I let out a weary groan as I slumped to the ground, hanging my head remorsefully, feeling absolutely mortified.
"I...I'm really sorry, guys," I remarked with a grimace, as I glanced at the others apologetically.
"It's fine, no harm done. You, uh, should probably be a bit more conservative with that ability going forward, though," Replied Lector, as he patted my shoulder with a wry smile.
"Yeah, I suppose so...," I muttered, unable to shake the guilty feeling in my chest.
My second Wrath Skill, Enrage, it costs more MP than any of my other Skills, needing 150 MP to activate.
It's extremely powerful, it lasts for ten minutes and gives me a fifty percent boost to all my stats.
But as you might have gathered, and as I just found out, it has a few, uh...side effects.
Primarily, while it's active, it puts me in a state of extreme, blinding aggression. And frankly, I underestimated just how aggressive it would make me.
I couldn't think straight at all, I was completely at the mercy of a powerful violent impulse, the only thing on my mind was sating that impulse and my aggression.
Logic went completely out the window, there wasn't so much as an ounce of calmness or composure in me, I was just lashing out at whatever caught my attention, which shifted to the others after I killed the Ogre...I definitely was about to attack them, before Ai stopped me.
Thanks, Ai, I owe you one.
<...>
Hey, come on, I'm sorry. I-...
Yeah, don't worry about that, I'm definitely setting it aside for the time being. While the fifty percent boost to my stats was great and all, I was completely out of control.
Yeah, you were yelling pretty loudly in my mind, I thought my head was about to explode, I could barely move.
"That was pretty amazing though, you got crazy powerful," Chimed in Elicia, as I rubbed my head with a slight grimace.
"It did give me a pretty significant power boost, but it made me way too aggressive," I responded with a sigh, before wincing slightly.
The other side effect of Enrage sets in after the Skill wears off...when activated, it basically dulls my body's physical limiters, which puts a heavy strain on my body.
As a result, I'm sore all over, my entire body throbbing with pain. Combined with the splitting headache Ai gave me, I'm in a pretty miserable state right now.
Also, I can't use Obliterate while Enrage is active, the Rage Meter doesn't appear at all while I'm in that state.
"What happened at the end there, by the way? Right as you were about to attack us, you suddenly started clutching your head and looked like you were in a lot of pain," Recalled Ferna curiously.
"A part of me tried to resist my aggressive impulses, and that gave me a really bad headache," I replied, before adding, "By the way, if it isn't too much to ask for, could you heal me? Pretty sure my muscles are in tatters."
"Huh? Oh, yes, of course. That's why I'm here, after all," She nodded, hurrying over and healing me.
I let out a sigh of relief as the pain coursing through my body steadily faded away, the pain in my head getting dulled a bit too, but it didn't disappear completely.
Yeah, I will.
"Thanks, I feel a lot better now," I remarked gratefully, as Ferna finished healing me.
"Sure, don't mention it. You played a significant role in saving my life during your final exam, so it's the least I can do," She smiled in response, before helping me back onto my feet.
"Hey, do you think you'd be able to stay in control with that power boost if you practice using it a bunch?" Elicia asked me, as I ran my hand through my hair, pushing it back.
Huh, that might be possible...
"I'm not sure, maybe...but it is risky, I could easily end up hurting someone while I'm in that state," I replied after taking a moment to mull it over.
"You should run it by the Chairwoman anyway, she might be able to help you out with that," Responded Will.
"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask. If I ever end up in a situation where I have to use that Skill, I'd definitely prefer it if I had at least some level of control over it," I nodded thoughtfully.
"It was pretty fortunate that you didn't attack us, though...I'm almost certain that you were at the level of an Ace Hunter while you were in that state, we would've been massacred," Smiled Lector wryly.
Yeah, the fifty percent boost to my stats definitely pushed me past the threshold into the lower end of Ace Rank.
"Uh, yeah...I'm really sorry, that could've gotten pretty ugly. Not sure if this'll be enough to make up for it, but how about I treat you guys to some drinks tonight? It's the least I can do after you went along with this selfish raid of mine," I offered with a smile.
Plus, with the sheer number of Monster Cores I've accumulated through this Dungeon, I'm going to be getting quite the sum of money coming my way, so I can easily afford to be a bit generous.
"Now, that's what I'm talking about! Definitely not going to say no to free drinks," Grinned Will in response.
"Yeah, I'm certainly going to take you up on that offer," Nodded Elicia in agreement.
"Me too, there's few greater pleasures than a good drink after a successful raid," Remarked Lector wryly.
"Sounds like a plan, let's meet up at a bar tonight after we get back to the Sanctuary," Added Ferna with a smile.