First Element

It was an unexpected feature, and he was glad that he decided to check it out.

Alex hurriedly strides over to the wrecked battleship excitedly.

Even though the battleship appeared to be a small carriage ship, he wasn't complaining in the very least. Compared to the energy capsule of the plasma pistol, the one inside would definitely be way stronger.

'I could get my first element with this'

Reaching the door of the battleship, he inspected it briefly.

Judging from the thin layer of accumulated snow on the wrecked battleship, he assumed that it hadn't been that long, and hopefully, the energy source that fueled this battleship wouldn't be damaged too much.

Additionally, the ship's metal components were rusted but weren't heavily degraded.

With the harsh winter, this ship must be from last year.

Since this planet is used for the Trial each year, a wrecked battleship is not that odd.

Grabbing the edge of the dented door determinedly, Alex exerted a powerful grunt, laboring to force it open. Utilizing the Aura spell, the ice surrounding it began to fracture, culminating in a resounding crack that shattered the door, sending it tumbling onto the snowy ground.

Exhaling roughly, he stepped into the cold metallic interior of the battleship.

Scanning his eyes around, he finds that the inside is empty.

With no supplies or amenities, the vessel proved to be completely empty. However, from the outset, Alex had harbored minimal expectations, with his sole purpose for venturing here being the energy fuel.

Heading to the back, Alex searched for the fuel tank.

It was easy for him to find the energy source as he only needed to follow the heat sensation from the Nexus Orb mark, he crouched down before he shoved his hand into a tight compartment and felt his way around.

Eventually, he pulled his hand out alongside a triangular object gleaming with blue energy.

Alex smirked when he saw the object in his hand.

"A singularity power unit, the content is less than a half but still in perfect condition"

Despite it was not full, he was still happy with this loot. If a couple of small energy capsules that were capable only of firing a couple dozen rounds gave him 2 energy bars, then this would definitely overflow the Nexus Orb mark.

Nodding his head, he decided to go back to the center of the battleship.

But before he could stand up, he caught sight of a metallic box in the corner of the room.

Alex grabbed the metallic box and dragged it to his front. It was not that big, the size of a small briefcase, and also wasn't locked. "Since this room is the storage compartment, it might be food or even a weapon"

Opening the metallic box, he found a pair of black gloves inside.

Taking out the gloves from the box, he inspected them before he realized what they were.

"Soundwave Gloves!"

Doing skirmishes and battles against the Hyperion Empire's soldiers for years made him instantly recognize this weapon, Soundwave Gloves. A weapon fueled with a power source that is equipped with emitters that could generate offensive soundwave.

The wearer would only need to make a friction to the emitters through clapping or flicking.

Back during his fighting days in his previous life, he remembered that Soundwave Gloves created great trouble for his squadron that doesn't possess a spell that could interfere with the emitters.

It was annoying to constantly need to shield themselves from the soundwave.

"Compared to the ones I fought, this one must be a weaker model. Its indicator light is blue, and it also comes with a vambrace that houses the power source" Alex mused, inspecting the Soundwave Gloves closely.

Although it was a weaker model, he still gladly accepted it.

Having the ability to infuse mana into advanced weaponry, it's not a problem for him.

Upon reaching back to the center of the battleship, he settled into a seat, cradling the singularity power unit in his hand. As he activated his energy shield, he deftly removed the patch concealing the tear in his environmental suit and also the Nexus Orb mark.

His attention then honed in on the potent energy within this remarkable energy source.

Just the periphery of it made his body tremble in excitement.

Putting his mind at ease with a couple of slow and steady breaths, he then starts absorbing the energy inside the singularity power unit that is vast and bottomless compared to the minuscule energy capsule.

It takes only a few seconds before the next energy bar to lit up.

Speeding up the absorbing process, he could feel the energy flowing like a torrent.

Gradually the singularity power unit started to lose its energy as all of it got absorbed by the Nexus Orb mark. A minute later, the energy was completely drained and Alex couldn't take his eyes off the mark.

As he expected, the five energy bars lit up vibrantly with a light blue color.

However, at some point in the process, the five energy bars dimmed again before leaving a single dark blue energy bar. 'So the five energy bars were not the limit? So if I overwhelmed it with energy, the color would change'

Thanks to this opportunity, he managed to learn more about the Nexus Orb mark.

Despite not knowing clearly about the grade or ranks of the color emitted by the energy bars, Alex believed that Nexus would definitely explain it to him in the Nanomancy Lab, he's not worried about it.

Just before going to the Nanomancy Lab, he closed up the door of the battleship first.

Leaning what's left of the door is the only thing he could do.

Alex then takes a seat again before he holds the mark and wills himself to be taken away.

Opening his eyes again, he was back to the familiar sight.

Standing back up in front of the four lab tubes containing the fundamental elements, his focus then shifted to Nexus who was standing on the side with the same polite posture as the last time he was here.

"I can see that you've come back, master"

"Hmm... I got lucky"

Pausing for a moment, Alex then gazed at Nexus with a hint of skepticism.

"Why didn't you tell me that the mark could sense energy source like a seeking orb?"

"I assumed that it would be more exciting to let you find it yourself. Am I wrong, master...?"

"No, you're not wrong. I actually do enjoy it"

Despite knowing that the Nexus Orb of Nanomancy is not something normal, he unconsciously treats Nexus as a homunculus and thinks that she doesn't have the capability to feel emotions.

But it seems he was wrong when she even grasped the understanding of excitement.

Alex decided to shift the topic of the conversation as he raised his right arm, showing the single dark blue energy bar, "Well, care to explain to me about the change in color? I could guess what it means but it's better for you to explain it to me once"

"Yes, master" Nexus bowed politely. "The color represents the level of energy"

"In the grand spectrum of energies in the universe, we begin with the most basic, represented by the toddler light blue, followed by dark blue, yellow, purple, red, and eventually the pinnacle, white. In the next sections of the Nanomancy Lab, master would require a higher level of energy source. Due to that, the varying color would help as a currency, determining the cost for unlocking forthcoming elements and features, all poised for unveiling in due course"

Listening to her explanation attentively, it was more or less within his expectations.

Nexus was clearly talking about the energies of the universe, it's different from the ones he knew which are magical energies that don't follow the same color pattern as he hails from the Adudal Principality.

Shifting his attention away, his focus then went back to the elements.

Alex now could unlock one element.

'In the initial stage, I don't think picking an element based on its destructive power would be beneficial for me. Eventually, I would possess all of them. So I should focus on keeping a low profile for now...'

Following that logic, he already has a choice in mind. It was the wind element.

Compared to the other elements, the wind element will be the most subtle and also has the most use compared to the other. It will increase the speed of a bullet, and more importantly, works really well with the Soundwave Gauntlets.

On the other hand, the other elements were either had limited use or too eye-catching.

The fire element will be too eye-catching, it would be very weird if a plasma laser exploded upon impact. Additionally, the water and terra elements would have limited use if he didn't have specific advanced weaponry such as power armor.

Picking the wind element is the best choice he could take right now.

"Nexus, I want to unlock the wind element"

"As you wish, master..."

Upon hearing his request, Nexus walked over to him and put her fingers on the mark. She then drew the appropriate amount of energy and directed it to the lab tube that contained the wind element.

It was excited when it saw the energy was heading over to its lab tube.

Accompanied by a distinct beep for each, the five bars on the lab tube's display gradually diminished, one after the other. As the final bar faded, a rush of gas forcefully erupted from the now-opened tube, unveiling the embodiment of the wind element with an audible, tempestuous howl.

Reaching out his hand instinctively, the wind element gushed forward and into his body.

For a moment, Alex lost his sensation as he rejoiced in this new feeling.

With each gentle caress of the wind that could be felt inside of him, he experienced a new sensation, a tingling sensation that was both novel and strangely pleasurable. Moments later, he blinked open his eyes, only to discover that he had returned to the battleship again.

Gazing at his hand, he clenched it several times to feel the changes.

'It's inside of me, but it's not an affinity that my mana could harness. Seems like unlocking the wind element doesn't mean I could cast a wind spell' Alex ponder, finding that the changes were not similar to having an affinity to a certain element.

Stepping outside, he draws his plasma pistol and points it at a very thick tree.

Alex discharged his initial shot at a tree to test the power of the plasma pistol with mana.

Bang!

As he expected, the plasma bullet tore through the tree and stopped at the one behind it.

It tore through halfway of the second tree.

Nodding his head, he then gathered his mana into the plasma pistol again before he felt that the mana he infused could be influenced by his newfound element, and without hesitation, he changed the nature of the mana into the wind element.

A subtle green gush could be seen enveloping the plasma pistol.

Feeling it was done, he pulled the trigger before a loud banging sound resounded.

Bang!

Crack!

In that pivotal moment, he was taken aback as the sheer force of the shot thrust his shoulder backward. But what truly shocked him, however, was the unleashed plasma bullet. It surged forth with astonishing velocity, unleashing a torrential gust of wind, surpassing its regular speed.

Additionally, it miraculously pierces through not one, but three sturdy trees.

"Holy... It's- It's way better than I expected..."