Sam lifted the orb up to eye level, and tried to figure out how to use it. All that the description had said was to consume it, but it was far too large for Sam to fit in his mouth. Sam didn't even chuckle at the innuendo, such was his desire to use the object. He tentatively licked it with his tongue, and then found that it was extremely soft. Sam opened his mouth, and took a bite. The orb crunched beneath his teeth, and he gagged as something with the texture of sand poured down his throat. He finished off the orb in another few mouthfuls, and started to feel a strange resonance with the ground around him. Looking down, Sam saw mote upon mote of yellow energy glistening on the ground, surrounding him in all directions. The yellow hue grew stronger and stronger, and then suddenly a wave of earth rose up around him, and crashed down. Blackness claimed Sam, and he was transported to another time.
He was looking down from a great height upon some small mammalian creature, and his forked tongue licked his fangs in anticipation. The beast beneath him cowered in fear, its right leg broken. As Sam prepared to strike, his sinuous muscles contracting, he was blasted to the side by a cone of energy. A titan of a monster, a dozen times larger than himself, came barreling across the ground, sending up waves of displaced earth. It was of the same species as Sam’s prey, and was clearly some sort of parental figure.
Sam quickly dropped down to the ground, and started to slither with all of his might. Behind him, the massive monster roared in fury. Sam had gotten away. A series of flashing memories overtook Sam’s perception, as the snake strove desperately to become strong enough to kill the monster that had injured it. Over the next few years, it lay curled up in a volcanic cave, absorbing the latent Dao energy and elemental energy. Two years passed before the snake went through an evolution. It sped out of the cave, shattering the rock around it, a nascent F Rank being. All of the insights that it had gained within that cave had been stored within Sam’s mind, and as he watched the snake devour the monster that had wronged it all those years ago, he was expelled from the vision, and back into his own body.
You have reached 5% mastery of your Meridian of Earth.
The notification was waiting for him when he came fully to his senses, as well as a feeling of profound connection to the ground around him. The feeling quickly dissipated, but he could still feel a heightened connection as compared to before. Sam had not gained any new skills or anything like that, but he had increased his mastery. When he raised his fist, he could feel the ease in which he could funnel his elemental energy into it. He did so, and his fist started to glow with a yellow light. As Sam looked at it, the final bits of his long neglected barrier skill came together. Summoning mana to his arm, Sam created a yellow circular shield in front of it, and moved it around a little bit.
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“One of you, hit me on the shield,” Sam said.
Claude threw one of his daggers towards Sam, and it bounced off the shield, leaving a small rent. The hole quickly closed over, at the cost of a bit of mana. A notification appeared, and Sam read it.
You have upgraded the skill [Lesser Mana Bulwark:Rare] to [Lesser Earth Elemental Bulwark:Epic]. Your mana projection gains additional durability and flexibility, drawing from both your mana reserves and elemental energy at the same time. You have taken the first step on the long path of actualizing your elemental connection. Be sure that it is not also your last.
Sam raised an eyebrow and closed the notification. It was a welcome boost to his strength, but it was not anything special. At this point, a mere Epic rank skill was basically useless compared to the rest of his repertoire. With multiple Mythical and Legendary skills under his belt, as well as the stats of an F ranker, Sam did not really need the defense. It was appreciated though. Perhaps there would be a reason to use it soon.
As he banished the skill, the others clustered around.
“Was that an earth elemental shield?” Claude asked. “You must have gained quite a bit of mastery from that orb. It usually needs about 5 percent in your elemental mastery in order to create a skill. Personally, I have neglected that avenue of power, but I might have to pursue it later on.”
“Huh well, it's not really anything special for me. I already have quite a bit more power than I need. In any case, I can always upgrade it later. Now, what about some leveling?”
The others needed a few more levels to get to the end of G Rank, and although that snake had provided them all with a hefty bonus, Sam had taken most of that essence, but the excess was enough to get everyone two or three levels. Still, they had a ways to go.
Over the next few hours, Sam and the others cased the area, searching for monsters. Unfortunately, those that had been near had left after witnessing the battle, and none of them dared to attack the group while Sam was with them. They may have been bloodthirsty beasts, but they weren’t suicidal. If they saw someone like Sam coming, then they would run for their lives. After hours of this, Sam stopped.
“Alright. This is unsustainable. No monsters are going to come anywhere near us with me in the vicinity. You need to find some monsters of your own.”
“But what if they’re too powerful for us?” Ava asked.
“Call out for help. I’ll come as fast as I can. I shouldn't need to be too far away, maybe only a couple hundred feet.” Sam was confident in being able to cross that distance in a few seconds, maybe a dozen at most. He had confidence in the others’ abilities for them to hold off a monster before he arrived.
“Very well then,Sam,” Jane signed. “We trust you.”
Sam nodded at them, and started walking off, broadcasting his intentions as much as he could. Sam made sure to crunch every stick that he could under his feet as he left. He could feel a few inquisitive auras in the background, starting to move towards the now undefended party behind him. Sam smiled. It was working.