Recruitment [2]

I had most of the puzzle pieces for the Azure Dragon skills and figuring out how they matched up wasn't as hard as it probably should've been. They were a long forgotten martial art after everything was said and done, so I expected it to be difficult to piece together, but it really wasn't.

Now, it totally would've been obnoxious to learn it without the ability to absorb all the information in one fell swoop, but I didn't have to face that so….

I bent down, steadying myself as I saw Manami look up to me. She was sitting down and seemingly jotting some notes, but I didn't pay her much mind. I wanted to try something out first.

Using Azure Dragon's Flight, I launched off the ground towards the closest tree and activating Talons of the Azure Dragon and Power Strike, I slammed my first into the trunk of the tree, hearing it creak under my power. I took both of my hands and sank my fingers into the tree, taking my feet to the tree and pulling as hard as I could, tearing out two chunks of the tree. I leapt back, grinning at my three astonishing new notifications.

[Due to a special action, you have created a new skill. Skill: Crush.]

[Due to a special action, you have created a new skill. Skill: Tear.]

[Due to a special action, you have created a new skill. Skill: Slam.]

The new skills filled me with interest and before I knew it, I was charging towards the same tree again. With the power of Talons, Power Strike, and Slam, I shoved my fists into the trunk of the tree, and with Crush and Tear I tore the trunk open in one fell swoop, causing the tree to tumble over.

I Flew from my spot, causing a new notification to appear before me.

[Due to a special action, you have created a new skill. Skill: Leap.]

I ignored the notification and repeated my action from only a few moments prior, tearing a tree up and Leaping to the next one before the second could even begin falling. I tore the trunk of the next one out without a bit of hesitation, then another, and another.

At the last one, I Slammed my open fingers into the ground, making sure I had a firm grasp on it as I swung my leg up into the air and into the falling upper half of the tree. With the power of my leg and some Electromagnetic pulses, the tree flew into the base of another tree, the vibrant green leaves of the tree flying into the air.

I flipped around and tried leaping to a seventh tree, but I almost fell on my face instead of actually moving as I wished my body to.

Trees fell all around as the environmental damage I dealt began to settle in. I slowly got up, wiping off my face.

"What the… are you sure you're not, like, a reincarnation of Seiryu? When I ran simulations with the info I collected, it looked… exactly like this," Manami whistled, causing me to let out a small chuckle.

"Heh, it's impressive alright. Still, I couldn't use that for any more than a few seconds. Pro-heroes show this much strength every day," I shrugged, but I couldn't stop myself from feeling absolutely ecstatic.

My heart was nearly beating out of my chest. This was a power that I once wouldn't have ever dreamed of having, and yet now, I had it at my fingertips. It was almost intoxicating to be entirely honest.

Seiryu could use this power consistently. I had no idea how, but I knew that it was possible. If that was the case, then I'd do it too. Whether it took me ten months or ten years, I'd do it.

I'd be a hero with this power for sure. There were no doubts about it.

"Manami, I can get us an additional ally, but I need to be stronger to do so. While I do that, I need several things from you. First, I need you to bring as many skill books here as possible. Anything over computers, make-up, disguises, and Quirks can be really useful. Don't spend too much money, but if you can it'll help us out in the end. Any info you have over scheduling with the Ultraphone would be great as well. Knowing who we have a chance of running into could help us avoid any major encounters," I noted, nodding to myself.

Manami nodded.

Ah, before I could become a hero, I'd have to become a villain.

-----

I trained two days straight, training my body and skills together, meditating anytime my MP had dropped to zero. An additional benefit of meditating was the permanent increase of my MP.

Manami had come and dropped books off, but because I was training, we didn't exchange greetings or anything. She was also on lookout for any heroes, which gladfully hadn't arrived even with the knocked over trees from my training.

I wanted to be doing more, but this was all I could do for now.

The training was tedious at first. Going full strength and knocking down trees wasn't convenient or awarding in the long run. Chances are, heroes would show up and I could lose Dabi as an ally, if I didn't get straight up caught.

Due to the disturbingly high upkeep of some of my skills, I had to spend some time to make sure I could keep them actively on at all.

With Azure Dragon's Scales, Azure Dragon's Dash, and Electricity Manipulation, my MP was constantly facing a disturbing 260 MP per minute drain. The problem was, I didn't want to cut back on either one of the skills.

They were my most valuable skills for different reasons. Scales was my only active defense that I had and if things came to a fight, I wouldn't mind being a tad bit more defensive than not. Electricity Manipulation was something more… versatile, which is why it costs much more than Scales.

[Electricity Manipulation (Active) Lv. 1 | MP: 50]

Supposedly, the first being with an electricity Quirk was a normal being for their entire life. However, upon facing a situation where they needed something far deeper than speed, or power, or even money, they became pure energy. Electricity surged through their veins, and they could do what they could only once dream of. What they did with this newfound power has been lost to history.

The depth of these abilities lie entirely on the knowledge of the user.

Various uses may cost more MP to use.

For another additional 150 MP per minute, specific skills can be used without an additional cost.

The initial cost of Electricity Manipulation was more than Scales, and the additional costs only drained my MP more, but it would be worth it in the end.

I simply kept both skills on and meditated, slowly raising their levels and overall efficiency.

After the first day of maintaining the two skills straight, I'd dropped their MP per minute from 240 to 180. Still high, but more manageable.

With that, I'd be able to maintain them for about 21 minutes, which was good, but that time dropped dramatically when other skills were added.

Azure Dragon's Flight and Talons were a bunch of MP to effectively use all on their own. Power Strike, Fling, Crush, Tear, Slam, and Leap were all less costly on their own, but often needed to be put together to be worth using, so they became fairly costly as well.

That's also refusing to mention that some things with Electricity Manipulation may cost 1000 MP all on their own, but I'm going to try and avoid any large scale moves like that for now. However….

I held my finger out, pointing towards a tree and pulling energy from Electricity Manipulation towards my finger. Despite how much I tried, the energy dispersed and pulled far too much on my MP bar. I'd keep the thought in mind for later.

The second day of training was far more varied. I kept my Electricity and Scales up, but I got to move into some more complicated moves. I punched into the air, getting a feel for my speed and flexibility. Just training like this allowed my Martial Arts Mastery and Seiryu's Azure Dragon Technique to both level up, which both increased the strength and effectiveness of my martial arts.

I kept the fallen trunks of the nearby trees upright with my Pop-Off balls and I tore into them with Talons, Tear, Crush, and Power Strike. Then, I'd heal them back up and repeat the cycle. Shortly after, I'd see how long I could stay off the ground by Flying between several trees, using Pop-Off balls whenever I'd start to lose speed.

It took a lot more energy, but I reconnected the fallen trees to their respective stumps, making the forest look as if I hadn't been training for hours upon hours straight. Honestly though, I'd gained one interesting application of my Electricity Manipulation while doing it, so it was worth it in the end.

The training was long, and a few times I felt like giving up, but I pushed through in the end. After all, I think I'd be doing a lot more of it if I wanted to become a proper hero after everything blew over.

As the time when I met Dabi a few days ago approached, I checked my status screen.

My physicals had tripled compared to when I originally gained my ability, all sitting at a solid 15. They weren't incredible in any way, but to me, to grow so much in a little over two weeks made me feel satisfied. Not satisfied enough to stop but satisfied regardless.

Intelligence sat at 40, while Wisdom sat at 20. Incredible compared to an average person, but just not good enough in my eyes.

Lastly, Luck sat at a measly 5, and I intended to keep it that way, for now at least.

With 11 points to use, I needed to figure out where to put them. Because I was raising my physicals at such a good pace, I had no doubts I could get them to 25―possibly even 30―before the mission, so I felt like using my stat points on them would be a massive waste at this point. They'd grow naturally, so I wasn't worried about them.

Skipping the obvious choices, I didn't even think about Luck twice. I still didn't know what Luck meant, and I really wasn't trying to see what Luck was in the eyes of a Quirk I knew almost nothing about.

Really, it just landed between Intelligence and Wisdom.

Because I could increase Intelligence by studying, I'd normally just throw them into Wisdom, but seeing that I wouldn't be doing much schoolwork over the next month, I couldn't plan on increasing it through more natural means.

I could bring Intelligence to 51, or Wisdom to 31. The former would bring my Intelligence to the required level for Azure Dragon's Ascension, while the latter would give me more MP regeneration. Just based off those observations, I knew my answer.

I put my 11 points into Intelligence, confirming the change. After a moment, a notification I've yet to see appeared.

[Due to raising your Intelligence to 50, you have received a new skill. Skill: Mana Affinity.]

[Mana Affinity (Passive) Lv. 1]

Unknown to most, Mana affects the everyday life of the average person, hero, and villain. This skill increases the user's sensitivity and control over the odd energy.

10% increase in MP recovery speed.

5% increase in total MP amount.

5% increase in magic attack.

5% increase in magic defense.

30% increase in MP related skill effects.

Whoa. The effects of the skill kicked in immediately, and there was a lot to say about it already, but more than the skill's instant effects, the implications interested me more.

Would I get more skills upon hitting 50 with my other stats? If so, would that pattern continue to increase as I hit 100, 150, and more?

I didn't know why specifically, but somehow my Quirk could supply me with sudden boosts of strength like this, so I wonder what else that it could do that I was still unaware of.

Because of the sudden boost, I returned to an idea I had only a little bit ago.

I held my finger out towards a tree, pulling energy from Electricity Manipulation towards my finger. The energy gathered easier than earlier, totally thanks to Mana Affinity, but as I tried to let the energy fly from my finger, it entirely dissipated.

Was I not proficient enough at using mana, or was it something to do with my Electricity Manipulation? I guess I'd only know by continuing to level it up but….

Shaking my head and dismissing the notification, I pulled up my skills, curious of their overall progression in comparison to one another. As I did though, I noticed two skills I couldn't ever remember getting.

I clicked on them both, causing a few notifications to appear before me.

[Gamer's Body (Passive) Lv. Max]

Grants the user a body that acts as a body within a game would. Sleeping for eight hours will fully restore HP, MP, and any status effects.

[Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv. Max]

Allows the user to think things through calmly and logically. Allows a peaceful state of mind. Grants immunity to mental disorders and psychological status effects.

Hmm, there was several things to note.

First, these were the only skills I'd seen with Max as their levels, so I assumed they weren't going to change or grow at all. They were at their "Ultimate" form for a lack of better words.

Secondly, I'd noticed them both at one time or another. My lack of total freak-outs was a result of Gamer's Mind and my lack of physical harm when I saved Manami was a result of Gamer's Body.

Lastly, these were both absolutely OP. If Gamer's Body were as I thought, it would shield me from any harm on my body and allow me to make generally reckless moves with little to no consequences, which was amazing and terrifying.

Gamer's Mind was even scarier though, granting me the ability to be calm even in situations that may be terrifying or mentally scarring.

Most heroes retired with lost limbs, a scarred mind, or worse, but these abilities took both of those problems away.

The only negative I could see was that if I were to fight anyone, there wouldn't be any sign of my damage accumulating until my HP hits zero. That could cause some to grow discouraged, but it could cause others to only try harder.

I guess I'd cross that road when I get there.

Dismissing all the screens, I rose from my spot, stretched, and began Dashing towards Dabi's location.

The trees whizzed by as I approached the little grey dot on my map. I didn't hesitate to make myself known, but this time I was more confident of actually being able to hold a conversation.

Dabi, who was relaxed and sitting on the stump of a tree, looked up to me with a blank expression. If anything, he seemed more bored than surprised or interested. His status screen told me a different story though, telling me that he was interested, if only slightly.

"You came back after running away?" Dabi slowly rose from his spot, keeping his eyes fiercely trained on me his entire way up. "That's pathetic."

"Eh, you call it pathetic, I call it smart," I shrugged nonchalantly. "You willin' to listen yet?"

"What are you, stupid? Two days passed; there's no way that changed my opinion," Dabi sighed, massaging his temples therapeutically.

Unlike before, he's relaxed this time. I couldn't tell why, but I kept the information in mind regardless. If he was relaxed, he may be more willing to engage in conversation. Even if I didn't recruit him today, with the right information I could make things far easier for myself.

With that in mind, I leaned up against a tree that was parallel to Dabi, cracking my neck and speaking up.

"Well, you'll listen anyways, so―"

"Be quiet, or you really will die here," Dabi's words weren't empty. A cold, dark feeling was gnawing at my spine, which only proved that Sense Bloodlust was effectively working. Despite that though, I didn't back down.

I hoped the fear didn't come to my face as I sighed, taking a step forward. I really, really hoped I wasn't making the wrong move.

"Says who? The beef jerky?" I grinned with entirely faked confidence.

I saw the corners of Dabi's mouth rise ever-so slightly before his expression fell back to one filled with boredom.

"…You get five seconds for that one," Dabi allowed me to speak, probably a gift for an insult that he probably hadn't heard before.

That was entirely what I was banking on. It was absolutely 110% risky, but it seemed to be paying off.

Dabi seemed like the type to prefer insults over what would be a socially acceptable conversation, so even though we didn't know one another, this seemed like the best way to communicate, at least for now.

I didn't know what to say with a few seconds, but I had a general idea of what needed to be said, so I just went for it.

"I plan on stealing the Ultraphone and I need someone powerful like you to join us―"

"No," Dabi interrupted me, shaking his head. "I won't go on a suicide mission. Not with a weakling."

That was… promising.

"Who said I'm a weakling?" I questioned, even though I mostly agreed with Dabi's statement. Going to such a place with someone who'd only hold you back may as well of been the same thing as turning yourself into the police personally.

Dabi met my gaze with his, not backing down in the slightest. "I did, who else?"

"What if I prove―"

Sense Bloodlust warned me to move before I even knew what was happening. I Flew to the side, sparks of electricity left in my wake as I avoided an attack that I didn't even know if it was coming. In the next moment though, Dabi disappeared from his spot, outstretching his hand towards my head, blue flames lightly coating his hand.

I Flew backwards, but Dabi didn't give chase. Once his hand hit air, he looked at the spot where I once stood before looking up to me with serious eyes.

"That proves it," Disappointment coated his words, as if he'd tested me but I still failed. "Bring somebody stronger and then I'll think about it for ten seconds before rejecting it."

I grinned, but this time it was filled with genuine excitement.

"Alright, but don't be shocked when you eat your words!" I didn't wait to Fly from my spot, travelling quickly to my training spot and taking a relaxing deep breath.

Dabi didn't follow me, and I didn't think he would. He was more nonchalant than that, so I didn't fret about it.

My plan worked. I couldn't get Dabi on my side just yet, but I did get confirmation that Dabi was willing to listen if I had someone strong enough to force him to listen.

In three days, I'd come back, and he'd join me on my mission to steal the Ultraphone.