I’ll be the Red Ranger
Chapter 163 – Cygnus

- Oliver -

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

Despite his confident demeanor, Oliver's body felt heavy. The effects of [Prometheus] weighed on him, especially after using it on such sensitive parts of his body. A dull ache throbbed behind his eyes, and his limbs felt leaden. He could feel the strain that the technique imposed, but he wasn't about to let that stop him.

He walked over to one of the corners of the training chamber and sank down, crossing his legs and leaning his back against the cold metal wall. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, preparing to ignite the flames in his eyes once more.

But before he could begin, he noticed that Dante was still standing in front of the room. The instructor surveyed the group of Rangers, his gaze sharp and assessing. Then, he raised his voice.

"Excellent. Seeing that most of you have reached the level expected for these initial weeks, we'll proceed to the next stage," Dante announced.

Oliver's eyes widened in surprise. ‘Just when I was about to start mastering this level, we're already moving on to the second stage?’ However, his astonishment was brief. He trusted that with his [Left Eye of Learning], it was only a matter of time before he caught up to the others.

"The training won't change significantly," Dante continued. "You'll simply need to walk around this room without letting your Energy leak from your bodies. Once you've mastered this level, we'll exit the chamber and walk throughout the fortress. After that, we'll incorporate combat and evasion exercises. Finally, you'll be expected to go an entire day without letting your Energy escape."

Oliver glanced around, noticing the nervous expressions on the faces of the Rangers. It was clear that the current stage was already challenging enough as it was; adding movement would make it even more problematic.

Dante, having finished his explanation, returned to his seat, watching them intently.

The Rangers remained silent, many of them with sweat beading on their brows from intense concentration. They began pacing back and forth across the room, each step deliberate. Whenever someone's Energy slipped out of control, a holographic alert flared above their head—a silent signal of their lapse.

Kyle was constantly stumbling, making the hologram flicker over him. Others moved with painstaking slowness, their faces etched with focus.

Still struggling to grasp even the first stage of the exercise, Oliver found himself perpetually marked by the holographic alert hovering above his head.

Determined, he activated [Prometheus] once more. The familiar warmth surged through him as he redirected Energy to his eyes. His vision sharpened, allowing him to perceive the ethereal flows of Energy within others—streams of luminescent currents threading through their bodies like rivers of light.

He turned his gaze to Kyle, who appeared the most clumsy among them. Like Oliver, Kyle had a powerful Energy flow coursing through broad channels within his body. Thick conduits pulsed with excess Energy, especially in his arms, where the luminescence almost spilled out in cascades.

‘Perhaps it's because of his Boon,’ Oliver mused. ‘If he's accustomed to altering his skin, he must channel a lot of Energy exactly where he's now trying to contain it.’

Unfortunately, there was little Oliver could learn from Kyle's approach.

He shifted his attention to the Pink Ranger and the Yellow Ranger. ‘Luna and Clara?’ he thought, straining to recall their names, though he wasn't entirely sure.

Their Energy flows were the opposite extreme. Their circulations were so fine and controlled that they emitted almost no outward Energy. Their bodies glowed softly, and the Energy moved through narrow channels with surgical precision.

‘Impressive control,’ Oliver noted, a hint of admiration in his thoughts. But he couldn't shake a lingering concern. ‘In a critical condition, would they be able to muster a massive amount of Energy quickly enough?’

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He observed them a while longer but concluded that their methods wouldn't aid his training.

Finally, his gaze settled on Damian and Darius.

Damian's Energy flow was subdued, except around his brain and lungs, where it swirled in concentrated pools. Oliver noticed that Damian was constructing intricate barriers near these organs, carefully regulating the Energy that surged there.

‘Could that also be related to his Boon?’ Oliver wondered. He knew that Damian had the ability to communicate with and control monsters, but he hadn't considered how that power physically manifested within him.

As for Darius, his Energy pathways bore a striking resemblance to Oliver's own. Energy coursed vigorously throughout his body. Darius was focusing on forming a barrier just beneath his skin, encapsulating his rampant Energy to prevent any from leaking out.

Watching Darius, Oliver felt a resonance. Here was someone he could truly learn from. As he observed, he sensed the [Left Eye of Learning] subtly activating, not through overt notifications, but as a gentle draw on his own Energy reserves—a silent assimilation of knowledge.

‘Somehow, I'm learning to replicate his technique,’ he thought. ‘Perhaps it's too rudimentary to be recognized as a distinct skill.’

Time seemed to blur as Oliver immersed himself in training. The hours slipped away, marked only by the gradual dimming of the training chamber's lights. He practiced relentlessly, integrating the insights gleaned from Darius. Visualizing the barrier beneath his skin, he willed his Energy to circulate within that confined space.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he felt the progress with every breath.

By the day's end, Oliver had made significant strides. He stood in the center of the chamber; the holographic alert above his head flickered and then vanished—a clear indication that his Energy was now fully contained.

A rare smile touched his lips. He had done it.

But he wasn't the only one who had noticed his rapid advancement. Over the following days, Oliver became aware of Dante's eyes upon him. The instructor often watched him with a keen, curious gaze whenever Oliver made a new leap forward.

---

Amid the relentless pace within the fortress, Oliver found himself so immersed in his training that the passage of days became a blur. The rigorous routines and constant drills consumed his focus, leaving little room for anything else.

Suddenly, the looming practical exercise was upon them, with only two days remaining. Dante gathered the six Rangers in one of the expansive training halls to outline the mission ahead.

"Who here has been to Cygnus?" Dante asked, his piercing gaze scanning the group.

Only Damian and Clara raised their hands.

"Then you already have some familiarity with the city," Dante continued. "In two days, Cygnus will be celebrating the anniversary of its founding—a grand event that enlivens the entire colony, drawing tourists and merchants from across the Empire."

He paused, letting the significance sink in. "However, this year is special. The colony's leaders aim to raise substantial credits to fund their expansion and bolster their industry. As part of this effort, they'll be showcasing new mechs developed locally and from neighboring colonies."

Dante's expression grew more serious. "We've received intelligence that, amidst the celebrations, an auction will take place atop the Cygnus Magna Hotel. Mech schematics, including plans for a fourth-generation combat mech, will be up for bid."

A ripple of interest passed through the group.

"Your mission," Dante declared, "is to infiltrate and attend the auction without compromising your disguises. Under no circumstances should you interfere directly with the proceedings. Other undercover agents will be present to secure evidence linking the Great House to dealings with the Lot."

He surveyed them, his eyes sharp. "To ease this exercise, each of you will receive a Fake Face. None of you will know the identities of the others to prevent any… unintended interference."

Oliver sensed an undercurrent in Dante's words, as if the instructor was acutely aware of certain rivalries or histories among them.

"You'll receive your new identities via your gauntlets," Dante explained. "You have the next two days to apply your training and fully assume these personas. You won't have any preset permissions or information on how to gain access to the auction—that will be up to you to discover."

"In forty-eight hours, you'll be summoned individually to the teleportation chamber and dispatched to Cygnus. Until then, there will be no formal classes or training sessions. Your preparation is your own responsibility."

With that, Dante concluded the briefing, dismissing them. The group dispersed, each heading off to make the most of the limited time.

While the others sought out simulation rooms or secluded spots for practice, Oliver made his way back to his quarters. He preferred the solitude of his bunk.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he activated his gauntlet. The device hummed softly, projecting a holographic display into the air before him. A dossier materialized, and he leaned forward to examine it.

A new face rotated slowly in the projection—a man with chiseled features, deep-set eyes, and a faint scar tracing his left cheekbone. There was a hardened confidence in his gaze, the kind born from years in unforgiving environments.

Beneath the image, his new identity glowed in bold lettering.

“Cassius Blackstone – Asteroid Mining Entrepreneur”

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