Chapter 167 - A Hint On The Journey To Power (Patreon)

“Stay close and keep your auras as tight as you can,” The elders responded to Jiran's command instantly and he could only sigh as their auras retracted by half before stopping.

Even after everything he did, I’m still thankful to the Aahmra for teaching me his aura control techniques. He really is a genius with aura.

Jiran raised his hand, signaling them to stop as the murker they were hunting teleported to within a few meters of their group and stopped to observe them. “It's here, you four stay together, I'm going to attract its attention. As soon as it appears, hit it as hard as you can, don't worry about hurting me.”

“Understood!” Dokkuun drew the sword at his hip while the others nodded, brandishing their own weapons.

Jiran turned to face the elders and then walked backward toward the intangible beast. With his aura drawn in, he couldn't detect the creature. When a prickling sensation spread across his skin, Jiran smirked. His reason for turning his back to the deadly beast was twofold; he knew how cautious the ambush predators were, since this one was alone against the five of them, it wouldn't show itself without a seemingly vulnerable target. Jiran also wanted to test his theory about the new sensations he was receiving through the framework.

He closed his eyes, fully diving into the prickling tingles on his skin from wherever the synapses of the framework touched him. The sensations systematically rose and fell in intensity like the beating of a heart. Suddenly, the tingles along the left side of his body doubled in intensity and Jiran didn't hesitate to raise his shoulder, activating the shield formation in his suit.

A crystalline layer of ice sprang into existence a moment too late and a screeching crash resounded as the beast's claws impacted his armor. Jiran felt the ligaments in his shoulder turn to mush from the force of the blow. The incredible strength of the blow launched him to the side, taking the beast with him as his shield had formed around its wrist.

which was being pulled hard enough to drag the heavy beast behind him.

Intense pain lanced through him as his ruined limb bore the brunt of pulling the heavy monster. Jiran dedicated one of his minds to shunting the agony. Even off balance and airborne, the murker remained focused on him, snarling with voracious hunger as its other hand blurred through the air in a wickedly fast arc. Jiran’s perception of time expanded as foresight warned him of the deadly claws inching toward his neck. Seeing a brilliant green glow to his side and reveling in the intensity of the fight, Jiran smirked. Another glistening shield of ice sprang into existence just as he pivoted his body with his aura so the beast was between him and the elders’ opening salvo.

“Divine Blade of Retribution's Soul!”

“Dark God's Anger United Ultimate Slash!”

“Thousand Point Peak Unlimited Thrust!”

“Double Blade Style Unavoidable Castration Cut!”

Hey, that last one actually sounds really dangerous!

Four identical blades of elemental wind crashed into the murker’s torso, each leaving behind deep gashes in its tough skin. Jiran dispelled his shields as the attacks landed and the beast was blown away. It twisted and flipped with unnatural flexibility, turning to face them with steam rising from its rapidly healing wounds. Its face distorted in the parody of a wicked smile as it began to dissipate into fog.

At that exact moment, a wall of ice covered in meter-long spears appeared behind it. Jiran pulled on his creation which slammed into the murker’s back. Unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough to fully compress the elemental ice of the spears so they didn’t have the strength or sharpness to pierce its skin. He had hoped the force of the creature flying backward from the elders’ attacks would make up for the difference but it had been more agile than he expected. With a click of his tongue, he stopped healing himself and dedicated all of his focus to forming spinning cyclones of wind, water, and metal on each of the icy protrusions covering the wall.

The beast released a deafening howl of agony as a dozen frigid spears penetrated its body and sprouted from its chest. Jiran pulled harder, slamming the wall down and impaling the beast into the ground. He smacked his open palm into the ground and a wave of ice spread outward, quickly sealing the spikes in place and effectively trapping the murker.

The beast's struggles rapidly cracked the ice and billowing steam was released from its body. Four more blades of wind crashed into it, stunning it long enough that Jiran was finally able to compress and harden his ice. Unable to move, retreat, or fight back, the creature could only struggle in vain as the four elders continued their attacks.

Remalon skills are way too broken. Being able to turn mana into an element from several meters outside my body is ridiculous.

Jiran finished healing his shoulder and watched their surroundings to make sure they hadn't attracted more murkers. With his aura fully extended, pushing back the fog, the two that showed up decided not to attack.

Wind blades repeatedly flew through the air, each one sending tingles across his skin, bringing him closer to understanding how the new sense functioned. The reaction from their skills wasn't nearly as strong as the static feeling that let him know which direction the elders were in. He moved a few meters away, finding that there didn't seem to be any difference in the sensations based on moving such a short distance.

I shouldn’t rely on this too much until I know more about it. In the meantime, I need to get out of this forest. I’m barely holding onto my emotions right now.

The murker let out a pained warble as its mana bottomed out and it succumbed to its many wounds. One of the elders clapped another on the back, his voice far too excited given they were still deep inside the eerie woods, “Brother! I did not know your Divine Blade of Retribution's Soul had grown so powerful. Truly you have not been slacking in your training.”

“No, Brother. Surely your Dark God's Anger United Ultimate Slash’s luster has increased fivefold. Envy burns in my heart that your skill has grown so deadly.”

Are they fucking serious? Their attacks were exactly the same!

Dokkuun’s eyes were blazing with fervor as he turned to Jiran, “Senior brother! How were your skills so powerful when you didn't call their names?” When Dokkuun realized he had just asked Jiran for secrets about his skills, he immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed, “Please, forgive this one's insolence! I was so shocked by your prowess that my manners fled me.” Jiran felt a tug from Charisma letting him know the optimal response but he ignored it as he didn’t like the idea of berating someone he was trying to make an ally.

“It’s fine, I’m not insulted by your question. It’s only natural to be curious about each other. My skills don’t become stronger when I say them out loud so I rarely do,” After Jiran finished speaking, four identical messages populated in his interface log, one for each of the elders.

[Entity: (Forkara - Dokkuun) Has increased its affinity toward you. Wary > Indifferent.]

I didn’t do what Charisma thought was best but still gained affinity. Are they not actually related, or would I have gained even more if I let it take over completely? Always more questions it seems.

Dokkuun stood up and bowed, “Senior brother is truly gracious and magnanimous. Allow us to thank you for granting us this EXP. We surely would have faced many difficulties, and likely died, without your guidance,” The other three elders also bowed with cupped fists.

These old guys are certainly strange, but I can’t say I dislike them.

Jiran returned their bows with one of his own, matching their cupped fist gesture, “You’re welcome, I have great hopes for our continued cooperation in the future but this isn’t the best place for that conversation. There's a barrier that prevents flying out of the fog, if you try, you'll probably die. To break the barrier, concentrate your mana and aura together, then launch it upward so it hits the barrier at a single point.”

Dokkuun frowned, “When you say launch our mana and aura, are you referring to our aspects?”

“No? I’m actually not sure, I don’t have an aspect yet, so I don’t think that’s it. Why don’t you try it?”

Olive said tier sevens need to develop an aspect before ascending to tier eight. I wonder if that's something I can do already.

The elders gave each other knowing smiles before nodding in unison. Wrinkled, but strong, calloused hands tightly gripped sheathed weapons as rumbling energy began swirling around them. Jiran’s eyes flew open as Mana Omnis treated him to a spectacular view. From each of their manapools, pulses of mana traveled through the channels in their bodies. When that mana passed beyond the confines of their skin, it was converted to elemental wind that was then sucked back into those same channels. Like breathing, mana was pushed out, and wind was drawn in.

The winds raced through them, vanishing into what he could only assume was their soul tap since it was a different spot for each of them. After a dozen cycles, each lasting only a fraction of a second, the strength of their auras exploded to an entirely different level. Unnatural winds rampaged around them, moving the normally invulnerable fog in swirling patterns. Jiran braced himself with his aura so he wasn’t blown back. The trees groaned and creaked, branches snapping to fly out of sight. Enhanced, elemental aura was gathered and compressed within their weapons and Jiran almost took an instinctive step back from the incredible danger he felt emanating from them.

“Huah!” As if they had practiced it a thousand times, the elders simultaneously swung their weapons upward and four waves of incredible force struck the fog at the exact same point. A loud crack resounded as the sky became visible for a brief moment. Seeing that the hole was small and closing quickly, Jiran grabbed the murker corpse and leaped into the air. Four sweating and panting elders were right behind him, narrowly escaping before the foggy barrier sealed itself once more.

“I-incredible. We had planned to show off a bit, yet only managed to open such a small gap for less than a second. It appears we still have much training to do, brothers.”

“No wonder none has ever escaped. I’m sure many have tried to break through the fog and failed. No party would be so wasteful as to unleash four, fully powered aspects at once in such a dangerous place.”

The glimmer of excitement within Jiran at witnessing something new and amazing was warped by his unstable emotions. With a passionate thirst burning in his chest, he swallowed and licked his lips, “Your aspects were… impressive. This is only the second time I’ve seen one. I didn't know how to form one before but now I’ve got a few ideas after observing, thank you.” Jiran got himself under control and bowed with an honest smile that none of them could see through his helmet's reflective visor.

Dokkuun adopted a serious face with furrowed brows, “One must be cautious to not hastily form an aspect, for each of us can hold but one element close to their heart. If you seek guidance on this matter, my Gnashing Wound Clan would be honored to assist you.”

Only one? I should be careful when I experiment so I don’t accidentally lock myself down an elemental path I’m not actually interested in.

“Dokkuun, do not overstep! If any are to assist senior brother, it will be my Morning Dew Drop Caressing the Divine Feather Clan!”

Jiran cut his hand through the air, “Enough, there’s no need to argue.” His voice softened as they turned to him with confused expressions, “I prefer to learn things on my own when possible. If I reach a point where I am unable to progress, I promise to seek advice from all of you at once. Elder Dokkuun, thank you for the warning about a single element.” Jiran nodded respectfully causing the old Forkara to rub the back of his head with a shy chuckle.

“Hah! Are you quite sure we are a thousand years your senior, honored brother? I cannot fathom how one so young can have such skills in both combat and diplomacy,” Dokkuun released a hearty chuckle as if he’d finally seen through Jiran’s ruse.

Not feeling even the slightest hint of threat from them, he shrugged and took off his helmet, revealing his face to them for the first time. The four looked at him with gaping mouths before turning away to huddle together. They whispered quietly, though not nearly enough to hide from his aura.

“Too bright, it burns! By Stormer has he seen even fifty seasons? What are we to do? My shame is so great that my old soul is puking old blood.”

“We have no other choice, we must end things now as out disgrace is a gaping wound that shall never heal.”

“Very well, we will take our lives together!”

“Indeed, let this be the end of our worthless existences!”

Jiran’s eye twitched as the four stood straight and pulled short blades from their hips. Oneness flared and he was before them within an instant. His hand chopped down on each of their heads and then he snatched their weapons as their hands came up to rub their new bruises.

“Enough messing around! I still have a favor to ask you, remember?”

“Apologies, honored brother. Please, I beg of you to don your helmet once more.” Seeing the tear-filled desperation in their eyes, Jiran complied with a weary sigh. “Thank you. We are ready, what do you seek from us?”

“Okay, but I have a quick question first: Do you have a teleportation skill?”

The elders looked between themselves before shaking their heads, “It is written that teleportation is the skill we gain at the eighth tier. None alive today know if this is true.”

Dang, I’m sure I can figure it out if I can find someone to teleport me a few more times.

Jiran frowned and then shrugged off his disappointment. He stretched his aura and plucked several nearby trees and shrubs from the ground. He pulled them closer, flames flickering above his hands. “The Storm Claw cannot afford to remain idle knowing others are here gaining EXP. After all, if one of their enemies ascends to tier eight before them, they will be finished. I’ve already declared I don’t intend to help them or their allies ascend, so they have no choice but to stop us. It would truly be a shame to invite guests without preparing a proper greeting, don’t you agree?” A vicious grin split his face as crackling wood turned to pristine black ash before the elders’ eyes.