Mana-Drifter Beast

In a reverie, he steps to the trees to observe the sizzling holes closely.

Alex found that the bullet pierced three trees before stopping at the fourth, its power output had been enhanced more than two times which was quite shocking to see. 'I expected to pierce through two, but it easily surpasses that. Hehe~'

'It was also untraced, the suit didn't detect any spell or anything'

Due to this experiment, he was smiling from ear to ear in excitement like a madman.

He then went back to his original spot to resume his experiments.

Nothing could deter him from conducting the experiments that he had in mind, the exhilaration of achieving what was once unthinkable overwhelmed him. An ability that allows someone to fuse elemental forces into advanced weaponry should be a fairy tale, yet that ability was able to be performed by him.

Only a total idiot wouldn't be as excited as he is to test this potential.

'Let's test the capacity of my mana source for starters. I'm going to keep going until I'm exhausted, see where my limit lies' Alex ponders with a light smirk, barely able to contain himself as he traces his gaze forward once again.

Pointing his plasma pistol, he decided to test the most important experiment.

Alex wanted to find out if he could bend bullets.

Earlier he only infused mana into the gun itself, he didn't infuse anything into the bullet. But now, he's going to try exactly that, infusing the bullet with his mana and controlling it in order to bend the bullet's trajectory to his will.

It sounded simple, however, it's a very complicated process.

Distance, mana power, mana control, and even environmental factors would come into play.

Bang!

Like before, he fired another shot after focusing on the moment.

Fixing his attention on the plasma bullet flying through the air, time slowed down.

Crash!

"Harghh... I'm not fast enough to do anything"

Despite focusing on the infused bullet the best he could, Alex failed miserably. It was too fast for him to react. If he couldn't even see or react to it, then there was no point in him attempting to control the infused bullet.

Alex sighed before he decided not to accelerate the speed of the plasma bullet.

In the next couple of shots, he tried to take control of the bullet again but it was still too fast.

However, at the last shot, he could briefly control it.

Just the sensation of being able to control it alone is enough to tell him that bending the bullet is indeed possible, it was only still out of his league for now. 'No problem, at least I know that it's possible. Maybe if I get stronger and learn a couple of support spells I could make it work'

A moment later, Alex is sitting with his legs crossed.

He was in meditation using a method from his previous family to replenish his mana.

It's called the Planetary Resonance Meditation.

Compared to the normal mages who would need to meditate for more than half a day or even more to replenish their mana manually, Alex could replenish his mana in a few hours depending on the planet he was residing.

The Planetary Resonance Meditation harnesses the energy of the planet he was on.

Depending on the planet, it could take between 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Planet Sion 2T is surprisingly abundant in energy, it takes no longer than an hour to fully replenish his mana reservoir. 'Okay, with my current mana source, I can fire ten standard plasma rounds. But if I infuse them with the wind element, I'll have enough mana for only three rounds before reaching exhaustion'

Nodding his head, he then moved on to the next subject, the Soundwave Gloves.

Alex is determined to learn everything before going back.

Equipping the Soundwave Gloves, he finds that it fits his hands perfectly thanks to the smart-skin interface technology that ensures maximum efficiency and control. He also doesn't need the vambrace that connects to its power source so he doesn't wear it.

Getting into position, he then faced another direction.

Taking a resolute step forward, he clapped his hands together forcefully.

Clap!

Swoosh!

Channeling his mana and infusing it into the gloves, the indicator light glowed blue, accompanied by a sharp beeping. A moment later, a formidable soundwave erupted in a fan-shape burst ahead of him, unleashing its immense force that blasted the snow and nearly uprooted the trees in its path.

It was definitely more powerful, and he hadn't even used his wind element yet.

Alex was about to infuse his wind element to the blast but his body suddenly tensed up, the corner of his eyes caught sight of a burly and white furred silhouette that blended with the snow almost perfectly.

Only due to the soundwave earlier that this thing was exposed.

Upon realizing that the thing was in fact a beast, a life form entirely foreign to his experience, Alex instinctively vaulted backward, touching down beside the wrecked battleship before his thought spiraled into chaos.

Glancing at the navigation device, he finds that it doesn't pick up the beast's presence.

'Damn luck! I must've created a lot of commotion earlier'

Due to his excitement from gaining his first element, he was so invested in his mind that he didn't realize that he was still inside this dangerous forest where vicious predators loom around and his commotion might attract their attention.

In a heartbeat, the eyeless beast raised its head and turned its fur to dark blue.

[Type-2 beast detected: Unidentified Life Form]

Alex fixed his gaze apprehensively as the beast strides forward leisurely.

'It's a Mana-Drifter beast. I believe the Hyperion Empire refers to them as having Bio-Mimicry ability. For fuck's sake!' Frowning in contemplation, he gazed at the beast with clenched teeth, furious about the situation. But he then exhaled easily to calm his nerves, 'Since when do I have a problem controlling my temper? Maybe it's because of that... but I need to calm down for now'

When he calmed down, he couldn't help but shiver as a realization dawned upon him.

Instead of bad luck, this is quite lucky for him.

Mana-Drifter beast is one of the many categories of life forms in the entire galaxy.

Normal detection magic or scanning systems couldn't detect them.

Due to the innate ability, Bio-Mimicry that these beasts possess which allows them to blend with the environment, it's hard to detect them. Their ability extends to their thermal and energy signatures, effectively masking their presence perfectly.

The chill that he felt was because of the fact these beasts like to ambush.

If not for the accidental soundwave that exposed its location, this foreign beast would've pounced and mauled him to death without him realizing it. 'The Hyperion Empire is crazy for testing their aspirants through survival on a planet that hosted this kind of beasts, maniacs!'

Splash!

Alex frowned and readied himself as the beast stomped on the snowy ground.

Hunched like a gorilla and standing roughly twenty meters distant, an eyeless burly beast looms. Its massive frame is shrouded in deep azure fur. It has formidable dull few teeth and is also accompanied by lethal claws that could easily tear a person to death.

Just its presence alone shows that this beast is sturdy, very strong, and also very deadly.

Compared to this beast, the Black Spotted Hyena is nothing.

'A Type-2 Beast, I would be able to defeat it if I could land a shot in its vital points'

Formulating a strategy in his mind for a fleeting moment, his eyes widened as the beast unleashed a menacing growl. In an instant, the creature propelled itself forward with its powerful legs, hurtling like a projectile.

Swoosh!

It only provides him with a little window of reaction time.

Moving his body out of the way is out of the equation, he couldn't do that in time.

Due to that, Alex discharged a plasma bullet enhanced with his wind element to the side, using it as a propulsion to swiftly evade the oncoming threat. In the brief seconds that followed, he thought that it was a waste of mana to do that.

Maybe letting the energy shield protect him would be better than doing this.

However, he soon was thankful that he did.

Glancing to the side, he witnessed the beast crashing into the wrecked battleship. Its impact was so powerful that it left a big dent, and forced the battleship to tilt to the side with a resounding metallic groan that echoed throughout the surroundings.

If he didn't move out of the way, he would get crushed completely.

Rolling across the snowy terrain, Alex swiftly regained his footing as this was only the start.

He aimed his plasma pistol with precision and fired several shots, all managing to hit the beast. However, to his surprise, the beast seemed more annoyed than harm, hastily shielding its head from the barrage of plasma bullets.

Seems like attacking from the front is useless thus he decided to sprint away from the place.

'I need a solid hit to its vital spot to kill it. But to do that, I need a distraction'

Swish...

Alex cast the Aura spell, his body steamed with sizzling white energy before his sprint became even faster, he was now running at the speed of a cheetah from back on Earth. He was even faster as this body had more control than the average person.

It seems that Xander trained his physique to make up for the enhancement that he lacks.

Crash!

However, even then, the beast is still capable of catching up.

Due to that, Alex sprinted in a weird manner, occasionally changing direction to take advantage of the trees so that he wouldn't be grabbed from behind. It proves to be effective as the beast finds it hard to catch him.

A couple of frustrated growls escaped from its robust maw.

But it was then a beeping sound resounded, it was coming from the navigation device.

Turning his gaze toward the navigation device, he noted that the timer he had set was now nearing the end, about five minutes away from ending. Alex paused for a second before a sly grin crept onto his face as a thought crossed his mind.

Finally, the time has come for his payback.

'Ah... I think I have a distraction in mind' Alex pondered as he raised his gaze forward.

Every member of the squad had synchronized their timers to ensure a prompt to regroup, and it was evident that the others were already heading back to their temporary base. With a fierce glint in his eyes, Alex then muttered.

"Time to settle the score with Malik, I'll have to deliver this unforgettable big fat gift'"

...

Meanwhile, back in the temporary base near the hill formations.

Casper was looking in the southern direction from the spot, worried that Alex might get into trouble. It was even more so as he almost always came back late while the others didn't seem to care about him.

But today, he wouldn't sit around and wait for Alex to return.

'Yes, I'll need to accompany him at the very least'

Deciding that he would search for Alex in order to repay back for putting up with the others' bullying, he went ahead and left the others. Reaching not that far, his eyes then shifted to the navigation device when it vibrated.

A red dot can be seen coming to the base from the west.

If it's a red dot then that means it belongs to another life form, a hostile entity, not Alex.

Upon realizing this, Casper turned around in order to alert the others about the incoming red dot since they were bantering and might not realize the red dot. However, his eyes snapped open as the red dot moved even faster.

Glancing in the direction to his right, he saw a robust figure burst from the dense trees.

It was a silhouette, heavily built and resolute, that didn't take long before it started charging directly at the others. "A- A Type-2 Beast? On, no... the others are going to be in trouble!" Casper uttered in shock.

Out of instinct, he wanted to alert the others about the Type-2 Beast charging at them.

But he was surprised to find his mouth covered from behind.

However, he soon realized that it was Alex who somehow managed to sneak behind him.

"Let's not do that, Casper..." He chimed whisperingly.

Casper was confused, "Alex? But the others would be in trouble if we didn't alert them!"

"Don't worry about that, I was the one that led that Type-2 Beast here"

"E- Eh...?" Casper was puzzled for a moment, but his expression then turned pale. "EH?!"