Second Genesis

Grey raised an eyebrow.

Honestly, he had met coaches like this before—ones that could be happy in one moment, joking around and giddy, and in the next become entirely serious.

Grey didn’t really mind it. His MMA coaches had practically all been like this. As far as he saw it, most MMA coaches were like that. Then there were a select few dickheads who forgot that they used to be idiots in the locker rooms too, whipping wet towels at their friend’s crotch.

Regardless of the coach, though, Grey wasn’t the sort to change because of it. He was actually quite unbothered by however hard a coach decided they needed to go. But in that way, those coaches usually ended up going one of two ways.

Either they would learn to appreciate the fact he could both take their hard coaching and dish it back, or they would break their fragile egos.

It never really affected him. Maybe it was because he was too prideful, but as far as he saw it, if he bent the knee to hard coaching, then he wouldn’t be Grey anymore.

Of course, none of that meant that he wouldn’t listen to his coach. He just liked to have fun no matter what the circumstances were. And something told him that given the current circumstances of his life, this coaching that was coming his way was about the only way he was going to get any sort of relaxation.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of staring Grey down as though he was waiting for the latter to break, Sir Trolley smiled.

"How much do you know about Frames?"

"Let’s pretend I know absolutely nothing."

"Oh?" Edmun’s smile widened. "I didn’t expect an answer like that from you."

"What? I can’t be an eager student."

"I can see you’re the type to only be eager when it’s something you want to do. Otherwise, it’s probably like pulling teeth."

Grey coughed. Alright, maybe that much was true.

"Regardless, I can feel that you know something, so starting from zero is unnecessary. But the Holy Knight Frame is very different. In fact, there are two types of Holy Frames. The first is the Holy Knight Frame and the other is the Holy Priest Frame. Both work similarly as they are born into this world without any Abilities.

"This is because unlike other Frames where the power originates within the individual, these Frames come from Her Holiness’ kindness, and as such all branching strengths originate from her as well.

"In its current state, the Holy Frame can clear your mind, accelerate your healing, and provide a small boost to your physical abilities. However, none of these effects will be particularly potent, even if you activate the Frame in its entirety.

"If you want the Abilities that come with your new Frame, and the strength that comes with that, it will all depend on how you perform in the trial. Though, in the interim, it will probably have small but noticeable effects on your Stamina."

Grey frowned. So the trial he was about to undergo he would have to do without any Abilities?

Given how Giyoto had reacted to his Vampire Lord Frame, Grey had a feeling that busting it out mid-trial with these Holy bastards watching would definitely be a problem for him.

In the end, he was definitely going to have to hide it if he could manage that. Or at the very least, he had to use it more covertly than now.

"Yes. That is the real reason why the Holy Knight and Holy Priest Trials are so difficult. You must undergo them without the support of abilities, or at the very least, you have to do so with abilities external to your Frame, so you will inevitably be weaker than you should be."

"What if I have a mech?" Grey asked.

He had noticed that every time he gained a new Frame, he also gained a new section for his Sync Rate and Energy Reserve. He had a feeling that meant that he could have a new mech for every one of his Frames. But he had also noticed that that also meant that others were only capable of having one mech at a time.

In which case, that probably meant that he would also have to be cautious if he was going to use more than one, utilizing his Cyber Space to swap between them mid-battle.

Grey sighed inwardly. ’Fuck these people.’

"A mech?" Edmun raised an eyebrow. "They are very expensive, and they also require having Spirits. It is generally frowned upon to—."

"But I can have one."

"It is generally frowned—."

"But I can have one." Grey said again.

Edmun looked like he was going to rip Grey’s head off.

"Yes, you can have one. But it will impact your placement. The aid is usually only used by those who bribed their way through, but the trial isn’t stupid. It can sense when it is being manipulated by external aid."

"How the hell is it external aid if I build it myself? Who made these rules?"

"Yourself?" Edmun felt startled. Then he remembered rumors related to why it was Grey and Terran had such a contentious relationship in the first place and his gaze couldn’t help but flicker.

Eventually, he shook his head. "Even if you craft it yourself, the trial spirits will still limit your score if you use a mech as an external aid."

Grey’s lips pursed. "So that means that treasures are the same?"

"Certainly so."

Grey cursed inwardly. Did that mean he was going to have to unequip his fang daggers? Those +50 stat points to his DEX and PER were a huge part of his strength, and though he had 289 Free Stats to work with, it almost felt like he was working backward if he had to use them to shore up stats he already had.

Granted, it was usually not the best practice to rely on items external to himself.

But Grey was also a bit of an exception. Even if he died, he would come back. So, in a case where he lost his treasures... he could just get them back.

’Speaking of which, I need to get Globb’s tool belt back... that son of a bitch Holy Knight...’

"If you want to reach the highest clear requirements of the Holy Knight Trial, you can only use a simple blade and your own body. Now, we shall begin."

Grey’s lip twitched. "Begin what? Remember, I’m a minor."

Edmun rolled his eyes. "Your blade training. I can feel that you are relying on an Ability to enhance your combat sense, but it is not good enough as is. We will fix that and forge you into a real warrior."

While Grey was about to begin something far harder than he could have ever expected, Joaquin was kneeling on both legs, his hands pressed together in prayer.

He had his own Holy Priest Trial to worry about, and just three months to do it.

Unlike with Holy Knights, sword training wasn’t going to help him. He needed to focus on controlling his emotions and clearing his mind.

His lips moved rapidly, his chanting mantra sending sigils of gold flowing into his mind from the outside world.

A ping from his chat startled him awake.

This time, it wasn’t an emoji.

It was a message.