|Ding! You have adapted!|
|Ding! Temporary buff [Soul Fortification I] gained|
His mind still foggy, Elias woke up to the familiar dings of the system. This time, though, something felt... off. The mesmerizing and colorful mist of the nebula he was in was still there, albeit much duller than when he used his eyes to see—but so was his body.
‘Uhhhh… what?’
He blanked for a good while, simply staring at his drifting, lifelessly frozen body. When eventually, he noticed several faint blue strands stretching out from his body, reaching in his direction.
Bringing his hands up to his face, he found that he could see the colorful mist through them. Not only that, his hands and arms had lines that seemed to separate sections of his body from each other, with each blue string connected to each segment. He didn’t really know what to make of it, so he decided to do some experiments.
He swung them around, putting them in front of different stars in the distance. All that confirmed was that, yes, his hands were indeed translucent. Next, he clapped them together—a bad idea.
‘GAH!’ He inwardly yelped from the pain.
His divided and translucent body parts had, quite literally, come apart at the seams. The shock of it was unlike anything he’d felt, even when his physical body was in that excruciating cycle. It reached deeper—much deeper than before.
It wasn’t just the feeling of being torn apart. He could feel the way it pulled at him—at his very soul. The agonizing sensation that threatened to knock him out again was akin to the forceful pull of gravity, dialed up a millionfold.
It felt like he was standing at the edge of a black hole that harmed his very essence. Erasing him piece by piece.
The only solace he could feel was from the fact that he knew that he wouldn’t die. The system itself had declared it.
An inordinate amount of time passed with his body suspended in torment, and Elias began to feel … odd. He watched as the scattered pieces of his body slowly came together. Blue tendrils—likely the manifestation of his regeneration skill—were actively stitching him up.
With every pass of the tendrils, the pain he was experiencing lessened in that area. That piece would then move closer to the part it was attached to and reconnect. It would send a soothing wave of… comfort through his body every time.
It wasn’t the same as the warmth from his physical body healing; it was something deeper—a feeling of home, of safety, of a hug. It made him feel complete.
It reminded him of when he used to lie down on the enchanted sofa in his parents’ house. A memory now tarnished by—
‘Stop.’ He thought as he released a calming breath. ‘Huh? How am I breathing?’
He tried breathing again and was surprised to feel air!
‘No, that’s not air, that’s—’
He breathed in the ‘air’ a few more times, closely using what senses he had as a soul to figure out what it was.
‘It’s mana? But there’s something more in there…’ He looked at it closer and found that it was his [Shard of Creation] that was reacting and helping him absorb the particles here.
‘Yes, the mana here carries bits and pieces of the law of creation!’
To understand more about his situation, he brought up his full status screen.
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Elias Stone (I) [DEAD (Detached Soul)]
Level: 60
Race: Human (UC) (+5 Free SP)
Effective Age: 0
Laws
* Main Law: Creation (Shard)
* Sub Laws: (None)
* (Locked)
* (Locked)
Classes
* Main Class: Journeyman Sculptor (R) – Level 1
* Subclass 1: Apprentice Enchanter (UC) – Level 5
* Subclass 2: (Locked)
* Subclass 3: (Locked)
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Stats
* Strength (4th): 53
* Vitality (10th): -
* Dexterity (8th): 160
* Constitution (5th): 54
* Will (10th): 210
* Intelligence (7th): 143
* Wisdom (8th): 110
* Free Points: 0
Substats
* Mana: 1/1859
* Mana Regeneration: 192.5/hr (96.25 + 96.25)
* Stamina: 1/270
* Stamina Regeneration: -
* Control: 11550
* Soul Essence: 159.24
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Innate Trait
* [True Immortality]
o You are immortal.
Innate Skills
* Age 1: [True Immortal’s Regeneration] – Level 60
o (You regenerate from all damage.)
* Age 1: [True Immortal’s Ambient Mana Absorption] – Level 60
o (You absorb the surrounding mana.)
* Age 2: [True Immortal’s Perfect Memory] – Level 60
o (You will never forget.)
* Age 3: [True Immortal’s Will] – Level 60
o (You will never falter.)
* Age 5: [True Immortal’s Concealment] – Level 60
o (You conceal yourself from prying eyes.)
* Age 8: [Mark of the True Immortal] – Level 60
o (You leave your mark on items.)
* Age 13: [True Immortal’s Adaptation] – Level 60
o (You will adapt.)
* Age 21: [True Immortal’s Empathy] – Level 60
o (You will feel for others.)
* Age 34: [True Immortal’s Duty] – Level 60
o (You will be called upon.)
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Class Skills (Journeyman Sculptor)
* Age 1: [Material Shaping] (R) – Level 35
* Age 1: [Sculpting Knife Mastery] (R) – Level 29
* Age 2: [Finish] (R) – Level 1
* Age 3: [Focus] (R) – Level 38
* Age 5: [Design] (R) – Level 4
* Age 8: [Sculpting Tool Reinforcement] (R) – Level 27
* Age 13: [Material Knowledge] (R) – Level 18
* Age 21: [Hammer and Chisel Mastery] (R) – Level 9
* Age 34: [Polish] (R) – Level 2
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Class Skills (Apprentice Enchanter)
* Age 1: [Imbue] (UC) – Level 1
* Age 1: [Rune Mastery] (UC) – Level 16
* Age 2: [Mana Manipulation] (UC) – Level 21
* Age 3: [Mana Sight] (UC) – Level 22
* Age 5: [Mana Efficiency] (UC) – Level 1
* Age 8: [Rune Optimization] (UC) – Level 15
* Age 13: [Reinforce] (UC) – Level 1
* Age 21: [Disenchant] (C) – Level 33
* Age 34: [Quick Imbue] (UC) – Level 2
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General Skills
* Age 1: [Identify] (R) – Level 7
* Age 1: [Nimble Hands] (R) – Level 43
* Age 2: [Dexterous Fingers] (R) – Level 44
* Age 3: [Meditate] (UC) – Level 49
* Age 5: [Learning] (UC) – Level 1
* Age 8: [Patience] (UC) – Level 8
* Age 13: [Handicraft] (UC) – Level 16
* Age 21: (To be Chosen)
* Age 34: (To be Chosen)
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‘Detached soul… That makes sense, I guess?’ He thought as he focused in on the state his body and soul were in. His body drifted through the mists of creation while his soul was being pulled along for the ride—absorbing bits and pieces of the law all along the way.
‘This is odd.’ He finally concluded after a bit of time, just drifting through space.
He’d exhausted just about everything he could do in his state—which wasn’t much in the first place. Tracing the fissures, done. Trying to force two soul parts closer together, done… and found to be useless since he could feel them repel each other the moment he let off on the pressure.
‘Ah!’ Then it hit him that he hadn’t actually checked his new law out. He hurried to bring it up from his status screen.
Law of Creation (Shard)
From the chaos of potential, a fragment coalesces. The once-indistinct whispers become sharper, more purposeful.
-You can now touch the edges of creation, though what you make is crude and incomplete—a shard of what might one day be whole-
The first thing that stood out to him was the stage of his comprehension—shard. From everything he’d learned from school and from his parents’ lessons, a living being could only successfully contain a law shard once they entered the second tier.
‘Guess that’s why my soul literally broke apart…’ He thought as a rueful smile tugged at his ghostly lips.
As a tier one being, he was only supposed to, at most, be able to sense laws and condense a fragment of his choosing. A fragment that would be nothing but a glorified law detector. But for him, the law of creation at the shard stage was probably the best fit.
He even almost thought that maybe everything that happened wasn’t all bad. Of course, then he’d remember the deep red stains—and a deep hatred for whoever owned that warship would bubble up within him.
The thing that hurt the most, though, was there weren’t any distinct markings on that ship. It was a featureless, pitch-black monstrosity for all he knew. It came one moment and left complete devastation in the next.
‘How am I supposed to even find them?’ He thought, as he looked around and felt utterly lost.
Revenge was something that was already set in stone for him. It wasn’t just what he wanted to do; it wasn't even something he needed to do; it was something he had to do. And he would not know peace until he did it.
For a time, he just stared blankly into the shifting colors of the mist. The sight of the stars and planetesimals forming freely in this cosmic cradle of creation was oddly… soothing to him. Eventually, his mind cleared up enough for him to come to a conclusion.
‘I will find them, and I will make them pay.’
He didn’t know exactly how much time passed as he drifted through space, but what he did know was that it was definitely taking a much longer time for his innate adaptation skill to push his buff to the next stage.
If he estimated that only hours passed between his two physical buffs, then this was definitely taking weeks.
It made sense, of course. The soul was nothing like the body in its complexity, and it was usually much harder to heal the wounds to a being’s soul.
He took a glance over the still visible fissures in his soul-body and couldn’t help but chuckle in wonder.
‘Those soul mages would probably pay me in the scale of multiple mineral planets just for a chance to see something like this.’
Mages in general were a curious bunch, but with souls being their main focus of research and expertise, soul mages tended to either pay anyone willing to have their souls studied or resort to more extreme actions.
Of course, only the truly desperate and degenerate mages ever resorted to extremes. After all, getting soul wounds healed was something that usually cost whole countries’ worth of wealth.
‘That’s one way to earn some emergency money, I guess.’ He thought as he filed that idea away for later.
Just then—
|Ding! You have adapted!|
|Ding! Temporary buff [Soul Fortification II] gained|
Something deep inside him clicked, and he watched as the separated parts of his soul-body move toward each other at a speed much faster than just a moment ago. The blue tendrils that effortlessly weaved through his soul worked overtime with a renewed vigor and stitched his soul up in record time.
He watched as every piece of him drew ever closer together—making him more complete.
Finally, as the last and biggest fissure closed—connecting his torso to the lower part of his body—he felt relief the likes of which he’d never felt before. And for the first time in a while, he felt at peace. He felt that maybe, just maybe, he didn’t actually need to hunt down whoever destroyed his home.
‘No.’ He thought with a cold yet peaceful smile on his face. ‘They will pay.’ His smile grew wider and more intense. ‘No matter how long it takes.’
He imagined the ways that he’d get his revenge and, for a long, long while, he reveled in the feeling of contentment that he got from the images in his mind.
But it wasn’t enough. Only when he held the hearts of his enemies in his hands and personally crushed them into thousands of unrecognizable pieces would he be satisfied.
Slowly, as the feeling of peace and relief from his soul reforming faded, frustration started to build up within him again.
Fortunately for him, his thoughts were interrupted by a pull. He could feel a soft yet firm pull act on his soul, and it came from his physical body.
‘Finally.’ He thought as he neared the time that he would be complete once again.
He spread out his arms and brought his body into a hug. And as if it snapped into place, his soul just popped right in. It was as though he was as good as new. Like nothing major had happened.
Unfortunately for him, once the process concluded, a new and confusing pain greeted him.
‘GAAHHHH!’
The front of his body, facing the star, felt like it was burning to the point that it was as if it was melting off of him. Not to mention the blinding light that pierced his already closed eyes. And if he focused enough, he could feel the cosmic dust around the star shooting at him, making him feel a bit of pressure, resistance, and the pain of being dragged through sand.
On the other hand, the other side of his body felt the full brunt of the familiar pain of space’s unforgiving cold.
All of this compounded upon one another with the addition of his regeneration. Which, at the moment, he felt was more of a curse than a boon.
The opposing forces were destroying his body much faster than before, when all he had to worry about was the pain from freezing. Thankfully, he didn’t have to suffer much longer.
|Ding! You have adapted!|
|Ding! Temporary buff [Stellar Endurance III] gained!|
‘MOTHERFUCKER!’ He screamed inwardly as most of the pain faded away from him almost instantly. The only thing left now was the pain on the border of the two extremes, which felt like a knife was constantly slicing away at his flesh.
‘Can’t I just get a moment free of pain in this godforsaken place?’ He tiredly asked to no one in particular.
He tried to open his eyes, yet all he could see was the blinding light of the star that was gradually consuming his field of view.
‘That’s worrying.’ He thought. But there wasn’t anything he could really do.
The heat was intensifying, but he was completely helpless in this situation. He couldn’t exactly move as he willed i—
Then it hit him. His law of creation was at the shard stage!
‘Crap. Okay, okay. How do I do this?’ He thought as he excitedly tried to feel the surrounding creation mana. It was, of course, endless.
‘This might actually work!’
He activated his memory skill and tried to remember all he learned about basic physics. And as he shifted from memory to memory, he determined that something like a propulsion device of some sort would be his best bet.
‘But where do I even start?’