The journey back to the Blackwood Vanguard compound was a silent, suffocating affair. The rattling of the transport vehicle was the only sound, a metallic counterpoint to the storm of unspoken thoughts raging within its confines.
I sat apart from the others, my posture the very picture of a shaken, exhausted F-Rank. It wasn't entirely an act. The adrenaline had faded, leaving behind a bone-deep weariness and the phantom sensation of the Corrupted Dire Wolf's hot breath on my neck. My hand still throbbed from the precise, shattering blow I'd delivered. I kept it curled in my lap, a subtle reminder of my supposed "luck."
But inside, my mind was a whirlwind of data and analysis.
[Mental Shroud (A-Rank) Replication: 0.5%]
[Corrupted Mana Signature - Analysis Complete. Data stored.]
[Avalanche Rush (B-Rank) - Dormant. Safe Activation Threshold: 5.5%]
[Mana Core Circuit: 2.3%]
The numbers were a comfort. A tangible measure of my growth, even in the face of mortal danger. The encounter in the chasm had been a crucible, forging my resolve and accelerating my passive progression. The corrupted mana of the geode, while dangerous, was a new data set for my [Eye of the Mimic] to process, a unique energy signature I now understood on an intrinsic level.
My gaze drifted across the transport bay. Kael was watching me, his expression a complex mix of gratitude and confusion. He knew, as surely as I did, that my intervention had saved him from a nasty wound, if not worse. His [Fist of the Boulder], which I had used to understand the wolf's weakness, felt like a silent bond between us now.
Then there was Jax.
He sat slumped in his seat, but his posture was a lie. Every line of his body was rigid with suppressed fury. He wasn't looking at me, but I could feel the heat of his resentment like a physical force. His [Brawler's Resilience] aura, which usually flared with arrogant confidence, was now a sullen, simmering ember of humiliation. I had stolen his moment. I, the F-Rank anomaly, had done what he, the D-Rank Brawler, could not: I had disarmed a C-Rank threat with a single, flawless move. The public mockery in the training yard was one thing; being shown up in a live dungeon was a brand of shame that would not fade.
Corvus was the only one who seemed unaffected, his face a mask of grim professionalism. But I knew better. His occasional, sidelong glances were sharper, more analytical than ever. He was piecing together the puzzle, and the pieces—my flawless mana sense, my impossible combat intuition, my "lucky" strikes—were forming a picture that both intrigued and deeply troubled him.
When we arrived back at the compound, the debriefing was swift and clinical. Corvus reported the successful identification of the Mutated Mana Geode and its effects. He mentioned the Corrupted Dire Wolves neutrally. And when he described my role, his words were carefully chosen.
"The asset, Grey, provided accurate sensory data and… demonstrated exceptional situational awareness under duress," he stated, his eyes flicking to me. "His intervention, while unorthodox, proved tactically useful."
Lieutenant Valeriana listened, her scarred face impassive. When Corvus finished, she simply nodded. "Dismissed. All of you get cleaned up. Grey, a word."
My heart, which had just begun to settle, kicked back into a frantic rhythm. Kael and Jax filed out, the latter shooting me a look of pure venom before the door closed, leaving me alone with the Lieutenant.
She leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers. "Corvus is a man of few words and even fewer compliments. 'Tactically useful' from him is akin to a standing ovation from anyone else." She paused, letting the silence stretch. "You neutralized a C-Rank threat. Explain."
This was the moment I had been dreading and preparing for. I launched into my rehearsed explanation, my voice laced with a carefully measured tremor. "It was the mana, Lieutenant. I could see the flow of its skill, the [Crystalline Bite]. There was a concentration point, a nexus on its jaw where the energy was most volatile. I just… struck there. I didn't know it would break the skill. I just thought it might disrupt it."
I was mixing truth with the lie, making it more believable. I had seen the nexus, but with my [Analytical Combat Sight], not my mana sense.
Valeriana's eyes narrowed. "You're telling me your 'gut feeling' can now deconstruct active monster skills?"
"It's not… deconstruction," I said, feigning struggle for the right words. "It's more like… seeing the cracks in a wall. I don't know how the wall was built, I just see where it's weak."
She stared at me for a long, uncomfortable minute. I held my breath, my mental walls fortified, reflecting only the image of a confused, slightly frightened boy with a strange talent.
Finally, she let out a short, sharp breath. "Very well. This 'crack-seeing' of yours has value. But it also makes you a bigger target. Jax won't be the last to resent your… peculiar talents." She leaned forward, her voice dropping. "Your next assignment is here, in the compound. The Research Division has requested you. They want to run diagnostics on your sensory abilities. They believe they can… enhance them."
The Research Division. A cold dread, different from the fear of monsters, trickled down my spine. This was a different kind of dungeon, one of needles, scanners, and prying minds. The phantom was being called into the laboratory.
"Dismissed," she said again.
I left her office, the weight of her words and the new assignment settling on my shoulders. As I walked towards the barracks, a new, insidious chime echoed in my mind, one I hadn't noticed in the chaos of the return.
[Unique Passive Interaction Detected.]
[Skill: Mental Shroud (A-Rank) has interfaced with Corrupted Mana Signature.]
[Synergy Unlocked: Soul Brand (Unique).]
[Effect: Allows the user to leave a subtle, undetectable psychic marker on a target they have intimately analyzed. The marker allows for passive tracking and heightened perception of the target's emotional state and intent.]
[WARNING: This skill draws directly on the user's spiritual energy. Use with caution.]
My steps faltered. A psychic tracking ability? Born from the fusion of a defensive mental skill and the corrupting mana of the chasm? This was uncharted territory. My power wasn't just growing; it was mutating, evolving in ways I couldn't have predicted.
And instinctively, I knew who my first test subject would be. I didn't need to look back to feel Jax's hatred burning a hole between my shoulder blades. The brand of his resentment was already upon me. Now, perhaps, I could return the favor.
The game had changed once more. I was no longer just a collector or a phantom. I was becoming a warden, and I was starting to learn the shape of the keys.