Arc 1 - Chapter 18 - Gains

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------------------- Start of Pre-Chapter Author Note (Patreon-only) -------------------
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Hello everyone, LunaWolve here!

Welcome to the release of Chapter 18 for y'all.

For the Wolf Lord+ crowd, this chapter has only seen minimal tweaks compared to the draft.

On RR, Chapter 13 - System Lecture III has just been released. There have been virtually no changes to the chapter, compared to the one on Patreon.

This is the second-to-last chapter for the Practical class overall, with the next chapter's contents being apparent by the end of this chapter. I hope that this will serve as a good "recap" chapter, so to speak, to get a grasp on different styles of Abilities inside the System, as well as answer (and raise) some more questions to answer at a later date.

I'm looking forward to hearing your first impressions and opinions on this  chapter. \o/

I hope you will enjoy it!

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Thea continued to fight inside the arena, over and over again, just as Lt. Eifang had ordered. She consciously kept herself under control, regardless of who she went up against.

While some of the Marines that challenged her looked on with disdain, the longer she remained in the arena, still unbeaten, the less she saw of that particular behaviour. While none seemed to make quite as stark a heel-turn as Lan had done, most at least seemed to respect her capabilities after the fact.

‘Seems like they’re starting to realise I didn’t just get here through sheer luck or whatever connections they think I might have had…’

Thea used the time to continuously refine her combat stance, the one she had lifted from Lt. Frost, as well as refining her in-combat usage of Sensory Overdrive.

By the time Lt. Eifang finally called a stop to the initial set of fights, Thea had fought in eleven different matchups against her peers. She was, at this point, still undefeated and unbeaten, although she had run into a couple close-calls along the way, all of them due to unexpected System Abilities.

‘Most Marines still look like they’re a bit wobbly on their feet, with their newly enhanced capabilities. I’m glad that my years of dive-simulation games have made me capable of being able to easily adapt to this… I’ll have to do a lot more training before the next Practical, if I want to keep my unbeaten record going forward. I can’t simply rely on my superior body control the next time around, I’d imagine.’

She had managed to obtain four more Ability descriptions from her defeated peers, usually the ones that had harboured no obvious ill-intent towards her from the get-go. Naturally, Thea had noted them all down mentally, to share with Karania for their combined database later on.

As she walked towards the benches near the equipment rack to take her first break in what felt like days, she briefly summoned up the descriptions before her inner-eye, wanting to do another, deeper dive into potential overlaps and patterns with System Abilities.

‘First up, the one from Rennix… Similar to Astra, he really did end up having a bad matchup with me didn’t he…?’

[Active (Iron) - Enveloping Darkness - Level 1]
Description: Allows the participant to use up a certain amount of Stamina and Focus in order to instantly absorb all light, creating a field of absolute darkness, in a radius around them.
Cost: 40 Stamina + 40 Focus - Effect Radius: 5 Metres - Effect Duration: 3 Second(s).

Reading through the description once again, Thea thought to herself, ‘If he had gone up against pretty much anyone else, they’d likely have suffered quite a lot from this effect… He also did mention that it doesn’t affect himself, which isn’t really listed here… That’s definitely an interesting piece of information that I’ll need to mention to Karania: The descriptions are not fully filled out. I do wonder how the System determines what information to list and what not to…?

‘It’s also interesting that there are Abilities that take both Stamina and Focus at the same time, that aren’t super high ranked, like the Eyes of the Stellarch we got to see during the System 101… I do wonder how the cost is calculated, actually… Most Abilities I’ve seen so far were around the 50-60 cost, but this one is at a combined 80, while the Eyes of the Stellarch were at a combined 135. Is that because that’s just how the Abilities were priced, or are hybrid-style Abilities more costly by default…?’

Noting down her questions mentally to ensure she wouldn't forget about them in the future, Thea continued to review the list of Ability descriptions she had obtained over the recent hours. As with many instances in her life thus far, she was extremely thankful for her exceptional memory, which allowed her to engage in this kind of post-analysis whenever she needed to.

‘Next up would be… Dylan. I’m very happy he agreed to share his Ability, considering I never got to see it during the fight. I’ll have to somehow, properly thank him at some point in the future…’

[Active (Iron) - Neural Interface - Level 1]
Description: Allows the participant to mentally connect to nearby electronic devices up to a certain tier without requiring a physical interface themselves. This Ability requires Line Of Sight to activate.
Cost: 60 Focus - Effect Range: 5 Metres - Effect Duration: 1 Minute(s) - Effect Limit: Up to Tier 2 Devices

Reading through the Ability multiple times in a row, Thea focused on the newest pieces of information first, ‘I remember Line Of Sight from some games back on Lumiosia… Speaking of which, this one would have been an absolute game changer back in the arcade! Some of those machines were an absolute pain in the ass to open up and get connected to. With this Ability, I could’ve easily doubled or tripled my maintenance records…!’

Realising that she was drifting off into unrelated thoughts once again, as she so often did when left to her own devices, Thea refocused her efforts on getting the analysis done, before Lt. Eifang announced the next steps in their Practical.

‘So… Line Of Sight… This is the first time I’ve seen something like this mentioned, but I guess it makes sense. None of the other Abilities have affected anything beyond the immediate self or surroundings. Except maybe Astra’s… I really need to catch up with her and ask her for her Ability. Her Ability was absolutely terrifying!

‘If Line Of Sight is a thing, I wonder if the Allbright System also considers Line Of Effect, separately? Regardless, it’s good to know that Abilities exist that can affect things at range… Although I do wonder how that even works. It really does seem like Magic, at first glance… I should ask Karania if she has any ideas on how the System does this stuff - whether there’s any scientific backing for it that she can think of, or not…’

She mentally noted down her questions once again before moving onto her third Ability description.

'This class is really an absolute treasure trove of information… Strangely enough, I've learned more about Abilities here than in the 8-or-so hours of the System 101 lecture… Although, I guess it's not really a fair comparison, considering the 101 was mostly to get us up to speed with just what exactly is going on, while the Practical is hyper-focused on getting us fighting and testing the Abilities…

'This one is Naria's. I nearly dropped a round because of it… Probably the closest I came to losing outside of Lan's,' Thea thought to herself, shuddering slightly at the memory of her recent fight with Naria. As one of the last Marines to enter the arena, Naria had been exceptionally prepared to face off against Thea, having spectated many of her previous fights.

Not only did Naria adjust her combat style to counter Thea's own to a degree, using her vibroblade to maintain distance while attempting to chip away at her mobility, but she also learned from the fight with Lan, concealing her Ability until just the right moment. She surprised Thea with a sudden counter that even her Sensory Overdrive couldn't fully avoid.

[Active (Copper) - Directional Strike - Level 1]
Description: Allows the participant to use up a certain amount of Stamina to instantly alter the direction of momentum for their next melee attack(s).
Cost: 60 Stamina - Effect Duration: 1 melee strike(s) or 1 second(s).

Thea winced reading the description of the Ability, as she vividly remembered how Naria's vibroblade had cut through her left arm and upper chest, as if they were mere paper, after making an impossible mid-swing direction alteration to catch her mid-dodge.

Her own instincts and Sensory Overdrive had done little to protect her from the sudden strike, as her physical Attributes had once more failed to get her entirely out of harm's way, despite seeing the danger coming well in advance.

The only reason Thea had managed to clutch out the win was, once again, Naria's obvious lack of experience with her enhanced body. If she had had just slightly better control over the direction of her attack, Thea would have died then and there, guaranteed. Instead, Thea had managed to use two consecutive Sensory Overdrive’s to perfectly slip past Naria’s defences and end the battle quickly, in response to Naria’s own Ability use.

'Interestingly enough, this Ability is extremely similar to Lan's. It comes with the same timings, restrictions, and cost, while also applying a similar effect on the user… Basic melee attack changes seem to all fall under the "Copper" rarity so far. I guess it kind of makes sense, considering the System's overall goal. Simply being good at CQC won't make you the Ultimate Warrior, after all. Conversely, Abilities with more utility seem to be ranked higher by default.

‘That said, the more I learn about the Abilities, the stranger everything seems to get… It’s searching for the Ultimate Warrior, yet it rates a remote hacking Ability higher than a straight up combat one? Just what does “Ultimate Warrior” mean to the Allbright System, exactly…?’

This had been a thought in the back of Thea’s mind since reading the initial System message of the FCI, during the Allbright System 101 class earlier that day, but with the continued fighting in the arena, seeing more and more System Abilities first-hand, the thought was beginning to take up a bigger portion of her active considerations.

Based on her, arguably small, sample size during the Practical, Thea had only seen about four to five, depending on how one wanted to rank them, combat-specific Abilities, akin to Lan’s and Naira’s. Most Abilities seemed to either be focused on personal improvements, similar to buffs in the video games that Thea had played back in the arcade, or more utility focused aspects, such as the remote hacking one from Dylan.

If the System was truly looking for an Ultimate Warrior, why would it create so many ‘useless’ Abilities? Ultimate Warrior sounded to Thea like a person that is undefeatable in direct confrontation, someone capable of beating all odds and coming out victorious, regardless of circumstances. To her, the word “Warrior” sounded distinctly combat-focused. Yet, from what she had seen so far, the System generally rated utility higher than raw combat power.

This became apparent once again, when she pulled up the last of her obtained Ability descriptions from her mental library, ‘Speaking of which… Another utility-focused one, another “Iron” rank. This one’s Elyias’...’

[Active (Iron) - Adaptive Camouflage - Level 1]
Description: Allows the participant to alter the visual makeup of their body and equipment, to perfectly blend in with their surroundings, up to a certain tier of materials to emulate.
Cost: 40 Stamina + 30 Focus - Effect Duration: 1 Minute(s) - Effect Limit: Up to Tier 2 Materials

Elyia’s Ability had not come into play during their bout, as it provided essentially no direct combat benefit. He had simply tried his best at a straight-up fight against Thea, with middling success. Thea remembered him distinctly however, as he had been the first person to use a chainaxe against her.

Remembering the fight, Thea could not help but think about the chainaxe, which had continuously whipped just inches past her body, ‘Such a brutal weapon… Nothing I’ll ever get around to using, I don’t think. Unless I somehow end up pumping up my Strength by a lot, I don’t see myself making great use of one…

‘It would definitely help with cracking into these heavy armours, however. Chainaxes are tailor-made for that exact purpose, after all. They’re basically can openers… Hmm… Thinking about that now, maybe I will try one out someday - could come in handy to know how to use one, should I get attacked by a bunch of cans.’

Once again realising she was drifting off into unrelated topics with her thoughts, Thea re-focused them on the analysis at hand.

‘His ability would come in phenomenally useful for sniping, scouting or infiltration. I can’t believe something as universally useful as this would be rated “Iron”... I wonder if it is available in the System Store…? I would not mind adding it to my arsenal, at all.

‘It would be the perfect fit for my overall role and style of combat…! Definitely need to check this when I get around to shopping. It’s the first Ability that I’ve seen that absolutely screams “you need me” for my role in particular… If I can’t find it, I’ll have to just rely on technology instead, maybe get something similar built into the armour. Camouflage is going to be a major aspect of what I do, after all…

‘Only issue I see with it so far, is that the duration is awfully short. I’d hope that the level ups are very generous, like maybe a minute each level or similar, otherwise this Ability would chew through the resources in no time at all… I’ll have to circle back on this with Elyia, ask him what the level-up ended up giving his Ability in a week or so.’

Making the two mental notes, Thea continued on with her analysis.

‘So that’s all the Abilities I have access to… Some interesting tidbits in this batch, but nothing world-shattering so far… Oh! That reminds me…!’

With a quick thought, she pulled up her own Ability description once again. Sensory Overdrive had levelled twice, the last time just at the end of the last round, so Thea didn’t have the time yet to check her previous theory.

[Active (Silver) - Sensory Overdrive - Level 3]
Description: Allows the participant to use up a certain amount of focus to drastically heighten their own Perception and mental capabilities for a short time.
Cost: 50 Focus - Factor: 650% - Effect Duration: 0.65 seconds

Confirming her suspicions that the level-ups for her Ability seemed to be linear, Thea nodded to herself in satisfaction.

‘So… that comes out to a total of 1500% for the Factor and a Duration of 1.5 seconds. That’s insanely powerful…! A Factor of 15x for my Perception…?! I’ll definitely have to pump up my Strength and Dexterity for my body to keep up, it’s already struggling to do anything during the activate duration of Sensory Overdrive, if I ever get to the 15x, I’ll just be stuck in my own head, waiting for things to happen…

‘Maybe a surge-buff-type Ability similar to Sensory Overdrive, but for Dexterity and Strength, would be best…? I do wonder what those kinds of Abilities would be rated as… Probably “Silver” as well, due to their insane utility as they affect absolutely everything regarding the Attribute… That would prove problematic, if that were the case…

‘Hopefully the Ability reveals of Lucas, Corvus and Karania will shine some light on this… Really hoping one of them has an Ability similar to what I’m looking for, so I can get some answers on availability and the like… Speaking of which, I do wonder how Karania has done in the Practical so far…? I haven’t seen her around the arena, so I feel like she’s still in her own…? Unless she’s been spectating me secretly…?’

Thea rose from the bench and scanned the arena with a cautious eye.

She could see her fellow Marines beyond the barrier, who had been spectating her for the past few hours, as the barriers had turned translucent at the behest of Lt. Eifang while he prepared the next stages of the Practical.

Her gaze swept the area in search of a potentially concealed Karania, and she recognized several Marines in the crowd.

Lan had returned to spectate her fights after briefly disappearing around the halfway point of her bouts, likely to try his luck at some of the other arenas.

Elyia and Naria, since their fight together, had largely focused on observing her, seemingly sharing ideas and strategies on how to defeat Thea, as they often appeared deeply involved in animated discussions.

Despite being the obvious subject of their conversation, Thea felt strangely comfortable with the attention she was now receiving.

Her current situation reminded her of the competitive matches back in the golden age arcade more than anything else, which likely went a long way towards easing her anxiety. After all, she had spent many years being the star of nearly every game inside the arcade. It was natural that many spectators, both locally and over the galactic-net, had flocked to watch her competitive matches.

One thing she quickly realised however, was that the amount of people around her arena had drastically decreased over time. Where at the start, there had been around 50-60 Marines watching and waiting for their turn, there were now only around 20.

‘I wonder if they all left, because they felt they couldn’t beat me…? Or is it because of another reason entirely…?’

Continuing to let her gaze wander, Thea was unable to find any further interesting things of note. Karania was nowhere to be seen, leading Thea to feel like her initial assumptions had been correct - Karania was likely still inside of her own arena.

Sitting back down on the bench, Thea let her thoughts roam freely, in order to re-energise herself from the tumultuous day. So many things had been revealed once again, so many questions answered, but even more created…

Just like the previous day, she felt somewhat out of sorts, at the sheer quantity of information and the scale they involved. Hearing that sapient alien life was real, had already contacted humanity hundreds and hundreds of years ago and was actively influencing their daily life, just as a quick side note in her first ever lecture as a UHF Marine, was difficult for her to wrap her head around.

Just yesterday she had died, been resurrected, then essentially killed again and became a digital construct with a soul. Today, the madness had continued, albeit with less physical influences.

‘I wonder how everyone’s coping with the amount of stuff thrown at us on a daily basis right now… I can’t be the only one that feels a bit overwhelmed, right…?’

Just as she finished those thoughts, the deep voice of Lt. Eifang rang through the arena, using a seemingly hidden audio system to broadcast his voice through the training hall.

“Well, well, well. It seems we finally have our winners…! All twelve arenas have finished their last-man-standing bouts with each other, leaving only the thirteenth, to fight against the best of the best of what this class had to offer…!

“I couldn’t imagine a more fitting fight to end today’s class with, personally. Getting to see two members of Alpha Squad go toe-to-toe as the finale is quite the amazing outcome. Now, everyone please make your way towards the arena at the front, so that we may spectate this last bout in all its glory.”

Thea was severely taken aback by the information Lt. Eifang had just disclosed.

‘Wait what…? Everyone else had a last-man-standing rotation…? Why wasn’t I included…? Just to fight the last person…? And it’s Karania? It has to be, right? We’re the only two members of Alpha Squad in this class… I’ll have to fight her?!’

As her thoughts ran wild, the barrier around her arena re-engaged, hiding the outside from her view, sending a spike of anxiety through her chest, ‘Alright… Definitely do not like being inside of this weird opaque barrier when everyone’s converging on it, like some form of special exhibit to observe… I preferred not knowing that everyone was about to be here.’

Moments later, the barrier fully closed and shut-off the vibrant conversations wafting in through the open door.

Thea could not help but smile as she saw Karania skip over to her with a large, genuine-looking smile on her face, while waving furiously.

When she was about thirty metres away, she excitedly started recounting her experiences in the Practical up until this point, “I made it, Thea! I was really working my ass off to get here, you know? I’m surprised you weren’t included in the last-man-standing, but I guess you impressed Lt. Eifang enough to be considered the final boss, or something…? I can’t wait to see what you’re really made of, you know?

“I even lost my arena once! I had to fight my way back up and get into another arena, to be able to get here… Haaa… It was so much effort! You better make this worth my time, you hear me?! Oh…! I also got a couple of Ability descriptions from our fellow Marines. I can’t wait to share them, some of them have some really nasty stuff… Kind of makes me wish I had gotten something better for combat, not going to lie…

“Regardless, I won’t hold back, you hear me?! We have to show those Marines out there just what exactly Alpha Squad is made of. Can’t have ‘em disrespect us any longer, can we!”

Karania flexed her comparatively slender muscles as she spoke, prompting a giggle from Thea. The idea that Karania had been fighting tooth and nail to get here, only to end up so lively, effervescent, and quirky, was a contrast that tickled Thea’s sense of humour just right.

Struggling to suppress outright laughter, she waited for Karania to draw closer before responding to the spirited girl.

“I'm surprised I wasn't included in the last-man-standing too. I feel kind of left out. How were the fights? I'd imagine they were super tough, considering they involved the best-of-the-best of this class, right? Ah, I really wanted to see them all fight... Lt. Eifang is really unfair, isn't he? Trapping me in here while everyone else gets to have fun...”

Mourning the missed chances to watch her fellow Marines fight and learn more about System combat from an external perspective, Thea briefly wished she had lost a bout to observe some fights. However, the thought vanished as quickly as it appeared. She would never purposefully lose a fight, regardless of the missed opportunities! That contradicted everything she had come to know in her life!

“The fights were brutal, yeah. I'm glad the arenas here come with the emotional filter, because some of my deaths were quite...spectacular. My entire body feels sore too, even though I know that it isn't... Lt. Eifang could have really dialled back the physical punishment for the last-man-standing rounds, honestly. I feel like I've been thrown down about half a thousand flights of stairs...ugh...” Karania replied, stretching and grimacing at the imagined pain.

It was a strange sensation, remembering the pain without actually being hurt. After all, the arena performed a full reset on their bodies after each bout, so there was no possibility of any real damage being carried over to Karania's current state. Yet, Thea could clearly see Karania experiencing some after-effects of the painful memories, as the girl winced and groaned during her stretches.

Noticing Thea's keen observation, Karania gave her a mischievous grin, “So, how did your fights go? Managed to snag any Ability descriptions, by chance?”

With a triumphant smile, Thea held up four fingers, “Yep! Got four of them. There are some really interesting ones in there. I even found one I'd like to pick up myself, if it's available in the System Store. We'll share them later, okay?”

Eyes wide, Karania halted mid-stretch, “FOUR?! Damn it! I only got two and I thought I was winning... How did you manage that?! I thought everyone kind of had it out for you... Isn't it enough to beat me at everything else, you really had to take this from me too?”

The girl finished with a deep pout, causing Thea to burst into laughter once more. Oddly enough, Thea didn't feel that Karania's words were as harsh as they sounded. It seemed like the two of them had grown closer in their absence, as she found herself understanding more about Karania's behaviours than before the Practical.

“No can do. I've got to keep my lead, after all,” Thea retorted with a wink.

Karania's pout deepened, and she shot a narrow-eyed glance at Thea, “We'll see where that confidence leads. I won't let you leave this arena without worrying about your top spot…!”

Thea raised an eyebrow at those words, invigorated by Karania’s fighting spirit. Just then, as if he had been waiting for the perfect moment, Lt. Eifang's deep voice came over the audio system once again.

“As everyone has more or less gathered here, we can commence the main event. During our very first Practical, it so happens that the members of Alpha Squad made it to the final bout — an inspiring sight indeed. For the rest of you Marines, I highly encourage you to observe their fight meticulously. Don't overlook even a microsecond of the action inside that arena.

“These two represent the pinnacle of what you've achieved so far. Endeavour to learn from their example. And to add fuel to your motivation, know this: your class has been carefully handpicked. It's not by chance that you're part of this particular group. The two Alpha Squad members standing before you? The ones who bested every single one of you to earn their spot in this final bout?

“They were ranked in the lower half of Alpha Squad in terms of hand-to-hand combat skills. Neither Recruit Karania Faulkner nor Recruit Thea McKay specialise in this type of close-quarters combat. In fact, considering their Attribute and Ability makeup, it could be considered one of their weakest areas of expertise.

“Despite this, they've outperformed all of you — those with a Strength of 4, those with a Dexterity of 4, and those with superior hand-to-hand combat Abilities. You might have initially thought Alpha Squad was a simple jest or a publicity stunt. But by now, you should have understood that they truly represent the elite of this drive. If you don't want to fall even further behind them, I urge you to redouble your efforts to surpass them, as they will undoubtedly continue to strive for excellence as well."

Thea and Karania shared a surprised glance at the Lt’s words. In hindsight, it was fairly obvious that Thea and Karania were among the bottom half of Alpha Squad, when it came to CQC-style combat.

Thea was a scout/sniper with abysmal Vitality and Recovery stats, while Karania was by far the meekest of everyone in Alpha Squad, likely a consequence of a low Strength Attribute. They had never considered this before, but it suddenly made sense that their class would have been carefully selected to feature specific Marines over others.

Thea could not help but wonder about what the class would look like that included Isabella… The mountain of a girl was most certainly the best in Alpha Squad when it came to hand-to-hand combat - of that, Thea had no doubts.

“Now without further ado, let the final bout begin!”

With those words, the arena’s subroutines started up again, coming to life with a slight hum before quieting once again.

"Looks like we're finally going to see what we're each capable of, huh?" Karania queried as she moved to the equipment rack next to Thea to select her armour — naturally, she chose a medium type.

"Can't wait, honestly! I've been curious about your role in Alpha Squad for a while now… A scientist of some sort, maybe? But I really can't put my finger on it," Thea responded, appraising the girl beside her.

With a playful wink, Karania replied, "You're not far off! I'll fill you in after, I promise."

Rising from the bench, Thea headed to the centre of the arena, anticipation welling up within her for the final bout of the Practical.

The prospect of finally gaining an intimate understanding of what it truly meant to be a member of Alpha Squad filled her with a profound sense of excitement. Despite the mounting evidence to the contrary, she had been grappling with a severe case of imposter syndrome, feeling she wasn't genuinely deserving of her place in Alpha Squad.

The opportunity to spar with a fellow squad member, even if they were one of the bottom half in terms of CQC expertise, was precisely what she needed to dispel her lingering doubts and uncertainties.

She quickly checked to make sure that all four of her knives, which she had kept after her bout with Alex, were accounted for and ready. Then, she drew her two primary combat knives, the ones that had accompanied her throughout all her bouts so far.

'Just two more rounds... Don't fail me now, okay?'

She began to stretch, warming up her muscles after the extended period of rest she had taken to analyse the newly acquired Ability descriptions.

A smile spread across Thea’s face, as she briefly pondered the situation she was in.

This was what she had always longed for: peers striving for excellence, banter that propelled her forward, a competitive environment in which to improve herself. All that she had yearned for was present here, as part of the UHF Marine Corps. Now, all she needed to do was prove to everyone, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she deserved to be here. To carve out her own perfect life, going forward.

With a renewed fire in her eyes, Thea waited impatiently for Karania to finish equipping her gear, eager to commence the final bout as soon as possible...