Considering the chaotic state in the Nexus right now none of the powers that had sent representatives to the training camp were happy to hear about the deaths
In second place Number One droned on as he passed out the next plaque The recipient bowed Another Number that attended stifled a yawn Now that the deaths had ceased most of the core Disciples were ready to return to their own training after the brief break
Finally your champion Number One supported himself with a cane to go toward the last individual The woman bowed smoothly For winning I will take you to the creator of the Grand Pattern so you may witness his majesty and experience the core area It is an excellent chance You must cherish it
Number FourÆs lip curled upward Selfish prick You just want an excuse to complain to Master about that toad you invited was targeted Heh I bet even your use of a cane is fake well I canÆt complain too much After all much of what I learned about surviving from this place I gathered from watching you
But your time is running out old man
I could not rival any of you in terms of individual power The woman said as she straightened She had tawny golden hair and vivid red violet eyes She showed a charming smile to the Disciples and other participants But when it comes to following a pattern and analyzing wonders IÆm very confident in myself
Follow me Number One began to say but then the doors to the hall banged open Number Four raised his hands to cover his grin His eyes curved into tiny crescents Such timing
The sleepy eyed Number Two looked around His long brown hair was filled with cobwebs from prolonged stillness Then he cleared his throat clearly showing how long it would be since he had spoken It would be inappropriate for you to take her Since one of my disciples invited her I should accompany her to visit Master
Number OneÆs expression turned red It looked like his blood pressure rose so quickly that his face would inflate and pop
Chapter 1823
The chasm was so familiar It yawned below him like an open wound But then came a word that shattered everything
The deep darkness below him shook and cracked as it tried to contain the craving in that word The hideous emotion bubbled upward more than this emptiness could withstand The word bounced back and forth fracturing the walls of the area and worsening the pulsing pain transmitted upward However that kinetic force was only a side effect of the massive mobilization of significance from below
Randidly felt his mind trembling underneath the pressure but for the first time he did not look away from the source of the voice His Nether Core tightened but did not flinch After studying the bone charm his understanding of Nether had reached a whole new expanse It reminded him of how excited Neveah became when she broke through her limit on the Engravings left by Yystrix He was nearing the capability he needed to form a Nether Penance and the results were beginning to show
Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 463
Yet the experience was not enjoyable The complex lines of Nether and the sheer weight of significance gathered throughout the years still left his mind buckling under the strain RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed He knew that if he didnÆt push himself forward he wouldnÆt improve
And with the improvement he had earned in that break period between the Fourth and Fifth Step of the Mountain he could finally peer down through the obstruction to find the source He followed the voice downward past the significance and into an even more horrifying depth Down there dead things whispered
RandidlyÆs skin prickled The speaker is even below where PineÆs body is But
Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 444
Mee
RandidlyÆs eyelids trembled The last word had enough force to shatter his examination and toss him out of that mysterious area of Nether He opened his eyes and blinked A thin trail of blood dripped out of his nose which he quickly wiped away
The surroundings slowly reestablished themselves He sat on the slope between the Fourth and the Fifth Step of the mountain The previously cool stone ground had been heated to steaming by the revving engine of his body It was almost time for him to move to the next area He had originally wanted to briefly allow himself to rest but of course reality had other plans The speaker had drawn him into a brief illusion as he attempted to communicate
Randidly stretched and then cracked his neck Still itÆs not like this hasnÆt been fruitful for me And it might really be time that I begin to explore whatÆs reaching out for me Especially because its connected to the Shallah
Then he slapped his cheeks Even if he was a little shaken from hearing that voice calling for him again he couldnÆt dwell on it very much right now He only had about ten more minutes before he needed to move on to the Fifth Step So he began bounding up the slope while also inspecting his Nether Core Stats
There was a flickering in the middle of the step and a figure appeared RandidlyÆs expression turned odd The figure was clearly a Lizakh although not one that he recognized Probably from when the Lizakh were spread more widely throughout the Nexus But the thin Nether flow quickened toward the shadow beingÆs body As more Nether flowed into it its eyes began to glow with intelligence To the point that it looked down at its hands in obvious wonder
As I thought There are shades on this step too Randidly narrowed his eyes
The shade grinned over at him showing sharpened teeth Ah this feeling I havenÆt felt this good in centuries Since IÆm in such a good mood let me give you such advice turn around boy This mountain is a cursed place a cruel joke made by the Master On each step you will have to fight against the shades of the greatest students of the Grand PatternÆs Blood Path Even if you defeat us all the being waiting at the top will slaughter you And you will be cursed joining us on these steps for all eternity slowly losing your sense of self
The shades words trailed off and his expression grew complicated RandidlyÆs skin prickled More and more Nether was flowing out of his body and reinforcing the shade in front of him Perhaps originally he only had to face a depleted version of this disciple But now RandidlyÆs own abilities were strengthening it back to its original form
He considered cutting off the flow but that almost seemed cruel And of course if he defeated the full version not only would his improvement be that much greater but he would probably harvest a lot of Influence in the process
Besides this mountain had ignited his fighting spirit He wanted to be pushed to his limits Because outside of this place the jackals were already circling
IÆm sorry but I wish to see the summit Randidly shook his head His blood boiled He was somewhat aware that he was indulging in the worst manifestation of his stubbornness but Randidly was tired of being bullied by the powerful individuals in the Nexus Now that he was on this mountain where images were suppressed and all that mattered was his body and his understanding of the Grand Pattern he wanted to prove himself
Prove that he could claw his way to the top at least in this single aspect
Heh Is it strange that IÆm glad you said that Reminds me of my own desire to climb this cursed place Even though I knew it would likely end in my doom The Lizakh used its long tongue to lick the lipless edges of its mouth My heart couldnÆt let go of that small chance I would succeed And only by chasing could I be satisfied
ItÆs not strange at all Randidly grinned wickedly as his tail began churning the surrounding space Winds stirred the ground blowing several pebbles around in a circle The fingers of RandidlyÆs left arm began to stir The fangs twitched as though wanting to unsheath themselves and stir the surroundings into a frenzy He flexed his hands and the wind wove itself into complicated organic patterns
An interesting application of the Grand Pattern You are attempting to mimick the Judgement Storm This is the first time that IÆve seen such a method The Lizakh shade tilted his head to the side Then he cleared his throat However the efficiency is incredibly low And with our bodies restricted like this efficiency is paramount Allow me to demonstrate the One Strike Seven Deaths Palm that IÆve mastered after spending a thousand years Let me warn you that taking it directly ah your storm