The atmosphere in the secluded camp shifted from light-hearted teasing to profound seriousness. The Obsidian Phalanx members—Zane, Sylva, Jian, Kaelan, and Grund—were still eating Grund's thick, nourishing stew. Vara and Zathis, though perched on nearby trees fulfilling scouting duty, were close enough to listen intently.
Kaelus looked at the faces of his comrades. He was projecting the physical appearance of a 28-year-old man, but his mental age was truly only 15 years old—the exact amount of time he had spent living in the cave as a Dragon.
"I have something to confess to you guys." Kaelus took a deep breath. "My physical age is not what you see. I am actually 15 years old."
A silence fell over the group, followed by immediate confusion.
"Fifteen?" Zane muttered. "So you were never twenty-eight?"
Kaelus nodded. "I was only fifteen when the Magic Court measured my rank as Peak 4-Star Mage. I knew that was too high for my age, and it would cause a major incident. To avoid the attention, I used my unique skills to project the image of a man in his late twenties."
Zane stared, processing the information. "So, a 15-year-old S-rank adventurer, with a peak 4-Star Mage rank on the crystal, but a mana pool greater than the Mage Emperor's initial 9-Star rank. That's incredibly insane, Kaelus."
"Do you even know how insane that is, Kaelus?" Sylva asked, shaking her head. "We are in our 40s. Vara is considered a genius at her late 30s as a newly promoted 7-Star Mage. You are not normal, Kaelus."
"So in our training, we were ganging up on Kaelus, a 15-year-old boy, and we all lost?" Zathis asked from his perch, his voice a mix of disbelief and renewed admiration in his voice.
"My original appearance was different," Kaelus confirmed. He closed his eyes and activated his skill, dropping the current disguise. His body shrank slightly, the muscular frame receding as his skin smoothed out. He was instantly transformed into his original human appearance: a youth with a lean frame and pale, smooth skin. His natural hair color, silver, shimmered faintly.
Sylva gasped, a look of pure wonder on her face. "Wow, you are a cute boy, Kaelus."
"This is my real appearance," Kaelus said, his voice subtly higher and younger.
"What is that skill? Is that skill also unique to you, like your Mana Scan and Mana Lock?" Zathis asked, utterly fascinated.
"This is a skill called Mana Skin," Kaelus explained. "I just reconstructed my skin, adding mana to my structure to look taller and older."
Sylva's scientific mind immediately engaged. "Wait, I just read some theory books about the composition of all living beings. Your Mana Skin, Kaelus, confirms and solidifies that theory! It's said that all living things—human, demi-human, and monster—are all composed of mana. If we die, our body dissolves into surrounding mana, just like the monsters. So it is safe to say that our skin is also made of mana. What you are doing is reconstructing your mana skin to alter your appearance, adjust your height, grow muscle, and even change your hair."
"Exactly," Kaelus affirmed. "I just alter my appearance by adding mana."
Zane immediately remembered the crucial moment of the Scorpion fight. "Wait, I just remembered our last expenditure. When you unleashed that ultimate skill, your hair changed from brown to silver-white, didn't it? What is that?"
"If I remembered the first time Zane introduced you to us, that is not your appearance, right?" Grund asked.
"That was the Mana Skin failing," Kaelus explained."My mana pool was severely drained when I had to unleash my ultimate skill," Kaelus confirmed. "I needed to remove the heavy mana required for the disguise, but I maintained my height and mass because of the length of the Viridian Sword."
"That's so cool, Kaelus," Zane said, a genuine excitement lighting up his features.
Vara asked from the tree, "So, if our skin is mana, and your Mana Skin can reconstruct it, are your unique non-elemental skills—like Mana Scan, Mana Lock, and Mana Skin—learnable, or are they unique only to you?"
"The truth is, I don't really know," Kaelus replied. "But as Sylva explained earlier, there's a theory that supports the Mana Skin. So I think it might be possible to learn it."
Zathis grew excited. "It might be tempting to learn that! We can build something out of our mana, like additional limbs or hands!"
"Zathis, sometimes you are spouting nonsense, but what you are saying this time makes sense," Sylva admitted, chuckling.
"I'm not that dumb!" Zathis protested, leading everyone to chuckle.
Sylva quickly corrected the lizardman's ambition. "While Kaelus may create additional limbs or hands, controlling it is one thing. Our brain function can only control what is connected to our brain. Additional limbs mean creating additional bones, muscle, blood, and nerves. So it may not be possible to create one. Is that right, Kaelus?"
"Yes, my Mana Skin can only control the surface, which is the skin," Kaelus confirmed. "Adjusting my height and build is just extending my bones, with the nerves and muscles maintained by adding mana."
"I am learning so much from this," Zathis sighed in amazement.
"The existing theory may help us gain that skill, but learning is another thing," Sylva warned. "Re-creating skin means you have to endure too much pain, and you need absolute control, or you may die due to the damage you gain. I think it will feel like you're peeling your skin yourself."
"I don't want to try that," Vara called down from her post.
"We don't need to learn it right away—we have a mission," Zane stated, gathering his thoughts. "The prerequisite for that is to rest tonight. Scouts, make su—"
"Zathis and Vara, you don't have to scout tonight," Kaelus interrupted, channeling his wind. "My expanded Vortex Sphere can protect us. I can maintain the sphere while sleeping, and it will be completely silent."
Kaelus slowly began the process of changing back into his 28-year-old silver-haired form, the disguise necessary for the mission.
"I know you still have a secret, Kaelus," Sylva said, her voice soft but firm, watching his transformation. "But we choose not to ask. Instead, we will let you reveal it to us. For now, you are a 15-year-old Kaelus Wyndhelm, with a power that has surpassed even the Mage Emperor. We need you on this mission. We don't know what the Atlas Players are capable of; Grolnuk's journal said they are immortal and can slay a dragon, so we all know that we cannot defeat that kind of power. But with you, Kaelus, we are not scared to face them."
Kaelus's silver hair finished its growth, and he stood tall and imposing. "I know my role," he replied, his voice resonating with deep resolve. "And I'm thankful to all of you. I may be young, but as I traveled with all of you, I learned to be matured enough to handle this mission."
"That's more I like it," Zane nodded. "Good. Then let's rest. We leave at dawn."
The Obsidian Phalanx settled down, preparing for the perilous journey ahead.