Nathan sat in bed with a blue crystal in his hand. It was fist-sized and it glowed a bright blue color. Reyes walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his neck.
"How long are you going to keep staring at it?" Nathan turned over. "Don't you think this is a bit much?" "Nope. You were the star of the Escape room challenge after all. It's only right that your receive that much."
Nathan did not respond as he returned his eyes to the blue crystal. What he held in his palm was solidified tachyon energy. It was something that cadets looking to form tachyon cores would strive to get.
It not only helped make the work of creating a core easier. It also helped to stabilize the core by filling it up with the energy needed. It was a handy cultivation aid for beginners.
Nathan held it in his hand like it was the most priceless thing ever. He couldn't believe that he would get one so easily.
It was given to him as a reward by Captain Rodgers for being the biggest help in cracking the puzzle for the Escape room.
This happened two hours after Elena had called for a meeting in which they introduced themselves to one another. They had also chosen her to be their Herald. It was a unanimous decision.
Nathan felt giddy because he was well aware that without the crystal, he would have a very difficult time forming a core, which was a requirement if one was to remain in a squadron.
Captain Rodgers had given them a month to form their cores. If a person had not formed one before then, then the person would immediately be kicked out of the Squadron and placed under probation.
It was harsh but necessary. A tachyon core for a Guardian was important as it was the basis for their cultivation. Without one, they wouldn't be able to perform their duties.
A normal human couldn't dream about being able to withstand the weight of an Exo suit.
Nathan felt the crystal. It was warm to the touch. "With this, I might be able to take care of the energy deficit in the system." He couldn't wait to start.
"When do you plan on consuming it?" Reyes asked as he got dressed. He wore a red jumpsuit with a hawk covered in lightning emblazoned on the left breast pocket. This was the official uniform for the Red Wing Thunder Squadron.
"How long do you think it would take for me to finish it up?" Reyes shrugged as he moved closer to examine the lump of crystal. "Well, based on how pure the tachyon in this crystal is and its size, as well as, your stats… I'm guessing at least two weeks."
"Hey, what do mean by my stats?" Nathan somehow felt wronged. Reyes merely chuckled as he pulled up his wrist to reveal a watch. "Hey, Thunder, please pull up, Squad member Nathaniel Holt's status for me."
[Yes sir.] A robotic male voice responded after which a blue screen was projected from the screen.
[Name: Nathaniel Holt.]
[Gender: Male.]
[Position: Repairman.]
[Height: 173.5cm.]
[Weight: 60.8kg.]
[Agility: 6.7m/s.]
[Strength: 80kg.]
[Status: Healthy, Nervous.]
[Tachyon affinity: 45%.]
[Core quality: Navy blue.]
[Constitution: Poor.]
[Intelligence Quotient: 167.]
[Cultivation base: None.]
[Tachyon core level : 0%.]
[General evaluation: Cultivation will be limited and will take time to develop. The assumed cultivation base before a bottleneck occurs is the Fourth base.]
Nathan sighed heavily as he saw the information on the blue screen. This was the AI program given to Red Wing Thunder Squadron by the higher-ups.
It was a must for every Squadron to have an AI serving all squad members. It allowed them to keep tabs on one another, share information with hardly any difficulty, and also check on the status condition of others.
Individually, it helped them to perform certain tasks. For a Sniper, the AI could be used to measure air pressure, density, and angle to allow them to shoot with precision.
For a swordsman, it helped to analyze their opponent's movements to gain an advantage.
The possibilities were endless and the best part was the fact that it was devoid of anything that could cause it to turn on humanity like before.
Right now, Reyes showed Nathan's status report to him. The system was not too far off on his condition. But, Nathan would not give up so easily.
"I will work with what I have," Nathan remarked. "I know. I'm just showing you so you know what you are working with. We have a month, Nate. Make it count." Reyes had a rare seriousness about him as he spoke.
Nathan could not help but suffuse a smile. "Yeah sure." "Good. I'll be leaving then." Reyes turned to leave.
"Heading for the training center?" "I want to start as soon as possible. Have fun with the crystal." Reyes stepped out and the door closed behind him.
Nathan was finally alone in the room. Riley had not returned from wherever he had gone to. The silent guy, which Nathan had found out was named, Indra Kusagaki, had left a few minutes earlier. Only managing a greeting before stepping out.
Nathan laid back on his bed. "I guess I won't have to head over to the training center for a while." The training center was the facility used by cadets to practice their martial arts and undergo cultivation.
It was fitted with large rings for spars. They were specialized spaces for varying forms of martial arts involving either the fists, the legs, or both.
Then in a separate location, there were small cubicles fitted with tachyon pumps that slowly pushed tachyon energy into the cubicles.
Reyes had gone to the center to make use of the cubicles to attempt to form his tachyon core.
Forming a tachyon core for cultivation wasn't easy, of course. Neither did it happen immediately. It was a slow and grueling process that involved a cadet molding his core like it were an artwork.
Like a pottery maker using clay to create pots, the cadet had to treat the tachyon as clay and mold it into a suitable core after which they would then fill it up with as much energy as it can take.
Most would be unsuccessful in the first two weeks. Only the geniuses would be able to grasp the process in a week or two.
"Well, can't keep on ruminating over the facts. Time to get to work." He moved out of bed and onto the cold floor as he sat cross-legged with the blue crystal still in his hands. He was going to attempt to absorb it.
"Thunder, pull up the 36 breathing techniques handbook." He put out his wrist and a blue screen was projected from his watch. Showing on the holographic screen were a bunch of breathing techniques that they had been given.
A breathing technique was important as it was essential in cultivation.
Depending on the body's constitution, a suitable breathing technique would allow one to absorb tachyon easily which would make it easier for one to ascend through the bases of which there were eight in total.
Nathan scanned through the techniques one after the other, carefully reading them to not make the mistake of picking an unsuitable breathing technique.
Just as picking a suitable breathing technique was exceedingly beneficial, picking an unsuitable one brought a lot of problems with it.
It could very well stunt a Guardian's growth or even cause irreversible damage to their bodies. For Nathan, he needed a technique that would allow him to take things slowly.
He couldn't take huge amounts of energy at once into his body due to his low affinity thus he could only take it slowly to avoid mutation or the like.
Taking things slow would make his cultivation speed move at a terrible pace but on the bright side, it allowed him to safely take in the tachyon energy for his body to refine.
As they said, slow and steady wins the race. It was better than rushing things only to end up suffering the consequences. Nathan was willing to work smart, not fast.
He finally settled for one, the thirty-fifth technique, also known simply as, Panda Breath.
"This should be sufficient." He clicked on the technique after which a whole wall of text, as well as a few diagrams, were shown, demonstrating the method in which one was to go about performing the technique.
Nathan looked over it as he took in the information at a rapid pace. Everything was almost ready to begin the process. His cultivation path was set.