Yes You had something important to say Regina said with faux sweetness
Eating out again Sunan grumbled and shook his head in such a perfect mimicking of SamÆs disappointment to ReginaÆs suggestion last week that Sam snorted No The church of Arbor is having a potluck IÆll help with the gardening and eat there
SunanÆs idea of helping with the gardenÆ was waiting next to the garden and then carrying the baskets of freshly picked produce back to the kitchens Still the men and women who ran the garden were part of DonnytonÆs core group They of course thought his firm dedication to being a beast of burden was adorable
They probably also think he will grow out of it someday But that little fool is just as stubborn as Regina
Sam returned to his workshop He picked up another hammer and began to swing it lightly through the air His lips twitched the hammer was far too light in his hand to the point that it didnÆt feel like he was swinging a hammer at all He simply had a handful of cotton fluff that he was waving around However he ignored the discomfort and continued to swing
When he finally felt like he was growing comfortable with the way the tool felt in his hand he walked over to the pile of materials in his workshop and pulled out some of the newest refined metal bars from Kharon He raised the hammer above his head and brought it crashing down
He didnÆt even bother with starting the furnace He produced passive heat with his Skills rapidly turning the metal a dull red and throwing off sparks with every strike Sam hammered that bit of metal for almost an hour but during the whole experience he didnÆt feel that sense of incorporeal hammering that he received Although the spearhead he made gleamed with a dangerous light he tossed it into his rubbish pile to be sold in bulk to the discard weapon store in Donnyton
Sam then tapped his chin His hammer steamed as it began to cool Huu that sensation I felt was only at the end after I started to understand what I was making Maybe I need to have a sharper vision
Sam began to work again He hammered three more spear heads each time having a more elaborate and details vision for how the weapon would turn out in its final form However the feeling of impacting more than the physical was barely present and even then it was only sporadic Sam was unable to recreate it
Dumping these attempts into the rubbish pile Sam released a long sigh Difficult as expected But I am starting to feel that sensation more frequently And I think IÆm finally starting to understand Its vaguely similar to the process of imbuing a Skill into equipment but the arrangement is much more profound
This then likely what IÆm actually influencing is the weaponÆs Nether Sam mused Through interactions with the Alpha Cosmos world through the archways Expira had steadily learned more about Nether However their knowledge was still extremely shallow Most of their initial theories proved incorrect leading to a relatively new assertion that was gaining traction
The Nether in Expira was steadily increasing So the possibilities of what they could do changed every day
Sunan Stop for lunch ReginaÆs shout cut through SamÆs focus bringing him back to himself He set the hammer down and brushed some metal shavings off of his vest Then he headed back into the house
He hadnÆt been invited but Sam was also hungry for lunch And he needed to do a little groundwork groveling so the dinner tonight would be pleasant
Chapter 1822
Crackle
Crimson lightning branched and spat as it traced the edges of a massive grey storm that churned slowly in place Intermittent rumbles blasted out from the interior where steam and natural energy swirled together to form an impenetrable barrier Occasionally searing blasts of light surged from the hidden core of the storm but they rapidly faded and reappeared in new locations The storm was a living entity pulsing and releasing strange waves of pure force that pressured the surrounding space
It was enough churning chaos to chew up a city block and spit out gravel
Congratulations Your Skill Philosophy within the Boundless Deluge has grown to Level 519
Indignation rolled off of the consciousness in the sky which tossed down nearly fifty force spikes in an instant to tear through the storm However as those force spikes grew too close to the storm the dangerous crimson lightning and the unpredictable illumination grew especially apparent although the edges Those two forces became a stubborn rind around the storm weakening the force spikes to half of their normal potency Although the consciousness could punch out small chunks from the storm its irritation only grew as the storm slid forward to the next pillar without needing much time at all to recover
It ceased throwing out force spikes and gathered a massive amount of energy to itself Meanwhile the storm below paused as though making its own preparations to handle whatever attack was coming The consciousness squeezed and squeezed building up pressure Then with a dull roar a huge wave of force blasted downward large enough to cover the entire Fourth Step
In response the storm suddenly began to rotate at an extremely fast speed The steam and natural energy blurred and receded sucked into the central area by the acceleration As the steam shifted the potent Nether flows that served as the foundation of the storm were revealed as thick black coiled vipers Just as the massive force was about to arrive those flows exploded and expanded rising to smash into the Grand PatternÆs attack Four black and crimson fangs led the expanding storm their sharp points aiming up at the sky
Congratulations Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko has grown to Level 578
Congratulations Your Skill (Domain) Resonant Fangs of Extinction has grown to Level 413
The two forces smacked against each other all that natural energy grinding away at the opposing side attempting to overpower and dominate For several long seconds both forces flared their peak capability The reverberations caused several of the damaged pillars in the surrounding space to buckle and collapse into the mist waiting below The air rumbled and the mist seethed
However neither could remain so explosive for long The consciousness furiously tried to gather more power for the last push it needed but already the pressure was gone its attempt to pancake the entire Step had failed It could only watch in dismay as this annoyance continued to survive
The storm also weakened and this weakening was much more abrupt than the Grand PatternÆs For a second the consciousness felt triumph it seemed like the infuriating storm would finally collapse after over expending itself to resist
Then that horrid creature at the center of the storm began to glow golden and emerald Rapidly it pulled power down from the intense sunlight that filled the sky both weakening the Grand Pattern and strengthening itself With that new surge of energy the storm stabilized began to swirl once more The steam and natural energy returned with a vengeance edged with crimson lightning and intermittent illumination The consciousness stirred up the wind to howl impotent and incensed
Influence +205
Randidly tilted his head to the side and sensed the surroundings WIth how the restriction is creeping up toward 50% I have quite a bit of time here A week or so A grin spread across his face Plenty of time to study the bone charm closely If I can activate the other four enhancement rituals to create more Nether Weight the Fifth Step will have no chance of stopping me from reaching the Summit
Number Four watched the award ceremony with a bland smile on his face Unlike the others who faked smiles to hide their boredom he did it to hide his anticipation Despite the solemn atmosphere his stomach did flips He held quite a bit of excitement toward the end of this ceremony He had sent a message to set a trap Now all that remained was to see whether his target bit
Thirty nine individuals had survived the vicious training camp Perhaps because of what happened with Number OneÆs invitee the head Disciple had been especially malicious they needed to call the camp early because of how quickly the fatalities had occurred