Trusting an instinct Randidly lashed out behind him using Sweep to smash backwards Shal stepped around the attack like he was strolling through a park and struck Randidly sharply in the shoulder breaking the bone His follow up attack was even more vicious ripping a large gash but Randidly gritted his teeth and stepped into it throwing a desperate punch
Shal seemed to be annoyed by this and his spear ripped upward cutting off half of Randidly’s hand But although it was painful Randidly wasn’t stopping now not with the fire burning in his gut
Settling into those strange stances taught to him by the old turtle Randidly settled his weight took a deep breath and threw a punch with all of his strength behind it The butt of Shal’s spear whipped out cracking the bones of Randidly’s hand but it still had enough force to continue onward and hit Shal in the side
Within a split second another blow descended knocking Randidly to the floor
Shal shook his head sorrowfully You do not know the value of a spear so you easily toss it aside A mistake Without it you are but desperate
The ship rumbled a strange wave of power spreading out from above It was enough that Randidly tensed and sat up even though his ribs protested painfully
What was that Randidly asked
Shal chuckled It is what happens when fools do not know their own strength Ignore it and stand Receive my spear disciple
Chapter 142
Holy bitch that was cool Helen muttered and the male spear attendant was inclined to agree The bodies of the challengers slipped silently below the waves mostly in pieces The Tassle sank into the sea drifting out of sight The opposing side’s boat had been split in half and now was naught but kindling as they continued to drift forward
Divvit hadn’t even stood From his sitting position 3 attacks with his spear with the backing of a powerful Battle Intent to help the weapon strike from afar
If this was the power level of the people on this boat it was no wonder that the Ghosthound had grown as powerful as he had If he now had time to train his spear skills up to a similar point the male spear attendant couldn’t even believe it
Sir He started to say but Divvit shook his head
Mine is not your path I can offer you pointers in your training but you have your own strength But for now simply watch it will be greatly beneficial to you
Watch what The male spear attendant said then flushed at how disrespectful his tone had been But Divvit didn’t appear to mind and only cracked his neck
They were truly trash They wouldn’t have stood in our path if there weren’t other forces moving behind the scenes More will come But still
And I sir Shall I also watch Helen said stepping forward with a smile
Divvit chuckled just try to control yourself alright
Helen’s eyelid twitched and the male spear attendant had to cover up his laugh with a cough
After the 30th time that Shal rushed Randidly and knocked him to the ground after that wave of energy passed Shal finally spoke There that is enough for a warm up Do not forget to continue practicing those strange base building dances They are adequate for a disciple of mine Come
Shal walked out of the training room and down the hall Grunting slightly due to his only partially healed wounds Randidly hobbled after him Shal walked past Shal’s room to a locked door at the end of the boat A simple hand press from Shal caused the lock to click open and Randidly followed him inside seeing another rather large room perhaps even larger than the training room
At the far wall there was a strange glyph 3 meters wide on the ground To the left there was a small prayer mat and a scroll To the right there was a chest
Before you lies the inheritance of the Spear Phantom Style Should you not die someday it will be yours But there are tools here to advance your training which you desperately need But first Shal leveled his gaze at Randidly we must speak about Aether How you become this strong without a Class Tell me
So after a brief consideration Randidly decided to explain his suspicions Shal had saved his life and continually helped him Perhaps this gesture was just that a gesture meant to loosen Randidly’s tongue but Randidly couldn’t understand why Shal would care Or more truthfully with the strength Shal possessed even if he did care it was beneath his notice to do something about it when it involved someone he viewed as poorly as his disciple
So Randidly explained how the winnings from defeating the Dungeon Boss had sustained him and catapulted him forward increasing the speed of his skill leveling Combined with Shal’s tutelage Randidly became strong enough to defeat a Tribulation without the assistance of a village and had forcefully suppressed that strange runic tongue absorbing some of its magic in his body
This magic Randidly suspected included a small Aether Spring Ever since he could slowly feel it growing pulsing within him its tendrils spreading throughout his body Truthfully it seemed to have a very positive impact on the speed of his growth so Randidly was thankful for it But the strange energy filled Randidly with worry
After Randidly finished speaking Shal was silent for a long time Then ponderously he said Do not speak of this again What you say is impossible Aether springs from the World Core and from Villages Above all from the Nexus You cannot hold a source of Aether within you
Shal’s gaze held Randidly’s for a long time and there was a strange warning there Although Shal didn’t know where the threat would come from it was clear he didn’t believe it prudent for Randidly to talk about this again Randidly nodded understanding Then Shal turned back to the room
but let us speak generally of Aether It’s exact composition and formation is unknown but one thing is clear Aether begets Aether In the beginning there was but a speck but as people struggled and fought and channeled its power through themselves it grew That is why villages actively seek out strong individuals as they grow in strength and pull more Aether to themselves they also generate increasing amounts of Aether
Most of this Aether is taken by the village as its toll for the strength that it has given them But some remains All Aether is not created equal Ambient Aether is thin and wild and is not amenable to any but the strongest image You can sustain yourself on it but it is difficult to grow with it Meanwhile Village Aether is much purer although it is thickened in a way due to the obeisance you owe to the village you receive it from It is easy to grow fat on this Aether grow strong but the thickness of it resists images Creating your own skills requires extraordinary willpower Rewards from killing Raid Bosses and Dungeon Bosses is also this type of Aether although that thickness results from the Bosses themselves so it is slightly more desireable
The purest form of Aether the most easily manipulatable so that you might grow along your own path is that Aether you earn for yourself through struggle The little that lodges itself in your body slowly pooling in your organs as you struggle That is the wanting When you want Aether it exists At your level it is but a fraction of a hair but Shal walked to the sigil and carefully inspected it After a few seconds he gestured for Randidly to enter
This is a formation that was constructed by my father at great personal cost Like a dungeon it weakens the connection of those inside to their village through a mild time acceleration formation It will only give you about a 2x dilution but it suffocates the Aether from villages It also disperses ambient Aether so the only Aether remaining to you is the Aether within yourself My father used this to eliminate the impure Aether inside of him and create the skill set that earned him the name Spear Phantom He created all 6 moves in a single sitting over 6 days
Shal flexed his hand and a huge black spear appeared It was almost 3 meters long and was formed of obsidian Although this is ostentatious its balance is true and its power should not be trifled with Train with this What you need is repetition to find the image you need for your moves Search for it As your body is starved from Aether you will discover your own path