'After you!' Nyx shouted.
Leo took a deep breath and rushed forward, kicking up the dirt as he went. A sharp wave of shadows trailed behind him, cutting a gash in the ground and growing stronger with each step. Ruination made the technique unstable and heavy, but he pushed on, dragging the mass of energy with him.
The mont he ca within a few feet of the pillar, he jumped high with all his power. On the other side, he saw Nyx do the sa. They t on the opposite sides of their target—the Basilisk's head—and flung their techniques at the beast as they passed each other.
Two arcs of shadows, both tempered by experience and unmatched control, struck the Basilisk at the sa ti. Thanks to the addition of Ruination, Leo's attack cut through the flesh faster, obliterating it. Yet, Nyx's technique wasn't far behind, and soon, they collided in an explosion that rocked the entire valley.
The Voidling fell limp to the ground, headless. Part of its body remained coiled around the pillar, but now it wouldn't be moving anywhere.
Caged Frostwraith Basilisk (LVL: 77) slain | Experience awarded | 363 Ether gained
Leo smiled as his feet touched the ground again. Even if this thing was a higher level than him, it was still just a weak beast. In comparison to the Greater Infernal Goliath from the last layer, this was nothing.
And now we take the spoils, he thought, gazing at the Supercluster core and activating Identify. Got anything for ?
Supercluster Core:
The operating core of a D rank Supercluster located on planet Earth in Universe no. 237. Destroy it to stop its continuous growth in strength and free the planet from its corruption. So say there are other uses for an active core like this. Take care.
What? Leo frowned at the last two sentences in the description. Either the System was trying to play a joke on him, or it was sothing it really couldn't reveal.
If its restrictions are really that bad, it may be the case…
He shook his head and dismissed the System. He had better things to worry about. Like for example, how to destroy this core safely? Was he supposed to just shatter it like a nest core, or maybe there was more to it than that?
"We can just hit it and find out," Nyx chid in once they regrouped at the base of the pillar. "Are you expecting trouble?"
"With the Void?" He quirked an eyebrow. "Always. Also…” He touched the cool surface of the core, shivering as its wild energy washed over him. "I wonder if I can sohow use Devour on this thing."
"That… doesn't sound like a good idea. Draining a Wasteland is one thing, but this? You would probably explode from within."
"Maybe, maybe not," Leo said, stepping away from the pillar. "It might be a good ti to make a call. No reason to risk it."
"Right…" Nyx scrunched her brow. "I forgot about the rchant for a mont. Good idea."
With that said, he fished out the transmitter out of his soul while the feline stood watch. With the explosion they caused, it was a surprise that no more Frostwraiths had arrived yet.
"All right… Naz'Tor… there we go."
The signal for the call went out, but unlike with Lily, it took a bit for it to connect. However, when it did, the rchant's jovial tone erupted from the device.
"Leo! You're still alive. Wonderful!"
"What? Was I supposed to die?" he asked in partial disbelief. "You sure sounded like you believed I would succeed the last ti we talked."
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
"No, no! Of course not! Why would I want my most promising custor to die?" Naz'Tor exclaid. "I just… Well, when you've lived as long as I did, you're prepared for every outco. Don't take it the wrong way, but I had quite a few clients die on missions much easier than yours."
Leo hesitated for a mont. "All right, fair, I guess."
"Exactly! I will always believe in you, kid, but I'm still a realist… Now tell what you need? It couldn't be long since you entered the Rift. Did you get stuck? Need a weapon to deal with a particularly annoying and powerful monster?"
"No, none of that." He shook his head lightly. "I'm currently in the third and last layer of this Rift with the Supercluster core standing next to . I wan—"
"Wait, wait!" Naz'Tor interrupted. "Rewind a bit. What did you just say, kid?"
Leo sighed. "I'm in the third and last layer of this Rift, and I have the Supercluster core next to ."
"Oh…" the rchant muttered. "So I heard you right. How? According to my calculations, it had only been a few hours since you left."
"I think you have lost . What do you an how?"
"Ah, forgive ," Naz'Tor quickly backtracked. "What I an is how in the Old Ones' na have you already progressed this far? D rank Rifts aren't that dangerous or long, but on your power level, it should have taken you far more ti than this. Did the System make a mistake in ranking that place? It has happened before."
Huh… Who would have thought. Leo chuckled before addressing the rchant again. "No, no. No mistakes. At least I don’t think there is one. Hell, I probably already killed more Nightmares here than on Earth."
This ti, it was Naz'Tor who took a while to respond. "You will need to elaborate because now it's you who have lost …"
And so, Leo did just that, not really minding telling his short story one more ti. The rchant never interrupted, and at tis, he wondered if the call had disconnected. It didn't, he checked.
By the end of his monologue, a deep, exasperated sigh was the only sound that ca from the other side of the call. He had to ask Naz'Tor if everything was all right to get a different response.
"Don't mind ," the alien said. "I just had to reevaluate my entire file on you… over twenty levels in a few hours… Dear Void, the potential of your soul must be through the roof. You Pris really… that’s just unfair…"
Leo frowned. "What does my soul have to do with how many levels I gained?"
Naz'Tor tsked loudly. “Of course you don’t know… I forgot you have yet to learn about those things. Allow to explain. It won't take long."
"You see, the soul is undeniably the most important of the three pillars," he continued, echoing the words of a certain dead Pri. "And that's not only because our Essence cos from it. No, there are several other reasons, but only one of them is important now."
"The potential, or as so call it, the processing power. Simply put, each ti you gain experience from the System, your soul must first process that power. The final result of this process decides how fast a being can progress. So souls have low potential and thus waste a lot of the experience given to them. Then there are those—"
"Like ," Leo took over. "So what you're saying is that I level faster because my soul uses the resources the System gives better than others."
"Exactly," Naz'Tor exclaid. "There are a few more nuances to that, but that's the gist of it. In the lower levels, it's less noticeable, but once you get to the three digits, you will see how other survivors around you slow down. According to so research, a good portion of survivors and Voidlings reach their peak soti before or after the stage five evolution. Yes, they can still progress, but it's slow, and not even dropping more points in the Soul attribute can help. That one only decides your soul's strength, not its potential."
"Wait. It affects the Voidlings, too?"
The rchant chuckled. "They also have a soul, so the answer is yes."
Leo didn't respond right away. When he called, he didn't expect to be given a lesson on the inner workings of the soul but was thankful nonetheless. It put so things into perspective. Like for example, how he was supposed to ever reach the power of beings that had centuries, if not more, to grow stronger.
Well, now he knew. The knowledge that Voidlings were also affected was quite nice, too. Still, there was one question bugging him out.
"Is there a way to improve the soul's potential?"
"Of course there is!" Naz'Tor exclaid. "There isn't much that isn't possible with the System and the Void. Although, I will admit, even soone with my resources and contacts can't just enhance their potential without a lot of work."
Good to know, but I want more.
"So what? Items?" he prodded.
"Among other things," the rchant answered, pretty much avoiding the question. "With how fast you progress, that's not sothing you will have to worry about for a long, long ti. Trust on that, kid."
Leo sighed and, for a mont, considered trying to fish for more information. However, after a glance at Nyx and the tall, glowing pillar next to him, he decided otherwise. Soul's potential could wait; he had more important stuff to ask about.
"Fine then... Tell , how do I go about destroying a big-ass Supercluster core? Without dying, that is."
Reviews
All reviews (0)