Quick, Duchess, pocket anything you can! Shit, you don't wear clothes!

[...]

The clouds disperse immediately and before the babysitter/intern can push something that looks suspiciously like an alarm on a keychain. He sheepishly puts it away before turning away and whispering into a walkie-talkie. Khan is unharmed, but something weirdly symbiotic happens. Every Khan wears a smaller [Cloudplate Breastplate], identical to the Alpha Khan's. The armor has grown as well. I wouldn't consider it a breastplate anymore since it covers more of his body, from his jaws to the tip of his tail. The fins, including the dorsal fin, have armor, making them a mixture between a knife and a smokestack. Clouds drift from his fins before disappearing a few inches away from him.

"..."

"..."

Even Giles didn't predict that happening. I slowly turn to him and give him an approving nod. He hides a blush behind a cough and turns to examine Khan.

"Hmm, the armor was supposed to enhance elemental affinities, but this is something else... By the way, lad, is this big body controlling all the little ones like a mini-commander?"

I shrug before looking at the changes this brought to Khan.

Name / Nickname

Khan the Exile

Species

Ozone Prowler C (Unique)

Level

80 (14m/75m)

Evolution Requirements

Not Met

~

Health Points

495/495

Mana Points

470/470

Armor Points

193 (99+94)

Might

220 (200 + 10%)

Agility

99 (90 + 10%)

Vigor

99 (90 + 10%)

Mind

94 (85 + 10%)

Spirit

94 (85 + 10%)

Perception

94 (85 + 10%)

His armor increase is identical to his [Vigor] + [Spirit]. That's not a coincidence. Is it? Armor typically increases by a set amount and decreases as the durability fails. Having armor that grows with the user is extremely valuable. I recheck the armor since it's different now. I don't know if the stats changed, but It's no longer shrouded and can be [Scientific Insight+]ed. I should invest in some appraisal scrolls. The last time I asked Rain, she insulted my ignorance.

[Cloudplate Scalemail A

A suit of scale mail enchanted with the combined elements of water, air, and lightning to create weather-infused armor. This set of armor has grown and adapted from its user's bond.

Greatly enhance affinities to water, air, and lightning.

Passively stores appropriate elemental energies within the armor.

Grants the following skills: Bonded Body, Cloud Formation, and Wind Rider.]

It doesn't rhyme anymore... never mind that! Does that count as five abilities or three? Why am I asking? It's definitely five! The granted skills should all be around rank-A-ish since it's from a rank-A suit of armor. Holy shit! I check the first ability.

[Bonded Body

This skill is granted from an item. The user's armor is increased when wearing the bonded object. It can be summoned and unsummoned at will.

Armor Increase + Vigor + Spirit]

[Cloud Formation

This skill is granted from an item. The user can use this skill to take the form of a cloud, changing the body's composition.]

[Wind Rider

This skill is granted from an item. The user's speed is increased when in windy conditions. Wind won't harm the user unless it is forced to against its will.

Speed Increase: +mph equal to wind speed.]

I need to examine everything to see how much value Khan just got. I'll start from the bottom. [Wind Rider] might be a hit or miss since the way it is written is slightly vague. Wind not harming the user could mean many things, such as immunity to wind-based attacks or wind resistance. "Against its will" implies that someone harnessing the winds would still harm Khan. I did the math, and his top sprinting speed is about 372 miles per hour, just short of Duchess' 408. In a marathon, Khan beats Duchess, but they both lose to Rob. The skill is situational, but there isn't a cap on speed increase. There could be a fracture I venture into that, for some ungodly reason, has a wind speed in the thousands.

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[Cloud Formation] is even vaguer, but since Khan has a decent affinity with clouds, it should bring some benefits. It might even be a way to dodge attacks or bypass defenses that aren't airtight. Maybe Khan can straight-up sacrifice some of his bodies to make actual thunderclouds. That might be a waste since he can make clouds anyways. I should do some experiments when I have some free time.

I have a skill similar to [Bonded Body] which is [Forged by Blood, Bound by Blood]. It binds the sword to my blood, making it unidentifiable as anything else when it's hidden. I can always 'summon' the sword by recreating it with my blood, which hurts. My skill seems worse in comparison. Maybe my sword is nutritious since it's made from my blood.

Passively storing energy is vague since I don't know how to utilize this, but I can see the direct correlation of Khan's affinities being heightened.

[Cloud Affinity C > A

Affinity with clouds is greatly enhanced.]

I need to learn about affinities. I need to grasp many things. Accepting Giles as my taming master is practically confirmed now. I'll need to speak to master Wang about this.

"Thank you for the armor. I truly appreciate it."

"You should thank Albert when you see him. It was in his institute, after all."

"I will thank you instead. Albert and Palmer owe me, but you don't."

I have my items, so I leave. I'm tempted to steal everything here, but I won't get far enough to enjoy them. Pity. Albert still hasn't arrived with the box. I asked the intern about informing Albert, but Giles texted him before I finished my question. He'll meet us in the meeting room we initially met at.

"Where did you get the armor from?"

"I have no idea what you mean."

"..."

"I might tell you if you become my disciple."

"I need to inform Master Wang first. It would be disrespectful otherwise."

"He's your master? Damn, lad! *cough* Pardon me, that was uncouth."

"I understand completely, and I'm sure he would too."

"If the armor came from the vault and nowhere else, would you be disappointed?"

"Yes."

~

Dean Palmer took one look at the items I got from the armory and went slightly pale, his poker face unbroken. We sit down and wait for Albert.

"Student Ellis, good choices for your items. I'm assuming there weren't eighty identical sets of armor, but one that fits your beast's nature to a T?"

He looks at Giles before looking back at me.

"If it had something relating to anger, then yes. It fits three out of four of my Khan's characteristics."

"Oh? What would those characteristics be? Don't mind me asking if that's taboo among tamers. I wouldn't know."

I feel like dean Palmer does know.

"He's a swarm of anger, clouds, and sharks. Armor doesn't help his anger, but it helps everything else."

"How does it help him be a shark?"

"It's armor. A shark wearing armor is a bigger threat than a normal shark."

"I see."

Dean Palmer was about to ask another question, but Albert entered the room holding a small box. Was he probing for information, like my relationship with Giles? Is Palmer trying to use my interests to get closer to me? Maybe he's a curious soul like me. Albert puts the box down on the table. It looks like a plain black jewelry box with only a lid that opens from the top.

I don't recognize it, and nothing calls out to me. If this was a plain box and Albert was punking me, I wouldn't be able to tell.

[Thisss one can sense the faintest of magic.]

My perception stat is higher than yours. Is this a mage thing again?

[No, closer to the fact that thisss one is a magical beast, a creature infused with mana to a point where thisss one can form crystals when thisss one dies. A blind man may hear better than another man but will still lose when it comes to sight.]

Nerd.

[Thisss one has a sensory organ that detects heat? Do you want to have an infrared radiation competition?]

I was going to make a quip since Duchess is getting sassy, but I got enlightened on a different way to shut her up. Have you tried implementing your organ in your magic? You already touched on electromagnetic radiation and ionizing radiation. You barely scratched the surface on the first one, but still.

[...why can't you be clever all the time. Can thisss one study your brain again?]

"So, what do you think? Can you open it? I don't mean to rush since you have been concentrating, but do you think it's possible?"

Albert is quick with his words, barely hiding his contained excitement. I ignore Duchess and put a hand on the box. My fingers tingle, but nothing happens.

"Are you sure this is the right box?"

"Yes, I can't open it, see?"

He tugs on the lid, and nothing happens. It doesn't even budge. I see the vein in his bald head bulge as he strains himself. I put my hand up, and he stops pulling on it.

"I thought there was a lock?"

"The enchantment is the lock. You might not be able to sense it."

I'm going to abuse my position here.

"Hey, if the entire tournament is ending, who won?"

"Oh, the Auroran Institute won by one point. Your team was in second place. I haven't released this information yet."

"How?"

"John's girlfriends are diverse in skills. You gained bonus points for stopping that [Death Waker] and subsequently stopping a massacre.

"Girlfriends?"

"Heh, that's an inside joke in the institute since he's always surrounded by beautiful women."

"Good for him."

"Ah, youth."

"Anyways, I have a proposition for you, Albert. How many points is worth opening the box."

"......give me a moment."

He closes his eyes for a minute before smirking slightly.

"One."

"One? Don't you want to see what's inside?"

"Getting two points is all you need to win, so I'm only going to bring it up to a tie. This is practically bribing a judge. Your team could be disqualified just by asking me that question.

"How would a tie work?"

"Something will be figured out."

I shrug and flip open the lid with ease.

"..."

I reach in and pull out the only thing inside. A discarded ice cream wrapper. Albert was initially surprised by the ease of opening, then overwhelmingly excited, before it all crashed back down. He slumps in his chair. Palmer pats him on the shoulder to console him. Their relationship is strange, it's deeper than two deans that know each other because they are both deans, but they aren't exactly friends. I'm not experienced with friendships, though. My biggest one is with Flash Gordon. Never mind, I have enough experience.

"That's it? That can't be it?"

Albert grabs the box and looks inside, running his fingers through the lining. He puts the box back down and slumps further in his chair.

I pick the box up and look inside out of curiosity. I see a note and a switch inside. I close the box without touching the things inside.

"Can I keep the box? I don't have anything from my grandfather."

"Sure, sure, whatever..."

Albert is immensely depressed, and I can see a hint of amusement from Palmer. Giles asks me a question.

"Why don't you have anything from your grandfather."

"I don't know. I was young, and that question never came up with my father since he also left when I was young. If my father inherited his stuff, it was taken by the government, and they won't release it back to me."

"That's horrible. Why would the government do that?"

"I have only speculations."

"Pity, pity."

I decided I had had enough of talking to these people. I lock eyes with dean Palmer before leaving the room. He leaves the room shortly after and begins speaking to me.

"I still have a few connections, but it'll be hard press to match master Giles' offer. You are practical. What do you want."

"Many things. Let me think."

This reward was supposed to be for winning the tamer tournament, but now he has to pay the big bucks. I don't know his connections, so I should ask probing questions. Or not.

"Do you have a massive collection of rare or banned books?"

His eyes narrow as he tries to glean my intentions. He goes back into the meeting room, leaving me there baffled. Ah, I understand. He came back with the yellow golf ball.

"What are your intentions."

"Shouldn't a dean support a student's thirst for knowledge?"

"Stop asking questions to bypass the [Liar's Orb]. I want answers that cannot be interpreted differently. What are your intentions."

"I don't know what you are capable of getting me. Curiosity is something that killed the cat, so I want the satisfaction that brings it back. I don't know what I'll question in the future."

"Continue."

"If you have the power to get me these types of books, then it'll be convenient."

"What will you do with the information."

"Hard copies will be destroyed and kept in my mind. You know my personality, and you will know that information won't be used for evil."

"Using a commanding sentence counts as bypassing the [Liars Orb], but that's true. I will accept this request, but you must tell me if your brain starts to ich."

Ominous. I nod at the dean before leaving. It's been a long day.