'Cloud?' Shane repeated in his mind.
Soon, sweat beaded on his forehead as he began the intricate task of destabilizing the Core. He didn't have to enter the sealed chamber itself as he was able to find the control panel hidden just beside the door.
Shane then reached into the control panel and swiftly triggered the switches and dials.
Each adjustnt he made sent sparks flying as the Core's protective shields flickered. But just as he thought he'd succeeded, a problem suddenly ca.
Then, the mories that followed beca really interesting for Shane…
Shane felt sothing off as his gaze darted around, looking for any Androids or figures monitoring him. However, he didn't notice anything suspicious.
But as he was about to continue what he was doing, he heard the movents of various machines…
Although detection wasn't supposed to be possible with the Ether Cloak, the Anima's failsafes had certainly found him after disrupting its energy flow.
Soon, red lights flashed as robotic enforcers converged on the core chamber.
Shane clenched his jaw as what he did wasn't enough to destroy the Core… He hurriedly opened the sealed door with the remaining control that he had, and as it opened, he imdiately dashed ducked behind the Core's massive structure.
The Ether Cloak shimred, struggling to maintain its concealnt as the Anima units scanned for any signs of intrusion.
He knew that it wouldn't take long before he'd get found.
With no way out, he made a desperate decision.
He prid a small explosive he had smuggled aboard. This was his last resort since he couldn't really bring any other modern device. Aside from this small explosive, he only had a few things like a knife, rope, and others.
Shane started rigging it to the Core's stabilization matrix. It was a one-way gamble; the blast would cripple the Core, but his only chance of escape lay in the seconds of chaos that would follow.
As he planted the device, the mory began to blur once more, reality slipping away.
Then, the mory sphere released him back into the present. Then, his body jolted as he sat up in his room, panting.
'Did I die there?' Shane thought to himself but imdiately shook his head. It was a silly thought. He then briefly glanced at the system notification, confirming the absorption of the mory and the new skills he learned.
Shane then took a deep breath and realized how crazy good he was in his past life. Infiltrating a huge spaceship without any reinforcents was definitely a suicidal move. If it was anyone else, they would surely not accept such a mission and would rather complete basic missions like scavenging broken parts of androids in order to create Humanoid ch Vessels to fight against the A.I.'s androids.
Anyway, Shane continued with his task and started absorbing the 17th mory Sphere. This ti, it contained the mory of his struggle during the Fairy Realm Invasion.
As soon as he agreed to the system notification, his senses were once again absorbed by the rush of mories coming to his brain.
Monts later, he found himself within a mory, his surroundings transford into the lively, rustic Elf encampnt.
However, the encampnt of elves wasn't lively because of their cheerfulness. They were all preparing for battle.
Shane could feel the tension as he approached the council tent, a large structure constructed from interwoven branches and covered with enchanted leaves that seed to be filled with Elven's Blessing.
Pushing aside the entrance flap, Shane stepped inside and glanced at the room's occupants.
A large, circular table occupied the center, each section marked by the distinctive presence of a representative from various races. Needless to say, he was the only human present among them.
As he entered, the twelve individuals fell silent, glancing his way.
Six elves assessed him with varied expressions. There were two High Elves with elegant robes lined with silver, and they observed him for a brief mont before giving a gentle nod.
Obviously, the two of them acknowledged the contributions Shane had made in the past battles.
The Forest Elf, who seed to be equipped with living vines, gave a slight nod as well, having heard rumors of his loyalty.
Furthermore, Shane could understand their language, so it definitely helped add so points to their friendliness.
The Dark Elf's silver eyes t his with a cool detachnt, and just like Shane had noticed them before, they were unreadable. Until now, based on the mories, he still had no idea if the Dark Elves liked him or not.
The Moon Elf, who was paler than the high elves, cast a fleeting glance his way before focusing back on the table. Only the Winged Elf, with delicate wings, looked at him with open distrust. Shane could even see how her jaw tightened after noticing his presence.
Across from the elves, a handful of the Fairy Realm's other races watched him with equal interest and scrutiny.
The Dwarf gave a slight nod of acknowledgnt… Apparently, the Dwarves and humans had forged a tentative alliance after skirmishing with the Vampires. The Ogre, a figure filled with muscle and dark green skin, seed unimpressed, crossing his massive arms.
The Kobold, draped in cloth adorned with runic symbols, gave him a curious but wary glance, while the Centaur warrior's gaze was as stoic as stone.
'I guess my appeal was only effective to most elves… Should I learn the Centaur's and Kobold's language too?' Shane thought to himself.
Anyway, he moved to an open space by the table, taking a seat.
Then, the discussion started almost imdiately.
"Humans were an easy target to Vampires… They'll get easily turned and beco our enemies instead… Isn't it too dangerous to let him join us? Once he turned, all our plans will be known by that Vampire Lord.' one of the representatives murmured quietly, though not quietly enough.
Apparently, Elves and other races wouldn't be easily forced to beco vampires, unlike humans.
Hearing that soone else wasn't looking in favor of the human, the Winged Elf nodded in agreent as her wings quivered slightly.
Before Shane could respond, the Moon Elf spoke, her voice was soft yet firm.
"This human has risked much in aiding us. His strategies in the field have saved more than a hundred of our people already. There are no divisions in allegiance if we are to reclaim the World Tree."
Well, in this life, Shane was already with Cloud, his A.I. Assistant, it wasn't surprising that he was able to give decent strategies based on the strengths of each race and the known abilities of the Vampire.
The High Elf closest to Shane dipped his head in agreent. "We face the Vampires, creatures who bend the very laws of life and death. If Shane's knowledge can aid us in removing their grip from the World Tree, we must consider it an asset."
Shane scanned the table, noting those who nodded and those who remained unconvinced. "Thank you," he replied.
"The Vampires that hold the World Tree aren't just after power—they want to twist the realm to their will, creating a new source for their dark energy. If we don't act decisively, they'll strengthen their blood magic and corrupt the Tree's natural energy, making it nearly impossible to free."
The Pixie, a small figure that shined in the torchlight, flew to the center of the table. "You say that, but even with our combined forces, it's difficult to reach them. And we've lost more with each attempt."
The Druid, tall and robed made of interwoven branches and leaves, spoke up.
"Perhaps the human's tactics could lend us an advantage. The Vampires have adapted quickly, but they lack understanding of this fused realm's natural defenses. Shane may bring insight they wouldn't expect."
This brought murmurs of agreent, and Shane continued. "The Vampires' command over blood magic gives them an advantage in strength, yes, but it's not foolproof. We've successfully lured out and eliminated several of their Thralls by exploiting their dependence on proximity to their Blood Lord. If we can cut off their source of dark energy at the World Tree, we weaken them."
The Centaur leader regarded Shane with a long, hard look before he spoke "And how do you suggest we confront the Vampire Lord himself? He resides within the Tree, hidden and guarded. If we are to strike, we must ensure he cannot return."
Shane thought carefully…
"The Vampire Lord's link to the World Tree is a two-way dependency. The Tree sustains him, yes, but he's vulnerable when he draws too much from it. If we can trigger that connection while attacking, it will drain his energy."
The Forest Elf leaned forward, nodding. "A coordinated strike, then—attack with full force at the mont he is most vulnerable. It could work, but it will require flawless timing."
The Ogre scoffed, but a slight smile crossed his face. "For once, the human speaks sense. I'll follow, if he can prove this timing works in battle."
Seeing the hesitant nods from around the table, Shane knew he had their attention. "Then let's plan this. We need every advantage we can get, and every single one of you brings a skill we can't afford to overlook."
Thanks to this, he learned all the abilities of these races and Cloud, learned them all.
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