AIKA STORMHUNT POV

An overhead kick forced him to sway to the left, but instead of countering, he opted to position himself better by executing tricks. It was a good move, considering his left arm was already compromised.

I continued to pressure him with a series of rush jabs and low-kick combos. He took in some jabs and dodged the low kick at the last minute to block a spinning elbow strike with his right hand. It must have stung; I could see his stance buckling and his run was becoming slower.

He let loose a palm strike, intending to transition it into a Lap Sau (Pulling Hand). I allowed him to proceed, knowing I could counter it with a knee kick. The strike connected, and I could see his recovery becoming slower and slower.

The best move he had next was to concede his footwork and jump backward to dodge my axe kick. In response, I matched his jump and unleashed a front snap kick to his solar plexus, sending him crashing through the window.

Throughout the rush, I ensured his right arm remained functional enough for him to grab onto the ledge. I planned to step on his hand once he reached for it, forcing him to forfeit. Then, with all the time in the world, I could conduct a Q&A session while grinding my boots on him.

That was what should have happened. Seven moves should have done it. So, imagine my surprise when he blocked it with his right arm, rendering it broken. We were on the 5th floor. Did he have a death wish?

A second before he fell from the window, an object dropped down and allowed him to jump on it and recover his balance. Was that an AC unit?

Haha, I was right on the money then. The guy has been sneakily using his affinities against me the entire time along with that Pathfinder. I would be daft if this much coincidence had not opened my eyes.

You asked for it, brat.

My pupils narrowed to a vertical line as the surroundings came to a halt. A state of complete relaxation enveloped my body as if I were turning into “liquid,” yet my mind sharpened with each passing moment. Suddenly, the ground behind me burst as I reached my top speed in an instant, unleashing a slicing kick into empty air.

[FANG – Curved Tooth]

CRACK-BANG!

One moment, the brat was jumping over to the next building, and the next, he was already there, accompanied by a large gash on the side of the building, as if a giant single-toothed beast had taken a bite out of the concrete structure.

I made sure to shoot him through a window, so he should be okay. Probably.

I leisurely jumped over to the giant hole in the building and walked over to the downed magician surrounded by rubble. I must admit, after all the things he had done and shown me, he was truly a magician in a sense.

Advanced mastery of a move set? No.

The cheeky brat displayed a semblance of FANG’s inertia manipulation during his first overhead kick onto my Pathfinder, THORN’s constitution to absorb the impact of knee clash and Moon Drop, TIME’s perception dilation when I feinted a back kick, and finally, GEM’s calculation throughout our entire rondo by relaying his thoughts and synchronizing his moves with his pathfinder.

Affinities are innate abilities accessible to all intelligent beings. While awakening them is a separate challenge, their impact can be noticed early by observant individuals. For instance, those with an inherent THORN affinity exhibit heightened constitution and pain tolerance from childhood. Once awakened, they become formidable shields, enduring punishment to the extent of surviving direct hits from kinetic projectiles.

Then there's GEM. Many players aiming for the Diva role in the team often gravitate towards this affinity. GEM grants users the ability to control vibration and, crucially, perform complex calculations mentally. In other words, once awakened, their brains function like computers. However, they must transmit data through mediums such as singing and manipulate their voice output with vibration.

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The million-credit question was: how did he perform a mind resonance with the pathfinder when I didn’t hear him sing at all? Initially, I thought he was just a crazy guy who began as a GEM user, then decided to become a jack-of-all-trades, dabbling in various affinities.

Well, there’s only one likely answer to that. And no, it’s not something as ridiculous as a Diva who specializes in ventriloquism. If he is not singing and yet able to synchronize his movements to the Pathfinder at such a level, then my immediate conclusion will automatically gravitate toward the fact that it is another matter entirely aside from affinities.

To think I’d meet a fabled existence in this dingy district scuffle. My grin widened.

“A Technomancer.”

“Shouldn’t you start by asking me if I’m still alive or not? Cough Cough.”

Tch. Grow a pair. I didn’t hit you that hard. A Curved Tooth isn’t meant for a ranged target anyway.

Unlike the conventional team roles like Pathfinders and Divas, which are just names used in SpeedGear sports, Technomancers are a rare and unique breed of individuals who follow a divergent path to power.

Their most notable ability lies in their capacity to access technologies remotely with just a thought. It is said that they can project the operating system of targeted hardware into their mindscape and manipulate it from there. Technomancers are also fast learners capable of true parallel thought processing, which could explain why he displayed a decent mastery over more than three affinities.

There's a rumor circulating that Technomancer abilities are simply a progression beyond those of GEM users, suggesting they should be classified as another type of affinity. However, historical records from some time ago documented a Technomancer with an affinity to TIME, challenging the accuracy of this information.

This guy must have performed a calculation with GEM, and then transmitted it into the Pathfinder’s Glasses UI with Technomancy, rather than vocalizing it aloud.

However, I do feel a bit curious regarding his capacity as a Technomancer. Why did he not simply hack my gears? Can a Technomancer not do that?

“Yes, I can, in case you are wondering. Cough.”

He didn’t, so I assumed the cost outweighed the benefit. Even if he hacked my gear, I could just punch him while he was doing his calculation thingy. After all, it’s easier to work with what you own than constantly decrypting other people’s gear while running.

A small movement on the side caught my eye. It’s the Pathfinder girl trying to slink around the room aiming at my blind spot. Hooo, a Beast Tech, that’s adorable.

Such a cute little cat, I licked my lips and cracked my hand, wanting to pet her. She flinched and stepped backward a dozen meters.

That’s the quickest I’ve seen from her yet. My outstretched hand feels lonely.

The magician cleared his throat. “I’ve shown you all of my cards, but what about you, Miss Stormhunt?”

“What about me?”

“You’re a titled Raider, yet you’re not even ranked. It’s certainly not due to any lack of capability on your part. I bet if you walked into a random A-ranked guild right now, you could turn them upside down on your own. The question is, why didn’t you? ….. Get a rank I mean?”

“...” He wasn’t wrong; I could join a league right now and earn a rank of my own. But—

“The measures set by those people no longer interest you, do they? Because you’re chasing after something far greater than that.”

I narrowed my eyes. He knows something. I can’t help but think that the entire encounter has been set up by him from the moment he challenged Zephyr. Is that idiot captain in on this?

The Pathfinder even set up a sound concealment jammer.

“March 26th. Of the 16 squads and 3 battalions deployed for the Tower of Emperium exploration mission, three people made it back. You are one among the few who managed to escape, nay, be spared by him. A Myth wielder possessing unparalleled mastery over STORM Affinity, brandishing an ancient artifact from a forgotten era:

The Storm Arcanum.”

My eyes widened in realization. So, it’s true. Back then, I wasn’t merely imagining things. It wasn’t just a freak storm of nature, but the work of an Arcanum user. A myth wielder.

“Yet, rather than seeking solace and recovery from your traumatic experience, you chose to pursue greater strength and are now plotting to return. To hunt the storm, as it were. Hence, earning yourself the title Stormhunt.”

So, it’s not my imagination! He exists! Arcanum exists! I’m ecstatic—this is the happiest I’ve ever been. And he’s mortal. If he’s mortal, that means I can smash his face in!

I chuckled heartily.

“Well, that’s creepy. Anyway, what say you to a collaboration?”

I glanced at him, mulling over the idea for a moment. Collaborating with a fabled entity, albeit a bit shrewd. If the rumors from the deep web held any truth, then I might as well be standing over a veritable library of information. Who knows what else he’s hacked and accessed illegally?

Then there’s me and my FANG. I don’t see much downside to this. If he plans on double-crossing me, I can just bash his head in.

“How long have you been running?”

“A year or so.”

Hoh. A genius indeed. But I couldn’t care less. If he wants to be useful to me, he needs to become far more powerful than this. I extended a hand for him to grab onto and pulled him up.

“Get stronger. Faster. Or I will whip you to shape myself.”

“I hope you don’t mean that literally.”

With that, the Ramp Rebel declared defeat by forfeit. I had no intention of sticking around for the post-match interview. Those four could handle it. So, we separated, and I headed back to the guild.

Well, today has been quite fruitful. However, all that talk made me lightheaded. I need to consume my vanilla chocolate, preferably while strangling that idiot captain.

Oh, before that, I need to apologize to my little brother for ruining his credit bet. He must be furious, I reckon. I should bring him some ice cream.