Abyssal Awakening

After finishing their business with the Guild, Alice, Ria, and Allura waited for Gin to return. Meanwhile, Allura asked the two regarding their choices going into the future.

"So, have you thought about your next Sigils and how you want to fight with them? I know I told you to be patient, but considering you two were somehow able to take down a four Sigil user, perhaps it's about time to consider your next moves." Allura asked with a smile.

It was a tad suspicious how the two of them could take down a four Sigil user. Ria was not experienced enough with her Sigils to accomplish such a task and Alice would barely be able to help with her first Sigil. Unless something were to have happened in the middle of their fight, such a result should have been impossible.

Nonetheless, Allura decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. If they passed her test later in the day, it would prove that they were ready for their next Sigils. If not, she would need to prepare some training plans.

"I'm thinking of going after the Storm Spirit. The Sigil will help me increase the charge rate of my other Sigils which'll help me a lot. It's not the best offensively, but it improves my main issue right now, and that's time." Ria explained, having her target in mind already.

The Storm Spirit was a thunderous beast in the form of a thunder cloud with lightning pulsing through its body. Its true form was actually much smaller. It was known for hiding itself within the cloud and manipulating it to protect itself.

A difficult beast to hunt, but if Ria succeeded, its Sigil would augment everything she had worked toward thus far.

"Oh? To think you'll go for a supporting Sigil instead of an offensive one. Most would choose an offensive fourth Sigil since it grants a large boost in power. Not bad, kid," Allura remarked. She was surprised by Ria's choice.

"If you get the Storm Spirit Sigil, you'll embark on your path of being an Anti Monster Hunter. There will be a resonance between your Sigils that'll give you extra bonuses towards killing a beast. Of course, if you pick an Anti Hunter Sigil, you'll be 2 for 2 so your fifth Sigil will determine your resonance."

"Resonance?" Alice raised an eyebrow towards the unfamiliar terminology.

"Remember the information I gave you before regarding Hunter classifications? There are three, with me having not explained you about the third one just yet. That's because the third classification is directly tied with resonance.

"You see, when a Hunter gets three Sigils belonging to the same path, either Anti Hunter or Anti Monster, the Sigils form a resonance between them and the power is amplified. This change is reflected on the Sigils across your body." Taking off her jacket, Allura activated her first three Sigils.

One by one, they appeared across her body and lit up with a crimson glow.

"My first three Sigils all belong to the Anti Monster classification. If all three are active, a resonance occurs."

Just as she said this, the Sigils started to shift as new lines began to expand from each Sigil, connecting them to one another and forming a larger pattern across her body.

Deactivating her Sigils, Allura pulled out a cigarette.

"The resonance changes based on what Sigils you have as well. It's not just the classification they belong to that matters. Mine are offensive, so my resonance boosts my attack and gives my Sigils an extra ability. It's not a full Sigil power but rather half of one if you get what I mean.

Had I chosen defensive Anti Monster Sigils, my resonance would've boosted my survivability." Allura explained as Alice nodded slowly.

With this knowledge in mind, she would have to be careful about what she chose.

"If you get a resonance at three Sigils belonging to the same classification, what will you get at six, or more?"

Alice remembered Allura talking about the peak of humans being those that had obtained more than seven Sigils. If a resonance is gained at three, could there be more at six Sigils… or even nine?

"If you get to six Sigils belonging to the same path, then yes, a new resonance is created. The same happens with nine. But most don't get past six, so very few actually look towards the 3rd resonance effect. But if you do continue a path to the 9th, the rewards are worth it." Allura chuckled.

She herself never got to the third resonance but she knew a few who did and the power they demonstrated was indeed worthy of the final resonance you gained.

"What about the third classification tied to resonance? You haven't told me, and grandfather said it's too soon for me to know." Ria asked as Gin's explanation was that knowing would hinder her growth.

"That's because some people make the mistake of aiming for the third classification without proper preparation. The third classification is what we call Anti Army. Some prefer to call it Anti City but you just need to know that the third Classification is specialised for taking out large crowds of people.

They struggle with fighting against things one on one but against a crowd of cannon fodder, they are superior.

"The only issue with Anti Army users is that it takes them a long time to prepare due to the different Sigils needed to form the resonance for Anti Army. Some people get disillusioned by the grandeur of taking on an army by themselves and dive in head-first, collecting weak Sigils that make it hard for you to obtain the next one.

Anti Army Hunters are raised by noble families that have too much money to throw away and plenty of manpower," Allura explained as the two understood why neither Allura nor Gin explained what it was to them.

"Setting aside the matter of Classifications, what do you plan to do, Alice? I'm sure you've had quite a bit of time to think about it, considering you were quite eager to get your second Sigil."

"Something blood-related. Maybe like blood control? It fits both my weapon and Sigil." Alice shrugged. She left out the fact that if she knew blood control, she'd be able to borrow her opponents' Sigils easier.

If that was to happen, she'd be able to gain the upper hand in battle. With the newfound knowledge of Resonances, she may even get a bonus after consuming their blood.

"Blood control, huh? A pretty interesting choice since most people don't choose this path considering the drawbacks. But it's not a bad choice considering the fact that you dislike the path of poison. The only thing I'll say regarding this path is to be careful of what Sigils you choose to take since some can turn you into a blood hungry beast and make you lose sight of yourself." Allura warned.

"What's all this about being blood hungry and losing control? What the hell have you been talking about when I was gone?" Gin's voice rang out. His tone was a mix of concern and confusion as he overheard the end of that conversation.

"Oh, nothing major, don't worry. I was just curious as to what Alice planned for her Sigils." Allura shrugged with a grin.

"Now, I assume you've found a good place for us to celebrate at?" She asked.

"I have. We've got a bit of time before our reservation if you want to do anything else in the meantime." Gin replied while standing next to Ria.

"Hou~ Well, I do have an activity in mind. It's the perfect time, too, since Neal decided to ask us for a favour. I'll fill you in on the details later, but let's borrow one of his arenas. I want to see the progress of Alice and Ria in the time I was not here." Allura grinned as Alice felt a slight shiver down her spine.

Confused by her sudden shiver, she glanced over at Ria and saw her pale at the mention of this.

"Wait, right now?" Ria asked hesitantly.

"Yep! Let's go right now. It's perfect, too. There's nothing better than eating on an empty stomach. It saves you the trouble of cleaning up your vomit, too, if you get hit a tad too hard." Allura narrowed her eyes as Ria snapped her gaze towards Alice.

"You can go first." Ria suggested. Before Alice could reply, Gin patted her shoulder.

"Since you have more Sigils, you can show Alice how it's done. Don't worry, she won't hit you too hard. Not with me around." Gin comforted, but Ria still had her doubts.

"It's not like I plan to hit you hard, Ria. Believe me, when I was training Gin long ago, he had to be hospitalised for a while." Allura snickered, causing Gin to sigh.

""Instinct is the best teacher. If you can instinctively react to hits, then it'll serve you well in combat," Is what she told me before sending me to the hospital bed for about a week. Of course, the benefit is that she hits so hard you won't be scared of anything else." Gin shrugged.

While he had to admit that Allura's methods were… unorthodox, it certainly made him a better Hunter.

It's better to get hit by someone who kind of knew restraint and was trusted compared to a beast in the wild that would definitely try to go for the kill.

Seeing that there was no convincing her grandfather, Ria sighed and resolved herself to her fate.

"Alright, let's get this over and done with, then. The food better be worth it."

Nodding, Allura led the group upstairs as she burst into Neal's room without warning.

"I'm taking your best training room for about an hour. Bye."

Without giving Neal a chance to reply, Allura took them to the top of the tower while Alice and Ria were speechless at her conduct.

"What? If he's going to ask me to deal with the White Death, giving me the training grounds is the very least he could do." Allura shrugged.

However, when they approached the top floor, they realised that it was already occupied.

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