"Sorry it took so long, I needed some time to set things up. But we're good to go now," Charlotte informed me with a smile, as she led the way.
"No need to apologize. You're doing me a favor, and I'm not so entitled that I'd complain about it," I responded with a smile.
Today's the 10th of March, 2169, about a week since I bought my new apartment.
Yesterday, Charlotte let me know that she'd finally finished the preparations to help me practice using and trying to control myself with Enrage, so I dropped by today to get started.
I'll decide on how often I do this after I see how this first session goes, there won't be any point in continuing with it if it turns out that it'll be impossible to stay in control while using Enrage no matter how much I use it.
"I have to say, I've been surprised by how inactive you've been...most new Hunters try to get on as many Quests as possible, to try and prove themselves. But in the two and a bit months since your graduation, you've only taken on one Quest so far, which is pretty rare."
"Yeah, I suppose I could've been more proactive. I ended up taking a lot more time than I'd intended training with my shooting, and I benefited so much in that last raid, both in terms of power and financially, that I haven't felt any pressing need to rush into another raid," I replied sheepishly.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad thing. A lot of new Hunters end up taking on more than they can handle and get overwhelmed in the process, I believe it would be better if more new Hunters chose to ease into Hunting more gradually, as you've been doing. But I suppose you could stand to be a little less laidback with it," She responded with a wry smile.
"Yeah, I'll take on another Quest soon, maybe later this week."
"Sure, sounds good. I assume you'd prefer to team up with the same party again, I'll check with them and let you know when they're all available."
"Cool, works for me. And yeah, it'd be more convenient to work with the same people instead of teaming up with a completely different group," I nodded, before adding curiously, "By the way, what exactly have you set up to help me train using Enrage?"
"You'll find out soon enough," She smiled smugly, a gleam in her eyes.
Between this and her deliberately not telling Elicia about me, she's definitely got something of a mischievous streak and a flair for theatrics, doesn't she?
Well, can't say I'm not intrigued, so I'll play along, I have no reason to spoil her fun.
She was leading me down to the basement of the Hunters Union building, which was usually off-limits, I think they use it to test new weapons made by the Hunters Armory and to research Monsters.
Back when I worked here part-time as a receptionist, I was explicitly warned to not go down there, only a select number of staff numbers were authorized to access this area of the building.
As we reached the bottom of the stairs, we stepped into a long, wide corridor, with several doors on either side of it. She led me through the corridor before coming to a stop in front of one of the doors, opening it.
I followed in after her as she entered, finding myself on a wide viewing platform, with a metal staircase leading down to a massive space below.
There was someone else in the room, sitting by the corner on the viewing platform, glancing up as Charlotte and I walked in.
He looks vaguely familiar, somehow...where have I seen him before?
Whoever he is, the fact that he's here must mean he's in the know about my powers, or is at least trustworthy enough to reveal it to.
"Alright, this is it. This is a heavily fortified and reinforced room, you can go wild without a worry in here. The staircase can retract, and the balcony is twenty meters above the space below...just to confirm, you can't jump that high, can you?"
"No, definitely not. But, uh...I could probably eat my way out through the walls with Devour. I don't know if I'd actually do that while in my hyper-aggressive state, but it's definitely a possibility. By the way, uh...who's that?" I responded, nodding at the other person in the room.
"Don't worry, he's here to help you with your training. Well, he won't be able to come here all the time, but he's agreed to swing by at least twice a week for a month or two, depending on whether you decide to do this on a regular basis.
We can hash out the details later. Let me introduce you...this is one of Sanctuary Theta's Aces, Rexon Wards, also known as the Ghost. Rex, this is the young Hunter I told you about, Kaivel Intrix."
Right, that's why he looked so familiar.
Ace Hunters are basically celebrities, their faces are all over billboards and ads, a lot of companies hire them to promote their products and services.
Also, he's an Arcane Hunter, the first I've ever seen in person.
Now way I can resist using Appraisal on him, let's have a look:
Personal Details:
Name: Rexon Wards
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 88 KG
Hunter Details:
Type: Arcane Hunter
Class: Ghost
Attribute: N/A
Spells: Partial Self-Phase, Full Self-Phase, Object Phase, Subject Phase
Skills: High Status Effect Resistance, High Elemental Resistance
Stats:
HP: 645
MP: 808
Strength: 639
Agility: 850
Vitality: 651
Perception: 866
Mana Level: 808,000
Power Level: 743,200
Potential: 782,400
Impressive...even with the fifty percent stat boost from, I'd still be weaker and slower than he is. His Aura is fascinating, it had a light gray, smoky, translucent hue to it, with an ethereal glow to it.
And it was slightly more intense than Charlotte's was.
I wonder what kind of Magic he has? Based on the name of his Class and Spells, I'm guessing he can turn himself intangible, maybe?
He had medium-length, messy white hair that was so pale it was almost translucent, his eyes were red and had a golden tinge around the irises, he had a light brown complexion, with a slender, agile build.
He was wearing a black mask over the lower half of his face, he had dark circles under his eyes and a small, slightly diagonal scar across the middle of his left eyebrow.
He wore a loose-fitting dark blue tank top, with black athletic pants that went a couple of inches past his knees, and black sandals on his feet.
Exactly what kind of role in my training does Charlotte have in mind for him? Well, like she said before, I guess I'll find out soon enough.