~ Inside the Elite Headquarters ~
I remained inside my dorm room, taking advantage of the rare silence to re-assess my stats. There was no one else around. With Kageno and Kael out scouting for snacks, I finally had the privacy I needed to re-evaluate the state of my existence.
I closed my eyes, sinking into the familiar mental space required to connect visually with the System Sage.
(( INITIATING STATS ))
>[SYSTEM STATUS: DEEP-SYNC INITIALIZED] <
Name: Oliver Veyron
Tier: 0 (Unclassified)
Rank: S+
Potential Rank: SSS (Locked)
Level: 200
Str: 3560
Shidan: Risho-blue | Red {UNNAMED}
Speed: 866 (m/s)
Skill: Zero-point martial arts
Ability: Heaven's Judgment Thunder (Rank: S+)
((Note: Ancient Tier-S Authority. Source: Celestial Mana Friction. Effect: Absolute Paralysis and Soul-Sear.)
Unlike standard lightning, this is Sentient Thunder governed by the 'Weight of Sin' mechanic. It bypasses physical barriers to strike the Mana Core directly. If the target is stained by Chaos or Dread, the damage multiplies. Taking the example of the enchanted wilderness raid, during the low-tier tree demon extermination, the bolt turned black to mirror the target's unclean heart.))
Unique Ability: Monster Cold Veins (Passive) – Activates under extreme pressure or fear.
Absurdity outlier {LOCKED}
Ultimate ability: {LOCKED}
______
Core Attributes (Hardware)
PD (physical durability): Tier-6 (Functional)|Tier-1 (Base)
((Note: Survival is achieved via Kinetic Dissipation, not muscle density.))
Mana: Nebula Heart
Specialized Ability: Molecular Resonance
((Active Skill: Destructive Interference
By matching the frequency of an object, you create a resonance that exceeds the material's structural integrity.))
((Current Mastery: Can shatter Grade-A Alloys and Low-Tier Demon Cores.))
((Note: Percieve and influence the Natural Frequency (f_0) of all matter.))
Advanced Application: Standing Waves (New!)
((Note: A state of constant oscillation where the wave remains in a constant position. This creates a Spatial Field rather than a single point of impact.
[y(x,t) = [2A \sin(kx)] \cos(\omega t)]
[Passive effects: Nodes (The Null Zones)]:
This are areas of zero vibration. Host can stand in the nodes to be invisible to mana-sensors or to protect allies from pressure. While the Antinodes (The Kill Zones) are the areas of maximum vibration. Anything entering an Antinode is hit with the force of 2A (double the amplit ude) of the resonance wave.]
'Yeah, I've got it. No need to repeat the basics,' I snapped inwardly.
'Hold on a sec. How could I forget to name the red beam I had comprehended from a Teir-7 student during the exam entrance?
Alright, sage it should be....' My head was puzzling with what I should name it. I thought of the dark-red like color it displayed.
'Hmm...If the blue resonance is Risho... the calm before the shattering... then this red discharge needs a name that commands the air it vibrates.'
Then a name flickered in my mind.
'Aha! Let's go with Guren-red.' I said with a grin.
[Acknowledged. Guren-red established.]
I smiled internally with satisfaction. 'Alright, continue.' I ordered.
[Host, you are currently a Surgical blade. You can kill things much stronger than you, but you lack the volume to fight an army solo. Suki and Sherach operate on a Macro-Scale, while you are still on a Micro-Scale.
To reach Rank SSS, you must learn to turn the Standing Waves into a World-Tune which is a state where the entire battlefield vibrates to your whim.]
"Whoa... that's cool," I muttered, a genuine glitter of excitement in my eyes.
[New Quest Unlocked!]
[Goal: Use a Standing Wave to simultaneously neutralize 3 opponents without making physical contact.]
[Reward: Skill Upgrade — Spatial Mapping: Vibration Sense]
I rubbed my chin, pondering the 'Vibration Sense' upgrade.
"Fights will be a lot easier once I achieve that. Without it, I have to guess where to place the nodes and antinodes once I activate the standing waves." I let out a low, confident smirk.
But then, my mind drifted back to the one ability that had truly demanded my attention.
The Heaven's Judgment Thunder...
"Why didn't I use it earlier when I was in a tough time with the Dreadlord?" I questioned myself.
Immediately, I felt a sharp, static-like sting in my mind which was the System's way of demanding my full attention.
[The Heaven's Judgment is not a tool to be drawn like a sword but it is a decree that must be hosted. At your current synchronization level, manifesting that Authority while your mana circuits were already destabilized by the Dreadlord's Miasma would have resulted in Systemic Collapse.]
[To call upon the thunder is to invite a celestial current through a copper wire designed for a household lamp. Had you summoned the Judgment then, you would have indeed disintegrated the Dreadlord, but your own heart would have exploded from the feedback before the bolt even touched the ground.]
"Oh... Right," I whispered, the gravity of the warning sinking in.
With the re-assessment finished, I pushed myself up from my feet and slid into the high-tech bed pod, bouncing on the cushions. I couldn't help but wonder: with all the chaos in this world, how was the technology still so advanced?
'Maybe it's the high-level magic,' I thought. My eyes wandered over to Kageno and Kael's bed pods. Curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see how comfortable their beds were. I wondered how they compared to mine. I hopped onto Kageno's first, rolling around in the soft warmth of his covers, before leaping over to Kael's. Kael's felt lighter, almost airy, like sleeping on a cloud.
I was mid-roll when I heard heavy, rhythmic footsteps approaching.
'Shit—!'
My body blurred instantly. I moved with frantic precision, arranging the sheets and pillows back in order before a single second could tick by.
The door slid open with a hiss. Kageno and Kael walked in, balancing a tray loaded with snacks, juice that looked suspiciously like the Chivita from my old world, and various steaming hot plates.
"Hey, Oliver. Don't think you're getting out of this," Kageno barked, looking visibly annoyed.
"Are you kidding? Why am I in trouble now?" I asked, leaning back innocently.
"Because you didn't come along! Do you know how stressful it was to get all this in place?" he said, fixing me with a cold glare.
I held a hand over my mouth, muffling my voice so Kageno wouldn't hear me laughing.
"Hey, Kael... what happened?" I asked curiously.
"He wasn't exactly good at handling the ladies," Kael responded innocently.
I let out a series of silent, muffled laughs from the background as Kael continued to expose Kageno's awkward side.
Kageno's head practically popped with veins. "I can hear you!" he shouted angrily, which finally made me burst out into a loud laugh.
~ Few moments later ~
We were sitting on a clean rug we had spread out to eat. Kageno was leaning back against his bed pod, resting his left hand against his head as he munched on his food. Kael poured himself a glass of juice while I stretched out my cup to get some as well.
Despite the comfort, the shadows of the earlier battle still hung over me.
"Hey, Kageno. Shouldn't we be digging into what you told me earlier?" I asked.
"The black-hooded people?" he asked in which I nodded back in response.
He sat upright, his expression turning uncharacteristically grim. "Yeah. We'll need to investigate, but for now, we watch. I doubt those figures escaped that old geezer's perception, anyway."
I let out a small smirk. "Calling Sherach an old geezer probably isn't the safest move. You'll be in hellish mode for a month if he finds out."
Sweat popped up on Kageno's forehead as he remembered what Sherach had done to him on their first meeting which left him traumatized.
"Tch. Who cares," Kageno grumbled, going back to his food.
Just as I reached for another bite, a sharp chime echoed from a device sitting on the table. The screen flickered to life.
"I'll give you one guess who that is," Kageno said, his eyes narrowing at the notification.
"Yeah," I sighed, looking at the familiar sender ID. "It's him."