Rubbing his chin, Randidly nodded in pleasure at the explanation of the Skill. Considering that his Skill Ruinous Drive only added to damage, getting a passive Skill that helped his allies’ images was extremely valuable. Especially because the boost wasn’t that Randidly’s own image was incorporated into the allies’ efforts, but he empowered the surrounding images directly. That was important as Randidly considered how to return to Earth and act without influencing the Earth’s images too much.
Plus, this was the first time since Randidly’s Class had been injured by Elhume that he had gained a Skill while Leveling Up. Hopefully, it meant he could obtain additional Skills again as he continued to Level.
Randidly opened up his menu and looked at his Status screen.
Randidly Ghosthound
Class: Lord of the Baleful Wood (+x5)
Level: 55 (0%)
Health(/R per hour): 10984/10984 (4619)
Mana(/R per hour): 9912/10713 (2644)
Stam(/R per min): 8109/8152 (1700)
Vit: 1045
End: 901
Str: 864
Agi: 1159
Grim Intuition (L): 1070
Reaction: 847
Resistance: 972
Willpower: 1157
Intelligence: 1032
Wisdom: 663
Control: 1225
Focus: 777
Skills (Soul Skill): Figure of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 22200
Combat: Spear Mastery Lvl 221, Heavy Blow Lvl 124, Iron Skin Lvl 47, Dodge Lvl 124, Fighting Experience (Un) Lvl 166, Block Lvl 77, Calculated Blow Lvl 120, Roundhouse Kick Lvl 87, Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 126, Stalemate Breaker Lvl 87, Talon Strike Lvl 90, Counter Lvl 94, Ruinous Drive (Ru) Lvl 70
LoBW Class Skills: Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 27, Sharpness Lvl 147, Earthquake (Un) Lvl 48, Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 14, Erode Image (L) Lvl 71, Spriggit’s Tinkering (R) Lvl 152, Aether Understanding (A) Lvl 140, Aether Infusion Lvl 47, Volatile Ash (A) Lvl 44, Visualization (R) Lvl 253, Fruit of the Planting of Enmity (L) Lvl 49, Absolute Timing (Ru) Lvl 114, Cycle of the Gloomy Wood (R) Lvl 45, Riders of the Baleful Court (A) Lvl 159, Lantern of Harsh Truths (R) Lvl 85, Sigil of an Approaching Fate (A) Lvl 32, Profound Influence (A) Lvl 1
Descent of the Grim Chimera (M): Chimeric Avoidance (L) Lvl 234, Cursed Appetite of a Wraith (L) Lvl 271, Monstrosity’s Appalling Physicality (A) Lvl 253, Reaper’s Mantle of Catastrophe (L) Lvl 101, Molten Fang of the Pariah (L) Lvl 209, Man is Proud, but the Chimera Takes (L) Lvl 195, The Chimera Weeps as Man Mourns (L) Lvl 157, All Else Succumbs, Yet Time Whirls the Earth (M) Lvl 161
Aether Skills: Aether Detection Lvl 181, Aether Manipulation Lvl 206, Living Aether (R) Lvl 154, System Interference Lvl 88, Aether Surgeon (Ru) Lvl 69
Spells: Yggdrasil Soul Seed (R), Inspiration (R), Phoenix-Slaying Bolt (Ru) Lvl 190, Firebird’s Lament (A) Lvl 111, Burning Footsteps Lvl 23, Nether’s Caress (M) Lvl 114, Authority of the Burning Heart (A) Lvl 125, Talon of the Restless Immortal (L) Lvl 187, Ignition of the Emerald Essence (L) Lvl 215, Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix (L) Lvl 231
Crafting: Potion Making Lvl 73, Farming Lvl 34, Analyze Lvl 29, Refine Lvl 106, Extract Lvl 92, Architecture of the Primordial Ways (M) Lvl 245, Experienced Creator’s Ingenuity (A) Lvl 68, Touch of the Ghosthound (U)
Yggdrasil, the Universe that was First a Tree (P): Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil (L) Lvl 190, The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil (L) Lvl 228, the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil (L) Lvl 199, the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil (L) Lvl 241, the Inscrutable Mien of Genesis (M) Lvl 252, the Implacable Price of Exodus (M) Lvl 205, Reign of the Eidolon Crucible (L) Lvl 201, Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil (T) Lvl 283
Auxiliary: Sneak Lvl 56, Acid Resistance Lvl 22, Poison Resistance Lvl 21, Sewing Lvl 11, Digging Lvl 9, Cooking Lvl 101, Clockwork Mastery Lvl 30, Aether Connection (A) Lvl 21, Soul Bond Lvl 135, Chef’s Palette Lvl 36, Nether Modification (U), Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 59, Engineering Savvy (R) Lvl 154, From Darkness, Genesis (R) Lvl 17, (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 190, Connection to the Alpha Cosmos (U), Nether Sensation (L) Lvl 80, Nether Rituals (A) Lvl 133
During the three days since he had sent Heiffal and the rest of the duplicates to Earth, Randidly had mostly spent his time training the Skills associated with the Ignition Essence. Part of it was because Randidly was spending a lot of time thinking about what Ignition Essence would evolve into, but it was also because he had clearly felt the limits of relying solely on Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil to use his Mana to damage enemies.
He needed his spells to have some kick to them. And although his high Intelligence Stat helped a lot, Skill Levels would make them even more powerful. Only images could effectively deal with images, but if both sides had images, having the advantage in Stats would be valuable.
Since it was already getting close, Randidly put a few points into Resistance so it would inch nearer to one thousand in the Stat. After he reached that milestone, Randidly would need to decide whether he wanted to bring his Strength or Reaction up to one thousand next.
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But that was for later. After finding a nice little valley with an idyllic babbling brook, Randidly carefully began to set up a forge to create the metal for the next version of his left arm. The whole time as Randidly cleared some of the surrounding trees and used ingots of the old blood steel to create a furnace, Sulfur hummed sorrowfully.
Randidly couldn’t help but laugh. “Relax, buddy. You are still going to be my armor. But it’s a little much to have a sledgehammer for a left arm; I need more dexterity.”
Continuing to mope, the armor didn’t respond to his reassurances. Randidly could feel Sulfur wistfully remembering the times Randidly had fought the Nether Gatekeepers and how much he enjoyed the impactful and violent collisions that had resulted.
Shaking his head, Randidly could only ignore his spoiled sentient plant armor. After all, Randidly could sense that none of Sulfur’s thoughts were malicious; it was just that Sulfur wished that things could stay the way they were now.
...you know I basically wear you all day… how much closer can we get…?
Still, Randidly couldn’t help but acknowledge there were some benefits to Sulfur taking over the broken metal of his old left arm. After all, he planned on using Sulfur’s immense mass and power to hammer the new metal into shape. But it seemed a little rude to point this out, so Randidly stoically endured Sulfur’s mopey noises.
After creating the appropriate setting, Randidly made his final preparations for the forging. After cutting down a tree and leaving a large stump, he took off all of his System-empowered equipment except Sulfur and left it near the bank of the river. After a bit of hesitation, Randidly also removed his Philosopher’s Key and left it next to the rest of his equipment. Then he filled two basins with blood, one crimson and one emerald. He produced the Level 78 Bear Overlord bones and ground them to powder. And then Randidly retrieved some of the last special copper that Randidly had harvested from the Chul’roon’s Dungeon.
Emerald fire sprang to life in the heart of the furnace and Randidly began to work.
First, he melted the copper and then mixed in the ground-up bones into the molten metal. With Authority of the Burning Heart, Randidly floated the mixture in the center of the emerald flame and carefully mixed everything together. While the metal and bone bubbled and mixed together, Randidly’s three images surged into the enclosed area and began to impress themselves on the slowly forming metal.
Yggdrasil for flexibility. The Grim Chimera for integrity. Emerald Essence for purity of purpose.
The copper orb of molten metal slowly began to change under the intense pressure from the three images. Sensing the time was right, Randidly removed the molten ball from the furnace and dunked it immediately into the emerald liquid. The caustic blood hissed and spat, eating away at the orb that Randidly had made. The flaws became more exaggerated and then were devoured by Randidly’s dangerous blood.
Then Randidly removed the copper orb and returned it to the furnace. He added more copper and bone dust to strengthen the metal. The orb slowly grew larger. The shimmering copper surface seemed flawless to Randidly’s Grim Intuition. Then his images stretched forward again, once more refining the material from the inside.
Congratulations! Your Skill Visualization (R) has grown to Level 254!
Yggdrasil for unyielding spirit. The Grim Chimera for the desire to cut and maim. Emerald Essence for intensity.
This time when Randidly removed the image warped orb from the furnace, he immediately immersed it in his crimson blood. The strengthening and healing properties seeped into the still incomplete metal, emphasizing and merging with the strengths already present. Then, before returning the growing orb of metal to the furnace, Randidly placed it on the sturdy stump stabilized with Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil and began to pound out some of the impurities with Sulfur.
Almost immediately, all of the prior angst was forgotten as Sulfur contentedly hummed along with each of the ringing blows Randidly slammed against the metal. Each strike shook the ground. At one point the stump even cracked, and Randidly could only cough and use almost one thousand Mana to create a surface with Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil that he wouldn’t need to worry about shattering.
With a better base, the tempering continued.
After the metal had been suitably strengthened by pressure, Randidly added it back to the furnace along with another helping of copper ore and monster bones. Once more, Randidly’s images flowed out into the high-temperature cooker while he used Authority of the Burning Heart to keep the metal perfectly mixed.
Yggdrasil for life. Grim Chimera for death. Ignition Essence to heat the two until they were eternally bound.
Over and over, Randidly took out the metal, quenched in the emerald blood to bring out its weaknesses and then hammered those weaknesses to oblivion. Then he heated the metal again and quenched it in crimson blood to highlight its strengths and then tempered those strengths with heavy blows from Sulfur. Through every cycle, the metal steeped in his images until they were almost inseparable from the material.
Congratulations! Your Skill Authority of the Burning Heart (A) has grown to Level 126!
At the end of several hours of work, the finished ingots of metal reminded Randidly of volcanic sand; pitch black and glittering. For now, he allowed himself a break to lay on the ground and look up at the sky of his Alpha Cosmos. Although a portion of the interior of the continent was now touched by Nether, the sky at the wild edges of the world where Randidly currently worked was completely clear and azure blue.
It reminded him of Vualla’s eyes.
I should write her a letter… Then Randidly hesitated. It’s been… five days since she left?
Sighing, Randidly sat up and shook his head. Then he slowly stored away the created ingots and did his best to clean up the spot where he had created the metal. Yet as he was clearing away charred metal scraps, he paused and closed his eyes. Grim Intuition thoroughly scanned the sensations of the surrounding area. Even though he wasn’t using his images any longer, he could still feel lingering hints of them in the air.
Randidly walked to the bank of the stream slowly began to put his equipment back on. The water was blue and clear, rushing down over the moss-covered stones. Seems like I’m finally strong enough that this sort of work will leave a mark on the world… will some random monster come here, witness my image, and then experience an epiphany…?
Chuckling to himself, Randidly turned and picked up the Philosopher's Key. With a few sharp movements of his fingers, he made the golden key dance across his fingers. While touching the key, the mark he left on the world here was even more obvious. Some small amount of his karma was planted here. Feeling the shape of that karma renewed Randidly’s appreciation of the Philosopher’s Key.
It’s a tool with a lot of uses… So I probably shouldn’t just leave it lying around in the future. Randidly thought to himself as he scanned the surroundings one last time for anything he forgot. Even after using the key for a short amount of time, I’ve grown to rely on it. It would be a tragedy if it just fell out of my pocket and I lost it. I should get a key ring-
Congratulations! Your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 100! Congratulations! Your Fate has reached maturity!
Warning, error-
The next piece of your Fateset has awakened from its slumber! Seek it out to continue to find your Fate.
Randidly’s eyelid twitched. ...really?