As James worked to weave his disruptive pattern through the swarm's collective consciousness, Lauren took advantage of his efforts’ effects on their physical adversaries. Once moving with unnerving coordination, the mosquitoes began to falter in their attack patterns. Their seamless cloud started to break into smaller clusters, each moving erratically as if confused by the sudden cacophony in their shared mind.

Lauren seized the opportunity, her form blending into the shadows around them, becoming almost invisible against the backdrop of the swamp. From this veil of darkness, she launched precise strikes, her energy spears continuing to find their marks with lethal efficiency. The mosquitoes, disoriented and unable to defend as a unified entity, fell in droves, their numbers dwindling rapidly, though not enough to make a significant difference.

However, the vast and adaptable hive mind soon recognized its current strategy's futility against the pair's concerted efforts. In a bid for survival, it withdrew, condensing its psychic presence to fortify its mental defenses. The swarm's physical assault intensified, the mosquitoes converging into a dense, frenzied mass aimed directly at James and Lauren.

The Rogue quickly realized she wouldn't be able to continue her offensive and would soon be taken out of the fight. Thus, she stopped and melded into her pool of shadows, using it as camouflage and a shield, rendering herself momentarily unreachable to the swarm's physical attacks. This maneuver left James as the primary target, the mosquitoes descending upon him with renewed vigor.

Undeterred, he fortified his telekinetic armor, the invisible barrier around him shimmering with the strain of repelling the swarm's relentless assault. Each cluster of mosquitoes that tried to breach his defenses was met with a forceful psychic push, sent reeling back into their comrades, creating further chaos within the ranks.

The battle became a war of attrition, a test of endurance between James's mental fortitude and the swarm's sheer numbers. With Lauren momentarily out of sight, the mosquitoes focused their entire might on James, their tiny bodies hammering against his defenses like rain against a windowpane.

Inside his telekinetic bubble, James felt the weight of the swarm's attack, the constant pressure threatening to overwhelm him. Yet, he held firm, his mind a beacon of resistance amidst the storm. He pushed back against the onslaught; his efforts aimed not at defeating the swarm outright but outlasting it while he concentrated on eroding its ability to continue the fight.

The turning point came when Lauren gathered the ambient darkness around her, channeling it into a massive wave that surged toward the swarm. This wave of dense power crashed into the mosquitoes with disruptive force. It tore through their ranks, scattering them and amplifying the confusion sewn by James's psychic attacks.

This coordinated assault proved to be the opening James needed. With the swarm's physical presence momentarily disrupted and its mental defenses compromised, he seized the opportunity to unleash the full extent of his psionic might. His mind, honed and sharpened by the battle's demands, was finally able to cut deep into the heart of the hive mind.

James kept increasing the intensity, no longer just aiming to disrupt now that he had achieved the result of breaking down communication but engaging in a sustained, penetrating strike aimed at the core of the swarm's collective consciousness. He dove into the fray, his psychic energy unfurling like tendrils, seeking out the nodes of thought that sustained the hive mind's cohesion.

The mental landscape he navigated was vast and chaotic, a storm of impulses and instincts that drove the swarm's actions. Blues, purples, and reds mixed and separated, his brain struggling to provide a visual equivalent to what his Talent let him see. He swam through the invisible currents of the alien mind, deftly avoiding the occasional, desperate prong of consciousness that sought to flush him out.

Within this storm, James found the eye, the central nexus of control that orchestrated the mosquitoes' assault. Here, in the heart of the hive mind, there was no need to hide himself, and so he engaged in a battle with no quarter given.

His psychic tendrils wrapped around the nexus, squeezing with relentless pressure. The hive mind fought back, the flashes of color lashing out in desperate defense. But James, fueled by his unyielding determination and the urgency of the moment, bore down with all his might. He withstood the assault, drawing from the deep well of his willpower, and didn't allow anything to stop him from achieving his goal.

Here and now, James was not constrained by his physical limits. His mind was a vast, developed thing, capable of sustaining input from hundreds of cubic feet of matter all at once. More than that, his skills worked hard to fuel his assault. Adaptive Resistance might not have been as flashy as some of his other abilities. But the constant pressure on his mind had made him almost impervious to the damage a creature like the battered mosquito hive mind could deal.

The struggle echoed through the psychic plane. James's every advance was resisted, each push countered by a desperate pull. But the advantage was his, and with Lauren restarting her assault, the scales inexorably tilted in his favor.

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James's grip tightened with each passing moment, his psychic energy wearing down the hive mind's defenses. He broke through its barriers, tearing at the fabric of its consciousness, dismantling it piece by piece. The hive mind's efforts to repel him grew weaker, its once significant presence finally fraying at the edges.

And then, with a final surge of effort, James shattered the nexus. The hive mind's control evaporated, its psychic presence collapsing into silence. The swarm, now devoid of guidance, fell into disarray. The mosquitoes, stripped of their collective mind, fell to the ground in droves like a dark, black rain.

For an entire minute, mosquitos kept fluttering down until they touched the swampy ground, where innumerable tiny creatures would ensure their sacrifice was appreciated.

So, no mana stone? I guess there just wasn't a collective body. If we go through all of them, we might be able to gather tiny shards from their bodies, but I'll be honest, the money I'd make from that wouldn't be enough to pay me to spend days combing through this swamp for all the mosquito corpses.

James' thoughts were interrupted as several notifications flashed by. The itch at the back of his mind was intense enough for him to understand that they were important, and it took little effort to realize that he must have hit the threshold of level 200.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have contributed to the defeat of a [Hive Mind - Ichor Mosquitos]. You have earned 79.323.846 EXP!

ERROR! Reached level 200! EXP in excess deferred until after the Rank Up is completed.

Would you like to proceed with the Rank Up? Yes No

This really never gets old, huh? Whenever the System rears its head, my brain feels like it's about to be turned to mush. It might have actually gotten worse than last time. I wonder if it's because I was too weak to comprehend even just a tiny portion of what I was facing before, and now I'm strong enough to have a vague understanding of it. Well, back to the recesses of my mind with you; this is not the time or place for it.

"Well done," Mr. Julian's voice brought James back to reality, carrying a note of genuine respect. "You've faced a formidable challenge and emerged stronger for it. I can tell you two must have reached the threshold, given the look on your faces. It's gratifying to receive significant EXP from fighting creatures above your rank without external help."

"That's right." Lauren nodded. "But I would have thought that your presence here would be enough to reduce our gains."

The old man shook his head. "That would normally be the case, but if you think back to the fight, you might realize you cannot remember me being there. I ensured enough distance was between us as soon as it started, but you might have been too involved to notice."

James processed Mr. Julian's explanation and found that it was true. His attention had been elsewhere, but what he could remember told him the old man had been nowhere near the fight. The careful planning and execution to maximize their growth spoke volumes of Mr. Julian's experience and commitment to their development.

As they left the battlefield, the trio made their way back to the resort through the dense vegetation of the Everglades. Mr. Julian resumed his role as the guide, easily leading them through the swamp. The environment around them was alive with the sounds of nature, in contrast to the silence that had followed their battle. James and Lauren, though exhausted, were invigorated by their victory and the realization of their imminent rank up.

Trying to distract himself so that he wouldn’t think of it too much, James steered the discussion back to the early days of the Apocalypse, a topic that always fascinated him. Mr. Julian was one of the few people around who could share insights into how the Awakeners' Association had navigated the new world's challenges, having been there for its founding. "The System was a mystery to us then, its rules and mechanics unknown. We tested its boundaries, learned how it rewarded bravery, and punished recklessness. In those early days, we were ready and willing to do anything to tilt the scales in our direction a bit more. We tried many things, which now wouldn’t be even thinkable, but they were necessary, as they laid the basis for the current peace.”

James listened intently, fascinated by the history. It was one thing to read about the Apocalypse and its aftermath in books or hear stories from those who remembered the news, but it was another to hear it from someone who had lived through those formative years, shaping the response to the new world. Mainly because the people who had been involved in the initial battles were either all dead, like his father, or so scarred they never talked about it.

Their journey back was interrupted by a presence closing the distance exceptionally quickly. So fast it was that James barely had the time to shout a warning. "Incoming!"

The sudden appearance of a gigantic spider, its legs spanning wide enough to block their path entirely. It emerged from the shadows of the trees, its eyes reflecting a menacing intelligence. James and Lauren tensed, readying themselves for another battle, but Mr. Julian merely raised his hand.

With a flick of his wrist and a concentrated burst of mana that equaled ten times James’ reserves, Mr. Julian sent a wave of force toward the creature. The spider was obliterated in an instant without even being able to react, its form dissolving into dust that was quickly carried away by the wind. James and Lauren could only watch in awe, again reminded of the old man's formidable power.

"That creature was too far beyond you despite being only a C-rank," Mr. Julian commented as they continued on their way. "Understanding your own strength and knowing when to engage or avoid conflict is crucial. Not every battle is worth fighting, especially when the risk outweighs the reward."

It's a simple enough concept, but it has become increasingly tempting to throw myself into danger to get a quick increase in power. It's something to keep an eye on, especially as every mistake becomes more costly. That spider was way too strong for me to fight, but had Team 0 been all here, the calculus might have been different, and we would have all paid for it.

When they arrived back at the resort the sun was setting, casting long shadows across the dilapidated building. The day's events had taken their toll, but James felt accomplished. He had faced the unknown, pushed his limits and emerged victorious.

"Well, I realize that telling you to sleep now so you can have a fresh mind for the rank-up would be akin to torturing you." Mr. Julian said once they settled on the lobby's moldy sofas, earning sheepish smiles from the two younger Awakeners. "So we might as well get this over with."