Chapter 15- Brutal Training

"Hmm, I feel as though my body is lighter, but it hasn't changed much, has it, Jared?" Slowing standing up, Drake stretches his stiff legs as he inspects the new state of his body.

"Well, it should be that your mind is stronger, making it easier to control your body." Shocked by the sudden eloquence of Drake, Jared instinctively responded with his hypothesis. He also failed to mention that the rocks protruding from Drakes' back seemed to have a very slight blue hue to them. "Anyway, since you're awake now, let me check your status before we begin our training."

"Status? I don't know what you mean, but go ahead." Much more calm and steady after having been "saved" by Jared, Drake walks over, lowering his head to allow Jared easy access.

"Don't worry, it won't take long." Reassuring the big guy, Jared chants the familiar phrase, 'Companion Guidance', taking a look at Drakes' status. 

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[Status]

[Name: Drake]

[Species: Lithoscale Lizard* (Defective*]

[Mana: 15/15]

[Skills:]

[Stone Skin* (Level 2)

4/10]

[Natural Camouflage* (Level 1)

9/10]

[Mineral Absorption* (Level 1)

1/10]

[Petrification Beam* (Level 1)

3/10]

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Growth Points: 70/100

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'I guess it makes sense that his "Stone Skin" and "Natural Camouflage" skills are so high level, this poor guy was probably attacked every day by those hateful ants.' Justifying Drakes' oddly high Status, Jared guesses the reason.

'Let's check out his information and skills first, then we'll start our preparation.'

[Lithoscale Lizard (Defective)]

[The Lithoscale Lizard is a unique and rare reptilian species, characterized by its sturdy, crystal-like exterior and a naturally high affinity for the earth element. While the color of the crystals may differ depending on their natural habitat, generally, they match their surroundings very well. The majority of this species, however, does not use their natural camouflage for hunting, preferring direct combat, and overpowering their opponents. This species is very, very faintly related to dragons, and therefore has a naturally high speed of bodily regeneration. Their naturally high affinity for the earth element has concentrated in two areas: their eyes, and their crystal-like armor, providing distinct innate abilities.

(Defective: A mutation during birth has caused a distinct lack of concentration of the earth element in the natural armor of this specimen. Due to this, its armor is naturally weaker than its "normal" counterpart and lacks the crystal-like appearance that is normally found in its species. This defect normally leads to ostracization and bullying within its own species. Unbeknownst to most, however, this specimens' earth affinity has spread itself throughout its body, allowing for live adaptation* of the specimens' body through consuming minerals.)] 

[Live Adaptation: Through the consumption of minerals, the hosts' body is able to absorb these minerals, incorporating them into their bodies naturally.]

[Stone Skin* (Level 2)

4/10]

[An innate skill of those who incorporate minerals into their bodies' composition. This is a passive skill that causes rocky outgrowths to grow like organic material, acting as a natural armor. While this armor will regenerate naturally, the user may use copious amounts of mana to increase the speed of regeneration. The toughness of this armor will increase proportionally to the proficiency and level of the skill.

The previously mentioned "regeneration" is only for the rocky outgrowths, and not for the organic material making up the body.]

[Natural Camouflage* (Level 1)

9/10]

[A skill which can be either innate or obtained, Natural Camouflage is a passive skill that allows the user to camouflage themselves easily in an environment similar to their own body. This skill hides the physical body of the user, making it tough to spot them through visual means. This skill does not, however, hide scent, or other factors. The quality of the camouflage, as well as the versatility, will increase proportionally to the proficiency and skill level.]

[Mineral Absorption* (Level 1)

1/10]

[An insanely rare innate skill of very few species throughout the world. This skill can only be obtained through birth, or special evolutionary paths. This skill allows the user to consume rare minerals, gaining sustenance. When the consumed mineral has compatible properties, the user's body will naturally absorb these properties, adding them to their own body's composition. After consuming a material, the body will gradually gain a "resistance" to this material, lowering the future effects of consumption.]

[Petrification Beam* (Level 1)

3/10]

[An innate skill of many species with a naturally high affinity for the earth element. By funneling mana through a high concentration of the earth element, the mana is converted into a beam of yellow light. When this beam makes contact with any organic material, it will temporarily convert the surface of the material into stone, preventing movement. The effect of this skill varies based on the proficiency and level of the skill, as well as the level of "Petrification Resistance" of the target.]

'Okay, that's a lot of information, but most of these skills aren't self-explanatory, unlike Chars'.' A little jealous of Drakes' "Mineral Absorption" skill, Jared thinks to himself. "Wait, where is Char?" Asking telepathically, it only takes a few seconds to hear back from the aforementioned spider. 

"I'm over here! There's a message saying I shouldn't come closer to the Mana Pool, so I've just been resting after shooting out all the webs I could!" Responding cheerfully, Char answers matter-of-factly. Not realizing that she was too far away to be seen.

"I-ugh, Char come back over here, it's time to start our real training." Not hearing a response, Jared facepalms mentally, adding: "You can ignore the message, it's for OUTSIDERS, not you, Char."

"Oh, okay!" A minute or two later, Char appeared from the ceiling, walking her way back to the group upside down. "What are we doing now?"

"Okay guys, in order to make our Stronghold, we need to be able to defend ourselves from both the ant colony and any of Drakes' siblings who might be nearby." Hearing no response, Jared continues. "So, to get stronger, we are going to practice our skills on each other, raising their levels!"

Noticing the blank stares from the two of them, Jared decides to explain better. "Drake, you are going to hit us with your "Petrification Beam over and o-" Suddenly, Jared stops, turning into stone before he can react.

After about ten seconds, his body is released from the stony prison, eliciting an angered message from Jared. "REALLY DRAKE?! I DIDN'T SAY TO START YET!" Moving his stiff limbs around, Jared ignores the message from the System about his resistance increasing.

"Oh, sorry." Unable to look into Jareds' eyes, Drake stares at the ground, his head lowered in shame.

"I- uh- it's okay Drake, just wait for my command next time." Unable to stay mad at Drake, Jared acquiesces quickly, consoling the sad lizard.

"As I was saying, you will do that to us both non-stop. After you run out of mana, you will "hide" yourself, causing your camouflage skill to activate. Meanwhile, all three of us will attack each other. Biting, slashing, injecting venom, etc. But- we have to be very careful! Char, don't inject us with enough venom to kill us. And Drake, make sure you don't rip off any of our limbs, we can't regenerate for free as you do." Content with his explanation, Jared has the two of them repeat it to him multiple times, ensuring they know exactly what to do. 

With the brutal training regiment in place, it was going to be a very long, and painful night for the three of them. But, once they were done, their skills would be much stronger than before.

'It's a good thing we live near this Mana Pool, it causes our mana to regenerate much faster. It must be the high concentration of mana in the air.'