Chapter 206: Chapter 187 : Comparison (Part 3)

[Best for last, I see, makes perfect sense,] Charlotte nodded with a satisfied look on her face, reiterating the words Ralf had spoken when explaining why she had been visited last.

[But for my fighting game character, mm, I’d have preferred to wear something sexier, like the other female characters,] the Onic Master said, remembering the array of scantily clad characters she had seen or played as.

Ralf blinked slowly at the words, having a hard time holding back the head shake within him.

With her curvy figure, there were very few things she could wear that wouldn’t come off as alluring, and her current outfit wasn't among those few things.

The Onic Master was wearing the same form-fitting clothes she wore during Paintball Royal. The black leggings and similarly black tank top called back memories of the Event, with one particular snippet standing above all.

Ralf's body temperature rose as the snippet replayed in his head. Only fueling this heat was the one addition to her getup, the black cloth covering her eyes. It provoked a similar phenomenon as Violet's headwear and induced similar results.

The flames were fanned and a blush was imminent, but thankfully, Ralf reacted in time. A timely Perfect Control command proved sufficient to snuff out the fire. The Transmigrator reined in his male gaze with a slow blink, before throwing his focus to a random wall.

[That's not an issue,] he replied, his voice nonchalant. [As you must've noticed, characters can have multiple outfits. The one you're rocking now will just be the first of many. Other outfits can be added easily.]

[Hm, then can you make my fighting character have the same outfit as my character in Heaven's Rim?]

[That can be arranged.]

Charlotte's lips curled up. [Okay, let's get into it then. Watch closely, I’ll show you everything I’ve got.]

Following the words, Charlotte had the training session resume and proceeded to showcase her abilities in full.

The Onic Master was a best-of-both-worlds kind of gal, not content with one side or the other. This held true in the bedroom and also in her preferred fighting style.

Charlotte was armed with both hot and cold. Held in both hands, the black and white handle of a katana-like sword, and floating around her person were six 'identical' guns, ranging from a metre to three metres away, all held up and controlled by her telekinesis.

Like this, she speedily zigzagged around the large cubic training hall, firing and slashing at the horde of Psi monsters present, each attack ending a 'life'.

[Impressive,] Ray said, echoing his and his other self's feelings.

Charlotte's speed, defence and attack power were exceptional, but what really impressed the duo was her ability to juggle everything and her overall poise.

She never looked rushed to act or uncertain of her next move. Even as the waves of Psi monsters grew rowdy, she remained calm. Slicing, shooting, stabbing, reloading and kicking; her mind’s eye seemingly peeking a few seconds into the future. She lacked in the experience department, but more than made up for it with her natural knack for combat.

Where Ralf's mind's eye focused on Charlotte's sword, Ray's focused on the many guns present.

'Lightning, ice, and air are powerful...but so too is the element of surprise,' Ray thought as a look of admiration flashed across his face. 'Quite clever. Ignorant, most people would fall for her ploy. Visually, they're almost indistinguishable and she's even accounted for the aura giveaway,' he complimented as he took in the Onic Master's deception.

Charlotte had six guns, all identical in appearance. The thing was, only three of them were as they seemed. The rest, while easily mistaken for a type of single-barrelled shotgun, were not that.

Rather, they were grendo guns. These grendo guns were Charlotte's own weapons, brought over from the Lavalsay Archipelago, and were purposely designed to be as similar to her shotguns as possible. The end result was nearly one-to-one, with only a few minute differences between them and the shotguns.

Till they fired, all but those highly familiar with grendo guns, like the duo, would assume that they were ordinary shotguns and would be ignorant about the danger the psionic killers presented. A rude awakening or abrupt ending lay on the wrong end of those barrels.

'A nifty tactic,' Ray thought, approving her way of thinking, so similar to his own.

Her skills in handling the weapons also coloured him impressed. She had shown a snippet of her gunslinging potential during the earlier Basic Armaments class, and now, he bore witness to her true prowess.

Under her control, the guns were seemingly sentient and all possessed by expert markswomen, spinning like propellers and landing each shot with deadly accuracy.

At Charlotte’s mental commands, the golfball-sized greyline-coated spherical bullets were ushered out of the shotgun-like barrels, one after the other. They tore through the air and everything in their path at hypersonic speed, leaving an ephemeral line of bright yellow light in their wake.

What about safety?

This was covered, of course. The Academy had taken the necessary steps to avoid Charlotte from accidentally harming or killing herself. They couldn't let a student die, and certainly not one of Charlotte's status and calibre.

The Onic Master's Psi defence, while sturdy, was far from being able to stop the hypersonic projectiles' advances. As such, for these sessions, several high levelled Assistants and even one of the Academy's Guardians were summoned to make sure things ran smoothly.

Charlotte's figure was double-coated, her Psi barrier under while a Rank 9 Telekinetic's Psi barrier over. It wasn't ideal from her perspective, but she was used to it. Her parents had never allowed her to play with her grendo guns without ample protection.

Charlotte didn't need the protection with her skills being what they were, but the Academy refused to take any risks on this. Their worries came with a price, inconvenience and a hefty sum of credits.

These training sessions were pricey to run, with the presence of the Academy Guardian being especially costly. Luckily for Charlotte, she had friends with deep pockets. She took Violet’s offer to pay for her, trading it for a kiss on the cheek, and could now do grendo gun practice twice a week.

Swoosh!

The shotgun hovering beyond Charlotte's left shoulder came alive at the Psi monster's sudden lunge. Hot lead rushed out of the 2-inch wide barrel and struck the Psi beast's head, blowing it to smithereens.

While this was happening, several other Psi monsters rushed at her from the rear. The Onic Master remained nonchalant, not bothering to even turn around. Instead, she had one of her other floating guns spin to meet them and...

Boom!

After obliterating all that stood in its path, the glowing metallic orb crashed into the union technique barrier coating the venue's walls, before finally losing all momentum and dropping to the floor.

Having fired all her assigned bullets for the session, Charlotte floated all her guns to the Assistants on the balcony, where they would be safeguarded from what would come next.

At the same time, the obstructive second coat came undone. Charlotte took a breath, rejoicing in her liberation, before beginning the second phase of her training session.

'So...cool,' Ralf thought with sparkling eyes.

[[First Dragonball now Bleach. I suppose you're going to make fire off a Gestuga Tenshou?]] Ray mused.

[[Aha, excellent idea,] Ralf praised with a smile. [I'll make sure to put in a request,] he said, growing giddy at the prospect.

Exchange coming to an end, the duo returned their full attention to the battling beauty below.

While not as impressive as the earlier grendo gun blasts, power-wise, the current projectiles weren’t something the duo wanted to get in the way of, definitely not.

They watched in amazement as Charlotte unleashed Psi-induced sword beam after sword beam. With a slash, she sent forth a crescent-like projectile of concentrated force.

They varied according to her aims, Charlotte clearly having great control of these projectiles, with some being thin, small and sharp meant for cutting while others being thick and large meant for pushing.

Crescent-shaped projectiles were the most common type, but she also fired out narrow and spherical projectiles every now and then. The Onic Master's sword was the source of most of these projectiles, but not all of them. Her arms and legs got involved as well, punches and kicks propelling deadly force to her surroundings.

'It's cool...but, hm, the wasted and telegraphed movement though,' Ralf's practical side reared its ugly head as he continued to observe.

More than the power, versatility and speed of her projectiles, the thing that stood out most was Charlotte's habit regarding them. Every force projectile she fired out was accompanied by a movement/gesture, be it a swing or thrust of her sword or a punch or a kick.

[It's not necessary,] Charlotte said, responding to Ralf's questioning about it. [It's just a comfort thing. Same thing with the sword. Having my aura amass around an object just feels more comfortable and intuitive, so even with the wasted movement, firing Psi projectiles like this is faster than doing so via thoughts alone. This goes for me and pretty much every Onic Master...even Val the Sword of Light is said to do the same.]

The duo were satisfied with the answer and continued to observe.

Aura gathered in but a moment's notice before being fired out in whatever form the Onic Master so desired. This combat style was deadly, combining both close and long-ranged combat into one, and was bread and butter for Onic Masters throughout history.

Onic Masters.

You are reading story The Silver Path at novel35.com

They were special existences, nearly as rare as Mimics. It was because of this, that not many people fully understood their basic abilities. The common understanding was that Onic Masters had identical abilities to the three Standard Classes, but this wasn't entirely true. Rather, Onic Masters had abilities similar to those of the Standard Classes, just watered down in many ways. Exploring these differences was helpful in understanding the psionic class.

While Onic Masters could use barrier creation, Psi Scan and telekinesis with the same proficiency as a Telekinetic, their Psi object materialisation was horrendous by comparison. Creating Psi swords or Psi ramps or other complex Psi contraptions was impossible for Onic Masters, even the best ones. They had to keep all Psi constructs simple and most importantly close, basically in contact with their body.

The sword that glowed blue in Charlotte's mitts was an example of this. If it was even two inches away from her body, she wouldn't be able to coat it with her Psi and it'd just be an ordinary slab of metal, easily snapped or sliced. The same applied to the grendo guns earlier, none of which had any supernatural durability.

Without Psi object creation, Onic Masters were much more limited in their combat options. There were a rare bunch of Onic Masters who had Combat Telepath-levels of mental penetration Psi and could spice things up with illusions and mental attacks, but unfortunately, Charlotte, while very skilled as a Telepath, didn’t fall into this group.

She was boxed into a rather straightforward combat style. Still, while simplistic, it was extremely potent, made more so by her exceptional Psi talent.

Not all Psi was equal, this was a known fact. There were clear and stark differences between psionic classes' Psi. The most common example of this was that Mimics, given an equal amount of Psi, could conjure a stronger barrier than Telekinetics and Onic Masters. A second most common example involved creating vanta barriers or material.

While Onic Masters and Mimics could create vanta just like Telekinetics, the aura cost of doing so was a dozen times more expensive, at the very least. It was why Lane, despite being a whole Psi Rank below, could easily produce more vanta than any of his Rank 5 friends.

Psi varied in its properties across the different psionic classes, with each one having advantages and disadvantages to them. Onic Master Psi had a few glaring disadvantages to it, but also a number of excellent advantages, that when used properly, would elevate an Onic Master's combat prowess significantly.

The most important one was that Onic Master Psi had stronger bonds between themselves than other psionic classes' Psi, causing it to linger a bit longer than other types of Psi. This unique property allowed it to take advantage of a basic Psi technique known as Overdrafting.

Psi, once released from a psionic’s Mental Energy, rapidly began disintegrating until it shifted into a lower plane of existence - at least, this is what is theorised. The important part is that it didn't immediately vanish.

While minute, a blink of an eye or less, the Psi lingers for a bit. How long depended on whether it was a free particle or not. The more connected to other Psi particles it was before being dismissed, the longer it would linger. Psionics used this fact to their advantage, developing various Overdrafting techniques.

Simply put, Overdrafting was using more Psi than your current Psi Rank allowed, for a brief window of time. The technique was most commonly used for defensive purposes.

For instance, Telekinetics would construct and maintain the outside of a shield, then flood the insides with force absorption Psi. Going over a hundred percent would cause them to lose connection to the previous force absorption Psi, but it didn’t matter, for when the attack came, those Psi particles on the brink of disappearing would absorb force all the same.

Overdrafting was considered a basic technique due to its simplicity, but it wasn’t too commonly used in battle, at least not in quick succession, given that one had to manually direct Psi during the process, something that could prove very difficult for most.

The duo made extensive use of Overdrafting techniques. It was how they were able to achieve their elevated attack power, defence and movement speed. Without Overdrafting as much as they did, their record wouldn’t look as clean as it currently was.

They increased their hardened Psi just before they delivered or received any attack, and by beefing up their Second Skin beforehand, they could pour nearly all of their Psi into their Blinking technique, not having to worry about injuring their body. All this was done in but a moment thanks to their blistering Psi speed, increasing their Psi to several times their Psi Rank's limits to elevate their stats. Their frequent use of Overdrafting essentially made them no different than a Rank 4 to any would-be opponents.

Charlotte’s Psi wasn’t as quick as the duo, though it was quick. Still, with the aforementioned advantages she possessed as an Onic Master, she was an expert with Overdrafing as well. Her aura spiked beyond its standard limits with almost no pause.

Her Blink Step was more than twice as fast as the duo’s even normally, but Overdrafted, it was double that. Her defence was as thick as herself, and the power of her projectiles when fully charged up reminded the duo of attacks they had seen Walton throw out.

While her might wasn't as heaven-toppling as the three Mimics before her, Charlotte was certainly not to be trifled with.

Swoosh!

To the Psi beast's charge, Charlotte shifted forward and with both hands gripping the sword handle, performed a thrust. The glowing tip penetrated the wolven monster's belly with ease, as though wet tissue paper. The punctured monster didn't die though.

With its fangs unable to do the job, it brandished its sharp claws...but again, the monster saw no success. With a simple twist, the Overdrafted aura coating the sword rushed down the blade's length and from the tip, a cone-shaped beam of force was expelled, obliterating the Psi monster.

With the kill, the room was cleared of all foes. Though, not for long. More Psi monsters sprang into existence a second later, but quickly ground to a halt as the Onic Master relayed her latest order. The Psi contraptions disappeared as the training session was put on pause, the Assistants' tense expressions relaxing as they took a welcomed breath.

Charlotte did the same, exiting her combat pose and trading it for a nonchalant one. Resting the blade on her shoulder and removing the black cloth covering her eyes, she turned her attention to Ralf, who was leaning against the nearby balcony rails.

[These Psi avatars are no good, doesn’t excite me at all. Hey Ralf, how about you take a break from ogling and join me down here for a sparring match…what do you say?]

[I wasn’t ogling,] Ralf defended himself, as an offended/guilty look surfaced on his face. [You really think low of me, Charl,] he said and couldn't help but sigh.

Charlotte shook her head at the claim. [Not at all, the opposite in fact. Be it candy or women, you’ve been proven to have good taste. I don’t blame you, I mean, I’d do the same thing If I was in your position…and even in my own, actually,] saying this, the Onic Master practised what she preached.

She had no mirror, but with her Second Sight, she could view herself from all angles. Doing so, she couldn’t help but nod in approval as she admired her voluptuous form. Were it one or the other, she’d choose her looks over her wealth in a heartbeat.

[I thought I was full of myself...and then I met you,] Ralf commented with a wry smile.

[Mm, would you like to change that?] Charlotte asked in a playful tone, her posture adjusting to emphasise certain features.

Ralf averted his gaze and sighed again, interacting with the Onic Master was a special kind of exhausting.

[Back to my offer, what do you say? Will you step up or is that Combat Master title just for show and tell?] Charlotte asked, sending a challenging look with her taunt.

Ralf’s eyes narrowed at her provocations but he didn't bite. [Nope, sorry, but I’ll have to decline. I came to observe, and that's all I'll be doing, just observing,] he repeated, hoping to wash away the earlier accusation.

[I thought you might say that...then, how about we do a bet?]

At the term's mention, Ralf’s stance lost its rigidity. [...I’m listening.]

Charlotte had to stifle a rising smirk, before getting into the details.

[The conditions are this: we’ll both use swords, just swords, and the first person to land a hit, any hit, with their sword, on the other’s barrier, wins.]

[So, even a tap would count?]

[Yeah, even a tap would count,] Charlotte confirmed, tapping the blade against her shoulder. [And it can be with any part of the sword, even the handle. One touch and you're out.]

[I see, interesting,] Ralf rubbed his chin, mind already conjuring up ideas. [How about the rewards, what will they be?]

[Well, since I’m obviously stronger, our winning prizes will vary. For me, if I win,] she paused, her gaze staring deeply into his, burning with an unforgotten flame, before continuing, [we’ll recreate the incident from Paintball Royal, but this time, I’ll be on top and of course, will be shooting your ass.]

Ralf’s face faltered at the words. [You…you still haven’t gotten over that? To me, that was practically years ago.]

[Well to me, that was two days ago. I promised I would get revenge back then, and I’ll see it through.]

Another sign escaped Ralf’s lips as he shook his head. [Okay, so what about my reward? What do I get if I win?]

[Anything,] Charlotte answered at once.

Ralf raised a brow. [Anything anything,] he asked for clarification.

The Onic Master nodded. [Yep, anything anything. No restrictions this time, request whatever, even the weird stuff. Want to feel up my butt or boobs or even hold hands, it doesn't matter, I’ll make good on any request you have...should you win, of course.]

A smile crept onto her face as she took in Ralf’s subsequent stunlocked expression. Relishing it for a few seconds, she continued, [So, what will it be, will you acc-]

Swoosh!

She needn’t complete her question, for Ralf had already swooped down from the balcony, his mismatched coat, earrings and golden locks fluttering in the winds he had stirred up. The Transmigrator's bent knees straightened until he was fully erect as a never-before seriousness radiated from his person.

'This guy...'

Charlotte’s frozen smile was thawed away into a genuine one. "Ahaha, you never disappoint me, Ralf, really. Since we’re both eager for our prizes, let’s get this show on the road, shall we…”

You can find story with these keywords: The Silver Path, Read The Silver Path, The Silver Path novel, The Silver Path book, The Silver Path story, The Silver Path full, The Silver Path Latest Chapter