Chapter 87 - Misery Loves Company! (Patreon)

Mayalyn took advantage of the Landshark being distracted by Cameron. She jumped onto its neck just above the mass of protruding hairs. Her body thrummed with blue sparks as her claws plunged into tough flesh at the base of its skull. Arcs of energy sprouted across its long form, sparking to the ground and through the air, -849.

The beast threw its head back in a soundless scream as it convulsed. Mayalyn was tossed from the wild bucking of its body and slammed into the ground. She was back on her feet before the dust from her landing lifted into the air.

Jiran glanced at her mana but the number hadn’t changed at all.

So it doesn’t cost any of her own mana to actively use the enhancement she’s absorbed. Considering the element drains from her mana pool when she absorbs it, it's like she’s paying the cost upfront. Such an interesting skill. Not nearly as versatile as shaping or channeling but it makes her practically immune to one element. Beasts with only a single trick would definitely struggle to bring her down.

“Bedrock Aegis!” Cameron shouted another technique while they watched the beast thrash as Mayalyn’s current ran its course.

A shimmer passed through the ground beneath all of their feet before they were each surrounded by a thin layer of rock and dirt.

Twelve percent of his mana for a single technique. Ouch.

Jiran extended a filament of Coating to brush the inside of the rocky layer surrounding his body. He could instantly tell the shield was made entirely of mana and had less to do with actual minerals than it appeared at first glance.

Similar to coating but its only application is defensive. Though adapting it to utilize channeling so it can cover multiple people is pretty awesome. I never even considered bypassing the elemental conversion of channeling to use unaspected mana. Though judging by the name, he has no idea that’s what he’s doing. I wonder what I could do with similarly unaspected mana.

The moment the shark stopped convulsing, Mayalyn jumped again. The beast now considered her the primary threat and its head swiveled around to focus on her. The second she was within range, its forked tail swung around in a blur and barely managed to intercept her. Cameron’s protective technique shimmered brightly but held fast as she was smashed into the ground once again.

Mayalyn was back on her feet in a flash. She crouched, ready to move in any direction. The two locked eyes, neither underestimating the other any longer. The beast's tail lashed the ground in rapid succession each casual thump strong enough to send ripples of movement through the cracked dirt.

Suddenly, the Landshark lunged. Mayalyn met its charge with one of her own. She unleashed a hasty punch onto its face which moved its head enough that razor-sharp teeth failed to clamp down on her. The beast used the momentum from her punch to its advantage. Its upper body shifted to the side while its long tail coiled around her. She easily jumped out of its enclosure to land feet first on its face. Another leap sent her safely to the ground, out of its reach while the beast’s head flew backward from the force, though it took no damage.

After landing she hopped once, putting distance between them. She looked at her fist in disappointment, clearly unhappy with the last attack.

Bestial eyes glowed a menacing red as the Landshark hissed again. Its nostrils flared as lungs rapidly filled with air before a jet of green fire was expelled through its nose. Having seen the attack coming, Cameron was there again.

“Depths Embrace!”

His hands radiated a blue light before a dome of rippling water spread out to cover them both. The green flames splashed against the water's edge, engulfing the blue canopy completely. After the fire ran its course, the field shimmered and faded, revealing a sweating Cameron and a perfectly relaxed Mayalyn.

Five percent for a single defensive move that only lasted a couple seconds? Is there really that big a difference between us? No, that’s hardly the most important thing to think about right now.

Jiran pitched his voice low enough that Cameron wouldn’t hear.

“Why do his techniques have such du-unique names?”

"What do you mean? They are exemplary expressions of his inner desires to protect." Olive’s whispered response mirrored her confused expression.

Mayalyn bolted past Cameron. She didn’t make the same mistake twice as she ran straight up to the creature rather than jump at its face. When the beast raised an arm to smash her, she nimbly dodged to the side before raking her claws along its vulnerable wrist. A burst of current arced up its arm as blood splattered both her and the ground, -312.

She jumped out of its reach as its second hand flashed toward her, claws extended. Its head darted forward as its neck extended but Mayalyn was far too quick and teeth snapped shut on empty air. The beast began to slither backward while holding its bleeding wrist. It looked between the four of them, suddenly wary as the realization of how outmatched it was began to sink in.

"What do technique names have to do with inner desire? Obviously, I’m happy he’s doing such a great job keeping Mayalyn unharmed, I was asking about the names, not his intent.”

"You're joking. How could you not know something so basic?" Olive’s disgust was replaced by squinty-eyed suspicion.

“You lost me, what’s so basic about skill names? You know not everyone receives a royal education, right? I may have had Lenton as a master, but that codger barely taught me anything. He insisted I would gain more from learning things myself and even banned me from reading.”

With an unusual sense of preservation, the beast decided enough was enough. It turned to flee and a predatory gleam flashed across Mayalyn’s eyes as she bounded back into melee. Claws flashed as she dodged the wild swings of the weakening beast. She took her time, testing her movements against it now that she was in complete control of the fight and knew how it moved.

She dodged another gout of flames by smashing its face into the ground while continuing to whittle away at its health with ever-stronger blows.

"Master Filibree’s wisdom surely knows no bounds," Olive sighed wistfully with stars in her eyes.

Seriously? What is her deal with Lenton?

As Mayalyn began adding varying degrees of current into her blows, Olive snapped out of her daydream and finally elaborated on Jiran’s question.

"Techniques are named as we desire them to be. When we breach a threshold of competence in a technique, it evolves to be closer to our ideal of what it should eventually become."

Wait, so all of my technique names are what I desired them to become? When I learned Big Bang, I was thinking about the creation of the universe and the gravitational maelstrom that must have been unleashed. When I created my other techniques, I was thinking about the fundamental physics of the universe, at least what I know of them with my limited knowledge.

Jiran looked over his status with new eyes before a soft groan escaped his lips.

True Origin… That was all me? That’s not a name the system came up with but my own desire and hubris? I am such a chuuni bitch.

Jiran fell to his knees, the truth of his own childish desires too much to bear. Olive’s eyes went wide and she waved her hands before her rapidly.

"Do not fret, I'm sure you will evolve them to names that you can be proud of in no time," She slowly approached him, and seeing no reaction, patted him consolingly on the shoulder.

The shark was a shell of its former self as Mayalyn, bathed in its blood, dug her claws into it repeatedly. The beast thrashed with each spark of electricity which often knocked her to the ground but with a mad grin, she was right back at its throat with another slash.

“What is she doing?” Olive wondered aloud.

“Testing herself,” Jiran mumbled half-heartedly, still not recovered from his existential crisis.

Despite being stricken, he never let his guard drop as he observed every muscle twitch between the two combatants through his aura. He was ready to intervene at a moment's notice to save her if it unleashed some powerful last-ditch attack. His paranoia was unfounded as after only a couple more strikes, the creature slumped and died unceremoniously.

Mayalyn was breathing heavily as she returned to the group. Her clothes would have been soaked in blood if not for the layer of protection covering her. Jiran doused her with a quick spray of water which he activated manually, unable to bear the thought of his skill name.

Cameron sighed as he also moved to join them, after a few blinks he stopped suddenly before shouting.

“What in the inferno’s balls! I got exp. S-she's a tier four!” He looked between the downed beast and Mayalyn several times with his mouth hanging open.

Yeah, it’s probably best I don't tell him the truth. Might break the poor guy's spirit. Actually, screw that. Misery loves company!

“Nope, she’s only tier three and that was the first exp she’s ever earned,” Jiran watched with fiendish satisfaction as the gears turned behind Cameron’s eyes.

When it finally clicked that he was serious and not lying, Cameron sat on the ground with a heavy thud. His shoulders drooped as he stared at his hands in silence.

Jiran didn’t bother to bask in Cameron’s plight, instead rushing to Mayalyn before he swept her up in a hug.

“You were amazing! If you had broken the skin of its neck or head with the first strike, then unleashed your lightning, you would have killed it instantly. How was your first fight? How did it feel? You were so fast! You were right, that little snake didn’t stand a chance.”

Cameron jerked slightly with each sentence Jiran spoke as if he were being struck repeatedly.

“Thank you,” She blushed bright red to match the blood Jiran had washed onto the ground. “It was more fun than I thought it would be. I was not scared at all. Though I made many mistakes, I learned a great deal. I will do better next time. It was exhilarating, no wonder you like fighting so much,” They shared a smile that elicited a long guttural groan from Cameron.

The boy recovered a moment later. He jumped to his feet with a roar as he banged his chest plate several times.

“I won’t be beaten this easily! If not for my protection she would have been roasted alive. Her build is entirely focused on speed and damage. If not for me, she would have been squished flat twice over. I could stop a tier five’s attacks a few times, that’s easily equivalent to what she did. Yes, that’s right, I’m still the best defender in my tier. Nobody can match me!” He shouted into the air again for good measure before giving himself a firm nod and stomping over to Olive’s side.

Jiran clicked his tongue after seeing how quickly he was back to his usual self.

“What’s wrong with him?” Cameron hooked a thumb in Jiran’s direction as he leaned closer to Olive.

“I’m not entirely sure but I believe he’s unhappy with the names of his techniques.”

“Hah-hah! I bet he heard mine and jealousy overwhelmed his crooked heart. Who can blame him, I am the best,” Cameron flexed and patted his armor-covered bicep to the clang of metal on metal.

Even without being able to understand his words, Mayalyn rolled her eyes.

“C’mon, you two can find an inn later, we’ve got beasts to kill! I have enough mana for a couple more. Lets go-go-go!”

“How's your mana?” Jiran asked Mayalyn while pointedly ignoring Cameron.

“It is fine, I only used twenty-two percent.”

“That’s it? Not bad at all! You could probably get that down to eight or nine with a bit of practice. Make sure to focus on the weak points that can do the most damage. The brain and core are always good options if you can get to them.”

“He was being truthful… That really was her first fight. Incredible,” Olive muttered while shaking her head.

Cameron grimaced at her words, clearly not over his bout of inferiority despite his boasting. Jiran scooped them into the air in search of the next beast, their reptilian dinner dragged along behind them.