Capítulo 10: Arena Eight: The Phoenix Burns I
[The Phoenix.]
[The mythical creature that is said to be reborn after being turned to ashes.]
[A creature so contradictory, so illogical.]
[It begins with its ending. It dies to live.]
[Perhaps, in a sense, it is just like humans. Wallowing in despair, then finding happiness once again.]
[But... What if, it never rises from the ashes one day? What if... It disappears, not being able to take the burden it had brought on itself?]
[Only the mythical bird knows.]
...
"The Phoenix?"
I asked, tilting my head.
"Yes, the top squad of this base."
Phillips said with a smile, but then realized that he hadn't introduced himself formally.
"Look at my manners. My name is Phillips Winchester, leader of the Phoenix."
Phillips gave a small bow while gently smiling at me.
"Ah! I am Felicia Emerald, of the Phoenix!"
The girl stood up and gave a salute while beaming brightly.
I smiled and introduced myself accordingly.
"Arnold Tilgen, nice to meet you."
"The feeling is mutual."
Phillips replied in a polite yet friendly tone.
"If you guys are done introducing, then can we move on? I'd like to get this dirt off my body."
Anastasia sighed, and we all nodded.
The officials around us, who hadn't moved or intervened in our conversation, hurriedly made a way for us.
Was it because of what Phillips claimed Phoenix to be? Or was it because of me?
Deciding not to mull on it for too long, I turned to Grey, only to find empty air in front of me.
"He's gone. You won't find him once he does that."
Anastasia said as she turned and looked at me, gesturing me to move on with her chin.
I shrugged and followed them out of the station, and stepped into the white corridor.
The glass door behind us closed silently.
We were soon led to a shower room, and was given a set of new suits each. The room had several large areas closed off using partitions, with a narrow pathway in between them.
Also, it seemed that both boys and girls would use the same room, though the showers and the changing rooms attached to them were still divided by partitions, making it impossible for any accidents to happen.
While it still felt embarrassing, I quickly got over it and stepped inside the shower room.
The hot water felt really nice on my skin as it washed away the dirt and grime of the battle.
"Hey... Arnold?"
A voice called out to me from behind the partition to my right.
"Anastasia?"
I asked back, feeling slightly awkward. Both of us were taking showers, and it wasn't the perfect time to talk to someone of the opposite sex.
That said, her words made me forget this fleeting sense of embarrassment.
"Why did you save me?"
"What do you mean?"
"I... I treated you quite harshly. Usually, people would avoid me or call me names, or intentionally try to harm me whenever I acted like... The way I did. Then why didn't you leave me behind?"
I paused for a few moments before answering. Without sugarcoating, I bluntly stated the truth.
"Well, that's because I don't like to keep debts. You saved me twice, so I saved you twice. That's all. Don't take it as a given. Of course, I'll try to help out as a fellow human if I can, but if we face the same type of situation again... Well, I'll prioritize myself."
"... I see. Thank you."
For some reason, her voice sounded happy.
A moment later, I heard the door open and the rustle of clothes. She was done showering. Soon, I heard the main door of the room open and close.
I waited for a second before turning the shower off and getting out. I quickly got into the black suit that was given to m, and left the room.
There, I found Phillips waiting for me in the corridor while looking at his clock.
"Sorry if I'm late."
I offered a quick apology as I approached him. He smiled and shook his head, before leading the way.
"We'll visit the commander's office first, before going to the support bay to get your equipment."
"Equipment?"
"This."
He tapped on the circular object around his neck. It was then I realized that I didn't have my stigma gear around my neck.
"Haha, did you realize just now?"
Philips laughed as he walked in front of me.
"Y-yes... Well, I felt lighter before, so I did guess that something was amiss..."
"It's natural. The Stigma gears have become such important parts of our lives that we have taken them for granted. Which was why you never thought of the possibility of getting it off, right?"
"Well... More or less. But wait... If I don't have the gear we are going to pick up, will I be stuck here?"
"Well, no. Unlike certain popular franchises out there in the real world, you do have a logout button here."
"Thank god... But where?"
"Well... it's not really a button. You see, without the gear, you'll get kicked out of this place after 24 hours passes."
"Hm..."
"But without this gear, you won't be able to get out during emergencies. Like, if you, or Anastasia had the gear on, you could have escaped the Phantom via the emergency logout function."
"Wait... If the gears are so important, then why doesn't Anastasia have hers?"
"Well, she did have hers, but it got broken during the last arena battle six months ago. These devices are tailored for their users, so it takes quite a while to get a new one."
Hearing Phillips's words, I again realized that the threat of the Omega was still inbound. And that, boys and girls like Anastasia were the only reason we were able to fight back.
"I see..."
I nodded to Phillips and became quiet.
...
After walking for a while, I saw a large door at the end of the well-lit corridor. And according to the plate beside the door, it was the commander's office, our destination.
Phillips stopped in front of the door and knocked on it three times.
"Come in."
A low rumble came from the other side. Phillips pulled the door open and stepped inside, urging me to do the same.
My eyes met with two droopy eyes, and an old wrinkled face. His white beard was swaying gently with the air conditioner, and the uniform he had on looked out of the place with his thin body.
He looked more like a wizard from a fantasy story instead of a base commander.
Then my eyes went towards Anastasia, who was looking at me. She was standing in front of the table, with a tablet in her hands.
"You must be Arnold."
The commander said in a low voice, which was brimming with strength contrary to his physique.
"Y-yes, sir."
I tried to follow the basic military etiquette, but hearing Phillips chuckle, I felt embarrassed instead.
"No need to be so stiff."
The commander smiled and gestured me to step forward.
"I've heard a lot about you from Sia here. Seems like you really helped her a lot. My thanks for that."
The commander, who felt more like a grandpa than a boss, smiled and thanked me.
Wait. Was Sia... Anastasia?
"Please, Commander Neil. Not now."
The girl in the question sighed and rubbed her temples.
"Ah, sorry. I'll get to the point then."
The commander, Neil, laughed it off and turned to me again.
"I'm assigning you to the Phoenix squad. Usually, a rookie like you wouldn't be placed in a veteran squad, but as Anastasia has vouched for you, I'll be making an exception."
"... Understood."
I nodded. I didn't know anything about the squads, but I had to agree that instead of going to a completely new squad, joining one with someone I knew would be better for me.
"Alright, you're dismissed."
Neil smiled. All three of us saluted (though, I did it somewhat awkwardly), and left the room.
...
After coming out and following another corridor for a few moments, Phillips spoke up.
"Your gear is ready, Anastasia."
"I know. I got the notification."
Anastasia replied in a formal tone.
"Ah... that's good."
He nodded, and none of us spoke for some time.
Then, he again spoke up, trying to break the awkward silence.
"Er... Can I speak to you alone, after we pick up the gears?"
"I'd rather not."
"... I see..."
A clear refusal. Even though it wasn't my business, I felt slightly sorry for the guy.
"We're here."
The rest of the walk was awkward and tensed, but it ended rather abruptly as we stopped in front of a glassdoor.
The room inside was brimming with people in lab coats, moving around hurriedly. I looked at the plate on the side of the door, which had the words "Support Bay and Laboratories" engraved on it.
"Oh, you guys are here."
A woman approached us as she noticed Phillips. She quickly brought out a package from a nearby cabinet, and handed it over to the young guy.
"Thanks."
He bowed in thanks, but the woman waved it off and went back inside.
Phillips opened the packet and handed us the devices. Mine was black, while Anastasia's was crimson.
It looked exactly like the Stigma gear, but sleeker and more elegant.
I quickly donned it on, and pressed the power button on the side.
A holographic screen appeared in front of my eyes.
[Name: Arnold Tilgen]
[Status: Injured/Active]
[LVL 20]
[HP: 355/8000 (+ 10/hr)]
[SP: 200/8000 (+ 10/hr)]
[DEF: 0/8000 (+ 10/hr)]
[Damage reduction: 10%]
[Synchronisation: 50%/LVL]
"Uh... What are these stats?"
I asked, confused at the game-like words in front of me.
"Ah, those are your basic stats, without any gears on."
Phillips explained to me while Anastasia was busy with her own gear.
"... I can see that. Why are they here? Why do I have stats, to begin with?"
"You see, stats help us to know when to retreat and how to manage our resources. While these aren't the perfect representations of our state, they can give a figure closer to the accurate ones."
"I know what HP stands for. That's my life?"
"Yes. More or less."
"And SP?"
"SP stands for Sanity Points. You know how we can summon objects using our mental powers, right?"
"Ah... Yes. I know."
"The higher your SP is, the more you can summon. It's as simple as that."
"Then what about levels and the DEF stat?"
"Levels indicate how accustomed you are to this world. The more used to you get, the higher your level goes up. You should already have levelled up quite a bit, right?"
"You can't see my stats?"
"Only you can see your stats."
"Oh... Um... It says level 20."
"That's quite a boost. It probably went up due to the fight with the phantom."
"And what about the DEF?"
"The higher your level is, the lower the damage you receive from the elements of this world. Like, a level 100 can take an attack of three S-ranked phantoms head-on without any defensive gear or whatsoever, and he'll not lose any of his HP. He might even have some DEF left."
"And... Damage Reduction works the same way?"
"More or less. It stacks on your DEF, making it harder for you to die. It reduces the damage received, just like it says."
"And finally... What is Synchronisation?"
"Well... That's like the level. But... How do I say it... More accurate? Basically, it judges how used to you are to this world compared to your level. For example, you defeated that S-rank phantom, right? Usually, you aren't supposed to take on something of that level just after entering this world. So while your level has gone up, your mind hasn't grown accustomed to the world of Stigma. Which might restrict your powers and processing speed by quite a bit. The synchronisation rate refers to that. A higher rate means that you'll be able to bring out more power from your stats."
I nodded and muttered a quick 'thank you'. His explanation was easy to understand, to say the very least.
While I didn't support treating the whole ordeal as a game, it didn't change the fact that these stats would help me plan out my strategy... Not that I knew what I have to do here. Yet.
Regalos
-- Regalo
recibido Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder