“The power level…” Octane echoed in thought. “Wait, are you saying we’re supposed to destroy these dolls with our Angelicas?!”

Elder Hua chuckled. “That depends on whether or not you have the ability to. If you have a destructive-type Angelica like Stormbringer, you should aim to destroy the iFrame, but if you have something like Daredevil or Oculus, simply overpower the copy’s Angelica and I’ll count it as your win.”

By ‘overpower’, she meant creating a more intense mana field than the one made by the iFrame. But just how strong were these highly-advanced mannequins?

“You, with the Stormbringer Angelica,” Elder Hua suddenly said, pointing at Finn. “You’ll go last. The other two, you can go together since there’s no risk of damaging anything. Whenever you’re ready, begin circulating your mana. I’ll gauge the power level with this manameter.”

She pulled out an electronic device of some sort that looked like a pen with a display screen at the end, similar to an oral thermometer. Octane and Iris both readied themselves, closing their eyes tightly, and activated their Angelicas.

Immediately, a golden aura shrouded Iris while a lime green one surrounded Octane. They were standing far away enough from one another that the two’s energy fields didn’t interfere, thankfully. Their respective iFrames also began emitting glows, making use of the mana they had been granted via the activation process.

The two concentrated harder than ever and circulated the mana inside their bodies as fast as they could, causing the auras around them to expand and glow brighter. At the same time, however, their copies’ energy signatures also intensified.

A bright golden eye formed above Iris, blazing with yellow flames. It stared at its replica made by the iFrame, which stared back in return. Sweat began forming on Iris’s forehead as she did her best to focus even harder, but in the end, she was only human. And humans had limits.

The eye formed by the iFrame seemed to get bigger and brighter, dimming all else in the room and attracting everyone’s gazes. In comparison, Iris’s golden eye seemed to shrink, as if her energy was being overshadowed and devoured by the bigger eye.

“Ngh-!” The eye above Iris suddenly shattered as she was pushed back on her wheelchair a short distance by the sheer amount of energy extruding from the iFrame that faced her. Naturally, the Frame also rolled itself back a short distance to match Iris’s movements, but it was clear it didn’t get forcefully blown away. Thus, the winner was clear.

On the other hand, Octane had gotten tired of standing still in one place and instead initiated direct combat with his iFrame using the philosophy of ‘he can’t copy me if I’m simply faster’.

Needlessly to say, the machine came out on top.

Octane had tried dashing behind it and launching a punch, but the iFrame had done the same to him at the exact same time. Naturally, this meant Octane’s human fist made of flesh and bones collided with the mannequin’s titanium one. The results — Octane lying on the floor in pain, fist bruised — spoke for themselves.

“Hm. You put up a better fight than I would expect,” Elder Hua murmured to herself after seeing the outcome, then glanced down at the manameter in her hands. “But in the end… a loss is a loss. Good try though.”

“I have a question,” Iris interrupted. “How exactly do these iFrames work…? We only gave them a little bit of our mana to activate them, yet they are able to produce a more powerful energy field than us?”

“Tech stuff,” Elder Hua replied briskly, waving off her question. “I’m not an expert in this field, you’ll have to ask an engineer at the GHO. Maybe the patriarch knows something as well.”

“I see… well, thanks anyway,” Iris murmured, though it was clear she was dissatisfied.

“I was expecting you to call them pathetic, but this is a nice change of pace,” Fanatic said with a sly grin, folding his arms. “Though… Octane seems somewhat concerning.”

“E-Elder Hua, my hand hurts a lot, can I go to the infirmary?” Octane cried, holding up his wrist in pain. His iFrame copy did the same despite its perfectly neutral expression, which was somewhat amusing to see.

“Quit whining,” Elder Hua replied harshly, returning to her usual self. “You’ll need to bear more than just that next Monday.”

“Eh…? But Finn wasn’t even hurt and you took him to the infirmary anyway…” Octane frowned in confusion.

Elder Hua’s eyes widened slightly. “Uh, that’s…” She trailed off and averted her gaze, unsure of how to respond to that. “A-Ahem, anyway, you’re fine! Now… boy, your name is Finn, correct? It’s your turn now. Everyone else, out of the room, just in case!”

Because of the destructive properties of the Stormbringer Angelica, everyone else — along with their iFrames — left the room, leaving only Finn, his iFrame, and Elder Hua left in the dojo, doors shut.

‘Normally, I wouldn’t bother telling everyone to leave since this boy is just a D-Class Hunter, but given what happened this morning… he is not to be underestimated,’ Elder Hua thought, furrowing her brows in focus and a little bit of anticipation.

“Now then, Finn. Show me what you can do.”

“Actually… about that.” Finn scratched his head awkwardly. “I don’t know how to use any Abilities for this Angelica.”

“…”

“…”

“… If this is supposed to be a joke, I’m not laughing.”

“It’s not. I only joined the Ghost Hunters recently, so I never got a chance to learn.”

‘If he only joined recently, how the hell does he have such a strong mana field and was able to resist my punch with such ease?!’

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Elder Hua gulped and decided to ask a somewhat far-stretched question.

“… Finn. Are you a Bloodborn?”

“A Bloodborn? What’s that?”

“… Never mind,” she quickly shook her head. If he didn’t even know what they were, there was no way he was one. But in that case, the mystery to his powers still remained unsolved…

“I don’t have a Stormbringer Angelica, but I’ve seen Patriarch Lei use it before,” Elder Hua said, crossing her arms. “Though the moves he uses are all Tier 3 or higher ones, so I doubt you’ll be able to use them, but…”

“Teach me,” Finn quickly said, not missing this golden opportunity. It may not be the same as being taught by the man himself, but second-hand teaching like this still was better than reading a book (or rather, having Iris read one to him).

“… Fine,” Elder Hua replied after some hesitation. “But just keep in mind — if you forcefully try to learn an Ability that’s too advanced for your current level, you’ll suffer for it.”

Finn nodded. “I’m aware of the risks. But my mind is already set.”

“Very well. Just don’t blame me if you end up getting hurt.”