Chapter 41 | Body Saturation, Cores, and MRMs

The following morning made Leon felt singled out in ways he hadn't anticipated. When he first appeared to fall into formation, an assistant instructor immediately pulled him to the side.

"Medic's orders, Ezra. Observation only today," she said, gesturing at the edge of the training area.

The unexpected treatment plus the various different gazes he received made it hard not to feel like he was an odd ball. 

He hadn’t talked to Nyra after she got the medical technician and he could see her taking glances towards him from time to time. 

She probably thinks I'm going to do something stupid again, he mused.

His body still ached in ways he couldn't quite describe; not the familiar burn of exertion, but something deeper, as though his cells themselves were tender. 

The first hour of the morning went as usual, the training group performing their physical fitness routine while Leon sat excluded. 

Before breakfast, Instructor Zell gathered them up in the field to brief them on the next phase.

"Phase 1 was designed to increase your fitness baseline," Instructor Zell said, his voice carrying across the morning air. "With Phase 2, we will start adding layers of combat training, small group tactics, and increasing body saturation for those still below standards." His eyes flickered toward Leon before continuing. "After breakfast, the first lecture will cover the ranking system for body saturation, followed by combat equipment breakdown to familiarize yourselves with standard gear. Any questions?"

Silence fell across the formation.

"Good. After breakfast, report to the auditorium. Dismissed."

As the group dispersed, Leon spotted Nyra weaving through the crowd, making her way toward him. Her brows were pinched and the way she scanned him over seemed she had been waiting for a chance to check on him.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice low but sincere. 

Leon gave a small shrug, masking the lingering aches in his limbs. 

"A little sore, but I'll manage."

"That's not what the medical report said," she responded, crossing her arms. "I overheard the technicians talking. They used words like 'unprecedented' and 'systemic overload.'"

"You were eavesdropping on medical staff?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't going to just wait around for someone to tell me if you were dying," she retorted, then softened. "Look, whatever happened out there... just be careful, alright?"

Nyra didn't press him further, but the look she gave him said she wasn't entirely convinced by his casual dismissal. Still, she fell in step beside him, and the two of them made their way to the dining facility.

Breakfast was quiet. Protein-rich eggs, bacon, and dense bread designed to fuel their augmented metabolisms. They didn't say much, just exchanged the occasional glance. By the time they reached the auditorium, both had at least felt refreshed.

The auditorium was the same one they had entered when they landed on Ferros. A utilitarian space with steep-tiered seating that focused attention on the central presentation area. 

Instructor Zell stood in front fiddling with his datapad. After a few moments, a hologram appeared before them, rotating in the air. A three-dimensional model of human anatomy with mana pathways highlighted in blue.

"Saturation is ranked A-F, similar to absorption," Instructor Zell began his lecture, his voice taking on the cadence of someone who had delivered this information many times. 

"It is ranked based on how much mana has evolved one's body and how much it increases capability in strength, speed, and endurance. Additionally, the higher the rank, the larger mana reservoir you will possess. However, we are unable to assign specific numerical values as everyone's cellular structure and genetic makeup are different, preventing accurate measurement of reservoir capacity."

The hologram shifted, displaying a chart that broke down the average increases in baseline capabilities by rank:

F - No mana exposure.
E - Basic: Physical enhancement limited to 10% above baseline.
D - Moderate: Physical enhancement limited to 25% above baseline.
C - Substantial: Physical enhancement limited to 75% above baseline.
B - Exceptional: Physical enhancement limited to 150% above baseline.

He left out A again, Leon noticed, seeing that the rank had been designated as classified on the hologram. 

"Are there any questions?" Instructor Zell asked, surveying the room.

Leon hesitated, weighing whether to voice the question burning in his mind, then raised his hand.

"Recruit Ezra."

Leon stood at attention, aware of eyes turning toward him, the recruit who had mysteriously collapsed yesterday.

"Sir, is it possible to overcome your rank by overloading the nanites?" he asked, more questioning his own situation than anything.

He saw the instructor's eyes narrowed before answering.

"No… Well, in theory, yes, but that is just in theory," Instructor Zell replied carefully. "Those who do overload their nanites may approach the limit of their rank for short durations, but it ALWAYS leads to permanent damage and never truly shows capabilities of the next rank. Now, let's move on to standard equipment."

The instructor abruptly ended the topic, turning back to his datapad to prepare the next materials. 

Did I ask something I wasn't supposed to? Leon sat back down and wondered while the instructor worked. 

"Let us begin with rifles," Instructor Zell continued, as a holographic model of a standard military rifle appeared. "Rifles are primarily utilized by Nullari troops. They are only adequate to neutralize Nullari combatants and weaker mana beasts due to the limitations of Mana Resonant Materials."

The instructor continued explaining that rifle rounds were not made of Mana Resonant Materials or MRMs. It would be a waste of valuable resources, and the inability to control mana without physical connection made projectiles obsolete for elite forces.

A recruit raised their hand, interrupting the Instructor.

"Recruit Yale."

The recruit, a woman with close-cropped hair, stood at attention after being acknowledged.

"Sir, what exactly are MRMs? I was just told everything was made from it," Recruit Yale asked before sitting back down.

"Good question—" Instructor Zell adjusted the hologram, which shifted to display various mineral samples and plant specimens. He explained that MRMs were precious materials—the primary purpose of mining colonies was to find and extract these resources. MRMs were the only type of herbs, plants, and ores that could interact with mana. Even fuel was a compound mixed with various different MRMs.

The stuff was used on everything.

Well, not everything. No wonder the equipment in the Lower Levels is so inferior, Leon pondered. Probably doesn't have as much MRM.

The instructor elaborated that since Nullari soldiers could not utilize mana, they were given non-MRM weapons. However, non-MRM weapons could not penetrate MRM materials or damage strong mana beasts with enhanced natural defenses from years of mana saturation.

"Getting back to gear. The main equipment for Fulgaris are spears, swords, shields, and their armor," Instructor Zell continued, calling up detailed holograms of each. "These equipments not only are made of MRM materials, but also incorporate mana beast cores—"

A few hands shot up around the auditorium.

"Haaaaa—" Instructor Zell sighed while rubbing his eyebrows. "If your hands are up to ask questions about cores, put them down. I will explain them. If not, keep them raised."

All hands went down.

"Mana beasts develop cores within their bodies," he continued, a new hologram appearing showing the internal anatomy of what appeared to be a large predatory creature. "That evolution allows them to harness mana naturally, unlike humans who require technological augmentation. Don't ask me how they evolved that way because I don't know either," Instructor Zell said, his tone suggesting this was a frequently asked question.

Leon leaned forward, intrigued. 

The instructor went on to explain that these cores function as regulators and small mana reservoirs within equipment, allowing Fulgaris to enhance a weapon's properties by channeling their mana into it. The problem was, mana cores were more limited than the MRMs themselves.

"Every unit in the Imperial Army is required to obtain mana cores for their equipment unless circumstances prevent them from doing so. The stronger the mana beast, the higher quality the cores are. Now, let's get back to the main topic, the spea—"

Before Instructor Zell could continue, Leon saw one of the assistant instructors raise their hand, causing another interruption.

Instructor Zell frowned and glanced at his datapad. 

"As much as I want to continue the lesson after wasting so much time on side topics, it is time for lunch, and regulations state I have to allow you all to eat. Back here after lunch. Dismissed." Instructor Zell said with a hint of frustration in his voice.

The group all stood at attention and waited for the instructors to exit the room before they themselves filed out, row by row.

"Need help?" Nyra asked while they were waiting for their row to clear ahead of them.

"I'm sore, not disabled," Leon replied, though he appreciated the offer more than he let on.

Nyra shrugged and started moving towards the end of the row when the recruits ahead began clearing out.

"What did you think of the lesson?" she asked.

"Interesting. I didn't know the details on MRMs or the mana beasts," Leon said. "Why do you think the mana beasts are able to naturally interact with mana like that?"

"Not sure. Even in the upper levels, I haven't heard anyone really talking about it." Nyra answered. "It's just accepted as the way things are."

"Hmmmm... I wonder if it's related to the truth," Leon absently muttered, his thoughts drifting back to those strange words from the malfunctioning simulation.

"Oof," He bumped into Nyra's back while deep in thought. "Why did you stop?"

He looked ahead of her, but there was still room to continue walking and exit the row.

"What did you say?" Nyra asked, her eyebrows scrunched up, her posture tensed.

"Oh, did I say that out loud?" Leon backpedaled, noticing her reaction. "It was just something I heard in the simulation when it was acting up. I've been meaning to ask, did you hear something like that as well?"

Nyra's expression shifted, a flicker of something—recognition? concern?—passing across her features.

"Huh? Oh yeah, but I thought it was just an error because of the glitch," she answered, then continued out of the row and toward the exit. "Come on, we've got to hurry before all the good food gets taken."

Is she hiding something from me? Leon thought, studying her retreating back.

"Alright, I'm coming," he said, jogging after her despite his protesting muscles.