novelDen Chapter 142: Bonding [2]
Chapter 142: Bonding [2]
At the command, Soren released his hold on his internal reservoir.
He allowed his mana to surge outward from his core in a steady, controlled wave. The response from the Resonance Chamber was instantaneous. The silver runes encircling the obsidian platform flared to life, shifting from a faint twilight glow to a deep, brilliant azure. Above him, the crystalline focusing lenses aligned with a sharp, synchronized click, channeling the rising energy and broadcasting it outward.
In the observation area, the calm atmosphere fractured.
Elenaria’s fingers froze over her primary console as the monitors began to update in real-time. The predictive data from the Bureau had already accounted for a 3rd Circle breakthrough, but the live telemetry displaying his mana density and purity was entirely unexpected. The line graphing his energy signature spiked upward, aggressively piercing through the standard baseline models for a newly advanced mage.
President Marron leaned forward, his arms uncrossing as a sharp focus replaced his casual grin. Beside him, the elven director’s cool expression cracked, her eyes moving rapidly across the cascading metrics.
"The purity index is still climbing," a technician reported, his voice losing its professional detachment. "It’s bypassing the primary filters. The resonance matrix is fully synchronized."
To Soren, the world layout changed entirely. With his eyes closed, his physical sight was replaced by a vast, spiritual canvas. The soundless pulse of his own mana rippled away from the platform, expanding through the thick reinforced walls and tearing into the depths of the sanctuary’s hidden biomes.
Then, the sanctuary answered.
The feedback on the terminal screens quickly painted a clear picture of his elemental affinities. Beasts with pure physical traits, wind attributes, and water bloodlines reacted instantly, their indicators lighting up across the map as they sought out his frequency. Even the rare ice elemental creatures deep in the subterranean frost vaults showed an immediate, strong attraction to his pristine energy signature. Fire elemental beasts, on the other hand, reacted with visible distaste. On the monitors, their indicators dimmed or pulled away, completely repelled by the specific nature of his mana.
"Baseline compatibility groups successfully captured and logged into the profile," a technician announced, hitting a final confirmation key to secure the list of ideal candidates.
Just as the automated system finished archiving those successful matches, a violent spike rattled the entire containment grid.
Deep within the isolated, restricted sector of the facility, an energy signature dormant for months surged into absolute activity. The primary screen flashed red as the tracking matrix bypassed all other data streams, locking completely onto a single, overwhelming response that began drawing the ambient mana toward itself.
"What is that?" one of the researchers gasped, his hands flying across his keyboard in a panic. "The energy signature from Sector Seven just awoke! It’s forcing a localized feedback loop through the resonance lines!"
The entire room plunged into a flurry of frantic activity. Alarms began to blip on the secondary consoles as data points fluctuated wildly.
Elenaria stared at the crimson warning display, her refined composure entirely gone. "That’s impossible. The containment seals on that vault are rated for a High S-rank entity. It shouldn’t even be able to perceive an external frequency, let alone force a connection."
President Marron didn’t speak. He stood perfectly still, his eyes fixed on the screen where the mysterious signature was aggressively anchored directly to Soren’s specific frequency coordinates. A mix of intense gravity and profound realization filled his expression.
Recognizing the immediate danger of a spiritual overload, Elenaria reached for the overriding controls.
"Mr. Soren," her voice cut through the intercom, sounding unusually tense and commanding. "You can stop now. Cut off your mana flow immediately."
Soren’s eyes snapped open.
He reined in his energy, breaking the connection as a distinct, phantom weight lingered against his consciousness, originating from the absolute furthest corner of the vault.
"You can step down from the platform and come out," Elenaria’s voice came over the intercom again, the tense edge slowly fading back into her usual professional tone.
Soren rose to his feet, exhaling a slow breath to completely settle his remaining mana. Walking off the obsidian stage, he returned to the main observation deck. The researchers were still huddled over their terminals, speaking in quiet, hurried whispers as they ran system diagnostic checks on Sector Seven.
President Marron and Elenaria stood together by the primary console. The president gave him an approving nod, while the director focused entirely on finalizing the generated data report.
"Give us a few minutes to process the readings," Marron said, gesturing toward a seating area. "The system needs to clear the telemetry spikes before compiling the final list."
Soren took a seat, using the brief intermission to calm his racing thoughts. That sudden, heavy pull from the depths of the facility had felt incredibly real. It was as if something down there had looked directly back at him through his energy stream.
After a few minutes of intense data scrubbing, Elenaria stepped away from the console and walked over to him, holding the digital tablet once more.
"The baseline test was completely successful," the director stated, handing him the device. "As expected from the data trends, you possess an exceptional affinity for specific attributes. Beasts with pure physical traits, wind, and water elements showed the absolute highest compatibility rankings with your mana frequency. Even our rare ice elemental specimens in the deep frost vaults demonstrated a remarkably strong attraction to your energy."
Soren took the tablet, nodding as he looked at the interface. "And the others?"
"Obviously the fire elemental entities were entirely incompatible," Elenaria replied simply. "They actively rejected your frequency. However, the positive matches are extraordinary. The system has automatically generated a curated list of top-tier recommendations for your evaluation."
Curiosity taking over, Soren tapped the screen to open the breakdown, deciding to inspect the wind and water options first.
As the detailed profiles expanded, his eyes widened in sheer disbelief. The metrics on the display were far more detailed than he expected, breaking down each creature by its Threat Rank, Bloodline Tier, and passive Core Strain.
Under the wind category, the top recommendation was a Gale Crested Vanguard Eagle. The screen classified it as a B-Rank threat with an Elite Tier bloodline, showing an impressive 84% resonance compatibility.
Below that, a secondary option listed a Zephyr Phantom Hound, a B-Rank Rare Tier creature prized for its stealth, requiring a very low passive core strain to maintain.
When he scrolled down to the water section, the options leaped even higher, displaying two incredibly high-grade aquatic anomalies that left him completely stunned.
The first entry read Torrential Leviathan Pup, a devastating A-Rank entity with a Calamity Tier bloodline. Right alongside it was an Azure Abyssal Serpent, an A-Rank anomaly with an Ancient Tier bloodline, boasting a staggering 91% resonance compatibility. Further down the list, a Mist-Weave Hydra Hatchling sat firmly at B-Rank Rare Tier. Not to mention the fact that all three of them had S-rank potential.
Soren stared at the data points, his heart hammering against his ribs.
S-rank potential ceilings were legendary, and finding multiple A-rank companions with bloodlines this pure in a single sweep was practically unheard of for a rookie hunter. These were premium, high-tier entities capable of growing into world-altering combat powerhouses.
After taking a moment to absorb the massive value of the wind and water recommendations, he wiped a hand over his face to regain his composure.
He then tapped the next tab on the screen, turning his full attention to the ice elemental candidates to see what kind of rare entities awaited him there.