The destroyed training dummy lay in a heap of split leather and spilled stuffing, a silent testament to the power I now wielded. The sensation of [Avalanche Rush]'s successive concussions still echoed through my knuckles—not as pain, but as a promise. The [Mana Core Circuit] hummed at 5.1%, a stable, humming engine ready for more. The phantom was no longer just observing; he could now interact with the world.
But triumph was a fleeting luxury. The evidence of my power lay scattered on the floor. I quickly gathered the debris, stuffing it into a disposal chute meant for broken equipment. My heart hammered, not from exertion, but from the exhilarating risk of it all. I had crossed a line, and there was no going back.
The next day, the atmosphere in the Vanguard compound was charged with a new tension. Whispers followed me—not the usual mockery, but something more speculative. The story of the training simulation had spread, embellished with each retelling. Some called it luck, others called it cunning. Jax's faction called it cheating. But a few, a very few, looked at me with something resembling... respect.
I felt Jax's [Soul Brand] burning like a hot coal in my mind. His fury had crystallized into a cold, focused intent. He was no longer just lashing out; he was planning. The leash Valeriana had implicitly granted me felt frayed and thin.
My salvation came from an unexpected direction. I was in the mess hall, picking at my food, when Kael sat down opposite me. He didn't speak at first, just ate in silence. Then, without looking up, he said, "He's gathering supporters. D-Ranks who think you're an insult to the system."
I kept my expression neutral. "I know."
He finally met my gaze. His eyes were serious. "What you did in the simulation... that wasn't just seeing cracks, was it? You moved like you knew exactly what he was going to do before he did it."
I said nothing, which was an answer in itself.
Kael leaned forward, his voice dropping. "I don't care what your secret is, Leon. But I saw what Jax tried to do. He was going to let a simulation kill you, or at least put you in the med-bay for a week. That crosses a line." He paused, then made his gambit. "He sees me as weak for not hating you. We're in the same crosshairs now. An alliance makes sense."
This was a critical juncture. Trust was a vulnerability I couldn't afford lightly. But Kael was right. Isolation was becoming a liability. I needed eyes I could trust, and his [Fist of the Boulder] had been the first skill I'd ever copied. There was a strange symmetry in this.
"What do you propose?" I asked, my voice low.
"Information," he said simply. "I hear things. He's planning something for the next live-fire exercise in the Proving Grounds. He's going to 'accidentally' corner you with a boosted training automaton. Make it look like a tragic accident."
The cold knot in my stomach tightened. Live-fire exercises used automata with non-lethal but incredibly powerful attacks—powerful enough to shatter bones if they connected. A "boosted" one could be catastrophic.
My mind raced, analyzing the variables. This wasn't just a threat; it was an opportunity. Jax was creating a scenario where a public display of power from me would be necessary for survival. I could turn his trap into my stage.
"Thank you, Kael," I said, and I meant it. "I owe you one."
He gave a curt nod. "Just don't make me regret it."
The forged alliance was born not from friendship, but from mutual necessity. It was the first brick in the foundation of the power base I would need.
The following days were a frenzy of preparation. I spent every spare moment in the logistics warehouse, but now with a new purpose. I wasn't just passively absorbing skills from objects; I was seeking out specific ones. I found a crate of discarded Arcane Reactor shielding, its metal infused with years of containing volatile mana.
[Item Analysis Complete: Arcane Shielding Fragment.]
[Passive Skill Blueprint Detected: Mana Dispersion (B-Rank).]
[Replicating... 2.1%...]
A defensive skill designed to diffuse incoming mana attacks. Perfect. I also focused on my [Cellular Empathy], now at 1.2%, consciously spending time near Kael and other physically robust recruits, passively integrating their superior stamina and muscle density.
The day of the live-fire exercise arrived. The Proving Grounds were a vast, artificial canyon of permacrete and steel, littered with cover and holographic hazards. Lieutenant Valeriana oversaw from a high observation deck, her gaze hawk-like.
"Scatter and survive!" her voice boomed over the loudspeaker. "The automata are active. Last one standing gets extra rations."
The canyon erupted with the whir of servos and the flash of stun-blasts. I moved, not with the frantic energy of the others, but with the calm precision of my [Analytical Combat Sight]. I dodged blasts, used cover efficiently, and even used a subtle nudge of [Avalanche Rush]'s principles—without activating the mana—to throw off an automaton's balance, sending it crashing into another.
But I felt it. The [Soul Brand] was moving, circling. Jax was herding me, using his allies to subtly block escape routes, driving me towards a dead-end canyon boxed in by high walls.
Just as Kael had warned.
I let myself be driven, playing the panicked F-Rank. I stumbled into the dead-end, turning to face the only exit. Jax stood there, flanked by two other D-Rank brawlers. Behind me, the ground vibrated as a massive, heavily modified Siege Automaton rounded the corner. It was twice the size of the others, its mana core glowing with an unstable, orange light. Boosted.
"Looks like you're out of luck, anomaly," Jax sneered. "The automaton seems to have malfunctioned. What a tragedy."
The Siege Automaton raised its massive cannon arm, which glowed with concentrated stun-energy—enough to put me in a coma. Jax and his cronies stepped back, ready to watch the "accident."
This was it.
I didn't run. I stood my ground, facing the automaton. I closed my eyes for a second, not in fear, but in focus. I reached for the [Mana Core Circuit], now at 5.5%. I reached for the fully understood blueprint of [Mana Dispersion], which had just ticked over to 100% replication.
The cannon fired. A thick beam of concussive force shot towards me.
In that moment, I didn't create a shield. I didn't dodge. I simply raised my hand, palm outward, and willed the [Mana Dispersion] field into existence.
A shimmering, hexagonal pattern of light, like a heat haze, materialized in front of my palm. The orange beam struck it and didn't explode. Instead, it shattered, fracturing into a thousand harmless motes of dissipating light, like sunbeams through a prism. The air hissed with dispersed energy.
Silence.
Jax's smirk was frozen on his face, morphing into stunned disbelief. His cronies stared, open-mouthed.
From the observation deck, I knew Valeriana was watching. I had given her a new data point. The anomaly wasn't just evasive or lucky. It could now actively negate mana-based attacks.
The Siege Automaton, confused by the lack of impact, recalibrated. But I was already moving. I didn't look at Jax. I looked through him. I had revealed a fraction of my power, but the message was clear: your traps are meaningless.
I walked past him, the dispersed mana motes still glittering in the air around me like a crown of fallen stars. The phantom had not only survived the ambush; he had revealed a glimmer of his true nature, and in doing so, had forged the first link in a chain of power that would one day bind a lord's domain.