Chapter 244 - 242
Chapter 242
It didn’t take long for the Aspirants to make it back to the dorms, with Ray, Van, and Kai departing toward their shared room.
The squad separated immediately upon entry.
Fortunately, the two boys weren’t too severely injured, so Ray promised to attend to their wounds once they were behind closed doors.
The others, burdened with more troublesome injuries, headed straight to the infirmary to be examined by the nurse—with the sole exception of Felix.
Upon reaching their quarters, Ray immediately tended to his friends’ injuries before collapsing onto his mattress in a state of profound exhaustion.
His transformation had taken a grueling toll on him, making his limbs feel as heavy as lead.
’I wonder when I will be able to transform without Bruce’s help. Hopefully, that day isn’t too far off so I don’t have to rely on that annoying werewolf before I face a more grievous threat like... the Aberrants,’ he thought, his teeth gritting together as he recalled those ape-like bastards.
Most especially, he thought of a specific one.
The very monster that had crushed his mother in its massive, callous hands.
’... I will still crush you in my own grip. Mark my words,’ he snarled inwardly, a wave of cold anger washing over him.
He stared fixedly at the ceiling, a twisted, dark expression marring his youthful features.
Across the room, Van was already on his bed, snoring loudly.
For the first time in ages, he was actually sleeping.
Usually, he would sacrifice his rest for more time spent tinkering with one invention or another, but now, he was out cold.
It was a testament to how drained they truly were.
Kai was still in the bathroom, whistling a melody that was simultaneously annoying and hauntingly beautiful.
’Handsome... good voice, strong, tall, and charismatic. Tch! What a perfect poster boy. If this were the times of old, he would have been in a band driving girls crazy.’
Sitting upright, Ray glanced toward the mirror on his wardrobe.
His reflection stared back at him: long, silver-white hair, a face that was almost pale, and dark, gloomy grey eyes that seemed to carry a weight and fury far beyond his years.
He had lean muscles that showed the promise of something destructive given enough time.
Within his five and a half months in the Corps, the boy had transformed into someone entirely different... someone angrier... someone more deadly.
He was no longer the happy, sheltered child of a few months ago.
Letting out a deep breath, he collapsed back onto the sheets.
"Six more months before we’re done with the Aspirant Corps," he whispered, the words intended more for himself than anyone else.
His eyes gleamed dangerously in the dim light.
"... Six more months before I join the Vanguard Order and ensure every Aberrant is slain. I know Van; he’ll likely choose the Iron Corps since it’s safer..."
Thinking of the Iron Corps caused a specific image to flash before his eyes.
"Uncle Han..." he breathed out, his eyes suddenly glistening with unshed tears.
He sat up sharply, running his hands through his hair.
"Is... is he okay? I don’t even know what happened to him after he left me on that train to Wall Steel. Did—did he escape?"
A much darker thought began to take root in his mind.
’What if he—no, no, no! I need to find out the truth. But how?’ He buried his face in his palms, lost in a maze of confusion and grief.
That was when the sound of rushing water in the bathroom finally ceased.
A minute later, Kai stepped out, letting out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Ah... that should take care of the dirt and blood that was clinging to me. I feel refreshed." He paused mid-sentence as he spotted Ray with his head buried in his hands.
"Huh? Any problem?"
Ray shook his head before slumping back into his bed. "No. Was just thinking."
Dabbing his face with a towel while looking into the mirror, Kai uttered,
"Let me guess. Thinking of how to kill Berg? Or is it the Aberrants?"
Ray thought for a second before replying flatly, "Both."
"Hm. Figured," Kai breathed out, tossing the towel aside.
Grabbing a fresh set of uniforms, he slid them on and fastened the buttons.
"Just don’t do anything rash," Kai warned as he headed toward the door.
"And where are you headed?" Ray questioned, lifting a brow.
Kai smiled, his face suddenly turning more radiant, causing the Tribrid to squint slightly at the sheer charisma.
’Too beautiful... fuck this!’
"You will see." He smirked before walking out the door with a final thought.
’You will all see...’
Ray stared at the closing door with a blank look on his face.
He blinked for a second or so before shaking his head, trying to clear the image of Kai’s radiant grin, and pulled up his system screen.
"Now... let’s see the two new bloodline skills I got."
[Bloodline Skills]
[Two new skills added]
[Name: Static Shroud (Passive)]
[Description: This skill allows the user to create a defensive, "reactive" aura of electricity spanning one metre around them.
This field will keep enemies at bay and paralyze them the moment they land a hit on the user.]
[Cost: 15 MF for ten minutes of activity.]
’Fifteen mf? That’s a steep price, but it’s undeniably useful. I think the Minotaur utilized something similar during our battle,’ Ray pondered.
Refusing to dwell on the matter for too long, he turned his attention toward the second skill.
[Name: Holy Blast Orb]
[Description: Launch a holy orb that triggers a one-metre blast in all directions upon impact, dealing pure light damage that can incinerate foes.]
[Cost: 10 Energy]
’Yikes! This is the first bloodline skill that costs this much energy. Oh well, it doesn’t look half bad.’
Tring—!
[Skill: Halo Veil has evolved]
’Hmm?’
[Halo Veil >>> Halo of Protection]
[New Description: This skill creates a spherical barrier of light one and a half metres in diameter around the user. This shield provides complete protection from a wide range of attacks unless they are overwhelmingly powerful.]
[Cost: 20 Energy.]
’Sheesh. That’s quite a cost,’ Ray noted, his eyes widening at the energy requirement.