I had been drawing in energy to support myself. Knowing what bits to take in and what to discard to fuel during the constant combat. The knowledge I had chosen was invaluable. It allowed me to supplement myself and to keep pushing in the constant combat against the Flame Scorcher of Fire and Destruction.
There was only combat. I fought and fought, cleaving my way into the zone. This monster wanted to fight me, then I would teach it a lesson and learn its secrets. Blades of fire swept past me as I contorted and moved. Occasionally I would strike out with a hand to destroy a core or to disperse the energy in the attack.
After so long, I had learned the rhythm of its energy. That was the only way to describe it. I just needed to apply the counter energy and disperse it. No annihilation reaction, but a counter reaction. Only by constantly fighting and seeing its technique, was I truly able to grasp it. For that the monster had my thanks for teaching me a lesson.
Still, it was endless. I had given up on escaping the zone a while ago. I should have received a skill point when the roaming boss had been first killed. I had not thought anything of it at the time, but now I had a suspicion.
The closer I fought to the center of the zone, exploding molten rock, hordes of monsters, the more sure I became with my judgement. Those monsters weren’t summons, but creations of something at the center of the zone, the true level 7 monster.
Eventually I was able to see the burning orb that would spit out the occasional core which turned into a level 7 monster. I had come this far, nothing would stop me from going further and achieving total victory. I had learned much over these countless fights. The pressure and constant attacks of the monsters had forced me to adapt.
Truly, combat was the best forge for a warrior. “BURN!” The word screamed into my head as beams of fire lanced out at me, but I had seen these attacks countless times already. The main monster was nothing special, just a fish birthing lots of little fish. Regardless, it would be on my chopping block.
I leapt into the air and twisted around, avoiding another lance of fire. I punched out, and emitted energy. The fires were quelled and pushed back. The monster had no defense against my technique. “Dragons Talon!” I called out as I focused everything I had into the next attack. The monster core shattered.
The level 6 monsters began to retreat and the level 7 monsters all died instantly. The point crystal from the main core was not any larger than the ones I had already seen. I touched the skill crystal and scowled. Just like any other zone with a roaming boss, just a single skill or the option to upgrade a skill.
I was not going to upgrade any of my skills right now. I was content with them and changing anything before I killed the Astrologer would be a mistake. The constant fighting had honed my edge to a level I did not think I could possess.
Even without my stats and skills, I felt that I might be on par with my grandfather at this point. I smiled at the thought and set off for the South. I had been gone for far too long. I had lost track of time while fighting the monsters, but it didn’t matter. My son was save with my Inquisitor and the rest of my forces would be able to handle any issues that might arise.
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If they could not handle things, that just meant they were incompetent and deserved the death that would be coming to them. My Lord General had probably already swept those useless cities, my Master Fleshcrafter had probably researched new theories on energy, and my Envoy was busy running around trying to hold everything together. The Chief Diviner was worthless and a decoy to hide the existence of the Avatar.
No one except the carefully handpicked people knew about her. Even then, she was locked up in the deepest hole I could make without killing her. It was a shame it was too much of a risk to kill her or torture her more.
I did not dare authorize or allow such a thing to happen. For the Heavens still stood above me and I must respect them, along with recognizing the danger and power the Heavens held. I looked down at my naked body, I would also need clothing. I lost perspective on such things while fighting endlessly against those monsters.
That was the way forward. I would leave my son my Empire and go out and crush level 7 monsters. They would make me even stronger and better. Well, after I killed the Astrologer of course. My son would be grown up soon and learning how to manage the Dragon Empire would be a good job for him.
I would have to make sure he was strong enough. Once I got back, I would have to begin training him personally. Just as I surpassed my grandfather, maybe one day my own son would surpass me. That would be impressive, and I could not imagine such heights.
Leaving the moltenlands, I continued South through the level 5 zone. The monsters while slightly dangerous and annoying, weren’t not a threat I was that worried about. Even with their larger sizes, that just made them bigger targets.
I continued onwards, quickly passing through zone after zone. I saw some people grinding in the level 2 zones, but I didn’t care about them. I would go right for the store, get some clothing, and then figure out where I was.
I think I was somewhere to the North. Perhaps First Seoul at the North end of my Empire, or Hong Kong. Well, it would not be a big deal to subjugate the city. I was curious about the Protector’s strength. He had held off my probes for quite a while into his territory, but I had never fought the man myself. He was just too out of the way and it was never a good time.
It would be nice to put him in his place. If he surrendered and bowed his head enough, I might allow him to serve me. After all Hong Kong was a part of China, so he would be allowed. He also hadn’t actively challenged me which either showed his intelligence or his lack of confidence. Perhaps both, but it would not matter in the end.
All would kowtow before me or die. It was simply a matter of imposing my will upon the world and no one was able to stop me now. Not after the Heaven’s blessed me a second time with knowledge. Energy was thought, and thought was energy.
That simple concept held so much. Looking around, I was beginning to unravel the workings of Heaven itself and was astounded at the sheer power it displayed. But the Heavens were the Heavens. One day I would set foot upon them and my will would be cast unto the world itself, and all secrets laid bare before me.
One day, I still had a long way to go. But the path seemed just a bit shorter now that I had the breakthrough that I did. The most powerful thing, that made me truly understand how great the Heavens were, was the ability to hold two opposing thoughts at the same time. I had carefully tested that out, but just recognizing opposing energy and counteracting it had been the limit of my ability.
Still, there was vast room for improvement. I realized I had been so ignorant and blind for so long. I was but a lowly disciple learning at the feet of Heaven’s knowledge it deigned to share with me. But those nuggets it had gifted me had shown me the path forward. I would not stagnate, but could keep progressing and training.
The Astrologer might have picked his word of power Shatter, but it was of limited use. Picking knowledge and knowing the steps I needed to take to get more powerful was a much smarter choice.