I looked at my complete set of skills in wonder.

Racial Evolutions

Speed - Use Skill Books.

Recovery - Hunters Pack Spatial Storage

Power - Bonus to the Spirit Attribute

Sharpen [Speed attribute] Level 1

* Razor Sharp. Level 4

* Iron rank: Sharpens any cutting or piercing object to a razor edge. Bonus penetration and cutting through material up to Iron Rank. Cost mana, Varies.

* Resistant Fur {Hair Stone} Level 3

* Iron Rank: Fur becomes resistant to cutting and piercing.

* Pierce {Hand stone} Special Attack Level 2

* Iron Rank: Use melee weapons in a piercing strike to penetrate, especially through armour.

* Quick Sharp {Flick Stone} Level 2

* Iron Rank: Boost movement speed for high mana/sec cost.

* Cutting Web {Web stone} Level 1

* Iron Rank: Produce strands of thin, sharp web. This is hard to see, but it has iron-rank strength. Designed for cutting. Low Mana

Hunt [Spirit attribute] Level 1

* Senses of the Hunter [Perception]. Level 4

* Iron Rank: Improves Sight, xxxxxx senses.

* Hunter’s Step {Foot stone} Level 3

* Iron Rank: Move swiftly, lightly and quietly through the terrain. Muffles movement noise. Cost low mana/sec.

* Hunters Feast {Feast Stone} Level 3

* Iron Rank: Consume what you kill or harvest to replenish health, mana and Stamina.

* Blend {Chameleon Stone} Level 2

* Iron Rank: Changes skin and fur to blend in with surroundings. Changes are slow, restricting movement. Low mana/sec

* Hunters Tether {Trap Stone} Level 1

* Iron Rank: Create a rod that sends out tethers, restricting movement and stopping stealth. The tether rod binds enemies, dragging them to the centre, and explodes if destroyed.

Plant [Recovery] Level 1

* Blood Root Vine Summons - Ardisia Level 2

* Iron Rank: Summon a Blood Root vine. Resides in the skin may produce thorns from the skin. When it manifests, it entraps with piercing and bleeding effects. Feeds on blood to heal. Can move through the ground as roots emerge and entrap. Can’t move through non-earth or non-plant material.

* Tranquil Garden {Divine Stone of Peace} Level 3

* Iron Rank: A small garden in a dimensional pocket. Increased growth rate. Summons can enter and heal.

* Shield {wood stone} Level 2

* Iron Rank: Create solid wooden shields of various sizes at the current Rank.

* Resin {Pine Sap Stone} Level 1

* Iron Rank: Create and manipulate a sticky resin that hardens over time. Hardening can be sped up or slowed to a small degree. Hardening control improves with level, as does volume and manipulation. Manipulation is more difficult the harder it is. Resistant to impact, water and corrosion, weak to heat and light.

* Mighty Oak {Mighty Stone} Level 1

* Iron Rank: The power of the oak increases Strength - High Mana/sec

Reaper [Power] Level 1

* Reapers Aura Level 4

* Iron Rank: Increases allies' Spirit attribute in aura range, Increasing perception and judgment. Helps keep a calm mind.

* Devourer Rat Summons (Kai) {feast stone} Level 3

* Iron Rank: Summon four devourer rats. Chew and claw through any material of the same rank or less given time. Absorbed in summoners' claws and teeth, strengthening them. And enabling them to boost them up a level. Can breed to replenish numbers over a week.

* Rend {Claw Stone} Special Attack Level 2

* Iron Rank: Use claws to rip open things. Claws reach beyond the physical to rend the incorporeal.

* Reaping Magic {Reaping Stone} Level 1

* Iron Rank: Collect the magic from recently killed monsters to form relevant natural objects. Magic will dissipate quickly. The amount collected depends on the Level and Spirit Attribute.

* Reaping Power {Preparation Stone} Level 1

* Iron Rank: Damage caused by using weapons created or enhanced by a Skill creates the Blessing of the Reaper - Boon, Stacking up to a limit defined by Spirit attribute.

Blessing of the Reaper -

* Iron Rank: Syphon a small amount of health from the one damaged to create instances of the blessing. Bestow the blessings on a skill to increase its power, proportional to the instances used.

I added the level to the essence as it would take the same level as the lowest skill under it. Once the essences reached ten, the attribute transitioned to bronze rank. When all my attributes went to bronze, then so would I.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Preparation for the Astral Space incursion started a month ahead of time with the formation of teams. Teams had to be finalised two weeks in advance, and then the professor would assign a Bronze Rank senior student to lead the group. This senior was in charge of preparation and training and would join us in the final two Mirage Chamber exercises, which would simulate parts of the Astral Space.

I think Val wanted to group with Akemi and me but was pressured to join a more prominent team. This upset Akemi more than myself, but I joined Akemi, and we looked for other members to join us. Akemi was a competent Hydromancer and now had some healing ability, which added to the possibility of people joining us. There were only four full healers in our year, and they were in demand. Several others had some healing skills of various types, like Akemi.

Because the teams had been mixed throughout the year, everybody had some idea of everybody else’s skills and, more importantly, their competency. Nobody here was grossly incompetent, but there were those who were more competent than others. The competent people found it easy to find groups.

That left the less competent and less confident, as well as the less socially acceptable. I fell into the last category. Akemi was competent enough, but she was not confident or socially prominent.

In the mirage exercises, I took scouting roles, and my traps were well-known. They were not a set of skills that were in demand for teams. Plus, of course, there were lingering rumours of my lack of competence and bravery. I was proud only to have two deaths on record. Most people had three, and a few teetered on the edge with four.

One of those people teetering on the edge of failing was Nassor. He also had a tendency to speak his mind and be fairly crude at times. Akemi and I recruited him as a good melee fighter. Nassor, Akemi, and I could all deal damage. What we really needed was a defender. They had all been snapped up into groups, their demand only slightly below that of the Healer.

To a certain extent, I could fulfil the role, but I didn’t have the armour or damage-reduction skills that a normal defender did. I would be a poor defender.

There needed to be at least four in a group, so we needed to find at least one other. I looked around at those whom the groups had not chosen or couldn’t squeeze into one. They were also some of the ones I helped in the obstacle course, and I gathered them both up. We would be known as the weakest group, the leftovers, or the outcasts, if you will.

I wasn’t fussed at that, although I think Nassor was not very happy. This meant we had a very mismatched group, and I ended up as the defacto leader.

We had a meeting to get to know each other.

Akemi was a specialised Hyrdomancer with a myriad of water spells. Through her magic essence, she could also use wands and magic tools. She had Magic, Water, Adept, and the Hydromancer confluence.

Saskia was her elf friend who also had water essence; however, she had water, fire, and light, which led to the Mirage confluence. She had movement skills from both her water and light essences. Her Light Speed was a short-range teleport, but the mana use meant she could not use it much at all yet. She was certainly more versatile than Akemi, although Akemi had supporting mana regeneration skills.

Nassor, of course, was the Swift, Hand, Polearm and Master essences. His Swift and Master essences gave him dodging skills but no real defence skills.

Melor was the final member. He was a human, like Nassor, but considerably smaller. He had a crafting set of essences, including the Cloth, Needle, Adept, and Master Essences. His Adept Essence gave him telekinesis, and he was very adept at manipulating small objects like needles.

What I discovered was that they all had one skill, which was a big finisher at a high cost. Akemi had her Power Cut, Nassor had Unstoppable Strike, and Saskia had Exploding Fire. Melor was a bit different with his Blanket Suppression, which slowed everything in an area and suppressed their senses briefly. I didn’t seem to have that. My new Mighty Oak strength increase could do that, especially combined with Quick Sharp and some Blessings of the Reaper, but I didn’t think it was the same. I had to combine three or four skills. They only had to do one.

We were a real mixed bag of leftovers, and it didn’t matter. We weren’t here to be at the top of anything. We were here to learn and grow. The leaderboards can be left to others.

In terms of roles, Nassor and I would have to protect our soft backline. Melor was fine with making everybody new cloth armour as he could add a number of resistances, and the ladies took him up on that. If they wanted fancy material, they would have to supply it.

“The biggest thing we have to do is not die,” I said again.

“I second that,” Nassor said as he was the only one here on his last life. Melor and Akemi were on three, and Saskia had only died twice, like me. She had a lot more movement skills that helped.

“What we should be looking at is equipment to bolster our survivability,” I continued. “Akemi, you can use wands. Can you get a shield wand or something similar? I don’t know how expensive they are, but we also need potions for the astral space, so we need to save our coin for that.”

“It is expensive, but I will see what I can do,” she replied.

“Nassor. Melor might be able to make you a shirt with resistances to fit under your armour.”

“Hey, I never thought of that!” Nassor said, “Can you do that, mate?”

Melor nodded. He was a quiet lad.

“This is all going to take time, so that is why we need to start now,” I said.

“What about you? You could wear a shirt, Theo,” Akemi said,

“Unfortunately, it would interfere with my camouflage skill, and I think I need that more,” I said.

“I could make you some shorts, though,” Melor said. I guess he was keen as it increased his skills. “You could also carry a shirt and armour and put it on when you don’t need to scout.”

I nodded, “Thanks. That is a good point. I could put on a shirt and trousers at times if it is a stand-up fight. We do want to avoid stand-up fights as we don’t have a defender. Everybody is going to need to practice moving quietly and keeping your aura controlled.” Melor and Nassor both made faces at that. Neither were great with their auras. “Don’t forget I have a storage area, and I can carry non-urgent things. I am sure we will be told more soon, so if anyone thinks of anything else, just let us know.”

We broke up. I am thinking how difficult it is going to be to keep everybody alive against bronze-rank monsters. I hope our Bronze-ranker is good.