The Ascension Age

However, Aire noticed a problem. 'Wait, wouldn't it be the same as giving me an advantage? You said you couldn't do that due to the rules.'

Stella shook her head as she clarified, 'The problem here is that you can't use your power if someone's monitoring you. Not being able to use your own strength is worse than giving you a small advantage. That's why I can do it without breaking the system's rule. After all, it would put you in danger if others find out about it, so your safety is considered a greater priority by the system.'

Aire nodded in response, thinking that he might use this loophole to his advantage in the future. 'Great! Then, let me take care of the rest.' 

Aire then looked at Altina and Sera before saying, "I have a way of mitigating the damage Kymei received with a shoulder technique my family uses. It won't heal his injuries, but it'll stabilize it long enough until the mission is over. That way, he can continue to give us his usual long-range support."

Altina and Sera were surprised to hear that, with one of them even asking, "Are you sure?" They found it hard to believe since Kymei didn't seem to be faring that well. Nevertheless, they definitely needed something like this at the moment. Otherwise, it would be better to simply move away from the main area and hide Kymei before moving to the center again. That would be a lot better than trying to protect him.

Aire looked at Kymei, who understood that Aire had a plan to use his power. With that, Kymei told the two, "Alright, while Aire does his thing on me, you two move slightly farther away from us to keep guard. That way, if some enemy appears, Aire and I will have time to react."

Altina and Sera immediately nodded before Sera told where she and Altina should stay. Soon after, the two girls moved a few dozen meters away, covering the main path that could be used to attack Aire and Kymei.

Kymei and Aire then looked at each other and didn't say a single word. Both of them knew that they were being monitored, so it was better to not talk about Aire's power either. Whatever way Aire had to hide its usage, it wouldn't matter as long as it worked.

Aire then touched Kymei's shoulder as Stella accessed the monitoring system that was focused on them. Obviously, that was the airship above them and their own defensive bracelets. 'Alright, Aire. They won't see anything else other than you doing some simple massage on Kymei's shoulder. You can start.'

Aire inwardly nodded in response before touching Kymei's shoulder. The palm of his hand then began to shine with a faint white light. After using it so many times in the Stellar Smith Faction, Aire had become used to controlling it. He also understood that it had nothing to do with the Light Element but that it was some kind of repairing power. It did not matter what it might touch since it would still bring back things to their optimal state. That's how it worked.

Kymei was reminded of the same sensation he felt back when he and Aire made that deal. His knee was healed in the same way, and Kymei couldn't help but feel like it had never been injured before. Now, the same thing was happening as Kymei's bones were connected back to their positions.

The process only lasted for ten or so minutes, but Aire was able to completely eliminate Kymei's injuries. Or better yet, he brought Kymei's body back to its optimal state once again. Following that, Aire patched Kymei's shoulder to make it look like he had done some work before calling the girls back. "Altina, Sera, I'm done."

The two immediately headed back as they looked at Kymei's shoulder. Soon, one of them asked him, "How is it? Can you use your predictive shot?"

Kymei got up and moved his shoulders for a bit before lifting his Stellar Rifle. He kept moving it up and down until, eventually, a smile appeared on his face. "That's definitely a convenient technique. I know it isn't healed, but I'm certain I can battle without worries for the next two days."

On Aire's mind, Stella confirmed that everything had gone smoothly. 'The guys monitoring the mission didn't see anything wrong either.'

Sera then warned Kymei, "Of course, once the mission is over, you must go and have it checked."

Kymei laughed in response, replying, "Hahaha! By that time, I would already have used my Stellar Energy to fix the issue. Don't forget that I've already surpassed the Stellar Bones Stage." Sure enough, Risers have a much better healing capability than normal humans from the past. Kymei wasn't lying about his plans at all.

Altina couldn't care less either way. "Alright, we've already wasted enough time in this place. Sera, show us where we should go. Try and find the best route for us now."

"There's no need. I already know where we need to go." Sera then passed the route to everyone's communicators. "This is only speculation. However, based on the battles we've gone through while in the main area, I believe this point is where most of the action will happen during the second day. The Stellar Bubble appearance frequency in the other two areas don't seem as good either."

Aire couldn't help but ask, "Wouldn't that make it the most dangerous location?"

Sera, Altina, and Kymei nodded as one of them responded, "Exactly. However, with big risks comes big rewards." Before Aire could even complain, Altina and the others departed. Sure enough, they wouldn't give Aire time to complain about heavy work.

During the second day, the ranking of Aire's group began to increase. What before was 93rd, they were now in the 44th position. Not only that, but they were also making a name for themselves as one of the few teams that still had four members and Stellar Suits. Well, just a single piece of the suit, though. It's just that the majority didn't have even that.

At some point, Aire's group had marked a small territory as theirs. With their own strength and Altina's reputation, the other top-ranked teams didn't dare to get close. Of course, Aire's group wasn't idiotic, so they didn't barge into the territory of top-ranked groups either. 

Eventually, the second day was over as the third and last day began by the time the sun had risen. By now, more than 80% of the teams were eliminated or had already left the main area. The ones who left knew that they would be risking too much by losing their Stellar Bubbles' energy, so it was better to keep it and wait for the mission to be over.

As for the remaining ones, they weren't satisfied with just a decent harvest. They wanted a lot more in both Stellar Bubble energy and rank. One must remember that the team missions were given to all the students, not only those who came to Samuria Swamp. After the mission was over, the total score would be calculated between all Risers in the school, which would also be added to their initial ranking. 

That would help with their initial standings for the next missions as well. Naturally, they all wanted to aim higher and start in better positions. As for the ones who already had great initial standings, they were very confident in themselves. The teams trying to move up the ranks would simply deliver them more Stellar Energy as a reward in their eyes.