I’ll be the Red Ranger
Chapter 162 – Armor Control

- Oliver -

Determined, Oliver steadied himself. "I still need to test this with someone," he resolved, his voice echoing softly in the empty chamber.

Yet, despite his determination, it was already late into the night. As he stepped out of the training room, he found the corridors deserted. Not a single recruit was in sight on the first floor or on any of the levels above. Even the staircase was shrouded in shadows.

With no one around, Oliver had no choice but to return to the lowest level and make his way to his bunk. After pushing himself to the brink and sustaining injuries over the past two days, a few hours of rest would do him good.

Though the rest was brief, when Oliver awoke, he felt relaxed. The exhaustion had faded, and he had regained some of the Energy he'd needed to analyze his rivals. For the first time since his arrival, he managed to wake up alongside the fortress's alarm. Growing accustomed to the relentless routine, he quickly got a simple breakfast, his mind already turning to the climb ahead.

As he approached the base of the Silo—the towering structure that had become both his nemesis and his proving ground—he let out a sigh of relief. The staircase had returned to its normal state. Climbing under increased gravity remained a tough challenge, but at least there were no new surprises today.

Despite the strain, Oliver found solace in his progress. His muscles had grown stronger, and his endurance had increased. The rigorous exercise was beginning to pay off.

| +1 Constitution

Upon reaching the top, he received, for the first time, a point added to his status purely through training, independent of any combat experience or missions completed.

Curious, Oliver brought up his Status Page.

Status Page

| User: Oliver [Nameless]

| Level: 4 [Knight]

| Experience: [916/800] [Press to Evolve]

| Credits: 10,810

"I can evolve again," Oliver mused aloud, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice as he reviewed the data. The option to evolve glowed softly on the display, tempting him. "But I could also invest in Strength or Agility."

He weighed his options carefully. Evolving could unlock new Boons or enhance his current ones, potentially giving him the edge he needed. On the other hand, increasing his Strength or Agility would offer immediate, tangible improvements to his physical capabilities.

Without a clear decision or knowing which path would serve him best in the challenges ahead, Oliver decided to hold onto his points for now. There was no need to rush into a choice that could help in the next exercise.

By the time Oliver finally reached the first-floor classroom, all the other Rangers were already seated, waiting patiently. Only he and Dante were absent. As he caught his breath and glanced around, he noted that his rivals no longer appeared winded or fatigued from the arduous climb up the Silo.

‘Looks like I'm not the only one who's gotten better at scaling the Silo,’ Oliver mused, a hint of a challenging smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He slipped into one of the vacant seats near the front, close to the raised platform where Dante usually taught. The room was enveloped in silence, each Ranger lost in their thoughts as they awaited the instructor's arrival.

Moments later, Dante strode into the room with purposeful strides, not pausing to acknowledge them. His austere presence commanded immediate attention.

"Alright," Dante began, his voice resonating through the room. "Today, we'll tackle the final topic in our Counter-Surveillance module, one of the fundamentals: Hacking."

As always, Dante's lectures were dense with complex information, a torrent of technical jargon, and nuanced strategies that often left Oliver scrambling to keep pace. But amid the flood, certain points crystallized with clarity.

"Hacking is one of the most critical aspects of counter-surveillance," Dante explained, his gaze sweeping across the room. "This holds true for any mission you undertake. Regardless of who your adversary is, they are well aware of our heavy reliance on the NET. We use it to connect our Gauntlets, to communicate, to access vital intel."

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He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "But in this age, no means of communication can be considered entirely secure. Whether through the Empire's oversight or the influence of the Great Houses, there are always eyes watching, ears listening."

Damian, ever inquisitive, raised his hand. "But isn't that an advantage?" he asked. "If the Empire controls the communication networks and is aware of the information flowing through them, doesn't that work in our favor?"

Dante regarded him with a measured expression. "The problem, Damian, is the sheer expanse of the Empire. Its size is both its strength and its weakness. We can't guarantee that the intelligence we gather won't be intercepted or leaked to our opponents within its vast bureaucracy. That's why we must exercise extreme caution, even when communicating internally."

Oliver leaned forward, absorbing every word. His mind flashed back to his experiences with House Lot, witnessing firsthand how they manipulated information networks, hacking to both disseminate and withhold data, effectively controlling NEA operations from the shadows.

"A pertinent example is your fellow Ranger here," Dante continued, gesturing toward Oliver. "To prevent his intel from being blocked by agents within the Empire, he chose to broadcast directly to all bases on Olympus."

Oliver's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected Dante to be aware of the specifics of his past mission. A mix of pride and apprehension welled up inside him.

"Remember this," Dante said, his tone grave. "Anything that operates within a networked system is a potential vulnerability. Gauntlets, Mechs, communication nodes. They can all be exploited. It's your responsibility to discern what information you transmit, where you transmit it, and which channels to avoid entirely."

As the lecture progressed, Dante delved deeper into the intricacies of cyber warfare. He outlined methods for identifying compromised communication lines, techniques for masking their digital footprints, and strategies for misleading adversaries' surveillance efforts.

While practical infiltration exercises were still forthcoming, Oliver felt as though a veil had been lifted. The more he learned, the more he realized how exposed he might have been. Questions buzzed in his mind like restless insects. ‘How deeply could the Children of the Past be monitoring him? Had they planted a bug on him? In his Gauntlet, perhaps?’

"Could they have tampered with my equipment?" he pondered, a knot of unease tightening in his stomach. Yet, he knew these were mere speculations. It was entirely possible that someone on their team possessed a tracking boon.

With the conclusion of the morning lesson and a brief period of rest, the Rangers proceeded to their afternoon training session. Dante stood once again against one of the training hall walls, his arms crossed, observing as the Rangers immersed themselves in exercises aimed at reducing the amount of Energy they emitted.

Oliver approached the instructor slowly, his footsteps measured. Dante lifted his gaze as Oliver drew near.

"What can I help you with, Ranger?" Dante asked seriously.

"Sir, could you demonstrate how you control your armor?" Oliver inquired.

Dante appeared contemplative, perhaps uncertain of how to assist. Nevertheless, he shrugged and pushed himself away from the wall.

Just before Dante initiated his transformation, Oliver activated [Prometheus] in his eyes.

Upon seeing the young man with two golden flames flickering in his eyes, Dante raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity flashing across his face, but said nothing.

Oliver focused intently on the flow of Energy that the instructor was manipulating. Through his enhanced vision, Dante's body appeared crisscrossed with hundreds of tiny conduits, as fine as silk threads, channeling Energy throughout his form. Another significant detail caught his attention: within Dante's gauntlet, two distinct glows emanated. Two Z Crystals were embedded there.

He couldn't determine their colors or power levels, but it was enough to know that there was more than one.

Oliver watched as the instructor activated his yellow armor. A burst of Energy radiated outward, forming into a cohesive shell around him. Gradually, each filament of Energy shifted, weaving intricately from one point to another, controlling and refining the armor's final shape.

As he finished observing, a notification flickered in Oliver's field of vision:

| New Technique Learned

| [Energy] Armor Morph Control

| Progress: 0.15%

"I see," Oliver muttered unconsciously.

At last, he understood what he needed to do and the root of his hardship. It was about the flow of Energy. Most others had evolved more gradually; their Energy flow was as thin as a thread. His own had surged rapidly due to his evolutions and the use of [Prometheus].

His body had become accustomed to channeling vast amounts of Energy, making his flow heavy but swift. This density made it challenging to manipulate his armor with the finesse required for detailed control.

As Dante reverted to his normal state, he watched the young Ranger closely. Oliver was now repeatedly activating and deactivating various parts of his armor, striving to alter it more profoundly but still struggling to achieve the precision he sought.

"I think that's acceptable," Dante remarked. "You don't need perfect control over every aspect."

His gaze held a hint of surprise at Oliver's rapid progress.

"Great, thank you," Oliver replied, a determined glint in his eye as he turned towards his fellow Rangers. ‘It's time to catch up,’ he thought.

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