Chapter 187: Teaming Up

"The situation is worse than we had predicted," A girl holding a heavy war hammer walked at the front, her damaged armour leaking out the blood of the foes she had killed. Though, her condition was optimal, bereft of any injuries.

"Many Cadets are going to fail this time. The presence of four Tier 3 Frenzy Beasts was unexpected. As expected of the military academy, hand it to them to pull off such stunts without batting an eye." Following behind was another girl, sporting tattered armour, with most of it falling off as she walked.

Worn beneath it was a layer of cloth, giving her a second layer of protection. Though, even that was coming off, corroding in places thanks to the blood splashed over. The girl felt a little embarrassed but wasn't bothered enough to fret over it.

They each led a team, the members following the two girls. Two psychic arms coiled around them, shielding them from sight, originating from the girl with the tattered armour. She sighed once, expressing her relief, "Thankfully, someone seemed to have successfully instigated one, resulting in the other three to unleash their auras, making their presence known. Who do you would have been the cause, Shimika?"

"There are only two people in our Batch who can pull of such a stunt and get away with it," Shimika replied, "But, it could have also been someone else. We neither know the cause nor the individual involved."

"Someone's approaching; someone strong!" A boy walking behind shouted, his voice a fluster. He pointed towards the south, raising his arms high up in the air, trembling in fear as his arms scaled in angle, following the target's approach.

Hearing his shout, the remaining members who had their senses trained in other directions spurred into action, focusing on the pointed direction. A girl screamed, "It is humanoid but slightly resembles a Floating Spider."

"The aura…" Shimika furrowed her brows, "It is strong."

She increased the strength in her grip, hoisting her heavy war hammer, glancing at the girl behind her, "Conceal the rest, Hruna. Only support me if my injuries become severe."

"Okay," Hruna nodded, retracting her coiled psychic arms from Shimika, only focusing on the remaining teammates. She commanded them to retreat with her, raising her concentration to also mask their smell and the sounds they produced.

The psychic energy drain was massive; adding onto the shielding she maintained, her focus was occupied to the extent she had to be carried by her teammates.

Shimika felt nervous, craning her head to look at the peak of the rock pillar near her, one that spanned a height of 80 metres. Every rock pillar more or less spanned the same height—80 metres.

A shadow loomed over her, casting a large curtain over the sides of the rock pillar, thanks to the angle of incident light directed by the sun. A humanoid figure appeared in her view, spanning a head taller than humans her age.

Covering it was exoskeleton armour, rugged, lacking any semblance of symmetry, layered in blood. It seemed to be a collage of various parts, haphazardly meshed together into a whole. The head region was that of a Floating Spider's, warped beyond extreme, as if it was bound to explode any second.

The air surrounding it shimmered with a vicious aura, one that sought to rend its enemies and bath in their blood. Shimika felt nervous, the aura she could sense from the other party was superior to her own.

She took in a deep breath, her expanded chest contracting immediately, but no air was exhaled through her nostrils.

"Hah!" With a shout that echoed off the rock pillars, her aura was emitted to the full extent. In response to her unleashed aura, the blood coating her armour flew off, turning into the smallest particle of fluid that existed in the air. The weaker fragments of her armour directly broke off, flying for more than a couple of metres.

The head of her heavy war hammer faced the ground, as if she had no intention to attack but, judging by the strength accumulating in her arm muscles, it proved otherwise. The humanoid figure flashed between two pillars, descending through a zigzag pattern, instilling in her faint confusion.

Floating Spiders were capable of flight. Therefore, her foe that partially resembled one ought to fly, based on her expectation. Even otherwise, her attitude didn't change. Irrespective of the type of foes she faced, she had the motto to smack them once before thinking about the rest.

When the humanoid figure was in proximity of 20 metres, a voice reached her ears, one that was familiar. "Shimika Doppler, it's me."

"Vishen Walta?" Her eyes widened in surprise, her demeanour though, remained unchanged. Unless the words of the other party could be verified, she didn't plan to relax her guard.

Witnessing her stance on the matter, and the cautiousness she exhibited, Vishen Walta nodded in praise. The moment he touched the ground, he lost balance for a second, causing his left knee to impact the ground, raising a grunt from him.

His position was separated five metres from Shimika, the other party watching him in alarm, ready to attack within a moment's notice. He took a second to compose himself, lifting the headgear, and allowing his face to be displayed. Only then did Shimika relax her posture, whistling once as she walked towards him.

Her whistle was to signal her teammates of the coast becoming clear.

"What happened to you? How come you are injured?" She stood before him, extending her hand. Vishen Walta caught hold of her hand and pulled himself up, his brows scrunching at the pain.

"A Ring Worm got me. Dynamic Acuity couldn't sense its approach from the ground." He watched Hruna walk out, having retracted her psychic arms, heaving a sigh of relief upon noticing his presence.

She arrived before him, flashing a psychic arm around his body, seeping through the armour and brushing past the skin. She extended her hand, "What happened to your teammates? How come you are injured to this extent? That will be two energy biscuits."

"Take it yourself; my hands are soaked with blood." Vishen Walta handed his pouch, watching a psychic arm seep through it and emerge out, holding two energy biscuits. He then replied, "I dug out a cave in a secluded region south-east and made them hide within. Many things happened when I scouted the terrain to find out a safe route for them to follow."

He gave a brief recount of his discovery of the Spider World and the ensuing actions he undertook, detailing the effect the auras released by the four Tier 3 Frenzy Beasts had in worsening his injury, decreasing his resistance against the Essence of Frenzy injected into him.

"So, it was you." Hruna nodded, seeping a psychic arm into his wound. "Thankfully, the Essence of Frenzy hasn't seeped deep into your muscles. I can extract them out in a minute."

Without any more dialogue, she began to treat him immediately, taking out minute black substances, the likes of which were trace to be spotted. Seeing her actions, Vishen Walta marvelled at her expertise, "Area Controllers can't comprehend the feedback they receive through their psychic arms. It is a wonder how you manage to do it."

"I can't understand the feedback; that is the truth." Hruna nodded, "But, through practice, I can guess certain things. It is like grasping a blurry pattern, more like memorising the chaotic reception and linking it with a definite solution."

"Can you teach my sister this technique? She's in the October Batch." He inquired without any shame, gleaning the significance and the future growth the technique Hruna displayed possessed. It wasn't something taught in their military academy.

"Only if she joins my Bone Family; otherwise, it is impossible. This is a technique exclusive to our Family." Hruna replied, smiling at him once, implying whether he was okay with it.

"It is not something I can decide right away," He scratched his head, turning around to notice Shimika keeping a vigilant eye on the surroundings. "Currently, due to the four Tier 3 Frenzy Beasts making an appearance, a stalemate of sorts has been achieved. We can use this time frame to better position ourselves."

"How far is your team hiding in?" Hruna Bone unleashed her second psychic arm, turning it pale blue, seeping it into his left leg. A cold sensation pervaded his being, soon turning warm, healing the injured tissues that had worsened due to his overexertion.

Spurred by the healing energy, his Trait of Recovery reacted with full power, causing his muscles to better absorb the energy, hastening the recovery process. After the trace amount of the Essence of Frenzy had been ejected, his Trait of Resistance countered the poison, allowing his wound to begin healing.

A minute later, he made a full recovery, the signs of injury no longer present. Once she was finished, Hruna Bone sighed, ���If we are not careful, even a Tier 1 Frenzy Beast can injure or kill us."

Vishen Walta thanked her, looking at Shimika Doppler as he replied, "If my calculations are correct, they are situated 270 metres south-east from here. Also, since the Tier 3 Lava Turtle is hiding beneath the goals in the swamp…"

"Let's team-up and take it down."