"It's a matter concerning Captain Michael. Since he works under me, I would like to hear from your side what happened to him once he baited the Elites away." Victoria clarified.
Claire's eyes narrowed, observing Victoria for a few seconds. "Usually, I wouldn't pay you any attention. However, since you are on good terms with my grandfather, I will make an exception."
Not wanting her old man to embrace her in front of so many people, she distanced herself from him before speaking.
"Truthfully, I don't know the details. After confirming that the alien spaceship I was fighting was obliterated, I was about to head to this base to check on my grandfather. But along the way, my attention shifted to Captain Michael, who was staring down the 40 Elites that had surrounded him."
She shook her head. "For some reason, the madman looked like he was about to pounce on them with no concern about his safety, but before he could, I got rid of them. After confirming that he was from this base, I decided to transport him here."
Victoria's eyes narrowed momentarily when she heard that there had been 40 Elites.
'This was more than expected. Even more, he had been staring them down, about to attack them? Even I wouldn't be able to get rid of them unless I sustained a life-threatening injury.'
She couldn't help but sigh. "The more I learn about him, the more he seems like an anomaly. Could it be that he doesn't value his life… Or did he really think he had a chance against them?"
Bryce, who had made sure not to be too far away from their conversation, eavesdropped without any shame.
He was momentarily surprised when he heard that the reason the Elites had retreated was because of Michael's actions.
'Even with my aging eyes, my instinct for new talent has yet to betray me.' He stroked his beard, seemingly proud of himself.
Claire wasn't able to remain much longer since she was desperately needed at the front line against the command alien ship. After realizing that the old fool wasn't going to change his mind about leaving the battlefield, she warned him to stay at the back line before flying away with her mecha.
"Your orders, Lady Victoria?" Enzo, along with a few of the other captains, approached her. Now that the immediate threat to the base was gone, they had many tasks ahead of them.
"First, we will go back to the base. After which, if we don't hear from the higher-ups, we will see which bases might still be struggling against the alien invasion and go to their aid." She commanded.
After saluting, the captains sprang into action. Victoria, meanwhile, began searching for Michael, wanting to hear more details about the 40 Elites.
But to her surprise, rather than going to rest like any reasonable person would have done, he was still at the battlefield. Specifically, where the corpses of the thousands of Higher aliens were gathered.
"Michael?" She approached with a raised eyebrow, wondering what he was doing.
'He is cultivating?' It didn't take long for her to realize what he was doing.
While it's true that the slain corpses would emit powerful spiritual energy for the next few hours, that doesn't mean anyone can just cultivate. For one to do so, they would need a completely calm mind, a feat impossible to achieve considering that they had been fighting for their lives just a few minutes ago.
'Not to mention that he specifically had faced 40 Elites on his own. There's no way he can still keep his mind calm… right?' Victoria reasoned, nearing.
To her shock, his breathing was completely controlled. The spiritual energy flowing toward his body slowly started nourishing his body and soul.
"I am not sure how he is doing it. After he told me he was going to cultivate, I thought that he was playing a prank on me, but he began to do it immediately!" Ava, who was sitting next to him, complained.
She too had tried to cultivate but found her heart beating too wildly after seeing Michael alive to focus.
The two women proceed to stare at him in silence, wondering how long he could keep his focus for.
'There is no way I am not going to capitalize on this opportunity.' Michael mused, several windows appearing before his eyes, which he completely ignored.
[You are in an area with a very high concentration of spiritual energy. +200% cultivation speed applied.]
[Spirit Flow takes effect. 100% cultivation speed applied.]
[You have consumed spiritual energy: +6 Spirit]
[You have consumed spiritual energy: +6 Spirit]
[You have consumed spiritual energy: +6 Spirit]
With thousands of corpses around him, Michael felt like he was in the middle of an all-you-can-eat buffet.
[Spirit Flow has leveled up!]
[Rank: Common]
[Level: 2]
[Description: The longer you cultivate, the more effectively you can absorb the spiritual energy around you. Currently, it increases your cultivation by 150%.]
The more spiritual energy was around him, the more he was able to absorb. The more he was able to absorb, the faster his technique was able to level up. That led him to absorb even more energy, repeating the cycle.
[Spirit Flow has leveled up!]
[Spirit Flow has leveled up!]
[Spirit Flow has leveled up!]
Once he felt a profound change in his soul, he slowly opened his eyes, seeing the windows before his vision.
[Technique: Spirit Flow]
[Rank: Common]
[Level: 5]
[Description: The longer you cultivate, the more effectively you can absorb the spiritual energy around you. Currently, it increases your cultivation by 300%.]
[You have achieved a breakthrough!]
[Early Adept → Middle Adept]
Without hesitating, he checked his current status.
Name: Michael
Soul Realm: Middle Adept
Cybernetics: Indomitable System, Berserker, Dash, Perfect Vision, Spirit Flow, Blink
• Strength: 320
• Agility: 280
• Stamina: 215
• Spirit: 15,000
• Mind: 4,000
Skill Points: 0
'Reaching the Middle Adept realm has increased my basic attributes by 100 points, not to mention that my mind and spirit got strengthened as a result.'
He couldn't help but giggle like an excited child. 'Now I feel like I will be able to tackle the impossible quest more easily.'
However, to his surprise, once he got rid of all the windows in front of his vision, his pupils enlarged by the pitch-black darkness around him.
"It's the middle of the night?... How long did I cultivate for?"