First Mission, Pt. 1

Shortly after being made aware that tomorrow wouldn't be fun, Kane and his squad were put through a few more training systems.

One involved shooting moving targets with mana, another was a chamber designed to acclimate their minds and bodies to high G-forces, and the last was a specialized meditation room that trapped and condensed ambient mana.

Kane very much enjoyed the meditation room, absorbing pre-condensed mana at a faster rate greatly increased his training speed. Unfortunately, it seemed running these rooms was very expensive, so only high-potential squads could use them, and for only a few hours per day.

Kane could already handle G-forces fairly well thanks to his highly conditioned body, but it quickly became apparent that shooting moving targets with mana wasn't his strong suit.

If he wasn't using his scan or slowing his perception of time to accurately hear the targets moving, he'd miss most of his shots. Layna seemed to be quite talented in this field though.

Kane approached the door of his room, surprised to see that most of the things from his home had been moved in and organized.

He'd only been gone for a day, but seeing his games and items lining the wall filled him with a level of comfort he wasn't expecting.

As much as he wanted his dad to somehow move into the facility with him, he knew that was a terrible idea. He'd be charged with treason for some of the things he might say to the commander.

Kane had been making sure to move and cycle mana almost 24/7 since he figured out how to use it, although Kane didn't know it, he was starting to do it in his sleep as well. Only for the first few hours though.

Even with the addition of a core, this still hadn't changed. Kane passed out on his new bed and fell asleep, his mana becoming neutral a while after.

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Half a day had passed, as Kane and the others went through a morning routine consisting of the same basic training as yesterday, with the addition of a terrible military breakfast.

They'd be able to buy whatever food they wanted once they went public and got an actual salary, there was a kitchen in their barrack after all. For now though, they'd have to eat what Kane hoped was food.

At present, the squad was all geared up, riding in the back of an inconspicuous truck through the forest.

Rick yawned, "It's too early for this, couldn't we have had like, a nice high-noon beach mission?"

"We're just barely out of winter, a mission next to the ocean would be cold y'know," Kane snickered. He assumed that since Rick's mana wasn't strong enough to prevent sleep deprivation, it wouldn't shield him from the cold well either.

"Fair enough... Hey driver, how much longer till we get there?"

Kane heard a beep in the front of the truck from what sounded like a radio, before the soldier answered, "12 more miles, please use the time to check your gear and warm-up."

Kane was happy to oblige. The armored suits they were wearing had special properties, they would shield against normal and mana-related attacks from the outside, but mana could pass from the inside just fine.

This allowed Kane to use any mana attacks he wanted without destroying his clothes.

They were also given smooth black helmets equipped with the latest transmitter, night-vision, and targeting functions. Unfortunately for Kane, the last two wouldn't help him in the slightest.

The suits came equipt with emergency rations, a pistol that they'd only been briefly taught how to use, special knives, and a beacon.

For the last few hours, Kane had been setting up anchors and releasing them, since they used nearly all of his mana at once, the process was very efficient for training.

He'd also been working on a theory for Shadow Step based around using space to bend nearby light, but he would need more time to practice.

"We're here," Layna said boredly.

Rick immediately hopped out the back of the truck with a "Yippie!"

Rick's enthusiasm came to a halt as he gazed upon the stacks of large shipping containers they'd be moving through a secret path in the forest.

The soldier ordered them to get started, letting them know they only had until tomorrow night to finish.

The mission was very difficult, and very unfair... or at least it would be, if Kane hadn't already reached the power of a Rank 3 manalite.

Truthfully, he could finish this entire job himself in maybe 7 hours.

But that wouldn't be any fun, Kane would let Rick and Layna get their training in, while he worked on Shadow Step.

Kane used his scanner to look inside the containers, which they were ordered not to do. Inside was a dense rubber material, it was what they used to line the mana rooms Kane had trained in earlier.

Kane could only imagine why the military needed so much of it.

"Phew, I was half expecting a bunch of kidnapped children or something," Kane puffed his cheek in relief.

Layna looked at the containers, then back at Kane and Rick. She covered herself in mana, "Let's get started."

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Even with Kane flawlessly holding up the middle of the container, Rick and Layna were still clearly struggling. For mana users who could condition their body fully in just a few minutes, this kind of extreme exercise was better for discipline, not to say it still wasn't good for strength.

They'd been given a map and shown the general path they'd be taking, it was a 10-mile walk through the forest, leading to a clearing.

Though it looked innocent enough, the grass in said clearing was fake, covering a large elevator that lifted up out of the ground. They'd be putting the containers in this elevator and sending them down into the lab.

There was usually a rail system active for delivering the cargo, but it had recently gone offline due to unexplained problems. Hence why the scientist expected spies or saboteurs from their neighboring country to be lurking nearby.

"Alr-alright guys, lift with your legs-" Rick huffed.

Kane wanted to see just how well they could lift the container without him, he let up just a little bit of strength, hearing Rick immediately bend under the weight.

"Layna, stop being such an ass and do your job!" Rick yelled through grit teeth.

"You're... such a damn- idiot, that was clearly Kane," she wearily retorted.

Kane was surprised to feel the container get lighter as Rick and Layna argued.

'They must be getting an adrenaline boost out of spite,' Kane joked to himself.

Seeing that they were adequately warmed up, Kane put his strength back into carrying the container.

Rick immediately felt the cargo become lighter as Kane moved, "So it was you!"

"Sorry, I sprained my wrist yesterday," Kane joked.

Rick beamed, "Ah, I see, no problem then!"

"He's lying Rick," Layna cut in.

"Goddamnit."

The walk was extremely tough on Rick and Layna, but thanks to constantly healing their bodies with mana, they built up a decent amount of physical strength and mental fortitude in a short time.

Kane was theorizing the different ways he could attempt to bend light throughout the walk back, while also further conditioning his body.

It seemed more time holding his mana in place was required for his body to become fatigued.

It didn't necessarily require more mana than before to heal himself back up, but to get the best results Kane now had to freeze his mana until it hurt, seeming to require a higher degree of control each time he did it

By the second container, Rick and Layna were able to handle it without Kane's help.

"You sure you want to try taking one in on your own?" Layna questioned while helping Rick set up for their next trip.

Rick clicked his tongue, "Let him, he's been overshadowing me since he got here, I'm gonna need to try extra hard if I want to be number one again!"

Layna immediately took issue with his statement, "It's a military Rick, we're supposed to be pawns, not competitors."

"Yeah, sure. I guess you'd see it that way 'Ms. Military,'" Rick shook his head.

"Listen Kane, we're rivals now, I'll catch up to you in no time!" He grinned.

Kane laughed, "What happened to being a squad?"

"What, we can be enemies and friends at the same time, can't we?"

A short while later, Rick and Layna wobbled off under a massive container, Kane stayed behind and began testing things.

He counted out the time it took to walk a certain distance with his container, then counted out how long regenerating his mana took.

Kane was trying to determine if wasting absorbent amounts of mana to teleport the container a few hundred feet and letting it recharge was faster than simply walking.

The answer was no.

Kane picked the cargo back up and sighed, it was going to be a long day.

He got a surprised look from his squad as he casually walked past them, container hoisted over his head.

"How on earth is he in the same rank as us?" Rick muttered, being met with a silent gaze from Layna.

The second container was loaded into the elevator, the third following shortly after as a panting Rick collapsed on the ground, Layna let out a gasp as she finished chugging some water.

"I'm so glad it's cold out," Layna said to herself.

"You know, if you guys want to train while we do this, just circulate your mana through your body at all times." Kane sat down under a shady tree and began testing his hypothesis.

"Well duh, we played Ember too y'know..." Rick snorted.

"Ah, I didn't know if they gave any advice on that or not, never mind."

Layna's eyes widened, "Wait, did you not beat the training mode??"

Kane's mouth curved into a smile as his figure began flickering, "Nope, I quit the game after the second dose!"

Rick and Layna did a double-take as they watched Kane vanish the moment he finished his sentence.

"Hold on, that didn't look like teleportation, where the hell did you go!?" Rick called out desperately.

Kane began walking towards them.

As he left the shadows of the tree, his figure became partially visible, seeming to twist and flicker like a mirage.

"I'm right here Rick, now, let's finish the quest shall we?" Kane began laughing maniacally as he undid his newest spell... Shadow Step!