Psychic Parasite

Chapter 219: Demonstration as a Warrior
Each stench was vast, like a lake, possessing exclusive domains in the turbulent sea. Each was equivalent to a miniature typhoon, forming nature unique to their own. They were scattered about in the sea, the intents in them recognisable. Faint silhouettes formed in them, conforming to the figures of Floating Spiders that had been slain.

It counted; the increase in each number was the sound of despair pounding its heart. From single digits, it soon entered the double digits, more and more affecting its mind. Finally, just before it lost consciousness, it deactivated its Tier 1 Skill, having counted up to 31.

In the centre of what had been the sea of scents was a frail figure, even tiny considering the sizes of older Floating Spiders it had witnessed. But, it was this tiny figure that had claimed the lives of the powerhouses among its brethren. 31 Tier 5 beings, it was a significant portion of strength. Even to the Floating Spiders, it was a major loss, something that couldn’t be recovered for more than three decades.

The Floating Spider took in the visage of the lady standing before it, gradually falling unconscious. It offered neither rage nor expressed its wrath. It despaired; despite its tumultuous emotional disturbance, the Frenzy Parasite in it didn’t initiate anything, silent, as if it didn’t exist.

Madam Rizenne crouched before it, seeping a psychic arm—pale blue in colour—into it. A moment later, the psychic arm reverted to normalcy, picking up the Floating Spider before disappearing from view. A couple of seconds later, the sounds of two metals clashing with one another resounded.

”It seems to have an interesting Skill.” Madam Mila’s voice resounded in her ears. Madam Rizenne nodded in response, using her psychic arm to bring in another Frenzy Beast, dropping it onto the stage.

It was a Spindle Bee, tiny in size, taking to the air in fear. Having been moved suddenly, with the movement forced, and beyond its control scared it. It flew around, buzzing for a while, gradually calming down after not spotting any threatening auras.

It then looked at the figures of the individuals surrounding it, soon spotting the carcass of the Rigordile, the Life Leech, and the One-horned Rhino. There was a figure standing beside the Rigordile so it avoided it, zooming towards the One-horned Rhino.

When it was two metres above the One-horned Rhino, it paused, having sensed something. It buzzed around the carcass of the One-horned Rhino, not daring to come close. Suddenly, it turned around, sensing the figure of Madam Rizenne approaching it.

The Spindle Bee—an Observer—flew up, distancing itself. When it wanted to move further up, its body crashed into the psychic energy barrier. Startled for a moment, it turned around, emitting buzzing sounds as it spun around in place.

Madam Rizenne’s voice echoed, audible only to the students, ”Normally, when flying creatures chose to avoid us, we are left with no other choice but to watch helplessly. Warriors are ground units, unless they possess the ability to fly, which can be obtained through the Unranked Skill, Flight. There is a Skill at Tier 3 that allows one to fly. There are also some Tier 4 Skills, using which one can grow a pair of wings and stuff. You will learn more about them later.”

”The Skill that gives you the ability to fly the fastest, and consumes the least energy is the Unranked Skill, Flight. It is why this Skill is preferred despite lacking any other combat ability. Though, if you have the means, I suggest you work towards getting other Unranked Skills. But, most Unranked Skills can only be obtained if you are at Tier 4. The advantage of Unranked Skill, Flight is that it can be obtained even at Tier 1.”

The Spindle Bee was busy buzzing around, slamming against the barrier. Madam Rizenne took the time to deliver a small lecture, ”It is something we termed as Anchor Points or Anchors for short.”

”Anchors…” Jyorta murmured, having already known about them thanks to his sister, Heima. Without any change in expression, he listened to Madam Rizenne’s explanation.

”Normally speaking, you are stuck for life with the Skills you Nurtured. You cannot gain anything else. An Unranked Skill is based on eliminating some Skills and using them as the foundation pillars to support itself. That is why these are called Anchors.”

”Anchors are determined by the number of Frenzy Beast abilities that form the core of the Unranked Skill. Generally, most Unranked Skills need three Anchors. Based on our research, we have determined three Anchors to showcase the greatest ability among Unranked Skills.”

”Below that, the Unranked Skill lacks versatility and is limited in ability. Beyond that, it is impossible to form a unified effect. Each source of the anchor will act as an individual ability, preventing the Unranked Skill to function as a collective whole, greatly reducing its overall capability. So, we generally stick to three Anchors even during conceptualisation.”

”Do you remember the Traits the four Frenzy Beasts races threatening Marble City possess?” Seeing everyone nod, Madam Rizenne continued, ”The base material for the Unranked Skill Flight is the Trait of the Floating Spiders. That is why its effect is the most efficient among all flight based Skills.”

”Since it only has one base material, the Unranked Skill Flight requires one Anchor. That is why even Observers can obtain it. Based on how we design and manufacture an Unranked Skill, it would only choose Skills for anchors starting from the weakest.”

”Suppose an Unranked Skill requires three Anchors, then when obtaining it, Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 Skills are used. After getting the Unranked Skill, the individual would permanently lose the three Skills. But since he would be getting an Unranked Skill in return, it is worthwhile.”

”Unranked Skills grow alongside you, Nurtured to be on the same Tier as you. That is why everyone prefers it. With it, you will have two powerful abilities of your Tier.” Seeing that the Spindle Bee was beginning to fly down, Madam Rizenne changed the topic.

”To attack a flying opponent, as a Warrior, you can only throw objects at it. But, unless your power exceeds it by a large amount, it would be difficult to hit it with ease. So, the best case is to lure it in.”

She stood beside the corpse of the Rigordile, ”The Tier 1 Skills of Spindle Bees are sound and touch-based. They usually sense the vibrations in the air to determine their surroundings. They also possess 360-degree vision but the disadvantage is the range of its sight.”

Madam Rizenne grabbed hold of the Rigordile’s tail, intending to pull it apart, stopping after a momentary thought. Her voice resounded in the ears of the students, ”You Cadets can try it yourselves. I’ll demonstrate a way to lure it over without using the surroundings to my advantage.”

She released her hold, crouching a little before breaking into a sprint, running towards the Spindle Bee. Seeing her charge, the Spindle Bee was momentarily startled, moving back in reflex before hitting the psychic energy barrier. It then reoriented itself, watching Madam Rizenne close in.

Upon nearing its location, Madam Rizenne made a jump, approaching it. The Spindle bee made a quick turn and moved forward, showcasing its back to Madam Rizenne. Even though she was fast, with her leap accurate, the Spindle Bee had a build focused on speed, easily evading her.

When her momentum in the upward direction became zero, she began to fall, carried forth by her forward momentum, making a long arc in the air. The Spindle Bee made a circle, facing its stinger to her back, synchronised with her motion.

It shot forth its stinger, the recoil making it move a couple of centimetres back. The spindle lodged itself half-deep into Madam Rizenne’s back. She landed on the floor, letting out a grunt in pain.

Her body trembled, losing her footing while landing, tumbling to the floor. She slid forward due to the momentum, feeling another spindle lodge into her back, positioned closely around her heart, missed by a hair’s breadth.

The Spindle Bee quickly regrew another spindle in a matter of seconds, aiming it on the back of her neck. A hand timely covered the place, blocking the spindle. Blood spurted out of the wound, but it wasn’t fatal. Though, it prevented strength from being exerted in the hand. A poison seeped into the body through the wound, causing her body to uncontrollably twitch.

The Spindle Bee aimed at the struggling individual, shooting a spindle into her left leg, followed by another into her right after some seconds. It did the same to her two arms. It hovered in the air, patient, waiting for the twitching individual to die.

But soon, it noticed the twitching individual crawl forward, still alive. The twitching continued, the intensity gradually decreasing. The second spindle that had been lodged on her back fell out. The Spindle Bee glanced at it, noticing a mild trace of blood on its tip.

It seemed the spindle had only lodged itself surface deep. It then glanced over the other spindles, noticing them be the same. Only the first spindle had been lodged half deep into the body.

It shot forth another spindle to Madam Rizenne’s back, watching it pierce into the body a little, becoming slant from the momentum. It was even shallower than the others, the Spindle Bee concluded.

It shot another spindle, having flown a metre closer, watching it lodge relatively deeper, but not to the extent it desired. It also noticed the human grunting in pain, the effort into survival she exerted becoming greater.

Pushing forth using her hand, Madam Rizenne’s back moved up. Her arms struggled to withstand her weight, thanks to the injury, and the poison seeping into her body through the spindles. Seeing that the situation was taking a turn for the worse, the Spindle Bee closed in further, straining its stinger to mount a stronger attack.

It aimed at the now exposed neck, seeking to claim her life.