Alex couldn’t hold back a slight grimace at the last option listed. Harvesting human, or at least near-human, corpses was a distasteful thought. Aldrek’s powers had clearly slanted towards combining powerful body parts into one whole, but Alex had no plans of following those footsteps. His friends didn’t either.

“We’re definitely not taking that last choice,” Anthony spoke up, “A Tier 1 planet wouldn’t have anything that valuable to New Chicago, and none of us have any use for zombie bodies.”

“The fact that it’s offered implies that there’s something valuable for us to find,” Becca noted, “But I agree. Even if we could trade the treasure, I don’t want to harvest human corpses.”

Alex remembered the unbreakable bones in the boss’s body. Would he be able to Refine his own bones similarly, if he studied the arm? His understanding of the human body was weak enough that he would need all of the Guidance the Trialbringer could offer to pull something like that off.

Without specialized tools, he wouldn’t even be able to detach the special arm.

“The Area Baptism is clearly the strongest option I have offered,” Anthony said, “But I assume that’s because rewards are weighted toward Jess and Alex.”

“The best individual reward for me is an Embryonic Soul Sword,” Alex agreed, “I could also get a boost of two points to every attribute or a Greater Mana Guidance, but I should be able to stack lesser versions of those rewards in Hard Mode trials.”

The attribute boost was definitely the largest immediate power-up, but it had by far the worst long-term yield. Eighteen attributes sounded incredible, but once Alex reached Tier 1 he should be getting nearly that every level. Tier 1 Hard Mode trials were also likely to offer attributes, so why bother?

Greater Mana Guidance was discarded for similar reasons. While there wasn’t really such a thing as too much Guidance, Alex felt that diminishing returns would start to kick in eventually. After reaching Tier 1, he would have two more Grand Mana Guidances to help him master his new mana type. Using Greater Guidance to set those foundations might let him use Grand Guidance to pursue a second mana type, but at that point, his Capacity problems might start to return.

Even with those mitigating factors, he only discarded the idea because a Soul Sword was so much more interesting.

“If your best option is a Soul Sword we’re taking the Area Baptism,” Jess stated. Her voice didn’t offer much room for argument.

Alex hesitated a bit, “I also have the option to take a complete blueprint for a Soul Aperture that fits my new mana type.” He admitted.

“You have a new mana type?” Becca asked. She didn’t sound particularly congratulatory.

“I managed it while Drifting,” Alex explained, “Took some power from Inspire and made something that fits me better. It’s called Refine, but I’m not quite sure what it does yet.”

Jess nodded, “That’s tempting. A guaranteed Mythic tier-up.”

When reaching Tier 1, the power of the Tier Baptism would be decided by the level of your Mana Body. This meant extra attributes, including the normally elusive Connection. It was why most people chased Rare Bodies before they tiered up. The additional five points to all attributes let you reach ten points of Connection with either a Rare Tier 0 Achievement or an Uncommon Tier 1 Achievement.

“I should be able to manage with just my Body Guidance,” Alex disagreed, “But the fact that this is even offered means it is more difficult than I’m thinking.”

“You already managed to form physical veins,” Becca stated, “You can create an aperture.”

Her tone felt a bit off to Alex, but he chalked it up to exhaustion. Either that or the emotional strain of needing to keep things together after losing Muhammad.

“It’s not worth it anyway,” Alex stated, “Guaranteeing that I get a Mythic tier-up isn’t as important as helping the rest of you. A Soul Sword sounds really cool, but it isn’t worth losing that opportunity.”

Anthony winced, “Are you sure? I know how much a Soul Sword means to you.”

Alex noticed that Jess’s severe facade cracked a little at Anthony’s statement, which he appreciated. Ever since they’d first learned about Chester Lemming’s Soul Spear, Alex had declared that he’d get his own soulbound weapon. He had never imagined that it would even be offered in a Tier 0 trial, so his focus had been elsewhere in recent weeks, but having the opportunity in front of him was definitely tempting.

“It’s only Uncommon,” Alex sighed, “I’m sure I’ll be able to get another in the future.”

“I shouldn’t have dismissed it so quickly,” Jess stated, “If it's important to you, then you should take it.”

Becca nodded, “We don’t know all of the details, but I’m sure you can upgrade it.”

“I won’t even be able to bind it,” Alex reasoned, “I’m sure it’ll be powerful, and I’ll be able to design Abilities, but until I reach Tier 2 it won’t be able to exhibit its full power.”

“Why not?” Becca asked.

“Chester’s Soul Spear is so impressive because it has one of his apertures, maybe more,” Alex explained, “At Tier 1, you can only open one aperture. Putting it in a sword would be a waste.”

“It might not be, with your new mana type,” Becca pointed out.

“Becca, I’m not taking it,” Alex stated, “Jess was right. We’re taking the Area Baptism.”

“I don’t want you to have to give up…”

“Well I am giving it up,” Alex said, “If you don’t get a mana type, you’ll be stuck with a Rare Mana Body. This Baptism is your last real chance.”

“It’s not a guarantee, though,” Becca disagreed, “This sword is a guaranteed boost to your power.”

“You still have a Mana Guidance, right?” Alex asked, “The Area Baptism should be equivalent to a standard Mana Baptism. It will be enough when you put the two together.”

Becca nodded, “If you’re sure.”

“Mana Baptisms are hard to describe,” Alex stated, “It changes your perspective, to have your synchronization with your soul improved like that. You’ll want to focus on formative experiences, moments that stick out as important in your memories. The synchronization should help you form a mana type using those feelings.”

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Anthony nodded, “That’s a good way to describe it. The soul doesn’t experience life in the way your body does. Using increased synchronization to put your soul through those experiences should help, but it will probably push any mana type you gain towards the abstract.”

Becca and Jess both nodded, clearly hanging off every word.

“You got Restore with a more hands-on method. How would I get a more direct mana type?” Jess asked.

“Well, I was focused on what my dad’s mana was actually doing. Trying to learn from the experience,” Anthony reasoned, “You guys don’t really have the same opportunity.”

“Most mana types are straightforward like Restore,” Becca reasoned, “That should be easier.”

“Following in Alex’s footsteps is easier because you can listen to his advice and try to do what he did,” Anthony disagreed.

“You and Alex both got mana types by following the example of a higher tier Pathwalker’s mana type,” Jess disagreed, “Becca and I are starting from scratch, so I don’t think it’s replicable.”

“You’re probably right,” Alex admitted, “Refine comes from my own life, but Inspire helped somehow.”

“It’s still worth a try,” Becca shrugged, “You said that the Baptism makes a big difference, and I trust you.”

Alex smiled at that and nodded. With how awkward things had felt between them for the past few days, the reminder was good to hear.

“Even if you don’t get mana types it will be useful,” Anthony stated, “The worst case is that we get some attributes.”

“More Connection will be good,” Becca agreed. Jess just nodded.

“We should spend a few minutes getting in the right mindset,” Jess declared, “Rushing will only hurt our chances.”

“Is there a right mindset?” Becca asked, “Trying to calm down and focus might be counterproductive. Let’s just do it.”

Jess didn’t argue, so the group each went into the rewards options and selected the Area Baptism. Immediately, the mana descended. Alex opened his status to see his new attributes.

Name: Alex Moore

Level: 9 (Tier 0)

Mana Body Quality: Legendary

Mana Type: Inspire (Uncommon); Refine (Uncommon)

Achievement: Tier 0 - Unique (Realm)

Attributes:

Strength: 33 - Power: 30

Agility: 33- Speed: 30

Perception: 32 - Sensitivity: 30

Toughness: 32 - Durability: 30

Capacity: 51 - Connection: 139

Abilities:

Enhancements:

Notifications:

“You were right,” Becca stated, “This is really weird.” The words interrupted Alex’s thoughts about his new status page, which included a few important questions. Why was his Connection so high? Why was Refine starting as Uncommon?

“Trigger the Mana Guidance,” Jess reminded her, “We only have a few minutes,”

Becca nodded, her eyes staring into the distance for a second as she did so. Immediately, her gaze shifted to the trees surrounding the clearing.

“Alex, can you cut off a few branches for me?”

They were on a time crunch, so Alex didn’t bother arguing. Lumberjacking with a sword wasn’t ideal, but Alex had a good sword and a lot of Strength. He would manage without any problems.

As he ran over to start cutting, Alex thought over his stats. An increase of fifty-five Connection was pretty easy to break down. He’d gained five points in each of his attributes from the Baptism, and fifty from his new Uncommon mana type. That wasn’t necessarily unexpected, but it seemed surprisingly… unproblematic.

His mana sink had run out, but he was still doing fine. Clearly, that was a result of his aura continuing to eject mana before it could cause any problems.

He was mainly surprised to see that none of the Connection granted by Inspire had gone away. The mana type had deteriorated down to an Uncommon, but he still received the full Connection.

The Stirlings had been pretty confident that the Connection would leave with the mana type, making his new situation a bit of a surprising one. The Stirlings had no experience with his situation, but it was still a surprise that they were wrong. Was Connection permanent? In hindsight, it did seem like it would be a bit weird for his soul and body to grow less connected. How would that work?

Inspire would degrade to Common and then vanish entirely over the next few days, making his aura ineffective. What would he do to survive the amount of mana flowing through his body then?

These thoughts flew through his head as he reached the trees and jumped to a lower branch easily. He started to cut off a few thinner branches immediately.

The answer to his problem came to him as he worked. His new mana type was all about Refining himself. He should be able to use that to solve the problem. He could tell that part of this plan came from his Grand Mana Guidance. He had shaken off the mindset it instilled in him in order to fight, but it was still ongoing. The control of Inspire granted by the Guidance was prodding him towards something, he just had to figure out what.

Alex returned to the group, finding Jess and Becca both sitting in meditative positions. Becca heard his approach and opened her eyes, “Put the sticks in a pile in front of me.”

Alex obliged, starting to see where she was going with this. A small amount of fuel sat in a container next to her, ready to create a fire.

Becca immediately used it, starting a gasoline-powered fire hardly a foot in front of her with a small flame that she conjured. Alex smiled a bit as he noticed the fuel proving useful. All that planning might’ve gone to waste for the fight, but he could tell that this wood wouldn’t burn easily. It was freshly cut off a live tree and had the vibrance of a plant that had absorbed a small amount of mana from its surroundings.

Dead leaves might’ve been able to fix the problem, but gasoline worked just fine.

Soon a fire was blazing, and if Becca wasn’t a level nine herself she wouldn’t have been able to sit so close to the flame.

Trusting that Anthony would be able to handle it if Becca hurt herself, Alex dove back into figuring out what his Guidance was telling him.

The focus of the Guidance had been broad, but it was still focused on Inspire. The fact that it was pushing him towards using Refine was odd. How did that fit?

He tried to feel out his new mana type. It was a novel sensation, completely different from how Inspire reacted to his nudges. Alex got the sense that it could be used to Refine his body, as he expected, but wasn’t strong enough to do so by itself.

He wouldn’t be able to create an Enhancement or Ability that steadily ticked up his numbers. The idea was intriguing, but he wasn’t overly disappointed when he came to that realization. He wasn’t interested in sitting around growing stronger without doing anything.

There needed to be a catalyst. Something that he could take power from and funnel into himself.

Understanding of what his Guidance was trying to push him towards clicked, and a grin spread across Alex’s face.

Inspire had proven quite useful in the end but the beginning of Alex’s interaction with the mana had soured things beyond repair. Even if the mana wasn’t already on its last legs, Alex would’ve felt no remorse about taking the power for his own.

He reached out, just as he had during the fight with Aldrek, but this time he wasn’t trying to hold Inspire together.

Alex’s surroundings were suddenly gone as he entered another Ethereal Drift. He pulled a piece of Inspire out of the clump resting on his soul. It entered him, and was immediately fed into Refine.

The goal was simple. He needed Capacity, this mana would be Refined into something that would improve the attribute.

Time was weird in the Ethereal Plane. Without his mind, Alex wasn’t really thinking in terms of how long something took. His focus was absolute, as he’d entered the Drift with a plan. Strip after strip of Inspire mana was fed into his soul. The Guidance helped him exert his will in a way that prevented any negative effects, he even started to Refine the Inspire mana already inside his soul.

Soon, nothing was left. With his purpose fulfilled, Alex’s Drift ended.

He opened his eyes, surprised to feel that he had fallen onto his back at some point. Just how long was he out?

He stared up and was surprised to see the figure of Mr. Stirling standing over him, the man had a concerned expression.

“Where are the others?” That was Alice- no, Mrs. Stirling’s, voice.

Alex frowned, had they not exited with him? He opened his mouth to explain they’d won.

Instead of words, he puked blood as his Mana Body rejected his new mana.