Chapter 300
Ascendance (I)
Aldar sat stoically, his countenance shifty and anxiety-ridden, face pale, lips blue. Opposite of him sat a man who seed to have lost all of the previous terror, appearing even slightly sheepish as he drank sothing. If Aldar hadnt personally experienced the terror, hed undoubtedly consider the man so ek nobody. But he had experienced it--and it would stay with him for all eternity.
The two were currently residing within the central, stone building, and were alone. Aldar dared not break the silence despite the fact that the two had been living in it for at least five minutes now.
Would you like sothing to drink? the man suddenly asked.
N-no, no, its fine, Aldar replied.
Youre still terrified? Damn, I thought I gave you enough ti, the man sighed. Oh well. My nas Cain. Whats yours?
A... Aldar, sir, Aldar swallowed a mouthful, trying to summon so courage to stand at least at an angle if not tall.
Well, Aldar, I believe its fairly clear Im quite new to this place, entirely unaware of the rules and such, Aldar wanted to roll his eyes but didnt dare. So, why dont you grease in, so to say? Where did you co from, anyway?
F-from the Frosted Deeps, sir, Aldar replied honestly. Its a veiled region between the Fringes and the Wilds.
... those terms an literally nothing to , Cain said. Even less than nothing.
R-right--of course. Khm, well, were currently stationed in the Fringes. Most people think that the Primal World is concentric--aning that regions are circles going inward, but thats not quite the case. Though nobody is certain of the worlds actual shape, we have the entire Fringes mapped out, and they resemble more a quarter-circle with a jagged top shore. The Fringes, contrary to the popular belief, isnt actually the largest part--as far as Im aware, at least, its the Crust, the region beyond the Wilds.
Anyway, the Fringes bleed into the Wilds quite well, with the maps drawing distinction largely based on the River One, though the Wilds actually extend a bit deeper into the map. Theyre nad so because, unlike the Fringes which is mostly populated by greenery, the Wilds are... well, wild. A stretch of inhospitable environnts, from dust-dwelling deserts, to chaos-bred, jagged labyrinths.
However, realizing he was about run on for a while, Aldar took the cup Cain had already prepared for him, drinking a few gulps to freshen up his throat before continuing. Opportunities, unlike in the Fringes, abound. Crawlers are largely the only thing worth hunting in the Fringes, and theyre mostly just used for survival. Arriving here without enough strength to imdiately advance from the Fringes is practically a death sentence. Not--not that it matters for you, of course.
Khm, anyway, in the Wilds, unlike in the Fringes, there are these things weve co to call as Gates. In reality, they are bored holes in the ground, reflective of dungeons in the Tower in a way. Most of them end up having so decent profits after the fact and are the easiest way to co across potions, actually, even with the Crust included. The settlent that I live in, just called Wilde, is a hub of connectivity where you effectively look for people to go hunting for the Gates. Its not the only such hub, but as far as I know, its the largest.
Potions, you say? Cains intrigue grew imdiately. If he could grab so, that would solve majority of his headaches.
Y-yes. Though most are mid-grade, at best, its still better than nothing, especially here, Aldar said.
Quite right, Cain nodded, drinking a sip. 30% restoration is a decent amount. What about the Crust? Is that the last explored part?
The Crust? No, Aldar shook his head. There are two more regions ahead, but I really dont know much about them. In fact, I dont even know the na of the last one. As for the one beyond the Crust, I heard people call it Skyline, Fyre, the Ashens and so on.
The Crust?
Ah, right, the Crust, Aldar nodded. Ive only ventured there once or twice, sticking mostly to the edges. The requirents for the Chaos Resistance beco a bit too much by then. Additionally, it isnt as though the region is all that more treasure-worthy than the Wilds. As I ntioned, Potions are far more common in the Wilds. As far as I know, people see the Crust as the tempering region for the Ashens. Since not many talk about it, Im not even certain of the geography of the place, to be honest.
Where can I find thrice-Awakened? Cains sudden question surprised Aldar before reigniting the terror within him. Soone who can so casually ntion thrice-Awakened...
T-t-thrice Awakened? Uh, t-those... I think... the Ashens? Or beyond? Aldar replied, uncertain himself. Twice-Awakened mostly orbit on the edges of the Wilds and the Crust, moving between the two regions frequently. To be honest... I... I dont think Ive ever seen a thrice-Awakened in here. Ive heard rumors, so stories, sure, but, well, how truthful they are... I dont know.
How are territories distributed? Cain asked, sowhat disappointed. Looks like most of the info, past the existence of the potions, would be quite useless to him. From the sounds of it, hed have to head into the Ashens and the lands beyond.
U-usually via free-for-all, Aldar replied. First-co-first-serve sort of a deal.
... Cain fell into temporary lull, thinking. It wasnt about his future actions--as hed already made up his mind--but the length of his stay in the Wilds. He desperately needed so potions, especially if he was going to explore the depths of this world. Relying on natural Mana Regeneration may be fine far out here, but any deeper and his life would be endangered. Though he had quite a few asures to prevent himself from dying, those were temporary and could be exhausted.
Two months, Cain spoke suddenly. Of non-stop running of the Gates. How many Mana Potions do you think we can squeeze out?
H-huh?
If I went on a binge, Cain added. With your help, when it cos to locations, at least, how many Mana Potions do you think wed find?
Uh... Im, Im not too sure, Aldar said, thinking for a mont. Anywhere between a few hundred to a few thousand, I gather, depending on the luck.
Good enough, Cain nodded, hiding his excitent. As a paynt for your services, you can keep every other Potion--I just want Mana Potions. Furthermore, Ill inscribe a Classless Skill for you. Since the last one will take a while, you should let know what you want as soon as possible.
Wait--really?!! Aldar exclaid, shocked. In part, it was because he was surprised Cain even knew Skill Inscription, but mostly that he was willing to do it. After all, not only was Inscription a grueling, painful, and long task, often taking months at the very least, but it also ant that whoever was Inscribing... was giving up their own Skill.
Yeah, Cain replied casually. While for others Inscription was nightmare fuel, to him, the worst part was simply that it took quite a long ti. After all, with his candid ability to just make Skills on the spot, he could likely make enormous profits selling Classless Skills. Not yet, but eventually, once people realize just how insanely valuable they are. Do we have a deal?
Y-yes! Yes, of course! Aldar rejoiced. Going from one of the worst days in his life, fearing for it, in fact, to one of the best in one, fell swoop. W-what... what kind of a Skill can you inscribe? he asked carefully.
Any, Cain replied. I know it sounds ridiculous, but trust . Im fairly certain youd have taken a deal anyway out of pure terror. I had no reason to butter you up.
--a-any? Aldar, in fact, didnt doubt Cains words. Though it sounded ridiculous on the surface, soone who so casually ntions thrice-Awakened is far from ordinary himself. It likely had sothing to do with Cains class, though Aldar didnt want or dare inquire. Then... a... a Skill that increases my stats passively at the expense of Mana? I... most of my active Skills use very little, if any Mana, since Im a Yuel Fighter, mostly relying on building up enough montum for fatal strikes. I rely heavily on raw stats over Mana so...
Stat boost? Are you sure? Cain asked. Thats... quite ta.
Its... its actually surprisingly difficult to find, Aldar smiled bitterly. Active stat increases are super rare, across the board, mostly because nobody really wants them all that much since they tend to cost exuberant amount of Mana even for the smallest of stat increases.
... alright, gim a sec, Cain closed his eyes and began envisioning the spell. Though he had no access to the Skill Creation Window, hed done the whole thing enough tis already to be able to go on without it. After fiddling about for so ti and experinting, he managed to create a decent skill, at least from his perspective. Alright, hows this sound: for 0.5% of your max Mana per second, your Pri Stats are increased by 40%, your damage is increased by 25%, your attack and movent speed by 50%. The alternate version is for the 5% of max Mana per second, while the stat bonuses are all tripled. Id really like to do both, but I wont be able to inscribe them within the two months fra.
The--the second!! The second one!! Aldar shot to his feet, shaking. Hearing the numbers of the first Skill had already floored him, but the second... just raw increase in damage of 75% was insane enough, not to ntion everything else. While 5% of max Mana ant hed only be able to use it, at most, for 20 seconds, at least within those 20 seconds... hed be as close to invincible as he can get before the third Awakening. D-definitely, definitely the second, he cald down and sat back down, though was unable to stop himself from shaking.
... alright, Cain shrugged. He was well aware of just how impactful such stats were to Classes that relied heavily on effectively stat-checking their opponents. Even to Cain, an increase of 75% in damage was quite good... but definitely not at the expense of 5% of his Max Mana per second. It was imnsely inefficient, in fact. Well rest for a day and depart right after. Once we get into the Wilds, it will be a non-stop race, so just clear your schedule for the next two months. I want you to get as many gates as possible--piss off whoever youd like in the process, if they bother you, Ill just kill them. You will have to go into hiding after the fact, but if thats an issue, I have so masks for us to wear.
... yeah, masks sound good, Cain smiled. Ah, the return of the presidents... our tale shall be legendary!!
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