Chương 22: Can't Beat Em, Join The Crew

The Essence Ray selected cost 300 contribution points. This confirmed it was Rare quality, the lowest Ray was willing to accept. A member of the western complex personnel entered the room carrying a small case. The woman placed it on the desk before leaving Ray alone. He immediately opened it. A navy blue orb rested inside. Small waves moved across its surface, making the solid Essence appear almost liquid. Ray reached toward it.

[Water Essence Rank: 3 (Rare)] Holding the Essence against his pelvis and willing the System to absorb it, the Essence broke apart into blue particles that entered his body. The Water Mana traveled through his Mana Ways before being pulled into his Soul Core. It felt different from his other Elements. Lightning Mana was violent and eager to move. Earth Mana was heavy. Dark Mana felt like it was spreading through every available space. Water Mana simply flowed.

The sensation continued for several seconds before the System responded. [Essence absorption complete] [Water Essence Ability obtained: Aqua Armor] [Aqua Armor: Cover User or selected target in a protective layer of Water Mana. Durability is based on Mana used] [Aqua Armor (Rare) Mana usage: high] [Essence absorbed: 4/7] Ray smiled. A defensive Ability was exactly what he wanted. He immediately activated it. Water Mana rushed out of his Mana Ways and spread across his body.

A thin layer of bright blue liquid formed over his battlegear. It moved across his arms and chest without soaking the material underneath. Ray closed his fist. The water hardened around it before becoming fluid again. His smile widened. Then he noticed his Mana. [Mana: 79%] Ray's expression fell. Aqua Armor had consumed more than a fifth of his Mana from a single activation. The Ability was still active as well. His Mana continued to slowly decrease.

'Damn,' he thought. Ray dismissed the Ability. The layer of water broke apart and disappeared into the air. Ray watched the last of the blue particles disappear and rolled his shoulders. Protecting someone else was exactly what he wanted, but an Ability that emptied his Core too quickly would only create a different problem. He would need to figure out when a shield mattered more than having enough Mana left to attack. - The team had reserved the same Nexus training room from the day before.

Ray told them about Aqua Armor and explained how it worked. Kiara seemed the most excited.

"You can use it on other people?" she asked. Ray nodded.

"Put it on me," she continued.

"I want water armor." Ray decided to oblige her. Blue Water Mana appeared around Kiara's body and covered her from head to toe. She stared at her hands as the liquid flowed across them.

"This is amazing."

"It uses a lot of Mana," Ray explained.

"Too much." Phora stepped closer and poked the armor with the end of her spear. The water hardened around the point.

"Useful," she said.

"If it can survive an actual attack." Ray entered the settings for their next drill. They would be protecting Kiara again. This time, the Nexus would create five opponents for them to fight. Each one would possess the Attributes of an average Stage 1 Recruit. The training room shifted. Five armored figures appeared on the opposite side. Phora took command of the formation. Frangle stood in front of Kiara while Jerome waited to his right. Phora remained behind them. Ray took the left side.

The five opponents charged. Ray activated Aqua Armor around Kiara. Her body was already protected by her own ward, but Ray wanted to make sure she couldn't be reached. His Mana immediately dropped. Jerome intercepted the first opponent. Fire Mana erupted around his sword as he attacked once and retreated. Frangle met the next two. His hammer collided with the first figure while his armored shoulder caught the second. Ray used Bolt.

Golden lightning exploded beneath his feet and launched him toward the remaining opponents. He struck one in the chest. The figure stumbled backward but didn't fall. Ray activated Bolt again. His Mana dropped even further.

"Ray, left!" Phora shouted. He turned. One of the opponents had slipped around Frangle and was approaching Kiara. Ray used Mud Wall. Mana-infused mud erupted between them. The opponent immediately changed direction. Ray followed. By the time he reached the other side of the wall, another figure had joined the first. His System flashed. [Mana: 38%] Ray frowned. The drill had barely started. Kiara still had Aqua Armor around her, meaning the Ability continued pulling Mana from him. Ray dismissed it.

The blue water disappeared just as one of the opponents slipped past Jerome. The figure attacked Kiara. Her ward blocked the first strike before shattering under the second. Ray used Bolt to cross the room. He arrived too late. The opponent touched its weapon against Kiara's chest. The room flashed with red light and t he five figures disappeared. Ray stared at the ground. They had performed worse than the day before. Stolen story; please report. Kiara looked down at herself.

"My armor disappeared," she complained.

"I needed the Mana," Ray answered. Phora approached him.

"You put Aqua Armor on Kiara in the first place."

"She was the target," Ray said.

"She already had a ward," Phora countered.

"Frangle was the one taking attacks." Ray looked toward the large teen. Several dents covered the armor of his Nexus avatar. Frangle raised his hand.

"I could use water armor," he said, his tone filled with innocent honesty. Jerome rested his sword against his shoulder.

"So could I." Ray looked between them. Ray had used it on the person who already possessed the most protection.

'Idiot,' he thought. They restarted the drill. This time, Ray used Aqua Armor on Frangle. The large teen became nearly impossible for the opponents to move. The problem came when Jerome was surrounded. Ray used Bolt to help him. Then Mud Wall. Then Bolt again. Aqua Armor continued draining his Mana the entire time. Ray ran out before the drill ended. Phora dismissed the training opponents.

"You're trying to do everything," she said.

"I have more options than everyone else," Ray countered.

"That doesn't mean you need to use all of them." Ray wanted to argue. He stopped himself. Every Ability he gained was meant to make him more adaptable. Instead, Aqua Armor had made him worse. He was treating his team like another objective he had to protect by himself. Ray looked at Frangle. The Strength specialist could hold the front if Ray kept him protected. Jerome could take more risks if Aqua Armor covered his retreat. Kiara's ward meant Ray didn't always need to protect her.

Phora could tell him where his Mana would have the most impact. Ray didn't need his team to play around his Abilities. He needed to play around them. That meant paying attention before he acted, not just reacting faster than everyone else once something went wrong. Frangle didn't need Ray to replace him at the front. Jerome didn't need to be pulled out of every opening. They needed someone who could fill the gap that actually appeared and then get out of their way. The third round of drills went much better.

Five armored opponents stood across from Ray's team inside the Nexus training room. The room flashed green, and all five opponents charged. Phora gave the first order. Frangle moved in front of Kiara while Jerome attacked from the right. Phora remained behind them, using her Lightning Mana to pressure anyone who moved too close. Ray stayed on the left. One of the opponents tried to move around Frangle. Ray used Mud Wall. Mana-infused mud erupted from the ground and forced the opponent toward Jerome.

The red-haired Recruit attacked once before returning to the formation. Another opponent charged after him. Ray activated Aqua Armor around Jerome. The protective layer absorbed the first attack, giving Jerome enough time to escape. Ray immediately dismissed the Ability. The next two opponents attacked Frangle. Ray used Aqua Armor again. Blue Water Mana covered the large teen seconds before both attacks landed. Frangle held his position. Kiara moved behind him while maintaining her ward.

Phora continued giving short orders, changing the formation whenever one of the opponents moved somewhere unexpected. Ray only used Bolt when the left side became exposed. Golden lightning erupted beneath his feet. He crossed the distance and struck the opponent before returning to his position. Nobody chased him. Nobody abandoned the formation. Ray dismissed Aqua Armor the moment Frangle no longer needed it. His Mana remained above half. The final opponent tried to move around Jerome.

Kiara shifted her ward to block its path. Jerome attacked. His sword struck the armored figure's chest. The room flashed green. All five opponents disappeared. The team remained in formation for several seconds. Kiara's ward was still active. Frangle's armor had barely been damaged. Ray still had enough Mana to fight. They had won. For once, the victory didn't come from Ray doing something ridiculous at the last second. Frangle had held his ground. Kiara had protected the right space.

Jerome and Phora had attacked when the openings appeared. Ray looked between them and realized the room felt different when everyone had a reason to be proud of the same result. - The five Recruits remained in the training room after the drill. Ray pulled up the Recruit leaderboard. Jerome, Kiara, and Phora still held the first three positions. He was ranked tenth. Frangle was the only member of the team outside the Top 10.

"I want all five of us on that list," Ray said. Frangle looked toward him.

"You mean me."

"Yes," Ray said, not mincing words. The large teen's expression fell slightly. Ray continued before he could complain.

"You're strong enough to be there. You just don't fight like it." Most of Frangle's fighting style revolved around protecting other people. That worked well during missions but made individual Nexus battles difficult. His opponents could avoid him and wait until he became impatient. The team devised a plan. Jerome would help Frangle deal with close-range burst attacks. Kiara and Phora would prepare him for ranged opponents. Ray would use Bolt to teach him how to fight people faster than himself.

Frangle would then accept as many battle requests as possible. Ray also needed to move higher than tenth. If he remained there, Frangle would eventually have to challenge him. Ray had no intention of losing on purpose. - The plan took three days. Frangle lost his first two battles. One opponent remained at range and exhausted him. The other waited until Frangle became impatient and lowered his defense. He won the third. Then the fourth. Frangle stopped chasing opponents around the arena.

He held the center and forced them to come closer if they wanted to attack. His defensive Abilities made every battle last longer, but Frangle had more patience than his opponents. Ray fought his own battles between Frangle's matches. Most Recruits already knew about Bolt and the black lightning. They were considerably more careful than his previous opponents. That didn't help them much. Ray avoided using Coalescence. Bolt, Mud Wall, and Fungal Cloak were enough for most Recruits.

After several victories, his ranking increased. [User: Recruit 01 (Stage: 1)] [Current Rank: 9] The tenth position was now available. Frangle challenged the Recruit who currently held it. The battle lasted nearly twenty minutes. His opponent used Dark Mana and refused to fight directly. Frangle remained patient. He used his defensive Abilities to conserve his strength and waited. When his opponent finally moved too close, Frangle caught them with a single swing of his hammer. The arena erupted into white light.

[Winner! User: Frangle Ballord (Stage: 1)] The leaderboard shifted. [Recruit Leaderboard] [1. Jerome Emberfell] [2. Kiara Vale] [3. Phora Striker] [4. Adrian Halle] [5. Selene Marr] [6. Kellan Pyre] [7. Nia Gale] [8. Lucian Dusk] [9. Recruit 01] [10. Frangle Ballord] Frangle materialized back in the main corridor and just stared at the list on the screen. His name was there.

"All five of us," Ray said, walking up and laying a hand on the large teen's shoulder. Half of the Recruit Top 10 now belonged to their team. The other half belonged to a single group. They were known as the Iron Five. Every member was Stage 1 Phase 3 with four Essences. Adrian Halle was their Captain, who specialized in Strength and used Earth Mana. Selene Marr was an Intelligence specialist who used Water Mana. Kellan Pyre specialized in Strength and used Fire Mana.

Nia Gale was an Agility specialist who used Wind Mana. Lucian Dusk specialized in Intelligence and used Dark Mana. Each of them followed the normal path for System users. One Element. One specialized Attribute. One defined role in their team. Ray had watched several of their battles during the past few days. They didn't change their fighting styles in the middle of battle or experiment with their Abilities. They performed whatever they had practiced until their opponent failed to stop them.

Ray was still studying the leaderboard when the crowd around his team began to move. Five Recruits approached. The one in front was a broad young man wearing heavy stone-colored armor. Ray used the System to identify him. [User: Adrian Halle, Stage: 1 Phase: 3] The other members of the Iron Five followed behind him. Adrian stopped in front of Ray.

"Ray Foley?" he asked.

"Yes," Ray answered. Adrian glanced toward the leaderboard before returning his attention to Ray.

"Your team has been busy."

"We wanted the Top 10," Ray replied. Adrian extended his hand.

"Ha! You sure did." A smirk slowly crept onto his face.

"By the way," he said.

"I'm Captain of the Recruit team assigned to your Joint Recruit Deployment. The pleasure is all mine."