Mimou
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Chapter 65 : You win some, you lose some
🕑 Added 2024-10-10 02:12:45 +0000 UTCSoon after, Lois regrouped with the others, and wasted no time. "We need a few [Mana Amplifier] players here, right now. The more, the better," she announced.
The other officers exchanged confused glances, and Aang raised an eyebrow. "Why do we need [Mana Amplifiers]?"
Lois gave a sly smile. "It’s classified. Just trust me on this—it might be a game-changer."
Without further questions, the four Colonels tapped on their menus, summoning the Mana Amplifiers. Within moments, 18 players gathered before them, each one wearing a puzzled expression as they looked at the high-ranking officers. Most of them exchanged glances, clearly curious as to why they were all called here together.
Asami turned to Lois, tilting her head. “What’s the plan?”
Lois looked to Sora, who gave her a slight nod, then addressed the Mana Amplifiers. "All right, I need each of you to use [Mana Resonance]. Just one at a time, and keep going until I say stop."
[Mana Resonance]
Type: Buff
Description: Mana Resonance creates a link between the Mana Amplifier and one or more allies. When linked, any buff the Amplifier applies to themselves is also applied to their allies at 50% of its original potency. Mana is drained from the Amplifier for both themselves and their allies, meaning the Amplifier must carefully manage their mana reserves to avoid exhaustion. The skill grows stronger with additional allies, amplifying mana efficiency within the resonance network.
Effect: Amplifies any self-buff applied to allies at 50% strength. Mana cost scales with the number of linked allies.
Limit: Maximum of 3 allies linked at level 1, but the number increases with skill level.
Sora thought to himself as he remembered the skill description from the time he unlocked it when he was a Mana Amlplifier class player. He never had time to master this skill but always considered using it. But having no allies made training it really difficult.
The Mana Amplifiers exchanged hesitant looks. A man with sandy brown hair named Emil stepped forward, scratching his head. "What exactly are we doing here?"
"We're trying something," Lois reassured. "I need to observe something."
Emil shrugged and activated [Mana Resonance], a faint glow surrounding him as the skill released waves of mana in pulses and linking him with a few players.
The others watched him curiously, while Sora narrowed his eyes, focusing intensely on the waves of mana as they rippled through the air.
He could see the mana moving in patterns, each pulse of [Mana Resonance] creating a rhythm that connected with the mana around it, amplifying and stabilizing it. His [Mana Eyes] allowed him to witness how the mana interacted with other sources, absorbing and harmonizing it. Emil seemed to be the source of all things as his allies started glowing as well.
‘Fascinating…,’ he thought, tracing the skill's structure in his mind. 'My eyes can see much more, and i feel like i can touch upon the essence of the skill, seeing through much more details than in the past'.
He focused even deeper, sensing the core of the skill, looking for its intricacies. His own mana subtly adjusted as he mirrored the flow, mimicking the way Emil’s mana vibrated in harmony with the surrounding allies.
Emil stepped back, and the next Mana Amplifier took his place, repeating the skill. Sora watched each of them, his gaze intent, etching each variation to memory, noting how slight differences affected the resonance : the level of his allies, the player's level, the player's control over his energy and other factors all seemed to affect the skill usage.
As the process continued, he started to feel the skill’s rhythm become a part of his own mana pool, adapting to its unique flow and frequency. With each repetition, he gained more clarity, feeling as if the ability was gradually becoming his own.
One of the Mana Amplifiers, a woman with curly red hair named Faye, looked at Lois and asked, "Are we just going to keep going like this?"
Lois glanced at Sora, noticing his intense focus. "Yes, just keep going. We’ll stop once we’re done."
Faye shrugged, and activated [Mana Resonance]. She noticed Sora observing her intently, and raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled. The other Mana Amplifiers started murmuring among themselves, some starting to give him weird looks because of his intense gaze.
Finally, Sora gave a satisfied nod to Lois, his mana pulsed with the newly absorbed frequency. He could feel it, the resonance perfectly attuned within him. He had successfully “copied” the skill.
With an excited smile, he turned back to Lois. I’ve got it."
He glanced at the notification:
[You have unlocked the skill: Alternate Mana Resonance]
‘It's no imitation... The copy’s as strong as the original. For the first time, this is not a 'Fake' version’ Sora thought, satisfaction filling him as he read the skill’s description.
The players kept on showing the high ranked officers all the skills they had mastered, and each time this new Captain nodded to Colonel Lois Nale, they would be asked to perform a new skill.
After a while, Lois snapped Sora back to the moment, calling out to the Mana Amplifiers, “Thank you everyone, you've shown us skills you’ve unlocked up to level 50. Time's up for more testing. We’re entering the final stage of the 'Greeting Phase.' Go back to your companies”
Leaving the group puzzled, without further explanation, she turned to Sora and asked "Is the harvest sufficient?".
Sora nodded and looked at his new abilities:
[Alternate Echo Strike]: Channels mana into a weapon for enhanced damage. Power scales with the number of allies buffed by the Amplifier.
[Alternate Mana Cascade]: Temporarily increases the target's mana regeneration.
[Alternate Arcane Overload]: Amplifies the next physical or magical attack based on mana input. Comes with a penalty to mana regeneration.
[Alternate Mana Burst Field]: Boosts all mana-based abilities by 30% within the field, including healing and offensive spells. The Amplifier’s mana cost rises by 50% while active.
While he wasn’t sure how often he’d use all of these, [Mana Cascade] and [Echo Strike] seemed invaluable for the task ahead. [Mana Cascade] was perfect for boosting the mana regen of large groups at once, and [Echo Strike], which he hadn’t utilized in over a month, could serve as his ultimate tool for the first time.
He even sensed that his mastery over these spells was soaring, as his [Mana Evolution], that grew with his mana usage and level, pushed these low level skills to new heights, quickly heading towards a perfect version of the skill.
'I will probably not be able perfect them before the main battle, but it should help reduce their penalties and increase their efficiency' Sora thought, satisfied with the addition to his skills.
Turning his attention to the arena, he read aloud:
[Battalions who have been notified, advance to the field number prepared for you, and fight.]
Sora exhaled, feeling the mounting intensity. The scale of these battles was becoming absurd, and he wondered if it was even possible to earn bonus points at this size. ‘The arena’s way too vast—I can’t affect such a large area all at once even with my elemental skills,’ he thought, shaking his head. ‘I’ll just have to give it my all and see how it goes.’
In the first battalion battle, Asami led Lois and nearly a thousand players against Captone’s forces. Captone, still seething from the last encounter, directed his battalion with renewed determination. Sora, Kara, and the other colonels watched, curious.
Captone’s tactics were impressive. He arranged his troops in clusters of three or four companies, each with distinct objectives. Some focused on long-range strikes, using hit-and-run tactics. Others were melee-heavy, shielded by healers and buffers. Each company seemed purpose-built: some provided cover with elemental walls, others summoned mist to conceal movements or called down lightning to mask the sounds of their attacks.
Sora was impressed by Captone's leadership. Though Captone had shown quick thinking against his own company, Sora's overwhelming might gave him no room for adjustments. Here, however, he was in his element, leading with precision his battalion.
Asami, meanwhile, let Lois take charge of troop arrangements, supervising from the back and clearly placing complete trust in her Colonel’s leadership. Despite their seemingly stronger striking power, the battle was hard-fought. The superior level and coordination of the Dark Elf forces made any gains arduous for the Human companies, heavily relying on Asami to turn the tides.
[Your Faction's Battalion led by Asami Hito won in a Battalion War. +1000 points.]
Without Asami’s speed and stealth—qualities that allowed her to eliminate company leaders and ultimately take down Captone—the victory might have slipped through their grasp.
The scale and challenge of the battalion battle left Sora thinking. 'I might as well forget about bonus points...'
Edward led his battalion with extreme fighting spirit, charging into battle with his battalion of local soldiers against the Dark Elf General. The enemy General, in dark armor and wielding dual blades, cut through the ranks with deadly precision. Edward’s troops fought hard, moving in unison, but the General’s power was overwhelming. One by one, his soldiers fell, and despite Edward’s best efforts, his battalion was crushed.
Next up, Cero faced off with a Female Dark Elf Colonel wielding a spiked mace. The two forces clashed in a brutal, close-range fight. Cero’s battalion held the line, pushing back with everything they had. But the Dark Elf Colonel smashed through their defenses, breaking their formation again and again. Cero fought hard but ultimately, the Dark Elf faction won the battle.
Looking at the notifications, and at the close last fight, Sora was scratching his forehead, looking for a way to reduce the gap in points between both sides, but it looked more and more difficult as time passed. The gap was widening.
[Your Faction's Battalion led by Edward Schwartz lost in a Battalion War. +0 points.]
[Your Faction's Battalion led by Cero Vux lost in a Battalion War. +0 points.]
Aang’s battalion was up next. He unleashed his full strength on the battlefield. Moving like a blur, Aang hunted down the backbone of the enemy battalion, targeting healers and mages with extraordinary efficiency. He slipped through their defenses, massacring players with relatively low defense and lifeforce.
'The general and 1 colonel specialize in assassination... Is this a good or a bad thing?' Sora thought, watching the battle.
The Dark Elves, led by an old Colonel, fought back fiercely, but Aang’s impact kept them on edge. Aang's battalion followed his lead, pressing the advantage. With each fallen enemy healer or mage, the Dark Elves lost damage output and healing potential. The battle raged on, and though fierce, eventually became one-sided.
[Your Faction's Battalion led by Aang Li won in a Battalion War. +1000 points.]
It was now time for Oliver Evans' battalion to join the fray, and battle for the final 1000 points.
Once more, it was time for Sora and Kara to shine.
