It had become evening by the time Erin was done explaining all the details to Leon and Bill for the fifth time. They all sat around the fire that Bill had made and Erin was taking small bites of fish to satiate her hunger while also answering every question of Bill and Leon who were still shocked and confused even after hours of Erin repeating the same thing.
After Erin explained the entire incident as narrated by the patrolling officer for the fifth time, she finally put her foot down.
"Look, guys, I keep telling you the same thing. I never got a good look at Mako. When I arrived, I aimed straight at that giant beast and finished it off as quickly as I could. However, before I could reach Mako, my mutant gene gave out and I suffered from the aftereffects of overusing it which exhausted me. By the time I came to, he was long gone..." Erin stated in a slightly annoyed and exhausted tone as she finally got to her last piece of fish.
Bill and Leon didn't even realize the flow of time as they were so absorbed in the shocking news of Mako's disqualification.
"I'm sorry, Erin. I know you have been through a lot, but it is just that, I still can't believe that he actually got eliminated." Bill said.
Erin thought that both Bill and Leon would be outraged after they heard that Mako had been disqualified from the tournament, but when she explained to them how he was disqualified, it was as if both of them already knew what Mako had done, and didn't blame her at all.
They were just shocked that he had to resort to that in the fight against the Beetle King and they had to make Erin keep repeating the events to make sure that what they had seen before matched what Erin was describing.
"I can't believe he used that move again, I thought it was just a fluke that first time," Leon said as he thought back to the Dark Raven tournament when Mako publicly revealed his Rage Mode to everyone.
"What? He has done this kind of thing before?" Erin asked in a bit of a shock as from the way the patrolling officer was describing Mako's condition, she was very worried about him even making it to the medical clinic alive.
Both Bill and Leon nodded as they began to explain how he took on 30 guards all by himself during their Jailbird Operation using the same skill.
Erin was shocked by the feats that Bill and Leon told her about Mako, and now it started to make sense why they were in so much shock.
"Hang on... What were you guys doing sneaking into a prison warehouse?" Erin asked in curiosity.
Bill and Leon both had a shock of realization as they both looked at each other with a face that showed that they realized they messed up.
Bill quickly tried changing the topic and having Erin forget about it, but after seeing both of their reactions, Erin was adamant about learning why they were in such a dangerous location in the first place.
If Iris would have been still with them, she would have been facepalming so hard as this was one of her annoying habits. She wouldn't rest until she was satisfied playing detective and uncovering all secrets.
Bill and Leon understood that this was a fight that they couldn't win and so they took a long sigh and began explaining their involvement with the Dark Raven and even El Diablo.
It took another hour or so for Bill and Leon to catch Erin up on all the details regarding the gangs and their involvement with Mako, Bill, and Leon.
By the end, Erin was left completely dumbfounded as she felt like she was sitting with complete strangers and realized how little she actually knew about her new friends.
Leon had still kept most of her relationship with her father private as he had only opened up about his emotions to Mako only.
Erin only knew that Leon's father was the leader of the Dark Raven and that was it. As soon as she first heard about that, a chill ran down Erin's spine as she remembered how she had treated the son of a gang leader and was a little afraid for her life.
Leon quickly judged the change in Erin's tone and quickly assured her that there was nothing to worry about and that she was completely safe.
After a bit more talking, all three of them were on the same page. They were all healthy and fed. They had survived the fifth and final wave and made history that they didn't even know about. They had lost both Iris and Mako in the final wave which was indeed a heavy blow but they had prepared for these circumstances.
They knew that there was a low chance of all of them making out of it fine, and now they were dealing with the consequences of their actions.
As night began to fall, the trio began to discuss their moves going forward as they still had 4 more days until the end of the test.
They couldn't believe that so much had happened to them in just 11 days, and were very excited yet scared of what was to come in military school.
*************
[At the medical clinic]
It had been 12 hours since Mako had been admitted into the clinic. He was in pretty bad shape internally as his body was completely depleted of mana, and the overuse of Rage Mode had left its side effects on his body as well which he didn't even know about.
Fortunately for him, Commander Malik was still at the clinic at the time of Mako's arrival and he was swiftly able to save Mako's Life. He was already quite surprised and impressed with Iris' condition, but he was even more surprised after Mako was presented to him in the clinic.
Commander Malik observed Mako's condition with a mixture of concern and curiosity. The young cadet's body was visibly exhausted, showing signs of extreme fatigue and strain. It was clear that Mako had pushed himself to his limits and beyond, but something completely unique was happening with Mako's body.
It was refusing to regain mana from the surroundings which was very dangerous.
Commander Malik had to use some advanced techniques which weren't even taught to regular doctors and other medical professionals, which forcefully and permanently removed the user's energy pool to restore mana highways inside another person's body.
Many of the mana pathways inside Mako's body were blocked off and this was the reason why his body couldn't regenerate energy.
With mana to contain the abilities that resided in one's body, the bubble containing the abilities gets destroyed and the abilities get free reign over the person's body. If the person is untrained and has weak connections with his abilities, the abilities can turn on the person himself and kill him from the inside out.
Cases like these are very rare as the body continuously absorbs mana from the surrounding and converts it into energy to be stored and then used when needed, but there are some abilities and skills that can hinder a person's ability to regenerate and in those cases, complete depletion can be fatal.
"It seems that this young boy's body has experienced significant internal damage due to the prolonged and intense activation of that skill you mentioned," Commander Malik explained to the patrolling officer that brought him in as well as other people in the room.
"His organs have been strained, and his overall mana reserves are depleted. The side effects of his power, combined with exhaustion, have taken a toll on his regeneration capabilities." He added.
"Will he be able to recover?!" The main commander asked anxiously.
The main commander had appeared on a holographic screen as he wanted live updates on Mako's condition.
"It will take time and proper care for Mako to recover fully. We will need to monitor his condition closely and provide him with rest, nutrition, and appropriate medical interventions. I am still not completely sure when he will come to as his case is quite unique from the one I have encountered so far, but he should make a recovery now that he is stable." Commander Malik replied.
***************
[Back at the shelter]
Erin, Bill, and Leon had been making plans for their next moves. They knew they couldn't afford to remain stagnant, as the remaining days of the test would pass quickly and they still had to make sure they scored enough points in the eyes of the military to reach the special class which they were all aiming for.
Erin suggested that they focus on training and improving their individual abilities during this period. With Mako out of commission for the time being, it was essential for them to strengthen their skills and be prepared for future challenges.
Bill and Leon agreed, realizing that the competition within the military school would only grow fiercer.
However, before they got to that, Bill had another plan in mind.
Bill suggested that it would be very beneficial for them to find the Golden Loot Crate that was still somewhere on the mountain.
Since almost the whole mountain was encompassed in the highlighted red zone, it meant that nobody else would be on the west mountain as they all had most likely fled the mountain in order to guarantee their safety.
Erin and Leon had completely forgotten about the Golden Loot Crate and agreed that it would be a great help if they were able to find it before the test was over.
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