Further Improvement

An explosion sounded as my mana ball fired into a golem. This was my third day attacking the B-Rank dungeon, Seven Stones, and I could sense that I was already making progress in developing this attack.

In the distance, I could see the commissioner battling against the boss I'd just dealt a heavy blow to. It wasn't the same person as before- they rotated out quite regularly. Apparently, the commissioner I'd worked with two days ago had already been transported to Africa to join a raid party there. 

However, he had left a note for his replacement, alerting them that I would be there and a copy of the report from the previous raid. Thus, yesterday and today, I had been met with far more trust than before. Since the new leaders were made aware of my capabilities, they were able to make room for me in the attack plan. As such, things had been going quite well.

And today it seemed that it would be no different. Unfortunately, the time I'd fought in this dungeon two days ago, I had rushed my use of the mana bomb resulting in my passing out. I had sadly been unable to collect any spell signatures from the commissioner or the boss. Yesterday, though, I had been given much more time to prepare my attack. I'd already collected five A-Rank skills. 

It wasn't the time to use them, though. Instead, I started to charge up another mana bomb. This was my new goal. While the collection of skills was certainly important, particularly for skills which enabled healing or movement, considering the threat that humanity would face in only half a year perfecting this ability seemed much more important.

If The Gloam attacked, and even The Oracle couldn't protect us from it, what would some S-Rank skills in my possession do? No. I needed to effectively create a nuclear bomb out of mana if I wanted to stand any chance at stopping it. 

Of course, I was still far from achieving that goal. For now, I was creating two mana bombs per dungeon raid, each consisting of ten mana batteries each. I had not only been capable of creating a greater quantity of mana bombs as of late- I could also make them faster. Now, instead of three days, I could make twenty of them overnight.

This was due to one particularly complex function that I'd perfected over my time making these batteries. I could link the gate of one Joker to another, allowing the mana from several at once to pour into a single card. 

So, I could practice the mana bomb without worry. Tomorrow, I would try to increase the density of mana used in a single cast. I was only using ten for now to try to become capable of creating the bomb faster and maintain its stability- as fast as I had to learn it, I also had to build a strong foundation so I didn't accidentally kill myself. 

Fortunately, when it came to mana, I was a monstrously fast learner.

I fired off the second bomb as I shouted a command to retreat towards the front lines. The second explosion hit the golem dealing even further damage. I hadn't made too much progress yet, given that such a short time had passed, but I could already tell that the potential for this ability was incredible. 

Even just from minor optimizations, I had managed to increase the power of what a ten card bomb had been to the equivalent of what I could formerly achieve with twelve. If I could compress and stabilize it even further, who's to say what I can accomplish with this alone?

And aside from that, I had barely explored the possibilities outside of this single use case. If I could further refine my ability to control mana outside of my body, I was certain I could do much more than simply produce an explosion.

I watched as the commissioner finished off the boss, beating into its core with his bare hands, clutched to its chest, and ripping it out of its protective shield, crushing it and causing the golem to crumble into a pile of inanimate rocks. Another successful hunt with no casualties; as much as I hated The Order, I couldn't deny their efficiency. They certainly knew how to weaponize bureaucracy and create effective fighting forces.

With the boss dead, I dashed to where it had been with my super speed skill as the commissioner and the other front line fighters regrouped and prepared to leave. I, of course, had to collect the spell signatures before heading out. By the time I was done clearing them out, everyone was pretty much ready to leave. Arriving back at the exit, I received several pats on my back, and a 'good work, kid' from the commissioner.

They didn't know my identity. I was apparently marked in the initial report as 'David Mauris'. I hadn't expected the first commissioner to go so far as to provide me with an alias, but I certainly appreciated his efforts. It would, of course, be meaningless if I were to be recognized, but given that I was only here for a week, it was a fair wager to assume that I could slip by unnoticed if I played my cards right and didn't give myself away.

Even if someone did believe that they recognized me, I had aged since Project David and looked significantly more disheveled. On top of that, I was exhibiting A-Rank strength, and it was common knowledge to those involved that the traitor was an F-Rank weakling. With these variables at play I assumed it would be okay for the time being. 

Heading out of the dungeon and back onto the train, I took a quick inventory of my new skills. Six more A-Rank abilities had been added to my roster. I should have been pretty excited, but to be honest, the prospect of perfecting the mana bomb was much more appealing to me at this point. I'd yet to actually even test out any of the A-Rank skills I'd acquired so far…

I should do that soon. I could take the last two days I would spend within the B-Rank dungeon for experimentation on the new abilities I'd collected, so I'd have a firm understanding of my strength going into the A-Rank dungeon. Of course, it would be a similar format as before; a raid. As such, I would likely still have the opportunity to fire off mana bombs from a safe distance. 

Still, though, it was important to understand the immediate abilities at my disposal. If it came down to it, I may not have the chance to wait several minutes just to use a single attack. It was important to understand not only my potential power, but my effective strength in a quick fight.

The train stopped shortly after, and I brought my earnings to be cashed in. Actually, now that I was making good money, should I consider increasing my arsenal of weaponry? I'm quite attached to the knife that Callahan gave me. It has acted as a great medium for me to utilize my mana and skills, especially when battling the ghouls. However, it seemed that I was quickly pivoting into more of a mage battle style.

It was honestly a weird feeling. Having spent the last seven years fighting in close range, it was a bit unnatural for me to fire off spells from behind. Still, the most important thing was to utilize whatever was the most powerful combat technique I could access, and if that meant pushing melee to the sidelines for a little while, I had no qualms with that.

I could consider purchasing a staff. Mages, especially those in the high ranks, used staves with heavy Polarium spheres on their ends to gather and concentrate the mana in their skills to increase their potency. Should I try something similar with my mana bomb? Well, for now, I wouldn't have to worry about it. To be honest, I didn't like the idea of carrying around a clunky staff. 

I still had two more days to test out the mana bomb's limits and optimize it. Then, I would be returning to the use of basic skills for a bit, many of which were close range. I would of course have to start producing more batteries, which was a little nerve-wracking. The process was incredibly delicate and volatile.

But the thrill I felt from learning and the fear of what was to come kept me grounded. This is what I must do. I have to learn fast. And if that means taking some minor risks, it's something I have to accept. I clenched my fist as I walked back to my hotel with resolve firmly set into my mind. However, I was interrupted a moment later. A hand tapped my shoulder, which I quickly deflected, spinning around half expecting to be attacked like I was in the bar. However, I was instead met with something much scarier than a physical fight.

"Mason?"

A familiar face had shown up.