Secret Out

    Erin''s eyes widened in shock as she processed Leon''s revtion. She couldn''t believe that he had broken all those valuable High tier crystals for... gaining an ability?


    ''How was that even possible?! The only way to gain abilities is through ability books, right?'' Erin thought to herself.


    "Hey don''t look at me. I only did it because Mako told me to do so. He said I would gain the fire ability if I break enough of them." Leon said almost immediately shifting the me over to Mako.


    Erin''s initial reaction was a mix of disbelief and frustration, but she quicklyposed herself and turned toward Mako for an exnation. She hade to understand at this point that Mako wasn''t foolish and that everything that he did had a reason behind it, and before she jumped to conclusions herself, she wanted to hear it from Mako, plus she was also curious at this point about how breaking 40 crystals would grant someone an ability.


    "Mako, how did you know breaking those crystals would give him the fire ability?" Erin asked Mako, seeking rification.


    Mako sighed as he knew he couldn''t hide it anymore, he had to open up about his energy maniption ability.


    "I know all of you want to know how I am able to know things, and it is time Ie clean," Mako said.


    All four of them were once again anxious as to what secret Mako was going to reveal to them and they listened closely as Mako narrated the events of how he resonated his fire and lightning abilities whilst fighting the advanced tier beast; however, he fabricated a few parts just so his system wouldn''t be involved in his story, which would otherwise make him more suspicious.


    After he exined to them how he gained the energy maniption ability, he told them that he didn''t want to tell them just yet as he still hadn''t figured out what this ability actually did himself, and he didn''t want the others to panic or worry.


    He exined that ever since he had unlocked this new ability, he had been able to see the world from a different perspective as if he had apletely different kind of vision. He went on and basically exined to them the workings of his new Energy Sensing skill and that he could observe, sense, and interact with energies around him.


    "So that''s how you made that greenser beame out of your hands," Iris said as she began to understand Mako''s new ability and ryed it back to the critical moment when he was fighting the giant Puffw by emitting a greenser.


    "Yes, exactly! Somehow, I am able to pull all the nearby energy particles toward me and condense them in my hands and then release them in the form of a beam of energy at will." Mako said exining hisser beam attack further.


    Mako then went on to exin to them that he had been experimenting with his new vision a lot and he noticed the crystals that they were collecting from the beasts had aura stored inside of them, and when he broke one back at the second cave, he could see the energy flow out of the broken crystal and inside his body and stay there permanently even though it was a very minimal in amount.


    "Since I really didn''t have much knowledge of what I was doing, I didn''t know if this method had a side effect or not, which was why I kept it hidden from you guys. Before I left the shelter to face Mikhail in our duel, I broke and absorbed all of my share of the crystals which wasn''t enough to grant me an ability, but with each crystal I broke, I could visualize my energy pool gettingrger too." Mako exined.


    "Breaking crystals increases your energy pool too?" Bill asked in confusion as he couldn''t believe that it was so easy to gain more energy.


    "Yeah... With the crystals I had in my share, I was able to double my previous energy pool." Mako replied.


    "Woah...!" All four of them exined as Mako told them of this achievement.


    "Back when Leon was still afraid to face the fourth wave because he still wasn''t at full power, I thought that why not give it a shot and let him break as many crystals as he wants to let him gain more energy, and that was exactly what happened."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "He broke those crystals one by one and I could see the red fiery aura increase inside him slowly and as he broke his 40th crystal, the fiery aura that was dispersed all over his body, suddenly starting condensing and liquifying into a small ball of aura next to his other auras."


    "By this time, he had also gained a lot of energy, so I stopped him there and instructed him on how to use the basics of the fire ability, and within a couple of seconds, he produced fire from his fingertips."


    "Leon and I were both pretty shocked after he had sessfully used the fire ability, proving my hypothesis correct; however, we really didn''t even have time to react as there was no time left until the 4th wave and now Leon was strong enough to back up Erin."


    "As we moved out of the shelter, I began sensing several beasts with ice auras headed toward Erin. It was just a mere coincidence that the beast had an ability that was directly countered by Leon''s newly learned fire ability, and I instructed him that his fire would be key in the battle before he ran off to save Erin." Mako said as he finished narrating the sequence of events that took ce while Erin was unloading her anger on a poor tree.


    Everyone sat there in silence as they absorbed all the information that Mako had just given them. Everything made sense now, how he was able to sense things, how he could shootser beams, how he knew the strengths and weaknesses of beasts just by looking at the, etc.


    "Look I understand your reasoning, but you shouldn''t have kept us in the dark and should have at least said something," Erin said, still a little annoyed that Mako had kept this from everyone.


    "I know, it was just that I wasn''t too sure of it myself, and I didn''t want to give you guys false hope or anything which was why I opted to first figure it outpletely and then tell you guys, I am sorry," Mako said as he bowed down a little and apologized.


    Erin softened her expression, realizing that Mako had acted out of a desire to protect and contribute to the group. "Apology epted, Mako. Just remember that we''re a team, and it''s important to make decisions together. Next time, let''s discuss our options before taking such risks."


    Mako nodded gratefully, appreciating Erin''s understanding. "I promise, I won''t do something like this again without at least telling you guys about it first."


    Iris interjected, diffusing the tension. "Alright, let''s consider this a learning experience for all of us. From now on, we''ll make sure to have open discussions before making any major decisions, especially regarding valuable resources like those crystals."


    The group nodded in agreement, the air gradually clearing of any lingering frustration. Mako sighed internally as was finally in the clear. It was hard to make up a story that wouldn''t make him more suspicious, but luckily the system came in clutch by granting him a skill that was basically the Analyze skill, but he could see energies instead of reading descriptions, giving him the perfect


    The conversation shifted to strategizing for the final wave, focusing on utilizing their abilities, coordinating their attacks, and maximizing their chances of sess.


    As the night progressed and they finished their MREs, their anticipation and determination grew. They were resolved to face the challenges ahead and prove themselves worthy of the special ss.


    The sunrise came sooner than they realized and the group went to work collecting materials and hunting for food for their feast. Leon and Bill had spotted a couple of goats gazing in the mountain, and they hunted one of them while Erin and Iris fished dozens of fishes from theke using their water ability.


    Mako had asked Bill to use his Earth ability as precisely as possible to create a makeshift grill that was good enough to cook all this meat. He desperately wanted there to be some vegetables, aromatics, and spices which would really level up this feast, but unfortunately, they had none except for some salt that they had left over from the time they spent on the beach.


    Nheless, Mako started grilling all of the meat, cooking them to perfection and it didn''t take long for the first batch to be finished cooking which was quickly devoured by all four of them, who were now anxiously waiting for the next batch to be finished.


    With their bellies satiated and their spirits uplifted, the group prepared themselves mentally and physically for the impending battle. They gathered their gear, checked their weapons, and exchanged encouraging words. Their focus was unwavering as they harnessed their determination and readied themselves to confront the final wave head-on.

 Chapter 183 Glowing Eyes

    The group spent the remainder of the day just rxing and conserving their energy. It was simr to when they were all stuck together in the cave during the rainstorm test. However, this time they had opened up a lot more to each other, and now they were all sharing stories about each other and having a good time.


    During their talk, Mako suddenly brought up the topic of Bill''s and Iris'' eyes glowing different colors while fighting the giant Puffw beast. Bill and Iris were both confused as they had no idea something like this had urred but then Leon butted in stating that during their fight with the Frost Cobras, he observed Erin''s eyes glow white as well.


    This came as a shock to Erin as she had no clue that such a thing had been happening to her. From her perspective, she just felt a wave of strength wash over her whenever she was focused and used the ice ability, and she believed that she was just tapping into the strength that a resonated ability possessed.


    It was true that a resonated ability would be a lot stronger than the base abilities, but with it still being Level 1, her glowing eyes were the only exnation that exined her terrifying growth in strength, and it was also a sound exnation for Bill and Iris as they also exploded in strength after their eyes started glowing.


    It was at this point that Iris came clean that she had seen Erin''s eyes glow before while they were fighting the 8 cadets on the way up the mountain but she wasn''t sure of it as she had only seen it for a split second.


    Erin sat there in disbelief, as she realized that she had such a power and had no idea that she was using it subconsciously.


    "Hey Mako, you can sense energies right, can you see what is happening in our bodies?" Erin asked Mako.


    "Hmm... I have never sensed anything out of the ordinary but that said, I have never used my skill when your eyes are glowing, so maybe it will only show when your eyes glow." Mako hypothesized.


    It was a valid hypothesis because even if he hadn''t actually used his Energy Sensing skill, he had used Analyze on them plenty and had never noticed a change in their stats, or abilities.


    "Alright, let''s do it!" Erin eximed as she activated her ice aura and concentrated as if she was about to fight an enemy until she felt that wave of energy and strength flow through her.


    It was at that point that she opened her eyes and revealed her beautiful glowing white eyes to everyone. All of them were shocked to see them glow in person and jumped a little but they quicklyposed themselves and began staring at it closely.


    Erin was quickly weirded out by all of them staring at her and she quickly pressed Mako to his thing and figure out what was happening to her.


    Mako did what he had set out to do, but this time he tried his new skill before using Analyze. He wanted to see just what would happen after activating his new skill.


    The moment the skill activated, Mako''s eyes glowed ever so slightly green that it was almost unnoticeable. From Mako''s perspective, his entire vision turned ck and white with many colorful streams of energy flowing through everything.


    Mako focused his skill only on Erin and he could clearly see all the different types of energy inside of her. A ball-sized bubble of blue and green aura representing her Water and Wind ability, but the bubble for her ice ability was nowhere to be seen. Mako zoomed out a bit to locate it and it was at this moment that he saw...


    Erin''s entire body was covered with white-colored energy. Her ability bubble had burst and now her ability aura was dispersed through her entire body and a concentration of it was surrounding her eyes, giving it the white icy glow.


    Mako instructed Erin to stop her eyes from glowing while he continued to observe her energy and as Erin did what she was told, and stopped using her ice aura, all the aura started to move back toward the center of her body and recollect into a bubble, just like the Water and Wind bubbles, only a little smaller in size.


    Mako canceled his skill and it put a slight strain on his eyes which was why he quickly closed them and allowed them to rest while massaging them with his fingers.


    "What...? What did you see?!" Erin asked with anticipation as she eagerly wanted to know what was happening to her body.


    Mako slowly stopped massaging his eyes and slowly opened them again, he looked at Erin who was almost right in front of his face eagerly waiting for his answer.


    "Somehow, you have been able to burst your ability bubble!" Mako replied.


    "Huh!? What does that mean!?" Erin eximed as she grabbed onto Mako and started shaking him to get him to tell more.


    "I don''t know!! I am not an expert at this, I can just sense it!" Mako shouted which finally made Erin stop shaking him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Iris butted in and separated the two, holding Erin back and telling her to calm down and listen to what Mako had to say.


    "Thanks, Iris," Mako said as he caught his breath after getting violently shaken.


    "As I was saying, I was able to sense your wind and water abilities in the form of small bubbles of aura near the center of your chest, but I am sure you guys already know this as you would have sensed this much yourself." Mako began to exin.


    This was true, even if everyone didn''t have the ability to sense auras and whatnot, they could sense what was within themselves, and they had sensed balls of auras inside them that they used to cast their abilities and skills.


    "However, your Ice ability aura wasn''t contained in a bubble, but rather it had burst and dispersed throughout your body, mixing with your blood, and once you stopped using your ice ability, it reformed back into a bubble-like your other abilities," Mako said as he finished his exnation.


    This time, Erin didn''t react right away and slowly began to understand what Mako was telling her.


    "I don''t know how you are getting strength from this, but if I were to guess, I would say that the ability aura is entering your blood cells, and strengthening them so that you can use the ice ability more freely and gain so much strength," Mako said.


    "So my ability is alright?" Erin asked cautiously.


    "Yes, it has reverted back to its original state and I don''t see any changes," Mako replied.


    Erin was relieved to hear that her ability was alright because the only reason she jumped at Mako was that he said that her ability had burst. She didn''t know what it meant but feared that something had happened to her ability which made her worry and she wanted to know what it was.


    "Is it safe for me to use that glowing ability?" Erin asked


    "It should be, your ice ability bubble is exactly the same as it was when you first obtained the agility so it hasn''t done anything to it at all. However, we should still inquire about it with a military person to get to know what this phenomenon actually is." Mako suggested.


    After Mako reassured Erin that nothing was wrong with her ability and that this was just a bonus that she had somehow unlocked, Erin started feeling a lot better and apologized for the sudden outburst of emotion.


    "And what about us?" Bill asked pointing at Iris and himself.


    Bill and Iris were also curious about this special ability as they don''t even remember if they were stronger or not as they just wanted to kill that beast at that moment.


    "I have been trying to get my eyes to glow but so far I wasn''t able to," Bill said with a defeated look.


    Mako hypothesized that it might be situational and because Erin had been using it for a while, her body was able to replicate that situation at will and thus she could freely make her eyes glow. He rmended Bill to focus on his wind aura as his eyes had glowed green and he rmended Iris to focus on her water aura as her eyes glowed blue.


    For the rest of the day, both of them started to focus on their abilities to try and make their eyes glow while Erin gave them tips about how she was able to activate hers. Leon was a bit saddened as he didn''t have such a skill yet, and he just sat beside Mako who was observing them practice their new skill.


    However, Leon wasn''t too upset about this as he was the only person in the group who had four abilities, so he couldn''t reallyin about being left out and so he began practicing with his fire ability a bit, trying to see if he could upgrade it by himself.


    Everyone made sure not to use too much energy so that they could recover in time to be at full strength and energy against the final horde wave.


    Meanwhile, Mako''s focus waspletely on Erin who was demonstrating her glowing eyes to Bill and Iris for the seventh time. He was quite intrigued about this special skill, and he had observed it using his Energy Sensing ability, but he also wanted to know its description which was why he had used Analyze on it and was currently reading the detail provided by the system.


    [Analyze]

 Chapter 184 The Return Of The King

    [Analyze]


    [Mutant Gene] ?


    [A mutation gene is created every time the user learns a new ability, and that gene is implemented in the user''s DNA, altering it so that the user can manipte and control the learned ability.


    The mutant geneys dormant within the cells of the body and may remain dormant forever but in special or extreme cases, the user can purposefully or identally trigger the dormant gene to awaken and arise the power stored within.


    The mutant gene acts as the soul of the ability while the physical aura bubble acts as the ability''s body. With both of them awakened, the aura and the user be one with the aura dispersing itself throughout the user''s body and merging with their blood, bones, muscles, organs, and tissues.


    While in the awakened form, the user receives massive boosts as they unlock the true potential of their ability with the actual boost beingpletely different for every person. The boost may be a general buff, increase in ability level & skill, strength increase, energy level increase, etc.


    There are five stages of Mutant Gene awakening:


    Stage 1: Glowing of eyes (20% awakened)


    Stage 2: ???


    Stage 3: ???


    Stage 4: ???


    Stage 5: ???


    Even though the Mutant Genes provide a massive temporary boost to the user, they themselves are not unlimited and be exhausted after prolonged use. Mutant Genes do not regenerate in the same way as the ability aura as they don''t need resources to regenerate; however, it requires a long time for them to be recharged again.


    The regeneration rate of a Mutant Gene is totally dependent on the capabilities of the user as the rate isn''t the same for any two people.


    If for any reason, the Mutant Gene ispletely exhausted with no cells left to regenerate from, it will take a significantly longer time for the user to even regain a glimpse of their Mutant Gene again which may also halt the progression of the level of their ability.]


    The description was quite long and well-detailed, exining many new things that Mako would have never caught using his Energy Sensing skill. This proved that his Analyze skill was still superior, but it wasn''t perfect yet as it still couldn''t disy theplete information of the Mutant Gene awakenings due to being too low level.


    With this newfound knowledge, Mako wanted to see what Erin Ice Mutant Gene was capable of doing.


    [Analyze]


    [Erin Robinson: Ice Mutant Gene] ?


    [Mutant Gene Awakening: 20%]


    [Erin Robinson possesses a strong ability and has awakened an excellent ss Mutant Gene that has very good regenerative properties. Erin Robinson''s Mutant Ice Gene grants her the ability to use her Ice ability like a level 3 user as well as enhanced physical movement and a Mana regeneration buff]


    [Current Mutant Gene Capacity: 43%]


    Mako was left in shock as he read through Erin''s Mutant Gene description. Her Mutant Gene had made it so she could utilize the Ice ability as level 3 which was quite insane as resonated abilities were already so strong as level 1, and level 3 was kicking it up several notches.


    This was the reason that she was still able to keep up with an upgraded Mako and Leon as her natural prowess was close to what they achieved using everything at their disposal.


    Mako was really envying her now which was something that he thought he would never do considering his own situation and luck, but before he allowed this envy to take root in his heart, he quickly shifted his focus over to Bill and Iris who were still trying to awaken their Mutant Genes again.


    [Analyze]


    [Iris Jade Cooper: Water Mutant Gene] ?


    [Mutant Gene Awakening: 20%]


    [System can not get an urate read with the target not currently in their awakened state.]


    [Current Mutant Gene Capacity: 21%]


    ***********


    [Bill Johnson: Wind Mutant Gene] ?


    [Mutant Gene Awakening: 20%]


    [System can not get an urate read with the target not currently in their awakened state.]


    [Current Mutant Gene Capacity: 30%]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ***********


    He wasn''t really surprised that he couldn''t get a read on them since they weren''t in their awakened state, so he left it to try again, once they had achieved their awakened state again.


    Mako was now really interested in Mutant Gene and wanted to awaken his own right away to see what kind of buffs he would get and see how much of an improvement would it make for him.


    However, he was still limited with the knowledge he had as the system wouldn''t answer his questions even when he used the Ask function because they were outside his current realm of understanding and his current level didn''t permit the system to speak on this subject.


    Mako added Mutant Genes to the top of his list to research and discover after he enrolled in the military school, but until then he had no choice but to put it at the back of his mind and focus on the iing battle for now.


    Mako suggested to Erin that it was enough of a training ss for one day and that she should start reserving her energy for the battle.


    Erin was confused about the sudden intrusion but still listened to him and ended the session with Leon and Bill. Erin said that she didn''t feel tired or fatigued in any way but from Mako''s perspective, she was already running on half a tank of Mutant Gene capacity, and they were going to need everything they had if they wanted to defeat the fifth wave.


    The day went by quickly with Bill and Iris still trying to reach their awakened state and failing while Leon admired the small me that lit in his ring finger as he watched the sunset.


    Soon it waspletely dark with no moon in the sky to provide any light. The starry night sky was all that kept thempany while the group remained indoors waiting to hear or sense the slightest of indications that the fifth wave was finally approaching them.


    The shelter was surrounded by torches that Mako and Leon set up to provide light for the fight before the sun wentpletely down, and soon the mes on those torches started to flicker and the ground started to vibrate a little as the group heart faint thud noisesing from the west.


    The group saw this as their cue and ran out of the shelter to take their respective positions to face the horde head-on and defeat as quickly as possible.


    All five of them started into the darkness as the thuds and the vibrations started to be louder and more intense with every step.


    Everyone was guessing what type of beast they were going to face but none of them had expected the beast that finally revealed itself from within the shadows.


    The iconic shiny glowing yellow eyes were all the information Mako, Leon, and Bill needed to immediately identify the beast that was extremely close to killing all three of them.


    Erin and Iris were also terrified but confused as they didn''t know what the yellow eyes represented as they never really faced it themselves.


    After a couple more seconds, the beasts revealed themselves using the light emitted by the torches.


    The Terra Beetle King had returned!


    The giant beetle had a menacing look and crackled with intense lightning as its stic muscles glowed yellow. The girls were now definitely frightened and they started to take several steps back from the frontline.


    The Terra Beetle King didn''t attack straight away as it waited once it was close enough that the group could clearly see it. More and more regr Terra Beetles started to arrive behind the Terra Beetle King and assembled themselves in neat rows as if they were part of an army following orders.


    The air surrounding the group was getting heavier and more oppressive by the minute which was quite simr to when they fought it back in the cave, but they had grown a lot since then; however, they still felt that they were equally as suppressed as before which was quite confusing to Mako.


    To figure out what was wrong, Mako decided to use Analyze on the King once again to gain info and get this battle started.


    [Analyze]


    [Advanced-level Terra Beetle King] ?


    [Ability: Earth (Level 5), Lightning (Level 7)]


    [Description: A Terra beetle is already a high-tier beast when it is born and has two abilities. Their rate of growth is quite remarkable as they can grow up from grubs to full adults in a few days. Male Terra beetlesck the ability to reproduce at their normal stage and only a single male king can procreate with the female beetles. In order to be a King beetle, the male beetles fight their own kind and consume their crystals to grow and be stronger.


    Once a king is born, the beetles serve their king and in return, the king keeps increasing the poption and defends the nest against any intruders or threats. Terra beetles have excellent eyesight which allows them to see and live in the dark; however, they don''t have wings.


    The most interesting feature of these beetles is their unique muscles. Terra beetles'' muscles are unique as they can emit light through them. This light can either be yellow or brown which indicates which ability they are currently using. It takes time for the beetles to switch between the two abilities and can be observed visually.]


    [Weakness: Fire, Prating attacks]


    "WHAT!" A LEVEL 7!?" Mako eximed as he read the description of the Terra Beetle King.


    He couldn''t believe what he was reading in front of his eyes. He, Bill, and Leon had almost died fighting this thing when it was only a level 5 but now it had somehow leveled up too as they were now facing a much tougher beast than before.


    However, the Terra Beetle King being level 7 was the least of the group''s problems as soon enough they started hearing a second pair of thuds and vibrations, and before they could even turn to their rightpletely, another Terra Beetle King made an appearance from the shadows, arriving with a simr sized army of regr Terra Beetles behind him.


    The group looked at each other in disbelief as they had to face two Terra Beetle Kings, each with a level 7 Lightening Ability, at the exact same time.


    "HOLY S***!"

 Chapter 185 Head Start

    [At the military headquarters]


    All holographic screens at the circr table had been turned off except for one. The sergeants were tasked with monitoring the remaining cadets and other areas while those at the table focused all their attention on the group of five cadets that were trying to attempt to make history by facing the final wave of the horde night, something only a few cadets had aplished in history.


    The horde night was actually thest test that the military had designed for the cadets that would initiate randomly on any of thest 5 days of the test where all of them would either get eliminated from the test or spend the remaining time peacefully by running away from the horde, but either way they were all cadets who would get epted into the military school.


    Within thest 30 years, nobody had cleared the third wave of the horde night; however, this time something was different, three different groups had been able to defeat the third wave and one of them had actually dared to fight the fifth wave.


    All the officials and the mainmander stared at the live feed of the fight that was about to make history.


    "These kids have coincidently faced this type of beast before, but that one had the limiter ced on it so that it wouldn''t go wild and start killing cadets, but this time these advanced tier beasts don''t have any limiter ced on them. These kids are going to experience the true terror of an advanced-tier beast. Let''s see how you fare against them!" The mainmander said as the holographic screen was erged so that everyone could easily observe.


    *************


    [Back at the west mountain]


    The Terra beetles hadn''t made a move yet and just stared at Mako and his friends who were frozen in fear from the oppressive aura they were releasing. Mako was already in his calcting mode of thinking, trying toe of a way with a way for them to make it out of this situation alive.


    A minute passed by and nobody moved an inch, Mako was so deep in thought that he didn''t even realize the time fly by until finally, Bill raised his voice slightly to make Mako snap out of it.


    "Mako! Why aren''t they attacking us?" Bill asked.


    Now that Mako thought about it, Bill was right. These were beasts. Beasts were known for being vicious, bloodthirsty monsters, who attacked and killed people on site; however, these Terra Beetles just remained still and released their aura.


    Mako didn''t understand why the beasts weren''t attacking them, but suddenly his eye caught something. There was a very faint flicker of red light right below the neck of the Terra Beetle King that was in front of him. Mako looked to his left and observed the same flicker on the other Terra Beetle King as well.


    He was very intrigued and decided to use Analyze on the faint red flicker to see what it was.


    [Analyze]


    [01:24]


    [01:23]


    [01:22]


    It was a timer that was ticking down right in front of them. The small machine was embedded into the flesh of the Terra Beetle King, and it didn''t take Mako a second more to figure out what was going on.


    "It''s a head start! There is a timer on their necks that is counting down and preventing them from engaging us while the timer is still active. Hurry! Use your strongest attacks while you still can! We only have a minute left!" Mako shouted out his realization.


    "We don''t have much time, make them as weak as possible with your strongest move. Remember, this beast is weak to fire and prating attacks. If you have a strong move that has either of these quantities, then use it on the kings so they receive the most amount of damage.


    The others didn''t question Mako as they knew he was probably right yet again and just followed suit activating their auras and preparing their strongest attacks.


    Mako began concentrating his fire aura on his fingertips as he was preparing as strong of a me Bullet st as he could while making sure that he wouldn''t damage himself in the process.


    Bill fell down to his knees and began using his earth''s ability to grind the rocks down into sand just like he had done before so that he would have plenty of sand for the tough battle ahead.


    Erin''s Ice began glowing white once again. She quickly brought out ten droplets of water and started condensing them into ice bullets once again; however, this time she didn''t create ten bullets but rather only 5 as she used twice the amount of aura to condense two droplets into one bullet, making them many times more prative and destructive.


    Erinid out the 5 condensed bullets across her arm just like before and loaded one of them on her fingertips and began powering up so the bullet would beunched at maximum power.


    Leon only had a level 1 Fire ability so his fire attack wouldn''t be so effective against the giant Terra Beetle Kings, so he had to opt for a strong prating attack.


    "Hey, Erin! Can I borrow thatbat knife for now?!" Leon asked.


    Erin looked towards Leon and smiled. She understood why Leon wanted the knife and quickly threw the knife into the air toward Leon. He grabbed it and instantly began speeding around the whole ce.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leon was increasing his speed to the maximum so that he would have as much momentum as possible when striking the Terra Beetle King, and as an added bonus, he also began heating the de so he could extra damage to the King Beetle.


    Lastly, Iris. She didn''t have an ability that had a connection with heat or piercing so she began doing everything in her power to reduce the number by targeting the smaller Terra Beetles so that the team wouldn''t have to worry about as much when the fighting begins.


    Mako checked the time once again to see how much more time they had left.


    [Analyze]


    [00:09]


    [00:08]


    [00:07]


    Realizing that they didn''t have any time left, Mako shouted for all of them to release their moves now or else it would be toote.


    [me Bullet has been activated]


    All of Mako''s friends let out a massive roar as they released their strongest moves on the Beetle King in front of them.


    A gigantic glowing bullet of fire shot out of Mako''s fingers. A simr-sized ice bullet was shot out of Erin''s hand. These two attacks were the fastest by far out of all of them and were the first to make contact with the King Beetle, blowing up in a huge explosion that covered the King Beetle in both mes and ice.


    Next, Bill had created more than enough sand now, and he directed the sand to be underneath the Beetle King, and from there massive sharp sand spikes erupted that stabbed the Beetle King.


    Last was Leon. He kicked it up another notch and ran as fast as he could and when he had reached his maximum momentum, dashed in to stab the Beetle King with his heated de.


    The Ice and me Bullet had created an awful lot of mist that covered the Beetle King making it hard for Leon to find his mark; however, he was unlikely to miss such a massive target so he dashed into the mist blind; however, what happened next, was something nobody had expected.


    ************


    [00:00]


    "It has begun." The mainmander announced as the timer in front of them had finally hit zero and now the beast was in full control of their bodies again.


    ''I can''t believe that boy was able to figure out why the beast wasn''t moving so quickly even though we only gave them a three-minute head start. He must have a really strong perceptive or optical skill that allowed him to observe the microscopic controller we had nted on those advanced-tier beasts.'' The mainmander thought.


    The holographic screen showed the previous spectacr skills hit the advanced tier beast and then they saw Leon dashing through at top speed with a glowing red hotbat knife in his hands only to...


    ************


    Leon emerged from the other side of the mist with his red hot de extended out without hitting anything.


    The Beetle King had disappeared!


    Just as Leon escaped from the b=mist, the second Beetle King let out a massive roar as it began charging a giant ball of lightning to hurl at the group all the while the 20 or so Terra beetles began advancing forward to attack them.


    Simrly, as soon as Leon exited the mist, he was greeted by several Terra Beetles ready to eat his face off. Luckily with his red hot de extended out, Leon was able to defend himself and retreat back to the group.


    The group themselves was busy dealing with 20 or so High tier terra beetles that were rushing them and now 20 more had joined the party alongside Leon. Things were looking bad as the second Terra Beetle King had almost charged up the lightning ball attackpletely.


    The group was caught in the middle of it all and even though they thought that things couldn''t get any worse and that this was going to be so difficult to defend, Bill suddenly dropped another bombshell on the group as he made a shocking discovery.


    "Guys! That first giant beetle beast isn''t dead! It dug itself underground just before Leon could stab it and is now moving toward us from underground! Brace Yourself!" Bill announced.

 Chapter 186 The Final Fight Begins

    Just as Bill shouted the heads up to everyone, the ground beneath Iris began to crack and open up. Before Iris could even realize it, the cracks had gotten too big and in the next few seconds, she would be beast food.


    "Iris, watch out!" Bill shouted as he used his Wind ability to propel himself forward and manage to save Iris right before the groundpletely copsed, and the mouth of the King Beetle pierced through, trying to eat its prey.


    Iris had a look of terror and fear on her face as she was saved just in time and narrowly avoided death.


    "You alright?" Bill askedying Iris down some distance away from the King Beetle.


    "Yeah... Thanks a lot for saving me," Iris said in an embarrassed tone.


    "No worries, but this getting out of hand really quickly," Bill said as he observed the fighting from afar.


    ************


    "Oh... that was a close one!" A patrolling officermented as he barely stopped himself from dashing forward and saving Iris from the Beetle King.


    Several patrolling officers were tasked with surrounding the entire area and making sure that none of the cadets were killed while fighting that advanced-tier beast and all of them were extremely light on their toes as they had to make split-second decisions about whether the cadets would be able to survive or not.


    It was a very tough position to be in as they have to make sure the cadets give their all and fight to the very end, but also make sure that they wouldn''t get killed doing that exact same thing.


    When fighting an advanced-tier beast, cadets such as Mako and his friends could easily be killed in a single shot which was why all of them were unease and on high alert to make sure the blood of the most promising cadets in quite some time wouldn''t be on their hands.


    The patrolling officer was just about to rush in and save Iris himself, therefore eliminating her from the test, but in thest second, he observed Bill rushing towards her, and he calcted that he would be able to reach her in time, and so he backed out and it happened to be a right call.


    They were lucky that a few other patrolling officers also thought the same way and so no one interfered with the fight. This was done because it could be possible that an officer made a mistake while analyzing the situation and misjudged whether a cadet would survive or not. With several officers observing the same thing, the risk of cadets identally being killed is reduced to almost zero.


    *************


    The regr Terra Beetles were small, agile, and continuously engaging, Leon, Mako, and Erin. The regr Terra Beetles were on their earth ability mode as brown light was being emitted from their stic-like limbs. They constantly terraform the surface to shoot projectiles and spikes at them, making them have to constantly move.


    Even though the First Terra King had survived the initial attacksunched by the group, it was definitely very hurt as it let out a weak and painful shriek after failing to eat Iris. It quickly dug back inside the ground but this time, it kept the hole open and exposed. A secondter, every one of them heard an ear-deafening scream that was followed by regr Terra Beetles making their way down into the hole after their King.


    The second Terra Beetle King stayed behind as he began to charge more amore balls of lightning to shoot at them from a distance and fry them to crisp with one attack.


    "Things are looking bad," Billmented, "These beasts are very well coordinated and we had such a hard time dealing with them thest time, and now there are two of them."


    "What do you mean? Was this the same beast that we ran away from when we found you guys inside that cave?" Iris asked.


    Bill only nodded yes and that was enough to make Iris shiver as she remembered back to that time when she was even weaker than she was now, and was inside the same cave as an advanced-tier beast.


    "How did you guys beat itst?" Iris asked, "There are five of us here, so that should make it easier for us to take them out."


    "Well... we weren''t able to defeat it at all. It only took a single lightning attack from that beast that both me and Leon in that critical state when you found us, and we don''t know much of what happened next, but Mako fought that beast alone." Bill exined.


    "Really... A single... attack did all that?" Iris asked in disbelief and shock as looking back on the battlefield again, she didn''t know how they were even supposed topete.


    *thud!* *thud!* *thud!*


    Iris'' heartbeat started to speed up as pure unadulterated fear started to creep inside of her as she saw the futile effort Mako, Erin, and Leon were doing as they fought against the fifth and final wave.


    The Regr Terra Beetles were unrelenting and didn''t even allow Mako to think for a single second as they continuously fought to defend themselves, all while dodging the lightning balls, carrying an insane amount of voltage and current, capable of burning whole trees upon impact.


    "It''s useless, we have no hope of surviving this..." Iris said as she gave up hope and tears started to pool up in her eyes, "We are all going to fail!"


    Bill wanted to rush in and console her; tell her that it wasn''t over yet and that they should keep fighting to the very end, but he didn''t have the luxury of time as some of the Terra Beetles were now making their way over to the two of them.


    Bill let out a war cry as he dashed forward, ready to kill all those beetles, one by one.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I killed you bastards once, I can do it again! Try me!" Bill shouted as he conjured an earth club andunched himself into the air with his wind ability.


    While in midair, Bill began to encase the earth club with sand that he had on him. The sand molded into the club, increasing its size and transforming it into a sharp and spiky mace.


    "HHHIYAAHHHH!" Bill screamed as he descended onto the Terra Beetles which had switched from Earth to Lightning mode.


    *THUD!*


    A massive collision took ce as Bill hit the ground, kicking up a lot of dirt and dust into the air. The two beetles who were unfortunate enough to be on hisnding area were now squished t and spewing out lots of blue blood.


    The dust cloud provided the Terra Beetles with cover as they hid within it pretty well and concealed themselves from Bull''s vision. Bill quickly got back up and assessed the situation.


    "HA HA HA! Do you think the duct that I created would help you!?" Bill shouted at the hidden Beetles within the dust cloud who were preparing their lightning attacks.


    They didn''t have to charge for too long as they soon started shooting mini bolts of lightning at Bill. Since Bill couldn''t see where the beetles were, they could easily target him with their good eyesight and electrocute him from a safe distance, or at least that was what they intended.


    The first mini lightning bolt was aimed at Bill''s back; however, before he would get hit by it, he jumped up into the air dodging the boltpletely. After hended back down, several more bolts came at him from different directions but he was able to dodge them all with ease.


    "You idiots! No matter where you hide, as long as you are connected to the ground, I can sense your position and your shivers when youunch an attack." Bill yelled at the beast who didn''t understand a word he said.


    It was quite precise and unnoticeable but whenever the Beetlesunched a lightning bolt, they jolted back a tiny bit as in recoil, and the small vibration was picked up by Bill''s Earth Sensing ability and he could move ordingly after he had sensed where an attack wasing from.


    The beetles were poorly coordinated and onlyunched a few attacks at once which was manageable for Bill. He continued to dodge more lightning bolts while marking the location of each and every Beetle in the vicinity.


    Since it was dark and barely visible, what Mako and the rest had seen as an army of 20 or 30 Terra Beetles was actually close to a hundred and they were really giving them a tough time as they piled on them and attacked.


    After Bill had locked on the location of every single Terra Beetle in the vicinity, he finally was ready to make his move.


    "ENOUGH!" Bill yelled as he released a burst of wind from himself, blowing away the dust cloud entirely, and leaving the Terra Beetles exposed.


    The sudden burst of wind caused a bit of confusion amongst the Terra Beetles, but that was all Bill needed as he nted his hands firmly on the ground and released his sand aura.


    Sharp sand spikes erupted from beneath every single Terra Beetle simultaneously, piercing right through their chest cavity and killing all of them in an instant.


    Iris watched in awe as she witnessed Bill''s bravery and fighting spirit, but that emotion was quickly overshadowed as she noticed something quite bone-chilling.


    Meanwhile, Bill looked back and Iris and smiled. Even though he couldn''t have the luxury to console her through words, he was going to prove to her through actions that they weren''t going to go down without a fight.


    Bill expected a sign of relief on Iris'' face, but all he saw was pure panic and fear. Iris tried to get up and yell at the top of her lungs for Bill to look out but... it was toote!


    Bill was still confused as to why she was acting this way, but before he could even understand what was happening, he felt a sharp shooting pain on his left arm before he knew it, he wasunched into the air and crashed through several trees at high speed.


    The second Beetle King had emerged right behind Bill while he was bust dealing with the underlings and with one clean swipe he was tossed away into the forest like a stic doll.


    Iris watched as the Beetle King shrieked and started advancing toward her with murderous intent.


    Iris couldn''t believe what had just happened. She had given up hope so easily and Bill showed her that there was no need to panic or fear as he fought all of the Terra Beetles by himself, and then when he was in trouble, she couldn''t do anything to help.


    Many emotions started welling up inside Iris, with the strong being anger, sadness, and guilt. She couldn''t help but feel this... this... feeling of being powerless!


    "FIGHT!" A voice sounded from within Iris thatpelled her to stop her winning and to stand up and face the beast in front of her.


    Suddenly, Iris'' eyes began glowing blue again, and a sudden wave of confidence flowed through her. She was no longer afraid of the beast approaching her and wanted to take revenge for what it had done to Bill no matter what!

 Chapter 187 Berserk Beast

    The fear and panic that Iris was feeling from earlier hadpletely disappeared as now she only felt confidence and the thirst for revenge. The Beetle King halted approximately 20 feet away from Iris as it also somehow sensed, Iris'' overwhelming anger and power.


    Without wasting a single moment, this time Iris was the one to rush in and engage in the fight. She ran towards the giant Beetle at a quick pace with several streams of water following behind her.


    The Beetle King responded with a loud shriek as it firmly nted its arms and legs into the ground and the areas where its limbs had dung into started to glow a bright brownish orange color.


    The Beetle King was currently using the Earth ability which was the weaker ability and since the anatomy of the Terra Beetles only allowed them to use one ability at any given time, the King Beetle was not in its strongest state.


    It takes a few moments for the King Beetles to switch from one ability to the other and Iris wasn''t going to let the giant beetle have such an opportunity. She had quickly closed the distance between them and was about tounch all streams of water toward the Beetle King; however, just as the streams were about to make contact and prate the Beetle King''s skin, a wall of glowing earth was raised from the ground, blocking the attack.


    Iris stared at the wall in confusion as she had never seen the Earth being manipted by an Earth ability user to glow; however, she didn''t have time to worry about the glowing Earth wall as she had to continuously put pressure on the beast and make it so that it wouldn''t be able to shift into Lightning mode.


    Just as Iris had expected, the Beetle King was busy using the moments it had gained from distracting Iris using the glowing wall to switch to its strongest ability.


    However, Iris was just in the nick of time to stop it frompletely switching by attacking it again with streams of water. The Beetle King raised the same glowing wall as before, but this time, Iris was ready with a counter.


    Instead of slowing down, Iris began to speed up as she ran straight at the wall. She had not used all of the streams of water this time while attacking the Beetle King, and now she merged all the remaining streams of water into a single giant de of water.


    The water was very pressurized and condensed by Iris'' insane aura and it had a razor-sharp edge that would cut anything in its path. By merging the streams of water into one, she increased the volume of water so more damage would be dealt upon impact and it would have arger surface area, which meant a bigger de.


    As Iris approached the glowing wall, she jumped into the air and turned herself 90 degrees so that she was now horizontal while in mid-air. She maintained that position in the air as she swung the giant de of water horizontally as well, cutting right through the glowing earth wall, and following through as it also managed to sever two of the Beetle King''s legs.


    The Terra Beetle King shrieked in pain as blue blood began gushing out of its severed limbs pooling underneath.


    Iris wasn''t done yet. Afternding a sessful hit, Iris was back on the move charging her water streams for another attack.


    This Beetle King was already weakened after receiving all of their previous strongest attacks while they were still in the head start and now it was receiving heavy blows from Iris that were strong enough to kill it in his weakened state. Now there was only one thing left to do that beast did when they were on the verge of death and knew they couldn''t do anything.


    Go Berserk!


    Whenever a beast would fear that its life is about to end, it would go into a special type of state that could bepared to Mako''s rage mode where it released all its energy at once and fought wildly without any regard for its life so that they might just escape and get to live on.


    As Iris approached again, ready to slice more limbs of the King Beetle, the King suddenly let out a massive shriek, one that was heard all over the west mountain, and it basically announced its power and desperation.


    Even though the Beetle King didn''t possess the sound ability, its sheer strength alone was able to crack and level the earth around him and send Iris back flying.


    Now the roles were reversed as this time it was the Beetle King who took the agro and ran after Iris, aiming to end her in a single swipe.


    The beast''s berserk mode was rare to see as most beasts wouldn''t choose to go berserk even when all the conditions are met. The reason for this is that after they choose to go berserk, it is basically simr to overloading a battery with so much charge that it explodes. The crystal within their body, supplying the beasts with endless power, would getpletely overloaded when a beast goes berserk.


    If a crystal bes overloaded, it basically gives almost 3 times the regr output of aura and mana to the beast, but this massive increase in output causes the crystal to be unstable and crack up, thus resulting in shattering and ending the connection of the beast with its abilities.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Once a crystal destroys itself after a beast has gone berserk, it would never be able to manipte mana again, and even though it is alive, it won''t be able to use abilities but still retain the strength and other stats that it had before losing their crystal as those are part of their physical body.


    The Beetle King refused to die a humiliating death as he was yed with and humiliated from the beginning of the fight and it wouldn''t die until it had killed all those that disrespected its authority.


    Even though Iris'' ears were bleeding from that sudden shrieking attack, she looked calm and collected while in mid-air. Her eyes were still glowing blue and she was focusing her Healing aura to repair her healing as soon as possible.


    Soon enough, Iris had lost enough momentum and began descending to the ground, followed closely by an insane giant beetle beast that had insane bloodlust in its eyes, ready to slice up Iris with the very sharp limbs that she had tried to cut off.


    Even though it looked like Iris had no hope left, she surprisingly still remained calm and collected. Her healing ability had already healed her hearing and now she was calcting different ways to get out of the situation.


    The remaining group was bust dealing with the other King Beetle and its army of regr Terra Beetles and they were too affected by the earlier shriek which basically meant that she was on her own and this time nobody was avable toe and save her.


    Luckily, thanks to her awakened Mutant Gene she didn''t need anyone to save her as the next couple of seconds were absolutely crazy.


    She descended faster and faster, and the Beetle King was getting ready to get its first kill right out of the air and then move back and finish off Bill whom it had smacked into the forest after emerging from the ground.


    Even though it had smacked Bill quite hard, it felt like hitting something metallic and was smart enough to realize that Bill was wearing armor and that he was still alive.


    As Iris got within shing range, the Beetle King lunged forward and extended its limbs out to cut Iris, but just before the sharp ws sliced Iris'' face, the limbs themselves just fell off the Beetle King''s body without any resistance, like butter sliding off a hot knife.


    Blue blood jutted out of the freshly severed limbs as well, and now the beast didn''t have enough limbs to support itself and was at the mercy of Iris who had sessfullynded back on the ground right after the King Beetle crashed head-first into the ground after getting outyed by its prey.


    What Iris had done was she had taken a very small amount of water and started focusing all of her water aura inside the small water droplet.


    All of it!


    As the aura concentrated into the water droplet, Irismanded the water droplet to spin around a fixed circumference forming a ring of water. The ring of water was spinning so fast that the water droplet was stretched pretty thin, so much so that it became barely visible.


    While she was falling through the air, she had prepared super lethal invisible water cutters which were strong enough to easily prate the Beetle King''s skin and sever the whole limb.


    Iris could feel her power fading as she had put almost everything into thatst move in the air, but she had to make sure and lessen the group''s load by killing this Beetle King right here and now.


    She slowly and exhaustedly started walking closer to the Beetle King who couldn''t move due to having insufficient limbs and conjured several more water streams to end the beast''s life and kill it for good.


    However, it looked like Iris wasn''t the only one with an ace up their sleeve. This time, the Beetle King didn''t let out an ear-deafening scream or anything showy. It simply let out a super strong ultrasound that alerted the nearby Terra Beetles, giving them a specialmand.


    Before Iris could even realize it, 50 or so Terra Beetles were now dashing towards her having the same exact crazy look as the Beetle King.


    "OH, S***!"

 Chapter 188 Tidal Wave

    A beast going berserk was quite rare as even though all of them had the option to do so many never resorted to it. This decision was the beast''s alone to make; however, there were ways to exploit that method and manipte the beast to forcefully go berserk.


    The Beetle King of a colony hadplete control over all those that were part of its colony and it used its control to order them around and do work or forcefully make them go berserk and rush Iris so that it could save its own skin.


    The Terra Beetles were mindless soldiers ready to obey the will of their king by any means necessary. Due to being weakened by the team''s strongest attacks from the very beginning, the Beetle King was already fighting Iris and Bill while being injured and weak, plus it was stuck in its Earth ability mode which was only level 5 and much weaker than its Level 7 Lightning ability because of Iris'' continuous strong water attacks.


    Even though beasts had a virtually infinite aura as they drew their power from the crystal within them, they were still limited by their stamina, strength, and other stats as well as the skills they developed. The cooldown for skills was also a problem for beasts and wasn''t a condition only humans had to deal with.


    The Beetle King had used a skill called "Terravelocity" which allowed it to manipte the earth around it extremely fast by only using its will. This was how it was able to dodge Leon''s attack which was alreadying at it very fast, but still was slow enough for it to order the earth underneath it to open up and swallow it before reforming the surface, effectively saving itself from a very strong and harmful strike.


    This skill had a big cooldown, and the Beetle King could only use it for around 2 minutes. If it wanted to dig itself underground when Iris was attacking, it would have been too slow and Iris could deal some major damage to its body with those prating water stream attacks so the only way was to block it using another skill that raised those glowing walls.


    The glowing wall was a skill called "Reinforced Wall" which was a simple earth wall that was coated by the earth aura itself, raising its toughness and durability by 100%. If it wasn''t for Iris'' insane power buff that she received from Mutant Gene, she would have never been able to cut through the reinforced wall.


    With no other choice, the Terra Beetle king choose to sacrifice its own crystal just so it wouldn''t die a shameful and humiliating death at the hands of a child that was crying and out of hope minutes ago.


    However, even thisst resort n failed as Iris outsmarted the Berserk King and cut off more of its limbs making it unable to move and at Iris'' mercy which there wasn''t any. Seeing as it was about to get killed by the girl with glowing blue eyes, the King Beetle did something that a good king would never do.


    Since the Beetle King hadplete control over the actions of the Terra Beetle that belonged to its colony, he let out an ultrasound wave, calling all of them towards him, but that wasn''t the onlymand it gave them.


    Itmanded all of the regr Terra Beetles under its control to also go berserk and attack the girl with glowing blue eyes with unrelenting strong attacks.


    *************


    Iris now watched as 50 or so High-level Terra Beetles were now running at their max speed over toward her with that same crazed look that the King Beetle had when he was chasing after Iris who wasunched into the air by its loud shockwave it released as a sign of going berserk.


    Iris was already exhausted and close to giving out herself after using all thoseplex and super strong moves that she didn''t even know she could do. Even though the mutant genes gave the user a bigger energy pool, it was still limited and Iris had unfortunately exhausted a good chunk of it on those moves to take down the Beetle King.


    There was no way for Iris to now take on 50 or so berserk High-Tier beasts on her own with the amount of energy she had left.


    So as time ticked away and the crazed Terra Beetles came closer, Iris was quickly calcting in her mind about what would be the best optimal way to handle this current situation.


    In the end, there was no more time to think as the Terra Beetles in Lightning mode were already charging their attacks to electrocute Iris and she had onlye up with one solution that might just work and save her from this predicament.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Since they had moved further away from where the fighting initially began, they were a lot closer to theke than before, and so Iris let the Beetle King go using her enhanced speed from the mutant gene and made a run for theke.


    However, she didn''t run to theke just to dive down and hope the Beetles would stop chasing her, because that wasn''t going to happen. Iris was really fascinated with animals and researched many of them as a hobby. If these Terra Beetles were anything like the swimmers that regr beetles are, she would also be in trouble because she would now have to deal with 50 of them in the water which might give her a light advantage as it is kind of like her own turf but not enough to overpower all of those beasts.


    The real reason for Iris running toward the Lake at full speed was because the water she had on hand wasn''t going to be enough for what she wanted to do.


    Even with her stats increase because of her mutant gene, Iris wasn''t as fast as the Terra Beetles and they were slowly gaining on her. She didn''t know any non-ability skills that boosted speed and she was out of luck as she just hoped for her to reach theke before she became beast food.


    The Terra Beetles on Lightning mode were already shooting bolts of energy at Iris and some of them were hitting her which was slowing her down even more. She was almost at theke, but the Terra Beetles were right on her tail, and she knew she wouldn''t be able to make it close enough to influence therge body of water using her improved water ability.


    However, physical and ability improvement wasn''t the only thing the mutant gene had provided her as it also gave her increased intellect and brain function which she had used to think of all the unique ways to use her ability and overpower the Terra Beetle King.


    As she was about to be caught by the w of the nearest Terra Beetle King, she suddenly jumped and turned around. Using all the water she had on hand she sted the Terra Beetles behind her while also simultaneously thrusting herself backward closer to theke.


    The water st pushed away the closest crazed Terra Beetles and create more distance between her and them which was enough for her to run the remaining distance and reach theke.


    Once she was at theke, she used almost all of her remaining energy and aura to control as much water as possible. Due to the Mutant Gene that was almost out of juice, Iris had a much higher leveled water ability and it was powerful enough for her to exert her will over arge quantity of water.


    The Terra Beetles that were chasing after Iris stopped and looked to be stunned by what they saw as Iris was able to conjure a big wall of water from theke. It was quite massive and it easily towered over everything.


    Once she had raised as much water as she could, Iris turned back and smiled at the Terra Beetles that were shaking at this point because even though they were crazed, they still had some intellect and were able to perceive what Iris had done.


    Without wasting a single second more, Iris pushed her hands forward directing the water flow toward the beetles, effectively creating a tidal wave that would wash over all of the Terra beasts.


    The massive wave traveled fast and quickly enveloped Iris as it kept moving forward, slowly consuming the Terra Beetles that were now running the opposite way for their lives.


    As the wave continued to move forward and eat more Terra Beetles; within the water, Iris swam freely as she moved toward the top of the 12-foot tidal wave and aimed to jump off at the right time while the wave dealt with the Terra Beetles.


    "Hang on, Bill! I aming!" Iris said to herself as she aimed to jump off the wave near the forest where Bill wasunched into by the Beetle King.

 Chapter 189 Evolution

    The tidal wave was causing havoc as it moved further ind, enveloping the Terra Beetles one by one and thrashing them around inside as they were bombarded with rocks and other debris that was also picked by the tidal wave and moved at high enough speeds to cause some serious damage when colliding against the Terra Beetles who were quickly dying out due to getting hit in vital organs by the debris and having no air to breathe.


    Iris wasn''t really concerned with what was happening to the Terra Beetles as she just hoped to ride the tidal wave all the way over to where Bill wasunched inside the forest as she needed to make sure she was alright before she was all out of power andpletely useless.


    The size of the tidal wave began to shrink as it covered more ground leaving behind a trail of waterlogged ground, uprooted vegetation, destroyed rocks, and dead Terra Beetles. The tidal wave didn''t act exactly as a normal wave of water as Iris made it so that it would keep its shape and travel forward as if the wave was still forming on the water, which made itst longer and travels a greater distance.


    Soon enough, Iris had reached the area where Bill wasunched and she relinquished control over the tidal wave so that she could jump off and escape before the tidal wave waspletely gone.


    Without any of the beasts noticing, Iris silently jumped off from the top of the tidal wave that was much shorter than its initial size and quickly began running deeper into the forest, searching for Bill.


    As soon as Iris left, the wave became wild as a wave should onnd and dropped in height significantly, and flooded arger area including their own shelter.


    The tidal wave had proven to be quite effective as it had killed almost every single Terra Beetle that was chasing after Iris but wasn''t quite able to kill the Terra Beetle King as it was too far away and the wave had lost all its power by the time it reached the Beetle King.


    The Beetle King was quite lucky as it was able to survive such a great attack, but now it had no visual on where Iris was and was too weak and hurt to even move around; especially with no limbs.


    So as Iris ran through the forest to look for Bill, the Terra Beetle King called all remaining alive Terra Beetles of its colony towards itself to utilize another great feature that was unique to their kind and was the main reason why the Beetle King was fighting so recklessly to the point that it had also sacrificed its crystal so easily.


    ************


    Iris had used up 97% of her energy and her mutant gene had forcefully been deactivated leaving her operating on fumes, and yet Iris still didn''t give up and ignored her bleeding nose, intense muscle aches, and excruciating headaches as she continued searching for Bill through the dark forest.


    The area was barely visible, and Iris didn''t have a source of light on her so it would be a lot harder for her to find Bill, and so she had to rely on her senses if she wanted to find Bill.


    She knew the general direction where Bill wasunched and it was quite obvious that he would have followed a straight path until he finally hit something that would have caused him to stop.


    Iris kept dashing through the forest to where she roughly thought Bill might be and after about 10 minutes of searching her instincts paid off as she saw a faint lighting from in front of her where a tree had also copsed so she was sure that this was where Bill had crashed and had used the small light sticks that were provided in the backpack to let his friends know where he was.


    Iris rushed toward the light hoping to see Bill still conscious so that she could heal him and get him back into the fight as she knew Bill was important to help the group defeat this wave.


    However, what she saw when she finally reached the copsed tree was somethingpletely unexpected.


    In front of Iris, two patrol officers were in the middle of cing Bill''s unconscious body on a stic stretcher, ready to take him off the ind as he had sustained heavy injury which might be fatal if he didn''t receive immediate medical attention; hence, disqualifying him from the military test.


    "No No No No! Stop! Please stop!" Iris yelled as she ran toward Bill who was still in the patrolling officer''s hands.


    "It''s toote, young miss. He has been disqualified from the test and has received severe damage which might be fatal if we don''t get him to our standby medic immediately, so please move and let us save his life." The patrolling officer gently said as she consoled Iris who was on the verge of tears after seeing Bill''s condition.


    There was a deep cut on his forearm that was tightly covered up by a cloth and his power armor breastte waspletely broken into pieces with a massive sh across his chest area from where he had lost a lot of blood. In addition to that, the travel through the forest and crashing directly into a solid tree at high speed caused multiple fractures and bone breaks, leaving him on the verge of death.


    *************


    The patrolling officers had taken the biggest gamble throughout this entire recruitment test yet, thinking that Bill would be able to survive the hit from the Beetle King or at least wouldn''t die immediately.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The call was a very close one as by the time the patrolling officers found Bill, he was on the verge of death and his condition only stabilized after they quickly fed him 3 High-tier healing pills and patched up all the areas that were bleeding and losing blood.


    However, this wouldn''t be able to prolong his life for too long and they quickly had to take him off the ind and get him to a medic, but they were interrupted by Iris'' sudden arrival.


    ************


    "No, please! Don''t take him out just yet! I can help him! I can fix him!" Iris pleaded.


    The officers thought that this was just her grief speaking and they couldn''t lose any more time so the female patrolling officer tried to use a bit of force to make her let go of Bill so that they could quickly get out of there.


    However, before she could do so, she received a message in her earpiece that was an ordering directly from the mainmander himself.


    ["Don''t try and stop the girl. She has remarkable healing capabilities and we would like to see the extent of her power. We have dispatched a medic to your location who could help the boy if she fails to heal him back to a stable condition in time."]


    The female officer was a bit skeptical considering the condition that Iris was in herself, but she would dare go against an order from the mainmander and so she gentlyid Bill down on the ground and exined to Iris that a medic will arrive shortly to their position. If she isn''t able to heal Bill to a stable condition before his arrival, Bill would be disqualified from the recruitment test.


    Iris was so shocked by the sudden change of heart from the patrolling officers, but she quickly got to work wasting no time as her hands started glowing green and she began healing Bill.


    The damage was too much for her to repair in the short amount of time that she had, but she had no other choice but to keep on trying till thest moment and help Bill recover.


    Time continued to tick away and blood started to drip from her nose and mouth as she focused all her energy on her healing ability leaving nothing for her own body, causing damage to herself in exchange.


    The patrolling officers were quite concerned with Iris'' condition and tried to talk to her and get her to stop so that she could save herself, but Iris snapped back at them with anger as she told them to keep to their word and let her continue trying until the medic arrived and stop distracting her.


    The officers were really taken aback by the amount of emotion behind Iris'' voice and actions and they backed away as they said allowing her to do her thing while she still had time.


    Iris'' hands were shaking tremendously and her muscles were spasming out of control all over her body, but she didn''t dare stop or slow down her healing.


    ''Bill, you saved me and believed in me when I got stabbed and was on the verge of death. You protected me and pleaded for the officer to give me time to heal so that I wouldn''t get eliminated. What kind of a friend would I be if couldn''t do the same for you in your time of need!? Please I am begging you hang on, and get better, don''t quit on me, yet! The others need you!'' Iris said in her thoughts as she pumped more and more healing aura into Bill''s body.


    The healing aura was working as quickly as possible, fixing internal injuries and mending fractures and broken bones, and even restoring blood by prompting the body to kick into overdrive and produce more blood.


    It was indeed working, but it would still take a while for Iris topletely heal Bill which she didn''t have the aura nor the time to do.


    Realizing that she wouldn''t be able to do it, Iris let her emotions run wild as her aura leaked freely from her body and guilt washed over her simr to the tidal wave that killed all the Terra Beetles.


    She was incredibly heartbroken and mad at herself for not being able to save the person who save her so many times. The intense guilt and sadness triggered a reaction to ur within Iris'' body which she was too lost to even realize, but the patrolling officer knew exactly what was going on.


    "Her ability is evolving!" The patrolling officermented to her partner as she observed the wonderful changes in Iris''s aura as her healing ability became even stronger.

 Chapter 190 White Aura

    Suddenly, a wave of cooling aura flowed through Iris relieving her of all her pain and giving her newfound power. It wasn''t like when he activated her mutant gene which was a temporary buff as this felt more real and permanent.


    Iris really had no idea what was happening to her, but she didn''t care as for some reason, she felt like she could speed up her healing even more.


    Iris concentrated and focused on the green bubble inside of her containing her healing ability aura which wasrger in size than before and pumped out more of it straight into Bill''s body, healing him at a much faster rate.


    The two patrolling officers were astonished by the level of healing that a mere cadet was able to do when she was so tired and exhausted.


    Iris could see that the intense healing had at least started to take effect as the internal bleeding had finally stopped, but Bill was still in critical condition and had too many things broken or cut which couldn''t be healed in time unlikest time which was why the patrolling officers had dered him disqualified.


    The patrolling officers were trained to only disqualify a cadet when it is absolutely necessary or else the cadet might die. They would even let them tank string hits just so they save them at thest minute possible so that no one could say that they were disqualified unfairly and the same was the case with Bill when they had decided that he could tank one strike from the Terra Beetle King.


    With literal seconds left before the medic arrived on the scene, the patrolling officers knew that it was a lost cause and that Iris was just wasting her energy and would bepletely useless afterward; doing all of this for nothing.


    However, Iris didn''t care about what happened to her as she just wanted to make sure Bill wasn''t eliminated.


    Even though she had reached a new healing speed, it still wasn''t enough as it would take many more minutes until Bill would be out of danger which wasn''t going to happen.


    Iris remembered the chilling feeling that she felt earlier when her aura exploded outward and her healing speed had drastically increased. She understood that her body had the potential to heal people even faster and she just had to summon the will to do so because she had already done it once.


    Even though this level of healing capabilities was very appreciatable, Iris summon more of her will to forcefully increase the rate of healing even more.


    Her hands started to tremble again and she began coughing out blood, but she didn''t let that stop her as she continued to push her body to the limit and forcefully pull out more and more of her healing ability to make the healing process go faster.


    Her vision was getting blurry and she was losing all her senses as she continued to focus and focus.


    "Please, Bill! Don''t get out just yet! WE NEED YOU!" Iris shouted as she summoned all her remaining will and pumped out as much healing aura as her body would allow.


    The officers were convinced that it was now over and that they would now have to disqualify Iris as well as she had caused a lot of self-harm to her own body in an attempt to heal Bill and it was all for naught.


    They could hear people approaching in the distance and it was the medic who was quickly making his way over their location on his hoverboard. He wasn''t particrly fast like the patrolling officers stationed all over the ind, so he had to rely on his hoverboard to ensure they made it on time.


    Iris'' senses were failing her as she couldn''t perceive anything around her but somehow she was still able to tell that the medic was close and would arrive at their position in about twenty seconds.


    A sudden wave of urgency filled Iris'' heart as she began summoning more will from deep within herself. The healing aura transfer rate was amplified even more now as Iris was kicking her ability and body into overdrive.


    As each second ticked down, Iris could feel her heart beating faster and her body deteriorating, but she didn''t dare stop healing.


    As the medic inched closer, Iris could keep her sanity in check anymore in ast-ditch attempt she yelled out loud as if that would make her ability to heal him faster... or so the patrolling officer thought.


    Suddenly the green light that was being constantly released from Iris'' hands into Bill''s body in order to heal him had now turnedpletely white.


    "YYAAAHHHHHHH!" Iris screamed as she experienced the worst pain imaginable all the while a white glowing aura began releasing from her hands and into Bill''s body.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The patrolling officer was shocked to see such a disy of power because even they didn''t know what was going on; however, it looked like Iris was in an insane amount of agony and Bill''s body was... healing at a remarkable rate!


    Before their very eyes, they witnessed Iris screaming in pain and Bill''s wounds closing back up and bing as if there was no damage done to that area in the first ce, all in a matter of seconds.


    The medic who was just about to reach them witnessed from afar what Iris was doing to Bill and immediately a sense of worry and distress appeared on his face as he shouted to the patrolling officers, who were just standing back and watching it happen, not knowing what it was she was actually doing.


    "STOP HER! YOU TWO, STOP HER BEFORE SHE KILLS HERSELF!" The medic shouted at the top of his lungs toward the patrolling officer.


    The officers were confused by the medic''s statement as they couldn''t understand why would Iris kill herself, but given the urgency and worry in his voice, they didn''t question at all and immediately ran forward and grabbed Iris by both of her arms, forcefully stopping her from supplying Bill with more of that glowing white aura.


    However, Iris'' work was already done as she had aplished what she had said she would do before shey Billpletely healed and without a single visible scratch on his body.


    The moment the patrolling officers stopped Iris, Bill opened his eyes only to see the warmest smile on Iris'' face as she was held back by two patrolling officers, but before he could say or do anything, the smile on Iris'' face disappeared as she copsed into the arms of the female officer and started to spasm uncontrobly.


    "Iris...? Iris? IRIS!" Bill shouted as he got back to his senses and quickly got up to see what had happened to her.


    She was spasming out of control with foam building up from her mouth while she was in the female officer''s arms.


    Bill quickly grabbed her arms to try and stop her body from spasming more, but it was no use.


    The medic finally made it on the scene and quickly jumped down from his hoverboard and injected something straight into Iris'' neck which finally stopped her from shaking.


    "Iris! Iris! What happened to you?! Why were you grabbing her?" Bill asked in worry as she saw the state Iris was in. Her mouth and nose were covered in blood and her body looked fatigued as if she hadn''t eaten in weeks. Her mass had also decreased a lot and several bones were poking from underneath her skin.


    "She burned her own soul in order to heal you." The medic responded as he quickly got to work saving Iris.


    "What! Burned her soul? what do you mean?" Bill asked madly confused as he had no idea what was going on with thest thing he remembered was that he was helping Iris fight against the Terra Beetles.


    "Look, we don''t have much time. She has disqualified herself to save you. She transferred part of her own life force into you so that you would be healed in a matter of seconds and wouldn''t get eliminated." The medic exined in a hurry as he called down his hoverboard.


    "She has used up more than 50% of her life force in order to save you and right now she is on the verge of death. I have to get her to my master right away if we have any chance of saving her." The medic said as he quickly ced Iris'' weak unconscious body on the hoverboard and sped away.


    Bill just sat there stunned by what had just happened and what the medic said to him before leaving with Iris. He couldn''t believe Iris would sacrifice her own life just to save him from elimination. It wasn''t like he was going to die because the patrolling officers would have saved him from dying so why...?


    "Why did she go so far?" Bill asked with tears in his eyes as he sat there feeling like the most useless person in the world.


    The female patrolling officer was also feeling sorry for Bill and so she didn''t disappear out of sight immediately like her partner and instead crouched beside him and tried to console him.


    Bill was on the verge of having aplete mental breakdown from the things he had just witnessed after just waking up, but thankfully with the help of the female officer, Bill eventually calm.


    "let me exin what happened while you were about to be disqualified," The female officer said so that Bill would understand everything that had happened so far.

 Chapter 191 Code White

    Bill sat in disbelief as he heard the events that took ce after he was knocked away like a fly by the Terra Beetle King. The female patrolling officer told him about how Iris'' eyes began glowing blue and how she fought the Beetle King and was very close to killing it.


    She exined how the Beetle King became berserk and how it made the regr Terra Beetles chase after her in a crazed state, and how she heroically fought them off by using a very strong skill that created a massive tidal wave.


    "Iris used that tidal wave to escape unnoticed by the beasts toe and search for you and when she found you in the poor condition that you were in she pleaded to us to let her heal you and to not disqualify you." The female officer exined.


    "We allowed her to do so until the medic arrived on the scene and she quickly began healing you with all her might and will. She was extremely exhausted herself, but she still managed to evolve her healing ability while healing you which boosted your healing progress a lot but it still wasn''t enough, given your condition." The female officer continued.


    "The medic was almost here and we thought it was over but then suddenly, her healing aura turned white and it began to heal you at a rate that I haven''t seen before, and that was when the medic got concerned and shouted at us to stop her which we did, and well... you know the rest." The female officer finished giving all the details of the events that took ce after his copse and then also proceeded to quickly get out of sight, leaving Bill alone in the dark forest.


    Bill sat there inplete shock and disappointment as he kept reimagining Iris'' face as he opened his eyes before she herself copsed in the patrolling officer''s arms.


    "This was your way of repaying me for what happenedst time," Bill said with regret in his voice, barely able to control his tears from falling again.


    "Why did you have to go so far!? You could have died saving a pathetic piece of crap like me all so that I wouldn''t get eliminated from the test. Why...? Why?! WHY!" Bill shouted out as his grief and guilt started to rapidly convert into pure anger.


    "You sacrificed yourself so that I could help the group defeat those damn beasts! I will do exactly that! I will murder each and everyst one of them from the face of this ind!" Bill proimed angrily as he suddenly felt an insane rush of power and energy flow through his body and growing even more as became even and even angrier.


    His eyes began to glow the same darkish green color again and Bill could feel his wind aura get a lot stronger than before.


    After receiving such a big boost in power, Bill quickly stood back up on his feet and without wasting a single second, began rushing back to where the fighting was taking ce at an insane speed which was a lot more than his usual max speed.


    ''Iris... please be alive so I can thank you in person for the sacrifice that you made for me today and I hope I can repay the favor in the future. Even though it had only been a couple of days since we met, you have given me another example of what true friends are like, and I can only wish to reach your level of kindness and generosity,'' Bill prayed in his thoughts as he ran through the forest.


    ''And don''t worry about the rest of us. I am going to make sure that these overgrown insects wish that they were never born!'' Bill also added a vow at the end of his prayer as he continued running and almost made it back to the battle.


    *************


    [At the military camp]


    There was a military camp built on a small ind situated right next to the main ind where the test was being conducted and this was the base of operations for the patrolling officers.


    There were several buildings built on the ind. Some were living quarters built for the officers who would sleep here at the end of their shifts patrolling the ind. There was a huge cafeteria, a main building for all the superior officers, and also the most important building on the entire ind which was the teleporter room.


    The teleporter was an expensive and sophisticated piece of machinery that was capable of instantly teleporting to and from the ind to the military camp. This was the exact same machinery that the patrolling officers had been using to instantly appear anywhere on the ind in order to save a cadet''s life and then bring any injured cadets back to the infirmary which was also another building in the military camp.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Right now there was a lot ofmotioning from the teleporter room as the medic had just teleported back to the military on his hoverboard which also carrying a female cadet. He controlled the hoverboard to rush out of the teleporter room and go to the infirmary as quickly as possible.


    He didn''t stop for any officers that were passing by in the hallways, no matter their rank and rushed Iris to the infirmary while continuously trying to heal her with his own healing ability on top of the hoverboard which wasn''t having an effect on Iris at all.


    The board quickly reached its destination and the medic yelled at the nurses to bring a stretcher so he could transport Iris to a treatment room and instructed one of the nurses to page his master, Malik Ahmed toe to the infirmary at once, telling her to add the words, "Code White" in the message.


    The nurse nodded and quickly rushed off to a page Ace-Rankedmander Malik Ahmed at the request of the medic, Alpha-Ranked Lieutenant David Chen.


    The other nurses helped the medic transport Iris to the treatment room, some joined in with the medic to heal Iris with their own healing abilities while others prepared IVs prepared with concentrated healing medicine to give to Iris in order to help improve her condition a bit.


    Through theirbined effort, they were able to somewhat stabilize Iris'' condition as she wasn''t crashing anymore; however, her condition wasn''t improving either.


    It had only been a couple of minutes since they began treating Iris, but in this little time, a certain someone had already received a message and quickly teleported himself over the military camp at his disciples'' request.


    He rushed over to the infirmary at such speeds that he kicked up a lot of dirt and created strong wind he rushed over to the infirmary and straight into the treatment room where several nurses and the medic were constantly healing Iris just to keep her in a stable state.


    The man who the medic said was his master was a beautiful and tall brown-skinned man with a great muscr physique and a gorgeous face with a thin beard and medium-sized ck hair that was styled simply but elegantly. He was wearing a simple whiteb coat over his regr military uniform and had ssing dangling off hisb coat''s front pocket.


    This was Ace-Rankedmander Malik Ahmed!


    Commander Malik quickly assessed the situation and Iris'' condition. He was quite surprised when he heard about Code White being called from the camp that was responsible for watching the new recruits because it was insanely rare for a cadet to delve into and use the power of one''s own life force, but the Iris'' condition was evident of doing just that.


    Iris had identally tapped into her life force when she was trying all that she could do to heal Bill and with having no experience or training in what she was doing, she didn''t stop healing Bill with her life force energy even though it was causing her excruciating amount of pain.


    This caused her to lose a lot more of her life force energy than what was the absolute maximum limit for beginners which made her body unstable and on the verge of self-destructing.


    Commander Malik quickly got to work and he instructed everyone to remove their hands from the patient before he himself began to heal Iris. His aura also started off as green but quickly turned white and began to seep into Iris'' body, which absorbed it hungrily as if it was deprived of it for years.


    Finally, Iris'' skin regained some color and showed signs of improving as her body received more and more white aura from Commander Malik. Her body regained some muscle and didn''t resemble a corpse anymore and soon Commander Malik was done with the procedure and he himself looked slightly weakened.


    "She is going to be alright now. She just needs to rest and allow her body to recover the mana she had expended. Once she has recovered enough, she will wake up. Admit her to one of the recovery rooms and keep an eye on her. Once she wakes, notify me at once. I would like to have a word with her." The Commander ordered.

 Chapter 192 Distorted

    [Back on the top of the west mountain]


    Bill quickly made his way through the dark and gloomy forest and exited from the same ce he wasunched from. His face had zero emotion as his glowing green eyes scanned the area for the culprit who was responsible for everything.


    The Terra Beetle King had made its way over to theke and Bill could only see its tiny figure in the distance. He noticed that the entire area waspletely wet, which checked out with what the female officer had told him: Iris had used all her power to conjure a giant tidal wave to wash away and kill all the High-level regr Terra Beetles.


    There was a trail of blue blood that was led straight to the Beetle King and there wasn''t a single body of the regr Terra Beetles in sight. The female officer had told him that there were tens of dead Terra Beetles spread near theke as a result of getting swallowed by the tidal wave and that the Beetle King has its limbs cut off by Iris, rendering it immobile.


    However, in front of Bill, there wasn''t a single dead body of a beast, and the Terra Beetle King could be seen in the distancepletely healed and snacking on something.


    Bill decided to use a cautious approach as he glided over the ground using his wind ability to make minimal noise so that he could observe what was happening.


    As he approached closer to the Beetle King he was able to see what it was snacking on and it was something that Bill didn''t expect.


    The patrolling officer had told Mako about the Terra Beetle King''s special perk, but since they had escaped from the cave, Mako thought the threat was over and didn''t think it was important to share with the group.


    The Terra Beetle King had the ability to regenerate if it consumed its own kind, particrly their crystals. This special ability of the Beetle Kings was what made them so difficult to deal with as they could grow their colony rapidly and consume them to rapidly heal and regenerate.


    All the damage that had been inflicted on it so far waspletely gone as it looked as healthy as it could be and it had even regrown all of its limbs that Iris had cut down after much difficulty.


    However, there was a silver lining here as this wasn''t a regr beast attack, but rather a horde night wave which meant that there were a limited number of beasts that could attack them.


    Both Beetle Kings had shown up with their armies of tens of regr High-tier Terra Beetles, but that was it, there wasn''t any backuping for them and now the Terra Beetle King had consumed its own army just so it could heal itself and recover all of its lost limbs.


    The patrolling female officer had also mentioned that the Terra Beetle King had gone berserk and quickly brushed over the details of what going berserk actually means, and just putting the emphasis on that the Terra Beetle King would have exhausted its crystal by now and would be powerless.


    After Bill had reached a close enough distance to the Beetle King who was still busy snacking on the dead bodies of its own army, He silently ced his hands onto the ground and activated his sand aura.


    Since Iris had disced a lot of water from theke, the water level of the remainingke was much lower which revealed tons of fine sand that lined the bed of theke. There was more than enough sand here for Bill to do virtually any move, but he stuck with the ones he knew would hurt most.


    While the Beetle King was busy enjoying its snack, the ground underneath vibrated a little, but the Beetle King wasn''t in its earth mode anymore so it wasn''t able to sense it.


    Right as it swallowed itsst underling, the ground underneath erupted with several giant, sharp, and solidified spikes made of sand, which impaled the Beetle King from a few different locations.


    Bill appeared in front of the Beetle King with a giant sledgehammer made of earth that weighed well over 300 pounds. He gripped the handle of the sledgehammer tightly as he fueled his strength with all his rage and anger.


    With the help of his wind and earth ability, it was easy to lift and swing the sledgehammer, and he also used his wind ability to increase his speed and momentum so that he could inflict the most amount of damage.


    He ran straight for the Beetle King knowing it couldn''t do anything to counter-attack and used his wind ability once again to lift him up into the air so that he was on its face level when he swung that massive sledgehammer.


    He pulled the sledgehammer as far back as he could and was ready to smash its ugly face right off its body in one swipe, but in the next moment, somethingpletely unexpected happened.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The stic-like muscles of the Terra Beetle King lit up with the color of an ability that it was currently using, started to glow a bright yellow, and sparks and snakes of yellow electricity started to envelop the body of the Terra Beetle King.


    The stic-like muscles of the Beetle King were previously unlit and it proved to Bill that the Beetle King had indeed be powerless and couldn''t use abilities anymore.


    This was why Bill was inplete shock as he witnessed the muscles of the Beetle King glowing yellow again and it using the powerful level 7 lightning ability while he was in midair right in front of its face with half swung sledgehammer.


    Bill knew that he had missed something because not only did he not know about the Terra Beetles having the ability to regenerate, but also somehow revive their crystal after going berserk.


    However, right now he really couldn''t do anything except proceed with his initial motion andnd the sledgehammer hit regardless of the Beetle King disying lightning powers.


    The Lightning that was enveloping the Beetle King''s body started to attack the sand spikes making it unable to move and as the lightning came into contact with sand, it quickly turned into ss and shattered setting it free.


    By this time, the sledgehammer was inches away from the Beetle King''s face and it could feel the terrifying force behind the attack, but it didn''t worry as it simply discharged all the lightning build up on its body like a pulse simr to Mako''s Electrical Discharge skill with the main difference being that this move didn''t paralyze Bill, but instead just shocked him and pushed him away.


    Bill was sted away several meters from the force of the pulse and was shocked quite heavily charring his hands a bit as they were physically connected with the stone sledgehammer that conducted the current through its entire body.


    The shock had messed up with his nervous system a bit as Bill couldn''t correctly control his own body, and his body parts were moving in a random direction than what Bill actually wanted them to move.


    The pulse that the Beetle King had created didn''t paralyze people, but rather inflicted a different status effect called "Distortion".


    Distortion made it so that a person wasn''t in control of their own body as anymand they gave to their body would be reversed, rendering thempletely helpless and unable to fight.


    The status effectsted for only a minute but a minute was plenty for the Beetle King to kill and eat a defenseless Bill.


    The Beetle King had a few holes in his body from the sand spikes that impaled it, but the Beetle King had plenty of crystals still undigested in its stomach which were actively being digested and were being used to heal the damage that Bill had inflicted on it.


    It took around 30 seconds for the wounds to heal as none of them were very deep and the Beetle King had regained all of its mobility again.


    As soon as it regained its full mobility, it didn''t wait for a single second and rushed toward Bill who had just barely been able to stand up after great difficulty.


    Bill saw the Beetle King run toward him at full speed with its mouth wide open hoping to eat Bill in a single bite. Seeing this, Bill tried to run but instead of going forward his body moved backward and he ended up stumbling back down.


    Umph!


    Bill saw as the Beetle King was upon him and ready to swallow him whole. Bill tried to move but the same result happened with his body going in the exact reverse of where he wanted them to go, making him unable to escape the Beetle King.


    The Beetle King opened its jaws wide as the darkness inside was reflected in Bill''s glowing green eyes.


    *CHOMP!*

 Chapter 193 Wind Mode

    The Beetle King bit down so hard that its mandibles didn''t just aim at Bill but also a big chunk of the earth beneath him. It pulled out the chunk of earth right from the ground as it bit through, but there was something wrong.


    The Beetle King''s bitended exactly where it was intended and bit through a bit more than expected but when it pulled the chunk of earth with supposedly Bill sandwiched in between and crushed it to pulverize the chunk of earth as well as mince Bill up before swallowing him whole.


    There was only one thing missing, Bill himself!


    The Beetle King waited for the sweet nectar it called blood to drip down in its stomach but it never happened as Bill was never caught by its giant mandibles in the first ce.


    "HOOO!" Bill breathed out heavily as he nearly avoided a brutal death.


    He was stillying on the ground as he still wasn''t in control of his body and couldn''t move properly which raised the question of how was he able to escape from the Beetle King''s deadly jaws and appear ten feet away to its right.


    In the final moments right before certain death, Bill tried relentlessly to try and make his body move to escape the dashing Beetle King, but his body refused to listen and would do the exact opposite of what he wanted.


    He watched as the giant strong mandibles were about to crush and devour him whole and in an attempt of desperation, Bill activated his Wind ability and sted air off his feet.


    The released air was able to create enough thrust for Bill''sid down body to slide away from the area that the Beetle King bit down on and thus he narrowly avoided death and escaped to its right.


    Bill was really struggling with his body function all jumbled up as he was only able to lift his head off the ground by ordering his head to move backward. Bill saw what the Beetle King did to the massive chunk of earth and he realized just how strong this beast was in front of him.


    The Beetle King threw a fit of anger as it realized that Bill wasn''t sandwiched between the chuck of the earth as it had expected by throwing random bolts of lightning in every direction.


    Some of those rough lightning bolts hit patches of grass or wood and lit them on fire, creating a bit more visibility in the environment while others hit the ground or rocks, creating small craters and charring the area of impact.


    By some miracle, Bill wasn''t hit by any of these lightning bolts and by this time the duration for the distortion status effect was over and Bill regained all of his normal body functions.


    Bill sted a lot of air from his back which instantly lifted him up from aid-down position to a straight-up standing position.


    The Beetle King quickly caught on to what was going on and quickly lined itself facing Bill once again, this time with more anger than ever.


    The Beetle King was indeed very angry.


    It was supposed to be an Advanced-tier beast. The king of the Terra Beetles, but ever since the wave had begun, it hasn''t been able to kill a single human. It was first assaulted by some really strong attacks when the chip in their necks prevented them to move past a certain threshold, and then its limb got cut off by the girl with the glowing blue eyes.


    It had sacrificed its crystal once just to barely overpower her and even then it had to rely on its underlings to finish her off which was also a failure as she enacted a massive tidal wave to kill all of them leaving it to eat all their bodies to regenerate its body and crystal and fight the remaining battle alone as it couldn''t control the other Terra Beetles that belonged to the other king.


    Even though its species was heartless with the kings feeding on the regr workers to heal, they were still valuable to them and to fight alone with no army was quite a blow to their ego.


    It didn''t need to eat all of its underlings to regenerate its lost limbs but since it had gone berserk and put its own crystal on self-destruct mode, it needed to eat a lot more crystals to stabilize the energy inside of it so that it wouldn''t loose power permanently.


    Even though most of these things were from the Beetle King''s own choices, like any selfish being or beast in this case with an ego, it wanted to shove all the me on someone else and make them the target for their anger and wrath.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Since Iris was now off the ind, the Beetle King''s new target was Bill and it was even more mad when he somehow managed to escape it when he was hit with a powerful debuff.


    Bill had to reevaluate his whole game n as he could physically attack with his earth ability as it would only prompt the beetle king to shoot lightning at him again and earth being conductive would put him at a disadvantage as he would get shocked and repelled back.


    Bill didn''t have great mastery over his Sand ability as it was only Level 2 which made it less ideal to use as a main attack against an Advanced-tier beast with a Level 7 Lightning ability, not to mention the fact that the Beetle King could turn his sand into fragile ss by simply striking it with its lightning bolts.


    Bill didn''t know how he could defeat the beast in front of him because the only abilities that he had were capable of creating piercing attacks which was one of its weaknesses was countered by the Beetle King''s Lightning.


    That left him with only one option, his Wind ability!


    Bill hadn''t considered the Wind ability at all because even though at this moment, his wind aura was the strongest out of his three abilities; however, Bill still looked at it normally which was a stupid mistake on his hand.


    When he reached out to his wind aura to review his options, he waspletely overwhelmed by the amount of aura he currently had inside his body and felt quite dumb to have been thinking normally when his mutant gene had activated from the very start.


    The Beetle King didn''t give Bill much time to think of a n to use against it as it quickly started to shoot lightning bolts at him as it rushed forward with its mandibles glowing yellow with lightning.


    Bill saw the super strong lightning boltsing straight at him, and with him currently releasing the massive amount of green aura inside of him, the aura itself reacted to the situation and activated a skill that Bill had no clue about himself.


    Somehow all of a sudden he didn''t feel tensed or scared at all. His body felt light as a feather and he felt all his anger and emotion fade away. He feltpletely at peace; so much so that he closed his right as the first lighting bolt was about to make contact with Bill.


    With his eyes closed and senses rxed, Bill''s body moved on its own just slightly; enough to dodge the lightning bolt that created a medium-sized crater behind him.


    The remaining lightning bolts quickly followed and Bill''s body continued to adjust itself ever so slightly to dodge every single one of them.


    Bill''s unconscious was shocked after observing what his body was doing. He could never move like that and dodge all those lightning bolts.


    The skill that the wind aura had activated by itself had separated his body and consciousness with his body in control of his wind ability with only onemand, evasion!


    Bill felt that he could regain control of his body and cancel out the skill anytime needed to, but before he rushed and did that, for once he stopped and tried to think. There had to be a reason for his mysterious mutant gene to activate this ability.


    Meanwhile, his body continued to dodge everything that the Beetle King threw his way by sliding, jumping, and gliding all over the ce, essentially ying a cat and mouse chase with the giant Beetle King.


    The Beetle King grew angrier and angrier and threw out an array of different moves from Lightning''s elemental skill tree that did a lot of damage to the surroundings, but Bill still remained untouched.


    Finally, Bill understood that his body was actually buying him time to think. The problem right now was that Bill didn''t have a super effective move against the Beetle King and had to figure out a winning strategy with the cards he had been dealt.


    With his Earth and Sand abilities out of the picture, Bill had to spend the next precious momentsing up with a strategy using his buffed-up wind ability to counter the lightning ability of the Beetle King and end it once and for all.

 Chapter 194 Taking Down The King

    As Bill continued to evade the Beetle King''s lightning attacks, his mind raced to devise a winning strategy. He realized that his wind ability could be the key to turning the tide in this battle. With his wind aura boosted and his body moving with incredible agility, he had to find a way to exploit the Beetle King''s weakness.


    Observing the Beetle King''s movements and attack patterns, Bill noticed that the Beetle King had a split-second dy between summoning the regr lightning bolts andunching them with more advanced skills requiring more time before it could reuse them.


    These were the cooldowns for the skills that the Beetle King was using, with the basic moves like the lightning bolt having dys of less than a second to others which couldn''t be used for several minutes or even hours.


    Unlike Mako who had the system and could easily gain all the info by simply using Analyze, Bill had to make his observations the old-fashioned way and figure out how long the cooldown was for each ability.


    It turned out that the Beetle King could produce 20 lightning bolts in a row before stopping for a second and a half and then resuming the assault with another 20 lightning bolts. This skill was called "Lightning Barrage" and was very powerful with a single one of these lightning strikes capable ofpletely frying an average level 3 or 4 ability user.


    The pulse-like attack that Beetle used on Bill earlier was a skill called "Disruption Pulse" which the Beetle King had only used once after the initial move which Bill easily dodged and learned that this move could only be used after every 3 minutes.


    There were also other massive lightning attacks such as a single massive lightning bolt and erupting pirs of lightning from the ground but all of these moves were slow and were easily dodged by Bill''s fast reflexes and took about a minute or so before it could be used again.


    Throughout the several minutes that Bill was battling the giant Terra Beetle King, he also learned that beasts had greatlyrger cooldowns than humans as almost all of these moves could have been repeated a lot faster if he was fighting a level 7 Lightning ability user.


    This gave him an idea!


    If he could disrupt the timing of the Beetle King''s attacks, he might create an opening to strike.


    Bill focused his thoughts and finally came out of the skill that his mutant gene had activated for him which was called "Wind Mode" and took control over his body again.


    He quickly channeled his wind aura to create intense gusts of air around him. The swirling winds formed a protective barrier, deflecting the lightning bolts that the Beetle King hurled his way. While his wind ability couldn''t directly counter the lightning, nature was on his side.


    Even though Bill wasn''t the brightest student in ss, even he had learned about the basicws of nature that govern the universe and one of thesews was that electricity needed a medium to travel through.


    The reason lightning arcs are created is because the electricity ionizes the air around it and uses it as a path to travel from one point to another.


    Since Bill could control the wind and more urately air molecules, he could create temporary vacuums where there are no particles of air and the lightning has no medium to travel forward; hence, it looks for another way, essentially rerouting itself to a different location based on the nearest air particles.


    As the Beetle King grew frustrated with its failed lightning assaults, Bill seized the opportunity.


    He directed the winds to intensify, creating a localized cyclone around himself. The swirling vortex disrupted the Beetle King''s aim and interfered with the Beetle King''s control over lightning even more.


    Using the cyclone as cover, Bill swiftly closed the distance between himself and the Beetle King, and with a burst of speed, he lunged straight at the Beetle King.


    Simr to before, right as he was about tounch his attack on the Beetle King, Bill felt his green aura react again and grow outwards with his glowing ever greener. Bill had no idea whether the mutant gene had a conscious or whether this was all happening at random, but he didn''t have time to worry about that right now as he allowed the green aura to expand once again.


    Since thest time, his mutant gene had activated a secret skill that made him practically untouchable and allowed him toe up with a strategy, he was curious as to what would his mutant gene do now as he was about tomence a heavy attack on the Beetle King.


    The green aura extended out and just like before it activated another skill, but this time it wasn''t a defensive skill, but rather an offensive one.


    Bill''s hands extended outward and his fingers became pointed like a de just as he reached the Beetle King''s mandibles, he channeled his wind aura into a super concentrated burst of fast-blowing wind with insane slicing force.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This insane and powerful skill that was called "Zephyr''s Edge" sliced through the Beetle King''s mandibles cleanly, severing them from the Beetle King''s massive head.


    Even though it was a slicing move and not a piercing move which was the Beetle King''s actual weakness due to its brittle exoskeleton; with enough power and force, a slicing move was capable of doing the exact same damage as a piercing move.


    The Beetle King was roaring in pain and fury, it staggered backward, and its lightning abilities were momentarily disrupted.


    Bill didn''t waste a single moment as with his buffed-up Wind ability still he summoned as much wind aura as he possibly could creating a powerful gust that propelled him high into the air.


    Suspended above the Beetle King, he unleashed an upgraded form of an old move that he knew very well.


    He began rapidly swiping his hands in the air,unching a torrent of razor-sharp wind des, shing through the Beetle King''s exoskeleton and striking its vulnerable flesh beneath.


    This move was none other than the Vacuum Cutter skill which Bill had modified to turn it from a single wind de attack to a barrage attack with several razor-sharp wind des.


    The Beetle King writhed and thrashed, its enraged and pain-filled cries echoing through the area and the nearby forest.


    Bill descended slowly, using his wind aura to gradually slow his eleration and allowing him tond softly in front of the Terra Beetle King. He observed the wounded king, panting heavily with a multitude ofshes all over his body oozing out blue blood.


    Seeing as he had won, Bill wanted to savor the moment of killing this terrible beast, which was why Iris almost killed herself. He slowly began walking toward the Beetle King aiming to torture it even more before finally killing it.


    Recognizing its impending defeat, the Beetle King unleashed one final desperate attack. It couldn''t sacrifice its crystal again and go berserk because the crystal was damaged due to having already gone berserk and wasn''t healedpletely. If it was to go berserk again, the crystal would rupture before it could do anything.


    Knowing this the Beetle King decided to unleash its strongest move which carried a risk as it no longer had its mandibles which it used to safely cast this skill. Without its mandibles, there was a great chance for it to get hit by its own attack, but it was ready to take that risk as its ego refused to take such a humiliating defeat.


    It summoned a massive surge of lightning, enveloping its entire form. Bill''s mutant gene quickly reacted and instinctively summoned the wind aura once more, creating a protective barrier of vacuum to protect Bill from the electrical onught.


    The lightning was wild and traveled outward in every direction sending shockwaves throughout the area where ever it struck, causing the ground to shake and the air to crackle with energy. After a tense standoff, the vacuum shield managed to disperse the Beetle King''s lightning, leaving only billowing smoke in its wake.


    As the smoke cleared, Bill emerged unscathed. The Beetle Kingy motionless, defeated as it hadpletely exhausted all of its stamina and couldn''t move a single muscle. The battle was over, and Bill realized that it was very foolish of him to savor the killing of the Beetle King when he was still quite weaker than it and a single lightning bolt from that final attack could have probably killed him if it wasn''t for his mutant gene reacting in time and protecting him.


    After cursing himself internally for his own foolishness, Bill quickly conjured another earth sledgehammer and proceeded to quickly smash the Beetle King''s head until it turned into a bloody blue pulp.


    He dug his hand inside the Beetle King''s corpse until he finally reached the crystal and he proceeded to pull it out. The crystal was bigger than any High-tier crystal he had seen before, but it was quite dim and cracked.


    Bill didn''t know why the crystal was dim or cracked and didn''t care about it. He quickly took a moment to catch his breath and assess the situation.


    His mutant gene had been deactivated and he could feel his wind aura return back to its normal size. He still had a decent amount of energy left as most of the energy he used in the battle was from the additional energy he received from activating his mutant gene.


    After catching his breath for a few minutes, Bill quickly started running over to the east side where Mako, Erin, and Leon were fighting the other Terra Beetle King and its army so that he could lend them a hand and finally end this fifth and final wave.

 Chapter 195 Special Or Not?

    As Bill ran towards the other side to help out Mako and the others, he couldn''t help but notice the significant decrease in the amount of wind aura in his body aspared to moments ago when his mutant gene was active.


    He couldn''t believe that Erin had been enjoying such great boosts of power for far longer than he had.


    However, this also led to the realization that he had given his wind ability a lot less credit. He had been so fixated on his Earth and Sand abilities because those were his father''s main abilities that hepletely left out the Wind ability and hardly ever trained with, but still, when he awakened his mutant gene, somehow it was the Wind ability that awakened first.


    Bill observed firsthand how versatile and strong his Wind ability actually was. It could be used as both a defensive and an offensive ability and could be used everywhere because, unlike Earth where Bill needed to always be connected to the ground in order to use his ability, Wind could be used anywhere.


    Bill''s Wind ability had revealed its true potential, and he vowed to further explore its capabilities. With newfound understanding, he picked up the pace as he was almost over at the other side where the other Terra Beetle King and his friends were.


    *************


    [At the military headquarters]


    "This is absolutely absurd! Are they part of one of those secret programs that higher-ups don''t bother to inform us about?!" One official on the round table voiced out in annoyance and shock as he witnessed Bill''s performance.


    Some of the other officials agreed with him because it was quite out of the ordinary for recruitment cadets to make a shocking feat, but each and every single cadet of a single group making shocking feat after shocking feat had never been done before by regr recruitment cadets.


    The recruitment had multiple tiers that were separated in terms of background. It was a little biased in that all cadets from rich and powerful families were grouped separately from the rest of the cadets with normal backgrounds; however, it was also fair in the same way that this way thepetition remains bnced for everyone.


    The children from richer and more powerful families would have ess to more resources such as the best ability and skill books, better equipment like full sets of power armor and a multitude of power weapons and gadgets, and strong gics since their parents were strong ability users as well.


    These factors would create an unfair advantage if everyone was grouped the same way which was these cadets were recruited separately and were given better treatment in what the military liked to "Special Recruitment Programs".


    These programs were far more difficult and suited for these cadets who had rare abilities, and insane buffs from overpowered armor and weapons.


    The cadets in these programs filled most of the special sses in the military schools, with very few cadets from lower tiers making it up there and even if they do, they mostly reside at the bottom rankings of the special sses because they can''t keep up with all the "extra help" that the other cadets get.


    The challenges that the group faced could have easily been ovee by those in the programs but the regr cadets have never been able to aplish what Mako and his friends had aplished in these past few days which was why the officials werebeling them as special cadets who identally got paired in the regr group.


    Other than Leon, there was no other in the group who had the potential to be part of any program which was why it was so impressive that they were showing such great results.


    Mako had a bit of a cheat as he had the system which helped him out a lot so to call him a genius would exactly be fair as even though he had worked quite hard and aplished some incredible feats, he had the system helping him out in many different aspects and there were still so many that he hadn''t even explored yet.


    Bill was actually a person who could be considered a genius considering he was almost on par with Mako without having any system of his own and with him awakening his mutant gene, his strength and power had risen drastically. He had resonated his abilities right after learning the Wind ability which showed how in tune he was with himself and had gotten a lot stronger, by shadowing Mako and training exactly how he did, even though he didn''t receive any attribute points.


    Erin and Iris were handpicked by a sponsor that helped train them to the best of their abilities but they were still far ways away from being special ss material; however, after they also awoke their mutant genes, they exploded in power and value as they proved they were nothing less than the other members of their group.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Awakening mutant genes was quite a random process as every single person had different requirements that couldn''t be measured and just had to be discovered as they progressed through life.


    Finally, there was Leon. Even though he had the potential to be a special ss, the unique situation that he had with his father resulted in him not receiving any training, items, resources, or help from his father and that made himck a lot behind everyone else of his caliber.


    The only thing that was going for him was the good gics that he had received as a heritage from his strong father and mother which allowed him to hold four abilities and show impressive utility that almost matched Bill but was stillcking since he didn''t have any resonated abilities or mutant genes unlocked.


    Due to Leon''s wish, Paul didn''t y any part in the recruitment test other than paying one of the privates to leak Mako''s generalnding location to Leon before they jumped off the nes.


    "There is no mistake." The mainmander said in a deep voice which quickly quietened down the whole table.


    "All of these five people you see before you entered this ind with almost no gear, average abilities, and skill, but what they have that is far superior to many of the cadets we see each year are determination, loyalty, and sheer will. You have seen them in action time and time again, do you honestly think, they resemble any traits with those special program cadets?" The mainmander said.


    The whole room felt silent as they thought about what the mainmander said. Almost all of these officials were also lower ranked and a few of them had their children participate in simr recruitment tests this year too which was why they were more emotional after seeing the group''s performance andparing it to their own children, and this included the official who voiced out first.


    The official''s son was also participating in the same recruitment test as Mako and the others and because of this, the official had done many more shifts at the round table than other officials just so he could see his son shine in front of the others; however, that was not the case as it was only Mako''s group that everyone wanted to talk about.


    The official''s son was still in the recruitment test and was currently finishing off the second wave of me Dogleos with a group of 9 other cadets which wasn''t anything special that made the official jealous and he med Mako''s group for being a special ss but was quickly shut down by the mainmander.


    The mainmander was watching the live feed of the final battle with great interest. Even he was amazed by Bill taking down an Advanced-tier beast on his own and was quite keen to learn more about the boy who seeded his great friend, William Johnson.


    ''His mutant gene has grown more rapidly than many others I have seen. His wind ability must have been boosted by at least three or four levels which is quite a lot considering this is his second time using it. It also seems like he has awakened some of the perks of the mutant gene already because it looks like the aura itself was helping out and takingmand over his body.'' The mainmander deduced as he watched the rey of Bill dodging every attack from the Beetle King.


    The main holographic screen changed the camera as the scene shifted back to the main camera disying the other battlefield where Mako and the others were fighting the second Beetle King.


    The scene had drastically changed from how it looked in the beginning of the fight with the threat of defeat still very real as the group had to deal with another Advanced-tier beast and this one hadn''t sacrificed its army yet.


    "Sir, the cadet, Iris Jade Copper has been sessfully saved and admitted to one of the recovery rooms with Commander Malik taking care of her." The Sergeant reported to the mainmander.


    "Hmmm... very good. Alert me when she wakes up. Malik can be a bit too direct with cadets and she would need someone to exin everything." The mainmander ordered the lieutenant.


    "Oh, and sir, you''re guest has finally arrived and will reach the control room in a couple of minutes." The Sergeant added.


    A smile appeared on the mainmander''s face after he heard this news. He had called for this special guest a few days back to show some promising students, but since he was on a mission at the time, he coulde, but now the mainmander was certain that he would love Mako and his group of talented friends.

 Chapter 196 Final Battle (Part 1)

    [back at the top of the west mountain]


    "Leon! Distract these damn insects for a bit, I am going to try and help out Mako!" Erin shouted as she defended herself against several regr Terra Beetles that were ganging up on her.


    Erin''s eyes were glowing white and she was trying her best to reach Mako but was getting blocked by a horde of Terra Beetles.


    ***************


    [1 Hour Earlier]


    At first, all of them were doing alright as they were full of energy and were able to keep up and fight the swarm of Terra Beetles, but soon their numbers were just too much for them to handle, and as the fight continued, they started fighting more conservatively in order to save as much energy as possible to try and not get wiped out.


    All three of them had been fighting constantly against the other Terra Beetle King, but this one had changed the strategypletely. Using its underlings, it ordered them to strategically target and overwhelm Mako, Leon, and Erin while it fired lightning attacks from a distance.


    It was a great strategy to wear out all three of them and finish them off when they won''t have the energy to fight back.


    Initially, there were almost 180 regr High-tier Terra Beetles that were actively engaging the three of them. At the start, all three of them had full energy and were easily able to deal with the swarm of the regr Terra Beetles with each of them killing around 20-30 each.


    However, they had used a major chunk of their energy and stamina to reach this point and there were still Terra Beetles that wereing after them.


    The main reason for this was that none of them had a strong area of effect skill that could kill all of the regr Terra Beetles in one go and they couldn''t manage to kill them one by one because as soon as they focused on one, three more Terra Beetles would attack them from their blindspots and if they don''t, the Beetle King would shoot another round of lightning attacks that would do crazy damage if they couldn''t dodge.


    Since these were Lightning ability users, they wouldn''t be very much affected by the Electrical Impulse or any other Lightning move as they had a natural resistance against it which put Mako at a disadvantage as he couldn''t use the Storm Caller staff to its true potential in the fight.


    Their pace was slowing down and their precision fell as they continuously battled, which led them to make mistakes and get hurt. Even Mako was having trouble dealing with the Terra Beetles as every big move he had that would deal with the Terra Beetles required some time to charge up, time that he obviously didn''t have.


    With the sheer number of the Terra Beetles, he could ask for Erin or Leon''s help so he could charge up because they themselves were also upied with a group of Terra Beetles who were shooting lightning bolts and raising earth spikes at them.


    Things were looking bad but then suddenly, 50 or so Terra Beetles quickly stopped attacking them and left the battlefield towards Iris and Bill''s direction.


    Soon they heard a loud sshing sound that shocked all of them, but since it was quite dark, they couldn''t see what had happened over there. Mako thought that it sounded like something very bignding in theke, but he wasn''tpletely sure and he left his thoughts at that as the Terra Beetles didn''t stop attacking.


    Mako and the rest were worried about Bill and Iris but right now they couldn''t help but feel relieved as this significantly reduced the number of Terra Beetles making them a lot more manageable.


    He just internally prayed for Iris and Bill to be alright and then resumed fighting the Terra Beetles alongside Leon and Erin.


    The three of them quickly regrouped and started fighting back with newfound strength and determination, killing more of the Terra Beetles but since they had expended a lot of energy reaching this point their speed and progression were slow.


    For the next 20 or so minutes, the trio actually took advantage of the Beetle King''s passive nature which was that it wouldn''t directly attack them and only use long-range attacks. They created a lot of distance between them and the Beetle King which made it easier to dodge the lightning attacks while they slowly dealt with the regr Terra Beetle.


    Things were starting to look better for the trio as they were actually able to manage the lower number of Terra Beetles.


    Mako realized that the Beetle King might not engage them as long as there were a good amount of Terra Beetles attacking them so he instructed Erin and Leon to try not to kill the Terra Beetles straight away and instead just try and dodge them while recovering their energy so that they could then quickly finish them off and deal with the Terra Beetle King alone.


    Erin and Leon agreed with Mako''s suggestion and switched from offensive to evasive as they barely used their abilities and just relied on their natural strength, speed, and power to dodge the Terra Beetle attacks.


    It wasn''t quite easy to do as they were still High-tier beasts and could do some serious damage if they weren''t careful, but with all three of them working together and watching each other back, they were easily able to keep the Terra Beetles at bay and enter a stalemate where they passively recovered energy.


    The n was working for quite some time and the trio was able to recover some energy and recuperate a bit but then all of a sudden, the Terra Beetle King stopped attacking from long range and started dashing towards Mako.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The dynamic quickly shifted as all three of them were quickly reminded that this wasn''t just any regr wave and that an advanced-tier beast was their opponent.


    They were caught off guard by the Beetle King''s sudden change in tactic which resulted in Mako getting mmed away like a bug by the Beetle King''s strong legs.


    However, Mako wasn''t badly hurt and he was able to save himself from a harsh and painfulnding by releasing his fire aura as a booster to propel him in the air. He wasn''t a strong enough Fire ability user to actually propel himself in the air, but it was enough to decelerate him and allow him tond safely on the ground.


    The Beetle King didn''t switch targets as he rushed after Mako alone, aiming to take them out one by one.


    Erin and Leon quickly jumped into action as they knew Mako wouldn''t be able to deal with the Advanced-tier beast alone, but suddenly the Terra Beetles also became a lot more organized, and instead of engaging them anymore, they did everything in their power to prevent them from reaching Mako or the Terra Beetle King.


    Erin''s eyes began to glow white again as she was ready to go all out to quickly deal with the Terra Beetles, but they didn''t engage her at all and only blocked her path by raising earth walls with spikes where ever she moved,pletely preventing her from reaching Mako.


    ************


    The reason for the sudden change in tactic was that the Beetle King had a greater sense of vision than even the regr Terra Beetles and it saw the other Terra Beetle King get killed by a human.


    This prompted the Beetle King to pick up the pace and finish off the humans in front of it and not prolong the fight as initially nned.


    The Beetle King senses the strength of all three humans who were currently fighting its underlings and detected Mako to be the strongest and made him its target. It instructed the Terra Beetles to switch from offense to defense and to stop the other two humans from reaching it as it dealt with Mako alone.


    *************


    [Present Time]


    Leon sped through the swarm of Terra Beetles near Erin and stabbed them with his shiv, trying to pull their agro onto himself, but it seemed like they were robots programmed with a purpose because they didn''t even react to being stabbed and continued to just defend themselves and block Erin.


    "Ahhh! They aren''t budging! They are bent on keeping you locked in there!" Leon shouted in frustration as he dodged the lightning strikes from the group of Terra Beetles assigned to keep him at bay.


    Leon couldn''t do anything to help Erin because, unlikest time, he could just dig a hole underground and escape with her as the Terra Beetles also had the Earth ability and could quickly dig to their location.


    "Leon use your Fire ability! Mako said that it was their weakness!" Erin shouted from within the earth walls that continuously generated as she broke them down with her strength.


    "But I am still at level 1, it won''t be enough to kill them!" Leon shouted.


    "Just do it! Even if it doesn''t kill them, it is bound to do damage, and if they fear fire, they might disobey their orders from their so-called king and try to retreat!" Erin shouted back.


    Seeing as they had no other n of action, Leon decided to give it a shot. He stabbed the Beetles who were trying to attack him in the legs so that they wouldn''t be able to chase after him and then he circled towards where the density of the Terra Beetles was the greatest.


    Even though his fire ability was small and wouldn''t do a lot of damage, Leon summoned as much fire aura as he could as both of his hands erupted in mes.


    Since he didn''t know any fire skills, he tried his best to imitate Mako''s Fireball skill and created an unstable ball of fire that he quickly threw toward the Terra Beetles.


    Just as Leon has released the skill from his hands, a silhouette of a familiar figurended in front of him.


    "Bill?" Leon said in confusion.

 Chapter 197 Final Battle (Part 2)

    Bill released his wind aura and cast the vacuum cutter skill. It wasn''t as strong as when he used it against the Beetle King while his mutant gene was still active but it was still quite strong for what Bill wanted to achieve.


    The unstable fireball was already on the point of breaking down and exploding midair, before even reaching the Terra Beetles, but the vacuum cutter de reached it just in the nick of time.


    Boosted by the wind aura, the fireball quickly broke down and covered the depletely, taking on the shape of the vacuum cutter de itself.


    It was very simr to Mako''s me Wheel skill when he used it only have a way to create a de of fire instead of the whole wheel, but it was stronger as the fire was boosted by the wind.


    Since Mako''s me Wheel skill had gone up in levels several times, it was still the superior skill aspared to the Fire Vacuum Cutter which only used a level 1 fire aura, so the best it could bepared to is a Level 2 me Wheel.


    However, it was still strong enough to reach the desired effect Erin had wanted. The de of fire crashed into the group of Terra Beetles in earth mode who were constantly replenishing the walls, and keeping Erin caged.


    The Wind aided the fire to spread very quickly, and the majority of the Terra Beetles were on fire.


    Just like Erin had predicted, even though the Terra Beetles were mindless monsters and followed the will of their king, their loyalty still fell short when they sensed a genuine danger to their own life.


    A small stab from a medium-tier shiv wasn''t enough for them to go against their king''s orders and focus on Leon, but the fire was their weakness and right now they were getting burned alive and if they couldn''t put out the fire in time, the damage will continue to add up until they die.


    The Terra Beetles quickly dispersed and switched over to earth mode as they dug themselves underground to put out the fire.


    Erin was finally able to break free from the wall as she quickly punched a hole through the remaining walls.


    Leon and Bill quickly joined up with her and Bill asked the both of them about what the situation was like.


    Leon briefly narrated the summary of what had been going up to this point and that currently Mako was being engaged by the Terra Beetle King in a one-on-one fight alone.


    After hearing this, Bill wanted to quickly move towards Mako and give him a hand. He wouldn''t forgive himself if Mako were to get eliminated as he had made a promise to him that he would pay him back for the generosity and mercy he had shown him in his time of need, and now it was his turn to hold up to his promise.


    However, before he could start sprinting over to where Bill could see wisps of fire moves being cast, Erin grabbed him by the shoulder as she had a few questions of her own that she wanted to know about.


    "Hold on! What about that second giant beetle that you and Iris were fighting? And where is Iris? Is she resting somewhere?" Erin asked.


    A sudden look of guilt appeared on Bill''s face as he couldn''t figure out how to break the news of Iris'' disqualification to her closest friend.


    Bill remained silent for a couple of seconds as he thought of a way to tell Erin, while Erin stared at Bill with an anxious look, waiting for an answer.


    Before she could ask again, a bolt of lightning erupted from the ground right next to their feet and almost zapped Leon if it wasn''t for his quick reflexes.


    All three of them quickly put up their guards as soon after the first lightning bolts, and several more followed, targeting all three of them.


    Since Bill and Leon had the earth ability, they could sense the iing lightning bolts and dodge them with ease, but Erin was having trouble as she was dodging them purely on instinct alone which wasn''t the most urate, and this led her to get shocked two-three times.


    Erin had her mutant gene activated so her physical body stats were much higher than her regr self which made it possible for her to take minimal damage from the lightning bolts that could deal massive damage to regr Level 3 ability users.


    Half of the original Terra Beetles who dug themselves underground resurfaced in earth mode and began focusing on targeting Erin again while the remaining Terra Beetles remained underground in lightning mode keeping Bill and Leon busy.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The sounds of heavy shing could be hearding from a distance, and the fact that the fight was still going on, told Bill that Mako was indeed struggling against the Advanced-tier beast.


    This was an achievement in itself as Mako had no sudden boost in power from mutant genes like Bill, Iris, and Erin. The only reason Bill and Iris were even able to match up and defeat the other Beetle King was because of the significant boost in ability, strength, and skill that the mutant genes provided.


    To be able to match the power of an Advanced-tier beast without a mutant gene really showed that Mako was still much stronger than the rest of them, but still, he alone can''t take down the Advanced-tier beast, and sooner thanter, he would exhaust himself first and get disqualified for being unable to fight anymore.


    Bill understood that it was crucial for someone to make their way over to Mako straight and out of the three of them, the best option was Erin.


    She still had her mutant gene activated and could offer the most help against the giant beast unlike him who was mostly out of energy or Leon who didn''t really have the skill set to fight the Terra Beetle King.


    Since most of the Terra Beetles were targeting her specifically, it told Bill that his guess was indeed correct and that they deem Erin as the most dangerous among the three of them.


    Erin was already struggling as her skills and abilities didn''t really suit her in her current predicament. While she was dodging another lightning bolt from the ground, a group of Terra Beetlesunched several earth spikes toward her back, but before they could connect, an earth wall was raised right behind her, blocking all of the iing projectiles.


    Erin turned around in shock to see the earth wall protect her, and before she could even understand what just happened, Bill grabbed her by her waist and released all of his wind aura at once, propelling them both high up into the air.


    They weren''t propelled as high as when Bill used this move with his mutant gene but it was still high enough for them to escape the Terra Beetles who broke the earth wall with their strong mandibles, a momentter.


    After they reached the max height possible, Bill instructed Erin to release her own Wind aura as well so that they would slowly glide back down instead of freefalling.


    They both steadily released streams of wind from under their feet which gave them enough updraft that they would smoothly glide down. They weren''t at the point of floating yet and were even far off from flying, but at least this would give them a short window to converse.


    "Erin, Listen we don''t have much time so I am going to get straight to the point," Bill said with a determined look.


    Erin was confused a bit but decided to just listen through what Bill had to say.


    "Iris has been disqualified. She was already weak from fighting that giant beetle alone, but then she used some forbidden skill which left her on the brink of death as she healed back to full health." Bill exined with a heavy heart.


    Erin''s expression changed quickly, and it was one full of anger, sadness, and shock.


    "WHAT! HOW COULD YOU LET THAT HAPPEN!? WHERE IS SHE?! IS SHE DEAD!?" Erin yelled with tears in her eyes.


    "Yes, she is alive, the medic reached us just in time and took her off the ind somewhere to get treated," Bill replied.


    Erin was just in so much shock that she couldn''t even form any more words as she just started crying. Bill was very emotional about his to and his eyes also became watery as he saw Erin crying, but he knew he had to be tough and exin to her the n if he wanted to at least save Mako.


    "Listen! We don''t have much time. I will tell you all about it after all of this is over, but right now Mako needs help and you are the strongest out of the three of us. Please! We can''t do anything about Iris but we can still save Mako, so please listen to what I have to say!" Bill said loudly with a bit of determination.


    Even though Erin was heartbroken at this point, she understood what Bill was saying and decided to suppress her emotions so that she could focus on the mission at hand.


    "I''m listening..." Erin said with a quivery voice as she wiped away her tears and listened to Bill''s n.

 Chapter 198 Final Battle (Part 3)

    "I am too weak to be of any use to Mako and Leon doesn''t have the skill set to deal with an Advanced-tier beast yet so that just leaves you," Bill said.


    "Me? How can I help him when I couldn''t even free myself from the swarm of these insects," Erin retaliated.


    She quickly understood what Bill was trying to propose to her, and she really didn''t want to go down that route.


    "That''s just it! Your skills can''t benefit you against a swarm of small enemies but they will work wonders against a massive beast!" Bill exined.


    Erin knew that Bill wanted her to leave them with the Terra Beetles so she could go ahead and help out Mako with the Beetle King; however, splitting up was what caused Iris to be disqualified and she didn''t want to take that risk again, and risk another friend''s elimination from the test.


    "I want you to stop using wind aura and instead build it up in your hands, once you are at your maximum, I will give you a boost back up into the air and then you can easily glide over to Mako''s position without the Terra Beetles being able to stop you," Bill said.


    "Why can''t we just quickly take them out?! We can then all go and help Mako together," Erin suggested still trying to stick to her ideal and not trying to split up.


    "What?..." Bill said as his face showed an expression full of ridicule and confusion.


    "Erin! Mako is fighting an Advanced-Tier beast ALONE!! It took all of Iris'' power and mine just to barely be able to overpower and kill one of those damn things, and now the second one is going to kill my friend unless you help him!" Bill yelled out in frustration, unable to keep his anger in check.


    Erin waspletely taken aback by Bill''s sudden outrage that it kept herpletely stunned and speechless. Tears were starting to form around her eyes again and Bill quickly realized his mistake.


    Erin was just given the news that her best friend was almost dead and eliminated from the test so of course such a thing would have a great impact on her mental health.


    Bill ignored this fact as he continued telling Erin his n without even properly consoling her for the huge emotional blow she just took head-on.


    Bill and Erin had descended quite a bit and were now within the range of the lightning ability of the Terra Beetles so the beetles quickly switched from earth mode to lightning mode to start shooting Bill and Erin down.


    Bill gently wiped away the tears from Erin''s face and apologized for his outburst. He gently grabbed her shoulders with both hands and looked deep into her eyes.


    "Look, I get it! You don''t want to lose any more of us after what I just told you about Iris, but please you have to trust me on this. Leon and I can easily handle these chumps, but you have a different role to y than us, a better role, a more important role! You don''t want Mako to end up just like Iris do you?..." Bill said with as soft and caring a voice as he could which wasn''t great considering all he ever knew was violence and hate.


    However, Erin still got the memo of what Bill was trying to say to her. She had been blinded by her emotions in the heat of the moment and made a poor judgment that could have cost them heavily if it wasn''t for Bill to knock some sense back into her.


    Erin stopped using her wind aura to support their weight and they started falling faster toward the ground.


    "You''re right! Right now, Mako needs my help! Thanks for opening my eyes!" Erin said as she began charging her wind aura into her hands.


    Bill nodded and gave out a sigh of relief as Erin finally agreed to go ahead alone and help out Mako. However, since she had taken so much time to decide, they had fallen way further down than Bill had anticipated.


    Erin and Bill were now within the range of the Terra Beetles Lightning strikes and so almost all the Terra Beetles on the ground switched from earth mode to lightning mode to try and snipe them out of the sky with their lightning strikes.


    Around ten to twelve of the Beetles were still engaging Leon so as to not allow him to interfere with their sniping practice.


    Leon saw what the other Terra Beetles were nning to do as he had to stop them from firing no matter what. Since Bill and Erin hadunched themselves way up into the sky, Leon was now the Terra Beetles on target which was quite rough as he couldn''t handle so many High tier beasts at once while more of them were shooting lightning bolts at him from underground.


    However now, a lot of that pressure was gone as he could easily deal with a few Beetles at a time.


    He had picked up thebat knife that Erin had dropped when Billunched with her into the air, and he had been heating it up with one of his arms this entire time while dodging the Terra Beetles with his speed.


    Now the de of thebat knife had been heated sufficiently once again and Leon was ready tounch a counter-attack, and a heavy one at that.


    The Terra Beetles had all charged up their lightning bolts and were about to fire when all of a sudden small balls of fire started to fall from the sky to their left andnd on their bodies, lighting them up on fire and making them miss their original aim.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The fire wasn''t particrly strong nor it did do major damage but it was enough to create havoc among the Terra Beetles making it so that none of them were able to hit Bill and Erin.


    "HEY!"


    The Terra Beetles turned around toward the left to see Leon standing over a freshly in corpse of a Terra Beetle with thebat knife in his hands sizzling the blue blood that was covering the de.


    "You want to get them!? You''re gonna have to go through me!" Leon shouted as his boots began to glow blue.


    Leon had activated the active skill of his Leg armor as he received a significant speed boost which he then paired with his speed ability skill that allowed him to do something simr to the leg armor, by absorbing energy and releasing all at once in a massive speed boost.


    This was Leon''s strongest andst resort skill that he had used to single-handedly defeat the first wave and now he was going to use it to take care of every single Beetle on the ground in front of him.


    Leon activated his hardening ability as his whole body became stiff and with his max speed, he became a blur as he ran through the crowd of Terra Beetles, smashing into as many as possible while also wildly swinging his hot knife to injure as many beetles as possible.


    Leon had named this hisst resort skill for a couple of reasons. After using this skill, his body wouldn''t be able to physically fight anymore because he stillcked in the fortitude department to actually bear the skill, and secondly, he still had little mastery over speed and so he couldn''t actually control when he was moving this fast as he could only move in straight lines.


    Leon ran through the crows real quick, trampling over the lives of a few unfortunate beasts, while injuring many more, but he was done by a long shot.


    Leon ran straight into a tree and it allowed him to stop his momentum. It was really dangerous to get hit by a solid object while moving at fast speeds but unfortunately, this was the only way for him to stop or change direction.


    He turned back around toward the Beetles with a bloodied face and scratches all over his body, but he didn''t show any sign of pain as the expression on his face was one of satisfaction and pleasure as heughed maniacally toward the remaining Beetles.


    "Oh, I''m not done with you yet. I get two minutes and 23 seconds with this skill, and I''m gonna make every single damn second count! HAHA!" Leon shouted out loud toward the crowd of Beetles while continuing tough maniacally.


    Bill and Iris observed the events taking ce from above as they were only about 15 feet off the ground now and were still descending. They observed a blue and sliver streak running back and forth, colling with trees and boulders to change its direction and killing a lot of the Terra Beetles on the surface.


    Seeing this Erin was finally relieved that Leon was back to his regr old self again and now felt safe leaving the two of them behind to take care of things.


    "Are you ready?" Bill asked to which Erin nodded yes.


    Bill canceled his wind aura as well and the two of them quickly dropped to the ground, but Bill instructed Erin to not let go of him yet.


    As they fell and touched the ground, the ground actually caved in and formed a crater as it stretched inwards as if it was an stic material that was experiencing some weight ced on its stretched surface.


    Bill was actually condensing some of the rock that was under his feat but he was still not strong enough to actuallypress rock so he was aware that his n would fail but that was exactly what Bill wanted.


    Bill wanted the explosion from the failed attempt of trying topress the rock to propel him into the air again just as he did with his wind ability earlier.


    "Make sure that idiot stays alive," Bill said to Erin as his parting words.


    "Yeah, sure! You still owe me a proper apology and a detailed exnation!" Erin replied back.


    To this, Bill smiled as he replied onest time, "It''s a deal!"


    *BOOM!*


    The crater explodedunching the two of them into the air again, but this time, Bill quickly let go and manipted the wind ability so that he would lose all of his momentum and it would also be transferred over to Erin,unching her much higher into the air than before.

 Chapter 199 Final Battle (Part 4)

    Mako had just decelerated himself enough tond safely on the ground, but before he could even stand back up on his two feet, the Beetle King was already upon him again, and it swung one of its legs right at Mako''s abdomenunching him once again, but this timepletely vertically.


    [-50 HP]


    [User has several cracked ribs and internal bleeding]


    [Emergency healing has been activated]


    A lot of blood spat out from Mako''s mouth as he received the massive strong kick to his abdomen that swung him around andunched him into the air.


    The Beetle King opened its veryrge mouth, aiming to swallow Mako whole, Mako was still very conscious and wouldn''t let it end so easily.


    Mako released fire from his hands once again to propel him off his original path led straight into the Beetle King''s mouth.


    He swayed over to the right andnded on his feet. His abdomen area was extremely painful and even the slightest movement was causing him pain; however, he knew he couldn''t afford to let the pain hinder him as the slightest miscalction or mistake could mean his immediate death.


    Both the Beetle King and Mako were at a disadvantage in this fight.


    The Beetle King was currently in its Lightning mode which was its strongest state but the lightning wasn''t really effective against Mako who himself had a level 5 Lightning ability.


    Since it had a level 7 Lightning ability, It could still do some damage to Mako with its lightning attacks but its effectiveness would be heavily cut down because of Mako''s resistance against the lightning element.


    Mako, on the other hand, couldn''t even fight with his lightning ability as it waspletely useless against the Beetle King with the superior Lightning ability.


    However, Mako''s second ability was super effective against the Beetle King it was his only hope to have survival chances in this uing fight.


    The Beetle King could switch from its lightning mode to earth mode which would allow it to have a usable ability against Mako, but it decided not to after it learned that the other Beetle King was in its earth mode when it got killed.


    The Beetle King had understood that the humans it was facing had the capability to kill it in its weaker state so it decided that it would go the physical route and simply overpower Mako using his superior stats and not take the risk of bing weaker just so it could use an ability against him.


    Mako gritted his teeth as ignored the pain and stood up to face the Terra Beetle King in a one-on-one fight.


    The Beetle King did not give Mako a single second to recover as he quickly began dashing toward him with his sharp and strong mandibles opened wide to shop him up and crush him into a paste.


    Mako replied by throwing out multiple des of fire which was the modified skill from the skill me Wheel.


    The me Wheel skill had been leveled up several times now and even though it was only an E-tier skill, it currently did 95 attack per de and Mako had justunched about ten of them at the Beetle King.


    The Beetle King choose to ignore the des of firinging its way considering they were so small in size that it didn''t consider it a threat, but that ended up being a terrible decision because the des of fire were verypact with fire aura and exploded into arge area of mes upon impact.


    EEEEEEKKKKK!!!


    The Beetle King screamed in agony and pain as the ten fire des exploded and covered its entire body in super-hot mes upon impact.


    The 95 attack stats on the me Wheel skill didn''t consider the mutation that Mako''s Fire ability had received as instead of regr mes, Mako had switched to using his red fire in this fight against the Beetle King.


    Mako''s Red Fire did 25% more damage and had a much greater chance of burning the opponent making it much more deadlier than regr mes with it costing additional energy to cast which wasn''t much of a problem for Mako who had a greater energy pool than all of his friends.


    The mes on the Beetle King caused immense pain and even though it was only for a few seconds, it was enough for the Beetle King to absolutely lose control and run forward blindly, missing Makopletely and crashing straight into a big tree that was quickly destroyed from the impact.


    The Beetle King was dealt a decent amount of damage but it was ways off being strong enough to actually kill it as momentster, the Beetle King stood back up with nothing but a few burnt marks on its exoskeleton.


    It turned toward Mako who had his right hand extended towards it with his fingers shaped like a gun. At the tip of his fingers, a super-condensed ball of red fire sat and grew in size.


    Mako didn''t only need fire, but he also needed prating attacks, as Fire alone wouldn''t be able to kill the Beetle King.


    Since the me Bullet was the only prative fire skill that Mako had, he decided to use the time that the Beetle King recovered from getting lit in mes by the Fire Wheels to create as strong a bullet as he could.


    By the time the Beetle King got back on his feet, Mako had a bullet prepared that was about  75% as strong as the bullet he used to carve out a cave during the thunderstorm test.


    The Beetle King had a decent level of intelligence and it had now learned that the red fire the human in front of him was producing was utterly dangerous and it was vital for it to avoid the red me at all costs, no matter the size.


    Equipped with this knowledge, the Beetle King activated a skill and his whole body became covered with electricity.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako didn''t know what the Beetle King was nning so he was on his guard for any lightning attacks, but since the Beetle King was still dashing toward him like before, he didn''t really understand what was the point of him covering itself in lightning.


    Mako chalked it up to maybe some sort of defensive skill, but skills like those would be ineffective against his me Bullet as it had such a small surface area that the majority of the lightning wouldn''t even be able to block it.


    With that, Mako prepared himself and shot the me Bullet at the Beetle King. The bullet traveled as fast as always and the Beetle was too big to move out of the way in the time that the me Bullet took to reach it with the bullet aimed straight at its center where it would deal the most damage.


    The bullet was about to make contact with the Beetle King, but just before it did so the Beetle Kingpletely disappeared.


    The me Bullet kept going forward and finally made contact with another tree in the vicinity, exploding in a dome of fire that enveloped the nearby trees andpletely turned them to ash.


    *BOOM!*


    All of this happened in a split second with the Beetle King appearing a bit to the left of where it was originally running with no more electricity covering its body.


    The Beetle King continued to dash forward at the same speed with its limbs reaching out to attack Mako once again.


    Everything happened so quickly that Mako couldn''t even react to what had just happened before the Beetle King was upon him giving him no time to move or escape as another massive limb struck him from the back andunched him face-first straight into a boulder with great speed.


    *THUD!*


    Bone-cracking sounds resounded in the area as Mako was lodged into the boulder with a fountain of blood leaking from his mouth and other areas. A single attack that made contact with Mako was able to cause many external injuries and bones to fracture and crack.


    Mako''s almost lifeless body remained stuck inside the boulder with him only having the energy to move his head slightly and allow air to enter through the crack and allow him to breathe. It was taking all his energy just to breathe air as multiple notifications kept on ringing in his ears causing a massive headache.


    [-140 HP]


    [User has broken their Skull, 6 Ribs, 10 Teeth, Left Femur, Right Femur, Pelvic Girdle,...]


    [User has multiple sources of internal bleeding]


    [Injuries too great for Emergency healing]


    [Find external medical assistance quickly]


    [User will lose an additional 1HP per minute due to internal bleeding]


    [Estimated time till death: 2 minutes]


    Mako had been put in critical condition with a single powerful strike from an advanced tier beast despite him having 50 points in Fortitude.


    His mind was going numb as his body was imprinted into the boulder. He could barely make sense of anything that was going on, but he was still conscious.


    Emergency notifications were continuously buzzing in his ears and his vision was fading.


    The nearby patrolling officers had a look of pure pain and empathy as they watched Mako''s body get embedded into the boulder.


    The Beetle King''s attack was sudden that even the patrolling officers couldn''t react to it in time and were now afraid that maybe their mistake would cost them a very valuable cadet.


    The patrolling officers quickly jumped out from their concealed spot. One went to finish off the Beetle King so that it wouldn''t attack Mako anymore while the other ran toward Mako, praying that he was still alive so that he could quickly disqualify him and teleport him to the clinic or else it would be him that the military officials execute for ipetence.


    However, before either of patrolling officers could do their respective tasks, Mako had already opened up his inventory and selected "YES" to a specific prompt he hadn''t seen in a while.


    [*SYSTEM OVERRIDE*]


    [Do you wish to instantly use the effects of the (4) High Tier Healing Pills?]


    [Cost: 1000 Energy]


    [YES/NO]

 Chapter 200 Final Battle (Part 5)

    Mako quickly selected "YES" and felt a moment of weakness as the energy was sapped out of him and then a cool and refreshing feeling which was the instant recovery of his body to its peak state.


    His fractured bones instantly healed, his internal bleeding stopped, and his broken bones were quickly put back together.


    The cooling sensation was refreshing for Mako, but now he had to think fast as pulling this kind of feat would be utterly impossible for a cadet, and he would be subjected to interrogation and could be med for fraud and cheating if he removed himself from the boulder, in apletely healed state with no exnation.


    Mako knew that this was a critical injury and that patrolling officer would rush to eliminate him any second, so he didn''t have time toe up with an borate n.


    So instead, he just resorted to doing something which couldn''t be exined and use that as a disguise for his miraculous healing.


    As for what kind of unexinable move he would do...


    Well, it just so happened that, Mako had been receiving a lot of physical attacks from the regr Terra Beetles, and then he took three very massive physical hits from the Beetle King without ever actually physically countering back.


    This led to a very specific skill under a certain title triggering by itself and it was slowly building up power with every physical hit Mako received, with a huge amount of it contributed by the Beetle King''s extremely strong three hits.


    Mako quickly opened up his titles tab, and right there a red bar filled to the brim was disyed in front of him with the following prompts.


    [Rage meter 100% full]


    [Does the user want to enter rage mode?]


    [YES/NO]


    A pulse of energy erupted from Mako as it quickly spread out in all directions. The patrolling officers and even the Terra Beetle King who got hit with it paused for a moment as they were confused about what had just happened.


    ''Why did an energy pulse just erupt from Mako''s embedded body and why didn''t it do anything to them?'' These were the thoughts of both of the patrolling officers who were stopped after that pulse crossed their bodies.


    *************


    [At the military headquarters]


    Master Sable and the mainmander were clenching their fists tightly as they saw the live feed of Mako getting absolutely demolished by the Terra Beetle King with no patrolling guardsing in time to intercept the attack.


    All the other officials knew to keep their mouths shut at this intense moment as both the mainmander and Master Sable who had just arrived were unconsciously releasing their aura from anger while focusing on the live feed being disyed.


    They watched with anger as the patrolling officers quickly came on the scene and split, with one trying to reach Mako, while the other distracted the Beetle King.


    However before anything could happen, they witnessed the pulse being released from Mako''s body that made the officers and the Beetle King stop in their tracks for a moment.


    This was somethingpletely unique and new as neither the mainmander nor Master Sable had ever seen a move like this but were quite confused and surprised to see that the pulse didn''t do anything besides momentarily distract the officers and the Beetle King.


    Neither of those could have expected what happened next as it was truly a scene that unless you saw it with your own eyes, you wouldn''t believe no matter what.


    *************


    [Rage Mode had been activated]


    After that moment of confusion, the Beetle King was about to resume dashing towards Mako''s barely living body regardless of the patrolling officer trying to intercept but then suddenly all of them started to feel intense pressure being put on them as if they were in the presence of being with superior strength to them.


    The patrolling officers were even more confused as all the patrolling officers were of the same rank, so who could have arrived on the scene that was oppressing even them?


    They tried to sense the origin of this pressure and it was then that they realized and werepletely shocked and embarrassed because the intense amount of pressure was actually being emitted from Mako.


    Before any of them could do anything, they observed Mako''s entire body erupting in mes that didn''tpletely resemble mes but were quite close and red in color.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako removed his arms from the embedded boulder and used them to push his head out of the boulder as well.


    As soon as his head emerged from the boulder, his face became visible as his eyes were glowing red with anger and what followed next was an incredibly loud and mighty roar that was louder than any other Mako had ever produced announcing the reactivation of Mako''s strongest skill.


    After finishing his roar, Mako quickly and wildly removed himself from the boulderpletely and jumped back down on the ground to be greeted by three beings, the two patrolling officers and of course the Beetle King.


    [A single target has been selected]


    Mako''s body waspletely healed and there was no sign of any injury on his body. His military uniform waspletely torn at this point and he quickly ripped his shirt off his body, revealing his well-built bare physique to everyone.


    The patrolling officers were left absolutely speechless as they couldn''t believe what was happening in front of their eyes. They had never seen such a skill used from what they believed was the fire elemental skill tree that could provide the user with such a great boost in power and heal all battle injuries.


    The entire round table circle had their jaws dropped open as they witnessed Mako''s miraculous recovery and a brand new skill that none of them had seen before.


    However, in his current state, Mako wasn''t in the mood to show off or y games as after affirming the Beetle King as his one and only target, he let out another battle cry and dashed with insane speed toward the Beetle King.


    Makopletely ignored the patrolling officers and ran straight past them toward the Beetle King who gulped from the terrifying pressure that Mako was releasing and quickly got out of sight as their obligatory duty was denied as the cadet was healthy and still able to fight.


    The Terra Beetle King had a sense of intelligence but it wasn''t enough to actually understand the severity of the opponent that was about to face as it also rushed forward with no fear, to face Mako head-on in a physical sh.


    The Beetle King utilized the same move it had used a few moments ago which hadunched Mako into the boulder, using one of its stronger limbs to swipe straight at Mako.


    However, this time, as the limb came down to strike Mako, Mako actually grabbed the limb itself and blocked the attack. The Beetle King''s attack was still quite strong that pushed Mako back out 10 meters but it didn''t do any significant damage to Mako as his own double strength has canceled out most of the Terra Beetle King''s strength.


    Mako could see the surprised and shocked look on the Beetle King''s emotionless face, but he didn''t care as he quickly ran back for another strike.


    The Beetle King tried to attack again, but this time...


    [High Jump has been activated]


    Makounched himself into the air, dodging the strikepletely, and was now at the face level of the Beetle King. The Beetle King extended its mandibles to shop Mako in half, but as soon as it did that, Mako reacted by propelling himself a bit higher by releasing his fire aura.


    The mandibles missed Mako by just an inch and now the Beetle King had overextended and was vulnerable to attacks.


    Makonded on its mandibles and then activated Dash to quickly scale the mandibles and reach its ugly face. Without any hesitance or remorse, Mako clocked back his punch and smashed it into the Beetle King''s right eye.


    EEEEKKKKK!!


    The Beetle King screamed out in pain as one of its eyes waspletely crushed by Mako''s great strength; however, the pain was just starting as with his hand still stuck in its eye cavity, Mako activated his red fire aura and released as much fire straight into the Beetle King as he could.


    The Beetle King screamed in agony as its inside was starting to get cooked by the intense fire that was getting pumped into its body.


    It tried to shake Mako off, but Mako was mped onto its face determined to kill it in the most gruesome way, by melting all of its inside.


    With desperation kicking in, the Beetle King released all of his Lightning aura to the mas and covered its whole body in it. This wasn''t a skill or anything. It was a pure level 7 Lightning aura that was circting throughout its body and it also entered Mako''s body which was connected to it.


    *ZAP!*


    A crazy amount of electricity flowed through Mako''s body and even though he had a decent resistance to it, prolonged exposure would start to pile on the damage and ruin his nervous system, forcing him to release himself from the Beetle King''s body and escape.


    Makonded back onto the ground and without wasting a single second covered his fists in the red mes, copying a move from Mikhail''s book and rushing back in to delete the Beetle King from existence and finally im victory.

 Chapter 201 Final Battle (Part 6)

    The Beetle King was still recovering from the insane amount of pain that Mako had induced into its body through its crushed eye cavity, and it was expecting Mako to do the same given the amount of electricity he had just absorbed into his system.


    unfortunately, one of the effects of Rage Mode is that decreases Mako''s intelligence temporarily, not just his intelligence overall, but more specifically his logic and reasoning center of the brain.


    Even though he had received a decent amount of damage from the Lightning attack, he immediately brushed it off as if it was nothing and prepared a counter-attack.


    Any sane person would call Mako suicidal, but that was just how Rage Mode affected his thinking. He was like a wild beast that only knew how to ravage and destroy and wouldn''t stop until all his targets were absolutely crushed and defeated.


    Despite being in so much pain the Beetle King had to respond as it couldn''t take much more of Mako''s full-range fire attacks.


    Since the fight had escted to this point, the Beetle King had decided that it wasn''t worth it to just fight physically and give the wild human in front of him the advantage.


    Initially, the Beetle King had decided to rely more on physical moves and attacks as it had realized that Mako had a tolerance to Lightning attacks and this way his attacks wouldn''t be effective and a waste of time and it was rather just better off, killing him with his own physical power.


    However, it had realized that even though the Lightning wasn''t extremely effective, it was still far superior. Mako could only tolerate a few seconds of a continuous attack before he would start receiving critical damage.


    The Level 7 Lightning ability was no longer seen as a hindrance for it but rather Mako as now Mako had to worry about the Beetle King''s strength as well as the Lightning moved which the Beetle King had a decent number of.


    As Mako approached the Beetle King with his hands erupting into red mes, the Beetle King used an actual skill, the same skill that the other Beetle King had used on Bill.


    The Beetle King covered itself in electricity and just like Mako, it released a pulse just as Mako''s fist was about to connect with one of its limbs.


    The pulse extended outwards exactly like the Electrical Discharge skill but with two key main differences.


    The Electrical Discharge skill doesn''t do any damage to the opponent while this pulseunched Mako back with force.


    Secondly, the Electrical Discharge caused paralysis to the opponent while this pulse caused...


    [User is Distorted]


    [All motor functions of the user have been swapped]


    [Duration: 15 seconds]


    A couple of prompts arose in front of Mako, but he was too focused onnding back on his feet that he didn''t pay attention to them which caused him to move his legs in the wrong direction andpletely miss thending.


    Makonded face first onto the ground with the momentum of the force that pushed him back making him skid across the ground dealing significantly more damage to his face.


    When Mako finally stopped moving and dropped down he was receiving a lot of pain, but all of this was also not getting received by the brain as Rage Mode also shut down Mako''s pain reception center so that pain wouldn''t hold him back and that he could go all out.


    He tried to get back up but for some reason, his hands were moving in the opposite direction digging further into the ground rather than lifting up and helping the body get back on its feet.


    The Beetle King wouldn''t let such a great opportunity go to waste as its mandibles started to glow yellow and cover itself in electricity. Once its attack was charged up, it aimed its mandibles right at Mako and pinched them shut to release a ray of lightning.


    The ray of electricity was super destructive. As it approached Mako, it destroyed everything in its path bypletely obliterating it into a million pieces.


    The Beetle King had no idea how long its skill wouldst against Mako since he was also a lightning user, but it hoped it to be long enough for it to charge up its "Thunderbolt Beam" andpletely destroy Mako even though he had resistance against lightning, the sheer destructive force of the skill was enough to break every single bone in his body and crush him into a fine paste.


    However, even though Mako was unable to get his motor controls figured out in time he still had his regr IQ which was far better than Bill''s and he realized even quicker that he could still use his abilities regrly.


    using his hearing, he was able to deduce that the Beetle was charging up for a big attack, so Mako also began charging up by activating his energy maniption ability to attract the nearby energy particles toward him.


    It wasn''tpletely exinable but while his Rage State with his eyes still glowing red and his body still covered in that me-like energy, the nearby energy particles actually converged toward his body at a much greater rate than normal.


    Mako had no issues and could release his Energy stream skill with no charge whatsoever as he had done subconsciously right after resonating his Fire and Lightning abilities, but that would be the weakest amount of damage that he could do.


    By allowing himself to absorb the energy particles in his surroundings for a couple of seconds, he could greatly improve the strength of his stream.


    Just the ray from the Beetle King was about to reach Mako, he was done charging up, and coincidentally at that exact moment, he received a prompt.


    [User is no longer Distorted]


    Mako roared out loud as he was given control over his body again and using all his strength, he sted himself off the ground and onto his feet with the massive yellow ray of lightning right in front of him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Mako quicklybined his hands and activated his skill to counter the yellow ray.


    [Energy Stream has been activated]


    Just as it looked like the yellow ray had enveloped Mako''s figurepletely and obliterated him as well just like everything before, the ray of yellow lightning stopped moving forward and remained exactly in Mako''s position. It looked like how an unstoppable force faced an immovable object as the ray continued to exert force, but it could go forward past that point.


    Suddenly, the yellow ray actually began to shrink and slowly started to move backward with the tip of the yellow ray actually being colored green.


    A yet another intense roar was heard from within where the two colored energies were colliding with the green beam slowly taking more and more space and pushing the lightning ray back.


    After a few moments, the green ray had pushed the yellow ray enough that now Mako''s figure was visible again with the green ray actually being emitted from his hands.


    He was slowly starting to gain more ground against the beam as this was one of the features of the Energy Stream skill and that was that it wouldn''t stop absorbing energy particles even after the skill was cast as this would allow it to continue getting stronger and stronger every second.


    However, this feature came at a great cost, and that being Energy. Even though Mako had a great Energy pool, far superior to many cadets on the ind, it was still limited, and he had used quite a lot of it from the start of their fight more than an hour ago and was now running quite low.


    The Energy Stream skill demanded more energy per second in return for more damage so even though he was gaining more ground against the Lightning ray every second, he was depleting his reserves even more.


    On the other hand, the Beetle King wasn''t looking too hot either as even though he had infinite usage of aura due to it getting power from its crystal, the Beetle King itself was still limited to how much he could draw out at a given moment and this was what separated the different beasts into tiers, their ability to draw out as much power from a crystal as they can.


    Both Mako and the Beetle King were nearing their limits with no escape for either of them as the first person to give out would be defeated by the other.


    This was the final showdown between Mako and the Beetle King with both of the pushing as hard as they can. Due to Mako being in Rage Mode, more particles were converging toward him at a faster rate which helped quite a lot but it was tough to push out a level 7 lightning ability skill.


    Mako kept getting notifications telling him about how much energy he had left, but it was all getting blocked by his rage as right now all he could think of was to kill the Beetle King and finally im victory.


    *


    *


    *


    In the end, the Beetle King couldn''t hold out any longer and its skill got automatically canceled which gave the green beam no more resistance as it sted forward at great speed, hitting the Beetle King directly.


    EEEEKKKKKK!!


    The Beetle King screamed in agony and pain as it received a massive hit from the Energy Stream.


    Mako deactivated the skill a secondter and there he was still standing while a massive chunk of the Beetle King has beenpletely destroyed. It wasying on the ground with steaming off its entire body and blue blood leaking like a dam that hadn''t been opened in years.


    It seemed as if Mako had won but in the next second, Mako''s eyes began to dim as all the red glow was removed and several prompts appeared in front of his eyes as he fell to the ground.


    [Forcefully Deactivating Rage Mode]


    [The remaining Rage mode bar has beenpletely depleted and converted into energy in order to support the Energy Beam skill for additional 7 seconds.]


    [User was unsessful in eliminating the singr target while Rage Mode was active.]


    [Calcting penalty]


    [The User is Exhausted]


    [¡­.]


    The effects of Exhaustion were stronger than ever as even though Mako had a stronger body and a much greater energy pool he could still feel his vision fading, but before he couldpletely ck out, he was able to read thest prompts in front of his eyes and one prompt really gave him chills.


    [User was unsessful in eliminating the singr target while Rage Mode was active.]


    ''Does... Does that mean... IT IS STILL ALIVE!?'' Mako thought as his visionpletely faded and he was knocked unconscious due to exhaustion and energy depletion.

 Chapter 202 Disqualified! (Part 1)

    The Beetle King was gravely injured with a huge chunk of its right sidepletely crushed and obliterated from Energy Stream skill that was continuously adding up damage as it battled against the Lightning ray.


    After it eventually won the power struggle, all that built-up damage struck the Beetle King at once, dealing massive amounts of damage.


    The Beetle King had a tough exoskeleton that was only vulnerable to physical piercing attacks as a lot of force could be concentrated at a small point, thus greatly increasing the damage.


    The brittle and hard exoskeleton of the Beetle King was very resistant to other forms of damage including the Energy Stream skill.


    This was the same reason why Mako wasn''t able to finish off that other Beetle King in the cave. Even though both of them were weaker back at the cave, the newly unlocked Energy Stream didn''t possess prative properties and this allowed the Beetle King to withstand that damage and make its escape.


    Since then Mako had grown stronger, but now he was facing the full-powered version of the beast he had nearly killed back in that cave.


    The Beetle King''s exoskeleton provided a few milliseconds of protection against the terrifying green st which allowed it to move just enough out of the range of the attack that most of its vital organs were still intact.


    Beasts were a lot more resilient than regr animals and humans. They could still survive for many minutes without a heart or brain with them losing the functionality to think or move of course, but they would still be alive. The only way to immediately kill a beast was to deal enough damage through its weakness that it dies or to rip out its crystal from its body, terminating its life immediately.


    This was different from the beast going berserk and losing its crystal as the process is really different. After going berserk and exhausting all of the crystal''s power, the crystal bes cracked but still stays intact, never being able to produce energy again; thus, the beast still lives.


    As soon as Mako copsed from exhaustion, the Beetle King started to wriggle around as it struggled to stand back on its feet due to the amount of pain it was in and as well as the poor weight distribution as there wasn''t enough weight on the right side of its body to counterbnce the weight on its left side.


    With what strength the Beetle King still had, it started dragging itself toward Mako''s exhausted and limp body.


    Human beings were rich in nutrients for the beast which was why they were so irresistible to the beasts. Most beasts had evolution paths that involved them eating nutrient-rich foods such as humans while others could simply use the nutrients and energy of the human to heal their own bodies among many other uses.


    Simr to how the Beetle King could eat its own underlings to regenerate, it could also eat humans to do the same thing with only one key difference. Human beings were a far more superior source of healing than the regr Terra Beetles and with the human, being Mako, the Beetle King could fully heal with just eating Mako alone.


    As the Beetle King used only it''s front left leg to drag its entire body forward, the patrolling officers sprung into action as they wouldn''t let a grave mistake like earlier happen again.


    They followed the same strategy as before with one going to finish off the Beetle King while the other going to make sure Mako was still alive.


    However, they were interrupted once again, but this time not by Mako, but rather by someone who dropped out of the sky, seemingly out of nowhere.


    Just as the first patrolling officer was about to reach the Beetle King while holding a Power weapon to kill it instantly, Erin dropped out from the sky, directly onto the brutally beaten and injured Beetle King.


    She formed a spear of ice in her hands as she fell down toward it and upon reaching close to it, she rammed the spear straight into its head.


    EEEEKKKKKK!!


    Using whatever strength it had left, the Beetle King let out a weak screech as the ice spear effortlessly prated its exoskeleton, and lodged itself deep into its brain.


    The Beetle King quickly tried to attack Erin with its long limbs that started covering themselves in electricity to try and get Erin off its head.


    However, the Beetle King''s power had decreased significantly and it was quite slow for Erin who had her mutant gene activated.


    She effortlessly dodged all the attacks and jumped over the lightning strikes with her still firmly gripping onto the spear which she began to twist to deal more pain and damage to the Beetle King.


    The Beetle King continued to screech in agony. It tried to cover itself in electricity in order to electrocute Erin just like it had done with Mako when he was sting its eye with red fire.


    *ZAP!*


    "You think this will stop me!!" Erin shouted as she jumped onto her own spear putting one foot on and the other foot behind the shaft of the spear.


    This way one foot was pushing on the pole while the other foot was pulling it. Both forces canceled each other out and allowed Erin to hand off the shaft of the spear horizontally.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The electricity covered the Beetle King''s entire body; however, it didn''t affect the spear at all.


    "HAHAHA! Pure ice doesn''t conduct electricity!" Erin shouted with pleasure as she saw the Beetle King wasting energy to try and survive, but it waspletely useless.


    "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! YOU''RE FINISHED!" Erin shouted at the top of her lungs as her eyes glowed with greater intensity and she put both of her hands onto the spear.


    She summoned all of her ice aura and energy from her mutant gene and concentrated it on the tip of the spear which was lodged deep into the Beetle King''s brain.


    Erin began supplying super-concentrated amounts of aura down the shaft of the spear and into the tip.


    From the outside, nothing had changed as the Beetle King was still covering itself with electricity, but in the next moment, the electricity suddenly stopped flowing as from within the body of the Beetle King, dozens of ice spikes emerged with the original ice spear being the source, prating through the exoskeleton of the Beetle King and reaching great heights.


    The Beetle King let out one final screech as it had finally sustained too much dagame and was instantly killed.


    The body of the Beetle King was barely visible with the number of ice spikes that emerged from its body and covered the surrounding area.


    Erin let out a maniacalugh as she stood on top of the tallest ice spike which was the original ice spear.


    She had done it. She had killed the Beetle King just like Bill had told her to do. Now she just had to make sure Mako was alright...


    "Huh! Mako!" Erin screamed in shock as she turned around to see Mako''s injured and unconscious body being examined by the two patrolling officers.


    Erin quickly slid down the ice spikes and dashed towards Mako. If the patrolling officers were on the scene it only meant one thing... Mako was disqualified.


    "NO NO NO NO!" Erin muttered as she dashed toward them.


    *DHUG* *DHUG*


    However, just before reaching them, Erin felt a sudden pain in her heart, so severe that it made her copse onto the ground and skid across the ground, nearing ever closer to the patrolling officers.


    A sudden pain enveloped Erin''s body as she waspletely paralyzed by it, unable to move, cry, or even scream out.


    Her muscles continued to spasm and it was bing difficult for her to even breathe.


    One of the patrolling officers took notice and quickly moved over to Erin, and check her condition.


    As he examined Erin, he realized what was going on. He just held Erin''s hand as went through the pain as there was actually nothing anybody could do for the pain Erin was experiencing as she was the one who caused it.


    After a few minutes of extreme and intense pain, it finally started to reduce in intensity and slowly started to fade. It was at this time that Erin''s eyes also changed back to normal and she slowly regained control over her body again.


    The patrolling officer had braced Erin the entire while she was in pain, but the other patrolling officer was nowhere to be seen... and so was Mako!


    Erin quickly jumped up from the ground, ignoring all of the pain that she had just experienced for several minutes, and started to look around for Mako, but there was no sign of him.


    In frustration, Erin turned back to patrolling officer and grabbed his hand again, squeezing it very hard.


    "Please I beg of you! What is going on?! What happened to me!?¡­ and... and where is Mako!?" Erin asked with tears in her eyes.


    The patrolling officer sighed as he said the five words that Erin was dreading to hear and was praying wouldn''t be true.


    "Mako Grey has been disqualified!" The patrolling officer announced.

 Chapter 203 Disqualified (Part 2)

    Erin''s heart sank at the officer''s words.


    Disqualified? How could that be? She couldn''t ept it!


    It felt as if a thousand swords pierced Erin''s heart at the exact same time. Her body started to tremble and she could barely breathe air as she processed the heavy news that the patrolling officer just gave her.


    "No, there has to be a mistake! Mako can''t be disqualified!" Erin protested, her voice trembling with emotion.


    "I''m sorry to say, but there is no mistake. Mako Grey has been disqualified and transported off this ind." The patrolling officer said.


    "What... he... he... how... w... why?" Erin said weakly as she had no more energy left to even show her emotions after going through several minutes of excruciating pain.


    Her vision became blurry as tears filled her eyes and slowly started to fall down her cheeks.


    She couldn''t believe it!


    Mako was right in front of her when she engaged the Beetle King and finished it off quickly. She thought that maybe he was just knocked out by exhaustion, but she never thought that he was dead.


    "How can this be...? If he was going to die, why didn''t you save him from that beast?! Why did you let him die?" Erin shouted at the patrolling officer in anger.


    The patrolling officer was confused as to what Erin was talking about, and it gave him shbacks to the moment when they did almost let Mako die if it wasn''t for the weird and unexinable skill that healed him and allowed him to continue fighting.


    However, Mako still didn''t die so what was the cadet in front of crying about?


    "I don''t think you have assessed the situation correctly," The patrolling officer gave a response after affirming that Erin believed that Mako had actually died in battle.


    "What are you talking about?! As soon as I arrived, I saw Mako copse on the floor with that beast crawling toward him. In order to save him, I quickly killed that beast, but after that, I started feeling that pain, and when I recovered he was already gone." Erin stated.


    "Since I already killed that beast, nothing could have killed him in that short amount of time, so that only means one thing. He was dead by the time I arrived and that beast was going to consume his lifeless body." Erin finished giving her exnation.


    Even though the situation was pretty tense and serious, the officer could help but crack a smile as he couldn''t believe Erin''s thought process.


    Looking at the patrolling officer smiling, sent all kinds of wrong signals to Erin''s brain as she couldn''t believe that a grown adult would do something so cruel and tyrannical in a moment like this.


    Rage and anger were bubbling inside of Erin as she saw that smile, and even though she had little energy left, she was considering using it all to teach the patrolling officer a lesson.


    However, before she could do anything that would get her disqualified too, the patrolling officer spoke again in a calm and soft tone.


    "Mako Grey is not dead." The patrolling officer stated.


    All of the anger and other emotions inside Erin quickly came to a pause and she couldn''t even properly process the patrolling officer''s words.


    ''How can that be? Is he really alive? If he wasn''t dead then why did he say he was disqualified? I had arrived so they can''t say that they disqualified him because he was unconscious and had no teammates around to look after him. So why did they disqualify him?!'' Erin thought as she processed what the patrolling officer meant.


    However, before she could get another word out, the patrolling officer spoke again.


    "Allow me to be a bit more clear with you. Mako Grey has only been disqualified from the test due incapability of continuing the fight. He is still alive and since amander healer is on standby, he should make a speedy recovery." The officer stated.


    Erin didn''t know whether to be happy or sad after hearing this news. On one hand, she was happy that Mako was alive, but on the other hand, he was still disqualified from the test, just like Iris.


    Erin tried to persuade the patrolling officer, telling him that she has healing pills and that he should just return Mako, and that she can take care of him.


    "Please, I beg of you! I can''t lose another great friend." Erin said as she fell to the ground on all fours and started crying.


    The patrolling officer''s expression softened, understanding the pain and frustration in Erin''s voice.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He shook his head sympathetically as he crouched down toward Erin''s eye level.


    "I understand your feelings, but there was nothing you could have done. Even we don''t know fully what has happened to him, but a while back he used a weird skill that allowed him to heal his body from all injuries and be a total beast and he used that newfound power to beat the Beetle King." The patrolling officer began to exin.


    "However, after using a very insane skill attributed to his energy ability to dismember the Beetle King, he copsed onto the ground and that was when you arrived." The officer added.


    "While you fought and killed the Beetle King, we checked up on him, and even though he didn''t have many injuries, his pulse was very low and he had severe mana fatigue. We were unsure about what to do, but then we received orders from higher-ups to take him to the clinic and disqualify him." The officer finished exining.


    Erin just sat there in disbelief as she heard theplete story. Mako had never mentioned a skill simr to what the patrolling officer described so she was wondering that perhaps it was a desperate move with a big risk.


    The patrolling officer got back on his feet and started walking away from Erin who still sat on the ground in disbelief and shock, resenting the fact that this whole thing happened because of her being hesitant and too clung to her emotions to follow Bill''s lead and arrive here earlier and possibly save Mako from overexerting himself.


    "Don''t beat yourself over it! From the way it looked to me, he had already chosen to be disqualified, once he had activated that skill as he was no longer in control of his body and was fighting off of pure instinct. You wouldn''t have made a difference even if you hade sooner." The patrolling officer said as he turned around onest time after walking about ten feet away.


    Erin looked up at the patrolling officer''s face with a glimmer of hope while her eyes continued to tear up.


    "Can you say that with absolute certainty?" Erin asked in desperation.


    To Erin''s question, the patrolling officer smiled again as he said," You can never bepletely certain about anything. Everyone makes choices that affect what oues they will receive. Mako decided to activate that skill, and this was his consequence. He wanted to y that beast before getting disqualified, and he achieved that. Be happy with his decision and his sacrifice."


    Erin''s face glowed up a little after hearing that from the patrolling officer.


    "Now, I would advise you to harvest that crystal and return back to your friends. You still have four more days until the test is over." The patrolling officer said as he started walking again.


    Erin only stared at the patrolling officer and nodded a little to show her agreement. She slowly started to pick herself off the ground, but her muscles still hurt like crazy and it was going to take some time until she could move properly again.


    "Oh and one more thing... You won''t be able to use your mutant gene for quite some time. The reason you went through all that pain just now was that you exceeded your own threshold and overused your mutant gene. I would advise you to refrain from using it at all until you have been checked out, or else things could getplicated." The patrolling officer said before disappearing out of Erin''s sight.


    ''What did he mean by a mutant gene? Did he mean my glowing eyes? Is that what they are called?'' Erin thought as she heard the officer''sst advice.


    Since he had already disappeared from the scene, she couldn''t ask him to exin, and she would just have to go with her gut and assume that he meant his glowing eyes.


    She never wanted to go through that pain again, so she told herself to not activate her glowing eyes under any circumstances until this was over and she got checked out by a medical professional.


    She slowly made her way back to the Beetle King''s body and using her ice ability, she manipted the ice spikes to retract back and turn into water.


    With the ice spikes gone, There were severalrge cavities inside the body of the Beetle King, and Iris was easily able to spot the shiny crystal embedded into its muscle fibers.


    The body absolutely reeked due to the blue blood that was starting to rot, so Erin quickly removed the crystal from the body and quickly ran away from the dposing body.


    She was insanely tired and drained, so much so that she couldn''t even run anymore and so she steadily tracked back towards where the shelter, Bill, and Leon were.


    It took her a lot of time to slowly walk back to the shelter considering how far away Bill hadunched her in order to reach Mako.


    By the time she had arrived close enough that she could see the outline of the shelter in the distance, the sun started to rise and release its warmth on top of the west mountain.


    A few distances away, Bill stabbed through and killed the final Terra Beetle with thebat knife that had seen some better days, marking the end of the fifth and final wave.


    The warm sunlight greeted Bill''s face as he took a breath of relief, knowing it was all finally over. Leon was passed out next to him as after taking out the majority of the Terra Beetles with hisst resort skill, he waspletely exhausted and copsed on the ground.


    After Bill took a couple of moments to collect himself, he noticed a figure of the person approaching them in the distance. The figure was moving quite slowly, but after focusing a little, Bill was bale to identify the person.


    "Erin?"

 Chapter 204 Recollection

    Bill was confused as to why Erin was walking back to them so slowly, but he just figured she might have been exhausted.


    He was just d to see her alright, but he couldn''t spot Mako anywhere with her.


    He quickly ran over to Erin who was barely able to keep her bnce and keep moving forward.


    She looked up and saw Bill racing towards her as fast as he could. Since Bill was also pretty exhausted, he wasn''t as fast as he was but still, he quickly made it over to Erin.


    As soon as Erin saw Bill, another wave of guilt washed over her as she knew she didn''t have the heart to tell Bill what had happened.


    Defeated by her overwhelming emotions and exhaustion, Erin copsed onto the ground with tears in her eyes.


    Bill was still a few feet away from Erin, but as soon as he saw her fall over, he used his Wind ability to boost him forward, and he was able to catch her before she fell to the ground.


    "Erin! Erin! Talk to me! What happened to you!?" Bill asked as he shook Erin in his arms to try and get her to remain conscious, but his efforts failed as Erinpletely copsed in his arms and became unconscious.


    Bill was utterly confused as he couldn''t see any physical injury on her body and yet she didn''t even have the energy to run and copsed right in front of him.


    Bill still had a lot of questions that were left unanswered such as what happened to the Beetle King, where was Mako, and what happened that made her so exhausted that she couldn''t even run.


    However, he wouldn''t be able to get any answers right now, and he had to prioritize getting both Erin and Leon inside the shelter and make sure they were alright.


    Secondly, he had to get their food and water situation figured out as they were all pretty exhausted and very hungry after such a long and hard fight, and would need arge and good meal to replenish their energy.


    Bill carried Erin in his arms all the way to the partially destroyed shelter as it had a few holes and many cracks, but nothing his earth ability couldn''t fix. He gentlyid her down on the floor inside the shelter and then rushed out to quickly get Leon inside as well.


    Bill was still worrying about Mako as he had not shown up yet and the only person who knew about his whereabouts was Erin, but she waspletely out cold.


    He really wanted to just go out and look for Mako himself, but he couldn''t leave Leon and Erin alone as any cadet or wandering beast coulde around and eliminate them while he was out looking for Mako.


    When he looked at Erin as she was slowly walking over toward him, it looked as if she wanted to say something to him.


    He knew that Erin wouldn''t have just abandoned Mako and most likely left him in a safe ce to get help but copsed before she could tell him anything.


    Now he just had to wait for her to wake up to know where he was so that she could go and rescue him as there was nothing he could do at this point.


    After they were both inside, Bill took some time to recover his own energy and stamina. He ate all the leftover food from the giant feast they had before the fifth wave started and after a couple of hours, Erin still hadn''t woken up, and Bill was getting more and more anxious as Mako himself had also note back, but still, he couldn''t do anything. After having a full belly and getting a decent rest, he was in a good enough condition to get some work done.


    He first harvested all the crystals from the Terra Beetles that he and Leon had killed and after disposing of all the decaying bodies, he got to work fishing for some fish so that he could get some food cooking for Leon and Erin.


    Bill went up to theke and since it was much deeper than the river he had fished at earlier, he couldn''t just catch the fish as they had a lot of room to escape.


    He didn''t have the water ability or any skill that would help him catch fish, but then an idea came to his head. The bottom of theke was full of sand and by using the same technique he used with his Earth ability to sense any movement in the earth, he could do the same with the sand even though it required precise control.


    Bill concentrated for a while and after many failed attempts, he finally got the hang of it with his sand ability and now whenever he sensed fish, he would create a sand spike bellow then which would erupt upwards in an instant and kill the fish in one go.


    As he sat there, killing fish after fish, his mind kept wandering back to the events of the battle and what could have happened to Mako that made Erin leave him and walk back to the shelter.


    He couldn''t shake off the worry and the sense of responsibility he felt for his missingrade. He hoped that Erin would wake up soon and provide some answers.


    The thought of Mako actually being eliminated from the test never even crossed his mind.


    After some time, Bill had caught a dozen or so fish which he thought would be enough for now, and so he picked them all up and made his way back to the shelter.


    He gutted and descaled all the fish just like Mako had done the day before, and once they were ready, he began building a fire.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Since Mako and Leon weren''t avable, there was no shortcut to building the fire, and would have to do it the old-fashioned way.


    After some time he had built a good enough fire and he added more dry leaves, twigs, and branches to get it as hot as possible. They were out of the salt that Mako had saved up to this point so they would have to enjoy the fish as it was, which wasn''t that bad considering they still had decent food to eat.


    As Bill was cooking the fish, Leon slowly started to wake up from his sleep. He was still very exhausted but his empty stomach was killing him and he needed to get some food inside his system fast.


    The aroma of the cooking fish had filled the shelter, and soon enough, Leon''s nose led him straight to the source. He had been fully awakened by the smell, and his eyes widened with hunger as he saw Bill preparing the meal.


    "Wow, Bill! You caught fish!" Leon eximed with a mix of surprise and delight.


    Bill was caught off guard as he didn''t expect Leon to jump up behind him as he was quietly cooking the fish which made him almost knock the fish off the fire, but thankfully he was able to control himself.


    Leon made a run for the cooking fish but was quickly stopped by Bill who raised a wall of sand in front of him.


    "Hold on, you idiot! They are still raw. You will have to wait for a while." Bill scolded Leon who moaned in pain as his stomach growled like an angry beast.


    They sat around the fire, and after the fish was cooked, Leon eagerly started devouring the freshly cooked fish. It was a simple meal, but it tasted heavenly to his hungry stomach. As he ate, Bill kept ncing over at Erin, hoping that she would wake up soon.


    "Hey save some from Erin as well, she must also be hungry after helping Mako defeat that giant beetle," Bill said as he snatched the fish from Leon''s hands.


    Leon had already eaten 6 fish and even though they were medium-sized fish, they could easily feed 2-3 normal people. The appetite of ability users was far greater than normal people with them having to eat tons of food to replenish their energy.


    Leon was really annoyed by Bill snatching his food but understood his reasoning. Erin was sleeping next to him and would also be hungry when she woke so it was only fair that she got eat the remaining fish.


    "Now that you mention it, Where is Mako? I haven''t seen him since I woke up." Leon asked finally realizing the obvious.


    Bill sighed as he replied," I didn''t want to rm you since you just woke up, but Erin came back from the forest alone. She was barely able to walk and it felt like she was trying to say something to me, most likely rted to Mako, but she copsed before she could say anything."


    Leon now had a serious expression on his face as this was a serious matter. His friend was lost in the forest in God knows what condition and he was happily enjoying fish with Bill.


    "Then what are we waiting for? Let''s go and look for him right now!" Leon said as he stood up.


    "We can''t do that, Leon. We have no idea where he is and it will take too long for us to search the entire forest, and we can''t leave Erin unprotected. Only she knows what happened and where Mako is right now, all we can do is wait." Bill said in a somber tone.


    "Well, that may be true for you, but not for me! I can search the forest at super speed!" Leon said as he began dashing toward the forest; however, he only made it several feet before copsing on the ground.


    "Leon, you have just woken up, you haven''t recovered any energy, and you can''t look for him in your current condition," Bill said as he helped him back on his feet.


    "Do we really have no other option?" Leon asked in frustration, cursing over his own weakness.


    "I don''t like this any more than you do, Leon, but all we can do is wait for Erin to wake up," Bill said.


    At that exact moment, Erin''s eyes fluttered open, and she let out a gasp. She blinked several times, trying to focus on her vision.


    She stumbled over to the door of the shelter and saw Bill and Leon arguing over something.


    "Bill? What... what happened?" Erin asked, her voice weak and groggy.


    Bill and Leon turned around in shock as they saw Erin''s figure standing in front of the shelter''s entrance.


    "Erin! Thank goodness you''re awake. You copsed earlier, and we were worried. Do you remember anything?" Bill said as he rushed over to help her walk outside.


    Erin shook her head, her brows furrowing. "I... I remember. I defeated the Beetle King and then..."

 Chapter 205 Resurgence

    It had be evening by the time Erin was done exining all the details to Leon and Bill for the fifth time. They all sat around the fire that Bill had made and Erin was taking small bites of fish to satiate her hunger while also answering every question of Bill and Leon who were still shocked and confused even after hours of Erin repeating the same thing.


    After Erin exined the entire incident as narrated by the patrolling officer for the fifth time, she finally put her foot down.


    "Look, guys, I keep telling you the same thing. I never got a good look at Mako. When I arrived, I aimed straight at that giant beast and finished it off as quickly as I could. However, before I could reach Mako, my mutant gene gave out and I suffered from the aftereffects of overusing it which exhausted me. By the time I came to, he was long gone..." Erin stated in a slightly annoyed and exhausted tone as she finally got to herst piece of fish.


    Bill and Leon didn''t even realize the flow of time as they were so absorbed in the shocking news of Mako''s disqualification.


    "I''m sorry, Erin. I know you have been through a lot, but it is just that, I still can''t believe that he actually got eliminated." Bill said.


    Erin thought that both Bill and Leon would be outraged after they heard that Mako had been disqualified from the tournament, but when she exined to them how he was disqualified, it was as if both of them already knew what Mako had done, and didn''t me her at all.


    They were just shocked that he had to resort to that in the fight against the Beetle King and they had to make Erin keep repeating the events to make sure that what they had seen before matched what Erin was describing.


    "I can''t believe he used that move again, I thought it was just a fluke that first time," Leon said as he thought back to the Dark Raven tournament when Mako publicly revealed his Rage Mode to everyone.


    "What? He has done this kind of thing before?" Erin asked in a bit of a shock as from the way the patrolling officer was describing Mako''s condition, she was very worried about him even making it to the medical clinic alive.


    Both Bill and Leon nodded as they began to exin how he took on 30 guards all by himself during their Jailbird Operation using the same skill.


    Erin was shocked by the feats that Bill and Leon told her about Mako, and now it started to make sense why they were in so much shock.


    "Hang on... What were you guys doing sneaking into a prison warehouse?" Erin asked in curiosity.


    Bill and Leon both had a shock of realization as they both looked at each other with a face that showed that they realized they messed up.


    Bill quickly tried changing the topic and having Erin forget about it, but after seeing both of their reactions, Erin was adamant about learning why they were in such a dangerous location in the first ce.


    If Iris would have been still with them, she would have been facepalming so hard as this was one of her annoying habits. She wouldn''t rest until she was satisfied ying detective and uncovering all secrets.


    Bill and Leon understood that this was a fight that they couldn''t win and so they took a long sigh and began exining their involvement with the Dark Raven and even El Diablo.


    It took another hour or so for Bill and Leon to catch Erin up on all the details regarding the gangs and their involvement with Mako, Bill, and Leon.


    By the end, Erin was leftpletely dumbfounded as she felt like she was sitting withplete strangers and realized how little she actually knew about her new friends.


    Leon had still kept most of her rtionship with her father private as he had only opened up about his emotions to Mako only.


    Erin only knew that Leon''s father was the leader of the Dark Raven and that was it. As soon as she first heard about that, a chill ran down Erin''s spine as she remembered how she had treated the son of a gang leader and was a little afraid for her life.


    Leon quickly judged the change in Erin''s tone and quickly assured her that there was nothing to worry about and that she waspletely safe.


    After a bit more talking, all three of them were on the same page. They were all healthy and fed. They had survived the fifth and final wave and made history that they didn''t even know about. They had lost both Iris and Mako in the final wave which was indeed a heavy blow but they had prepared for these circumstances.


    They knew that there was a low chance of all of them making out of it fine, and now they were dealing with the consequences of their actions.


    As night began to fall, the trio began to discuss their moves going forward as they still had 4 more days until the end of the test.


    They couldn''t believe that so much had happened to them in just 11 days, and were very excited yet scared of what was toe in military school.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    *************


    [At the medical clinic]


    It had been 12 hours since Mako had been admitted into the clinic. He was in pretty bad shape internally as his body waspletely depleted of mana, and the overuse of Rage Mode had left its side effects on his body as well which he didn''t even know about.


    Fortunately for him, Commander Malik was still at the clinic at the time of Mako''s arrival and he was swiftly able to save Mako''s Life. He was already quite surprised and impressed with Iris'' condition, but he was even more surprised after Mako was presented to him in the clinic.


    Commander Malik observed Mako''s condition with a mixture of concern and curiosity. The young cadet''s body was visibly exhausted, showing signs of extreme fatigue and strain. It was clear that Mako had pushed himself to his limits and beyond, but somethingpletely unique was happening with Mako''s body.


    It was refusing to regain mana from the surroundings which was very dangerous.


    Commander Malik had to use some advanced techniques which weren''t even taught to regr doctors and other medical professionals, which forcefully and permanently removed the user''s energy pool to restore mana highways inside another person''s body.


    Many of the mana pathways inside Mako''s body were blocked off and this was the reason why his body couldn''t regenerate energy.


    With mana to contain the abilities that resided in one''s body, the bubble containing the abilities gets destroyed and the abilities get free reign over the person''s body. If the person is untrained and has weak connections with his abilities, the abilities can turn on the person himself and kill him from the inside out.


    Cases like these are very rare as the body continuously absorbs mana from the surrounding and converts it into energy to be stored and then used when needed, but there are some abilities and skills that can hinder a person''s ability to regenerate and in those cases,plete depletion can be fatal.


    "It seems that this young boy''s body has experienced significant internal damage due to the prolonged and intense activation of that skill you mentioned," Commander Malik exined to the patrolling officer that brought him in as well as other people in the room.


    "His organs have been strained, and his overall mana reserves are depleted. The side effects of his power,bined with exhaustion, have taken a toll on his regeneration capabilities." He added.


    "Will he be able to recover?!" The mainmander asked anxiously.


    The mainmander had appeared on a holographic screen as he wanted live updates on Mako''s condition.


    "It will take time and proper care for Mako to recover fully. We will need to monitor his condition closely and provide him with rest, nutrition, and appropriate medical interventions. I am still notpletely sure when he wille to as his case is quite unique from the one I have encountered so far, but he should make a recovery now that he is stable." Commander Malik replied.


    ***************


    [Back at the shelter]


    Erin, Bill, and Leon had been making ns for their next moves. They knew they couldn''t afford to remain stagnant, as the remaining days of the test would pass quickly and they still had to make sure they scored enough points in the eyes of the military to reach the special ss which they were all aiming for.


    Erin suggested that they focus on training and improving their individual abilities during this period. With Mako out ofmission for the time being, it was essential for them to strengthen their skills and be prepared for future challenges.


    Bill and Leon agreed, realizing that thepetition within the military school would only grow fiercer.


    However, before they got to that, Bill had another n in mind.


    Bill suggested that it would be very beneficial for them to find the Golden Loot Crate that was still somewhere on the mountain.


    Since almost the whole mountain was epassed in the highlighted red zone, it meant that nobody else would be on the west mountain as they all had most likely fled the mountain in order to guarantee their safety.


    Erin and Leon hadpletely forgotten about the Golden Loot Crate and agreed that it would be a great help if they were able to find it before the test was over.

 Chapter 206 The Golden Crate

    Excited by the prospect of finding the Golden Loot Crate, Erin, Bill, and Leon set out to look for it the following morning.


    They spent the remaining days trying to recuperate as much energy as possible because even though the tests were over, there were still many dangers on the ind and they needed to be prepared if they wanted to make it through.


    It was rough sleeping knowing that their friends had been eliminated from the recruitment test, but due to their exhausted and overused bodies, it didn''t take long for them to fall asleep.


    Early the next morning, the trio started making their way down the west mountain. The mountain was shrouded in an eerie silence, broken only by the sound of their footsteps as they navigated through the rugged terrain.


    It was almost creepy walking through the forest as they couldn''t even hear the sounds of any birds chirping. Every living thing had migrated from the west mountain, sensing the danger that wasing.


    As they descended, the air became a lot more dense and breathable. They hadn''t noticed it much but due to that altitude, the air was pretty thinpared to the ground and the temperature had also risen by a few degrees. The morning sun cast an ethereal glow on thendscape, illuminating their path as they pressed forward.


    After they had gone down a good distance from the top of the mountain, the three decided on a meet-up point and split in different directions, because if they were going to find this crate, they were going to have to spread the area of search.


    Since there was practically no other living being on the west mountain, they could freely search the area, without having to be on their guard all the time which helped speed up the search a lot.


    Bill, utilized his earth ability and searched for any disturbances in the terrain that could potentially indicate the presence of the crate. His ability was strong enough for him to know what irregrities he was sensing, and it led him to find lots of empty gaps between rocks and the roots of tall trees, but so far he didn''t have any luck finding the crate.


    Leon relied on his speed ability to quickly check several spots as he ran through the forest at moderate speed. He wanted to check as fast as possible but didn''t want to miss anything by mistake. He had covered twice as much area as Bill and trusted his gut feeling to guide him toward the elusive golden crate.


    Erin''s skill set didn''t really suit search and recon missions and so she had to slowly trek through her path, manually checking every nook and cranny to make sure she didn''t leave anything behind. Her wind ability helped her check high ces but so far she didn''t have any luck either.


    The group had searched for a good long while and it was evening time when they all met back at their predetermined meet-up spot, and so far neither of them had any luck finding that crate.


    "Damn, these guys really did hide that thing well," Leon said as he was a bit tired from running around the forest all day.


    "Don''t worry, it should still be somewhere on this mountain. We have only searched one section, but there are a few more to go. We will find it eventually," Bill said trying to raise Leon and Erin''s spirits.


    The trio called it a day and made their way back to the shelter. They repeated this process the following days as well. They would descend the mountain early in the morning and then split off to search a whole section of the west mountain to try and find the golden loot crate.


    By the time they would be done searching, it would be close to nighttime, when they would meet back up together and go back to the shelter to eat dinner and catch some sleep. They took turns sleeping as they were still paranoid of beasts attacking them at night, and so one of them was always awake as they slept to make sure they were safe.


    As the days went by, they were starting to lose hope and think that maybe someone else had already found the golden crate and taken it with them, but they couldn''t be sure until they searched the whole mountain.


    On a positive note, as the days progressed, wildlife started returning back to the mountain and soon the birds started chirping again in the trees and the trio was given a break from fish as they found a goat grazing during their search which they hunted and cooked for dinner.


    Without Mako''s expertise in cooking, the trio was in for an interesting journey as they had to figure out how to prepare the meat as well as how to cook it which wasn''t very pleasant today the least.


    ******************


    [On the 14th day of the recruitment test]


    The trio was pretty much fed up at this point as they had spent almost all of their time looking for the golden crate but still had found nothing, not even the purple ones.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Alongside wildlife, beasts had also returned back to the mountain which was at least a small bonus as they were able to procure a decent amount of crystals from killing beasts that approached the shelter at night as well as those who ambushed them while they were searching.


    Using the remote-controlled drone controller that was still in Mako''s backpack, Bill was able to ess the drone still stationed at the information tablet, and from it, he learned that they would be extracted from the ind the next day at noon, marking thepletion of the recruitment test.


    All three of them were very excited to finally leave the ind and reunite with Mako and Iris, but they were also a bit anxious as they wanted to find the golden crate so badly as they had invested so much time in it at this point.


    Today was thest day that they could search for the golden crate and all three of them were trying very hard, looking in every single crack to try and find that crate.


    Erin had been searching along the small stream that led back to the area where they fought the group of 8 cadets, right by the foot of the mountain.


    Since they had already been here, Erin had low hopes of finding anything there, but she still wanted to just double-check it to make sure there was no doubt left in her mind.


    As she approached the area where they had their battle, she could still see some of the scars from the battle that had taken ce here a couple of days ago.


    She looked around a bit but was quickly disappointed because just like she had anticipated, there was nothing to find there. As she was about to leave and head back from where she came, she decided to stop by the stream and get a sip of water as she was parched from walking all day.


    Suddenly, a glint of gold caught Erin''s eye.


    "Huh?" Erin said in confusion.


    She looked around a bit to see where it wasing from and saw that it wasing from the bed of the stream.


    She approached the spot cautiously, her heart pounding with anticipation. With bated breath, she reached in and removed theyer of rock and sand that was covering the spot which was glimmering in a golden color, and uncovered the Golden Loot Crate buried beneath the sand and rock.


    "OH MY GOD!" Erin shouted out in excitement as she had done it. She had finally found the golden crate, marking their mission a sess.


    She was so surprised and shocked to find that the golden crate was hidden at the exact spot where they had fought the group of 8 cadets and had first learned about the loot crates in the first ce.


    She quickly dug the golden crate out of the stream and started sprinting back to their meet-up point, with the crate wrapped tightly around her arm.


    Leon and Bill had already arrived at the meet-up point with empty hands as they were unable to find the crate. They were quite saddened by this and were now just waiting on Erin to show up so that they could return back to their shelter.


    "Guys! *pant!* *pant!* I found it!" Erin shouted over to Bill and Leon from afar as she ran toward the meet-up point.


    Both boys turned around to see Erin towards them with a golden crate wrapped around her arm. They were surprised to see that Erin was able to find the loot crate at thest minute.


    They ran towards her and congratted her as all three of them hugged each other at the exact same time.


    They were all pretty excited and happy. Leon wanted to open the crate right away but Bill being a bit more sensible, suggested that they should take it back to the shelter and open it in peace as it was almost nighttime and beasts would be a lot more active during the night.


    After a bit of convincing, he agreed that it was indeed the right call and the trio made their way back toward the shelter full of excitement as they couldn''t wait to find out what great treasures were stored in the golden crate.

 Chapter 207 Contents Of The Golden Crate

    The trio rushed back to their shelter in excitement and immediately went to open the golden crate.


    Bill did the honors this time as he pressed the button on the top of the crate and pulled on the lever next to it to open the lid. The crate made the usual small hissing sound as the lid was opened indicating the air-tight seal.


    The contents of the crate were once again disyed on the holographic screen on the lid of the crate; however, this time instead of 5 items like the purple loot crates, the golden loot crate had 6 itemspressed in those small little ck containers.


    The holographic disy on the lid disyed the description of each item stored in the small little ck containers and practically gave out the same exnation as Mako''s Analyze skill.


    The screen on the lid of the loot crate disyed:


    [Advanced First Aid Kit: Aprehensive medical kit equipped with a variety of supplies for treating injuries and emergencies. It includes super absorbent bandages, disinfectants, splints, high-tier healing pills, and dissolving stitches.]


    [Gourmet Self-Heating MRE x 10: Self-heating ready-to-eat mouth-watering, gourmet meals that can provide instant and warm food during emergencies.]


    [Mineral Water Purification Tablets x 20: A tablet that dissolves by itself and has the ability topletely purify one liter of contaminants from water and convert them into harmless by-products. These tablets also include important minerals and electrolytes, making them a much more tasty, refreshing, and replenishing drink.]


    [Emergency Shelter Tent: A lightweight and durable tent designed for quick setup and protection from the elements. It provides a secure andfortable shelter during outdoor expeditions or emergency situations.]


    [High Tier Azure Reptile Breastte]


    [High Tier Hydro Bow]


    All three of them were surprised to see that there were six items instead of five, but it was to be expected from a higher-tier loot crate.


    However, what excited them, even more, was the quality of the loot that they received from the golden crate.


    The trio was very excited to use some of these items and so they started opening the small ck little container one by one theypletely copsed once opened and revealed the object that was stored inside of them.


    The advanced first aid kit had all the necessary things to heal and tend to any kind of injury that a cadet could receive on the ind.


    From Super absorbent bandages made with a special fabric that could soak up 10 times as many fluids as regr bandages to multiple high-tier healing pills that can help heal any physical injury.


    Alongside that, the first aid kit also included disinfectants to make sure the person doesn''t get infected by a disease that couldn''t be cured by healing pills and also stitches that could merge with the flesh over time, leaving no mark behind on the body.


    The medical kit also had a general-purpose anti-venom for low-quality poisons which made Bill a bit salty, knowing how difficult it was for Mako to even find that thing in the first ce.


    Since they were going to be extracted tomorrow, there wasn''t any need for the first aid kit, but since it was mentioned that cadets could keep whatever they found on the ind, it would be a great thing to have in case of emergencies.


    The gourmet MREs and Mineral water purification tablets were a bit underwhelming considering this was a golden loot crate; however, their minds were quickly changed after Leon decided to give one of them a try.


    It had been quite a while since any of them had any kind of properly seasoned food or good quality mineral drinking water, so even though these things didn''t seem so great at first, just one taste was enough for Bill and Leon to start fighting over the slow roasted duck fillets that Leon was munching from the MRE.


    Next was an emergency shelter that could be set up in 30 seconds with minimal effort. The trio was also a bit salty about this find as it would have been so great if they would have found this before they had to spend almost a day building their current shelter.


    The emergency shelter was almost the same size as their current shelter but waspacted into a smooth ball, no bigger than a baseball with a red button that had the words "EJECT" written on it.


    Just like the medical first aid kit, the trio really didn''t have a need for the shelter at that moment so they decided to just save it because they were sure that the military would put them in dangerous situations in the future as well where it woulde in real handy.


    After they had seen themon items, they finally went for thest two ck balls that contained the most important and prized loot that made searching for the golden loot crate for 3 days all worth it.


    The first ck ball disintegrated to reveal a beautiful teal and blue color gradient chest armor that was mostly made of scales and resembled a bit like Bill''s Medium Tier Scorpion Leopard Breastte as it had the same profile but was much more durable and strong.


    Bill inspected the chest armor by hand while Erin read out the description of the beautiful chest armor so that they could all learn what kind of boosts, the armor could provide.


    [High Tier Azure Reptile Breastte]


    [An excellent chest armor forged from the crystal and scales of the Azure Reptiles]


    [Defense: 90]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Resistance to all basic elemental attacks: +15%]


    [Active Skill: Azure Shield]


    [Azure Shield: When activated, the Azure Reptile Breastte generates a sturdy energy shield that envelops the wearer and anybody else within a 4 feet radius, providing enhanced protection against physical and elemental attacks. The shield''s strength is a product of the wearer''s natural defense and power level. It can withstand powerful blows for a limited duration.]


    [Base Shield Hitpoints: 250 HP]


    [Max Shield Hitpoints: 1000 HP]


    [Duration: 180 seconds]


    [Cooldown: 1 hour]


    It was a very strong piece of armor with great defensive capabilities and an insane active skill that made the wearer in an ideal sense invulnerable for 3 minutes.


    3 minutes might seem like a very small amount of time, but in an intense fight where every second is precious, 3 minutes of invulnerability can really tip the scales in the wearer''s favor.


    As Bill grazed his hands over the beautiful chest armor, he was debating whether or not to ditch his current chest armor for this brand new and improved one, but in the end, he decided not to.


    He already had a decent piece of armor that was still in decent condition and the chest armor could help other members of the group more than him.


    Leon refused the offer because he stated that the armor was in the heavy armor category which didn''t really suit him as he preferred light armor so that it couldn''t hinder his speed.


    Erin also refused the high-tier armor stating that she didn''t really like bulky armor and that was the reason she didn''t equip one for the test even though it was provided to them by their sponsor and instead, she gave it to Andrew.


    With both of them having refused the offer, Bill decided to save it for now and gift it to a certain someone.


    Erin opened the other back ball which revealed a beautiful light blue and green colored bow that resembled the ocean.


    A strong power was emanating from the bow as it got dropped into Erin''s hands, and Erin suddenly felt a boost in one of her abilities which was simr to when she activated her mutant gene, but just a lot less intense.


    Erin was confused by the sudden intense feeling of power and asked Leon to read the description to find out what was causing this power surge.


    [High Tier Hydro Bow]


    [A beautifully crafted bow made from abination of different beasts, each possessing the water ability as their primary ability.]


    [Attack: 80]


    [Water Affinity: Since this bow was crafted by thebinations of several different water crystals, it has gone under a unique mutation where the bow now possesses a strong affinity for the water ability, amplifying the user''s water ability and allowing them to channel and manipte water with greater precision and control.]


    [Active Skill: Aqua Surge]


    [Aqua Surge: By drawing back the bowstring with intent, the hydro bow releases a concentrated arrow infused with the power of water. Upon impact, the arrow bursts open, creating a surge of pressurized water that engulfs the target and those in its vicinity. The Aqua Surge inflicts substantial damage and has a chance to apply a "Drenched" status effect, reducing the target''s agility temporarily.]


    [Duration of the "Drenched" status effect: 45 seconds]


    [Additional Damage: 30]


    [This active skill has a cooldown of 5 minutes.]


    [NOTE: Mastery of water ability is necessary to effectively wield the High Tier Hydro Bow. Without the ability to harness water maniption, the bow''s true potential cannot be fully realized.]


    "Wow," Erin said as she gripped the hydro bow.

 Chapter 208 Regaining Conscious

    Erin was taken aback by the description that Leon read to her about the Hydro Bow she was currently holding in her hands.


    She had learned a bit about how power weapons were crafted during her time training by the sponsors, but most of the information was still redacted as it was illegal to teach these methods to the general public.


    The military had taken steps to prevent information like this to be released to the general public, because if unqualified people would start doing what they do, not only would they get hurt but the existing ck market for power weapons and armor would rise exponentially.


    Even though people could still get their hands on power weapons without a license through various means, it was still at a minute scale, and not just anyone could obtain them.


    This made it so that the general poption would be safe because if everyone started owning power weapons and armor on top of having up to level 3 abilities, these individuals could cause real damage and it will exhaust the military''s resources trying to get them under control.


    Since Humanity was a gctic race now, and had an influence on many different worlds and alliances, the military couldn''t afford to spend their precious resources trying to solve problems in their own world, as they would rather spend it to spread their influence over the entire gxy even more.


    This was another reason why there were still gangs roaming around in almost every city. The military kept a watchful eye on their activities and as long as they didn''t cross a certain threshold, they wouldn''t interfere.


    However, with those gangs in ce, the crime was organized and controble, plus those gangs would do the military''s dirty work and round up any ck markets that would appear in their city.


    The gangs would make sure that city was safe from a high-level threat, and in return, the military would not interfere with them running part of or the whole city in whatever way that they deemed was right.


    It was a sad reality but this arrangement had been able to maintain a certain level of peace so that the military can focus on expanding and solidifying its position as one of the superpowers of the milky way.


    From the information Erin had learned, she only knew that power weapons could be crafted through only a single type of crystal at a time, so this was the first time she was encountering a power weapon that was crafted from multiple different crystals.


    Every crystal was different, its size, shape, color, glow, and power were all determined by which beast it came from, what abilities could it use, how strong was it physically, and how big or small its size was.


    Scientists had been trying to create an identification system that could identify the qualities of a crystal just by judging the beast, but it had always led to failure as no crystal had anything inmon with another crystal that would allow them to group them into a ss.


    It didn''t mean sses didn''t exist. Scientists were able to ss the different crystals by their shape, size, and glow and grade it ordingly, but just that they couldn''t figure out that information until the crystal was extracted from the beast.


    There was also a difference in when the crystal was extracted. If the beast had gone berserk before it was killed, the crystals were generallyrger in size but lower in quality in power, because when the beast goes berserk, the crystal begins to expand as it delivers additional power to the beast and that expansion leads it to inevitably explode which is why beasts lose their ability to manipte mana after going berserk.


    This was the reason why the crystal that Bill had extracted from the Beetle King was bigger than his palm and dimmer in glowpared to the crystal that Erin extracted, which was small enough to easily fit inside her loose military pants and had a brighter glow.


    It was still a mystery how the crystals they had extracted became all the different things such as skill books, ability books, power weapons, and power armor, but that information could only be obtained if a person was part of the military and lucky for Bill, Leon, and Erin as they were headed to do just that.


    They would finally be able to satiate their curiosity and uncover the mysteries that had been hidden from them for so long.


    ****************


    As Erin held onto the Hydro bow, the feeling of her aura getting stronger was almost intoxicating and she never wanted to let go of it; however, her senses had not been dulledpletely and she set the bow down next to the chest armor.


    As soon as she let go of the bow, her aura returned to its normal state and it felt like there was a hole in her body now. Her body had been given a taste of greater strength, and it wanted to remain in that state.


    Her body urged her to pick up the Hydro bow again, but her will was stronger as she overcame her desire and stopped herself.


    Even though the bow was practically useless in the hands of Bill or Leon, Erin knew that she wouldn''t be the right match for it either despite her having the water ability.


    She was never the person who could fight long rage battles and always preferred closebat. Even her ranged skill, Ice Gun was a nightmare to handle because even though she had power, she had no uracy and this led her to almost always miss her mark.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Since Erin had the privilege of only using her skill onrger enemies, uracy wasn''t really a problem because even though the bullet didn''t hit where she wanted it to hit, the bullet would still hit a part of the enemy''s body do its job which was good enough for now, but Erin knew that she would have to improve her uracy if she wanted to use the skill in a serious fight where mistakes could mean defeat.


    If Erin kept the bow as her main power weapon, she would be limiting herself to being a ranged fighter when that wasn''t really her forte. This was why she decided to let go of the bow. In her mind, she knew the perfect person to give this bow as her uracy was many times better than hers and rangedbat suited her the best.


    With that, the trio had taken everything that the golden crate had to offer, and now they just had to stay put until tomorrow afternoon, when they would be extracted from the ind and would officially be students at the military school.


    The trio spent the night savoring the delicious meals provided in the gourmet MREs and washing them down with the mineral water tablets as they were truly enjoying to some good food after a long time. They only wished in their hearts that all of their friends could be here to enjoy this great food, but it wouldn''t be long until they would be reunited again.


    **************


    [At the military clinic]


    [Slumber Timer: 00:00:05]


    [00:00:03]


    [00:00:02]


    [00:00:01]


    [User is no longer exhausted]


    [User can now escape from Slumber]


    These were the prompts being disyed by the system as Mako''s eyes slowly began to twitch and open asid on the hospital bed in one of the recovery rooms.


    Dozens of prompts suddenly sted on the holographic screen in front of Mako''s eyes, worsening his already terrible headache as he couldn''t even piece together what had happened or where he was at the moment.


    ''Silence Notifications,'' Makomanded the system, and just like that, the notifications became silent again and the disy got quickly removed from the front of his eyes.


    Now that the system disy was gone, Mako could focus on his surroundings and figure out where he was.


    He was in a clean white room with a simple modern design and was currentlyying on a small bed with simple sheets and covers.


    "A hospital... when did I... How did..." Mako said weakly as he tried to remember the events that had happened before he passed out.


    After giving his brain a few minutes toe to its senses and start remembering, Mako now knew how he got here. He had activated his rage mode on the brink of death and was fighting the Beetle King, he had dealt a fatal blow, but it still wasn''t enough to kill it. It was then that Mako remembered the system stating something about overusing Rage Mode, and the next thing he knew he was passed out.


    Mako had no recollection of what the system had stated as he wasn''t in his own usual self while under the effects of Rage Mode and so to try and piece the rest of the puzzle, Mako decided to open the system interface again to try and learn what those prompts were.


    ''Open System...'' Mako said in his thoughts, but before he couldplete hismand, someone burst through the door and rushed toward him.


    Mako was focused on his thoughts so he wasn''t able to recognize the person who had just burst into his room at first, but then as the person reached closer to embrace him in a hug, Mako realized who this person was.


    "Iris...?" Mako said in confusion.

 Chapter 209 A Chat With Commander Malik

    Mako''s confusion quickly turned into a mix of relief and joy as he recognized Iris. Her face was filled with a mixture of worry and relief as she held him tightly in her embrace.


    "Mako, you''re awake! Thank goodness!" Iris eximed, her voice filled with genuine concern.


    "Why... how long was I out for?" Mako asked weakly as he had yet to regain much strength.


    Before Iris could answer, several more people burst into the room. Two of them were wearing light blue outfits that resembled scrubs and were the nurses operating the clinic. Another was wearing simr scrubs but was also wearing a long white coat which indicated that she was a doctor, while thest person was wearing a simple whiteb coat over his regr military uniform and had ssing dangling off hisb coat''s front pocket.


    "Check his condition, make sure he is stable." The man in the military uniform ordered the doctors and nurses who quickly began operating several different machines that were hooked up to Mako.


    Medical technology had progressed and advanced so much that there was no need for CAT scans, X-Rays, or MRIs to be of use anymore. All of those and other tests could be done by microscopic machines called nanites equipped with different tools to carry out those tests and they provided highly urate results, much greater than what humanity had before.


    The doctors and nurses were operating the controllers of the nanites who would either eject themselves after they had done their task or disintegrate into harmless particles that enter the bloodstream and get excreted by the person.


    "Bloodwork hase out clear!" The first nurse announced.


    "All organs seemed to be functioning properly!" the second nurse announced.


    "All mana highways have been restored and there are no more blockages to be found." the doctor said.


    "So everything is clear?" The man in the military uniform asked the doctor for confirmation to which she nodded yes.


    "There is no physical damage left on the body and he is in perfect condition," The doctor concluded.


    "Great, thank you for your good work! you may leave." The man in the military uniform said.


    The medical staff quickly obeyed the man''s order and exited the room leaving only Mako, Iris, and him alone in the room.


    "Miss Cooper, I asked you to not approach him until he was examined by me." The man said politely with a tiny bit of annoyance, but it was mostly just concern.


    "Commander Malik, I couldn''t stay still, he and his friends saved me from danger many times, and when I overheard those nurses talking about his condition, and that he might die, I just could not stop myself from knowing how he was doing," Iris said very emotionally.


    Commander Malik sighed as he knew what Iris was going through and he couldn''t really get mad as she didn''t break a major order or anything.


    On the other hand, Mako was breathing heavily and was in absolute shock after he heard Iris'' words.


    "What!? I was going to die! How? What happened to me!?" Mako rightfully shouted out of shock as he demanded to know what happened while he was still knocked out.


    "It''s okay son, you weren''t in any danger, those nurses were just overwhelmed by your condition when you were first brought into the clinic. We have never seen a condition like yours before, and that was why they were all so worried." Commander Malik calmly exined to Mako.


    "Why... what happened to me? I was fighting the Beetle King and then... I copsed," Mako said weakly.


    "Oh, you know that beast''s name?" Commander Malik said as he was surprised that a cadet would have info on the Beetle King.


    Mako instantly regretted opening his mouth. The only reason, he knew the giant beetle''s name was Terra Beetle King was because he had used Analyze on it, but he couldn''t reveal that to themander.


    Mako trembled internally as he quickly tried to think of an excuse.


    "Umm... no, I just thought that it might be a king since it was bigger than the rest, and also the smaller ones seemed to obey theirmand," Mako said as he crossed his fingers from under the sheets, hoping that themander would believe his awful lie.


    "You have some keen observation skills if you were able to figure that out." The Commander praised.


    "As to what happened to you, I honestly don''t know myself and I was hoping you could give me some answers." Commander Malik added.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Me...?" Mako asked in surprise as he didn''t expect the conversation to go this way.


    "From the report that the patrolling officers gave me, you were hit pretty hard by that... Beetle King and you got lodged into a boulder on the brink of death, but before they could reach you, your body suddenly got enveloped in what looked to be mes, but notpletely." Commander Malik began narrating.


    "Your injuries began to heal instantly, and you got a sudden huge boost in power that even made the officers shudder a bit. It looked like you were still in control but you were fighting more wildly than before and in the end, you overcame the power of that advanced-tier beast andnded a fatal blow that almost killed you, but you ended up copsing a momentter." The Commander added.


    "The report clearly stated that the beast was as good as dead, so your sudden copse was a side effect of that skill you utilized, I presume which lead me to my question. What was that skill you utilized that did all that, but left you in such a terrible state afterward?" Commander Malik concluded as he asked Mako the main question.


    Mako was prepared for this moment from the time he had decided to use Rage Mode again. He knew that a lot of people would point fingers and ask questions about his unique skill, and he need to make a believable lie that would still protect his secret but won''t make him suspicious of anything.


    "Um... I actually have no idea myself. I can''t use it on will, it just activates by itself when I am in an intense losing fight and have taken a lot of damage. My mind bes cloudy and I can''t remember much except rage and anger that fuels my strength. It gives me a boost so that I can defeat my opponents and then it deactivates by itself leaving me exhausted." Mako said.


    Mako''s strategy was quite simple, he would exin the working of Rage Mode truthfully, but he would hide the part that it was him that activates it by will from the system and instead just show himself to be as clueless as themander, so that it wouldn''t be a cause for suspicion at all.


    However, Commander Malik didn''t look so convinced after Mako exined what he had used to defeat the Beatle King. It was a pretty strong skill, so having so many unknowns was also pretty suspicious for him and now Mako had to quickly think of a follow-up to salvage the situation.


    "My friend''s father is a very strong man, and he said that I prematurely awakened my quirk, but he didn''t borate on it any further, so I was stuck with limited knowledge and was hoping to learn more about it in military school." Mako quickly added


    This finally caught themander''s attention as his eyes opened a bit wider and his expression showed surprise as he couldn''t believe a normal cadet would even know about quirks.


    Awakening quirks was a pretty rare thing in the higher levels of power and it was almost impossible for beginners to awaken quirks, but there are always exceptions.


    Young cadets who were able to awaken their quirks very early had super strong genes and ess to many resources that allowed them to train and refine their bodies and abilities to be able to even awaken their quirks, which is a chance itself as even with all the right conditions, often times they can''t awaken their quirks.


    People who had sessfully or partially awakened their quirks were very valuable as it was an indication that there was no limit to how high of a level they could grow into. This was why themander was immediately hooked because Mako''s disy definitely did match the properties of a quirk.


    It was just that nobody could have expected a normal cadet to even partially awaken their quirk which was why the thought didn''t even cross their minds.


    Seeing themander''s reaction, Mako knew that he had salvaged the situation and now he could rest easy because just like Paul, themander also thought that Mako''s Rage Mode was a quirk.


    Mako had no idea about what quirks were actually, and neither did the system''s Ask feature give him any clues so he was also curious about learning what they were and if he could actually achieve one.


    Mako and themander conversed for another 15 minutes and he told him about all the details that had happened since he was knocked out a couple of days ago.


    He learned that Iris recovered fully the following day after being admitted and received a good scolding from themander for using a forbidden technique that could have ended her life.


    Mako had no clue what this forbidden technique was or how she used it, but he just made a mental note to ask Iris about it himselfter.


    "Erin, Leon, and Bill had survived the final horde wave and would be extracted from the ind tomorrow, marking the end of the recruitment test." The Commander stated.


    Themander didn''t go into any detail about the test, or their results. Both Mako and Iris were pretty anxious as they didn''t know what would happen to them since they were disqualified from the test prematurely.


    However, even after a lot of pleading themander didn''t budge and just told them that they would get all their answers tomorrow, and with that he told Iris to leave the room with him and to let Mako get some rest and recover some energy for tomorrow.


    Iris reluctantly agreed with themander and got up from beside Mako''s bed and proceeded to leave alongside themander. She still had a lot of things to talk about but it would all have to wait until tomorrow when all five of them will be reunited again.


    After all of them left the room, Mako quickly turned the system interface back on andmanded the system to open the notifications tab.


    ''Let''s see what all has happened,'' Mako thought to himself as the notification tab exploded with notifications.

 Chapter 210 Penalties & Rewards

    Mako decided to ignore the new notifications and scroll back from the time that he was fighting the Beetle King when the system forcefully deactivated his Rage Mode.


    [Notifications] ?


    [(200+) Unread messages]


    [Forcefully Deactivating Rage Mode]


    [The remaining Rage mode bar has beenpletely depleted and converted into energy in order to support the Energy Beam skill for additional 7 seconds.]


    [User was unsessful in eliminating the singr target while Rage Mode was active.]


    [Calcting penalty]


    [The User is Exhausted]


    [Penalty Calcted]


    [Penalty: -50,000 EXP]


    [CAUTION!]


    [Due to the use of Rage energy to fuel the insufficient mana cost of maintaining the Energy Stream Skill, User''s mana highways have beenpletely destroyed.]


    [Without any working many highways, the user can not regenerate, move, or manipte mana.]


    [Risk of abilities going rouge and destroying the user''s body from the inside out]


    [SYSTEM OVERRIDE]


    [The system will be shutting down the user''s body and cing it under DEEP SLUMBER until the sufficient mana highways are reconstructed]


    [User''s body shutting down in 3... 2... 1...]


    [Complete Body Shutdown]


    [User has entered DEEP SLUMBER] ?


    [Time until recovery: 24 Days]


    [¡­]


    The notifications continued to move forward but ordered them to pause here as there was just so much to unpack in just these few notifications alone.


    Whilst Rage Mode was active, Mako really didn''t pay attention to the prompts that were appearing in front of him as his only goal at that point was to eliminate the Beetle King which he failed to do.


    Because of this not only did he lose fifty thousand experience points, but in his rage, he substituted his exhausted energy reserve with his Rage energy which ended up destroying all the channels in his body that allowed mana to flow through and reach different parts of the body.


    Mako was in shock after he understood the severity of his prior condition, and once again thanked the system for stepping in and saving him from literal death.


    If a regr person had ess to Rage Mode and they destroyed all of their mana highways, it was almost a certainty that they would die as the freed abilities stored inside them would finally be allowed to roam free and ravage the person''s body.


    It is extremely rare for a person to be very in tune with their abilities that their abilities wouldn''t go out of control even if their mana supply is cut off, but Mako wasn''t that person, so he didn''t understand how the system was able to prevent such from happening to him.


    The answer was the DEEP SLUMBER things that the system put him in immediately after Rage Mode was disabled. Mako had no clue as to what it was and so he decided to use click on the information symbol next to for more info.


    [DEEP SLUMBER] ?


    [Deep Slumber is aa-like state that the system can forcefully put the user in if the user''s body has sustained significant damage that might endanger their life and cannot be healed quickly enough.


    Once Deep Slumber has been activated, all of the user''s bodily functions drop to 5% working capacity, including the brain and heart so that they use the absolute minimum amount of energy from the limited reserves within the user''s body in order to remain alive.


    The remaining resources of the body are allocated to repairing the body as much as possible and once the body has achieved a stable enough condition, the system would bring the user out of the Deep Slumber.


    External help can help speed up the recovery process and shorten the time for Deep Slumber to end, but it will ultimately be the system''s decision, whether the user has recovered enough to awaken again.]


    Mako was amazed to learn that the system had such a backup method to save him in case he was ever in real danger of dying.


    *DING!*


    Even while Mako was reading the older notifications, it seemed like he was getting more. He decided to ignore these for now as well as he wanted to relive and read all the notifications in the order they were released.


    Mako was really intrigued by the DEEP SLUMBER mechanic integrated into the system and wondered what other mechanics had his great-grandfather and his team added to help in his ever-difficult journey.


    Mako realized that DEEP SLUMBER was a very double edge sword since he had no control over when the system would deem it necessary for him to enter it.


    If just like when he was fighting the Beetle King, the enemy he is fighting doesn''t die, he would be at their mercy as he would no longer be able to fight back.


    Fortunately for him, Commander Malik told him how Erin arrived on the scene just as he copsed and finished off the Beetle King before it could reach and kill him.


    Mako was very thankful to Erin; however, this didn''t excuse the fact that it was still very dangerous for the next time when he would be in a simr situation where if he doesn''t have any allies nearby, it would be game over for him.


    Knowing this Mako made a mental note that going forward, he would only activate PERSEVERANCE, if it was absolutely necessary so that he wouldn''t be in a simr situation again.


    After this Mako resumed the flow of notifications.


    [Slumber Timer: 23:23:59:49]


    *<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    *


    *


    [Slumber Timer: 23:23:40:03]


    [User has begun receiving external healing]


    *


    *


    *


    [External Healing Complete]


    [Calcting Slumber Timer]


    [Slumber Timer: 3:00:00:00]


    Mako recognized this as Commander Malik''s doing as he was the one who used his advanced healing abilities to heal him and help his body a lot during the recovery time. Of course, there were some things that even Commander Malik couldn''t heal and this was to be done by his body only which required only 3 days rather than 24 toplete.


    *


    *


    *


    [Slumber Timer: 00:00:05]


    [00:00:03]


    [00:00:02]


    [00:00:01]


    [User is no longer exhausted]


    [User can now escape from Slumber]


    These were the notifications that Mako had received as he woke up from his slumber, so the following notifications were all those he had silenced, and Mako was very excited to learn what these notifications were about.


    *DING!*


    [A Difficult Advanced-Tier Beast Has Been Defeated]


    [+50,000 EXP]


    "Wait, what?!" Mako couldn''t help but say it out loud as the very next notifications werepletely mind-boggling.


    ''The system mentioned before that I wasn''t able to kill that Beetle King while Rage Mode was still active which was why I received such a great penalty, but now it is saying that I killed it?'' Mako said to himself.


    Before things got any more confusing, the system stepped up as a prompt message appeared in front of Mako exining the details of what happened.


    [Since the user was unable to kill the target while Rage Mode was active, the penalty is indeed valid; however, soon after going to DEEP SLUMBER, Erin Robinsonnded the finishing blow killing the advanced tier beast. Since the user had dealt 90% of the damage to the beast and had the greatest contribution, the system had deemed it that the user shall receive the rewards for the kill of the Terra Beetle King]


    Mako was at a loss for words. He always treated the system like a machine, but right now it had proved to Mako that it had a great amount of intelligence and could make decisions based on the situation Mako was currently in.


    The concept of getting rewards for kills was virtually in every single MMORPG game that Gary forced Mako to y whenever he used to visit him.


    Even though he didn''t have much of an interest in such old-school games, he still had to y them decently, and one part that he hated the most was that no matter the contribution, the yer who gave the final blow would end up getting the kill and the rewards even if he didn''t contribute much.


    This prospect really annoyed Mako, and after he got the system and saw how simr it was to those games, he subconsciously started treating it in the same manner as those games.


    However, the system had blown past his expectations as it usedmon sense and saw that Mako was the one that dealt the most damage to the Beetle King, and hence should receive the reward for the kill.


    Mako was very happy with this and he didn''t even mind that the reward canceled out the penalty, leaving him with nothing as he just moved on.


    [An Amazing Achievement!]


    [The user has in an extremely dangerous beast]


    [Rewards: +200,000 EXP]


    [Quest Completed!]


    [Obtain 3 amazing achievements]


    [Rewards: New Title]


    Mako was very happy that his dangerous fight was enough to count as an amazing achievement, and he was very satisfied with the rewards, plus now he had another title that might be less dangerous and useful than PERSEVERANCE, but there was only one way to find out.


    [Titles] ? (NEW!)


    [Avable Titles: PERSEVERANCE]


    [Active Title(s): PERSEVERANCE, DAREDEVIL (LEVEL 1)]

 Chapter 211 DARE DEVIL

    Mako was very intrigued by the name of the new title and quickly proceeded to select the information tab next to it to get more Info.


    [DARE DEVIL (LEVEL 1)] ?


    [By constantly challenging oneself, and aiming to reach a greater and greater height, a person is bound to shatter their limits and grow exponentially. Shattering their past limits is a quality that the user has be quite used to and with the constant urge to better themself to reach a greater level of power, the user has unlocked this title.


    DARE DEVIL is an upgradable active title that has to be activated manually. If the user finds themself in a risky situation where their current strength might not be sufficient to deal with the problem at hand, DARE DEVIL can be activated.


    Once DARE DEVIL is activated, the user has to pay a fine in order for the effects to be applied to the user. Once the fine is paid, the user gains substantial boosts to the user providing them with the power to overpower their opponents. The fine that is paid will be permanent; however, the boosts provided will be temporary.


    DARE DEVIL (LEVEL 1): Once Dare Devil has been activated, the trade-off has to bepleted and the user cannot back out. Currently, Dare Devil is at Level One, and it offers the following trades:


    500,000 EXP --> (30) Temporary Attribute points ?


    250,000 EXP --> 10% Omni Boost ?


    750,000 EXP --> (1) Basic Full Heal ?


    1,000,000 EXP --> (1) Full Rage Bar ?


    500,000 EXP --> (2) Random Temporary Ability Skills ?


    DARE DEVIL deactivates once the trade-off has beenpleted. After the trade has beenpleted, DARE DEVIL can not be activated for 30 days.


    Dare Devil can be upgraded all the way to Level 3 which grants the user more and better trades.


    Upgrade Requirements: Achieve 5 more outstanding achievements.


    NOTE: Dare Devil can not be activated if the user doesn''t have enough free EXP to at least choose one of the 5 trades avable.]


    Mako was at a loss for words for the insane title that he had just received. Just like PERSERVERANCE, the new DARE DEVIL title had a major positive, but also a major negative.


    It was basically the system providing him another backup; however, this one he had full control over. It was essentially burning his free EXP to provide him temporary boosts against an opponent or enemy.


    Mako was a bit curious about some of the trades and how some of them would be applied to him temporarily so he decided to select the information and learn about all of them.


    [(30) Temporary Attribute Points] ?


    [Once the trade has been made, the user will receive 30 temporary attribute points that they can allocate to their stats exactly as regr attribute points. The duration of temporary attribute points is 3 hours after which they will be removed from the stats applied. The temporary attribute points bypass the level cap on attributes and can be applied even if the attribute is maxed out with respect to the user''s current level]


    [10% Omni Boost] ?


    [Once the Trade has been made, the user will receive a 10% Omni Boost. An Omni boost temporarily increases all the user''s current attributes by a certain percentage. Omni Boostsst for a small amount of time and will be removed after 1 hour]


    [(1) Basic Full Heal] ?


    [Once the Trade has been made, the user will receive a Basic Full Heal. A Basic Full Heal essentially makes it so that all physical damage up to 500 HP on the user''s body is instantly healed, and the user receives a +200% boost in health and mana regeneration for the next 30 minutes.]


    [(1) Full Rage Bar] ?


    [Once the Trade has been made, the user''s rage meter would be filled up 100%. The user can activate Rage Mode normally; however, since PERSERVERANCE wasn''t activated, it can still be activated after the duration of the first Rage Mode has psed. The user will still suffer from the "Exhaustion" status effect, but only for the next 5 minutes instead of 10]


    [(2) Random Temporary Ability Skills] ?<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    [Once the Trade has been made, the user will receive 2 random temporary ability skills. The skills provided would be based on the abilities that the user can use and their tier would be capped ording to the user''s current level and strength. The random ability skills will have a 50% reduction in energy cost, but will be removed from the user''s skills tab after 1 hour]


    Every single trade was very unique and helpful that could help Mako out in many different situations. DARE DEVIL was a unique title that could help Mako essentially get out of any situation as long as he had free EXP stored up.


    EXP was a major issue for Mako currently as to move up the final Level 15, would require him 8 Million EXP and he was extremely far away from reaching that currently if he was to burn his EXP for a temporary boost, it would have to be worth it cause it would require him to grind a whole lot more to reach that point again.


    However, with that said, Mako was really excited to add such an amazing and versatile tool in his belt which would surely help him get out of dangerous situations in the future.


    After Mako had thoroughly studied the workings and uses of his new Title, he still decided to keep PERSEVERANCE as the active title because he didn''t even have much EXP to freely buy any of the trades and it would be a waste for him to keep DARE DEVIL as the active title as it wouldn''t do anything for him currently.


    Mako decided to keep the passive PERSEVERANCE title active as it would passively prompt him to activate once the conditions were met, and if he was ever in need of the DARE DEVIL title, switching it over will only take a second.


    There were only a few more notifications left and these were the ones that he just received as he was learning about the Deep Slumber mechanic.


    *DING!*


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Experience and Explore the working of DEEP SLUMBER]


    [Reward: +25,000 EXP, New Video Message]


    [New Video Message] ?


    [Video Log #003390 ying]


    The video started off by showing a bit of static and instability like usual making Mako a bit sick in the stomach. However, soon the video gradually stabilized again and the colors became more vibrant and sharp.


    The background was the exact Lab, and this time there were several people sitting in front of giant holographic monitors disying what looked to be extremelyplex programming software.


    The software wasn''tplete as new lines of code were constantly being added at the bottom of the screen, showing that it was still in development.


    The camera angle moved up, indicating that the camera was being adjusted and suddenly the zoom on the camera got reduced, widening the entire scene now Mako could see the entireb with tens of people in whiteb coats working on differentponents.


    The camera quickly focused itself and the entire background became blurred as a single chair came into focus right in front of the camera. A person walked around towards the chair and took a seat facing the camera.


    This person had dark green hair just like Mako and a face void of wrinkles. He looked rather handsome with a strong and sharp jawline and beautiful blue eyes.


    This was Mako''s great-grandfather, Lionel Grey.


    "This is video log number 3390, the final update on the perfection and installment of the Emergency Recovery Backup System. This video log is to update the World Leader on the new discoveries we have made with the data he has provided and the finalization of the Deep Slumber mechanic inside the Universal Power System." Lionel Grey spoke in the same tired manner as before as if he hadn''t slept in days.


    It was great for Mako to see his great-grandfather again, especially in his youth working on the exact device that he was now using to progress through the ranks and be stronger.


    "We are grateful for all the data that the World Leader has provided us. We had hit a massive roadblock while researching and developing an emergency backup system; however, after learning the properties of the vampire blood and how they achieve immortality through eternal slumber, we have finally made progress." Lionel Grey announced with a huge smile on his face.


    "Using the vampire blood as a model to base on, we were able to develop a synthetic serum that would replicate the same effects as the vampire''s eternal slumber and could be applied to humans. The effects of the serum are almost identical to vampire blood where the person would fall into slumber once the body had received significant damage and so the body can use all avable resources to help speed up the healing process," Lionel Grey started exining.


    However, Mako stopped the video there as this was something he had never imagined learning from the video recordings of the past.


    "What!? Vampires?" Mako said in a state of disbelief and shock.

 Chapter 212 Video Log #003390

    Mako''s mind raced with questions and confusion. Vampires? Immortality? The revtions from the video log left him stunned, unable toprehend the implications of what he had just heard. He knew his great-grandfather was a brilliant scientist, but this revtion was beyond anything he could have imagined.


    The truth about aliens and there being many different lifeforms across the gxy wasmon knowledge at this point; however, it waspletely unexpected for Mako to hear that mythical creatures from ancient human history also existed and were used to create the Universal Power System.


    Seeking answers, Mako decided to delve deeper into the video log, hoping to find more information that could shed light on what exactly his great-grandfather had researched from vampire blood and how did it all tie back to his system.


    He resumed ying the video, his eyes fixated on the holographic projection of Lionel Grey.


    "As we delved into the secrets of vampire physiology," Lionel Grey continued in the recording, "we discovered that their ability to enter an eternal slumber during times of severe trauma was a remarkable survival mechanism. The body shuts down, allowing resources to be redirected towards healing and regeneration."


    "The World Leader had tasked us with many goals that the Universal Power System had to achieve and one of these goals was to adapt a survival mechanism for the user of this system in case of severe trauma or injury," Lionel proimed, his eyes shining with excitement.


    Mako''s initial shock began to subside, reced by a spark of curiosity and determination.


    If his great-grandfather and his team had made such groundbreaking progress and really did finalize this serum to work exactly like they mentioned, did this mean that Mako was indeed immortal?


    Mako knew that all of his questions would get answered just by watching theplete recording. He decided that it would be best to watch the remaining footagepletely before forming any thoughts and opinions that would drastically change how he would n his future moves because it seemed as if he was receiving brand new shocking information every 5 seconds.


    Mako resumed the video log


    "I and my team are pleased to state the U.P.S. AI haspletely learned how to synthesize and produce the serum using the chemicalponents found within theplex human body and the AI has been sessfully integrated into the system." Lionel Grey announced.


    After the massive statement, Lionel Grey proceeded to stand back up from his chair and move back a bit so that his whole body was in the frame. Once he had done that, he snapped his fingers and the projection of a simted human brain appeared in front of him.


    "As you may all know, Vampires are said to be immortal because they don''t have any causes of natural death. They don''t develop diseases, nor do their organs deteriorate. It is because of this that vampires view themselves as such higher-ss beings; however, even they can''t escape the fury of time as they still grow weaker as they age." Lionel Grey began to exin.


    "It is in vampire culture that a vampire be ced under eternal slumber once they have gone past their peak in order to maintain their peak physical condition and pride and continue to live on as a sleeping corpse, but they can choose to go and wake from eternal slumber much earlier or after that time frame." Lionel Grey continued.


    "So after I and my team had made the discovery and reproduced the synthetic version of theponent responsible for putting vampires in eternal slumber, our chief gic engineer, Abduh Khan, reengineered the serum to only work on humans but also tweak a few things so that it would more fit our purposes." Lion Grey finished as the holographic image of the brain in front of him start to light up.


    "This is the real result of using this serum on human trial number 578. As soon as the serum was administered, the whole body rxed and all functions including brain and heart function reduced themselves to 5% functionality." Lionel Grey said as the brain that was once colorful and full of activity suddenly became dull again with only asional dim bursts of color.


    "Almost immediately, all of the energy inside the body moved towards the cells to activate the dormant healing factors to start regeneration and healing. Through our tests, we were able to determine that only was this effective for physical injuries but mana-rted injuries as well and the rate of healing was almost 10 times faster than the person''s natural regeneration and healing rate." Lionel Grey said as the holographic image changed from the brain to an image of several cuts made on someone''s arm.


    There were two identical arms and through a timpse, it showed how the natural regeneration of a level 2 ability user to heal the wound was 3 days while leaving behind a permanent scar while the other wound healed in just over 7 hours with no scar to speak of.


    The projection turned off after the demonstration and Lionel Grey proceeded to walk back towards the camera and take a seat again.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "This mechanic has been termed ''Deep Slumber'' by our chief gic engineer and here are a few things that should be addressed to truly understand itsplete functionality," Lionel said as he sat down.


    "Firstly, we couldn''t store the serum inside the system due to limited space and preservation issues which is why the system will start producing and storing small amounts of this serum once it had bonded with a host. There is a limit to how much the system can produce and once it has achieved that limit, the serum will be stored in the spinal fluid of the host where it would remain dormant and unreactive until needed," Lionel began exining again.


    "Secondly, once the host has entered and sessfully recovered from Deep Slumber, they wouldn''t be able to return to it for the next thirty days as the system would need to produce more serum for the effect to take ce," Lionel added.


    "Andstly, we have installed a regtor inside the system itself which it can use to remove some of the serum from the host''s body if the body is receiving external help and recovering faster than anticipated, thus reducing the time of Deep Slumber," Lionel Grey finished speaking.


    After he had exined everything he let out a long sigh which showed that he was really tired and that this was a sigh of relief that a project was finally finished.


    "We apologize to the World Leader as this didn''t meet the exact criteria that he wanted, but rest assured that I and my team are researching more effective methods but still wanted to integrate this one into the system just in case the situation worsens and the system is needed in battle." Lionel Grey said right a the end just before ending the video log.


    "End Video Log 3390," Lionel said.


    [Video Log #003390 Ended]


    Mako sat there, stunned by the revtions contained within the video log. The existence of vampires and their eternal slumber, the development of a synthetic serum replicating their abilities, and the integration of this mechanism into the Universal Power System¡ªit was all overwhelming.


    Not only did he learn everything he needed to know about the Deep Slumber mechanic, but he also got to learn a lot more useful information.


    For starters, vampires totally exist now, and Mako was determined to find out more about them. As a kid, Mako had no hobbies other than just reading and he used to read a lot of ancient novels discussing many of the myths and fantasy creatures riddles in humanity''s ancient history and culture.


    There were so many things that Mako wanted to learn about and now he couldn''t wait to hear the verdict of the militarymanders who will decide whether he would get admitted into military school or not.


    Other than that, Mako also learned about another member of his great-grandfather''s team, Abduh Khan who was mostly responsible for all the gic and biological elements of the system and this led Mako to wonder which team member had backstabbed his great-grandfather and sold off the system.


    From the video logs he had been able to see so far, he knew of two other members besides his great-grandfather, and both of them were included in the final message his great-grandfather sent him stating the decedent of one of these families could unlock the box and gain the system so these two were clear.


    Mako wondered who the traitor might be and what it mean for him when he eventually found out.


    Mako pondered on this for a while and in the end decided to just deal with that problem when it faces him and not to sweat about it too much.


    "I can''t believe so many human trials had to be used to perfect every aspect of this system, I have really been taking this whole thing for granted, huh?" Mako said to himself as he remembered the human trials part of the video log and this made him remember the weight of the responsibility that was entrusted to him.


    He knew he had to be a lot stronger if he wanted to trulypete and make a difference in thisplex and powerful world that he had only begun scratching the surface of.

 Chapter 213 The Final Night

    After checking all the notifications, Mako copsed back into his pillow and quickly fell asleep. He was very tired and had almost no energy since he woke up, and his body needed some good old fashion rest while it absorbed mana from the surrounding and replenished Mako''s energy reserves.


    Mako still wanted to mess around with the system more and organize everything. His time on the ind was very intense and action packed leaving almost no time for a person to get some time alone and recuperate within themself.


    There were still many things within the system that Mako didn''t utilize quite enough such as the shop feature.


    The shop feature was a huge inclusion to his system and made it quite easy for Mako to ess and purchase items; however, Mako had rarely used the shop feature at all.


    The reason for this was that the shop always seemed to offer low-level items that either Mako had better versions of or had no need for. Other than that, the system shop often times also disyed different consumables, but Mako already had the bulk of all of them already stored in his inventory so there wasn''t any real incentive to waste his precious coins on the system and he just hoped that he would get good items one day, but the day never arrived.


    The main shop would only refresh after 14 days and in the short time that Mako had unlocked the shop, it had only refreshed a few times and each time it left him disappointed as most items would get repeated and the tier of the items generally stuck at this poor quality.


    Despite Mako gaining two levels while on the ind and bing very strong, the shop was still the same as before, which made Mako wonder if he was missing something regarding the shop and that was the reason he wasn''t getting any good items that he wanted to buy.


    This was the thought on Mako''s mind right as he was about to fall asleep. He had to make sure he had everything was organized and ready to use at his disposal. He couldn''t be making stupid careless mistakes anymore because the difficulty of the challenges he was facing was rapidly increasing and he had to make sure he was the best version of himself when facing these challenges head-on.


    There were a few quests that were still pending, his skills had grown greatly, and he had new abilities, and better equipment as well.


    Mako told to himself that he would look into the system and figure out his best, most optimized setup to make sure he would never lose against anyone knowing that he could have been even stronger.


    **************


    "Is that thest of them!?" Erin shouted as she hold onto the string of the Hydro Bow with herst arrow.


    "Yeah...*pant* *pant* That was thest one," Bill replied while breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath.


    Bill was covered in sweat and had his hands on his knees as he gasped for air. Erin stood beside him with the Hydro Bow in her arms. She gently released the pressure from the string and removed thest arrow.


    "Hey, are you alright?!" Erin asked softly as she turned towards Bill with worry.


    "Yeah... yeah...*pant* I''m fine. I just didn''t think I had to use so many sand mines, it sapped all of my energy." Bill said with a smile.


    At that moment, a streak moved toward them and stopped right in front of them.


    "Did you get them all?" Erin asked.


    "Yup! There were a total of them, but I think I got them all. I counted them and it came out to be 237 crystals." Leon said as he raised his backpack towards Erin to show her all of the crystals he had collected.


    "Great job, with this we should have definitely made a good impression on them. Let''s get some sleep and rest up, we are finally going to be extracted from the ind tomorrow." Erin said as she helped Bill walk back toward the shelter.


    Leon followed quickly behind with the backpack full of crystals. Behind the trioy a wastnd of wasted terrain, chunks of ice and earth, and dozens of dead beast bodies.


    **************


    [One hour earlier]


    "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Erin asked as Leon proposed his master n after gobbling down thest gourmet MRE.


    "Yes! This will be perfect. What better way to spend ourst night on this ind than to gain mass amounts of crystals and bump our scores simultaneously." Leon said in excitement.


    Leon had spent thest few minutes convincing Erin and Bill that they should hunt more beasts during their final night to make sure they had more than enough crystals and points to impress the military and make sure that they secure the special ss seats, not knowing they had already aced the test.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I dunno... Bill what do you think?" Erin asked Bill.


    "I am okay with it as long as everyone else is... besides I think it would be better if we redeemed ourselves after losing both Mako and Iris in the final wave," Bill replied.


    With Erin also reluctantly agreeing, the trio stepped out of the shelter to hunt down beasts.


    Leon volunteered to use his speed to run around the mountain and gain the attention of as many beasts as possible, so that they could fight them all in one ce, in one go.


    With that said he bolted into the forest in search of beasts and he didn''t have to search for long as he found several in only a few minutes.


    Ever since the group had survived the final wave, more and more beasts were appearing around the mountain every night, but they were mostly low and medium-tier beasts with the asional high-tier one.


    Tonight was no different as Leon ran into groups of several low and medium-tier beasts that instantly became hostile toward him and started chasing after him.


    However, was easily able to maneuver around them and run at a slower pace so that they continued to chase him.


    Leon made aplete loop half down the mountain and made every single beast that he could find chase after him.


    The beasts usually didn''t like coborating together and would often kill other kinds, but right now they were mesmerized by the human running in front of them as they only saw food.


    Leon''s made-up horde of beasts consisted of mostly low and medium-tier beasts with only a dozen or so high-tier beasts.


    Even though there were far more beasts than any of the actual hordes they had faced so far, the strength of the beasts was much weaker, so it wouldn''t even be much of a challenge for all three of them.


    Bill dodged all the elemental projectiles beingunched by the beasts behind him after finishing his loop, he started running back toward the shelter.


    It had only been half an hour since Leon had dashed off and Bill and Erin were chatting with each other as Erin retold the entire story to Bill about when she punched Leon when he was acting like a baby.


    Bill was seriously cracking up as Erin made the whole story even funny by adding small sound effects and motions, making it easier for Bill to visualize the entire scene.


    At that time, they heard the sound of many footstepsing from the forest followed closely by a giant dust cloud moving towards them.


    In front of the dust cloud, Leon''s small figure appeared waving at them with a smile as he shouted, "THEY''RE HERE!"


    Bill and Erin quickly took their positions. For the fight, Bill had switched over to the azure reptile chest armor just so he could at least have a taste of the new armor before handing it over.


    Erin had the exact same train of thought as she held the Hydro Bow in her hands with 5 regr arrows that were included with the bow.


    After Leon had reached a good enough distance from the shelter, he quickly sped up back to his top speed leaving the beasts in the dust as he joined up with his friends.


    Bill conjured an earth hammer, and proceed to swing it at the ground as hard as he could, which created a loud sound and create several cracks in the ground that extended outwards in an arc shape.


    The cracks spread far and wide and where ever the cracks were, suddenly, earth spikes started to erupt from them. This was one of Bill''s new skills that he had developed bybining two of his existing earth skills.


    The wide rand of earth spikes and the shockwave from the hammer strike knocked back many of the beasts, dealing major damage, and also killing a few.


    "That''s so cool!" Erinplimented him with a smile on her face that had apetitive look. "It''s my turn next!"

 Chapter 214 The Extraction

    Next up, Erin decided to check out Hydro Bow''s active skill as she pulled back the string as back as she could. It was surprisingly very hard to pull back but with enough strength, she could do so and activated the active skill and channeled her water aura.


    "Aqua Surge!"


    The arrow began to glow blue as Erin shot it close to the center of the horde. Her uracy wasn''t needed with such a huge target as it would hit something no matter where itnded.


    As the arrow was released from the bow, it let out a stream of water behind it as it traveled at very high speeds. Inded a bit off from where Erin had aimed but as soon as it struck the unlucky beast, the glow began to intensify as the arrow got converted into water and spread outward, creating a bubble of water 4 feet in diameter.


    The appearance of the bubble was instant and forceful as itunched the beasts just out of its range back with a decent amount of force while those within the range were swept and trapped into the bubble.


    The bubble onlysted for a few seconds, but after it dispersed, the beasts trapped inside were covered in glowing blue water. The beasts glowing with the blue water suddenly started to move quite slowly and it was all thanks to the drenched status effect that waspromising their agility.


    The active skill from the bow had a five-minute cooldown and Erin didn''t want to waste any arrows with her poor fighting skills so while the bow was recharging, Erin activated her ice aura and started casting several skills that weren''t perfected yet and were just branched off from her elemental control.


    Leon decided to match his friend''s pace as once again he activated his leg armor''s active skill and turned into a blue streak, as he rushed into the horde of beastsunching all sorts of elemental attacks at them.


    Even though the beasts were weak, the battle was still intense as they made up for their weakness with their numbers. the beasts had aligned together and were fighting against amon enemy which greatly increased their strength.


    However, even though they were strong, the trio was strong as they utilized long-range and area-of-effect skills to deal damage on arge scale at once.


    Leon''sst resort technique was highly efficient as he could use so many beasts'' bodies as colliders to change his direction and attack more beasts. Erin resorted to her ice abilities as always and Bill used abination of all three abilities as he was putting up the greatest performance.


    Bill got to try out the azure shield which worked a treat as it blocked all iing attacks and gave him some breathing room to take a breath and cast another strong skill. Erin would asionally use the Hydro bow again to cast out another aqua surge and slow down beasts.


    Leon on the other hand also was using different abilities. He stopped hisst resort skill halfway through so that he would have a decent amount of energy left over. He started using abination of hardening to cause physical damage and fire to cause elemental damage.


    After about 20 minutes of intense fighting, the clear area around the shelter was riddled with craters, cracks, earth spikes, ice pirs, and lots of dead beast bodies.


    Leon asked to borrow Erin''s knife as he got to work using the remainder of his energy to harvest every single crystal.


    [Present time]


    It was a pretty intense night and all three of them had really tired themselves out by this unnecessary battle, but it didn''t really matter since they were going to get extracted tomorrow anyways.


    They recovered a bit and went to sleep, excited for what tomorrow would bring.


    ***************


    The next day rolled around and Mako was awoken by a soft knock on his door. The sound was very soft and barely noticeable, but Mako still had his survival instincts activated after living on the ind for almost two weeks which quickly woke him up by the soft sound.


    It took a moment for Mako to remember that he wasn''t on the ind anymore and before the person could knock again, Mako replied, "Come in."


    The door slid to the side and opened revealing a gorgeous girl that was wearing a nurse''s outfit. She had vibrant red hair that cascaded down to her shoulders, framing her delicate face. Her hair had a natural, fiery glow that looked absolutely stunning as the rays of sunlight from the window hit it. It was a shade of red that seems to change with the light, ranging from deep auburn to vibrant crimson.


    Her face possessed a delicate beauty that is both striking and innocent. Soft, porcin skin is wlesslyplemented by her beautiful deep golden eyes and slightly blushed cheeks, adding an adorable touch to her appearance. Her lips were full and naturally rosy, curved into a warm and weing smile.


    "Hi! The doctor told me to bring you, your breakfast and clothes''" The nurse said shyly as she came into the room holding a tray with several items.


    Mako hadn''t seen this nurse before, but he couldn''t help but be captivated by her presence. Her vibrant red hair and golden eyes were a uniquebination that immediately drew his attention. The way her hair glowed in the sunlight gave her an ethereal aura, enhancing her natural beauty.


    As she approached Mako with the tray, Mako couldn''t help but notice the grace in her movements. Her steps were light and fluid, disying a natural elegance thatplemented her overall appearance. Despite wearing a nurse''s outfit, she managed to exude a sense of style and confidence, adding a touch of individuality to her professional attire.


    Mako was quite curious about the individual in front of her so he decided to use analyze on her to get to know more about her.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Lorelei Morgan]


    [Ability: Fire (Level 4), Sr Influence (Level 2)] ?


    Her abilities didn''t really match her attire as a nurse at all which made Mako a bit curious. She also possessed a brand new ability that Mako had nevere across and decided to learn more about it.


    However, before he could start reading the prompt, Lorelei ced the tray in front of him with a gentle smile.


    "Thank you," Mako replied with a smile, his voice filled with gratitude. "I appreciate your help."


    The nurse blushed slightly at his words, her golden eyes twinkling with a mix of shyness and happiness. "You''re wee," she said softly, her voice gentle and soothing. "If you need anything else, please don''t hesitate to ask. I''m here to assist you."


    Her shy demeanor only added to her charm, making her seem approachable and down-to-earth. Mako felt a sense offort as she entered the room, a feeling that she was not just a stranger but someone who genuinely cared about his well-being.


    After cing the tray in front of him, she asked if there was anything else she could help with to which Mako replied "No". Lorelei nodded and started to leave Mako''s room, but before she did so, she swung her head back into the room and said," Oh, I almost forget! You are expected to be ready for pick up in 45 minutes, don''t bete."


    And with that, she was gone from the room.


    Mako was really curious about such a young and beautiful girl working as a nurse, but he decided to just ask her about it the next time he saw her.


    Mako began stuffing his face with the massive breakfast that consisted of eggs, sausage, french toast, a handful of delicious berries, and a big cup of coffee.


    While Mako enjoyed his first tasty and seasoned meal in almost two weeks, he read out the description of that new ability he encountered.


    [Ability: Sr Influence (Level 2)] ?


    [Aprehensive ability that allows the user to absorb sunlight and store it within their body as aura, the longer they absorb sunlight the stronger they are. Once the sunlight is stored in the form of aura inside the body, it can be utilized in many ways to cast many different skills, making it quite a versatile ability]


    The ability was the exact mirror copy of Lunar Influence, with the only thing different being instead of receiving powers from moonlight, they instead receive their powers from sunlight.


    "Quite interesting... I''ll definitely look into this ability more, seems to be very useful," Mako said to himself as he finished his breakfast and proceed to put on his clothes which were the same military uniform.


    ****************


    While Mako was busy getting ready, Erin, Bill, and Leon were also busy packing up everything as the extraction vehicle was set to arrive in a couple of minutes.


    They packed all of the loot they had found along the way including the AI-controlled drone into their respective backpacks and waited for the vehicle to arrive.


    Minutester, the trio heard the sound of something massive heading their way, and they quickly rushed out of the shelter to find a giant hovercraft hovering up in the air.


    Three ropes were dropped from one of the open panels, and this was their ticket out of this ind. Leon and Erin wasted no time grabbing onto the rope; however, Bill stopped by the shelter for a moment as he used his earth ability to carve something into the wall of the shelter.


    "A home transformed by fifteen days of resilience and hope."


    After he was done, he also quickly grabbed onto the rope and was quickly pulled up into the hovercraft which started moving away from the ind and toward the military headquarters where their results would soon be announced.


    *******************


    [END OF THE RECRUITMENT TEST ARC]

 Chapter 215 Arrival At The Military Base

    Mako quickly got dressed and ready on time and was escorted out of his room and to the teleporter room by two patrolling officers.


    Mako was so amazed by the technology as teleporters weren''t readily avable and only super big corporations and the military had ess to them, mainly because of their price and energy cost.


    Mako had learned somewhere while researching different technologies on the inte at the library that teleporters operated on wormhole crystals, which require a huge amount of energy to activate and create a temporary stable wormhole crystal between two predetermined points to allow the matter to transfer from one location to the next.


    Mako and the two patrolling officers stood on the tform and the teleporter started to activate. It consisted of several mechanical rings epassing the main tform and rotating in different directions.


    The main tform began to glow up and in the next second, Mako and the two patrolling officers disintegrated into glitchy particles.


    The glitchy particles flowed like water and moved upwards as they disappeared into the sky.


    At an unknown location far away, at that exact moment, glitchy particles started to appear from thin air andnd on a simr tform where they were reconstructed back into Mako and the two patrolling officers.


    There were several military personnel waiting for them in the teleportation room and greeted Mako as if he was a VIP guest.


    "Wee to Militarymand base Alpha 02!" One of the military personnel said as he greeted Mako by extending his arm forward.


    This military person had dirty blond hair that was well trimmed and he wore round sses that were a bit odd.


    sses weren''t reallymon anymore as the causes for eyesight depletion were resolved centuries ago, and new and new treatments allowed people to have perfect eyesight, rendering sses useless, but some people still wore them as a fashion statement and just to look cool.


    Mako grabbed his hand but did not do a formal handshake, but rather gripped it tightly to rather regain his bnce. Mako was feeling extremely nauseous and everything was spinning in front of him. It felt like the most extreme episode of vertigo, and Mako could barely hold himself from throwing up.


    Mako used all of his strength to hold onto the military person''s hand which became slightly painful for him even though he was a rank above cadet and had been in training for one year and yet he was still feeling some pain while experiencing Mako''s full strength.


    ''Themander didn''t lie, this kid is somethin'' else,'' The military person said in his thoughts as he raised his own concealed power tobat Mako''s strength.


    "This happens to everyone when they teleport for the first time, you''ll walk it off," One of the patrolling officers said as he helped Mako down the steps and walk out of the teleporter room.


    The military person who had finally been freed from Mako''s grip held his hand as it stung a bit, but internally he was excited," Mako Grey... You are certainly interesting..." he said to himself.


    The military base was quite massive with tens of tall multi-story buildings and hundreds of different ranked military personnel moving about, going from ce to ce, performing tasks, and other daily duties.


    "Cadet Grey, we were instructed to escort you to thending bay where the participants who have passed the test will arrive in about an hour; however, before that, the mainmander of this wishes to speak with you," The other patrolling officer said.


    "Umm... okay," Mako said while still holding his head.


    The effects of the teleportation had definitely died down with the fresh air he was breathing but they were still lingering.


    The three of them started walking towards the main building right at the heart of the military base.


    "May I ask you guys a question?" Mako asked the patrolling officers.


    "Yes, Cadet Grey, what is it?" The first patrolling officer replied.


    "Well... I was wondering where my friend Iris was. She was also admitted into the clinic and was supposed to be here, but I haven''t run into her anywhere today. Also, why does the mainmander wish to see me?" Mako asked innocently.


    "Oh, you''re friend left before you and is already at the main building. they are actually waiting for you to show up, so we must hurry." The patrolling officer replied.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Mako was a bit confused as to what the highest-ranking officer in this entire base had to do with him and Iris, just as they had arrived. The patrolling officer didn''t really open up much about the reasoning and just picked up the pace, prompting Mako to walk faster as well.


    Mako just decided to just go with the flow and find out directly what it was that the mainmander wanted with him.


    Mako and the patrolling officers entered the main building of Military Command Base Alpha 02. The interior was sleek and modern, with high-tech equipment and screens disying various data. The bustling activity indicated the importance of the operations taking ce within.


    As they walked through the corridors, Mako couldn''t help but notice people giving him curious stares and whispering to other colleagues. It was evident that his arrival had generated some interest among the base''s upants.


    Finally, they reached arge door guarded by two stern-looking soldiers. One of the patrolling officers exchanged a few words with them, and the guards stepped aside, allowing Mako to enter. The room beyond was a spacious office with a massive desk and a panoramic window overlooking the base.


    Besides the office, there were a set of stairs that led to a massivemand room full of servers and workers, and a giant round table where high-ranking officers were sitting and discussing.


    Seated behind the desk was a distinguished figure, the mainmander of Military Command Base Alpha 02. He exuded authority and confidence, and his sharp eyes scanned Mako as he entered. Themander motioned for Mako to approach and take a seat.


    The mainmander had an average height and was well-built. His close-cropped salt and pepper hair and well-groomed beard gave him a distinguished appearance, entuating his strong facial features.


    His eyes, a piercing shade of grey, held a mix of intensity and wisdom. Behind those eyesy years of experience and a mind honed by strategic thinking.


    In front of the mainmander were two seats facing him, and one was already upied by none other than Iris Jade Cooper.


    "Wee, Cadet Grey," Themander greeted, his voice firm butposed. "I''m Commander Anderson, and I oversee this base. Please, have a seat."


    Mako took a seat, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. He couldn''t help but wonder why themander had requested a meeting with him and Iris. As he settled into the chair, he turned towards Iris who had the exact same curious look as him. He looked down and noticed a holographic screen on the desk disying various reports and mission briefings.


    "Firstly, let memend you on all of your impressive performance during the selection process," Commander Anderson began. "Your exceptional abilities and potential have caught our attention. That''s why we''ve brought you here."


    Mako''s and Iris'' curiosity deepened, and he leaned forward, eager to hear more. "Thank you, sir, but may I ask why you''re interested in us specifically? I don''t think we did anything too extraordinary during the test, and we ended up failing it too" Mako said keeping up his innocence.


    Commander Anderson leaned back in his chair, a surprised yet yful expression. "You and Iris have shown such unique qualities and achieved such great feats that you have been ced in the top 1% of cadets that have ever participated in the normal recruitment test."


    Both of their eyes widened as they didn''t expect this.


    Were they really so good?


    "I am not sure I follow you, sir, we were both eliminated... we wasted several days doing nothing, how are we in the top 1%," Iris asked with shock and curiosity.


    Commander Anderson leaned forward, his gaze intense. "Are you guys serious? Do you have any idea how many people sessfully pass the normal recruitment test?"


    Mako felt a surge of embarrassment and stupidity. Was the information given to him by the inte wrong? While researching for the test, it said that many cadets were able to clear it withst year the eptance rate being 4% as only 80 were epted from 2000.


    "It seems you have been fed lies by those mediapanies." Commander Anderson stated as he leaned back on his chair after affirming that both had no idea what was going on.


    "Listen you two, We don''t have much time as the other cadets are due to be arriving soon, so I''ll cut this short. Hardly anyone has ever been able to survive on that ind. Every single one of them gets eliminated and we don''t even take eliminations into ount as we calcte the score. This year three groups of cadets including yours were the first people in 30 years to make it past the third wave of the horde night." The Commander said.


    Mako and Iris had their mouths leftpletely wide open. Such a huge bombshell of information was taking them very long to process and understand as it was truly unbelievable.


    Commander Anderson''s expression softened slightly. "I know you guys must be shocked, but that is the truth. You guys have truly blown us away with your performance and now we shall discuss your rewards."

 Chapter 216 Special Task Force (Part 1)

    Commander Anderson paused for a moment, allowing Mako and Iris to absorb the shocking revtion. The room fell silent as the weight of their achievement settled in. Finally, Mako mustered the words to respond.


    "We...we had no idea," Mako stammered, his voice filled with a mix of astonishment and pride. "I mean, we were just doing our best to survive out there. We didn''t realize it was such a rare aplishment to actually make it through."


    Iris nodded in agreement, her eyes still wide with disbelief. "We were just trying to work together and stay alive. We didn''t think it would make us stand out so much."


    Commander Anderson smiled warmly, his eyes reflecting admiration. "That''s the beauty of it, Cadets. If we had told you a lot beforehand that no one had been able to clear the normal recruitment test in 3o years, you would already have your morale down and wouldn''t try as hard to survive, knowing you might still get in."


    He leaned forward, resting his hands on the desk. "That''s why I''ve called you here today. You along with your other friends have shown exceptional talent and skill that arises once after many years. I believe you have the potential to be exceptional assets to our military."


    "Surviving the horde night on the ind speaks volumes about your abilities, instincts, and resilience. Other than that you have discovered and obtained strong resources such as mutant genes and resonance which regr cadets have never achieved. We want to harness those qualities and offer you a unique opportunity."


    Mako and Iris exchanged nces, anticipation building within them. The mainmander''s words ignited a spark of hope and excitement.


    Commander Anderson continued, his tone growing more authoritative. "You have been selected to join a special task force that operates outside the standard cadet training program. This task force isprised of individuals who have disyed exceptional skills, adaptability, and potential. You will undergo intense training and be given ess to advanced resources and technologies."


    Mako''s heart raced with a mix of exhration and nervousness. The idea of being part of an elite unit was both thrilling and daunting. when he first got the system and decided to dedicate himself to working towards his great-grandfather''s dream, he never expected to get so far in just 3 months.


    He nced at Iris, who wore a simr expression of awe and determination.


    Commander Anderson leaned back in his chair, observing their reactions. "This is not an easy path, Cadets. The challenges will be demanding, and the expectations will be high. But if you choose to ept this opportunity, you will receive unparalleled training and support that no regr cadets ever receive."


    Mako took a deep breath, his mind racing with the possibilities. He and his ancestors dreamt of making a difference, of being part of something greater than themself. This was the chance to turn that dream into reality.


    However, one part of the Commander''s statements kept bugging Mako.


    "Sir, please don''t mind me asking but why are you referring to us as ''Regr Cadets'', and what is this ''Normal Recruitment Test''? Are there different tiers or sses to this?" Mako asked Commander Anderson with respect and curiosity.


    To this, themanderid back on his seat again and looked at both of them with a somber and almost apologetic look, which Mako a bit uneasy thinking that he may have said something wrong.


    However, before he could speak again, the Commander began to exin the different types of recruitment tests and how rich and more powerful children from strong and powerful families are treated differently and have different tests and he also exined the special, advanced, and regr sses at the military school and how they were filled.


    It sounded very biased but Mako quickly understood that this was the only way to keep things fair and to make it so that everyone at least got the chance to enter the military from where their own skill and power will determine how far they will go.


    An example of this was Commander Anderson himself, who was a regr cadet that didn''t clear the test but had shown enough skill and talent to be ced in the advanced ss.


    "Even though most of those kids end up in the special ss rarely any of them get selected for this special task force, we are not looking for a spoiled kid with no actual fight experience and is only strong because of their parent''s money. We want truly exceptional and shining cadets like you that show real talent and skill," The Commander said as he concluded his exnation.


    After understanding the entire scenario, Mako was indeed a little bumped out about not knowing this information, but it didn''t matter cause right now he was about to be entered into the most high-ranked training program where the resources and training were going to be top notch.


    With newfound resolve, he looked directly into Commander Anderson''s eyes. "Sir, I would love to ept. I''m ready to take on this challenge and prove myself."


    Iris nodded in agreement, her voice filled with determination. "I''m in too, sir. We won''t let you down."


    A smile crossed Commander Anderson''s face, revealing a glimmer of pride. "Good. I had a feeling you both would. Don''t worry about any situations you might have at home, because the military will give you a day to go back to your homes and gather everything that you need, plus I heard Cadet Cooper and Cadet Robinson had a contract with a sponsor, consider that contract fulfilled and finished."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Iris was very happy and joyous before but the Commander''sst statement left her inplete shock.


    "You... you... mean... we don''t have to work there?" Iris asked in shock and surprise.


    "Absolutely, You are a great asset to the military now, we won''t let you waste your skills on a third-sspany." Themander responded.


    Iris was filled with even more joy and relief as now nothing was holding her back from advancing further on and making her parent proud.


    "Wee to the special task force, Cadets." The Commander announced as he stood up from his seat.


    He held his hand toward the left aimed at a table with several prestigious bottles of liquor and a military hat.


    The military hat floated upwards and moved towards his hand. He grabbed the hat and proceed to wear it before walking toward the gate Mako entered a couple of minutes ago.


    "Come on, Cadets, it is time for your friends'' arrival, and let''s not waste any time and greet them," The Commander said.


    Mako and Iris quickly stood up from their seats and followed behind themander, anxious to meet their friends after being separated these past few days.


    As they left themander''s office, this time following none other than Commander Anderson himself, who was receiving salutes left and right as he moved through the corridors, their minds buzzed with anticipation. They were about to embark on an extraordinary journey, one that would test their limits and shape their futures.


    Outside, the military base buzzed with activity, as everyone was preparing for the hovercraft''s arrival.


    The sound of engines filled the air as Mako and Iris made their way outside. Soldiers in crisp uniforms scurried about, ensuring everything was in order for the arrival of the hovercraft. The anticipation was palpable, and the energy around them was wild.


    Mako and Iris quickly hurried behind the Commander who despite looking old was very fast and this was his casual walking speed.


    All three of them arrived at thending zone where the hovercraft justnded and the front main panel dropped down to be a set of stairs for the cadets inside to walk down.


    From inside the hovercraft, six cadets made it out and revealed themselves to everyone below who began pping for their massive achievement as they started walking down the stairs.


    Of the six, there were Bill, Leon, and Erin who were a bit embarrassed about such a huge wee as they were carrying heavy backpacks filled to the brim with loot and weapons.


    Next, there were Natasha and Haruto, Natasha was walking with intense confidence and pride as she took in everyone''s praise and apuse while Haruto behaved simrly to the group, shy and embarrassed.


    Lastly, there was that one kid who spoke up to Brigadier Jones during their debriefing and looked less like a military cadet and more like a street gangster.


    He showed no emotion as he quietly walked down the ramp alongside everyone else.


    All six cadets made it to the bottom of the ramp and found the mainmander standing in front of them waiting alongside two cadets, one standing to his left while the other standing to the right, both standing at ease alongside the mainmander.


    As Bill, Erin, and Leon made it down the ramp, thest people they thought they would encounter meeting first were the friends they had lost on the ind.


    "Mako!... Iris!... What are you guys doing here?" They all said simultaneously.

 Chapter 217 Special Task Force (Part 2)

    Erin rushed forward to give her best friend a strong hug, breaking all the rules that the instructors on the hovercraft had drilled into them as they were making their way over to the base.


    Leon and Bill had the emotional reaction as Erin after seeing Mako and Iris healthy and alive, standing right next to the mainmander...


    ''OH, SH*T! That''s the mainmander!'' Both boys thought as they didn''t give in to their impulse and instead stood in a straight file with their arms crossed, standing shoulder to shoulder.


    Commander Anderson had already instructed Iris and Mako on how to behave as they met their friends which they obeyedpletely as even though they were both also excited to see Erin, Leon, and Bill again, they had a task to do and that was to follow themander''s orders.


    Despite Erin already crying and giving the tightest hugs imaginable to Iris, she still remained in the at-ease position and not saying a single word.


    This really confused Erin, as she couldn''t believe her best friend wouldn''t hug her back. Momentster, she broke away from the hug with confusion and suspicion as she stared back into her face to see if she had identally mistaken someone else for Iris, but no that was definitely Iris.


    *Ahem* *Ahem*


    The militarymander loudly cleared his throat and this finally made Erin pay attention to the man standing beside Iris. She had really ignored him the first time but this time she was able to properly observe his features and as she stared at the cap he was wearing, she instantly knew that she had messed up big time.


    The entire area had be radio silent as everyone was in shock and disbelief that a cadet actually had the courage to disobey orders and ignore the mainmander, and were anxious to know what would happen next.


    Erin was now sweating profusely as she realized the intensity of the matter as it was exined by the patrolling officers on their way here, stating that disrespect to higher ranks was one of the major things that had severe consequences.


    Iris slowly removed herselfpletely from Iris who was dying ofughter inside and could barely hold in and keep a straight face. She did an awkward bow towards the mainmander who haven''t said anything yet and quickly joined the others, standing next to Leon, hoping that she might have salvaged the situation.


    "Well then, it seems to me that everyone is here. Wee to Militarymand base Alpha 02!" Themander announced with a smile as he greeted the six cadets standing in front of him.


    Erin sighed a breath of relief internally as she saw the mainmander ignoring what had just happened and continuing on with his announcement as nned.


    "You lot have proven yourself to be truly brilliant and skilled cadets who have survived the normal recruitment test, an astounding achievement indeed!" The Commander said as all the spectating military personnel apuded.


    After a few seconds of apuse, the mainmander raised his hand in the air, silencing the entire area once again.


    "Now, let''s get straight to business. All of your private quarters have been prepped and ready. You will be escorted by a patrolling officer to your quarters. You will have exactly 20 minutes to shower and change before making your way over to my office." The mainmander stated with a half-serious tone.


    Instantly six patrolling officers made their way from the crowd and stood behind each cadet ready to follow further orders.


    The mainmander gave them a nod and they began moving their assigned cadets to their designated private quarters.


    Out of the cadets, some started asking questions and arguing, which were mostly Natasha and Erin who wanted to know more information than blindly follow orders, but they were quickly moved along by the strong officers, leaving Commander Anderson, Mako, and Iris alone again.


    The mainmander started moving back to the main building from where he had juste with Mako and Iris following him.


    "Come on you two, you will get some time to catch up with your friendster, but for now, I want you to meet someone," The mainmander saidzily as he casually walked back towards the main building.


    Mako and Iris were just thinking about going with their group to their quarters to catch up, but it seemed as if Commander Anderson had read their mind and given them an order instead.


    After looking at each other and nodding a secondter, they both quickly rushed after the mainmander who had already covered a great distance.


    ****************


    The mainmander returned back to his office with Mako and Iris right behind him, but this time he didn''t sit back in his chair but rather floated the cap back toward the same table and walked up the flight of stairs next to his desk that led to that giant room with the circr table and lots of servers.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Mako and Iris didn''t know whether to follow themander into such an important room, but he quickly gestured for them toe with him, taking out all of their hesitations.


    As they entered the room, Mako and Iris could instantly feel the dense amount of aura that was lingering inside the room which put a lot of pressure on them, but it was still manageable for Mako to some extent.


    However, Iris copsed on one knee, unable to bear the pressure that was mostly originating from the round table where a lot of high-ranking officers were working with holographic screens.


    "Uhh... Keep it down will ya?! We got cadets in here!" Commander Anderson said in a frank yet authoritative tone towards the officers sitting at the round table.


    The officers immediatelyplied and contained their various auras, lifting a considerable amount of pressure from the room, and allowing both Mako and Iris to standfortably again.


    The officers were now aware of the cadets inside themand room and they stared at them with a mixture of jealousy, hate, admiration, envy, and curiosity.


    It was hard to focus on the mainmander while there were so many piercing gazes staring at them, making them feel at ease.


    The mainmander walked over to a small desk in the corner of the room, where he leaned his body against it and faced Mako and Iris.


    "The reason I called you two back here is because I want you two to meet a very special person." The mainmander stated.


    Just as themander said those words, Mako''s perception kicked in as he senses danger and immediately acted to his left, ready to anticipate the attack.


    He was just barely quick enough to respond in time to grab the arm of the assant who had a big knife in his hands which almost pierced his right eye.


    The assant was the same height as the mainmander and very lean yet muscr. He had a rugged appearance that reflected years of rigorous training andbat experience.


    His bald head was well-kept and shiny, and his steely gray eyes exuded a sense of intensity and focus.


    He was wearing the same military uniform, only blue in color rather than green, and was adorned with various insignias that denoted his service and achievements.


    This confused Mako as he stared deep into his eyes as to why would military personnel attack him while in front of the mainmander and all these other high-ranking officers.


    "Is that it? If this were a real fight, you would have died 10 times by now!" The assant said as he pulled back his arm with ease,pletely ignoring Mako who was holding onto his arm with all his strength.


    "Pathetic! These are the people who survived the recruitment test? I would say it was just a massive fluke that they even managed to make it past day 5, much rather survive the whole thing!" The assant said with arrogance and pride as he sheathed his knife and stared into Mako''s eyes.


    As the assant continued to belittle Mako''s abilities, the room fell into an eerie silence.


    Commander Anderson, who had been observing the entire incident with a stern expression,  finally sighed and stepped forward breaking away the tension as spoke in a casual tone.


    "Sable, you have to take it easy on them, they are just cadets," the mainmander said, his voice cutting through the tension in the room. "You can''t expect them to be polished before we haven''t even started training them yet."


    Sable, the assant, visibly straightened his posture, his expression shifting from arrogance to seriousness as he locked eyes with Commander Anderson. Despite the confrontation, there was an underlying mutual understanding and respect between the two, hinting at a deeper connection.


    "Hmph! The cadets need to be ready for anything, especially in these uncertain times," Captain Sable responded, his tone nowced with professionalism. "I wasn''t even using 10% of my power as I was merely testing their reflexes and instincts."


    "Testing..? Worthy...? Uncertain times...? What is going on!'' This was the thought running through Mako''s mind as he tried to make some sense of the current situation.

 Chapter 218 Commander Sable Throne

    Sable finally pulled his arms back, feeling no resistance at all even though Mako was gripping his arm with his full strength, leaving Makopletely stunned that he could still feeling the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He took a step back, trying to regain hisposure while keeping a cautious eye on the seasoned soldier.


    Commander Anderson stepped forward, addressing Mako and Iris. "Cadets, this is ELITE power ranked Commander Sable...."


    "Retired!" Commander Sable said interrupting Main Commander Anderson in order to correct him.


    "Yes... Retired ELITE power ranked Commander Sable Thorne, an elite operative and one of our most skilledbat specialists. He will be overseeing your training as yourbat instructor in the special task force." Main Commander Anderson stated with a defeated expression after witnessing Commander Sable''s behaviour.


    Mako''s confusion turned into a mix of surprise and disbelief. He had no idea that he would have such a unique and interesting first meeting with his new teacher who is going to help him train. To have the opportunity to train under an ELITE power ranked individual was both thrilling and intimidating.


    Mako didn''t imagine something like this would happen to him, but it seemed like he done something really wonderful that the mainmander was giving them such high treatment.


    Mako had just finished his train of thought when suddenly he started feeling the pressure building on his body again. He turned toward the table to see if the officials had begun releasing their aura again, but the pressure didn''t originate from their direction, but from the direction of Commander Sable.


    "So... you''re going to train under me, huh?" Commander Sable said with a grin as slowly kept increasing the pressure as he released more aura.


    Iris was affected first as her started to tremble from that pressure; however, seeing that Mako was okay with the current pressure, Iris gritted her teeth and stood up straight determined to oust Mako and prove her strength to her teacher.


    Sweat started to drip down both of their faces as they gritted their teeth and withstood the ever increasing pressure being exerted by Commander Sable, all the while Main Commander Anderson was facepalming, tired from his friend''s over the top methods of testing new students.


    The pressure was increasing more and more and was bing too much for Iris and Mako to handle which forced them to release their own auras tobat the iing pressure even though it was a great offence to release ones aura in front of a superior, but neither one wanted to give up and show their weaknesses in front of their new teacher.


    Mako released his strongest aura which was not his Energy Maniption aura anymore as his level 5 Fire and Lightning abilities had greater outward pressure than the Level 1 Energy Maniption ability.


    Mako decided to choose his favorite ability which was the Lightning ability and instantly he felt all the pressure on him disappear as his body crackled with electricity.


    Iris'' strongest ability was her healing ability which had now evolved to a Level 4, but it still didn''t fully alleviate all the pressure from her body as she could feel her legs beginning to tremble a bit.


    It did look like Iris would soon fall as even after activating her healing aura, she was struggling more than Mako to stand straight as the Commander Sable hadn''t slowed down his rate of releasing aura by even a tiny bit.


    However, determination still burned bright in Iris heart as she didn''t want to make the first impression in front of such high ranked military personnel a weak one.


    She summoned everyst ounce of willpower she had and then suddenly she felt the pressurepletely gone from her body. She at first thought that maybemander Sable had finally decided to show them mercy, but Mako who was to her left was still struggling to stand, but she was able to stand straight with no issues.


    It took a moment for her to realize what she had done, but she had actually tapped into her mutant gene again as her eyes were glowing blue right now.


    Iris had almostpletely used up all the mutant genes power during the requitement test and even though Commander Malik refrained from providing any information to her regarding it, he advised her to stop using it for the next 6 months so that it could fully regenerate, which didn''t really help since Iris hadn''t mastered the trigger for activating it yet.


    She was current operating on the small amount of mutant gene power that has recovered in the few days she was admitted inside the clinic.


    The tables had turned as now Iris was able to stand upright with no problem while Mako was struggling as this time it was his legs that were trembling.


    But still, Mako also had an abundance of willpower and determination and he would also refuse to give up and show his weakness in front of everyone.


    Mako had no special trick up his sleeve as he hadn''t activated his mutant gene yet and he had to rely on his own body to counter the iing pressure.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Mako''s entire body crackled with electricity and sparks as he grunted and held his body up against all that pressure.


    Commander Sable didn''t stop as he kept on increasing the pressure to the point that Iris started feeling the pressure again, but Mako was close to falling out.


    Mako pushed with everything he had, he had no suppression or boosting skills that could help him and had to rely on his own bodies strength.


    *CRACK!*


    The pressure had increased so much that the marble flooring beneath Mako''s feet had cracked and yet Mako still stood.


    "Sable!" The Main Commander shouted with a hint of annoyance as this finally made Commander Sable stop and remove all his aura.


    Both Mako and Iris copsed on the floor as they felt this sudden change in force and started breathing heavily showing their exhaustion just by merely withstanding a percentage of Commander''s sable''s aura.


    Iris couldn''t believe how much authority the mainmander had over someone as strong and powerful as Commander Sable as just a single word was enough for him to stop.


    There were many ranks within the military that didn''t reflect ones power as someone could be lower ranked than another but still might be stronger, although it is a rare case. These ranks are determined and based on the achievements a person has made while serving the military.


    The ranks start from cadet and then move on to Private, Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Brigadier, Colonel, General, Commander, Main Commander, Elite Commander, and finally the Supreme Commander who serves directly below the World Leader.


    "I believe this is proof enough that they are capable students, you may test them more once they are in military school, but it is enough for now." The Main Commander said in authoritative tone.


    Commander Sable gave a defeated nod at the Main Commander which was followed after by a dramatic sigh. He looked down at Mako and Iris who were still panting, and gave small smile acknowledging their presence.


    His intense gaze shifted from Mako to Iris, assessing them both. "If you wish to survive in this line of work, you''ll need to toughen up considerably," he said, his voice firm andmanding. "Your potential means nothing if you can''t handle the pressure and adapt to unpredictable situations."


    Mako felt a surge of admiration welling up inside him as he realized this whole thing was actually Commander Sable''s first lesson to both of them.


    Filled with newfound determination, Mako was ready to prove himself and show Commander Sable that he was more capable than his initial assessment indicated. "We''re here to learn, Commander Sable," Mako replied, his voice steady. "We''ll do whatever it takes to bepetent soldiers."


    Iris, who had also regained herposure, nodded in agreement. "We understand the importance of always being prepared and training hard, Commander Sable. We''ll give it our all."


    Commander Sable nodded and finally cracked aplete smile, satisfied with their response. "Good. Your journey begins now. Follow me," hemanded, turning to lead the way out of the room.


    Mako and Iris exchanged nces, their hearts pounding with a mix of excitement and nervousness.


    They looked over to Commander Anderson who had already moved back to the small table he was leaning on and was working on a holographic screen.


    He looked over to Mako and Iris and gave them a polite nod as he said, " Go with him. He will meet with the remaining cadets and then he will exin to you why you guys are selected for this. Go on, and show us what you are made of."


    Mako and Iris smiled at the Commander''s words and proceeded to salute him before quickly running after Commander Sable who was already leaving Main Commander Anderson''s office.


    As they left, they shared a silent understanding that they were about to embark on a rigorous and demanding training regimen under the guidance of a formidable mentor.

 Chapter 219 Recruitment Complete

    Mako and Iris quickly caught up with Commander Sable, who was going to one of the debriefing rooms.


    The military base they were in was one of their base of operations which meant that there was everything inside the base that the military might need, including machinery, weapons, standby soldiers, active soldiers, debriefing rooms, living quarters, etc.


    The walk was a quiet one where nobody exchanged a single word or rather couldn''t as both Mako and Iris could feel the oppressive aura still contained inside his body, waiting to be unleashed on one wrong move.


    Iris had just recovered from her whole endeavor on the ind, and Mako was still not 100% as he just woke up yesterday, so neither one of them wanted to feel Commander Sable''s wrath or as he liked to call it "testing" so soon again.


    The three of them walked through a couple of corridors with the passing military personnel all saluting themander as he walked past them, and atst, they reached the very end of thebyrinth of corridors and entered the room which wasbeled "Debriefing Room 6".


    As soon as Mako and Iris entered they stopped right in their tracks as Commander Sable had turned around and was now staring at them with a mischievous grin.


    "We are far away from Anderson''s range, he won''t know anything that happens in this corner of the room, so now where were we...?" Commander Sable said while grinning sadistically.


    Iris was far weaker in terms of mentality than Mako and she was the first to cave in as she started to tremble and copsed onto her knees even though the Commander hadn''t done anything yet.


    Mako was still a bit strong-minded and didn''t immediately react and instead kept his emotions locked within himself, and disyed a rather poor poker face, but it was still enough to get the message across that he wasn''t falling for it so easily.


    Seeing Mako''s tenacity, the Commander finally broke character as he startedughing at them.


    "Ha Ha Ha! I didn''t want to admit it in front of Anderson, but he definitely did not disappoint me this time!" Themander stated as he turned back and took a seat around a table which was the only piece of furniture in the room.


    "Huh...? What?" Iris said still shocked by the constant change in character and emotions which was making her heart ache so much that she thought she might just die on the first day.


    Mako leaned down and gave a hand to Iris to help her up on her feet again, but Commander Sable snapped just as he did so.


    "Stop!" He shouted making Mako pausepletely in his tracks.


    "Pick yourself up, cadet! Prove yourself to be equal to yourpanion over here! If you can''t do that, you don''t deserve to be in this room!" Themander stated.


    He looked at Iris with a dangerous stare, sending all kinds of fear signals inside Iris'' brain. She just couldn''t understand what kind of teacher thismander was. His speech and attitude were all over the ce with him switching out his emotions as if he was flipping pages.


    The teachers she had while she was receiving training from the sponsor were all very kind to her and never treated her in a way that made her ufortable, so this was apletely new experience for her, unlike Mako who was used to this behavior as everyone regrly treated him like this in his daily life, so it wasn''t something new.


    Iris'' legs were still trembling as themander stared at her with a piercing gaze showing no mercy, and making her even more ufortable and afraid. She tried to pick herself up, but her arms and legs just wouldn''t obey her as they were under the influence of fear from the man sitting in front of them.


    ''Come on! Come on!'' Iris shouted in her thoughts as he tried her best to stand but her legs just wouldn''t listen to her and she remained on the floor.


    "That''s disappointing... I guess you got lucky and stayed with the strongest people to secure your spot on this special task force. You can fool Anderson, but you can''t fool me! If you can''t stand in the next 30 seconds, consider your letter of approval into the military school revoked!" Themander said without a hint of remorse or mercy.


    Mako looked down at Iris with worry and pity as he wanted to help her out or encourage her, but he waspletely helpless because somehow he knew that if he even moved a single muscle out of line, it wouldn''t end well for him.


    All he could do was to observe Iris struggle as veins started to pop on her forehead from the amount of concentration she was under to force herself up and ovee the trauma her body had just faced and was so afraid of.


    ''NO! I didn''t make it this far just because of Mako! He was a good friend that helped us out when we were most desperate and I admit we would have been disqualified if we didn''t run into him in the cave that day, but still... we carried out our own weight and more. Seeing Mako and his friend''s strength triggered something in me that wanted me to be just as strong as them.'' Iris thought back to the events during the recruitment test while themander had already started counting down.


    ''I can''t let it end like this! I got so much stronger in such a short amount of time! I can''t turn back now! I have to make it! I AM STRONG!'' Iris shouted in her thoughts as she suddenly started to regain some control over her legs again.


    "11... 10... 9..." Themander continued his countdown.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I promised Jackie, I would never give up!" Iris shouted out loud with anger and determination as she finally broke free from the trance her legs were in and regained full control over them, allowing her to stand up straight just as themander counted down to zero.


    Iris breathed heavily as just oveing her fear of failing and being weak had taken a huge toll on her mental health.


    *p!* *p!*


    Themander pped slowly as he apuded Iris'' strength and capabilities.


    "Congrattions... You two have passed all of my tests." Commander Sable said in a genuine tone for the first time.


    "Almost all of the cadets I have been asked to train, have never made it through all of my tests. You lot are defiantly something else, and I am honored to be your mentor." Commander Sable added keeping his genuine and truthful tone in check.


    Seeing the legitimate emotions reflect from Commander Sable''s eyes, Mako knew that themander was indeed done testing them and had epted them.


    Mako quickly bowed down in Infront of Commander Sable showing his respect and appreciation, followed closed by Iris who did exactly the same.


    "Now! Names and abilities! Go!" Themander ordered returning back to his high-pitched authoritative tone.


    Mako and Iris quickly raised their heads from their bow and after processing the order in a second, they stated their names and abilities out loud.


    "Mako Grey, abilities are Fire, Lightning, and Energy Maniption," Mako stated.


    "Iris Jade Cooper, abilities are Heal and Water," Iris stated.


    "Hmm... Energy Maniption... and Heal... definitely rare and interesting abilities," Themander stated as he went into his own train of thought, making Iris and Mako stand in front of him awkwardly, waiting for further instructions.


    After a few moments of thinking, themander snapped back into reality and addressed Mako and Iris who were patiently waiting for him.


    Themander instructed them to go to the room next door that had a one-way viewing ss window. This way people from the inside could only see 4 regr walls, but from the other side, people could clearly see what was going on in the room.


    Commander Sable stated that he must also test all the remaining cadets who had passed the recruitment test to see their capabilities too, and it would spoil all the fun for him if they were in the room.


    Mako and Iris instantly understood and quickly moved to the other room, a brightly lit room with white marble walls, unlike the debriefing room, which was dark and gloomy.


    Minutester the door to the debriefing room opened and six more cadets entered the room and stood in front of Commander Sablepletely unaware of what was about to happen to them.


    ******************


    Minutester, all six of them were on the ground huffing and panting as they just finished barely surviving all the pressure that Commander Sable had exerted on them.


    Even though Mako and Iris had gone through the same thing, they understood why themander enjoyed this so much as it was really fun seeing all of them struggle hard when nothing was happening around them, but at the same time, they were also showing sympathy and worry for their friends who were struggling.


    At the end of it all, Commander Sable introduced himself to the group of six cadets and stated that their recruitment into the special task force wasplete.


    Out of the six, the solo boy that looked like a gangster performed the best, followed closely by Bill, Erin, Natasha, Haruto, and Leon.


    Commander Sable then proceeded with ordering them to introduce themselves while signaling Mako and Iris toe back inside the room to start debriefing about the things toe.

 Chapter 220 Debriefing Again

    "Nathan Wesley, abilities are Enhanced Perception and Blood Wolf Transformation," the boy who had solo survived the entire recruitment stated just as Mako and Iris made their way into the room.


    This was the first time Mako was hearing about such abilities and he was quite curious about them even though he got the general idea from their names.


    Commander Sable was also surprised to see such unique abilities to appear in a cadet, but he kept his thoughts to himself as he proceeded onwards with the remaining introductions.


    Mako already knew about the abilities that everyone else had, so he didn''t pay much attention to them and instead focused on using Analyze on Nathan to find out more about his abilities.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Nathan Wesley]


    [Ability: Enhanced Perception (Level 3), Blood Wolf Transformation (Level 5)] ?


    [Ability: Enhanced Perception (Level 3)] ?


    [An enhancement ability that boosts the user''s perception to unnatural levels, allowing them to detect even the most minute of changes in their surroundings and sense iing danger from a mile away.]


    [Ability: Blood Wolf Transformation (Level 5)] ?


    [A transformation ability that allows the user to take on the form of the Blood Wolf, giving the user immense boosts in strength and agility, but a reduction in fortitude and intelligence. At the user''s current level, the user can fully and partially transform into the Mutant Rhino, giving a different amount of boosts depending on the amount of the body transformed


    At the current stage, the user can utilize basic skills that belong to the Blood Wolf Including Howl, Blood w, and Blood Hardening]


    This was something new as this was the first time Mako hade across a transformation ability user that actually possessed skills of the beast they could transform into.


    This was the power of the Transformation ability and why it was so sought after, if cultivated high enough the person using this ability could not only get the bonus in attributes by transforming but would indirectly get ess to all the abilities the original beast possessed while fully transformed.


    When Makost saw Rhino, he had achieved Level 4 Mutant Rhino Transformation which was the point where he hadpletely mastered the transformation but had not yet awakened any skills of the Mutant Rhino that he could utilize; however, Nathan had managed to awaken 3 basic skills from Blood Wolf.


    [Analyze]


    [Howl] ?


    [A unique skill that only Blood Wolfs can possess. This skill allows the user to howl loudly and the howl grants buffs and debuffs to the user''s allies and enemies respectively. Howl grants the user''s allies a +2% increase in all stats while inflicting the "Scared" status effect on the enemy, making them only able to utilize 90% of theirplete potential.


    Howl grants a +5% increase in all stats if the user is facing enemies alone with no allies by their sides.]


    [Blood w] ?


    [A basic skill from the Blood Maniption skill tree that allows the user to manipte the blood inside their hands and convert it into pure chaotic blood energy. By swiping their hand in the air in the shape of a w, the user can release 4 des of blood energy in the shape of a w attack.]


    [Blood Hardening] ?


    [A basic skill from the Blood Maniption skill tree that allows the user to manipte the blood inside their bodies to congeal and solidify within their muscle fibers, thus greatly increasing the strength and density of their muscles providing great offensive and defensive capabilities.


    However, Blood hardening cannot be maintained for a long time as cirction of blood has to be restored which would be blocked by the congealed blood so that the body doesn''t die due tock of blood cirction.]


    They were all great skills that could reallye in handy and Nathan''s overall build was quite impressive which naturally led Mako to want to get to know him more and find out how he was able to get such amazing abilities.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ***************


    "Leon Czolgosz, abilities are Speed, Hardening, Earth, and Fire" Leon stated as he was thest person to introduce himself.


    Commander Sable''s eyebrows had risen slightly a couple of times as he was listening to their introduction as he was surprised to see such abilities possessed by cadets. Each cadet had either rare abilities or resonated abilities or had even awakened their mutant gene which was quite impressive and rare for a cadet.


    Simrly, themander had yet again a slightly impressed expression on his face after hearing that Leon had 4 abilities in his possession which was also a rare thing for cadets as they had not yet reached their full potential and achieved their maximum mentality to learn as many abilities as possible, with most of them only ever learning two abilities.


    Impressed by everyone''s current state, Commander Sable knew that this batch was definitely special and he would have to try his best to make sure all these kids be great soldiers for the uncertain times that were fast approaching.


    Thinking about that was enough to put Commander Sable back in his serious mode as he looked back and addressed the 8 cadets who were now standing in front of him.


    Themander gestured them all to sit and he himself began speaking by standing up and staying close to the middle of the room.


    "You all may be aware of humanities advancements on other worlds, how we have made a name for ourselves in the gxy as a dominant and advanced race, and how we have contracts with many worlds for mutual coboration among other things." Themander began exining to which all the cadets nodded "yes".


    "Well even though all of what I have said is true, things aren''t sunshine and rainbows out there but rather things are very very messy." Themander continued.


    "You see, we are currently in the middle of a war and I am afraid to say that humanity is losing to an insane margin," themander finished and this left everyone in shock and disbelief as they had no idea about something like this even happening.


    The cadets didn''t interrupt themander as there were still things he wanted to say and so they quietly expressed their reactions through their shocked expressions.


    "I know this may seem hard to believe but it is the truth, a race that calls itself the supreme race has been dominating worlds all over the Milky Way, and within a single century, they have been able to dominate and upy a quarter of the entire gxy." Themander started exining again.


    "The Ten Legendary Warriors have already been sent to the frontlines and they have been able to slow down their progression and achieve a temporary bnce, but it would soon be overpowered as well, and all of Milky Way would be at the mercy of this race." Themander added.


    "Furthermore, there are worlds who actually betrayed the treaties and broke the contracts to align themselves with this race and have started attacking areas that are still under our control to further weaken our allied forces when they are already overextended, making this a very critical time for all the races of the Milky Way to join together and face this threat or get eradicated in the process and this is where youe in" Themander stated staring into every single one of their eyes with the light of hope.


    "All humanity''s strong forces have been deployed for this battle but we still need more people like you, strong people with amazing skills and capabilities to help us turn the tables on them." Themander said finishing his little exnation.


    Everyone sat in silence after that as there was a lot of information to digest as all of their perspectives of the world and beyond had beenpletely flipped and it looks like they weren''t living in the peaceful times they thought they were.


    After giving the cadets them to soak up all the information, Commander Sable asked them the main question.


    "Your generation is ourst hope to help beat this crisis. I have tested all of you and you have proved yourself worthy of being on this special task force, do you ept this responsibility?"


    "Whatever your decision might be, know that you will still be entered into the special ss of military school, but won''t receive the benefits of being part of this task force."


    The atmosphere in the roompletely changed after Commander Sable asked the 8 cadets, the most important question whose answer would greatly determine their future going forward.


    It was a very important decision because if they were to say yes to this, not only would they have to face this great crisis but would most likely die fighting it, all to protect the lives of the innocent.


    Before anyone could reply, Natasha was the first person to stand up with confidence and face Commander Sable. She stood in front of him with confidence and proceed to give him her answer.


    "Absolutely Not!" She said out loud in front of everyone.

 Chapter 221 Home Sweet Home

    The room fell silent as Natasha uttered those words right in the face of Commander Sable with full confidence and zero respect.


    Everyone held their breaths as they didn''t know how themander would react to this at all, but he just stared deeply into Natasha''s confident and devious-looking face.


    "Alright then, it ispletely your decision whether you want to be a part of this or not, but may I ask why?" Commander Sable replied in neither a respectful nor a rude manner, which surprised all of the other cadets in the room, but they knew it was best to remain silent for now.


    "No reason, I just don''t feel like dying any time soon," Natasha replied in the same girly rude manner with a disrespectful giggle in the end that showed her character.


    Mako could feel the tension in the room rising as Commander Sable was trying really hard to contain his anger and to deal with Natasha professionally because he did say that they had the choice to either leave or join the special task force.


    "Fine. You are entitled to your own opinion and choices. You may leave this room, a private will escort you back to your private quarters and you will be given further instructions after dinner by the mainmander," Commander Sable said, keeping hisposure in check.


    Sable wasn''t as much angry as he was disappointed at the foolishness of the girl standing in front of him, as he had seen many cadets full of themselves and selfish with their power go down the wrong path and much worse, and he could only hope that she wouldn''t turn out like the rest.


    Natasha showed a devious smirk as she turned around and started moving toward the door, without saluting or giving any form of respect to themander.


    "Come on, Haruto! We are leaving," Natasha as she walked past Haruto.


    Everyone was left stunned once again as Natasha said those words without even thinking about where they were, or why they were even there.


    Haruto for the first time looked up and stared at Natasha as if he was a ve desperate for food and water. He didn''t utter a single word but Mako was quick to realize that the imposter they had once caught was not Haruto''s personality as he could see in his eyes that he wanted to stay here.


    Natasha had already reached the door and turned around to find Haruto still sitting in the chair which finally prompted her to show some emotion, but it wasn''t the good kind at all.


    "Haruto!" She yelled from across the room like an angry mother calling their kids back home after they had been ying outside for too long.


    Haruto closed his eyes with fear after Natasha called out his name for the second time. He didn''t want to make her upset at all and so he slowly started to stand up from his chair, but before he could start walking over to her, Commander Sable stepped in as he had had enough and grabbed him by the shoulder stopping him from going further.


    "Stop! You are entitled to your own decision. She doesn''t get any say in whether you want to help serve for humanity''s future or not!" Commander Sable said to Haruto.


    "Of Course! He is definitely entitled to make his own decision. What is your decision... Haruto...?" Natasha said keeping on her wicked smile.


    Commander Sable could feel Haruto trembling which definitely told him that something was wrong with the two of them, but before he could even say anything or retaliate in any sort of way, Haruto made his move first.


    Haruto broke away from Sable''s grip and turned around to him and said, "Sensei! I appreciate your offer, but I also refuse your proposal, I willingly don''t want to be a part of this!"


    The atmosphere of the room intensified as Haruto said those words while bowing down to show respect and then proceeding to walk towards Natasha who widened her wicked smile to signify her victory.


    Bill had gotten sick of this entire situation as he had experienced firsthand how wicked Natasha was and so he stood up to interfere in the situation and stop her from getting her way, but Commander Sable instantly stopped him from doing anything as he raised his hand towards him and signaled him to stand back.


    Haruto made his way over to Natasha and they both exited the room together with Natasha whispering something in Haruto''s ears just as they were about to leave.


    "Good dog, I''ll make sure to reward youter," She whispered.


    "Yes, Natasha-kun," Haruto replied respectfully as he shut the door behind them and followed the private who was waiting for them back to their private quarters.


    *************


    The room was dead silent as everyone couldn''t even believe what just happened was even possible it felt like they were in a dream but sadly it was not.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Natasha had just gotten away with disrespecting Commander Sable and had taken another promising soldier with her.


    Commander Sable quickly brought everyone''s attention back to him as he repeated his question again to the remaining six cadets, only this time he didn''t do so with the real jolly tone that he had been using after they had passed the test and had reverted back to his strict and angry tone.


    Nobody else refused themander''s proposal as they dly epted their new role and responsibility, each epting it with their own agendas and aspirations in mind.


    This helped calm themander''s mood a little bit, but he was still definitely disturbed about Natasha and Haruto, especially after hearing thestment that Natasha made to Haruto as they were leaving.


    The Commander had far superior hearing than the cadets and he was easily able to pick up Natasha''sment which made him wonder if it was intentional or not.


    ''She is dangerous and already knows so much about the military and their rules. What is her goal? What is she hiding? Ahh! These damn rules won''t let me do anything! I''ll just have to keep my eye on her at all times.'' The Commander thought as he was finishing up giving all the details to Mako and the other cadets.


    There were many rules set in ce to protect weaker people in the military, especially women from the stronger people as there had been cases in the past where some old corporals and sergeants abused their power and would take advantage of female cadets.


    These rules were always active and had unique means of being enforced which prevented Commander Sable from doing anything to Natasha or stopping her and Haruto.


    Commander Sable told the group that they were effectively bumped up to being privates and that their training will begin immediately.


    The original timeline of events that were supposed to take ce was that after passing the test and getting admitted, the students were to return back home to finish their term before starting military school.


    However, Mako and the other five cadets were given the shocking news that they would be transported back home after dinner using the teleportation device to gather all their belongings and say goodbye to their loved ones, beforeing back to the military base the following day from where they will start their journey.


    With that Commander Sable left the room saying that he had other business to attend to, leaving Mako and the other cadets alone in the room to finally catch up.


    ****************


    However, before anyone could do anything, Erin was the first one to stand up and march up to Iris with a face full of anger as she was still super salty and mad about how she acted like she didn''t even recognize her as theynded in the military base.


    Mako, Leon, and Bill exchanged fist bumps as they were just d to see that Mako was alive and healthy while Erin kept chewing out Iris.


    As the group was busy catching up with everything that had happened in the past few days, Nathan silently got up and left the room without saying a single word and it was toote before anyone realized that he was already gone.


    Nobody was able to sense his sudden departure, not even Mako, which was rather surprising, but they decided to just leave him be for now and just focus on catching up with each other.


    The group talked about many things after the night of the final wave was over, each one sharing their own experiences.


    Time flew by and it was already time for dinner by the time they had finished catching up. Two privates entered the room to guide them to the dining hall where they had dinner together which was rather uneventful with neither Natasha, Haruto, Nathan, or Commander Sable joining them.


    After dinner, they were immediately directed toward the teleportation room, and one by one, they got on the teleportation tform that would teleport them right to their front door.


    Everyone said their goodbyes and one by one began disappearing into particles as they got teleported away with Mako and Bill being thest ones, who got teleported together as they were living in the same home.


    The teleportation took only a second and Mako and Bill were back in the woods of Emerald City with a lonely house right in front of them that had been built generations ago.


    Mako had a huge smile on his face as he opened the front door and turned the power back on.


    "Home Sweet Home!"

 Chapter 222 Rivals Fight! (Part 1)

    It had only been a bit over two weeks since they had left Emerald City to take the recruitment test, but so much had happened in thesest few days that it felt like it had been an eternity.


    They had grown so much and progressed much farther than they had ever imagined.


    "You know what I wanna do right now, just fall into my bed and sleep the whole night away," Mako said in the most cheerful and happy he had ever been in a long long time.


    However, when he turned around towards Bill, he saw that he still hadn''t taken a single step inside the house yet and was just standing there, afraid of something.


    Mako walked back to Bill with a concerned look as he wanted to know why Bill was in such a mood afterpleting the recruitment test and getting the best result possible.


    "Mako... I have to do it now, don''t I?" Bill said with his anxiety levels rising.


    Mako quickly realized what Bill was referring to as he remembered back to the conversation they had the night before they went to school to then be transported to take the recruitment test.


    Bill had said that he would finally face his father once he had passed the test and would redeem himself in his eyes after being looked at as a failure for so long.


    This was Bill''s goal, his passion, his everything.


    He wanted to earn his father''s appreciation back and show him that he was worthy of being his son.


    However, now that he had finally reached that point where it was time for him to finally meet his father and talk to him, face to face, doubt started to seep into his mind.


    ''Have I really done enough?''


    ''Am I strong enough?''


    ''Will he ever ept me?''


    ''Will he ever forgive me for the things I have done?''


    These were the thoughts running through Bill''s head as he stood right outside Mako''s house, uncertain of what to do next.


    "I just don''t think I am worthy enough for him to call me his son. My sisters and my brother had achieved far more things than I ever have. How am I supposed topete with that?" Bill said while clenching his fist, angry at his own weakness and past decisions.


    However, this time Mako didn''t reply at all or even console Bill in any way which was kind of odd given Mako''s sympathetic nature.


    Instead of some words of encouragement or a motivating pep talk, Bill suddenly received a sharp shooting pain in his chest that was followed by him beingunched tens of feet back into the forest.


    Bill collided with a giant tree that left a small imprint on his body onto the bark of the tree.


    Bill''s head was spinning as he was utterly confused as to what had just happened. Mako had just punched him right in the chest with all of his strength. It was only thanks to Bill still wearing his medium-tier chest armor that his ribs hadn''t cracked from that force.


    Bill''s vision slowly stopped moving around and stabilized, only to see Mako running at him at full speed with his hands erupting in red mes.


    Bill quickly took control of his shaken body and used his Wind ability tounch him into the air, dodging Mako''s assault.


    Hended a few feet away from Mako and shouted at him in anger, "What the hell do you think you are doing!?"


    Mako only smirks with a mischievous smile as he continues his assault by running straight at Bill with his fire fist ready to pulverize him.


    Bill couldn''t understand why Mako was acting this way. Was it hypnosis? Was he under the influence of an emotional ability again? What was going on?


    He didn''t want to hurt his best friend and only deflected his attacks away using small pockets of sand that cushioned Mako''s punch as he punched Bill''s hand.


    "Mako... What... is... going... on...!" Bill shouted with genuine concern as he kept blocking every single punch that Mako threw at him, the heat not really bothering him as sand was a great instor, protecting his hand from the hot mes.


    After having enough of Mako''s assaults, Bill created a huge vortex of wind right in the middle of their feet, sting them apart in opposite directions, giving him some breathing room.


    Bill looked at his friend in shock and horror as he couldn''t believe that in such a crucial time like this, his one and only best friend was also turning on him when he was already so emotionally weak.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "A... what''s wrong? I thought you called yourself not worthy, then why are you still standing!? You should be beaten down to the ground because that is where people like you belong! Worthless people deserve nothing in this world!" Mako said as he taunted Bill.


    A sudden rush of rage and anger filled Bill''s heart as thest person he ever expected those words toe out of was Mako.


    His eyes widened with anger and rage and adrenaline started pumping through his veins as he wasn''t going to let anyone talk to him like that ever again, and he was ready to fight Mako seriously if he had actually decided to turn his back on him now because he wasn''t going to be treated like that ever again.


    "You bastard!" Bill shouted as he used his wind ability tounch himself at Mako at high speeds while swinging a club that he simultaneously formed using his earth ability while charging up his wind tounch him forward.


    A  huge smile appeared on Mako''s face as he was ready to go all out in this fight as well, because even though he had grown a lot, Bill was still a tough opponent to go against who genuinebat training unlike him who still fought mediocrely.


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    [High Jump has been activated]


    Mako jumped several feet into the air to dodge Bill''s club strike and countered it by switching over to his lightning ability and started shooting lightning bolts at him.


    Since he was firing them rapidly, they had little power and only did a little bit of damage, but the shock itself prevented Bill from doing anything as it stopped his movements for a split second after every sessful hit.


    Bill raised an earth wall to defend himself against the lightning bolts which got absorbed into the earth and neutralized.


    Makonded back on the ground and switched back to his red fire and started shooting fireballs at the earth wall which didn''t get absorbed into the wall and were breaking it down with each hit.


    After a few hits, the earth wall looked like it was about to crumble and fall off, but before it could fall, Bill sted it apart himself, shooting many small chunks of earth at Mako at high speeds.


    Mako''s perception allowed him to dodge some of the iing projectiles, but there were just so many of them and so fast that he couldn''t dodge all of them, resulting in him getting hit pretty badly by several earth chunks.


    However, before Mako could even recover from that, Bill had already prepared his next move as behind him were dozens of miniature sand spikes that were locked and loaded and aimed right at Mako.


    Without giving him a second to recover, Billunched all the sand spikes toward Mako.


    Mako''s perception picked up the danger and this time instead of dodging, Mako activated Dash and ran from the area that all the sand spikes were aiming at, missing himpletely.


    After the dust had settled down, Mako and Bill looked at each other from far with Mako taking the aggression this time as he rushed back toward him with his fist zing twice as bright but he made the wrong decision to run through the area where the spikes had justnded and had be small mounds of regr sand.


    Mako stepped onto one of these mounds thinking that it was just regr sand, only for it to explode right at his face rendering him blind and confused.


    It took him a couple of seconds to get the sand away from his eyes so he could see again, but by that time it was toote because as soon as he opened his eyes, he was met with an earth club moving straight for his face.


    *BONK!*


    The clubnded a clean hit sending Mako flying back with blood leaking from his lip and nose. Makonded on the ground with a heavy thud as Bill breathed heavily trying to catch his breath after getting shocked so many times.


    He thought the fight was over and he began to walk toward Mako to see if he was okay and to figure out why he suddenly attacked him, but as he reached him and leaned down to touch him, his hands went right through his body as a secondter his entire body disappeared.


    [Phantom Shift has been activated]


    It took a moment for Bill to realize what had just happened as Mako had gotten him with the same exact trick so many times, and he had just fallen for it again.


    He instantly began to hear the sound of electricity crackling to his right and as he turned he saw Mako with his bloodied face, covered in yellow electricity.


    "I had been meaning to use this for a long time!" Mako shouted as he finally unleashed the long-awaited skill.


    [Lightning w has been activated]


    All the electricity concentrated in Mako''s hand as he swiped it vertically from up to down, creating a set of four ws made purely out of electricity aimed straight at Bill who was in point-nk range of this terrifying skill that couldpletely fry him to the bone.

 Chapter 223 Rivals Fight! (Part 2)

    The Lightning w was too fast and too close for Bill to dodge in his current state and he watched as the lightning w spelled out his doom.


    However, just as the Lightning w came close to him, Bill suddenly noticed the w moving slower than before and it was actually shifting a bit to the right as the individual des of lightning were expanding and separating further apart from one another.


    Bill was a bit skeptical about how the des of the lightning w were moving because it looked like it would just barely hit him.


    Bill didn''t know what to think, but he knew he couldn''t risk getting hit by such a highly concentrated amount of lightning aura, as even a singr de would damage him a lot.


    He gathered his wind aura once again andunched himself into the air, but he was able tounch himself three times higher than before to the point that he had crossed all the trees and was reaching far above into the sky.


    Mako had yet to see Bill while he was using his mutant gene, but he wouldn''t have to wait any longer as from his perspective he could clearly see Bill''s eyes glow green which signified his Wind Mutant Gene.


    Bill could feel the surge of strength within his body as he knew he was now stronger than ever. He dived back down towards Mako full of confidence that he would finally be able to end this pointless battle.


    He dived back down towards Mako and just as he was about ten feet above the ground, he gathered all of the wind around him and the momentum of his fall andbined it to do a backflip in mid-air while creating a massive wind de with his feet that that dragged all the wind aura andunched it to the ground, aimed straight at Mako.


    [Sprint has been activated]


    Mako activated the skill which was basically the advanced form of Dash to increase his agility even more, granting him enough speed to outmaneuver the massive wind de that wrecked everything in its path.


    The wind de left dug a trail into the ground, kicking up tens of pounds of dirt into the air as it chased after Mako who was barely faster than it.


    After taking a couple of sharp turns, Mako was able to eliminate the giant wind de by having it crash into a lone tree which waspletely uprooted and torn to shreds by the power of the wind de, even leaving Mako in surprise and shock as he observed Bill''s power.


    However, he didn''t have any time to rest as Bill appeared right in front of Mako using his wind as a means to boost his speed by projecting streams of air from his limbs to increase their movement speed.


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    Mako dodged the first iing kick by bending his knees back so that his entire body waspletely lying down with his legs still standing from the knee down.


    However, Bill wasn''t done because, with his heightened senses, he was able to react immediately to Mako''s dodge while he was still in mid-air crossing over Mako''s body, he used the wind to propel him downwards and change his trajectory.


    Mako thought that he had sessfully dodged the attack and could counter once Bill had crossed over his body, but Bill''s body spun around right above him with the two of theming face to face and without giving a single second to react, Bill thundered down a strong punch right at Mako''s face, punching him down and into the ground.


    [-40 HP]


    [User''s nose is broken]


    It was a strong hit thatnded cleanly on Mako''s face with no protection, dealing a good chunk of damage.


    Bill''s momentum still carried him forward and hended a couple of feet ahead of him. He quickly got back on his feet and rushed back in to deliver another punch at Mako who was still on the ground, but this time his eyes caught something right before hended the punch on Mako''s body.


    Mako''s body flickered a bit and he could see a hazy outline of Mako getting up and moving to the left.


    ''So that''s how he does it!'' Bill said in his thoughts as he changed the direction of his punch toward the left.


    From a third-person perspective, it looked like Bill intentionally moved his punch away from Mako''s copsed body and instead punched the air to his left; however, in the next second everything made sense, as Mako''s copsed body disappeared and Mako appeared right in front of Bill''s punch which connected beautifully.


    "You ain''t getting me with the same trick twice!" Bill shouted as heunched Mako into the trees simr to how he hadunched Bill at the start of the battle.


    [Phantom Shift has failed]


    [-30 HP]


    [The user has fractured two ribs]<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Mako crashed into the tree with a bloody broken nose and blood leaking from his mouth but instead of showing signs of pain or anger, he actually smiled at Bill, creeping him out even more.


    ''Activate Emergency Healing!'' Makomanded the system.


    [Emergency Healing has been activated]


    Mako removed himself from the tree andnded back on the ground, covering his fists in red fire once again. There wasn''t much he could do with his fire ability as his strongest skills required time to charge up and use, something he didn''t have the luxury of.


    He rushed back at Bill with his ming fist, hoping to pay him back for the painful punches he had given him, and to his surprise Bill didn''t counter back and instead allowed Mako toe close to him by standing still and keeping no guard whatsoever.


    Mako arrived with great speed towards Bill and unleashed a fury of punches but not a single one of them connected as Bill was able to dodge each and every single one of them using a weird Wind skill that covered his entire body and allowed him to detect any iing attacks just by the shift in the atmosphere, allowing him to dodge everything.


    Mako mixed in some elemental fire and lightning attacks as well but that was dodged easily by Bill too.


    Seeing this the smile on Mako''s face widened even more as he tried his best but couldnd a single punch on Bill.


    After letting Mako have his turn, Bill finally made a counter as he lifted his arm up just at the right moment to hit Mako right in the face and knock him back once again.


    Makonded on the ground again and Bill was hot on his tail as he wanted to end the fight with a final punch which he knew Mako wouldn''t be able to dodge.


    However, this time it was Mako who allowed Bill toe close to him as he didn''t move afternding on the ground and allowed Bill to reach him ready to deliver a final punch, but just as Bill''s fist was about to connect with Mako''s bloody face for the third time.


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    A pulse of electricity erupted from Mako''s body quickly enveloping Bill and the surrounding, paralyzing him from moving forward.


    Bill''s fist was right in front of Mako''s face such that from his perspective he couldn''t even see Mako''s face as his fist was covering it.


    Mako tilted his head to the left so that Bill could see his face which was still smiling.


    "Still think you''re not worthy, or strong enough?" Mako asked with a smirk as carefully cleaned some of the blood from around his mouth.


    Bill''s eyes stopped glowing green as he waspletely confused by the sudden change in Mako''s character as he was back to being his usual self again.


    "You almostpletely destroyed me, a newly promoted private, if that isn''t considered a great achievement for your current status, then I don''t know what is," Mako said as he secretly essed his inventory while putting his hand into his pocket to take out two healing pills.


    He took one himself and ced the other one in Bill''s mouth which was still paralyzed.


    Momentster the paralysis finally wore off and he was able to move again, but due to being in such an awkward position while being paralyzed, he lost his bnce and fell face-first onto the ground.


    "I am not apologizing for that, you totally deserve that for wrecking my face," Mako said jokingly as both of them began tough.


    "Mako... this entire time..." Bill began to say but was cut off by Mako whopleted his sentence for him.


    "Was trying to get you to open your eyes to the insane power and potential that now resides within you, you are not that 12-year-old boy that your father called a failure, you''re much stronger, faster, better than that," Mako said.


    Bill couldn''t believe he was having such angry and bad thoughts about Mako when he started attacking him when he was only trying to help him open his eyes to his own strength and see just how far he hade from being a weak boy.


    The two boys fist-bumped each other to end any hard feelings and rested in the forest to regain their energy and health.


    After about an hour, the boys were ready to move on. Bill finally had the confidence to face his father again and left right away to meet him, leaving Mako alone in the woods.


    At first, Mako wanted to just rx and sleep the night away but seeing Bill so eager to talk to his father, reminded Mako that he needed to talk to someone important too, so he also began walking out of the woods and into the city.

 Chapter 224 Fated Meeting (Part 1)

    Chapter 224 Fated Meeting (Part 1)


    As the boys made their way over to meet someone important to them, the clouds began to crackle with lightning, and soon after it started pouring rain on Emerald City.


    The rain wasn''t too heavy, but it wasn''t a drizzle either, cooling down the air to the perfect temperature and making the night far more beautiful and magical.


    However, on the other side of the city, near the shipping docks, the atmosphere was gloomy and sad for Leon who was sitting out in the rain outside the entrance to the hanger which was the Dark Raven Headquarters.


    He had been sitting outside for almost an hour, feeling even greater anxiety than Bill considering who Paul Czolgosz was. The rain had also begun to pour down near the shipping docks leading Leon to get soaked as he sat there like depressed and anxious about how to proceed.


    ''I know I promised him that I would talk to my father again, but how? Just how? We haven''t seen eye to eye in years and I never listened to anything he said, how can I show my face to him after all I have said!?'' Leon thought to himself while continuously getting soaked by the pouring rain.


    Suddenly the door he was sitting beside, opened from the inside popping Leon''s bubble of thoughts as he turned to see who had opened the door.


    He had purposefully chosen to sit outside the emergency door because nobody ever uses it unless there was an emergency which made Leon a bit anxious and curious as to who hade snooping by the emergency door.


    "Master Leon, I was going to leave you alone, but I simply can''t watch you getting soaked in this rain. Pleasee inside and let''s get you dried up, you don''t want to catch a cold do you?" Benson the Butler said half-jokingly with warmth and concern as he came out of the door with an umbre.


    "Benson... You knew I was here from the start didn''t you?" Leon said softly as he looked up to their butler with a gentle smile.


    "Yes, sir... what kind of a servant would I be if I didn''t keep track of everything around here?" Benson said professionally as he pushed the umbre forward to shield Leon from the pouring rain.


    Leon looked up to Benson with small tears forming in his eyes as it had been a long time since he had let his true emotions seep out.


    "You are more than a servant, Benson. You are my best friend!" Leon said as he got up and hugged Benson.


    The two shared a few seconds of embrace before Benson broke off and gestured for Leon toe back inside.


    *****************


    After some time, Leon was clean and dried, sitting atop his bed, telling stories about all the different events that took ce during the recruitment test.


    Benson was listening with great attention like a mother who was listening to her son tell her all about his day at school.


    By the end, Benson was quite delighted to hear that Leon had already be a private and was epted into the special task force.


    "Master Leon you have aplished so much and far exceeded any and all expectations, you even made good friends along the way, but I think now it is time..." Benson said with a serious yet calming tone.


    Leon sighed as he knew he couldn''t avoid this moment forever. He just wished he could continue talking with Benson forever, but he had to snap back to reality.


    "Do you really think he will talk to me, Benson? After everything I have done..." Leon asked as he slowly made his way over to the door to go and meet his father.


    "I know how you feel, Master Leon, but he is still your father, and believe, he loves nothing more in this world than his family and you are now his only family left, so please let him reconnect with his family. He has been broken for far too long..." Benson said in a caring voice as he patted Leon and opened the door for him to exit the room.


    Leon took onest deep breath before nodding to Benson and walking out of his room. He walked through the same hallways he had walked through a thousand times and yet they felt long and never-ending as the butterflies in his stomach were growingrger andrger.


    Eventually, he did reach the end of the hallway and stood outside his father''s office door.


    He proceeded to do the special knock and soon his father''s voice resounded from within the room.


    "Enter," The voice said.


    Leon gulped down hard and summoned as much courage and confidence as possible before opening the door.


    "Father, I have returned," Leon announced as he entered into Paul''s office.


    ****************


    {Back in Emerald City}


    Bill made his way over to the rich neighborhood right by his high school. This was where his father lived. It was a ratherrge estate built like an old-school Japanese home with a beautiful courtyard and back garden that had several cherry blossom trees as well as a training area for abilities.


    William Johnson, Bill''s father was very fond of old cultures and was especially drawn in by Japanese home designs from over 1200 years ago and wanted to integrate them into his home, making his house one of the most beautiful and unique houses in the entire neighborhood.


    The area was right on the border between the Dark Raven and Los Zetas'' territories which was a hotspot for gang fights and robberies which was why the area was so deste and quiet at night with only gang members and police roaming around in the streets.


    Bill had to be extremely careful as he was a wanted man by the Los Zetas and given all his recent achievements, he knew El Diablo would be on the lookout for him more than ever.


    Ever since Bill had escaped from the warehouse, he had never gone near El Diablo''s territory again for fear of getting caught, but he had to make this journey if he wanted to finally make amends with his father.


    Bill purchased a good quality hoodie from one of the night markets on his over to the rich neighborhood and wore it to conceal his face.


    Taking it one step further, once he was in the danger zone, Bill opted to travel from rooftop to rooftop instead of the streets which would get him there faster and keep him concealed.


    He used his wind ability to jump from house to house and soon made it over to his father''s house without any trouble.


    After making sure the coast was clear, Bill made the final jump from the house next door andnded directly into the training area where his father used to train him and his siblings.


    Bill used his wind ability to make a smoothnding and now with him safe inside the property he didn''t have to worry about gang members spotting him and he could take off his...


    "If you dare move a single muscle, I''ll tear you to shreds!" A voice whispered in Bill''s ears from behind and before he could even turn around, he was already pinned into the ground.


    Bill waspletely overpowered by someone with far superior strength than him and it took him only a single second to recognize who it was.


    "You picked the wrong house to rob, you little thief!" William Johnson said as he twisted Bill''s forearm, almost breaking it right off, causing immense pain to Bill and making him scream in pain and agony.


    "Wait... wait..." Bill tried to speak but waspletely cut off by William stomping on his head with his bare foot.


    "If you''re looking for mercy there ain''t none here! This is yourst bad decision, I''m afraid" William said as he inflicted even more pain.


    The rain was still pouring hard and Bill''s face waspletely covered in mud, making it impossible for William to recognize who he was.


    Noticing the seriousness in his father''s voice, he wouldn''t be able to say anything before he kills him so he had to act and act fast.


    Bill summoned all of his willpower and his eyes began glowing green again. He had already used his mutant gene earlier and using it again would only exhaust it more which was something that Commander Thorne personally rmended him not to do if he wanted to be strong because the consequences of overusing the mutant gene were dire.


    However, right now, Bill didn''t care as it would take everything he had to even stand up to his father much less defeat him.


    After receiving the boost from the mutant gene, Bill summoned his wind aura and sted William away from his body.


    "Mutant Gene? You gang membered have really upped your game, huh?" Williammented as hended safely on the ground, virtue of his wind ability to cushion thending.


    Bill wanted to speak, but Willian didn''t even give him a chance as he rushed back in towards him at high speed with a visible white disc made of concentrated rotating air.


    "But it doesn''t matter what drugs you take! You will never overpower experience and hard work!" William shouted as threw the powerful disc straight at Bill like a frisbee.

 Chapter 225 Fated Meeting (Part 2)

    Chapter 225 Fated Meeting (Part 2)


    The white disc made of concentrated air was hurled at Bill with impressive destructive power as even though it was 5 feet above the ground as it moved toward Bill, it ripped apart all the grass and dirt underneath it.


    Seeing the destructive power of the disc, Bill knew he had to dodge it at all costs because there was no way his earth ability would be able to block it.


    Activating that skill that allowed his body to react to even the slightest movements in air pressure around him, Bill managed to dodge the disc by leaping over it at just the right moment; however, since he was so close to the de, a part of his hoodie from the back got cut off.


    The disc followed through and smashed into a beautiful cherry blossom tree, slicing it cleanly in half and dropping it on the ground.


    ''That was too close forfort,'' Bill said to himself as he looked back at the sliced tree and prepared himself for William''s continued assault.


    William had his fists locked and close to his waist and in that position he summoned his earth aura and stepped heavily on the ground repeatedly.


    Every time William stomped onto the ground, A massive sharp earth spike erupted from the ground from right underneath Bill.


    William stomped repeatedly, giving Bill no breathing room as had to constantly be moving. He knew that if he slowed down for even a single second, he would be toast.


    "Wait! I am...!" Bill shouted but was cut off with several spikes now erupting from underneath his feat.


    "Toote now, kid! You messed up when you decided to rob a retired military veteran, I may be old, but don''t think for a second that I can''t handle you, chumps!" William shouted.


    Even though William Johnson had a pretty big property, the training area was still a bit too small to contain a full-on battle, which worked negatively for Bill who was running out of room to run to.


    However suddenly, William retracted all the earth spikes back into the ground, leaving the training area in absolute ruin.


    Bill looked over at his father and saw a huge pile of sand underneath his feet.


    ''No, he didn''t!'' Bill shouted in his thoughts as he realized what his father had done.


    William had done the exact thing, Bill had done several times, whenever there wasn''t sand nearby him.


    William had used his earth ability to grind down the raw earth underneath his feet into the sand and now he was ready for his real assault as the earth spikes were just a distraction to buy him time so that he could produce the sand.


    "Wait! Please! I think there has been a misunderstanding!" Bill said as he tried to rub his face to clean off the dirt so that his father could recognize him.


    However, with the pouring rain and low visibility, it was hard to make out someone''s facial features unless they were up close to their face.


    Bill got some of the mud off his face but his father wasn''t waiting as he had already formed sand spikes behind him andunched them at Bill at fast speeds.


    Even though William had high-level earth and wind abilities and quite a lot of experience using them, he resonated with them and obtained the sand ability just as he was about to retire and so his sand ability wasn''t so high level.


    Knowing this Bill knew that this was the one thing where he could possibly match his father.


    William could have probably easily dealt with Bill using just his wind ability if he had to, but since he was fighting after so long, he was actually enjoying the fight and wanted to reveal all his cards to totally humiliate Bill who he thought was a gang member breaking into his home.


    Bill tried to manipte the sand spikes that his father had just hurled at him, but they were resilient and he was only able to change their trajectory so that they would miss him.


    This finally surprised William Johnson as he couldn''t believe a single gang member obtaining the mutant gene, which he didn''t have but had the sand ability.


    William quickly snapped out of it and hurled more sand spikes at Bill.


    The sand wasn''t the best ability to fight in the rain, because the water kept mixing with the sand to make mud, making it hard for William to use his skills effectively.


    He tried again, but Bill manipted the spikes away while copying his father''s trick. He also began producing sand while deflecting the sand spikes.


    Once he had procured enough sand, he started forming sand spikes of his own andunched them all at once unlike William who was shooting them off one at a time.


    William raised an earth wall to defend himself and easily stopped all the earth spikes.


    After he dropped the earth wall, he saw that not all of the sand spikes managed to hit him as several of them had hit the ground and turned into mounds of sand.


    "Ha! See that! This is the difference between the power cultivated through hard work and the power obtained overnight!" William taunted as he was growing tired of this fight and just wanted to end it quickly.


    He rushed forward with two wind discs, each forming in one hand ready to end this battle and get rid of the gang member in front of him, but as he moved forward he stepped right onto one of those sand mounds which was a huge mistake.


    *POOF!*


    The sand mound exploded into a dust cloud whichpletely obstructed William''s vision, causing him to throw the wind discs randomly in Bill''s general direction.


    Bill rushed in as this was his one and only opportunity. The wind discs were not too far off from the target and Bill had to rely on his his military uniform.


    William was quickly trying to get the sand out of his eyes while skill to help him dodge the discs again.


    He was able to sessfully dodge the spikes but his loose hoodie got cut even more and it got ripped off his body leaving Bill in just his military uniform.


    William was quickly trying to get the sand out of his eyes while throwing random wind des in Bill''s direction but these were easier to dodge and soon Bill was right in front of his father.


    William had just gotten the sand out of his eyes and was about tounch another wind attack when Bill pped his hands away and shouted at him, face to face.


    "DAD! IT''S ME!" Bill shouted causing William to finally stop fighting.


    William started at Bill''s exhausted face as he still had his glowing green eyes and was wearing a military uniform.


    "Bill?" William said in disbelief, but before he could say anything Bill''s eye stopped glowing and he copsed onto the wet ground out of exhaustion leaving William in absolute shock and confusion.


    ***************


    {Over at the East Side of Emerald City}


    Mako was enjoying the rain which was much lighter than in other areas as he made his way over to his second-most favorite ce in Emerald City, Bird''s Eye Street.


    He walked through the same alleyways he always did when he went to work, listening to thedy telling the news on the huge holographic screens onmercial buildings.


    Mako couldn''t believe how much had changed in his life in just three months. Almost three months ago, he walked through the same alley depressed as anything, listening to thedy on the news wish everyone a happy new year and now he was part of the military task force, ready to start a new chapter in his life.


    Destiny and fate really worked in interesting ways. If anyone would have asked Mako 4-5 months ago about how would he feel being a top cadet in the military, he would haveughed out loud in their faces as there was no possible way.


    However, fate had other things in store for Mako as he found the system in the hidden room in his house and went on to prove himself by getting stronger and defeating many enemies.


    He took a left arriving on a busy street that looked as beautiful as always. He walked down the street greeting everyone as he went by and finally stopped in front of a two-story building which was the bakery.


    It was about closing time and there were no customers inside, but that didn''t stop Mako from entering through the front door.


    As soon as he entered through the door, the bell rang and indicating that someone had entered the shop.


    "Sorry... We''re closed,e back tomorrow!" A voice came from the back which was the kitchen and a secondter Sir Derek came out wiping his hands with a cloth.


    Both Mako and Sir Derek paused as they stared at each other in surprise.


    "Mako?! You''re back!" Sir Derek eximed.


    "Sir Derek...? YOU''RE COOKING!?" Mako shouted in disbelief.

 Chapter 226 Fated Meeting (Part 3)

    ?


    Mako and Sir Derek both stared at each other. Mako was wearing some regr clothes that he changed into before leaving, and they were one of the new ones he purchased after making money from winning in fights.


    The clothes were made from a good fabric that was water-repent so even though it was raining outside, Mako was still mostly dry.


    On the other side, Sir Derek was standing in a messy apron and wearing a baker''s hat. He had batter smeared all over him and patches of dough stuck in multiple areas. He had a mixing bowl in his hand and was currently whisking some egg whites.


    Sir Derek was the first to break the silence as he quickly coughed and moved back to the kitchen to quickly clear up all the mess he had made before Mako could see it.


    However, it was a desperate and unsessful attempt as Mako moved toward the kitchen to see the horror inside the kitchen.


    Raw flour was spilled all over the floor, the countertops were filthy with broken eggs, spilled sugar, and syrups, Milk was boiling out of the pots on the countertops, and the smell of burnt food was very strong.


    Mako had a natural response of fear after seeing the kitchen, thinking that Sir Derek was going to kill him, it took a moment for his brain to register that the whole kitchen was a mess because of Sir Derek who was trying to hide all the evidence to save himself from embarrassment.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Mako activated his dash skill to get a boost in agility as rushed into the kitchen. He started by turning off all the burners so that the milk would stop bubbling over; next, he shut down all the mixers that were moving too fast and were responsible for all the sticky pieces of dough stuck on different surfaces.


    He put all the burnt croissants and other pieces of bread into a trash bag and properly disposed of them out back in the dumpster, andstly, he grabbed the cleaning supplies out of the janitor''s closet, and quickly mopped the floors, cleaned the counters, and put all the ingredients back into their original storage.


    Sir Derek was left shocked after Mako sped around the entire kitchen fixing all the mess that he had made in around 20 minutes, leaving the kitchen squeaky clean just like it used to be after Mako worked every shift there.


    "Man, Sir Derek, you really did a number on this ce," Mako said as he finished putting thest of the sugar back into its container. "What were doing cooking in here all by yourself, where are all the other workers?"


    For the first time in his life did he watch Sir Derek''s face go red with embarrassment as he didn''t know how to respond?


    "Well... I... Ummm... The workers collectively took the day off without giving any kind of notice and it just left me alone to manage this whole ce myself, and I... Well, I... Uhhh... You know..." Sir Derek replied in a quiet voice which Mako thought was scientifically impossible considering it was Sir Derek.


    "Forget about me! How are you here? Weren''t you supposed to be gone for the recruitment test? It isn''t supposed to end so early. Did you get disqualified?!" Sir Derek asked in his regr heavy voice trying to change the subject.


    "Calm down, Sir Derek, everything is fine. I didn''t get disqualified or anything like that," Mako replied with a smile as he understood Sir Derek''s cleverness. "Why don''t you clean up and we can talk all about it,"


    The two of them made their back to the front of the bakery and after Sir Derek had cleaned up, they both took a seat on one of the tables, and Mako proceeded to tell him everything that had happened during the recruitment and why he was back home early.


    Even though the recruitment test was over, the cadets hadn''te home yet because many of them were injured and needed medical attention.


    Based on which ss they qualified for or didn''t at all they would have to take an orientation by the military in which they would be given further instructions on how to proceed and whatnot which usually takes up to a week.


    Mako was busy munching away the Danish pastries that Sir Derek had served him along with arge cup of really good dark roasted coffee which was absolutely perfect, especially in the rainy weather.


    Sir Derek was blown away by the achievements and stories Mako told him about his time during the recruitment test and was subconsciously behaving like a proud father who was watching his son do something amazing.


    Mako told him about all the privileges he will receive as part of the special task force and that he hadn''t forgotten the promise that he had made to Sir Derek about finding out what happened to his daughter which brought real tears to Sir Derek''s eyes.


    "Mako, my boy, I always wanted a son but I didn''t get the opportunity to raise one, but then one day the opportunity presented itself by you showing up at my shop four years ago, asking for a job." Sir Derek said as hepletely dropped his bossy facade and should his true feelings and emotions.


    "Even though all my instincts told me to just shoo you away, there was just something in your eyes that made me want to hire you. You were such a horrible cook in the beginning and I often times questioned my sanity about me letting you continue to worm her, but there was just something in my heart that just didn''t want to let you go." Sir Derek said.


    "I began seeing you as my own son and after I found out that you were livingpletely on your own, I wanted to be the one to raise you, teach you disciple and the importance of hard work, and be a key figure in your life so that you would never be totally alone." Sir Derek continued.


    "I know I wasn''t the best parental figure nor the best boss, but I really did view you as my own son and now you have grown and be a far stronger and better man than I ever could and I hope you can forgive me for all the rough times I put you through," Sir Derek finished.


    At this point, Mako''s eyes were also getting teary as he thought that the time when Sir Derek asked him for a favor to find his daughter was his true emotions, but seemed like he was still holding some back as the person in front of him waspletely unrecognizable to Sir Derek he knew.


    Mako''s heart swelled with emotion as he listened to Sir Derek''s heartfelt words. He had never expected such vulnerability and sincerity from the usually gruff and strict baker.


    He wiped away a tear that escaped his eye and reached across the table, cing his hand on Sir Derek''s trembling one.


    "Sir Derek, you don''t have to apologize for anything. You were more than just a boss to me. You were the father figure I never had," Mako said, his voice filled with gratitude and love.


    "You took a chance on me when no one else would, and you taught me so much more than just cooking," Mako added.


    Mako''s voice grew softer as he continued, "You''ve been there for me through thick and thin, you fed me every single day and you always gave me great advice on so many things."


    He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts before he continued, "And as for finding your daughter, I want you to know that it''s not just a favor to you, but a personal mission for me. I will search everywhere, and follow every lead until I find her. I promise you, Sir Derek."


    Mako''s eyes met Sir Derek''s, conveying his determination and unwavering resolve. "You''ve been a shining light during my darkest time, and now it''s my turn to be there for you. I''ll find your daughter, and I won''t stop until I do."


    Sir Derek''s eyes shimmered with tears as he nodded, a mix of gratitude and hope lighting up his face. "Thank you, Mako. Thank you for being the son I never had. I believe in you, and I know that you''ll bring her back to me. Just promise me that you''ll stay safe."


    Mako smiled warmly, a flicker of determination in his eyes. "I promise, Sir Derek. I''ll stay safe,"


    As they sat there, their hands still intertwined, Mako felt a deep sense of purpose and renewed strength.


    After some time, Mako and Sir Derekposed themselves again, and this time Mako asked about what Sir Derek was doing in the kitchen.


    For as long as Mako had known Sir Derek, he had never seen him cook once. He would always exin the techniques and the recipe and would observe the cooking to ensure it was up to standard, but he had never cooked himself in front of his workers.


    It turned out that all those techniques and recipes were his wife''s and he just had a good enough memory watching her work that he could easily manage and teach the workers how to cook, but he really didn''t have much experience cooking himself which led to the disaster that Mako walk in.


    After sharing augh together, Mako thought that Sir Derek had suffered enough for one night and offered to work onest shift with him together before he returned back to the military base to start his new adventure.


    Sir Derek was reluctant at first but after Mako persuaded him a bit, Sir Derek finally gave in and allowed him to work while thanking the gods internally for saving him.


    The two spent the night in the kitchen making batches of many different kinds of bread and pastries in preparation for the morning rush.

 Chapter 227 Fated Meeting (Part 4)

    ?


    William rushed to Bill''s side, kneeling down on the wet ground. He cradled Bill''s head gently, trying to wake him up.


    "Bill, wake up! Are you okay?" William''s voice filled with worry as he shook his son lightly.


    After seeing that he was still breathing, William calmed down a bit. He picked up Bill''s unconscious body and quickly headed inside.


    William took him to one of the guest rooms andid him down on a thin mattress that was justid down on the ground without a bed frame.


    He took a healing pill and fed it to Bill, to make him recover faster because it looked like those wind des had not just torn up his hoodie but had also left shallow cuts all over his back.


    Bill was just so focused on the fight that he didn''t have time to register the fact that he was bleeding from his back, part of that was because of the mutant gene as it not only boosted the stats and power of the user but also dulled the things such as pain, fear, etc.


    William stayed right by Bill''s side in utter confusion as he couldn''t figure out why Bill was sneaking inte at night,pletely out of the blue plus he hadn''t heard any news regarding Bill for more than a month now which was also quite concerning.


    Even if William had said that he wouldn''t train him anymore and support him as well as said to the public that he was no longer his son, deep down, he still cared for his youngest son and tried to keep an eye on him but not interfere much in his life.


    Since they weren''t on speaking terms, they hardly ever talked when Bill was at home.


    Bill would often be gone in the evening and arrive homete at night. William tried to find out where he went every other night, but it was like Bill had turned into a trained professional as William would always lose him.


    Recon and tracking missions were never really a thing for William so it was understandable how Bill was so evasive, but El Diablo also yed a role in this as he had his men teach all the new recruits optimal ways to lose anyone that might be following them.


    Bill had made use of those same tactics when he had Mako run in weird patterns all over the city after they had received the invitation card from the Dark Raven to make sure they lost anyone who might be following them as they made their way home.


    William decided to butt out of his son''s lifepletely after he noticed that there was a difference in Bill''s behavior and that it was probably best if he allowed Bill to learn the correct path through hardships and failure himself.


    Soon after he had heard that a boy had defeated him in a duel, he thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to reconnect with his son and teach him some humility as knowing him, he would be extremely angry and frustrated after his loss, but since then he couldn''t find any whereabouts of Bill anywhere.


    He searched everywhere and even reported his disappearance to the police, but nothing regarding Bill ever showed up again.


    However, William didn''t give up and continued to look for his son, he eventually learned about his involvement with gangs through his close ssmates, but even they didn''t know where Bill was.


    William finally understood how Bill was able to obtain an ability and where he went at night, but he cursed himself for figuring it out sote and now who knew what had happened to his son.


    He started researching gangs and learning about how they operate, he learned about the main gangs and the things that they did in the city.


    He was still looking into all the gang-rted events that had happened after Bill''s disappearance, and one stuck out which was about an old warehouse belonging to Los Zetas blowing up and people escaping from within.


    There weren''t many details about it and William was going to find out more about himself, but before he could make any moves, thest thing he expected was for an intruder to break into his house and even more crazily, that intruder was Bill himself wearing a standard military uniform.


    [2 Hours Later]


    Bill slowly opened his eyes, groaning in pain. The exhaustion and wounds from the intense battle had taken its toll on his body. He blinked a few times, struggling to focus only to see that he was inside a familiar-looking room with his father''s face staring right into him.


    "Dad? What... happened?" Bill managed to whisper, his voice weak and hoarse.


    William helped his son sit up and supported him with an arm around his shoulder. He nced at the ruined training area, realizing the magnitude of the situation.


    "I... I thought you were an intruder, Bill. I''m so sorry. I didn''t recognize you," William''s voice trembled with regret.


    Bill was left stunned to see his father talk to him like that. His father had always been strict and direct, showing minimal emotion even if they were to get injured, but right now there was genuine emotion in William''s voice.


    "It''s... It''s alright, Dad. I should have exined myself better," Bill replied awkwardly.


    William quickly bottled up his emotions as there were many questions that needed to be answered.


    William put on his usual scary face as he stared into Bill''s eyes and said, "Tell me everything, Bill. What''s been going on? Where have you been?"


    Bill took a deep breath, trying to regain some strength. He began exining from the very beginning about how he got his ability and how he lost the duel against Mako which prompted El Diablo to make him his prisoner.


    Grazing over the burnt key imprint he had on his hand for when he held the red hot key, he exined in detail how he managed to escape from the warehouse and how he somehow stumbled over to Mako''s home in the woods.


    He told him how Mako forgave him and showed him a better path and how the two of them became fighters and grew stronger together.


    He shared their interaction with Dark Raven and how they executed a heist to save many prisoners from El Diablo''s hold.


    He then went on and exined how he registered for the recruitment test and everything that urred while they were on the ind.


    Sharing every detail and achievement he had done and talking about all the new friends he had made. He told him about his own personal growth and how he got selected to be part of the special task force.


    Lastly, he exined how he got back to emerald city and that he wanted to meet his father onest time before he started his journey in military school.


    As Bill spoke, William listened intently, his regret deepening with every word. He realized he had missed out on crucial moments in his son''s life, moments that shaped him into the person he was now.


    When Bill finished recounting his experiences, there was a moment of silence between them. William reached out and ced a hand on Bill''s shoulder, his voice filled with remorse.


    "I''m so sorry, Bill. I never imagined all of this. I''ve missed so much, and I acted without thinking. I should have recognized you, no matter the circumstances. You have grown so much and achieved far beyond what your sisters or brother could at your age."


    William went on and quickly exined things from his perspective and what he had been doing while Bill was missing.


    Bill looked at his father, his eyes filled with a mix of disbelief and happiness. "Dad, I can''t believe it. I thought you hated me and that I could never live up to your expectations, but it looks like we both made mistakes."


    There was another moment of silence as they both thought back to the times that they regretted and wished they could have done things differently. Bill was so d that his father didn''t think of him as a disgrace, and William was just d to see that his son was alive, well, and bing stronger every day.


    "However, What matters now is that we understand each other and move forward," Bill said breaking down the silence with a warm smile.


    William nodded, tiny tears welling up in his eyes. "You''re right, son. I promise you, I''ll do everything I can to support you."


    Bill smiled, grateful for his father''s willingness to change. "Thank you, Dad. It means a lot to me."


    The father and son continued talking about different events as William was very interested in learning about his son''s experience battling beasts and other things such as awakening his mutant gene, which Bill had quickly brushed over, and how many new skills and techniques had he learned during this time.

 Chapter 228 Fated Meeting (Part 5)

    ?


    As Leon entered his father''s office, he found Paul sitting behind his desk, slurping down his fifth ss of whiskey as he was engrossed in his work. The room had an air of seriousness, with the walls filled with the same priceless decorations and paintings.


    Paul looked up from his papers, his gaze meeting his son''s. His eyes had a mixture of disdain and uncertainty as he took in Leon''s presence.


    "Leon... you''re here...," Paul''s voice held the slightest hint of emotion, his words trailing off slightly.


    "Yes, Father. I''vee to talk," Leon replied, trying to keep his voice steady and respectful despite his nervousness.


    Paul looked absolutely surprised as he heard Leon''s tone. It had been years since he had seen Leon like this as he always behaved harshly and disrespectfully, whenever he spoke to him and he always remained quiet with a rude face whenever Paul used his aura to overwhelm him, just so he could speak to him.


    Paul nodded slowly, setting aside the documents in front of him. He gestured for Leon to take a seat in the chair across from his desk.


    "Very well. What do you want to talk about?" Paul''s voice was tinged with a hint of resignation.


    Leon settled into the chair, leaning forward attentively. He knew that this moment would be the most crucial moment in their rtionship, for better or worse.


    "I... I...uh..." Leon stuttered as tried to speak to his father but his nerves were preventing him from doing so because he kept on remembering the moment when he saw his father run away from the battle, leaving him and his mother alone with the assants.


    "What''s wrong? Did something happen during the test?" Paul asked keeping his strict and professional face which he was used to at this point.


    Leon took a second to calm down his nerves as he thought back to the conversation he had with Mako on the boulder. He knew he had to make things right with his father and allow him to finally exin what really happened that day.


    "I... I wanted to apologize to you, Father," Leon finally said with his eyes closed which was the only way he could get the words out of his mouth.


    There was a moment of silence as no words were uttered from either side prompting Leon to slowly open his eyes only to find the most shocking and unimaginable thing he had ever seen in his entire life.


    Small tears were starting to form in Paul''s eyes as he was left shocked to finally hear those wordse out of his son''s mouth.


    "Leon... Is this true? Is this really you?" Paul asked to confirm whether this was really Leon because he had dreamed of this moment countless times to the point that he couldn''t figure out whether it was the alcohol finally taking effect or if was it really his finallying back to him.


    "Yes, Father. I had been blinded by my emotions and so I cut you off in an attempt to push the pain away which I thought was your fault, but during the test, I finally had the chance to think back to the time when all of this began, back when Mother died..." Leon said with emotions building in his voice as well.


    "Father, I want to know the truth. The whole truth about what happened to my mother," Leon spoke with a firmness in his voice, his eyes locking with Paul''s.


    Paul''s gaze wavered for a moment, his face filled with sorrow. He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before beginning.


    "Your mother... she was a remarkable woman, Leon. Strong, intelligent, and fiercely devoted to her family," Paul''s voice trembled slightly as he spoke, his memories of histe wife resurfacing.


    He paused, his eyes filled with pain, before continuing. "During the time when I was fighting all those guys, I had an invisible barrier made using telekinesis to force the air molecules themselves to not allow people through and I used it to protect you and your mother when you were still inside the car,"


    "However, the only downside to that was that it sapped a lot of energy from me so even though I was keeping up with all those guys and fighting them all at once, I was also protecting you. I tried my best and gave it my all but those guys were decent fighters too and waited for me to tire out and look for an opening beforemitting an attack." Paul said


    "Their n had worked brilliantly and they managed to stab me with a special knife which brought me to my knees and allowed those guys to take you and your mother hostage and put a knife against your throats," Paul added.


    Leon listened intently, his heart aching at the pain evident in his father''s voice.


    "It was at that time that you kicked all that dust in the air to create a distraction for me to use which I was really proud of, and I admit I did indeed run at that moment as you saw but you didn''t see what happened afterward or what were the circumstances," Paul said in a regret-filled voice.


    "What happened to her, Thest thing I remember before I was knocked out was that she was screaming at them to not hurt me and you were running away," Leon asked in desperation as he couldn''t wait any longer he just had to know.


    "Well, the reason I ran in the first ce was not that I was scared or overwhelmed, it was very much the opposite, I could kill all those guys in a normal fight, but back then when they stabbed me, theyced it with a special poison that blocked me from using any abilities for a short time, leaving me powerless. I had to run to buy myself time to regain my powers," Paul began exining.


    "However, I couldn''t just run away because they would have for sure killed you and your mother. I purposefully distanced myself just enough so that they gave chase and continued to threaten me while my body dealt with the poison." Paul added.


    "Everything was working ording to n, those guys thought that they still had several minutes until I got my powers back, but in reality, I had trained my body to neutralize poisons and they had only seconds before I got my powers back." Paul continued.


    "However... there was just one thing that I didn''t calcte and that was your mother," Paul said as his eyes started to be watery with tears and regret filled his heart.


    "Why what happened to her?" Leon asked respectfully but in a slight hurry as he couldn''t hold back his emotions anymore.


    "When you got knocked out, you were hit quite hard and even though you were alive, you were bleeding from your head and your mother had lost it after she saw you in that state," Paul said while trying to keep his tears from falling out.


    "She broke free from the guy who was holding her and rushed over to you. She knew some water healing skills but there was no water nearby. She was inplete desperation as she couldn''t let her son die. In a moment of desperation, her water ability evolved further and she even managed to awaken her mutant gene." Paul said with great pride and love.


    "Her water ability grew so strong that she was able to manipte the water that was inside those guys'' bodies. The scene was so terrifying to watch as I watched your mother kill for the first time as she sapped everyst bit of water from the three guys near her, turning them into literal husks." Paul added leaving Leon absolutely shocked.


    "As soon as she got her hands on water she used the excess water to form a bubble shield and use the remaining water to heal you. Her only focus was to make sure you were safe, she didn''t care about anything else and that is what led to her death." Paul said.


    "What? How?!" Leon asked as tears were also falling down his face.


    "There were a few other guys who didn''t immediately chase after me and after your mother pulled that stunt they start to focus on her and began attacking her bubble. Your mother was pretty strong at that moment but she didn''t stop for a second and continued to just heal you, leaving the bubble barrier unattended."


    "By this time, I had regained my abilities and I was trying to deal with all those that followed me as quickly as possible so that I could make my way towards you. With me not having to spend a lot of my energy keeping up an invisible barrier, I fought more freely and made short work of all of them, but by that time those people had already broken down your mother''s bubble barrier."


    "I looked over just as the barrier fell, and rushed back at the maximum speed that I could, but... It was just toote," Paul finished with his lips quivering and his vision bing blurry with all the water that was welling up in his eyes.


    "Your mother... she fought valiantly to protect us. Her bravery was unmatched. But in the chaos of battle, a stray bullet struck her," Paul''s voice faltered, his eyes finally breaking out tears. "I couldn''t save her, Leon. I couldn''t protect her."


    Both father and son stared at each other with tears falling down their faces as they both sat in silence to reabsorb all of their leaking emotions and past memories. Leon was left in absolute shock and disbelief as he couldn''t believe what her father and mother had done to keep him safe that day and he cursed at himself for how he had treated his broken father for years.


    Leon reached across the desk, cing a hand on Paul''s trembling one, knocking the bottle of whiskey off the table in the process. "Father, it wasn''t your fault. You did everything you could. You can''t me yourself for things that were beyond your control... and so can''t I"


    Paul looked up to his son''s face in shock as he heard him say those words. After many years of living a miserable life, Paul genuinely smiled for the first time in years as he nodded to his son, his tears now freely flowing. He took a moment topose himself before continuing.


    "I''ve carried the weight of that guilt for so long, Leon. I med myself, convinced that I had failed as a husband and a father, which was why when you pushed me away I thought that this was the way God was going to punish me for my failure," Paul''s voice quivered with emotion.


    Leon''s eyes softened as he listened to his father''s confession. He understood the pain Paul had carried for years, and now, the importance of forgiveness and healing.


    "Father, we can''t change the past, but we can shape our future," Leon''s voice was filled withpassion. "We''ve both made mistakes, but we can find a way to move forward, to rebuild the bond that we once had."


    Paul looked at Leon, a mix of gratitude and regret evident in his gaze. "You''re right, Leon. I''ve missed so much and let my pain blind me to the bond we share as father and son."


    They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of their shared history hanging in the air.


    "I love you, Father. And I want us to find a way to heal, together," Leon''s voice was filled with genuine sincerity.


    Paul reached across the desk, grasping Leon''s hand tightly. "I love you too, Leon. And I''m ready to try again, to be the father you deserve."

 Chapter 229 Fated Meeting (Part 6)

    ?


    After the emotional conversation between Leon and Paul, Leon took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. He felt a renewed sense of purpose and determination.


    "Father, I have so much to things to share with you, the recruitment test was far more interesting than I could have ever imagined and there is something important I need to tell you," Leon began, his voice filled with excitement.


    Curiosity sparked in Paul''s eyes as he leaned forward, eager to hear more. "You can tell me everything, Leon. I purposefully didn''t interfere in your test since you didn''t want to do anything with me so I don''t know anything about what has been happening?"


    Leon proceeded to recount the events of the recruitment test, describing his encounters with Mako and Bill, how their first encounter went, and how they forgave him, after all, he had done.


    He exined in great detail about their first major battle together which was the Terra Beetle King battle in the cave.


    He went on and exined how they met Erin and Iris and the five of them formed a group together to survive for the remainder of the time left on the ind.


    He exined the different military tests and other fights they had with cadets and finally finished off by exining all the different challenges they faced in horde night and how they managed to beat it.


    Paul listened intently, his interest growing with every word. He saw the fire in his son''s eyes and realized the importance of these newfound friendships.


    Leon continued exining how they located the golden crate and finally, the most important event of them all which happened after they were extracted from the ind and transferred over to the military base.


    This was when Commander Sable had offered them to join the special task force and Leon was one of the people alongside his friends who took the opportunity and said yes.


    This was definitely very important news and Paul was very surprised and proud of the decision that Leon had made.


    Times were different from when he was a kid where he had to resort to bing a gang member as that was the only way to survive and take control of his life, But Paul never wanted Leon to follow his dark path.


    He wanted to let Leon decide on his own what he wanted to and he was pleased to learn that his son was going to be part of something so great and noble.


    Paul thought back to the time he had made the deal with Mako and Bill about protecting and looking after Leon during the recruitment test and definitely did look like they kept their end of the deal, but with the way Leon was describing things, Paul quickly caught on that that the things those boys did for Leon weren''t because of a deal or anything, but they did it purely from their hearts, bing true friends.


    Paul was quite impressed with the bond they had formed. Leon spoke so passionately about their shared goal to protect and serve, to make a difference in the world, that he knew his son was in a good and honestpany that could push him much higher than he ever could.


    By the time Leon wrapped all of what had happened in thest two weeks, the sun had already risen with the clouds still drizzling rain, forming a beautiful rainbow in the sky that could be viewed from all over the city.


    "Mako and Bill, they have be my friends, Father," Leon stated with a sense of conviction in his voice. "I believe that together, we can definitely go far and make a difference while in this task force."


    Paul nodded, impressed by Leon''s determination and his ability to form meaningful connections with others. He saw the potential for a powerful team, united by a strong bond.


    "Leon, it seems fate has brought you together with these individuals for a reason," Paul responded keeping the part about his deal with Mako and Bill a secret for now so that Leon wouldn''t get the wrong idea again, his voice filled with a newfound sense of hope. "I support your vision, and I believe in your ability. Together, you can aplish great things."


    "Do you have a way to contact them? I want to meet them before you three head back and begin your new journey," Paul said to Leon.


    Leon nodded yes and pulled out a device from his waterproof bag that was given to him by the military which was a portable teleportation tracker which could be used to send and bring people from anywhere within range without them having to be in a teleporter room.


    This was how they were able to teleport them to their home directly and could call them back after they had finished their business with their families.


    The portable teleportation marker also acted like amunication device and Leon used it to send a message to Bill and Mako to head over to the Dark Raven HQ after they had finished their business.


    ***************


    On the other corner of Emerald City, the sun rays were breaking through the windows of an exquisite Japanese-looking home with apletely destroyed training area and courtyard.


    This was of course William Johnson''s house and right now William and his son were back outside in the courtyard with William teaching him yet another lesson.


    "Always remember, the core 5 elements may seem weak and uninterestingpared to other abilities, but there is a reason they have been called the core 5 elemental abilities. They are the most versatile and powerful abilities out there, it just depends on how well a user can use it." William exined as he manipted several small rocks to float around him in an orbit.


    "Never forget, everything originated from the earth itself, and being an earth user you will feel a connection to it if you form a strong enough bond with your ability. Even haven''t been able to master these skills and neither were your siblings, but now it is your turn." William said to Bill as he brought out a case full of different books.


    Not all of them were skill books as there were regr textbooks in there on many different topics as well.


    "You are my youngest son and thest person who is left to inherit all of my knowledge and techniques that I have gathered over the years. Seeing your fast rate of growth, I am confident in my son bing my true sessor," William said with a big proud smile leaving Bill absolutely speechless.


    There was nothing else left to do but just give his old man a big old hug. The two embraced each other and shared a moment of true love and peace which was quickly interrupted by something beeping in his front pocket.


    It was his portable teleportation marker and he had just received a message from Leon asking him toe over to the Dark Raven Headquarters.


    Bill had already exined everything to his father regarding Leon and the Dark Raven which he was quite interested in.


    Bill thanked his father once again for all the tips and resources he had provided him and promised to make the best use of them.


    He carried the case out the front door where a ck cab with tainted ck windows was waiting for him William had called for Bill so that he could get out of El Diablo''s territory safely.


    Bill said his goodbyes to his father and proceeded to get inside the cab that quickly sped off the docks to meet up with Leon.


    "Goodbye, my son. Now that I know what happened, I will be sure to give you the good news soon." William said quietly as he watched the cab speed off.


    ******************


    [Back at the bakery]


    Mako was helping Sir Derek serve items to customers during the morning rush. Many people stopped by Sir Derek''s bakery especially because of the excellent food items and calm and soothing environment, but with only two people running the whole operation, it was one of the most stressful morning rushes of both of their lives.


    By the end, Mako and Sir Derek were both very tired. Mako wasn''t tired much physically but he sure was mentally exhausted as the voice of the angrydy was etched into his brain who made him remake the order 3 times until it was exactly to her liking.


    "Thank god, I worked in the kitchen and only had to deal with Sir Derek, If I had to deal with all of this on a daily basis, I might have just gonepletely insane," Mako said to himself, and just then something buzzed in his pocket.


    He pulled out his portable teleportation marker and read Leon''s message. He knew it had to be something important and most likely regarding Paul so he tried to finish the shift and leave as soon as possible.


    Mako had no idea how Leon''s encounter went with his dad and he was eager to learn about what the situation was now so he quickly hurried up and finished his shift in the next half an hour.


    Mako said his goodbyes to Sir Derek and exined that had to meet up with his friends before leaving; however, before he could leave, Sir Derek just had to give Mako a parting gift as he dropped 3 boxes full of delicious treats for Mako and his friends to enjoy.


    Sir Derek was very adamant about Mako taking the treats with him and Mako knew he couldn''t refuse so he just thanked Sir Derek for the kind gesture and exited the bakery to start heading over to the docks where the Dark Raven HQ was.


    Just as Mako left, Sir Derek hung a portrait of him and Mako that he tookst night as they were eating together right next to the main counter with the caption, "Employee of the Year" under it to honor the young boy who was moving on to greater and better things.


    "Stay safe, Mako." Sir Derek said as he made a silent prayer for Mako before packing up and getting a well deserved rest.

 Chapter 230 More Secrets

    ?


    Mako and Bill had alsomunicated with each other through the teleportation marker and they decided to meet up back home before going over to the headquarters.


    Mako took a slight detour before heading home as there was another destination on his list that he wanted to visit, the Cemetery.


    Mako wanted to visit his grandmother''s grave onest time before he left Emerald City for who knows how long.


    The trip to the cemetery was a quick one as nothing of importance happened. Mako cleaned his grandmother''s tombstone and made a quick silent prayer. He talked a bit telling her all about what had happened in his life and promising to visit again as soon as possible.


    It was always hard for Mako to leave the cemetery because his heart would ache knowing he was leaving his grandmother behind, but not this time as a part of her aura, her love wasying dormant within his heart and he knew that his grandmother would always watch and protect him.


    Mako arrived about half an hour after Bill and upon arriving Bill rushed out of the house, eager to tell Mako the full details of everything that went down when he went to visit his father.


    Mako waspletely shocked by the series of events that Bill narrated including their fight and learning about what his father had been up to all this time.


    Bill was very grateful for everything that Mako had done for him as he finally had his family back and now he could focus on making them proud.


    The reason they decided to stop at home first was that they still needed to pack up in preparation for going back to the military base which was set to be in thete evening.


    Bill was also still wearing his dirty and torn military uniform, so it was better for them to finish their business at home before finally heading out toward the Dark Raven HQ.


    Bill didn''t have much luggage in terms of clothes and he just added all of his items into the case his father provided filled with all kinds of books.


    Mako only had one suitcase that belonged to his grandmother which meant that he limited space and had to be picky with what he wanted to take along with him.


    There was also his inventory that he could ess through the system but it also had a weight limit and Mako only wanted essential and important items to be stored in there.


    Mako opened the suitcase which was caked in a thickyer of dust and started adding all of the new good quality clothes he had purchased after winning the fights and other basic items.


    Mako also pulled out a cardboard box from under his bed that was full of all the items that were disyed on the shelves of the secret room which he had taken with him.


    They all looked like weirdly shaped rocks and each of them had different textures, and his Analyze skill still failed on them which told Mako that they were something important and that was why he ced all of them in his inventory to take with him, just in case he might learn something about them in the future.


    While Bill was showering and getting ready in the main bathroom, Mako entered his own bathroom and quietly flipped the lever behind his mirror to open the passageway again.


    This was going to be thest time Mako was going to be home in a while, so he wanted to make sure that he didn''t leave anything behind.


    He checked the room thoroughly again but there was nothing else inside the room; however, before he exited the room, he tried inspecting the pedestal that originally held the chest which contained the system.


    The pedestal looked very unique but was unfortunately merged with the ground. It looked like it was carved out of just stone and had quite intricate details carved into it.


    On the top te of the pedestal, there was a t te with a circle in the middle. Mako just thought it was for alignment purposes to signify the center of the te and he randomly just decided to touch it.


    Turns out, it wasn''t just a random circle and was instead a button. Mako''s finger dove in as the button pushed down, activating a mechanism within the pedestal.


    Suddenly all the gaps between the carvings began to expand and glow with a bright blue light and before Mako could even remove his finger, arge amount of electricity built up and surged into Mako through his finger, giving him a major shock.


    *ZAP!*


    Mako''s entire body felt the electricity coursing through but somehow, it wasn''t causing him any pain. It was a really weird and unreal feeling whichsted only a second as, in the next moment, the pedestal returned back to its normal state, leaving Mako majorly confused as to what had just happened.


    However, before he could even think a notification popped up exining everything that Mako needed to know.


    [System has received a supercharge]


    [New Quest Received]


    [Supercharge the system 5 more times]


    [Reward: Unlock more features of the system]


    [Penalty: None]


    The pedestal was a charging port, most probably keeping the system active and charged while in the box, and now Mako had just absorbed all that charge into himself by pressing the button and it seemed that if he got zapped 5 more times, he will unlock something new.


    Mako moved toward the pedestal again and pressed the button again, but this time nothing happened. There was no glowing light, no electricity build-up, and no shock.


    *Ding!*


    [User has already received a supercharge from this location, find the remaining pedestals to gain all the supercharges.]


    "What! There are more?! In different locations...? Are there more systems out there? I thought my system was the only system that was fully made, then how can there be more pedestals?" Mako said out loud in confusion but this time the system didn''t reply with a response leaving Mako alone to figure out what all of this meant.


    After thinking for a while nothing made sense to Mako anymore, he clearly saw his great-grandfather run in such a terrible state with the only finished system, and all the research and everything else was destroyed so could there be 5 more pedestals and who knows where they are either?


    Mako gave up due to frustration and decided to just leave this matter for now and give it some more thoughtter after he learned a bit more about the system and could it possibly refer to telling him about 5 more pedestals.


    Mako silently made his back out of the secret passage and got ready to finally leave for the Dark Raven HQ as well.


    At around noon, Mako and Bill arrived, their faces filled with excitement and curiosity as they stepped into the headquarters.


    Benson greeted them as soon as they entered and directed them to Paul''s office. As they entered which had a very different atmosphere than the time they had visited before. Back then the atmosphere was gloomy and very serious with a lot of tension in the room, but now there was practically no tension, and the atmosphere was filled with positivity.


    Paul stood up from his chair which was also a first for all Mako, Bill, and even Leon as he moved forward to greet them with a smile.


    Paul extended his hand, greeting Mako and Bill warmly. "It''s a pleasure to meet you both again. I''ve heard a lot about your idental encounter with my son and all the things that happened during the test. Thanks a lot for looking after him and building a good bond with him,"


    Mako and Bill quickly caught on to what Paul was trying to do. He was trying to make it look like they weren''t given a job by him to look after Leon and that they just did it out of the goodness of their heart.


    Mako and Bill exchanged nces, their expressions a mix of knowing and understanding as Bill responded," You don''t have to thank us, we just did what we would have done even if it had been someone else instead of Leon."


    Paul nodded gratefully at Bill''s response as he motioned for them to take a seat around a table where he hadid out several books. "In light of recent events and the potential you all possess, I want to offer you something."


    There were several booksid out across the table with some having different colored crystals and others being regr books also in a variety of colors. These were ability and skill books that were presented in front of Mako, Bill, and Leon.


    "You guys have blown me away with the amount of impact you have made in the Dark Raven and in my family even though you two are ourtest members. These here are rewards that are reserved for higher-ranked members of our guild but I have made an exception for you guys as I am going to allow you both to pick 3 items each from this pile," Paul said cutting straight to chase as he presented all the different books in front of Mako and Bill.


    Since Leon was his own son, Paul had already given him everything that he would need in his journey moving forward which included several skill books and training manuals and some power items as well.


    With anyone else, Paul always yed fair with all members and so he allowed his higher guild members to pick three items from the pile that he reserved for them and he treated Mako and Bill in the exact same way.


    Mako and Bill were both drooling over the items that were presented but before they could begin deciding what they would choose, something stuck out in both of their minds that they just needed to ask about.


    "Guilds? What is that?" Both of them asked in unison.

 Chapter 231 Guilds & Gifts

    Paul smiled, realizing that Mako and Bill were unfamiliar with the concept of guilds; however, he couldn''t me them since the military doesn''t allow news about gilds or gangs to be released to the general public.


    Mako and Bill had only encountered gangs so far which was why they knew about them, but guilds didn''t operate in small or average cities like Emerald City which was they hadn''t encountered them yet and had no clue that they existed.


    Paul leaned back in his chair, ready to provide an exnation.


    "Guilds are different from gangs. Guilds are recognized organizations that operate legally and publicly," Paul began, his tone filled with authority. "They take on missions that are assigned to them ranging from protecting important figures to resolving conflicts or investigating mysteries."


    "It is basically an independent party that licenses its members to be able to use their abilities in public and these members can take missions from the Guild Hall. The guild hall takes a cut from the money and rewards that those members earn frompleting jobs and as they do more jobs the reputation and rank of the overall guild increases, making them a more prominent force that can be hired to take on higher-level missions.


    He continued, "Guilds are always on the lookout for people with extraordinary abilities and skills that can be valuable assets, capable of handling various tasks that require special skills and abilities. As members of a guild have opportunities for growth, ess to resources, and a supportwork of like-minded individuals."


    Mako and Bill listened intently, absorbing the information. The idea of guilds was awfully simr to the life they were expecting after graduating from military school, which made them confused as to why they had never heard of them before.


    Filled with curiosity Mako asked Paul why they hadn''t heard about guilds before and whether the Dark Raven was a guild or gang.


    "That is because the military has tried its best to keep all news rted to guilds or gangs under wraps so that nobody knows about them. Of course, when these things exist near you, you will obviously know about them whether they are mentioned in the media or not. However, almost all guilds are situated in big major cities with the top tier ones not even situated on earth which is probably why you haven''t heard about them." Paul exined.


    "The military wants soldiers and if everyone knew about guilds and how they provide the same quality of living as them with the added bonus of picking their own jobs and having the option to leave at any time, nobody would want to join the military," Paul added.


    Bill and Mako nodded in understanding as they were starting to learn a bit more about how the world actually works.


    "As for Dark Raven, It is both a gang and a guild. It is a gang in Emerald City that has taken a contract with several powerful people to maintain a certain level of bnce and peace in the city against other gangs while the Dark Raven Guild is C Rank Guild in Dust Storm City," Paul said.


    The concepts of guilds were quite interesting for Mako and Bill as they now knew that there were several options other than just the military if a person wanted to grow stronger and progress.


    There were training centers in every city that pretty much-trained ability users and Mako always wondered where all of those people went as there were only so many jobs you can do as a fighter, but now it made sense that they joined guilds afterpleting their training.


    Cadets that finished military school also have the same choice about whether to join the military or join a guild and the military can''t do anything about them picking a guild, except for the cadets that are indebted to them as they didn''t have an ability and were provided one from the military which in turn required them to give some years of service before they had the option of switching over to a guild.


    Since guilds were private organizations, they didn''t fall under the same circumstances as the military which acted like the main government of the world, managing all important things both at home and in other worlds; whereas, the guild was an independent party that could do anything without asking anyone as long as it didn''t break anyws.


    Mako and Bill now understood everything about guilds and how they operated and it opened their eyes to the bigger picture of how the world worked.


    "Mr. Czolgosz, if it is alright with you we would like to change our status from being gang members to being guild members," Bill requested respectfully because now that he knew there was something simr to gangs that didn''t do anything illegal, he didn''t want his name to be tied with gang any longer.


    Paul smiled as he said," It is not that easy to be a guild member as you have to be a certified fighter with an identified rank before you can be inaugurated as a member. Gangs are a different story as pretty much anyone can join as it isn''t official, it all depends on whether the person running the show wants you or not."


    "Come back to me after you guys havepleted your training and gained a rank, and then I will be d to add you both into my guild, but I have a feeling that you will be far beyond my tiny guild by the time you are ready," Paul said.


    "Besides, you have alreadypleted the job that I entrusted you with and so I will take back your titles as members of the Dark Raven. You are now free to go and do whatever you please but always remember that the Dark Raven will always be a safe ce for you," Paul added.


    Mako and Bill were surprised by Paul''s action and couldn''t help but just nod their head in gratitude as they had not only the freedom to pursue any path that they wanted but had also gained a powerful ally that would be really helpful to them down the line.


    "Now, let''s talk about these books," Paul said, drawing their attention back to the table.


    He pointed at the various books on the table, describing their contents.


    Mako and Bill exchanged excited nces, their minds racing with the possibilities. They had already experienced the potential of their abilities firsthand, and now they were being offered the chance to further develop their skills.


    "Remember, you each have the opportunity to choose three items from this pile," Paul reiterated, his voice filled with encouragement. "Take your time, think about your strengths and weakness, and consider how these books can help you be even more formidable."


    With newfound excitement, Mako and Bill began to carefully examine the booksid out before them.


    They discussed their findings, sharing insights and ideas on which abilities and skills wouldplement their existing powers.


    Mako used his Analyze skill on all the abilities to get all the info and also consulted his system using the "Ask" feature to make the best picks.


    [Analyze]


    Ability Book: [Fire Ability] (LEVEL 3) ?


    [An ability book that contains the power to control the element of fire. This Ability Book alreadyes with three pre-learned skills]


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Fire Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Fire Spikes] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: (F-Tier) Heat Up] ? (LEVEL 1)


    ************


    Ability Book: [Water ability] (LEVEL 3) ?


    [An ability book that grants the power to control the element of water. This Ability Book alreadyes with three pre-learned skills.]


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Water Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(F-Tier) Water st] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Bubble Shield] ? (LEVEL 1)


    ************


    Ability Book: [Poison Ability] (LEVEL 3) ?


    [An ability book that bestows the power to control the element of poison. This Ability Book alreadyes with three pre-learned skills.]


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Poison Resistance] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Toxic Cloud] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Poison Dart] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Ability Book: [Earth Ability] (LEVEL 3) ?


    ************


    [An ability book that grants the power to control the element of earth. This Ability Book alreadyes with three pre-learned skills.]


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Earth Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Ground Rupture] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(F-Tier) Stone Sword] ? (LEVEL 1)


    ************


    Ability Book: [Lightning Ability] (LEVEL 3) ?


    [An ability book that bestows control over lightning and electricity. This Ability Book alreadyes with three pre-learned skills.]


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Lightning Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(E-Tier) Static Field] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Skill: [(F-Tier) Thunderp] ? (LEVEL 1)


    There were a total of 5 ability books each at level 3 with 3 pre-learned skills which would be a huge boost, but Mako knew he had to be careful as his mentality couldn''t allow him to learn every ability so he had to pick carefully.


    He had to earn so much EXP to get to level 15 and now Attributes were costing multiple attribute points so he didn''t know how fast he could improve his Mentality so taking three ability books and not being able to use them would be wasteful.


    Before making his decision, Mako decided to also scan the pile of skill books that had abination of both regr skill and ability skill books.


    [Analyze]


    Wind: [(D-Tier) Cyclone Strike] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Earth: [(E-Tier) Tremor m] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Ice: [(E-Tier) Ice Lance] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Basic: [(E-Tier) Crushing Blow] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Lightning: [(D-Tier) Lightning Barrage] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Wind: [(D-Tier) Feather Glide] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Fire: [(E-Tier) Ember Shield] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Earth: [(D-Tier) Stone Skin] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Water: [(F-Tier) Water Whip] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Strength: [(E-Tier) Massive p] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Basic: [(E-Tier) Silent Movement] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Water: [(E-Tier) Aqua Shield] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Fire: [(D-Tier) Fireball Barrage] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Basic: [(E-Tier) Bullseye Shot] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Sand: [(E-Tier) Sand Wave m] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Basic: [(E-Tier) Fortified Stance] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Speed: [(F-Tier) Blink Step] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Poison: [(E-Tier) Contagion Aura] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Fire: [(E-Tier) me Resistance] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Ice: [(D-Tier) Frost Resistance] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Lightning: [(E-Tier) Shock Resistance] ? (LEVEL 1)


    Basic: [(D-Tier) Quick Reflexes] ? (LEVEL 1)


    There were a lot more skill books than ability books and they were all very tempting. Several very strong and versatile skills left Mako and Bill in a tough spot as they had to make careful decisions on which books to pick.

 Chapter 232 Progression

    ?


    After much contemtion and discussion, Mako and Bill made their selections. Mako had thought long and hard and realized that given his current mentality, it would be beneficial for him to learn only one new ability as then he would have room to grow those abilities and learn skills.


    Thinking about his build which consisted of Level 5 Fire, Level 5 Lightning, and Level 1 Energy Maniption. All of his abilities were offense-based and didn''t have any defensive capabilities.


    The defense was always the major weak point in Mako''s fights as he could always match the opponent in power but not in their defense, which often led to him getting hurt badly or knocked after only taking a couple of hits.


    Mako thought back to the conversation he had with Gary and how he rmended that the best way to y was to have a bnced character that had his feet nted in a little bit of everything, making it so that he has no major weakness that is hard to cover and few minor weaknesses that can be easily covered.


    Knowing that Mako moved away from choosing the Poison ability as it would be another offensive-based ability. Although it would be quite a useful ability, Mako already had strong skills for offense and now need to work on his defense as well as his overall fighting style and techniques which still needed a lot of work.


    Plus it wasn''t a big loss for Mako as he would unlock the poison ability soon anyways as he only needed to break a few more crystals to get 100% to learn the Level 1 Poison ability.


    He already had the Fire and Lightning abilities so that left him with only Earth and Water abilities.


    Both were excellent abilities in their own right and Mako knew that he would have to eventually learn all five basic elemental abilities as they were just too important and versatile to just pass up.


    However, since right now Mako could only choose one, he decided to go with the Earth ability which was a strong defensive ability with great utility and counter potential.


    Mako never really liked the water ability mainly because of its major weakness of always carrying water around with you, but it wasn''t a bad ability in any sense, and since he had multiple abilities, he didn''t have to rely on the water ability at all times which was an upside, but Mako still didn''t feel like learning it yet.


    Bill on the other hand had other ns in his mind as he didn''t really care for another ability as he had already duplicated the build his father had, but he knew that he had far greater potential than his father and for that, he needed to learn more abilities to be even stronger.


    He was conflicted about choosing between two different abilities but in the end, he decided to listen to his heart as he reached forward and picked the ability book with a dark blue crystal embedded into its cover.


    Bill had decided to learn the water ability.


    With both boys having selected their abilities, they now had to decide which two skill books to take from therge pile of skill books.


    This was a much harder decision as there were just so many good abilities thatplimented their current abilities and some thatplemented their newly picked abilities.


    Mako decided to just double down on defense and picked skills that would be viable for defense as he had none at the moment while Bill didn''t really care much for the Water ability skills and decided to get the best skill for some of his favorite abilities, Sand and Wind.


    Mako decided to choose a great D-Tier Earth ability skill called Stone Skin and a basic E-Tier skill called fortified stance, both revolving around the aspect of defense. There were also some great D-tier offensive abilities that Mako would have loved to add to his collection, but with him already possessing skills such as me Bullet and Lightning w, he was already pretty loaded on that front.


    Bill decided to choose very amazing ability skill books, one for his Wind ability and the other for his Sand ability.


    For the Wind ability, he picked the D-Tier ability skill called Cyclone Strike which was a great offensive skill and a big step up from his vacuum cutter, and for his Sand ability, he picked the only Sand ability skill avable and that was the E-Tier skill called Sand Wave Salm which was a unique AOE ability skill.


    With their choices made, Mako and Bill expressed their gratitude to Paul for the opportunity. They recognized the immense value of these resources and the impact they would have on their growth as individuals and as a team.


    Gratefully, Mako spoke, his voice filled with determination. "Thank you, Mr. Czolgosz. We appreciate your faith in us and this incredible chance to grow."


    Paul smiled, a sense of pride swelling within him. "Call me Paul. From this moment forward, consider me more than just a gang boss."


    After expressing their gratitude, Mako, Leon, and Bill spend the rest of the day together, eagerly going over their newly acquired skill books and abilities.


    Leon told them that his father had also given him some books to be stronger, but since he already had four abilities, it wasn''t possible for him to learn any more at the moment.


    Instead, Paul gave Leon a level 3 Fire ability book so that he could get his Fire ability up to code with his other abilities. Paul also gave him a couple of skill books which were both for fire as well as Hardening and Earth.


    Back then when Paul forcefully made Leon learn new abilities to ensure his survival during the test, Leon didn''t even bother to learn any skills regarding his new abilities as at that all he wanted to do was to reject his father as much as he could and pummel Mako into the ground for making a mockery of him, but he now realized how big of an idiot he had been.


    Leon had leveled up significantly considering that now he had four abilities each with decent skills and a lot of versatility, but unfortunately, it looked like he had also reached his limit as he couldn''t learn anything else anymore as whenever he tried, his mind would begin aching as it physically rejecting the knowledge and it was going to be some time until Leon could learn anything again.


    Mako broke the orange crystal and gained the level 3 ability, but he couldn''t instantly learn the skills as he was still with Bill and Leon and had to wait until he was all alone before utilizing the insane skill.


    [Congrattions! You have obtained the Earth Ability]


    [Earth is a defensive/utility ability, your stats will be increased when using Earth-based moves]


    [Fortitude +10]


    [Strength +5]


    [Stamina +5]


    [To activate these boosts, you have to keep your ability active which will passively drain energy as well as release the aura of a level 3 Earth Ability user]


    [Current rate of energy consumption: 20 Energy per minute]


    Meanwhile, Bill also quickly breaks the water crystal to obtain the Water ability, but he didn''t rush to learn its skills as he was more interested in learning the Cyclone Strike and Sand Wace st.


    Both the ability books and the skill books weren''t actually readable as all the pages were just filled with cryptic text, but once a person broke the crystal for an ability book, he could somehow read and understand what was written inside the book and the same thing could be said for a person reading a skill book if they possessed that specific ability beforehand.


    Once the ability and skills are learned, the book disintegrates into particles of light,pletely vanishing from existence, exactly like when Mako insta learns them, but it usually takes time for other people, making them a one-use item.


    Throughout their practice and discussions, Mako, Leon, and Bill share their insights and ideas, helping each other grasp the full potential of their newly picked abilities and skills.


    As the sun begins to set, Paul treats them to avish dinner at the dining hall. Mako also added the treat boxes that he had received from Sir Derek on the table and they all dug in to enjoy one of the greatest tasting meals of their lives which was elevated even further with Sir Derek''s secret recipe donuts.


    Just the boys were finished with their filling and scrumptious dinner, their teleportation marker starts beeping, indicating that it is time for the boys to return to the military base and embark on their new journey.


    The trio gathered their belongings, feeling a mixture of excitement and determination. They stood close together, activating their teleportation markers in unison. With a bright sh of light, they disappeared from Paul''s office.


    As they reappear in the familiar surroundings of the military base, the boys exchange knowing nces. They are ready to face whatever challengese their way, armed with new skills and abilities.


    "Took your sweet damn time!" A voice resounded from behind them. The trio turned around to see hat it was Nathan who had made that snidement alongside Erin and Iris who had also arrived back at the military base a couple minutes before them.

 Chapter 233 First Mission

    ?


    "Hello to you too... I guess," Mako replied awkwardly as he tried to not take offence to Nathan''s obvious provocation.


    Mako knew very little about Nathan and didn''t want to make any judgements on his now teammate before getting to know him a bit more, but he did seem odd to him as Nathan always showed an uncaring and violent persona.


    "Took you long enough to figure out how to use the teleporter, huh?" Nathan sneered, smirking at the trio.


    However, Bill wasn''t having any of it as he clenched his fists, trying to keep his temper in check. He also knew that Nathan''sments were intended to provoke a reaction, but unlike Mako who had a greater ability to ignore such remarks, Bill wasn''t like that and the fact someone was doing it to them the moment they stepped into the military base made it much more infuriating. "We''re here now, and that''s what matters," he retorts, his voiceced with irritation.


    Mako stepped forward, trying to defuse the tension. "Come on, Nathan, let''s not start any unnecessary conflicts," he said, trying to reason with his new teammate.


    However, Nathan seemed unyielding, enjoying the sudden rise he got out of Bill. "Oh, I''m just stating the truth," Nathan replied with a smirk. "You three always seem tog behind."


    Bill''s patience reached its limit. He didn''t even pay much attention to Nathan at all, not during the debriefing before the recruitment test or the debriefing with Commander Sable which made it quite irritating for aplete stranger to talk bad about him and his friends.


    Bill took a step towards Nathan, his eyes aze with frustration. "You know, Nathan, you''re sure good at talking a big, but I didn''t really hear much about your aplishments from Commander Sable. It looks to me that you were just finding different ways to survive and got lucky!"


    "WHAT! Don''t mess with me!" Nathan shouted in anger to Bill''s taunt.


    "Oh, you''re mad now, huh. I think you''re all just talk. All you have done is keep a cold attitude and talk, let''s see if you can back it up in a real fight." Bill said as he cracked his knuckles.


    The two boys stepped closer to each other in anger, ready to shut the other person''s mouth but before they could reach close enough, a wall of ice formed between them, blocking the the two of them froming any closer.


    Erin who had been observing from a distance had stepped in to prevent the situation from escting further. "Enough, both of you!" Erin interjected firmly. "We''re a team, and this bickering isn''t helping anyone."


    Nathan huffed, crossing his arms defiantly, showing that he didn''t really care. Nathan knew that if he picked a fight here not only would there be damage to the teleportation room which could be disastrous but there was also no guarantee that his friends wouldn''t jump in.


    He instead decided to take up on Bill''s fighting offer another time and teach that a fool a lesson.


    Mako ced his hand on Bill''s shoulder and told him to take a deep breath which Bill did, which allowed himself to calm down, as he nodded back to Mako, signaling that he was fine now.


    As Nathan and Bill exchanged heated words and almost fought, the atmosphere in the room had be tense.


    Just as Erin stopped them from escting the argument further, Commander Sables entered the scene, his stern presence instantly quelling the tension.


    "Alright, that was enough!" Commander Sables said in a firm tone. "you six are a team here, and bickering won''t get you anywhere. Save your energy for the difficult tasks ahead."


    Everyone including Nathan and Bill both lowered their gazes, showing respect to theirmanding officer and mentor. They all knew better than to argue in front of their superiors, especially Commander Sable.


    "Now," Commander Sables continued, "Put your belongings in your private quarters, and then head to the meeting room in fifteen  minutes. I have called all the special ss cadets for an important briefing."


    "Yes, sir!" They all replied in unison as they quickly moved out of the Teleportation room.


    Following themander''s orders, Mako, Bill, Nathan, Erin, Iris, and the other special ss cadets had headed to their quarters to store their belongings.


    The living quarters provided to the special ss cadets within the military base were spacious and well-appointed, and were designed to ensurefort and privacy.


    Each cadet had their own individual room, equipped with afortable bed, a study desk with a built-inputer, a wardrobe to store their belongings, and a private bathroom. The rooms were decorated in a simple yet stylish manner, with neutral tones and minimalistic designs to create a calming atmosphere for rest and rxation.


    They group didn''t really have time to settle in as they just put all of their stuff inside the room and opened the wardrobe to find several pairs of their military uniforms, neatly hanging on coat hangers.


    They all quickly got changed and left their rooms to meet up and then head on over to meeting room together.


    Mako also got ready but before leaving he quickly took out the earth ability book and the two skill books and proceeded to insta learn them, just in case.


    He didn''t have time to check out all the details so he left that to do after he had attended the meeting and quickly left to meet up with the others. At the end of the hallway, Bill, Leon, Iris, and Erin were all ready and waiting for him, but Nathan was nowhere to be seen.


    Mako suggested that they wait for him, and despite everyone else''s disdain, they agreed and decided to wait a couple of minutes for him.


    However after a couple of minutes there was still no sign of Nathan and the meeting was about to start so Bill suggested that we shouldn''t bete to our first official meeting prompting everyone to start moving, and Mako followed them to.


    They arrived to the meeting room just in the nick of time and just as they entered they saw Nathan casually leaning against a pir with his eyes closed, waiting for the meeting to start.


    Although he didn''t do something directly this time, he purposefully choose the spot that was visible upon entering and chose a pose of standing that was guaranteed to trigger them.


    Nathan''s n worked brilliantly as veins were popping on Bill''s head just thinking about the time they wasted looking like fools waiting for him while he was already gone.


    The group just tried ignore him for now as they stood at a different ce and waited for the meeting to begin. More and more cadets entered the meeting room and they were all special ss cadets with Mako counting around 60 in the room.


    Once they gathered in the meeting room, they had also noticed that several instructors and senior officers were also present.


    Once everyone had arrived, Commander Sable addressed them, his voice authoritative yet encouraging. "I have gathered you all here because we have recognized your exceptional potential. You have shown great promise during the recruitment test, and now it was time for you to put your skills to the real test."


    He presented several scroll that were ced on a table in front of him, which he called them mission scrolls. He ordered that one person from each team pick a scroll and whatever mission was on that scroll would be the mission they would have to do in a three month period.


    He exined that the school term would end in three months time and military school will start. So they had toplete the mission to receive exclusive rewards with them also receiving a grave penalty for failing or running out of time.


    One by one cadets came to the table and took a scroll. After they took the scroll, they were escorted out with their team and a senior instructor which Mako assumed to be their mentor.


    Mako and his team never got a chance toe up and take a scroll as the whole meeting room was empty by the time their turn came around with a single scroll left on the table.


    Commander Sable picked up the scroll and called for all them toe closer to hear about their first mission.


    Commander Sable unrolled the scroll to reveal the details of their first official mission as a team. "This was a low-rank mission, but it was no less important. A small vige located near the border of two major cities had reported a series of strange urrences, and we suspect that there may have been a group of bandits or rogue ability users causing trouble. Your task was to investigate the situation, gather information, and neutralize the threat if necessary."


    As Commander Sables had exined the mission, Mako, Bill, and the others who listened intently. Their hearts were racing with excitement and determination as they had realized the significance of this opportunity.


    "Each of you will y a vital role in this mission," Commander Sable continued.


    Themander proceeded to assign specific roles to each member of the team based on their abilities and skills, ensuring that theyplemented each other''s strengths and weaknesses.


    "Your performance during this mission will be evaluated, and it will determine your future assignments and training opportunities," Commander Sable concluded.


    "I have faith in each one of you. Now, you have one week of training time with me before you are set to leave, and the results of your training will determine one major thing... which one of you will be the leader of this group." Themander added.

 Chapter 234 Mission Details & New Skills

    ?


    After the briefing about their first mission and the possibility of one of them bing the leader, the group gathered in a separate training room with Commander Sables to discuss the details and strategize.


    "The vige, known as Willowbrook, is nestled in a lush valley surrounded by rolling hills and dense forests." Commander Sable began to exin as the image of the vige was disyed on the screen inside the room.


    "Willowbrook is located on the outskirts between the two major cities of Sylvanwood, a B-tier city, and Rivercrest, a C-tier city." Themander exined as the overview map of the general area was disyed.


    "Sylvanwood is known for its lush forests and is a hub for elemental-based abilities and training as well as has thergest guild hall in the entire Sectors 12 and 13. On the other hand, Rivercrest is situated right along the secondrgest river of this sector and is known for its strong and skilled water ability users and has one of the Top 100 water training centers in the world." The Commander said as images of the two cities were disyed on the screen.


    "Even though farming ispletely automated now, there are still people needed to oversee everything and there are also people who just want to escape from the technologically advanced urban environment and go back to their roots and be closer to nature. It is a beautiful area, a perfect vacation spot for rich individuals trying to escape reality for some time." Commander Sable exined a bit more about the vige.


    **************


    What themander had said was indeed true. The world had progressed so much that there wasn''t really a point in having farnds and ranches and the powerful money-hungry people of the world would jump at the opportunity to gain morend, to build more infrastructure, and yet there were still small towns, viges, and farms that existed all over the world.


    The world had gone through massive change when thest war had ended and the ten legendary warriors had used their power to join all thend mass of the earth into a single massive continent.


    Before that, the world was pretty different than what it was now and looked a lot more like what scientists and people believed future society would look like: tall skyscrapers everywhere, and not a single patch ofnd unused.


    But after the ten legendary warriors had stepped in, one of them had deliberately made an absolutew for there to be space reserved for ranches, farnds, etc. Somece where people could reconnect with nature.


    Since people were no longer bound to earth and had started migrating to other worlds to settle down, those areas weren''t so important as people were more interested in expanding further in different worlds anyways.


    **************


    "Even though there are multiple teleportation channels between the two cities, there is only one physical path that connects them and that is through Willowbrook, and this is the issue." Themander said as the warm and beautiful pictures of the day turned into dark and creepy pictures of the night.


    "In recent weeks, Willowbrook had been gued by a series of mysterious and troubling urrences." Themander continued.


    "The problem started when strange shadows began to appear at night, lurking around the outskirts of the vige. Vigers reported eerie whispers and unsettling noises, causing anxiety and fear to spread among themunity. Some even imed to have seen faint, flickering lights dancing in the woods."


    "As the situation escted, the vige leader sent out scouts to investigate, but they have never returned. Additionally, ever since these shadows appeared, not a single person hase to this vige, other than delivery guys who juste to buy the harvested crops. Without tourism, the vige can''t be sustained and the vigers are going increasingly desperate, seeking help from the neighboring cities which eventually led them to contact the military for assistance." The Commander concluded.


    "So, Your main objective is to investigate the situation. You will be sent there undercover as a couple of rich kids looking for a vacation during spring break. Once you are in, you will gather information discreetly. We have no idea the level of threat that we are facing which is why you are not authorized to engage unless absolutely necessary and neutralize any threats if necessary," Commander Sables emphasized.


    Mako, Bill, Nathan, Erin, Iris, and Leon all exchanged nces, silently acknowledging the seriousness of the task ahead.


    As the discussion continued, Commander Sables brought up the topic of leadership. "As I mentioned earlier, one of you will be appointed as the leader for this mission. Leadership is essential for efficient decision-making and coordination. It will be a valuable opportunity to showcase your leadership qualities and ability to guide your team effectively."


    The idea of bing the leader piqued everyone''s interest, and it sparked apetitive atmosphere among them. Each member believed they had the potential to lead the team to sess, some more than others.


    With that, the mission debriefing was concluded and Commander Sable moved on to more important matters which was the group''s training. Even though he had acknowledged that they were talented young individuals, they were still far from being ready to handle a real operation that involved real people''s lives and considering the fight that was about to break out between them in the teleporter room, he had his work cut out for them.


    He had one week to make sure they were ready to handle the responsibility of the mission and he wasn''t going to go easy on them.


    "Alright, let''s move on to your first training," Commander Sables announced, breaking the whispering discussion among the group.


    "Tomorrow at 06:00 hours, I want all six of you to be up and ready for your first training. Don''t bete, unless you want to see my bad side!" The Commander said before leaving the room.


    Nathan proceeded to leave soon after leaving the five of them alone in the training room. The group spent the next hour talking and discussing everything that happened during thest 24 hours when they were teleported back home.


    Erin and Iris got super jealous about the boys receiving new abilities and skills andined that they will be left in the dust once again to which Mako replied that they were now a team and would have to help each other and grow together if they ever wanted to seed.


    The entire group agreed and promised each other to also watch each other back and never leave anyone behind. Even though Erin and Iris didn''t receive any help from a gang leader, they were still strong individuals.


    Bill and Erin had gifted Iris the Azure chest armor and the Hydro Bow which boosted her power a lot, and Mako told Erin to just keep hisbat knife. He already had the staff which heter learned was also retractable, making it easy to carry, and wanted her to have a weapon that suited her abilities too.


    The group didn''t stay for long as They had to wake up early and didn''t want to disappoint their mentor on the very first day by beingte, so all of them head back to their own quarters at a reasonable hour to get some sleep before the grueling training tomorrow.


    **************


    Makoid down on his new bed, excited about what tomorrow might bring. So excited that he had trouble falling asleep. After tossing and turning for 15 minutes, Mako gave up and decided to grab some water.


    While doing so, he remembered the new skills that he had insta learned. He opened the system to learn more about them.


    [Analyze]


    [(E-Tier) Earth Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Upgradable!] ?


    [Elemental Control is the most basic of all skills that each user of an elemental ability has ess to where the more you use it the stronger it gets as it has no defining limit to how high the user''s production and control over the element of earth can be.]


    [Attack: Variable]


    [Cost: Variable]


    [(E-Tier) Ground Rupture] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A basic attack from the Earth Elemental Skill Tree, that allows the user to use his strength and earth aura to punch the ground such that it creates glowing cracks. The cracks continue forward for five meters, where they stop and collect all the power and force supplied by the user to explode in a concussive st leaving a small crater in the ground. Anyone inside the concussive radius will receive the stunned status effect for 30 seconds.]


    [Attack: -]


    [Requirements: 25 Strength, 15 Fortitude]


    [Cost: 100 Energy]


    [(F-Tier) Stone Sword] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A basic utility from the Earth Elemental Skill Tree, that allows the user to mold a basic stone sword that is barely sharp.]


    [Attack: 20]


    [Cost: 50 Energy]


    [(D-Tier) Stone Skin] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A decent defensive skill from the Earth Elemental Skill Tree, that allows the user to cover all or some parts of their body with a thinyer of slightlypressed rock that acts as armor from the user, capable of reducing the iing damage by 60% given that the attack doesn''t exceed 100 damage. Anything above that will reduce the armor''s reduction rate and it will receive a greater durability loss.]


    [Durability: 300]


    [Cost: 100 Energy per minute]


    [(E-Tier) Fortified Stance] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [A defensive skill that instructs the user how to temporarily increase their defense by pulling tight their very muscle fibers and breathing deeply to provide enriched originated blood flow to the entire body, strengthening them by 10%, giving the user increased fortitude for thirty seconds after the stance has beenpletely performed.]


    [Fortitude: +10]


    [Cost: 150 Energy]


    All of the skills were great and quite unique with Stone Skin being Mako''s favorite from the bunch which provided him with the much-needed defensive capability, although it required a lot of energy.


    Mako couldn''t wait to try out his new skills in training tomorrow as he just couldn''t wait for tomorrow toe.

 Chapter 235 Training Disaster (Part 1)

    ?


    Early the next morning, all six cadets were present inside the training room, ready to start their first training session.


    It looked like Mako wasn''t the only one who was a bit sleepy given that the excitement and nervousness prevented them from having a good night''s sleep.


    However, it didn''t really matter as they were all awoken by Commander Sable''s loud greeting as soon as he entered the room.


    All six of them replied to his greeting and slightly bowed their heads to show respect. Once they were done with the formalities, Commander Sable didn''t waste any time as he began exining what their first training session was about.


    "Today, you six will be divided into teams of three and will battle against each other to determine which one of you is the strongest." The Commander said that the training area blueprint was disyed on the holographic screen.


    The screen showcased two circles on either side of the training area, which werebeled as the starting points. Several walls and obstacles were in front of each circle and in the middle was a giant crystal that wasbeled as the objective.


    "This match will serve as a test of your teamwork and adaptability. I''ve divided you into two teams, Team A and Team B." The Commander stated.


    Team A consisted of Mako, Erin, and Iris, while Team Bprised Bill, Leon, and Nathan.


    "The goal of the match is to obtain the crystal located in the center of the training room. The team that retrieved the crystal and brought it back to their starting point first would be dered the winner." The Commander exined.


    "There will be different obstacles and traps that you will have to navigate around as well as battle against the other team in order to secure the win. The use of any power weapons or armor up to the High tier is allowed. The use of Mutant Genes is prohibited and fighting amongst teammates will result in automatic disqualification!" The Commander stated the rules of the training match.


    "You have 30 minutes to strategize and n your approach. The Training match willmence at 06:45 sharp." Themander said as he ordered the two teams to wear a jersey with their team letter on so that they are easily recognizable and then head on over to their starting points to begin preparing and strategizing.


    Mako was happy with the team he had gotten as both Erin and Iris were very versatile and although not as strong as them, they shouldn''t be taken lightly.


    Bill on the other hand was turning red with anger as Nathan continued to ignore anything he was saying and stated that he didn''t really care for strategy and to just not get in his way as he secured the win for this useless team.


    Just something about Nathan rubbed Bill the wrong way as he had seen any pricks like Nathan during the time he was a gangster himself, and he never really liked these overconfident and egotistical pricks.


    Leon tried to cool the situation down as he told Bill to just imagine it to be a 2v3 and that they were the only ones fighting in the training match and just let Nathan do whatever he wanted to do as he couldn''t really do anything to them at all as it would result in his elimination.


    This calmed down Bill a bit as he proceeded to listen to Leon''s advice and just ignore Nathan fully. Since they both had four abilities now and they had a lot of versatility and could easily defend and counter against Mako and the others.


    **************


    Before they knew it, the thirty minutes were up and the sound of Captain Sable resounded from the speakers inside the room, telling them that the match was about to begin.


    Both teams readied themselves, mentally preparing for the challenge ahead. The tension in the room was palpable as they awaited the signal to begin.


    "Three... Two... One... Go!" Commander Sables announced, and the training match began.


    Team A quickly moved forward, Since Leon had the speed ability, Mako and his team prioritized speed as they had to make sure to reach the center as quickly as possible because if they were slow, there might not even be a fight as Team B would have already won.


    There were several turrets ced around the area and one of the obstacles began shooting at them withser bullets that didn''t prate, but dealt a decent amount of damage to the skin.


    Erin conjured small ice walls to provide cover as Bill and Iris shot them down using fireballs and water sts respectively.


    Many prebuilt walls acted like funnels and barriers which often lead to dead ends. Mako and his team couldn''t risk being stuck in a maze while Leon sped through toward the crystal.


    Instead, Mako utilized his brand new Earth ability to raise a pir from the ground to give him the height advantage. Doing this was risky as this made him a visible target for almost all the turrets in the vicinity which was why Erin and Iris apanied him and protected him from the iing turret shots while he memorized the pathway that led to the central area.


    Even though it hadn''t been apparent as Mako hadn''t had to use much intelligence up until now, after putting so many points into intelligence, his memorization power and critical thinking had vastly improved.


    It wasn''t exactly photographic memory yet, but it was still strong enough for Mako to instantly identify the correct path and learn all the twists and turns.


    He quickly lowered the earth pir and told the girls to follow him as he began rushing through the maze, making all the correct turns to reach the entrance as quickly as possible.


    [Energy Sensing has been activated]


    Mako activated his energy-sensing skill as his vision turned ck and white with different energies being highlighted in different colors.


    Even though Analyze and Energy Sensing were quite simr, Analyze could only identify what was in front of Mako, while Energy Sensing showed him the energy signatures of everything in the general area which included trap doors and fake floors which were highlighted in yellow due to the current flowing through them, allowing Mako to easily spot them and avoid them, making it quite easy to run through to the central area.


    The only thing that stopped them from making this a record run was that they had to stop and take cover to defend themselves against the turrets who were relentless in stopping thempletely.


    Meanwhile, Team B utilized Bill''s Earth and Wind ability to create cover and increase speed respectively. Nathan had rushed off in a different direction from the start and the two of them had no idea where he went, not that they cared in the slightest.


    Since Leon had the hardening ability, the turrets really didn''t damage him at all. Thatbined with his speed made him a  monster that was rushing through the maze at record speed.


    Bill followed Leon closely behind by using his Wind ability to give him a speed boost and the Earth walls to protect himself against the turret shots. The only thing that was deterring them from making it to the center were all the fake doors, trap floors, and dead ends that made them have to turn back and try again a lot.


    Nathan on the other had taken a wild approach as instead of going through the maze like a normal person, he transformed fully into the blood wolf, and instead of dodging all the obstacles and running through the maze, he instead climbed on top of the walls and started jumping from one wall to the next,pletely disregarding the turrets as they couldn''t do much against his hardened hide.


    As everyone rushed toward the center, Nathan was actually the first one to reach the center where there were several rings of water flowing around the center podium which held the crystal, they were supposed to take.


    Nathan rushed through toward the center to grab the crystal and win this thing, when the water pools around the crystal started to shake violently.


    As soon as he got close enough to the bright blue crystal, the water erupted as from within, arge golem of water rose to defend the crystal. Nathan was not expecting a giant water-coagted monster to arise from the pool of water around the crystal, so he couldn''t fall back in time as the water golem''s monstrous handnded directly on Nathan''s bodyunching him back at high speeds and crashing into the walls.


    Just as the water golem dealt with Nathan, from the other side of the maze, Mako, Erin, and Iris just made it to the central area.


    They witnessed what had just happened to Nathan and proceeded with caution. They had to make sure they didn''t get injured while fighting this monster while also making sure to do it quickly so that they could receive the crystal before Bill and Leon show up as well.


    Mako quickly used Analyze on the water golem to see if he could find a weakness or a way to defeat it quickly.


    [Analyze]


    [High-Level Water Sentinel]


    [Ability: Water (Level 5)]


    [Description: A sentinel is the manifestation of an ignited crystal''s energy and feelings as once a regr crystal goes through the unique process of bing ignited, it gains something simr to consciousness such that it is able to understand and obeymands from the person that freed it from its beast body prison.


    The ignited crystals can freely use their abilities without the need for a user and follow themand of their master. It can defend itself by manifesting sentinels from the strongest ability they contain to protect themselves if they feel threatened.


    The ignited crystal can switch and obey different people if it was touched after all of its sentinels are defeated before it could recharge and produce more.]


    [The Water Sentinel is immune to water-based attacks]


    "Oh, Boy!" Mako eximed as he just finished reading through the description of the Water Sentinel only to see that a second one was forming right in front of their eyes.

 Chapter 236 Training Disaster (Part 2)

    ?


    As the Water Sentinel began to advance toward them, Mako quickly exined that they had to defeat the water monster quickly if they ever hoped to win and that their water ability was useless against it.


    The Water Sentinel was 12 feet tall and waspletely made out of water, some of the water had coagted to be solid, yet it didn''t resemble ice. It had two glowing teal-colored eyes and a giant mouth with teeth made out of that solid water.


    Mako knew they had to act fast to defeat the Water Sentinel before Team B arrived. Countless thoughts of strategies ran through Mako''s mind as he tried to utilize his team''sbination of abilities to their advantage.


    Since Water had no effect on the thing, he would try the only logical ability to counter its nature, Fire!


    Mako, Iris, and Erin dodged the sentinel''s giant water jet attack by rolling across the floor in the nick of time.


    Mako instantly revealed his fire aura and red fire began to ignite on his arms. Mako began throwing fireball after fireball at the sentinel as fast as he could; however, to his absolute surprise, the fireballs did nothing as they just evaporated some of the water from the surface of the water sentinel''s body and turned it mist which the sentinel quickly recovered.


    The fire attacks had seemed to make the sentinel make as he charged at Mako at its full speed, aiming the ground shake as it ran.


    Mako tried to form a stronger fire attack to maybe try and evaporate the whole body at once so that there wouldn''t be anything left to regenerate, but before he could finish charging up his me bullet, the water sentinel was already upon him.


    "Mako, watch out!" Erin yelled as she conjured an ice wall to protect Mako from the sentinel''s massive punch.


    The punchpletely crushed the ice wall as it stood no chance against its power; however, it gave Mako enough time to finish charging his me bullet, aimed straight at the Sentinel''s face.


    [me Bullet has been activated]


    "Eat this!" Mako shouted as he fired the fully charged me Bullet.


    The bullet sted from his finger carrying a great amount of concentrated red fire aura as it was prone to do great damage, after all this attack was able to expand the tunnel in the wall into a small cave.


    The bullet traveled toward the sentinel at quick speeds, and as it made contact with Sentinel''s face evaporated the water and tore a hole through its face it went all the way through and exited from the back, and continued forward until it collided with the roof of the training room, creating an explosion.


    The explosion did nothing to the roof at all but was very visible to Leon and Bill who were still trying to find the right path through thebyrinth of walls and turrets.


    "See that! That''s probably where they are fighting." Leon told Bill as they both quickly began dashing in the direction of the explosion.


    There was a clean hole through the Sentinel''s head and it had stopped moving, indicating that it had indeed been dealt with.


    Mako took a sigh of relief knowing he dealt with it just in time as he would have been squashed like a tomato if that punchnded on him cleanly.


    Erin and Iris also calmed down knowing that the problem was now dealt with and just as they were about to move on, they froze in ce as water from the pool surrounding the crystal floated over to the sentinel.


    Mako who was smiling knowing he had eliminated the threat and that now they could finally im the crystal was now at a loss for words and before his very eyes, the sentinel began regenerating its own face.


    It only took a second for the sentinel to recover and it was looking good as new.


    "That''s Impos..." Mako was about to say but got cut off as the sentinel followed through with its original action which was punching him into the ground.


    *SMASH!*


    "MAKO!!!" The girls screamed as the sentinel''s punch effortlessly went down and crushed Mako into the ground, creating a massive cloud of dust that represented the power of the punch.


    The girls were in shock as to what to do next. Mako was just killed by that water monster! How is that possible? Is this even training!?


    The girls were very confused and unsure of what to do next, but it was not like they had any choice other than to fight as the sentinel was making its way toward them quickly.


    Tears were running down their faces as they were faced with the horror of reality and what was actually going on. Iris only had the water ability to use to fight which was useless against the monster which only left Erin to fight out of this mess.


    "Screw this!" Erin shouted as her eyes began to glow white.


    "STOP! NO!" Iris shouted as she grabbed Erin''s arm," You can''t use your mutant gene right now. Commander Malik told us to wait at least 6 months to ensure it has properly recovered, or else our abilities might get damaged!"


    "You think that matters right now! That thing just killed Mako and we''re next, and unless you have any bright ideas, our only option is to fight with all that we have!" Erin shouted as she broke free from Iris'' hold and prepared herself to battle the abomination using her elevated ice powers.


    "STOP!" A familiar voice resounded from the cloud of dust behind the water monster.


    Erin paused as she tried to process whose voice she had just heard while Monster continued to run toward them at the same speed.


    Just then from within the dust clouds, Mako dashed out to the right side of the water sentinel and activated his Earth ability to raiserge earthen pirs from the ground to hit the Water Sentinel from the right causing it to lose its bnce and fall over to the left.


    [Dash has been activated]


    Mako dashed over to the girls who couldn''t believe what they were seeing. Mako was alive and mostly unharmed as even after gettingpletely crushed by the water monster''s giant fist, he only had a few cuts on his face and arms and was slightly bleeding from them.


    "Mako... how did..." Iris asked in shock as she reached forward to touch Mako''s face to make sure she wasn''t hallucinating and that it was all real.


    "We don''t have time for that!" Mako quickly replied as he turned back to face the water sentinel who had already gotten back up which was quite surprising considering its size.


    "Listen, I figured it out! I know how we can defeat that thing!" Mako shouted as the water sentinel glowed even bluer and let out a massive yell.


    "How!?" Erin asked as she deactivated her mutant gene.


    "It doesn''t matter where we damage it, it will just regenerate, but it will take some time for it to recover, once it has received a decent amount of damage!" Mako said thinking back to the time when the sentinel was stationary while it healed itself by drawing more water from the pool.


    "That''s our cue! We will have to damage it again so that bes stationary and requires water from the pool to heal. You guys will use your water ability in unison to block that water from reaching that sent... m... monster, while I deal with destroying its bodypletely!" Mako exined the n just as the sentinel resumed running toward them.


    Erin seemed determined to just kill that thing before worrying about anything else, but Iris on the other hand still couldn''t believe that Mako was still standing in front of her.


    "I''m alright, Iris. I will exinter, but I need you to focus right now," Mako said without even turning towards her as if he could read Iris'' thoughts, but it did the trick as the look of determination appeared on her face as well.


    "Alright! Let''s do this!" Iris shouted with determination as her hand began to glow green which she nted it firmly on Mako''s back.


    A warm and soothing feeling entered Mako''s body and almost immediately, he stopped feeling all the pain that wasing from the damage he took from the sentinel''s punch.


    Mako didn''t even get the chance to thank Iris as the sentinel was upon them once again. They were all quite agile which was the only thing they had better than the sentinel and they used it to quickly get out of the range of its waterfall attack.


    Mako switched over to his lightning ability to try and see if he could get more damage in as water was supposed to be conductive which meant that the lightning would spread all over the sentinel''s body and evaporate water from everywhere at once.


    He condensed the lightning into his hands as he formed a w which he swiped vertically toward the sentinel.


    [Lightning w has been activated]


    The lightning did its magic as sure enough lightning flowed through the sentinel''s entire body and the friction from all that current flowing through slowly began to boil its entire body, which made it look like it was shrinking from all sides.


    As soon as the lightning w was finished, Erin jumped in andunchedrge ice spears at the sentinel, embedding them inside its water body which began to spread its coldness, freezing the sentinel itself, bit by bit.


    The sentinel was enraged by the freezing spears which it quickly ripped out of its body. It began to pursue Erin as it viewed her as the biggest threat while Iris remained back and used her own water ability to battle the crystal''s water ability, barely being able to stop more water from being supplied to the sentinel.


    "Erin, use your ice walls to trap me and the Sentinel," Makomanded.


    Erin was unsure about what Mako was nning, but they didn''t have time to hesitate so she led the water sentinel toward Mako who blocked its path using severalrge earth pirs.


    Erin created a series of ice walls to encircle the Water Sentinel, while Iris continued to block any water from reaching the sentinel.


    The Water Sentinel was now trapped and before it could get through all the earth pirs, Mako had ced his hands on the ground and activated a skill with his fire aura.


    [me Pir had been activated]


    mes erupted from the ground and enveloped the entirety of the area that was walled off from Erin''s ice walls. The intense heat from the fire caused the water from its body to evaporate, weakening the Sentinel''s body. At the same time, the ice walls prevented it from escaping.


    "Keep reinforcing the walls! Don''t let it escape!" Erin heard Mako''s voice from within the ice enclosure.


    The water Sentinel continued to struggle in order to find a way out but it was blocked from every direction and the mes soon rendered it immobile. With no new water being able to reach the sentinel''s body, it began to grow smaller and smaller before it waspletely gone, reducedpletely to a mist.


    *Ding!*


    Mako stopped spamming me pirs, and the area finally fell quiet. Erin lowered the ice wall which had taken almost all of her energy to continuously maintain as Mako melted it from the inside with his hot red mes such that she was bleeding from her nose and was feeling quite light-headed.


    It was a tough fight, but they hade out victorious and the only thing left to do now was to retrieve the crystal and head back toward their starting point.


    However, just as Team A caught their breath and prepared to retrieve the crystal, they heard footsteps approaching. Bill and Leon had arrived.


    They saw the all destruction that had happened to the ce and their injured friends, yet they couldn''t spot Nathan''s unconscious body anywhere which made them think, what exactly were they fighting?


    However, it didn''t really matter as they watched Iris almost reach the crystal. Realizing that they were toote to im the crystal, they decided to confront their friends as this was the only way for them to ensure their victory.


    "Move out of the way, losers! We''re taking the crystal," Bill demanded, his eyes filled with determination.

 Chapter 237 Training Disaster (Part 3)

    ?


    "Not a chance! We earned this fair and square," Mako retorted, not backing down.


    Even though they had just gone through a tough battle, Erin was the only one who a low on energy as she had to maintain the ice walls, but Mako and Iris still had plenty of juice to keep fighting, making this a bit fair 2v3.


    Mako and his team had defeated the Water Sentinel fairly and now they had the right to take the crystal and im victory but Bill and his team weren''t just going to ept that without a fight.


    The tension in the room escted as both teams faced off against each other. However, before a full-blown battle could erupt, the Water Crystal in the center of the room began slowly began to regain its glow which went unnoticed by everyone.


    Iris rushed toward the center to grab the crystal as she was the closest, but Leon didn''t let that happen as he conjured a small fireball in his hand which looked like it wouldn''t do much, Mako and Bill both knew about Leon''s new skill.


    "me Wall!" Leon shouted as heunched the fireball forward as far as he could.


    As the small fireball traveled through the air, a thin wall of mes erupted from the ground, following the projectile''s path.


    The fireball projectile curved around Iris, just as she reached the pool surrounding the crystal and the me Wall quickly followed cutting her pathway and preventing her from getting any closer.


    "Not so fast, Iris! I will be taking that!" Leon shouted as he sped over towards her dodging Mako''s barrage of Fireballs and Lightning Strikes.


    However, before he could reach the crystal himself, Leon suddenly felt something slippery underneath his foot which is something really bad for a person moving at that speed.


    ''Uh oh,'' Leon thought as he couldn''t do anything at that moment and so his feet slipped, causing him to skid forward due to the momentum his body was carrying and scrape against the floor while decelerating anding to a stop.


    One of the biggest cons of Speed ability users is that even though they have great versatility and potential, it is just too risky to be moving that fast as if an ident urs where the user was moving very fast loses his footing, the consequences can be dire.


    Leon eventually slowed down after bumping and scraping against the floor several times and finally came to a screeching halt.


    It just so happened to be that Leon had skidded and stopped right in front of Erin who was the culprit behind Leon''s slip in the first ce. Even if she had less energy, it didn''t mean she couldn''t fight at all as just a small patch of ice is all you need to deal with a speedster.


    Erin ced one of her feet on top of Leon''s weak and shaky body as she taunted him by saying, "You may have four abilities or whatever, but you still are no match for me in terms of skill and technique!"


    Leon looked up towards Erin who looked like the final female boss from a video game with one eye as he appeared quite weak and flustered; although, there weren''t many visible injuries on his body if all.


    "That''s one more down, Mako! Hold off Bill, while Iris takes the crystal!" Erin said to Mako in a hurry.


    Bill quickly realized that he was on his own and quickly rushed forward to meet Mako''s assault head-on. He had to deal with Mako quickly if he had any chance of securing that crystal, which was a big ask considering how hard it was for him to deal with the first time, and at that time, he didn''t even have the Earth ability yet.


    Mako and Bill shed head-on with different abilities and skills colliding with one another as they both tried to quickly take care of the other. Both of them used everything in their arsenal to try and breakthrough, but both of them just kept countering each other by usingpletely opposite abilities.


    Mako and Bill were locked in a stalemate and Iris was inching ever closer towards the crystal. It seemed that Team A would be the one to im victory in their first training match.


    However just as Erin thought that, she heard the sound ofughter from underneath her. She looked to see Leon who was still under her feet,ughing.


    Erin was very confused at Leon''s odd behavior as this was not the time to beughing, but Leon let Erin in on why he wasughing.


    "Oh... Erin, I specifically have this ability just to counter my speed''s greatest weakness!" Leon said whileughing.


    It took a second for Erin to realize what Leon was referring to, but by then it was toote. Leon activated one of his new speed skills that were perfect for this scenario.


    "Kic Impulse!" Leon shouted as a white colored shockwave erupted from Leon Body in all directions, sting Erin of his body.


    The shockwave was quite strong and packed a good punch as not only was Erinunched several meters, but after she couldn''t get back up afternding on the ground.


    "Damn... I forgot about his hardening..." Erin said weakly.


    Leon quickly got back on his feet and looked pretty much unharmed. He observed that Bill and Mako were locked in a scrimmage with no one winning just yet, which left only him and Iris.


    He turned toward Iris who had already crossed the pool and was inches away from the crystal.


    "NO!" Leon shouted as he dashed toward Iris at his top speed, but it was just toote, Iris would retrieve the crystal and then it would be quite difficult for them to steal it back from them.


    Time slowed down as Leon ran to his maximum limit to try and catch up to Iris, but it looked like he wasn''t going to make it in time, but apparently, someone else was.


    Just before Iris could touch the crystal and grab it, a w attack formed from the blood that appeared to her right and wasing straight for her.


    Since she was so focused on getting the crystal, she waspletely unguarded against the Blood w attack and was just barely able to move out of the way such that it would be a direct hit.


    The Blood w hit the floor right between Iris and the podium on which the crystal was ced and exploded upon impact in a shockwave of blood that pushed Iris back, making her collide with Leon who was running towards her, sending them both flying back.


    From the top of the nearest wall, a beast appeared, a blood wolf to be exact.


    It was Nathan. He had recovered from the initial attack he had received from the Water Sentinel as he had not activated his Enhanced Perception skill yet and as a result, the sentinel got a clean hit on him, but luckily, just before he got hit, Nathan managed to use blood hardening to reinforce his body to absorb the force of the attack.


    Since then, he had been carefully observing the central area and watching the others fight it out, waiting for the perfect opportunity to jump in.


    Nathan jumped down from the wall and transformed back into his human form. He quickly began walking toward the crystal, given that now there was no one there to stop him.


    "Stop!" Mako shouted as heunched a fireball toward Nathan whilst continuing to fight Bill.


    Nathan tilted his head slightly as he kept walking and the fireball grazed past him, without touching a single hair on his body.


    This act shocked Mako and even Bill as Nathan had just dodged an attack without even looking at it perfectly and didn''t pause walking at all.


    Mako was in big trouble now. Both Erin and Iris were on the ground, recovering from being sted away and now he somehow had to prevent Nathan from getting to the crystal while also battling Bill.


    Mako fired a couple more Fireballs in between moves toward Nath to try and slow him down, but he dodged them all effortlessly again.


    Mako looked at his other options of which he had little left as Nathan was almost at the crystal.


    In a moment of desperation, Mako activated the only skill that was going to buy him some time, but might just backfire on him in the long run.


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    Mako released a pulse of electricity to paralyze Bill. Given Bill''s strength and Electrical Discharge being under-leveled, Mako would be lucky if he could paralyze him for ten seconds, but that was enough time for him to confront Nathan, even if it meant he had to fight the two of them at the same time.


    [Sprint has been activated]


    Mako activated his fastest speed skill and dashed over toward Nathan, with a fist locked and loaded at his head.


    Nathan sensed Mako''s presence and ducked ordingly to dodge the attack, allowing Mako to fly over him, but this is exactly what Mako wanted.


    He had purposefully slowed down at the end so when he would get dodged, he wouldn''t go flying straight into the pool and it worked like a treat allowing Mako to stand in front of Nathan and block him from moving any closer.


    "Move, if you know what''s best for you!" Nathan shouted with a threatening tone, but Mako had heard worse from Bill when he used to Bully him so this had absolutely no effect.


    Mako began charging his lightning tounch a strong attack, and Nathan responded by turning his arm into a Blood Wolf arm andunching another Blood w attack.


    [Lightning w has been activated]


    The two w attacks collided with each other, forming a great explosion, pushing both of them back.


    Mako used his earth ability to dig his feet into the ground so that he wouldn''t get blown away and Nathan transformed his feet into the Blood Wolf Legs to grip the ground so that he wouldn''t get pushed back.


    The shockwave finally ended with both Nathan and Mako staring at each other from afar, acknowledging each other''s strength.


    Bill quickly joined Nathan''s side much to his disdain soon after and now they closed in on Mako who was really running out of options on how to deal with two strong opponents at that same time.


    The two quickly began their assault having no sync whatsoever, but still managed to overwhelm Mako who was barely hanging on thanks to the Stone Skin and Fortified Stance skills, giving him a boost in Fortitude.


    Slowly but surely, Mako was getting pushed back by Bill and Nathan''s continuous attacks, and it looked like it was going to be a victory for Team B after all.


    As the three of them were fighting, they were all suddenly caught off guard by the crystal itself shining brightly like a star, and soon after a second Water Sentinel emerged from the pool that they were two feet away from.


    "OH SH**!"

 Chapter 238 First Training Outcome

    ?


    The emergence of the second Water Sentinel caught everyone off guard. Mako, Bill, and Nathan were standing right by the pool, while Erin, Leon, and Iris were slowly getting back on their feet a bit further away. The Water Sentinel rose from the pool, its towering form casting an imposing shadow over the training room.


    "No way! The crystal can recharge that fast!?," Mako muttered under his breath, realizing the dire situation they were in. The Water Sentinel was fully charged and ready to unleash its power once more.


    Before they could even react, the Water Sentinel unleashed a torrent of water, targeting all six cadets. The massive wave of water had such force that the attackpletely knocked them out of the central zone, leaving them drenched and unconscious.


    **************


    "W...ake.... u..p..." A sound came from a distance.


    "Wake... up..." The sound became clearer and sounded closer.


    "WAKE UP!" Commander Sable''s loud voice boomed across the room, jolting Mako to wake up and stand up straight.


    Mako was super confused as to where he was or what had just happened with his memory still hazy of previous events; however, things were slowlying back to him.


    He was currently inside Commander Sable''s office with Erin, Iris, Bill, Leon, and Nathan all present and awake.


    They were all standing in front of themander''s desk watching the rey footage of their training match with Commander Sable critiquing everything.


    Mako slowly began to remember as he realized how he got here. He got wiped out by the giant wave along with everyone else and lost the training match.


    After realizing what had happened anding to hisplete senses, Mako joined all of his teammates and stood beside them quietly as Commander Sable continued pausing and ying the footage while telling them all everything that they did wrong.


    After going over the whole footage, it was safe to say that Commander Sable wasn''t impressed in the slightest. He turned off the footage and turned towards the six of them with a furious yet controlled gaze.


    "Listen up, all of you!" Commander Sable''s voice echoed through the room. "This match was meant to test your teamwork, adaptability, and strategy. But all I saw was chaos and recklessness!"


    Mako, Bill, Leon, Erin, Iris, and Nathan stood silently, knowing that the Commander had every right to scold them because they did indeed all fail the training match. They knew they had let their emotions get the best of them, and it cost them dearly.


    "You were divided into two teams for a reason. Teamwork and coordination are essential inbat. Yet, all I saw were individual skirmishes," Commander Sable continued, his gaze piercing into each cadet. "You can''t let personal grievances get in the way of your mission. In a real battle, such behavior will lead to disaster."


    Many of them felt a sense of guilt wash over them. They knew that each one of them had contributed to the discord between their teams by not thinking about the team and letting emotions cloud their judgment.


    "Bill, you can''t let your personal feelings for Nathan dictate your actions. You are all soldiers now, and you must act as a cohesive unit. It was your duty to make sure that the team operated smoothly, but instead, you just allowed him to go ahead without any confrontation, leading him to be the first one to get knocked out by the first Water Sentinel," Commander Sable addressed Bill, his voice unwavering.


    Bill nodded, looking solemn. He realized he had let his anger towards Nathan get the better of him, and it had affected their performance as a team because if Nathan was moving with them from the start, they would have arrived quicker at the site as an overall team and could have easily dominated Mako''s team who had just struggled to defeat the sentinel.


    "Mako, your tactics were promising, but you must learn to control and discipline. You are too careless with your energy and skills and you don''t think how it will affect your team. Erin waspletely out of the fight because of you who made her use all of her energy to maintain that wall." Commander Sable continued. "Your abilities are valuable, but they mean nothing if you don''t work together effectively."


    Mako nodded, acknowledging the truth in Commander Sable''s words. He knew he had to learn to be a better leader and not rush into things, ignoring his own conscience who is trying to be calctive, and actually thinking things through before doing them.


    "Nathan, your arrogance and disregard for your teammates'' skills are utterly andpletely uneptable. You are part of a team now, and whether you like it or not, you''re going to need to learn to cooperate and respect your teammates." Commander Sable addressed Nathan firmly.


    Nathan''s defiant expression softened slightly as he took in themander''s words. He wanted to retaliate by saying that it was not his fault, his teammates were so weak, but he couldn''t really say that after being the first one to get knocked out by the sentinel and having the least amount of participants in the training match.


    He still refused to make any friends as those would only drag him down again, but he couldn''t deny that he did in fact hinder their performance as a team.


    After greatly scolding the three bigger yers, Commander turned towards Erin, Iris, and Leon.


    "Erin, you have great potential, but you are relying on it too heavily. I''m sure Malik has already informed you of the risks of using mutant genes when they haven''t recovered yet. Don''t take your gifts for granted and focus on improving yourself from the ground up." The Commander said in a less harsh tone.


    "Iris, you have to gain control over your emotions. In battle, the enemy will take advantage of any and all emotional leverage that you provide them. Youpletely froze up and had tears down your face as you saw Mako get mmed by the Water Sentinel. I admit the thought of losing a friend is quite deep and painful, trust me, I have lost many great friends over the years, but you have to remain strong if you want to survive," Commander Sable said empathetically.


    "Leon, you need tomunicate better with your teammates. It''s crucial to coordinate your actions and support each other duringbat. You ran in blind and went straight for the crystal without letting Bill knows anything. You were lucky that Erin only used a little bit of ice to cause you to slip. It could have turned out a lot worse for you and Bill wouldn''t be able to do anything to save you," Commander Sablestly scolded Leon.


    The three of them nodded, knowing they had to improve their individual weaknesses so that they can be part of an effective team.


    "The Water Sentinel is a formidable foe, and you must learn to work together if you want to get that crystal," Commander Sable stated firmly. "Now, you will train together as one unit until you can demonstrate true teamwork."


    "I will allow you to take this training match again by the end of the week if I see that you are capable enough for it, and if you pass, you will get the green light for your first mission, but if you fail or I deem you unworthy, you will not be executing your first mission." Commander Sable announced, showing no remorse to the shocked faces of all six of his students.


    "You will be one of the weaker groups of students going into military school if you let thetter be a reality, and let me tell you, the special ss of the military school is quite tough, ck around, and you might just lose your special ss privileges," The Commander threatened.


    The six cadets exchanged nces, feeling a sense of urgency and renewed determination to prove themselves as a team. They knew they had a lot of work ahead of them, but they were determined to ovee their ws and be a cohesive unit.


    "Dismissed! Now get back to training!" Commander Sable barked, and the cadets quickly dispersed, heading back to the training area.


    Mako, Bill, Leon, Erin, Iris, and Nathan all took different spots on the training field and began training. They had a week to ovee all of their ws and refine their techniques to be worthy enough to go on their first mission, and that was something everyone was passionate about and wanted to give their all.


    **************


    Just as everyone left Commander Sable''s office and he rxed back into his chair, a secret invisible door opened from the wall right next to his desk, and Commander Anderson walked out in his military uniform.


    "You don''t have to be so hard on them, Sable. They defeated the Water Sentinel on the first try. Usually, beginning cadets don''t even make it to the central zone, much less face and defeat the sentinel." Commander Anderson said.


    "I understand what you mean, Anderson, but you know I can''t take it easy on them. If they even get the slightest hint that they are stronger and better than most beginning cadets, it will just boost their ego and they will be ignorant of what they have to do in order to progress forward. We have lost too many young talents because of this, but no more. I will deal with them my way," Commander Sable replied.


    Commander Anderson walked over to the ss wall in Commander Sable''s office and watched as Mako and his friends trained.


    "Alright, Sable. I trust you. Even though all of them voted against you because of that, I still believe in you and I know you can guide their shining stars onto the right path." Commander Anderson said to Commander Sable with a smile.

 Chapter 239 Training In Progress (Part 1)

    Over the next few days, Mako, Bill, Leon, Erin, Iris, and Nathan were determined to prove themselves as a unified team. Each one of them focused on honing their individual skills and addressing the ws that Commander Sable had pointed out.


    The training area was very advanced and versatile as it could quickly create small rooms, build obstacle courses, create dummy bots to practice against, etc.


    This was possible due to the whole room being built out of nanites that could reshape into anything and even repair broken things, making them quite handy.


    Mako needed to address his recklessness andck of discipline. Even before he ever awakened his powers, he always had the habit of running head-first into a situation without properly thinking it out.


    Even though he was smart, and could think of creative and amazing solutions for the situations he finds himself, only if he gave himself the time to think things through.


    Mako used the scenario function in the training room which made a small room with a scenario that yed out and Mako had to make the right decision in order to pass. Sometimes the scenarios were to identify a spy, save someone who is being held hostage, find a hidden bomb in a popted area, etc.


    This scenario-based training not only helped Mako improve his infiltration and searching skills which weren''t great in the first ce, but they were slowly getting better.


    It also taught him that he had to think before he acted. During the first and second days, Mako was unable to sessfully pass a single scenario because he kept rushing in with his abilities on full tilt, without thinking of any repercussions which led him to waste time, causing unnecessary damage, and even hurting innocents.


    Mako struggled quite a bit in suppressing his own natural instincts and using his brain to think around the problem to get the best oue.


    On the third day, he was getting the hang of it, but it was on the fourth day that Mako finally cleared one of the scenarios on medium difficulty. It was a quite small andme milestone, but a milestone nheless as Mako continued to improve and be more of a calctive thinker, and he was able to clear a couple more scenarios by the end of the week.


    Mako also spent hours practicing control over his elemental abilities. He practiced creating precise and controlled fireballs, lightning strikes, and earth constructs. He also worked on managing his energy more efficiently, learning when to unleash powerful attacks and when to conserve his strength for critical moments.


    Even though he had a greater energy pool than the others, it still wasn''t infinite and he had to learn to also think about his teammate''s energy pools when fighting so that he doesn''t overextend himself or his team.


    He practiced strategic nning, analyzing differentbat scenarios, and considering the strengths and weaknesses of all his teammates.


    **************


    *BANG!*


    In one corner of the training room, there were constant sounds of fighting and destruction as throughout the entire week, Nathan and Bill had been having duel after duel.


    It all started when Bill walked up to Nathan on the first day and offered to talk things through, and he even apologized for them getting off on the wrong foot; however, he was met with silence as Nathanpletely ignored him and resumed his training.


    This enraged Bill as while Nathan was practicing he secretly attacked him using his Earth ability.


    However, due to Nathan always keeping his advanced perception skill active out of habit, he easily sensed and dodged the attack.


    Even though the earth spike was unable to attack and hurt Nathan which Bill intended, it did manage to piss Nathan off.


    "How dare you!" Nathan shouted as he transformed his hand into a w and grabbed Bill''s neck in an instant.


    Bill raised another earth pir from underneath the two of them aimed straight at Nathan''s chin. Since Nathan has his hand locked on Bill''s neck, he couldn''t move back and so the earth pirnded cleanly on his chin, sending him flying in the air and knocking him back a couple of feet.


    Nathan and Bill were both quite enraged at the notion of the other using their abilities on them and they both began to fight. They didn''t hold back at all as Bill was even tempted to use his mutant gene against Nathan, but before he could do so, Commander Sable interrupted their fight.


    Both boys tried to justify their actions, but Commander Sable was having none of it as he didn''t say a single word and instead just grabbed both of them by their cors and dragged them to the corner of the training room.


    He used the Nanite module to create a dueling room and threw both of them inside.


    "You two are banned from using the training room at all except this singr room. From morning till night, as long as you want to train, it will only be done here. You want to fight then fight, you want to train then train, I don''t care what you want to do, do it inside here!" The Commander ordered.


    Bill and Nathan continued to argue against themander''s order, but themander had said what he wanted to say as he closed the doors and locked them from the outside trapping them both inside.


    The two of them tried to just ignore each other and train in their own corners, but since the room was so small, there was barely any room for two people to practice their big moves alone, and that was exactly what happened as Bill''s moves identally hit Nathan and Nathan''s blood attacks identally hit Bill.


    The two were getting quite fed up and in the end, just started fighting each other. The dueling room had an AI that would oversee all fights to make sure no one identally got killed as it would freeze all movement if anyone was close to dying.


    Throughout the week, those two were continuously going back and forth between the dueling room and the infirmary.


    After about 5 days of useless and pointless fighting, both boys finally talked to each other for the first time after getting exhausted from fighting each other which ended in the usual draw.


    They still had resentment toward each other and didn''t talk like friends at all, but they had at leaste to recognize and acknowledge each other''s strength. Nathan was quite skilled in closebat and had a great grip over several martial arts making him quite a good fighter.


    Bill acknowledged that his personal feelings towards Nathan had affected their teamwork. To ovee this, he took the initiative to sit down and have an honest conversation with Nathan.


    Bill tried to talk things through with Nathan once again, and this time he did reply, but his reply was as cold as ever.


    "Listen, I don''t care about your sob story, nor do I want to share anything about myself with you. If you have such a problem, just leave the whole mission to me, I can do it better than you chumps anyways," Nathan said.


    Bill had to swallow his pride and anger for just a moment as he had to think clearly in order to make this thing work.


    In the end, Bill came up with the only solution he could think of, he offered Nathan a deal.


    The deal was that they would have a total of 20 dueling rounds where they would fight one another with the catch being that that the AI would record and score their performance. It wouldn''t matter who had more wins than the other as it woulde down to who was the overall better fighter.


    If Bill won, Nathan would have to cooperate with the team and stop being such an ignorant prick, and if Nathan won, Bill would remove himself from the mission draft and he would stay behind while the rest of them took their first mission.


    The stakes were high for both of them but the rewards were sweet as well. Nathan agreed to Bill''s deal with the condition that he didn''t want any talk about his past toe up even if Bill won to which Bill agreed.


    The two boys fought from morning till night every day, having intense battles with each other one after the other. Even though they both would deny it, they did form a bond over their fights as both of them knew how the other fought in great detail and were even able to anticipate their moves.


    In the end, the scoring was close, but Bill was able to win the challenge by a whopping two points.


    [Final Score]


    [Nathan Wesley VS Bill Johnson]


    [769 - 771]


    It was quite a close finish which showed that even though Bill had the ability advantage it didn''t matter as Nathan''s fighting skills and techniques gave him a great advantage as well.


    At the end of the day, Nathan was a man of his word and agreed to cooperate with the team moving forward while still keeping his distance from them which was still a huge win for Bill.


    Even though Nathan was ignorant, he did recognize that his arrogance andck of cooperation had been a hindrance to the team''s sess. Although he still didn''t make friends with the others, he decided to respect their abilities and work alongside them without causing any conflict.


    "Maybe these guys are different..." Nathan thought as he watched Bill celebrate his epic achievement, but quickly changed his mind.


    Over at the other side of the training room, Erin, Leon, and Iris were also training hard to improve and be better for the rematch.

 Chapter 240 Training In Progress (Part 2)

    ?


    Erin took Commander Sable''s advice to heart and focused on improving herself from the ground up.


    It was true that ever since she had identally resonated her water and wind abilities together to obtain her ice powers, she had be a bit too confident and reliant on them. She used her ice abilities any chance she got andpletely disregarded her other two abilities.


    Even though Ice was much stronger than Wind and Water, it required more energy to use too, and given that she had an average energy pool, thisbination was just not sustainable as she was the first one to tire out and lose all her energy during the training match.


    She focused on practicing several different closebat fighting techniques and upgrading her base attributes such as strength and speed. She also dedicated some time to mastering the art of ice maniption, creatingplex ice structures, and learning to maintain them for extended periods without exerting too much energy.


    By the end of the week, there wasn''t a drastic change in Erin''s attributes or abilities, but she had definitely learned to control her Ice ability better and to incorporate her other abilities into her fighting style as well.


    She always preferred closebat and now with thebat knife that Mako gave her, she was able to get a lot of practice in with it so that she could use it efficiently and quickly in battle.


    ****************


    Iris needed to ovee her emotional instability and reliance on others duringbat. Iris worked on building mental fortitude and emotional resilience. She participated in rigorous mental training exercises, where she had to face and ovee her fears and anxieties.


    Iris also worked on her mental resilience, practicing meditation and visualization techniques to stay focused and calm duringbat.


    She faced simted battles where she encountered scenarios that could trigger her emotions and practiced maintaining herposure and decision-making under pressure.


    Unlike Mako who was using the scenarios to train his sense of reasoning and calction under pressure, Iris was training her ability to remain calm, collected, and focused during an intense battle.


    The scenarios that Mako was training in were all based around attacking or being the aggressor which would help him to think on the go and make the best decisions under pressure, whereas Iris participated in primarily defending scenarios, where she wasn''t the aggressor and was instead protecting others or an area from the enemies.


    In these scenarios, Iris was faced with many different challenges in which she had to keep watch of several locations in order to not let the enemies pass through and the very first time that Iris yed this scenario, it devastated her as she was too slow and couldn''t keep watch of every entry point, allowing the enemies to sneak and kill all the town people.


    The scenarios were so realistic that even though they weren''t real, Iris felt she had real blood on her for not being good enough and that really rocked her to her core, setting her back even more than where she started.


    On the following day, Iris was still so shaken up from the experience in the scenario room yesterday that she couldn''t even take a step into the training room.


    Her nerves were worse than ever and she felt like aplete and total failure.


    Observing from the ss window in his office, Commander Sable noticed Iris'' odd behavior and called her to help resolve the issue.


    "Tell me, dear... What seems to be troubling you? We don''t have much time until the mission starts, why aren''t you training like the rest of them?" Commander Sable asked.


    Unable to hold back anymore, Iris broke down in tears right in front of Commander Sable, telling him every that had happened yesterday and how she felt it was a grave mistake to think she was even close to being ready.


    Themander understood what Iris was going through, he had seen countless young soldiers react the same way when they first got into this and experienced death around them for the first time.


    Others would say these people are weak and unworthy to be in the military but Sable would argue that these are the people that still have some part of their humanity left intact.


    Themander consoled her and told her that what she was experiencing was quite normal at this stage as she was just starting out and that she shouldn''t let that get to her.


    He exined to her a couple of stories from his past during the time when he was still in military school and that he used to be just like her, someone who waspletely broken after learning that there were people who died just because of his mistakes.


    Iris was shocked to learn about themander''s history as nobody would have guessed the strictmander Sable to be such a softie during his cadet years, but it was indeed the truth.


    "Trust me, Iris, it bes easier with time as you get more and more exposed to this kind of stuff. You have to learn this key important lesson and that is that you can''t save everyone, you will never be able to save everyone, and there will always be casualties, no matter the scale of battle. The best thing that you can do in this case is to remain as calm and collected as possible during the fight in order to keep the number as low as possible," Themander taught Iris.


    "Um... Sir... I don''t know if I can do this. I don''t know if I would ever be able to live with myself knowing that there is blood on my hands." Iris said on the verge of crying again.


    Commander Sable sighed as he looked toward Iris with empathy and slight envy," Don''t worry dear. You will make it through it. Believe in yourself and believe in the purpose for which you epted to be a part of this in the first ce. Remember that there are good people and friends counting on you to do your best, and you will let them down by giving up before even beginning."


    Iris wiped the tears from her eyes and took on a serious expression as she reflected on what themander had just said.


    What was she fighting for? Why was she here? What purpose did she want to strive in life for?


    Suddenly, Iris thought back to memory during the recruitment test, when she was fighting the giant Puffw.


    ''Jackie!'' Iris suddenly shouted in her thoughts as she remembered why she wanted to join the military and be a fighter in the first ce.


    A look of determination and confidence appeared on Iris'' face as she was ready to start training again.


    Commander Sable didn''t know what had switched inside Iris, but he could read from her aura that she was no longer afraid, as if she had found her purpose again.


    Iris bowed her head toward Commander Sable to show her respect and thanked him for everything before moving towards the door to leave and resume her training.


    "Oh, and Iris... one more thing..." Commander Sable said to stop Iris before shepletely left the room," Whatever you do don''t stop caring. Always remember to care for the less fortunate and weak,"


    Iris was a little taken aback by the sudden drop of wisdom that Commander Sable had given her and she did know why he would say something like that to her, but she knew it had to have a deeper meaning., so she just smiled and nodded ''yes'' before exiting his office and making her way back to the training area.


    Over the course of the next few days, Iris definitely improved a lot more. She was more concentrated and calm during the scenarios, she always yed them out in which the least amount of people had to die.


    Other than that she trained herbat skills as well because she was definitelycking in that department as well. She trained with Erin and had many sparring sessions and she also trained her archery skills so that she could use her bow to the best of her abilities.


    **************


    Leon also took Commander Sable''s advice aboutmunication seriously and made a conscious effort to keep his teammates informed duringbat.


    He was pretty well versed in all aspects so he did general training to improve everything, his speed, his strength, his fighting style, etc.


    He developed a system of simple hand signals and gestures to convey simple messages to his team without disrupting their concentration. He practiced with different people and was d to see how quickly they all were able to catch on and act ordingly to his signals.


    Leon also practiced team-oriented movements, ensuring that he stayed close to his teammates and responded quickly to their actions.


    ***************


    The whole team was levelling up as they spent as much time as possible to improve their ws and be as strong as possible to defeat the water sentinel and hopefully impress themander enough so that he would let them take on their very first mission.


    However, Mako and his team weren''t the only ones training hard and bing strong as there were other people with different agendas who also wanted to achieve their goals and one of them was currently fighting against ten ability users at the same time back in Emerald City.

 Chapter 241 Training For Revenge (Part 1)

    Chapter 241 Training For Revenge (Part 1)


    Mikhail stood in the center of the training grounds, surrounded by ten members of the notorious Los Zetas Gang. His eyes zed with a mix of determination and fury as he prepared to take them on using all of his different abilities.


    *****************


    It had been almost two weeks since Mikhail had suffered defeat at the hands of Mako after he challenged him to a duel during the recruitment test.


    He was confident in his abilities and had the upper hand on Mako for the majority of the fight, that was until he suddenly utilized a brand new ability that shot out powerful green rays of energy from his hands.


    He was caught off guard by this strange and powerful ability that he had never seen before and this led to his defeat and elimination from the recruitment test.


    The next time he woke up, he wasying in a hospital bed along with many other cadets who were also eliminated from the fight.


    Mikhail didn''t have any grave injuries, but he was still kept in recovery along with everyone else until the test was over.


    He was discharged from the clinic the same day, the recruitment test was over and was informed by an officer that since he was eliminated from the test, he wouldn''t be added to the special ss, but still, his performance had impressed the officials, and so he would be ced in the advanced ss.


    He handed him a letter which was the eptance letter informing him of his admission into the military school and a card that he would use to ess different areas once he was inside the military school.


    This was the reality for those who failed the recruitment test. Even if they failed, they could still get into the military school. The entire story about not being able to get into the military school if you were to fail was just a lie so that the cadets would be determined to survive and give it their all.


    Most of the cadets that were eliminated were ced into the basic ss and those who showed potential were ced in the advanced ss. The special ss was reserved for the cadets who had rich and powerful backgrounds who took the harder version of the test, and those cadets who managed to survive until the third wave of the horde night in the regr recruitment test.


    Mikhail was informed by the officer that the military school will begin in three months'' time when the school year ends and that he should train as much as he could beforeing to military school so that he is as strong as possible, so he wouldn''t be a pushover by the stronger kids.


    This ticked off Mikhail a bit as a vein popped and became visible on his forehead, but he simply nodded to the officer and moved to collect his things before being teleported back home.


    He didn''t have time to be angry at anything as the entire time he was stuck inside the clinic with all the other cadets, only two thoughts were running through Mikhail''s mind, how was he going to face El-Diablo and Revenge?


    *****************


    Mikhail''s power was impressive as his fire manifested as a deep, vibrant red, dancing around his clenched fists. His muscles tensed, indicating the immense strength he possessed.


    The Los Zetas members approached cautiously, aware of the power emanating from Mikhail. However, they were no pushovers; they were skilled fighters with years of experience in the gang''s ranks and even though they didn''t have the talent to be strong ability users, they were no pushovers.


    The air crackled with tension as the battle began.


    Mikhail''s first move was to unleash a torrent of fiery waves toward the gang members. The red fire roared, causing them to step back in surprise. Taking advantage of their momentary disarray, Mikhail charged forward with incredible speed, his fists engulfed in mes.


    He struck with precision and force, sending one gang member after another reeling backward. The heat from his fire scorched the air, creating an intimidating atmosphere. Mikhail''s eyes never wavered, scanning his opponents for the next move.


    With each punch and kick, Mikhail''s rage-fueled his fiery abilities, making his attacks even more potent. He moved with fluidity and grace, dancing amidst the chaotic mes he created, leaving his adversaries in awe of his power.


    *****************


    After Mikhail got teleported back to his one-room apartment, he knew that he had to face El-Diablo as soon as possible because the longer he waited, the worse it would be for him.


    He changed into a gang uniform and made his way to one of the secret hideouts where he was supposed to face El Diablo.


    The news about the recruitment test''s results had not been announced yet so, nobody knew how many cadets had seeded.


    As the gang members saw Mikhail inside the secret hideout, they congratted him thinking that he would have easily cleared the test, the thought of him being defeated never even crossing his mind.


    Mikhail fake smiled and epted all of the praise and apuse as he made his way through the hideout and toward El Diablo''s office.


    El Diablo was a difficult man to track as he was never in ce for too long and was practically invisible while moving from one ce to another.


    Mikhail had received special instructions from El Diablo himself to meet himself here after the test was over which was why he hade here directly.


    He opened the door to his office which waspletely dark, and without a single light source to illuminate the room.


    He took a couple of steps forward into the room and got one knee to show his respect as he faced the ominous and illusive dark wall in front of him.


    "You failed... didn''t you?" a low and heavy voice resounded from within the darkness that sent shivers down Mikhail''s spine.


    ****************


    The Los Zetas members, though experienced, struggled to keep up with the relentless onught.


    They attempted to retaliate, but Mikhail''s fire proved to be too much to handle. But still, they had the advantage in numbers with each of them possessing one or two abilities.


    They rushed in all at once hoping to get an attack in as Mikhail would get overwhelmed by the number of fighters alling at him at once, but as they circled him and closed in, suddenly, Mikhail began to glow blue as his body got covered with blue electricity.


    He released a pulse of blue lightning in all directions which attacked all 10 gang members at the exact same time, sting them back with an insane shock.


    The lightning ability managed to but Mikhail sometime. Enough time to use a brand-new fire ability.


    His body got covered in red fire from head to toe and he began to shine brighter than ever. Once he was charged, he started wildly swiping his arms in the air continuously in all directions, creating a barrage of red fire des that extended outwards in all directions.


    There was no escape as the mes covered everything and the gang members couldn''t do anything as they each got wiped out by the intense and strong mes, one by one.


    In the end, Mikhail stood victorious, panting heavily, but with an unyielding fire still burning in his eyes. El Diablo, who had been observing the entire fight, approached him with a mix of admiration and caution.


    "You have shown improvement, Mikhail," El Diablo said, his voice low and gravelly. "But don''t let this small victory get to your head. You still have much to prove if you wish to regain my trust."


    Mikhail''s fists tightened, and his jaw clenched. "I won''t fail again," he replied defiantly. "I''ll do whatever it takes to seed in my mission."


    El Diablo''s eyes narrowed, gauging the sincerity in Mikhail''s words. "Revenge won''t serve you well, boy," he warned. "But I can understand your desire for redemption. You may have one more chance, but remember, failure will not be tolerated."


    Mikhail nodded, acknowledging the gravity of the situation. "Thank you, El Diablo," he said, his voice a mix of gratitude and determination. "I won''t disappoint you again."


    "Have you made any progress?" El Diablo asked Mikhail.


    Mikhail tensed up and clenched his jaw as he thought back to the conversation he had with El Diablo back in the dark room and how things turned out the way they did.


    *****************


    "Answer me!" The voice said loudly through the dark room, making Mikhail tremble.


    "Yes... yes... It''s true. I failed in the mission you gave me. He was so weak in the beginning and I was having so much fun tormenting him, but he was tenacious, and suddenly he used a brand new ability that I had never seen. He overpowered me with it, and knocked me out." Mikhail exined.


    "So you are not as strong as they now, are you?" The voice snared at Mikhail causing him to tense up in anger and rage that he had to keep control.


    "What am I going to do with you now...?" The voice said in a creepy ent which was apanied by footsteps that got louder and louder.


    At this point, Mikhail was shaking in fear as he didn''t know what would be of him. His vision was getting blurry with all the emotions he was feeling at the moment.


    Slowly a pair of well-polished shoes came into his view and as he looked up, he saw El Diablo standing over him with an unreadable expression as he gazed at Mikhail trembling body in front of him.

 Chapter 242 Training For Revenge (Part 2)

    Chapter 242 Training For Revenge (Part 2)


    As Mikhail stared up at El Diablo, he could feel the weight of his failure bearing down on him. He knew he had disappointed the gang leader, and the consequences could be severe.


    "You had such potential," El Diablo spoke slowly, his voice sending chills down Mikhail''s spine. "I had high hopes for you, but it seems youck the strength and determination I require. I guess will have to end our mutual agreement."


    Mikhail gritted his teeth, trying to gather his courage. "I won''t give up," he said firmly. "I''ll be stronger, I promise. Just give me another chance."


    El Diablo studied him for a moment, his eyes piercing through Mikhail''s soul. "Another chance, hm?" he mused.


    "Are you sure this is what you want? Do you want to redeem yourself?" he asked with a curious and sinister look.


    "Yes, I will prove my loyalty to you, I won''t fail again, please just don''t end our agreement." Mikhail pleaded.


    "You''re fortunate I see something in you. But know this: I don''t give second chances lightly. You know exactly what happens to those who fail me," El Diablo warned.


    Mikhail nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I won''t let you down again," he vowed. "I''ll do whatever it takes to prove myself."


    El Diablo''s lips curled into a faint smile. "Good," he said. "I have another mission for you, a test of your loyalty and determination. Prove yourself in this task, and I might consider giving you a chance to redeem your previous failure."


    Mikhail listened intently, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew this was his chance to prove his worth and regain El Diablo''s trust.


    El Diablo leaned in closer, his voice low and dangerous. "Your teammates, Natasha and Haruto have betrayed the gang and have decided to escape by seeking shelter in the military," he exined. "I want you to eliminate them once you return to military school. If you seed, I''ll consider your debt to me paid."


    Mikhail''s heart sank as El Diablo''s instructions settled into his mind. Eliminate his old teammates, Natasha and Haruto, for betraying the gang. It was a gut-wrenching task, and he couldn''t help but feel conflicted. They had fought side by side on several missions before, and the bond they shared was not easily forgotten, especially Natasha.


    Torn between loyalty to his gang and his feelings for his formerrades, Mikhail struggled to make a decision. He knew that failure to carry out this task could have dire consequences, but he couldn''t ignore the memories of his friends.


    Seeing Mikhail''s indecisiveness, El Diablo decided to push him in the right direction by telling him about the series of events that took ce after he got knocked out by Mako that he received from his sources within the military.


    "Once you were knocked out by that boy, Natasha, and Haruto both immediately surrendered and the boy''s group let them go free. If they would have remained and fought, the officers wouldn''t havee and eliminated you, but since your teammates abandoned you and you were knocked out, they had a reason to disqualify you," El Diablo exined.


    Mikhail was shocked as he heard El Diablo exin what had after he was knocked away.


    "Natasha yed you. She never really loved you, she just wanted to be strong through us and then stab us in the back and that is exactly what she has done. She and Haruto both fled and survived on the ind. They were then brought to the military base where Natasha purposefully turned down the opportunity to be a private just so she wouldn''t be affiliated with anyone and could be free after finishing military school," El Diablo continued.


    Mikhail''s eyes widened in shock as he heard El Diablo exin all the details of what had been happening behind his back.


    As he sat there, wrestling with his emotions, Mikhail knew he had to act and do it soon. He couldn''t risk being seen hesitating or showing signs of weakness.


    Anger and Rage were building in his heart as he couldn''t believe that he would be betrayed like this. They were the reason he was in this mess in the first ce. If he was an ordinary fighter, he would have long been dead and his agreement with El Diablo would also be terminated.


    Mikhail nodded, epting the mission without hesitation. "Consider it done," he said, determination burning in his eyes.


    "Remember, failure is not an option," El Diablo warned, his expression darkening. "You must prove your loyalty to Los Zetas and bring me the good news within six months."


    Mikhail nodded again, his resolve firm. "I won''t let you down," he repeated.


    With that, El Diablo stepped back, and the darkness in the room seemed to recede slightly. He handed Mikhail a small package "The weird ability that boy used on you is called the Energy Maniption ability. It is a resonated ability that emerges from the wrapped in ck cloth.


    "The weird ability that boy used on you is called the Energy Maniption ability. It is a resonated ability that emerges from the resonance of Fire and Lightning." El Diablo said.


    "Inside you''ll find a level 3 Lightning book and 2 skill books, I want to see if you hold the same potential as that boy. I want you to resonate as well and obtain the energy ability too," El Diablo added.


    Mikhail clutched the package tightly, feeling a mixture of curiosity and determination. He knew the path ahead would be difficult and uncertain, but he was willing to do whatever it took to prove himself.


    "If you can do that before your term starts in military school, I will reward you with onest thing that will give you the power you need to execute your mission and revenge." El Diablo said before disappearingpletely into the darkness onest time.


    Mikhail felt a newfound sense of purpose as he left the dark room. He now had two missions and would see it through no matter the cost. He would be stronger, to show El Diablo that he was worthy of his trust.


    He would take his revenge on Mako for destroying his life and putting him in such a situation, and he would also confront Natasha and Haruto but give them a chance to exin themselves. He wanted to hear from their own mouths what El Diablo said was true or not, and if it was, he would show them no mercy for betraying him.


    ******************


    {Present time}


    "Yes, I have started to get the hang of the Lightning ability. It won''t be long until I resonate it with my fire," Mikhail replied to El Diablo.


    However, El Diablo didn''t look so pleased as he just nodded slightly and walked away. The truth was Mikhail was still weeks away from getting all the basics down regarding the Lightning ability as he hadn''t been able to make the book disappear yet as he hadn''t learned everything that was stored inside of it yet.


    Time was of the essence, and Mikhail had to work harder than ever to produce results that would please El Diablo for the sake of him keeping his word. He couldn''t ck off in the slightest.


    With that, Mikhail marched off to themon room to catch his breath and recover a bit before heading back home to learn more about lightning.


    "Just wait, I will be a terrible force to be reckoned with, the next time you see me," Mikhail vowed to himself as images of several people popped up in his mind.


    *******************


    The day of the rematch had arrived, and the tension in the training area was palpable. Mako, Erin, and Iris, forming Team A, stood on one side, their eyes focused and determined.


    On the other side, Team B,prised of Bill, Nathan, and Leon, mirrored their opponents'' intensity. This rematch was their chance to show Commander Sable just how much they had improved and how ready they were for their first mission.


    Commander Sable, along with some other senior officers, observed the impending match from his office. He knew that this match would reveal how much progress each team had made since their initial training match a week ago.


    The arena was arge, open space, dotted with obstacles and terrains that could be used The rules were the same as before. Avoid all the obstacles and reach the center first to retrieve the crystal, with the team sessfully bringing it back to their starting point will be the winner.


    As the signal to begin the match was given, both teams sprang into action. Mako led Team A, his strategic mind already assessing the situation. He knew that teamwork andmunication were key, and he had to keep in mind his team''s strengths and weaknesses and advance ordingly in order to secure the victory.


    On the other side, Team B also quickly began making their way through, helping each other to maneuver around the traps and turrets ced around the area and advancing at a decent pace.


    The area was a lot different than before with many more traps and double the number of turrets. Everyone had expected there to be a twist in the final test and rightfully so as this was the test that would determine whether they would be qualified enough to work out on the field for real.

 Chapter 243 Rematch With The Sentinel (Part 1)

    Chapter 243 Rematch With The Sentinel (Part 1)


    Erin didn''t resort to her ice walls and barriers to create a protective shield for her team and instead used her wind ability to st away the projectiles.


    Instead of the regr turrets, there were also dart traps, spikesing from the wall, and crossbow turrets among others. The area was much moreplex with several twists, turns, and dead ends.


    All of this prevented Mako from using the move he used previously that elevated him off the ground so that he could memorize the maze.


    However, one beneficial thing about this run was that there were puddles of water all over the area which meant that both Iris and Erin could fight to their full potential, something they couldn''t do in the previous run as the only water avable then was at the center.


    As Erin used abination of Wind and Water to block iing projectiles, Mako and Iris were trying toe up with a strategy such that they could finally get them some breathing room so they can recuperate and proceed forward carefully.


    Mako counted all the different turrets that were actively firing at them in their current position which turned out to be 10.


    After he had memorized their location, Mako turned towards Iris and told her to st him with a strong water st.


    Iris was confused by what he was trying to do but didn''t question it at all as she quickly manipted the puddle of water close to them and directed it towards Mako to create a strong water st.


    Mako responded by lighting himself on fire and using his own fire elemental control to create a strong yet equal st of fire.


    The two attacks collided with each other, canceling each other out, and creating a huge cloud of steam.


    The steam quickly spread throughout the entire area where they were currently standing and reduced the visibility of everything down to almost zero as nobody could see 2 feet ahead of them.


    "Alright Erin, the turrets won''t shoot at you right now, start forming your Ice Bullets and I will tell you where to shoot!" Mako instructed Erin.


    Erin quickly understood what Mako was trying to do and followed his lead as she used the steam in the air and condensed them back into water and then ice and formed ten bullets and loaded them alongside her arm.


    "I''m ready!" She shouted back.


    "Alright! Take three steps forward and then shoot towards your left!" Mako instructed.


    Erin moved exactly as Mako told her to and shot the first ice bullet into the mist. Almost immediately the bullet had hit something and the sound of the turret shutting down could be heard.


    "Woo Hoo! I hit it!" Erin celebrated as she sessfully took down one of the turrets that were blindly searching for opponents in the mist.


    "Very nice! Ok, the next one is..." Mako said as he started instructing Erin where to move and shoot down the remaining 9 turrets.


    Within a few minutes, Erin had taken down all of the turrets and then used her wind ability to blow away the mist and regain visibility.


    The area they were in was now free of obstacles and now Team A can devise a n on how to move forward because it was certain that brute forcing their way through likest time wouldn''t help, there were just so many turrets aiming at them from many different directions that it would be impossible to maneuver without getting injured or critically hurt.


    Erin had sustained a couple of injuries as she was the one that was actively defending both Mako and Iris who came up while they came up with a mist strategy.


    Iris proceeded to heal Erin so she was in perfect condition to continue fighting while Mako raised himself up with an earth pir just likest time to observe theyout of the area and find the correct path toward the center.


    However, as Mako reached a suitable height, he was stunned by what he saw.


    Although it looked like there wasn''t a roof above them from the inside there was a holographic roof disyed over the entire area so that the arena couldn''t be viewed from above.


    Themander and the senior officer were viewing the area through a special lens that was fitted into the ss window, allowing them to see without any problem.


    Normally, Mako would just give up after discovering something like this and quickly jump on another ideapletely, but he was a different person now. He took a deep breath and thought about all the possible options he had before returning back down.


    If he couldn''t view the maze then it would be quite difficult for them to navigate through efficiently and reach the center which would reduce their chances of winning by a lot.


    There was no other way of finding out theyout so he just had to think of a way to see past the holographic roof.


    He tried using Analyze but that didn''t do much except to just give a description of the holographic roof which didn''t help at all.


    After taking a deep breath and thinking some more, Mako still had no idea what to do. He was too high to attack the holographic projectors and if he lowered himself the other turrets in the vicinity would start attacking.


    His ocr skill didn''t work as it could see through the screen since it was basically made of energy and light...


    "Energy!" Mako shouted as he finally made a breakthrough.


    [Energy Sensing has been activated]


    A huge smile appeared on Mako''s face as the center of his eyes glowed ever so slightly green and his vision turned grey.


    He could see all the different types of energies around him. He observed all the different turrets that were connected to purple-colored power supply while all the walls were highlighted in yellow. The roof was highlighted in blue and all the different traps such as the spike and dart traps were highlighted in red.


    Mako didn''t even think about using the Energy Sensing skill as it was basically another Analyze that couldn''t give descriptions, but Mako had overlooked something, and that was Energy Sensing wasn''t limited by any objects as it could observe all the different energies flowing around him within a small radius.


    Mako didn''t prefer to use Energy Sensing much as it cost a lot more energy but now he knew that it had its own ce to be used. With this, he would practically have an aimbot as he could see through the walls and know where all the turrets and traps are.


    With a n set in his mind, Mako dropped back down quickly so that the turrets won''t target him and exined the n to Erin and Iris who were just as shocked but excited to finally have a solid n that might lead them to victory.


    Erin had fully recovered and the three of them quickly rushed forward through the maze with Mako in the lead shouting out instructions to both Erin and Iris who would attack and destroy turrets before they even had the chance to look on to them, while maneuvered them around the traps and dead ends.


    Team A was finally catching speed and impressed Commander Sable and the superior officer as they quickly made their way through the maze.


    ********************


    On the other side of the maze, things weren''t looking so hot for Team B as Nathan was the only one who was advancing through the maze at a decent pace his Advanced Perception allowed him to dodge all the slow iing projectiles and the dart traps.


    Since he had made a deal with Bill, he didn''t just run ahead and would have to stop and wait for his teammates who were slowly making their way through.


    Leon and Bill struggled a lot more with this new course as there were just so many traps and turrets that they just couldn''t break through.


    Leon still had the option of just rushing through with Nathan as he had the hardening ability and could survive all the little attacks, but that would leave Bill behind and he couldn''t have that as he was an essential strong member of this team.


    They slowly caught up to Nathan once again who was just waiting for his slow teammates to catch up so he could move again. He was getting a bit ticked off having to practically babysit his teammates, but he was a man of his word and wouldn''t turn back down on his word.


    After they had caught up with Nathan again, Bill grabbed his arm before he rush off ahead again while he gasped for air.


    Nathan was disgusted by Bill grabbing his arm and swiping him away so that he would let go, but he got his message that he wanted to say something.


    "What''s up?" Leon asked Bill.


    "This isn''t working... We will definitely lose if we keep up this pace." Bill stated.


    "Ah, finally! You realized it! Congrattions professor!" Nathan was taunted by pping as he heard Bill state the obvious.


    Leon shot an angry look at Nathan which didn''t affect him at all, but before things could escte, Bill continued.


    "Leon, go ahead with Nathan. You two can work together to quickly cross this maze and reach the center. We need at least the two of you to reach there so that you can intercept Mako and his team if they have already defeated the Water Sentinel!" Bill said to Leon.


    "What! No! I am not leaving you behind. We can do this together." Leon retaliated, but Bill cut him saying that there was no point in arguing as they both knew he was right.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll think of something and catch up with you guys as quickly as I can, but right now we need you two to go ahead and make sure Mako doesn''t win!" Bill said.


    Leon wanted to argue more but knew it was useless and so he told Bill good luck and quickly activated his hardening and started following Nathan.


    Nathan transformed himself into his Blood Wolf Form and quickly led the way as both Nathan and Leon brushed through the maze at record speed shocking the senior officers.


    Both teams were moving fast toward the center, ready for a showdown, but what they didn''t know was that a surprise was waiting for them.

 Chapter 244 Rematch With The Sentinel (Part 2)

    ?


    As Team A, led by Mako, Erin, and Iris, and Team B, with Nathan and Leon, approached the center of the maze, they could feel the tension in the air. Both teams faced numerous challenges and were eager to prove themselves in this final confrontation.


    Both teams rushed through thest set of obstacles and traps and appeared in the central zone at the exact same time.


    As they reached the center, they locked eyes with one another, both surprised by the other reaching the center at exactly the same time as them.


    However, the surprises didn''t end there as when both teams turned to look towards the center where the blue crystal surrounded by a pool of water was supposed to be, they were left surprised once again to find the crystal they were meant to retrieve was not the usual vibrant blue, but instead, it shimmered with a fiery orange glow surrounded around a pit of fire,


    Before they could react, the ground beneath the crystal trembled, and a surge of intense heat enveloped the area as the fire from the pit flew outwards and split into two balls of fire that quickly began to expand and grow as they took form.


    Two Fire Sentinels materialized before them, their massive form towering over both teams. They were made entirely of zing fire, their eyes glowing with intense heat, and their movements were fierce and aggressive.


    This was a huge shocker for both teams as none of them expected the element to be changed much less there spawning two of them.


    One of the sentinel turned toward Leon and Nathan while the other turned toward Mako and his team.


    Both teams now had to defeat the Fire Sentinel and the one to do it first and im the crystal would be the winner.


    The Fire Sentinels showed no hesitation as they rushed toward their target.


    On the left side, Mako had just finished reading the description of the Fire Sentinel by using Analyze on him but found nothing different than the Water Sentinel other than their elements.


    The Analyze skill couldn''t identify the method to defeat the sentinel andst time it worked by disintegrating the whole thing while cutting off its regeneration, but would it still be the same with Fire Sentinel considering it wasn''t made out of matter but rather energy?


    They were running out of time to think as the Fire Sentinel was upon them, ready tounch a powerful fire st.


    Before Mako could say anything, Erin jumped in and activated her Ice ability, and began shooting a stream of ice to counter the fire st and to hold the sentinel in its ce.


    "Mako, I''ll buy you some time to think, and figure out a way to stop this thing," Erin shouted as she intensified her ice stream and started pushing the Fire Sentinel back.


    However, the Fire Sentinel wasn''t going to back as it also increased the intensity of the mes by several times, overpowering Erin and starting to push her back.


    "No! Stop!" Mako shouted as he stomped on the ground and a wall of earth appeared in between the sentinel and Erin, blocking both of their attacks.


    "Erin was confused as to why Mako would waste such an opportunity and ruin things, but before she could even ask, Mako grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away while the Sentinel pounded on the wall, breaking it bit by bit.


    "What the hell?!" Erin asked in annoyance as Mako dragged her back toward their original position with Iris.


    "You can''t just go in blind like that! Remember what Commander Sable told you. You need to conserve your energy and not waste it in one go and be a liability for us." Mako exined.


    Erin didn''t have any words as she realized she was doing exactly what she was doing during the first training match and was ashamed that she hadn''t learned her lesson.


    "Your Ice ability will be the key to defeating that guy. It is a direct counter to mes. You can''t waste it likest time." Mako exined.


    "Alright, then what''s the n?" Erin asked.


    "We need to trap it somehow likest time and then have you freeze the entrapment, freezing it into an icicle," Mako stated while starting to sweat bullets.


    The central area was like a furnace with a fiery pit in the center and the two fire giants, increasing the room''s temperature quite rapidly.


    It was bing harder and harder to breathe as the temperature rose. Leon and Mako were both less affected by the heat, but they only had resistance to direct elemental attacks of the same nature, not resistance to heat itself which was their own skill so even they were sweating.


    Both teams knew that they had to deal with the problem as soon as possible or else it would bepletely hopeless for them as they exhaust more and more energy with every move and their stamina plummeted.


    The Fire Sentinel had broken through the earth wall within seconds and Iris rushed to intercept it with a massive water st, using up 90% of the water she was carrying from all the little puddles that they had crossed over while reaching the center.


    The sentinel replied with a massive fireball that collided with the water and produced a lot of steam.


    Although Iris'' attack was blocked easily, she had a smirk on her face as her n had worked out exactly how she had envisioned.


    The Sentinel didn''t care much and continued to run through the cloud of steam, but as soon as it reached the middle of it, it started to slow down and eventually fell onto its knees.


    Mako realized what Iris had done and was quite impressed by her quick thinking.


    Steam was the gaseous form of water. Fire no matter if natural or elemental requires oxygen to burn. If there is no oxygen, the fire will go out. This is the Fire user''s kryptonite and why fire users are so rare outside of Earth as there are only small amounts of ces that have an oxygen-rich environment like Earth''s.


    The steam was taking its ce around the sentinel and surrounding it such that not enough oxygen is reaching the sentinel, therefore sapping its strength.


    "Erin, Mako, do it now!" Iris shouted as she used her remaining water in small bursts to keep replenishing the steam that sentinel was trying to blow away.


    [Sprint has been activated]


    Mako rushed through the cloud of hot steam which burned his bare a bit, but he fought through the pain and circled around to the other side.


    He used his Earth ability to create a circr wall around the sentinel and Erin, entrapping them both, simr to how Erin entrapped him and the Water Sentinelst time.


    "You''re up, Erin" Mako shouted.


    Erin''s had a huge smile on her face even though her skin was starting to get burned too from the hot steam, but she quickly countered it by activating her Ice ability and cooling off the steam around her.


    She then directed her ability toward''s the weakened sentinel that was trying everything in its power to escape but its legs were weak and the Earth walls prevented it to escape.


    It tried sting apart the wall like before too but Mako managed to repair it every single time.


    Before the Fire sentinel could try anything else it could feel its legs stuck in ce. The Sentinel looked visibly confused, but when it looked down its confusion turned into horror.


    The Sentinel''s legs had be solid ice and the ice was growing upwards.


    The Sentinel tried to move in order to break theyer of ice forming, but since it was made of energy and didn''t really have a physical body it was no use.


    It let out a mighty scream as the icepletely began to overpower the fire andpletely envelope the sentinel.


    The sentinel had onest trick up its sleeve before it could bepletely frozen and that was to self-destruct by releasing all of its remaining fire energy in one st.


    The Fire Sentinel began condensing his power, just as the ice had reached its shoulders. Its fire began to pulse as it built up power while the ice continued to build.


    Once the sentinel was done charging, it let out a final screech to announce its sacrifice for its crystal, but the ice was faster as the sentinel waspletely frozen solid.


    "Phew!" Erin said as she finally stopped using her ice ability. It was definitely a struggle topletely freeze the sentinel but she had seeded in the end and still had energy to spare.


    "It''s done!" Erin screamed from the inside queuing Mako to drop down the walls which he did a secondter.


    The sight was quite unique in front of them as thest of the steam was removed by Iris and Erin.


    The ice had taken the form of the sentinel and it looked like they were facing an Ice Sentinel instead, but this was just an empty husk.


    Both Erin and Mako had burn marks on their skin from being so close to the steam and Iris rushed towards them so that she could quickly heal them up before they retrieved the crystal.


    Looking over to the other side, Mako couldn''t see much as there were several earth walls rising in different directions, blocking the viewpletely but the sound of the Fire Sentinel fighting could still be heard.


    ''Ha! We finally won!'' Mako said in his thoughts as he turned back and started running toward Erin who Iris was healing.


    However, as Mako ran past the frozen sentinel''s body to reach Erin who was just a couple of feet ahead, Mako''s perception kicked in as he could sense danger, but couldn''t identify it from where.


    He looked towards Erin and Iris who had faces of horror and shock and were staring right at him.


    He was a bit confused but quickly realized that it wasn''t him they were staring at but something behind.


    Mako turned around just in time to see the center of the frozen sentinel glow bright orange, his face also showing signs of horror and distress.


    "RUN!" Mako shouted but it was toote.


    *BOOM!*

 Chapter 245 Rematch With The Sentinel (Part 3)

    ?


    The explosion of the frozen Fire Sentinel was devastating. As the center of the sentinel''s body glowed bright orange, the ice encasing it shattered into countless pieces, scattering in all directions. The force of the explosion sent shockwaves rippling through the area, knocking Team A off their feet.


    Mako, Erin, and Iris were sent flying backward, crashing into the ground some distance away from the st. The impact was brutal, and they felt the shockwave pass through their bodies. The intense heat from the explosion scorched the air, leaving them disoriented and struggling to catch their breath.


    The frozen husk of the Fire Sentinel was obliterated, leaving nothing but a decent-sized crater in its ce. The explosion had been powerful enough to destroy the surrounding terrain and left a pit of fire in the center of the explosion where its frozen body previouslyy.


    As the smoke and dust cleared, Team A was seen knocked out andying on the ground, battered but alive.


    Meanwhile, Team B was still locked in a fierce battle with the second Fire Sentinel. Nathan had transformed into his blood wolf form, and using the speed of this formbined with his advanced perception to sense the attacks of the Fire Sentinel, he was barely able to dodge everything and stay alive.


    He and Leon were only able to dodge and distract the Fire Sentinel as neither one had what it takes to defeat the violent and crazy sentinel.


    Leon''s hardening was pointless as it was basically his skin getting tough enough so that nothing could pierce it but it could still conduct heat any lingering fire attack would hurt him, but it was still manageable since he also had the Fire ability.


    Nathan''s blood attacks were useless as they would evaporate as soon as they touched the sentinel, leaving it unharmed.


    Additionally, they both were also feeling the heat as they were sweating like crazy. They had to think of a way to break through or else they would be rotisserie chicken in not too long.


    Leon had been able to slow down the sentinel by conjuring as many random Earth walls as possible to help give them cover and block the sentinel''s line of sight but it used quite a bit of his energy too.


    Leon and Nathan took cover near one of the conjured Earth walls thinking of a n to break through, but nothing came to mind.


    However, before they lost all hope, the ground beneath them began to tremble. Nathan and Leon were instantly on guard and were confused as to what was happening. Were they suffering an earthquake? Was this the Fire Sentinel''s doing?


    Their answers were shortly answered as the trembling intensified and suddenly a hole began to tear open from within the ground and out came Bill surrounded by several rings of water.


    "Bill?!" They both shouted in confusion as they were not expecting him to show up out of the blue after they had left him behind so far away not too long ago.


    Bill, who had finally managed to reach the center, observed the chaos from a distance. He had encountered numerous traps and turrets while making his way over to the center and it was bing too much for him, however, before he could call it quits, his ingenuity came through as he looked at the ground beneath his feet.


    He recalled the rules that Commander Sable had given them before the start of the match, which were quite little to begin with and none of them mentioned tunneling was against the rules.


    A smile appeared on his face as he created a hole in the ground using his Earth ability and slipped in while the turrets continued to shoot at his cover.


    Once inside, Bill quickly began tunneling straight toward the center. There were no obstacles or traps underground which meant that Bill could tunnel directly towards the center without having to make any turns at all.


    As he tunneled through he would often encounter water gushing out from where he was tunneling as he tunneled directly into a puddle, but since Bill now had the water ability he manipted it from rings around him so that he could also use his water ability in battle after he reaches the center.


    Bill had neglected his newest ability a bit before but during the training week, he had spent a lot of time getting used to the water ability and learning how versatile it really was. He continued tunneling as he quickly made his way to the center and made a hole back to the surface again to announce his arrival, but the scene he came to was he could have never expected.


    Leon quickly filled in Bill on what was happening while Nathan was just stunned thinking about how Bill had made it to the center without his help and now he had to rely on him if they wanted to defeat this sentinel.


    Seeing his team struggling against the Fire Sentinel, Bill knew he had to act quickly. He had an idea that might turn the tide of the battle.


    Firstly, he took some of the water from his rings and washed down Nathan and Leon with it to cool them down and he also gave them a drink so they would be refreshed to fight once again.


    Using his water ability, Billbined all of his remaining water rings and formed a massive water sphere above everyone. He asked Leon for the sentinel''s position which was about 200 meters away from them as he was currently rampaging through Leon''s walls.


    With a powerful burst of wind, heunched the water sphere toward the creature, hoping to douse it in water and weaken it.


    However, the Fire Sentinel was quick to react. It unleashed a torrent of mes, evaporating the water sphere before it could reach its intended target and creating a cloud of steam in the air which didn''t affect the sentinel at all as the steam cloud was still very high up in the air.


    Bill''s n failed, and the Fire Sentinel continued its relentless assault on Team B.


    Nathan, frustrated by another failure, decided to just do it himself. He climbed up the wall in his blood wolf form and rushed toward the fire sentinel. Using height as an advantage he jumped from one wall to the next and used his blood maniption powers to create sharp blood spikes and hurled them at the Fire Sentinel.


    The spikes hit their mark, causing small bursts of steam upon impact, but the Fire Sentinel seemed rtively unaffected. Even though it hadn''t done much, the sentinel had switched priorities and was now targeting Nathan by shooting fire attacks at him.


    Thanks to his advanced perception, Nathan was easily able to dodge the attacks, but his counters were still inefficient.


    Leon, on the other hand, was grabbing his head in worry as he observed Nathan''s foolishness.


    "What is that idiot doing, this will achieve nothing!" He shouted.


    However, Bill quickly grabbed his arm and shut him down," Don''t worry, he isn''t doing anything wrong. He is just buying time. Time for me to think of a new n to take that thing out since I am the only one capable of countering fire." Bill said, "Go with him. Keep distracting that sentinel. I will be ready soon."


    Bill began concentration as he activated his earth aura while Leon who still didn''t understand much decided to trust Bill and quickly zigzagged through his own maze of Earth walls and reached the sentinel.


    He used his hand signals to inform Nathan to keep going and that Bill has a n.


    He attacked the fire sentinel with his own fire to get him to chase him. Using his speed ability to dodge the Fire Sentinel''s attacks with precision. He was fast, but the Fire Sentinel was relentless and seemed to anticipate his moves.


    Nathan used his blood maniption powers to create long, sharp blood spears. He aimed for the Fire Sentinel''s core and threw the spears with precision and speed. Each spear pierced the fiery surface and evaporated but did distract the sentinel.


    Both Nathan and Leon took turns attacking the sentinel and taking its agro when it was close to cornering the other.


    However, while Nathan was being chased by the sentinel while he was atop the walls, a sudden loud bang was heard apanied by severe shaking of the area as the shockwave traveled through.


    The shaking caused Nathan to lose his footing and he fell from the wall directly in front of the sentinel who wasn''t fazed much by the shaking.


    Leon fired fireballs at the sentinel to try and make it turn around but now that it had a target in sight that couldn''t escape he wouldn''t switch to another.


    Nathan waspletely cornered and tried everything to escape but it all didn''t faze the sentinel at all.


    Just as he was starting to lose hope, a loud voice echoed through the center of the maze. "Stand back, everyone!"


    It was Bill and his new n. Utilizing his earth ability, Bill produced a lot of sand by grinding away all of Leon''s unused walls. Using all of that sand, he created a massive sandstorm around the Fire Sentinel, using his sand ability.


    The sandpletely enveloped the sentinel and blocked any oxygen froming through. The sentinel tried punching the sand but only a small amount would get disced which would instantly be covered by more sand and the fire couldn''t do much to the sand either as it was a great instor with a very high melting point.


    The sentinel tried again and again, but it grew weaker and weaker as the oxygen depleted within the small sand cocoon.


    With a final roar of defeat, the Fire Sentinel copsed and disintegrated into nothing. Team B had emerged victorious, but they were exhausted and drained from the intense battle.

 Chapter 246 Team A VS Team B (Part 1)

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    As the fiery remains of the defeated Fire Sentinel dissipated into nothingness, the air hung heavy with tension. Team B stood there, panting and recovering from the intense battle they had just fought. The maze around them was scorched and battered from all the rouge fire shots that the sentinel had shot in order to break free from the sand dome.


    Meanwhile, Team A was slowlying to its senses after being knocked out by the explosion of the frozen Fire Sentinel. Mako, Erin, and Iris groaned as they struggled to sit up, their bodies aching from the impact.


    Mako''s ears were ringing and his vision was blurry but he was still able to hear the dying screams of the other Fire Sentinel.


    Seeing that now both sentinels were dead, he knew that the crystal should be recharging in order to summon more and that they would have only a few minutes before more sentinels spawn.


    Mako knew he had to get up quickly if he wanted to intercept Bill and his team who would be making their way toward the crystal any minute now.


    He opened his inventory and selected a high-tier healing pill and consumed it right from the menu.


    [*SYSTEM OVERRIDE*]


    [Do you wish to instantly use the effects of the (1) High Tier Healing Pills?]


    [Cost: 125 Energy]


    [YES/NO]


    Mako selected "YES" and his vision and hearing quickly recovered and he was able to stand on his feet.


    Mako could hear walls breaking which was probably Bill''s team tearing down Leon''s random walls in order to reach the center.


    Erin and Iris were also awake at this and since were a bit further away from Mako during the explosion, they weren''t as severely hurt.


    Mako helped the both of them back on their feet and Iris performed emergency healing by using a brand new skill that she had learned while training which was called "Healing Bubble" which created a translucent green bubble around her 10 feet in diameter and everyone within would receive the regeneration buff which would help them heal a lot faster.


    Both teams knew they didn''t have much time. The knowledge that more Fire Sentinels would be spawned in just a few minutes spurred them into action and they moved quickly as the fire crystal at the center of the maze shimmered with its fiery orange glow, waiting to be imed.


    As Team A and Team B moved toward the crystal, their paths finally converged a few feet away from the fiery pit surrounding the crystal.


    The two teams locked eyes, the air crackling with the energy ofpetition as the rivalry atmosphere gave way to a tense standoff.


    "Looks like we''re going to have to settle this the old fashion way," Mako said while activating his defensive stance skill, his voice a mix of exhaustion and determination.


    Bill nodded and replied with his own fighting stance. "We''ve fought hard to get here. Let''s settle this fairly."


    With a silent agreement, both teams spread out around the fire crystal, eyes fixed on one another. There was a brief moment of stillness as if the entire maze was holding its breath.


    Then, like a storm breaking, the battle erupted.


    Mako tapped into his Fire and Lightning abilities and unleashed a torrent of mes and lightning bolts toward Team B.


    Bill responded swiftly, using his Earth ability to create a protective barrier that deflected the attacks. Leon signaled to both Nathan and Bill with his hand signs that he will be the distraction, he activated his leg armor''s active skill and the fur began to shine blue as he got a big boost in agility then with his Hardening and Speed ability, he charged forward like a juggernaut as he attempted to break through Team A''s defenses.


    However, he didn''t expect them to predict his move as the moment he jumped out of Bill''s cover and dashed forward, Iris activated her active skill on her hydro bow and shot a blue arrow that left a trail of water as flew through the air.


    Iris had been working hard on refining her aim and she still had ways to go before she mastered archery but with a target like Leon who could mostly only run in straight lines at high speeds, it was a rtively easy target to hit.


    The arrow managed to hit Leon right in the chest but instead of piercing through like a normal arrow, it turned intoplete water and exploded in a bubble of water,pletely drenching Leon.


    Leon suddenly felt a lot heavier and slower as he was now moving a lot slower than before.


    Mako took the opportunity and brought out his lightning staff and extended it to its regr height. He channeled his Lighting aura through and directed an attack towards Leon who would be too slow to escape.


    [Lightning w has been activated]


    Since he had cast the skill from the lightning staff, the des of lightning weren''t aspact and close together as they were if he had used his hand, but this was a good thing as now the lightning des were farther apart making it a better wide-range attack.


    Nathan was caughtpletely off guard by the sudden shift of targeting and he knew his hardening wouldn''t do much against an elemental attack. He tried to run away but his hands and legs felt so heavy that he couldn''t run fast at all.


    In context, Leon was used to always running very fast so right now he was running like a normal human would run and yet it felt so slow to him and it definitely wouldn''t outrun the Lightning w.


    Leon switched from Hardening to Earth to try and raise a wall to protect him but his movements were also slow so the wall was also rising slowly.


    At this point, Leon was totally toast as the Lightning w was upon him and he had no more tricks up his sleeve.


    He closed his eyes and readied himself for a world of pain, but it never came. Instead of electricity climbing up and down its body, Leon instead experienced an explosion and was sent flying back from the shockwave.


    Leon opened his eyes to see Nathan standing adjacent to him with his hand transformed into a ss and blood dripping down its nails.


    Nathan hadunched a Blood w attack at the Lightning w at thest second to try and counter it.


    The Blood w was able to intercept three out of the four Lightning des and destroy them, but of them followed through and hit the ground right next to Leon, forming an explosion that sted him back.


    Nathan, utilizing his Advanced Perception, anticipated Team A''s movements, continued to dodge attacks from Iris and Erin and countered them with swift blood strikes as he made his way over to Leon.


    He transformed into his Blood Wolf form and activated a skill he never thought he would use amongst these people.


    Nathan as a Blood Wolf began to howl loudly and suddenly both Bill and Leon started to feel a bit stronger and a thin visible read aura surrounded their whole body while Mako, Erin, and Iris all could feel their hearts beating in fear and their hands trembling as they continued on the battle.


    [User has been inflicted with the Scared status effect]


    [User doesn''t have a counter for this debuff]


    [The Scared status effect has been applied to the user]


    [User can only utilize 90% of their full power for the next 2 minutes]


    A series of prompts appeared in front of Mako''s eyes and as he read them he realized what had happened.


    Team B countered hard after weakening Team A as Nathan threw several blood swipes, Leon shot multiple fireballs, and Billunched several sand spikes.


    The fear factor inside Mako, Erin, and Iris'' hearts had increased a lot and it had affected Iris the worst as she was already struggling with her emotions before this.


    As the attacks came from two directions, Mako jumped into action as he raised a thick earth wall to block the blood and fire attacks, while Erin sted the sand spikes away with a water st turning them into mud and neglecting the sand spikes'' ability to formnd mines after they had missed their target; meanwhile, Iirs was still struggling to calm herself down.


    Nathan and Leon kept attacking and it was proving difficult for Mako to defend alone, so Erin switched her priority from Bill to Mako as Bill wasn''t pushing her like Nathan and Leon leading her to assume that he must be low on energy and so she helped reinforce the earth wall with an ice cover, making it extra durable.


    *Ding!*


    "IRIS!" Erin shouted in anger and desperation," SUCK IT UP AND HELP US!!"


    Iris'' trembling body looked up towards Erin and Mako who were still fighting and trying to defend their position even after being affected by Nathan''s howl. For a moment, her trembling stopped as she observed her friends fighting their hearts out with not a care for their safety or what might happen to them, showing their determination.


    Iris thought back to the conversation she had with Commander Sable and the thing he had said which gave her a reminder of why she was fighting in the first ce.


    A change happened deep within her body as Iris was no longer afraid and ready to join the fight.

 Chapter 247 Team A VS Team B (Part 2)

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    As Leon and Nathan continued to pressure Mako and Erin, they purposefully didn''tmit fully and didn''t rush in; not that it would be easy considering Mako and Erin were also firing back different elemental projectiles to stop their advance.


    The reason why they were doing s was to keep Mako and Erin busy and distracted while Bill did the main work.


    When they had started firing projectiles at Mako after Nathan''s howl, Leon had signaled to Bill with his hand signs to not engage them and instead circle behind them and steal the crystal instead without them even knowing and make a run for it back to their starting position.


    This was the reason why Bill had stopped attacking Erin, it wasn''t because he was out of energy to continue, but rather he wasn''t there at all. He was tunneling underground around them so that he could steal the crystal.


    However, as Bill got close to the pit where the crystal was ced, he was forced to emerge back into the surface as the base of the pit was made out of metal and it reached much deeper into the earth.


    Bill couldn''t manipte Earth that deep as it was just toopact for him, nor could he manipte metal which was why the only option he had was to emerge quietly back on the surface and steal the crystal.


    He sensed the surface for anyone''s presence using his earth ability and when he sensed that the coast was clear, he emerged from the ground right in front of the fiery pit, ready to grab the crystal before it spawned more sentinels.


    He looked around to make sure no one saw him emerging and then turned around to grab the...


    "IT''S GONE!! THEY ALREADY TOOK THE CRYSTAL!!" Bill shouted loudly to alert not just Nathan and Leon about the situation, but unfortunately also Mako and Erin who had no idea what was going on.


    Bill looked around and could only see Mako and Erin with visible signs of confusion on their face.


    "Where''s Iris?" Bill asked out loud.


    "Right behind you," A familiar voice resounded from behind and as Bill quickly turned around, he came face to face with Iris holding onto the orange crystal with her eyes glowing blue.


    Before Bill could even move a muscle, Iris conjured a massive water st, the biggest she had ever produced, and sted Bill down to the ground at point-nk range with no defenses.


    The force and pressure of the st caught Bill off guard and he was quickly knocked down onto the ground and became unconscious.


    Mako and Erin were left speechless after witnessing what Iris had but there was no time to sit and admire as Iris quickly began moving towards the entrance from where they came into the central area.


    At that exact moment, the effects of Nathan''s howl had expired and now Mako and Erin could fight at their full power and without feeling helpless and afraid.


    Nathan''s Advanced Perception was able to pick up what had happened and he spotted Iris running the long way around to avoid them as she tried to leave the central area and return to their starting point.


    "Stop her! She has the crystal!" Nathan shouted as he pointed at Iris in the distance.


    Leon quickly jumped into action as he activated his speed ability and dashed forward to try and intercept Iris.


    However, a wall of ice blocked his path as Erin appeared in front of him ready for a fight.


    "Where do you think you''re going, pretty boy," Erin taunted as she walled off anyway for Leon to get through leaving him no choice but to stay and fight.


    Meanwhile, Nathan transformed back into hisplete Blood Wolf Form and started chasing after Iris from her original path, but he also got cut off as a huge wall of earth appeared in front of him, blocking him from proceeding further.


    Mako jumped down from the wall and retracted his Storm Caller staff as it wasn''t the best weapon for closebat fighting and instead smashed his fist into the ground and using earth aura pulled out a stone sword.


    He activated his defense stance and awaited for Nathan to make a move as all he had to do was to stall him for as long as possible, giving Iris as big of a headstart as he could.


    Mako stood firm, his stone sword at the ready, as Nathan, in hisplete Blood Wolf form, bounded towards him with lightning speed, his senses heightened to an incredible degree.


    As Nathan lunged at Mako, his body crackled with electricity, his skin glowing with a faint blue hue. He channeled his Lightning energy into his sword itself which wasn''t as effective as the Storm Caller Staff, but was easier and faster to do since its size was smaller.


    Just as Nathan was about to strike, Mako brought down his charged sword, sending a surge of lightning through the de and into Nathan''s path.


    Nathan''s fur stood on end as the lightning struck him, causing him to skid to a halt mid-leap. The electric shock coursed through his body, temporarily stunning him. It was the opening Mako needed. With a powerful swing, he struck at Nathan, aiming to exploit the momentary weakness. However, Nathan recovered swiftly, his advanced perception allowing him to react just in time to twist his body and evade the blow.


    The two shed in a flurry of movements. Mako tried his best to counter Nathan''s wild and strong w attacks and bites with his stone swords, but given that he wasn''t a trained swordsman at all and neither did he have a decent sword, he had blown through ten stone swords at this point whilst fighting Nathan in closebat.


    The only reason why Mako was still able to keep his ground against Nathan was because of his non-ability skills such as his Phantom skillset, Moption Sense, and High Jump as well as the new melee mana skill set he had learned after defeating Mikhail in the recruitment test which included skills such Mana sh, Mana Thrust, Mana Block, and Cyclone Parry.


    He also used the Earth ability to create barriers and cover, attempting to slow down Nathan''s movements and gain the upper hand as well as his Fire and Lightning to shoot elemental projectiles at him.


    Meanwhile, Erin and Leon were engaged in their own fierce duel. Leon''s Hardening ability had turned his skin quite hard, allowing him to withstand Erin''s attacks more effectively. Erin, however, wasn''t one to back down. She used her Ice ability to create razor-sharp ice shards that sheunched at Leon with decent uracy.


    Leon''s body was covered in scratches and gouges from the ice shards, but his determination didn''t waver. He retaliated with bursts of fire, sending mes dancing toward Erin.


    Iris melted the ice around her into water and used those to counter the fire, creating clouds of steam that temporarily obscured their vision. However, this amount of steam was nothingpared to what the team had faced before as it was just enough to block vision and could do much else.


    Erin didn''t want to y a cat and mouse game within the cover of the steam and instead activated her Wind ability and blew away all of the steam at once, clearing the area and resuming the battle once again.


    Leon began to channel his Earth ability. The ground beneath Erin''s feet rumbled and shifted, creating a series of rocky spikes that erupted from the ground, threatening to impale her. Erin used her Wind ability tounch herself into the air just as the spikes emerged from underneath her and was barely able to dodge them as they stopped reaching higher just as Erin''s Updraft skill concluded and went on cooldown.


    Erinnded graciously on top of the biggest Earth spike as a taunt to Leon which did the trick and a vein popped on Leon''s forehead as he rushed in once again to resume the fight.


    Back in the battle between Mako and Nathan, the two continued their fierce sh.


    Nathan growled and lunged at Mako, his teeth snapping dangerously close to Mako''s arm. Mako managed to dodge just in time with a mana block which broke his fifteenth stone sword, but this time Nathan''s ws hit his shoulder and dug into his muscle, scrapping down and leaving a deep blood-gushing wound on his right shoulder, that began leaking out blood.


    The pain was quite intense and the injury quite strong but what was worse was that Nathan suddenly stopped attacking and didn''t chase after Mako after he had been injured stead he went for his spilled blood which he start licking up like a very hungry puppy.


    Mako was confused but he didn''t have time to worry about him as he instead had to focus on himself. He put pressure on the wound and tried to stop the bleeding, but it was pretty much useless, he wouldn''t be able to use his right hand in the fight anymore.


    Ignoring the pain, Mako began channeling his energy into a final strike.


    Meanwhile, Nathan had finished smacking his lips on Mako''s blood and now a change urred in his appearance as he turned from a ck and grey colored wolf into a ck and red coloured wolf.


    Mako could feel the intense boost in power and aura that was leaking out of Nathan''s body as he seemed a lot stronger than before. Mako had no idea what had happened, but he didn''t have time to find out as he had to spend as much time as possible charging up his final attack.


    Mako''s left hand started glowing green with tiny light particles converging towards his palm. Nathan let out a powerful roar of pain as he was ready for the final showdown. He rushed towards Mako with his mouth wide open and his razor-sharp teeth glowing red with blood aura as he lunged towards Mako.


    Back in Erin and Leon''s battle, Erin had created an intricate dance between using her Water, Wind, and Ice, while Leon''s mes had left scorch marks on the terrain. The two friends yet enemies locked eyes, both breathing heavily as they prepared for the final exchange.


    Leon''s eyes glinted with determination as he activated his Fire ability to its fullest extent intending to use a massive skill that he had learned but hadn''t been able to use up until now. mes erupted from his body, creating a zing aura that surrounded him. He condensed all of the mes into his fist which glowed extremely brightly as he rushed towards Erin.


    Erin, undeterred by Leon''s impressive disy, summoned all of her Ice aura within her and began condensing her entire right arm in extremely thick and solid ice all the while building as much wind aura beneath her feet as possible.


    Once Leon was in range, Erin sted herself forward with intense speed using all that concentrated Wind and extended her frozen right forward, ready to meet Leon''s attack and give her own final blow


    Both Mako and Nathan as well as Leon and Erin were going to release their strongest skills and s onest time with each other to decide the winner; however, before anyone of them could connect, a loud and familiar voice rang in their ears.


    "STOP!"

 Chapter 248 Leader Revealed

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    Commander Sable''s loud and authoritative voice resounded towards the entire arena just as all four were about to sh with their strongest skills.


    After realizing and understanding themand, Mako shifted his direction of attack to his right and Nathan did the same.


    A massive and strong ray of green energy burst from Mako''s hand as it sted forward with intense power and fervor, barely missing Nathan in his Blood wolf form as it continued to shoot forward and eventually collided with the roof of the training area, destroying a decent chunk of the roof which was supposed to resist against any ability.


    Simrly, Nathan had shifted his head towards the right before he finished his bite attack. As soon as he bit the air, his blood-red teeth released a lot of red aura in the shape of the Blood Wolf''s jaws.


    The blood jaws finished forming and went forward doing the exact same motion as Nathan. The jaws opened up to take a big bite as they moved forward, barely missing Mako and instead hitting the ground right next to him and chomping down while releasing a lot of energy in the form of an explosion that sted both Nathan and Mako back by tens of meters.


    On the other side, a simr scene had urred as after listening to Commander Sable''s order, Leon and Erin also tilted their attacks which ended up missing both of them by an extremely thin margin.


    Leon''s ming fist erupted in concussive explosions that continued to follow the path on which Leon had fired them for several meters before finally colliding with one of the walls, and tearing a hole right through them.


    Likewise, Erin''s punch collided with the ground next to Leon which sent him flying back from the emitted shockwave upon contact while the ground itself caved in and formed a decent crater 2 meters in diameter with a line of sharp and fast Ice spikes being released forward in the direction in which Erin was moving, destroying everything on its path as it continued on for several meters before stopping.


    All four of them were exhausted and confused as to why the Commander had suddenly stopped the fight, but the next announcement made everything clear.


    "Team A wins this training match, the crystal has sessfully reached Team A''s starting position." Commander Sable announced.


    Mako and Erin copsed in relief as they were d to hear that Iris had safely made her way back to their starting position while Nathan and Leon clenched their fist with sorrow and regret as they thought they had a lot more time to deal with Mako and Erin and then catch up to Iris who was far slower than the two of them.


    However, Mako wasn''t the only one memorizing everything as Iris had also been making mental notes of their path as Mako led them through using his Energy Sensing skill and Erin destroyed any obstacles and traps that were blocking their way making it so that Iris had an easy time running through the empty maze with no obstacles or turrets to speak of.


    Additionally, she had her Water Mutant Gene active which not only boosted her Water ability, but also all of her attributes, making her much faster than before.


    As the dust settled from the intense battle, the six cadets took some time to recover and recuperate in the training area lobby.


    Bill was devastated after learning the results of the training match and med himself for their defeat as he was the one who was caught by surprise by Iris and got knocked out, making it an unfair 2v3 in which that already had slim chances of winning.


    After about 10 minutes, all the cadets were somewhat recuperated and currently stood before Commander Sable once again, their breaths heavy with tension and many of their bodies marked with several signs of the fierce sh they had just endured.


    The training area bore the scars of their epic battle, a testament to the power and determination that each of them had disyed.


    Commander Sable''s gaze swept over the group, his expression unreadable. The tension in the air was palpable, each cadet eager to hear their assessment of their performance. With a nod, he began to speak, his voice carrying its usual authoritative tone, albeit softened.


    "Congrattions to all of you," Commander Sable began, his gaze shifting from one cadet to another. "Today''s training match was an opportunity for each of you to showcase your strengths and abilities, but more importantly, to reveal to me how much you have improved from just a week''s worth of training."


    His words were calming and deliberate, giving weight to his feedback. "Mako, your adaptation to changing circumstances and quick decision-making were evident. Your use of Energy Sensing allowed you to guide your team effectively. However, you must still work on refining yourbat skills and coordinating strategies with your team members."


    Mako nodded, his eyes fixed on themander, absorbing every word.


    "Erin, your mastery over your Ice ability has improved and you have shown me your tenacity and vitality by how you fought today, incorporating Water and WInd into your fight style as well as good energy management, but don''t let your impulsiveness cloud your judgment. Control and precision are essential, especially in high-pressure situations. Continue to work on maintaining your energy levels and strategy execution."


    Erin''s expression was a mix of determination and humility as she absorbed the feedback.


    "Iris, your resourcefulness and quick thinking were the reason for your team''s victory and your abilities and skills creatively proved crucial in securing the crystal. However, you still showed signs of mental turmoil and distress. There are many worse skills and abilities focused on the mind that you will encounter out in the field, you will have to build a resistance to it if you want to survive as the mutant gene is not an answer."


    "Even though you still have a greater amount of mutant genes in your body than Erin, Commander Malik explicitly told both of you to not use it until military school starts or else there will be severe consequences for which there is no fix." Commander Sable warned.


    Iris nodded, acknowledging themander''s warning.


    "Bill, your strategic thinking and ability to manipte the battlefield were noticeable. You were able to defeat the Fire Sentinel in record time and helped your friends get back in the fight. However, being too cautious can also be a disadvantage. Don''t lose your cool if something doesn''t go your way and always check your surroundings."


    Bill''s usuallyposed demeanor loosened a bit as he took in the advice. He was still hurting all over from the massive water st that he took to the face and wanted to just rest after such a tiring and exhausting week.


    "Leon, your aggression andbat prowess are assets, but remember that control can be just as valuable. Yourmunications skills have definitely improved a lot and you disyed great synergy between your abilities, but learn to harness your power more efficiently to avoid overexertion."


    Leon nodded, his fiery spirit still evident despite the exhaustion.


    "Nathan, your enhanced senses and transformation ability are potent tools, but having synergy amongst teammates is key. Try to find the bnce between your''s and others'' skills and learn to use them in the most efficient way possible. Who knows what would have been the oue of this battle today if you and Leon teamed up against Mako and Erin, instead of fighting separately? It will allow you to be more versatile with more skills and abilities at your disposal, and if you can master it, you''ll be an even more formidable force."


    Nathan nodded, understanding the wisdom behind the words, but still choosing to ignore his advice as he had vowed to be the lone wolf and he intended to stay on that path.


    Commander Sable''s gaze swept over the group once more. "All of you showed marked improvement today, and it''s clear that you''ve learned from each other''s strengths and weaknesses. Remember that growth is a continuous journey. Keep honing your abilities and refining your teamwork."


    With those words of guidance, Commander Sable''s demeanor seemed to shift. His stern countenance softened, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Now, the moment you''ve all been waiting for. As per my previous statement, it''s time to announce the leader for your uing mission."


    The cadets exchanged nces, their anticipation building. Commander Sable''s gaze settled on one of them, and he spoke with rity. "For this mission... Mako! You will take on the role of leader."


    Mako''s eyes widened, surprise and pride mingling in his expression. The weight of responsibility settled on his shoulders, but he stood tall, epting the honor and challenge while all of his friends pped and congratted him.


    "Remember," Commander Sable continued, "a leader isn''t just someone whomands. A true leader listens, coborates, and inspires. The sess of your team will depend on your ability to guide and support your fellow cadets."


    Mako''s chest swelled with determination as he absorbed themander''s words. This was his chance to put his skills to the test and prove his leadership capabilities.


    Commander Sable''s gaze shifted to the rest of the group. "Each of you ys a vital role in this team. Support your leader and trust in one another''s abilities. I do not doubt that, with yourbined strengths, you will excel in the mission ahead."


    As the cadets exchanged nods and determined nces, themander''s final words resonated.


    "You have 24 hours to get ready. Meet me in the debriefing room, this time, tomorrow. Don''t bete." Themander ordered as he came back to his authoritative tone before dismissing them from his office.

 Chapter 249 An Unexpected Kiss

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    As the cadets left Commander Sable''s office,  Commander Anderson entered Commander Sable''s office through the secret passageway. The twomanders exchanged a knowing nce, and Commander Anderson spoke in a low tone, "Your decision to make Mako the leader was a good one. He''s shown great strength, growth, and adaptability."


    Commander Sable nodded a hint of pride in his eyes. "That boy sparked something inside my heart from the moment Iid my eyes on him. His tenacity and will to keep fighting oftentimes make me feel that he is fighting for something more than just himself, but I can''t seem to find out what."


    "His file was quite normal and he seems like a good kid so it is a mystery for even me to find out his reasons, but nevertheless, I believe he will show them in due time and this mission will test his leadership skills, I believe in his potential." Commander Sable added.


    Commander Anderson''s lips curled into a small smile. "It''s good to see that you''re mentoring them well, Sable."


    Their conversation was brief, yet their understanding of each other''s sentiments was evident. With a nod, Commander Anderson left the room just as discreetly as he had entered.


    ****************


    Meanwhile, Mako and his friends gathered in the cafeteria to celebrate their victory. The atmosphere was joyful as theyughed, shared stories, and indulged in a hearty meal.


    Mako, still processing his new role, decided to treat everyone by purchasing an abundance of food with his own money card. His friends cheered in delight as tes were piled high with delicious dishes.


    Oddly enough, even Nathan stayed back to celebrate with the rest of the group even though he didn''t engage in any conversations at all.


    After the celebratory feast, the cadets went their separate ways to prepare for the mission ahead.


    Bill, feeling the effects of his injuries, made his way to the infirmary. The medical examination revealed a concussion and a corbone fracture. However, with the help of healing pills, his injuries would be mended within a couple of hours.


    As Billy on the infirmary bed, his body recovering from the effects of the battle, he couldn''t help but rey the intense sh in his mind. The fight with the sentinel, the staredown with Mako''s team, and of course his surprise takedown by Iris ¨C it was all a whirlwind. However, amidst the lingering ache, he couldn''t shake off the surprise encounter with Iris.


    His thoughts were interrupted when the infirmary door softly opened, and none other than Iris walked in.


    She approached his bed with a mixture of concern and genuine regret in her eyes. "Bill, I wanted to check up on you. I''m sorry about how things went down during the battle."


    Bill was surprised by the amount of concern Iirs had in her eyes and managed a small smile, appreciating her concern. "No need to apologize, Iris. Battles get messy."


    Her lips curved into a half-smile, her expression softening. "Still, that was... intense. I didn''t mean to st you like that."


    Bill chuckled weakly, though a yful glint shone in his eyes. "Well, I''m not exactly thrilled about the whole being-sted-down-by-heavily-presurized-water thing, but I''ve had worse."


    Iris let out a relievedugh, her tension easing. "You''re taking it pretty well, considering... your team lost. You and Mako have an intense rivalry, I''m sure you would have been a bit salty that you didn''t get picked."


    Bill''s eyes held a certain warmth as he looked at her while he replied, "Nah, I have yed the role of the leader andmander, bossing people around for far too long, and to be honest, I was never good at it. Mako; however, is the perfect person for the job, I have no hard feelings."


    They fell into afortable silence, the air tinged with a shared understanding. It was as if the intensity of the battle had stripped away any pretenses, leaving them both raw and vulnerable.


    "Iris," Bill began, his voice softer, "I know you''re strong and skilled. You just have to believe in yourself. If it wouldn''t have been for you I would have died during the final horde or at least gotten eliminated but you risked yours to save mine, and I am eternally grateful to you. Don''t think of yourself as weaker than any of us, heck, you just sent me to the infirmary with a single st, I should watch out,"


    Iris began to chuckle at Bill''s remark, but his words impacted her deeply. Her gaze met his, and for a moment, the air between them seemed to shimmer. "You''re right, Bill. I''ll keep that in mind."


    As they exchanged those words, an unspoken connection seemed to form, a mutual respect that went beyond the battlefield.


    Bill''s gaze dropped to the floor for a moment, lost in thought. When he looked up again, there was something in his eyes ¨C a vulnerability he rarely showed. "Iris, can I ask you something personal?"


    Iris nodded, her curiosity piqued. "Of course, Bill. You can ask me anything."


    He took a deep breath as if steeling himself. "During our battles together, when you saved me, and even now when you came to check up on me... I felt something. Something... different."


    Iris looked at him, her gaze searching his face for rity. "Different? What do you mean?"


    Bill''s eyes held hers, his sincerity was evident. "I mean, I''ve had people in my life that care about me, but right now when you havee to visit me, it feels like there was something more ¨C something beneath the surface. It''s hard to exin, but I feel like there''s more to you than meets the eye."


    Iris''s cheeks warmed slightly under his gaze, his words stirring something within her. "Bill, I... don''t know what to say... What is it that you feel different...?"


    Their eyes locked, the tension between them growing. The infirmary seemed to fade into the background as an unspoken connection crackled in the air.


    Bill shifted slightly, his hand moving toward hers as if drawn by an invisible force. Iris''s heart raced, her breath catching. She watched as his fingers brushed against hers, a gentle touch that sent shivers down her spine.


    Their eyes held an unspoken question, and at that moment, hesitation dissolved. Bill''s hand cupped her cheek, his touch gentle yet firm. Iris''s heart pounded in her chest as she leaned in, her eyes closing as their lips met in a soft, tentative kiss.


    It was a fleeting moment, a connection that held a world of unspoken emotions. As they pulled away, their eyes met once more, and the air seemed to shimmer with a newfound understanding.


    "Bill..." Iris whispered her voice a mix of surprise and realization.


    He smiled, his gaze steady. "Iris, maybe this is a sign that we''re meant to understand each other on a different level."


    Iris''s heart swelled with a mix of emotions ¨C surprise, curiosity, and a spark of something new and yet old and familiar. "...Maybe you''re right, Bill."


    As they sat there, hands still entwined, a connection had formed between them that was deeper than just being teammates. In that quiet moment, they both understood that their journey was far from over as it had just taken apletely different path, one that could extend for many years toe.


    *****************


    Meanwhile, as the day turned into evening, Mako returned to his room to freshen up and catch up on the notifications of the system that he had missed during the training match.


    There were several notifications that Mako had to go through, but decided to leave them forter as he was itching to get into a warm shower first. He enjoyed his time in the shower and emergedpletely refreshed and energized.


    He put on a fresh set of clothes and was going to finally tend to the system when he unexpectedly received a message on his personalmunicator that the military had provided him, it was basically just another Holophone that he could use within military grounds.


    He nced down at the screen and saw that it was from Nathan of all people, leaving Mako stunned and curious. The message was short and to the point: "Meet me in the training area at night. There''s something important we need to discuss."


    Mako''s curiosity was immediately piqued. Nathan wasn''t someone who initiated conversations, especially not outside of training sessions. The urgency in his message was noticeable, and Mako couldn''t help but wonder what Nathan wanted to discuss.


    With a sense of intrigue and curiosity about what Nathan wanted to talk about, Mako decided to check out the system''s notificationster and instead started making his way to the training area.


    As Mako arrived at the designated spot, he found Nathan leaning against a wall, his posture rxed yet focused. Nathan''s eyes met Mako''s, and there was a depth to his gaze that Mako hadn''t seen before.


    "Nathan," Mako greeted, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and readiness. "You wanted to talk?"


    Nathan nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah, I did."

 Chapter 250 Secret Compromised

    ?


    "Nathan," Mako greeted, his curiosity evident in his tone as he approached the designated spot in the training area. Nathan was leaning against a wall, his demeanor seemingly rxed but his gaze focused and intent.


    Nathan nodded in acknowledgment. "Yeah. There''s something I''ve been wanting to discuss with you."


    Mako''s interest was piqued. Nathan had never initiated a conversation and he knew nothing about him yet, so he had no idea which direction their talk might go, especially not with such an air of urgency. "Sure, what''s on your mind?"


    Nathan''s eyes held a mixture of suspicion and determination. "I''ve been noticing something about the way you fight. It''s not like the rest of us."


    Mako''s brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"


    Nathan''s tone was direct, almost usatory. "You fight with small pauses, moments where you seem to zone out. It''s like you''re essing something."


    Mako''s heart skipped a beat. He hadn''t expected Nathan to pick up on the way he fought. His system was his most valuable asset, the source of his abilities and information. It had helped him in so many ways that he couldn''t exin to anyone.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Mako replied, ying dumb and appearing innocent even as his heart raced.


    However, Nathan was buying it at all, as his gaze intensified, his voice unwavering. "Don''t lie to me, Mako. I''ve seen it. You''re hiding something, and I want to know what it is."


    Mako''s mind raced, searching for a way to defuse the situation. He couldn''t reveal the truth about his secret system. It was priceless knowledge, and the consequences would be severe.


    "I don''t have anything to hide," Mako insisted with a bit more of a stronger tone, hoping his words would be enough to dissuade Nathan''s suspicions.


    Nathan''s patience seemed to wear thin. "You think I haven''t noticed the way you pause during fights? The way you ess information that no one else has? How were you able to react so quickly and ordingly to the howl skill that I never used before? Whenever I use that skill for the first time, everyone is confused and doesn''t know what or why this is happening, allowing me to get an upper hand."


    "But you... you knew exactly what my skill did and were able to act ordingly. You should have been feeling weak and afraid, but somehow you knew that it only weakened you slightly, nothing more." Nathan added as he persisted.


    Mako''s defenses went up, his voice firm. "You''re mistaken, Nathan. I had no idea about your skill or what it did. I felt weak, but my will wasn''t broken as I knew I had to fight if I wanted to win, and so I continued fighting, there is nothing else to it."


    Nathan''s expression hardened. "Oh really? That wasn''t the only time that you have done stuff like this. You were staring at me after I introduced myself during the debriefing. You read me, didn''t you? You knew my skills and abilities from the start!"


    Mako had to try and take control of the situation, if he showed cowardice, it would make him look more guilty. "I was simply interested in your abilities, that''s all. What type of skill or ability lets me read other people''s abilities and skills in the first ce?! That ispletely ridiculous!"


    Nathan paused and stared into Mako''s eyes as he said those words, intimidating him further." Alright then, I''ll Prove it then. Let''s see if you can face me without pausing."


    Mako''s heart raced. "Nathan, what are you saying?!"


    He couldn''t show Nathan his secret abilities, but Nathan''s persistence was wearing him down. Their exchange escted, tension filling the air like a charged storm.


    Without warning, Nathan lunged forward, his transformation into a Blood Wolf evident as his body shifted. Instinctively, Mako conjured a burst of fire to counter the attack. mes shed against the crimson aura surrounding Nathan, creating a scorching barrier between them.


    The training area reverberated with the sh of abilities as Mako summoned his Lightning aura, crackling electricity forming around his hands. Nathan''s advanced perception allowed him to anticipate Mako''s movements, and he dodged the lightning strikes with great agility.


    The battle between them intensified, each strike and counterstrike leaving traces of their power in the air. Mako''s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, torn between defending himself and keeping his secret safe.


    Mako was stuck between a rock and a hard ce as he knew the oue of this wouldn''t be in his favor whatsoever.


    He was smart enough to realize Nathan''s n that if he didn''t use the system during this fight to show that he could fight normally, it would make Nathan more suspicious and let him know that Mako could use his system at will, and if he continued to fight with the system to show that this was just his fighting style, it would once again cement the idea that Mako was doing something hence the pauses that ur whenever a prompt appears in front of his eyes.


    Both options seemed bad, But Mako had to make his move or else he would get pummeled by Nathan who wasn''t pulling his punches at all.


    Nathan continued his assault and Mako remained on the defensive, countering his moves with his own. It didn''t matter too much since Mako had already analyzed Nathan and knew everything about him.


    It was true that Analyze didn''t fully open up about certain abilities like when Nathan consumed his blood to transform further and use a new skill, but still with his current skill set and attributes, he should be able to hold Nathan off until someone showed up from all themotion they were making.


    However, Nathan was relentless. He attacked relentlessly with intense vigor, forcing Mako to remain on the defensive.


    "What are you going to do now, huh?! You''re gonna tell me what  you''re hiding from everyone or am I going to have beat it out of you!?" Nathan taunted as he kept up his wild attacks.


    Mako was still trying to calm the situation down and talk things over, but it was of no use as Nathan wasn''t budging. "Nathan! Listen to me! I have no idea what you are talking about! This is aplete misunderstanding! Please, let''s just talk this through!"


    "Never! Never again... I will never trust people like you again!" Nathan shouted in anger as he increased the intensity of his shes.


    Mako had gotten a lot better at defense and could protect himself decently against opponents unlike before when he would get trampled by everyone; however, he still wasn''t at the point that he could protect himself from all angles.


    He would raise an earth wall to protect him against the blood shes, but by that time Nathan would already be to his left. Mako couldn''t reposition cause Nathan had thrown additionally dyed blood swipes to his left and right, making him stuck in ce.


    With the benefit of Blood Hardening, Mako''s assaults had no effect and Advanced Perception helped him dodge any of Mako''s slow but powerful attacks.


    As the minutes went by, Mako''s appearance got more withered with many small shes and injuries all over his body. The same could also be said about Nathan as he wasn''t practically scratch-proof either.


    Even with Advanced Perception and Blood hardening, Mako stillnded several hits on Nathan which had resulted in him getting injured as well.


    Both boys were expending huge amounts of energy as they continued to use their abilities. Another interesting thing about Nathan that Mako had found was that he had a rtivelyrge energy pool as well, not as big as his but big enough and it was certainly far greater than the average energy pool for someone of their power level.


    They were both at their limit especially since neither of them had fully recovered their energy as they had spent a lot of it in the battle earlier.


    They took a pause after an insane exchange of fireballs and blood swipes as they both tried to try and catch their breaths while staring at each other.


    "Why won''t you listen!? What have I done to you?" Mako asked in frustration.


    Nathan stared back in anger and disgust as he remember a painful memory. "EVERYTHING!" He shouted in anger as he fully transformed into a blood wolf once again and lunged at Mako who stood still with no guard.


    He couldn''t use any shy moves such as the phantom moves on Nathan as his perception was high enough to catch him while he performed such skills.


    There was no other option left. He had been ignoring a specific prompt that had been appearing constantly in his line of sight, but now it looked like he had to ept it. The best way to deal with Nathan now was to overpower him and show him that he isn''t someone to be tossed around and interrogated at will.


    [Rage meter 100% full]


    [Does the user want to enter rage mode?]


    [YES/NO]


    "Yes..." Mako reluctantly answered the system.

 Chapter 251 Nathans Quirk

    ?


    [Rage Mode had been activated]


    A pulse of energy erupted from Mako as it quickly spread out in all directions. Suddenly Nathan started to feel intense pressure being put on him as if he wasn''t in the presence of Mako but someone stronger and superior who had just gotten serious.


    Before he could do anything as he was still in mid-air lunging towards him, he observed Mako''s entire body erupting in mes that didn''tpletely resemble his regr mes at all as they felt a lot thicker and fluid-like but were quite close and red in color.


    As soon as Rage Mode finished activating, Mako''s eyes were glowing red with anger and what followed next was the same incredibly loud and mighty roar that announced the reactivation of Mako''s strongest skill.


    The roar managed to vibrate the training room a bit and was echoed far and wide throughout the entire training facility.


    [A single target has been selected]


    After finishing his roar, Mako quickly and wildly lunged up into the air himself and met Nathan halfway through his attack.


    Nathan was caught off guard and confused as to what had happened to Mako causing him to lose focus and Makonding a clean jab on his face that sent him flying back.


    This was the first clean strike that Mako hadnded on Nathan and it was quite a heavy one as Nathan was bleeding from his left cheek which was swelling up quite quickly.


    Nheless, Nathan quickly shook it off and prepared himself as this time it was Mako who began attacking him wildly with no mercy in sight.


    Nathan was receiving several hits from Mako as his agility was simply not enough topliment his Advanced Perception which could still somewhat keep up with Mako in his enraged state, so basically even though Nathan could still sense the attacksing, he wasn''t fast enough to dodge all of them.


    He couldn''t find an opening to counter as all he could do was try his best at defending himself by using Blood Hardening.


    Mako was unrelenting and merciless and as he continued his assault; however, Nathan still had a smile on his face as he bled more and more. Within himself, he could feel something growing.


    "Hahaha! The more I bleed the stronger I be..." Nathan tried to taunt Mako by saying that the more he got hurt the stronger he got which was in fact true.


    The Transformation skill was open of the most versatile and strongest abilities in the entire world because it basically allowed a human to transform himself into the beast that the crystal belonged to in the first ce.


    Not only would they receive insane boosts in their attributes after transforming, but they would also learn one or many different abilities and have ess to any and all special features that the creatures might possess.


    An example of this would be the Puffw from the recruitment test that had an inherited skill allowing multiple to merge together and form a singr stronger being.


    The Blood Wolf had two unique features, one was that when it consumed the blood of its active prey, it would enter Hyper Beast Mode where all of its stats would be elevated and it could perform stronger skills, one of which was that giant Blood Bite attack that Nathan disyed at the end of the training match.


    The second feature was then the Blood Wolf would get injured and lose blood in the heat of battle. The more blood that the Blood Wolf lost, the stronger of a temporary boost it will receive in all attributes.


    Nathan could feel his wold body be stronger, faster, and sturdier as he continued to bleed. After feeling that he had received a good enough boost from his injuries, Nathan created space between them by throwing some blood swipes at the ground, kicking up a lot of dust.


    Nathan retreated into the dust cloud to recover a bit and seal all of his wounds using blood hardening.


    One of the reasons why Blood Wolves would die was because they could never tell how close they were to death as they were drugged by the feeling of gaining more power and bing strong.


    Nathan believed that now with the additional boost, he would be able to match Mako in his new weird powerful state, but Mako could actually care less, as he didn''t allow Nathan a single second to recover as he used his Analyze''s sonar detection skill to locate his position within the dust cloud.


    Nathan was busy recovering in the smoke thinking he was safe, but that turned out to be hisst mistake as a pair of glowing red eyes appeared from within the smoke to his right, and before he could even react as he had temporarily turned off his advanced perception so he could recover faster, a solid powerful punch smashed him down onto the ground.


    Nathan''s vision was blurry and spinning as he could make sense of anything while he y on the ground from Mako''s punch. His body transformed back into a human losing its boosts and revealing Nathan''s badly beaten and bruised body.


    As the dust cloud cleared, Mako could be seen standing in front of Nathan who was ying on the ground with one of his right foot ced firmly on his cheek.


    Mako growled in anger as his eyes continued to burn hot red, but he didn''t continue and instead just stood there with his foot on Nathan''s cheek.


    Nathan quickly came back to his senses and realized what was going on, he was heavily injured and was hurting a lot. He noticed Mako''s stance on top of him which really struck his pride deep and he wanted to let Mako have it, but he waspletely exhausted and powerless at this point leaving him with no choice but to stare back at him as Mako humiliated him.


    However, after setting his pride aside and focusing for a moment, Nathan could see a struggle within Mako as he was stopping himself from finishing the job.


    After a couple of seconds, Mako''s eyes became dimmer and dimmer and the aura around him faded as he returned back to his regr old self.


    [Deactivating Rage Mode]


    [The remaining Rage mode bar will bepensated to the user by the system]


    [A Level 5 Opponents Have Been Defeated]


    [+50000 EXP]


    [The User is Exhausted]


    The effects of exhaustion kicked in, but Mako was finally strong enough that he didn''t ckout after receiving the status effect.


    He immediately removed his foot from Nathan''s face as he came to his senses and extended his hand forward to help him get back up. "Are you okay? I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to go this far."


    Nathan was leftpletely shocked and amazed as he observed Mako''splete 180 change in behavior from the ruthless monster who was hunting the hunter.


    However, Nathan saw Mako''s mercy and kindness towards him as a form of insult which made him even more frustrated.


    The frustration reached its peak as he saw the genuine pity and mercy behind Mako''s action.


    "You dare mock me!?" Nathan shouted in anger as he activated something he thought he would never activate so soon again.


    Mako observed as Nathan''s aura went through a change and his irises turned into something that resemblesva.


    Nathan''s aura was giving off a totally different vibe now and didn''t resemble what he had previously at all.


    Afraid of something disastrous might happen, Mako used Analyze on Nathan only for it to disy an error.


    [Analyze Failed]


    [Phenomenon too high level topute at the user''s level]


    Nathan was doing something that was beyond their level and Mako fired the worst as apletely different type of aura emanated from Nathan''s body.


    However, just as it looked like Nathan was about to unleash something powerful, Commander Sable''s voice boomed through the training area. "Enough!"


    Both Mako and Nathan froze, their gazes locked on each other and then toward themander who started releasing his own aura topletely overpower and stop both of them from doing any more damage. Commander Sable''s presence was a jolt of reality, and they reluctantly lowered their guard.


    "You two," Commander Sable''s tone was stern as he approached them, his eyes piercing with anger and disappointment. "Mako, to your room. Nathan, go to the infirmary, Now!"


    "I will deal with you two in the morning!" He said before walking away.


    Mako''s chest heaved as he absorbed themander''s words. The fight had been broken up, but the tension lingered between him and Nathan. As they separated and left the training area, Mako couldn''t shake the feeling that Nathan onto him and had a greater ace up his sleeve and he had to find a way to deal with this problem before it got too out of hand than it already has.


    In his room, Mako sat on the edge of his bed, his thoughts racing. Nathan''s sudden shift in aura was something beyond his level which made Mako quite cautious of him, and he also realized that his secret was more vulnerable than he had ever imagined.


    Meanwhile, Nathan''s frustration had turned into a burning motivation. As the nurses checked him up on his injuries, he had many thoughts running through his head.


    No matter what, he understood that he had lost against Mako today and was convinced that he was in fact hiding something significant, and he was determined to uncover the truth. Mako using Rage Mode only fueled his curiosity further as he was quite intrigued to learn more about what he had actually done to be whatever that was.

 Chapter 252 Phantom Upgrade

    ?


    Mako could barely sleep after the events that took cest night. He continuously tossed and turned as he tried to make sense of it all.


    Why was Nathan doing this? What had happened in his past that he is so hostile towards his own teammates? How was he able to notice Mako essing the system as it is quite subtle and hard to track?


    Mako was hoping that his revealing his rage mode would quench Nathan''s thirst as it was a skill that Mako had little control over once it was activated and as soon as he canceled the skill, even though he was genuinely concerned about Nathan''s safety he acted overly nice to sell the idea that he was preventing this skill from taking over and that was why he was pausing during fights.


    It was a longshot given Nathan''s cunning personality but this was the only idea that Mako coulde on the fly, or at least one that Nathan would listen to.


    If Nathan would believe that those random pauses he made which was him essing his system were actually him trying to prevent himself from going berserk, he might just get off his back, but this would be a temporary fix.


    If Mako really wanted to uproot this problem altogether, he would have to find out more about Nathan and what drove him to do something like this.


    Mako went over all of his system notifications from the training match as well as the fight he just had with Nathanst night. There was nothing too out of the box this time as it was mostly gaining EXP for doing something for the first time such as defeating a sentinel and taking on a Level 5 opponent.


    Other than that there were also the Quest rewards for the quest he had received during the final match which was for him to win the training match.


    [Quest Complete]


    [Achieve victory in the training match against Team B]


    [Reward: +100,000 EXP, +(1) Random Skill Set Upgrade]


    [Selecting A Random Skill Set]


    [Basic Phantom Skill Set has been selected]


    [Upgrading...]


    [User has learned (E-tier) Intermediate Phantom Skill Set]


    Mako was quite happy after receiving such rewards as finally after so long, his very first skills are getting an upgrade. Mako had practiced with his phantom moves a lot and by now they were all maxed out at Level 5 and were greatly stronger than what they were originally.


    They required a greater attribute cap in order to be performed which was 30 and could fool people with a greater level of perception, but not enough for some people like Nathan. This upgrade would defiantly help him progress forward and be even better.


    He opened up his skills tab which was getting quite big at this point, and scrolled down to analyze his new upgraded skill set.


    [Analzye]


    (New!) [(E-Tier) Intermediate Phantom Skill Set]


    - [(E-Tier) Phantom Punch] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Phantom Punch is a special punch that creates an afterimage of your punch, making your actual punch invisible for a split second while your opponent can only witness the fake afterimage punch headed towards them while the actual punch is attacking another position.]


    [Attack: 55]


    [Requirements: 40 Agility, 35 Strength]


    [Cost: 80 Energy]


    - [(E-Tier) Phantom Shift] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Phantom Shift is a special set of movements that creates an afterimage of yourself, making your actual self invisible for a split second while your opponent can only witness the fake afterimage of yourself headed towards them.]


    [Requirements: 40 Agility, 35 Stamina]


    [Cost: 120 Energy]


    - [(E-Tier) Phantom Kick] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Phantom Kick is a special high kick move that creates an after image of your kick, making your actual kick invisible for a split second while your opponent can only witness the fake after image kick headed towards them while your actual kick is attacking another position.]


    [Attack: 90]


    [Requirements: 40 Agility, 35 Strength]


    [Cost: 100 Energy]


    - (New!) [(E-Tier) Phantom Dash] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Phantom Dash allows you to move at incredible speed for a moment, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. Your actual position bes hard to track while your opponent is left trying to predict your path.]


    [Requirements: 45 Agility, 40 Stamina]


    [Cost: 160 Energy]


    [Warning! The current Phantom Skills will fail if your opponent has a perception above 40]


    Mako was extremely delighted to see all of his skills getting such an upgrade. They had all been reset to Level 1 as they got elevated in rank which meant that Mako could grind them again and make them even stronger.


    However, not only did he get E-tier versions of his previous three skills, but he also received a brand new E-tier skill which was abination of his Dash skill and Phantom Shift skill.


    The Phantom Dash skill would be a great addition to Mako''s skill set as this would allow him to rush enemies without worrying about being countered because if they can''t lock on him, they can''t see him.


    Mako was quite happy with his progression and the number of skills he had umted. They were getting quite much and Mako wanted to sort them all out and go through each and every one of them, but he quickly reminded himself that he had other important things to do.


    It was still quite early as the sun hadn''t even risen yet, but Mako needed to go somewhere before he was called to Commander Sable''s officeter in the morning which he wasn''t looking forward to.


    Mako quickly knocked out his daily quests for the day which were just a bunch of indoor exercises in a great quantity.


    He still received attribute points forplete daily quests but he had finally started to save them as he could use them anymore. He had maxed out all of his stats at 50 which was the highest it could go while he was stuck in Level 14. It was a lot of hard work, but now while he worked towards reaching Level 15, he would umte arge number of attribute points so that he can skyrocket his strength once he reaches Level 15.


    ***************


    Mako made his way over to the North wing infirmary where Nathan was being treated at the moment. Since it was still rtively dark outside, there were a small number of people in the hallways making his trip over there much easier.


    Once he arrived, he looked around to see if he could find someone to guide him toward where Nathan was. The infirmary was also pretty quiet as everyone was sleeping and there were barely any nurses on standby.


    Mako approached the main desk of the infirmary to request help only to find a single nurse facing away from him, filling in different medical records.


    *Ahem!* *Ahem!*


    Mako made noise by clearing his through that caught the nurse''s attention and she quickly turned around.


    "Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you can guide me..." Mako began to say but stopped midsentence as he focused on the nurse.


    She had vibrant red hair that cascaded down to her shoulders with a natural, fiery glow.


    The nurse was confused as to why Mako had stopped mid-sentence, but before she could realize it, Mako spoke again.


    "You''re the same girl. You came to my room to deliver my medicine back to the ind. What are you doing here?" Mako said as he used Analyze to confirm that it was definitely the same girl.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Lorelei Morgan]


    [Ability: Fire (Level 4), Sr Influence (Level 2)] ?


    After Mako said that, Lorelei quickly remembered as well as there was only one patient with dark green-tinted hair at the ind clinic.


    "Oh, yes. I remember you. You got beat up quite badly during the requirement test. You must have impressed the mainmander greatly for you to still get into this ce so early." Lorelei replied.


    "Yeah, I guess you can say that. I and my group were epted into the special ss and are being trained by Commander Sable." Mako said while smiling and scratching the back of his head.


    "Oh, so you guys are the ones training under Grandpa! I have heard quite a bit about you from him." Lorelei said with excitement in her eyes as she finally encountered the great students that her grandfather kept telling her about.


    However, Mako''s whole world came to a pause after he heard those words.


    "What? Did you say, Grandpa? Commander Sable? Wh... Who are you?" Mako was quite confused as he could have never expected Lorelei to be Commander Sable''s granddaughter.


    She haspletely different hair and skin tone than Commander Sable''s and even herst name wasn''t Thorne.


    Lorelei giggled after seeing Mako''s response. "Yes, he is my grandpa. He is my mother''s father. I never introduced myself, I''m Lorelei" she said in a warm and calming tone.


    "I''m Mako..." Mako replied awkwardly as he still was getting over the revtion that he had been talking to none other than Commander Sable''s granddaughter.


    "Nice to meet you, Mako. So... What can I help you with?" She asked as she resumed her duty as the attending nurse of the north wing infirmary.

 Chapter 253 Understanding

    <h4>Chapter 253 Understanding</h4>


    Before making his way to Nathan''s room, Mako engaged in some small talk with Lorelei. After their initial revtion about her connection to Commander Sable, the atmosphere between them was a bit awkward, and Mako didn''t want to make their first interaction a weird memory to remember.


    "So, you''re the granddaughter of Commander Sable. Has he spoken about me?" Mako asked with a chuckle, still somewhat taken aback by the unexpected connection.


    Lorelei nodded, her vibrant red hair catching the light as she did so. "Yep, that''s me. Grandpa likes to brag about his students, you know. It''s good to finally meet one of them."


    Mako grinned, feeling a bit more at ease. "Well, I hope he''s only had good things to say about us."


    Loreleiughed, the sound was melodic and warm. "Oh, definitely. He''s proud of your progress. But he''s also worried about you all. The special ss is no joke."


    Mako''s grin faded slightly as he recalled the challenges they had faced. "Yeah, we''ve learned that the hard way."


    The two of them continued to chat, discussing the ind clinic, their experiences, and even some casual topics like hobbies and interests.


    Mako got to know that Lorelei was also part of the special ss and was working as a nurse for the military to gain some experience in the medical field before military school started. She stated that she didn''t really have a knack for fighting and wanted to pursue medicine instead, but her grandpa wanted her to at leastplete the military training so she could defend herself in the future.


    Mako shared some of his recent achievements with her as well but didn''t get into much detail as he didn''t want to reveal his connections to anyone he didn''t know.


    Mako found himself surprisinglyfortable around Lorelei, her easygoing demeanor making it easy to forget the weight of his responsibilities for a moment.


    "So, what are our abilities, Lorelei?" Mako inquired in order to extend their talk even though he had already Analyzed her abilities.


    Lorelei''s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "My main ability is called Sr Influence. My grandpa gifted this ability book to me on my 17th birthday which he brought from a different. Apparently it is quite a rare ability. That''s where the red haires from, you know? It''s like having a little bit of the sun''s warmth at my fingertips."


    Mako was quite surprised to learn this as he had never heard of an ability gically change a person''s appearance but in this day and age so much is possible that this is not out of the realm of possibility. Mako took a mental note about this as he was intrigued and wanted to learn more about it.


    "What about you? What are your main abilities?" Lorelei asked curiously.


    Mako chuckled. "Your ability sounds much cooler and amazing than mine. I have the basic Fire and Lightning as my main abilities and I am currently trying to gain decent mastery over the Earth ability."


    Lorelei nodded in approval. "Wow! Grandpa never let me learn more than two abilities. He told me that I should continue to master and improve them instead of spreading out on multiple abilities."


    Their conversation flowed naturally, and Mako found himself genuinely enjoying Lorelei''spany. It was a nice respite from the intensity of their training and battles.


    As they eventually wrapped up their chat, Mako thanked Lorelei for her assistance and guidance, both with finding Nathan''s room and for the conversation. He left the lobby feeling a bit lighter, carrying the warmth of their interaction with him as he faced the tense confrontation with Nathan.


    ***************


    Mako took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to approach Nathan''s room. The air felt tense, and the memories of their recent battle weighed heavily on his mind.


    As he entered the room, he found Nathan lying in bed, with a couple of bandages and medical equipment around him. The soft glow of the room''s lighting gave it a serene atmosphere, contrasting with the tension that hung in the air.


    Nathan''s eyes flickered open as Mako entered. He looked both surprised and wary at Mako''s presence. Mako offered a small smile, though he couldn''t deny his own nervousness.


    "Hey, Nathan," Mako began cautiously, "mind if I... have a moment?"


    Nathan''s gaze remained fixed on Mako, his expression unreadable. "What do you want?! You here to finish the job?" he replied, his voiceced with skepticism.


    Mako took a step back and raised his hands in the air, his eyes focused on Nathan as he showed genuine concern and empathy, "Please I just came to talk to you, I don''t have any ill intentions towards you. I know things didn''t get off on the right foot between us, and I wanted to clear the air."


    Nathan''s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn''t interrupt. Mako continued, "I get it. We had that intense battle, and you have reasons to be wary of me. But I came here because I want to tell you the truth. I acknowledge what you said about me that I was indeed hiding something, but I want you to understand why."


    Nathan''s expression shifted to one of cautious interest. "Speak," he prompted, still not fully convinced.


    Mako hesitated for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "The truth is, I don''t exactly know what this is but a friend of mine told me that it is called a quirk... well, I''m not sure... anyways, as you have seenst night, it is something that I can''t control very well. Look... It''splicated, and I''ve been trying to figure it out. Sometimes, I be... disconnected from reality as the energy tries to take over. I didn''t want anyone to know because I didn''t want to be seen as weak or unstable."


    Nathan''s skepticism seemed to deepen. "So, what? You''re saying you''re not responsible for your actions when you became... became that thing?"


    Mako nodded, his gaze sincere. "Yeah, that''s exactly what I''m saying. I don''t want to be a liability to the team, and I''ve been working on getting better control. But it''s a work in progress."


    "So you can randomly just erupt with red energy and be a senseless fighting monster?" Nathan asked, still not satisfied with Mako''s answer.


    "Well... not exactly. You see this only happens when I am in an intense fight. The energy within me bes excited and wants toe out, and I try my best to keep it in, but as you sawst night, when I am losing a battle, it bes harder for me to stop it and when it finally releases, it is determined to eliminate all threats before I can regain control." Mako lied while keeping the most genuine and concerned expression possible.


    Nathan studied Mako''s face for a moment before finally letting out a sigh. "Look, Mako, if that''s really true... Why keep it a secret? Why not juste clean and ask for ?"


    Mako looked down, a mix of guilt and frustration on his face. "I was embarrassed, I guess. And I didn''t want anyone to treat me differently. You don''t know the life I have lived and where I havee from so I have my reasons for keeping my secrets, the same way you have been hiding yours from us." Mako said as he turned the tables on Nathan.


    Nathan''s gaze softened as Mako said that, and he sighed again. "You''ve got a point, I suppose." He nced away, his expression conflicted. "I''ve been through a lot myself, and I can''t start trusting people again. I can''t let anyone get close to me again."


    Mako approached Nathan with a legitimate expression while nodding in understanding. "Listen, Nathan, I don''t know what has happened that you are so against friends, but you were still able to form some kind of truce with Bill and I want to do the same. I don''t want to pry into your life or learn your secrets, but I believe we can still be teammates."


    "I need to be able to rely on you as a member of our team when the goings get tough. Look, I know it won''t be easy to rebuild trust, but I want to try. Please, we are not the same people that you have had bad experiences with, just give us a chance." Mako added.


    Nahan looked conflicted and confused as he pondered over Mako''s statements. There was definitely logic in his words and his enhanced perception wasn''t able to pick any kind of trickery or ill intentions in his words and gestures.


    "I only made that deal with Bill because I was sure I was going to win, but that bastard turned out to be quite resilient. I was forced to form that truce with him and operate as a team but that truce is over. Nothing is forcing me to ept your offer or listen to anything you say." Nathan replied in a cold tone.


    However, Mako didn''t react in the way Nathan thought he would.


    After hearing Nathan''s response, Mako turned around and started walking toward the door. As he approached the door and grabbed the knob, he replied in the same cold tone," That''s the thing, Nathan. I didn''te here to force you to make peace with me and my friends. I came here to invite you to our team. I can''t force you to do anything, but this works both ways."


    "You have no right to snoop around what I do or how I fight. If you are so adamant about keeping your secrets and working ording to your beliefs then don''t try to pry open other people''s secrets. If you can''t handle being around us then ask Commander Sable to remove you from our team." Mako added as he twisted the knob to open the door, ready to leave the room.


    However, before he could take a step out of Nathan''s room, his voice resounded from behind," Wait!"


    Mako turned back around to see Nathan''s lips twitch into a half-smile. "I guess you do make a good point, stay."


    As the tension between them eased slightly, Mako couldn''t help but feel a sense of relief. Maybe their journey to understanding each other had begun, even if it was just a small step.

 Chapter 254 Surprise Visit

    <h4>Chapter 254 Surprise Visit</h4>


    As Mako and Nathan reached a fragile understanding, the tension in the room still remained a bit uneasy.


    They had just finished their conversation, and Nathan had indirectly admitted that he still valued being part of this team. Mako understood that whatever had happened in Nathan''s past had turned him into not trusting anyone and being paranoid all the time, but his primary objective was still to gain power and reach a great post within the military.


    There could be many reasons why Nathan would strive for such a goal, to get revenge, gain authoritative power, or just achieve his dreams of bing strong.


    Even though Majo and Nathan were on speaking terms, they knew that their ordeal wasn''t over yet. They were still awaiting the impending arrival of Commander Sable, fully expecting a stern lecture and a strict punishment as consequences for their actions.


    The atmosphere in Nathan''s room was charged with a mix of apprehension and anticipation. Mako''s gaze was fixed on the floor, lost in thought, while Nathan sat on the edge of his bed, his arms crossed. Neither of them spoke, the weight of their recent conversation hanging in the air.


    "So... I was meaning to ask you, and I know you don''t have to tell me but since I told you about my secret, I think it''s only fair. What was that move you did at the end of our fight when your eye glowed likeva?" Mako asked trying to break the tension and the awkward silence.


    Nathan looked at Mako as he asked his question, they had just only made a truce and this guy was already asking questions. Nathan was about yell out in anger at Mako for asking about his secrets again, but after he gave it a second thought and read Mako''s aura using his advanced perception, he only saw that Mako was just curious and was simply making small talk.


    Nathan sighed as he began to exin, "Well It is..."


    *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door that stopped Nathan from speaking further. Both Mako and Nathan tensed, exchanging a quick nce before Nathan called out, "Come in."


    The door swung open, revealing the imposing figure of Commander Sable. He stepped into the room, his expression unreadable.


    Commander Sable''s sudden entrance took both Mako and Nathan by surprise. They quickly straightened up, their nerves tightening once again as they didn''t expect Commander Sable to appear in Nathan''s room at this time.


    Even though they were caught off guard by themander''s sudden entry, they still anticipated the scolding they were about to receive. However, themander''s reaction was anything but what they had expected.


    As Commander Sable entered the room, he stood there for a moment, watching Mako and Nathan with a stern expression. But then, to their astonishment, he started pping slowly, a faint smile forming on his lips.


    "Bravo, gentlemen, bravo!" he said, his voice resonating with a mixture of amusement and approval. "You''ve managed to surprise even me with your ability to resolve differences. I have to say, I was prepared to give you both a piece of my mind when I stopped your little fight, but it seems you''ve handled the situation quite admirably."


    Mako exchanged a bewildered nce with Nathan, both of them struggling to process the sudden shift in mood.


    "Commander, we... we didn''t expect you to react like this," Nathan stammered, his confusion evident.


    Commander Sable chuckled, stepping further into the room. "Well, Nathan, I dide to just talk to you with the intention of giving you a stern talking-to, but the nurse told me that someone named Mako had just gone into the room, and this piqued my curiosity. So I silently observed your little chat, I couldn''t help but change my mind."


    Mako and Nathan''s jaws dropped down as they heard Commander Sable''s exnation. They could always sense his presence given all of his strength, but both Mako nor Nathan didn''t have the slightest clue that they were being watched.


    Mako cleared his throat, mustering up the courage to speak. "Commander Sable, we do understand the gravity of our actions. We had a fight, and it was all just a big misunderstanding between us, but we know that we have to put the livelihood of our team before anything else."


    Themander nodded, his expression shifting to one of seriousness. "You''re right, Mako. The team''s sess depends on your ability to work together, to trust each other even in the most challenging of times. And from what I''ve witnessed, it seems you''re beginning to grasp that."


    "However," Commander Sable''s tone turned stern again, "that doesn''t mean you''re off the hook just yet. I want an exnation from both of you about what led to that fight, and I want to make sure that you understand the consequences of letting personal conflicts interfere with the team''s goals."


    Mako and Nathan nodded in unison, their earlier sense of ease now reced by a renewed tension. Commander Sable''s gaze lingered on them for a moment before he gestured for them to take a seat.


    "Sit down, both of you. Let''s have a talk," he said, his voice firm but not harsh.


    As Mako and Nathan took their seats, themander leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. "Start from the beginning. What happened between you two that escted to a point where you were exchanging blows? And don''t even think of lying, I can catch a lie far more efficiently than even Nathan''s perception."


    Mako and Nathan took turns recounting the events that had transpired, each acknowledging their own mistakes and misjudgments. They knew they could lie in front of Commander Sable so they spoke openly.


    Mako still didn''t know what category his title abilities were ced in, but he knew they mostly resembled the qualities of a quirk making the story quite believable.


    There was no point in hiding the fact about Rage Mode since he had used it in front of everyone in the recruitment test, and Commnader Sable was quite intrigued to get the description of that insane skill that he had watched Mako perform against the Terra Beetle King.


    Nathan also openly admitted that he had no intention of making any friends and had simply made a truce with Mako. He didn''t want to go into details about his past and Commander Sable honoured his choice and didn''t ask further, but just that those insecurities had what caused him to mistrust Mako that eventually resulted in them fighting each other.


    Commander Sable listened attentively, asionally nodding or asking rifying questions. Once they had finished, he sighed and shook his head.


    "You see, this is precisely the type of situation we need to avoid. As a team, you will encounter numerous challenges, both internal and external. But if you can''t find a way to work together, to respect each other''s strengths and weaknesses, their simrities and differences, then all your individual abilities mean nothing."


    He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "However, I''m not here to simply reprimand you. I''m here to guide you toward growth and improvement. You''ve taken the first step by addressing your issues, but the road ahead is long."


    Commander Sable straightened up, his expression was once again stern but with a glimmer of pride. "Now, I''ve seen potential in both of you. Mako, your leadership skills are beginning to shine through, and Nathan, your determination and resilience are admirable. But potential alone won''t suffice. You must continue to learn, adapt, and evolve as individuals and as a team."


    He paused, his gaze shifting between the two young men. "I won''t suspend you from the mission, as I had initially considered. Instead, I''ll allow you both to prove yourselves during the next phase of training. You''ll have an opportunity to demonstrate that you can ovee personal conflicts and function effectively as a team."


    Mako and Nathan exchanged another look shocked to find out the punishment that they were going to receive if things hadn''t gone the way that they did, relieved to know that this wasn''t their fate. They understood the gravity of the situation and the expectations that had been set before them.


    "Thank you, Commander Sable," Mako said earnestly. "We appreciate this chance, and we''ll do everything we can to prove that we''ve learned from our mistakes."


    Commander Sable''s stern expression softened into a smile. "I''m counting on it. Remember, a team is only as strong as its weakest link, but a strong team can elevate every individual to new heights."


    With that, Commander Sable gave a final nod of approval and left the room, leaving Mako and Nathan to process their conversation.


    As the door closed behind themander, Mako turned to Nathan. "Well, it seems we have a lot of work ahead of us."


    Nathan nodded, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, and we''re in this together now whether I like it or not."


    This was followed by another moment of awkward silence that was once again broken by Mako. "So... about that Lava skill. Wanna tell me about it now?" He said cheekily.

 Chapter 255 VERSATILITY

    ?


    Nathan hesitated for a moment, clearly caught off guard by Mako''s persistence. He shifted ufortably in his bed before finally sighing, realizing that his secret would get revealed to all of them anyway so there wasn''t any point to keep it hidden from them.


    "Fine," Nathan said, his voice a mixture of resignation and annoyance. "But you better keep this within the team. I don''t want the whole world to know about it."


    Mako nodded enthusiastically, his curiosity piqued. "Of course, I promise."


    Nathan took a deep breath, preparing himself to reveal something he had never openly discussed with anyone. "The va'' skill you saw is actually my quirk. It''s called ''Versatility.'' I can exchange anyone one of my current abilities for a brand new one of the same level and skill level that I have knowledge about. That va'' effect is the result of me trading my Blood Wolf Transformation ability for the Explosion ability."


    Mako''s eyes widened with fascination and his jaw dropped down to the floor. "Wow, that''s amazing! So, you can like the change between any ability of your liking? That''s so broken, you basically have ess to so many different abilities this way."


    Nathan nodded, his expression slightly less guarded now. "Yeah, that''s the basic idea."


    "Come to think of it, why didn''t you switch your ability anytime before during the training, or even during our fight in the final training match?" Mako asked politely with a quizzical look.


    "There''s a catch to me using my quirk. I can only switch my abilities once a month. It''s like my quirk resets itself, and I have to choose a new ability."


    Mako leaned forward, his curiosity growing even stronger. "Once a month? That''s... quite unique. I guess nature had to find some way to bnce it out."


    Nathan nodded to Mako''sment as this was in fact quite true if Nathan had the capability of switching out any ability whenever he wanted, he would be a terrible force to be reckoned with as there were practically no counters against him while he could create all the counters against his enemies.


    Mako quickly and secretly used Analyze to check Nathan''s profile and sure enough his abilities were now altered.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Nathan Wesley]


    [Ability: Enhanced Perception (Level 3), Explosion (Level 5)] ?


    "This is so cool, Nathan. I can''t believe you have such an amazing and unique quirk," Mako said without even fully understanding what a quirk was. "But why keep it a secret?"


    Nathan''s gaze darkened slightly as he spoke. "My quirk isn''t technicallymon, and I don''t want people prying into my abilities or trying to exploit them. Plus, there''s something about my past that makes me cautious about revealing too much."


    Mako understood the gravity of Nathan''s words, sensing that there was a deeper story behind his secrecy. "I won''t push you for more details if you''re notfortable sharing. But I appreciate you opening up about this."


    Nathan shrugged, his demeanor softening just a bit. "Well, you told me all about your quirk so it was only fair that I shared a bit of mine, plus everyone will learn about it pretty quickly too after they see me using a new ability."


    As they continued to discuss different things in the recovery room, Erin was all the over at the other side of the military base, inside one of the small conference rooms, deeply engrossed in a video call with some people she had missed for a lot.


    Andrew, Sven, and Finn! Her boyfriend and original teammates!


    She hadn''t been able to connect with them for a while due to her trainingmitments and them being checked and moved back to their city.


    "Erin, it''s great to finally catch up with you!" Andrew''s smile beamed through the screen.


    Erin had been on the call with the whole night,pletely oblivious to all the different events that had happened in her current teammate''s lives, well except for Leon who was snoring peacefully inside his room.


    She shared everything from what had happened in the recruitment and all the different enemies and beasts they had defeated to her experience in the military and the training they had done so far. They all were shocked to learn how strong Erin had be and how far ahead she had gone.


    Nobody could have predicted that two injured and weak girls surviving alone on the ind would be two of the six people to be ced into the special task force.


    Erin grinned back at him. "I know, I''ve been swamped with training and our uing mission. How have you guys been?"


    Sven, leaning into the camera''s view, spoke up. "Oh, you know, surviving. It''s not as exciting as your high-stakes adventures, but we''re making progress. We got admitted into the basic ss so we''re going to have to work our way up from the bottom."


    Finn chimed in, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Yeah, and we''re getting ready to show the advanced ss how it''s done!"


    Erin chuckled. "I have no doubt you guys will rock it. Hurry up and catch back up to me, or I will leave you all in the dust. And don''t worry, I''ll make sure to check in on you whenever I can."


    The conversation flowed naturally, a mix of catching up and teasing banter among friends. Erin was d to see her teammates doing well and maintaining their spirits even though were eliminated prematurely and were put in a different ss.


    Soon Sven and Finn left Andrew alone as they thought it would be best for the two of them to have some alone time together. After bidding Sven and Finn farewell, she turned her full attention back to Andrew. His face on the screen brought an immediate smile to her lips.


    "Finally, some quality one-on-one time," Andrew quipped, his eyes twinkling with affection.


    Erin leaned back in her chair, mirroring his yful grin. "Oh, you mean you weren''t thoroughly entertained by all my great stories and antics?"


    Andrew chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of longing. "As entertaining as they might be, I''ve been missing our own brand of antics."


    Erin''s heart skipped a beat at his words. There was afortable familiarity in the way they interacted, a rhythm of affectionate teasing that always made her heart flutter.


    "Ah, you mean the kind of antics where you attempt to one-up me in the training arena?" Erin raised an eyebrow, her yful challenge evident in her tone.


    Andrew leaned in closer to the camera, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You know it. I''ve been perfecting my moves, getting ready to impress you."


    Erin feigned surprise. "Impress me, you say? I''ll have you know that I''m quite the tough girl to impress."


    Andrew chuckled, his gaze holding steady with hers. "Challenge epted. Just wait until I show you my signature ''Dragon Dance of the Dueling Dumplings'' move."


    Erin burst intoughter, unable to contain her amusement. "Dueling dumplings? Is that your secret weapon?"


    Andrew shrugged with a grin. "Hey, it''s all about unexpected tactics. Keeps you on your toes."


    Erin shook her head, a fond smile lingering on her lips. "Well, I can''t wait to see this ''Dragon Dance of the Dueling Dumplings'' in action. Just remember, I have my own arsenal of moves."


    Andrew''s expression softened, a warmth seeping into his eyes. "You know, Erin, no matter how many moves wee up with, the best moments are the ones where we''re just ourselves."


    Erin''sughter faded, reced by a quiet intensity. His words resonated deeply with her, stirring emotions she had been holding close to her heart.


    "I couldn''t agree more," she whispered, her gaze locked onto his. "It''s the genuine moments that truly matter."


    Iris thought back to the moment when she discovered Haruto had been impersonating Andrew during the recruitment test and the number of emotions she felt for having her heart broken like that which allowed her to resonate and even awaken her mutant gene. All of this showed how strong her feelings were towards him.


    Their conversation lingered in that gentle space. It was in these moments that Erin felt truly connected to Andrew as if they were sharing more than just words through the screen.


    Andrew''s voice broke the quiet spell, his tone was soft and earnest. "Erin, there''s something I''ve been wanting to say for a while now."


    Erin''s heart raced, anticipation mingling with a touch of nervousness. "What is it?"


    Andrew took a deep breath, his gaze unwavering. "I''ve missed you. More than I thought I would. And being away from you has made me realize how much you mean to me."


    Erin''s breath caught in her throat, her chest swelling with emotion. His honesty was a gift, and she cherished it deeply.


    "Andrew," she began, her voice carrying a tender affection, "I''ve missed you too. And the distance has only made me realize how much I care about you."


    Their words hung in the air, a fragile yet beautiful deration of their feelings.


    Andrew''s smile was soft, his eyes filled with a warmth that reached through the screen. "I can''t wait to see you again, Erin. To be able to show you in person just how much you mean to me."


    Erin''s heart swelled with emotion, a mixture of happiness and longing. "I''m looking forward to that day too, Andrew."


    As the conversation continued well into the morning until Erin received a ping on hermunication device alerting her that Commander Sable was expecting everyone in his office in 10 minutes so that they could depart for their mission.


    Erin couldn''t believe that the night had already passed, and even though she hadn''t slept a wink, she felt as refreshed as could be. Erin quickly rushed back to her room to freshen up before making her way over to Commander Sable''s office to finally start their first mission together.

 Chapter 256 First Mission Begins (Part 1)

    ?


    Erin made it to themander''s office just in time and saw that everyone else was already there. With her arrival, the meeting could now begin after which they would be departing from the military base immediately.


    Commander Sable pulled up the map of Willowbrook, the vige where they were supposed to go undercover, and went over all the details one more time so that there was no point unounted for.


    The meeting was quite standard with no new information being shared, just the iteration of all the news they had learned about a week ago in great detail. Everyone listened to themander attentively and the overall atmosphere of the room was quite nice and light as if nothing out of the ordinary had urredst night.


    Out of everyone, Leon was the only person who waspletely oblivious to all that had happened as he had simply gotten some sleep to be refreshed and energized for their first official mission.


    Erin was blushing a bit as moments of her call with Andrew still lingered in her head while she continued to respectfully listen to Commander Sable.


    However, Erin wasn''t the only one blushing as Bill and Iris also had their checks turn pink with emotion as the time they spent togetherst night in the southern infirmary was something neither of them could forget.


    Even though they hadn''t escted it any further from their initial kiss and just held hands for the rest of the night while talking about many different things, the time they had spent together was worth more than anything to them.


    They had both decided to keep their newly formed rtionship a secret for now as neither of them was ready to reveal this big secret to their friends just yet, mainly Mako and Erin.


    For Bill, he was just wasn''t ready to reveal such an emotional side of himself to Mako just yet given that he was his biggest enemy 3 months ago. However, Iris had more than one reason to keep her new rtionship a secret and it was just because of feeling embarrassed after Erin found out, but rather because of the guilt of a certain memory that she just couldn''t erase no matter how much she tried.


    Iris had tried to move and now that she was in a legitimate rtionship with Bill, she was slowly healing more and more of the scars left behind by that memory but still, she knew she would never be able to erase it from her mindpletely.


    ''It''s going to be different this time... I can''t lose another... I just can''t... I will make sure nothing ever breaks this bond.'' Iris said to herself as she realized the risk she was taking by opening up to Bill, but for some reason every time she was around, she just felt at ease and rxed as if they were meant to be.


    Iris was bncing herself on a delicate scale of guilt and love, and she knew the consequences of what would happen if this bnce were to break but she was willing to give it onest try.


    On the other hand, everyone had noticed that a few bandages wrapped around Nathan''s arms which were still being healed from the battle, but since Nathan wasn''t exactly the guy they could easily approach they just had to go off of their assumptions as to what had happened.


    However, the more shocking thing was the fact that Nathan and Mako had entered the office together and were standing side by side while listening to Commander Sable which was quite shocking to see given how unapproachable Nathan had been with them ever since he was part of their team.


    *******************


    "You have already been debriefed about all of this so far so this was just a quick refresher, but buckle up because there is more for you to unpack." Commander Sable stated bringing the attention of everyone back toward him as he began to disy brand new material.


    As the team processed Commander Sable''s words, the atmosphere in the training room grew tense.


    Images of the picturesque vige transforming into dark and eerie scenes had everyone''s attention. Erin, Mako, Nathan, and the rest of the team exchanged concerned nces as they absorbed the gravity of the situation.


    "So, we''re dealing with shadows, strange noises, and disappearing vigers," Erin summarized, her mind racing with possibilities. "It seems like there''s more to this than just a few spooky tales."


    Commander Sable nodded in agreement. "Indeed. The vigers'' fear and the abrupt halt of tourism are strong indicators that something substantial is happening. Your job is to uncover the truth without causing panic. Remember, this is an undercover mission, and you''re posing as vacationers."


    Nathan raised his hand, seeking rification. "Commander, are there any reports of physical harm or casualties among the vigers?"


    Themander nodded his head ''yes'' as he proceeded to press a button that disyed several images and video recordings of Viger''s going crazy if they stayed outside for too long after it got dark and the shadowy mist rolled in and weird symbols that started appearing on these people.


    "There haven''t been any reports of direct harm so far. But there are obvious signs of mental influence and maniption as well as those weird signs that appear on people''s bodies that have left the vigers in a state of distress, and they''re desperate for answers. We need to ensure that whatever is happening doesn''t escte further." Themander began to exin.


    "These marks have only just recently been recorded appearing on people which was why it wasn''t mentioned during our initial debriefing. Whatever it is, it is making its move and advancing more and more toward the vige." Themander added.


    Mako leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Considering the connection between the two cities and the location of Willowbrook, I have a feeling this isn''t just a random urrence. It''s strategically ced."


    "What are you suggesting?" Nathan asked Mako to exin himself.


    "What I am saying is that this type of attack is too well coordinated and unique to be executed by some regr rouge ability users. Judging by the fact that there is nothing unique about Willowbrook, I believe there is a bigger picture at y here than just Willowbrook." Mako exined.


    Erin nodded in agreement. "Exactly. And if it''s affecting tourism and the flow of people between those cities, leaving only automated deliveries that came to collect the harvested crops and to make regr goods deliveries for the vige. There is hardly any human interaction with the vige, isting itpletely from the rest of the world.


    Commander Sable''s gaze shifted between the team members, his expression serious. "Normally, beginning special task force recruits are only allowed to take on F-tier and E-tier missions as they are still capable of being handled by you lot. You were luckily assigned an E-tier mission, but I''m afraid to say that the situation has escted and the mission is now categorized as a 1-Star D-Tier mission."


    Everyone looked toward Commander Sable with shock and disbelief as they heard those words. It was already a great honor to deal with an E-tier mission as their very first mission, but A low-level D-tier meant that they could no longer participate as it was too high ss for them to manage.


    Mako and everyone else felt defeated as they absorbed themander''s news, angry that all of this led up to nothing in the end as they wouldn''t even get to go on a mission.


    "But..." Commander Sable''s voice brought all of them back to reality.


    "Judging by all of your skills and capabilities, I have decided to make an exception." Themander stated.


    "Commander Sable? I don''t follow. What do you mean by an exception?" Leon asked innocently.


    "It means that you will be some of the few special task force teams that will take on a D-tier mission as their very first mission." Themander stated.


    A wave of joy and excitement washed over everyone as they fully absorbed themander''s words and what it meant for them moving forward.


    "Your task is twofold. First, investigate the source and nature of these shadows and disturbances. Second, ensure that the vigers are safe and that the vige''s connection between the cities is restored." Themander ordered as he updated the mission objective on the hologram.


    "Of course, since this is a high-level mission, you will be assisted by an Alpha-ranked officer who will apany you, making this a seven-person mission." Themander added as a photograph of a young woman with dark hair with a blue tint appeared on the screen.


    The cadets were a bit unsure about this as didn''t this just mean that they were going to get babysat by a superior officer who will do all of the work?


    As if themander had read all of their thoughts, he quickly addressed this thought by stating that the Alpha ranked officer whose name was Ang had different orders and wouldn''t interfere in their mission at all unless they were in a dire situation, facing something they can''t ovee.


    This brought some hope back into everyone as this meant that they basically had a lifeline for when the going went tough so that they could make it back alive.


    With all the other details shared and discussed, the team made their way to one of the hangers where their aircraft was ready for them to fly to their destination, equipped with all the essential gadgets and items necessary for the mission.


    Themander advised them to use everything at their disposal to make the most urate and efficient decisions before wishing them good luck in their mission.


    The team was more excited than ever as they made their way toward the aircraft filled with determination to prove themselves in this mission.

 Chapter 257 First Mission Begins (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 257 First Mission Begins (Part 2)</h4>


    The team gathered around the aircraft. The sleek, state-of-the-art aircraft was equipped with advanced technology and designed for rapid deployment.


    It had great defense mechanisms and even cloaking capabilities, but it was still a far less impressive transport than the humungous space centers and fleets that were equipped with mind bending technologies and defense mechanisms.


    As they boarded the aircraft, they were greeted by Ang, the Alpha-ranked officer assigned to apany them on their mission.


    Her dark hair cascaded in loose waves around her shoulders with a distinctive blue tint threaded through the strands, almost as if the very essence of her aura had imbued her hair.


    Mako knew this was now possible after encountering Lorelei who had red hair because of her ability. He was curious as to which abilities did an Alpha tier officer have, but of course, his Analyze skill failed on her as she was bounds ahead of them.


    There were so many more ranks above Alpha that Mako was left bewildered as to what did those guys do to achieve such a high power level. He already possessed four abilities, something he thought was impossible 3 months ago, and still he was still considered a high tier ROOKIE on the Universal Power Scale.


    He knew that the power level of these high level fighters weren''t just based on their abilities that they possessed but many more things that he was sure to learn as he progressed in his journey to be stronger and stronger.


    Ang''s eyes, a deep shade of ash grey which held a prating intensity that seemed to see right through all of them.


    She had a simplepact body with no great defining features, yet those taut muscles conveyed both elegance and an underlying strength. Her cheekbones were delicately defined with a subtle scar near her jawline hinted at an injury that was beyond healing.


    She had a tactical jacket with the military logo and was also adorned with discreet insignias denoting her Alpha rank.


    Ang''s presence wasmanding yet calm, and her neutral expression gave away nothing about her character. Her ashen eyes scanned each team member briefly before she nodded in acknowledgement.


    "Wee. I''m Ang," she said in a calm andposed tone. "I''ll be apanying you on this mission. My role is to provide assistance if needed and ensure the mission''s sess. But make no mistake, this is your operation. I won''t interfere unless it''s absolutely necessary."


    The team members exchanged nces, absorbing Ang''s words. It was reassuring to know they had someone with Ang''s expertise to back them up if things got tough, but it also meant the responsibility of the mission rested primarily on their shoulders.


    With the introductionsplete, the team settled into their seats, buckling up as the aircraft''s engines roared to life. The interior of the aircraft was fitted with high-tech screens and panels, disying real-time data, maps, and mission parameters.


    As they soared through the sky, Mako, Erin, Nathan, and the others began to explore the gear and equipment provided for the mission. The array of gadgets was impressive, and each piece had been carefully selected to aid them in their investigation.


    These gadgets included some of the items that they had already encountered in the recruitment test such as the MREs and the Water purification tablets among other things that were to aid them in case of any survival situation they find themselves in.


    Other than that, the military also provided them each with a piece of Power armor of their own choosing. Bill and Iris already had breasttes, so they both settled on leg armor as it was the second biggest piece of armor, but it was quite weird when they requested it at exactly the same time and then began to hide their blushing.


    The others didn''t know what to make of it and just wrote it off as an awkward interaction between the two. Leon had that Blue Cheetah Leg armor and right now he was in some dire need of arm guards as his fighting style was limited not by his speed but his arms as he couldn''t attack with his full strength and speed without taking the risk of breaking his own bones in the process.


    Leons fighting style was quite unique because he didn''t always attack with his fists as colliding fists with anything at high speeds would cause a lot of damage in recoil, so Leon improvised by striking opponents with his forearm in a gliding motion.


    Basically, Leon would purposefully barely miss the punch he intended tond so that his opponent would get hit by his forearm instead. This reduced some of the attack potential from the attack but was quite effective and safe for Leon to use.


    Erin had no armor on her from the start and she just settled on a breastte as it covered thergest area out of any other piece.


    Lastly, Mako who already had arm guards wanted something that could give him just a little edge in offence as his defense was pretty solid now. Looking at the options avable, the only thing that boosted his offensive power was the gauntlets that had spikes at the knuckles, and so Mako decided to pick them.


    *************


    The Power armor were never crafted to specific size or shape as it was just molded into a standard piece of armor. It was only after a person who had ess to mana touched it, the armor would deform and shape itself to be a perfect fit for the user.


    The science behind this was quite unique and Mako did inquire about this amongst many things that had been on his mind to Commander Sable during their training week, but he was given the same response, "Talk to Professor Ciaz when you go to Military school, You''ll find all the answers there."


    It was quite a weird response as themander never borated on it, and eventually Mako just took it as a sign to wait a bit longer until he would finally get all his answers.


    *****************


    These power armors were all of the same color gradient which was a blend between muddy red and beige and rarity which was the Low Tier as they were all forged from the crystal of the same beast.


    [Analyze]


    [Low Tier Solider Ant Gauntlets] ?


    [A pair of gauntlets forged from the crystal and exoskeleton of a Solider Ant found in (Unknown). An average quality piece of armor forged by (Unknown)]


    [Strength +10]


    [Fortitude +5]


    [Defense: 30]


    They were pretty average and low quality items that were meant to be used one time only as their durability was just enough to get one low level mission done.


    Even though it looked cheap, the group was still grateful for receiving such help in their first mission and hoped to use everything at their disposal to sessful finish the mission... well all except one.


    Nathan refused to use such low level pieces of armor and said that he would be just fine on his own with no armor. Mako tried to reason with him but their newly formed friendship was still quite fragile and after Nathan didn''t want to budge, Mako decided to not push it and left him alone.


    The group split up on the main deck, some continued to inspect their gadgets while others decided to go do some other things.


    Nathan just wanted some piece and quiet and just took a seat next to one of the massive windows of the aircraft, staring at the peaceful and fluffy clouds.


    Mako wanted to review the mission file once more and go over the n they had made in the debriefing room with Commander Sable to ensure everything went smoothly.


    After sometime, Ang''s voice broke the silence. "We''ll be reaching the outskirts of Willowbrook soon. Once wend, we''ll proceed with the n briefed to you buy themander."


    The aircraft''s descent was smooth and very quiet. The team watched as thendscape shifted from open skies to the forests that surrounded the west side of Willowbrook.


    The two main highways connected to Willowbrook came from the North and South East. The west side was elevated with many hills and trees simr to the eastern side but unlike the western side, the eastern hill also had a massive river flowing down towards Willowbrook in the form a beautiful waterfall.


    The aircraft touched down in a cleared area, and the team marched out ready to begin their mission.


    "Good Luck, Captain!" Ang said turning back towards Mako, marking the beginning of their first official mission before fading awake into a ck mist right before their very eyes.


    Everyone was left shocked to see Ang just disappear from in front of them like that along with her presence and aura that hadpletely vanished as well.


    ''I wonder what ability that is...'' Mako though as he was quite impressed by the ability.


    The group quickly began to start moving excited to finally begin their first mission. Nathan led the way, his Advanced Perception helping them navigate through the woods with ease and making sure there are no surprises waiting for them.


    Since they had no idea what they were dealing with only that a dark mist would surround the vige at night, they might as well be heading into enemy territory right now so they had to be cautious.


    The team followed closely behind Nathan, their senses heightened as well as they didn''t want to solely rely on Nathan for all the hardwork and as they took in their surroundings as well to make sure they were safe.


    Fortunately, nothing eventful happened during their decent down the hill and now the group had made it to the outskirts of Willowbrook.


    "Alright guys, you the n..." Mako said as they approached the edge of Willowbrook, ready to begin their mission.

 Chapter 258 Checking In

    ?


    Upon reaching the edge of Willowbrook, Nathan, and Leon they nodded to Mako before disappearing back into the woods with haste while the remaining four started making their way into the vige.


    Mako, Iris, Erin, and Bill all entered a vige from a quiet corner making sure nobody saw theming out from the forest and started wandering around acting as if they were lost.


    This was all part of the n as they were all imitating young rich kidsing here for a nice weekend break.


    Mako was wearing a pair of light khaki shorts that reached just above his knees, allowing easy movement. His simple white T-shirt had a yful graphic of waves on the ocean. A pair of worn-in flip-flopspleted his look, looking at ease and carefree.


    Erin chose a breezy sundress with vertical stripes in various shades of blue. The dress featured thin shoulder straps and a cinched waist, enhancing her feminine silhouette. She paired the dress with white canvas slip-on shoes and her sandy blonde hair was beautifully curled and bouncy, She wore delicate gold hoop earrings that caught the sunlight, and her sunsses added a touch of sophistication to her attire..


    Bill sported a light-blue short-sleeved button-up shirt that he had left unbuttoned from the top. He had rolled up the sleeves, revealing his muscr forearms. He paired the shirt with simple long trousers and opted to just wear some regr ck running sneakers instead of flip-flops.


    Iris embraced aid-back and trendy summer look. She wore a pair of high-waisted denim shorts with a slightly frayed hem with a thin brown braided belt cinched her waist. Her crop top was a soft and breathable white T-shirt with a scoop neckline. The shirt had a faded graphic of a beach sunset, giving off a retro vibe.


    Iris''s hair was styled in loose waves that cascaded down her shoulders with a pair of oversized round sunsses perched atop her head,pleting her look.


    The group of four travelled deeper into the vige which was quite barren and quiet to be a tourist hotspot. They kept up the impression of just some teens exploring the surroundings while being lost.


    As the group of four continued to explore the quiet and seemingly barren vige, they eventually entered a street that resembled a bazaar, with various stalls and markets lining the sides.


    The stalls disyed a variety of goods, though most appeared to be in short supply. The atmosphere was somber, with the normally bustling market now echoing with an eerie stillness.


    The group felt quite bad after seeing the disturbing state the vige was in. All the holoscreens meant to disy ads and points of interest were switched off. There were barely any hovercars or any other vehicle moving about and the whole atmosphere was quite dim.


    ****************


    Technology had advanced so much that almost everything could be automated and executed perfectly and efficiently and many centuries ago this was exactly what the world had be.


    Long before the Yalhvi arrived and introduced the world of abilities and power to humans, the whole world had be automated with life going on easy mode... for wealthy individuals.


    Scientists had predicted from as far back as the 21st century that if the world continued to operate on a capitalistic model where the greed of the people ran everything, business owners and organizations would opt for the low-cost and highly efficient option which was robots and automated machines doing the jobs that workers or employees would do.


    This was countered a bit by the world governments who charged more outstanding taxes to these organizations andpanies who opted for atomization and gave a universal ie to the growing number of unemployed people.


    However, with thousands of different loopholes present thatpanies and organizations use to avoid paying any tax and the corruption of the governments themself, themon man was leftpletely helpless.


    There were still career paths avable that people could pursue such as research & development, entrepreneurship, and the art & entertainment industry amongst others, but even in them most functions such movie making, music producing, and many more were all created by Artificial Intelligence and robots or the space was sopetitive with millions of applicants that it was hard to stand out or even get hired.


    A society couldn''t function like this at all and this led to many conflicts, fights, and riots with people sabotaging factories and workspaces, demanding a better way of life.


    After many messy years, the situation was gettingpletely out of hand as the number of unemployed people continued to grow and grow all over the world.


    Finally, a bill was passed by all of the governments of the world called the "AI and Automation Workforce Protection Act"


    This bill worked as an absolutew such that it was extremely exact and void of any loopholes and a brief oversimplified version of thew was that any automation that was made just for the ease of life or cost efficiency and didn''t provide any actual betterment to the work was banned.


    There were many policies and other items added onto the bill so that it didn''t affect advancement and development of any kind and still favored business owners in some way but still a lot less than before.


    However, this made it so only those automated machines that did precise and extremely difficult work that couldn''t be produced by humans were still in effect while all others were made illegal.


    It was thanks to thisw that people even after the civil wars were still able to earn a living and survive while they recovered from their own inflicted battle scars.


    *****************


    As they strolled along, feigning the appearance of lost tourists, the vigers began to take notice of them. Whispers and curious nces followed their every step, creating an ufortable tension in the air.


    Just as the awkwardness reached its peak, a pair of small kids came running down the street, chasing after a ball that had rolled away from them. The ball continued rolling toward the group.


    Iris managed to catch the ball before it hit her and held it out to the kids with a warm smile. "Hey there! Looks like you lost this," she said kindly.


    The kids, wide-eyed and curious, looked at the group before taking the ball with shy smiles. Their presence seemed to break the tension slightly.


    "Thank you!" one of the kids said, his voice hesitant.


    Iris was touched by the kid''s soft and gentle voice and gently patted him on his head. She asked the kid about some directions to a ce they could stay and he quickly began pointing to one of the main streets, saying that there was a hotel there.


    "Thank you so much!" Iris replied with genuine gratitude. "Umm...Could you show us the way? We seem to have gotten a bit turned around."


    The kids exchanged nces before nodding in agreement. "Sure! Follow us!"


    Guided by the young and energetic kids, the group walked down the street and eventually arrived at a quiet, dull building that appeared to be the vige''s hotel. The exterior was quite beautiful but it looked like it hadn''t been taken care of for a while as all the windows were covered in a thinyer of dust, adding to the dull vibe.


    Stepping inside, they were greeted by a middle-aged man with a weary expression, who seemed surprised by their presence. He was the manager of the hotel.


    His ck and white hair was neatlybed, though it bore traces of stress and perhaps a few sleepless nights. He wore a slightly wrinkled, muted gray suit that had seen better days, and a simple dark tie with a in white shirt that was tucked neatly into the jacket.


    "Hello there," the manager greeted, his voice tinged with both surprise and caution. "I don''t often see neers around here. How can I help you?"


    Bill, taking the lead, offered a friendly smile. "Hi, we''re a group of friends on a little road trip and thought we''d check out your vige. We were wondering if you have any avable rooms for the night?"


    The manager''s expression grew more somber, his eyes filled with a mixture of concern and hesitation. "I must be honest with you. This isn''t the best time to be staying here. Strange urrences have been happening in the vige, especially after dark."


    Erin raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Strange urrences? Like what?"


    The manager''s gaze shifted to the side, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Unexined noises, odd shadows moving about, and sometimes... even sightings of figures that can''t quite be exined. It''s as if the vige has been enveloped by a shroud of unease."


    Mako leaned in, his voice lowering as he asked, "You mean to say this ce might be haunted?"


    The manager hesitated, his gaze meeting theirs with a mixture of uncertainty. "I can''t say for certain, but people from this vige have been going missing, and the local police still haven''t found any clues as to where they could have gone. People have stoppeding here after hearing these stories."


    Iris spoke up, her tone firm yet empathetic. "We appreciate your concern, but we''vee this far, and we''d like to stay if possible. We promise to be respectful and not cause any trouble."


    The group exchanged nces, their determination evident. The manager sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Very well, if you''re sure. I can''t stop you from staying, but I rmend keeping your wits about you. If you encounter anything strange, do not hesitate to seek help."


    Mako nodded appreciatively. "Thank you for the warning. We''ll be cautious. Can we get a room for the night?"


    With a resigned smile, the manager handed over a key to one of the rooms. "Room 205, Deluxe Suite. I hope your stay is uneventful, in a good way."

 Chapter 259 Silent Echoes

    <h4>Chapter 259 Silent Echoes</h4>


    The group thanked the manager for his assistance and epted the key to Room 205, the Deluxe Suite.


    Room 205 was a deluxe suite with a huge living room with an attached open kitchen. There was elegant furniture and decorations all over the ce. The walls were full of abstract and modern art being disyed on a holoframe.


    There were a set of stairs that led up to the second floor of the suite where two of the four master bedrooms were located with the remaining two being on the ground floor.


    Therge windows offered a view of the vige, which appeared even more dull and void of life from this vantage point.


    Mako, Iris, Erin, and Bill exchanged nces, a silent understanding passing between them. They knew that they were entering uncharted territory, and the events thaty ahead were uncertain.


    Without wasting any time the group got to work. They didn''t actually bring any luggage with them, instead, thepressible suitcases that they had on them actually contained their gear and gadgets.


    Iris took a deep breath and decided to break the silence. "Well, here we are. Let''s settle in and then maybe explore a bit more of the vige before nightfall."


    Erin nodded in agreement. "I think that''s a good idea. We need to gather more information about what''s happening here."


    Bill added jokingly, "And who knows, maybe we run into those shadowy figures on our first night."


    Mako chimed in, his eyes determined. "Let''s stay vignt, Remember this mission was bumped up to a D-tier mission. We don''t what we are up against and this is the military''s response without expending too many resources, we have to prove ourselves here."


    The group nodded as they realized that this entire experience was getting to their heads a bit.


    Out of the four of them, Bill was the only one who had any experience of being in deluxe suites like this before as he often went to military parties and events with his father when he was little, but since his father was always so strict, even he never got to experience it fully.


    So it was undoubtedly a fact that they were all getting carried away a bit by the premium treatment they were receiving after living life the way they all had lived so far, it was surreal, to say the least.


    Mako had the worst of it out of all of them, as he was living quite close to the line of poverty for most of his life, especially after his grandmother passed away, leaving him all alone; however, he still had a strong mentality and knew that the mission was of greater importance than their temporary living condition.


    It would be a terrible mistake for them to get cocky on their very first mission when it was of a greater ranking than any other.


    The four of them each picked their own room and quickly changed into something morefortable that would help them during the night if they were to encounter the shadow.


    After they were ready, it was already evening with the sun about topletely set. The group decided that checking out the POIs that Commander Sable had mentioned where people had disappeared was a good starting point and split up to cover more areas.


    There were three main locations where the most reports hade from, the vige fountain located near the south corner of the vige which was a tourist hotspot, Gateaux Chauds; the most popr restaurant located near the northeast corner of the vige, and the Starlight Campground located right next to the forest from where the group came, filled with beautiful hills and scenic views.


    Mako opted to check out the campgrounds which were currently closed so he would have to sneak in, but it was easily doable for him given his skillset. He wanted to go to the campsite because there he could also meet up with Nathan and Leon and get their reports as well about their observations so far.


    Nathan and Leon were instructed to stay around the outskirts of the vige and monitor activity from the outside while Mako and the rest managed things from within the vige.


    Nathan with his advanced perception and Leon with his speed were the perfect pair for this job. They should have circled around the perimeter of the vige since the time they separated so Mako was quite keen to hear from what they had observed.


    The rest of them didn''t really have a preference as to where they wanted to go and decided to just pick at random.


    "Iris, I think we should go to the fountain and Bill could go to the restaurant" Erin proposed to Iris.


    "Umm... Erin, why don''t you head to the fountain alone... and... I will apany Bill to the restaurant," Iris replied nervously.


    Erin was not expecting such a response. It had been always her making the calls and Iris following her wherever she went, so this was a sudden change of pace.


    "But, why?" Erin inquired.


    "Uh... It''s just that... The restaurant is much bigger than the fountain, it would be better if I went with him so we can search the whole area quickly." Iris quickly made up an excuse on the fly and crossed her fingers that Erin would just buy it.


    "Umm... ok. You guys head to the restaurant then," Erin said unsurely as she didn''t know what to make of Iris''s behavior.


    It wasn''t that Iris was bound to follow her or anything, she had her own will to make her own choices, but after always leaving all the decisions to her, it felt weird for her to make her own decisions.


    The group equipped their armor and concealed their weapons under their loose and rxed clothing which was mostly loose trousers and a hoodie. They had learned their lesson after getting stared down by the whole vige that they didn''t have to dress so extravagantly to show that they were rich.


    Lastly, they each took a miniaturemunication device before heading out to their decided locations.


    *****************


    The night was filled with so many pretty stars; with very little light pollution in the area, the sky looked so much more beautiful and picturesque than in Emerald City that it looked like they weren''t even on the same earth.


    Erin was the first to reach her destination, the vige fountain which was basically a giant stone statue of one of the ten legendary warriors who enacted the absolutew to protect nature by ensuring there was always space for farnds and viges.


    The statue was quite old and the stone structure had been eroded quite a bit such that almost all the facial features and the finer details of the Legendary warrior had been faded making it very hard to recognize her.


    Despite that, the fountain was still extremely beautiful and extravagant. It seemed that even though there were no tourists, this area was a hotspot for the vigers who had many different activities and stalls all around the fountain with families enjoying themselves.


    It was definitely a great sight to see after what the state of the vigers and the vige that Erin had seen, and she quickly mixed with the people enjoying themselves whilst still keeping a sharp eye for any suspicious activity.


    Meanwhile, over at the northeast corner of the vige, Iris was nervously walking alongside Bill as they made their way to the French restaurant that was supposed to be the most popr.


    "So... are you going to tell what all that was about back there?" Bill asked teasingly.


    "Wha... *ahem* uh.. I... Well I... *sigh* I just thought that the restaurant could be a perfect excuse, I mean we kissed and all but you haven''t even taken me out on a date yet." Iris replied,pletely flustered as all her nerves reached their peak.


    Iris and Bill had both decided to hide their current rtions from their teammates until things settled down and became a bit more solid which was why Bill was mighty confused when Irispletely blew it by telling Erin that she was going with Bill instead of her, even though he could easily manage the restaurant alone.


    "Well, you are right about the date, but this was way too risky. What if Erin became suspicious of us, not to mention we are on a mission here, people have been missing," Bill said softly but with maturity.


    Iris sunk her head low. She already knew what she did was wrong, but in the heat of the moment, her emotions got the better of her, and Iris wanted to spend time with Bill and not feel so alone.


    Bill was the reason her past memories and emotions had resurfaced but it was also Bill who was keeping her stable at this point. She was bing paranoid at this point, trying to make sure this would never break.


    "Alright, brighten up! We are one way or the other here so why not I treat you to that date you wanted?" Bill said charmingly trying to lift Iris'' spirits.


    Iris'' facepletely lit up at the thought of a romantic date.


    "But... no more "US" stuff while we are on duty, okay?" Bill bargained.


    "Okay..." Iris said while cutely pouting which resulted in her getting some head pats from Bill.


    ***************


    Everything was going alright for everyone so far instead for Mako who was caught in something very dangerous.


    "WHO''S THERE!?" Mako screamed as he heard weird screeching echoes from all directions yet no sound was being emitted around him.

 Chapter 260 DARE DEVIL Activated

    <h4>Chapter 260 DARE DEVIL Activated</h4>


    [WARNING!] [WARNING!] WARNING!]


    [System had sensed an interference with User''s mind]


    [(ERROR!) User perception is too low to be detectable]


    It felt like Mako''s head was about to get crushed from all sides as if his head was stuck inside a hydraulic press.


    ******************


    [20 Minutes Earlier]


    Mako reached the entrance to the starlight campground which was closed with only the main office being lit up.


    There were several guards on patrol, but they were just regr vigers, just working to earn some money as most of them didn''t even have an ability.


    [Silent Steps has been activated]


    Mako activated the old skill that he received from Paul before he executed Operation Jailbird and it was a perfect skill for this mission as it allowed him to walk at a moderate speed without making any noise.


    He avoided all the guards as he sneaked through and once he was next to the wall, he used High Jump to easily scale the wall andnd inside the campground in one jump.


    Once inside, there weren''t any guards so it was clear for him to look for clues without getting interfered.


    However, there was also no light source as the whole camp was shut down, making it absolutely pitch ck.


    With there also being no moon tonight, there was no source of light to illuminate Mako''s path so Mako made his own.


    His hands erupted in mes and began illuminating his path as he began walking over to the campsite.


    The site waspletely abandoned with his right hand being the only light source that looked like a tiny floating light from the distance.


    He examined the deserted campfires. Cooking utensilsy abandoned, and half-eaten meals were left on pic tables that had started to rot and grow mold.


    Tattered gs and streamers hinted at a festive event that had been cut short, leaving behind an eerie sense of suspense.


    The signs of a sudden and chaotic departure were evident everywhere he looked. Tents had been left open, their zippers undone, as if the upants had fled in a hurry.


    From what themander had briefed them about this specific location was that the shadow hadn''t appeared at night for a couple of days and the vigers thought that whatever it was that bothering them was finally gone.


    So the vigers celebrated by throwing a party at the campground, but unfortunately their celebration was cut short when the shadowy mist reappeared that night with greater intensity and fervor.


    It was reported that this was the first time that the shadowy mist actually expanded and actively attacked them, with many vigers disappearing as they were getting swallowed by the shadowy mist.


    It was after this event that the campgrounds were closed and quarantined with heavy security with no one having the courage to go back and look for all those missing people, and the threat level of the mission had been raised to a low-level D-tier.


    Mako checked the nearby woods, scanning for any signs of struggle or unusual disturbances. The trees loomed ominously, their branches casting long, menacing shadows that seemed to dance in the flickering light.


    ***************


    The trees were the borderline at which the shadowy mist would appear, but it never appeared everywhere, but rather would only appear at a certain border of the vige each night.


    The vige had installed cameras all around the perimeter of the vige to try and catch the reason behind the shadows appearing, but they were never able to observe anything as shadowy mist would just suddenly begin appearing from a location.


    The shadows would instantly encase the cameras making them unable to see anything and within seconds, the camera would malfunction before shutting down.


    In the end, the vigers just gave up trying and instead worked on preventing more disappearances while waiting for the requested aid toe and take care of this issue and find their missing people.


    They appointed patrolers whose whole job was the patrol the borders to see where the shadow was appearing for the day and once it was identified they would quickly inform the town hall who would evacuate all people from that section for the night to ensure nobody vanished.


    ****************


    Mako was unable to find any clues in the forest and decided to walk back towards the campground to look deeper for any clue at all that could give them a direction of what to do next.


    He noticed as he walked past the campsite he had just searched that there were still people''s valuables lying all on the ground which included purses, wallets, keys, and even some holo-devices but they were all broken.


    If this shadow mist attack was linked to a group of rouge ability users, their agenda should have been to scare people away and steal their belongings, but here, theplete opposite is taking ce which made Mako think that maybe this was something different.


    However, he didn''t have concrete proof to back his thinking so he proceeded with his search and just made a mental note of his assumption.


    His search took him to the yground area, where swings swayed gently in the breeze, adding to the eerie ambiance. The children''sughter that should have filled the air had been reced by a deafening silence.


    Mako approached the restrooms, their doors left wide open, revealing empty stalls and broken mirrors.


    Eventually, his exploration led him to a small, artificial pond at the center of the campground. The water''s surface was still, reflecting the glow of his hand. He knelt down to inspect it, hoping to find some clue, and what he found was quite nauseating and weird.


    He noticed that all the fish in the pond were dead which was quite odd as the pond was built to be its own ecosystem meaning that the fish could sustain themselves in that environment so they shouldn''t be dead.


    It was quite an odd thing and Mako didn''t know how this would link with the shadowy mist, but still made a mental note of it before moving on.


    After spending 20 minutes methodically searching the campsite, he finally entered the main office, hoping to find some recording of the event taking ce or any clues in general that might shed light on the disappearances.


    However as he entered the office, he was left in shock as all the devices inside the office had their screens cracked and had ckened exteriors which showed that there was a fire inside.


    All the monitoring equipment, the mainputer, and all the hard drives werepletely fried leaving Mako with nothing to search for.


    However, the very state of this office was a huge red g in Mako''s brain as he couldn''t believe that all of theseputers caught on fire at the same time.


    First of all, it was incredibly hard to destroyputers from the inside out anymore as the hardware had been improved and refined so greatly over the centuries.


    Secondly, there was no sign of temperament of any kind from the outside which further solidified the fact that all the devices had simultaneously short-circuited somehow and caught on fire, erasing all data that was stored on them.


    Mako didn''t know what to make of this but knew that this all was definitely rted somehow as the vigers themselves wouldn''t destroy equipment that was quite expensive to rece.


    Walking out of the main office, Mako realized that besides the disappearances, there was also a lot of other weird phenomenon going on in the surroundings that were affected leading Mako to strongly believe that this wasn''t just some rouge ability users messing around, but something more serious.


    Just as the realization began to sink in that something was deeply wrong, the forest around him seemed to respond to his growing anxiety. The ambient sounds of the night faded into an unsettling silence. Then, a sudden, piercing screech shattered the stillness, echoing from all directions. It was a haunting, otherworldly sound that sent shivers down Mako''s spine.


    Mako froze, his hand casting flickering light into the surrounding darkness as he strained to identify the source of the screech. The sound was unnatural, and its echoes seemed to bounce off the trees and other objects before bouncing back at him, disorienting him further. He couldn''t pinpoint the direction it wasing from, and the unsettling feeling of being watched washed over him.


    The screech was so ghastly and irritating that Mako wanted to rip his own ears out. It was ten times worse than the time Mako faced those cicada snakes during the recruitment test.


    Mako quickly opened up the system andmanded it to turn off his hearing again just like during his encounter with the cicada snakes.


    [Temporarily blocking User''s sense of hearing]


    The system message shed in front of his eyes and yet he didn''t receive the relief he was looking for as the screech continued to be heard.


    "WHAT IS GOING ON!" Mako shouted as the pain became unbearable but he couldn''t even hear his own voice anymore as he had definitely gone deaf.


    Whatever it was that was attacking Mako, it was attacking him mentally not by using a sensory attack which was why going deaf didn''t work.


    [WARNING!] [WARNING!] WARNING!]


    [System had sensed an interference with User''s mind]


    [(ERROR!) User perception is too low to be detectable]


    It felt like Mako''s head was about to get crushed from all sides as if his head was stuck inside a hydraulic press.


    Blood was dripping down Mako''s nose and mouth as he was continuously tortured by the screech that didn''t look like it would end anytime soon.


    Mako was losing consciousness as the pain was bing too much to handle; however, before hepletely lost his mind and copsed onto the ground, Mako tried onest thing that he could think of to do in the moment.


    [DARE DEVIL has been activated]


    [Select Your Trade]


    500,000 EXP --> (30) Temporary Attribute points ?


    250,000 EXP --> 10% Omni Boost ?


    750,000 EXP --> (1) Basic Full Heal ?


    1,000,000 EXP --> (1) Full Rage Bar ?


    500,000 EXP --> (2) Random Temporary Ability Skills ?


    [Your selection has been locked in]


    [-500,00 EXP]


    [+30 Temporary Attribute Points]


    "ADD THEM ALL TO MENTALITY!" Mako ordered as he struggled to maintain his consciousness.


    [30 Temporary Attribute Points have been added to Mentaility]


    [User''s Mentality is now 80]


    .


    .


    .


    Silence!

 Chapter 261 Nightmares Attack

    <h4>Chapter 261 Nightmares Attack</h4>


    [Re-activating User''s sense of hearing]


    As Mako slowly regained his hearing, the excruciating pain from the screech began to recede. The attack was strong enough to make him bleed from his nose, mouth, and even his eyes, leaving him bloodied and battered. The mental attack had taken a toll on him, and he knew that it must havee from an incredibly powerful source.


    Once his hearing was restored, Mako''s first instinct was to stand up and assess the situation. He knew he had to be prepared for anything, especially considering that he had just survived a powerful attack that had just assaulted his senses, he knew whoever was behind this attack wanted him dead and now that he had survived, there was a high chance that they would try something else to finish him.


    Just as Mako gathered his senses and recovered back to a stable state, the shadowy mist began to materialize from the forest nearby.


    It resembled a dark, thick fog, but within it, was something that Mako wasn''t prepared for.


    Up until this point, the information that Mako and his friends had received was that the shadows would appear apanied by strange eerie sounds which scared people away and disappear those who got too close, but right now, Mako took a big gulp of fear as he witnessed multiple piercing yellow glowing eyes emerging from the shadowy mist.


    In the next moment, grotesque and nightmarish creatures emerged from within the shadowy mist and looked like they were an amalgamation of people''s worst fears and nightmares.


    These creatures had distorted, elongated limbs with sharp, w-like appendages. Their faces were a twisted mess of grotesque features, with eyes that glowed with an eerie, yellow malevolent light.


    One of the creatures had elongated, spindly limbs with razor-sharp ws at the end of each appendage. Its body was covered with sickly, pale skin stretched tightly over its skeletal frame. Its eyes were empty sockets with a single piercing yellow dot at the center, devoid of any discernible features, and it moved with an unsettling, jerky motion.


    Another nightmarish entity had a face that was a contorted mass of eyes and mouths. Eyes of various shapes and sizes covered its grotesque visage, all glowing with the same yellow malevolent light. Multiple mouths opened and closed in a horrifying symphony of whispers and wails.


    A third creature seemed to constantly shift and morph, making it difficult for Mako to focus on its true form. It appeared as if it were made of shadow itself, with tendrils of darkness swirling around it. It could elongate its limbs or condense into a nightmarish ball of darkness, with a creepy wide yellow smile and sinister yellow eyes.


    There were flying eyeballs with bat wings and a long tail as well some kind of dog and pig hybrid beast that had its entire body covered in pustules.


    Mako felt like he was in a nightmare with all of his worst fears amalgamating into physical forms to torment him, but he knew he wasn''t dreaming and that all of this was very true and real.


    Mako quickly activated his defensive stance and prepared himself for theing battle. His temporarily increased mentality helped him to remain calm and maintain his cool so that he wouldn''t give in to his fear which would spell his death, but rather appear calm and collected ready to face the dangers in front of him.


    Mako had left his gauntlets back at the hotel as he couldn''t conceal them while he was moving through the vige which would otherwise raise suspicion.


    However, he did bring one thing that would greatly help him in the battle, his storm caller staff.


    Before, Mako always had a problem bringing the staff with him to a battle as it was so big and hard to handle, but during one of the training sessions, Commander Sable showed him a neat little trick that one could do with a certain type of Power weapons called "Convertable Power Weapons."


    These power weapons were designed in such a way that they could retract or transform into everyday items so that nobody would be able to tell that they were power weapons.


    The 6-foot-tall staff was apparently able to bepressed down into a regr pen which was a huge revtion for Mako, but it was now quite practical for him to carry his strongest power weapon with him at all times.


    Commander Sable had taught him how to identify a Convertable Power Weapon so that in the future it would be really helpful for him to pick out weapons that had great practicality to them.


    As the creatures charged toward Mako, he extended his staff back to his original height and began channeling his lightning aura into the crystal.


    Some of the creatures were fast while others were slow, but before any of them could reach Mako, he was ready with his staff tounch one of his most favorite and practical skills.


    [Electrcial Discharge has been activated]


    A pulse of electricity erupted from the base of the staff as Mako struck it on the ground and quickly spread outward, paralyzing all of the creatures.


    Mako quickly shifted to his fire ability and assaulted the creatures with a barrage of fireballs from the red fire variant.


    Surprisingly, The creatures weren''t tough at all, the big ones dissolved back into a shadowy mist before disappearing after only a couple of fireball strikes while the smaller creatures were getting one shot by the hot mes of the fireball.


    The rotten bodies screeched as they were engulfed in mes moments before burning to a crisp and disappearing.


    Mako dealt with all of them in under 20 seconds as they were quite easy to deal with them being paralyzed in ce. However, before he could take a breather, he heard more sinister and eerie voices emerge from the shadowy mist.


    Looking back toward it, Mako was left in utter shock and disbelief as more creatures started spawning out of the mist.


    The creatures didn''t hesitate as they rushed forward to end Mako once and for all. Mako quickly conjured a stone sword which he engulfed in red mes before dashing in himself hoping to kill them all quickly once again.


    Now that Mako knew these things could be produced by the mist en masse, he resorted to using physicalbat and avoided shy moves like before as they weren''t energy efficient and his energy would be the deciding factor which would determine whether he would be able to see the sunrise or not.


    Mako''s sword skills were still subpar but he had greatly improved as Commander Sable had been teaching him elementary techniques and moves which were a huge help. With those skills along with his melee mana skill set, he was now a decent fighter, not as great as Bill or Nathan who had much more experience in fighting but close.


    Mako used abination of his low energy costing regr and ability skills alongside his sword and staff to continuously engage and kill the nightmares that continued to spawn from the mist just as one got killed.


    The sword shed all the monsters with ease as they weren''t resilient at all, but they were still quite persistent and agile as they kept oning anding. Mako had been able to defend himself against the monsters for a great while, but he wasn''t perfect and was bound to get hit by one eventually, and once he did, he realized that these monsters were no joke.


    It was theplete shadowy monster that weaved around Mako''s sword dodging all the strikes and while Mako got distracted by another monster, it took the opportunity and shed Mako from the back. The attack was deep and easily tore through Mako''s fortitude leaving a giant wound on his back that began to bleed profusely.


    [-50 HP]


    The other nightmares took this opportunity to strike as well, but Mako was still in control of the battle as he quickly activated his Energy Maniption ability andsered down all the monsters with his Energy Stream skill at once.


    [Energy Stream has been activated]


    It took the mist a second to regenerate the monsters and Mako used this time to quickly consume a healing pill from his inventory.


    The nightmares were revived again, and Mako was ready for another wave, but he did notice that it took the mist several seconds to reform all the creatures this time which meant that it was losing power as well.


    With this realization, Mako knew that this mist would also eventually run out of energy to create more creatures and all he had to do was to run out the clock and hope his energy pool would ovee the shadow''s.


    The battle that ensued was intense and filled with chaos. Mako fought with all his might, using his elemental abilities and sword skills to counter the nightmarish creatures.


    Fire engulfed some of the creatures, causing them to shriek in agony as they writhed in the mes. Lightning bolts struck others, electrifying them and causing them to convulse uncontrobly. Earth barriers protected Mako from their relentless attacks, providing a shield against their wed assaults.


    The battle seemed tost an eternity, and Mako''s body bore the scars of the encounter, but eventually, Mako''s theory turned out to be correct as the shadow didn''t spawn more creatures and instead as thest of the nightmarish creatures fell, the shadowy mist quickly dissipated, leaving no trace behind.


    Breathing heavily and nursing his injuries, Mako knew he couldn''t let this go unresolved. He quickly activated his Energy Sensing skill to scan the surroundings for any energy signatures, hoping to find a clue about the source of this malevolent a sudden attack.


    [Energy Sensing has been activated]

 Chapter 262 Concerned Friends

    <h4>Chapter 262 Concerned Friends</h4>


    [Energy Sensing has been activated]


    However, as soon as he activated the skill, his vision became blurry and hazy, resembling the old-school TV screens when they had no signal. A sharp headache apanied the distorted vision, forcing Mako to quickly deactivate the skill in confusion.


    "What was that!?" He groaned in confusion.


    Before he could make sense of the strange behavior of his skill, he heard rustlinging from the forest, the same direction from which the shadow had emerged. This time, Mako relied on the sonar sensing ability of his Analyze skill. He detected two figures approaching from the forest, and his determination surged.


    Enraged and full of resolve, Mako lunged into the forest, ready to confront the culprits behind the shadowy nightmares. However, as he burst into the clearing, he was left utterly dumbfounded.


    "Nathan...? Leon...?" Mako said in disbelief as the figures approaching turned out to be none other than his teammates, Nathan and Leon, who hade to give their scheduled report.


    "MAKO?!" Nathan and Leon said in unison as they were just as shocked to find Mako lunging towards them in a terrible state.


    Nathan had sensed that something was approaching them fast which was why they were on high alert as well so that they would be prepared for whatever came for them, but they didn''t expect this.


    Mako''s face was etched with fatigue, and his clothes were singed and torn. Blood from the wound on his back as well as other small cuts and scratches he received during the fight had soaked through his clothing.


    Hisplexion was pale and his arms were trembling after barely surviving an intense encounter as he was almost out of energy. He felt the pain from his injuries, but the rush of adrenaline and the determination to survive had kept him going.


    Nathan and Leon quickly ran forward to make sure Mako''s condition was stable before they did anything else.


    Mako''s adrenaline-fueled battle stance rxed as he realized the identity of the approaching figures. He rxed his breathing and allowed his aching muscles to finally rest.


    As Nathan and Leon approached him, the fatigue finally caught up to Mako and he copsed backward but was caught by Nathan before his head could hit the ground.


    Leon used his Speed ability to quickly clear out the perimeter to make sure that nothing else was around them before returning to Nathan who gentlyid Mako down on the ground and began assessing his injuries.


    Thanks to the healing pill that Mako had consumed, the bleeding from all the cuts and scratches on his body had stopped but it wasn''t enough to heal himpletely.


    "What do you think happened to him?" Leon inquired as he took a closer look at Mako''s battered body.


    "I don''t know... Seems to me like he fought a wild beast or something," Nathan replied as he checked Mako''s pulse to make sure he was still alive before feeding him another healing pill so that his injuries would begin to heal.


    "How can beasts be roaming around freely? It''s not possible." Leon said as he found it hard to believe that Mako had encountered a wild beast.


    ***************


    There were no natural beasts found on Earth and all of the beasts that were currently on Earth such as for research purposes or training like in the recruitment test were imported from other worlds, and were heavily monitored so that no beast would ever leave the confines of its designated area.


    Plus, from the injuries on Mako''s body, it had to have been at least an advanced-tier beast to cause such a great amount of damage to his body which would bepletely absurd.


    There are protocols in ce in case of a beast escaping a facility or a confined area with different levels depending on the level of the beast. An advanced-tier beast on the loose would be anywhere between category 2.1 to 2.5 emergency depending on its strength which would be at the minimum a low-level D-tier mission in of itself.


    There were no reports of a category 2 protocol breach in the area so Leon wasn''t so sure that this was the doing of a beast.


    "Did he encounter the shadow or maybe a person is responsible for it?" Leon spected as that was the most logical exnation even though there weren''t any reports of the Shadow attacking people.


    "I don''t know..." Nathan said annoyingly as he also had no clue as to what had caused such a thing. "Our best bet is to get the answers from Mako himself. He needs medical attention, the healing pill will only heal battle injuries, he still needs to be checked to make sure he doesn''t get an infection or something worse."


    Nathan picked Mako''s body in his arms and quickly started sprinting towards the nearest exit out of the forest where there were no patrolling guards with Leon following right beside him.


    "Call the others, and tell them to meet us near the entrance of the campgrounds, We can''t be seen or else our cover will be blown, we have to remain hidden," Nathan instructed Leon as they ran.


    ***************


    On the other side of the vige, Erin was calmly enjoying herself on a bench next to the fountain as the night was silent with nothing happening out of the ordinary so far.


    She had bought some delicious cotton candy and was sharing it with some of the kids who were ying close to her when she suddenly received a ping on hermunication device.


    The kids who were ying were ecstatic to get some cotton candy as their moms were really strict with them having too much sugar before bed.


    As one of the kids turned back to thank Erin for buying them some," Thank you, Big sis, you...".


    However, before she could finish, she was left dumbfounded to see that Erin was nowhere to be seen.


    Simrly, on another corner of the vige, Iris and Bill were enjoying a romantic dinner in each otherpany at one of the outside tables of the restaurant.


    They had thoroughly searched the perimeter and found nothing out of the ordinary with no shadowy mist to speak of.


    They had both ordered a full three-course French meal consisting of some velvety and premium French Onion soup, melt of the bone, and delicious Boeuf Bourguignon and had finished it off with a creamy and crunchy Cr¨¨me Br?l¨¦e.


    Bill was sharing his experiences with trying to cook and how he was probably one of the worst cooks on the face of the with Iris politely giggling to Bill''s over-exaggerated tales when suddenly both of them received a ping on theirmunication device.


    The waiter came out to check on Bill and Iris and to make sure that didn''t need anything else but was shocked to see that no one was there anymore.


    The waiter went into panic mode as he couldn''t believe rich people like them would dine and dash. He quickly approached their table to find half-eaten Cr¨¨me br?l¨¦es and a piece of paper underneath one of the tes.


    The waiter was confused but pulled out the paper to find a note and some cash inside.


    The note said, "Thanks for the amazing food, keep the change! ;)"


    The waiter was relieved to find that the two love birds had actually paid for their meal and had even tipped him heavily but was still confused as to what had happened that they had to leave in such a hurry.


    *****************


    [15 minutes Later]


    Iris'' hands were glowing green as she was using her healing ability topletely heal all of Mako''s injuries and to make sure that he was in perfect health.


    Erin and Bill watched with shocked faces as they couldn''t believe such a thing could happen to Mako, after all, he wasn''t a weak boy like before, and yet it looked like he had been yed around with and thrown away by a much stronger opponent.


    Nathan and Leon were busy telling the others the whole story. They were busy patrolling the entire perimeter to see if they could find anything suspicious, but they had no luck and arrived at the campgrounds on the decided time to give Mako their report but instead, they found Mako in this state.


    It took Iris several more minutes, but she was able to fully heal all of Mako''s injuries.


    Mako''s eyes fluttered open, and he took a deep, rejuvenating breath. He looked around, slightly disoriented, but quickly realized that he was surrounded by his concerned friends.


    Iris smiled with relief. "Wee back, Mako. You had us worried there for a moment."


    Mako blinked a few times, then nodded in gratitude. "Thanks, Iris. I appreciate your help."


    Bill and Leon helped Mako up to his feet. Even though he was healed, he still had very little energy and was greatly fatigued. Bill handed him a new set of clothes to change into that as his current ones werepletely torn and barely hanging onto his body.


    After he had covered himself and was fully aware of his surroundings again, Erin spoke up, her voice filled with concern. "Mako, what happened out there? How did you end up in that state?"


    Mako took a deep breath and began recounting the terrifying encounter with the shadowy mist and the nightmarish creatures. Slowly he began to narrate the events that took ce with his friends listening intently, their expressions growing grimmer as they realized the gravity of the situation.

 Chapter 263 Strategizing

    <h4>Chapter 263 Strategizing</h4>


    As Mako recounted his harrowing encounter with the shadowy mist and the nightmarish creatures, his friends listened in shocked silence. His detailed description of the events sent shivers down their spines, and they exchanged worried nces as they tried to make sense of the situation.


    Erin''s brow furrowed as she processed the information. "This doesn''t make any sense. The information that Commander Sable had given us didn''t mention anything like this."


    Bill nodded in agreement. "And there have been no reports of such incidents from the vigers either. It''s as if this thing specifically targeted you, Mako."


    "I think so too..." Mako replied." Before the shadow appeared in front of me and those creatures started spawning, I was assaulted by an intense mental attack that I was barely able to ovee it with all of my strength, but it rendered me almost unconscious."


    Mako also exined what he had been doing before the shadowy mist appeared and how he was initially attacked.


    The group listened with a worried expression once again as Mako narrated the extreme feeling he experienced during the mental attack.


    "It was only after I had survived that attack that the shadowy mist appeared and began spawning those creatures," Mako stated.


    Nathan chimed in, his voice filled with more curiosity than concern. "Do you think it''s connected to the shadowy mist?"


    Mako nodded slowly, his expression grave. "It''s possible. The timing is too coincidental. I think that whoever or whatever initially attacked me didn''t know who I was and just viewed me as a curious outsider."


    "Afraid that I might find a clue or something, it wanted to get rid of me, but after I survived the initial attack, it was able to gauge my strength and identified me as a threat which is why the shadow was summoned soon after to finish me off, but it didn''t ount for me to be able to endure the onught of nightmares and survive," Mako added.


    "Given that the shadow slowly tired out and slowed down its production of more creatures like you mentioned, it is most likely that this was the doing of an ability user." Nathan theorized.


    "I agree, but what type of ability can do all that?" Mako responded. "The shadowy mist was supposed to be localized to the vige''s perimeter, but it seems to have more techniques and abilities than what we were previously aware of, and those creatures... they were unlike anything I''ve ever seen."


    Iris, who had been quietly listening, spoke up with a worried tone. "We still don''t have theplete picture. It is also possible that this is done by thebined work of several ability users. We need to find out more about how this shadow operates and put a stop to it. Mako, can you provide us with any more information about the mist or any other clue you may have found?"


    Mako pondered for a moment, recalling the nightmarish entities. "The creatures... they seemed to be born from the mist like it was giving them life. They had glowing, yellow malevolent eyes, and their appearances were... horrific."


    "As for the mist itself, it felt like it was able to mentally assault me even before revealing itself," Mako added.


    "What about the campsite? Were you able to find any clues before you got attacked?" Iris asked.


    Thinking back to everything that Mako had seen, nothing really jumped out to him that had a strong connection with the shadow or the creatures that attacked him, but there were a lot of odd things that just didn''t make sense and Mako strongly believed that there was a hidden connection between them and the shadow.


    Mako exined to the group all the little weird details that he had observed all over the campsite.


    Firstly, because of the sudden shadow mist attack that had taken ce on this campsite a few days ago, a lot of people had left behind their belongings as they ran for their lives away from the shadow that slowly crept over the entire ce.


    However, the shocking thing was none of the valuable items such as wallets or purses were touched which would be quite odd considering if this whole thing was done by rogue ability users whose whole goal would have been to try and make money from stealing and scaring people away.


    Secondly, Mako had noticed that all life inside the central pond of the starlight campground was dead which was also quite odd as the pond was its own natural eco-system so the fishes and other life inside the pond could have continued to flourish for years toe, and yet they were all dead and afloat on top of the surface of the water.


    Lastly, the biggest clue that Mako found was when he entered the main office located right next to the pond. Just like all the tech he had foundying on the campgrounds, all theputers, monitoring equipment, and even the backup storage were broken andpletely fried from the inside with no sign of temperament from the outside which was extremely out of ce considering technological devices of today were quite resilient and hard to destroy.


    As the group absorbed all of Mako''s findings, they also agreed that so many weird coincidences to happen at the same time was impossible and that all of this had to be linked in some way that they just didn''t know yet.


    The group huddled together, deep in thought, trying to make sense of the puzzleid before them. Mako''s recounting of the strange urrences at the campsite had provided them with crucial clues, but they stillcked aplete understanding of the shadowy mist and the nightmarish creatures it spawned.


    Nathan broke the contemtive silence with a determined look in his eyes. "We need to investigate the campsite further, especially the main office. If we can assess what type of damage was done to the devices, we can know what could have been the cause."


    Leon nodded in agreement. "We can do that in the daytime. The campsite is on lockdown anyway so there won''t be many eyes, but we would still have to do it discreetly. We can''t let anyone know about our involvement. If this is the work of ability users or some sinister group, we don''t want to tip them off."


    Mako was about to say something but suddenly felt a wave of pain and exhaustion causing him to grunt as his body was still being affected by the heavy fatigue.


    Iris spoke, her voice filled with concern. "Mako, you need more time to recover. You can''t fight at your full potential for at least a day or two. It would be best if you just hold back and keep a low profile."


    Mako nodded to Iris'' rmendation, "For the time being, I think all of us should keep a low profile and act like tourists to not raise too much suspicion."


    "I think the enemies already know about me and there is a high chance they are keeping tabs on the vige so they would also know that Bill, Iris, and Erin who are affiliated with me and could also be strong and a potential threat to their ns," Mako spected


    The group nodded at Mako''s spection because it was in fact true. Since Mako was targeted, it means that the enemy is aware of their presence and would also know of their tourist group; however, Nathan and Leon should still be off their radar.


    "Meanwhile, Nathan and Leon, you guys will be our eyes and ears. Our enemies don''t know that you two are also here, and I would like to keep it that way. We don''t want to reveal all our cards when the enemy hasn''t shown all of theirs yet." Makomanded as he strategized their next moves.


    "We will purposefully do nothing and uphold our tourist persona to waste the enemy''s time if they end up spying on us while you guys carry out our next moves," Mako stated.


    Erin added, "I think we should also reach out to Commander Sable. He might have information or resources that could help us understand what we''re dealing with and even help us identify what kind of damage had been done to thoseputers."


    Mako nodded, appreciating the support of his friends. "Yes, that is an excellent suggestion"


    Leon chimed in, "I''ll contact Commander Sable and let him know about the situation. He would probably be able to help us out with theputer situation and probably give us more insight into what kind of abilities could create those nightmarish creatures."


    The group collectively decided on their course of action. Mako would rest and regain his strength, while the rest of the team would apany him and resort back to their roles of just some rich kids having a rxing vacation.


    Meanwhile, Nathan and Leon would conduct a thorough investigation of the campsite in the daytime under the supervision of Commander Sable.

 Chapter 264 Critical Clue

    <h4>Chapter 264 Critical Clue</h4>


    Mako and the group returned to their hotel after separating from Nathan and Leon back in the forest.


    Upon entering the hotel lobby, they were greeted by an unexpected wee. The hotel manager, who had previously been the epitome of professionalism, now appeared flustered as he saw the group enter through the main entrance. His demeanor was unsettling as he stammered through a greeting.


    "W-wee back, Are you guys alright?" the manager said, his voice a bit shaky.


    The group was a bit confused as to why the Hotel manager would be so concerned about them, but before they could say anything, the manager continued.


    "I heard that the shadow was spotted tonight and you hadn''t returned for so long, I was worried something might have happened to our esteemed guests."


    Something about how the manager spoke didn''t really stick well with Iris as she gave a soft yet firm reply.


    "We didn''t encounter any shadows the whole night. We just got too hung up near the vige fountain."


    "Oh... Al... Alright then... Is there anything you require? Room service, perhaps?" The manager asked trying to reestablish his professional behaviour.


    Iris exchanged nces with his friends, sensing that something was amiss. Despite the manager''s peculiar behavior, they decided not to press the issue further, attributing it to the ongoing disturbances in the vige.


    "No, thank you," Erin replied politely. "We''re just going to our rooms for some rest."


    The manager seemed relieved by their response and hastily excused himself, iming that he was busy attending to other guests, even though Mako''s group was the only one present at the moment. The encounter left them with a lingering sense of unease, but they decided to focus on the matters at hand.


    Back in their hotel room, Mako retired to his bed to rest and recover from the whole ordeal. His body was still wracked with fatigue from the intense mental attack and physical battle that he had endured, and he knew he needed time to recuperate.


    In the living room, Iris, Bill, and Erin gathered to try and piece together their information and to try ande up with a strategy that could help them progress greatly in their mission.


    Erin''s brow furrowed as she voiced her concerns, "This whole thing just doesn''t make any sense. The information that Commander Sable had given us didn''t mention anything like this so how were we supposed to be prepared for something that we didn''t even know could be a possibility."


    Bill nodded in agreement, his expression mirroring the unease that had settled over the group. "The main thing to take from this is that there have been no reports of such incidents from the vigers so this thing specifically targeted Mako meaning that it might also have other aces up its sleeve that we have no idea about."


    "We have to be prepared for anything, it is part of the job to make sure you are capable enough to counter any developments to the situation which were previously unknown. We just have to be more careful and make sure we always cover each other''s back. No more solo missions, we do everything as a group." Iris said with determination as she saw this as a hurdle to ovee in order to truly seed in bing a military officer.


    The others agreed with Iris'' wise words and resonated with her will to move together as a group so that a situation like this doesn''t ever repeat again.


    *******************


    [Back in the forest]


    Nathan and Leon had set up a camping spot within the woods after triple-checking that their perimeter was secure.


    They had just finished eating their dinner which were the same MREs they also had during the recruitment test.


    Leon volunteered to contact Commander Sable and update him on their situation. "I''ll contact Commander Sable and let him know about the situation. He would probably be able to help us out with theputer situation and probably give us more insight into what kind of abilities could create those nightmarish creatures."


    Nathan nodded as he took the responsibility of updating Ang who was also somewhere around the perimeter of the vige keeping her own watch for signs of danger that could potentially be too great for the young group.


    Leon brought out a circr device on which he pressed a couple of buttons to bring it to life before throwing it on the ground in front of him.


    The disk started to emit light from the top as it projected the holographic image of Commander Sable that materialized before them as if he was physically present there, his expression a mix of concern and determination. "Hello, Leon. What report do you have for me of your first night?"


    Leon sighed as he began recounting the events that had transpired with Mako, providing detailed information about the shadowy mist, the nightmarish creatures, and the mental attack Mako had endured as well as the clues that Mako had found at the campsite.


    Commander Sable listened intently, his holographic form flickering asionally. "This is a grave development indeed. I''ve heard of a few different ability users with unique and powerful abilities that can potentially do what you have described, but those aren''t just abilities that anyone can possess so it makes me quite skeptical"


    "Either we have apletely different kind of enemy that we have all underestimated or maybe they figured a workaround method to replicate the effects of the ability." Commander Sable said while slowly grazing his tiny beard.


    "What are your orders for us?" Leon asked.


    If it was truly the first case and Mako had just gotten lucky by barely being able to survive the initial attack on their first day, Leon wanted to know whether this mission was still something that he and his team could handle.


    "Keep going, for now, I trust your leader will be able to decide your next steps carefully," Themander ordered.


    "Yes sir, about that..." Leon said as he began to exin their current n of action and how the two of them would go back to the campground and dig deeper to find some clues.


    "That''s our n as of now, Commander. We would need assistance in identifying the probable cause of the destruction of theputers in the main office of the Starlight Campground." Leon stated.


    "Hmm... very well. Alert me as soon as you enter the premises and I will have one of our chief technicians look at the destroyedputers" Themander said before finishing the call.


    ***************


    With their course of action decided. Mako would spend time focusing on recovering from his ordeal while maintaining a low profile inside the hotel room. The rest of the group would y their roles as tourists, blending in with the other visitors to the vige.


    Nathan and Leon would continue their investigation discreetly. Since their identities were unknown to their potential adversaries, they would remain off the radar while gathering crucial information.


    As the next day came and the sun shined brightly on the horizon, Nathan and Leon made their way to the main office inside the campground location. There, they activated theirmunication disc once again, and within seconds Commander Sable''s body materialized again.


    Themander''s holographic gaze shifted to the damagedputers as Leon zoomed in on them with his device to make sure the chief technician got a good shot.


    After a brief analysis, the chief technician was able to provide Commander Sable with his assessment.


    "Theputers were damaged by a very strong electromaic pulse (EMP) weapon. EMPs can overload electronic devices, causing them to self-destruct due to the heat generated from the overload." The technician exined briefly.


    Nathan and Leon exchanged nces, finding it hard to process the answer that the technician gave to them.


    "An EMP? Are you sure, sir? I mean... couldn''t the same thing be done by using a lightning ability?" Nathan asked respectfully.


    "An EMP weapon in today''s time is quite rare as you would need a very powerful one if you wanted to destroy theputer in such a way, but there is no doubt about it, this was definitely done by using an EMP weapon. If it had been done through the lightning ability, the burnt markings and the origin of overheating wouldn''t have been uniform. This pattern can only be created through the use of an EMP weapon." The scientist exined.


    The boys took a second to absorb this crucial piece of information as it practically confirmed that this whole ordeal was done by someone and that someone had ess to some pretty dangerous toys.


    "Thank you, Commander. This information will help us in our investigation," Nathan replied.


    Commander Sable''s image nodded. "Stay vignt, and keep me updated on any developments. We need to unravel this mystery before it poses a greater threat."


    The boys nodded back fully realizing the gravity of the situation and the discovery that they had just made.


    As soon as the Commander ended his transmission, Nathan reached for their miniaturemunication device to ry this crucial information to Mako so that he could develop a strategy to catch these guys in the act and end this once and for all.

 Chapter 265 Ambushed

    <h4>Chapter 265 Ambushed</h4>


    Back at the hotel room, Mako had been patiently waiting for Nathan and Leon''s update. He knew that the information they gathered thanks to the help ofmander Sable would be crucial in devising a n to uncover the people behind the shadowy operations in the vige.


    Mako stared at hismunication device, anxiously waiting for the call.


    Finally, the device pinged, and Mako quickly answered. Nathan''s face appeared on the screen, and his voice was filled with urgency.


    "Mako, we''ve got some important information," Nathan began, his eyes darting around to ensure their conversation remained secure. "Theputers were damaged by an EMP weapon. It''s a clear indication that someone out there has ess to advanced technology."


    Mako''s brow furrowed as he processed this revtion. An EMP weapon? It was a piece of information that opened up a host of possibilities and questions, one that Mako wasn''t expecting.


    Leon chimed in, "The technician confirmed that the damage couldn''t have been caused by any other source like a lightning ability or something else. It had a distinct pattern consistent with EMP damage. This means that our adversary is likely an organized group with ess to dangerous technology."


    Mako nodded, deep in thought. "Thank you for rying this, Nathan. This changes our approach. We need to act swiftly, but cautiously. I''ll call Bill and the others back and we will start piecing this stuff together.


    "Meanwhile, you guys try and see if you can find any information on the military database rting to rouge groups using EMPs or even if there were any other recent EMP attacks. If we can find any sort of rtion between our scenarios and some other, we can blow this case wide open." Makomanded.


    Nathan nodded, slightly impressed with Mako''s quick thinking and effective decision-making. "We''re on it. We''re going to gather more information and keep you updated."


    "Also..." Mako said to stop Nathan from ending the call and then paused for a few seconds as a distinct and old memory shed in his mind.


    "... While you guys search for that stuff, look into if there has been any criminal activity rting to BWDs and if those cases have any connection with EMP cases" Mako added.


    Nathan felt Mako''s request a bit awkward as BWDs had no rtion with theputers getting destroyed.


    "Why would you ask for that?" Nathan inquired, unsure about Mako''s thought process.


    "I just have a hunch that it might be somehow rted," Mako replied.


    Nathan did press the issue further as after all Mako was the leader and just ended the call and started to move back to their little hideout to begin searching.


    As Nathan ended the call, Mako sat back in his chair, his mind racing. He knew that they needed to piece together all the avable information to form aprehensive n.


    The revtion about the EMP weapon indicated that their adversaries were well-equipped and had the capability to cause significant harm, but the more interesting fact was the revtion itself.


    Mako had racked his brain all night, barely getting any sleep, but couldn''t figure out what could have caused the damage that he saw on theputers, as soon as Nathan mentioned the word "EMP", it was like a switch had been turned on inside Mako''s brain and suddenly a lot of pieces started to fit together for him, but still there were many yet to solve.


    Mako pinged the group to meet back at the hotel; meanwhile, he quickly put the pieces together and new a big chunk of what had happened to himst night at the campground.


    Meanwhile, the rest of Mako''s group resumed their exploration of the vige. They began by visiting the vige''s marketce which looked a bit more lively than before after the vige had received a resupply justst night.


    Local vendors disyed a colorful array of fresh goods, but they were all in small quantities indicating that the vige was struggling economically after its main source of ie had been cut short.


    Many of the vigers had already left the vige to try and find fortune elsewhere which was why many of the homes were abandoned throughout the vige and the north wing of the vige where the richer vigers lived in bigger houses waspletely dested and vacant as they had all moved out when their business was beginning to struggle.


    Erin, Bill, and Iris strolled through the market, savoring the sights and sounds. They sampled local delicacies, engaged in friendly conversations with the vigers, and even purchased some souvenirs, all the while maintaining a watchful eye for anything out of ce.


    The day had been rtively uneventful until Erin''s keen eye noticed a man who seemed to shadow their every move. Dressed inconspicuously in regr attire, he blended effortlessly into the crowd, but his relentless presence was cause for concern.


    He wasn''t very close to where they were, but the fact that he was always present nearby, wherever they went was causing Erin to think that this wasn''t just a coincidence and that they might have just identified the person who they had been varying of the entire day.


    Iris, Bill, and Erin stopped at a local carnival where there were many trivial games set up to y with a chance to win prizes. Iris called all the children who were ying on the street and told them that she would pay for their games and that they could y as many games as they wanted while they were there.


    The faces of the children lit up with happiness as they rushed to be the first ones to y their favorite game. Some ran off to quickly bring their friends as well so that they wouldn''t miss out on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


    Some of the mothers even came over thanking Iris and her friends for the kind gesture which Iris received humbly saying that she just wanted to share some of the fun with her little brothers and sisters.


    However, the truth was that so many kids in the area, that an abundance of noise was apparent and that was what Iris needed so that she and her friends could discuss what to do about the mysterious man who was currently sitting at a coffee shop opposite them that sold delicious and affordable coffee without getting heard.


    While ying some basketball, Iris intentionally failed to continue ying; meanwhile, Bill and Erin huddled around her to show as if they were cheering her on, but they were actually discussing their next course of action, theirmunication devices vibrated in unison, a message from Mako asking them toe back to the hotel.


    The message looked urgent and they took it as their cue to leave; however, before they could depart, they decided to confront the mysterious man who had been tailing them. It was a hunch, but they couldn''t afford to leave any stones unturned.


    Exiting the arcade, they paid for all the carnival games before scanning the vicinity for the mysterious figure, but he had inexplicably vanished, leaving them with a growing sense of unease.


    The abrupt disappearance did nothing to alleviate their suspicions, and they knew they couldn''t allow him to slip through their fingers.


    They split up, each taking a discreet route to search for the man. They couldn''t afford to draw attention to themselves or reveal their true abilities among the unsuspecting vigers so they opted to just walk with haste as they searched. Minutes turned into an anxious eternity as their pursuit yielded no results.


    Just as they were contemting regrouping and returning to the hotel to report their findings to Mako, a sudden twist of fate unfurled before their eyes.


    A child''s ball, carelessly thrown, struck Bill from behind, rebounding into a dark alley nearby. The child''s voice called out from a distance down the road, a request for Bill to retrieve the ball from him.


    "Can you get that, mister?"


    Innocent enough, Bill ventured into the alley, trusting the apparent innocence of the situation. However, in an instant, a searing pain erupted at the back of his neck, causing him to stumble and fall. His vision blurred, and darkness overcame him as he lost consciousness.


    The same fate befell Iris and Erin as they had fallen for a simr trap. Both of them had also stepped into the dark alley with innocence as they had already given up on the chase and were about to turn back and head towards the hotel.


    However, it was exactly when they had let down their guard did the ambush came, knocking them both down inside a dark alley as well. Before any of them could react, the tranquilizer darts had finished injecting inside their bodies, sending them spiraling into unconsciousness.


    From the top of the rooftop, the mysterious man whom they had been tracking this entire time revealed himself, a figure of calm and calcted precision, his sniper rifle holding the answer to their sudden ambush.


    "They''re down. Round them up and bring them back. Make sure there are no eyes!" The man ordered through a miniature holophone as he gavemands to someone to gather their unconscious bodies and bring them back somewhere.

 Chapter 266 Stand Down

    <h4>Chapter 266 Stand Down</h4>


    As the sun dipped below the horizon, Mako grew increasingly worried. Hours had passed since hest heard from Bill, Erin, and Iris. It wasn''t like them to be out of contact for so long, especially on a mission of this importance. Mako had been pacing back and forth in the hotel room, anxiously waiting for their return.


    He had tried calling them repeatedly, but there was no response.


    By nighttime, his concern had escted into a gnawing fear. Something had definitely gone wrong, and Mako couldn''t sit idly any longer. He mainly had fully recovered at this point and was ready for action. He picked up hismunication device and reached out to Nathan and Leon, his voice filled with anxiety.


    "Guys, it''s been hours, and I still haven''t heard from Bill, Erin, and Iris. I''m really starting to worry. We need to do something."


    Leon''s face appeared on the screen, his expression mirroring Mako''s concern. "When did youst hear from them?"


    "I message them at 3:30, telling them toe back to the hotel after you guys shared that EMP info with me, but they still haven''t returned and aren''t answering any of my calls."


    "Hmm... that is worrisome," Nathan said as his holographic image joined Leon. "Maybe, they had discovered something and were following up on it," he suggested.


    "I don''t know... they must have still informed me if they were going after a clue but I didn''t receive any info. I think my guess was right and whoever is doing this must be operating within the vige and must have known that they were with me which is why when they spotted them today, they strike." Mako thorized.


    The holographic images of Nathan and Leon looked at each other anxiously before turning back towards Mako.


    "Well, about that... I wanted to believe that it wasn''t true but we did find something and from the looks of it, I''m confident that we have identified who is behind all of this." Nathan said.


    Mako''s eyes widened with shock and anticipation as this was huge. If they were able to identify who they were up against they could n ordingly and rescue Bil and others before it was toote.


    "Go on, tell me then... who is it?" Mako said with anticipation and curiosity.


    *click*


    Mako''s perception kicked in as soon as he heard a faint click sound right by the main door. He didn''t know what it was but his body felt a sudden urge to move.


    Nathan and Leon watched as Mako suddenly flinched in front of them which was from hearing the initial click sound and after that, he quickly stood up from the couch and made a run for it towards the giant ss window in the hotel room.


    "Mako! What are you doing!?" Nathan shouted in confusion as he saw Mako''s figure take equip his gauntlets smash the window and then fall out of it.


    Both Nathan and Leon were left in shock as they had just watched Mako jump out of the building, but before any of them could react or even utter a single word literally seconds after Mako had jumped out, the entire hotel room had exploded.


    *BOOM!*


    A loud explosion appeared on the feed in front of Nathan and Leon apanied by a very loud boom sound whichsted for just a second before the connection was cut off.


    *****************


    [Mako''s perspective]


    Mako''s perception had picked up the disturbance outside of his room just in time as his mind received warning signals from his own body to get away as far as possible immediately. Without thinking, he instinctively moved toward the window.


    He was already getting ready to leave to search for Bill and the others after finishing the call with Nathan and Leon so he had all of his important items on him already.


    He quickly equipped his gauntlets and using all of his strength, smashed right through the window before jumping out of it himself.


    Only a second after he had jumped, the room he was just in exploded.


    *BOOM!*


    The explosion was deafening, and it sent a shockwave of heat and pressure through the room. Shards of ss and debris flew in all directions as the st ripped through the hotel room.


    Mako hadn''t even fallen aplete story yet and the shockwave of the explosion still managed to st him further away with shards of ss embedding into his back.


    It was a miracle that Mako had reacted in time, narrowly escaping the deadly trap.


    As he fell through the air, having sted out of the window, Mako realized that someone had meticulously rigged his room to explode. His heart raced as he understood the intent behind this attack ¨C to eliminate him.


    Falling toward the ground, Mako knew he needed to act quickly. He summoned his Fire ability, creating a jet of mes that erupted from his arms, acting as a thruster to slow his descent. With the mes guiding him, he managed to control his fall, aiming for a patch of ground where he could safelynd.


    With his heart pounding in his chest, he called upon his Earth ability, shaping the ground beneath him to form a makeshift cushion. The earth shifted and molded itself to catch him like a protective embrace. He hit the ground with a controlled thud, the impact absorbed by the earth''s surface.


    Breathing heavily, Mako took a moment to assess his surroundings. It was clear that nowhere in the vige was safe for him now. He couldn''t risk staying in one ce for too long.


    ******************


    Nathan and Leon turned to look at each other in pure shock and disbelief at what they had just witnessed.


    However, before their emotion could control their next set of actions, themunication device in front of them started to ping again as it was receiving a call from an unknown frequency.


    Leon skeptically answered the call which was voice only and heard a sound he was all too familiar with.


    The sound of the wind rushing past your face as you run through it at high speeds.


    "Guys! I''m Okay!" Mako''s voice resounded through all the static.


    It was Mako! As soon as he hadnded on the ground he activated sprint and was now zooming through different alleyways, a technique he learned from Bill to make sure nobody could trail him.


    While he was sprinting, he essed his inventory and brought out his own personal homophone which he quickly connected to the military server using his ess card.


    Luckily, his sharp memory was able to remember the frequency line that he was using to contact Nathan and Leon and was able to quickly call them back before they made any irrational decisions toe look for him and reveal themselves to the enemy that could jeopardize the mission.


    "What just happened!? How are you okay?!" Leon asked still shaken up from all the emotions he just experienced in thest few moments.


    "I''ll exin once I reach you guys. Don''t move from your spot, I''ll be there soon!" Mako said through all the static and ended the call.


    After zipping through some more random alleys, Mako made sure that nobody could see him. He even double-checked by using Energy Sensing and Analyze before finally dashing into the forest and making his way over to Nathan and Leon.


    Mako moved swiftly through the dense underbrush, the darkness of the night concealing his presence. Every rustle of leaves and every snap of twigs heightened his senses as he remained vignt for any signs of pursuit.


    After about a couple minutes of sprinting through the forest, Mako was finally able to spot light which came from the campfire Nathan and Leon had made.


    "NATHAN! LEON! I''M HERE!" He called out to them to announce his arrival so that there wouldn''t be a repeat of what happenedst night when he had mistaken them for the potential enemy.


    Nathan and Leon who were hiding on top of the trees quickly jumped down to find an exhausted Mako who was bleeding from his back.


    *****************


    Mako recounted the harrowing incident to Nathan and Leon as they helped remove the shards of ss from his back. Their faces mirrored his shock and concern as they absorbed the gravity of the situation. It was clear that Bill, Erin, and Iris were in grave danger, and time was of the essence.


    Luckily, his fortitude was able to stop all the shards from prating deep into his body and doing any real damage so after they had removed thest piece, Mako quickly began to heal after consuming another healing pill.


    As the trio discussed their next moves, Leon and Nathan finally shared the information they had gathered about the potential identity of their assant. Mako''s hunch about a connection between the EMP attack and the use of BWD weapons led to a breakthrough in their investigation.


    Nathan exined, "We filtered the criminal database for cases involving EMP attacks and BWD weapons, just as you suggested. Surprisingly, there was only one match, and it fits the description of our assant. It''s a gang known for conducting illegal activities for confidential clients. Their modus operandi involves using BWD weapons for psychological maniption and EMP weapons to destroy evidence."


    Mako''s heart sank as the puzzle pieces began to fall into ce. When he had ordered Nathan and Leon to search for EMP cases, he had remembered reading up on a weapon that was simr to the EMP back at the Library in Emerald City before any of this started.


    BDWs were short for Brain Wave Disruptors which were a range of different weapons that generated different brain waves to inflict physiological damage in a multitude of ways.


    Mako had a hunch that this was what might have caused that static that he saw when he used his Energy Sensing right after the shadow had disappeared. But looking back at it now, the static could have been caused by the EMP weapons instead as its whole purpose was to produce an electromaic pulse to disrupt all the energies around him.


    "And get this, there has been a report for a stolen BWD weapon two months ago that can quote, ''visualize a subject''s worst fears into reality''. We still didn''t know if this was in rtion to the shadow as funny enough we still couldn''t find anything in rtion to it, but after you mentioned Bill and other''s disappearance, there was doubt that it was them." Leon added.


    "How was that?" Mako asked.


    "Meet the leader of this small gang, Victor Voss," Leon said as he pulled an image of the person who had taken down Bill and the others.


    Victor was an average-looking man with an average physique and height with no decerning features that would indicate that the man was a ruthless hitman.


    "His innocent appearance has led to the downfall of many as he is a skilled hitman and trained sniper. His favorite way of taking down enemies is to shoot them with a tranquilizer rifle while they get distracted by a little kid that leads them into a secluded area." Nathan said.


    With their newfound information, they formed a clearer picture of the adversary they were up against. It seemed increasingly likely that Bill, Erin, and Iris had encountered this dangerous gang leader. The urgency of their situation multiplied.


    Determined to take action, Mako quickly contacted Commander Sable to provide an update on their dire situation and to ask for assistance on what to do next.


    **************


    Minutester, Commander Sable had a contemtive expression as he received thest of Mako''s report.


    "We still don''t know their agenda for doing all this but there is no doubt about this, this is their doing," Mako concluded.


    Commander Sable thought for a few seconds with a quite scary and serious expression.


    His voice on the other end of the line was firm and decisive as he proceeded to give Mako his next order, "Mako, this has escted into a genuine D-tier mission now that a D-tier criminal is involved. You and your team are ordered to stand down. I will dispatch a team from the base that will infiltrate the vige and sunrise. They will handle things from there."

 Chapter 267 Not An Option

    <h4>Chapter 267 Not An Option</h4>


    Mako''s heart pounded with adrenaline as he stared down at the holographic figure of Commander Sable, his order still ringing in his mind.


    Themander''s decision to stand down and wait for reinforcements had left him frustrated and anxious. He knew that every passing moment increased the risk to Bill, Erin, and Iris.


    His voice, filled with urgency and frustration, broke the tense silence. "Commander, you don''t understand. We can''t afford to wait for reinforcements. By sunrise, it might be toote for them. We have Ang, and with ourbined abilities, we can take on Victor Voss and his gang. We can save our friends if we act now."


    Commander Sable''s stern voice crackled through themunication device, his patience wearing thin. "Mako, I understand your concern, but we can''t jeopardize the mission and risk the safety of the vigers. We don''t even know where they''re being held inside the vige, and engaging with this gang without a clear n would be reckless."


    Mako clenched his fists, frustration, and desperation fueling his determination. "With all due respect, Commander, my friends are in danger. I can''t just sit here and do nothing while the enemy could be doing who knows what to them. We can find their location, and we have Ang. She''s powerful enough to take on Victor. Please, reconsider."


    Themander''s voice remained unwavering. "Mako, I''m giving you a direct order to stand down. We will handle this situation, and I promise we will do everything in our power to rescue your friends safely. Disobeying orders will onlyplicate matters further."


    Mako''s eyes zed with defiance as he disconnected themunication device, his decision firm. He couldn''t allow Bill, Erin, and Iris to be in danger any longer. He turned to Nathan and Leon, determination etched across his face. "We''re going to find them. Sitting around is not an option, we are doing this with or without themander''s approval."


    Nathan and Leon exchanged nces, both of them still hesitant to follow Mako as this was breaking the rules which couldnd them severe punishment, which would jeopardize their own future goals; however, they didn''t know what it was but in that intense moment, their body moved on their own as they nodded in agreement to Mako''smand.


    Just then, Ang appeared out of the shadows, her presence both unexpected and imposing. She had been listening to the entire conversation and hadnded silently, her expression unreadable.


    "What''s going on?" Ang asked, her gaze shifting between Mako and themunication device.


    Mako wasted no time in exining the situation to her, recounting the disappearance of Bill, Erin, and Iris and their belief that Victor Voss and his gang were responsible. He emphasized the urgency of the situation and their need to act immediately.


    Ang''s expression remained stoic, her allegiance to the military apparent. "I understand your concern, Mako, but you heard what themander said. I cannot go against themander''s orders. I''m a soldier, and I must follow orders."


    Mako''s frustration boiled over as he shouted, "Ang, this is about our friends'' lives! If you''re not willing to stand with us, then I''ll do whatever it takes to save them myself."


    Ang''s eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward, her shadowy aura swirling around her. "You underestimate me, Mako. I''m not afraid to fight, but I won''t defy orders unless you can prove that there''s no other choice."


    Mako''s stance remained unwavering as he locked eyes with Ang, his resolve unyielding.


    Ang''s shadowy presence seemed to meld with the darkness itself. Her aura freely erupted from her body as she was prepared to use her abilities to uphold her duty.


    With tension reaching its breaking point, Mako clenched his fists tighter and activated his Fire ability. mes surged from his gauntlets, casting a fiery aura around him. "We don''t have time for this, Ang. We need to find our friends now."


    Ang''s eyes narrowed, and a dark, swirling shadow enveloped her form. "You''ve made your choice, Mako. Let''s see if you can keep up."


    With that, Ang lunged forward, her shadowy figure darting towards Mako with astonishing speed. Her movements were fluid and unpredictable, making it challenging for Mako to anticipate her attacks.


    However, Mako wasn''t a rookie to fighting things that didn''t have a solid physical body as he had just survived an onught of nightmarish illusions the previous night.


    Compared to those illusions, Ang was a much greater threat as she was many times stronger, faster, and better than those creatures but she also had fighting experience and could use her shadow ability at will.


    Nathan and Leon exchanged a quick nce, their teamwork had slowly started to build through this mission. Nathan activated his advanced perception ability, allowing him to sense the subtle shifts in energy around Ang and even though he could barely detect it he was still strong enough to render Ang''s skill useless. He whispered to Leon, "I''ll cover you, Leon. Get ready."


    Leon nodded, his body moving at high speed as he dashed towards Ang, his muscles hardening and mes erupting around him as he closed the distance. Ang responded with a burst of shadowy energy, sting Mako into a group of trees before attempting to ensnare Leon.


    However, before Ang could attack Leon an explosion erupted from underneath her feet sending her flying a few feet into the air.


    Nathan had finally revealed his new explosion ability which he used to catch Ang off guard. Leon was quite confused as he saw Nathan use a brand new ability, but he knew now was no time for questions as he quickly took advantage of Nathan''s attack and advanced forward to keep the pressure on Ang.


    As Leon engaged Ang, Mako focused on his own battle. Ang switched from dark and purple mes that represented the shadow ability to regr orange mes indicating that she had the fire ability as well.


    Her fiery aura shed with Leon''s as they exchanged blows with Leon barely able to match her strength thanks to his hardening that was reducing the damage that he received from her ferocious strikes.


    Her shadowy tendrilsshed out again, attempting to entangle him, but Mako used his earth''s ability to create a barrier, blocking the shadows from reaching Leon.


    Nathan''s keen perception allowed him to anticipate Ang''s movements. He activated his explosion ability, causing a controlled explosion near her, forcing her to retreat momentarily. It was a delicate bnce of power, and Nathan knew that he had to make sure his own teammates didn''t get hit by the explosion.


    The battle raged on, each member of the team showcasing their unique abilities. Ang''s mastery over Shadow and Fire allowed her to counter their every move, and she was not to be underestimated.


    Despite Ang''s strength, Mako, Nathan, and Leon fought with relentless determination. Their teamwork and synergy were evident as they adapted to Ang''s tactics and coordinated their attacks.


    Just when it seemed the battle could go on indefinitely, a powerful surge of energy emanated from Ang as she had finally had enough. mes and shadows converged around her as she unleashed a devastating attack. The shockwave sent Mako, Nathan, and Leon tumbling backward.


    Theirbined abilities had pushed Ang to use her full power, and she knew she couldn''t maintain the fight much longer, or else she might actually hurt one of them.


    Breathing heavily, Mako stared at her as the fight came to a stalemate. She stared back, this time with newfound respect, acknowledging Mako''s unwavering determination.


    "Please, Ang. I know we can do this if all four of us fight together. We can save Bill and the others before it''s toote! Please, help us!"


    Ang hesitated for a moment, torn between her duty and her growing respect for Mako''s determination. Finally, she nodded. "Very well, we''ll search for your friends, but we''ll follow my lead. I won''t allow recklessness."


    Mako nodded in agreement, relieved that Ang had chosen to join them. He turned to Nathan and Leon. "Let''s go, we don''t have much time."


    "We''ll start by searching remote areas within the vige as there is a high chance they might be hiding there," Mako suggested.


    Ang agreed and the four of them followed her lead as they ventured into the vige, ready to begin looking for their friends.


    They decided to begin their search from the northern part of the vige, where the abandoned homes of the richer vigersy. It was a gamble, but Mako''s instincts told him that this area held answers.


    ******************


    Meanwhile, in a dimly lit and damp room, Bill, Erin, and Iris struggled to make sense of their surroundings. They had all regained consciousness but for some reason, none of them could use their abilities.


    Their eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light filtering in through a small window, revealing the dust-covered room. The air was musty, and the silence was punctuated only by their shallow breaths.


    Bill tried to move around but soon realized that he had been handcuffed to a pole behind his back restricting him from moving and the same was the case with Erin and Iris.


    Bill spoke first, his voice tinged with worry. "Iris, Erin, are you both okay?"


    They both nodded as they began to remember the events that happened before they were knocked out. All three of them couldn''t believe how stupid they had been to just walk into the alley with no hindsight and now they had heavily jeopardized the mission and had given the enemy a huge leverage on them.


    Erin, being optimistic, managed a weak smile. "Don''t worry, guys. Mako wille for us. We just have to hold on. Remember, we still have to act like we are tourists. We don''t want to give them any more information."


    Their conversation was interrupted by the creaking of the door. It slowly swung open, revealing the menacing figure of Victor Voss. He entered the room with an air of calcted cruelty andtex gloves on his hands.

 Chapter 268 Torturous Interrogation

    <h4>Chapter 268 Torturous Interrogation</h4>


    A shiver ran down Bill''s spine as he recognized their captor from their pursuit earlier that day. Victor''s eyes bore into them, devoid of mercy.


    "Well, well, well," Victor sneered, his voiceced with malice. "It seems our little game of cat and mouse has taken an interesting turn. You three are quite the persistent pests, aren''t you?"


    Bill''s jaw clenched, his determination shining through his fear. "What do you want from us?"


    Victor leaned in closer to Bill, his voice dripping with malice. "Oh, I''ll tell you what I want, boy. I want to know what you are doing here. That pesky friend of yours was quite troublesomest night so I wanted to take extra precautions with you three."


    He gestured to the cuffs binding their wrists. "These are power-dampening cuffs and aren''t just for show. They''re designed to nullify abilities up to level 5 by blocking you from essing mana. Very handy when dealing with people like you."


    "Please, sir. We don''t know anything. We were just here for a vacation, and we don''t want to cause you any trouble." Iris said innocently, ying her part as a powerless and scared spoiled rich girl.


    Victor suddenly picked up a ceramic vase that was beside Bill and threw it at the wall right beside Iris'' face, smashing it with force.


    A piece of the smashed vase grazed Iris'' cheek leaving a small cut on her face.


    "YOU THINK I''M A FOOL. THAT BRAT COMPLETELY DEPLETED MY MACHINE''S POWER! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO GET THAT THING CHARGED!" Victor shouted at Iris with anger.


    Bill clenched his fist with pure anger as he witnessed such mistreatment happening to Iris, but he knew he had to control himself at this moment.


    "Please! We didn''t do anything!" Erin butted in with fake tears down her eyes as she tried to make Victor calm down.


    "Not you, but your friend sure did. No matter, he has been dealt with already..." Victor said as he moved back towards a table that was near the door.


    "Wait... what...? What did you just say...?" Erin said as she had stopped her fake crying and was now trembling with genuine shock.


    "What do you mean he''s been dealt with?" Bill added.


    "I sent my men to rig your hotel room to explode and now that entire thing is up in mes along with your pesky friend," Victor said while grinning madly.


    All three of them were stuck in shock as they couldn''t believe what Victor was saying.


    "Mako''s... dead...?" Erin repeated as she still could fathom such a thing to be a reality.


    "His name was Mako, huh? That name sounds familiar... Oh well, he''s dead now so no point in me knowing his name." Victor said maniacally.


    "YOU MONSTER! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU KILL HIM!? YOU COULD HAVE TAKEN HIM HOSTAGE LIKE US!" Erin shouted with genuine tears in her eyes as she began to struggle violently, trying to escape from her cuffs, but it waspletely useless.


    All the while Victorughed at Erin''s growing sorrow and emotions like a mad sociopath.


    Suddenly, Victor lunged at Erin grabbing her mouth with his palm and clenching it tightly so she couldn''t make any more noise.


    "You say why I killed him! That pathetic excuse of living being extended our job''spletion time by several weeks!" Victor shouted as he gripped Erin''s mouth with a threatening expression.


    Erin''s eyes widened with fear as she felt that any extra force could crush her jawpletely.


    "LET HER GO!" Iris shouted in a futile attempt to get Victor to let go of Erin''s face.


    Victor turned towards Iris with a creepy grin scaring Iris to her core and then actually let go of Erin''s face allowing her to breathe once again.


    *cough* *cough*


    Victor walked back towards the table and this time picked up something that resembled the shape of a baseball bat made out of metal.


    "We could have cleared out this entire vige by the end of the week, but no that brat had to show up at the most inconvenient time and catch my guys off-guard. They had no choice but to activate the machine to try and get rid of him quickly but that bastardsted till the machine was out of power! Now it will take us at least another week to get recharged again!" Victor said as he activated a button on the bat that seemed to be like a power switch.


    The bat suddenly split in half lengthwise and extended horizontally, leaving a gap in the middle where tendrils of electricity frequently bounced between the two halves.


    "Now... I am not taking any chances. I can''t risk dying this job any further which means I need to know who sent you here and if there are any more of you that I have to be vary of. I just have to get that information with you guys..." Victor said as he.


    *ZAP!*


    Victor swung the bat with a controlled force as he struck Bill''s arm. The electricity quickly began traveling through Bill''s body causing immense pain


    "AHHHHHH!" Bill screamed in pain as his arm continued to get electrocuted.


    Iris spoke up, her voice trembling but resolute. "We don''t know anything about your operations. We were just tourists."


    Victor''s smile widened, revealing a glint of madness in his eyes. "Ah, but you see, I don''t believe you. There''s more to you than meets the eye. Your little friend Mako and his abilities, they''re quite intriguing, and I intend to find out everything before I resume my n."


    Victor left Bill to continuously get electrocuted while he fetched another device to use on Iris.


    "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!" Bill shouted with extreme anger as the pain he was feeling from the electrocution was nothingpared to seeing Iris get tortured.


    However, Bill''s maddening shouts and screams only caused to Victorugh in amusement as this was music to his ears.


    He approached Iris and ced a weird mask on her face that was full of green gas. Having no other option, she had to breathe in the mysterious gas, and soon after she began screaming madly.


    Despite the screams of torment and paining from Bill and Iris, Vincent moved towards Erin with his hands manipting a ball of water.


    "I''ll even ask you nicely. WHO SENT YOU!? ARE THERE ANY MORE OF YOU?!" He inquired Erin.


    Erin shot back defiantly, "You won''t break us, no matter what you do."


    Victor chuckled, his fingers manipting the water to engulf Erin''s head. "Break you? Oh ho, my dear, I like a good challenge. Let''s see how long you canst."


    Bill''s defiance shone through the pain as he retorted, "We won''t tell you anything, you monster!"


    Victor''s smile widened, revealing a predatory glint in his eyes. "I don''t need you to tell me anything. I have ways of making you reveal your deepest fears, your darkest secrets."


    With that, Victor began his cruel work. Each of them endured a unique form of torment, designed to experience pain in such extreme quantity that they would tell him everything. Bill, Erin, and Iris gritted their teeth, as they struggled refusing to give him the satisfaction of their screams.


    *******************


    An hour passed, and the room bore witness to their silent suffering as Victor finally gave them a small break.


    Bill''s nerves had taken considerable damage and now he couldn''t stop his body from twitching. Erin felt like her lungs would explode from how little oxygen she had managed to survive with, andstly, Iris was in the most terrible of states as the gas that she had inhaled was a type of fear toxin that caused her to hallucinate and see terrible scenes which cause her to be temporarily mad.


    However, despite all of that, all three of them still maintained their strong will and refused to tell Victor anything. All three of them made their mindpletely nk and only thought of the reason why they were here in the first ce, the reason for their fighting.


    This caused them to have a very strong will that still hadn''t crumbled under the torturous methods of Victor Voss; however, it wasn''t that strong at this point as all three of them had endured far more than what they could handle and were reaching their breaking point.


    "You guys ready to talk now, or would you like to have a repeat of all that again?" Victor asked coldly.


    Just as their endurance seemed to waver, the door to the room burst open, and one of the goons of their small walked up and quickly stood beside Victor who was still facing Bill with an expression that yelled urgency.


    "Boss, there has been a breach! Someone has broken in!" The goon reported in a hurry.


    Victor turned around and gave a death stare to the goon, almost making him piss his pants.


    "DON''T JUST STAND THERE! FIND OUT WHO IT IS!" Victor shouted.


    The goon quickly nodded and left not wanting to witness Victor''s wrath. Victor breathed heavily as he calcted what to do next.


    He decided to see for himself who was brave enough to break into their hideout and began to move out of the room.


    "Consider this a gift. I won''t be so merciful when I return so I expect you to start talking." He said before shutting the door.


    *****************


    Outside, in the darkness of the night, Mako, Nathan, Leon, and Ang quickly scanned through the entire north wing of the vige with nothing to show for at first but just before they were convinced that the hideout wasn''t here, Ang decided that she would leave no stone unturned by unleashing one of her strongest skills.


    The reason for this is that she was convinced that the hideout had to be here somewhere as she had already cleared most of the other vige and the surrounding perimeterst night.


    These missions usually take at least 2-3 weeks toplete depending on the severity of the mission and the team''s capabilities which was why she hadn''t cleared the entire vige in one go and instead decided to clear each area with greater uracy so that she wouldn''t miss anything.


    This was quite a special case as the situation had escted to this point in such a short time that even she was impressed, but regardless the north wing hadn''t been cleared out by her personally and that was why she didn''t want to leave any behind any chances of the enemy residing in the area.


    "This skill requires me a few moments to recuperate after I have used it so if I do find something, your job is to create as much noise and havoc as possible to lure Victor out. Once he is there, I will handle him while you guys take care of the rest, clear?" Ang exined.


    "Yes, loud and clear," Mako replied.

 Chapter 269 Break In

    <h4>Chapter 269 Break In</h4>


    Ang''s entire body became a fluid of dark mist that resembled both a liquid and gas at the same time with menacing purple eyes.


    Her body resembled a lot like one of the nightmarish entities that Mako had faced in the forest just without the ws and the monster face.


    Suddenly, Ang''s purple eyes began to shine with a brighter light as her whole body expanded outwards in a bubble of dark and purple mist.


    The mist quickly expanded in all directions, instantly covering Mako and the others and reaching several blocks in each direction, covering almost the entirety of the residential area inside the north wing of the vige.


    Being inside the dark and shadowy mist was an unreal experience as their field of view was severely restricted making them unable to view 2 feet in front of them. This was a status effect called "Blinded" which was inflicted on all living things that were within the dark mist.


    However, since Mako and his team were allies, they didn''t receive the full effects of what this skill was capable of doing, but the same couldn''t be said for a group of people that were just within the boundary of the dark mist bubble.


    Suddenly, Mako, Nathan, and Leon''s visions lit up with red glowing silhouettes of several figures that were moving around in confusion far away in the distance. They had been blinded just like Mako and the others, but for them the case was different.


    Momentster, the dark mist retracted back and condensed into the misty boy of Ang. The mist quickly cleared up from around her and she copsed on the floor exhausted from the use of her skill.


    Mako and the others had regained their field of vision but the people who were marked earlier and were being shown as glowing red figures in the distance were still showing.


    "GO! That is the entrance to their base! I was able to blind and restrict the entrance only. Those people you see in the red figures are affected by my skill and are practically useless for the next three minutes. I wasn''t able to reach deeper into their hideout, but it still should be enough for you to draw the rest of them out." Ang quickly exined while taking heavy breaths.


    Mako, Leon, and Nathan quickly sprung into action as they bolted over to the glowing figures, determined to not waste a single second of the time that Ang had bought them.


    Ang leaned herself against a wall as she continued to recover her strength hoping that she could recover in time before Victor himself showed up.


    *****************


    Mako and Leon were the first to arrive on the site which was aplex of several homes all surrounded by a single wall that only had one entrance with Nathangging a bit behind now that he didn''t have an ability that could provide him with agility like before.


    "I can''t believe this! I definitely cleared this ce before," Leonmented as his eyes focused on the glowing figures of five men moving around in confusion, and it was then that he realized.


    The hideout wasn''t inside one of the buildings on the surface, but rather it was underground.


    Filled with rage at having missed such a crucial detail when checking through this area the first and the thought of his friends getting more tortured because of his mistake, Leon took the lead and dashed into theplex and straight down the secret hatch that was inside the security office.


    Down underneath the hatch was awork of tunnels that looked to have been formed recently with a fewnterns and fire torches illuminating the area.


    Right in front of Leon were the five guards that were meant to patrol the entrance, but right now they couldn''t even figure out which direction they were facing as a small piece of purple shadow had attached itself to each of their eyes, making thempletely blind and vulnerable for a limited time.


    Leon, still seething with anger at his oversight, took the lead once again. With his Speed ability activated, he moved like a blur, darting between the disoriented guards. Using his Hardening ability, he struck each guard with precise, powerful blows, rendering them unconscious. Hisbination of speed and strength made quick work of the helpless guards.


    As the guards fell to the ground, defeated, Mako and Nathan arrived at the scene. Mako''s red fire-covered gauntlets and Nathan''s fists crackling with explosions were at the ready, but they found no need to unleash their full powers on the knocked-out guards.


    Before they could move on, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the tunnel. More reinforcements were on their way looking to find the cause of all themotion.


    As several more men reached the scene, they were met with the sight of their fallenrades and the three intruders who had taken them down. The situation was chaotic, and it took them a moment to assess the situation.


    However, the intruders were quick to act giving the reinforcements no time to make sense of what had just happened and what situation they had found themselves in.


    Three of the men rushed to meet the attacks of the intruders while the others stood by to support one of them in the very back shouting an order in anothernguage to a certain goon who quickly sprinted away from the battle to execute the order.


    "§±§â§Ö§Õ§å§á§â§Ö§Õ§Ú§ä§î §Ò§à§ã§ã§Ñ!(Trantion: Warn the boss!)" The man had shouted.


    One of the goons unleashed a burst of fire, creating a wall of mes that traveled forward scorching the ground as it did so. Mako met the attack head-on as his superior red-fire-engulfed gauntlets cut through the wall of fire with ease.


    Mako brought a pen from his pocket which he quickly extended into his Storm Caller Staff in which he quickly began to supply Lightning aura.


    Electrical Discharge was proven yet again to be a fantastic skill in this scenario as it would allow Mako and the others to deal some serious damage while all the reinforcements would be helpless as they be paralyzed by Mako''s attack.


    The crystal atop the Storm Caller staff crackled with electricity, indicating that it was ready for use; however, before Mako could m the staff into the ground it would erupt a pulse of electricity, and a sudden quick attack knocked the staff straight out of Mako''s hands alongside the gauntlet that he had on.


    Mako looked back and saw his staff and gauntlet knocked several meters away with the gauntlet having a smoking hole torn through it that was still molten around the edges.


    Mako looked the other way to see what had caused this sudden damage only to find one of the goons sitting in the exact same position he would be in when he cast a me bullet.


    The me bullet from the goon had impacted on the gauntlet tearing right through it as it was indeed a low-tier armor after all.


    Luckily, the force of the bullet had jerked Mako''s entire arm backward such that the bullet stripped the gauntlet off his hand before it could finish tearing through.


    Mako couldn''t believe his luck as the me bullet attack was fast enough that his perception wasn''t even able to pick it up in time. If his hand arm handed jerked back in the way that it did, Mako would have now had a hole through his hand.


    The goons didn''t let Mako recover in the slightest as one more goon joined the assault against him totaling three.


    Two of them were decent fire ability users. One of them was the one who had initiated the attack by casting the me wall while the other was the one who had snipped away Mako''s staff he had the aura level 5 fire ability user meanwhile thest guy had the wind ability and judging by his aura he looked quite strong as well.


    Mako was given a brutal reminder that these weren''t like the low-level thugs and gang members he had faced back in Emerald City. These were decently strong individuals chosen to be on a mission.


    He activated his defensive stance and prepared himself for a battle that he knew he couldn''t easily win.


    On the other side of the tunnel, Leon was continuously getting assaulted by two Earth-ability users who worked in great sync with one another as they created obstacle after obstacle to restrict Leon from gaining momentum as he couldn''t run in a straight path for long enough.


    His fighting style was still heavily reliant on his speed ability and with him not having great control over turning at high speeds, his main source of offense was cut off by the enemy.


    Now they had entered a stalemate as the two earth users continued to deny offense to Leon but couldn''t really damage Leon either thanks to Leon''s hardening.


    In the middle of the tunnel, Nathan faced the remaining three goons which consisted of a Water user, a lightning user, and a fire user with all three of them being level 4 ability users.


    Nathan''s fists crackled with tiny explosions as he prepared himself for his first official fight in a mission.


    He lunged forward and quickly extended and retracted his arms in the air, shooting out explosive sts at the enemy with every iteration.


    However, all of the explosions were caught and nullified by a water bubble that encapsted all of them before they could deal any damage.


    The other two goons spent no time because just as the water ability user blocked and nullified Nathan''s attack, the two of themunched their respective elemental attacks toward Nathan, hoping to end him with a single strike.


    Luckily, all those attacks were very slow for Nathan who could sense theming from a mile away and was easily able to dodge both attacks.


    Simr to Leon, Nathan''s fight soon entered a stalemate as the water ability user made sure that he continuously blocked Nathan''s one and only offensive ability while hisradesnd a blow on him, but thanks to Nathan''s Advanced Perception, the only thing getting damage was the ground and walls of the tunnel around them.

 Chapter 270 Teamwork

    <h4>Chapter 270 Teamwork</h4>


    The tunnel became a battleground, filled with the shing of abilities, elemental attacks, and the relentless determination of Mako, Nathan, and Leon who had found themselves locked in fiercebat against the reinforcements, and it quickly became apparent that these were not your run-of-the-mill gang members. They were well-coordinated, using their abilities strategically to counter their attacks.


    Up until this point, all of them with the exclusion of Nathan had experienced very few real high-level fights much less participate in one and the difference was really night and day whenparing these actual fighters who coordinated their attacks andpared them to the weak and immature gang members and cadets they have fought up to this point.


    It really humbled them a bit as this was a harsh reminder to them that even though they were ssified by the military as special-ss material, they were still far away from being decent fighters and there were still many people who surpassed them with skill, power, and technique.


    Mako''s body zed with red fire and crackled with electricity as he faced off against the trio of fire and wind ability users. Earth barriers rose around him as he entered a defensive stance after yet another failed attempt to deal a decisive strike on one of the three recruitments.


    The level 5 ability user remained behind his two otherrades as he continued to spam me bullets at Mako whenever he would drop down his barrier and try to go on the offensive.


    Meanwhile, the two other goons used their wind and fire abilities in unison to greatly increase the damage caused by the mes of the fire user, an effect that Mako was greatly aware of.


    The fire and wind ability users continued to spam their abilities to quickly crumble away Mako''s barrier leaving him vulnerable for a few seconds which the goon in the back would take the opportunity to take a shot at Mako before he raised more barriers.


    Mako tried using his other abilities such as his lightning ability but he couldn''t use any skills that required him to charge up as he had to constantly be on the move. He had tried to use Electrical Discharge by himself, hoping to turn the tables, but only the goons assaulting him got paralyzed as the one shooting from behind was a bit out of range.


    The paralysis of the goons didn''t evenst very long as they were able to quickly recover before Mako could think of a n.


    He thought that since the goons were so overusing their abilities, he could wait them out in a battle of endurance as they were bound to get out of energy soon, but looking at his own energy bar, Mako wasn''t so sure of his chances of oversting them as he didn''t have a full bar of energy to begin with due to him having a prior battle with Ang and escaping from an assassination attempt.


    Mako was stuck between a rock and a hard ce quite literally and he had to think of a solution to turn this thing around or else everything would be lost.


    **************


    Leon''s speed ability, his greatest asset, was rendered ineffective by the teamwork of two Earth-ability users. They synchronized their powers expertly, creating continuous obstacles that disrupted Leon''s attempts to gain momentum.


    His usual hit-and-run tactics were negated as he was forced to dodge and weave around the earth barriers they conjured. The two Earth users had established a firm defensive front, and Leon couldn''t find an opening to strike.


    Leon''s fighting style relied heavily on his speed, and with his ability hampered, he felt trapped in a never-ending struggle. He realized he needed to find a way to break through the earth-based defenses and regain his advantage.


    He tried using his own earth and fire abilities to counter them, but since his earth ability was heavily under-leveled when facing two strong earth ability users, hismand over the earth was denied by the goons.


    He did have some sess in using his fire ability as he was able to make the goons go on the defensive for a bit, but it wasn''t enough for him to create an opening and was soon countered by them creating earthen barriers to defend themselves against his barrage of fireballs.


    *****************


    Nathan, facing off against the water, lightning, and fire ability users, also had his hands full. His fists crackled with tiny explosions, a potent offensive ability that was nullified by the weakest of the five core elemental abilities, the water ability.


    The water user continued to create water bubbles that encapsted Nathan''s explosive sts, rendering them harmless.


    The way that the explosion ability worked was that Nathan himself was capable of excreting an extremely vtile and explosive fluid in the form of a liquid and gas from his pores.


    He could excrete this fluid at will from all over his body and could also control the quantity and concentration of the fluid which he could then use to attack his opponents bybusting the vtile liquid at will once it had left his body.


    Meanwhile, the lightning and fire ability users coordinated their attacks, aiming to overwhelm Nathan.


    Nathan''s Advanced Perception Ability allowed him to anticipate their moves, and he managed to dodge their attacks with rtive ease. However, he couldn''t find an opportunity tond a significant blow. He was stuck in a defensive position, blocking and evading their elemental assaults.


    As the battle raged on, it became evident that he was struggling.


    The reinforcements had strength in numbers and were using their abilities to counter every move. Mako, Nathan, and Leon knew they needed to change their tactics to gain the upper hand.


    Mako knew that being the leader he had to prove himself by being the one to find a solution out of this mess that they had gotten themselves trapped in.


    It was quite true that they weren''t strong enough to deal with their opponents on their own and that they would have to work together in order to finally deal with them.


    Looking over at Nathan and Leon it was clear that they also had their hands full and weren''t really in a position to help him out, but then Mako suddenly had a great idea.


    He did have a skill that could be used without charging up, and although it wasn''t as strong as when it had time to charge up, it could be perfect to create that one opening that was needed for them to potentially im victory.


    With one of his arms reinforcing the earth barrier that the two goons were actively attacking to try and take down, Mako observed Nathan''s battle with greater interest as he waited for the perfect opportunity which soon came about.


    Nathan once again tried to unleash a strong st attack at his opponents, but the water user had once again appeared to intercept the attack and render it useless.


    [Energy beam has been activated]


    Using his free hand, Mako fired a short pulse of a green beam, not toward his two opponents, but rather toward the water ability user who was just about to conjure another water bubble.


    The green st was so unsuspecting that nobody could have predicted it, not even Nathan.


    The beam sted the water ability user''s back sending him flying into the ground leaving Nathan''s explosive sts undefended.


    *Boom!* *Boom!* Boom!*


    A series of sts erupted in front of Nathan''s two opponents, dealing heavy damage to their bodies; however, not that Nathan had regained his offensive capabilities, and he quickly capitalized on Mako''s distraction and unleashed several more barrages of explosive sts toward his opponents,pletely decimating the area and leaving the three ability users on the brink of death with burn and char marks all over their body.


    Now that Nathan was finally free from his battle, he wasted no time as he started chucking explosions toward Leon''s direction who was stuck in thebyrinth of Earth walls and obstacles.


    The explosion crumbled away all of the earthen structure quicker than the two earth ability users could regenerate.


    Leon, having finally broken through the earth barriers, gained momentum. His super-speed allowed him to cover the distance between him and his foes in an instant. With a burst of mes surrounding his fists, he struck both earth ability users with devastating blows.


    The reinforcements, now disoriented and thrown off bnce, struggled to regroup.


    Mako had sessfully shifted the tide of battle in their favor through teamwork and clever tactics.


    Now with two out of three battles won, the tables quickly turned as Nathan and Leon engaged inbat with the two ability users who were assaulting Mako.


    The fire ability user in the back was confused as to which person to target as now he couldn''t just focus on one. Knowing the other fire user was stronger than the wind user, he knew he couldst a bit longer so he decided to aim at Leon first who was battling the wind ability user.


    However, this time he wasn''t the only one charging up an attack as from behind the earth barrier that Mako was hiding behind, Mako''s Energy ability continued to emanate waves of power as it condensed more and more.


    Just as Leon and Nathan were about to finish beating up the ability users and the fire ability user in the back was about to shoot his condensed me bullet, a massive condensed ray of green energy sted through the earthen barrier, crumbling it away in seconds and directly sting the fire ability user back toward the wall of the tunnel with such extreme force that his body got indented into the wall itself with the front of his body getting charred up nicely by the strong energy beam.


    In a matter of minutes, what had initially been a chaotic and seemingly unwinnable battle had turned in favor of Mako and the team. The reinforcements, initially confident in their numbers, had been defeated through teamwork and the clever use of abilities.


    The tunnel fell into an eerie silence as the team caught their breath, victorious in their hard-fought battle. Mako, Nathan, and Leon exchanged nods of appreciation for one another''s contributions, realizing that their greatest strength was their unity.


    They knew that the challenge thaty ahead would be even tougher but they were prepared to do anything to save their friends from the torture that they had been enduring.

 Chapter 271 Blue Lightning

    ?


    As the boys traveled into the tunnel, it continued to wind deeper and deeper into the hideout, they found themselves in an eerie and unnaturally tidy environment. It was clear that this ce had been meticulously designed and constructed for a specific purpose. Along the walls, there were stacks and stacks of boxes full of valuables and stolen goods, neatly organized and stacked.


    All of the gang''s stolen valuables and ill-gotten gains were stockpiled here, forming a twisted treasure trove amidst the underground passageways.


    Mako, Nathan, and Leon proceeded cautiously, well aware that they were delving further into hostile territory. Their recent encounter with the well-coordinated reinforcements had reminded them of the difficulty of the challenges that they were soon to face.


    As they ventured deeper, the passage grew darker, illuminated only by the faint glimmer of stolen valuables and the eerie, dimly lit lights that lined the walls.


    Their senses were on high alert, and the trio advanced with caution, ready for any threat that might emerge from the shadows. They understood that their opponents in this hideout were no ordinary gang members; they had faced individuals with only a single elemental ability, making it certain that they weren''t the strongest ones inside this hideout as they were certain to run into individuals with multiple abilities making each encounter potentially deadlier.


    As they approached the end of the tunnel, the walls widened and revealed a massive room where more boxes were stacked.


    Not all the boxes they had looked at were full of valuables as many of them were also full of furniture and appliances that they had stolen from the abandoned homes, but there were also a lot of boxes that were full of different technological parts that looked like they were pulled from bigger appliances that couldn''t be moved quickly.


    "They are skinning the entire vige of all its things," Leonmented as he looked at the sheer quantity of things that were stored underneath in the tunnel.


    The trio began exploring the big room that was a bit more lit up. There was only one other passageway that connected to the room they were in besides the one from where they had juste and that was the passage that led deeper into the hideout.


    The boys didn''t want to waste any time as their friends were still in danger so they quickly skimmed over the contents of boxes before quickly making their way to the other passageway that waspletely covered in darkness.


    Mako was the first to take a step in to continue moving forward; however, just as he did so Nathan observed a tiny spark illuminate from within the darkness, and without a second wasted Nathan quickly grabbed him by the cor and pulled him down just in the nick of time.


    *ZAP!*


    A giant bolt of blue lightning revealed itself from within the darkness and just barely missed Mako''s body and struck one of the boxes behind, destroying itpletely.


    Mako and Nathan quickly recovered and got back on their feet and just as they did six gang members rushed out into the room from the dark passageway with one of them crackling with blue lightning.


    This was the person responsible for the sudden surprise attack and Mako couldn''t help but admire the power that was emanating from the blue lightning. Just like he had unlocked a variant of the regr fire ability which was a red fire, the same red fire that Mikhail possessed.


    Right now in front of Mako was a strong Lightning ability user who had unlocked a new variant of the lightning ability which is normally yellow in color, but this one was blue lightning.


    These new enemies were far different from the reinforcements that they had just faced as the aura they were releasing not only confirmed to them that they all had a level 5 ability, but they had more than one ability which meant that these were high-ranking gang members that were probably right under the main boss, Victor Voss.


    Mako, Nathan, and Leon decided that this time they would as a united front from the very beginning, not wanting to iste themselves in individual battles like before.


    Yet, the sheer number and strength of their foes threatened to overwhelm them. The enemies started powering up immediately and were relentless from the very beginning as they didn''t want to hesitate to unleash their most powerful abilities and skills.


    These new enemies not only possessed themon core five elemental abilities but also some unique ones that weren''t quite rare but notmon either.


    The man at the center who looked to be their leader crackled with blue lightning, but also had streams of wind circling around him as he emanated a strong wind aura as well that wasn''t quite as strong as his lightning.


    The man beside him looked to be the second strongest as he immediately used his transformation ability to morph into an 11-foot tall ogre-looking beast with goat horns protruding out like a beard with skin that was cracked and looked like magma was flowing through it.


    The other four gang members weren''t quite as impressive as the main two but they were far stronger than all of the previous members they had defeated so they knew this was going to be a tough fight.


    Thisbination of elemental prowess and unique powers made this the greatest test of Mako and the other''sbat abilities and techniques.


    "Mako, that your all-knowing skill can reallye in handy right now," Leon said with a bit of worry as he faced the imitating auras of the gang members in front of him.


    Mako was one step ahead of Leon as he had already activated Analyze to possibly find a weakness against the two strongest gang members.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Dimitri Volkanov]


    [Ability: Magma Giant Transformation (Level 5)] ?


    [Health: 500/500] ?


    [Energy: 2000/2000] ?


    [Strength: 60] ?


    [Agility: 10] ?


    [Perception: 8] ?


    [Intelligence: 8] ?


    [Mentality: 17] ?


    [Stamina: 21] ?


    [Charisma: 8] ?


    [Fortitude: 39] ?


    [Ability: Magma Giant Transformation (Level 3)] ?


    [A transformation ability that allows the user to take on the form of the Magma Giant, giving the user immense boosts in strength and fortitude, but a heavy reduction in speed, mentality, and intelligence. At the user''s current level, the user can fully and partially transform into the Magma Giant, giving a different amount of boosts depending on the amount of the body transformed.


    At the current stage, the user can utilize basic skills that belong to the Magma Giant Including Eruption, Molten Fist, and Magma st]


    [Weakness: ICE, WATER, WIND] ?


    Mako''s heart skipped a beat as he quickly read through the description of the gang member who transformed into an ogre-looking monster.


    Although he only had a singr abilitypared to Mako who had 4, the strength of one overshadowed any strength that Mako could muster even if he was 100% efficient in switching abilities and didn''t waste any time.


    The strength and fortitude stats were through the roof and it was going to be a challenge just to defend against him alone, much rather 5 more members with strong abilities.


    The gang members didn''t give Mako and his friends much time to get ready as they rushed in to finish them off quickly just as soon as they powered up.


    The blue lightning user started shooting small bursts of Lightning strikes in quick session as cover while the Magma Giant took giant thundering steps towards them as he rushed towards them as fast as he could.


    The other 4 members also rushed in, fully coordinated as they cut off any way of escape by covering both the left and right side of the giant.


    Mako instantly took action as he took an extremely serious expression realizing the threat level of this fight was extremely high and if they didn''t y their cards perfectly, they might perish which was something Mako wasn''t prepared for as he still had many things left to do in this life.


    He blocked the iing lightning strikes by raising earthen barriers and fired two energy sts from each hand toward his left and right where the other gang members were rushing from. He purposefully aimed lower toward the ground so that the st would kick up a lot of dust creating cover for them.


    Nathan and Leon both realized Mako''s resolve as the intensity of his aura skyrocketed. Lastly, Mako had to deal with the giant that was almost upon them. He activated his earth ability and condensed as much earth aura as he could into his fist before mming it into the ground using all of his might and strength.


    [Ground Rupture has been activated]


    *Ding!*


    [An overwhelming amount of strength was used to cast Ground Rupture. Ground Rupture has been cast as a D-tier level skill.]


    Glowing cracks emanated from the ground from where Mako had punched the ground and spread out in every direction up to 10 meters.


    The cracks not only appeared under the giant but also the other gang members who were pushing through the smoke screen that Mako had created.


    The energy felt like it was flowing outwards through the cracks and in reality, it was doing exactly that as the condensed aura was traveling from Mako''s fist to the edge of the cracks.


    Once all of the energy had traveled to the edge, the cracks erupted with explosive force as a powerful concussive st erupted from beneath all of them, sting the regr gang members back and was strong enough to knock the giant off bnce and he began to fall to the ground in slow motion.


    Mako instantly turned towards Leon.


    "Leon, use your Earth ability in sync with mine!" Makomanded.


    Leon didn''t hesitate as he followed Mako''s lead and mirrored his hand movements. They quickly opened a gaping hole underneath them while the blue lightning user continued to fire shots into smoke blindly hoping to hit one of them.


    Fortunately, the three of them were able to easily evade all of the lightning shots and once the hole they were creating was deep enough, they quickly jumped in and covered up the roof, effectively burring them inside the ground with a limited air supply.

 Chapter 272 Final Boss Appears

    ?


    Mako illuminated the darkness of the hole with his fire as he addressed Nathan and Leon.


    "Listen up, guys, I don''t know how much time I have bought for us but we have to use it effectively or we might not even be able to make it out of this room alive," Mako said.


    Meanwhile, the dust began to settle on the surface and the blue lightning user rushed forward hoping to catch Mako and the others by surprise, but to his own surprise, they were nowhere to be seen.


    The other gang members were still recovering from the strong concussive st that they took on point-nk range and the one who could transform into the Magma Giant reverted back into his human form as he couldn''t get back up after falling down.


    "Where the hell are they!?" The blue lightning user shouted in anger as he couldn''t believe the intruders were able to slip right between their fingers.


    "I dunno... they must run back from the way they came from" One of the gang members suggested.


    Filled with rage, the lightning user discharged all of his built-up aura in a spectacr show of sparks and arcs of lightning. "Find them! The boss won''t spare us if we fail!"


    In the underground tomb that Mako and Leon had created, Mako began exining what he had learned from using Analyze on all six enemies.


    Thanks to all those additional points that Mako had in intelligence and Mentality, his reaction time and ability to read and understand had grown exponentially.


    In the short time frame that Mako had while the enemies were charging at them, Mako hadn''t just analyzed the gang member who had transformed into a magma giant, but also the five others.


    The fact that Mako could analyze them meant that they were weaker than him or else the skill would have failed which gave Mako little hope that they still had a chance of survival in this insane scenario.


    Even though Analyze had confirmed that they were slightly weaker than Mako, they were still incredibly strong with six of them each coordinating well with the other members, they became far more dangerous and hard to deal with.


    Using his Analyze skill, Mako gained valuable information about the foes they faced. Dimitri Volkanov, capable of transforming into a Magma Giant, with fortitude and strength that seemed insurmountable. His weakness to ice, water, and wind might be their only hope.


    However, none of them possessed the abilities that he was weak to which made it far more difficult to deal with than it already was, but Mako did have a n, something that he had just executed himself moments ago.


    Nathan and Leon listened intently as Mako outlined their strategy.


    "Guys, we can''t take these enemies head-on," Mako began, his voice firm with determination. "We need to exploit their weaknesses."


    Nathan nodded in agreement, but he was still confused as to how would they exploit their weakness if they didn''t possess the ability to do so.


    Mako shook his head in a way to show Nathan that he was thinking about thispletely wrong.


    "We can''t exploit his elemental weakness, but we can exploit his physical weakness, just like I did before," Mako said.


    Nathan suddenly realized what Mako was referring to as he lit up with the realization.


    "The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Nathan said, affirming Mako''s n.


    "Yes! It takes transformation users a lot of energy to fully transform and even more energy to maintain that form and by the size of that thing, I don''t think he can maintain that form for long. Aim at his feet, and try to make him stumble, he won''t just be out of the fight, but his struggle could be an obstacle to his own team, giving us the advantage." Mako exined his idea.


    Leon''s eyes sparkled with determination. They had faced tough odds before, but this battle was unlike any other. The stakes were higher, and the enemies were stronger than they had ever encountered.


    "But what about the rest of them? They are bound to be strong too." Nathan asked worried, that the n wouldn''t work if they focused on just one person.


    "Our main threat is the blue lightning user, as he has the greatest amount of power, the other four are just regr ability users with two level 4 abilities. It is not a great solution, but I do have a n that might just work," Mako said as he began exining his n to deal with the less powerful gang members.


    As Mako continued to share his n, they could hear faint footsteps and the sound of voices above them. The gang members were searching for them, determined to flush them out and eliminate the intruders once and for all.


    Mako nced at Nathan and Leon, who nodded, signaling their readiness.


    Above ground, the gang members scoured the room and the tunnel connecting to it, frustration building as they found no trace of the intruders. The blue lightning user clenched his fists, his energy crackling around him. The other gang members exchanged uneasy nces, knowing the consequences of failure.


    "They can''t have gone far. Keep looking!" the blue lightning user ordered.


    Meanwhile, beneath the surface, Mako and Leon had executed the first part of Mako''s n.


    With Leon''s assistance, they created awork of tunnels and pitfalls, underneath the room as quietly as possible. The tomb that they had initially made had now expanded into a bigwork of very tight tunnels and huge drops that were several feet deeper than the level they stood on.


    Thanks to Bill, Mako and Leon had learned a neat little trick that he taught them during their week of training which was to use the Earth''s ability to sense movement by sensing the vibration on the ground or in this case the roof.


    They were able to use this to their advantage and sense that all the members were standing on top of them.


    The one who could transform was sitting in the middle of the room trying to catch his breath with the blue lightning user standing right beside him, while the four others were checking behind all of the crates to make sure that they weren''t just hiding behind one of them.


    With oxygen nearing depletion inside the tunnels that Leon and Mako had made, they knew it was time to execute. Mako signaled Leon by holding three fingers into the air which he began counting down.


    As Mako''sst finger dropped, they both mmed their foot on the ground simultaneously, opening two holes in the ground each, which happened to be right under the four gang member''s feet.


    "AHHHH!" The gang members shouted as they fell down into thebyrinth of tunnels, but not at the level on which they were standing, but straight into the pitfalls that they had created, effectively trapping them there as none of them possessed the Earth ability to free themselves.


    The blue lightning user and his friend reacted immediately to the cry for help their members made before they were sucked into the pitfall, but before they could act, Mako and Leon erupted from the ground next to them with speed and force and rushed in tond a critical blow when they were caught off guard from both sides.


    [Sprint has been activated]


    [Stone Skin has been activated]


    Mako covered his right arm with a thinyer of stone and began channeling as much red fire into his fist as possible, the stone began to hiss as it began red hot and appeared just like the Magma giant''s skin.


    He dashed with great speed tond a heavy strike with Leon doing the same with his speed and hardening abilitybined with his own ming fist.


    Meanwhile, the ground underneath continued to shake as if there was a mini earthquake hitting the tunnel they were in.


    The two of them instantly reached the two enemies and it looked like their fists would connect, dealing explosive damage; however, the blue lightning user hadn''t depowered at all unlike what Mako had expected.


    The blue lightning user had a habit of always keeping a charge on himself which he would asionally release in bursts of sparks and lightning if the charge build-up got too much.


    The lightning user retracted his body inwards bringing his hands and feet closer to his center and in an instant released a pulse of electricity that looked simr yet far more impressive than Mako''s electrical discharge.


    The pulse sted outward with violent force, dealing heavy damage to Leon who thankfully used hardening around his chest just in time to protect his heart, sting him away and paralyzing him onto the ground.


    Mako who already looked like he had taken a severe beating, performed a bit better against the violent pulse of electricity as it got countered with his very own lightning ability which thankfully prevented him from getting paralyzed, but he still got sted back just like Leon.


    Leon waspletely out of the fight as hey on the ground, unable to move a finger while Mako managed to catch himself before he got sted into the crates lining the walls.


    He quickly stood up to see both gang members staring at him with the first one already transforming back into the magma giant, and the second charging up a strong lightning attack, both of thempletely ignoring the mini earthquakes that kept shaking the ground.


    Just as the two gang members had finished preparing their moves to finish off Mako quickly, Mako mmed his foot on the ground, and from the ground emerged Nathan who erupted into the air, his hands glowing with sparks of hundreds of explosions.


    Nathan had been the one who remained inside the tunnels when Leon and Mako jumped and was the reason behind the earthquakes as he used his explosion ability to quickly deal with the gang members who were trapped in the pitfalls.


    The enemies weren''t expecting this but just like before the lightning user aimed to attack Nathan with his lightning strikes before he could attack; however, this time the opposite had happened because Nathan had his Advanced Perception ability.


    Nathan was able to predict and dodge all of the Lightning strikes and now it was his turn, as he sted the two of them with hundreds of explosions aimed right at their feet.


    The explosion dealt some serious damage to the enemies and kicked up a lot of dust creating cover for Nathan and Mako to run around them and save Leon.


    However, right before they could reach Leon, strong winds started to blow thatpletely removed the dust from the room revealing the blue lightning user controlling the wind with his hand and the Magma Giant hurled around him like a ball to protect him from the explosion that Nathan had just released.


    They were both barely damaged and were now ready to counterattack.


    Nathan and Mako slowly backed away toward Leon, shocked to see that their n failed and now they were out of tricks and would have to fight head-on.


    Nathan and Mako prepared themselves for the tough fight ahead as they knew giving up and just dying wasn''t an option, but just as the gang members began their next course of action, the ground beneath them rumbled. They felt the vibrations, and the room darkened as if shrouded in a shadowy mist.


    A low, hauntingugh echoed through the chamber, sending shivers down their spines. The lightning user showed a terrified expression as the room transformed into an eerie shadow realm.


    Out of the shadows emerged Ang, her presencemanding and formidable. Ang unleashed her Shadow ability, creating tendrils of darkness that snaked toward the two enemies, wrapping around them quickly from the feet up.


    The blue lightning user and the magma giant were ensnared, struggling in vain to break free. The tendrils continued to wrap around them sapping their energy until they reached their face.


    The tendrils turned into a ck mist and entered their body from the mouth, nose, ears, and even their eyes, rendering thempletely immobile and causing them immense pain as their shrieks echoed throughout the room.


    The shadow attackpletely immobilized them and made them fall to the ground in under ten seconds.


    The room reverted back to its original state and Ang appeared in front of them once again, ripping apart the lingering shadowy fluid on her arm as if it were a leech.


    The boys were shocked to see Ang defeat two very strong opponents in just 10 seconds leaving them all speechless, but before they could exchange any words, the sound of pping echoed through the corridor, and a chilling smile spread across Victor Voss''s face as he stepped into view, apanied by his six more of his formidable henchmen.


    The stage was set for the ultimate showdown, and the fate of their captured friends hung in the bnce.

 Chapter 273 The Final Showdown (Part 1)

    Chapter 273 The Final Showdown (Part 1)


    As Victor Voss and his henchmen entered the chamber, a heavy silence descended upon the room, broken only by the asional pained moans of the two incapacitated gang members who had fallen victim to Ang''s shadowy onught.


    Victor Voss, dressed in the same casual outfit in which he tracked and kidnapped Bill and the others, exuded an air of calcted confidence. His piercing eyes surveyed the scene with a mix of amusement and curiosity. Behind him, his henchmen, a formidable group of individuals, each possessing unique abilities, stood ready for action.


    A long-barreled futuristic sniper rifle hanging off his back, his trusty weapon of choice in any fight or job.


    Mako and Nathan exchanged uneasy nces, their bodies tense and minds racing toe up with a n all the while Leon still struggled to ovee the effects of paralysis that gued his body.


    Ang was in fact very strong and was quite possibly as strong or stronger than Victor, but there were still six other members who would make things difficult for her and Mako wasn''t very confident about his team engaging in another major fight so quickly as they were all halfway through their energy pools.


    "Ah, it appears we''ve have some new guests," Victormented, his voiceced with sarcasm. "Boys, please extend our finest hospitality to our new guests."


    Ang maintained herposure, her icy gaze fixed on Victor. "Thank you, but I will have to pass," she retorted, her tone unwavering. "Victor Voss, you are under arrest. It is best for you and yourckeys to surrender, I don''t want things to be ugly."


    Victor showed a moment of realization as he absorbed Ang''s words before chuckling with a cold and humorless sound. "Oh, my, you are from the military, aren''t you? I can''t believe it took me so long to realize that! All this time, I thought you were sent by a rival gang to jeopardize our mission, but I overlooked the obvious answer. Let me guess, Is this the rookies'' first mission?"


    Nathan clenched his fists, his explosive energy crackling around him. "What do you mean by that!?"


    Victor wasn''t the slightest bit phased by Nathan''s threatening posture as he continued to grin and chuckle. "If only you guys had shown up an hour earlier, I wouldn''t have wasted an hour of my life trying to get this answer out of your teammates that I captured, not that I didn''t enjoy torturing them."


    Mako''s eyes burned with anger at the mere mention of Victor torturing his friends. He looked quite injured with several marks and bruises all over his body which showed that he had taken a serious beating, but it wasn''t from the gang members that they had fought before because he emerged in this state when he and Leon tried to sneak attack the Lightning user and his friend.


    "WHERE ARE THEY!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM!?" Mako shouted at Victor with rage bubbling out of his body.


    Victorughed maniacally finding extreme joy in Mako''s rage and anger.


    "Don''t worry little boy, they aren''t dead yet, but unfortunately I can''t say the same for you. I have a score to settle with you." Victor said while pointing at Mako with his pointer finger.


    Mako was a bit taken aback by Victor''s sudden im that he had a score to settle with him when this was the first time they had faced each other.


    "What do you mean by that!?" Ang asked trying to buy as much time as possible so Leon could fully recover from the paralysis.


    Victor suddenly took on a cold expression, showing that he was in no mood to continue this useless chit-chat.


    "You''ll find out soon enough," He said as he raised his hand to signal his men to begin advancing. "I don''t know how the mayor was able to contact the military when we had taken all the necessary precautions but that doesn''t matter right now."


    "You are here now, and not only have you been a major pain in my butt these past two days, but now you actually dared to trespass into my territory and take out my own men... there are consequences for such actions."


    With a subtle gesture, Victor signaled his henchmen to advance. Each of them stepped forward, revealing their abilities.


    Mako quickly used Analyze once again on all of them to see if he could learn their weaknesses by gaining information on his enemies.


    Unfortunately, his skill failed not only Victor which was to be expected but also on 3 out of the 6 henchmen that stood ahead of him.


    This meant that every single henchman was almost as strong or stronger than him which was a scary predicament, as it was going to be extremely difficult for them to make it through this without heavy injuries.


    Yet, despite the odds being so unfavorable, Mako''s heart remained unflustered as the only thing on his mind right now was to make sure that his friends were safe and alright.


    Leon recovered from his paralysis just in time and used his speed ability to dash to Mako''s side, his body radiating an aura of determination. "Don''t worry, I''m not out of the fight yet, I got your back."


    Nathan, too, steeled himself for the battle ahead. ''I can''t fail my very first mission. There is still so much I need to do, I can''t let it end here.'' He said to himself in his thoughts.


    *******************


    Ang initiated the battle by casting a giant wave of shadows that covered the entirety of the area covered by Victor and his men. She then transformed herself into her misty shadow form as she traversed into the dark mist, aiming tounch powerful sneak attacks on them while they were blinded by the wave of shadows.


    Victor immediately equipped his rifle in his hands which was actually a power weapon. His body radiated with wind aura as his eyes began to glow green. Victor Voss had activated his Wind Mutant Gene, enhancing his physical stats as well as greatly increasing the level of his wind ability.


    He created a vortex of wind under his feet which he used to updraft his body high up into the air, narrowly escaping from the shadows that were about to consume and blind him as well.


    The sniper rifle activated mid-air as it retracted the barrel and and holographic sight formed on top giving Victor the perfect shot aimed straight for Mako''s head.


    Mako''s senses hadn''t even begun to detect the imminent danger that was closing in on him and it looked like, Victor would take out one of the intruders in the first ten seconds of the fight.


    Victor''s fingers slowly squeezed the trigger, about to release a powerful shot aimed at Mako''s forehead, ready to kill.


    However, before Victor could finish taking the shot his sight suddenly got engulfed by a giant shadow beast with glowing red eyes and a ain''t mouth with red glowing sharp teeth.


    The beast quickly neared Victor in the air and looked like was going to bite him, but Victor quickly created a strong gust of wind from his palm sting the creature back and propelling him backward as well.


    The beast very closely resembled the nightmarish creatures that Mako had encountered on his first night which were produced by a machine, but Victor knew that the intruders couldn''t possibly have a machine simr to them, and it was then that it hit him.


    The machine they had used was actually a prototype meant to replicant one aspect of a very strong ability called the Nightmare ability which was obtained by resonating the Fear and Shadow ability.


    The smile on Victor''s face quickly disappeared as he realized that the opponent he was facing was no pushover because if she actually possessed the actual Nightmare ability, this fight was going to be much more difficult than he first anticipated.


    ''What the hell is a peak tier Alpha ranked officer doing here?!'' He said to himself in his thoughts as he couldn''t believe the military would dispatch such a high-level officer for such a low-level mission.


    *******************


    Meanwhile, Mako who waspletely unaware of the danger that he narrowly avoided, quickly huddled Nathan and Leon close to him, giving them a basic game n they could execute.


    "Listen, I wasn''t strong enough to sense the weakness of all of them, I was only able to sense some of them, so our first order of business would be to target and eliminate them from the fight," Mako said.


    Mako had analyzed three of the six men; the first man was Boris, a burly man with big muscles and a very athletic physique. He possessed the strength ability which greatly boosted hisbat strength making it quite disastrous if they were to receive a powerful strike from this guy without any defense.


    However, Strength wasn''t the only ability Boris possessed as he also had the Earth ability which greatly improved his overall strength and power. It covered for his weakness as Strength users are often bad at defense and speed, but if you have an elemental ability that can protect you from counters, it bes very difficult tond a critical strike on you.


    Then there was Lana, a woman who had a level 5 sound ability which was her only offensive ability as her other ability was a stronger version of a problematic ability, Mako had only encountered once before, the Determination ability.


    An ability that wasn''t very versatile and had very specific uses, but one that was so strong and overpowered that it made Mako view her as one of the most dangerous people among the three that they were nning to take on.


    Finally, there was Sergei, a man that crackled with regr yellow-colored lightning, but that wasn''t the only ability he possessed as this was the first gang member that Mako had encountered that possessed 4 abilities, just like him and Bill.


    Sergei had Level 4 abilities of Fire, Wind, Earth, and Lightning, making him quite a tricky opponent as versatility was his bread and butter. There wasn''t a weakness that he couldn''t create a counter to, not a situation that he couldn''t adapt to.


    The odds had just shifted dramatically against Mako, Nathan, Leon, and Ang as just the three weakest members of the group they were facing were so strong, that Mako couldn''t even begin to think how strong the other three were or Victor himself was.


    Mako was feeling a bit stupid after seeing the threat level of the enemies he was about to face with Commander Sable''s words ringing in his ears.


    Maybe it was better for him to wait till the morning and have the reinforcements deal with this situation...

 Chapter 274 The Final Showdown (Part 2)

    Chapter 274 The Final Showdown (Part 2)


    However, before Mako could lose his cool in the most difficult battle he was yet to face, he suddenly remembered Victor''s words from a few moments ago.


    "If only you guys had shown up an hour earlier, I wouldn''t have wasted an hour of my life trying to get this answer out of your teammates that I captured, not that I didn''t enjoy torturing them."


    Mako, his mind racing, knew they couldn''t have afforded to wait this one out or who knows what would have happened to his friends.


    For now, all he knew was that his friends were alive and their lives depended on their ability to fight back. He nced at Nathan and Leon, who nodded in agreement.


    "We won''t back down," Mako said defiantly. "We''ll fight, and we''ll win."


    With those words, the battlemenced. Victor Voss''s henchmen moved with coordinated precision, each one utilizing their unique abilities to gain the upper hand. Some were still upied with the dark mist along with Victor and it looked like their goal was to protect Victor at all costs while the three weaker ones started making their way toward Mako and the rest, hoping to finish them off quickly.


    Victor had aplete change in ns after realizing how deadly of an opponent he was facing. He was still confident in his ability to defeat her but it was not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination.


    His closest and most powerful men were backing him up as he pushed forward to target Ang who continued to appear and disappear in her misty form while showering radiating fireballs at Victor.


    Seeing the formation the gang members had taken, Ang wanted to switch up her tactic as well to give Mako and his group the best possible fighting chance in this heavily unfavorable fight.


    However, it looked like she was basically cut off from them as the three gang members along with Victor maintained a stable pressure on her which only increased with time to try and keep her upied with them only, making it quite easy for the other members to pick off the Mako and rest without her being able to interfere.


    Ang continued to battle Victor who had only used her Wind ability up till this point with his eyes glowing green and his powerful sniper rifle shooting powerful energy shots at her misty figures with the 3 guards providing support and cover from all directions.


    *************


    Meanwhile, Borisbined his super strength with his Earth ability to strike the ground creating gigantic and powerful ripples in the ground that burst with power upon reaching Mako and the others.


    [Ground Rupture has been activated]


    [Ground Rupture has been activated]


    [Ground Rupture has been activated]


    Mako quickly countered with an equal and opposite force of ground ripples that not only countered the iing ripples but upon reaching the farthest they could began erupting in unavoidable concussive sts that dazed Boris as they sted him backwards.


    Lana''s hypnotic singing filled the air, her enchanting voice attempting to provide a massive boost to her teammates. Thebination of her sound ability with her determination ability greatly increased the potency and effectiveness of the ability, giving them a far greater boost than ever before.


    Nathan met Lana head-on just as her eyes began to glow blue, activating her determination ability. Using Leon''s speed, he quickly closed the distance between her by riding on his back with the explosive energy from his fists colliding brutally with her delicate face, creating a dazzling explosion of sparks and force.


    However, it was toote as Lana managed to speak before Nathan was able tond the punch on her and the effects of the loud melodious voice took instant effect as both Boris and Sergie''s bodies started to glow with a thin aura of blue around them, with every aspect of their body improved.


    Before Nathan and Leon could even realize what had just happened Sergei dashed in front of them at crazy speeds using his Wind ability to boost him and thennding a devastating punch straight into Nathan''s jaw using his ming fist.


    All of this urred in just a few seconds giving them barely any time to react as even Nathan''s Advanced Perception was too slow to dodge the blow in time.


    Nathan gotunched off Leon''s shoulders with great force and he began skidding across the floor as he traveled several feet backward.


    Lana''s determination ability not only boosted physical strength as Mako had thought, but it could also boost their actual ability level as well as their recovery rate, making her even more overpowered and broken than before.


    The reason Mako overlooked this is that he had only encountered this ability once before during the Dark Raven Tournament and at that time he had only faced a low-level determination ability user who didn''t evene close to the level of power Lana could bring out from her opponents.


    Sergei and Boris quickly regrouped and brought Lana to a safe distance where she could recover as she had served her purpose for now.


    Mako knew that they had to go all out if they had any chance of getting through this alive as he had no idea how much of a boost they just received from Lana because he could no longer use analysis on them.


    Nathan was still recovering from the massive punch he had received from Sergei and with Fortitude being one of his weaknesses, he got injured quite badly with the bones in his face fractured and his entire face covered in blood.


    Mako quickly essed his inventory and brought out a healing pill which he tossed over to Nathan.


    Nathan had no idea how did Mako get his hands on one when all the equipment was destroyed when their hotel room exploded with Leon carrying the only remaining supplies they had, but he didn''t care as now was not the time to point fingers. He quickly consumed the healing pill which quickly took effect whilst Mako and Leon stood in between him and the gang members to protect him so that he could somewhat recover and be able to fight.


    Mako and Leon nodded as they both prepared to go all out. Mako created a small slit in his hands making a small amount of blood leak out and activate his armguard''s passive ability.


    [Blood Boost has been activated]


    Mako could feel all of his attributes get slightly stronger as the blood boost became active. Next, he brought the pen from his pocket which was his Storm Caller Staff that he had pre-loaded with lots of Lightning aura so that he could use it from the get-go.


    Leon also activated his leg armor''s active skill "Blue Dash" ready to overwhelm his new opponents with his insane speed.


    "Hwoooh" Leon breathed out heavily as he felt his speed increasing rapidly and his leg armor began to glow blue. ''I can''t lose control...'' He told himself as reyed all the past times he had activated his skill.


    He could only run in a straight line and couldn''t make any turns or he would lose control of himself and crash. Crashing wasn''t an option today nor wasn''t making any turns because how else would he overwhelm his opponents with speed?


    Sergei and Boris weren''t going to give Mako and Leon any time to prepare as they rushed in to finish them off just like Nathan.


    "Good luck," Leon whispered before he tensed up his leg muscles as tightly as he could and cracked the ground underneath his feet as he dashed forward with insane speed toward his opponents.


    Boris and Sergei weren''t expecting such an explosive outburst of speed from Leon as it caught thempletely off guard. Leon decided to target Boris as he didn''t have many counters to his speed and his speed was actually one of his only weaknesses.


    Being so big and bulky meant that you didn''t have great agility and movement which could be greatly exploited by Leon. He had tons of experience training against opponents like Boris as he used to spar with Rhino a lot.


    Leon left imprints of his feet on the ground as he took each step, his speed getting better and better with each step. He covered the distance between them even faster than when Sergei dashed to knock out Nathan.


    Boris raised an earth wall to protect himself from the dashing blue streak, thinking that he was safe for the moment, but in the next instant...


    *BOOM!*


    Leon''s glowing blue figure smashed through the Earth wall like it was made of paper.


    Before Boris could even react, Leon''s right foot nted firmly on Boris''s face as he received the strongest kick to the face he had ever received in his life,


    The kick instantly broke his jaw and his face was quickly covered in blood with several teeth falling out of his mouth. Boris was in extreme pain and disbelief from the amount of force that Leon''s kick had just delivered, but it still wasn''t enough to knock him out as he caught himself by raising an earth pir behind him so that he wouldn''t go flying backward.


    Leon on the other hand was no resuming on his original path. The kick had slowed him down but he was still going to fast. His mind couldn''tprehend the speed at which his legs were running at thus making him unable to turn or control it.


    He was headed straight into a pile of boxes with a crash at this speed bound to knock him out of this fight for sure.

 Chapter 275 The Final Showdown (Part 3)

    Chapter 275 The Final Showdown (Part 3)


    Time slowed down as Leon observed the pile of boxes nearing closer and closer. He was going too fast for his brain to process the movement and he couldn''t hit the brakes, or his insane momentum would tear his legs straight off his body.


    ''I can''t go out just yet. The others need me! I need to find a way!'' Leon shouted internally as he focused all his willpower and resolved on his brain to regain control of his fast-moving body.


    All of this was happening in a mere seconds'' time but it was the longest seconds of Leon''s life as he pushed his speed aura to the max to make his brain work faster so he could regain control of his out-of-control fast body.


    Leon''s speed did decrease a bit as he focused on pulling out more and more of his speed aura, but it looked like it was going to be toote and Leon was going crash straight into the boxes and get knocked out of the fight.


    Many memories shed by Leon''s eyes as the pile of boxes drew nearer. He saw himself refusing to take the training his father had offered him, losing to Mako on both asions he had challenged him, always letting his teammates down by getting knocked out of the fight in the first few minutes and then being a burden on them while they cleaned up the mess.


    *p!*


    "What kind of a person are you? Don''t you have any shame!? Why did you even want to take the recruitment test if you were too afraid to man up when the time called for it? You are just a crybaby who has no confidence in himself. Even if I waspletely void of energy, I would still fight to protect my friends and so will everyone else in this room. So let me ask you this! What is your resolve!? Why do you fight!? What will you get if you pass this test?!"


    Erin''s voice rang in Leon''s mind as he thought back to the recruitment test when she pped him for suggesting to retreat from the 4th wave just to save his own skin.


    Leon felt himself in the same exact situation again.


    The boxes in front of him were getting closer and closer. He couldn''t let it end here. He needed to be of more use to his friends, the ones who taught him what it was like to have good rtionships and to fight with meaning.


    With newfound resolve and determination, Leon pushed the small bubble of silvery aura that represented his speed aura to the absolute limit, so much so that it looked like it was going to burst.


    However, it didn''t burst. The bubble instead began to expand making more room for more silvery aura to fit inside. From the outside, Leon''s aura exploded exponentially announcing that something fantastic was about to happen.


    The reaction was so great that everyone paused their fights for a moment as their hearts absorbed this fantastical change that was happening near them.


    For Mako, this feeling was one that he had experienced before. This was the exact same reaction he felt when he observed Rhino evolving his transformation ability from level 3 to level 4.


    Unlike himself, where his system had increased the level of his abilities as a reward, people like Rhino and now Leon had to push their bodies and souls to the absolute limit in an intense situation to physically break the barrier that was holding their abilities back at a certain level.


    Leon''s speed aura shined brightly within as it continued to expand allowing more and more aura to fill his heart. Suddenly he felt his mind getting clearer and clearer as if time had slowed down even further finally allowing himself to feel every movement his body was making.


    Leon was finally able to fully register all the moves his body was making and with this, he began moving his legs to the right, maneuvering around the boxes just in time and stopping himself before he crashed into the wall.


    All the fighters including Ang and Victor observed this incredible change as Leon stared at himself, happy to see that his body responded to his call for help.


    Mako observed him through the lens of Analyze and just like he had felt, the words in front of him revealed the fruits of his determination and resolve.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Leon Czolgosz]


    [Ability: Speed (Level 5), Earth (Level 3), Hardening (Level 3), Fire (Level 2)] ?


    Leon''s speed ability had evolved and had now reached level 5, a remarkable achievement indeed.


    Leon''s leg armor was still glowing blue as the active skill was still active. A huge smile appeared on Leon''s face as he now knew he could fight with his 100%.


    "WOOOO!" He shouted with joy as he dashed forward at an insane speed much faster than anything Mako had observed before.


    Leon went straight for Boris who thanks to the boost that Lana had given him recovered enough from Leon''s devastating kick from earlier that he was back on his feet.


    Borispletely acknowledged Leon''s speed and knew that he could sit still and be a free target so he started sprinting forward as well aiming to sh head-on with his strength ability giving him the edge.


    The two met each other quickly with both of them throwing a punch forward. Leon''s insane speed and momentumbined with his fortitude and hardening ability produced enough force to counter Boris'' raw strength with the shockwave from their fist colliding sting outwards with explosive force.


    Boris and Leon started to trade blows with Leon easily taking the upper hand withnding multiple strikes on Boris before he could evennd one.


    This sudden development had paused all the other battles as everyone wanted to observe this fantastical development, but Ang and Mako had the same idea as they used this opportunity tond a critical strike on their own opponents.


    Ang activated her strongest ability, her nightmare ability as her whole body got engulfed with the misty ck fumes that appeared more liquid than a gas. She had activated a skill that created a strong armor of anguish around herself to protect herself as she dashed in tond a critical blow on Victor Voss who was still levitating off the ground thanks to the constant stream he was released from beneath his feet.


    Ang was definitely more skilled than Victor and with her quickly reacting to the situation andunching a sneak attack when Victor''s guards were also focused on Boris'' fight, she was able tond a clean powerful strike thatunched Victor straight into the all behind, embedding him into the wall itself which goes to show Ang''s strength.


    It was by no question that Ang was holding back when she was fighting against Mako and the others prior to making the decision to help them behind themander''s back.


    Her physique didn''t show that she had crazy strength but that wasn''t the case and was something that Mako would learn in the future as to how high-level beings were able to produce such great physical feats without appearing to be incredibly buffed.


    Simultaneously, Mako reduced the Storm Caller Staff''s height to the lowest height, entering it into concentrated lightning mode.


    Using all the lightning aura he had concentrated on the staff beforehand, Mako activated the most offensive skill he had which was the Lightning w.


    [Lightning w had been activated]


    Mako masterfully spun the staff around his palm before finally gaining enough momentum to swipe the air vertically in front of Sergeiunching a powerful lightning w that quickly travelled towards Sergei.


    Since the Staff was only high tier and could only produce attacks up to Level 4 it wasn''t the strongest possible strike that Mako could muster, but it still packed a punch since it was in concentrated lightning mode.


    However, that wasn''t the extent of Mako''s attack as he knew that Lightning w wouldn''t be able to deal massive damage as Sergei had resistance to lightning because of his own lightning ability.


    As soon as he finished casting the lightning w, the staff was pretty much useless as it had gone on a cooldown for 5 minutes so he retracted it back into its pen form.


    He activated his red fire aura and began charging the fire aura by concentrating it on his fingertips.


    [me Bullet has been activated]


    Makounched another powerful skill toward Sergei to deal him even more damage, but Mako still wasn''t done.


    [Sprint had been activated]


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    [Stone Skin has been activated]


    [Stone Sword has been activated]


    Using the small window of time where Sergei was caught off guard by the sudden lightning strike and with him dealing with the attack to reduce iing damage plus Mako''s little fiery surprise, Mako activated a multitude of skills.


    He activated Sprint, Motion Sense, and Stone Skin to greatly increase his perception, agility, and fortitude to match Sergei with the boost he received from Lana. Next, he quickly formed a stone sword before dashing in after the lightning strike tounch an even sneaky surprise attack.


    The attack was executed beautifully. Sergei was indeed caught off guard by the lightning w which he quickly began to discharge using his own lightning aura; however, his entire vision was upied by the lightning w.


    As soon as he finished discharging the lightning w, his palms were ckened and smoking from the damage that the Lightning w was able to do, and almost instantly from within the smoke, intense heat began to surge as the me bullet arrived in front of a secondter, ready to explode and deal more damage.


    Sergei already feeling the effects of the lightning w, painfully raised his arms once again to catch the bullet and reduce its damage using his fire ability by absorbing some of the fire; however since this was red fire, it was much stronger than the regr orange mes and so the bullet exploded at point-nk range dealing great amounts of damage and burning him as well.


    Sergei was greatly hurt after tanking two very strong attacks in a row with his hands trembling as he was surrounded by the smoke cloud of the exploding me bullet. He quickly focused on recovering, but what he didn''t realize was that Mako was already on the move, and mere seconds after the me bullet explosion, Mako lunged forward with the stone sword equipped in his hand reading tond a massive horizontal strike.


    The attack was so instant that Sergei wasn''t even able to register what had just happened, only to suddenly feel a very sharp shooting pain in his right arm as he was sent flying across the room.


    The room fell silent as three of the 6 gang members were greatly injured and fighting a losing battle while the leader himself was still embedded into the wall from Ang''s strike.


    The remaining three were barely able to maintain their own ground against Ang''s constant attacks and it looked like against all odds, the intruders were going to defeat them.

 Chapter 276 The Final Showdown (Part 4)

    Chapter 276 The Final Showdown (Part 4)


    "I AM NOT DONE WITH YOU!" a loud voice echoed throughout the room, sending chills down everybody''s necks except Ang.


    The source of this terrifying voice was the hole in the wall shaped in the size of a human and this was where Ang smashed into Victor.


    A blinding ray of light released from the whole which caused slight burning when Makoid his eyes on it.


    Momentster, Victor smashed himself out of the hole he was embedded into with his wind ability still keeping him afloat; however, this time he wasn''t just using the wind ability as Victor''s very skin started to glow.


    At first, Mako thought that Victor had the light ability. One of the two superior elemental abilities that were far rarer than the regr five elemental abilities and even the advanced elemental abilities that are produced from the resonance of two or more regr elemental abilities.


    Since Ang had the shadow ability which was already quite a high-tier ability ranking itself as a B-tier ability, Mako was confident in them clearing out the hidden base and rescuing his friends, but now that he came to the realization that Victor also possessed an ability of the same caliber, one thatpletely countered Ang''s ability, Mako suddenly didn''t feel so confident.


    Mako and Leon didn''t want to make the same mistake their opponents made by pausing their battle and diverting their attention, allowing them tounch a strong sneak attack on you, so they continued to keep the pressure on Boris and Sergei, hoping to finish them off as soon as possible. They trusted that Ang would be able to deal with whatever new Victor had just revealed or at least stall long enough for them to join the fight and aid her.


    They continued on with their assault with Boris struggling to keep up with Leon''s insane speed as he ran circles around him while simultaneously delivering many hardened punches all over his body.


    Sergei was in an even more difficult position as he had suffered some serious damage from Mako''s devastating sneak attack which resulted in him not being able to use one of his armspletely.


    Despite that Sergei still managed to stand before Mako couldunch another attack with his only resort now was to take him out by spamming as many elemental ability skills as it would take to finally defeat him.


    However, Sergei''s elemental attacks were too slow for Mako who continuously refreshed his sprint ability to maintain a high level of agility that was about 15% slower than Leon''s current speed.


    Mako carefully maneuvered around rising earth spikes and pirs of fire. He dodged the wind des with ease and was barely affected by the lightning strikes as his lightning ability level was higher than Sergei''s.


    On the other side, Boris was on the brink of defeat as his entire body ached and had be purple from the bruises that the thousands of Leon''s punches had inflicted on him. With the time limit for his leg armor''s active skill nearing his end, Leon also wasted to end this fight quickly such that his opponents wouldn''t find an opening to counter him.


    Afternding a couple more quick punches, Leon dashed away from a very dazed Boris who could barely stand, and sprinted forward with his fist erupting in mes and tensing up thanks to his hardening ability.


    Simultaneously, Mako had also closed the distance between him and Sergei again as he continued to make a fool out of Sergei who was firing away any and all ability to try and keep Mako away from, but failing to do so quite spectacrly.


    *SMACK!* *BOOM!*


    Leonnded a clean uppercut on Boris''s chin, sealing the deal as heunched him several feet up in the air. Hended on the ground with a big thud and Leon knew he would be getting back up anytime soon. Coincidentally, his leg armor stopped glowing blue as the time limit for the active skill had expired and now he was back to his regr speed which was still faster than his old self.


    On the other side, Mako had wrapped his fist in arcs of lightning as he delivered a crisp right hook on Sergei''s face which erupted in sparks upon collision. Sergei''s face got sted back straight into the pile of boxes that were right behind him with blood spraying everywhere.


    Mako was worried that he might have just killed the guy but Analyze showed that he was still alive but his HP was in the red zone which meant that he too was out of this fight for good.


    The two were finally able to take a break and rest for a bit as they recovered some of their stamina and energy. Both were almost out of energy and couldn''tst through an entire fight anymore, but they still didn''t give up as they wanted to provide what little assistance they could to help aid Ang in her tough battle.


    They both turned towards where Ang was battling Victor and his bodyguards and things weren''t looking the best as there was a clear boundary built between them with dark mist enveloping the whole left area but couldn''t cross past a certain boundary because of the light that was being emitted from Victor''s skin making him virtually untouchable by Ang.


    The three bodyguards were feeling more powerful than ever basking in the light that was being released from their bosses as theyunched multiple skills toward Andg''s misty figure in the darkness with her not being able to do anything but simply dodge while thinking of a counter to this trouble skill as any attempt to attack with any of her elemental abilities including fire were rendered useless.


    She could exit out of her misty form or else she would have to face 4 decent fighters on her own with her being unable to use two of her strongest abilities, but it looked like soon she would have no choice as the light wasn''t just repelling her.


    **************


    The situation looked dire and if Ang didn''t find a solution quickly, one of those elemental abilities would eventually hit her, reducing her chances of winning further.


    Mako, who was observing all of this knew that at a time like this, the worst thing a person could do was to panic and run in to help without a gamen.


    Leon was thinking along the same lines as Mako as he was also calm. He knew that in moments like these Mako shined the brightest with his clever mind being able to deduce key points that could be used to turn the tables on their enemies so he simply focused on recovering energy for now while he waited for Mako toe up with something.


    Thanks to all those points in mentality and Intelligence, Mako was great at finding weaknesses or vulnerable spots in his enemy.


    After staring at Victor for a few moments who was manicallyughing at the hissing noise the misty form of Ang was making whenever it got too close to the light. He was slowly advancing forward using his jet streams that he was using to keep himself afloat in the air.


    However, Mako did notice something that was quite odd and potentially a clue which was the fact that Victor hadn''t moved from his stance ever since he had escaped from the hole Ang put him in and even now, he isn''t using his sniper rifle to shoot Ang alongside his bodyguards to end her quicker.


    ''It''s almost like he CAN''T move'' Mako thought. ''Huh? Could it be?!''


    Mako suddenly got hit with the realization that maybe his maintaining that pose was the key to maintaining the light that was emanating from his skin.


    ''If that is true then he doesn''t possess the Light ability. There is a different source for the use of this skill,'' Mako theorized.


    Looking around Mako couldn''t find anything that could be linked to Victor using it to make his skin glow, but just then his eyes fell on the weapon that he was holding in his arms, his trusty sniper rifle.


    The rifle had a weird shape for the chamber as it wasn''t a straight barrel, but instead, the middle of the chamber was quite wider in diameter with a white crystal inside that was currently... glowing.


    "IT''S THE RIFLE!" Mako shouted at the top of his lungs as he finally cracked the code. "The light is just the weapon''s active ability! GET RID OF THE WEAPON, HE IS WEAK WITHOUT IT!"


    Mako''s guess was spot on as the expression change on Victor''s face said it all.


    Most power weapons had some sort of crystal embedded into their design which represented the crystal from which it was formed.


    Mako''s Storm Caller Staff had a big crystal on top and the same held true for hisbat de that he had given to Erin which had a tiny crystal at the hilt of the de.


    These crystals would glow whenever an active ability was activated and since the crystal was glowing in the same color as the glow of Victor''s skin, it wasn''t hard to match the dots together.


    "§£§í §ä§â§à§Ö! §©§Ñ§Ò§å§Õ§î §à §ß§Ö§Û! §µ§Ò§Ö§Û §ï§ä§Ú§ç §Õ§Ó§å§ç §å§Ò§Ý§ð§Õ§Ü§à§Ó!" Victor angrily shouted at his bodyguards who quickly changed their targets leaving Victor alone to deal with Ang. (Trantion: You three! Forget about her! Kill these two bastards!)

 Chapter 277 Jokes Over, Youre Dead!

    Chapter 277 Joke''s Over, You''re Dead!


    The bodyguards didn''t hesitate as they were finally allowed to go all out and not stuck reserving their power in order to protect the boss.


    The first person dashed forward with great speed with his body bubbling and growing at a quick rate as he activated his transformation ability and turned into a massive 7-foot-tall white ape beast.


    The remaining two guards also ignited their own abilities ready to execute their boss''smand.


    The ape beast made a run for Leon. Leon activated his speed ability and was about to dash away to safety, but suddenly his leg musclespletely locked him, restricting him from taking another step.


    Everything happened so quickly that nobody could react in time and the ape beast sessfully grabbed Leon from his legs.


    Leon instantly activated his gardening ability which he applied to his entire body to protect himself from the beating he was about to receive.


    The ape smashed Leon on the ground multiple times like a kid throwing a doll around before finally swinging him in the air and throwing him across the room and straight into a pile of boxes near the entrance.


    "NOOO!" An echoey voice resounded from within the mist that continued to shrink as Ang witnessed how Leon was defeated while she was unable to do anything.


    The ape quickly rushed toward Mako next who had barely recovered at all and was on hisst legs with the the two other guards each rushing in from the right and left of the ape.


    Victor began tough maniacally as he knew he had won this battle and now he had even greater news to give his employer.


    However, Victor wasn''t expecting what was going to happen next.


    The ape beast lunged high up in the air, hoping to crush Mako underneath his weight. However, the girl to the ape''s left who was building up a strong attack suddenly got cut off by a big wall of ice that blocked her path.


    Simrly, the man who was rushing in with his short sword power weapon from the ape''s right suddenly got sted back with many explosions erupting from under his feet.


    Victor''sughter got cut shot as he observed two new abilities enter into the battle. Looking back he noticed that the third boy that had originally showed up had fully recovered and had caused the explosions sting away his guard.


    ''But then who created that ice w...'' Victor thought as he turned around to see where the trail of ice hade from and what he saw left him inplete shock.


    From the entrance that Victor and his guards hade out of, now stood two figures that he had enjoyed torturing a whole lot.


    It was Erin and Bill!


    Both Erin and Bill''s were glowing which meant that they had activated their mutant genes, but Iris was nowhere to be seen.


    The two didn''t say a word as they quickly began to move upon their entry. Erin dashed forward to tackle the girl guard while Nathan also moved forward with mini-explosions erupting all over his arms, ready to tackle the male guard all the while the ape beast was still in mid-air lunging forward to crush Mako.


    Things had taken a very quick turn as now everyone had one opponent that they were battling against, all except Bill who remained by the entrance and stared at Victor with extreme anger and an Impressive aura.


    Something wasn''t the same about Bill as not only were his eyes glowing green simr to Victor which represented the Wind mutant gene activation, but his upper body had a thinyer of green aura radiating outwards with all the visible parts of his upper body covered in a wide array of glowing marks that resembled some sort of ancient tattoos only these were glowing green as well.


    Mako had no time to focus on what new development Bill had managed to achieve nor what his condition was or how he got here as the ape was so close to colliding with him and he had to focus on his own fight.


    He was just d to see that her friends were alright and that he would ask about what had happened to themter.


    Using all of the energy Mako had left he activated his defensive stance and raised a thick dome of earth over him to protect himself from the iing falling ape beast.


    *SMASH!*


    The ape smashed right through the dome and a giant dust cloud kicked up with the end result being unclear whether Mako was defeated or not.


    **************


    Meanwhile, Bill continued to stare at Victor with the most intimidating stare that Victor had ever felt.


    "How did you..." Victor began to speak, still in disbelief at how they were able to escape from those power-dampening cuffs and even defeat two of his close guards that he had ced outside their door to make sure they didn''t escape when the gang member rushed to inform him of what was happening.


    However, he was cut off before he could finish his sentence as Bill responded to what he wanted to ask.


    "Those two small fish weren''t going to hold me back from the world of pain that I am going to unleash on you," Bill said.


    Victor had to admit that Bill''s fearless and threatening posebined with his aura was greatly intimidating, but still, Victor felt like he had an upper hand as after all, this was the same person that he had been electrocuting to near death an hour ago, how strong could he really be.


    The same could not have been said for Ang who was visibly shocked after observing Bill''s new appearance.


    ''There is no he managed to achieve that! He should need at least 5 years of training before he could even think of awakening that! Even I haven''t been able to achieve this...'' Ang said to herself in pure shock as she kept observing all the green glowing tattoos that encased Bill''s entire upper body.


    However, there was no mistaking it, Bill Johnson had sessfully awakened the second stage of his Wind mutant gene.


    Bill felt a surge of power greater than anything he had ever felt before as he faced Victor without the slightest hint of fear.


    "You did something that is unforgivable! You can keepughing all you want BUT..." Bill said as he suddenly took an even more serious posture, " THE JOKE''S OVER, YOU''RE DEAD!"


    After stating the fact that he was going to kill Victor right here and now, Bill was done waiting around as he dashed forward at such insane speeds that nobody even saw him move, just that he teleported from one spot to another in an instant leaving behind raging winds along his trail.


    Bill appeared instantly in the air in front of Victor Voss who hadn''t even had the time to remove the smile that he had on his face before Bill''s fistunched him from mid-air straight down into the ground with such force that the entire floor cracked up with Victor once again getting embedded deep into the ground.


    Vikctor''s skin stopped glowing and Ang was finally free to join the fight; however, she was greatly weakened as not only was the light preventing her from moving but was also absorbing her power weakening her by the second.


    If the standoff had continued for about three more minutes, Ang would havepletely run out of energy.


    She transformed back into her physical self and also decided to go all out as her eyes began to bright orange like the me of her fire that was because she had activated her own Fire mutant gene.


    Both Bill and Ang dashed forward to deal more damage to Victor before he could recover with his guards watching in disbelief as to how easily Bill knocked their boss out of the air.


    "YOU! EYES ON ME! I AM YOUR OPPONENT!" Erin shouted at the female guard, preventing her from retreating back to her boss to try and help him.


    The same was true for the male guard who was having difficulty stabbing Nathan with his short sword power weapon as his Advanced perception was just keen enough to sense the iing shes and attacks, locking him in a battle as well, preventing him from helping his boss.


    The ape beast turned around and realized that his boss was in a dire situation and needed urgent assistance to even out the ying field a little.


    He began moving toward his boss as well hoping to intercept either Bill or Ang in order to ease the load on his boss, however, he hadn''t even taken two steps forward when suddenly the ground underneath him began to tremble.


    [Rage Mode had been activated]


    A loud roar was heard from underneath the ground which got muffled a bit by the rocks and debris on top, but it was still able to send shiver''s down the ape beast''s spine.


    In the next moment, all the pieces of earth from the broken dome that were on top of Mako were blown away in all directions as Mako emerged from within the crater where he had buried himself, milliseconds before the ape crashed on his dome.


    Mako was covered in the same red aura that Nathan was quite familiar with now and so was the rest of his team with the exception of Ang of course.


    His injuries werepletely healed and now he stood in front of the ape beast with anger and rage bubbling from within and fueling his strength as single prompt appeared in front of his eyes before all hell would break loose.


    [A single target has been selected]

 Chapter 278 Cleaning Up (Part 1)

    Chapter 278 Cleaning Up (Part 1)


    The red me-like aura surrounded Mako''s body as he was ready to explode with strength and rage onto his opponent.


    The opponent in question was one of the guards who had the transformation ability of a giant ape beast as his primary ability.


    The ape beast was in utter shock after witnessing Mako emerge from the rubble without a scratch on his body as he was absolutely certain that he had killed him with the giant leaping attack that he did.


    However, that wasn''t the case at all. Mako didn''t give the guard any time to think as he dashed in with insane speed his hands erupting in red mes.


    The problem with beasts withrge bodies was that they weren''t very fast and opponents with agility and fast maneuvering capabilities were their kryptonite.


    Makonded a crisp uppercut onto the ape beast''s jaw, dealing some damage as well as disorienting him.


    Mako''s brain functions were limited when he activated Rage Mode as his brain didn''t really think of strategy during that time.


    The only thought in his mind at that moment was to simply destroy... destroy... destroy...


    With that mindset, Mako continued to attack the ape beast with a barrage of rapid ming punches onto the beast''s abdomen.


    The punches were very strong and dealt decent damage with every blow. The ape''s hide was burning with its flesh started to break from all the damage it was receiving.


    However, Since Mako wasn''t really in a strategic mindset, he didn''t switch positions and just continued to attack from the front. If Mako wasn''t under the effects of Rage Mode he would have abused the fact that his agility couldpletely overpower the ape beast with him not being fast enough to counter him.


    The beast quickly recovered from the initial uppercut and quickly blocked the constant barrage of punches by mming the ground with such force that the shockwave that was released fung Mako back into the air.


    Mako continued to fly backward until he eventually crashed into one of the walls. Furious from the strong hit he had just taken, Mako dug his fingers into the wall that he just got stuck and subconsciously activated his Earth ability.


    Cracks began to appear all around the wall as Mako used all of his strength and aura on the wall.


    Suddenly the cracks widened a huge chunk of the earth broke off from the wall with Mako attached right on top. The rock quickly began to fall down to the ground, but Mako had other ns.


    While still in mid-air, Mako yelled with anger as her exerted as much power as he could muster to flip mid-air while holding onto the giant piece of rock he had just broken off from the wall.


    The ape beast''s jaw was left hanging as he observed Mako sessfully flip himself mid-air such that he was beneath the giant rock instead of being on top.


    Using the momentum of the flip, Makounched the giant rock forward that was two-thirds the size of the ape itself.


    The rock moved at a decent speed as it moved through the air, aimed to directly hit the ape beast.


    Seeing the potential damage that the rock of this size could do to him in his ape form, the guard became totally serious as he went all out to avoid that oue.


    He couldn''t dodge the rock as she was standing directly in the path that led to the crater where his boss had just smashed into. If he were to dodge, the rock would continue on its path and smash into his boss which would definitely kill him given that he was defenseless at the moment.


    He just hoped that his boss would be able to recover and fight back against his opponents while he did everything in his power to stop the iing flying rock.


    The silver-colored hair all over the ape''s body began to glow as if the ape was covered in shiny molten metal. The glow began to oscite like a blinking beacon which showed that the ape was charging up.


    However, with such little time, the beast couldn''t fully charge up and instead, it just used all the energy that he had managed to charge up and concentrated it into his fist.


    The ape beast let out a massive roar as he faced the iing giant rock head-on by punching it to pieces using all of his power.


    The ape''s fist collided with a rock, sending out a massive and chaotic shockwave that greatly shook the room they were all in.


    However, the beast''s strength was strong enough to start diffing through the rock as it moved forward, breaking into tiny pieces with the silvery light erupting everywhere as it was being discharged by the beast.


    The rock slowly began to crumble as it continued to travel forward while colliding with the ape''s fist, eventually destroying the entire rock with his fist emerging out from the other side.


    The guard was relieved that he was able to avoid a critical hit that could have potentially ended the fight; however, he didn''t realize that the threat wasn''t over.


    As soon as the ape''s fist cleared the whole rock, smashing it into pieces and discharging thest of the silvery light, the ape was expecting to see the room again that was blocked by the shadow of the giant rock; however, what he observed after breaking the rock was that now his vision was covered by yet another massive rock!


    All color left the ape''s face and his heart shuddered as the second rock smashed into his body instantly, knocking him back into the ground and dragging him along the floor before finally stopping.


    Blood sprayed everywhere from the heavily damaged body of the ape beast who still couldn''t process how Mako was able to do such a thing.


    **************


    Back when Mako had used all of his strength to flip himself andunch therge rock, he used the momentum of the rock to propel him back into the air once again and he proceeded to dig his fingers into another part of the wall and began to repeat the same move again.


    The second rock had sessfully hit the guard whose ape body could be seen shrinking while it was still under the giant rock which meant that the guard was trying to escape from underneath the boulder by reverting back to his regr size.


    The guard was sessfully able to squeeze himself out from underneath the rock from a small crack that remained between the crater he was in and the rock that had crushed him into this crater.


    He was incredibly hurt with cuts and bruises all over; however, that didn''t stop Mako who was already dashing across the room to fulfill his purpose and destroy his target.


    The guard hadn''t even taken a couple of breaths before Mako arrived in front of him, ready to continue.


    "Please... I surrender... Have mercy..." The guard pleaded as he had no strength left to fight, a single attack being strong enough to take him out.


    For a moment, it looked like Mako had listened to what the guard was saying which brought a sliver of hope into the guard''s eyes; however, in the next moment, the mes surrounding his body ignited with greater fervor as he let out a massive roar in front of the guard''s face, giving him his answer.


    Mako didn''t hesitate as he dashed forward to end the guard. The guard understood that his life was in grave danger and in desperation, he activated his fire ability and propelled himself backward by firing a powerful jet of fire toward Mako.


    The mes seemed to have some effect on Mako as he slowed down and held up his arms to protect himself before eventually sidestepping to the right to escape from the sudden attack.


    The guard continued to fly backward hoping to escape with his fire jets but Mako was quick to recover. His hands were ckened from tanking the fire stream but his pain receptors were dulled; another perk of Rage Mode.


    Mako roared in pain and anger as he wouldn''t let his target escape. His body subconsciously activated his Lightning ability as soon his body became covered with yellow arcs of lightning and he began rapidly firing lightning bolts at him.


    It looked like the guard had quite some experience using the fire ability as a propeller to help him fly at high speeds as he was quite good at steering himself and dodging the iing lightning bolts.


    However, Mako wasn''t done as he still hadn''t ended his target. Time was running out for his Rage mode and so he had to make thisst attack count. The guard was too slippery for him to attack him with his single-shot long-range attacks and too fast to catch up to using his own speed.


    Using the window that Mako had given where he had stopped firing lightning bolts, the guard booked it towards the first entrance hoping to escape before Mako found a way to counter him, but he was toote as Mako didn''t really think while in Rage Mode.


    Using what little brain function Mako had, Mako began punching the ground with great strength again and again.


    The guard had no idea what Mako was up to nor was he interested in finding out as he continued flying toward the entrance that was so close in front of him.


    Mako had lifted up tons of small rocks that were formed went the guard destroyed the giant rock into the air with his ground punches and now with his ammo loaded, he was ready to fire.


    Mako quickly began punching all the small chunks of rock very rapidly sending forward a barrage of very fast rock projectiles.


    The guard looked back with a smirk on his face as he was not sure where he could make his escape when suddenly his smirk turned into terror as tens of hundreds of small projectiles were flying towards him at high speeds.


    The guard tried to maneuver himself around the first few rocks but eventually one of them hit him straight in the face making him crash into the wall right beside the entrance.


    The remaining rock continued to rain down on his battered body that got stuck into the ground with his blood flying everywhere.


    Soon after the barrage of rock projectiles stopped and Mako''s Rage Mode also came to an end with him copsing onto the ground a momentter due to the exhaustion status effect for which he had no energy to fight against.


    The guard''s body or what remained of it was stuck into the wall with blood and pieces of flesh littered everywhere showing how brutal of a death the guard had suffered at the hands of Mako.

 Chapter 279 Cleaning Up (Part 2)

    Chapter 279 Cleaning Up (Part 2)


    ?


    Whilst Mako was using most of the space in the room for his battle against the ape, Nathan and Erin were also having their own battles on either side of the room.


    Mako''s explosive battle and giant attacks were really distracting for the other two guards as they would lose their focus on their own battle when they observed the absurdity of Mako''s attack.


    Nathan and Erin both took advantage of this as they operated with steel-cold hearts didn''t care about their surroundings at all and just wanted to defeat their opponent in the fight.


    However, the guards they were facing off against were not some pushover gang members either as they had respectable strengthbined with great and strong abilities.


    Erin squared off against the female guard, who was equally determined to protect her boss. The room was filled with tension as everyone shed with their opponents.


    She summoned a frigid breeze by forming tiny particles of ice in the air and using her wind ability to blow all over her side of the battlefield, causing the air to chill and frost to form a misty environment around her that heavily reduced the visibility for the female guard and made Erin aware of every move as she could detect the changes in the air thanks to cy particles that she was still connected to.


    This was a brand new skill that Erin had created from scratch during training thatbined her Ice and Wind abilities together to form a very scarybinational skill that she could perform herself which she called, "Ice World".


    Her eyes gleamed with intense hatred, anger, and determination as she locked onto her opponent.


    The female guard, armed with agility andbat skills, lunged forward with remarkable speed. Not only did she possess the speed ability but she also had the lightning ability and a weird new ability that none of them had seen before.


    This ability allowed her fists and legs to be covered in a purple aura whenever she physically attacked, dealing massive amounts of damage. It wasn''t exactly like the Strength ability but it did operate quite simrly to it.


    She attempted to strike Erin with a swift kick covered in her purple aura, but Erin swiftly sidestepped, her mutant gene enhancing all her physical attributes and allowing her to easily detect and dodge the iing attacks with her feet forming ice underneath them and seemingly gliding away to safety on the icy floor.


    Erin quickly retaliated with a fluid motion, as she quickly formed ten icy bullets that aligned themselves to her arm and she began to urately shoot them through the icy mist thanks to the tiny particles in the air informing her of the female guard''s exact position


    The guard''s perception was strong as she was able to recognize the danger, and narrowly avoided the icy st by performing an acrobatic backflip. The guard then quickly began to use her speed to run in circles around Erin so that she would be a hard target to hit with her slowing down and speeding up to dodge any more iing bullets.


    Erin fired all of her bullets with none of them connecting to her opponent. Undeterred, Erin continued forward with her next n of action.


    Meanwhile, the guard used this opportunity to close in on Erin andnd a couple of powerful strikes that could greatly tip the bnce of this fight in her favor.


    Erin sensed the guard approaching her and she instantly conjured a swirling vortex of icy wind around her, condensing it around the guard turning it into a solid, and creating a protective barrier that encased her. The guard was now frozen inside a block of ice for a few moments with her being uncertain of how to approach the chilling defense.


    The guard quickly used her purple aura to bust herself out of the ice block and Erin seized the opportunity to strike. She used her wind ability tounch herself up into the air and over the block of ice as she was now up in the air directly behind the guard.


    She extended her arm, fingers pointed at her opponent, and unleashed a barrage of icicle projectiles. The sharp shards of ice shot toward the guard, who barely managed to sense and deflect some of them with her agile movements.


    However, some icicles grazed the guard''s arms and legs, leaving behind a frosty wound that greatly reduced her agility as she was inflicted with the frozen status effect.


    She winced in pain but pressed on, refusing to give up. The fight had intensified, with Erin maintaining her control over the icy battlefield, forcing her opponent to constantly adapt and evade.


    Now realizing that she couldn''t defeat Erin head-on, the guard decided to employ a different tactic. She executed a series of acrobatic flips and somersaults, creating a whirlwind of her own. Her wind ability allowed her to counter Erin''s icy attacks with razor-sharp gusts.


    The twobatants engaged in a dance of elements, with the guard''s purple fists and kicks shing against Erin''s ice. It was a breathtaking spectacle of power and agility, and the room echoed with the sounds of their abilities colliding.


    Meanwhile on the other side of the room, Nathan faced off against the male guard.


    The guard possessed very formidable abilities, one of which was linked with his short sword power weapon as whenever he swung his sword an azure aura followed the sword''s every movement and Nathan was aware of this ability as he had encountered it before.


    The ability was called "Weapon Empowerment" and it basically improved the durability, power, sharpness, and any other attribute of any melee weapon that the user wielded.


    Alongside that, the male guard also possessed the mist ability which was obtained through the resonance of fire and water, making him a very formidable opponent.


    The male guard was also aware of Nathan''s unique abilities as he had been observing him fight the three guards from before and so he approached the fight cautiously as he knew he had to find a way to counter Nathan''s perception advantage.


    As the fight began, the guard relied on his mist ability to obscure his movements, making it difficult for Nathan to anticipate his actions because of low visibility. He darted in and out of the mist,unching surprise attacks from unexpected angles.


    Nathan''s advanced perception was his greatest asset in this battle and while he couldn''t see the guard directly in the mist, he could still sense the subtle disturbances in the environment and the lighting that was being reflected by the mist that was caused by the guard''s movements.


    Nathan maintained his heightened awareness. He was still able to somewhat dodge the strikes as they came so the guard wasn''t able tond a solid hit on him and after a couple of failed attempts and taking a couple of cuts and scratches from the male guard''s des, Nathan''s senses slowly adapted to the new environment and he was once again able to detect the guard''s presence even when he couldn''t be seen.


    The male guard was agile and skilled in close-quartersbat. He attempted to strike Nathan with swift and precise martial arts techniques, capitalizing on his misty concealment.


    However, once Nathan was able to master the ability to sense the guard even while surrounded by the mist, Nathan activated his explosive ability andunched a precise explosion after momentarily sensing the guard''s location.


    The area became a dynamic battleground, with the guard relying on his stealth and agility to outmaneuver Nathan, who quickly began to adapt and use his advanced perceptions to counter the guard''s every move.


    Explosions illuminated the room, providing fleeting glimpses of the elusivebatants.


    The mist acted like a double-edged sword for the male guard because not only was Nathan affected by it but he himself was too as he also couldn''t sense whenever Nathan wasunching an attack towards him.


    Given this predicament, the table soon turned with the guard failing miserably to defend himself against Nathan who began tounch a barrage of different attacks mixed in with the vocational surprise explosion.


    As the fight progressed, Nathan realized that the guard was inexperienced with the mist ability as it was in fact a very strong ability leading him to believe that this guard had only just recently resonated with his abilities.


    As the fight intensified, the guard struggled to maintain his advantage in the mist. Nathan''sbination of advanced perception and explosive power allowed him to adapt to the changing conditions and anticipate the guard''s tactics.


    In the end, Nathan''s uniquebination of abilities and ability to adapt quickly enabled him to finally defeat the male guard byunching a massive explosion right next to his feet when the guard hadpletely given up and lunged forward for a desperate attack.


    He used his advanced perceptions to predict the guard''s movements and his explosive ability sted him with extreme force knocking him back into a pile of boxing and turning him unconscious.


    At that exact moment, Erin also imed victory in her battle as the remainder of her battle was pretty straightforward once she had inflicted the frozen status effect on the guard and heavily restricted her movement.


    The guard could only use physical attacks as they were her key strength but with reduced agility, she could never catch up to Erin all the while Erin kept on attacking with different ranged abilities while dodging any lightning-based attacks that the guard used asionally.


    Both Erin and Nathan looked at each other and nodded after finishing their respective fights. They looked at the center to see that Mako had once again exerted himself past his limits and was knocked out with the state of his opponent best left undescribed.


    They then turned around to face the crater where Victor was smashed into by Bill and saw that Ang was lying down on the ground with Bill nowhere to be seen. Worried that something might have happened, Erin rushed toward Ang with Nathan following closely behind after making sure that Mako was okay.

 Chapter 280 Calling For Help

    Chapter 280 Calling For Help


    After making sure that Mako was alright and was just knocked out due to exhaustion, Nathan quickly rushed towards Erin who was already checking on Ang.


    However, when he reached them, he was left in shock at what he was seeing.


    There was a pool of blood beneath Ang''s body with a de that was stabbed into her back.


    Erin quickly removed the de and used her ice to seal the wound and to cool down the area around it so that her blood flow slowed down and she lost less blood.


    There was no sign of Bill or Victor, so they needed Ang to regain consciousness quickly so that they could know what had happened and where they were.


    Suddenly, the two of them heard footstepsing from behind them and before they could even fully turn around as they weren''t expecting a surprise attack, Leon appeared in front of them at very high speeds.


    Leon''s entire body was covered in blood and scratches from the heavy beating he had taken from the ape beast that had smacked him around and thrown him into a pile of boxes, and although he was very hurt, his hardening allowed him to remain conscious and not t out die.


    Leon quickly reached into his storage device and took out two high-tier healing pills that they had been saving for emergencies on the mission and fed them to Ang.


    Ang''s skin tone instantly became better after the healing pills took effect, but still, she looked far from healthy as her veins were unnaturally dark and could be seen clearly through her skin. She seemingly also lost some weight as well and her bones were now more outlined and exposed all over her body.


    The group was worried about Leon as well as he was also not in a stable condition by any means, but Leon was extremely focused as there was still one more enemy left that they had to take care of before they could rest.


    "We need to wake her up," Leon said as he pulled out some water.


    Erin used to wash Ang''s face multiple times until finally she began twitching which showed that he was about to wake up.


    Ang was still extremely weak as she could barely open her eyes which led Nathan to suspect that she wasn''t stabbed by any ordinary dagger and that maybe she might have been poisoned.


    "Nugghh," Ang groaned in a low voice as she finally opened her eyes to see Nathan, Erin, and Leon staring at her.


    "Ang, what happened?! Where''s Victor!? Where''s Bill!?" Nathan asked Ang.


    Ang could barely keep her eyes open much less talk, but Nathan continued to ask again and again with Erin shaking her up to keep her awake.


    Finally, Ang was able to summon enough strength to raise her arm as she pointed toward the entrance from where Bill and Erin had previously shown up.


    "He went... He... went... after... him... h...hel... help him!" Ang stated before copsing.


    Nathan and Erin looked at each other with urgency as they knew they had to move fast. Erin knew that Bill wasn''t the most stable right now and they had to help him or he might end up dying.


    "GO!" Leon suddenly shouted as pushed Erin away from Ang. "Go and help him, I will call for an emergency extraction and watch after her in the meantime."


    "What! Are you really going to call them? They will know that if we disobey orders, there will be dire consequences," Nathan said still unsure if it was a good idea to inform Commander Sable.


    "We are bound to get in trouble no matter what now. We were following the lead of our leader and now it''s our job to finish the job. Stop worrying about the future and make sure that bastard does get himself killed!" Leon shouted in the most serious expression that Erin had ever seen.


    With that they both quickly nodded and dashed into the dark entrance to chase after Bill and Victor, praying that they weren''t toote.


    ****************


    Leon took out the virtualmunication device and quickly established the connection with the military HQ.


    "Don''t worry, young ones, The back upon team is almost ready and we will arrive there in 4 hours so stay put... LEON! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?" Commander Sable eximed as he turned from whatever he was doing to the hologram of Leon who looked critically injured with blood all over his body and clothes with his face extremely swollen and injured.


    "Commander, we sessfully infiltrated the enemy base which was located on the north side of the vige in a secret underground passageway. There have been a fewplications, but we have defeated all of the members inside the base with the exclusion of Victor Voss who is currently being pursued by three members of our group." Leon exined in a professional manner.


    "DAMN IT, LEON! I TOLD YOU GUYS TO STAND DOWN! WHAT PART OF THAT ORDER DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND!?" Commander Sable shouted at the holographic disy with anger as he was furious about his disciples disobeying him.


    However, Leon remained as calm as possible as he knew he himself wouldn''tst long and he had to report as much possible.


    "Following themand of our Leader, I and Nathan along with Officer Ang infiltrated the base together. We were able to sessfully defeat their forces and our members who were captured had broken free from their entrapment during our fight and joined us in the final battle." Leon continued.


    "WHAT! Ang was in on this! How could she!?" Commander Sable was shocked to find out that even the officer whom he trusted to watch over his new disciples had disobeyed him.


    Themander was about to say something more when Leon quickly cut him off while breathing heavily, "Commander please listen! There have been no casualties on our side yet with our leader Mako Grey simply being knocked unconscious due to exhaustion and me also going to follow suit soon enough. Iris'' status is unknown, but Officer Ang''s condition is worsening."


    Leon moved the device further back so it could capture Ang''s figure as well who was lying on the ground struggling to breathe.


    "While were finishing off our battles against Victor Voss''s elite guards, Victor stabbed her with a special dagger that had left her in this state. I have already administered two high-tier healing pills which have seemed to slow down the effects on her body but she is still getting worse. I am requesting immediate emergency extraction and medical personnel so that her life can be saved," Leon said.


    Commander Sable was left speechless after so much was just dumped onto him all of a sudden. He was preparing a couple of low-ranked officers to join his backup team which he would send to raid the hideout, as thest thing he was expecting was for Mako to disobey his orders and lead his team to such grave danger.


    Before themander could say anything, Leon''s holographic figure began to wobble as his vision was bing blurry by the second.


    "Please... Hurrymander..." Leon said before copsing onto the ground right next to Ang.


    "LEON!" Themander shouted with worry as he witnessed his disciple fall right before his eyes.


    "Prep the emergency jet for take off now, inform the medical personnel. Tell them to be ready in five minutes!" Commander Sable shouted at the privates who were standing beside him.


    The privates quickly began to move to execute themander''s n hoping to not dy a single second that concurred the wrath of themander onto them.


    ********************


    Mako''s eyes slowly opened back up as he found himselfying in the exact position that he was when he fell to the ground after the effect of exhaustion had kicked in from him deactivated Rage Mode.


    Mako turned his head around but found that there was nobody around and the whole was silent which made him quite confused.


    *DING!*


    [Deactivating Rage Mode]


    [The remaining Rage mode bar will bepensated to the user by the system]


    [A Difficult Level 5 Opponent Has Been Defeated]


    [+50000 EXP]


    [The User is Exhausted]


    A number of prompts filled Mako''s point of view with many more notifications that were still waiting to be opened and read; however, Mako quickly closed the interface and slowly picked himself off the ground.


    His entire body was aching and he was still heavily exhausted, but he knew that if he wasn''t in a hospital bed when he woke, it meant that the fight wasn''t over and that his friends still might need him, even though he was practically useless.


    Mako looked around and saw the destruction that had taken ce all over this giant room with the cracks and craters that littered the whole ce as well as the remains of the guard that he had killed.


    Mako had no remorse for him as during the final moments, Mako had actually made the decision himself to kill the guard as his Rage Mode was already deactivating at that point and he was regaining his consciousness.


    After looking around a bit more, Mako''s weak and blurry eyes finallynded on two people who were lying on the ground next to the entrance from where Victor and his men had shown up.


    After focusing a bit on their bodies, Mako realized that the bodies were of Ang and Leon.


    Seeing their superior officer and friend lying on the floor like that with blood all around them, Mako began to panic as he tried to run towards them as fast as he could with what little energy his legs possessed.


    "Leon! Ang! I aming!" He shouted as he made his way towards his dying teammates.

 Chapter 281 Using The Shop

    Chapter 281 Using The Shop


    Mako ran toward them as fast as his legs would allow him. He pushed through the pain and exhaustion that was causing immense strain on his body and finally arrived in front of the two of them.


    Leon was lying face first into the ground covered in blood which was from the injuries he had received from the ape beast guard that Mako had now killed. There was a military virtual transmitter in front of him which showed that Leon probably called for help before passing out.


    However, Mako was more concerned about what had happened during the time he was knocked out and where was Victor and the others.


    After looking around, Mako was able to spot the knocked-out bodies of the other two guards who were fighting alongside the guard that transformed into the ape beast.


    It didn''t take long for Mako to put two and two together and figure out that all of the guards had been defeated and Victor was probably on the run.


    This was confirmed by him feeling the ground shaking slightly after every couple of moments which seemed to originate from the dark passageway that their opponents first walked out from.


    Mako had no energy left to fight so he knew that he would only get in the way and possibly sabotage his own friends who were most like engaged inbat with Victor Voss.


    He knelt down beside Ang and hoped that the military would arrive soon to provide backup and stabilize the situation.


    However, as he sat beside Ang, he noticed her skin getting paler and the veins in her body showing through her skin.


    Now he had absolutely no medical experience, but he knew the body wasn''t supposed to do that. He checked her body and eventually flipped her to find the stab wound that Erin had temporarily covered up with ice.


    Seeing as her condition continued to deteriorate, Mako knew he had to do something but what could he do? He had no healing ability. He knew nothing about any medicine or anatomy.


    The only time he had done anything medical-rted was when he operated on Bill and Leon during the recruitment test and even then he was being spoonfed all of the details of the procedure by the patrolling guard but this time there wasn''t anyone who could help him.


    After thinking for a bit, Mako knew that panicking would solve anything. He brought thest healing pill that he had in his inventory and fed it to Ang hoping that it would make a difference, not knowing that she had already consumed two and it had minimal effect.


    A couple of minutes went by and the distant sound of shing and shaking was still quite evident, but Mako''s focus had shiftedpletely from the battle and towards Ang who was losing more strength and growing weaker by the minute.


    Mako had run out of ideas on what to do as he could really begin to fix the problem when he had no knowledge of what was causing it.


    In a moment of desperation, Mako decided to Analyze her. This skill had failed on her before as she was far stronger than him, but usually, the skill would work once the person was unconscious. It was worth a try as he had no other way of understanding what was happening to her.


    [Analyze]


    [Profile: Ang Wright] (Unconscious) (Poisoned)


    [Ability: Fire (Level 7), Fear (Level 6), Shadow (Level 6), Nightmare (Level 4)] ?


    Mako was blown away by how many strong and powerful abilities Ang possessed and how high-level each of them was, but that was the thing he was supposed to focus on when analyzing her.


    He quickly drew his attention towards her status and that was when he received the shocking revtion.


    She wasn''t getting any better even with healing pills aiding her because there was a poison in her system that was continuously deteriorating her from the inside out.


    Mako had a look of empathy and pain on his face as he got shbacks to the time Bill was poisoned during the recruitment test and how hard he had to struggle in order to find him an antidote, which made him hate the poison ability.


    However this time, there was no trail set up where he could just randomly run around and find a hidden container within that had the antidote to save Ang''s life.


    Seeing how fast the poison was eating away at her body despite the fact that she was so strong meant that the poison used was to specifically target her and Mako couldn''t do anything about it.


    "Come on, Come on, Come on... Think!" Mako shouted at himself as he focused really hard to try ande up with a solution but nothing came to mind.


    By now, all the effects of the healing pills had concluded with her rate of regression speeding up.


    Mako had to do something fast or else Ang would die long before any help or backup could arrive.


    Racking his brain, trying to think of a way to save her life, Mako suddenly remembered a different memory from the recruitment test which was also one of the most crucial events that took ce throughout the whole thing and that was when he absorbed all of those crystals to prepare himself in order to face Mikhail in the duel.


    "THE POISON ABILITY!" Mako eximed as he remembered something and opened up the understandings tab which was the sub-tab of his profile to confirm.


    [Understandings] ?


    [Poison (Level 1): 62%]


    [Lightning (Level 6): 5.6%]


    [Earth(Level 4): 7%]


    [Sound (Level 1): 27%]


    Mako hadn''t opened up this tab in a while as he had never had the chance to absorb more crystals but looking at it now the understanding had been updated a bit as he had continued to progress through the Lightning and Earth abilities naturally.


    When Mako first unlocked this tab he didn''t possess the earth ability which was at more than half understanding to obtain level 1 earth ability but now that understanding had shrunk down and Mako only had 7% understanding in it to achieve level 4.


    Mako was impressed by his growth but he quickly focused back on the reason why he opened the tab in the first ce. He was 62% of the way there to unlocking the poison ability. If he managed to fill the remaining bar and awaken his own poison ability, he should be able to save Ang.


    However, this now posed another major issue as Mako had no crystal left that had the poison aura inside of it.


    He still had some crystals and more that wereter shared by his friends from the haul they earned from each of the five beast waves, but Mako was saving them to research them once he got into military school, particrly how power armor was made using them.


    Thinking of any other way that he could obtain those crystals or fill up the bar percentage, Mako turned toward the system for help.


    "System, I would like to propose a trade. You can take down some of my EXP or attributes as payment and in return grant me the poison ability," Mako said to the system out loud.


    [Invalid Request]


    [Proposal Denied]


    Big, ring, hurtful words were disyed in front of his eyes as the system rejected the fluke shot of him trading a piece of himself in order for him to gain the power, but apparently that was not how it worked, he couldn''t just randomly trade for something from the system.


    "Trade... HUH!" Mako gasped as an idea just clicked inside of his brain. He quickly reverted back to the main menu on the system interface and prayed with all his might that thisst resort idea worked out.


    He opened the tab that had always been disappointed by whenever he opened it, the shop tab.


    The shop tab had been quite underwhelming and disappointing ever since Mako unlocked it as it never disyed anything that caught Mako''s interest.


    The daily shop would always disy items so far out of Mako''s reach that he felt that this was the way for the system to taunt him by showing how weak and poor he still was.


    Additionally, the main shop always had the worst items for him. These items would have made powerless Mako from 4-5 months ago absolutely crazy but Mako already had the items that were presented in the main shop either of the same quality or better.


    However, there was always one thing that did catch Mako''s eye and that was that he could purchase the crystals that he had already encountered from time to time. Mako didn''t want to spend his precious coins buying something that he might not need so he decided to save up until those things were needed and then he could purchase them from the store.


    Mako was praying from the very depth of his soul that the main shop had Poison crystals for sale this time as it had been a while since hest checked the shop.


    [Main Shop] ?


    [...] (..) ?


    [...] (..) ?


    [...] (..) ?


    [...] (..) ?


    [Medium tier Poison Crystal] (2 Bronze Coins) ?

 Chapter 282 The Poison Ability

    Chapter 282 The Poison Ability


    [User''s Energy pool has be too potent for Medium Tier Crystals to have an effect]


    [User will no longer receive more energy while absorbing a Medium Tier Crystal or lower; however, the rate of understanding of the power within the crystal will remain the same]


    [The cost of upgrading the energy pool using attribute points has also been increased to 5 attribute points for every upgrade]


    Multiple prompts appeared in front of Mako as he broke and absorbed another Medium tier poison crystal, having lost count of how many he had bought and absorbed at this point; however, he did know that it was well over 100 crystals.


    Mako was getting drunk on the feeling of the cooling sensation as the energy washed through him and his understanding of the poison ability continued growing with a small green bubble of poison aura forming inside him.


    Mako had broken so many crystals that he had actually skyrocketed past Level 1 and had actually managed to achieve a Level 2 Poison ability.


    In addition to that, before all those prompts showed up in front of him, Mako had been receiving another 10 energy points that were expanding his energy pool for every crystal he broke, so now he had almost 1000 more energy points to y around with.


    Mako had also taken hisst High Tier Rejuvenating pill which helped him recover even more energy at a faster rate.


    Mako was a bit saddened to see the prompts as now he knew that there was a limit to how strong he could get just by cheesing his way through the system.


    Eventually, he wouldn''t be able to grow stronger even if he broke higher-tier crystals, and the attribute point cost to upgrade anything would also continue to rise.


    This meant that no matter what, if Mako truly wanted to be the strongest he needed to not rely on the system and put in the hard work himself.


    ********************


    [Congrattions! You have obtained the Poison Ability]


    [Poison is an offensive/utility ability that can be used in many different kinds of situations boosting both offense and defense]


    [Strength +5]


    [Fortitude +5]


    [To activate these boosts, you have to keep your ability active which will passively drain energy as well as release the aura of a level 2 Poison ability user]


    [Current rate of energy consumption: 1.5 Energy per minute]


    Once Mako had achieved the second level of the poison ability, his focuspletely shifted from the prompts and his future ns as he came back to reality and turned towards Ang, hoping that now he would be of some help to her.


    Mako activated the poison aura within him and it made his hands look like they were covered in a green, bubbly haze, just like a witch''s cauldrons in those old movies where their potions bubbled and frothed as they brewed.


    He carefully turned Ang on her back and exposed the area where the stab wound was by removing the ice that was covering it up.


    Mako didn''t really know what he was doing as he just followed his instincts and allowed the poison aura within him to guide him in what to do next.


    He ced his handced with the green bubbling on the open wound and closed his eyes as he activated his elemental control of poison to take control.


    Just like when he activated his Energy Sensing skill where he could see different energies while seeing the whole world on a greyscale, this time Mako could see the outline of Ang''s body and nothing else, but from within the outline of her body, Mako could now see many different green spots that had spread all over her body.


    ''This is the poison that was injected into her, it seems powerful,'' Mako said to himself as he observed all the little clumps of green that were spread throughout her body.


    ''The poison has spread too quickly, it must be very potent, but it seems that her body is somehow able to fight back as it has prevented the poison from reaching any critical organs... yet,'' Mako said to himself as he continued to observe what was happening in her body.


    The majority of the poison was spread throughout her muscles and blood vessels, but her heart was barely beating which made the poison spread very slowly and for some reason, an invisible force was blocking it from getting anywhere close to her heart or brain.


    However, this invisible force was losing as the poison was slowly creeping towards her organs while also simultaneously destroying her muscle fibers and bones which was why she appeared so weak and her veins looked so blue.


    Mako quickly got to work as he started to transfer his own poison aura inside her body to try and control the poison that was inside of her.


    Sweat started to run down Mako''s forehead and his energy points were dropping fast as he began forcing his will on the poison inside Ang''s body.


    The poison inside her that was killing her was very high quality and Mako''s measly level 2 poison ability was barely able to influence the poison at all with him having to exert great amounts of willpower and energy to move a small amount of poison from her body.


    The poison ability worked in simr ways like water ability as on the fundamental level they were both abilities that dealt with manipting a liquid but the thing with the poison ability was that the user created the poison within their own body and didn''t have to rely on external sources.


    There are many different kinds of poisons and each of them attacked in different ways with their efficiency being improved the more potent and strong they were.


    While other abilities allowed the user to manipterger quantities of an element, for example: a Level 5 Water ability user could control and manipte far more water than a Level 2 Water ability user, but with the poison ability, the higher level of the ability one possessed, the stronger and more potent poison they could produce and control.


    The poison inside Ang was far stronger than what Mako could control which was why it cost him about 150 energy points just to finally remove a small blob of poison from her body.


    The poison was bright green in color and Mako carefully discarded it away from Ang''s body.


    Even though Mako had more energy points thanks to the crystal-absorbing session and his rejuvenating pill, he was still physically exhausted as his stamina was on the brink of giving out.


    Mako had been using his abilities nonstop ever since he escaped from the hotel room right before it exploded and now his body just wanted to rx as the constant moving of different auras and casting skills put a physical strain on his body, one that could only be fixed with him taking a rest and rxing his body.


    However, Mako couldn''t afford to rx now. Ang might not have been an official member of their team and was just supposed to watch over them as they finished their simple mission on their own, but he was the one who forced her into fighting alongside them.


    He knew all along that Ang was going easy on them when they had their little fight in the forest as there was no real way for any of them to defeat her. He understood that she was probably testing his resolve and in the end decided to aid him into breaking into the hideout behind themander''s back.


    This was for sure a high-tier D-Rank mission something that only Beta and Alpha-ranked ability users take on, but Mako had insisted that they would be able to do it themselves as he was more worried about his captured friends than his remaining team that he decided to risk his own as well as his teammate''s lives just to make sure that they were still alive.


    Looking back at it now, Mako''s heart filled up with guilt as he realized his grave mistake. He was so focused on his friends that his sense of reasoning wasn''t able topute what themander had told him and now here he was in this current predicament with Ang dying in front of him and him not being strong enough to take out all of the poison.


    He felt responsible as he was the leader and regretted that he himself had made the decision to disobey themander''s orders and do things himself. He didn''t want to be the cause of anyone''s death, especially Ang''s.


    "NO! I won''t give up! Don''t die on me, Ang!" Mako shouted at Ang''s barely breathing body as his determination and emotion overcame his exhaustion for the moment and Mako quickly began to activate his poison ability again to remove more poison from her body.


    Mako vowed that he wouldn''t stop removing the poison until he either seeded or passed out from overexerting himself.


    ****************


    Time continued to pass as visible veins were now popping on Mako''s forehead and he was covered in sweat. His energy points continued to decrease at a quick rate, but he continued to pull out more and more drops of the poison from her body.


    Mako''s hands were shaking from the strain that was put on them and he was in an intense amount of pain, but he didn''t stop for a second as he continued to power through and not stop until all the poison was removed.


    Ang''splexion slowly got better and the invisible force that was fighting from within her was starting to fight back the poison with great fervor but he was still only 25% of the way done and he knew if he gave up now, it would still be toote for Ang before help arrived.


    Blood started to drip from Mako''s nose as he continued to concentrate and expand his tiny green bubble of poison aura to work even faster and harder to move and influence more amounts of this strong poison.


    Mako was determined to save Ang''s life as he didn''t care what happened to his own body in the process.


    "Come on! We are all going home, alive!" Mako shouted as he again nted his hands into the wound to extract more poison.


    He poured his will power into the tiny green bubble of aura to activate elemental control once again; however, this time something unique and unexpected happened.


    The tiny green bubble that contained Mako''s poison aura exploded from all the willpower and emotion that Mako had subconsciously poured into it.


    *BOOM!*

 Chapter 283 The Awakening & The End (Part 1)

    Chapter 283 The Awakening & The End (Part 1)


    Time slowed down as a powerful and unique feeling erupted from within Mako''s body. His painpletely disappeared as he felt very light. The strain and exhaustion on his body were non-existent as Mako could feel his muscle fibers physically getting a lot stronger.


    Mako''s tiny green bubble that had contained his poison aura hadpletely burst with the aura now leaking and spreading throughout his entire body with his eyes glowing a bright neon green.


    [User is going through a unique change]


    [An amazing achievement!]


    [User had unlocked the first level of the Poison Mutant Gene]


    [Computing Power Boost provided by Poison Mutant Gene]


    *Ding!*


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [...]


    [...]


    An array of prompts flooded the holographic screen in front of Mako''s eyes which were now glowing bright in a neon green color; however, Mako paid no heed to the iing prompts as he added them to a massive folder of unread notifications that he had still yet to open and read.


    Who knew how many rewards were waiting for him in his notification box the rewards wouldn''t be applied until Mako acknowledged the prompt by reading it from the notification box.


    Mako could feel his poison aura that was now freely flowing throughout his entire body and could sense that it was at a far greater level than what he had it before.


    Without wasting a single second, Mako ced his hand on top of the wound once again, this time his entire arms were covered in the hazy green aura which quickly began to push into her body to try and influence the remainder of the poison that was still lingering inside her body and was causing more destruction.


    Mako watched with shock and wonder as every single droplet of poison that was spread throughout her entire body quickly began to migrate back toward their origin which was the stab wound on her back.


    Within seconds, Mako had amassed a decent-sized blob of bright green liquid that was half the size of a baseball.


    This was the entirety of the poison that was injected inside Ang''s body via the dagger that Victor had stabbed her with.


    Mako extracted the poison from the wound with ease and discarded it by throwing it far away from Ang''s body.


    As soon as Mako removed the poison from her body, the invisible force inside of her started to take control of her body again and establish self-healing.


    Mako had his system that had the emergency healing feature that would begin healing him in exchange for energy if he was to be close to zero HP, but Ang didn''t have such a thing, so Mako was amazed to see that her body was also performing emergency healing all on her own with her also receiving aid from the healing pill that Mako fed her earlier.


    Mako continued to observe Ang''s organs and vitals, scanning her internals several times to make sure that he didn''t miss any small droplets of poison that might have escaped his control the first time.


    However, after scanning her several times and Analyze confirming that Ang was no longer poisoned, Mako''s eyes slowly began to lose their bright neon green color as they dimmed and reverted back to their original color with Mako passing out momentster and his body couldn''t go on for a second more or else he would have actually died from such extreme exhaustion.


    *Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!*


    [...]


    [...]


    [...]


    Several more prompts shed in front of him, but he was too tired to make sense of any of them and they too got transferred to the unread pile in the notifications tab, awaiting for Mako to read and acknowledge them for them to take effect.


    Mako copsed alongside the recovering bodies of Ang and Leon, contempt that he had given his all to make sure none of his teammates died on his watch. He just hoped that whoever Leon had called for help would arrive soon and give them all proper medical attention and hoped that the rest of his team would be able to deal with Victor Voss.


    He was still unsure of Iris'' condition as she still hadn''t appeared but hoped for her to be alright as well and with thatst thought, Mako finally became unconscious again.


    Meanwhile, the asional thud and shaking of the ground that Mako could sense from the dark passage told him that a fight was still going on and two powerful people were shing head-on.


    *******************


    Bill grabbed Victor by the neck and smashed his face onto the steel table inside the little room where they were initially imprisoned.


    *Smash!*


    Victor''s whole body was covered in blood and was heavily injured but that didn''t stop Bill whose body was still glowing with those tattoos to continue bringing more pain to Victor.


    Victor was a very skilled fighter and a person who was very strong both mentally and physically and yet right now, he was on the verge of tears as he couldn''t deal with the pain anymore. He continued to wonder where had he made a critical error to be now put in this position.


    *******************


    After Victor was smashed into the ground by Bill during his entry, both Bill and Ang rushed forward to defeat him once and for all; however, Victor wasn''tpletely out of tricks just yet.


    He had an emergency dagger on him that had been gifted to him by his current employer as an offering of peace and gratitude for him and his team to be carrying out this mission in the vige.


    The de wasced with a special poison that was extremely strong and could kill any fighter up to the Alpha rank.


    Using the fact that he had taken a critical blow from Bill and was without guard, Ang didn''t suspect Victor to recover so swiftly and stab her in the back just as she was about to unleash her strong fire ability.


    The reason for Victor''s smooth recovery was that he had used his own wind ability to cushion the blow for him and he imitated his body being lodged into the earth but in reality, it was just his wind ability that had made that crater.


    Bill was able to respond swiftly to Victor''s sudden recovery, but Victor was already too quick as he had picked up his rifle and sted Bill into the dark alleyway using an air bullet.


    Seeing that Ang wasn''t a threat anymore and would die eventually as well as seeing his elite guards each engaging in battle against one of those pesky brats, he was confident that he wasn''t needed here as he had to make sure to neutralize Bill before he recovered because as of now he wasn''t very sure how many of Bill''s he could avoid as he was definitely physically stronger than him at this point.


    He grabbed his rifle and charged through the dark alleyway that led back to the two rooms that were constructed at the very end. His main office where he had stored all the main valuables that he had stolen from the vige as well his own tech and ns while the other one was the prison room where he had enjoyed torturing Bill and the other for an entire hour.


    Using the light emanating from his rifle, Victor illuminated his path as he continued to dash forward hoping to catch Bill off guard and quickly finish him off.


    *CRUNCH!*


    However, in an instant, the walls of the passageway came toward each other at insane speeds, crushing Vinctorpletely between the two bs of earth.


    Blood gushed out of Victor''s mouth as his body was barely able to stop itself from beingpletely squashed t.


    Soon the walls retracted back into the walls as if they hadn''t moved at all and the disfigured and hurt figure of Victor Voss came face to Bill''s figure that was giving off an extremely dangerous and ominous aura as the glowing light from his tattoos and eyes was the only source of light that gave off a general outline of his body.


    "Did you really think you were the only one that could fake getting hit by a strong attack?" Bill as he reminded Victor of moments ago when he had fooled Ang by tanking one of his attacks.


    Bill had done the exact same thing as he had purposefully taken the hit from his rifle to beunched back into the passageway where he was sure that Victor would follow him.


    A narrow space, surrounded by the earth on all sides.


    "I was already going to pay you back a thousandfold for what you did to Iris, but now I realize that this is far too little of a punishment for someone like you who doesn''t think for a slight second before killing or hurting anyone," Bill stated as he nted his feet firmly on the ground and the tattoos that were on his body began to appear and illuminate all over the walls around them.


    "Prepare yourself!" Bill shouted at the frightened figure of Victor Voss as he was ready to go all out against him in a domain that favoured him quite heavily.

 Chapter 284 The Awakening & The End (Part 2)

    Chapter 284 The Awakening & The End (Part 2)


    Bill didn''t really have a way to exin what was happening to him but he felt a deep connection forming from within.


    A connection with the very earth itself!


    Bill could sense everything that was happening on the ground, in between the wall, and even on the surface which was their ceiling.


    It felt like he could effortlesslymand the earth into doing whatever he willed.


    Although he couldn''t control the entire, the feeling wasn''t false at all as all the earth within a kilometer radius obeyed Bill''s aura as if he was a force of nature passing down amand to them.


    Bill''s aura within his body was running rampant and wild as his very blood was reced by streams of aura that made him feel so powerful that he felt like he could continue fighting for days without ever stopping. This energy was presenting itself in the form of the glowing tattoos that covered his entire upper body, pulsing with power.


    *Gulp!*


    Victor was afraid of the power and aura emanating from Bill, even though he wasn''t that far behind him. Bill only had the earth ability boosted by his insane Mutant Gene, but he possessed several abilities of close to that caliber so he still should be able to match up to him.


    Victor quickly equipped his rifle and activated his own wind Mutant Gene before Bill could make the walls crush him again.


    After once again getting boosted by his mutant gene, Victor activated a very powerful and useful skill that made his entry body be hazy and covered in a super thin concentratedyer of air making it white and visible.


    "Hmph! Cheap tricks won''t work on me!" Bill shouted as he smashed his feet into the ground and the walls of the tunnel quickly began crashing toward each other again, hoping to crush Victor Voss to death; however, Victor calmly raised his arms just in time as a powerful gust of wind propelled him backward and he narrowly dodged the walls from crushing him.


    Bill''s eyes red with surprise as he wasn''t expecting Victor to still have the skill necessary to offer resistance to him.


    However, he quickly recovered as the anger and rage within him wouldn''t rest until he skinned Victor alive for everything he had done.


    The tattoos on his arms could be seen channeling the energy from his core into his arms as Bill began to rapid-fire cast earth spears from all angles in extremely quick session.


    Extremely sharp and durable earth spears erupted from the ground, walls, and ceiling by the dozens every second all aimed to impale Victor andnd a critical strike.


    Victor quickly took on a unique stance where he was super low to the ground and he quickly began to dodge every single earth spear at the same speed that more were emerging.


    He was so quick on his feet that he would change his position the moment he sensed a disturbance in the ground thus avoiding any spikes that emerged from beneath him while maintaining his unique stance where he was practically supporting all of his weight on his knees.


    This stance allowed him to stay as far away from the walls and ceiling as possible making it easier for him to sense and dodge the iing attacks.


    Despite not having shown his physical strength that much, Victor was crazy strong as he continued to break earth spikes by the dozen every second to create room for him to maneuver and continue dodging the attacks.


    After about two minutes of this insane disy of skill and power from both sides, Bill''s tattoos began to dim as he was exhausting his energy reserves faster than he could replenish them, forcing him to stop.


    "EYA HA HA HA!"


    An insane maniacalughter resounded in the hallways the a sudden gust of wind broke apart all of the remaining earth spears.


    Victor revealed himself with newfound confidence as he finally had a gauge of Bill''s strength and realized that he was still able to take him on despite his massive growth in power which goes to show how strong Victor actually was.


    Every single vein and muscle inside Bill''s body bulged at the sheer sight of seeing Victor stillughing in the same he did when he was torturing them.


    "HA HA HA! Face it! I am still stronger than you! You can get all of nature''s unfair advantages and I will still kill you in the end!" Victor shouted as he disrespectfully dusted off the dust from his clothes.


    Bill was starting to breathe heavily from all the energy he was spending and so was Victor as using that wind skill which practically made him untouchable at Bill''s level also cost him heaps of energy to maintain.


    "You will soon sumb to your body''s limits..." Victor continued as he continued to breathe heavily and catch his breath. "It''s only a matter of time before I im yours and your remaining friend''s deaths." He taunted.


    "I''ll make you eat those words far before that time everes!" Bill shouted back with extreme anger as his breathing finally calmed and his tattoos began to resonate and glow a bit brighter again.


    Victor only smiled at Bill''s threat as he knew he had arger reserve of energy than a rookie military kid and there was no way that he could ever oust him. All he had to do was to continue to dodge and evade him as he couldn''t physically match him in strength until he finally got tired and then he would swoop in for the kill.


    "§ª§Õ§Ú §ß§Ñ§Ó§ã§ä§â§Ö§é§å §ã§Ó§à§Ö§Û §ã§Þ§Ö§â§ä§Ú!" Victor shouted in Russian as he took another unique stance, prompting Bill to run at him and resume their fight. (Trantion: Come, to your death!)


    Bill rushed in with his bare fist and he began punching and kicking at Victor with great technique and speed, but still, none of them were able to connect as Victor dodged and evaded every single one of them.


    A lot of Bill''s attacks ended up striking the walls and floor of the hallway sending down shockwaves throughout the whole hideout from the force that was being carried in those deadly attacks.


    Bill wanted to reserve his energy and find a way to ovee Victor''s powerful evasive skill before hemitted to a big powerful move again, or else even with all of this power and strength that was coursing through him, he would lose the battle.


    Bill continued to change tactics and fighting style even incorporating his own wind ability to try and throw off Victor''s perception and skill, but nothing worked as Victor was making a fool out of him and enraging him even more.


    "What''s wrong... all tuckered out?" Victor taunted once again after he dodged another set of rapid punches and blew Bill back using a strong gust of wind.


    Seeing that sinister smile and arrogance on Victor''s face even after everything Bill had done was simply gut-wrenching for Bill as all of a sudden something just broke inside of him.


    His rage, his hate, his anger, his emotion all had been welling up inside of him and continuing to rise which were fueling this form that he had taken right now with his sole purpose being to give Victor Voss the most gruesome and painful death possible and yet he wasn''t able to fulfill this task.


    Unable to stop his emotions from overflowing at the sheer sight of Victor''s smug face, Bill''s brainpletely shut off as he rushed towards him like a beast that had be berserk.


    "That''s it..." Victor said as he prepared himself for the most powerful attack that Bill wouldunch at him before burning outpletely.


    Victor had been in this line of work for quite some time and by this time he had many experiences with many different opponents so he knew that every time an opponent would begin their strongest assault by bing berserk and wild, it meant that they were nearing the limit of their energy and their body wasunching ast-ditch attempt to defeat him.


    Bill''s eyes looked like they had no irises as they appeared to bepletely white as he dashed in wildly tounch his most powerful and fastest assault yet.


    Bill''s aura itself began to materialize onto his hands as his hands became covered in the orange aura itself. With that, Bill began punching and kicking whilst also incorporating different Earth and Wind skills to be as unpredictable as possible andunch the greatest number of strikes at Victor with one of them bound to hit him, and that was all he needed, the initial strike.


    Victor quickly began to dodge Bill''s final assault, this time creating as much distance between himself and Bill as possible at every chance he got because Bill was in facting too close tonding a strike on him.


    Victor also used his Wind and Lightning abilities alongside his evasion tactics to counter some of Bill''s attacks to make it barely possible for him to be able to continue dodging Bill''s assault.


    Of all the battles he had over the years, this was by far the closest fight he had ever fought in as a slight slip-up of any kind could spell his death, but he was managing to survive.


    Bill on the other hand wasn''t going to back down as he would rather die than stop the assault and so he doubled down as he poured every single ounce of energy that his mutant gene provided to defeat Victor.


    Victor braced himself for the final stretch before he would be able to finally taste victory in this battle.


    However, unbeknownst to Victor, the guards he oh so trusted to take care of the remaining intruders had failed spectacrly on their job, and now just as Victor poured his full concentration and power to evade Bill''s final attack, Nathan and Erin appeared from behind him with their respective abilities charged up and ready to strike.

 Chapter 285 The Awakening & The End (Part 3)

    Chapter 285 The Awakening & The End (Part 3)


    Victor was so busy using every ounce of his power and strength to dodge Bill''s final attack that he didn''t even notice Erin and Nathan''s loud footsteps as they approached him from behind, shocked by the scene they saw in front of them.


    The once narrow tunnel was no more as now it felt like they had entered arge room that was full of debris and broken rock with two strong forces battling in the center.


    It was too hard to make out what was happening with Nathan only being able to sense what the two of them were doing as even his perception was not high enough to actually witness the speed at which the two of them were shing.


    "He''s a coward.." Nathan as he realized what was actually happening.


    All the fierce and massive attacks that werepletely covering the center of the tunnel were actually just Bill unleashing all of his power to destroy Victor, with Victor doing nothing but dodging as his life literally depended on his famous ability to dodge and evade.


    "At this rate... he won''tst long... Erin, listen to me and do exactly what I say, we may only get one shot at this!" Nathan said to Erin with determination.


    Erin didn''t really have a clue as to what was going on as even after activating her Mutant Gene, she was still not strong enough nor fast enough to sense or keep up with Bill''s current state.


    However, she knew what state Bill was mentally in after she was present when he had activated this form so she knew that he would do absolutely everything to kill Victor and so she believed in what Nathan was saying and listened closely to his n.


    "HA HA HA HA HA!" Victor continued tough maniacally while dodging all the different array of attacks that Bill consistentlyunched at him.


    Bill felt like his arms were on fire and that they were going to tear themselves apart at any moment now, but he didn''t dare stop the assault as he would rather die right now than live with the guilt that even with all this power, he still wasn''t able to take his revenge and send Victor to the deepest pits of hell.


    Eventually, both of them began slowly down as the intensity of Bill''s attacks began to reduce and it made it a bit easier for Victor to continue to dodge them; although he was also closing into his stamina limit and wouldn''tst much longer so he was d that Bill was finally running on fumes and that this would all be over soon.


    Slowly, the intensity of the attacks began to reduce further and further and finally, Nathan was able to make out the two figures of Bill and Victor as they wereing to a stop after using their full abilities for such a long time.


    Bill''s arms and upper body wereply ripped off its skin as the friction that was being generated by his intense movements was stronger than what his body could handle and as a result, his whole upper body and arms were void of skin and were just exposed muscle.


    Nathan could only imagine how excruciating and painful that could be, but he knew that their window of opportunity was arriving soon and they would only get this one shot to make Bill''s will a reality.


    Victor was very close to his body''s limit as well and the lower part of his pants as well as his shoes had beenpletely burned off from the friction of his intense movements.


    A few more moments had passed and Bill''s speed was slowly down even faster now with Victor moments away from savoring his greatest victory yet.


    "NOW!" A sudden loud voice resounded from behind Victor catching him off guard, and before he could even turn around and observe where the voice hade from, a sharp shooting pain began to emanate from his back.


    All of sudden, Victor was in immense pain as he felt like he was being stabbed by a thousand knives which was a close representation as in fact, it was dozens and dozens of ice bullets that were pushing past his thick skin and fortitude and getting embedded deep into his back.


    Blood gushed out of Victor''s mouth as this was a level of pain that he had never experienced before, but Victor couldn''t do anything about it as Bill''s raging attacks were still attacking him and if he diverted his attention even for a moment he would be toast.


    However, that was exactly Nathan''s n as when they had arrived on the scene, Bill and Victor were fighting so fast that they would never be able to urately hit them.


    Nathan understood Bill''s resolve and noticed how he was going to use up everything in this attack and that was when he came up with his idea.


    He told Erin to start forming as many ice bullets as she could and wait for his mark. He told that once he would be able to get a read on them, he would tell her exactly where to shoot.


    So when Bill and Victor began to slow down, Nathan was finally able to observe them clearly while for Erin it was still a blur. Nathan directed Erin to shoot exactly where Victor would be and it worked out a charm as dozens of ice bullets hit their mark and hit Victor straight in his back.


    The reason why Nathan couldn''t wait til they both tired out and then intervened was that he had no idea how much power Victor still had on reserve and he knew for a fact that they wouldn''t be able to match up to his strength if he was able to continue fighting afterward, so his best shot at achieving victory was to deal as much damage to him before Bill tired out so that he could alsond some critical strikes.


    Nathan didn''t want to lose the element of surprise as that was the only thing that could make or break his n so he had to be very careful when he told Erin to shoot, taking into consideration her ability to fire as well, and thankfully it all turned out okay as the bullets hit their target.


    Victor was in extreme pain as the bullets tore through his defense and entered his body but the real pain was only going to begin as the bullets inflicted Victor with the "Frozen" status effect, slowing down his agility significantly and adding the final touch a number of super concentrated explosion erupted from the ground where Victor was standing, sting him into the air.


    Bill stopped his assault as he observed Victor finally getting hit, unaware that it was actually Erin and Nathan who dealt that damage. Steam wasing off Bill''s body as his body worked on healing itself quickly.


    Victor was unconscious for a couple of seconds as his body got flung up into the air from the massive explosion. He was in an intense amount of pain and as he fell through the air, he felt himself a lot lighter than before which was quite confusing.


    As he regained more and more of his conscience, his confusion turned into horror as he realized that he couldn''t feel his legs.


    This was because Victor no longer had any legs from the knee down. While Nathan had asked Erin to conjure ice bullets, Nathan had been concentrating his aura into as condense of an explosion that his body would allow to produce and that resulted in Victor''s legs getting sted clean off his body.


    "AHHHH!!!" Victor screamed in agony as the pain was even greater than before.


    However, his cries and screams did not affect Bill whose skin had already been healed and his tattoos were resonating with energy once again for onest final strike.


    Victor noticed Bill''s aura building once again as he crashed back face-first into the ground and knew that this would be the end for him if he didn''t do anything as he could no longer dodge him.


    Bill''s feet crushed the ground beneath his feet as if it were made out of jelly while he charged up his attack beforeunching himself forward towards Victor at an insane speed.


    Victor quickly deactivated his wind ability and switched to his second strongest ability which was now his only hope of surviving this onught.


    Bill''s terrifying fist collided with Victor''s face as his body gotunched to the left, hitting the wall with such an intense force that a huge chunk of the wall broke with Victor embedded within and shockwaves that traveled through the underground hideout.


    The punch looked like it had finished the job, but Bill knew that wasn''t the case as right now when he punched Victor, his face was the hardest thing he had ever struck.


    "The hardening ability!" Bill cursed as he realized what Victor had done.

 Chapter 286 Mission End (Part 1)

    Chapter 286 Mission End (Part 1)


    Bill was nearing the end of his power as he felt like he could fall down and pass out at any moment. However, he didn''t want to go out just yet, not until he was sure that Victor waspletely dealt with.


    He knew that just like him, Victor should be nearing the limit of his stamina and power as well so he quickly deactivated his mutant gene to relieve some of the strain on his body.


    Nathan was celebrating internally as he witnessed Billnd such a spectacr blow on Victor, thinking that they had definitely won while Erin still had a somber expression on her face as the wounds that had been inflicted on Bill led him to unlock the second stage of his mutant gene were also fresh in her heart.


    Although Erin didn''t have the strength necessary to evolve her own mutant gene into the second stage, she was just as heartbroken and hurt as Bill with her also reaching new levels of power as she achieved a new level of her Ice ability.


    The smiles on Nathan''s face quickly turned into confusion and Erin''s heart sank even further as they observed Bill''s glowing tattoos fade away and his eyes returning to their original color.


    They watched as Bill staggered over toward the wall where he had just smashed Victor into and began manually removing pieces of the wall to find Victor''s body.


    ''Is he still not defeated?!'' Nathan questioned in his thoughts as he and Erin began walking towards Bill.


    Erin still had her mutant gene active as she approached Bill who just uncovered Victor''s mangled body from underneath arge boulder.


    Blood was leaking from everywhere, many of his bones were broken, and he appeared to be barely breathing. It didn''t feel like Victor would be getting back up again anytime soon.


    Seeing Victor''s state Nathan finally rxed as he was worrying over nothing. Nobody would have been able to survive that attack from Bill, and although he was quite jealous of Bill being so much stronger than him now, he had to acknowledge his strength. He didn''t really know what was going inside Bill''s head right now but chalked it off to him making sure Victor was defeated.


    After taking a couple of deep breaths and staring at Victor''s mutted body, Bill finally took a couple of steps back and started to stagger over toward the end of the tunnel where a single door with two dead bodiesy.


    However, as soon as Nathan dropped his guard and wanted to find out where Bill was going, his perception picked up signs of danger. He quickly turned back around to see Victor''s eyes open and him holding onto his sniper rifle with one hand aimed straight at Bill''s head.


    Bill was still facing the other way so he didn''t know what Victor was about to do.


    As a broad bloody smile appeared on Victor''s face and his fingers squeezed the trigger, Nathan had to decide in a split second on what to do.


    He was too far away from Victor to be able to stop him from squeezing the trigger and firing in time as he no longer had the speed buff that he would have received if he still had the Blood Wolf transformation ability.


    So the only other option was to push Bill away from the path of the bullet. Nathan didn''t know if he was fast enough to do that either, but he didn''t really have a choice as if he didn''t make a move this instant, Bill would be dead.


    Nathan quickly summoned all of his strength as he dashed forward towards Bill as fast as he could, praying that he would be able to reach him in time.


    Time slowed down for Nathan as even taking a single step felt like an eternity had passed. Nathan wasn''t one to have friends or people that he cared about. A few weeks ago, the thought of risking his own life to save someone else was something he wouldugh at as it soundedpletely absurd to him, and yet here he was.


    ''What happened to me? I wanted to be strong, I never wanted to rely on someone else ever again, and I wanted to take my revenge! What happened to me?!'' Nathan said to himself as he pushed himself forward while Victor''s fingers squeezed the trigger tighter, just about to shoot the bullet.


    Suddenly, the images of him battling Bill and training with his team surfaced in front of his eyes. The way these people fought and battled with greatradery and respect for one another. He didn''t want to admit it but he actually enjoyed his training sessions with them and yet his conscience was trying to find a way to justify his own belief.


    His belief was that everyone was going to betray you and there were no such things as family and friends. The memories of his past continued to surface whenever he felt uncertain and confused. He felt all of this too good to be true. Even though he treated them with zero respect, they never turned their backs on him but rather tried to get close to him.


    Nathan felt a big rift inside him, and it was still present today. This rift began on that fateful night when Nathan had enough of things and wanted to see Mako''s true colors, believing he was right about the true nature of people. But, the opposite happened ¨C Mako not only defeated him but also apologized and offered to be friends, changing his perspective forever.


    On one hand, he had all the different experiences that he had gone through in his past, and on the other hand was Mako, someone thatpletely defied everything that he knew to be true about people.


    For some reason, that he didn''t even understand himself, he felt inclined to find out more about the path that Mako and his friends walked. Could have there been a whole other reality that he didn''t even know existed?


    This had caused the rift to grow and favor the new side, shadowing over the past trauma that he had lived through and now when he observed his teammate in danger, his mind didn''t even think about his own safety as the only thing he wanted to do in that moment was to save Bill.


    Not even a single second had passed as Victor was about to squeeze the trigger with Nathan still a bit too far from Bill. At this rate, he still might be able to reach him in time, but it meant that the bullet would most likely hit him instead, and yet even moments before his potential death, Nathan felt happy.


    This was the first time that Nathan had actually felt surety and happiness while doing something in a long long time, and he didn''t really care for his own life as this was a feeling that he would give everything to experience again and again.


    Time resumed back to its original speed as Nathan rushed towards Bill and was able to sessfully push him out of the way. He knew that the bullet would be tearing through him any moment as he closed his eyes and epted his fate, but instead, Nathan didn''t feel any pain at all.


    He continued to move forward andnded on top of Bill as he sessfully managed to stop them both from getting hit by the bullet.


    Nathan opened his eyes in confusion as definitely thought that he wasn''t fast enough to save both Bill and himself from Victor''s bullet, but as he turned to look toward Victor, everything made sense.


    Victor could be seen whimpering in pain with more blood sttered on the floor alongside his trusty rifle that had his severed hand still holding onto the trigger.


    Erin stood beside Victor with herbat knife near his throat as she was fuming with anger after witnessing what Victor was about to do.


    Erin still had mutant gene activated and thanks to that her perception was a lot better, but still not as great as Nathan''s. Since she was very close to Victor and was able to see him lift his rifle to shoot Bill in the head, she reacted even before Nathan as she dashed forward and pulled out herbat knife which she used to sever Victor''s hand before it could squeeze the trigger.


    Nathan quickly got off Bill and offered him his hand to pull him back on his feet, a gesture that really confused Bill as he expected Nathan to be thest person to ever do this.


    He was confused about the sudden shove but as he got up and turned back around, he quickly put two and two together and realized what had just happened.


    Anger and rage filled Bill''s heart once again as he saw that Victor was still not dead and even in hisst moments, he resorted to getting one more kill.


    "YOU BASTARD!" Bill shouted as he walked back toward Victor as fast as he could.

 Chapter 287 Mission End (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 287 Mission End (Part 2) </h4>


    ?Bill, consumed by anger, stormed towards Victor, his fists clenched, ready to exact his revenge. The scene was a chaotic mix of emotions, with Erin standing resolute, still holding herbat knife, and Nathan, who had just saved Bill''s life, closely following behind.


    Victor, on the other hand, was whimpering in pain and clutching his severed hand, the sniper rifle now fallen to the ground. His n to take Bill down had failed miserably, and he was paying the price for it.


    As Bill approached Victor, his face contorted with fury, he finally vented his rage. "YOU BASTARD!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the tunnel.


    He kicked Victor straight in the teeth and proceeded to give him several punches in the stomach that made him cough even more blood.


    "Haven''t you had enough!? *Punch!* Haven''t you killed enough!? *Punch!* Haven''t you hurt us ENOUGH!?" Bill shouted as he continued punching and kicking Victor repeatedly.


    Victor who had barely any strength left couldn''t even activate his hardening ability again and was now at theplete mercy of Bill and Erin who also joined in, throwing the asional punch as well.


    "What did I do to you!? You invaded my territory... and were trying to follow me so that you could catch me and interrogate me! What major sin have Imitted if I did the same before you could?!" Victor finally shouted in desperation to get Bill and Erin to stop.


    He was heavily wounded and badly beaten to the point that even breathing was causing him pain. He was barely able to open one of his eyes, but the expression on Bill and Erin''s faces made him curse at himself that he was better off keeping them closed.


    "YOU HAVE THE BRASS NECK TO SAY THAT AFTER YOU..." Bill shouted as he became even more enraged and walked toward him once more, ready to deal him even more pain.


    However, just as Bill was about to get to Victor, Erin intervened, standing in his way with tears in her eyes, "Bill, this guy might not even realize the harm he''s caused. Let''s make him understand the suffering he''s brought upon us, so he knows that the pain he''s feeling now is just a fraction of what we''ve endured." Her voice was resolute.


    Nathan didn''t know what was going on, but he felt like Victor Voss had used some extreme measures while interrogating the three of his teammates, and those methods had caused them such pain that they had be so broken.


    He understood this feeling of being so broken that pain no longer felt like pain anymore, and wanted to find out what had Victor done to them for them to unlock such great power and be so full of rage.


    Bill, while still furious, understood Erin''s words as she was just as angry and broken as he was. He took a deep breath, attempting to regain a bit of hisposure before grabbing Victor''s leg and dragging his body toward the dark room at the end of the passageway.


    "Wait! What are you doing!? Where are you taking me!? STOP! Wait, please..." Victor began to scream and struggle as he realized where Bill was dragging him. It was the torture chamber, next to his office where he had kept the three of them prisoners.


    If Bill was dragging him there, it could only mean one thing, he was now going to use those torture devices on him. Just the thought of this made his heart shudder with fear as there were other tools on that metal table that he didn''t even get the chance to use and were a lot more painful than the ones he actually used on the three of them.


    Victor was already so hurt and barely had any strength left, he tried punching and kicking to try to get loose from Bill''s grip so he could make a run for it, but to no avail as Bill had an iron grip on his leg and was dragging him along with ease.


    He tried releasing his aura, but before he could cast out any skill, Erin''s de was already next to his face with the tip of the de a few mere millimeters away from his eyes.


    "Try anything funny and I will gouge your eyes out." She warned as they continued walking toward the torture chamber.


    Together, the trio secured Victor and finally made it to the torture chamber where Bill, Erin, and Iris were held since the afternoon. In the span of barely 15 hours so much had urred and changed in each of their lives, but no more than what had been taken from Bill and Erin.


    They entered the room to find it empty with the moonlight barely illuminating the room from the tiny windows located at the top of the walls.


    The room had several pirs with futuristic-looking cuffs and a metal table that had an assortment of different gadgets ced on top.


    Just by looking at the vibe that the room was giving off, Nathan couldn''t even start to imagine the pain that Victor must have inflicted on them; however, he was still oblivious to the truth as momentster, his eyes fell towards the center of the room where somethingrge was covered up byrge empty sack.


    Bill quickly threw Victor against the wall and proceeded to restrict him by cuffing up his arms and legs. Even though these power-restricting cuffs weren''t strong enough to block Victor from essing mana, he was still so weak that it would take him quite some time to recover and even more time before he had enough mana reserves again to overpower the cuffs and use an ability.


    After making sure the cuffs were as tight as possible Bill started walking back toward the center of the room. Victor''s heart was pounding at this moment as he couldn''t even imagine the pain he was about to receive from the gadgets ced on the metal table; however, to his surprise, Bill didn''t reach for the metal table and instead went towards the pile in the center that was covered up by an empty sack that Victor hadn''t even noticed.


    Bill''s hands began to tremble as he reached toward the sack while Erin who couldn''t hold back her tears turned away so she wouldn''t have to see the horror that was hiding underneath the sack.


    "You wanted to know what you had done for us to justify our anger and rage..." Bill said with extreme pain in his voice as he pulled on the sack, " This... is why..."


    The entire room became silent with not so much as a whisper that could be heard as Nathan and Victor absorbed what Bill had just revealed.


    Underneath the sack wasn''t a pile of things like Nathan had predicted, but rather it was a dead body.


    The body wasn''t wearing the uniform that the gang members were wearing, but rather it was a dress Nathan was quite familiar with as he had seen it being worn a day prior. Shock and horror filled Nathan''s heart as he realized who it was, but he didn''t want to admit it.


    The dead body was normal for the most part other than the fact that it was covered in blood-red spots all over and the face was so mangled and mutted that it looked like somebody had thrown a bucket of acid on the face and left it to melt.


    There was no way to distinguish the identity of this person, but the dress gave everything away as there was without any doubt that this body belonged to Iris Jade Cooper.


    Iris was lying dead on the floor with no pulse. Her face was so badly mangled that Erin couldn''t afford to look at her again or else she might have just lost itpletely.


    Bill gripped onto the sack cover with great strength as he fought back his tears, ultimately failing to do so.


    He quickly covered her body back with the sack and then turned toward Victor whose skin had turnedpletely white after realizing what he had done.


    He had ced an iron mask on Iris'' head which injected toxic fumes into her face causing extreme pain, irritation, and visual nightmares. The gas wasn''t lethal in small dosages, but he had forgotten about it and left it on her as one of the goons approached him and exined the situation to him.


    After he had left, Bill tried everything to try and break free from his cuffs which were restricting all of his power and so was Erin who couldn''t even activate her mutant gene.


    At first, they nned to just wait it out as they had faith in their friends but soon afterward, Iris began screaming and trembling as she was in extreme pain and was trying to w out the mask off her face, but to no avail.


    Iris'' painful screams filled Bill''s heart with adrenaline as he tried harder and harder to get to Iris and try to save her but he was still not strong enough.


    Iris was in such pain that she began trembling on the floor and shaking violently with her screams echoing through the iron mask while her skin became littered with red spots.


    Bill and Erin could bear to see Iris in this state and were slowly making progress as their eyes began to slightly glow from the overabundance of hormones and emotions in their body, and yet the cuffs did what they were intended to do and blocked them from escaping.


    It was only after Iris had stopped moving and looked like she had drawn herst breath, bing a limp lifeless body that anger and rage surged through Bill''s body in such extreme quantity that he unlocked the second form of his mutant gene and broke out of the restraints.


    He rushed towards Iris'' dead body and quickly removed the mask with Erin following suit closely behind after sessfully awakening her mutant gene as well.


    However, he wished he had never removed the mask as the state of Iris'' face that he saw was something he knew was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.


    "Bill..." This was thest word that came out of Iris'' tangled mouth which didn''t even resemble a mouth anymore before she drew herst breath and died right in Bill''s arms.


    ********************


    [Alright Guys! This is the end of the First Volume of the Universal Power System! I hope you guys enjoyed the story so far and will continue to do so as the plot continues to thicken with new challenges and new threats!]


    [Side Note: I am extremely sorry for the past month if you have ever seen a re-upload of the same chapter or the chapter is notplete with the end part being a repeat of a previous chapter. I had hired an editor to edit and then publish the chapters and I recently found out that he had been cutting corners and doing stuff like this instead of actually doing work. Rest assured that he has been removed from this position and will no longer hinder your daily uploads. Thank you for your patience!]

 Chapter 288 Recovering

    <h4>Chapter 288 Recovering </h4>


    ?"It has now been two months since our first mission..." Mako wrote in his diary that he had started maintaining since returning from the mission.


    ******************


    Commander Sable alongside a handful of privates and doctors had reached the the vige an hour after Mako had passed out after saving Ang''s life.


    They quickly scanned the area and discovered the entrance to the underground base. The privates quickly arrested all the gang members who were still on the ground after being knocked out by Mako and his friends.


    Pushing through the tunnels, themander quickly reached the final room where the massive battle urred. Themander was shocked by the scene and state of the area as the whole room was destroyed with cracks and craters everywhere. The boxes that lined the wall of the massive room full of things that the gang had stolen were broken and in ruin.


    The privates carefully maneuvered around the guts of the gang member that Mako had killed and quickly approached the center of the room where Leon, Ang, and Mako were lying on the ground, unconscious from exhaustion.


    Themander first and foremost ordered the doctors to check whether their condition was stable and to see how far along had Ang''s body been decayed by the poison, only to be shocked by the doctors who reported that Ang''s body was void of poison and was recovering naturally.


    Commander Sable was quite confused after receiving this information as the group wasn''t equipped with a cure that could affect a poison that could put Ang in the state in which she was during the virtual call he had with Leon.


    So the question was who could have possibly saved Ang''s life?


    Themander definitely wanted to get to the bottom of this but knew that he wouldn''t get any answers right now and would have to make all the members of Mako''s group give a statement to piece together what had happened down here.


    He ordered the privates to carry their bodies out of the underground base and have another doctor take a detailed examination of their bodies and administer any emergency care needed to ensure a fast and full recovery.


    With that, themander and two more privates ventured further into the hideout, following along the passage where Bill and Victor had their battle.


    Their path was blocked by a lot of rubble, but themander could sense auras on the other side so he knew that this was not the end.


    He lifted his hand forward which began to glow bright and with a single flick of his fingers, Commander Sable sted the rubble apart revealing the massive hole that had been made by Bill''s use of abilities that Victor had continued to dodge.


    This area was in even worse condition than the area where they found Mako''s body and since this wasn''t actually a room with proper supports and was on the verge of copsing onto itself.


    Themander started walking through the room with his every step sprouting several earth pirs that stabilized the roof and stopped it from copsing on top of them.


    The earth pirs were quite refined and had an actual architectural design that resembled that of the ancient greeks.


    Themander''s eye color had changed from the regr light brown to a hazy purple as he had activated yet another ability that was guiding him through the room even though it was absolutely dark with two final rooms awaiting him in the end.


    The privates followed closely behind themander until they arrived at two gates. Themander could sense several auras with one being extremely weak behind one of the doors while there were none in the other.


    He ordered his privates to search through the room where there was no aura which was in reality, Victor''s makeshift office. Meanwhile, he opened the other gate that led to the torture chamber.


    ****************


    Themander was left speechless by what he saw the moment he opened the door as he observed Bill who now was frozen in ce as he was about to strike Victor''s bloody face with a metal bat.


    Bill couldn''t because of the heavy aura that themander was releasing such that it was affecting his own nerves and muscles, restricting his movement.


    "What is going on here?" Themander asked as he entered the room only to find Erin breaking into tears at the sight of themander and Nathan sitting in one cornerpletely unphased by themander''s arrival.


    Erin rushed towards themander with tears in her eyes as she embraced him in a hug. She finally released all the emotions that were building inside of her, crying her eyes out and hugging themander tightly.


    Themander hadn''t felt such strong emotions in such a long time that he was caught a bit off guard, but he allowed Erin to calm herself down as he held her while she continued to sob.


    Themander lifted his aura and Bill was finally able to move again. He looked toward themander weakly beforending one more hit on Victor''s face that wasn''t even recognizable at this point.


    With that final hit, Bill had used up thest of his energy. His face was crusted from all of the dried-out tears he had been shedding and his eyes were red from all the crying.


    He staggered as he turned to face themander who was still holding on to Erin and said," Give this bastard the hell he deserves,mander!" He said before staggering forward and falling to the ground, finally allowing the exhaustion to overwhelm his body and knock him unconscious.


    Themander was confused at first by the extreme reaction that he received from his students, but then his eyesnded on therge empty sack that was covering something in the middle of the room.


    Thanks to his hazy purple eyes, he could see right through the sack and finally realized what had happened and why his students appeared to be so broken.


    Commander Sable had lost manyrades and friends in his time of service and he knew the pain of losing someone more than anyone. He quickly called the two privates from the other room and told them to carry Iris back to the jet without removing the sack from on top of her.


    He thenforted Erin and told her to remain strong before ordering her and Nathan to head out of the base and wait inside the jet.


    Themander put Bill''s unconscious body over his shoulder and grabbed the cuffs that were holding Victor.


    The anger boiling inside Commander Sable after witnessing the state in which Iris was and the illegal torture devices that were spread out on the metal table was very intense. Hepletely ignored Victor''s unintelligent yelps of pain, begging for help and mercy as these soulless bastards weren''t going to receive the slightest sliver of sympathy or mercy.


    ******************


    In the following week, everyone was able to fully recover including Ang, and they all were called to a board meeting with several high-level militarymanders including Main Commander Anderson, Commander Sable, and even Commander Malik amongst others.


    The group had to report every single detail of everything that happened and in the end, even though Mako''s decision was justified as they had already lost one of their members and if he had listened to themander''s order, all three of his teammates could have wound up dead, the overall consensus of the board was to still punish Mako for inability to follow the orders of themanding officer.


    Even though the Main Commander and Commander Sable himself were against Mako receiving any kind of punishment because they agreed with his sense of reasoning and were impressed by their skill and ability to sessfully take down the enemy, the othermanders didn''t think in the same manner as theybeled Mako''s decision and actions as "Reckless".


    They stated that Mako''s decision had caused millions in property damage to the rich area of the vige as the aftershocks from the powerful abilities hitting the walls created earthquakes on the surface and destroyed many homes.


    Other than that the main leader of the operation, Victor Voss had suffered through such trauma and pain that he was now suffering from amnesia and waspletely useless in extracting information. All the information in his office was also encrypted with a weird code that most probably only he knew how to read, leaving them with no leads as to who funded and ordered his gang to clear out the vige.


    For this, Mako and his team were punished by being put under room arrest within the militaryplex with their special ss titles revoked, demoting them back to cadets and putting them in the advanced ss.


    Ang was punished by decreasing her ranking in the military and got fined but she was still required as an active officer, so she didn''t receive any imprisonment of any kind.


    The group was heavily shocked by the verdict of the board and looked towards Commander Sable for a way out as they had done nothing wrong and were suffering from a heavy loss, but the look on themander''s face said it all.


    The decision was final and the punishment was set tomence after they held a short funeral for Iris where everyone who knew her showed up to pay their respects. This included her parents and close family members as well as Erin''s mom and even Andrew, Sven, and Finn.


    Bill couldn''t even bring himself to see eye to eye with Iris'' parents as their sobbing made a deep andsting wound in his heart. Erin was also banned from interacting with Andrew or even her mom as she alongside everyone else was in punishment.


    They had a simple funeral for Iris but they didn''t show her body as they said it was too graphic and didn''t want to give the parents a heart attack.


    Soon after the funeral was over, the group was escorted to different locations throughout the military base, and then their punishment for "breaking" the code officially began.


    They were all locked to the confines of their rooms which had a simple living room and kitchen. They had ess to the nearest training facility and cafeteria, but due to the sheer size of the military base, all of them were ced so far apart from one another that they could meet up even during training or eating.


    *****************


    This was the life that Mako and everyone who followed him during their first mission lived for the past two months.


    "Tomorrow is thest day of our punishment as tomorrow will be the first day of military school," Mako wrote in his diary.


    "I look forward to meeting all my friends again, but I just hope that they are able to forgive me for ruining their careers in the military from the very start."

 Chapter 289 A Leader’s Burdern

    <h4>Chapter 289 A Leader''s Burdern </h4>


    ?During the group''s punishment, Commander Sable visited every single one to offer his condolences and guide them to forge a path ahead. It was tough for themander to talk to Erin and Bill who were hurting the most.


    Iris was Bill''s new girlfriend and Erin''s childhood friend. The connection they had formed with her was far greater than what Leon, Mako, or even Nathan had with her.


    In his many years of service and battles, themander had experienced his own fair share of losses, some that even he had yet to recover from and some he would rather never talk about.


    He had seen what could happen to people after experiencing extreme loss and excruciating pain, and he didn''t want that life to befall his students, not after what happenedst time.


    Thanks to themander''s several visits, Bill and Erin slowly began to heal as they opened up to themander after he shared some of his war stories with them and taught them lessons such as that they couldn''t always save everybody and that dealing with this loss and forging ahead will make them a lot stronger than ever before.


    *******************


    Mako, Leon, and Nathan on the other weren''t in such a bad state as Erin and Bill, but they were also far from being whole.


    Leon was still being hard on himself for always letting everyone around him down. He clutched up in thest fight where he was able to increase his speed, but that was pure luck.


    He couldn''t rely on luck to get him through even moreplex and tough situations where he could potentially lose another friend which was not an option for him.


    Leonmitted himself to improving every aspect of himself and honing himself to the absolute maximum so that he would be prepared for any situation next time.


    Thanks to all those resources that his father had provided him, he had ample resources and now time as well to really get strong and close the gap in power level between him and his friends.


    Even though Leon was being optimistic, Nathan was taking itpletely differently. In thest 3 months of his life, so much had happened that had made him question everything he had experienced up till this point.


    The way Mako and his other teammates treated him before, during, and even after the mission was over was very eye-opening for him to say the least.


    However, his inner self still remains reluctant to ept this as a reality and still wants to believe in his old ideals which were the cause of so much pain and agony for a very young Nathan.


    Out of all of them, Nathan interacted with themander, the least as his hate for the military was still evident in his heart despite themander''s best attempts to try and reach him.


    Nathan mostly remained in his room, only leaving for asional training and to eat food. He spent most of his time trying meditation which helped with him increase his perception even more and also the fact that meditation could help him find some answers that he knew were locked within himself.


    *******************


    Lastly, there was Mako who med himself for Iris'' death as he should have been a better leader.


    Unlike Nathan, Mako spent every possible second in the training room trying to make the guilt inside of his heart go away by training intensely but to no avail as the pain would never leave him.


    He believed that he was the reason for everything going wrong as he allowed his teammates to be captured while he was rxing at the hotel. It was only because of his weakness that they were captured in the first ce and it was because of his weakness that they couldn''t make it in time to save Iris.


    Seeing Mako''s state in his visits, themander decided to approach Mako differently as he wasn''t warm and caring when dealing with him to really teach Mako what it meant to be the leader.


    Themander agreed with Mako''s decision when he went against his orders and went to the hideout even though they were weaker and outnumbered. He wasn''t mad at him for that at all, he was in fact mad at Mako''s weak resolve to man up.


    In order to teach Mako a very crucial lesson, he apanied him to training one day during his punishment.


    At first, he only observed Mako as he warmed up which was basically himpleting his daily tasks and then he began practicing some of his skills that were still at a lower level so that he could level them up.


    Suddenly, while Mako was performing a me wheel with his stone sword, his sword instantly turned to dust midway through the swing as Mako felt like he had struck against an immovable object.


    He looked up only to find, Commander Sable standing beside him with a calm expression.


    "Mako... care to spar with me for a bit?" Themander asked him.


    The sudden request of course took aback Mako and was a bit hesitant as he didn''t know if themander was serious or not but as he watched him take off his coat and roll up his sleeves, he knew he meant business.


    "Please, feel free to go all out on me," Themander stated with a gentle smile.


    Mako took a deep breath, tightening his grip on the broken hilt of his stone sword, and nodded. He had trained tirelessly to prove himself, and now, he was being given an opportunity to do just that, even if it meant facing hismander inbat.


    The spar began with Mako conjuring another stone sword to which he added his fire aura to produce a ming sword.


    [ming Stone Sword has been created]


    Mako had been trying to resonate his other abilities together as well, but so far he had failed to resonate any of them sessfully and instead had just created a couple ofbinational skills.


    Themander responded by forming a small rod-like de in his arms that looked like it was made from diamonds.


    Mako had no idea whether this was an ability or some kind of power weapon, but he knew now wasn''t the time to specte as themander had already initiated his first attack.


    The two swords shed a couple of times with a flurry of swift movements before Mako''s second sword also met the same fate and crumbled into dust.


    Mako stared at the second broken hilt with disbelief as he couldn''t even fathom themander''s strength, once again feeling useless and weak. Frustration started to build up in Mako''s heart as he wanted to escape this feeling and so charged in at themander with everything he had.


    He struck with lightning speed and unleashed bolts of electricity in an attempt to catch Sable off guard. However, themander was a seasoned warrior, and he skillfully evaded Mako''s attacks, countering with precise strikes and fluid movements.


    He kicked onto the earth to lift several boulders into the air which he then kicked towards themander.


    Themander effortlessly destroyed all the iing boulders with his fist and as soon as he destroyed the final boulder, a stream of lightning revealed itself from behind the boulder ready to strike him, but themander was able to duck in time to dodge that attack too.


    "Clever..." Themander stated that Mako actually was able to make themander move from his spot.


    However, frustration and all the pent-up emotions from thest two months were now leaking from Mako''s heart as he now took it as a personal challenge to defeat themander so that he could prove his worth.


    Mako''s red fire aura red and flickered as it encased both his arms. He dashed in a fight themander in hand-to-handbat, hoping to at leastnd a couple of strikes but Commander Sable just danced around him, dodging every single strike and demonstrating a mastery ofbat that Mako had not yet achieved.


    It was clear that themander was holding back, allowing Mako to struggle and get even more frustrated.


    After themander could see that Mako was reaching his breaking point, he finally switched on the offensive andnded a light blow on Mako''s abdomen.


    The "light" blow knocked Mako back several feet and saliva came out of his mouth. He could barely stand but Mako had taken worse hits before, he wasn''t going to give up just yet.


    "So what do you think Mako? Do you think I made the wrong decision when I made you the leader?" Themander suddenly questioned while Mako was still recovering.


    Mako was caught off guard by the sudden question but the question nheless did make his anger rise.


    "Do you think, if you were a bit stronger, you could have changed the oue of what had happened?" Themander questions further.


    Now Mako''s eye''s widened with anger, his teeth grinded against each other, and breathing became short and quick. All the different thoughts in his mind of different scenarios of the mission started to y as Mako though about everything he could have done differently during the mission to make it a sess and so that everyone came home safe.


    "Do you think Iris would have med you for her death in herst moments?" Themander asked once again.


    Mako''s anger shot through the roof after he heard thest question.


    "SHUT UP!" Mako shouted as he activated a skill that he had begun charging ever since he received that blow.


    [Energy Stream has been activated]


    After a series of intense questions, Commander Sable decided it was time to deliver a powerful lesson. He gathered his energy and created a crystalline barrier in front of him that protected him from the massive green ray of energy that Mako shot out at themander in a fit of rage.


    The crystalline barrier absorbed the devastating move with ease leaving Mako bamboozled, but themander wasn''t done yet as a secondter, themander released the green ray that his barrier had absorbed back at Mako using only 10% of his true power.


    The force of the refracted green ray was enough to send Mako sprawling to the ground, his body sizzling from the heat and strength of the attack as the hit he just received was much more powerful than the attack he had actually released.


    Makoy there, panting and defeated, his body aching from the fierce attack.


    Commander Sable extended a hand to help Mako up and then began to speak, his voice filled with a sense of purpose and wisdom.


    "Mako, being a leader is not just about giving orders or making tough decisions. It''s about epting the consequences of those decisions, even when they lead to casualties. You cannot run from the me or the guilt; you must face them head-on."


    "I pushed you to your limits today to make you understand that strength alone is not enough. A leader must also possess unwavering resolve, the ability to adapt, and the courage to take responsibility for their actions."

 Chapter 290 Level 15

    <h4>Chapter 290 Level 15 </h4>


    ?Mako was in shock by themander''s words as there wasn''t only wisdom behind them but genuine pain and guilt as well.


    He could feel themander''s emotion through his emotional voice and trembling hand which showed him that he wasn''t the only one going through this kind of thing and that all leaders since the very beginning of mankind had to deal with this exact same feeling.


    "Son... always remember... In a battle, there will alwayse a time when a leader has to make a difficult decision, a decision that could ultimately result in the sess or failure of everything. In those times, remember that you are only one person and there is only so much you can influence." Themander told Mako in a calming voice.


    "There are moments that are fixed and bound to happen and no matter how much you or even the ten legendary warriors want it to have a different oue... we are all bound by the one absolutew which is thew of time; none can escape it, none can outsmart it, and none can oust it."


    "Iris'' death was written for that night, not you nor anybody else could do anything to change what was supposed to happen. The mark of a true leader is that they don''t let their failures blind them and bring them down, but rather they walk forward with that pain in their hearts using it to be stronger than ever before."


    Mako was on the verge of tears as he listened to themander''s speech. He never really had a mentor that could guide him on the path that he was walking. Sure he had some great people like Sir Derek, his grandmother, and even Big Bro Gary who taught him a lot and molded him into the person he is today.


    However, Commander Sable had reached him from an angle that he had yet to experience, from the angle of a mentor passing down his teachings to his student.


    As Makoposed himself, themander pulled his coat up from the ground and proceeded to wear it before starting to leave the training hall.


    Before he made his waypletely out of the room, he turned back towards Mako who was still absorbing themander''s words.


    "Don''t let the loss of your friend consume you. Instead of being overwhelmed by the sadness and guilt, use those strong emotions to your advantage and let them evolve you so that you can be stronger than ever before and make sure this never happens again. It''s what Iris would have wanted..." Themander said before finally making his way out of the training hall, allowing Mako to think over the things he had just said.


    Mako was indeed moved by themander''s words, but right now something else had caught his attention, something that was definitely going to make him a lot stronger.


    [Quest Completed]


    [User has forced themander to use 10% of his true power]


    [Rewards: +100,000 EXP, +250 Bronze Tier Coins]


    After themander had challenged Mako to spar, Mako was a bit hesitant, not because he was afraid of fighting themander, but rather of the quest that had popped up in front of his eyes at that moment.


    [New Quest Received]


    [Force themander to use 10% of his true power]


    [Rewards: ???]


    [Penalty: ???]


    After the mission had ended, Mako had to go through countless notifications that he had received during the whole night.


    He hadpleted several quests that were issued whenever he faced a difficult scenario that he didn''t even bother to read in the heat of the moment like when they fought Ang in the forest, he had received a quest to make Ang change her mid which he did and was given the rewards for doing so.


    All of those rewards had been piling up as the rewards were only actualized once Mako had acknowledged them by reading the notifications.


    The rewards were mostly a lot of EXP as well as Bronze and Silver coins. He did receive some attribute points but he obviously couldn''t spend them as all his attributes were still capped.


    He had also stopped receiving attribute points forpleting daily tasks and instead was given additional EXP to help him level up past Level 15.


    Any random attribute increase reward he had received was converted into EXP instead so that attributes remain capped. Other than that he did receive two new random skills, one for Poison and the other for Earth.


    They were both E-tier skills that weren''t that great but still had the potential to be useful so Mako dly added them to his arsenal of skills.


    Thanks to the great amounts of EXP he had received from doing various tasks andpleting quests since the time of the month-long training that took ce prior to the mission, Mako almost had enough EXP to finally level up to Level 15 as now he was only a 100,000 EXP short.


    [User has leveled up!]


    [Current Level: Lvl 15]


    [Reward: +100 Attribute Points, Random Ability Level Up, +2 Gold Coins, System Upgrade]


    [System Upgrade has been initiated]


    Weird robotic and digital sounds started filling Mako''s head as held his head with the sudden pain that shook him to his core. A constant ringing was heard as the system finished what it wanted to do.


    [Reboot required for the system to finish upgrading]


    [Rebooting in 3...]


    [2...]


    ''Oh no! Not again!'' Mako said in pain and confusion as he was reading the iing stream of notifications.


    He was happy to see such great rewards but before he could explore any of them or find out how they had affected him now that he had finally achieved Level 15, the system disyed that it was getting rebooted which was very painful for Mako just like before when he had reached Level 10.


    [1...]


    [System is now Rebooting]


    As the countdown finished counting, everything in Mako''s vision turned ck just likest time as he couldn''t see, hear, or feel anything around him. Within seconds, the darkness overwhelmed him and he finally copsed onto the ground.


    An unknown amount of time passed as the system did its thing, with Makopletely unaware of what was happening to his body.


    [System Reboot Complete]


    After the system was done rebooting, Mako slowly started to wake up only this time nobody hade to his aid as he was still lying on the ground of the training hall where he had copsed earlier.


    The ss ceiling in the training hall allowed Mako to learn that it had already turned night which meant that he was knocked out for more than 12 hours as it was 9 a.m. when the system had started rebooting.


    Seeing as so much time had passed, Mako was worried about getting into trouble if any of the patrolling officers noticed his absence from his room for such a long period of time.


    More notifications started flooding in front of his eyes, but Mako ignored them for now as he first had to make sure he made it back to his room before curfew time or he would get in a lot of trouble.


    Since it was nighttime, Mako had no idea if the curfew had already begun or not. He could only hope that he woke up in time to get back to his room.


    ****************


    The hallways were unusually quiet as Mako dashed through them as he moved toward his room.


    He was now sure that he was past curfew time but just prayed that he made it to his room before any guards spotted him. He was also uncertain whether some had reported his absence or not, but considering how quiet it was, he assumed that it was not the case.


    He made a couple of turns, avoiding any area that had some guards patrolling, and eventually made it to the final hallway where his room was located.


    He slowly crept past the door and finally reached the door that led to his room. He silently entered the passcode on the little security lock on his door and quietly opened it revealing his small room.


    He was just about to step inside when a loud noise from behind almost made him jump out of fear.


    "Hey, you!" A guard shouted from the corner of the hallway.


    The guard was coincidently walking past the hallway when he saw Mako enter the code on the keypad to his room.


    Mako nervously turned around to face the guard whom he was a bit familiar with.


    "What do you think you''re doing?" The guard asked.


    "I... uh..." Mako stumbled on his words, uncertain of what to say to the guard.


    However, before he could say anything properly, the guard cut him off. "Look, I know you like to train and everything, but you have the respect the curfew times. There are still 10 minutes left until the curfew is over, so please go back inside your room, or else I''ll get in trouble."


    Mako was left surprised by what the guard was saying but didn''t let this golden opportunity slip from his hands. He quickly apologized to the guard and quickly entered his room.


    After closing the door behind him, Mako looked at the holographic clock inside his room and everything made sense. He hadn''t woken up in the middle of the night, he had woken only a few minutes before sunrise.


    The curfew was lifted at sunrise each day and Mako would often greet this guard in the mornings as he made his way towards the training hall.


    Just now, the guard must have thought that Mako was locking the door behind him by entering the code in the keypad, preparing to leave and so he had to interfere as the curfew wasn''t lifted yet.


    Mako couldn''t thank his lucky stars enough for saving him from receiving more punishment for being caught outside during curfew times, but right now he was more focused on the system that was constantly pinging him with urgent notifications.


    He took a seat on his bed and opened the system interface, ready to learn all the great changes that hade with this new Level up.

 Chapter 291 Worthy

    <h4>Chapter 291 Worthy</h4>


    ?[User has leveled up!]


    [Current Level: Lvl 15]


    [Reward: +100 Attribute Points, Random Ability Level Up, +2 Gold Coins, System Upgrade]


    [Choosing Random Ability]


    [Earth has been upgraded to Level 4]


    The rewards weren''t as great as some of the other rewards Mako had received after a major level up, but he wasn''tining in the slightest as he had received an abundance of attribute points, his Earth ability was now level 4 although he would have much rather preferred one of his level 5 abilities turning into a level 6, but he was still happy, and on top of that he also received 2 Gold coins!


    Mako wanted to open his profile to see if he could now finally progress forward and further upgrade his attributes but before he could do so more messages started shing in front of his eyes and these couldn''t be ignored.


    [Wee User!]


    [The Universal Power System has now reached Level 3]


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Upgrade the Universal Power System to level 3 in under 365 days]


    [Penalty: System Termination]


    [Reward: New Skill]


    [New Skill Learned: (D-Tier) Influence!] ?


    Mako stopped the stream of messages right there, not even acknowledging the brand new skill he had just received as his eyes were glued on the penalty of the hidden quest.


    "System termination!? What do you mean by that!?" Mako eximed.


    [If the user had failed to upgrade the system to Level 3 which is the benchmark for the system meaning it is now 20% unlocked, the system would have considered the user unworthy and would have terminated its connection with the user, and begin searching for a more worthy host.]


    "What!!?" Mako shouted, "What would have happened to me if the system deemed me unworthy?"


    [The user would have died from the termination of the system from their body]


    Mako was left utterly speechless as he couldn''t even fathom the reality that this entire time he had been fighting against a timer; a timer that could spell his death if he was deemed unworthy by the system.


    The good news was that he had beaten this invisible timer and had sessfully proved to the system that he was indeed worthy to be its host.


    "Wait... are there any more timers that are meant to check whether I am worthy or not continuously?" Mako asked the system, now very skeptical about the system and how it could potentially kill him at any time.


    [Anything rting to future quests and challenges can not be revealed prior. Continue on the path of your choosing and the system will continue to drop hints to guide your way]


    Mako wasn''t expecting such a vague answer. As time has gone on, he has noticed that the way the system talks to him has be more and more human-like as if it''s evolving which is quite literally what it is doing as Mako just levelled it up to level 3.


    Mako was unsure about all of this, the system testing him to be worthy, it bing more and more sentient, and the fact that it had kept a literal death clock hidden from him.


    Thinking back to his great grandfather who had built the system, he could somewhat understand the system''s logic as Lionel Grey himself said that this system was meant to be something that could make him stronger than even the 10 legendary warriors, he just had to work extremely hard to get there.


    If the system had been entrusted to azy bum who didn''t really finish tasks and progress forward, then Mako agreed that it was necessary for the system to move on and find a more suitable host that could fulfill the purpose that his great grandfather and his colleagues had programmed it to do.


    After calming down his nerves and understanding that from now he had to make sure to keep working hard to remain worthy in the eyes of the system. Of course, he was going to hold the system up for dropping him hints whenever he was close to potentially being considered not worthy.


    ***********************


    With that out of the way, Mako turned back to the notifications tab and used the information button on the brand-new skill he had received as a reward for upgrading the system to level 3 in time.


    (NEW!) [(D-Tier) Influence] ? (Level 1)


    [Upgradable!] ?


    [Influence is a psychological type skill that upon activating, turns on the user''s charm. While active, the user''s charisma stats are utilized to influence other people who make eye contact with the user. Those who have lower charisma and weak perception will be caught in a trance created by the user''s charm, effectively hypnotizing them to follow the user''s everymand.]


    [The strength of the trance is totally dependent on the user''s mentality and charisma. It is also important to note that a strong amount of influence is required for an affected person to do aplex task against their will, if the trance is barely working and the order is tooplex, the skill can fail resulting in the person regaining theirplete senses.]


    [Requirements: 20 Charisma, 35 Mentality, Unknown]


    [Effectiveness: 20 Perception, 15 Charisma]?


    [Effectiveness disys the amount of Perception and Charisma of a person this skill can ovee and influence at its current level]


    [NOTE: This skill is currently a single target skill which means that it can only affect a single person at any given time]


    Mako was blown away by the description of his brand-


    new skill. Just like his Analyze Skill, this skill was special as this was his second upgradeable skill and this wasn''t just a random skill that he had just happened to get from the system. This was a deliberate skill that he was meant to receive just like his Analyze skill.


    Looking over the details, Mako could think of a thousand different ways in which he could utilize his new skill, but before got too lost in his thoughts, his mind reverted back to the requirements for the skill.


    Not only was one of the requirements unknown, but one of the other ones was an attribute that Mako still had locked.


    His Charisma!


    The only attribute that had yet to be unlocked by the system, made it inessible for Mako.


    Honestly, Mako didn''t even remember that he had a charisma stat as it wasn''t a requirement for any of his skills up till this point and he never really was big looks guys so he kinda forgot about it, but he knew that every attribute had a very important role in his overall journey and character.


    Mako was a bit bummed out that he couldn''t really test out his new skill right away as he still hadn''t had charisma unlocked instead, he prompted the system to continue on with the notification; however, Mako had to pause them just a secondter with a huge smile on his face.


    "Well... Well... Speak of the devil! It''s about time, you showed up!" Mako said while staring at the next message that appeared in front of his eyes.


    [Charisma attribute has been unlocked]


    Mako had been waiting for so long for this message to pop up in front of his eyes and finish thest piece of his character chat so he could finally be bnced in every single attribute.


    Mako quickly opened up his profile which looked quite different from before and scrolled down to see that indeed there was a numeric value now assigned to his Charisma stat.


    [Profile] ?


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 500/500] ? (+1)


    [Energy: 5250/7000] ? (+1)


    [EXP: 0/100,000] ?


    [ount: 370 Bronze Tier Coins, 25 Silver Tier Coins, 2 Gold Tier Coins] ? (+1)


    [Level 15] ?


    [Strength: 50 (+60) ] ? (+1)


    [Agility: 50 (+35) ] ? (+1)


    [Perception: 50(+20)] ? (+1)


    [Intelligence: 50] ? (+1)


    [Mentality: 50] ? (+1)


    [Stamina: 50 (+30) ] ? (+1)


    [Charisma: 18] ? (+1)


    [Fortitude: 50 (+20)] ? (+1)


    [Attribute Points: 220] ?


    Other than the fact that his charisma was unlocked, there were a bunch of plus-one symbols next to all of his attributes alongside his health, coins, and energy as well. This showed that the cap over his attributes was finally lifted and now he could spend all of his attribute points to get crazy strong by boosting up his Strength, Speed, etc.


    The EXP bar had also been reset and surprisingly instead of being set at 16 million as Mako had predicted following the general trend of how the EXP bar doubled every time with each level up, the bar was instead set to just a measly 100,000 EXP.


    Mako was sure that all of this and much more was exined in the iing notifications that he was currently suppressing, so before he jumped to any kind of conclusions of his own, he decided to just shut up and let all the messages read themselves out before he began to explore his new system all that it had to offer.

 Chapter 292 Questionable Changes

    Chapter 292 Questionable Changes


    ??[The system has gone under a fundamental change, the exchange rate of attribute points, EXP gain, and coin exchange among other things have been changed due to the system update.]


    "Alright then," Mako said as he was curious to learn of these changes and how they could potentially improve his progression rate.


    [User will no longer receive attribute points forpleting daily quests; however, the attributes now have a chance to increase by themselves based on the training the user does to improve a certain attribute.]


    The very first change was an absolute bombshell on Mako as this now meant that his rate of progression was going to be greatly reduced as he wouldn''t have excess attribute points like before and would only receive them as rewards frompleting quests.


    However, Mako wasn''t so bummed out about this as it was extremely unnatural in the first ce. Nobody had this kind of rate of progression to begin with as just in six months, Mako had speedrun through his beginning stages and was now ssified as a Novice tier fighter.


    For most people to reach this stage, it would take them on average 1.5 to 2 years of constant hard work and training.


    Mako had some understanding of why this was happening as this was exactly how old school games used to work where most games would give an EXP boost or an overpowered weapon to the yer to help them get past the initial stages of the game before stripping them of this bonus so that they can then start to y the game normally.


    Mako had found several simrities between his system and those games so he figured that his receiving all those attribute points was the system''s way to help him quickly rush through the initial stages of his journey but now that he was on a decent level of power, it was now all on Mako on how strong he could get as all he had to do was to constantly challenge himself and push forward.


    [The EXP gain system has been updated!]


    [EXP boost has been deactivated]


    [The user will now receive the actual EXP reward for defeating enemies and beasts]


    [Defeating enemies and beasts that are weaker than the user will result in a 50% reduction of the EXP gain]


    [Defeating enemies and beasts that are on par with the user will result in regr EXP gain]


    [Defeating enemies and beasts that are stronger than the user will result in a 50% increase in the EXP gain]


    "...."


    Mako was left absolutely speechless after resuming the notification to see that he getting more nerfed than buffed. Reduced EXP gain meant that now, it would take Mako even longer to level up and if any more death clocks were ticking to prove his worth, he now had to work even harder to make sure he was worthy in the eyes of the system.


    Once again the term that the system had used made it abundantly clear that it had been greatly boosting him from the start so that he could progress so quickly but now that boost had been removed.


    "I always wondered how it let me get so strong for only defeating a handful of enemies," Mako stated as he epted his fate and agreed with the system.


    The true challenge for Mako to surpass others and be the strongest had only now begun.


    [The Shop has been upgraded to Level 2]


    [The Discount Bazaar has been unlocked]


    [A new tier of coins has now been unlocked!]


    [Diamond Tier Coins are now avable] ?


    [Diamond Tier coins are coins that the system will reward the user for extreme quests andone Diamond coin equals 100 tinum coins.]


    Mako was quite pleased with the shop upgrade as it definitely needed it. Additionally, a new sub-tree of the shop had also opened which Mako was super excited for as well as a brand new tier of coins.


    Mako had yet to see an item ced in the daily shop that cost tinum coins, and now he had a new tier of coins that were even rarer and worth a hundred tinum coins which in turn could equate to 10,000 Gold coins.


    Mako quickly looked at the Discount Bazaar''s description before resuming the update notifications.


    ''Open Shop,'' Makomanded the system.


    [Daily items] ?


    [Main Shop] ?


    [Discount Bazaar] ?


    [*********] (Locked) ?


    [*********] (Locked) ?


    [*********] (Locked) ?


    .....


    [Discount Bazaar] ?


    [The Discount Bazar disys a few items that have already appeared in the main shop at least once but at a discounted price. The discount rate can be anywhere from 10% to 50% discount on every item that appears in the discount bazaar. The bazaar refreshes after 14 days as well but will never disy any items that appear in the main shop at that current time.]


    Mako was quite happy after reading the description of the Discount Bazaar. It wasn''t such a big deal for Mako right now as the shop had only ever posted very weak items in the main shop that could be afforded by the Bronze Tier coins so a discount on them wasn''t all that important, but in the future where more expensive and useful items are avable in the main shop, the discount bazaar coulde in really handy.


    [The attribute system has been updated]


    [From level 50 onwards, each attribute will cost 10 attribute points to get upgraded once. This also includes the Health stat]


    [Due to the user gaining energy points through unconventional means, the user had already broken the cap limit to their Energy stat. The cost to upgrade the energy attribute once is now 15 attribute points.]


    "WHAT THE HECK!? 10 POINTS FOR ONE UPGRADE!" Mako eximed as he couldn''t believe the absurdity of the prompts that were continuously shocking him and not in a good way.


    Suddenly the 220 attribute points he had saved up until this point didn''t look too much as it basically meant that he could upgrade his attributes 22 times, which was still fine if he dumped them all into one attribute but if he spread them all out evenly, it would barely make a difference.


    ''How am I supposed to continue progressing to remain worthy when you are restricting me so heavily?'' Makoined,pletely unhappy with the changes that hade to the system.


    [The user will be rewarded more generously if they continue to challenge themselves and face greater threats.]


    [Doing all the various types of training that the system has issued through the daily tasks will not reward attribute points but will directly affect the attribute itself.]


    As soon as thest prompt showed itself in front of Mako to answer him, the system automatically reopened the profile tab but this tab had a slight modification.


    [Profile] ?


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 500/500] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï- -] (+1)


    [Energy: 5250/7000] ? [- - - - - - - - - -] (+1)


    [EXP: 0/100,000] ?


    [ount: 370 Bronze Tier Coins, 25 Silver Tier Coins, 2 Gold Tier Coins] ? (+1)


    [Level 15] ?


    [Strength: 50 (+60) ] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï- - - - - -] (+1)


    [Agility: 50 (+35) ] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï- - - - -] (+1)


    [Perception: 50(+20)] ? [¡ï- - - - - - - - -] (+1)


    [Intelligence: 50] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï- - - - -] (+1)


    [Mentality: 50] ? [- - - - - - - - - -] (+1)


    [Stamina: 50 (+30) ] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï-] (+1)


    [Charisma: 18] ? [- - - - - - - - - -] (+1)


    [Fortitude: 50 (+20)] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï-------] (+1)


    [Attribute Points: 220] ?


    Each of the attributes now had a bar in front of them that had 10 dashes ced inside of them with a few of the dashes being reced by stars.


    [A progress bar has been added next to every upgradable attribute]


    [The progress bar will disy how close an attribute is to leveling up naturally to help the user keep track of which attribute they can focus on to level them up naturally]


    Mako was impressed with how much more involved and active the system was after the update, even though it had done much to nerf him, it had also provided him with the path to move forward.


    Mako understood that from here on out he would have to always keep some attribute points on reserve in case of an emergency where he needed a boost in any of his attributes and to only use attributes to level up attributes that are hard to evolve naturally such as mentality which is one of the factors why many people get stuck in a certain rank.


    There were only a few more notifications to go so Mako allowed the remaining notifications to be disyed as well before he started figuring out a game n on how to move forward in the most effective way.


    [The requirements of the Dare Devil title have been updated]


    [The EXP requirements to activate Dare Devil have been updated to match the average expected rate of EXP gain moving forward]


    [Note: The EXP requirements for Dare Devil may be subject to change in the future based on several factors.]


    [DARE DEVIL (LEVEL 1): Once Dare Devil has been activated, the trade-off has to bepleted and the user cannot back out. Currently, Dare Devil is at Level One, and it offers the following trades:


    100,000 EXP --> (30) Temporary Attribute points ?


    50,000 EXP --> 10% Omni Boost ?


    125,000 EXP --> (1) Basic Full Heal ? (Unavable)


    200,000 EXP --> (1) Full Rage Bar ? (Unavable)


    100,000 EXP --> (2) Random Temporary Ability Skills ?]


    Makopletely agreed with the system on this one as it would have been impossible for him to use Dare Devil at all if the EXP requirements had remained the same.


    [The attribute cap has been set to 100]


    [The Energy stat has been capped at 10,000]


    [The Health stat has been capped at 1000]


    [The system will be able to update and unlock more functions at Level 20]


    Thest of the system''s messages for the system update shed through Mako''s mind and now he was finally free of the constant beeping that the system was sting inside his head so that he would read the notifications.


    There was definitely a lot to unravel, but now Mako could see a clear path forward and he intended to do just that and use the remaining days of his punishment to grow as strong as possible before his first day in military school because something was telling him that this new chapter in his life wasn''t going to be easy.

 Chapter 293 First Day

    Chapter 293 First Day


    ??"and that''s exactly what I did..." Mako wrote in his journal.


    "I changed my training patternpletely. Before I didn''t have to worry about my attributes as I could just upgrade them using the points and so I would only train my skills which wasn''t getting me anywhere, but now I didn''t have the luxury of relying on attribute points anymore and so now I have to put in the actual effort to improve my body."


    For the remaining few days that Mako still had during his punishment, he did all that he could to make some rough calctions on how difficult his progression was going to be moving forward as even after several days of working out, only his stamina was able to level up once as it was already 1 star away while his other attributes like Strength, and Agility were still a bit far from being upgraded.


    Besides his attributes, Mako had to make a list of priorities when it came to his different abilities, skills, titles, etc.


    If he didn''t keep track of all of them, he would soon get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information that he had contained within him.


    While exploring the system tab and its functions a bit deeper, Mako discovered something that the system didn''t explicitly mention which was in the description of skills and abilities in his skills tab as well as the items he had stored in his inventory which the fact that now there was an option to sell.


    [Sell] ?


    [A function of the shop that is unlocked at the second level of the shop that extends to all tabs of the system and allows the user to permanently remove an item, ability, or skill from their profile in exchange for coins. Once an item has been sold, it will be recognized by the system shop and could appear in either the daily shop or the main shop in the future]


    Mako could intentionally remove an ability from his body; aura and all and sell it to the system for coins.


    This was a revolutionary discovery, one that was just as special as Mako''s Analyze skill as nobody could ever get rid of an ability once they had obtained it by breaking the crystal on the cover of an ability book.


    Mako had a rtively manageable number of skills as he could maneuver around them and use the correct skill in a fight; however, there were a few skills that Mako rarely used as they were either too weak or weren''t able to be used in an efficient manner.


    For example, the Recover skill that Mako obtained way back when he first received the PERSEVERANCE title was one that he barely ever used as it required him to wait a while after his battle only to start recovering health at a very low rate.


    "Sell Recover," Makomanded the system.


    This time a burning and spiky feeling enveloped his entire body which was theplete opposite of the cool and soothing sensation he often felt whenever he gained something like an ability, skill, or even attributes.


    This sensation was theplete opposite as it was quite painful whilst the Recover skill was getting removed from Mako''s body.


    [Extraction Completed]


    [The Recover skill has been sessfully sold]


    [+20 Bronze Tier Coins]


    Mako sold a couple more things from different tabs such as his ten-palm strike technique that he could never really use against stronger opponents gaining a few more bronze coins before he was satisfied with the optimization of everything.


    His skill tab had grown quite much in thest six months and it showed just how much Mako had grown and still how far he had yet to go.


    "Open Skills Tab," Makomanded the system.


    [Skills] ?


    [Basic Skills] ?


    - [(D-Tier) Sprint] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) Dash] ? (LEVEL 4)


    - [(E-Tier) Motion Sense] ? (LEVEL 4)


    - [(E-Tier) High Jump] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(E-Tier) Fortified Stance] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(E-Tier) Silent Steps] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Power Skills] ?


    - [(E-Tier) Fire Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 5)


    - [(F-Tier) Fireball] ? (LEVEL 5) [MAX]


    - [(E-Tier) me wheel] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(E-Tier) me Pir] ? (Level 2)


    - [(D-Tier) me Bullet] ? (Level 2)


    - [(E-Tier) Lightning Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 5)


    - [(F-Tier) Lightning Strike] ? (LEVEL 4)


    - [(E-Tier) Electrical Discharge] ? (LEVEL 5) [MAX]


    - [(D-Tier) Lightning w] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(D-Tier) Energy Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(E-Tier) Energy Stream] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) Energy Sensing] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) Earth Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 4)


    - [(E-Tier) Ground Rupture] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(F-Tier) Stone Sword] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(D-Tier) Stone Skin] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(D-Tier) Poison Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 2)


    [Unique Skills] ?


    - [(C-Tier) Analyze] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) Phantom Punch] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) Phantom Shift] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(E-Tier) Phantom Kick] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) Phantom Dash] ? (LEVEL 3)


    - [(E-Tier) Mana sh] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) Mana Thrust] ? (LEVEL 2)


    - [(E-Tier) Mana Block] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(E-Tier) Cyclone Parry] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(D-Tier) Influence] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Coborative Skills] ?


    - [(E-Tier) Scorching de] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Combinational Skills] ?


    - [(E-Tier) ming Stone Sword] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(D-Tier) Poisoned Stone Skin] ? (LEVEL 1)


    - [(E-Tier) Lightning Phantom Shift] ? (LEVEL 1)


    [Absolute Skills] ? (NONE)


    Mako had a wide array of abilities and a great number of skills that coulde in handy in many different situations.


    Thebinational skills were a new type of skill that Mako had discovered while failing to try and resonate with his other abilities. Instead, he managed to create unique skills that utilized the auras of two different abilities or moves at the same time which was a step in the right direction, leading to the eventual resonance.


    Unlike the coborative skills that require two or more people to execute, thebinational skills were the exact same but could be executed by a single person, though the energy cost was a bit high.


    The Poisoned Stone Skin was basically Mako''s Stone Skin skill from his Earth elemental skill tree butced with his poison aura, inflicting the "Decay" status effect on anyone who makes contact with his skin for 2 seconds.


    The Lightning Phantom Shift was thebination of his favorite Phantom Shift skill and his lightning aura, extending the time of the Phantom Shift with the afterimage created by the skillsting for longer before disappearing and revealing the real Mako who has more time to maneuver while remaining undetectable by his opponent with the added bonus of electrocuting the opponent if they strike the afterimage.


    ******************


    [01/07/2600]


    "I did all that I could and use my time as efficiently as possible before military school started, and I have to say that I am impressed with the results. I just hope they are enough to help me get promoted back into the special ss."


    "Last night, a guard came into my room informing me that I was to head to the teleporter room tomorrow and start my journey in military school. He gave me a duffle back in which I could pack my things and handed me a blue uniform which was the uniform he was meant to wear as a cadet attending military school."


    "I was so excited to be finally out of my room and meet my friends that barely got any sleep, not that I needed to anyway as I had a full bar of energy and as of now I could go for three days without feeling any fatigue or drowsiness."


    "Early the next morning, a guard came to collect me so that he could export me to the teleporter room, and within fifteen minutes, I could hear the countdown for the teleport to initiate."


    "Just likest time, the teleport only took a second and in the next moment I was standing in a simr-looking room but with different staff operating the machine which told me that I was in fact somewhere different."


    "A man in a green uniform that resembled the officer that hade to my school to give the military introduction. He asked me for my name and then proceeded to tap something on his holographic tablet before giving me instructions to reach my dorm room."


    "I was assigned to ss 1-E and my homeroom ss was in half an hour so I had to hurry up. I thanked the officers and staff and left the teleporter room. The guards guided me outside and finally, I was able to see the gigantic military school which was more of aplex consisting of several dozen buildings as well as several fields for ying sports as well as carrying out training and practice matches."


    "There were different dorm buildings for the different sses of students and the buildings split evenly to amodate female and male cadets."


    "I made my way to building number A-B3 where my dorm room was located and quickly unpacked. Many cadets were rushing through the halls as they all were trying to get settled in and reach their homeroom ss in time."


    "Thanks to Sprint, time was on my side as I quickly unpacked my duffle bag and quickly left to make it in time for ss."


    "I still hadn''t run into any of my friends nor Natasha or Haruto which was a bit weird, but I just brushed it off as them being assigned a dorm room in a different building and hoped to meet them in ss."


    "However, my disappointment for the day had only begun."

 Chapter 294 Revelations (Part 1)

    Chapter 294 Revtions (Part 1)


    ?Mako approached the roombeled 1-E, excited to see the faces of his friends that he hadn''t seen in two months; only to be disappointed to see that in a room full of cadets, he couldn''t spot his friends anywhere.


    Mako''s mood immediately plummeted as now he would have to search all the different sses to eventually find his friends.


    He quietly walked inside the ssroom and took a seat in the middle of thest row in the left corner of the room.


    Some of the students turned to acknowledge Mako''s presence while mostpletely ignored him and continued whatever they were doing.


    Mako was never an attention seeker unlike his old ssmates, who basically begged for attention from everyone.


    Even though he was now strong and could fit in with the other students in his ss, the years of trauma that he had gone through; constantly being bullied and beaten up by others prevented him from opening up to anybody.


    In his mind he knew that it didn''t matter whether he was strong or weak, these people were the same and if they treated people differently based on their power level, then they were nothing but fakes and he didn''t want to do anything with them.


    At first, nobody paid any attention to Mako who just put his head down on his desk; waiting for his very first lesson in the military school to begin.


    All of them were suppressing their auras so nobody could gauge how strong any of them were, but if they had gotten into the advanced ss, it was quite certain that they were indeed strong.


    Mako was browsing through his system interface and making future ns when all of a sudden he sensed a hand approaching him from behind.


    Mako''s perception was greater than the average student his power level so he was easily able to sense the hand approaching him.


    In an instant, Mako twisted his upper body while remaining seated and grabbed the iing hand with his right hand, stopping it firmly.


    The whole thing happened so quickly that even caught the person who was approaching off guard.


    Suddenly, the whole room fell silent as everyone''s attention turned towards Mako as he firmly grabbed onto the person''s arm; not letting go.


    The person tried to pull his hand back using an increasing amount of force to do so but Mako was still not budging.


    "Look... I am not in the mood, especially on my first..." Mako said slowly and quietly.


    However, he was cut off before he could finish his sentence.


    "Mako,e on man! Let go! It''s me!" An unfamiliar yet familiar voice resounded in Mako''s ears prompting him to finally look up at whose hand had he actually caught.


    He looked up to find a person hepletely did not expect to share a ss with.


    "Andrew?" Mako spoke out of confusion, recognizing the person who had approached him but was stillpletely unsure of how he was even here.


    There was a moment of awkward silence between them as Mako couldn''t find the words to exin his confusion as this made no sense. Erin had told them that Sven, Finn, and Andrew; her old teammates, were all epted in the basic ss so how was Andrew sitting in the advanced ss?


    "Can you let go of my hand, please? People are starting to look..." Andrew whispered with a hint of embarrassment as more people were starting to take notice of the sudden silence and tension that had ensued in the room.


    Mako quickly let go and apologized for his sudden reaction but the truth was that he still hadn''t recovered mentally from his first mission and now more than ever, he always wanted to remain on his toes so that he wouldn''t get snuck up on and knocked out of the fight early.


    The tension in the air slowly died down and the other students slowly returned to what they were doing but making a mental note of the event in their minds to watch out for Mako as from the tiny disy of power he had just shown, it was clear that he wasn''t to be messed around with.


    Andrew took a seat beside Mako and before he could say


    anything, He replied to the question that was racing on Mako''s


    mind.


    "I know... I know... I didn''t even expect to put in the advanced


    ss, but it looks like my recent jump in ability and skill just


    barely met the criteria for the military to be epted into the


    advanced ss despite my poor performance during the


    military test." Andrew stated in a quiet voice, still a bit caught


    back by Mako''s sudden reaction.


    Mako slowly processed what Andrew just said and nodded as


    he understood what he meant.


    Even though the military test was meant to be the biggest


    deciding factor in which ss you were assigned to, it wasn''t


    the only one as the cadets could still train hard and show their


    results which might warrant the military to change their ss


    grade depending on whether they were impressed by the


    improvement or not.


    Mako was d that Andrew was able to make the cut and that


    he finally had a familiar face in his ss. He apologized again for


    his sudden behavior and congratted him on his


    improvement.


    Andrew was someone that Mako knew very little about as


    everything he knew came from what Erin had told about him.


    The only physical interaction he had with "Andrew" was in the


    military test which turned out to be Haruto in disguise, so he


    didn''t know what type of character Andrew really was.


    However, he did trust his friends and if Erin''s words were to be


    believed, then he was sure that the two of them could be


    acquaintances in theing future.


    "Have you run into any of the others by any chance?" Mako


    asked during his conversation with Andrew, hoping to get some


    info about where some of his friends were.


    "No... I actually intended to ask you that same thing about


    whether you knew where Erin was or not." Andrew replied with


    a look of disappointment on his face that was shared by Mako.


    Mako was about to say something when all of a sudden, his


    perception kicked in as he sensed a superior aura approaching


    the room.


    This time; however, the reaction was the same by every single


    student as they all turned towards the door, clearly affected by


    the aura that was approaching quickly.


    Mako immediately knew that this had to be the teacher or


    someone who was in charge as the aura far exceeded any


    Rookie Tier cadet. He couldn''t quite put his finger on it as his


    aura reading ability wasn''t so great, but the aura did feel a bit


    familiar to him as if he had been in the presence of this aura


    before.


    The door slid open and entered a young woman with dark hair


    with a blue tint, a hush fell over the students as they focused


    on the entrance.


    The young woman''s presence was constricting the space


    around her. d in an outfit that seamlessly blended elegance


    and mystery, she wore a tight one piece suit that seemed like it


    was alive and flowing paired with midnight-blue robe adorned


    with intricate silver embroidery that seemed to shimmer in the


    ambient light.


    The robe itself seemed to dance with shadows that quickly


    enveloped the floor of the ssroom and quickly began


    climbing onto the walls, as if it were an extension of the very


    darkness she controlled.


    Her long, obsidian hair cascaded down her shoulders in loose


    waves, framing a face that held an air of both strength and


    serenity.


    As she stepped further into the room, a subtle trail of shadows


    followed her, hinting at the power that she wielded.


    With this deliberate gesture, she had released a fraction of her


    aura, allowing it to permeate the room.


    A subtle chill crept through the air, and the ethereal mist of


    darkness began creeping closer and closer towards the


    students.


    The students, caught in the grip of her otherworldly energy, felt


    a shiver down their spines as they became acutely aware of the


    difference in power that emanated from their new teacher.


    Just as quickly as the aura appeared, she reined it in,


    suppressing the shadows with ease. The shadows quickly


    reverted back into her robe and her superior aura was now


    The room, once suffused with an otherworldly presence,


    returned to its normal state.


    Breaking the silence, she addressed her stunned students with


    a warm yet authoritative voice, "Good morning, young cadets. I


    am your homeroom instructor, Ang and I am here to guide


    you through your journey in military school."


    "Let our journey together begin. I will start by giving you a brief


    introduction to the military school as well as your duties and


    training course that you will follow for the following two years."


    The air slowly shifted from tension to anticipation as the


    students, still captivated by the brief disy of her power,


    prepared for the lessons that awaited them.


    ''Ang!?'' Mako eximed in his thoughts as he listened to his


    homeroom teacher alongside the other ssmates as she


    began introducing the military school to the new cadets.

 Chapter 295 Revelations (Part 2)

    Chapter 295 Revtions (Part 2)


    ??Ang stood confidently at the front of the room, her gaze sweeping the students. Mako, still intrigued by her powerful aura, listened intently as she began to exin the intricacies of the military school.


    "Wee, cadets!" Ang began, her voicemanding attention. "Wee to your first year in military school, this is the starting line for you. Here, you will undergo rigorous training to shape you into skilled and disciplined individuals."


    "This is an opportunity for all of you to prove to everyone, how far you can really go. There is no limit to one''s determination and will to strive to be the best and if you put in the effort and hard work, you will emerge from this program, the strongest version of yourself, equipped with the knowledge, skills, and power necessary to climb the ranks and make a name for yourself!"


    The students took in the weight of the words that Ang had just uttered. For most of them, military school was the only way for them to escape the system and be strong and powerful enough to live a decent life in today''s age.


    The same held true for Mako for whom the military school was going to y an extremely vital role in equipping him with the knowledge and techniques necessary for him to start making progress towards his actual goals.


    "Now, let''s dive into the details," Ang said as she touched a small device, and a holographic screen materialized in the air, disying an interactive map of the academy grounds.


    Ang gestured towards it, "This is our campus, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. Each of you has already been assigned dormitories, ssrooms, and training areas which you can ess using your ID card. Make sure to familiarize yourselves with theyout, as punctuality is a virtue we highly value here."


    The hologram zoomed in on different sections of the campus, highlighting training grounds, obstacle courses, and simtion rooms.


    Ang continued, "Our training program is designed to challenge and strengthen you. Weekly evaluations will assess your progress, and your grades will reflect yourmitment to excellence. Remember, discipline is the cornerstone of sess."


    As she spoke, the holographic disy shifted to show a calendar, marked with various training exercises, written exams, and practical assessments.


    Ang borated, "You will face various challenges ¨C physical, intellectual, and tactical. It''s essential to excel in all aspects. The military school''s motto is ''Ad Astra Per Aspera,'' which means ''Through Hardship to the Stars.'' Embrace challenges, and you will emerge stronger."


    The hologram then shifted and began disying a list of times under the title, "Rewards System". This showcased many different items ranging from weapons to skill books, power crystals, and much more.


    "This rewards system has been put in ce to help give every single cadet an equal chance at striving to be the best. All your progress, training, and results will be constantly monitored and will rewarded in points that you can ess through your ID card. These points can be exchanged by the cadets to purchase anything in the reward catalog that could help them improve and be better."


    Mako was quite surprised to see how much of a resemnce this system had with his very own system. He had always wondered how the military would beat the hierarchy between the studentsing from different sses to make it fair for everyone and this was how.


    The rich kids wouldn''t really have the incentive to work hard to gain points as they could already own the things that the military is offering because of their parents, but this also means they will work less hard while other cadets will try to work as hard as possible to gain more points so that they could purchase new skills or abilities which could help bridge the gap between them and the rich kids, but not only that; the additional training will also help them be stronger mentally and physically to match the gifted cadets.


    The hologram then highlighted a sectionbeled "Weekly sh Contest." Ang''s eyes gleamed with a hint of excitement as she exined, "Here''s one of the exciting features of the military school."


    "Every week, students have the opportunity to showcase their skills in many differentbats ranging from friendlybat scenarios to intense critical decision scenarios all designed for you to observe your own progress and train you in all the various kinds of situations you could end up facing in the real world as an officer. It''s a chance to learn from each other and prove your prowess. Winners earn reward points and special privileges."


    Murmurs of anticipation rippled through the room. Ang smiled, acknowledging the enthusiasm. "Now, let''s discuss the testing criteria. You''ll undergo regr exams, both written and practical. Your performance will be evaluated not only on your power level and shy abilities, but it will also on teamwork and leadership among other skills. Strive for excellence, and you''ll find the sess you deserve."


    The hologram shifted to disy a sectionbeled "Specialized Training." Ang continued, "In addition to the standard curriculum, you''ll have the chance to specialize in areas such as variousbat styles,bative strategy, power forging, mana training, etc."


    "You have to choose your path wisely, as it will shape your future assignments and career within the military. Reward points are not awarded for these specialized training as they are considered extras, but I would heavily advise you all to at least pick one of these training programs as they will help you out greatly!" Ang stated.


    Ang''s exnation continued as she delved into the regr sses that would form the core of the cadets'' education at the military school.


    "Your regr sses will include Earth history, gctic history, basicbat ss, basic weapons ss, basic ability and skill mastery ss, and more. These sses are designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary for a well-rounded military officer."


    Mako found himself growing increasingly interested as Ang exined each ss in detail.


    Earth history focused on understanding the historical context that shaped their world, while gctic history expanded that knowledge to epass the broader universe. Basicbat ss and weapons ss were self-exnatory, providing fundamental training in both armed and hand-to-handbat.


    Basic ability and skill mastery ss intrigued Mako the most. This was essentially the ss where the cadets could improve the most and be a lot stronger than before.


    Ang exined that it would cover the development and honing of unique abilities and skills that each cadet possessed. This ss aimed to refine and push the boundaries of what the students could achieve with their innate talents.


    Mako and Bill had been able to be so much stronger in the few weeks that they had trained and without any help or supervision, just by following the instructions of the system which was mostly focused on helping Mako improve physically.


    With proper guidance and training techniques, Mako knew that his progress would skyrocket once again as he did everything in his power to be strong enough that he wouldn''t ever lose anybody close to him ever again.


    Mana training on the other hand, was a special training course, focused on harnessing and controlling mana¡ªa crucial skill for those with abilities. The curriculum included understanding mana types, maniption techniques, and practical exercises to enhance mana control.


    This was also something that Mako was still quite weak at as there wasn''t any free and reliable source to learn it from the inte by himself so he was excited to see just how big a door this grand skill could open for him.


    As Ang concluded her overview of the sses, she opened the floor to questions. A curious cadet raised their hand.


    "Yes, go ahead," Ang acknowledged.


    "Will our additional training within a specific ss also add to the overall reward points?" the cadet asked.


    Ang nodded. "Absolutely. Your performance in all sses whether it is additional or regr, academic or practical, will contribute to your overall progress. The more you excel, the more points you earn, giving you ess to a wider range of rewards. This way you aren''t limited to earning reward points just by being good at fighting, the floor is wide open for all talents!"


    Another cadet spoke up, "What if we struggle in a particr ss? Is there a way to catch up?"


    "Of course," Ang replied. "You can always train in whatever ss you are weak in. We have special AI rooms that can replicate any ss you have taken up until that point so you can rey your sses and practice more."


    "You can also always approach your instructors for additional guidance. The key is to recognize your weaknesses early and work on improving them. The journey to bing a skilled officer is about continuous growth and learning." Ang added.


    The questions continued, ranging from the frequency of evaluations to the avability of advanced sses. Ang addressed each query with confidence, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and dedication.


    Meanwhile, Mako began fidgeting with his ID card which was a very high-tech piece of equipment.


    Even though it was as thin as regr cardboard, it was quite hard and rigid. It had a holographic disy that disyed his personal details such as his ss and name, but the disy also had an interface that Mako could ess that began to disy several tabs much like his system.


    He could keep track of his progress in each ss, review notes and ss lectures, look up his reward points, as well as a whole map of the campus which highlighted every important location and directions on how to get there. He could also get information on all of his teachers and could know where he could find them after school if he had any queries.


    As the Q&A session wrapped up, an alert beeped on the cadets'' ID cards. Ang nced at the holographic disy and then back at the students.


    "It seems it''s time for your first ss," she announced. "Make your way to your designated ssrooms, and remember, the journey to the distant stars begins with the first step. Embrace the challenges, and I look forward to witnessing your progress."


    The students filed out of the room, a mix of excitement and determination in their eyes. The military school awaited them, promising a path of growth, challenges, and opportunities. Ang watched them go, her confidence unwavering, knowing that each cadet held the potential to rise through the ranks and leave an indelible mark on the future.

 Chapter 296 Power Weapons Class

    <h4>Chapter 296 Power Weapons ss</h4>


    ?"I wanted to talk to Ang before I headed to my first ss as I hadn''t been able to ever since we had returned from the mission. I still wasn''t sure if I had sessfully removed all of the poison, but at least know, I was a bit relieved to see that she was fine and healthy." Mako wrote in his diary.


    "I followed the directions on my ID card and arrived to my very first ss which was basic power weapons ss. I was quite excited to learn about all the different kinds of power weapons as I had only used and encountered a few of them and yet they had absolutely blown me away with their functions."


    "The ss wasn''t a regr one as the directions didn''t me lead to me a room at all, but rather a massive empty auditorium that was asrge as the warehouses that I broke into to free El Diablo''s prisoners."


    "The walls were all bright white with tiny cracks that reflected a subtle gold color with huge pirs spaced equally apart to support the massive roof."


    "We weren''t expected to be in such a huge space in our very first ss, but nobody wasining as all of us were taking in the beauty of the simplicity of the giant empty auditorium."


    "Another weird thing was that we weird was the fact that there was no teacher to greet them as they entered. After a minute or so the other cadets also seem to catch on to the fact that nobody was their to actually teach them."


    "The atmosphere quickly turned from excitement to awkwardness as everyone looked around, trying to find out what they were supposed to there."


    "Suddenly, I felt the ground vibrate slightly, but before I could do anything, whatever it was that had caused the ground to shake had been activated and what happened next... was brutal"


    **************


    A purplish pulse of energy erupted from the ground beneath the cadets and covered the entirety of the auditorium instantly.


    All of sudden, a wave of intense weakness washed over Mako''s body as he along with all the cadets in the room copsed onto the ground. They had looks of confusion on their faces as this was the first time they had experienced something like this, but unlike everyone else, Mako knew exactly what had just happened.


    [The user has been suppressed]


    [User is too weak to ovee the effects of the suppression]


    [Whilst suppressed, the user''s body is denied of mana, therefore preventing him from using any of their abilities or their skills.]


    [Passive activation of ability aura has also been blocked, hence the user is unable to receive the bonus in attributes thate with keeping the aura of an ability active]


    [Leave the range of the suppressor to regain the ability to ess and manipte mana]


    Just as Mako read thest prompt given by the system which told him exactly what to do to escape this, the door behind them quickly shut itself and locked all of them in.


    The sound of several different mechanisms could be heard from the walls, and within a few moments, the empty auditorium quickly transformed into an obstacle course as the walls, floor, and ceiling all extended at random lengths.


    The strong lights inside the auditorium that helped to elevate the beauty of the room quickly turned dim, heavily reducing the visibility and creating an ominous and eerie atmosphere.


    Finally, just as the cadets got used to their weakened bodies and began to realize that they couldn''t use their abilities, severalpartments opened from within the walls, and from the darkness, several glowing red eyes shined through.


    In an instant, hundreds of robots jumped out of thepartments each having the same glowing red eyes. They came in a few different sizes with some of them holding weapons and shields.


    All of this had happened in just a few minutes time with the cadets all staring in worry and confusion at the army of robots as they didn''t know what was going to happen. Their teacher was still nowhere to be seen and now they couldn''t even use their abilities.


    In the next moment, their fears became a reality as the walls next to the cadets opened and instead of more robots running out, a massive shelf filled with many different kinds of power weapons revealed itself to the cadets and a massive holographic screen appeared in the middle of the room that disyed the number 10.


    Some of the cadets gulped down as they understood what was about to happen while others still didn''t want to believe what was happening in front of them.


    "10!"


    "9!"


    "8!"


    The holographic disy began counting down from 10 which meant that the cadets had exactly 10 seconds to prepare themself before all hell broke loose.


    Mako quickly grabbed Andrew by the cor and lifted him up to his feet, telling him to run. The two of them booked it toward the giant shelf of weapons as this was the only saving grace they had in theing battle.


    Following Mako''s lead, the other cadets also quickly began sprinting toward the shelf.


    "5!"


    "4!"


    "3!"


    Mako was the first to reach the shelf, he grabbed a medium-tier sword that didn''t have any active or passive ability and was simr in size to his stone sword.


    As soon as he grabbed onto the sword, he felt a cool sensation rush through him as the boost provided while holding a power weapon was still applied.


    Feeling this, Mako felt a bit more confident. Andrew picked up the only weapon that he knew he could use which were high-


    tier gauntlets with spikes on the knuckles.


    Andrew was a closebat fighter and didn''t have any experience using any kind of melee weapon so he chose something that he knew he could rely on and that were his fists.


    The other cadets also picked up a weapon at random and it was then that the countdown struck zero.


    "0!"


    "Begin!"


    The robot''s red eyes began to glow brighter as they began charging at the cadets. Some were faster than others while some looked stronger than others.


    Terrified by the number of the robots, some of the cadets continued to make a run for it even after grabbing a weapon while there were others who believed in their strength and charged forward to meet the wave of robots head-on.


    This left a small group of cadets who neither ran nor charged forward. Seeing the bravery of some of the cadets, Andrew didn''t want to be left out so he decided to charge forward to but was swiftly stopped by Mako who grabbed onto his shoulder.


    "Don''t charge in blindly like those idiots! We need to preserve our energy for as long as possible! Group up and fight defensively!" Mako said in amanding tone.


    Andrew was a little caught back by Mako''smand but quickly followed hismand.


    In all honesty, he was quite confused and scared. He had just barely been able to secure a spot in the advanced ss so he was much weaker than most of his ssmates.


    However in his mind, Mako was originally from the special ss and was just demoted to advanced ss, so he must have some idea of what to do in these kinds of situations so he just decided to stick with Mako.


    Some of the other cadets who were also unsure of what to do resonated with Mako''s logic so they also joined him and quickly formed a group that all watched each other''s backs.


    The cadets who had rushed forward had now made first contact with the robots who didn''t hold back in the slightest.


    The cadets were also quite skilled as they didn''t get immediately overwhelmed by the number of robots.


    The strength of the smaller robots was the same as a level 3 ability user so it was quite manageable for the cadets to fight them as even without the boosts their ability would provide them, they had built up enough strength to match a level 3 user.


    Some of the cadets had picked up weapons that had active or passive skills which they utilized to counter the horde of robots that were continuously rushing forward.


    At first, the cadets were able to hold their own against the robots but as the slower robots made their way toward the frontlines, things quickly changed.


    Not only were these robots stronger than the faster ones, but some also held weapons which made them even more difficult.


    Having no abilities to back them up and the passive and active skills of their weapons going on cooldown, the cadets had no escape and had to fight using nothing else but their body and skill which didn''tst long.


    As time went on, they grew tired from exerting their body so much in a fight, something they hadn''t done ever as they always relied on their abilities.


    It only took a couple of minutes before the robots were able to break past the initial group of cadets, defeating them all with ease and knocking them back with a strong blow.


    The robots didn''t hesitate or stop for a moment as they continued with their charge forward to defeat every single cadet within the room.


    However, unlike thest batch of cadets they had faced that had no coordination or n, the robots this time were going to go face to face against Mako''s group of cadets who had time that the other cadets had bought them to initiate their n to take down all the robots.


    "They areing! It''s time! Get ready!" Mako shouted as everyone braced themselves for the iing sh.

 Chapter 297 Shields & Swords

    <h4>Chapter 297 Shields & Swords</h4>


    ?Simr to before, the faster but weaker robots were the first to reach Mako''s group.


    These robots were met with a set of four cadets each holding a different power shield essentially forming a wall of defense.


    However, the robots didn''t care as they rushed in to attack as they were programmed to do so.


    As the robots sprinted forward and aimed to smash onto the cadets with their shields, the cadets crouched down and got close to the ground while holding the shields above their heads.


    The robots smashed onto the shields with a strong force but it wasn''t something that the cadets couldn''t handle.


    Once their shield had absorbed the blow, the cadets kicked themselves up from the ground using all their strength, in turnunching the robots into the air.


    "Do it!" Mako shouted from behind.


    As soon as he said that, four more cadets split into two teams and sprinted from either side of the four cadets holding the shields while the robots were still in the air.


    Each of them, holding a different kind of ded weapon, sprinted forward andnded a single decisive blow onto the robots who were defenseless in the air.


    The cadets had a look of awe and happiness on their faces as they realized the effectiveness of the strategy that Mako had told them to implement during the time the other cadets were fighting the robots.


    *************


    [Moments Earlier]


    "Listen, all of our strongest ssmates have already run forward to fight. We will use them to our advantage. They will thin out the herd for us and all we have to do is to maintain our ground against the ones that remain." Mako exined.


    "But if all those strong people can''t defeat all those robots, how can we do it? We are less in numbers." A cadet questioned, still quizzical at the sess probability of Mako''s n.


    "We have something they don''t," Mako responded," Teamwork!"


    "We are going to fight together, not individually. If we pick our fights and fight together, supporting each other and watching over each other''s backs, I believe that we can defeat them!" Mako exined.


    "Break into teams of two. One of you will hold a shield while the other will hold a weapon they arefortable with. Fight in turns... Let your shield worry about tanking the hit while you focus your strength and energy onnding a single powerful and decisive blow. Don''t waste your energy on weak attacks!" Makomanded.


    *************


    The next wave of robots quickly approached the group, ready to cause some damage.


    "Split!" Mako shouted from behind.


    The four cadets holding the shields quickly dispersed breaking the wall they had created and instead, they all went to their assigned partner''s side bing their shield.


    Mako and Andrew alongside a few other cadets who were standing in the back finally began charging forward to fill the gap that was created by the shields; ready to meet the attack head-on.


    *sh!*


    Mako, Andrew, and the other cadets purposefully attacked the main group of robots that were rushing toward them, leaving their sidespletely open.


    The stronger but slower robots saw this as an advantage and circled around tounch an attack from behind so that they could confuse the cadets and sandwich them in between them; leaving no room for escape.


    However, things didn''t turn out the way that the robots'' pathfinding AI had determined as the cadets holding the shields alongside their partners were ready to meet the stronger robot''s attack from either side.


    The cadets held out their shields to block the initial strike; this one being a lot stronger than the regr robots from before, but since they all had strong physical bodies paired with High tier shields, they were able to withstand the force of the attack.


    The attacking partners quickly took charge as just like before as soon as their shields had done their job and sessfully defended against the attack, they charged their strength into a single powerful strike andunched a counter-attack at the powerful robots.


    Since these robots were bulkier than the regr robots, they weren''t defeated by a singr strike and were able to quickly regain their bnce.


    The robot''s AI was already calcting countermeasures to break through the obstacle in front of them when all of a sudden, another powerful strike sent them tumbling over to the ground before it could properly recover.


    This time the strike did note from the main attacker, but rather from the side.


    Looking over, it was a female cadet who was part of Mako''s group that hadnded the follow-up attack to finish off the bulkier robot.


    While the shield and sword group defended Mako''s group from the sides and bought them time, Mako''s group quickly dealt with the weaker robots that were rushing them by fighting together and not wasting their energy in weak attacks and useless movements.


    Once they had defeated all the robots, they quickly dispersed to help out the shield and swords group by bringing additional firepower to finally take down the bulkier robots.


    Unlike the stronger cadets who had rushed forward individually without a n or teammates to back them up and eventually lost due to being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of robots, Mako''s brilliant strategy allowed even the weaker members of their ss to shine as they had managed to sessfully take down the main horde of robots that had been spawned in.


    Mako stabbed thest robot using his sword and the group erupted in cheers as they were sessfully able to defend against the horde of robots with not even a single one of them being defeated in the end.


    However, their cheers were cut short by Mako''s booming voice as he shouted at his ssmates to get their attention.


    "Wait! The fight''s not over yet!" He shouted.


    The cadets looked confused as to what Mako meant by this as there were no more robots that were rushing toward them.


    "There are still robots who are chasing after the other cadets!" Mako shouted as he pointed at two cadets in the distance who were running for their lives with three robots in close pursuit.


    The two cadets consisted of one boy and one girl and they both looked injured with blood and bruises on their body and their uniform torn slightly from a couple of ces. They appeared to be exhausted and didn''t have much energy tost for too long.


    "Come on, we must help the rest of them and defeat all of the robots!" Makomanded as he began to run over to the duo and help them out.


    However, to his surprise, only a couple of cadets followed him while the rest remained in their ce.


    Mako turned around in confusion and anger as he observed the people who had just followed his everymand; were now disobeying thempletely.


    "What''s wrong?! Can''t you see they need our help!" Mako shouted in an annoyed tone.


    "So what!? They were the ones who were too chicken to stay and fight, it''s not my fault that they decided to run and be an easy target for the robots. Why should I help them?" A boy replied.


    He had a decent physique with barely defined muscles. His blond hair was slicked back with way too much hair gel that it was reflective and his cold blue eyes reflected his ice-cold heart.


    He was part of Mako''s group when they were fighting against the horde of robots and was a decently skilled fighter.


    A couple of other students who had the same mentality as this boy shook their heads in agreeance with what he was saying.


    Mako was left dumbfounded and in such shock by the behavior of the people that he had just fought with shoulder-to-


    shoulder that he couldn''t utter a single word.


    However, not all were as egotistical and self-centered as the blond-haired cadet as a girl who was also part of Mako''s group spoke up.


    "It doesn''t matter whether they ran or not, they are also our ssmates, and we should help them out." She spoke with a gentle and kind voice that was filled with confidence.


    The girl had fair skin and light brown hair with a short height.


    Mako hadn''t really paid any attention to his ssmates at this point, but as soon as he saw the girl speak withpassion for the safety of her ssmates, Mako began to see the image of Iris within the girl in front of him.


    "Iris?" Mako asked gently under his breath such that no one heard him.


    The same kind and gentle voice and thepassion to always help and protect others. This was the trait that Iris possessed and was the thing that allowed them to be such good friends in such a short period of time.


    Mako''s eyes slowly began to tear after observing the girl, but before it could be noticeable, he was brought back to reality with Andrew tugging on his shoulder, reminding him that there wasn''t much time to spare.


    Mako quickly suppressed his emotions and returned to the present as he stopped the girl from wasting any more of her breath and addressed the whole grouppletely.


    "I don''t care what ideals you have! My motto is to help any and everybody who is in need of my help and I am going to do just that. Those of you who want to join me can do so while the rest of you can just sit here and look pretty!" Mako said before turning around and running over to the duo with Andrew closely behind him.


    The girl alongside a handful of other cadets also began running behind Mako shortly after leaving behind an almost equal-sized group that remained with the blond-haired cadet.

 Chapter 298 Sad Reality

    Chapter 298 Sad Reality


    ??''This is the reality!''


    Time slowed down as Mako''s thoughts permeated through his consciousness.


    He looked back at almost half of the cadets that he had just fought with now leaving him, and all for what exactly?


    Just because he decided to help someone else? Was that really such a bad thing to do that so many would side against him?


    ''This is the reality...'' Mako''s consciousness replied to his own questions. ''This is the sad reality of the world that we live in. A world wherepassion and kindness are viewed as a weakness and it is only the right of the strong to live happy and decent lives.''


    ''These people...'' Mako said to himself while looking at the blond-haired boy who had a smirk on his face, ''They only cared about working together and coborating when their own life was on the line.''


    When it concerned their safety, they could fight and coborate with no fuss at all, but as soon as it came time to extend that olive branch to other people the same way Mako''s group did to them, they showed their true colors.


    They showed that in the end, these were all mindless and egotistical fools who only cared about themselves and would do everything by any means necessary to ensure their own survival and well-being, disregarding the emotions, state, or conditions of those they used to achieve their goal.


    Mako had a facial expression of disgust as turned his head back around and focused on reaching the two cadets as soon as possible.


    ''These are the type of people that have caused so much pain and suffering to humanity. Mindless fools who don''t know the difference between right and wrong and only know how to benefit themselves!'' Mako''s thoughts became louder and louder, getting filled with more anger.


    The scene of the very first video log that Mako received when he had obtained the Universal Power System was that of his great-grandfather''s final moments as he entrusted the system to him.


    That whole situation had urred when one of his colleagues had decided to be just like the cadets behind him and only think about himself.


    He was the one who sold the important information over to the enemy who was actively trying to destroy humanity all in the name of greed and to save his own skin while the rest including his great grandfather suffered.


    Anger began to overflow from within Mako as he thought back to his great-grandfather''s face as he conveyed his final message.


    ''He didn''t deserve that! He was doing everything in his power for the greater good of humanity, going as far aspletely disconnecting himself from his own family! Nobody deserves a fate like that!'' Mako screamed in his mind as his anger and heart rate continued to increase.


    Mako already knew that the system that was entrusted to him was meant to bring about great change.


    He had epted this responsibility before but back then he was just excited about the power that he had received and had not yet realized the depth of the responsibility that was ced upon his shoulders.


    Mako had experienced a great loss before when his grandmother had passed away but back then he couldn''t really do anything to save her, but in Iris'' case, he could have changed the oue.


    He had alreadye to terms with her death thanks to Commander Sable and had begun to heal but he had obtained a valuable lesson, something that he was going to carry very close to his heart and that was the realization of how important a single life was and how much could a single life could affect others.


    Millions of people die every year, so it is impossible to feel empathy towards all of them, but if one lives their life to ensure that they are doing everything in their power to protect the people around them and to preserve the peace, then that is a person with genuine goodness in their heart.


    Seeing the type of people that were the reason for this world''s corruption, for the pain and suffering of so many people all over the world including himself, Mako couldn''t help but be filled with anger and despise towards these people.


    Mako quickly sped up his pace, leaving the rest of the cadets behind as he converted his anger and emotions into power which he intended to let out on the giant robot in front of him.


    *Smash!*


    Mako had lunged into the air and struck the first robot with a strong vertical strike from his sword which dealt decent damage but wasn''t enough to dmission the robot who had now switched targets and was now aiming tond a strike on Mako who was still in midair.


    While in midair, Mako couldn''t effectively defend against the robot''s attack nor did he have a shield or abilities to help him escape or reduce the damage.


    ''Damn it! I overestimated my strength!'' Mako said to himself as he returned back to his senses and observed the robot''s giant arm swinging toward him.


    Mako had been so blinded by his rage and anger that he had miscalcted the fact that he was far weaker than his regr self and that one hit was probably not strong enough to take down one of therger robots.


    There was nothing he could do now as all he could was close his eyes and brace himself from the strength he was about to receive.


    However, suddenly Mako felt a tug on his body and the heavy strike that he was expecting to hit him at any moment never came.


    As he opened his eyes back up again, he found himself flying backward with Andrew holding onto his body.


    The robot that was right in front of him was now a little distance away from him with the massive strike that it was about tond with its giant arm getting blocked by two cadets each holding a shield.


    As soon as the strike was sessfully blocked, the brown-


    haired tiny girl leaped up into the air, using her strong leg muscles to easily clear the boys on the ground holding the shields andnding the second critical strike on the robot, finally being strong enough to knock it to the ground and defeat it.


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    The remaining few cadets charged in closely behind the brown-


    haired girl as they rushed together to take care of the remaining few regr robots that were also chasing the cadets from before.


    Speaking of which, Andrew finallynded Mako and himself safely on the ground right next to the boy and girl cadets who copsed onto the floor gasping for air as they were very close to their limit when Mako and group swooped in to save them from the robots.


    "TH... THANK....*heavy breathing* THANK YOU SO MUCH!" The girl cadet eximed her gratitude through her exhaustion.


    "It''s okay we''re just trying to help. Are you alright?" Andrew replied as he approached the duo to make sure they weren''t critically injured, leaving Mako alone who just stood there in shock as he processed everything that he had just observed.


    ''No... that is not the whole picture'' Mako said to himself.


    ''This world does not consist of only greedy and power-


    hungry people'' Mako thought as he observed the brown-haired girl and the rest of the cadets finishing off the remaining robots, fighting together and making sure that none of them got identally injured.


    ''There are also people in this world that have genuine goodness in their hearts and these people are the ones who help to bnce out the evil of this world. It is only when this bnce is upset by the evil prevailing too much that chaos ensues and lives are lost,'' Mako realized.


    "Good and Evil, Light and Darkness, they are both two sides of the same coin... Every person has goodness and darkness within their hearts. The real test for every single person is which side would they allow to consume them and direct their actions," Mako suddenly remembered something her grandmother used to say to him often.


    ''People aren''t as simple as ck and white but rather they are all different shades of grey, some are lighter than others while others are darker.'' Mako repeated the words of his grandmother in his mind.


    It was then that a realization hit him and his anger finally subsided.


    "Good and Evil are two sides of the same coin! Of course! I can''t only look at people as if they are ck and white! Everyone is part of the greater spectrum!" Mako said.


    "I finally understand what my mission is. My mission should not be to eradicate evil from this world as I wouldpletely fail trying to aplish that goal. My mission should be to be the change that would bring out the goodness in people''s hearts so that evil bes powerless!"


    ''I will be that change! I will be the one who will put an end to this long chain of tyranny and oppression! Watch me, everyone! I will fulfill my purpose and change humanity from this pathetic excuse of a race to what it was meant to be!'' Mako said to himself.


    *Ding!*


    [A great change has urred within the user!]


    [User has unlocked a brand new title!]

 Chapter 299 INNER HARMONY

    Chapter 299 INNER HARMONY


    ??[Titles] ? (NEW!)


    [Active Title: PERSEVERANCE]?


    [Passive Title: INNER HARMONY (Level 1)] ?


    [Avable Title(s): PERSEVERANCE, DAREDEVIL (LEVEL 1), INNER HARMONY] ?


    Looking over at his title tab, a brand-new addition had been made, and now something wasbeled as a passive title.


    [Passive Title] ?


    [The Passive Title is simr to the Active Titles such that they provide a certain boost or power to the user; however, unlike active titles which need to be activated manually, passive titles can be activated automatically without requiring any input from the user as long as the conditions for its activation are all met]


    [The user can only keep a single title active at any given time and now the user has the choice between whether the selected active or selected passive title would be in effect]


    Another great addition to his evergrowing arsenal of tactics that Mako could use in his battles.


    Impressed with the quality of passive skills being able to be activated automatically, Mako was curious as to what buffs INNER HARMONY would provide and whether they would be good enough for Mako to switch it out for PERSEVERANCE that gave him ess to Rage Mode; something that had helped him in intense situations time and time again.


    [INNER HARMONY] (Level 1)?


    [Through relentless introspection and self-discovery, the user understood a sliver of what it means to have a great responsibility and has earned the passive title of INNER HARMONY.


    This title awakens automatically in moments when the user is critically injured and has less than 15% of their total HP and is at a serious risk of losing their life.


    INNER HARMONY activates and immediately unleashes its first skill called "INNER HARMONY CASCADE".


    INNER HARMONY CASCADE: Activated the moment INNER HARMONY is triggered, this title releases a massive verdant green pulse of energy that pushes every single living thing back 30 meters. The pulse of energy remains on the battlefield like a dome for the next 5 minutes. The dome created by the energy pulse now acts as a healing field for the user as the user will be granted the Regeneration buff as long as they remain within the boundary of the dome.


    Note: Anyone who tries to enter the dome in order to reach the user will be inflicted with the Leach status effect.


    LEACH STATUS EFFECT: Any person who attempts to enter the dome of Inner Harmony Cascade will be inflicted with the Leach status effect making the person feel drained as the dome will begin to siphon mana from their bodies and convert it into "Harmonium Energy" before storing it in the dome itself.


    Once the time period for the Inner Harmony Cascade has psed, the green dome of energy will retract back into the user, condensing all, if any Harmonium Energy that was stored inside the dome into the body of the user and granting the user the option of whether to activate the second skill of INNER HARMONY called "ASCENDED HARMONY".


    ASCENDED HARMONY: Upon deactivation of the Inner Harmony Cascade, the umted Harmonium Energy will enter the user''s body, instantly energizing their whole body and presenting them with the prompt of whether they would like to enter "Ascended Harmony Mode".


    ASCENDED HARMONY MODE: The user''s body goes through a fundamental change as their whole skin starts to glow the same verdant green color. While Ascended Harmony Mode is active, the user receives an Omni Boost of 50%.


    Note: The duration of the Ascendend Harmony Mode depends on the amount of Harmonium energy the dome was able to siphon and store and if the user decides to not activate Ascended Harmony Mode, the system willpensate the energy for additional EXP and rewards.


    After Ascended Harmony concludes, The user''s stats return to normal; however, the user is now marked by "PERIL DEBT".


    PERIL DEBT: The activation of Inner Harmonyes with a heavy cost given the amount of support it provides the user for absolutely nothing. Moving onward, every time the user recieves a reward from the system be it EXP, coins, or attribute points, 20% of it will be removed and offered as debt payment for PERIL DEBT until it ispletely paid off.


    The PERIL DEBT for the activation of Level 1 INNER HARMONY is set at 25,000 Harmony Points.


    Conversion Rates:


    (20) EXP ---> (1) Harmony Point


    (1) Bronze Coin ---> (25) Harmony Points


    (1) Attribute point ---> (125) Harmony Points


    NOTE: INNER HARMONY can only be activated again once the PERIL DEBT has been paid off. In the meantime, the user does have the ability to switch out INNER HARMONY as the active title for another title while it remains inactive.


    Upgrade Conditions: In extreme moments, when the user aligns themself further with their true purpose or makes a great achievement that creates progress towards that true purpose, Inner Harmony will evolve further and disy its true power and potential.]


    *******************


    As Mako stood still on the battlefield, reading through the very long and detailed description of his brand new title, the rest of the cadets who had followed him and the brown-haired girl were just about finished dealing with the robots that were chasing after the duo of students.


    The duo students themselves were quite frightened from the whole experience as they were both very low ranked in the advanced ss and didn''t have much strength outside of their ability usage which is why they felt so weak when facing the robots and hence decided to just run although that ns also backfired.


    Andrew turned back toward Mako, only to find him standing in the same position that he left him in when he saved him from the giant robot, and that he was just staring nkly into space as if he was disconnected from reality.


    Mako was so shocked by his recent self-enlightenment and receiving the brand new title that he waspletely absorbed in trying to understand the sheer overpowered and groundbreaking skills that came with the title.


    This was Mako''s first overpowered defensive/supportive skill. Up until this point, Mako had a pretty strong offensive build with several very strong skills and abilitiesbined with all of his attributes, but he always didck on the defensive side as he would usually always get a strong beating if he were to fight against an evenly matched opponent.


    He had worked on increasing his fortitude by incorporating the Earth''s ability a lot more into his fighting style as it was mainly a defensive ability whose aura boosted fortitude.


    The only thing that Mako didn''t have was a good healing/


    recovery skill that would help him get back into the fights quicker and better, but the only thing that he was ever able to receive from the system regarding this was the stupid Recover Skill that was so bad that he ended up selling the skill back to the system.


    Although this title wasn''t the perfect solution to Mako''s problem as it was only going to activate in extremely dire situations where his life was on the brink of death and it also came with a pretty strong setback that being the debt that he would have to pay for using it, but it did provide a cushion for Mako as now in those dire situations he wouldn''t have to only rely on his healing pills to make it through alive.


    Mako was just about to finish reading through everything when all of a sudden a strong tug pulled him back to reality.


    It was the girl from the duo who was running away from the robots. She was still shaken up from the sudden experience as she had not expected her very first day to be this hard and cruel from the get-go.


    Her arms were trembling in fear as she firmly wrapped them around Mako''s arm with tears falling down her face, sobbing as she continued to sing praises and thank Mako for saving her from the robots.


    *******************


    Although Mako tried his best to hide it, Mako''s face had turnedpletely red with him not knowing what to do in this situation at all.


    Mako was always the kid who was always looked down upon and bullied, he never really got the chance to interact or get close to any girls, much less form a rtionship with one so let''s just say he was quite inexperienced when it came to matters like this.


    Fortunately, Andrew was quick to notice Mako''s sudden change in color and instantly realized the situation that he was in, after all, he had been in that same situation with Erin when he tried to get close to her and try and ask her out.


    Andrew quickly approached Mako, and calmly pulled the girl off of him, trying his best to calm her down while simultaneously winking at Mako.


    Mako breathed a sigh of relief as his heartbeat finally started to slow down or else it would havepletely exploded.


    He nodded to Andrew as a way of thanking him for saving him from embarrassing himself in front of everyone and quickly turned away from the crowd of cadets that were closely approaching, trying to quicklypose himself.


    The group had sessfully defeated the robots and was going to regroup before heading out and trying to save more cadets when all of a sudden...


    *BUZZ!* *BUZZ!* *BUZZ!*


    All the spotlights in the ceiling of the training hall had been turned on, instantly illuminating the room back to being bright white. All the remaining robots were powered down and they stopped chasing the cadets.


    The cadets were caught off guard by the sudden change in atmosphere but quickly realized that the trail was over.


    Soon Mako''s group could hear the echo of strong clicky footsteps approaching them from behind. They all quickly turned around towards the source of the footsteps to find a tall and thin yet muscr man walking towards them.


    His tall and lean frame moved with effortless grace, each step resonating with confidence and skill.


    He had beautiful silver-coloured flowing hair that was held up by a headband that was wrapped around his forehead which held the hair straight up.


    He had powerful energy terminating from his body as he confidently approached the group, one step at a time.


    This was the teacher for the Power Weapons ss!

 Chapter 300 Truly Formidable

    Chapter 300 Truly Formidable


    ??"You all call yourself students of the advanced ss? Pathetic!" As he approached the group, the man tantly stated his opinion without a care in the world.


    His expression and tone were neither serious norid back, almost as if he didn''t care that much about the whole experience that the ss had just gone through.


    Although people like Mako didn''t pay much attention to the man''s remark which was an obvious taunt and were rather more focused on assessing the power level of the individual who had appeared before them, there were few students whose pride didn''t allow them to sit quietly after being provoked in such a manner.


    By this time, the room had released more than a dozen recovery bots that were running around the whole area quickly, healing any wound that was inflicted on the students and then dragging them all to the center of the room where Mako and his group were initially standing.


    This meant almost the entire ss had been gathered to where Mako''s group was so that the man''s words could be addressed to everyone.


    Naturally, this also meant that all the prideful and egotistical students who had charged in at the start of the test were also there, and hearing the man''s remarks in such an uncaring tone sparked a fire in their hearts.


    "That''s outrageous!" A boy who had just finished getting healed by a recovery bot at the back of the group shouted with anger and pride in his voice.


    The boy had a simr build as Mako''s, roughly the same height as well but was a bit bulkier than Mako in terms of muscle mass. He had long lustrous light hair that had a tint of purple in it with deeply light brown eyes that almost looked like gold.


    *****************


    Over the centuries, gic diversity has undergone a noticeable evolution. New and uniquebinations of hair and eye colors began to emerge inter generations. While the majority still retained the core gic makeup, a refreshing diversity in appearances had started to blossom across the world.


    Some families adhered strictly to preserving their specific gic makeup within their bloodlines. They aimed to maintain a distinct and recognizable identity, ensuring that their unique traits remained exclusive to their familial heritage. This intentional restriction created a sense of cohesion and identity, making these families easily identifiable to the world.


    Contrastingly, other families embraced the unfolding variations with open arms. They cared little about restricting the spread of their gic traits and, over the years, allowed these mutations to flourish.


    Consequently, these families became a melting pot of gic diversity, giving rise to an extensive array of uniquebinations and characteristics.


    As time progressed, the initial mutations within these more permissive families led to further gic variations. The result was a captivating mosaic of traits, colors, and features that contributed to the rich tapestry of humanity.


    Even in Mako''s new ss, there were several students with unique traits that would have been considered abnormal in the 21st century.


    Mako had always known of the existence of diversity within the current human race, but he hadn''t explored much beyond his hometown in Emerald City. The people there mostly had traditional gics, so encountering those with newer traits was rare for him. It was only during the recruitment test that Mako was exposed to the wide array of human gics for the first time.


    *****************


    "I single-handedly took down 12 robots, and that was only after you suppressed my abilities! I could have taken down that whole army myself if I was at full strength!" The boy yelled at the man.


    A couple of others also chimed in, iming the number of robots they had defeated themself and gave the same excuse of why they were eventually defeated.


    The remaining students did feel a bit ashamed by the fact that either they ran or fought with a group instead of soloing those robots, feeling overwhelmed by the strength and power the other students showed just by exerting their pride in their words.


    However, after what would happen next, the students were d that they had kept their mouths shut.


    "Hmm? You have something to say?" The man asked with curiosity in his crystal grey eyes and a devilish smile on his face.


    "Yeah, I do..." The boy continued to try and exceed his authority on the man but before before he could even finish his sentence...


    *WHOOSH!*


    A sudden invisible force forcefully pushed the cadets in front of the man either to his left or his right, parting away the group of students to reveal a clear path with the student who was speaking on the other end.


    In an instant, it seemed the man was preparing to sprint, but instead of witnessing him actually run, everyone observed him mysteriously teleport from his initial position to directly in front of the boy. The boy''s eyes hadn''t even had a chance to convey the information to his brain before the man appeared, leaving no time for the information to be processed and a reaction to ur.


    *BANG!*


    In the next moment, a loud bang was heard as the man had punched the boy so hard that he gotunched backward into the air in a straight line. The momentum remained unbroken, and the boy''s body only came to a halt upon forcefully colliding with the building''s wall, bing deeply embedded in its surface.


    The crowd of students had their jaws drop wide open as they witnessed a man that they assumed to be their new Power Weapons teacher use his full power to smash a student straight into a giant wall.


    ''Damn it! I still couldn''t get a read on his strength! I don''t think he even used 20% of his power in that punch.'' Mako thought to himself as he witnessed the entire thing.


    After being personally trained by Commander Sable and having fought a D-tier level threat gang, Mako knew how strong these people could actually be and the punch that he just demonstrated was equivalent to Mako going all out and delivering the same punch while using a strong skill or ability.


    Instantly all of the other students who wanted to showcase their pride and assert dominance very quickly shut their mouths, wanting to avoid their fate to be the same as that boy.


    After the resounding punch delivered to the boy who had been unting his perceived superiority, the man effortlessly pivoted back towards the assembled students.


    Maintaining hisid-back and jocr demeanor, he embarked on a speech that carried a weighty message. His words, though delivered with a touch of humor, resonated with profound insight.


    "Alright, kiddos," the man began, his tone lighthearted yetmanding attention. "Strength... isn''t just about flexing muscles or showing off shy powers! It''s about more than that! Much... much... more!It''s a cocktail of qualities that make a person truly formidable."


    As he spoke, the man''s eyes scanned the group, his gazending on Mako with a knowing nod before continuing. "Integrity, adaptability, resilience, and a dash of courage - these are the ingredients that spice up the recipe of true strength. It''s not always about being the loudest or the shiest in the room."


    "Can you lead others when there seems to be no hope left? Can you influence the aura and oue of your surroundings by your main presence? Could rise up to the bar when it truly counted knowing that there will be a higher bar to reach?" The man asked with pure passion in his voice.


    "This is true strength! This is what makes a person... truly formidable!"


    He paused, allowing the gravity of his words to sink in before continuing. "Now, you''ve got to remember that in the real world, you''ll face challenges that go beyond raw power. It''s the ability to adapt, the strength of character, that''ll see you through. So, keep that in mind as you continue your journey."


    "The purpose of this initial test wasn''t to see whether you could pass or fail, or how many of the damn things you could take down yourself, but rather I wanted to see what you would do if I changed up the scenariopletely and suppressed your abilities. Would it affect your judgment or confidence?"


    "Luckily there were some who understood the purpose of the test and acted ordingly for the best possible oue," The man gave a slight praise without mentioning anybody''s name, but Mako and a couple of others knew whom he was talking about.


    The entire group had bepletely quiet as they listened to the man''s words, some out of respect while others out of fear.


    It was evident that the silent stares were making it a bit awkward for the man to keep speaking so he decided to wrap things up by introducing them to other Power Weapons ss, exining to them that the true purpose of this ss was not only to teach them how to handle and master weapons but also to use them as tools for situations where they might be theirst hope.


    Finally, some of the students started to show a reaction by smiling or cheering which helped to break out the awkward tension which was clearly making the man a bit ufortable.


    "By the way, sir? You never told us your name?" The brown-


    haired girl who apanied Mako''s group asked the man as he was about to leave, signaling the end of their first lesson.


    "Hm? My name?" The man said as he turned back towards the girl.


    However, before he could reply, strong crackles of electricity resounded throughout the room, making the very air electric.


    Mako quickly sensed where the source of this power wasing from and to his surprise, it wasing from the hole in the wall where the boy had beenunched into, but what shocked him even more than the fact that the boy was still conscious was the color of the lightning arcs that were forming around the hole.


    "Purple Lighting?"

 Chapter 301 Magnetism

    <h4>Chapter 301 Maism</h4>


    The room crackled with the hum of pulsating purple lightning as the boy wrapped the energy around his body andunched himself from the hole in the wall.


    With a surge of energy, hended on the floor and immediately began charging hall his Lightning aura into his lower body. Once the boy had condensed sufficient energy into his legs, he charged at the teacher like a human storm ready to unleash his wrath.


    "You''ll pay for that, you bastard!" The boy yelled as he disyed speeds that even Mako couldn''t achieve at this point, bolting across the room and toward the teacher with bloodlust in his eyes.


    As he ran, arcs of purple lightning continued to erupt from his body andsh out in all directions randomly, creating mini craters upon impact.


    To the terrifying force and power that the boy disyed as he charged forward, even Mako was a bit concerned as this disy of power was almost equivalent to him going all out and he knew that this wasn''t the extent of this boy''s power and that was what concerned him.


    However, the teacher to whom this deadly assault was directed only smiled out of joy, something he hadn''t done from the moment he appeared in front of the students.


    From the beginning, Mako could tell that this person who imed to be their teacher was quite awkward while addressing them as if this was his very first time teaching and he seemed quite uninterested in the notion of teaching them as they were at such a low level.


    But now, for the first, the look of excitement shined in his eyes as he was finally getting some action.


    The teacher calmly raised both of his arms and swiped them to the side.


    All of sudden, all of the students including Mako felt an extremely strong invisible force that they could repel even if they wished to do so. The force pushed back all of the students to his left and right by several meters creating a wide space in between for the charging boy to attack him without idently injuring any of the students with his wild Lightning arcs.


    This was the same move the teacher had done before when he had parted the students aside as he dashed in to punch the boy into the wall in the first ce, but only this time, a lot more force was used so that arger gap could be created.


    With a huge smile, the man invited the boy to dash in and deal with his attack while he didn''t take any kind of stance to counter the attack and instead just stood there patiently, waiting for the worst that the boy could throw at him.


    Seeing the teacher''s cocky attitude fueled the boy''s rage even more and he let out a mighty roar before finally reaching the teacher.


    The first assault came in the form of lightning-quick strikes, eachced with the intense anger and power of the purple electrical currents.


    The air seemed to sizzle as arcs of energy streaked through the space, aiming to envelop the teacher in their formidable grasp. Yet, with an almost preternatural awareness, the teacher effortlessly sidestepped, ducked, and weaved through the crackling onught.


    Not a single punch nor an arc of lighting was able to graze the man as he gracefully moved only slightly to dodge every single attack.


    Seeing the teacher''s obvious superior evasiveness, the boy decided to shift tactics by changing things up and trying to constrict the man''s movement.


    His aura quickly changed as now he began conjuring the very earth beneath his feet. Hemanded the ground to rise and twist, attempting to trap the teacher in a cocoon of earth, restricting him from moving around making it so that even if his evasiveness was high, it wouldn''t amount to much if he didn''t have space to utilize it.


    Massive stone pirs in the form of tendrils erupted from the ground, appearing as if they were alive, the tendrils rushed towards the teacher, going to trap him; however, the tendrils surrounded the teacher and came with a certain distance between them and the man, all the tendrils seemingly exploded into dust without any visible interference.


    The students who were observing this spectacr battle along with Mako were left stunned to see the earth tendrils just explode by themselves as the teacher hadn''t even raised his arm to deflect or attack them.


    The boy who was attacking was also quite confused as he paused for a minute after witnessing his signature earth move not even being able to get close to the teacher.


    The teacher continued to remain smiling with confidence as he dusted off the particles of the remains of the earth tendrils of his shirt as a way to taunt the boy.


    "Are you done, little boy?" The teacher taunted the boy further with a mischievous grin on his face.


    The boy''s pride was indeed hurt by the disrespect that the teacher just disyed as visible veins began to pop on his forehead and he began grinding his teeth out of anger.


    ***************


    The boy stood there in disbelief as he had already beaten trainers who should be on the same level as newbie military teachers who usually assigned to the beginning batches of students with ease.


    He was way stronger than the other kids in the advanced level and the only reason he wasn''t in the special ss was because of the punishment that he received from his uncle.


    His goal was to disy his strength and power to the military by defeating all the students and even the teachers if he had to for them to acknowledge his strength, transfer him to the special ss, and give him all the privileges that he knew he deserved.


    He had already done a great job by defeating the most number of robots but since his powers were suppressed, he ended up getting overwhelmed and defeated.


    His pride had already been hurt by being defeated in the very first test that had taken in military school and wanted to establish his authority and superiority by pressing on the teacher who seemed to him like someone was a newbie and a bit too arrogant for his position.


    However, that n backfired as well as not only did he expect the teacher to be strong and initiate the fight byunching him into a wall, but also be able to humiliate him further by dodging and evading every single one of his attacks without ever raising his hands


    That cocky expression on the teacher''s face was adding fuel to the fire as the boy didn''t care about anything anymore and just wanted to defeat the man in front of him with everything he got.


    ********************


    After a minute or so of the boy standing there in deep thought after the teacher had taunted him, Mako suddenly felt a shift in the boy''s aura.


    This time the aura didn''t resemble anything that Mako had encountered before and yet it did feel familiar as if it was the umtion of familiar auras that formed something new, something stronger.


    Suddenly, the room itself began to shake as the boy released all of his anger in the form of power. The room they were in was lined from the floor to the roof with metal, including the robots that were roaming around and the power weapons that were held by the students.


    All of these things began to shake as the boy''s aura reached out and began to influence everything made out of metal.


    Mako and the rest of the students were shocked to see such a disy of power as in the next moments, sheets of metal ripped themself off the floor and molded themselves into simr-looking tendrils shapes, and parts of the robots were ripped apart and molded into sharp arrow-like projectiles ready to fire and pierce through anything.


    Any power weapon that had a de was snatched out of the hands of the students and was now floating around in the air surrounding the boy as invisible guards that would protect him against anything that would seek to harm him.


    The boy''s appearance turned even scarier as now it looked like he had hundreds of invisible hands that were surrounding him. The metal tendrils act like giant, sharp, and deadly whips that could act like extensions of the boy''s body.


    The parts of robots that had been molded into giant makeshift arrowheads numbered in the hundreds and looked extremely sharp and could easily pierce through anything.


    Lastly, the dozens of power weapons that he had snatched now acted like guards, towering around his body, to attack anything that woulde near without him even having to lift a finger.


    This was the trump card that the boy had in his back pocket which he had just revealed in front of the entire ss!


    An insane use of the Maism ability that essentially made him a walking, talking, one-man bastion that could attack and defend at greater levels than what he could do himself.


    However, the boy wasn''t done as he also began charging his Purple Lightning again, transferring the aura into the metal itself, charging it with the aura of the Purple Lightning, making it even faster and stronger than before.


    The teacher who had patiently waited for the boy to finish conjuring up his ultimate skill, still had a smile on his face as he still faced him with confidence.


    "I''m gonna wipe that smirk off your face! Get Ready!" The boy shouted as he initiated his final attack against their new teacher.

 Chapter 302 Student VS Teacher

    <h4>Chapter 302 Student VS Teacher</h4>


    In an instant, the boy surged forward, his metal tendrilsshing out like furious serpents, aiming to strike the teacher from all directions. The air crackled with the intensity of the onught as the sound of an actual thunderstrike echoed through the giant room all the while arrowhead projectiles and power weapons hovered menacingly around the boy.


    The teacher''s response was as unconventional as ever. Instead of assuming a defensive stance, he calmly stepped forward...


    FORWARD?


    In the wake of such an intense attack, this man had such confidence to not even move back or defend himself, but rather MOVE... FORWARD?!


    The students alongside Mako watched as this man was about to absolutely disrespect the final trump card of the supposed strongest kid in their ss in the most humiliating way possible.


    ''Ah Sh*t!'' Mako thought to himself as he was barely able to keep track of the high-speed movement even after activating all his sensory and ocr skills.


    The teacher walked forward weaving effortlessly between the oing metal tendrils. His movements were fluid, almost dance-like as if he anticipated the trajectory of each attack.


    The metal tendrils swung and thrust, but the teacher sidestepped with uncanny precision. The room became a spectacle of evasive maneuvers, with the teacher effortlessly avoiding every attempt the boy made tond a strike.


    Enraged by still being unsessful atnding a sessful hit at the teacher, the boymanded the makeshift arrowhead projectiles that he had made from chunks of the robots to begin attacking as well.


    While the power weapons were positioned to defend the boy, the floating makeshift arrowheads became extensions of the boy''s will as he began sting them at a rate of a dozen or so fired in a second with speeds reaching that of an actual fired bullet, amplifying the teacher''s challenge.


    The projectilesunched themselves from in between the gaps of therge metal tendrils making it so that there was virtually no way for the teacher to dodge all of them as there was no safe position for him to move to in order to sessfully dodge the attack.


    A smirk appeared on the boy''s face as he finally believed that he had caught the teacher, and now his attack would be able to deal some serious damage.


    However, the teacher remained unphased by it all as he deftly redirected them away with subtle gestures, disarming the boy''s formidable arsenal without even breaking a sweat.


    As the boy gritted his teeth in frustration, the teacher''s smile remained intact. His actions spoke of a profound mastery over the situation, a disy of skill that went beyond the shy powers exhibited by his opponent.


    Undeterred, the boy intensified the assault, channeling more purple lightning into the metal constructs. The room echoed with electricity crackling as the tendrils moved with increased speed and ferocity.


    The teacher, however, continued his mesmerizing dance of evasion. Not once did he raise his fist for self-defense or an attack. The speed and precision with which he navigated the onught left the students, including Mako, in awe. It was a demonstration of martial prowess that transcended the limitations of supernatural abilities.


    The boy''s frustration reached its peak, his attacks growing more erratic. The teacher, still smiling, beckoned him to continue, an invitation to unleash his full fury.


    Amidst the chaos, Mako observed with a mix of fascination and apprehension. The sh of powers and techniques unfolded before him, revealing a teacher who seemed to have unlocked a level of skill that defied the conventional understanding ofbat.


    As the boy''s frustration grew, the teacher remained an unyielding force of calm amidst the storm.


    Sweat dripped down the boy''s face and blood began to drip from his nose as he continued to channel more power into his attacks. The constant use of such a strong skill was taking a toll on his body and draining him of his mana at an rming rate.


    However, the boy''s pride didn''t allow him to rest at all. His vision was clouded by his anger and all he wanted to do was to see that confident teacher in front of him struggle and suffer just like all his past trainers.


    The tendrils of metal whirred with even greater intensity, and the room crackled with the amplified electricity. It was a spectacle of unbridled power and a relentless assault against a teacher who seemed untouchable.


    "Hmm... You can still go on? Impressive." The teachermented on the boy''s unwavering resolve and determination.


    In a moment of desperation, the boy altered his strategy. He channeled his maism ability once more, attempting to constrict the teacher''s movements by manipting the metal floor on which the teacher was standing.


    He flexed his muscles tightly as in an instant the metal floor crunched up around both of the teacher''s legs,pletely restricting his movement by holding him in ce.


    The students gasped with worry as they thought that the boy had finally cracked through and would now be able to strike the teacher without him being able to dodge any more of his attacks.


    With blood dripping down his nose and his vision getting more blurry by the second, the boy realized that he was most likely good for one more assault before he waspletely void of mana and he was gonna make this one count and inflict as much pain on the teacher as possible for the way he had treated him.


    The anxiety within the room quickly escted as everyone witnessed the boy preparing tounch his final attack all the while the teacher still remained calm, only now he didn''t have a smile on his face.


    The teacher didn''t seem to be struggling at all, to at least try and escape from his entrapment before the final attack wasunched. He instead weed the attack openly, stating through his pose and behavior that he wasn''t afraid in the slightest.


    The boy let out a mighty shout as he powered up thest bits of his mana and aura and charged them into his final attack.


    He split the metal tendrils in two, halving their mass so that they could move even faster and epass them entirely with purple lightning such that arc began to erupt from them in random directions.


    The same was also true for the remaining projectiles that he had left. He dropped control of the power weapons that he had hovering around him for defense after realizing that the teacher wasn''t going to attack and was just measuring his power.


    To which he decided to show him just how much power he had.


    As the boy''s shout ended, he was ready tounch his final attack. The room became silent with only the crackles of electricity echoing throughout the room. Everyone held their breath with the uncertainty of what was to happen next.


    The boy began his assault, not holding back in the slightest and throwing every single attack in his arsenal at the teacher at the exact same time.


    Yet, the teacher''s response was not what the boy anticipated. Like almost moving through the water, the teacher was easily able to break his legs free from the metal confines which was shocking in of itself, but what followed afterwards was even more shocking.


    Instead of resisting the maic forces, the teacher seemed to flow with them. He moved gracefully, almost as if the maic currents were guiding his steps. The metal tendrils, instead of constraining him, twisted and turned in mesmerizing patterns around the teacher, like obedient serpents.


    The onlookers, including Mako and the bewildered students, could hardly believe their eyes. It was as if the teacher had be one with the very forces acting against him.


    With a sudden burst of energy, the boy unleashed a barrage of lightning-infused attacks, hoping to overwhelm the teacher''s defenses. Purple arcs of energy surged through the air, seeking to strike their elusive target. Yet, the teacher continued his dance of evasion, sidestepping, weaving, and ducking with the same effortless finesse.


    The teacher''s mastery over the situation was now undeniable. Not a single lightning bolt grazed him, and the metal tendrils, once menacing, moved in elegant synchrony with his every move. The room resonated with the symphony of battle, aof power and grace.


    The boy, feeling the weight of his unmet rage, pushed himself further. The attacks became more frenzied, the lightning more erratic, and the metal constructs more chaotic. The teacher, however, remained an unyielding figure, his calm demeanor unshaken.


    With a final, defiant roar, the boy threw everything he had into onest, desperate assault. Lightning crackled, metal tendrils swirled, and the room reached a crescendo of chaos.


    And then, as abruptly as it had begun, the boy''s onught ceased. He stood there, panting and drained, surrounded by the remnants of his unleashed power. The room fell silent, the echoes of the intense sh lingering in the air.


    The teacher, still wearing that mischievous smile, approached the boy with a calm stride. There was no triumph in his expression, only a quiet understanding. To the absolute shock and surprise of all the spectators, the teacher extended a hand towards the exhausted student.


    "Good effort," he said, his tone carrying a genuine note of acknowledgment. "But remember, strength isn''t just about power. It''s about control, finesse, and knowing when to strike. You''ve got potential, kid. Channel that rage into something..."

 Chapter 303 Mana Depletion

    <h4>Chapter 303 Mana Depletion</h4>


    "SHUT THE HELL UP!" The boy shouted at the teacher while pping away his hand.


    The boy was visibly frustrated but waspletely exhausted from overexertion and couldn''t maintain his anger or frustration as he copsed on the floor before he could say anything else with intense rage and fury still burning inside his heart.


    He hadpletely disregarded the words of wisdom that the teacher had just given and all that he could focus on till the end was his pride and image being hurt by this humiliating defeat.


    The crowd remained silent with several people covering their mouths to hide their shock after they witnessed what the boy did even after the teacher had acknowledged his strength and extended his hand toward him.


    The teacher was definitely disappointed by the boy''sst act; however, he couldn''t really do much about it.


    He slowly retracted his hand back and was visibly annoyed. He slowly turned his head to face the crowd of students who were still processing the intense battle they had just witnessed.


    "Someone, please take him to the infirmary." The teacher said in a low voice before turning away.


    "My name is Magnus... Just refer to me as Magnus. I will be conducting your power weapons ss during your time in military school." The teacher stated in the same low tone with his back turned against the students.


    With that, the teacher slowly walked back towards the entrance of the training hall which was now unlocked, and was quickly out of sight of the students.


    *********************


    Many of the students were still in shock and didn''t dare move a muscle, even after the teacher had left the training hall. The aftereffects of his fantastic skill and aura were still heavy on their minds.


    Mako too was quite fascinated by the elegant way the instructor had just fought the boy, but he quickly snapped back to reality after being one of the first to hear the painful groans of the copsed boy who was struggling to breathe because his entire body waspletely focused on recuperating its lost mana.


    Mana depletion was quite severe as it could even cause a person''s death if a suitable amount of mana was not restored in time.


    Before humanity discovered the secrets of mana, their bodies still were passively utilizing it without their knowledge which was how many people were able to aplish such amazing feats of the past that appeared to be superhuman.


    They had trained their bodies to utilize the little mana, their body could passively ess and use it in their skill which could be physical or psychological.


    However, after the Yalhvi had given humanity the secret about mana and learned how to harness it in far greater amounts, a biological change urred in the human body itself.


    It was quite simr to how people of the past would get withdrawal symptoms after developing an addiction to substances.


    Mana depletion was simr in the sense that the human body had gotten intoxicated by the feeling of holding so much mana and now it always wants to remain in that state. Unlike old substance addictions that forced the person to consume more and more in order to get the same feeling, mana worked in theplete opposite way.


    If there were no outside influence or a special condition, the human body would remain stable as long as it held at least 5% of its total mana pool. Going any lower than that could prove to be deadly and even fatal if not tended to immediately.


    ********************


    This was the same lecture that Mako and the rest of his ssmates were being hammered with by the head nurse of the infirmary as she treated the boy who was lying on a hospital bed with her healing ability.


    The boy''s skin had already started to discolor and turn pale by the time the students carried him over to the infirmary.


    It was safe to say that the head nurse was not happy after seeing the condition the boy was in. She quickly ordered them to carry him into the recovery room and she instantly got to work by covering her hands in the green healing aura and supplying the much-needed mana directly into the boy''s body.


    "Honestly, that man causes trouble everywhere he goes. I still can''t believe themander approved him to be... a teacher of all people!" The nurse said to herself out loud in a heavy British ent.


    The nurse had beautiful golden locks that cascaded down her shoulders, framing a face adorned with light freckles that added a touch of warmth to herplexion. She had the deepest blue eyes that Mako had ever seen and her healing aura was far superior to anything he had witnessed before.


    d in the standard-issue military nurse uniform, she wore it with an air of quiet confidence that bespoke both professionalism and empathy with a name tag that was neatly pinned onto her shirt which stated "ra Sterling".


    A small silver pendant dangled from a delicate chain around her neck. The pendant was in the shape of a tear and had some designs engraved onto its surface. The engravings didn''t look professional or machined at all as there was roughness in between the lines and inconsistencies which indicated that it was carved by hand.


    Mako didn''t really understand the significance of the pendant as it didn''t look precious at all, but he knew that it was probably a memento that she valued quite dearly.


    Even though she was blowing off steam at the students she made sure that the students took this as a learning experience and her strong emotions only showed how much she cared for every student including that boy even after she heard the full story of what happened by a bunch of ssmates.


    ********************


    After the nurse was done healing the boy, she stated that he would still need the rest of the day to fully recover, and told the rest of the ss to resume their regr sses without him which Mako was d to do.


    The following couple of sses were quite uneventful with the teachers giving and taking introductions and exining a bit about the course they were going to teach.


    These sses included physical training, Ability training, History, Universal Affairs, and Health & Safety.


    The teacher of the physical training ss introduced herself as Mei Lin Wu. She was quite short to the point that one of the students mistook her for being a student as she wasn''t wearing a military uniform or the teacher''s robe, but rather a skin-tight all-ck stealth suit which she imed she wore during a recent Tier C stealth mission.


    However, most of the boys in the ss were stuck staring at her body through the skin-tight suit, not paying much attention to the teacher''s boastful achievements. She made the students do a couple of basic exercises and training drills that were quite simr to Mako''s daily quests.


    After a while of observing the students do the drills, Mei told the students that they would receive a simr suit of their size by tonight and that they would have to wear that for the "real" training that would start tomorrow before dismissing the ss altogether.


    The ability training teacher introduced himself as Yuki Yamamoto. He had a decent build had also had frightening aura also wore the same robe as Ang.


    Alongside introductions, Mr. Yuki also inquired each student about the abilities that they possessed.


    Many of the students were quite ufortable revealing such information in front of everyone and Mr. Yuki understood the student''s feelings so he told them to just tell which of the five basic elemental abilities they possessed.


    He imed that this would help him grasp the over all ability distribution of the ss and help him design his sses that would be best suited for everyone; however, this was also a bonus for Mako as this would help him gain a lot of valuable information on all of the students in his ss which were hispetition.


    Most of the students possessed two out of the five basic elemental abilities with only a few including Mako who possessed three.


    Mr. Yuki then encouraged some of the students to disy their abilities and to also showcase one or two skills that they knew all of which would help him further understand these new students.


    Mr. Yuki was by far the politest and most calm military personnel that Mako had met. Something about his down-to-


    earth and kind nature made the students feel a sense offort around him and even the students who were throwing up an attitude in the power weapons ss were obeying Mr. Yuki''s instructions.


    Mako made sure to absorb everybody''s power level too especially those whom he couldn''t analyze. Back in the power weapons ss, he couldn''t gauge how powerful his ssmates were because they were all suppressed but now he had some understanding of how powerful his ssmates were.


    After taking the evaluation, Mr. Yuki quickly dismissed the ss, stating that he would need some time to evaluate the synergy of the ss based on his observations and wouldmence the "real" training tomorrow.


    After the ability training ss, the students were finally able to take a break and have lunch in the cafeteria. So much had urred in the first half of the day that the students just needed to unwind and recuperate a little.


    The following sses were a bit boring for many as they were mostly about studies, but Mako was actually excited about those sses a lot.


    Mako was busy in his thoughts, thinking about all the things he was excited to learn in history and other sses when all of a sudden he heard a familiar voice.


    "Hey, Mako."

 Chapter 304 Old Friends

    <h4>Chapter 304 Old Friends</h4>


    304 Old Friends


    The voice was feminine and delivered an even greater shock to Andrew who was sitting right beside him, silently eating his meal.


    A wave of happiness flooded through Mako as he instantly realized who this voice belonged to; however, before he could even say anything, Andrew jumped out of his seat fuming with happiness.


    "Erin!" Andrew shouted loudly.


    Andrew''s explosive reaction was quickly noticed by the other students in the cafeteria who were giving them awkward and annoyed res as Andrew hugged Erin without a care in the world.


    "He he..." Erinughed awkwardly as she tried to calm Andrew down while also trying to maintain herposure from all the res that were being shot at her from all directions.


    Before the situation could get any more cringe a hand grabbed onto Andrew''s shoulder and pulled him back with a reasonable amount of force.


    Once it was able to pull Andrew away from Erin, the hand released its grip and a voice apanied the gesture. "Okay, buddy, take it easy," the voice said in a semi-serious tone.


    Mako instantly recognized the voice that the hand belonged to but had a hard time believing the appearance of the person that he thought he would see.


    "Bill?" Mako said in a bit of confusion as the person standing beside Erin didn''t look anything like the Bill he had seen before.


    Bill''s appearance had undergone a noticeable transformation since thest time Mako had seen him which was during Iris'' funeral.


    Even though they hadn''t been friends for long unlike Erin who was her childhood friend, Mako still felt terribly defeated and emotionally destroyed after her loss; however, he did notice a person who showed an even deeper grief than him and even Erin, and that person was surprisingly Bill.


    Mako didn''t get the chance to properly talk to Bill as soon after the funeral was over, they were all taken away to be put under room arrest but he did realize that Bill probably had a deeper rtionship with Iris than what any of them had assumed.


    Back then, Bill''s injuries had already been healed but he still bore some scars from the battle which heter learned from Commander Sable were just the remains of the second stage of the mutant gene which he had unlocked prematurely.


    Despite the fair skin and the familiar fiery locks of ginger hair, Bill still had those scars on his arms which were mostly covered by a thin strip of cloth that was wrapped around both his hands, all the up to his forearms.


    His physique had also drastically improved from the time hest saw him and he was exuding an air of newfound confidence, yet there was still some grief in his eyes, reflecting the resilience and strength he had developed since the tragic loss of Iris.


    "Come on guys... get a room already," A teasing voice resounded from behind Bill''s towering body, one that Mako also quickly recognized.


    As Mako turned to the side, Leon''s smaller figure came into view alongside Nathan who was walking beside him, still being a little distant and quiet as always.


    After observing Nathan and Leon, Mako again couldn''t help but marvel at the transformations his friends had undergone.


    Leon, with his characteristic mischievous grin, now sported a stylish haircut that elevated his sharp features. A more refined and confident demeanor had reced his once-disheveled appearance.


    Nathan, on the other hand, had embraced a more casual yet still sophisticated look. His messy hair was now intentionally tousled, giving him an effortlessly cool vibe.


    After the initial greetings and catching up the group settled down at the table and Leon couldn''t resist teasing Erin and Andrew''s affectionate disy a little more. "Well, well, looks like love is in the air," Leon chimed in, his tone yful. "Never thought I''d see the day when Erin would be approached so openly."


    Nathan joined in with a smirk, "Yeah, it''s like a scene from a romanticedy. I didn''t know we were attending a high school drama."


    Erin blushed, and Andrew yfully nudged Leon with augh, "Hey, cut it out, guys. Can''t a guy be excited to see his girlfriend after so long?"


    Bill had a visible reaction after hearing those words as he twitched a little with difort, but still maintained hisposure and smiled as he was genuinely happy for Erin and Andrew despite his own strong feelings.


    Mako, still processing the changes in his friends, couldn''t help but chuckle at the banter. It felt surreal to see them in a casual setting, their personalities shining through without the weight of the past events they had faced together.


    As the conversation shifted, Mako asked about their sses, expressing his surprise at not running into any of them throughout the day.


    At Mako''s question, the moo of his friends took a noticeable change as they stole nces at one another in slight difort.


    "Hey... Andrew, I still haven''t had my lunch yet, could you grab me some from the counter?" Erin suddenly asked Andrew in the sweetest voice anybody had ever heard her speak in before.


    Mako and Andrew were quite confused by their friend''s weird reaction to a simple question and then Erin suddenly shifted the topicpletely out of nowhere.


    "Uhh... Yeah sureeee..." Andrew said reluctantly as he got up from the table to get Erin some food as well.


    ****************


    There was an awkward atmosphere between Mako and his old friends after Andrew left; however, Erin quickly began clearing up the confusion by speaking in a very low voice almost like a whisper.


    Erin exined, "Well... the truth is that Commander Sable called all of us to his office before we were teleported for military school."


    "What? All of you? wait... I was called by themander?" Mako said in confusion.


    Why would themander call all of his old teammates to meeting just before they were about to teleport to military school, and why didn''t he call him, their leader?


    These were the thoughts that were running through his head but Erin quickly cleared up that confusion as well.


    "The reason why you weren''t called was because you had already been teleported by the time, themander received the news," Erin exined.


    "Huh? What news?" Mako asked now more curious than ever.


    "There is a secret consOriginal going on in the military base and themander thinks that there has been an imposter working from within the military base." Bill chimed in and briefed Mako on the situation.


    Mako was surprised and astonished to hear such a im. There were a million questions running around in Mako''s head.


    Who was the imposter? How did themander even realize their existence? What had the imposter done? Why would themander talk about this to demoted students rather than the military superiors like the Main Commander?


    However, before Mako could ask any more questions, Andrew returned back to the table with a couple of trays of food.


    "Since you guys arrived together, I thought you didn''t have lunch either, so I brought some for everybody," Andrew said as ced several food items for the whole group to share.


    "Thanks, bro, I was really starving too," Leon said, taking full advantage of the free meal that was presented to him as he began to chomp down on some seared beef with a big smile on his face.


    Seeing as Andrew was back, Erin resumed as if she was having a normal conversation with Mako so as to not look suspicious, "...Our teleporter had some issue for some reason which was we were a bitte, but thanks to somest-minute adjustments by the school, we all ended up in the same ss as you, it''s like fate brought us together again."


    Bill nodded in agreement, his demeanor calm andposed. "Yeah...seems like we''re destined to stick together. Maybe... it''s for the best."


    "Really? That''s amazing!" Andrew said in excitement as he was d that his girlfriend was now in the same ss as him.


    Mako maintained hisposure and began to talk normally with the group as he understood that this was something important and that he would have to save his questions forter to fully realize the situation and why themander decided to approach him.


    The group continued to share stories and talk with Andrew sharing all the crazy details of the insane day, he and Mako had had so far.


    Soon, their lunch break was over, and it was time for them to head to their next ss, this time together as a group. While walking together, Erin walked right next to Mako, silently slipping a small device into his hands.


    "Make sure to check your room for any hidden cameras before opening this. It will exin everything." Erin whispered quickly in Mako''s ear before quickly running forward to walk beside Andrew.


    Mako quickly clenched his hand tight and stored the device in his inventory. There was a small bright white light that escaped from his hand for a second and the device had disappeared from his hands.


    Mako quickly resumed walking with his friends toward the next as if nothing had happened, but inside, he was boiling with anticipation and curiosity about what might be on that small device.

 Chapter 305 Another Mission?

    <h4>Chapter 305 Another Mission?</h4>


    The remainder of the day was quite uneventful with Mako and his group taking the rest of the sses to finish their first day in military school.


    The first ss they attended was the Health & Safety ss which was actually taught by a familiar face, Commander Malik; the superior doctor within the military base and also a member of the board ofmanders.


    It was quite surprising to see a militarymander teaching at a military school full of cadets, but his introduction quickly satisfied Mako''s curiosity as he introduced himself as a retiredmander, who was now pursuing his passion for further researching medicine and teaching the future generation.


    Both things that Mako personally knew just how much Commander Malik was passionate about.


    ********************


    Commander Malik was the person who intervened and saved Iris'' life during the recruitment test when she tapped into an unknown power to revive Bill from certain death at the cost of her own life force.


    He had performed severalplex and advanced procedures to stabilize Iris'' condition which heter exined briefly to the group during one of their meetings while they were training in the military base.


    Commander Malik had a thick Indian ent and a very strong physique that didn''t portray him as a medical personnel at all, but rather a battlefield soldier.


    However, despite appearing so strong and scary from the outside, Commander Malik was actually quite kind-hearted and loving towards Mako and his friends. He even gave Iris a few training sessions to improve and refine her healing ability during their training in the military base and he seemed to have be quite fond of her.


    So it was no surprise that Commander Malik appeared to be grieving during Iris'' funeral. To him, it was like losing a star pupil without ever seeing her reach her full potential and it was quite heartbreaking for him to see such an incredible talent being gone.


    ********************


    During the ss, themander didn''t show any reaction or favor towards Mako and his friends despite recognizing them immediately.


    Mako understood that it was only fair that the teachers didn''t show any kind of favor to any students which would lead to distrust and biased feelings among the other students.


    The lecture was actually quite informative as Commander Malik started off by exining the fundamentals of Mana and how people utilize it within their bodies to output their abilities.


    "Alright cadets, let''s delve into the basics of Mana," Commander Malik began, pacing in front of the assembled group. "Mana is the energy that flows through the fabric of space, residing within each and everything that physically exists in this universe, like a hidden reservoir of power."


    A cadet raised a hand, and Commander Malik nodded for them to speak.


    "Sir, what exactly is mana?" the cadet asked.


    "You can interpret mana as the codingnguage of the universe. Just like humans in thete 20th century createdputers using programmingnguages that operated based on passing electric currents to convey information, mana provides matter with information of how to behave and react with one another."


    "It is this mana that fuels our abilities and skills,?It''s the energy that enables you to manipte the elements, to perform feats beyond the ordinary. But be warned, harnessing mana isn''t without its risks."


    Another cadet spoke up, a hint of concern in their voice. "What kind of risks, sir?"


    "Excessive use of mana can strain the body and mind," Commander Malik exined. "It''s like overexerting a muscle; push too hard, and you risk injury. Drain your mana reserves too quickly, and you could find yourself weakened, even incapacitated. And in extreme cases, misuse of mana can lead to irreversible damage."


    The whole ss became silent including the overconfident boastful ones as they all remembered the battle that took ce this morning against their Power Weapons teacher and one of their own ssmates.


    They had witnessed firsthand, how much damage the misuse of mana could do to the human body.


    Mako himself had a fair share of simr experiences during his journey and he couldn''t agree more with the Commander''s statements. He had always viewed Mana as nothing more than just an energy source for his abilities, but from themander''s exnation, it became quite clear to him that he was heavily mistaken and that he still had a lot to learn and uncover about its secret to fully grasp its idea and potential.


    He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in before continuing. "But used wisely, mana can unlock incredible potential. It''s a double-edged sword, cadets. Respect it, harness it, and it will serve you well. Abuse it, and you may find yourself paying a steep price."


    The lecture continued with themander exining many different things rted to mana, but these were all things that Mako already knew so it wasn''t as informative.


    Mako''s mind kept drifting back toward the small device that was currently stored inside his inventory, with a secret that Commander Sable didn''t trust anybody else with but him.


    The fact that Erin mentioned there being an imposter, a hundred different scenarios were running through Mako''s head as to what might be the contents within this device, but he wouldn''t know for sure until he looked at it for himself.


    ****************


    The group couldn''t get the chance to catch up with Commander Malik after the lecture as he had to leave for something important, but they knew that they would catch up eventually.


    The remaining two sses were nothing major with theHistory ss being taught by Dr. Eleanor Thompson, an aged woman of regal bearing and schrly grace.


    Her long silver hair was pulled back in a tight bun with a couple of loose strands. Her oldened eyes with deep dark circles beneath them and her aged skin full of wrinkles gave her an air of authority that matched her extensive knowledge of the past.


    She spoke with a gentle yet firm tone, exining briefly to the cadets the many tales of ancient civilizations and forgotten heroes that she was going to tell from her vast encyclopedia of knowledge about history.


    She wore a simr teacher''s robe; however, this one was adorned with many symbols of civilizations, cultures, and bygone eras as she seemed to embody the very essence of history itself.


    Meanwhile, in Universal Affairs, Professor Samuel Rodriguez led the ss in a unique manner that no one anticipated. The ss was held, not within any ordinary ssroom, but rather in a real-life spaceship that was parked outside the main building.


    The cadets were already amazed by witnessing the inside of a real spacecraft on their very first day, but they didn''t expect a tiny human awaiting their arrival in the cockpit.


    The man was barely 3 feet tall and appeared quite young to the point that most of the students mistook him for a child.


    However, they were in for a shock when this child with an innocent face shouted out loud toward the cadets in the most deep, scary, and masculine voice you could think of.


    The child introduced himself as Professor Samuel Rodriguez and exined that this was the very ship he was inmand of during his expeditions to other sr systems.


    He showed various simtions of his adventures in space, visiting many differents in search of more intelligent life or precious resources.


    "If you ever wish to be recruited into the space division, you''re going to have to have extensive knowledge of everything that has happened in space, so pay attention in my ss!" Prof. Samuel shouted as he addressed all the cadets.


    Mako was really enjoying himself while watching all the different simtions of Prof. Samuel and his crew. He was always fond of learning more and discovering new things and now that he could see how vast the gxy actually was.


    Prof. Samuel''s lecture was short but informative. As Professor Samuel Rodriguez concluded his lecture, the cadets were left in awe of the vastness of space and the adventures that potentially awaited them. Despite his unexpected appearance, they recognized the depth of his knowledge and the importance of his teachings.


    As they filed out of the spaceship ssroom, Mako couldn''t contain his excitement. He knew that this was just the beginning of his journey into the unknown, fueled by his curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.


    As they returned to the main building, the cadets exchanged excited whispers, buzzing with anticipation for what the future held.


    Despite having such a tough start to their day it ended on a high note as they were excited to learn and grow to be strong and prove themselves to be the best.


    There was some time before dinner and the cadets were free to roam around and explore. Many of them formed groups and began exploring several parts of the military school.


    However, Mako quickly booked it to his room; his curiosity not being able to hold back anymore.


    He listened to Erin''s advice and used Analyze to scan the room for any potential hidden device that could be used to spy on him, but he didn''t find anything.


    After he was certain that he was in the clear, Mako pulled out the small device from his inventory and ced it on his bed before activating it.


    *Ding!*


    Immediately, the hologram of Commander Sable appeared in front of Mako. Themander was sitting behind his desk with a face full of concern.


    "Mako... I''m sorry to throw this on you from out of the blue, but I have another mission for you and your team." Themander stated.

 Chapter 306 New Mission Brief

    <h4>Chapter 306 New Mission Brief</h4>


    Commander Sable''s tone was worrying which made Mako even more anxious about what the mission was as themander wasn''t one to ever show worry or concern on his face.


    "In the aftermath of yourst mission, we tried everything to get Victor to regain his memory as many things didn''t quite add up." Themander exined.


    "Firstly, the reason for Victor and his men to be clearing out the vige using that illusion device to make shadows and scare away the locals away didn''t make any sense."


    Mako too was quite skeptical about Victor''s motives, as it didn''t really make much sense to use so many resources to clear out a simple vige. By the time Mako and his friends had arrived on the scene, only the rich had evacuated as they could afford to do so while the others were still entrapped within the vige with asional hauntings from that device driving more of them away.


    "After doing some thorough investigation, we learned that Victor was prepping to begin a mining operation underneath the vige." Themander stated.


    Mako''s eyes opened wide as he learned about his real motive.


    ''This was the reason why theirir was in borate underground tunnels. They weren''t just trying to rob the whole vige, they were also mining to extract precious resources!'' Mako thought to himself.


    "The hotel manager of the hotel in which you stayed was an aplice in the whole thing as he would be their eyes and inform them of anything suspicious such as... a group of strong kids that randomly showed up in the vige one day for a quote-on-quote vacation," Themander stated.


    Mako clenched his fists with anger as he heard that. He already had a bit of suspicion about the manager but he didn''t think too much about him as he was too focused on his first mission.


    ''He would have likely told Victor that Erin, Bill, and Iris had left the hotel the next day without me and that was the prime time to ambush them while I was recovering back in the hotel room. Wait... then that means... HE WAS THE ONE THAT RIGGED MY ROOM TO EXPLODE!'' Mako shouted in his mind full of anger and frustration.


    All that anger, grief, regret, and frustration from the past few months resurfaced from Mako''s body as he now realized his critical error. If he had been just a bit more cautious and decisive instead of openly trusting the manager, he could havepletely changed the oue, and maybe Iris would still be alive.


    "DAMN IT!" Mako shouted at himself.


    This had always been his downfall, his defeat. He was always too naive when it came to dealing with the world and its problems. In the end, he was still just a kid who had yet to mature and be an actual leader.


    Mako clenched his fist tighter and was barely able to stop himself from crying. He knew that it was his fault, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He resumed themander''s video afterposing himself as he knew that themander had found something important which was why he was using it for his help, and he was determined to redeem himself.


    "We discovered that this vige was actually a very old military outpost during the time when the Yalhvi were still alive and that there were reserves of Pyronite still buried somewhere underneath the vige. I believe that Victor was after that Pyronite."


    "Pyronite is an extremely rare mineral on earth and before we had ess toary travel, we used what little we had of it to power very strong machines that operated with mana; Pyronite is a naturally urring mineral with special properties being able to extract and absorb mana from its surroundings." Themander exined.


    "Nowadays, we can get Pyronite from other worlds through trading but it is still very valuable and a type of gctic currency."


    ''What did Victor want to do with the Pyronite?'' Mako asked himself.


    "This leads me to our current problem. You see... Mako, the teleporters that we use also use Pyronite as one of theponents to power them, and the teleporter in your school has almost run out of Pyronite and is scheduled for resupply in 6 months'' time." Themander exined.


    "...And I believe that someone is going to try and steal the Pyronite when the resupply shipment arrives." Themander finally revealed the actual problem.


    Mako understood that this was going to be a huge problem if someone was to get their hands on so much Pronite but what he didn''t understand was how themander reached this conclusion and why was he telling him about this.


    After all, he had failed and even disobeyed orders during his very first mission, a mistake that cost him his special ss privileges and even put him in room arrest for 2 months.


    "I know your first mission wasbeled as a failure by the board ofmanders, but believe me, son, I would have done the exact same thing you did if I were in your shoes that day." Themander continued.


    "I have strong reason to believe that this whole operation was an inside job."


    ''What! How could that be!? So Erin was right, there is a traitor within the military base.'' Mako thought to himself.


    "This person has some level of influence over the military base as many sectors of the military base have already been sabotaged with no official report being made about it thus far and all of them have some sort of rtion to your mission." Themander exined as he began to list out all the different pieces of evidence that supported the fact that this had to be an inside job.


    "The venom within the dagger that poisoned Ang when she was stabbed was actually produced by the military with a report of a vial being missing from a military hanger 5 years ago which waster wiped off the records, but luckily I was still able to find it in some old personal archives."


    "There were also reports of missing mining equipment and power weapons in the past 10 years that had also been wiped away by an unknown entity, but they still existed in the archives."


    "After the discovery of Victor''s motives, we did a detailed search about other possible locations where the military might have left reserves of Pyronite in the past and several sites turned up. We sent a high-level team to each site and it turned out that a simr mining operation was taking ce there as well, but it was already abandoned by the time the teams arrived there to investigate so they had known that we wereing."


    "Lastly, the most crucial and strongest piece of evidence is that Victor Voss'' amnesia was starting to go away and he was making progress in remembering things such as his name, age, etc; however a week ago, something terrible happened..."


    Just the mention of his name had sent a jolt of anger through Mako''s spine and he was super anxious to know what had happened to him.


    "All of sudden, Victor''s mindpletely turned into a vegetable with him not even being able to do basic human functions such as speaking. I was furious and demanded to know what had caused this, but the doctors couldn''t find anything."


    "They said that it was as if his soul was sucked out of his body and now his body was operating on autopilot with no emotion or will left in his body destroying all chances of us getting any information out him."


    Mako was left speechless after he heard about Victor''s condition. Themander showed a small clip of Victor just mindlessly moving around in his room like a zombie. Even though Mako hated that man with every fiber of his being, he couldn''t help but feel sorry for him as that was fate that he wouldn''t wish on his worst enemy.


    The clip ended and themander''s image reappeared in front of Mako.


    "Mako...this wasn''t a small operation. This has been in the nning for many years and you and your team were just an unexpected hup in their n which they didn''t calcte for. You have slowed down their progress for the time being, but I don''t think this would be enough to stop them."


    "They have always been one step ahead and have covered their tracks perfectly and I don''t know whom to trust with this information as it could be practically anyone within the military base with a security clearance of over level 5 which is why I am assigning this task to you and your team." Themander said as he yed a different clip in front of Mako.


    The clip was of very poor quality and Mako could barely figure out what was going on but it looked like a security footage of the teleporter room.


    "The night before your departure to the military base, all the camera and security protocols within the teleporter room were disabled with this hidden camera barely being able to record what had happened." Themander exiend.


    The video footage was hard to make out but it showed four distinct dark figures stepping into the teleporter and being teleported away.


    "The moment the teleportation wasplete, all security protocols and cameras came back online with the logs of their teleportationpletely wiped clean. We have no idea whose clearance badge was used to turn on the teleporter, but one of the engineers was able to reconfigure the navigation system to learn the destination of their teleport." Themander exined.


    "The military school," Mako stated as he already knew what the destination would be.


    "With no clear leads and the traitor''s identity shrouded in secrecy, I am tasking you and your friends with this urgent mission of uncovering these culprits'' identities and bringing them to justice before their actions escte further."


    "Due to me being retired, I don''t have much authority over anything outside the military base as it would require permission from themanding body of the school. I don''t want to raise suspicion and identally alert the traitor that we are on his trail which is why I won''t be able to help you from here on out." Themander added.


    "It is a race against time, with the shipment of Pyronite due exactly 6 months from today. Continue to train and be strong and make me proud once more!" Themander said in his closing statement before the device turned off signaling the end of the message.

 Chapter 307 A Promise For Redemption (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 307 A Promise For Redemption (Part 1)</h4>


    Mako stared at the small device on his bed for several minutes, processing all the information that themander had just revealed to him.


    However, he was soon brought back to reality by a familiar noise.


    *DING!*


    [New Quest Received]


    [Fullfil themander''s mission]


    [Rewards: ???]


    [Penalty: ???]


    *DING!*


    [New Bonus Quest Recieved]


    [Unmask and identify all four people who teleported to the military school (0/4)]


    [Rewards: ???]


    [Penalty: ???]


    ********************


    It had been a while since Mako received a quest from the system as the two months that he was stuck inside the military base were quite uneventful.


    Mako reviewed themander''s message several times, especially focusing hard when he showed him the blurry security footage of the teleportation room.


    Mako tried using Analyze to try and figure out if he could at least identify the gender of the 4 people based on their body shape, but it proved to be a lot more difficult.


    The video was just too cut up and broken for the Analyze skill to process any useful information at this level.


    Nheless, Mako was still able to identify that at least one of the four people was a woman based on the body shape that he was able to make out of one of the figures.


    However, before Mako could be crazy staring at the tiniest of pixel changes, his ID card began to beep with a message that was sent by Erin.


    The ID cards also had a feature where you could scan other ID cards and register them as friends so that you could exchange messages with each other anywhere on the campus.


    Since outside phones and othermunication devices were not allowed, this was the only way for cadets to remain in contact with their friends.


    During lunch, Mako and the rest of the group scanned each other''s cards so that they could reach them whenever they wanted.


    *********************


    Mako opened Erin''s message which read the following:


    [Don''t strain your eyes staring at that broken footage, you''ll find nothing trust me I tried. Come on, we are waiting for you in the cafeteria, it''s almost time for dinner. We have a lot to discuss.]


    Mako felt a bit embarrassed by the fact that Erin knew exactly what he was up to and that he would eventually lose track of time.


    He quickly changed into morefortable clothes and stored themander''s device inside his inventory again before quickly heading out to the cafeteria to meet with his friends.


    *********************


    The cafeteria was jam-packed with a lot of hungry cadets after an exhausting and exciting first day in military school.


    Erin and the others had reserved a quiet table in the far corner of the cafeteria so that they could discuss ns without causing much disturbance.


    "Sorry I''mte, guys," Mako apologized, catching his breath.


    Erin nced at him with a knowing smirk. "Figured you''d be obsessed with themander''s message. But don''t worry, we''ve got plenty to discuss."


    "Umm... Where''s Andrew?" Mako asked as he approached the table to find that everyone was already there besides Andrew.


    "He... uh... said he wasn''t hungry and wanted to check out some of the training rooms on the campus instead," Erin replied with a hint of confusion and sadness in her voice.


    Considering Andrew''s mood when hest saw him during lunch, Mako couldn''t think of anything serious that could have happened in the short period of time between then and now, but he could sense that something was definitely up with him.


    For the time being, Mako decided to let it go as Andrew was Erin''s boyfriend after all and if something had happened between them then it was best to leave it there; plus, with him not being present Mako could discuss ns openly with his team so he just quietly took a seat and began discussing ns with his old team.


    *******************


    Bill leaned forward, his eyes serious. "So, what do you think about themander''s suspicion? Who do you think could have done it?"


    Mako could feel the anger and hatred that was masked within Bill''s voice. If themander had given the same mission brief to Bill that he had given him, Mako couldn''t imagine how angry his team would be feeling, especially Erin and Bill when they learned that the killer of Iris was nothing but a mere pawn in a much bigger scheme.


    Mako nodded, recounting themander''s message about the Pyronite reserves, the potential theft, and the suspicion of an inside job. "Honestly, I have no idea as to who it could be or what motive they could have. The uses of Pyronite are just so many it could be anyone. It''s a pretty big mess. And we''re right in the middle of it."


    Leon frowned, rubbing his chin to add a bit of sarcasm to the obvious question. "So... how are we supposed to find out who''s behind this and stop them before they get their hands on the Pyronite?"


    "I mean don''t get me wrong but aren''t we just a bunch of unreliable kids who couldn''t follow orders and messed everything up?" Leon added more sarcasm to his point with his hands in the air, directly recalling the verdict the board ofmanders gave them after their mission.


    All of them remember those hurtful words that themanders said to them right during the time when they were grieving the loss of their friend.


    Mako had lived his entire life being shut down and getting unfair treatment from those in power, so it didn''t affect him that much but people like Leon and Bill were still salty about the way themanders treated them.


    Nathan nodded to Leon''s remark, his expression determined. "How would we even start? We don''t even know who we can trust. The people who teleported here could be students, teachers, staff, or even a person with authority."


    Erin tapped her fingers on the table repeatedly, her mind working overtime. "Well, we could always start by gathering more information. Themander doesn''t have ess to investigate the teleporter here but we do have ess."


    Mako nodded in agreement. "Erin''s right, we have to start with somewhere. The teleporter is a good ce to start but we have to create a solid n first as to how we are going to get any information on the people that teleported herest night."


    Nathan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It''s not going to be that easy. If the system is the same replica of the system back in base, the logs would saved on the main server which is triple encrypted and heavily guarded."


    "We could get into the teleporter room, no problem. But infiltrating the server room to extract any data will be a whole different story, especially considering the possibility that they''ve already wiped their logs, just as they did at the base," Nathan exined.


    "And even if we were able to gather some information and figure out who is behind all of this, do you think they will just let us slide along and alert themander without a fight?" Nathan added. "I speak from experience so believe me, people will go to any number of lengths to keep their secrets hidden."


    Nathan''s voice was tinged with pain as he spoke thosest words as memories of his past started shing in front of his eyes, a past that was still clouded in mystery but had a great impact on his life.


    "If these people were able to employ gangs such as Victor''s and sabotage the military base without getting caught, then I can assure you that we won''t even be a challenge to them even in a fair fight," Nathan stated.


    Nathan''s points werepletely valid and it set the morale of the group pretty low as no one had a clear idea of how to proceed.


    "So, I''ll ask you again, leader. How would we even start?" Nathan asked Mako directly.


    All the heads turned towards Mako as he instantly became the center of attention.


    Even though themander hadn''t assigned any specific person to be the leader of their new mission, everybody still turned toward Mako to fill the leadership role.


    Mako had really beaten himself over for Iris'' death and the poor choices he had made during the mission.


    He had felt that he had left his team down greatly and that most of them would never follow his lead again, but he was proven wrong as he could still feel the determination and trust in his teammates'' eyes.


    There was a slight pause as Mako thought things through in his head. Taking all of Nathan''s points into ount, Mako had toe up with a clever solution to give them the advantage.


    "Okay listen. You guys are absolutely correct and right now we don''t have many great options to start progress on our mission right away... But what if... we don''t have to," Mako stated.


    The group looked confusingly at one another as they didn''t expect Mako to say such a thing.

 Chapter 308 A Promise For Redemption (Part 2)

    Chapter 308 A Promise For Redemption (Part 2)


    ??"Wait... wait... just hear me out," Mako quickly said to calm his teammates down.


    "Look, the cards are stacked heavily against us so I say we don''t y ording to their rules. If they have someone with a high-security clearance, it means we will quickly be discovered if we try to sneak around or break in to gather information, and I am not so sure themander would be able to get us out of that pickle if we get caught." Mako began exining.


    "So instead ofpromising the mission on the slight chance of gathering very minuscule information, I say we let them expose themselves to us instead," Mako added.


    "But how? They were able to juke themander, how will they expose themselves to us?" Leon asked, still unsure of Mako''s n.


    "They will do it because we know of their end goal which is..." Mako began to reply.


    "The Pyronite." Bill finished Mako''s sentence.


    "Exactly," Mako stated. "If these guys want to steal that Pyronite and I assume still maintain their cover, they would have nned ordingly to steal it discreetly."


    "All we have to do is map out and keep watch over everything so that nothing can be tampered with or sabotaged to allow them to steal the Pyronite. This isn''t an infiltration mission, this is a covert escort mission. We just have to make sure the pyronite is sessfully transported and installed into the teleporter," Mako exined his n.


    "And if it doesn''t? They will not just sit idly by if their n somehow fails. They are bound to have backups and if ites down to it, they will attack and try to steal it by force." Nathan stated.


    "Sure, they might have backup ns but I doubt they will be able to execute them as discreetly as they would like because we would be an unknown variable that wouldn''t have calcted for, and if they decide to attack, all we have to do is make some noise. There are plenty of strong teachers in the school, I doubt they can run or fight when the whole school staff is after them," Mako replied.


    Nathan remained quiet this time as he thought over Mako''s n in his head. There were still many unknowns and things that could go wrong, but they were all things that were out of their control and he couldn''t think of a better solution either.


    In the end, Nathan nodded as he agreed with Mako''s n; however, Bill still had something to say.


    "If we are going to go through with this n, then I can say without a doubt that there is going to be a big confrontation, and this time we are going to be ready to face them," Bill said with his fists clenched tightly.


    "He''s right, we have to make proper use of our time here before anything happens and get as strong as possible. We won''t face that kind of humiliation again and we will prove ourselves to themander and everyone else, just how capable we are," Mako added, matching Bill''s energy as he was too frustrated without a doubt.


    "This is our chance at redemption and we are going to see this thing through to the end!"


    The whole group felt the same way as they never wanted to go through that kind of humiliation again.


    ''Iris, I promise you this, I will find every single one of those bastards that were responsible for your death, and I am going to avenge you by making everyst one of them pay!'' Mako said in his thoughts as he finished finalizing details with the group.


    They decided that it was best if they didn''tmunicate on the militarywork using their cards which could be monitored and read by any high authority figure, but there weren''t any other alternative as all othermunication devices were banned.


    Mako came up with a solution to that problem.


    He once read about an old encryption technique back when he would spend most of his days burried in books in the public library that was used to ry messages. It was abination of Hexadecimal numerals and symbols.


    Hexadecimals were a number system designed to store data easier by grouping individual bits in a group of 4. It only contained 16 characters and was easy to understand, learn, and convert.


    The encryption technique however, took it a step further by incorporating ancient runes as the symbols to rece the existing 16 characters making a brand newnguage that was extremely hard to decipher if one didn''t know which symbol represented which character of the hexadecimal.


    In addition to that, the people using this encryption had full control over which symbol was to represent which character making it quite unique because it meant that the encryption didn''t have just one key that would decipher it but rather it had almost infinite with their encryption only being able to be deciphered with their specific key.


    The group was quite amazed to learn of such a method and were equally confused by itsplexity. Unlike Mako, the rest of the group weren''t as interested in studying and gaining knowledge and so it was a bit difficult for them to wrap their head around.


    Mako helped them out by simplifying the conversion method so that they could easily understand how to read and trante the symbols. He then created identical encryption keys for each of them using 16 ancient symbols from the 64 he learned to assign each character.


    He specifically chose those ancient symbols which could be created from joining different text symbols so that they were able type them in the card chat.


    This way Mako and his friends could stillmunicate using the military card but their conversations would remain secure.


    "Remember, you can''t lose this key no matter what. If the enemy gets a hold of this, all of our conversations could bepromised. Try to learn it as fast as you can so that you can dispose this physical copy and leave no lose ends." Mako instructed all of his friends.


    *Ding!*


    [New encryptionnguage identified]


    [Processing...]


    [Process Complete]


    [New encryptionnguage has added to the codex]


    [User can now directly understand text written in this encryptionnguage without the need of trantion]


    A system notification appeared right in front of Mako just as he was about to finish writing thest identical encryption key for Erin.


    Mako was a bit confused as he had never heard the system mention anything about a codex, but he was quite amazed by the fact that the system was able to pick and memorize the encryption so quickly.


    He still had no idea what it meant by him being able to understand the encryptednguage without trantion because without trantion using the key, it was just a bunch of jumbled up symbols, but he was sure that he would find out about it soon enough.


    "Mako? what happened?" Erin asked as she watched Mako just suddenly stare into empty space for a few moments.


    Erin words quickly brought Mako back to reality, "I''m sorry, I was just reconfirming all the symbols in my head"


    Erin didn''t mind Mako''s behaviour and quickly epted his apology, but Bill on the other hand knew that this was a normal urrence for Mako. He had seen him stare off into space many times during the time they were living together and although he had no clue as to why Mako did such a thing, he knew that it was something that Mako was aware of and was actively trying to hide it.


    Mako had quickly paused the notifications and nned to read themter when he was alone.


    ''I have to remember to not open the system while I am around other people,'' Mako made a mental note for himself as it could be quite the problem if people found out that he had a system imnted in his brain.


    After distributing all of the encryption keys, the group began to discuss other topics such as which after school courses they were going to take.


    The mood of the conversation was quickly shifted as they actually began to converse with each other like normal friends.


    Mako was still unsure about which course he was going to take and of course he could take multiple but he didn''t want to over crowd his te so he just said that he would look around for a while before deciding.


    Erin stated that she was going to extrabat sses as her fighting skills were still subpar and she couldn''t only rely on her abilities to carry her through.


    Nathan and Leon both wanted to better their abilities and increase their level so they opted to take extra ability sses.


    Lastly, Bill said that his uncle was a great cksmith within the military and it was very useful for one to know how to forge weapons, especially power weapons and so he wanted to started learning the basics of how power armor and weapons were made.


    The group had a great time as they shared their ns and goals in theing weeks and months .


    Erin smiled, her confidence in Mako''s n shining through. "Alright, then. Let''s get to work. But first, let''s eat. We can''t catch these guys on an empty stomach."


    They all chuckled, the tension momentarily lifted as they dug into their meals, knowing that they had a daunting task ahead of them, but also knowing that together, they could ovee anything.

 Chapter 309 Specialized Training Courses

    Chapter 309 Specialized Training Courses


    ??The group enjoyed a delicious and nutritious meal before going their separate ways to visit the various special training centers that they wanted to sign up for.


    Each center''s location and timings were mentioned in the information tab within the ID card. Since these courses were considered extras, they didn''t contribute towards the student''s grades or rewards which didn''t really provide a great incentive for them to take more than one as they would rather use their free time training and bing stronger which was monitored and rewarded for.


    Additionally, there were many time shes between the courses as several of them took ce at the same time making it impossible for a cadet to attend all of them, but as per Ang''s own words, every ss had its own importance and value and it was up to the student which ss they wanted to attend depending on which career path they wanted to pursue.


    Mako wasn''t quite sure which career path he wanted to pursue as now he had far greater responsibilities. Before he had received the system, Mako had aimed to be a space lieutenant which was a great rank to achieve considering his capabilities at that time, but now Mako had a far greater responsibility and for him to achieve his goals, he had to be a prominent and powerful being among the military ranks.


    Of the special training courses avable, several had caught Mako''s eye and he wanted to visit all of them before making a decision.


    Firstly, he checked out the ability andbat training sses which were taught by the same teachers as his normal sses; Mr Yuki and Miss Mei respectively.


    The basic skills and ability mastery ss was only going to teach the cadets about the strengths and weaknesses of mostmon abilities alongside training to gain a basic mastery over these abilities; however, this didn''t include rare abilities like Mako''s Energy Maniption ability leaving him with no guidance on how to master this strong ability.


    The special training course for ability mastery on the other hand focuses on this very aspect as Mr. Yuki provided personal guidance and training to students who possessed all kinds of rare abilities which were difficult to grow and master.


    Simrly, the basicbat ss only taught the cadets basic fighting and defensive forms and techniques, highlighting their uses and the correct time to use which technique and form.


    The standardized forms and techniques taught in ss were designed to be essible to everyone, but they didn''t always cater to individual differences like strength, body type, and abilities. This meant that some students struggled to find techniques that truly suited them and could effectively incorporate these factors into their fighting style. As a result, it became challenging to personalize training to match each student''s unique attributes, potentially limiting their overall progress.


    The special training course forbat was simr to ability mastery in which Miss Mei would examine each student individually and rmend the best techniques and forms that suited their profile and would them fight ideally.


    *****************


    As Mako walked out of the dojo-like room that was the training room for the specialbat ss, Mako quickly realized that all of these special courses were actually just the regr courses that they were promised to receive when they were still in the special ss.


    It all clicked inside Mako''s head as he figured out the system that the military had set up. It was obvious that children born into strong and rich families had an edge over others and it wasn''t easy to bridge the gap between them.


    Of course, strong cadets were going to receive special treatment but the military school was set up in a way that anyone with a strong determination and resistance could climb the ranks. This was why these additional sses were avable to the cadets and a reward system was put in ce so that the cadets with poor circumstances but potential could put in some extra effort and work hard to elevate their status.


    After asking around the staff a bit, Mako learned the same held true about the basic ss which was below the advanced ss. The basic ss was mostly filled with cadets who either didn''t participate in the recruitment test since they weren''t confident enough or didn''t possess an ability.


    The basic sses had even simpler regr sses in which they taught the very fundamentals of everything including channeling mana, fighting, controlling abilities, learning skills, resource management, etc with them also being given the option to take "advanced" extra sses of their choosing to better themselves in a certain aspect of themselves to gain an edge and potentially advance to a higher ss.


    *******************


    Mako was demoted from the special ss to the advanced ss due to "failing" at their first official mission, but it meant that the superiors had deemed him worthy of that status before his demotion so it was possible for him to regain that title again.


    He had learned a lot from Commander Sable during the time he had spent training with him and unlike his friends, he felt that his fighting and ability mastery were at a decent enough level that he would rather use his precious time in some of the other special sses that he hadn''t had the chance to take during his time training back at the military base.


    With this new goal in mind, Mako took off some of the other special courses from his list that he was interested in before because now that he knew that he would receive all of them once he was back in the special ss, he focused on choosing a course that would promise him the greatest amount of improvement.


    Of the ones that he was interested in, a couple of them were about knowledge such as learning about the detailed history of the Yalhvi, detailed ounts of Human history in the 25th Century which was the time in which his great grandfather was alive, and special universal affairs ss which taught about all the differents that took ce all over the gxy in the most amount of detail.


    All of these courses weren''t meant to help Mako improve in any way but rather just to satiate his curiosity and thirst for knowledge which was something that was still the same about him even after everything that had happened.


    Now that he knew that he could learn all of these things and many more once he was back in the special ss, he dropped them from his list which only left two courses that he still held an interest in and that would help him improve in things which he was still very weak in.


    The first was the special power weapons ss. During the time that he trained in the military base under Commander Sable, Mako mostly focused on his abilities and hand-to-handbat and mostly neglected any kind of training with weapons or power weapons for that matter.


    Themander did teach him the basics of the sword but those were only the fundamentals and he still wasn''t good with the sword unlike some of the cadets that he had seen in his ss during the regr power weapons ss they had this morning.


    Weapons were also an essential and crucial part of defining a person''s strength as a master could easily overpower an opponent even if they didn''t use abilities and being able to Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    bnce abilities, weapons, and fighting style was the mark of a strong and powerful fighter.


    The second course in which he was still interested was the mana training ss.


    The mana training ss was exclusive to the special ss as it was something very difficult to grasp and very time-


    consuming as it would take cadets a long time before they started to see minimal results.


    This was partly the reason why very few cadets from the whole advanced ss had signed up for this course as it didn''t promise quick results and sounded boring. Most cadets wanted to be strong and shy which was why thebat and ability mastery sses were the most popr picks.


    Another reason was also the fact that many cadets didn''t even fully understand what it meant to understand and influence pure mana. Like Commander Malik had exined to them earlier today, mana was the codingnguage of the universe so learning it or even attempting to understand it would be difficult but the rewards at the end of this dark and long tunnel were very great.


    There wasn''t a time schedule mentioned for the mana training ss which was a bit odd, but Mako just put it at the back of his mind for the time being as he would inquire about it once he visited the training center, but first he decided to visit the special power weapons ss to learn more before deciding which of the two he would sign up for.


    Mako traveled back to the main campus as the special power weapons ss took ce in the exact same weapons hall in which he took his regr ss today in the morning.


    He entered the hall expecting to see a couple of cadets browsing around and asking the teacher questions about the course just like he had seen in every other training room he had entered; however, the moment that he entered the room, the door shut off behind him and several system notifications appeared in front of Mako''s eyes.


    [The user has been suppressed]


    [User is too weak to ovee the effects of the suppression]


    [Whilst suppressed, the user''s body is denied mana, therefore preventing him from using any of their abilities or their skills.]


    [Passive activation of ability aura has also been blocked, hence the user is unable to receive the bonus in attributes thate with keeping the aura of an ability active]


    [Leave the range of the suppressor to regain the ability to ess and manipte mana]


    *


    *


    *


    ''Uh oh...''

 Chapter 310 What It Takes

    Chapter 310 What It Takes


    ??As Mako stood in the weapons hall, his senses tingled with the realization that something was amiss. The abrupt appearance of system notifications only confirmed his suspicion.


    Before he could even fully process his predicament, amanding voice cut through the silence of the room. "Ah, we have another one," called out Magnus, the teacher of the special power weapons ss.


    "Sir Magnus...?" Mako asked, his voice steady despite being uncertain as to why he had been suppressed even when he hadn''t even joined up for the ss yet. He met the teacher''s gaze, steeling himself for whatever was toe.


    Magnus strode forward, his imposing figure casting a shadow over Mako. "It seems that destiny has willed for us to cross paths again," he remarked as he remembered Mako from the morning''s ss.


    "Sir? Why am I suppressed?" Mako respectfully asked Magnus but still had uncertainty within his heart.


    A faint smirk yed at the corner of his lips as Mako asked him the obvious question. "Tell me, do you wish to join this ss with me as your teacher or do you wish to walk away?"


    Mako was a bit caught back by the sudden ultimatum that his teacher had just presented him with.


    "I''m not sure I understand sir," Mako said to try and ease down the situation and to get a better understanding of what Magnus was nning.


    "It''s quite a simple question... Do you wish to take this ss or do you wish to walk away forever?" Magnus said.


    "Forever?" Mako questioned.


    "Why, yes..." Magnus replied while maintaining the smirk on his face. "If you choose to walk away now, you will never be able toe back here again. I will never teach you."


    Now Makopletely understood both consequences of his teacher''s ultimatum.


    If he were to say "yes" and proceed further, he had no idea what would happen next but knowing the impression that he had made during the morning ss, Mako was certain that he wouldn''t just get epted without some type of test to trail which was why he was suppressed in the first ce.


    However, if he was to say "no" then he would have turned down a one-of-a-kind opportunity where he would never be able to return back and ask for a second chance to train with Magnus and could potentially lose out on something great.


    The dilemma Mako was facing was because he had hoped to first visit both sses, the special power weapon ss as well as the mana training ss before he made his decision.


    He had no idea how time-consuming either course would be and which one would be more beneficial for him. Magnus was basically forcing him to gamble on whether or not he believed that the power weapons ss would give him the same value as the mana training ss.


    "I''m waiting..." Magnus said to urge Mako to make a decision on who was still split on which choice he should go for.


    ''If I say "yes", I might miss out on the mana training ss which is exclusive to the special ss so it is bound to give me value, but it is quite slow to learn and master. I am also weak with weapons and if I have to be stronger, I also need to master weapons too...'' Mako argued with himself in his thoughts as he contemted on which option to choose.


    Magnus'' ring stares only added to the intensity of the situation and the pressure of making a decision.


    "Well...?" Magnus asked again, growing more impatient with every passing second.


    It was truly a quite difficult decision to make as this would decide how fast Mako could begin progressing and how far he could go within his first year in the military school. Knowing that Magnus wouldn''t listen to reason from impatient gestures and res he had been shooting at Mako even though it had only been a minute, Mako finally came to a decision.


    "Fine... I wish to remain and join the special power weapons ss," Mako stated his decision with confidence.


    He had made his decision. Even though it would have been beneficial for him to start mana training as early as possible because of how long it took before seeing any results, Mako argued that he could still learn it once he was promoted back to the special ss and to do that he had to be stronger first.


    Now he just had to make sure to pass whatever benchmark test Magnus had nned for him so that he could officially sign up for the ss.


    A big smile appeared on Magnus'' face after hearing Mako''s decision as if he was a bit relieved. Shortly after, several pedestals began floating over toward Mako from behind Magnus.


    Each pedestal had a different type of weapon on disy and Mako could tell by just looking at them that they were strong power weapons, not the weak ones that they had used during the morning ss when they battled the horde of robots.


    With a flourish, Magnus gestured towards a disy of weapons lining the walls of the hall. "Choose your weapon, Mako. Show me what you''re made of," he dered, his voice echoing with authority.


    Mako had a feeling that the test would be some kind of duel that would measure his skill and power, but he expected to fight some robot again just like in the morning not the teacher.


    The battle between Magnus and the kid was still fresh in Mako''s mind as he knew that his teacher was miles above him in terms of strength and power and that he stood no chance against him.


    However, he also didn''t have a choice as Magnus'' next words sealed the dealpletely.


    "For me to ept you as my student, you have to manage tond a single strike on me before you copse. If you are not able to do that, then don''t ever show your face here again; you won''t not worthy of my time. So pick your weapon wisely..."


    Mako gulped down as he realized what was at stake. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the array of weapons before him.


    ''Calm down... being nervous at a time like this won''t do me any good. This is the decision that I have made and now I have to own up to it. Whether I seed or fail is now entirely in my hands.'' Mako said to himself with a growing sense of determination.


    Despite his suppressed state, a flicker of determination ignited within him. He may have been stripped of his abilities but he refused to be rendered powerless.


    Stepping forward, Mako reached out and grasped a sleek, obsidian sword from its resting ce. The weight of the weapon felt familiar in his grip as it was almost the same size as his stone sword.


    While he was browsing through the different weapons, he was actually using Analyze on all of them to check out their stats and whether they possessed passive skills.


    A power weapon could have either an active or a passive skill.


    An active skill required input from the user which was by the user channeling a small amount of mana into the weapon to trigger the skill; however, since Mako was suppressed, he couldn''t ess mana at all and in turn, he couldn''t activate active skills.


    A Passive skill on the other hand didn''t require any kind of input from the user and was activated if the conditions were met, making it quite useful for Mako given his current situation.


    There were a few weapons with good stats and a passive skill, but Mako had no idea how to wield some of them as he hadn''t even heard their names. In the end, he decided to go with the obsidian sword even though it wasn''t the strongest weapon avable but it had a very unique passive skill and was one that he was the mostfortable with.


    [Analyze]


    [High Tier ck Magma de]


    [A sleek and menacing sword forged from the darkest metals found deep within the earth''s core, infused with the essence of several fire crystals.]


    [Strength +25]


    [Agility +8]


    [Attack: 85]


    [Fire Affinity: The ck Magma de was crafted by thebinations of several different fire crystals, it has gone under a unique mutation where the de now possesses a strong affinity for the fire ability, amplifying the user''s fire ability and allowing them to channel and manipte fire with greater precision and control]


    [Passive Skill: Molten Resurgence]


    [Molten Resurgence: As the ck Magma de cleaves through the air, it absorbs the energy of the swing into itself with each unsessful attack, it stores more power granting the user a small burst in agility and strength for the cost of the des'' condition. Each time the sword stores powers, magma cracks begin to appear on the sword presenting the stored power but also weakening itself. If the sword is weakened too much, it may shatter releasing all the stored energy inside at once in a violent explosion.]


    With a swift movement, Magnus drew his own weapon, a simple long sword that was also High Tier but had no passive or active skill.


    "Very well," Magnus murmured, a hint of approval gleaming in his eyes. "Let us see if you got what it takes!"

 Chapter 311 Victory in Defeat

    <h4>Chapter 311 Victory in Defeat</h4>


    Mako tightened his grip on the obsidian sword, feeling the weight of it in his hand. The sleek ck de seemed to hum withtent power as he could feel the boosts being applied to his own stats.


    Since Mako was suppressed, he couldn''t even passively activate his aura which meant that the passive boosts that the ability gave him for being active were nullified, making him weaker.


    As Magnus took his stance, Mako observed his teacher''s movements with a keen eye. Magnus was a formidable opponent, his every motion calcted and precise. He remembered the fight from this morning where he watched the fluid fighting style of Magnus and how even after throwing every single ability at him, the boy wasn''t even able to graze him once.


    Logically, it would bepletely impossible for Mako to get a better result than that boy with no abilities and less training, but he had no choice but to give his best and try and impress Magnus.


    *Ding!*


    [New Quest Received]


    As Mako quickly read the contents of the quest, he readied himself with a deep breath beforeunching himself forward at Magnus. The obsidian sword gleaming as he swung it towards Magnus with all his might, but Magnus effortlessly sidestepped the attack, his movements fluid and graceful as usual.


    However, Mako wasn''t finished as he turned the sword mid-strike to now begin shing horizontally to try and catch Magnus off guard as he was still within range of the horizontal strike.


    This was one of the techniques that Commander Sable had taught him which was called a fakeout, a simple vertical sh that was easy to dodge by weaving left or right, but with enough strength and force one could change its direction and momentum mid swing and begin to swing horizontally instead, making it effective against unsuspecting opponents.


    But before Mako could even finish putting his strength into the sword to change its direction, Magnus had trusted his de forward, stopping mere centimeters away from Mako''s throat.


    The sudden movement and deadly striking position left Makopletely off guard as he was just frozen in ce, losing all power he had in his wing; too scared to look down and see whether his throat was stabbed through or not.


    "Too slow," Magnus remarked, his voice echoing through the hall. "You need to anticipate your opponent''s movements as well. Your opponent won''t sit idly by while you finish your attack sequence."


    Mako gulped down hard, as the system confirmed that he hadn''t been hurt. Frustration began to bubble beneath his skin as he couldn''t believe that he was brought to such a state of fear and terror by a singr fake strike!


    He had to do better. He had to prove himself worthy of Magnus'' tutge.


    Magnus didn''t give Mako much time to recuperate as he swiftly swung his sword onto Mako''s sword, striking it back and bringing Mako back from his daze.


    Mako quickly got back on his feet and feinted to the left before swiftly changing direction and lunging towards Magnus from the right. Magnus remained calm and easily countered Mako''s strike by raising his sword to parry the attack.


    *Clink!*


    The sound of the two swords shing resounded in the hall and Mako was easily deflected back.


    However, Mako did not stop, with each unsessful attack, his sword began to glow a bit brighter, revealing the magma cracks and empowering Mako with increased Agility and Strength.


    Mako unleashed a barrage of feint attacks, by first continuously weaving left and right to make himself less predictable as to where he would strike until the final moment when he would lunge forward for the strike.


    But once again, Magnus was one step ahead, easily parrying all of Mako''s attacks with a flick of his wrist.


    "Still predictable," Magnusmented, his tone almost bored. "You need to keep your opponent guessing. Mix up your attacks, and never show your hand too soon. If you keeping at me with the same form after I have countered it, there is no use trying it again from a different angle, I''ll counter it every time."


    Mako nodded, his mind racing as he processed Magnus'' words. Even though he was changing up his movement and attacking differently, it didn''t change the fact that the final lunge hadn''t changed. Magnus disregarded all of Mako''s evasion and movement and only focused on the final strike which was predictable. He couldn''t afford to be predictable. He had to be smart, and strategic.


    Taking a step back, Mako assessed the situation, his eyes flickering over Magnus'' form. He desperately needed to find a weakness, a vulnerability to exploit.


    He breathed heavily as he tried to think. He thought back to all of the lessons Commander Sable had taught him, and the way Magnus fought in the morning. Then, it finally hit him.


    A smirk appeared on Mako''s face as a new n of attack formted in his mind. Leaping forward, Mako unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one aimed at a different angle, a different opening. He didn''tmit to any attack but rather began to unleash the opening attacks of every basic attack maneuver he knew.


    Each attack maneuver was unique and was aimed at a different part of the body. By only giving the opening strikes of each maneuver, Mako reserved his strength and was fast to switch moves making him unpredictable as he never followed any known maneuver through to the end.


    But still, Magnus was a wall of steel, effortlessly blocking every blow with calm confidence.


    "Good effort," Magnus acknowledged, a hint of approval in his voice. "But you''re still holding back. Don''t be afraid to sometimesmit fully to your attacks. Hesitation is your greatest enemy."


    It was true. After witnessing the huge gap in skill level between him and Magnus, his body was subconsciously weary of the fact that the man he was striking could end his existence at any moment.


    Mako nodded, absorbing Magnus'' words as he readied himself for another assault. He couldn''t afford to hold back. He had to give it his all.


    With a primal roar, Makounched himself towards Magnus once more, the obsidian sword now riddled with several deep brightly glowing cracks of magma, swinging through the air as he unleashed a barrage of strikes with reckless abandon of himself. And for a moment, it seemed as though he might seed and finallynd a hit on his elusive teacher.


    But in the end, Magnus was always one step ahead, this time matching Mako''s every strike with a strike of his own sword, effortlessly blocking all Mako''s attacks with a calm ease that bordered on arrogance.


    By this time, Mako had received a significant boost in strength and speed from the crackling magma sword. He was getting more and morefortable with his duel as he began to move faster and even started to predict a bit of Magnus'' counter- movements.


    After sliding onto the ground, Mako delivered an extremely low horizontal blow to Magnus'' ankles, but Magnus effortlessly jumped into the air to dodge the low attack and began to thrust his sword downward at the prone Mako.


    However, this was exactly what Mako wanted. Using all of his strength, Mako mmed his foot onto the ground mid-slide to propel himself into the air. He twisted his body so that he could build power and momentum in his sword as he quicklyunched a nothing-horizontal swing, but this time it was in mid-air.


    ''His speed won''t help him while he is in mid-air and with his sword aimed at the ground, he can''t dodge this attack!'' Mako thought to himself as he believed that he had finally seeded innding a blow on Magnus.


    "Nice try," Magnus stated as a big smile appeared on his face, his confidencepletely destroying Mako''s all hopes and dreams.


    In the next instant, Magnus let go of his sword and allowed it to fall to the ground; however, before the sword could drop on the ground, Magnus kicked the hilt of his sword straight up with extreme force.


    All of this took ce within a second and was too quick for Mako to react as the kicked sword carried so much force and momentum alongside it that it was able to parry Mako''s rotating horizontal attack without even a hand holding onto it.


    As the two swords shed, the magma cracks on Mako''s sword began to glow extremely bright and had nowpletely enveloped the entirely of the de. However, the cracks didn''t dim down and began to envelop the sword more and more until finally, the whole sword was bright glowing.


    This could only mean one thing.


    "oh..." Mako managed to say as he realized but it was toote already.


    *BOOM!*


    The sword shattered and realized all the energy it had been storing inside it in a violent explosion that sted Mako back several feet in the air.


    As Makoy copsed on the ground, exhausted and defeated with the smoke rising from his body, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of admiration for Magnus. Despite his overwhelming strength, Magnus had never once resorted to overpowering Mako. Instead, he had offered guidance, wisdom, and insight, molding Mako into a better fighter with each passing moment.


    As he was reminiscing about the intense fight that he just had, he heard the clicking sound of Magnus'' footsteps approaching him


    And as Mako stared up at his teacher, his breath ragged and his body aching, he knew that he still had much to learn but it all depended on whether Magnus epted him into his ss or not.


    Magnus stood before Mako, his expression unreadable as he studied the young warrior kneeling before him. After a moment of tense silence, Magnus finally spoke, his voice carrying a note of respect that Mako had not heard before.


    "You have potential, Mako," Magnus said, his tone gruff but sincere. "I have seen very few cadets that possess your level of determination and adaptability."


    Mako''s heart soared at Magnus'' words, a surge of hope filling him despite his exhaustion.


    "Thank you, sir," Mako replied, his voice hoarse but filled with gratitude.


    Magnus nodded, a rare smile tugging at the corners of his lips.


    "I believe you," Magnus said, his voice echoing through the hall. "Wee to the special power weapons ss, Mako. You have earned your ce here."


    With those words, Magnus extended a hand toward Mako, a silent gesture of eptance and respect. As Mako grasped Magnus'' hand and pulled himself to his feet, he knew that this was a great path for him as with the guidance from such an excellent fighter, Mako knew that there was no limit to how strong he could be.

 Chapter 312 Alexi Novikov

    Chapter 312 Alexi Novikov


    ??[Quest Completed]


    [User has forced Teacher Magnus to acknowledge his skills]


    [Rewards: +5,000 EXP, New Random Skill]


    Mako stared at the reward screen with a big smile. He was very concerned after the system update about his EXP situation as now he was going to get a lot less of it. It had already taken Mako so long to level up to Level 15, he was dreading to finding out just how bad this EXP change would affect him.


    However, he was happy to find out that the change wasn''t too drastic. Just bypleting 1 quest, Mako was able to gain 10% of the total EXP requirement for Level 16. Considering the number of sses and challenges he was going to face on a daily basis while in military school, he was hopeful that he could get to level 20 and update the system one more time before the showdown with the imposter went down.


    ''I was able to level up 15 times in 6 months, I can do it again at least five times in the same amount of time, right?'' Mako said to cheer himself but he knew that the road ahead wasn''t going to be easy.


    "I have never seen a student this happy to join my ss, usually everyone hates me," Magnus stated after seeing the wide smile on Mako''s face.


    Magnus'' words quickly shook Mako back to reality and he quickly apologized for his odd behavior.


    Magnus didn''t seem to mind too much and asked Mako to follow him as he led him to his office which was in the corner of the weapons hall.


    Mako was excited to get started with his training, but that would start tomorrow as this entire day was meant for introductions and adaption into the military lifestyle that cadets would have to follow for the next two years of their lives.


    So he was a bit confused as to why Magnus had asked him to follow him into his office. He still wanted to visit the mana training ss, just to see if he could potentially make the timings work and take both sses, but it was highly unlikely.


    Even if he somehow was able to make it work and take both sses, it would leave him almost no free time to train by himself which was also very crucial considering that now he wouldn''t be getting an abundance of attribute points and had to work hard to upgrade his attributes the old fashioned way.


    The two of them walked through the empty and echoey hall all the way towards the end, where the was a simple door that Mako had somehowpletely missed during the entire time his ss was battling the horde of robots.


    As Magnus opened the door to his office and gestured for him toe inside, Mako decided to leave the decision of what he was going to do with his free time for after he had visited the mana training ss and to just focus on what Magnus had in store for him.


    "Please...e in and have a seat, he has been quite lonely waiting for more people to join him," Magnus said with a kind and unusual tone.


    "He...?" Mako asked in confusion as he entered into the office.


    "Yeah! Me!" A familiar voice spoke out from inside the room, and Mako was shocked to find out the person to whom that voice belonged.


    Sitting on a sofa inside Magnus'' office was thest person, Mako had expected to see in this ss. It was the boy who attacked Magnus in the morning and got incredibly humbled by him.


    "What are you doing here?" Mako couldn''t help to ask him as he couldn''t believe that someone who had shown such hatred and anger toward his teacher in the morning was also chilling in his office in the evening.


    "What''s it to you, §Õ§å§â§Ñ§Ü!" The boy replied in an angry manner. (§Õ§å§â§Ñ§Ü means idiot)


    Mako was taken aback and a little offended by the boy''s mean behavior but he was used to being mistreated by people who were way over their heads about being superior to everyone else and decided to just ignore this rudeness.


    "Don''t forget, Alexi... You agreed that you wouldn''tsh out at my students," Magnus said in a calm manner as he took a seat behind his desk.


    "I haven''t agreed to anything yet...First, tell me, are you going to teach me or not?!" Alexi shouted.


    ****************


    [20 minutes ago]


    Alexi was the first person to not chicken out when Magnus presented the ultimatum in front of him, unlike several other students.


    Magnus was admittedly a bit surprised to see him again so soon, but nheless, he had to fulfill his obligation as a teacher first and challenged Alexi to the same test that Mako had just passed.


    Alexi was stronger than Mako in terms of base stats and had great skill with weapons but still, he wasn''t able to strike Magnus even once during their duel.


    Magnus'' helping words that helped Mako figure out the errors during his fight, only seemed to add fuel to Alexi''s rage during his fight.


    In the end, Alexi was defeated by Magnus for the second time today, but this time there wasn''t a crowd to watch him fail, and Magnus could see the talent inside Alexi.


    After his second defeat, Alexi got up to leave as he had failed the condition to get epted into the ss by Magnus'' own words which left a sour taste in his mouth, but before he could exit, Magnus called him out and invited him toe to his office.


    A gesture that caught Alexi aback as well. He was a bit more reluctant than Mako to follow him to his office but Magnus insisted him toe and stated that it wouldn''t be a waste of his time.


    Reluctantly, he walked with Magnus over to his office, and once inside, Magnus told Alexi exactly what was in his heart.


    "You have strength, young man, but strength isn''t enough. You learned that after I defeated you in the morning..." Magnus began to speak.


    Alexi immediately wanted to cut him off for trying to remind him of his humiliating defeat, but Magnus raised his hand and released a bit of aura to intimidate Alexi.


    "Let... me... finish..." Magnus stated.


    The air inside the room instantly became thick and hard to breathe, and Alexi could feel the pressure that Magnus was releasing. He knew it was best to just listen for now.


    "However, You aren''t someone who is just overconfident because of your superior strength, but rather you just want to be the best, the strongest..." Magnus continued.


    Alexi calmed down and was a bit surprised to see how Magnus had been able to analyze his character within a day. Even though he didn''t want to admit it, it was indeed true, He wanted to be the best in everything and wanted to crush anyone who could stand in his path.


    "Which was why after you epted your defeat you decided to seek me out in order to take my guidance and strength for yourself, so you could do to others what I did to you..." Magnus stated.


    Alexi was now speechless, not because of Magnus'' aura that was pushing him down, but rather of the truth that was spoken by him.


    Magnus suppressed his aura and allowed Alexi to breathe normally again. He was still at a loss for words as Magnus had stated exactly what was going on in his head.


    However, this only proved to him more that he must learn from him and be a lot stronger so that he could prove his parents wrong.


    "Yes..." Alexi managed to say," What you have said is true, I do want to be strong like you, so will you teach me or not?"


    "It depends..." Magnus replied calmly.


    "''Depends?! Depends on what?!" Alexi shouted again, clearly showing that beating around the bush wasn''t his style.


    Magnus released his aura yet again, this time almost half of it. The intense pressure being released by his body was something Alexi had never experienced before.


    Alexi immediately copsed onto his knees with blood dripping from his nose, the pressure so great that he felt like he could get crushed by it any second.


    "It depends on whether you agree to show respect to your teachers... It depends on whether or not you promise to never abuse or misuse your power on someone weaker than you..." Magnus stated as he walked closer to Alexi, increasing the pressure that was already on his body.


    He crouched down so that their face was at the same level and he leaned forward to whisper in his ear," It depends... on whether or not... you can stop listening to your heart and start listening to your brain."


    Just then an alert appeared on a screen on Magnus'' desk which showed that a new student had entered the hall.


    Magnus quickly retracted all of his aura before opening the door to meet Mako who had just entered the hall to ask about the special power weapons ss.


    "You can stay here and think about what I have said, let me know about your decision when Ie back," Magnus said in his regr kind tone before heading out, leaving Alexi to recover inside his office.


    ******************


    [Present time]


    "Do you agree to my conditions?" Magnus asked Alexi.


    Alexi hesitated a bit and Mako could physically see him struggle, but in the end, Alexi agreed. Mako had no idea what had happened prior, but he understood that Magnus had given him some kind of conditions that he would have to follow if he wished to learn from him.


    "Alright then... As of now... Mako Grey and Alexi Novikov... you are my students in the special power weapons ss."

 Chapter 313 General Magnus (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 313 General Magnus (Part 1)</h4>


    "Huh?!" Mako and Alexi eximed at the same time.


    "Just the two of us? What about the rest?" Mako asked Magnus.


    Magnus just gave a guilty nod as he expected this kind of reaction from his students after they found how low they were in numbers.


    "Honestly, I was expecting to at least take 10 or 15 students, but I guess I made my first impression on them a bit too hard. Most didn''t evene near the hall... and the ones who did either chickened out after I presented them the two options or utterly failed for being too overconfident." Magnus exined.


    "You too were the only ones who were able to impress me and now I only have two students to teach," Magnus added.


    Mako was a bit taken aback by Magnus'' exnation. There were many strong kids in the advanced ss including Alexi. He couldn''t really fathom that he and Alexi were the only two who had the courage to speak with him after witnessing his teaching style in the morning.


    Simr to Mako''s ss, the other sses of the advanced ss also had a simr experience in their power weapons ss, with some of them not having anyone to create order within the ss like Mako did resulting in greater injuries and a worse experience.


    Many of the students didn''t like Magnus''s guts from the start which was why even though they would have been strong enough to enter the special power weapons ss, they just staredpletely away from him.


    "Alright listen up you two, Since you are the only ones in my ss, it would be a waste to hold a proper ss with just two students," Magnus said.


    "So what are we supposed to do about it?" Alexi immediately cut Magnus off.


    Magnus was visibly annoyed by the rude interruption but continued as normal for now as he began exining their schedule.


    "As I was saying... Since you are only two students and I have ack of things to do around here, you cane to the weapons hall at any time you want after school." Magnus exined.


    Alexi and Mako were once again surprised by Magnus'' statement. The military school was all about punctuality and discipline and here their teacher was giving them free reign to choose their own schedule.


    "Hell Yeah!" Alexi eximed as he finally showed some joy after hearing the good news while Mako was still a little confused.


    "It is mandatory for all students who are part of a special ss to attend 4 sessions every week. You cane to the weapons hall at any time for your lessons and don''t worry I''ll always be here, and if you cane here outside of lessons and keep mepany, that''s fine by me as well." Magnus finished exining.


    Alexi was happy with that exnation and proceeded to leave Magnus'' office soon after, stating that his business here was over and that he had more important things to take care of.


    Mako didn''t wish to know nor did he care about whatever Alexi had going on and paid no attention to him as he left. The thing he was stuck on was the fact that Magnus told them that he would always be here and that they coulde and give him somepany.


    What did he mean by that?


    "Uh, sir? Please forgive me if I am crossing the line, but why did you say that we coulde and keep youpany? I''m sure many strong teachers in the school would be greatpany for you," Mako said as this was the only thing that made sense in Mako''s mind.


    Magnus lightly giggled after he heard Mako''s innocentment.


    "Mako, do you not know who I am?" Magnus questioned with a hint of curiosity.


    Mako was a bit uneasy after Magnus asked him the question because he really had no idea who Magnus was and he didn''t want to insult him by not knowing him if he was some kind of war hero that demanded respect and recognition.


    "I''m very sorry, sir... but I don''t know who you are," Mako said slowly, anxious and slightly afraid to see what kind of reaction Magnus would have.


    "Ah... I see... *sigh*... Well, that''s probably for the better." Magnus stated.


    Although Mako was d that he hadn''t offended his new teacher, he was now more curious than anything as he wanted to know who his teacher really was.


    "Please, sir, if it''s not too much trouble, I''m genuinely curious about you. You must have quite the story to be so well-known," Mako spoke with utmost respect, eager to uncover more about Magnus.


    "Hmm? Do you really wish to know?" Magnus asked.


    "Yes of course, a person so much power as you and is well known must have aplished great feats to reach that level of fame." Mako praised Magnus.


    "Ha Ha Ha!" Magnus began to crackle up andugh at Mako''s statement, but theughter wasn''t filled with arrogance or pride, but rather it was tinged with despair and regret.


    "It is quite the opposite young man, you see... I am known as the "prideful disgrace of the military"," Magnus stated.


    "A... A disgrace?" Mako stuttered with shock as he wasn''t expecting such a title for someone as strong and amazing as Magnus.


    *********************


    "Indeed... Two years ago, I was a second inmand of an entire fleet of military ships that were traveling to the far ends of the gxy to face a new threat or whatever. I was a rising superstar within the military, the fastest person to reach the rank of general in history." Magnus began to narrate.


    "Many people thought that my progression wouldn''t end and I would go on to be a greatmander and I thought so too. However, my judgment day came and I was not prepared."


    "Halfway through our travel, we received an urgent distress signal from a nearby sr system where we had established a colony, requesting immediate backup because the natives of the had broken the terms of the treaty and had united together to kill all the human settlers."


    "I immediately wanted to dy our current mission and help out our brothers who were trapped on that and were being ughtered by the minute, but... themander of the fleet stopped me from taking action, saying that our mission was just as important and that other reinforcements would arrive there in a day or so,"


    "I couldn''t believe what mymander had just said to me. I couldn''t abandon my fellow brothers and leave them to die and so I decided to go against themander. I along with a handful of my trusted men, all snuck out of the fleet using a camouging ship and headed to the."


    "The that we were going to wasn''t as technologically advanced as us and so I thought that the human settlers were just being overwhelmed by the sheer number of the enemy as how could 1 colony stand up against the poption of the entire? I thought that I could quickly resolve the issue and make it back on the fleet before anyone would even notice, but that decision ended up costing me everything."


    "When wended on the, the only way I could describe the state of the was absolute and utter chaos. Wended in HQ and the leader of the human colony gave the details of what had happened. The natives of the had somehow gotten their hands on ss 5 weapons and a lot of them."


    "Those weapons could instantly kill any human who was at the ALPHA rank or below, and those natives weremitting mass genocide to eradicate every single human with those weapons. All teleporters and ships were sabotaged meaning there was no way out, they all had to stand and fight."


    "Me and my men decided that we would take the fight to them and try and talk things out with their leaders before there was more bloodshed, but it turned out that their leaders had expected someone toe and talk to them so that the fighting would stop and hadid a trap for us,"


    "The trap was some kind of kic polyelectric barrier that entrapped a person and restricted them from using abilities. While I was speaking with the leaders, trying to make theme to an agreement, they suddenly activated the trap and captured me and all of my men."


    "The leaders then gave me a choice, either I swore my fealty to them and helped them in the fight against the humans or I could watch all of my men die in front of me..."


    There was a slight pause in Magnus'' story and Mako could see the anger and pain in his eyes.


    "I watched... everyst one of my men that were like brothers to me, die right in front of my eyes while I was helpless to do anything. They left me to diest so that I could witness every single death, but what those creatures didn''t know was that humans are very emotional beings, we crack through our limits when we are at our lowest point and I... had never been lower."


    *****************************

 Chapter 314 General Magnus (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 314 General Magnus (Part 2)</h4>


    "In that intense moment, I broke past my barrier and awoke a new power, a power strong enough to ovee the resistance of the barrier."


    "The moment, I tore through the electric barrier that bounded me, I could see the absolute shock and fear in the eyes of every single leader. I could still hear the dying cries of all my men ringing in my ears and in the moment that I tore through and was free, I lost control of myself."


    "I don''t have any memory of what happened after I was free, but when I woke up hourster, I was floating in a sea of purple blood riddled with broken pieces of limbs and organs of the creatures that once inhabited that."


    There was another slight pause as Magnus looked up to see Mako in the eye.


    "I... had killed an entire race while I was in that state. The creatures saw my superior strength and how I was killing every single creature in my path, not sparing the young or the old, they ramped up their own genocide and killed everyst human in the colony before I was able to finish them all off."


    "By the time the authorities had arrived on the, I was the only living being left on the entire. I was arrested and put on trial at the Gctic Court of Justice."


    "I pleaded for my case and tried to justify my actions but it turned out that the story that I had given to my arresting officer about what had happened was changed and manipted by the Earth leaders before it was presented to the United Worlds Security Council."


    "Since I am a human, the Earth leaders would have been held responsible for the mass extinction of a whole race and so in order to save their own skin, they told the council that they had nothing to do with me and that I had gone rouge and had done this on my own."


    "Instead of acknowledging theirpse in security within that sector, which allowed the aliens to acquire those ss 5 weapons and initiate the human genocide due to their inability to monitor the situation, they shifted the entire me onto me."


    "They used me of trafficking weapons to rogue mercenaries and when the''s leaders discovered this and threatened to involve authorities, they fabricated a story of me going on a rampage and indiscriminately killing everyone."


    "After hearing that, the other members of the council pressured Earth Leaders to give me the harshest punishment for my quote-on-quote crimes but since there was no hard evidence and the only proof was the fake story that Earth Leaders had crafted which Ipletely denied during my trial and instead presented the court with what actually happened, they decided topletely strip me of my powers and title within the military and that I would be imprisoned for 50 years."


    "50 YEARS?" Mako couldn''t help but say out loud.


    "It was actually a light punishment, I should have been imprisoned for multiple lifetimes for eradicating a whole race, but luckily the jury found my version of the story more convincing and believed that I acted out in self-defense," Magnus exined.


    "After that day I was imprisoned in one of the biggest prisons in the entire gxy for several years up until 2 months ago. One day, the warden came to my holding cell and told me that I was being transferred to Earth. After my arrival, I thought that I would be going to a new prison but rather I was brought here."


    "The officers that brought me here told me that this weapon''s hall would now be my prison."


    Mako was visibly confused as to why would the guards want to transfer an alleged mass murderer to a training school, but before he could ask Magnus stood up his chair and pulled up his sleeve to reveal a thin metal bracelet around his bicep muscle.


    "They attached this device onto my arm before they left, it constantly suppresses my body so I can barely muster to use 10% of my power and it keeps track of my location to make sure I never leave the weapons hall. They said that even though I had lost my chance to ever gain status in the military, I could at least redeem myself by teaching the young generation my skills and training them to be valuable assets for the military like I once was."


    *


    *


    *


    "Bull****! They want more killers in their arsenal so that they can still oppose any threat and maintain their superiority within the gxy and throw those under the bus who don''t follow their orders!" Magnus shouted as he became a bit emotional and began talking to himself.


    Mako was left speechless after he heard theplete story and witnessed Magnus'' emotions in the end. He knew that feeling quite too well as he had also gone through a simr experience.


    Magnus quickly realized that he had gotten too emotional and had spoken way too much. He apologized for his sudden outburst before sighing.


    "This was why I wanted to put such a bad impression of myself to all the students in the first ss, I didn''t want those innocent kids to look up to me or try to be like me. This was why I gave everyone who wanted special sses a test that would steer them away because I didn''t want to be burdened by passing on my legacy to the new generation." Magnus said as he turned around to look at Mako again.


    "Well... almost everyone..."


    Mako couldn''t find any words to say as the weight of Magnus'' story was just too strong. He would have never imagined that he would meet such an important person during his first day at the school.


    "Then why, sir? Why did you ept me or Alexi as your students, neither of us was able to touch you so you could have denied us too, why did you take us in?" Mako asked as he was not quite curious.


    Magnus''s gaze softened as he looked at Mako, a hint of something akin to regret flickering in his eyes.


    "When you guys epted my conditions and fought me," he began, his voice carrying a weight of sincerity. " I saw my younger self within the two of you, one having the hunger for knowledge and growth while the other has the thirst to be stronger. Despite your initial struggles, I sensed a determination within you both, a willingness to learn and grow."


    He paused, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. "Perhaps it is selfish of me, but I hope that I teach you to be something better, someone who could carry on the legacy of the knowledge I''ve spent my life cultivating. More than that, I saw in you the real chance for redemption, a chance to truly make amends for the mistakes I''ve made."


    Magnus''s words hung in the air, heavy with emotion. Mako felt a surge of understanding wash over him, realizing the depth of Magnus''s intentions.


    "I may have tried to deter others, but I have acknowledged my sins and I believe that officer was right, I should pass on my skills and knowledge but only to those that I deem worthy so that promising young stars like you are guided in the right direction rather than bing senseless killers," Magnus concluded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.


    Mako nodded, a newfound respect and admiration blossoming within him for the enigmatic teacher before him.


    "You are not alone in that feeling, sir," Mako stated as he fully realized his teacher''s emotions and feelings.


    Mako also shortly narrated the events of his very first mission and how it had failed, how he was the one responsible for the loss of their friend and how the military still punished them by cing them under house arrest.


    Magnus was admittedly quite amazed to see the simrities between his own and his student''s past mistakes. Mako made sure not to mention anything about his current mission as even though he trusted Magnus to not be involved with anything, the room they were standing in was most definitely bugged as Magnus himself said that this was his prison and he didn''t want to leak any information.


    "This is why I vowed to never be weak enough to not be able to save the people that I care about. That is why I aim to be the strongest," Mako stated his motive for his hunger for power and knowledge.


    Magnus listened intently to Mako''s recounting of his past, his expression softening with empathy as he understood the weight of Mako''s burdens.


    "You carry a heavy burden, Mako," Magnus said solemnly. "But it is through our failures that we learn and grow. Your determination to be stronger, to protect those you care about, ismendable."


    "As your teacher, I will do everything in my power to guide you along the right path," Magnus dered, his voice filled with conviction. "Together, we will strive to ovee the obstacles that stand in our way and forge a new legacy... a legacy of peace and kindness."

 Chapter 315 Much To Do

    <h4>Chapter 315 Much To Do</h4>


    As Mako left the hall, his mind kept going back to Magnus'' story and he found himself reflecting deeply on their conversation. Despite his reservations about revealing too much, he felt a sense of relief having confided in Magnus. The weight of his burdens felt a little lighter, knowing he had someone to talk to who had gone through a simr experience.


    Once alone, Mako activated his system, he had paused the notifications so that he could focus on what Magnus was saying, but he was also quite curious about what new skill he had unlocked.


    [Profile] ?


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 500/500] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï- -] (+1)


    [Energy: 7000/7000] ? [- - - - - - - - - -] (+1)


    [EXP: 5000/100,000] ?


    [ount: 390 Bronze Tier Coins, 25 Silver Tier Coins, 2 Gold Tier Coins] ? (+1)


    [Level 15] ?


    [Strength: 50 (+60) ] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï - -] (+1)


    [Agility: 50 (+35) ] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï-] (+1)


    [Perception: 50(+20)] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï - - - - - - -] (+1)


    [Intelligence: 50] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï- - - - -] (+1)


    [Mentality: 50] ? [- - - - - - - - - -] (+1)


    [Stamina: 51 (+30) ] ? [¡ï¡ï- - - - - - - -] (+1)


    [Charisma: 18] ? [- - - - - - - - - -] (+1)


    [Fortitude: 50 (+20)] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï- - -] (+1)


    [Attribute Points: 220] ?


    ********************


    Mako''s profile tab hadn''t changed much ever since he reached level 15 as he had barely done any training orpleted quests till now, besides the daily quests that didn''t even grant him attribute points anymore.


    He still had many attribute points but now the conversion rate for the points was so high, that Mako decided to save them for emergencies in case he faced a strong opponent and needed an edge.


    Till then he decided not to over-rely on the system and pull his own weight by training and levelling up his attributes naturally.


    He still had several things on his to-do list for example he wanted to do a quick solo training session to figure out how much training he would have to do to upgrade his attributes naturally.


    He still wanted to check out the mana training ss and now that he had free will on whatever timings he wanted for his special power weapons ss, he believed it was definitely possible for him to take both sses which would boost his progression exponentially.


    There was still the main library he wanted to check out. There were so many questions that Mako wanted answers to like how were the ability and skill books created, how could his grandmother''s aura of the love ability still linger inside of him even after she had died, and many more.


    There were also some questions rting to the system quests that Mako wanted answers to like what was the Nature ability; a quest he had received shortly after gaining the system was to obtain this ability. What was the deal with Kepler? Mako still needed to find out what had happened to Sir Derek''s daughter when she was assigned a mission on that.


    There was the mystery of the system itself. His great-grandfather had told him that the system was created from thebined knowledge of ten worlds. Mako wanted to find out which ten worlds his grandfather was talking about to realize the potential of his system fully; this meant fully delving into the era of his great-grandfather and learning all that he could about the technology of that time.


    Mako already had a small lead as one of the worlds had to be Earth and the second one was the world of the Vampires. After he had woken up in the military clinic 3 dayster, he had learned that the system had used a technique that was used by the Vampires to prevent death. It was at that time that he came to know of their existence and Mako was quite excited to learn more about them.


    There was also the pedestal that was in Mako''s basement on which the box containing the system was kept. When he revisited the basement, he got supercharged by that pedestal before it descended into the ground. The system told Mako that there were 5 other pedestals somewhere in the world which could provide supercharges too and that he would unlock more features after receiving all the charges.


    Mako had no idea where to even start with this quest but he believed that if he learned more about his great-grandfather''s life, he might find a clue which could lead to him finding more pedestals.


    ********************


    Looking back at all the things that he still had to do Mako would be lying if he didn''t say he was overwhelmed. Six months ago, Mako would never have even imagined how far he hade in such a short period of time and how many wild experiences he had faced.


    "One thing at a time, Mako; like Gran Gran used to say," Mako said to himself as he thought back to the simpler times when he was living with his grandmother.


    A smile appeared on his face and his eyes became slightly teary as he remembered those good ol'' days. Mako would trade anything in the world to have one more day with her, but he was strong enough to ept her passing on and now he was going to do everything in his power to make her proud.


    Returning back to the notifications, Mako finally decided to check out the new skill he had received and he was left amazed at what he read.


    (NEW!) [(C-Tier) Calm Mind] ? (Level 1)


    [Upgradeable] ?


    [Calm Mind is a support skill that allows the user to gain a temporary boost in attributes. In order to activate Calm Mind, the user has to remain in a meditative position toplete a cycle to receive the boost in attributes. The quality and duration of boosts will increase for the number of cycles the userpletes.


    It will take the user longer toplete each cycle and once the meditation is broken, the user cannot use the skill again until the previous boost has expired.


    1st Cycle (Duration: 30 minutes) --> Gain +5 boost in Perception and +5 boost in Stamina for 6 hours.


    2nd Cycle (Duration: 2 hours) -> Gain +15 boost in Perception, +15 boost in Stamina, and +5 boost in Mentality for 1 day.


    3rd Cycle (Duration: 4 hours) --> Gain +20 boost in Perception, +20 boost in Stamina, +15 boost in Mentality, and +5 boost in Fortitude for 2 days.


    More cycles and possible functions of this skill can be unlocked by upgrading the skill.]


    [Upgrade Requirements: 20 Advanced Tier Crystals]


    This was Mako''s very first C-Tier skill and definitely lived up to its tier. He was justining about how it was going to be difficult levelling up his attributes and it looked like the system was listening as it presented the perfect skill for him.


    Although the boosts would be temporary, Mako now had a way to gain more perception and stamina which meant that he could now focus more on his strength, agility, and fortitude and get them leveled up as well.


    In addition to that, this skill didn''t require any energy from the user just like Analyze which meant that even if he was suppressed or low on energy, he could still use this skill.


    ''Another great addition to my arsenal of skills,'' Mako chuckled to himself as he made his way over to the mana training ss.


    *******************


    The mana training ss was held in a spacious training room right next to the library.


    ''Talk about convenience,'' Mako said to himself as he walked past the grand library on his way to the mana training ss.


    The room was adorned with mystical sigils and glowing crystals. The air itself felt somehow charged with energy and Mako could feel his energy regeneration increase the moment he stepped inside the room.


    There were a couple of students sitting in a circle on the ground with their legs crossed and appeared to be meditating.


    Mako couldn''t spot the teacher after he stepped inside so he decided to approach one of the students to ask about the teacher.


    "Shhh! Don''t disturb them..." A loud whisper stopped Mako in his tracks.


    He turned around to look at who whispered at her, only to see a student walking towards him wearing unique robes.


    Most of the students had changed into their regr clothes after the sses were over for the day so it wasn''t so weird that the girl was wearing robes, but the robes themselves felt quite different, Mako couldn''t put his finger on it but they definitely weren''t normal robes.


    "I''m sorry, I just wanted to know where the teacher was... I want to join the mana training ss. Can you help me find her?" Mako said as he apologized to the student who was marching towards him.


    The girl''s mouth began to curl into a smile after hearing Mako''s apology.


    Mako was confused after observing the girl smile at him for no apparent reason without even saying anything else. However, before he could say anything else, the girl began swiping her arms in the air and a sparkly purple mist began to envelop her body.


    Mako was left dumbfounded as within literal seconds the student in front of her had disappeared and now standing in front of him was a beautiful woman adorning the same robe as before.


    "I am the teacher of the mana training ss, sweetheart. My name is Rose Morales, but you can just call me Miss Morales." The woman chuckled as she dusted off the remaining sparkly mist of her robe.

 Chapter 316 Mana Training Class

    <h4>Chapter 316 Mana Training ss</h4>


    Mako''s jaw was left hanging after he had observed the spectacr disy of the girl transforming into an adult strong and beautiful woman.


    ''Is this... a transformation ability?'' Mako thought to himself.


    ******************


    Transformation abilities weren''t anything to rave about nor were they as important because they just allowed the user to transform into the beast from which the ability was extracted. It had a terrible learning curve as the user was basically learning how to operate a new body from scratch.


    Mako had learned that if a person had mastery over their transformation ability, they could fully tap into the potential of the beast even if that beast wasn''t at a high level.


    Take Rhino for example; Leon''s personal bodyguard, who had the Mutant Rhino Transformation ability. It was a magnificent ability that originated from an Advanced Tier beast.


    Initially, Rhino had been able to partially and fully transform into the Mutant Rhino.


    Then, he was able to utilize the main ability of the Mutant Rhino which was the strength ability. The great thing about transformation abilities was that it gave the user full ess to all the abilities that the beast had an affinity to making it a great deal for obtaining multiple abilities from a single transformation ability.


    Finally, during his fight with Mako and Bill, he was able to increase his ability level and tap into the inherited skill that Mutant Rhinos possessed, called "Final Resolve".


    Final Resolve acted in ways simr to Mako''s Rage Mode as when a Mutant Rhino felt intense desperation when losing a battle, it is able to harness its own emotions and convert them into power.


    There was still much room for Rhino to grow as the next thing he had to focus on was to learn how to use the abilities of the Mutant Rhino while remaining in his human form.


    There were also many more possibilities with things such as evolutions and mutant genes that could greatly improve and diversify the arsenal of a transformation ability user.


    ********************


    ''No... No! It can''t be a transformation ability! That only works with beasts! *HUH!* Could it really be...? No way... It has to be the Shapeshift ability!'' Mako said to himself as he re-evaluated Rose''s terrific disy.


    The Shapeshift ability was extremely rare. It was so rare that even though it didn''t provide the user with any stat boosts or fighting capabilities and was technically weak, It was ssified as a High A-Tier ability.


    Forparison, the five basic elemental abilities that were the main arsenal for countless beings all around the gxy were only considered a High D-Tier ability. This was not because these abilities didn''t have the capabilities of being ssified as a national threat based on the level of destruction they could cause in the hands of a capable user.


    No, the reason they were ranked this low was because of them being somon toe by.


    Realistically, every ability could be considered a high A-Tier or B-Tier ability if the person using said ability could utilize it to its full potential which was something that an extremely small minority of beings within the entire gxy could aplish.


    So in most cases, the ranks that were given to abilities were generally based on their rarity and learning curve.


    ********************


    Mako couldn''t believe his eyes as never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined meeting a shapeshifter.


    Shapeshifters were one of the most sought-after ability users by the military and other huge corporations.


    Not only was it the ultimate ability for covert and infiltration missions but it also had manymercial uses as bing the perfect spokesperson at any event and model for every advertisement and show.


    Mako had encountered a shapeshifter before which was Haruto when he was impersonating Andrew in order to lead them astray during the recruitment test; however, Rose had far more refined technique than Haruto''s which looked a lot more painful as he shifted forms.


    Knowing how rare and precious the ability was, Mako was always at a loss for why was Haruto such a low ranking member of El Diablo''s gang, but considering how Natasha had him on a leash, there was some underlying reason that he didn''t know that would exin his circumstances.


    ****************


    "What''s wrong, Love? It seems as if you have seen a ghost" Rose giggled after witnessing Mako stare at her with jaw dropped to the ground in awe.


    This was the same reaction Rose would receive every time she pulled this trick and she just absolutely adored messing with the new students witnessing her do it for the first time.


    Mako quickly coughed as heposed himself back from his state of awe and apologized to Rose which she gracefully epted.


    The situation quickly became awkward for Mako as he didn''t know how to proceed but luckily Rose spared him by quickly initiating the conversation.


    "So young man, do you wish to join the mana training ss?" Rose inquired as she dusted off thest remains of the sparkly mist off her robe.


    "Ye... Yes, ma''am, I do" Mako replied.


    "Well then, what do you know about mana?" Rose inquired as all of a sudden the surroundings around Mako began to shift slightly.


    Before Mako could even realize it, he was now sitting on a chair at the back end of the ssroom with Rose pouring him a warm cup of tea from an ancient-looking teapot.


    He was once again at a loss for words as to what was happening around him as he couldn''t even fathom which ability was able to do something like this.


    ''Shapeshifting... Dimensional Warping maybe... no no that can''t be it... just who is she?'' Mako thought with intense curiosity as he observed the calm and collected Mana teacher pour him a hot cup of tea.


    "Are you going to say something or keep staring at my beauty, dear?" Rose teased Mako some more as she watched him collect his thoughts in utter confusion.


    "Uh.. yes, I know that mana is the energy inside our bodies that we use in order to cast our abilities. We have special pathways inside our bodies just like veins but they are not physical and instead help us to move mana around in our bodies. I also learned that Mana exists everywhere naturally and is the codingnguage of the universe; although I''m still not entirely sure how exactly that is." Mako replied with great detail about his limited knowledge of the topic.


    "Very good, it seems that you at least know some of the truth about what Mana actually is..." Rose stated as she took a sip of her nice and aromatic tea.


    "Mana is indeed the codingnguage of the universe as I''m sure some of the teachers may have taught you but what exactly is that you may ask?" Rose began to exin. "Mana defines each and everything that you perceive as reality."


    Mako was a bit confused as to what Rose meant by reality; however, he continued to listen as Rose continued with her exnation knowing that it would all make sense in the end.


    "Let''s take an example from mathematics. In mathematics, we have variables that we can assign anything to and they will behave in ordance to the rules and regtions that we have set for them."


    "Simrly, each and everything around you follows a set of principles which you may also refer to as thews of nature. Gravity pulls stuff to the ground, some things are heavier than others, some can conduct heat and electricity while some are very durable and hard to break. Some are solid while some are liquid... the list goes on and on and on..."


    "Mana isn''t thosews of nature itself but the medium between them and the physical objects allowing thews to interact with the objects. Mana defines everything there is to know about an object from their appearance to their properties. It is the codingnguage that runs the program which is reality itself!" Rose exined with overwhelming emotions as she concluded our exnation.


    Mako sat back in his chair, absorbing Rose''s exnation with a mix of wonder and realization. His expression shifted from initial confusion to deep contemtion, his eyes reflecting the gravity of what he had just been told.


    As Rose''s words sank in, Mako''s mind began to race with newfound understanding. The concept of mana as the codingnguage of the universe resonated deeply with him, connecting disparate pieces of knowledge he had umted over time. He felt a sense of awe at the idea that everything around him was governed by such a fundamental force, like the unseen strings of a cosmic puppeteer.


    Yet, alongside his awe, there was a spark of excitement. The realization that mana defined not only the physical properties of objects but also their very existence opened up a vast realm of possibilities. It was as if he had been handed the key to unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and he was eager to delve deeper into its secrets.


    "Now let me ask you something... uh what''s your name young man?" Rose asked midway through her speech as she forgot to even ask for the student''s name. She was so absorbed in the topic of mana itself that she could go on for hours just chatting about the topic with any stranger who shared the same interest as her.


    "It''s Mako, Mako Grey," He replied.


    "Mako... Grey, huh? ...Well... nice to meet you, Mako Grey." Rose said awkwardly before quickly returning back to her original point.


    Mako found it a bit odd as the person who had shown nothing but calmness and grace had reacted in such a manner after only learning his name, but he decided to ignore it for now.


    "Let me ask you a question, Mako. What did you think I used when I first approached you as a young student." Rose asked.


    Mako didn''t think that her initial disy was anything mysterious as it was obvious to him that she had used the shapeshifting ability.


    "You used the shapeshifting ability to change your appearance," Mako replied innocently.


    A huge grin appeared on Rose''s face as she heard Mako''s answer.


    "I''ll give you props for actually giving me an answer and it was a good one too, but sadly you are wrong, Mako. I actually don''t possess any abilities at all." Rose replied.


    ''WHAT!''

 Chapter 317 The Power of Mana (Part 1)

    Chapter 317 The Power of Mana (Part 1)


    ??Mako couldn''t hold back his emotions anymore as he had been receiving a continuous amount of shocking information from the woman sitting opposite to him as he yelled his disbelief and confusion out loud.


    ''WHAT!''


    Rose instantly raised her finger and a water bubble formed around the table they were sitting at so that no noise would escape outside and potentially disturb her other students who were deep in concentration.


    Mako paused in the middle of his exim as he watched his surroundings get quickly surrounded by a water bubble.


    Given the fact that Rose had just used a water ability move, Mako had a quizzical expression on his face as he turned back to face Rose while being stuck on the point that Rose just imed that she had no abilities.


    The sudden use of the water ability was a legitimate sign that he still didn''t fully understand what Rose was trying to tell him as all he could think about was how could Rose manage to do all those other things if she didn''t possess an ability.


    Unable to maintain his curiosity and shock any longer, Mako asked Rose the main question.


    "How did you do that?" Mako asked.


    Rose began to snicker which quickly transitioned into lightughter all the while Mako continued to stare at her, his eyes begging for an answer to satisfy his thirst for curiosity.


    "Ha ha ha... It''s mana, silly. Why do you think I have been talking about it, this whole time?" Rose replied while still snickering.


    "Mana...?" Mako repeated, still confused.


    "I used the mana inside my body to ess the mana surrounding me and once I am connected with the natural mana of the world, I can influence it however I want. How do you think you guys use your abilities in the first ce?"


    Mako paused as he didn''t have an answer.


    "There is a special type of mana stored inside your bodies which you guys refer to as your aura and when you use an ability, that aura is released into the natural world to cast abilities and moves. The aura is just you using your mana to influence the mana of the outside world to generate abilities." Rose answered her own question.


    A wave of realization hit Mako as he looked into himself and noticed how the aura bubbles residing in his body were quite simr to the raw mana that was coursing through his mana highways; although it wasn''t exactly the same.


    "Then... what''s the difference between the aura of our abilities and pure mana?" Mako questioned, his surprised demeanor quickly fading away and being reced with his true self as someone who was just excited to learn something new and gain more knowledge.


    Simrly, a warm smile also appeared on Rose''s face as she observed Mako be more open and genuinely just interested in the topic and wanting to learn more.


    "The only difference between your aura and pure mana is that pure mana has an affinity to every single thing in the universe as it governs all matter and energy, but because of this, it is very difficult for anyone to utilize pure mana to cast powerful skills and moves of a specific ability."


    "This is where your aura has an edge as it is basically filtered mana. It is a special type of mana that only holds an affinity towards a specific resource, power, or ability which means that it can only generate, influence, and control that specific thing and nothing else; however, thanks to this restriction, the concentration of this special mana can be greatly increased, allowing a person to store great amounts of it in their body and cast much stronger and greater skills than what would normally be deemed impossible." Rose exined in detail.


    Mako nodded as he understood Rose''s exnation with ease.


    "Um... I understand that but as you know we humans don''t naturally possess any type of aura and instead, we gain our abilities from ability books. How is that aura stored inside a book which could then be transferred inside of us?" Mako asked.


    "An excellent question, Mako," Rosemended Mako as very few of her students had given any thought to the very thing that allowed them to gain abilities.


    It was true that humans naturally didn''t possess any abilities and in turn any type of aura naturally inside their body. They were only able to awaken abilities after absorbing ability books, something that the Yalhvi introduced to the humans.


    The ability and skill books were a big mystery for Mako. He knew that they were created from the power crystals of the in power beasts but he didn''t know what the process was to convert them into the books that granted him his abilities and skills.


    The ability books always had a single crystal that was embedded into the cover and by breaking the crystal, the person would receive the ability that was stored inside of it.


    The crystals that Mako had harvested from the many beasts that he had in on the ind were all raw crystals that only provided Mako with a small percentage of the actual ability making it quite confusing as there was only one crystal embedded in the ability book and it seemed to provide theplete ability.


    "For me to exin how ability and skill books function, I would first have to exin the history of mana itself and the very fundamentals of mana maniption," Rose stated with aplex expression on her face.


    "On a universal scale, all living creatures can be ssified into two groups; ones that are naturally born with an ability and ones that are not. Humans are one of those creatures that do not possess an ability naturally, and the beasts that you encountered on that ind are creatures that do possess a natural ability."


    "Now the difference between us and those beasts is that although they have been blessed with a naturally urring ability, they have been restricted by nature to only being able to use the ability given to them and the ones which have beenid out in their path of evolution, and nothing more."


    "On the other hand, humans and all the other creatures that don''t naturally possess an ability might think of themselves as unlucky that they weren''t simrly blessed by nature as those beasts but you would be mistaken."


    "Although it would seem so at the surface, humans actually received the better end of the deal."


    Mako had always dreamed of how much different his life would have been if he had an ability just like all the other kids who used to bully him.


    He really did feel hopeless and cursed by nature itself for his misfortune and bad luck, and now Rose was telling him that humans were actually lucky that they weren''t born with an ability?


    "How so, ma''am?" Mako questioned.


    "The reason is because creatures like us humans have instead been blessed with the ability to directly influence mana itself," Rose replied.


    "Directly influence... mana... itself?" Mako repeated with uncertainty. "We can''t do that either..."


    "Of course, we can, haven''t you heard of the countless legends from our long history of people bing superhuman, surviving immense injuries, and even manipting nature?" Rose replied.


    Human history was littered with stories, tales, and legends of many people from the past who were said to be unnatural as they possessed abilities such as super strength, or extraordinary healing abilities that would help them aplish impressive feats.


    Mako''s grandmother was quite a fan of those urban legends and would often tell their stories to Mako as she would put her to bed, but in the end, they were only stories, right?


    "But those were only fairy tales, the Yalhvi hadn''t evene to earth at that time," Mako stated as the timeline of everything just didn''t add up.


    "Oh? So you think us humans were nothing but ravages before the Yalhvi found us?" Rose asked while raising one of her eyebrows.


    Mako immediately felt like he had stepped out of line and had said something he shouldn''t have. He felt that he should have just listened to her whole exnation before opening his mouth but now it was toote.


    "Uh...Um... No...no ma''am... I..." Mako stuttered as he quickly fumbled to try and put together an excuse.


    However, before he could continue Rose began to chuckle once again.


    "You don''t have to walk on eggshells around me dear, I just love messing with young students," Rose said while giggling.


    Mako put his head down with a sigh of relief but also with the embarrassment of getting yed by Rose one more time. Even though Rose wasn''t excreting any type of aura or pressure that would warrant him to be careful or scared of her, somehow he still felt inadequate and inferior in her presence making him careful not to identally piss her off.


    "In my opinion, humans were indeed ravages before the Yalhvi found us. All they did was destroy themselves and the very they called their home with corruption, unnecessary wars, and deception all in the name of greed and power." Rose stated.


    "However, not all humans were the same. There were also many who cared for the and its people and worked their entire lives for the greater good of humanity."


    "And to answer your question, yes the Yalhvi did indeed introduce the concepts of mana and abilities to humans but the actual ability to harness and manipte mana itself was something that humans possessed naturally from the time they were born."

 Chapter 318 The Power Of Mana (Part 2)

    Chapter 318 The Power Of Mana (Part 2)


    ??Mako was amazed as he learned the fact that humans could manipte mana this entire time but then the obvious question arose in his mind.


    "If humans can manipte mana then howe I haven''t seen anyone use it before nor have I ever heard about such a concept in any book about abilities that I have read," Mako said.


    "In some cultures, it was referred to as Chi, in others it was called Ki. Some referred to it as the power of the soul while others attributed it to as nature''s favour. There were many interpretations of mana through human''s long history but one thing remainsmon through each interpretation that it was extremely difficult to grasp and utilize and only a select few could ever harness its power." Rose began to exin.


    "The people throughout history who were able to harness and manipte mana were always those who had spent their entire lives in discipline and training. There were monks who would meditate for years in solitude in order to grasp the workings of mana within their very bodies while there were many warriors throughout history who pushed their physical bodies to their utmost limit and shattered through the barrier that prevented them from harnessing and storing raw mana inside their bodies."


    "And of course, there were also those who received blessings from birth and would go on to harness great power which would change the course of the world," Rose concluded.


    Thinking back at some of the stories that Mako could recall hearing from his grandmother, the hero of the story would always have some sort of supernatural strength or power that would allow him to even the most impossible of odds.


    Now looking at it from the brand new perspective that Rose had given him, Mako realized that Mana Maniption fit the description quite well for all the supernatural and unexinable feats that humanity had aplished throughout its history.


    "So I am guessing you are one of the blessed ones who could manipte mana from birth which shows by how easily you can influence your surroundings," Mako stated after realizing the truth and evaluating Rose based on the exnation she herself had just given.


    "Oh... Ha ha ha!" Rose erupted in a lightughter after hearing Mako''s assumption. "Do you really think I am someone who was blessed from birth, your naiveness really amuses me, Mako."


    *Giggle*


    "No, I am someone who couldn''t even bepared to those who have received blessings from birth. They are in a league of their own and trust me, you wouldn''t have to assume whether they were blessed or not if you ever meet them. You will just know to follow and submit in their presence," Rose borated, still in a joking manner.


    Mako didn''t what to make of this as on one hand, Rose had been able to do so many extraordinary and amazing things that it was clear she was far stronger and greater than him in every regard even if she didn''t possess any actual abilities.


    However, on the other hand, she imed that she wasn''t evenparable to those who were truly blessed from birth, people who were born with a specific purpose and had the ability to have a huge impact on the world.


    Then who were those amazing people who had such power and blessings?


    "Miss Rose? Have you ever met a blessed warrior before?" Mako asked.


    From the way Rose was describing these people and telling him how insignificant she was in front of them, Mako had a hunch that maybe she had encountered such a person before and if so he really wanted to meet them too.


    "Hmm? Of course, dear. I have met all 10 of them." Rose replied in her usual calm demeanor.


    "10? What do you mean by all ten...*HUH!* Don''t tell me!" Mako said as the realization hit him like a speedy train going 200 miles an hour.


    "You have met the ten legendary warriors that ended the civil war and restored peace to the world!?" Mako asked with excitement and curiosity bubbling out of control.


    "Yes dear, I have met all of them. I was part of one of the defending toons during the climax of the Civil War," Rose replied.


    It was as if a fuse had exploded inside Mako''s brain. He was overwhelmed with emotions and his brain became overloaded with a bajillion questions to ask about his childhood heroes of whom her grandmother would tell the most stories.


    ******************


    The Last Civil War was viewed as the greatest disgrace in human history and so much of the content regarding it was redacted and hidden from the public. There were very few details regarding the events that took ce during that time avable to the public and all of them were full of the feats that the 10 warriors had done to establish order and peace.


    After the war had been over and humanity began to heal, there were many cartoons and TV shows made about the 10 legendary warriors and their battles but almost all of the actual events were altered to make them more entertaining and to hide certain perspectives.


    This led to the majority of the human poptionpletely forgetting about the actual events that took ce and being reced by these fake events and stories including the actual identities of some of the 10 legendary warriors.


    The reason for hiding and manipting a big portion of human history was still unknown nor was it certain who was behind it. It could have been the world government trying to make the world forget about the great tragedies that took ce or the remnants of those evil people trying to mask their mistakes.


    ********************


    Mako continued asking Rose several questions regarding the 10 legendary warriors and her time fighting alongside them and Rose was happy to answer but after some time she finally hit Mako''s brakes as she told him that he would learn the true history of theplete civil war in his history ss military schools anyway and that he should save some questions for Eleanor, his history teacher.


    Embarrassed by his childish behaviour Mako apologized andposed himself. The conversation quickly drifted back to the original topic which was... mana.


    Rose told Mako that it was quite difficult to utilize mana in the past, but they now had a greater understanding of what mana actually was and so it was far easier for a person to gain the most basic understanding of mana maniption if they had their concepts solidified first.


    She also exined to him about how ability and skill books worked.


    "The reason why beasts who can use abilities can''t learn any other ability other than the ones that they are born with is because they actuallyck the ability to harness and manipte mana unlike us."


    "This is why you find a crystalized core inside their bodies. That core is basically solidified mana and it stores the aura of the ability that those beasts utilize."


    "After you kill the beast, most of the aura inside its crystal is immediately dissipated as the body isn''t alive to contain it leaving a minimal amount of it remaining inside the crystal after harvesting; however, the stronger the beast is the more aura is retained in its crystal after death."


    Rose exined to Mako that the raw crystals each containing some percentage of an actual ability are then refined by several processes to properly extract the abilities and skills that were stored inside the crystal.


    Rose didn''t borate much on the actual process of refining crystals as one of the students who had been meditating behind Mako this entire seemed to be quite struggling and Rose wanted to wrap up their little chat quickly so that she could tend to her other students.


    She asked Mako about his actual experience with man to whichMako told her that he was able to visualize the small bubbles of different auras that resided within his core and even the mana highways that were linked inside his body.


    Rose was quite impressed to see that Mako pretty much had the basics understood and it would be long before he could show her some actual results.


    She dropped the water bubble that was encasing their table and gestured Mako toe and join her other students.


    "I want you to rx and close your eyes. Since you can already visualize the mana highways inside your body, your next task is to try and observe the mana that is coursing through them at very high speeds." Rose instructed as she gently ced her hands on Mako''s shoulders while he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, with his eyes closed, deep in concentration.


    "Once you are able to observe the very mana inside your body, diverting and controlling is easy as long as you have the willpower to do so," Rose added before leaving Mako alone to concentrate.


    Some of the other students had broken their concentration and were visibly confused after not seeing any results. Rose quickly moved to help those students but not before turning back towards a concentrating Mako and almost whispering, "Oh... and wee to the mana training ss... I expect great things from you..."

 Chapter 319 An Unexpected Visitor in the Night

    Chapter 319 An Unexpected Visitor in the Night


    ??Mako''s eventful night finally came to an end as he arrived back at his dorm room. He was pretty exhausted after Magnus'' trial and the long meditation session in the mana training ss.


    He didn''t seem to make any progress towards manipting mana, but Rose assured him that his body was slowly adapting, and once it was in tune with his mind and will, the power would just click inside of him.


    Mako didn''tpletely understand what Rose meant by that, but he decided to have a little faith in his new teacher and try his best to achieve that power.


    He was greatly enlightened during his talk with Rose and her conversation with him still lingered inside his head after he left the mana training ss.


    He was still quite surprised that he was being trained by someone who fought in thest great civil war alongside the 10 legendary warriors. Although she kept repeating that she was only a part of a small rookie group at the time, she was still someone of great importance in Mako''s eyes.


    This also made Mako think of the obvious question which was how old was Rose, but Mako knew better than to ask ady that question. Considering how she could alter her appearance using mana, it was really hard to tell her real age, but Makop could estimate that she would be around the same age as his grandmother.


    Mako''s grandmother had reached the remarkable age of 118, yet she appeared as youthful as someone half her age. Thanks to the incredible advancements in modern medicine, most age-rted issues have been virtually eradicated. People now enjoyed vibrant and robust lives, free from the ailments that once gued the elderly, until their eventual death.


    Rose had given him a schedule of all the ss timings and they were surprisingly quite spread apart and manageable, unlike other sses.


    In some weeks, there was only a single ss scheduled which made Mako a bit concerned regarding his rate of progression but Rose assured him that the majority of the work was to be done by him like meditating so there was no need for so many sses.


    This turned out to be the best-case scenario for Mako as now he had a ton of free time which he could use to get loads of training from Magnus who allowed them toe to him at any time, for however long they wanted.


    He couldn''t believe he had gotten so lucky with the sses he had chosen as he would now receive guidance and training from two great teachers who were both so remarkable in their own right.


    ****************


    Lost in thought, Mako absentmindedly swiped his ID card on the scanner of his dorm room door, the soft beep signaling the door''s unlocking.


    Stepping inside, he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, the weight of all the things that had happened only on his first day in the military school finally catching up.


    With a sigh, he walked over to his bed hoping to copse and fall into a deep slumber, but unfortunately for Mako, the night still had a surprise waiting for him.


    As Mako flicked on the lights, ready to unwind, he froze in stunned silence. Sitting calmly on his bed, there was another... Mako, an exact replica of himself, staring back at him with a calm expression.


    Mako instantly took a stance as he confronted... himself?


    "Who are you? How did you get in here?!" Mako shouted.


    The other Mako calmly stood up from his bed with a simple sigh indicating that he had been waiting there for quite some time.


    Instead of saying anything, the other Mako began to raise his hands and Mako prepared himself for another brawl, he had no idea why a clone of himself was sitting in the dark waiting for his return. It could have been a dream or an illusion but Mako didn''t care.


    He had been outyed and outsmarted so many times because he would always take too long to analyze the situation and try to find a reason before addressing and dealing with it, but not anymore.


    A random person was waiting for him inside his dorm room, in the dark and somehow looked exactly like him. It was obvious that this person was up to no good and Mako would deal with him before finding out why he was there; however, to his surprise, the other Mako didn''t raise his hands to fight but rather to surrender.


    "Nice to... see you again," The other Mako said in Mako''s exact voice, but midway through his voice began to change into another voice, this one being familiar to Mako as well.


    It took Mako less than 2 seconds to realize who this person was.


    "Haruto?" Mako asked in confusion as the other Mako''s face began to melt and mold violently as it took on another shape.


    Within moments, the person standing in front of Mako was no longer him but rather Haruto.


    Now standing in front of him was the same familiar guy with long and wild jet-ck hair, deep blue eyes, and a sharp long face. His face still maintained his signature weird wide smile and showcased his sharp pointy teeth.


    He also still had those weird ck spots on the side of his cheek which now that Mako could see clearly didn''t look like some ink was sttered on it, but rather it was a burn mark.


    "What are you doing here? How did you even get in?" Mako asked, clearly confused as to what business would Haruto have with him.


    "Please forgive me, but I had to take your form in order to use the biometric scanner on the door to enter," Haruto replied respectfully.


    Haruto''s behavior had drastically changed from the time when Mako and his friends first met him or to be exact... caught him.


    Haruto had been tasked during the recruitment test to take Andrew''s identity and be an imposter in their group to learn about their power level and to lead them toward Mikhail; however, he was caught way sooner than he had expected thanks to Mako''s clever thinking.


    Back then Haruto had a cocky and mischievous attitude as he addressed them after getting caught in the act, but that all changed after Mako defeated Mikhail in the duel and left him go alongside Natasha.


    Ever since then, Haruto always appeared to be afraid and cautious whenever he moved or spoke and was very respectful with his words.


    Back when Natasha had disrespected Commander Sable and had refused to take any part in the special task force, Harutoplied with her wishes and followed her like a loyal dog but he did that while showing the proper respect to themander.


    That was thest time that Mako had seen Natasha and Haruto. Since they were also granted the special ss, they were allowed to stay at the base and train like them but since they didn''t go on any mission, they had 2 whole months to use the entirety of the military base''s resources to train and be strong and were in the special training ss when they came to military school.


    ***************


    Mako wasn''t in the mood for any games especially considering the person who held Haruto''s leash. He had no idea about the rtionship Haruto had with Natasha nor did he care as he just wanted to figure out why was he trespassing in his room thiste at night.


    Sparks of electricity erupted from Mako''s fist as he began to release his aura.


    "I don''t wish for a confrontation, I only came to forward a message," Haruto said calmly and without any emotion. It was as if he wasn''t phased by Mako''s threatening aura at all or just that he simply didn''t care about anything at this point.


    "Alright then, go ahead, speak," Mako said as he retracted his aura back.


    Taking a deep breath as the pressure from Mako''s aura is relieved from his body, Haruto began to speak," Natasha-kun has ordered me to bring you to one of the special ss training rooms where she wishes to speak to you in private,"


    "What does that evil bi*ch want with me? Don''t you guys remember what you did to me and my friends back on that ind? In what world do you think I will go with you to her?" Mako shouted with anger.


    "I don''t know," Haruto replied." All she told me is that she has some information that she said you would find very interesting and that if you want it you have toe with me and I will take you to see her."


    "That''s all, I am not here to fight or force you toe. If you don''t want toe then I will simply take my leave and give her your response, so what will it be?" Haruto added.


    Mako wasn''t expecting such an answer. What could Natasha possibly know of that would be of use to him and why would she even suspect that he needed information?


    Then it hit him, Natasha was at the military base during the entire time that they were locked away in a part of the base.


    Perhaps she had noticed something odd just like Commander Sable and wanted to share it with them; however, Mako knew better than to be that naive.


    It was obvious to Mako that this was some kind of trap, Natasha wasn''t a person who would do something like this out of the kindness of her heart but still, if Natasha did actually possess some information it would be worth a shot for him to meet her after all.


    Knowing that he was able to defeat them both once before gave him the confidence that he would be able to fight them off and escape if they decided to pull anything on him.


    With that, Mako lowered his guard and agreed to Haruto''s proposal, gesturing for him to lead the way so that he could meet with Natasha and finally end his first night at the military school.

 Chapter 320 Meeting in the Special Class Training Center

    Chapter 320 Meeting in the Special ss Training Center


    ??With a determined yet cautious expression, Mako followed Haruto through the corridors of his dorm, his senses on high alert for any sign of danger. The tension between them hung thick in the air, but both remained silent as they exited the building and started walking toward the special ss dorms.


    ********************


    The different sses of students essentially had their ownpounds within the military school.


    The blueprint of the entire school was in a triangr format with the studentpounds ced on the three corners with all the other buildings and points of interest located inside and toward the center of the triangle.


    Eachpound had its own set of dorms, training centers, cafeterias, etc... with thepounds getting morevish and amodating, the greater your student ss is.


    The basic ss studentpound was thergest of the three as it held thergest number of students and was the most standard-looking with no advanced training facility or equipment, resembling the closest to what a military school was supposed to look like.


    The advanced sspound, on the other hand, was far smaller and yet nicer, with sleek architecture and greenery. Its training centers were equipped with advanced AI robots, providing students with dynamic opponents to test their skills against.


    These robots were programmable and adaptable, offering a challenging and engaging training experience.


    Moreover, the advanced-sspound exuded a sense ofvishness, withfortable living quarters and exclusive amenities, resembling less like a military campus and more like a nice residential area.


    However, as Mako stepped into the special sspound, he realized just how much better they were getting treated inparison to them.


    The special ss studentpound stood apart from the other sses, boasting a more refined andpactyout.


    Within its confines were state-of-the-art facilities withvish and beautiful architecture that resembled those picture-perfect ultra-high-ss residential areas that were always advertised on TV.


    When Mako first arrived at the military school, he thought hispound was really nice. It was very clean and beautiful and was a major upgrade from the rough suburbs of Emerald City where he had grown up, but he did feel a bit jealous after he saw how much fancier the special ss students''pound was.


    *******************


    Haruto wasted no time as he began to lead Mako down a beautiful brick road that led to the training center which was right next to the dorms of the special ss students.


    The training rooms were ced right next to the dorms so that the students would have ease of ess. It was filled with dueling rooms, scenario rooms, terrain simtors, gyms, pools, etc., with many more facilities for the students with a higher ss.


    Even though it was quitete at this point, the streets inside the special sspound were still busy with several cadets walking to and from different ces.


    Mako had met almost all of the special ss cadets back when all of them were called to the conference room shortly after their recruitment test to be assigned missions for their team.


    Even though it was only a brief interaction, impressions were quickly made among groups about one another and Mako''s group was no exception especially after the news of their failure and demotion spread like wildfire throughout the military base.


    As Mako walked alongside Haruto, he would often pick up small whispers from the students who recognized him as they passed by; talking about him and his friends about how they were an utter disappointment and a disgrace to the special ss.


    Mako obviously ignored such remarks even though it made his blood boil from the inside. The details of their mission were kept ssified with the details being only known to themanding officers and Mako''s team which was why nobody actually knew how they had failed or that one of their members had actually died on the mission.


    They just knew that Mako''s team had failed their very first mission and had caused greatplications which led them to be demoted and their titles revoked.


    Without knowing theplete story, these special ss cadets criticized and made fun of Mako as he walked past them.


    This was the same throughout human history. People with fortunate circumstances would never bring themselves down to the level to feel the pain and misfortune of the people beneath them and all they would do is either boast about their own grand achievements and lifestyle and criticize the choices and misfortune of the less fortunate ones.


    ''These people are the real fools... So selfish and filled with pride over something that they didn''t even earn.'' Mako''s grandmother''s words rang in his ears; something that she would say often.


    Her words would often rey in his mind in moments like this, often without his control. It was as if his brain had been hardwired so that memories of his grandmother would spring up in his mind whenever Mako was in a situation that made him feel intense negative emotions.


    Now that Mako knew that his grandmother was actually a Level 8 Love ability user, he began linking all of these random moments to the lump of Love aura residing inside of his heart that his grandmother had ced.


    His grandmother always protected him and soothed him through all the hardships he faced throughout his childhood, and even now in death, her aura resided inside of him, sheltering him from the intense anger, pain, and suffering that he would otherwise sumb to.


    A smile appeared on Mako''s face as the arrogant whispers of the special ss cadets didn''t affect him anymore and he continued to walk with Haruto toward the training center.


    *******************


    Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the special ss training room where Natasha awaited. Haruto opened the door, gesturing for Mako to enter first. Steeling himself for whatever awaited him inside, Mako stepped forward, his gaze locking onto Natasha''s figure in the center of the room.


    Just like during the recruitment test, Natasha was wearing a half-buttoned shirt and skimpy shorts.


    Natasha greeted him with a smile, but Mako could sense something off about her demeanor. "Hey there, Mako," she said, her voice sounding a bit too cheerful. " So nice to see you again. How''s the special task force thing going?"


    A vein immediately popped on Mako''s forehead at Natasha''s obvious taunt. She was originally invited to be a part of Mako''s team but she refused the offer and decided to do her own thing.


    After hearing about Mako''s failure, Natasha knew that this would definitely light the spark of anger inside Mako.


    Mako simply nodded, his impatience and anger growing with every second. "Yeah, it''s going fine. But let''s get to the point. You called me here because you wanted to share some information. Well, I''m here, spit it out already!"


    Natasha''s smile remained unaltered. "Oh, right, right. But what''s the hurry, let''s talk for a bit, how''s your friend Iris doing?"


    Mako was surprised that Natasha knew about Iris. The details of their mission were kept hidden so how did Natasha know about Iris'' death?


    Mako had no answer but just the mention of her dead friend was making him boil with anger once again.


    Mako clenched his fists, frustration bubbling inside him. "I don''t have time for this, Natasha. Just tell me what you know."


    Natasha''s expression turned serious for a moment before she stered on a fake smile. "Sure, sure. But you know, I''ve been thinking about how weak you and your friends were back during the test and even now... I mean, how could a leader allow one of their members to die, especially on their very first mission... *tsk *tsk* *tsk*"


    That was it! Mako had had enough. He didn''t know how but Natasha somehow knew all the details of their first mission and was now just using it to tilt Mako into losing his cool for an unknown agenda; however, Mako wasn''t having none of it.


    It was clear to him that Natasha had no such information and even if she did it wasn''t worth it for him to stay there for a second longer.


    He turned to leave, his temper ring. "I''m done here. This was a waste of my time."


    But as he moved to exit the room, Natasha''s demeanor shifted and suddenly, Haruto appeared in front of Mako to block his path.


    "Get out of my way if you know what''s best for you, Haruto!" Mako shouted with anger as he freely released his aura, imposing a great amount of pressure on Haruto''s body.


    However, unlike back in his dorm room, Haruto showed no signs of difort or weakness even after being exposed to Mako''s aura as he remained strong and continued to block Mako''s path.


    "Natasha-kun was done speaking," Haruto stated as he pointed to Mako to look behind him with his eyes.


    Mako turned around to find Natasha''s eyes glowing a bright purple with a menacing light, and before Mako could react, she unleashed a powerful st of her fear ability, aiming to overpower him.


    Mako tried to block but his physical block had no effect on her pure emotional assault and so he copsed onto his knees with wisps of purplish ck aura now swirling around him.


    "Oh, Mako... leaving so soon? THE FUN IS ONLY BEGINNING!" Natasha said sadistically with her eyes shinning even more fiercely as she began over toward Mako who was still struggling on the ground.

 Chapter 321 A Clash of Emotions (Part 1)

    Chapter 321 A sh of Emotions (Part 1)


    ??Mako continued to struggle on the ground as the purplish-ck aura continued to swirl around his body. The aura wasn''t causing him any pain but rather causing him the greatest amount of agony by essing the deepest fears that he had kept hidden in the back of his head.


    The aura was bringing out all of those fears and making them a reality for Mako, making him experience them again and again.


    The scene in front of Mako quickly transformed and suddenly he was standing in the middle of a dark alley that somehow looked familiar. After looking around for a couple of seconds, Mako realized where he was; this was the alley in which he defeated a couple of gang members who were after two girls who had just left the nearby bar.


    As soon as Mako came to the realization, he suddenly heard a painful shriek behind him.


    Mako quickly turned out only two find the same two girls that he had rescued on that day getting burned alive by a couple of gang members that were surrounding them.


    Their bodies were riddled with cuts,shes, and bruises which showed that they had taken quite a heavy beating before the group had begun burning them alive.


    Rage began to envelop Mako''s heart involuntarily as he entered into his Rage Mode just like on that day and charged forward to save those girls again; however, unlikest time, Mako was sted by a single punch from the gang member, embedding Mako''s body deep into the brick wall behind him.


    "You''re too weak!" the gang member shouted as the rest erupted inughter all the while the girls'' screams of agony and pain continued to ring in Mako''s head.


    Mako''s Rage Mode quickly dissipated as tears began to run down his face. Even though he didn''t activate Rage Mode himself, it was the thing that he used to take down and kill all of those gang members thest time.


    However, this time, a singr punch from one of those gang members had so much force and such strength behind it that sted Mako so far back. Mako could barely process the amount of pain his body was in but he wasn''t going to give up.


    He quickly opened his eyes and summoned all of his strength to pull himself off the brick wall; however, the scene in front of him hadpletely changed as now Mako was standing in front of the bakery where he used to work.


    *******************


    One moment he was standing in a dark alley fighting gang members, and now he was in the middle of Birds Eye Street, staring directly at the bakery''s front door.


    Most importantly, Mako felt as if he was standing there from the very beginning as if nothing had happened before that, although he could feel all the pain he had just experienced but couldn''t exin why it was urring to him.


    Mako was in a trance where he himself had no idea what was happening and from his perspective he was going about doing what he would normally in whatever scenario presented itself in front of him with no recollection of previous events only for the pain and suffering to carry on with him as the scenes switched.


    The street was eerily quiet and Mako couldn''t see anybody else even though all the other shops were open.


    Suddenly, Mako heard a loud screame from inside the bakery. The voice was weighty and deep and Mako immediately recognized it.


    "Sir Derek! I aming!" Mako shouted as he quickly opened the front door of the bakery.


    Mako paused in horror as in front of him was Sir Derek standing with a giant de piercing his chest. Blood was dripping from his mouth as he struggled to breathe.


    Standing behind Sir Derek was a man wearing a long ck duster with a hood and a face mask topletely cover his identity. There was a massive sword in the man''s hand which he was pushing deeper through Sir Derek''s back, causing him even more pain.


    More anger, rage, and despair consumed Mako''s heart as he activated sprint and dashed forward at full speed to save Sir Derek.


    However, no matter how much he ran, the room continued to extend longer and longer, the faster he ran making it so that he was making no progress in reaching Sir Derek.


    The man standing behind Sir Derek continued tough maniacally while watching Mako struggle.


    Tears once again began to drip from Mako''s eyes as he couldn''t figure out why he couldn''t reach Sir Derek.


    "Hang on! Sir Derek, just hang on! Please! I will think of something!" Mako shouted in desperation.


    "SHUT UP!" Sir Derek suddenly shouted angrily at Mako with blood still dripping from his mouth.


    Mako was frozen with shock unable to do anything. He was trying to save Sir Derek and he was yelling at him?


    "Do you think you can save me, boy? You can''t save anyone! You''re just a pathetic, weak, disgraceful bastard that I felt sorry for! I wish I never gave you that job! You''re the reason I am dying! You ungrateful brat! I will never forgive you!" Sir Derek shouted with immense anger and conviction.


    Sir Derek''s every word impaled Mako''s heart with great force. Mako couldn''t believe that the person whom he viewed as a parental figure would stay stuff like this to him.


    All of a sudden, intense anger and hatred began to erupt from Mako and he involuntarily activated his red fire aura.


    "I... AM... NOT... UNGRATEFUL! I OWE YOU MY LIFE, SIR DEREK! HOW COULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" Mako shouted with his red fire aura leaking from his body without his control.


    Within a second, a st of red fire aura erupted from his body and sted outward, burning the entire bakery in an instant and slicing Sir Derek and the mysterious man clean in half.


    A secondter, Mako regained control of his red fire and he quickly retracted it back inside his body but the damage had been done.


    "Oh no... What have I done?" Mako said in shock and panic as his blurry vision observed the burning bakery along with Sir Derek''s corpse sitting in the middle in two parts.


    Mako copsed onto his knees with tears now flowing freely and his hands shaking. He was still unable to process and ept what he had just done.


    Mako wanted to scream with all the anger and pain that was in his heart but in the next moment as he was about to do so, he felt his mouth restricted so that he couldn''t open it.


    As Mako opened his eyes, he found himself in apletely different environment once again. This time he was in an underground basement with a tiny window that let in a little bit of moonlight.


    It took his eyes a couple of seconds to adjust to the darkness of the room but once he did, he wished that he had just kept his eyes closed.


    This was the torture room within the underground base of Victor Voss where he imprisoned his friends and tortured them for information.


    As if right on cue, Mako''s eyesnded on three people chained to the ground, inside the torture room; these three being none other than his friends Bill, Erin, and Iris.


    Mako tried to move and shout but he wasn''t able to do so because his arms and legs were also chained high up on the wall with a fifth shackle around his mouth that prevented him from speaking.


    Mako struggled with all of his strength but to no avail, he couldn''t break out of the chains as they were suppressing his powers.


    All of sudden, the shiny metallic door opened and Victor Voss entered the room to greet his friends.


    Mako watched with horror as he watched Victor interrogate his friends and torture them using the electric bat on Bill, the gas mask on Iris, and suffocating Erin in a bubble of water.


    Mako was able to hear all of their screams of pain and agony and he tried again and again to break the shackles to try and help his friends but with the chain blocking his mana, he was powerless.


    The torture continued on for a whole hour and by now Mako''s face was filled with waves and waves of tears as he couldn''t bear to watch his friends get tortured for one more second.


    It was then that a goon entered the room and told Victor something that made him finally leave the room.


    Mako took a sigh of relief but he along with Bill both noticed that he had left the gas mask on Iris before leaving and she was still trembling in pain with muffled screamsing out of the mask.


    Mako could see Bill struggle with all of his might to try and escape and so Mako did the same summoning every ounce of power to try and break free; however, Mako was still unable to break the chains.


    Unlike Mako, Bill was able to summon an extraordinary amount of strength as he activated the second level of his mutant gene.


    Mako watched as Bill broke free from the chains and saved both Erin and Iris, but it was toote.


    Iris was already dead.


    Suddenly, Mako''s shackles disappeared and he fell down onto the ground right in front of Erin and Bill.


    Mako could feel his powers returning as the connection to his mana was restored; however, before he could even stand back on his feet, he felt a ferocious kick on his face thatunched him several feet back, right into the wall from which he had just escaped.


    Mako was terribly confused with blood dripping from his face from the force of the kick.


    He looked up to see Erin and Bill both staring at him with eyes full of anger and hatred.


    "You''re the reason Iris is dead! I will never forgive you, MAKO!" Bill shouted as he lunged forward to attack Mako once again.

 Chapter 322 A Clash Of Emotions (Part 2)

    Chapter 322 A sh Of Emotions (Part 2)


    ??Bill didn''t give Mako any time to recover as he ran forward to deliver another powerful kick.


    Mako reacted quickly as he used his Earth ability to raise an Earth pir from behind his back,unching him with just enough force to allow him tond up straight on his feet.


    He quickly took on the fortified stance and blocked Bill''s iing kick.


    Mako had not sparred with Bill for quite some time and had no idea of his power level especially when his entire upper boy was glowing as he had unconsciously activated the second stage of his mutant gene.


    Even though Mako''s fortitude was quite high and he had activated his fortifiedstance, it didn''t matter as Mako was still sent flying backward into the wall from which he had just released


    "GUHHH!" Mako eximed as more blood leaked from his mouth.


    Next, it was Erin''s turn, whose eyes were shining bright white thanks to her ice-mutant gene.


    She quickly conjured ice bullets that she loaded on her arm and started firing them at Mako.


    [me Bullet has been activated]


    [me Bullet has been activated]


    [me Bullet has been activated]


    Mako immediately countered Erin''s Ice gun skill by firing an equal amount of me bullets without any charge.


    Without charging his fingertips with fire aura before firing the me bullet meant that the bullet carried the lowest amount of damage and explosive force which was actually beneficial for Mako as he didn''t want to cause any damage to his friends if he were to identally hit them.


    Thanks to the heat of the me bullets, the ice bullets melted in midair and werepletely countered.


    "Wait... wait... Can we all just calm down for a minute? I didn''t do anything to Iris..." Mako tried to say to and rify the misconception, but Bill didn''t stop for a second.


    As soon as Mako countered Erin''s attack, Bill charged in once again to deal more blows to Mako.


    [Sprint has been activated]


    As Bill clocked back his arm to deliver a powerful punch, Mako ducked out of his way at the perfect moment and quickly used sprint to try and circle back around them towards the door.


    However, before he could even take 2 steps after dodging his punch, Bill quickly turned around and grabbed Mako by his hair, stopping him from running away.


    He quickly summoned more strength from his mutant gene and pulled Mako by his hair with all his force.


    Mako''s body was quickly raised off the ground as Bill pulled him over his own body and m-dunked him on the concrete floor creating a massive crack and loud boom that echoed throughout the halls outside the room.


    [-60 HP]


    [User has sustained multiple fractures on their face and body with 5 broken teeth]


    [Emergency healing has been activated]


    Mako was very dibobted after taking that hit and could barely process the status report of his own body that the system was disying in front of his eyes.


    Mako couldn''t understand what was going on around him and everything became a blur; however, this didn''t stop Erin from conjuring 2 ice spikes in her hands and jamming them into Mako''s back before he could even move much less recover.


    "AHHHHH!" Mako screamed in agony as the Ice spike prated his back, instantly reducing his healing speed as the cold slowed down his body''s cirction of blood and mana while causing excruciating amount of pain.


    [-25 HP]


    [User has been impaled from their back two times]


    [User is bleeding]


    [Emergency Healing''s effectiveness reduced to 50%]


    "Please... I was also chained to the wall! I didn''t hurt Iris! Why are you attacking me...?" Mako said weakly.


    "Liar!" Erin shouted as she continued to push the ice spikes deeper into Mako''s body," We trusted you, Mako! We made you our leader! How could you betray us?! None of us could have ever believed that you were working with these low lives!"


    "What...?" Mako mustered enough strength to say while being horribly confused.


    "That''s enough from you!" Bill shouted as he gave rather kick to Mako''s face.


    *AGHHH!"


    "Did you really think we weren''t able to see you from down here?" Bill shouted with anger as pulled Mako''s hair to lift up his head so that they could talk face-to-face.


    "We saw you sadistically watching from the window on the wall as that bastard kept torturing us! We were trying to protect you! We kept our mouths shut thinking that you hade to save us but it was the opposite and now IRIS IS DEAD!" Bill added as he mmed Mako''s face back into the ground.


    Mako had no idea what Bill was talking about. He had also been chained to the wall, everybody could see that and there were no widows in the room so how could Bill and Erin make such a mistake?


    Mako didn''t know what his friends had actually seen but he knew that their perspective had been altered from reality which was why they were so bent on killing him.


    After understanding that there was no way of talking out of this one nor calming down his friends, Mako finally released his skill which he had been charging for thest couple of moments as all of this was taking ce.


    [Electrical Discharge has been activated]


    A pulse of yellow electricity erupted from Mako''s body and sted both Bill and Erin backward while also paralyzing them.


    [Red Fire aura has been released]


    Mako quickly enveloped his whole body in red mes quickly evaporating the ice spikes from his back and resuming his regr rate of emergency healing.


    [Emergency Healing''s effectiveness has been returned to normal]


    "Open Inventory" Makomanded the system and he quickly consumed the twost remaining high-level healing pills that he still had left directly from the system interface.


    The pills quickly took effect as Mako''s bleeding stopped and he quickly began to recover his strength.


    Even though Mako had charged the electrical discharge skill with a good amount of lightning aura, the paralysis it induced was still a pretty basic one and it wasn''t long before both Bill and Erin regained control of their bodies, now enraged more than ever after having it confirmed in their minds that Mako was an imposter since he was now fighting back.


    [Stone Skin has been activated]


    [Fortified Stance has been activated]


    [Energy Sensing has been activated]


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    Mako quickly activated all of his defensive and perceptive skills to grant him the greatest chance against two very formidable opponents which he didn''t want to hurt.


    By now the effects of the electrical discharge had worn off and now Bill and Erin teamed up and rushed in together to attack Mako.


    However, Mako wasn''t done preparing as he also had an ace up his sleeve that could help him by leveling the odds a little bit.


    [The Poison Mutant Gene has been activated]


    Mako''s eyes began to glow a bright verdant green as he felt a huge wave of power enter his body.


    Bill conjured a dense baseball bat made from concentrated earth and swung it at Mako''s head.


    [Stone Sword has been activated]


    Mako conjured his own earth weapon and shed it with Bill''s only for it to break on impact as Bill''s weapon was far superior in durability, but it was able to divert Bill''s line of attack allowing Mako to dodge the bat.


    As Mako swung underneath the bat, Erin lunged forward with ice spikes in her hand once again.


    Mako''s hand crackled with electricity as he swiped his hand and four des of yellow lightning erupted from his fingers.


    [Lightning w has been activated]


    The w sted Erin backward as she had no defense while being in mid-air but Bill had already swung his bat again, this time faster than before which Mako wasn''t able to anticipate in time, and so the bat made contact with Mako''s leg, shooting immense signals of pain to his body even through hisyer of defense.


    However, Mako quickly found his footing again and began spamming fireballs at Bill to try and create space between them.


    His strategy worked and Mako was able to widen the gap between him and Bill as he continued to dodge every single fireball.


    Erin ran up from behind as she skated on ice to gain more speed and momentum to try and tackle Mako on the ground.


    Mako quickly conjured another stone sword and used Cyclone Parry to block Erin before she could strike and counter her.


    This time Mako went on the offensive as heunched fireballs, earth pirs, and lightning strikes at both Erin and Bill simultaneously to create as much space between them and him as possible.


    Even though it was quickly draining his massiveEnergy pool, Mako continued to spam multiple abilities so that Bill and Erin would continue to dodge.


    [Fireball has been activated]


    [me wheel has been activated]


    [me Bullet has been activated]


    [Lightning Strike has been activated]


    [Lightning w has been activated]


    [Stone Sword has been activated]


    [Phantom Shift has been activated]


    [Phantom Dash has been activated]


    [Mana Thrust has been activated]


    [Mana sh has been activated]


    Even though Mako''s attacks looked random and wild, he was deliberately attacking in such a pattern that made it so that Erin and Bill would be directed farther away from the door as they continued to dodge Mako''s barrage of skills.


    Mako knew that they wouldn''t dodge forever and would surely adapt to his spam and then begin their counter so before it coulde to that point, Mako decided to end the fight and make his escape with onest skill.


    [Ground Rupture has been activated]


    Mako ced his hands on the ground and created a mini earthquake inside the room making Erin lose her footing while Bill still fared a little better given Earth was his specialty.


    Mako wasted no time as he took this opportunity to run toward the door and escape, if he could find Leon and the others, then maybe he could calm Bill and Erin down and talk things through to clear up the misconception.


    However, as Mako approached the door and opened it in order to make his escape, A sudden sharp feeling erupted in Mako''s chest.


    It was a sharp stinging feeling that seemed to grow every second. Time began to slow down for Mako as dozens of system notifications flooded the screen in front of his eyes.


    As Mako slowly looked down to find the source of this unusual pain, he came to a shocking realization.


    Mako had been shot in the heart!

 Chapter 323 A Clash Of Emotions (Part 3)

    Chapter 323 A sh Of Emotions (Part 3)


    ??The pain began to multiply very quickly as more and more blood began oozing out of the bullet wound.


    Just as Mako was about to make his escape, his Stone Skin skill had deactivated, and simultaneously at that moment, Bill had created an Earth pir so that Erin could regain her footing and in that instant, she immediately conjured a singrrge ice Bullet which she fired with as much ice aura as she could possibly pack into it.


    The big ice bullet tore through the air with greater speed and force than any ice bullet Erin had ever fired before and it was enough to easily prate Mako''s back and tear through his lung and heart before exiting from his chest.


    [-100 HP]


    [User has received critical damage]


    [Damage to great to repair using emergency healing]


    [Find external aid immediately]


    [Time until death: 15 seconds]


    Mako dropped down to his knees, his vision bing blurry once again, and blood began to pool inside his lungs making it hard for him to even speak.


    He desperately tried to grab onto his chest to stop the blood from spilling out but it was all in vain as he could feel his strength quickly leave his body.


    Soon, Mako wasn''t even able to support himself and he copsed onto the ground. Tears were forming around his eyes as he couldn''t believe that this was how he was going to die.


    Just as Mako''s soul was exiting his body, he saw Bill''s figure standing above his body with not a slight sign of remorse or guilt as his face portrayed pure hatred.


    "Good riddance," Bill said as he conjured an Earth hammer which he quickly swung to squash Mako''s face like a tomato.


    *****************


    "AHHHH!" Mako screamed as he quickly woke up from his sleep and sat up straight.


    He breathed heavily as he tried to calm down his nerves but the nightmare he had just seen was far to scary for him to calm down.


    After sitting on his bed for a couple of minutes, he eventually calmed down but by then he heard footstepsing towards his door. He quickly tried toy back on his bed and go to sleep but it was toote and the person had already reached his bedroom door.


    *Click*


    The person turned the doorknob to open Mako''s door to find him asleep on his bed but Mako knew that there was no fooling this person.


    "Mako... why are you still awake? You know you have school in the morning," The person said in the most motherly and loving voice.


    Mako slowly opened his eyes as he knew he wouldn''t be able to fool anyone with his pathetic attempts at faking to sleep.


    Small tears began to form around Mako''s eyes as he opened them, only to be greeted by his loving grandmother.


    "I know, Gran Gran... *sniff* I just had a very scary dream and I thought that I had died," Mako said while sniffing to stop his nose from running.


    Mako''s grandmother was wearing a simple pink-colored long nighttime gown with her greyish-green hair wrapped in a simple hair bun.


    "Oh... my dear," His grandmother said as she quickly grabbed Mako and brought him closer to her, giving him a tight and loving hug.


    Mako happily embraced her grandmother as all of his fear quickly went away and he felt peace inside him.


    "It''s okay, my lovely boy. Those nightmares can''t hurt you, they are just dreams. Nowe on, we must get you back to bed, you have an assessment tomorrow, and remember if you do well, we''ll go to your favorite restaurant for your 10th birthday this weekend." Amy Grey said as she tucked Mako back into bed.


    "Come on, Gran Gran... We both know you will take me there either way, but don''t worry I will get another perfect score for you," Mako said innocently, trying to tease his grandmother.


    "*giggle*, Oh dear, you''re getting more clever by the day," Amy said as she kissed Mako on the forehead before heading out of his room.


    Mako closed his eyes with a huge smile on his face as he couldn''t wait for the weekend toe.


    However, not only a few seconds had passed when Mako was awoken once again, but this time by a heavy and low-pitched sound.


    "Sweet Dreams... HA HA HA!" The heavy sound spoke which was followed by the sound of falling.


    Mako quickly opened his eyes only to see a giant shadowy figure standing in front of his doorway with two giant menacing red eyes and an even wider red mouth.


    The shadowy figure was holding onto something with his right hand and as Mako''s eyes followed what it was holding, he was hit with thergest wave of panic, anger, sadness, fear, and agony all at once as the shadowy figure was holding onto arge sword that was impaled right through his grandmother''s chest.


    "YAHHRRRHHHH!" Mako screamed at the top of his lungs as he quickly jumped from his bed and ran toward his grandmother.


    His tiny hands caressed her wless face as he continued to call out her name again and again but there was no response; the shadowy figure had killed his grandmother right in front of him.


    "Gran Gran! Gran Gran! Please say something!" Mako cried with mountains of tears falling down from his face all the while the shadowy figure continued tough in the background.


    After realizing that his grandmother was really gone, all that pain inside Mako''s heart turned into anger as he lunged toward the shadowy figure, throwing desperate punches and kicks at its distorting body with all of his puny strength.


    However, with no ability to aid him, his attacks did nothing to the shadowy figure that bent down to look at Mako, face to face.


    "You''re next little boy, I''m going to send you where I send your precious Gran Gran," The shadowy figure said in its heavy and low-pitched voice.


    Fear and panic filled Mako''s heart once again as the shadowy figure struck him with his arm sending his tiny body straight into his bedroom wall.


    The impact was strong enough to cause Mako to bleed from his mouth, making it very hard for him to breathe. All of his strength was sapped from his body and his bones were fractured causing immense pain which made it impossible for him to even move a finger, much less run.


    Mako had been bullied regrly in school; however, he had never been in this much pain and agony before especially when his grandmother''s dead body was slumped over right in front of him.


    The shadowy figure slowly walked forward toward Mako after pulling the sword out of his grandmother''s body.


    Mako couldn''t move, he couldn''t speak, all he could do was watch with horror as the shadowy figure brought the sword closer and closer to him, ready to kill him as well.


    Mako didn''t know what to do, all he could was cry. Why was this happening to him? Had the universe not punished him enough? This was unfair! This was wrong! He didn''t want to die!


    The sword inched closer and closer to his throat, ready to slice his head clean off his body. Mako was about to close his eyes and just ept his fate as that was all he could do at that point when all of a sudden a pink glowing hand appeared and grabbed onto the shadowy figure''s shoulder.


    "STAY... THE... HELL... AWAY... FROM MY GRANDSON!" A familiar voice resounded from behind the shadowy figure.


    In the next moment, the dark and scary shadow quickly disappeared and revealed a young woman who was inside the shadowy figure.


    Mako looked with confusion as he didn''t understand what was happening but what made him even more confused was to see that her grandmother was still alive and was glowing pink from head to toe.


    Amy Grey had a firm grip on the young woman who had juste out of the dark shadow whose eyes were glowing bright purple.


    In the next instant, the environment around them broke like ss and Mako found himself in his regr body back in the special ss training room with the memories of all the different visions that he had just lived through.


    He felt so weak after having faced so many great negative emotions again and again, but he still mustered the strength to stand back on his feet.


    As he looked up, he couldn''t believe his eyes.


    Even though the illusion had been broken and Mako knew that he was back to reality, he saw Natasha pinned to the ground with the glow from her eyes slowly fading away and pinned down by none other than his grandmother who was still glowing pink.


    Natasha screamed in agony as Amy''s glowing hands came in contact with her skin. It felt as if she was being burned alive but this was inside her head as she wasing into contact with pure Love aura, the exact opposite of the Fear aura that resided inside her body.


    "YOU... WILL... NEVER... HURT... MY GRANDSON AGAIN!" Amy shouted at Natasha with extreme anger as she mmed her face onto the ground several times making her forehead and nose bleed.

 Chapter 324 Blessing of Love

    Chapter 324 Blessing of Love


    ??As Natasha writhed in agony under Amy''s relentless assault, Mako stumbled forward, his body still trembling from the ordeal he had just experienced.


    He couldn''tprehend what was happening¡ªhis grandmother, who had somehow saved him from the endless torture that otherwise he would have been subjected to under Natasha''s visions.


    The visions that Natasha had forced onto Mako put him in situations where he would be subjected to immense pain and suffering either by getting beaten himself or watching someone he cared for die a horrible death.


    The umtion of Mako''s worst fears brought him to the point of beingpletely broken before the scene would change and he would experience all of that all over again in a brand-new scenario.


    During each new scenario, Mako didn''t remember what had happened before as he was fully immersed in believing the current scenario to be his reality; However, this didn''t stop all of the negative emotions and pain he was experiencing from beingpounded and affecting his real body.


    Mako watched as the glowing figure of histe grandmother delivered powerful strikes on Natasha who could only cry out in pain as she wasn''t able to counter at all.


    Mako recalled every scenario that Natasha had constructed for him, causing him incredible amounts of pain, suffering, and agony; however, when Natasha had created the scenario, putting him back in his 10-year-old self who hadn''t received any abilities and making him feel powerless as a nightmarish entity ughtered his only family and sense offort right in front of his eyes.


    It should have the greatest amount of damage to Mako''s mental state and would have reopened old wounds that Mako had very painfully closed after months and months of grieving over her deceased grandmother at the age of 14.


    However, something that neither Mako nor Natasha anticipated was that the illusion of Amy Grey that Natasha had constructed inside her own scenario to damage Mako even more would be self-aware, break the illusion altogether, and beat the very person who had brought her into reality.


    Mako didn''t understand Natasha''s agenda at all but it was clear to him that she was of no use to him and had only lured him here to make him fall into her trap, but right now he was just focused on how was her grandmother able to do all this?


    Mako cried out to his grandmother with pain and confusion as his body was still extremely weak after returning back to reality, but he had to find out the truth.


    "Gran Gran!" Mako cried out, his voice strained and weak from the whole ordeal. "Please tell me, how is this possible? How are you here?"


    Amy paused, her eyes locking with Mako''s, and for a moment, the intense pink glow softened as she looked at her grandson. Slowly, she released Natasha, who gasped for breath, her body bruised and bloodied from the many strikes that she unleashed on her without mercy.


    "Mako, my dear boy," Amy said, her voice gentle now, the anger dissipating from her figure as she slowly approached him.


    She slowly bent down and now Mako was on his knees sitting face to face with histe grandmother whose gentle smile brought the same warmth to Mako''s heart that he hadn''t felt in a long long time.


    "I promised to always be there for you, my dear boy." She said as she gently began to hold Mako''s hands.


    Mako struggled to find his words, his mind still reeling from the shock of what had transpired. "Gran Gran, I thought... I thought you were..."


    "I''m here, Mako. I''m here," Amy said, wrapping her arms around him in aforting embrace. "And I always will be."


    Mako had seen small visions of his grandmother before in times when he found himself in a very challenging or tough emotional situation andter he found out this was because a small amount of very high Love aura had been imnted inside of his heart, courtesy of his grandmother, but those visions were quite faint and short-lived with it almost feeling like Mako was daydreaming.


    "I am so proud of the man you have be Mako, my father would have been so proud to see that his life''s work ended up in the hands of someone truly remarkable," Amy said as she kissed Mako''s forehead.


    However, this time, his grandmother was present in front of him physically. He could feel her hands, her loving embrace, and her gentle kiss.


    As Mako received a loving kiss, he felt his heart be so light as if it was being tugged on a thousand chains and they had finally let go.


    All the emotional pain and trauma that Mako had just received after being entrapped in Natasha''s visions simply disappeared and as Mako opened his eyes again, feelingpletely rejuvenated and refreshed, his grandmother was nowhere to be found.


    This only added to Mako''s confusion, as ever since he had entered the training room, things hadn''t been making any sense, and he desperately wanted some answers, the first of which he would receive shortly as momentster, his chest began glowing the same pink color before fading away followed by a system notification.


    *Ding!*


    [The Blessing Of Love has fully crystallized inside the user''s body]


    "Blessing of love? What is that?" Mako said confused.


    The pinkish glow in his chest slowly faded away, returning Mako''s body back to normal with multiple more system notifications alerting him of the brand new changes happening inside his body.


    [The soul of Amy Grey has blessed the user with the Blessing Of Love by solidifying a super concentrated amount of Level 8 Love aura inside the user''s heart.]


    [The power of the Love Aura has now been crystalized and can now be essed by the user under a brand new tabbeled "Blessings"]


    Mako was intrigued to learn more about what a blessing was so he quickly opened his system interface and clicked on the information Icon on the brand-new tab that had just been unlocked.


    (NEW!) [Blessings] ?


    [Blessings are physical portions of one''s soul and aura mixed into one and imbued onto another to grant that person additional boosts, powers, skills, and more. Once a person is strong enough to manifest a blessing inside their body, the blessing will begin to crystalize granting various benefits which are entirely dependent on the soul and ability of the one that had given the blessing.]


    [Blessings can be categorized into different ranks depending on how strong of a soul and how high of a Level of ability was used to create the blessing. With higher level abilities and strong-willed souls granting many significant boosts]


    [The rankings of blessings are categorized in the following order:


    WEAK --> FAIR--> STRONG --> ADEPT --> MASTER --> PERFECT]


    Mako was amazed after reading the description and things finally decided to make sense as to why her grandmother''s love aura resided inside his heart.


    In herst moments, Amy Grey had summoned everyst ounce of willpower to concentrate her soul and aura into a tiny bubble which passed onto Mako''s heart before finally departing from this world.


    A final gift to her beloved grandson in hopes that he would discover her father''s work and be strong enough one day to be able to manifest her aura within himself and have full ess to her level 8 ability.


    Mako selected the blessings tab and disyed all the current blessings that Mako had active which ended up only being one.


    [Blessings] ?


    - [Blessing Of Love] (Master Tier) ?


    [The blessing Of Love, passed down to the user from Amy Grey grants the user a very minuscule understanding of the Love ability at the user''s current level.]


    [Active Perks: Amy Grey''s soul approves of the user having full ess and control of her aura with their body; however, the system has restricted the user from essing such a high-level ability as the user''s body isn''t strong enough to bear its force.]


    [Requirements: In order to fully ess and control the Love aura, the user has to reach Level 25]


    [Passive Perks: Amy Grey''s wish to protect the user has been realized and whenever the user is faced with a strong mental attack, the Love aura will materialize and defend the user with all the strength that it has reserved]


    [Note: After the passive perk has been used, a significant amount of time and energy is required from the crystalized blessing to regain its strength and be able to be used again with the same efficiency]


    Mako was left speechless as he read through the detailed description of another amazing thing that he would inherit from histe grandmother as if the system wasn''t already enough.


    He was now more curious than ever as to who his grandmother really was as this kind of technique wasn''t something well known and yet her grandmother had done it in her final moments not to mention that she had a Level 8 ability which spoke leaps and bounds of her strength.


    Mako knew that he had to make a proper investigation of the family history and find out all the secrets that he still didn''t know like he had no clue that her grandmother was actually the strongest person in the entirety of Emerald City and now that he thought about it, he didn''t know much about his mother or father either.


    If his grandmother had hidden things from him for unknown reasons, then it must mean that they must also be very important people considering how little his grandmother ever spoke about them.


    Mako was lost in his thoughts when suddenly multiple more system notifications brought him back to reality.


    *DING!*

 Chapter 325 Interrogation (Part 1)

    Chapter 325 Interrogation (Part 1)


    ??[New Quest Received]


    [Discover more about the past of the Grey family]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Penalty: ???]


    [New Quest Received]


    [Improve your body to be able to harness 50% of the active perk of the Blessing Of Love within 6 months]


    [Time Remaining: 5 months 30 days 23 hours 59 minutes 58 seconds]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Penalty: ???]


    Mako read through the two brand-new quests that he had just received. It looked like the system was trying to nudge him in the right direction by giving him several quests that told him to look more into his past and discover new information that would be crucial in his journey moving forward.


    The next time Mako would be allowed to visit home would be at the end of their first semester which would take 6 months so the timing was actually perfect.


    Mako still had some unfinished business left in Emerald City and now he would return with a greater goal of trying to understand the significance of his family history and their impact on the world.


    In the meantime, the system had given him the perfect quest for motivation as he had to get a whole lot stronger anyway if he ever wanted to find out and stop the imposter within the military school, but now he would also unlock more strength by essing a powerful ability left by his grandmother.


    Mako''s grandmother had worked her magic once again as before her disappearance, she hadpletely wiped away all of the fake negative emotions that Natasha had forcefully influenced onto his body and now he felt as refreshed as ever.


    Natasha, meanwhile,y on the ground, panting heavily, her eyes darting between Mako and Amy. Despite the pain she was in, a wicked grin crept across her face.


    "You think this is over?" she spat, her voiceced with venom. "I don''t get how you do this, but my darkness will always find a way back in."


    Natasha had calcted many scenarios as she nned this trap for Mako. Thanks to the awakening of her Fear ability mutant gene, she was very confident in being able to break Mako downpletely and have him do whatever she wanted just like she had done with Haruto.


    However, thest thing she could have expected was that one of her own illusions would turn rouge and overpower her. Amy hadn''t hesitated in the slightest as she was beating the crap out of Natasha.


    Not only was her physical strength way higher than that of Natasha''s but due to her glowing pink skin, even the slightest contact with her skin would create a horrifying and painful experience for Natasha that was borderline unbearable.


    The beating had barelysted 2 minutes but within that time frame, Natasha was beaten mercilessly into a pulp and now she could barely breathe while lying motionless on the ground.


    "Nah... you won''t," Mako replied coldly to Natasha''s threat.


    "HARUTO! Help me!" Natasha screamed in anger.


    Haruto who had been observing from the sidelines finally made a move and began walking towards Natasha to help her back on her feet.


    "Why the hell didn''t you do anything?" Natasha screamed in anger at Haruto as he helped her by feeding her a healing pill.


    "You told me not to interfere after you began engaging Mako, I was simply following yourmand, Natasha-kun," Haruto replied with a monotone tone.


    "Arrghh!" Natasha screamed in frustration. "Get me the hell out of here!"


    "Don''t you f**king dare move a muscle!" Mako shouted as his eyes began to glow green.


    He had subconsciously activated his poison mutant gene coupled with him fully expanding his aura to exert pressure on Haruto and Natasha.


    Natasha was too weak after getting pummeled by Amy to challenge Mako''s authority and Haruto''s legs began to tremble slightly.


    After his grandmother had relieved him from the massive mental strain, his body was practically unharmed with him not expending any of his real mana or resources during the time he fought in his visions.


    Mako coldly walked over towards Natasha and Haruto who could only watch silently.


    "You lured me here with the promise of having some information, and I''m not going to let either of you leave until you give me what I am owed," Mako stated in a threatening manner as he crouched down to get on Natasha''s level.


    "Go to Hell!" Natasha shouted.


    "*tsk* tsk* tsk*, That''s the wrong answer." Mako said as he reached forward and grabbed Natasha''s arm.


    "Let go of me, you freaking pervert!" Natasha screamed as she resisted with what little strength she had, but it was of no use.


    Mako dug his thumb deep into Natasha''s skin until he was able to prate the skin and reach a blood vessel.


    Nathasha screamed in pain as her blood began gushing out the wound that Mako had just; however, Mako didn''t care and continued.


    "Now... I am going to ask you again, what information did you have to share with me?" Mako asked again.


    "Haruto! Do something! Get this bastard off me!" Natasha screamed in agony as she turned toward Haruto for assistance.


    However, Haruto''s whole body was shaking at this point. He was nowhere as strong as Natasha or Mako, and the only reason he was even in the special ss was because he was Natasha''s ve.


    He didn''t have the ability nor the strength to counter Mako, but the voice of Natasha was ringing in his head like impending doom. Even though Haruto''s body was refusing to move against Mako, his mind knew that if he didn''t follow Natasha''smand, the oue wouldn''t be pretty.


    Mako watched as Haruto forced his trembling body to try to calm down and make a move in order to save Natasha.


    "It''s okay, Haruto." Mako suddenly stated with an empathetic tone," You don''t have to follow hermand. I have no personal quarrel with you and my gut says that you are innocent in all of this, so I''ll allow you to just walk away now."


    Haruto paused as he heard Mako''s words, his eyes widening with disbelief. Even though it appeared from the outside that Haruto had somehow stopped himself from trembling, it wasn''t actually.


    Within the presence of such a strong aura, Haruto was so scared, thinking how angry Mako would be feeling right as he knew the effects of the skill that Natasha had used quite well and that any move he made to try and stop him and save Natasha could possibly be his veryst.


    "Wait... what?! NO! Haruto, don''t listen to him! Do something! Help me!" Natasha screamed.


    An ultimatum had been presented in front of Haruto, with either oue bound to drastically change his life.


    Should he take Mako''s mercy and escape with his life which would enrage Natasha or should he follow Natasha''smands instead and face Mako''s wrath instead?


    Time slowed down as Haruto thought over both scenarios with great care. Drops of sweat rolled down his forehead as he struggled to make a decision as with both scenarios, he would seriously get hurt.


    Seconds passed by as Haruto continued to think hard about what decision should he make.


    "Well... Haruto? Are you going to back away?" Mako asked again, bringing Haruto back to reality.


    Tears began to develop in Haruto''s eyes as his legs began to tremble again.


    "Mako-san, thank you for showing me such kindness, but... *sniff* I can''t... I can''t disobey Natasha-kun, I can''t go through that again!" Haruto said as he steeled his resolve.


    He just couldn''t afford to make Natasha angry at him again, he was happy to be his ve rather than to be fave those visions again.


    Haruto lunged forward, his hands crackling with electricity, ready to strike Mako.


    "I... understand," Mako said empathetically as he easily dodged Haruto''s lightning punch andnded a clean chop on the base of his neck, knocking him unconscious.


    Natasha watched in shock as she saw how easily Mako defeated Haruto; however, she didn''t care much as Haruto had done his job.


    He had bought enough time for the effects of the healing pill to kick in, plus her Fear ability was still freely coursing through her body thanks to her mutant gene still being active which had been neutralizing the effects of Amy Grey''s skin touching her body which was causing her the greatest amount of pain and suppressing her strength.


    After having recovered some strength in her body, Natasha was finally able to stand up on her own and attack Mako whose finger was still dug into her forearm.


    However, before she could make any moves, a new kind of burning pain began to erupt inside Natasha''s body, this one being far far worse than anything that she had experienced before.


    She immediately crashed back onto the ground, trembling with immense pain as if moltenva was coursing through her veins instead of her blood.


    "Did you really think I had no idea what you were trying to do?" Mako asked with his eyes glowing greener than ever before as he continued to firmly grip Natasha''s arm while she writhed around in extreme pain and again.


    Mako gentlyid Haruto''s unconscious body on the ground before turning back towards Natasha.


    "Don''t think my kindness extends to people like you! You tried to break me by torturing me in your visions, now let''s see how you like a taste of your own medicine."

 Chapter 326: Interrogation (Part 2)

    Chapter 326: Interrogation (Part 2)


    ?


    Screams of antagonizing pain echoed throughout the training room; however, thanks to its design for containing all the noise inside so that other people won''t get disturbed while a person is training inside and the fact that the security cameras were disabled by Natasha herself for the sake of her trap going unnoticed by the officials, there was virtually no one who had any idea about what happening inside one of the special ss training rooms.


    Within the room, the scene was pretty much the same but that couldn''t be said about Natasha whose entire body was covered in sweat while her body was almost pale white with all of her veins clearly visible underneath her skin.


    "I''m going to ask you again, what information do you have," Mako shouted as his eyes continued to glow green with his thumb still deep inside Natasha''s arm.


    Mako was never a fan of the poison ability even though it sounded cool on paper. Comic books and cartoons would always portray viins that had some kind of Poison ability to be able to spray and melt anything and critically poison the hero; however, in real life that was not the case as that was a separate ability called the Acid Maniption ability and was quite rare.


    The poison ability wasn''t something that could be manifested outside the body at least not at the lower levels. It was purely a supportive ability that could help increase the damage on weapons that wereced with the poison and could also inflict different status effects based on the nature of the poison while also offering resistance to the user from other poisons.


    It was a very cool andplex ability that was definitely underrated and right now Mako had pulled a page out of Victor Voss''s ybook and had been injecting Natasha with a modified version of the poison that he had previously neutralized from Ang''s body after Victor had stabbed her.


    The original poison was meant to kill a person up to ALPHA rank which meant that it was definitely a very strong poison.


    One perk of the poison ability was that simr to how there were variants of other abilities like the Red Fire and Blue Lightning, a Poison ability user could learn to create various different kinds of poisons and their antidotes within their body after they had enough exposure to that specific poison.


    This technique was, of course, an advanced one and Mako being only a level 2 had only the slightest idea on how to actually do this; however, since he had unlocked the first level of his mutant gene, Mako''s poison ability level was temporarily augmented to a level close to level 5 along with the all the information that a level 5 Poison ability user would have.


    When Mako was neutralizing the poison inside Ang''s body, the wild poison aura that was freely roaming in his entire body was analyzing and understanding the poison and adding it to its type of memory.


    Normally since Mako was only a level 2, he didn''t know how to create the poison by himself, but now that his mutant gene had been reactivated, he had ess to that information and also the knowledge on how to modify it.


    Mako changed the nature of the poison from intending to kill to intending to cause the most amount of pain inside the body as it mainly attacked the red blood cells and the nervous system of the body.


    He then began pumping this modified poison into Natasha''s bloodstream directly, pausing only momentarily to pump some antidote as well so that Natasha wouldn''t die as the poison was still quite strong.


    Natasha continued to scream out in pain and agony, the smug look on her facepletely wiped away and now reced with a look of fear and horror as she watched Mako continuously hold onto her weakening arm with as cold a look as possible.


    It was ironic watching the person who used fear to torture and corrupt so many shake in absolute fear and Mako enjoyed every moment of it.


    Mako had been slowly letting go of his naive nature over time as he had been reminded time and time again how others would weaponize his empathy and mercy to their advantage; however, he did so without throwing away his morals as he was still better than them and so as soon as Natasha cracked and yelled out in desperation that she would tell Mako everything, a wave of coolness washed down her body as Mako instantly began to neutralize the poison.


    Since this time, the poison was created by Mako, it followed Mako''s will and immediately neutralized itself on hismand without any extra effort.


    Natasha breathed a sigh of relief as the burning sensation inside her body finally dissipated, but she was still extremely weak and she knew that she wouldn''t be able to do anything to Mako in her current state.


    Mako removed his thumb from Natasha''s hand and allowed her to fallpletely to the ground, and then with a menacing look he stared at the trembling body of Natasha wriggling around on the floor.


    "Speak," Mako said coldly.


    "It was all just a trap. I wanted revenge for what you did to Mikhail during the recruitment test. You defeated my boyfriend and sent him back HIM! I wanted to make you pay!" Natasha yelled out in anger while crying her eyes out from the amount of torture she had endured for the past 10 minutes.


    However, Mako felt no sympathy toward her knowing that she had tortured who knows how many people for hours on end and had reveled in every moment of doing so, this was only a small payback in Mako''s book.


    "After the test was over, I was looking for any opportunity to try and get my revenge and that was why I didn''t join your boy band! I wanted to take you out but I was too weak then and so I did nothing but train to get stronger,"


    "He he he... and then I heard that you losers had failed your very first mission and were being punished which made me so... so happy butter on I found out that you were all on room arrest, and nobody coulde close to you which made my blood boil."


    "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to sit in base, knowing that you were just a few buildings away and not be able to take you down in any way!"


    Natasha slowly became more and more emotional as now she wasn''t speaking because of the pain but rather from the anger that consumed her heart. She didn''t care much and just spoke her mind in front of Mako, but Mako still remained emotionless from the outside giving no reaction to Natasha who continued to b on and on.


    "So as soon as we arrived in military school, I looked for the first opportunity to iste you and finally get my revenge, but you somehow managed to beat my ability again!" Natasha screamed with frustration as she finished her story, taking deep breaths as if she had spoken her mind all in one breath.


    There was a moment of silence between the two of them as Natasha remained on the ground, slowly regaining strength while Mako stood coldly in front of her.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Mako stared into Natasha''s desperate eyes as he analyzed her story with a look of uncertainty.


    "How did Haruto find my dorm room so quickly and what was the information that he promised you would share if I hade?" Mako asked Natasha.


    Natasha hesitated for a second as she thought of a response," I used my ability on many weak advanced ss cadets for information as I can review their most recent memories and one of them was your neighbor who saw you leave for your sses in the morning and that''s how I learned about your dorm room number,"


    "Secondly, I didn''t tell Haruto to say anything like that, I just ordered him to lure you back here by any means necessary, and he did just that!" Natasha replied.


    ''Bullsh*t!'' Mako thought in his mind as this was the most absurd lie he had ever heard.


    He immediately realized that even after going through so much pain and agony, Natasha still had the strength to lie, and to lie with such confidence was quite impressive. It was clear to Mako that he wouldn''t be able to get any real information out of Natasha and time was running out for him as he couldn''t maintain his mutant gene for too long.


    He would be considerably weekend after the time limit of his mutant gene expired and he didn''t want to take any chances with Natasha, thinking that her weak and pitiful persona could also be fake and she might have something else up her sleeve.


    However, he was sure one thing and that was that he didn''t buy this story for a single second.

 Chapter 327: Interrogation (Part 3)

    Chapter 327: Interrogation (Part 3)


    ?


    Mako decided to y along for now so that Natasha would let her guard down and believe that he was gullible enough to believe her lie.


    "You did all that just to get revenge? It was you who started it! You kidnapped my friends and set up the duel between me and Mikhail, so how was it my fault when you were the ones looking for a fight?" Mako asked.


    "We didn''t have a choice, you idiot! HE said that he would allow us to go to military school and live our own lives if we defeated you and sent you back to Emerald City," Natasha replied spitefully.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Who is this HE?" Mako asked as he wanted to confirm some things.


    "You know quite well who I am talking about! El Diablo, he gave us your and your friend''s picture, the day we were set to leave for the recruitment test and gave us the deal of a lifetime," Natasha shouted.


    Mako now understood and had theplete picture in his head. He didn''t know how but somehow El Diablo was able to find out his identity, most likely after he had raided and destroyed his ve warehouses.


    However, it must have been toote for him to act after he had learned that information as Mako had already left for the recruitment test, making it impossible for him to reach Mako unless he sent some of his weakest yet promising members like Mikhail after him in return for freedom.


    This was the same thing that Mikhail had said to him during their duel, so Mako believed this to be true, but he still was skeptical about Natasha''s current motives.


    From the encounters that Mako had with her, she had always made the impression of a person who was maniptive and only cared about themselves so it made it quite hard for Mako to believe that she was doing this purely out of love for Mikhail because he was eliminated from the test and sent back to El Diablo.


    Since she had already lied about how she had lured him into her trap, Mako believed that there was still a hidden agenda that she wasn''t revealing, and with time running out, Mako only had one choice left if he wanted to get some real information.


    Using what little amount of power, the mutant gene still had, Mako approached Natasha again and ced his hand on her arm wound again.


    Natasha immediately tried to pull her arm back, not wanting Mako to start another round of torturing her.


    "Calm down, I''m not going to hurt you again. I left some poison in your body so that you would recover more slowly, I am just going to remove it," Mako said with a hint of emotion in his voice.


    Natasha looked at Mako with a skeptical look but even though she was feeling much better, she could definitely feel her body was still a bit heavy and it was taking forever for the healing pill she had consumed to start working again.


    She couldn''t go to the clinic or anywhere else to get the rest of the poison out of her body as there were bound to be questions thrown at her that she couldn''t afford to answer as she


    wanted this whole thing to be kept under the wraps.


    Having no other choice, she reluctantly extended her arm toward Mako and this time he gently grabbed her arm as he began removing thest of the poison.


    It was true that Mako had left some poison in her system so that he would still have leverage over her in case she decided tosh out again and he was remaining true to his word as very quickly green liquid began oozing out from her wound, showing that the poison was leaving her body.


    Natasha began to feel even lighter as thest of the poison exited her body; however, as Mako was pulling the poison he began to speak with a bit of conviction in his voice.


    "I won''t forgive you for what you did to me and my friends, but we don''t have to destroy each other. If you stay out of my way, I will stay out of yours and we can both move on with our lives. I''m sorry for what happened to Mikhail; you have to understand, that I was fighting for my life just like he was for his," Mako said to Natasha.


    Feeling the change in Mako''s tone and actions, Natasha began to smile internally as she believed that Mako had bought her lie, and for the time being she agreed with Mako''s proposition, thinking that this would make him let down his guard again and she would be able to strike again after she had figured out how Mako was able to counter her ability.


    With that Mako removed thest of the poison from Natasha''s body before standing up and beginning to move out of the room.


    However, as he slowly started walking away from Natasha, he gave her a heads-up," Oh and just a heads up, people often faint after getting such a strong poison removed from their body,"


    Natasha turned toward Mako unsure of what he meant by that, but in the next instance, her vision became blurry and she immediately fell to the ground.


    Mako who had pretended to walk out of the training room quickly ran back toward the center.


    "The shop really came in clutch this time," Mako said as he checked Natasha''s pulse before feeding her another healing pill and leaving her unconscious on the floor.


    *****************


    Mako was true to his word and was indeed pulling thest of the poison out of Natasha''s system; however, he wasn''tpletely honest at that time because Mako was also looking for any way to sedate Natasha for at least a couple of hours.


    He was at first thinking of just knocking her out but then he would have no control over how long would she be unconscious and she wouldn''t trust him at all after knowing that he purposefully knocked her out cold.


    As he was thinking of an alternative, he decided to check the shop and as if luck was on his side, within the shop, he found high-tier sedative pills for sale.


    [Daily Shop]


    [...] (..)


    [...] (..) ¡Á


    [...] (..)


    [...] (..)


    [High-tier Sedative Pills] (5 Bronze Coins)


    Mako bought four pills and injected two of them directly into Natasha''s blood via the system which guaranteed that she would be unconscious for at least 6 hours.


    He then began speaking to her as if he wasying out some terms for peace between them and after he made Natasha believe that he had bought her lie and that he didn''t want any bad blood between them, hepletely fooled her into letting her own guard down and then he acted as if he was leaving and warning her that she might faint but in truth it was those sedative pills doing their job.


    Now that Natasha waspletely fooled and thought that she had fainted by herself, Mako had a window of exactly 6 hours and he was going to utilize it to get some actual answers.


    The time for his mutant gene had expired and Mako''s eyes quickly stopped glowing and returned to their normal color. With that, Mako felt a wave of weakness go through his entire body but it wasn''t as bad as he had thought and he simply had to sit down for a bit to catch his


    breath.


    During this time, Mako pulled out his student card and began sending an encrypted message to his friends.


    Even though they had just today created the cipher, Mako believed it wouldn''t take too long for his friends to decipher the message.


    *******************


    {Half an hourter}


    A bucket of water was sshed on Haruto''s face which finally woke him up. He breathed heavily as he quickly scanned his surroundings and realized that he was somewhere different


    from the training room.


    Haruto blinked rapidly, trying to clear the water from his eyes as he struggled to sit up. The room around him was dimly lit, but still somewhat familiar.


    His heart still pounding in his chest, with adrenaline coursing through his veins as he remembered what had happened before he passed out.


    He was given the ultimatum to choose to either save Natasha or walk away and fearing for what Natasha might do to him if he was to walk out on her, he had chosen to attack; however, before he could evennd a single blow everything had turned dark.


    As his vision cleared, Haruto noticed how cold the room was; he could see his breath in front


    of him as he exhaled, but this cold wasn''t from an air conditioning unit but rather from an Ice ability user who was staring at Haruto with anger filled eyes behind the cloak of darkness inside the room and it wasn''t only her.


    Just as Haruto muttered to himself," Where am I?" with his voice barely audible, several figures stepped forward from the darkness and into the light and they were all faces Haruto


    recognized.


    Haruto gulped down as he made eye contact with Erin whose facial expression was fuming with anger, but Mako stopped her cing a hand on her shoulder and calming her down.


    He then approached Haruto and said," It''s okay, you''re safe Haruto. Now... tell us everything."

 Chapter 328: Calling for Back Up

    Chapter 328: Calling for Back Up


    ?


    {30 minutes earlier}


    Mako activated silent steps as he exited the training room and returned to one of the special sspound gates.


    He chose the gate with the least number of people around so that there would be the minimum number of witnesses and would raise less suspicion.


    He continued to recover from the strain that was inflicted on his body after using the poison mutant gene.


    After a few minutes, he received a ping on his card as he received a message from his friends telling him that they had arrived.


    "Well, that was sooner than expected," Mako said as he pulled another card from his pocket, this one having a gold trim around its edges as it was a special ss ess card.


    Since Mako was no longer a special ss, cadet, he didn''t have the privileges of essing any of the special ss areas which meant that he couldn''t enter or exit by himself and nor could his friends.


    So before exiting the training room, Mako grabbed Haruto''s card from his pocket which he then used to open the gate and allow his friends inside thepound.


    ***************


    Erin, Nathan, Bill, and Leon had simr reactions to Mako as soon as they entered thepound; however, their focus quickly shifted after noticing Mako''s weakened state.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Overuse of the mutant gene would usually lead to weakness and sometimes even ckouts and Mako''s condition appeared to be that of a person who was about to fall down from exhaustion.


    Even though some of Mako''s fatigue and weakness was because of him using his mutant gene, a huge portion of it was from the intense mental strain he had gone through when he was under Natasha''s influence.


    When Amy Grey kissed Mako''s forehead before disappearing, she used the remaining amount of Love aura inside of her to get rid of Mako''s immense pain and agony which he believed was her healing himpletely but that wasn''t the case.


    The actual mental strain that had been inflicted on his body was still there and was only temporarily relieved as a huge portion of his negative emotions vanished from his body making him feel refreshed.


    However, in reality, the mental strain was still there and it would take him several hours before he fully recovered this was the actual reason why he felt so weak only after using the mutant gene for approximately 15 minutes whereas people like Erin faced no significant bacsh even after using the mutant gene a sum total of over 4 hours in the span of only a few days.


    ***************


    Mako assured his friends not to worry about him as the system told him that he was in no serious danger and was just weak from the fight.


    Without wasting any time, he began leading them back to the special ss training room, filling them in on all the details that took ce from the moment he entered his dorm room.


    Out of all of his friends, Erin was the most furious after hearing all the events that took ce. She already hated Natasha and Haruto after what they had done to Andrew and her friends during the recruitment test.


    After they had defeated and disqualified Andrew and her friends, they also kidnapped her along with Bill, Iris, and Leon by trapping them in a trance.


    The trance was just a loop with them observing their fears again and again but as Mako described to the group how more vivid andplex the visions were when he was trapped in them, she realized that Natasha had definitely upped her game since theirst encounter.


    The whole group was in shock after Mako described the visions that he saw but their shock quickly changed into confusion as he exined how his grandmother saved him.


    Mako obviously couldn''t exin to them that he received a blessing from his grandmother so he acted as lost as his friends on the reason behind such a miraculous event.


    Mako quickly moved on with his story as he exined how he interrogated Natasha and suspected her of a hidden agenda that she wasn''t revealing.


    **************


    Mako''s friends didn''t exactly know the origin of how he gained the poison ability nor the fact that he had also awakened his mutant gene which was how he saved Ang''s life as there wasn''t really a good exnation for it.


    Mako wanted to keep his system a secret at all costs so he made up a pretty believable lie on the go that he told both the militarymanders and his friends which was that he just happened to find a level 2 Poison ability book in one of the smashed boxes of loot that were stacked against the wall in the area where they had their big fight.


    He then went on to exin Haruto''s role in all of this and told his friends that he believed Haruto to be somewhat innocent in all of this and that if they wanted to get any real information, that could help them find what Natasha''s actual goal was, it was going to be through Haruto.


    Most of Mako''s friends except for Nathan who didn''t really have an opinion on Haruto were skeptical of Mako''s im; however, they decided to follow his lead regardless. They didn''t have to trust him to be innocent like Mako did as they were all entitled to their own opinions.


    Using Haruto''s card, the group entered the training room to find Natasha and Haruto''s bodies lying on the floor exactly where Mako had left them.


    "How are we even going to sneak him out of here," Nathan asked as he approached Haruto''s unconscious body. "I mean it doesn''t really look that suspicious of a group of cadetsing into thepound together, but it will look he suspicious if we leave with an unconscious body on our shoulders."


    "Who said anything about leaving?" Mako said as he essed the training room control panel using Haruto''s card.


    "Wait... you''re not saying... are we going to do this thing here?" Leon said confused.


    "That''s exactly what I am saying. There is no way we won''t get spotted if we try to move him and this ce is already the perfect area to interrogate him anyway," Mako exined as he checked the setting set in ce in the control panel, "Natasha had already turned off all the cameras and made sure the room was soundproof so we are in the safest ce we can be," "But still, Mako... remember what *he* said. I am pretty sure there would still be hidden cameras here to record for security reasons since this is a public area. It''s too risky to do it here." Erin added voicing her concerns too.


    "And that''s where youe in," Mako said as he ced his hand on Nathan''s shoulder.


    Nathan was still very new to the group, having limited interactions with all the group members, it was still very awkward to talk to him especially considering his previous hostile


    behavior towards them.


    However, Mako was a bit closer to him after they had a chance to talk things through aka fight


    each other while going all out.


    "Me?" Nathan asked unsure of what Mako was nning.


    "Yeah, you" Mako replied," You are going to hack into this control panel and find out if there are any other hidden cameras in the room or not."


    Everyone including Nathan was confused as to what Mako was nning but Mako continued


    as if everything was normal.


    "Come on, man... You told me that you had a past withputers, you can hack into a basic control panel, right?" Mako said while nudging Nathan like an old friend.


    Nathan suddenly realized what Mako meant and quickly started to y along.


    "Mako what do you mean Nathan can..." Leon said but was quickly cut off.


    "Dammit Mako! I told you not to bring up my past, I have left that behind!" Nathan shouted


    with a hint of anger in his voice.


    "I know... I know... I am sorry, Nathan but this is important. We need you to do this for us," Mako replied happy to see that Nathan caught on quickly.


    ***************


    Back when Mako was sending all those encrypted messages to each of his friends, he added an extra message when texting Nathan asking him whether he could use his quirk at the moment.


    Since it had been quite some time since Nathan had switched his abilities thanks to his quirk, his quirk was able to be activated again which Mako was d to hear. Since Mako was so careful that no one found out his secret about his system, he respected other''s secrets as well and didn''t want others to find out about Nathan''s quirk as per his


    request.


    This was why he had texted back to Nathan to be prepared to use his quirk when the time came. He didn''t really understand Mako''s message then but now he quickly understood that this was the reason why Mako said for him to use his quirk.


    *******************


    Nathan silently activated his quirk and changed his Explosion ability to the Hack ability while


    pressing random buttons on the control panel to appear like he was actually hacking the


    panel; something the rest of the group was shocked to find out. After a few minutes, Nathan turned back towards Mako with a smile.


    "There are 22 hidden cameras inside this room," Nathan stated.

 Chapter 329: Major Clue (Part 1)

    Chapter 329: Major Clue (Part 1)


    ?


    A smile appeared on Mako''s face as he was d that his n had worked as expected.


    "Can you disable them?" Mako asked Nathan.


    Nathan nodded as he sent amand to the control panel using his brand-new Hack ability.


    ****************


    The Hack ability was one of the most famous abilities and for good reason. It was an ability that wasn''t naturally urring in beasts but rather was possessed by a species called the androids.


    When Rose had exined to Mako how the universe had granted different beings with different ways of gaining power like Beasts who were born with a crystal that provided them with abilities from birth and then their human who didn''t have a natural ability but instead could manipte mana directly and hence gain several strong abilities.


    She had failed to mention an outlier; a type of species that was specially favored by the universe, who naturally possessed an ability and also had the potential to manipte mana directly.


    The androids were one of these special species as they naturally possessed the Hack ability from birth allowing them tomunicate with machines and codes directly leading them to be massively developed in technology.


    Soon after the Yalhvi enabled humans to travel past their sr system, the androids were one of the first species that humanity encountered and made a treaty with.


    Simr to beasts, species like the androids also had a crystal inside their bodies which they traded with humans in exchange for other resources.


    Those crystals were used to create the very first Hack ability books which were one of the factors that led to the massive development in human technology in the years that followed, and even centuriester, there were many universities all around the world that trained students to be the perfect candidate to receive the Hack ability.


    Almost all of the top engineers and scientists of the world had the Hack ability and were considered in a league of their own as other humans could bepared with them.


    Nathan''s quirk, VERSATILITY allowed him to switch one of his current abilities to any other ability that he had knowledge about keeping the new ability at the same ability and skill level as the old ability.


    However, once he had used his quirk, he couldn''t use it for a whole month which is why he had to be very careful in the decisions he made as he couldn''t revert his choice afterwards.


    Since the Hack ability was so popr and advertised all over the globe, Nathan had no problem remembering all the details about that specific ability and his quirk did the rest. Mako used his Analyze skill on Nathan and sure enough, his ability tab had been updated. [Analyze]


    [Profile: Nathan Wesley]


    [Ability: Enhanced Perception (Level 5), Hack (Level 5)]


    Seeing this a n began to formte in Mako''s mind for the future which he kept to himself at the moment.


    *******************


    "The hidden cameras were only recording footage, no audio. I deleted the footage of all the events that took ce since you came here and reced the footage with Natasha just waiting around for you to show up," Nathan stated as he finished operating the control panel.


    "Perfect," Mako said as he took the control panel and changed the terrain of the training room to a natural field with a river flowing down the middle as well as lowering the light to make a more suspenseful environment.


    They quickly tied up Haruto''s hands behind his back and let Erin do the honors of waking him up which she dly epted.


    {Minutester}


    Haruto gulped with fear in his heart as all the cadets that he had pissed off in the recruitment test were staring at him whilst surrounding him in a tight circle.


    "Don''t worry, we are not like Natasha, we are not going to torture you," Mako reassured him while patting his shoulder. "Instead, I have a proposition for you,"


    "What do you mean?" Haruto asked.


    "I am offering you a way out... an escape for her. The way that you fought me back then, I could see that you weren''t doing it willingly but rather were being forced. If you agree to my proposition, I will help you escape," Mako said.


    Haruto was speechless as he processed Mako''s words. Freedom was something that Haruto couldn''t even dream about after being with Natasha for so long.


    "Freedom... how can I escape...?" Haruto asked, clearly bing more emotional with each passing moment.


    "Well if you agree to my deal and do your part, then I will hold up my end of the deal and help you escape her for good," Mako said.


    "What''s your proposition... what do I have to do?" Haruto said with increasing desperation in his voice, the fear nowpletely gone from his body as all he could think about was the sliver of hope that Mako had made him feel again.


    Erin and the others were surprised to see how quickly Haruto wasplying with Mako and how desperate his voice sounded.


    "Well you see, I believe that you are innocent in all of this, but my friends are still not convinced especially after what you have done to them in the past, but if you honestly give us the answers to our questions, we will help you?" Mako stated.


    "Deal!" Haruto replied instantly.


    "Alright then, first question, did Natasha tell you to lure me here by saying that she had some information that I would want to hear?" Mako asked.


    "Yes... After our sses were over for the day, she told me to stay in my room for a few hours and then came back to give me the order to go to your dorm room and tell me toe to the training room because she had something important to tell you," Haruto replied.


    This confirmed it for Mako that Natasha was indeed lying as she had stated that she hadn''t given Haruto any specific order and had just instructed him to lure Mako to the training room. "Do you have any idea what information she could have wanted to share with me?" Mako


    asked.


    "I honestly have no idea, Natasha-kun... I mean Natasha doesn''t really fill me in on anything and just orders me to do something when the timees," Haruto responded.


    "You must know something... you have been with her ever since we arrived at the military base, she must have told you something?" Bill asked.


    "I am telling you guys the absolute truth, Natasha never told me anything. Even back on the military base, she would just order me to stay in my room while she said she had business to attend to. She would even let me train because it would be harder for her to use her ability on me if I got stronger," Haruto responded with hints of fear returning in his voice after getting a violent staredown by Bill whose face was cold as ice.


    Suddenly everyone''s eyes widened as they processed Haruto''s response, all of them thinking


    the same thing.


    "When Natasha would go by herself to attend her "business", at what time would she usually leave ande back?" Mako asked trying to confirm the burning theory inside everyone''s


    minds.


    Haruto was a little confused after seeing everybody''s reaction as he didn''t think he had said anything of great importance.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Uh... it would usually be in thete hours after we had free time to do whatever we wanted,"


    Haruto replied.


    "...and how long would these "business meetings" take?" Bill asked again.


    "Uh... It varied... sometimes it would take 30 minutes and sometimes she would be gone for


    hours," Haruto replied.


    With this newfound information, Mako had a strong inclination that the imposter inside the military base and Natasha were somehow connected.


    "The fact that she got so strong in just two months, even activating her mutant gene anding after me on the very first day, it couldn''t have been just from her acting on her on and training hard by herself, she must have been getting trained by someone..." Mako stated.


    The rest nodded in agreement as they had a simr line of thought.


    "But we can''t prove anything with this. He was never with her when she would go out so we


    can''t really make any actions based on a hunch." Iris stated.


    This was indeed true as all they had at this moment was a hunch that happened to fit perfectly


    in their situation but it very well could be two very separate things.


    However, Mako had a perfect question that would hit the nail in the coffin.


    "Haruto, how did you arrive at the military school?" Mako asked.


    Haruto was a bit confused as he didn''t understand why would Mako ask such a question but he


    answered nheless.


    "I arrived using the teleporter..." Haruto replied.


    "Okay now... *when* did you arrive at the military school," Mako asked the million-dor


    question.


    Everyone immediately realized what Mako doing and leaned in closer toward Haruto as they


    anxiously awaited his response.


    Haruto still didn''t realize why were they giving such importance to a basic question.


    "The special ss cadets were teleported to the military base at night, before the other cadets. We were thest ones to leave the base," Haruto answered honestly.

 Chapter 330: Major Clue (Part 2)

    Chapter 330: Major Clue (Part 2)


    ?


    Everyone''s eyes widened with shock as they couldn''t believe it. It had only been their first day in military school and they had just found a major piece of the puzzle.


    "There were no transfers during the night, so that means..." Leon said what everyone was thinking out loud.


    "It wasn''t just some military personnel but special ss cadets that teleported to the military school in that footage," Nathanpleted Leon''s sentence.


    Haruto was now more confused than ever. Natasha had told him to get ready because since they were special ss cadets, they would be getting transported to the school early so that they could settle in.


    Haruto voiced out his thoughts to the group trying to make them understand that they were on the wrong track, not knowing that Natasha was ying him from the very start.


    "Haruto, how many people were in the teleportation room that night?" Mako asked.


    "Um... since we were thest out of out of the special ss cadets to get teleported, there weren''t many in the room... There were only 4 cadets and a supervisor who operated the teleporter." Haruto replied honestly still believing his perspective to be true.


    "That makes 5, but the footage only showed 4 figures..." Erin said as she recalled Commander Sable''s recording.


    "No, the camera angle was only able to capture the main teleportation stage, not the control panels. If it was an operator, controlling the teleporter from the panel, then we wouldn''t have been able to see him," Mako stated after some quick thinking.


    "Recording...? What are you guys talking about?" Haruto asked, his confusion and curiosity getting the better of him.


    Mako silently looked around at his friends who all gave him a small nod. Going in, Mako already had a strong inclination that Haruto was innocent and it seemed that now his friends also agreed with him as they all also believed in his innocence.


    After Mako received a small nod of approval from everyone in the group, he turned back toward Haruto who was admittedly a little scared as he didn''t know what the nod was supposed to represent.


    He approached Haruto but instead of doing anything to him, just used a small de to cut his hands free.


    Haruto was surprised to see Mako doing that as he wasn''t sure he was off the hook so quickly. Mako then ced a hand on Haruto''s shoulder as he began to exin to Haruto the entire situation and the brand new mission that was assigned to them by Commander Sable. After a few minutes, Haruto was leftpletely speechless after he learned about all the things that had happened since the time they parted ways back in the military base. Even though he previously knew of Natasha''s maniptive nature, he waspletely surprised to learn just how much she had manipted him such that even though she was working with the imposter from the military base, he had absolutely no clue about it.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Now armed with the truth of what had actually been going on, Haruto didn''t hesitate any longer and gave a detailed overview of everything he could remember regarding Natasha since their time in the military base.


    ****************


    Haruto exined to them that soon after Natasha had disrespected Commander Sable and denied his offer of joining the special task force, two privates led them to their living quarters and exined to them all the privileges they had while they stayed there like the training rooms, etc.


    However, after they left, Natasha used her ability to bring Haruto to his knees out of fear because he had respected themander before leaving which she took as a sign of disobedience.


    Because of his disobedience, Natasha punished Haruto by not allowing him to use any of the privileges that the military base provided, essentially making it so that he was not to leave his room until Natasha said so.


    So simr to Mako and the rest, Haruto was on room arrest too, but under orders from not themanders but from Natasha.


    During that time, Haruto didn''t really have much to do. Natasha would go on to train and get stronger daily while he remained inside his room at times, only leaving for food after getting Natasha''s permission.


    Haruto already told the group, that Natasha would often head out alone in the evenings for "business" which at this point they all realized was to most probably meet with the imposter.


    The group asked him whether or not he remembered the other cadets who teleported with them at night or the supervisor who activated the teleporter in the first ce to which he replied that he didn''t really pay much attention during that time because prior to them being teleported, Natasha had ordered him to spar with her as practice.


    It had been quite some time since he had fought anyone and was far weaker than Natasha; however, he didn''t really have a choice so with his only offensive ability being the level 3 Lightning ability, he tried his best to spar with her, but Natasha didn''t go easy on him in the slightest using every new trick that she had learned and making him suffer.


    Haruto was so mentally drained at that point so when Natasha told him to pack his things because they were transported, he didn''t even ask questions and just followed through like a robot on autopilot.


    Even though he couldn''t remember their faces, Haruto still told the group that there was one boy and one girl with them on that night.


    Mako appreciated any new detail that Haruto was able to provide to them, but it seemed that it would still take some effort to unmask the other two special ss cadets.


    Other than the 4 cadets, there was still that supervisor who ording to Haruto still remained in the military base.


    "If all the figures in that secret recording were actually cadets and the supervisor remained behind... this means that the actual imposter wasn''t with them that night." Mako theorized. "Commander told us that he was certain, the imposter had most definitely escaped after he had caught wind that themander was hot on his tail. The supervisor stayed behind which means that he wasn''t a suspect on themander''s list and believed that he would be safe which leads to only one exnation... the imposter had already escaped to the military school prior to Natasha and the other''s teleporting at night." Mako stated his school of thought to


    the group.


    The rest nodded as theypletely agreed with Mako''s logic; his intelligence points finally did him well.


    "What did Natasha do after you guys came to the school that night?" Mako asked.


    "After we teleported to the school, a person was waiting for us and weed us to military school, making it seem totally legit to me that the special ss was getting teleported at night," Haruto began to exin.


    "We followed him out of the teleportation room and the guy said they were short-staffed at the moment and that other helpers would be there shortly to escort all of them to their room to rest up for the night. It was then that Natasha said to me that I should be the first one to go with him to my room and that she and the other two would wait for the helpers to arrive." Haruto continued.


    "I was just so exhausted that I didn''t even question anything and just followed the guy who showed me to my room and I instantly fell asleep after lying on the bed," Haruto added as he finished recalling what happened.


    "Damn it... so we have no idea what these guys were up to in the night," Bill stated with frustration in his voice.


    "Calm down... It''s not his fault. I mean, you saw my condition after fighting her, I could only imagine how bad he must''ve had it." Mako said to calm Bill down.


    ****************


    After hearing Haruto''s entire story, Mako and the group were definitely satisfied as they now had a solid lead and a decent amount of information to formte a new n on how to uncover the other 2 special ss cadets.


    They also had to find out how they were going to steal the Pyronite as they still had no leads


    on that front.


    Now all that was left was for Mako to hold up his end of the deal and help Haruto escape


    Natasha for good.


    "Alright, Haruto. As the leader of this group, with the agreeance of others, I ept you into our group. You are now a part of this mission and will help us take Natasha and her friends down." Mako said as he extended his arm toward Haruto who was still on the ground. Haruto grabbed Mako''s and raised himself back on his feet. He looked around to see small nods from the group even Erin. Now that they realized that Haruto was just a victim in all of this and was forced to y the devil''s advocate, they epted him by forgiving his past sins; a gesture that Haruto thought he would never see in his life.


    "Now, here''s what we''re going to do..." Mako said as he began exining his n to Haruto about how he was going to keep his end of the deal to Haruto.

 Chapter 331: A Quick Report

    Chapter 331: A Quick Report


    ?


    "Aaarhh..." Natasha groaned as she slowly became conscious again. The healing pill had done her work while she was knocked out and she woke with no injuries.


    Her eyes were blurry for a few minutes as she regained strength and began remembering what happenedst night.


    Immediately anger filled her heart and soul as she remembered how Mako was able to beat her again even after she had worked so hard to get so strong. She also remembered how he humiliated and tortured her for the truth but in the end, a smile appeared on her face as she was still able to fool him.


    With the thought of revenge fresh on her mind, she remembered Mako''s truce and a brilliant new n began to hatch in her mind.


    "Alright, lover boy... I''ll go along with your peace for now and when you will least expect it. I willnd the final strike!" Natasha said to herself while grinning like a mad witch.


    Natasha had no idea how much time had passed, so she quickly got up and checked her card.


    "6 hours!" Natasha eximed as she checked the time and found that she had been unconscious for such a long time.


    "Just how strong was his poison to deal so much damage to my body?" Natasha questioned herself as she thought back to when Mako was injecting the painful poison into her body.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    **************


    She was obviously enraged by the fact that he had underestimated Mako for a second time. Natasha was a person who liked to be careful. In order to manipte the string for her best interest, she always tried to read every situation and calcte potential oues.


    After she had heard that Mako and his friends failed their first-ever mission and were demoted, she was so filled with joy believing that they were too weak to handle a basic mission and would be light work for her after she had awakened her mutant gene; however, this was the very reason she had lost.


    She had gone forward on her own assumption before verifying the facts to make sure that she would be a hundred percent certain that she would be able to take Mako down, but she vowed to never make that mistake again.


    In reality, Natasha''s fear ability coupled with her mutant gene was strong enough to consume Mako; however, possessing a Blessing of Love that was given to him by his grandmother was something that she couldn''t have possibly calcted.


    **************


    Natasha scanned the surroundings and found Haruto still unconscious on the ground where Mako had knocked him out.


    "Wake your sorry ass up!" Natasha screamed as she kicked Haruto in the stomach jolting him awake.


    Haruto groaned in pain and began coughing from the strong hit to his abdomen. Slowly, he gained some strength and got up on his feet.


    "Natasha-kun..." Haruto began to speak in his regr skimpy voice.


    "Save it!" Natasha quickly cut off Haruto before he could utter a single word. "You had one job, and you were just so pathetic that you couldn''t even fight back! Look at how he treated me and you stood there and did nothing!" Natasha shouted with her wordsced with hate.


    "But, Natasha-kun... I was only following your orders... you said not to interfere after I brought him to you..." Haruto stated with a pleading tone.


    "Oh, I''ll show you following orders!" Natasha shouted with her eyes glowing purple but just then her card started beeping.


    She stopped to check her card only to find out that it was the rm that she had setst night to alert her for her morning sses so that she wouldn''t get too sidetracked by having so much fun torturing Mako; however, her ns hadn''t exactly gone the way she had envisioned and the rm was another sour reminder of that fact.


    "Arrrhh! Quick, Move your ass! The morning sses are going to start in 30 minutes and we can''t bete. I will deal with youter," Natasha shouted as she quickly exited the training


    room.


    Haruto quickly followed behind her; however, with a tiny grin on his face as he exited the training room.


    "This is going exactly like he said it would...'' Haruto thought as he quickly moved to catch up with Natasha.


    *****************


    Back at the advanced sspound, several cadets exited from a single specific dorm to quickly head to their respective morning sses; these cadets were, of course, Mako''s friends.


    The group had decided to link back in Mako''s dorm room after they had told Haruto the n and set him up for his brand new mission.


    None of them were expecting to have such an eventful first day but they couldn''tin as they were already able to make such significant progress towards their mission.


    Erin informed Mako that themander gave her 3 one-usemunication capsules that would enable a 10-minute conversation before self-destructing.


    "Commander Sable said to only use these in emergencies or when we had uncovered something very crucial that would need to get reported right away because themunication channels in the school aren''t safe and he didn''t want to raise any suspicion," Erin stated.


    "He didn''t want to take any out of the military base inventory so he only had 3 in his possession which he passed on to me. He said that he would keep the receiver close to him at all times and that we could call him whenever. It generates a unique encrypted frequency that enablesmunication and self-destructs before any considerable hacker could hijack and listen in on the conversation." Erin added as she finished her exnation and handed themunication devices over to Mako.


    Mako looked at the smallmunication devices with curiosity before turning back to his friends.


    "We have uncovered a great deal of things and if we are able to get themander all of this information, I believe that he might be able toe up with a good strategy on how to deal with these special ss students," Mako stated.


    The rest of the group agreed with Mako that they should use one of themunication devices now and report back on this massive discovery.


    They all huddled up in a circle around the device and Erin entered the receiver frequency that belonged to Commander Sable.


    After a few moments of different colored blinking lights, Commander Sable''s Holographic figure appeared in front of them.


    "Kids... I didn''t expect to hear from you so soon. Is everything alright?" Commander Sable said with a hint of concern in his voice.


    "We are alright Commander, we used one of themunication devices to ry our findings on the mission so far," Mako replied.


    An expression of shock and pride filled themander''s face as he heard Mako''s response. It had only been a day since the group''s arrival so he was skeptical of what they might have uncovered in such a short amount of time that it would prompt them to use the


    communication device so early.


    "Proceed," The Commander ordered.


    Mako gave a full detailed report of everything that had taken ce starting from the moment he encountered Haruto who had been waiting for him inside his dorm room.


    Since he only had 10 minutes before themunication device self-destructed, he narrated the events as quickly as he could while also exining details along the way so as to leave no


    confusion.


    "This is the n that I havee up with to deal with Natasha using our newest recruit, Haruto," Mako stated as he concluded his report in under 4 minutes and 30 seconds. The Commander was genuinely impressed by the level of the report and quite surprised to hear so soon. He had a huge smile on his face as he was very proud of his students. "Excellent work, young man. This is crucial information that will help us catch that bastard faster than even I anticipated. For now, I would advise you guys tow low and continue as normal. Get your lessons and start training since those special ss cadets won''t be a joke when you eventually face them," Commander Sable began instructing the group. "The cadets are allowed to have a day tomunicate to their families back home via old school letters at the end of each month. I will try to follow up on your lead and see if I can find out about the other two special ss cadets or the operator who turned on the teleporter."


    "It will be an unmarked letter so that no suspicion will fall upon you for receiving a letter from the military base and it will remain in the locker box number 25615. You guys will have to steal it from the collection office and if I find any information, I will write in that letter using the same cipher that Mako has developed."


    "I would advise you guys not to worry so much about the Pyronite for now as it is still months away and focus on your academics, World History can be quite brutal" Themander concluded with some friendly advice.


    The group acknowledged themander''s orders and right on cue, the ten minutes were up


    and the smallmunication device began sparking as it short-circuited and fried itselfpletely, but not before it ryed themander''s final words.


    "I am so proud of you all..."

 Chapter 332: Makos Training: Power Weapons

    Chapter 332: Mako''s Training: Power Weapons


    ?


    Following the brief meeting with Commander Sable, the group decided to follow his advice and focus more on training and getting stronger.


    In the following days, Mako shifted his entire focus onto training and studying. He tooka deep interest in subjects like World History which taught him a lot more about the history of humans during his great-grandfather''s era.


    Mako was also a quick learner when it came to learning new fighting techniques. The various rted sses taught a multitude of different forms and techniques and Mako wanted to master all of them.


    In the regr Power Weapons ss, Teacher Magnus called all the students to gather on one side of the giant Power Weapons hall.


    With a flick of Magnus''s wrist, the wall in front of the cadets began to shift and move around as it repositioned itself. Some portions of the wall rotated, each revealing a power weapon on the other side which was ced on special disy.


    Within seconds, the entire wall had been covered with tens of different and unique power weapons.


    Magnus told the students to survey the entire wall carefully and pick out a weapon that spoke to them. He told them that the weapon that they chose would be the main weapon that they would master in their first semester so to pick wisely.


    The students all scoured through the various rows of weapons, trying out many different weapons before making their decision.


    Many of the rich students who already possessed strong power weapons and had prior training picked the weapons that they were already ustomed giving them a massive edge over the other regr students.


    Although Mako wasn''t from a rich background, he did possess the Storm Caller staff which was a strong power weapon itself but one that Mako had very little knowledge of how to use.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Since Mako had only awakened his powers at the beginning of the year, he didn''t have the years of training that other students had under their belt and so the only fighting style that Mako wasfortable with at the moment was closebat which didn''t pair well with a staff.


    He really enjoyed using his stone sword skill which allowed him to fight in close quarters but have adequate attacking and defensive capabilities.


    Looking over the dozens of different sword power weapons that were on disy; modeled after the weapons of the many different cultures of humanity''s past, the Japanese Katana- style power weapon really caught Mako''s eye.


    It was one of the more popr weapons and one of Mako''s personal favorites.


    All of the power weapons on disy were High-tier and possessed no active or passive abilities.


    Mako still inspected the katana to learn its stats.


    [Inspect]


    [High Tier Silver Fang Wolf Katana] =


    [A strong katana forged from the crystal and fangs of a Silver Fang Wolf found in (Unknown). A decent quality weapon forged by (Unknown)]


    [Strength +10]


    [Fortitude +5]


    [Agility +15]


    [Attack: 60]


    It was a beautiful ashen-colored katana that Mako really liked the feel of in his hands. He did try a few other weapons as well but in the end, he decided to go along with the katana as his main weapon to master for the semester.


    Teacher Magnus acknowledged all of the cadets picked and gave them instructions on the basics of how to use their weapons which they began to practice in theing days. Magnus also informed them that they were now the owners of the power weapon they had selected and so they had to take care of their weapons as well with many opportunities of being able to upgrade them in the near future; however, he didn''t borate much on how exactly they would be able to upgrade them.


    ********


    During the Regr Power Weapons ss, Mako would learn and practice the basics of using the katana, and during the Special Power Weapons ss that he took at night, he would get personally trained by Magnus as he taught Mako more advanced and special moves.


    *Ding!*


    [The User has created their very own skill set]


    [The Close Combat Katana Skill Set is now avable]


    [As the user learns more and refines their existing moves with the katana, it will be stored inside the Close Combat Katana Skill Set]


    Mako was delighted to see that he didn''t have to be fully reliant on the system as now not everything in his fighting arsenal was given to him by his system and that the system would recognize the skills and techniques that he had learned on his own.


    He checked out the current skills that he had learned and was amazed at just how many had beenputed into the system already.


    [Analyze]


    (New!) [(E-Tier) Intermediate Close Combat Katana Skill Set]


    - [(E-Tier) Vertical sh] (LEVEL 1)


    [Attack: 35]


    [Requirements: 40 Strength, 35 Stamina]


    [Cost: 0 Energy]


    - [(E-Tier) Horizontal sh] = (LEVEL 1)


    [Attack: 35]


    [Requirements: 40 Strength, 35 Stamina]


    [Cost: 0 Energy)


    - [(E-Tier) Thrust] (LEVEL 1)


    [Attack: 45]


    [Requirements: 40 Strength, 35 Stamina]


    [Cost: 0 Energy]


    - [(E-Tier) Parry] (LEVEL 1)


    [Defense: 40]


    [Requirements: 40 Fortitude, 35 Stamina]


    [Cost: 0 Energy]


    - [(E-Tier) Air sh] = (LEVEL 1)


    [Attack: 35]


    [Requirements: 40 Strength, 35 Stamina]


    [Cost: o Energy]


    - [(D-Tier) Continuous Rolling shes] (LEVEL 1)


    [By performing the initial horizontal stash, the user activates Continuous Rolling shes by allowing the body to move forward with the motion of the de without stopping, adding more power to the de with each swing as the entire weight of the body is added to the force of the de along with the increasing momentum of the attack.]


    [Attack: 80]


    [Requirements: 65 Strength, 50 Stamina]


    [Cost: o Energy]


    All of the basic moves that Mako had learned so far were neatly disyed in front of his eyes along with some useful stats as well as the one special move that he had mastered while training directly under Magnus; the Continuous Rolling shes.


    The great thing about all of these moves was that they were purely physical meaning that there was no energy or mana requirement and it was purely dependent on Mako''s Stamina which would indicate for how long he could keep using these moves without stopping.


    He still had several more moves that had to master before moving on to the next set of training where he would then learn to infuse his abilities into his weapon and create brand new skills that could be utilized using his weapon that would be a lot stronger and more


    urate.


    During their special training sessions, Magnus went on and exined a bit about Power Weapons and how they worked, stuff that Mako already knew thanks to his system; however, Magnus didn''t stop there as he dropped brand new and important information that Mako was


    fascinated to learn.


    Magnus exined that other types of sses represented power weapons alongside the regr tiers that a power weapon could possess.


    Power Weapons could also be ssified by the type of weapon, for example, a ded, blunt,


    or ranged weapon.


    These sses could then be further broken down into more specific types by ssifying their traits such as the weapon''s weight, range, attack power, etc.


    For example, Power Weapons that would be ssified as lightweight, close-range, ded weapons are daggers, dueling knives, rapiers, switchdes, swords, etc.


    Another example would be Power Weapons which would be ssified as Medium-weight, close-range, blunt weapons such as clubs, maces, war hammers, staves, ils, etc. Magnus then went on to exin how many different weapons could have special features such as chained weapons which granted a level of flexibility and unpredictability with their attacks at the cost of attack power.


    He exined their differences as well as their pros and cons. He taught Mako that every single


    weapon in existence had a weakness whether it is its range is limited or its weight is too light to cause significant damage.


    No matter the weapon, it would always foster a weakness and strength and it was up to the


    wielder of the weapon to capitalize the weapon''s strength to its greatest ability and reduce the weapon''s weakness to the absolute minimum.


    While Mako trained to master the Katana, he also asked Magnus for advice on how to use the


    Storm Caller most efficiently in battle.


    Magnus gave Mako various useful tips on how he could keep the staff as a secondary weapon that he could use in the specific situations where it was required and the basics of how to fight efficiently with a medium-range, medium-weight blunt weapon.


    Mako absorbed every ounce of information that Magnus provided him and used it to practice with the staff in his personal time which he often used to just train his body andplete


    daily quests.


    ********************


    In addition to rigorously training to master the katana as his primary weapon, Mako was also impressing Rose with how quickly he grasped concepts during her special Mana training


    lessons.


    His understanding and control of Mana deepened at a rate much faster than any of the other students in the ss with him on the cusp of grasping the very basic aspects of Mana Maniption.

 Chapter 333: Makos Training: Mana Training

    Chapter 333: Mako''s Training: Mana Training


    ?


    Since Magnus had granted Mako the flexibility toe and train with him at any time, he was able to create lots of time for his other special ss, Mana Training.


    Simr to her other students Rose was very patient and thorough with her lectures as he brought Mako up to speed with the other students who were all mostly special ss cadets taking extra lessons to make more progress towards this very difficult and hard-to-grasp concept.


    However, Mako was the first cadet to surprise Rose with his speed of learning and progression as within a few weeks of concentration, meditation, and determination the prompt that Mako was waiting for appeared in front of his eyes.


    *Ding!*


    [User has understood the basic understandings of Mana]


    [A new tab has been unlocked in the system Interfacebeled "Mana Understanding"]


    [The Mana Skill Tree is now avable]


    [...]


    ******************


    Thanks to the system and his Energy ability, Mako already had a grasp on how to sense different auras and energies and all he had to do was to fine-tune its uracy within his body and learn to do it by himself without the system''s or an ability''s help.


    It was a bit challenging at first, but he started on the area which he could already somewhat sense which was the mana highways inside his body.


    By concentrating and focusing all his will on observing the faint mana highways inside his body, eventually, they started to be more opaque and visible.


    Once Mako had perfected his sense to be able to sense and observe the thousands of mana highways inside his body, the next step was to try and observe the mana that was flowing through them.


    This was awfully difficult for Mako; he spent almost 2 weeks trying to figure it out.


    Eventually Rose gave him a hint in the form of an unusual assignment which was to stop his mana training midway and to start observing the auras of his abilities.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He was a bit confused at first; however, he trusted his teacher and began exploring the multiple aura bubbles inside his body.


    He noticed how each bubble expanded and contracted within his core which was his abdomen area like small beating hearts and whenever he cast an ability, he noticed the corresponding aura bubble light up and release a portion of its aura to the mana highways which then traveled to body part meant to release the ability.


    Mako didn''t really have any hardships in this assignment as he pretty much could clearly observe this process from the very beginning, but Rose continued to nudge him to keep going in the same direction.


    Still not understanding the reason for his teacher''s insistence, Mako continued to just trust her words and continued concentrating.


    Finally, one day something amazing clicked in Mako''s head.


    As he was continuously re-activating his abilities to observe the aura bubbles inside his core light up and release a small portion of the aura, he began to think about what caused those bubbles to light up in the first ce.


    As he began to investigate further into his idea, he made another shocking discovery which was that there was a small dy in between when Mako used his will tomand the ability bubble inside his body to activate and move depending on the skill being cast.


    Was it really his will that the aura bubbles responded to or something else?


    If it was themand of his will that made the aura bubbles activate and react, there shouldn''t have been a dy at all, and the effect should have been instant but instead that was not the case.


    Mako found this very intriguing and began to pour all his focus on the short moment between him activating his ability and the aura bubble reacting.


    It was incredibly hard and Mako wasn''t making any progress but he was sure that he was definitely on to something so he kept trying.


    All those meditation and concentration sessions were really adding up and were good natural exercises that boosted a person''s perception and mentality.


    Since Mako could now level up his attributes naturally by training, Rose''s lessons gave him another bonus which was his increase in Perception and Mentality level.


    However, the training alone wasn''t as efficient as Mako was used to in the past as even after 3 and a half weeks of constant training, he had only gained 5 points of Perception and 7 points of Mentality.


    After his impatience and frustration reached his peak Mako decided to use some of the


    Attribute points that he still had reserved for in case of emergencies.


    ''Add 120 attribute points to Perception,'' Mako ordered the system.


    [120 Attribute points have been added to Perception]


    [User''s perception is now at 67]


    He watched as arge chunk of his attribute points disappeared and that cooling sensation that he hadn''t felt in quite some time appeared on his head.


    [Profile]


    [User: Mako Grey]


    [Health: 500/500] [********--] (+1)


    [Energy: 3440/7000] [-


    [EXP: 1500/100,000]


    --] (+1)


    [ount: 350 Bronze Tier Coins, 25 Silver Tier Coins, 2 Gold Tier Coins] * (+1)


    [Level 15]


    [Strength: 55 (+60) ] ¡Á [****- - - - - -] (+1)


    [Agility: 54 (+35) ] [*****- - -


    -] (+1)


    [Perception: 67(+20)] [*-


    [Intelligence: 52] & [*****- ---] (+1)


    -----] (+1)


    Mentality: 57] ¡Á [-


    ------] (+1)


    [Stamina: 56 (+30) ] = [*********-] (+1)


    [Charisma: 20] ¡Á [----------] (+1)


    [Fortitude: 54 (+20)] ? [¡ï¡ï¡ï-


    [Attribute Points: 100]


    -] (+1)


    Mako instantly felt a huge boost to his senses. Every time he used his Attribute points to directly upgrade his perception by a couple of points instantly, he would feel this immense pleasure as he would be capable of sensing a lot more information making it feel like his senses were previously dulled and he was finally able to sense everything freely.


    With his improved sensing abilities, Mako concentrated once again at his core to try and observe what actually caused the ability bubble to activate and after a couple of days, he


    finally saw it.


    Before when he observed the ability bubbles inside his core, he would only be able to see the tiny aura bubbles moving around randomly within his confined core, but now he was finally able to see that the bubbles weren''t moving around randomly but rather they were in orbit.


    As Mako''s eyes focused on the very center of his core, he was finally able to lift the veil and uncover the mystery.


    He was finally able to see that there was another bubble located at the very center of his core and muchrger than any of his ability bubbles. This bubble was filled with chaotic purplish- pink energy that radiated in pulses as it maintained order and control within his core.


    "This is... mana..." Mako said as he came to the realization.


    It was MANA! Pure mana!


    Mako had 7000 energy points disyed in his profile and that was just a fancy measurement of the amount of mana Mako was able to store and use inside his body.


    Mako was never able to understand where all this energy was stored inside of him as he was never able to sense it, that was until now.


    It was honestly the most beautiful thing Mako had ever seen. He observed as every single mana highway inside his body was connected to his mana core which pulsed like a beating


    heart of pure energy.


    The small bubbles of aura all orbit around the giant core likes orbiting the sun, locked


    in ce by the authority of the core.


    Mako activated his fire ability and this time he was clearly able to see the mana core begin to pulse more rapidly and send some mana directly into his fire ability bubble which then began to glow and release the aura to his mana highways.


    Mako could now observe theplete process inside his body, and being left speechless would be an understatement.


    As soon as Mako was able to observe the entire process and understand it, a number of


    notifications popped in front of his eyes.


    *Ding!*


    [User has understood the basic understandings of Mana]


    [A new tab has been unlocked in the system Interfacebeled "Mana Understanding"]


    [The Mana Skill Tree is now avable]


    [User has gained a massive understanding of different energies and has sparked the Energy


    ability to grow]


    [The Energy Maniption Ability has been upgraded to Level 3]


    [Ability: Energy Maniption (Level 3)]


    [An advanced ability thatbines the auras of Fire Element and Lightning Element to


    provide the user with the power to manipte energy. Fire and Lightning both are at the core, two different types of energies. By ovepping that understanding of how to manipte energy, the user has gained a basic understanding of how to manipte all


    types of energy in general.]


    [Perception +30]


    [Stamina +15]


    [User has unlocked new skill set: Basic Ionic Weapons Set] =


    [User has unlocked new skill: Energy Healing]


    [User has unlocked new skill: Overcharge] =


    [The Skill Energy Sensing has levelled up] =


    [The Skill Energy Stream has levelled up]


    Mako was absolutely blown away by the number of notifications that popped up in front of his


    eyes and the insane information they contained. He wasted no time reading and understanding all the new boosts he had received.

 Chapter 334: Makos Training: New Skills

    Chapter 334: Mako''s Training: New Skills


    ?


    [Analyze] >


    (New!) [(D-Tier) Basic Ionic Weapons Set]


    [Upgradeable!]


    [User has awakened a unique awareness of radiation and the charged particles in the environment. The Basic Ionic Weapons Set consists of multiple basic weapon constructs that are made from pure sma that the user creates and shapes by absorbing and controlling the charged particles in their surroundings by harnessing the power of ions]


    -(New!) [(D-Tier) sma Saber] (LEVEL 1)


    [The user forges a saber from pure sma. The sma Saber emits a radiant, yellowish glow. The saber requires a considerable amount of Energy and some time to fully manifest and requires a constant stream of Energy to maintain. The weapon hums with high- frequency vibration, and its length can be adjusted slightly to suit differentbat styles, making it ideal for close to medium-rangebat.]


    [Attack: 120]


    [Requirements: 55 Strength, 50 Fortitude, 40 Stamina]


    [Initial Cost: 500 Energy]


    [Time to Forge: 10 seconds]


    [Maintenance Cost: 25 Energy per second]


    [Note: The maintenance cost will increase if the user increases the length of the sma Saber]


    -(New!) [(D-Tier) sma Dagger] = (LEVEL 1)


    [The user forges a dagger from pure sma. The sma dagger emits a radiant, yellowish glow. The dagger requires a reasonable amount of Energy and a minuscule amount of time to fully manifest and requires a constant stream of Energy to maintain. The weapon hums with medium-frequency vibration, and its length can''t be adjusted so it is only ideal for close to very closebat.]


    [Attack: 80]


    [Requirements: 40 Strength, 50 Fortitude, 30 Stamina]


    [Initial Cost: 350 Energy]


    [Time to Forge: 2 seconds]


    [Maintenance Cost: 10 Energy per second]


    -(New!) [(D-Tier) sma Spear] (LEVEL 1)


    [The user forges arge spear from pure sma. The sma Spear emits a radiant, yellowish glow. The spear requires arge amount of Energy and a decent amount of time to fully manifest and requires a constant stream of Energy to maintain. The weapon oscites violently with energy pulses at the tip of the spear and is only ideal for close to medium- rangebat.]


    [Attack: 140]


    [Requirements: 55 Strength, 50 Fortitude, 50 Stamina]


    [Initial Cost: 650 Energy]


    [Time to Forge: 15 Seconds]


    [Maintenance Cost: 35 Energy per second]


    - (New!) [(D-Tier) sma Arrow] (LEVEL 1)


    [The user tugs onto the very force that keeps the particles together and pulls back hard as he summons a radiant, yellowish glowing sma Arrow. This is a ranged attack that requires arge amount of Energy and some time to fully manifest and requires a constant stream of Energy to maintain until ready to fire. Additionally, the user can build up more sma strengthening the aura and increasing its pration capabilities.]


    [Attack: 150]


    [Requirements: 50 Strength, 55 Fortitude, 50 Stamina]


    [Initial Cost: 750 Energy)


    [Time to Forge: 20 Seconds]


    [Maintenance Cost: 50 Energy per second]


    [Note: At the User''s current level of attributes, the sma Arrow can only be additionally charged up to an Attack Power of 180 and would require 60 Energy per second to maintain fully charged.]


    [Warning! The current power of the user isn''t enough to sustain the Basic Ionic Weaponspletely and hence they are very fragile and could break easily if met with resistance. It is advised that the user only uses these skills to deal blows rather than engage in fights]


    ****************


    Mako had decided to check out the brand-new moves he had received and was quite impressed by the description of his newest skill set.


    Even though Mako had unlocked one of the hardest-to-gain resonated abilities; the Energy Maniption ability, he definitelycked the experience and power to use it effectively.


    The only offensive skill he had with the Energy Maniption ability was his Energy Stream skill which although was quite strong and helped Mako a lot in his fights required arge amount of energy and made him an easy target as he was defenseless from any other direction other than the one he was firing at.


    These new offensive skills would definitely help him a ton by dealing huge damage but still allow him to defend himself if he were to face multiple opponents at once.


    It was quite a bummer for Mako as he reached the end of the description only to find that there was a pretty serious drawback to his new skill set as well which was that they were extremely fragile as they were purely made from sma and not a solid object.


    It required an immense amount of energy and aura to be able to use non-solid materials as weapons as they would bepletely held up by the aura, will, and energy of the user without possessing any structural strength themselves.


    This is the reason why abilities like the Earth and Ice abilities have many skills rted to forming weapon contracts whereas abilities like Water and Fire only have weapon-rted skills at the higher levels.


    woul


    The fragile nature of the Ionic weapons acted as a buffer in order to stop Mako from bingpletely overpowered or else it would only e the Teleki esis ability and have be unstoppable. (Comment if you get the reference!)


    Besides the Basic Ionic Weapons Set, Mako also unlocked two more skills that he also wanted to check out before opening up the brand new Mana Understanding Tab and see what bonuses


    awaited him there.


    [Analyze]


    (New!) [(E-Tier) Energy Healing] = (LEVEL 1)n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    [Energy Healing allows the user to channel their Energy Maniption ability to mend minor wounds and alleviate pain. At the current level, Energy Healing focuses on stabilizing injuries and elerating the natural healing process. The user generates a soft, warm glow from their hands as they absorb energy from their surroundings, directing it towards the


    injured area.


    The healing energy stimtes cellr regeneration and increases blood flow, reducing inmmation and promoting faster recovery. While it is not potent enough to heal severe injuries orplex conditions at this level, it is highly effective for treating cuts, bruises, minor burns, and other superficial wounds. As the user bes more proficient and increases the level of this skill, the range and effectiveness of Energy Healing will expand, allowing for treating more serious injuries and ailments.]


    [Health: Recover 2 HP every 5 seconds]


    [Requirements: 40 Mentality, 25 Fortitude, 25 Perception]


    [Cost: 15 Energy per second]


    [Note: The Healing process is elerated when the user is around living beings or nature]


    ******************


    [Analyze]


    (New!) [(C-Tier) Overcharge]


    [Upgradeable!]


    [Overcharge is a skill that requires a massive amount of Energy that the user has to release


    and maintain inside their body without the aura leaking outside the body for a significant amount of time. The Energy and the aura has no where to go and continues to circte inside the body through the mana highways.


    The user forces the Energy and Aura to meld together with every cell inside their body providing an omni boost to all of the user''s attributes for a limited time.]


    [Omni Boost: 20 Percent]


    [Activation Time: 30 minutes]


    [Requirements: 100 Mentality, 100 Fortitude, 80 Strength]


    [Cost: 2000 Energy]


    [Duration: 8 minutes]


    [Warning! User will not be able to move after activating the skill as it requires the utmost


    concentration to pull of and will feel the repercussions of cancelling the skill midway


    through activation.]


    [Warning! User will not be able to use the Energy Maniption ability after Overcharge has been deactivated until the Aura is restored in the user''s core.]


    [Warning! User is too weak and for the user''s safety, the system has temporarily disabled the skill from being activated until the user reaches the minimum requirements to activate the


    skill.]


    ******************


    Mako was d that he finally had a healing skill that would actually help him unlike thest


    skill which he ended up selling in the shop.


    It was the second skill that made Mako speechless.


    This was Mako''s first C-Tier skill that wasn''t a support skill exclusive to the system. The


    Overcharge skill was insanely beneficial for Mako as it would make him 120% of his current strength which could definitely be the difference between life and death in extreme


    situations.


    However, of course it wasn''t going to be so easy. Mako had never seen so many warnings and restrictions on a singr skill. Not only did it have conditions with its activation and duration, but Mako couldn''t even activate it at the moment as he didn''t mean the minimum


    requirements.


    "Bummer..." Mako mumbled to himself as he it would be quite some time until he would be


    strong enough to try out this overpowered skill.


    *********


    Mako also quickly checked out his existing Energy Maniption skills which were the Energy Stream and Energy Sensing and it wasn''t anything major as they both just got one level


    increased.


    After checking through all the bonus and rewards he had received from his sudden increase in


    his Energy Maniption ability, it was finally time to look into what new things had been unlocked in the Mana Understandings Tab.


    Since the system had allocated a brand new tab to the power, Mako knew that this was going


    to be big and that he would only be scratching the surface on what could be another massive route for him be stronger.


    ''Open the Mana Understandings Tab,'' Makomanded the system.

 Chapter 335: Makos Training: Mana Skill Tree

    Chapter 335: Mako''s Training: Mana Skill Tree


    ?


    [Mana Understanding]


    [Mana Understandings disyed the user''s current understanding of the intricate andplicated path of pure mana maniption]


    [Current Understanding: 1%]


    The mana understanding tab had a very simple exnation and as soon as Mako read the description, another notification popped in front of his eyes.


    [Hidden Quest Complete]


    [Learn the secret of manipting mana]


    [Reward: +20,000 EXP]


    Gaining experience points nowadays was quite difficult for Mako as he hadn''t been getting any big quests and he would gain minimal EXP frompleting his daily quests so the big boost in EXP was heavily appreciated; however, the system wasn''t done.


    [New Multi-Layered Quest Received] =


    [Practice and Learn the ways of mana maniption and increase your understanding.]


    [Level 1: .Gain 10% understanding]


    [Level 2: Gain 25% understanding]


    [Level 3: Gain 50% understanding]


    [Level 4: Gain 75% understanding]


    [Level 5: Gain 100% understanding]


    [Rewards: ???]


    Mako was quiet by this sudden and brand-new type of quest. The quest itself was quite simple to understand however, he didn''t understand the different tiers that were ced alongside it.


    He clicked on the information button next to the quest to get some answer as to what exactly was this type of quest.


    [Multi-Layered Quest] >


    [A Multi-Layered Quest is a quest meant to bepleted over a long period of time with multiple tiers to act as checkpoints along the way the user reaches closer to finishing the quest altogether which is bypleting the final tier of the quest. The system incentivizes the user by adding additional rewards for each tier so that the user remains focused onpleting the quest as there is no time limit for these types of quests.]


    ''Multiple rewards from a single quest... now that''s more like it,'' Mako thought to himself with a smile as he read through the description of the multiyered quest.


    Mako was already aiming to fully understand and master Mana maniption if he were able to do so, he would have almost unlimited options with what he could do; however, he knew that the road to that dream would be long and hard, but now he would be getting additional rewards as he reached a certain milestone which was nice.


    *************


    Moving on from the quests, Mako turned his attention back to the mana understanding tab, more specifically the buttonbeled "Mana Skill Tree".


    ''Open the Mana Skill Tree,'' Makomanded the system.


    A beautiful web of lines appeared in front of Mako with 4 core roots that spread out and with tiny circles connecting multiple roots to other roots.


    [Mana Skill Tree] =


    [The mana skill tree is a unique interface crafted by the system that disys all the possibilities of advancement of the user in the path of Mana Maniption.]


    [The skill tree has 4 core roots, each representing a major part of the power of Mana Maniption and it is entirely up to the user in which direction they would like to advance and master.]


    [The 4 core roots are ECHANTMENTS, CURSES, MANIFESTATION, and MANIPULATION.] [ENCHANTMENTS are buffs that can be temporarily or permanently applied to living and non-living things.]


    [CURSES are debuffs that can be temporarily or permanently applied to living and non- living things.]


    [MANIFESTATION is to convert pure mana into matter. The conversion requires severalponents such as sufficient mana,plete knowledge of the thing the user is trying to create, and enough Mana Understanding to bring it to fruition.]


    [MANIPULATION is to convert pure mana into ability aura and utilize a skill with the converted aura. The conversion requires severalponents such as sufficient mana,plete knowledge of the aura the user is trying to produce, enough Mana Understanding to bring to fruition as well as eptable skills to utilize the produced aura.] [The mana skill tree provides the user with all the mana-rted skills that are stored in its codex; however, there are many more that the user can find and learn on their own.]


    [In order to unlock skills and progress down a path in the mana skill tree, the user will have to spend Skill Points (SP).]


    Mako paused the stream of description notifications as not only was he absolutely amazed by what he had read so far but now the system had introduced a brand new resource which he wanted to learn about first.


    [Analyze]


    [Skill Points]


    [Skill Points is a system unique resource that the user can earn through rewards bypleting various quests. The Skill Points can be used to upgrade the Mana Skill Tree and can also be traded in by spending attribute points]


    [The number of Skill Points received as rewards is dependent on the user''s current level of strength and Mana Undestanding. As the user masters and gains a greater understanding of mana and raises their level, the number of Skill Points in rewards will increase.]


    [Conversion Rate: 100 Attribute Points --> 1 Skill point]


    ''Ouch! That''s really expensive...'' Mako said to himself as he learned about the conversion rate of Skill Points.


    Attribute points were already bing rare as Mako wasn''t able to acquire them as easily as he did before t this just reaffirmed to him the value of these skill Points he was so excited to see what his first skills from the Skill Tree would be.


    He resumed the description notification...


    [The Mana Skill Tree is assembled in a descending order with the cheapest skills of every root being the first avable to be unlocked with more expensive and stronger skills locked


    down the road.]


    [The user cannot directly purchase a skill from the Mana Skill Tree; they must first acquire all preceding skills before the desired skill bes avable for purchase.]


    [Only the next avable to-purchase skill will be disyed for the user to preview while all others down the road will be hidden and cannot be previewed.]


    [The 4 core roots expand into multiple pathways and sometimes even converge together so there might be multiple paths to unlock a skill and only a singr path is required to be unlocked for the user to unlock that skill.]


    Mako was familiar with this type of format thanks to all those old RPG games he used to y with Gary at his gaming bar.


    The skill tree would lead down multiple different paths and each path would make it so that the character has certain strengths and weaknesses making it far more fun to build unique and creative characters and then try them out against others.


    However, the 4 main paths that he could upgrade in the Mana Skill Tree would enable him to have different capabilities that would define his fighting style.


    Mako had a very small idea of what was an enchantment or a curse as Rose had never mentioned it. She had also never manifested anything into existence so Mako assumed that Rose had gone with the maniption route as it exined all of her various abilities.


    Mako was tempered to just follow in Rose''s footsteps but knowing that Skill Points would also be a precious resource, he opted to first read out all the avable skills and then make his decision on which he wanted to proceed with.


    [Mana Skill Tree] =


    [Enchantment Route]


    {Weak Enchantment of Resistance} --> {???}


    [Weak Enchantment of Resistance] =


    [A weak enchantment that can be ced on any piece of armor, granting the wearer a 5%


    percent resistance to any one debuff damage of the user''s choosing such as burned,


    poisoned, frozen, etc.]


    [The enchantment is temporary and will wear off after 1 hour]


    [Cost: 250 Energy]


    [Unlock Cost: 1 Skill Point]


    [Curse Route]


    {Weak Curse of Fatigue} --> {???}


    [Weak Curse of Fatigue] =


    [A weak curse that can be ced on any person, giving them a 5% decrease in Strength,


    Agility, and Stamina.]


    [The curse can only be applied to people weaker than the user and the curse will wear off


    after 1 hour.]


    [Cost: 250 Energy]


    [Unlock Cost: 1 Skill Point]


    [Manifestation Route]


    {Manefestation (Stage 1)} --> {???}


    [Manefestation (Stage 1)] =


    [The very first stage of Manifestation allows the user to create a small non-living object


    from pure mana with a mass of no more than 25g.]


    [User cannot create power weapons, armor, or items at this stage of manifestation.]


    [Cost: 250 Energy]


    [Unlock Cost: 1 Skill Point]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    [Maniption Route]


    {Water Maniption (Stage 1)} --> {???}


    [Water Maniption (Stage 1)] =


    [This is the very first stage of Water Maniption, allowing the user to be able to convert


    their own mana into the Water ability aura.]


    [At the current stage, the user can only generate aura that of a Level 1 Water ability user.]


    [User can now learn skills of the Water ability without possessing the physical ability.]


    [Cost: Double the amount of Energy required to cast the Water skill]


    [Unlock Cost: 1 Skill Point]


    ***************


    Mako wasn''t exactly blown away by the description of the starter skills from the Mana Skill


    Tree but he wasn''t disappointed either.


    He already knew how this was going to go thanks to those old RPG games.


    At first, he would get mediocre perks with lots of restrictions but as he progressed down the


    tree, the restrictions would slowly be lifted and he would gain some real overpowered perks that would definitely be a great addition to his expanding arsenal of skills and abilities. With that Mako thought for the future where he would have a lot more skill points to y


    with, Mako didn''t worry too much about the skill tree and just began training to increase his understanding, opting to save his one skill point that he had earned with unlocking the mana understands tab for a rainy day.

 Chapter 336: Bill and Erins Training: A Broken Heart

    Chapter 336: Bill and Erin''s Training: A Broken Heart


    ?


    Simr to Mako, the rest of Mako''s friends weren''t just sitting idly by but were instead training respectively to be stronger and improve their strengths.


    To do so Bill and Iris had a different n than Mako who was spending all his time utilizing the resources that the military school provided to be as strong as possible.


    The strategy that Bill and Iris decided to utilize was one that wasn''t theirs to begin with but rather was instructed to them by Commander Sable.


    *****************


    {Day before departure to military school}


    Bill was just existing inside his room still trying to cope with the tremendous loss he had suffered.


    Some would say that Bill was being overly dramatic and sensitive about losing Iris after all they hadn''t even been together for so long, but it is important to remember that for Bill''s entire life, he had rarely ever felt the emotions of being loved and wanted.


    With his father being very strict and disciplined and his mother passing away when he was still a boy, his soul waspletely deprived of the feeling of being loved.


    It was mostly because of this that led Bill to walk down the path he did as he entered high school.


    Thanks to Mako epting him as his friend, he had gained some semnce of hope; however, his heart was still ckened with the guilt of everything he had done.


    That was until he met Iris and Erin during the recruitment test.


    He could still remember how he felt after he took that massive hit from the King Terra Beetle in the cave that roasted his chest to a crisp, thinking that he was going to die without having aplished anything; however, when he opened his eyes again and found a gorgeous figure staring down at him, Bill thought he was staring at an angel.


    In reality, it was Iris who had just joined Mako''s group along with her friend and had used her healing ability to help him and Leon recover quickly.


    Ever since that moment, Bill had started to develop feelings for Iris. After they had formed their 5 man group, for the first time in his life, Bill felt like he belonged somewhere.


    For the first time, he was surrounded by genuine friends who all cared for each other and relied on each other and it was a feeling that Bill could get drunk on.


    As they continued on with their adventures, Bill finally began to heal his ckened heart as the guilt of his past started to fade away, and that was only amplified when once again Iris saved him from the clutches of death, this time by risking her own life in order to do so.


    When he awoke for the second time and found out that he was still not dead, all thanks to one person, the feelings that were building inside his heart began to grow exponentially.


    He wanted to confess to her the moment he got the chance and during their time training in the military base for their first mission, he finally found an opportunity to be alone with her and confess his feelings.


    This was an entirely new experience for him. Never in his life had he anticipated feeling such intense nerves and fear over a simple love confession.


    But when Iris smiled and epted his confession, his happiness knew no bounds. It was as if a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he felt a surge of joy and relief that he had never experienced before.


    Her eptance filled him with an incredible sense of joy, making every moment of anxiety worthwhile. In that instant, he understood that love was worth every risk and fear, and his heart swelled with a newfound appreciation for the connection they shared.


    From that moment onward, every moment he spent with Iris was the greatest time of his life even though it ended up being quite short.


    Having to see the only person that finally brought him joy in his life, struggle and cry out in pain as her life was slowly and painfully sucked from her body was too much for Bill to handle.


    Even after giving Victor Voss everything that he deserved, he still felt empty. He could feel a brand new power coursing within him that was unleashed in that intense moment where all of his negative emotionspletely overwhelmed him; however, he could also feel the intense anger that was ingrained into that power.


    After they had recovered back at the military base and put on room arrest, Bill did nothing but stay in his room all day. He didn''t train, he didn''t talk, he didn''t eat for days at a time.


    All he could think about was the intense anger that was continuously bubbling inside of him and the extreme sadness of losing Iris.


    Commander Sable did visit him a few times during his arrest, being the only person to converse with him during that time and even those conversations were mostly one-sided as Bill became quiet.


    Themander did his best to cheer up Bill and help him get past this massive hurdle but the results were rather unimpressive.


    Bill had no intention of ever activating that power again, that power that was oozing out hatred that he could barely contain within his body. He felt that if he ever activated that power again, he would get lost in anger and do something that would only add to his guilt and regret.


    With that mindset, Billid on his bed for thest time as he prepared for departure to the military base in the morning.


    However, in the middle of the night, Bill was awakened by an innocent knock on the door quickly followed by the door sliding open, shining the hallway light inside Bill''s dark unlit


    room.


    "Cadet Bill, Commander Sable requests you toe see him in his office. It is an urgent matter and can not be dyed." A private announced as he took a single step inside the room.


    "Aren''t I on room arrest? I can''t leave the confines of my room except for eating or training, remember?" Bill said in a depressed monotone voice while still lying on his bed.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Themander has removed your arrest as of right now and wishes to speak to you immediately," The private replied.


    Bill turned on his side to look at the private with a hint of annoyance as he didn''t want to talk


    to anyone.


    "Tell him, I will see him in the morning before leaving for military school. Now let me sleep," Bill said before turning his back to the private once again.


    "I''m afraid I can''t do that. Themander was very clear with his orders. He believes that you will have some interest in this meeting as it concerns the prisoner that you caught during your first mission." The private said.


    Bill instantly jolted up from his bed after hearing those words. He jumped from his bed and grabbed a loose T-shirt which he quickly wore before approaching the private.


    "Lead the way," Bill said with a look of anger and determination.


    A small grin appeared on the private''s face as he exited the room and quickly began leading Bill to Commander Sable''s office.


    *****************


    Minutester, Bill arrived at the door to themander''s office and the private gestured him


    to go in alone.


    Bill pushed the door open and found themander sitting on his desk with Erin already present in the room.


    "Bill... Thank you foring..." Themander said with a warm smile as he invited him


    inside.


    "What happened to him? Is he dead?" Bill asked as he closed the door behind him, getting straight to the point but still talking in a respectful manner towards themander. "Calm down, son... Have a seat I will exin everything now," Themander gestured Bill


    to a seat beside Erin.


    As he obeyed themander''s request and took a seat, he noticed that Erin was quite stiff and lost in her own thoughts. Her eyes were a bit swelled and reddened which showed that she


    had been crying.


    She was already present by the time he had arrived and didn''t know what conversation had taken ce between themander and her for her to be in that state; however, he didn''t really care and just wanted to find out why themander had called him in such urgency and how did it rte to Victor Voss.


    "Nathan and Leon were already in my office earlier and they already know the scope. I wanted to talk to the three of you separately because I have some additional things to say, but unfortunately, it seems that Mako is knocked out cold in his room and won''t be able to join us," Themander stated.


    Bill hadn''t seen Mako for 2 months and was a bit concerned when he heard this as after all, he was his best friend, but themander cleared up the misconception before continuing. "Don''t worry, he is absolutely fine. He has just been overworking himself too much, using every single second of his time outside curfew to train and get stronger," Themander said as several clips of Mako''s intense training appeared in front of them. Seeing the footage, Bill felt a bit guilty seeing as Mako was pushing his limits and continuing to improve while all he had been doing was sulking in his room.


    Once again, he was reminded of the many differences he had between him and Mako.


    ''He has already experienced this kind of loss,'' Bill thought as he remembered Mako on the first day of high school after he had just recently lost his grandmother. ''Man, I was quite the jerk to him,''


    ''For him to continue moving forward after failing as our leader shows the depth of his character and the strength of his heart,'' Bill said to himself, a bit inspired as he continued to watch clips of Mako''s training.


    "Now for the reason I have called you two here..." Themander began to exin after closing all the holographic screens.

 Chapter 337: Bill and Erins Training: Mutant Genes

    Chapter 337: Bill and Erin''s Training: Mutant Genes


    ?


    Bill and Iris were in Commander Sable''s office for a whole hour as he exined all the details of the brand-new mission that he was about to assign to them.


    Bill couldn''t believe his ears as he heard about all the things that were in connection with their first mission and how it wasn''t even theplete picture with a much bigger scoop that they had no idea of.


    As they learned about all of the details, the more their blood began to boil after realizing that Iris'' death would be in vain as the real culprit behind all of this was still operating even after they had stopped one of their groups.


    "Do we have any idea who this bastard might be?" Bill eximed with anger.


    "Like I said Bill, I am retired now, so I don''t have all the privileges that an activemander would have. My resources are limited to this military base only and I don''t want this person behind all of this to suspect anything which is why I am entrusting this mission to you," Themander exined.


    An array of strong and negative emotions coursed through Erin and Bill as they understood the task presented to them and vowed to execute it perfectly this time.


    With the matter of giving the new mission to Bill and Erin over, themander handed Erin a smallmunication device.


    "I have recorded a message for Mako with all the details of the mission, I want you to deliver it to him after you find him in the military school." Themander instructed.


    ****


    *****


    "Commander, you said you wished to speak with the three of us alone. What did you want to talk about?" Bill asked now a bit curious as to what additional information themander wanted to share with them.


    "Ah yes... I actually wanted to have this talk with you much earlier with all four of you present, but It was just not meant to be... I wanted to discuss with all of you about the power of your mutant genes," Themander said.


    "Mutant genes...? What''s so important about that?" Bill asked.


    "Oh, young one... you have absolutely no idea how big of a deal this actually is..." Themander replied. "You see it was deemed almost impossible that children of your caliber could ever hope to awaken their mutant genes, but you guys proved us wrong as three of you were able to awaken it during the recruitment test and now even Mako has awakened his mutant gene."


    "What are you saying,mander?" Bill asked, a bit confused.


    "Didn''t you find it a bit weird that you guys were one of the only people that got an actualmander as their mentor while everyone else got less ranked military trainers, it because there is something quite special about your group." Themander replied.


    "I don''t know the reason behind all of your rapid growth, It could be a strange set of coincidences that allowed you to tap into this great power during the time of need, your guess is as good as mine, but what I do know is that you guys have already unlocked a great power inside of yourself and now you just need to master it." Themander added.


    "Butmander, I thought that the mutant genes were just a random mutation of the ability in our bodies, acting pretty much like a cheat code to use a higher level of that ability than before," Bill asked.


    "Indeed you have heard the misconceptions that have spread around and around for so long that you and almost everyone else would believe it to be true; however, in the end, it is still a misconception." Themander said.


    "The mutant genes are the ultimate expression of the power hidden within an ability. It allows you to tap into theplete power of the ability stored inside of you. Right now your ability levels are very low which is why you received such a big jump in power even at the first stage of the mutant gene, but in reality, it is meant to further progress in power once we have reached the universal limiter," Themander added.


    "Universal limiter?" Both Bill and even now Erin asked in unison as this was the first time such a word was mentioned in front of them.


    "Ah... it seems that you still do not know... You see young ones, most strong abilities go up to a maximum of level 10; however, nobody can naturally attain that level by training alone. This is what we call a universal limiter, a limit ced upon all beings by nature itself that prevents anyone from naturally attaining an ability any higher than level 7. This is why you will never find an ability book higher than a level 7 and even that is extremely extremely rare." Themander exined.


    "Then howe all those great leaders and generals that we have heard stories about during the war achieve level 10 abilities?" Bill asked as he remembered the stories his father would often tell his children when they were young.


    During the peak era of abilities, right around the time that the 10 legendary warriors emerged, there were legends of many great leaders andmanders who aided the warriors and had level 10 abilities.


    "That is where mutant genese in..." Themander replied. "Mutant genes are the exploit that shatters the universal limiter and allows the person to temporarily gain a higher ability level. Once a person has obtained a level 7 ability, they can learn to expand their aura throughout their entire body instead of keeping it contained within their core, and if they are sessful, they will gain a higher power than what is naturally possible."


    Bill and Erin''s eyes widened with surprise as they understood the real purpose of the mutant genes and that they were far more powerful than what they had previously given them credit for.


    "The reason why I want you guys to master your mutant genes is even though it is abnormal for you to unlock it at such a premature stage, it could grant you great power that could aid you in the hurdles toe." Themander continued.


    "Butmander... how can we master it? I mean we can pretty much use it at will and it already grants us a lot of power," Erin asked.


    "That''s the problem, you see. At this premature stage, when you activate your mutant gene, the aura inside your body doesn''t expand to every part of your body, it explodes with the wild aura running free and rampant inside your body. This is why you suffer from such strong side effects after only using the power for a short amount of time and it is not good for your body, especially you Bill." Themander stated.


    "Uh... me?" Bill asked with confusion.


    "Yes... When I saw you in the second stage of the mutant gene, I was afraid that you might die from the way your own aura was killing you from the inside out in exchange for power. Even I don''t understand how you were able to survive let alone recover so quickly, but the important thing now is to make sure that doesn''t happen again." Themander exined.


    Themander''sst statement left Bill a bit baffled as he didn''t expect the new power he had unlocked to be this severe considering he was able to mostly recover in just a few days following Iris'' funeral.


    Themander exined that using the second stage of the mutant gene prematurely was a death sentence to anyone regardless of status or power and he truly had no idea why this wasn''t the case with Bill.


    He had already ordered for the best medical team in the entire base to be on standby once he found Bill in that state, but miraculously he didn''t need it.


    "You both need to learn and master how to release your mutant gene naturally without it causing any more harm to your body because I can assure you that if you continue to use this wild version of your mutant genes, you will eventually die" Themander warned.


    Bill was still stuck on the fact that he could have potentially died while using that power and couldn''t think of a single reason why the universe had taken pity on him but he knew that his luck would run out and so he heeded themander''s warning with great care. "What would you rmend we domander? You won''t be able to teach us while we are in military school so how can we master this power in time before these people make a move for the Pyronite?" Erin asked.


    "I want you to go and find Professor Curtis in the military school, he teaches the ability training ss for the special ss students and you can find him in his office located in the main military building at the center of the wholeplex." Commander Sable Instructed. "He owes me a favor and is an expert on mutant genes. Ask him on my behalf to train you guys to master the mutant gene." He added.


    "And Sir, what about Mako? Shouldn''t we also tell him about all of this?" Erin asked.


    "Hmm... No, that wouldn''t be necessary, Erin. I have seen him train and he more focused on


    the path of physical strength skill rather than his abilities. I don''t know what goes on in that boy''s head but he is making good progress and I don''t want to hinder him with all of this for now. As his friends, just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn''t go overboard," The


    commander stated.


    ******************


    {During the first night at the military school}


    Erin and Bill stood respectfully in front of a middle-aged man who appeared to be purely


    operating on coffee alone.


    "That''s one hell of a way to cash in a favor, Sable" Professor Curtis said jokingly after he


    heard Bill and Erin''splete request.


    "Alright, you two, even though I don''t do these special training courses, I''ll make an exception for Sable. You start tomorrow. Visit me in my office at 9 pm sharp every day, even on off days. I don''t tolerate bad punctuality."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 338: Bill and Erins Training: A last Gift

    Chapter 338: Bill and Erin''s Training: Ast Gift


    ?


    In theing days as Mako was practicing his sword skills under Magnus and figuring out the first stage of unlocking mana maniption, Bill and Erin were regrly visiting Professor Curtis'' office at 9 pm sharp, learning and training on how to master the mutant gene.


    Professor Curtis was honestly blown away after Bill revealed the fact that he had unlocked the second stage of his Earth mutant gene at his current level of power.


    ******************


    "It is definitely a very rare case... I want you to tell me everything that happened that led to you unlocking this power, spare no details," Professor Curtis requested, genuinely intrigued as to what conditions could have led to such a remarkable change in such a young body.


    Bill gave Professor Curtis all the details of their time in the recruitment test and during their first mission.


    He exined how he managed to unlock the first mutant gene stage of his Wind ability during the recruitment test and howter on after suffering from a major loss unlocked the first and second mutant gene stage of his Earth ability simultaneously.


    Since Commander Sable personally entrusted their training to Professor Curtis, Bill didn''t feel the need to hide any details, especially since he was trying to understand better how they were able to unlock such power and how they could manage to control it.


    By the end, Professor Curtis was leftpletely speechless as he heard all the details of the events that took ce in the past few months.


    ''I see now, Sable... These kids are truly special... I understand why you wanted me to train them. Don''t worry old friend, they are in very capable hands, I won''t let you down.'' Professor Curtis said to himself.


    ******************


    "Alright, the first thing we have to take into consideration is the trigger that caused you to activate the mutant gene in the first ce. Usually, it takes years of mental training to be able to unlock such power but you were able to unlock it in very intense and emotional situations." Professor Curtis began to exin.


    "However, there is still a difference between the two of you. I believe that the conditions for the activation of your respective genes were based on different emotions."


    "As per the details you shared with me, in Erin''s case, the major emotional force contributing to her activating her mutant gene was anger while in Bill''s case, the major emotional force that led to him unlocking his wind mutant gene was sadness,"


    "In order for you to start mastering your mutant genes, you first would have to get rid of the emotional turmoil that has been linked to its activation because that will hinder your ability to sense and control the aura inside your body effectively."


    "In a regr case, mutant gene activation could only ur after a person has gotten rid of any impurities in their thought that hindered their mind and senses from operating on their own body and now you shall have to do the same."


    "Keep in mind, that your case is very rare and you will definitely feel less powerful after you have mastered control of the mutant gene as you will be able to regte the expanding aura inside your body and not allow it to roam and ravage your body wildly. As you continue to get stronger and level up your abilities, the mutant gene will be stronger as well."


    ****************


    This was the very first task that was assigned to Erin and Bill and that was to learn to activate the mutant gene on will without feeling any other emotion in the moment.


    For Erin, this was a bit easy as after she had learned that Andrew was alright and had now reunited with him, the driving reason behind those emotions had gone away and she pretty much just had to practice clearing her mind before activating her mutant gene because she would still have to think some violent thoughts for it to activate.


    For Bill, on the other hand, it was a bit tougher as the emotions that led to him awakening his Wind mutant gene were out of sadness after witnessing the illusion of your father created by that beast get destroyed. Even though he and his father were back on speaking terms, he was now enveloped by a stronger sadness that was very difficult to let go of.


    After Bill described the condition of his Earth mutant gene and how it felt like he was containing a ticking time bomb of emotions and power inside of him that could explode at any moment, Professor Curtis advised Bill not to focus on his Earth mutant gene at the moment.


    He exined to him that Bill''s body unknowingly brute forced his Earth aura to expand and grow so wild so that he could attain the power necessary to defeat Victor; however, by using this method, the wild mutant gene absorbed the emotions that triggered it and now that things have calmed down, Bill''s body isn''t ready to hold the power of the second stage mutant gene inside his body.


    This is why he was feeling such difort as his body was actively trying to suppress the second-stage mutant gene from expanding again andpletely destroying his body.


    The mutant gene was resonating those same emotions back into Bill''s mind that initially led to its idental activation, trying to break free from the weak confines of his core that barely held it inside.


    Professor Curtis issued an intense core and body training program for Bill that would help him strengthen his body and core as well as his mana highways to be able to contain the mutant gene better.


    Once his body is able to easily contain the second-stage mutant gene and override the mutant gene''s will to be free and tear apart Bill''s body, he could start training to control his second-stage Earth mutant gene.


    ********


    One day while Erin and Bill were training in one of the spare training rooms, Professor Curtis entered carrying a medium-sized briefcase.


    He opened the case in front of Bill and Erin and took out two small objects that resembled handguns.


    "Here, take these as a backup," Professor Curtis said as he handed both Bill and Erin a small handgun each.


    The gun had a very unique design and lookedpletely different from any of the ssical firearms that Bill and Erin knew of. It had no magazine and rather had a vial of green liquid stored clearly inside the chamber of the gun.


    "What''s this?" Erin asked.


    "I am entrusting these two suppressing agents to you as a fail-safe in case Bill''s second- stage mutant gene is ever activated again. This is an auto-injector that will inject the suppressing agent directly into the body and will neutralize all the mana inside the body, preventing him from using or activating any abilities." Professor Curtis exined.


    "I don''t understand, professor, is this really that necessary?" Bill asked, staring at the green liquid inside the injector with a bit of unease.


    "It most certainly is, Bill. You could lose control at any time if your emotions are challenged too severely and without a prime target like Victorst time, you would just go on a rampage, creating havoc and destroying everything and this time you won''t have Iris'' power to save you from dying either." Professor Curtis exined.


    "Iris'' power?" Both Bill and Erin said simultaneously in shock.


    Professor Curtis both stared into the eyes of Bill and Erin who were begging for him to


    borate on hisst statement.


    *sigh*


    After letting out a long sigh, Professor Curtis looked back into Bill and Erin''s pleading eyes one more time before finally spilling the beans.


    "After you exined everything to me, I talked with Sable again and checked your records and that was when I learned of an incident that happened during the recruitment test." Professor


    Curtis began to exin.


    "Bill, do you remember when Iris sacrificed her own life to stop you from dying which ultimately led to her getting disqualified on the verge of death?" Curtis asked Bill.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Yes, I remember. I was hit quite hard and was about to be taken away as I was disqualified but Iris pleaded for them to stop and that she could heal me. They told me that she had used a dangerous healing technique to save my life." Bill recalled.


    "Well, allow me to rify what exactly Iris did to you on that day. She had identally used a skill that is forbidden among those who master the art of healing and that was Soul Healing."


    "Soul Healing...?" They both said in confusion simultaneously.


    "It is a secret art of healing where the healer transfers a portion of their soul into another body to help increase the body''s ability to heal by a significant amount; however, this technique is extremely difficult as it risks the healer killing themself if they transfer too much of their own soul and in Iris'' case she transferred 50% of her own soul into your body," Curtis


    exined.


    "50%!!!" Bill eximed with shock and wonder.


    "She was extremely weak after she finished saving you and Commander Malik had to resort to very powerful healing techniques in order to save her life; however, the soul that she transferred into your body didn''t just disappear after you were healed."


    "Since she had no idea about what she was doing, she gave you a lot more of her soul than what was needed and the extra just remained dormant inside your body ready to heal any new injury that you may gainter down the line and it was her soul that protected your body from tearing apart when you used your second stage mutant gene for the first time,"

 Chapter 339: Bill and Erins Training: Mutant Gene Unleashed

    Chapter 339: Bill and Erin''s Training: Mutant Gene Unleashed


    ?


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Bill just stared nkly into the eyes of Professor Curtis all the while Erin was on the verge of crying again.


    "You... you mean to say is that... a part of her soul was inside m... my body and that it protected me from my own power?" Bill asked inplete shock.


    "Yes... Her soul is the only reason you are still alive, but now her soul has beenpletely depleted from your body and any injuries you sustain from here on out will not be healed at superhuman speeds." Professor Curtis exined.


    All the progress Bill had made for the past two months about moving on and recovering has gone right down the drain in front of his very eyes as his wounds became fresh again.


    ''Even in death, you protected me...'' Bill said to himself as finally he couldn''t back his tears. His heart started to beat faster and faster and his core became more lively than ever as the trigger that the Earth mutant gene was waiting for was finally activated.


    ****************


    The brownish-orange aura bubble inside his core began to oscite and expand rapidly, enveloping the entirety of Bill''s body in an instant. His entire body began to glow with the aura of the Earth ability as the weird tattoos resurfaced all over the skin of his upper body.


    As the aura circted through his body at insanely high speeds, It felt as if millions of tiny microscopic needles were flowing through Bill''s blood vessels as they were being ravaged and destroyed.


    However, even with his body destroying itself at a shocking rate, Bill felt no pain as all he could feel was the overwhelming power that was bubbling inside of him, a power fueled by his endless pit of sorrow.


    The pressure that Bill was exerting was so much that even Erin began to feel weak and she instantly activated her own mutant gene to stand up to the pressure simr to when they fought Victor''sckeys in the underground base or else she would have definitely copsed under all that pressure.


    Professor Curtis'' prediction was spot on as since Bill didn''t have a target unlikest time to direct all of this overwhelming power and emotions to, his body began to release the power randomly in every direction.


    The t and empty training room in which they were currently training suddenly transformed into a jungle of tall and mightily earth pirs and extremely sharp earth spikes that randomly erupted from the ground and wall in every direction imaginable.


    "Bill! Get a hold of yourself!" Erin shouted as she created her own ice pirs to counter the emerged earth pirs and spikes that erupted near her but her words all fell on deaf ears as Bill was overwhelmed by the power.


    However, deep inside his body... his consciousness still remained. Even though he wasn''t in control and the mutant gene was running rampant destroying his body as well as his surroundings, Bill didn''t even try to fight back for control.


    Even after all the training he had done under Professor Curtis'' supervision, he didn''t even want to try and stop his ability from killing him because deep down all of his pain and sorrow was his immense feelings of guilt.


    It was all his fault. If he had been batter... If he had been stronger... maybe if he didn''t get hit during the recruitment test and Iris had 100% of her soul, she would have survived...


    These were the thoughts that were running through his mind as his body deteriorated more and more every second.


    He believed that he deserved to die for everything he had done, there was no redemption for someone like him and maybe death would suit him better. That way he wouldn''t have to watch another person close to him die because of his weakness and ipetence.


    "BILL!" Erin screamed as she slowly managed to get the hang of countering all the Earth pirs and spikes that kept on emerging from the ground.


    Alongside training her mutant gene, Iris was also training a lot to be a better fighter as inparison to everyone else, Erin was the weakest in terms ofbat strength and fighting style and she wanted to improve her natural skills and not rely on the power boost from her mutant gene.


    She began to take the special closebat training course which fortunately took ce right after their regr day ended, leaving her with some time to rest and recover before meeting with Professor Curtis in the night in order to master her mutant gene along with Bill.


    Even though it had been very long, Erin was a fast learner, a trait which was the reason why she received the training schrship in first ce alongside Iris. One of the first things that she learned in the ss was to be able to read the opponent and their attacks so that she could fight optimally without wasting any energy or unnecessary movement.


    Another lesson that she learned was knowing when to avoid and evade an attack versus when to advance forward and all of this required her to train her senses more and more and raise her perception and agility in order to be a great fighter as fighting wasn''t only about power.


    ording to Professor Mei, her teacher in the special closebat training course, power was only a small factor in determining the oue of a battle as many more factors yed a greater role such as strategy, evasiveness, speed, determination, and duration among many others.


    Even though Bill was on a whole other level than Erin at the moment, he wasn''t himself and his attacks were wild and random and weren''t specifically targeting her.


    After she had gotten used to the speed at which the pir and spikes emerged towards her, she began to analyze small gaps in which she didn''t have to block and could simply evade the attack by creating a thinyer of ice underneath her feet and allowing her to slide to the left or right with minimal resistance.


    Slowly but surely, Erin began to close the gap between her and Bill all the while she kept shouting at him to pull himself together and control the aura before it killed him.


    However, even after all of that, Bill remained unfazed and his body posture was that of a person who was at their wit''s end and hadpletely given up.


    Fear and desperation were slowly creeping into Erin''s heart as she watched Bill''s body weaken to the point that he practically had no muscle left on his body, but she didn''t let them overwhelm her as that would leave her to lose focus and potentially get hit by a random spike


    or pir.


    Erin persevered forward, using every ounce of her power to dodge and block Bill''s ruthless attacks.


    Finally, she was able to close in on Bill and she quickly grabbed his shoulder.


    Bill''s extremely weakened and limp body moved backward with zero resistance, but the raging aura that was still actively raging all over his body began to attack Erin''s hand.


    It felt as if she had grabbed an extremely hot piece of metal as the pain was unbearable even though she still had her Ice mutant gene active.


    She yelped in pain but didn''t dare let go as she pulled his body towards him. For a second, Bill''s almost lifeless eyes met Erin''s and she was able to see clearly the broken will inside his


    body.


    Even with no words being exchanged, Erin could interpret Bill''s emotions clearly and was extremely saddened to see such a strong fighter and her close friend be broken like this so much to the point that her heart felt pity and wanted toply with Bill''s resolve to just die; however, Erin had better control over her emotions than before and quickly removed those emotions from her heart as in the next moment, a look of determination appeared on her face. She pulled out one of the auto-injectors from her back pocket that Professor Curtis had just given her and immediately injected the green liquid directly into Bill''s neck.


    *****************


    It only took a second for the green liquid to do its job as the aura enveloping Bill''s body immediately disappeared and no longer burned Erin''s hand.


    The area calmed down as no more Earth pirs and spikes erupted from the ground and Bill''s shrill of body instantly copsed into Erin''s arms.


    Erin quickly grabbed his fragile body and was astonished by the fact of how light he was now and very carefully and gentlyid his body down on the ground.


    After she had dealt with the current threat, Erin couldn''t contain her emotions anymore and


    began to cry her eyes out after looking at Bill''s critical condition; her hand was also very badly injured and was hurting like hell.


    Professor Curtis who was observing the entire thing from above; using his Wind ability to levitate off the ground and observe from a safe height, finally intervened before Bill could die.


    Within seconds, several medical personnel barged into the training room and provided Bill with critical care before transporting him to the head nurse''s office. Professor Curtis personally walked with Erin as they too made their way over to the head nurse''s office so that Erin could get her hand checked out and they would be close to Bill after he woke up as they were both very concerned.

 Chapter 340: Broken Resolve (Part 1)

    Chapter 340: Broken Resolve (Part 1)


    ?


    The sound of doors getting swung open wildly echoed throughout the halls of the infirmary and the sound of hurrying footsteps scraping against the shiny marble floor could be heard, bing more louder indicating that someone was fast approaching.


    Momentster, Mako busted through the final door, finally entering into one of the recovery


    rooms.


    "Where is he? What happened? Is he okay?" Mako fired a barrage of questions at Erin without even acknowledging the presence of a teacher which was Professor Curtis who was also inside the room.


    Mako''s attention was only on Erin who was sitting next to a female nurse with the healing ability who was trying to restore Erin''s injured hand that got burned when she touched Bill. Professor Curtis didn''t mind too much about Mako''s out-of-line behaviour considering the situation where his friend had almost killed himself so It was natural for him to be this worried for him.


    After her mutant gene had deactivated and the rush of adrenaline had left her body, Erin really began to feel the pain caused by her severely burned hand because even as she was getting healed which should have soothed her pain, she was still in so much pain and shock that the nurse had to give her a powerful sedative which would numb all of her pain receptors, temporarily cing her in a nk state of mind which meant that she couldn''t even look straight at Mako or reply to his barrage of questions.


    "Calm down, son. He''s going to be alright... He''s just about to be back from surgery." Professor Curtis calmly stated as he patted Mako gently on his back.


    "Surgery...? What the hell happened to him?" Mako asked the man who tried to calm him down, not knowing that he was an acquaintance of Commander Sable.


    Professor Curtis remained unfazed at Mako''s erratic behavior and gestured for him to calm down and sit with him.


    ******************


    {Minutes Earlier...}


    As soon as the nurses had transported Bill''s body over to the head nurse''s office, she was at a loss for words after observing the amount of damage Bill had done to his own body.


    Without wasting a single precious moment, she ordered all of the highest healing ability users to report to her inside the operating room as they immediately began surgery to repair Bill''s most critical blood vessels and mana highways which would have otherwise led to organ failure and power core copse.


    Professor Curtis led Erin to another recovery room and had one of the stand-by nurses take a look at her hand which was still sizzling and hurting as if a million very sharp needles were injecting themselves deep inside her flesh.


    However, even in all of this pain, Erin was still more concerned about her friend. She had already lost her best friend and she didn''t want another one to die.


    The female nurse kept trying to calm Erin down and to try and properly assess her wound but she kept reluctantly moving away knowing that the overwhelming pain would soon be too much for her to bear and she had something she needed to do first before she got sedated or copsed for the pain.


    With her left hand, she slowly wiggled out her military card from her front right pocket and began typing random symbols that made absolutely no sense.


    "Miss, you have to let me take a look at your hand, that burn looks very serious." The concerned nurse continued to plead with Erin, but she didn''t stop typing.


    "I have to let him know... He is the only one... who can talk some sense into him," Erin said weakly as the pain was getting intolerable.


    As soon as Erin pressed send, she finally copsed onto the floor with tears overflowing down her face as she screamed in absolute pain and agony.


    She finally allowed the nurse toe close and treat her wound, knowing that the rest would now be taken care of.


    *****************


    Professor Curtis exined everything to Mako regarding their mutant gene training and how Bill went berserk after he activated his mutant gene.


    A moment of shock and fear erupted in Mako''s heart as he listened to Professor Curtis''plete exnation.


    He had absolutely no idea that the mutant gene that had been achieved could have such an adverse effect on the body.


    When Commander Sable had approached him, a day before his transfer to military school, he had actually wanted to invite him to thete-night meeting personally that Bill and Erin also attended that night; however, after he witnessed his determination to get stronger by himself and not relying on shortcuts like the mutant gene during their spar, he was convinced that it was better off for him to train in his own path and not worry too much about the mutant gene just yet.


    While Mako had been training tirelessly with Magnus and learning about Mana with Rose, Erin and Bill were trying to tame and master their power which they had prematurely awakened under Professor Curtis'' guidance and supervision.


    ****************


    After a lengthy discussion, Mako was now aware of all the details and Erin had somewhat recovered from the sedative after the nurse had left after she had done what she could to heal her hand.


    "The reason why I provoked Bill was because I wanted to see if his training had bore any fruit and whether he was able topose himself from activating his second-stage mutant gene but I must say even I was surprised to see that his training had almost zero effect as he lost control immediately," Professor Curtis stated.


    "I also wanted to test Erin''s ability to control her own power and try to fight back and reach her friend whom I did suspect to lose control which she did beautifully, injecting the suppressing agent into his body, aplete 10 seconds before the damage would have be irreversible." He continued.


    "As a precaution, I did have two guards with injectors on standby to neutralize Bill if Erin had failed, but it turned out to not be needed." Professor Curtis quickly added so as to not get Mako riled up again after he had finally somewhat calmed down.


    "However, I am still surprised and a bit shocked to see Bill lose control so easily. I understand that Iris was an important person in his life but still, I would have expected him to show some kind of resistance before eventually giving in to the growing desire of his mutant gene to be unleashed." Professor Curtis said as he finished his analysis of the whole situation. "No, Professor..." Erin voiced out weakly from her bed that was opposite where Mako and Professor Curtis were seated.


    "He didn''t lose control... Up until the very end, he was still conscious of his mind and body," Erin added.


    "What...? How can this be? I sensed a change in his core the moment I delivered the news, and I didn''t see any sign of resistance the entire time the mutant gene was active..." Professor Curtis said with a look of surprise and confusion.


    "As I was battling to get close enough to him... There was a moment when our eyes met and even though the mutant gene was in control of his ability and was using it to rampage wildly, I could see clearly in his eyes that he wasn''t lost, but rather..." Erin paused mid-sentence with her lips started to quiver.


    "Rather what? What happened to him?" Mako asked, getting a bit restless.


    With a heavy heart, Erin continued," Rather... it felt to me that he allowed the mutant gene to freely expand as if he... as if he... wanted it to kill him!"


    A sudden silence ensued in the room as the tension was so thick, you could cut with a knife.


    "Erin... what are you trying to say..." Mako asked out in desperation, hoping that he had just misheard her words.


    "Please... don''t make me repeat it..." Erin replied on the verge of crying again. "His eyes looked devoid of hope and his expression was that of a person who had given up. If he was actually causing a rampage out of anger then he would have used his body but that wasn''t the case, he stoodpletely still and endured as the mutant gene ravaged his body and erupted


    with power on the outside."


    "That idiot..." Mako said with his voice also beginning to crack a bit.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    However, the greatest shock was felt by Professor Curtis, who sank back into his chair, his


    heart heavy with regret. He had trained many students before, and idents like Bill''s had urred in the past. However, he had never witnessed anything like this. The worst part was that he had unknowingly triggered it, not realizing how important Iris was to Bill and how fragile his emotional state had been.


    Just then, the door to the recovery room swung wide open, and two male nurses carefully moved a stretcher with a body covered in bandages from top to bottom inside the room.


    They were very careful not to make any sudden movements and carefully wheeled the stretched up against the wall, in the center of the room. The male nurses then began to hook up several different machines to the body which was none other than Bill. Shortly after the head nurse walked into the room to check and make sure everything was hooked up correctly, and Professor Curtis excused himself to talk outside with the head nurse while Mako and Erin could have a chance to talk to Bill privately.

 Chapter 341: Broken Resolve (Part 2)

    Chapter 341: Broken Resolve (Part 2)


    ?


    Slowly and painfully, Bill''s eyes finally opened to observe the different surroundings he was now in. He could vividly remember everything that has happened before his copse was


    actually a bit disappointed.


    Feeling his entire body being wrapped up in bandages and him not being able to feel a thing, he knew that he had failed.


    ''Why did she have to be so stubborn? I was the reason her best friend got killed... and yet...,'' tears immediately pooled inside his eyes as this was the first thought that came to his mind.


    ''Just let me die and be with her, I''m better of there than being here anyways...'' Bill said as he stared at the ceiling of the room; not even being able to turn his head.


    "What the hell were you thinking?!" A angry and familiar voice broke Bill out of his bubble of sorry thoughts.


    His eyes drifted to the left to see Mako standing by his side with Erin still recovering from her injury on a stretcher next to him.


    Even though Bill couldn''t feel or move any part of his body, he could still feel his mouth and tongue and knew that he was still able to speak; however, as he stared into Mako''s rageful and worrying eyes, no words could be uttered out of his mouth.


    The two exchanged stares at each other for several moments with Bill not uttering a single word out of embarrassment and humiliation.


    "Tell me it isn''t true..." Mako asked Bill with an assertive and demanding tone.


    However, Bill just continued to stare, this time showing a hint of confusion on his face with his eyebrows contracting inwards as he had no idea what Mako was talking about.


    "Don''t just stare at me, dammit! Tell me that it isn''t true... that you didn''t fight back the mutant gene at all, that you actually wanted to die by the hands of your own power!" Mako shouted with anger and frustration.


    Bill finally understood what Mako was referring to and his confusion quickly shifted to shock with his eyebrows contracting outwards and his eyes widening as he didn''t know how Mako was able to figure it out when he wasn''t even in the training room.


    He knew that he couldn''t remain silent after he had shown Mako his sudden change in emotion and seeing how angry Mako was behaving, he knew he had to face him and give him a reply.


    He slowly opened his mouth and with a weak quivering voice, finally gave Mako a reply, "Its... true..."


    The look of disappointment on Mako''s face was instant and made Bill''s heart shudder with fear and embarrassment. He couldn''t even look back into Mako''s eyes as all he could do was close his eyes again let out his silent tears.


    "Why..." Mako followed up with the obvious second question.


    Tears now freely overflowed down Bill''s face but the suppressing agent was still inside his body so for the very first time he was able to let out all of his emotions without the fear of the mutant gene ticking bomb inside of him.


    "I am the reason, she''s dead! It''s all my fault! She gave me half of her soul in order to save me and that''s why she died! If she had herplete soul, the gas wouldn''t have been enough to kill her... It''s all my fault!" Bill shouted as all those pent up emotions inside him were finally able to release in a natural way.


    Bill continued to cry with his eyes closed and continued to repeat the same words again and again that it was all his fault, she didn''t deserve to die, and that it should have been him instead of her.


    *SLAP!*


    The sound of a tight p echoed inside the recovery room.


    Bill''s eyes shot open in shock and pain as Mako''s hand made contact with his face. The p wasn''t just physically jarring but emotionally too, as it pulled Bill out of his spiral of self- loathing. The sting on his cheek was nothingpared to the turmoil inside him, but it did manage to break through his haze.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Mako..." Bill''s voice trembled, barely more than a whisper as he looked back towards Mako. Mako''s face was as red as a tomato with several veins popping all over his face and arms. However, it wasn''t all out of anger as his eyes showcased his true emotions with streams of tears flowing down his face as well.


    The equipment hooked up to Bill began to blink and beep as it measured a change in Bill''s heart rate and muscle structure, giving a warning as Bill''s condition was still too fragile to handle any kind of sudden movement or physical damage.


    Erin was shocked to see Mako pull of such a stunt and she quickly jumped out of her bed to stop Mako from doing something bad, but the air around the two friends felt like apletely different dimension.


    Both of them staring at each other, ignoring the beeping of the machines as they were just too focused on each other.


    Mako stood over him, his eyes burning with a mixture of anger and desperation. "You think this is what she would have wanted? For you to give up? For you to let yourself be consumed by guilt and sorrow?"


    Bill''s eyes widened and his lips quivered, but he couldn''t find the words to respond. He just kept his eyes locked on Mako as more tears streaming down his cheeks.


    "You think you are the only one who mes himself for her death! I was the team leader! I wasn''t strong enough to defend myself! I allowed you three to head out while I remained at the hotel! If it''s anyone''s fault, It''s mine! I wasn''t fast enough to reach you guys... to save her!" Mako shouted, releasing all of his pent up emotion as well.


    As the old saying goes to fight fire with fire, Mako was fight Bill''s emotions with his own.


    "I was so swallowed by guilt that I couldn''t eat, I couldn''t sleep! All I could think about was my weakness to so anything that actually mattered! But I didn''t crawl away into some dark hole and feel sorry! I worked myself to the bone! Training every second I got so that I would be strong enough for the next challenge, because I know that''s what she would have wanted."


    Mako added.


    Just then, the door to the recovery burst open and Professor Curtis along with the head nurse rushed to see what had happened to Bill after receiving the alert from the machine.


    However, Mako and Bill were still focused on each other to notice anything around them. Erin quickly gestured to stop, letting them know that everything was okay and to not interfere


    between them.


    The staredown between the two friends continued, but this time Bill''s expression haspletely changed from feeling guilt and anger to a look of sadness, understanding, and


    shock.


    Mako took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "She made a choice, Bill. She made a choice to save you because she believed in you. She saw something in you worth saving. Do you think she would want you to throw that away? To waste the life she gave you?"


    Bill''s eyes widened even more, the weight of Mako''s words sinking in. He had never thought about it that way. All he could see was his own failure, his own guilt. But Mako was right. She had made a choice. She had seen something in him worth saving.


    "I... I don''t know if I can live with this," Bill admitted, his voice barely audible.


    "Then live for me, dammit! Remember, you said that you owe me your life! I want you to live on and be a man that Iris would have been proud of!" Mako shouted again after listening to Bill letting despair reign over his heart again.


    Bill though back to the time when Mako saved him after he had escaped from El diablo. The person that he had tormented and bullied for 4 years had saved his life and even forgave him


    for it.


    He could have never repaid Mako for the kindness he had shown him and so he promised him


    his own life.


    "You don''t have to live with it alone," Mako said, his tone softer now. "We''re here for you, Bill. I''m here for you. We all are. But you have to fight. You have to fight for her, for yourself.


    You owe her that much."


    Bill closed his eyes, the tears still flowing freely. He thought about her, about the sacrifice she had made. He thought about the person she had believed him to be. And slowly, he began to realize that maybe, just maybe, he could be that person.


    Mako watched as Bill''s expression slowly changed, the guilt and sorrow giving way to something else. Determination. Resolve. It was a small change, but it was a start. "We''ll get through this, Bill," Mako said, his voice firm but gentle. "Together." Bill opened his eyes and looked at Mako, a glimmer of hope in his gaze. "Together," he echoed, his voice stronger now.

 Chapter 342: First Military Exam

    Chapter 342: First Military Exam


    ?


    With what felt like a literal ton being lifted off his chest, Bill genuinely smiled for the first time in a while as he continued to slowly regain his motor functions.


    The heavy and tense air around the two friends had finally dissipated and they finally acknowledged their surroundings as Professor Curtis and the Head nurse rushed in to stabilize the devices and make sure Bill didn''t suffer from additional damage from Mako''s p.


    Thankfully, Bill was okay with the monitor only recording his elevated heartbeat and hormone levels which shouldn''t have been elevated this early after just having surgery.


    "That was quite reckless from you, young man." The head nurse scolded Mako for his physical outburst and was a bit surprised to see Bill fine and recovering so quickly.


    After performing her checks all over again and scolding Mako plenty, the head nurse took her leave, leaving the three friends alone in the recovery room alongside Professor Curtis.


    "The head nurse has done everything that she could do and thankfully none of your vital organs or core was damaged too severely. The healing pills being injected into your body will start to repair the physical damage right away and you should be able to make a full physical recovery within 1-2 weeks." Professor Curtis exined.


    "It''s going to be close, but I think you will be able to recover just in time for your first exam," He added.


    Bill, Mako, and Erin were all smiling and happy after learning that Bill would be able to recover in such a short amount of time; however, they all paused and slowly turned toward Professor Curtis after he said hisst sentence.


    "First Exam...? What are you talking about, sir?" Erin asked with confusion stered all over her face.


    "Hmmm? You guys don''t know yet?" Professor Curtis asked with a look of surprise to which both Mako and Erin shook their heads while Bill remained still as he still couldn''t move much besides his face.


    "Well... your homeroom teachers should have already told you guys, or maybe I just got the dates mixed up again... *Arrrhh!*, it doesn''t matter, You guys would get this information in a couple of days anyways so I''ll just let you guys know about it now." The Professor said as he massaged his forehead after realizing he messed up his dates again.


    All attention was now on Professor Curtis as Erin, Bill, and Mako paid close attention to his next words.


    "The first military semester is broken down into two parts, the first three months of your first semester here is what we call the weing period. Up until this point, all the cadets were not subjected to any serious or intense training and were mostly there to collect data on their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses." The professor began to exin.


    "After all the data has been collected, we give all the cadets a special exam which will determine their ce in the military school for the remaining year." He added.


    "Sir, what kind of an exam is this?" Mako asked.


    "The exam is pretty much an expansion of your recruitment test. The recruitment test was designed to test every aspect of you, your skills, your abilities, your leadership, etc. However, you didn''t have any goal other than to simply survive." The professor exined.


    "This time you will be transported to an undiscovered and you will be given a list of missions that you will have toplete in a certain amount of time."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Faces of surprise and shock mixed with a hint of excitement could be seen on everybody as they instantly had a hundred questions they wanted to ask.


    What kind of will they be going to? How far away would this be? What kind of tasks would the school assign them?


    Rather than being upset or annoyed at the fact he would have to go through a simr experience like the recruitment test, Mako was actually excited at the prospect.


    He really didn''t have a chance to fully test out the fruits of his training yet and wanted to see the difference between now and when he took the recruitment test.


    He also didn''t receive that many queststely so his level progression was quite slow and now that he would face new challenges in a brand new environment, he was bound to get a couple of decent quests with juicy rewards.


    The professor tried to calm down Mako and Erin who were firing questions at him non-stop all the while Bill just calmly smiled, as he didn''t have the energy to keep up with his friends, but was d to feel a unique feeling of warmth while being surrounded by his friends.


    "Your homeroom teachers will give you guys all the tiny details so I will just tell you guys the general idea..." Professor Curtis said.


    "Every year, three undiscovereds that don''t host any intelligent life are selected as the grounds for your exam. Each of theses varies in terms of difficulty as the low-tier is considered the easiest with having a suitable environment and beasts no higher than the high-tier."


    "Then there are the medium tiers which is considered a step up from the low tiers as they have an unfavorable environment and have chances of harboring up to advanced tier beasts."


    "Andstly... there are the high tiers which have a very harsh environment and harbor many different kinds of advanced tier beasts with a very rare chance of a higher tier beast also living on the."


    "The tiers are grouped in ordance to the student ss as the low-tiers are for the basic ss students who don''t have much experience or strength, the medium tier are for the advanced ss and simrly, the high tiers are for the special ss students."


    "However, the grouping is not entirely dependent on a student''s ss. There are some basic tier students who are brimming with talent but due to unfortunate circumstances are ced in the basic tier, and the same holds true for advanced tier students."


    "And simrly there are some students in the special and advanced sses that due to some very fortunate circumstances are ced in their respective sses but they didn''t deserve it nor did they work hard for it."


    "In order to make the test fair and make sure there are no casualties, we use the data that we have collected on all the students in these past 3 months to identify their strength and power level and ce them on the correct ordingly."


    "Since you guys were part of Sable''s task force and ex-special ss cadets, There is a very good chance they will pair you guys up with the other special ss cadets for the mission on the high tier undiscovered."


    "There are different reward systems in ce for the cadets who sessfullyplete all of their missions with respect to which they had been sent to but I don''t have much information on what kind of rewards would be offered.


    "However, I do know that the results of the students'' performances could also lead to them getting a promotion into the next ss if they were able to do a great enough job."


    Mako and Erin were ecstatic after they had heard the details of theiring exam. They had all been working so hard and finally would be able to put their strength to the test and earn back their special ss privileges.


    However, the memories of the recruitment test were still fresh on their minds and it seemed like there was just one more question that all of them had on their minds.


    What about the safety of the students? Since they would be venturing into the unknowns of a whole different, there were so many unknowns that could affect their mission and it would be a lot more dangerous for them to do this mission unsupervised.


    Considering that during the recruitment test, they were only supervised by low-level officers, they didn''t feelfortable relying on those types of supervisors again, especially on a whole


    different.


    Professor Curtis was quite surprised to see that Mako and Erin had this concern as he had


    never seen a cadet concerned with this kind of issue before.


    He was honestly very impressed with all of them, he had been from the very start, and they somehow keep on impressing him on every turn.


    "These kids are definitely something else,'' Professor Curtis said to himself with a tiny smile. He assured them that they didn''t have to worry about that this time as the homeroom teachers would be moving alongside their ss, keeping watch over all the different groups within their ss while the professors and other teachers will all supervised a sector of the to make sure no cadet is critically injured.


    "Unlike the low-level officers at the recruitment test who intervene at their own discretion, often without regard for whether the cadet has the situation under control and frequently arriving too early or toote, the homeroom teachers and the supervising professor possessprehensive data on every cadet. They know precisely when a cadet is in danger and will only step in when absolutely necessary-meaning only when a cadet''s life is at risk." The professor exined.


    Mako and Erin both let out a small sigh of relief after hearing the professor''s exnation; however, his next sentence left chills down their spines.


    "However, if they do intervene, it signifies that you have failed the exam..."

 Chapter 343: First Military Exam (Part 2)

    Chapter 343: First Military Exam (Part 2)


    ?


    Mako and Erin exchanged nervous nces, the gravity of the professor''s words sinking in. They knew the stakes were high, but the thought of failing the exam due to just an


    intervention was daunting. The room was filled with a tense silence as everyone processed the information.


    Finally, Erin broke the silence, her voice steady but tinged with determination. "Professor, what exactly is the punishment for failing this exam?"


    Mako nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what would happen if one of us slipped up and caused the intervention to happen?"


    Professor Curtis gave a grim look as he replied," If you fail the exam, it simply tells us that you are not ready yet... You won''t get the rewards, you won''t get a promotion, and worst of all, your spot in the military school may also be questioned with the worst-case scenario being that you are asked to leave the military school..."


    A heavy silence followed Professor Curtis''s words once again, Mako, Erin, and Bill all feeling the weight of the potential consequences. The thought of being expelled from the military school was terrifying; it was a future they all dreaded. The pressure to seed had just intensified.


    Mako clenched his fists, determination steeling his features. "Then we can''t afford to fail. We have to be at our best, no matter what."


    Mako was never one to back down from a challenge and being optimistic and open to endless possibilities of tomorrow was one of the life lessons that his grandmother had ingrained into his very soul. Now he would do everything in his power to ovee this challenge alongside his friends.


    Erin nodded, her resolve matching his. "We need to work together, watch each other''s backs, and this time... we will make sure no one gets left behind."\


    She spoke with true courage and emotion as she gave a warm smile toward Bill; however, Bill''s expression didn''t match the same energy as Mako and Erin''s.


    Bill had a saddened almost worrying expression on his face as he weakly opened his mouth to speak.


    "Professor... What would happen to someone like me...? You said that I should be able to recover within 1-2 weeks, but nobody knows for certain how long will it take for me to be back at my peak strength. What if I haven''t recovered enough by the time the special exam begins... Will I get expelled...?" Bill asked Professor Curtis in a trembly and weakened voice.


    The energy that Mako had brought into the room with his determination and optimism was quickly overshadowed by Bill''s very grim and serious question.


    Both Mako and Erin''s heads quickly turned back toward Professor Curtis with eyes begging for his response.


    They had been so concerned with themselves that they hadn''t even considered Bill''s condition as there was a very real chance that he wouldn''t have recovered enough to participate in the special exam with his full strength.


    Professor Curtis sighed, his expression softening as he looked at Bill. "Bill, your situation is unique. The military school values not only strength but also resilience and determination. Although I doubt that you won''t be able to fully recover before the exam starts, if you are unable to participate in the special exam due to your current condition, your situation will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis."


    He paused, making sure Bill and the others understood the gravity of his words. "We don''t want to punish anyone for circumstances beyond their control. If you''re not fully recovered by the time the exam begins, you will most likely be given an alternative assessment or another chance when you are back to full strength. However, you won''t receive the same privileges and rewards that you would have received if you participated in the actual exam..."


    "This is why I tested you today, Bill. I wanted to ensure that you could master your emotions and suppress your mutant gene before the exam begins. Several strong cadets can wield abilities based on the emotional spectrum. If you were to face any of them in your current state, there would be little anyone could do to stop you from going berserk like you did today..." He added.


    "I was hoping to see you fight back and struggle, but I had gravely miscalcted in not acknowledging the importance of the person that has be your main trigger which has led to you getting a lot more injured than what I expected. Although the timing will be quite close, I do believe that you will be able to recover in time for the exam," Professor Curtis finished with his usual warm and jolly smile.


    Bill nodded slowly, relief mingling with his lingering worry. "Thank you, Professor. I''ll do my best to recover as quickly as possible."


    Erin ced a reassuring hand on Bill''s shoulder. "We''re all in this together, Bill. We''ll help you in any way we can."


    Bill smiled back at Erin; however, this time his smile didn''t carry any real emotion behind it at all. This was because as soon as he had obtained the answer to a big question mark that was inside his head, his mind already began to formte a n and that n wasn''t going to be very pleasant for him.


    Professor Curtis smiled, pleased to see the camaraderie and support among Mako, Bill, and Erin. "That''s the spirit. Remember, this mission is not just about individual strength but about teamwork and strategy. Support each other, and you''ll have a much better chance of sess."


    *Crash!*


    Just as Professor Curtis finished giving his wisdom and advice to the tri, two more figures crashed into the recovery room, visibly panicked and distraught.


    "Sorry, we''rete..." Leon said as he panted with his hands on his knees.


    **************


    When Erin had sent out the encrypted message, She knew that Mako was the only one who could talk some sense into Bill as he knew him the longest, but she didn''t only send it to Mako, but also to Leon and Nathan as they were members of their team as well and had a right to know too.


    However, unlike Mako, Leon and Nathan were both in the middle of their specialized training course and weren''t able to read the message immediately.


    Once they had finally been permitted to finish and leave for the day, they were so exhausted that they could have fallen and slept right there on the ground and that was when they read Erin''s message which was sent half an hour ago.


    They quickly deciphered the text and were shocked to learn what had happened. They read through it very quickly and looked up the location of the head nurse''s office on their cards only to find it to be located on theplete opposite side of the military school.


    "AUGHHHHHH! Why did it have to be so far away..." Leonined as he was too exhausted for this but he knew he had to suck it up because the situation was also quite


    serious.


    "You ready, Nathan?" Leon asked as he did a couple of stretches to warm up his tired muscles


    once again.


    Nathan just quietly nodded. He wasn''t a big fan of the idea Leon had in mind, but he also knew that there was no faster way to reach the head nurse''s office than this.


    "Okay... Here we... GO!" Leon shouted with Nathan strapped to his back as he activated his speed ability and began sprinting through the military schoolplex in order to reach the


    nurse''s office as quickly as possible.


    ******


    As soon as they crashed onto the floor of the recovery room, Nathan quickly sprinted to the nearest trash can to vomit from motion sickness due to Leon''s extreme speed which he was


    still not quite used.


    "That idiot better have a good exnation for all of this...!" Nathan said coldly as he wiped his dirty mouth while remaining hunched on the ground with his face still over the trash can. It took both of them to recover from their speedy trip and while they did that, Professor Curtis decided to take his leave, allowing for the youngster to talk amongst themselves in private. Erin exined the situation to Nathan and Leon but tweaked the original story a bit as she didn''t tell them about Bill''s suicide n but rather simply told them that the power was too great from him to control and he simply went berserk.


    Nathan and Leon were rightfully shocked to learn about just how much destruction Bill had done to his own body, not to mention the state of the training room which he had also


    wrecked.


    Mako also told them about the conversation they just had with Professor Curtis about the special exam that was going to talk ce in approximately 2 weeks time.


    Simr to Mako, Leon was also very excited as he was itching for a chance to go wild again and now he was a lot stronger than before; however, Nathan was a bit moreposed and calcted as he understood the importance of the exam and what it meant for him in order


    reach his goals.


    While everyone was talking and sharing information, Bill had remained silent this entire time and not once did a smile appear on face. After going through the possibilities in his head, he finally made up his mind and steeled his resolve before weakly opening his mouth.


    "Mako... I need you to... to poison me..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 344: Bills Plan

    Chapter 344: Bill''s n


    ?


    Mako''s eyes widened in shock at Bill''s request. The room fell silent, with Nathan, Erin, and Leon all turning their attention to Bill, their expressions a mix of confusion and concern.


    "P... Poison you?" Mako echoed, his voice trembling slightly. "Why in hell would you want something like that?! Have you gone insane? Look at yourself!"


    A tiny grin appeared on Bill''s body as wanted to chuckle but still hadn''t recovered enough to do so.


    Bill''s gaze was unwavering, though his voice was barely more than a whisper. "It seems our team captain has forgotten a very key detail while he was thinking about thising special exam."


    All eyes turned toward Mako with even more confusion, with Mako being the most confused of them all as he had no idea what Bill was talking about.


    "What does he mean, Mako...?" Leon asked while scratching his head.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I don''t know... *Huh!*...," Mako said before he suddenly had a realization.


    Mako turned toward Bill with knowing eyes," You don''t think..."


    "Oh, I definitely think so... It''s the perfect opportunity," Bill replied.


    Nathan was getting a bit annoyed at this point," Mako, mind telling the rest of us why he wants you to poison him?"


    Mako and Bill paused as they stared at each other quietly for a couple of moments before finally, Bill opened his mouth again to let everyone know about his n.


    "I want him to poison me just enough so that I recover slowly and won''t be able to recover enough to be able to participate in the special exam," Bill exined.


    "HUH!" Everyone except Mako reacted in the same way after Bill exined his n. "Are you serious?"


    Why the hell would you do that to yourself?"


    "I think he still hasn''te to his senses,"


    The group voiced out their opinions as they couldn''t understand why Bill would want to prolong his own recovery and stay in this weak and frail state.


    "You guys are forgetting about one thing..." Mako finally spoke up, "If all the students, teachers, and professors were away from the school, the enemy would have a golden opportunity to scour the whole area and ce a trap for the Pyronite delivery."


    "Bill wants to purposefully fail the exam by not being able to participate due to his injuries so that he will still be here while everyone else leaves and he will be able to monitor everything in our absence so that the enemy can''t make their advancements," Mako stated.


    Erin, Nathan, and Leon exchanged nces, processing Mako''s exnation. The gravity of Bill''s n began to sink in, recing their initial shock with a mixture of admiration and


    concern.


    "But Bill," Erin said, her voice gentle yet firm, "What if the enemy targets you specifically because they know you''ll be here alone? You''re putting yourself in incredible danger. None of us nor any of the professors will be here to help you in case something serious goes down." Bill''s grin widened slightly, the faintest hint of his old self returning. "I''ve considered that. But if we all leave, we risk losing everything. The showdown that is toe in 3 months'' time might not even matter if the enemy were already sessful in nting their trap and setting everything up for their perfect heist. Someone has to stay behind, and right now, I''m the best candidate."


    Nathan crossed his arms, his brow furrowing in thought. "And what about your recovery? If he poisons you, it could dy your healing even more than what we can expect. You might not bounce back as quickly as you hope."


    All eyes turned to Mako as he was the key in order to make this n work as he was the only one with the poison ability.


    Mako raised his hands up in defense against everyone''s res as this wasn''t just a regr request. They were banking on Mako''s proficiency of his Poison ability to be able to poison Bill''s blood just enough so that the healing pills would target the poison in his blood rather than repair the damage to his body.


    If the poison was too potent, it could severely worsen or might even kill Bill while on the other hand, if the poison weren''t potent enough, it would only cause Bill unnecessary pain while his recovery would pretty much still be the same.


    "I don''t possess any skills of Poison yet, and I don''t feelfortable pumping poison directly into your system without any control, especially considering the condition you are in right now," Mako replied.


    The rest of the group understood Mako''s hesitation as this was a huge responsibility that nobody would want to bear.


    "Please, Mako... Let me do this... You were right... I was just so fixated on myself that I let myself fall down to such a level, so now... let me make up for this. It is thanks to my mistakes that we know about the special exam early and even have the perfect opportunity to make sure our enemy never gets the upper hand on us ever again" Bill said.


    "But Bill... you could die..." Erin voiced out with concern.


    "I''m willing to take that risk," Bill replied. "This isn''t just about me. It''s about protecting everyone and ensuring that the Pyronite doesn''t fall into the wrong hands."


    His eyes returned back to Mako with heavy determination," I trust in you, Mako. You are the most remarkable person I have ever seen. Never could I have ever imagined seeing you stand where you''re standing today, and I wouldn''t choose anyone else in the world than you with my life... you know this is the only way,"


    Leon sighed, shaking his head. "Man, this is nuts. But I get it. You''re doing this for the team, for the mission. Just... don''t expect me to like it."


    Mako stepped closer to Bill, his expression serious. "Are you absolutely sure about this, Bill? Once we do this, there''s no turning back."


    Bill met Mako''s gaze, his eyes steely with resolve. "I''m sure. Do it, Mako."


    With a reluctant nod, Mako''s hand began to glow with a bright neon green aura. The room''s atmosphere grew tense as he approached Bill, the weight of what they were about to do pressing down on everyone.


    "Remember," Erin said softly, "This has to be just enough to keep you out of the exam but not enough to do any permanent damage. I''ll make sure to monitor you closely."


    Bill nodded, his eyes never leaving Mako''s glowing hand. "I trust you, Mako."


    Taking a deep breath, Mako carefully began administering the poison.


    As soon as Mako made contact with Bill''s extremely frail and thin bandaged arm, his eyes also began to glow a bright neon green as he also activated his poison mutant gene in order to


    make sure he didn''t screw anything up.


    Bill winced in pain as he felt the liquid enter his bloodstream causing Mako and everyone else


    in the room to panic.


    Even though Mako had only just begun to administer the poison, Bill was already experiencing so much pain that it took everything left inside of him not to scream out loud.


    Seeing Bill''s condition, the glow in Mako''s eyes and hand faded as he quickly stopped before The caused any more pain.


    From the outside, Mako lookedpletely fine but he didn''t move a muscle and maintained contact with Bill''s arm with his eyes closed.


    The pain that Bill was experiencing had quickly faded and even he was a bit confused. He opened his eyes to see Mako still standing beside him, but he remainedpletely still and emotionless which admittedly looked a little creepy as if he had fallen asleep.


    Nathan, Erin, and Leon were also visibly confused with Leon moving forward to try and shake Mako so that he coulde to his senses, but Bill intervened, shouting as loudly as he could


    from his weak throat.


    "No! Let him be! He hasn''t given up..." Bill said.


    Bill didn''t know exactly what was going on but he knew Mako. He had seen him many times just to be staring at absolutely nothing for an ufortable amount of time, almost as if he


    was meditating or something.


    He couldn''t really figure out what it was that he was doing while he was in this state, but he knew that he wasn''t giving up as the grip around his arm was still firm and strong.


    This was why he opted to give Mako time and let him do whatever he was doing before he resumed injecting the painful poison inside his body once again.


    The room remained silent as they watched Mako stand absolutely still, the tension thick in


    the air. Erin, Nathan, and Leon hovered nearby, ready to assist if needed. Minutes passed, and Mako hadn''t moved a muscle; however, despite that he was now sweating quite profusely, which goes to show just how hard he was concentrating.


    While the group waited patiently for Mako toe back to reality, Mako was having a panic attack inside his mind as system notifications continued ring in front of him even while his


    eyes were closed.

 Chapter 345: A Complicated Procedure

    Chapter 345: A Complicated Procedure


    ?


    Mako had never tried to activate the system interface with his eyes closed as the thought never even crossed his mind.


    Why would he activate the system interface that basically operated through his vision and thoughts with his eyes closed? It was somethingpletely illogical.


    However, as Mako was concentrating on his poison aura and had just begun injecting poison into Bill''s system, a notification popped up in front of his eyes that rocked his world.


    [User''s poison is too strong]


    [User has inflicted critical damage to the target body]


    [Remote Emergency Healing has been activated]


    [Please do not remove contact with the target body in order to maintain Remote Emergency Healing]


    [Healing Pills inside the target body''s system will expedite the healing process to stabilize the target body''s condition]


    [Time Until Stabilization: 20 minutes]


    [Premature interruption of Remote Emergency Healing may result in death of the target body]


    The system recognized that Mako wasn''t using his ability to harm an enemy and began monitoring Bill''s vitals as soon as he made contact with his arm.


    The poison ability was immediately stopped when Bill''s condition went critical. The system activated its Emergency Healing, rapidly draining Mako''s energy points to counteract the poison''s damage, keeping Bill''s organs alive while the healing pills in his system fought the poison.


    Mako had used his mutant gene to have greater control over his poison aura, but he didn''t anticipate that the increased power would make the poison too potent for Bill''s weakened body.


    Now, Mako had to ensure Bill''s recovery before removing his hand from Bill''s arm. Fortunately, he had enough energy points to sustain the healing process.


    After the initial panic of almost killing his friend, Mako began worrying about how to exin the situation.


    The others, including Bill, were unaware of what had just happened. If he simply let the system heal Bill without injecting the poison, he would face a barrage of questions.


    Standing still for several minutes was already suspicious, and if he told them he couldn''t inject the poison because it would have killed Bill, they would ask how he knew that.


    Bill had only felt pain for a few seconds before the system intervened and with his body temporarily paralyzed he couldn''t feel much to begin with, so he had no idea whether the poison was actually injected.


    Mako,cking medical experience, couldn''t exin the situation without exposing the system, as he had no way of knowing Bill''s condition himself. He also couldn''t tell them Bill was going to die or that he healed him, as he didn''t possess any healing abilities or skills, making it highly suspicious how he would know about Bill''s near-death state.


    Knowing this, Mako had only one option and that was to figure out how he was going to sessfully inject the poison inside his body without making his body worse.


    While the system did its thing and continued to heal Bill, Mako put his brain and intelligence points into overdrive as he thought of many ways in order to get this to work properly.


    He realized his first mistake which was to activate the poison mutant gene as he stillcked control over his actual poison and couldn''t control its potency yet.


    After realizing this he knew that he would have to inject the poison while his ability was still at level one; this would significantly reduce the potency of the poison, but he would lose the precise level of control he had with the mutant gene active.


    With the mutant gene active, Mako was able to essentially map out the body using his aura as he moved the poison around, but with the ability still at level 1, Mako would be injecting the poison blindly as he had no control over the precise location of the poison inside Bill''s body.


    Mako wasn''tfortable injecting the poison blindly and secondly, he still had no idea how Bill''s body would react to the weaker poison. There was still a chance that the weaker poison would also be too much for Bill''s extremely weak body to handle.


    So now he had to solve two problems, figure out a different way to urately map out Bill''s body so that he could inject the poison into his system urately and find a way to make sure this time the poison won''t be strong enough to inflict critical damage.


    Sweat dripped down from Mako''s forehead as he kept on thinking.


    He first checked out the Shop tab to check and see if he was in any luck and there was a poison skill book for sale, but unfortunately, there was nothing of use in the Shop, Daily Shop, or Discount Bazaar.


    He was admittedly quite pissed as almost every time the shop would refresh, he would receive items that were of no use to him ording to his build, too low of a level for him to use, or too expensive.


    Rarely would he ever get something that he was actually in need of that was within his budget and of a high enough quality or tier like the time he was able to purchase the crystals containing the poison ability which he used to save Ang.


    After exhausting his options to find a way to control the potency of the poison, Mako shifted gearspletely.


    Instead of looking for a way to control the potency through the aura himself, what if he was able to somehow dilute the poison or make it so the body absorbed the poison in extremely minimal doses and not all at once?


    Thinking down this path, Mako finally had a breakthrough which he quickly consulted with the system using the "Ask" function before implementing.


    He could use water!


    He could use water as an inert medium to coat the poison so that the poison would be inside a protective bubble and wouldn''t interact with Bill''s body at all and he could freely move the poison to where he wanted to without anyplications.


    He checked the Shop for any water ability books or crystals but unfortunately, he was disappointed once again; however, it was then that he got a lucky break which was in the form of his newest tab.


    The Mana Skill Tree!


    One of the branches of the Mana Skill Tree was maniption and the first skill he could unlock was to learn how to manipte water through his mana alone.


    [Would the user like to spend (1) skill point to learn Water Maniption (Stage 1)?]


    ''Yes!'' Mako replied with no hesitation.


    [Congrattions!]


    [The user can manipte water through their mana equivalent that of a level 1 Water ability]


    There were multiple IV drips full of saline and healing pills that were being injected into Bill''s body so now Mako had a source of water as well that he could use to deliver the poison.


    With Mako now having a way to safely deliver the poison into Bill''s body without causing additional damage, he now just needed a way to figure out how was he going to transport it urately inside his body.


    Luckily the solution to this problem wasn''t as hard thanks to all those intelligence points he kept pumping to make sure his intelligence nevergged behind any of his other attributes and a very strong ocr skill.


    He would first activate his Energy Sensing skill to be able to sense all the nerves sending electrical signals throughout his entire body and then he would make mental notes of all twists and turns he needed to make inside Bill''s body in order to reach the urate position.


    The human body is soplex that Mako couldn''t hope to remember every single pathway and direction of every single blood vessel, but if it was only a singr pathway that he had to memorize, then it was possible for him to remember it well.


    With his n set, all Mako had to was execute.


    After waiting around for Mako to make a move for almost ten minutes now, some of his friends were growing impatient including Bill as well; however, before they could do anything, Mako''s hand began to glow green again, but this time his eyes remained closed.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Bill once again braced himself as he thought he would experience pain again, but this time he didn''t feel anything at all.


    Mako went to work as he first used his Energy Sensing to map a suitable location for the poison and then used his poison ability he created a small blob of weak poison and coated itpletely with a smallyer of water.


    He then pushed the small bubble carefully through Bill''s body, relying on his memory to guide him to the correct location.


    Once he was satisfied that he had ced the bubble in the correct spot, he double-checked it by reactivating his energy sensing to be absolutely sure.


    After he was satisfied with his checks, Mako used his mana tomand the water bubble to


    make a small hole in the bubble which began to slowly leak out the poison into Bill''s system.


    Since Mako was unsure of whether Bill could survive even the weak poison, this was the countermeasure he hade up with as thanks to all the lessons with Rose, Mako had a slightly better understanding of mana and could now add very simple and precisemands to a very amount of mass that he could already control.


    He had tried this in practice where he managed to make a very small pebble that he could control with his Earth ability to crack down the middle not by using the ability itself, but rather through passing on amand to the pebble with mana itself.


    He did that same thing here as he firstmanded the water bubble to simply retain its shape


    even after he had stopped influencing it directly and to have a tiny hole through which the poison could leak out very slowly.


    The group watched carefully as all they could see from the outside was Mako''s hand pulsing green from time to time as he still stoodpletely still with his eyes closed.


    After Mako had ced several drops of poison inside Bill''s body and the system had


    confirmed that Bill''s body had recovered and could now support itself again, he finally opened his eyes and removed his hand from Bill''s arm.


    Mako waspletely covered in sweat and he barely had a thousand energy points left after


    all theplex things he had done using multiple abilities and techniques.


    "It''s done..."

 Chapter 346: Announcement For The Special Exam (Part 1)

    Chapter 346: Announcement For The Special Exam (Part 1)


    ?


    Mako stumbled back after he had finished cing thest of the poison inside Bill''s body.


    Not only was his energy being drained by the system to utilize its emergency healing feature which wasn''t very energy-efficient in the first ce, but it consumed even more energy to heal another person through simple contact alone.


    Alongside the healing, Mako also used his Energy Sensing skill and Memory quite a lot which further drained him of his energy and gave him a lot of mental strain.


    Lastly, he used mana maniption to control the water, which consumed twice as much energypared to if he possessed the actual Water ability; plus, he also had to spend a lot of mana to inscribe a simplemand on each and every bubble to retain its shape and to leak the poison slowly into Bill''s system.


    By the end of it all, Mako waspletely exhausted and was only able to retain less than 1000 energy points.


    Leon quickly moved forward to support Mako so that he wouldn''t copse onto the floor with everyone quite surprised to see just how tired he had be only after just standing still for 20 minutes.


    "What happened to you?" Erin asked full of worry.


    None of them would have expected Mako to be this worn out after all he had a pretty simple task toplete which was to poison Bill, it shouldn''t have been so draining, right?


    Mako breathed heavily in quick session as he tried to reduce the incredible amount of mental strain on his mind which felt like the worst headache he had ever experienced in his entire life.


    He had used his memory and thinking so much that he was able topletely level up his Intelligence and Mentality attributes by one in only 20 minutes.


    *************n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Over the next couple of minutes, Mako slowly regained hisposure and gave everyone the most believable excuse that he coulde up with while he was slowly poisoning Bill.


    Mako exined to them that after he had activated the poison mutant gene, he was able to visualize the inside of Bill''s body, something he could only do if there was poison already in the body, but he left that part out and thankfully nobody caught on to that tiny detail.


    He exined to them that he was able to get a first-person view of how damaged Bill''s body was from the inside which was only partially true as he could only view it in the form of how mangled his nervous system was because he could only visualize the energy flowing through his body.


    He told them that he had to take a lot of time to find a viable pathway for the poison to flow through which was again only partially true as the most amount of time was taken by the system to repair and restore stability to Bill''s body from when he identally injected a very potent poison into his system.


    He exined that he was sweating and tired because he had overused his mutant gene and was feeling the drawbacks of using it for too long which made sense to the rest of the group as they didn''t know about what else could have caused Mako such exhaustion, especially since they had no idea how big his energy pool actually was.


    Thankfully, the group was just so relieved to see Bill and Mako both okay with their goal being sessful that they didn''t too much focus on Mako''s weird behavior.


    Mako on the other hand was thanking his lucky stars that he was able to dodge that bullet and he made a mental note to properly assess situations before diving in headfirst, knowing that next time, it might not just be his friends he would risk exposing the system to.


    The system was a very special device that the world couldn''t know about just yet. Mako still had a lot to do and needed to be much stronger before he could be less cautious about revealing his secret because he knew that once everyone knew about his system there were bound to be thousands of people trying to get their hands on it so ideally, he thought it would be best if no one ever discovered his great-grandfather''s groundbreaking invention.


    ****************


    The poison that Mako had ced inside Bil''s body would now release at a constant rate, just enough to counter the iing flow of liquid healing pills and slow down his recovery for at least a couple of days.


    This meant that by the time the poison was depleted from his body and the healing pills finally took an effect on healing Bill''s body, it would be toote as he couldn''t possibly recover in time before the Special Exam began.


    The group held another meeting inside the recovery room after Nathan made sure there were no devices in there that could spy on them thanks to his Hack ability.


    Since they already knew that the school would be announcing the special exam in a couple of days, it gave them an ample amount of time to make preparations.


    With the knowledge and experience of their recruitment test, the group had a better idea of how to tackle this special exam although there were still several unknowns to consider such as that they were going to be transported to another which meant that they wouldn''t be able to rely on their natural instincts as they would have on Earth.


    They would also have to consider a plethora of other small things that they wouldn''t have to worry about on Earth such as the gravity of the which would y an extremely crucial role in deciding their efficiency and fighting potential.


    The gravity of a is what dictates how heavy an object is. A person weighing a hundred kilograms on Earth would only a one-sixth of that on the moon as the gravitational strength of the moon is 6 times weaker than Earth''s.


    Gravity also influences people''s everyday movement which most people wouldn''t even think about but since they are battling against the force of gravity whenever they lift their foot forward to walk, pick things up from the ground, etc. The stronger the gravity, the harder it would be to do those actions.


    Following gravity, there was, of course, the uncertainty of the terrain of the as every was drastically different from the other and there was no guarantee that they would even be able to find water or food on theses.


    Next, there was also the uncertainty of the''s atmosphere and temperature.


    Just like Earth, every has its own unique atmosphericposition and its average surface temperature which is determined by its distance to its parent star.


    Humans referred to the distance between the Earth and the Sun as the Goldilocks Zone which is the perfect distance for their life to flourish, providing just the right amount of heat and


    sunlight.


    However as alien life was discovered, this theory was quickly outdated as many different kinds of species were able to thrive on their home even if that was nowhere near the assumed Goldilocks Zone.


    It was then realized that species could evolve to survive the harsh environment of their just like humans and it didn''t matter much about what the surface temperature or atmosphere


    was made of.


    That information only bes important when a species wants to visit another world.


    Since humans have evolved to live on Earth, our bodies are ustomed to the air, gravity, air pressure, sunlight, and terrain of our; however, things be very difficult if these parameters are changed even slightly and the same holds true for other species that would want toe to Earth.


    During their meeting, Mako devised several ns to make sure they were prepared for whatever type of they would end up going to.


    Since they now had ess to the special ss training rooms through Haruto who get them in and out, they could utilize some of the features to train that were unique to the special calls training room such as using the Variable Gravity Simtor that can simte different gravitational forces to mimic that of variouss, allowing them to practice movement, strength, and agility under different gravitational conditions.


    Another feature of the special ss training rooms was the Simted Terrain Rooms that could replicate different types of terrains such as rocky surfaces, sand dunes, forests, and more. Practicing in these environments would better help them be more adaptable to their surroundings and use their abilities to their advantage in any situation.


    The special training rooms also had many unique features such as Hypoxia Training and Climate-Controlled Training Rooms.


    These would allow them to train in environments with reduced oxygen levels to simte different atmosphericpositions. This would help them in improving lung capacity and the body''s efficiency in utilizing oxygen. The temperature control features simte extreme temperatures allowing them to train in conditions ranging from freezing tundras to scorching deserts to build tolerance and adaptability.


    Of course, there was a catch as Haruto couldn''t bring everyone with him to the special ss training room every single day as this would be a vition of one of the rules of the special ss which was the same for the advanced ss as well and that was that proof of purposefully aiding lower ss students by sharing resources would lead to expulsion. This meant that they couldn''t regrly train in the special ss training rooms and could most likely each only get one or two days to train max.


    To solve this issue, there were also many features of the advanced ss training rooms which the group could use but they were definitely a downgrade from what the special ss training


    rooms had to offer.


    The advanced ss training rooms came with specially designed suits that can simte higher gravity by adding extra weight. Training in these weighted suits would also help in building muscle strength and endurance, making movements in lower-gravity environments feel easier.


    The advanced training rooms couldn''t simte terrains but it could set up obstacle courses that mimic challenging terrains. This can include climbing walls, uneven ground, and various natural obstacles to improve adaptability and problem-solving skills in unfamiliar


    landscapes.


    They could also practice using rebreathers or portable oxygen supply systems to simte breathing in different atmospheric conditions. This ensures the team isfortable and proficient in using life-support equipment.


    Lastly, they could also gradually expose their bodies to extreme cold and heat. This can be


    done through cold baths and sauna sessions to improve thermoregtion and increase the body''s resilience to temperature changes.

 Chapter 347: Announcement For The Special Exam (Part 2)

    Chapter 347: Announcement For The Special Exam (Part 2)


    ?


    With these training ns concocted by Mako, the group would have a better chance at surviving on whatever they would be sent to.


    Of course, since they were only students, they wouldn''t send them to just any, but those that would fall under certain criteria of conditions that the cadets of that ss could withstand.


    Professor Curtis didn''t mention any of the tiny details so there was a lot of guessing involved. However, it didn''t really matter as only two days after the entire incident, all cadets were called back to their ssrooms by their homeroom teachers for a special announcement in the middle of the day.


    All other sses were canceled for the day and the cadets were advised to use their free time efficiently after the announcement was over and to not waste it.


    As expected, the announcement was about an uing special exam that will determine the future that each cadet will have in the military.


    Thanks to rich parents and influential people, every year there are many cadets who are ced in a ss that they don''t actually qualify for nor deserve thanks to receiving overpowered weapons, armor, and abilities that anyone could use to easily clear the recruitment test but actuallyck the knowledge and skill about how to use them properly.


    This was the reason why the military issued a special exam only after 3 months of the cadets living inside the military schoolplex.


    3 months was enough time for the military to train the cadets on every basic aspect of fighting and survival as well as collect crucial data on their performances.


    Now with the cadets trained enough to take care of themselves and the data to sort them properly, the military would issue another exam to truly test the cadets and assign them their proper sses.


    ****************


    As the cadets settled into their seats, a hush fell over the room. Ang, Mako''s homeroom teacher, stood at the front of the ssroom, her expression serious yet calm. She nced around the room, ensuring she had everyone''s attention before beginning.


    "Good afternoon, cadets. As you may have heard, a special exam is approaching that will determine your future roles within the military. This exam is designed to assess your abilities, knowledge, and survival skills under real-world conditions. Today, I will exin the rules and procedures of this exam."


    Ang activated a holographic disy that projected a list of rules and guidelines.


    "First, each of you will be called to the front of the ss one by one. You will receive a specific assignment where you will undertake your exam. Theses have been categorized into three tiers based on their conditions and challenges: low-tier, medium-tier, and high- tiers. Your assignment will be determined by your performance data collected over the past three months."


    She paused, allowing the information to sink in.


    "Low-tiers are rtively stable environments with minimal hazards. They are suitable for those who have shown basic proficiency and potential..." Ang began to exin as she basically gave all the information that Professor Curtis had already given to the group.


    The cadets exchanged nervous nces, the weight of the uing exam sinking in as no one had expected to face an exam so early in the semester. They had only just begun perfecting their basic training moves and skills and thought that they were nowhere close to being ready for an exam.


    Some cadets on the hand were extremely pissed off at the military for throwing an unexpected monkey wrench into their ns and to the surprise of absolutely no one, almost all of these cadets belonged to rich and influential backgrounds.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    With allmunications cut off, these cadets had no way of contacting their parents or loved ones for more support and would have to face the test with whatever they had on hand.


    However, their world was about to get rocked even further as Ang exined another critical rule of the special exam.


    "Cadets will not be allowed to bring any items with them for the special exam, which includes power weapons, power armor, healing pills, advanced tools and devices for survival, etc," Ang announced to the whole ss.


    This was the final straw that broke the camel''s back as the ss was outraged by the ridiculous rule. Several cadets began shouting at the unfairness of it all while others just chattered among themselves, resounding their worry in a more controlled manner.


    There were only a handful of students who didn''t react to the rule immediately as they had already understood that Ang wasn''t done speaking and one of them was Mako who sat calmly in his seat, thinking about what kind of twist the military would add to level the ying field.


    In an instant, the atmosphere of the roompletely changed as Ang began to release her aura openly, the pressure being too much for some cadets that they ended up falling back into their seats.


    "This rule has been made to counteract the influx of high-level gear and items that some cadets have ess to prior to starting their journey in the military school, giving them an unfair advantage," Ang announced with a slight hint of annoyance in her tone.


    After all, she wasn''t even meant to be a teacher but was just getting punished for breaking protocol and helping Mako during their first mission together. It was clear to Mako that handling a bunch of children was not one of her strong suits and it was taking a significant amount of willpower for her to stop herself from fully releasing her aura and exerting an insane amount of pressure on these helpless rowdy students.


    As soon as the students had quickly settled down, Ang retracted her aura and the atmosphere of the room returned back to normal.


    "In order to make it fair for all cadets, each cadet will receive special tokens which vary in amount based on the tier of the you have been assigned, and before your departure for your exam, the military will hold a massive disy in the main hall where there will be a ton of different shops which will sell you weapons, armor, healing pills, and whatever else you might need in exchange for your tokens," Ang exined.


    After Mako had heard that, he was honestly quite surprised and even impressed to see the military go to such lengths to make sure that this exam was fair for everyone.


    He also enjoyed the fact that he wouldn''t be able to take any of his items with him and would have to shop with a limited amount of money for everything he would need for the exam.


    It felt like the system had be his actual reality for a moment and he was actually excited to see the variety of different items that could be for sale during the military disy. "If you are assigned to the low-tier, you will receive 500 special tokens to spend on gear. Simrly, if you are assigned to the medium-tier, you will receive 1000 special tokens andstly, if you are assigned to the high-tier, you will receive 2000 special tokens." Ang exined.


    "All items that you will purchase for this exam are exclusive only for this exam and will be confiscated on your return."


    "During the exam, you will be required toplete a series of objectives specific to your assigned. These objectives will test yourbat skills, survival instincts, and ability to work under pressure. You will have a limited amount of resources, and teamwork will be crucial. Remember, this exam is not just about individual performance but also how well you can cooperate with your peers as well."


    "You have the option of forming your own groups with the max number of cadets per group being three. If you are unable to form your own groups, you will be automatically ced into a random group with other cadets who also didn''t form a group."


    Ang paused as she looked around the room, her eyes meeting each cadet''s with the tension in the air at an all-time high.


    "There will be no supervision during this special exam which means that you and on your own and can only rely on your group if you want to survive and return back," Ang stated. The room was once again shaken with the student''s unease visible on their faces; however, this time there was no outburst as the students could still feel their hearts pounding after withstanding the pressure generated by Ang''s aura and they didn''t want a repeat of that so


    soon.


    Mako was also a bit surprised as this was the first piece of information that conflicted with the information that Professor Curtis had shared with them as he said that the cadets would be supervised from a distance and that their interference meant failure.


    However, he quickly realized that by not revealing this information to the cadets and making


    them believe that they could actually die during the exam was so that they could see the cadets give their 100% as the fear of death was the greatest motivator for improvement and unlocking one''s hidden potential.


    "The exam willst for 7 days. Within this timeframe, you mustplete all designated objectives and signal for extraction. Failure toplete the objectives within the allotted time will result in a failed exam, and you will be dismissed from the program." Ang


    continued.


    The cadets shifted uneasily in their seats. Ang''s voice softened slightly, but her message remained firm.


    "This exam is a test of everything you''ve learned here. It''s designed to push you to your limits


    and beyond. However, it is also an opportunity to prove your worth and secure your future in the military. Trust in your training, trust in your teammates, and most importantly, trust in


    yourselves."


    She nced down at her tablet, then back up at the ss.


    "Now, I will begin calling your names. Pleasee to the front when you are called to receive


    your assignment."


    With that, she picked up a tablet and started reading the names aloud, one by one. The cadets, some with determination and others with apprehension approached the front to learn their


    fate.

 Chapter 348: Planet Assignment

    Chapter 348: Assignment


    ?


    As Ang began calling out names, the tension in the room was palpable. Each cadet''s future rested on this moment, and the weight of that realization hung heavy in the air.


    "Cadet Isabe Ruiz," Ang called out.


    A petite girl with short brown hair and sses stood up. She walked to the front with a mix of determination and anxiety. This was the girl that had backed up Mako on their first day in military school after Magnus had forced them into participating in the surprise test with the horde of robots.


    She wasn''t as strong as some of the other cadets in their ss but her ability to strategize, adapt, and remainposed in any situation was quite unique as she was among the only few cadets that had received praise from all the professors thus far.


    Ang handed her the small tablet that would scan her student card, assign her the, and transfer the tokens to her card.


    "Medium-tier," Ang announced as the tablet screen glowed yellow," A thousand tokens have been transferred to your student card, spend them wisely,"


    Isabe''s shoulders rxed slightly. She nodded and returned to her seat, relieved that she would be worthy enough to be challenged by the medium-tier. A few of her friends smiled encouragingly at her as she sat down.


    "Cadet Leon Czolgosz," Ang called next.


    Leon confidently stood up and began walking down towards Ang. He honestly wasn''t expecting to be called out so early but the callouts werepletely random so he couldn''t reallyin.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He quickly pulled out his card and ced it atop the tablet to scan; however, to his surprise, in the next moment, the tablet screen glowed yellow once again.


    "Medium-tier," Ang stated.


    Leon was honestly so surprised after hearing the news that he froze up on the spot, unable to move or process anything.


    Since he was an ex-special ss, he believed that he would most definitely get assigned the high-tier along with all of his friends, but that was not the case.


    Leom''s expression on the outside remained stoic and after a few moments, he turned around and robotically walked back to his seat without uttering a single word. He was definitely disappointed in himself for not being able to prove his worth to the military even though he had worked so hard.


    However, he was even more concerned about letting his friends down and now they won''t be able to fight together on the same team...


    Just then he felt a pat on his left shoulder which broke him out of his trance. He looked up to see Mako to his left patting him on his shoulder.


    ''It''s alright, Leon... Professor Curtis mentioned that the chance of promotion is entirely based on your performance. On a medium-tier, it should be easier for you to stand out and earn more points. So, your chances of getting that promotion haven''t diminished at all.'' Mako whispered to Leon.


    Mako''s constion brought a little hope back into Leon''s heart and a smile appeared on his face again.


    "Cadet Emily Chen," Ang called out...


    Several more cadets were called after Leon, each receiving either the low-tier symbolized by the tablet glowing green, the medium-tier symbolized by the tablet glowing yellow, or the high-tier symbolized by the tablet glowing red.


    Some were happy with the they were assigned as it was right up their alley ording to their skills and power level while others were outraged.


    Several students believed that they were strong enough to handle the high tier but were assigned the medium tier which they treated as an insult.


    On the other hand, some students believed that their strength was on par with the rest of the ss and should receive the medium-tier they were also left bbergasted when the tablet shone green after they scanned their student cards.


    Ang kept a certain amount of pressure in the air around her with her aura just to ensure no more outbursts would ur.


    "Cadet Nathan Wesley," Ang announced.


    Nathan casually stood up from his seat and walked towards Ang. Out of all the cadets that had been called, Nathan appeared to be the most calm and casual about the whole thing.


    He ced his card on the tablet and to everyone''s surprise the card glowed yellow.


    "Medium-tier," Ang said, her tone neutral.


    Gasps and murmurs spread through the room. Three months was enough time for the students to get to know each other and form impressions about one another. Everyone had an impression of Nathan to be a cold and ruthless person with overwhelming strength as he was one of the few cadets who would score high in every battle-rted exercise and test. Nathan''s face remained impassive, but his clenched fists revealed a bit of his inner tension. He walked back to his seat in silence, his mind already strategizing.


    "Cadet Erin Robinson," Ang called next.


    Erin was still surprised after seeing Nathan''s result as it was something that she didn''t expect at all and she didn''t even register Ang calling out her name.


    The whole ss turned to stare at Erin who was still lost in her thought and it took Ang to call her out once more, this time with a louder and more stern voice for her to finally take


    notice.


    As she quickly jumped out of her seat and walked towards Ang, her cheeks began to blush with embarrassment as she could feel everyone''s gaze on her.


    Nevertheless, she made it to the front and shakingly pulled out her student card. She ced it on top of the tablet to scan and closed her eyes as she couldn''t bear to look at her cement.


    ''If Nathan and Leon only got a medium-tier, then I for sure am going to get the low-tier,'' Erin said to herself.


    "High-tier," Ang announced.


    Erin opened her eyes in shock only to see the tablet in her hand glowing red. She was honestly so surprised that she couldn''t even understand what to do next.


    A couple of cadets began to lightly p, congratting her for getting the honor of tackling the high-tier. As she turned around she could see that the ones pping were none other than her friends with Leon and Nathan pping the hardest.


    Seeing this Erin began to smile slightly as she regained her confidence. She quickly nodded at Ang and returned to her seat, exchanging a quick nce with her friends to show them her


    gratitude.


    "Cadet Lukas M¨¹ller," Ang called out...


    Several more students were called out following Erin with the scene remaining pretty much the same. Some were d with the color they were assigned while others showed their


    disgust and anger through their facial expressions.


    "Cadet Andrew ke," Ang announced.


    After almost everyone in the ss had received their tier, Finally it was Andrew''s turn.


    He cautiously stood up from his seat and made his way down toward Ang, his nerves


    apparent on his face.


    He ced his card on the tablet...


    "Low-tier," Ang stated.


    Andrew stood in front of Ang inplete shock. His hand shaking and his vision getting wobbly. He couldn''t ept it...


    He clenched his fists with anger as wouldn''t this reality. How in the world could he receive a low-tier while his girlfriend had received a high-tier one?


    They had trained together before the recruitment test. He was always the strongest out of the group, the one meant to protect everyone, the one meant to lead.


    What had gone so wrong?


    Not only did he fail to protect his group during the recruitment test and allow Erin and Iris to get split up from them, but he also was easily defeated by Mikhail and couldn''t do anything


    about that either.


    Erin on the other had somehow miraculously survived on her own along with Iris and with the new friends she had made, she was able to clear the exampletely and even be awarded the


    special ss.


    How could have Erin grown so strong in such a short amount of time?!


    Seeds of anger, jealousy, and embarrassment that had been sown in his heart for so long were finally sporting in this moment as he had had enough.


    However, before he could do anything and let out all of his emotions, Ang increased her aura around Andrew as she told him to return back to his seat.


    The pressure from her aura was strong enough to snap Andrew back to reality. He slowly apologized to Ang before making his way back to his seat.


    The pressure from Ang''s aura may have stopped Andrew for the moment, but the emotions that were awakened inside his heart were still bubbling inside of him and only time would tell


    what he was going to do about his situation.


    "Andstly, Cadet Mako Grey," Ang called out.


    Mako was thest cadet in the entire ss to get his assignment so naturally a lot of


    eyes were fixated on him.


    It was also no secret that Mako wasn''t any ordinary cadet and had a lot of potential inside of him which was reflected in the number of praises he would receive from every single


    professor.


    Mako walked down and calmly ced his card on the tablet which quickly began to shine red.


    "High-tier," Ang announced.


    The room fell silent. Mako''s calm exterior didn''t change, but his mind raced. He nced at


    Erin, who gave him a knowing nod. They both knew the challenges ahead would be immense but were excited to be able to face them together.


    As all the cadets received their respectives, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Groups began to form, whispers and ns being exchanged.


    After all the names had been called, Ang addressed the ss once more.


    "Remember, you have until the end of the day to form your groups. If you do not, you will be


    randomly assigned. Use this time wisely. Dismissed."


    The cadets began to disperse, gathering in small groups to discuss their ns. Mako, Nathan, Erin, and Leon found themselves standing together.

 Chapter 349: Checking Out The Assigned Planets (Part 1)

    Chapter 349: Checking Out The Assigneds (Part 1)


    ?


    Erin also wanted Andrew to join them in their discussion, but as soon as Ang dismissed the ss, Andrew vanished from his seat before she even noticed.


    It was understandable that Andrew would want some alone time, especially after getting humiliated by receiving a low-tier.


    So Erin decided to leave him be for now and find him during lunchtime to talk to him alone and cheer him up.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ***************


    The group had not expected to be paired up in such a way. Since they were all ex-special ss cadets, they believed that they would all be receiving the hardest challenge but it turned out the military was really keeping tabs on their performance and didn''t allow any external factors to influence the decision of their assignment.


    With there being a limit to only having three people per team, the group was split clean in half as Nathan and Leon would be together on a team for the medium-tier mission while Mako and Erin would be together on a team for the high-tier.


    Just before leaving the ssroom, Ang did mention onest thing and it was that the details of their respectives would be sent to their student cards shortly.


    Momentster, right on cue, every cadet''s student card began to ping with the details of their designateds.


    Mako and the rest of the group also quickly opened to see what type of had been assigned to them.


    *********************


    Low-Tier: Gorgonis


    The first highlighted with a green outline was Gorgonis. From space, Gorgonis looked quite simr to Earth but with arger amount of visiblend and small oceans.


    The hugend mass wasn''t as one massive piece but rather appeared to be riddled with cracks that glistened like veins of silver. In actuality, these veins were thousands of massive swamps and rivers that spanned across the entirend mass.


    The''s surface was predominantly covered in a deep, lush green, indicative of its extensive forests and swamps.


    However, unlike Earth, Gorgonis had so many massive, swirling storm systems visible from orbit, their dark clouds interspersed with shes of lightning. The mountain ranges appear as jagged, dark lines cutting through the green, with their mist-shrouded peaks often obscured by the thick atmosphere.


    Location: Gorgonis is situated in the Perseus Arm in Sector 34-B of the Milky Way gxy, a region known for its dense star clusters and vibrant nebe. This sector is rtively close to major trade routes, making it a strategic location for both exploration and military operations. The orbits a yellow star, simr to Earth''s Sun, but slightlyrger and more active, contributing to the frequent storm systems that characterize the''s weather.


    Atmospheric Conditions: Gorgonis has a thick, nitrogen-rich atmosphere with higher oxygen levels than Earth. The air is breathable, but the increased oxygen content means that exertion can quickly lead to fatigue. The sky is perpetually overcast, with dense, swirling clouds that often bring torrential rains and thunderstorms.


    Terrain: Thendscape of Gorgonis is rugged and wild. Towering mountain ranges crisscross the, their peaks perpetually shrouded in mist. Vast, dense forests cover much of thend, filled with ancient trees whose roots form aplex,byrinthinework. Swamps and marsnds aremon, teeming with life, and often difficult to traverse. The''s rivers andkes are abundant but prone to sudden flooding due to frequent storms.


    Avable Beast Levels: Gorgonis is home to a wide variety of different, ranging from low to high-level beasts. The forests are inhabited by swift, agile creatures that move through the trees with ease, while the swamps are the domain of massive, amphibious beasts that lie in wait beneath the murky waters. Predators on Gorgonis are cunning and often hunt in packs, making them a formidable challenge even for seasoned cadets.


    This was the first time that Mako was observing another live in front of him and he was totally nerding out about all the little details that he could observe on the tiny disy in his hands.


    He was so shocked to see how closely the resembled Earth with being rtively the same as Earth


    The others were also quite impressed to see just how beautiful the actually was and were slightly jealous that they wouldn''t be able to visit such a magnificent. Moving on they all swiped their screens to check out the medium-tier where Nathan and Leon would soon be going.


    Medium-Tier: Aetheris Prime


    The that appeared under the yellow highlight was called Aetheris Prime.


    Unlike Gorgonis which resembled Earth quite a bit, Aetheris Prime was a that none of them had ever seen before. The was void of any vegetation or water and was just made up of solid rock.


    However, it was the terrain, reminiscent of Mars, that caught everyone''s eye. The''s surface was a patchwork of vibrant, iridescent colors, primarily due to its vast crystalline deserts and bioluminescent valleys and mountains.


    It was a fully made of gemstones!


    The crystalline formations caught and reflected the sunlight, making the sparkle like a gem against the ckness of space. The deserts appear as brilliant expanses of shimmering blue and white, while the hills and valleys emit a soft, eerie glow that can be seen even from


    orbit.


    Deep chasms and ravines create dark lines across the surface, adding to the''s otherworldly appearance with zero clouds to cover its beauty.


    Location: Aetheris Prime is located in the Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way gxy, deep within the "Crystalline Neb," a vast region known for its unique and beautiful interster phenomena. Aetheris Prime orbits a binary star system, consisting of a massive blue giant and a smaller white dwarf. This unusualbination leads to extreme temperature variations and contributes to the''s striking visual appearance from space.


    Atmospheric Conditions: Aetheris Prime boasts a thin atmosphere, rich in helium and other light gases, making breathing difficult without specialized equipment. The sky is a brilliant, almost iridescent blue, with zero cloud cover. The experiences extreme temperature fluctuations, with scorching days and freezing nights, necessitating advanced survival gear. Terrain: The terrain of Aetheris Prime is otherworldly and harsh. Vast, crystalline deserts stretch out as far as the eye can see, their surfaces shimmering under the intense sunlight. Towering spires of crystal rise from the ground, creating naturalbyrinths and treacherous pathways. In contrast, there are lush, glowing valleys filled with bioluminescent flora that glow in vibrant colors during the night. The''s surface is also dotted with deep chasms and ravines, some of which are home to hidden underground ecosystems. Avable Beast Levels: Aetheris Prime is inhabited by mostly high-level beasts. The crystalline deserts are patrolled by enormous, heavily armored predators that blend seamlessly with their environment. The valleys are home to agile, highly intelligent creatures that use the glowing flora to their advantage, setting traps and ambushes for their prey. The deep chasms hide some of the most fearsome creatures, including advanced-tier beasts that


    rule the underground.


    Nathan and Leon were left speechless after observing the beauty of the but more than that they were about concerned after reading all the environmental conditions of Aetheris


    Prime.


    There was no organic vegetation or water avable which meant that they would have to bring lots with them and ration.


    The only interesting part of the was the valleys and deep chasms which Nathan predicted would be where most of their mission would be assigned to which wasn''t ideal as this meant going into undiscovered enemy territory with no backup n. "This is definitely going to be a challenge," Nathan said with a calcted look, almost feeling relieved that he now only got the medium tier because he couldn''t imagine what the high-tier would be like.


    With everyone having simr thoughts to Nathan they all quickly swiped to view thest which was highlighted in red color, the high-tier.


    High-Tier: Infernis


    The moment the live image of Infernis was disyed on their student cards, everyone''s jaw dropped on the floor after witnessing the absurdity that nature had concocted


    into existence.


    Infernis was arge that was orbiting extremely close to its host star which was a


    massive red giant.


    It was orbiting so close that it was tidally locked with its host star which meant that the half side of the always faced the star while the other side always faced away.


    This caused there to be a very big difference in temperature between the two sides with the one facing the star disying a hellish environment with rivers of magma following in every direction with massive mountain ranges and vast tnds while the other side disyed a snowy tundra-like environment with extremely freezing temperatures with thend covered in several hundred meters of snow and ice.


    "How in the hell is this a suitable for students to explore?!" Erin could not help but speak out loud after witnessing the absolute nightmare that was going to be their reality


    in theing days.

 Chapter 350: Checking Out The Assigned Planets (Part 2)

    Chapter 350: Checking Out The Assigneds (Part 2)


    ?


    Location: Infernis is located near the very center of the Milky Way gxy, within the sector known as the "Abyssal Veil," a region known for its treacherous cosmic phenomena and rare celestial bodies. Infernis orbits a red giant star, and its unique position and size creates a striking visual contrast against the backdrop of the dark, star-studded expanse. Appearance from Space: From space, Infernis presents itself as a straight out of a toddler''s imagination. One hemisphere glows with an intense, fiery red and orange hue, indicating the scorching heat of the sunlit side. This side of the is a roiling inferno, with moltenkes and rivers ofva crisscrossing thendscape. The opposite hemisphere; however, is a dark and icy bluend, covered in perpetual shadow. This side of the is a frozen wastnd, with immense ciers and ice fields reflecting the faint light of distant stars.


    Millions of years ago, originally, Infernis was a Super-Earth with a mass 2.5 times greater than Earth''s, orbiting around a yellow star slightly bigger than the sun; however, this star was far much older than the sun as it had already exhausted all of the Hydrogen and Helium in its core and had begun fusing heavier elements together in order to sustain itself.


    The fusing of heavier elements caused the star to expand in size greatly, bing 200 timesrger than its original size. Infernis was a that orbited its star at a distance of 230 million kilometers, but after its star began to expand in size, that orbit size was reduced to only 75 million kilometers, causing it to be tidally locked to its new massive star.


    Atmospheric Conditions: Infernis has an extremely tenuous atmosphere,posed mainly of superheated gases on the sunlit side and a thinyer of frozen, inert gases on the dark side. The atmosphere is turbulent, with violent storms and extreme temperature gradients between the two hemispheres. Powerful winds constantly sweep across the terminator line, where the day and night sides meet, creating a narrow, habitable zone with more temperate conditions but still fraught with dangers.


    Terrain:


    Sunlit Side:


    The sunlit side of Infernis is a hellscape of molten rock and active volcanoes. The ground is covered in vast, jaggedva fields and geysers that erupt sporadically, spewing forth superheated gas and molten rock. Temperatures here soar to life-threatening levels, making survival almost impossible without advanced heat-resistant suits and equipment. The air shimmers with heat, and the sky is a constant, blinding red.


    Dark Side:


    The dark side is a stark contrast, a world of ice and darkness. The terrain consists of towering ciers, deep crevasses, and frozen ins. Temperatures plunge to extremes that can freeze nearly anything instantly. The ice is often coated with ayer of frozen gases, creating a slippery and treacherous surface. The sky is a deep, star-speckled ck, with faint auroras asionally dancing across the horizon, generated by the''s maic field.


    Terminator Line:


    The terminator line, where day meets night, is a narrow band of chaotic weather and mixed terrain. Here, moltenva flows meet freezing ice, creating explosive interactions and unpredictable weather patterns. This zone has more temperate conditions but is still extremely hazardous due to the constant shifting between hot and cold extremes. The terrain is a mixture of jagged rocks, steaming geysers, and rapidly melting ice, making it difficult to traverse.


    Avable Beast Levels: Infernis is home to very strong beasts who have adapted to survive in its extreme conditions ranging from high to advanced-tier beasts.


    Sunlit Side Beasts:


    The sunlit side hosts colossal, heat-resistant beasts with exoskeletons that can withstand the intense temperatures. These creatures often have the ability to burrow into the molten rock to escape the worst of the heat. They are highly aggressive and territorial, using the harsh environment to their advantage.


    Dark Side Beasts:


    On the dark side, the fauna includes massive, fur-covered predators with thickyers of blubber to inste against the cold. These beasts are stealthy and efficient hunters, adapted to the low-light conditions, and capable of navigating the ice with ease. They often have bioluminescent features to attract prey ormunicate in the dark.


    Terminator Line Beasts:


    The Terminator line is inhabited by highly adaptable creatures capable of surviving both heat and cold. These beasts are often smaller and more agile, using the chaotic environment to avoidrger predators from either side of the. They exhibit a range of unique adaptations, such as rapid healing abilities and the capability to temporarily withstand sudden changes in extreme temperatures.


    *********


    After reading through the detailed description of Infernis, Mako and Erin looked even more concerned about their chances ofpleting the special exam, which they previously thought wouldn''t be too bad considering they were all ex-special ss. They were quickly humbled. "This is going to be a nightmare," Mako stated, repeatedly rereading the details of Infernis. "We have no information about where we will start or how far we will have to move for each mission. We can''t set up a base anywhere other than the Terminator line, which won''t be ideal considering the''s bizarre weather activity and very high-level beasts," Mako continued.


    "We don''t even know what kind of equipment we will be able to purchase from the military disy or how well we will be able to even fight in it," Erin added.


    "Yeah," Mako agreed. "And those high level beasts... On the sunlit side, we''ve got heat- resistant monsters that can survive in molten rock. On the dark side, there are massive predators that can survive the extreme cold and can hunt in the pitch ck. Even the beasts in the Terminator line are highly adaptable and deadly. We''re going to be constantly fighting for


    our lives."


    The mood of the group had definitely be gloomy after realizing how difficult the exam was going to be, with even Mako, who was always the cheerful and optimistic one, feeling down and unsure.


    Surprisingly, in that crucial moment, someone else stepped up to prevent the group''s morale from sinking any lower.


    "Alright, listen up," Leon said, stepping forward. "We knew this wasn''t going to be that easy, but we''ve faced tough challenges before. This is just another obstacle we need to ovee."


    "I''m sure the military won''t just randomly drop us in a heated zone to begin the exam because that would bepletely unfair. We will definitely be ced somewhere where we can assess our surroundings first before the action starts."


    "Secondly, I am also very damn sure that they will provide us with adequate gear needed to survive on theses if they are going to send us there."


    "We''ll adapt and make the best use of the situation like we always do. Stop thinking about the past. We havee so far since then and now it is time to prove it to ourselves and everyone else too that we deserve the special ss."


    Leon''s words had a noticeable effect. The group began to straighten up, their expressions shifting from worry to determination.


    "He''s right," Erin said, her voice stronger. "We can do this. We''vee too far to let


    something like this stop us."


    Mako nodded, his usual optimism slowly returning. "Yeah, Leon''s right. We have to do this. Bill sacrificed himself so that we wouldn''t fail our mission and get the opportunity to get great rewards from the military. These rewards will help us get even stronger and this time be strong enough to stop the enemy before it has made its move,"


    The whole group nodded with determination to Mako''s words as they all had a lot on the line and failure was no longer an option for them. Instead of looking gloomy and sulking around, they would prepare to the best of their abilities to make sure they triumphed.


    "Our first order of business should be securing our third members," Nathan spoke coldly andn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    calctive.


    "Teacher Ang was right; this exam will heavily rely on teamwork, and right now nothing is certain," Nathan added. "We both have two members on our teams, and the third person


    couldpletely make or break us."


    "You''re right, Mako," Erin said. "But who do we even approach to join our team? We''re not exactly the most popr in the ss, and we don''t have any friends outside our group."


    "I don''t know, but we can''t leave it to chance and risk getting assigned a random person who might sabotage us or not pull their own weight," Nathan responded. "We need someone with good abilities, who knows how to fight and survive well, and who has goodpatibility with


    us."


    "Don''t worry about us, we already have our third member," Mako stated with a tiny grin.


    Erin was surprised to hear that Mako had already chosen their third member without consulting her. Her curiosity was piqued and she was eager to hear who this person was that Mako had so much confidence in.


    Everyone turned towards Mako with skeptical looks, their eyes silently asking the same question, "Who is it?"


    "It''s Alexi Novikov, he will be our third member," Mako replied while retaining his small


    grin.

 Chapter 351: Third Members

    Chapter 351: Third Members


    ?


    Everyone raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Alexi Novikov? The quiet guy who sits in the back?"


    Erin looked thoughtful. "I''ve heard he really put on a show during the power weapons ss on the first day, but he''s always so reserved. How did you manage to get him on board?"


    Mako''s grin widened. "Oh right, you guys didn''t join the ss at the beginning of the first day so you all missed out on everything that happened."


    The group was now quite curious as although they had heard a lot of whispers and gossip from the other students, no one ever wanted to tell them about what actually happened.


    Mako began from the beginning as he exined to them in detail, all the events that took ce during their first power weapons ss.


    He exined how they were suppressed and couldn''t use any abilities and then a horde of robots were just dropped into the empty hall to attack us without any warning. He told them about how some cadets ran forward and fought the robots head-on while others ran away in fear and cowardice, and then there was Mako''s group who defended their position passively and didn''t overaggress, bing the ones who earned Magnus'' favor the most.


    Alexi was among the cadets who were proud of their strength and went to fight the robots head-on, defeating 12 alone before finally getting defeated; however, after Magnus had revealed the true purpose of the test and had humiliated him and everyone else who foolishly just ran forward to fight, ALexi couldn''t himself back and challenged Magnus'' authority.


    Mako exined how they both battled right in front of the whole ss and how Alexi was very proficient in using the Lightning ability, even going as far as unlocking the purple Lightning variant and had even resonated it with the Earth ability to contain the Magnitisim ability which was quite rare and hard to control.


    The whole group was quite shocked to learn that there was an actual Maism ability user in their ss as in the 3 months that they had been together in ss, they had only seen him as a reserved and troubled individual with the regr Yellow Lightning and Earth ability.


    Mako described the epic battle that took ce between Alexi and Magnus and that even after Alexi portrayed some very powerful andplex techniques, the battle waspletely one- sided as Magnus easily defeated him without even breaking a sweat.


    Since then, Alexi had taken his defeat to heart and had done nothing but train and be stronger. He had made it clear that he didn''t want anyone talking about his humiliation and thanks to the epic disy of power he had shown on the first day, all of the cadets in the ssplied and kept their mouths shut.


    Following that Mako and Alexi both signed up to get special training lessons under Magnus and that was where Mako was able to learn a little bit more about him through small conversations they were able to have.


    In no way the two of them had be friends but since they were training under the same teacher who would often put them to spar against each other to show their improvement, they had a general respect for each other''s skill and strength.


    Since Alexi had no other friends and had also been assigned the high-tier, Mako believed that he would be a great addition to their team, and with his help, they might just be able to clear the special exam.


    "Wow," Erin said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I had no idea Alexi was that powerful. He really kept that side of him hidden."


    "But Mako... Have you ever asked him if he wanted to be on our team yet?" Erin asked.


    Mako''s confident smile was quickly reced by nervousughter as he scratched the back of his head.


    "Uhhh... No, I haven''t... but just trust me on this, I''ll make sure he is on board with us *hopefully*," Mako said.


    "Considering his reserved nature I don''t think it will be easy getting him to randomly join our group and be pals," Leon added appearing unimpressed by Mako''s optimism.


    "Don''t worry too much, guys... Have a little faith in me, I''ll get him to cooperate," Mako reassured them.


    "Alright, man...If you say so..." Nathan reluctantly agreed. "That still leaves us with a member to find for our team... Any ideas?"


    The group still needed someone who was assigned to the medium-tier to fill in the vacant spot in Nathan''s team and there weren''t any people that they had in mind.


    Most of the students in their ss had been assigned the medium-tier so it wasn''t going to be that hard for the third member, it was just that they had no connections outside of their group and they didn''t want to invite just a random strong person that they know nothing about or have nothing inmon with to join their team.


    The group was stuck on it for quite a while as they couldn''t think of any suitable person to approach and ask them to join their team, but thest thing they would have expected was for someone to approach them instead.


    "Excuse me, Can I join you guys?" A feminine voice sounded from behind Nathan.


    He quickly turned around to see a petite girl with short brown hair and sses standing behind him.


    "Sorry to intrude on you guys, but I was on my way out of the ss when I overheard you guys looking for another member for your team. Is it okay if I can join you guys?" The girl requested with a polite voice.


    The girl in question was Isabe Ruiz, the first person in the entire ss to receive their assignment and the same person who had backed up Mako during Magnus'' test and helped him save the other cadets after they had defeated the main horde.


    Mako''s group wasn''t very popr in the ss to begin with as the rumor about them being demoted from special ss because of failing their first mission had spread very quickly.


    The rich and popr kids in the ss had already made their own little groups and avoided them because they believed them to be a bad omen while the others in the ss just followed in their footsteps and stayed clear of forming any rtions with them which was perfectly fine with Mako and the group as well.


    However, this meant that now that they needed one more person to fill thest remaining spot in their team, they had no one to turn to.


    Fortunately, Isabe happened to overhear their prior conversation and decided to give it a shot and see if they would allow her to join.


    She introduced herself to them but told them to just call her Be for short. She already had a friend group of all girls in the ss; however, all of them had been assigned the low-tier with the exception of her of course.


    She also didn''t know many people outside of her friend group and not wanting to end up on a random team, she decided just to take the first step and ask if she could join them.


    Since she already knew Mako and was quite impressed with his leadership style and skills, she believed that his friends would also be of his caliber and would be good teammates to have on a madepletely from gemstones.


    The group wasn''tpletely against the idea of Be joining the team, especially after Mako said that he would vouch for her as he was also quite impressed by her fighting abilities during Magnus'' test.


    She also possessed great abilities as she had three decently leveled elemental abilities that being, Water, Earth, and Wind.


    For most people, the limit of possessing the basic elemental abilities is two as unlike other abilities, the nature of elemental abilities heavily interact with one another and don''t like it when they are together inside a single core.


    However, this is the same for everyone as many people end up possessing 3, 4, or even all 5 basic elemental abilities so having 3 abilities wasn''t anything tough at.


    This made Be a valuable asset to the team. Nathan and Leon bothcked elemental ability department as Leon only had one elemental ability that being the Lightning ability which was apanied by his Speed and Hardening abilities, while Nathan had Hack and Advanced Perception. Be''s elemental prowess brought much-needed bnce and flexibility to their strategies, enhancing the team''s overall effectiveness.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    With the final member of the team finalized much quicker than any of them had expected, Mako invited Be to meet with everyone in the training hall that night to start training together, and Be dly epted.


    The rest of the group was also pleased with how things were working out and went their


    separate ways with the goal of meeting in one of the training roomster. Erin mentioned she would be visiting Bill to check on him, while Nathan and Leon went to their special training ss. This left Mako with the challenging task he needed toplete by tonight.


    He had to convince Alexi to join their team...

 Chapter 352: Mako Vs Alexi (Part 1)

    Chapter 352: Mako Vs Alexi (Part 1)


    ?


    Mako made his way to the power weapons hall where he and Alexi train under Magnus'' guidance.


    All sses for the day had been cancelled and the cadets were allowed to do whatever they wanted.


    Since Magnus had told them that he was very restricted in the ces he could be due to his unique situation, he allowed them to visit him at any time and train.


    Soon after Ang had dismissed the ss, Mako had caught Alexi quickly leaving the ssroom from the corner of his eye and he knew very well where he was headed.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    He entered the training hall to see Alexi sparring with Magnus as usual. Magnus was standing in the middle of the hall with a blindfold around his eyes and was holding a wooden sword in his hand.


    Alexi kept on moving around him in circles, speeding up and slowing down, and changing his direction ever so often to be as unpredictable as possible.


    Once he was certain that the time was right, he lunged right at Magnus who hadn''t moved a muscle since the very beginning with a prideful smile on his face.


    Alexi''s attack was very quick and silent and it looked like it would make contact with Magnus'' neck; however, as Alexi''s wooden sword came closer and was only centimeters away from his neck, Magnus suddenly reacted by raising his sword by just enough force to full block his attack and plunge him backward.


    "Very good, your speed and intuition have definitely improved fromst time..." Magnus congratted him as he removed the blindfold from his eyes, marking the end of the training exercise.


    It was then that Magnus spotted Mako approaching from the hall entrance.


    "Oh... it looks like both of my students missed me enough to visit me on such an important day," Magnus gave a cheerful remark as he greeted Mako.


    Mako returned the greetings as he approached the center of the training hall with the usual system messages appearing in front of his eyes as usual.


    [The user has been suppressed]


    [User is too weak to ovee the effects of the suppression]


    [Whilst suppressed, the user''s body is denied mana, therefore preventing him from using any of their abilities or skills.]


    [Passive activation of ability aura has also been blocked, hence the user is unable to receive the bonus in attributes thate with keeping the aura of an ability active]


    [Leave the range of the suppressor to regain the ability to ess and manipte mana] Magnus would always initiate the impression before their training to make sure they improved their body and mind and didn''t rely on their abilities as a shortcut.


    Mako had no clue where the suppression device was hidden in the hall or how it worked. Whenever he asked Magnus about it, Magnus gave vague and broad answers, leaving Mako feeling like he was never getting the truth.


    "I didn''t mean to let you down sir, but unfortunately, I didn''te here to train today," Mako replied.


    A quizzical expression appeared on Magnus'' face as he was curious to know what other reason would cause him toe straight to the power weapons hall after receiving his assignment.


    "I actually came to talk to you, Alexi," Mako said, pointing at Alexi, who had ignored his presencepletely. Alexi was simply catching his breath after his strenuous attempt to strike Magnus.


    Alexi turned to face Mako, acknowledging his presence for the first time. "What do you want?" he asked, his tone uninterested and slightly annoyed.


    "I want to invite you to be the third member of our team for the special exam," Mako replied calmly, getting straight to the point.


    There was a moment of silence in the weapons hall as Mako spoke out his request to Alexi. Alexi''s face remained emotionless, but his eyes reflected surprise as he wasn''t expecting anyone to offer him a spot in their team, much less that person being Mako.


    With his pride and ego being so high, Alexi never interacted with Mako outside of the training sessions they had with Magnus as he viewed everyone including them as weak and nowhere close to his level.


    With no friends to team up with and no strategy for the uing exam, a golden opportunity had presented itself. Mako was the only cadet Alexi had any sort of rtionship with and whom he respected to some extent. This made Mako the ideal choice for forming a solid team for the special exam, rather than being randomly paired with strangers.


    However, that same pride and ego that always leads to his downfall had once again red up inside Alexi''s heart at the moment Mako made his request as he believed that Mako was trying to get him on his team not because he had a vacant spot on his team but because he was the strongest in the entire ss.


    ''Who does he think he is?! Does he really think that he can just ask me to join his little team because we train together?! He is mistaken!'' Multiple thoughts raced through Alexi''s mind as he visibly became a bit angry.


    Alexi''s face twisted into a scowl as he looked at Mako. "You really think you''re in a position to make demands? Who do you think you are, trying to pull me into your team like that? Just because we train together doesn''t mean I owe you anything!"


    Mako remained calm, not letting Alexi''s words ruffle him. "I knew it wouldn''t be easy. That''s why I''m challenging you to a duel. If I win, you join our team. If you win, you can ask for anything from me."


    Alexi''s eyes narrowed. "Why should I ept your challenge? I don''t need to prove anything to you."


    Mako''s lips curved into a faint smile. "Is that so? Maybe you just don''t have the guts to face me. Or maybe you''re afraid you''ll lose."


    The taunt struck a nerve. Alexi''s pride red up uncontrobly. "Fine, I ept your challenge. But you might regret this decision."


    Mako nodded and turned to Magnus, who stood nearby. "Sir, could you please lift the suppression field? I want us to fight with full power. That way there will be no excuse for the person who loses."


    Magnus was quite impressed by the sudden development and he was all for it as he simply nodded to Mako andplied.


    The air around them shifted as the suppression field deactivated. Mako and Alexi quickly regained all of their strength and power as they felt the abilities in their cores getting lively from the thought of an intense battle.


    Alexi''s eyes met Mako''s with a mixture of fury and determination. He drew his dual short swords, his preferred power weapon that he chose on the same day Mako decided to master


    the katana.


    He also unsheathed his katana as he readied himself, the de humming with power.


    "Let''s see if you can back up that pride of yours," Mako said, his tone steady.


    The fight began with a burst of movement as Alexi lunged forward with anger after hearing Mako''sst remark. Purple lightning crackled in his fists and quickly channeled into his


    des.


    While in midair, he swung his des at Mako in rapid session creating multiple arcs of lighting in the air that moved forward aiming to deliver quick, electrifying strikes. Mako remained calm in the face of such a strong attack as he activated his own Lightning aura and wrapped it all over his body and Katana to increase his lightning resistance and parried the arcs of purple lightning effortlessly with his katana, his movements fluid and precise.


    Magnus observing the duel from a distance was quite proud to see how much his students had improved in only three months of training under him. Both relentless and hardworking with their own motivations and goals that they want to achieve.


    With a swift side-step, Mako dodged Alexi as he mmed himself into the ground, embedding his swords deep into the ground and releasing a pulse of electricity that erupted in


    all directions.


    Mako quickly released a jet of fire from his hand to propel him backward and avoid the pulse at all costs as it would have rendered him paralyzed if he had been caught in its range of


    effect.


    He had purposefully aimed the jet of fire at Alexi to get some offense out of his defensive move as well, but Alexi was able to block it by raising a b of earth without even turning


    around.


    [me Katana has been activated]


    [Dash has been activated]


    After that explosive first exchange, Mako didn''t want Alexi to control this battle as he quickly


    enveloped his katana in red mes and used Dash to close the distance and resume the fight quickly, not allowing Alexi to recover at all.


    He attacked with a quick fiery swipe of his katana. The fire flickered around the de as it cut through the air, but Alexi twisted away at thest moment, his swords vibrating with purple lightning to deflect the blow.


    He quicklynded on his feet and began to counter Mako''s strikes perfectly. The two fighters shed in a flurry of strikes and parries, their abilities creating a dazzling disy of elemental power with it unclear who had the upper hand in the duel so far.

 Chapter 353: Mako Vs Alexi (Part 2)

    Chapter 353: Mako Vs Alexi (Part 2)


    ?


    The power weapons hall crackled with intensity as the battle between Alexi and Mako continued. Sparks flew out in every direction as their weapons shed, their bodies moving with speed and precision that was borderline superhuman.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Mako''s katana, now wreathed in fierce red mes, cut through the air with a hiss. He swung it with finesse, his movements a seamless blend of offensive and defensive moves.


    [Fire Sword Style: Fiery Surface sh]


    Mako focused all of his strength on his grip on the katana and swung horizontally with extreme force, releasing a massive arc of fire that followed the path of the de and went forward, aiming to burn everything in its path.


    During their time training, alongside learning the basics of wielding and fighting with a katana, Magnus had also taught him the basics of how to channel one''s ability through a power weapon.


    Power Weapons and Armor were created from the crystals of dead beasts which was why they would often obtain an active or passive skill from the abilities or skills of the beast, the crystal belonged to.


    However, the crystal itself was just an inactive core, one that could hold and manipte mana just like the ones inside humans. The crystals were only in a state of sleep because after being removed from their host beast, they were unable to retain all the aura inside of themselves and be dormant with what little aura they still had left inside of them.


    Magnus taught them how they could ess the dormant aura still residing inside the power weapon by channeling their own mana into the weapon and once they were able to establish a sessful connection with the weapon, they could temporarily override the dormant aura inside the weapon by releasing their own aura into it instead, reactivating the core and being able to use abilities through the weapon.


    This was easier said than done as only after a month of trial and error was Mako able to establish a connection with the dormant aura inside his katana and now he was free to induce his own aura into it and make it an extension of his ability.


    Magnus did give them additional details as even after establishing a connection, higher tier weapons and armor could resist the influx of foreign aura and outright reject it. This phenomenon was mostmon in power weapons and armor that held elemental traits that they inherited from the beast that it was forged from if the iing aura opposed the nature of the already existing dormant aura inside the weapon or armor.


    There was also the fact that each ability aura waspletely different from one another and it was very difficult to control and influence it directly. This was why Mako was only able to imbue the katana with his Fire ability as he had the greatest control and mastery over itpared to his other abilities which he still hadn''t fully mastered imbuing into his katana. After he was sessful in using his Fire ability through his katana, Magnus began teaching him several special moves which were just advanced skills that could only be performed using a katana inbination with the Fire ability.


    Instead of cowering away, Alexi ran straight toward the giant fiery arc. He slid down on the ground at thest possible moment, using his Earth ability to reduce friction against the ground andpletely dodging the attack.


    [Lightning Sword Style: Recursive Paralyzing Thrusts]


    Purple Lightning crackled from Alexi''s short swords as he cast his own skill by rapidly thrusting his dual short swords in the air in front of Mako, releasing countless Lightning Strikes at Mako in quick session.


    Mako wasn''t the only one who had mastered elemental control with a power weapon as Alexi had also learned how to transfer his purple lighting into his des.


    Mako mmed his foot onto the ground with a strong amount of force, using his Earth ability to quickly raise an earth pir thatunched him forward, high up in the air.


    [Fire Sword Style: zing Cresent Strike]


    The red mes enveloping Mako''s de tripled in size as Mako flipped mid-air and used the momentum of his fall and the force of the earth pir tond a strong vertical sh from above.


    Alexi formed a cross by interlocking his two short swords together as he met Mako''s attack head-on, the katana was caught by the swords, but instead of breaking through, the de of the katana was stopped right in its tracks with what felt like hitting a brick wall as the short swords didn''t move an inch as if they were glued together.


    After absorbing all of Mako''s momentum and stopping him in mid-air, Alexi pushed him back deflecting his attackpletely.


    Mako was a bit surprised but he instantly realized what had happened. Alexi had used his Maism ability to temporarily join the two des together in an ''X'' shape to catch his de and deflect his attack.


    This wasn''t the only time Alexi had used his strongest ability as from the very beginning, he was shing evenly against Mako even though he had lighter weapons.


    The reason behind this was that he was using his maism ability on the metal of his des to increase its force and speed even more.


    He wanted to use his Maism ability on Mako''s de as well so that he could sabotage his moves and make the fight more in his favor, but due to Mako''s de being engulfed in mes, it was messing with the maic properties of the metal and thus wasn''t responding to Alexi''s maism ability.


    After that explosive exchange of powerful techniques, the two resumed closebat with Mako''s strike being met by Alexi''s dual short swords, which crackled with purple lightning and hummed with an unseen maic force.


    With a deft twist, Alexi flipped backward, creating a gap between them. He raised his hand and the ground beneath Mako''s feet trembled. Spikes of earth shot upward, aiming to impale


    Mako.


    Reacting instantly, Mako mmed his feet into the ground, channeling his own Earth ability. A circr wall of solid rock erupted from the ground, intercepting the spikes and providing a momentary shield.


    Not wasting a second, Mako leaped over the wall, his katana still glowing with an intense heat. As he descended, he unleashed another strong technique.


    [Fire Sword Style: me w]


    Fourrge zing arcs of fire emerged from Mako''s katana as he swung the katana vertically with a slight angle and aimed directly at Alexi.


    Alexi responded by mming his feet into the ground in quick session and such fluid-like motion, that it looked like he was performing a dance step.


    With each strike, heunched a small boulder into the air from deep within the earth and quickly stabbed it with his sword, transferring a massive electrical charge into the boulder.


    With this, he was able to influence the boulders using his Maism ability, as the electricity charged the countless tiny metallic mineral particles embedded within the rock.


    The particles coalesced into a dense shield of maic earth, which absorbed the brunt of Mako''s fiery attack. The shield glowed red-hot but held firm, protecting Alexi from the scorching mes.


    As the mes dissipated, Alexi thrust his hands forward, sending the maic shield hurtling toward Mako. The shield fragmented into dozens of sharp shards, each one electrically


    charged.


    [Sprint has been activated]


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    [Fire Sword Style: me Dance]


    Mako activated both of his support skills to grant him additional agility and perception as he used a very powerful evasive technique of the Fire Sword Style which was several circr and fast movements with precise swings and shes that provided great protection. His quick movementsbined with his shes made it look like he had summoned a whirlwind of fire that deflected the shards in all directions. The shards embedded themselves into the ground in random directions, still sizzling with residual electricity.


    Seizing the moment, Mako dashed forward. He shed at Alexi with a series of rapid strikes,


    each one faster than thest. Alexi parried with his swords, the sh of their weapons once again sending sparks flying in every direction. The two were locked in a deadly dance, their movements almost too fast to follow.


    Alexi saw an opening and lunged, aiming to pierce Mako''s side. But Mako anticipated the move, twisting his body and using his katana to redirect the force of the strike. With his free hand, he quickly began to channel energy from the surroundings.


    [Energy Stream has been activated]


    Mako quickly shot a concentrated green st of energy, hitting Alexi square in the chest and


    sending him skidding backward.


    Alexinded hard, but he was quick to get back on his feet. He quickly took his stance again


    but was now leaning away to his right as the energy st had definitely inflicted some


    damage on his body.


    Alexi was breathing heavily as he tried to make his body recover and mute out the pain as quickly as possible but in his mind, he only had a single thought.


    ''How many abilities does this guy have?!''

 Chapter 354: Mako Vs Alexi (Part 3)

    Chapter 354: Mako Vs Alexi (Part 3)


    ?


    Mako hadn''t disyed his resonated ability to anyone in the school yet as he wanted to keep a secret trump card up his sleeve at all times.


    However, in such a dire and important time, Mako believed it was time to go all out as he activated his Energy Maniption ability and gathered a small charge in his hands that he sted right into the right side of Alexi''s abdomen, dealing some real damage.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The st wasn''t very powerful as Mako was only able to charge it for a couple of seconds, but since Alexi wasn''t expecting such an attack and had left himself wide open with no protection whatsoever, the damage done by the st was still able to deal enough damage to make him stagger and limp over as he tried to quickly recover.


    ************


    Mentality was an attribute that Mako learned the importance of very quickly after he had obtained his first ability.


    It was not only the measure of his mental strength and resilience but also his mental capacity. Storing an ability within one''s body requires significant mental capacity, with the required capacity increasing as the ability''s level and the number of associated skills grow.


    Mako had always made sure that none of his attributesgged behind because he wanted to grow as bnced in every attribute as possible which wasn''t the best strategy as this was the reason that Mako had failed in the past because a specific attribute like Strength or Agility was a high enough level to get the job done. After all, he had wasted his attribute points trying to level up the other attributes as well that didn''t y a role in that scenario.


    On the other side; however, thanks to Mako investing attribute points in every single attribute, he never had a massive weakness as all of his stats were bnced andplimented each other well.


    His Strength, Stamina, and Agility made it so that the opponent couldn''t find any weaknesses in his fighting style as his speed matched his strength and he had the stamina to keep fighting at that pace.


    His Intelligence and Perception worked together so that he could still calmly process and analyze things while in the heat of the battle to make sure he didn''t make any errors.


    His ever-growing Mentality allowed him to store 5 different abilities inside his body which include: Fire (Level 5), Lightning (Level 5), Earth (Level 3), Poison (Level 2), and Energy Maniption (Level 2).


    However, since he had obtained so many abilities in such a short amount of time, his Mentality was still not leveled up enough to handle all of their growth.


    Sometime after Mako had reached Level 15 and the system went through its third update and introduced the new attribute system, Mako received a notification informing him that his mentality had reached its capacity once more and until he was able to upgrade it further, the progression of all of his abilities would be halted at 99% and would not level up.


    This was the reason why even after 3 months of intense training, the level of Mako''s abilities had still not increased a bit.


    He still had some attribute points left over but he didn''t want to spend them on his mentality as he opted to save them for when he needed an intense boost in a certain attribute in a very dire situation.


    Since he could now freely level up his attributes from training, the meditation exercise that Rose would often tell him to do not only helped him in learning and mastering mana maniption but also slowly increased his mentality attribute.


    Considering his strength and power level, Mako was satisfied with the current state of his abilities as he opted to focus more on improving in areas in which he was still very muchcking such as learning how to fight properly.


    ****************


    The fight calmed down for a minute as Alexi and Mako both entered into a staredown. Alexi was breathing heavily as he tried to dissipate the pain from his abdomen and recover. Unlike Mako who had an over-leveled Stamina attribute and a broken amount of Energy for his power level, Alexi had started to get a bit tired as he threw one powerful attack at Mako after the other, but he was still standing strong and appeared unfazed by everything that happened so far.


    As he caught his breath and recovered his stamina, the pain in his abdomen slowly began to fade away. He had used close to one-third of his energy pool by constantly pumping his des with Purple Lightning and using his Magnsitism ability to reinforce their strength and power.


    He had no idea how much energy Mako had left in his tank or how many more surprises he had up his sleeve, but the sheer thought of him standing there and actually waiting for him to recover before resuming the fight after he had overpowered every single attack he had thrown at him made him furious beyond belief.


    Blinded by his rage and anger by the mere thought of being outdone by a low life like Mako, he had finally had enough and decided to go all out as he thrust his swords into the ground and channeled his Maism ability.


    The ground around Mako shifted and buckled as metal fragments were pulled from beneath the surface, forming jagged spikes that shot up toward him. Mako somersaulted over the spikes,nding in a crouch position and immediately countering with a sweeping arc of his ming katana.


    [Fire Sword Style: Fiery Surface sh]


    The me arc was met by a pulse of purple lightning from Alexi''s swords. The two forces collided in a spectacr explosion, the shockwave rippling outward and causing the ground to tremble. Both fighters were pushed back, but neither was willing to relent. Mako''s eyes glinted with determination as he sheathed his katana momentarily. He brought his hands together and started gathering energy in his palms once again. This time his hands began to glow and fantastic green as he was able to condense a lot more energy than before. Thanks to the big distance created between them from the explosion, Mako knew that this would be the best opportunity to unleash his strongest damage-dealing attack at Alexia as he wouldn''t be able to counter and stop him from amassing a sufficient amount of energy in time.


    [Energy Stream has been activated]


    With a fierce cry, Mako hurled the stream of energy straight at Alexi.


    Alexi immediately realized the intensity and power behind the iing stream and could tell that if he was hit by it, it would deal some real damage.


    He quickly nted his swords into the ground, using them as a conduit to influence the ground. In an instant, tens of thick earth bs were raised from the ground in between Alexi and the st to protect him.


    The st made contact with the first wall and tore and easily tore through leaving a perfect hole in its center.


    The st continued forward, tearing through the walls one by one, but losing some of its power with each impact.


    Alexi was shocked to see the st being so powerful that it sessfully tore through fifteen thick earth bs and was stilling towards him.


    With no more space to raise more earth wall, Alexi gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve as he quickly pulled the swords out of the ground and crossed them in front of him, creating a maic barrier to stick them together once again.


    The st made contact with Alexi''s des trying to blow past them as well, but Alexi was strong enough to match the force of the weakened st and was able to stop it in its tracks. However, the energy stream wasn''t over as Mako had continued to release it for 20 seconds. Alexi gritted his teeth with blood started to drip from his nose as he withstood the rest of the st, his feet digging deep in the ground to stop him from moving back and his swords getting hotter by the second from withstanding the st but still holding.


    The high-tier swords were far tougher and more resilient than the earth walls as even after a continued 20-second st, they remained intact.


    The st kicked up a lot of dust and smoke making it so that Mako was unable to see whether Alexi was defeated or not.


    As the smoke cleared, Mako saw Alexi rushing toward him at top speed, his swords drawn and crackling with lightning once more.


    Mako was honestly quite surprised to see Alexi still having the strength to continue fighting after he had poured a good chunk of his energy into that st to make sure the fight would


    end.


    He reached to unsheath his katana once again and resume the fight; however, for the first time in this fight, Mako was the one with cold sweats as his hands grabbed nothing but air.


    As he quickly looked down, he was left in shock to see the katana missing from his sheath.


    Mako gulped down hard as in time he was able to process that he no longer had his katana with him to fight, Alexi was already upon him with mighty fury waiting to be unleashed.

 Chapter 355: Mako Vs Alexi (Part 4)

    Chapter 355: Mako Vs Alexi (Part 4)


    ?


    Mako''s eyes widened as he realized his katana was missing. His mind raced, and he felt the weight of the situation pressing down on him. Alexi, his eyes zing with fury, closed the distance between them in an instant, his twin swords sparking with a lethal Purple Lightning.


    *****************


    {Moments Earlier}


    As soon as Alexi withstood thest of the Energy Stream, he feltpletely exhausted from exerting so much force to counter the incredible attack; however, he knew that he couldn''t afford to rest even for a second and risk losing such a great opportunity.


    The Energy Stream had kicked up a lot of dust and smoke as it sted through the walls and got countered by Alexi. This provided him with the perfect opportunity to make his move without alerting Mako.


    Thanks to Mako sheathing his katana in order to free his hands and release the Energy Stream, the katana was no longer enveloped in mes as Mako had stopped transferring his Fire aura into it.


    This made it so that Alexi''s Maism ability was now able to affect the cooled katana de. Using the cover of the smoke to hide his movements, he carefully used his Maism ability to pull Mako''s katana from his sheath without him noticing.


    After he was sessful in unarming Mako without his knowledge a wide smile appeared on his face as he was ready to im the upper hand in this fight now.


    *****************


    Mako quickly dug his hands into the ground.


    [Stone Sword has been activated]


    [Stone Sword has been activated]


    He quickly formed two swords and pulled them out, raising them just in the nick of time to sh with Alexi''s shortswords and try to block the iing strike.


    The moment the two swords shed together, Mako''s weak stone swords crumbled instantly under the power and strength of the superior des.


    However, they were able to barely divert the des from their original path, allowing Mako to dodge the strike.


    The strike still sted Mako back several feet as they struck the ground, releasing a massive pulse of Purple Lightning once again.


    [User has been Payzed]


    [User''s Lightning ability is resisting the paralysis]


    [User''s Lightning ability failed to resist the superior lightning aura]


    [User is paralyzed for 10 seconds]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As Makonded on the ground after being sted away several feet, he felt every muscle fiber in his body contract at once, restricting any and all movement.


    ''So this what it feels like... being the one getting paralyzed...'' Mako said to himself as he feltpletely helpless.


    Alexi didn''t stop for a single second as he made use of the precious time he had earned from inflicting Mako with paralysis.


    He charged forward at the helpless Mako lying limp on the ground and delivered a massive kick straight to his abdomen with all of his might.


    "GAHHH!" Mako screamed as he vomited out blood while he wasunched tens of feet back into the air.


    [-45 HP)


    [User has received several rib fractures and internal organ damage]


    [Warning: User is bleeding internally!]


    [Every attack received on the abdomen from now on will deal double damage and increase internal bleeding]


    [Emegrnecy Healing has been activated]


    [Time until recovery: 2 hours]


    Several messages shed in front of Mako''s eyes as he flew threw the air, the paralysis slowly wearing off his body.


    [Lightning Sword Style: Recursive Paralyzing Thrusts]


    Alexi didn''t relent as he shot several more lightning strikes at Mako by repeatedly thrusting his swords in the air.


    Mako''s bodynded with a violent thud on the ground as it dealt even more damage to his body but the worst was yet toe as the lightning strikes were already close to striking and paralyzing him again.


    However, just before the lightning strikes could reach him, Mako''s paralysis wore off and he instantly made his move.


    Even though Mako''s body was paralyzed, his mind was still free to think and adapt and by the time he wasunched up in the air, Mako had devised a strategy to break free from Alexi''s barrage of assaults and try to find his footing in this fight again.


    Mako quickly pulled out a pen-like object from his body that instantly erged to six feet


    tall.


    It was the Storm Caller Staff!


    Mako twisted the body of the staff and retracted his height, setting the staff to a different mode.


    [Concentrated Lightning Mode]


    The crystal at the tip of the staff glowed a fantastic yellow as it absorbed Mako''s Lightning aura and shot out a massive arc of lightning to counter the multiple iing purple lightning strikes.


    The Concentrated Lightning Mode doubled Mako''s attack power and was strong enough to stand up to Alexi''s superior Purple Lightning, canceling out the attackpletely.


    Alexi grunted with anger as he couldn''t believe Mako had more tricks up his sleeve.


    The fight paused for a couple of moments again as this time both Mako and Alexi were catching their breath and trying to recover as quickly as possible.


    The fatigue from over-exerting himself after tanking Mako''s Energy Stream was catching up and weighing down Alexi''s body while Mako was trying to dissipate the pain from his fractured ribs and internal bleeding.


    Mako could have quickly used the shop and bought some more healing pills to speed up the emergency healing but he opted against that decision as he wanted to honor Alexi by only fighting with his own strength and not using the system to cheat his way to victory.


    Magnus, who was watching the epic battle from a distance was beyond impressed after seeing the level of fighting spirit both of his students disyed and theplexity in their fighting style and movement made him genuinely smile.


    The two breathed heavily as they stared at each other once again, knowing that the time to finish this duel was near.


    After dealing a sessful blow and injuring Mako, some of the anger inside Alexi began to disappear as pride took its ce once again; however, alongside his pride, his respect for Mako had also returned inside his heart, this time greater than he had ever before.


    After a couple of moments which were the calm before the storm, Mako and Alexi both assumed a stance once again.


    Alexi charged forward with his des. Mako quickly twisted the staff''s body once more and


    extended to its greatest height.


    [Chain Lightning Mode]


    [Lightning w has been activated]


    Mako used the staff to shoot several arcs of lightning at Alexi which he quickly dodged; however, Mako wasn''t done as he kicked his feet on the ground to raise several small pirs of earth all around the hall.


    The four vertical arcs of lightning that Alexi easily dodged struck the earth pir and thanks to the active skill of the chain lightning mode, reflected back towards Alexi. Alexi wasn''t expecting the attack that he had already dodged to bounce back at him but nheless, he was still able to dodge them easily as their speed had slowed down slightly.


    Mako raised several more pirs and shot out two more lightning ws and soon enough, the whole battlefield was covered with random arcs of lightning being bounced from one pir to


    the next.


    Even though there was no safe path remaining, Alexi was still able to close the distance between him and Mako to Mako''s absolute surprise by zigzagging through the multiple arcs of lightning that were slowed down quite a bit as they continued to bounce making it easy for Alexi to anticipate and dodge each and everyst one of them.


    The Storm Caller Staff wasn''t really meant for closebat with swords nor was it insted which meant that the Alexi''s Purple Lightning could flow through his des and into his


    staff, electrocuting him.


    Because of this Mako quickly retracted the staff back into its pen form before attempting to make more distance between them but it was then that Alexi revealed his own trump card.


    [Lightning Sword Style: Lightning Surge]


    In addition to transferring his Lightning aura to his des, Alexi also began storing aura inside his legs and holding it there as the charge increased.


    After he had reached the absolute limit of the charge that his legs could withstand, he


    released it all at once, giving him a massive boost in speed.


    Alexi''s Body transformed into lightning itself as he instantly closed the gap between him and


    Mako before he could make his escape.


    Mako now with no weapon to defend himself was faced with a massive attack that he knew he


    had no hope to counter or block.


    With no more tricks or surprises up his sleeves, it looked like Mako''s time was up. However, Mako wasn''t going to just give up and take the hit. He summoned everyst ounce


    of willpower in his body and called upon his Earth ability to encase him in as thick of an earth


    dome as he could possibly create.


    *BOOM!*


    Alexi''s swords made contact with Mako''s dome and created an epic explosion kicking up a ton of smoke and dust into the air with the oue of the duel still unclear.

 Chapter 356 Mako Vs Alexi (Part 5)

    Chapter 356 Mako Vs Alexi (Part 5)


    The impact sent a shockwave through the air, and cracks webbed across the surface of the earthen dome.


    Alexi didn''t pause. With a roar, he channeled more energy into his swords, causing them to crackle with intensified Purple Lightning. He struck again, this time with a series of rapid shes that chipped away at the thick Earth dome that Mako tried his best to maintain with one hand. Sparks flew as the des tore through the earth, each strike more forceful than thest.


    Mako knew he couldn''t stay defensive for long. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, feeling the familiar warmth of his fire ability surge through him. Alexi''s des finally shattered the earth shield and revealed Mako in a crouching position with one hand up which was trying to maintain the integrity of the dome.


    However, even after the dome had been destroyed, Mako remained unfazed as his other hand was still calmly touching the ground with a wonderous glow of Red Fire.


    [me Pir has been activated]


    Alexi was a bit confused but soon enough he realized that Mako hadpletely flipped the table and even though it looked like Alexi had backed Mako into a corner, this wasn''t the case at all.


    With an evil smile, Mako looked up at Alexi as the floor surrounding them began to illuminate a bright orange color.


    The mes roared upwards, encasing both Mako and Alexi. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Since Mako had no control over the circumference of the me pir which had kept increasing every time he had leveled it up and with Alexi being so close to him, he had no choice but to sacrifice himself and burn both of them together.


    Screams of pain erupted from within the mes as the fire washed over them, the heat intense enough to make the air shimmer. Thanks to the attack being cast by Mako, he wasn''t as greatly affected by the heat as Alexi who didn''t possess the fire ability.


    Secondster, the fire stopped erupting from the ground, revealing a horrific scene with everything within the radius of the me pir being charred ck except for Mako of course who was only slightly hurt by the mes with steam rising from every surface on his body.


    He looked to see what had be of Alexi after using this desperate move only to see apletely ckened figure that had the same features as Alexi but waspletely unrecognizable.


    At first, Mako was a bit worried that maybe he had inflicted too much damage on Alexi and he had been burned to a crisp.


    ''No! No way would Teacher Magnus allow for the attack to continue if it was going to kill him, he would have definitely stopped me,'' Mako thought as he looked back at Magnus who was still observing the battle from a distance with his arms crossed, appearing as calm as a cucumber.


    Mako turned back to carefully observe Alexi and try and figure out what had happened to him when all of a sudden, cracks started to form on his ckened skin.


    Mako instinctively moved back and observed as more and more cracks started to form on his skin.


    "You idiot!" Alexi screamed as flexed his body and all the ck crusty exterior began to break off and fall from his body, revealing his actual skin which was very red.


    Alexi freed himself from the charred shell, revealing his true form underneath. His skin was red from the intense heat, but he was still standing, his eyes filled with a fierce determination. Alexi took a deep breath, steam rising from his body as he red at Mako.


    It was clear to Mako what Alexi had done to protect himself from the sudden attack.


    Using his Earth ability, he called all the tiny rocks that had flown into the air after he smashed Mako''s dome towards him to form an advanced form of Mako''s Stone Skin skill. The stonespletely covered Alexi''s body from head to toe and shielded him from the intense fire, conducting only a small amount of the actual heat to his skin.


    Alexi was still recovering from thest attack when Mako happened to spot his katana lying on the floor on the other side of the hall, where he had sted Alexi with his Energy Stream.


    Knowing that they both barely had the strength to continue, his only goal now was to retrieve his katana and finish the endgame of this exhausting duel.


    He focused on the ground beneath Alexi, willing it to rise and entangle his opponent''s legs. The earth responded, forming tendrils that shot up to ensnare Alexi.


    But Alexi was ready. With a grunt, he mmed his swords into the ground, sending a pulse of maic energy through the earth. The tendrils shattered into pieces, and the ground beneath them trembled. Mako staggered, trying to keep his bnce as the earth quaked.


    "I''ve had enough of this!" Alexi screamed as his anger was now rising even higher than before. "Time to end this!"


    Mako''s body ached, the exertion from the me Pir and previous battles weighing heavily on him. Yet, the sight of his katana glinting in the distance fueled his resolve. He knew that the final moments of this battle would determine the victor, and he couldn''t afford any hesitation.


    As the earth trembled from the pressure Alexi was exerting with his aura, Mako made a split-second decision.


    [Sprint has been activated]


    [Dash has been activated]


    [Energy Sensing has been activated]


    [Motion Sense has been activated]


    He channeled all of his attribute-boosting skills, feeling the familiar tingle as raw power coursed through his veins. Combining that with his Earth ability, in a swift motion, heunched himself into the air, using a tiny earth pir to propel his body into the air. The ground where he had stood cracked and shattered, the force of his leap leaving a small crater.


    Alexi''s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered, activating his attack early as several earth spikes erupted from the ground, aimed to take out Mako in mid-air.


    As Mako observed tens of earth spikes hurling at him, he remained calm as with his added perception and agility, he was able to observe them clearly.


    [Fireball has been activated]


    [Fireball has been activated]


    [Fireball has been activated]


    Using his fireballs to push him back and change his trajectory, Mako cleverly evaded all of the iing earth spikes and was now heading straight at Alexi.


    Alexi quickly raised his swords to prepare for Mako''s descent. However, Mako wasn''t aiming for an aerial strike. Instead, he flew right over Alexi''s head andnded in a controlled roll, reaching out to grab his katana as he came to a stop. The familiar weight of the weapon in his hand brought a surge of confidence. He rose to his feet, katana held firmly in his grip with mes erupting from the de once again, and turned to face Alexi.


    Breathing heavily, Alexi''s anger was palpable. "You''re not getting away this time," he growled, electricity crackling around him as he prepared to unleash another attack.


    Mako tightened his grip on the katana, his eyes narrowing in focus. He knew he had onest move that could turn the tide in his favor, but it required precise timing and all the energy he could muster.


    [Lightning Sword Style: Grand Lightning]


    With a roar, Alexi charged, his swords enveloped in a brilliant disy of Purple Lightning. The ground scorched beneath his feet as he closed the distance, aiming to overwhelm Mako with sheer force of a singr gigantic strike.


    Mako took a deep breath, centering himself as he prepared for the final sh. He let his mind clear, focusing solely on the moment, the battle, and the katana in his hands.


    Just as Alexi swung his swords, Mako refreshed all of his attribute-boosting skills which were quite taxing to keep active at the same time and Mako sidestepped the initial strike, feeling the heat of the lightning as it passed by. He countered with a swift, precise sh, aiming not to harm Alexi but to create an opening.


    Alexi staggered, momentarily off-bnce. Mako seized the opportunity, focusing his Fire ability into the katana. The mes grew many timesrger,pletely enveloping and hiding the actual de.


    With a powerful, sweeping motion, Mako unleashed his ultimate technique: [Fire Sword Style: Inferno de]


    The de of the katana created a blinding arc of me and light, scorching the air as it surged toward Alexi. The attack was so intense that it seemed to consume the very oxygen around them, creating a vacuum that drew in everything nearby. Alexi waspletely caught off-guard and raised his swords in a desperate attempt to block the iing strike.


    He couldn''t believe that Mako was capable of unleashing such a strong and powerful attack since they had started training together at the same time.


    The impact was explosive. The sh of abilities sent shockwaves through the arena, the ground shaking as mes and lightning intertwined in a dazzling disy. Mako felt the strain on his body as he poured everything he had into the attack, the energy draining from him rapidly. He gritted his teeth, pushing through the fatigue, knowing this was hisst chance.


    For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The twobatants locked eyes, the intensity of their wills shing just as fiercely as their powers. Then, with a final burst of effort, Mako''s Inferno de broke through Alexi''s defenses. The mes engulfed Alexi, the force of the attack knocking him back and sending him crashing to the ground.


    Mako stood, breathing heavily, his katana still glowing faintly with the residual energy. He watched as the mes dissipated, revealing Alexi lying on the scorched earth. Alexi''s swords were snapped in two, the remnants of the Purple Lightning flickering out as he struggled to move. Mako approached cautiously, ready for anyst-ditch effort from his opponent.


    But Alexi simplyy there, his energy spent, his body too battered to continue. He looked up at Mako, a mixture of frustration and grudging respect in his eyes. "You... really are something," Alexi managed to say, his voice weak but still defiant.


    Mako nodded, sheathing his katana. "You pushed me to my limits," he replied, offering a hand to help Alexi up.


    Alexi hesitated for a moment but his anger and pride slowly subsided and were getting reced by honor and respect for Mako. After a couple of moments, he took the offered hand admitting to his defeat and allowing Mako to pull him to his feet. The two stood there, the remnants of their battle surrounding them, both exhausted but still standing.


    Magnus who was silent up until now slowly approached the two boys with light apuse. The intensity of the duel, the disy of abilities, and the show of sportsmanship at the end had truly moved him.


    Mako turned to Alexi, who was still catching his breath. "It was a good fight," Mako said, a faint smile on his lips. "I won''t force you if you don''t want to join my team, it ispletely up to you if you wanna join,"


    Alexi chuckled weakly. "Oh no! You don''t get to y the saint card after all this! I''m a man of my word, I will join your team."

 Chapter 357 Heartbreak (Part 1)

    Chapter 357 Heartbreak (Part 1)


    Alexi was quick to reply as he couldn''t bear to see Mako y the holy saint card after they had beaten each other half to death. The terms of their agreement prior to the fight were clearlyid out and he wasn''t going to act like a sore loser and not honor his side of the deal after he lost the duel.


    "Weldone, you too," Magnus apuded as he approached the two individuals struggling to stand up straight.


    Mako had known that convincing Alexi wouldn''t be easy considering his ego and pride but he hadn''t expected the fight to get dragged out so much and be so intense.


    Magnus pulled out a tiny cube from his front pocket. It was incredibly small with all the dimensions only being 5 centimeters.


    However, despite its small size, Magnus was able to stick his fingers all the way inside the cube which didn''t look physically possible, and that had caught the attention of both Mako and Alexi who were confused as they had never seen such a device before.


    Mako quickly decided to use Analyze on the cube and a magnificent description of the item in Magnus'' hands appeared in front of him leaving him absolutely speechless.


    [Analyze]


    [King Tier Inter-dimensional Storage Cube] ?


    [A super advanced and sophisticated storage device that integrates the advanced technology of wormhole crystals with the potent energy of beast crystals to create a unique dimensional space for storage. The device opens a pocket dimension, allowing users to store items securely and efficiently. The dimensional space can amodate any objects that fit within its boundaries and collectively weigh up to 1500 kg.]


    [The pocket dimension can be further upgraded with more Wormhole and specific beast crystals]


    Wormhole Crystals!


    Mako had heard of this name before and thanks to his sharp memory he was able to instantly recall where.


    While he was watching one of the video logs that his great-grandfather had left behind for him after he had unlocked the shop feature, he distinctly remembered the term Wormhole crystal being used to tackle the problem of storage of the system.


    During the idea log, it looked like wormhole crystals were just recently discovered and weren''t fully understood yet and were being used as an experimental substitute for other cutting-edge storage devices of that time.


    However, it seems that in between his and his great-grandfather''s time, the research and technology regarding these wormhole crystals had greatly advanced and improved. "Sir, is that..." Alexi was the first to speak as unlike Mako he wasn''tpletely clueless on what he was holding as he had seen his uncle use the same thing as well.


    "Oh, this... Most of my stuff got confiscated so I didn''t really have a use for this but I still kept it on me and saved up any item that could be useful to my students," Magnus replied casually as he pulled his fingers out of the cube and was now holding 2 pills in his fingers.


    Without really asking for their consent, Magnus shoved the pills down their throat and the effects were almost instant.


    [User has consumed an Advanced Tier Healing Pill]


    The burns and bruises on their bodies were being regenerated in record time as they instantly felt refreshed and pain-free. However, since the pill was so potent, it was sapping their already little reserve of energy to carry out the healing in their body.


    "Now tell me, What did each of you do wrong in your fight?" Magnus asked calmly but Mako and Alexi both understood that he now meant business.


    Mako pointed out a few things that he had done wrong like sheathing his katana midway through the fight and getting a bit overconfident while Alexi also pointed out that he was a bit hasty and unorganized with his attacks.


    Magnus nodded to the boys'' exnation but still proceeded to give them a light p on their cheeks which honestly stung more to them than any attack during their actual fight.


    Magnus was a bit disappointed that neither of his students had followed hisplete advice and had begun fighting wildly which had led them to expend so much more energy just to reach the same exact result. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    He scolded Alexi for still bing so easily hurt and emotional.


    "You idiot, the person on a real battlefield will not care about your feelings. Remember, Life is not fair and your enemy will look for any little advantage they can get to best you in a fight and that could mean life and death. Stop fighting with your heart and muscles and listen to your goddamn brain for once!" Magnus scolded.


    However, Mako was not out of the waters yet either.


    "Don''t think you''ve won this fight today. You had a significant advantage since Alexi couldn''t fully utilize his maism ability with no metal around. If you struggled this much against him even when he was hindered, it means you still have a lot to learn. Keep training and improving, because next time, you might not have such favorable conditions." Magnus stated.


    The two boys listened quietly to their teacher as he continued to nitpick the little things that they had done wrong in their duel but in reality, they greatly appreciated their teacher who was getting so worked up for his students.


    With that, the two continued their regr training session with Magnus once their wounds had healed and recovered and Mako invited Alexi to visit one of the training rooms that he had booked so that he could introduce him to the team.


    Alexi wasn''t over the moon after receiving the invitation as even though his pride and ego had been defeated today, it hadn''t died down even a little and he still didn''t want to be that kind person to socialize with weak people.


    Mako assured him with a light giggle that their third member was also very strong and that he would get along just fine but only time would tell.


    *****************


    On the other side of the militaryplex, one of the doors of the recovery room swung wide open, and in walked Andrew only to see Bill and Erin together with Erin feeding Bill a liquid meal through a straw.


    Erin wasn''t expecting Andrew to show up to the recovery room as nobody had told him about Bill''s condition which was why she was a bit surprised to see him but was still d for him to be there.


    She gently removed the straw from Bill''s mouth and ced the drink on the side table beside his bead and said lightly in Bill''s ear, "It''s alright, this is Andrew, you remember him right?"


    Bill had recovered enough that he could now move his neck and facial muscles and nodded yes as he remembered the face that Haruto had stolen when he was trying to deceive them during the recruitment test.


    Erin quickly stood up and ran to hug Andrew who had remained quiet and still just by the door of the recovery room.


    Erin hadn''t thought of anything odd up to this point as nobody had told Andrew about what had happened to Bill and that he was recovering in this room so how was he even able to find them and why had he stormed off after ss without even greeting her?


    Erin tried to hug Andrew by wrapping her arms around him but Andrew finally took action as he stopped her in her tracks with a cold and unforgiving look.


    "So this is where you have been going after ss every day for the past couple of days..." Andrew questioned coldly.


    Erin froze, her arms still mid-air, as Andrew''s words sliced through the air like a knife. The warmth of her intended hug turned cold with his icy re.


    "Andrew, what are you talking about?" Erin''s voice trembled confusion and hurt mingling in her eyes.


    "Don''t y dumb, Erin," Andrew snapped.


    "You think I haven''t noticed you two. Always together, always chatting, training, and spending time together, and seeing how close you two are, it all makes sense now. You''ve been avoiding me, spending all your time here, caring for him instead of being honest with me."


    Erin''s eyes widened with shock. "Andrew, that isn''t true at all. Bill was very critically injured, and I was just being there for him and helping him recover. There''s nothing between us, I swear!"


    Andrew''s expression remained hard, his jaw clenched. "Save it, Erin. I''ve seen enough. You''ve been distant, and secretive, and now I know why. I can''t believe I trusted you."


    Bill, who had been silently watching the exchange, tried to speak up. "Andrew, she''s telling the truth. There''s nothing¡ª"


    "Stay out of this, Bill," Andrew cut him off sharply. "This is between me and Erin."


    Tears welled up in Erin''s eyes as she reached out to Andrew, but he stepped back, shaking his head. "No, Erin. We''re done. I can''t be with someone who betrays my trust like this."


    With that, Andrew turned on his heel and walked out of the room, leaving Erin standing there, stunned and heartbroken. She felt as if the ground had been ripped from beneath her feet and she fell to the ground in tears. The room fell into a heavy silence, only broken by the sound of the door closing behind Andrew.


    Erin remained on the ground with her shoulders shaking with sobs. She was still unable to process what had just happened as it was just too quick.


    She and Andrew had been together for almost 2 years now and she was certain that she had found her true love as Andrew was exactly the type of person she liked, charismatic, hardworking and strong but still a bit goofy and kind.


    In literal moments, her whole world had been turned upside down and she didn''t know what to think now.


    As she continued to sob on the ground, Bill, still weak but determined, raised his voice to try and reach her. "Erin, don''t let him go. Go after him, I''ll be fine. There is obviously something that has influenced him to do this. Make him understand... Go..."


    Erin slowly raised her head, her tears flowing freely. She quickly nodded to Bill''s advice and tried to rush after Andrew, looking for them to have a proper talk.


    Andrew stormed away, his mind a whirl of anger and betrayal. The anonymous text that he had received was the final straw, but the sight of Erin so tenderly caring for Bill had been the dagger to his heart. He needed to clear his head and find a way to move forward, even if it meant without Erin.


    As Andrew stormed off from the head nurse''s office, a girl sitting on a bench just beside the front door giggled to herself while ying with strings of dark purplish aura with her fingers.


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!