CHAPTER 246: DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS?
In a small oriental garden, Clémentine was confronted by an old man carrying a combat staff that looked simple.
“Wrong,” said the old man and hit her on the shoulder with the staff.
Even though that old man was wearing monk’s robes and looked like a nice monk, in old age the blows were quite strong.
No matter if the old man gave the impression that the staff was to assert himself, such an impression was wrong.
The elder swung the cane and Clémentine stepped backwards with only her physical abilities and when she thought she had avoided the blow, the cane stopped and pushed her forward.
“Ugh...”
Surprised by such a sudden change of direction, Clémentine was hit in the stomach and let out a painful groan as she fell to the ground.
She wasn’t using her psionic abilities and, in a way, was testing the pain of her weak body.
“You are extremely skilled. Not only with your telekinesis, but with mental attacks or with your way of replicating other psionic abilities, but in the end, you are so multifaceted that you are not good at anything,” the monk criticized with a serious look.
Clémentine endured the pain of the blow and her urge to vomit and stood up.
If she had used her telekinesis or psionic energy, she could have reduced the force of that blow and the pain she would face, but she didn’t because this was her training.
“I don’t understand what you mean,” Clémentine said truthfully.
She was skilled in telekinesis and her mental attack was perfect, she focused her skills on those two points and it wasn’t as if she didn’t specialize.
She had learned about ‘specialization’ since her mid-year internship with Akira last year, and she did.
“Having control and being good at it can’t be called specialization,” the monk replied and, seeing that Clementine was looking at him intently, he passed the staff and commented. “Here, use it and hit me. I’ll show you the difference.”
Clémentine froze for a second, but she took the staff and her expression changed as she held it up.
She could tell it was made of wood, but it was very heavy... Now she understood the reason why the blows hurt.
It wasn’t that the body of an A-ranked psionic was weak; it was that this weapon was prepared to be strong.
Since she couldn’t use it with the strength of her arms, Clémentine used her telekinesis to move it and, looking at that monk, she hit him with moderate force.
She did not use enough force to seriously injure, it was simply enough for the blow that was required.
Before her staff could touch the monk’s shoulder, the staff deflected to the side, and she ended up hitting the ground.
It was a natural repelling force, but it wasn’t like the monk was using his psionic abilities... That monk was just looking at her calmly.
It wasn’t like the monk was someone extremely powerful either, he was simply a monk helping to train others in this temple.
A A-Rank like her...
“...”
Clémentine tried again and this time unlike before, it was the same, only the only difference was that she noticed that the air pushed the staff.
“A natural barrier?” Clémentine asked seriously.
She knew that ability users, like mages, or psionics, had natural barriers whenever they rose in rank.
Not only did their body improve physically, but that barrier was proof that their abilities were showing on the outside and served as a natural protection.
That was why the first years after the Great Cataclysm, the modern firearms of that time could not hurt some individuals and was one of the reasons why ability users started conflicts.
The coercive force of the nations, which was represented by the police, could no longer affect them.
Still, Clémentine understood that this was different... It was something stronger than before and even though it was natural and unconscious; it was noticeably trained.
“I developed my telekinesis and my mental attack, while in my spare time I practiced my control by trying to use other psionic abilities, but I didn’t really ‘specialize’ as one should.,” Clémentine muttered in self-analysis and, with hesitation, she asked. “Is this what you mean when mine can’t be called ‘specialization’?”
The monk looked like a psionic who controlled the air and the way he trained made that natural barrier, which appeared in the lower ranks, even stronger.
Something she didn’t have it, at least not enough to try to avoid a weapon that could deal damage to an A rank fighter with a strong body.
Her question surprised the monk and then gave a smile.
“Exactly. A swordsman has reflexes to dodge sudden attacks. A fighter has his instinct, a mage has his barriers and protection spells, but we also have our own abilities to defend ourselves. Not consciously, but also unconsciously in the face of surprise attacks, all without relying on external equipment,” the monk explained calmly.
Swordsmen, whatever type of weapon they used, had higher level reflexes, which made them able to parry sudden attacks.
Fighters had their strong bodies on which they depended for survival, not to mention their sharp instincts.
The mages had a weak body, but the teaching brought back from Terra nova and experience made it possible for them to always use protection spells in their training and their ways.
Because these spells worked for a period after casting, it was common to have one activated.
Of course, some mages did not use it, as they depended on their barrier, equipment, experience and devoted all their attention completely to the ‘attack’... Leaving their concentration and magical energy to perform more powerful attacks.
There were different ways to use the skills and many times it depended on the personality, experience and knowledge of the person, so sometimes things changed.
“Generating a form of natural protection can help you to avoid some difficult situations or when you have no external equipment to depend on.” The monk said with a smile.
“Thank you very much for your advice,” Clémentine replied, bowing gravely.
Since she had arrived, she had been meditating in this beautiful place and using her skills, honing her control and looking for new ways to improve.
No teacher came to teach her personally, but the monk decided to help her, perhaps noticing her hard effort.
“Don’t worry, effort brings reward and in this case you have tried hard enough.” The monk replied and looking at the sun overhead, he commented. “Come, it must be time for lunch by now.”
Clémentine nodded and, using a cleaning device to make herself more comfortable, advanced to the monk’s side.
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The site was nice and those pagodas next to the mountain scenery were too impressive and fascinating.
White and high mountains were in the distance as if it was an artistic painting, while in this place there were beautiful gardens to meditate and training places to improve.
She had been to this place quite a while ago and despite the lack of connection to the outside world and the lack of modern entertainment; the place was excellent.
The rooms in these pagodas were simple and small, but pleasant, the meals were not complex and not delicacies, yet the simplicity matched the overall atmosphere.
As Clémentine made her way to the main pagoda where the dining room was located, she noticed some young Asians entering from afar.
Among them was present Ryu Sujin, student of the Aetherium Academy and who during the international tournament was the S rank and in a way the leader... At least partially because she was in conflict with Xu Long for the leadership.
Clementine was not surprised to see her at this site because this was all part of the random reward, and Ryu Sujin, while not shining as much as she deserved, had great control over her barriers.
A similar style to Joslyn at the academy, the difference was that S-rank psionic focused on combat and her partner on a healing and support style.
Still, there were quite a few people around her.
“What’s going on?” Clémentine asked curiously.
“Some people approach the new ones to get news from the world. In your case, it wasn’t because someone had come in earlier, but they are the first to arrive since you came,” the monk reported curiously.
Clementine could understand him and, since she had heard no news about the abyssal portals situation and was curious, she walked over to see if she could pick up anything.
“So you’re saying that the assault on the abyssal portals failed, and many died?” one of the local guests asked in slight disbelief.
Clémentine stopped in her tracks and looked at Ryu Sujin.
She knew that Aurora and Alice were in the abysmal portals and anything related to them, they surely participated.
However, hearing that ‘many died’ made her expression turn serious and an unpleasant feeling arose inside her.
“Yes, there were quite a few deaths. Even among the S-Ranks, there are even missing in the abyssal portal. They say that the conflict with the goblins was not the hard part, but that the portal became unstable and a rift in the dimensional barrier spread,” Ryu Sujin reported calmly, and giving a glance at the sight of some pale ones, she added. “It was several days ago and now the rift along with the monsters are contained and the allied force are preparing to move to close the rift.”
Hearing those words, Clémentine’s expression grew heavy and difficult.
That the S-ranks died... It let on that the difficulty and danger was no joke, but that made the feeling inside her become more unpleasant.
“Do you know the names of the fallen?” asked another guest, curious to see if he knew one of those S-ranks.
Clementine paid close attention, hoping not to hear any familiar names.
Ryu Sujin felt her gaze, perhaps more anxious than usual, but shook her head and commented. “I don’t know. I didn’t pay that much attention because of my training.”
Those words, instead of causing joy in Clémentine, made her feel more anxious than usual.
However, she knew she couldn’t go out now to find out... This was what training behind ‘closed doors’ was all about. If it wasn’t locking herself in a room completely, it was disconcerting herself from the world.
Something that was currently a thing that very few could achieve.
Instead of feeling better, the unpleasant feeling settled inside her.
“I hope they’re all right...” Clémentine murmured, trying to calm herself.
Right now, a part of her was regretting going to training just at this moment.
******
Aurora looked off into the distance at the large pillar.
They had traveled for quite some time and now she had approached where the portal was to return. However, she had been stunned by the size of that huge black pillar.
That pillar of darkness was like a great sword driven into the ground.
They were still several dozen hours away from the pillar and monsters were more common than she had imagined, as were abominations.
“Do you know what it is?” Aurora asked quietly.
The person she was talking to was Alice and her system... She was looking for an answer that would help her and right now she needed honesty, first and foremost.
“I don’t know, but it’s not ‘darkness’ or darkness magic and if you see well, the place is greener than before and the Chaos is less dense the closer we get,” Alice said with a serious expression and giving a glance at the pillar, she muttered. “I think that’s the cause.”
Aurora had noticed it too, and Cedric’s story confirmed it.
Because when the abyssal portal became unstable, it caused the pillar to shake and, according to Cédric, that led to the monsters going berserk.
Alice had a control over her darkness and a great affinity to it, that was why Aurora trusted her words.
Still, she was in a difficult position and any information would be useful... Now Aurora let it be known that she needed the support of her system.
While the Chaos was less strong in this area, which made nature more vital, the monsters and abominations were greater in number.
It was quite possible that the abyssal portal was surrounded by these creatures... Or worse, still unstable, which meant they would not be able to return.
—The pillar seems to be a kind of protection to these lands... Not only from Chaos, but from the savagery of the monsters.
Those words made Aurora frown.
That the trees were green, and the land had some vitality generated the feeling that being closer to the pillar meant being safer from ‘Chaos’, but another matter, the number of monsters.
For while the Chaos was less dense, the monsters were a greater number.
—You no longer feel that oppression you felt when you first arrived, do you? That’s because you’ve been accepted in this place, but it’s different from the monsters... They are calmer, unlike before when they were savages and killed each other.
Aurora reacted immediately as she read the text on her system and looked at the monsters.
Among the trees, she could see all kinds of monsters, from the most grotesque to animals of these lands corrupted and mutated in a superficial way.
She even noticed some abominations that were part of the goblin corpses around the area.
However, just as her system had mentioned, all was quiet, very different when she moved away from the place where battle was the norm.
As for the oppression that she had felt and managed to make her anxious, it was now gone and she hadn’t noticed it when it happened.
“You don’t feel any sense of oppression or anything like that?” Aurora asked Alice and seeing her shake her head, she let out a long sigh and commented. “We’re going back. I hope Urfin and the others have found something new.”
Her system was reporting with some clarity, but at the same time, it was hard to tell if it was helpful.
—It is. The atmosphere of oppression released by the pillar keeps the monsters and abominations in check, but if something happens that affects the pillar, the story of Cedric, where his whole group was taken down, can be repeated.
The words were in text form, but Aurora felt a certain strangeness... A touch of weariness for someone who was had not understood what he was referring to, intermingled with a certain inevitability of those who got tired of waiting for someone else to think of the answer and in the end ended up giving it to her.
A smile appeared on her face, as that was the style of her system.
It happened the same when she failed the tests or failed to reach the answer, in the end, he ended up giving it to her.
“If the pillar becomes unstable, the oppression will decrease, the monsters will go into a frenzy and it is possible that we will all end up dead, even with our numbers. Similar to Cedric and his group,” Aurora said, understanding what her system was referring to.
One issue was to attack together on their own and engage the monsters while they were in this state that seemed slower and calmer, and another was to attack when they were in a frenzy state.
“At night, they also become more agitated and savage. Perhaps that oppression you speak of is the cause?” Alice hesitated as she jumped up beside her, accompanying her hidden and giving a glance at the monsters, she pointed. “It is best not to act at night. Now their senses are numb and that’s why S-ranks don’t detect those lacking concealment skills, but it will be different at night or when they are altered.”
Even though Aurora spoke by intermingling the words of her system and in a direct manner, Alice had managed to grasp the basics.
That was Alice’s ability, who had been for much of her life at her side... Wonderful understanding.
Also, Alice’s words were quite accurate, and she surely had the best understanding of the savagery of the monsters during the night, and that was because she hid in her own shadow while her ‘warrior form’ was out walking.
“It would be great if we could all step into your shadow and go straight to the portal,” Aurora muttered as she stopped at a particular tree.
It was possible to step into her sister’s shadow as the space within it and it would certainly be nice because of the fact that while moving in her warrior form, she would not be seen as a living creature and would be treated as a monster.
It being possible to reach the abyssal portal without having to fight.
The problem was that it was very possible that the portal was unstable and they did not even know how to activate it or worse, when they tried to enter, the monsters would attack him because of some change caused by the abyssal portal.
The possibilities were multiple and what they all agreed on was that they needed to reduce those problems to make sure they had time to analyze the portal in case it was not possible to enter.
When they reached a large tree, they both entered through the top and went inside through the hollow part of the tree until they descended underground.
They had used a hollow tree as an entrance and underground, Meden had created a large basement capable of withstanding impacts.
Their tent was pitched there and as they both approached, thinking no one was there, they felt two presences.
“Do you understand what you are saying?” Marius asked in an agitated and difficult tone.
“Yes. When I leave this place and return to Earth, I will reveal all that we have done... All that the guild ‘The Custodians’ have done to position themselves first. I will accept the crimes we have committed. All of them,” Cédric replied in a calm voice.
“Are you crazy? I have worked hard to maintain the guild in your absence and then you come to say such stupidity!” shouted Marius and, gritting his teeth, he declared. “You don’t know what I’ve had to go through and how much I’ve had to risk to get the guild to stand.”
“This is the right thing to do,” Cedric replied and then left the tent, noticing both of them standing outside.
They were inside and even though they had both only just arrived, their senses were sharp, they heard everyone clearly.
Aurora gave them an apologetic look for overhearing, but Cedric didn’t care.
“Urfin will be back. We’d better get ready to talk about the situation,” Cédric said and, giving a serious look, he commented. “The situation seems more difficult than expected.”