Chapter 29 - Alice's Thunder Element Problem
The petite redhead had laughed at what Luke said. He was growing increasingly confused with the entire power system he had been introduced to. Combat in this world didn't seem to be about someone being born strong and remaining that way; it was far more complex. In this place, there were numerous factors that completely shifted the balance of a Deviant's power.
Is that why both the Royal Family and the Houses have their own armies and try to recruit talented Deviants? They constantly conduct expeditions to dominate Corrupted Regions, but following the logic Clyde mentioned... whether it's the Royal Family or the Houses... they keep the treasures, rewards, and cards. Although they share with their soldiers, they monopolize the most powerful ones for themselves. So, these expeditions could very well be about more than just the altruism of expanding human presence... it might boil down to acquiring more power.
Luke realized how grand the Deviant society and the Oblivion World were. He once again felt like a tiny ant when he remembered his simple daily routine; he had never imagined that beyond his cramped room with a suffocating ceiling, there could exist a reality like that. Part of him became interested in seeing what the human society in the Oblivion World was like.
Maybe one day.
While reflecting a bit about his life, the image of that person came to his mind. The image of the person he always ran away from, but now, on the other side of a dimension in a corrupted world... she was the only place he wanted to return to.
Trying to set aside his thoughts and not delve into those confusing feelings, he focused on the two girls in front of him. A part of him felt a bit happy to have them there, distracting him from those thoughts he constantly kept buried inside.
"Alice, going back to what you said. What do you mean your case isn't common? Does it have to do with the fact that your element is Thunder? You said your initial ability was called 'Thunder Mantle,' is it related to that?" he asked her.
The blonde girl just nodded, and for a moment, she let some sparks run through her body, showing him.
"Just don't touch me."
He watched for a bit and could see it—it looked like something out of a movie. Luke saw some sparks running all over her body and then stop.
Anna was a bit impressed and tried to get closer.
"My hair stands on end when I get close to you," the redhead laughed.
"I ended up awakening, and my initial ability turned out to be an advanced ability; I don't have enough prana to sustain it. I should have awakened with the ability 'Generate Thunder,' which would allow me to use it with my Transmitter Segment. Instead, I awakened with the ability 'Thunder Mantle.'"
Luke was trying to understand how complicated that could be, but to him, it was the same thing, since she was a Transmitter, and those with that Segment made the prana run through their bodies, strengthening them and even making them stronger by transforming their prana into their element.
"I get it!" Anna exclaimed.
"I don't understand; to me, it's the same. Am I wrong? She's a Transmitter, and in the end, her thunder would have to be used on her body, right?" he asked sincerely.
She shook her head negatively.
"It's not quite like that. It's as Anna said earlier about an Emitter mimicking a fireball. A Transmitter who has the ability 'Thunder Mantle' is much more powerful than a Transmitter who creates a prana armor around themselves and generates thunder within it. Both are powerful, as covering yourself entirely with your element is significant. However, there's a problem: when you cover yourself with prana armor and transform it into your element, you have an absurd prana expenditure. Doing that is very advanced, so no one just goes around doing it. You'd likely exhaust your prana in seconds and barely manage to cover yourself. The advantage of having an ability like 'Thunder Mantle' is that the prana cost is slightly lower and the ability is more powerful... but it is still an advanced ability. I don't have enough prana to sustain it for long, and the worst part? I can only use it to cover my entire body at once because it is essentially a mantle of thunder."
Listening to this, Luke understood what she meant. The terrible problem Alice faced even with an element outside of the Dissident elements.
A Transmitter with the initial ability 'Generate Thunder' could try to mimic the 'Thunder Mantle' on specific parts of the body. They could concentrate it only on their hands or feet… but Alice is forced to activate it all over her body at once. Now I get it; basically, as soon as she activates this thing… it starts draining all her prana. She can't control or focus it; she simply activates it at full strength.
"I'm still trying to control it. At the very least, I'm trying to reduce the electricity running through my body to make it last longer. Unfortunately, I'll never be able to deactivate it on just one part of my body; whenever I activate this ability, my entire body is affected. The solution I'm trying is to keep the Thunder Mantle active but reduce its voltage."
Man... that's tough; she probably can barely use her ability.
"You'll never be able to change this?" Luke asked.
The girl listened and thought for a moment.
"With a lot of training and luck, maybe I can eventually master the ability to control the Thunder Mantle with low and high voltage in specific parts, but there's no guarantee of success. In the future, I will try to find a card with 'Generate Thunder' or something similar. However, it will be difficult to find a card that teaches such a basic ability that every user of the element already knows..." she murmured towards the end.
"I hope you succeed," the red-haired girl said.
"Thank you... I need this; it's an achievement I seek for myself."
Luke observed the blonde girl.
It wasn't something said out of a desire for more power... it wasn't greed, it was something beyond and personal. Her goal... in the end, everyone has secrets buried within themselves.
As time passed and they prepared for their final tasks of the day, Luke reflected on everything he had learned about this Deviant world. Watching the two girls in front of him in their school uniforms, he gained a better understanding.
There are so many things to absorb and try to deal with: Segment, Aspect, Element, Ability Cards, Emitter, Transmitter, Summoner, and Dissident... Now I understand why there's an academy to teach Deviants. What I know must be just the tip of the iceberg, and it requires a lot of training to master and understand the use of prana. This world is much bigger than I imagined back in my one-room apartment.
What will happen to me if I ever return to Earth? I think I'll have a lot of stories to tell at work... I just hope they believe me.
Luke let out a small laugh while exhaling. Looking at the two people in front of him who were fixing up his cave where he once bled and fainted, he felt a tinge of an emotion he couldn't identify.
What is this? Is it... trust? If it is, please go back and bury it.
The day was starting to fade into night. Before that happened, they were roasting their dinner to eat later. They needed to have the meat ready and then extinguish the fire. Luke's torch had never been so useful; after all, in the wilderness, being able to afford to extinguish the fire is invaluable. Putting out your fire doesn't guarantee you can relight it in the middle of nature, but here… Luke's torch gained value with its utility.
The problem is the cold… and tonight is especially colder than the last few days. How I wish I could sleep by a fire to keep warm.