The next day came faster than expected, and it came with a lot of work.
Nolan, Cedric and Liana had already arrived at the guild, gotten their uniforms and now fully looked like Cerulean Guardians.
The training though was not really one where you sparred with someone. It was in itself a mission to fight against demons.
The demons had already taken over several parts of the world, so it was more fighting back than defending at some point.
Nolan, Cedric and Liana were teamed up with eight other Novice-ranks, led by a broad-shouldered man with an unfaltering warm smile. Sir Einicht, a Guardian-rank who would become an Ace three weeks from now after saving his team from an ambush.
All the new recruits were grouped and sent to various parts of Cloveland where demons had taken. But they made sure the demons there weren't ones they couldn't face.
Sir Einicht took his team to the ruins of a once prosperous town in the Kingdom, now overrun by low grade demons.
From afar, one could see a few demons moving round the place like they were doing a patrol.
Nolan was in the weirdest of situations amongst all of them as they headed for the ruins on horses.
His brows couldn't stop twitching every now and then. "You seriously don't know how to ride a horse or you're just messing with me?" he muttered to a specific someone.
Sitting behind him on the horse was Liana, her arms wrapped around him with her eyes closed. "Just shut up and move. I'm more embarrassed at this situation than you are," she clapped back.
It wasn't her choice actually. After telling Melvin she couldn't ride a horse, he just put her up with the first person he saw, which was Nolan.
Thankfully, Sir Einicht stopped before they got close to the ruins, saying they were going to continue on foot.
"Get your hands off me," Nolan said.
"I wouldn't wish for anything better," she said, freeing him, but then she didn't know how to come down with falling. "Ahem, uh…"
Nolan glanced over his shoulder. "What are you waiting for?"
She didn't want to say it but she had to, "I—"
A man, probably in his late twenties interrupted. "Need help coming down?"
Liana quickly ignored Nolan and nodded to the man. He helped her down and she thanked him, walking to the front where Sir Einicht stood.
Nolan scoffed as he came down from his horse.
"Hello there, I'm Maximus," the man said to Nolan.
Nolan turned to him and immediately recognized who it was.
It was funny how in every life where he joined the Cerulean Guardians, he always ended up in this team. Though the Guardian-rank leading them changed.
He and Maximus were the only two people who survived their third mission. The first two times he couldn't save anyone because he was powerless or had a weak ability.
The rest were because he could gain an artifact that only appeared when everyone except the two of them died.
But Maximus always strangely disappeared after each one, the very moment they got back to the guild and reported the case.
"Nolan," he replied to Maximus and immediately walked off like Maximus didn't just try to start a conversation.
Maximus blinked, half surprised, half confused. He tilted his head, then a hand clapped him on the back.
"It's normal," said Cedric with a low chuckle as he walked past as well.
… …
Minutes later they entered the ruins and just as Sir Einicht instructed, they started hunting the demons.
Nolan should have just touched everyone and taken their ability, right?
Yeah, he couldn't.
The most annoying thing about this guild was, they didn't have many ability users.
And his stats were too low to carry out some of the skills they had even if he copied them.
Nolan followed the one path in the ruins where no one would expect demons to be and there he stumbled upon a horde. It was far away from the place where the team had split up, so the sound of their growls couldn't be heard.
The system pinged.
[Eliminate Enemy(s): 0/24]
[5 Exp/kill]
"Is this a joke?" Nolan muttered to himself as he stared at the system.
A demon charged at him and jumped.
Nolan raised a finger and flicked it down. A sudden force instantly took the demon down, pressing it in place like all the gravity in the world was working on it alone.
"This system has to be the worst I've ever used," Nolan complained, completely oblivious to his target. "5? I get 20 at least for these little things, each."
[You have the Omnipotent Copy ability, Nolan.]
"What? You can respond to me, eh? Now that makes it somewhat interesting." Nolan smiled. "So because I have that means what? I have to be pathetically weak?," he asked, raising the demon and sending it crashing into the others that were now charging.
[Would you like to distribute unassigned skill points to Agility?]
"Yes—wait what? No wait."
[All unassigned skill points added to Agility!]
"No, I… you should've let me think."
[User: Nolan Dagmire
• Level: 1
• Exp: 0/100
• Occupation: Pathfinder
• Current Ability Slot (1): Divine Control
• Paths found: 1
• Attributes:
STR - 10
AGI - 15
STA - 10
Mana: 70]
"Aargh," Nolan groaned in annoyance. He hadn't thought it through. His ignorance didn't let him think it through.
But then his eyes landed on his mana count. "Ah, right. The stronger the ability, the more mana it consumes. But how do I increase my mana reserves?"
——Grrrr
He hadn't noticed, but the demons now had him surrounded. "Tch, I'll have to deal with you nitwits first."
[Switched Ability!]
[Divine Control > Flame Affinity]
He rolled up the sleeves of his uniform as the demons continued to surround their prey.
He hopped up and down flexing his fingers and swatting his hands, all with his eyes closed.
Taking a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth, Nolan opened his eyes now half-lided and focused.
His hands engulfed in flames.
"Alright, who's coming first?"