"WTF? There's actually a thing like this?!"
Having finally found the section on alter ego duration in the Beginner's Guide and patiently read it all the way through, Ray couldn't help but let out a curse.
Because honestly, it was a bit of a trap.
According to the guide, the rule he had deduced earlier wasn't entirely wrong.
The duration an alter ego could be maintained was indeed inversely proportional to its energy or stamina consumption—the more it consumed, the shorter the time it could stay active.
But that was only one of the influencing factors, and not even the most important one.
The real key was something else entirely: the host's composite value.
What exactly was this composite value?
Put simply, it was a weighted average of the four core attributes shown on Ray's status panel: Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Spirit. The guide didn't specify the exact weighting formula, but one thing was clear: the higher those numbers, the higher the composite value.
To Ray, this sounded a lot like a generalised measure of combat power.
Those four attributes clearly played a major role in someone's total combat ability. Even if "composite value" wasn't exactly equal to "combat strength," it was certainly close.
Which meant, according to the guide's logic: the higher your composite value, the longer you can maintain an alter ego. Conversely, the stronger the alter ego, the shorter the duration.
With his current stats, Ray could maintain Kuro in high-intensity combat for just over ten minutes before being forced back to his base self.
For Deadshot, the duration would likely be even longer, given that his power level was technically below Kuro's.
But Tao Pai Pai was in another league altogether. Because of the vast gap in strength, even if Ray just stood still and breathed, he could only maintain Tao Pai Pai for a few minutes—no more than ten at best.
And if he moved, that time would plummet.
So if he wanted to use Tao Pai Pai in real combat, the only option was to raise his own composite value.
That was now a priority.
Otherwise, this same issue would repeat with every silver-tier alter ego he unlocked in the future. And once he eventually got a gold-tier one? He might not even be able to breathe before collapsing like a gutted fish.
Which meant that no matter how many exploration points or character cards he collected, they'd be useless if he couldn't use them.
"Bloody hell, could've warned me, stupid system…" Ray muttered, mentally flipping off the system interface.
Though deep down, he knew it wasn't really the system's fault.
It had told him to consult the Beginner's Guide for any unclear aspects.
But since arriving in this world, Ray had hardly had a moment of peace. On top of that, the guide was insufferably long and boring… so he had mostly skimmed through it.
Many sections even had further subcategories with even longer explanations, and he hadn't had time to read them all.
That's how he'd ended up with such an incomplete understanding of alter ego durations.
And he was sure there were plenty more important details in that guide he hadn't even touched yet—like how exactly one could increase their composite value.
He had seen a sub-entry for that, but hadn't had time to open it.
"I can't keep going… I'll read the rest tomorrow."
He had originally planned to study that section right away, but his eyelids were already growing too heavy.
The battle at the hospital, the long trip to Washington with Hill, and the massive drain from using Tao Pai Pai had utterly exhausted him.
Within seconds of lying down, Ray had fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The next morning.
After breakfast with Ray and Hill, Melinda May returned to SHIELD headquarters.
In truth, May had left the front lines a long time ago.
Like Natasha Romanoff, she was a legendary SHIELD agent—but that fame came from a mission that had left deep psychological scars she'd never fully recovered from.
These days, she was just one of many administrative officers within the organisation.
If Hill hadn't been desperate for help and begged her to come, she would've been typing away in an office cubicle back at HQ.
Once May had gone, Hill personally escorted Ray to the SHIELD Academy.
They were welcomed by Anne Weaver, head of the Academy's Science Division and one of its vice-deans, responsible for staffing and personnel.
"Director Hill, Dr Raymond! It's been far too long!"
As soon as she saw them, Dean Weaver greeted them enthusiastically. Clearly, this wasn't their first meeting.
Ray's memories confirmed it—some from the original owner of his body, and some from his previous life.
If he recalled correctly, the two genius scientists who would later join Coulson's special team were students of this very woman.
As for how the original Raymond knew her, that made sense too. After being recruited by Fury, he'd taught a few guest lectures at SHIELD Academy.
And at that time, it had been Dean Weaver who welcomed him.
"It has indeed been a while, Ms Weaver… I didn't expect you to greet us personally," Ray said with a polite smile.
"Thank you for handling this, Dean Weaver," Hill added courteously.