Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"You are getting good, Rain," Terra said while she was healing Rain's arm. "Getting good at being beaten. You aren't starting to like this, don't you?"

"I am not sure myself. There is only one way to find out," Rain said.

Since Rain's head was more or less fine, one could argue about that considering his words, Seara headbutted his nose again. She was starting to become more proficient at that, so the pain was increasing over time. Still, it couldn't be helped. It was only in moments like that Rain had the chance to level up the Jokester path.

Level 10: Quick Wit Mastery (23) - Attain Quick Wit, enhancing your ability to craft witty comebacks and jokes on the spot. Your quick thinking allows you to adapt swiftly to various situations. Decreases the intelligence of the targets by ten points per level for a day.

Level 15: Hilarious Improvisation (31) – With the art of Improvisation, you can spontaneously create humor and comedic situations. You excel in improvisational comedy. Decreases the Strength of the targets by ten points per level for a day.

While the path only had four skills, the path was already at level fifty, Rain wanted to make more skills on it, but he had no idea how to do that yet, so he could only try to get some inspiration.

"Anyway, let's check the base while we can," Rain said. "I can heal the rest of the arm myself."

Rain's arm was pretty swollen, but they didn't have time for that. Besides, a little lingering pain would motivate him to avoid failures like that in the future. Besides, there is nothing stopping the enemy from blowing up that planet anytime soon. They can't count that they had a few hours if the enemies base was too far away.

Because instead of having to fire something that will have to move at the speed of light, they could just teleport a bomb that could destroy the whole world.

Without wasting time, the group moved to the base… the place was covered in rubble thanks to one of Rain's attacks. Still, after moving those out of the way, they were able to find some containers. They were completely sealed off, but Sealyn easily split apart them since she was still wearing Nigel's full set.

The group discovered a collection of light blue ores within the opened containers. The crystalline formations resembled mana crystals, emitting a faint glow that hinted at their magical nature. However, upon closer inspection, the peculiar aspect of these crystals became apparent. There was an absence of any sign of energy emanating from them.

The group exchanged puzzled glances, unable to sense the usual magical aura that accompanied such mystical ores. Terra, who had a keen sensitivity to magical energies, furrowed her brow in confusion.

Rain, intrigued by the unusual crystals, extended his hand and picked one up. A curious sensation washed over him as his fingers made contact with the smooth surface. Unlike the usual tingling or surges of energy associated with magical items, Rain felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had encountered these crystals before.

"They aren't anything I had seen before… but they should be pretty valuable for the enemies," Sakaki said. "We don't have time to study them here."

"We should secure some samples for the time being," Rain said. "We can hide them in our domains later. Anyway, we have to look into where they mined this."

The group looked around and only saw the containers… there were no signs of doors or stairs… it was obvious that the mine entrance was pretty hidden. Sealyn was feeling impatient because she wasn't satisfied with the end of the fight, so she thrashed around the place for a while until she found a long hole that led underground.

On the sides of the hole, there were countless devices that seemed similar, like crystals that could emit light… in fact, even without energy on them, they seemed pretty similar to the others. When Rain touched them and infused them with mana, they began to emit a powerful light that spread toward the bottom of the round hole… they still couldn't see the end of it, though.

"I guess this kind of ore is pretty compatible with mana," Sakaki said. "This must be why the enemies were mining here. Extracting mana from planets, extracting minerals that work well with mana from another planet… they sure are thinking big."

"The hole isn't that big, and we need people to guard the entrance as well; we also don't know what we will find down there, and we need to be fast," Isa said.

"I know, I know, a small group…" Sealyn said and then sighed. "Do you want to go in? I want to sit this one out."

"Why?" Isa asked.

"You like this job more than fighting, right?" Sealyn shrugged. "I also need some time to think things through a bit. Just go."

"All right… I guess Rain will have to stay behind in case the others have to evacuate. We don't need to lose both of us in an accident, after all," Isa said. "Terra, Seara, Jori, and Reca can come with me."

Rain watched as Isa and the others prepared to descend into the mysterious hole, curiosity was burning within him. He was eager to explore and uncover whatever secrets lay hidden beneath the surface. Yet, he understood Isa's decision to make him stay back. It made sense, strategically speaking.

Rain knew that he couldn't complain; leadership decisions often demanded sacrifices, and Isa's logic was sound.

As the group geared up for the investigation, Rain couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than just overseeing the mission. He cast a thoughtful glance toward Sealyn, recognizing a reflection of his own tendencies in her. They shared a similarity in their inclination to shoulder the weight of perceived failures.

Rain decided that staying back offered an opportunity not just to lead but also to connect with Sealyn.