After the briefing about their first mission and the possibility of one of them becoming the leader, the group gathered in a separate training room with Commander Sables to discuss the details and strategize.
"The village, known as Willowbrook, is nestled in a lush valley surrounded by rolling hills and dense forests." Commander Sable began to explain as the image of the village was displayed on the screen inside the room.
"Willowbrook is located on the outskirts between the two major cities of Sylvanwood, a B-tier city, and Rivercrest, a C-tier city." The commander explained as the overview map of the general area was displayed.
"Sylvanwood is known for its lush forests and is a hub for elemental-based abilities and training as well as has the largest guild hall in the entire Sectors 12 and 13. On the other hand, Rivercrest is situated right along the second largest river of this sector and is known for its strong and skilled water ability users and has one of the Top 100 water training centers in the world." The Commander said as images of the two cities were displayed on the screen.
"Even though farming is completely automated now, there are still people needed to oversee everything and there are also people who just want to escape from the technologically advanced urban environment and go back to their roots and be closer to nature. It is a beautiful area, a perfect vacation spot for rich individuals trying to escape reality for some time." Commander Sable explained a bit more about the village.
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What the commander had said was indeed true. The world had progressed so much that there wasn't really a point in having farmlands and ranches and the powerful money-hungry people of the world would jump at the opportunity to gain more land, to build more infrastructure, and yet there were still small towns, villages, and farms that existed all over the world.
The world had gone through massive change when the last war had ended and the ten legendary warriors had used their power to join all the land mass of the earth into a single massive continent.
Before that, the world was pretty different than what it was now and looked a lot more like what scientists and people believed future society would look like: tall skyscrapers everywhere, and not a single patch of land unused.
But after the ten legendary warriors had stepped in, one of them had deliberately made an absolute law for there to be space reserved for ranches, farmlands, etc. Someplace where people could reconnect with nature.
Since people were no longer bound to earth and had started migrating to other worlds to settle down, those areas weren't so important as people were more interested in expanding further in different worlds anyways.
**************
"Even though there are multiple teleportation channels between the two cities, there is only one physical path that connects them and that is through Willowbrook, and this is the issue." The commander said as the warm and beautiful pictures of the day turned into dark and creepy pictures of the night.
"In recent weeks, Willowbrook had been plagued by a series of mysterious and troubling occurrences." The commander continued.
"The problem started when strange shadows began to appear at night, lurking around the outskirts of the village. Villagers reported eerie whispers and unsettling noises, causing anxiety and fear to spread among the community. Some even claimed to have seen faint, flickering lights dancing in the woods."
"As the situation escalated, the village leader sent out scouts to investigate, but they have never returned. Additionally, ever since these shadows appeared, not a single person has come to this village, other than delivery guys who just come to buy the harvested crops. Without tourism, the village can't be sustained and the villagers are going increasingly desperate, seeking help from the neighboring cities which eventually led them to contact the military for assistance." The Commander concluded.
"So, Your main objective is to investigate the situation. You will be sent there undercover as a couple of rich kids looking for a vacation during spring break. Once you are in, you will gather information discreetly. We have no idea the level of threat that we are facing which is why you are not authorized to engage unless absolutely necessary and neutralize any threats if necessary," Commander Sables emphasized.
Mako, Bill, Nathan, Erin, Iris, and Leon all exchanged glances, silently acknowledging the seriousness of the task ahead.
As the discussion continued, Commander Sables brought up the topic of leadership. "As I mentioned earlier, one of you will be appointed as the leader for this mission. Leadership is essential for efficient decision-making and coordination. It will be a valuable opportunity to showcase your leadership qualities and ability to guide your team effectively."
The idea of becoming the leader piqued everyone's interest, and it sparked a competitive atmosphere among them. Each member believed they had the potential to lead the team to success, some more than others.
With that, the mission debriefing was concluded and Commander Sable moved on to more important matters which was the group's training. Even though he had acknowledged that they were talented young individuals, they were still far from being ready to handle a real operation that involved real people's lives and considering the fight that was about to break out between them in the teleporter room, he had his work cut out for them.
He had one week to make sure they were ready to handle the responsibility of the mission and he wasn't going to go easy on them.
"Alright, let's move on to your first training," Commander Sables announced, breaking the whispering discussion among the group.
"Tomorrow at 06:00 hours, I want all six of you to be up and ready for your first training. Don't be late, unless you want to see my bad side!" The Commander said before leaving the room.
Nathan proceeded to leave soon after leaving the five of them alone in the training room. The group spent the next hour talking and discussing everything that happened during the last 24 hours when they were teleported back home.
Erin and Iris got super jealous about the boys receiving new abilities and skills and complained that they will be left in the dust once again to which Mako replied that they were now a team and would have to help each other and grow together if they ever wanted to succeed.
The entire group agreed and promised each other to also watch each other back and never leave anyone behind. Even though Erin and Iris didn't receive any help from a gang leader, they were still strong individuals.
Bill and Erin had gifted Iris the Azure chest armor and the Hydro Bow which boosted her power a lot, and Mako told Erin to just keep his combat knife. He already had the staff which he later learned was also retractable, making it easy to carry, and wanted her to have a weapon that suited her abilities too.
The group didn't stay for long as They had to wake up early and didn't want to disappoint their mentor on the very first day by being late, so all of them head back to their own quarters at a reasonable hour to get some sleep before the grueling training tomorrow.
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Mako laid down on his new bed, excited about what tomorrow might bring. So excited that he had trouble falling asleep. After tossing and turning for 15 minutes, Mako gave up and decided to grab some water.
While doing so, he remembered the new skills that he had insta learned. He opened the system to learn more about them.
[Analyze]
[(E-Tier) Earth Elemental Control] ? (LEVEL 1)
[Upgradable!] ?
[Elemental Control is the most basic of all skills that each user of an elemental ability has access to where the more you use it the stronger it gets as it has no defining limit to how high the user's production and control over the element of earth can become.]
[Attack: Variable]
[Cost: Variable]
[(E-Tier) Ground Rupture] ? (LEVEL 1)
[A basic attack from the Earth Elemental Skill Tree, that allows the user to use his strength and earth aura to punch the ground such that it creates glowing cracks. The cracks continue forward for five meters, where they stop and collect all the power and force supplied by the user to explode in a concussive blast leaving a small crater in the ground. Anyone inside the concussive radius will receive the stunned status effect for 30 seconds.]
[Attack: -]
[Requirements: 25 Strength, 15 Fortitude]
[Cost: 100 Energy]
[(F-Tier) Stone Sword] ? (LEVEL 1)
[A basic utility from the Earth Elemental Skill Tree, that allows the user to mold a basic stone sword that is barely sharp.]
[Attack: 20]
[Cost: 50 Energy]
[(D-Tier) Stone Skin] ? (LEVEL 1)
[A decent defensive skill from the Earth Elemental Skill Tree, that allows the user to cover all or some parts of their body with a thin layer of slightly compressed rock that acts as armor from the user, capable of reducing the incoming damage by 60% given that the attack doesn't exceed 100 damage. Anything above that will reduce the armor's reduction rate and it will receive a greater durability loss.]
[Durability: 300]
[Cost: 100 Energy per minute]
[(E-Tier) Fortified Stance] ? (LEVEL 1)
[A defensive skill that instructs the user how to temporarily increase their defense by pulling tight their very muscle fibers and breathing deeply to provide enriched originated blood flow to the entire body, strengthening them by 10%, giving the user increased fortitude for thirty seconds after the stance has been completely performed.]
[Fortitude: +10]
[Cost: 150 Energy]
All of the skills were great and quite unique with Stone Skin being Mako's favorite from the bunch which provided him with the much-needed defensive capability, although it required a lot of energy.
Mako couldn't wait to try out his new skills in training tomorrow as he just couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.
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