Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"Sorry for deciding this. It ended up making you stay behind," Sealyn said when the others departed. "You should take your relics back. Now I understand how this guy can be annoying."

"It is cool, I can't do everything I want," Rain shrugged. "It seems that you never learn, Poseidon."

"Don't use that title. It is too cringe," Nigel said. "Anyway, you guys don't feel anything splitting me like this. I am some sort of Lego?"

"We should start working on selecting the best ores to the base…" Sealyn said. "It might be useful to stay around until we find our next target, but we can't be sure if we will have the time."

"Considering the enemies' perspective, we might be a nuisance to them, but destroying an entire planet just to deal with us doesn't seem like the most logical move," Sakaki said. "The first base had its issues, but mana production can be diversified in various ways. These ores, on the other hand, seem unique and valuable. It's unlikely they'd destroy a world with such resources."

"He's right. Nigel nodded in agreement. "This world could be too valuable to them for simple destruction. They might want to take control after dealing with us. So, we might have some time to regroup and plan our next move."

Sealyn considered their words, realizing the strategic advantage they held. It wasn't just about defending; it was about understanding the enemy's motives and exploiting their weaknesses. As Rain took his relics and the group began to assess the best ores for the base, a sense of cautious optimism filled the air.

They were a thorn in the enemy's side, and for now, it seemed like an advantage they could leverage to buy themselves more time.

"Hey, Dad! Look at this!" Annie said while holding an ore.

Before long, the ore began to glow, and while it had a shape that was hard to describe, it soon began to change shape to one of an arrow… everyone frowned when they saw that, was that easy to use that ore? In any case, the excitement died down when they looked at Rain's troubled face and Sealyn's annoyed expression.

"Don't use the resources we don't know are for so carelessly," Sealyn said.

"... It was an accident. There is no need to get so angry," Annie furrowed her eyebrows.

"How do you use your mana that much by accident?" Sealyn asked.

"Sorry, sorry," Danny stepped in. "It won't happen again. We were just healing ourselves when we touched the ores, and this happened."

"Well, since it is already like this, we might as well…" Rain said, and then touched the arrow and tried to snap it. "It is pretty durable… try to attack it with the same amount of mana you just used."

"Do you want to do this kind of experiment here too?" Sealyn asked and then sighed.

"We can make it inside my domain to avoid accidents," Rain said.

At that point in time, Sealyn realized that it was useless to argue with Rain; he would have a solution to any kind of problem that she told him. That was the kind of person her father was supposed to be. She had heard that a bunch of times.

After Rain erected his domain for safety, the group, including Danny, Annie, Sealyn, and Seadrei, began to conduct experiments with the ores that they weren't planning to take back to their base. The tests unfolded in a controlled environment, allowing them to explore the properties of these crystals.

One intriguing discovery was that the ores, in their original state, exhibited a surprising level of hardness. However, as Rain infused them with varying amounts of mana, their hardness increased exponentially. It became apparent that the ores could be molded and shaped according to the intensity of mana applied, showcasing a unique and valuable quality.

Simultaneously, the experiments revealed a fascinating aspect of the ores' behavior. While they were malleable and unopposed to the influence of mana in their original form, once they changed shape under the effects of mana, they developed a resistance to subsequent manipulations. The transformation seemed to grant the ores a level of permanence, making them resistant to further alterations.

"It seems that they become as hard according to the mana used," Seadrei said. "Even a single pebble-sized ore can become as hard as the coral spears with enough mana."

"The ratio should be around ten… for every point of mana used on them, they become resistant to the damage equal to ten points of mana," Rain said. "Naturally, this also applies to physical damage."

"This is worrisome… imagine a civilization mining this ore for who knows how long and building something like a death star and then infusing as much mana as they could on it. It would be impossible to destroy," Sakaki said.

"It seems that Rain's negativity is rubbing on you," Larisa said. "No point in worrying what might could happen and what were what ifs."

Those ores could be helpful, too… but their infinite potential only existed in that form. Once they changed, their endless potential came to a screeching halt… and nothing could be done about it. After thinking for a while, everyone understood that it would be better to store as much of that ore as possible before deciding to use it for anything.

That was confirmed when Rain grabbed several ores and then infused his mana on them. Before long, they all took the shape of a single sword. The shape was the way he had planned; now he just had to paint it with gold and blue, and it would be perfect…

"This material should work pretty well with the runes, too; we should investigate this to make things work better on the vessel," Sakaki said. "We are still lacking when it comes to our defenses, and I am pretty sure this would be useful in that regard…"

Speaking of defensive measures… Rain felt like he was forgetting something.