MM - Chapter 119 - PULLING THEIR WEIGHT

The raid proceeded deeper into the city with extreme caution, remembering well Kevin's demonstration of how fun traps were. Unfamiliar with spotting the pressure plates, off-colored bricks, and explosive-packed hardware the city was brimming with, Raine gave them a crash course in the form of tossed pebbles. While not enough to trigger the traps in advance, his efforts at least indicated direction and general location. Meanwhile, his ragged thoughts categorized everything he knew about mental abilities.

Despite coming from the same place in the body, mental abilities weren’t considered psychic abilities. One was born with the latter, and no amount of training could create or awaken one. The former was the opposite.

Through intense effort in learning to control every muscle in the body, the correct nutrition, and continual near-death experiences, mental abilities were eventually triggered—often referred to as genesis. Supposedly, anyone could achieve genesis, though most never did. If it was going to happen, it would occur between class four martial expert, and early class five martial master. The variance was due to each individual's innate mental strength and how quickly that could be developed.

In the past, Raine trained for over twenty years in ZionLine, and still failed to gain complete mastery over his muscles. His nutrition was also lacking due to receiving his first and only dose of ReGen when he was thirty. Lastly, he was too poor to regularly buy miracle nutrition from foods like Qi Ock Gri. Of the three requirements, the one he had in spades was near-death experiences.

It was a widely accepted fact that those who didn’t reach genesis by thirty never would. After selling most of his assets for the single watered-down dose of ReGen, and still failing, CronGate labeled him a wastrel. After all, it was impossible to reach even the middle stages of martial master without a mental ability. They were the true dividing line between those with ‘talent’ and those without.

Talent, my ass; more like wealth. With the right nutrition and early ReGen, body control becomes a breeze. Then, it's just throwing yourself into ZL’s insane combat until it happens. Still, I wonder why it’s considered ‘impossible’ to reach martial master without a mental ability. Everyone said that was the case, but never why. I know the test for becoming a master is more of the same, hit harder, faster, with better flexibility and durability. What does a mental ability have to do with any of that? It was never mentioned that there was a test for mental strength, only the body.

So the real question is: how exactly does a mental ability make one physically stronger?

It shouldn’t have anything to do with the type of ability that manifests. There are a ton of them, and it's not like any were considered bad or inadequate. The ones I've experienced and heard about always targeted specific senses, like emotions, sight, or rationalization. The type gained is innate to the individual, like an instinctual personality trait reinforced by life experiences. Of course, that's just the beginning. After evolving into a domain, mental abilities can deal actual damage, and a grandmaster's demesne can outright kill.

Then that’s question two: how do I evolve my mental ability to a domain, then a demesne? Does it happen automatically over time, or is there some specific method? Usually, it takes twenty or thirty years to go from middle martial master to peak martial master, so time is definitely part of the equation.

Raine’s gaze burrowed into Talerra’s back, knowing she likely held the answers he sought. It didn't matter if she did; there weren't enough credits in the world to get her to share. Upon discovering such a breach, the Phoenix Clan would immediately kill her, him, his whole family, and likely wipe all of Carter City off the map. The best way to keep everyone safe and advance down his martial path was to figure it out himself.

It's a solid bet to assume training plays a large part in their evolution. Right now, bloodlust is basically tickling the amygdala to overproduce a fear response. If I could concentrate that effect, thicken, or harden it somehow, I could possibly attack the brain directly. At the moment, I can barely control it enough to target one side of a ten-meter-tall monster. Focusing it into the size of a needle sounds impossible.

As for why my bloodlust range grew an entire meter, it has to be from fighting the last boss. The whole time, its killing intent was nearly overwhelming me. I could barely get my bloodlust to push past my skin. It felt like I was trying to lift a mountain with my brain.

In his mind’s eye, Raine watched his brain hop out of his head to carry a mountain down a road into the fading sunset. Then, the little ball of flesh threw the mountain away and its wrinkles flexed like some balloon animal at the gym. Raine shook his head, not having realized he was wiped enough for delusions of grandeur. His eyes flew wide as air was sharply sucked through his teeth.

Wait, is it really that simple? The brain is a muscle! Pushing against the boss's ability was giving mine a workout. That makes so much sense! Previously, I've just been flexing bloodlust as hard as possible while trying to shape it. But isn't that like trying to work out in zero-g? Without resistance to push against, how is it supposed to grow stronger? My efforts obviously weren't useless, but the difference in growth from solo training, to boss fight, was extreme. Clearly, fighting against other mental abilities is the right way to start.

That and rest. Muscles need time to recover after strain, and mine are utterly thrashed right now. Should I risk another dose of ReGen? That would heal me up in an instant. It hasn't been that long since the last dose. It’ll probably do more harm to my cells than good. Though, I did eat two servings of Qi Ock Gri. My body is packed with miracle nutrition right now…

No! I can't be impatient. ReGen overdose is real. I've seen it myself, and it isn't pretty. Slow and steady is the only way to not damage the shaky foundation I've already got. I went from a tub of chemical-laced lard to decently fit in a day. The backlash from that kind of transformation isn't simple. I should do a full physical with Dr. Pamalaiha today, including blood work, to make sure I’m not fucked up somewhere I can’t see or feel.

It was two-fifty AM, but Raine didn’t care. He sent Pamalaiha the message, letting her know he would be at Soulgen no later than ten AM. When they met the day before, she swore to earn his trust in exchange for the final secret ingredient of ReGen: the mixing of blood. Twenty minutes of her time to test the effects of her own drug would hardly count as an inconvenience. He wouldn’t be surprised if she started drooling at the prospect of seeing what her concoction had done to him.

There wasn’t a time in either of Raine’s lives when he found it easy to sit still and rest. He desperately wanted to jump up and continue pushing his mental strength to new heights. He maintained his composure with deep, even breaths while watching the group battle their first Unliving Flame.

After clearing a few traps outside a building, the monster suddenly gushed from the windows in an ambush they didn't see coming. Melted glass oozed down the wall behind it as Kevinsbakon and Fizgore were swallowed in a cyclone of fire. Every second, damage numbers populated above both their heads. Their grimaces told the story of how extremely painful being cooked alive was. Still, they fought back valiantly, flailing with their weapons while Richtor and Mel tried to keep them alive.

Meanwhile, Celeste stayed as close as she could to the monster’s body without taking damage. One of her eyes was closed as she focused on maintaining her Connection to trap its physical form. The others attacked from range but weren’t dealing nearly enough damage to finish it before the tanks died.

Sighing, Raine directed Rocky to lean over the city wall and lower its other hand toward the group. Once directly above them, the rahk glahm pointed at Fizgore. The finger drew steadily closer. At the last second, Fizgore realized Raine wasn’t going to stop and leaped out of the way, consequently jumping out of the elemental’s body.

Now, only one tank was being damaged. Mel and Richtor together easily kept Kevin alive. He took a few extra bites from the creature's rapidly darting maw, but it was manageable. The fight was still going to be tight, so Rocky gave the elemental a flick with a finger half the size of its whole body. [-14k] As a hierarch, Rocky was fundamentally superior to the elemental. Considering the bonus damage monsters dealt to each other, his love tap was enough to tip the scales. The dramatic fight drew to a close a few seconds later.

[Obtained 110,400 Raid Superiority (1050% bonus for defeating a raid elite 5 levels above you)]

[Obtained 46% Raid Attunement (1050% bonus for defeating a raid elite 5 levels above you)]

Raine didn’t see any reason to chastise the group. They had fought bravely, each doing their part. He could tell by their disappointed expressions that they understood their mistakes and wouldn’t repeat them. Almost as a rule, people were hard enough on themselves and didn't need a boss lording over their every error. The only times he should step in is when they didn't know they made a mistake or didn't know how to fix it.

Of course, that leniency had a firm boundary. When Rhino reached for the two materials that fell, Raine’s snapped command sounded in their ears, “Melbelle’s in charge of collecting the drops.” Rhino, holding his talking spear that he clearly wasn’t pleased with, frowned.

The rest of the party was unfazed by Raine’s declaration. Mel happily scooped up the items and shot him one of her signature, beaming smiles.

Six hours passed in relative peace and quiet, at least for Raine. The group fought for their lives, experiencing one close call after another from traps and ambushing Unliving Flames. They never ventured far from the walls and the safety of Rocky’s long reach. Their progress in circling the city could be called glacial, though Raine felt the opposite of disappointed.

At least nobody died. They even grew passably proficient at spotting the traps, and managed to beat the elementals without his help. By normal metrics, his people were performing amazingly well. Meanwhile, he got some desperately needed mental R&R.

A moment after their most recent conquest, the dying flame’s essence was sucked toward the center of the city, just like each kill before it. Such a mechanic meant one of two things. Either they were powering up the next boss, or they had to find all the flames and kill them for the boss to spawn. Usually, reaching the boss’s location before killing the smaller ones resulted in the survivors being summoned en masse, which was all the more reason to take their time and not miss any.

From his vantage atop Rocky’s shoulder, Raine had seen the truth already. The collected essence wasn’t reaching all the way to the city's center. It was combined into several large braziers on the outskirts of the central regions. With every tenth kill, another brazier was lit. They burned fiercely, each at least fifteen meters high. With this kill, the last was lit.

Hopping down, Raine confronted the group, “Break time. One hour.”

“Oh, thank God!” Deloralicious clasped her hands toward the crimson sky.

Kevinsbakon didn’t mutter a word before vanishing. Fizgore wasn’t far behind. The man looked as ragged as Raine felt a few hours ago. Mel and Celeste shared a look packed with meaning, then stuck around while staring hard at Raine. He got the hint, nodding to them that he would chat before leaving. Rhino cackled madly, flipping off his glaive before throwing it away and disappearing before it could teleport back to his hands. It faded into nothing before hitting the ground.

Richtor’s group laughed at the kid's expense, then exchanged a few words and left together. Looking awkward as hell, Talerra stood between Raine, Mel, and Celeste. She spoke in a rush, “How much longer are you expecting this to take? I have several pressing responsibilities that are piling up.”

“We’re probably halfway done. It’s called the Caves of Quindimire, so I’m assuming the last bit is underground after we clear the city.”

She cringed, likely weighing the ridiculous Superiority gains against her responsibilities. She was almost level twenty-three already. After struggling so hard to reach fifteen, it was undoubtedly worth staying. “Shoot. Is it possible to extend the break to a full hour?” 

Raine could tell a variation of the large, pleading eyes he was seeing right now had likely been used to great effect on her grandfather. Lucky for her, Raine had once more been misunderstood in the time he allotted for a break. “Why would I talk in ZL time if we're about to have an outside break? I already said an hour; if that's not long enough, don't bother coming back.”

Talerra's hands came together beneath her chin as she challenged Mel for the brightest smile, “Thank you! I won't be late!” She promised, promptly vanishing.

“You filthy lia—” Celeste's outburst ended abruptly when Mel's elbow dug into her side.

She blinked innocently at the fiery redhead, “He did not. He said an hour both times. It's our fault for misunderstanding.” She tilted her head at Raine, “Is an hour long enough for our workout?”

Remembering he'd told them they would start working out together outside, Raine shook his head, “No, we'll do that after the raid. Expect that to take at least two hours.”

“T-two hours?!” The look of panic on Celeste's face when she imagined how much pain he could put her through in that time was nourishment for Raine's soul. 

He quirked a brow at them, “Is that all you wanted to ask?” 

“Yup!” Mel responded a little too cheerfully. He didn't know what she was planning, but there was no way that cherub's smile wasn't hiding some nefarious plan. “Bye! See you in an hour.”

Mel vanished, but Celeste didn't leave with her. She stared hard at the ground like it had stolen something valuable from her. Having his own things to do, Raine verbally prodded her, “Out with it.”

She flinched, and the range of emotions she displayed made it obvious she almost changed her mind. Clenching both fists, she glared at him with complete seriousness, “I'm sorry.”

Raine waited a few seconds, but nothing else leaked from her tightly pressed lips. 

Is she taking my advice and actually keeping her mouth shut instead of lying?

Celeste’s nostrils flared from the impressed nod he sent her way. With a shake of her head, she doused his assumption, “For the thing at Soulgen. I shouldn't have attacked that doctor. I didn't understand her importance and should have followed your lead. I… I'm sorry.”

Raine accepted her apology gracefully, “I'm not going to go easy on you at the gym just because you actually meant that.”

Her jaw fell open, then snapped shut with her typical passion, “That's not why-nevermind! Asshole!” She snarled and disappeared.

Raine allowed his hidden grin free rein over his lips, “That’s the spirit. Meek doesn't suit her a bit.”

Her personality is too strong. For her to actually change requires consistent, overbearing pressure. If I ease up on her for an instant, all the progress we've made will be wiped away. Amazing that she's changed so much in these few short days. A little more, and she'll almost be tolerable.

Craning his neck, Raine looked up at Rocky's stoney disapproval, “Something tells me you're not going to stay charmed when I log out. Looks like this is the end of the road for us, friend.” Raine bent his knees and launched toward the Greater Rahk Glahm’s head.