In the middle of the Bronze Realm, Katherine had only three feats—two from ascension and once from converting accumulated Cursed Energy. Nil had almost twice as many. If it weren’t for Haunting Visage, he would almost be thankful for his greedy, unformed soul weapon. His first and pre-existing feat did nothing besides occasionally warn him of danger and make him aware of anomalous energies.
It had its uses, but in Nil’s eyes, the detriments outweighed the benefits. He had questioned Layla about the possibility of getting rid of feats. She claimed the Nexus had no such powers, and the Control Worlds didn’t share such knowledge with outsiders. However, rare Cursed Ones had exhibited the ability to rip negative feats out of people. Since the theft primarily involved examples that contained and utilized Cursed Energy, she theorized the monsters did it to feed or grow their power. Nil didn’t want to particularly endure the pain and discomfort that accompanied such an experience. However, the possibility of losing the visage almost made the painful possibility feel worthwhile.
Nil did pushups as he read up on powers similar to his. He had tried to sit down and study at first but somehow ended up making a sandwich, doing his laundry, and chatting with half the people on his floor instead. The new trait wasn’t as rough as Armsmaster’s Disappointment. It felt like how Nil imagined ADHD.
Research uncovered two examples of kinetic-energy manipulation. One was a mage in the Silver Gauntlet. He started off with spells based around stopping and launching objects. Then went into charging objects with kinetic energy to turn them into bombs. Now, at the Silver Realm, he had the power to steal heat from objects and entities and channel them elsewhere. Unlike Nil, he didn’t have an impenetrable defense and the ability to strengthen his body, relying on conjured barriers of kinetic energy for defense.
The other Summoned started on the opposite end of the spectrum as a knight, toying with the kinetic molecular theory of heat. He was briefly a terror in the Bronze Gauntlet before disappearing two years prior, just as he was about to complete the Gauntlet of Ten. His ludus claimed he had left for a quest and never returned. It wasn’t an uncommon tale.
Nil knew his power would never be like theirs. Brutal Battery seemed to pick and choose when it obeyed the laws of physics. If it were true kinetic energy, he wouldn’t be able to move while using Absorb, and things touching him would lose all heat. He’d suffer incredible recoil with the burns when releasing energy through touch. Yet, Nil explored the options, trying to guess how his ability would develop at later realms.
Nil wanted many things. He hoped to strengthen his defenses against elemental and energy attacks or find a means to heal his injuries. The means to attack from range as well. He especially liked how the mage charged objects with kinetic energy before launching them at people or creating spheres of pure kinetic energy. The knight’s ability to create a sphere of pure heat to throw at foes or smash them in the face appealed to him, too.
Next, Nil studied the current big names in the Iron and Death Gauntlet. It didn't take him long to figure out that he wasn't ready for the latter. Watching videos of Pietro and others like him told Nil that he had no chance of coming out alive. He needed to gain ability and attribute ranks, getting as close to Bronze Realm as possible before even challenging one of the bigger names. Most importantly, Nil needed to get used to his newest ability.
Through Sheer Grit proved its worth as Nil breezed through the early ranks in a couple of days. He started his mornings by getting Lily or one of the other brutes to hit him until his stores were full. When they weren't available, he used Isabella's mini cannon ball launchers to bombard him while channeling Absorb. Afterward, he ran the obstacle course while speed toggled on. It took him a day to get used to the change, and he struggled not to rely on Absorb to deal with the stumbles and falls. Using the new ability alone was vital to figure out its energy costs.
Toggled Supercharging consumed half a percent of energy every second. Switching from one boost to another cost one percent which doubled with every consecutive use, maxing out at five. The time taken matched the cost, with the first taking half a second but again never crossing five. After the third switch, it proved more efficient to toggle the ability off, wait a couple of seconds, and then activate it again. The break proved sufficient for resetting the ability.
Two hundred seconds of activation from full.
The additional ranks didn't change the energy cost or time. Instead, it marginally increased the bonuses. Nil didn't notice the first couple of increments but could feel it by Mortal-Three. He hoped to find out soon how the Spark attribute’s increases affected ability.
“That's one hell of a boost,” Lily said, clobbering Nil with a giant stone club. Each strike restored a fifth of his stores.
“You’re one to talk,” Nil commented. “You’re moving a hell a lot faster.”
She grinned. “My new passive lets me ignore the weight of my weapon and armor. So, I’m as fast as my Might and Finesse allow. I still have to deal with the rigidity, though. I’m only as flexible as the armor allows.”
“Sounds like a skill issue,” Nil teased. He took a moment to study the armor made of grey rocks. The ludus staff had brought in giant boulders and blocks for her to practice with. One of Golden Aegis’ Bronze Realm mages had the power to control and shape stone. She and Lily had an agreement. Once she was done training, the woman would turn all the fragments into solid, dense blocks. “It just looks like you need to get better at making joints. Instead of big, rounded chunks, why not use smaller pieces of denser stones?”
“I didn’t think of that.”
“Come to think of it, if you don’t feel the weight, do you even need joint pieces?”
Lily frowned, thinking about the question.
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“If you’re not dealing with the weight, you really only need protection.” The armor creation ability had broken the provided stone, covering the floor in dust. Nil traced an elbow joint and two interlocking pieces that slotted around each other and moved like an elbow. “Something like this should protect your flesh, and you could add layers of smaller stone around it to further reinforce.”
“How did you just come up with that?” Lily asked, studying the diagram closely. Then she released the armor around her left arm and let the stones fall. New pieces slowly gathered around her limb as she started to emulate Nil’s idea.
“I have a bachelors in mechanical engineering,” Nil answered. “Artisans have limited the job market for the degree, but it still has its uses.”
Nil left her to play with the idea and build new armor before returning to the obstacle course. He ran it again but with Absorb active. The physics-breaking elements of the ability, though convenient, annoyed Nil. He had no resources to study and come up with new uses for the ability. He needed to figure out new developments and uses alone.
Each step and collision partially recharged Brutal Battery’s stores, extending the speed boost. Nil also noticed how Absorb made him more stable, highlighting another one of the abilities’ inconsistencies. The description claimed it didn’t affect his movements. Not stumbling as much said otherwise. He guessed it was a product of Finesse interacting with Absorb. In fact, his timings and control over Expend had increased with the attribute, too.
Strength was a much more difficult metric to measure accurately. Mental blocks regarding how much his body could safely handle without Expend, kept him from just doubling his usual weights. So, he went in stages, increasing his usual by ten kilograms, doing a set of five lifts, and then bumping up the numbers again. Around the sixty percent increase mark, his muscles started protesting. At eighty, his joints struggled, and he stopped.
Might has increased to Iron 1!
Toggled Supercharging has increased to Mortal 4!
Nil assumed that when push came to shove, he’d get twice the strength of what Might provided.
* Might: Iron 1
* Finesse: Iron 1
* Mind: Mortal 7
* Spark: Iron 4
Brutal Battery: Iron 0
* Absorb: Iron 0
* Expend: Iron 0
* Toggled Supercharging: Mortal 4
Energy Instinct: Mortal 7
Feats:
* Haunting Visage
* Armsmaster’s Disappointment
* Through Sheer Grit
* The Power Of Belief
* Restless In Body And Mind
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“What do you mean you want to challenge the Gauntlet of Ten?” Isabella asked when Nil brought up the topic. “You just got through the qualifiers and ascended. You need to master your new abilities first. You’re going to get your butt kicked or killed.”
“Between Absorb and the durability of my new ability, I’m confident that I can survive most things and surrender if in an impossible situation,” Nil said. “Sparring and your training isn’t doing it. I need the real danger of the arena to push myself and get stronger.”
“Absolutely not. Go on a quest or two if you want money and tokens. I want you to train at least a month or two or attempt a few standard gauntlet attempts before you try something so dangerous. People in the Gauntlet of Ten are extras desperate for the win and will take steps that others won’t. What if you survive but end up with too much brain damage to consent to Nexus quests?” Isabella appeared and sounded angrier than Nil had ever seen her before. He wondered whether she had lost overconfident friends or loved ones in the arena. “I didn’t stick my neck out for you with the qualifiers so that you can get yourself killed right away. Why are you in such a rush?”
“I have time-sensitive goals,” Nil stated. “As much as I trust you, Isabella, I’m not at liberty to discuss them.”
“Fine. I can’t stop you, but I strongly recommend against it. But for my sake, why don’t you go on a quest first? Pick something close to your danger level and just use it to get used to being Iron Realm. Hopefully, you’ll get a few more ability ranks out of it and perhaps some Schema tokens to push your ability score higher.”
“Fine.” Nil sighed.
He didn’t expect many decent options since the Nexus had limited him to shorter quests during his Earth-side quests. However, it was an opportunity to share Andrew’s developments with Layla and discuss a helpful resource he had overlooked.
When Nil pulled up his Schema interface, he found an emergency notification waiting for him. The timing suggested he was in the middle of his last spar when it arrived. A blow to the head had left his ears ringing, and he mistook the Schema’s alerts as the after-effects. The notification led him to his quest list, and the Schema highlighted the latter two.
Objective: Prince Edgar Von Schmidt is due to be named heir of the kingdom. However, evidence of a cursed ritual has been found on the castle grounds. His hair and nail clippings were used as an element. Protect him through the night and ensure he makes it to the throne room.
Duration: 12 hours
Danger Level: Iron 9
Rewards: 200 Schema Credit, 2 Schema Token
Objective: A mission to eliminate a Scourge Cult has gone wrong. Mila Stark is in danger. She specifically requested that you assist her, her husband-to-be, and her grandfather. Break them out of the cult’s dungeons and ensure they make it to the stables alive. The nearest Control World deems Mila Stark and fiance vital for the future of the Beacon World.
As a result, you may invite up to four other people to help you with this quest.
Duration: 6 hours
Danger Level: Bronze 3
Rewards: 250 Schema Credit, 3 Schema Tokens, Iron Ascension Token
Objective: A vampire lord seeks vengeance on Old Oaksfield and, specifically, the Order of the Silver Crucible. He blames them for his apprentice's death and plans to flood the city with ghouls and unleash an undead plague. Priestess Elaine Morrow may not be allowed to fall. She has called for aid and wants you to be on the team repelling the attackers.
Duration: 12 hours
Danger Level: Bronze 5
Rewards: 500 Schema Credit, 5 Schema Tokens
Even though the third quest had more significant rewards, Nil didn’t pick it. Little Mila Stark was a part of his first quest and had graduated on to doing great things. He didn’t want her to die and it was an opportunity to impress another Control World while learning more about the Scourge.
Nil was confident there would be other incredible Summoned like Lise to help Old Oaksfield. The Order of the Silver Crucible was great in its own right. More importantly, he didn’t have much of an emotional connection to them. All that mattered was the Well of Power remained safe and didn’t turn into a Font of Cursed Energy, leading to the birth of another Dark World. Given the direness of the possibility, Nil was sure the Nexus would send Summoned, who was more qualified and capable than him, to Old Oaksfield. So, he sent messages to his friends and family, warning them of his absence, and accepted the quest.