Hiss! Slice! Sigh.

Novus sliced the head off the approaching ravine snake and inwardly thought back to the good old days of his Crimson Aura. Without it, Novus slowly rekindled his attributes with each defeated snake and sharpened his swordplay.

However, with each snake he defeated, the amount of attributes he recovered lessened. As if the system had deemed this place too low-level for Novus’ current standards.

Novus didn't mind the setback. Instead, his mind was in post-battle thought, realizing the applications of Soul Partner Channelling and improving his soul power control.

Novus tapped his chin as he contemplated.

In his battle against Cain, Novus attempted to channel soul power into the soul-training sword like he used mana. It had been more instinctual to control it that way. However, Novus quickly found that soul power was a different power source and required another method to produce solid results.

Mana is so much easier to control.

Regarding mana, Novus could flip the particles every which way, layer them together in a shield or sharpen them alongside his sword. In the case of the flaming blessing during the battle with Tham, Novus had exerted his control to layer ambient fire-type mana alongside the player's swords. Doing so consumed the ambient mana but resulted in a burst of power for the players. The flash of mana was also a result of Novus manipulating the ambient mana, but not nearly as complicated as the fiery blessing. With Novus' experience with mana, he had no equal on the island.

Compared to mana, soul power is much trickier to manipulate. It's more formless, yet something so intrinsic to me that I feel like I should be progressing faster...

For Novus, soul power felt like a power that slipped through his fingers if he wasn't careful with it. It didn't carry the same 'weighted' feeling that mana had. Instead, it was mist-like and could slip through control like a slippery eel. That was why Novus had so much trouble multi-tasking with it when Edna raged her soul power against his. Immediately, Novus couldn't maintain its formless balance, quickly dissipating into nothing.

Regarding soul power, Novus found better success after trial and error with Mino’s Absorption and Condensing skills to derive a subtly more powerful technique. Ingraining, instead of layering soul power which was sparser by nature, was more manageable. Each minuscule amount of soul power could formlessly reinforce the basic structure of the sword and then either harden or lash out.

The technique resembled how water seeped into materials and then increased that weighted feeling within the material.

The water is the soul power, and the material is my sword.

The result was a combined power greater than simply layering soul power on Novus' sword. Though, Novus couldn't seem to mix mana and soul power yet. Whenever he tried, the two would repel each other or, in some cases, destroy each other like two wild beasts.

However, Novus was stubborn. That stubbornness led to a link he was exploring at this moment.

Novus realized the boon that was Mino. It was temporary, but his soul-powered link with Mino increased by consuming ambient energy sources like mana. The more powerful the link, the more of Mino’s absurd abilities Novus could fully use.

Put simply, Mino consumed mana to empower his soul power. So, what if Mino could also fuse the two energies? Novus couldn't help but think of the result with anticipation. But, for now, Novus couldn't seem to accomplish it.

Without you, Mino, I don't think I'd even be able to think of a link that'd be suitable.

Pew!

Mino’s joyful cry rang out in Novus’ mind.

As a result of this tempering, post-battle thought and snake training, the ravine snakes no longer possessed the same lethality to Novus as before. That meant two things: boredom and gathering.

The items Novus left behind the first time through the ravine were still aplenty, and Novus ensured to keep a fully hoarded inventory when he adventured.

As for boredom, Novus would have to put up with it.

Novus’ hands dug away at some ravine rocks to reveal the refreshing scent of a classic healing potion ingredient: a Dewdrop Herb. However, as he gathered, Novus felt a prick on his neck that shot him into action.

Hiss!

Rapidly twisting around, Novus felt the oncoming action of a ravine snake that hissed around him. However, the expected form of a snake wasn’t what Novus observed.

Huh?

A wolf with blazing speed lashed out with its clawing paw, and Novus had to jerk his head out of the way to avoid the surprise attack.

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Novus backpedalled as the oddly hissing wolf lightly stepped across the ravine covered with rocks. The hand holding his sword felt heavy, and it felt hard to move against the wolf’s glare.

Hiss!

Behind you!

The voice warning Novus inside his head was foreign. But, Novus’ confusion regarding the voice didn’t delay his movement as he rolled to the side and attempted to channel Mino’s power. But, Mino’s power was meeting road blockages as it tried to navigate through Novus’ body.

Upon looking at the wolf, Novus noticed it disappearing in real-time, starting from the paws up, and his expression turned calm.

It isn’t real—what a combination of abilities.

Novus’ realization was still too slow as he felt the cold sting of a fang penetrate his left arm.

Ack!

You have been bitten by Dicephalic Python, Lou and gained the debuff Lou’s Venom

Due to Lou’s Venom, your left arm is paralyzed for 1 minute

The skill Soul Partner Channelling has begun to clear the effects of Lou’s Venom, and the debuff’s duration will shorten.

Damn snake!

Novus’ sword rapidly followed the python blur but was slowed down by the counterweight of his limp arm.

Hiss!

Having Mino gradually break down the poison in his system was helping strengthen the soul power link with Mino and cleared up Novus’ vision. His vision slowly revealed the exact snake Novus was hoping to find in this ravine. Strangely, Novus' reformed system seemed to affect even the creatures he identified.

Dicephalic Python, Lou

A black iron ravine python that prefers the coolness of the water. This python has experienced a rare mana mutation that has caused another head to form. While one head can cause hallucinations, the other head can cause potent paralysis effects with its venom. Due to the split nature of this python's mind and body, its growth has halted in exchange for greater abilities.

Rank: High Black Iron

Body Aspect: Low Iron

Mind Aspect: Low Iron

Soul Aspect: High Black Iron

Skills: Hallucination Eyes

Abilities: Lou’s Venom, ???, Reinforced Fangs

I think Percival called it something like a Glass Cannon? A one-hit-killed monster with abnormal speed and a powerful attack.

Novus didn’t have much time to remember as he narrowly dodged the fangs attempting to pierce through his arm. He didn't dare let the fangs, and their contained venom, bite into his arm. But, from how the python, Lou, chased after Novus, all of its previous cautious nature under Novus’ restraining Crimson Aura was gone.

So fierce!

The quick bites towards his neck weren’t concerning. Instead, the reoccurring bites to his paralyzed arm concerned Novus. Due to being paralyzed earlier, the arm reacted about as fast as a turtle against the mutated snake bite and forced Novus to block with his sword.

Ptang!

Hiss!!!

The sound of metal against fangs resounded as Novus blocked with his sword and flung Lou away, giving himself precious moments to funnel Mino's soul power into his paralyzed arm.

Pew!

I only need one or two sword strikes to end this.

However, Lou didn’t make it easy on Novus as the non-venomous head stared into Novus’ eyes ominously. Finally, a brief glimmer caused the snake to disappear entirely.

Hallucinations!

Novus hurriedly closed his eyes. A trick he had yet to completely learn while training with this odd human body. For human reasons unfamiliar to Novus, his mind couldn’t process large amounts of sensory information... yet. His answer was to cut off a chunk of sensory information so that he could digest the rest. By closing his eyes, Novus directed the rest of his attention to his other senses that weren't affected by Lou’s visual hallucinations.

While he couldn’t hear the exact number of scales slinking across the rocks, Novus could listen to the faint hissing sound coming from Lou’s hallucinatory head. Especially when a long, drawn-out hiss ended abruptly among the stones clinking together.

Ptang! Thud! Hiss!

Violently and skillfully, Novus flung Lou to the ground. First by shallow wounds, then clanging metal as Novus adapted to Lou’s leaping bites. The enraged Lou fiercely attacked Novus, but Novus had become a mirror that reflected each fang-filled strike with a slamming attack of his sword blade.

The slamming attacks weren’t doing as much damage as a slashing attack, but it was enough as internal injuries began accumulating within Lou's body.

Hiss.

Shortly after the last slamming attack, Novus reopened his eyes and watched Lou’s tongue flicker in the wind. No hallucinations dotted Novus' vision and made him consider things when Lou began to look around the area.

Out of mana? Or maybe, gearing up for a final strike? What is it trying to find?

Sensing the pause in the battle, Novus mentally reached into his inventory.