Chương 10: Stage 1

Ray and his teammates made their way back to the ship. The System had filled out a wide area around them on the Map as the group traveled inland. This meant returning to the ship was as simple as retracing their steps. Unsurprisingly and surprisingly, they didn't run into a single Beast. The Cavernclaw and pack of Lake Hounds seemed to be a one-off. The group seemed anxious to make it back and advance in Stage, so they were traveling much quicker than when they began the expedition.

Ray spent the entire time analyzing the battle. He didn't even consider the brutality he committed or the lives he took. They were Beasts after all. In fact, Ray felt pride welling up in his chest as he thought about the six Beasts he removed from the ever-growing sea of monsters plaguing this world. Phora had actually seemed to calm down. She had mentioned how impressive Ray was a handful of times and even mentioned that they should wait to absorb the cores until they had returned.

The young woman seemed to have given up on the superiority act and was actually interested in how Ray had become so strong. Ray gave her the same explanation he gave Frangle, adding that he probably only seemed strong now and that he would be left behind by those who specialized. It was what everyone said after all. Phora seemed unhappy with that explanation, deciding to make him promise to train with her once they returned to the GLMB. Frangle remained mostly silent the entire journey.

Ray assumed the big guy was just tired. It took around half an hour for them to return, and the man who greeted them seemed rather surprised. The System identified him as he started speaking. [Soldier, Stage: 3 Phase: 5]"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Are you reporting an injury?" This man was potentially the strongest Soldier sent with them on the expedition. No one above the 3rd Stage was assigned to guard the Recruits, meaning this guy was likely in a high position. That was only further proven by his decorative battlegear, showing the name 'Braxton' on a metal plate pinned above his heart.

"No," Phora said while holding up a token that showed her family emblem.

"We actually all have our cores." Braxton's eyes widened with shock as he looked over the group and then directly at the emblem. A look of realization dawned on his face.

"Alright, go along then." He waved at a few other Soldiers, and the group was ushered back onto the ship. - The three Recruits were currently back in the cabin they had previously ridden over in. Ray had questioned Phora on why Braxton reacted the way he did and got a lengthy explanation. Turns out some well-off families sent some of the Recruits with the two Beast Cores needed to advance. This meant they weren't the only group who would return early, but most would at least wait several hours.

Phora had basically thrown her family's name around and made them think they had brought the Cores with them. The thunder family royalty said something along the lines of, "I don't want everyone knowing about you yet." This made Ray slightly confused, but he decided to just go with it. Burgen made it clear he was already being watched, so maybe everyone was going to find out soon anyway. Frangle had yet to speak, and at this point, even Ray noticed something was off.

Phora tried speaking with him, and the large teen only responded with single-syllable words. He eventually left the cabin, saying, "Shower." Ray figured it was none of his business and went on to examine his two Beast Cores. The one from the Cavernclaw was black and had a red glow to it, while the Lake Hound Core was a dull gray. The System instructed him on how to absorb them, and he noticed it was similar to absorbing Essence.

The main difference was that he was to always hold it above his own Soul Core located near his diaphragm. Ray held the gray Beast Core to his diaphragm, and it began to emit a faint glow. Much quicker than the Essence, the Beast Core began to break down into particles. They were gray in color and entered his own core directly through his skin. Once the core had vanished, a System message appeared.

[Beast Core absorption successful] [Soul Core saturation: 50%] Ray could feel the Mana in his body thicken, almost as if it had gained weight. His body vibrated as pressure was applied to his Mana Ways, leaving him with an uncomfortable feeling of anxiety. This was quickly gone and replaced with a feeling of fullness. Deciding to keep the momentum, Ray held the Cavernclaw's Core to his diaphragm. It broke down the same as the other, albeit slightly slower and the particles were black with a slight red tinge.

Ray felt the Mana in his body swell as the core disappeared in his hand. His body felt hot and a pulse rang in his left temple. Every part of his brain told him he was dying but at the last second, a dam was broken. Ray's Mana Ways seemed to double in width as they grew to handle the surge in Mana flowing through them. His Soul Core shone with a white light, and the System began to show him multiple messages.

[Beast Core absorption successful] [Soul Core saturation: 100%] [Stage 1 requirements met] [User: Raymond Foley is now advancing to Stage: 1 Phase: 1] [Mission complete: Reach Stage 1] [Reward: 1000 contribution points] [User: Raymond Foley, Stage: 1 Phase: 1] [Attributes: Strength: 100 Agility: 100 Intelligence: 100 Mana: 100%] [Soul Core saturation: 0%] [Absorbed Essence: 1/7] [Title: Recruit] [Abilities: Bolt] [Tech: Mana Circuit] Ray felt power surge through his veins as he viewed the System message.

His attributes had increased tenfold, making him finally reach the level of power unobtainable by mundane humans. Beasts were born with this level of strength, and he had finally achieved it. He opened and closed his hands, feeling the difference in every small movement. Even sitting still, his body seemed ready to do more than it had only moments earlier. Reaching Stage 1 didn't make him powerful compared to the Soldiers around him, but it meant he was no longer standing outside the fight.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Looking up at Phora, Ray noticed she was also reveling in her newfound power.

"I think I could get used to this," he said to himself more than her. All the same, their green eyes met. - Ray spent the rest of the day talking with Phora. Turns out, she was actually easy to get along with when she didn't behave like a spoiled rich kid. She even had many insights into Lightning Mana, giving Ray helpful advice for his Bolt ability. Frangle never returned to the cabin, meaning by the time they had set sail for the base, Ray still hadn't seen the large teen.

The ride back to the GLMB was uneventful. Ray and Phora found themselves in a sea of other Recruits as they disembarked. They were all instructed to return to their rooms and that the next day they would be assigned their new missions. It was rather late by this point, so there would be no contribution point spending or further training. Phora took this time to register Ray as a contact on the System. The System could act as a communication device over long distances as well.

The thunder family royalty seemed excited to register Ray's contact info as she skipped towards her room. The black-haired teen was still surprised by her personality change as he entered his own room. Who he found waiting inside was both surprising and expected.

"Hey, Burgen," Ray said, feigning nonchalance. The Commander let out a sharp breath as a grin appeared on his face.

"I heard you made quite the scene," he said. Ray gave him a discerning look before speaking.

"My new friend Phora made it easy to keep things calm. I'm sure that was on purpose as well." Burgen gave the teen a knowing look and stood before walking towards him.

"You took out 6 Stage 1 Beasts basically alone, kid," he said.

"Are we wrong for keeping a close eye on you? Even the Admirals have been told about our promising new Recruit. That's why we're going to give you an additional reward." Burgen proceeded to hold out his open, empty hand. In his palm, particles of white light formed and began to swirl, revealing a deep brown orb pulsating with Mana. The Essence seemed to appear out of nowhere and Ray used the System to identify it. [Earth Essence Rank: 3 (Rare)]"This is a small investment," Burgen continued.

"We want you to have at least decent quality Essence if you are going to give the whole generalist thing a try." A light smile broke across Ray's face for only a moment before Burgen continued.

"You should now have 2000 contribution points, meaning you have a good budget going forward. You could buy all the Essence now, but I recommend waiting to absorb them until you have gone through a Phase using the newest one you have absorbed. Sounds annoying but it'll help you adjust. You could probably get away with absorbing 2 now, considering how well you adjusted with the first. Just keep it to one a Phase going forward. What element would you want for your 3rd Essence?

I will waive the fee on this one as well." Ray had told Burgen the Essence he wanted and decided to wait on absorbing the Earth Essence until he had received both. It would be more fun that way. He decided to do his workout routine and, surprisingly, saw a change in his status page once he had finished. [User: Raymond Foley, Stage: 1 Phase: 1] [Attributes: Strength: 103 Agility: 105 Intelligence: 101 Mana: 100%] Only his attributes had changed but it was still cool to see them increase after one workout.

The System directive had mentioned that growth was quick in the first Stage. Apparently, 500 was the base for a Stage 2-level attribute and he had a decent way to go until then. Ray was alerted by the sound of a knock at his door. A personnel member brought him a small black case containing his 3rd Essence. After thanking her, Ray closed the door and pulled out the Essence. The System responded to his will and displayed information on the Essence.

[Dark Essence Rank: 3 (Rare)] He had decided on Dark for his 3rd element. Lightning, Earth, and Dark should offer him a lot of versatility and he needed that to build a good foundation going forward. Ray figured the only way to make use of every element was to treat the set of Essence the same as if it were a mono-element set. He needed offense, defense, and utility. Obviously, he could get totally screwed in the Ability lottery, but something told him things would work out.

If he actually got a well-rounded set of Abilities, he could create tech to make up for any shortcomings. The key to standing out was to be seen the most. If he stood out, the Empire would support him more. It was a simple plan but Burgen being in his room when he returned meant it was at least partially working. The Commander made it clear he was being favored and Ray planned on taking full advantage of that.

If he could convince them of his potential, the sky was the limit when it came to what the Empire could help him with. He could have access to top-quality Essence when he absorbed his remaining four. The means to start with Rare quality only attested to that. Not to mention they would give him the best battlegear and weapons. Gaining the support of the Empire was the first step to Ray becoming powerful enough to end the war.

The Empire spent 90% of their effort on the Beasts, but of course, they could never truly change the tide. Soldiers lost their lives everyday to the never-ending war against the Beasts. Ray had finally reached Stage 1, only to realize how small his own power was. Getting stronger was the only option.