Moving the huge suit of armor takes time, but it's fun, and I had already decided that I would need to practice against an opponent like this. The ones I wouldn’t be able to damage with ranged attacks and would need to engage at close quarters.
The wolf bites into my side, and my arms move, grabbing him around his neck. But there’s another factor at play. There’s some kind of weird field around his body that disrupts and absorbs mana anywhere it comes into contact with him.
It isn’t quick nor is it all that strong; rather, its effects manifest as a gradual and unstoppable pull. It continues even as I tighten my hold on my mana by expanding my domain and adding my crown to the mix.
Just like that, it eats my mana. Not unlike Savant’s penchant for absorbing attacks to store for later use, but the wolf seems to be… eating and transforming it? It’s not even like what Noodle’s been doing and I can’t really grasp the difference.
My leg moves, and I slam my knee into his head before letting go, causing the giant beast to stumble back and shake his head. I follow through immediately, closing the distance while keeping an eye on my mana reserves.
Once again, the wolf fails to dodge and lets me slam into him, his teeth burying into the mana of my mech and tearing out chunks that I have to reform at an exorbitant mana cost.
As a reward, I punch him in the head, getting a growl from him before punching him again.
He jumps back, mana surrounding his body, preparing to activate some kind of skill. As he does, I turn and tear a few trees from the ground complete with roots, and throw them at the wolf. Each one hits, dirt pouring from the roots.
Boosting my armor with what remains in my Vortex Core, I charge him again, each step shaking the earth.
Again, he waits for me, but this time, before we clash, his head and mouth become much bigger. A shadowy aura of eerie mana engulfs him, and his expression grows darker.
Like a horror existing only to consume everything.
The giant maw is about to snap around the entirety of my armor in a single bite when I let go of it, ejecting myself from the wolf while taking as much mana and kinetic energy as possible with me.
Reduced to my original size, I crash into the ground and watch as that giant maw gulps down what remains of my armor and the black wolf returns to normal. Almost normal anyway, he’s still enveloped in that same eerie mana.
A deep growl reverberates through the clearing, almost like a laugh, as the black wolf licks his chops. His eyes narrowed in a cruel expression, full of ill intentions as he takes a step towards me.
I float into the air to meet him, my body rising to the height of his head.
His maw is open, fangs bared, body lowered into a predatorial crouch, and he keeps his steps soft as if he were stalking unsuspecting prey. The golden eyes are squinted into a dangerous expression.
For a moment, we face each other down, and then with a deep growl, he bites at me.
Black mana seeps into my body, much more intensely than before, and the crown over my head shines brighter. I use [Redistribution], and the black wolf halts his movement, maw open ready to strike, yet the giant body fails to move.
I convert more of my mana into its black variant, making use of [Focus], [Mana Manipulation], and [Redistribution], powering the skill holding the black wolf.
There was a time, not so long ago, that the amount of kinetic energy flowing through my body would have been enough to disintegrate me on the spot, and yet now it’s doable. I make that kinetic energy my own, change its frequency, and release it all in a single powerful blast that sends the wolf’s huge body flying.
The wolf crashes to the ground, rolls a few times, and bulldozes through the forest, bowling over dozens of trees.
Before he can stand up, I’m there, floating over him and grasping him once again, holding him in place despite his struggles.
Finding himself unable to move anything but his mana, tendrils as black as his fur extend from his body, their length extending multiple times beyond that of the wolf´s body. They swirl around, destroying the ground and the trees before they thrust towards me.
I create a black orb in front of myself, absorbing the mana constructs rushing towards me with ease. It pulls the moment they enter its range, devouring the black tendrils, sucking them in, and growing more powerful in the process.
(That mana!) His voice rumbles in my head, for the first time since the battle started.
Once again, the field around the wolf changes, eating away at the mana I’m using to power my [Redistribution], as he attempts to escape my hold. Before he can do that, I reach out to the black orb that absorbed his attacks and touch it, forcing it to elongate into the form of a javelin twice my height.
Just as the wolf is about to escape, the javelin made of black mana embeds itself deep within his hind leg.
He attempts to turn his head to pull it free, but he freezes mid-movement, and his eyes shift back to me.
There I float in front of his head, a tricolored orb floating over the palm of my hand. Filled with my mana, ready to explode. Just a little push is all it needs.
I watch as he growls, his teeth snapping right in front of me out of anger, all while the black javelin devours his mana faster and faster.
“Do you know anything about that mana?” I ask him, gesturing at the javelin sprouting from his leg.
I can’t help but find his expression amusing, so I reach out and boop his nose which, now that I look, is almost bigger than me. After reabsorbing the mana from the tricolored orb I fly over to the javelin and pull it free while boosting my body.
Right away, it starts trying to devour my mana, and though it once again fries my brain, killing me in the process, I manage to put it under my control. It seems like I’ve grown careless within the common area, and the tournament as a whole. It also absorbed a lot more of the wolf’s mana than I thought.
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Well, it’s not really a problem; I wouldn’t have even died if I hadn’t lost my concentration.
When I fly over to the black wolf and show him the javelin, he stays quiet.
“Is it some kind of secret?”
He growls, (I don’t know how much I should tell, so I’d rather stay quiet.)
“Is it rare?” I wave the javelin, which is growing more annoying by the second as it threatens to subvert my control.
(Extremely rare, human. You shouldn’t have it. Hide it from others.)
“I was already told to hide my eyes and my primordial energies. It’s annoying. What now? Do you mean to tell me that I can’t make use of any of my abilities?”
Following my lead, his mana calms down, and he settles into a less aggressive stance, as his eyes regain their usual shine.
(This is different from traits, primordial energies, or even bearing powerful passive and active skills, human. People might want someone with a powerful trait to try to steal it or breed with you in hopes of securing it for their own lineage.)
W-what?!
He takes a moment to sniff at the black javelin. (Primordial energies are also rare, and their holders can be kidnapped to learn from them or for the purpose of experimentation on bodies capable of containing primordial energies. Sometimes they are enslaved. But none of that really matters human. No matter what you do, there will always be more beings lusting for power. It doesn’t matter if it’s a skill, a passive, mind control, healing, primordial energies, or a powerful trait.)
The black wolf then pulls away from the black javelin and looks at me instead, (I’ve never seen it with my own eyes, but even still I’ve heard about it. There have only been four beings in the last few millennia that have possessed it. Each of them…)
The rest of the words get censored to my surprise, and the wolf notices it as well.
This is unexpected. I could understand information on Pairing and the First Generation being censored as they are about the system, but this? Did the Ruler’s intent interfere again? Was it the Ruler of Greed or is this somehow connected to information the system doesn’t think I should have access to? Another thing to add to the ever-growing list of mysteries.
“You held back during the fight, why?”
(Human, don’t make me call you stupid again. You and your group belong to my master’s pack. And unlike my master, I'm not as good at controlling my primordial energy, so I didn’t want to hurt you. And you held back for the same reasons. I can see that crazed look in your eyes when you fight, I can smell it pour off of you, and see it in your movements. You and that little demon are the same.)
“I will have to take that as a compliment.”
(Do as you wish, asshole human! We will fight the next time we meet. But for now, I need to receive feedback from my master and his teachings. I don’t have much time left here.)
His wound has already begun to close, as he walks back through the wreckage of what was once part of the forest.
Now that he’s no longer surrounded by that eerie primordial energy, he once again feels like a bratty young boy. A giant bratty young boy with fangs as long as I am tall, yup.
Well, it was a nice warm-up, but it doesn't feel satisfying, so I just have to pin my hopes on the two remaining events. The Duels and the Chronicle of the Past, whatever that means.
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Sitting on the terrace of our house, I’m taking a moment to enjoy the soft breeze in my hair and the sweetly scented air, it smells like summer. As I have many times before, I take a deep breath in and take a sip from a bottle of sugary soda from Earth that I bought for two uncommon items. I even used my skill to absorb its thermal energy, thus chilling it to just the right temperature.
Off to the side, Izzy is showing Noodle to Vega, the kind pyromaniac girl still trying to make friends.
Biscuit floats in the air in front of his disciple and dispenses his wisdom to the giant wolf.
Between them and the other members of Group 4, there aren’t many people around. They’re all engrossed in cooking meat on the fire, talking, sparring, and practicing their skills.
There were some complaints after my light spar with wolfy. A few dozen people from Easy difficulty lost consciousness. Again. At this point, I can’t help but be reminded of those fainting goats I once saw on TV.
Some people even complained, but it's not like anyone asked them to watch. At least most of them were smart enough to stay quiet. Channeler said that sooner or later people might start screaming and running away or kneeling in worship at the sight of me. I deeply despise either option.
Wanting to change my thoughts, I look at Tess who has taken the opportunity to steal my other can of soda and is now sipping on it, just opposite me. She, more than anyone, seems to be enjoying this, even though all she’s doing is sitting to the side and watching everyone have fun.
I guess a big part of all of this is thanks to her. I don’t think Group 4 would be as close as we are otherwise.
Tess Hansen is slightly taller than me. Her blonde hair now ends just below her shoulders, once again she’s gotten a new haircut. Her gray eyes are calm, but her face freely displays her emotions. She is only 20 years old, two years younger than me. Yet she did all of this.
And it's not like I can ignore it. Even the duplicate's last wish was a request for me to let them in and accept them as my friends, not to mention the apology I owe my mother. I do not take these words lightly, so even though I'm not fully feeling it, I am willing to accept the fact that the duplicate, knowing he would die, knew best the kinds of regrets I would have.
“I’m sorry.”
Tess turns to me, for a moment confused, but she quickly comes to understand. She examines me and I let her by returning her gaze.
“Apology not accepted,” she says with a soft smile.
“I see.” It’s the obvious result. If I was in her place, I can only think that my choice would be the same.
“Was this how you meant to apologize?” Tess asks.
“No. At first, I wanted to give you some items. Maybe make a weapon for you, a few epic javelins. Or I could buy anything you want from the shop with my shards.”
“So why did you change your mind?” She asks, propping up her chin with her hands as she stares at me.
“For a while, I thought that giving you something of value would make it easier. Like I’d be paying you back. To show my intentions and willingness to sacrifice my own possessions to make amends.”
She nods, “That sounds like you, but you didn’t do it in the end.”
“No. I did not. I thought you would prefer an honest apology to being bought off.”
“You are right,” she agrees.
“But you rejected it.”
“I rejected it because I don’t think you fully mean it yet. I can see a hint of true honesty, but you’re not quite there yet.” She leans back in the chair and takes a sip, enjoying the taste of the sugary soda in her mouth. “It's close, but there's still a little bit missing.”
“Got it.”
“So just this once I’m going to be petty, Nat. I’m going to let you apologize to me a few times. I will let you feel the full breadth of these confusing emotions and I will have fun while doing so. Watching you squirm, so close to understanding but not quite there.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“For me, for sure. For you, it will be a bit worse.” Her smile shows her teeth.
Well, it's not like I don’t understand. Nothing is ever that simple. But I will stay the course my duplicate has set for me until I understand things properly.