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C209 - Nature

Captain Erbair had almost forgotten about Khan's background. The other wealthy recruits had a general understanding of mana that he lacked. He didn't even have the chance to learn about those topics in the academy since he had teleported to Nitis only a couple of weeks after Istorne's crisis.

Khan didn't even get the chance to learn about the first-level warriors and mages on Nitis since the Global Army had sent him to the alien academy. His knowledge had deep empty areas, but that didn't seem to hinder his growth.

"First-level warriors can't expand the mana normally anymore," Captain Erbair shortly explained. "They have to improve about half of their body at the same time, which obviously leads to slower growth. Did you reach that point?"

"I think I have," Khan admitted with the same tone used during the rest of the interrogation.

Captain Erbair tapped on her bionic eye a few times, and its light brightened in the process. The soldier stood up and started pacing around Khan, bending whenever she needed to take a closer look.

.

"Your Tainted status and element make my device fuzzy," Captain Erbair announced, "But I can confirm that you have become a first-level warrior. Our superiors will remain speechless once they learn about this."

Khan felt the need to say something, but he eventually decided to remain silent. Captain Erbair tapped her bionic eye once, and its light returned to its usual intensity. The soldier scratched her chin as she walked back to the bed and activated the menus on the wall next to it.

The Captain remained silent, and Khan imitated her, but the situation soon turned awkward. Khan could read what his superior was doing with the menus, and her actions appeared completely unrelated to the interrogation.

"Ma'am?" Khan cleared his throat after a whole silent minute passed.

"The Niqols can truly do wonders with mana," Captain Erbair exclaimed. "Humans like to see them as an undeveloped species, but I can't see the difference between our technology and their use of mana."

"Is something the matter, ma'am?" Khan asked since he felt that Captain Erbair was trying to hint at something.

"You would use your mutations as an excuse for your quick growth if I try to probe you on that topic, right?" Captain Erbair guessed.

"That's correct," Khan stated.

"Let's talk a bit off the record," Captain Erbair sighed before turning toward Khan. "Our superiors don't care about what happens down here. They look at a report, check the numbers, and decide what to give us according to what we have achieved. Some will get a promotion, while others will have to go to another forgotten planet to add more merits to their profile. A few will remain here, and you have almost met the requirements for that role in these few months."

Khan felt excited, but he didn't let that emotion appear on his face. He knew that the Captain was trying to tell him something, so he silently waited for her to complete her speech.

"I'll be frank," Captain Erbair uttered. "The ambassadors always use their position for their own benefits to some extent. I know that you have done the same, and I'm saying this without questioning your feelings for Yeza's kid. I'm only worried that your relationship might make you forget your real home."

"Do you think I'll betray the Global Army, ma'am?" Khan asked.

"No, you need it to find the Nak," Captain Erbair declared. "Take my words as a warning from a soldier who has seen quite a lot in her life. Feelings aren't always enough, especially when it comes to politics. You can get lucky, but you should be careful. You might end up losing the support of both species over trivial things outside of your control."

Khan wanted to question the Captain, but he felt that the conversation was over, at least for her. He couldn't understand if her words were an honest warning or a political action meant to drive him toward other parts of the Global Army, but he still memorized them.

"Get going now," Captain Erbair snorted while lying on the bed. "We have a lot to plan with the Niqols. Apparently, some of their reactionary groups are using the sunlight to stir a mess on the planet, and we have to help put them down. Good job with the traitors, by the way. You'll gain a lot if you make it through this crisis."

The revelation left Khan stunned for a few seconds, but everything made sense when he thought about it. Zura's betrayal couldn't be an isolated event since his eventual victory wouldn't have led anywhere. Those servants alone couldn't change the Niqols' society, but the situation would be far different if all the reactionary groups across Nitis decided to revolt.

Thinking about the army of adult Niqols that Khan might have to face made him drop his polite silence and question the Captain about something that his lackluster education had failed to teach him. "What do I need to do to become a first-level mage?"

"Nothing special," Captain Erbair explained while crossing her arms in front of her eyes. "Spells have grades. Prove that you can perform a few first-grade ones, and you'll get your star."

Khan sighed in his mind while performing a military salute that the Captain couldn't see and leaving the habitation. The hall unfolded in his vision, and he could quickly find an empty room by inspecting the azure symbols on the doors. He picked one randomly and sealed it before throwing his dirty clothes on the floor.

Khan's room was identical to Captain Erbair's. He could find a new robe laid on the bed, but the habitation didn't contain anything else. His phone still worked, so he could check the time. It was already past midnight, but he didn't feel tired at all.

'Zalpa's potions are incredible,' Khan thought as he picked his cube from the floor to send a quick update to Liiza.

The past months and his breakthrough had made Khan able to remain awake for many days in a row without feeling any fatigue. Zalpa's potions had kept him at his peak, so he decided to spend the night training. Still, he first threw himself in the bathroom to wash away the dirt accumulated during the long travel to that safe area.

Messy thoughts filled Khan's mind, but he barely paid attention to them. Only his current situation mattered, but everything looked quite grim. He wouldn't have to fight only monsters anymore. Some Niqols had also decided to become his enemy.

Khan knew that he was incredibly strong, but that only when it came to his level. He had seen how the servant had almost managed to counter his abilities. He had even suffered a few hits, which went against what the Lightning-demon style taught.

His current power wasn't enough. The rebellious Niqols would probably even have warriors as strong as Yeza and Captain Erbair, so Khan wouldn't have the chance to affect the battles as much as he wished.

Khan didn't like that. He wanted the power to protect what he had, and a deep desire to train filled his mind as those thoughts continued to rage inside his mind. He didn't even bother drying his hair or donning his new robe after exiting the bathroom. His eyes were on one of the empty areas near the bed.

The crisis had forced Khan to stop his methodical training routine, but he didn't forget it. He performed all the moves of his two martial arts before sitting on the floor and approaching the annoying exercises.

His return among humans didn't make Khan disregard everything he had learnt in the academy. He valued the teachings about the three major fields of mana a lot, so he repeated the exercises connected to them before moving to the last part of his training.

His ability to manipulate mana didn't allow him to use the techniques obtained by Yeza without Liiza's help. Khan didn't care too much about the [Blood Vortex] since it wouldn't lead to immediate benefits, but the situation was different for the [Blood Shield]. He wished to bring the latter to the next checkpoint, but he didn't even know where to begin gathering the required materials.

Khan's foundation in the Niqols' ways simply didn't meet the proper requirements, so he could only move to the last part of his training after completing all the previous exercises. His power would get an immense boost if he mastered the Wave spell.

Hours passed as Khan remained immersed in his attempts to cast the Wave spell. His mana always turned purple-red, but he continued to fail in the final part of the ability. He never managed to discharge the energy accumulated in his palm.

Khan's mana core never stopped refilling the energy depleted during his attempts, so he could keep going as long as his patience lasted. Still, one of the azure symbols in the room suddenly brightened, and the walls slid open to reveal Liiza's hesitant figure.

"[I did it]!" Liiza happily exclaimed when she noticed Khan sitting in the empty area in front of her, but she quickly wore a frown at the sight of his training stance.

"[How did you even get here]?" Khan asked as a happy smile appeared on his face.

"[These buildings always have secret passages]," Liiza explained as she stepped into the room and tinkered with the symbol behind her to close the wall. "[I've learnt to open them to sneak out of my home many years ago]."

"[How did you even find me]?" Khan laughed while standing up to greet his girlfriend.

"[I followed the signal on your cube]," Liiza pouted while pointing at the device on Khan's bed. "[The same cube that you didn't use to contact me]."

"[I thought we still had to hold back or something]," Khan explained before approaching Liiza and pulling her into his arms.

"[I also don't know how much we can do]," Liiza revealed as she snuggled closer in Khan's embrace. "[My mother forced me to listen for entire hours to her warnings. She even feared that I could be pregnant at some point]."

"[We have been careful]," Khan coughed as an awkward feeling spread in his mind when he realized that Yeza knew how intimate her daughter's relationship was.

"[She didn't exactly like that we used my dad's old stuff]," Liiza giggled. "[Though she reaffirmed her acceptance of our relationship. She even gave me more condoms]."

Khan tried not to memorize those last words since he wanted to remain able to show a straight face the next time he saw Yeza. He focused on the faint blush that had appeared on Liiza's face, and his smile only broadened at that sight.

"[What were you doing anyway]?" Liiza asked. "[I've never seen you training like that]."

Liiza knew about Khan's element, but he had never talked about his training method since she wouldn't be able to help with the human ways. He had even made sure to attempt to perform the Wave spell only when he was alone due to the innate dangerousness of the chaos element.

"[That was me failing to perform a spell]," Khan sighed while breaking the embrace and looking at the spot where he had trained only a few seconds ago. "[I know that using the chaos element is difficult, but I should have the amount of control required for such a simple spell]."

Liiza frowned and pulled Khan's arm before questioning him again. "[What do you mean by control]?"

"[That's the theory behind the spell]," Khan explained while turning to inspect Liiza's frown. "[I need to cut away emotions and choose a specific idea of destruction to force my mana to release similar effects.]."

Liiza's frown deepened, and Khan questioned her with his eyes to understand the reason behind that gesture. Liiza appeared stunned, but she eventually heaved a helpless sigh followed by a disappointed statement. "[How dumb can humans even be]?"

Liiza left Khan and walked across the room to sit on the bed. She shook her head in disappointment, but she decided to explain herself since Khan continued to keep his confused gaze fixed on her. "[How do you even plan to control the chaos element? That's the freest type of mana! You are literally going against its nature by suppressing it]!"

To be continued