Despite failing all his fusion attempts, Sora still pushed his skills to the perfect rating. They became [Absolute Focus] and [Absolute Meditate], and since he failed in all attempts to use them simultaneously, he started training the third mental power skill, [Faith].
After hours of training, Sora sighed, frustrated at his lack of progress. [Faith] felt entirely different from the other mental skills he’d trained, and without a clear path forward, he felt stuck. After repeated failed attempts, he realized he’d need some guidance—and he knew just who to ask.
Leaving his training ground, he moved south, sensing Hiyoko’s familiar energy somewhere deep in the nearby forest that had lower gravity. He quickly picked up on her presence, weaving through the trees and closing the distance in seconds. As he neared her, he felt a mixture of surprise and amusement.
There, in a small clearing, was Hiyoko, perched on a throne of woven branches, her beak held high as if she were a queen. Surrounding her were small bird clones—perfect, miniature versions of herself—attending to her every need. One clone brought her a tiny basket of fruits, while another fluffed her feathers with meticulous care.
Occasionally, Hiyoko would tilt her head in silent nod, allowing her "attendants" to take care of her as she basked in the attention, looking every bit the queen of this forest domain.
Sora couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course…When I come to you for advice, this is what I find.”
About to rebuke her, Sora froze when he noticed the behavior of two birds in particular. 'What the hell? Are those birds... autonomous?'
The duo seemed to be engaged in a hushed conversation. Scanning them with his [Mana Eyes] on all scales, Sora was stunned by what he found. 'Their power level is negligible... below a thousand. But the level of intelligence is incredible.'
Seeing the potential in her summons, Sora headed toward Hiyoko to ask about both the unusual intelligence of her tiny clones and the [Faith] skill.
At the sight of Sora approaching, Hiyoko’s smug appearance vanished in an instant. Her eyes widened, and she quickly straightened up, waving her wings. Her attendants vanished, and she hopped down from her throne to stand before Sora. She gave a small, nervous chirp, and attempted a clumsy bow.
“Master, I was training, I swear!” she said in a soft, childish female voice, as she tried to save some of her dignity. Sora smiled; she rarely spoke in the past, but it didn't mean she wasn't excellent at expressing herself with words.
“You can do whatever you like here; I don’t mind at all,” he assured her, pointing at their surroundings. “Just let me know if you need any adjustments to the area.” His tone changed, with a hint of seriousness. “Actually, I came because I know you’ve trained your [Faith] skill to a high level. I’ve been at it all day, but I’m unable to even achieve basic mastery and made no progress for hours.” Sora wasn’t embarrassed to ask for help—he’d learned long ago that seeking guidance from time to time was part of growth.
Hiyoko blinked, clearly taken aback. Her powerful master was asking her for help. Hiyoko trembled with excitement as she began to explain.
“Master, it’s… it’s actually very simple,” she said, her voice brimming with joy. “When the skill said to believe in something, to put all my faith into it, there was only one thing that came to mind.” She paused, meeting his gaze with devotion. “I could only think of you, Master.”
Sora blinked, surprised by the simplicity—and intensity—of her words.
"But I'm not a God or a Concept, why would you have faith in -" He paused, and got a glimpse at her sincerity and certainty.
“To me, you are everything, Master. I don’t need anything else to have faith in,” she explained, her voice firm.
He thought that maybe she had never questioned, never doubted. In her mind, he was beyond failure, beyond harm. Her faith in him was so simple, so unshakable, that it had become an impenetrable shield within her own mind.
Sora hesitated, his expression softening. “But… what if I die? What if my choices put you and Netsu in danger because of my quests or my own desires for revenge? You’ve seen players far stronger than me—I’m not necessarily worthy of your faith.”
She shook her head. “I’m a piou, Master... My species is one of the weakest in existence. I can feel it in my bloodline—I should be weak, insignificant.” Her eyes shone with fierce pride as she continued, “Yet, with just a small effort from you, I’m able to compete with Netsu, who has one of the noblest and most powerful bloodlines imaginable… How could I not see the infinite potential of my Master?”
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She shuffled her wings, glancing up at him hesitantly. “Sometimes, I feel like it’s a mistake, like I’m… just an oddity you happened to meet and take pity on. I know I’m not worthy of the power you’ve given me, or even of your attention. I often imagine how I should have died, alone and forgotten, in the depths of that forest.”
Her words softened, but the air around her pulsed with a quiet, potent mental energy. “From that day on… you became everything to me, Master. Every ounce of life I have, every little spark—I owe it all to you.”
In that moment, Sora felt the power of her faith, a wave radiating from her tiny body. Her loyalty, and absolute devotion materialized in the form of mental power so unshakable it was almost tangible. Her mental power was close to the level he had before entering the tower, achieved after years of meditation with Kara.
Sora reached out and gently patted Hiyoko’s head, his fingers brushing over her soft feathers. “Hiyoko... You know,” he said, his voice warm, “you’re just as important to me. Maybe it was luck that brought us together... but I've long considered you my first friend in this new life... You had brought me joy and made me smile more than anyone else” Hiyoko blinked her wide and teary eyes at his words, filling with surprise and joy.
“You’ve more than earned your place, and I’d be lost without you.” His smile was soft, reassuring, and filled with genuine affection.
Remembering her words, he realised that maybe [Faith] wasn’t about trying to imagine concepts and forcing himself to believe in them; but unwavering faith that would build mental strength. The way she had put him on a pedestal, seeing him as unstoppable and untouchable, had pushed her to a level he’d never imagined possible for her.
Sora was confused by this realization and asked, "I understand your experience with [Faith], but what can I believe in that can achieve a similar result?"
"It's simple, Master! Believe in Master as well!!" she said as if the answer was obvious.
Sora furrowed his brow, genuinely puzzled by her suggestion. "What? How could that even work?"
Hiyoko tilted her head, her bird face smug, as if the answer was evident. “Just believe in Master! You’re stronger than anyone, you're invincible, you're the best!!”
He couldn’t help but chuckle at her confidence in him. 'Believing in myself the way she does? That’s ridiculous. Or… maybe not.' There was a simplicity in her suggestion that struck a chord. Maybe there was something to it, something beyond logic or training.
Satisfied by her answers, he asked Hiyoko about her clones and discovered they were materialized with both Mental Power and Mana. She explained that the weaker the clones, the lower the Mental Power consumption.
Sora felt excited. This confirmed that using Mental Power could indeed be the path to creating autonomous clones.
Back in training, Sora focused on building his [Faith], centering his belief around himself. He already felt confident since he’d caught up to other powerful players who had spent years getting where they were, each with their own secret techniques.
Despite the slow progress of his [Faith] skill, he didn’t give up. Instead, he used the slower pace as motivation to explore and train other skills, each new advancement boosting his confidence. With every step forward, he pushed his [Faith] skill further.
Two years had passed in the [Alternate Dimension], and Sora felt he was on the edge of a breakthrough that would change everything. Reflecting on what he’d prepared for this moment, he thought about the skills he’d developed along the way.
'[Absolute Focus], [Absolute Meditate], and [Absolute Faith] have each reached a bottleneck. I can break through each one individually, digging deeply into each path. But ever since discovering the power of combining elements, I'm obsessed with the concept of fusing things.'
He didn’t want just one ability pushed to an extreme level—he wanted to merge them, creating something far greater that he could push beyond perfection.
With [Absolute Faith] active, Sora felt an almost godly level of confidence—as if anything he set his mind to was destined to succeed. It was a powerful, intoxicating sensation, a belief that seemed rooted in reality, as each skill or move he attempted became remarkably easier, allowing him to push many abilities beyond limits he thought unbreakable.
Activating his other mental skills, he entered the unique state he developed after countless attempts to fuse his mental skills.
He called it [The Zone]. It was not recognized by the system as a "skill", but it was real.
It was a state of pure calm and extreme focus. Here, he was deeply connected to everything within a hundred-meter radius, sensing every movement, every change in the space, as if it were an extension of himself.
He drew [Condensed Mana] from within his body and [Mental Power] from his mind, bringing the two forces together to manipulate and merge them. Inspired by his [Elemental Nexus] experiments, he attempted to fuse the energies, commanding [Mental Power] to play a supporting role.
As expected, his [Mental Power] resisted, causing the air around him to tremble from the energy's attempt to break free. Smiling slightly, Sora increased the mana flow determined to push through the resistance.
Failing in his attempts, he eventually changed tactics, and extracted [Crystallized Mana] to attempt the fusion once more. The resistance was still there, but the sheer force of his mana began to overpower and absorb the [Mental Power] under his control.
The process wasn’t easy; every moment he felt the painful, permanent loss of the mental energy that was devoured, but he held on, guiding the fusion until the end.
Ignoring the notifications flooding his vision, Sora focused intently on the Mana Crystals in his palm as they started to evolve.
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image-2024-11-02-192827181 [https://i.ibb.co/ZGDZGCj/image-2024-11-02-192827181.png]
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