BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

1154  A gift (3)

In the end, the three women decided they needed some time to think about it. Choosing a new brain crystal power was far from simple, not only for the three women, but for everyone. So, they decided the best thing would be to think about what to do.

They found themselves with many considerations to do, and none of them were insignificant.

One of their main problems was whether to select a power that complemented their existing abilities or to get something completely new that could extend their range of capabilities.

Choosing a power that synergized with their current skills could make them stronger than they already were, creating a combination that could have effects greater than the sum of the two powers. Choosing a completely new power could give them more options and would help them handle different situations better.

There was more, because each one of the three women had a problem. Mira's power, while useful, lacked combat might on its own. Even if Erik gave her something to make it more lethal, the underlying limitation of her ability would remain.

Emily, instead, could see the future, but that wasn't exactly a battle-oriented power. She relied on her rifle to fight. Her visions were often unreliable and blurry. Although she improved them as the number of her neural links increased, seeing the future must have been difficult even for "mana" to accomplish. The inner workings of mana remained a mystery to everyone, but its power was clear. Yet messing up with time must not have been easy, even for the ethereal substance, given the effects on Emily's power. As for Amber, things were different. A good elemental power might work for her, especially one that allowed her to channel the corrosive gas like she wanted. However, she lacked something that allowed her to fight against a single opponent, making her rely on her dagger skills to fight. It wasn't exactly ideal. With the two brain crystal weapons she got, this got solved, but only to a certain extent. Brain crystal weapons didn't have the same amount of mana an individual had, meaning their effects would end up way before a human emptied his or her mana reserves.

Brain crystal weapons' powers weren't even as great as when they were used by the thaid from which it was harvested. Their death affecting their overall power, for whatever reason.

In truth, Erik didn't care about it.

They also had to consider the long-term implications of their choice. Would a particular power prove better in their future fights? Would it enhance their chances of survival for Mur? How would it shape their roles within the team and influence their individual growth paths? The shadow of unforeseen consequences loomed in their thoughts. They could make a wrong choice.

Sure, Erik might give them other powers to fix the problem, but training them would require time, and they would still be stuck with a power they would not be able to use how they wanted. In Erik's and the three women's logic, the power they got had to solve a problem, and one who couldn't was basically useless. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

They needed to assess how a new power might impact the group dynamics. Would it create an imbalance in their abilities? How would it affect their teamwork and strategies in the field? Should they prioritize powers that enhanced their individual strengths or ones that improved the team's ones?

Mira, Emily, and Amber knew they couldn't join Erik's battles, at least for now. So, the team was going to be composed of the three women, and maybe June. These were crucial factors that couldn't be overlooked, especially considering a good choice might make them be able to fight shoulder to shoulder with Erik, which was the goal.

Since this was a choice that required careful thought, thorough discussion, and deep introspection, they decided to discuss it for some time.

<Well, at least they won't make a bad choice.> Of that, Erik was sure. <I hope at least.> Maybe not so sure. With that done, Erik left the building.

There was just one thing he had to do now, and that required the Biological Supercomputer's help again.

<System.>

<Yo!>

He sighed.

<Let's be honest here: as we stand now, given the numbers we have, we will be dead meat on Mur.>

The biological supercomputer mentally nodded. Much to Erik's dismay.

<I know. Based on the blackguards' growth curve, they are getting stronger at a faster rate than you and your forces.>

The biological supercomputer paused. <It is thanks to their research and the Thaids on Mur providing them good brain crystals and even better brain crystal powers, but I do not exclude the possibility they might have understood how to make new neural link training techniques based on the changes I made on the old one from Liberty Watch.>

If that was true, it would be a tremendous problem. Erik realized the seriousness of this situation. New training methods for the blackguards could mean faster power growth and a bigger threat to him and his lovers. They might kill stronger thaids and, in turn, get better brain crystal powers.  Even weaker blackguards could become dangerous, increasing the number of threats he was facing, and they were not few by any means. <They can catch up to me...> Erik paused. <You think that is possible?> he asked the system.

Erik didn't know how hard it was to make a new technique. He hadn't tried it himself, as he left everything to the biological supercomputer, and the thing made it look relatively simple, at least compared to the editing powers. This was uncharted territory for Erik. However, if the biological supercomputer had done it, it was certainly possible. And if it was possible, there was a chance the blackguards had already improved their own technique.

<Let's hope not,> Erik said.

<I think it is likely. The blackguards had a lot of time to see Liberty Watch Village's improved technique. Comparing the differences with their old technique, they might have done something already. However, what made Levium, Terra, Monica, Restro, and Vex as strong as they were was just time.>

The computer paused. <As I've said already, the blackguards have a strict hierarchical structure, with the leaders delegating tasks to their underlings. I won't be surprised with Monica having told the four Vindicators to focus on making neural links to increase the chances of killing you, and if she did that, she might have tried to do the same. Basically, you won just because of the advantage you already had.>

<Killing me, uh? You know, I'm starting to consider that isn't their goal anymore.>

It was true. At the beginning, the blackguards sent fighters that were, in theory, much more skilled and powerful than Erik. Luckily, he hid his cards well for a long time, so they were not as prepared as they had to be when they attacked him in Caelora City. Later, after a period of hiding, they attacked him again. Having learned that they lacked the power to defeat him with smaller teams, they sent their best fighters at the time, devised intricate traps, and sent overwhelming numbers to him.

Yet it wasn't enough, and that was because, in between those moments, Erik grew. The problem was that they were growing, too. While they didn't have a biological supercomputer, they had many scientists on their side, which leveled the field, at least partially.

<This has turned into a race against time.> Erik couldn't help feeling partly responsible for their power growth. Had his technique not been shared among his guild members, the blackguards would never have gotten their hands on it.

Even with more powers at their disposal, they wouldn't have become as strong as they were now.

But at the time, his goal was to establish a foothold in Etrium, where he thought he could finally restart his life. Have a better one. For a while, it even worked; it was just that everything he did brought him closer to the blackguards and their machinations. <If what you say is true, then what I am about to ask you gets another level of importance.>

<What do you need?> The biological supercomputer could read his mind, so it knew what Erik wanted, but asked not to annoy him. Though it was tempted to do so, just for fun.

<Take a guess…>

<Ah,> the AI said. <You want a new training technique focusing on the Chimaeric Demons' peculiar brain crystal, right?>

That would be the key. If not in the short time, at least in the long one. If the difference between him and the Blackguards' growth rate was the time spent on training, Erik was at a disadvantage because he didn't have it.

Monica did, and the strength she got in just two years was proof of that. Erik couldn't spend that much time training for many reasons, but the most important one was that he didn't have clones strong enough to fight against the division commanders. That burden fell on him, and that was exactly what he wanted to do. But even if he suddenly decided to just train, that could be done at best until he was on Hin. Once on Mur, things would be quite different. Erik didn't know how much or how harder things would get, but for sure, they were going to turn hectic.

<Yes,> Erik said to the biological supercomputer.